confessions of an unapologetic makeup junkie

this is originally a "25 random facts about me" when i was first tagged about this in facebook. most of the things tho are personal/and or boring stuff, so i decided to trim it down to 10 before sharing this with you lovelies. :)

i just want to share bits and pieces of my life with you guys and if you wanna follow suit, please, feel free to do so. i would love to know more about you too! :D

WARNING: this is a LOOOOOONG read so if you dont want to waste 3-5 minutes of your time (possibly even more) then feel free to hit the back button and regular beauty blogging will be up next when i feel like it. :D

here goes.. :P


1. i am afraid of the dark.
yea. most people who sleep over asks why i dont turn the lights off EVER, and i respond by handing them an eye mask. that's why i sooo luuuurve espaldon... thanks for the eye mask u gave me for xmas/bday! this is because i have an over active imagination. and to block off unwanted sounds (i.e. kaluskos, katok, bulong, nguy nguy, etc) i always have sounds on. be it my dvd player on repeat or my ipod or my laptop, something'ss got to be playing in the back ground.

2. my ultimate dream is to be chased off by paparazzis princess diana style.
oh yea. too bad the sport of pap shots is kinda illegal here.. :( i know lack of privacy and all that. this may sound as too attention-seeking and all but i just think i woulda love the thrill of the chase and all that. this is also why i rarely get out of the house in a state of cringe-worthy get up. i may have mastered that casual look/no makeup thang going on but to let you in on a lil secret, all of those casual-no-make-up-look is cunningly planned. quite exhausting and taxing.. ayyyluuuuurrrrvveeitt!

3. I am not attached to my mobile phone.
as in i could go on for days without glancing at it, or even check if there are messages, much to my friends' dismay. i often hibernate and leave my fone behind for days on end. and when i finally resurface, charging my fone's not even top priority. when i do turn it on, i would receive gazillion messages, the mildest of which would go something like this "UTANG NA LOOB ELLA GAMITIN MO NAMAN YUNG CELLPHONE MO" or "god ella, throw away your simcard na. it's freakin useless."

4. i can't leave without my sunnies.
yes. sometimes i step out of my room, realize that i left my mobile phone, and not bother at all. but when i'm out on the streets and i realize i dont have my shades on, i run back upstairs and grab my shades. i dont care if i dont have time enough to do this but i'd rather be late then leave my peepers unprotected. oh, and when i say sunnies, i mean them. this does not pertain to the small discreet ones fbi, csi, abc agents wear all the time. i mean loud, huge, oldskool shades just like jackie o's.

5. i soooo love watching the news!
it's the most entertaining soap opera on tv, not to mention the longest running!! oh yea. i get my yahoos watching these half assed politicians and whathaveyous make a joke of themselves just for their 15 minutes of fame. i enjoy watching these people cook up gimmicks just to make an even more mockery out of my dear precious philippines. i find faint humour in how when i think our political arena could not get dirtier, the 15 minute newsflash would just prove me wrong once again. it is also highly entertaining the way these people cook up lies, lame excuses, poorly executed dramas, and yet highly entertaining of all is that the masses just eat it all up.. i guess that;s why although poverty is very rampant here, nobody really goes hungry. oops. dont get me started about this topic. you will never hear the end of it.

i will be embarking on an 8week no buy mode cuz i am saving up for this uber cute mini netbook that i sooo want! i know, i already have Shia(my eeepc) but then again i can't really do much on a 4gig netbook and Chuck is too bulky to be carried around so imma get a little something that's more efficient for my pics, games, and blogging needs. now on with the good stuff.

it'll be a while before you see yet another haul, but i really tried to get as littlest as possible so here it is:
i know, i know it's not a lot, but as ive mentioned, i am really trying to save. i got:
1. Fanny Serrano sponge - best gawang pinoy sponge IMHO
2. Nichido lipstick - rose shimmer - been hearing lotsa goodstuff about this
3. Fashion21 sharpener - for eye/lip pencils
4. Nichido GNO eye pencil - pink diamond
5. Fashion21 white eyeliner - i broke the last one i had in half.. *sniff*
6. Fashion21 clear gloss - a clear gloss is a must have in every kikay kit IMHO

i honestly dont want to put a non-makeup/beauty item here, but this one is soo beautiful, and is the main culprit anyway why im broke this week. i got myself a sturdy bag to lug heavy law books around and shia too to boot! :D i bought an uber cute jansport bag! and before you ask, no.. pink is not my favorite color.. green is... the animo lives on!

