in FOCUS: (and just FINISHED) vmv skin savvy 60 liquid foundation

so i just finished my first ever liquid foundation. it is VMV skin savvy 60 and i bought it early last year even before i got innerested in makeup. i actually got it as an alternative to vmv armada 60 cuz both of them has spf60 and i thought if armada is great, then this liquid foundation must be great too.

here's what it says on the vmv website:

Ultra-High Protection, Creamy Perfection, Liquid-Créme Foundation Skin Savvy 60 Ultra-High Protection, Creamy Perfection, Liquid-Créme Foundation Ultra-high protection and creamy perfection. This skin lightening, skin-caring coverage is Armada Face and Body Shield 60 in a perfect –finish foundation. Opaque, full-spectrum protection against indoor and outdoor UVA, UVB, Infrared, and Visible Light: SPF 60, High PFA, PFI, PFV. Helps prevent hyperpigmentations, photoageing and skin cancer. Regular use can help lighten hyperpigmentations and help enable overall skin to lighten naturally. Full-coverage liquid-créme masks blemishes and gives skin an up-close-touch-it-perfect finish. Light weight comfort. All Skin Types. Full Coverage. Validated Hypoallergenic: VH-27. SPF 60. 100% All-Types-of-Fragrance-Free. 100% Preservative Free. Usage and Patch-Tested. Non-Comedogenic. Net Content: 0.88 Oz. (25g) To Use: With bare fingers or a sponge, apply over face and neck as needed. Blend well. Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide – 6.9%, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid – 5%, Titanium Dioxide – 3.62%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane – 3%, 4-Methylbenzilidine Camphor – 1%. Other Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Laurate, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zirconium Dioxide, Iron Oxides. May Contain: Talc.

and here's what i say about vmv skinn savvy 60

coverage: perfect 10! it has full coverage and whenever i feel my undereyes have gotten too dark i only wear this and there's no need for a concealer. i may not have acne scars to hide but i think this shall be able to hide acneic skin as well.

finish: i give it 8 out of 10. it's because it gives inconsistent finish, depending on how my skin is and how the weather is. sometimes i get a dewy finish and i mostly get matte finish with this one. take note that im not crazy about face primers so im pretty sure it's my skin condition + the weather that's making it behave that way. i would prefer a liquid foundation to give me the finish i want (always matte or always dewy) so i can decide whether it will go with the look i want for the day.

staying power: oh oh oh! another perfect 10 for this category. i know there've been raves about revlon colorstay and i honestly cant compare vmv skin savvy 60 with it cuz i havent tried colorstay but im pretty confident about the staying power of this one. picture this: i put on the makeup 8am, went to the zoo with the kids, imagine the p.i.a. heat in manila, the stress of chasing after a toddler, checked my face 11am, makeup still good (and i havent used finishing powder or spray on my face). went to the mall for lunch and more games, imagine me playing at the inflatable playground w my toddler, checked my makeup, and only the area on my upper lip and nose looked a bit worn off. i just used my fingers to fix and :) 4pm at home from a very active day and makeup still good :D

sun protection: a perfect 10 again. it has spf60! and if you read what vmv said on the above quoted description, i wouldn't need to say anything more.

consistency: well, it is a bit hard to blend being thicker than your regular liquid foundation. so i give it an 8 out 10 points.

skin matching ability: another perfect 10! it has loads of shades to choose from (and im pearl) so all you gotta do is try it on IN PERSON to get your match.

hypoallergenicity: it is vmv HYPOALLERGENICS. what else but a perfect 10. it is rated vh-27, free of all 27 known (and sadly common to most cosmetics) allergens. fragrance-free. paraben-free. and for someone like me who gets allergic rhinitis from nasty scents or ingredients in cosmetics or even food (like right now!) it is important that a foundation is hypoallergenic.

availability: 10! it is available in sm department stores (who doesnt have an sm in their area?lol), i believe robinson's and landmark carries it as well and vmv has their own booth in alabang town centre and has their flagship store at bonifacio high street.

affordability: it can be relative. just in my opinion the price is good. i believe it cost me Php 1,660 (website price is 50usd). some would say it's expensive cause you get less than an ounce of the product, but imagine a sunblock and foundation in 1? i save on the sunblock when i wear it. perfect 10 in my opinion.

and there you have it. so happy about this review as i really am confident im giving you an honest and great advice about a product that i truly believe in.

