makeupnoob

 

The Peachy Pink Sisters, Trace and Dawn, are holding their first blogger giveaway, and man oh man, the prizes at stake are suh-weet:

The Body Shop Cosmetic Bag
The Body Shop Natrulift Firming Night Cream with Organic Pomegranate 50ml
The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Conditioner 60ml
The Body Shop Oui Oui Oui! Tantalising Lip Butter 8.5g
Watsons Bird’s Nest Essence Facial Mask 30ml (2 pieces)
Body Nature Honey Almond and Shea Body Souffle (35ml)
Body Nature Honey Almond and Shea Body Wash (110ml)
Body Nature Honey Almond and Shea Body Bar (75g)

When I first started taking care of my skin (in high school), I started out with TBS's tea tree skincare range, and it's never let me down! I've always loved TBS (going in there, smelling and swatching stuff), but I've avoided buying from them for myself as I find them too pricey for my taste. Winning this would be lovely! I've never had good luck with makeup/beauty contests, but I still hope I win this one. :) 



For their blog followers, they have a special giveaway as well!



Stuff at stake:

The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel 60ml
The Body Shop Strawberry Body Lotion 60ml
Watsons Bird’s Nest Essence Facial Mask 30ml (3 pieces)
Jordana Kohl Kajal Lipliner in Terra Cotta 1.3g
Ystilo Salon Healthy Hair Conditioner
Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush in 20 Bashful Plum 1.8g
Clinique GWP Blush Brush
Personi Vitamin E and Aloe Vera Lipstick in 156 Coppercino
Skin Food Patiron Au Lait Cream Sample
Skin Food Gold Caviar Cream Sample
More information here! Open to Philippine residents only, 

 My dad is a writer, and when he runs out of material for his articles, he "resorts to making lists"--his words. He told me he can't get why people love lists. I think there are a bunch of reasons-- lists offer us insight, however brief or small, into a person's life; lists are like 'real' articles, but aren't TL;DR (too long; don't read) or HWoTs (huge walls of text); lists are pretty straightforward. 

I for one love making lists, Dad. :) 

Here are my top 5 favorite products for March 2010 (yes, yes, it's a bit late for March! Don't hurt me. /)_(\ I finished the text on the 31st but waited until this morning to take pictures):


1. Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream in Sheer Glowing Skin, P698



I cannot emphasize my love for this BB cream, my absolute favorite one so far. It makes me glow, but not in the discoball-slash-the-product-I'm-using-has-a-bajillion-tiny-glitter-flecks-in-it kind of way, but in a very natural, I-take-really-good-care-of-my-skin-so-now-I-look-totally-flawless-and-gorgeous way. It makes you look poreless, and it even healed the blemishes on the side of my nose after only a week's use! Can't speak for its oil control, as I'm not really oily to begin with. My T-zone doesn't shine up though, even after several hours of wear. ...That is pretty much the summary of my upcoming review for this thing, too. XD So feel free to skip that one if you find it TL;DR. 


2. Beauty Credit Lovely Q10 Pearl Shine Makeup Base, P675.



I took a chance on this! Beauty Credit is relatively unheard of here, and to my knowledge there are only two physical locations where you can ogle their goods--the Watson's in SM Mall of Asia, and the Watson's at SM The Block. I bought this on the recommendation of The Muse (♥), and I'm glad I did! It's a primer, but it has fine glittery-type specks mixed into it to make your face appear brighter (not shinier, rest assured). For best effects, I mix it in with my BB cream (I find that it works best with my Etude House BB creams, but I'm certain you can replicate the effect with any BB cream). The combination makes you look fresh and radiant, completely natural, but with a little something extra. :D 