i have originally posted these reviews at makeupalley.com with a few grammar corrections and all. i just wanted to share these with you guys, you might find it useful if you are thinking of getting some of them.

ive gotten my palettes from anna of mybeautybasket. you can also reach her through her multiply account. please note however that i am in no way affiliated with anna and these are not paid advertisements. i am just one very happy and very satisfied customer! :P

i love love love transacting with anna. she is just soo lovely and nice and patient and all that goodstuff! i think i may have mentioned this in my personal blog too and these praises would seem redundant to anna as she already saw the other blog!

i highly recommend transacting with her. her prices are competitive, if not, lower than her competition and she has a pretty reasonable insurance/return policy.

i also bought several(a lot of!) jars of gel liners from her but law school and time constraints (and pet society) are keeping me from making a decent review.. i know, i know, i am slacking off. will blog more coherently soon! :D

i also have the blush palette and will be doing a review of that soon as well

le price:
i love love love these palettes. i got the regular palette and the shimmer ones about a month ago and i love it. i got them for 2,225.00 php or roughly 48usd. can you imagine that? 176 eyeshadows for less than fifty dollars? that's quite a steal!

le experience:
quality wise, it simply delivers. i don't own a primer potion yet and ive been using a matte white shadow or a stick concealer as base in a while now, and it doesn't crease at all. my class usually lasts 4-5 hours and i have it on for about 6 hours a day the colors are just as vibrant. i guess i wouldve gotten better color pay off if i have primers as well, but i could not be happier with its end results as it is. and that's saying a lot as i am a bit on the oily side.

however, i do not like the glossy packaging as it tends to scratch and look a whole lot of ugly from normal transit. :(

the sponge applicators that come with it are just as bad, i just don't have the heart to throw them away as it is a part of the set and its holder would just look empty without it. luckily though, i have invested in a good set of locally available brushes and it simply works well with this palette.

more useful for me is the regular/matte palette, as it has both shimmer and matte shadows as well as neutrals. with a good moisturizer, i even use it as blush and with gloss, or sometimes good ol' petroleum jelly, i even use it as a lip tint. the shades are simply versatile and it has effectively expanded not just my shadow collection but my color collection in general. the regular palette is the one i have with me everywhere i go. i have a neutral and shimmer palettes but they are both left at home.

the shimmer palette, however is the one i love using when i just wanna have fun and go crazy with colors. it goes on smooth and creamy too and it is a tad easier to blend than the regular matte shadows.

i (used to)twilight as a (non-professional)make up artist for the girls at my dorm, and i use the regular palette on them lots of times and they all love the colors as well as staying powers as well.

as far as skin issues go, i have quite a sensitive skin, but so far i have not encountered any breakouts, nor does my young "clients."

le verdict:
4.5 lipsticks!
i only took off half a point for its packaging. hate, hate hate le glossy black packaging which is scratch-prone and fugly looking. all in all, i love love love these palettes.

note:
i didnt bother to put different pictures as it honestly looks the same with or with out the flash.

ive had this for about a month now, although to be honest i use the88 palette more, ive played around with it a bit and so far so good. ive totally nothing to complain about so far with this product. i even find that it is a good mac alternative, especially for someone like me who is simply on a student budget, and is just starting out with make up. as i am just starting out, i practice a lot on my own, most of the time before going to sleep. i simply don't feel comfortable about playing with my higher end make ups when my efforts would not be seen outside the comforts of my own room. i find this product perfect for practicing. i have traveled a bit with this on as well and even on a long drive, the shadows dont look messy or tired on my eyes, and that's without using a primer portion! i simply use a matte white or nude shadow as base or a stick concealer.

Le Price:
i got it for 900php or roughly 20 usd and i absolutely have nothing to complain. it is dirt cheap!


Le Verdict:
4.5 lipsticks

i am in love with this product, as i am with most of my C/S palettes. my only problem with this palette is that it does not have a mirror. in terms of staying power, even without a base it holds up pretty good. you could get around 3-4 hours with this product without primer. for me tho, since i have really oily lids, i usually put TBS tea tree oil concealer as base. it helps with the oilies a lot.

i love this eyeshadow and blush palette! ive been living in it for a month and a half and i love it. i originally didnt wanna get this because i already have the blush palette, the neutral palette and the both 88 shimmer and regular palette. i felt as though all the colors in this palette would be in one of the palettes i already have. then, i had to go to a trip and i was so annoyed to find out that imma need to bring all palettes in order to survive. i brought the blush palette cuz i didnt wanna bring all my other individual ones, then i had to bring the 28 cuz that's my neutrals and of course i need colors too so i had to bring the regular palette cuz i figured imma have mattes as well as shimmers that way.. and i had to lug all of these all over the country and that was what made me realize i shoulda gotten a blush combo.

