Sushi, Gummy Bears and Bad Mascara

Last Saturday my brother just made another batch of his sumptuous sushi platter c: He has really perfected the maki. Now I can't distinguish the difference regarding the taste between the ones prepared in the restaurants and the ones he makes.

  

I especially like the egg roles. Perfectly shaped and sweet to the taste. He used to receive orders for Christmas. Maybe you'd like to contact him? (just joking! c:, but seriously ;)

Next topic: I just found a brilliant way how not to get bored when studying. Good thing my classmate found this on 9gag. This is perfect when studying our Philosophy subject because it makes me sleepy faster than a sleeping pill. (I'm not kidding. Just 5 minutes reading the articles I start to yawn and fall asleep )

I'm not much of a gummybears fan. I just like the color. Better replace it with chocolate chips c:

Lastly, I just had to write a review about this mascara I bought from Ever Bilena (Im doing this for the sake of those who are planning to buy or those who will impulsively buy this).

Ever Bilena Thicklash Mascara

(the name already faded)

As what my post title states, THIS IS A BAD MASCARA. I usually notice when I put this on I get headaches and just this morning I felt kind of a sinusitis reaction. I just shrugged it off because it does its job of covering my lashes. But seeing how it physiologically affects me, it had me worrying. I thought it was just me who experiences these reactions but this article really hits the spot. Also, when I look at my eyes closely in the mirror, its already red! xc very very very bad. I tried to read the ingredients but it has also faded, though I can still see the word PARABEN (lots of it). Paraben is a big no-no for the criteria when I choose my makeup.

After all this rant, why the heck did I buy this?Well, in my previous post which I talked about my makeup haul for the fine dining event in my school, I picked this out because it was cheap (P75.00) and I was already running low on my budget. I just needed something to cover my lashes as the eyeshadow particles were really obvious on my lashes. 

The things I learned from this experience: NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR HEALTH FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT ON YOURSELF (be it makeup, lotion, soap etc.) always read the ingredients and dont get carried away by the price.

If someone from Ever Bilena will read this, don't take this against you. Take this as a constructive criticism so that you may improve your products. Think about the health of your costumers and not just the price.

So bye-bye Ever Bilena mascara...I'm throwing you to the bin. I think this is the last straw for me when it comes to makeup with synthetic ingredients. I will now only buy ORGANIC makeup.

And in case you will make the mistake of choosing MINERAL instead of ORGANIC, read this article to find out the difference between the two. 

just a brief rundown between the two:

Organic, as is used when referring to food or products such as organic mascara can only refer to plant ingredients, because it is really a way of farming.

Minerals, on the other hand are not plants. They are simply naturally occurring solids.

So when it comes to mineral makeup, you are not looking for organic. You can’t organically farm minerals. They are a given from earth’s geological processes.

from: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/

And I suggest you also read "Why you should look for organic mascara". or better yet, read the whole blog: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/ .I say: ORGANIC IS ALWAYS THE BEST c:

now I'm on the hunt for an organic mascara available here ♥

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note:

"There are many minerals that are considered safe, therefore if you see them included in your organic mascara you don’t need to be concerned. Which is not to say that all mineral makeup brands are created equal. Many add the same synthetic preservatives, colors and fragrances that make people turn away from traditional makeup in the first place." from: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/

La Natural Makeup

I've been browsing (while procrastinating) on the right eyeliner that I can use everyday. But somehow my boyfriend doesn't like me wearing too much makeup (heck, he doesn't even want me to wear makeup at all). So I'm calming myself down and talking some sense in to me to forego the eyeliner (I'm not much of fan anyway because of my experience with the elf eyeliner pen). So I looked for a makeup tutorial about easy and no-makeup makeup (I'll be successful if my boyfriend doesn't notice XD)
I was overjoyed when I found this Fresh 5 Minute Makeup by the ever-famous Michelle Phan 

It's perfect and really easy for an everyday look. She looks so pretty and effortless, which I like very much. No eyeliners in this baby c:

In this tutorial she only mentioned putting (and doing) the following:

1.sunscreen

2.concealer to hide dark circles under the eyes

3. face powder

4. redefine the brows (my mom, brother and boyfriend commented how thin my eyebrows have gone. and because of that, I am convinced that I have to buy an eyebrow shadow (Nichido eyebrow liner duo kit tops my priorityASAP list)

5. curl the lashes and add mascara (she gave out a tip:use a card and hold it against your lids so that your lashes will get an even coating)

6.blush

7. and lastly, put lipstick!

and that's it!its just that easy to get the polished and natural look. I think this kind of makeup enhances your look instead of drowning your face with color. I absolutely love it!♥

