{Vanity and Me} Yhey's "Flop" Picks - Products I REGRET Buying!

Heya lovelies and gents!

This kakikayan post is all about the stuff I regret buying and never will in the future. Don't you just have one of those days that you go out to get something you really want to try out, and when you get home hope you didn't? Well, here's my share of stuff that gives me eye sores when I see them. LoL!

**Warning: These are all crappy photos taken from my cheapo tablet. LoL! But, hopefully, you get the idea of what the products are. :D

Maybelling Hyper Curl Volum' Express Cat Eyes. This is, by far, my BIGGEST regret! I am a person who reads reviews before going out to buy something over 300php, and this is one of them. Although 450php is said to be "cheap" and this is a drugstore brand, for me, it's still expensive. And shelling out ~450php for a product with a few grams/ounces of product only is a big deal for me. Haha!

Anyways, reviews I've read says how great this mascara is because of it's unique comb wand and that it separates the lashes really good. I hope they tell me how to use it the right way because this is giving me lesser, spider-y looking lashes! The comb groups my lashes between the bristles and it's such a pain to use. It took me a long time, along with trials and errors, to make this mascara work because I don't want to throw it out like I threw out money in the trash can.

Yes, I said "long" time. I know you're not supposed to keep mascaras more than 3-6 months, but I am one of those guilty of using mascaras more than the shelf life. Hihi! *Anyone like me? Raise your hands!* The reason behind is I only get to go out and use makeup 2 times a week (3 the most for emergency trips out), and mascara takes long to run out of. And though they say it's bad, and I don't recommend either for you to do what I do, I usually throw out a mascara tube when I run out, when it smells funky, or it dries out. Don't judge! Hehe!

Back to my mini review. I thankfully finally found a way to make this "pain in the butt" work. But, really, it cost me more than it should. I really love Maybelline products, and I have a few of 'em. I actually like the sister of this mascara, the fatter tube and by far is what I may call my HG mascara. But this, NEVER buying this again.

FS Cosmetics Mini Eyelash Curler. I bought this for the purpose of curling the outer ends of my lashes as the usually get left out from the regular curler. But, this is such a pain to use, and does not do the job. It gets in the way of the lashes it does not catch and crimps them in an awkward bend. Simply put, don't get this curler. It's completely useless.

Ever Bilena Advance HD Eyeliner. This is not really a bad product. But, for me, I don't like how the product dries and flakes. And, it dries what looks like "asphalt" to me. LoL! It thickens up on the inside mouth of the tube. It's really hard to explain. I still use this, though, just to use it up, but am never buying it again, either.

Glam Works Lip and Cheek Tint. This is THE MOST drying lip tint I've ever tried! Although all lip tints are sort of drying, but this is in cream form and I expected it to work better than regular tints. This accentuates flaky lips, even if it's not that flaky.

ELF Lip Stain. You guys know I love my ELF buys. But this, I don't like at all. This was actually an impulsive buy as I wanted a lippie I could use for grocery trips or sudden "out-of-the-house" looks. It resembles a felt tip pen, and maybe because of that, it does get a funky smell over time. Maybe because it gets in contact with the mouth or saliva, I don't know! Plus, it's too dark of a shade for me. I plan of just using this when I'm at home just to get rid of it. Dabbing it would actually do the trick and not dispense that much product, but, I really don't like the funky smell. Ugh and EWW!

Essence Superfine Eyeliner Pen. This is the least of my regrets. The product really performs well and applies well. The problem is, it's not waterproof. And for a gal like me who sweats like a pig on hot days, this sure isn't the thing for me. Though it is smudgeproof as it claims, it is not waterproof! Which I find really strange. Well, for me, when I read smudgeproof, I assume it is waterproof which is why I got this. I may be wrong, but it really mislead me. So, for that, not buying it.

So, hope you enjoyed my little "long" rant. Haha! Hopefully you find this helpful in case you are planning to get any of these products. ;)

Cheers!
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{Vanity and Me} My Essence Cosmetics Collection

Can you tell that I love this brand too much? Haha! Although I may not be a die-hard collector as I do not really get to use makeup on the daily basis, so I basically just pick up stuff that I don't have in my stash yet.

This was just a quick share. I still haven't got my camera which I sent in for repair, and I couldn't get hi-res shots of some products. Hence, the rare reviews. When I don't have the camera, I tend to get lazy as I am not really satisfied with smartphone cam shots, especially for products.

