AMBASSADOR OF "LOVE"

EYEKO means LOVE in Japanese Ü

Eyeko is dubbed as London's cutest cosmetics, an irresistible line of make-up must haves with a Manga twist and Japanese flavour.

.

And i'm happy to announce that

I'm now officially an EYEKO AMBASSADOR!

Get the look as seen on Natalie Imbruglia, Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Gwen Stefani, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Courtney Cox Arquette, Mandy Moore, Anastasia, Jade Jagger, Thandi Newton, Helena Christensen and Mandy Moore to name but a few.

When you place your order, use my special code E148

to receive your free Eyeko product with

FREE SHIPPING on all orders WORLDWIDE!

Isn't that nice? Ü

visit EYEKO.com

E148

My 5-Minute Make-Up Routine

If you feel as though you don’t have time in the morning to put on makeup, try to remember how even one sweep of lip-gloss makes you feel about yourself and what it does to boost your self confidence, and that feeling is worth 5 minutes, every day!

Here are the steps you can follow to apply your makeup in as fast as five minutes (or less):

1. Dot some moisturizer (choose the one with SPF). It is recommended that you wait for a few minutes so that the skin will absorb the moisturizer, but there will be times when we simply don’t have the time.
2. Use concealer under eyes, pimple marks, scars, and other skin discolorations.
3. Apply foundation and blend.
4. Put on blush and blend. I find powder blushes the easiest to apply.
5. Apply your favorite eye shadow. (in this case, just one color and a light coverage is what you need)
6. Apply mascara to lashes.
7. Using a brow pencil, apply color to brow bone and blend.
8. Color your lips with lipstick and/or lip-gloss. (A lip brush gives a better application and takes no more time than lipstick straight from a tube)
9. Powder your nose and t-zone with loose powder/ finishing powder.
10. Check your blush and add a bit more if necessary.

Note:

The fastest “make-over” I can do for myself is as simple as this:

clean, tone & moisturize face, apply cream blush, swipe some lipgloss and put mascara. Ü

Tips:

• Before you begin your makeup application, set out everything you need.
• Option for steps no. 1 & 2: Sometimes I find it easy to mix enough amount of my moisturizer and mineral make up foundation and apply it to my face with a stippling brush. Then immediately proceed to step no. 3.
• I intend not to include the use of primer, eyeliner, bronzer, illuminators etc that are optional in this 5-minute make up guide. If you still can’t do your make up with the suggested guide, review the guide if you think there are some points to be ignored, then practice, practice, practice your way of applying make up. It’ll then be as easy as 1-2-3 everyday. Ü

My Foundie Shades

When i went back on using mineral make up early this year, I finally got hooked! My order with Lumiere Cosmetics was followed by more online orders from other mineral make up companies abroad: Lauress Cosmetics, Aubrey Nicole Cosmetics, Elegant Minerals, Cory Cosmetics, Everyday Minerals, Mad Minerals, Milan Minerals and Joppa Minerals (I haven't received my orders from Ocean Mist Cosmetics yet).

Sometimes, the waiting can be excruciatingly painful, Cory Cosmetics took forever to arrive (6 weeks), while with Joppa Minerals, i got my loot in less than two weeks. However, only with Joppa that i was required to claim the package from the Post Office and pay for a certain fee. The rest of the packages from the mmu companies mentioned were delivered straight to me.

With all the brands mentioned, i must say that I adore each of the product i tried with respect to each own unique quality. Quality-- as for my criteria on the texture, shade and coverage. Here are my foundation shades or the closest shades for me (so far):

• Cory Cosmetics- 50/50 ratio of Absolute Cream and Beyond Cream

• Lumiere Cosmetics- Light Golden in Cashmere Formula; or 80/20 mixture of Light Golden & Fairly Light Golden (Flawless or Cashmere Formulas)

• Lauress Cosmetics- Subtle Yellow in Ethereal Formula

• Aubrey Nicole- Light Golden (i prefer soft coverage formula)

• Everyday Minerals- mixture of Winged Butter and Original Glo Multi-Tasking (i can wear the latter alone)

• Mad Minerals- Olive Light Medium (have to mix with Lana of Milan Minerals)

• Milan Minerals- Lana (this is an all-around shade that i can use to add some "yellow" to other foundie shades i have)

• Elegant Minerals- either Golden Wheat or Cornsilk

• Joppa Minerals- still finding the closest shade or right mixture, tho Ginger in Simple Radiance is a favorite shade so far.

