Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick

Shade: Posie K

Price: $17.00 USD or roughly 900.00 Philippine Peso

Where To Buy: www.kyliecosmetics.com

I've always wanted to try out Kylie's popular liquid lipsticks, especially Posie K but I wasn't ready to shell out such big cash. Luckily, I found an Instagram seller who sold a mini. This one, judging from its magenta cap, was part of the Valentine's Collection. Per usual, a full-sized liquid lipstick comes in a tube with a black cap. I don't know if the mini's packaging is made with the same material with the full-sized one but the packaging does not feel very lux for me. The labels don't fade though, no matter how long I've used it so I'll give it to them. 

According to the Kylie Cosmetics website, this particular shade is the "Winner of the 2017 Allure Magazine Best of Beauty Award for Best Bright Pink Lipstick" and that should count for something. Although in my opinion this isn't a bright pink, this is definitely a lovely pink - my kind of pink. It doesn't scream "look at me" but it enhances my overall look as a wearer and although you won't be asking for it, it's bound to bring in some compliments. ;)

Now, on to the nitty-gritties. 

I'm the type of cosmetics user who takes time to sniff everything that I put on my face. Raise your hands if you are just like me. This product's smells really good - like candy. It fades away after application. It has a creamy formula that applies with slight tug on the lips but looks smooth. Take note: in my observation, it dries pretty quickly so there's not much time for swiping the applicator all over your lips. It sets to a powdery matte finish. I'll have to admit that there's a slight bit of discomfort while wearing it; like there's a feeling of tightness. It doesn't transfer.

It has good pigmentation and will stay put and the color will stay vibrant even up to five hours if you don't eat or drink. At least that's the longest that I've tried. With a full meal though, especially oily Filipino food, it fades, especially on the inner part of the lip. But you know what, this is probably one of the lipsticks out there that looks good to me even after a meal. That is because it leaves a pink stain. There was even a time when I decided not to touch up my lips after having a meal and the stain still looked good even at the end of the day.

Will I want to buy the full sized version?
You know what they say about finding a shade that looks good on you and sticking with it? Well, I may have found  I favorite pink in Posie K. But the thing is, it really could break your budget and I know many women share the same sentiments, especially the working mamas out there. So now that I have found the pink that works for me, the goal has been to find the dupe and I am glad to report that there are plenty of dupes of this shade. Kylie Cosmetics is manufactured by the same company that makes Colourpop Cosmetics and there's a bevy of shades that come close to Posie K. Even our local Vice Cosmetics has a pink that falls under the dusty-mauve-pink shade and I have been eyeing it for a while now. So I'll lay it down here clearly, if I have the cash to spare, I really would love to stock up on this lovely shade but as it turns out I have other spending priorities so I'll stick with the affordable dupes for the mean time. We are lucky that we live in a time when cosmetic companies have really upped the quality of their products and with that cheaper products doesn't mean low quality. Y'know what I'm sayin'?

I initially just wanted a haircut and a rebond but you know, the friendly and eager-to-please stylists are good in up-selling (not complaining tho) so before the first snip I'd said yes to the keratin treatment, Brazilian blowout and coloring. 

It's my first time to get a color so I was pretty clueless about which shade to choose. I left the task to the stylist and she told me that she mixed copper and golden flaxen.

Aside from the long hours on chair, I also dread the three days that I'm not allowed to wet my hair. Like, ugh! But anyway, "tiis ganda" they say. You have to make a few sacrifices in the name of beauty.😀

The girl who did my hair, her name was Britney. I had to ask if she was a Britney Spears fan just like me. Unfortunately she said that she wasn't. We could've had a wonderful conversation about the time that I watched the Britney Spears Live In Manila concert. And I'm not much of a conversationalist anyway. Ha ha. #introvertproblems here.

Yep, the beach. She has told us like a year ago that she would want to celebrate her 7th swimming so here we are.

