Tools of the trade: Which works better?

(L-R ELF studio stippling brush, Etude House baby doll puff, ELF professional foundation brush, ELF studio powder brush)

There are lots of make up tools in the market that are intended for applying foundation. 

As you can see, I have a few. So here goes a comparison review when applying liquid foundation :D

Etude House Baby Doll Puff

*I always use this sponge with my powder primer for Ellana Minerals

*I sometimes use this when applying liquid foundation

*I certainly use this when applying cream based foundation

*I apply the liquid foundation directly on my face, then blend it with this. This tends to absorb the foundation even when it's damp enough.

*The tip is perfect for concealing, I use Ellana's powder concealer for my dark spots, acne, acne marks and  my under eye area

Cons:

*Absorbs the liquid foundation even if it's damp.

If compared to:

Elf Professional foundation brush - 

*less time consuming

*better finish

Elf Studio stippling brush -

*less time consuming

*does not prick my skin when I do the "bounce/stipple" method

*better finish 

Elf Studio powder brush - 

*more time consuming

*powder brush gives a better finish

Rating

4/5

ELF Professional Foundation Brush

*I sometimes use this on liquid foundations

*I sometimes use this on cream based foundations

*It's just basically painting your face. This is the brush I use less.

Cons:

*This is time consuming

*The finish is okay, but when compared to my other tools, this loses.

If compared to:

Elf Studio stippling brush - 

*same finish

*more time consuming

Elf Studio powder brush -

*powder brush gives a better finish

*more time consuming 

Etude House baby doll puff - 

*the puff/sponge gives a better finish

*more time consuming

Rating

2/5

ELF Studio Powder Brush

The brush is has a flat tip, which is great for buffing.

It is dense enough for applying foundations. 

*I always use this when applying liquid foundation

*I sometimes use this when applying cream based foundation

*I always use this when applying only powder foundation to achieve a full coverage

*This gives the best coverage among the tools :)

Cons:

none :)

If compared to:

Elf Professional foundation brush - 

*less time consuming

*better finish

Elf Studio stippling brush -

*less time consuming

*better finish 

Etude House baby doll puff - 

*same time consuming

*better finish

Rating

5/5 :)

HG tool! :)

ELF Studio Stippling Brush

*I sometimes use this brush on liquid / cream based / powder foundation.

Cons

*Not dense enough compared to other stippling brush

*Pricks my skin! 

*Does not give an airbrush finish compared to other stippling brush

*Very time consuming

If compared to:

Elf Professional foundation brush - 

*less time consuming

*better finish

Elf Studio powder brush -

*more time consuming

*powder brush gives a better finish

Etude House baby doll puff - 

*more time consuming

*puff does not prick my skin if i'll stipple it

*same finish

Rating

3/5

Conclusion

The ELF Studio Powder Brush wins!

I love it's coverage

This absorbs less foundation compared to all of the tools mentioned

This is very versatile, I use this also for blushing and contouring 

Soft and dense enough :)

Barry M: Shocking Pink

Another bright lipstick! :)

Barry M in 52 (a.k.a. Shocking Pink)

The packaging:

The casing is matte and yes it does have a classy feel :)

The swatch:

To have a more accurate swatch of the color, I have included 2 crayolas (red and carnation pink)

(I made a comparison swatch for you guys to see how bright this baby is :D)

L-R

Nyx Chloe

Nyx Eucalyptus

Wet N Wild 521a

Maybelline Fuchsia Fever

Barry M Shocking Pink

Careline 103

Pros:

*As a bright lipstick fan, I adore this! This one's a neon fuchsia-ish 

*This one will surely catch attention

*Satin to matte finish

*Non drying

*Pigmentation is good, 2-3 is enough for that stunning look

*No weird scent at all

*Worth the price

Cons:

*Not available locally, I bought this online from love manila on facebook

Recommend?

Yes! Go play with colors. I dare you, I double dare you! :)

Repurchase?
I have a lot of lippies in my stash for now, but if in case this one empties first, I'll surely repurchase. :)

Maybelline color sensational lipstick

From my last post of Maybelline's color sensational lipstick, I remember when I said that I'd like to have them in the US packaging. TADA! :D 

The US line is now available locally! :D yipee! I love the packaging, It does look like CG's Lip Perfection (review soon)

of course I wont settle for nude shades, hello bright pink! 

here's the swatch on my lips :) the actual photo is pink-er and a tad brighter.

In comparison with the previous color sensational lipstick
(wait! this does not mean that the previous line is discontinued. It's still on the market!)
*Both are incredibly nourishing.

*The US line is a bit creamier

*The US line is more pigmented

*I like the US packaging more *teehee*

Price

*US line - 399

*Previous line - 299

(pardon me for calling them the 'previous' and the 'US Line' haha)

Repurchase?

