Reviews and Other Stuff

Favorite Travel Packing Pouches and Cases

August 30, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey! I just got back from a quick NYC trip and thought that I’d like to share with you some of my favorite packing cases and pouches that I usually use whenever I travel within the country or even outside. I’ve taken these pouches with me wherever I go and though I don’t take them all at the same time, I’ve pretty much used them in rotation several times. All throughout my travels, I’ve used countless of pouches and cases to stuff my necessities and it has taken me a long time to actually figure out what really works for me and what could actually be the right fit for my carry-on or my luggage without wasting so much space. Finding the right packing pouches and cases for toiletries, makeup, and some other essentials can be such a challenge, and a daunting one, and for a long time I always resorted to Ziplocs to contain my stuff, which is still a good idea and I also recommend, however, there came a point where I wanted some protection for my things, especially the packaging of my beauty and skin products that could shatter. I also wanted something to organize my stuff, and not just shove them in a bag mixed and matched with some other items I own. Though not all of my favorite packing cases and pouches are reviewed here, don’t worry because there will be a second part of this review pretty soon and you will see the travel bags and pouches I especially use when I travel internationally. For now, since I travel within the country mostly, let’s start with my current faves.

Truffle is one of my most favorite and preferred brands when it comes to travel cases and clutches. Their stuff is well-curated to suit every person’s travel needs – from card cases to TSA-approved clear clutches and jewelry cases, you will always find something interesting and useful at Truffle. But that’s not the only thing I love about them, I find their designs to be very well-made and very versatile. Their leather trims are sleek and minimalist, while their zippers don’t feel weak, and their clear pouches and cases feel thick and resistant to puncture and breakage. I’ve been using their stuff for a couple of years now and they still hold so well. Most of their stuff may be pricey, but they’re totally worth it.

Clarity Jetset Case in Dusty Blush ($85) – This case is trimmed with Saffiano leather and it feels robust. Its clear panels feel very durable and its size is TSA-approved for carry-ons. The dimension is about 2 inches in height, 7.5 inches length, and 5.25 inches in width. This pouch can fit a few eyeshadows and face palettes, some eye brushes, one or two face brushes, a couple of eyeliners and some lipsticks. It’s spacious enough to contain your favorite beauty products for a short few days trip. As a beauty junkie, I fit all of my favorite eye makeup products inside this sleek pouch, and yet there’s still some room for more.

Clarity Clutch Mini in Dusty Blush ($38) – This cute and well-made mini clear clutch is such a delight every time I see it. In fact, I’ve been using this a lot and almost non-stop, whether I’m traveling or just running errands around town. I just put in the beauty and skincare products that I reach out a lot and then toss this clutch inside my tote and I’m good to go. This is so handy and is also TSA-approved. The size is 8 inches in length and 5 inches in height. It’s also Saffiano-leather trimmed and is pretty much perfect to carry anywhere.

Privacy Jewelry Case Mini in Black ($75) – One of the latest additions by Truffle and I fell in love with this case the first time I saw it. It’s made of Saffiano leather on the outside and it has a felt velvety interior lining. It also has a leather slip pocket with a removable drawstring pouch. The height is about 3 inches, with a length of 5.5 inches, and 3.5 inches in width. I’ve always wanted something like this to store and protect the jewelries I take with me when I travel, and also the ones I might buy during my trips. To me, this case is so useful and so versatile. Sometimes, if it occupies too much space in my carry-on or in my bag, I just take the removable pouch with me and put it inside my tote or purse.

Clarity Pouch Small ($40) – This pouch is so easy to use and it can hold more than it actually looks. It has a 2-inch wide expandable bottom and it can sit upright. Its overall size is 9 inches in length, 7 inches in height and 2 inches in width. It’s TSA-friendly for carry-ons and can fit a travel-size lotion, mini shampoo, and conditioner or travel bottles, and a mini hair styling product.

Glossier Pink Bubble Pouches (free when you buy Glossier products) – If you’re tired of packing your essentials in the usual Ziploc which really doesn’t protect anything that may shatter, then I really suggest that you collect a few of these. For me, these are still my favorite easy to use travel pouches that can actually protect your skincare or makeup favorites that are contained in heavy glass packaging since these have bubble cushions inside. Also, these look really cute and sleek, plus you can get them for free when you buy some Glossier items. You’ll usually get a large pouch free if you purchase their lotions and body products or any large items, and since it’s large, I could fit my electric toothbrush in it plus its charger. The size is 10.25 inches length and 9 inches in height, plus it can fit a lot of stuff. The smaller size which you’ll get if you buy their lipsticks and glosses or some other small products is about 8.5 inches in length and 7 inches in height. It can fit some beauty and skincare essentials but try not to overfill it since the plastic zip can be weak.

