Ever Bilena Matte Liquid Lipstick Review and Swatches

Hello, everybody! It's been more than 2 months since I last posted a blog entry here and I missed writing so much! I've been busy with makeup gigs and focused more in creating videos for my YouTube channel. Also, life happened and I needed to take a short hiatus. Anyway, I'm so glad to be back! And as a comeback post, I decided to share a review on a product from a local brand that is famous in the whole country --- Ever Bilena!

If you are a fan of Ever Bilena or if you are updated to their products, then you are probably familiar with their Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks. At dahil nauuso na ang liquid lipsticks, they decided to create the liquid lipstick version of those well-known matte lipsticks! Last August 2017, they launched their new products and one of those is their Ever Bilena Matte Liquid Lipsticks.

Product name: Ever Bilena Matte Liquid Lipstick

Price: Php195

Available at: Ever Bilena kiosks/counters nationwide

Ever Bilena Bold Beauty Event Featuring New Products!

So, last June, I was invited to attend the Ever Bilena Bold Beauty Event. I always get excited whenever I receive invites from Ever Bilena and whenever they consider me to try their new products because they will always have a special place in my heart. It is the first ever local makeup brand that I used and especially since I joined the Ever Bilena Big Beauty Challenge and became a grand finalists. That contest helped me gained lots of friends. Such a wonderful experience!

The Ever Bilena Bold Beauty Event was held at White Space Makati where we were given pegs to recreate and where they also introduced to us their newest products that are to be released real soon. Our final looks were also taken by professional photographer, Hub Pacheco. Right after he took our photos, he transferred the file to our own devices (in my case, my phone) so we can already have our own copies. Since it was just the raw file, I took the liberty to post process my own photo.

Let's talk more about this photo below, shall we? :)

My Ever Bilena Big Beauty Challenge Journey

Last December, Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc. hosted this makeup competition called the Big Beauty Challenge. It was a contest open for all makeup artists, vloggers, and makeup enthusiasts. All you have to do is post a makeup video on your Facebook account (1 minute min. and 3 minutes max.) using products from Ever Bilena/Careline. It ran for 10 weeks and in each week, they set different themes. Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc. chose one winner per week/per theme who each received Php10,000 as a prize! Then those 10 weekly winners were the ones who battled at the Grand Finale. The prize was a whopping Php50,000 in cash! My gosh!

I did not bother to join at first because I was quite unsure of how everything runs but when I saw the entries of those people who joined, I was encouraged to join. Also, the themes were very interesting! So, yeah, I decided to join! :)

Product Rave-iew: Ever Bilena Advance BB Flawless Whitening Compact

One of my favorite products of Ever Bilena is their powder, err, I mean their powders. In fact, in my opinion, they are one of the local brands that carries the best powders. They offer quite a wide variety of powders but my favorite is the EB Advance BB Flawless Whitening Compact.

Product name: EB Advance BB Flawless Whitening Compact

Price: Php250

Available at: Watsons, department stores, grocery stores, drugstores

Careline TVC Press Launch with Julie Anne San Jose

One of the local cosmetic brands that I usually recommend to younger generations who are just starting to explore the makeup world is Careline. 1) Because it is affordable and 2) it is really designed for teenagers. Careline is like the baby of Ever Bilena, which is also a very famous local cosmetic brand here in the Philippines that is known for its very affordable price range. Ever Bilena created Careline which offers a powerhouse of Vitamin-E enriched and oil-control formulated products ideally made for young girls.

Last April 30, 2014, Careline launched their newest TV Commercial featuring their newest ambassador, Julie Anne San Jose whom I think is a perfect fit for the brand. She has a very fresh and bubbly personality, not to mention her multiple talents in singing, dancing, and acting!

The concept of Careline's newest TVC revolves around the brand's characteristic against a backdrop of youthful hues and elements. It highlights their top products such as the Careline Lipstick, Careline Oil Control Face Powder, and Careline BB Cream, of course, rocked by its new, talented, beautiful endorser. The new Careline TVC features the song "It's My Time" which Julie Anne herself took charge of during the arrangement. It's a pretty catchy song.

