Packaging: 5/5

Quality: 4.5/5

Performance: 4/5

User-friendliness: 5/5

Overall: 3.7/5

Have you tried the Heno de Pravia Agua de Colonia yet?

Share your thoughts about this review in the comment section below.

XO, 

Mommie Cassie

A soft, buildable powder blush that gives a head-turning aura no matter the occasion. It comes in 8 universally flattering shades.

I expected "Sweet Lang" to be a matte pink blush with zero shimmers but upon looking closely at the pan and swatches, I realized that there are microshimmers in it. But I'm not disappointed though and it's totally fine with me since they are not the chunky type of spackles. They don't even look obvious in these photos. What I see is how flattering the shade is on my light-medium skin tone. Literally, I felt youthful when I saw the photos and I totally get why "Sweet Lang" is the name of the shade, because I look sweet. 

Pigmentation is good, in fact you need to be careful because you could end up getting too much with just one swipe. It does tend to be powdery so you better tap off that excess before application.

Staying power is on the average, especially on my oily skin. Oil starts seeping on the three hour mark so there's definitely a need to reapply.

I was not happy about the packaging though. It comes in a plastic magenta compact and the transparent covering easily came off which I tried to remedy by taping it on. However, since it tended to come off every now and then, it kept opening up in my bag. It got contaminated and I started seeing molds on the surface. I had to chuck it, even if I barely made a dent on the star-embossed surface. Sayang! But I loved the blush itself and honestly I am still thinking about repurchasing in the future. Although, if the same thing happens about the covering, I will just try to depot it and not tape it on. 

Will I recommend it? Yes I will. If I get asked about blushes at this price point, I would definitely mention this one. 

I have also reviewed the Vice Cosmetics Good Vibes Lipsticks in the past. 

Please click HERE to read.

Shade description - a deep tone beige

Formula - matte

Price - Php 1050.00 for full size (lazada.com.ph)

I loved Velvet Teddy right off the tube! As you can see in the photo above, it looks great on my skin tone. It's definitely a good nude shade for me as it is not too pale that I look sickly and not too bright pinkish or dark brown to pass off as a nude. MAC's matte is actually akin to creamy matte so it's a comfort to wear. Like the Relentlessly Red, it transfers when freshly applied so I also do the trick that I mentioned above and  then it adheres to the lips. It's not drying like the retro matte formula but the staying power is also average. Despite the average staying power, this will be one of those shades that I will always remember as a point of reference in the future.

So... I know this blog o' mine features a lot of girl or mom-related stuff but for today, I'm in the mood to feature something for the gents.

These products are straight from the husband's vanity kit. 

*small talk* 

His regimen is pretty simple. He's loyal to one variant of facial scrub or else he gets zits so I know that what he uses is really THEEEE "sikreto ng mga gwapo". Over the course of our 10-year relationship, I've only seen him use one brand of hair wax, so much so that I've associated the scent of *cough* Bench Clay Doh *cough* with him. One way to put him in a bad mood is to hide his hair wax and I am not exagerating here. He only ever likes one particular deodorant, that's why I hoard whenever there's a BOGO promo. He might use whatever bath soap there is but I am aware that he prefers the Piolo-endorsed papaya soap, not that he cares. 

Whilst I, love switching from one product to another, he sticks with what works for him. But I heard that most member of the male specimen are like that so I am not surprised. 🤣

For his fragrance, I'll admit that he has no particular brand. He agrees on experimenting and is not averse to buying blindly. He sprays generously though, so a bottle can only last about three weeks on him. 

Today I am featuring his two latest, one of which is already empty and the other one is about 30% away from. They are from a well-loved Filipino brand - Penshoppe.  I like the Penshoppe website because they include the notes of their fragrances. Even though I know very little to none about fragrance notes, I still enjoy reading them and I love validating them with my own thoughts about the fragrance. Check 'em out after the jump!

I purchased this fragrance a few months back when he tasked me to get him a new one. I was at the Penshoppe store and I had to take photos of the racks of fragrances to get his approval thru Fb Messenger. But that's ridiculous though, it's not like you can smell it through the photos. 😜 In the end, it all came down to my decision. Too bad, I easily get nauseous with strong scents and I was already dreading the task before I even started.

Hustle is a scent that would call your attention. Kinda like it could make your head turn when somebody who's wearing it would walk by. I would describe it as a sweet musky scent. I definitely detect the lavender - vanilla but they don't come off as feminine probably because some of the other notes balance them out. For someone who is easily nauseous, I can tolerate it but it borderline makes me heady. It got his seal of approval naman, although I felt that he was still looking for something else. 

