From Manila with Love Blog: bornprettystore

What's your stand on copy-cat companies? You know the ones that release products that look similar or exactly identical to another brand's?

If you've read my recent haul here, I've finally acquired the number one (in terms of bases) cosmetic darling in Korea that's also currently gaining traction in the US — the cushion base.

This beyond pretty compact reminds me of Harley Quinn and Harlequin (not to be confused with the books) and I love the design to bits as if you can't tell by now.

Going back to my opening statement, companies do copy other brands, especially if they've come up with something new, innovative and/or highly salable.

High Beam - Benefit | Beat the Blues - MeMeMe | Golden Ratio "Face Glam" - Etude House

And obviously this compact is no different. This one is actually an exact copy of the "Hera" limited edition compact I've been lemming ever since I saw it online a couple of years ago. As I've said before in one of my posts, I don't know if I'm happy that they outrightly copy on the other hand it makes for some friendly competition and more affordable options.

This CC cream has 15 grams, typical amount for most cushion bases I've seen and includes a refill cushion in the box. I'm in the darkest shade (#23) and you guessed it, it's still too light.

The compact is sturdy enough. Not that it's a little flimsy but it does wobble when you turn the mirror enclosure from side-to-side — naturally. Duh CJ.

This "air-puff" business is new to me. The texture is quite different from the other "regular" puffs including Korean ones that I've tried. It's like it doesn't absorb that much product which should be a good thing but I don't like this particular puff very much. I guess I'm just not used to applying base products a little at a time. I've tried a synthetic buffing brush and it works quite well with it.

Germophobes won't be able to stand the sight of a soaked sponge that you dip your puff into periodically during the day. I honestly wasn't too concerned about that when cushions first came out.

As you can see it's very sheer but easy enough to apply. I have to warn you though, this isn't a summer CC cream. It doesn't blend easily onto the skin because of heat outside and/or your body.

TIP:

Apply sparingly and in light sheer layers, wait to dry then apply more if needed.
Set immediately as this leaves a dewy finish.
To avoid cakey-ness use as a primer similar to the texture of your base.
Use a synthetic brush and buff in for faster application.

Here it is on my face. I have a lot of redness on the sides of my nose and some on my cheeks (left image) . Aside from the fact that it made me about 100 shades lighter, it was able to neutralize the redness (right image) and lighten my bags a smidgen.

The color does settle and darken after a while but it's still noticeably lighter.

Here is my look after neutralizing the liquid base with a darker face powder, adding some blush, eyeliner and putting on a tonne of highlighter. The CC cream has a pink/neutral tone to it so some areas of my face appear grayish especially in person. My skintone is yellow-olive so my face bases have to have enough yellow and/or yellow-green tones in it.

It wears the whole day but doesn't look as good as initially applied under the current heatwave.

I would recommend it to people who live in cooler places and like dewy and sheer finishes. Add to the reasonably affordable price of ~~$14.66~~ $8.80 plus the discount code (CJSH10) and free shipping it's a pretty good bargain if only just for the compact itself. You can just put in your preferred foundation/bb/cc (which is what I did after reviewing it :P ).

xx,

PS. What's your stand on copy-cat companies/products?

PSS. What do you think of cushion makeup in general?

Price : From $14.66 it's currently $8.80
Link to product : http://www.bornprettystore.com/whitening-round-cream-cream-portable-moisture-cover-blemish-balm-colors-p-18345.html
Website : http://bornprettystore.com
Instagram : @bornprettymua

I've had no trouble receiving parcels from Born Pretty Store for quite some time now. They package the items really really well (lots of foam and bubble wrap) and the people are nice and polite when they reply to your email . The only thing I can definitely comment on is the shitty postal + customs service in the Philippines.

Annoyances aside, Born Pretty Store boasts a lot of items like clothes, makeup, nails and accessories for cheap and I quite like some most of the items there. So when I browsed their site for face brushes, I found this sleek looking gem.

I've seen a lot of brush sets like these in the market-local and overseas. As you can probably deduce most companies stamp their logos on it, do some marketing and poof it becomes coco crunch.

Not that I have any complaints. It just makes for healthy competition and amazing bargains like this one.

Currently on sale for less than $15 ($13.99) you get a 5 piece sleek black face set. The lightweight metal ferrules are sturdy and connected with the rest of the handle.The weight of the brush is more concentrated on the bottom rubber part and a slight bend at the "waist" of the handle makes it comfortable to hold and maneuver.

I like synthetic now when it comes to face brushes so I like that the hairs are synthetic and very soft. The tips are white which adds to the over-all clean aesthetic and also acts as an indicator for when it's time to give it a good washing. Speaking of, I've already deep cleaned this set twice ever since I had it and I've no problem at all with strays and bleeding.

