ETUDE HOUSE 20% Discount Sale – 50thousand ++ people like their facebook page!

as announced on the facebook page, on June 15, there will be a grand sale, of 20% off on all of their products as a thank you to all of us after reaching a milestone of 50k people liking their facebook page!  so your 98 bucks worth of nail polish will become 70plus, your 38 pesos worth of nose pack will even be less expensive.  what’s not to like?

so i went at mega mall, i was out to get the cracked finish nail polish

can’t get over how i love their new boutique.  there’s a nail parlor thingy at the very back of the place.  this new boutique is like what? twice the size of their previous place in mega A? where tony moly is right now.  they have a new collection, the aloha.  so bronzy bronze which i don’t care for so skip, say for their green eye liner felt tip pen thingy.

i don’t think a lot of people were aware of the sale or they were still either queuing up at the atm’s to get their pay or at lunch already.  and while i was paying one patron ahead of me was trying to correct the punch of the cashier and said ‘miss, [mentioned price] yan’ hahaha c’mon dear patrons, our EH girls generally know what they’re doing hehehe.  so the cashier gently reminded the honest and concerned patron that there’s a grand sale going on [well yesterday].  awwww see, the culture at EH is just uber nice.  you get honest and concerned patrons and uber nice cashiers 😉

what i got.  yep, i promised myself i’d get the cracked nail polish finish. and to get it at a discounted price since it’s 198, oh ha for nail polish, well still way cheaper than OPI.  sadly, the black cracked finish polish has been out of stock since last week, and i don’t like the blue so instead i purchased these.

since i uber loved love as in love the lucid darling fantastic nail’s formula from my last nail of the day, i thought of getting a new shade.  i think this chocolate brown one is uber sexy!  not sure yet if imma gonna use it as a gradient french tip with this orange one or a pink one from tony moly or just use it by itself.  hahaha i’m excited for saturday 😛

at the cashier, i eavesdrop, heard one patron say, ok ang korean products, ‘ok rin yung the face shop, mahal lang’ hahaha i hear you! [and well, feel your sentiment]

so what did you get from Etude House yesterday?

REVIEW: Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Eye Primer – huh UDPP? huh Shadow Insurance?

Disclaimer: unless/until the proverbial ship comes in, i will always look for a dupe on my current addiction which is makeup.  furthermore, i haven’t tried the well documented urban decay primer potion neither have i tried the ‘other one’, the too faced shadow insurance.  nor will i shell out between US$18 [ulta etc] to US$34.94 [oh ha san ka pa amazon] for the udpp.  i won’t try the too faced shadow insurance either even at US$18 since neither are not here and i have to add for shipping, to boot! so hanap hanap.  sorry i haven’t tried the elf [eyeslipsface.com] mineral eye primer, hehehe since my niche is Korean cosmetics nga hahaha.  this review is going to be about the tony moly eye primer.  how it performed and i can only compare it to my other other eye primers which are the ellana eye primer and the face shop’s eye shadow base that is part of their real secret perfect contour kit [pls click on the links for their respective reviews].

this eye primer from Tony Moly is almost tiny well almost.  i didn’t see how much content it has from the label. but according to their website, it’s 4g.  and below is a swatch of the product by itself.  it’s a very smooth and slick paste.  it’s very creamy to spread and blend out.  it dries rather quickly on the eye lids.

i’ve been using my not so great eye shadow pallet quad from elf, ok it’s really crappy, and i’ve been doing so since i got this eye primer.  as you can see below, with the primer underneath, the green shadow, the green becomes more vivid and you can see more of the sparkles from the vanilla champagne shade on the right as compared to the swatches without the primer underneath.

From the Tony Moly Website:

a crease-resistant formula holds pigment in place for long-lasting, stay-true color. Long lasting eye primer that keeps your eye makeup true to color while preventing creasing. It easily glides on the eye lid and the silky-smooth finish minimizes flaws and imperfections on the lid.

use fingertip to apply a small amount of primer to cover entire lid from lash to brow before applying eye shadow 

My Thoughts:

application-wise, this primer from tony moly applies just as easily and as creamily as the eye shadow base i have [and about to hit pan on] from the face shop.  but the tony moly primer dries a lot faster than the face shop’s.  so if you have this primer from tony moly work fast to blend and spread it ‘from lash to brow’  the eye primer from tony moly has better coverage than the face shop’s and ellana alike. 

coverage – this covers the capillaries that show through my eye lids more.  so i get a more even and a better ‘bare’ canvass for my lids than either of the previous eye primers that i have on hand.

