Mini haul, success and a NICE discovery.

Hi everyone! Today I'm not in such an awful mood because my day today has definitely been much better than last Thursday. Granted it's still not amazing, it's much better.

First of all, today I got up at five in the morning so we could leave to go to the comelec (commission for election) by 6. We got there and already there was a line, maybe 20 people in front of us. We stayed there...assuming that it would start at 8...but the place opened at 9!! By then the whole block and around it had a line. It was awful. But at least we got out of there by 10:30.

By 11 we were at Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, to meet an online seller from whom I'd be getting pure Jojoba and pure Rosehip oil. I read from Catherine's blog that Jojoba oil (which is actually wax ester) really helped her skin, so my mom and I decided to give it a shot. I bought it from a seller on multiply. Click Passion Berries to visit her site. I had a really great experience with her, she was very kind and considerate and really made the transaction pleasant for me. :)

Mmm can't wait to use these babies!!

Anyway, after we bought this stuff we went to go get some necessities in the department store. My mom said she needed a lip brush (retractable) extra to bring along with her, so I was like 'can you please buy me one too?' And she agreed. Yay! I thought I'd be coming home with just a lip brush, but my mom let me get a compact mirror because she was getting annoyed that I kept using the mirror in the car. (LOL) And while we were checking out she remembered she had to get something else sooooo... I snuck in a lipstick. XD She bought it for me, after a bit of "please moooom?" I know I know I'm like..spoiled but I swear I'm not. It's just that I really wanted to get a lipstick to wear for everyday (because I am already halfway through my PAC and my NYX round lipgloss) especially when school begins.

Kinepin mirror! Same brand as the falsies I got. Mm I am really liking the Kinepin brand. Good quality and sturdy and most of all cheap! Also in the picture: Ever Bilena retractable lip brush, and Reveal by Chic lipstick #04.

As you can see in the title of this post I had a fabulous find...and that is the Reveal by Chic lipstick in #04. Reveal seems to be a local brand...I've seen it in a lot of places (department stores, Landmark TriNoma, etc). I wasn't even going to buy this lipstick (I was eyeing Ever Bilena lipstick in Mauvey but it's too light for me) but I was desperate to buy lipstick...and this display was right next to the counter so I just snapped it up.

Let me show you all how it looks like and tell you all about it:

I love the packaging.

The box is cute. Simple and pleasant to the eye. (Also, notice the price. 110php, roughly a little more than $2)

Nice brushed steel look with simple metallic blue print.

Mirror on the lipstick cap. Very convenient!

I love the color.

I love the staying power.

The pictures above show my lips after I have eaten twice..as you can see it is still vibrant (almost the same as when I first applied it). Not just that, I have also licked my lips countless times.

I LOVE the price. Need I say more? (110PHP or a little more than $2)

I love how moisturizing it is.

The text on the box reads: full-cover lipstick with a lustrous finish with Vitamin E to moisturize skin, sunscreen to shield skin against the harmful rays of the sun, silky-rich formula to Reveal naturally blooming, young and healthy lips.

This product really does what it says it will. My lips feel really hydrated! It's like I used a lip butter.

Overall: I am really satisfied with this and I am certainly going to repurchase/buy more in other shades (my mom said herself that she thinks it's great and that we'll buy more whenever we go out--coming from my mom that is GREAT lol). The only thing that saddens me is the fact that there are only 8 shades. But it seems that Reveal is a new brand, I've only seen this brand starting late 2008.

Here are some other things I like about this product:

I like the scent. It smells like chocolate and butter..or chocolate lip butter. LOL. For me a scent that I like is a big deal. Usually I don't like it when things smell like something.

It goes on sheer at first which is perfect for those light makeup days..but is very buildable without feeling heavy on the lips.

No weird taste.

Would I recommend it?

Yes! To those who can get their hands on this brand, try it if you want. In my opinion it is a nice lipstick.

ETA some shades leave your lips stained, be wary.

That's all, ladies, I just wanted to share my happy little discovery. ^^ Thank you for reading!!

10 pan update: Last night I panned 3 things!! :D One blush, two lotions. ^_^

Longest day ever and contest prizes!!

I had the longest day ever today. I'm gonna do this in like a time line to make it shorter and less boring.

- Got up at 6:30AM so we could go to Greater Lagro to try and sneak into satellite voters' registration by 8AM.

