Product Review: LOL Bronzing Powder

Doesn't it irks you whenever you take a selfie and your face just looks flat and lifeless? Well, there's actually a solution for that --- BRONZER. Bronzers, if applied properly, can help give you that healthy, sun-kissed glow and can also give life to your face. It may also help make your face appear slim together with proper contouring. However, if applied improperly, it can make your face look muddy and just burnt!

There are a lot of good bronzers in the market but if you're looking for something that's on the cheaper side, you might want to check out LOL Cosmetics' Bronzing Powder.

Product Name: LOL Bronzing Powder

Price: P139.00

Available at: SM Department Stores / Watsons

The LOL Bronzing Powder comes in a plastic compact. The cover has a window which shows the actual color of the bronzer. The packaging is quite slim so you can easily slide it inside your makeup kit. If there's one thing that I wish they would change or add on their packaging is maybe... a mirror? But that's not really that big of a deal.

LOL Bronzing Powder is available in 2 shades. The lightest shade is called All Bronzed Up and the darkest is Brown Sugar and it's the shade that I have.

The texture is smooth and it has a matte finish. The coverage is actually light but it is buildable which is good because you can control if you just want to dust a little warmth on your face or if you really want to look like you just got back from the beach. Also, since the coverage isn't too heavy, it is very easy to blend.

I actually like using this for everyday looks just to add warmth on my face. I have used this in contouring my face a few times but it's just too warm and a wee bit orange-y. Just a quick tip, always choose a contouring powder with cool undertones because it will look more natural and it will give more depth. ;-)

Here's a photo of me with LOL Bronzing Powder on my face:

As you can see in the photo below, the color has a warm tone. I haven't contoured my face yet in this photo, by the way. I just used the bronzer.

Considering the price, the availability, and the performance, I would say that this is a great bronzer. You can use this as your actual blusher or you can just use it as your regular bronzer. It adds a healthy look on your face and can help avoid you from looking dull and flat on photos. Well, any bronzer can do that but what separates this from other bronzers is that it's really affordable yet the quality is commendable.

So, yes! I will definitely recommend this and and I will surely repurchase but I think this compact will last me even until 2015. Well, depending on how frequent I'm going to use it. Hehe!

Have you tried this bronzer already? What's your favorite bronzer? Share naman! :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission!

Product Rave-iew: Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup

Hi everyone!

I'm back to share with you another AMAZING foundation! When I tried the Essence Clear & Matt Oil-Free Foundation and wrote a review about it, a lot of people told me to try the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup because they said it is way better. It took me half a year before I could find the chance to finally try it out and now, I fully understand why those people said that this foundation is way better.

I'm planning to do another 1-brand makeup tutorial featuring Essence cosmetics and I wanted a foundation with fuller coverage. Since the two Essence foundations that I have (Clear & Matt and Soft Touch Mousse) can only provide light coverage, I decided to buy another Essence foundation. When I swatched the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation, I was sold. I was impressed with the consistency of this foundation that I decided to buy it without hesitance.

Product Name: Essence Stal All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup

Shade:  Soft Beige

Price: P299.00

Available at: SM Department Stores / Watsons

PACKAGING

- This foundation comes in a plastic bottle which I thought was a tin can. It contains 1 fluid ounce of the product which is pretty standard or typical for liquid foundations. The bottle comes in a pump which I absolutely love.

SHADE AVAILABILITY

- Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation is available in 4 shades only. I hope they can come up with more shades. This shade that I got, Soft Beige, looks a bit orange-y once it sets on the skin. This is the closest to my natural skin color thought that's why I chose this and since it matches my skin color already, I always set it with a translucent powder instead of a colored setting powder.

CONSISTENCY AND TEXTURE

- This foundation is very creamy, almost like a mousse. When I apply it on the back of my hand, it doesn't run but the consistency is not really that thick. It has a silky texture that's why it's always a joy to apply and to blend.

COVERAGE AND FINISH

- The coverage is medium to full. It can definitely conceal imperfections on the face. With just one layer, it can already cover dark circles around the eyes, redness of the skin and lighter pimple scars. For darker and bigger spots, you might need two layers to fully conceal them. Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour foundation almost has a semi-matte finish and it sets really well on the skin. This foundation claims to give you a flawless, silky complexion and I ABSOLUTELY agree.