Likes:

• packaging i like the sleek tiny tube.  i even like the shiny purply cap.  it has a doe foot applicator so i don’t have to dip my finger into the product like my previous two eye primers.
• the name(?) seryoso? i laughed when i first saw it. ginoo, Berry Lovely talaga
• no weird scent
• IT WORKS, it makes even the crappiest eye shadows look more vivid and does the job of covering my violet capillaries that show through the skin of my eye lids.
• it allows for even eye shadows with fall out to stick to my eyes. tadaaah
  
  compared to this [using ellana eye primer]  though there is still some fall out upon application of the lucid darling pallet, there is no fall out throughout the day and the shadows do not fade throughout the day either
  
• it applies so easily.  as some of you may know di ako maka get over sa inis with the putty consistency of my most recent primer.  but i still use it since nabili ko na.  but now hehehe no more. 

Dislikes:

• the price? PhP298 double the price of the ellana primer but oh well at least i’m no longer annoyed nyahahaha

Do I recommend:  sure i do, it’s a great addition to my travel kit since it’s so tiny and it works.

Will i repurchase:  yep, but i’ll also try out the etude one as well, well someday hahaha

What’s your recent Tony Moly purchase?

REVIEW: ETUDE HOUSE I’M FINE EYE LINER – Liquid Liner

this is part of the tangerine collection and i’ve been using it since i wanted to be frugal in my usage of my lioele brushpen liner.

i bought this because it’s part of the tangerine collection and to get the free 2NE1 cd LOL.

you can make a very thin as in very FINE line to a very thick and wide line.  but notice the smears further down from the finest line? (nearer the upper bone of my thumb)?  those are lines i have to make to draw out the ink from the brush.  after several strokes or even just one full stroke with the brush seen below.  one of the bristles of this really fine brush is astray.

when i take the cap off, seen in the pic below, my finger almost always get an ink blot.

the results

it really does give a very fine and a very black line.

but, of course there’s a but, LOL.  I think it dries in a very tacky way.  it becomes sticky tacky so applying a second layer proves to be a tad difficult and reapplication is no longer smooth.  pls refer to the 3rd pic above to the liner smears nearer my thumb bone, the smears, i have to do that, like smear a line on skin or tissue to make the ink come out.  product wastage! which does not occur with my liole.

Likes:

 

• really fine line
• really really black
• super water proof!  no tears no sweat no humidity will budge this baby
• packaging
• the name(?) lol
• great for tightlining or applying on your/my waterline.
• relatively inexpensive, it’s etude house after all.
• easily removed using their lip & eye [makeup] remover

Dislikes:

• it’s possible the brush is a tad too long so ink does not dispense right away to the tip of the brush? sometimes well i mean most times, i shake it to give a shove to the ink and make it go down.
• dries tacky too quickly imho so reapplication is not smooth on top of a previous line.
• the container bleeds ink into my hand when i take the cap off, so it means it bleeds ink somewhere
• product wastage

Do i recommend? sure so long as your had is steady or have used liquid liner before otherwise, practice with gel liners first as they afford more control.

Will I repurchase? no…i’m going back to gel liners which Etude House has, the code B LOL 

 

REVIEW: Majolica Majorca Trick On Eyeshadow Palette in 751 – my second trick ;-)

this is my second pallet from MM that i purchased from their flagship store at sm makati, LOL, huli ka, teh Marge! you do go to Makati! [runs in embarrassment]

this pallet contains shades that are more wearable for the office or college or job interviews

just a pop of satin finish in gold with a darker outer v [2/3’s of your eye lid]

but can be used for a dramatic look! just spruce up the shades! and the eyeliner and your set for an evening with just one pallet.

my review of my of my first trick on eye shadow in BR750 is on this link.

Thoughts:

i love both pallets.  they have unique shades and the shadows are even way softer than my stila shadows.  wow who knew that shadows can even be milled much finer than stila’s? no fall out and they are powdery-creamy to apply.  it’s better to use the spongetip applicators that’s with the pallet than a brush.  the finish is smoother that way.

