Tuesday, June 14, 2011

FYI: Etude House 20% Off Grand Sale Nationwide (Philippines only)

Yep! you've read it right! Etude House will be having their first ever Grand Sale 20% off on all items in all their branches nationwide starting tomorrow, June 15 to June 21!! One week!!! Woohoo!!

credits to Etude House Philippines (facebook account). I hope they won't mind me copying just for announcement purposes. (^_^)v


Of course I wanted to be one of the first to get the good ones! (^_^) I'm lucky that I've already convinced Mr. Panda Eyes to come with me in my shopping adventure tomorrow! Don't worry, it will be a "controlled haul" for me. I'm not going to buy the whole shop since SOME of their products are more of a miss than a hit for me, but then again, it's a sale and I'm not going to argue with that alluring red tag with a SALE on it...hahaha!

Hope to see some beauty bloggers there...I like to be anonymous so, I'll just observe...hahahaha!



Friday, June 10, 2011

Swatch: Etude House Peach Water Gloss in Plum Water

Finally, I've bought another Peach Water gloss to add in my Peach water gloss collection.

I don't think I'll be buying the "strawberry water" one because it's too light for my skintone...I think I would look dead if I wear that.

Anyway, my opinion about the Etude House Peach Water Glosses are still the same. They are still great lip glosses to have. Not really as pigmented to cover my dark lips, but it still gives my lips a "healthy look" to it.

Want to see my review and swatches of the other peach water glosses, just click here and here.

Here is my last installment (I hope) of the Etude House Peach Water Gloss Collection.

Etude House Peach Water Gloss in Plum Water
Plum water is a pink with a slight purple undertone to it. Purple-y color lipstick or lipgloss usually do not go well with warm, medium skintone, but this still works great with warm, medium skintone like mine.


Price:
It is still P298.00

as you can see, this lipgloss has a shimmer to it like the "watermelon water" . Do not worry, it doesn't feel gritty and it's really not obvious once it's on your lips even if you look at it closely in the mirror.

Swatch:
it looks different on different lightings

the slight purple undertone is more visible under fluorescent light.



Since, my adventure with lipglosses from Etude House was great, I'm planning on purchasing their Lucidarling Fantastic Rouge lipglosses (Long name for a lipgloss...kinda annoying sometimes)...I've heard this line is more pigmented than the Peach water one...What do you think? should I try it or not?





Thursday, June 9, 2011

Better Late than Never : Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Eyeshadow Palette

Now, that Urban Decay already released the Naked palette and the NYC Palette and another 4 more palette that isn't really well known to many, I've decided to re-feature my treasured Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette of mine.

Why now? because I was lazy posting about it, that's why...I've had this since last year as a graduation gift to myself. Yes! I've already bought a luxury makeup item in my stash since last year...very surprising to me since I'm not the type of person to burn my money on luxury items of any kind...

...but, I won't lie...I'm planning on purchasing a NARS blush in the near future...hehehehe!


Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Eyeshadow Palette

Price:
I bought it online for P4500...I just forgot if this is free shipping or if I have to add shipping fee for this. Currently, I don't know if the price is still the same because I remember that online prices go up or go down depending on the availability of the product. Since this is limited edition, there's a big chance that prices are jacked up on this depending on the online seller you're ordering from.

Piece of advise:
If you know someone (a relative, close friend, etc.) who lives in the states that is DEPENDABLE, you could ask them to buy this for you and just pay them in return. It's way more cheaper that way.

of course, this is the very famous paper play thingy on top of the palette with a big mirror.

Natural light:

(just click all images to enlarge)

w/ flash:

Pros:
- the eyeshadows are very pigmented. Just one light swipe is all you need!
- last a long time on me even without an eye primer. I don't really use an eye primer.
- stays true to the color from the palette when you applied it on your eyelids. It does not oxidize (I have acidic type of skin) to another shade by the end of the day.
- the texture of the eyshadows are AMAZING!
-Everything from the details of the packaging down to the actual product is high quality and well-made.
- I tried the eye primer and it's true that my eyeshadows doesn't crease by the end of the day.
- the eyeliners doesn't budge even on a very hot and humid day. Even if it's not that hot, I'm a very sweaty person, I easily sweat like a pig, but this eyeliner is a real trooper when it comes to being sweat resistant.

Cons:
- not readily available here in the Philippines.
- very expensive.
- some of the eyeshadows (like the "midnight tea party") have chunky glitter on it which is prone to fall outs. I don't like glitters of any kind. 

for a better view of the eyeshadows (you can still click on the images to enlarge)

Swatch:
the eyeliners (black-"zero" and teal-"flipside") are at the bottom.

