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!

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!

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.

Shopping at Etude House

For days, I've been planning on buying stuffs from Etude House in SM North Edsa The Block. And just this afternoon, I was able to shop a few items that I will be needing sooner or later. I figured I would need BB Cream more than any other cosmetics.

Before I even decided on buying one, I did a whole lot of research about the product. I've read some reviews that said it's not appropriate for morenas like me. But the reviews written by my fellow Filipinas had more pros than cons, so I made a fixed decision that I will certainly buy one.

This is everything I bought.


This photo above is the BB Cream Precious Mineral SPF 30, Sheer Shiny Skin. The box is pretty cute with Korean instructions at the back, which really sucks because I can only read Korean and understand a few words.


This one is the Precious Mineral BB Compact in Light Beige. I'm a morena, and it fits my skin well. Again, the instructions at the back are in Korean.
I also bought an Eye brow pencil with brush, Kissful Lip Care Cherry, and Surprise Essence Concealer.
Now let me show you the magic.
Here's me without any make-up.

And then here's me BB Cream alone.


Now, here's me with everything. BB Cream, concealer, BB Powder, and liners.


See, I'm a morena, and the BB Cream and compact fits me so well. You just need to do the right techniques of blending and layering. And I'm just 17, and haven't been to any cosmetic classes. So if you're planning on buying one, JUST DO IT! It's totally worth it.

Anyway, I also got my Pink Membership Card!


And not only that! I also got a free cake from TOUS les JOURS from purchasing Etude House products worth 2,000Php! I am loving Etude House more and more.

I am definitely going back to Etude House some time again. And I can't wait to use the products I bought.

Lep's World for iPad

Ever since I got an iPad, I started looking for a Super Mario app. I spent weeks and weeks digging the Games category in iTunes and I had no luck. And then I gave up searching.
Last night, I decided to check on the top games on App Store using my iPad, and I saw this. Lep's World. The icon was pretty interesting, so I downloaded the game.
I started playing. The main menu looked like the photo above, and when I started playing the actual game, I was surprised to find out that it has almost the same gameplay as the Mario games.



I admit, I got really hooked.
If you're looking for a nice app to bust your boredom, I recommend this game. :)

My Dream VS Them

So I'm currently writing this INFINITE Fan Fiction on Asian Fan Fics. Here's the blurb:

Lily Mendoza is a Filipina dreaming for something big.

She goes to Korea one day to look for her friend, and accidentally gets discovered by one of the biggest Entertainment companies in Korea. She trains, meets the INFINITE members, and strives hard to reach her long life goal. She faces a lot of trouble and mishaps, and has sacrificed a lot.

On the other hand, INFINITE supports Lily in her every endeavor except for one member. Sungyeol. He hates the fact that this new trainee gets all the attention from the boss. While SungJong, the youngest member, adored Lily the most. He spends most of his time with her and it often gets Lily in trouble.

Will Lily be able to find her lost friend while training under pressure without getting distracted because of working under the same building with her favorite boy band?

If you know INFINITE, I hope you read this fan fiction of mine and enjoy it. If you haven't heard of them, I don't know if you'd appreciate this but oh well, it's still one of my works and I put a lot of effort into it and I hope you consider it. :)

Click the image above to read it. :)

INFINITE 2012 Calendar Package

Last week, I was chatting with my friends on an INSPIRIT Group on Facebook about this INFINITE 2012 Calendar Package, which was apparently sold out already. Only a handful were able to get their own. And then one of my INSPIRIT friends, Shen, said that she already received hers and shared some things about the calendar. Being a fan of INFINITE, I told myself that I have to get my own INFINITE calendar. Judging by the pictures online, the calendar, together with the other stuff, is really worth every cent. I looked for one on YesAsia but it's overpriced to the extent that I don't wanna buy it anymore. I lost all hopes.

Then, the next day, my friend, Joseph, an owner of a KPOP Store on Facebook (Seoul Searching Store), offered me an INFINITE Calendar Package for 1800Php only! He said he has one extra so I didn't think twice. I said yes, and I met up with him today at TriNoMa. And here's what I got.

(The box. It's so neat.)

The Calendar Package contains:
1 Poster (Portrait)8 Photo cards (1 group photo, and 7 individual photos)Stickers1 2012 Diary1 2012 Calendar




(These are the stickers.)
Overall, I proved myself right for thinking that this Calendar Package is worth every cent. I'm a proud INSPIRIT and I will never get tired of INFINITE. I believe that they are one of the most talented people on earth.

