Inexpensive Find: Jordana Forever Flawless Pressed Powder

My aunt told me never to say "cheap" but instead say "inexpensive". I thought it over and realized the word "cheap" has a stigma in terms of products, that it is lesser and should be less trusted. As oppose to the word "inexpensive" where it feels more sophisticated and not in the same line as "cheap". Thus, I share with you my inexpensive find. A very affordable product but one that does not lack in ingredients. :)

Today I woke up early to watch the first showing of Eclipse in Alabang Town Center with two of my best friends, and since we had time to go around before the movie, we went to 'The Dollar Store' located on the second floor of the cinemas area. Initially I was looking for volumizing hair products (since our local market seems to just focus on boring straight = flat hair) but instead my eyes drew attention to the Jordana Makeup rack. They had tons of promising make up for less than PHP90!! But I ended up with the Jordana Forever Flawless Pressed Powder, though the products couldn't be swatched, I was impressed since they had at least 4 different shades to choose from.

The one I got was in 106 Light Honey:


From just looking at the shade of the pressed powder, I made a wild guess that this shade would be closest to my skin tone. Actually I spent less than 2 minutes and hardly thought twice about purchasing the product or not. That's my really bad sickness when it comes to inexpensive products, I just get it and go. But in this case, I think I made a good purchase. :)

106 Light Honey

When you open the compact you can find a puff and a mirror behind the actual product just like most of other products in the market. :)


This is a swatch of the product:


The texture of the product is almost creamy, thus the superb pigmentation. There is a slight floral scent, but not too strong to trigger my allergies haha. :)

Swatch on my hand:


The swatch of Light Honey on my hand looks just right with more bending. :)

So overall:

I like:
- Inexpensive for only PHP90!!!
- Pigmented and almost creamy
- Not chalky
- A lot of shades to choose from

I don't like:
- The packaging feels that it will break easy
- The puff included is not something I would use over and over
- Available only at The Dollar Store (I don't know where else they are sold locally)


In conclusion, I think that this is a great product to try if you are working on a budget, I cannot yet say if the product will break me out or not since I haven't tried it for long to check. But you can check a couple of reviews on makeup alley here. :)

Also you can check out Jordana Cosmetics Website Here to check out the range of products available. :)


How about you girls? What are your recent inexpensive finds? :)


Toodles! :)

My everyday Mascara - MAC Studio Fix Lash

Mascara used to be my least sought after product when buying make up. I used to just rely on whatever was given to me usually in sets by Clinique, Estee Lauder and Lancome when I had family come home from the states. Those little sample bottles used to last me ages and they would stack up too since I would hardly use them.

Now I feel so bare when I don't use mascara. On days when I don't really want to wear make up, I make sure I have mascara on and with tons of layers at that. I do this so that even though my face looks bare, I want my eyes to be really emphasized and flirty! I want them long and full! :)

So I had been obsessed with mascara actually from my trip to Singapore a couple of months back, I went mascara shopping. And one of the mascaras that I purchased was MAC STUDIO FIX LASH. I made a review of that here.

MAC Studio Fix Lash is my go to Mascara on days I just want my look simple but my eyes emphasized with mascara. It gives me just the right amount of product and the good thing about it too is that its buildable! I love it for everyday use, it is also great for night time use too!

Here's what my lashes look like without any product at all:




Now here's what they look like with MAC STUDIO FIX LASH:

Please don't mind the smudges hehe



Again please don't mind the smudges hehe

I really love how MAC Studio Fix Lash instantly opens up my eyes with just one layer. This is how I go when it is for day. But when I decide to use this for night, I apply at least 3-4 layers because that's how much I love mascara! hehe :)

MAC Studio Fix Lash is only one of my 3 favorite Mascaras that I have in my kit, the other 2 are Maybeline's Magnum Volume and Fiberwig's mascara. Reviews to of those to follow so stay tuned! :)


What are your favorite mascaras? :)

Toodles! :)

Makeup + Chips = Gourmet Pics

Oishi Gourmet Picks has an awesome online promo where you can not only exercise your make-up prowess, but also get the chance to win an iPad, Samsung Omnia and PS3! It's the Gourmet Pics with Oishi Gourmet Picks Photo Contest.

The deal is simple. Just upload an exquisite photo of you flaunting your favorite flavor of Gourmet Picks. Each flavor has a theme: Japanese for Wasabi & Nori, Korean for Kimchi and Classic for Natural Sea Salt.

Grand prizes will depend on the flavor. PS3 for Wasabi & Nori, Samsung Omnia for Kimchi and iPad for Natural Sea Salt. To keep things a lot more exciting, there will also be different categories every two weeks with the best-picked prizes: Most Exquisite Background, Most Exquisite Style, Most Dramatic Photo just to name a few.

