Product Review: E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in Coffee

Hmmmm... coffee.... snap! Now back to this review. :D

I'd be honest with you. I've never own a brown eyeliner of any kind before. Guess, you could say that I am a brown eyeliner virgin. I've always stayed true to the old skool principle of matching your liner color with your natural hair color, thus, making it appear more natural. Black was the color I've ever used. I loved my Maybelline lasting drama gel liner for the longest of time ever since I was introduced to it. Lately though, lining my eyes with this color, even tight lining, seems a bit harsh for me. So, I experimented and tried to line my upper lid with a brown eyebrow powder. There, my love affair with brown eyeliners had blossomed! My eyes were a bit bigger but did not look like I had anything on. But then of course, this one immediately transferred on my crease. I had to get a proper brown eyeliner gel. I was not ready to shell out major bucks for one as I still have yet a pot to finish (the black one). So, I finally tried the one thing I've been meaning to try ever since it came out (and probably around the same time I've already bought my Maybelline gel liner. Boo!).  This has gotten raves from fellow bloggers and it was indeed about time to stamp my verdict on this product.

E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner (Coffee)

Price: P249.75 (approx. $6)

Place bought: E.L.F. counter SM Bacoor

Sorry but the O.C. in me first noticed this little typographical error on the box. I don't know if this is just from a bad packaging batch but I think maybe people from E.L.F. could be a bit more meticulous about things like this.

Now on to the actual product. E.L.F. claims this as Smudge-proof, budge-proof, and water-resistant. When the SA put a swatch of the black one on the back of her hand, I seriously tried to rub it off her but once it dries, it definitely is hard to remove. But then the back of one's hand is not similar to that of one's eyelids. Mine specifically is an oil-secreting machine so the real test begins. There's a free brush that came with the product. Small and compact enough to bring anywhere though I had difficulty using this brush. It is not thin enough for me. So I just used one of my own eyeliner brushes.

The consistency is indeed creamy and very pigmented. I did not have to go over the same line again as one swipe was enough for me. The pot is made of lightweight plastic material to save on costs making this product affordable to the public. Some may find it cheap looking but this does not bother me at all as I am a cheap person..(kiddin'! No, seriously. hhahaha...) The thing that bothered me was the lock on the pot. It snaps in place, yes, but if you do not screw it on correctly, the ridge may chip and it would not lock anymore so be careful with that.

See? No glitters of any kind.

I then lined my upper lid without using any primer underneath and found it smudged on my crease after just an hour. No powder nor primer on my face so it was pretty much one oily mess :D

 I tried it again. This time with my Etude House Proof 10 eye primer underneath. I went out at 4:00 PM and came back later at 10:00 PM then took this photo.

Sorry, the primer wasn't properly blended out. The flash from the camera made it more obvious teehee. :D But as you can see, after 6 hours, the liner is still intact and did not smudge onto my crease. Goes to show that I could not live without my eye primer. I did, however, liked that it did not look so obvious that I had eyeliner on. It blended very well with my eyes. The finish also being matte is also a plus. Overall:

Pros

• Affordable.
• Pigmented.
• Comes with a free brush.
• Creamy and glides smoothly without tugging.
• For not so oily lids, it does live up to its claim as budge-proof, smudge-proof, and water-resistant.
• Still effective even if it dries out in the pot.

Cons

• Cheap plastic packaging is prone to chipping.
• Wish the free brush came with a cap for hygienic purposes.

That's about it. For a small price, you get a product that truly delivers. Online I found out they have more colors available such as plum, copper, gunmetal, etc. You could go crazy with these and not have to drill a hole in your wallet. Will I repurchase? Yes! after I finish this pot or maybe try the other colors. :D

Oh, this is also my birthday post so, Yey! Another year younger. Enjoy your day ladies..and gentlemen ( if I have guy readers..) Ciao! :D

Mail!!!!My New Toy has Arrived! :D

Giddy, giddy, giddy, antsy, giddy, giddy...yup that's what I've been feeling while awaiting a certain package. Then, Tadaaaaa!

Yip! My first ever non-neutral eyeshadow palette from Props Tools and Cosmetics! It was carefully wrapped too to prevent any damage to the pans. :D Brace yourselves for more photos. Let's take a closer look shall we?

Matte Box Casing

The actual palette casing is shrink wrapped still to protect the logo and the case from scratches.

