my take on benefit confessions

finally, after months of wishing, i finally gave in to buying benefit's confessions of a concealaholic.  actually, i gave in two months ago, i was just really lazy in blogging.  

aside from cute packaging:

it has 6 products that are not full size but are not exactly travel size also, apart from that gal.  what a great way to try out the products before buying the full size, right?

and it looks like a diary and it also has an instruction book inside to inform you where to use each product.

so, cute packaging aside,  my take on each product is....

that gal
if you are a regular user of face primer, like me, you would be surprised to see that instead of a clear primer, this one is pink. because im used to primers being clear, i don't actually use this as a primer.  aside from the fact that i regularly get gosh face primer samples in our local pharmacy :) i don't think i will ever run out of it ;P

so i use it as a brightening cream in the afternoon.  and it's not dramatic, but the pink sheen it gives to my cheeks is nice.

erase paste
using the brush included, i blend this in my inner under eye area and it does eliminate dark circles.  it is creamy and heavily pigmented.  however, if you do not have really dark undereye circles, like me, i think you can get away with benefit's   some kinda gorgeous foundation faker.  aside from the fact that, i think, this concealer makes my eyeshadow travel from the upper eyelid to the lower under eye area, that's why i put it in the inner part only.  coz if i put in all over the under eye area, my eyeshadow decides to migrate.

boi-ing concealer (two shades)
those are the two round pots in the middle. personally, i use this on the sides of my nose to get the redness out but for pimples, not a good idea coz it wipes out easily.

eye bright
the pink rectangle, is something that i can do without.  some afternoons i pat it on the inner part of my eyes and my officemate would notice something different in me, but some afternoons they don't.  so i skip this most days...

lemon aid
i haven't really tried this yet.  it says its for upper lids, creating a base for your eyeshadows, but who would use this if you have shadow insurance or UDPP, right?

the brushes
one of the best part of this kit is that the brushes has a name, so you do not use the same brush on different products!  and the brush is synthetic and of good quality, too...

so all in all, i like it, and it's a cute addition to my table, but i only like erase paste the most.  the other products are skippable.

for more information regarding this product, check out beck's blog.

nail polish attack...

maybe we'll go to bcc later.  pls pls pls pigilan nyo ko bumili ng konad!!!   napapanaginipan ko na sya at pinapangarap kaya hindi ko alam kung kaya kong pigilan ang sarili ko mamaya...

here's my dreamthing:

ok lang, can't afford ko pa yan..

hmmm.. me sakit si irish, baka macancel na naman ang lakad for the 4th time! naman, kakasweldo lang.  this is the perfect time!  killjoys.

my parcel came!  bumili ako ng benetint sample bottle at benefit some kinda gorgeous foundation faker.  feeling ko ang ganda ganda ko na naman...  kaso talagang nakakadry sya ng face.  ano kayang pwedeng gawin...

now im just waiting for matte magic... ang super awesome na nail polish para magmukhang hindi nailpolish ang nasa kuko mo... hahaha.

sample:

ganyan! walang shine, matte na matte, parang bato lang...

haha.

curly tops

curls in 20 minutes. dare to believe?

i have been enjoying playing curls with my hair with my new hair straightener and i even wake up 10 minutes earlier to give me enough time to curl my hair in the morning, which is not my usual habit.  i even bring it to the office in the afternoon to curl maricel's hair :D and she loves jml wet straight pro, too!

i will start my salon soon!  support me!  XD

well, yesterday, my usual boring routine was disturbed when i have to go to my boss' chocolate shop again to take pictures.  and i have to pass by the mall to ask for free calendars for his daughter, hear me say 'pity me, i don't know what date is today... do you have a free calendar? :)' haha, no, not really...

i know the time, do you know the date?

im slightly patriotic.  do you have a calendar with philippine holidays?

i got home late and my consolation was that bambi already cooked and i got free chocolates from my boss' high-end shop... yipee, choco goodness! i wonder when i'll be back!

