Review/Swatch: Etude House Look At My Eyes Eyeshadow in Indigo BL04

Do you know that feeling when you really want to love a product so bad because you fell in love with the color, packaging or whatever reason it made you purchase it, but it just did not work out. Despite the consistent poor reviews given by other makeup enthusiasts, you still went ahead and bought it?

 I really should not bother reviewing this particular eyeshadow because I already gave this to my friend last year (despite my warning), but I just can't move on from the fact that out of all the good, pigmented eyeshadows in the Etude House Look at My Eyes line, I still went ahead and purchased this, thinking that I could at least do something about this to make this work with me.

 You see, I have this very unhealthy habit of gravitating towards everything that's color blue. The more rich and vibrant it is, the better. I love blue eyeshadows so much that I would even save up and buy a high end brand, just because I like love to collect one (I'm talking to you my NARS Outremer...my very first high end eyeshadow...hahaha!) 

 I don't even understand it since I know that blue eyeshadows are quite hard to work with, especially for daytime (but I would use it during daytime given the chance). I don't even use blue eyeshadows on a daily basis and if ever I would use one, I would only put it on my lash line as a liner and smudge it out a little to make it quite smokey if I want to. 

Price:

I honestly forgot how much this is, but I think the price range would be anywhere from P150-200 each, depending on where you purchase it. It's very affordable.

Place bought:

SM North Edsa (or you could buy this from an online seller)

Packaging:

As always, the packaging of Etude House tends to be consistently cute, pink and girly, but at least they did a good job at keeping it minimalistic this time with the eyeshadows. See how pretty it is in the pan?

Formulation:

This is where the flaws come in. This particular eyeshadow is nowhere near buttery. It has a hard, slightly chalky texture, that picking up pigments from this with a brush is quite useless and using your finger to pick up product would only give you less than satisfactory results.

Given the price, I understand that I can't expect superior quality and performance, but because I also own other Etude House eyeshadow from this line that has good quality and performs really well, I just hoped that this particular eyeshadow would also be consistent with the rest that I have tried and still enjoy using up to now.

 Pigmentation:

 Since using a dry brush would make the powder fly everywhere, making a mess on my table and my hands, I tried using this wet in hopes that it would give me better pigmentation. Unfortunately, using this wet ruined the eyeshadow (look at the "cement-like" texture at the upper left side of the pan in the picture above), making it harder for me to pick up product the next time I'm going to use it.

After giving this eyeshadow a good rub with my finger, it would look like it would give me good pigmentation (as shown in the picture below), but that's where the good part ends...It applies very patchy. The rich, vibrant pigment we see in the pan automatically says bye bye as I applied it on my skin which gives a very dull looking pigment blah of nothingness.

But honestly, the deal breaker for me that pushed me to just give this to my friend to play with was the glitter. I HATE GLITTER, ESPECIALLY CHUNKY GLITTER...WITH PASSION. It's not the eyeshadow's fault in the first place since I was dumb enough to know this contained glitter when I bought it, but I never expected the glitter particles to migrate everywhere on my face throughout the day. Eventhough I'm a Twilight fan (yes, I hear many sighs of disappointment...deal with it...hahaha!), not once in my life did I wish or want to sparkle like that hunky vampire we saw in the movie. Anyway, I've seen my friend use this eyeshadow too and I knew she was hella annoyed with the glitters chilling all over her face throughout the day. She keeps on wiping her cheeks, chin and even her forehead every now and then...I warned her about the glitter, but she kept the eyeshadow anyway hahahaha! 

 Pros:

- affordable and easily accessible in Asia and online

- cute, minimalistic designed packaging (not that this matter too much)

- so many colors to choose from (they also have matte eyeshadows in this collection)

Cons:

- applies very patchy (I understand that many blue eyeshadows, especially mattes, applies quite patchy, but this eyeshadow took "patchy" to a whole new level)

- poor pigmentation

- poor texture

- poor staying power

- glitters scatter everywhere on your face

- you can't apply it wet or you'll ruin the eyeshadow

 Swatch:

after LAYERING this a few times, you still get this much pigmentation. 'nuff said....Excuse the scaly arms, I had eczema on my arms at that time (I know, it was a bad idea).

