Friday, March 31, 2017

Dawn's February-March (2017) Haul

Hey loves!

Prepare to read more beauty product reviews on the blog because I just bought quite a number of products! ;)

I was feeling down for the past months so I did something that can help me feel better, and that's acquiring new things. Haha! I did try to control my spending and bought things that I regularly use and just ran out of or new products that I will surely use.

So without further ado, here are the things I bought for the last two months...

First are the Korean beauty haul from Althea! I love shopping at Althea because they have  affordable products, plus they give even more discounts!

Rire Brow Gel Tatttoo in Grey Brown
PhP 320.00 (I just really want to try this)

Half and Half Color Stick
PhP 209.00

Skinny Blackhead Closing Serum (40ml)
PhP 240.00

Elizabecca Skin Liar Primer
PhP 280.00

The Choute All Right Sun Cream 
PhP 166.00 (Original Price was PhP 498.00)

The Saem Cover Perfection Pot Concealer
PhP 180.00

Onsaemeein Yogurt Peeling
PhP 300.00

Perfect Cover Concealer
PhP 83.00 (Original price was PhP 249.00)

The next few products are my Miniso haul. It was my first time to shop there and I squealed with excitement when I saw how awesome the products they have there! Their products are majority at PhP 99.00 and they sell various products from cosmetics and toiletries to kitchen utensils and electronics.

Miniso false lashes
I love that the strands of the lashes gets longer at the sides!

Miniso face brush
This is super good in making sure I've removed all traces of makeup when paired with a foaming wash!


Miniso Nourishing and Moisturizing Tsubaki Oil Hair Conditioner

Nail polishes

Miniso cotton pads
180 pads for PhP 99.00? Yaaay!

Belts

Cotton pads 

A brow pencil

iPad cleaner
(I also use this to clean my phone)

Miniso Tea Pot
I drink tea daily. :)

Marionnaud Retractable Lip Brush - PhP 119.00
AloeDerma Hair and Scalp Tonic - PhP 215.00
Veet Face Cold Wax Strips - PhP 204.00

Golden Fabulouz Keratin Hot Oil Cream 
Buy 1 Take 1 for PhP 239.00

BioFresh FlexGel Heel Cushion - PhP 319.75

I also bought books to read. Yay! I'm happy that the SM San Lazaro branch of Booksale carries so many art books!

The thickest one on the photo is
Paintings in the Musee d Orsay - PhP 1,850.00

The Artist's Eyes: Vision and the History of Art by Michael F. Marmor and James G. Ravin
PhP 320.00

The Oxford Dictionary of Art
Second Edition
PhP 370.00 

The Northern Renaissance by Jeffrey Chipps Smith

Impressionism by James H. Rubin

Baroque and Rococo by Gauvin Alexander Bailey

Art in Modern Culture: An Anthology of Critical Texts
Edited by Francis Frascina and Jonathan Harris

The four Phaidon books are PhP 550.00 each


Injustice: Gods Among Us Year One
The Complete Collection
PhP 1,150.00
I'm sorta a DC Comics fan... :P

Of course I had to buy a few art supplies...
Mont Marte Brush Set - PhP 335.00
Scotch masking tape - PhP 79.75

Finally, I bought a number of items at Beauty Bar. All of these are bought on a discount!
StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blushes in Apricot - PhP 347.50
StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blushes in Petal - PhP 300.00
(Original price was PhP 695.00)

StudioMakeup Eye Brightening Illuminator in Silk - PhP 323.75
(Original price was PhP 925.00)
StudioMakeup Soft Blend Eye Shadow in Peach Sorbet - PhP 218.75
(Original price was PhP 625.00)

I also bought two blouses from Landmark that I can wear to work. They are comfy, I like the material, and it's very affordable!

Both blouses are from the brand Figures.
PhP 369.75

PhP 379.75

Finally, I like my room to smell nice when I hang there before going to bed. I used to light up tea candles and had to buy expensive essential oils. Now I could just get the water-soluble ones and just add water to this...
PhP 563.40

It keep my room humid too which is good for the skin. ;)

And those are the new products that are added to my stash! Which one is your favorite? Comment below so I can publish a review soon!


Cheers,
DAWN



Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Review : Palladio Herbal Eyeshadow Quad in Copper 'N' Chic

Hey dears!

