Ilonggo Beauty junkies ALERT!

Hey friends!

I havent had time to blog that much yet but I'd just wanted to let you know that one of my favorite beauty store just opened in Iloilo! (this is in no way sponsored btw :D I just like their nail polish so much! ) When I first saw the sign that they were opening a store in my city I was indeed ecstatic!

The Face Shop is now located in SM City Iloilo lower ground floor in front of MEMO, All Flip Flops, Bibinkinitan :)

Before, I would always ask a relative or a friend who would visit Bacolod to grab me a few nail polishes whenever I get the chance. Now, I don't have to ask for favors yey! Surprisingly I haven't shopped there yet. I need to save up so that I could splurge! :)

xoxo,
ER 

Review: Shawill Mono Eye Shadows

I have been out and about for the past couple of weeks preparing for my nephew’s Baptism. I was tasked to make the souvenirs, invitations, candy buffet and decorations for the party and I had to travel hundreds of kilometers to get here. Yes here, I’m creating this post while I’m at the province since I decided to extend my stay. Sometimes, a busy bee needs to have a vacation once in a while. I’ll be back in the city if you happen to be reading this now. Blog post about the party on my other blog here: (Link will be available soon) When I was browsing my laptop and deleting some files when I stumbled upon the photos which I took last year.

I bought these eye shadows a while back so it’s about time that I make a blog post about it. When Shawill cosmetics hit our local malls it was like I was given a chance to extend my makeup collection. The brand has a wide range of products from satin to shimmery e/s, matte to sparkly lip products and even mineral makeup. But when I saw these eye shadows and tried to swatch them, I was sold! They are the most pigmented of the affordable single eye shadows that I have seen so far.

The e/s are individually placed in pans w/ their own respective closures, I haven’t tried to depot them but I think you can if you want to. I decided to pick up four pigmented shades.

 I feel bad that the photos don’t give the colors justice but its close enough. I just wish they named the shades rather than have numbers to represent them. It’s a pain to pair the colors to the respective numbers. All the shades that I got give off sheen when swatched and if placed on the lids; however, it is not overpowering and can be used during the day with light application. The texture is satiny and not powdery at all. The eye shadows give off sheen, and the color hues change as the light hits it in different areas on the lids as seen on the photo above where the eye shadow is pressed in a two dimensional Argyle pattern. You can even use one eye shadow by itself. I suggest using a flat brush to tap the colors on to the lids and blend it with a clean blending brush for a fast and easy smoky look.

Shades I bought:

002 a taupe brown with metallic undertones

006 is a metallic brown lighter than 002 (It  looks green on the photo because it has gold micro shimmers)  

010 is an electric royal blue

001 is a plum purple

 Here are the swatches with one swipe:

001, 010, 006, 002

Above are the swatches when blended out (amaaaaazing pigmentation!)

As you can see in the swatches there’s no question with the e/s pigmentation it went beyond my expectation.  For 69.00 Php and 4grams of product its quite a good deal. Here’s a list of ingredients that it contains.

 Now, let’s talk about the product’s staying power, do take note that I have oily lids to start with. Here’s a snapshot of my lids using shade no. 1 on my crease. (Excuse my messy eyeliner) By using a primer before hand, it started to crease within 4 hours of wearing the makeup, without the primer I would predict it to stay on my lids without creasing for about 1-2 hours which is a bit disappointing. Again, I have oily lids and I used elf primer then. But I can’t complain since it is a very affordable product. I had to also be very careful while applying the product on my crease w/ a fluffy brush since it can cause a bit of fallout (nothing unmanageable). I suggest using a flat brush and blending it afterwards. I did not have any allergic reactions to the product when I used it.

 I filmed a tutorial for this look but I can’t seem to upload it on my channel.

Pros:

Product is reasonably priced

Undeniably rich pigmentation

Smooth texture

Readily accessible via local department stores

Cons:

Can cause a bit of fallout

Weak staying power if not used w/ a primer

Ingredients contain strong preservatives

Overall Rating:

3 out of 5 J

If you do NOT have oily lids, and is looking for a pigmented eye shadow, try passing by Shawill counters and have a look at their products, you might like it.

Tips:
1. Use a good primer before applying the e/s for a better staying power
2. A little goes a long way with this e/s so keep in mind to be gentle while applying it especially with dark colors or else you will look like a raccoon. :)
3. Try using a setting spray if yo have hooded lids since this may crease a lot more on you and might even cause transfer.

Thats it for now. 

xoxo,

ER 

Random haul and first impression

Tip number one when you go to the mall for an errand; Don't go near the cosmetics area if you don't intend to spend money :)  but then again, I don't listen to my own advice ha!

I got these items a while back and haven't blogged about any of it yet. so here's my mini haul:

I bet you recognize a few of them but there's also a few in there that seems alien to you and I. I was intrigued as well.

I have been passing by this makeup shelf/counter at a local mall "Gaisano City Iloilo" whenever I get the chance to go there. It had cosmetics which were packaged very pretty although I wasn't really sure which brands and from what countries they originate since there isn't any SA to assist you when you go there in that area, which I find odd. 

I took a few ninja shots of the display with my phone's low res camera:

It reminds me of the Korean makeup brands which is currently a big hit in the country. 

I chose two items; an eye shadow palette from Sivanna Cosmetics and a blush duo from the brand Nice Shop.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

The eyeshadow quad in no. 7 is formulated in Korea as claimed in it's packaging.