Would I repurchase?

Obviously not...BUT I am interested in trying out other colors from the Look at My Eyes line because, as I said before, the other eyeshadows I own from this collection performs really well. I would still recommend that you try out the other shades. I want to try out their matte eyeshadows from this collection, I hope they're good.

Review/Swatch: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Coral Crush

The Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks has been one of the most reviewed drugstore lipstick since it came out a few years ago. Obviously, I haven't really thought about purchasing one until their Bold Matte line came out. Luckily, I waited for it to go on sale before purchasing this.

Price:

Original price is P399, but I bought it on sale for 20% off.

Place bought:

SM North Edsa (Available in all their dept. stores)

Packaging:

packaging is quite sleek for a drugstore lipstick, although the cap is made of plastic. the ingredients are attached on the cap as seen in the picture, but it's quite hard for me to see what's written on it. 

Scent:

I took a whiff of the lipstick and my brain told me, "oh no." Although the scent of the lipstick is not strong and you can't "taste" it when it's on your lips (ladies, ya know what I'm talking about), it annoys me that the scent lingers for a few minutes, making me choke cough everytime I wear this. It has this powdery, vanilla-y, perfume-y scent that I wish they did not include in the product. I wish they just stayed scentless, like the Maybelline Watershine pure or the Maybelline Bold Mattes which I enjoyed immensely. 

Out of all the pretty shades, I picked "Coral Crush". I don't know why, but I've noticed that I find myself gravitating towards peaches, corals, orange and cool toned pinks (even if it's a bad idea since I can't pull off cool toned pinks very well...but it so pretty to look at from the tube...hehehe!) from bright to pastel shades. Maybe I should find more dark colored lipstick to complete my lipstick obsessions? Maybe?

Formulation:

I've worn this without a lipbalm underneath and it still applied quite smoothly, given that my lips are not very dry and flaky that day. The pigmentation is good even though the color spreads out a bit patchy on my lips. It applies to a satin finish, but the color wears off like a stain on my lips after 3-4 hours (with or without eating or drinking).

Swatch:

depending on the lighting, the color (on me) changes from dark orange-y coral (indoor lighting) to a bright coral like the one in the picture above (outdoor/natural lighting).

Pros:

- affordable and easily accessible (on sale most of the time)

- wide range of colors to choose from

- great pigmentation

Cons:

- I don't like the scent.

- color spreads out a bit patchy

Will I repurchase?

Maybe not.

Review/Swatch: Maybelline Bold Matte lipstick MAT 1 & MAT 2

Bright matte lips are on trend right now and no matter how dry my lips are, matte lipsticks will always have a place in my heart. Unfortunately, ever since I had atopic dermatitis, I can't pull off any kind of lip product. Even lip balms are no match for my dry lips especially when my skin is flaring up. So whenever I feel like my skin and lips are in a "happy place" or at least normal in my standard, I go crazy with lippies...the bolder the color, the better.

So whenever you see me posting about lip products, you betcha those days are what I consider my "good skin days".

Purchased some Maybelline bold matte lippies to try out last January and I haven't even opened these two (among many other new products that is still in their pristine condition...yeah, I'm borderline hoarder hahaha!)

Maybelline Bold Matte Lipsticks

Packaging:

it looks like this when the seal is unopened. When the seal is removed you'll be left with a bare frosted plastic cap. Overall look is ok, with a decent weight to it. 

Price:

got these on sale for 20% off its original price of P399

Place bought:

SM North Edsa

I think when I was purchasing this, I only saw 5 or 6 different shades in the bold matte line. I checked reviews about this in the internet and saw that in other Asian countries, they have 7 or more different shades to choose from this line (no fair!)...don't know if they have added the "new" shades here 'cause I'm not up to date anymore and I'm not in the mood to collect this lipstick line as of now.

 Ingredients:

Scent:

no detectable scent which I prefer.

