Is Lulur Bar the answer? :)

Happy Monday girls, I apologize for the absence the past couple of days. I just couldn't find the strength to write about so much beauty amidst the horror massacre in Maguindanao province. It just seems unreal up to now that people like that exist. Greedy, selfish. Ugh i just don't want to get in to that again. I'm just really affected by this. But anyway today I am back to regular programming after a good weekend of lounging in Pililla Rizal.

I will be honest, I have bad skin. My face is super oily, I break out a lot, I have large pores, uneven skin tone and yes, I wish my face surface was smooth. I have tried countless products that promised to cure the kind of problem I had with my face. Some worked and others didn't, and for the ones that did work, they were either too expensive or needed me to use at least 5 different products on my face day and night plus oral medication. It was expensive and too much hassle at the same time.

I admit, for a person who is in advertising, I am a sucker for ads. Haha I know I am gullible to my own craft even though I know MOST of the info being given is fabricated. I feel embarassed but yes, all aspects of advertising sell to me. So whenever there is a new product I tend to be curious about it and try it in the hopes that I see reslts of what had been promised, and that hardly happens. So as usual, here I am trying something new, Lulur Bar:

What it is:

120 Grams

What is it (Taken from Venus and Mars Website):

The Javanese Lulur is considered to be the queen of treatments and has been practiced in the palaces of Central Java since the 17th century. There, the pursuit of beauty has long been a daily ritual and the Javanese Lulur an integral step, leaving skin soft, supple and shining.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually use this in our everyday bath?

VNM LULUR SOAP
Ingredients: emu oil, tea tree essential oil, turmeric, tea tree leaves, shea butter, arbutin, calamansi, papain, olive oil and coconut oil, mango

What is so unique about VNM's LULUR?
It is designed to leave the skin clear from impurities by means of its turmeric content mixed with emu oil and tea tree and whiten the appearance through its powerful combination of arbutin, calamansi and papain. Moisturize and pamper the skin with the rest of the ingredients and you'll sure find a noticeable and renewed skin!

What can we actually achieve with Java turmeric spice?

1. It reduces pigmentation.
Turmeric can help even out skin tone. Just leave this on for fifteen minutes everyday.

2. It makes the skin supple.
It leaves skin smooth, polished and supple. Of course, single application will not make the difference, you have to use it regularly and you'll be surprised to see how much your skin has changed for the better. Imagine the mix of turmeric with shea butter, mango and emu oil! These are super heroes when it comes to moisturizing and taming even the toughest and roughest of skins! Trust me in this. :)

3. It inhibits cell damage.
Turmeric is an excellent anti-oxidant, hence, it stabilizes free radicals that are known to cause damage to cells that eventually leads to aging and various diseases.

4. It reduces hair growth.
Turmeric is believed to reduce hair growth by softening even our hair strands! Some doctors even recommend using it for unwanted hair.

5. It helps heal acne.
Many people love turmeric because of its acne-healing property. Just imagine turmeric with emu oil and tea tree! What a powerful combo that is!

6. It is an excellent skin beautifier.
With this version??? What more is left to say?

It sounds really inviting eh? That is all me, acne problems, facial hair, skin discoloration, its like this soap was created for the me out there. Haha So I got one and I can't wait to try it!!

Just a tip for everyone, whenever I have organic soap, what I do so that I can maximize the bar is to cut them into mini bars. This way you get to store in a dry place the ones not in use. I really hate it when the whole bar gets soaked and them so soft submerged in water or any moist environment and you end up wasting the bar. After using the mini bar, also store this in a dry dish far from water or contact with any other soap. :)

Lookie! I was able to cut them into 10 mini bars! :)

I'm feeling optimistic about it. Do you think Lulur Bar is the answer? I do hope so :)


Toodles! :)

You know what's sad?

You know what's sad? Me and my friends are the craziest. You guys want proof?

