Month: May 2018

Sephora Play! May 2018

May 30, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello Everybody! It’s time again for a review of what’s inside my Sephora Play! this month of May. As expected, there are some repeat products and a few new ones that I haven’t tried before. But it’s no surprise because this month is all about product roundups that became so popular and have achieved cult status as a celebration of Sephora Play’s 2nd year Anniversary.

Let’s take a closer look at the products I got this month…

Buxom Lash Mascara (0.37 oz: $20) – I didn’t expect much from this mascara at first, but when I applied it on my lashes, I then realize that I actually love it. It curls and separates the lashes well and it doesn’t smudge. It has a volumizing and lengthening effect and it keeps the lashes looking glam and dramatic for a long time. I also have not noticed any eye irritations. So this is a big hit for me.

Atelier Cologne Clémentine California Absolue Pure Perfume (0.37 oz-6.7 oz: $26-$195) – Probably the most popular scent from Atelier Cologne and one of the best-scented colognes ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if this fresh Clementine Orange fragrance has achieved cult status. It’s one of the most perfect summer signature scents to have, and that’s why you may keep finding this in your Sephora Play box as it does for me.

Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Face Primer (0.25 oz-1.5 oz: $12-$49) – This is one of the best face primers ever and you will never be disappointed when using this. It keeps the makeup stay longer and it blurs the pores. I also keep receiving this on my Sephora Play and have purchased several small sizes of this for traveling. It’s worth stocking up on and it’s perfect for my oily-prone skin.

Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream for Hair 10-in-1 Complete Correction (2.5 oz-5.1 oz: $26-$42) – Got so excited when I saw this in this month’s box. I’m a huge Alterna Haircare fan, and this is such a nice little deal. I love the scent of this which is very similar to the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Shampoo and Conditioner (reviewed HERE). This cream is the extension of that haircare mentioned, and it’s a versatile leave-in conditioner treatment that helps the hair in a lot of ways; such as making it shiny, preventing it from constant breaking, protecting it from extreme heat or styling, and making it more manageable, to mention a few. A little bit goes a long with this, and so far, what I noticed is that it really relaxes the strands of my hair and it tames frizzes and flyaways even for the next day. It’s also very reliable for this summer heat.

Bareminerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder (0.3 oz: $23) – This powder is very fine-milled, so soft and it controls oil and shine. It sets the foundation well and I noticed that it kept my oily-prone skin from being oily too soon. It actually comes in different finishes, but what I got is the sheer version which is so light and it doesn’t leave a white cast on my face. I was a bit weary before testing this since I tend to react on some Bareminerals powder foundations, but so far, this one seems ok.

Sephora Collection Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying (1.0 oz-2.03 oz: $10-$20) – One of my most favorite mud masks of all time, and it works very well. For me, this is the next best thing to Glamglow Supermud Mask (HERE) because this also controls oil or excess sebum and it clarifies the skin. It cleanses deep into the pores yet it comes at a much more affordable price. I also think that this has a slightly better scent because even though this is also quite earthy like the Supermud, I find that this has a bit of a fresher note. Though this doesn’t set as well as Glamglow because it has some clumps (which doesn’t really bother me), I find that this mask is still a very good deal.

Bottom line, this month’s Sephora Play has been quite useful for me, even though some products were already repeated but at least they’re one of my favorites. Did you like the stuff you got this month?

Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in Gold + Champagne Flash Review + Swatches

May 28, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Happy Monday Everybody. Since I was almost running out of my favorite highlighters, including the sticks which are so practical to use for me especially when I’m on the go, I got these two new beautiful Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks (0.21 oz for $42) that I recently scored at a discounted price at Sephora during their last VIB Sale weeks ago. As a fanatic of Highlighters, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on these because I seem to always have positive experiences with Hourglass products.

