Lullabies and Lippies: January 2015

NARS Orgasm blush has to be the most popular blush in the beauty industry. You see it everywhere - on beauty blogs, websites, and glossies, and everyone talks about how this is the most universal, most flattering, and the perfect blush for anyone - goes well with all skin tones, from light to darker skin.

I don't get it. I really don't.

When I look at it in the pan (pardon the picture please, it's quite beaten up), it does look like the perfect everyday blush for me. It's a peachy pink with subtle gold sparkles. When I swatch it on my arm with my fingers, pigmentation is great. I don't know if I'm using it wrong, but I can never get it to look that good when I try to apply it with a blush brush on my cheeks. I've tried it all - with a stippling brush (MAC 187), with a traditional blush brush (MAC 129), and with an angled cheek brush (MAC 168) - nothing. I was never able to get that same type of pigmentation. It'll either look like: a) I have nothing on, or b) if I try to build it up with several layers, the gold sparkles will get all over my face (from the swatch below, you can tell a little bit that the sparkles in this kind of goes all over the place) and end up accentuating my pores without actually improving the color - I look like a disco ball, but the color still isn't there.

Bottom-unblended, top-blended with fingers. How I wish I could get it to look that good on my cheeks! :(

NARS blushes are popular for having a great formula, and being that this was their most popular one, I wanted so bad to get into the bandwagon and like this. I do still continue to try using it up to this day (which explains why it is all beaten-up; I take this whenever I travel so I'll have no choice but to use it), but I still haven't gotten good results. :( I feel really bad about this too, because this was one of the first high-end beauty products I've ever purchased with my own money. Since then, I've tried the Milani baked blush in Luminoso, and I've found that to be so much better! It has been said that Luminoso is a dupe for NARS Orgasm - and I agree. I totally get the hype on that one. It's a warm, peachy pink with a subtle sheen (so subtle that it looks like your skin is just glowing rather than sparkling) that makes you look oh-so-healthy. It's everything I hoped NARS Orgasm to be!

I'm sorry, NARS Orgasm! I have been mean to you. But it just didn't work out between us.

Anyone share the same sentiments? I can't be the only one!!

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I'll be real with y'all - I've never really given local beauty products a chance. I have always just preferred imported products. I don't know why.

Lately, though, I've been going through a lot of Pinay beauty blogs and have read some pretty amazing reviews on local beauty products, so I decided to give it a go! I have to say - I'm pretty impressed with the quality of these products - super comparable (if not better) to more expensive, imported products. (Of course, there are some misses, but that's a whole different blog entry, isn't it?) Best of all, because they're locally-made, price tag is mega-affordable! And we're all for supporting local products, aren't we. :)

Here are some of my best bets:

1. Fashion 21 lipstick in Dream Girl

Not a huge fan of the packaging on these, but the formula is amazing! If you're familiar with the MAC Cremesheen lipsticks' formula, this one is pretty similar in texture - just as moisturizing with pretty decent pigmentation. The shade Dream Girl is the perfect pinky-rosy-nude MLBB for everyday. This never leaves my purse! And you can get it for well below PHP200.

2. FS Cosmetics single eyeshadow in Glamour Peach

I love putting a shimmery, champagne-y shadow on the inner corners of my eyes. I think it makes a world of a difference and makes me look that much more awake. Not really particular with what shadow I use. When I'm doing my make-up at home, I'll just whip out whatever eye palette I have lying around and use the lightest shade in that. This one, I got because I wanted to have one to stick in my purse. This comes in handy when I just need a little pick-me-up in the middle of the day if I'm looking tired already. I got this on sale for only PHP150.

3. Fashion 21 clear brow gel

I don't believe in expensive brow gels. I think any clear mascara or brow gel you can get at the drugstore works just as well. This one is a staple in my kit. Cheap, keeps my hairs in place, does the job.