Kring Elenzano of www.flippish.com, a director, actro and impersonator. Here are one of the videos she directed starring herself. This has got to be one of my favorite. Such a good laugh she is definitely crazy. hahaha

http://www.flippish.com/you-know-whats-sad/2009/10/15/

"You Know What's Sad" is a video she made where she approaches random strangers, lays down an MP3 player, asks the strangers "You know what's sad? I know the steps to this song" and yes you guessed right started dancing in front of strangers. HAHAHAHA And the best part of it all, a hidden camera was used, so the strangers don't know its for a show, and just think she's crazy. Haha It's just toooooo funnnyyy!!! To check the video out click here:



To check out Kring's other videos click here:


DIREK:
Kring plays a hot headed director, emotional and over the top. Check out how she copes her behind the scenes in the world of production.
http://www.flippish.com/fashion-show/2009/11/13/

and

WHO DARES KRING:
Kring takes on your dares, literally. A good laugh haha
http://www.flippish.com/bangkok/2009/09/29/



Please do not forget to check out the scroll bar on the right side to see more videos of eacch shows haha I promise you will laugh so hard haha :)


Enjoy!!!

That Smile Before - Music Video Shoot

Yesterday was spent supporting a friend Chris Masami on his first music video shoot. It was so
fun. Initially, me and Meg were supposed to be supporters haha but luckily as Chris was rushing me in the morning, I didn't get to finish my make up so I rushed bringing more make up than I should. In the end I did the talents make up. Haha fortunately unexpected haha.

The Video is for Chris' song "That Smile Before" this was the song used for the short film "Bisita" which was directed by my friend Ivan Payawal. You can see that video here. also gives you a teaser of the song :)


The video is Directed by the talented Kring Elenzano of Ideal minds. You may see most of her work at www.flippish.com. Lead talent was of course CHRIS MASAMI. Lady talent was Hannah Villasis of Flair Candy. :)

Here are a few behind the scenes Photos.

Workin it early in the morning:

Moi, The Director, Joza, Hannah and Chris

Let's begin shall we:
Ladies and Gentlemen meet Chris. Eat your heart out girls. He's available :)

I requested Chris to sing us a song during break time since Kring and Hannah have never heard him sing live. We all were literally just quiet and were in awe. Especially Direk Kring. After Chris sang "You and Me" Kring was speechless and then said;

"I am always on the go in my shoots, I never have time like this to sit and spare 5 minutes"

Because of Chris' singing, it allowed kring to relax a little even for just the 5 minutes hehe. Impressive.

Getting back to work, retouching Chris.
Okay back to take:
Me and Meggy
Me and Hannah of Flair Candy capturing the moment:
Chris doing his thing:

We had so much fun during the shoot and I know it will be really really nice. Krings treatment is beautiful. I can't describe in words, we all just have to wait for the video. I am sooooo excited to share it with everyone once it has been edited and I am very proud of Chris! More to come! :)

More pics from Hannah of Flair Candy, just waiting for her to blog about it hehe. :)

Thanks to Meg for the pics. :)



Toodles! :)

Look at what's happening.

Disclaimer: These pictures are disturbing

I saw this link off someone from twitter. To those who don't know, 2 days back, more than 50 people were murdered in one day in Mindanao. The cause of this was due to political wars. This is the reality, people can get really dirty to the point where they can think of life as that convenient, and take someones life away. I am horrified at this kind of selfishness and greed. No one gets to decide when you should end your life and how you should end your life aside from God. What's worse is civilians were victims of this unforgiving crime. This saddens me. Politics is so dirty it makes me sick.

Here's a link to the gruesome pictures of the dead victims bodies being recovered. I know this may be offensive to others but this the reality, people please please please know your choices and not vote in to power people who think they can just take away other peoples lives so easily.

http://bluepanjeet.org/2009/11/24/3109/gruesome-photos-maguindanao-massacre/



No matter what triumphs our country achieves in many different ways may it be big or small, one bad impression can take that pride away. We must be strong and do the best of what we can do. Please vote wisely.

New Discovery: Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow

I'm not really a fan of cream eye shadows because of past experiences with having the eye shadow set in the crease of my eye. Then the product gets all clumpy and disgusting and you can just imagine the horror my whole "eye shadow" looked. But today I discovered a product that may very well change that perspective.

I've had this in my train case for a few months now untouched and never used. So today I decided to use it and test for the first time. This is Clinique's Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in shade Rock Violet.

