Delightful Illusions

           Last Monday, as I walked inside Watson's, I saw that the Ever Bilena counter is having a 50% discount on all of the Kris collaboration makeup products. I didn't give any attention on this collection since most celebrity makeup/collaborations are just "blah". I was even surprised that Kris Aquino had collaborated with an affordable local brand like Ever Bilena since we all know she one of the bougiest sassy queens who have ever walked on this planet (that's a fact :)). I wonder if she really does use Ever Bilena products, especially before she collaborated with them? Hey, don't get me wrong. I love Kris, and she is the only maarte person that I can tolerate. I was just genuinely surprised that she did a project with Ever Bilena. :)

          As I was saying, I stumbled upon the EB counter and saw that the Kris collection is having a 50% off on all of the makeup products. I was curious so I swatched some of the lip liners and liquid lipsticks, and all of them are reds or has a red tone. I don't wear red lipsticks because I though that they are too much for work and I just didn't like the look of them on me. 

          I decided to buy three makeup items from the collection since I wasn't really interested with the brown pencil and powder (foundation?). The shade that really caught my eye from the liquid lipsticks was "Lucky" since it looks wearable for day to day and I thought that it would look nude on my lips. Since they are on sale, I also grabbed the lip liner of the same shade to pair it with the liquid lipstick. I also thought that the packaging of this collection is cute; cursive font for her name, little cute hearts on the boxes, and the packaging was made of nice quality material. 

          Lucky is a mauve muted red shade that I find really flattering on my skintone. I really thought  that this shade will be on the nude side since it looks muted. Since Kris red loves red lipsticks, I thought that this wasn't a surprise at all and just went with flow. The lip liner is matte, is packaged in a retractable container, and doesn't glide that smoothly. Yes, it's matte but it has a thick consistency and you really need to drag it in order for it to move around the lips. This doesn't have a strong smell, is really pigmented, and works well with the liquid lipstick. This lip liners retails for Php 195, and is currently on sale for Php 97.50

          The liquid lipstick has a smooth and mousse-like texture which I really, really adore. The formula of this lipstick sits really well with the lip liner and that both of them last really long, even when I eat. This just need a quick touch-up and I am good to go every time. To be honest, this is my favorite matte liquid lipstick formula and I hope that someday they would extend the shade range. This doesn't feel drying at all and is comfortable all throughout the day. I prefer this over the Vice Cosmetics' liquid lipstick (see my review here) because that one is drying and feels uncomfortable on the lips. This retails for Php 225 and is currently on sale for Php 125.

          I love that this formula is smooth, blendable and subtle. I know that this product claims to be opaque in one swipe, but with the shade, it isn't. It take me 2 applications in order for this to be visible on my skin. That doesn't turn me off since I love subtle and buildable cheek products rather than spot-on pigmented. I love to control the amount of products I put on my cheeks since I don't want to look like someboday has just slapped me. Haha! 

          I haven't seen the other blush shades from this collection so I don't have any idea if the shade range will suit all the skin tones. Since Kris has this pale icy white skin, I assume that most of the products from this collection was designed to suit perfectly well with her skin tone. If you love subtle pink blush, this one is perfect for you. :)

          Ever Bilena is a local brand that sells makeup products for affordable price range. It's one of those brands that I bought first when I started wearing makeup (way back in college) and I remember that they don't have a lot of products compared now. I'm happy to see that they continuously stepping up their game and joining the bandwagon of on-trend makeup products. One thing I love about them is that they are also collaborating with celebrities like Kris Aquino but also stay on the attainable price range. Good job, EB!

        A few weeks ago, I saw from a Youtube content creator Kenny Malalad (Filipino Beauty Vlogger) a review on the new EB Pro Cheek Set Palette. I learned from him that this product, and the other products from this line, are exclusive for Robinsons Department Stores and Lazada. Anyway, I was really curious upon seeing the palette from the review and I bought it when I passed by the mentioned mall. I'm amazed that this only Php 189 and even cheaper than the blush/bronzer duo they have from another line. 

The Claims:

My initial impressions:

         Upon swatching this unto my wrist, I'm kinda underwhelmed. I thought that these were supposed to be intensely pigmented and are versatile to all skin tones. They are looked subtle on the swatch and highly doubted that they could cater all skin tones. The product themselves are powdery and I barely saw pigment. 

          To be honest, I wasn't expecting a blinding highlight considering the price but this is barely a highlight. This actually a sheen - a sheen that is most probably will look nice on fair and light skin tones. I suspect that this highlight will not compliment on darker skin tones since it will look like a white streak on the cheek bones instead of highlight. 

          The blush from this palette seems to be disappointing as well; it looks lighter on skin and isn't that "intensely pigmented" at all. At the pan, it looked like neutral, muted pink that will look good on most skin tones. The truth is, it isn't. It looks like a light pink flush on my cheeks. I need to re-apple twice in order for the product to show up. Again, I highly doubt this will be visible on darker skin tone. 

