FEBRUARY FAVES ♥♥♥

Hi everyone!!

February is over and now March has come. Though, I am excited as to what this month will bring, I kinda miss the "love" atmosphere of last month. :) Today, I'm going to show you what things I have been loving for the month of February.

Silk Secrets One Minute Hot oil Treatment 

Aloe Vera with Vitamin E and C

Price: P169.00 ( They now have a sale going on, wherein you get two and take 1 for free!!)
Bought it from: Watsons, SM City ,Iloilo

If you have dry, damaged hair like mine, you will love this one minute hot oil treatment from Silk Secrets. I have been using this for more than two months and I have noticed that my hair is much healthier (compared before). Ever since I started having my hair dyed, I try to shampoo my hair every other day (unless of course , I rolled into mud or something) ans though, I put conditioner, my hair is still limp and dry. Then, I read somewhere that if you have colored hair or treated hair it is much better to use a deep conditioner rather than a normal conditioner. What I love about this product is that I only have to wait for 1 minute then rinse it off. It is pretty convenient especially when I am running late for something. The smell is also amazing and it stays! I actually bought another container of this because as you can see, I am running out. :) They do have other varieties like milk and coconut but for me this one smells best.

FAB Matte Pressed Powder SPF 15

Nude 

Price: P250.00 (got it for free)

I got this powder as a gift from my dear younger brother. When I saw the color, I was actually a little disappointed because I thought it was too light for me. But when I tried it, it somehow perfectly matches my skin tone. I think it is more like a translucent powder which, though it gives very little coverage, mattifies my face and sets my foundation/bb cream/tinted moisturizer. It has no smell which I like and light enough to bring anywhere for touch ups. 

Dewberry After Bath Body Oil

I also got this as a gift from my dear friend. I don't know the price of this nor the exact name of the brand but it is basically an after bath oil and you put on your skin when it is wet and then wipe it off with a towel. I have been using this everyday since I got this and I loved it. I have not been having enough sleep and I'm also not drinking a lot of water so my skin especially my legs tend to become super dry. But ever since I used this I noticed that my skin is a lot smoother and the smell is also amazing. I can still smell it hours after I took a bath. I also love the fact that it is not greasy and I only have to use a small amount of the product for my entire body.

Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action scrub

Price: P87.00

Bought it from: SM Hypermarket

I actually have been using this for more than 4 months and I have used around 4 to 5 tubes already and since this is my first monthly favorites blogpost, I might as well put it in. :) I love love love this facial cleanser!! so far, this has been my holy grail and it has not failed me so far. It lathers well and has a fresh smell which I love. It has helped cleared my skin from  breakouts and I use this twice a day (morning and night). Quick tip: I add a little iodized salt in this facial wash 2-3 times a week to exfoliate my skin, especially along my nose area. Believe me, but doing this helped reduce my blackhead and whiteheads!Just make sure to moisturize your skin after. :)

Victoria's  Secret

Blooming Violet Summer Freshes

I've had this cologne since December but I never got into using this because honestly, I am not a huge cologne/perfume fan. But, I tried using this at the start of February and somehow I have been using ever since. I even keep this in my bag with me so that I can use this to freshen up. The smell is more like vanilla but with a flowery/fruity twist so it is not super sweet and not too fruity as well. I don't like overwhelming scents so this is super perfect for me!!

Vintage Inspired Gold Mirror

Price: P49.00

Bought from: Local Store here in Iloilo

Last but no the least is this vintage inspired gold mirror that I got towards the end of February. I could say that is is my best buy this month. You can flip it by the way and it is made of plastic. I just think that it is so pretty and nice to look at especially on your dresser. I like using this when I put on makeup because it makes me feel extra fancy...haha..dont know why!!

So that was it guys! Please stay tuned for my March favorites..haha!! I really hope you found this blogpost somewhat helpful and entertaining!! 

Thank you so much for taking time in reading this!! Do share down on the comments what was your February favorites and don't forget to put your blog address if you have one!!

Take care!!

~~maia

TIP IN APPLYING LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER

Hi everyone!!

In this blogpost, you will see how and where to apply your liquid highlighter on your cheeks. With liquid highlighter, or for any highlighter, you have to be careful as to where you apply it because you might end up looking super oily. I will admit that this was a common mistake to me before but my good friend Dani, taught me this trick. Hope you find this helpful!

1. Locate the highest point of your cheek by placing your middle finger and index finger diagonally from the part of your eyes that is nearest to your nose.

2. Dot a small amount of highlighter in the area nearest your finger. That is the area where you start applying your highlighter.

3. Blend the highlighter by using you fingers. Remember to pat upward using your fingers and do not go beyond the area where you first dotted your highlighter.