Here's a video of the new Careline TVC that I found in YouTube uploaded by Marie Grace Mercado:

Here are a few photos that I snapped during the Careline TVC Press Launch:

After signing the contract with Careline, Julie Anne San Jose shook hand with the Careline CEO

Here's a photo of me with fellow beauty blogger and YouTube beauty guru, Shebby Liquete :) Both of us holding our hashtag Careline catchphrases!

Here we have Ms. Demi Calansingin, Careline's Communication Specialist :) 

Careline was also very generous to give the guests a loot of Careline products! Yay! Thank you so much, Careline! :)

It's a shame that I didn't get the chance to have a "selfie" with Julie Anne San Jose but I did capture a few moments of the event in my vlog! Here's the embedded video:

The new Careline TVC is all about encouraging young girls to be confident and beautiful in their own skin like Julie Anne, a perfect role model. By using Careline cosmetics, they can transform from ordinary to pretty just as how its new tagline says, "Be pretty, go Careline!". - Careline Cosmetics

Don't forget to like Careline on Facebook. Careline is available in all leading department stores and malls nationwide!

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

Local Products I Recommend

Hi everyone!

Few weeks ago, I decided to do a video for the local products that I recommend. I've been receiving tons and tons of questions and requests on which local products are really worth it and with great quality. The video that I filmed took so much time so I decided to split it into two. Here are the two videos, I hope this helps! :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Local Products I Recommend

Hi everyone!

Last week, I've uploaded a 2-part video featuring my recommended products from our local brands here in the Philippines. The reason why I decided to share those products is because I think we have tons of good-quality local products that need to be recognized more. From foundations, to powders to lipsticks --- there are awesome products from our local brands such as Fashion 21, Ever Bilena, FS Cosmetics and more.

The video was divided into two because it took me about 26 minutes to finish talking about my recommended local products! The first part is all about foundations, concealers, powders, and blushes.

♥ FOUNDATION ♥

1. San San Matte Liquid Foundation

     - I love this product because it provides a good coverage and has a smooth finish but it won't require you to spend a lot since it only costs PhP140.00! It comes in 4 different shades and it's available in all HBC outlets.

2. Ever Bilena Whitening BB Cream

     - This may not suit all skin colors because it's only available in one shade but I recommend this to those who have light skin colors like me. I love its coverage and how it makes my face look flawless. I always get compliment every time I use this and they get surprised all the time to find out that it's from our local brand. This BB cream is too yellowish though so be careful in using and blending it out. This is for only PhP198.00. For more info, watch my review here.

♥ CONCEALER ♥

1. Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil

     - This concealer stick from Fashion 21 is also available in their regular form, the one without tea tree oil , but I chose this one mainly because of its texture. It glides on smoothly and it has a cream to powder finish so it is definitely perfect for my oily-combination skin. It works well on people with really oily skin, too. It has a light to medium coverage so it's perfect for everyday use as well plus it's very convenient to use since it's in a stick form. Only PhP195.00 from Fashion 21 counters at all leading department stores nationwide. Read my review here.

2. San San Concealer
     - This creamy concealer works for all skin types. It is creamy but it doesn't crease as much as the other local concealers (based on personal experience). It provides medium to full coverage and it's really affordable for only PhP110.00!

♥ POWDERS ♥

1. Fashion 21 Loose Powder

    - This powder provides amazing coverage! The powder is finely milled so it gives a very flawless and smooth finish. What I also love about this product is its powder puff because it's not like other powder puffs and sponges that you can't even use. The powder puff that comes with this powder is very sturdy and helps in a fuller and smoother application. This is for only PhP150.00 and can already last you for years!!!

2. Fashion 21 Two Way Cake with Milk Moisturizers

     - This is my most favorite pressed powders among all the powders from our local brands! The texture is very silky and smooth and it stays on for long hours, too. Fashion 21 Two Way Cakes are available in 4 different variants and if you want to know more about it, click here for my review. :)

3. FS Cosmetics Two Way Cakes

     - The FS Cosmetics two way cakes also provide good coverage but I like the texture of the Fashion 21 Two Way Cakes better because they are silkier and more affordable. However, FS cosmetics offers a wider range of shades of their powders and they even have shades that you can use for contouring which are the shades Rajah and Fantasia. I have collected all of the shades and they are a big help especially on my makeup gigs. Review here.