Tory Burch Robinson Small Makeup Bags in Pink and Black ($98) – These are the slightly older style of Tory Burch’s Robinson makeup pouches. They’re pretty much sold out nowadays, but there is a very similar and updated style available at toryburch.com, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Shopbop at the same price. These pouches have a flat bottom and their size is about 5 inches in length, 4 inches in height, and 3 inches in width. I love the look of these, they’re really cute and since they’re quite small, they can fit anywhere and everywhere, which makes them so convenient to carry. However, as cute as they are, they can only carry a limited number of items, and they have to be very small or else the pouch won’t close. So, most of the time, I only put a mini Tom Ford lipstick, a small face mist like Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary, sometimes a mini eyeliner, or a Dior Lip Glow, and I could barely fit my Dior Dreamskin Cushion in it.

Anya Hindmarch In-flight Case in Blush ($275-$285) – Another favorite makeup case of mine is this by Anya Hindmarch. I’ve always wanted this for a long time but it’s so pricey. When I finally did pull the trigger on this, I was glad that I did because this pretty much organizes and stores my favorite makeup products for traveling, and it can fit a lot. It’s leather trimmed with two sides/zipped compartments, one is labeled for “take off” and the other is labeled “touch down”, basically for that quick touch-ups when you land. The only thing that sorta surprised when I got this case was that I found the clear panels to be quite thin, much thinner than Truffle’s and I’m not sure about TDE’s version (that I have to try), but so far, this has held up so well, so no worries. The touch down compartment has an elastic holder to hold a few small bottles or any items in place. But I never stored any bottles on this side, I just put some facial masks in it like the ones you see in the photo (these masks are so cheap and so fun to use-available at Amazon) and other skincare and makeup samples I may wanna try during my trip. The take off compartment can fit a lot like you could potentially fit two to three face and eyeshadow palettes, two compacts, some face brushes, a couple of lipsticks, mascaras, eyeliners, travel perfumes, concealers, foundations, setting sprays, etc. I’ve taken this makeup case everywhere and have gone through TSA security without any problem. The overall size of this case is 4.7 inches in width, 9 inches in length, and 3.5 inches in height. I got mine at Neiman Marcus but it’s currently sold out everywhere, though you may still find this at Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom, and of course at anyahindmarch.com.

Sephora Collection The Gallivanter Clear To Go Bags – These were the cheap clear travel set pouches (3 bags) from Sephora that is already sold out nowadays, but a similar version is HERE. I like these pouches a lot because they’re very roomy and of course, they’re clear. They may not protect the delicate stuff but here I can put my toiletries, extra makeup, and skincare, plus some vitamins and supplements. The largest bag size which is labeled for toiletries can fit a lot, it’s about 10 inches in length and 8 inches in height. The medium size labeled for makeups is 9 inches in length and 6.25 inches height. The smallest named touch ups is 8 inches length and 5 inches in height. These clear bags are so easy to open, has robust zippers, and can fit lots of stuff, so far they held well with my travels even though my kitties attempted to bite their corners. LOL.

Have you traveled lately? Which pouches and cases have you used?

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Book Review.

August 28, 2018 / OTHER STUFF / 1 Comment

Outlier – a person or thing differing from all other members of a particular group or set. Ex. people whose achievements fall outside normal experience.

I’m not quite a fan of self-help books, and I don’t really know why. Perhaps because I haven’t really found the one that really inspired me. Although I do have a thing for Psychology books, especially the Feeling Good book by Dr. Burns. I’ve read countless self-help books in the past, but I always seem to just forget about them right after finishing the last page. Recently, I was wandering around at my local Barnes & Noble and I stumbled at the Psychology area when I found this minimalistic book by Malcolm Gladwell called the “Outliers”. I immediately read the back part and was truly intrigued by it. Then it dawned on me, a friend suggested this book to me before but I didn’t really pay that much attention, so, this time, I know I’ve got to read this book. I was so intrigued about knowing the people we consider Outliers, and the whole term is sort of news to me. So, I bought the book in Amazon since it’s cheaper there and I started reading it non-stop.

