Spring Cleaning

Do you remember that spring like tool that’s used to remove unwanted facial hair that became popular about a year and a half ago? I wanted to try it out but it was too expensive. Just a few days back, I went to Beauty by SM and found this:

It’s only 89 pesos and it works! I use Veet strips to remove the hair on my upper lip but the strips are not very effective on the edges. I got this tool to remove those stubborn hair. As the directions say, bend the spring to a U shape then position on the part where you want hair to be removed then twist your fingers side to side and roll the spring up and down your skin. It’s quite fun to do this but if you have a low tolerance for pain, skip this tool. It hurts. I just happen to have a high pain threshold that’s why I can say that it’s “fun.” MB was curious and asked if he can use this. I told him no because it will hurt.

If you’re looking for a Veet substitute, then this is the tool for you. I just don’t know how I’ll sanitize this. I’m scared that it might rust if I spray some alcohol on it. If you have a similar tool, how do you sanitize it?

Crayon Liner

I am a huge fan of Maybelline mascaras and gel liners. I saw this Maybelline Eyestudio Crayon Liner at First Aid last year and I decided to try it. 

When a liner says, “doesn’t crease or bleed”, I give it the ultimate test subject– my lids. Bobbi Brown’s gel liners are well known for their holding and non-crease powers. They failed on my lids. Maybelline’s gel liner performs better and at a fraction of the price.

I was able to road test this liner yesterday. It was literally a road test as I was out the whole afternoon, commuting and walking. I went to Market! Market! to meet cousin C and my beautiful bride friend, G. We went back to Makati to check out a church and a hotel for her wedding. We walked a lot outdoors and when I got home, my liner looked like this:

There are traces of the liner around my eyes because I just scratched them when I took these photos. I totally to forgot to take a photo as soon as I got home. Took these photos an hour and a half after I got home.

Not bad, no? And you know how much this costs? 149.

The crayon has a smooth texture but it’s not as smooth as when I swatch it on my skin than on my lids. It gives me broken lines when I use it on my lids.  Don’t expect for this product to glide on smoothly as UD pencils.  But, the lines are fixable. Just gradually build the color and the lines and you’re all good.

Will definitely buy this again.

*Scheduled post
* Update - Doesn't work with NARS eyeshadows. It smudges like crazy

Wannabe Nails

This is from Etude House’s Wannabe Collection.

After months and months without shopping, I was finally able to splurge a little at Etude House. One of the things that I bought was this Wannabe Style Nails set. The Wannabe Collection is a collaboration with illustrator Annika Wester. It’s a shame I forgot to check the box before buying  and when I got home, I saw that this box was torn.

This set is quite expensive at Php328 but I guess that’s because it’s a collaboration. The quality of the nail polish is no different from the 48-peso ones. Aside from the illustration on the box, I also like the nail stickers that comes with the set:

Annika says that these are perfumed polishes. They’re not. 

The stickers last a long time. I applied a top coat over them to protect them even more.

My cousin C is quite excited to use this set. We will experiment more and we’ll post the photos here.  It’s so much fun being a girl!

Fun Finds at Saizen

I am addicted to Saizen. Whenever I go to Market! Market!, I have to visit this store. Yesterday was no exception. I wasn’t planning on buying anything. I was just looking around until I saw a pink polka dot rug that I couldn’t resist. And then I found stuff for the kitties. So I surrendered and asked cousin C to get a basket and I ended up buying:

-the pink rug
-tape measures (2 in 1 pack) because I couldn’t find mine
- camera tripod that I tested last night and gets two thumbs up
-falsies that I will use in an upcoming ambitious EOTD

Not in the photo are:
- food bowls for the cats
- huge cotton buds also for the cats (I think they are overpriced at 85 pesos but they’re worth a try because my cats are a pain when I try to groom them)
- pink and green peeler (I bought one a few years ago at the flagship store in Robinson’s Galleria and to this day, that peeler still works. The blades are still sharp but I need to replace them as they’re starting to rust)
- 12 pack multicolored sponges (They are a bit pricey compared to the regular ones I buy but I like the fact that they’re not as durable and that tells me I need to change sponges soon. I tend to forget to change sponges when they are too durable.)
-  a pink mesh bag for cousin C

I hope to discover more things at Saizen when I go back!

