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Sephora Play! May 2018

May 30, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello Everybody! It’s time again for a review of what’s inside my Sephora Play! this month of May. As expected, there are some repeat products and a few new ones that I haven’t tried before. But it’s no surprise because this month is all about product roundups that became so popular and have achieved cult status as a celebration of Sephora Play’s 2nd year Anniversary.

Let’s take a closer look at the products I got this month…

Buxom Lash Mascara (0.37 oz: $20) – I didn’t expect much from this mascara at first, but when I applied it on my lashes, I then realize that I actually love it. It curls and separates the lashes well and it doesn’t smudge. It has a volumizing and lengthening effect and it keeps the lashes looking glam and dramatic for a long time. I also have not noticed any eye irritations. So this is a big hit for me.

Atelier Cologne Clémentine California Absolue Pure Perfume (0.37 oz-6.7 oz: $26-$195) – Probably the most popular scent from Atelier Cologne and one of the best-scented colognes ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if this fresh Clementine Orange fragrance has achieved cult status. It’s one of the most perfect summer signature scents to have, and that’s why you may keep finding this in your Sephora Play box as it does for me.

Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Face Primer (0.25 oz-1.5 oz: $12-$49) – This is one of the best face primers ever and you will never be disappointed when using this. It keeps the makeup stay longer and it blurs the pores. I also keep receiving this on my Sephora Play and have purchased several small sizes of this for traveling. It’s worth stocking up on and it’s perfect for my oily-prone skin.

Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream for Hair 10-in-1 Complete Correction (2.5 oz-5.1 oz: $26-$42) – Got so excited when I saw this in this month’s box. I’m a huge Alterna Haircare fan, and this is such a nice little deal. I love the scent of this which is very similar to the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Shampoo and Conditioner (reviewed HERE). This cream is the extension of that haircare mentioned, and it’s a versatile leave-in conditioner treatment that helps the hair in a lot of ways; such as making it shiny, preventing it from constant breaking, protecting it from extreme heat or styling, and making it more manageable, to mention a few. A little bit goes a long with this, and so far, what I noticed is that it really relaxes the strands of my hair and it tames frizzes and flyaways even for the next day. It’s also very reliable for this summer heat.

Bareminerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder (0.3 oz: $23) – This powder is very fine-milled, so soft and it controls oil and shine. It sets the foundation well and I noticed that it kept my oily-prone skin from being oily too soon. It actually comes in different finishes, but what I got is the sheer version which is so light and it doesn’t leave a white cast on my face. I was a bit weary before testing this since I tend to react on some Bareminerals powder foundations, but so far, this one seems ok.

Sephora Collection Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying (1.0 oz-2.03 oz: $10-$20) – One of my most favorite mud masks of all time, and it works very well. For me, this is the next best thing to Glamglow Supermud Mask (HERE) because this also controls oil or excess sebum and it clarifies the skin. It cleanses deep into the pores yet it comes at a much more affordable price. I also think that this has a slightly better scent because even though this is also quite earthy like the Supermud, I find that this has a bit of a fresher note. Though this doesn’t set as well as Glamglow because it has some clumps (which doesn’t really bother me), I find that this mask is still a very good deal.

Bottom line, this month’s Sephora Play has been quite useful for me, even though some products were already repeated but at least they’re one of my favorites. Did you like the stuff you got this month?

Latest Moisturizers, Cleanser & Eye Creams

March 20, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The weather is slowly warming up and there’s a bunch of new summer-ready moisturizers, eye creams, and cleansers in town. I’ve been testing a few them via some samples and some that I’ve actually purchased in regular size as I feel like they’re so good that they’re worth keeping as part of my skincare routine.

If you’re into gel or water-like moisturizers like Tatcha’s The Water Cream (reviewed HERE) or Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb, then you’re gonna find this review very helpful since you will find several options to choose from apart from these two creams mentioned. Also, if your skin is in the normal to oily, sensitive, or slightly dry range, these lightweight creams and gels are the ideal choice if you’re gonna be out and about in this coming warm and humid season.

Moisturizers & Cleanser:

Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $58) – This is a lightweight cream that goes into the skin easily, and it has a slightly earthy scent to it. It isn’t sticky and it makes the skin feel supple right upon application. It’s a great cream if you have a normal to oily skin, it’s also the perfect cream if your face tends to get slightly dry during the day, but this isn’t the most moisturizing if you’re super dry. I’ve used this for several weeks now and I have not noticed any skin irritations, which is great.

Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel (1.7 oz: $60) – A must-have for oily skin type, the texture of this is very similar to Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It’s is a lightweight, cushiony, water-gel that hydrates the skin very well and it’s also non-sticky. There is a mild floral scent to it, and it’s a great all day moisturizer and to layer under makeup. I like this a lot and it feels like nothing on my face once applied. This isn’t for the ones with really dry skin, but if you have dry patches or if you have normal to sensitive skin, then this is a great moisturizer to try.