I'll Be There by Boyfriend Dance

Here's the video of our I'll Be There dance routine yesterday at the Acts Academy. Our instructor was kuya Vincent Mangubos, and honestly speaking, he's one of the reasons why I attended the class. I saw one of his videos on YouTube and his moves are really sharp and awesome! He reminds me of my friend back in Arellano University, kuya Carlo. Kuya Carlo was my crew's choreographer back then.
Also, another reason why I attended the class is I wanted to learn how to dance different types of dances. Last week was pretty girly. Now, it's kind of boyish. No, not kind of. REALLY boyish. I don't like Boyfriend, but the choreography in this song is really impressive. I like the sharp movements and ball changes.
So there. I might not be attending next week's session because for some reasons, U-Kiss doesn't interest me.

Dance Class at Acts Academy

One day I was casually surfing the net when I happened to google "Dance Classes in the Philippines". I haven't started college yet so I got nothing productive to do. Perhaps a dance class would be a good decision. I've been a KPOP fan for a while now and I'm really fond of the Korean Entertainments' system of producing idols. I like how they train people with potentials before they make them famous. I've also been looking for online auditions for some Korean entertainments but so far, I have no luck. So I decided to just, well, train myself, if no Korean Label can provide training for me.

So yeah, I googled "dance classes in the Philippines" and I got directed to a website with a list of dance studios offering classes in Metro Manila. I stumbled upon different kinds of dance classes like ballet, hip hop, jazz etc. But one studio caught my interest. The Acts Academy. They are offering KPOP and JPOP dance classes! And then I wondered, even the Korean Cultural Center offers one. But then again, the schedule at the KCC is not very convenient since it's in the evening. So I reconsidered the Acts Academy and e-mailed them for inquiries.

After a week, I personally went there, with my aunt and uncle, to enroll. And their studio was pretty neat.

I've never been to a dance studio but I can tell that this is not bad. I also watched a few videos on YouTube of some routines they do in the Academy, and the instructors are good!
Classes will start on the 14th of this month and the line up will be Bubble Pop by Hyun A, I'll Be There by Boyfriend and Tick Tack by U Kiss. I don't actually know the dance steps of these songs but I might as well YouTube them right now, so I won't look stupid on the first day of classes. Haha.
If you are interested, check out their website. :)http://www.actsacademy.com

Camp Half-Blood RPG

I was looking for an RPG of Camp Half-Blood, since I want my mother, Athena, to claim me already. Haha.

So I found this website, or forum site, that is accepting applications for Demigods, like me. Here's the awesome website:

http://www.demigodrp.proboards.com

I've been in a lot of RPG, but nothing like this. I know I'll do a good job since it includes writing. And writing is practicing. It's a good practice for me. And check out my application here. It's interesting since we had to make our OWN story about our character. It's awesome because it's demigod stuffs, and writing. Did I mention I love writing?

I can't wait to get claimed, Gods. And be sure to check the RPG out! Or I'll send you to Tartarus.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Last Olympian

This is my own copy of The Last Olympian. My mother bought it from Jarir Bookstore. It's a hard bound copy and the first page of it is somewhat like a symbol of Olympus. It's awesome.

Yesterday, I locked myself in my room all day and did nothing but read The Last Olympian. Now, I can say that this final book of the series is the most intense and most thrilling of all. I don't remember a chapter where there's no battle happening. Maybe the first few chapters are a bit peaceful, but it always ended up with a conflict and I guess that's what made the story so awesome.

The romantic parts of the story are also a bonus. As I was reading halfway through the book, I was wondering whether Percy will end up with Rachel Dare or Annabeth Chase. I tried to look at the series in general, and I ended up thinking he'd date Annabeth in the end. But there was also something with Rachel Dare that made me think she and Percy would end up together.

These are my copies of the Percy Jackson books. If you're wondering why I don't have the 2nd installment, I left it in Jeddah. But no worries, I'll get it back in a month.

Percy Jackson is also a sarcastic hero. When he gets in trouble, it makes his day great. He's also more like Greg Heffley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. When a hero in a prophecy dies, he always thinks that HE is the one mentioned. I don't know exactly what is wrong with him but I think he likes the thought of dying heroic. On the other hand, he's a smart hero. He always has a plan and strategy in hand and it works, of course, with the help of his friends Grover, Annabeth and his brother, Tyson. Plus, he's also one powerful half-blood and I'm not surprised, he's the son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three.

