Weekend Hauls

I’ve been in so much stress for the past month and a half and I promised myself that I would go retail therapy last weekend. So I did.

Saizen and Etude House hauls

I got a few things from Saizen, Etude House and Watsons. From Saizen, I got the organizers which I will use for my wedding gig this coming weekend. I will also use the coral mat to line the table to prevent my things – brushes, lipsticks, etc. from slipping/rolling. I also got new food bowls for my cats which are not pictured here.

I was originally planning to buy the Gommage scrub from Etude House but got carried away when I saw their new nail products. Good thing I was able to go back only to find out that the Gommage scrub has been out of stock for quite some time now. Anyway, I got an eyeshadow brush, also for the wedding gig, a nude nail polish which is really pretty, a cuticle treatment cream, a nail polish remover (the one in the tube), a top coat and a quick dry serum.

I was intrigued with the nail polish remover that’s why I bought it. The hair clip is a GWP. It’s actually a hair clip and a ballpen in one! I’ve used the nail polish, top coat, quick dry serum and cuticle cream. I will post separate reviews soon.

My therapy is not complete without a visit to Watsons.

I got a bath lily set, an eyebrow razor, an eyelash curler for the gig, some foot and leg products and hand creams that were on BOGO. I think I am getting addicted to nail products… I got a few more things like shampoos and conditioners but I didn’t bother photographing them anymore.

I’m still stressed out but at least these pampering products made me feel a bit better. I’m excited for my weekend gig, I’m excited to try out these new products and I’m excited to blog about them!

If you want to know the prices of the products above, just leave a comment below.

EOTD: Pride with a Dash of Lust

I dug these photos up in my archives. They are possibly from 5 months ago when I stopped blogging.






Don’t be afraid of color!



I made this EOTD using the Pride and Lust palettes of Wet n Wild.

(L-R) Pride, Lust

I love these palettes as they are affordable and they perform well. You usually can’t expect a drugstore makeup to be good but Wet n Wild eyeshadows are an exception.

The colors look daunting at first but the trick lies within your fingers and your brush. Lightly brush against the colors several times then tap your brush for a lighter day look. For night, do heavier strokes and don’t forget to tap to avoid fallouts. These eyeshadows tend to have fallouts but nothing that my ELF fan brush can’t fix.  Just keep building the colors until you reach your desired effect.

I have a lot of Wet n Wild eyeshadows and there are a few more that I want to buy. I’m just trying hard to stop myself because I still have a ton of makeup to last me for years!

These Pencils Last a Long Time

This is another gift that I got for my birthday from a benefactor in the States. I have only used 3 of them, I think. They last a really long time, as expected from Urban Decay shadows.

(L-R) Delinquent, Rehab, Juju, Sin, Clash

I have to admit, I’ve been using them as liners because I keep forgetting that I have them. I apply eyeshadow and suddenly I remember this or I see this when I turn around. That happens all the time. I will try to make a decent EOTD using these pencils.

I did not remove this swatch. I did several chores around the house requiring me to wash my hands several times and I still had some color left. It was only completely removed when I took a bath and this was without primer. I also love the fact that they don’t smudge even after a whole day. I tend to destroy “smudge-free” promises.

It’s such a shame to use them up thought. I don’t think I have the heart…

Color My Brows

I’ve only tried 3 products for my brows – Bobbi Brown’s Brow Shaper, MAC’s Girl Boy and Etude House Color My Brows.



When I really like a product, I tend to find substitutes for it in case it gets out of stock. In this case, I was looking for a substitute for Girl Boy. I found it at Etude House.



I have colored hair so naturally, I have to color my brows. This shade is #2.



If you have black brows, don’t expect them to be that exact shade on the wand. Your brows will just lighten up a bit. Girl Boy is still better for temporarily coloring your brows.



It still works though. It costs around Php300 if I’m not mistaken. Way cheaper than Girl Boy. It lasts a fair amount of time. I’m just not sure if the product inside dries up quickly or the tube is not full. When I first opened this, I had a hard time applying the product to my brows so I had to apply several times. Now it’s just 2-3 times per brow.

If you are looking for a good eye brow shaper that’s affordable, I give this product a thumbs up. Try it!

 

More Love & Beauty Goodies

There were more products included in the Forever 21 Love & Beauty makeup kit that Ahne gifted me. I already blogged about the palette and the gloss. Here are the remaining three:

eye liner

mascara

liquid liner

I wasn’t able to use these three because my cousin C got them. She said they were okay and she can’t complain because she got them for free. LOL. These are not waterproof and I don’t usually wear regular eye products because they smudge and smear like crazy on me. So I guess it’s good that C was able to enjoy them.

