NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Orange

As mentioned on my previous post, i purchased a few NYX items from eBay and promised that i'll share my thoughts about those products. And it's the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Orange for today's post. :)

So this is just another post about my recent shade addiction: Orange!

Here's the orange cream blush on my cheeks and lips. Yes, you can actually use it as a a lip color!

It looks very bright in the pot but when put on my skin and blended, it is more a muted orange. Best applied with a stippling brush.

Price: $6.50

As written on the back packaging, their cream blushes are manufactured in Taiwan. I think their other products are made in China.

without flash

with flash

more swatches:

What I Like:

• it's ORANGE. :P
• some say that it's a dupe for Nars Blush in Exhibit A
• very pigmented so you have to use a light hand with this blush
• more long-wearing than regular powder blushes
• same packaging as MAC for the fraction of the price
• it gives a gorgeous orange glow or hue to the cheeks
• it doesn't make my skin break out
• a small amount will go a long way
• 
  

What I Don't Like:

• have to buy online + shipping fee

Extending the Orange Fever

Summer has always and will always be about fun, vibrant colors with clothes, makeup and accessories. And it's quite worthy to note that orange and tangerine shades have been the most noticeable trend for the season.

Now i know what you're thinking. :) Yes the summer is over, but can't we extend the orange fever? I've rediscovered my love with orange/ tangerine shades of lipsticks and i think this made a nice change from the usual pinks.

Some recommend MAC Morange as the best shade of orange lipstick to try. But since MAC counters aren't accessible to my place, and frugal as i am, i have to look for other cheap alternatives. Like this recent discovery- Aido Regular Lipstick Shade #11.

Price? It's only 25pesos! (a lil less than $.50)

The packaging resembles shu uemura lipstick tubes :P

It looks like a bit scary at first, but it's a nice hot orange shade.

It's very pigmented and the texture is creamy.

swatches on my forearm:

without flash

with flash

Aido lipstick #11 on different occasions:

I'm also currently obsessed with The Face Shop's Fruits Jelly Tubes, Php200+

I have this lipgoss sitting in my traincase for so long now, until i rediscovered this love for orange lippies. It isn't sticky at all, it smells like there's a tinge of orange in it, and tastes like candy. It has a bit of shiny sparkly golden specks and it just looks lovely alone or over a lipstick.

That's all for now, i hope you'll have a nice weekend ahead! ♥

African-American Hair, Makeup and Skin Care Tips

Look flawless with advice from the pros that covers all your beauty bases

This is a TotalBeauty.com beauty tips article With 21 tips from experts and beauty bloggers, these insider how-tos and product recommendations will have your hair, makeup, and skin looking fabulous. Get tips

NYX Haul, Baby! ♥

Hello beauties! This is just a quick post about my recent NYX haul.

NYX cosmetics has become one of my favorite drugstore brands, add to the fact that NYX products are affordable, cruelty-free and delivers in quality and color selection.

I purchased a few of their recently released matte lip creams, lip liner, lip gloss, and rouge cream blushes as back-ups.

Reviews will be posted soon!

How to Pronounce Foreign Beauty Brands

With one quick read of this handy guide, you won't have to feel shy at the makeup counter ever again

This is a TotalBeauty.com makeup article Do you ever feel silly when you ask to try a certain beauty product only to have the salesperson correct your pronunciation of the brand in question? To make sure that doesn't happen again, check out this guide that phonetically spells out how to say the names of 10 popular brands. Read post

Sophie Magic Pink Cream Review

I've been excited to try this cheek tint from Sophie Martin. They say that it's a nice dupe to Smashbox O-Glow, which made me want to try it.

What I like about cheek tints is that they are easy to apply without using a brush. You can just dab some onto your finger and apply to your cheeks directly. I like using cheek tints during summer, when i don't feel like putting anything on my face except sunblock and cheek color.

Swatches:I can't tell if it's exactly a dupe for Smashbox O-Glow because i don't own one. But it's a nice product to try without hurting your pocket. ;)

What I Like:

• it gives a natural flush of pink on my cheeks
• it lasts long
• inexpensive

What I Don't Like:

• hard-to-find, it took me a while to look for an outlet near my place
• it leaves stain on my fingers (like most cheek tints do)
  

Price: PhP70 (about US$1.60)
Where to Buy: Sophie Martin outlets/ dealers

A BBW PocketBac Wannabe!

I spotted this hand sanitizer at Watson's and bought it for only PhP50! It looks like the PocketBac from Bath & Body Works, with its matching holder too!

It's actually smaller than the PocketBac from Bath & Body Works. Skin Protec Hand Sanitizer contains 20 ml, while BBW is 29 ml.

Skin Protec in Green Tea & Aloe (Bath & Body Works) ♦ PocketBac I Love Shoes (Kohl Industries Corp.)

Their back labeling, showing the ingredients:

PocketBac has 68% alcohol, while Skin Protec has 62% alcohol content.

Although the scent isn't as "nice" as PocketBacs, this wannabe is way cheaper than PocketBac. Besides, it serves the same purpose as hand sanitizer, so i'll definitely try the other scents available.

P.S.

I tried putting the PocketBac bottle to the Skin Protec holder, and it fits!