AWESOME COVERAGE AND FINISH!!!

Watch my review/demo video here:

LONGEVITY

- The longevity of this product is really commendable. It stays on for long hours on my skin. I've tried wearing this for longer that 16 hours. Since I have oily-combination skin, I got oily on my t-zone area by the middle of the day but very slightly. At the end of the day, it had already faded a little around the nose area and under my eyes but overall, the coverage still looked pretty great. It's a shame that I didn't get to take photos during that time so I did another road test but with shorter time.

PHOTO TEST

BEFORE (7:30PM)

AFTER 4.5 hours (12:00MN)

Overall, I can say that the Essence Stay All Day 16-Hour Long Lasting Makeup is an AMAZING product. The quality is really awesome yet the price is really affordable for only P299.00! I actually wouldn't mind using this on my makeup clients because this is actually better than a few of my more expensive foundations. I will definitely repurchase and I absolutely recommend this to you guys, especially to people with oily or oily-combination skin. :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission!

Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make-Up Review and Swatches

I'm back baby dolls!!!

It's been a while since I last posted a product review and I feel really bad about it because there's just too many products to share with you guys! Anyway, I won't tell you the story why I've been MIA, instead, I will tell you my story about the Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make-Up! :)

I've had this foundation since last June and I started using this last July and I'm sorry if it took this long before I posted a review about it. Anyway, the first time that I tried it, I immediately fell in love with it. Since I have oily-combination skin, I love that it really provides a matte finish that you won't even be needing a powder to set it. However, since I am not comfortable without setting my foundation, I still set it with powder everytime I use it. Hehe! BUT I've tried to leave it just like that without setting it with powder and it still stayed on my face for long hours but of course, setting it with powder will help make it last even longer.

Packaging looks decent because the mousse make-up is stored in a small glass jar. It looked really nice when I opened it that's why it broke my heart when I first used it because I have to ruin the beautifully swirled mousse foundation. Hehe! It is thick and has a velvety, matte texture that gives a powdery but smooth finish. Actually, when you rub it against your skin, it will look like it's forming into small crumbles that's why I was a bit surprised when I first tried it but then as you blend it, you will get a smooth and matte finish.

I just have to warn you that this mousse foundation can accentuate dry skin because it has a very matte finish. That's why it can emphasize newly healed pimples and acne marks so you have to be conscious about that when you use this. So, yeah, I won't recommend this to people with dry skin. When it comes to coverage, it can provide light to medium coverage only. For me, one layer is already enough for everyday look but I'm telling you, it won't fully conceal imperfections on your face. It can't even conceal redness of the skin with just one layer. You'll be needing about two to three layers to fully cover the redness and dark circles. I've used this a lot of times already since it's my favorite everyday foundation as of the moment and I can say that it can't conceal pimple scars that well. And even though it lacks coverage, I still love it because I just love how it gives me that very natural-looking skin.

I've read somewhere that this is available in 8 shades but here in the Philippines, there are only 3 shades available. I got the shade Matt Ivory which I think is the lightest out of the three and it's a shade lighter than my original skin color. I got this when I attended the Color Society event last June so I wasn't really the one who picked this shade for me.

Let's now proceed to my usual test with photos taken chronologically.

1. This is how it looks like on my face with two layers. As you can see it is lighter than my skin color so I always use a darker shade of powder to neutralize the shade. You can also see that the finish is really matte, like I've already set it with powder but that's just the Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make-up alone. (Sorry for my sabog na kilay. Hahaha!)

2. Now, this is how it looks like after setting it with powder and after doing my full makeup. This was taken around 3:00pm.

3. Straight from school! I took this photo at around 8:00pm so about 5 hours had already passed. It still looked good but it started to fade around my nose already and there's a small creasing under my eyes, too.

4. After a total of 7 hours!!! The mousse foundation was already fading out on my nose and above my lips and it's already wearing off under my eyes. I did got oily, especially on the t-zone area, but very slightly. If you look on my cheek area, it still looks pretty matte.

VERDICT! It's great for everyday makeup looks and daytime looks only since it can't provide full coverage. Staying power is okay but not really that awesome but it's already good enough for me. This is priced for P289.00 by the way. If you're going to ask me to rate it, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 and it may seem like a low score but I actually love this foundation. Considering its price? Not bad! Not bad at all! :)

Let me know what do you think about the Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make-up if you've already tried it out.

