Archives for February 2014

Facemask Sundays: It's My New Thing

February 27, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

So, I have been on a skin care kick after I started the first of what I would later call my “Facemask Sundays” (formerly known as Mudpack Sundays). Basically, I spend at least an hour every Sunday doing what most women who reached an advanced age would do, try to hold on to what little youth left on their skin, hahahaha!

Wait, youth! Come back!!!

Yeah, it all started when I saw my first wrinkle. It was the slight crinkle at the corner of my eyes when I try to widen my smile. I want to say I’m cool with aging and all and with my birthday just days away, but I’m not cool with wrinkles on my face at all. I don’t care what Meryl Streep said about us earning these wrinkles, blah blah. I don’t want it on my face.

It was a grim realization, I haven’t been caring for my skin enough and with my first wrinkle, I’m not taking this sitting down. Nope, nope. So I started my once-a-week skin regimen that starts with a 60 second Clarisonic exfoliation (full blast, not the low one which I use for everyday) and then slapping on a facemask followed by a smattering of face oil (which, by the way, did amazing things to my skin!) right after.

This explains why on my instagram page is littered with facemasks lately. Now, I hoarded several facemasks from Watsons and The Face Shop. I also have a couple tubs of The Body Shop mudpacks but I reserve those when I’m breaking out (my skin is on its best behavior so far). I had loads that I didn’t bother taking pictures and I have to say, the ones from The Face Shop is really rocking my boat so hard right now.

This red ginseng one is so, so, so good. I’m not even exaggerating. Usually, my skin feels soft for half a day after I do one of my Facemask Sunday thing. But this right here, my skin was awesome for two freakin’ days. I know cuz I counted. Too bad they don’t have tubs of this thing and just individually wrapped masks because I would totally buy a couple.

Sorta felt a tiny twinge of regret that I didn’t buy their kiwi and apple face masks (in tubs) because I wasn’t sure how good the masks were since it was my first time testing out their skin care line. I also heard LUSH has loads of great facemasks but they go bad after two weeks. And I only do the facemask thing once a week. But who knows? I’m flexible.

Anyway, enough with the melodramz. My birthday in less than a week and I am quite unsure how I feel about it. But despite my reservations, I’m still celebrating by buying new shoes plus maybe eat and get fat then buy more things XD

Oil of Argan: Argan Oil

February 25, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Imagine my delight when I discovered that the local Sensou Nature Source in Galleria is now carrying Oil of Argan‘s Argan oil (redundant but it’s the brand’s name!) This particular brand of argan oil has been on my radar for months and the only reason I wasn’t ordering it was because I was too lazy to place an order online. I know it sounds weird but I don’t want to wait two days to get my grubby paws all over the oil. So needless to say, I spent most of my time lurking from their instagram page.

Right, I was in the mall yesterday because my boyfriend’s office mates summoned me for a surprise birthday party of sorts. So I came there and spent the rest of the evening checking out Beauty Bar and The Body Shop, looking for a nice serum or face oil to augment my nighttime skin care regimen. The weather here in PH has been mildly chilly so my skin has been feeling tight especially around the mouth area.

I wasn’t really planning on buying different face oils but I snagged a bottle of Human Nature’s Sunflower Beauty oil while searching in vain for my kid bros’ Betty Crocker Mac n’ Cheese. I thought this beauty oil will be a great one to ease myself into the whole oil-on-yo-face trend.

Then it was off to The Body Shop where the beauty oils are also on sale! I was on the verge of getting the Moringa variant but decided to wait it out until I research more about the results it yields.

THEN, I went to the Beauty Bar and came across one of the newest Korean beauty brands to hit PH, Yadah. I almost, almost bought their Collagen Ampoule serum because it was reasonably priced and it felt so refreshing at the back of my hand. For the nth time that night, I passed up on it because I needed to check out reviews online first.

If there’s anything I learned from buying beauty and skin care brands recently, it’s that trust online reviews, particularly those from MakeUpAlley.com and Temptalia. com. From there, certain issues are raised which are not something you’d find once you do a general search on a specific product. That’s why I had to wait it out before I buy any of the other oils listed above.

As the boyf and I made our way home, I stopped by Sensou Nature Source which was near the mall’s exit because I’ve been on a face mask kick lately and I am searching for reasonable priced mud masks or face masks with nature-based ingredients. I discovered an amazing one at The Face Shop but that calls for a different post entirely. Anyway, as I casually asked the salesperson if they have tubs of mudpacks (they’ve got none), my eyes darted to a familiar brown bottle and I almost shrieked in surprise because the very argan oil that I wanted was apparently available in the local mall.

Yeah. It gets better.

I bought two bottles at once because you don’t want to pass up the chance to get reasonably priced face oils when you see it. And I’ll be away in the province real soon so I have to make sure I got backup of this thing. I got home and I started poring over the details about the brand and the oil.

Not much is written about Oil of Argan as a brand but the same cannot be said about the argan oil. It’s one of those trendy face oils I kept hearing or reading about. I was meaning to pre-order the popular Josie Maran argan oil but I don’t think I would want to wait too damn long before it finally arrives here. Anyway, I did my research prior to buying the actual product so I know that I got the real thing right here.

The oil is heavier than I expected, to be honest. It’s not baby oil-thick but I only use about a pump of the oil to cover my whole face neck and decolletage. The rest of the oil that gets stuck on my palms, I rub ’em on the back of my hand to maintain its smooth, youthful appearance. It does sink into the skin fast!

