Delightful Illusions

         Hey, guys! How are ya? I've doing great so far, and as always, I'm busy with work and personal things in my life. It's currently Summer here in the Philippines and it's so freeeaaaakkkkiiiiinnn hot. I can't wait for this season to be over because I always feel drained since this season started. You know, if you live near the equator, you always feel like you are being fried in a really big frying pan. Haha! Anyway, for  today's post I decided to share the makeup products I have hit pan on since my last post with the same topic. I have already made two posts in the past and if you want to read them, here's 2018 edition and the 2015 edition. 

         What is hit pan? If this is you first time encountering this, it is basically the silver pan you see at the bottom of a powder product after using it continuously. I have hit pan on a lot powder products in the past, way before I started blogging and during my college days. I remember finishing an entire eyeshadow because I loved the shade so much and I have bought a second one. Oh, those were the good old days! Last year, I have hit pan on 17 eyeshadows because I did the Project Pan Porn (see my updated on my makeup instragram). Most of the products you will see on this post will be the result of my Project Pan 2018. If you are curious and want to see what products I have hit pan, keep on reading. :)

          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! Welcome to my new post. Today, I will be showing you the makeup items I have bought for the past couple of months. One of the the challenges I am doing this year is the Project Makeup Low Buy which aims to control my impulsive shopping for makeup, invest on some good makeup brushes and save money. I am allowing myself to buy one makeup item per month, two products if there are sales going on. I am doing good so far, but I just can't that 1 product per month rule. It's just not working for me. Haha! I will not make this post long so I'll go ahead. If you are interested on products I hauled, just keep on reading. :)

March Items:

          Ever Bilena Advance Blush and Bronzer Duo (Golden Goddess). Lastly, I bought this blush and bronzer duo because people raves about this new products from Ever Bilena. This new additional products to the line came out around January and people were hauling them. This brand has stepped-up the game on their makeup; this brought so much excitement and joy to the people because another affordable makeup products with good quality has entered the market. After a couple months, I decided to jump into the bandwagon and try this particular product because this is the one that kept my interest the most. I have swatched the other duos the have and this is the one I liked (second from my first choice). My first choice was actually out of stock so I picked this one. I love how the bronzer is not overwhelming; I could definitely use this for contouring and get away with it without being noticed. It's matte, not powdery, super soft and glides into the skin smoothly. The blush is gorgeous as it gives a golden sheen on the cheeks; you don't need a highligther with this product. It's not powdery as well and not glittery at all. This duo is good for light-skinned people. Give this a try and you'll love it.

April Items:

          AVON Super Extend Extreme Mascara (Black Brown). I don't like this mascara at all! It's not super extending at all. It's just a regular mascara, in an expensive price. I paid Php 299 for this and I didn't get what I paid for. The wand is so weird; it's big and the brush is sparse. I don't think this applicator will give a extended look. Don't buy this. You'll get pissed. Boo! 

         Those are the products I bought in March and April. I know, I didn't follow my own rules. I'm sorry! But I did good in not spending too much money on makeup. Yay! If you want an in-depth review on any of these products, please let me know. I will gladly do it. I hope you enjoyed reading and learned something in this post. If you have any questions or suggestions, you are welcome to leave a comment. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you are having a great day. Stay safe. XOXO