I've had no trouble receiving parcels from Born Pretty Store for quite some time now. They package the items really really well (lots of foam and bubble wrap) and the people are nice and polite when they reply to your email . The only thing I can definitely comment on is the shitty postal + customs service in the Philippines.

Annoyances aside, Born Pretty Store boasts a lot of items like clothes, makeup, nails and accessories for cheap and I quite like some most of the items there. So when I browsed their site for face brushes, I found this sleek looking gem.

I've seen a lot of brush sets like these in the market-local and overseas. As you can probably deduce most companies stamp their logos on it, do some marketing and poof it becomes coco crunch.

Not that I have any complaints. It just makes for healthy competition and amazing bargains like this one.

Currently on sale for less than $15 ($13.99) you get a 5 piece sleek black face set. The lightweight metal ferrules are sturdy and connected with the rest of the handle.The weight of the brush is more concentrated on the bottom rubber part and a slight bend at the "waist" of the handle makes it comfortable to hold and maneuver.




I like synthetic now when it comes to face brushes so I like that the hairs are synthetic and very soft. The tips are white which adds to the over-all clean aesthetic and also acts as an indicator for when it's time to give it a good washing. Speaking of, I've already deep cleaned this set twice ever since I had it and I've no problem at all with strays and bleeding.



The set includes :

  • Angled Flat Top
  • Flat Top
  • Rounded Flat Top
  • Domed
  • Rounded Angle
Now in all honesty, I could do without either the angled flat top or the flat top one. They work well and are great but the angle isn't extremely obvious and they really perform exactly the same so having both in the set is redundant. But if you're someone who goes through face brushes quickly, another face brush is a nice backup especially if you're a makeup artist or you just want to skip a few more days until brush-laundry day.

I've noticed that all of the brushes are not that densely packed and some are less dense than others. Now this might be a con to some but it suits me perfectly well as I can use the not-so-dense ones. namely the angled flat top and flat top, for blusher and powder contour.

If I used the other brushes it tends to get a lot more product and take me a long time blending it out. Whilst all are great for powders, liquids and cream, I find these two just right for blusher, highlight and bronzer/contour.

Bottom-line : Do I recommend?

Yes. For less than $20 you get a face set shipped for free. It's a good starter for someones vanity or for a professional kit. If you're like me, I can never have enough face brushes. Mostly for the fact that I don't like washing them- I can just reach for a clean one easily.


xx,
CJ


Website : Bornprettystore
Link to brush set here
Coupon code : CJSH10


PS. They're labeled as wooden handle brushes on the site. Double checked my brushes again and I'm pretty sure they're metal or plastic. Maybe they are wooden...but I don't want to scrape off the handle.
PPS. Do you have a lot of brushes? Which do you have more of, face brushes or eye brushes?
There is a lot of talk about this latest makeup marvel predominantly in Korean-makeup enthusiast's blogs.

Credits to owner/s


The name speaks for itself and doesn't need a lot of explanation. It's basically a lip tint pack - think of those mask packs you put on the nose or the whole face then peel it off after a few minutes.

Hearing this new makeup phenomenon, I cringed. Mainly because my face/nose packs tend to be tear-inducing when it came to peeling them. Satisfying and yet slightly masochistic if you understand.

And all it took was one video to change my opinion about it.

Like I said, this didn't garner my positive reaction at first glance. But then as I scrolled through my YouTube feed I came across Rainbow members' Hyun-Young & Ji-Sook's YouTube segment called Girl's Wiki.

It featured this tint pack from Berrisom- how it applied and worked. It's pretty entertaining honestly and I don't think (after watching this) that it hurts when it's peeled off. Awesome! They've been getting positive reviews so far and I only know one brand as of the moment.

What're your thoughts on this? I think it's kinda genius now.


xx,
CJ



PS. I love Rainbow's A. They're seriously underrated.
PPS. Currently on a makeup spending ban since December. And so far so good! I want to finish all my opened makeup first before buying any. Thinking of a project pan post...what do you think?
I just love it when companies inject cheeky names in their products. Skinny dipping is by far my favorite blush name, Hot flash...meh not so much.
I got these blushes from ebay for around 200Php (approx $5) each and at the time, I was so enamored by all things Benefit, most especially their boxed blushes so seeing a cheaper version on ebay was kinda providential (HA). I figured since it's in a similar format with 1/10249 of the price, might as well give it a whirl.

