YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Paris Review and Swatch

When I first laid my eyes on YSL Rouge Volupte, I knew I just have to grab one. Anything gold is my weakness and a gold lipstick tube is a surefire way to make my knees go weak.

I was a bit heart broken when I found out YSL pulled out of the Philippine market for quite some time now so I get my lipstick via pre-order websites. I bought this particular tube from Carefreeshopper during the Sephora 10% off sale so I got this at Php1800. I've been buying things from Ms. Armie's site for quite some time now and I must say she offers hassle free transaction. Your products arrive safe and sound.

YSL Rouge Volupte no. 27 Rose Paris Swatch

My favorite shade is no. 27 Rose Paris. It's a bright pinky coral color that complements my pale skin tone, I think the pink coral shade brightens my skin tone without looking pale or pasty, it gives me a nice healthy glow. This is my HG lipstick.

Texture wise this is on the creamy-slippery side so what I do is just pat it on my lips and pucker up. The color packs a punch, it's a very solid color on the lips so a little goes a long long way unless you really want to achieve a bold lip color. Staying power wise it is amazing, I don't think any other lipstick is at par with this because the color does not fade away even when I eat, as long as I don't apply a lot of lip balm or gloss, the lipstick will stay on it's own for a long long time. The only down side is that it can be quite drying after a few hours but a light coat of lip balm could easily seal the deal. 

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden Review and Swatches

What Urban Decay says:

Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Eden

What it is:

An eye prep product that provides smoother, longer-lasting, and absolutely crease-proof eyeshadow—and is now offered in a very-wearable, tawny, matte hue.

UDPP box side view- cute pattern!

What it does:

Eyeshadow Primer Potions from Urban Decay are unmatched in the beauty industry! The genie in these bottles fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing. Apply Primer Potion to lids before shadow application and it dries down almost instantly, creating smooth lids that are super-powered eyeshadow magnets. Urban Decay offers several unique shades in their Eyeshadow Primer Potions, but all boast the same unbelievable function. Eden is a matte-finish, tawny hue and gives you a stunning "no makeup" look when worn alone or complements other eyeshadows worn in combination. Packaged in a pretty genie bottle, all these Potions are applied with a magic wand and flocked applicator.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens

- Sulfates

- Synthetic Fragrances

My Review:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original has always been a staple in my dresser, the humid Philippine weather will definitely make your eye shadow crease so a powerful eye shadow primer is a must to prevent creasing.

I thought UDPP in Original was one of the best eye primer there is around but Eden came and changed that view point.

UDPP in Eden's packaging is not so attractive as compared to the metallic finish Original and Sin has but these are the times when we need to be reminded not to judge a book by it's cover- or in this case, don't judge the potion by it's packaging. The packaging is in rubbery matte finish, this could be a dirt magnet so I'm still housing it in it's box as my OC self tells me to do so.

UDPP in Eden has the relatively new doe foot applicator because there are a lot of complaints that the packaging doesn't really help us get the most of the product.

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden Swatch

Consistency wise, UDPP in Eden is more creamy and yet when it dries it's a whole lot tackier than UDPP in Original so eye shadow really sticks and it won't be easily rubbed off. I'm really surprised to be impressed with primer potions again. Urban Decay has outdone itself!

The primer potion doesn't dry quickly so you could blend it until you're satisfied.

Warning though, a little goes a long way so two tiny dots for chinky eyes would be enough, it's super creamy that it distributes easily and evenly. When it dries, that's it- it's tacky enough to hold eye shadows for a long long time. I tried rubbing it off under running water but it's not doing the trick. I tried rubbing it off with tissue but it's not coming off. I found another Holy Grail!

I love how you see an eyeshadow color on the palette looks color-accurate on your lids when you use Eden.

I've used Urban Decay eye shadows for all of these:

left Half Baked

middle Jinx

right Homegrown  

My usual problem before was that whenever I use Half Baked it looks so yellowish to me but now it looks as bronze-gold as ever. I love it!