♥♥♥

SKINCARE BASICS

I always believe that we don't need to spend a lot of money to look good. I have listed down the basic rules I’m trying to follow to have great skin:


1. Wear sunscreen everyday.

2. Drink lots of water.

3. Maintain a balanced diet.

4. Exercise regularly. (Honestly, I can’t do exercise on a regular basis)

5. Don't smoke, live a healthy life.

6. Don’t go to bed with your makeup on.

7. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize…

8. Take vitamins/supplements like Vitamins E and C.

9. Sleep well (keep quality & quantity in mind).

10. Stay happy, control stress, and always wear a smile.


Sometimes we get so obsessed with what product to buy, that we forget that skincare is not just the matter of choosing the right brand of product. As you can see, those listed are not directly related to skincare. But our lifestyle can affect our appearance as much as what we put on our skin. A healthy lifestyle is very important. Every little thing you do to improve your overall lifestyle will improve your well-being and you'll look better!

Joppa Minerals

I received my Joppa Minerals loot today! I'm hearing a lot of nice feedbacks regarding the coverage and the texture of their foundation so i gave in and ordered some sample sizes.

So, fresh from the post office, i'm sharing you the pictures:

I placed my order on their website last August 26, and was shipped on August 28

via USPS First Class Int'l. Mail

I can't wait to try them if it's worth to get full sizes. I'll post my review soon!

czel

CORY.... finally!

After, more than a month of waiting, our pooled orders from Cory Cosmetics arrived this morning. Woohoo! It is really a good news to my fellow mmu lovers i pooled order with.

And as i promised, i'm posting the pictures i took as soon as i get hold of it. I just want to share the happiness and excitement i felt when this package finally arrived. (i know you know how it feels, right? ). So here they are:

USPS Priority Mail

Opened...

We ordered only 2 fs jars and a total of 195 sample pigments from Cory, but sadly, sample baggies came all together in one plastic container and still needed to be sorted..

Scattered pigments.. =P

So now you know it's party time! =D

SHAKE- SWIRL- TAP- BUFF

Here are the basic steps in applying mineral foundations:
(It is recommended to clean, tone & moisturize first for a better & flawless result)

SHAKE the foundation jar with cover on, turn upside down and find a small amount of its contents that have sifted to the top/cover of the jar; OR tap a small amount of foundation to a separate swirling bowl-- this option is most likely preferred.

SWIRL the face brush (I suggest to use kabuki brush) into the contents on the lid/ bowl;

TAP the brush onto the side of the lid to take off any excess powder;

BUFF the foundation into your skin in a circular or downward motion starting at the outer edge of your face and move towards the center of your face. Apply light layers to evenly blend the pigments. It is better to apply several applications to get the desired effect than it is to remove and start over. Once you feel the coverage is what you want, buff your face with your kabuki or broad-based brush to get off any excess mineral powder.

Addicted to MMU =)

MMU is a must-try!
WARNING though: It can get very ADDICTING.

Once you've been hooked in wearing mineral make up, there could be no turning back.

There are so many mmu brands especially online that you just want to try more and more. And they’re actually cheaper to use than traditional make-up/ non-MMU brands, imagine, these stuff do not have expiration dates and you just have to use very little amount of pigment. With proper application, you'll only be needing a pinch or so at a time.

I have tried brands such as Blusche, Coconut Bay Cosmetics, Ellana, Lumiere, Lauress, Everyday Minerals... and the list goes on.... It is important for me to try different MMU brands to find the perfect shade and brand for me. Ordering online is not always hassle-free, especially on finding the proper shade and choosing the right formula. That's why it is really important to start in ordering samples before committing to full sizes.

.

My LHK is Here!

