Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Wrong Foundation Gone Perfect

Matching foundation to skin tone is a tough business. After a few years of putting on makeup everyday for work, I realized that the No Makeup Look is a terribly difficult thing to pull off. There is also which shade to choose given the limited variety available depending on the brand. Some brands have only 2 shades (I'm calling you out BB Cream!) and some brands have a dozen and more. I'm not an expert in foundations either so a lot of my foundations don't match perfectly. Close enough is my usual default. So how to remedy this...

I am a NC 30 / 35 right now, yes I'm quite tan at the moment. So when I visited Digital Traincase for the first time last week, I couldn't resist taking this home with me:


Vichy Dermablend in Sand from Digital Traincase at P1390.00

Although most people opt for the shade Nude, I opted for Sand because it hides eyebags and blemishes better when I tested both. I also have plans to go to the beach, the mountain and the pool. No chance of going back to a whiter shade in the next few months.

I roadtested it the following day and it really left my face quite tanned so I was punishing myself for not getting Nude. This is despite knowing that it's just a tad bit to white! And knowing that Vichy tends to leave the face very flat, two tubes would be too much and I'd still need to set it with powder. Too much hassle!

Luckily, I came across this blog two nights ago from RareVanity.net and it suggest a way to make a wrong foundation shade work. A heaven sent actually -



(Video from Gem's Youtube Page. No copyright infringement intended)

Coincidentally I bought Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Banana a few days ago.



Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Banana from Purebeauty Alabang for P499.00
(The lowest price I've found so far!)

So I put it to the test against two other powders to compare and Ben Nye really worked! SERIOUS! IT REALLY WORKED!!!The Ben Nye powder made the overly tan look of Vichy in Sand match my tone perfectly. Thank you Gem of RareVanity! The combination of the two is just perfect. I'm so glad that I came across the video. Had I not, I would've been kicking myself for not getting Nude and Sand together. Now, I'm super happy with these two.

All in all, although Vichy promises 16 hours, it held up great for the first 5 hours with no retouching. After 8 hours there is minimal need to retouch, my nose became slightly shiny only. A little blotting would be fine but it'd be better if there is a retouch layer of powder to look fresh. Ben Nye has this fabulous finish. I was staring at the mirror the entire morning because of how gorgeous and fine the powder looks on the skin. Makes me look forward to putting it on everyday.


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Divine 指示

少し面白いものをINSTAGRAMフィードで呼んでいました。



Divine Leeはフィリピンで芸能人として活躍して、ゲイの友達から教わったことお書き出したLeeさんからのInstagramです。

1.美しい人は明るい人に負け
いつも一段と美人の人がいてもチャーミングな女性は必ず大賞を。必ず!

2.なるべくベストの自分にしなさい
もちろんほかの人のためではなく、自分のためですわ。いい調子ゲット!

3.彼氏より友達優先
友達に行くこと。なぜかというと、友達は必ずあなたの幸せを考えます。

4.ヒールスは武器よ
男と目線を合わせなければなりません。ぎりぎりなところになったら、彼に投げればいいでしょう。

5.自身は成功の鍵である
自分を信じなきゃ、どうやってほかの人に信じてくれるのだろう。どんなに複雑な男でもシャイやおびえることがあります。すこしスマイルするだけでは死にません。それに隠し撮りにかわいく。


全体的に笑わせる言い方を使われていますが、本音には間違えありません。Girl Powerですね。どんな女の人もわかる悩みです。この言葉に従って、もっといい毎日に向かいましょう。

Sale in the Manila "South"

Living in the south means being far away from Makati, Taguig and Ortigas and missing out on some bargains. Just the thought of going north can really weigh down any girl. Since the sale season doesn't seem to end, I wanted to share some nice sales I found while combing the few malls we have down here.

First up, REVLON KISSABLE BALM STAIN in HONEY
This baby keeps getting sold out but now its fully restocked at MOA and at an amazing 50% off. I got one as soon as I confirmed it really is 50% off for all colors. Yes it really is! Got it at PhP 287.50 from Watson's MOA.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable™ Balm Stain
(Photo courtesy of Revlon US Website. No copyright infringement intended)

Next, UNIQLO'S ZIP UP LONG PARKA

Many late nights and awkward outfits have been saved by my trusty parka windbreaker, one I bought from Japan and another gifted by my friend. It is quite useful to have in the car as a reserve jacket since the fabric does not fade with heat and it protects what ever is underneath it. I've used this to cover up my pambahay in case I had to go to the convenience or drug store at wee hours, or even during short trips to the supermarket. So how is this different from other windbreakers? The length. It's coat length and coat styled. It's quite flattering for any shape and size! Perfect!!! This is on introductory sale at MOA for PhP1490 (Original price is Php 1990.00)

(Photo courtesy of Uniqlo Philippines Facebook Page. No copyright infringement intended)


Going down much South is: ATC's newly opened PUREBEAUTY ATC

My first purchase to celebrate its soft opening is Ben Nye's Luxury Powder in Banana. They have the lowest price for this product, getting mine at PhP 499.00 for the 1.5 oz! It's still cheaper here than when other beauty stores go on sale. Beat that other beauty stores. Just in case, they are located near Marks & Spencer and Beauty Bar.

(Photo courtesy of ATC Facebook Page. No copyright infringement intended)


Since I'm on the subject of ATC, it's raining red for their Paint the Town Red Sale this weekend (August 9-11, 2013) and next weekend (August 15 to 18, 2013):



(Photo courtesy of ATC Facebook Page. No copyright infringement intended)


Consequently, Rnner is also having their much awaited sale at their ATC branch as well:


They have 0% interest for purchases of PhP 5,000.00 and above. I'm after those new Adidas running shoes, but I'll be saving that for another rainy day since those weren't on sale. In the meantime, try to get a Thermal Foot Analysis and GAIT Analysis there. My analysis went:

Neutral-Neutral-Neutral
This means I have neutral left and right feet, and neutral gait when running. I looked at their selection of WOMEN-NEUTRAL shoes and there are some pretty good deals! Too bad some of them have broken sizes already, especially the Brooks shoes.

It's not very crowded and the staff at Rnner ATC are quite patient and friendly! A PBA coach even happened to drop by the store when my friend and I went visiting. (Photo courtesy of Runnr Facebook Page. No copyright infringement intended)

Haul Picture: COLUMBIA LIQUIFLY



This is my new love, my grey orange pinkpurple trekking shoes. It's Techlight and Omni-grip meaning it's quite light on the feet but has good grip. My tiebreaker with the Adidas shoes from Runnr was that the Columbia shoes may be submerged in water! How awesome is that? I've been breaking it in and I am quite happy, especially since they've been marked down from PhP5,690.00 to PhP3,970.00 and at 6 months 0% interest to boot. Trekking I am ready for you!!!

Last but not the least: Tea time sale with my favorite MARKS AND SPENCER CALMING INFUSION TEA BAGS


Don't mind the funny looking tea filter. Marks & Spencer's Detox Infusion used to be my go to tea when I couldn't choose from so many teabags tucked in my office locker. I bought the Calming Infusion tea just to try it out when Greenbelt's Marks & Spencer went on sale last July. I was hooked from the very first scent of opening the foil pack. I swear this is tea heaven, any person would be crazy not to love this. If tea didn't expire I'd hoard this. It's now on sale again in ATC at 20% off for PhP199.00 (down from P225.00)! (Left photo courtesy of Marks & Spencer Philippines Facebook Page. No copyright infringement intended)

So that's my quick pick of the sale from the south!