3. Saizen charcoal mask, P85.



A lot of my current buys are influenced by good, if not glowing reviews from the ladies over at Girltalk. :) This is one of them. I use it once or twice a week (if I remember to, lol), and it makes my skin brighter and smoother. It also makes my skin AMAZINGLY cleaner, extracting all the gunk out of my pores. And if the full-face mask isn't your thing, you can also opt to use it on your nose as a pore strip. My advice is to not to get any on your eyebrows and on your eyelid area; you can if you want, though. It'll just be painful, and you may rip out some of your eyebrow hairs in the process. Don't let the price tag fool you-- this charcoal mask is awesome. I've gotten my boyfriend, both my sisters, and my dad (!) into it. :D 


4. The Face Shop Shimmer Liner Pencil in Bronze, P355.



An example of love at first swatch. It's a bit pricey for a liner, but this is amazing stuff! It's creamy and well-pigmented. This works well with brown-eyed girls (like the Kpop group!), as the color makes your eyes look brighter and more awake. The pencil is made out of a plasticky material, but don't worry--any standard pencil sharpener will work just fine. :) 

5. Maybelline Lip Smooth Extra Care lipbalm in Cool Mint, P89.75 



(Sorry for the wonky cap in the first picture! XD;)

Found this in Rustan's Fresh along Tomas Morato while doing groceries. I am loving this! While it says it's a lipbalm, it leaves a transparent sheen on your lips, good enough for those days when you just want to wear a plain gloss. :D It's not sticky and non-drying. The moisture factor, however, isn't up to par with Human Heart Nature peppermint lipbalm or Burt's Bees lipbalms. No tingling minty sensation here, but it does smell like a combination of mint and vanilla, two scents which I love. So if you don't need major moisture in your lipbalm, this is a great drugstore-brand lipbalm to check out. :)

What are your top 5 favorite products in the past month? :)

 Sooo Trinoma had a mall-wide sale. Crowds were braved, cheap thrills were found: 



I've been looking for an alternative to my Aveeno hand lotion, which I find too sticky for this weather. 



Dry shampoo! In the Philippines! I thought I'd have to buy Batiste Dry Shampoo off ebay, but hopefully this will be a good alternative. :)



I've been hearing a bunch of good things about A Bonne, and it was awesome to see this set on sale for P149.75! This is great if you're curious about the brand and want to check it out. While I'm not really into the whitening craze (I'm fine with my skin color, thanks!), I finished up the last of my body scrub, and thought this was the perfect opportunity to try something new. :) 

Reviews to follow~

A quick haul post, from my trip to Megamall on Monday. :)


Etude House Pore Diet Essence (45 ml/5.07 fl. oz) & Zen Zest Peppermint Foot Lotion (300g/10.58 oz.)





Etude House is seriously my favorite brand at the moment. Good quality products that deliver what they promise* at affordable prices (*koffPhilippineSkinFoodkoff*), cute packaging, and an adorable store with fun music (Idk, that is a plus for me. I like good music while I shop; it makes me happier and more in the mood to buy stuff. XD) make it a must-go-to store whenever I'm in Megamall. I think I probably have around 10 products of theirs already--and I just found out about them in January. /)_(\ I seriously hope they open their Galleria or SM North branches soon. 

*for me, anyway. O:



I'm a sucker for all things peppermint-y, whether it's candy, chocolate (one of the few exceptions I make for chocolate--I hate it--is when it has peppermint in it), or the stuff I put on my body. So when I saw this big tub o' peppermint foot lotion at a very reasonable price, I knew I had to have it! I'm eying their foot scrub and foot soak next, as well as their talc body scrub. +1,000,000 points for being a local brand! :D

Reviews to follow! :3

 My birthday is eons away, but that doesn't stop me from lusting over several things--most of them beauty-related. :) It's fun being a girl!**

( Follow the fake cut!Collapse )

**And frustrating at the same time (to both my boyfriend and I) because I tend to want A LOT of things I deem 'pretty' or 'cute'. XD

The brand Eyeko first came into my consciousness when I saw The Muse (whose posts and attitude towards beauty and makeup heavily influenced my own fascination with such things) review several of their products. 