p.s. skin savvy 60 is on sale right now on the website!

be glorious,
R

in FOCUS: jojoba oil as eye makeup remover (raccoon eyes and heavy eyes no more)

so i have purchased these essential oils a few weeks back and i initially intended to use the jojoba oil as a body oil as it promises to make the skin supple for even upto 24 hours after the application.
due to the p.i.a. heat in manila though i just feel too lazy to use oil for my whole body and just put on sunblock lotion whenever i go out.
of course the jojoba oil wont go to waste. as i read on the bottle, time travel products (where i purchased my jojoba oil) says it is THE BEST makeup remover. and so i thought my "almost best" is shu uemura cleansing oil premium a/i, cuz of its ability to takeoff my vmv skin savvy 60,-however i call shu uemura cleansing "almost best" for a reason-it failed to takeoff my diorshow mascara. so having found out jojoba oil can be a powerful eye makeup remover gave me hope. i made a mental note to try it asap.
the happy thing is: it didnt fail me. while shu uemura cleansing may be able to takeoff my eyeshadows and other such eyeliners, it makes my lids heavy and sleepy after using it (yea, even after rinsing thoroughly thoroughly..). jojoba oil didnt do that. it removed my eye makeup easily and while it might feel oilier than shu uemura cleansing oil, it didnt leave any residue on my eyes and didnt turned my lids heavy as well.
here are the photos so you can see for yourself.

used dollface and stila gel liners
missha oven blusher as highlighter

used about 5 drops of jojoba oil on the cotton and it easily removed the gel liners

see? nothing!

more deets:
also tried emu oil as eye makeup remover and contrary to most raves, it didnt work as great as jojoba oil. also tried jojoba oil as foundation remover and no it wasnt as effective as shu uemura cleansing oil. so this jojoba oil is really meant to be EYE MAKEUP REMOVER!

i hope my review had been of some help!

p.s. notice my lashes? rather thick but short :P bleh

these are my daughter's lashes. yes. im bragging :P and yes she got it from her papa!

be glorious,
R

in FOCUS: pantene 3-minute miracle treatment (younger hair!!!)

so i just recently acquired pantene 3-minute miracle treatment and i have used it once. got it for Php 299 (8 usd) for a box of 3 tubes from sm supermarket.

i must say i just got it randomly cuz i remember seeing it from a tv ad once. i thought to give it a try for my dry hair brought about by my most recent hair color and highlights. i did get loreal powerdose treatment from a salon recently, but i find that powerdose never really helped much when it comes to my damaged hair.

when i used pantene 3-minute miracle treatment, im honestly clueless whether to use it dry on its own or wet like a conditioner. never saw any detailed instructions on the box except to leave it on my hair for 3 minutes (isnt it obvious?) and to use it once a week (or as often as desired!?!) yea. another case of the manufacturer assuming their consumers will figure out how best to use their product. well, probably it's ok to use either way, i however prefer a personal, educated instructions and descriptions about the products i buy it makes me feel the sincerity of its manufacturer that they really want their product to help me, instead of me just to buy the product. (VMV hypoallergenics i love you). but with most products that you can get from your drugstores or the supermarket, you're on your own.

going back, i used pantene 3-minute miracle treatment wet just cuz i remembered to use it after i already put shampoo on my hair :P

i first squeezed (or squoze according to the sweet potato queens - love them!) the extra water from my hair after i rinsed my shampoo. then i applied pantene. it felt just like a regular conditioner.. plenty of conditioner since i used the whole tube for my shoulder-length hair (am i supposed to do that?) i must say, i dont fancy the hard plastic tube. i had to put a lot of effort in squeezing out all of the product so i dont waste any. halfway through the process, im thinking "omg! did i just used this much conditioner on my straight hair?" and felt a little remorse that maybe im just actually using an overpriced conditioner. started worrying too that it will make my hair limp and flat. anyways since there's just no going back, i rinsed it the usual manner and just made a mental note to check my hair when it dries.

