Reviews and Other Stuff

Sephora Play! January 2018

January 30, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Nothing starts the new year makeup resolution like hydration, hydration, and hydration. Sephora’s January 2018 Play box is all about skin prepping and the practice of moisturization. So definitely my box has a couple of skincare stuff, primer stuff, and even haircare stuff which I haven’t tried before, and I had quite a lot of fun playing and testing these;

Fresh Rose Floral Toner (8.05 oz: $40) – Smells like a freshly plucked rose, this toner is very refreshing to the skin, and I love that it never gave me any irritation all throughout my usage with this. It can be used as a makeup setting spray, as a primer, or as what Fresh recommends, it can be placed in the refrigerator and use it to cool down the skin on the summer days. I really like this and I would like to have this in its full size because it has a sprayer. This would be really good as a face mist/toner right after washing the face post-workout at the gym or even at work to freshen up the skin and clear those pores.

GlamGlow Supercleanse Clearing Cream-to-Foam Cleanser (5 oz: $32) – This cleanser is surprisingly good. I thought this was gonna be like meh, but actually, this feels really good on the skin. It doesn’t have that strong charcoal scent which I thought it would just like the GlamGLow Supermud Mask (reviewed HERE), instead, this is quite soothing, a bit like menthol and herbal blend with slight charcoal in it. Surprisingly, it’s not gritty, it doesn’t sting, and it’s not irritating to my skin. I love how creamy it feels being a charcoal cleanser, and this foams really well. It does a thorough job of cleaning my oily-prone skin, but it didn’t dry it. It’s quite impressive.

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream (0.5 oz: $26.50) – Seen this eye cream a lot. It’s everywhere and I’m glad that Sephora Play sent me this. It doesn’t have any strong scents, in fact, I don’t think it has any scent at all. It’s really moisturizing and quite refreshing once it comes in contact with the undereyes. I love that the packaging allows for an easy glide around the eyes, and it has kept my lid and undereyes moisturized for hours. I haven’t seen any lightening or any dramatic result yet, but I seem to like this cream. Just be careful upon application though, try not to squeeze too much while applying this around the eyes or else it’s gonna squirt right into it.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (mini/0.5 oz: $15, standard/1 oz: $42) – Hmmm, didn’t know Smashbox made something like this. It’s a primer and moisturizer love child, a primerizer. Cool name, huh? this doesn’t have any strong smell, and it contains hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, which felt really nice on my skin. It’s very moisturizing and it’s true that it holds my makeup for several hours. It’s great for this chilly season, and it gives that nice dewy look. Hmmm, I might switch my favorite primer for this.

Lancome Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base (0.19 oz: $25.50) – I already have a few of this because I’m a fan of lash primers. I use this and the Dior one, which are both so good, and they add further volume and length to your eyelashes. This really makes me look like I have full lashes no matter what time of the day. It also works with any mascara, and overall it just takes your eyelash drama to another level. Further reviewed HERE.

Alterna Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner (mini/1.35 oz: $10, standard/8.5 oz: $34, value/16.5: $52) – These caviar-infused shampoo and conditioner are very interesting. I’ve seen them a lot in Sephora, just didn’t pull the trigger on them because I’ve always been a Living Proof, Kerastase and Drugstore haircare fan. They smell a bit like Kerastase Aura Botanica (reviewed HERE), but a bit stronger, in my opinion. The Shampoo doesn’t seem to lather much, it took me three washes to get a good clean even though my hair wasn’t really that oily when I washed it. But it did clean it well after that. The Conditioner, on the other hand, is very creamy and I only had to use 1/2 of the sachet to coat my hair. It noticed a very faint smell of vinegar on this, but hardly noticeable. No worries because this conditioner still has a nice fresh scent to it. Overall, I like the effect that these two products did to my hair. It felt really clean, soft, and bouncy. I had no frizz or dry strands, and it just seemed to relax my hair quite well without looking oily and heavy. Hmmm, these are really promising.

Aren’t these products cool? I had a great time testing them, so far, I seem to love all the products for this month. They’re very useful and I hope February’s box will be as fun as this.

What’s your fave from this month’s products?