Imagine all the make-up possibilities.

Click Image for full promo mechanics

Isn't this amazing? You can showcase your make up talents with your favorite themes; Japanese, Korean and Classic make up styles. Don't forget to take a picture with your favorite variant! :)

Here are some suggestions for the different make up looks you guys can do:

Wasabi & Nori Variant (Japanese):

Kimchi (Korean):

Classic Natural Sea Salt:

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!! :) For more information click HERE.


Toodles! :)

I've been Butter'd! :)

Isn't Butter just the most sinful ingredient ever? If things went my way, I would cook with butter all the time and increase my serving of butter. Butter is like a reward, an exception to whatever diet, it is heaven for the taste buds. When you think of butter it is everything comforting and relaxing.

Have you ever wanted that level of comfort, luxury and relaxation that butter gives in terms of pampering yourself? YES. I definitely do. Let me share with you guys a place where you can get pampered from head to toe promising to give you full "butter" experience. Luxury, Gratification and Comfort:

Beauty & Butter

Bringing Butter to Beauty with Beauty and Butter :)

Beauty and Butter is a one stop shop where you can go for an all out pampering session, whether alone for that all deserved quiet me time or an afternoon pampering session with your girlfriends Beauty and Butter is the perfect place to go!

Mikael Coyiuto the son of Ruby Sy (the maven behind the popular aesthetics clinic FLAWLESS) is the brains behind the amazing Beauty and Butter. He wanted to bring a sense of self-gratification and pampering to people with affordable services & products that will make them feel like a million bucks. Their wide range of services includes Facials, Hair removal, Nails and Body. From facials for different skin types, waxing and threading, Manicure and Pedicures, Customizable nail art to foot and hand paraffin treatments. This place truly is a haven for being pampered.

From the exteriors to the interiors of Beauty and Butter, all I felt was how cool all the artwork was. The place is fuming with individuality, but amidst all the bright colors, an abundance of calm and relaxation still fills the air.

Mural from outside of the Megamall store


Colorful product rack of nail polishes, perfumes and face products


Beauty and Butter brand of nail polish, look at those bright colors!!! :)


Service Area where you can watch a movie :)


A wide selection of nail art to choose from, or you can even bring your portfolio so their professional nail artists can paint any design you have on your nails! Talk about expressing your individuality and customization! :)

After looking around, I was convinced and couldn't wait to try their services. I decided to go with a manicure and pedicure to jump start my butter experience. :)

Comfy seating area with a really cool sink for the feet :)

Another really cool thing about Beauty and Butter is that when you spend a minimum of 500 pesos for any service you get to use their IPAD for free during your session. The place is wifi too so you will not get bored what so ever! Aside from that, while you get pampered several flat screen TV's are mounted on the wall while a movie is shown. Definitely a nice get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. :)

iPad with Twilight nail art done by Beauty and Butter. Hmmmm, makes me wanna get that done for next week's Eclipse showing!!! :) :) :) :)

So while I was getting my manicure and pedicure I was switching from chit chatting with Shen who was there too to have some pampering done, to watching Confessions of a Shopaholic on their TV to tweeting and surfing on the Ipad. Hehe Isn't this the life? I feel like a princess!

Me tweeting on their iPad about my cool butter experience hehe :)

Before I knew it it was time for my nail polish already, I chose a bright mustard color and had a top coat of violet glitters on top! I lovee the combination! You can really choose whatever you want on your nails at Beauty and Butter :)

After the nail polish, my hands and feet went inside the portable dryer. :)

My Nails all done! Yayyy I'm so happy with them!! :)


Click image to view larger thanks Shen for taking the pic hehe Love the color! :)

I had such a wonderful time getting myself pampered at flawless, I really felt relaxed and like I was a princess. The friendly staff make are so hospitable and helpful attending to all my needs. They want you to feel comfortable all the time, the ultimate definition of customer service! And affordable at that too! Their services are from PHP200 - PHP200+ being the most expensive for acrylic nails. All worth it for the butter experience you get. :) Oh and they have a promo now too! When you spend a minimum PHP500 you have a chance to be in their monthly draw for an iPod and in the grand draw they will be giving away an iPad!! :)

You can visit any Beauty and Butter at the following branches:

2/F SM San Lazaro
2/F Entertainment Wing, MOA
5/F Megamall Atrium


Go get yourself Butter'd up now! :) :)


Toodles! :)

It's time to be Flawless!

Forgive me Gods of Beauty and Skincare for I have sinned, It has been 2 years since my last facial. I have been jumping from one product to another in the hopes of achieving flawless skin. But to no avail. If you have been following me and reading my blogs, you guys know that I have terrible skin. My face is oily and breakouts easily. Thus my constant search in achieving Flawless skin.

