Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: January 2020

Beauty & Skincare Presents I Received Last Christmas (2019)

 

best beauty christmas gift guide

 

Hi there. I won’t be ending this month without sharing with you some of the “beauty”ful presents I received last December. My friends and family know that I love makeup and skincare. So, as you’ll see, most of the presents I received pretty much pertained to this category. I couldn’t be happier because I received a variety of goodies and I am forever thankful for the stuff they gave me.

 

Check out what I got.

 

Ciatรฉ London Astrolights Eyeshadow Palette in Jewelled swatch

 

Ciatรฉ London Astrolights Eyeshadow Palette in Jewelled (35 USD) – Words cannot describe how beautiful this eyeshadow palette is. I’ve always been curious about this and I’m glad I finally have it because it is hands down beautiful in terms of color range and packaging. Each shade has a nice color payoff and is super long-lasting. The tones are unique, out of this world, wearable, and are just really beautiful. I highly recommend this palette if you’re looking for something that is compact and with versatile colors.

 

Ciatรฉ London Astrolights Eyeshadow Palette in Jewelled swatch

 

Charlotte Tilburyย 

 

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo in Fair Medium review

 

Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo in Fair/Medium (0.56 oz: 68 USD) – Given by my bestfriend and partner in crime – my dearest cousin who also loves makeup and is just recently a Tilbury-convert. This highlighter and bronzer duo is a star-favorite and one of Charlotte Tilbury’s bestsellers because it really does give you a nice glow and nice natural contour on the face.

 

Superstar Lips Lipstick in Walk of Shame (34 USD) – This is supposed to be a lipstick topper because it has a glittery finish, but I find this berry rose pink shade and its consistency to be more like a semi-glossy pigmented lip balm. It has a similar formula to the Nars Afterglow Lip Balm and the Dior Lip Glow (swatched HERE) or even the Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Color (seen HERE). Even though this is quite sheer and balmy, it’s surprising to see the stain it leaves on the lips and its overall very good lasting power.

 

Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Fantascene swatch

 

Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Fantascene (49.50 USD) – As part of the MJ Coconut Fantasy Collection, this beautiful and eye-catching eyeshadow palette feels creamy and quite easy to blend. I wouldn’t say it’s very pigmented but it’s the kind of eyeshadow shade you would want to grab as soon as the weather gets warm and the sky starts to turn blue, or if you just want an everyday natural/neutral eyeshadow look.

 

Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Fantascene swatch

 

Taste Beauty Succulent Lip Balm in Watermelon

 

Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Femme Bot (0.14 oz: 40 USD) – this midtone pinkish matte lipstick with a slight bluish tone from PMG is a very good everyday nude lip color for those with light-medium skintone. On my skin (NC20-25), it can look quite too nude, depending on the lighting of the room. It’s a little bit warmer than 1995 and probably two shades warmer than the Christy shade, and also two shades lighter than Omi.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips Lipstick in Walk of Shame


Taste Beauty Succulent Lip Balm in Watermelon (8 USD) – This brand probably has the cutest lip balm packaging ever. Its cute succulent/cactus-like design is perfect as a decor and is definitely eye-catching. The formula itself isn’t very balmy or moisturizing. It takes some rubbing and dabbing on the lips for it to work.

 

The Inkey List Brighten-i Eye Cream

 

The Inkey List Brighten-i Eye Cream (0.5 oz: 9.99 USD) – Behold! My favorite affordable eye cream that looks luxe and feels luxe. I can’t believe this eye cream is under 10 bucks, but hey, The Inkey brand is a really good brand that delivers quality and affordable skincare. I still have to investigate their products more, but so far, there’s a lot going on with their stuff. This eye cream for sure has a really good luxurious applicator that is easy to apply on the eyes, and since it’s metallic, it feels really cooling on the undereye. The formula itself feels watery and you may need to shake the tube first before you apply it. I haven’t noticed any brightening effect on my undereye bags yet (will update you soon), but this cream works really well under concealer and as a daily undereye moisturizer.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo in Fair/Medium swatch

 

Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in Kitten (0.35 oz: 32 USD) – Just when I thought I already had enough highlighter in my stash, along came this extraordinarily good Stila highlighter and I’m not sure if I’ll ever look back at my previous favorite highlighters. This is probably the creamiest most cushiony highlighter I’ve ever applied on my skin. I love how easy this goes and it lasts the whole day. You can layer this and it looks seamless on the skin. It feels really good, it looks good, and it works so well. No wonder it’s an Allure Best of Beauty Winner.

 

My sincerest thanks to all my dearest friends and family who gave me these amazing beauty and skincare goodies. Also, a special thank you to my wonderful cousin who has made me laugh and cry at the same time, lol. Also, thank you all for reading this post. Love lots.

 

Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighter in Kitten review

 

What are your faves among all of these? Have you tried any of them?