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

FOTD (102713): Church Day!

Church day today!

I haven't slept yet and I feel like I still have so much energy so I decided to attend the morning schedule of our worship service today. :) I decided to use drugstore makeup this day... just because. Hehe!

BAM!!!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE

Essence Soft Touch Mousse Foundation in Matt Ivory

Fashion 21 Loose Powder in No. 1

ELF Blush in Glow

*for contouring, I used my Glory of New York Dual Powder in 36 because I don't have a drugstore contouring powder as of the moment*

EYES AND BROWS

Nichido Eyebrow Pencil in Brown

Fashion 21 Single Eyeshadow in 20

Ever Bilena Color Pencil in Black

Maybelline The Magnum Mascara

LIPS

Ever Bilena Famous Lipstick in Watermelon

Did you like it? I love my look today! Oh, and my bangs is already growing!!! Ugh! >.<

I think I'm gonna stick with having full bangs like this. What do you think? :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Mini Watsons Haul!

Hello!!!

After school yesterday, I dropped by at SM North Edsa because Papa asked me to pay our SKY Cable/Broadband bills. E andun na lang din naman ako, bakit hindi pa ako tumingin-tingin sa Department Store, 'di ba? Hehe! Also, I realized I don't have wet tissues anymore, which I can't live without, and a conditioner for my hair (nagdadahilan pa, sus!).

You know what sucks when you're inside the department store at the beauty section? You can't just ignore all the makeups! Whenever I'm there, I can't, ever, just pass by the makeup counters and not check out their stuff. The good thing here is, I can resist myself from buying. I just love looking at them. Hehe! Anyway, as I was looking at different cosmetics, it reminded me that I am planning to do the 1,000 Pesos Makeup Challenge which I am really excited about! I already have a lot of local and affordable makeups from my own collection but I still needed a few to complete my stash for the new challenge.

Here are the things that I bought:

1. Syoss Moisture Intensive Care Conditioner (P48.00/100ml)

- I was a little surprised when I saw that this conditioner only costs P48.00! I thought it's going to cost more than that and I always thought Syoss products are expensive like Tresemme. Since it's just my first time to try Syoss, I just got the 100ml bottle so that I won't regret buying it if ever I won't end up liking it. It has pro-cellium keratin though so I'm hoping it will be a good product.

2. Baby First Baby Wipes (P84.00/Buy 1 Take 1)

- This is one of my favorite wet tissues because the tissues itself is not that easy to tear. Also, you can get this at a buy 1 take 1 deal for only P99.00 and each pack contains 60 sheets. Yesterday, I'm one happy (and shallow) kid because this pack only costs P84.00! Hurrah for great deals and discounts! :)

3. Maybelline Clear Smooth All-in-One Shine-free Foundation To Go (P99.00)

- THIS IS AWESOME! I love Maybelline powders and I was so happy that they came up with a smaller compact complete with built-in mirror inside and a sponge! Yey! Definitely perfect for my 1,000 Pesos makeup challenge! :)

4. Ever Bilena Pro Eyecolor Mascara/Eyeliner (P160.00)

- Awesome dual-ended mascara and eyeliner! I bought this for the challenge but of course, I did not buy it without checking it first. I swatched the eyeliner and it's actually pretty good and the mascara wand looks interesting. I just hope the formula is good, too. I mainly bought this for the eyeliner and the mascara is just a bonus for me since I'm planning to use falsies on the makeup challenge. :)

5. Ever Bilena Advance Perfect Eyebrow in Medium Brown (P50.00)

- When it comes to affordable and good quality brow pencils, Ever Bilena is my go-to brand. I'm still not sure though if this is the brow pencil that I'll use for the challenge but I like its consistency, so, we'll just see!

6. M&Co. Office Eyelash Curler (P99.00)

- When I saw this from the M&Co. counter, I immediately checked its price and tried it on to see if it can decently curl my eyelashes. It actually works great and it's only for P99.00 so you can include this on your 1,000 Pesos makeup challenge! Sadly, it did not reach my budget. It's okay! It's still a good lash curler and very affordable!