What the Website Says:

"Have a beautiful eye day, all day. Light. Velvety cream glides on vibrant colour that wears up to 10 hours, stays beautifully crease proof and colour true. In pearly shades from subtle to high-lustre. Opthalmologist tested."

The one I have is in the shade Rock Violet; A muted silvery violet in shimmer finish.

Swatches:

With Flash
Without Flash

When I first swatched the product, the first thing that came to mind was how pigmented it was and how smooth it applied on my wrist. The subtle shimmery finish gave me the perfect Idea to create a soft neutral look which will be perfect for everyday or office make up and even bridal make up. Here's how I used the Clinique Quick Eyes Cream shadow.

I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion first then Rock Violet to the entire lid upto the crease line. It went on soo smooth and pigmented that I only needed 2 soft strokes. I was also happy that once applied it dries in a couple of seconds then it has a nice soft smooth satin feel! Love it.

Other products used:
28 Neutral Palette Mauve/Brown for crease
28 Neutral Palette Ash Pink for brow bone
Avon Gel Liner to line eyes
San San Blush
Lipstick from 32 Lip Palette

So what's the damage? This costs $15 according to the clinique website. Which is a little pricey when you think about it but I say it's definitely worth your buck. Here's just a couple of tips when using this product:

- Better to use an eye shadow primer before applying the cream shadow since you always wantt to have a smooth base. Cream shadow goes on better on smooth surfaces.

- This may get unsanitary if you continue to use the shadow with the wand applicator included. Best to use disposable wands or brushes in the next applications.

- This product can also be used as a primer and even as a highligher. :)

- If you make a mistake, use a Qtip with a little cleaner oil to erase any mistakes. Or, better yet, blend with regular shadow with a blending brush.


This product has really changed my outlook on cream shadows. I will definitely buy more colors of this. It is so easy and fast to use, very bright and eye flattering. Perfect for those 5 minute make up wonders for working people and whoever is on the go. This product is versatile as an eyeshadow, primer and even highlighter. I very recommend this product for everyone! :)



Toodles! :)

Only at Sephora Sets!

I love browsing through online beauty stores like Sephora, StrawberryNet and Beauty Crunch and just drool at all the make up. I especially drool mostly on the Sephora Site. Its too bad that they don't have a store here, but thank god too since I see that I'd probably be broke if they did. So to drool on the website is the least I can and will do. Hehe

One thing I like about Sephora are the "ONLY AT SEPHORA" sets. These are a number of products put together in one set, usually in smaller sizes than the regular retailed ones but sometimes sets have regular sized ones. What's best about sets like this are its prices! The price of the sets are usually 50-75% slashed from the value that you're getting! Definitely not bad yes? :) These are perfect gift items and for personal use. The boyfriend has gifted me at least 3 types of sets already and they are all really nice! You are definitely getting your money's worth.

Here are some of the sets right now in the Sephora website that I reckon are super duper deals:

*Images and Information taken from the SEPHORA WEBSITE



1. Glitz and Glam Shimmer and Shine Deluxe Sample ($113 Value) for only $38!!!

Click Image to buy this at Sephora

What it is: A glam-packed kit that will add some stardust to your holiday look.

This set has:

- 0.27 oz Tarte Celebutante Dry Oil Shimmer Spray
- 0.3 oz Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion in Flash (iridescent pink)
- 0.17 oz Tarte Glam Gams
- 0.4 oz Tarte Lock & Roll in Bronze (shimmering true bronze)
- 0.28 oz Guerlain Meteorites Powder Pearls for the Face in Beige Chic (golden glow)
- 0.17 oz Tarte Cheek Stain in Eco-Cheek (coral with a touch of shimmer)
- 0.23 oz Sephora Super Shimmer in Desert Gold (rosy tan with pink and gold shimmer)
- 0.06 oz Laura Geller Blush-N-Brighten in Sunswept (bronze, coral, and rose)
- 0.59 oz Smashbox Eyeshadow in 24K (true gold shimmer)
- 0.1 oz Laura Geller Lip Shiner in City Lights (pink and gold flecked glimmer)

2. Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER SET ($91.50 Value) for only $49!!!

Click Image to buy this at Sephora

What it is: A set featuring 5 best-selling MAKE UP FOR EVER must-haves.