Sadly, as of now UDPP in Eden is not available in the Philippines along with the entire Urban Decay product line up, the nearest place to go is Singapore.

I got my UDPP in Eden courtesy of my cousin Shirley of www.msroughette.blogspot.com

Please do check her out as she's starting with her online shop and she imports internationally, I got my UDPP Eden on time via sea freight and she ships everything securely- when I opened the package there were lots of bubble wraps, styro lining and a smaller Sephora box- everything came safe and sound.

Carmex Click Stick Lip Balm in Cherry

Carmex Lip balms has been one of my HG lip balm. It is cheap and yet it performs like any other high end lip balms I have tried. This can be bought at Personal Care Xchange (PCX) and in First Aid in Greenbelt for Php80.00


There are two thing I am looking for in a lip balm:
1. Moisturizes for a long period of time
2. Has SPF


Bingo! Carmex has this all. I particularly like Carmex Click Stick in Cherry because of it's yummy cherry flavor but with a hint of mint. 

Here's what Carmex says:

• Cherry flavor in a solid stick
• Moisturizing lip balm
• Non-addictive and not tested on animals -> Yey!
• Contains SPF 15 sunscreen
• Available in .15 oz. stick

KEEPS LIPS SOFT

Alleviates the roughness of dry lips. 

PROTECTS FROM WIND AND SUN

Replaces moisture and protects from sunburn. 

HELPS HEAL CHAPPED LIPS

Contains germ-killing menthol and phenol, speeding the healing process. 

It also has two active ingredients: Octinoxate and Oxybenzone, two sunscreen agents

My Reviews

For lip balms, I truly prefer stick lip balms than tube or tub lip balms for hygienic purposes and convenience. I do not like dipping my finger on the tub just to get some lip balm or put so much effort in squeezing lip balm out of the tube especially when it's running low.  like the click stick more because it helps you regulate the amount of lip balm you're twisting out. 

The formula lasts for several hours, this performs a lot better than my Philosophy Kiss Me Lip balm to be honestly speaking. I usually use this as a base before putting on pigmented lip sticks because it won't make the lip stick bleed or run unlike Kiehl's lip balm. Carmex lip balm just has the right consistency- it's not too waxy and not too oily. 

Kiehl's Lip Balm#1

I bought this in Harbor City in Hong Kong, there's a Kiehl's store inside the mall.

When I first went in there, the first thing I noticed is that the SAs are very nice, the one who assisted me is named Joey. She was very patient when I was taking a look inside their store and picking up products then putting them down. When I saw the Kiehl's lip balm # 1, I thought to myself I need to try this because I have been using Philosophy Kiss Me lip balm for several years now and I wanted to try another lip balm.

I wanted to get the mint variant but Joey told me it was out of stock so I picked another flavored one and it was still out of stock. I had a run down of all the flavors and all are out of stock! Haha! So I just picked the original unflavored one. I asked Joey if she could call the other Kiehl's branches in Hong Kong to check if they have other flavors and she patiently did, unfortunately all the other flavors are depleted in the entire Hong Kong that fateful day of April 7, 2009! Amazing! (I can't even forget the date =p)

So I settled for this one, I bought this for HK$75.00

Like it's outer packaging, the design is very simple. There's no applicator, just a simple hole to squeeze the product out. The first time I used this though oil came out instead of the thicker consistency lip balm usually has but that is understandable especially if the stock has been around for a while.

Patting this on my lips is heaven! I am a lip balm junkie but I have never felt such moisturizing and conditioning to my lips until this came along. I would use this at night to condition my lips and when I wake up in the morning my lips are very soft and supple- plus the lip balm still stays put all night long! I have not experienced this kind of lip balm in my entire life. A good metaphor would be this is like butter melting on your lips!

