Hello Friends. A few weeks ago I did a review of this very functional travel makeup case called ” The Voyage” from Case-Up Miami. You can read more about this case HERE. I really love how versatile and sleek this makeup case is, and it’s so easy to store. It can hold different sizes of beauty products and cleaning it is a breeze. Now for the good part, one of you will get to have this wonderful makeup case. Read the terms below.ย
One winner will receive one Voyage Travel Makeup Case in navy blue from Case-Up Miami. Open internationally but you must be at least 18 years old or older. Note that the first two entries for this giveaway are mandatory, therefore, they must be completed. The other options are for bonus entries in order to improve your chance of winning. This giveaway is running through 3/28. A winner will be picked the next day and will be announced through this widget. You will also be emailed by me. You must respond to my email within 24 hours or another winner will be selected in your place.
(Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Case-Up Miami)
To enter for a chance to win, enter through the widget below by completing at least the first two steps.
Hello guys, Happy Almost Spring! I can’t believe Winter’s almost over, however, it’s still cold from where I’m at and I’m still rocking my dark outfits along with my smokey eyeshadows. Speaking of eyeshadows, there’s one I’ve been playing with lately and it’s the Pat McGrath Labs Mothership V Bronze Seduction Eyeshadow (10 shades: $125). For a long time, I’ve been wanting to have at least one PMG eyeshadow because the shades are just so unique and so stunning to look at, not to mention the glowing reviews. PMG Labs seem to be equated with high-quality makeup along with outstanding ingredients and superb pigments. Out of all the PMG eye palettes, I had my eyes set on the Bronze Seduction eyeshadow because, for me, the colors in this palette seem to be the most cohesive. However, I keep skipping it because it’s really pricey.ย
When this Bronze Seduction eyeshadow kept getting sold out for quite some time, I decided, it’s time to pull the trigger and find out how will this eye palette perform on me and does it really live up to the hype? or at least, are the Pat McGrath eyeshadows really worth it?
The PMG Mothership V Bronze Seduction Eyeshadow has 10 ultra-pigmented shades which are composed of 3 finishes: matte (3), shimmer (3), and glitter (4). At first glance, it gives you the impression that it’s mostly full of bronzey and coppery shades. Upon closer look and initial swatch test, it’s actually full of a pretty versatile group of colors because it can create a neutral daytime look and it can also take you to a date night ultra-glam occasion.
Skin Show Divine Glow – shimmery golden champagne
Entrapment – mid-terracotta matte
Blaze Bronze – glittery golden bronze
Rose Gold 005 – glittery rose gold
VR Fire Opal – glittery color shifting chartreuse
Xtreme Aubergine – darkened matte violet
Gilty Pleasure – shimmery bronze-taupe
Disobedient – matte mahogany
Blitz Flame – shimmery metallic crimson
Astral Luna Gold – glittery white gold
Let’s take a moment to admire the packaging of this eyeshadow palette. It is SO beautiful! and so well-thought-out. This probably has the most beautiful presentation for an eye makeup palette that I’ve ever seen. But we all know that PMG cosmetics, in general, puts emphasis on the aesthetics of their packaging.
I find the matte shades to be buttery soft and very easy to blend. They’re so pigmented that I have to be really light-handed when applying them and I have to use a very soft blending brush like the ones from Ulta (seen HERE) in order not to overdo my eye makeup game.
The shimmery ones are also quite pigmented but they do have a nice soft shimmery effect, but it’s not like they don’t go unnoticed. They’re softly dramatic and they complement the matte shades very well, especially if you don’t wanna go all shining, shimmering, splendid during the day. When it comes to the glittery colors, I find them to be very unique, especially the VR Fire Opal and the Astral Luna Gold. These two shades are kinda out of this world and they shine bright like a diamond, LOL. I love how they transform the lid into this all-out dramatic look-at-me type of eye makeup. These glittery shades are definitely commanding yet they feel soft and not scratchy on the lids. I did see a few subtle fallouts but it’s nothing serious. I love that I could layer the glitter from just a hint of it to a super blinding one if I want to.