What can I say, aesthetics make up 50% of my purchasing decision.

"We  out animal friends. We don't test our products on them"
Now while I love the little snippet of love for out little critter friends, I'm rather wary of its truthfulness. Usually companies that don't test on animals, have the cruelty free bunny on them. And this one doesn't have any on the plastic box it came in nor on the blush box.

I was diagnosed with having Butter Fingers, hence the mangled blush which I tried to fix. 
Emphasis on the tried.
Like I said, I love the packaging but the box itself is misleading in a way that I thought it contained a lot of product.(I mean it does - contains 5.7 grams. But I was kinda expecting it to be a little deeper. Blame the cheapskate that I am) The way the metal pan is placed inside the blush was flimsy as well.

The elastic band on the lid held a brush which I removed because it was utterly useless. The brush was so tiny and the hairs were so thin and sparse it seemed like a prank.


Do not be fooled. The hairs are just 1cm thick when flattened. Dishonor on you Hard Candy! Dishonor on your family! Dishonor on your cow!

And now for some swatches!
I was trying to make the lens focus, but it kept focusing on my face...so there goes my fist.











Skinny Dipping has this lovely tangerine that I like. The other one is sort of a mauvey color. Both are satin with silver shimmers in them and blend nicely. Now the mauve, looks extremely natural on me save for the obvious shimmer.The orange one wins for me though -the color is super bright!



Here I am wearing a mixture of the orange and mauve and the result is a nice apricot color on my face. The mixed swatch looks different though because I didn't get an equal amount when I swirled my brush.

One thing to note is that this particular blush is quite pigmented so swirling around the brush in the pan gets a ton of product on the brush and you only need a little when applying. I personally switched to a stippling brush so there's less product and I can build it up gradually.

Hot Flash is more matte overall. The brown one makes for a good eye-shadow too. Comparing the 2 blushes, Skinny Dipping is definitely more fragile and powdery (Hot Flashes is a little powdery too) but Hot Flashes has more color combinations. Even after having 2 satin finishes, the final look is still matte.

Swirling all the colors, the result is a healthy red-pink blush. It definitely brightened my complexion. I would say this is a little more girly and sweet, and Skinny dipping is a little more healthy and adventurous.

Lasting power is ok. Skinny dipping doesn't last as long as I'd like. The shimmers stay though, the pigment is barely there.

Are they worth it? Not really. There are definitely better and cheaper blushes out there (Jordana, Ever Bilena, Careline, Nichido, Essence etc) but I'd say it's ok because the packaging is nice and the colors are unique to my collection.

What's your everyday/no-brainer top blush color and/or brand?


xx,
CJ


I stumbled on this little gem of a video, and as you've read from the title, it's DIY mascara from OREOS. While I commend her enthusiasm, I don't think I'll be trying this out any time soon. How about you?



xx,
CJ
I always loved going to this place before, but now, I'm starting to think the quality isn't what I remembered.
I'm not too sure if the quality went down, or my tastes have grown more sophisticated and discerning but I know for a fact that this was not worth what I paid for.


I went to the MOA/Mall of Asia branch and got a 10 inch garden pizza, fries and a cooler. The toppings on the pizza were so-so, the dough could be fresher it was a tiny bit stale. It might just be reheated and not freshly made for the day. It also had some peas which I could do without.

My main gripe was this cheddar cheese fries though. The fries were soggy and soft right off the bat. *puts on expert chef hat* With fries the exterior has to be a little crunchy while the interior has to have that soft fluffy potato goodness.

This was just a wet blanket. There was nothing ssspecial about dem fries.

After giving the restaurant so many chances and ordering different dishes from different branches at separate occasions, this was the last straw. The strawberry cooler (not photographed) was good though - I tasted real strawberries.

With all the casual dining joints popping-up here and there, what I ate paled in comparison.

Dear Burgoo,
You knew this was coming. I tried to make it work, but we've just grown up and sadly grown apart. This is goodbye.

xx,
CJ


PS. The shtick with the paper table cover and crayon-writing upside-down is still alive. The waiters were all very attentive...then again the customers barely filled half the room so it was easy to attend to all of us I think.

