Reviews and Other Stuff

Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick Review And Swatches

December 14, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my cousin and couldn’t help but compliment her alluring lip color. Just like me, she’s a makeup junkie and she mentioned that the Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is her favorite matte lipstick of the moment and possibly one of her faves ever. She told me that she’s so in love with this particular lipstick that she keeps repurchasing them to keep in her stash. Her favorite shades from this lipstick are the darker tones like Framboise and Bordeaux. Meanwhile, I, her perpetual partner in making silly jokes, listened to her attentively and paid attention to her suggestion of me trying this lipstick. I’ve seen and heard about this Stila lipstick before and I’m a big fan of their products, especially their cult-favorite liquid eyeliners and of course their Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick which I reviewed HERE on the blog. However, for some reason, this Stila Matte’ificent lipstick had slipped through the cracks of my radar and I had simply forgotten to test it.

Thanks to my cousin, my love for Stila lipsticks have been renewed and boy, I’m so impressed with this lipstick so far. The Stila Matte’ificent is a comfortable lightweight matte lipstick with strong pigments that can last up to 5 or 6 hours on me sans reapplication. Contrary to some reviews, it isn’t drying on me and it has no annoying scent, just a regular buttery hint that you’d find typical in most lipsticks. It is slimmer than most lipsticks which is great since it allows for a precise application and speaking of how it applies, it does glide easily on the lips and it doesn’t emphasize the lips’ fine lines that much.

Here are my top four favorite shades

Bonbon – terracotta nude, this looks really great on my light-medium skin tone.

Brulee – caramel nude but looks greige on me

Framboise – dark raspberry, almost dark wine red

Mon Ami – rose nude, looks bright nude pink on me

Just like my cousin’s rec, I too am now in love with this lipstick. I find the shades to be very flattering and they wear very well on me. Unfortunately, for some reason, it looks like Stila might discontinue this lipstick soon (God, I hope not) since it’s getting harder and harder to find this lipstick everywhere. So far, it’s no longer available at Ulta or Sephora, but Stilacosmetics.com still carries some shades of this particular lipstick line and it’s on sale for $8.00. Nordys has some of the shades too.

Not really sure what the fuss is all about, heard an issue about this lipstick’s packaging, but so far, I haven’t had any, so I hope Stila would reissue this lipstick soon with more shades because, for me, this is a very good reliable matte lipstick and one that I highly recommend.

The Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is currently available at Stilacosmetics.com, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Amazon, and Dermstore.

Aquis Hair Towel And Hair Turban Review

December 13, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello Everyone and to all haircare fanatics out there! I have this crazy obsession with Aquis hair products lately, especially their Hair Towels and Hair Turbans. For a long long time, I’ve always thought that their products are just a fad, I mean who could ever wonder that such basic looking hair towels can actually hasten the drying time of your hair? For someone like me who uses body towels to also dry my hair, what else could be out there apart from blow dryers and probably paper towels to catch those extra drips from the hair? LOL.

I have a very long hair that takes quite a bit of challenge to manage, especially with the drying time. I hate using bath towels because they’re too heavy on my head and they really take a long time to dry my hair. It probably takes around 15 to 20 minutes to dry my hair completely with a blow dryer powered to the max strength available, which is not only time-consuming but it’s also tiring for my arms. Most of the time, I just give up and leave my hair damp, or just air dry it. That is until I decided to take matters into my own hands and tried the Aquis hair towel and turban.

I first purchased the Aquis Original Hair Towel for long hair in soft pink on Amazon for $24.99. It is about 19×44 inches long and it has a soft microfiber feel that is kinda static and lightweight at the same time. It is long enough for my hair length and it does a very good job at absorbing water off my hair. It takes about 20 minutes for it to wick the water off my hair without any drippings noticed afterward, and it cuts off my blow drying time to about 10 minutes. For me, that’s a huge help, and on top of that, it’s so light on my head compared to using the heavy bath towels which tends to shift and fall off easily, apart from being not so absorbent at all

I was curious about the Aquis hair towels and turbans at Sephora and Ulta, which I heard are quite different from the affordable ones you’d find on Amazon, so I decided to try their Waffle Luxe Hair Turban in white for $40. The waffle ones are meant for thick and porous hairs, and I do have some thick strands even though my hair is flat and somewhat fine in texture. I find the waffle types to be slightly softer and not that static and it really does drink up the excess water off my hair by a good 15 minutes, so it’s a much better improvement from the Aquis towel in my opinion, although I can only speak for the Original Aquis hair towels found at Amazon, but from the looks of it, the ones from Sephora are really not that different anyway, at least texture-wise.

In the future, I’d probably buy more of the Aquis Hair Turbans rather than the Hair Towels because I find that the Turbans are much easier and more stable to use since I don’t need to tuck the tip of the hair towel underneath it close to my nape. The turbans have a button for easy anchoring and they work well for longer hair. I also think that the Waffle ones cut off drying time a bit better than the Original or Lisse Luxe type which are meant for fine strands, and you don’t even need to keep it that long on the hair. Probably you can take it off once it feels soaked and damp and you’re good to blow dry or air dry your hair. Letting it on the hair for longer periods can actually make the hair too dry and frizzy, but if you follow the instructions properly, then you’ll have smooth, friction-free and healthy-looking hair at any lengths.