How i use it.  i only use the gold, grey, and brown [the gold for an all over wash of shade on my lid, followed by the gray from my lash line to my crease, then the dark satin-shimmer brown smudged on my lash line to my outer V] while the pearly pink shadow is the TRICK.  it is advised to apply that after all of the three is layered for a “3D effect” weh, really? parang Thor’s hammer?  well that’s what the SA said at sm makati.  i just like that 4th shade, mind you, the biggest one on the pan, to brighten up the inner corner of the eye. and i’d use that for a night time spruce 😉

Likes:

• the price – for a japanese brand, this at PhP795 for the quality it has, is actually priced fair in my book
• the quality of the shadows, they are just a dream to apply super soft, easy to apply
• no fall out and does not fade throughout the day
• do not crease 
• the spongetip applicator is the bomb! super soft and not flimsy at all, perfect to use with the pallet.
• the shades on this pallet are very wearable and adjustable for either a day or night time look.
• easy to remove by even a facial wash
• size is compact [but it takes just one swipe to color your lids].  so it’s easy to bring this along in your kit since it’s small.

Dislikes:

• none that i can think of

Do I recommend: yes, definitely.  Not into Korean brands? How bout Japanese instead?  and it’s a Shiseido sister, so you can’t go wrong.

Would i repurchase? : they have a lot of different pallets, those i will try to grab 😉

Collective Haul Etude House, Lioele, Tony Moly, The Face Shop, SS501, Big Bang – pic heavy

Disclaimer: Some of the Etude House Products have been sitting on my vanity since even before my last[most previous] collective haul. i was merely waiting to complete the tangerine collection or at least have the cream choux especially in #2 [the only one of the 4 that i would actually use] but to this day, it’s out of stock at my favorite mega mall branch. AND THEREFORE, these weren’t purchased in one day, i.e. last april 7 pa nagbukas ang F21 sa makati, some of these are free give aways, thanks to Etude and Charmaine of kkochipida

as some of you might have seen in my twitter/twitpic i went to the first weekend opening of the forever21 branch in sm makati:

here are the items i got:

to this day i’m over the moon with jeans that are less than PhP600, P545 to be exact and cotton tees for PhPP183 in a comfortable mall in a boutique with some sort of a name LOL, well sikat naman ang F21 sa youtube eh, so in fairness it has a name and the couple of Koreans that own F21 are already listed in Forbes, so ahem 😉

i was also there the day the new etude house branch in mega B opened. i was just a tad too early but i got a few pix.

first few hours were for the media then by passed 12, they opened the doors for the general public. this branch is a great deal bigger than their previous shop in mega A. are you curious what shop will replace the space left behind by Etude house??? 😛  

if you use your citrus rcbc master card you get a further 5% reduction in price.  it’s pretty hard to beat, ahem tfs and skin food!

if you spend a certain amount at Etude House they had a special promo where you get to spin this wheel:

you want quality products for a less expensive amount? try Korean products, bwahahaha eh ako na defensive. phhhffft.

stuff came in from Charmaine. Lioele, Tony Moly, Baviphat at 50% off, and loads of freebies from her.

a couple of items from The Face Shop. the sticker set came from Thor of Space Encounters

a more recent purchase, the Big shampoo was a gift from the jowa, while the american cream is just ♥♥♥ for me, this is the conditioner whose scent lasts on my hair even after the next shampooing.

first time ever for me to buy a high end blush this blush just suits my complexion well and does not oxidize on me. comparative review on this and my theBalm hot mama coming up, hopefully this week ☺♥

Aha! Rohto clear! this one was a present from my sister in law, theBenj’s younger sister who visited from the states. omg, this thing is painful! but woah effective! Tao’s Makeup or iamgrape1119 on YT did say it was painful as hell the first few times but it really is much better than just your normal visine or eyemo. this is from riteaid. thanks Carol ☺♥

and my kpop stuff. and again, i didn’t buy all this shizz in one sitting.  I got them them from different Kpop stores namely Space Encounters and Fangirl Asia [through hero-Tania].  the lucky days cd was a gift from a friend of mine, Dek. defensive much again? let’s take that one step further, i’ve got a stable job and no kids, makeup and kpop are my only vices, araseo? 

that’s all for now folks, can’t wait to review these items!

