Save or Pass? Cheaper alternative to Eyebrow microblading?

We've all been hearing about the newest trend in eyebrows called microblading. Sounds painful right? Well, there might be some truth to that since it is basically what it is, making tiny incisions on your skin and letting ink sip in, sort of like getting a tattoo but this time, using a very thin blade and making incisions mimicking that of eyebrow hairs. Results are reported to be worth the pain and the buck. 

Pain? Yeah, I might be able to handle it but the BUCK, well, not everyone will have it. So basically, alternatives to a good thing will definitely make ears ring. Question is, is it worth it or does it even come close to the real thing?

In an age where everything and every one is always in a rush, makeup is something most girls will appreciate being a breeze to put on. "Kilay is Life" (Kilay, meaning eyebrows) is something most girls swear by. Forget the lipstick, forgetting everything else, as long as you have perfectly groomed brows, you are set to go.

I got this on a discounted price. Around 20% I think.

When I saw this product I was intrigued. Comparable to the idea of microblading, you'd be able to imitate three hair strands in one swift motion due to the tri tip feature of this eyebrow pen, cutting your kilay glam time in half. 

The tip, as you can see, tapers from thin to thick so that when you draw in, kinda imitates a hair strand. The thing with felt tip eyebrow markers, you have to have a very light hand when applying it otherwise, you will be left with thick fake looking brows.

Thoughts: With the Price, it is definitely very affordable. Students on a budget can afford this product. Using it, though, takes a lot of practice to master. the tip itself, in my opinion, is not thin enough. Look at the hairs on the back of my hand and compare that to the mark of the pen. If your eyebrows are naturally thick, this would be great for filling out gaps but if you really have sparse eyebrows then I wouldn't suggest an eyebrow marker because it will for sure look drawn in and very obvious. The best way to go is eyebrow powder because it mattifies the skin underneath and soften the eyebrows creating an illusion of plush brows that ain't too obvious. I have a technique for that on my YouTube channel that you can watch here.

Staying power will vary depending on your skin type. If you have dry skin then this might stay put on you longer. But if you have oily skin like me and the skin under the brows gets a bit oily mid day, I don't have high hopes for this one. Might work if you apply some eyelid primer on your brows first. But then again, that is another step ain't it?

Have you tried this product too? how did it fare for you? Please do tell me your thoughts I'm really curious to know.

Until then,

The Curious Cat Tries the "Hype" : NU Skin AP24 Whitening Toothpaste

We all fell for it one way or another. After all, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool there is anyways. But when the claims are too good to be true, naturally, The Curious Cat will be there to investigate.

You open your Facebook account and you see one of your friends post a dramatic photo of their "supposedly" whiter set of grills and you can't help but sigh and gasp "WOW". Shen then tells you she's ordering again and should you be interested in trying it out too, send her a private message so that she can include your order with hers too and boom! You've been caught Line, hook, and sinker. Hahaha....I know it too well. 

But since most of my friends kept on posting about this magical paste that would "supposedly" turn you into an overnight toothpaste model, I had to give it a try.

Bought this for Php 380.00 (Philippine Peso). I don't know if that is a fixed price for resellers or if it varies from one to the other. But first, Let's start with the ingredients list. If you are allergic to anyone of these please don't join the bandwagon and just stick to your old all natural toothpaste.

Ingredients: Water(Aqua), Hydrated Silica, Sorbitol, Aluminum Hydroxyde, Glycerine,

Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, PEG-12, Flavor(Aroma), Cellulose Gum, Poloxamer 338,

Poloxamer 407, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Monofluorophosphate, Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Saccharin.

Its claims include: 

- Whitens teeth while fighting plaque with AP-24 proprietary technology.

- Removes stains while whitening, brightening and polishing teeth for a radiant smile.

- Provides a long-lasting fresh, clean mouth while aiding in prevention of dental cavities.

Now, apparently, AP-24® is a patented plaque-fighting agent of medical grade dimethicone and surfactants. AP-24® is a long chain that can wrap around teeth and hold tightly to leave your mouth feeling slicker and fresher longer. If you want to know more about the scientific explanations regarding this product, you could write about it from the NuSkin website here.

The warning you could see at the back actually confused me a bit. it says "Warnings: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. In case of accidental ingestion, Seek professional assistance or contact a Poison Control Center immediately." But then, you could see after that, directions and even an illustration on how much you should give a child 6 years and under. A tad bit confusing.

The tube itself is sealed prior to usage which is a good thing to ensure you of no product contamination right off the bat. For smell and taste, if you are used to the regular fresh minty breath feeling your regular toothpaste gives you, you will feel that lacking here. This has a faint minty taste with a hint of vanilla. Right after brushing you will notice that your teeth has a glossy feel to it. That my friends, I believe is their AP-24 technology coming into effect. 

I used this tube religiously 2x a day until it ran out. The product lasted me a little over 2 months. and this was the result I got. (Yeah, brace yo selves for some uneven realness..hahaha...)

Pictures and resellers often posts on facebook such a drastic change for only two weeks of usage I believe? Hmmm.... based on my experience and as the picture itself shows, yes, there is an improvement. My teeth definitely brightened but not to the incredible extent some people claim to be for two weeks. Heck, this was over 2 months and that was the only effect I got. Most of it, I think, is the AP-24 technology's work. It coats your teeth with some sort of a protective film that will prevent your teeth from coming in direct contact with foods that might stain your teeth. But stop using this for a week, your teeth will go back to the way it was before.

