Link Love: Gifts, gifts, gifts!

I’m taking a quick pause from Home Scent Week because I can’t believe we’re soooo close to Christmas again–and also, that this blog is more than a year already! I actually even forgot the actual anniversary of this blog! Hahaha. I’ll try again next year, I guess.

• ANYWAY. A lot of my favorite Youtube vloggers have put up quite ‘informative’ posts about holiday gifts sets–a new thing I’ve sort of fallen for…I didn’t use to mind holiday sets so much, but now, with all the online Sephora resellers available here, I’m in trouble. Also, in this post, some suggestions on how to creatively bundle your presents.

• I know I said before that I didn’t like online shopping so much, but these online Instagram resellers have paved me in another direction.  The ones that I like best on Instagram–in terms of selection of products and price– are: @nicolettemakeup (a lot of Urbandecay, Mac, Benefit, Lime Crime,  Real Techniques, MUFE, Marc Jacobs and some Sephora sets) and @makeuphaul_ph (which sells mostly just palettes and value sets from Sephora brands).

• Lastly, some shameless plugging, some charitable totes to comfort your heart and a community’s, too!  I mentioned before that I designed bags together with the big-hearted ladies of Channel Good we called The Goody Bag.  We now have 6 designs, all totes for Php250.  100% of the sales will go to selected beneficiaries that were victims of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. We will also update you of where and to whom your donations have gone to.

• Another option is Luntian Bags, a livelihood project for the womenfolk in San Teodoro, Mabini, Batangas.  I designed two totes for them, but they also have other wonderfully cute totes designed by some of my favorite local illustrators, Kara Villaseran, Apol Sta. Maria and Manix Abrera. Oh and they also have yoga mat bags!

I’m sort of really into: 3CE

3CE or 3 Concept Eyes is yet another ridiculously cute Korean or Japanese makeup brand–I say ‘OR’ because the info on their website isn’t exactly helpful. I can’t even find information on whether or not it is a cruelty free brand, sigh. It most probably isn’t…but I’m crossing my fingers, anyway.  Regardless of whether they are a CF brand, I am gushing over the art direction and styling of the countless looks they feature on their website! Checkkk those out! I am definitely stealing some ideas there.  Here are some of my favorites!

She’s soooo pretty! Girl cruuuush. Oh and I love the ombre lips, too! Very doable.

Gradient cheeks!!! Gaaah! Prettyyy.

Silver + earth toned eyeshadow + purple lips! Who would’ve thought.

I’m sort of bummed that this brand may be not CF, but then again I’m trying not to stress about it too much because I can just try to mimic these looks (the wearable ones, anyway) right?

You can order them from Stylenanda, a site I will be constantly perusing from now on. Have you tried anything from 3CE? Even better, do you know of possible good CF dupes of the lip lacquers? 🙂

A quickie: a trip to Cash and Carry and May’s unfavorite!

Hello, I haven’t posted in soooo loooong because it has been hectic, but as always, hectic in a good way. I haven’t even had the chance to post May faves! I only have around 2 faves though, so I decided it was probably best to merge that with this month’s favorites, which is not the goal of this entry though.  I do, however, have one May unfavorite–my first unfavorite since I started this blog! So, I guess, before my quick haul, I want to highlight May’s unfavorite product:

The Prestige Eyebrow pencil in Medium/Deep.  I got it at the Beauty Bar because my Maybelline one died on me and this one had a spoolie on the other end.  It went on too waxy–it clung to every little eyebrow and then I would have to comb it again.  It was messy, but I gave it a chance. Less than midway through the pencil though, I found a hollow area in the middle of the pen. I had to sharpen it for a long time before a decent stick/cone/what do you call it of the product came through.  A day and a half later, I found that I could no longer sharpen it to perfection. Every twist of the pencil created a shape like the one above. Boo.

So anyway. The haul! A baby haul, yet again because I spent this month’s budget on shoes, lovely shoes!

I know that Collection Cosmetics will officially launch on the 19th but I couldn’t wait.  I read somewhere (Facebook, probably) that they had a little booth at Cash and Carry Makati so I went there just this morning. The products were a little underwhelming, to be honest, but maybe because it was in this itsy bitsy little booth in the middle of Cash and Carry. I was hoping to finally get my hands on their Lasting Perfection Concealer but they didn’t have it in stock! 😦 I swatched their eyeshadows but I didn’t seem to like the packaging and was not impressed by the swatches. I got their Colour Pout lipstain in Kiss  for Php349. I can’t wait to check out  a much more decent Collection booth, possibly the one is SM Aura? Have you checked out that new mall?

And then there was an ELF counter beside the Collection Cosmetics booth. I got their Eyebrow Kit (Php249.75) in the darker shade.

I also got a dry brush! I can’t wait to scrub away the cellulite and stretch marks! I hope it works on me!

Oh and also these Wax strips I’ve never tried before. It comes in a lavender scent so that should be good. For some weird reason, my trusty Veet wax strips are nowhere to be found! I tried the Shopwise near my place and Watson’s and Robinson’s grocery for the regular sized ones and all they had were the face/armpit sizes.

I also remembered that a favorite day spa of mine (Nailaholics) has a branch in Cash and Carry, and that they carry the Argan Oil I love–it’s the real thing and it’s not too pricey! The full sized one (which I used for a year or so) costs Php1,200 and this smaller bottle is only Php600. This is a holy grail product. I always end up regretting not stocking up on these because they’re the best for my hair and skin and I don’t know how I manage to go on without it anymore. But seriously, they have the best price for Argan Oils locally. A lot of other Argan Oil brands (like the Souk’s for example) are overpriced for the size!