Ciao ☺♥

REVIEW: Pure Beauty Tsubaki/Camellia Seed Oil Hair Care

this set came on my radar thanks to an email i received from sm advantage introducing the new products of pure beauty.

so for every purchase you get a 100 bonus points on your sm advantage.  so all i had to do was watson’s hop.  i mean, there are 2 watson’s in one mega b and the sm dept store in mega a.  then there’s a watson’s at the podium and a watson’s closest to me, rob gale 😛  or if you hate walking like me, just ask the cashier to consider each item as separate sales. muhahahaha 

my hair’s layers are on the outside as opposed to having the layers under your longest hair.

so when i dry my hair my stick straight hair, (yey, thanks Dad ;-)) looks as though i have spongy frizzy hair when i really don’t, it’s the layers pointing everywhere and my hair not liking my cheapy-cheapy hair dryer 😛
this hair care set actually really does make good on the tag line ‘styling made easy’ LOL

i’ve got a dying hair iron.  see, it’s so retro.  and naturally it’s green.. but hola it’s a black and decker!  yeah they have electric fans, too.  but this iron, curler, crimper set was a leap.  but hey it lasted me around 5 years now. well, sorta.  it takes a bout 15mins to heat up and even longer if i want the heat to last long.  but wait i got stick straight asian hair why do i wanna subject my hair to heat?  simple my hair dryer dries my hair every which way possible so the layers’ tips look like i’ve got frizzy hair, when i don’t.

tada?! a not so heated hair iron, and just a swipe.

and it looks like i’ve a proper hair dryer to begin with. LOL.
Likes:

• the smell. it’s so feminine citrus-kinda scent
• cleans squeaky clean
• easy to rinse off
• lasting effects of soft shiny hair, softness of the roots is almost the same as the woah, the softness of the tips of my hair.
• i don’t get greasy after a day, i get greasy in about 36 hours so it’s not that oily.
• makes hair styling even with my ancient hair iron easy.  and once it’s ironed it stays ‘ironed looking’
• THE PRICE! for 200 bucks per 500ml [conditioner 500ml, shampoo is 500] then this beats shiseido’s price [around 700 for almost the same content] and since i got a 100 points bonus it’s like ‘ma’am parang 99 na lang binayad nyo!’ as the cashier happily pointed out
• doesn’t weigh my hair down

Dislikes:

• the smell doesn’t last long like my favorite lush american cream conditioner [that thing lasts even after i’ve shampooed again! LOL]

Will I repurchase:  sure

Disclaimer:  I’m not a sulfates non-fan [aka i don’t give a hoot either way, so i use any hair care that will keep my roots less greasy to bring down my hair washing routine to around twice or even once a week.  yep, once a week, does anyone think it’s possible in such a humid environment we have?

Do i recommend? sure, i’d recommend this to people with thin limp hair.  i wouldn’t know how this would work on people with thick sponghado / frizzy hair.

My Next Shampoo and Conditioner – Pure Beauty TSUBAKI

this notice from SM Advantage came in my email yesterday.  the title of the email is

Exclusive to Members: Earn 100 Bonus Points on Pure Beauty Tsubaki Camellia Products at Watsons (Now until May 31)

I almost yelled in delight.  but i can’t actually see on the pic where it says tsubaki lol.  hari nawa hindi ito joke joke joke LMAO.

there are reviews on this on a lot of different blogs but the frequently reviewed brand is from Shiseido and i don’t think Shiseido brings this shampoo line of theirs to Manila.  a lot of the reviews i read on makeup alley are quite favorable and on average it’s a 4/5.  and of course Fuzkittie swears by the awesomeness tsubaki does for her hair [well at least the Shiseido one].

Pure Beauty products especially their masks and bb creams have been reviewed by the usual power of three, Nikki [that i remember most], so this brand came on my radar because of their relatively inexpensive bb creams that’s actually available in our local watsons.

