But if you want hours of doing blissful nothing and just soak the sun and nature all around you, this is a pretty good spot albeit a little expensive if you're by yourself or in a duo.

Have you been to Camp Agos? I'll probably go back, but this time in a group 'coz I think it's infinitely more sustainable and fun in a group. And like I said, cheaper.

Camp Agos Daraitan Rizal

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https://www.facebook.com/camp.agos.daraitan/
https://www.instagram.com/camp.agos.daraitan/?hl=en

A fraghead is someone who collects, reads about and discusses fragrances. Simply said, a person who loves to inquire, read, and discuss perfumes in more detail other than 'this smells good/this smells bad'.

I believe I tick those boxes, although this is just a self-diagnosis. Buying perfume is an expensive vice or hobby (depending on where you are in your fragrance obsession) so some brands are not enticing enough for me to try, especially niche and high-end designers like Tom Ford and Diptyque. So what I do is go to clone houses.

Here are 3 local clone houses that you should keep on your radar

Safe to say this might be my favourite local clone brand as of the moment. The glass bottle is simple and easy to stack -albeit being pretty basic and devoid of imagination. That said, this is the longest wearing perfume and 'closest to the real thing' that I own.

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I've tried US clone brands that are close to their inspiration as well and while I like those immensely, this brand is pound for pound or drop for drop(?) better. Mostly because it's easier to acquire. The presentation is (box, ribbons, and hand-written note from the owner) *chef's kisses* as well.

Talking about the fragrance itself, there might be some sharpness in the scent or a note or two differences. Despite that, to a casual fraghead (or non-fraghead), their mixes are pretty good copies. Longevity is approximately 6+ hours

Price range : ₱450 - 550

I don't have much experience with Symmetry Lab compared to Eternal (where I have had more than 4 scents in total), I only have this one clone of Carolina Herrera Good Girl. 

Let's start with packaging. First of -the bottle design is gorgeous. The all black square bottle is visually different from most local clones. Topping it off is a nice wooden cap, very reminiscent of Nasomatto. The box itself lends a bit more credibility and adds to the over-all brand presentation.

As for the scent, at first it was more alcohol-heavy than I expected. It also didn't last long and didn't project. So I kept it in my closet for a few weeks. Tried it again in cooler weather and it fared much better- stronger and more projection. Definitely less alcohol in the first spray and lasted longer over-all (approximately 4-5 hours). Please note that I spray quite heavily, a minimum of 5 sprays in total for all my fragrances.

Price range : ₱499 - 1,250

Like Symmetry, I only have one scent from this brand but that's enough for me to sing its praises.

Housed in a plastic tub, inside a velvet pouch is this cylindrical bottle and "Sauvage" cap. To be honest they really got me with this unique bottle design. I've only ever seen this type of bottle in designer brands. The label is quite simple, maybe a bit 'cheap-feeling' but the over-all look is good for gifting. 

What I do like about this particular scent is the oil content and the fragrance itself. It's a clone of a discontinued fragrance of By Killian. That day I was looking for a coconutty scent that I could layer with my other fragrances, to get the 'beach sun tan/sunscreen lotion' vibe and I heard that By Killian Love The Way You Feel was a great scent for that particular profile.

While this doesn't say much in the projection department, it makes up for it in the longevity office. (*sorry*)Lasts for about 4-5 hours on my skin, but layered with another fragrance lasts up to 6+. 

This brand is lovingly hand-made with the perfume oil flown from Dubai!

Price range : ₱699-900

I know there are a lot more brands out there I have yet to try. What clone brands do you love or would you like featured? Let me know in my socials or email!

PS. The sprayers and atomizers for all of these brands are pretty good except the Eternal one- it's a hit or miss tbh. Some Eternal bottles tend to leak as there's a high oil content in the liquid and it loosens the cap.

Following my previous liquid lipstick review here , I'm coming at you with another liquid lipstick review. This time from Ever Bilena.

If you're a beauty lover you'd probably have or have owned an EB Matte Lipstick at least once. You know those OG squarish black-tubed lipsticks that smelled like wax (and sort-of like 'old lady' makeup) from their main line. They were truly matte and CHEAP.

I had one in Mauvey and well...Mauvey. I felt like that was the safest 'blind-buy' colour before, but that was before my obsession with deep dark wine, reds, warm nudes and roses came in to play.