Here are a few swatches:

I rubbed the eye liner with with my finger and it still left a mark. I had to remove it with a makeup remover so I guess it really is good for a student on a budget to use.



Here’s the mascara wand:

In my opinion, Forever 21’s latest beauty products are getting better. I have a few other products which I personally use and some others which are available at Hyphen (lipstick, blush, palettes, etc.). I’m excited to see more from this line.

Love & Beauty Lip Gloss

All you regulars out there know that I’m not a fan of lip gloss. I don’t like the sticky feeling. But now, I am slowly learning to like it probably because of this lip gloss.

This is a part of a set that was given to me by my best friend, Ahne, for my birthday. I have other lip glosses that are better but this one converted me. Probably because it was a gift from her or maybe because it was pleasant to use. It also has a vanilla flavor.

It’s shimmery and yes, I’m a shimmer girl. When applied properly, it will actually make your lips pop. It’s not too shimmery at all in my opinion. I don’t have a lip swatch but you get the idea. This is a concentrated application for you to be able to see the shade and the shimmer. Just spread this out to have beautiful, girly lips.

NARS Maui and Palm Beach

This is another NARS product that I found while searching for the elusive NARS Hanamichi brush. I found this on the back drawer of one of my Muji organizers. It’s a blush and bronzer duo. This is a product I bought from a friend. It stinks of moth balls. Actually this one and a few more makeup that I got from her. I didn’t have the heart to give them back to her and get my money back. When I found this, the palette itself was very sticky. This is the first time that one of my NARS palettes became sticky. This palette was kept with another NARS palette that didn’t turn sticky. I don’t know if it is because of the moth ball exposure or what. I tried cleaning the palette with tissue then with wet wipes then with alcohol. The alcohol did the job but it also made the palette ugly so I decided to depot it and throw away the palette. Sob.. I don’t like throwing out palettes especially beautiful ones. 

They still smell a bit like moth balls, no matter what I do. I tried ‘bathing’ them in alcohol and airing them out to no avail. I still use them though from time to time.

Here are swatches:

As you can see, Palm Beach is too dark for me so I don’t use it. I used it a few times before just around my hairline and my neck. These are both cream-based. I think Palm Beach will look fabulous on tanned skin on the beach. It shimmers, giving the wearer a beautiful glow.

Maui is a nice blush you can wear every day. Now, to figure out a way to store these two pans…

NARS Hanamichi Palette

It’s one of the most beautiful makeup palettes I’ve ever seen and so I naturally had to have it. My mom got this for me some time ago when it was launched in the country.

 

This came in a box. When you open the box you will see a pouch housing the palette and a special brush. For the life of me, I couldn’t find the brush. It’s in my makeup collection somewhere. I’m sure I’ll be able to find it when I’m not actually looking for it.

The colors are beautiful but they’re not as pigmented as I was expecting them to be. I have to layer them carefully to avoid fall outs and to avoid one color erasing the other. I use the white as base and highlighter. I use the gold one for the lids, sometimes for the crease. Same with the red. The black one I use for the outer V.

Here’s one look using the Hanamichi palette. I’m having a hard time making the colors show in the photos but I think this will give you a good idea.

The colors are really light so if you are not used to wearing dark colors, don’t be intimidated by this palette. As I’ve said, you need to layer them on to build up the colors. You can use this palette for day or night.

Girls Dig Pearls

One of the perks of having your very own clothes/accessories/cosmetics business is you get to try different things. You also don’t need to shop for your own stuff because you can just get everything that doesn’t get sold. The Too Faced Girls Dig Pearls lip glosses and Luster Liners didn’t sell much so I got the leftovers.

Filipinas in general stay away from shimmery makeup. I don’t. I like shimmer and I like color. As you can see, the Girls Dig Pearls gloss is full of shimmer. That’s because it is made with crushed pearls. This shade is Mermaid.

The Luster Liner comes with its own sharpener. The body is made of plastic and the sharpener does a good job of trimming it off.

Left to right: Mermaid, Akoya, Akoya with Mermaid

I use the liner as lipstick. The shade is Akoya, if I'm not mistaken. I have two more of these to feature.

I love this shade because it’s very close to my natural lip color.

This is with the gloss. The gloss has a very strong mint flavor. I love mint but this is really strong so I apply minimally.

I think these have been discontinued by Too Faced but you can still get them from other sources such as Amazon.