The casing is made of shiny plastic material also known as ze fingerprint magnet. :D

And now, for the good stuff! First time opening this I was COLOR-gasmic! (if there is such a word!tee-hee). I got the 88pc. Original Matte Palette but some shades had more of a satin finish to them. I originally was lemming for their 56 combi palette that includes 50 eyeshadow shades of both matte and shimmer finish plus 6 shades of blushes. Would have been a great deal but I was told that it was out of stock and replenishment was still undetermined. So I just got the next best thing. I was actually torn between this or the Carnival palette which features more of the avant-garde  shades. Weighing out the pros and the cons, this won since the colors and finish would be more suitable for everyday wear especially for someone like me who's still beginning to experiment with eye colors.

Initially I thought the pans were fairly large. But as seen here, it's even smaller than a 25 cent coin. But it's okay considering I don't use eyeshadow everyday. I may not even be able to finish all of these! Now, on to some swatches...

One thing I noticed while I was researching this palette is that few rarely gave swatches of the lighter colors so I did one myself. It may come off a bit chalky but nothing a good primer can't fix. I'm surprised though, the color pay off was okay. The lighter shades still showed even though I just lightly ran my finger over the pan.

Black wasn't as pigmented as I expected. But you could layer it on if you want it more intense.

The brighter shades did leave a stain on my skin after I tried to remove it with wet wipes.

I was not fond of the flimsy packaging which made it fragile for traveling. I needed to keep one bubble wrap just to be careful. The cheap plastic holding the eyeshadow pans were a bit of a surprise as well as I thought the whole thing is made of the same material as that of the casing. Oh well, as long as it stays in place I'm fine to let this slip.

It included a mirror large enough to comfortably apply your eye makeup. Two Eyeshadow applicators were also present. I've read through blogs that when they removed the applicators from the holders, it won't go back in. So, I just didn't bother to take them out. I won't be using them anyways since I'd rather use my trustee Suesh eyeshadow brush. :D

The ingredients are listed at the back of the box. The print is large enough to help you point out if you're by any chance allergic to some of its ingredients. Again, this is not for the organic junkies as it contains parabens (preservatives) and mineral oils. Might not be ideal also for expecting moms as there had been discussions connecting parabens to the development of babies. But that's for another topic. Parabens are abundant in everything after all. Try looking at labels and you'll see what I mean. I do suggest you use a good primer underneath so the eyeshadow stick to it rather than directly at your skin (*wink) just a tip.

You might notice that this certain kind of palette looks oddly familiar with that of other brands. That is because they all come from the same manufacturer and are just carried over by different brand names. If you would like to purchase from Props Tools and Cosmetics, you may do so by visiting their facebook page at this link. This palette retails for P750 (approx. US$17.44) exclusive of shipping fee. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be playing with my new toy now. Till next time! :D

First Trip to Happy Lemon!

I know, I'm pretty much late into the whole Happy Lemon Hype. While everybody was raving about it, I'm at home contemplating whether I should make an effort to go to Greenhills just to try it out. Too friggin' far.  I've been bugging my sister to come and check it out with me but only last Sunday did she give in (thanks Ate!) :D After attending mass at Baclaran church, we went straight ahead on our mission and try to find out what everyone was raving about. I forgot to research where the place is actually located within Greenhills so I had to send SMS to people I know who had been there for some directions. Gladly, Charles of Wickermoss ended my misery and told me it's at The Promenade beside Starbucks. Thanks Charles! :D

Photo credit to www.clickthecity.com

Sorry, I was not able to take my own picture of the place as I was suddenly shy and it was too dark outside. First thing's first, For those people who have been hiding under a rock lately who has no idea what Happy Lemon is (as I still have so many friends who go "Happy what?" every time I try to persuade them into coming with me!) let me give you some background about this franchise straight out of their menu/leaflet (because it's easier for me that way! :D):

About Happy Lemon...

Happy Lemon started in 2006 in Hong Kong and now has over 100 outlets spread across Hong Kong, China, Australia, Singapore, and other countries.

Happy Lemon aims to provide consumers with a lifestyle experience, interweaving quality beverage choices with popular culture. Whether through our creative infusion of coffee, selected tea leaves, cocoa and lemon or though our careful selection of high quality ingredients from around the world, we continuously surprise our consumers by injecting creativity in every drink we make.

The place was jam-packed when we got there and we were outnumbered by mostly teens hanging out inside. I quickly scoured their menu for what I should order. I know Cocoa with Rock salt and cheese had been getting so much rave from everyone but I was in the mood for some milk tea. I was hoping to lure either my sister or her fiance to order it but they too, had their own craving at the time being, so no luck there. My mind went ballistic thinking of what I should have from their Milk Tea choices. A milk tea with pudding is something I haven't tried before so I went ahead and ordered Roasted Milk Tea with Adzuki Bean and Pudding (Large P100). My sister had Passion Fruit Yogurt with Nata de Coco (Large P90) and her Fiance had the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese (Large P90). 