Overall, I highly recommend this Pat McGrath Mothership V Bronze Seduction Eyeshadow Palette. I think out of all the PMG eye palettes out there, this is probably the best one in terms of color coherence and each shade is truly beautiful and universally wearable, apart from looking very unique. My eye makeup looks stunning whenever I wear this and this lasts the whole day without smudging. However, I still recommend that you use a lid primer when using this palette so as to make sure that your eye makeup stays put no matter what the situation calls for. If you’re going to have just one Pat McGrath eyeshadow in your life, this has got to be the one since this will bring out the best in your eyes.
The Pat McGrath Labs Mothership V Bronze Seduction Eyeshadow is currently available at Sephora and Bergdorf Goodman
A few months ago, I reviewed the Pantene Micellar Shampoo and Conditioner haircare line, seen HERE. I did promise you guys that I will be investigating their Charcoal line as well, and today, we are finally going to talk about it and I’ll give you my opinion regarding how this collection perform based on my experience after using it for some time.
I’m not quite sure whether I’ve ever used a charcoal shampoo or charcoal conditioner in the past, but I’ve been really curious about them. It seems like they’re all the buzz nowadays. I do like the idea of using or adding activated charcoal to my haircare regimen since my hair tends to become a hot mess if I don’t wash it the following day, read more about that HERE. You can imagine my curiosity when I heard about the Pantene Charcoal line, so here goes my two cents…
Charcoal Shampoo Purifying Root Wash (10.1 oz – 17.9 oz: $5.99 – $9.99) – This is a purifying root wash shampoo which utilizes activated charcoal to deeply cleanse not only each hair strand but also the scalp. It’s meant to remove excess oil and product buildup from the hair which tends to weigh the hair down, thus looking flat and heavy. The result is a deeply-cleansed hair that looks bouncy, renewed, with volume, and fresh-looking even up to the next day without washing it. Kinda like a detox cleanse for the hair, it’s made without parabens, dyes, and silicones, so it’s perfect for those with color-treated or chemically-treated hair. The scent of this shampoo is surprising because it doesn’t have a strong charcoal scent, instead, this has some sort of a minty fresh clean fragrance which is really light and somewhat energizing to use. I love that this lathers well with just a few pumps and though I was worried at first that this might dry my hair, actually, it didn’t. I never noticed this stripping my hair off of its natural moisture. So technically, this is perfect for daily use. However, I still use my favorite daily moisturizing shampoo in combination with this, and that’s because we’re still in the cold dry Winter months and I need to keep some moisture in my hair somehow. I do believe that a combination of this charcoal shampoo plus your fave moisturizing shampoo would be a great tandem to help keep the hair at its best- not too oily and not too dry. I also believe that any charcoal shampoo like this one from Pantene is a must-have in the shower for twice or three times a week thorough detox hair cleansing.
Charcoal Conditioner Renewing Cream Rinse (10.1 oz – 17.9 oz: $5.99 – $9.99) – This activated charcoal conditioner doesn’t look very charcoal-ish by appearance and feels very light yet creamy. It also doesn’t weigh the hair down, and it’s infused with Vitamin B5, rich antioxidants, plus it’s formulated without parabens, dyes, and silicones. So, it’s color-safe and it works for processed hair. The scent of this is just like the Charcoal Shampoo above which is slightly minty fresh. I like this conditioner a lot because it doesn’t leave any residue on my hair and it doesn’t weigh on my very long strands. On top of that, it makes my hair look healthy and shiny without being too oily the next day.
Overall, I find these Pantene Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner to be somewhat better than the Micellar haircare line because I feel like these really remove excess oil and product buildup from the roots and they surprisingly don’t dry the strands. They’re pretty much perfect for everyday use and they keep the hair clean and fresh for longer period. Also, these are really lightweight for the hair so they make it bouncy. Apart from being friendly to color-treated and chemically-treated hair, these are definitely perfect for those with oily hair types. On the other hand, I still feel like I want to try and investigate some other activated charcoal-infused haircare out there, but for now, these are my fave Charcoal hair care products so far and they’re pretty much easy to find, not to mention being so affordable.
FYI: I will be testing the latest Pantene Rose Water Collection soon. Will update you guys about it.
Have you tried any Charcoal-blend haircare products before?
The Pantene Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner are currently available at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, and in most drugstores everywhere.
