2012/03/28

Human Nature 100% Natural Tinted Lip Balm : Review & Swatches

Back in high school, while other girls where into lipgloss, I was hooked on tinted lip balms. I remember collecting lip balms all throughout high school then I stopped in College. Recently I've been on the lookout for tinted lip balms again because they're a lot more friendly when I'm in a rush especially on duty days at the hospital.

Last January a duty mate (Anna Solis) of mine brought along a copy of Human Nature's current catalog and a few stuff definitely caught my eye. One (well actually three) of those things happened to be the Human Nature 100% Natural Tinted Lip Balms. They were on sale at 3 for P199 so I immediately ordered one of each available shade. Imaging getting a tube for less than P70? GREAT! :D

Flame Tree (berry red), Island Kiss (tangerine), Pink Orchid (rose)

Been using these since January.

All of them a hint if shimmer in the formula but they aren't "grainy".

Packaging / Design : 
Pictures can lie. *cough* When I was flipping through the catalog, the packaging of these lip balms looked really neat and posh but when I got the actual items I got a little disappointed. The packaging may come off a little "cheap" to some but what can you expect for its price, right? The lip balms come encased in a plastic tube container in a berry red color with a berry red cap cover. I think it would have been better if they color coded their covers to match the shade but I guess I'll have to just let that issue go. One other sad thing is the printing of the information on the package. It easily rubs off. After about two weeks in my makeup kit, the printed expiry date on one tube has been erased completely. Plus the labels are stickers to now the edges have started peeling off. It may be due to my carelessness but, whatever. So I think that needs improvement. Don't get me wrong, I have positive things to say too.
One of the things I do like about the packaging is the fact that it feels sturdy in my hands. They feel solid enough that I'm not scared of my other heavier stuff crushing my lip balm in my bag. I also like the Human Nature logo very much. I find the heart in the middle of the two words quite adorable. Another plus is that there is a full list of ingredients so you can check them out to see if you're allergic to anything. Not all lip products have a printed list of ingredients on the tube. 

Quantity / Quality : 
Each tube contains 4 grams of product and since I got three tubes, I guess it'll take quite some time before I run out of them. At first swipe, I was honestly disappointed. Pink Orchid didn't come off a pink at all and it took me a couple more layers to build a solid color but then I remembered that these babies were LIP BALMS and not LIPSTICKS. So for a lip balm, these babies are pretty pigmented especially Flame Tree which is a lovely berry red shade that leaves such a pretty "stain" on the lips after a while. For the more funky girls, Island Kiss is a perky tangerine shade that's quite flattering on any skin tone. Another thing I do like about these lip balms is the actual formula. Though they have a slight shimmer to them, there is no grainy/gritty feeling on the lips at all. It gives off such a smooth application that I can't help myself but re-apply. One downside though is the longevity of this product on my lips. Since I'm usually moving around, talking and munching on stuff, these don't last very long. I'll give it 30 minutes tops then I'd have to re-apply. But do take note that Flame Tree stains your lips leaving a lovely "natural flush" to them. Another nice thing I'd like to point out is that it leaves a slight "menthol-like" sensation when applied and it smells great. Definitely a plus for me.

Overall : 
Despite the packaging issues, lack of pigmentation of Pink Orchid and staying power issues, I'd still repurchase these because I've fallen in love with the formula and price. I know the sale price won't last forever but I think I'd still be willing to get it at its regular price. It's a nice "go-to" lip balm and because of its size, it's something that you can just throw into your makeup kit. It really is a no brainer. I'd recommend these to people who want a nice "healthy" tinted lip balm at a pocket-friendly price.

Made in the Philippines! *sariling atin*

List of ingredients. The good stuff!

L-R : Flame Tree, Island Kiss, Pink Orchid
There you go guys. Hope you enjoyed this review. Keep coming back for more of my reviews!


DISCLAIMER:
Product was bought with my own money. I was not paid in any way to do this review. Everything said is 100% my own honest opinion.





2012/03/27

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner "Black" : Review & Swatches

One of my makeup staples happens to be eyeliner. I initially started using pencil liners way back in high school. In college I "upgraded" to liquid eyeliners and favored those with felt tip ends. When I started getting more into makeup I decided to try out gel liners and see how I feel about it. I'm in love with gel type liners the most because for me, they happen to be the easiest to use.