Clinique Turnaround Concentrate

This is one moisturizer that I really, really love. I am very careful with my super sensitive face and I’m glad that this worked out for me.

This is a travel sized tube that I recently finished. I used it for quite some time. I don’t use this everyday, only on days when I’m at home. It slowly sloughs off the outer layer of your skin to reveal nicer, healthier skin. You won’t see your face peeling. It’s very gentle.

You only need a small amount for the entire face and neck. No harsh smells and no harsh reactions. I don’t know how much a full sized tube costs. I won’t be buying for a while because I have tons of travel sized tubes. It’s probably around Php1,000+. I think I already made a review of this product so if you want to read that just type in the name in my search box.

Kojie San

If you’ve been reading my blog for quite some time, you would know that I’m not a huge fan of whitening products. Sure, I use them but not because I want whiter skin. For example, I use the Belo Whitening Lotion because it’s not sticky and it’s non-greasy. My skin absorbs it very well. I also use the St. Ives lotions but I only buy them when budget permits so the Belo lotion is my alternative.

I bought the Kojie San Dream White because of that 60 only sign. But before I bought this, I asked my friend Kitten if this was a good soap. She’s the whitening expert, you know. There are 2 small soaps inside the box. I haven’t done any calculations yet but I’m betting that this is actually more expensive than the full size version. I like my bar soaps to run out fast so I chose this one.

I love this soap. I don’t know about the whitening and anti-aging properties but I know it smells great and it moisturizes my skin. And it doesn’t give me any allergies or make my skin itch after bathing. It also builds up into a good lather unlike other bar soaps. That’s enough reason for me to keep hoarding. Yes, I am also slowly building a stockpile for this soap. We currently have 5 boxes in storage.  My goal is to have enough to last me until the end of the year.

The Madness Never Stops

Watsons was on sale again last weekend. I was able to visit on the last day of the sale, which was yesterday. I got a few things:

It’s cheap and it’s Sesame Street

Staple in the kitchen sink

The Marionnaud brush is a dual ended brush. One end is for the eyebrows, the other a slanted brush. I only use the eyebrow brush. It served me a long time. It’s cheap at only 59.75 pesos. Good thing they re-stocked the Kleenex oil blotters as it was sold out the last time I went there. It, too, is on sale.

I got this as a GWP:



I also bought other things:

I thought Etude House in SM was on sale when I got the eye makeup remover. Turns out, it’s 10% off for every 1,500 purchase. The Ellana brush cleaner is my favorite cleanser. It was out of stock for a few months and then yesterday I was shocked at the price – Php320. I compared this new bottle to my old bottle and it is smaller and more expensive. If you know any good brush cleaners, I would appreciate a shoutout.

Lastly, MB bought me a few things at The Face Shop. I try to finish a product even if I don’t like it but my current facial wash is not really working for me. My face is not clearing up and I keep getting new zits everyday so I asked MB if he could buy me this facial wash. He also bought me this circle face brush that I’m very excited to use. I paid for the angled eyeshadow brush because I want to practice a makeup technique.  The facial wash is Php645, the circle brush is Php595 and the angled brush is Ph315. I also got a GWP with this purchase.

I saved money with this shopping trip again. My total Watsons savings is Php188, lower than my previous which was Php274. I used a coupon with this transaction as well. I also used my points to pay for the Etude House makeup remover so I saved Php198. I used my Bench card for the TFS haul and gained Php200 for my next purchase. The envelope bag is also useful for my files when I go to Hyphen’s different branches. I’ve been meaning to buy an envelope for my files and I was fortunate enough to score this freebie. I’m really having fun shopping smart.

Watsons Shower Gels

I’m on a mission to change our shopping and lifestyle habits drastically and that means going out of my comfort zone and discovering new things.

I used to ignore the Watsons line of products thinking that they won’t work or they were mediocre because let’s face it, these types of products are usually cheap but ineffective. The Watsons Shower gels are an exception.

I have a big issue with soaps and shower gels. I end up with rashes and I itch a lot with the wrong soap. The only soaps that work on me so far are Kojie San, Dove Go Fresh Body Wash (not the soap, the soap gives me rashes), Victoria’s Secret Body Washes and Watsons. I was really surprised with Watsons as I was expecting it to give me allergies.

I decided to try this shower gel because it was on BOGO. A bottle regularly costs Php249.75 so I thought to myself, what have I got to lose? I can always give it away if it doesn’t work for me.

