Review: Fashion 21 Color Mood Lipstick in Mystical Mauve

Hey what's up guys! Happy Holidays!

It's been ages since I posted a review about cosmetics. I just got home from Gateway in Cubao with the family for a rush Christmas shopping. I bought my little cousin a Sluban Toy (the Lego kind of toy) the he always requested me to buy for him, and his parents bought him the same thing, only a different model. He's sort of a self-proclaimed toy collector for years.

In return, my cousin accompanied me in Watsons to get me what I wanted. At first, I was thinking of getting the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, but then I thought, I have a bunch of pending books to read, all of which were bought from the National Bookstore Sale last month. So we went to Watsons, and I got myself a Gel Cushion for my heels, a box of Kleenex Oil Film, and a lipstick, which I'm gonna review now.

I originally was planning to get an Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick, but its shelves were crowded with confused old ladies testing a bunch of colors on their wrists, and eventually weren't able to even pick one. I was wasting time squeezing in to get me one, so I moved on to the next shelf.
I found the Fashion 21 shelf without anyone browsing on it, so I helped myself. I found so many lipsticks, all of them has orange undertone, which is apparently not matched for my skin tone. So I kept on browsing until a sales lady started interrupting. I told her I needed a nude or pinkish matte lip color. And then she gave me this.



The lipstick is Fashion 21's Color Mood in Mystical Mauve, which I think is perfect for all skin tones. It's not exactly a matte lip color but I fell in love with it the moment I tried it. I bought it for 155Php, as it says on the box, and it's very affordable compared to the other brands. Thank God for the sales lady. Sometimes, these ladies aren't so bad at all.




The lipstick looks sort of reddish pink but when applied, it's pink all over. It's not the Nicki Minaj-ish type of pink, which is really reaallyyyyy bad for morenas, but sort of a Taylor Swift-ish kind of pink. I'm sorry, I'm bad at color descriptions and I should feel bad.

Anyway, here's a swatch. Oh and no, it's not glittery or super glossy. I think it's the lighting.



Here's me, before and after applying the lip color. No filters used.



You will notice that before I applied the lip color, my lips were pretty dark, especially my upper lip. I don't smoke, I guess I was born with it. But after applying the lip color, it's a pretty natural pink! I love it.

TIP!

Before I apply lip colors, I make sure I put on some lip balm to moisturize my lips and to avoid cracks while applying the lipstick. I use Tony Moly's Magic Lip Tint in Green Apple, and Etude House's Magic Tint Balm.


Here's an overall review.

PROS:

1. The color is pretty. Matches all skin tones.
2. There are other colors to choose from which you might also like. I like this one in particular.
3. Glides smoothly onto the lips.
4. Long lasting. Go ahead and eat and drink all you want, but it stays.
5. Affordable!

CONS:

1. It's not available in matte! :(


That's it for this review! I'm definitely going to buy this again, and maybe give it as a gift to my friends during special occasions since, trust me, it's really pretty. Thanks for reading!

My Etude House Collection + Etude House Review

My current Etude House babies!

Hi goise!

It's been a long while since I last blogged about something. But I'm back!

Just a few weeks ago, I got an invitation from FilKor, a Filipino-Korean Association here in my country, to perform in an exhibit in Glorietta Activity Center for two consecutive days. The exhibit was attended by different people from different industries in Korea, and its main objective was to promote and sell good quality and useful products straight from Korea. Performers, including me, are one of the highlights of the event, as our performance also made some noise which gathered a few people around the place and is a good way to call people's attention.

Most of the performers performed KPop dances, while I performed two song numbers.

After the event, I realized it would be nice if I reward myself a bit for a job well done. I was with my mom, so we went straight to Etude House in SM North EDSA (it was our route home btw), and helped myself. I bought the things I've been longing to buy since forever and I couldn't be happier.

The things I bought!

These are everything I bought. I have used them in two weeks, and I'm liking every one of them so far. I'm gonna make an individual post about my reviews for each product in the photo above!