DenimLove was what he purchased for himself. When I opened the bottle and took a sniff, I realized that the scent definitely suits his personality. It is very subdued, you'd think it's just a clean after-shower smell because it is fresh. It doesn't scream "look at me!" and it is very simple. The citrus fruity musk description is very apt. Or I would say citrus and greens with a tiny hint of sweetness. Since this is a scent that he personally chose for himself, I could imagine a repurchase in the making. This could be his signature scent from hereon. 

If your concern is the staying power of these fragrances, they are both EDT or eau d toilette so expect them to last about 4 hours on the average. They linger if sprayed on clothes. They are affordable and the packaging looks great. They are definitely great for gifting for the men in your life, especially that Father's Day is just around the corner.

I loved these scents and now I am convinced that I should get something from Penshoppe for myself.

Someday.

xO,

For the pressed powder, I love the packaging. It has a mirror underneath the pan which also houses the sponge and although it's  bit bulkier than other pressed powders that I have in my stash, I don't mind because I really prefer that the sponge is stored separately from the powder.

The concealer comes in a plastic tube and I love that the doe foot applicator is small enough to fit the inner corners of my eye and it's also very light so I'm able to apply it with a light hand.

Swatches

In Action

Here's sequence of photos to show the difference when I used these products. You can see that for  their prices, they perform well. I didn't use any primer on my face and the liquid foundation was able to brighten up my face and even out my skin color, especially on my dark circles and on my forehead. It has also noticeably minimized my pores. I used a damp beauty sponge to apply the liquid foundation because I have observed that it dries quickly if I just use the traditional liquid foundation brush. The concealer further contributed in covering up the dark circles but to be honest, if I were to use the concealer alone, it won't be enough to brighten my under eyes. 

To top it all is the pressed powder which did really well in locking in the liquid foundation and concealer and further blurring out the pores on my cheeks. I have no issues with the sponge applicator that came with this but I really prefer using a fluffy powder brush so I can apply it lightly and avoid caking.

Serum Foundations are lightweight medium-coverage formulations available in a comprehensive shade range across 21 shades. These foundations offer moderate coverage that looks natural with a very lightweight serum feel. (https://theordinary.com) 

We all have different skin conditions and preferences. The Ordinary's website have sort of summarized the important attributes of this product for easy reference. This is alcohol-free, oil-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, nut-free and vegan. Personally, I am concerned about the oil content of any product because I have an oily and pimple-prone skin so I'm glad that this one fits the bill. For those who prefer it, this isn't a  silicone-free product. Here's the ingredients list.

As you can see, my skin is pretty much textured, with pores and dark spots here and there. I chose the problematic side of my face to see how The Ordinary Serum Foundation would hold up. You can see that indeed it renders a light coverage but was able to lessen the reddish areas of my face. My pimples and pimple scars were lightly covered and even my dark circle is noticeably lighter. In real life my skin feels soft to touch and instantly looks brighter and more alive.

For the photo on your left, I only prepped my skin with the Celeteque Acne Solutions Oil Control Toner and Elujai Serum On the right is my photo after applying two layers of The Ordinary Serum Foundation

I blindly bought the shade 2.0 YG which is meant for light to medium skin tones with yellow undertones and gold highlights. The mouthful of a description seemed to speak to me and I'm glad that the shade fits me to a T. The big reason why I purchased this because I wanted to try a foundation that doesn't feel heavy and as the description says, it has a "very lightweight serum feel".

As you can deduce from the photo above, the formula is watery, but not too runny. I love applying it with my fingers or with a damp sponge. It applies smoothly and there's no draggy, thick or heavy feeling. Finish is semi-matte. I bet you can also see from my photo that it didn't do well in concealing deep acne scars so if your skin is more on the textured side, this product might not be your best bet. I have huge pores also and I do not blame this product if the pores are visible because I love using a primer for a reason. Even with a powder on top, I start oiling up at around the 2 or 3 hour mark.

For all this talk of this product having a light coverage and not being able to fully conceal my imperfections, I still love it! Wanna know why? Yep, I see the scars, I see the redness, I see the remnants of the dark circles , I see the dark spots, I see the dewiness after a few hours of wear but at the end of the day, I love the glow and the brightness that it brings to my face. I don't look weighed down or haggard or ashy gray after a few hours of wear because some foundations tend to do that.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes! But not at the moment. I would love to try The Ordinary Coverage Foundation just to see the difference in the formulation.
Would I Recommend It? It would depend on your skin type and your preference.