Glamglow Waterburst Hydrated Glow Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $49) – OMG! I LOVE This Cream SO much. It smells like Oreo cream filling and it feels like Tatcha The Water Cream. It’s a very light cream-gel that turns into water, and it hydrates the skin for the whole day. It’s so good and it works for any skin type, just not for the super dry ones though, but this is definitely worth taking a shot. For me, this is one of the best scented lightweight moisturizers that actually works to moisturize the skin and keeps it hydrated for a long time without feeling heavy or greasy. A must-have and a holy grail. Oh, and I love that it comes in a decent-sized packaging and the price is not over-the-top.

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser (3.38 oz: $34) – A blueberry-scented mild cleanser with actual blueberry bits and skin suspended in it. This cleanser not only cleanses the face, it also removes makeup. I’d say that this is a great everyday mild cleanser for normal, sensitive, or dry skin. If you’re the oily type, you may need something stronger or something that foams better than this, because this doesn’t seem to foam that much, and if you have too much makeup on, it’s gonna take some rubbing to completely take it all off.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (1 oz: $22, 2.7 oz: $45) – This cooling moisturizer/mask has a true fresh watermelon scent that is extremely refreshing to the senses. This is a very light gel texture-wise, and you can use it as a wash-off mask or as an overnight one. Since this gel is very light, it goes into the skin easily and it keeps it moisturized. However, I feel like this is great as a 10-minute wash-off mask only, as for its overnight moisturizing ability, well, I find this to be quite weak, especially if you tend to have dry skin or has some dry patches. I wouldn’t suggest this as an overnight mask even during the dry winter season either. A regular thick moisturizer would probably do a much better job.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (1.69 oz: $68) – Meet my other holy grail moisturizer. This lightweight cream may seem plain and boring at first, but it’s not, and it’s the reason why I’m starting to believe in Drunk Elephant’s skin care products. Know why? this cream is very unassuming but it packs a punch. Its texture is not too thick and not too thin, which makes it ideal for almost all skin types. It doesn’t even have any captivating scent to it, and if it does, it’s just so plain, but the ingredients and its packaging are so worth it. It has peptides and amino acids which made a difference in my skin’s appearance and elasticity. I noticed a more radiant and renewed glow on my face like I’ve got baby smooth skin on. I never had any irritations with this cream so far, and it also works as an overnight moisturizer for me as well. On top of that, I really love the easy-to-dispense packaging since it’s so easy to release the right amount of product without having to dip your fingers in the tub, which makes it very hygienic.

Eye Creams:

OleHenriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème (0.5 oz: $38) – This eye cream can be tricky to find nowadays because it’s almost always sold out at least at my local Sephora and also online. There’s a reason for it, and it’s because this is probably one of the best eye creams you can buy. It smells great, it performs great, and the ingredients are also great. Though I’m not entirely sure if there’s banana into it, but this eye cream is inspired by the banana powder that some makeup artists used in order to brighten the under eyes. What I did notice is the nice sweet orange scent that is both captivating and invigorating the moment you apply this on the skin, and its scent stays on even after a couple of hours. Because of its orange scent, expect Vitamin C as one of its main ingredients, which is awesome as I’ve always wanted to incorporate this skin brightening ingredient to the dark areas of my face, like my undereye circles which have not seen the light of day for ages. The cream itself is creamy, kind of mid-weight type of creamy, it’s not so crazy thick that it’s sticky, but it’s not very thin either. I haven’t seen the brightening effect on my undereye yet, but this has a slight almost-invisible sheen on the skin once applied, however, the slight sheen goes away immediately but this cream keeps the area around the areas super hydrated even throughout the next day. This also goes well under concealers and foundations, and there’s ample product inside its bright orange packaging. This eye cream is definitely a must.

Chanel Blue Serum Eye Revitalizing Serum (0.5 oz: $70) – The latest eye serum released by Chanel and it’s worth giving a try. It’s a lightweight creamy serum with a barely noticeable clean scent. It goes into the skin easily and it makes it supple, smooth, and hydrated. It has green coffee and olives as some of its ingredients. Since I’ve started testing this, I feel like my eyes look well-rested, and a little depuffed. I definitely prefer this over the Le Lift Eye Cream.

Summer is fast-approaching so expect more lightweight creams and gel moisturizers to be released soon apart from the ones mentioned above. Bottom line, I still love and recommend Tatcha’s The Water Cream, Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb and Tarte’s Drink of H20. However, I also suggest that you give some of those products above a try. You may wanna start with Glamglow Waterburst Moisturizer, Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel, or DE’s Protini Polypeptide Cream. For the eyes, the Banana Bright Eye Cream by OleHenriksen is worth a shot.