Makeup Haul 2 and review

So last October 14 was our wedding- themed fine dining event. I was torn apart between going to the salon to have my hair and make-up done or if I should just buy some make up and do it on my own. I was asking my classmates what would they choose, and one suggested that its better to just buy your own makeup. At least after the event you get to keep it and you're assured that you're the only one who used it (yes I'm very reluctant with having my face dabbed on some makeup and brushes that a lot of faces have already used it). Judging from this post, the buy-your-own-makeup side won :D

Here's what I bought just the day before the event:

Marionnaud 5 piece travel brush set

e.l.f tone correcting concealer

e.l.f. waterproof eyeliner pen

NYX soft matte lip cream in Amsterdam

I was really surprised by how these brushes were really soft. I bought them at Watsons for P285.00 (original price is at P299.00 something-I'm not sure), I got a 5% discount because SM Lanang Premiere just opened (hurray for unexpected discounts c: ). The set comes with:

 blush/ powder brush

foundation brush

eyeshadow brush (the one with the plastic cap)

 eyeshadow applicator 

a brow brush and tiny comb-thingy

Originally, I was planning to buy a wider- range set of brushes but then I thought that I won't be needing a professional-level brush set. The travel brush is enough for me as it is easy to carry around and convenient for emergency touch-ups. 

The things I hate about it are: the eyeshadow brush applicator. I wished they just removed the thing because it's useless since there is an eyeshadow brush already. It would be better if they replaced it with an eyeliner brush. And woe for the con of travel brushes. You're stuck with a limited number of brushes (in this case only 2 brushes) if you're doing you're eyeshadow with multiple color palette. The foundation brush is fairly useless because its too tiny to do any decent cover-up, so i just use it as another eyeshadow brush.

♥  rating = 3 out of 5

At the time of the event I had a lot of breakouts because of all the sleepless nights doing our thesis. My face and hair finally gave in to the stress and I had a lot of red bumps on my cheeks and my hair wasn't that soft and shiny. Anywhoo, I HAD to buy a concealer to hide all the red pumps and pimples. The e.l.f. tone correcting concealer did the job well and the saleslady was kind enough to pick the right color for my skintone. I bought it for P129.00 at SM Department Store.

♥ rating  = 4 out of 5

Hmmmmm...this is my very first eyeliner and I was deciding to go for the pot-and-brush liquid eyeliner or the eyeliner pen. I thought that the eyeliner pen was easier to apply. I was soooo wrong and I kind of regretted that I chose this over the pot-and-brush liquid eyeliner. It was difficult to apply, came out too thick and did not came out clean. But then again I'm not an expert in applying eyeliner so maybe that was a factor. I applied this on my lids after I dis my eyeshadow and it was really hard to make a perfect line. The tip of the brush would get clogged by the eyeshadow powder and the "ink" would stop midway when I was doing the line. After I'll dispose this I won't buy this anymore. I'll choose a more natural- looking eyeliner that doesn't come in a pen-  form.

I also bought this at SM Department store at P129.00, together with the tone concealer

♥ rating: 1 out of 5

I bought this for P250.00 at Rainbow Project in Gaisano Mall of Davao :) I've wanted to buy this lip cream for so long because this was what my classmate put on me when I asked her to do my makeup for my glampic for the yearbook. I love this because of the color :D Although it does make my lips dry. What I do is put on my Human ♥ Nature Lip balm before putting this on, sort of like a protective layer. I spread the cream using my pinky fingers and I usually dab the remaining product on my cheeks for an easy blush :D I just put on a little bit, making it look more of a lipstain than achieving the matte- effect

♥ rating = 4 out of 5, minus 1 from the perfect score for making my lips dry XD

how the NYX lip cream looks on me. My boyfriend at that time was doing his Field Study reflection. He was already getting bored XD

So that's it for my makeup reviews! :D I really hope I can get some good stuff for my next haul. ♥

super cute tokidoki brushes

I browsed some tokidoki make up stuff on ebay hoping I would find something affordable to buy. I'm really itching to buy a new lipstick (my old one's already out). Then these really cute brushes came on the list and really my eyes :)

but they're insanely expensive D: P3000 for the gold set (more or less $71) 

but they're sooo cute!(drools)

Forever 21 Close Ups: easy hair and make up tutorials

Forever 21 Close up: "Pops and Coppers"

F21 has come up with short make up and hair tutorials that are very easy to do. You get what you need to know in just 1:30 minutes :) They are also featuring their cosmetic line "Love and Beauty". I checked their page and the products are affordable. I don't know if F21 will open a branch here in Davao but I do hope they will. But I'll only buy the accessories because they are soo cute :)

I love this particular tutorial because it's very light and natural and perfect for everyday wear :)