Pigeon pressed powder in White (Japan)

Success! Finally got my hands on one of these elusive babies!

I've been to a lot of malls, searching high and low for this Japan-made Pigeon compact only to find it out of stock every single time. Well, almost, becaaaause...

...I was lucky enough to snag the last piece Landmark Trinoma had!

This compact really is HUGE. Look at how it dwarfs my Elianto baked powder:

It really deserves all the raves it's been getting on GTalk. Great oil control, super gentle formula (it's for babies, after all), and best of all...

a REALLY velvety sponge! Honestly, the sponge is what makes me want to put it on over and over again. It feels so soft and smooth!

In case you're worrying about the powder being too white for you, DON'T. It goes on translucent and blends really well into the skin.

I seriously recommend this product because it's a fool-proof way to make yourself look fresh instantly. Grab one as soon as you see one, because it's rather hard to find!

Nichido eyeshadow in Ice Violet

I've been looking for a BRIGHT purple/violet eyeshadow for quite some time now,



and I seriously thought that this small eyeshadow pot from Nichido was IT.



Unfortunately, while the color is perfect,



pigmentation is not so good, and the texture is quite powdery. It doesn't last very long either - just around two hours. I do like the slight shimmer it has, though.



The search continues!

Elianto Baked Powder in Nude

Got this during the last week of summer, just remembered to blog about it now.

I got this for around 300 pesos, which I think is pretty reasonable considering how much pricier baked makeup is compared to regular makeup. I like the packaging, very simple and elegant.

The SA said this product could be used for contouring too, but I only wanted something to remove shininess, so I got the shade closest to my skintone. Here it is under brighter lighting:

This blends really well onto my skin - it's barely there - and does a good job of keeping it oil free for about half a day. That duration's fine with me, since I usually duck into a school bathroom at around lunchtime anyway. I use a sponge to apply this to my T-zone, although a brush is the more conventional way to go.

I'm keeping my cheeks free from powder and blush at the moment, as I have unwanted "visitors" on them. DO NOT WANT. >_<

Penshoppe Pop Beauty lipstick in Spanish Red + Another Award!

School just started, and I'm already buried in work! X_X Anyway, today we have one of my school lipsticks. If I'm not using Tender Lips, I usually use this together with Mauvey.


This sheer red from Penshoppe is no Wild Cherry, but I still like it all the same.


Even if it's sheer, it still manages to deliver a big pop of color:

Here it is worn alone, under different types of lighting (I decided to play around with shot angles today too XD):

And here it is worn with Mauvey:

There's not much difference, really, but I like to think it makes the color look "nuder". XD

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Also, the amazing ~tHiAmErE~ gave me an award! Thank you so much!

I'd like to pass this on to:

makeupjunkie of confessions of an unapologetic makeup junkie
gracie of Gracified Shopaholix
*Nehs* of Nehsai loves N and CHIPIPAY'S (Cheap, good quality products? I am SO there! Looking forward to getting introduced to more cheap-but-good finds from this blog! :D)
and the Girl with Glasses!

Ever Bilena lipstick in Mauvey

In my high school days, I used to think Ever Bilena was a bad brand. Now that I'm older and wiser (or so I like to believe!), I realize it's a good-but-cheap brand that shows promise for improving more and more as the years go by.

I think this nude pink lipstick, priced only at around P120.00, says a lot about my current opinion of them.

Despite its packaging - which looks professional from a distance but feels cheap when touched, both the lipstick's pigmentation and application were excellent. (I just noticed as I was typing the previous sentence: most of my complaints about makeup products are about packaging. :P)

I really think Mauvey is a nice, pale pink that pulls off "nude" without looking too washed out.

ETA: Although it isn't flaky, the lipstick is quite drying, so be sure to have some lip balm/butter underneath.

My First Awards!

A BIG THANK YOU to Shobe from Your Little Beauty Bag for giving me these! Much appreciated! <3 (And I hope I got them right. XD)

The Rules!:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award

Include the award logo in your blog or post.

Nominate as many blogs which you like.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the l♥ve and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Include the award logo in your blog or post.
Nominate as many blogs which you like.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the l♥ve and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award

List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ.