I love wearing makeup with colors that are in nude and peach shades. Those colors are my go-to ones for my everyday makeup when I go to the office. 

So even though I have enough eyeshadows to last me for a long while, I just couldn't resist getting this quad when I saw that it was on sale at Beauty Bar a few months back...

Palladio Herbal Eyeshadow Quad in Copper 'N' Chic

I was able to get it for only PhP 166.25 from its original price of PhP 475.00.

I just find this palette really beautiful, especially the peach one at the upper right corner. The shades are very wearable and it's a palette that I can bring with me when I travel because the shades can be used to create many looks and it also suits many of my lipsticks.


Let's get to know the product from the product description from the website:

Enhance your eyes with 4 highly-pigmented Eyeshadow Quads.  Compacts come in matte and shimmery shades that can be used year-round.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Beeswax, Synthetic Beeswax, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, Polybutene, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Stearyl Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetrabehenate, Boron Nitride, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Tocopherol ,Stearalkkonium Bentonite, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Carbonate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, DI-PPG-3 Myristyl Ether Adipate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer. May contain:   Preservatives, Antioxidants, Sunscreens, Fillers (eg Talc, Silica, Alumina, Kaolin, Clay), Dyes (Inorganic and Organic Pigments, Lacquers). 

*We do not test our products or any of our ingredients on animals

This is available in six shades.

It comes with a small applicator. One end has a pointier end. I can use it to create strong lines using the darkest shade! It doubles as an eyeliner.

The packaging is very simple. It's a compact makeup and the top is made of clear plastic so you can easily see the shades of the quad. It's non-bulky so it's easy to carry around.

Here's a closeup of the product. I like that the peach is almost matte because it's my favorite and I like my eyeshadows matte most of the time.

The shimmery shadows at the bottom gives a dramatic finish to my eye makeup.

The lightest shade is perfect for highlighting the eyes as well as other areas of the face that you want to highlight!

Here are the swatches.

I'm very surprised at how pigmented each shade is, especially the lightest shade! They are very smooth but it can also be chalky.

Anyway, check out below how I usually wear the shades:





It's a simple everyday look. I just add the darker shades when I want a more dramatic look at night.

It's a pretty good compact, especially since I got it in a very affordable price! It already is very pigmented but I still need to add a good eyeshadow base so that it wouldn't crease on my oily lids.

To summarize:

What I LIKE:
- Pigmented
- Very affordable
- Doesn't test on animals
- A combination of matte and shimmery shades
- Very wearable colors
- Simple and easy to carry packaging
- Locally available
- Smooth texture

What I DON'T LIKE:

- I don't think there is. Perhaps they can improve the applicator? I rarely use it. I would also appreciate if it doesn't crease on my oily lids... but almost all eyeshadows do, so I just get a good base!

And that's all for this post! Any thoughts on the Palladio Herbal Eyeshadow Quad in Copper 'N' Chic? 


Cheers,
DAWN



Monday, March 27, 2017

Give Your Body a Beautiful Glow from Within with Vida Glow!

Hey everyone!

Majority of my posts are about makeup reviews. While I love enhancing the natural beauty and encourage creativity by playing with all the makeup we can apply, it's always best to take care of our body first. 

The first step in a work of art is finding the perfect canvas! To achieve this, I research what kind of products that work best with my hair and skin concerns and apply them. But that shouldn't stop there... what we take into our body also contributes on what we look and feel so we better eat food and drink the liquids that are good for the body! 

To get better results, there are products that promises to help boost substances that retain our youthful glow like collagen. One of which is Vida Glow!


What is Vida Glow? I asked the same thing when their co-founder, Anna, wrote me an email if I would like to review their product. As I was reading their Media Look Book, it made me curious (and very much interested) to try it out. Why? Then read all about it below [these info (in maroon color) are what was included in the media look book]:

___________________

Vida Glow offers a range of supplements that promote healthy hair, skin and nails from within. 

Our natural marine collagen is derived from the Scales of Deep Sea Red Snapper and comes is powder form which is highly bioavailable ensuring efficacy. Our collagen is sourced from ethical and ecologically sustainable fishing practices, with our priority being on offering exceptional quality. 

The Vida Glow range also includes our Beauty Blend, which is a vegetarian hair, skin, and nail super food mix that includes essential vitamins and minerals. 

Vida Glow is an Australian based company, using Japanese marine collagen and our blends are made in Australia. 