♥ BLUSHES ♥

1. Ever Bilena Single Blush-On and Cheek Blush

     - What I love about the Ever Bilena blushes is that they are available in tons of different shades from light pinks to deep berry shades to brown shades. The texture is not chalky unlike other local blushes and they stay on for long hours, too.

2. Careline Oil-Control Single Blush-On

     - Perfect for makeup beginners, especially for teenagers because the coverage is sheer. It just adds a hint of color and life on your face plus it's definitely budget-friendly for only PhP85.00!

3. Shawill Collagen Rosy Touch Blusher

     - The reason why I love this blush is because of its smooth and silky texture. I love how it looks really matte but gives you this healthy glow on your skin! This is for only PhP65.00. Read my review here.

Okay, let's now move on to the second part of the video wherein I featured different eyeliners, eye shadows, eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, and a few makeup tools.

♥ LIQUID EYELINERS ♥

1. San San Age Defense Liquid Eyeliner

     - I have tried different local liquid eyeliners but this is my most favorite because the applicator is more sturdy, good color payoff, waterproof, smudgeproof, and it doesn't rubberize unlike other annoying liquid eyeliners.

2. FS Cosmetics Felt Tip Liner

     - I have really oily lids that's why I always stick with liquid dip eyeliners. The FS cosmetics Felt Tip Liner is one of my favorites because even though it comes in a pen form, it doesn't really transfer on my lids and it doesn't smudge plus the color payoff is commendable.

3. Shawill Pretty Color Eyeliner

    - If you're looking for good quality yet affordable colored liners, visit Shawill counters and check out their Pretty Color eyeliners! Available in different beautiful shades and they also have glitter liners for only PhP98.00!

♥ EYE PENCILS ♥

1. Nichido Mineral Kohl Pencil in Onyx

     - This is one of the best eye pencils that I've tried from our local brands because it is very pigmented and doesn't smudge as much as the other cheap eyeliners.

2. Fashion 21 Defining Eyeliner in Black

     - Like the Nichido pencil, this also has good color payoff and doesn't smudge as much as the other liners. I love the Nichido Mineral Kohl Pencil but I love this more because it's retractable so it's more convenient to use.

3. Ever Bilena Color Pencil in Black

     - I forgot to feature this in the video but I highly recommend this eye pencil, too because the color is really jet black and glides on very smoothly but doesn't smudge as much as the other cheap liners, too.

♥ EYE SHADOWS ♥

1. Fashion 21 Color Set

     - I highly recommend this makeup palette to beginners, new makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts because it contains a lot of different shades already from white to black to browns to primary colors to secondary and so on! Haha! The texture is good, not powdery nor chalky. Most of the shades are pigmented but some are too sheer, though. This is for only PhP399.00! Not bad for makeup beginners!

2. San San Age Defense Trio Eyeshadow

     - I absolutely love these cream eyeshadows from San San because they are very pigmented and serve as a good eye makeup base. They can crease though since they are creamy so be extra careful in using them and make sure to use a primer. Read my review here.

3. Shawill 12 Color Cream Eyeshadow Palette

     - This palette is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes from the local brands because they are cream eyeshadow with powder finish. They are all metallic and shimmery, perfect for glamorous makeup looks!

4. Fashion 21 Roll N Dazzle Glitter Eyeshadow in Pink Diamond

     - I bought this shade because I love its two-toned effect. It is a pink eyeshadow with gold flexes in it. Yes, this is an eye shadow but I rarely use it on my eyes anymore ever since I discovered that it can be a really great highlighter on your cheeks! To know more about my favorite local highlighter, click here.

♥ MASCARA ♥

1. Fashion 21 Double Up Mascara

     - One of the best mascaras that I've tried EVER! May it be from the local brands or from foreign brands. This is definitely one of the bests! It does a good job in separating and lengthening my eyelashes. Read my review here to know more about it.