Hopefully, this tsubaki shampoo works out well on my oily to combination really thin strand-ed hair type.  and hopefully it’s a tad cheaper than the shiseido tsubaki shampoo prices i see online. according to this blog entry it’s a third cheaper than the shiseido tsubaki  let you know by the same time next week how this worked out for me.

ciao for naooo ^_^

Food Tripping: Mesa Filipino Moderne at the SM Megamall branch

we’ve been meaning to eat here in so long.

and most recently our dinning experience has turned towards the vege healthy way the Benj and I were salivating on some pinoy comfort food.

LOL it’s bigger on the inside! a little bit of a doctor who joke there, soweee.

i kinda dig the weave shade thing.  the bamboo made it extra pinoy.

our orders:

the sisig rice:  oops we were ordering sea food because it was a friday, but we forgot we ordered sisig rice LOL.  serves 2-3, price PhP170.  the Benj and i were hoping for a drier type of sisig, but i guess this wasn’t our night.  so the rice was kinda wet which i never like.

Sauteed with salted egg PhP350, wow this thing was rich!  the yolk of the salted egg made the sauce really thick.  the prawns were big enough and thus the price tag of this thing.  i love how the salted egg taste went in the prawn heads.  it was even buttery.  yummmmmmmm

and the healthy order, LOL.  the daing with tons of garlic, yeh that’s the name. PhP280.  well, it’s a pinoy sized bangus.  i did like the fact that it didn’t taste like frying oil.  the garlic was crispy but not burned.  toasty and not raw at all.
over all the portions of the orders would be ok if i didn’t bring my appetite.  if i was only five feet tall these portions would satiate me.  so yeah for the price bitin ako.  but boy aaaang sarap! deeelish 😀


Would i recommend this place: oh sure, just don’t bring your appetite too much
would i eat here again: sure, why not, it’s really masarap here.

Food Tripping: Peri-Peri and Icebergs at SM MegaMall

so apart from tokyo cafe finally having a branch in megamall there’s this place, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken.  They claim Portuguese style charcoal / roasted chicken.  The staff even yells hola seniora/senior at you as you enter.

yep, they have the refilling station behind our table, kinda reminds me how burger king was when they had refillable drinks.

Chicken quesadillas, PhP140, four big pieces with a lot of big chunks of chicken and cheese.  I just didn’t get the cabbage and the mayonnaise but over all i liked it.

ahhmm the combo e. PhP170 phffft.  a rather small piece of ‘quarter’ chicken, the 2nd side dish, the fries came later.  but just like kenny roger’s you have options of side dishes.

my order:  platter 1 [PhP165] 1/4 peri chicken mild [you’re given 3 options of levels of spicy] so yeah, they have different definitions of quarter chicken, cuz mine was twice the size of what was on the combo e [the Benj’s order].  and the pasta, wow, the pasta is a serving and a half.  yeh, marami sya.

the pasta bolognese is not for kids, it’s meaty and not sweet at all.  in fact it was bordering on being too salty. [you’re also given 2 options for your pasta, either this bolognese sauce or alfredo].

the refill station:

the area:

the a/c wasn’t working too well, so it was quite warm in the place [tas may grill pa somewhere right?].  i kinda like the shade they used on their lamps.  it’s cute ^_^

so that’s the ambiance, it’s not as loud as super bowl and the staff is very attentive and quick to get to you when you raise your hand.  so just for the quiet, i’d rather eat here again than at super bowl, forever.  as well,  here at peri-peri, they mean it when they say serving time is 15minutes.  just didn’t appreciate the music that night.  bunch of 1-2 year old american pop music that was kinda loud and not too relaxing.  but it’s still way better than my most recent experience at super bowl where i couldn’t even hear myself think.  so yeah, ok na dito sa peri-peri.