Japanese women have used marine collagen as a secret weapon for youthful radiance for many years and have hailed the benefits as the source of their extended life expectancy and younger appearance. 

Collagen is the most abundant protein and the second largest substance (behind water) in the human body. Until our twenties, our bodies naturally produce collagen. As this production slows and eventually ceases, we begin to see the effects of ageing. Replenishing collagen levels will help benefit the building blocks that maintain our hair, skin and nails. 

Including Vida Glow marine collagen into your daily diet helps to stimulate your body’s natural supply of collagen, thereby increasing elasticity, hydration and firmness in your skin, and assisting in the growth and strengthening of your hair and nails. 


Collagen is a protein that is also vital in maintaining healthy muscles and connective tissues. Therefore your tendons, ligaments and cartilage also greatly benefit from taking Vida Glow, notably preserving joint and bone health. Vida Glow repairs muscles and assists in toning and definition. 

Enjoy many secondary benefits of dealing with daily stressors of toxins, late nights, poor diet, sun damage and harsh environments.


I received the package a long time ago. I think around eight months... there was actually a delay in claiming my parcel in the post office. They even made me pay the fine since I didn't claim it sooner. How could I if they didn't notify me right away? Ugh. Anyway, that was a long time ago... And I want to apologize for not being able to blog about this sooner since I've been very busy with work, school, and even diet. I also waited for a couple of months of drinking before I can write my thoughts to be able to give an honest review. 

The package that I was given contained two flavors—the Original and Pineapple


My initial thoughts when I saw the products? The lovely packaging! I love the design! It looks so neat, charming, beautiful, and it has a feeling of nature as well. The cylindrical box feels light and it contains the sachet of the powdered drinks. 

I like that it's in sachet form so I can take them with me anywhere I go. Since I've been traveling more than usual, I really appreciate this. It also looks great so I never feel any embarrassment whenever I take it out of my bag when I mix it to my drink. 

The color depends on the flavor you have. What are the flavors? Well, see below the varieties. These are also from the media kits that they provided:

ORIGINAL VIDA GLOW
Our Original Vida Glow is 100% Natural Marine Collagen Powder. Being 100% natural hydrolysed collagen peptide, it contains no artificial flavours, colours, additives or preservatives. It is free from wheat, gluten, allergens, soy, lactose, dairy, sugar, carbohydrates and fat. The Original Vida Glow is tasteless and odourless and dissolves effortlessly clear within seconds. The 3g sachets make it super convenient to include into your everyday routine, and is the perfect handbag essential. Simply stir a sachet into your water, tea, coffee, juice, porridge, yoghurt, smoothie or soup.

ORIGINAL LOOSE POWDER
Our Original 270g loose powder Vida Glow is 100% pure marine collagen and is ideal to have at home or in the office. It comes with a handy 3g pre-measured scoop making it easy to enjoy 1 – 3 servings a day as our Gratitude, Prosperity or Love packages. The loose powder is equivalent to our Love Package of 90 x 3g sachets.

BLUEBERRY VIDA GLOW
With a deliciously subtle berry flavour, Vida Glow Blueberry is the perfect addition to your glass of water, yoghurt, smoothie or shake. Our Blueberry flavoured marine collagen comes with the added benefits of Vitamin C, which is responsible for creating and maintaining collagen in the body. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which assists in giving skin its elasticity and strength. Your hair will greatly benefit as Vitamin C is one of the most effective nutrients to help grow and strengthen hair, as it assists in the production and formation of collagen, and absorbing iron which keeps our hair strong and healthy.


MANGO VIDA GLOW
Our Mango Powder is derived from Australian Kensington Pride Mangoes. Australian Mangoes provide more beta – carotene than other fruits. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect the body against disease as well as preventing the signs of ageing by assisting with the growth and repairing of cells, tissues and skin. The antioxidants in both Vida Glow and the added Mango powder, delay the onset of skin ageing and pigmentation, whilst protecting your skin from harmful free radicals that cause cellular damage.


PEACH VIDA GLOW
This delicious Vida Glow marine collagen flavour contains natural peach fruit flavouring, as well as Vitamin C, which assists in collagen formation and actually increases the absorption and efficacy of marine collagen. Ingesting collagen with Vitamin C ensures maximum absorption for optimal skin and nail health. Peach Vida Glow also gives a boost in antioxidants to your diet. This flavour is best enjoyed in water.

