Lullabies and Lippies

What's worse than being sick? Looking sick.

Alas, I have been struck by the flu! And whenever I'm sick, I really just prefer to stay indoors, curl up with a hot mug of tea and some TV series. There will inevitably be days though when you'll have to go out, see people, and look somewhat presentable. So if you're feeling a bit under the weather, but have to go out, I've got you covered! :) I'm sharing with you my sick day make-up routine. :)

Let us establish the current condition of my face:
Usually, when one has the colds, the face gets super dry. For my skin, it's been so dry to the point of having dry patches in some areas. And because I've been blowing my nose off, the area around my nose is really dry and red. My eyes have been watery as well, and my lips have been so unbelievably dry, it's not even funny.



For the face
moisturizer: On sick days, I swap in my usual Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer with SPF 15 for The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer SPF 30. Because my skin is a little bit drier, the Vitamin C content in this stuff really (REALLY! I kid you not!) helps to wake up my dull skin! And being that this has a higher SPF content that my usual Aveeno moisturizer, it's surprising how light this feels on my skin. Gets absorbed super quickly, too. And the smell, oh, the smell! This stuff smells like straight-up orange juice. Really helps to wake you up too. It's times like these that I remember how much I love this product and I wonder why I ever stopped using it!

BB cream: I would normally just wear powder on a daily basis, but on these days, I do like to use a BB cream instead to give me an extra boost of moisture while adding coverage. I typically stay away from BB creams too because they feel thick on my face. I notice, too, whenever I have a BB cream on, I have to blot my face more often because it greases up more. The Face Shop Aqua Tinted BB cream SPF 20++ however, is different! It's water-based, so it feels suuuuuper light and hydrating on your skin! It must also have some special cooling ingredients in it because the moment it touches your face (or even your hand before you go to put it on), it feels super refreshing. Coverage is quite light, though, so I do have to go in with some concealer if I do want some extra coverage on blemishes or in red areas especially around my nose.

concealer: Nothing fancy here, I use my usual Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer if I do want a little extra coverage under my eyes (because our under eye area somehow always looks worse when we're down with the flu!), to cover the redness around my nose, or on blemishes. Usually, I would use the MUFE Full Cover concealer for blemishes or around my nose, but I go for the Rimmel one on sick days just because it's a little more hydrating. :)

bronzer: Because I look so sallow, I do like to put on a little bit of bronzer on my face to make me look a little bit healthier. I use this FS Cosmetics Two-Way Cake in Rajah as a bronzer (I love using darker colored face powders as bronzers! They look waaay more natural than regular bronzers.) I just do a very light dusting all over with a fluffy brush on places that you would normal bronze/contour. After bronzing/contouring, I just take whatever is left on the brush and go over my entire face to set the BB cream and concealer. I don't like using another powder just to set to minimize the look of dryness or flakiness.

blush: I go for cream blushes more on sick days, again for the extra hydration they provide. Something about cream blushes look so natural and make you look like you have that 'glow from within' (which I clearly lack when I'm sick!) The one I'm using (and loving) at the moment is this Fashion 21 cream blush in shade 4 :) It's a creamy, peachy-pink color that would look amazing on anyone, especially on Asian/Filipina skintones! :) This was a steal at my local Watsons for only PHP150!

For the eyes
brows: Fuller, thicker brows always make you look younger, healthier, and fresher. So, no matter how sick I'm feeling, I never skip this step. I don't do anything special here, I just fill them in with my MAC eyeshadow in Espresso as per usual.

inner corner highlight: To make my eyes look brighter, wider (even when I really just want to lay down and sleep all day), I do like to pop some shimmery-champagne eyeshadow on the inner corners of my eyes. Helps you to achieve that 'glow from within' we all want! I just use any that I have, one I'm using now is the FS Cosmetics single eyeshadow in Glamour Peach (only PHP150!)

mascara: Just my normal, eyelash-curling, mascara-putting routine here. The only difference is that I make sure to use a waterproof mascara (like Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof) since my eyes do get watery throughout the day when I'm sick!

For the lips
lip tint/balm: My lips have been so dry that I really can't even stand the thought of putting on a lipstick, nor a thick, heavy, goopy gloss! So this Etude House Kissful Tint Chou is the next best thing! It feels hydrating as a balm when you put in on, and it provides a nice, bright but translucent color to your lips. Also gives a nice, thin gloss that always makes you look healthier. If you had a bright lip stain and put a clear gloss on top, that's what this looks like. The nice thing also is that this leaves you with a stain, so that you still have some color left even after you've been eating. :)


After my face, I do like to throw my hair up in a high ponytail. My dad always says I look fresher this way. Plus, it's also nice just to get all that hair away from your face, especially when you're already dealing with a cold!