In no particular order, I love:

1. my family
2. the internet
3. shopping!
4. noodles: Asian, Italian, instant - you name it!
5. hard work and the rewards that come with it
6. experimenting with things, whether they're geeky or girly
7. college
   life

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Now it's my turn! I nominate:

• myjuicyfruit of It's Juicy Time!
• RHEN of ILOVEANDREI
• Jee of BEJeeJeeFIED
• ~tHiAmErE~ of on beauty stuff and what else's
• Golden of One Proud Mom, One Proud Wife
• Ida of Naturals and Minerals
• donnarence of my lucid intervals

hbc San-San Eyeshadow Duo 01

I was only supposed to buy nail polish remover from hbc, but then I ended up walking out with this pretty purple eyeshadow duo from their San-San line:

It's not exactly the PURPLE purple eyeshadow I've been looking for since forever, but I like it nonetheless.

The shadows are matte and apply VERY lightly, which may or may not sit well with you guys. I like light shadows myself, so they're okay by me. Despite the lightness, though, they applied very smoothly and weren't flaky or chalky at all.


Here's a second shot under artificial lighting for another look at the colors:

I swiped a thin line of the lighter purple onto my lids for school today. (Apologies if the shot is not so good - I need more practice taking eyeshadow shots! X_X)

There is one thing I really dislike about this product, and that is its packaging. While it may look nice from a distance, closer inspection shows that San-San Eyeshadow duos are sloppily assembled, as if they were just rushed school projects.

The glue used to bind the eyeshadow palettes to the compact can be seen from behind,

and what holds the applicator in place is just a piece of double-sided tape! I would have preferred that they NOT put double-sided tape in, if that was the only thing they could think of to keep the applicator steady.

Nichido Girl's Night Out eyeliner in Bronze Glow

My previous experience with GNO eyeliners isn't very good. They apply horribly on my eyes, so I was surprised when this shimmery bronze recommended by a GTalker worked well on me.


It's the usual double-ended deal. Eyeliner on one side,


And smudger on the other. I rarely use smudgers, though. This one feels really weird too, like one of those rubber things you put on chairs to keep them from scratching floors.


Here's the hand swatch:


And here it is on my upper and lower lids. What I like best about it is that it's not a very noticeable color, yet it gives your eyes a nice, defined intensity, almost like a glow. (AHA! So that's why its name is Bronze GLOW! XD)

bench/ Pure Mist facial water

Finally! I've been looking for this for the past two months! The bench/ stores I frequent never carry this product, so I was super happy when I found it at MOA yesterday. This will be perfect for waterless situations at school!

The water has a light, floral scent to it, which is okay by me despite my dislike for flowery smells. (I'm a fruity person, thank you. XD)

F21 lipstick in Wild Cherry

This lipstick is a dupe of a dupe. It has exactly the same color as Fanny Serrano's Swiss Kiss, which, as established by the Girl with Glasses, is a dupe of MAC's Russian Red. (Somehow I'm not surprised, what with Fanny Serrano owning the F21 brand and all. XD)

While Swiss Kiss costs P199.00, Wild Cherry only costs P150.00. I suppose the main factor in price difference would be packaging, as the first lipstick comes in a shiny metallic aqua blue tube while the second lipstick is dressed in this simple black number:

I did not have my camera at the time I swatched WC next to SK, but you can see from GwG's post that they are indeed the same. Besides, there's usually an F21 stall next to a Fanny Serrano stall anyway, so you can try swatching them yourself to see how similar they are. :D

I'm more of a nude fan, but I can certainly see myself using this lipstick for when I want to shock people with a pop of color.

4u2 dreamGIRL Faith BB Cream

While I lust after the makeup crown jewels that are MAC and Shu Uemura [or insert your own worshipped brands here] like any other makeup fan, I'm mostly a cheap thrills peasant who delights in finding great products at good deals.

This is not a great product, however. I was definitely wrong to have such high hopes for 4u2's contender to the BB market just because it was a good deal at the low, low price of P198.00.

(Click the pic to read the ingredients and stuff! :D)

It was far too runny, which I'm sure ISN'T supposed to be what BB creams feel like. When I put it on my face, it looked okay, but nothing really happened: no even finish, no covered blemishes, no effective adhesion for other makeup products. I'm also pretty sure "nothing" ISN'T supposed to be what BB creams do.

Perhaps you're wondering why I showed the back first?

That's because silly me only remembered to take pictures of the product right after I had peeled off and crumpled the front label since I felt like being "creative":

You're not missing much, don't worry. It was just the 4u2 logo in hot pink.

Here are some swatches, unblended and semi-blended:

This was a pretty weird product that had no effect on me whatsoever. Maybe I should've gotten this BB cream instead.