December 2016

I’m on my third Studio Fix foundation powder and I never reviewed this makeup staple! Que horror!

When I started getting into makeup, one of the first items that my sister recommended to me was the Studio Fix powder foundation. Actually, she recommended the whole Studio Fix range because she’s convinced that the products are the best performing among MAC’s many, many base items. So yes, I am on my third Studio Fix foundation powder and it’s my favorite base for many reasons. For reference, I’m using NC30 😉

The Studio Fix foundation powder is a lightweight but full coverage powder foundation and a little goes a long, long way. This foundie is so finely milled too so you’ll always get smooth, flawless results every time. Every time means when you prep your skin well, of course.

I love the idea of using powder foundation especially since I live in the tropics and liquid foundation can feel too much on the skin. With liquid foundies, you have to use a brush, a sponge applicator or your hands for application and that’s inconvenient when you’re out and about. With the Studio Fix foundation powder, just slap this on and you’re done! This doesn’t take a long time to set either so it’s the perfect base if you’re lazy or busy.

Just chuck this baby in your makeup bag and you can touch up whenever you feel like it without the mess. You can’t do that with a liquid foundie! This product is compact but the product itself is quite generous.

I can say the product is pretty fool-proof too. This foundie comes with a nice foam applicator (it’s under the cake foundation pan) but I don’t use that at all. Instead, I use a buffing brush for the application.

To use, I start by prepping my skin, ensuring that it’s well moisturized to get the most natural looking coverage. With a buffing brush, I build the product gradually so I don’t get that dreaded cakey finish. Because this is a full coverage foundation, I concentrate on the inner areas of my face first and then blending outwards to thin out the product on the edges.

A thin layer of MAC Studio Fix foundation with no concealer

Because it’s a powder foundation, it can look cakey when 1) you did not prep your skin well 2) if you piled the product on heavily, 3) if you have really dry, flaky skin and 4) if you are sweating during the application. Just like any powder foundation, the Studio fix powder foundie does not play well with dry or sweaty skin.

TIP: I always make it a point to apply my makeup in an air-conditioned room and I feel that this is a must if you want to achieve a fantastic finish. All that sweating will pull the pigment on the surface of the skin, causing uneven, patchy, and cakey coverage no matter what base you use! This goes especially if you’re using powder products so keep this in mind 🙂

TIP: Use this foundie on top of your liquid foundie for a smoother finish and longer-lasting coverage!

The Studio Fix foundation powder is definitely my favorite powder foundation and it’s a staple in my kit. It’s lightweight, easy to apply, and it’s long-wearing. In fact, the finish gets better as the day wears on. Overall, I highly recommend this product especially if you’re getting into makeup for the first time 🙂

Like a proper Asian, I hate tanning and sun exposure, which is ironic considering how much I love going to the beach. Since I work at home, I spend as little time as I could outdoors and as you can imagine, I was blinding white by the time I made my triumphant return to Potipot island, off the coast of Zambales.

I mentioned a blog ago that one of my cousins gifted us with a beach getaway and I got to choose which beach spot to visit. I chose Potipot because 1) it’s just 3 hours away from Tarlac and 2) the beauty of the beach rivals that of Boracay (ew) minus the nightlife, the trash, and the noisy tourists.

The drive going to Potipot was awesome, hubs was finally able to break our car in, so to speak, and traveling the countryside was so relaxing, it gave a nice holiday feel, ya know?

Arriving at Dawal, the hubs and I had the best time, spending most of our waking hours swimming and drinking beer by the seashore, it’s fantastic! Thankfully, there was very little crowd and at some point during the morning, we had the beach to ourselves which was awesome.

I’ve been to Potipot island many times and the love for its white sand beach and clear turquoise waters have not faded one bit. We did saw random plastic bottles or bags here and there, which made us pretty sad. Hopefully, the locals will work overtime to maintain Potipot’s pristineness.

After spending several days in Zambales, we headed to the airport and traveled to Bicol for a week of solid rest. We chose Misibis Bay because it’s apparently one of the best luxurious resorts in the Philippines.

We got the garden view room, which has its own swimming pool and as the name implies, the room does have a great view of the garden.

The amenities are quite impressive, they are comparable to 5-star hotels I’ve been in before. You know, you don’t even need to go to the beach to relax at Misibis Bay, you can stay in your room and enjoy the massive bed and the fabulous furnishings that come with it and it’ll be just as great! But of course, being water babies, we needed to head to the waters and we did.

One of the first things I noticed when we got to the beach was 1) lack of guests frolicking in the waters and 2) the noisy construction over the eastern side of the sprawling resort. There were literally two massive trucks hauling white sand on the beach itself and the noise was quite distracting.

We knew Misibis Bay was being renovated but we were not aware that a massive chunk of the resort is still being built. We ignored the noise and the incessant clanging of heavy equipment the best we could and the construction guys were not there the whole week that we were staying so that’s okay. I soon found out why most guests prefer to swim poolside, the beach looks inviting but it’s… sterile.

I regret that I was not able to take photos of the beach because ironically, we did not spend a lot of time there but here are pics I saw online:

Now, the beach is connected to the ocean yes but there’s a breakwater near the shore to prevent large waves from bitchslapping the bejeezus out of swimmers. The same breakwater somewhat took the fun out of swimming in the beach, the water lacks marine life of any kind (there were no fishies and we were disappointed because we totally bought our new gears) and the water’s not as clear so that made me nervous (I’m petrified of deep waters).

Sure, there’s a breakwater and the waters are pretty shallow but I couldn’t see the bottom and this discouraged me from staying long in the water, but that’s just how I am. The beach feels man-made is what I’m trying to say without sounding too critical. At Putipot, the water is crystal clear, there’s are schools of fish swimming near the shore, and the whole vibe is organic if that makes sense. Our experience at Misibis Bay’s beach is different and it’s hard to explain, you just gotta try it yourself to find out methinks. To be fair, the beach looked inviting so there’s that.

The beach is pretty rocky too but that’s okay because the hubs and I invested on cool sea shusies and if you have those, you’ll use them often at Misibis Bay. We loved Misibis Bay’s pools tho, they reminded us of the beautiful Balinese resorts we used to write articles about, lol.

The resort has 2 large pools, an infinity pool that sits in the middle of the property (just a few steps away from the beach) and a lagoon-style pool nearby.

There’s also a pool near our room so that was fun!

Though I’m bracing for Monday, I’m extremely happy to be back! And there are so many things to do and look forward to, 2016 hasn’t been an easy year for us but it’s definitely the most memorable. What an adventure 🙂

Archives for December 2016

Review: MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation

A thin layer of MAC Studio Fix foundation with no concealer

The Honeymooners