This one is unopened because the one I'm currently using looks super dirty and disgusting and I just couldn't bring myself to use that for the photo. Hehe :)

4. Careline oil-control blush-on in Fresh Tomato

This blush - my, oh my - has to be my fave in this list. How it looks in the pan might scare you - I know I was! Looks super red and almost clowny, but the red actually compliments warm Asian or Pinay skintones pretty nicely! On me, it looks like a deep peachy orange, and it makes you look like you've got a natural flush, like you've been out running around. You do have to be super careful when applying this though, because it is so pigmented. I literally just tap my brush in and sweep it over my cheeks. Literally, just one tap for each cheek (maybe even less!) Please note though that I have medium skin, so if you have lighter skin, then I would probably use even less. Just use the tiniest bit, then slowly build it up. Remember, it's easier to add than to take away if you've gone overboard. (Tip: If you feel you've gone overboard with blush, just go over it with a light dusting of powder. That should tone it down! :) ) If you're familiar with cult fave NARS blush in Exhibit A, this gives the same look, only for a lot, lot, LOT less at only PHP85 a pop!

Note: Swatch will be at the bottom part of this entry

5. Nichido eyelash curler

I hate to say this, but I think this performs just as well as my beloved Shu Uemura eyelash curler. (HUHUHU I hate myself for saying that because I love my Shu Uemura curler so much, I've had the same one since I was in high school!!) Of course, being a LOT LOT LOT cheaper, this doesn't feel as nicely-made as the Shu Uemura one, but still very decent! If you don't want to spend the money on the Shu Uemura one, this is a very good alternative. I forgot how much I got it for, I think it only cost around PHP120. Go get you some!

6. Ever Bilena color pencil

The color on this is really nice because it's not too red, not too black - it's a very happy medium. The pencil itself is soft enough that you don't tug and pull at your eyebrows when you're trying to fill them in with this. (Oh, believe me, I've tried some very awful brow pencils at the drugstore!) And at the PHP85 price tag, you just can't beat it!

7. Ever Bilena lip & cheek tint

I used to be a Benetint snob and would use only that. But since I used that everyday, I did go through it pretty quickly (2 bottles/year?) and at PHP1600 per bottle, it wasn't so budget-friendly. So late last year, I decided to try this out. An officemate would use this every morning when she did her make-up at her desk. Guess what? I am never going back to Benetint!! This works just as well. You need the tiniest bit to get a natural-looking, healthy flush, so a tube (and it is a pretty huge one) lasts for ages. The stain stays on all day too! As a bonus, the tint has a pleasant strawberry scent to it, but it doesn't linger on your face or anything - it goes away as soon as you blend it in. A total steal at PHP135! :) (Word on the street is that Ellen Adarna uses this!)

8. Fashion 21 blush stick in #4

I love cream blushes because they look so natural on the skin, make you look healthy, and they stay on far longer than powder blushes. But because I have combination-oily skin, I haven't found a cream blush product that I really like - most of them are too greasy for my liking, and will just slide off my face halfway through the day. This one, however, lasts pretty decently on my skin. The formula is super pigmented, super creamy, super blendable, dries to an almost powder-finish, but still looks dewy and glowy. On days when my skin is extra dry (like if I'm sick or if I'm traveling in a cold country), I will typically reach for a cream blush. The color on this is just the right amount of creamy, peachy-pink (no chunky monkey glitters here!) that looks so, so natural on all skin tones. This color will look good on anyone, especially on Asian/Filipina skintones. The peach tones in this pick up perfectly on warm skin. :) This particular shade is my fave from their blush stick range (they only have a total of four shades in the range) - the others are either too pink or too peach. And at only PHP135 a pop, these are a total steal!

Note: Swatch will be at the bottom part of this entry

9. FS Cosmetics two-way cake in Rajah

I use this as an all-over bronzer to warm up my complexion. This is actually meant as a foundation (which you can use in two ways, dry or wet) which I got in their darkest shade. Because this was meant as a foundation, it does run a bit warmer, so if I really wanted to do some major contouring, I would use something a bit cooler like NYX blush in Taupe. But for an all-over bronze/minor contouring, this one works pretty well. On the daily anyway, I do prefer an all-over bronze rather than definitive contouring. (Wow, I must have said bronze and contour 80 times already by now.)

Note: Swatch is down below! :)

As promised, here are the swatches:

L-R: Fashion 21 blush stick in #4 unblended and blended, FS Cosmetics two-way cake in Rajah unblended and blended, Careline oil-control blush-on in Fresh Tomato unblended and blended

Happy weekend! :)

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