• Skin Malgeum in Smoother
• OH MY GOD!! Dry Shampoo
• Eye's Cream in Vanilla Moist
• Perfect Brow Kit
• Put Your Hands Up! Face Waxing Patch
• Long Lash Clear Line #7 (I won't be doing a review about this. They're just lashes haha.)
• Precious Mineral BBdation + Applicator

Etude House: Put Your Hands Up! Face Waxing Patch Review

Lady Mustaches are a major turn off, so I decided to purchase this product to try it out. I must admit that I have baby lady mustaches and you just can't get rid of it by shaving it off. It'll just grow thicker. The wise idea is to wax it off. 
The box contains 10 strips of waxing patches. My sister from Saudi Arabia also has baby lady mustaches, so I gave her half of it. We badly needed this, as I am a singer, performing in different events, and she's a model. Of course, who would want to see a singer and a model with mustaches?
So yeah, I used one strip of this and I wasn't happy. My baby lady mustaches are still there, and it just worked like a black head remover, not exactly a mustache remover. I am sure I followed the instructions real well, but I've no idea why I didn't like the result. I'm going to use it one more time to see if it's gonna work, but if not, I will officially UNLIKE this product.

Etude House: Perfect Brow Kit Review

The Perfect Brow Kit is indeed, the perfect brow kit you will ever get!
My brows are pretty bushy when not groomed, and I don't groom it all the time, so I needed something to shape my brows without looking like a Sasquatch. Before, when my brows weren't groomed, I tend to use Etude's Drawing Eyebrow #03, without realizing that I really looked like I Sasquatch. Of course, with groomed brows, the Drawing Eyebrow works fine.
Now, I still shape and fill my brows (they're already groomed btw), but I don't use the Drawing Eyebrow to school anymore. It's just too obvious I'm wearing make up. To look not so obvious, I bought the Perfect Brow Kit. The lines aren't harsh, you don't even need to brush it anymore. The palette also has three shades: the left one for highlighting, the middle for natural look, and the right one for a little edgier look or even for dimensions. Two brushes are also included, one for the actual filling of brows, and one for fading it out (I don't know what it's called but it looks like the brush for mascara haha).
Here's how the colors look like on skin.

I brushed each of them back and forth for three times. See how it smudges itself?
I prefer the middle one for a really natural look. The highlighter also works great on highlighting different parts of the face and not just the highest point of the brows. I use it on my nose bridge, on my cheeks, and on the inner corners of my eyes. Very useful!

Etude House: Eye's Cream in Vanilla Moist Review

Eye's Cream in Vanilla Moist

You guys may notice how dark and puffy my eye bags are. It's the result of stress and staying up late. I'm not sure if I have insomnia or whatever, but ever since I was a child, I already have these dark circles. I just don't know how to get rid of them.
So I bought this Eye's Cream in Vanilla Moist. It's in a stick form, making it easier to apply. Just pop out the cap and sweep it under your eyes. You can also apply it on your lids. I use this after I cleaned my face with Skin Malgeum. After a few minutes of applying it, it feels a little warm around the area where I put it but then it gets better. 
The Eye's Cream in Vanilla Moist only works your puffy eye bags, according to the sales ladies in Etude. It lessens the puffiness, they said. Looking at the mirror now, I don't see changes in my eye bags yet, but of course, I've been using it for two weeks and I should not expect instant result. 
Also, there's another one of Eye's Cream, and it's Peppermint I think? It lightens your dark circles. I was going to buy it, but then I realized I have allergies for mints. Using that might kill me. Haha.

Etude House: OH MY GOD!! Dry Shampoo Review

OH MY GOD!! Dry Shampoo

You know the days when you're just too lazy to take a shower because of the cold weather? Or you're running late to work or school and you don't have the time to at least take a shower? This is the best product for us, then!

I admit, I am super lazy when it comes to taking a shower during cold days. And when I discovered about Etude's new dry shampoo, I started wanting it at that instant. I don't know about you guys, but that would be my first time hearing about dry shampoo. I've never heard of it in my entire life, until now.

