Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum

I was at an underground mall at Jeju island when I bought this. Enchanted by the beauty and mystery of the island, I grabbed a set on a whim - after all the box said... "From the waters of Jeju island". That definitely sold it to me!

Fast forward to a couple of months later, I was having trouble with oily skin during the afternoons. My skin was undermoisturized, I ended up opening my Green Tea Seed Serum and tried it out. It was just lying around in my room.

Little did I know, I was opening a box filled with wonder. Innisfree is a korean brand built on te idea of eco-friendlyness and harvesting the magic of Jeju island. They use ingredients from the island to make cosmetic products. They also encourage their customers to pitch in by recycling (note the note in my serum's bottle :) ).

I use the serum at night before I turn in and at morning before I put on my make up. The serum gets absorbed by the skin fairly quickly. The first time I used it, I thought it wasn't going to help much. But I was so wrong! This practically solved my "my skin is so oily, my powder's caking, and my nose is so blindingly shiny by lunchtime" problem. After a week or so (I can't really remember how long, but it solved my problem quickly) I found that my skin stopped producing too much oil to compensate for the dryness. Now, I hardly touch up my face, I just use blottingsheets in the middle of the day and I'm good till I go home and takr mu makeup off in the evenings.

You can probably tell I'm loving this! I've used a third of the bottle and it's made its way into my everyday routine. I'd pick up another bottle of this once it's gone but I might not go back to Korea anytime soon. Here's to hoping I could get this locally one day! :)

Merry Christmas!

May you all have a Merry Christmas everyone! May you have the joy and peace that comes from the Almighty.

Nature Republic

I have a weakness when it comes to things that have the word nature in it. Perhaps it's the innate aversion I have with the artificial chemicals in this world. So, when a new Korean cosmetics store opened up in SM Megamall, Atrium named Nature Republic; I just couldn't resist poking my head in it. I love the store's layout. It's minimalistic and earthy, it reminds me of a bamboo garden.  I was expecting that I meet up  with a panda.
When I dropped by they were having a sale... 20% off on everything!
I picked out their Collagen Eyeshadow, Mint Lipgloss in 03; and the extreme black set of mascara with eyeliner - this was already a bargain even without thr additional 20% off! As an added bonus, they gave me a loyalty card which entitled me with 10% off on regular days. :)

Plenty to Wear!

It's a little late, but guess what! I've been featured at Plenty To Wear! Click link to see.

Plenty to Wear is my friend. Jill's blog. She posts her outfits on a somewhat daily basis. The great thing about this is that she doesn't keep on buying new clothes, instead, she digs pieces from her own collection and uses them for her looks. Isn't she awesome! (and economical?) 

Check her blog out for inspiration on how to revive your old pieces.

Changing Directions

It's been a long time since my last post. I think I've finally come to terms that a blogsite for make up reviews isn't for me. For one thing, I'll use up a lot of resources to purchase and fund the make up I review, only to realize that I have way too much make up in my room. And the other is that I have other interests that I'd also like to pursue. So I'm changing directions and blog about other things that hopefully, you guys will like. But don't fear! I'll still talk about make up, when I end up buying something I really like.

-L

Maquillage Professionnel Promo

This little poster that I arrived in my inbox got me excited the past couple of days. I've always wanted to enroll in Pro Makeup Classes in Maquillage Professionnel, but I thought it was just a little pricey. But I was privileged enough to get into the module for Personal Makeup Workshop and I find it enjoyable. So I've come to the conclusion that this would probably be worth it :)

Makeup Your Mind by Francois Nars

Guess who I bumped into the bookstore the other week: Francois Nars. Oh how I wish it were true, but kidding aside, I bumped into the book authored by Francois Nars titled Makeup Your Mind.

Here is the very simple but striking book sleeve. Isn't beautiful?

And let me give you the obligatory front & back cover tour with a bonus photo - the spine!

Now let us move on to the short and sweet table of contents, with the signature NARS style.