i have reinforcement!  i totaly finished my flat tops chocolate ;(

then, and my boss' daughter noticed that my face was glowing, and she asked me what foundation i use, so i instinctively said benefit and she was already saying 'i love benefit!!!' when i remembered i woke up late that afternoon and just used pond's powder... well, nevermind, it was probably the honey and orange that changed my face this week anyway, coz maricel noticed my face last saturday, too.

but confusion came today, coz my new bare escentuals foundation came in medium tan, i was using medium beige before and some days i think it makes my face lighter than it is. so i checked the swatch on my hand, and it is slightly nearer to my skintone... although looking at it from the sifter's cover, it looks really dark.

i will start using them tomorrow and see if benefit can make me buy a new foundation faker (coz i am finishing my first buy) or ill go back to bare escentuals...

and this is my new nailpolish!  i totally love this!  i can't show you how to make it coz i am way too lazy to take photos of step-by-step instructions but basically i painted my nail pink, then painted a litttle half of them red, and on the line separating the two colors i painted z-like blue.  i then used konad for the white dots on the pink.  it is so rocker cool!

irish will totally love this when she sees it!

on the eve of christmas eve

i can't breathe everytime i think about my trip.  i seriously can't breathe.  so i don't think about it anymore.  actually after i packed my bag last weekend i didn't touch it anymore.  but i count the days, and it is dragging on too long... which is what usually happens when you're waiting for something.

and i don't know why but i am nervous, which is totally different from the excitement i usually felt from my four trips back to manila for the past 6 years.

anyways, i had a cup of biguerlai tea two days ago because my stomach feels heavy and maricel said it will help me remove unwanted stuff from my intestinal track so i tried it.

unfortunately i don't feel heavy anymore, i feel pain.  so much pain and so many trips to the bathroom for the past two days and until now that tea still wages war against my stomach.  i am sticking to green tea from now on!


and, since my boss came back earlier than usual i am blogging my last blog before my vacation, probably, just to review my recent stuff ebay:

1.  coralista blush by benefit

" finally! i have been waiting for you for ages.  and i was not disappointed because you gave me so much sparkle on my cheeks that i don't have to use bare escentuals bare radiance anymore.  and your brush is so soft, and your color is so nice, its just the right orange-pink shade that gives my winter a little bit of summer-y look.  i really love the shimmers!!!"

from left to right: mikajy blush in rose, bourjoius blush in amber, benefit coralista, and thrrrob

from left to right: benefit thrrrob, bourjoius blush in amber, benefit coralista, and mikajy blush in rose

2. smashbox best of cream liner palette

the cutest thing in my cosmetic bag!  it is so thin, and flat, as wide and long as my credit card and only half a centimeter thick, but the liners are cost-efficient.  i only need a few swipes and a pop of colour goes into my eyes.  unfortunately the colors are not bright, and the amount of cream liners are insufficient (i probably need to restock every month or so) but if it is for handy cosmetic bags supply only, it is enough.

it is that small

and this thin!

3.  bourjouis maxi-frange waterproof mascara

mascara and cream liner

In Vert Honolulu, kind of blue green.  I only bought this because its only about $4 and the shipping is free coz it is from the same seller as the smashbox item, and i used this once yesterday only on the tip of my lashes, two swipes to give a hint of colour and already i can smell the strong scent of the mascara.  it lingered on for 5-7 seconds and it was not bad-smelling, just the usual smell of mascara multiplied by 10.  but the colour is awesome!  and until i was about to sleep it was still there, after two washes of soap and one wash of face foaming from belo.  but a couple of baby oil on a cotton pad removed the remaining tubes, i called them tubes coz they look like they coated my eyelashes on all surfaces, to lengthen, i guess.

first: extension extreme with that weird alien comb

next, volume maximum with a normal brush

and speaking of belo's whitening facial wash, i don't know if the fresh avocado face mask was responsible for it or belo or olay total effects moisturizer coz i started using them at the same time, but my face is noticeably smoother, and my pores are definitely smaller.  i am so amazed everytime i look at my freshly washed face coz i can't see the pores on my cheeks anymore.  and the facial wash smells good, too.  it reminds me of something but i can't remember.

that's all, i still have to go to cathay pacific's website to check-in online.  goodnight...

the weekend before christmas!

alu my sister!  i don't know if you're the only one reading my blog but its for all of you in manila to let you know how im doing here, kind of like my public diary exposed for all of you haha..

anyways, the night before the national day holidays, me, maricel, irish and her wanna-be suitor florin went to gosi and had coffee and finalized our schedule for thursday, which is, to have another city centre day.

and so we did go to bcc last thursday, from 11 am until 8 pm.  bambi said it wasn't normal, and i have to get my head checked for psychological problems.  hello, kulang pa nga yun e... di ko pa nalibot lahat-lahat.

