Archive for the ‘Swatches’ Category
Catrice Mini Haul and Swatches
Posted on: November 22, 2014
- In: Swatches
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Ever since I got my Catrice Matt Mouse Makeup, I wanted to try more products from this cruelty-free drugstore brand. Nikki of Girl Behind the Glasses reviewed a couple of eyeshadows and I knew what my next Catrice products would be. There were a dizzying amount of eyeshadows to choose from, as evidenced by this swatching frenzy I did when I visited the Catrice booth at Watsons The Block, SM North.
It was really difficult to choose, you guys. Everything is so pretty! In the end I decided to get these two.
These are the Catrice Absolute Eye Color in 070 Mud Spencer and Coralle Hill (Php339) and Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base (Php299).
Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base is an eye primer that costs only Php299. Since my HG primer is running out, I thought I’d try this one from Catrice to see how it stacks up. It comes in a standard plastic pot that contains 4 grams of product.
The product itself is pretty yellow. And, unfortunately, the product is also quite stiff and draggy.
Here it is on the back of my hand, two layers. It was really hard to swipe it from the pot, which I am hoping is only because it’s pretty new. Hopefully it spreads better on the eyes.
The other product I bought is an eyeshadow quad called Absolute Eye Color in 070 Mud Spencer and Coralle Hill.
It is an eyeshadow quad housed in a really pretty acrylic palette. Only the brand name is stamped on the cover, giving us a clear view of the actual eyeshadows.
At the back you will see the name of the product and the amount in the individual pans (2.5g for the big pans and 1.5g for the smalls). Those really ugly white streaks came from the tag price which was really difficult to remove. Too bad the slots for the pans are not standardized to the eyeshadow singles that they sell. I could see the potential for getting your desired colors and setting up your own palette.
Here is what the palette looks like, opened. Even though it’s made of plastic,the palette itself feels sturdy.
And here is a close up on the eyeshadow pans. I don’t have information on the names of the individual shades, so I’ll just call them pink, silver, black, and bronze (clockwise from the top left). Here are the arm swatches, with and without primer, using of course the Catrice primer I also bought.
I really really like how pigmented they look here, although I did use three light swipes each. The color scheme of the palette looks pretty spot on, and the shades do seem to go together regardless of the combination that you choose. The pink and bronze, in particular, are my two top favorites here. At Php339 for this palette, it seemed like a good deal to try four shades already. (And besides, I’m a palette addict!)
I can’t wait to use them! I’m also quite convinced to get more eyeshadows (hahaha…er..) and maybe try their other products. The blushes look good, and maybe I’ll have a go at a lipstick or two. Unfortunately they don’t have matte lipsticks, otherwise I would have bought one already.
Have you tried anything Catrice lately?
Review: Ofra Lipstick #205
Posted on: November 7, 2014
- In: Reviews | Swatches
- 4 Comments
One of my recent makeup kit mainstays is Ofra Lipstick #205. This is the other option to receive from the Beauty SOS Glamourbox last year. I got my #202 (red) from that, and this #205 I bought from Shayne.
It is what I would describe as orchid pink, although it leans a lot more violet on the tube. There is a small window on the bottom that lets you see the shade.
As I said, on the tube it looks a lot like purplish pink.
Here is the arm swatch. See what I mean about orchid pink? It’s actually quite dainty and lighter than what the color in the tube looks like.
One of the things I really like about this lipstick is that it looks different depending on whether you blotted the lipstick or not. Check out the lip swatches here.
Here’s a face shot with the non-blotted version. You can really see the sheen of the lipstick here.
And here is another shot, this time blotted. The sheen is now much more muted, and it looks almost matte.
I really like that I can choose to go either matte or shiny with this lipstick. It also smells like vanilla, which I really like. It lasts relatively long, about 4 hours, without drinking or eating. Unfortunately it has a tendency to transfer, so be careful about that. This looks like a standard 4g or 3.5g lipstick, and costs Php650.
Ofra is cruelty-free.
Pros: beautiful orchid pink shade; relatively long lasting; cruelty-free
Cons: price; transfers
Ofra Lipstick #205 is available through the Glamourbox Boutique, as well as selected Snoe outlets and Glamourbox stalls.
I’m definitely obsessed with eyebrows recently, and I’m trying very hard not to accumulate too many eyebrow products as I only have two brows! One of my recent acquisitions in one of my moments of weakness is this Daiso Japan Eyebrow Pencil. Actually, I’m not quite sure if that is the brand of this pencil, as for some reason I threw away its packaging. Absent-minded blogger moment there.
