From Manila with Love Blog

This has been my go-to palette for nights out, day time, events and what have you. Apart from being sleek-looking and compact, the quad is definitely a no-brainer neutral palette. Especially since it has the names on the lid.

PACKAGING

KATE Tokyo's brand is very sleek, modern, sophisticated with none of the frilly, girly and "kawaii" we tend to associate when we think "Japanese makeup". This is because they cater to the more "mature" modern woman on-the-go, making the aesthetic of the makeup straight-forward.

The ingredient list and instructions at the back of the quad and the plastic box it came in was in Japanese which might irk people who want to know more about the ingredients.

The sponge applicator is useful! Don't dismiss it like you would your super annoying friend just yet.

PERFORMANCE

The shadows are soft, easy to blend and pigmented --The last two shades especially. You'd have to use a primer to make the white show up very white but the three shades are pigmented enough on their own as evidenced by the swatch.

Yes all shades are shimmery. You can't tell by the picture though. There's glossy light (the iridescent pink), base color (light white-pink), medium color (bronze) and dark color (dark warm brown) all have pink and white shimmers in them. Yay shimmer!

SPOTLIGHTING SHADOW?

The "spotlighting" in the name comes from the glossy light shadow - a pink iridescent shade you put on top of another shadow. Very much like a top coat on nails, it just adds more shimmer/light hence the "spotlighting".

Aside from white and pink I think this one has magenta shimmers. It's very soft as evidenced again by the dent on my palette. Because they are soft (this shade especially), they tend to get fall outs if you're not careful and you'll have shimmer where you don't want to. Tapping off the excess on the brush helps, but I advice to use your fingers instead then pat it on.

The color shows up more and applies better when using the fingers anyway. If you don't want to use your fingers the sponge applicator included works well with it. Here's a typical eye look I do using the dark color , base and glossy light shades.

I used the dark color with the base color and glossy light in the middle.

I recommend this for minimalists, working women and of course beginners. I didn't think this would be a staple in my makeup arsenal since the all shimmer palette threw me for bit. The shimmers of the darker shades aren't obvious in pictures but they're really pretty IRL.

What's your go-to, no-brainer compact palette? And maybe an eye look? Let me know below!

Price: Php 960
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/katephilippines
Website : http://www.kate-global.net/en/katetokyo/index.html

Disclaimer : I got this palette from the Kate Tokyo Bloggers event last year (Yeah I know! Super belated review). Thanks Kate Tokyo loves!

BDJbox is a monthly subscription box service with boxes reserved up to months in advance. Among all the subscription boxes in the Philippines, this one I personally think has more traction. I scoured reviews and gathered that they have great customer service and work with great brands.

For this March, BDJbox works exclusively with Ponds a very prominent and well-known brand in the Philippines.

I'm definitely not a ponds girl. I've tried most of their products before when I was still a teenager - dealing with hormonal changes - and they never seemed to work. If anything else, they worsened my condition as well as dampened my fragile teenage self-esteem. Sob...sob...sniffle.

But for the sake of science and to give Ponds another chance, I've tried all the skincare (started March 10) and have some interesting thoughts about each one.

Pond's Pearl Cleansing Gel (100g / Php155)

Touted to be perfect for sensitive skin because its non-drying and has its milder ingredients.

Thoughts :The only other gel cleanser I've tried is ZA's and Pond's lathers quite well compared. I do agree that it's mild and leaves my skin soft after rinsing but I feel like it leaves a light film of soap still. It however has a very distinct and strong rose-scent as with most products in this line.

Top 3 Ingredients : Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Glycerin.

Pond's Flawless White Ultra Luminous Serum (30ml / Php480)

Has VA0-B3 helps in blocking skin pigmentation and helps renew skin with Genactiv that interrupts melanin (skin pigmentation) cycles. Both are meant to reduce dark spots and discoloration and in 7 days.

Thoughts: I really like this. The consistency is kinda similar to dry oil and dries to a matte finish. It's very light on the face and leaves it as I said matte and also smooth.

Top 3 Ingredients : Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin and Water

Pond's Flawless White Re-Brightening Night Cream (50g / Php340)

Genactiv is the prominent selling point here again, which helps repair skin damage, and lightens and evens out dark spots.

Thoughts : It's very emollient, and significantly heavier compared to the Rose gel. The first time I used it I got a steroid-induced pea size amount and it was more than enough to cover my face and my neck generously.

Pond's Flawless White Dewy Rose Gel (50g / Php399)

Infused with Rose Lumiere serum made from Alpine rose extract which helps lock in moisture and reduce dullness.

Thoughts : Korean skincare and Neutrogena aren't new to the technology that is gel moisturizers and Pond's is the latest one to join their ranks with the introduction of their own gel-based moisturizer.