Le Experience:
when i finally bought the blush and shadow combo, i was soo glad i did, especially because it had blush shades that werent on their blush palette, and i happen to like the blushes on the 26 palette better.
the shadows have an interesting mix too.. it's not all neutral which is good, as i have the 28 neutral for that, and it has all the right colors.. nothing shocking.. i guess the right term would be, it truly is an earth palette, with all the browns and the golds and the pinks and purples. there's no greens though.. but ts ayt, ive another palette for that.
what i didnt like about the palette is that it doesnt have a shade light enough to be my highlighter. it's what's stopping me from it being the only palette i use for my eyes. but i can live with that, as i have a good shimmer shade for highlighting from the face shop.

Le Price:
price wise, it's not too expensive for the product you're getting. it's just gonna set you back 850PhP

Le Verdict:
4 lipsticks

love love love. if ur just gonna get one or two palettes from c/s i suggest skip the blush palette and the neutral palette and just get this one, plus the shimmer palette that c/s has got to offer.. if ur a neutrals kind of gal still, and your thinking of getting the neutrals and the blush palette, this might be a cheaper alternative for you. i personally did not like all the shades in the blush palette and feel like it's a waste of money, but i like the shades in this palette. i also didn't like the fact that they still did not put a mirror in this one, just like the neutrals palette, so i took points off for that. and the lack of highlight shade, that i mentioned.

i now have a very basic skin care routine. at first i was not really that comfortable about its volume. it's so simple and easy you see. i was used to putting on moisturizer and day creams and night creams and toners and spot correcting fluids and all that. i was deceived into believing that i need all these things to have a blemish free face but then again it just aggravated my break outs. i had more pimples and blackheads in my face than there seemed to be islands in the philippines. i kid you not.

when i started my belomed sessions, the first thing my doctor told me was to ditch the moisturizer cuz my face was too oily already and we actually do not want more moisture cuz it just irritates the skin and pushes the blackheads deeper into the pores.

next i get my bi-monthly glycopeel which is just their basic facial treatment. it rids my face of those whiteheads and blackheads

next, before going to sleep, i wash my face with the glycolic soap 5%, wipe away any stubborn makeup residue with a baby wipe (i prefer giggles) and then follow it up with the chat2% solution put on my St. ives eye stress gel and court sleep. if i have a heavier makeup, i use a makeup remover first before the glycolic soap

in the morning, i wash my face with the glycolic soap, follow it up with the chat solution again and then eye stress gel and sunblock gel.

it's soo basic right?

but what i really wanna talk about is my belo experience.
i have tried several facial outlets such as Let's Face It, Ysa, Forever Flawless, DermClinic and ive tried their skin care for oily skin as well for years and years, and nothing seemed to work! if anything, i became steadily oilier and pimply. i don't know if it's just me or the effect is psychological but the only thing that seemed to keep the oilies and the breakouts at bay is the belo products. Garnier dried out my pimples but it seemed unable to do anything with the oilies and the blackheads/whiteheads.

the belo products seemed to work a helluva lot better. it does the trick. the chat solution is a toner which contains 2% Clindamycin Hydroquinone, Alum and .05% Tretinoin. the bottle reads as follows: this is basically used in the treatment of Acne Vulgaria in patients with mixed lessions and in patients with pigmentation problems on top of acne vulgaria.

what i have to say about the glycopeel sessions is that they are very thorough and the discomfort is very, very minimal. it also helps that you have the privacy, as the booth is actually a little room. and they will not touch your face without a dermatologist's approval. the consult is already included in every treatment.
i love love love it!

what i love most about this is that i can now leave the house without ANY makeup on. i just slap on my sunblock gel when it's blazing sunshine outside and i'm good to go.
a lot of people have actually commented on how different my face looks now. sans break outs and with a healthy glow still. :D

before i start with the product focus, lemme just say that i was not a Lush fan before. i just think that the products were too overpriced. but then again, all the youtube gurus i love seemed to be such huge fans so i decided to check it out.

i got Sonic Death Monkey and the label reads: Dig That Crazy Gravy! Seriously intense chocolate, coffee, lime juice and hemp oil shower and hair gel.