You know how some Highlighters or Highlighter Sticks tend to be to too sheer or not blinding enough? well, this Hourglass one is the complete opposite. With just one swipe, you’ll get a ton of shimmers compared to some other facial strobing products. The shimmers of these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are soft focus, natural, non-sticky and non-oily, yet they reflect. I love that you can layer the intensity of the glow – from a slight subtle shimmer to a super-blinding one.

When it comes to its pigments, I find that the Gold Flash and Champagne Flash shades (seen below) can look quite similar to each other, although the Champagne Flash looks a bit more natural and more suited to my skintone because of its peachy undertone. The Gold Flash can be so blinding if you’re not careful with the application, but other than that, they’re both beautiful high-quality shimmers for fair, light, light/medium, and warm medium skintones, not to mention that they really highlight the high points of the face.

Gold Flash – A golden soft focus easy to layer shimmer that reflects light and highlights the face very well. It’s super packed with shimmer and overall super pigmented that it’s better to be light-handed when applying this, or else it can be too much.

Champagne Flash – A peachy shimmer that can look a bit like the Gold Flash above but with a more peachy undertone. It’s can also be very blinding, but its effects can be more subtle compared to the Gold Flash due to its peachy undertone being closer to most skintones. I love this as an everyday face illuminator with or without makeup.

I noticed that these Highlighters are really lightweight on the skin, given the fact that they’re the stick type of Highlighters. And most stick Highlighters can be oily or a bit sticky, and they tend to slide off the face after a few hours, not to mention that they can disrupt the foundation. These Hourglass Highlighters, on the other hand, don’t exhibit any of those potential issues. Aside from being lightweight and non-sticky, they’re also very long lasting. I’d use mine in the morning, and they’re still on at night. My face may get oily but these highlighters are still on point. I love that they’re so easy to use with just a swipe and go, and I could use them with any kind of foundation. I also like the fact that they’re so pigmented, so one swipe will do the job and if I want more drama, I’d just swipe a bit more then blend. Speaking of blending, the texture of these Highlighting sticks are soft and a bit creamy yet not overly so, and they set well on the face. I love its packaging and its twist-type release, which makes for an easy on-the-go use. There’s also no discernible scent and there’s enough product in its decent-sized chubby triangular container.

Overall, these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are true to what they’re described to be. They live up to Hourglass’s quality and sleek luxurious packaging of products. The Highlighting you’d get out of this is not only beautiful and breathtaking but also very customizable depending on your application. That is why I consider this as one of the best Highlighters I’ve ever tried, and for me, this has the best formula for a Highlighter Stick.

The Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, SpaceNK, and Selfridges

Farmacy The Mighties Kit Review

May 25, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi There! You’ve probably heard about Farmacy skincare before, and you’ve probably seen their products at some aisles at Sephora. Well, if you’re looking for some real and natural farm to face skincare products, look no further and take a closer look at the products offered by this particular brand. A good way to get yourself acquainted with their products is to try their bestsellers in a mini version, like in this Farmacy The Mighties Kit ($45).

I’m no stranger to Farmacy products anymore since I’ve tried some of their stuff before, and my experience has been totally positive. There’s not a lot of “green” skincare products nowadays that truly deliver quality results, while not compromising on clean, safe, non-irritating, and cruelty-free ingredients and standards. I believe Farmacy is one of those skincare brands that you can rely on if you’re into nature-inspired skincare. Being said that, most of their products are either made with honey or with Echinacea GreenEnvy – a different kind of Echinacea breed that has potent healing powers and contains more antioxidants than the regular Echinacea plant.