PINEAPPLE VIDA GLOW
Pineapples are a super food for hair, skin and nails. The collagen, vitamin C and bromelain present in Pineapple Vida Glow help to prevent skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and dermatitis. Pineapples also have collagen synthesising properties, which help to combat the ageing process, and makes skin smooth, firm and flexible. Vitamin C and the amino acids present provide nourishment to damaged tissue and cells, boosting their ability to repair themselves. Pineapples are also good for the health of hair as they can prevent hair loss and thicken individual hair strands.


Beauty Blend
Our Beauty Blend has been designed alongside Vida Glow’s resident Dietitian and Nutritionist to nourish your hair, skin and nails from within. The synergy of the super foods and probiotics work to enhance your inner and outer glow, giving you energy as well as a boost in vital nutrients to optimise your sense of wellbeing. The Beauty Blend is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids, proteins and probiotics working together to strengthen your immune system, and give you a glowing complexion and a whole body healthy radiance.


I especially loved the pineapple just because I really find the flavor really yummy. Plus, whenever I apply Vitamin C, my skin just looks and feels better! The original flavor is unscented, but I can't say that it's tasteless... I find something that reminds me of sea food. I can't really point it out, but it's not bad. I just can't describe it better with my limited english vocabulary. :P

Anyway, before I share my final thoughts on the drinks I tried, here are the benefits that Vida Glow claims to give from their media look book: 

BENEFITS OF VIDA GLOW
Vida Glow offers a range of natural supplements designed for those wanting a radiant complexion, gorgeous healthy hair and the perfect manicure 
• Our marine collagen helps to stimulate the body’s natural production of collagen as well as increase collagen levels in the body 
• Studies show that marine collagen increases skin hydration by up to 91%, improves skin elasticity and firmness – smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. Achieving healthy and youthful looking skin 
• A natural anti-ageing supplement helping to recoup balance of daily stressors of work, sun damage, wrinkles, dry skin, poor diet, late nights, toxins and harsh environments 
• Acts as a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cellular damage 
• Rejuvenates and nourishes hair for increased growth, thickness, texture and shine 
• Vida Glow encourages healthier, stronger and faster growing nails; repairing weak or brittle nails 
• As a collagen supplement Vida Glow preserves the health of your joints, bones, ligaments and tendons BENEFITS OF VIDA GLOW 
• Collagen supplementation assists in muscle toning and definition 
• Diminishes the appearance of cellulite 
• Aids in weight loss and building lean muscle mass


I drink Vida Glow at least once a day, but usually I drink 2 cups containing 3g / 1 sachet for each cup. I drink it with water, sometimes I mix it with yogurt or juice. I've been taking it for more than two months now. So what have I noticed so far?

My hair looks healthier—stronger!
I suffered from damaged hair when I exposed my hair to chemicals such as hair coloring and perming over and over. My hair became brittle and I also experienced hair fall. I abstained from all the chemicals... well, I did color my hair once last January after a long while. Haha! I do apply hot oil once a week and also apply some leave on conditioner whenever I go out. 

I also noticed that my hair grew faster. I cut my hair last December and since then, it grew another 4-5 inches. Faster than usual.

My skin looks brighter!
I didn't notice much at first but after a month or so, I find my skin looks brighter than before, like it's glowing! It's not free of my acne problems, but when I wake up and look at the mirror, it just looks better, healthier!

My skin retains moisture better!
What I love most is that it kept my skin's moisture, even when I was in Japan during winter and going out between -4 to 5 degrees celsius everyday. It didn't feel itchy and dry compared to when I went to New York almost three years ago (it wasn't even cold then) and my skin just got so dry. 

These are the changes I've seen so far. I cannot comment on the nails part because I always think that I have good, strong nails. I rarely get manicures from salons. I don't remove cuticle and I rarely file and buff my nails.

I also can't comment much on the muscle repair and toning as well as on the preservation of bone and joints. I think I'm still pretty young at twenty seven. I don't experience muscle pain much and I rarely get sick (twice a year at most and they are often colds).

 I would love to continue drinking Vida Glow to see if there are more benefits to gain. The extra collagen boost really makes a difference as long as you aid it with proper diet and good hair and skin care! ;)

For more info, do check out Vida Glow's: