Delightful Illusions

         San San is a local makeup brand that seems to be doesn't getting enough love and attention from most Filipino makeup bloggers. I rarely see people from my country talking about this brand's makeup products. Why? I've been using their products since I was in college and I think that they have nice products which are affordable and have nice quality into them. 

         A couple of months ago, I came across the HBC Branch I always visit and I thought of grabbing some San San stuff since I have not bought from them for a while. One of the products I bought is this Peach Blush from the Age Defense Line. You can tell this line apart from others by its metallic royal blue packaging which looks so majestic. Haha! 😁 Anyways, I was curious to try this because it has that matte finish which I'm currently into. If you want to know my thoughts about this blush, just keep on reading. 😄

INGREDIENTS

I have researched from different sites about the ingredients and these are the things I found out:

PACKAGING

          The blush is stored in a circular plastic container that resembles the MAC Blush packaging. Honestly, I really love the cover because blue is my all time favorite color. I hope this won't face because I feel like it's just an over-spray. 

          The bottom part of the packaging is actually covered in white. There's a hidden compartment below the blush's pan; it stores a mirror and a small brush for application. 

          I love this idea since this would be great for travelling. It may be bulky, but it is practical since there's already a mirror that is nice for retouching. The packaging is quite sturdy and would fit into a small makeup pouch.

APPLICATOR

          I don't like the brush that comes with this blush. The bristles are so rough and aren't picking up much product. I don't know if I'm gonna toss this or keep it on its compartment. Haha! 

PRODUCT

         The product itself was pressed in like a dome-shaped form. It has matte finish, blends smoothly on the skin, subtle color, and quite buildable. 

          The formula is chalky, there's no way denying that. It seems pigmented on the pan; it's actually sheer when you swatch it on your hand. The blush color isn't that versatile as this would probably suit on fair to light skin tones. How about medium to dark? I don't think it won't show up. 

          It blends into a sheer peach shade. This blush powder takes some work in order to build a nice flush on the cheeks. When applied on the skin, it looks muted and seems natural. 

          For longevity, it stays 2-3 hours when applied with a synthetic brush in a stippling method. I found out that if you apply this in swiping motion, the color doesn't show up much. Such a bummer, right?

HOW DOES IT LOOK ON MY SKIN?

          It gives me a natural-looking peachy flush. I think this is great if with my dark eyes and bright lips; it balanced my makeup look, keeping my face neutral when other parts are dramatic. In case you are wondering, I wore this look on my birthday. I have talked about this makeup look on my Turning 24 blog post. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS

          I love this blush! I know it isn't the greatest, most amazing blush in the local drugstore, but this is the one reaching for the most almost everytime I do my makeup. The matte finish is amazing and is surprisingly not powdery on the skin. I prefer matte blushes over anything so this product is perfect for me. The most amazing thing about this product? I has SPF 15! Oh my goodness! How many blushes have SPF on them? I rarely see one. Haha! Plus, this contains skin nourishing ingredients which makes me love this product even more. This is worth my Php 125! :)

          How do you find this new format of review? Please bear with me because this is the first time I have reviewed with this format. I know this is not so put together but it'll get better in time. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any thoughts, requests, or suggestions, please leave a comment down below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and visit this blog. I'll be back with a more interesting post next time. I'll talk to you soon. Have a great day. Stay safe. XOXO

          Hi! Today, I'll be doing a First Impressions Review this Peel-Off Mask from Beauty Fix. I was browsing some beauty products at Watsons last Tuesday and I passed by the face masks shelf. Na curious ako sa mask na 'to kasi mura lang at perfect for testing out kasi nasa sachet lang. Nabili ko 'to for 22 Pesos. Sobrang mura, diba? I picked the one for oily skin, though the products says it's suitable for all skin types. 

          This product claims to control oil, detoxify, remove dead skin, clear up deep-seated dirt, and other impurities. Weh, di nga? Sa 22 Pesos ko magagawa lahat ng yun? Haha! The ingredients are good as swll kasi walang kahit anong "Paraben" na nilagay sa skin care product na 'to. Yehey! :)

          Today, I decided to give this beauty mask a try and make a first impressions review. As you can see on the photo, kaliligo ko lang. The only thing I did to my face is wash it with a carrot soap. I really wanna see kung gaano ka effective 'tong magtanggal ng blemishes, especially yung blackheads. Nakikita niyo naman madamin akong blemishes. Yuck! 