Basically, the dry shampoo gets rid of all the unnecessary oils in your hair and leaves a floral fragrance that can also work as a perfume. Haha. I love the scent. The bottle is not that big and fits my kit.

Just spray it onto your hair, and massage it for a while, so the product will be able to absorb all the oils to the deepest of your hair jungle. Why I call it a hair jungle, I have no idea.

I've used this for at least once and I can say that it felt like I just finished blow drying my hair after a hot shower. Not really refreshing to the scalp but the result of the smoothness of the hair without the oils is amazing. I will definitely repurchase this after I finish the bottle.

Etude House: Skin Malgeum in Smoother Review

Skin Malgeum in Smoother

Ever since I saw that commercial of Dara having fun in her bedroom, spraying stuff on her face, I was always curious about what exactly was she spraying all over her face? So I watched the full version of the commercial on YouTube and I found out it was Skin Malgeum. Whenever I went to Etude House, I always saw these cute fragile-looking bottles displayed on one shelf. I would buy this soon, I always said.

It's basically a cleanser/toner, a mist and it can also be a face mask! You just have to buy that cotton thingy from Etude, immerse it in Skin Malgeum and voila! DIY Face Mask! Although, I didn't purchase that cotton thingy (sorry I don't know what it's called).

I bought the Smoother one because my skin tends to have pimple break outs, so the objective of this Skin Malgeum in Smoother is to basically smooth the skin and cleanse it deeply. The Smoother also has this sweet fruity smell that I love so much I'm fighting the urge to drink it. There are also other types of Skin Malgeum that will suit your skin, so don't be afraid to ask the pretty sales ladies!

The good thing about this is that it can also be used as a mist. I've been using Etude's Magic Mist for a long time now and I found out they were out of stock, so I bought a little spray bottle instead. All I did was I transferred a little amount of Skin Malgeum to the little spray bottle, and I bring it wherever I go. When I feel hot, I just spray it to my face. Instant freshener! (Just don't pat it though. Let it just air dry on your face.)

The cute little spray bottle made especially for Skin Malgeum!

tvN KPop Starhunt 2 Philippine Auditions

Sup guys!

I know this is a little late but I haven't blogged in almost 3 months and that pretty much sucks like no other. I am feeling a bit hyper right now and I wanna blog about something but I just couldn't find anything new to talk about so I decided to just let you know how my KPop Starhunt audition went.




KPop Starhunt is a reality talent search on TV that looks for fresh KPop talents all around Asia. It is hosted by MNET and produced by Cube Entertainment, one of the most successful talent companies in South Korea, which manages 4minute, BEAST, and G.Na. They will pick two winners from each country and bring them to Korea for intensive training. Luckily, my country was one of the participating countries in the said competition and I was able to audition for it.
The online auditions in my country ended on September 4th and I was able to send them at least three videos and an audio file because I was just that paranoid that they wouldn't get it. But two days after the deadline, I received an e-mail from them and informed me that I was shortlisted.
Basically, they had online auditions and chose the top 150 people from thousands to get to the shortlist and advance to the 1st Round of the auditions. People who didn't get in the top 150 were still able to showcase themselves via walk-in audition at the ABS-CBN in Quezon City. Still, the feed backs from the walk-ins were pretty bad because their judges were tougher. There were almost 300 walk-ins, and only two made it to the Top 17.
Since I was shortlisted, it was easier for me to showcase myself because we were allowed to use audio materials for our dance routines, unlike the walk-ins. However, it was really nerve-wrecking to sing, rap and dance in front of the judges: Ms. Hapee Sy, Mr. Park Jae Hyun from Cube Entertainment Rookie Department, Mr. Kim Jong Min from MNET, and Mr. Eddy Tan from tvN. It felt like the whole world was on top of me.