It’s a very simple product really. It’s an eyebrow pencil in a brown shade basically. The pencil is pink with brown dots, and it has a silver cap. I really like the tiny rose detail. It reflects what I usually associate with Japanese products, the cuteness.
At the back is some stuff written in Japanese. The interesting part here is that this pencil has 1.7 grams of product (which may or may not include the actual wood of the pencil itself), and that it’s made in Korea.
The pencil tip itself looks like any regular writing pencil. It has a hard “lead” that works pretty well with brows. It’s not an automatic pencil, which means it has to be sharpened with a sharpener when it loses that nice pointy tip.
This arm swatch doesn’t give it justice, I think. Here it looks like it’s yet another light brown shade, which will probably not suit the brows of someone with undyed hair.
On my brows though it’s another matter. It looks pretty dark and actually matches my hair color. It’s quite easy to use as well, and scratches the lazy girl itch handily. Good eyebrow pencils can draw and complete the brow the fastest (compared to eyebrow powders and mascaras). On a lazy day I’ll just draw a hasty brow and put on a lip balm and I’m out the door in five minutes! Quite convenient really.
This pencil set me back by just Php85.
Pros: convenient; very affordable; matches my hair color
Cons: needs to be sharpened; unknown brand
Daiso Japan has many branches! The one I’m most familiar with are Glorietta 3, Robinson’s Galleria, and Trinoma. Connect with them at their Facebook page and Twitter.
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One of the recent things I’ve been testing is K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Mascara in Natural Brown. I got this in reaction to Maybelline Fashion Brow Brow Mascara – I thought its brush was too big for my brows. I got interested in this product by reading fellow bloggers’ reviews, and the reviews were mainly positive. This costs Php595 and is available at Beauty Bar.
The tube is short and squat and clear, showing the actual shade of the product. The cap is a nondescript black that holds the wand. The name of the product is clearly printed in gold.
The shade number is printed on the opposite side. 102 here refers to the darker of the two available shades: Natural Brown.
Here’s a close up of the wand. This is the main reason I got this. It has a very small oval brush.
Here’s a profile shot of the wand tip. You can see that the bristles are pretty short. They are also quite stiff, and is perfect to apply the mascara onto the brows.
Here’s an arm swatch. The left is a single swipe while the right is kind of smudged, the kind I imagine it would look like on the brows.
And here it is on my brows. As you can see it seems to keep my brow hairs firmly in place and look really well groomed. I am wearing the K-Palette Brow Mascara over In2It Eyebrow Powder.
Upon closer inspection, Natural Brown actually still is quite too light for me.
In conclusion: I really like this product, even if it’s a bit too light on me. I am hoping that K-Palette releases a darker shade soon!
Pros: keeps brow hairs in place; correctly-sized brush; cruelty-free
Cons: shade still too light
K-Palette is cruelty-free, and is available at Beauty Bar.
Review: Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie in The Morning After
Posted on: September 30, 2014
- In: Reviews | Swatches
- 6 Comments
Things have been rather hectic at work for me recently and I’ve not been able to find the time to take photos for reviews. Thankfully I’m able to squeeze this review in. I got this Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie from the birthday haul from my MIL last month. I chose the shade The Morning After because 1) I wanted to explore more nude shades 2) It seemed pretty popular with bloggers (bad reason to buy!) and 3) It was limited edition (even worse reason to buy!). If I recall correctly, this costs Php549 and I got it from the Beauty Bar branch at Eastwood.
First of all I would like to comment that I really like the look of this tube. It is of course of the twist-up crayon type but I am quite attracted to the pink-and-silver theme. It’s slightly longer than most lipstick tubes though, so it’s a little less portable because of that. The cap also has a slight feel of it-might-come-off-in-your-bag, although I never had that actually happen.
Let’s talk about the shade. The Morning After is described as pink-mauve with a hint of beige, mauvey-rose, and mauvey-brown by three of my favorite bloggers. It basically points to an MLBB (my lips but better) shade, and my at-the-counter-swatch showed that it would suit me. Check out my arm swatch below.
As you can see, it comes out as pretty reddish on my arm. I think this is because my arm is a lot fairer (and yellower, I think) than my face, and pulls out a lot of red. This is two swipes of The Morning After. It’s pretty pigmented and the finish looks satiny.
On my lips it’s a different matter. It really comes out as being pretty much pinkish mauve, and the finish leans more matte. It does accentuate some of my dry patches (upper lip).