          On a closer look, you can see my pores, scars, blackheads, pimple scars, and other not-so-good stuff. My skin doesn't look dull, but it doesn't look so healthy either. Mahirip talaga pag oily yung skin mo, pa balik-balik lang yung mga blemishes sa mukha. 

          It was stated on the instruction to cleanse the face with a warm water. Since tinamad na ako pumunta sa kusina ang mag init ng tubig sa takore, nag init na lang ako ng tubig sa microwave. Ninja moves lang, wala kasi si mama. Hindi ako mapapagalitan. Haha! 

          The products comes off as black; the ones that just look like the charcoal face masks. It does have that typical, ordinary peel-off mask smell which is stronger than the others. Anyways, I'm not really bothered by the smell. Nawawala naman siya once nag apply ka na sa face. 

          I used half of the sachet because I didn't want the product to be too thick on my face. I concentrated on areas where I desperately need to remove blackheads; I focused on the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead. Please don't mind that blank line on my forehead, may sama na buhok sa product kaya nung hinila ko nagkaroon ng line. Haha! By the way, use headbands and hair ties or hair cap when using masks to avoid getting your hair on the product. I learned my lesson. :)

          Oh my, I applied the mask unevenly! I should've used the whole sachet. I should have. Sobrang uneven! Haha!

          It dries into a matte finish once it dries; I waited for like 30 minutes for this to be totally dry. Naramdam ko yung tightness sa skin, hindi nga ako makanguya mabuti ng Pringles eh. Haha! I removed the mask gently upwards. The process of removing the mask was painful and I can definitely feel that my facial hair was being peeled off my skin. Yikes! 

          This is what my skin looks like after peeling off the mask and washing my face with warm water. I noticed that my skin got radiant and smooth. My skin feels so soft and fresh. Bigla akong nagkaroon ng "pinkish glow".

          Here's a selfie after trying the mask for the first time. Please don't mind the background. Lalo na yung washing machine! Haha! :D

          As you can see in this picture, the mask remove a large blackhead and some facial hair. Sorry, kadiri tingnan. :)

          At yung mga iba pang blackheads na natanggal. If my guess is right, this is part was from my nose. Sa ilong ako may madaming blackheads eh. If I have used the whole sachet, maybe the mask would pull-off more blackheads. 

Highlights:

          Hey, guys! How are you? I've got  pretty much long vacation from work starting todqy until Sunday because we are celebrating the Holy Week. It's spiritual practice of Roman Catholics, and other religions who believe in this season , where we observe fasting and abstinence. You might see posts from this blog more often now; I have already finished my subjects for my master's degree and I have just to take my Comprehensive Exam in August in order to proceed to my thesis. This is such a relief for me, guys. I have been working so hard for the last three years; having a work on weekdays and going to school on Saturdays was so hard I almost gave up. Anyways, I will sharing with you a nail art that I have came up with last month. February is the season of proms in the Philippines; I was supposed to post last month but I wasn't able to. If you are interested on how I achieved this design, just keep on reading.

          I was inspired by the Bobbie Royal Caviar Collection in Gorgeous Princess. It was a nail set with a shimmery black nail polish with multi-colored caviar pearls. I believe these came out way back in 2014 and I'm not sure if you can still get them on the market. I was curious as to why a princess would wear a black nail polish? Typically, princesses are loaded with pink and purple clothes and other things, right? How could this set represent a "gorgeous princess"?  A princess in black sounds so gothic. Haha! ☺ I thought that this set was perfect for a masquerade-themed party; I just have to add some jewels and decorations to make it look more alluring. I have decided to mimic a crown for this design.

          Clean nails are happy nails. Clean your nails first before heading to a nail art session. Put some glue around your nails, making sure not touch the nail itself. This will ruin your nail design once you remove the glue on the later part. Why should we put glue? So that it will be easier to clean the mess after you're done putting your nail polish. Let it dry for a while so it won't mix with the nail polish.