Oh yes :D Maybelline never failed me when it comes to lipsticks! :D 

l.a. colors liquid make up

It was a huge leap for me to try foundations that are not from Ellana and Maybelline.

it somewhat felt like "out of the comfort zone" feeling. lol.

this one's from l.a. colors, I bought it for 169 pesos if im not mistaken.

The packaging does look cheap, but the content is more important than the packaging naman diba? :) 

The shade is in creamy beige

It's a pump type one, the foundation has a thick consistency so I pump this with care. lol

This is the amount of a pump. The shade does match my skin tone.

After blending.

Pros:

*It gives a good finish.

*It does a good job on oil control.

*It lasts a whole day.

*easily removed when washed with water

*can be applied dry, NEVER WET.

Cons:

*I hate the scent, this reminds me of  make up scents. Hmm how will I explain this?

*Gives a 'heavy' feeling when worn.

*This gives a pink/orange-y finish on my face. FYI, I have a neutral a.k.a. olive skin tone. I remember the last time I wore this, my face has this pink tint and it did not match my neck :( boo. I don't know If I was too conscious or it just did not match my neck.

Recommend?

*This is a good 'emergency' foundation, lets say you're out and you just ran out of foundation, this one's a good fix. 

*If you're cool toned, this one's for you. 

Repurchase?

Might not. But I'm not closing my doors on this :)

Price:

169pesos

Etude House Baby Doll Puff

Tada! Hi guys! I know it has been a WHILE since my last post, I was too busy with school as well as with my personal life. So anyway, since it's my comeback post, I'm returning with my latest HG makeup tool.

tada! etude's baby doll puff or a.k.a. : beauty blender dupe

The packaging:

(photo grabbed from kikaytrekkie.blogspot.com)

the packaging is ultra cuuute! diba diba? :D

I bought this sponge last quarter of 2011 and it retails for 378 pesos.

This is my latest photo of my sponge, as you can see, it does not stain.

I'm giving you an idea on how 'just right' the size of the sponge is. (sorry for my dirty phone lol)

When DRY

When WET

What's the difference?! LOL.

Unlike the beauty blender, this does not expand a lot at all, it expands a wee bit but it's totally unnoticeable.

How I clean it:

For hygienic purposes, I wash this every after use.

 just rub this on a laundry soap (bar). yes, you read it right, laundry soap.

Dish washing liquid works also but laundry soaps removes all stains. 

I remember when I asked an etude SA on how to clean the sponge, 

she said to use a facial wash because I use this on my face.

But think about this, you use laundry soaps on your garments, on your towels that you also use on your face.

so I really really think that's it's not a big deal to clean your sponges with laundry soaps or dish washing liquid. :)

How I use it:

I USE IT DAMP.

I use the base of the sponge on my whole face, I use the 'stippling method' when applying my foundation on.

I DO NOT put the liquid foundation directly on the sponge (except on cream based foundations), I put pea sized amounts on my face then use my sponge to blend it. I use the pointy tip of the sponge on the size of my nose and on my under eye area. But sometimes I end up just using the base of the sponge. lol.

 Pros:

Compared to my E.L.F. paddle foundation brush and to my E.L.F. studio stippling brush, this does give the best finish, this does not leave any streaks or marks at all. This gives me a 'no make up' make up finish. 

Cons:

If you are to lazy on cleaning tools everyday, then this is not for you.

Price:

378 pesos, if I'm not mistaken. lol

Repurchase?

I might, But I there are new dupes coming out in the market so I might try other brands :)

Recommend?

If you are fond of using cream based foundations, this one's for you. This works amazingly on cream based foundations.

If you are into liquid foundations, gel foundations and bb creams, this will also work for you.

If you are into two way foundations, this will still work on you.

If you are into powder foundations, this will still work, just use it DRY.

so need I say more? :) this one's a hit for it's price. and it's also cute! :)

My Life Changing Experience

Hey guys! Before you skip this post because this is in no way related to make up,

I JUST WANT TO SHARE TO YOU THIS EXPERIENCE,

ALSO, THE VITAMINS THAT I TOOK, BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL GONE NOW.

YOU MAY KNOW SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS FROM THIS, 

YOU MAY HELP THEM BY SHARING MY EXPERIENCE TO THEM.

This were taken last September 2009, yes this looks horrible, 

feels horrible and it did lessen my confidence.

I had these since 2004.

There was no accurate findings with this, well I'm considering this as a medical mystery but

among all the doctors that saw my case, they all had similar diagnosis in me and they say that my

veins are weak, well the small veins to be exact, and they tend to burst whenever I'm in, in any form, of discomfort.

