Belle de Jour: Ondoy Aftermath Action Group

i'm inviting everyone to join the relief operations being organized by Belle de Jour this coming Saturday, October 3, from 1-5 PM.

it shouldn't matter whether you own a planner or not. what matters is that you are willing to devote your time and effort to this worthy cause.

details are still being sorted out. if you would like to volunteer, please send an email to ilovebdj@belledejourpowerplanner.com with your full name, mobile, and location.

other ways in which you can help out the victims of Typhoon Ondoy:

• send monetary donations
• donate medicines, clothes, blankets, towels, canned goods, bottled waters etc
• pray!

for ways on how to donate, check out this link.

God bless, everyone, and stay safe!

*update*
this will be postponed for now due to the upcoming super typhoon.
i pray that we may be spared from another tragedy. be safe everyone!

My New Blending Brushes

i bought these last month from Charm. they had a mid-year brush sale, so i grabbed the opportunity of course! :P i exchanged a couple of messages with the seller asking her about the different blending brushes they had. i didn't want to go crazy anymore trying to pick out which one i should get, so i decided to get all 3, haha!

Charm Crease Blending Brush, P250 

perfect for placing color onto my crease. i find that when i use my 217 it gets all over the place (either because my lids are small, or i just don't know how to use it properly, lol). can also be used to blend small areas

Charm All Purpose Blending Brush, P200

i alternate this with my 217 (well it does look like it huh) - for placing color onto my outer v and blending out the outer part of my lid

Charm Big Blending Brush, P200

i've read a review that it's comparable to the 224. i mostly use this for blending edges around my lid

here's the latter 2 side by side. all purpose on the left and big blending on the right

the bristles are soft and don't hurt my eye :) however, they can get quite unruly, so as advised by the seller, shape them really well while damp.

i'm happy with the new additions to my collection :) blend! blend! blend!

p.s i'm still a newbie when it comes to blending. can u tell me how u use ur blending brushes (i.e 217, 222, 224) :) my brush collection is growing but i don't know if i'm using them correctly :P 

My Body Shop Haul

The Body Shop has a special promo for LYB members :) from Sept 25-30, buy the 1st at regular price and save 50% on your 2nd regular item. apart from that, they have other items on sale. i was never one to say no to a good sale (haha certified shopaholic here), so off i went to TBS in makati.

here's my haul :D

Vitamin C Cleansing Face Polish (bought at 40% off, P417). for natural radiance. i've tried the Skin Boost and Micro Refiner from the Vitamin C range before. now i'm gonna try the facial wash

Vitamin E Eye Cream (bought at regular price, P695). for reducing puffiness and dark circles. this is my 1st time to try this product, let's see how it works. i like that it comes in a tube. no nasty dipping!

Vitamin E Lip Care (on sale for P195). for moisturizing your lips. it's vanilla flavored. and it has spf 15 too! 

Lip Scuff (bought at 50% off, P325). for exfoliating your lips. i just finished up my first tube, and i have to say it really works for me. i like its minty taste too

Strawberry Body Polish (bought at 50% off, P297.5). for exfoliating your entire body. it's gentle enough for daily use (but i still use my Olive Body Scrub once a week). i love its smell, sickeningly sweet, haha. i alternate this with my Olive Shower Gel.

Organic Cotton Rounds, 2 packs (on sale for P250). do i have to explain what these are for :P

and finally, i bought the limited edition Sundown Glow Eye Trio from their Precious Pearlescents collection (bought at regular price, P795). this was already out of stock in greenbelt, and was the very last piece in sm makati. i just had to get it!

*sigh* isn't it pretty? teehee

lookie, very pigmented!

so there! yeah i went a lil crazy with the shopping. but then again, with TBS, i always do! haha :D

Mini Kabuki Brush

ever since i bought mineral blushes, i've been looking for a mini kabuki brush to use for applying them. being the OC person that i am, i didn't exactly want to keep using my full sized kabuki (which i use for foundation) for blushes.

i decided to get the Mini Kabuki Brush from Suesh. it comes with a mini pouch and only costs P250. what's unique about it is that it opens up (but no, u can't separate them).

here are pictures from all sides:

i don't know if it's really designed that way, but the white side is way fluffier than the black side. they look pretty even from the side, but from the top, it's a whole other story as u can see. so i was quite surprised by that.

the brush is really small (that's why it's called a mini!) and fits snugly on my hand.

for size comparison, here it is alongside my full sized kabuki from The Body Shop.

this is how i use it:

i open it up and dip the black side on the blush. i use the black side because it's denser than the white. i find using the white one tends to get messy because it's so fluffy.

then i spread the blush on the apples of my cheeks using the black side.

and finally i buff it out by using the closed brush.

i also use the closed brush when applying finishing powder.

this brush lives up to Suesh's standards of super soft bristles. not scratchy at all! i did expect the brush to be more dense, it being a kabuki and all. but it serves its purpose (dual, in fact). very handy and perfect for touch-ups!