4. You should aim for a subtle highlight in daylight and add a bit more for night time. :)


Thank you for reading !Take care!

~~maia

CHEAP FINDS PART 1: ORGANIC SOAPS

 Hello everyone!!

My sister and I celebrated our 25th birthday last Sunday and so we decided to have a mini vacation in the NaTional Capital Region (Philippines).  We were staying in Taguig City and this is my first time here so we decided to go around and see what's in store for us in this city.

First on the list are these awesome organic soaps that we found while browsing around Market Market in Bonifacio Global City. There was a stall there that carries different kinds of organic soaps, from whitening to moisturizing to slimming soaps. Aside from that, you can choose whether you want to buy per bar of soap at P40.00 (less than $1) or you can choose to buy by chunks at P220.00 ($5-6) per kilogram. I prefer buying by chunks because I find it more economical and convenient. You can choose what kind of soap you want, have it weighed and pay for it. In my case I paid around P76.00 ( $1-2) and I got a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the store but just go to the Fashion Market at Market Market and you will find the stall there.

 These are all I got for less than P100.00!!

Rosehip with cucumber

This one has a fresh, clean scent and if you have tried Lime soap from DLC, this smells exactly the same and that one cost more than P200 per bar. 

Benefits of Rosehip: 

-hydrates the skin

-prevents skin damage

-helps in fading scars

-prevents skin darkening

Benefits from Cucumber:

-heals and decreases redness

Rosemary Soap

Benefits:

-exfoliates

-stimulates skin cell renewal

- has a calming effect

Kojic Acid + Orange Soap

Benefits of Kojic Acid:

-diminishes skin darkness and redness (such as melasma and freckles)

Benefits of Orange Soap:

-detoxifies skin

-also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties

Placenta Soap

Benefits:

-assists in renewing skin and reduces wrinkles

-lightens and fades skin pigmentation

-reduces appearance of pores

Chocolate Soap

This is my favorite!! I love the smell and it stays in my skin the whole day.

Benefits:

-good for skin renewal

-contains anti-oxidants  that help protect the skin from sun damage and premature aging

Blueberry with Shea butter soap

Benefits:

- have anti-aging properties

-promotes healthy skin and appearance

-reduces appearance of frown lines and wrinkles

- moisturizes skin and improves skin elasticity

I can't wait to use all these soaps. I am the kind of person who likes to use different soaps especially at night. So far, I have used the blueberry with shea butter and chocolate soaps and I love them so far. Please do tell me if you have tried using these soaps and what kind of soap do you like?

DOLLFACE 88 COLOR PALETTE SWATCHES

Hey everyone!!

Today, I'd be showing you swatches from the Dollface Cosmetics 88 Color palette that I recently got as one of my prizes from  Ana Victorino's giveaway. I have always wanted to buy one before but I never really got into it because I kind of thought that since I am not a professional makeup artist then I do not really need such a huge palette. But, I was wrong!! This palette is perfect for makeup beginners because you can  experiment with a lot of colors, from neutrals to pastels and matte to satin finish. I think BH cosmetics and Coastal Scents also have a similar palette with similar colors as well. I wanted to show this along with swatches so that anyone reading this can have an idea as to how the colors really look like when swatched,

It came in a brown box with the name of the company written in front. I like the box actually and the font looked classy.

The product is in a black case. It actually has plastic on it to prevent scratching but I removed it. I really regret doing so because the case is super prone to fingerprints. If you do get one, I suggest that you DO NOT remove the plastic thingy.

The palette contained 88 eyeshadows ranging from neutral colors to pastels. It contains shimmery and matte eyeshadows. It has a mirron and two sponge tip applicators that I do not really care for but can be handy as well. 

 In the website, it says that each pan is approximately the same size as ten centavo coin. I did not have one so I used a five centavo coin instead.

Closer look at the colors. :)

Ingredients

Here are the swatches:

MY THOUGHTS:

• I love the variety of colors and textures it comes with. I can make a lot of makeup looks just using this palette. 
• The case looked sturdy enough.
• It has a decent sized mirror inside the case.
• Although I got mine for free, I looked at their website and it only costs P800 and for me, the price is quite affordable considering the number of eye shadows you get.
• The pigmentation is good. Most of the shadows showed well on my skin.
• The shadows itself were a little powdery but not chalky. They felt soft and buttery.
• I do suggest using a primer or a base before applying the product so that the color will show up better and last longer.
• All in all, I quite love this product!! I can't wait to get other palettes from Dollface!! 
• I recommend this product to any makeup lover!! :)

Cheap finds:Shimmery Roll on Eyeshadows

Hello everyone!! 