That's it! Now I'm going to finish gathering all the things that I'll be needing for the makeup challenge! Whoo! Wish me luck! ;)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

✿ ELF Haul (from The Primp Pad) ✿

A couple of weeks ago, I received this press kit from The Primp Pad full of ELF Cosmetics! The arrival of these items is just perfect because I am planning to do another 1-brand makeup tutorial, this time, featuring ELF Cosmetics. My ELF stash isn't complete though but at least, konti na lang! :-)

The Primp Pad sells ELF Cosmetics and other makeups from different brands at very low prices compared to their mall prices. If you don't notice, almost all ELF products from the mall here in the Philippines either costs P129.75 or P249.75. The HD line and the palettes though cost higher and depends on the number of shades and types but all of the ELF Essentials products have the same prices, as well as the ELF Studio items. For the ELF Essentials, everything is priced at P129.75 and P249.75 for the ELF Studio line. From The Primp Pad, the products that cost P129.75 only cost P68.00 and the products that cost P249.75 only cost P168! Such a steal, don't you think?

Here are the items from the press kit:

1. ELF Studio Makeup Mist & Set (P168.00)

I think this is not available in our local malls? Or is it? Please correct me if I'm wrong. :)

2. ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit (P168.00)

Mall price: P249.75

3. ELF Studio Makeup Remover Pen (P168.00)

I'm not sure if this is available in our local malls, too.

4. ELF Essentials Shimmer Pencil in Grassy Green (P68.00)

Mall price: P129.75

5. ELF Studio Powder Brush (P168.00)

Mall price: P249.75

One of my favorite brushes!

6. ELF Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder (P168.00)

Is this available in our local malls? I think those are the pressed powders and bronzers? Hmm...

7. ELF Essentials Eyelid Primer (P68.00)

Mall price: P129.75

8. ELF HD Blush in Superstar (P168.00)

Not yet available in department stores.

So, I only need foundation, concealer (if necessary), lip color, mascara and liner! I already have ELF palettes, powders, and powder blushes. Can't wait for my tutorial!!! Please let me know if you have any requests or if you want me to review any of the products featured in this post. :)

Don't forget to follow The Primp Pad!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrimpPad

Instagram: @theprimppad | #theprimppad

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Mascara Recipe for Volumizing and Lengthening Eyelashes

When it comes to makeup, there's always that one tube of mascara that you can't just seem to let go. You can't quite live without it because it just makes your eyelashes the star of the show for some reason. In my case, I happen to have two tubes of mascara that always complete my whole makeup look. I have different mascaras that can give me enough volumized, curled, and lengthened eyelashes but I just love the combination of these two mascaras. Both are drugstore products - the other one's from Europe and the other one is, I think, the best local mascara in the Philippine makeup market.

We all have our different makeup recipes; blush recipe - like what are the cheek products that you love to combine, lip recipe - what are your favorite lip products to mix, etc. When it comes to mascara, I love mixing the Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara and the Fashion 21 Double Up Mascara. Watch this very short video wherein you'll see how I use the two:

I have very thin and short lashes and I love how the Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara volumizes and curls them. It just makes my eyelashes appear fuller and thicker and I love it because that's my frustration. That's why I love clumpy mascaras because they make my lashes appear thicker. However, this mascara from Essence is not waterproof and considering the shape of my eye and my very oily lids, I need to always wear waterproof mascara because non-waterproof mascara usually smudges around my eyes. To seal in the Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara, I like using the Fashion 21 Double Up Mascara. It doesn't just keep the mascara from budging, it can also lengthen my eyelashes twice its original length. So, its name, Double Up, is the perfect name for that tube of mascara. It does a good job in lengthening and separating my eyelashes. It's one of the bests!

In this photo, I only coated my right eyelashes with the two awesome mascaras so you can see the difference from my natural eyelashes.

With the very affordable price of the two, I see no reason why I shouldn't repurchase them. Of course, I may find better mascaras soon and might discover another mascara recipe but this is just my favorite combo for months and I'm still loving it up to now! Recommended for girls who are tight on their budgets! :)

I have already reviewed both mascaras.

Click here for the Fashion 21 Double Up Mascara review.

Click here for the Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara review.

What about you? What's your favorite mascara recipe? :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Product Review: Essence Clear & Matt Oil-free Foundation

As some of you know, a month ago, I attended the launching of 5 European brands to be locally available here in the Philippine and Color Society Philippines brought them here. I've blogged about it and if you want to read my post and read about those new European brands, please click here.