There's no weird petroleum jelly smell; it just smells like nothing so it's a plus point for me especially if a lip balm does not have any flavors at all. I also use this on top my lipstick to condition my lips.

However I find the formula quite runny and it will go around your face if you put too much so I resolved this by just patting a bit on and smack my lips to distribute the lip balm. This method saves you more lip balm and it would not make your lipstick bleed too! =)

Just to show you how nice Joey is despite the stuffs I asked her to do and then just buy one product, she even gave me a freebie of Kiehl's Yerba Mate Tea Toner sample to compensate not having the mint flavored lip balm I want! She's a local Hong Kong but talking to her is a breeze despite the language barrier, I am Cantonese by blood but I grew up here in the Philippines so I am more fluent in Fookien, Filipino and English (and a bit on Mandarin and Cantonese), I talked to her in my barok (crooked) Mandarin (mixed with a bit of Filipino, it just comes natural haha) but she still understood me! Then she was talking to me in her barok English just so we could communicate =p If only I could see ourselves talking, it's so cute! =p I do not mean to insult her that she speaks in barok English, I also make fun of myself when I can't speak in straight Mandarin haha!

So if you're in Harbour City just check out Kiehl's and look for Joey if she's still around =) She's one of the nicest Hong Kong person I know and she's very pretty too!

BRTC Glossy BB Cream

I purchased a trial version of this from Airvony. I got a set of 6 for P100 and it already includes the shipment from Taiwan to the Philippines. Sweet! =)

For a set of 6 of BRTC BB Cream samples I got:

1.      Gold Caviar

2.      Glossy

3.      Glossy Shining

4.      Perfect Protect 46

5.      Whitening and Wrinkle Repair (Which I’ve got in a full tube)

6.      Perfect Recover Balm

I actually bought 3 sets of these babies because I thought a 2ml sachet would not be enough but I was wrong haha, a sachet would last you for two to three times of application for the whole face. I finished mine on the second time but I squeezed too hard and a lot of product came out and I can’t shove it in the sachet again.

What BRTC Says:

BRTC Glossy BB Cream a luxurious cream with fine sparkling pearls to make your skin tone radiant and youthful. It not only improves uneven skin tone but also has whitening and wrinkle repair functions while rejuvenates and moisturizes the skin.
Main Ingredients:
Centella Asiatica Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Extract ,Platycodon Grandiflorum Root Extract, Polygala Tenuifolia Root Extract, green tea extract, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate

My Review:

This is liquid like and very light compared to the Whitening and Wrinkle Repair BB cream, the scent is also lighter and I have ease in applying this all over my face because of its consistency. It also has a luminous finish so this is great for those who like a dewy look.

On my first day of using this, the temperature was very high and of course my face became oily and it was the first time that my face became a reflector hahaha! I’m shining! It was really shiny so I took an oil blotting paper out to wipe away the shine. If you’re living in a hot place and your face usually oils up then I recommend you retouch with powder when you’re using this or else your face would really shine.

This also makes my make-up last longer and I would love to replace my Whitening and Wrinkle Repair with this one but sadly this broke me out. I had a bit of break outs on my first day of road testing then on the second day I had big zits coming out. I guess I am lucky to blindly pick a full tube of Whitening and Wrinkle Repair and it works great on my skin; I used this bb cream again to combat the damage the Glossy variant caused and it dried my pimples up quickly.

Do I want to test out the other BB creams or am I afraid to have break outs again? Hmm…

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus

Here it is! The much anticipated Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara is in my paws.

I got the description from Airvony's online shop:

Leaves a never before seen impact!

"Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus"

This is the 3rd generation of Majolica Majorca Lash Expander. Lashes are covered in a super lengthening liquid base that gives you 1.5x longer lashes with great intensity joined with a framing eyeliner effect. Its improved formula is formulated with the world’s first jet black fibers and works together with a new coil and comb technology on the brush. This waterproof mascara ensures that you get sky high lashes! Perspiration, oil, tear and water proof.

