Mini haul + Etude House I Need You, Green Tea Mask + Nature Republic great offers!

First off, I want to properly thank Jenn of The Pink Lemonade Girl for the stuff I got courtesy of her new online shop, Couture Island. It's been kind of a long time since the stuff I arrived in my house so here's a big thanks ;)

So here are some of the stuff I bought/got recently...

Haha, this ring is actually my sister's. Only a hundred at Girlshoppe, and i think it doesn't rust! Isn't it pretty...huge? ;D

A bag of Snickers minis, another bottle of Human Nature Sunflower beauty oil (just because my first one is almost empty and became rancid-smelling before the expiry date), a book to read every morning, and stuff from Etude House.

Review: Human Nature Sunflower Oil *updated*

I'm a sucker for organic products, you know that. And I've been always out there (I meant in the house, making use of the internet) to score some great places to get organic prods. You know, all those benefits and goody stuff they give you, blah blah, if you're like me, you should know that natural products should be used constantly because results can be seen after 6 months or so. One of my favorite organic product is Human Nature's Sunflower Oil.

Anyway this is what I do with it:

My Winnings from Nicole + Bloggers United 2!

I met up with Nicole at the Bloggers United 2 held at Treston International College, Taguig to claim my prize. Her orange dress was so gorge. Oooh I got a free pass to the event too (and a friend of mine who accompanied me, lol). Thanks, Nicole! Visit her fashion blog, she's a fellow Thomasian, like me. :))

Holy Goodies from VLM: Lovely Carbon and Cloth patterns up for grabs

"I don't suppose it's too early for our first gift. Here are four tile backgrounds inspired by lace fabrics and crystals. They can be used on all html-friendly sites; will look best on Twitter. To claim these free patterns, simply share them by tweeting, FB sharing, or blogging. We want to send them out to as many people as possible. After all, we don't want to miss the point of this season. ;)" - VLM

They're giving away these for free along with other goodies, just follow the instructions in the blog and leave a message. Click here to go there now!

Etude House: Happy Tea Time (Green Tea) and Secret Long #02 eyelashes review

Ohayou~ It's been a while since my last post. Been totally busy playing with a new online game (Dragon Nest) and watching Code Geass R2. Oh! I'm a force user now, lol. Totally having issues with Cherry Credits though, because it's totally hard to find Cherry credits, you know, the virtual money you use to pay for character stuff. Anyway, off to the review...


Etude House Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam (Green Tea)

Me and my sister went to the mall last Thursday to do some errands and shop for stuff. We happened to pass by Etude so yeah, I bought a new facial wash! I chose this one because I had hopes for green tea for my combination/oily skin.

My thoughts:
Price: 5/5 Hmm, well it's totally worth your money. For it's price (P148 or USD 3.45), that's plenty of product inside the tube. Whenever I squeeze the tube, I always think how long will this last because it's totally plenty (150ml)!

For oily skin and acne: Phillips Milk of Magnesia

Image source
This is an oldie but still a goodie. Milk of magnesia (MOM) is originally appointed by doctors to relieve constipation/hyper acidity/ulcer. It's generally sold in liquid form (there is one in tablet but in this post you will need the liquid form) and is an inorganic compound that looks similar to milk, hence the name.

I've heard that Milk of Magnesia is good for oily skin. So today i'm going to share a little research i made, the product of my sudden geeky mind. There are two ways to use it (Note: Do not try if you are allergic or unsure. To be sure, do a test on a small patch of skin):

Like facial
For sensitive skin:

Sophie Paris Makeup Seminar - UST ComAch

Ms. Joan Tablac and the french guy (sorry, i forgot the name)

I'm a bad blogger. I'm so lazy. I'm going to post something about an event held two months ago. I suggested Sophie Paris to be the one for the Make Up Seminar part for the 400 Minutes: Spotlight To Fame of ComAch in UST, Commerce Unit. So yeah, I texted Tita Eloisa about my idea, mom and I took care of the proposal and other stuff.

I'll just post some pictures...

DIY: Diminish dark under-eye circles at home

Push that red exit button now if you're telling me you haven't scratch your eye/s, ever. Scratching our eyes or running our fingers along it is probably a part of normal life. Why do you scratch your eye? Could be because it's itchy, or you feel sleepy or you cried. Either way, they are considered as tired eyes.

DOs: So here are some remedies for tired eyes!

