Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint Review

I just love the weather! ^^ but I would say that it's quite counterproductive on my part as it's getting harder and harder to get up in the morning! lol :D

Yesterday, I went on a date with my bff to see Les Misérables. Grabe! It's 3 hours long but it was sooo good! We were late for the 12:30 screening and debated between just catching the 2:30 screening of Hansel and Gretel or just wait for Les Mis 4pm screening. As there were lots of catching up to do, we settled on 4pm Les Mis and passed time sipping coffee and eating cakes (..and taking pictures and checking in on different social networking sites. lol). Buti na lang, because the hubby told us Hansel and Gretel was so gory, it should have been rated as PG-13! (He took Chino, my little boy, with him to see the movie and I was a little pissed because I think it's not a good idea after hearing the gory details. He assured me the little one didn't see much because Chino fell asleep, minutes after the film started. hehe) Anyway, if you find yourself torn between the two, I recommend Les Misérables :)

As for my Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint review..

This is just a quick review okay. just the important points because I'm *again* late for work. lol ^^

Below is what it looks like. I got Grape from an online seller (190Php. too bad she's not selling Korean stuff anymore. nice pa naman sha and mura lang her products). The two others are Strawberry which is white in pot and Green Apple which is, err, green? ^^ As this is a magic tint, it changes color when applied on lips. As for application, this can be applied as is or with Tony Tint (or any other tint) underneath. Surely you know how to apply liquid tints by now but i'll tell you anyway:  Just three dots on upper lip then three on lower then press lips together to spread tint evenly then apply gloss or balm, like this, for a just-bitten look.

Smell:  I'm loving the smell! True to its name, it smells like grapes *i love grapes!* ^^

Consistency: think petroleum jelly. not jelly-jiggly but it's not too waxy. will not spill out even if you don't put the cap back on properly.

Gloss level: 3/5 for some reason, this is not too glossy on lips which is, for me, just right, because it looks natural. I would say that it is more of a balm than gloss. whatever.

Staying power: obviously not as staining as liquid tints but surprisingly, this does stay long on lips

Coverage: very good for a sheer lip stuff! hides dark lines on lips but not heavily pigmented as lipsticks. I would say it evens out the color of your lips. 

What I like:

gives a nice, sheer berry shade when used alone

it provides moisture to lips when wearing liquid tints so you won't end up with raisin-like, weirdly stained lips.
It is cheap and well, it's a magic lip tint. ^^
looks natural because it isn't too glossy.
Pot is big so it will last you forever!

Perfect for everyday use

What I don't like:

This is quite hard to find, I'm not even sure if it's still available anywhere.
It is in a pot *either you dip your fingers in there or you use a lip brush to scoop it out*

#backtowork. :*

My Permed Eyelashes :)

My eyelashes must be the most stubborn eyelashes God has ever made! They are stick straight, meaning they don't curl at all and just grow long all going downwards. lol :D  They are thin and sparse and short and barely there. Mascaras don't work. eyelash curlers don't work and if I press the eyelash curlers too hard, my eyelashes tend to break and I end up with shorter-than-ever eyelashes! 

When I heard about eyelash extensions, I got curious of course. and interested. but after a couple of research and inquiries, I felt that extensions are not really for me because they involve some measure of care and maintenance and I'm just not ready for it yet. *I can't imagine not rubbing my eyes esp during allergy attacks and eyelash extensions can be an ugly sight when not properly cared for* so i settled for perming.

This is actually my second time to have my eyelashes permed. The first time was years back, when I was still in SPC. This time, I had mine permed at Let's Face It, Festival Mall branch. LFI gave me LARGE curls instead of medium for a more natural looking curls, as I was told. and indeed they do look like the natural thing after the procedure! I *love*!! :)

Permed eyelashes by Let's Face It

I paid 350Php for the procedure (1 hour and 30 minutes inside LFI, eyes closed and nearly dozing off) and the curls should last up to a month. I'm not really sure if it's okay to perm it again right away or if I should wait for some time. we will see, when we actually get there. for now, I'm enjoying my curls so much and they look best with a coat or two of Etude House Lash Perm Water Proof Mascara. It saves me time too because now I don't have to spend too much time trying to curl my eyelashes before going out, I can now just apply mascara even in the car. Hubby approves too. lol. He must, he hates waiting for me to finish up and almost always drags me to the car with my face half-finished. :D

so that's it for now ladies :)

#hungry.musteat.

