Fab Finds: Cosmetic Brush Guard

I'm not sure if you ladies remembered, but a few years ago around 2008 the Brush Guard was released. It was such a craze on youtube that almost all beauty gurus had them.  A few months ago while I as looking for disposable mascara wands, I accidentally found this cosmetic brush guard from a Hong Kong based seller on ebay.ph as I was perusing through different beauty tools.

While the original Brush Guard costs about $5.00 per pack which contains only 5 to 8 pieces of brush covers, this cost only $1.00 at ebay and it has free shipping. There's a catch though, since it is from Hong Kong, it takes a long time for it to arrive. I got mine after 60 days of waiting.

What I like about this is that, it's a continues roll of 1 meter plastic mesh which you can cut to whatever size you want.  Thus, you can make about 10 to12 brush guard strips for only a dollar (about 43 pesos).  This has a medium size width, so it can fit most of my makeup brushes.

As you can see in the photos above I cut the mesh to different sizes depending on the size of brush. I hope this would give our local online entrepreneurs an idea to also sell this on their shop, so that we won't have to wait 2 months for this to arrive. ^_^

I've never used the original brush guards, but I'm quite happy with this. Share your experiences if you've used them. Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Bath & Body Care Favorites as of June 2012

Been loving so many bath products for the past several months and just found my favorites. Some of them are stuff that I just picked out on a whim and some were given as gifts.

current favorites

I've been using these products for over 2 months now and I'm just loving them.

I've been a fan of Silka Papaya Products and I just keep repurchasing both the Green Papaya lotion and soap.  These two just works me. Aside from the fact that they both smell good, they do lighten my skin. I'm just not too sure though if it does lighten in 7 days...LOL

So I've been looking for an affordable clarifying shampoo for a while now and I found the V05 Herbal Escapes Clarifying shampoo accidentally. I bought it from a small store called "Sugar Free Haven" they specialize in sugar free products.  This was sitting on their bath products section and it was only Php 99.00 so I quickly grabbed it.  I only use this twice a week just to get rid of the shampoo and conditioner residue on my scalp. I think it works, because my scalp doesn't feel itchy anymore like it used to when I was using my Pantene Intensive Conditioner everyday.

The other hair product I've been loving is the Lorys Hair Cream. It does a good job of keeping my hair soft, silky and manageable. I use this 2 to 3 times a week, when my hair feels dry and frizzy.  Lorys Hair Cream in Fruit Cocktail is my second Lorys jar. I like Lorys Hair Cream in Shea Butter better because of the scent.

The Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Scrub was given to me by a good friend who just came back from SG.  I've been using this for 3 months now and I'm still halfway through the jar. I just love the fact that I smell like candy after using this. Will do an in-depth review on this soon.

Johnson's Body Care Oil Infused Indulgent Body Wash with Almond Oil and Warm Vanilla, if you like how that sounds. You should try this! It smells like what it says it is, Almond and Vanilla! I'm big on body washes since I have dry skin. So I've tried so many body washes for the past couple of years.  If I buy a body wash there's only two requirements, scent and how moisturizing it can be. This fits the mark perfectly.

Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon body lotion with vitamin e, jojoba, and shea butter.  This is one of B&BW's new scents and it smells yummylicious! This was given to me by my mom-in-law when she came back from Georgia.  The first time I tried putting this on, my hubby who was in another room at the time quickly noticed the smell and loved it.  I don't need to put on any cologne or perfume every time I use this. The smell kind of reminds me of cotton candy but not overpowering.  I also love the B&BW Coconut Lime Breeze body lotion, it smells great and very moisturizing.

Do share your favorite bath products and let me know if you've tried some of the products I mentioned above. It would be wonderful to know your experiences with them.

Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

The Shocking Truth of Perfect Skin

We ladies always have insecurities, but most of the time we think too much of how we look especially if you are beyond your twenties.  I must admit I’m currently 28 yrs old and have been asking myself if I should start using anti-aging products.  Most women would want to keep that youthful glow.  But we end up trying so many different skin care brands until we find the perfect product while we end up spending too much.

All these made me think, how did skin care start anyway?  There are just too many skin care products out there, each of which carries different functions.  Women throughout history have tried different ways just to get that perfect skin.  Others already went so far as to bathe themselves in Milk or honey.

I found this interesting infographic from the Tanda website and you’ll be shocked by the high cost some women had to pay in order to achieve that perfect skin.

Via: Tanda Skincare

I hope you ladies found this interesting, because I definitely did.

Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Single Swatches

After being released last year 2011, I've read and seen raves about these eyeshadow singles from Wet n Wild. So, I wanted to try these out for the longest time and now I finally got my hands on some of them.

