Reviews and Other Stuff

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.

Have you tried any Farmacy products before?

Lake Erie

May 19, 2018 / TRAVELS & PLACES / 0 comments

A couple of months ago, I did an amazing trip to Volant, PA, a borough well-known for its Amish community. You can read about that trip HERE. The same day of that trip, I didn’t only decide to see Volant, I also went to Lake Erie for the first time. I’ve heard amazing things about this place and I wanted to see and experience it for myself.

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake in North America and is situated between Ontario Canada and some of the East Coast States, namely: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. It’s about an hour and thirteen minutes away from Volant by car, and if you’re coming from Philly, it’ll take about six hours and thirty minutes drive to get there. If you’re from Pittsburgh, then it’s closer, which will take about one hour and fifty minutes drive, give or take. Before I reached Lake Erie, I stopped at the Grove City Outlets, which is about 17 minutes from Volant, in order to get some snacks, stretch my legs, and also to check out some good deals. I probably stayed there for about an hour or so, and then I continued towards Erie. The drive there was pretty smooth on a temperate afternoon. As I was approaching Lake Erie, I was amazed by how familiar it looked even if I actually had never been there. It had that sort of Santa Monica California vibe. There were small shacks and rows of seafood restaurants lining down the street, and you could see some rental canoe stores and stuff you’ll need to do a complete water adventure. You could see some parts of the lake peeking through as you approach the Presque Isle State Park, which was my main destination. In those tiny entrance corners of the lake, there were families with kids splashing around and playing around. There were also some people with swimming gears. As I continued towards the entrance of Presque Isle Park, which is a peninsula that overhangs out of Lake Erie, I saw that it’s actually gated and it looked very much like a peaceful sandy park surrounded by this vast body of clear water. There weren’t a lot of people in the park, but there were a few that drove around or had their cars parked along the road to enjoy the view of the lake. I went through a narrow windy road where you could see some boats close to the shore as the view of the lake unfolds.

I was looking for a nice view where I could stop by and take some photos. I continued driving towards the long windy road where I saw a sign that warned me to be careful with wild animals crossing, and that’s when I almost ran over a group of wild turkeys slowly making their way across the road. Oh, my heart leaped out of my chest. Thank God, I managed to stop the car on time and everything was fine. The turkeys took their time to cross while I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought I would have an early Thanksgiving, lol.

As I continued, I saw a really nice view of the lake where it almost looked like I was on the beach; complete with all the sands, the waves, and the sun. There were people strolling there, some barefoot, and some were just trying to fly their kites. I decided to park around there and took a nice long stroll. I pretty much like the area, it was nice to hear the waves roaring again as it reaches the shore. I have not seen the beach nor the sea in a very long time, so a nice large lake like this would certainly do for me. I love the peacefulness and the serenity of it all and photographing the sandy lake never disappoints.

It got pretty chilly later on and I realized it was almost very late in the afternoon. So, as soon as I finished my stroll, I decided to keep driving around the lake until I reach the way to turn back. Before I reached the exit, I stopped again looking for a restroom and decided to take one last stroll within the park. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite like the restrooms in the place; they weren’t very sanitary, especially the portable ones. I suggest you use the designated restrooms close to the very exit whenever you visit this place, as it’s a lot cleaner even though you may have to bring your own toilet paper. Apart from that, the grounds of the park looks really clean, and the lake is well-preserved as well. It’s a quaint and magical place to be. The park seems peaceful and quite romantic. There were a lot of birds to see and I think you could probably do some fishing (with a license) as well.

I didn’t feel like leaving the place so soon, I was really enchanted by its unique beauty, but as I looked at the time, I decided I’d better get back since I’ll have a long drive ahead of me. I decided to have a quick dinner before driving back and had looked for a restaurant to dine at. I found this Japanese restaurant just right in front of Presque Isle Park entrance, called Samurai Kitchen + Sushi. Its got really good reviews on Yelp, so I decided to go there and I got seated immediately. Oh well, much to my dismay, the food took too long to arrive and the taste was just ok, given how much they cost. So I don’t really recommend it. I suggest you find someplace else to dine around there, and if you’re from the area, please send me an email as to which restaurants around are great. I do plan on coming back pretty soon.

Driving back was funny and scary because I noticed a gazillion of these weird bugs reflecting my headlights and smashing down my windshield, to the point that I had to turn my wipers on because they were staining the glass and obstructing my view. I thought they were mosquitoes. I honestly had no idea what they were and thank God I did arrive home safe very late that night. Days later, I found out that they’re called lovebugs.