Pigmentation:

In my opinion, the pigmentation is great. It is very bright with a hint of neon in it (at least in these shades I got).

Formulation:

-It applies smooth on my lips which is surprising for a drugstore "matte" lipstick 'cause the ones I've tried dragged on my lips (but I still love you Wet n' Wild megalast lipcolor).

- Even though it does not make my lips look chalky or super dehydrated, it is still not moisturizing enough for me to wear without a lipbalm underneath which is understandable because all matte lipstick are like that.

- although this is a "matte" lipstick, other people find that this lipsticks give a very subtle satin look to the lips (which can be remedied by blotting the lips with a tissue to make it look matte). My lips are naturally dry already, so it looks matte on me from the get go. hehehe!

- I don't know about other people, but I like how it stains my lips after long hours of wear. I can wear this for 6-8 hours max.

MAT 1

bright, almost neon pink on my lips

unfortunately, when I opened the MAT 1, the tip of the lipstick was ruined. I don't understand how it happened because I made sure the lipstick was new and the seal has never been touched by anybody. 

Swatch:

I swatched this with a lipbalm underneath. It's no biggie since I'll just blot my lips with a tissue and it will looked completely matte.....if I don't wear a lipbalm underneath, this will look matte on me.

MAT 2

bright, neon orange red on my lips 

Swatch:

I find that this is a tad more pigmented than the MAT 1.

Pros:

- affordable and easily accessible (Maybelline is on sale most of the time.)

- decent amount of shades to choose from.

- great pigmentation.

- although it is not moisturizing, it still feels comfortable to wear for long periods of time and it does not give your lips a "chalky" look.

- I like that it stains the lips (I can wear this as a lip tint) and it does not look patchy once the color wore off during the day. 

Cons:

  - I can't think of any.

Review/Swatch: NYX Black Label Lipstick in Hot Pink and Citrine

I hope not everyone's tired of me doing swatches and reviews of NYX products. I just love their products because most of their products are of great quality for the price. I'm also trying to finish posting reviews about the NYX products that I haven't posted yet, so just bear with me.

NYX Black Label lipstick

This is a step up from their usual NYX round lipstick. From the packaging, design and formulation, this thing looks and feel way better. Of course, this has a higher price point than the former.

Current Price:

P250-P300 depending on where you buy it and if there is a sale going on.

Place bought:

digitaltraincase (they already have a personal website where you can shop premium, hard to find and makeup for professional artists online since multiply has closed down already)

at the moment, I don't see the lipstick from the black label line in stock from their online store.

carton sleeve

actual lipstick

Packaging:

When I bought this, it came with a carton sleeve with nice lace designs at the sides. The product has a good weight to it and it doesn't feel "cheap" as compared to their round lipsticks.

The colors that you see at the bottom of the tube is the same as what you see on the actual lipstick bullet so it's easier to navigate what color you want in your lipstick stash. 

Scent:

it has a nice, faint, fruity scent to it. It actually reminds me of a candy called Frutella.

Ingredients:

ingredients are both indicated on the carton sleeve and on the lipstick cap so that we don't have to keep the carton sleeve after.

Formulation:

it glides on easily, but unlike the NYX round lipstick, it has a better adhesion/staying power on the lips to avoid feathering or smearing which I have experienced with some NYX round lipstick in the past.

Pigmentation:

very pigmented especially for the bolder colors like "citrine" which can act as a stain as it wears off your lips.

Swatches:

Citrine

full-on application

applied sparingly

Hot Pink

full-on application

applied sparingly

Review/Swatch: NYX Matte Lipstick in Merlot and Sweet Pink

Just making a long overdue post about the NYX products that I have purchase in the past.


Remember these? I've already reviewed the NYX Matte lipstick in Sierra in the past, so I'll just babble on with the other 2 Nyx matte lipstick hehe! Most of the description about the lipsticks are just the same with he NYX Matte lipstick in Sierra, so you can skip the descriptions and just go look for the swatches.