Hypersensitive Vasculitis

What are the discomforts that I had?

*Muscle Pain

*I felt that my legs are swollen, but it's not

*These are painful, they almost feel like wounds, it stings even in the slightest touch

*It is sometimes itchy

What triggered these?

*Stress (in any form)

*Intense heat

*Absence of vitamins

THE VITAMINS:

1. Vitamin C - Rhea

This did not work for me that well. Nothing much to say actually

2. Sodium Ascorbate - Euro Cee

This did help me, it did went well by 40% actually.

It did reduce the bursting, but I still felt the same discomforts.

downside: Palpitation

3. Mega Antioxidant - Essentials
Chelated Mineral - Essentials

This worked wonders for me.

This got rid of all the discomforts, reduced the bursts by 95%.

Why did Essentials worked wonders for me? Well, considering that I am currently a graduating student,

I have two theses, I study at CEU - Makati and I go home at Pacita, Binan, Laguna (well, it's an hour drive)

I sleep less, I was physically and mentally stressed

I often expect that I'll have these again everytime I go home,

surprisingly, there are none. No pain, no discomforts.

Would I repurchase?

YES

To whom do I recommend this?

I recommend this to everyone, this did wonders on me, 

and this makes me cope up on my daily stressful tasks.

So how's my legs now?

still fat.

(LOL)

So since I'm back to school, I took this photo last Tuesday, November 8, 2011.

I had a 7am class and it was until 5pm, then I had an appointment up until 9pm.

I went home from Makati at around 10pm and then took this photo.

Since school started, I haven't had a decent sleep yet.

Wednesday:

I had a 1pm to 4pm class but the professor was not around.

But prior to that, I did not have an 8-hour sleep cause I was hooked again on watching Grey's Anatomy :D

Thursday:

I was busy searching for openings on OJT (walk-in applicants), well we walked all through out the day.

I went home at around 8pm.

Friday:

I had an urgent interview at Citibank Tower, Paseo de Roxas it was around 3pm. I left at around 12nn

I had some appointments again then accompanied my man to a department store cause he needed some stuffs.

Went home at around 8pm

Saturday:

Slept late again, thanks to Grey's Anatomy

Went out to buy stuffs, And went home at around 9pm

This photo was taken tonight, November 12, 2011

Despite of these stress that I had for this week, Essentials seemed to really cope up with my busy lifestyle. :D

Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick

The best matte lipsticks I've tried so far :)

This is it's packaging, it's purely made of plastic.

(L-R)

906D - Wine room

This one's purple, dark purple actually.

This is not a daily color, but I sometimes use this when I'm going out :)
and I do not apply any eye make up on when I'm wearing this.

909D - Coral-ine

This one's my favorite :) It's a red-orange.

This one is my man's favorite :) well, he likes me when I'm not wearing any make up.
But he likes it when I'm being playful with my lipsticks :))

Favorite shade?

909D!

Price:

300 - quite pricey, the prices are doubled here compared to US :'(

Cons:

Make it a little less cheap please?

Drying, since it's matte.

Repurchase?

yes! I love how striking both colors are! well, I'm looking forward on buying different shades. If only they cost less. :(

Curly hair: what works best?

Hi guys! It's been a while since I last updated my blog. *woops!*

I've been busy with school stuffs recently, considering that I have two thesis (both have implementation)

oh and two more projects. Senior year, you're making me ugly! :(

Okay! below are my hair products, they are arranged

according to the product that I love the most.

BTW, my hair is naturally curly, (and yes it's pretty) but it is difficult to manage in a way that:

1. My hair is frizzy
2. My hair is prone to tangles (regardless if I combed my hair or not)
3. My hair is suffering from hair fall
4. My hair gets dull quickly
5. The wind is my biggest fear when my hair is not tied :(

See how I am in dire need of a hair leave on/serum/styling?

Citre Shine Anti-Frizz Serum

THIS IS BY FAR, THE BEST HAIR PRODUCT THAT SUITS MY CURLY HAIR!

and why is that?

This lived up to it's promise, this gave my hair it's shine, it tamed my frizzy-ness
it made my hair undeniably smooth and untangled, and it never looked dull for a whole day!

I apply this serum on my towel dried hair, it's almost damp, but far from dry.

Price:

350 - a steal for it's wonders! 18ml is enough for it's price

Cons:
The effect is minimal when applied on dry hair, and it gives a sticky residue on your hand.

Repurchase?

DEFINITELY!

Curls Up

I bought this way back 2 years ago, but still works ;)

I bought this because my sister got married and I have to look at my best of course.

This also lives to it's promise, it definitely curled my curly hair. (redundancy!)