My favorite out of all the eyeshadows here is
MUCHNESS
it looks like a duo chrome eyeshadow of peachy gold.

Would I be crazy enough to buy another palette from Urban Decay?
Well, I'm already crazy in the first place...hahaha! yes! I will buy another palette that will suit my fancy in the future!


Review: Celeteque Facial Wash and Exfoliating Wash

I'm back again...well, just for the time being since my "hiatus" isn't really over yet. I'm bored with my daily routine right now, so I decided to make a review because I already miss blogging.

After using Celeteque facial wash and exfoliating wash (I'm already finished with this) for a few months, I think it's time to make a review about this.

Celeteque Facial Wash with NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factor)

many of us here in the Philippines know that this facial wash is comparable to the Cetaphil facial wash. The only difference is that Celeteque is the more affordable local version of Cetaphil, but in my opinion, this facial wash works a TAD better than Cetaphil (Why? because I used my son's Cetaphil just for comparison)

Formula:
- a bit more runny when kept at room temp. compared to normal facial washes and to Cetaphil, but I usually put my Celeteque facial wash and exfoliating wash in the fridge because I feel like it works better. I'll explain further in the next picture.

As you can see, the directions for use and proper storage of the product ("store below 30C") is indicated in the box (and at the back of the actual tube, so you could throw away the box if you want to.)

Why do I put my Celeteque in the fridge? our usual normal room temp. here in the Philippines will not suffice the indicated temp. storage of at least 30C or less. This instruction is not really compulsory if you don't want to follow it, but I felt that I got to maximize the full potential of the product when I did this. 

the description of what I actually need in a facial wash is already written on the box and on the tube.

Price:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is P149.00 for a 60ml tube. They have bigger sizes of their products too.

Scent:
- Even if it says that it's "fragrance free" there is still a very faint scent that I can only describe as "soapy"


Pros:
- did not cause breakouts.
- did not made my skin very tight and dry like other facial washes I've used in the past.
- it's more effective in cleansing makeup residues from my face than Cetaphil which did nothing to remove makeup residues from my face.
- very affordable and readily available in almost every drugstore and Watsons.
- a little goes a long way. This 60ml lasted me for more than 6 months of washing my face every night and sometime at daytime (I use a soap from the derma at daytime), everyday.
- still gives you just a tiny bit of "foaming action". This is a good thing for a paranoid like me who is already used to facial washes that foams.

Cons:
- If you're not used to this, you may find yourself rinsing your face over and over again because it kinda leaves a slippery feel on the skin. Do not panick though. Once you've dried your face, your face will not feel slippery, but it will look and feel clean.

the ingredients. This is the only thing not written on the tube. Almost the same ingredients as Cetaphil.

It also indicates the expiry date of the product. A very important information to give to consumers.

Celeteque Gentle Exfoliating Wash with Dual Vitamin Nourishing Beads
I will not review this as thoroughly as the facial wash because this is actually just the same as the Celeteque facial wash. The only difference with this is that it has beads for exfoliating.

the description is almost the same as the facial wash except for the exfoliating beads thingy.

ingredients also the same, but with beads.

description, the same

the directions and the storage temp. is the same

Price:
I don't think this has the same price as the facial wash, but the price range of this exfoliating wash in 60ml is not that far from the price range of the facial wash. I believe this is still under P200 price range.

Formula and Scent:
still the same with the facial wash.

Pros:
did not cause breakouts.
- did not made my skin very tight and dry like other facial washes I've used in the past.
- it's more effective in cleansing makeup residues from my face than Cetaphil which did nothing to remove makeup residues from my face.
- very affordable and readily available in almost every drugstore and Watsons.
- a little goes a long way. This 60ml lasted me for more than 6 months of washing my face every night and sometime at daytime (I use a soap from the derma at daytime), everyday.
- still gives you just a tiny bit of "foaming action". This is a good thing for a paranoid like me who is already used to facial washes that foams.

Cons:
- the beads are too sparse for my liking, hence it isn't really that useful for exfoliating. Unless, your have a really, really, really sensitive skin. More sensitive than mine, then maybe this is for you.

PIECE OF ADVISE:
- if your going to purchase the facial wash and the exfoliating wash, just purchase the facial wash and buy a  muzlin cloth or an exfoliating rubber pad like this (refer to the picture below)

(should I make a review about this? by the way, this works amazingly on my skin!)