busy the whole day and forgot to really take a close look at my hair until very late at night when i's doing my vmv regimen. i pleasantly noticed my hair looks kinda like it was 3 years ago and not until the following day did i realize it must be pantene's effect cuz it's looking like that consistently (yep until now, day 3! will any conditioner do that?) im bulleting now as we're on the real reason why you're still reading this entry:

good things about pantene 3-minute miracle:
- contrary to making my hair limp, it actually added volume to my hair. beautiful volume and not bushy at all like some other volumizing products would do! a happy happy thing for someone who's got very straight hair
- it really did moisturize my hair without making me feel icky because of oiliness. not as much as i'd like, but it's definitely here, 3 days after i treated
- it's 299 pesos for 3 tubes or about 100 pesos per treatment. that's 400 pesos a month against loreal's powerdose of about 1,000 pesos for a monthly treatment. and it's even better than loreal's powerdose too (in my case at least)
- you can do it at-home and it only takes 3-minutes
- easily available. who doesn't have an sm near their place?

it sucks though that:
- like i said you can't get much advice from the box or the tube
- hard to squeeze out the whole thing from its tube

and that's about it..why don't you give it a try girls! it's definitely something i'd buy again :)


be glorious,
R

expeRimented: dollface gel liners + my thoughts on eyeliners in general

what really got me innerested in makeup is seeing those beautiful eotd's from famous bloggers. in my opinion, their eye looks are much more beautiful than most celebrities would sport in the red carpet.

i wanted to be great at eye makeup as it is the best part of the face where talent can be shown without limits. and so after the basics of learning how to put on foundation properly, i immediately looked into eye makeups. been trying products very carefully.

i have delved into different eyeliners and sadly my lids just wont cooperate with pencils, no matter how they say this or that brand wont tug the lids, my lids still gets tugged by eyeliner pencils. i realize now that it may be my dry skin. when most people are having issues with oily skin, oily lids (oil mine as they call it), my skin is dry dry dry. tried liquid eyeliners also but the problem with liquid eyeliners is the applicators that come with it. the brands i've tried have useless applicators that just gets me frustrated. either it gives very thick lines, or the brush is too flimsy you get liner formula all over your lids. and the liquid eyeliner bottles wont let you use other brushes too as only the useless brushes that came with it fits the opening.

glad that people like me have another option when pencils and liquids wont work! there's gel eyeliners!

i dont buy cosmetics without researching about it as much as i can, my readers know that as i keep reiterating it in my in FOCUS entries.

for gel liners there are such brands as mac fluidline ("great but with a hefty pricetag"), bobbi brown long wear gel liners (more expensive than mac's yea?) indelible gel liners (that most mineral makeup companies carry but is sadly not readily available in manila), stila smudgepot (read SMUDGEpot), and the coastal scents gel liners :)

i have read numerous reviews about coastal scents gel liners and the claims that it's as good as mac's fluidline but with a reasonable price. so for the longest time i've been wanting to get my hands on those babies. coastal scents dont have a store here but they do ship to manila (at a ridiculously high price compared to other brands), so when i stumbled upon a local blogger's opinion that the gel liners that dollface cosmetics carry is just really of the same formula as coastal scents', haha! i went right on and contacted pearl of dollface to order.

and that's how i came about my first gel liners!

here below is a photo of the shades i picked:

black is a matte black like i want it to be. it is extremely pigmented and applies smoothly too.
light blue is really more of a royal blue to me. smooth application with it too. the finish is matte. it is a lovely color.
turqouise really got me excited when i saw it from the website but im disappointed to find out it's shimmery, therefore making it less pigmented than the other two shades. to get the color you see from the bottle(which is very beautiful), you have to swipe the gel thickly onto your lids or lower lashline. nevertheless, i know its shimmers will come handy someday. meanwhile let me enjoy its color :)



i have been using these gel liners any chance i can get and with only these 3 colors im extremely happy to discover a lot of beautiful looks that i will be posting time to time.

for now, im sharing with you an experiment i did on my dollface cosmetics gel liners.



on the above is a collage of photos i've taken of my eyes.

the first and second photos showed my lids wearing dollface gel liners. i line my upper lash line with BLACK, then applied BLUE right above the black line. i applied it around 5pm.

i decided to sleep (or i's really too lazy to remove the liner as i's too sleepy) with the liners on.

on the third photo, you can see my lids show some hint of the blue and black lines. that photo was taken 5am the following day. i checked my pillow and my hands to see if the gel transferred there but my hands, pillows and bed clearly dont have any trace of the gel. im thinking the gel got dissolved by the oil from my skin.

lastly, when i finally decided to wash off the liners, you can see that the remaining gel didnt smudge nor did it give me racoon eyes.

the photos speak for themselves.

