Lunasol Skin Contrast Face Powder in 01 Glow

Hello dears!

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to post much on the blog even though I wanted to. But for today, I reserved a few minutes just to share one of my favorite products to use...

Lunasol Skin Contrast Face Powder in 01 Glow

Bought this for PhP 2,499.00... yeah, it's... pretty expensive... for my budget...

There's a packaging of this product with the powder tub and the puff applicator but I settled with just this (it's just a plastic jar with the powder). I already find the product expensive and I wasn't willing to spend more for the whole "equipment." I still like using a brush when applying my powder anyway.

Zoeva En Taupe Eyeshadow Palette

Hey loves!

One of the things I keep telling myself is to stop buying eyeshadows. Let's face it, eyeshadows are one of the products that are almost impossible to use all up before it reaches the date of it's supposed life span. Many would settle with a great neutral palette and a few colors, but I just LOVE mixing and matching shades and creating various looks around the eye area that I can't resist getting a beautiful palette!

And that's the case when I saw this product...

Zoeva En Taupe Eyeshadow Palette

Bought this at SephoraPH for PhP 1,106.00.

Careline Matte Liquid Lipstick in Craving

Hey dearies!

A few weeks back, I received the entire collection of Careline's Matte Liquid lipstick line and their three Melted Metallic shades as well. This made me sooo happy because this particular collection made me really excited when I attended their event last August that showcased their newest products and also those that will come out soon.

For today's post, let me share with you the swatch of one of their shades...

Careline Matte Liquid Lipstick in Craving

You can buy this for PhP 210.00 at leading department stores and selected Watsons branches.

You can read my previous post regarding these lipsticks in my previous post. For more product details, here's a quote from the press release about the Matte Liquid Lipsticks:

The Careline Matte Liquid Lipsticks (P195 introductory price, P210 regular price) boasts of 12 gorgeous shades that range from nudes to dramatic blues and purples. Packaged in sleek clear tubes that display the lip color, the formula is lightweight, fast-drying, long-lasting, waterproof and transfer-proof once set. While it's opaque in a single swipe, the liquid lipstick's light formula allows it to be layered on to build a more dramatic color.

I would describe the shade Craving as a warm, milk chocolate color. 

As mentioned in previous post: "It's housed in a clear, plastic tube. It looks very simple and what I like about it is that even if Careline is a brand that caters to a younger audience aka tweens, this particular product doesn't have that cutesy, youthful design and instead looks more universal or is appropriate for any age group."

Below is the applicator:

Unlike most doe-foot applicators from other liquid lipsticks I have, this one doesn't carry as much product so I have to re-dip it to cover both lips entirely. I do appreciate the slimness of it because it makes application easy.

Below is the swatch:

And here's how it looks on my lips.

It's probably the lighting that made it a bit warmer, but I do notice that I prefer cooler toned lipsticks when I use darker shades. There is a different brown shade from the collection that I like better that I'll share with you pretty soon.

What I like about these lipstick lipsticks is how lightweight it feels on the lips as well as how long-lasting it is. Plus, don't forget how affordable each tube costs!

So what do you think of the Careline Matte Liquid Lipstick in Craving?

Cheers,
DAWN

RiRe Luxe Gel Tattoo in Grey Brown

Hey dolls!

There was a hype a few months ago on eyebrow gel tattoos. I didn't get one until the hype sort of died down a bit. I don't usually buy items just because it is popular, I buy them because I'm interested in them (or in some cases, they are hugely discounted—so what the heck, right?). Well, I bought an eyebrow gel tattoo because it is hugely discounted at the Althea website. Haha!

RiRe Luxe Gel Tattoo in Grey Brown

From PhP 760.00, it was down to PhP 320.00.

I bought the shade Grey Brown because I have dark hair right now. The other shade is Light Brown.

See below the details on the box:

I appreciate the English translation included in the packaging. For further product info, I recommend visiting Althea's website.