- 8AM...line is CRAZY. Asked officials if we could register on special consideration. Got told to talk to lawyer.

- 9AM - mom and I just left Greater Lagro, decided to go do the errands of the day. Deadline for Voter's Registration proof tomorrow, but I will try to get it in on Monday.

- 10AM - we were at Cubao, trying to find the upholstery shop to get a sofa upholstered. Turning onto the highway, a cab crashed into us from behind. Delayed 20 mins, cabbie drove off w/o trading insurance info or apologizing..or giving any cash for compensation. Down at least $100 for repairs. Back door of SUV knocked out of alignment, car central lock screwed up.

- 11AM - lost in Ortigas, trying to find parking space, Octagon building for Nu Skin demo we were invited to.

- 1:30PM - Starving. Nu Skin prices insane. $50 for 30mL moisturizer with SPF15 (which right then and there gave me the impression that it was not good for the price). Ended up buying pH balance pore mattifying toner (review coming soon)...just to buy something out of courtesy.

- 2PM - Stuck trying to find parking space at SM Megamall after being lost at least half an hour

- 2-4PM - eating, buying necessities

- 4-5PM - accompanying mom to apply for membership for something, broke a nail :(:(

- 6PM -  stuck in traffic driving home, meeting friend to get project raw videos, had an experience with a rude SA

- 7-9PM - edited video

- 10PM - posting on blog!

As you can see..crazy day. Insanely crazy day. :( I am so tired I can barely sit up! At least I came out of it with new NP, tinted sunscreen and a nice toner. Anywayyy moving on!!

As you all know, Gia (http://royalcoconut.blogspot.com) and I held a contest themed Beijing Opera, and it ended just a few days ago. We are announcing the winners on June 1, but here are the prizes. From my end it is:

A brush roll (handmade...well, sown by me), 4u2 Dreamgirl quad, Elianto firming eye mask, personalized/custom keychain, HK pen, 2 Elianto nail polishes (plus bonus items).

A closer look at the brush roll:

I made it...so it's not perfect. But I hope you like it anyway. 

It's quilted.

Inside

So those are the prizes (some of them) from my end. Let's take a look at what Gia is giving away:

She said to pick just one color of nail polish...and also that there are others she is giving away that she forgot to include in the photo. :)

I hope you girls had a better day (and have a better day) than I did! Tomorrow I am going to e hanging out with my friend...so I'll see you all around soon! I'm just gonnago to bed now...I'll catch up on reading blogs later. I've got a headache. x.x

Another nail post and NP brand review [Plus something scary]

I have another nail post for all of you! But first I have a frustrated rant about the government here. DX We went to the Comelec (commission for election I think?) to get me registered to vote because my political science professor requires it. We got there...there was NO parking available...and we went to get registered and whaddaya know, they WEREN'T THERE! They were out somewhere for a satellite registration. Now I'm all for that, bringing the register process to localities, but they should have people left in the office!! Wow...crap. That just really sucks. :/ Grr!! Anyhow, moving on to less annoying things (aka nail polish WOOHOO).

I did my nails today, after I got home and while mom and I were hanging out. I was doing it to relax! Lookie lookie...My cleanest application in..ever!! This is Caress regular nail polish in Tender Touch. Isn't it just gorgeous? And it applied so very nicely! One coat and it's perfect. See below:

(It's such a lovely color, too!) My lovely clean application. I followed the tip I've read somewhere (can't remember where) to not apply all over the nail to the cuticle and sides...and wow. I agree, it looks so much cleaner!! Of course this wasn't my NOTD...I had to add something else!

I added tips in Caress regular nail polish in Sea Pink. It's quite gorgeous but quite sheer as well, though it applied smoothly. And then I added a little bit more to make it preeeeettier!

White double tip, pink square rhinestones! It's not perfect, but I love me my NOTDays! :) LOL at NOTDays, but I don't know what else to call it! I would wear it for a few days but not a week, thereby it's not a NOTW..nor is it  NOTD. So...any suggestions for what else I can call it? Haha. I'm odd.

I decided I'd do a mini-review of this nail polish brand for those who are interested. Caress is locally made here in the Philippines, according to the sticker on the back of the bottle it is manufactured in Caloocan.

The lighting got all purdy by chance! LOL.