The photo above is the setting in the studio where the 1st round took place. The judges sat there.
They called in auditioners by 3 people per batch. When we got in, we were asked to introduce ourselves and get on with our performance. I told them I was going to sing, dance and rap. I was only able to sing the chorus part of my piece, rap the first verse of my rap song, and dance the first verse of my routine. I was satisfied. After our performance, they immediately announced who got in and who didn't. The two of my batch mates didn't make it, and I was jumping with joy when Mr. Eddy Tan told me, "You, we will see you tomorrow in the 2nd round."
He sticked a "KPop Starhunt 2" sticker on my back and gave me a t-shirt.



Apparently, 17 people were picked to advance to the 2nd round of auditions, which was held in Glorietta Activity Center the next day. Two of them are from the walk-in audition, and the rest were shortlisted. My friend, kuya Val Libea, also made it. He is the Jay Park of the Philippines, as we name him.



Last season, Rince Cajucom from the Philippines bagged the 1st place in the KPop Starhunt. I was able to meet him last April 1st at the Kfest in Meralco Ave. because we were both guest performers and judges. We met again at the audition venue. He also watched the whole audition process. It was nice of him to come because he actually showed support for the new hopefuls.

After the auditions, the top 17, with me included, were called to the studio for a brief interview. The Korean crews were kind of fond of me because I answer their questions in Korean as much as I could. I also took a picture with the two of the staff and Ms. Hapee Sy.

Unfortunately, the next day, I wasn't able to get to the Top 2, who will be going to Korea to train. But I am definitely happy for Sheila Ona and Liah Flores for making it to the Top 2! Make the Philippines proud!
It was heart-breaking at first, since this was my only wish on my 18th birthday last September 5th, but I eventually understood that they were looking for something that I don't have and maybe a criteria that they actually need for the show. I made new friends and that is one of the reasons why joining contests is good. Not only you get to increase your experiences in stuff like that, you also get to expand your network by knowing new people. I even made friends with peeps from Pampanga! Shout out to Pearl, Star and Hideki!
I am happy that I tried it out. I would have regret it if I didn't. It was a great experience and I will definitely try out again next season.
Oh and by the way, the show airs in October 2012! For more information, visit their website here.
That's all for now, guys! I hope I come across blog-worthy events in the near future because I really enjoy talking about stuff.
If you want me to talk about something, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Sincerely,
Karla Maye Carreon

Etude House Shopping

It's June 1st!

I met up with my High School friends today at SM The Block and Trinoma. I haven't seen them in a while. I missed them so much.

Anyway, I've been to Etude House at SM The Block again and bought a few items that I have been longing to have. I even joined Etude House's latest contest, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours: Back to School Edition" hoping that I would win. Unfortunately, I didn't. But I will not deprive myself from getting what I want from Etude House. Haha.

So here's everything I bought.

I bought Precious Mineral Sun BB Cream (978Php), BB Magic Mist (348Php), and Oh~ m'Eye Line (198Php).


This is the BB Magic Mist. I don't actually know how you use this stuff but according to the Etude House ladies, you use this prior to and/or after make up application. It moisturizes the face and also gives it a lively glow. I tried this a while ago after removing my make up and it was so refreshing.


This is the Oh~ m'Eye Line, or liquid eye liner. Since I'm running out of liquid eye liner because of my abusive usage (hey, I'm a KPop fan; KPop idols abuse eye liners too), I decided to buy one. I love how the brush makes it so easy to apply the liquid. It has this stable grip unlike my old eye liners from Rimmel London and Wet and Wild. Also, it is so easy to remove and doesn't smudge a lot.


Now, this is my favorite. The Precious Mineral Sun BB Cream. Classes start on June 13 and I'm worried that my everyday travel from home to school will burn and darken my face. So this is the perfect BB Cream to use. Unlike the old phased out BB Creams, this one comes with a sponge applicator, making it easier to apply. No more mess. It's also matte, perfect for school.


This is the free Wanna Be Sweet? SHINee Clearfile that I got after purchasing at least 1,500Php from Etude House. I love their freebies. I am so gonna use this when classes start.