Review: NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer

For me, primer is something to be neglected. I believed that: "Yeah, sure it's another day! I take a bath and wash my face, slap on some good BB cream or use the compact powder. Swipe my favorite Human Nature lip balm, grab my bag and then off to school". I didn't really care about primers. Yeah, I know I should. For me priming is just when you want to REALLY make the makeup last long. I didn't really know that primers can actually conceal large pores, etc. No, this isn't an old purchase. And yes, this is the first time I've ever bought a primer in my entire human life.

Description: 1. Designed to be paired with our HD Studio Foundation, this silky makeup primer fills in pores, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and mattifies the complexion for a seamless finish. It also ensures the durability of your makeup, which will last for hours under even the harshest lighting.

It's says in the box that "it's good for all skin types. Softens lines. Light diffusing effect is perfect coverage for studio photos or taking fun pics with pals!" this description made me smile, lol, marketing strategy! What better way to sell a product than to associate it with the current trend and purpose of wearing makeup: looking good in pictures!

Also said in the box that it's High definition (well, duh "HD"), mineral-enriched,talc-free and paraben free. One shade fits all (although it doesn't have a shade because it's a bluish-white liquid thing that dries after five seconds) - Universal color.

Price: Bought for Php 420 (USD$9.68) in an online store. I got it cheap because it's $14 in the website.

Net Weight: 1.16 OZ (33g)

Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diethylhexyl Maleate, Glycerin, Ethylene /Acrylic acid Copolymer, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer , Dimethicone, PEG-15 GLYCERYL ISOSTEARATE, Phenoxyethanol, Trihydroxystearin, Adipic acid/ Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Amodimethicone, C12-14 Pareth-7, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, VP/VA Copolymer, Copernicia Cerifera(Carnauba) Wax, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Silica, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Fragrance, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Laurate, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Copper Peptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4. MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), or Chromium hydroxide Green (CI77288), Ultramarines (CI77003).

Made in: South Korea (lol weird right?)

PROS:

- really does a good job in concealing my large pores on the cheeks

- i can actually wear it alone without foundation

- brightens skin, ease dullness

- absorbs and blends out beautifully

- good enough for someone who doesn't really use primers

- no paraben!

CONS:

- not suitable on a hot day. I wore this yesterday put in on around 4PM and then went out and took pictures with friends around 7PM-ish, my skin looked oily (i have combination skin though, oily on the forehead and nose, and parts of the cheeks). Probably another factor was that it was a bit hot in the room i was in. This experience i had totally contradicts what it says in the bottle that my makeup will stay fresh until the party was over. Yup, scratch that.

- You have to pat powder on your face again if it gets a bit oily (i hate this actually, it makes me think i'll make pimples grow on my face - you know with all the dirt and then you conceal them with powder)

- hard to find in The Philippines (have to look it up online just to get one)

- when you pump it, it tends to give out more than what you actually need so i end up putting primer on my neck also (umm, do you have to?)

- has propylene glycol! (read about it, this chemical doesn't leave the body once it's slapped on. Unless you detoxify or something)

Conclusion: So overall, it was a nice primer. It would probably be best for those who doesn't have oily skin on some parts of their face. Or when you're inside an air-conditioned room. I think you actually NEED this.

Will I repurchase?  Hmm, more on the YES side.

Hope this review was helpful somehow! Thanks for reading!

Review: NYX Round Lipstick Perfect, Echo & NYX Tinted Lipspa Copacabana

Hurray! After several months, I am able to finally get on with the review for these babies! I bought them separately; NYX Perfect and Tinted Lipspa Copacabana from  Pampered Beauty and the NYX Echo from The Make Up Store. They are both really nice sellers ;) The Make Up Store has a bigger customer network because she used to have, like, a thousand or two people who liked her page but she recently had a new one, the first one was somehow blocked by some other seller (probably insecure, lol).
Anyway...

LSS 608 Perfect

TLS01 Copacabana

LSS Perfect (Left) and LSS Echo (Right)

 Wearing LSS 510 Echo (with flash)

I love this! I've been on the search for that Nude lipstick. At first, I chose the one in round lipstick with that name but it was out of stock. :(  But Izza of The Make Up Store recommended Echo, said it was the bestseller in the bazaar. :)

 Wearing LSS608 Perfect (with flash)

 I once crazy about this shade. I wanted something normal, everyday wear so I bought this!

