Review: Laura Mercier Eye Canvas

This particular eye primer from Laura Mercier has become a daily essential in my make-up routine. It neutralizes my lid area, makes eye liner and eye shadow last longer and makes their colors pop. All these are important for me as I'm the type to get panda eyes at the end of the day from fall-out out of any type of eye make-up.

I use only a little of the product every time as too much ends up in the creases.It's got a mousse-like consistency and is easy to spread without any type of tugging. Once set, it doesn't budge and helps in making the application of eyeliner and eyeshadow smoother. Eyeshadow is easier to blend in too.

I've been using it for more than a month almost everyday but there hasn't been a lot of dent so it's an economical buy for me. I got it at 40 off but I'm not going to hesitate in a repurchase at full price as it's totally worth it.

Review: Nars Blush Desire/Amour

I've gotten a chance to get my grubby paws on some Nars products and I'm lucky to get one blush compact with two shades each. One is Desire, a hot pink shade and the other Amour, a matte coral (they call it peachy pink).
 

Of the two shades, I prefer using the Amour as coral looks the most natural on me when it comes to blush. Also, I was a little afraid of Desire. It was just so pink on the pan. I wondered if it'd look too Dresden doll on me. Trying both of them out, however, made me realize that one is as pigmented as the other.
 

If you don't get enough warning on the pigmentation, it's not hard at all to go overboard in applying these blush shades. There's a lot of pigments, even with just a light stroke of the brush on the pan. You don't layer with this. You just apply once and it's good. Lasting power is great as well. If you're careful, one compact can last quite a long time so the price is worth it.

This is not a full-sized product but there's a possibility this thing will last even longer than most of my other compacts. I'm happy with it. My complaint, the dreaded Nars packaging. It's matte black and it picks up everything.

Review: VMV Hypoallergenics Skin the Bluff N2

I wasn't able to take a picture when I bought it so the inked label on the cover has somewhat faded when I finally got to doing so. This is my choice for concealer from VMV whenever I have breakouts, which is most days for the past month.

I got the N2 from the SA's advise. I always consult them on first-time purchases like this. It is a peachy-colored concealer with a very creamy texture and smells slightly of raw potatoes. It's got organic VCO and monolaurin so I'm happy with what it can do for my skin.

I use a finger when using it over the undereye area. It's perfect for concealing dark circles as it's very creamy so it's very easy to blend in. It can crease on lines if too much of the product is used, though, so a light hand is key. For dark spots, I try to use a concealer brush so I can be exact on the spot I'm using it on as the color is pinker than my skintone and would become obvious if messed up. After spreading and dabbing, I blend it in using a bluffing brush and set it with a bit of powder.

As a concealer, it gives decent coverage. I've used better ones that lasts so much longer and conceal more but I can't get better skin-benefits from any other ones. I've been using it with some other VMV products and my skin has been improving so much faster than I usually expect it to so I'm thankful for this.

Love: Anthology Shoes Bondi Orange

This is the Bondi from Anthology Shoes. The color is supposedly orange but it looks more like yellow to me.

The specs from the site are below:

• Sheep skin leather upper
• 4-inch EVA cork wedge sandals
• Cushioned leather insoles
• Anthology rubber sole

These are my most comfortable pair of shoes. I ❤ it so much. It's so easy to match with most outfits and brings a pop of color when I need it. I'm a crybaby when it comes to shoes as a slight pinch gives me bloody blisters at the end of the day but this pair was so comfy even the first time I tried them on that I have no complaints the whole day. I've even tried it on a shopping trip and I have no blisters to report.

One downside I noticed is that the rubber sole is slightly peeling off about half an inch at the back after a few months of use. It's not that overused yet so that's bad. But then, I bought this at an insanely low price at their sale portion so I'll try to get it to a cobbler to lengthen the life of these lovelies so no regrets.

Review: The Body Shop Cheek Color

As usual with my usual purchases from the Body Shop, this particular item was on sale. I got the shade 10, a peachy darkish pink shade with no hint of shimmer. I love the packaging as I can see the product without flipping the top open and I'm always into silver edges.

Using it for a while, I find it to be a great everyday shade. It's sheer but buildable, making it ideal for me as I tend to overdo on blush sometimes. It looks natural, if put on right with a blush brush and lasts long enough, if properly set with finishing powder.

 

It's not a current favorite but it's used fairly often. I like that I picked it up but I doubt I'll miss if I didn't as I have lots of similar shades. Nevertheless, given the same discount, I might pick it up again or another one with a different shade.

Review: Marionnaud Retractable Brush

I wanted an all-around brush for the make-up kit I tote around because I didn’t want to bring my whole brush set nor did I want to plunk in a single brush in the bag with no protection whatsoever. A retractable brush seems like the best idea so far. I went with Marionnaud as a starter.

So far, there have been ups and downs. It turned out to be a stiffer brush than I thought it would be. The hairs are just so darned thick. I didn’t like swirling it over my face because of the rough feeling nor did I like how it picked up powder as it pokes way too much product out.

On another side, it’s a great blending brush. If I let it out a half-inch, it’s great for blending liquid foundation in. I put the foundation on the back of my hand, dab the brush and apply it over my face in very light feathery strokes. A quarter-inch and it’s great for concealer blending.

This brush has made it so much easier to fake the semi-perfect complexion, being so flexible in its uses. If only it didn’t feel so rough, then I’d be a happy monkey. Maybe I should plunk money for their premium line instead.

Sorry over the white cast as the brush was used before I took pictures.