This set has:

- 0.04 oz Aqua Eyes in Mat Black 0L
- 0.23 oz Smoky Lash
- 0.35 oz HD Microfinish Powder
- 0.5 oz Travel HD Microperfecting Primer
- 0.84 oz Sens'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser

3. Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit ( $159 Value) for only $65!!

Click on image to buy this at Sephora

What is it: A set of products designed for a professional-looking makeup application.

This set has:

- 1.0 oz Foundation Primer (Step 1)
- 1.0 oz Tinted Moisturizer (Step 2)
- Translucent Loose Setting Powder (Step 3 and 4)
- 0.21 oz Undercover Pot Shade #3
- Secret Camouflage Brush
- Camouflage Powder Brush
- Velour Puff
- Egg-shaped Sponge




Aren't all the sets drool worthy? :) They are all LOVE!!! One more thing, Sephora has a treat for all Beauty Insiders. 4 lucky Beauty Insiders will get a chance to win a $500 Sephora Gift Card!! Imagine all the make up that can buy!! Yayyy I am definitely joining!!

For more information about the Sephora's Holiday Magic Sweepstakes click on the image below to direct you to the Sephora website.




It will be a very merry christmas for the 4 lucky winners of the $500 Gift Card! :)

To check out more information in the sets click on the images or you may also visit
Sephora Website



Toodles! :)

Greens EOTD

I did nothing today but sleep, watch TV read blogs and eat. So to break the cycle, I decided to do a bright EOTD. Color that I picked was none other than my favorite Greens. Green is my favorite color, and that includes all shades close to green hehe. So I didn't wonder why I ended up leaning towards the shades that I picked for this EOTD.

So here it is:

Right Click on images to view bigger

What I used:
MAC paintpot in Soft Ochre as base
120 Color Palette for all eyeshadows (see below)
Black Gel Liner
Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
Dark Brown Eye Shadow for Eye Brow Filler


What I used in the 120 Palette:

Layer 1 of the 120 palette

1 - Base Color all over lids applied wet with Cinema Secrets moisture spray
2 - Inner corner of lids and lower lash line
3 - Middle Lid
4 - Outer corner of lid
5 - Outer Crease
I used a soft gold for browbone but it was in layer 2 and I forgot to take a pic :(


Here's me camwhoring:
Face:
Shiseido Balancing Foundation B80
MAC Studio Finish Concealer
Max Factor Translucent Powder
Flormar Terracotta Blush in #46
Pink/Mauve from 32 Lip Palette

I really love how the colors really pop out :) When I was applying each color it was really scary and strong. But eventually it started to mellow down once I started blending. In this EOTD i spent a good time on blending hehe. I used 2 different blending brushes. 1 was to apply shade number 5 and blend the outer corners while the other blending brush was used to apply the highlighter on the browbone and blend down to the crease color to soften. Nonetheless, I had fun doing this EOTD. :)

Toodles! :)

Goodie Goodie Gum Drops!! :)

Hi Girls, It's a beautiful morning! More contest and giveaways to join by some generous bloggers. :) Here's the first one:




1. Niki's Giveaway


Taken from Niki's Blog:

"There will be 2 prizes, one prize pack with a MAC Fluidline Eyeliner Gel in Blitz&Glitz plus some other goodies that I have yet to divulge and the second will be just the straight up MAC Fluidline Eye-liner.

There are only 2 simple rules to follow.
1. You must be a follower
2. You have to advertise this giveaway on your blog and link to it in the comment section of this post."

Click HERE to join!! :)






2. Princesa Livia's First Giveaway!


Taken from Livia's Blog:

3 Rules of the giveaway:
1. You must be a follower of http://Princesa-Livia.blogspot.com
2. Comment on THIS post saying 'I want in!' with your e-mail address (where I can contact you in-case you win). Only 1 comment per person, otherwise your entry will be disqualified.
3. Blog about this giveaway and link me back your post on the comment from #2!

That's all! Easy, right? xx

This giveaway ends on December 7, 2009 at 11:59PM GMT and is open internationally. Two (2) lucky winners will be chosen at random via random.org. If you win, I will send you an e-mail, and you must reply within 48 hours of receiving it otherwise your entry will be disqualified and another entry will be chosen.