I love makeup and I love buying makeup stuff!! But, I dont have a lot of money so most of the time, I cannot afford high end makeup brands. But that does not stop me from buying makeup products, and there is nothing more excyting than finding a product that is cheap and affordable but is super useful. So, I decided to make a series here in my blog where I  tell you about certain cheap products that I am currently loving or hating. 

 (Of course, let me just tell you that I dont  have sensitive skin, so I am not really afraid of trying out products.)

Let's get the ball rolling!!

Here are two roll-on shimmer eyeshadows that I bought from a store here in Iloilo (UNITOP). I dont think you can find them in department stores though. I think you will be able to find them in "downtown" areas. I wanted to buy some cheap falsies when they caught my eye and I kind of thught the colors were really nice. I swatched them and I liked how it felt on my skin and the color pay off was good as well. The price is only P19.00 so I decided to buy them. 

They were from a brand OILY.The packaging says: Delicate Rainbow Eyeshadow Powder.

I used the white eyeshadow on my inner corners and blended it to the blue eyeshadow.

I have used the white shimmer shadow on my eyelids and as a highlighter as well and it gives a wonderful gold/yellow shimmer. 

I have not used the gold eyeshadow yet, but I will update this entry once I have used it on my lids. 

Here are the things that I liked about these eyeshadows:

Cheap (P19.00)

The roll-on ball thingy  applied the product well

Pigmented

No smell

Adheres to the skin

The powder itself feel smooth and not grainy

Can be used as an eyeshadow/highlighter

Here are the things that you might not like:

Might be difficult to find

Ingredients are not listed 

Over all, I LOVE these shadows and I have not experienced any allergic reactions to them so I might purchase other colors as well. :)

So what do you think? Do you have other makeup finds that are really great but cheap?

MAKEUP CHALLENGE DAY: 3

30 DAY MAKEUP CHALLENGE DAY 3: FAVORITE BRAND

Hello Guys!! Third day! WOOHHHOOO!!!

I drank a cup of coffee + milo so I feel extra charged tonight!! I hope my brain is working well.

When I read today's challenge, I really cannot think of any favorite makeup brand( Im assuming it means makeup brand since it makeup challenge.. duuh) because honestly, the number thing that comes to my mind before buying a product is how much it costs. If something is more than 1000 pesos, I really have to think it twice or thrice before purchasing it.Another thing I think about is whether I'd be able to use that product for a long time and I don't have to keep repurchasing it. Products like mascaras and eyeliners (except gel liners), I tend to buy cheaper ones because I have this tendency to have sore eyes or sty at least twice or thrice a year ( dont know why!!!)  so I have change them every 3 to 4 months.

So back to the challenge, I mentally wnet through all my makeup and I realized that most of my makeup are either from WetnWild and Avon. I have to narrow it down to only one. So, I thought of  of reasons why I buy from those brands.

So..after thinking.......WetnWild it is! I realized that I really look for this brand everytime I shop  for makeup. Of course, the price is an important factor but I buy their products because I know that it is good and the price I am paying for is so worth it. They are crazy cheap especially if you buy online.  Their eyeshadows are pigmented and there color range is good. They have shimmery, metallic and matte eyeshadows. I love their lipliner, lipsticks and tinted moisturizer as well.I find that most of the products that I tried from them are really good. 

With Avon, it is sad to say that  I mostly buy their product mainly because they're cheap and I dont have to pay cash for it. But unfortunately, I really hope that they can amp up there products a little bit. I do like some of their lispticks but I hate their moiture rich lipsticks because they melt and it super creamy in a BAD way. Also, the color range of their foundation cannot cater to most Pinays and I just dont think it is woth shelling out 400-500 pesos for a foundation that wont match your skin. 

These are some of their products that I use a lot lately. 

So I would like to end this post with a picture of my babies!! They are sleeping outside my room.... :)

PS: I buy my Wetnwild products from a Auction Shop in Facebook. I bought my I love matte palette for 100pesos. The color blue was slightly damaged but it was alright. It was sealed and I read the expiration date. It was in 2014. I have been using it and so far, I have had no reactions. :)

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/FetishisticDesire?fref=ts

MAKEUP CHALLENGE DAY 1

MAKEUP CHALLENGE DAY 1:  When did you start putting on makeup?

I cant sleep so I might as well do DAY 1 of this challenge. This is quite long so I divided it into categories. :) This is more like my makeup history by the way.

