KIKAY SI MARIA

Today’s review is a contact lenses sent by Jhia of Red Jhelli Shop.

Red Jhelli Shop is an online shop that sells Geo lenses (and Mary Kay products). I guarantee you, she is selling ONLY ORIGINAL circle lenses. I already checked the authenticity of these lenses.

Bella BS-205 (Gray) has 14.2 mm diameter, the typical diameter I use for contact lenses. For me, this size is best for people who like to make their eyes bigger but still looking natural. If you want this design but would like to get a bigger effect, I suggest to you to purchase the Xtra Bella Gray (15mm) instead.

Unlike the two lenses I’ve tried from Geo circle lenses (angel and nudy), this appears to be less obvious on my eyes. The design is nothing fancy, just a black/gray-ish spiked design on the outer ring of the circle lenses.

I like these lenses because the design enhances the eyes (brightens up the eyes) without going overboard. It is the most natural looking contact lenses I had so far.

I have dark brown eyes and these circle lenses shows decently in natural lighting.  As expected, inspite of being called “Gray,” this appears to be deep blue on my eyes.

This is my 4th geo contact lenses, if I’m not mistaken. Just like all the other Geo lenses that I’ve tried, these are comfortable to wear but do not wear them for so long (less than 8 hours, please).

However, I admit, I don’t wear contact lenses most of the time. Back then, I use contact lenses every single day and most often than not I use contact lenses for more than 6 hours.

Just like what I’ve said in all my past posts in geo lenses,   I wouldn’t recommend you to wear it for a year, even if the life span of this lense is good for 1 year. Also, wear them for only 6 hours maximum starting 4th month from 1st purchased to avoid any discomfort.

Let’s admit it, contact lenses aren’t always comfortable to wear. If you feel like your lenses are hurting your eyes already, use some lubricants or remove your contact lenses and let your eyes rest for a while. 

Overall, I recommend this circle lenses if you seek for a natural looking eyes. Otherwise, this may disappoint you. 

If you like dolly looking eyes, go for 15mm and/or check other designs available at Red Jhelli Shop. You can get  ”free shipping” by using my code “RED-ELOISA01.” 

ENJOY SHOPPING!

Ana also received the same circle lenses and she used it on her youtube videos. Check her channel HERE. Please subscribe to her channel, she’s amazing! Like her fan page HERE too! 

I never thought that I will get a chance to try Sleek Makeup Palette! (Thanks again, Ate Myla! I just can’t thank you enough talaga e!) In my Dollface palette post HERE, I told you that I’m not an eyeshadow person and I don’t think I’ll be needing more eyeshadows palettes for myself. So, purchasing Sleek Makeup Palette was totally out of my mind. Oh boy, I’m so glad I was able to try this palette for free!

Anyway, as mentioned, this was sent by Ate Myla for product review. Even though I got this palette for FREE, this won’t affect my opinion/ review on the product. So rest assured, everything is based on my own honest opinion and experience.

When I first saw the colors, I immediately compared all the colors from my Dollface Palette (Avant Garde) and I’m so glad that none of the colors are the same.

The Storm i-Divine palette comprises of 12 strong and rich shades perfect for accentuating the eyes and creating natural looks.

The velvet-touch consistency gives full and shimmering coverage to the eye lid for maximum effect. Each shade can be applied alone for a dramatic effect or mixed to create a personalised look.

Best applied with the applicator enclosed.

Storm Palette is, for me, one of the best palettes from Sleek. This palette has nice neutral shades containing variety of colors from brown, black, pearl, gold, blue and green. According to some bloggers, this is quite comparable to Urban Decay Naked 2 (how cool is that!). Unfortunately, I cannot do a comparison review as I don’t have budget to purchase UD Naked 2.

Anyways, the packaging is really “sleek” as claimed by the brand’s name. It is quite heavy for its size; black is a good choice as it never fails to look classy and sleek! It has a nice size of mirror inside and the quality of the applicator is quite good enough (but I don’t use it at all. I prefer using my brushes). My only dilemma is that the packaging can accumulate dirt so easily.

I like this palette because I’ve seen this used by a lot of youtube gurus like pixiwoo, pixi2woo and themakeupchair (to mention some!). Therefore, if you’re new to doing your eye makeup, I highly recommend this since there are lots of tutorials available for you (check youtube!).

As mentioned earlier, this palette contains 12 eyeshadows. Three of these are matte and the rest are shimmery shadows.  