I unfortunately do not have a picture with TLS01 Copacabana on, I lost it after Alyanna's 18th birthday! :'(

I think I left it at our table when they started bringing out the drinks. Or inside the restroom, because I kept retouching my makeup whenever I go to the restroom to pee (approximately every hour, I think). I don't know why, but I peed a lot that night. Probably because of the drinks, hee.

Anyway, Copacabana is a light, lipspa. It really is just a TINTED Lipspa. Like a lipbalm, I think. But it doesn't do much of the "lipspa" work because my lips were still a bit dry!

Overall rating:

LSS Echo - 4/5. Not perfect because it wasn't the nude-pink I wasn't looking for but it's still a nice shade of nude!

LSS Perfect - 3/5. I wasn't totally in love with the shade. It's so common. However, it looks really good if I apply it with Echo! It looks like a nude pink shade.

TLS01 Copacabana - 4/5. I love the color on my lips! It's like, MLBB (my lips but better).  It's not perfect rating though, because aside from not really moisturizing my lips (lipspa), when I wear it and smile, my teeth's yellow-ish color is prominent. That's why you should always wear a darker shade if you want your teeth to look whiter, they say. The bestseller of the tinted lipspa line! But I lost it! </3

 I hope this review was helpful! Thanks for reading!

8 Awesome Ways to Reuse Brewed Tea Bags

 

 

Tea is the second-most consumed beverage on Earth, yes. In fact, it contributes 1500 tons of landfill waste each year. So if you're a tea drinker and a lover of the environment, you'll be happy to know that there are ways to reuse them. 

 

Oh, look. Even Audrey Hepburn knows the other uses of tea.

 

{Hydrate your skin}

Your skin can delight in tea as much as your tastebuds do. Instead of your usual bath salts, run your bath water over several used tea bags for an aromatic and skin-rejuvenating soak. The tealeaves will help restore your dried out skin from too many summer days spent outdoors to velvety softness. The antioxidants in green tea are particularly good for revitalizing skin.

{Exfoliate with it}

Exfoliate your skin with a green tea and almond body scrub. Mix 1/3 cup of finely ground almonds with 1/3 cup of wheat bran, and stir it into 1 cup of hot green tea. Stir in 1 tbsp. of olive oil, and massage the body scrub into dry areas. Rinse the scrub off with warm water, and follow with a moisturizer.

{Relieve tired eyes}

This method's an oldie but a goodie. Place cooled tea bags on your eyes, spa-style, for 10 minutes to relieve puffy, red eyes. The tannins in tea will reduce discoloration and inflammation. Chamomile’s soothing properties work particularly well to relieve agitated eyes.

{Eliminate bad breath}

Before you get up close and personal with your significant other, do the classic sniff-and-smell breath test. Does yours smell a bit, well, bad? Make an impromptu mouthwash using twice-brewed tea. Simply swish around a generous amount of twice-brewed green or mint tea in your mouth to kill the bad breath bacteria. Now, go ahead, pucker up.

{A homemade pedicure}

Your mouth isn’t the only body part that can benefit from odor-neutralizing tea. Next time you plan to treat yourself to a natural pedicure, give your stinky tootsies an antibacterial boost by soaking your feet in a basin of warm water topped with several used tea bags. Luxuriate for 15 minutes.

{Make flavored rice}

Reuse your tea bags in… what better place than the kitchen? When cooking rice, add your used herbal tea bags to the water to create a mild-flavored rice that’s all your own. Our suggestion? Drop in a few used jasmine tea bags to your boiling water.

{Facial Spritz}

Treat your face to a refreshing green tea spritz in the middle of a hot day! Steep 5 tsp. of loose green tea in a cup of boiling water. Strain the leaves and put the water in a small spray bottle. Mist the face whenever you want to tone and refresh. Keep refrigerated and use within 24 hours to ensure ultimate freshness.

{Facial Mask}

 

Spend a few minutes with a green tea facial mask. Mix 1 tbsp. of powdered green tea with an egg white and 1 tsp. of pure honey, and whip them together with a fork. Apply the mixture to the face and leave it for about 30 minutes. Rinse it off and apply a moisturizer.

 

 

 Au revoir ♥

(Images courtesy of weheartit.com)

 Credits to Organic Authority and Ehow

 

 

9 Tips to Make the Switch to Natural Beauty Products

Did you know that cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today and that most ingredients have never been assessed for safety in the US? According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, only about 13 percent of ingredients used in personal care products have been reviewed by a self-regulated industry, and more than 1 in 5 products contain chemicals linked to cancer.