Sample Room: Try Before You Buy Is Genius!

¡Hola! The weather is so nice ~ never a sunny person, I love that it's cold but not raining, perfect for a cup of coffee and a good book! Yay! and my other blog is all set! double yay! ..and guess who got a promotion?! Yes, me!! just last week!! so yeah, life is good and this mom is indeed one happy girl nowadays :)

Anyway, enough about me. Let me just share my experience with Sample Room. Last week, I got to try Sample Room and I'm happy to report that it went really well and I won't hesitate doing it again and again :) The best part is, I paid using PayPal and they didn't give me any trouble ~ that's plus, plus, plus for me because I hate going out to pay and PayPal is the most convenient payment method for me.

I've been following their Facebook page even before the website launch; bookmarked their website; subscribed to their email newsletter BUT I missed their first wave of samples (*blimey* I was away) Judging from the number of their Facebook followers vs my slowness to catch up, I figured it's impossible for me to actually get samples of my choice. However, one morning while checking my emails, there it was, Sample Room's newsletter with a new batch of samples! I went ahead and saw that there were indeed new samples to grab and I was so excited because the brands were impressive (I saw Shiseido, Davines etc) I was torn between Laneige and Davines but Laneige won because it's a sleeping pack ~ y'all know I love them ;) and to maximize my shipping fee, I threw in that Ralph Lauren sample you'll see below. Because I don't live in Metro Manila, the shipping fee is 130Php. I paid via PayPal. That was Tuesday morning. By Tuesday night, my account already reflected the tracking number. Impressive!

Hello Thursday noon, hello Sample Room package! Fast! really impressed!

RL and Laneige from Sample Room Ph

I've been asked many times how it works so here's my answer: You sign up with them, give some information about yourself (skin type, preferences, etc) and you get 100 points. Points are used for getting samples. In my case, RL was 25 pts and Laneige was 60 pts so I only have 15 pts now but when I give my review on these products, I get the points back. I think you'll earn points too if you refer a friend although I am not sure how many. 3 samples max per check out. You don't pay for the samples, but of course, you need to pay for shipping ~obviously.

and this is why I think Sample Room is a brilliant idea: It's because it allows me to choose the products I want to test. This is also the reason why I hesitate signing up for subscription boxes, I know I won't feel good if I end up with things I really don't need or will not use or not even interested in.

so there :)

#wannacuddlebutitstooearly

Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask Review

¡Hola! Would you believe, I contemplated about giving this blog a rest ~just for a couple of months ~ just yesterday? I was thinking of putting up a more "personal" blog, meaning less of my *cookiness* and more of things that really matter ~at least to me. lol :D Also, my work load is kinda killing me these days. Gaah! Anyway, I'm up and giddy because I just made my very first checkout at Sample Room! Yey! *fingers crossed* I hope it will all go well because I paid via PayPal and the last time I did that, I ran into a LOT of trouble and I almost died of heart attack [read TRAUMATIZING post here]

So today I'm going to share my thoughts about Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask. As you can see, mine is still in sachets/sample sizes. This one came with my online order as a freebie and I'm just so glad I tried it because I absolutely fell in love with it the first try :) definitely buying a tub of this!

Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask trial size

I'm a sucker for masks but I try to stay away from masks in sheets. It's really just a matter of personal preference okay? Nothing big and serious :)

so basically this pore mask tightens the pores which is exactly what I need right now. My face has decided to turn into an oil mine and I've noticed my pores are now larger than usual. Eeek! damage control is in order. Pronto!

