For working mothers like me who don't have enough time and budget to splurge on make up, affordable but quality make up products are heaven sent. Thank God for brands who were able to provide these kinds of products so mothers like me can still enjoy beautifying ourselves without breaking the bank.

Makeup primer is first applied to a bare face, usually on top of moisturizer, before putting on foundation or BB creams. It is primarily used to make the skin smoother, making way for a more vibrant color result when you apply your make up products, and for the cosmetics to last longer.

There are different primers for the whole face, eyelids, and lips. These primers address make up problems for that particular part. For example, primers for eyelids are used to avoid creasing of the eyeshadow.

Primers have silicones in them that fills up indentations in the skin, giving it that smooth and velvety feel.

Primers are also supposed to control oiliness in the face to make the make up last longer. A word of caution, though. One must only apply sufficient amount of primer in the face as too much of the product will make the skin oilier.

For today, I am featuring two kinds of makeup primers for the face--the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser and the Quick Fix No-Shine Mattifier. Both are available in SM Department Stores and in Watsons. They are also affordable. Maybelline retails for  P299 and the Quick Fix is available for P99 per sachet.


Claim to Fame

Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser

Instantly, on contact, translucent gel melts on skin and instantly erase pores, imperfections, lines, and crease. Skin looks instantly transformed into a perfect smooth canvas.

All day, skin is shine free, even, and baby smooth. No burden to skin.

Quick FX No Shine Mattifier

Absorbs oil to control shine for a smooth matte finish, conceals fine lines and pores for visibly radiant skin instantly.


Active Ingredients


Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser

Silicone Elastomer

According to an online article posted in Reader's Digest's Best Health entitled "The Truth About Silicones"  (http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-looks/beauty/the-truth-about-silicones/Emollient),
silicones are used in cosmetics for the purpose of "waterproofing, retaining moisture, adhering color pigments, and making the application of skincare products feel silky'no tugging on the skin as it is spread on, and no oily, sticky feeling".

Emollient
Silica Formula
Cherry Extract


Quick FX No Shine Mattifier

Salicylic Acid
Chamomile
Tea Tree Extract
Matte Wax

The Encounter

Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser

I first had the Baby Skin Pore Eraser before the No-Shine Mattifier. When I first applied it at the back of my hand, I saw that it instantly blurred the lines on it. It also felt smooth. It had the same effect when I applied it on my face. As your finger applies the product onto the face, it will feel like the fingers were gliding into a velvet surface. I can also feel if there is still a lot of product on a specific part of the face because it will feel thick so I have to spread it to become even or thinner.

The pores are still visible but from afar, it will look smoother and the little "crevices" on the face will look blurred out.

Applying foundation also become easy breezy as it glides along smoothly unto the face. I also noticed that the colors of my blush. eyeshadow, highlighter, and contour cream are more radiant than usual. The only downside is that when I work on my eyebrows and I made a mistake in filling in my eyebrows, it immediately shows and I cannot erase it easily.

It also has a great oil control powers on my face though I only have a normal to combination-oily skin. It made my make up last longer and it gave me that "soft" look on pictures.

Quick FX No Shine Mattifier

Upon application, it did not give an instant smooth or velvety feel on my skin but as it sets on the face, I noticed that the pores blurred out even if it did not become invisible at all.

In terms of oil control, my nose still oiled up and its whole surface really became shiny. But that's the only part of my face wherein the oil appeared. Oil on the other parts of my T-Zone, which usually oils up on ordinary day, did not appear at all. I did not have the need to retouch my make up since I saw that it is still intact.

Overall, these two primers really work considering their prices. I use the Quick FX frequently since it has skin care ingredients that I need in order to prevent pimples and black heads. I also use it if I will just stay in the office, using light make up on, or just going to do some errands. I use the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser for special occasion that needs heavier make up and where I will be photographed.



Stay tuned for more of my adventures discovering beauty!

The Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the whole world. As early as the -ber months start coming in, the malls in the country start playing Christmas songs. People also starts buying gifts for their loved ones to avoid the Christmas rush.

So what does this Philipine tradition has to do with my haul blog? As you will notice, I have been declaring every single make up item that I bought as a gift for myself. I have probably started giftin myself with cosmetics as early as November and this haul is still part of that "gifts to celebrate the long Christmas season in the whole world".

