Happy 5th Year, Project Vanity!

Last Saturday, Liz Lanuzo celebrated the 5th anniversary of her beauty blog, Project Vanity. It was an afternoon of beauty talk, inspiration, learning, socialization and well-groomed brows. The event was held at Beauty Bar, Bonifacio High Street, The Fort. 

The event was co-sponsored by Fairydrops, K-Palette, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Beauty Bar.

CBTL uses their Single Serve Beverage System in making their drinks. 

The funny and adorable Karrots of Live Love Loz hosted the event. She and her blond hair is so pretty!

Liz demonstrated a quick and high-impact makeup for everyday look. Of course, she used makeup products from Fairydrops and K-Palette. During the demonstration, Liz willingly spill out her tips and tricks in makeup application. From foundation to mascara application. You know what's one important thing I learned during the demonstration? Dab not swipe! Liz was able to stress out the importance of applying makeup in a dabbing motion. After the demo, there was Ask Liz, live! Everyone could ask question and Liz with all her knowledge about makeup answered all of them.

Nelly See of Pinkbox, the person Liz looks up to, was there to share how she's able to find fulfillment and success in her business. It was very inspirational! I will always remember how she said that the only thing that  is limiting ourselves from doing what we want is our minds. 

CBTL had a veranda and a nice view of The Fort. It is where I met new people, beautiful people!

Mariana of The Beauty Bee, Kring, Kim of Kimpossibly Gorgeous, Eula of Eula Sleeps and Khristine of Musings of an OC Mom.

With fellow beauty bloggers - Kim, Mhisha, Yette and me

Meet Kring, Chicadora partner and my date for the day.

We tried milk tea from Dakasi upon leaving The Fort because Kring got a GC from the event. 

Happy 5th year, Project Vanity! You are truly a big help and inspiration to the local beauty blogging community. More years to come!

Review: K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner + Wingtip Tutorial

If you were to ask me what my favorite makeup product is, eyeliner would be the answer. Next to brow products and lipsticks, of course. The power of eyeliner in transforming one's look is definitely remarkable. I have confidence that eyeliner users would easily agree with me on this. It can define, accentuate or even change the shape of one's eyes. No need for plastic surgery, eh?

 

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner is one of the top three selling eyeliners in Japan. It is slowly becoming a favorite among the local beauty blogging community as well. The moment I tried it, I knew instantly what made it so famous. Read on and find out why!

 

Packaging and Price: Do not be misled by the simple, straight to the point and pen-like packaging of this eyeliner. Its superb performance makes up for its boring packaging. I find the eyeliner a bit expensive at 895php.

Micro-fiber fine brush tip: Its micro-fiber fine brush tip does provide superb control and ease in drawing. My shaky hands and poor eyesight could attest to that! I was not comfortable with liquid eyeliners before because I find them difficult to use. I thought achieving that precise wing tip required so much skill, I was wrong. Its fine tip makes eye-lining as easy as 1-2-3. 

Staying powder: Eyeliners do not stand a chance of staying the whole day on me because I often rub my eyes. Well, not with K-Palette. It lasts the whole day on me, without smudging, smearing or even fading. And yes, I still rub my eyes often. What I like about the eyeliner is even if it has a wonderful staying power, I could erase it with just soap and water unlike gel or pencil eyeliners which often requires makeup removers in order to be completely erased.

Wingtip tutorial: Here's a wingtip photo tutorial for you. This is how I achieve a sexy wingtip. Let the photo  do the talking! Failing on your first few attempts is normal. Getting the hang of eye lining requires effort and practice.

Makeup looks using the product:

Straight wingtip

Curved wingtip

What I like:

• Lasts up to twelve hours or even more!
• Can be easily removed with soap and water
• Sweat-proof ad smudge-proof
• Micro-fiber tip makes eye lining very easy

What I don't like:

• Expensive

Rating:

10/10

The raves about this eyeliner are truly well-deserved. It really has a superb quality. If you are looking for an eyeliner that could last the entire day but do not like the hassle of erasing it before bedtime, then this one is for you!

Where to get: 895php at K-Palette, Beauty Bar Stores

*Thanks to Ms. Shen who gave this to me along with other makeup goodies! Checkout my post here.

Like K-Palette Philippines on Facebook

Haul: Krave Minerale Cosmeceuticals

I'm sure you've all heard about Krave's First Anniversary and Product Launch which was held last January. Read about it here if you haven't. During the event, they unveiled a whole new face of the brand - improved packaging, better formulation and new products.

As much as I want to try everything from their makeup and skincare line, I only have to choose a few to make up for the 1000php worth of GC I got during the event. I've been itching to try their Oil Eliminator & Skin Hydrator with Pearl Powder because of all the good reviews it's getting. I believe Oil Eliminator HD with Superfruit (520php) is the upgraded version of the latter.

Aside from the Oil Hydrator, Krave is also famous for its mineral foundation. Whenever I visit Krave's Facebook Page, I cannot fail to notice how users of their foundation rave about the benefits of their mineral foundation. Hence, my second pick was HD Triplex Foundation (499php).

