My Orange Obsession: Majolica's Blush in OR 211

Shades of orange is the summer season's hottest colors. I thought I'd give this color a go by getting Majolica Majorca's Blush in OR 211 a beautiful matte peachy orange. It costs PhP 495 for 3 grams of product in SM Watsons. I got it a couple of weeks back when I had an impromptu Majolica Majorca haul. I took my pre-board exams that for around 9 hours, not to mention I had the same thing schedule the day before so my brain felt like mushed  tofu. So what better way to cure it than go makeup shopping. 

Anyway back to the Majolica Majorca blush. It comes in a clear case, and the blush just slides out when Majolica Majorca's emblem slides out. 

It snaps right back in when it is closed. Not to mention I don't have to about the cover coming off its hinges - something that happens often with the packaging of my drugstore blushes.

I love the packaging, it makes choosing the color I want much easier (even if I only have one at the moment). Plus I adore clear plastic cases, I think they look classy. 

The pigment of the blush is wonderful. Just one swipe of the brush gets just the right amount of color on the cheek. The color lasts a considerably a long amount of time. I dislike going to the washroom to touch up so the fact that this lasted is definitely a plus for me. But I think the fact that I was wearing Majolica's Skin Lingerie helped it last even longer (blog about this product to come soon).

I'm looking forward to getting more of these, I heard RD 255 is a dupe of NARS orgasm. So if you're in the market for blushes, I think this is one of the brands that you should consider. I really like it. It gives a natural sun kissed flush, I believe it will work well with a bronzer. I think this would be my blush for a while. 

4U2 Pro Palette in Classic

The 4U2 I-Pro Palette  is considered to be one of the budget friendly make-up palettes available and it costs PhP 994.00 (roughly USD 23.10) at Watsons. You can choose to get the palette in vibrant colorful  and shimmery shades, decadent golden hues or dainty matte colors. It comes in a sleek black palette with a big mirror inside (5.5 x 2.5 in) and offers eight colors in each with a total of 20 grams of product (which means each pan has 2.5 grams). 

I chose to get mine in Classic and this is what the colors in it looks like. 

It has four warm neutrals, soft pink, coral red, light grey and carbon black; they all have a matte finish.

The eye shadows feel like velvet when touched. The pigment is easily picked up and shows up well on the skin - what you see is what you get.

Colors from the top row.

Colors from the Bottom Row

I usually use the warm neutrals to add shape to my eyes and the black one to set my eyeliner. There is no or very minimal fall out with these. You have to watch out for the black one - a little goes a long way. If there's too much of it in the brush, you will experience a little fall out. 

The shadows blend well with each other (and even with other brands for that matter). The quickest way to blend these shadows is with your fingers, there wouldn't be any hard edges after. It isn't dry, powdery or chalky. When I used them, they didn't crease or fade on me, but I do have to mention that I almost always use primer for my lids because they tend to get oily.

Would I recommend them to my friends? Yes, I would especially if they're looking for a reasonably priced palette with matte eye shadows to try different sorts of make up looks. Matte shadows aren't commonly found at drugstore brand prices.

Ingredient List.

when closed

Kevyn Aucoin: Making Faces

Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin is the first book I bought covering the subject of make up: the one that started it all. I came across this at a bookstore and saw that photo of the man which Kevyn Acoin transformed into a lady, I was completely blown away.

This is the page that I mentioned above.

This is acually a guy! Isn't Kevyn Aucoin Amazing?

To tell you the truth I have been struggling with writing this little post about Making Faces. What can yo write about a book written by one of the most sought after makeup masters of this century? But I feel that this precious book deserves a place in this blog of mine.

Rouge Coco Shine Campaign by Chanel

I found this inspiring video at the Chanel Makeup Confidential website. I love the video and the make up in it as well. I'm hoping I get to try out this look one of these days. I love the freshness and the simplicity of it. The perfect porcelain skin, the lovely lip colors and my favorite part, the soft muted lavender color finished off the the perfect pair of white shades.

I am thinking of trying this look with my Lovely-Me:ex from The Face Shop in PP402 mixed with white and grey from my 4u2 matte palette. I might go for the lipstick that I have which is closest to Monte Carlo - and that is FACE&it  Wrinkle Repair Lipstick (The Face Shop) in OR 201. I might have to use just a little bit of it since I think it looks like it is a little darker than Monte Carlo

The shades in this collection are: Boy (Top Left), Monte Carlo (Top Right), Adventure (Lower Left) and Liberte (Lower Right)

Anyway, on with the beautiful close-ups of this video! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  And just between you and me, I am guilty of having watched the video a lot.