Above all, I think the most important thing when you're sick is to drink lots and lots of water and get even more rest.

If you're sick, I'm sending lots of love to you! I hope this has been helpful. :)

Some people go out and party all weekend, while others prefer to stay in. I'm the stay-in type of gal, and I like to take advantage of weekends to get some cleaning and dirty laundry done. And by dirty laundry, I mean make-up brush cleaning.

So today is brush cleaning day, that which I always dread. Can't really remember the last time I cleaned my brushes, must have been over 2 months ago (I do hope you're more religious about this!) For brushes you use every day, I believe you're supposed to wash them every 2 weeks. I've been lazy and have been putting this off since before the holiday break, but no more! We must persevere!

That's all my dirty brushes. These are the brushes I use the most. I don't have too many eye brushes to clean because I rarely wear eyeshadows (just on the weekend, sometimes!)

Consists of mostly Real Techniques brush (synthetic hairs), MAC brushes, an ELF brush and a Loew Cornell brush (natural hairs)

For cleaning my brushes, I use this Parian Spirit Brush Cleanser. I think this is a pretty popular brush cleanser in the States, a lot of make-up artists/YouTube gurus seem to like this, though I didn't know it at the time I bought it. I got this from a local beauty supply store.



Here's what I do:

STEP 1: Soak
First, I take a cup (which I, for obvious reasons, do not use for drinking), put a small amount of the brush cleanser in, put some water in, and soak my brushes in there. (cleanser:water, 1:5) I give them around 3 minutes to soak.


STEP 2: Shampoo
Next, one by one, I take the brush out of the soak, run it under the faucet, then shampoo the brush hairs with some baby shampoo. (I just use J&J baby shampoo for this. Super cheap, gets the job done.)

STEP 3: Rinse
After that, I just rinse the shampoo off, as you would your own hair. You have to be careful though, not to get the metal ferrule of your brush wet, else they can rust, or the glue holding the brush hairs come off.


STEP 4: Towel Dry
After rinsing, I just pat the brushes dry on a tissue, making sure to wipe the metal portions of the brush, so that you prevent any kind of rusting. I do Steps 3 and 4 one by one until all my brushes are done.

STEP 5: Air-Day
Once all my brushes have been patted dry, I lay them out on top of a towel to air-dry. I lay them flat, so that all the moisture goes down to the towel. If I were to place them immediately in my brush holders, then the moisture would go down into the brush head, wearing off the glue holding all the hairs in place. Usually, in the Manila heat, it would just take around 3-4 hours for these to completely dry. Today is a bit rainy and chilly though, so we'll see..

The Parian Spirit Brush Cleanser is also good for spot cleaning. So if maybe you're feeling a bit lazy, this is a good one for that. I just placed some in a spray bottle, spray some onto a sheet of tissue paper, then dab, dab, dab, dab (the night away, the night away!) your brushes in. You'll see all the make-up coming right off!


Cheers to the weekend! We made it!!

I think my face routine has gone through a lot of changes over the years.

I've decided to make every Wednesday a TAG Day wherein I'll be doing beauty tags instead of my regular posts.

For today, I'll be doing the 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty TAG which was quite popular maybe 1-2 years ago. (I'm late on the bandwagon!)

I love me a good, red lip. It's the quickest, easiest way to look polished with minimal effort!

And thanks to Tay-tay (who will be wearing red lipstick in 9 out of the 10 pictures of her that you Google - try it!), the classic bright red lipstick seems to be back in every girl's frequently-used-make-up bag.


The idea of wearing a bold red lip may intimidate some people, just because there are so many types of reds (warm, neutral, cool), and so many finishes (glossy, satin, matte). This is a round-up of my red lipstick collection which I have obtained and tried over the years. I'll tell you my thoughts, how and when I like to wear them, as well as share some swatches :)

I have a total of 8 red lipsticks, and have arranged them according to tone from warm to neutral to cool.


1. Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Heftiest Hibiscus
The warmest of the bunch, this lipstick is a very red orange. It leans more orange than red, actually. The color is opaque in one swipe, but isn't as thin/moisturizing as the regular Chubby Sticks. It still felt like I was wearing a lipstick, rather than a balm. (The regular Chubby Sticks have a sheer, see-through, moisturizing formula. They feel super comfy on the lips; you feel like you're wearing a balm rather than a lipstick. This is a Chubby Stick Intense, so color payoff is better, but I guess there's a trade-off, isn't there?) I don't particularly like this one on me, I think the orange tones pick up a little too much on my yellowish complexion and make me sallow. I've seen this on fair-skinned and morena-skinned girls, though, and it looked gorge on them! I think it would have liked it a lot more if this had a sheerer formula.

2. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Fire & Ice
The perrrrfect red-orange lipstick for me - not too orange, not too red, right smack in the happy middle! This isn't just any red lipstick, though. It's been around since 1952 in the legendary Revlon Fire and Ice campaign. And when a lipstick shade has been around for that long, you know Revlon's done something right!


Well-pigmented (not for the faint of heart) and provides just the right amount of sheen/moisture to your lips (satin finish, not glossy!) Would look fab on warm skin tones! :) My fave warm red!


3. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon
Oh, how I love the Revlon Lip Butters! They provide sheer, but very buildable color while keeping your lips nice and moisturized! The color payoff is outstanding for the moisture they provide. However, granted that these are so moisturizing, they won't last as long as an opaque lipstick would. If maybe you're new to red lipstick, this could be the one for you. This is a see-through, warm, red color that is so easy to wear, and perfect for everyday. This gives you the look of just having eaten an ice popsicle :) But you can totes build this up for a more intense color! (The entire Lip Butter line is incredible! So many colors to choose from!)

4. Cover Girl LipPerfection Lipcolor in Hot Passion
During her Cover Girl campaign, Taylor Swift swore by this particular shade from the line. Word's out that this is the lipstick shade she was wearing in the below ad:
 (I don't own this picture. Credits go to the rightful owner.)
I would classify this lipstick as a neutral red - with cooler hints of blue, but more warm than cool. Super bright, super pretty. I always feel this makes me look more well-rested than I really am. The only downside to this is that it stains your lips pretty badly. My lips will still be stained even after taking my make-up off with my Shu Uemura cleansing oil. So if you will be changing lip colors throughout the day, that might be something to consider.

5. Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie in My First Time
I always have this in my bag because it is the easiest red lip to wear. My fave way of wearing it is as a stain - I just swipe it on, and dab it into my lips to make it a stain. That instantly brightens up my complexion while being a low-maintenance lip color. This is very buildable too, so you can certainly put on more if you want a bolder, more opaque, red lip. Super moisturizing too! And this is a neutral red (more cool than warm, this time), so all skintones can pull this off. This is my fave neutral red. Plus points for being a local product. Yay! :)

6. Wet n' Wild Megalast Lipstick in Stoplight Red
This classic blue-toned red is said to be a dead-on dupe for cult fave MAC Ruby Woo. If you've been wanting to get your hands on MAC Ruby Woo and maybe don't want to spend the money on it, this is a really good dupe. I've seen swatches online and the color is exact! The only difference is the finish. MAC Ruby Woo is very matte (the usual complaint about this super matte lipstick, is that it's very, very drying) WNW Stoplight Red provides a satin finish, so it's not super matte, but not glossy either. To me, a satin finish is perfect for a red lip because it provides dimension to your lips and makes them look fuller than a matte lip would. Super opaque, and super affordable! I got mine for only PHP199. :) My fave blue-toned lipstick, hands down!

7. MAC Satin Lipstick in MAC Red
MAC Red is one of the more popular red lipsticks in the market. Though very cool-toned (this one's a vivid bright blue-red), I'm still able to pull this one off. My mom loves this one too, she says it kind of makes her teeth look whiter. And we're all for whiter teeth, aren't we! This used to be my favorite blue-toned lipstick, but has been replaced by WNW Stoplight Red.

8. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Cherries In The Snow
This is another Revlon lipstick with history dating back to 1953. The campaign for this came out a year after the Fire & Ice campaign.
In the tube, it certainly looks like a very blue-toned red, but once applied, it actually comes off a very pink-based red. I would call this one a raspberry color (Is it red? But is it pink? But is it red? But is it pink??) I actually prefer this one over Fire & Ice, just because I feel that much more comfortable, safer, and low maintenance wearing a bold pink than I do a bold red. Formula is the same fabulous one as that of all lipsticks in the Superlustrous line. :)

Here's a closer look at the tubes and the swatches:

2014 is so last year, but can we just take a moment to reminisce about the beauty products we loved? Here we go!


Best Foundation/Powder: 3W Clinic Natural Make-up Powder
Since I don't like wearing heavy foundation-y products, this is what I would use on a daily basis. Discovered this in the second half of the year, but have used it almost every day since! Super lightweight, looks super natural, never looks powdery or cakey. This is quite popular among Asian beauty product lovers. I hear Korean celebrities use this. Super affordable too, I got mine for only PHP300+ for such a huge container!