Loving Right Now

October 20, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey Guys! I apologize again for my long absence. I am still typing this on the plane on my way back home while watching The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve been sick and a lot of things have happened. Also, I am very jet-lagged, so bear with me if I commit some typos or if my grammar is all over the place. Anyhow, I’ve got some random products that I’ve been loving lately and I want to share my opinion about them with you. So, without further ado, let’s get this jet lag-inducing review going.

Nyx The Skinny Mascara ($7) – Since I have small eyes, I’ve always wanted a teeny-tiny mascara thinking that it could somehow work better on my short sparse lashes. Well, this Nyx skinny mascara seems promising because it’s tiny enough for what I need. When I opened it, I was a bit disappointed at how thin it was, so it was pretty obvious that it was not going to work for my upper lashes at all. What’s surprising is how well this particular mascara worked wonders on my lower lashes. It is quite precise at lining my minute lower lashes that it emphasizes my eyes well. I tend to look fully awake whenever I use this and it didn’t even smudge so far.

Sephora Collection Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying (1 oz: $12, 2.03 oz: $20) – I’ve talked about this particular mask before when I received a sample of it from Sephora Play! A lot of people don’t really like this, but I really enjoyed this mask quite a lot. It’s kind of like a cheaper alternative to Glamglow Supermud and it works pretty much the same as Glamglow’s but with a slightly better scent in my opinion. It sets and dries really fast on the face and it’s ideal if you have an oily-prone skin. It cleans the pores very well and your face will feel soft and clean. Also, I love the bluish-gray tinge that this mask has instead of the usual dark gray color that you’d get with most charcoal masks.

Clinique Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask (1.7 oz: $24.50) – Ever since this mask came out, I really wanted it because it sparked my curiosity and it seemed really unique. A mask that bubbles on the face? Sign me up for that. While recently there are other masks that came out of the market that also has the same property of bubbling up once applied on the face, like Glamglow Bubblesheet Oxygenating Deep Cleanse Mask, which I haven’t tried yet but I will, this mask from Clinique is really fun to use. A lot of people even said that this is much better than Glamglow’s. This has a mild clean and fresh scent and it applies like a light pinkish gel. It starts to bubble on the face within a matter of seconds and it gives that fun tingling sensation on the skin. It feels like something is popping on your face and you’d wish all masks are like that.

Too Faced Peach Kiss Moisture Matte Long Wear Lipstick in Sex on the Peach ($21) – I was curious about this lipstick that was released by Too Faced recently together with their Peaches and Cream Collection. A lot of people said that this is matte and moisturizing at the same time, and that also, it smells really good. Well, those comments are definitely true. It does smell like yummy fresh peaches and while I like the scent and does not abhor it, some people may find it to be too strong. It’s definitely a unique scent for a lipstick though. The formulation feels cushiony and definitely much more hydrating than most matte lipsticks. I like its matte effect because it doesn’t settle into the lips’ fine lines. It also has a decent lasting power of 3-4 hours and the pigment is fab as well. The shade Sex on the Peach is pretty and though it has a bit of a grayish beige undertone to it, I like it as a nude shade for someone with a light to medium skin tone.

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour/MAC Select in Preferentially Yours ($21) – Only available to MAC Select members, I was really excited to have this shade. At first, it comes out as a mauvy rose, but as soon as it settled, it had a bit of a grayish cast which sorta deters me from using it. I ignored it for a while, but then again, I gave it a try one more time, and I actually like it this time. It still has that grayish undertone but it’s a pretty matte shade for Fall. It does kind of feel very drying on the lips though, I think much more drying than most matte liquid lipsticks, so removing this can be a challenge. I just use the Kopari Coconut Melt to remove it and it does a good job at taking off the product while moisturizing the lips at the same time.

Tarte Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Vibin ($20) – I love the Tarte Quick Dry Matte Lip Paints a lot, especially their array of shades. So, when I saw Bretman Rock with Nessa on youtube doing the makeup, I fell in love with Nessa’s lip shade. I found out she wore Tarte’s Matte Lip Paint in Vibin. It’s a gorgeous wine red matte liquid lipstick that’s so perfect for Fall and it’s a total standout. It’s great with any skin tone, and it’ll just simply make you look beautiful. I swear.

Burberry, My Burberry Blush Eau de Parfum (Mini: $29, 1 oz: $68, 1.6 oz: $90, 3 oz: $120) – Got a sample of this in Sephora Play! and I wanted to purchase the regular size, but since I’m traveling and I wanted to test drive this scent on my trip, I decided to get the travel size instead, then I’ll get the larger size when I get home soon. A lot of folks said that this smells like Ed Hardy. Hmmm, I do own a few Ed Hardy scents, and I really like them, and I also think that it’s true that there’s a bit of a similarity in their top notes, but this one has a stronger and fresher pomegranate scent that I really like, and it’s not boring.