This palette is generally divided into two: 

Upper Part or the Top Row 

These are the “perfect shades” for Day Makeup.

Lower Part or Bottom Row 

These are perfect for crease to deepen our eyes and for girls who like smokey eyes  for night parties

I like the palette because all shades are wearable. Since they don’t have names, I’ll just number them from 1-12.

3, 11 and 12 are matte shades! These are definitely a must-have in every palette! I saw Pixiwoo used 3 and 11 as eyebrow powders and it looked really great and natural on her. The black is very intense — tiniest amount is enough to cover the whole lid.

1, 2, 4, 5 are the shades that I can definitely wear for simple occasions that require Day-time look. 6 and 7 are nice shades to mix with 1, 2, 4 and 5. In fact, I’m planning to use 2, 4 and 7 for my graduation. Supposedly, I’ll have someone do my makeup but since it’s too early and my sister told me that simple makeup for graduation is just ok, I finally decided that I’ll just do it on my own makeup.

8,9, 10 are so gorgeous shades!! 8 is similar to gun metal of Urban decay Naked palette(according to swatches from other bloggers), 9 is one of the most unique green I’ve seen. I love it! 10 is a deep blue shade. I’m excited to try these shades!

The eyeshadows are highly pigmented (look how vibrant it is!) especially the darker colors. It is soft but not powdery, and easy to blend. The shimmers are fine, not chunky glitters. 

The staying power of this is pretty decent (with or without eye primer). The shadows lasted me until the end of the day.

I tried using it with Nyx Jumbo pencil as base; I noticed that after few hours, the eyeshadows (pearl + gold) creases a little in the inner corner of my eyes. It’s the only problem that I discovered so far. Nevertheless, eye primer can prevent creasing of the eyeshadows, so I don’t really have to worry. 

Overall, I highly recommend this palette! It’s a bit pricier but definitely worth every cent. This palette is also perfect for girls who like travelling since you can create different looks from Day to Night and anywhere in between!

PROS

-packaging is sleek and sturdy

-great color selection

-has a big mirror

-highly pigmented eyeshadows

-great for Day and Night look

-staying power is remarkable

-has a decent amount of products

CONS

-Pricey

-can crease without eye primer

-I wish the eyeshadows are refillable, so I can repurchase refills for my favourite shades in this palette. Hahaha! 

WHERE TO BUY:

You can purchase it at any online sellers like Fabshopaholic.

It is currently on sale (until May 8, 2012) for Php 575. Original price: Php 650

SWATCHES

I did a day makeup look using this palette. I will try to do a night look next time! :)

I mix 2 and 4 for my lid and 7 for my crease. That’s basically it!

Have you tried this palette?

Share! Would definitely love to hear from you!

I’m not a PRO in eye makeup. I appreciate constructive criticism. 

Appreciate, do not hate.

Until then, my loves!

Anyway, the event supposed to be an introduction for this lippy. (Napahaba lang yung kwento). Jhessica, who won the best makeup for the meet and greet, wore this lip product on the event. When I first saw her, the first thing I noticed is her makeup (pasensya, mahilig lang sa makeup) especially her lipstick.

During the event, I opted to wear my Mac Lipstick in Pink Nouveau. We had some snacks at the Etude House event (macaroons, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream!) and because of that; I had to retouch my lipstick again. However, Jhessica’s lipstick stays on amazingly! Out of my curiosity I asked what lipstick she is wearing.  (Even Ana asked the same question too!). Then, she told me it’s NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM in ADDIS ABABA. And so, I promised myself to include this on my “TO BUY” list!

Then after few days, Ate Myla of Fabshopaholic (who also attended Ana’s meet and greet) contacted me through facebook  and asked me if I would like to do reviews on some of the products on her shop and she asked me to pick the items that I would to get. Of course, Addis Ababa was first on my list. In fact, it’s the only thing I picked on her shop then I let Ate Myla choose the rest of the things she wants to send me. That’s how much I like to try this lip product!

Take note: This product was sent for me to test out and make an honest review!

For sellers/bloggers: You may use the pictures below but please provide a link back.

The packaging of this lipstick is like a typical lip gloss container containing a typical sponge applicator.

D E S C R I P T I O N

“It’s not a lipstick nor is it gloss. It’s like nothing you’ve experienced before. It’s lipstick cream that goes on silky but looks soft matte”

The description says it all! There are products that promise you heaven but deliver hell instead! But this one, hands down! Indeed, it’s like nothing I’ve experienced before.