At the moment, I've been using my Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black. I've used it on simple days out and more often when I film my makeup tutorials. It's gotten quite a few comments and since I've been using this product since January, I think it's high time to do a quick review on this baby.


What Maybelline says about the product :
"Smudge-proof and long lasting, water-proof type"
"Creamy gel type allows to draw a smooth clean line without crease. Customized eye line brush allows lines to be drawn as desired from fine to thick. The creamy gel texture dries quickly after application. Long lasting water-proof and smudge-proof formula that resists sweat, tears and water."


I (and by this I really mean my lola) purchased this at Watsons, SM Bacolod last January for P449.00.


Packaging / Design : 
The product comes in a glass-like pot container with a cover that seems to be made of an aluminum-like material. The pot has a matte finish to it and looks post but I somehow find the cover very out of place in the whole product packaging because it sometimes comes off cheap looking. What I do like about the packaging is that it has a very solid feel to it. It has weight, not so heavy, in my hand and I like my products to have a sturdy feel to them.
Another plus is the fact that this product comes with its own eyeliner brush. Now as for the brush, I really don't get why they didn't include an ANGLED one instead. The brush works fine but it does make creating thin crisp "winged" liner a tad bit more difficult than usual no thanks to its more rounded edge.

Quantity / Quality : 
The little pot contains 2.8g or 0.10oz of product. It may not seem like much to some but for me that's quite a lot of product for me to use. I love the formulation of this particular gel liner, it's creamy and applies smoothly and it actually stays put. I've tried using this for 8 hours straight and went home with zero fading. It still looked fresh. I still can't vouch that it'll last up to 24 hours though. Pigmentation of the product is great too. It really comes off black on the first swipe that I don't even have to really go back over it to achieve a solid color.
Now a lot of reviews I've read say that this product has a tendency to dry up if you don't use it often. In my three months of usage this still hasn't happened to me so I'll have to get back to you guys on that claim. I guess best thing to do is to use it as often as you can to get the most of it.

Overall : 
Ever since I got this liner I've been slightly neglecting my other eyeliners (pencils, liquid liners and other gel liners) since I'm really diggin' how this product works so well on me. I'm happy that the formula works well on my oily lids. Even without applying primer on my lids, the liner does not fade or smudge so I'm one happy panda minus the "black eye" look. I've even used this on my waterline with no problems at all! 
This black eyeliner happens to one of the blackest gel liners I own so far and I love it! I'm happy that I don't have to apply several layers just to get a great solid black color. It dries pretty quickly and I've yet to have any "transfer to lids" issue with this product. 
I'd definitely repurchase this in black again as well as in other available colors.

Swatch time!


Fresh swatches. No primer underneath. 
Water test!
After being subjected to the "water test".
This is what the swatches look like after trying to rub them off with a baby wipe. Notice the reddish areas around the swatches from my somewhat aggressive rubbing? *lol*

That's it for now my lovely readers. Hope you enjoyed!


DISCLAIMER:
Product was bought with my own money. I was not paid in any way to do this review. Everything said is 100% my own honest opinion.


2012/03/26

Sleek Makeup PPQ Me, Myself & Eye : Review & Swatches

As promised here's a quick review with swatches of my new Sleek palette. I've been eyeing this palette for quite some time because it has pretty fun colors to work with that can still be rocked everyday. I'm really happy I was able to get this for P550 instead of the usual P650-P750 price since Makeup Hub By Naturele Collezione went on sale a few days ago. I immediately placed in an order for one palette. So since I got this from the mentioned shop, I'll also be doing a quick review of their service. :)





Shipping / Packaging : 
The sale went up on the 13th of March. I immediately placed my order but since the internet was acting up again, I sent my order form via message. On the 14th, after following up with Miss Sarah, I eventually got my "online invoice". I paid via GCASH on the 15th and she informed me that she will ship it out on the same day. I received my order around 3 days later via LBC. I'm not sure why it took such a long time for my order to come in but it arrived safe and sound, wrapped in a thick layer of bubble wrap. That's all. Just bubble wrap. No "business card" of the shop or a sticker logo. In my opinion, it would have been a nice personal touch BUT what's more important is that I received my order in tip top shape!