(bcc photos)

anyways, bati na kami, but when he saw my post in facebook regarding jacob black this morning, his ears started to give off steam again...

i don't know why im like this, but maybe its because he left me to wander alone a lot of times while he's playing his computer games and so i looked for things to keep me entertained.  and here comes makeup and twilight.  what is he complaining about?  im a completely normal human being.

so while we were in bcc, i saw some shoes that were on sale.  i bought two for my brothers.  that's why i had to fix my bag today, to see if i still have space for pasalubongs and stuff.

i was originally planning to bring only one backpack since i already went home last may and i wasn't planning to give anything to anyone (kuripot haha), but these shoes changed my plan.  so i took a medium-sized stroller bag and included some clothes that were just sitting in my closet and thought that maybe they'll be of better use to my sister, the other one, rj makulit... she adores me.  i don't know why.

so i think i only have some small spaces left and im just gonna buy chocolates and stuff for the family tree... im bad in remembering them all.  i usually just buy stuff and let kristelle distribute them, otherwise i would probably forget the important people.  she wouldn't.  she's a family girl.  and she knows everyone.

next step for me is to pick the important kikay stuff from my drawer, and from that, still i have to pick the ones i can't go without:

i really planned on going light, so ill just pick my favorite brushes, blush, favorite primer, lip gloss and so on.. they will go inside this cute hello kitty bag i bought from ebay:

it opens up like this and it has a mirror, too!

and i probably picked mostly everything, coz i don't buy what i wouldn't use.  but the fave among the faves are:

hello kitty contact lens case (from ebay.  it has sanitized tongs if you don't want to touch your lenses, and a small squirtable bottle for your solution inside)

Be givenchy.  bambi bought this in the airport last may before we went home.  in my excitement i forgot that i had no perfume on. how gross if i was hugged and i smelled like a 9-hour flight... and i only like a few fragrances, coz other smells gives me a headache.  this one's a dream.  but i specifically use this only when im in manila, kind of like a homesick scent...

1.  sephora eye primer

2.  nivea 10-hour lipstick & gloss

3.  mikajy lip brush (i love this!)

4.  loreal eyesmoker in black (my current fave eyeliner)

5.  benefit lip beads (lip exfoliator)

6.  maybelline xxl curl mascara (super long & thick lashes)

7.  contact lens case

8.  sephora face primer

9.  benefit high beam

10.  prestige ultimate brow definer (why i love it?  it has a liner on one end, and a mascara-like brush on the other end)

11. mikajy blush

12. 22k lip palette

13. bare escentuals mineral veil

14. benefit some kind-a gorgeous foundation faker

15. bare escentuals mineral foundation

16.  bare escentuals clear radiance (subtle shimmer without dewiness)

17. benefit blush in thrrrob

18.  olay total effects 7x (my new moisturizer)

1. colourland face brush

2.  bare escentuals flawless face brush

3.  colourland lip brush ( i use it on my eyeliner, and it totally uses every centimeter of it!)

4. colourland flat stiff brush

5.  colourland angled brow brush

6.  bare escentuals maximum concealer brush

7.  angled eyeliner brush (i got it from watson's)

8.  paula's choice pencil brush

9.  smashbox shadow brush

10.  nars smudge brush

im not planning to bring my konad stuff, although i would love to paint rj's nails... i just want to bring stuff that i wouldn;t bring back, coz i know when i come back i'll have a lot to bring.  so maybe next time.

and since i have been in manila earlier this year already, im not planning on splurging anywhere.  ijust want to spend time with my little monster...


to my officemates: thank you for covering up for me.  have a nice holiday!

ps. this is where im going:

manila ocean park*

market market*

sm bicutan*

sm mall of asia*

*images from the internet, no copyright infringement intentions!

which face product?

one last post before i sleep.

because i didn't notice that i have been using three different products on my face depending on what time is left when i wake up, i want to differentiate their qualities and why im using them.