To sum up all the claims regarding the RiRe Luxe Gel Tattoo, it promises to:

- Enhance your brows (will stay on skin so you look good even with "bare" skin)
- It's long-lasting (can last up to 7 days)
- moisturize and nourish the skin

The product is housed in a tube that looks just like the usual mascara tubes. There's barely any design except the labels. The simplicity is pretty okay for me. I do like that the color of the tube is the shade color as well.

The applicator is a brush that's a bit flat. I like that because it makes applying at the corners easier because you can create thinner lines.

Here's a swatch:

It dries like something that's plastic. This swatch is a bit thin and I realized that peeling it off is easier if you apply a thicker amount.

When peeled-off, you do get a grey-brown shade. I dunno if it's the lighting that it looks a bit greenish in this swatch, but you get a better look on the swatch on my brows below.

Here's my brow. I have dark brow hair. You might see a hint of brown there from my previous application from days before.

Here's how it looks when I apply it.

Make sure you apply it on clean skin. I recommend that you apply it after cleansing so there's no sebum build up around the area you apply it. I have oily skin so it only takes a few hours before I get shiny.

After more than an hour, I peeled it off. The instruction in Althea's website even recommended waiting for two hours.

And this is how it looks when you completely peel the product off.

I do like how it turned out! It's pretty cool actually. It doesn't look harsh because of the absence of lines. I just apply a brow mascara and I'm ready to go!

After a day at work (I applied the night before) and removing makeup, here's how it looks like.

I like that it's still there and I think that it got too light already. I think my oily skin and my makeup remover probably contributed to the fading. With this case in mind, I think I'll have to reapply again because the faded version doesn't sit well on my eyes. So the promise that it can stay up to 7 days, I doubt it can on my skin considering how much it faded after a day. Maybe I can do some retouch with a regular brow pencil but that's pretty much like applying a brow product all over again. I do appreciate that it holds up for the entire day and you can even swim with it and your brows still look "on-fleek." 

But yeah, it still fades so having the perfect brows 24/7 for days is still not there for me yet. I still like this product and if you're looking for a brow tattoo you can try and that's also affordable, I recommend you try the RiRe Luxe Gel Tattoo!


Cheers,
DAWN

Kanebo Media Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

Hey dears!

When I was in Tokyo last January, I made sure I buy some eye products to try. I've been loving most of the Japanese beauty products I've used so far so I just bought whatever it is I find that is within my budget.

While I was somewhere in Shibuya, I went to one store that sells variety of cosmetics. While browsing their collection, I found this very affordable eye brow pencil and when I say affordable, it's around PhP 300 or maybe PhP 200 or even less when converted. I can't remember how much exactly. 

Kanebo Media Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

The labels on the back side of the packaging is not in English so I couldn't read it...

So here's a product description from AlphaBeauty.net:

A basic, easy to use eyebrow pencil with soft touch, the oval pencil tip allows drawing of different thickness of lines. Easily removed by (Kanebo) eye makeup remover, available separately from our store.

Available in Grey, Natural Brown, and Dark Brown...

Other than being so affordable, I am liking how it looks. It's so small and thin that it's so easy to carry, especially when travelling. It's only like 4-5 inches in length.  The design is pretty simple with it's very dark blue shade and metallic labels. I like that it's a twist-up kind of pencil so there's no need to sharpen it.

With it's cheap price, you actually get a decent amount of product. It's pretty much the same length as those you get from more familiar Korean brands. Although I do think Kanebo is pretty familiar already although the media collection (or is this a sub-brand like KATE) is pretty new to me. If you do know, please comment below so I can edit. Thanks. :)

Here are the swatches.

I like how light it is even when you try to build it up. It avoids creating harsh lines and too strong brows. I can see how it can create more natural looking brows, especially if you are on the lighter skin tone and finer brow hair.

Unfortunately for me, I have dark and thick brow hair as seen on the photo above.