Talk to you soon!

Little purchases as of late.

 

Honestly I always have these baby hauls and I keep doing them so frequently.  I am trying to mentally secure myself that no, I am not spending too much because I only buy few (and not to mention affordable) things at a time but I always find myself at the mall! Haha does that ever happen to you?

Oh well, but I think I needed these. Soooo…

While I do love my St Ives Green Tea scrub (by the way, if you love them too, get the older versions because those explicitly say they are not tested on animals. I’ve noticed that the new ones do no explicitly state this anymore. Hmm…), I needed a normal cleansing gel sans scrub. I’ve never tried Avalon Organics before so here it is.  It’s around 300 bucks or something but it is a big bottle (of recycled material).  I love how it smells! It smells like… the orange twin popsies! I love those, by the way. Perfect summer treat.  Anyway, the first few times I used it it was ok and it left my skin feeling really squeaky clean and citrusy. A weird thing happened yesterday though, it started to sting my face and my face was pink the whole day! Weird. I used it today and my skin’s fine though, so I don’t know what that whole deal was all about.

I got the Superfine Eyeliner Pen from Essence for less than Php150! Awesome! Look at that felt tip end! It’s huge! I haven’t used it yet but the swatch I did would not budge, seriously. I soap and put alcohol on my hands quite frequently (thus my very dry hands) and it just sat there. I think this thing is hardcore.

Also, something new: a glossy kind of lipstick! I never thought I’d see the day.  This is something extremely out of my comfort zone; I am not exactly a glossy lipstick kind of creature but here it is, the thing that converted me.  I swatched this a couple of times before at the Beauty Bar and I never seemed to have forgotten it and well, I caved in.  Art Deco’s Hydra Lip Color in number 08 with SPF15 is a coral-pink (although the photo shows the pinker side of it, it’s partly coral, too in real life!) that seems to be buildable.  I personally just like dabbing it on my lips instead of smearing it on like I would a normal lipstick.  I was under the impression that glossier lipsticks did not tend to last long but this is starting to prove me wrong.  Although it doesn’t claim to be long lasting, it remained on my lips after a meal or two.  Maybe it’s because I dab it on and not swipe it? Maybe.  Anyway, I’m really into this lip color and Art Deco is cruelty-free by the way! Oh and I got it for only Php450. Yay!

Have you tried other Art Deco lipsticks? Are they any good?

Cruelty-Free options, part deux.

Ever since I posted this, I have been rather obsessed with researching more cruelty-free cosmetic brands. It feels good, this new pledge I have in my life, to steer clear from cruel, cruel brands. Now with vegan and CF cosmetics, I’ll feel really good, inside and out. And I hope I can spread good vibes to the world more! 🙂

So here’s the second batch of brands I researched on, and please feel free to add on in your comments below!  Again, I hope you find this useful!

1. The Balm, whose eyeshadows I simply love.  I ask you to please try their eyeshadows (Shady Lady eyeshadows!), they are creamy, if that makes sense, which is weird because they are powder eyeshadow! They also have lovely, lovely palettes. I’ve also heard really good things about their Mary-Luminizer! They are cruelty-free, but not vegan.

2. IT Cosmetics is a brand I always see online but I really don’t know if we have them here in the Philippines? Do we? Please let me know! I heard awesome things about their brushes and I’m very curious about a contouring kit they have.

3. Human Heart Nature is a rather new Filipino social enterprise that is affordable and is cruelty-free. Their products contain biodegradable ingredients and many of their products are 100% natural. The brand basically has all the elements I’d love to support.  They have mostly bath and body products, but they also have mineral make-up.  If you want to further research on what’s in their products, please do so here.

4. Flower Beauty, by one of my favorite celebrities ever, Drew Barrymore! I’m kinda sad they don’t sell it here, but does anyone plan to resell these things here, even just online like on FB or Multiply? (Or is anyone going to the states soon? Hehe) This brand was released just recently and already I’ve heard good things about their liquid foundation, their eyeshadows and lipsticks! This is a cruelty-free brand.

5. Tarte is a cruelty-free makeup and all their products, from the packaging to performance is ridiculously superb! They have a Vegan Collection and their Amazonian Clay line just makes me drool. Kinda pricey but if you have the budget, go foooor it! Their products are always formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phtalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrances.

6. Sonia Kashuk is a cruelty-free brand that I haven’t tried because it isn’t available here (or is it? Please let me know!).  A couple of my favorite vloggers have raves about their concealers and eyeshadows so I want to test those out.

7. Jordana is a cruelty-free drugstore brand (not vegan though) that I have yet to try because some of my favorite vloggers (like Leighannsays) adore their eyeliners.

8. Milani is cruelty-free but not vegan.  I’ve seen and read good reviews on some of their powders and baked blushes and I heard that they are pretty affordable too!

9. Physician’s Formula is another cruelty-free drugstore brand. I’ve only tried their luminizers before, as they were pasalubongs from aunts, and I remember liking them but I was in college then and my memory is hazy.  A lot have raved about their bronzers and eyeshadows, too! Oh and their products are also hypoallergenic.

10. Inglot is a brand I’ve seen a lot (and raved about) online. They have the most interesting ‘freedom system’ and well everybody says they are pretty much awesome.  They are cruelty-free.

I hope we can add more to these lists! 🙂