As a make up artist, it is important you are the part. In other words, I have to be beautiful too, so that I can represent and sell myself well. That is the business I am in. Since I decided to become a MUA full time, looking beautiful should be full time too. But let's face it a bare canvas is always the perfect canvas. That goes best for me, It gets tiring putting on make up every single day for make up gigs, its bad for my skin too. So I just want to be beautiful, I want my skin to be flawless even in days I decide to not put on make up for work. I want my own face to be presentable as is, Flawless, and Healthy.

And so, I rest my fate on the wonderful people of Flawless Face and Body Clinic and let them deal with my problem (they are more than happy to deal with my problematic skin hehe) and help let my natural beauty shine through! :)

Flawless is probably the most convenient Aesthetic Clinic in the Philippines today, with 36 clinics nationwide, they have been recently awarded the "Outstanding Retailers of the Year Award" in 2009 by the Philippines Retailers Association. Now that says a lot not only about the quality of service Flawless offers and the number of clients Flawless has satisfied, but how Flawless is out there to reach out to all Filipinos. With services intensely researched and specifically targeted to common problems Filipino skin faces, Flawless customers are sure to keep coming back for more. And more does Flawless have! Not only is Flawless popular for their Facials and Peels, they also have medical services, RF & Laser procedures and Cosmelan by Mesoestetic, the newest depigmentation treatment to hit the market which by the way Flawless is one of the only local establishment that offers this service. This is in line with CEO Ruby Sy's advocacy to bring beauty to the fingertips of every Filipino, and together with all the licensed medical professionals Flawless is by far a beauty haven for everyone, young or old, male and female. :)

I knew I could trust flawless with my face therefore I headed to their Mega Mall branch and got myself the"Flawless White Facial" and I added ""Revital Eyes" for my unruly puffy eyes. Hehe

The Mega Mall branch is very bright and attractive, it has such a light feeling when you look at it, like it relaxes you already. It's so glam with its Pink and Gold colors, I already feel pampered! By the way, that's my mom at the front desk checking out the services. And since I already knew what I wanted I looked around the store first before I waited to be pampered. :)

Flawless Face and Body products were neatly displayed in the clinic, the colors and the packaging of the products are so pretty to the eyes aren't they? :) They have a whole range of products suited for all skin types, whether you have dry, combination or oily skin. They even have skincare specifically for Men! How cool is that, for all you guys out there, no need to feel less macho when using skincare for girls, you have skin care specially for men here at flawless! :)

Flawless White Facial + Revital Eyes

So it was time for my facial, I decided to get the Flawless White Facial and added Revital Eyes. I chose this since I have been on the go for the past couple of weeks running from one gig to another i have been forgetting to put on sunblock. :( And I know that with the recent heat wave of summer I went a couple of shades darker. I added the Revital Eyes because well I have insomnia and don't get to sleep at the right time so my eyes definitely needed the de-puffing. Hehe

I hardly got any pics taken when I was having the facial because uhhh I fell asleep. Haha It was soooo relaxing! I was lying down and i instantly felt relaxed because of the quiet ambiance paired with mellow music. And they had this aromatherapy scent to smell to instantly relax you too! Oh i loved that, i felt like dozing off right away! :) They cleansed my face and started massaging my face for what felt like 15 minutes! That was soooo goood after this they steamed my face, and while they were steaming my face, they placed my hands in this like warm glove that helps relax your hand. And after that they massaged my hand too! Ugh by this time I was in heaven, I got a facial with a body massage! So pampered! :) After this I dozed off... and woke up when the dermatologist said that they were gonna start pricking.

When the pricking started, I knew what to expect. I have a high tolerance in pain so it wasn't like a big thing for me except that it had been 2 years since my last facial. So i knew there was some serious pricking about to happen haha, And it did but I didn't tear up because of the light hand that was used. While my pricking was going on, i heard a familiar voice of a woman about to start her treatment, my mom. Hahaha She got jealous and instead of just waiting for me, she got herself a facial too. It was awesome, Mom and Me bonding over flawless. :)

After the pricking was mask time, this is where they applied the whitening mask to firm my face and close the pores. I really love the feeling of masks. This is where they apply the Revital Eyes too. Revital Eyes are patches you put under the eyes to help decrease puffiness. It has a soft gel feel to it which is cooling to the touch of skin. :) Here's a pic of me lying down, I fell asleep.