FIRST TIME:

I started putting on makeup when I was 3 or 4 years old maybe. I remember when I was in kinder 1 (so I was 4), my parents were having a fight and my dad was like throwing everything and my mom was doing pretty much the same ( I LOVE MY PARENTS! AND THIS IS NOT SARCASTIC), when I saw this red box and I opened it and tere were like boxes with lots of colours. I knew it was a makeup palette and I do know that my mom will take it from me one she found out that I got it. So, what I did was I went to our room and hid under my blanket and using my fingers, I started to apply eyeshadow all of my eyelids. I remember choosing a light green color for my lids and a pink color for my cheeks. The next morning, I insisted on bathing myself and in the bathroom, I applied makeup again (green for my lids and this time orange for my cheeks). I dont know why, but our yaya did not notice anything. So, I went to school looking like that and I was so proud of myself!! However, when my teacher saw my face, she laughed and called my yaya. So I had no choice but to run to the bathroom and washed my face because I did not want my yaya to see me. (My yaya was VERY strict.) My teacher then asked to see my mom and told her not to let her kids wear makeup. And so, my mom told me that I am not allowed to wear makeup until I was in college. 

And I think, that idea stuck in my head because I never wore makeup when I was in elementary and highscool (except on special occasions like weddings, etc). But when I reached freshman college year, that was when I started wearing makeup. I used powder and eyeliner when I go to school.

COLLEGE YEARS

FIRST YEAR COLLEGE

During this time, I was really excyted to start using makeup so I started with my basics.For powder, I used the Ponds loose powder (the gold/yellow one) because it was the best thing that I can afford. For my eyes, I used a black eyeliner from Ever bilena on my upper lashline and sometimes on my lower lashline( it smudges and I looked like a raccoon at the end of the day but at that time, I was like: WTH). For lips, I used a random lipbalm from Avon. At that time, I was already considered "kikay" because back in 2004 only a few of my classmates wore eyeliners. I really dont know why.

SECOND YEAR COLLEGE

This is the time that I discovered POND'S WHITENING CREAM! And this was also the time that I discovered moisturizer. I learned that if I use a mositurizer on my face firs then put on powder (I leveled up to Johnson and Johnson's pressed powder), the powder will stick better and last longer. I was also more "adventurous" with my eyeshadows. I also was using the roll on cheek tint from Avon. It was a staple on my kikay kit. 

THIRD YEAR COLLEGE

I would like to call this year: THE GREEN EYELINER YEAR. I discovered that putting on green pencil eyeliner on my upper lashiline that topping it with a light green loose pigment looked really nice on my brown eyes. This has become my everyday look  but sometime I also change it up to green eyeliner + yellow eyeshador. This was also the time when I started using concealer on my undereye circles because yellow and green eyeshadows really bring out the zombie in me. The concealer I used was from a brand named Sophie. It was NOT a good ocncealer but I dont know why I kept using it everyday.

FOURTH YEAR

I call this year: BLACK LIQUID EYELINER YEAR. I have noticed that most mf my classmates were wearing green eyeliner/green eyeshadow, so I decided to change it up and I discovered the NICHIDO LIQUID EYELINER and IT WAS AMAZING! I still use the this kind of eyeliner until now. I also was able to buy a few palettes and I mostly use pink + gold or gold + copper combo. The eyeshadows that I used were all shimmery. I dont know why I never bothered using matte eyeshadows. I really thought I looked attractive because of the compliments I get. But looking back, I NEVER WEAR FOUNDATION?TINTED MOISTURIZER!! I just put on concealer under my eyes and then powder. I must have looked weird with super yellow undereyes+shimmery eyeshadow. At that time, I thought I really looked AMAZING!!

Oh! I DO use foundation on prom and school parties. This tme, I kind of already know how to put makeup so I did not go to the salon or hire someone to do my makeup anymore. I think my face looked cakey though  and mind you! I never used MASCARA and I never fill in my brows....

AFTER GRADUATION:

This was the time that I discovered MIchelle Phan, Dulce Candy, Xteener and these girls really helped my improve my skill in putting on makeup. But it was not until in 2010 that I learned the importance of shaping and filling in my brows. I was volunteering in a hospital at that time and a gay "folk" of my patient told me that my eye makeup looked great however my brows looked ugly (law-ay in our dialect and yes, he really used that term). He voluntered to do my borws and filled it in using a brown eyebrow pencil. And I was so suprised! It really does make a difference!! 

NOW:

Of course, Im still learning and I still have (a lot of) bad eyebrow days but looking back, Im still thankful for that fateful night when I found my mom's makeup palette. I think makeup is a tool to enhance once beauty and make her feel more confident. 

(My parents STILL fight every now and then but both of them have mellowed in their ways. They are STILL together and based on what I see almost everyday, the DO love each other still. )