Haul + PAC eyeshadow palette review

Hey again! Wow, I've sorta been busy lately so I've had to put this post off over and over. I'd also been hit with the exhaustion bug, even though I've been sleeping the right amount of hours lately. I guess it's sort of the stress? Oh well. Thankfully I have a long weekend this week. Today I had no classes, and I caught wind of a sale at SM North Edsa (for you ladies who can get there, sale is 20% off on all (sometimes on selected) items at the cosmetics department, but mallwide it's up to 50% off through July 31-Aug2) and my parents and I decided to hit the mall to see what was on sale.

I originally thought, oh hey I should try the Revlon foundation since I've been hearing so much good stuff about it, but..sigh. It wasn't on sale! :/ So I instead went around and decided to get backups for the stuff I usually use, and then a few items here and there. Here's my happy little haul:

L-R: cutlery container (for brushes, I have some coming in the mail from Makeup Masala :D the thing is fugly i know but its temporary until I can find a decent one), ELF eyelash curler spare, ELF clear mascara, Vo5 mousse for curly hair, Maybelline Eyestudio vivid and smooth eyeliner, Maybelline lip and eye makeup remover backup, Tea Tree oil from Zen Zest, Maybelline volum express cat eyes mascara backup (HG!!), Fashion 21 dip liner

My brushes in the new container they'd live in...it looks so empty right nowwww. DX

Oh! I have a bit of good news for ladies in the Philippines. ELF is bringing their Studio line in, and it should be here by late August or early September. Isn't that awesome? :D

So, anyway, I have a review for you all. I shoulda posted it a while ago but as I said things came up so...here it is now!

I have had this PAC perfect finish pearly eyeshadow palette (whew, mouthful!) in February 2009 to do my cousin's makeup for her prom. I couldn't find a good kind of red, until I dropped by PAC. I was hesitant too cause I knew them for their expensive prices and I wasn't aware back then that buying quality was better. Thankfully I had my friend with me and she convinced me to buy it (partly cause it was on sale and would come with a free bag :D). I am SO glad that I did. This palette, to be honest, started my full-blown addiction to makeup.

Packaging is matte, sturdy and sleek

Palette picture with flash -- pans are HUGE

Without flash

Finger swatches with flash, very accurate picture of the colors

Look at that. Very pigmented, right? Well look at this picture:

This is the picture of my fingers AFTER I swiped the swatches onto my arm. I grabbed a small amount of shadow from the palette. Just one-two swirls on the pan.

Flash on top, no flash on bottom. One swipe on arm. (Please ignore the eyeliner swatches)

The eyeshadows are so pigmented there is barely any difference between the side with no base (left) and the side with the base (right). For the record I used UDPP for these swatches.

I love so many things about this palette.

PROS

• Huge pans, very generous amount of eyeshadow (I would guess 7g-10g). A lot bigger than MAC eyeshadow pans
• Very very pigmented
• A little goes a long way
• Great texture, easy to blend -- Very blendable in fact
• Sleek packaging, seems very durable
• Long-wearing and doesn't fade
• Fair price 2000php (reg price) or a little over 40USD
• Very versatile - can be used as eyeshadow or eyeliner, can be applied wet or dry (although it is very pigmented even when dry)
• Great for bright looks, theater jobs, photoshoots etc
• Using the right brushes, very minimum fall out

CONS

• Slight smell in palette strong at first but goes away after some time (that or I grew to like it LOL)
• Can get messy sometimes
• Due to pan size, e/s can break a bit easily when dropped or accidentally scraped
• Not available worldwide (although I hear this is available in New York), and website is in Indonesian
• Color combinations can be difficult
• Can be difficult to remove because it is so pigmented
• Can be difficult to get correct or 'just right' amount of eyeshadow with the brush (texture of eyeshadow makes it stick to brushes really easily)
• It's supposed to be a 'pearl' finish palette but most are just shimmer. In fact it's a mix between VERY shimmery, slightly shimmery, and one matte shade (brown--slightly less pigmented than other shades too). To PAC's credit, the blue/green duochrome does have a pearl finish.