Yipee! Happy mmu day again!
The Air21 boy just came to deliver my EDM's Original Glo Multi-Tasking and my so-much-awaited Long-Handled Kabuki.

Thank you Kitz! *mwah!

*still waiting for 3 more packages: Cory, Aubrey Nicole & Elegant Minerals*

Lauress Samplers

It's a happy mail day! i received my Lauress package this morning.

Will soon post updates here!

Elegant Minerals

It should be a *no-buy* mode for me but was tempted again to try another mmu brand.

Good thing my friend wanted to try mmu too, so we divided the shipping cost for our orders.

I hope mmu will work for her VERY sensitive skin. (*crossing-fingers*)

**waiting for my Lauress, EDM, Cory, Aubrey Nicole + Elegant Minerals packages**

Holy Grail

Still roadtesting my Lumiere samples. . i receive good compliments while wearing cashmere & luminese formulas.. and i ask myself: "Did i find my HG this early??" Parang i'm still not convinced coz i still want to try MORE brands pa.. haha.. adik.

**waiting for my Lauress, EDM, Cory & Aubrey Nicole packages**

Lumiere Starter Kit

After reading rave reviews about Lumiere Mineral Cosmetics (formerly Must Have Minerals), I gave in and ordered their popular Try Me! Starter Kit. I was able to avail of their "Summer Sale" offering discounts on most items. The sample kit is on sale for $9.00 (and the shipping is FREE!), from its regular price of $15.50.

Lumiere has 4 different formulas for their foundation to choose from:

• Luminesse - all skin types (normal, oily, dry)
• Cashmere - all skin types (normal, oily, dry)
• Veena Velvet - normal to oily skin
• Flawless - normal to dry skin

I chose flawless, luminesse and cashmere for comparison.. I placed my orders on July 7, received their shipping confirmation the next day, and received my Lumiere loot on July 19.

Here's what i got:

I am so thrilled with the packaging. The samples were neatly wrapped in plastic and vacuum sealed. They also gave me a unique coupon code for a $5.00 off on my next order. Sulit 'di ba?

The kit includes 4 foundie shades, 1 finishing powder, and 1 blush/bronzer, in cute mini square jars (without sifter).

• Cashmere- Fairly Light Golden
• Cashmere- Fairly Light
• Flawless- Light Cool
• Luminesse- Light Golden
• Pearlfecting Powder (finpow)
• Neutral pink (blush)

While all the formulas in my starter kit provide a "not-made-up look" and flawless finish, my favorite is cashmere because i find it more creamy but blendable. I was so right in choosing fairly light golden and fairly light shades. They match my skin tone perfectly, while light cool and fairly light are okay too.. i think i need another mmu shade with deep yellow undertones and experiment in playing with these shades.

My Lumiere Loot

Surprise! I received my Lumiere loot today.

You should witness how happy i am! Ang saya saya After i placed my order online two weeks ago, i started counting the days. I read a lot of good feedback, and convinced with the recos from my fellow GTers for this mmu brand. I'm itching to try ASAP.

Will post some reviews soon!

Blusche

BLUSCHE (pronounced blŭsche) is Middle English of blush which means glow,

gleam or glimpse..
--copied from their website

What i like about this Canada-based mmu company is their friendly customer service. Thanks to Monica (she's a pinay!) who patiently answered my queries on selecting my shade before i placed my orders. I also got my orders fast. By the way, they recently opened their Blusche PH Store to cater their many customers here.

I bought Blushing Pink blush/bronzer in a 10 gram sifter jar and also got the following foundie shades to try:

• Colombian
• Butterscotch
• English Toffee
• French Vanilla (in OLD formula)

I find Blusche foundies creamy except for the old formula (in French Vanilla) which is a bit chalky. They offer medium coverage and felt light on the skin. It controls oiliness and the matte finish is just alright. I have achieved my perfect mix with English Toffee and Butterscotch on a 60:40 ratio.