When it first came into our door (together with my other package from Ate Myla), I immediately unpacked the cover and tried this lip cream on my lips (oo, sabik lang no?). Originally, I was expecting a liquid lipstick consistency. Surprisingly, it has this weird mousse consistency.

 I’m a huge fan of liquid lipstick, I admire whoever created it. It has the pigmentation of a lipstick but feels moisturizing as lip glosses. However, liquid lipstick has several cons like it feels heavy and sticky, it’s quite messy to apply, it goes everywhere on my lips and even on my teeth and it doesn’t last very long!

This Nyx soft matte lip cream can solve all the problems mentioned above (believe it or not!).  I honestly think that whoever created this technology for a lip product is such a genius! LOL.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa is a cool-toned (blue undertone) hot pink lipstick. Pink Nouveau (a cool-toned hot pink lipstick) has more purple-ish undertone while Addis Ababa appears more pink-y blue.

Once blended, I noticed that it has blue-shimmers which are weird since it’s a matte lipstick.

This lip cream has a superb pigmentation that is buildable. On my normal days, I usually use one coat of this lip cream on my lips. If you want to build it up, you can apply more layers. However, take note to always start with one thin coat then let it dry for a minute before adding another layer. Take one layer at a time.

Lip cream glides smoothly like whip cream (feels moist on my lips) but dries into a nice matte finish. Unlike liquid lipsticks/lip gloss, this is not sticky at all! It’s very light on my lips that I sometimes forget I’m wearing it.

This lip cream does not transfer (100% kiss-proofs) when it’s completely dry (the key is to let it dry for a minute or more).

This lip cream can be really drying on my lips especially after few hours; however it’s nothing too dramatic (like chapping your lips) when applied in the right way (one layer at a time). You can definitely use it with or without lip balm. I honestly use it without lip balm. Normally, I use one wipe of this lip cream on my lips so it won’t be so drying.  I noticed that the more products I apply on my lips, the drying it is after few hours.

Just like what I’ve said before, it’s a long-wearing lip product! If you hate retouching, I definitely recommend this to you. This can last even after a meal or two! (Depending on the layers you put on your lips). Nevertheless, it’s not something that stays on forever! If you like eating A LOT, you still have to retouch it once in a while, I guess. 

Overall, I find this lip cream better than any lip products I’ve tried. I’ve always wanted to wear matte lipsticks but I never had the courage to wear one as Matte lipsticks are very drying on my lips! (Eto, medyo drying lang hahaha!)

This lip cream was absolutely a heaven sent! I highly recommend it, it feels light, it’s non-sticky, kiss-proof and transfer-proof, and long-wearing! I will definitely purchase more shades in the future!

PROS:

- cheap

- non-sticky

- kiss-proof

- long wearing

- very pigmented

- amazing formulation

- glides smoothly on lips

CONS:

- can be drying

- tricky to apply

- can look cakey if applied too much

- it has blue shimmers that are somehow noticeable on my lips

- time-consuming in applying this lip cream (one layer at a time)

WHERE TO PURCHASED:

- Any online sellers like Fabshopaholic

SWATCHES (1 coat)

You probably have heard of Ever Bilena Matte Lipsticks  from several beauty youtube gurus like Ana, Noe, Maricarl Janna, MissCoryPotts, Say and more. I got mine a year ago when it is still on sale for Php 99/ea.

So, here’s my updated review on Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Pink Flame

Looks can be deceiving. When I first had this for review, I told you that the packaging is cheap like it might break anytime just like my nyx round lipsticks. To my surprise, the packaging is quite durable! I had this for a year now (or more), it fell from my hands many times already and yet, it’s still in one piece! The name of the lipstick fades a little but hey, it’s good enough for the price! I’m impressed!

At the bottom of the lipstick is a color cap (as coined by Say in her videos before), which according to Ana is a lip balm/gloss (as revealed to her by the S.A of Ever Bilena). However, as compared to most color cap mine cannot be detached so easily (or should I say, it can’t be detached at all!). But I have another lipstick from this line (Mauvey) which has a detachable cap.

Here’s a swatch of the unidentified material in the cap

For me, it’s like an excess melted lipstick rather than a gloss/balm.

When I first opened it, the lipstick looks really dry! It’s like a lipstick toy I use for my Barbie back then. But due to the hot weather here in Manila, the lipstick melted a little so it appears a little richer than before (and yet still drying as compared to other lipsticks).

