Mini Makeup Haul: Revlon, Etude House First Impressions

     Hey pretty ladies! It's been almost a week since I last made a post. I apologize since I have been very busy with work lately. Today I am going to show you a few things that I have bought (makeup of course) which are products that I absolutely haven't tried yet. I am really hoping that I am going to get fairly good results with these when I use them.

     I will not take long, these are the products I have bought and my first impressions on them:

     First, I got the Etude House Water Color blusher in coral. I have been searching for cream blushes lately because there's really a hype going on about these types of blushes and I thought I should try out if it would work for me. I chose this brand because of its attractive and creative packaging. It's so cute and it really does look like a tube of watercolor paint (hence, the name). I picked the coral one because I think it will match best with my skin tone but they are available in 3 colors (Coral, Apricot and Deep Pink).

     Next one is from a trusted and loved drugstore makeup brand of mine, from Revlon, their new Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain. They were at buy 1 take 1 in the mall so I gave it a shot, although as I have observed in the sample it was not actually as pigmented as seen from the package. An in - depth review of this product will be followed since I really want to provide more information on this as I could. Overall, the package is really what attracted me the most, and the colors were so good to look at on the packaging it also has that gel/ watery consistency that feels good and glides easily on your lips.

     Lastly, I bought the Etude House Magic Bubble Peeling Facial Wash. It has an adorable packaging, it looks and functions like a hair mousse but the difference is you apply it on your face! No kidding huh? A mousse cleanser, I really didn't expect this. I asked the saleslady on how the product works since I don't want to buy it without knowing how to use it, and she told me to just rub it on my skin and BOOM! It instantly peels off all the dirt from that area, amazing right? I actually tried it and was amazed, plus knowing that it was the last product in stock, I already make a decision to buy it. I will also make a much complex review on this product soon.

   And that's it for now, well I'm on a budget so I really didn't spend all of my money on these products. Hopefully the reviews will be up soon so that you will know the outcomes of these products and if they do perform as well as they show on their packaging.

Stay Tuned and Stay Pretty!

All the best,
 Arelexxx

Stress Management

     Hello my pretty ladies! As much as I would want to do a makeup post/ review today, it simply isn't possible since I am working on my Log Plan for my class. Well, vacation for holidays ends today and we officially start going back to school tomorrow, which means I get to see my wonderful kids already.

     This post actually just popped right in my head in the middle of my Lesson Planning and I really want to share this with you. Sometimes, with the many things that we do every day, we kind of try to multitask and handle a lot of things at once, which simply ends up to having bad performance and worse, stress. Now by all means I should tell you, never let stress get in your life, it can lead to worse things like depression and anxiety problems. Now where am I really going with this post? Well I am going to share with you 5 things that I do, in order to balance out my day and all my to-do tasks, and hopefully relieve myself from dreaded stress.

1. Prioritize

     Always know which task you need to do first, which will be due soonest or which should be completed to give you higher gain. Never do different tasks together as it will lead you to confusion and mismanagement of your tasks. If you want, try to make a to-do list and write it on your notebook, organizer or even input it on your phone/gadget. Mark it with the most important thing as #1 and least important as #3424221 :D

2. Make sure to finish your task

     It's not enough to prioritize, you have to make sure to FINISH what you started. It's not good to start on one task, leave it, start another and go back to the first task again. I leads to unfinished tasks and frustration.

3. Make a Schedule


  I know it's troublesome for others, but I assure you, making an organized schedule would be very helpful to you busy gals out there. In that way you will know when you need to start working on your tasks and when you need to finish it. Make sure that your schedule will not get you into deeper waters by overlapping tasks on a single day. Be sure to allot enough time for each task, this way the rate of successfully completing them will be higher.

check out: http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-make-a-schedule-you-can-stick-to/


4. Ask for help

     It never hurts to admit that sometimes, you really need help from other people in accomplishing a certain task. If you are sure that they are cut - out for the task, why not let them help you and give them some credit? That way you can finish more tasks in lesser time more efficiently and you also get to build personal relations with others. It's like hitting two birds with one stone.

5. Rest

     Chill out pretty lady! We are not WonderWoman who can fight several villains in a day. You also need time to relax and pamper yourself. Maybe a taste of your comfort food will help you chill out, or simply listening to music and watching videos on the net.