1.  ponds powder.

i almost didn't notice the label that says 'beauty color powder'.  ok, does this mean that it's not an ordinary powder?  maybe, but being used to johnson's baby powder, i always categorize this in the baby powder area, especially when you see it in the supermarket with johnson's.

anyways, this powder is simply amazing.  if johnson's leaves your face oily after a few hours, this one will not.  what's more, it's cheap!  and the shimmers are a plus... unless you don't want to sparkle.  but being a baby powder, it dries up my skin.  and sometimes if i overload my face looks ghostly white and unnatural.

2.  bare escentuals i.d. bare minerals foundation

shade: medium beige.  ambitious ako eh haha!  nagfi-feeling... anyways, just one use of this and i was hooked!  its super fine powder, when used with bare escentuals flawless face brush feels like nothing on your skin.  but even with no heaviness or tightness on your face, being a foundation, it gives full coverage on my face and when used with bare escentuals mineral veil, my face seems super smooth and as promised, looks like it has a soft focus camera lens effect.  no lie.  i have been using it for months and i didn't have any irritation.  actually it made my face clearer pa nga.  and for those who want to squeal in delight for the fact that you can sleep in it because it's so pure, go ahead.

what i like most about this is that even though you put it on at 7 am, your face stays matte and non-oily even at 7pm.  true story.  and it doubles as a concealer, too.  i didn't notice that i have dark circles under my eyes until i dabbed some of this powder using bare escentuals maximum concealer brush.  the brush has fine-tip to use for on the spot concealing, too.  happiness...

3.  benefit some-kinda gorgeous foundation faker

at first i thought it looked like a conventional foundation.  but little girls beware - not only is it light on your face, it's also non-oily, invisible and it blends perfectly on my skin.  when i used the sponge (included) to blend some on my skin, what was noticeable is the fact that my skintone has evened out.  no more dark vs light areas, and even the redness around my nose disappeared.  what made me switch after pledging my allegiance to mineral foundation is the fact that my pores seemed smaller with this on my face and my new blush - benefit thrrrob has given me natural looking blush that looks like i've been out on a cold day.  perfect!


so, i can't say which one is the best, coz i can go out with either three any day.


and since i received 3 out of six of my awaited parcels, i am hyper-post addicted today... i am also going to compare benefit's high beam to moon beam:

my moonbeam sample looks up to her big sister, benefit high beam (full size)

as you can see, on the right is the high beam which looks ghostly white on my complexion while moon beam, which is suppose to be golden warm looks pink on my medium skin.  i kind of think i should have ordered reverse sizes coz i seriously think moonbeam will work more on my face.  but i love the little applicator that only comes with the little moonbeam instead of the nailpolish style that the full product has:

that's it, im off to dreaming.  my goodness, 9 more days and im going home!!! *excited*

breaking up is hard to do.

you have to let them go.  no matter how hard it is.  you'll be happier if you do.  and prettier.


ok, im talking about your makeup here, not your lovelife.


we all love to keep all things nice, but we should remember that nice things have an expiration date, too.  and whether you like it or not, sometimes you have to throw away some nice things because, erm, well, they are old.

the shelf life or makeup products are not generally taken into heart by most girls.  in fact, they hold on to the stuff they love dearly without realizing that it's been with them for a while.

but to prevent irritations, infections, and skin breakouts, sometimes you have to check your drawer and toss the items that you 'sometimes' use if they are way past their prime time.

only people get better with age.  makeup doesn't.

shelf life estimations of the makeup products that i use are:


foundation: 12 months
doesn't matter to me, i usually finish bare escentuals foundation within 6 months coz i use it in the morning and in the afternoon.

especially for cream foundation, pls don't use it more than 1 year due to bacteria build-up

concealer: 12 months
otherwise, that pimple you're trying to hide just might get more irritated.

blush: 2 years
yipee!  ok, seriously, who can finish a blush in one year?!?

