Nichido GNO eyeliner in Thin Mints and Smoke Green

This is part 2 of this week's GNO Series.

Thin Mints is a pretty pale green, while Smoke Green is a dark olive color.

Smoke Green is pretty popular on GT, and there have been some good mentions of Thin Mints too.

I can see the reason why, because both applied well on my upper and lower lids. Thin Mints was a bit difficult to get on my lower lid, but it was nothing as disastrous as last Wednesday's Cool Blue.

Nichido GNO eyeliner in Cool Blue and Metal Blue

After the awesomeness that was Nichido GNO's Bronze Glow (which my mother stole from my stash LOL), I decided to pick up a few more eyeliners from that line.

This is part 1 of this week's GNO series.

Cool Blue is an almost-periwinkle blue, while Metal Blue is a deep, greenish navy - kind of like slightly oxidized titanium metal.

Judging from the swatches below, it seems that Metal Blue would make a good upper lid liner, while Cool Blue would be great for brightening up the lower lid.

I was half right. Metal Blue looks great as a top liner. Cool Blue was extremely difficult to apply and spread all over the place, though.

Cool Blue has potential as an eyeshadow base, but as an eyeliner? FAIL.

Nichido Clear Mascara

I really don't like the feeling of mascara.

I think it all started way back during my prom, when I borrowed my mother's mascara, Estee Lauder's Magnascopic (a product which she has been using to this day).

It did make me look more awake, but I hated the goopy, clumpy feeling it gave my eyes. Needless to say, I refrained from using mascara from that point on.

Then I found out that clear mascara existed, and I figured it'd perk up my lashes without the added weight that colored mascaras seem to give.

I originally wanted ELF's clear mascara (since many of their products work well on me), but it was unavailable at the malls I went to. So, I got Nichido's version for P80.00 instead. Honestly, the product's consistency reminds me of hair gel. I suppose that's what clear mascara essentially is, though.

But it does manage to lift my lashes pretty well. And it feels weightless and non-goopy too.

Lipstick Swatching at Watson's

[ETA: Picture thumbnails made larger so you can see the lipstick brands better]

My blockmates and I are SO ready to build a statue in honor of our professor, who very kindly moved this Thursday's deadline to two weeks from now.

YAY I'M FREE! Since schoolwork isn't eating so much of my time anymore, I can post more often again!

Anyway, my mother sent me off to the grocery this afternoon to pick up some things for the fridge. After that errand, I went to the nearby Watson's and fooled around with some lipsticks (and one blush):

(Click to enlarge!)

I tried out Rose Shimmer and Cosmic Pearl from Nichido, GTalk's most recent lipstick finds. Not so sure about the metallic finishes on these two, but I think they're both pretty shades of pink. (I'm leaning more towards Rose Shimmer, though.)

Then I tried some of Maybelline's Moisture Extreme lipsticks, thanks to sis Golden mentioning them on her blog. Cosy Tangerine failed to wow me (too bad, I had high hopes for it!), but Silk Flower seems like an awesome color even though I'm not really a fan of dark shades.

Just for fun, I swatched a random peachy-nude lipstick from L'Oreal too. Can't remember the name, though.

And finally, I tried out Careline's Starlight Shine blush, mainly because of this review. Careline blushes are starting to grow on me - they're very good quality for their price. I like to think of them as the poor college student's alternative to NARS, at least until that poor college student manages to save up enough for something like Luster or Orgasm. >8D

And here's the obligatory "different lighting" shot:

I was actually about to buy Rose Shimmer, but then my mother called, telling me to stop wandering around and floor it back home. Boo. Maybe next time.

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!

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)

Nichido lipstick in Tender Lips

Yet another GIRLTalk find. I swear, that forum increases my respect and support for local cosmetics each time I visit. <3

Does the sleek, anodized aluminum-like casing seem familiar? It should be.

Same height, same lipstick amount... are you wondering why?

That's because they're actually made by the same company! (Sorry if the font's still too small, the macro lens on my camera wouldn't go any closer.)

Both Penshoppe and Nichido lipsticks are manufactured by Jemica Cosmetics Corp., which is based in Quezon City. Nichido's lipsticks smell better, though. To me, they smell like Play Doh, which is actually a rather pleasing scent.

Anyway, Tender Lips is a sheer peachy orange perfect for everyday wear. It glides on smoothly and isn't drying. (The shea butter ingredient is working! Yay!)

Here's what it looks like in different lighting situations:

I'm definitely wearing this to school once it starts back up on Monday.

Nichido Multiple Stick in Sunset Glow, South Beach, and Cinnamon Glaze

I first heard about these sticks from the lovely ladies at GIRLTalk. I got curious because it was a local brand, and my only other exposure to multi-purpose eye shadow/blush/lip color make up was e.l.f.'s all-over color sticks. (Mostly I just use mine for blush, and I've never tried them as eye shadow or lipstick.)

At P188.00, these sticks are slightly more expensive than e.l.f.'s, but come in colors more suited to the Filipino skintone. From left we have South Beach, a shimmery peachy pink that many GIRLTalkers have been raving about, Sunset Glow, a light pink with just a touch of peach, and my personal favorite, the toasty Cinnamon Glaze.

Sunset Glow and Cinnamon Glaze are very opaque while unblended, while South Beach is translucent. I like my blush subtle, so I always use a foundation sponge to blend them into my skin until they're barely there. (Take note that this may account for my color preferences in the actual face swatches below.)

Sunset Glow was too pink for my tastes - it was easily noticeable that I was wearing blush, and I didn't want that. Still, the shade didn't look too bad on my skintone, although I think this would be better suited for fairer complexions.

I was disappointed with South Beach, because I assumed it would work as perfectly for me as it had for my fellow GIRLTalkers. It was a nice peachy shade, but the shimmers and the color were nothing new to me. I believe it's a great color for all skintones, though.

Being a fan of the barely-there look, Cinnamon Glaze instantly became my favorite out of the trio because of how close it was to my skin tone. I loved how it gave my face definition without being too conspicuous and how it made me look "toasted-just-right".

All in all, I think these are great products and are worthy alternates to my trusty Pink Lemonade.