Review: Human Nature 100% Natural Smoothing Hair Serum

When it comes to hair serum, most of the stuff around is made up of silicones and even more silicones. Though I’m not necessarily against silicones for hair care, it’s one of the proven ingredients that break me out so bad. When Human Nature went and developed their all-natural serum with no silicones and mostly plant oils, I honestly did a giddy little dance.

Another thing that made me happy was that it was available at our local grocery store so there’s no need to order online or anything. As soon as I saw it, I swooped it up with no second thoughts. 

It’s a very economical buy, though you wouldn’t think so at first use because if you’re used to other hair serum, there might be a tendency to overapply. When the instruction says one pump or less, it really means it. They could possibly sell this in a smaller bottle and I wouldn’t complain because it’s going to last a long time. 

There’s a tendency to get greasy if you use too much. It actually feels dry on my hands but greasy hair is weighed down hair. The type that looks wet even when it’s already dried down. When you get the right amount in, it’s good. I can’t say my hair is fluffier, softer and all around manageable with just this but I’m good with it and I’ll repurchase once I run out as there's a long-term benefit with continued use.

Plant oils rule.

Review: Audio Technica Dip Earphones

My last pair died once again because of the darned rats. I checked out the mall and saw these chocolate-colored ones on sale. There are other candy colors but I figured brown is a good choice in case I give it over to hubby.

This pair is definitely worth the money I paid for it. The sound balance is great as ever, I can hear a good rhythm even with the sounds played quite low. I also like that my ears don't hurt a whole lot even if I play songs too long. I really love Audio Technica quality.

The package includes the instruction manual, a winder and 3 other sizes of the rubber thingies. I really like the winder as I can wind the wires and pin it on top of my shirt. It really helps whenever I pull out the phones from my ears and it doesn't wind down on the floor.
 

I also like the extra rubber thing. It's good to have a winder range of choices for a comfortable fit.

No regrets over the purchase. A great buy.

Review: Stila Smudge Crayon Set

I passed by the Stila Counter in Rustan's one day looking for a dark and a light liner as they have one of the better liners around, according to a lot of reviews. I came across their Smudge Crayon Set, which promises to be an eye primer, shadow and liner in one product.

Trying to be a smart buyer, I swatched it on the back of my hand before anything else. I liked how it swatched with nary a tug and with great pigmentation. The colors were delightfully neutral and complements one another. I didn't erase the swatch and went on my way right after.

I checked it later that day and noticed very little fading in spite of my having washed my hands right after. The pigmentation stayed true for all of the colors. Considering the price, which wasn't overly inflated compared to US prices, this was a really great buy.

This is really good make-up for newbies or people like me who has gotten a little lazy and forgotten how to apply make-up. You line it over the eyes, smudge the edge if desired, and it sets for quite some time. Once set, though, it's a good idea not to overly fret and line some more, because then the product gets a bit too thick and I got some fallout after a while. Doesn't it just suck when dark shadow fall down to the undereye area?

I haven't been able to try it as a primer as I'm a bit too lazy for that. As shadow, the umber shade, the reddish brown one pops and the smoke shade, the shiny grey one is a great highlighter. Great stuff, this set. Another good thing is that it's retractable. They're minis of the full size product but I personally love the size as it's like lipstick that I can slide into my pocket if I need a quick line or shadow.

As mentioned, they've got a full-size available and the full size includes a sharpener but  I prefer the soft edges so I'm fine with this set for the colors I already have. It's a great starter kit and I've got no regrets over the purchase at all.

Review: Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover

I'm on the fence regarding Majolica Majorca's Pressed Pore Cover. On one side, it's a very pretty compact to tote around. On another, I can't seem to make it work for me. Major confusion and a disaster.

As with most products I purchase, I got this on sale at about half-off. Or thereabouts. The SA was trying to convince me to get the skin remaker foundation instead of this one but I hung tough as I don't feel like using powder foundation nowadays, preferring BB creams, mousse and liquid foundation. I insisted on a translucent powder. This one fits the bill.

I've tried applying it using the included sponge but I've found it applies too thickly that way. I tried it with a brush but there's too many powder residue on the pan if I do that. It seems like I'm wasting too much of the product. Also, I'm trying to go for translucency but I seem to be getting even more coverage with this thing. It so confuses me.

So the best application for it is to use the sponge to pat it over my face and sweep a brush through the powdered areas to even out the application. I know I'm lazy but I'd rather go with either simply puff or brush and not have to do both, especially when it's the last step in my make-up process. I gotta hand it to the brand, though, if applied right, my skin looks smooth and perfectly made-up.

Sadly, my little one has taken a liking to pitching the compact around and the powder has crashed after the third time. I have to really admire the packaging as it took three different crashes before the product cracked. The compact did not suffer any hinge, lock or mirror injury in the said crashes. Also, putting back the pan into the compact made me appreciate how it's surrounded by a thick plastic lining that clicks into place.

I'm no longer able to tote this anymore and I have to think of where to put the cracked powder after. This gives me an opportunity, however, to try some other products to put into the perfectly serviceable compact. I could try the foundation from Majolica Majorca or even a Shiseido one. It's not truly a disaster. It's just an opportunity for change.

Review: Ellana Make-up Primer

When I got myself the Ellana Liquid Primer, I had high hopes for the product but wary on another side. It was all due to the silicone, the main ingredient. 

This will do to you what you want it to. It will make foundation, either liquid or powder easier to apply and stay on longer. You might even look as close to flawless as you can possibly want. You’ll only need one pump to use on the whole face.

However, silicones scare the crap out of my skin because they absolutely break me out and this thing did. Beware, if silicones have done you harm before, it will haunt you if you try this product. If it’s proven to be friendly to your skin, please try it. Also, the price can’t be beat and the small bottle will last a while.