You will be needing these items for the design:

          This is the closer look of the caviar pearls. A combination of blue, green and pink pearls is kinda cute, eh? 😉

To achieve the nail design, follow these simple steps:

          This is the nail design I came up with. What do you think of this? If you'll remake this, please tag me on Instagram so I could see your creation. It looks hard to do, but it's super easy. It doesn't a professional skill to do this design. Just choose the right items and you'll end into something amazing. 😃

          If you enjoyed this tutorial, share this post to others. Please let me know your thoughts, requests, and suggestions by leaving a comment down below. I hope you liked this nail art. Thank you so much for stoppig by and reading this post. I will talk to you again. Have a nice day. Stay safe. ❤❤

          Careline is a local beauty brand selling makeup items, colognes and some other related products which targets the teenage girls. I think the philosophy of this brand to provide fresh looking makeup for the young ones. I appreciate the brand for its simplicity; a simple makeup look is what a teenager needs. ;) 

              I'm currently doing a challenge, the Project Makeup Low Buy 2016, which aims to minimize my accumulation of makeup products for 2016 as I have been uncontrollable last year. I am allowing myself to buy a maximum of 2 makeup items per month and do a review on them. :) Last Monday, as I was roaming around at the grocery, I browsed on the makeup displays that they have. I came across this Careline Oil Control Liquid Make-up which pretty much look like a liquid foundation. The main reason I bought this was because it claims to be "oil-control" makeup; I have an oily skin and need of light foundation for everyday use so I got this. I have actually saved this one for a "First Impressions" review type of post because I wanted to share with you what will be my experience in trying this product for the first time. If you are interested, just keep on reading. :)

          We should actually see what composes this products before I tell you my experience. Looking above, you could tell that this has Dimethicone, Talc, and Parabens; harsh chemicals that causes harm on the skin and health in general which could be found on most makeup products. Uh uh, that's not good, especially for teens. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

          Now, let's see what this product claims. It claims to be absorbing excess oil all through the day and has a light weight texture. That sounds good, right? A light weight makeup that absorbs oil; a 2-in1 product for only Php 90! Have you noticed that little opened jar which has 24M on it? That indicates how long this product will stay fresh after you have opened it. 24 months isn't bad at all, eh?

          The nicest thing about this product is the tube packaging with cupcake decorations on the outside. This is one of the most hygienic and neatest type of packaging on my opinion. 

          I attended my class at the Graduate School today and I decided to try this product today. I have applied this product alone on my face because I wanted to see if this will really absorb the oil all through out the day even without setting it with a powder. The smell is okay though; it has that kind of light sweet vanilla scent. 

          6:50 AM: I have just finished applying makeup on my face. I still have to eat so I don't have lipstick on these first two pictures yet. We can see here that this just barely covered my under eye dark circles and pores. I didn't set this with a powder, as I have a while ago, and it has a little bit of moisture going on my face which I didn't like at all. It made me feel uncomfortable.

            10:25 AM: I was already back at home because my professor just updated us with the changes on her course requirements. I think I only stayed on the school for like an hour. Haha! Anyways, I have taken another selfie when I got home. You can see some shine peeking through, including those blemishes. My face felt so greasy again. I mean, I have only touched up almost two hours ago and here comes the uncomfortable feeling again. I washed my face after I took this picture because I didn't want this on my face anymore. 

               That was my experience on the first try of this product. I cannot tell yet if this isn't worth the money or not; I still need to use this a few times more before I can give you my verdict. I can tell you pros and cons though;

PROS:

          Hey, loves! How are you doing? Today, I want to share with you the stuff that I have loved in January. As you have noticed, I haven't done a monthly favorites in a long time. I cannot even remember when was the last time I did something like this. I will talk about products that you have never seen on this blog before, which is really exciting for me. This post does not only features beauty products; including health product, beauty tools and hygiene product. If you are interested on my favorites the previous month, just keep on reading. ☺

          Golden Spoon Banaba Herbal Tea Health Drink (Trial Pack) - Banaba is known to help in loosing weight here in the Philippines. My aunt and cousins drink Banaba Tea on a regular basis and I have seen some improvements on their bodies since the last time I saw. Since we don't have a Banaba tree, I have bought this tea at Robinson's Supermarket to try; to see if this has the same effect on me. I have to say that I whenever I drink this tea, my stomach feels light. I prefer this than the Senna Tea, which gives me an excruciating pain (just exaggerating) before I dispose my waste. Haha! If you are trying to loose weight, I recommend Banaba Tea as an alternative. :) 