TIPS

• Take a very minimal amount on your brush and just build the color up to get desired shade
• Wear base to avoid creasing if your eyelids are very oily
• Have a good makeup remover handy
• Take care not to drop the palette

I will definitely repurchase this palette!

To be quite honest I love this palette so much that I use it every chance I have, even if I have my Coastal Scents 88 palette. It got me pretty much in love with the brand and I just wish they would come out with more colors (although perhaps they have more colors and they're just not available here) and get their site translated into English.

If you could get your hands on this palette and have some extra money on you I definitely suggest you get it, you'll be as satisfied as I am. PAC also has another palette (I think matte shades), and a blush palette. The prices can seem a bit steep sometimes [to people like me lol] but just wait for a sale, and it'll be very worth it. Check out their other products too, great value for money (but stay away from the lipstick if you tend to have chapped lips).

Their website: http://www.pacbeauty.com/
As far as I know, PAC is available in SM North Edsa and TriNoma.

Shar's Arabic Look Contest

Shar is holding a contest for reaching 100 followers. So yay, congratulations, Shar! I decided I'd join this contest (I'm supposed to be doing homework but gasp, not in the mood!) because it was a fun idea and to be honest I always missed chances to do an Arabic look. So I looked up Arabic looks online to see what I could learn about the general aesthetic, and I came up with a look.

First of all, here are the rules of the contest, taken from Shar's blog post:

Theme:
Create an Arabic Style Inspired Makeup. From what I noticed, when I google 'Arabic Style Makeup', They usually have flawless, porcelain-like skin, and really bright colors on the eyes yet it still looks smokey because of the heavy eyeliner on both the lashline and lower lashline.


Rules & Requirements:
·First of all you must be a member of blogger.
·You must be a follower of my blog.
·Post as an entry to your blog. Copy these rules onto your entry and link back to this post.
[To copy, highlight and then press ctrl+c, right click has been disabled]
·Take a picture of: Your face, one with your eyes opened and one closed. And a freestyle pose. ·Also include your inspirational photo, if any. Don't forget to list down and take a picture of the products you used.
·Send in your contest entry url as a comment to this post only [for organizational purposes].
All others will not be aknowledged, sorry!

Deadline:
August 15, 2009 11:59 PM Guam Time - That's about 3 weeks from now, so you have plenty of time.
Note: Guam time is advance a few hours from U.S.

Winner Selection:
There will be two winners, also open to international.
My boyfriend will help judge but the decision is still mine.
Your overall creativity, skills, techniques used as well as the ability to abide by the rules will be a factor in determining the winner. Props, Hair and Outfit is a plus : )

I really had fun doing this contest, even though my skin wasn't behaving really well. Which wasn't really good considering one of the things Shar mentioned was that Arabic people usually have "flawless, porcelain skin". LOL.

So, Shar required three pictures. One with my eyes open, one with them closed, and a 'freestyle' pose. It was hard picking just three pictures, but these are what I think are the best:

I forgot to fix the veil. x.x Sigh!

What I used:
Face Cinema Secrets Special Effects oil-free moisturizing lotion (as base), MAC studio fix powder foundation in NC35, Physician's Formula bronzer as contour, Ellana Minerals finishing powder in espresso con panna, Ellana Minerals concealers in awake and smile

Cheeks Unbranded blush

Lips Revlon Matte Lipstick in Mauve It Over

Eyes Art Deco eyeshadow base, ELF brightening eyeliner in Black (brows), Coastal Scents 88 palette, Elianto shimmering eyeshadow in white, Avon quad, Coastal Scents gel eyeliner, Kinepin false eyelashes
Well, that's all! Here's one last picture, just cause I wanted it in but couldn't make it part of the official pics.

Thank you again to Shar for holding this contest, I had loads of fun and I definitely did my best! :) I hope you all liked it. *heads off to read blogs*

Pink Day/Night look tutorial + NOTW

I know, I know, I'm on a look/tutorial roll lately!! Hehe, I can't help it, I've been deprived of my time to play with makeup since school has been keeping me busy. Lately though I've become more of my slacker self...which is bad, but I've never been the type to be exceptional. xD Yes, I'm lazy. But I'm working on it! LOL.