The Food:

the food was hmmm chicken inasal!  only spicier.  which i liked, i won’t order the mild next time.  i didn’t taste any smoky-ness from the charcoal chicken which was a shame but i did see the same yellowy oil like chicken inasal.  LOL.  it was well cooked right through so i didn’t see any blood near the bones or joints.  i liked my spaghetti.  the serving was about a serving and a half so it was pretty substantial.  plus my chicken was huge for something that’s supposedly 1/4 chicken.  so the Benj and i switched chickens.

oh something notable, imho, the fries. they’re thicker than your usual mcdonald’s fries.  but they’re not wedges either.  they’re just cut thicker.  they’re also super soft, crunchy on the outside but really soft on the inside.  twas super hot when it arrived.  yummmm! i think it’s peppered since it’s kinda spiced up ^_^.

the price:

well my platter seemed well priced at PhP165 but the chicken that came with the combo E seemed like a cruel joke as the combo e is priced at PhP170!  but the chicken quesadilla seemed reasonably priced at PhP140 considering the size and the chicken chunks in it.  so 2 for 3.  over all for 3 orders at less than PhP500 on the total bill, it was not so bad at all.

oh, dessert naman!

weeeee

yeah baby! one of the most decadent banana split variants i’ve ever tried.

my dad first brought me to icebergs a long long time ago when it first started and now…i guess it’s the Benj’s turn to spoil me with good comfort desserts such as this deeeeelight!

yep it’s the oreo combo split.  and on the tv screen there was even a snicker, ferrero, kisses, ice cream combo.  hahaha i think i love the person who comes up with these new products for icebergs.  and oh, it was such a nice ending too.  the music was light and Astrud Gilberto was on, sigh ^_^  it was what the Benj and I needed after each of our long days at work and after hearing what had happened in Japan.  our way, that’s all.

Oh, something i learned last night, icebergs is owned by a guy from Claret, awww that’s kewl imho.

coming up, something the Benj bought for me at the Etude House.  for now it’s farewell.

so whatchathink of this Portuguese inasal? LOL.

 

REVIEW: Skin Food Aloe Sun BB cream in shade #1 – omg!

Have i told you i was so as in super so into skin food at one time? and take note i bought at only one branch, the megamall one, hahaha ikr?

i was so into skin food that i got to accumulate enough points to get their points/discount card in less than 4-6mos! yeh that’s almost every pay day that i bought something there. i even used to buy man stuff for my man just to rack up the points. today though will not be a product rave but a rant.

same packaging as their ginko bb cream  which i also reviewed.

i was impressed with my first ever bb cream, which was the ginko that i bought their peach sake bb cream and this aloe one.

it’s thick like the ginko bb cream.

and it’s thick

and once blended into my skin

i really really liked how it blended into my skin, and how natural it looked and how it matched the skin on my face to the skin on my neck and chest.  it had great pore coverage. this thing smells like aloe, which i don’t like.

and it looks ‘natural’

natural on me means uneven yellowish skin tone, this evens out my skin tone, not too heavy, just right. [the pic right above is taken with my face already topped with my setting powder.  HOWEVER, my t-zone got oily in about AN HOUR, yep, one as in 1 hour.

what i learned, it’s a great foundation, moisturizing, medium to build-able coverage.  BUT 5 DAYS LATER

hay.  it gave me 2 zits and a blackhead.  so you may ask, Ate Marge! baka malapit ka na magkaroon? [maybe you’re about to have your period?] nope, malayo pa po [i’m far off from having my period yet]

maybe it’s stress or pollution? nope, my l’egere white multi bb cream didn’t do this, in fact the entire month i was using my l’egere white multi bb cream i had no, as in none what so ever, in fact a couple of weeks of really making sure i go the full menstral cycle of using my l’egere white multi i did a vlog for a product rave. i was that happy with it.  so to my utter disappointment after five days of using this aloe bb cream from skin food i get this.  yep, it isn’t over night that one gets zits so i’m sure that i was using the product for at least five days.  and the next day after i had taken this pic, i got another one near my chin. grrrr.

Likes:

• awesome shade on me
• moisturizing
• great pore coverage
• buildable medium to full coverage can cover scars and redness
• lasted about 6-8 hours with just blotting and one just one touch up

Dislikes:

• comedogenic as in blackheads on my forehead and chin
• caused my pimples there in that picture i didn’t even bother to hide the pores of.
• i got oily within an hour of application
• the scent

AM I SURE: YEP

Will I repurchase? – hell no.  one of my subscribers and followers told me already that this aloe variety gave her problems, but i bought the thing already so i wanted to try it out, and there you have it.  the nearly flawless skin that my l’egere white multi gave me is now pimpled.  and yes, i’m back to using my l’egere in the hopes that it helps my zits dry up quicker.