Photo copied from

www.blusche.com

ELLANA Minerals

When they opened their store in Manila last year, i received a few samples from Coney, one of the people behind Ellana Minerals. The sampler set includes foundation, finishing powder and a blush. The shades that i got were the following, all in their Premium Blend* formula:

• French Vanilla Latte (foundation)
• Hazelnut (foundation)
• Toffee Mocha (foundation)
• Espresso con Panna (finishing powder)
• Heaven (blush)

*one of their two foundation formulas, the other one is Glow Enhancer Blend.

French Vanilla Latte is a light shade with warm golden undertones;

Hazelnut is a medium light shade with warm golden undertones; while Toffee Mocha is a medium shade that suits those with olive undertones. Among the three, French Vanilla Latte is my favorite. The foundation shades offer full coverage and matte finish, really good for those with oily skin.

I wish i got Glow Enhancer Blend instead, i just saw in their website that this formula provides a light to medium coverage. I prefer to have that look with sheen, not glittery but natural glow.. and long lasting coverage at the same time.

I like how the finishing powder (Espresso con Panna) helped in keeping my make-up lasts the whole day. It works like a concealer too, it minimizes the appearance of small imperfections and fine lines. For oily skin, it can be used prior to putting foundation.

I got a nice shade Heaven, a matte, deep muted pink shade with a hint of lavender. Very pigmented that the sample size will last a long way.

Photo copied from

www.ellanaminerals.com

My Very First MMU

In my previous post, i mentioned about the reasons why i became curious, if not totally convinced to give mineral make up a try. Actually mmu isn't "new" to me anymore. I have tried using mmu in the past (months ago) and posted some reviews about it in my old site. And now i know that i'll be talking more of mmu again in the following days, i should write those brief reviews here, as far as i can remember.

The very first mmu brand that i tried was Coconut Bay Cosmetics-- where i was one of the lucky people who were able to avail of their TOTALLY FREE samples. Yeah right, i did not pay a penny even for the shipping. Lucky me! (When i checked their website recently, there's a certain fee for samples already plus shipping).

It took about 3 weeks for me to get hold of it after placing my order online. The 6 foundation samples were sent via First Class International Mail. These were the shades that i chose based on the color chart provided on their website:

Light Beige

Ivory
#2
#3
#4
#5

Although i did not get the perfect match for my shade on each sample, i followed the trick of mixing two or three shades to create my desired shade. The different color samples are great because you can can mix and match for a customized color to perfectly match your natural skin tone.

Coconut Bay has great coverage and it lasts all day, and the best of all, it did not caused me to break-out. I will never forget that one time after attending a late-night party i fell asleep with my foundation on, and upon waking up the next morning i was so surprised to see my face so fresh and as if it has been moisturized overnight. Amazing!

Converting to MMU

There is a lot of hype about mineral makeup in the beauty scene recently. Browsing through different beauty sites and forum discussions, I became more aware of the significant benefits of mineral makeup over chemical-based cosmetics (traditional cosmetics).

Mineral Makeup is made from naturally occurring pigments from the earth which are sterilized and pulverized into a very fine powder without any of the chemicals, dyes, and preservatives found in traditional makeup. It usually includes beneficial ingredients to guard the skin from the sun’s harmful rays and to feed and nourish it. Zinc oxide is a key ingredient that is beneficial for acne prone and inflammed, irritated skin, as well as titanium dioxide, which provides sun protection to the skin.

Many dermatologists report that because mineral makeup frequently eliminates classic "irritants" – like fragrances, binders, synthetic dyes, and preservatives-- it is considered "purer" and can be kinder to the skin. It’s non-comodegenic (non-pore clogging) and so does not irritate the skin or even penetrate it but instead allows the skin to breathe – it’s a perfect solution for sensitive skin and mature skin and an alternative for all of us who want to keep our skin beautiful and problem free. So for those women who suffer with skin ailments such as acne and dryness, using mineral makeup permits them to take advantage of a skin-friendly product which will not exacerbate their problems.

The fact that the ingredients are inorganic also means that no preservatives need be included and that the makeup will have a long shelf life, so long as reasonable care is taken to apply the makeup with clean brushes.

We all are aware by now that the majority of the things put in cosmetic products are at the least unhealthy and with continued exposure, can even be life threatening. These are just a few reasons for me to give mineral make up a try-- a second try, actually.