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

          Two days before my birthday, I was at the mall and strolled around Watsons and rummaged through some of the makeup products. By the way, there's this Lipstick Sale going on in SM where most lipsticks are on sale until September, in honor of the Lipstick Month. I didn't get any lipsticks because I have a lot already. Haha! Anyways, I bought this Ever Bilena Brown Eyeshadow Palette because a lot of Pinay beauty gurus, vloggers, and bloggers are raving about these products. I got this for my birthday because I wanted to see if this really nice as what these people are talking about. I'm not gonna talk about the quality of these shadows because I will be doing a separate review post soon. This palette is being sold for Php 150. 

          Then I got this Moonlight Magic Body Mist from Bath and Body Works which was given to me by mama's friend. I met her like 2 months ago and she already have given me gifts for my birthday. What a nice lady! I'm really thankful that she thought of giving me a present. :) Anyways, I sprayed this quite a lot of times and I like the smell. The type of smell that I like; It's kind of sweet but not overwhelming, like something a lady of my age should smell like. Haha! 

          Then, she gave me these plaid or checkered handkerchiefs from brands Pierre Cardin and Armando Caruso. I love collecting hankies! I don't have multi-colored hankies in my collection, so these would be nice addition. Thank you so much for these gifts! :D

          Of course, I have had a makeup shopping in order to celebrate fully my birthday. Haha! A week before my birthday, I browsed Zalora's website to see if there were great sales on the beauty section because I wanted to try the brands I've tested before. I was actually waiting for my birthday code, they send me coupon codes every year, so that I could have had some shopping spree. The code wasn't sent until 4 days before my birthday. So, I couldn't wait for the code and just ordered right away because I cannot miss the July in Christmas sale.  

          My package a day before my birthday and I was so excited to see the products I bought. I appreciated that Zalora had packed the things I purchased in a bubble wrap. To be honest, I'm really impressed by the way they pack the makeup products they have shipped to me. My last experience with them is kind of not so good. Haha! :) I only got three things and 1 of them is for my mama. 

          One of the things that I bought is this Touch In SOL In the Skin Renovation BB Cream. The main reason why I got this BB Cream is for its discounted price; it was Php 600+ down to Php 206.40. Quite a bargain, eh? I think that this  is already sold out since I couldn't find this on the website anymore. I have tried this a few times already and I'm liking this BB Cream so far. Not the most compatible for oily skin, but not a bad one either. 

          The best thing about this product is that it comes in a gigantic tube with pump applicator. It doesn't look cheap and has a lot of product in it. This is a legit Korean BB Cream and I recommend you try this one. I'm not gonna go into details because I will reviewing this as soon as I can have my concrete and precise thoughts about this product. :)

          The next thing I bought is this Slogan Range #SELFIE Palette by I Heart Makeup, which is actually a baby company of Makeup Revolution. I love how they packed this with a bubble wrap on its own. Yay! 

          It comes with a mini glittery eye primer which I think is so cute. I haven't really tried this product yet so I can't tell much. I will be doing a review on this palette as well and I hope you stay tuned for that. 

          The packaging of this palette is quite heavy, especially the mirror that comes with it. As you can see in the photo, the cover is in like a holographic picture, which changes when you flip it up and down. What do you call that thing? I forgot! Haha!

          When you open this palette, there's a plastic with the names of the shades covering the eye shadows. Don't they have cute names? I've swatched this once and I can say that they are one of the most pigmented eyeshadows in the whole world. The metallic shades are so pigmented, jam-packed with glitters and is reflective. Oh my gosh! I can't play with this palette and show you the swatches. This retails for Php 550. 

         Lastly, I bought this Maybelline Color Sensational Lasting Lipstick in 625 Are You Red Dy. This lipstick is actually for my mama. She is running out of red lipstick and so I thought of buying. My mama only uses red lipsticks and I was thinking that she would love this shade. She told me it was too red for her when she applied it on her lips though. Haha! This is Php 299 if you are wondering. 

          The last thing I received was this Cotton On The Scoop Shirt in the Surf The Web (royal blue)  from my cousin. I love this so much because this is my favorite color. This just your basic tee that you could almost pair with anything. It's so comfortable to wear on and I recommend checking this out. This particular color is still available on Cotton On's US website and it's on sale for $5. What are you waiting for? Buy now! :)

          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

          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. :)

          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. 

          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