Its my Birthday!

Its my Birthday! I turned 26 last August 29 and I was so happy to celebrate my birthday with my friends, boyfriend and family.

 My friends gave the August birthday celebrants this delicious cake. 

We spent the weekend before my birthday at a beach resort just having fun.

Reliving our childhood days!

On the day of my birthday, I spent it with my boyfriend and family.
In the morning, Sting and I went to a church to pray and light a candle before having lunch together. We then spent the whole afternoon shopping for my gift and simply killing time before we go home for dinner together with my family.

 My aunt cooked quite a feast! The food was simply delicious.

My nephews and niece gave me this lovely cake! I get to make my wish and blow the candles.

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday and I would like to thank everybody that wished me a happy birthday and for my family, boyfriend and friends for celebrating my birthday with me. Thank you! I'm looking forward to a good year ahead!

August 2012 Favorites

Since August is my birth month, one of my favorites is this collage that my friend Chaky made for my birthday!

Next, is the gift that I got from my boyfriend Sting. I have been eyeing this perfume from Marks and Spencer for a couple of months now and my boyfriend told me that he would buy it for me on my birthday so I was so happy when he bought me the perfume in 100 ml bottle and a 10 ml travel one.

The scent is somewhat floral and sweet but not overpowering. It is just the perfect daytime girly scent. It combines top notes of pepper and purple freesia, middle notes of white heliotrope and jasmine and finally base scents of cedar wood and sandal wood. This fragrance just represent feminine beauty.

 Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in "Rendezvous" - The orange color one. I have been using it every time I want a fuss free look. For the past couple of weeks I have been on holiday at the beach and this product has been my constant companion. I love that I don't have to constantly reapply it and even if I am in the water I know that this lip color will not budge.

My everyday concealer "Revlon PhotoReady concealer"

Maybeline Baby Lips lip balm in "peppermint" 

Vitamin E Skin Oil
This Skin Oil really helps moisturize my skin without the heavy feeling like a lotion have. It also helps lighten my scars and soothe some of my skin imperfections.

My favorite toner in the world is from "Beauche". When I was suffering from massive acne breakouts to the point where I feel like my whole face is covered with acne due to my hormonal imbalance. The Beauche skincare line really helped clear my skin but among the line the toner is my favorite. It smells good and it makes my skin feels refreshed every time I use it.

Haul: Hair products and Make-up

I know I've been bad. I've had 3 hauls this month of August, this is definitely not good for my bank balance. I've got another excuse for shopping this time, it is because I'm trying to grow my hair out and my hair is at the stage where if you don't blow dry it everyday, the ends will literally go everywhere. Hence I went to get some products that will help me moisturize and strengthen my hair. Well for the make-up bits, I have no excuse for that, I just can't help getting drawn to them. I need help pretty bad!

So on to the haul...

I picked up these tubs of Hair Spa by the band Hair Treats for my DYI hair treatment weekend. They were on offer, buy 1 take 1 and when I was at the till they gave me 15% discounted on all of my purchases so, I got these two ginormous tub of hair treats for only Php 233 = $ 6. 

Elastine Essence Serum - Php 271.18 = $ 6.50

Opal daily 1 minute treatment - Php 140 = $3.50

I use the elastine essence after I blow dry my hair to help keep tame the frizzes. The Opal hair treatment is perfect for daily hair conditioner, but I tend to use it only 3 times a week.

No Tangle Hair Mist - Php 141 = $ 3.50

This is my everyday leave in conditioner and detangler at the same time. I spray this on my damp hair before I blow dry and it just makes it easier to comb through my hair.

 

Nanny Rose Wax - Php 239 = $ 6

Olay anti-ageing eye cream - Php 597 = $ 14

I figured I need to start taking care of my skin and keep it moisturized since I'm not getting any younger and since I constantly abuse it by putting make-up every single day.

Revlon Age Defying Foundation in Honey Beige - Php 850 = $ 20

I'm almost out of my Revlon colorstay foundation and I decided to try this one out since I was on 15% off offer.

BB Cream - Php 281 = $ 7

I decided to try this BB Cream out for those casual days off that I don't really need to put a full face of make-up on.

Elf Eyebrow Kit Php 213.53 = $ 5

I have been eyeing this product for some time now and since it has some great reviews online and since it was on offer I decided to give a go.

Oil control sheet - Php 36.55 = $ 0.85

This my favorite oil control sheets and I would repurchase this one every time.

WetnWild Mega Glo in Catwalk Pink - Php 390 = $ 9.25
WetnWild Eye Shadow Trio in Walking on Eggshells - Php 290 = $ 7
Online Store : http://www.lazada.com.ph/beauty/

I got these WetnWild products on a online store who sells various skincare and make-up products in the Philippines. They also do Free shipping and Cash on delivery services so I decided to place a test order. The delivery was faster than I had expected and I am very pleased with the products and the service as well. I just wish they had more products sold there. I would definitely repurchase from the site again.

