The G-lish Lip & Cheek Tints (which I discovered when a good friend gifted me a pot a few years back) are great lip products for those who are reluctant putting lipstick on on a daily basis. I find them tacky on the cheeks so I never use them as a blush. My forever fave is Nude Rush, a deep coral-brown shade, which I think will suit most skintones and different lip pigmentation.

At P100, these pots are very affordable. It's worth every peso as it is creamy, highly pigmented, and non-drying. The downside is that it doesn't really tint the lips (and the cheeks, I assume), hence, isn't long-wearing. There are three shades available; G-lish Nude Rush and Berry Blush will fit lightly and heavily pigmented lips while only those with pale lips will enjoy barbie-pink lips from Pink Crush.

My week-long love affair with the Ben Nye Banana Luxury setting powder ended when I realized I wasn't really getting what I hoped it would give me. I expected the loose powder to give me a healthy-looking skin but I ended up looking aged and unpretty as it mattified my skin way too much.

    I'd say the Ben Nye Banana Luxury powder works best for oily, light skin

The good stuff in that transparent plastic tub is that it:

• contains finely-milled powder that did not break me out
• provides the skin a good amount of warmth it needs
• made my huge pores invisible
• was priced at P450.00 at the time I bough it (latter part of Feb 2013) which is already sulit for 42g of loose powder especially when all you need is a very small amount per application.

Because the Ben Nye Banana setting powder proved to be a magical pore eraser as soon as I apply it, I gave it more days for testing even though I frowned at the way it made my skin look flatly matte. Now, the horror begins two hours after application: its oil controlling power nosedives from excellent to poor; my poreless cheeks turn very dry; my skin generally turns from matte to dehydrated. The highly reviewed setting powder did not work well for my combination skin. (Check out reviews from Liz, Donna, and Nikki).

The reviews I've read complained about the packaging. I would've too but because I taped up most of the dispensing holes, I din't have powder flying out every time I used it. Everyone hates product wastage.

    You can depot the powder to a sifting jar or tape it the way I did to prevent product wastage

This is an international brand but we have local resellers. I trooped to PureBeauty Serendra (they also have a Trinoma branch) but this is always out of stock. I finally purchased at an online store, Style Quarter (back when multiply was still around).

The Ben Nye Banana Luxury powder is a medium to heavy coverage loose powder that gives liquid foundation a longer wear time by setting it matte. Oil control is fair and while it does not give ample coverage for heavily blemished skin, it is a powder that has a low risk for breakouts. If you can buy the 42g tub at P450-500 and you are on the lookout for powders that give off a highly matte finish, then this product may just make it in your HG list.

When I first learned about the Shu Uemura S curler back in June, I went, "what for, Shu? You've got a great curler already!", and then I suddenly remembered the SOLE gripe about their iconic, classic, silver lash curler: it can pinch badly if your eyes are not wide enough. Brilliantly, the people from Shu decided to create a sidebar-free mini lash curler to cater to all eye sizes and shapes thus eliminating skin pinching and ensuring all lash strands are primped to a perfect curl.

   The S curler vs Original curler: section-by-section versus curl-all-at-once. Both result to a flattering, long-lasting curl

I finally met the new curler who seemed to say, "mover over!", when I placed it alongside the original one. Weirdly enough, after toying with and trying both tools, I have to say it's hands down to the classic curler.

Huge Problem: it may not pinch but it pokes

I find the S-curler very hard to use. It has this supposedly helpful white pad you put against the eyelid (versus the very similar Urban Decay Revolution curler which has no pad at all) to serve as a feedback signalling that the curling pad is already at the perfect position-- near the base of the lashes. But I find it didn't help me at all. Worse, there were instances I had part of the curler poking my eyes! I know it shouldn't be that bad; it was obviously my amateurism getting in the way of properly experiencing a well-meaning product.

Since I was already tearing up from getting part of the curler in my eyes, I was no longer pressing the white pad on my lids. Think my lashes still had the curl of their hairy lives? Noooope. I've never seen something as silly as irregular curling-- some section curled near the base, others in the middle of the lash length. Not flattering at all!