          The contour is my favorite part of the palette! I love that this has neutral undertone yet still compliments my light skin tone with warm undertone. This shade kinda reminds me of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer; it is neutral and looks good on all skin tones. I know this is supposed to be contour but this is also good as a bronzer. As you can see from the picture, I've already made a large dent.

           As you can see from the pictures, the products are barely visible on my skin. The highlight looks like a healthy sheen, the blush looks like a pink flush and the contour looks so natural. I love how these products look on my skin but they are almost total opposites to what they claim. I know I should be considerate with the price, but the claims drag this palette down. I'm grateful to Ever Bilena that they created affordable products but this just doesn't do what it claims.

    

          My heart is torn between this product because I like on my skin, but I cannot recommend it on everybody. I love that this is easy to use and it aims to help people to look professionally done because we barely see that on the local market. If they could expand their shade range, that would be great. I apologize for being brutal in the middle of the rave, but this just doesn't work for everybody. 

         Hey, guys! I'm back with another review on a makeup palette that I picked up 3 weeks ago. As I was strolling my a local Robinsons Mall, I stumbled upon this MAX & MORE Burgundy Palette. I was shocked when I found out that this a European brand, though it is made in China (like most of our palettes). The thing that shocked me the most is the price, it's only Php 199!

        This palette contains 6 eyeshadows (all shimmer), 1 face highlighter, 1 blush (satin) and 1 bronzer (with gold glitters). That is a total of 9 products for Php 199! Wow! 

         I immediately bought this palette because I wanted to try and see if this affordable works. The packaging feels sturdy for its price and you get decent-sized products. The layout of this kinda reminds of the the Revolution Euphoria Eyeshades & Contouring Palette, except that it has mirror on the lid. I haven't tried bringing this palette to a trip but I can think that it can fit medium-sized makeup bags.

         If I'm being honest, the eyeshadows seem to be disappointing. I know I shouldn't be expecting anything amazing since this a really cheap palette, but I have used some palette with the same price but has nicer quality than this. Anyway, as you can see from the swatches, the eyeshadow are kinda sheer and look identical with one another. This sucks because I need at least 2 matte shadows to create a nice eye look.  A thing I also notice about this palette is that it doesn't contain a legit burgundy shade, which is funny since this palette is called "Burgundy Palette". This palette could've mixed the 2nd and 3rd shadow to create a baby pink lid shade and included a matte (instead of shimmer) burgundy shade to deepen the look. 

         The face products give me the opposite feeling and I love all of them. The bronzer is buildable, blendable, doesn't look muddy on the face and glitters are so fine it isn't visible. The blush gives a bright pink flush and it has a satin finish. The highlighter looks nice and give a nice glow even though it looks thick and textured on the swatch.

         The pictures on top and bottom show how the face products look together on my skin. What do you think, guys? I really love this products since they feel like they melt into my skin and that I don't have to worry about looking overdone. 

         I tried using the 5th and 6th eyeshadow to make a smokey burgundy eyes but it looked not so pigmented and muddy. I used a shadow stick to darken the dark brown eyeshadow because it isn't dark enough. 

          These eyeshadows aren't working nicely at all and and takes time to build up. How I wish they made a separate palette for the blush, bronzer and highlighter since I don't mind paying Php 199 for it. I understand that this palette intends to be an all-in-one product, it's just that the eyeshadows suck. I apologize for the term but these shadow really just don't do anything. :)

        Overall, I think this palette is worth the price that I paid for. I know I don't like the shadows but the face products are really worth paying for. I know the shades on this palette won't really suit our friends with darker skin and so won't say that I recommend this for everybody. If you have similar skin tone like mine and would like to try this palette, go ahead and try this palette. 

        That's my overall thoughts about this palette and I hope I have covered everything I wanted to say about this palette. I recently bought a lot of makeup products to try and review and hoping to post them as soon as I can. If you have tried this product and have a different opinion about this palette, please enlighten us by leaving a comment. Thank you so much for stopping by and I will be back soon. Have a nice day! XOXO

Hi! It's a cold, stormy Friday here in the Philippines today and I thought it would be the perfect time to write a blog post. I was supposed to blog about my current product empties but I wasn't in the mood to do that. Then, I browsed some blog posts on Google and I found this tag that has been going around on the beauty blogs and videos for a while named The Blush Tag (from BLOGHER). This tag is so interesting and seems fun to about blushes so I gave it a shot.

Makeup products are my favorite things since I was in College and started collecting on my 2nd year. I have accumulated a lot of stuff but I also got rid of so many. I have always kept my collection on a minimum number because I don't need 20 blushed at the same time. Currently, I have 13 blushes on my stash and I think that would be enough to do this tag. If you are interested on the blushes that I will be showing, just keep on reading. :)

I have to say, this Revlon A Floral Affair Blush in Pinking Of You has the best packaging for blushes. They don't look that much cute or pretty in terms of graphics, but it's so sturdy and survived for 7 years that I have this. It's sleek, fits on any of my makeup bags and is great for travelling. Why is it good for travelling? The packaging doesn't break! This has a strong and stable packaging for drugstore item. A big thumbs up! 