This seems to be a good idea. Egg = firm and tight, yes? When I was in college, I used to break a raw egg, very carefully separate the white from the yellow, put back the yellow in the fridge ~ to my mama's amusement upon discovering rows of cracked egg shells with just the yellow part in them. lol ~ squeeze a little lemon juice into the white and tada! my very own egg mask!

anyway back to Skinfood.. this pore mask has a very thick consistency and white in color. The smell is a little too strong but it was nice *floral-baby powdery scent?* and not at all offending. It takes a little longer to dry than most masks of same consistency. When dried, it feels powdery to the touch.

I'm quite amazed with the immediate result. I can't say much about the blackhead part ~ my blackheads have this uncanny ability to hide themselves upon enemy approach ~ but the pore size was visibly smaller and my skin felt cleaner and of course, tighter. and that is just one time use, just imagine using it for weeks?! Yes, that's right, that's why I'm buying the tub!

However, please be forewarned that the smaller pores result doesn't last a very long time. Two days after, they were back to their original, vengeful size :(( so maybe that's why this pore mask is recommended to use twice or three times a week. Still buying it though! anything to make those unsightly pores shrink and perhaps with prolonged use, the pores will eventually stay small in size!

#sleepy -.-

My Tony and Jackey Digiperm Experience ^^

¡Hola! How's everyone today? Me, I'm just here, stuck at home, work piling up by the hour. oooh, I badly want to go out and grab a cup of something strong ~ by that, I mean coffee okay? And something is bothering my hubby but he isn't telling. hmm, I wonder what that is.

Anyway, I just have 30 minutes to spare today and I must make this one short and quick so here it goes..

about a month ago, I was half-bullied, half-dragged by my BFF to Tony and Jackey's Festival (Alabang) Mall branch as there was an ongoing rebond/digiperm promo. The 5,000Php originally priced treatments were down to 3,000Php. She was no virgin to rebond treatments while I.. well, I'm not really into salons. Freakin' machines scare the hell out of me. BUT. we were due to a conference and my hair was a mess. So, the night before, i decided to just get a haircut.

To cut the long story short, that cute Korean hair stylist Carl (find Step 3: haircut ninja shot) got me to say yes to a digiperm. lol :D 

Okay, as you can see below, my hair is originally thin and flat and very defiant. Carl told me that it is "too thin" and he ordered digiperm for my short hair.

Again, my hair is short so this is not your usual digipermed hairstyle (long, with bangs, goldilocks curls) It got me really curious but yeah, excited. :) When he asked me what style for my haircut, I told him it's all up to him. hihi ^^ He nodded, assessed my hair then fired a couple of orders (there were two ladies ~ his assistants~ very nice and accommodating) The 3,000Php package included hair treatment, hair cut, digiperm and hair manicure. I was there for about 2 hours.

pls click for better view

To sum it up, it was a very nice experience indeed. I like Carl. He is soft spoken, knows his stuff and treated his clients nicely, even nervous, newbies like me (imagine that, and considering I own two c-section belts too! lol) His assistants were very nice and made me really comfortable. They didn't even push harder when I said no to their hair essence. 

So here below is my hair's progress from the time I stepped out of the salon up to week 2:

*Please ignore my silly grin on Day 4 photo, I was at the conference and I was having so much fun!* I came out of the salon super curly (tight curls) but after some time, the curls became bigger and looser and now, (I'm already at my first month) they are just lovely wavy curls I'm lovin' so much! Too bad my BFF came out of the salon all pouty and grumpy while I was almost too giddy to stand still. lol. Her stylist wasn't nice and a little bitchy too. She was trying to grow her hair long and she told her stylist to just cut above her bra-line but sadly, the request was ignored. She went home with a hair just above her bra strap :( Hers was rebonded, by the way. Oh well, looks like I'll be on my own next time. Yes, I'm going back. and I'll specifically ask for Carl. lol :D

As for Bang's Tony and Jackey promos, please do check their Facebook page and website from time to time. I think they are running a Christmas promo now. 

that's it! Thanks for reading! :)

#workingmy*ssoff

Alabang Town Center, I Love You More Today Than Yesterday!