Color / Design : 
First off, I'm in love with how sleek a Sleek palette is. It has a lovely matte black packaging with lettering that have a satin-like finish to it. Just lovely! Definitely something you'd like to have displayed on your vanity. It doesn't look cheap or anything. As for the actual shadows, well I'm in love with all the colors. This is a mix of matte and shimmer shadows and it has 10 very wearable and fun colors. Plus the "waffle" like pattern on the pressed shadow is quite cute.

Pigmentation :
Almost ALL the shadows are super pigmented! Well, almost. I've had problems with some shades but still all you need is a good primer/base and patience to build up a good solid color. In fairness to this palette, my swatches below aren't so good and the picture quality is a little off but in real life the shadows are super pretty and I did have a hard time taking the swatches off my arm. *lol* But all in all, I love all the shadows.

Overall : 
I have no regrets purchasing this palette. I love the design, the shadows, the pigmentation and longevity. Plus a lot more. I'd recommend this palette to those who aren't afraid to step out of the "natural" shadow world and start suing pops of color. Another nice thing about the palette is that it's a limited edition palette from when Sleek teamed up with british fashion house PPQ. How cool is that?

In regards with the shop Makeup Hub By Naturelle Collezione I'd give them a 4/5 for overall service. I like the shop because they offer a lot of different brands not locally available. The down side is it's a little bit of a challenge to get a quick reply from them due to the massive amount of buyers they have messaging and texting them. My advice is to have patience in waiting since all their products are extremely worth the wait! *wink*

Now, here are the swatches! These were taken under white light, without flash and without a primer underneath. My personal favorites are : Salt N' Peppermint, Primal Green, Blue Monday and Chris De Burgundy.

I had problems with Barry White, Fade To Gray and Golden Silvers. They come off quite sheer for my taste BUT they are definitely buildable.



Top Row (L-R) : Barry White, Black Box, Salt N' Peppermint, Simply Red, Pink Beret, Primal Green



Bottom Row (L-R) : Fade To Gray, Blue Monday, Super Nova, Chris De Burgundy, Lilac Allen, Golden Silvers

So there you go my lovely readers. I hope this review helped. I know loads of people are looking for swatches of Sleek palette. I promise to do more reviews once I get my fluffy hands on more Sleek products.

DISCLAIMER:
Product was bought with my own money. I was not paid in any way to do this review. Everything said is 100% my own honest opinion.

2012/03/22

Recent Purchases

Earlier this month, I purchased a few things and wasn't really able to blog about it. Since I don't really have anything to blog at the moment, I decided to share some of my recent purchases. I hope I don't bore you all to death.

First I got four crochet pen holders for P40/each. These little babies were handmade by a good friend. I'm planning to also include some in my upcoming giveaways. Which ones would you guys like to receive? 

I got this hot pink + lime green "ICE" watch for P140 at a local store. It's quite bulky when worn but it looks good on my "fluffy" (chubby) wrist. I also like how bright the color is and how it's such a contrast to my stark white uniform. Yes, I wear this watch when I'm on duty.

Next watch I got is this yellow "ICE" slap strap watch. It's the kind that "automatically" curls to close around your wrist. This is a lot smaller in size compared to my hot pink watch. I've yet to wear this out. This is another attention grabber because the yellow's super bright.

Last two non-makeup things I got are for my iPhone, Stark. I decided to get Stark a bumper and a cute earplug cap. I decided to get the purple bumper and a lil green bow similar to hello kitty's bow. I think it's a pretty combination and I've been getting loads of questions about the earplug cap. *lol*

Now moving onto the first makeup product I got. Last week, an online shop (Make Up Hub By Naturelle Collezione) went on sale and I got this great deal on this SLEEK Makeup Palette in PPQ Me, Myself & Eye for only P550! Indeed this is quite the steal. I love the packaging. I find the red super chic!

Here's a photo of the actual palette. So sleek right? Literally the palette looks super sleek with its matte black casing and satin-finish letterings. This palette happens to be one of the limited edition ones. It was released when Sleek Makeup teamed up with british fashion house PPQ. 

Top Row (L-R) : Barry White, Black Box, Salt N' Peppermint, Simply Red, Pink Beret, Primal Green
Bottom Row (L-R) : Fade To Gray, Blue Monday, Super Nova, Chris De Burgundy, Lilac Allen, Golden Silvers
I'll do proper swatches on the shadows on an upcoming review of this palette.

