Delightful Illusions

          Hey, guys! The first quarter of the has passed and it is time for me to update my Pan That Palette for 2019. If you have missed my introductory post (read here), I chose this Sleek Oh So Special Palette (read review here) for this challenge. I love this palette and I don't have any problems using this everyday. I can create many looks with this and I plan to post tutorials soon.  I have already hit pan on the shades Bow (cream), Boxed (matte dark brown), and Wrapped Up (matte warm taupe) before I started this project.

         I use Bow to set my eyeshadow primer and also use as a base, Boxed for my brows, crease or outer-v, and Wrapped Up also for crease, outer-v or lower lash line. For my first update (read here), I have widen the pans on the eyeshadows that I have already hit pan on have also hit pan on The Mail (matte light brown shade). The Mail looks light on crease and I dip my brush on it like 3 times in order for the shade to show up and maybe the reason why I have hit pan in on it a month after I posted my introduction.

          My second update (read here) was more exciting because I have widen on the eyeshadow I have already hit on and I have hit pan on Ribbon (matte coral). I mean, I have not imagined on hitting pan on that kind of shade first since I don't usually wear warm transition/crease shadows. I loved using this shadow with the dark purple shade all over the lids. The combination was pretty and complimented my brown eyes.

           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. :)

          Hello! How are you, guys? The past couple of months have been hectic for me, especially last month, since I have traveled to abroad for a short vacation. For today's post, I'm gonna talk about this Jacky and Lauren Cosmetics Rose Gold Highlighter Palette that I got as a Christmas gift last year. I have seen this palette since last year December at Robinson's Department Store and this caught my eye. I have planned on buying this to try and make a review, but my friend gave this to me so I didn't buy one.

          Upon receiving this makeup palette, I have notice that on the back on box it says that are 2 bronzers, 2 blushes and 2 highlighters which got me confused since it clearly says on the lid that it's a highlighter palette. What? These are all shimmer powder products and none these qualifies for a bronzer nor blusher. I know that this a generic brand that was manufactured in China, but can they clear this up so the consumers won't get confused? 

              Anyway, the packaging of this palette is made from plastic; the lid is a transparent plastic material with holographic print, the pans are glued on this dusty mauve plastic base. Each of the highlighter weighs 4.5 grams which makes a total of 27 grams. Not bad for highlighter palette, eh? This palette costs Php 399 and each is around Php 67. The price isn't bad either!

          Most of these shades will suit medium to dark skin tones with warm undertone. I have tested all of these one by one on my cheek bones and they look like subtle glow instead of a blinding highlight. I'm kind of disappointed regarding this matter since I had high hopes that I will blind people with these babies. Haha!

     The formula of this is more of a shimmery highlight, thick consistency, a little bit powdery, and emphasizes pores and fine lines. I think this would look really stunning on people with amazingly flawless skin. I still think that this palette is good since it suits my light warm skin stone and I get to experiment what shade suits well with a certain look that I'm wearing as of the moment. This doesn't last all through out the day on my face but is still is a decent formula though.

           There are 6 shades on this palette; a white, a light pink, a pinky rose gold, a pink with purple shift (yay for unicorn-ish glow!), a more on the gold rose gold, and a golden peach. Haha! I apologize for the horrible shade description, you know I'm not good at this. Haha! Out of the 6, my favorite would be the pinky rose gold shade and it's the one that I always use. That shade is perfect for work and is the one that shows up on my skin.

          I also tried the unicorn-ish shade and it also looks good on my skin. I don't use it everyday though because I don't want to enter our office looking like a unicorn licked my cheeks! Haha! Please forgive my cheesy lines today. :D

            I think that I can mix the white highlight with the darker shades in order for them to show up on my skin. I tried the pink shade but it didn't show up on my skin; it looked like a shimmery muted pink blush. The golden peach shade also looks subtle on my skin. I told you guys, this palette if for the medium to dark skin tones. 

          Here's a picture of my niece wearing that golden rose gold highlight. She has a medium skin tone and it looks good on her! I did her makeup when we modeled for the gowns we currently have for rent on our mini boutique. I did not shave her brows because it looks good on its own. She's just 12 years old but I made her look like 20. Isn't she pretty? <3 p="">

          Do I recommend this palette? First of all, if you have already a lot of highlighters, you don't this one. Although this a limited edition, I don't think that it will add value to a large makeup collection. If you are starting at makeup and and is just practicing, I suggest you should get this palette. I still see this on Robinson's Department Store, so I guess just buy it while the supply lasts. The price point in total isn't that affordable, but if you have to think about it, you are getting 6 shades which costs around Php 67 each. 

         This formula isn't the greatest I have ever tried, but as I said earlier, it's a decent one. You cannot blind people with these if you are expecting for drama. If you are looking for subtle highlighters and you have medium or dark skintone, this is a good palette for you. 