*This was a limited edition but you can still get this on Amazon. Just click the link. :)

PRETTIEST COLOR

The blush on the San San Da Red Collection Face Palette in Flaunt To Impress has a pretty semi-metallic bubblegum pink shade. It glides on smoothly to the skin and blendable as well. I bought this in 2010 and I'm sure that you cannot get this anymore because it's limited edition as well. As far as I remember, I didn't use this much because this is too much for school. It makes my cheeks pop. Haha! :)

MOST PIGMENTED

This e.l.f. Studio Blush in Tickled Pink looks nothing on the pan. Just apply this to your cheeks, blend it, and boom! It looks beautiful! I didn't liked this that much when I bought this (almost 6 years ago) and didn't care that to use over the past years. I pulled this out this year out of my stash because I included this in a project that I currently have. I rediscovered this product and as I use it everyday, I begin to appreciate this blush. It's one those blushes that you didn't like at first, but the more you use it, the more you like it. I love how this can go subtle and be buildable at the same time. This particular shade is perfect for everyday because it goes with any look that I use. :)

PARTY BLUSH

Party blush?? What do they mean by that? A blush that's perfect party? A blush that looks like a party? I'm not really sure. Haha! Anyways, I chose this EB Advance Blush Duo in Golden Goddess as my party blush (the pink one). My camera didn't do justice on how amazing this blush is; it's this fruit punch pink with gold undertones and has gold micro-glitters that is so reflective on the cheeks. The quality of the blush is great; it's pigmented, finely-milled, glides on smoothly, and just gorgeous in general. I think that this is kind of similar to NARS Orgasm Blush, just more pink than coral. This blush will be perfect for parties because it screams "PARTY!!" itself. You'll feel indeed like a goddess when wearing this blush.

REGRET PURCHASING

This blush from elf, from a palette which isn't being sold anymore, is by far the worst. This looks like an ordinary pink blush from the drugstore. But, this isn't a blush at all. As you can see from the swatch below, it doesn't have a decent pigmentation to be called a blush. It's so chalky and powdery; it fades into a a glitter dump once blended on the skin. This wouldn't even work as a highlight. It sucks! I don't even use this and wouldn't bother it until I decide to throw it away one day. 

LEAST USED 

This blush included in the The Balm Autobalm California Face Palette is my least used because I don't want to wear it down yet. The Balm Cosmetics is expensive here in the Philippines, and this baby isn't gonna be used just yet. It's a nice natural looking blush that is good for everyday flush of color on the cheeks. I just don't want to use it yet. Haha! :)

MOST USED/BLUSHES YOU DON'T WANT TO LET GO OF

The Nichido True Colors Collection Blush in Cool Rum is most used blush in my stash. It's great for warming the face, contouring, and just a warm mid-tone blush for everyday use. It is evident in this photo that I love it so much it's half-way gone. I'm so in love with this color! 💖👌

FAVORITE BLUSH BRAND

The Nichido True Colors Collection Blushes, of course. They're affordable, it's only Php 88 each. They have a great color pay-off and an array of color selection which suits Filipina skin. For a start, buy this blush trio which contains a peach, warm mid-tone coral, and blushing pink blushes. I forgot the exact price but I'm pretty sure that they don't exceed from Php 300.

GREATEST BLUSH DISCOVERY

This blush duo is my greatest discovery just yet. I didn't imagine that a drugstore brand from the local market could produce such good quality products that costs only Php 220. I recommend buying one of these. You won't regret.

MOST PRACTICAL

The San San Age Defense Blush in Peach Glow is the most practical in my collection. It does give a natural peach glow in your face, has age defense ingredients, protects the skin from the harmful rays of the sun, and nourishes the skin with Vitamins A,C, and E. It's a makeup that beautifies and takes care of the skin. So practical!

LEAST PRACTICAL

None. I don't have any.

MOST EXPENSIVE

It's also the Revlon blush I have talked about earlier. I forgot the exact price, but I paid for Php 700 or above for the blush. 

LEAST EXPENSIVE

The same San San blush I mentioned above is my least expensive blush. It only costs Php 125, sold exclusively at HBC stores. What are you waiting for? Go and grab one! 

This tag is so fun. I enjoyed going through my collection and swatching the blushes. I rediscovered things and I want to use some of these in next days. I tag all of you to this because blushes are too beautiful not be to be talked about and shared. I hoped you liked this post and do this as well. Please leave your post's link or video link on the comments area if you have done this tag too. I'll read them. Thank you so much for dropping by and read this blog. I hope you are all having a great day. I'll talk to you soon. Stay safe. 💕