So, let's start off with the things I bought from Landmark in Trinoma. I bought a City Color Matte Lipstick in the shade Mocha. It is a brownish kind of brown (what?!). Its a kind of cool dark brown shade with no hint of red undertone. I have been looking for this type of dark brown lipstick though this City Color one is a little bit darker for my preferences. I have been looking for this type of brown shade and those which are available in the malls are reddish brown, pinkish brown, or even peachy brown. It costs P179.

If I swatch it on my arm, the shade will have a reddish undertone but its a different story when I use it on my lips.

I already had a City Color Matte Lipstick in Maroon. I don't know if City Colo has changed their formula for matte lipstick because this Mocha shade that I got has a creamy texture and does not tug on my lips. It also does clumps when it dries but it is long lasting just like before.

Another City Color product that I bought is the City Color Contour Stick in Medium. It retails for P229. It has a contour stick and highlight on two ends of the tube. I was actually hoping to buy the City Color Contour and Correct but it is quite pricey for me at P679. It has four corrector shade, concealer, and contour cream palette. However, I decided to buy the contour stick since I still have to study contouring and highlighting.

On the left is the contour shade and at the right is the highlighter

I am not a fan of the container of the highlighter and I am not sure how I can get the products out of its container.

Next, I bought Shine Moist Henna Wax Color Treatment in Ruby, I want a fuschia shade for my hair but I don't want to color it yet since I just had it rebonded so I opted to use wax instead.It costs P214.95 for 100ml. I think there is also a bigger variant though I don't know how much 

is its price.

The color will fade little by little for, at most, two weeks. It has a nice scent to it which is not too strong. 

A cult favorite among local Youtuber is this Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder. It is actually a finishing powder that will help keep and blend blush and foundation together. I asked the sales assistant if they still have it in the loose powder form but she said that they do not carry it anymore. 

Priced at P299 but was discounted so I only pay for P269, the All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder comes in a thin, transparent, plastic case which is nice to look at. The powder itself is white though it won't have any shade once applied.

Next are from i-White and these are pore purifying balm and the Whitening Pack which was bundled together and retails for P54.50. I will make a separate product information and review on these products along side with the other ones belonging to the skin care line from i-White which they made accessible in the Philippines.

They call the bundle as Savers Kit Skin Purifying Kit. It contains one Purifying Balm and two Whitening Pack.

Next, we have the Body Treats Classic Nose Pore Strips. I prefer nose strips that those clay or cream-based mask which can become messy, most of the time. It costs P109 and has 12 strips which are individually packed.

I also bought the St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer. As its claim to fame claims, it visibly reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, which I should worry about at my age. I can probably come up with a product information and review after a few days of using this moisturizer.

Lastly, we have two eyebrow pencils from Nichido--one is the black shade and the other one is in the dark brown shade. I was actually looking for the pencil eyeliner from Lorea'l but they do not have stocks as of yet. I went off to, what I think was, the next best thing--Nichido eye liner. Both of them retail at a price not higher than P100.

So, there you go guys! I bought all these products with my own money. Hopefully, I can provide you with product reviews especially for those one I bought for skin care..

Stay tuned for more of beauty adventures!

So, since it is the Christmas season and it is the season of "gifting", I, once again, gave a gift to myself! (if that makes sense :-)) Adding to my collection of Maybelline products, I purchased the Dream Satin Liquid Foundation and two lipsticks from their Creamy Matte Color Sensational line. Maybelline is still on sale so I bought the Dream Satin Foundation at P400 and the two lipsticks at P200 each.

Let's start off with the Dream Satin Liquid Foundation. I've been researching about this product for quite some time and it is only now that I decided to buy one. I was actually torn between the Dream Satin and the Dream Velvet, but I chose this because, apparently, there have been cases of pimple breakouts from amongst those who tried the latter. The Dream Satin also received good reviews from some Filipina YouTubers.

I chose the shade B2 though from the bottle, you cannot really see if it has yellow undertone. I swatched it at the back of my hand and it blended well with my skin. I swatched it again along my jawline and asked my hubby whether the foundation blended well with my skin. He said that it kinda "disappeared" on my face (i think what he meant is that it blended with my skin). So, I know this is my shade.

I will do a separate review of this foundation, just like what I did with the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation.

I also bought the Baby Skin Pore Eraser which is actually a primer. I have not used a primer before and I am considering buying a Benefit Porefessional but it is pricey for me. I made some research and discovered Maybelline's Pore Eraser. According to reviews, the Pore Eraser works just like the Porefessional.