The Mighties Kit contains two Farmacy products that I’ve tried before as samples: The Honey Potion Mask and the Honey Drop Moisturizer. I was gonna purchase them in their regular sizes but I wanted to see if there might be some other Farmacy products I might like and should try. This Mighties Kit (got this on sale during Sephora’s VIB event several weeks ago) seems like a really good kit to try some other Farmacy bestsellers. The other three products that are Included in this kit which I’ve never tried before are the following: a green makeup remover, a night balm infused with Echinacea GreenEnvy, and a sample of their Dew It All Eye Cream. Hmm, these products seem really intriguing…

Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm with Echinacea GreenEnvy (3.2 oz: $34) – This smells like something green, slightly herb-like and totally fresh like a slight blend of lime and a hint of bergamot. This Allure 2017 Best of Beauty Winner looks waxy on the outside but once you scoop it out, it’ll melt into the skin and remove all kinds of makeup without any problem. Kinda like Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, but with a much better scent. You’re probably gonna need a spatula whenever you use this, and a small pea-size amount is enough to get rid of all the makeup on your face.

Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer with Echinacea GreenEnvy (1.7 oz: $45) – This moisturizer smells like honey and it feels really light on the skin. I’ve had several samples of this before as well and I really like the way my skin feels after using this. It’s softening and for my skin type or even for those with combo skin, this is a perfect consistency as an everyday moisturizer. However, if you have dry skin, this may not be enough for you, and if you put a lot of this, it may pill. So that’s something to consider, and for some, they don’t really like the scent of this moisturizer since it’s kind of boring and odd. I definitely think that this product can be a hit or a miss for some, depending on a lot of factors like your skin type, the area where you live, and your scent preferences among other things.

Sleep Tight Firming Night Balm with Echinacea GreenEnvy (1.7 oz: $48) – This balm turns into a jelly-oil consistency once applied on the skin. It has this light green scent that is mixed with several nourishing oils which makes for an aromatic experience. The feeling of applying this is weird because the balm really does feel like an oil on my hands and on my face, but it isn’t really that oily. It has that sort of dry oil effect, and even though it took a while for this product to be absorbed by my skin, it didn’t really stain my bed sheets and pillowcases. As someone with an oily skin type, I was afraid that this might cause my face to get even more oily and will cause some breakouts, but so far, I haven’t really noticed any untoward reactions. Even though I didn’t notice the firming effect, what I did notice is that this balm had moisturized some dry patches on my skin overnight.

Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask with Echinacea GreenEnvy (4.1 oz: $56) – This is one of my most favorite Farmacy products ever. I’ve had several samples of this before and I will buy this in its large packaging soon. This is surely one of the best face masks I’ve ever tried and it feels so good the moment you apply it on the face. It has this ginger-honey scent that feels like a really thick jelly to the touch, and it spreads on the skin smoothly while it warms. You could feel your skin feeling revitalized by it. I like to massage this mask all over my face for about 15 minutes and right after washing it off, my face feels so soft, so smooth, and so renewed. It looks plumped, well-hydrated, glowy, almost like having glassy skin. I could even squeeze my whiteheads and blackheads off easily, it’s amazing.

Dew It All Total Eye Cream with Echinacea GreenEnvy (0.5 oz: $38) – This eye cream is a surprise love for me. I’ve never tried this before and when I did, I was so amazed by how soft and smooth this cream feels. It isn’t thick and sticky, it’s just a rich smooth creamy blend that my undereye skin soaked up immediately. It had kept it hydrated for hours and hours and it goes well under concealer or any tinted undereye moisturizers. While there’s no way of knowing if this eye cream had reduced my dark circles, given that I only got a free small sachet of a sample inside the kit, I do love its nice clean scent and its hydrating effect on my undereyes.

Bottom line. If you’re new to Farmacy products, I suggest that you try this Mighties Kit. There’s a lot to love in this kit and you will discover and like some other Farmacy products that you might normally pass by at any beauty and skincare counters. Personally, I love all of the stuff in this kit, and I’m not surprised why they’re considered bestsellers, because they really are. However, I have a special liking to the Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm, the Dew It All Total Eye Cream, and the Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Mask.

This Farmacy The Mighties Kit is currently available at Sephora. You can also purchase individual regular-sized Farmacy products at JCPenney.