First of all, the Frozen-themed cake is kinda off since we're surrounded by sand and sea. We should've gunned for The Little Mermaid but she's not hearing it. See? 

But it doesn't matter to her, really. Food doesn't matter because nothing it more important than swimming with the friends. It is your moment, after all, baby girl. So live it!

For brief moments she would get out of the water; the only chance we had to take this family photo. However, what's more important is that she had fun. It's evident in her skin color afterwards. 😉 We had an advanced celebration on the 9th of December. We're lucky that the sun came out that day. Our birthday histories are very much riddled with typhoon and flood stories. Ha ha ha. And there's a lot more to be thankful for than just the weather. So many little things that make up the big things.

Here's to more birthdays and blessings!

And oh, I'll just leave you with the aftermath. :)

Let's judge the book by the cover, shall we. I got the red one but I also saw a purple one at the Mercury Drug counter. While the "color of royalty" looked attractive, I got one in my favorite color which is re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed. *plays RED by Taylor Swift* Need I say more? I totally dig this cover with its embossed design. 

This year's Daybook encourages us "to find joy even in the littlest moment to live a brighter and healthier life". Achieving joy, according to them involves having a Happy Mind, Brave Heart and Grateful Soul.

These are the page breakers filled with ideas on how to live a joyful life. 

There are also some fun activity pages, such as this Mood Tracker. Although I'm not sure if I'm going to use it. Ha ha.

But you haven't seen the biggest surprise yet! My scrumptious little chocolate baby cupcake, in all her sweetness, decided to peruse the planner ahead of me. Not that I am mad. This is totally adorable. I love this depiction of us, especially the eyelashes. 

Again, kudos to Mercury Drugs for coming up with another creative and fun Daybook. It's not just the graphics which is cool but also the content.
This comes for 35 point deductible from your Suki Card.
Grab your now, before pa magkaubusan. :)

XO,
Carissa

iWhite Korea Aqua Moisturizer Whitening Vita

Price: 

In Action & My Take

A picture can paint a thousand words and I know that the effect of applying this Aqua Moisturizer Whitening Vita is very VERY VERY visible in these photos. The second photo has not been edited; I swear. My dark circles are very much in place in the second photo but everything else has smoothed like some sort of miracle just happened. Hello pores, where you at? Even the scarring has been minimized. This blue-tinged moisturizer is also very lightweight on the skin and it just melts upon contact. It's perfect for oily skinned gals like me. It's ideal for those "polbo and cheektint" days when you just want minimal stuff on your face. If there's a teensy bit of complaint that I have about this product, it would be the lack of Sun Protecting Factor (SPF).

iWhite Korea The Original Nose Pack

Price: 

iWhite Korea Vitamin Sleeping Gel Mask

Price: 

My Take

This gel mask is packed with so many beneficial ingredients. I would love to be able to use it for a longer time to see the full results but as of now, even when I just used it once, I literally woke up with baby soft and smooth skin, and not the greasy type. 

To Cap Things

After using these three, I think I would be able to say that yet again I found some golden products in the drugstore aisle. Of the three though, I would most likely want to purchase the iWhite Aqua Moisturizer Whitening Vita and the iWhite Korea Vitamin Sleeping Gel Mask based on my experience. I'm also glad to say that none of these products broke me out. I checked Google and I saw that the full-sized version of the Aqua Moisturizer is less than Php 200.00 which is definitely a steal.  Two thumbs up! I hope to try other iWhite Korea products and I will definitely blog about it too.

XO,

Carissa

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. The views and statement above are my honest opinion and my personal experience using the product.