Lastly I got several lip liners and an eyeliner. All these products are from an online shop (Lyka's Make Up Haul) that went on sale. The first two on the top are lip liners in the shade Burgundy, then comes Pinky, then the last lip liner is in Dolly Pink. The last one on the bottom is a slide on liner in Jet Black. I'm currently testing out these liners and I'm totally in love with them. All five cost a total of P500 + FREE SHIPPING! How cool is that?

How about you? What are your recent purchases? :)


2012/03/21

Jannieology X Kaifragrances SCENTsational Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Jannieology X Kaifragrances
SCENTsational Giveaway!

I've teamed up with Miss Kai Grafia to bring our lovely readers this super scentsational giveaway.

ONE (1) LUCKY WINNER will receive this 60ml bottle of eau de parfum in the scent LE ANGEL (the angel) from Kaifragrances plus more surprises!

MECHANICS!
1. Follow our blogs JANNIEOLOGY & KAIFRAGRANCES via GFC.
2. Follow us on our Twitter accounts : Jannieology | Kaifragrances
3. Like our Facebook pages : Jannieology | Kaifragrances
4. Tweet this : " Let's get SCENTsational with @TheJannieP & @kaigrafia 's giveaway here (insert permalink of this blog post).
5. Post a Facebook status tagging our Facebook Pages (not our personal accounts,please) : "Join @Jannie'smakeupadventures X @kaifragrances SCENTsational giveaway here (insert permalink of this blog post).

Once your done doing everything,
all you guys have to do is leave a comment with the following details:
Name -
Email Address -
GFC Username -
FB Username -
Link to FB status -
Twitter ID -
Link to Tweet -
Answer this question - "What is your favorite fragrance and why?"

Giveaway will start today, MARCH 21,2012 & will run for one whole month, so it ends on APRIL 21,2012 at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen via RANDOM.ORG. Giveaway is open NATIONWIDE (Philippines only). Winner will have 48 hours to reply with her/his details or risk being disqualified.

Questions? Comment down below.
Good luck and enjoy!



2012/03/19

I'm TEA-rrific - A Dream Come True

DISCLAIMER :
LONG "WORD" POST + Photos

First things first. I've been receiving lots of comments (unpublished) that happen to be basically the same thing. Seems to me that lots of my current readers want to know what my boyf's name is... So I'm finally going to answer that before I receive another comment asking his name. He's known as Cris or Cj. I prefer the latter. So We'll be using that from now on, okay? *wink*

The other day, Cj & I were strolling around a local mall when I stopped *dead* on my tracks. Was I hallucinating?! Lo & behold, right in front of me was a soon-to-open milk tea stall. My eyes widened in delight and excitement.

You see, I'm *secretly* more of a milk tea/tea person that a coffee person. I like how simple it is compared to coffee. That's my opinion. Coffeeholics out there, please do not butcher me for saying so. First time I ever had milk tea was when I turned 18. I was online blog hopping on food blogs when I stumbled upon a tea lover blog explaining how she mixed milk with her tea to create "milk tea". It's ironic how the English have been doing these for years now. *ugh!* So I gave it a shot and *bam!* was hooked.

For those who still don't really know what milk tea is about, here's a short background about this tea-rrific drink. Milk tea refers to several kinds.
1. TEA with an addition of a little milk plus sugar (cubes/powder) - Very "English" in a sense.
2. BUBBLE "Milk" TEA is another famous version which involves the addition of "pearls/tapioca balls/sago balls". - I'm not very fond of "bubbles" in my tea.
3. HONG KONG STYLE milk tea is black tea sweetened with evaporated milk.
4. TEH TARIK is the de facto "national" drink of Malaysia & Singapore. It's tea plus condensed milk. - I've had my share of cups of this kind when I was back in Singapore. *missing it*

Though "bubble milk tea" happens to be the current crowd favorite it's a fairly new rendition of this timeless classic. Honk Kong style milk tea supposedly originates from the time when Hong Kong was under British rule. I won't bore you guys with more details about milk tea. So for now, this is about it.