Again, I will do a separate review on the Baby Skin Pore Eraser.

Next, I also purchased two lipsticks from the Creamy Mattes and these two shades are among the cult favorites from this line--the Rich Ruby and the Divine Wine. I chose this shades because I already have a handful of pink, plums, and browns but I only have one red lipstick. I am not a fan of red lipsticks before because I don't think it works for me. I only found out recently that red lipsticks flatter and its a matter of choosing the right shade that will work for you.

As soon as I got home, I immediately tried the two lipsticks. I loved how it glided smoothly on my lips and that the color pay off is already good at first swipe. You might not actually need to swipe twice cause one swipe is all you need. There is a light scent, kind of vanilla, just like how it is with liquid lipsticks, but it did not bothered me at all.

It also stays long for a good five to six hours. The swatch I made at the back of my hand stayed where I put it even after several activities that I did. Even as it faded, I could still see a solid line that did not smudged nor bled.

That's the Rich Ruby on the left and Divine Wine on the right.

Rich Ruby is a medium dark red with blue undertone. They say that red lipsticks with blue undertone will make your teeth appear whiter. As the name suggest, Divine Wine sports a solid dark wine shade. Both lipsticks are creamy when you first apply it and then turns into matte as it settles. You can rub your lips together and the color will transfer to the other lip, if you have not yet swiped it with the lipstick.

I'm happy with my recent purchases and, again, Maybelline did not disappoint me. If my budget will allow me to, I will buy other shades or if, possible, I will get the whole collection. I like the feel, the color pay off, it stays long, and most of all, it's affordable, especially for mothers like me who have other important things to spend for.

Stay tuned as I go along with my make up adventures!

YouTube has become instrumental when I rediscovered and renewed my love for beauty. I was a Michelle Phan follower before--way back when I still don't know what a primer is, that there is a make up brand called Urban Decay, and that there is a use for a white eyeliner.

Back then, I didn't know that there are also Filipina make up vloggers. I just discovered them recently when I checked out what local make up brands offer nowadays and which among their product are good buys.

So, I have here a list of my favorite YouTube beauty vloggers.

1. Anna Cay

This was the first video that I saw from Anna Cay. As I said, I was checking out which local make up products to buy and saw this video from YouTube suggestion. 

I love that she is very down to earth though she can spend fortunes for her make up (She bought 22 shades of MAC lipsticks in a matter of 3 weeks!) I love watching her make up haul and seeing her unbox and try on make up products which I can never ever afford to buy. Take note that most of these foreign branded make up are her own purchases though there are also some which were sent to her. 

She also does her make up tutorials which are easy to follow though most of the time, she uses high end products. She will eventually tell you why she opted to use that product and will explain its worth. If you are on a budget like me and she is a sales assistant for a high end cosmetic brand, she can definitely sell me something because she knows her make up.

I also like watching her day to day routines. She's not like most of us who works on a daily basis but she always has something interesting to show in her vlogs. She shares her daily life with her viewers and from there, one can see that she is a simple girl. 

Overall, from Anna's make up tutorial, product reviews and first impression, hauls, late night food cravings, events and errands, she's a joy to watch.

2. Anne Clutz

I almost bought all items she mentioned in this haul video, save for some which did not quite got a good review from Anne Clutz. I love her because she is a mom of two kids--a school grade girl and a baby boy--yet she finds time to make herself up. I also consider her take on various cosmetics and skin care products especially on the pricey ones because I know that as a mother, she also considers quality in all her purchases. 

3. Michelle Dy

If you want to learn and be entertained at the same time, Michelle Dy is your go-to Filipina YouTube Vlogger. She can come up with a story which she will base her make up tutorial on. My niece especially enjoyed her Make Up Serye and when she came up with looks based on Encantadia characters. She is also the first Filipina YouTuber whom I subscribed to and the video above is her first video that I saw.

4. Raiza Contawi

Here's another Filipina YouTube Beauty Guru whose videos are very much informative and educational. If you prefer a more leveled up make up tutorials and reviews, you should check out Raiza's channel. She offers a different flavor of reviewing make up products and giving first impressions. She's also a chameleon as she can transform her own face into different celebrities or personalities. In my opinon, among the other Filipina YouTube beauty gurus in this list, she is the most skilled and most experienced when it comes to make up. 