♥ EYEBROW PENCILS ♥

1. Ever Bilena Ever Original Eyebrow Pencil

     - One of the first eyebrow pencils that I've used when I was just beginning to learn makeup and until now, it's still one of my favorite local eyebrow pencils. It stays on for long hours and it's not waxy unlike other eyebrow pencils that already looks super fake when you use them.

2. Ever Bilena Advance HD Eyebrow Pencil

     - I like its consistency because it's very blendable.

3. San San Eyebrow Pencil

     - The texture is comparable to the Ever Bilena eyebrow pencils but another thing why I love this is because of the sharpener that comes with it because it works! Hindi siya mapurol. Yes, small things do count! :)

♥ LIPSTICKS ♥

1. Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks

     - One of the local brands that carries awesome lipsticks is Ever Bilena and my favorite lipstick from them is their matte lipstick! Amazing pigmentation and they offer a wide range of shades from pinks to oranges to reds to browns!

2. Ever Bilena Famous Lipstick in Watermelon

     - I'm not a big fan of the Ever Bilena lipstick line called Famous but I'm a big fan of their shade Watermelon from the mentioned lipstick line. I love its coral shade and it's perfect for daytime looks an everyday looks.

3. Fashion 21 Lipsticks

     - The only lipstick from Fashion 21 is from their lipstick line, Red Romance, in the shade Heartthrob but if you're looking for affordable with good quality lipsticks, visit Fashion 21 counters because they offer awesome lipsticks in different shades. I always test their lipstick whenever I visit their counters and I am impressed with the pigmentation of their lipsticks and their texture plus they are all very affordable! The Red Romance lipstick in Heartthrob is one of my favorite red lipsticks, by the way.

4. M&Co. Lipsticks

     - Now, here is a brand that is not yet common to a lot of people. M&Co. is a local brand that offers a variety of cosmetics from foundations to powders to lipsticks. They also have almost everything. One of their famous products is their lipstick. I am amazed with the color payoff of their lipsticks and they also offer a lot of different shades. I have recently fell in love with their matte lipstick in the shade Scarlet which is what I was wearing in the video.

♥ MAKEUP TOOLS ♥

1. FS Cosmetics Eyelash Curler

     - They say this is a dupe for the famous Shu Uemura eyelash curler and I somehow agree with that because I have already tried that eyelash curler from the said high-end brand. I've been using this eyelash curler for almost 3 years now and until now, it's still working and it was only this year that I decided to change its pad. Isn't it awesome? This is for only PhP125.00!

2. M&Co. Eyelash Curler

   - I just discovered this recently and I am already recommending it because it's as good as the FS Cosmetics eyelash curler but it's cheaper for only PhP99.00 and it already comes with 2 extra pads.

3. Nichido Eyelash Adhesive

     - One of the best eyelash adhesives that I've tried and one of the most affordable. You can be sure that your falsies won't fall down or move from your lashes when you use this lash glue. This is for only PhP60.00.

4. HBC Essentials False Eyelashes

     - I'm amazed how these falsies look so natural yet they only cost PhP20.75 per pair! The band is really thin so you can barely notice is sitting on top of your natural eyelashes!

There you have it, dears! The products that I recommend from our local brands. So, you see, we don't really HAVE to spend a lot in beautifying ourselves. Yes, we may want to splurge at times but we don't really NEED to do that. Just visit the nearest mall and check out our local brands and you will surely find tons of amazing products with high-end quality and things that you can be really proud of as a Filipino! :)

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-

MAKEUP HAUL! (Encara BB Cream, Ever Bilena, Fashion 21, Fanny Serrano, Shawill)

Hi everyone!