Best Concealer: MUFE Full Cover + Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles (not in picture) + Rimmel Wake Me Up
For blemishes and dark spots, Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer. Quite pricey, but you need only the smallest amount to cover your spots, so this does last you ages! Super opaque, and lasts well through the humid Manila heat.
For undereye circles, I'd go with the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles - formula is very light, so it sits well on your undereye area, isn't too opaque, brightening, while still looking natural. Went through two tubes of this last year. Currently using the Rimmel Wake Me Up. I got this in Boots when I was in London last April. Performs just as well, but I feel the Maybelline one is just a little bit better!

Best Undereye Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Keeps my undereye concealer in place all day, brightens up your undereye as well. I've used this every day for over a year now, and I still have so much left! To be honest though, I won't be repurchasing this only because I can use the 3W Clinic powder for the same function.

Best Bronzer: Revlon Photoready Bronzer in Bronzed & Chic
These chubby cheeks need a bronzer year-round. I like this bronzer because I can mix the two darkest shades to use as a contour, or I can mix all the shades together for an all-over bronze.

Best Highlighter: The Balm Mary Lou-manizer
I totally get the hype around this. This gives you the prettiest warm, golden-champagne-y glow. This is crazy pigmented, and you get such a huge container, I have no idea if I'm even going to be able to use this all up. This kind of settles in your pores/fine lines, though, so I would use a good primer before! I use this as an inner-corner highlight/eyeshadow more than a cheek highlight.

Best Blush: Benefit Benetint + Ever Bilena Lip & Cheek Tint
For everyday, I prefer lip & cheek tints because they're easy to apply, and long-wearing. My Benefit Benetint is not in the picture because I've used that all up already. I've gone through maybe three or four bottles already. The Ever Bilena one is a very affordable alternative - costs only PHP100+, and works just as well! Plus points also since it's a local product. #PinayBeautyOnABudget

Best Lip Products: Dior Creme de Rose + Happy Skin Moisturizing Lippies
The Dior Creme de Rose is the most luxurious-feeling lip balm I've ever tried. Thick, moisturizing, smells like roses, and has SPF10. It's ridiculous how expensive it is though (impulse buy, sighs.) so will not be repurchasing this.
The Happy Skin Moisturizing Lippies already have half of my heart just for being locally-made. Aside from that, they give me everything - shine, moisture, and color. My two fave colors are Crushing On You (a neutral, everyday MLBB color), and My First Time (a neutral, very wearable red). If you could only get one, I'd say go for My First Time - it's such an easy red to wear. You can wear it sheer or as a stain by just blotting it with your fingers, or you can pile it on for a more dramatic red lip!

Best Eyeshadow Primer/Base: Too Faced Shadow Insurance + Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
Cult-fave Too Faced Shadow Insurance is my pick for a see-through based. Goes with everything, keeps my eyeshadows in place all day and all night.
For a colored-based, I cannot rave enough about the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. You can wear it as an eyeshadow base underneath other colors, or you can wear it on its own. If you don't know how to do a smokey eye (and I don't too), get this! The cool thing about this is that it looks like you've put on more than just one color on your eyes when you've really only just used this. It naturally looks darker in the crease of your eye. Perfection!

Best Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette
On the off-chance that I do wear eyeshadow, I go for neutral shades. The UD Naked 1 Palette is by far, the best neutral shadow palette I've ever come across. It has some really wearable shades for daytime, but also has some really dark shadows which you can use to smoke out your look for night time, or to use as liner. The shades on the warmer side, so they're perfect for Asian/Filipina skin. :) I have waaay too many neutral shadows in my drawer, but I tend to grab this the most!

Best Mascara: Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill
For years, I have tried more higher-end brands and have always went back to the Maybelline The Falsies. But last year, I decided to try again and have found treasure in the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara. This has to be the priciest mascara I've ever tried (another impulse buy, sighs.), but is the only one which I felt performed as well as the Maybelline one. When I first opened it, it was a very wet formula and my lashes respond better to drier ones. But like wine and George Clooney and Robert Downey Jr., this got better with time! It dried up juuust a bit after a few weeks and worked wonders for my lashes! The only downside is that it isn't waterproof, though I didn't experience any smudging or flaking. Maybelline The Falsies has always had my heart. Will be going back to Maybelline this year.

What are your 2014 faves? Do share! :)

Sending you lots of positive vibes for the new year! Cheers!

♥, Nicole

P.S.
Follow me on Instagram: @heynicoleyu :)