5. Purpleheiress

She'll make you feel like she's just in front of you while she does her product reviews, first impressions, and make up tutorial. Though I have yet to watch all her videos, she was able to come up with a variety of topics to blog about. Mothers like me can also relate with her because she does not only focuses on beauty blogs but she also features other aspects of her motherhood and family life.

6. PinayBeautyAndStyle

What I like about her is that she can come up with her own line up of topics to vlog about and not really follow what's trending. I like her detailed reviews of local make up brands product and that she can be very honest with her reviews. She also has her own way of reviewing products and she can offer information or insights about a specific product that you never thought you will need until you hear it from her.

So, there you go. You can check their respective channels as well and get to know them personally. If you're looking for a specific style of vlogging, I'm pretty sure that you will never find a hard time picking one among them.

I'll probably come up with my favorite foreign YouTube beauty gurus and another one for my favorite local beauty blogs.

Until then, stay tuned for my next beauty adventures.

Ciao, bellas!

Maybelline went on sale for, like, forever. :-) I really like that about Maybelline. They provide good cosmetics for an affordable price which will go on super affordable as they go on sale. As I build up my make up collection, which primarily consist of local brands, there is a guaranteed spot for those from Maybelline.

I've been using Maybelline since college days though I was only able to use the pressed powder and the lip glosses. Back then, I was not really into make up. I just want to have something to use when I have to. 

When I started working, I still have not seen the need to really explore the make up world so I'm still into pressed powder and lip glosses. I occasionally use lipsticks, blush, and eyeliners from my mom.

So now that I have discovered the joy that make up brings, here are some of the products that I recently got and loved from Maybelline

Maybelline offers different types of mascara depending on your preferences. I have another mascara from a local brand that lengthens my eyelashes. On the other hand, this Hyper Curl Volume Express Mascara from Maybelline gives my thin eyelashes a thicker look. It is waterproof so it won't give you that panda eyes but can be easily taken off when using make up wipes and by using cleanser and water. It dries off easily so and one swipe will do. Once it dries up and you want to give your lashes another swipe, it will not glide that easily and will form small round clusters at the end of your lashes. Also, I think the product will just scatter around your eye area if you will put a lot of this product on your lashes.

The original price, I guess, was around P199 but since I bought this on sale, I got this for only P149.

For lining the eyes and brows, I usually go for pencils. However, liquid eyeliner gives off a solid appearance if you don't want that smoky or smudged look for your eyeliner. I was actually torn between this Hyper Sharp Wing liner and the yellow one, the Hyper Sharp Liner, so I asked the sales assistant. She recommended this purple one for beginners since it produces thin line.

This liner has a pointed, soft end. Yes, it produces thin line that will look nice if applied evenly. However, some body like me who still has to master the art of eyelining using this type of liner will finish with a thicker one since I was not able to make it in one swipe. The line is indeed thin and will become inconsistent if you got shaky hands. You'll end up with thicker line since you will need to apply more to make a straight line. 

I already used liquid eyeliners before from a local brand, though that one has a brush end that glides off easily on my eyes. For this one, I have yet to find the right technique of applying this smoothly without the need to tug my eyes. But I must say that it stays long and dries off easy and pretty.

Image from www.maybelline.ph

Bebelot has been taking this iron supplement for a month now and he has already finished one bottle. Pedia said that I should give him this for two months. We are now in second bottle.

The last time we visited the pedia, Bebelot was not really eating and sleeping well during the past few days. I told pedia about this and she told me to give iron supplement to my baby since he might not be able to get the right amount of iron in the food he takes, if ever he does eat. 

So I bought this Sangobion Syrup in Mercury Drugstore. It was not cheap compared to other vitamin supplements and the 100 ml bottle costs P315. According to the label, it contains ferrous gluconate and Vitamin B Complex and it is Hematinic. The website thefreedictionary.com says that hematinic means improving the quality of the blood and an agent that does the increasing of the hemoglobin levels and the erythrocytes (one of the elements in the blood).

This product from Merck addresses iron deficiency anemia in children; latent insufficiencies of iron and of the B Vitamins during the growth period, iron deficiency after loss of blood, in chronic illnesses and during convalescence.

It is hard to give Bebelot any vitamins or medicines. The struggle is real! :-) We used a syringe to make him take the syrup orally. After taking the iron supplement, the syringe smells like kalawang. I was glad that the syrup does not taste that way though it kinda leaves an after taste like that of a kalawang. I let Bebelot eat three pieces of M&M's to take away that after taste.