This is my collection of Etude House products for the past 3 months. I love everything I bought from Etude House and I can say that every cent was worth it. I'm surely going to visit Etude House again. It's the only cosmetic brand that makes me feel like a real princess.
I love Etude House! <3
Karla Maye Carreon

An INFINITE Photo Set from my sweetest friend

So, a few weeks ago, a Korean shop named C. N. A. just opened but I wasn't able to come. But my friend blogger, ate Zeti, was able to and I asked her if she could buy me some INFINITE stuff if ever they were available. She found a photo set and bought it for me.

Then, I wasn't able to get it from her because our schedule was a bit hectic. She had review classes for the board exam and I was busy getting my stuff ready since we're moving houses. 

She then had this crazy idea to just ship the photo set to me. And she wasn't asking for any payment anymore. I was insisting that I should pay at first, but she said I should consider it as a gift for all of the occasions in my whole lifetime. Talk about how sweet she is.

She even wrote a letter for me. It was a heart-shaped folded index card. To be honest, it totally reminded me of her because she taught me how to do it during our Korean Language Classes at the Korean Cultural Center. 

May 30 

Karla,

Do you like INFINITE Photos? Here they are!

Jeti

She said she even scanned our Korean Language Book just to compose this message! I'm so touched.
Here is the INFINITE Photo Set. <3


I love it so much!
Thank you so much to ate Zeti Cuenca for putting a lot of effort in sending me this. I will never forget this!
Also, follow her blog too!http://zeticuenca.blogspot.com
I love INFINITE and ate Zeti. Hahaha.
Karla Maye Carreon

INFINITIZE Album

Today, I met up with ate Rina, one of INFINITE PH's staff and also shop owner of Oppa Chincha Daebak, and got my INFINITIZE album. I can't help but spazz, okay. I love INFINITE to death and I really have to blog about this.

Here are some photos of my own copy.

I also got two button pins: the group pin from INFINITE PH, and the Sungyeol pin from Seoul Searching Store.







I also want to share with you the photos in the booklet, but it would be such a spoiler. So I decided to just post a few of my favorite photos. Here they are.

The album comes with a poster. I posted it on my wall as soon as I got home. Talk about how excited I am.

  

Oh and yea, this album doesn't come with a photo card, which is pretty lame, but it comes with hidden track messages of random members. I got Nam Woohyun's message. I'm Sungyeol biased, but Nam's message wasn't that bad. It was greasy. I haven't read the translations but the effect of just listening to his speaking voice is so daebak, I can't even explain how my ears felt. 

 I already listened to all of the tracks in the album and I agree that every track can already be a title track. I love how INFINITE members got to showcase their vocal capabilities through every song and unlike their past albums, where Woohyun and Sunggyu pretty much dominated every song, every member got the chance to get a pretty good amount of lines. Even Sungyeol got at least two lines in a song. 

 Overall, I think I will support INFINITE as long as there is music. It's worth it.

Sparkling Magazine Spring 2012 Issue

Yesterday, while I was killing time before going to my Korean Language Class at the Korean Cultural Center, I decided to hang out at 7/11 with two of my class mates, kuya Christian and kuya Rommel. The convenience store was only a few meters away from KCC.

While I was browsing the magazines section, I saw Sparkling Mag's latest issue. It's a back to back cover with IU and ZE:A.




The contents were really juicy and interesting so I thought spending a few pesos for the mag wouldn't be that bad. The funny thing is that, while I was flipping through the pages, scanning a few pictures now and then, I saw myself on page 52.


"Karla Carreon shows us why she bagged the grand prize at the 2011 K-Pop World Festival."

I was wearing a purple top, shorts, a sweater (which was really idiotic of me because it was so hot), and boots.

The page was full of photos taken from the K-Pop Convention held at the Megatent in Meralco Ave. last December. I was a guest performer. I realized Sparkling mag was one of the sponsors of the event, so it's just normal that they publish at least one page for it.

INFINITE, my favorite boy group of all time, was also featured in the magazine.

The magazine also featured a lot of things about cosmetics and other girly stuff. It's a must have for every fan girl.