And with the product applied, it doesn't look good at all. For one, I seriously need a brow mascara first. And two, the consistency of this brow pencil is too waxy (wax crayon-like) that it even coats my brow hair and make them stick together. This just doesn't sit well on my brows. At all. :(

As much as I want to like everything I found in Tokyo, this is just one of the worst brow products I've tried. I guess it would work well on people who have thinner brow hair, but there are other affordable pencils who can do the job better. This is just not good, at least for me.

And that's my review! Have you tried this before? What brow pencils do you like?

Cheers,

DAWN

Review : iUNIK Lime Moisture Mild Peeling Gel

Hello loves!

Last month I received a package from a brand that's very new to me, iUnik. Living in the Philippines, I'm more familiar with Korean beauty brands that already have physical stores in our local malls. Since iUnik caters more to online shoppers, I didn't have the opportunity to discover it for myself until I got an email from their representative. 

So what is iUnik? It's a fairly new Korean cosmetic skincare brand that uses natural ingredients to improve the skin's condition. They have different variants that addresses different issues and skin types. 

I received two products from iUnik—a peeling gel and a serum. I've been using them for a month now. I believe I had to use them for a while to see some results for a more accurate review. :)

Today, I'll share my review of the...

 iUNIK Lime Moisture Mild Peeling Gel

You can buy this at unique4u.net for only $10.99.

This isn't the first time I've used a peeling gel. If you're not familiar with this product, Popsugar describes it as "are exfoliants. But [...] they are not physical exfoliators. Instead, they utilize fruit enzymes, like pineapple and pomegranate, to dissolve dead skin cells, sloughing them right off. "

For further information, see below the product description from their website:

There's also a product description labeled on the tube (and the bottom part is in English!! I appreciate this because I rarely see Korean brands that have English translations).

The product is housed in a tube that holds 120g of the gel. The tube is made of plastic and easy to squeeze out the product. I like the simplicity of the design—it looks clean and very professional. The pop of lime green color adds a refreshing look to the overall appearance.

So the product claims to help exfoliate skin to remove the dead skin in a non-abrasive manner. It's mild that the product is also recommended for sensitive skin (for all skin types actually). As it exfoliates, it promises to keep the skin moisturized because of the AHA Fruit Complex leaving your skin smooth and soft.

The product looks/is a clear gel that is mildly lime-scented.

When massaged on skin, it becomes a bit watery and then you'll feel like there are clumps forming while you massage the product on skin. See the photo below.

See those whitish clumps on my skin? That's the result after I massaged the peeling gel. The clumps, I believe, is a mixture of the product and the dead skin it removed from my skin. I use it on dry skin (make sure to cleanse first then dry face) and massage it, then rinse it off. 

Afterwards, my skin does feel smoother. And even though it got rid of some of the outermost area of my skin and excess sebum, my skin doesn't feel dry. After this, I continue with my usual skin routine (serums, moisturizers, etc.).

I use it at least twice a week. I like that it exfoliates my face in a way that the areas that are flaky (from using acids to dry active acne) are gone. However, I still do use some face scrubs every now and then if I need extra exfoliating especially on the areas that I usually put my acne medication.

Like I've mentioned earlier, I've been using this for more than a month and I'm completely satisfied with its performance. I didn't feel dryness or any irritation and it does its job very well. I would recommend the product for you to try, and it doesn't hurt that it's quite affordable.

And that's my review of iUNIK Lime Moisture Mild Peeling Gel. Let me know what you think about this peeling gel and stay tuned for my next iUnik product review—their Rose Galactomyces Synergy Serum!

Cheers,

DAWN

Review : Zoeva Cat Eye Pen in Blackest Black

Hey loves!

I'm currently enjoying using pen eyeliners whenever I line my eyes. I used to prefer gel liners because of their blackness and the fact that the amount of product you get is more compared to other types of eyeliners. But when I come to think of it, I don't really like the thought of having eye products for too long because of the bacteria build up after some time and then you apply it on your eyes, which are one of the sensitive areas of your body.