Overall, I really love my visit to Volant and this trip to Lake Erie just sweetened the deal. I highly suggest that you visit this place especially if you’ve never been here before. It’s such a beautiful, serene, and magical beauty of nature. I could imagine myself strolling or running along the lake, taking photos and being able to enjoy the calmness of it all or to even just listen to the birds. If only Lake Erie is nearby.

To read more about Lake Erie and Presque Isle State Park, click HERE

Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer Review + Swatches

May 17, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey you guys, this season is definitely going to be a bronzer season for me. That’s because there’s been a couple of really gorgeous beautiful bronzers being released out there lately and I just can’t help but feel like I wanna try each one of them. So expect to see more bronzer stuff on my Insta and in my next future posts. A few weeks ago, I talked about the amazing La Mer The Bronzing Powder (seen HERE) and how it’s the perfect sheer bronzer for everyday use. Now, we’ll talk about a more pigmented bronzer that not only looks beautiful on the outside but also applies beautifully on the face. The Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer (0.25 oz: $38) is a love at first sight for me from the moment it was released. It was something I’ve been waiting from Becca Cosmetics even though they’ve already released their single-shade bronzers in the past, called Sunlit Bronzers (0.25 oz: $38). I’ve been wanting those bronzers for a long time but I just couldn’t make up my mind as to what shades I should get. I felt like there were too many beautiful shades to choose from and I ended up not being entirely sure as to which shade matches my skin tone. I thought “If only they’d make a combination of this stuff then I would be more inclined to buy them.” So finally, these Sunrise and Sunset Waves Gradient Sunlit Bronzers are just the perfect bronzers to have this summer especially if you’re looking for one that truly delivers in terms of pigment, lasting power, and natural effect.

These two bronzing compacts are limited-editions and each of them come in four different shades – combining one of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector plus the three shades of their Sunlit Bronzers. Isn’t that amazing and convenient? You not only get one of Becca’s cult favorite iconic highlighters, you’re also getting three tones of their popular bronzers all in one single compact. Speaking of compact, the packaging comes in a signature Becca compact which looks well-made and is simply gorgeous. It comes in a rounded mirror and that pattern of gradient columns of bronzers surrounded by such flattering highlighters is very stare-worthy. You can’t help but think that you’ve made the right splurge.

Sunrise Waves – Has three Sunlit Bronzers:

Bali Sands (soft golden-beige)

Capri Coast (warm golden brown)

Bronzed Bondi (medium amber)

One Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter:

Opal (golden opal pearl)

Sunset Waves – Has three Sunlit Bronzers:

Maui Nights (sienna-kissed bronze)

Ipanema Sun (medium auburn-brown)

Bronzed Bondi (medium amber)

One Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter

Rose Gold (soft gold infused with rose tones)

Both compacts retain that signature Becca quality when it comes to pigments. All shades show on my skin with the darker colors being more pigmented and staining than the others. The colors’ intensity varies depending on what type of brush to use. A loose powder brush applies some light pigments on the face and the dense brush creates a more contoured defined look. Whichever brush you’d use, you will still see the colors on your face. I find the Sunrise Waves compact to be perfect for my light-medium skintone and it gives that enough healthy glow on the face. Also, each of the shade in this compact can be worn alone or combined. You can even use the incorporated Opal highlighter as a facial strobe, while you can choose any of the individual bronzer shade (some matte and some shimmery) for contouring. Once swirled, the effect is kind of a light golden-brown glow, which is really pretty, a perfect blend of highlighter and bronzer in one. On the other hand, the Sunset Waves compact is also a pretty shade and one that I couldn’t ignore, even though it’s meant for someone with a deeper complexion than mine. Each of the bronzers in this compact is super pigmented and you could see that it starts with the Bronzed Bondi shade as its lightest color, which is also present in the Sunrise Waves compact as its darkest tone. The Rose Gold Highlighter is really pretty and once swirled with all three bronzers combined, the effect is dramatic and also very beautiful. On my skin, it looks quite too saturated given its strong pigments, so I try not to put a lot of it and the effect is interesting. It gave me a nice natural flush because of the terracotta-ish Maui Nights shade, and it’s also bronzy and shimmery. I quite like the combinations. It’s like a blush-highlighter-bronzer in one.

Overall, I love the look and feel of these two compact gradient bronzers. They have that same slightly powdery and velvety feel that can only be found in Becca’s products. The pigments are their best selling-point and once applied on the skin, the colors stay put and the effect is very natural. I highly recommend these and I think they are a much better option than the Sunlit Bronzers which only comes in one single shade per compact.

The Becca Gradient Sunlit Bronzer is currently available at Sephora, Ulta, and Revolve