Pros and Cons of The S Curler

I'm presently  loving the classic curler more than new one only because I'm such a noob dealing with non-sidebar curlers. It might take a while before I learn the ropes but I can already confirm the new curler's pros :

• gives a rounder curl versus the classic curler 
• allows you to curl the shorter inner and outer lashes
• perfect for curling falsies including the fancily wide ones 
• a good tool for makeup artists because it works universally
• more compact than the original curler
• a few pesos more affordable than the original curler (P1000 vs P1095)

Cons include:

• practice needed; in my case, LOTS of practice needed
• time-consuming
• not for the impatient
• white pad gets easily displaced when cleaning the tool (you can always put it back though. just be wary of permanently losing it!)

The S curler is among Shu Uemura's newest products along with the Tokyo Lash Mascara (both will be available in the U.S. website by September 3). It's a great tool if you want to be OC about having to curl every bit and strand of your lashes but can be a pain if you've never ever used something like it before. (A makeup artist I met had a hard time using it on herself but she swears by the design idea being outstanding. She's used something like it, only it wasn't angled but was tweezer-like). If you're already in love with the classic, original curler and you don't really plan to do other people's makeup, trust me when I tell you you don't need the S curler.

As I got accustomed to getting my hair colored, I made sure that my stark black brows undergo regular lightening too as I feel I wouldn't be able to get away from a potential beauty faux pas.  But recently, I started sporting my old black brows again.

       Raising both brows for subject emphasis lest my syringoma and pores take all the attention


It isn't because I got too lazy bleaching them nor have I had a change of heart (I still cringe at the thought of my contrasting brow-hair color!), but because of three inevitable situations that keep me from dyeing them again:

1. The Sally Hansen activator dries up quickly.

Waaay too quickly if I may be precise. I have purchased two Sally Hansen Bleaching Kits in a row and both activators gave me a maximum of three uses instead of the usual seven.

The Sally Hansen bleaching kit contains an activator, a dry bunch of granules you mix with a bleaching agent, a moistened, creamy mixture.

I normally finish up the set after 6-7 brow dyeing sessions but this time, I felt I was totally ripped off with just 3 uses. I decided to give it the "2013 rip-off award" since it happened two kits in a row.

So yes, I'm currently wearing black brows.

2. Andrea Gentle Creme Bleach has been out of stock for months now.

I bumped into the Andrea Gentle Creme Bleach (prior the 'just-3-uses' nightmare) when Sally Hansen kits started to run out of stock. I love this product as it is relatively cheaper, yields more dyeing sessions than Sally Hansen's, and does a good job in giving my face an overall softer look.

But two months ago, I walked out of Beauty Bar (where I purchase it from) without the product and only a scribbled promise in my hand:

Andrea Gentle Creme Bleach was out of stock! SA's gave me the branch contact number suggesting I check with them in a few weeks' time. Months have passed now, no new stocks have arrived.

So yes, I'm currently wearing black brows.

3. I recently discovered the Majolica Majorca Brow and Lash Colorist.

For someone who hates black on brown, it's surprising that I'm still not looking for new ways to lighten my brows. Thanks to an awesome brow coloring makeup, I am currently surviving.

I should already come up with a review on the Majolica Majorca lash and brow colorist as I've been using it the entire time I boycotted the Sally Hansen bleaching kit and while waiting on the return of the Andrea Gentle Creme Bleach. I use the lighter shade, BR333, and while it does not result to looking like my bleached brows, it keeps my face framers from looking very black and that's all that matters for now.

I take off all traces of makeup at the end of the day so the fact remains I'm still wearing black brows.

Brows-related stuff I write about

While writing this post, I couldn't help but congratulate myself for being able to deal with black brows against brown hair for months! I also should give the Majolica Majorca Brow Colorist a pat on the cap for providing a temporary fix. But, I'd be lying if I told you I'm okay with how my brows are today because I'm seriously missing brownish brows. I'm a few nudges away from retrying Sally Hansen so do pray that Andrea restocks their bleaching kits soon!