Product Info from Wet n Wild

High-pigmentation and pearl-density create a unique, satiny texture that lasts and lasts. A versatile collection of classic and trend shades can be easily worn alone or playfully combined for a variety of looks.

Retail Price: $1.99

Available in 7 shades: 

Sugar, Lagoon, Kitten, Nutty, Envy, Penny, & Brulee

with flash

no flash

swatches with flash

swatches without flash

(fyi: the swatches above are applied without an eye primer)

I skipped on buying Lagoon (blue), Sugar (white), and Kitten (lavender) because I couldn't see myself using those colors. It would be a waste to buy them and not use it.  I love all shades above, Penny is my favorite. It's just a really pretty peachy pink shade with golden shimmers, I can also use it as a blush. ^_^

I also found out that Brulee is a very good dupe for Mac Brule while Nutty is a very good dupe for Mac Satin Taupe. How cool is that!

So far, I love these eyeshadow they are very pigmented, easy to blend and stays a long time on my lids even without an eye primer.  They are also not chalky. Just a word of caution, these eyeshadow break easily so you have to be extra careful and make sure they don't fall.

Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Sigma Mrs Bunny Travel Kit Brush Set

So I got lucky again...LOL! I won this beautiful Vegan brushes from Sigma when they had a contest a few months back for Sigma Affiliates.  I have been using these brushes ever since I got my hands on it.

Product Info from Sigma Beauty

The Mrs. Bunny Travel Kit was specially designed to deliver the perfect makeup application. This collection utilizes Sigmax HD fibers, to guarantee perfect product placement without absorption into the bristles. This kit contains all the essential brushes you need for a flawless look on-the-go. The brush come in an innovative and functional container that turns into two brush holders! 

Retail Price: $59.00

approx around Php2,500.00

It comes with 7 Vegan and Synthetic Makeup Brushes

F30 - Large Powder: Even powder application. Uniform blending of powder products onto the face and body.

F40 - Large Angled Contour: Subtle cheek application. Use the angle to softly contour the cheekbone. Can also be used to apply blush.

F60 - Foundation: Smooth foundation application. Apply liquid or cream products such as foundation and primer.

E40 - Tapered Blending: Soft blended crease. Using just the tips to apply color, sweep back and forth through the crease for a diffused and blended finish.

E55 - Eye Shading: Even application of color. Place color across the whole lid for an even and strong application of product.

E30 - Pencil: Soften and smoke out lines. Soften pencil liners along the top and bottom lash lines, add shadow to line the eyes, or use to highlight inner corner of eyes.

E65 - Small Angle: Create precise lining. Moves fluidly and easily across the upper and lower lash lines. Use with gel, cream or powder liners.

 The height if each brush is approximately around 5 to 6 inches, which is just enough for you to hold comfortably.  It's not too short nor is it too long, it's just perfect. ^_^

The brushes are made from synthetic fibers which makes them very soft.  I find them very easy to work with since it's fluffy but dense at the time.

What I like about it...

* cute packaging, this is the prettiest set of makeup brushes I have

* love the sturdy brush container which also turns into two brush holders, plus it's Blue!

* it has super soft bristles

* the brushes are dense enough to work with, not flimsy at all

* the length of the brushes are perfect, just about the size of your hand

* easy to clean because they don't bleed and they dry easily

* doesn't absorb product like liquid foundation, which makes it even more easier to clean

What I don't like...

* it's not available locally. But you can buy this from the Sigma Beauty website. They ship world wide.

My rating: 4.5 / 5

Let me know what you think about these brushes if you've used them too, it would be nice to know your thoughts on this. ^_^

Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Presents and Such

During Mother's Day, I received a lot of Presents from my family and friends.  So, I just thought it would be nice to share this.

Yeepee more free stuff for me  ^_^

Nautica Wrist Watch from Hubby

Hubby also bought me the MAC brush cleaner and MAC slim mirror

The Clinique Happy Parfum and Bath & Body Works Body Lotion in Pink Chiffon

 are from my Mom-in-Law who just got back from US. She knows how much I love Clinique Happy.  I thinks that's probably my 5th bottle. hehe

 

My friend and colleague from work, gave me this beautiful handmade card.

She's also a blogger, not a beauty blogger but a crafts blogger.

You can see more of her work on The Crafter's Reference blog.  She makes amazing cards and exploding boxes.  I've been asking her to make cards for me since last year.  I just find it better to give personalized and unique cards, so that the person you are giving it to, won't even think about throwing it away... Just kidding LOL!

My whole family including my parents and siblings together with mom-in-law, went out to lunch at Laguna Garden Cafe located in Ayala Terraces.  It was a really fun Mother's Day. My younger brother gave me a long stem white rose while my older brother and his wife gave us (moms) mini chocolate cupcakes.

Until next time.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***