Coastal Scents 88 Eyeshadow Palette

I have had this Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette since last year and only hit on less than 10 colors. It's a good palette to have, but, I’m not really into eye makeup. I seldom put eye shadows, and i always opt for eye liners and mascara most of the times. Price:

This palette is only $20, or less- if you're lucky to avail it on sale.

Contents:
88 eye shadow colors
mirror: 5" x 3.12" (12.7cm x 7.9cm)
comes with 2 dual end foam tip applicators

Dimensions:
case when closed = 9.12" x 6.53" x 0.5" (23.2cm x 16.6cm x 1.3cm)
pot diameter = 0.62" (1.6cm)

Content Weight:
63.0g / 2.22oz

See that missing pot? I can't recall how I've lost that one. :(

Ingredients (from coastalscents.com):

Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT. May contain: Mica and Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Chrome Oxide Greens, Chrome Hydroxide Green, FD&C Red No.40 Al Lake, FD&C Yellow No.5 Al Lake, FD&C Blue No.1 Al Lake.

The packaging is a matte black case, made of plastic. It’s sleek and sophisticated-looking than I expected. I find the mirror small and a little useless because the palette is hard to hold up and use due to its size. It also includes two dual sponge tip applicators, but I prefer using eye brushes instead.

The size of each eye shadow is about the size of a dime- plenty in my opinion, as I've never used up an entire shadow of any color or kind. True as described, the palette is nearly a 50/50 mix of matte and satin with slight shimmer. Most shades are very pigmented, especially the darker and brighter shades. They can be applied wet for a more dramatic look and to make it longer lasting. Some colors can be a little chalky but proper blending and use of a primer can help that.

Barbie Pink Glam Lip Frosting vs. MAC Viva Glam Gaga

I saw this pale pink lip gloss at Watsons and thought that it would be nice dupe to my favorite MAC Viva Glam Gaga.

It's a steal for only PhP99 (about $2)!

So cute and very easy to use with its retractable packaging,

this hottie brings out the "Barbie in me". ;)

Side to side with my MAC Viva Glam Gaga lipstick:

The color pay-off is sheer because it's more of a lip gloss. So you need to swipe a couple of times to make it appear like a lipstick stain.

Final thoughts:

Both MAC Viva Glam Gaga and Barbie Lip Frosting have the same milky pale pink color, but i don't think this Barbie Lip Frosting is an exact dupe. I noticed a hint of peach (very subtle) on the latter's shade, if compared to MAC Viva Glam Gaga.

However, i found that the two is a perfect pair. MAC Viva Glam Gaga glides on smoothly over the Barbie Lip Frosting. Both are nice pale pink lippies perfect for smokey eyed makeup.

Let the swatches speak for themselves:

Barbie (L) and MAC (R)

5 Must-Have Beauty Products

See what beauty products one editor cannot leave the house without

This is a TotalBeauty.com beauty products article I am a certifiable product junkie, but since I can't schlep my closet full of beauty products around with me, I'm always sure to have the bare minimum at hand in case I need a fix. Here's what's always there for me in my case of need ... See products

Cleansing and Polishing Tool from Sigma Beauty

If you're also looking for a cheaper alternative to Clarisonic tool, then this would be a good news for you!

Sigma Beauty has come with another exciting Product release… It’s the Cleansing and Polishing Tool!

For only $39, you will receive the cleansing tool, a storage case, and three unique brush heads! That is about a fourth of the cost for similar products on the market!

The main difference between the Clarisonic (US$150-$225 at Sephora) vs Sigma cleanser is the head on the brush which spins/rotates while the head on the Clarisonic simply vibrates.

The Sigma Beauty Cleansing and Polishing Tool is designed to polish your skin to be perfectly smooth before and after your makeup application.

The kit includes three unique brush heads for all skin types:

These brushes are designed to effectively cleanse, polish, and exfoliate the skin.

There are two main advantages to buying this product over the competition: the rotating brush heads and the price! The specially designed brush heads rotate to fully cleanse and exfoliate your skin, leaving it flawless.

Water resistant. Requires 2 AA batteries (not included).

POLISH IT!

1. Add a small amount of your favorite facial cleaner directly to the brush head prior to application. Use the medium or firm brush head once a week to exfoliate dead skin cells and expose a fresh healthy layer of skin. If you have sensitive skin, use the softest brush head at all times. Keep your entire exfoliation process under one minute.

2. Use the soft brush head for daily polishing. This should be a quick process kept under one minute to lightly remove dead skin cells prior to makeup application.

3. Once your skin is exfoliated and polished, proceed with the application of your favorite moisturizer and makeup. You will notice that the polishing process will help your moisturizer deeply penetrate your skin, which will create the perfect base for flawless makeup application!

4. Adjust this routine as needed. Once you get started, you can customize the intervals between exfoliation and polishing to fit your needs and your skin type. Moderation is key!

CLEANSE IT!

Now is the time to get back to natural skin by efficiently removing all makeup residues from your skin!

1. Always use the softest brush head during the cleansing process.

2. Remove excess makeup prior to cleansing with facial wipes containing makeup remover.

3. Add a small amount of your favorite facial cleanser to the softest brush head and gently work it onto your skin using the Sigma Beauty Cleansing and Polishing Tool. Keep your cleansing process under one minute.

4. Apply your favorite moisturizer and you're ready for your beauty sleep!

Say goodbye to dull and uneven skin!