Here's a bit about the London-based brand, from the company website:


"Eyeko means LOVE in Japanese* and is the brainchild of beauty innovators Max and Nina Leykind who began the collection in 2000 with Eyeko Cream. Created for girls to perk up their skin counteracting the draining effects of staring at their computer screens**, late nights and city life--Eyeko Cream remains the No. 1 best seller to date. A triple duty moisturiser, eye cream and highlighter with an antioxidant boost plus Vitamin C makes for a radiant complexion.

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

Eyeko Beauty has been featured heavily in many international titles including Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, OK!, and Allure."


After I saw positive reviews for Eyeko products pop up on several local beauty blogs, I decided to give the brand a shot as well. And, seeing no harm in it, I applied as an Eyeko Ambassador, which basically entitles you to special discounts, and commissions if your friends buy Eyeko products, too. Typing in an ambassador code (mine is E8228, in case you guys want to order! :) ) entitles you to a free gift with your purchase. 

Here's what I ordered:


3-in-1 Eyeko Cream (moisturizer, eye cream, and highlighter)
£6 (P406.30)



Eyeko Fat Balms in Strawberry and Raspberry (their version of lip and cheek tints)
£5 (P338.52) for one

I'm taking advantage of the ongoing promo, where you get the Minty Fat Balm free if you buy the two other flavors, for £10, or around P677.16. Eyeko also has a blink-and-it's-gone 20% discount on all orders over £10 for all Eyeko Ambassadors until midnight tomorrow (March 28). :D

You can pay via Paypal (YAY! \o/), and they charge you in USD if you're ordering from outside the UK/EU. And despite the claims I've read on other local beauty blogs, it isn't free international shipping--or if there was a promo, I missed out on it. The tiny text on their free international shipping banner says that shipping is only free for standard delivery in the UK/EU, and on worldwide orders over £35 (~P2, 370). I still had to pay £3.50 (P237) for shipping. I'm a bit disappointed, but s'all good! I've seen scarier shipping rates.

I'm quite excited! I've never ordered anything online from anywhere other than ebay, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my items come in safely, and that customs doesn't screw me over. T_T I've heard many a rant about how corrupt the local customs office is here. 

Will keep everyone posted. :) Waiting for my Rimmel London apricot blush to come in, as well. 

Cheers! 



*Having taken Japanese language courses, I think Eyeko translates more into "Ai Ko" or literally, 'love child'. Feel free to prove me wrong!
** I am quite guilty of staring at my computer screen for extended periods of time, but I must say that doing so does not make me neglect my current skincare regimen. XD

I'm horrible at introduction posts.

Prior to January of this year, I had little interest in makeup or skincare products-- I was content with upgrading my gaming rig and buying books and clothes. Once I read about BB creams, though, there was no turning back. Curiosity became fascination, and fascination became want.* 

Since then, I have been groping my way into the world of makeup collecting, purchasing, and using, starting with lower-end brands first before I brave my way to the brands that one can only find at Rustan's.

I doubt there'll be any FotDs/EotDs--I'm not l337 enough for that (yet). I don't own any MAC/Nars/YSL/Chanel/Guerlain/Bobbi Brown/MUFE/Laneige/etc. I'm a full-time grad student, trying to get accepted into the history program at my university, so until I'm properly employed, I don't think I'll be reviewing/getting any of their products. I don't have anything against high-end brands; I just can't afford them yet. XD

I love makeup that is affordable for everyone, drugstore beauty products that work, free international shipping, good bargains, and supporting local (i.e., Philippine) makeup and skincare brands, so this is what you'll probably be seeing a lot of. :)  

So, hello, with an awkward wave! I hope you guys will enjoy reading MakeupNoob as much as I enjoy writing about great finds at good prices. :)




*I have come to understand that the term for wanting a beauty product is called a 'lemming'--a term that, prior to reading countless beauty blogs, I had only associated with blue-shirted, green-haired creatures.