What's in the bag?

So, what's in the bag?

Well, just the basics. VMV Superskin Spring Cleaning Purifying Facial Wash, VMV Superskin 3 and Id Soap. I try a lot of cosmetics and other face products but there's only one skin care regimen that I follow and that's VMV Superskin Care for oily skin: Cream Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer for the face. As for the body, I am not very choosy but I prefer gentle body washes such as Dove, The Body Shop, etc. VMV Id soap, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, is really very good for back acne. VMV's Milk Hair and Body Shampoo also works fine with me although I am not very satisfied with the product. I like Id better because it lathers better. =)

Anyway, I'm blogging about this VMV purchases because they came from VMV's Abreeza branch. I have visited this branch twice before but those visits were disappointing because the VMV Boutique was closed on those two occasions (maybe the staff was out for a snack or something?). Now, my timing is right! Their two attendants were happily answering my many questions. Lol! 

I inquired if they will be offering facial services just like in their Power Plant Branch in Rockwell. I was informed that it will be launched soon.... I'm so excited! =)  

So, while waiting for the launching of their special facials and skin services, I have these magazines and brochures to keep me busy:

Below is their Menu for their Special Facials and Skin Services:

click to enlarge and browse the prices

By the way, all products, except Armada and their make-up line, are discounted at 25% off. =)

Discounted Prices:
Spring Cleaning Facial Wash - P 420.00
Super Skin 3 (250 ml)- P 630.00
Id Soap - P 262.00

I wonder how SM City Davao's SMAC Sale prices would compare to those listed above?

Morena and Proud

I was first introduced to Human Heart Nature by Sab's blog. Human Heart Nature products was one of Sab's prizes in her blog giveaway.

The first time I browsed Human Heart Nature's website, I was immediately impressed with their company name, Gandang Kalikasan, Inc. and the fact that they have a US address in La Palma, CA. That only means that they brought Filipino products outside the country and their products being organic and really good, it just made me prouder.

Organic products are almost always associated with being pricey. Natural is more expensive, as what they say, "less is more". But Human Heart Nature proved them wrong. I was surprised that their products are actually priced affordably. Yes, it is still expensive compared to the grocery-lane products but its still priced way below the other advertised organic products.

So I bought myself a basic beauty hygiene necessity from the Human Heart Nature website: Shampoo and Conditioner. I was running low on VMV Hair and Body Milk Shampoo and I was actually planning to buy another 500ml bottle at P750. When I saw that Human Heart Nature was selling a 200ml bottle of shampoo for P129.75, tax exclusive, and 200ml bottle of conditioner for P129.75, tax exclusive, I was conviced that I should just skip VMV for now and try something Philippine made. I made my online purchase on Monday. The shipping fee was really low and I hope that they won't change that. I was charged P54 for it. On Tuesday, I received an invoice from Human Heart Nature through my email and they informed me that they have shipped my order. I was also informed that the arrival of products would usually take 5 days for provincial areas (and Davao City is considered a provincial area).

I did not expect to receive my package on Wednesday but when I arrived home, I was greeted by an LBC pouch with GKI on the sender's info. GKI, I guessed (and was right about it!), stands for Gandang Kalikasan, Inc. Yey! My shampoo and conditioner have arrived! It was nicely packed in a Human Heart Nature box (and it's recyclable!) and inside, my shampoo was further wrapped with newspaper and the conditioner was encapsulated in a bubble wrap (yey! bubble wrap for my sister! lol!).

When I opened the package, I was really taken away by the sweet scent of the product and just this morning, I found out that it was the shampoo which smelled really good. Lemon grass scent might remind you of a liniment but the scent of the shampoo is all citrusy and sweet. Or maybe, I am just reminded of the scent of essential oils in Path Massage, but either way, I love it! I used the shampoo and conditioner this morning and I have no complains about it. I just hope that I won't develop back acne which I suffer from when using grocery-lane shampoos.

I you're wondering why the title of this post is Morena and Proud, wonder no more. Human Heart Nature currently has an ongoing promotion in their Facebook page which is entitled Morena and Proud. Like Human Heart Nature in Facebook and post your photo on their wall saying Morena and Proud. You will get a 53% discount in a set of their beauty products and a chance to win on their raffle tomorrow.

NYC Duet Pencil

N.Y.C.EYELINER DUET PENCIL-880a MockingBird Silver

Approximately seven inches

I've ordered this product on Ebay via Big Tokyo. I wasn't expecting this pencil to be 7 inches long and it honestly surprised me of its length. I imagined this to be shorter.

This is the second NYC product that I've used, the first being a Peach NYC blusher I received as a gift from our former office secretary who already migrated to the States. Anyway, I do not have a review of that blush but maybe I'll make one in time.

I decided to give this a try since I have been satisfied with that NYC blush I mentioned above.

in black

and in silver

I tried using this product and my first impression is that it is very soft to apply. I was a little bit scared that it might break off easily once sharpened. I have not yet sharpened them but I will update this post once I will have a chance to sharpen them. Right now, they are still fine and there's no need to sharpen it. Updated 06/24/2011: So I finally had the chance to sharpen the silver pencil using an Ever Bilena Eye Pencil Sharpener and it worked just fine. =)

Below are photos of my sixteen-year-old sister with the product on. I used the silver liner on her right eye (left in photo) and the black liner on the other.