The set includes :

Angled Flat Top
Flat Top
Rounded Flat Top
Domed
Rounded Angle

Now in all honesty, I could do without either the angled flat top or the flat top one. They work well and are great but the angle isn't extremely obvious and they really perform exactly the same so having both in the set is redundant. But if you're someone who goes through face brushes quickly, another face brush is a nice backup especially if you're a makeup artist or you just want to skip a few more days until brush-laundry day.

I've noticed that all of the brushes are not that densely packed and some are less dense than others. Now this might be a con to some but it suits me perfectly well as I can use the not-so-dense ones. namely the angled flat top and flat top, for blusher and powder contour.

If I used the other brushes it tends to get a lot more product and take me a long time blending it out. Whilst all are great for powders, liquids and cream, I find these two just right for blusher, highlight and bronzer/contour.

Bottom-line : Do I recommend?

Yes. For less than $20 you get a face set shipped for free. It's a good starter for someones vanity or for a professional kit. If you're like me, I can never have enough face brushes. Mostly for the fact that I don't like washing them- I can just reach for a clean one easily.

xx,

Website : Bornprettystore
Link to brush set here
Coupon code : CJSH10

PS. They're labeled as wooden handle brushes on the site. Double checked my brushes again and I'm pretty sure they're metal or plastic. Maybe they are wooden...but I don't want to scrape off the handle.
PPS. Do you have a lot of brushes? Which do you have more of, face brushes or eye brushes?

Hi there! I hope you still remember me, you, who reads my blog. It's been a ~~month and a half~~ hot minute since my last post and I actually have missed blogging, albeit putting it off because it felt forced and un-fun (you know what I mean?) and I didn't like that.

Anyway.

Here are my thoughts on these lip crayons from Heng Fang (sent to me by my friend Daisy from http://bornprettystore.com ♥), which looks quite similar to another brand's lip crayon.

PACKAGING

I got shade 02 orange and 05 baby pink

As I've said it looks quite similar to the packaging (and logo) of another brand. The box that it came in looked exactly the same too.

Looking at it you’d think it’s a twist up crayon. Sadly it’s not. You have to buy a sharpener big enough for this. (The sharpener from Ever Bilena works--a perfect fit!)

A.K.A. Evidence of my poor E.Q.

I didn't like that aspect much; I really wanted a twist up one with all the balm crayons popping up here and there. Oh well.

Another reason why I didn't like that I had to sharpen it is because...

CONSISTENCY/FORMULATION/PERFORMANCE

It's really soft and creamy. I mean I like that it's not hard (cough) but it's just too soft for my liking (cough cough. What's in the air these days? I keep on coughing.). It just melts upon contact using the lightest of hands. And because it's that soft, sharpening it takes away from the product too much. It sticks to the shavings and/or the sharpener itself.

Now THAT is orange. Excuse the bumps I was recovering from allergies.

A trip to the freezer might work but you can't leave this out in the tropical heat, which goes for a lot of lipsticks actually. I mean a better question would be what ISN’T going to melt in this heat? Man it’s hot.

Still pretty bright even when smudged.

Pigmentation-wise, this is a winner. It's not something I would wear in broad daylight. Maybe for a party or a night out because it’s almost neon-like in its brightness.

BUT, the formulation isn't that ...stellar. You get amazing color-payoff for sure, but swiping it more than once on a certain area moves the product so it looks a little uneven and patchy. You have to blend it with your fingers or use a lip brush for better application.

It also doesn't have a moisturizing feel to it. It's slippery and very emollient but not moisturizing. The color stays well on the lips but it does transfer. I'd say the typical staying power of a creamy lipstick sans eating and drinking, 2-3 hours tops before you need to touch it up a bit.

That said, it's not a balm and is not marketed as such. It's a lip colour/lip stick. Still though, the formula could've been better.

DO I RECOMMEND?

Fun neon-like brightness and super pigmentation plus the kitsch factor of it looking like a crayon/pencil for a mere $2.99, I say go for it.

But if you're more into formulas or if you want something more moisturizing, go with something else. It is cheap but if it's not something you're going to use and is just going to gather dust somewhere, save your buck. :)

If you're interested, you can get this "here" . Use my code QEL91 to get 10% discount on your purchase! ( 10% off of $2.99 = dirt cheap) Enjoy!

CJ NOTES

- If you're a Korean cosmetics enthusiast (like I am) you know which brand I referred to here.

- I missed blogging foreals though.

- I've been meaning to go to a makeup workshop, anyone know any? (Preferably with free swag HAHA!)

- I cut my hair again, just a trim but it's shorter than what I'm sporting here! If you follow me on instagram you'll know what I mean. @manilawithlove

xx,

DISCLAIMER : This product was sent to me for review. I was not paid to say anything good by the owner of the store nor the brand. Everything stated here is honest, un-adulterated and un-biased. These are my, the writer's, own opinion/thoughts. Therefore they do not reflect the opinions/thoughts of owner of the store (where I received the product from) nor the brand's. Already discontinued. No ingredient list is present on the site.

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