 

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Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush Review + Swatches

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blushes

 

Hello! Remember when I reviewed the Kaja beauty goodies I tested a few months ago? If you have not read it yet, please check it out HERE. As you can see and remember, I really enjoyed and was totally impressed by the Kaja products I’ve tried. Their packaging looks fun, and their products are also very fun to use. But the fun doesn’t stop there. The quality of their products is also very good and high-performing.ย 

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush review

 

So, for this review, I’ll be showing you some of the shades of their Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush (0.17 oz: 24 USD). This blush and its eye-catching design of the packaging is probably the cutest, most different, and most unique blusher I’ve ever tried. It comes in two parts: The upper part contains the heart-shaped applicator and the bottom part contains the saturated sponge of a certain color. You have to twist the upper part to reveal the heart applicator and pop open the bottom compact in order to dip/press the heart applicator to the sponge. Then stamp the applicator to your cheeks and blend. It has the same concept as most cushion foundations.

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush

 

01 Coy – dusty rose

02 Saucy – dusty mauve

03 Bossy – soft coral

05 Sassy – watermelon pink

06 Flirty – cherry blossom

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush swatch

 

This cushiony blush formula feels creamy and light. The shades can be easily blended from being sheer (stamp once) to more drama (stamp twice or more). The overall effect is very natural on the face, and it can be blended by just using the fingers. It also doesn’t move any foundation/makeup, and it lasts the whole day. I also love the amazing scent that the blush has because it’s really delightful. Also, it’s formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp blush

 

If you’re looking for beautiful, good quality blushes that are quick and easy to use, and with amazing lasting power, then I highly recommend these.

 

*Lots of thanks to Kaja Beauty (Sephora) for sending me the Coy and Bossy shades.

 

Kaja Beauty Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush review

 

Do you own any of these blushes? What are your thoughts about them?

 

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FabFitFun Winter 2019 Box

Vera Mona Color Switch Solo

 

One of the things I look forward to during the Winter is to receive my FabFitFun Winter Box. This season, there are several items that are really interesting and are really useful for me and for you guys as well. Also, this season’s box is really pretty and as always very well-designed. So let’s take a look at what I got this time.

 

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo+Conditioner review

 

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo+Conditioner (64 USD) – This haircare is really good and it smells nice. The scent and quality overall reminded me of Alterna haircare. This is my first time trying this brand and it’s really good so far. I love that this shampoo lathers easily and you don’t need to use a lot. This duo softens my hair, and it adds shine and volume without weighing it down.

 

Ban.do Bluetooth Shower Speaker

 

Ban.do Bluetooth Shower Speaker (30 USD) – This is probably the most fun item in this season’s FFF box. This speaker looks so cute, it’s water-resistant, and it has a nice sound quality. Its suction holds well and it’s very easy to pair with your device. It makes showering really fun.

 

Paper Source 12 Month Rose Floral Planner (27.95 USD) – I love this planner because it’s really light, and it has monthly and weekend views, plus it has ample space for me to write. On top of that, it doesn’t look very cluttered, unlike some planners.

 

Makeup Eraser in Original Pink (20 USD) – I was skeptical about this at first, but this super soft towel really works to remove all sorts of makeup. It saves cotton pads, so it’s overall very economical to use, and also very easy to clean.

 

Drybar Prep Rally Prime & Prep Detangler

 

Vera Mona Color Switch Solo (16.99 USD) – I’ve always wanted to have a product like this so I could clean my brush instantly, and be able to switch from one makeup shade to another without rinsing or wiping my brush with a wet cloth or wipes. This really saves me time and so far, it hasn’t pulled any strand out of my brushes.

 

Drybar Prep Rally Prime & Prep Detangler (23 USD) – This bottle looks so pretty and it truly detangles the hair easily, making it more manageable to brush. This also protects the hair from heat styling for up to 450 ยฐ F. The only beef I have with this is that the scent can be too strong.

 

Rodial Soft Focus Glow Drops

 

Rodial Soft Focus Glow Drops (55 USD) – This is another one of my faves from this season’s box. I love the gorgeous bottle of this and its very pretty pinkish glow. This smells really nice (fruity) and it gives a subtle glow on the face. This can be used as a primer or can be mixed with your favorite foundation. This also reminds me of those Farsรกli products.

 

Inc. Redible NailsInc Thirsty Hand Mask Duo

 

Inc. Redible NailsInc Thirsty Hand Mask Duo (16 USD) – This hand mask feels really incredible on the hands since it’s very softening. It smells like pine and something else that awaken the senses. This has the same scent as the Sephora Mud Mask which I love. To use: you just have to put this on like gloves, and you can still do other things while using this, like doing chores, type on your phone, etc.

 

Overall, this Winter’s FFF box is definitely one of my faves so far. I love all the products I got.

 

fabfitfun winter

 

What are your favorites in this season’s box?

 

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