Gaah, my blog post title is sooo cheesy. lol! :D

Anyway just a quick post about some *of my favorite* stores now open at Alabang Town Center.

Tony Moly and Etude House. side by side. :)

J.Co, where line is always long. :D

Then of course: Banapple, Serenitea, BonChon, PCX, The Face Shop, Jamba Juice, Johnny Rockets, Chili's, Friday's, P.F Chang's, Beauty Bar, Healthy Options, Tous Les Jours (buy 1 take 1 on selected items. 8:30PM. EVERYDAY), Gong Cha, Ramen X, North Park, Shu Uemura, my favorite NYX stall.. okay, this is getting too long now, just check them out okay? :)

#perksoflivinginstarosa. :)

Mood Matchy Matchy: Fran Wilson Mood Matcher 12 hr Lip Color Review

Fran Wilson Moodmatcher lipstick, you made it worth my mad-dashing to ATC last Monday! lol :D

My BFF is a self-confessed magic lipstick girl while I, I don't know, I just didn't take them seriously maybe because they reminded me of all those Barbie "lipsticks" I tantrum-ed for when I was a kid ~ pretty but useless. lol :D

but you know how endless harping and praising by your BESTFRIEND could get you to, at least, be curious about something right? So when this appeared on my Instagram newsfeed ~ posted by Beauty bar Philippines, I got curious and checked it out on makeupalley (where honest ratings of  makeup-loving ladies go) Whoa! It's 4.7 out of 5. Impressive!   

According to site, its strongest point would be its lasting power, 12 hours as claimed. I think there are 10 different colors to choose from, which are all available at Beauty Bar - ATC! Yey! The most popular ones are red and green. I got orange because according to their website, it turns to *shades of coral*. not on my lips though. it turned magenta-ish on me. lol. not a color spectrum I expected but it was nice. :)

Fran Wilson Mood Matcher 12 hr Lip Color in Orange 195Php

You see, that's the fun part of using magic lippies, you just don't know what you'll be sporting next. One time, I sported a BRIGHT PINK from the same stick. lol :D it was funny. :D

as for the staying power, YES, it stayed on my lips for a long time but definitely not STRONG 12 hours! partly because it's more of a tint (minus the dryness if you use regular tints like Benetint or Tony Moly Cherry tint) than a regular lipstick (say, Revlon lippies?) It feels like gloss on lips but it stains ~ so all good there. Another thing to consider is that it fades on "wetter" areas while the "drier" areas of your lips stay true to its "chosen color of the day". then the faded areas turn to yet another color/shade that it is possible to end with ombre lips if you don't check frequently enough. The plus side though is that it looks really natural on lips so if you end up with ombre lips, people would just assume you have "natural" ombre lips. lol. just kidding :) please do check once in a while. the stick is as fickle minded as me when it comes to color of the day :)

It has a funny smell ~ uhm, "granny lippy" smell? but its tolerable. to take this off, you will need an oil based makeup remover. your plain ol' tissue doesn't stand a chance as it really really REALLY stains the lips. :)

not drying at all which I love, love, love! can withstand eating and drinking. doesn't transfer *hubby approves*

hmm.. what else? ahh, 195Php for a stick. Beauty Bar Philippines has them online and instore. They also come in a box ~ not sure how many inside though ~ which is a little under 1k. Perfect if you are thinking of buying several for friends, etc.

Packaging is a little *bleh*, it looks flimsy but it is sturdy enough to be carried around. and it locks when you put the cap back on so this baby is safe when inside your bag. Careful with the cap as the stick doesn't go all the way down.

Last words? Fun. Natural looking. Cheap. Fun *again* lol :D

#willgetmatchingmoodring.lol :D