Current Price: P250-P300 (depending on where you buy it)

Place bought: I bought this through Digitaltraincase

Packaging:

It is longer in length than the RL (round lipstick) but the weight is lighter which sometimes make it feel flimsy although it's not. 

Scent:

it has a slight pleasant scent (in my opinion), way better than the RL's soapy smell.

Ingredients:

Formulation:

it obviously feels matte (duh..) so be ready to prep your lips with some lipbalm/lip moisturizer. I find that I like this even better than the NYX Matte lipcream because it doesn't dry the edges of my lips (which is a staple problem for me) even if I wear this all day.

Pigmentation:

amazing! This is the reason why I love matte lipsticks because of the great pigmentation in one swipe and if you're like me who likes to purse their lips every now and then, matte lipstick is great because it also lessens the risk of it budging or feathering.

Swatch:

Merlot is more of a deep berry wine color.

Full on Application:

It may look like a bright berry color in the picture, but in person, it looks more like a deep berry red.

Applied sparingly:

Applied in dabbing motion

Sweet pink is a cool toned pink.

 Full on application:

 Applied Sparingly:

also looks great as a tint.

Who says pigmented, matte lipsticks are only good for special occasions?

Reasons Why I Prefer Making Reviews on the Not-So-Latest/Less Reviewed Product Out in the Market

I know I'm very late in the game when it comes to reviewing the latest beauty and skincare products out in the market today, but that's ok with me. Why?

1. Ever since I've had AD (atopic dermatitis), I'm more concerned with the products that works for me rather than what works for the majority of people. Don't get me wrong, I still read reviews of other people about a certain product that I'm interested in, but I only read about the description of the product rather than how it performed on the user. Most of time, I even just read the ingredients in the product to know if I could risk using the product on my skin with less possibility that it will give me adverse reactions.

2. I get tired of people saying that they have "sensitive skin", but they use a crapload of products that a person with "true" sensitive skin would not believe you. In general, everyone should treat their skin as sensitive because it is still a big part of our body, but the word "sensitive skin" is so abused in beauty/skincare reviews that it is getting out of hand. I guess that's the power of insensitive marketing strategy. I've been in and out of the hospital for more than a year for my immunotherapy and the amount of people coming in and out of the hospital with the same problem (or worse) as I have is ridiculously too many to count.

        The amount of blogs I've read with people that truly has sensitive skin are only few. So just be careful with what to believe in the internet...people rely on the references in the internet so much that everyone feels like a professional or a doctor of some sorts over night. Always ask the people who have studied and are licensed to whatever problem you have. It is also ethical to ask for their advice rather than ask Dr. Google.

3. I prefer reviewing products that have passed the "hype period" because this gives me a clearer, unbiased perspective about the product I'm using. I'm also the type of person who takes their time using the product before saying anything good or bad about it. I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes, I feel like there's a rat race going on with reviewing products that are just out in the market and everyone wants to be in the "first place" of everything...it's like you have bragging rights of some sorts...

4. I prefer trying the "underdog" products or things that the beauty minority usually use. Sometimes, I discover my staple products by doing this. I also feel like, I'm at least contributing a reference for people who would also like to try the same things that I have tried, but are scared to because they don't see a lot of reviews about it. Don't worry, I still use products that are very popular to the beauty community, as long as it works for my skin.

5. I save more money with my purchases since I'm not following the usual "what's new" crowd and focus on what I really need or want when it comes to skincare and cosmetics. Having this kind of perspective is liberating. I guess I've found my happy place in this.

6. The "organic hype" that's out in the market. It's not that I haven't used products that claims to be organic, but so far, I've had more adverse reactions with products that claims to be, or are "organic", "herbal" or "paraben free". Don't even get me started with the phrase "parabens are not good". Everything in excess are not good. It's same with all the "organic", "herbal", "plant based" hoopla that people recommend. That's why everything is formulated below the "lethal dose" or within the "standard safety margin" of a certain ingredient.

I guess that's about it for now.

Life, Health and Everything in Between Sorta Update...

Hello hello!!!