They have 10mL bottles, retailing around 22.75PHP (roughly $0.50) although prices may differ depending on which department store you purchase yours at. Here is my small albeit colorful collection of nail polish from this brand.

From left to right: passion, sea pink, tender touch, neon pink, neon yellow, neon orange, neon apple green, neon blue, frosted orange (no shade name), bluestocking frost

I like that these polishes are quite cheap, and are relatively good, but here is the bad news. The consistency of the polishes vary greatly. Some shades can apply nicely in one coat, others need up to five, or MORE! Some are good and apply perfectly, some intensely streaky. What's worse is that these get globby fast. Other shades, i.e. the neons, apply insanely sheer and need several coats. Apart from that, because you applied them so thickly, they crack on your nails, even with a top coat. They chip really fast as well. Also, I have noticed that if you do not use the Caress polishes (mostly the neons...must be the formulation) for some time, they dry inside the bottle and get even globbier. It gets really hard to use them so I just toss them and buy new ones (thankfully, it's cheap!).

Here is a picture of the consistency:

As you can see the neon yellow is very...sheer. And my new favorite from the brand on the right--opaque!

I got some news about cheap nail polishes, too. I don't know if ALL the polishes do this...but all the polishes in my collection do (aka every nail polish I own is cheap roflz). I guess this is why we need good base coats!!

The nailpolish vs styrofoam test.

L-R: Maybelline, Chic, LA Colors, Caronia, Mwah!, Wet 'n Wild, Caress

Additional: Careline (superblack)

Click on the image to enlarge. But I posted a zoom pic:

See? The styrofoam is all MELTED.

Bubbly.

Check this out!! That yellow one was half an inch deep.

Just thought I would share this with you gals. :) Hope you find it helpful!

Finally "Free!!"

I had my last final exam for the summer term yesterday, so I'm finally free from having exams...but I have 2 more things to finish for this week. 

Aside from the schoolwork, I also have to sew the brush roll that will be part of the contest prizes I'm giving out--by the way, thank you to the girls who joined my and Gia's contest, we loved all of your entries and it was hard to pick who won!! Nevertheless, we have chosen our winner..but you're going to have to wait to find out who. ;) Prize post to come when I finish sewing!!

On Sunday, we had a small family gathering where my mom's older sister and brother came for lunch and dinner at our place. I was studying, but after a while my mom started telling her sister and her brother's wife about my blog, and eventually they got interested in nail art...

So I got to work my (sloppy!!!) magic that day...instead of actually studying. LOL.

It was fun, they were quite curious as to how everything worked, and it was kinda funny how they both chose almost identical designs. These are all pre-cleanup...but still sloppy. I need to practice putting polish on other people!!

This first picture is of my Tita (aunt) Baby's nails...as you can see she chose the same colour as my Tita (aunt) Ellen below.

These two pictures are my Tita Ellen's choices in design. She got rhinestones put in, too. :)

It was really fun hanging out and bonding with family, even though I had to cram for my exam right after. x.x

You know you're a Filipino When...

So, the sweet sweet Cheysser of http://mszcheysser.blogspot.com/ is having a contest for her Filipino readers. I think this is super awesome (of course since I live in the Philippines--LOL!), and she is just so thoughtful because she is holding her contest for us since she understands it's hard to get some cosmetic products here.

Her rules are:

So what are the requirements? 01. You must be a follower of my blog, of course! 02. You must be in the country of the Philippines. 03. You must be able to get a package from USPS. So what's the contest? 01. In your blog, list down 5 things that you enjoy about being a Filipina/Filipino 5 things that about being a Filipino 5 values that you keep as a Filipino 5 stereotypes that represent you (Pointing with your lips, when you give directions) Talk about one filipino celebrity that you admire Pick any one of them! I'M NOT SAYING TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING. That's too much. =P 02. Be creative, add pictures/videos e.t.c 03. Link me in your blog! :) How do you win? 01. I will be judging - and I will ask 1-2 other fellow bloggers from Guam to help me! What are the prizes? 01. In my package, I will include products from NYX (Mainly, because this is the most common thing that I get comments about) and "Insert SECOND common Drug Store Brand in here". ** Please comment me, telling me which drug store brand that you are having a hard time finding in the Philippines, as well. If you are the winner, I will shop for your prize. :) And also, that you're entering in my contest! LOL. IF YOU'RE CREATIVE... And create a look with the Philippines' flag color, I will include a GRAND PRIZE. That is if you win. WHEN DOES THIS END? I would like to end this on June 7, 2009, so that I can send the package with my parents when they go to the Philippines but date might change to June 30, 2009 if I decide to just send it with USPS. I will let you know. =) PS: Sorry that I will not be able to provide High-end prizes - I'm being realistic! I need some more of those myself, lol. xD PSS: Just to let the public know, I don't mind how many people join. It could be 1 or it could be 100, I just want to help someone without having to swap - I just did a different approach. & It's a great way to learn know more about the ladies. [Edited 8:51pm of 05/22]