Overall, I love the series! If you love Harry Potter, you'll love Percy Jackson as much. I recommend this series to everyone who knows how to read. So go to your nearest book store and grab your copy now, if you haven't. A salute to Rick Riordan, author of the series. If J.K. Rowling is the Queen, then you are my King.

The Three Musketeers 3D

So my aunt, cousin and I are planning to see a movie tomorrow but the main problem is we are currently in a war between Real Steel and The Three Musketeers. Basically, the sole reason why I wanted to watch The Three Musketeers is because Logan Lerman is in it. I watched the trailer just a few minutes ago and I think my heart skipped a beat.

See, Logan Lerman is one of the celebrity boys I'm currently having a crush on. I can actually line him up with Devon Bostick (Rodrick Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia). This Logan in The Three Musketeers is not so far from the Logan in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. He is also into a lot of sword fights in this movie, well, at least in the trailer.

Plus, unexpectedly, there's a kissing scene in this movie. I made sure it wasn't Logan, so I tried re-watching the trailer a few more times. But yes, it was Logan with this girl. I'm pretty sure there's a good and valid reason why they kissed.

The bottom line: I have to watch this movie because of Logan, seriously. Either tomorrow, or next week, or next month. As long as I see it in a huge screen of a theatre. His face is just so damn perfect. I also wanna see him in a sword fight once more, after The Lightning Thief, because I'm quite sure that I'm gonna have to wait for a long time before The Sea of Monsters is out.

My Narnia Map from Amazon.com

When I was in LA, I bought a $25 Amazon Gift Card to buy a $7 book, plus the shipping, on Amazon.com. It was “The Goddess Guide.” Too bad I wasn’t able to make a review about it because I left it in Jeddah. But I sure do remember making a review of it on the actual website.

With $10 left in my Amazon Gift Card balance, I decided to buy a map of Narnia, which is basically a poster for a collector/fan and it surprisingly arrived today! For only $1, plus the $8 shipping fee, this is what I got.

I was wondering why it came four days early, since I chose the Standard shipping where it’s supposed to arrive 10 to 16 Business days after placing an order (I placed the order last October 17). When I checked the package, it said “USPS First-Class International”! This is news. According to the information in my Amazon account, it confirmed that it is Standard shipping. But, seriously, the package says First Class. No wonder it came so early.

Tthe map is very neat and very detailed that I can actually think I’m in Narnia. The material is also good for a poster/map; you can actually think it’s a map to a real world. Now, I can visualize what really happened in the books and movies by looking at the map. I was all like “Oh, look! That’s the battle field, where the battle in the first book/movie took place,” and “That’s the witch’s castle! Look how big it is.” It’s also amazing that there’s a picture of the wardrobe near the lamp post, to show that that’s where the Pevensies came from.

Kudos to Amazon.com and to Tony Santone, the seller, for a good service. Surely, when I lay my hands on some extra bucks, I’m gonna stop by again on Amazon and buy a few more posters. I was thinking of buying books, but I decided not to, since the shipping fee is higher than the actual price of the item. And I can always go to the actual book store and buy the books I need, without having to worry about the shipping and stuff.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Collection

YAY for my book collection of Flamel! I bought The Necromancer the other day and finished reading it last night and I had a total blast. Although I feel really bad for some of the characters because they had a terrible fate, I know in the end everything will be well.

So in the photo above, you can see the first four installments of the series which I have read already. I've read The Alchemyst and The Magician last December and The Sorceress around February this year. It just so happens that I got so busy since March up to August that I haven't had a time to buy and read the fourth book. The other day, we went to the bookstore and bought The Necromancer, which I have been eyeing on since May, together with the Do-It-Yourself Diary of a Wimpy kid for my cousin in the Philippines, 'cause I'm flying back home in a week!

All I can say about the fourth installment of the series is that among all the books from the series that I've read, this book is by far has the most excitement, thrill and romance in it. Well, not really romance but I got to discover that Elders also fall in love. I once thought they don't find these kinds of emotions useful and productive but yes, I found out that they can fall in love. In this book, a sudden turn of events also occured. I won't give away much of it, but I think it broke my heart when Aoife, twin sister of Scathach, had gone into a distant Shadowrealm just to pull the monster Archon, Coatlicue, with her and is gone forever. What makes it more sad is that she did it for her sister.