For the look of the day, this is me, sans photo filter or primer, wearing the The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 2.0 YG as base. On the right are the makeup products I used to create this look.
I have enlisted the help of the Clio Kill Cover Highest Wear Pact with SPF 30 PA++ in #6 BO Tan in setting the serum foundation and I know it helped much in lessening the appearance of my pores. These are the other items I used to create this makeup look.

• The Face Shop Style My Eyebrow in 02 Black Brown 
• Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Bronze-03 (my favorite!)
• Butter London Double Decker Lashes Mascara
• Kat Von D Lipstick in Underage Red (sampler)
• Zoeva En Taupe Palette (although it's not so obvious)
• Eyeshadow brush from Suesh, spoolie and powder brush

My Take

A confession here: this is an impulse buy. I wanted to try out the very popular NARS Orgasm Blush  that when I saw the word slapped on this lipstick, I wanted to have it too. I don't have the NARS Orgasm Blush - yet! I am currently on a buying ban, at least until the end of this year because I want to consume all the remaining blushes and lipsticks that I have in my stash. So, laters, Baby. Ha ha! 

Another confession (I am so rife with confessions these days!) : I love my lipsticks matte or creamy matte in bold colors that really pop. That being said,  this product does not tick the boxes.

When I first received it, my first instinct is to always sniff it and I love the faint tangy scent. The golden spackles are very visible on the tube and I was afraid that it would look chunky when applied. Fortunately, the shimmers are very tiny that when you apply the lipstick, the shimmers look well embedded and gives off a lovely golden sheen. Unfortunately, my lips are a bit dark so the peachy pink color does not seem obvious and I can only see the golden sheen.

I'll get it straight: this lipstick won't be everyone's cup of tea, especially for me who loves matte and bold. However, I am also moody when it comes to what particular color or formula I want to wear and sometimes I am in the mood for something like this which is light, sheer and with a hint of shimmer. Whenever I wanna cop Kelsey Merritt's bronzy-just-had-a-photo-shoot-in-the-Bahamas look, I reach for my favorite Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Bronze -03 (photographed above with the swatch), dust it all over my face and finish off with this NARS Lipstick in Orgasm. And okay, I also wear it even when running errands, when I want to wear something on my lips but don't want him raising an eyebrow. Sometimes, I use it on top of another lipstick so that it won't look washed out on me.

I have no qualms about the texture or the formula. It applies really smoothly and I have never experienced dryness or chapped lips after using it. I love how it doesn't feel slippery on the lips. Being on the sheerer side, the staying power is not that long and lasted about 2 to 3 hours on me.

Nars Orgasm Lipstick Rating: 3/5
Would I Recommend It? No. Ha ha! Let's just hang out and find a dupe, half its price tag.
Would I Buy It Again? I would skip buying this one, I'll put my money on the NARS Orgasm Blush or Liquid Blush instead because it seems to be everyone's favorite.

What Is It?
Made for acne-prone skin, with its Advanced Micellar Technology, it deeply cleanses dirt, oil, and even hard-to-remove make up and brings back moisture for clear, baby soft and smooth skin. It also contains Magnolia Bark Extracts that act as an anti-inflammatory agent and which also helps prevent new acne from forming by increasing skin cells resistance to external stresses and inflammation.

I didn't break out while using this, which is always a plus in my book. It didn't dry out my skin either. My skin does feel soft and smooth after using it. The only hitch that I experienced while using it was that it had a bit of difficulty in removing mascaras. But otherwise, I love this product.

I could bore you out with words but instead of doing that, I would just show you a photo comparing the cleaning capabilities of the two products when used in the eye area. On your left it the cotton pad with the Nivea MicellAIR Water and on your right is the cotton pad with the Nivea Eye Make-up Remover. I had a mascara on plus I also smudged some dark eyeshadow. Needless to say, the Nivea Eye Make-up Remover is the clear winner. 

***

These are good products indeed and they are all very affordable.

Oh, I'm running low on my MicellAIR Water, I may have to repurchase in a few.

Have you tried any of these new products from Nivea?

Share your experience in the comment section below.

XO, 

Carisa

*Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. I bought all the products with my own dough. What I've written : cool or uncool, great or not so great, is purely based on my experience. Whatever works for me my not work for you. *