The formulation of products is not the only thing that has been upgraded, the packaging has improved as well. The older products of Krave are housed in plastic jars with sticker labels which I find a bit tacky. The new packaging looks way better, sophisticated, as I would describe it. The new packaging also makes it more travel friendly. A two thumbs up for Krave! Separate reviews will follow in a few weeks! 

What is your favorite product from Krave?

Like Krave Minerale Cosmeceuticals on Facebook 
Follow Krave on Twitter

Haul: It's raining makeup!

Tao po, tao po! Nandiyan po ba si Iya Boto? May package po kayo! 

I know you are all familiar with the feeling of excitement whenever a courier guy comes knocking at your door. It only means one thing, a package awaiting to be opened! Even if most of the time you already know what's inside, the rush of excitement to rip open the package will always be there. You know what I mean!

For several days, packages came knocking at my door. And you know what's the best thing about the makeup/beauty the products that I received? I all got them for free! I won three consecutive giveaways  - Beauty by the Dozen Giveaway by fellow bloggers from Beauty Bloggers United, Dainty MD's Holiday Makeup and Nailart Contest  (view my entry) and lastly, Poptastic Giveaway by Kai, April and Aila.

I luckily bagged the first prize from the Poptastic Giveaway sponsored by Jewel POP! Cosmetics, a mineral makeup line. I got a foundation, 2 blushers, 2 lipbalms, concealer and a fluffy powder brush.

These are the things that I got from Dainty MD. More makeup and other beauty items! I am especially pleased with the scented BK nail polishes. They really smell nice!

My to review list is constantly growing! But I am by no way complaining. I am really grateful for all of these things. Thanks to a lucky streak and of course, to the giveaway hosts. To those who think that they don't have any luck in joining giveaways, don't lose hope! Just join and click away! There will come a time when you'll see your name on that rafflecaptor app. Believe me, there will.

Have a good night!

Review: San San Matte Finish Liquid Foundation

Finding the right kind of foundation is quite tricky as there are a lot of factors to consider - shade, coverage and staying power, to name a few. A foundation can be either your best friend or your worst enemy that is why it is important to make the necessary considerations in picking the right kind of foundation.

A foundation for medium skin tone with yellow undertones, light to medium coverage, matte finish, and lightweight makes up my check list in finding the right kind of foundation. San-San Matte Finish Liquid Foundation made a perfect score! Its affordability is just a bonus point. 

Packaging and price: I like how it's simply packaged in a matte frosted glass bottle which resembles Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation. It is very affordable for 140php a bottle. You might even get it for a lower price because HBC is almost always on a sale.

Shade 01 and Shade 03

It comes with a spatula applicator which is intended for scooping up the product. Applying the spatula directly to your face is not advisable as it might contaminate your foundation. I prefer liquid foundations  with spatula applicators over pump bottles because I can always control the amount to be dispensed. What I do is scoop enough amount and apply it at the back of my hands and get the foundation from there using my fingers or a foundation brush.

Shade 01

Shade, consistency, coverage: It is available in four different shades. I only have two - 01 and 03. Shade 01 is the lightest shade that has yellow undertones. Even if it appears way too light for my skin tone, it is very blendable and does not leave any white cast unlike most liquid foundations that I have tried. The picture is enough evidence! Formula is a bit runny making it easy to blend and spread well. 

Shade 03

Shade 03 suits medium to dark skin tones with yellow under tones. It is a perfect match for me! Like shade 01, it blends well and does not leave any white, ghastly cast on the face. It provides light to medium coverage. It minimizes the appearance of my pimples but does not conceal it completely. A semi-matte finish would be appropriate as opposed to a completely matte finish. 

Even if Shade 03 is a perfect match for my skin tone, I still mix it with shade 01 to for my face to appear a bit brighter. What I really appreciate about the product is it's well suited for Filipina skintone. No more fears of looking like an espasol, Casper or Foundation Day. Ha! The product photographs well, too! I always use this for models during Chicadora shoots. 

I used Shade 01 for the fair skinned Monique (left) and mixed Shade 01 and 03 for Julianne (right) with medium skin tone.

Staying power and formulation: It stays up to 4-5 hours depending on the weather. Setting it with a powder can extend longetivity. As I've said earlier, it has a runny texture which is not a bad thing for me because I find it easier to spread. Also, it has a vanilla/coconut scent which I like but might be an issue to some. It does not contain any SPF that is why it is recommended to put a moisturizer with SPF underneath when used during daytime. 

Lalaloove the semi-matte finish!

What I like:

• Affordable
• Formulation
• Semi-matte finish
• Shades available are suited for morena skin
• Vanilla/coconut scent
• No white cast
• Super blendable
• Lightweight feel
• Photographs well

What I don't like:

• Not for long wear
• No oil-control capabilities

Rating:

9/10

Because of its affordability and the fact that it blends with my skin tone well, I love it! I think it is perfect for photo shoots because it really photographs well. I gave it a high rating because of my own set of ideals in choosing the right kind of foundation - a foundation for medium skin tone with yellow undertones, light to medium coverage, matte finish, and lightweight. It eliminated my fear of looking like the friendly ghost.

What's your favorite foundation brand? I would love to hear from you!