No, I'm just here to check if my blog is still alive, and I guess it still is. hehehe!

Anyway, I think it's been quite close to a year since I've made reviews and done updates on my Atopic Dermatitis situation. I honestly don't know how to start, so I'll just type away and see where my updates are going!

Since I've passed the board exam and got a job right after that, I've no time to make reviews or even try new products. Another problem came up due to stress and my AD (atopic dermatitis). I'm still undergoing maintenance immunotherapy until now and I'm very glad that a month after I quit my job, I haven't had a severe AD attack until now.

Why did I quit my job?
first of all, for health reasons. I've been so stressed during work that I have no time to really take a rest. Hence, the frequent and severe AD attacks. Second, when I was about to plan to go back to work irregularly, I've found out that I'm going to have another baby again and I can't risk being in a very stressful environment while I'm pregnant.

How about AD during pregnancy?
I've asked my doctor about it and luckily, I"m already on my maintenance dose so it's safe to still continue immunotherapy while I'm pregnant. I've also read some article stating that having maintenance immunotherapy will also benefit and somewhat give immunity to the unborn child to any future allergens that my trigger AD to the offspring. At least, that is what I understand in an article I've read somewhere in the internet (I wouldn't recommend trusting the internet 100% and just ask your doctor about it).

If you're planning to START immunotherapy for AD while pregnant or planning to be pregnant very soon, I suggest to wait a while longer before having a baby because it is not safe to have it all at the same time.

What's up with my current skin condition?
I'm still very, very choosy when it comes to trying new products on my skin and I still prefer skincare products that are either scentless or has a very faint scent. Products that has a very strong scent is already banned in my stash. This rule is the same with cosmetics that I buy.

It has been months since my last AD attack (I guess I'm officially on remission, thank God!) and my skin did a 360 degrees on me again ever since I became pregnant. From my skin being very dry, flaky but blemish free, it turned into a very oily, very blemished monster. My face is currently ruined by acne scars and current acne due to hormones caused by pregnancy. Well, you can't have it all ya know. I just hope, my face survives this dilemma without creating craters after have this hormonal acne. Another bad thing about this is that I can't use my usual adapalene on my face since I'm pregnant. I just have to be patient and be brave about this until this is over. I hope after my pregnancy, my acne will go away...My acne is worse right now than the last time I've been ranting about it.

Will I be making more reviews after this update?
I'm not sure since I've been a very lazy couch potato ever since my pregnancy...I love sleeping even more than when I was not pregnant...oohh, what pregnancy can do for ya..haha! I can't also try products right now
due to my condition, but I'll still try to post once in a while since I haven't done a single review of the products I've already used way before. I've already used up so many products that I already threw away most of them since I cannot guarantee if I can still have time to make reviews often. If I have time, I will make some, if not, then better luck next time...Oh well, that is life.

Why I Don't Blog Like I Used To...

Many drastic things has changed since my last blog and most of it are not good.

I have been very busy since I passed the board exams (yey!) and have gotten work immediately after that (which is a blessing). Unfortunately, stress took a toll on me in a very bad way.

Like most people, we get sick when our immune system is down, but unlike me, I don't get sick "the usual way" like when people just got a simple fever and flu. When my immune system is down, everything just goes downhill.

I'm so sick and tired of explaining my health situation on my blog that I tend to delete my post talking about my health issues hours after I posted it. Some may have read it, most of you have not, but I'm trying one more time to explain my current situation with my illness.

I have Atopic Dermatitis. Some call it eczema, skin asthma, etc.

The first time I've had this was 2 years ago ( can't remember the exact date). At first I thought it was just a simple rash or allergic reaction to something I applied on my skin or I have eaten. I did not bother to consult a doctor and just take antihistamines since I only flare up rarely and antihistamines treat the allergy quickly.

...And then it has gotten worse and I flare up often until it was late last year when I've experienced really bad allergies for weeks. My dermatologist gave me some hydrocortisone creams to temporarily ease my allergies and told me that I have atopic dermatitis.