Other items on face: Catrice Matt Mousse Make Up in Light Beige, In2It Eyebrow Powder, Ellana Minerals Mesmer-Eyes Eyeshadow Quad, Pixy Waterproof Mascara, Canmake Cheek&Cheek in 07 Orange Bouquet
The formula itself is pretty good. According to the write up on their website, SUaKM Lippies have shea butter and collagen to keep lips well hydrated. Even if it is practically matte on me, I find that it doesn’t dry out my lips or exacerbate my dry patches. It lasts pretty much until you have to drink (and definitely eat), after which you will probably need to reapply.
Pros: great MLBB shade; easily available
Neutral: price
Cons: not very long-lasting; limited edition
Happy Skin is available in Beauty Bar, Plains & Prints, and Rustan’s The Beauty Source, and at their website. I have no information on Happy Skin’s stance on animal testing.
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First, an aside on hauls: I don’t really post my hauls anymore, mostly for two reasons. One is that I don’t really haul new things lately (I’m on a spend “ban”!), and two, sometimes I think that maybe my haul posts are pretty boring. I would just review the items I bought that I think is worth reviewing. What do you think?
Moving on to more exciting things! Ever since I saw V’s post about Catrice being available here in the Philippines, I’ve always wanted to try finding it. I spent a miserable two months stalking SM Makati and Watsons Greenbelt 1 but no signs of Catrice. About a week ago I happened to be in SM North The Block and of course I dropped by Watsons there (mostly to buy other things tbh; my Bifesta needed replenishment). Lo and behold, I finally found a Catrice counter!! Given that I was on a strict budget and I wasn’t really planning on finding Catrice there, I limited myself to one item. Believe me, that was pretty hard, I wanted to buy things like eyeshadows and nail polish!
With the help of the Catrice SA, I selected this pretty interesting base called Matt Mousse Make Up. It’s supposed to be a sort of cream foundation that sets into a powder finish. Quite an interesting idea! I swatched it on my arm and personally witnessed this transformation. The SA insisted that the lightest shade was the one that fit me best; the next one seemed indeed a little too dark. The price sealed the deal: it was only Php379 (or something like that; basta below 400)! I got the shade 011 Light Beige.
My sister-in-law was with me at the time, and said that it looked quite similar to Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, which I never tried. Catrice Matt Mousse Make Up claims to result to even finish and invisible pores and lines. I immediately tested it out as soon as I got home. And several more times in the next few days!
I really love how this feels on the face! It’s very cushy, and quite pleasurable to apply because of the cream-to-powder aspect. There’s a sort of play factor going on that makes putting foundation on quite fun. The biggest downside I can see is of course the glass tub. I just make sure that I use clean fingers when applying this. I have not tried using a brush (because I have no idea what kind of brush to use) or sponge.
Above is the arm swatch, first just a swipe. It’s very thick but airy.
Then the blended. It looks a bit too pink and dark here on my arm, which means either my arms are too fair or I put on too much product. Let’s see how it looks on my face.
Here’s my bare face.
And here’s one layer of Catrice Matt Mousse Make Up. Ok now it seems too light? I don’t know what’s going on anymore. I can work with this though, and again I really like how it feels on the skin. I also used it here on my lids as a primer; you can see the yellowish tint on my bare lids practically disappear.
Here’s my face with the rest of my makeup on. Maybe it needed a bit of setting in, but I think here it looks much closer to my original skin tone. How did it perform on the pores and lines? It did do some blurring action but did not completely cover them. Perhaps if I put on another layer it would cover them some more.
Other items on face: Ellana Minerals Eyebrow/Eyeshadow Quad (brows), Ellefar Princess Eyeshadow Quad (lids), Pixy Waterproof Mascara (lashes), Daiso Special! Mix Cheek Powder in Magic Color (cheeks), Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Laguna Beach (lips)
Catrice is happily cruelty-free! At their price I think this is going to be my go-to drugstore makeup brand! The Matt Mousse Make Up is Php379 (I think) for 16 grams of product.
Pros: cruelty-free; very affordable; matte foundation; relatively long lasting
Cons: glass tub; limited availability for now
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Quite an almost-alliteration! Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Laguna Beach is unabashedly my favorite in the Flawless Beauty Glamourbox that was recently released. I love Ofra lipsticks and have always lemmed for the liquid lipsticks available at Glamourbox Boutique. You won’t believe just how excited I was when I saw this inside the subbie box (there was some squealing involved)!
The lipstick came in a black box with a little window to show you the shade, and the actual tube is a transparent one with a black cap. The shade name is clearly written on the tube.
The wand itself is just a doe foot applicator. It’s adequate enough to apply the lipstick onto the lips, but is not a very good one for defining the cupid’s bow. For better application, I would recommend using a lip brush. [Pardon this shot. For some reason the macro setting focused on the tube instead of the wand.]
Here again is the arm swatch. From this and the product color on the wand we can see that Laguna Beach is some sort of peachy pink/plum sort of shade.