Two (2) winners will receive one (1) Sleek eyeshadow palette each:

The first entry picked will win the Sleek Sunset eyeshadow palette - 12 eyeshadows of warm smokey tones.

The second entry picked will win the Sleek Graphite eyeshadow palette - 12 eyeshadows of monochrome & jewel tones.




So what are you waiting for? Click HERE to join! :)

MAC Frost Eye Shadow in PHLOOF!

I read on a couple of blogs and forums about some people's HG highlighters. There were 3 popular MAC eye shadows that kept on appearing on peoples lists. These shades were Ricepaper, Nylon and PHLOOF!, other colors like Shroom and Vanilla only came secondary. Lucky that I was, I stumbled upon PHLOOF! on ebay at a cheaper price and purchased it right away. Here it is:

MAC Frost eye shadow in PHLOOF!

Taken without flash with source of direct sunlight

Swatch on my finger without flash
Swatch on my hand

MAC PHLOOF! can be best used as a highlighter on your browbones, lower lashline and inner corners of your lids to really open and brighten those eyes.

PHLOOF! used on brow bone only (bare lids, no other eyeshadow,concealer or base)

Without Flash

With Flash

After this, I guess I will jump on the bandwagon and add PHLOOF! as one of my HG highlighters. It serves its purpose and I especially love how the shimer is subtle but when used as a highlighter really intensifies and brightens your eyes even more. :)

I see it, Phloof! will be a favorite of mine this week hehe. What are your HG/Favorite highlighters?


Blessed Sunday Girls :)

Toodles! :)

Sunny EOTD :)

I have been in bed the whole day reading, so to break the silence I decided to play around with my eye shadow palette from Turkey. Also, my mom had interrupted me when she came in my room and asked how the NARS foundation I gave her looked on her, and well the rest is history, she put on make up, washed her brushes and left them next to my drying brushes to dry themselves. hehe And you guys know how infectious make up gets right? hehe

Anyway here's my look using the Flormar Palette from Turkey:

Don't mind the uneven eye liner and the ungroomed brows hehe

Quick shot of me

Here's the FLormar Palette from Turkey that I used:Gold: Browbone
Orange: Inner lid
Purple: Crease
Teal Blue: Outer Crease
Green: Outer Lid

The swatches looked great on my fingers however they didn't serve justice on my lids. It looks a lot better in person, the camera flash washed a little out of the color but it's still not as bright as how the swatches were on my fingers. Maybe this needed a better base say the NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk (but i'd have to own one to find out haha). I used MAC fluidline in frostlite, which obviously was a bad idea. hehe I'll try recreating this look with a better base next time. But as for now, I'll get back to my book! :)

Have a great weekend girls! :)


Toodles! :)

NARS Workshop with Marc Christopher Gale

Got the Privilege to attend a NARS workshop spearheaded by Marc Christopher Gale today at Origins Rustans Makati. Marc Christopher Gale is one of the International Make Up Artists for NARS. He has over 14 years of experience as a Make Up Artist and is a favorite for Hollywood Stars like Paris Hilton, Minnie Driver and Justin Timberlake to name a few.

Marc is only here for a few days doing PR and promotion for NARSkin, their new skin care collections and also to conduct a few workshops for skin care and of course their makeup. I attended this afternoon's workshop with Maui and 2 other ladies, just the 4 of us so very intimate with Marc. He is amazing! We did a step by step starting from scratch.

Here's a pic of me and Marc after the workshop:

He is actually very tall, but the sweet guy that he is bent down to my height haha

The following products were used on my face:

NARSkin
1. Make Up Cleansing Oil
2. Balancing Toning Lotion
3. Aqua Gel Hydrator
4. Nourishing Eye Cream
5. Brightening Serum

For more information on NARSkin products used click here courtesy of BEC from My Gorgeous Pink Cheeks' blogsite. :)