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Cat’s Meow Toy Review

January 25, 2018 / PET STUFF / 0 comments

If you have a dependent cat that meows all the time and bothers you about anything then you’ll need some really good interactive toys. These cats need to be entertained or be distracted so you can do your chores and so that they won’t get on your nerves. It can be hard and quite tricky to find the right toy or toys for the job, and that particular toy has to suit your cat’s needs and personality. I have purchased different kinds of toys for my large lazy cats, including a lot of interactive toys to keep them active and so that they won’t meow at me all the time. I don’t really buy much of those “As Seen On TV” products, but here’s one cat toy from them that has become a favorite of my cats.

The Cat’s Meow Toy Undercover Mouse Interactive ($19.99) is really a surprising love for me and my cats. It’s one of those toys that they just can’t get enough with. I think the concept of this toy started in Japan, I could be wrong though. It works based on the concept of peek-a-boo, mouse hunt, and pouncing, which are the things that are basic instinct for a cat. Since cats love to do this thing, playing with this toy is an endless fun until they consume their energy. No more screaming demanding cat staring at you in the kitchen or giving you that angry look.

This toy comes in 3 different kinds; the standard one which has only one speed, no remote, and no battery, the V4 RC that comes different speeds with timer, and a remote control, and the V4 RC plus Battery which comes with the remote control, different speeds/timer, and a lithium battery for the toy. I only got the standard one, which is already good enough for my cats. I’ve heard bad things about the V4 ones, with a lot of people claiming that their remotes are basically useless as you would still have to be close to the toy in order to control it. Speaking of batteries, this standard Cat’s Meow Toy runs in three C batteries of any brand, which could last for about 20-30 minutes with constant play. After that, the toy might slow down a bit. Mine didn’t get discharged easily, and I have my cats playing with them for periods of 10 to 15 minutes and then another session later on with still the same battery.

The standard version of the toy itself requires a bit of assembly once you take it out of the box. It doesn’t come with free batteries (unless you’re buying the remote + batt) so you’re gonna have to provide your own three C batteries, which are kinda large and heavy. This toy works like a motor that has a switch at the center with a rotating mouse-like wand that moves randomly left or right while being covered or hidden with nylon fabric that sort of acts like a skirt. My cats chase the wand thinking that it’s a little mouse playing hide and seek with them. With time, the wand gets worn out and even the fabric skirt as well, but you can buy replacements for them. For a more interactive play, you can also tape a feather on the wand and the cats will go crazy chasing it.

The motor is pretty robust and it can work on any surface, but it can be loud, but my cats didn’t seem to mind. It’s true that this toy really tends to eat the batteries fast. I usually keep an extra set of C batteries, just in case. My cats go bonkers with this and they keep playing with this toy whenever they can. This is definitely one of their favorites, and the look on their face whenever they play with this toy is priceless.

Have you tried this for your cats already?

The Cat’s Meow Toy is currently sold out at Amazon, but here’s a similar product, click HERE.

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Best Matte Foundations

January 23, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello all of you! Matte foundations have been gaining a lot of popularity lately. Every brand has its own version of matte or soft matte foundations, it’s kinda hard to choose which one would suit you. Even when the weather is dry, it seems like there are no hints of matte makeup products going away. If you have the oily skin type, you’re definitely gonna need at least a few of these mattifiers, but at the same time, you don’t wanna risk buying anything that will ghost on you, or cake at least. Personally, I find matte foundations to be quite a challenge to use with. They just kinda make my face look flat, undefined and kinda aged.

I’ve been testing a few mattifying foundations lately and most of you may have heard their names/brands already. I narrowed down my choices to the top 5, or should I say, the best 5 matte/mattifying/soft matte foundations according to my test and experience with them. I’d like to say that they’re all really great matte foundations, but some are much better than the others.

5 Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Matte Foundation in Medium Light (1 oz: $40) – A water-based, weightless, oil-free, silicon-free, full-coverage mattifying foundation. It has a fruity smell in an easy lightweight packaging. This formula doesn’t need to be applied a lot because even though it’s water-based, it’s still very pigmented. The matte effect is on the soft side, so it still gives a natural look, and it does a great job of hiding imperfections. However, after 4 hours of being into it, this foundation started to break apart and it was kinda sliding. It also settled into the pores and crease lines, so wearing this for long hours is not a good idea. I suggest using this only for a couple of hours, like running errands.