Listed here are some of the comfort foods that you can try: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/best-comfort-foods-ever#.dnMdVBKo1

 Either way, do something that helps you relax, that way you have time to clear your mind and help you focus better for the task ahead.

                                         Right???

     Everyday tasks are things that we can never get away from, and accomplishing them are far more satisfying and rewarding, but be sure that these will never compromise your health and your life.

Stay Pretty!

All the best,

 Arelexxx

Makeup Essentials: What's in my makeup bag

     Every woman out there knows that there are times when you need to ooompph your look with a little touch of makeup during the day. When you're at school, at work or even when you go travel,the slightest shadow or lip color can seriously boost up your confidence level and make you feel prettier.

     Many of you may be experiencing problems as to what type of makeup should you bring with you daily that would not be too bulky or burdensome to carry wherever you may be. Well, now I am going to show you, what kinds of makeup I bring on the go.

1. Liquid Foundation/ Pressed Powder

     There are times during the day when you actually feel the need to freshen up your look but do not have time to go and wash your entire face. Well one can never go wrong with a handy dandy compact powder, or you may up it a little by bringing your foundation (depends on the type of coverage you want).It instantly gives you a fresh looking face in no time!

I use: Maybelline Clear Smooth All in One Cake Powder (Nude Beige), Revlon Colorstay 24-hour liquid foundation (Sand Beige)


2. Eyeshadow Duo/ Eyebrow Powder

     I know, what could be better than 2-in-1 makeup right? Well I prefer eyebrow powders than pencil firstly because of the many uses I could have with it. I could actually use my eyebrow kit as a simple taupe-colored shadow or even a bronzer!Depending on your skintone and creativity, you can never go wrong with eyebrow powders. Plus it gives you that softer, more natural-looking brows ;)

I use: MAC Eyebrow Powder Duo in Redhead


3. 1 Nude Lipstick, 1 Vibrant-Colored Lipstick

     Either way you can only bring one of these, but as for me, I'm bringing both. Reason is that there are some days when some friends/ colleagues ask me to hang out out of the blue, and I don't want to regret not bringing the right kind of lipstick for the right occasion. But if I were to reaaallly chose, I would bring the Nude lipstick as it is more wearable and natural looking.

I use: In2It Colourshine Lipstick in Tea Rose, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Gentlemen Prefer Pink


4. Lip Balm

      I don't need to explain this, lip balm is an ESSENTIAL even if your not really into makeup. Use it before applying lipstick or use it to just make your lips look and feel softer.

I use: Any Maybelline Babylips Line, Chapstick lip balms







5. Blush

     Of you already possess the God - given gift of having naturally pinkish cheeks, then no need for this, but girl, most of us don't. On some occasions I'm either too pale or too dark (I know weird right?) So I really need a nice amount and color of blush to balance my look. Just be sure that your color choice of blush is appropriate for daytime use. Peach or light pink colored blushes are highly recommended.

I use: Revlon Powder Blush with Brush in Oh Baby! Pink



5. Mascara

     This one is also optional especially if you have long, thick and dark lashes, but unluckily, I don't so I always have to bring a mascara with me to balance out my makeup look. It doesn't hurt to have a few coats of mascara over your lashes. Trust me it does make a huge difference :)

I use: NYX XXL Mascara (good) and MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash (BEST!!!)

I hope this post helped a lot of you out there pretty ladies.

All the best,

 Arelexxx

Maybelline Color Tattoo Honest Review

Hey pretty ladies! These days we've been hearing a lot of talk about cream shadows and paint pots which yet leads us to think, what do we actually use and how do we actually use it? Most importantly we take into consideration what BRAND am I going to buy that's worth it's price?

     Let me introduce you to Maybelline's Color Tattoo cream shadows. They're kinda like individually packaged shadows which has a creamy consistency and powdery finish. It sticks on your eyes like leeches (in a good way) :o.

                                         Image from nidasbeautybag.wordpress.com
     I am going to do another post as to the different types of eyeshadows and different ways to use them, for now let's stick to this fine product.