According to its website, www.sangobion.ph, ferrous gluconate offers iron deficiency treatment with less metallic aftertaste than ferrous sulfate. It is also better absorbed and gentler on the stomach and has less gastrointestinal side effects than ferrous sulfate.

Anyway, after some weeks of taking this supplement, I noticed that Bebelot was able to sleep throughout the night. Prior to taking Sangobion, he would usually wake up at around 2 or 3am and go back to sleep again. He also sleeps late. There are times that the lights are already turned off for quite some time but he is still awake. He is also eating quite well compared before but I have not yet seen any remarkable improvement in his appetite.

Stay tuned for more of my mommy adventures!


*Image from www.thefilipinodoctor.com

Since I took an interest in using make up, I have only used EB Advance BB Cream as base. Though it really did its job of providing coverage that is light and easy to be used daily, I wanted to have a staple and dependable foundation that I can use for special occasions or during those times that I need a “heavy duty” one.

After watching local YouTube beauty gurus spill their thoughts on Revlon Colorstay Make Up Foundation, I decided to give it a try. Though it did not receive exemplary reviews, I found out that most local beauty vloggers often used this foundation in their usual make up tutorials. The Revlon Colorstay Foundation is also a staple in the list of their favorite foundations or even holy grails.

One day, I received an invitation to the wedding of the sister of my sister-in-law. I thought that this is a good time to test what I have learned so far about make up and see if I can create a decent look for myself. I did my one make up during my graduation but it was just a recreation of a look I saw from YouTube.

This is also a right time for me to buy and try to use a liquid foundation. I was torn between Revlon Colorstay, L’oreal Infallible Matter, and Maybelline’s Velvet Skin Foundation.

When I stepped inside the SM Store, I first passed by the counter of Maybelline and look for the Velvet Skin Foundation. I am still torn about this one since I have seen mixed reviews about it. I also went to L’oreal’s counter but the sales assistant said that they only carry the Infallible Stay Fresh and not the Matte one. And then, I saw the Revlon counter and found out that they are on sale.

So I immediately looked for Revlon Colorstay Foundation. There are 2 sales assistants in the counter—one is assisting a customer and the other one is talking with someone whom I think is her supervisor or anybody who ranked higher than her. I found the Colorstay Foundation but, unfortunately, the only shade that I saw were too light for me. At this point, the supervisor left and the Sales Assistant who’s been chatting with her is already available. But, sadly, she just stood on the same spot and watched me. She thought, perhaps, that I won’t buy anyway, so why bother?

I asked her if there is a shade which will match my color tone. She reached deeper into the counter and revealed that there are other shades inside the box at the back of the testers for Revlon Colorstay Foundation which has lighter colors. She gave me the shade Golden Caramel. She swatched it at the back of my hand. I could not believe my eyes that the shade she gave me is darker against my skin. I don’t know if she is a mind reader or what, but she certainly read my mind when she said that lighter shade won’t be able to cover my blemishes.

I swatched it on my jawline since I know that swatching at the back of my hand will not really show whether the shade will work for me or not. But given the kind of lighting inside the mall, I did not come into a concrete conclusion.

So, thinking that the sales assistant knows her job way better than I do, I took her advice and bought 

the Revlon Colorstay Foundation. By the way, since Revlon is on sale the day I visited SM, I only paid P618 for the foundation which normally costs P825.

The Encounter

So, I went home excited to try my new liquid foundation. I put it on my face and I could say that the foundation is quite darker for my skin tone.

The following day, I put in on again and I looked like I just went on a beach vacation! I realized that the shade is golden caramel so there would be a “sunkissed” touch on this shade.

Well, I haven’t given up yet so I decided to use it one more time using a smaller amount this time. If previously, I’ve been using all that amount given off by one pump, this time, I just dabbed small amounts of it on my skin and blended it. Well, the shade kind of “disappeared” on my face but it did not show that “sunkissed” touch.

Longevity and Oil Control Powers

I would say that this foundation stayed on my face for a full 8 hours with no retouch. Aside from my usually oily nose, my T-zone did not really oiled up when I was using this.

Overall, it did provide a good base for my make up though I am not satisfied with the shade yet. If I will be buying this foundation again, I may opt for natural tan.

Image from www.revlon.com