So, for today...I've got for you some stereotypes that represent Filipinos. I don't mean to offend any Filipinos, at all, of course! This is just for fun. And these are just some of my observations.

All images are by me! Drawn mediocre-ly in Photoshop. LOL.

1) 

To some people, one word could mean many things. For example, take the word "pail". Pail could mean "bucket". It could also mean...well--if you were sending a message on your phone and there was no signal--message sending pailed. It could also be, "Oh no, you pail!" (Fell). Or...it could be, "baby you know how I pail about you..." And many other things. The many dialects and languages in the Philippines gives people many different accents...thus the many meanings of one thing.

2) Funny Signs! I'm not making fun of anyone...it's just amusing sometimes to see such ironic signs. These signs are scattered all over the city--either on storefronts or painted on walls... But yes. I don't have actual pictures, but I think you might find the following rather amusing:

 

3) Referring to stuff using brand names. When some Filipinos refer to things, most often than not, we refer to them in brand names. For example, when buying at sari-sari stores (convenience stores), instead of asking for toothpaste, we say, Can I buy some Colgate? Or, instead of saying "felt tip pen", we refer to all of them in general as "Pentel pen". When we take pictures, instead of saying "let's pose for a few pictures", we say "mag-Kodakan tayo" (Note the use of Kodak).

4). Using landmarks instead of street signs to get around. Knowing how things are in the Philippines, you'd be very lucky to find an intact street sign. Usually, street signs' paint are peeling, or...well, practically unreadable due to small size. My mom once told me that at her job there was this messenger...and just randomly at some point in time he got lost. Why?

Instead of reading street signs, he had an empty lot as a landmark to know what street he was on. So when something got built on that lot...well--he got lost.

5) Filipinos most probably have a cross-stitched work of The Last Supper in their house.

6) Filipinos nod with their eyebrows. It's complicated to explain.. but a quick raise of both eyebrows could mean 'yes', or it could be an acknowledgement if you see someone you know in the hall.

7) They bathe with a pail and a dipper (tabo). Well...that's how they do it old school. :P Now everyone's starting to get into the trend of electric shower heaters and all...but bathing with a pail and a dipper is so much more convenient and faster! Not to mention it conserves water more.

8) Don't want to buy too much of one thing? That's okay...everything here can be found in 'tingi'. Want just a tiny bit of detergent? Buy a sachet! Want some shampoo and conditioner for your trip? Buy sachets! Want facial wash? Don't want to commit? Buy a sachet!

9) The use of "HOY" and "PSST" to get someone's attention.

10) The Filipino "give me the bill" gesture. One calls for a waiter/waitress, holds up one or both hands, and makes a rectangle with forefinger/s and thumb/s.

11) Most Filipinos probably have an uncle named "Boy" and an aunt named "Baby" or "Girlie".

Whew!! That's all I could think of at the moment. Sorry, haha. I know it said 5 things but I couldn't resist! So. I also created a look for this using the colors of the Philippine flag. I didn't stop there, of course, I also created a 'nail-do' using the Philippine flag colors. :) Here is the 'nail-do' first.

Those are yellow stars on my nails (on top of the red part). I'm a nail-art noobie. :(

And the look (used mostly my usual face products, PAC palette and VOV yellow e/s. Ellana mineral blush in Lust and just ELF super glossy lip shine for lips)

Swatching and practice-blending on my hand. It was so hard deciding what to do!! Settled on using a white pencil eyeliner from PAC as a base...bad idea. :/ But things turned out okay! (Even though it's not very wearable...)

Camwhore time. >.>

LOL

Thanks for reading, lovelies! :)

Letter to my 16 year old self

Okay, so Blair and DeBi tagged me for this--the rules are you have to write a letter to your 16 year old self.