For first time users, do not apply the lipstick directly on your lips or else it won’t glide smoothly and you’ll end up dragging / tugging the lipstick on your lips. Usually if the lipstick seems dry, I try swatching the lipsticks several times at the back of my hands to warm it up a little then apply it on my lips (the friction and the temperature of our skin will somehow make the product more creamier). It should be better that way.

The shade is warm pink lipstick that can flatter most skin tones. This shade is wearable for any occasions. It is not overpowering, just enough to brightens your face and gives it a dose of rosiness.

While it seems to be a rose on my lips, the smell really disappointed me. The lipstick ends up smelling like a cheap scented soap (and it taste like soap too!).

The color payoff is remarkable. Since it’s a matte lipstick, it has neither shimmers nor sheen to it. The lipstick appears beautiful for first few hours. After two or more, the lipstick would start to form like a film/line on the inner part of my lips. This also accentuates chappy lips even with lipbalm underneath.

The staying power of this lipstick is pretty amazing! It leaves stain on my lips that last for 4-6 hours on my lips.

Overall, the color and color payoff is really gorgeous, it’s just that this lipstick is not for me. I just can’t wear matte lipstick since my lips are very dry and chappy already. But if you’re a fan of Matte lipstick, you might want to check this shade.

If you’re a fan of this shade but you can’t wear Matte lipsticks, I found a great alternative for Ever Bilena Pink Flame.

COVERGIRL LIP PERFECTION in HEAVENLY

The packaging of this lipstick reminds me of Maybelline colorsensational long lasting lipstick but not exactly. Unlike Ever Bilena, Covergirl packaging feels more durable and has a better quality (because you pay more for this lipstick).

Like EB, it has a color cap at the bottom but unlike EB, the color cap isn’t detachable. The purpose of this color cap is to give us the idea of the color inside the tube.

 The lipstick has a perfumey smell (slightly altered version of vanilla) that is quite hard to describe, some may like it… others may not… But I honestly like the scent!.  

Covergirl Lip Perfection in Heavenly as I’ve said earlier is a great alternative for EB in Pink Flame. Both give nice pink lips that is not overpowering.

Left: Ever Bilena Pink Flame (matte) - shiny due to light but in reality, it’s matte

Right: Covergirl Lip Perfection in Heavenly

Like EB, Covergirl is very pigmented. However, Covergirl is far richer and creamier than EB. It glides smoothly on my lips. Covergirl has creamy texture and has slight sheen to it. It feels very moisturizing as well (I can wear this without lip balm!).

Inspite of the creaminess, Covergirl lipstick stays amazing on my lips! It’s has a staying power of a matte lipstick but a texture and finish of a creamsheen lipstick! I never thought it would be possible before!

If you like a non-drying lipstick but prefer a matte finish, you can still use this lipstick. Just apply this lipstick, blot the lipstick on your lips with tissue then apply your face powder over the top of the tissue with your face brush.

I’m really impressed with this line from Covergirl. However, I’m quite disappointed with the color selection here in Philippines. I haven’t found any other colors that I like. Some are just too bold for my taste, others are too frosty. I just wish the line has more nudes (peachy brown) and soft pinks for everyday. If you like bold lipsticks, you would definitely love this selection.

Overall, I highly recommend Covergirl Lip Perfection! Yes, it’s a bit pricier as compared to EB. But formula-wise? Hands down! It’s amazing! The packaging has a good quality, the color payoff is remarkable, it’s moisturizing on my lips and it stays amazingly on my lips!  It has the quality of a high-end lipstick but with a drugstore tag price! No doubt why it is included on my top 3 favorite brand of lipsticks (lip creams, lipgloss not included): Mac lipsticks, Covergirl Lip Perfection, Maybelline Colorsensational Long lasting lipstick (in no particular order).

Price:

Ever Bilena, PHP 150

Covergirl, Php 395 

Last few days ago, Celline contacted me if I would like to collaborate with her and Jannah for a giveaway! According to her, Ate Myla of Fabshopaholic will be sponsoring our blog! Oh boy, I was jumping in joy!

When I saw all the prizes Ate Myla sent Celline for this giveaway, I was like “Oh wow!!” She’s really supportive and generous with bloggers (and ofcourse, our readers). With that said, I was hoping you girls/guys could join our giveaway not only to win goodies but also to show support for Ate Myla and our blogs! Hahaha!

Let’s now proceed with the PRIZES of this giveaway:

 There will be two sets of prizes for 2 lucky readers of our blogs.

The first set includes:

The second set includes:

How to join? Click HERE