This one's for styling so, I don't use this everyday. I use this VERY seldom.

Price:

199

Cons:

Since that this one is a styling product, this made my hair stiff.

Repurchase?

I might not, but it's not that it's a bad product. This just did not please me.

If you are into styling, go buy this! :)

Sunsilk Weather Defense Serum

This somewhat tamed my frizz, I only like this because it has a UV weather shielding technology

(that's what they said!)

Price:

199

Cons:

I do not like the scent

It dries easily

Repurchase?

Nope

Sunsilk Damage Repair Serum

This is the first serum that I have fallen in love with.
It did reduce my hair fall and my split ends.

Price:

199

Cons:

Dries easily

Repurchase?

Nope

Sunsilk Weather Defense Light Cream

I hate this product. This does not give me any  results at all.
This is sticky, as if I applied lotion on my hair. I do not like the scent.
This does not tame my frizz, this does not add shine. This is plain crap.

Price:

40 - well. for it's price, just buy vitress. This will work better than this.

Repurchase?

NO!

Ellana mineral tinted lip color

This is my first palette. (nostalgic! lol)

This one's from Ellana

and it's in French kiss

(L-R:)

Honey

quite shimmery, coral shade

Passionate

coral. quite matte

Bliss

darkest among all. coral. matte

Infatuation

has a pink tone. quite matte

Favorite shade:

Bliss :)

Price:

P250

Pros:

-cheap

-safe

-pay off is quite surprising! it's pigmented alright!

Cons:
-quite drying

Repurchase?
-yeeeees! 4 shades for only 250? isn't that a steal!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick

Hi guys! I will review all the lipsticks that I've acquired (last year) since I started hoarding.

This is from Maybelline, well this is not my ultimate favorite but I like these lipsticks.

(Angel Rose)

Since I've depotted all of my lipsticks, this is the only photo that would best describe

 how does the packaging look like. Well what I like about it's packaging is that it is color coordinated 

with it's shade, coral shades fall under the orange casing, nude shades fall under the brown casing,

 pink shades has a pink casing and reds has a red casing.

(L-R:)

Angel Rose

nude pink

Soft Azalea

fuchsia, bordering to red

Blushing Berry

red, but with a hint of pink

Passion Red

red, but not striking red, sexy red ;)

Favorite shade:

Passion Red -  I love shades that are bright and striking ;)

oops! please don't mind my blurry friend :)) See? pretty shade! :D

Price:

P299

Pros:

-This gives a satin finish. Which I like. :).

-This is moisturizing.

-Color pay off is nice.

-If you're into 'safe' shades, (not striking shades) then this one's for you.

Cons:

-Staying power is a bit poor, but justifiable.

-few shades! :( yes, they're still few for me.

-if you're into bright lipsticks, this is not for you.

-not kiss-proof

-I like the US packaging, way better.

Repurchase?

-yes! well despite that I had more cons. I still like this lipstick. Well, I'd buy them if it's on sale or if mom will buy one for me :)

The Face Shop's Span Face Primer

Hi guys! how's your long weekend? well I've been a bummer for the past 3 days! (p.s., I'm lovin' it!)

Okay! So I've been skeptical about purchasing face primers.

Well, despite of it's features, I'm thinking if is it necessary to have one. 

So I just took a leap of faith, and bought one!

Actually, I was choosing among 5 brands

(the body shop's matte it face primer, ellana's make it last face primer, 

e.l.f.'s mineral infused face primer, the face shop's span face primer

and smashbox's photo finish face primer)

And out of the blue, I instantly chose this! 

(I seriously don't know why I chose this but okay here's my review)

Well technically, Span is not called as a face primer (it's an oil control pre make up -- said the tube), 

though when I asked the SA from the face shop for a face primer, she showed me this:

The tube reminds me of my maybelline gel foundation

see? same nozzle too! :)

here's the mucus like primer. :) (LOL sorry! :D)

thefaceshop says:

Formulated with sebum absorbing powder and pore smoothing elastic polymer,

this make up primer minimizes shine while enhancing the staying power of your foundation

ney says:

They did live up it to their promise.

Pros:

It does make my make up last longer.

Reduced my oily-ness, though I retouched once on my t-zone.

I can skip moisturizing when I will use this.

Has no parabens.

Because it has this greenish tint, this did reduce the red spots on my face.

 it's just that:

Cons:

It is not like other primers, that leaves this silky velvety finish.

Takes a while to dry up.

Since I have an oily skin, moisturizing before priming is a no-no, it makes this primer less effective.

Price:
Originally, this was 500++, bordering to 600++. In the end, I bought this baby for Php445

Repurchase?
Nope. I'll try the remaining 4 on my list. :)