So take that well beloved OG lipstick and put them in the preferred formula today( liquid format) ét voila. We have the EB Liquid Matte Lipsticks.

Read on for my thoughts and swatches about this DELICIOUS smelling, LIGHT-as-a-feather and SUPERBLY pigmented liquid lipstick.


Here it is dried down. The colour dried-down has darkened very slightly.

I purchased five colours that I know would work well for me and that I can actually wear on more than one occasion.


Bare lips.

Packaging | Consistency | Application

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Right off the bat, I like that it's just a simple clear tube so you can see the inside and the standard doe-foot applicator. Having tags of the shade on the top of the tube as well as the bottom is a great touch.

As you open the tube you do get a whiff of something sweet but not overpoweringly so. Something like cupcakes? Pulling the wand you can immediately tell it's very liquid-ey. As such the application is smooth and tug-free leaving an even application of colour. Some colours like the Vamp Red, need at least two swipes to make the colour on your lips even. Matte lovers rejoice because this dries to a powdery matte finish that's transfer-proof.


Sexy Nude a peachy salmon colour.


Siennas as an warm light orangey brick.

Wear time | Formula

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If you wet your lips with water (anything non oily) it does get slightly tacky and very slightly separates. I've noticed that while using Careline's formula as well. But it didn't crumble and my lips didn't look like the Sahara desert. It was still comfortable enough for me to wear all throughout the day.

Plus I didn't have to worry about it bleeding, moving around and crumbling like I have colored polvoron on my lips.


Toast of New York a warm milk chocolate with red tones.


Vamp Red - A cool-toned red.

Price : 195
Net Weight : 5. 5ML

Ingredients : Isododecane, Hydrogenated styrene/isoprene copolymer, talc, ,trimethylsiloxysilicate, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexyglycerin, fragrance, may contain tintanium dioxide, red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, black iron oxide, d&c red 6, d&c red 7, fd&c blue 1


Dusk is a deep dark red with purple tones.



Once dry it's quite a challenge to remove. So you have to use oil-based removers. I used Simple's Micellar water (not oil based) and had to rub hard multiple times for it to come off. The good news is that they won't transfer (unless you eat  or put on something oily).



I noticed that since the consistency reminds me of Colourpop Satin Lips and some of the shades from EB are from the same colour family I decided to put them side by side for comparison. (Plus Careline's Gotta Go)



Siennas, Sexy Nude and Echo Park are close to each other. Sexy Nude is lighter and more pink, Echo Park is darker with more brown in it, Siennas is darker then Sexy Nude and has more red.


Final thoughts?

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Happy 2018! Kicking of the new year with another review feels just right to get the blog mojo going. As mentioned in my previous Careline/EB lippie post (here) this particular Careline release is heaps better.



"Better than Basic"

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For Php 210 (Some places have them at Php 195), this is a truer 'liquid matte' lipstick that's comfortably lightweight and surprisingly pigmented (not to put the local brand down but it is SUPER good for a Philippine Makeup Brand).

Packaging is A+. Tubes are reminiscent of Colourpop's actually.





The new branding is a much needed facelift for the crowd today. Still targeted towards the youngesters the new look is bolder opting for a more 'Girl Crush' vibe than the 'Tweetums' cutesey one it had before.

The consistency is watery (similar to Colourpop Satin Lips I reviewed here) BUT delivers 100% on pigment —at just one swipe.

Plus it's not scented!

image via Project Vanity


All the matte colours, leaning mostly to 'nude', are all very on trend. There are other 'non-nude' colours like Pop (Bright Fuschia), In Bloom (Bright Cherry Red), Dark Matter (Vampy Eggplant) and Wallflower (Blueish Gray).They also have matte metallic lippies for your more adventurous looks.

I bought Pop, Normcore (Grayish Mauve) and Gotta Go (Warm Peachy Nude) at Watsons for Php 195/each.





If you still haven't tried any good locally available liquid matte lipsticks here is a solid brand to start off with,  good enough to collect even!



**Transfer test after drying a little.
**Lip mark / lipstick that transferred was from the inner parts of my lips.


Have you tried this yet? What do you think about the Philippine Makeup game lately? I personally think they're killing it. Let me know your thoughts below!

Careline's Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/CarelineCosmetics/ 


xx,
CJ

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Affordable homegrown brand San San is the main feature for LocalPH : The makeup edition. To be specific, I'll be featuring their very online famous concealer pen. Is it worth the cheap price tag?

Read on for further dissection...