          Happy Month of Love, everyone! For today's post, I will talking about this Focallure Tropical Vacation Eyeshadow Palette which has been on the beauty market for a while. Focallure is known brand for their affordable makeup products, especially their eyeshadow palettes, since they have great quality and superb pigmentation for low prices. Since they have an official store on Shopee, I have decided to purchase this palette first and see what the rave is all about. I love this palette and now I'm kind of addicted to this brand and I have purchased another one of their palettes, which I be talking on another post, of course.

        Allegedly, this palette is supposed to be a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. You may think that this a straight-up dupe of the mentioned palette, but if you compare them side by side, they aren't exactly similar at all. Unfortunately, I don't have that palette to give you a side by side swatch but I have searched for its picture and found out that they aren't twins at all. There are shades from this palette that are way darker from the original palette and some of them aren't on same tone as well. The original palette has 3 shimmers, this palette has 4 shimmers. I would say that this palette is more likely inspired by the Modern Renaissance Palette than being an exact dupe.

          I have been playing with this palette since last November and I have been reaching out for this almost every week. This palette inspires me to go out of my comfort zones and use warm shadows, especially pinks and reds. If you know me, you know that I love cool tones looks especially smokey eyes for everyday. The packaging is quite nice; it's made of cardboard, the cover matches the color scheme and it's light to travel with. The only thing I question about this palette is the name itself. Why is this called "Tropical Vacation"? The shades on this palette aren't tropical enough, though of some of the shade names fit the name of the palette. 

          The matte eyeshadows in this palette are kind of powdery but are really pigmented. I love how they easily blend and I take my time to slowly build up the colors on my lids since they are pigmented. I love how these shadows do not get muddy when blended together; they do not take away the beauty of each other. As for the metallic shades, I use a flat synthetic brush to apply on my lids as natural hair do not pick them quite well. The trick I have for this problem is wiggle my brush on eyeshadow a few times and pat it on my lids. For maximum impact, I layer the metallic shadows using my fingers. You know metallic shadows, they won't be intense unless you apply them with your fingers. 

          This palette also includes a double-sided brush; a blender on other side a flat shader brush on the other side. This brush is nice but it's kind of small, and so I grab for my other brushes whenever using this palette. I appreciate that they have put a useful brush on this palette instead of a spoolie. Kudos, Focallure!

Swatches:

WAX - matte cream shade with warn undertone

BEACH - matte cream shade with cool undertone

FROST - matte light peach 

TARO - white shimmer

RETRO COPPER - matte light red

MAGENTA - matte burgundy

COFFEE - matte dark brown

DESERT - mettalic golden bronze

APRICOT - matte medium peach

BRIGHT - pink-gold metallic duo chrome

EMPIRE - mettalic warm brown

MOSCOW - matte taupe brown

CAMEL - matte maroon (more on the red side)

HEAT - matte terracotta

          Here's a simple neutral look that I created using this palette. I have played with the red eyeshadows but I'm planning to do a demo or tutorial on a separate post. 

         I love this palette and I really recommend this to everybody. If you want similar vibes with the ABH Palette but don't want to spend a lot of money, get this palette. You will love it. I hope you liked my post for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. I will talk to you soon. Bye! XOXO

          Happy New Year! How are you, guys? I have been busy with work and I needed much rest so haven't been posting for the past two months. I have been doing a lot of makeup looks which I have been posting on my Instagram makeup account (link on the side bar) and I think I will be featuring them on this blog soon. I have also hauled a lot of makeup items and I might feature them on my future posts. I really don't know where to start because I feel so overwhelmed right now. Haha! Anyway, I have ended my Pan That Palette 2018 and I have already chosen my palette for 2019. Please keep reading if you wanna know where it is (when it's actually very obvious). :)

          I stopped using this I Heart Makeup Selfie Palette two months ago since the quality wasn't the same as I first got it. I bought this palette during my 24th birthday and I was amazed by the quality. I loved the pigmentation but texture has gone bad and the just felt gross. Now that I have accumulated a lot of eyeshadow palattes last year, I tossed this just recently and I just want to focus on other eyeshadows in my stash. I have used up a shadow and have hit pan on 7 shadows. I thought that I have already reached my goals for this palette and I already got my money's worth. What do you think?

 

Sleek Oh So Special Palette

          As you can see, I have already hit pan 3 shades and I have 9 more to go. Woohoo! I can do this! My main goal for this palette and to hit pan on all of the remaining shades and maybe use up half of this. Since I don't wear pink eye looks on a daily basis, I think that this project might have slow progress. We'll never know, I guess. Who knows I might actually love pink looks and wear them everyday. For the firs month, I would just play around this palette and figure out my signature look for this palette. I will also be watching videos for eyeshadow combination and makeup look inspirations. :)

        I will be keeping this post short since I have already talked enough regarding this palette. If you are doing Pan That Palette for this year, please tell us on the comments section about the palette you decided to pan this year. I hope we all make it this year and inspire everybody to consume what they have on their stash. I hope you stay tuned for updates and more posts. As always, thank you so much for stopping by. Have a nice day! XOXO