Sharing with you my recent purchases. Here's the video of my haul. I'm sorry if there are no photos because I'm saving all of that for my separate reviews for each products featured here. :)




List of the products featured:

1. Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks - prizes from winning EB's Love That Red Promo! :)
* Skin
* Mauvey
* Off Beat Pink
* Pink Flames
* Viva
* Magenta
* Hot Summer
* Autumn Breeze
* Scarlet
* Love That Red
* Siennas
* Storm

2. Fashion 21 Perfect Stick with Tea Tree Oil in Milk Tea - P195.00, Watsons

3. Fashion 21 Single Blush On in No. 14 - P125.00, Watsons

4. Fashion 21 Defining Eyeliner in Black - P100.00, Watsons

5. Fashion 21 Red Romance Lipstick in Heartthrob  - P155.00, Watsons

6. Fanny Serrano Moisturific Lipstick (freebie)

7. Shawill Vogue Noble Lipstick in 07 - P128.00, Watsons

8. Nanny Rose's Gugo and Lawat Antihairfall Shampoo (mentioned but not shown) - P185.00, Watsons

9. Encara BB Cream (Please visit MyrSkin on Facebook for more info about the product.)


That's it for this quick haul post! :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Gift Ideas for Ladies and How to Make it Extra Special

     My "soon-to-be Mother-in-law" celebrated her birthday just last March 4. I barely see her since I live here in Quezon City and they live in Alfonso, Cavite. So, for her last birthday, I and my boyfriend wanted to give her a gift to make her happy and to make up for her since we barely see and talk to her. My boyfriend is studying here in Quezon City, too so he just sees his family on weekends or every other weekends.

   For students like us, money is tight and budgeted since we have to pay for school's expenses and other miscellaneous. The gifts that I thought of for my boyfriend's Mom are cheap and affordable. It doesn't matter though because they say it's the thought that counts, right? But how to make it look extra special? Simple! Here's what I did:

     Choosing gifts for someone is so difficult most of the time! To pick out the perfect gifts, you have to consider their interests, age, and gender. The gifts that I bought for Mami Riza (it's what we call my boyfriend's Mom) are a combination of different beauty products, personal and household products. All of these are very affordable!

1. Zen Zest Aromatherapy Room Fragrance in Stimulation (P250.00) - The scent is really therapeutic and calming! I'm going to buy one for myself soon!

2. Zen Zest Tangerine Eau De Toilette for Women (P200.00/50ml) - I picked out this perfume because my boyfriend told me that Mami Riza likes floral/fruity scent. This Tangerine perfume smells like melon! It really smells so divine!

3. Skin Avenue Body Butter Set (P59.75) - Yes, you're reading it right! A set of body butter for roughly P60.00! I got this from Watsons but I am just not sure if it's still available. I hope it still is because I want to get my own set. They smell so good and yummy because of their fruity scents.

4. Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Love That Red (P155.00) - Mami Riza is fond of wearing red and matte lip colors so I chose one of my favorite red matte lipsticks of all time! It will make you look good without spending a lot! *wink*

5. Dermal White Collagen Essence Mask - This is one of the prizes that I got from Kimpossibly Gorgeous' giveaway. I have a lot of facial masks and I barely use them so I thought, why not share my blessings, right? Since Mami Riza loves taking care of her skin, I decided to give it to her as a gift as well.

     To make these gifts extra special, I decided to put them in a gift box! I found this adorable gift box at SM Department Store, Gift Wrapping section which can fit all of the things that we bought for Mami Riza. I got it for only P129.75.

     It has a real ribbon on top for that 3D effect and it also comes with handles which I find very cute.

     I placed a blue felt paper inside as a bed for the products. Blue is the favorite color of Mami Riza, by the way, that's why I chose a blue box and blue felt paper.

     All of the products that we picked out for her are not expensive at all but when you know how to make it look more presentable and extra special, it would look like you spent a lot for it! Just look at that box! :)

     I hope we really made Mami Riza happy! Anyway, I bet she was happy with this gift box because she immediately checked out the products and used the Zen Zest Tangerine perfume! Hee! :)

     Visit SM Department Store Gift Wrapping section to check out their gift boxes. There are more cute and adorable boxes to choose from for both men and women, boy and girl. :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

FOTD (030713): Cheeky Coral!

     It's Thursday today! That means worship day. I felt so blessed and at peace again. :) Today, I went for a simple and fresh makeup for church. Not that I didn't have enough time to do my makeup and not that I was too lazy but I just want to look clean, simple and fresh yet formal and classy.