The book is actually spring bound.

 

To allow you to do this:

Francois Nars placed the before and after photos of the model side by side so we can study the difference of the two. It is supposed to help us figure out where the make was placed.

 

I particularly like how the transparent film plots out where the make up is used. But sometimes they don't align with the photo beneath that well. It is only a minor inconvenience for me. 

Everything that Francois Nars used on the model is also indicated on the transparency. Clever isn't it?

DIY: Brush Keeper

Keeping makeup brushes clean and dust/germ free is important. It could mean the difference between clear skin and blemished skin which can be caused by the dust and bacteria in the air that settles on the brushes. We all wash our makeup brushes but what do we do with them afterwards, we put them in brush holders but the bristles are exposed. Here's a quick and inexpensive way of keeping all the undesirables - like dust and what nots off your makeup brushes. 

Here's what you would need:
 a covered container that's tall enough to acoomodate all your brushes and something to keep your brushes upright in the container. This could be a pencil holder or the brush holder that you already use.

Materials

This is my setup. I got the container from SM Homeworld and costs Php95. It is meant to be used for cutlery or other kitchen stuff but I had other plans for it. I used my old brush holders for this DIY (my mom got it for me from Muji four years ago just in case you're wondring ü ).

Accessories, accessories, accessories! ♥

I saw this cocktail ring at one of the boutiques in Northeast Square the other week. I was debating whether I should purchase it. I loved the turquoise and the detail of the ring, it just caught my eye. But, the rings were from PhP350-PhP400 and I had my heart set on a bright yellow rose ring, and I just adored it and bought that instead. 

I consider it a stroke of luck that I didn't buy this ring in that botique because I encountered it again in another shop called Girl Shoppe. And you'd never guess how much this is - it's PhP 50! Could you believe that?! It also comes in other colors like red, yellow and purple. There's also an interesting connector ring with the words LOVE all over it - sadly it doesn't fit my plus sized fingers. 

I found the perfect pair of white shorts! ♥

The search is over! I found the perfect pair of white shorts! ♥ It isn't exactly white - its is a lot closer to a light khaki with a hint of grey color. But I adore it none the less.

This is my first ever pair of high waisted shorts (yes, I just climbed out of a rock) and I got it at Una Rosa. Surprisingly, they have it in my size! (I'm usually a US11, or UK14 - give or take a few numbers). It sits comfortably at my waist - making it appear smaller than it actually is. It stops at the right height - yay for the illusion of long legs minus the skimpy short shorts and flares ever so slightly from the hips. I love this bit - it makes my thighs look smaller compared to the usual shorts.

The sales lady found this pair of shorts for me and so many other stuff I wouldn't try on my own. They are really into getting the customer to try out the items on the shelves because they are incredibly persuasive.
I was surprised that they carry clothes in my size, I usually don't find local brands with clothes that fit my body type. I'm psyched about this. Their jeans fit my legs and make them look nice, they have dresses and tops that fit my bust area, shorts that fit  my waist. Best of all - their price range affordable and much lower than the foreign clothing brands.

They found so many stuff for me to try on I spent 1hr and 30mins in the dressing room. Their spring collection is adorable! A lot of florals, prints and pastel colors - sadly I can't take all of them home. I didn't mind it because I believe that trying on clothes is for free - so I want to try everything just to make sure I get the piece that suits me perfectly. Plus the next time I find myself shopping in a hurry, I'll know which type of clothes look good on me.

Before I left the store, the cashier told me to check out their facebook page. They have a mother's day promo where you can get a 10% discount from today until mother's day (May 8, 2011). Just get the promo code (which is Unarosa Moms) at their facebook and mention it at the cashier before you check out the items. 

Sorry no OOTD here - just a clothing item of the day.

This is the back part

Pocket detail. I love how refined the stitching is. 

Hidden zipper - you might want to check if it works well - sometimes this type of zipper gets stuck.

And that's it! Thanks for reading about my shopping adventure!