And, we all know there is nothing pretty about cancer! Just imagine the toxic combinations if you mix products (and we all do). Like... what if you use more than one hair styling product, several different brands of makeup together or layer on perfume? Carcinogenic cocktail much?

The most important fact to remember is that skin is your largest organ and what goes on, goes in. Using products fresh from Mother Nature is not only trendy, but can really have a huge impact on your beauty and your health. If you're just starting out and want to make the switch to more natural products, the most effective way is to begin with what covers the largest surface area of your body and stays on the longest. Just this simple change alone can significantly decrease the toxic burden on your body. You only get one body - so take care of it!
The Glamorganic Goddess' Advice

· Don’t throw everything out! Not quite the answer you expected, right? Learn from my mistakes and do as I say, not as I did! Do not go on a rampage tossing everything in sight! If you’re anything like me you’re going to ignore this advice, but try your best. Regret and a broken piggy bank… not a pretty sight. It’s also important to take a less drastic approach in case you go through a detox phase, which often does happen - I‘m not even going to lie to you.

· Replace products as you run out. One at a time, with healthier choices each time. Remember, to go for the biggest impact. Body wash and body lotion are probably the easiest products to replace (we tend to be the least brand loyal to these) and have the biggest impact on your overall body burden. Next, swap out your shampoo and conditioner (runs down your body in the shower), then deodorant, makeup and so forth.

· Simplify your beauty routine. How many body care products (including cosmetics) do you use per day? Ever counted? Try it... and no cheating! After you do that, go ahead and count the number of ingredients in each product and then add them all together. Are you applying thousands of chemicals in combination each day? Do you really need separate creams for your eyes, face, body, hands, feet, etc? Your health, wallet and cabinet space say... no!

· Ask for samples first. This helps weed out the products you don’t like. Check for trial or travel sizes even if you have to buy them, but many times, if you just ask - you shall receive. Only splurge on full size products that you absolutely LOVE and know you will use.

· If it doesn’t work, you’re not going to use it. Look for truly natural and organic beauty product reviews from someone who has similar taste in products. Truth of the matter is that regardless of how squeaky clean the ingredients are, if the product doesn’t work, you aren’t going to use it.

Photo above courtesy of collegefashion.net (via google images)

· Learn to read labels. Look past pretty bottles, ignore miraculous marketing claims and go directly to the ingredients! Just because a company says its “healthy,” “100 % natural,” “pure,” “botanical” or “organic” doesn’t mean that it actually is. These terms are used frivolously and have saturated the market with a number of pink-washed and green-washed products. When buying organic, be sure to look for the USDA Organic Seal.

· Know your ingredients. What goes for one doesn’t always go for all, so never trust an entire company or product line. Go product-by-product and read every single ingredient on the label. If you’re not sure what it is or if the company doesn’t disclose all (only mentions key ingredients), don’t buy the product. Short lists made up of common kitchen ingredients are best. Don’t buy anything you wouldn’t eat if you had to (yum, mascara)!

· Vote with Your Pocketbook! Ask yourself: "Grocery (in this case, healthy beauty) bills now, or medical bills later," when trying to justify the cost of your new natural/organic lifestyle. Companies only produce products that sell. And since YOU are the target market, you get to choose. Support companies whose beliefs and practices are aligned with yours.

· Havin Trouble? Don’t go cold-turkey if you’re really chemically dependent on a product (like a face wash, etc.). Try to wean yourself off it slowly. Begin to use it only once a day instead of twice and use the natural one the second time. Then decrease it more and more each week until you don’t need it anymore. Detox symptoms are just an example of how dependent our bodies have become on these harmful chemicals. You may still detox, but it will be much easier for you. Don’t be too hard on yourself and take one thing at a time. Otherwise you’ll get overwhelmed and give up. The bottom line is when you know better, you do better. And now you know.

From: http://www.organicauthority.com/delicious-beauty/kiss-chemicals-goodbye-and-make-the-switch-to-natural-beauty-products.html

Facts About College Life - Something funny and true

COLLEGE LIFE:

Ended our social life.
Made us a stranger to sleep.
Enhanced our eyebags.
Calloused our fingers
Abused our brain.
Deteriorated our health.
Endangered our love life.
Drained our parents' pockets.
Stressed our whole being and exposed us to life's cruelties.

And yet? We're still alive and kicking! Saying I CAN DO IT!

This was a text message I received from a friend