Don’t expect this shower gel to moisturize your skin though. I have terribly dry skin and this gel doesn’t make it any better so I always apply lotion after taking a bath. But it’s good for washing as it bubbles up into a nice lather and it smells nice. It leaves a subtle scent on your skin so it won’t interfere with your lotions and perfumes.

I am building up my stockpile for this shower gel. The whole family uses it so my sister hoards this as well. With our own bottles (MB and I), we use up a bottle in two and a half weeks so we need 2 bottles per month. I currently have four. The last time I bought these shower gels were about 2 months ago when they were on BOGO. Now they are on BOGO again plus Watsons is giving away Php50 coupons for Watsons brands products. So yes, I will be buying more.

Haul

I had a few things to do today in the CBD and as we were leaving the mall, the rain fell like crazy so I told my mom to just wait until the rain stops before we go home. We hung out at Watsons instead and I brought home these:



Watsons is on sale so I took advantage of it. I now seldom buy retail. I wait for sales. I guess age does that to you. During the time that I didn’t blog, I hoarded stuff from Watsons whenever they were on sale. I now have a stockpile that includes feminine products, toothpaste, toothbrushes and cotton pads to last me for the rest of the year. I will go shopping for them again next year when Watsons will be on sale. All of them were on Buy 1 Get 1 so I managed to save a lot of money.

This haul is no different. The Watsons shower gel were on BOGO. The baby wipes were 99 pesos for 3 packs. I had a coupon for 50 pesos off for every 300 purchase of Watsons brand products. So you can imagine the savings that I got. The Kleenex oil control film was also on sale at Php94, original price is 104 (I think). The Protec hand sanitizers were 79 for the whole box. The regular price is 49 but it’s also on BOGO. This pack is still good as it comes with a hand sanitizer holder. The Kojie San soap was 2 for 60 pesos. The only thing I bought on retail was the Maybelline Baby Lips. I couldn’t resist!

I bought other feminine products that were on sale. I think the sale will last until September 26 so I guess I’ll be hoarding again tomorrow. I have a few more coupons so this is going to be fun! I will try to add a few more items to my stockpile so that I wouldn’t have to buy toiletries again until next year. I’m eyeing the Kleenex oil control film as they seldom go on sale.

I Love This!

I’m loving this nail polish shade right now.



This is Hey Sailor from China Glaze. This was available at Hyphen but for some reason, people were ignoring it so I just got it for myself. It’s a very bright, cheery red. Cheery is not reserved for yellows in my dictionary. I’m having a ‘blah’ day so I decided to paint my nails while taking a break from work.

I’m not quite sure if I’ve already blogged about this but it doesn’t matter. I’m loving it right now!

The Best Facial Cleanser Ever

That’s my opinion. I have tried different cleansers from The Face Shop and other brands and this turned out to be the best. It helped keep my breakouts at bay. I breakout when my period is near. With this cleanser, the pimples only last for 2-3 days then they shrink and dry out. I also use The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil in conjunction with this.

I have a new cleanser and it kinda sucks. I tried it because it also has tea tree oil, an ingredient that seems to go well with my skin. My period has been long over but my breakouts are still very visible even with the use of TBS Tea Tree Oil and Clinique’s acne gel.

This Acne Solution Foam Cleansing is expensive at Php600+ but is totally worth it. It’s cheaper than Clinique’s facial wash which I used before. My friend Kitten is scandalized (for lack of a better humorous term) with the prices of my things and so I am in search for cheaper alternatives. It’s doing me a lot of good, alright.

I will buy this again once my cleanser hits pan.

Haul

I love haul posts! I love looking at photos of what kikay girls shop for. I’m more interested in beauty hauls than fashion hauls. Here’s one that I made last weekend.

Maybelline Baby Lips Pink Glow, TFS Emery Board, TFS Eyebrow Shavers

There’s a missing facial cleanser in the photo. It’s already in the bathroom and I’m too lazy to take a photo of it. I will probably post it here when it runs out. I’ll make a review of it at the same time.

Love the packaging of the Baby Lips. I haven’t opened it yet. Will also make a review after I finish the product. I think reviews are more credible that way.

It’s been so long since I last went crazy shopping. I’ve only been buying toiletries and groceries. Must be because I own a clothes/accessories/cosmetics shop so I get all my stuff there. I have too much makeup already and my goal is to finish at least one palette before I go and buy another one. I love palettes. I get to buy different products at an affordable price.

Can you sense the boredom in my post? It’s a lazy, cloudy Wednesday afternoon and I’m down with the cold. I hope you gals are having a better day.

*I’ve decided to go back to blogging. It won’t be regular but at least I’ll be there.