     I did not apply any eye shadow today and I just followed the natural shape of my eyebrows using my newly bought Etude House Easy Brow Pencil. Nothing too dramatic. I didn't even line my eyes. I just applied two coats of my Maybelline The Magnum mascara on my eyelashes to make my eyes look awake and alive.

     For my face makeup, I used a light foundation for a sheer coverage. Yves Rocher Matte Fluid Foundation is the best foundation to use for everyday because it's light but it will brighten up your face. I did not use a legit concealer today, by the way. What I used to conceal my dark circles is my trusty Ever Bilena Whitening BB Cream because its consistency is thick yet blendable and it can really conceal imperfections on the face. You should really try that BB Cream!

     I'm not really into dewy finish because I prefer matte since I have oily-combination skin but sometimes, matte can make you look flat! So, to avoid looking flat and lifeless, I bronzed and contoured my face using Fanny Serrano Two Way Cake in Fantasia. It definitely added color on my face. To look flushed and cheeky, I swept on some Revlon Matte Blush in Perfectly Peach. For an additional glow on my face, I used my Fashion 21 Roll N' Dazzle Eyeshadow in Pink's Diamonds to highlight the highest points of my cheeks. It's an eye shadow, yes, but it's a good product to use as a highlighter too! The color is just amazing!

     Finally, I topped the whole look with my current favorite everyday lip color which is the Chanel Rouge Allure in 95 Enjouee! It's just the perfect coral lipstick for me! It definitely made my simple look today oh so special. It added an extra oomph on the whole look and it made me look youthful, pretty, and fresh! :) I will definitely do a review about this lipstick so stay tuned for that. :)

     This look is my current go-to makeup look. I just change up the brow products that I use as well as the lip color. The lip color that I wear depends on my mood for the day. :)

     I hope you all had a great day today! Talk soon! :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

FOTD (030113): Lucky with Love That Red!

Hi everyone! Hello March!!! Seems like New Year's Eve happened just yesterday and now March Madness is here! Of course, I welcomed this month with my red lips! Haha! Just kidding! I wasn't really planning to wear red lipstick today. I actually picked out already the lipstick that I wanted to wear today for school but as I was applying my foundation while browsing through my Facebook account (multitasking), I discovered that Ever Bilena is having a contest! You have to post a photo where you're wearing their famous Love That Red Matte Lipstick. For more details about the contest, read it here. 

When I saw the ad, I shrieked! Mainly because I love Love That Red by Ever Bilena and another reason is that, A SET OF EVER BILENA MATTE LIPSTICKS IS AT STAKE! I'd love to win that because I am a lipstick junkie and I love EB matte lipsticks. They are affordable yet the quality is amazing!

After I learned about the contest, I got so excited that I put back the first lipstick that I picked today and grabbed my EB Love That Red matte lipstick from my stash even if the contest will end on March 15 pa. Hahaha! It's been a while, too since I last used it so I kind of missed it. Want to see the look? I instagram-ed it already earlier but here it is:

Taken with natural lighting :)

Taken with artificial lighting

I love it! I almost forgot how amazing this lipstick is! I guess my lipstick collection is slowly growing that I already forget about the other ones including this. :/

It's a good thing though that I wore it today! I don't really believe in luck but I just want to think that this lip color gave luck to me today. You know what they say about red, right? That it's a lucky color! And indeed it is! Haha! I had a school report today and it turned out to be a successful one and my Professor rewarded me additional points for our next chapter test! Hooray for that! :) Thanks to God and thanks to the confidence that I half gained from my red lips! Woohoo!

That's not the only lucky thing that happened to me today. After school, the owner of Glory of New York went to our house today to personally deliver the GoNY products that they want me to try out! I had also instagram-ed it already because I was really overwhelmed! Just look at those GoNY products! Isn't it awesome?

I don't even know where to start! Haha! I don't know how to organize them yet. For now, I'll just keep them inside the box and linger on to the moment. LOL! I actually don't feel lucky anymore, instead, I feel BLESSED. I'm beyond grateful for the trust they have in me and of course, to the continuous blessing HE is giving me. So, expect a lot of GoNY product reviews! ;-)

Also, wait for my entry for the Ever Bilena contest. Hihihi!