Ever Bilena Volume Curl Waterproof Mascara

Price: Php 185.00 

Where to Buy: Ever Bilena counters in department stores nationwide

My favorite drugstore mascara: the Maybelline Hypercurl Volum' Express Mascara recently went beyond it's usable state so I knew I had to pick up a replacement. I was thinking of grabbing another tube  of it but then, while I was at the Watsons Store, I chanced upon an Ever Bilena kiosk and I saw their Volume Curl Mascara. With their black-pink packaging I thought they could be cousins - albeit EB's has a more magenta cap. They're at about the same price point, both *claim to be* waterproof and both are designed to add volume. In my playbook, running out of a certain product is a chance to try out another. So there, I picked up this Ever Bilena Volume Curl Waterproof with hopes that like the Maybelline Hypercurl Volum' Express Mascara I will get a bang for my buck. It turns out, like most products it has its pros and cons. Here's the rundown.

So I obviously love how this mascara curled my lashes. It brings volume, holds a curl and really opened up my eye. The big wand certainly helped in bringing the volume. It's also clump-free as you can see in the photo. I just didn't use it for my lower lashes because the wand is too big and I didn't want to end up with some mess. I also felt like I could poke my eye with it. LOL.

Look at this photo below. I took it at about 5 in the afternoon. That's about 8 hours of wear time already and my curls are still holding up, see? So I really have no complaints about its staying power or its lengthening or volumizing ability.


However, what I don't like about this product though is that there are times that I end up with dark, raccoon-like circles at the end of the day. It happens when the day is hot and my lids are sweaty.  When the weather isn't so humid, there are barely any issues.

This mascara also takes a while to dry up after application so try not to bat your lashes right away because you know what's bound to happen. Waiting a whole good minute will do.

Being a waterproof product it's stubborn to remove with my Micellar water.

Ever Bilena Volume Curl Waterproof Mascara Rating

Packaging: 3/5

Performance: 4/5

Longevity : 4/5

Quality: 4/5

User Friendliness: 3/5

Price: 5/5

Overall: 3.5/5

Have you tried this mascara from Ever Bilena?

Share you experience in the comment box below.

XO,

Carissa

PS. Here's a makeup look I created using this Ever Bilena Volume Curl Waterproof Mascara, along with another Ever Bilena product. Light and simple makeup lang, ideal for the office.

Here's a list of the products I used. Click the fonts in bold if you want to read the review about the product.

Primer: Quick FX No-Shine Mattifier

Foundation: The Ordinary Serum Foundation in Shade 2.0 YG

Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer (miraculous coz I have soo much to conceal!)

Powder: Maybelline Clear Smooth All In One UV+Lightening Oil-Control Two Way Cake

Brows: Maybelline Fashion Brow 3D Brow & Nose Palette in Dark Brown (also used the lighter shade in the palette as transition shade for eyeshadow)

Eye Palette: Zoeva En Taupe Eyeshadow Palette (Shade: Handmade - duo-chrome peach that shifts into a subtle gold when applied)

Mascara: Ever Bilena Volume Curl Waterproof Mascara

Blush: Laura Geller Beauty Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Cantaloupe (also it doesn't seem so obvious here)

Contour: Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer in Palm Island 

Lips: Ever Bilena Matte Liquid Lipstick in Sexy Nude

A primer on Chocolate Moron - for those who are not familiar with it - it is a Filipino delicacy from the Samar-Leyte area. Chocolate moron is made up of ground glutinous rice also known as “malagkit” cooked in coconut milk, mixed with other ingredients such as milk, margarine, sugar and cocoa. It is wrapped in banana leaves and is mostly served during fiestas.

I have plenty of childhood memories watching the womenfolk make this delicacy but as a kid, I was never really involved in the whole process so I never really understood the magnitude of efforts you have to exert to make this. Well, surprise! It really is very tiring to make and like my title says, it literally takes an entire village to make chocolate moron. And it takes a whole day too! But is it worth it? Find out after the jump!

The Pre-Cooking Process

It all starts with soaking a mixture of ordinary rice and glutinous (sticky/malagkit) rice  in water, preferably overnight. Afterwards, it will go through a grinding process until the grainy stuff is gone and you get this creamy smooth consistency (see photo). Set it aside, 'coz you'll get busy with other stuff to do like...