Moving onto what this post is really about... I'm happy to share with you one of the many new joys I'm currently enjoying in our lil ole Zamboanga. *le sigh* TEA-RRIFIC's milk tea stall opened last Saturday and I finally had the chance to try it today! I had to control myself as Cj & I walked towards the stall. Cj asked me what flavor I wanted or something to that extent... I was a little preoccupied just staring at the stall, making sure it was really there. Call me weird, but well... It's MILK TEA, people!


The Tea-rrific stall is located at Mindpro Citimall's ground floor, towards the side of the grocery's entrance, in front of the baggage counter and beside the Coco Loco stall. (Will talk about Coco Loco in another post...) The stall's pretty small, doesn't take up a lot of space at all. It has this cutesy cup logo that I'm totally diggin'.


They have a variety of drink available and I had enough b*lls to snap photos of each category.

"Traditional" MILK TEA. Tea-rrific describes it as freshly brewed tea made creamy and chewy. They only have 5 flavors available under this category. OOLONG is a natural mild fat burner, JASMINE boosts concentration, CEYLON's an immune system booster, GREEN TEA is a healthy antioxidant variation and WINTERMELON is a "feel-good" relaxing tea. 

Next up are the FRUIT SMOOTH-TEAs which happens to be a combination of brewed tea plus your favorite fruit. The flavors with the green lightning bolt are supposedly the highly recommended choices because they apparently offer the bigger "health boost". Don't quote me on that though. *wink*
The smooth-teas come in 10 flavors. I'm eyeing MELON MANGO and APPLE MANGO. :)

Another category is the TEA FUSION which is a concoction of tea plus fruits. I'm still a little confused with the difference of tea fusion and the smooth-teas though. Anyway, for this variant I'll probably try out MANGO CEYLON or CEYLON LIME first.

Lastly Tea-rrific offers a concoction called YIN&YANG. It's a mix of BOTH coffee & tea. I think this is geared towards those coffeeholics who're willing to try something new or tea drinkers that want an added caffeine boost! This variant's offered in hot & iced. Since I'm a huge JASMINE fan, I think I'd go for that.

Tea-rrific offers three sizes for most of their drinks. They have medium (12oz.), large (16oz.) and grande (22oz.) Each size has a corresponding price. The price range for the different variants are around P39-P69. 

Since it was our first time with Tea-rrific, Cj & I decided to get our drinks in the medium size so in case we end up not liking our drinks, it wouldn't be too much of a dismay on our pockets and stomachs. After debating on what to get, we settled for milk teas. He decided to get OOLONG for P39.00 and of course I went for JASMINE which cost P45.00. We also swapped drinks while walking towards the food court so that we could both taste the two flavors. The verdict?

JASMINE MILK TEA
Hers : I definitely loved my jasmine milk tea. It was mildly sweet with just the right jasmine kick! The only downside was the fact it had pearls. I forgot to tell the lady to hold the pearls on my drink. I dislike tapioca pearls in my drinks. It's just a quirk I have.
His : "Dol bien sabor sakate man gayot ste babe?" - Babe, it tastes too grassy. *lol* Apparently he felt that it had too much of an "herbal" kick to it.

OOLONG MILK TEA
Hers : I didn't like this at all. It was too strong for my taste. Well, oolong does really have a robust flavor to it but I thought the added milk would have subdued some of the stronger notes of the flavor. I thought wrong.
His : He loved the oolong kick. Just right for his taste buds. He finished his milk tea a whole lot quicker than I did mine.

OVERALL
I'd shell out my $$$ for more of Tea-rrific's milk tea and other variants though next time I'll definitely tell them to skip the tapioca balls. Can't wait for my next milk tea fix! :)



2012/03/17

Spring Fling : Lime With A Splash Of Pink!


For the third installment of my Spring Fling series, I decided to mix lime, gold & a splash of pink into this very simple look. Some may fear wearing such bright & bold colors but I think it's still pretty wearable. How about for a picnic date with your special someone? Eh? *wink*



Product List!