Let’s move on to the lip swatches! Here is a comparison of bare lips and one with Laguna Beach.
It looks a lot muted here than what the arm swatch suggests. Here’s a closer look at the lips.
Upon closer inspection, Laguna Beach is actually a pretty pale pink. As it is a liquid lipstick, there needs to be a little bit of wait time for the lipstick to dry and settle. It dries matte, but unfortunately has a tendency to emphasize the lip lines. To test the longevity of it, I took another photo after four hours and a meal (Brightest Bulb in a Box‘s lipstick longevity test).
It’s still somewhat there but a little faded, and is a lot more evident on the outer edges of my lips. I would say that this is fairly long lasting, as long as you don’t eat or drink so much. It is still a pretty interesting lipstick for me (my second liquid one, but my most used so far!). Did I mention it smells so good? It has a very appealing vanilla pastry scent that makes me want to buy cupcakes. This costs a pretty steep Php950, but it has 8 grams of product (usual lipstick tubes contain 3.5-4 grams). Ofra Cosmetics is a cruelty-free company.
Disclaimer: I buy Glamourboxes with my own money. I am not required to write this post.
Three Pixy Lipstick Swatches
Posted on: August 31, 2014
- In: Swatches | Unboxing
- 2 Comments
One (well, three) of the things I received during the Pixy launch is a set of three lipsticks, one each of their three lipstick lines. Today I’m here to show you the products and the swatches.
This is going to be very image-heavy, so be warned. Read on for the swatches!
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You probably know by now that I’m an eyeshadow addict, so it’ll be no surprise to find out that this is one of the first things that I tried from the Pixy launch. I got the Duo called Romantic Poem that contains a pink shade and a mauve shade.
It comes in this cute little pink box. The packaging really evokes a dainty and princessy feel that many Japanese brands use.
At the back you will see more information such as the amount of product (2.8 grams) and the company information for Mandom.
The list of ingredients is found on the side. The thing to note here is that it contains squalene (which may or may not have been harvested from shark liver oil).
The actual palette is really very pretty. My photo does not convey just how reflective the surface is, but it’s a really nice shade of metallic pink. The brand is printed also in front, and you can take a peek into the inside from the top.
The bottom of this palette contains much of the same information as the box back. Take note that the manufacturing date is included here (and the box back as well).
Finally, we come to the actual product! It comes in two small pans with an embossing of curves on the corner. The left side is of course the pink shade, a very light one at that and has a little bit of shimmer. The right side is a dark purple, mauve really, with very little shimmer. The palette also comes with a tiny sponge applicator (which I have not used; I prefer brushes) and some sort of mirror underneath the lid.
Here are my arm swatches. As usual I used the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base for the swatches with primer (the second and fourth). The pink shade is a nice lidwash color, and I have been using it as such. It’s also a nice enough pink that goes with shades from other palettes as well. The mauve shade looks really good with a primer, and I have been using it mostly as an outer corner shade. Carina demonstrates a second use of the mauve, as a blush! We learned this from the makeup demo at the Pixy launch.
In this photo I am using this Duo as my eyeshadow as I described above: pink as lidwash and mauve as outer corner shade. Of course my eyeglasses obscure most of it, but the shimmers in the pink makes it stand out even behind my glasses.
Here is a really sucky close up, which looks overexposed unfortunately. I am highly afraid of looking bruised, so I took it very easy on the mauve at the outer corner. One of these days I’m going to go for a smokey eye and go heavy on the mauve.
I feel like I haven’t used this enough to have a full review, so I’m just going to leave you with my first impressions. I really like this palette as it is work-appropriate and very portable. The aesthetics of the design calls to me as well. The product itself seems good especially with a primer.
Pixy Cosmetics is available at Watsons branches, and is distributed by Mandom Philippines Corporation. Like Pixy Cosmetics on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
Disclaimer: This eyeshadow duo, along with a bunch of other makeup, was provided to me by Pixy Philippines at the brand launch. I was not required to write about it and all opinions are my own.
- In: Nails | Swatches
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After a long long time, a nail post! I’ve definitely missed polishing my nails, and I’ve got Caronia Philippines to thank for inspiring me to start again! They sent me their newly released collection, Blue Moon, in this nice little press kit.
Held in this cute reusable bag, the kit contained the three new shades of the Blue Moon collection, as well as a lovely blue scarf that I’ve taken to wearing in the office.
This collection is a collaboration with Ballet Philippines. These colors aim to liven up your nails and keep you prepared for those unexpected and thrilling moments that happen once in a blue moon.
Read on for the swatches!
Becoming Sleek 