Anyways, hope you liked my little share. Will update the post with the products seen in the photo.

Cheers!
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Product Empties Collection [June to August] - Part 1

This post has been sitting in my Drafts for quite some time now and definitely needs some attention before the empties pile up! LoL!

Anyway, who doesn't like empties, right? Well, it's kind of ironic, for who would want an empty bottle of product. But, for me, it's an accomplishment, as I get to see the products I've actually used up in the span of 3 months! Woot, woot! Yay for me!

I am sharing now the products I've used up, maybe throw in a little review whether or not I liked the product. :) Products are listed in no particular order.

This I got from a gift pack from Celeteque during their promo from last summer. Well, I can't really say if this was good or not, since this only contained 5mL of product, not enough to really test it out. Maybe I will try sometime. Repurchase? Maybe. 

This has been sitting in my bathroom for months, and I finally finished it up! LoL! Not repurchasing anytime soon as I still haven't found my HG conditioner yet, and I don't think this is it yet. 

Well, I know I kinda cheated on this photo. But, I used it all up actually after taking this photo. Haha! I did not want to take out my camera and transfer files all over again, so decided to take the photo. Repurchase? YES! Already have a replacement for this acually, and this is my 3rd bottle already! It's not drying and doesn't smell bad like other nail polish removers.

This got me into the "shower gel" bandwagon! I never liked the idea of Shower Gels/Body Washes as I feel I waste products. But, boy, I liked how soft it left my skin feeling! This was given to me by my relatives in the US, but found that we have this here, too. So, I will definitely repurchase, just not soon.

This is so affordable yet I like it. It may not be at par with high end hair masques or deep conditioners, but I love this. For ~160php, I mean, you can't go wrong! This smells SOOOOO GOOD, I would say of strawberry candies? Hair doesn't stay soft as long, but I use this twice a week, so doesn't really matter. Repurchase? YES!

This is a discontinued product already. These did not last long in the market. Well, I did continue using it, however, the cream/gel part (don't know which, haha!) already dried up and clumps. So, it's something to throw away!

I've been having breakouts lately, maybe due to the weather. Not severe though, but I think this helps. :) Repurchase? Already did! Though I may not next time as I want to try other brands :D

My 2nd Body Wash/Shower Gel I've used since my first one. Only costs ~70-80php, but smells really good! I actually want to try the new scent, Rose something. So yes, definitely a repurchase! 

I still have a tiny bit left which I just use for cleaning up the shape of my brows when I mess up.  Otherwise, it's an empty for me since I can't use it for its real purpose anymore. Repurchase? Yes! Definitely. Though I am trying out other brands first.

Victoria's Secret Hand and Body Lotion in Coconut Passion, Pure Beauty Treatment Essence Water (for hair), Garnier Multi-Action Cream, Johnson's Baby Cooling Bath (for my BabyLove). The Garnier Cream I got from a contest held by the brand itself, the lotion I got as a gift, so I won't be getting those again. As for the Essence Water, I am not repurchasing. Nothing bad about it, but not impressive as well.

I may have missed out on a couple more items, so I will doing a follow-up post to this and make sure I get everything else pictured! That's how proud I am and want to share EVERYTHING I used up! LoL!

I'll end my post here, and I want to know if any others use the same products I used, or what your recent product empties are. I'd love to know! Til' my next post!

Cheers!
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Weekly Buys [August 30 / September 6]

Hiya my dear readers!

I'm starting another series of posts which I am actually not sure whether or not I should pursue it, but, I decided to give it a go anyway. Since me and my BabyLove♥ go out every Friday for a quick stroll and bonding time, I decided I'd share what we get/buy at the mall while we're out. It could be anything from toiletries to "kikay" stuff, so do let me know if this is something interesting or not. :)

Anyways, for the first post of these series, I'll share my buys for August 30 and September 6, which are long overdue! Because of the cold, bed weather, I've been so lazy to get up and transfer my photos from my camera to my computer as it requires me to fumble for my camera cable, connect my camera to my laptop, yadda, yadda. It makes me really want to get those WiFi smart cameras that won't require me to attach my camera to the laptop anymore. Hopefully, I could get one for myself soon (wishful thinking!). Anyhoo, on to the items.
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{Vanity on a Budget} Vani-tip of the Day: Restoring Dried Up Cream Eyeshadows

I am back with another "Vanity" post. LoL. Sorry to all my "guy" or non-makeup wearing readers as this is something probably that does not interest you much. LoL. But, I'm a girly girl, and even now that I am a mommy, I can't help being one. Hihi!