The Aquis Lisse Luxe/Waffle Luxe Hair Towels and Turbans are currently available at Ulta, Sephora, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Dermstore, Revolve, Neiman Marcus, Selfridges, and Violet Grey

While the Aquis Original Hair Turbans and Towels can be found at Amazon or Target

Samples of The Week

December 12, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi guys, I’ve been away for a couple of days since I had some traveling to do and things had been pretty hectic lately due to all these holidays coming, so don’t be surprised if I’m MIA from time to time. Anyways, I do have a couple of minis to review today and they’re absolutely worth a try. I’ve got some nice foundations and skincare from La Prairie, a winter-toned blush from Make Up For Ever, a nice makeup remover from Dior, and a couple of scents worth looking into. Excited much? Read on

Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #2 (1 oz: $62) – Shimmery Beige. This a shimmery fluid base that is perfect to layer under the foundation for a nice glowy finish, and it’s also great as a highlighter. The amount of shimmer this has is quite buildable, so you can go with a nice subtle glow by using less, or opt for a blinding one by adding a bit more. This gives a youthful healthy-looking effect.

Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation SPF 25 in #3.5 (1 oz: $64) – Fair Skin with Neutral Undertone. Obviously, this sample shade is too light for me, but I can definitely see why this is such a good matte foundation. This goes on smooth and really easy to blend and you don’t need to apply a lot because this is super pigmented. It is mattifying without making the face look flat and on top of that, it feels really light and non-cakey.

Make Up For Ever Artist Face Color Highlight, Sculpt and Blush Powder in S214 (0.17 oz: $23) – Rosewood Blush. This is such a pigmented blush so it requires a light-handed application or else you might end up with that Pikachu blush effect, LOL, which is totally not bad at all, it’s just intense. This blush shade is so at this moment, especially in this chilly gloomy season because it pops, and it’s also very sculpting on the face.

Tarte Brighter Days Highlighting Moisturizer (1.69 oz: $32) – This is way too shimmery for me as a moisturizer, so I suggest using this mildly as a base to tone down a matte foundation or this could be used as a highlighter as well.

Dior Hydra Life Micellar Water No Rinse Cleanser (6.7 oz: $42) – A delightful fresh-floral scented micellar water that removes makeup so well including the toughest waterproof mascara and eyeliners. I like this a lot and I love that this doesn’t dry my skin after using it.

Dior Poison Girl Eau de Toilette (1 oz: $62, 1.7 oz: $1.7 oz: $80, 3.4 oz: $102) – A warm and sweet scent that is a tad fresh and spicy. It is perfect for this holiday season with its notes of vanilla, orange, and neroli. I think this is a delightful scent for a girl who is full of life and cheeriness.

Clean Reserve Acqua Neroli (Mini/0.33 oz: $25, 3.4 oz: $95) – OMG! Tom Ford Neroli Portofino is this you? LOL. Well, this scent smells like it’s pulled from the same Tom Ford Neroli, Mandarino di Amalfi and Sole di Positano line but way cheaper. It’s fresh, exciting, and will remind you of endless Summer fun.

Le Labo Lys 41 Eau de Parfum (0.5 oz: $80, 1.7 oz: $184, 3.4 oz: $270) – Just when I thought I couldn’t love more jasmine scents in this world, then came this alluring scent from Le Labo and I’m sold. This is one of the most gorgeous white flower perfumes I’ve ever sniffed and it gets better with time. It has a nice blend of jasmine, tuberose, and lily.

Maison Margiela Replica Flower Market Eau de Toilette (3.4 oz: $126) – Smells like a fresh bouquet of rosebuds and varying rose petals intertwined with freesias. This scent will totally remind you of the fresh flower market one morning stroll in Paris. Nostalgic and dreamy.

La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster Gel Serum (1.7 oz: $315) – This is a very expensive serum that smells divine, like a lovely floral that goes into the skin like a charm. It smells expensive and it feels expensive, LOL, and my face absorbed this serum so well as if it can tell that it’s high-end, oh my, I hate my skin already. Hahaha! This serum is sooo good and it’s so moisturizing without being sticky. It kept my face moisturized throughout the whole day even without using any moisturizer and it has a nice softening effect to it. I wish I could afford this all the time, but nope, hopefully someday when I’ll stumble upon a pot of gold. LOL. A girl can dream.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen (1 oz: $195) – I’m a big fan of cushion-type foundations but I’ve never tried a super high-end one like this. I actually didn’t expect much from this “caviar” foundation, but when I tried this, I was blown away. This is definitely the best cushion foundation I’ve ever tried as of the moment and it has this dewy finish with buildable light to medium coverage. It does a very good job at covering blemishes and imperfections while making it look like a second skin and it lasts the whole day. It also doesn’t slide and you may or may not need to set this with a finishing powder. This foundation also smells so good and surprisingly it didn’t flare up my oily-prone skin. Most of the shades in the samples here are either too light or too deep for me, but the shade Honey Beige seems to work for me just fine. It may seem darker on my skin tone at first glance, but once it blends, it goes well on my complexion.

Have you tried any of these minis before? Stay tuned for more samples to be reviewed soon…