     I own a Maybelline Color Tattoo in the purple color. I actually got mine for 30% off the original price which was way more of an advantage for me. But I swear I have no biases upon making this review. The first time I used this product, I immediately fell in love with how beautiful the color was. Upon opening the pot, the vibrant shade of purple already welcomed me with open arms, it was like a choir of angels were singing to me. My fingers glided smoothly on the surface of the product which equally transferred the actual shade of purple seen on the pot. By the time i used my brush to apply it on my lids for acuracy, I swear the choir of angels were singing louder and several octaves higher. The color looked amazing and it compliments my brown eye color. It is very wearable if you are going to use it to go to the mall or someplace it's not a really shocking purple color which for me is a plus point for this product.

      Now I swear upon this that we actually went to the fair to try on rides and it was drizzling so bad i thought my makeup was going to be ruined. But to my surprise, when I got home, I noticed that the eyeshadow stuck to my eye like glue. Yay!

     I have never tried cream eye shadows before and especially not this product. I have hesitated on buying this but I seriously didn't regret on doing so. I am even going to purchase more colors on my next payday and hopefully more positive results will come.

PROS:
1. Vibrant, beautiful, stunning, amazing range of colors!
2. Long lasting wearability.
3. Smooth application (no smudges/chalky texture).
4. Creamy, buttery smooth, powdery, gittery finish.
5. Very affordable price. I bought it for less than P300 (Original price not more than P400)
6. The eye shadow looks you can make from this are endless!
7. It just looks good on everyone!

CONS:
1. I really wish there will be more colors to choose from :D
2. If you have really oily skin then a primer would be good to make the product last longer.

You can try to pair it with another eye shadow color to accentuate it

I realy hope this review will help all those still hesitant to try other types of shadows. It time to explore pretty lady! I'm sure you won't regret it.

All the best,
 Arelexxx

NYX Nude on Nude Palette Honest Review

       I've heard of raves from different makeup gurus and bloggers about different eyeshadow palettes and as much as I would like to try them, they are not available in my area. So when I knew that a new NYX Makeup store has recently opened nearby, I gladly spent my money to try out their hottest palette, the NYX Nude on Nude palette.

Here is the overview packaging of my palette:
   

Please don't mind the holes on the lipgloss area, it just shows how much I've already abused the poor thing.

I already fell in love with the packaging of the palette, and more so when I found out that I can play a lot with this palette because of its extensive range of dark, medium and light neutral colors. The shadows are a mixture of glittery, satin and matte finishes and are actually good to use as well. The lippies are also a variation of vibrant to neutral shades, perfect for making a combination look together with the shadows so a thumbs up to NYX for the strategically made palette.

Now on to the swatches:

                                           upper row of eyeshadows

                                            bottom row of eyeshadows

                                              lip gloss row

The Verdict: 

      For a price of approximately less than 30 dollars, exactly P1,620 price here in my country, I can say that this palette is actually worth its price.Most of the shadows are very pigmented and lasts for a very long time especially when used with a primer. I would highly recommend to use this shadow especially if you are a budget wise type of person it actually gives you the exact if not the higher quality than the price it offers. Most of the shadows when swatched became a bit chalky since i had to rub on the palette for some time to make the colors come out clearer. But actually when used with a brush, these shadows are pigmented, blendable and easy to use. Although I was not really sold out with the lipglosses of this palette, when swatched, they actually look rich but when used, most are very sheer and easily comes off, what happens is you keep on re-applying the gloss from time to time to keep its color on, I understand most are nude gosses and cannot be easily noticed but the its wearability is actually the issue, it does not last too long especially in humid weather.

PROS:

1. Very Affordable

2. Eyeshadows are pigmented, blendable and lasts for an amountable period of time.

3. Good range of eyeshadow pigments from colors to the effect (glitter, satin and matte)

4. The colors seen on the palette are the actual colors that will show when you apply it.

CONS:

1. The lippies does not last long especially in humid weather.

2. The color of the lippies are more sheer compared on what you see on the palette.

3. The brushes included were not really of use (I only use them if I don't bring any other brushes with me).

Overall, I think this palette is really worth a try since the performance of the shadows are really worth it.

I also want to know about YOUR favorite makeup palettes that you would want me to try, please feel free to say so in the comments below.

All for the best,

 Arelexxx