my new blush called Minx from Mykajy (up) and my old blush (below) which,even after 1 year, still has too much

my previous cheek remedy for instant blush, the body shop's lip and cheek stain doesn't last for more than a month.

eyeshadow: 2-3 years
don't worry about throwing it out, that means you can now buy new colors!

irish bought this on sale.  this brand is called 22k, and they have all their cosmetics packaged in a fancy gold-plate style.  super cute! but remember, the reason why cosmetic shops have a seasonal sale is because they want to finish the items that have been sitting on their shelves.  so make sure you don't use them past their 'good time' if you bought them on sale.

mascara: 4 months
beware, eye irritations are serious.  don't risk your eyesight for a $15 worth of new mascara.  i am serious about this because of experience.  so i usually write the purchase date on my mascara now with a permanent marker to remind me when to buy a new one.

pencil eyeliner: 2-3 years
no matter how long it still is, buy a new one.  and sharpen regularly.

liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months
uh-oh.

lipstick: 2-3 years
that's why you should never have more than 3 lipsticks.  ouch.

22k delectable lip palette in pink twilight

nivea extreme resist (10 hours lipstick, or so they say) in roselove and coral

makeup brushes: wash 2-3 times a month
i usually do this weekly by washing it in jared's baby shampoo.  my baby still has little hair and didn't use it anyway.  don't forget to let it dry lying on a flat surface, to retain their shape.

sponge: wash weekly and discard monthly
duly noted

nailpolish: 2 years
goodie goodie!

other stuff
if it smells funny, or if you're in doubt, throw it out.


i know, its hard.  but think of it this way:  who doesn't love shopping for new 
makeup?!?

benefit booties

the first thing they gave me this morning was my parcel from hongkong.  i shrieked, these were my benefit items from ebay!

that totally made my day... my seller shipped them so fast, coz i remembered paying for these just last november 11!

first things first before you buy cosmetics from ebay:

• research the seller first.  it is important to know if she has negative feedbacks regarding her products because fake items can easily be bought from ebay.

      so far, my seller has tons of positive feedbacks.  so that's a good sign.

• after your item arrives, check the expiration date.  if you can't find it, search the internet coz some cosmetic items can easily be checked by special codes made by the manufacturer. 

• next, make sure that your item is sealed, unless you agreed to buy an opened item.  i always search for BNIB which means brand new in box, or NIB (new in box), so i know that they haven't been poked by anyone.  

• even though your makeup brushes are sealed, don't forget to wash them first before using them.  especially for eyeshadow brushes. 

• and last, swipe a small amount on your arm, or your neck to check for allergies.

here, back to my loot:

^_^ i love new makeup!

my new foundation

*review* i have switched!!! as much as i love bare escentuals' foundation, i can't believe that benefit made my pores look smaller and my face look smoother, plus it evens out my skintone and even diminished redness around my nose.  my new fave!!!

super pink blush! i tried it this afternoon and it was so sheer, i looked translucent to my medium skin.  but when i use it after benefit's some kind-a gorgeous foundation faker, it comes out nicely, like a natural blush!

new lip scrubs and lip balm. im so excited to try them out!

*update*  nothing dramatic.  maybe because im used to scrubbing my lips with toothbrush so i don't have anything to exfoliate.  it's still good to try out though... and handy in the office if i have dry lips!

and my new eyeshadow brush.  it was stated a travel-sized brush but if you were expecting small, travel sized brush, it was, in my opinion, a medium-sized one.  perfect if you bought it as your main eyeshadow and couldn't afford the full-sized one, but if you were expecting to put it in your eyeshadow case (like me), then shove it somewhere else.

*update*  i love the softness!!!  apart from being multitasking (i can use it for base or for blending, but mainly for blending coz it's super good), this brush is also super-soft!

(i was planning to put it here:)

ok, this one's fake.  but i couldn't help it, hello kitty is there!

pft!  my artistic moment:

and those pink round things? i've found those to put in my eyeshadow stand because it helps them be straight and not side by side, which confuses me in the morning and it takes time looking for the right one if they are squeezed together like they're dorks about to be photographed:

my day just got a little brighter...