Even though I'm not a doctor, I have a very good background on medicine and I know steroid creams do not cure atopic dermatitis and it is CURRENTLY NOT CURABLE. You can treat or prevent it, but you cannot cure it (as of now). It is a lifelong battle.

Months have passed since I've used hydrocortisone creams and still my skin flares up, I got fed up and consulted an Allergologist.

I started painful allergy tests (from pollens and other allergens that may go through respiratory route), blood tests, except for food allergy test (because it is so expensive I can't afford it anymore). I've found out that I am very allergic to mango pollens, coconut pollens, cockroach, ants, acacia pollens, dust mites, etc.

I've got so many allergies to so many things that are very common here in my country. So I started immunotherapy on April this year.

Immunotherapy is just injecting weakened allergens to you until your immune system has created an antibody
against the things that you are allergic to. The doctor told me that I could have as much as 80% immunity against the allergens and the 20% is up to me, my immune system and how I take care of my body.

Everything was going great because I flare up less and if ever I flare up, the allergies that manifest on my skin is not as bad as it was before. Unfortunately, this time of year (December 2012), got sick with flu and I was so stressed with work and all hell broke lose again. My immune system was down and as a result, the weakest part of my body is always the vulnerable one which is my skin was most affected.

I got bad atopic dermatitis flare up that I am still suffering now, even when I already recovered from flu and fever.

The part of my body that usually flare up is my face and neck, but now, my arms, ears and even some parts on my legs are already affected and they won't go away.

I've already consulted my allergologist about this and she said that it may not have been the allergens that I am allergic to that triggers my flare ups because I am already in my maintenance dose on my immunotherapy sessions, meaning that I already have antibodies on those things.

Now, the main culprit is most likely stress. Stress in everything. Not just work, but also personal things. With me looking like sh*t (sorry for the term) also contributed to my stress and it has affected my self esteem and self confidence. Yes, I am stressed and depressed.

So what does not blogging have to do with my explanation?

Besides having a hard time treating this dermatitis that I have on my face and neck, I am having a very hard time trying out things that may not aggravate my skin issues. Products that I can use are currently limited to the point that I already gave away most of the things that I have used before that worked for my then normal skin and even the things that I haven't even reviewed here in my blog. It pains me to not have the freedom to have more options when it comes to skincare and makeup because this has become one of my major hobbies and haven to de-stress myself. Yeah, I know it sounds shallow, but for someone who has a constantly depleting self esteem and self confidence (because I am literally getting uglier by the day), I feel like I have something that I love to do taken away from me.

Having said all that, I still will be trying to review things that work for my very dry, sensitive and damaged skin from atopic dermatitis. Things that may work for me may be limited, but I hope it would serve as some kind of "help" to people who are also dealing the same illness I currently have.

This will also serve as a guide for me to try to find, discover and research things, products, or alternatives to steroid creams that might help many people. I know it is a futile attempt to find a solution to a currently incurable illness, but at least I try to find ways to ease the pain...I just want to be normal again.

Review: Aveeno Active Naturals® Nourish+Condition Leave-In Treatment (Long detailed post)

Aveeno Active Naturals® Nourish+Condition Leave-In Treatment

with nourishing wheat complex

(deeply replenishes dry, damaged hair)

I've tried quite a few drugstore leave-in treatment even before my blogging days, just because I was lazy to apply conditioner after I finished shampooing my hair. haha! So just to save time, I apply a leave-in conditioner (when I remember to) on my hair and that's it.

I'm not that impressed with leave-in conditioners in the past because it feels sticky or greasy by the end of the day. Luckily, I saw this on display in the supermarket last March and I'm happy I bought this.

Claims:

"AVEENO NOURISH +CONDITION LEAVE-IN TREATMENT does much more than nourish and condition - it quenches the thirstiest hair with a fusion of deep conditioners and moisturizers, recharging it with healthy new life. Hair is instantly revitalized and scientific studies show that just three uses helps repair dry damaged hair."

