Accessorize! Layered Necklaces

Accessory is defined as something added to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or effective.

For the last couple of months I've been obssessing over  layered necklaces. Ever since I've seen my current favorite makeup guru, Kathleenlights (if you haven't watch any of her videos, GO watch her, she is AMAZING!) wear layered necklaces and unbox her jewelry subscription box. After seeing her try on several pieces, I felt like a woman on a mission to find layered necklaces. I browsed several online shops, checked the malls and even stalls in the market to look for really nice accessories, but they're either tacky or really expensive. Until I found this lovely piece from SM Makati. This was by Yansy and I got this for only Php279, still cheaper than the ones I've checked in the market.

And since I loved it so much, I decided to make my own (DIY mode ON!)! Good thing my sister gave me her "beaded" gold chain (14 inches) she no longer uses and told me about how one can purchase chains (Php10 per inch depending on the style/design) and add locks (Php 60) to them at the Landmark. I also got my mom's old necklace (18 inches) with three small circular pendants with "Life", "Love", and "Laughter" engraved on them. I just bought a twisted chain for my pearl pendant (16 inches) and arranged/layered them! Here's the end result.

Hurray for DIY and all girly things that are pretty! Now I don't feel the need to get a jewelry subscription (although I did see a very nice one from the Little Black Box check them out at http://wearlbb.com. They have a one-month, three-month, 6-month, and 12-month subscription valued at Php 1600/month, less if you get more than the 1 month sub). ;)

Product Review: Pink Sugar's HD Lipstick in Rebel

Pink Sugar is a local brand which sells affordable fragrances/body mists and more recently, cosmetics! Their products look very promising as they are specifically made for Filipinas. Their products are also Paraben-free and cruelty-free. So when I received a Pink Sugar Comsetics exclusive box from BDJ, I squealed in delight. I immediately zoomed in on the lipsticks, murmuring "Please be red" while opening them. I've seen local vloggers' swatches and knew they had really nice reds but were not very familiar with the names. The first one I got was 'Royals' which was a pretty purple color. My heart broke a little because I was hoping it would be a red matte. Good thing when I opened the second lipstick I got which is in 'Rebel', it turned out to be red! I immediately tried it and it was love at first swipe/swatch.

CLAIM TO FAME: A creamy lipstick for high-definition, high-impact color

FAST FACTS: Delivers maximum color payoff in a variety of highly-pigmented shades; formulated with vitamin E and shea butter to moisturize, nourish, and soften lips during use; glides on smoothly and blends easily

PERFECT FOR: Brightening up your beauty look
From www.beautymnl.com

I used the heck out of this bad boy. You can probably tell by how it's no longer as pointed as it used to be. Lol!

It was very creamy and did not tug on my lips during application. I like how it did not dry out my lips and was buildable. Rebel is a true classic red that complements morena skin. It has a satin-cream almost semi-glossy finish and is very highly pigmented (it is HD after all!). It didn't really make my teeth look yellow but it didn't make it whiter too. I've been using it for a week and below are its Pros and Cons:

Ingredients: 

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Polybutene, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Ozokerite, Paraffin, Hydrogenerated Castor Oil, Fragrane, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherylacetate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter, Ethylhexylglycerin, BHA, [+/- (May Contain): MICA (CI77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Tin Oxide (CI 77861

Pros:

Creamy
Buildable without issues
Moisturizes the lips
Highly-pigmented
Not as expensive as other lipsticks
Smells great (it has a subtle sweet and floral scent)
Secure and sturdy package

Cons:

Not transfer-proof
Lasts 3-4 hours only, less if you drink or eat
Bleeds if not worn with a lipliner
Not matte
Can be unforgiving when mistakes are made as it is very vibrant (I suggest using a lip brush)

The Final Verdict: It's an awesome product! The pros still outweight the cons, as one can still work around them by reapplication, blotting/powder, using a lip liner and a lip brush. Plus, it gives you more (the most) bang for your buck!

I will definitely repurchase and try out their other colors, probably get another red from their creamy matte line. :) Now off to show this red lippie off! Toodles! 💋

Unboxing: BDJ's November Elite Box

After the horrible traffic in the metro yesterday, I was bummed I had to go to work, since it's a holiday in Makati due to the APEC Summit and all. So imagine how my heart skipped (a beat), I had to literally clutch my chest to make sure it doesn't jump out, when I saw this package on my bed! Lol! I wasn't expecting my BDJ box to come this early. Their boxes, in the last couple of months, have been (arriving) late (almost the end of the month). But still, I was happy and thankful that my box has finally arrived!