  

Product Smackdown: Drugstore Concealers

Here are all the concealers that I have tried and I'm gonna tell you which of these works great for me and with of these  I don't really care about.

Lets start from my least favorite...

Maybeline Angel Fit Concealer - $10

Not good for oily skin, it tends to slip and slide throughout the day. The texture is liquidy and it can be great as an under the eye concealer but definitely not good for blemishes. This concealer comes in a dofut applicator and offers light to medium coverage. This is my least favorite concealer because it broke my skin out. I would not recommend this product for people who have oily skin and I decided to throw mine away because of the breaking out issue.

Elf Cover Everything Concealer - $5

This is the cheapest concealer I found so far and it comes with 0.141 oz of product. The texture is a bit waxy or oily and it does wear off throughout the day. I'd say it would last up to 4 to 5 hours on my oily skin. It offers medium coverage and it needs to be set with powder. This would be good for covering blemishes and when used under the eye, use only a small amount because it can settle within the lines and look cakey. I would recommend this for people with normal to dry skin and does not have many spots and blemishes to cover. As for me, I would still use this product up but I would not repurchase it again.

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer - $19

This is my recent concealer find and this has become my second most favorite concealer. It is quite expensive and it only has 0.11 oz worth of product but this concealer totally works for me. It comes in a stick form but the texture is so creamy and so easy to blend. It is perfect for concealing under the eye and works well with blemishes too plus it comes with an SPF 20 which is good to help lessen hyperpigmentation. It offers medium to full coverage and it last around 7 hours on my skin. Since it is a stick concealer it is also perfect for carrying around in your bag for touch-ups. This is my everyday concealer and I would definitely repurchase this again.

LA Girl Pro.conceal - $ 7 to $8

This is my favorite concealer of all time and I'm so sad because my local mall stopped carrying it. It is fairly priced and it comes with 0.25 oz worth of products. It is really a high definition concealer because it covers everything and stays on my face for more than 8 hours. It comes in a brush applicator and the texture is very creamy much like those thick foundation but it does blend with the skin well. They also have a good amount of shades to choose from, mine is in "Pure Beige". I have oily skin and with this concealer I don't find the need to set it with powder. I'm saving what little I have left for special occasions until I can buy a new tube. 

Booked: Summer Reads

Here are my latest reads for summer of 2012

Excellent novel, it is for those people who likes dystopian society plot, this trilogy would be perfect. I must say this book is really engaging and frustrating at the same time because it always has a cliffhanger ending and I can't wait to read the next book. I'm really looking forward to the 3rd book!

Oh my! 50 shades of Grey is something else. I would say these books are for the adult and mature readers. It contains pretty graphic scenes that are not really appropriate for young readers. It has a nice mix of comedy and love story but it goes hand-in-hand with the adult content of the story. I would say that these books were written so well that your imagination is in HD. I love these books! I heard that a movie is coming soon, that would be something to watch.

Haul: Another Collective haul August 2012

I went shopping again. I know, I have been extremely naughty this month and I am justifying these shopping spree as my gift to myself because August is my birth month. I think that justifies it maybe. eeek!  >_< 

Anyways on to the things that I bought...

I went out and bought a couple of books because I ran out of books to read. My bookcase is kinda full and I want to get the Kindle Fire or the Nexus 7 but it is so hard to place an order from the Philippines.

When I was ill and was hospitalized last July 29 to August 1, I did not notice that the jeans that I was wearing got lost or probably stolen at the hospital. I was gutted because those jeans were my favorite and we could not find it anywhere so I bought a few jeans that I liked when I went shopping. 

 This Jag  jeans (29) - Php 1,199.75 / $ 27
These are the push ups jeans / heart shaped risers for a curvy bottom. So these jeans are really flattering on the bum. I can't wear it at the office but these would be perfect on days off paired with heels.

Lee Jeans (28) - Php 1,499.75 / $ 35
These are also lift up jeans but these are black perfect for casual day at the office.

 Wrangler Jeans (27) - P1,299.75 / $30
These are the exact same jeans that was lost/stolen but his one is regular or a bit high waisted compared to my other one. These are the Jess skinny tube jeans and there are so comfortable to wear.

Sogo Swimsuit (L) - Php 1,199.75 / $ 27
We are gonna have an office outing or a family day this coming weekend and we are going to a resort in Surigao so I bought a new suit. 