le experience
i originally had mixed feelings about this one. i am not a huge fan of fruity, sweety scents. i'm more of a floral kinda girl. it took me a really long time to commit to buying a product at lush cuz i want it to be a good buy because of its price. i had several selections but i narrowed it down to Sonic Death Monkey. i got the small bottle just to try it out, but as soon as i used it, i resolved to get the bigger bottle soon! i love, love, love this product. i think ive twitted about this a lot. but seriously, imagine chocolate, coffee and lime. it just works. it perks me up as well. perfect for those days when you feel too sleepy to take a shower and go to school or work. i guess it's the coffee wakes you up! the first time i used this product, my grandma thought i was baking or cooking cuz it just smells sooo delicious!
as an added bonus, it's not just a shower gel but a hair gel as well which is more than what i bargained for! it leaves my hair feeling totally clean and smelling delicious that i dont even put conditioner after. i just use a leave-on one in little amounts as to not destroy the scent. i love love love it! regarding the shower gel, not only does it leave my skin feeling oh so scrumptious, it also leaves it smooth and soft. i guess it's the moisturizing properties of chocolate and hemp oil that does that. it is also great for travelling since it is two products in one! :D a small bottle would prolly last you a week or two, or even more, depending on hair length. you dont actually need a lot. i used up my 100g bottle in about a month and a half, but that's because i was really making it last loooooonger until i get my hands on a new bottle.

le price:
i still think it's expensive but it's money well spent! plus, you actually get two products, a hair and showe gel so in a way, you actually save more. (yea, i can usually talk myself into buying anything!):D a 100g bottle will set you back 395, i think, and a 250 bottle will cost you 795. but if you hurry, it's on sale now at Lush MOA buy one take one so it's a great great deal!

le verdict:
5 lipsticks! yay!

will i buy this again?
definitely!

yay! chuck's back, better and badder than ever! Magsafe was totally covered by warranty, thankfully. will be getting an extended warranty now i know that it totally works! :D

regarding the posts i promised,

i already posted the youtube one, face routine up next.

regarding the finest gawang pinoy, i will still be posting that but imma need a little more time to do a more extensive research, and to get all the items. i wanna try them first before actually posting them. so that may take a little while.

again, if you guys need anything covered or have a few questions, just hit me up the comments section and imma try to respond the best i can soon as possible. :D

xxoo
makeupjunkie

as you all know, i dont watch tv ever, and if i do, i probably watch my most favorite soap on tv, which is the news, either abs-cbn, anc or cnn, it's all the same soap opera formula to me. but im not here to talk about that right now. maybe in another blog time. im here to talk about youtube.
maybe it's because we are the internet generation with our blogs and our online network profiles and the like that we almost dont need any other appliance than our pcs or our laptops.

Last summer, i have been especially lazy, barely leaving my room at all, and i dont even bother checking my sites for updates or messages. i go straight up to youtube! at this rate, pretty soon two-bit actors and actresses on tv are gonna be extinct what's gonna be left on our big and silver screens are real actors cuz those who are in for the fame would be on our nvidia graphics screen. :P

with that thought i give you my most favoritest you tube channels.

top 10 fave makeup gurus:

10. panacea81
i think lauren luke or panacea81 is the one who started makeup tutorials on youtube. she was the very first one i discovered anyway, and she is absolutely marvelous. she started out by selling makeup on ebay and she started a youtube channel just to show her buyers how to use her products and it ballooned up to be a huge success. she wasnt a makeup artist when she started but i think she went through training now. anywho, she's really a joy to watch. she never edits her videos so you see the booboos and the mistakes, and she keeps up a witty banter too!

9. allthatglitters21
elle or allthatglitters21 was my first ever favorite, she's also not a pro artist but she's good. she's blonde too! and i like her soo cuz she speaks great makeup talk. most her makeup is high end but she also has drugstore and she owns the best of all things, she doesnt take crap makeup formulas just coz it's carried by a high-end brand and she also does not discriminate on drugstore brands, which i like. if she thinks a mac product is crap, she'll tell you. but usually, she has great taste so every product she reviews, she'd tell you straight up if it's good or bad.

8. makeupbyrenren
a filipina represent, renren is a pro artist that also does youtube turorials. i love her for her wild and bright looks, she is asian and 100 percent filipina, that's why i love her videos. you'd know if a product is suited for asians or if the makeup look is complementary for filipinas because she is one and most look good on her anyway. i love her wild and bright looks cuz on her it looks absolutely wearable! she's also a pro so that gives her subscribers insights in the makeup industry and her turorials and reviews/opinions have a professional take on it.