Since I've been following BDJ's Instagram and Facebook accounts, I knew their November box will contain makeup (yesss!), will be an exclusive, and based on their cryptic messages/pictures would be colorful & sweet. I kinda had a feeling it will be from the recently launched local makeup brand (they have been creating such a buzz), Pink Sugar. I have been meaning to check out their products, especially after seeing may favorite local YouTuber/makeup guru, Say Tioco Artillero wearing their lipstick. I was glad BDJ decided to partner with them this month.

Upon opening the box, one would immediately see their obligatory cards that would contain information about the products included in the box, tips on how to use them and of course the welcome message from the BDJ ministers (as seen on the first photo, lower right). For November, the theme is "Sugar, spice, and everything nice" and according to them, this month's box allows their bellas to have fun with sweet beauty delights that they can mix and match to their hearts' content. It's definitely bursting with color and will help me prep for my holiday look.

Elite boxes cost 1,480. And starting August of 2015 BDJ has been exclusively (except when they offered a Luxe Box in October for 5k; Regular Boxes are for 580Php) offering elite boxes (December 2015 boxes are already sold out and if you're interested in sunscribing to their boxes, you'd have to wait until next year or when they become available again). They promise to give you 3k worth of products or 2x the value of your money/what you paid for.

So let's talk about the products inside this month's box. It contains 9 full-sized products and the nice thing about them is, you can complete a makeup look with them as BDJ was thoughful enough to include a mix of eye, cheek, face and lip products.

Pink Sugar products in the box:

1. It's Awesome BB Cream 30g (Beige) - Php499 Includes Green Tea, Aloe Vera,  and antioxidants and SPF 25 to moisturize, smoothen, and correct skin. Ideal for daily use.

2. Dual Finish Face Powder 9g (Natural Beige) - Php499 Packed with Ginseng, antioxidants, and SPF 15 which provides a shine-free nourishing finish all day long.

3. Eye Candy Eyeshadow Palette 12g (EC-02/Neutral Shades) - Php699 Offers 10 glorious matte and shimmer shades. Mix and match to create endless looks, perfect for day and night looks.

4. Sweet Cheeks HD Cheek Color 6g (Summer Nights) - Php 349 Has a delicate powder formula and a flaterring range of shades that complement different skin tones. Infused with Aloe Vera and Vitamins A, C, and E to nourish skin.

 5. Our Lil' Secret Concealer 13g (Medium) - Php 299 Long-lasting medium coverage in a very easy-to-blend application. Infused with Cucumber Fruit and Chamomile Extract to help minimize and soothe irritations and puffiness.

6. Sugartint Lip and Cheek Tint 9g (Pink Paradise) - Php 349 Formulated with Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera and Vitamins A, C , and E. Long-lasting and verstile, and promises to help achieve perfectly pigmented cheeks and hydrated lips.

7.-8. HD Lipstick 3.4g (Rebel) - Php 299 and Creamy Matte Lipstick 3.4g (Royals) - Php 349 The HD lipstick with just one swipe gives high-intensity color that lasts, and keeps lips soft & moisturized. While the Creamy Matte Lipstick adds drama to your pout without drying your lips. Both include Vitamin E and Shea Butter.

9. Honey, I'm Good Eyeliner Duo 1.2g (Black) - Php 349 Features a retractable pencil tip and a felt tip on the other that make everyday eyeliner application smudge-proof and hassle-free.

Excuse my oily and almost foundation-free skin (it has been a long day!) just wanted to show you how the HD lipstick in Rebel looks like when applied. :)

All in all that's Php 3,691! Not bad, especially since I know I will be using most, if not all, of the products inside this month's box (you can check www.bdjbox.com for more information about Belle De Jour's subscription boxes). I am just dreading how bad I'd feel next month when everyone else gets their December box. They ran out really quickly and I wasn't able to subscribe. :'( Oh well, I can always reapply more of this red lipstick. 💋 Teehee.

Product Review: Céleteque's 24-Volumizer Mascara

I used to think applying mascara is something I can skip in my makeup routine, having naturally long lashes. I have tried several different mascaras, and I thought they didn't really make a lot of difference on me. And after I noticed my lashes becoming thinner and more brittle, I decided to just stop using them. Until I tried Céleteque's 24-Hour Volumizer Mascara (Php645, 6.5g).

This mascara has Acrylates Copolymer  which prevents clumping and smudging, Aloe Barbadensis that has anti-bacterial properties, Beeswax and Canuba Wax to make lashes look fuller and volumized, and Hydrogenated Palm Oil to nourish lashes. I was so happy BDJ decided to include this in their box because I would have never bought and tried this on my own! I wasn't really expecting a lot from this mascara but boy, oh boy... 😊

My lashes instantly became blacker! And eventhough it says it's volumizing I still see how it lenghtened my lashes!