The Majolica Passion

This is a screen cap from the Majolica Majorca Site

It looks like Majolica Majorca will be very passionate this summer. I was browsing around the Majolica Majorca site and I stumbled upon their limited edition and new items. I think the red mascara will be limited edition while the nail polish  as well as the Majoromantica perfume is here to stay. 

Quick Guide: Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow Palettes

This is the question I asked myself while I stood in front of the Majolica Majorca counter: "What is the difference between the three Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow lines: Majolook: Trick on Powder; Majolook: Illuminator and the Jeweling Eyes". To satisfy my curiosity, I brought home one from each line - and stared at it until I figured it out.

Simply put, the answer lies in their finish.

Shopping at Suesh

Makeup brushes make the lives of makeup-junkies much easier. If used correctly, they provide precise application, flawless blending and sanitation. Unfortunately, these brushes can either be too pricey or out of reach. But I've head about an affordable brush brand called Suesh and since their shop is near my place, I decided to test my driving skills, challenge my parking capabilities, and pay a visit in their quiet little shop at 34 Wilson St.

At first you wouldn't notice their shop, it's located in the far end, of right side of the establishment. Their floor space isn't that big either. But, I have to say, it's not the same for the products that they carry. Appart from their brushes they also carry various products like OCC, Grafthofabian, Cosiline Eyeshadows, NYX, disposable cosmetic accessories, carrying cases; just to name a few.

Their brushes range from PhP 200 to PhP 900 (about USD 4.50 to USD 22), depending on their size and the type of hair used. They can also be bought in sets which I think is a lot cheaper than buying them individually.

For my first purchase, I opted to go for the small ticket items just to test them out and see if I like them. These were the mini fan brush, eyedefiner and the smudge brush. They all have wooden handles that are painted matte black and their ferule is made of metal that has a semi-glossy black coat.

DIY: Makeup/Eye Shadow Palette

I recently bought a bunch of eyeshadow pans. But I had one problem, I didn't have anything that could store them. The two options I had was to spend or make a D.I.Y. eye shadow palette.
I've heard of makeup palettes being sold in the internet and pro stores but they are quite pricey plus shipping and customs add to their price tag. There are suggestions all over the internet about how you can make your own, but I'm not the DIY: eye shadow palette with a DVD case kind of girl.

When I was hunting for the perfect makeup palette for me, I had this checklist in my head:

• it has to be magnetized - sticking a magnet at the bottom of each eyeshadow pan is too time consuming
• the cover has to be attached to the part where the eye shadows are kept - otherwise I might loose it or forget to cover it
• it preferably should be made out of plastic with a clear cover
• it should be shallow enough to make it seem like the container is specially made for eye shadows
• it should be able to hold a lot of pans
• and it should be affordable.

I didn't find anything that met my standards and being a little obsessive compulsive, I refused to settle for anything less. But a trip to a nearby Japan Home store ended this - I was able to find materials that stirred my creative juices. I think I spent around P 170 (around USD 4) for this whole project.

So this is what I got from Japan home, the watercolor palette (P 66) and a pack of magnetic photo frames that's supposed to be for the fridge (P 66, there are 3 pcs in each pack).  The magnetic photo frames had a clear plastic slot of the photos so I just took that out since I won't be using it for that purpose.

The super glue - you can get that just about anywhere. You'd also need a permanent marker, a pair of scissors and scratch paper.

Majolica Majorca in SM Megamall

Majolica Majorca is now open in SM Megamall! Which makes me, one really happy makeup-junkie! They have two stalls at the ground floor of the cosmetics area in the department store where you can test out their products but they keep their stocks in the stall located by the escalators. As a treat to their customers, they give away freebies when you purchase at least PhP 1000. You either get their sparkly gold bag, which I just adore, or their Honey Plump Gloss Neo in hot pink.

I find their sales ladies friendly and accommodating always ready to answer your questions or suggest a product. I even dropped a few eye shadows accidentally (clumsiness brought about the day's activities) and they didn't get upset. And because of that I can also attest that Majolica Majorca's packaging is durable.

I got quite a number of their products including their famous Lash Expander and a product that I got me really curious - the Skin Lingerie Pore Cover. I can't wait to try them. I will write about these after I get to test them out for quite a while.

Check out my quick guide of the different types of Majolica Majorca Eyeshadows >>