I wouldn’t call this a self-help book, it’s not really, but more like a non-fiction inspirational book about understanding the people we call as Outliers in this world. Most of our understanding of the path to success and about very successful people are defined by the misconception that you have to have an innate talent, or that you have to be hardworking. Truth is, in this book, talent and hardwork are indeed parts of success, but these two qualities are not enough. Yes, you have to work so hard and have a talent, but you also need to be born at the right circumstances. These circumstances are very important in achieving success and that is how we can understand that the Outliers of the world didn’t just start from scratch or came from nothing and then became very successful. Further, this book will answer why there are no star hockey players born in the Fall, or why the smartest man in the world is not necessarily the most successful in life.

This book is an eye-opener and will change the way you view life. It puts everything in perspective and will make you realize why such very successful people exist. The answer is pretty much right there, you just have to make sense of it. With that being said, it doesn’t mean that nobody can be successful, the book will tell you that if only we’d applied what we know of success in all its complexities and elements, then we’d have more Outliers in this world, and in that sense, there won’t be such thing as an Outlier at all.

I highly recommend this book, as well as some other books by Malcolm Gladwell. He’s definitely my favorite author now and I just like the way he writes and explains things. He is very keen on observing our society and its occurrences. So, for that, I’ve already started reading his other books like “The Tipping Point” and “Blink“. However, this Outlier book holds a special place in my heart. It’s a fascinating read that will inspire you to learn about people’s success stories and realize that success truly doesn’t happen overnight or from scratch, it’s a much more complicated event that happens when all the right circumstances and all the forces of nature combined to make a dream a reality.

The Outliers book by Malcolm Gladwell is currently available at http://www.amazon.com or at Audible as an audiobook.

Benefit Cosmetics Brow Contour Pro Review And Swatches

August 20, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Benefit recently released their Brow Contour Pro ($34) products and I couldn’t resist getting my hands on them. The Brow Contour Pros are brow colors that are pretty much contained in a multicolor pen type. Each fat pen houses four shades: A lighter shade for the inner part of the brow. A deeper shade for the outer half part of the brow. There’s also a definer shade to define the brow’s edge, and the last is a highlighter shade to clean and shape the brow’s arch.

Personally, I’ve been waiting for a product like these. I usually use two brow shades in order to do my eyebrows since I like to create depth and dimension on them. I learned the technique from makeup artists who advised me to do my brows in that manner so they won’t look so flat. Normally, I tend to pick brow colors that are a shade lighter than my brunette hair, then I’d pick another color lighter than that brow color to use on the inner half of my brows so as to soften my look. Lately, I’ve been using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Soft Brown and Medium Brown) or the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil in shades 3 and 4. I love them a lot, however, I thought it would be kinda easy if I don’t have to lug around two brow products in my makeup bag all the time. I could go with one, but I really love the look of having a contoured ombre-like brow, since it just looks more natural and less harsh to me. So with these Benefit Brow Contour Pros, I feel like my prayers were answered.

There are five available shades of these new Benefit Brow products. Three of them are swatched below. The shades/pens I picked are based on what would look good on my hair color and skintone.

Brown Light – was worried this would be too light for me, but I actually could pull this off, and this softens my look.

Brown Medium – this complements well with my black hair color and this also makes my brows look less harsh. The definer and the highlighter shades look pretty identical though.

Brown-Black Light – thought this is very much the same color as my hair and this makes my brows look a little too harsh, given my light-medium skintone. This would be great if your complexion is very warm to deep. Also, the deeper and lighter shades are quite similar to each other.

These Brow Contour Pros are meant to be waterproof and long-wearing, so there’s definitely no worries about them fading so soon. The pigment of these is really good. They apply easily like a cream and set well on my brows after a few minutes. They even stay put after I workout or after I sweat. They can pretty much withstand heat and humidity especially in this Summer and I love that they’re easy to correct or blend. You just use your own pinky finger to sorta correct any smudges or blend the shades perfectly to achieve a natural look.

As much as I love these brow products, I’m sure you noticed that there’s one thing missing – The Spoolie! There’s no spoolie attached to this multicolor brow pens, it’s actually sold separately (available HERE). So that’s kinda inconvenient, especially since I’m used to having spoolies at the other end of my brow products, which really makes things easier for me. Another thing I wanna point out is that since the pen is thick, it tends to rub against my brow bone which makes the application a little less precise. Other than that, I really love the diversity of shades in these Benefit Brow Contour Pros. They are convenient since you get all the shades you need to create the perfect multidimensional brow, but you’re really going to need that Spoolie with you all the time.

Have you tried these already? What are your thoughts?

The Benefit Brow Contours Pros are currently available at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, JCPenney