Delightful Illusions

Simple Celebration

I turned 24 last August 7, 2016. My birthday's celebration was simple; my mama and cousins cooked some dishes for lunch and we had cake, ice cream and a dessert for snacks. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a celebration at all since I'm now jobless for two months and celebrating my birthday was kind of expensive. Haha! I was fortunate and very thankful to my aunts and mommy who sent me money for which was in time for my birthday. I wasn't even expecting a cake for my birthday since I didn't have any plans at all. Anyways, that cake from the top was sponsored by my aunt from Manila. She sent my mama money and told her to give me some so I could buy some food for my birthday. So, there's the cake. :)

A day before my birthday, my granny gave me two native chickens (which she has bred herself) and told my mama to cook Binakol (local chicken soup recipe) and Adobong Manok. You know guys, native chickens are much more tastier than the chickens from Manila. Try visit Iloilo sometime and look for these food. ;P Then, my cousin in-law cooked the Pancit Bihon (local noodle recipe) with stir-dried vegetables and squid balls. Yumminesssssssss! He also cooked the pork barbecue. This was like the best lunch I ever had this year! It was my family's recipes and they're all home cooked. Felt so nutritious! :D

My cousin bought me Mango Cake from Red Ribbon which was so good; it wasn't so sweet and it was perfect. The other cake, which I featured above, was a Chocolate Cake from JoyCakes which is being sold at Bread & Butter. Then, that coconut with gelatin you see is a local dessert called Buko Pandan. You have probably heard about this but you've tasted one so good you won't stop eating. Out of all the versions I've tasted, my mama's recipe is still my favorite. I'm so proud! :D

Then, I also bought an 2-in-1 ice cream in Cookiies N' Cream and Double Dutch flavors. These are my favorites flavors of all time! I'm about to blow the candle in this picture. :) As you can see, there's nothing fancy in my outfit and it's not enough for an Birthday OOTD post. Well, I just stayed home all day during my birthday and there's no point of dressing like I'm going out. Haha!

This is the most exciting part of my 24th Birthday ever! It was already 5 pm and I was replying to the greetings on Facebook when the owner of a local restaurant/bar messaged me to get my free pizza at The Main Street. I was like: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?". I couldn't believe an owner of restaurant will give a free pizza on my birthday. I was happy and thrilled because this never happened before. OMG! Haha! I logged out immediately and went to To he Main Street, waited for 20 minutes for the pizza to be cooked, went home and ate a slice for dinner. What a happy tummy I had! :D I don't know what flavor or creation they gave me but it was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten in my life. I'm not even kidding. It has this meaty and garlicky taste with hams, mushrooms and milky cheese sauce. It's all greatness! #pizzaislife

Face Of the Day

For my birthday look, I opted for brown smokey look. It was inspired by a vlogger that I used to watch years and years ago; the vlogger made a party look where she out dark brown shadow all over the lids and a light beige shadow on the crease. I thought it was pretty and unusual from the looks that I have seen so I tried it for my 24th birthday.

Most of the products I used are the makeup items I included in my Products I Want To Use Up in 2016 Challenge. I used the Elf matte brown shade for my transition, a shadow from the Revlon Shadow/Liner Palette in Naturally Glamorous for the crease, and a dark brown shadow with gold glitters from the The Balm California Autobalm Face Palette for the lids. Then, I used a kind of burgundy shade for my lower lash line, a highlighter pencil from Essence Cosmetics for the waterline, a brown liquid liner from LOL Cosmetics for the upper lash line, and the San San Thick Lash Waterproof Mascara for the lashes.

I used a matte peach blush and mixed it with the Elf blush in Tickled Pink. I love the combination because it showed up on the picture. Nice! :D For the lips, I used the San San Lip Liner in Pink as a base, then dabbed the Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart Valentine on my lips, and topped it with the Clinique Different Lipstick in a Different Grape.

This is the look that I came up with. I apologize if my photo is washed out; I only use natural lighting. This look looks good in person and I mom complimented me for it. Haha! If only I have a good camera for tutorials, I will definitely demonstrate on how I achieved this look. :)

My Birthday Coupon Codes

Over the past few days, I have received coupon codes for my birthday sent by companies stores that I'm currently subscribed to. Since I don't have all the money to splurge for my birthday, I was thinking maybe I could give away my codes so it won't go to waste and I could make somebody happy. So, here I am, giving away my discount codes. :) Click the store's names for the links.

P.S. Some of these codes might be good for 1 use only. If the code doesn't work anymore, it means somebody might have availed the discount already. :) *means it's a referral link.

ZALORA Philippines*

LAZADA Philippines

The code will expire on August 11, 2016. Hurry up!