I swear, I felt a difference in my skin the first time I used it. I woke up to super soft, super smooth skin. It’s too early to tell if the oil will break me out so I can’t give an honest opinion on how mild it is on the skin. Overall, I am extremely glad I came across brand and I cannot wait to incorporate argan oil to my nighttime routine!

What Came In The Mail: Urban Decay Naked 3

February 23, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Everything is coming up roses on the homefront, the kind of rose that comes with fabulous golden glimmer, that is! So my boyfriend gave me an early birthday gift, the Urban Decay Naked 3 and it’s soooo beautiful! I started playing with it a while ago and man, this thing is simply gorgeous! My fast favorite includes Limit, Nooner, Buzz, Factory and Blackheart.

I heard so much about Blackheart, which is the darkest one in the palette and I was a it surprised at how buttery smooth it is considering the Naked 2’s Blackout is a bit on the dry side. Now I’m thinking if I should get the Naked 1 as well just so I have the big three in my stash!

Two of the first looks I created using the Naked 3 palette. I know they look extremely similar because of the poor quality of the image (damn you, iPad!) but I love the soft pinks that this palette yields!

What Came In The Mail: Sonia Kashuk Lavish Luxe 10-Piece Brush Set

February 17, 2014 by Tina Lee 1 Comment

This is a really late post about the brush set the boyfriend gifted me with last Christmas. He got me the limited edition Lavish Luxe brush set by Sonia Kashuk and I have to say, despite the set being cheap as chips, it doesn’t really feel like it! The set contains all the essential brushes you need for the face and the eyes. Each brush features a fluted gold handle and ivory bristles.

My favorite is of course, the biggest one, the powder brush, because it’s fluffy and soft albeit a bit scratchy followed by the blending brush, the angled crease brush and the large shader brush! My least favorite from the set is the brow-lash brush because I don’t use this kind of brush at all and the fan brush because I think it’s useless for super pigmented blushes and does nothing for me.

What I love about the whole set is, of course, the fact that they are so pretty in person. The brushes don’t feel cheap and they do the job right. The downside is, the domed powder brush sheds like crazy and the blending brush I got formed curled stray bristles on the sides after washing it the first time.

I got this set via Gracey’s America, it’s one of the newer online stores I tried last December following a really bad transaction with French Mac. I think I blogged about that weeks ago. Initially, I ordered the Fall brush set at French Mac and waited for three weeks until it arrived. A week before it’s scheduled to be shipped, I asked for the status of my order only to discover that the set is sold out and she forgot to tell me. So basically, I wasted three weeks waiting for nothing. I was super disappointed about the whole thing and the seller had the audacity to snap at me because I said it sucked that the brush set was sold out. Needless to say, the Clarisonic I ordered from her last month will be the last transaction I will have with French Mac.Gracey’s America was kind enough to hunt this down for me (they are based in Atlanta.) and I couldn’t be happier!

Anyhoo, the whole set is a measly USD29 and for the number of brushes you get and the quality, it’s such a great purchase! I use the eye brushes the most while the fan brush the least because it hardy ever picks up pigment. I can’t wait to use this on my incoming Naked 3 order which will be shipped today, yay!

Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer

February 5, 2014 by Tina Lee 1 Comment

I was planning on buying MAC’s Pro Longwear concealer because when I swatched it in the past, I was impressed by its budge-proof formula.But when I started digging deeper and reading reviews, I found out that the packaging is kind of a bitch to work with. In a bid to debunk these claims, I headed to Rustan’s to check the damn pump. True enough, no matter how slow you try to press the pump, it will dispense a large amount of the product. I kid you not, I literally went there to see if I can make the thing work so I can buy it but no, the pump will dispense an equal amount of product whichever way you pump it. Unless you have so many acne marks to cover, you will not be able to maximize the product at all.

Another problem with the MAC Pro Longwear packaging is when that when the container is already halfway empty, it will stop dispensing the product. NYAAAA! And you can’t even open to scoop ’em out unless you have plans of breaking the glass container! So no matter how much I wanted this concealer, as it is one of the best I saw out there, the ill-thought out container just didn’t sit well by me and I had to pass. Le sigh.

Anyway, with a lot of money at stake (the MUFE Full Cover is a whopping HP1960), I searched online to find the right match for my NC30-NC35 skin and all signs pointed to number 7 or Sand. So, with my long-suffering boyfriend in tow, we headed to the nearest MUFE store (megamall, beybeh!) and I bit the bullet. I have been tickled pink ever since.

It’s nice that the lady who assisted me gave me a warning beforehand that the concealer will oxidize two tones darker than my skin tone so I should choose a lighter shade. Not that I don’t already know, I did my research 😉

I didn’t stay long to chit-chat with the ladies, it was sorta like a touch and go thing because the mall was about to close. I’m thinking of getting their body and face waterproof foundie next because I’m scheduled to a beach trip next month. Anyway, I have tried the concealer several times now and I can say it’s a pretty good concealer!

I love how pigmented it was, how effortless it was to blend on my skin and how creamy the consistency is. Unfortunately, it’s not as budge-proof as I thought. True, it performs better than my MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer, but around the chin area where I got a lot of blemishes, the concealer tends to fade away within a few hours, though not completely.

I think it has something to do with my habitual salumbaba pose, I tend to rest my chin on my hand every five seconds and I am accidentally wiping away all the makeup. But I make sure to set the concealer with powder to maintain longer staying power. So overall, I’m on the fence on this one. I paid a lot for a tiny tube of concealer and I suppose I am disappointed that I didn’t get the results I was expecting, especially with the hype all over the product.