7. xsparkage
leesha is such a bright person. her makeup looks are bright, her personality and opinions are even brighter! i love her for looks, if i'm not mistaken, she's also not a pro but i love love love her! her looks are bright and can easily be replicated! :D

6. jjacks48
sarah or jjacks is also not a pro, if again im not mistaken. but her true love is editorial makeup. she covers those really wild looks such as the venom inspired makeup look. she first started out to document her weight loss but she found happiness in makeup and evetually shared her tricks. i just love her for her positive outlook in life in general.

5. juderivera
from what i gather, she's also not pro but she should be! i just love love love her looks, her vocabulary and the way she describes makeup in her tutorials. she has this from runway to everyday wear or something that sounds like that, where she takes runway looks and makes it more wearable for everyday. the way she describes things makes it soo much less complicated than it really is, plus, her vocabulary will blow you away! i kid you not. you will learn soo much from her. she also very rarely makes a product focus or a product review, but when she does, boy does she make it in-depth. she covers basically everything. from it's price, market availability, specific uses, general uses, other ways you can use it, how good it is. she actually doesnt have to tell you when a product is good cuz the mere fact that she makes a product focus means it really is good. i love love love her.

4. makeupbyrisa
is a self taught freelance artist who does absolutely beautiful makeup. she's not a partner yet, but she should be. she goes really in-depth in her tutorials and she's not selfish in how she shares her tricks. her videos can really go on forever in parts (she's not a partner yet so her vids can't take longer than 10 minutes) but it's worth the watch i tell you. she also throws in bits of inspirational advices along the way which is an added bonus. she used to work for mac but she has issues with image and all that so she quit. makes me admire her even more.

3. petrilude
josh is a pro makeup artist, he also used to work for mac. he has an absolutely fresh take on things, he is also my other go-to person when it comes to professional makeup artistry. he really knows his stuff, and his quick tips are very very helpful. he also covers everything from dude makeup, every day make up, glam makeup, and even drag makeup which is cool. :D i cannot stress enough how good he really is, i just suggest you watch him and i promise you, you'll know what im talking about.

2. scandalousbeauty
erin used to be a makeup beauty editor in a magazine. she's also a pro makeup artist and she is a woman of color represent. her videos are mostly very inspirational as her lifelong goal is to get every woman go out and have fun with makeup and not to be afraid of colors, and to break all those so-called makeup rules for they dont exist at all. basically she just inspires everyone to have fun with makeup. if you watch tutorials, she also gives a lot of tips, tricks, and information that you'll just learn a lot from her.

1. askmemakeup
amy stopped making vids already. i don't know why but she's not there anymore. :( although i saw her page a while ago and she updated the about me part which is good. she promised that there'd be a new video up soon too soo yay! she doesnt have a lot of vids, but she was and still is my first, first fave. i think she's a pro artist, im not sure tho. and her looks as well as her whole vibe is vintage glam and i love love love her for that. i'm soo excited about her updates so let's just wait and see. she's my number one still! :D

top 5 non make-up related channels:

5. itzmepw
i like this person cuz he uploads budbrothers series. that's it
4. nigahiga
is it too wrong that i only watch him cuz he's cute? he's like my cute boy fix. oh, and he's funny too. i think.
3. extasiege
he is a filipino writer and he is cute. smart and cute. what more can i ask for? i just love his crazy witty antics. oh and did i mention he's cute? yea.. i crush him! i even performed with him once.. major kilig! :D
2. soundlyawake
i am in love with nicola foti. seriously. he's funny, he's smart, he's cute. and he sings well. he seriously cracks me up. his posts are often just comic reliefs but i love him. he never fails to make me laugh. my roomie even dreamt about him when i made her watch nicola foti! :D

1. sxephil
handsome. intelligent. witty. sexy. AND straight. dream boat for me. :D

i know i havent been updating for more than a week now, save for the occassional replies. there are several reasons for that.

1. i am mourning michael jackson- seriously. he was my most favoritest artist ever. i still can't believe he's gone. i also dont like all the media attention he's getting. now that he's dead suddenly he's a hero and a genius all over again. but i refuse to talk about it. that's all imma say.. and i guess it's true that dying is the only way to immortalize the legend.

2. my macbook's magsafe melted. i can't charge it. with no power, no internet access. i brought it to powermac and hopefully it's covered by warranty. if not that's five thousand pesos down the drain. sucks, i know. i have my mini eeepc with me, but my dorm has wierd wifi connection and the technician just can't figure out how to work linux. so no net connection during weekdays. sucks bigtime if you ask me.