GLAMOURBOX

ModCloth*

Those are the things I wanted to share about my birthday. I can never thank enough my family, boyfriend, friends, workmates, readers, and everyone who loved and supported me all throughout my 24 years of existence in this world. Thank you for always being there for me and your continuous support is always appreciated. This is one of the best birthdays I had in so many years! <3 :d="" p="">

I will be posting my birthday haul soon and I will be introducing a site that I know you all will love. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this post. Your thoughts, suggestions, reactions and requests are welcomed by leaving a comment down below. I'll talk to you next time. Have a great day. Stay safe! XOXO

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Hey, guys! How are you? I apologize for my inactivity the past month because I took my Comprehensive Exam last August 1 and 2. I'm currently taking Master of Arts in Guidance Counseling and I recently finished all of my subjects so I took the Comprehensive Exam. I concentrated in reading my notes so I wasn't able to blog a lot on July. Anyways, I decided to start another project which I call Finish 14 by Valentine's Day. This project is done through a roulette style where I have picked up 14 product categories in a draw lot manner. My goal is to use up 14 products by February 14 next year and I have tweaked the rules a little bit. Instead of focusing only on the products that I have picked up, I'll be picking another category whenever I finish a product. It doesn't matter if I haven't finished all of the products I have picked up, as long as I get to finish 14 products by Valentine's Day. Do you get what I mean? :)

I started using the products for this challenge since last month and these shots were also taken last month. You will notice that some of this products are also included in my other project pan project; I want those products to be given an extended time to be finished since I want to use them up so bad and I don't want to just throw them away. I you want to know what categories I have picked up and the product I have chosen, just keep on reading.

A nail polish! Whoo! This product is so opaque and dries quickly. Why is this called Blueberry? Haha! I've used this in a nail art and looked so cute. See my thumb on the picture above, that's what this nail polish looks like on my nails. I am hoping to finish this product since its old and I don't want to waste this because it was given to me by my cousin as a Christmas gift.

Let's see if I can finish this eyeshadow which is also included in my Pan That Palette Challenge 2016. This is one of my favorite eye shadows of all time because it makes my brown eyes pop.

I only have 2 MAC products in my collection and both of them are eye shadows. I chose Honey Lust because this has always been neglected. It's a high quality eyeshadow; it's pigmented, blendable and so glittery in a good way. I have been using this lately as a topping on my lids and loving it so far. I do not anticipate in finishing this product by Valentine's Day because that is just impossible. What I'll do is to use this as much as I can and see if I can hit the pan. ;)

Daaaammmmmnnnnnn, another eyeshadow! What can I do? This is a draw lots sampling method! Haha! I like this shadow for the lids but I have other shadows that I need to focus on. I don't think I would use up this product as well. Maybe a hit pan too?

Another eyeshadow! This matte pink shade would be really nice as a transition color. To be honest, ever since I started this project I have not yet used it on my looks. I kind of forgot about this one. How couldn't I? A lot of eyeshadows are inculded in my project pans. Haha! Maybe I could finish this one by February 14. :)

I am loving this concealer so far. The coverage is medium to full, has creamy and thick consistency, stays all through the day and doesn't break me out. The only problem I have with this is the shade. I got the darkest one! I was supposed to get number 2 but I got this instead. If I blend this properly, the shade difference isn't visible at all. Overall, a great product. I am hoping to finish this by Valentine's Day.

My holy grail mascara. I have talked about this for so many times now and I'm not gonna elaborate anymore. This my 4th tube and I don't see any problems in using this one up. What's a mascare? Haha! Sorry for the typo. :D<3 nbsp="" p="">

This is one of those products that I really really love but haven't talked about yet. This is my favorite liquid liner from the drugstore. The product itself is pigmented, stays put all throughout the day, doesn't budge but is so easy to remove. This product doesn't claim to be waterproof nor long lasting but it does a great job in staying in place. This comes with a felt tip applicator which makes the application process easier. Yes, it's a felt tip applicator in a wand. Unique, right?

This eyeliner is included in my Products I Want To Use Up in 2016 Challenge and currently being worked in progress. I will not talk about this product anymore because I do updates on the other challenge. As long as I get to finish this liner, I'm good with that.

Another product that is all included in my Products I Want To Use Up in 2016 Challenge. :)

A nice lotion for everyday hydration. I finished this one last night. Yay! I have picked another category and will be shown on my update. Stay tuned for that. :)

You've seen the palette countless times. I'm sorry! This also included in my Products I Want To Use Up In 2016 Challenge.

You've seen this product a countless times as well. Well, I hope I could finish this even before the Valentine's Day comes. :)

Monomola Long Lasting Lip Color in Cherry Red - this is one of those famous lip tattoos that you apply on your lips, let it dry for 10-15 minutes, and peel it off. I hate this product because it takes time, the color payoff isn't satisfying and isn't long lasting at all. I'll throw this away after this project ends. That's how awful it is.

Those are the products I have chosen for this challenge. This is really challenging since I have no control on the product categories picked. I'll do maybe 2-3 updates before the finale. The goal of this challenge is to use up 14 products before on February 14, 2017. I am hoping for this project to successful as I have failed on my past attempts. Please stay tuned for the updates and witness my journey as I go on with this challenge. :)

Are you doing this challenge too? What are your thoughts about it? Please let us know by leaving a comment down below. Comments, suggestions, and reactions are always welcome and encouraged. :) Thank you so much for reading and dropping by. Have a great day. Stay safe. XOXO

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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. :)

BEST PACKAGING

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

For this category, we'll go back to that Revlon blush I've talked about earlier. I swatched all of my blushes and this is the most pigmented one. This a matte blush with 3 coordinating shades. I apologize for my lousy camera and natural gloomy lighting; It's kind of disappointing to that blush shows as peachy on the photo. In real life, these are pink shades. :) When combined together, it give my cheeks a pop of healthy and radiant bright pink glow. I love this blush as the same as it makes me feel younger whenever I wear this.

BEST EVERYDAY BLUSH

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. 💕

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Sylden Christine Hena

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