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-

Review: Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Whitening

I used to ignore local cosmetic brands because I have this mentality that cosmetics made locally are not really worth my money. Although they are affordable, I still think it's not worth buying them. However, when I started exploring and trying different makeup brands, eventually I realized that not all local cosmetics are that bad. In fact, some of the local products are really good! There's the Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks, Fanny Serrano Two Way Powders, Eye shadows from different local brands such as Fashion 21, Ever Bilena, Careline, and many more! As time goes by, I started to discover more and more good-quality local products! Some are a little expensive but most of those products are pretty affordable.

Other than discovering good-quality local products, I also noticed that BB Creams are getting more and more popular. The market for BB creams is getting hotter and hotter! Whenever I visit malls and drugstores, I always see BB creams from different cosmetic brands! Fanny Serrano and Ever Bilena are just two of the local cosmetic brands who recently released their very own BB creams. The first that I bought was the one from Ever Bilena... well, because it's cheaper! :)

To tell you honestly, I wasn't really that excited when I found out that Ever Bilena finally have BB creams. Well, for one thing, the packaging or the design of the said product is not really attractive for me. I thought it looks a little cheap. However, we should all keep in mind the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover". I'm guilty! I judged the product based on how it looks like but when I finally tried it out, I buried the hatchet between me and the appearance of the EB BB Cream! I'm not saying that it's the best BB cream out there because I haven't tried other BB creams, especially the ones from the high-end brands. All I'm saying is that I love this BB cream because it works perfectly on me and I like how it looks on me.

Product Name:  Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Whitening

Shade: Oriental

Price: P 195.00

*bought from Mercury Drug (Sangandaan)*

I was actually skeptic at first to buy it because like what I've said, I thought the product appearance looks cheap. But when I watched one of Say Artillero's videos where she used this BB cream and mentioned she surprisingly likes it, I decided why not try it. I noticed din kasi in her video that when she applied it on her face, it looks good. So, I finally bought it and tried it out and like Say, I surprisingly like it, too!!!

The Ever Bilena BB Cream is available in two variants. The whitening and the anti-wrinkle one. I was actually planning to buy the anti-wrinkle one but it turns out that the shade doesn't match my skin color and the undertone is a little too ashy or beige for me. Unfortunately, there's only 1 shade available for each variants --- Natural for the anti-wrinkle and Oriental for the whitening one. So, I picked up the whitening BB cream and I was immediately sold by its shade and its texture.

The shade Oriental has a yellow undertone which is perfect for Asian skin. However, it's a little too yellow BUT it's not a big deal since when you buff it on your skin, it will blend perfectly. I personally like how it looks on me. It's just like my second skin. It has a creamy texture but it's not too thick. It dries demi-matte which I absolutely like because I'm not really into foundations and BB creams with dewy finish. If you have a normal to dry skin, I think it's okay even without setting it with powder. In my case, since I have oily-combination skin and I don't like having dewy skin, I still set it with powder.

Here's my Review+Demo for the Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Whitening:

The Ever Bilena BB Cream comes in a squeeze tube packaging which is great because you can control the amount of product that you're going to use.

It contains 50ml of the product which I think will last for about 4-5 months. You don't really need a lot of the product when you use it because a little goes a long way. If you have watched the video above, you'll see that a tiny amount of the product is enough to cover my entire face.

The coverage is light to medium. It's buildable --- another thing that I like about it. However, it cannot fully conceal pimples, blemishes and other dark spots on my face. It can conceal though the redness of my skin and my dark under eye circles so, it's still okay. If you have a naturally flawless skin, this will look awesome on you! (Unless the shade doesn't match you skin color.) This BB cream doesn't have SPF but Ever Bilena claims that this product will protect your skin from the harmful rays of the Sun.

Here's what Ever Bilena has to say about their Advance BB Cream:

A whitening, foundation and moisturizing cream all rolled into one! EB Advance BB Cream Whitening provides a flawless coverage while concealing blemishes and dark spots and protecting it from the harmful rays of the sun. With the help of its potent moisturizers such as Shea Butter and Vitamin E, it richly moisturizes your skin to make it soft and smooth.