WHEW. I won't talk anymore. I tend to give out spoilers so, I'm zipping my mouth. Haha. That's just about it.

Tween Hearts? SERIOUSLY?

Okay. Are you guys familiar with this TV Show on GMA, Tween Hearts? If you are, what do you think?

What I think about it is..

SRSLY? Is there even a school in the Philippines with a uniform like theirs? Long sleeves with blazers, short skirts and long socks. Are you guys kidding me? The Philippines is a tropical country. We don't need long sleeves with blazers as a uniform. We don't wanna sweat our armpits like heck.

And the bullies. Personally, I haven't experienced being bullied since it's not really a thing Filipinos do. But in Tween Hearts? They're like, wth? Obviously they are copying whatever they saw in Korean and Japanese dramas. Srsly, guys. I haven't encountered anyone who is as mean as the girls in Tween Hearts. ANOTHER THING is that not everybody can relate to whatever the story is trying to tell. If you watch the show, there are teens who, like, go to starbucks or whatever coffee shop that is, and sit and chill like they have no life. And all they're talking about is their LOVE LIFE. I CAN'T EVEN. ASDFGHJKL. There are more important things to talk about than that kind of shit. It will be more relevant if they are talking about saving money just so they can pay their tuition fees or even buy a book they'd love to read. Typical teenage Filipinos don't do it like them. Tween Hearts dudes aren't doing it right. They don't even act like a Filipino.

AND YEAH, some of the the actresses and actors are like, 13 years old? 14? Whatever. Our generation sucks. We should be thinking about our STUDIES and not LOVE LIVES. We should be thinking about paying back our parents because they are giving us a favor sending us to school. We go to school to LEARN, not to flirt. I mean, it's a good and normal thing to have a crush on someone or even fall for them, but you have to know your limitations. Crush, love, no problem. But making your world revolve around it? That's no good. Basically, the show Tween Hearts, which everyone finds very nakakakilig, very inspiring, very funny whatsoever, is actually a bad influence on teens, well, at least in my opinion.

C'mon GMA. I've been watching your shows for years. Please give us, teens, some TV show we can learn something from. Something that'll make us do our best in school and in other aspects of our teenage years. Please don't make us expect for a love life like that. Make us expect for a good future ahead of us. Inspire us to be good citizens of the Philippines, and not some happy-go-lucky ass who doesn't know anything but Starbucks, boyfriend/girlfriend, gimicks, and some other unnecessary shit. Hope you get my point.

No hard feelings. Just saying.

PS: I'm not hating on the show. I just think that there are A LOT OF ROOM for improvement.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

You're probably wondering if this movie also sucked like the first one. I thought so too. I guess we were wrong. Thank goodness I was bored in the plane to Abu Dhabi and I decided to watch this movie. I had too many options, Kung Fu Panda 2, Sucker Punch, Wall E, etc. But THIS one caught my attention. I saw the movie poster and there was Greg, standing right next to someone SEXY. It was Rodrick, his older brother in the first movie who made his life miserable. I was like, "This guy's something." And so I watched it.

And from that day on, I've developed this irrevocable obsession over Devon Bostick, a.k.a Rodrick Heffley. Devon, why'd you have to be so badly awesome and cute? He's 19 btw. Turning 20 this November 13. Just saying. Haha.

Anyway, this is a must watch movie since it's a story about sibling rivalry, which is one of the most common problems of parents these days. You gotta love it. It's comic, realistic and funny as heck. Sometimes sexy because of Devon Bostick. ;) And oh, watch this and you will know about Rodrick's rules to an easy life. I'm sure it works. LOL.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Song

I saw this on Tumblr and went laughing out loud. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you MUST watch this and DON'T, under any circumstances, ignore this or you will miss the laughter. This video was made and uploaded by AndyWithAnM on YouTube. Check her Channel out.

This video made my day.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

by Rick Riordan

I finished reading this book the other day and I really, really love everything about the story. From the characters to the adventures, everything is so damn creative. I love how Rick Riordan twisted the story and how he wrote it with humor.

I won't talk about it anymore because I don't want my post to be a spoiler to those who haven't read the book yet. But for me, The Sea of Monsters is better than The Lightning Thief. Just saying.

Anyway, I'm more than excited for the movie of this book and I hope they don't remove too much scenes because really, every scene from the movie counts and completes the story.