                              Before application

I used the long wand for the first coat and then for the second coat, I twisted the cap to make the wand shorter and the bristles more compact to get really close and coat my shorter lashes to volumize them.

8 hours after application (two coats)

My lashes went from this, to this in a couple of minutes. Amazing!

The left picture shows bare lashes. The right one shows lashes with Céleteque's 24-Hour Volumizer Mascara (one coat).

I liked how it didn't make my lashes feel stiff and heavy. I also didn't have a hard time washing them off at the end of the day eventhough it says it's waterproof. It did smudge and flake a little after several hours as seen on the photo below. 

Also, if you're not a fan of wet formulas, this may not be for you. But since it did promise to nourish my lashes in time, hopefully that means it will strenghten them or at least won't make them brittle. From now on, I will definitely make room for this mascara in my makeup routine.

Unboxing: BDJ's October Elite Box

Hurray for makeup and all things girly! I was so excited to have finally received my much awaited October beauty subscription box from Belle de Jour (which by the way, arrived really late, like, the last day of October. Their boxes normally come during the 2nd or 3rd week of the month and there were times that they shipped late but never this late... ugh...)! Imagine how giddy I felt when I first saw that it was an exclusive box from Céleteque and it had mostly makeup in it! Okay, so I cheated a little (?) and have already checked the unboxing video from BDJ's website and googled the items. What can I say, I have low EQ (lol)! But still, I was on cloud nine when I saw how purrrty the products were... 😍 It came in this nice standard black (ooohh!) elite box (sorry, I removed the sleeve that had Céleteque's Dermocosmetics name, pics of their products, and their slogan #Be2xbeautiful which I misread as be twice as beautiful 😂).

It had the cards with the description and price of the items and tips/instructions on how to use them.

And of course the makeup! The elite box (Php 1,480) includes Céleteque's 24-Hour Photoready Liquid Foundation (Php795, 35ml) Dark Spot Concealer Stick(Php595, 2.4g), 24-Hour Volumizer Mascara (Php645, 6.5g), Matte Lipstick (Php595, 2.4g) Blush and Face Contour Kit (Php845, 17.4g), Cheek Color Stick (Php645, 4g) and their Dual CC Matte Powder (Php745, 10g). BDJ sent me an e-mail about the eyebrow serum and the moisturizing face mist which will be sent separately because of issues at the warehouse. That's a total of Php5,782 (including the serum and mist), almost 4x what I paid for to subscribe!

Update: I've received the Céleteque DermoScience Hydrolyzed Moisturizing Mist (Php349, 120ml) which promises to restore moisture to your skin and improves its elasticity and softness. It also rejuvenates your skin to make it feel more supple and refreshed.

And the Céleteque DermosCosmetics Eyebrow Nourishing Serum (Php595, 4g). This helps eyebrows become stronger by improving the health and growth of your hair. With Pathenol and Pro -Vitamin B5 - which promotes healthy hair cell growth while enhancing your brow hair's suppleness.

I love the subtle scent, everything smells so good, like powder or flowers... I can't really tell, all I know is it's awesome! I don't know how I feel about the packaging... Fine, I hate the packaging (although the boxes they come in are pretty cool)! Because it's boring! Everything, except the mascara, is white (they should have just made everything black)! I've seen makeup with white packaging (think Colourpop) but this, combined with Céleteque's classic font and logo, looks... Sterile! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for clean make-up, but this, this is taking it too far (if that's what they want to portray). But nevertheless, it feels sturdy and they're not difficult to open. And the actual product inside is... phenomenal! Who knew that a company who sells skin care products would venture into the colorful world of cosmetics and actually make really good, quality makeup?

I'd have to applaud Céleteque for coming up with these (I especially love their mascara and blush & contour kit although the matte lipstick and cheek color stick were just so-so), considering this is their "first time", I'm excited to see them come up with more products as I know it will just get even better.

What's New?

I know it has been awhile since I last posted/blogged, and a lot has changed since 2008. I mean, I had a Sony Ericsson phone then (Sony and Ericsson have gone their separate ways)! When I first created this, I wanted a channel where I can vent out, share my experiences and thoughts, and for me to keep track of the things that happened to me, and hopefully, be able to see and be what I wanted to be.

7 years is a long time and my priorities and interests have grown/changed. I had a lot of excess baggage and teenage angst that I have gotten rid of since then... Not! 😉 lol Apparently, merong forever, parang AlDub lang! Haha...