4 Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in 210 (1.08 oz: $34) – Another oil-free foundation that’s meant to be lightweight, buildable, with a medium to full coverage. It doesn’t have any strong scents, and it’s one of those true soft matte foundations I’ve even tried. I like that it feels really light on my skin and it blends into it easily. I also notice that it’s really good at resisting sweat and humidity. Though I wish that it had an added Spf, I still like the fact that it doesn’t break on the skin after hours and hours of wear, so I didn’t have any caking issues with it. This foundation’s effect is a soft natural matte, which still allows for facial definition with complete skin coverage. It might have kinda settled on my pore’s hours later, but only very slightly and it decreases the shine on my face for a long time. On top of that, there’s a whole lotta shade range in this line, so for sure, you will find that right tone for your skin.

3 Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Full Coverage Matte Foundation in B30 (0.84 oz: $58) – Here’s a high-end full-coverage mattifying foundation that is also oil-free, noncomedogenic, and infused with black tea antioxidant. This has a soapy-floral scent that is kinda not my cup of tea. When I first tried this, I didn’t really like it. The formula feels too thick and too creamy, so I could feel it kinda sitting on top of my skin. Also, this slides and moves a lot, but I realize that it takes quite a while for it to settle on the face. It has a soft matte effect but you cannot go overboard with this because it’s so pigmented that it almost feels like a concealer. I was gonna put this at my top four, with the Fenty Pro Filt’r as my top three, in fact, I was really torn, but what I like about this is that it didn’t settle on my pores at all, not even on my fine lines. Several hours into the wear, and this foundation seems to keep getting better and better. It didn’t dry my skin, no caking, and it gave me a soft natural glow. Also, love that it comes in Spf 20.

2 Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation in 2N2 Linen (1 oz: $48) – Oil-free, long-wearing, matte with a medium to full coverage foundation. I really like that this formulation has no detectable scent. It feels really lightweight on my skin and I love that soft matte effect while covering all my redness and blemishes. It’s also sweat/water resistant and you also don’t need to apply a lot. It’s pretty well-pigmented being a lightweight matte foundation, so too much of this can give you that cakey foundation look if you’re not careful. This just gives me a nice no caking coverage. I’m a long time fan of Laura Mercier foundations, especially the Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation (reviewed HERE), and I feel like this particular foundation is a good matte alternative. I just wish it came with an SPF and more range of shades. Sigh…

1 Dior Diorskin Forever Perfect Foundation Broad Spectrum Spf 35 in 034 Almond Beige (1 oz: $52) – My first honor in all matte foundations so far. Never knew I could love a matte foundation this much, and frankly, I didn’t really expect much from this foundation. I’ve never owned a lot of Dior foundations before, and I was never really a fan. But this 16-hour medium-coverage luminous matte foundation deserves its Allure Best of Beauty Award. Something is really nice about this foundation. It’s mattifying but it doesn’t cake, it doesn’t settle into fine lines or creases, and it has a natural matte effect that just doesn’t make your face look flat. The formula is the lightest I’ve tried, not too creamy, not too watery, it just melts right into your skin without moving around, and it sets fast yet you still have enough time to blend. No need for finishing powders or some extra exorcisms, just spread and go. LOL, my kind of foundation. It takes away the shines off my face while feeling really comfortable with it all day long. Somehow, it reminds me of Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet (reviewed HERE), but with more pigment and coverage to it. It’s almost perfect, even the strong floral scent is a delight and it doesn’t bother me, but it does tend to oxidize slightly on me, but it’s hardly noticeable, so not a problem at all. However, I wish there will be more shades to choose from this range in the future, but anyways, I highly recommend this.

There’s goes my top 5 favorite matte foundations. I like them all and they’re all good but they’re not all the same. If you’re looking for a good almost all-around matte foundation that is not super high-end, I think Fenty’s Pro Filt’r is a good choice, but it doesn’t have any Spf though. If you’re into fancy schmancy matte foundations complete with Spf, gorgeous scent, medium to full coverage that lasts a long time, then go for Dior Forever Perfect Foundation.

Hmmm, I’m currently eyeing the newly-released Diorskin Forever Undercover Foundation which is a water-based, 24-hour, full-coverage foundation. We’ll see how it fares with the Dior Forever Perfect Foundation. Updates soon…

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