So today I have a couple of things to post about. First of all, I have another tutorial for a day look or night out look, done using pinks (Since I've been neglecting my pink shadows). x.x Here is the look:

I think this look can be worn day or night. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Lately I've been focusing more on wearable looks, I guess the more 'fun' looks are just for when I play around or when I join contests.

TUTORIAL:

As usual, first step is optional. Prime your eyelids if desired, today I used Art Deco Eyeshadow Base.

For the next step, grab your favorite eyeshadow brush and NYX loose pearl eyeshadow in baby pink (or a similar color). Pat and sweep onto eyelids.

Then take a crease brush and a hot pink color, I'm using Makeup Masala Minerals eyeshadow in Agni (thank you Toma!). Pat/sweep this color onto crease, sweeping inwards into the inner corner.

Using the same crease brush, take some black eyeshadow (I'm using PAC black) and with it define the outer V and crease, blending well into the crease and above the crease. Don't want any harsh lines!

To highlight under the brow and in the inner corners, get a wider/thicker eyeshadow brush and use a color similar to the one I used below (I used my Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette):

Lastly, line your eyes and apply mascara. You can also fill in your brows if it's part of your routine (I hadn't yet in the following images).

The other products I used are: Celeteque facial moisturizer as base, Mineraux mineral foundation in warm medium-tan (you can view their products here http://mineraux.com.ph/) and Ellana oil absorbing finishing powder in espresso con panna. On my cheeks is Mineraux raspberry blush (if I remember correctly) and on my lips is Revlon matte lipstick in Mauve It Over (and clear gloss on top of it). I contoured my cheeks with Physician's Formula bronzer, and I used coastal scents gel eyeliner in true black to line my eyes (ELF brightening eyeliner in black for lower lashline). The mascara I used is Maybelline volum express cat eyes mascara.

The final look:

Artsy picture! :D

That's it for the tutorial! :) I hope you liked it.

The next thing I wanna show you is...

I finally had the time to do my nails! I bought a new shade of Bobbie nail polish (local brand) in Snow Glitz, and it is a really nice platinum silver glitter. It took me three coats to get it opaque, but application was a breeze (as it seems most of their polishes are easy-ish to apply). So I did my nails in Snow Glitz and stamped a design over it.

Thank you for reading! Hope you had/have a good day. :)

Green party look tutorial

Today was a great day, despite the fact that it was still stormy and rainy and of course, gloomy. I'm still procrastinating, but I'm having loads of fun doing it so I feel a lot better and much less stressed. We all need a break, right?

Since my dad arrived home from the province in June, we have practically been going out every weekend. Today my parents (and brother) and I went to SM North Edsa, a mall I practically grew up in (as it is rather close and accessible to my home). I wasn't supposed to, but the power went out so what the heck was I supposed to do at home? I had a party to go to but I had to cancel (sadly).

So when I got home, I decided to play with makeup and make a tutorial of the look I would have worn out tonight. Here's the look:



Playing with makeup made me feel much better! And I was glad to see my eyes were actually even today (neither one was puffy) because I got the right amount of sleep last night. More than actually, since I slept 12 hours. LOL.

Anyway, moving on to the tutorial! Haha.

First and foremost, prime your eyelids! Of course this step is optional, and you can use whatever shadow base/primer you want but today I used Urban Decay's primer potion (courtesy of Noia). It was my first time working with it and let me just say I love it--wow finally getting on the bandwagon right? LOL. Now I gotta find where I can buy it for cheap. x.x

And now for step 2! Get Mineraux's eyeshadow in soft green (by the way Mineraux's website is finally up! The whole month of July everything is off 20% so take advantage of the sale!!). Using your favorite eyeshadow brush, pat and sweep it onto your eyelid up to the crease.

Using a pencil brush, also put soft green on the lower lashline.

Then grabbing a crease brush, get a good amount of Jesse's Girl eyeshadow (shown below) and sweep it onto your outer V and crease.