*Scheduled post

Coffee & Honey

On with the Bench Organics discovery.

By the time this post goes live, I would have finished this bar already. I got this for 65 pesos at Bench G5. I am a sucker for honey products and it says firming and moisturizing on the label so I immediately got this.

It smells a combination of both. It smells bitter. I love the fact that it lathers up nicely. It bubbles up fast. It “melts” onto my skin. I like soaps that don’t last a loooong time. I’m not tipid with soaps.

One major problem with this soap is it doesn’t deliver on the moisturizing part. My skin feels so dry after my bath. Even MB’s skin dries up. You can actually feel a rough film over my arm when you run your hand against it. I touched MB’s arm and it also had that same feel. It feels like soap that wasn’t rinsed and just dried up. So I immediately apply lotion afterwards. I noticed last night that you can see flakes, as in dried skin cells all over my arm. I don’t know if that ‘s good (as in exfoliation) or bad (dryness).

For the firming part, I don’t think I’ve used this long enough to experience that effect. Obviously, I won’t be buying this again.

If you have normal skin and you decide to try this product, do tell me about it okay?

Hyphen Curiosities - New Collection

Hi ladies! I’d like to share with you our latest collection in Hyphen Curiosities:

Earrings:


















Rings and connector rings:





















































Necklaces:

Alice Charm Necklace

Antique Gold Bib Necklace

Medallion Charm Necklace

Aqua and White Bib Necklace

Charm Necklace

Feather Necklace

Pewter Waterfall Necklace

Silver Bib Necklace

Swallow Necklace

Let me know what you think. By the way, we are currently looking for Hyphen Curiosities Brand Ambassadors. If you’re a blogger and you’re interested, please send us an email with your complete name and a link to your blog at hyphencuriosities@gmail.com.  Please be informed that this does not involve money. This is a sponsorship deal. We will notify you when you qualify. We will judge based on quality of photos, quality of writing, readership and following and your overall personality that shines through your blog.  I hope to hear from you gals soon!

My Favorite Lip Glosses

I’m not a huge fan of lip glosses but I use them from time to time to give my lips an added ooomph. I also like the moisturizing effect that they give especially when my lips hurt from all that chapping.

I don’t have a lot of lip glosses but here are my favorites:

Here is my natural lip color  for comparison purposes:



Here are swatches from left to right:

Estee Lauder Pure Color in Electric Coral. This is just a highlighter. Nothing special. It’s one of my favorites because I can use this on any shade of lipstick. It’s also a very special item because this is the only thing that I bought and I got tons of GWP’s for it – a bag, eyeshadow palette, tons of samples, etc. So it’s quite special.

Revlon Colorburst in Hot Pink. I love strong pink lipsticks. Light pinks are for everyday use but on days when I feel extra glam, I swipe on my strong pink lippies. This lip gloss can stand on its own. No need for a base color.  I need to buy more from this line! It’s so sulit!

I just got this Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Crush with my Rollergirl Palette. No one seems to be giving it any attention so I opened one and gave one as a Christmas present to my best friend Ahne.  This lip gloss is great! It, too, can stand on its own. I love the menthol effect/flavor it gives. It also says that it plumps up your lips. I don’t know about that. I just love the taste!

Bobbi Brown Glitter Lip Gloss in Bronzed Pink is for special occasions as you can see by the glitters. I also use it for highlighting.  It’s very thick and sticky so be careful that your hair doesn’t stick to it otherwise you’ll end up with gloss everywhere.

MAC Wonder Woman. I like it so much that I posted 2 shots of it. This is not for the faint hearted. It’s very red. So if you wear this, be ready to own it. I’ve only used this a few times. Well, that’s because I was still building my makeup confidence back when I first bought this and I kinda kept this in one of my train cases so I completely forgot about it until this post. I will be sure to use this more in the coming days.  Remember to use a lip brush when applying this as the applicator is huge!

Lastly, NARS Angelika. I can’t use this alone. I usually top my everyday pink lipstick with this because the consistency is not so good. If not applied properly, you will end up with empty spaces on your lips. It’s really not meant to be used alone. This is a highlighter.

So those are my favorite glosses. Mind telling me yours?