The black liner is really black although I think it would be better to use it for smudging and if you want to achieve that smoky eyes effect. Please note that I used this product without anything else on my sister's eyes. No powder or primer, no eyeshadow.

a closer look on that silver shade

The silver shade is nice and cute and I would definitely use it to line my eyes. I like that it is "wearable". The shade is not difficult to blend although some bits and pieces would sometimes get caught on the eyelashes which would make using a mascara a requirement if you're using this product. 

removing the eyeliner

The day before, I used the silver liner in my eyes and when I washed my face and removed it using my usual facial wash, bits and pieces of the silver liner remained in my eyes. For my sister, I used the local Ever Bilena Eye and Lip Make-Up Remover and it was fuss-free removing the liner using it.

I like the silver shade better than the black one. I can forgive the silver being too soft because I would love to smudge it on my eyes thereby creating a beautiful and dramatic effect. I like black liners to be firm and yeah, just firm, pliable but firm.

When your pressed powder breaks

cracked and broken. OH NO!!!

I remember my friend James who was always reprimanded by her mother when he was young because he was so mischievous and in his kiddie ways, he would always break his mom's pressed powder.

I was not spared of this tragedy. I don't know who, when, where, or what happened but I just ended up opening my Fanny Serrano Orleans and it's already broken.

The internet has a lot of tips on how to repair a broken compact of pressed powder. Some of these do-it-yourself instructions require spraying alcohol, pressing the powder back to its pan, and even baking it. But I didn't want to add other ingredients to the powder which might affect its color or use. Instead, I emptied the "almost-empty" pot of my sister's Nichido loose powder, washed and cleaned it dry, and placed the broken powder in it.

I used a clean teaspoon instead of a spatula and I did not crush or grind the compact powder anymore. Once inside the powder pot, I placed its lid and also placed my sponge applicator on top before closing the powder pot and I was happy that it fit perfectly. A few shakes of the pot and the chunks have pulverized. It's that easy.

They're here!

Arriving two days after payment, my orders from BigTokyo are already here packed in a JRS pouch. The package arrived just in time when I expected it. I made my payment via Paypal on Thursday night, 10PM. On Friday morning, I exchanged text  messages with a BigTokyo staff about some of the items being replaced due to stock outages and they also informed me that same day about my orders being shipped. And yesterday, Saturday, I found the package lying beside me when I woke up from my nap. The package probably arrived between 10am to 1:00pm during my nap.

A closer photo of my purchases (in batches according to what I've ordered):

Skin Food Red Bean BB Cream, Nobleretty BB Cream, Skin 79 Gold BB Cream, Etude House Total Age Repair BB Cream
Skin Food Agave Cactus BB Cream, Precious Mineral BB Cream, Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell BB Cream
Hanskin Glossy Magic BB Cream, Skin Food Mushroom Multicare BB Cream, Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream

Next: Skin Food Assorted Pore Care and Sun Care (the following photo includes Etude House Moistfull Foundation + Base and the *freebie* Liole Daily Soothing Sun Milk)

Skin Food Tomato Wrinkle Sun Cream, Moistfull Foundation plus Base, Liole Daily Soothing Sun Milk
SNP Pore Cleansing Foam, Hanskin Moisture BB Cream, Hanskin Brightening Whitening Cream
Skin Food Carrot Sun Cream, Skin Food Peach Sake Pore Serum

And this is what I was super excited about: Skin Food Salmon Brightening Eye Cream

As you can see on the first photo, the package includes an NYC Duet Pencil. I will give you a better and closer snapshot of the NYC Pencil on my upcoming review.

The products mentioned above (except the NYC Pencil) are all in little trial packs. All in all, they cost me P521.10 or $12.29 USD using Paypal rate, including shipping.

Excited!

I was blog hopping two nights ago when I was able to drop by this blog (I FORGOT!!!) taking about BigTokyo in ebay.

I searched BigTokyo and then whoala! A lot of Skin Food stuff at discounted prices! I had only a few bucks left in paypal and I really wanted to buy some stuff which would be worth it... Since I am super allergic to most products, I ended up buying the trial packs. That way, I could test the BB creams, pore cleansers and etc. if they are suitable for my hypersensitive skin. Talking about making myself a guinea pig!


I will upload the photos of my order as soon as they arrive. I am super excited!!!

Want a Sigma F80 brush?

I've been following beauty bloggers lately and realized there are TONS OF GIVEAWAYS for beauty junkies out there!!!

So, what does a Sigma F80 brush do? The Sigma website says that its perfect for applying liquid foundation.

If you want to have one of these items, click the image above to enter the contest!

Avon

Photo credit

This is just a quick entry about Avon products.

I don't normally apply eyeshadow unless an occasion calls for it. Yesterday, Auntie Dolly showed me her newly-purchased Avon eyeshadow in a palette the same as you can see above and then I hurriedly tried the product. I applied the white, pink, and black shades and tried to create a good blend of colors in my eyes. This product is labeled Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad but I found these colors lighter than they are supposed to be. I used them on their own, without a primer. I wish it would have the same effects as the made-up girls they have on their catalogs.

Anyway, a colleague saw me later that day (still with make-up on) and he commented I look fresh and I don't look stressed that day. I readily answered maybe it's because my eyes have "lightened and brightened" due to the eyeshadow I've applied earlier.

VERDICT: MAYBE it does have effects. I will try to buy myself a primer and try this product again. But first, I need to find myself a good and affordable eyeshadow primer.