The second you open the jar, you're hit with the fragrance. It's light on the skin, absorbs quite easily, and again left my face silky smooth.

Top 3 ingredients : Water, Glycerin and Dimethicone. Ah that explains the smoothness.

Pond's Flawless White BB Cream (25g / Php299)

Has SPF 30 PA++ it's also enriched with Genactiv.

Thoughts : I haven't tried this yet, but from the reviews I've read the light one is pink-based and suitable for NW25 skin and lighter while the beige is suitable for NC35 skin and darker.

OVER-ALL

I love the tub designs on the Rose gel and Night cream. Yes, they're glass-bottomed and not ideal for travel but they do look very elegant on the dresser.

The serum and the Rose gel are my top bets for this line. The cleanser is nice and gentle too. BUT I broke out two days after I started with my new regimen. And the only things I changed are my cleanser, day and night moisturizer and serum. So I have a little investigating to do. I'm currently just using the cleanser and will try to add on the others slowly.

For a Php580 box, it's worth more than what you pay for. You do the math...

...seriously I can't be bothered, you do it.

Thank you to BDJ and Ponds for sending me this box with full-sized products (hello!) and giving me the opportunity try out your exclusive box this March.

xx,

PS. If you're iffy about Rose scents or fragrances in skincare in general, I don't think you'll like this. It's very very fragrant.

PPS. I'm bummed that dark morena or mulato skin isn't more celebrated in the beauty industry, especially the skincare department. It's a work in progress but giant industries like Pond's should use more dark-skinned models for their products other than their whitening line.

Not against whitening in general, to each their own. But do you get my drift? I do hope this helps in lightening my pimple marks and discoloration (I thought that sunblock was only for the beach/pool when I was young) Haha anobateh.

A.k.a the virtue of staying completely silent and letting the chance(s) go by. This reminds me of another movie I completely ADORE, My Best Friend's Wedding (now that's a must-watch).

I anticipated this movie ever since I saw the trailer last year and being a Lily Collins fan (albeit a very poor one) I had to see it despite the trite gist of the story. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago, I finally got the chance.

Synopsis :

Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn't possibly be right for one another... or could they? When it comes to love, life, and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.

Based on Cecelia Ahern's bestselling novel "Where Rainbows End", LOVE, ROSIE is a modern comedy-of-errors tale posing the ultimate question: Do we really only get one shot at true love?
Alone and armed with my pillow I pressed play. All I can say was all-throughout I was streaming waterfalls quietly. So like any self-assured, independent adult woman that I am, I watched it again, and once more with my sister.

There were a couple of things I didn't like/understand that made me annoyed. (Spoilers ahead matey)

Alex's first girlfriend

Well more specifically, the actress who played her- she wasn't very good. She was, in my opinion, lacking. It was ham-acting most of the time so it didn't feel natural. You know for a fact that she's acting.

Alex lets his best friend/soul-mate/love of his life/fire of his loins slip away

No Rosie. I want to go to the dance with you. It was that easy Alex. That easy.

She's basically saying kiss me stupid with her eyes and he just shuts his. Motherfcker.

He let her slip three times not twice as his letter to Rosie suggested, it was more than that definitely.

Katie

The little imp. After being pain-stakingly raised by single mum Rosie and showered with love and affection most of her life she turned-out to be quite the brat. I'm telling you at that age (or at any age for that matter) I would've gotten hell for shouting and throwing something at the direction of my parents.

The soundtrack was pretty good. I still give it to Begin Again, for the best soundtrack of 2014 in the same genre.

The casting was well done. Rosie's relationship with her dad was a nice touch - that killed me. But what kept the movie going was the two lead's chemistry- it was palpable. They were so beautiful and cute and perfect together that you can't help but cheer them on. It sort of reminded me of One Day and My Best Friend's Wedding combined.

All-in-all it was a pretty solid movie, it wasn't a definite must-see but it was cute. I got a lot of laughs (more from embarrassing situations), a lot of touching moments, the beautiful early morning moment with Alex and Rosie and a ton of OMG TELL HER/HIM already.

This wasn't much of a review but I don't want to give anything away more than I already have. I do recommend this if you want something uncomplicated, sweet, funny, cute and with a little heart.

What have you watched lately?

xx,
CJ

PS. I came to a possible conclusion as to why I was crying the first time, which I will not acknowledge here.
PPS. I haven't read the book, but I might One Day (if you want heartbreaking, seriously, watch this).

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?

Featured Post

LET’S BE FRIENDS

Popular Posts

FROM MANILA WITH LOVE

DON'T MISS A POST

TRANSLATE THIS SITE