The adorable pink and white packaging makes the shadows look dainty

It comes with a white shade that has micro glitters, a light cool brown w/ subtle shimmer but one that isn't overpowering, a cool brown w/ warm gold micro shimmers and a taupe w/ iridescent micro glitters as well. 

the quad had a compartment at the bottom with two applicators that I see myself using as a last resort. 

here's the back of the box and I got this quad for P129.95

However, I got a bit disappointed with the eye shadows. I wasn't expecting it to be anything special really. The shadows were powdery, and I find it actually difficult to get the pigments to show on my arms. A foam tip applicator will probably be best to use with the eye shadows. However, I I'm not giving up on them and I'll try to make it work. the second shade from the top is actually the most workable from the quad. 

white, light peachy brown, warm brown & taupe

The blush however, I am happy with. It's a bit powdery but workable. I suggest using your puff or your fingers when blending it on to your cheeks since using a blush brush will cause a ton of fall out. The duo is in no. 07 as well.

The packaging is acrylic which I doubt would survive a clumsy fall. The brush looks cute but is way to scratchy.

The top shade is a light rosy orange which seems matte in the package but can actually reflect light well enough to be used as a subtle highlight on top of the next shade which is a medium tone orange shade which works well on my skin tone when blended out well. The second shade has a satin finish but could definitely pass as a matte blush. 

I got the blushes for 109.95 pesos definitely worth it since I get 8 grams of product. I wish they had more shades when I got them. I'll check out the other products from the brand in the future. 

In case you are wondering.. "NO" I didn't develop any rash or allergic reactions from the products mentioned above on my arms. I haven't used them on my face yet though.

While browsing the Ever Bilena counters I decided to get this Pro Lip Liner in the shade "RED". I only have 2 lip liners, both from AVON and it ain't good, I said why not give this one a try which I think is perfect under dark brown red lipstick. (Hopefully I'll post a review on this later on)

 It's annoying that the color cap on top of the liner is way off from the real shade of the lip product. Thank goodness for testers. This one looks promising!

The last random things I got were two nail polishes from Clik just to use for nail art. and a sponge from Touch Me for applying liquid foundation. 

That's it for the mini haul. Let me know if yo have questions! leave a comment :)

xoxo,

ER

A little Shopping

Hello! I'm back in the blogosphere!

It has been a while! since my last post. One reason, WORK. I got a job a few months back and needless to say, I haven't had time to take photos, write or even conceptualize a blog post. Heck I didnt even get a chance to shop-till-i-drop. Hehe, so since I'm free this week a.k.a ditched my job I decided to shop-a-little and show you the goodies I got!

First off I went to my trusty SM Mall in the city initially to watch and support my friend on one of her cosplay events. After that I tried to look for a bag and a pair of shoes. I was a little sick even till now so the shopping wasn't all that fun and I wasn't able to find the perfect bag. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for although I did find a good pair of shoes from So Fab http://sofab.com.ph/. I am happy I got it on sale! I had shoes like this with a similar style and shape before but that was long ago. This one's a classic but quite trendy as well. I love that it's a neutral  color! It's quite comfy too. I'm a bargain shopper, I love good deals! Got this for 399! haha

I also went to Watsons after to get a few items I wanted to try and which I'm almost out of. 

tadaa....

The next day, I decided to run a couple of errands with my cousin and rummaged trough a bunch of thrift stores a.k.a "ukay-ukay". If you ever come to Iloilo, there are a lot of ukay2 stores in Mary Mart Mall! all are air conditioned! too bad I didnt find anything I liked. Well, clothing wise... but I did find this adorable decor! When I saw this a few days back in "Toppings" <---- (the ukay2 store which also carries brandnew makeup by nyx, mememe, sleek and a few others), I wanted to purchase it, but chose not to just because I didn't know where to put it. So when I went back with my cousin, I couldn't help myself anymore hehe... It's going home with me baby!. It was ONLY a whooping Php30.00 and in mint condition!

Its a litte birdie! A quail maybe? I don't really know but I bet I saw something like this online. I'm going to display this on my shelves for now. :) It's pretty isn't it?

A few days back, I decided to pick up nail polishes as well. Now that I could paint my nails again :) hurray!

A mix of Spring and Fall shades :) 

Lastly I'll share with you my not so recent purchase of blushes. I haven't blogged about my makeup finds but there's really not much to share...

I decided to get new blushes from 2 local brands which looked very similar in its packaging. One is from Ever Bilena and the other from Nichido.

At first glace they look very similar! I was about to kick myself in the butt when I realized I got the same shade from different brands BUT no... lets look again:

See the difference? One's more rose pink and the other an orange pink if that made sense. teehee ^,~

The Ever Bilena in "ROSE" have micro shimmers but is not overwhelming at all. It gives the cheeks a little sheen. The Nichido "TOMATO" is matte and I remember the makeup artist used this on my class during my college year book photo shoot. That's a good sign that this shade would work well with almost all skin tones!

here are the swatches:

Concentrated

Blended out

Well, that's it for now... new posts in a few days!

xoxo,

ER

Short post for an outfit of the day :) I actually forgot when I wore this nyah' but regardless of the date, here's what I wore:

Basic Face, Blue faded button up(denim like color) long sleeves shirt from Surplus, Leggings from Robinsons Dept. store, Grey sequence shoes from Divisoria, Bag (same as my previous OOTD), Jewelries/Accessories from a local "abubut" store in downtown Iloilo.

Fashion isn't just for the skinny ones ^,~