          Penshoppe Fairy Dust Pink Dream Body Spray (70 mL) - This is one of the fragrances that seem like to smell really, really sweet because it's pink (I'm so biased), but isn't that sweet. Do you get me, guys? Haha! This smell belongs to the floral family; soft floral with sparkling sensation which results to a powdery scent when it settles on the skin. I think that this scent kind of belongs to the family where the Chanel No. 5 belongs. I love this because it gives me that fresh, baby powder scent that isn't overwhelming. How I wish Penshoppe would make a perfume version of this one. I will the happiest person in whole wide world. Haha! :)

          pH Care Naturals Intimate Wash with Guava Leaf Extract - This is just your basic daily feminine wash. The main reason why is it here on this list is because of the fresh smell of the products. The smell seems refreshing and light. I have used this during my period and I stayed feeling fresh. Okay, enough said. I don't want to expand. Haha!

         GT Carrot Lotion with SPF 60 - This product claims to be whitening, moisturizing, body concealer and sunblock, like a 4 IN 1 product. I have used this since December and I have to say that it does what it claims. I love that this evens my skin tone, feels light weight, gives a smooth feeling on my skin, and has a high level of SPF. I get compliments on my skin every time I use this. People have been asking what soap I use, and I tell them that I just use a lotion. Haha! When you use this product, just make sure that you blend this very well in order not to leave white splotches on your skin. :)

          Ever Bilena Matte Eyeshadow Trios in Tango - Honestly speaking, I didn't think that Ever Bilena will make good quality eye shadows. Their products are always made from China; I have said before that cheap products from China are pretty poor in quality and is most probably unhealthy for the skin. This particular line of eyeshadow is the bomb; very pigmented, creamy texture, smooth application, blendable, and long lasting. I love this light custard brown shade as my transition color. This shadow gives my eyes a nice gradient effect on my looks. I recommend picking up these matte shadows if you still have access them. I think that they already have discontinued these shadows.

          Avon Perfect Brow Kit in Deep Brown - There's not a single Avon makeup product purchase that I didn't like, and this eyebrow kit is not an exception. I have used this non-stop ever since I got this. This was my first time trying a brow kit with wax and my excitement wasn't disappointed. I love how he was puts my brows in place all throughout the day. The wax serves as the base that makes the powder application easy.  The applicator that comes with this is not the best; the strands are too thick for my taste. I use a flat angled liner brush to apply the powder for a more precise shape. Just don't touch your brows too much when you have this is on because this comes off easily. 

          Target Smudge and Shadow Brush Set - Oh my goodness, these brushes are rock stars! The shadow brush (bigger one) is good for applying colors on the crease, especially on blending. I love that the size of this brush fits my almond-shaped eyes perfectly. I have used this non-stop the first I tried this. The smudge brush have also blown my mind away. This is perfect for blending harsh eyeshadow application on the lower waterline. This makes the shadow give soft focus effect on shadows. I recommend getting this set because these are must haves. 

          San San High Definition Foundation with SPF 30 in Beige - I think I found the perfect foundation for my light yellow skin. This foundation shade blends into my skin excellently, like a second layer of my skin. Basing on my experience, this gives me a medium to full coverage. This has a thick, mousse-like consistency with a bearable sweet scent. I think that this perfect for people with a minimum amount of blemish on their face because this is definitely high definition. Once you apply this on your skin, this gives a semi-matte finish that emphasizes details on your face. I suggest using a good primer that fills in pores before using this product. This foundation would be great for photo shoots, I say. 

          Revlon Custom Eyes Shadow/Liner in Naturally Glamorous - I love this specific rustic brown shadow as my crease color on most of my eye looks. This gives a deeper, different look on my eyes which I really enjoy nowadays. If you'll ask me two years ago if I will use this on my crease, I will definitely say no. This shadows is more on the red side, making it look vampy. I have a change of heart as I have said. I love this shade now and this is most used out of the other shades on this palette.