more facts on this experiment:
i used charm eyeliner brush for the black (great!)
i used etude house eyeliner brush for the blue (looked great but after one wash it's suddenly a bit flimsy)
i didn't use any lid primer
i used shu uemura cleansing oil to washoff the gel

and there you have it.

after this experiment, i know i made a great great great purchase.

now if only i have better eyeliner brushes.. anyone can make a suggestion?

p.s. you can also look forward on my in focus entry about these gel liners too.


be glorious,
R

lipsticks in FOCUS: maybelline color sensational, maybelline mineral power, styli-style l3 timeless

i have recently posted some lipstick acquisitions and im sharing with you lipstick swatches and reviews today.

im talking about styli-style timeless lipstick, maybelline color sensational and maybelline mineral power lipstick

for reference, above is my bare lips..

and here's my lips with styli-style l3 timeless lipstick..

i have previously called this particular shade "fuschia pink", but to be more precise, they call it UNITY

bulleted details about it:
the shade is much much sharper in person than my camera was able to capture
it is non-drying
it smudges
color pay-off is good but staying power is not, like i said, it smudges
no i won't get another shade thank you very much..


moving on..

above is my lips with maybelline color sensational in pink petal
thanks to our good sister donna's timely review.. i's actually on the hunt for a pink lippie and found out how good maybelline color sensational is so i immediately bought this one in ebay..

here are the bulleted details on maybelline color sensational:
the shade i picked (pink petal) is an mlbb, you can see that it has a satin finish too
yes it is non drying
it doesnt smudge too
color pay-off is wonderful
staying power is good (when applied alone) and i bet it will stay better with a good base
doesn't transfer much when you drink or eat something while wearing the lipstick
YES im definitely looking to buy more shades!

and lastly..

you can see my lips wearing maybelline mineral power lipstick

this shade is called PINK PEARL and you can see a bit of a frost in the shade of pink that almost copied the shade of my pale lips..before i purchased this i researched about it via total beauty reviews (like i normally do with before i purchase beauty stuff) and it says that it's great for a lipstick newbie (which i totally am), i knew too that it has a poor staying power..

so here are bulleted points about it:
yes, like they all said in total beauty, STAYING POWER IS BAD
the shade is very natural with a bit of a frost
it is poorly pigmented, you gotta build it up baby
moisturizing
it smudges a bit
no, i won't repurchase other shades.. i maybe a lipstick newbie but im quickly getting a grip of how lippies should be

and there you have it.. hope this review helps..

and if you got some color sensational lippies of different shades there, please do share it to us!

thank you

be glorious,
R

in FOCUS: etude house plumping lip tint in red

i recently got myself an ETUDE HOUSE PLUMPING LIP TINT IN RED and im sharing with you a review (and some lip porn too) of the product.

above is a photograph of my bare lips for reference

and below here are photos of my lips wearing the product

you may click on the photo to zoom in. it shows my lips just right after i applied the plumping lip tint upto the 5th minute after i applied it

on the above photo im showing my lips in different angles wearing the etude house plumping lip tint in red..yes it says red but you cant see red in there can you? more of a wonderful shade of pink that can totally flatter any lips..
i've been using it almost daily since i got it and..here's what i reckon:

plus points are:
the shade aint off..even if at first you'll be surprised(hey i bought red, and it is red from the bottle but why isnt my lips red? but hey! looks good! it IS great!)
it actually moisturized my lips without making it icky sticky, can work as a great base for drying lippies
it can convert your matte lipstick into a satin-finished lippie, just like it did on my nyx round lipstick in snow white (or maybe just add shine to your lippies without the frost or shimmers)

but too bad that it:
didnt really plump my lips..i dont know with you people but that's what i see.. you be the judge cuz the reason why i took that much pictures is for all of us to see if it did really plump my lips or not..did it? or did it not? (not that my lips are too thin, i just wanted a little bit of help of course.. DO YOU THINK MY LIPS ARE TOO THIN??)
it did give a tiny bit of sting that can be expected from lip plumping products (the sting is comparable to when you eat mentos..yes that's about it) and may give an appearance of plumping action cuz it made your lips shiny, but to me i dont see real plumping action :)

so my overall take on the etude house plumping lip tint:
i still love it even if it's more of a lipstick base than a lip plumper. i think it will be a staple lip treat for me.

i hope my review helped you decide whether to get this product or not..

oh and by the way i also checked the pink variety of the plumping lip tint and it's a pale pink. if you're into pale pinks maybe you can try it and share a review to us?

be glorious,
R