"This exclusive ACTIVE NATURALS® formula, infused with Nourishinh Wheat Complex, is designed to feed your hair - replenishing moisture as it zeroes in on the weakest part of hair - fortifying the hair shaft with protein where it needs the most."

- it also claims that it's gentle on skin and color-treated hair. (I just made a shortcut on the other description since I don't really like copying and re-typing what's on the product.)

Current Price:

at around P300-P400. I know it's a bit more expensive than our usual leave-in conditioner, but I'd rather spend a bit more on a great product than throw my money on something that does not work for me.

Place bought:

SM Hypermarket. I don't know where else you can get this, but I'm pretty sure other supermarkets or health and beauty store that carries international products have this.

Packaging:

it is designed as a handy spray plastic bottle which is very convenient to use.

Directions:

Spray all over the hair or on concentrated areas as desired. Comb through to distribute evenly. Do not rinse.

Ingredients:

 (it's hard to take a full picture of it, so I'll just type this)

Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Triticum vulgare (Wheat) gluten, Triticum vulgare (Wheat) germ oil, Mauritia flexuosa fruit oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Quaternium-91, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Butylene glycol, Amodimethicone, Fragrance, Propylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate. May also contain Citric Acid. This product contains wheat proteins.

How do I/WE use it?

My brother (he's obsessed with trying stuff that would make his hair look great) and I have used it with wet, damp and dry hair and it still performs the same.

I usually spray it on my damp hair after a shower and concentrate mostly on the ends of my hair then I spray just a bit on the scalp area and then comb my hair to distribute the product evenly.

My brother usually spray this when his hair is still wet, when his hair is damp and when it's already dry. A WHOLE LOT OF SPRAYS I TELL YA!!! I pretty much have to hide this from him because he's like the haircare monster. ahaha!

(Just for reference):

Me and my brother's hairtype 

I have fine, naturally straight hair with no volume. I don't really have hair issues or bad hair days. I'm quite lucky to acquire this hairtype from my father. I don't fuss with my hair that much and my haircare only consists of shampoo, conditioner (sometimes) and a leave-in treatment (sometimes)

On the other hand, my brother has a thick, wavy, unruly, but soft hair. According to him, it's really hard to manage his hair and it costs him so much just to have a good haircut and style that won't make him look like a tornado has ran over his head.

His haircare consists of shampoo, conditioner, serum, MY leave-in conditioner, wax, gel, moose, hairdryer etc. you name it, he's already tried it.

Both our scalp tend to be oily by the end of the day, depending on the weather or our daily activities.

Scent:

the scent is amazing!! it also lasts through out the day even in our hot and humid climate. It helps my hair to not smell bad due to sweating all day. My brother (who is very athletic) also loves the smell and how it stood up through out his very busy day.

Formulation:

It feels like you're just spraying a lovely scented water on your hair. 

It feels a bit slippery when sprayed on damp hair like a normal conditioner would, but it dries quite fast and I'm not kidding when I say it makes my hair shiny, more healthy looking. My hair feels lighter and it gives my hair more volume and it lasts throughout the day.

My brother spray it more liberally and consistently than me so obviously, it's not sticky or greasy on your hair. He loves this so much because his hair has become quite manageable every time he uses this. He also said that his hair feels softer and he wants this for himself and buy myself a new one...yeah...siblings always do that.

Any skin reactions?

none.

Will I buy this again?

definitely!!! then I'm going to hide it somewhere...hahaha!

Review: Chapstick Lipbalm (Cherry)

I remember buying this on impulse, just because my husband and I were listening to Katy Perry's song, "I Kissed a Girl". We were laughing and goofing around in the car because of traffic. Then he curiously asked me if it's true that a cherry flavored Chapstick would taste like cherry.

I said, "I don't know. I haven't even tried Chapstick before. Let's buy one, then I'll eat it!! hahaha!"

Believe it or not, this is my very first Chapstick...I remember way back in high school (I have no clue about makeup) my first lipbalm was a Maybelline brand and I was so happy with it that it didn't really piqued my interest to buy this lipbalm eventhough this was popular among girls in my school.