Face:
Kiehl's skin care products
Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation - medium beige
SanSan cream concealer - light
Ever Bilena powder foundation - oriental
Nyx cream blush - glow

Brows:
Ever Bilena eyebrow pencil - brown

Eyes:
Nyx eyeshadow base - skintone
120 V3 Palette from Beauty Cosmetics - all eyeshadows
Maybelline gel liner - black

Lashes:
Estee L sumptuous mascara - black
BaFF Lashes
DUO eyelash glue

Lips:
Nyx slim lip liner - hot pink
Nyx soft matte lip cream - addis ababa


The above photo happens to be one of my current favorites. Too bad I had to crop out what I was wearing since it clashed too much with the makeup *boo!* But still, I like how my skin looks in this photo. Still have to fine tune my foundation, but I'll get it right, eventually.

Don't forget to watch my makeup tutorial for this look!



2012/03/14

ISSUE #1

DISCLAIMER : Cussing may happen. Or not.
I'm only going to tackle this issue ONCE.

The past few days have been a little shitty. I've been dealing with lots of issues, with family, my business, my duty as a nurse, and a whole lot more, but the one I'm going to tackle today is the one that irks me the most. Especially since a helluva lot of anonymous people have been messaging me.


A few months ago I was linked to PROPS Tools & Cosmetics under their affiliate program. At that time I was not as active on my beauty blog as I am now. At that time I was more active on my personal blog and placed all the necessary banners and badges and other paraphernalia on that blog. I was never really an active advocate of the shop, honestly also due to my own negligence and other personal reasons. Those reasons will not be discussed, so don't ask.

Anyway, last February 9th 2012, I finally decided to terminate my contract with PROPS Tools & Cosmetics. I have thanked the company for being so gracious as to have sponsored an item during my Christmas giveaway. I've even received several palettes from PROPS as gifts from family & friends. I've yet to use them though, but that's another story.

As for the termination, I understood that all my PROPS affiliate privileges would be revoked from me and that would mean also discounts for my readers. I've cleared that out with PROPS already. I also received a message from them regarding my termination of affiliation. So that's about 40% of the story.

Now onto the rest of the story. Also last February, I got pulled into the world of BEAUTY COSMETICS. I decided to give the BEAUTY COSMETICS affiliate program a try and I'm now working on several things for the brand. I even blogged the announcement. Everything has been smooth sailing.

Or so I thought.

I've recently been receiving anonymous "hate" mail, anonymous comments and also a message from BEAUTY COSMETIC's founder, the lovely Miss Rosenn about this issue. Apparently a lot of people think that I'm being dishonest about being an affiliate of BEAUTY COSMETICS.

Why? You ask...
Well simply because in my OLD & DEAD BLOG, I've FAILED to remove one PROPS banner on my sidebar. Yes, true. Due to my own carelessness, it was still on the sidebar for apparently "the whole world to see". A lot of people have been making this a huge deal and unfortunately I've only been able to FIX my layout recently & finally removed the banner, which, F.Y.I wouldn't really work since the stand alone page with the proper shopping cart codes that the banner was linked to happened to be DELETED as soon as I terminated my contract with PROPS.

I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience that anybody may have experienced due to my own carelessness. I sincerely hope all this badgering will stop now. If it won't, I hope all those people who wish to confront me will have the balls to message me directly and without hiding behind anonymity.

Again, thank you to Miss Rosenn of BEAUTY COSMETICS for hearing my side out and encouraging me even more to be a better affiliate. I appreciate the care.

2012/03/13

Spring Fling : Azalea

Another look for my Spring Fling series. This was inspired by the flower Azalea. I adore this particular color combination. It's super dainty because of the pink & purple but still has that nice pop of color because of the sky blue color.

Time for photos!



Product List!

Face:
Kiehl's skin care products
SanSan matte liquid foundation - 03
SanSan cream concealer - light
Ever Bilena powder foundation - oriental
Nyx powder blush - mocha

Brows:
Ever Bilena eyebrow pencil - brown

Eyes:
ELF eyelid primer
120 V3 Palette from Beauty Cosmetics - all eyeshadows
Maybelline gel liner - black

Lashes:
Estee L sumptuous mascara - black
BaFF Lashes
DUO eyelash glue

Lips:
Human Nature lip balm - flame tree



Don't forget to watch the makeup tutorial I made for this look. It's pretty easy to do.




Question for my readers :
After my Spring Fling series, what tutorial would you like to see next?
> Eyebrow tutorial
> ROYGBIV series
> What's in my bag (duty hours as a nurse)
> What's in my bag (all other days)