We decided to take our order to go since we haven't had dinner yet and we were darn hungry. We went to Peri-Peri and there I had the opportunity to taste these concoctions for the first time while we wait for our dinner to arrive. I was really happy with my Roasted Milk Tea with Adzuki Bean and Pudding. I didn't know what Adzuki bean was but basically it resembles and tastes like red beans which by the way I love so perfect! The pudding at the bottom was an extra treat. Tastes like our local leche flan but not nearly as good. I took a sip from my sister's Passion Fruit drink. She said she liked it. It tasted like just a regular Passion Fruit juice that borders sweet and sour. I almost forgot about the Nata de Coco as I asked her what was the thing at the bottom (duh!). Finally, I took a sip of the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. As this belongs to the innovative Rock Salt and Cheese family, I expected so much from this drink. I drank it from the cup not from the straw as some food bloggers suggested. I took yet another sip just to make sure. Tasted weird for me. It tasted like jasmine tea or what we would like to call sampaguita. Doesn't taste like green tea at all, or was I mistaken? Also maybe I took a sip a little too soon from tasting my sister's Passion Fruit drink? Hmmm...(Ha! That's for meddling with other people's drink! :D) whatever it was, I did not like it. But of course, this was just the first. I'm not totally cancelling this drink out. I'm giving it a second chance for when I visit Happy Lemon again, God knows when. :D

All in all, the experience did not give me the WOW factor that I expected after all of the raves that I heard about it. I could get the same fix at the same kiosks offering the same tea-based drinks at a more accessible location for me. But that's just me :D 

On to the next!

Product Review: Swish Alcohol-Free Mouthwash

Dental hygiene is essential, especially for us ladies. It's not enough that we take care of our pearly whites but we also have to make sure we don't ward off anyone once we open our big mouths!haha! :D I always make it a point to gargle mouth wash after I brush my teeth at night just to make sure the last bit of bad bacteria doesn't feast on my tooth enamel while I'm asleep. I've tested a couple of mouth washes in the past just to see which one I would stick to the most. Even though it stings a bit, I kinda am partial to ones with alcohol since I think it is much more effective in keeping the dreaded "morning breath" at bay. But one thing I also noticed was, mouth washes aren't are a bit expensive so maybe for some people who are on a tight budget might skip this extra step for practical reasons. And when I found myself on the tight end, I had to look for a lot less expensive alternative. So, browsing along the mouthwash shelf of the supermarket I stumbled upon Swish. 

L-R: Mangosteen Mint, Arctic Chill, Peppermint Fresh, and Cinnamon Blast

Alcohol-free mouthwash was becoming a trend and this one from Unilab have some crazy flavors you wouldn't normally think possible. They have Mangosteen and Cinnamon variants something that could pique a curious mind's interest (*wink). I've tried the Peppermint Fresh before but never was too bold to try the other less traditional (hey, I already said I was on a budget so wouldn't make sense if I get two right? So I stuck with the basic :D). Unilab Held a bloggers' contest way back and I was lucky enough to have the whole Swish line as part of my prize so I got to be more adventurous and tried "Swishing" my mouth with cinnamon and mangosteen. I like cinnamon in my coffee but not gargling with it. Just felt a little weird. Especially the mangosteen It kinda tasted like a kid's cough medicine afterwards (or it's just me). They've formulated it to work as a mouthwash in a weird way but definitely not for most people expecting the minty after taste a mouth wash should give. Being on the more affordable side, this could easily fit one market sector so that's a pro. Alcohol-free could be a plus for people who have a rather low-tolerance to pain. Now for my cons. I've tested this product both ways: after brushing and just the mouth wash alone. Let me explain the latter. One night I was really tired and lazy to even do anything else.  So, even though it's a really bad habit, I forgot to brush my teeth. I was really debating in my head whether  to brush or not to brush. Bathroom's downstairs and I was too lazy to get up. Hey, Jessica Simpson claims she doesn't brush her teeth and still survives. So, taking a cue from her, I decided to just whip out the stash from my Unilab prize and gargled away. The morning after came the real verdict. I felt I had a sore throat coming on and dragon breath was just around the corner. It was bad. So I conclude based on my OWN experience, this is something that could be used as just a follow up to my regular dental routine but will not suffice me to use alone. I prefer to use the one with alcohol If I ever had to endure the same "laziness" dilemma again. But for a 60ml bottle worth just under P80.00? It's worth a try.  Who knows, you might like it for yourself :D

Product Review: Myra E Vita Moisture Lip Balm

One of the things that I really hate is dry lips. I always feel antsy every time I feel my lips are getting dry. That is why one of the things I can't go without is my trusty lip balm. Sometimes lipstick won't even suffice. I just feel naked without a properly moisturized pair of lips. Besides, our lips, like the rest of our skin, are very much prone to wrinkles and should be paid extra attention. 