So yeah...we went to the drugstore to buy one and laughed all the way home.

Current Price: 

at around P80.00 (I bought this last, last year)

Place bought: 

Mercury Drug, but it's also available pretty much everywhere in Watsons and other department stores in health and beauty sections here in Manila.

the good ol' packaging I always see my friends in high school use.

Packaging:

Simple, no brain-er design. Makes me remember my high school days.

Honestly, when I saw that it was made by Wyeth (popular for baby's milk formulation), I had high hopes for this.

Just for reference, I still have very, very dry lips (maybe due to my atopic dermatitis too). EOS lipbalms doesn't work on me unless when my lips are in its "normal" state (which does not happen often) and the only things that currently works for me is the The Face Shop lip care cream and my new Nivea Med Protection lipbalm (I have to review this soon).

Ingredients, Expiry date and other info:

it's great that this is double sealed for protection from nasty customers who likes to destroy and open new stuff, then they don't buy it.

Scent/Taste:

it really is cherry scented, BUT it is not cherry flavored...yeah, quite unfortunate when I finally got to know it's not cherry flavored. So the song is kinda misleading??? hahahaha! just joking!!! hehehe! Anyway, although it is cherry scented, sometimes, the scent makes me a bit nauseous.

Pigmentation:

nothing. at least on me it doesn't have any.

Color in the tube is more of a berry red.

Formulation:

it feels a bit waxy and a bit greasy if you apply too much.

 Swatch:

when applied, it's colorless. I've layered that (in the picture) many times and it still gives no pigment. Oh well, I didn't really expect any. I did not bother to take a picture of my lip swatch because the color (if there's any) won't show up anyway. My hand is obviously way lighter than my lips.

Does it moisturize my lips?

it does TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, but it's not enough to make my lips not peel.

Will I buy this again?

probably not.

Any skin reactions?

none.

Review/Swatch: Nyx Matte Lipstick in Sierra

A few months back (before I went totally MIA), I've purchased some NYX products and these were one of them. I'll just start with NYX Matte Lipstick in Sierra first because I will compared this to my NYX Round Lipstick in Sierra afterwards.

Current Price: P250-P300 (depending on where you purchase it)

Place bought: I bought this from Digitaltraincase

Packaging:

definitely a step up from the packaging of Nyx round lipstick, it is also longer in length than the RL (round lipstick) but the weight is lighter which sometimes make it feel flimsy although it's not. 

Scent:

it has a slight pleasant scent (in my opinion), way better than the RL's soapy smell.

Ingredients:

Formulation:

it obviously feels matte (duh..) so be ready to prep your lips with some lipbalm/lip moisturizer. I find that I like this even better than the NYX Matte lipcream because it doesn't dry the edges of my lips (which is a staple problem for me) even if I wear this all day.

Pigmentation:

amazing! This is the reason why I love matte lipsticks because of the great pigmentation in one swipe and if you're like me who likes to purse their lips every now and then, matte lipstick is great because it also lessens the risk of it budging or feathering.

Swatch:

NYX ML in Sierra applied sparingly (in dabbing motions). It's just like MLBB shade.

Tip:

If you find a matte lipstick that looks chalky when you swipe it on your lips, it is better to apply it in dabbing motions to create an even look (you should put on a lip moisturizer first before doing this). 

I find that, sometimes, people would just complain about something so small like that and just throw or ditch the product without making an effort to make it work to their advantage. There are other ways to apply/or use a product ya know. 

NYX ML in Sierra full on application

Now, the comparison to my NYX RL in Sierra

Honestly, I was on the fence on getting the NYX ML in Sierra because I though the shade would just be the same like the RL one, but I'm obviously wrong.

NYX ML in Sierra has a brownish, slight reddish undertone unlike the RL which is more on the brown side with a bit of peachy undertone.

Swatched side by side:

if I were to choose, I'd go for the NYX Matte lipstick in Sierra than the RL because it's more wearable for me and the formulation and scent is way better.

Any skin reactions?

None at all.