One of the 5 brands is Essence which originated from Germany. Essence arrived here in the Philippines just few months ago and people are already digging their stuff because of its good quality yet affordable prices. I am actually already a fan of Essence and I was really happy and thankful for the box of goodies that Color Society Philippines had given the beauty bloggers who attended the launching. The box that I received was full of Essence cosmetics and a lip gloss from GOSH cosmetics plus a blow dryer from American Heritage! Haha! Because of that awesome box, you'll be reading a lot of Essence product reviews here in my blog. I have already reviewed their Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara and their Eyebrow Stylist Set which I both love and so far, I've also been loving most, if not all, of the Essence cosmetics from the box that I received. First up, Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up!

I received two foundations from Color Society and this is the first one that I picked up to try because it says "matt" and "oil-free"! I always look for this kind of foundations because my skin is oily-combination and so I wanted to see if this would really work on me.

Product description:

Oil-free foundation, mattifying, moisturizing, with vitamin E. Dermatologically tested.

Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up is contained in a hard plastic squeeze-tube bottle with a tiny nozzle so you have an easier control to dispense the foundation. The bottle is light and very travel-friendly.

It is available in three shades only; 01 Porcelain, 02 Honey, and 03 Sand. I got the shade 01 Porcelain and I think it's a little pinkish and lighter than my skin color but I can make it work so it's still okay and also, it oxidizes after about 2 hours or less.

Photo source: http://www.luuux.com/health-beauty/essence-clear-and-matte-foundation

The consistency is not too liquidy/runny but it's light so it's not capable in covering major imperfections on the face but it can conceal the redness of my skin. It gives light to medium coverage. One thing that I like about it is that it feels so light on my face like I don't have a foundation on. With its coverage though, I can say that this foundation is just great for everyday / casual looks.

From the product description that you've read above, it claims to abate oiliness and mattify your skin. The finish is not totally matte, just semi-matte but the fact that it has a smooth finish and it can last for long hours just effin' amazes me! For its light texture, I didn't think that it would last on my face for more than 3 hours. Look at this photo below. Almost 9 hours had passed and my face still looks smooth and the coverage is still good although you can clearly see that my face already got oily. But that's about 9 hours already and it may not look as matte as the first photo and my lip color may had already faded but my foundation stayed intact.

*FIRST TEST*

Here's a photo of my bare face:

Here's me with 2 layers of the Essence Clear & Matt Make-up. It was able to cover my dark under eye circles, redness of my skin and some light pimple scarring but as you can see, it is lighter than my skin color. When I look at the foundation, it looks like it has a yellow undertone but when I apply it on my skin, it would turn a little pinkish.

Here's what the foundation looks like after setting it with translucent powder. Who wouldn't be impressed with that flawless and smooth coverage? I just hope it matches my original skin color.

Here's a photo of me with complete make-up on:

After a total of 9.5 hours:

*SECOND TEST*

I thought maybe it's just the translucent powder that I used from Glory of New York that made the foundation last for almost 10 hours so I decided to do another test without using a translucent powder to seal it in. I just used a pressed powder this time to set the foundation.

Before: (freshly applied makeup)

After 3 hours:

After 8 hours:

What more can I say? A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Hehe! Although I can say that the Glory of New York Translucent Powder that I used on the first test made the foundation last longer but still, the foundation is pretty great!The foundation was able to control the oiliness of my skin and it didn't completely fade out even after hours and hours without retouching. Whenever I take photos chronologically for product reviews, I make it a point that I don't retouch nor even blot my face to get rid of oiliness which is not really difficult and a big problem for me since I'm the type of girl who doesn't care about her face anymore once she walks out the door. Haha! I don't really retouch not unless my face looks super oily and unpleasant and I'm in a special occasion but for regular days especially when I'm in school, I don't really care about retouching anymore.

Going back to the product review, yup - I love the Essence Clear & Matt Make-Up because it does reduce the oiliness of my face, it has a good coverage, longevity is commendable and it's not going to hurt your pocket! I'm not sure how much is the exact price of this foundation but I think it's just around Php 250.00. I also want to add up that even though it can mattify your skin, it will not make your face look and feel dry. It's quite moisturizing, in fact.

I will surely repurchase this but in a shade that will match my skin color na para mas okay na talaga! :) It's definitely a product that I would recommend for people with oily skin and for those who are looking for a budget-friendly foundation.

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-