Blend out any harsh lines, bringing the color above the crease. (Yellow line on below image shows where eyeshadow was applied)

Using a fluffier eyeshadow brush, get a good amount of Jesse's Girl eyeshadow (shown below).

Sweep the eyeshadow lightly under the brow and into the inner corner as highlight, again blending out any harsh lines.

Next, line your eyes and apply mascara.

And we're done! Now for the rest of my face. :)





On my face I used Celeteque facial moisturizer as base and Ellana Minerals foundation in hazelnut latte and finishing powder in espresso con panna. On my cheeks I used Mineraux blush in raspberry. On my lips I used PAC lipstick in misty brown.

That's it for today! I hope you all are having a great weekend! :)

It's been rainy! FOTD + Daily Staple 07/16/09

It's the rainy season here again! Technically here in the Philippines, we have two seasons. Wet and Dry. Obviously wet is the rainy season. When it's the rainy season you can practically expect for it to be raining everyday! That's why I never leave the house without my trusty umbrella. :) It's such a hassle to get caught in rain after all, but then I digress.

Today I decided to procrastinate and take a moment to relax, and what better way to do it than....you guessed it!! Playing with makeup! :D I felt like making a gloomy look because it's so rainy and all and a lot of people are stuck at home. Man, I've grown quite rusty with the eye makeup! I guess that's what happens when you take a break for more than a month without practicing at all (at school the most I usually wear is foundation, mascara, lipstick/balm/gloss and when I'm feeling daring, blush). I came up with a simple wearable look.

look at me pulling a stupid face. LOL

And of course, I have a tutorial. :) Well, more like a step-by-step since I don't remember going into detail... x.x

What I used:
FACE Celeteque moisturizer as base, PAC two-way powder foundation applied with a wet sponge, Ellana Minerals finishing powder in espresso con panna
CHEEKS Ever Bilena powder blush in Raisin
LIPS Revlon Matte lipstick in Mauve It Over
EYES Art Deco eyeshadow base, coastal scents 88 palette, Victoria's Secret beauty rush luminous shadow in after midnight, Dollface gel eyeliner in black, Maybelline volum express cat eyes mascara waterproof in black

Let's get started! :) First prime your eyelids with a good eyeshadow primer or base (this step is optional).

Colors used: Click to enlarge

1) highlighter
2) all over lid
3&4) blended out over crease and outer v, brought inwards

Here are the next few steps:

Pat color 2 all over lid and pack on color

Using a blending brush or crease brush, bring color 3 inwards, emphasizing the outer V and the crease

Go over the same area with color 4 (black), blend out

Highlight under eyebrow and in the inner corner of eyes with color 1

With a thin/small angled brush, apply color 3 on lower lashline (apply white eyeliner on waterline-optional)

apply eyeliner and mascara

That's pretty much it. :) Of course after that I just put my lipstick on. I used Revlon Matte lipstick in Mauve It Over -- it's the 2nd lipstick I've ever bought for myself and it is currently my favorite. This item has definitely become a daily staple for me, I can't even think about leaving the house without this on (sometimes though I do substitute for other lipsticks...don't want to look the same everyday after all!). Personally I think that mauve it over is a good nude pink.

So here's a mini review on it:

Pros:

Affordable, considering the quality (475 php for 4.2g)

Nice, sleek and matte packaging

Pigmented, Good color payoff

Smooth-textired, easy to apply over lips unlike some other matte lipsticks

Really matte

Long-wearing

Good range of shades to choose from (matte collection)

NON-DRYING

Cons:

Can sometimes make your lips look very dry

Cannot be applied (or at least, shouldn't be) over chapped lips

Tips:

Apply a light coat of lipbalm before applying the lipstick to make it glide better if you feel like you are having a hard time with it

Make sure your lips are moisturized/not chapped prior to application (to make sure I put lip balm on every night and in the morning while I am doing my routine)

Wear gloss over it if your lips look dry (although this defeats the purpose of it being matte)

Now that that's done, here are a few more photos of my finished look. :)

That's it for today, everyone! Hope you have a good Thursday/Friday!!