LOL

A pic of me with the Whitening Mask and the Revital Eyes
(notice my I just woke up eyes haha)

After a couple of minutes, my treatment was finished. Initially I felt my skin was able to breathe! I don't know why I stopped getting facials when It feels so good right after! And uhh, well here's what they got out of my face (no wonder my face felt like it could breathe better haha).

Disgusting I know but I'm glad the impurities are off my face, thanks to Flawless!

And for the very first time, here's a pic of me just after the facial. No make up what so ever since I wasn't allowed to put anything on my face for 24 hours.

You can see the little red bumps from the pricking but it subsided within the day. My whole face and under eye felt so fresh I wish my face felt like this all the time! :) I am really happy with the outcome. The Flawless White Facial is only PHP560 and the Revital Eyes is just an additional PHP150. Only PHP710 for both! That is really affordable! I will be sure to get this treatment once a month. I will make time to fit this is my schedule!

Treatment area, that's my mom getting her facial 2 seats away from where I got mine hehe :)

Like what I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I am really serious about having clear flawless skin. It's not only about presenting myself to my clients, but it is also my way of taking care of my skin. People do so much to try and not age at all, but for me all I want is to age gracefully. I know that I have to start taking care of my skin now and continue on taking care of my skin, I don't want to start too late so start now. And for those who are on the go like me, Flawless is there to help you take care of your skin. I'm glad that from now on, Flawless will be my partner in helping take care of my skin and also in to be beautiful in my own skin with or without makeup. :)

Flawless also has a promo now, just spend a minimum of PHP1200 and you will have a chance to win a Louis Vuitton Bag in the monthly Raffle, and in December you get a chance to win a Diamond Necklace! :) Flawless not only brings beauty more affordable to Filipinos, but now it is bringing Luxury to Filipinos! Who can't love that? :)


I cannot wait to have my next treatment at Flawless! I will definitely keep you guys in tuned with more of their services. :) What do you guys think I should try next time? Their Face Peels, Body Scrubs or laser & RF treatments? Help me decide! :)


Toodles! :)

How I pack for makeup gigs! :)

Hey girls, since my life has revolved around make up recently, I'd like to share with you all how I pack my kit for make up gigs. :)

Leather black mallet is the train case with a lighted mirror while the regular one is the silver train case on the floor

I have 2 train cases and 1 prep bag. I don't bring both train cases because that would be impossible to carry hehe. I also don't need that much space. Depending on the gig, I switch between the one with the lighted mirror or the regular one. :)

Comprised of atomizers, cleansers, moisturizers and tools

To organize my prep bag, I placed a bag organizer inside. This bag organizer doubles as a retouch bag useful to place only the needed make up and brushes. Super useful when doing films, TVCs or TV shoots.


My brush kit also goes inside the prep bag. I really love this brush holder since it holds so much brushes. :) I always have bad dreams I forget my brush set when in shoots. QUE HORROR!

I love having different sizes of Stippling Brushes because they are so versatile, they can be used on liquid, creams and my favorite way of using them with powder or blush. :)

This is what the small train case looks like when opened. Since my next make up gig doesn't require a mirror, i decided to bring this one along.

The top 2 layers are where I store individual pans. On the left are powder foundations, cream wheels and cream blushes while on the right are blushes.

Powder Foundations

Blushes

When open, i store the individual eye shadows that haven't been depotted, eye liners, lipstick palette, eye brow powders and random tools.


On the other side I keep the cream foundations, concealers, translucent powders transferred to small sifters, eye shadow palettes, random blushes and bronzers and tube products.

Here's the bottom part of the train case where I keep big palettes and make up stored in bags to lessen clutter.

MAC PRO Palettes
28 Neutral Palette
120 Palette
32 Lipstick Palette
Random NARS GWP items

I prefer keeping make up in tubes and pencils stored in little bags to prevent the products from spilling everywhere. I separated them into 3 bags. The first bag on top (pink) has all my pencils from eye liners and lip pencil. The bottom left bag has lip glosses and lip tubes while the botton right clear plastic has mascaras and MAC brow sets.

Inside the pencil bag, my Styli Style pencils are a staple and the Prestige Total Intensity eye liner. :)

On shoots where I know I will be needing a portable mirror, I bring along my lighted mallet. But it can be really heavy so I only bring it on certain gigs.

Here's what it looks like resting on its little table. It still has a couple of make up items that I didn't transfer to the smaller train case since I wouldn't be needing them. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed looking at how I pack for make up gigs. I really enjoy what I do and have invested a lot in my equipment. That's why I'm also OC with my stuff. And the train case is great way of auditing your things when at an event or at a shoot. I personally know when something is missing and is out of place. hehe It's hard to lose stuff and build a kit, so as much as possible I try to be very organized and really oc with my things. hehe :)


Toodles! :)