Dear 16 year-old Chrissy,

You are confused at the moment about many things, but don't worry. Things will work out for the better. You and your mom will get closer, and things won't be as complicated. You will make a wrong decision or two, but misakes make you stronger, and that's what's going to make you a better, smarter, person all in all.

Explore your passions and develop your skills, you will need it in the future.

Don't let people take advantage of you, and don't be so gullible!

Love,

Present day Chrissy

---

For this, I tag...YOU! Yes, I'm serious. If you read this and haven't done it...TAG.

Green and Blue Summer Look Tutorial (video + pictures)

I'm back again everyone, thanks for all the nice comments you left on my Disney contest entry. :) How are you today? I'm doing this quick post before I get to bed because I don't want to just have this video and pictures sitting around on my computer. I might forget about it. Hehe.

Don't you just hate it when you tell yourself you have to do something and then you forget about it in a minute or two? That always happens to me. Grr. Anyway...

I decided a while back that I would do a tutorial or at least an FOTD with my new NYX loose e/s's and my Jesse's Girl eye dust. It made more sense to me to use the green and blue together, especially since the Jesse's Girl eye dust was a pretty pretty duochrome blue and green e/s...so this is what I came up with.

I think this would be better for a summer night out. Lol.

Here is the video tutorial:

I know my face looks oily in this, but I swear I had it matte..I just got sweaty because of the weather!! OMG. PS, I realized that it's the weather that's got me oiling up like crazy.

And for those who don't want to watch the video, I have a picture tutorial. Well, sort of. :) PS, sorry for the messy brows. Been lazy to groom them...but that's the first thing I'll do tomorrow morning. :)

What I used:

FACE: MAC studiofix powder in NC35, Ellana Minerals foundation in hazelnut latte for setting powder
CHEEKS: Generic blush + ELF natural radiance blusher in Glow
LIPS: PAC satin finish lipstick in misty brown, ELF super glossy lipshine on top
EYES: Art Deco eyeshadow base, NYX ultra pearl mania in Lime, Jesse's Girl eye dust in trouble maker, Jesse's girl bejewelled quad (gold color) for highlight, Coastal Scents Gel Eyeliner in black, PAC white eyeliner pencil, Maybelline volum' express cat eyes mascara (HG!)

So here is the photo tutorial!

OPTIONAL STEP: Prime lids (I used Art Deco eyeshadow base--I love it, it really really minimizes fallout!)

STEP 1: Using a regular eyeshadow brush, pat NYX ultra pearl mania in Lime all over lid and a little above the crease.

STEP 2: Taking Jesse's Girl eye dust in Troublemaker (with the same brush), pat it onto the eyelid starting from the outer corner working to the middle part of the lid, also pulling the colour in the crease into the inner corner just a bit. Blend!

STEP 3: Taking a fluffier brush (or crease/blending brush if you have one--I don't), get a bit of black e/s (I used the black in my PAC palette for this) and get it onto your crease starting from the outer corner of the eye. Blend upwards into the blue.

STEP 4: Using a smaller angled brush or a stiff, thin eyeshadow brush, get some of the NYX ultra pearl e/s in Lime and line your lower lashline with it. Then take some of the Jesse's Girl eye dust in troublemaker and start from the outer corner of the lower lashline, line it and meet the NYX Lime in the middle. Blend.

STEP 5: Taking a highlight color (I used the gold in my Jesse's Girl bejewelled e/s quad), sweep from under the brow to the e/s and blend, should look like this below:

Also in this step: Line upper lash line (I used Coastal Scents gel eyeliner in Black) and waterline (optional--I used white to make me look more awake). Apply mascara (Used Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara)

FINISHED LOOK

Look at me in all my silly-face glory! Rofl jkjk

So that's it for this tutorial, I hope you girls liked it!! If you have any requests I'll gladly take them. :) Anything at all.

Don't forget about Gia's and my contest!! The theme is Beijing Opera. We have already started to accumulate prizes, so you can expect a prize post soon.

Life update of sorts: Today I've done nothing but laze around. I had told myself I would do something significant or at least productive but I ended up just playing around on the internet. Some days you just gotta have some downtime, I guess...I'm still recharging after all. Aside from that, I guess I just had the usual Monday laziness. Haha.

So I guess that's all for today/tonight, ladies! I hope you had a good weekend and that you have a good week. :) Happy Monday!!