For the beauty stuff, I got the following items

In2it facial highlighter - Php 399 / $ 9

Elf concealer - P 199.75 / $ 5

Revlon photoready concealer - Php 795 / $19

James Copper make-up brush cleaner - P399.75 / $ 10

Elf eyelid primer - P129.75 / $ 3

Elf blush and bronzer palette - P249.75 / $ 6

Elf eyeshadow brush - Php 129.75 / $3
Elf smudge brush - Php 249.75 / $ 6

For the beauty products, I will do a review on those when I get to play around with them a bit more.

Thank you for stopping by!!!

Foundation Review: Loreal White Perfect Pearl

Retails for about $23 in our local mall and it has 30 ml worth of product

I got this foundation because it says on the label that it is a whitening foundation powered with whitening skincare essence and it has SPF 17/PA ++ which was good because I have a lot of hyperpigmentation from my acne scars and I was hoping to lighten those up. 

It claims to blend in with you natural complexion for a non-cakey non-traceable finish and it leaves skin feeling satin smooth and hydrated all day. Well I decided to test it out and I did not like it. I put in on and I can tell that I am wearing foundation. It does not blend well to my skin and up close I can see that it kinda settled into my pores which I did not like. 

The texture of the product is thick and it is almost like a gel. It does makes my skin feel smooth and from a far it looks okay but with this foundation I have to really work and buff it well to properly blend with my skin. I have oily skin and throughout the day I have noticed that got oily not only in my T-zone but also on my cheeks so it does make the foundation looks muddy on me. As far as the lightening or whitening properties of this foundation I did not notice any change in my dark spots after using it for about a week. So this product is definitely a miss for me.

This foundation may suit better those who have dry to normal skin and also for fairer skin tones because the color selection is very limited and it is more on the fairer side. It does give your a face a smooth and satin finish to it which I like. Because this product has the SPF17/PA++ it can help prevent further darkening of the spots but as to lightening i feel it doesn't do much.

As for me, I would not repurchase this product and I am just using mine up by mixing it with my Revlon colorstay foundation which surprisingly matched my skin complexion well.

Collective Haul: Jewelry, Beauty and Random Stuff

Back in July before I got ill, I went to our local market place which is pretty much like china town with my friend and we did some inexpensive jewelry shopping. I did not get a chance to post that haul so I decided to lump it all together with my beauty and some school/office supplies haul that I did in early august.

Leather wrap around bracelet with gold studs - $2

I love this bracelet because the leather is soft so it doesn't scratch my skin when I wear it. 

 Silver cuff bracelet - $1.50

I wear this to work almost everyday paired with my silver watch.

 Spiked rings (Gold & Silver) - $0.75 each 

I love it because it is so edgy and it can double as a self defence weapon when you punch someone in the face. Those spikes are pretty sharp so perps beware.

 Mustache ring - $0.50 

 Compact with brush - $0.50

I'm in desperate need of a compact so i decided to get this one with a built in brush.

Fun colored necklace - $1.50

Those colored balls looked like candies and since it so colorful it will go with almost any outfit.

 Stickers - $0.10 each

I walked past the stationary section in the area and I could not resist buying these cute stickers.

Hello Kitty bookmark - $0.25

I love to read and most of my paper bookmarks were really battered so I picked these hello kitty magnetic ones.

After I got out of the hospital and I was advised by my doctor to take a break from work for about a week. I spend a couple of days at home and I became so restless that I had to get out and do some shopping so I did a little damage at my local mall. 

 Marionnaud concealer brush - $1.50 

It has synthetic hair so it does not soak up the products and it just apply concealer like a dream.

 Revlon Kissable Balm stain - $13.50 each

From top to bottom (Smitten, Rendezvous & Romantic)

I have been on a hunt for these balm stain since I saw it on YouTube and finally it came out this week and I bought the all the shades that would suit my complexion. 

Free make-up pouch that comes with my Revlon purchase

 Dental Floss (individually packed) - $1.25

Perfect for carrying in handbag since it is individually packed.

 Shampoo - $3.00

Random shampoo since I always switch out my shampoo.

Mini single hole puncher - $1.10

Yellow Mini Expander Envelope - $1.15

Clear book with Pink Envelope - $2.15

Peach colored Expanded Envelope - $3.10

I bought these organizational envelopes after I saw Alejandra's video from HomeOrganizing. She used binders to organize her big ticket receipts and warranty papers and it reminded me that I needed to sort out my files for those important documents as well.

The yellow mini envelope will be used to keep my important IDs that I don't really need to carry around everyday and as well as installment credit cards receipts and jewelry receipts. The clear book with pink envelope will be used for the warranty and big ticket receipts. Finally the large expanding envelope will be used to organize manuals of gadgets.

Magazines - $7.00 total

I got home interior designs magazines because I'm planning to build my own house. I decided to get some inspiration because I am in the processes of compiling my inspiration book.