PPS. Seeing as it's Valentine's day I suggest you take your date elsewhere if you want to impress them and let them know your palate is not to be touched by sub par cuisine such as this. The ambiance at night is perfect for talking, but the food is definitely forgettable.
In my arsenal of bases this one doesn't offer the most coverage, or rather it's completely non-existent.
That was a bit of an exaggeration, so let's go with sheer to light coverage. I bought this on sale at Watsons as my official initiation to the brand and it wasn't love at first try, let me tell you that much. Currently, I'm treating this as my sunscreen as it has SPF 50 PA+++(Protection Grade of UV-A), one of the highest I've tried in BB creams.

At 20 g/.07 oz it's light and doesn't take up space in my bag. The white and pink scheme is pleasing to the eyes too.

Consistency is creamy and thick but doesn't feel heavy on the skin. It also has a very slight floral-like scent when you get really close. Application-wise is ok, it blends nicely, a little at a time with fingers, brush or sponge. It sets to a nice dewy and natural finish on me, albeit still a tiny bit tacky.

As you can see, it just lightened my skin by about 2-3 shades. I noticed some grayish areas when I tried this on my face, probably due to the pink undertone of this BB. The whiteness tones down after 5-10 minutes and of course you can always color-correct with a powder.


Let's look at the claims.


Now, it definitely brightened my skin tone instantly but I'm skeptical on the skin lightening after said 10 day period. It has, as I said a slight tacky finish so setting this is non-negotiable if you're oily so the non-sticky finish claim is a definite stretch. I imagine this to be a good base for other creams or liquid bases because of its tackiness, it just has to set completely otherwise it would just move the BB and the other base on your face. It looks good under powder foundations/setting powders though.

Oil control is virtually non-existent as well, but one thing I commend this on is its lasting power. It stayed on for about 2 hours set with a powder under a typical humid day (Note: I sweat a lot and I have an oily t-zone) before it started to show signs of fading .

For 199 Philippine Pesos/PHP with 20g I would recommend it as a moisturizing SPF for dry skinned people. It's also very travel friendly and can act as a suitable primer for powders. But if you're looking for coverage this isn't it.

Now, would I repurchase? No. Since I treat this solely as my SPF, I much prefer lighter, water-based formulas.

Have you tried this BB cream or have you tried any bases from ZA?


xx,
CJ
Cheap finds : Landmark Brushes

Well just one actually...so brush not brushes. Hmm yeah...ok. 

Cheap finds : Landmark Brushes 1
This purchase came about when I was randomly but very strategically, browsing the beauty section of The Landmark. The Landmark is pretty well known to stock some cheap random brand tools, more specifically brushes. And I always love going through the aisles to look at random beauty items.

Landmark brushes. Affordable, doesn't bleed, doesn't shed, dense, sturdy
So when I chanced upon this brush, I had to get it because.

  1. My ELF flat top brush has been monstrously resurrected after I attempted to prolong its life using pliers on the ferrule.
  2. It's synthetic hence perfect for creams and liquids.
  3. The hairs are red.
  4. It's cheap at around 130-180 Philippine Pesos/PHP


Landmark Brushes 2
Truth be told, I wasn't sold on the color initially. I mean, metallic red? Welcome to tacky-ville. But as I held it firm upon my mortal hands it seemed more eye catching than black or white (my usual brush color preference).

Landmark brushes : Rubber bottom picks up dust. Ferrule handle color seems tacky, synthetic
I've had it for close to a year now I believe, and it hasn't shed or bled (contrary to the striking red brush hair) at all. There were admittedly 1 or 2 instances I had to pluck a stray out of place but that was it.

I also put the synthetic aspect of the brush under neutral as some people like natural hair. I think the same too when it comes to picking up powder - natural is the best BUT taking care of them is a hassle compared to synthetic ones - whose hairs keep their shape longer even with just minimal care. 

Another sexy shot
Bottomline, I recommend this brush or any brush for that matter you can find at The Landmark. I haven't tried all of them, but I'm sure they're ok for the price. I've tried some testers of the kabuki brushes there and they're SUPER soft, as soft as the ELF kabuki brush (for reference).

Have you tried some brushes there?

xx,
CJ



PS. Hooray for awkward intros. NOT. Seriously sometimes I just don't know how to open my posts, doyafeelme? 
PPS. So I've heard The Landmark tried to sell some replica Real Technique brushes. I read somewhere that someone liked it and it wasn't bad. For the price, I bet it wasn't. :) I wouldn't mind buying those too! Haha #realTalk Seriously though, even if it said dingdong brushes, I'd still get them.