So I settle with the ease of application and much less time-consuming quality of a pen eyeliner. I've been into pen liners for probably a couple of years now and I didn't miss using gel liners! Haha!

Here's what I'm currently using...

Zoeva Cat Eye Pen in Blackest Black

Bought it from Sephora PH. The regular price of this is PhP 386.00, but it is currently out of stock.

To be honest, I bought this to avail the free shipping and the added freebies when I bought some items at Sephora. Haha! I wasn't really looking for a new one because I still have one when I bought it. It doesn't hurt to have a reserve though!

Product info from the website:

APPLICATION

This longlasting and quick drying stylo liner enables you to create delicate fine lines as well as dramatically sexy bold strokes. Gently apply it with a steady hand along the upper lash line.

Recap tightly after use. | Do not use inside the eye. | Discontinue use if signs of irritation appear.

DESCRIPTION

Defined by the blackest black, the ultra-precise and long-lasting ZOEVA Cat Eye Pen provides smooth and easy application with its superfine and flexible brush tip, creating both – delicate classic fine lines as well as dramatically bold strokes with a silky finish.

The formulation of the stylo liner is dermatologically approved and 100% free of formaldehyde and parabens.

PACKAGING / CONTENT

1 Cat Eye Pen eyeliner 

Net content: 1.0 ml / 0.03 us oz

Ingredients: Aqua, Butylene Glycol, CI 77266 (Carbon Black) (nano), Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Coco-Glucoside, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Laureth-12 Sulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.

When I first saw the product physically, I like how it looked. I like the matte box it came with and I like the design of the pen. The slim plastic pen contrasted with the matte area with a slight curve where you hold it gives the whole thing a sexy vibe. I like the overall look because when I think of a cat eye, I think of sleek and sexy and this is just it! 

I also love the tip. It's a brush that doesn't bend easily. I like this kind of applicator because it makes it easy for me to control the lines I'm making. I can create thinner lines with ease!

Here's the swatch. I like the blackness of this. It does do minimal bleeding but when I use it on my eyelids with eyeshadow, there's barely any bleeding. I also like how smooth it was to apply this eyeliner. Application was really easy with this one.

So I tested how long it will last if I do some things to the swatches...

When I smudged it with dry fingers, the intensity of the blackness diminished but it didn't smudge away.

When I rubbed it roughly, there was minimal smudging.

When I rubbed it lightly with water, as you can see, it was getting removed easily. I wasn't surprised because it never claimed to be waterproof.

And when I rubbed it while wet, it was completely removed.

Here's how I apply it on my eyes:

I just love how black it is! It's not too matte and not too glossy too!

It dries quickly after application too so no need to wait a while before opening your eyes. I like almost everything about it, but the NOT waterproof part is a big con for me. Although I don't sweat a lot (unless I'm doing my exercise) since I'm usually at an air-conditioned room, I do have oily skin and my lids get oily easily. This transfers to the top area of my lids when it gets oily. I don't get that problem if I use primer + long lasting cream shadow topped with powder eyeshadow. The liner can last a whole day with that combination. HOWEVER, I do like using face mists and unfortunately, when my eye area gets some of the mist, this product smudges too! Ugh. Now I have to make sure that no water gets to my lids. 

So to summarize this review:

What I LIKE:

- BLACKKKKK! Yes, it's so beautifully black!
- Sexy packaging
- Affordable
- Available online
- Easy to use
- Smooth application
- Brush is easy to manipulate
- Dries quickly upon application
- Easy to remove at the end of the day

What I DON'T LIKE:

- It's not waterproof! It gets completely destroyed when water touches it. 

Would I buy again? As much as I like most about it, I really want my eyeliner to be waterproof. It's like my number one requirement. 

But if you don't wear eyeliners often or you only wear them for a few hours a day, then this baby would be great for you!

What are your thoughts on the Zoeva Cat Eye Pen in Blackest Black?


Cheers,
DAWN