Length ***
Thickness **
Density **
 

My Review:

The packaging is awesome! It is like a tamed down Jill Stuart but it is very pretty nonetheless. In my experience today the packaging does not get scratches easily so it is a good plus point for me. The spider web pattern is very sophisticated in my opinion. What is very unique about this is the cap or wand, if you would look at the picture below the top of the wand has the Majolica Majorca logo on it and it is indeed majestic.

The wand is a lot like my Etude House 66 Big Eye Vitcara; it’s a comb type of brush which works very well with my small chinky eyes. What’s interesting here is that the formula has small lash-like fibers and you could see it on the comb.

Does it work? Yes it does! The first side I apply is the straight side of the wand to apply the mascara on my lashes then I use the curved side to comb it out, what I notice is that whenever I’m using the curved side, that is the time when the lash-like fibers gets attached to the tip of my lashes and you have to be meticulous in combing it out. This is like hair extensions for your lashes haha! 

Tip: Try to have a clean spoolie on hand so you can clean your lashes up once you're done attaching the fibers. Don't worry! The fibers attach itself very efficiently. 

The formula is liquid like instead of clumpy and clay-like, sometimes you have to wipe the excess formula from the wand but it is natural since this is freshly opened mascara. Upon combing the formula on my lashes, gosh it goes on smoothly and it dries quicker than Etude House 66 Big Eye Vitcara but it gives you ample time to coat and fortify your lashes before it dries so this is not clumpy at all!

My lashes was really lengthened that my problem now is how to shorten it so the formula would not smear on my lids haha! I really have short sparse lashes and this really made my day, I feel like a cute doll with long lashes. If you'll look at the photo above you might think there's not much of a big difference but that's because I used a camera phone for this one and not much detail is captured but in real life this is amazing. I have not encountered any mascara that could brighten up my eyes like this one does. So yes I think I found my Holy Grail. I call this the steroid to my lashes. 

The volumizing power of this one is pretty weak but I am satisfied that it blackens and darkens my lashes; it does plump my lashes up but only to a certain degree but for me it is perfect for a natural everyday look. The curl stays up all day and it won’t budge even if I splashed my face with water.

However, here’s the problem; I usually remove my make-up after taking a hot shower because the steam and warm water melts mascara formulas and this method makes it easier for me to remove it with a make-up remover without having to tug my skin. In this case, it is very hard to remove even after a warm bath. I have to use my Etude House mascara remover which I suspect has a blend of cleansing oil so I think that the solution to a painless way to remove this is using cleansing oil. The down side is I do not like it when the oil gets into my eyes and emulsifies because it turns milky white, it does not sting my eyes but I rinse it immediately still to prevent harm to my eyes.

On the picture above, you'll see that I have highlighted the 320 yuan or NT$320 because that is just how much it costs in Taiwan. I firmly believe I should not pay so much if I am going to have a drugstore brand imported so yup I got it for a bargain. Another thing I would like to explain in the picture is the Chinese label of the product. On the left we have the Japanese label and instructions on how to use the wand and on the right we have the Chinese version of it, again, I find this very consumer friendly for the Taiwanese market. Here in the Philippines we also have this especially on imported food products with non-English labels on it, only we label it in English. 

Yesterday I was really excited to get my Majolica Majorca and I tried it, I took videos of it and captured it in my laptop so I can capture the frames and make it into pictures but the quality isn’t really the same when I’m using Windows as opposed to the times I was using Mac so I got frustrated and I asked my boyfriend if he could bring his Nikon DSLR along today so I can take some photos. I have a SLR but it is an analog one, it takes great photos and the color is very vivid but it is quite impractical to shoot, develop the photos and scan it into the computer haha.

I was trigger happy so took a lot of photos and here's the last photo of the MM mascara. Thanks to my boyfriend who also took a couple of shots! =)