Make Up

1. Sheer Matte foundation in Barcelona
2. DUO Concealer in Praline and Toffee
3. Loose Powder in Beach
4. Multiple Purpose Stick in Copacabana
5. Bronzing Powder in Casino
6. Blush in Desire
7. Highlighter in Albatross
8. E/S in All about Eve
9. E/S DUO in Rated R
10. Eyeliner ...Stylo in Nuits Blanches
11. Eye Brow Pencil in Ipanema
12. Larger than life lengthening Mascara
13. Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella
14. Lip Satin Color in Rage

I had soo much fun, I wanted to go home with all the products that I used and soo much more! But that is just wishful thinking. Me and Maui both went home with the Bronzing powder in Casino each. hehe I shall save for more NARS it is LOVE. and Marc is just Amazing!!! I feel so honored to attend a workshop held by him! :)

Just an update too, you may have already read from Maui's blog, we're both postponing our make up classes to January. I just really want RB to teach the whole 7 weeks of class since that's what I paid for also to begin with. I'm glad the school agreed. So yeyyy 2 more months of waiting doesn't seem so bad :)


Toodles! :)

Make Up From Turkey! (Picture Heavy)

Prior to my brother's actual flight to Turkey, in true blue make up addict fashion, I researched on some Turkish cosmetics brands. One Turkish made brand drew my attention. The brand's name is FLORMAR. They have tons of cool stuff! A whole range of cosmetic products were showcased in the Brand's website. All the products and colors were so inviting! To see them, click here.

My brother was in Turkey for about 1 week before heading off to Bangkok. In Bangkok he met my parents who were there for a Business Trip. Since my brothe rno longer lives at home, he handed mom my makeup. And this morning Mom and Dad arrived along with my goodies! :)

Initially i wanted them all! But I couldn't let my brother suffer my addiction too so I just got the following:

From Left-Right
Terracotta Blush in 45
Terracotta trio Eyeshadow in 08
Terracotta Blush in 46
Eyeshadow Palette in 03

I love how the packaging is heavy duty and how each product has this sticker seal:
Each product also has a manufacturing date and expiration date together with the product's ingredients at the bottom just like this:


Without further a-do here's a closer look at the Flormar goodies from Turkey! :)

TERRACOTTA BLUSH in 45 and 46

Notice at how similar it is to MAC's mineralize blush on? I specifically chose this product for my brother to buy because of it's similarity in pictures. When I got a hold of the product I was overwhelmed of its size! It's about the size of MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation! So so happy about that. Hehe I sort of regret not getting all 6 colors hehe But then again that's just being greedy haha

Here's a closer look at each Blush:

45

46

Here's a side by side comparison of the FLORMAR Terracotta Blush and MAC Mineraize Blush:

FLORMAR Blush in 45 next to MAC Mineralize Blush in Fad-dabulous

Swatch
Left: Flormar 45 Right: MAC

FLORMAR Blush in 46 next to MAC Mineralize Blush in Fad-dabulous

Swatch

Check out the how much bigger the Flormar Terracotta Blush is compared to MAC mineralize blush. The size is wayyyy bigger! And with just looking at the swatch alone side by side with MAC's mineralize blush, the consistency and the quality is exactly the same. They are both shimerry with gold particles. :)

FLORMAR Terracotta eyehsadow trio in 08

Swatch

Very Very Pigmented, although I suggest using a strong eye shadow base like MAC Paintpot or concealer prior to application since it tends to get messy and everywhere. Very simiar to MAC's mineralize eye shadows. :)

FLORMAR eye shadow palette in 03

Need I say more, the colors are so so bright and very pigmented! Really worth every penny! I can't wait to try a colorful look with this palette. :)


Overall, Flormar amazed me with its superb quality, durable packaging and lovely presentation. These are only a few of the many products they have. I now want to go to Turkey even more to shop and drool all day at the Flormar kiosks and stores. They have all make up products, I really still want to complete all of the Terracotta Blush-ons hehe I also want to try the quality of their individual eye shadows and their eye liners! Yummm.... thinking about them alone makes me anxious haha.

For those who are wondering at the prie of Flormar products, let's just put it this way, total of all 4 items is only about PHP1,900n (approx. USD40). :) It's realy really cheap. Especially since I'm hoping my brother doesn't come to me for its payment. hahaha Flormar is a middle-class cosmetic brand in Turkey. :)

I want to go to TURKEY!!!!!!

Toodles! :)