Yes, this BB Cream is almost like a foundation already because of its texture and the flawless coverage that it gives. However, like what I've said, it cannot fully conceal my blemishes and dark spots. I agree that it is moisturizing because it leaves my skin smooth and supple. It doesn't cake and it doesn't feel heavy on the skin. It has a good coverage but it feels light.

Here are photos of before and after:

BARE FACE

APPLIED THE EB ADVANCE BB CREAM ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY FACE

Like what I've said, it's a little yellow but don't worry because it will eventually blend well on your skin as you keep on buffing it against your skin. Look at the photo below. It blended well on my skin.

MY FACE WITH EB ADVANCE BB CREAM 

As you can see, I have a lot of blemishes and I even have an active pimple in the photo. I really chose this time to take photos for my review to show how it works and how well it could conceal my pimples and blemishes. Based on the photo above, my blemishes are still peeking through especially my pimple. But as you can see, it concealed the redness of my skin and it lightened my dark under eye circles.

WITH EB ADVANCE BB CREAM SET WITH POWDER

After setting it with powder, my face looks flawless except for the pimple bump!

WITH COMPLETE MAKEUP ON

Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos after about two-five hours. I was at school and I totally forgot about it. My bad, sorry! So when I got home, I took photos before removing my makeup. The photos below were taken after a total of 9 hours.

Mind you, this is how my face looks like without retouching at all! I didn't even use an oil blotting paper. It's obvious in the photo that my face is already a little oily as well as my lower lash lines but I think that's because I'm wearing eyeglasses. The redness around my nose is showing already but my makeup did not fade out completely. I still look presentable! Hahah! Again, this photo was taken after 9 hours from application of the EB Advance BB Cream.

After 2 hours from application, my face still looks great! After 2-3 hours, I usually get oily on my t-zone area already but my makeup still looks awesome. That's why I love this product so much! It's affordable, the coverage is enough to conceal the redness of my skin, dark under eye circles and minor imperfections plus the staying power is pretty good as you can see in the photos above. After observing and seeing its quality and how it works on me, this has become my everyday and go-to foundation. The coverage is comparable to the Maybelline BB Cream and the 4U2 Forever Liquid Foundation but if I have to choose, I will definitely choose the Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Whitening just because it is the perfect shade for my skin color.

I've mentioned that this BB cream is perfect for Asian skin but that's only if you have fair-medium skin color. If you have deeper skin color and you are kayumanggi, then this BB cream is too light for you.

I also want to add that I didn't buy this because it's a whitening product. I don't really care if it will lighten my skin color because my skin care products are already mostly whitening products. Like what I've said in my video, if the Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Anti-Wrinkle is available in the shade Oriental, I will choose that over the Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream Whitening because I'm now planning to start using anti-aging products because I'm starting to see fine lines on my face and I am only 23 for pete's sake! :-(

I guess the downside about this product, other than it cannot fully conceal my blemishes and pimples, is that it contains Paraben which, they say, can cause breast cancer. :-/ However, Cosmetic Ingredient Review examined Parabens in 1984 and 2005 and they concluded in both times that parabens at low levels are not really a concern. The answer though to the questions about Parabens are not yet final but they say that Methyl- and Ethyl-Paraben is safe as regulated (according to the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products).

SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

I recommend this product to the ladies out there who wants an affordable foundation that is light on the skin but provides a good coverage and can be used as an everyday foundation --- I'm talking about students and working girls. BUT that's if you're willing to use products with Parabens in it. Listen, I know they say it's bad for the health but like what I've mentioned above, low levels of parabens found in personal care products are not really a concern. I checked the products that I use on a daily basis and I found out that the Ever Bilena Advance BB Cream whitening is the only product that contains Paraben from my everyday makeup stash. Whew!

If you are willing to try out this product, I suggest using your fingers for application. I've tried applying it with a foundation brush, a stippling brush, a flat top brush, and  my fingers. So far, the best for me is applying it with my fingers because it gives the most even, smooth, and natural finish. :)

Let me guys know what you want me to review next and if you have any questions, just leave it as a comment below. Talk soon!

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-