Tagged! 10th Picture

this is a tag and a fotd post in one ;)

was tagged by cha :)

here are the rules:
* open your first photo folder
* scroll down to the 10th photo
* post that photo and story on your blog
* tag five {or more} friends to do the same

and here's the photo :D

i am tagging ems, louie, sush, kay, and niki :)

this photo was taken tonight at paseo uno in mandarin oriental. enjoyed a buffet dinner (at 50% off, i might add!) with my ever dearest college friends :)

i went for very dramatic purple and black smokey eyes. i don't normally go for dark eye makeup but i thought i'd give it a try :P

face:
the body shop nature's minerals foundation 03
ellana bronzer in harmony

eyes:
urban decay potion primer
careline glamour eyes in platinum
coastal scents 78 palette eyeshadows
m.a.c eye liner in phone me
maybelline volum express mascara

lips:
the body shop lip liner in clover pink
maybelline moisture extreme lipstick in petal soft rose

Won: Erica's Blog Anniversary Giveaway

look what i received in my e-mail today :D

i won 4th prize in erica's blog anniversary give-away!!!! :D i will receive NYX lipsticks :D

so so excited! thanks so much erica!! can't wait! :D

I'm on Style Bible!

went to the Rockwell Urban Bazaar last August 29, 2009. was asked by a photographer to pose for Style Bible, the online counterpart of Preview magazine. of course, i was game! teehee :)

i am wearing a top from Kamiseta, a skirt from Poisonberry, and sandals from VNC.

Glamour Eyes

don't u just love affordable finds? i know i do! :) one of my latest ones came in the form of Careline Glamour Eyes, which are creamy eyeshadow pencils. i bought these at Landmark for only P70 each (talk about dirt cheap!)

i experimented with these by using them as a base for my powder eyeshadows. check out my swatches below:
A - eye shadow only
B - eye shadow over glamour eyes
C - eye shadow over UDPP

cotton candy
a soft pink color. as u know, pink eyeshadows tend not to show up. and since i tend to wear pink eyeshadows a lot despite that fact, i naturally gravitated to this shade.

 

 

platinum
a frosty white color. i reckoned it would go with pretty much anything!

as you can see, Glamour Eyes did a really good job of making the colors pop. no, these will not replace my UDPP :P but i'll definitely reach for these pencils when i want a bit more color in my life! :D

p.s sorry for the bad lighting on the photos. the flash keeps on washing out the colors :(

Pilipinas, Ang Ganda Mo!

i've decided not to make any more makeup purchases *gasp*

until next week, that is! lol

from the Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines website:
The Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (CCIP) in celebration of the Cosmetics Month this September will host the 2nd CCIP Cosmetic Fair ‘09, Pilipinas, Ang Ganda Mo! At the Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall on September 18-20, 2009. This event will showcase the country’s leading brands in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products.

so i'm holding off til this event :P who knows, i might score great deals, eh? i don't know yet which brands are participating, but i'm definitely not going to miss out on this one! should be worth going to, right? :)

oh, and the best part? free admission! :D

Beautiful Blogger Award

just received my first award, wheee :) thanks mapple, really appreciate it! :)

and i am passing it on to these bautiful bloggers: gem, ida, krissy, thiamere, mhizelle, and nina. :)

Water Shine 3D Essence

 

i was at rockwell the other day, and was browsing makeup (as usual, haha) at pcx. Maybelline had a couple of items on sale at 50% off, and i of course could not resist making a purchase :P i bought 2 lipglosses from the Water Shine 3D Essence range, originally priced at P399 each.

they come in these sleek silver casings, with a contoured tip. you have to twist the bottom dial to the right in order for the color to come out. you can reduce the amount by twisting back to the left, but once it's out of the tube, the gloss doesn't really go back entirely. so don't get too carried away with twisting, or you'll end up with a lot more product than you bargained for!

i've been prowling for 2 lip colors: red and peach. so that's exactly what i got :)




Attractive Rose
shimmery peach with gold flecks. gives my lips a touch of color and shine. i can wear this everyday or layer it over a peach colored lipstick (which i am still on the search for!)

Strawberry Infusion
i'd call this a shiny watery red. i don't think i need to look for red lipstick anymore, because i'm quite happy with this already. i mean really, where am i going to wear red lipstick anyway? :P gives my lips that "bitten look" without being over the top.

my only beef with these glosses is that the staying power isn't that great. i have to keep on retouching every couple of hours. but i suppose most glosses are like that anyway, huh. still, i'm happy with my purchases :) more so because they were on sale, haha!

Be Alluring

 

The Body Shop launched its newest makeup and fragrance collections. i got an invitation to this event courtesy of my Love Your Body membership. i invited my kikay friends, kath and roz, to come along :)

The White Musk Midnight Iris collection consists of body mist, body wash, body lotion, and of course eau de toilette.

The Precious Pearlescents collection (autumn trend) consists of blush trios, eye trios, and eye pencils.

a closer look at the makeup..

i so want the warm sunset blush trio (the one on the left) and sundown glow eye trio (the one on the right). so so pretty!!! and the metallic eye definers are all so nice!

thank you to The Body Shop for hosting this event. :) and to Mara for being so friendly and accomodating throughout the night. :)