Verdict: for a toothpaste, something you use daily, the price is not practical at all. pretty steep. Now, if improvement on teeth's brightness jumped from point A to point C or D, I wouldn't have mind the price, in fact, I would have included this in my staples. But for that effect at that time frame, I think not. I'd have to pass. It was great to have tried it and it does work to some extent but will definitely not buy again. 

Of course, effects will vary from one person to the other. Have you tried this toothpaste? How did it fare for you? Leave me a comment or two and let me know.

Till then,

Ellana pressed mineral foundation

The first time me and this brand met was back in 2009. It was during my second job at a new company. I noticed having bad breakouts and I remember using the new Maybelline mineral foundation at that time. Loose mineral foundation was slowly becoming the next best thing. Maybelline didn't have the widest range of shades available and it was frustrating and I was suspecting the product is not pure mineral. So on  to multiply shopping! That where I first found out about Ellana and that's when my love affair with this brand started. They have come a long way and I'm like a proud mother standing by the sidelines witnessing her child grow :)

One of the things I loved about their mineral foundation is the coverage. But one thing I also hate about mineral foundations, in general, is that it is messy to take anywhere. My makeup bag would be in a complete mess once I forget to screw on the jar's cap properly. Quite frustrating. I researched for pressed mineral foundations and the only ones I could find is available in the US and is expensive.

Fast forward a couple of years later, Ellana finally came out with pressed versions of their mineral foundation. and eyeshadows. I was elated.

Wrapped properly to prevent breakage

Double sealed for assurance

I got myself one. I ordered another set of their free sample because I had no clue what my present shade was.

Samples! Samples!

Last time I checked, I was a hazelnut latte(warm undertone). But then, I contemplated into getting one with a more neutral undertone. 

Based on the description on the site and after a round of guessing games, I went and got Almond Latte.

It was a miss. Turned out, this was too dark and too orange for me.

Ellana pressed mineral foundation in Almond Latte side by side with my Maybelline White
Superfresh cake powder in 05 Sand Beige

Thoughts:
The packaging is great. The compact is enclosed in sealed acetate for protection. The pan had a magnet stuck on the back so you could stick it on a Z-palette or the generic one Ellana also sells.

But one thing I noticed when I first used it, though, is that it's not as pigmented as I remembered it. I'm not so sure if it being pressed somehow affected the formula or what but I remembered how impressed I was before as buffing it onto the face was enough to cover acne marks but now, coverage is leaning more into light to medium.
The pressed version is also more expensive at Php 599.00 per pan with 11 grams of product compared to the loose version at Php 499.00 with 8 grams of product. But come to think of it, taking the grams into consideration, price is almost the same.

I've stored this in my drawer for now as it is too dark for me to use. I would only take it out once in a while and use it as bronzer.

Convenience-wise, this is a better option for travelling but you have to be careful though, even if it is pressed, it shatters rather easily when dropped. Mine did and had to repair it with the old alcohol trick.

They also have a new refurbished website. It is now http://www.ellanacosmetics.com not the old ellanaminerals.com.
Also, the new pans, I believe, is now square rather than the round one I was able to purchase.

Have you tried Ellana's pressed minerals? What are your thoughts? Kindly share it with me and let's start a conversation!

Till then,

Product Review: Etude House Tint my Brows

Product Review is baaaaackkk! So let's get down to business, shall we?



According to Etude House their brow tint is...
"New-concept eyebrow gel tint that makes eyebrow makeup last longer after removing the tint."

Hmmm....claims to be one of the semi-permanent make up trend that is becoming popular nowadays and let's face it, we girls want eyebrows on fleek without the high maintenance part right? So, a curious cat will always be just that---curious.

Having the mistake of over plucking my eyebrows when I was in my late college days (now I just shave so as to not damage the follicles and they would still grow back) I am left with barely there brows. So I'm always on the hunt for long wearing brow products, this ain't an exception. :)

Here's how the product looks like:

I got the darkest shade available(only 3 shades are available: light, brown, gray brown)


I like how the bottle indicated the product expiry



The brush looks like this.

Consistency of the product is more like those peel off nose packs that promises to take off blackheads.

Scent is actually okay not bothersome at all in my opinion.

Before putting this on, make sure you trim your brows, groom it a little and no other product is in the way. Clean, oil free brows will ensure the tint gets absorb by the skin better.


Here I am with the product on. I look like an angry bird! Etude House is also aware of this because they launched this tint in Korea with an angry bird collection.

They advised to keep it on minimum of two hours. Yes, HOUR. Impatient people need to stay back! But if you want to make the tint to be more intense and stay on longer, they say to put it on before going to bed and peel it off the next morning. For this review, I left it on for 4 hours.


This is how it looks after peeling.

You must also peel it starting from the tail of your eyebrow to prevent peeling off brow hairs. It is also advisable to put on a thick amount of the product on so it peels off easily rather than putting on a thin layer.

First time I tried this product, I did the overnight thing. I got irked out because the color was more greenish gray! I couldn't see any brown tint! Then, I went and had my morning face wash routine. Lo and behold, the tint turned into brown. It was weird.

This product claims to stay on for 3-7 days. One of the reasons why I got so intrigued by it. But by experience, it only lasted me 2 days. By the second day, the tint was so faint already.


Here it is after the first wash.

In my opinion, this would be okay for those people with eyebrows that only needs filling in, not for those who have thin and barely there brows.

Etude also suggested to not put any kind of product or remover on it atleast 24 hours after application but I find it difficult if you should do the overnight thing because then you'd have to take a bath and wash your face.

It was a nice product for me to play around with but definitely am not repurchasing anytime soon.

Till next time kittens! Hope this review helps! *Wink