Back in college, I loved lippies so much that I started making them myself and my recipe was even featured on Just G's mini mag. I remember buying Myra E gel capsules and adding it to my recipe. So I was really happy when Myra E started branching out and producing other product lines. The first time I saw this lip balm at Watsons, I've been writing a mental note to try it but never gotten around to. I was sidetracked by other lippy choices! :D Anyways, now, I can say that I'm happy I've finally gotten to try this product.

There are a couple of things I always look for when buying lip balms:

- Sun Protection Factor of at least 15(this is a must!)

- flavor/scent (considering your lips are close to your nose, it'll save you the headache if you'd get a variant you're actually fond of smelling the whole day!).

- moisturizing/healing properties (always a plus if you could have some sort of long term benefit from using it).

- and lastly, I always check how the formula would stand in cooler temperatures like in an air conditioned room. Some lip balms I tried in the past tend to harden and feel like it's just sitting on top of the lips.

INGREDIENTS:

CETEARYL ALCOHOL, MINERAL OIL, OLEYL ALCOHOL, PARAFFIN, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, FLAVOUR, OZOKERITE, RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX, CARMINE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, PROPYLPARABEN, BHT.

Up close, it doesn't look much different from other regular lip balms out in the market and judging from the the list of its ingredients, nothing out of the ordinary. Though, I'm wondering why it has carmine? Carmine is a pigment of  bright red color. Can't see any red hue from the balm itself but the packaging is red...hmmmm :D Also, presence of mineral oil might irk out organic junkies as it is, even though the name may imply, is man-made. Also, there had been a huge debate over this oil in the cosmetic industry for a while now linking it to be comedogenic, meaning can clog pores. But, I think for lippies, it may not be that big of a deal for me. Heck, I've been using petroleum jelly on my lips ever since I can remember and I don't have any complain about it. Though, mineral oils are difficult to get absorbed by the skin and just sit on top of the surface, thus bringing truth to this balm's promise to lock in moisture. Let the Vitamin E do the moisturizing and the mineral oil and other waxes to lock it in. :D

I do love the instant moisturizing effect it delivers to my lips. Remember the feeling every time we've spent too much time in the bath tub or in the pool and our fingers starts to turn into a prune? The feeling is the same when I apply this balm on my lips. Sort of like warm but still tolerable. An indication that the moisturizing effect is actually taking place (but if redness and swelling goes hand in hand it might already be an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients) other than that, the warm sensation should go away in a matter of seconds. One thing I wish though is that it could come in other flavors because as of now, it is only available in Vanilla and Cherry. It also doesn't say the SPF level it contains. It just says "with Vitamin E and SPF" on the box.

So have you also tried Myra E Vita Moisture Lip Balm? Whatdayathink? :D

Product Review: (*the follow-up) Clinique Intensive Repairwear Eye Cream

Rainy Monday to all you kittens out there! :D As promised, I've come to the bottom of my Clinique eye cream sampler jar (taken on July 26, 2011).

I started using this eye cream last April 16, 2011 when I attended Project Vanity's 2nd Clinique party. I've used this the night right after I've gotten home from the said event.  See my first review regarding this right here.

After more than 3 months of using this product, I was not able to notice major/dramatic changes in regards to my under eye wrinkles. The first 3 weeks of using this was the time I started noticing subtle changes in my fine lines but the weeks that followed, I hardly can see any more improvements. I guess based on my, and also some of you, might have experienced, even your most favorite eye cream could only take you so far then stops giving you visible changes. Below are the latest shots I've taken of my right eye.

no flash and under natural lighting.

with flash

Not much of a change really only brightened my under eye a bit. I'm grateful I've gotten to try this out first as eye creams, just like any other skin care product, could be tricky and could have different results on different people. As for me, I'm not ready to commit to a specific eye cream just yet as I haven't really encountered anything so far that gave me the WOW factor.  Clinique Repairwear Intensive eye Cream is a very promising product, but judging from my observation, I don't think I'd be buying the full-sized version. Have you tried this? How did it fare for you?