Anyhoo....

**Disclaimer: I am not, under any circumstance, a professional. The tips and reviews I share are based off my own experiences and own opinions. I simply share what works for me, hoping it would help others. I only share what I know would benefit others and in no way intend to cause any harm. :) Just thought I'd clear that up.

This is a follow-up post regarding my previous review on the Essence Stay All Day Eyeshadow. In the review, I mentioned that the product I picked up was practically dried up, and that I have found a way to, at least, temporarily melt it to a blend-able or workable consistency.

Cream and gel makeup products tend to dry up really quickly, regardless of how expensive or inexpensive they are. Especially if they are in little jars where you take the whole lid off to expose the product. It's because it comes in contact with air every time you open up the jar, causing the "liquid" part to evaporate, leaving you with a solid product over time.

Dried up makeup is NO fun at all. Imagine spending your hard-earned money only to find out that the product dried up in only a couple weeks of use - such a waste! I first encountered this problem when I had my very first cream eyeliner from ELF Cosmetics. I loved that the product was practically smudge- and budge-proof after it dries, but I hated the fact that it dried up so quickly! I have been in the search since then for a way to "revive" cream makeup, but none of them worked. Well, maybe the Glycerine method would, but I find it hard to get a bottle of it (if anyone knows where to easily get this, please tell me!!!). I once got one at Watsons, but I lost my bottle of Glycerin (which is still full) and when I went back to Watsons to get one, there is no more on the shelf. So this method is a scratch for me.

I could go on and on with ALL the methods that I've tried (which did not work!), but I don't want to make this post longer than it is already at this point. So my secret?

If you still haven't guessed what it is, it's actually a Mug Warmer (~100-150php at Divi)! :D

Yep, I found a better use for this mug warmer than it's real purpose (it never keeps my coffee hot. Haha). I just had the random thought of putting my cream eyeshadow on it, and guess what! It did melt it to a blend-able consistency! **Caution: Allow product to be cool enough to apply! You don't want to burn your eyes!** Below are photos of my now melted eyeshadow. You can clearly see I was able to make a dent in the middle.

You might ask, "Why not just dunk the product in very hot water in a bowl, or boil it in water?" Well, I did try both. But, allowing the product to sit in a bowl of hot water wasn't enough since the water would cool down quickly. I did not want it to boil in water as I'm afraid it my "burn" the product, same as what might happen if you microwave it. The mug warmer's heat is sort of regulated, and not hot enough that it would burn the product. :) I never tried putting a bowl of hot water on the mug heater, though. LoL!

I just simply leave the product there for 5-10 minutes, or until I get my face prepped, then remove it from the warmer for it to be cool and ready for use! That's it! Really easy and simple.

Notes:

• I don't recommend reviving products that have dried up due to expiry. O.o Don't blame me for any complications if you do. :D
• To prolong the life of your cream/gel makeups, transfer a small amount to another clean container/jar (you can get one at Watsons), and keep the original jar tightly sealed in a cool place, away from sunlight. I saw this from YouTuber name Koren. This should keep it from drying up caused by opening the jar every now and then.
• With my Essence Cream eyeshadow, this is only a temporary fix and would not keep it "soft". So, I usually just heat it up before I'm ready to use it. Haven't tried with other brands. :)

Sorry for such a length-y post with all the explaining. It sure is one long post just for a tip. LoL! But, better well-explained than not, right? 

'Til my next post!

Cheers!
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{Vanity on a Budget} Review: Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow

Hello, my dear readers!

I am back again with another (Uh-oh, here it comes!) review!  Haha! I hope you haven't got tired of these yet, but, oh well! I've been enjoying making reviews lately of stuff I rave (and loathe!), so why not, right?

Today's review will feature the Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow (whew! That was a handful!).

I forgot to take a photo of it with the price on. But, if my memory serves me correctly, this is 259.00php, or let's just round that off to 260php.

Anyway, before we proceed with the actual review, Essence is a UK drugstore brand. You can find Essence cosmetics in some SM Department Stores (well, now known as SM Store).

For a drugstore brand, Essence works really well for me! I've been wanting to have this eyeshadow for quite some time now, and finally got myself one along with my other Birthday Goodies which I blogged about about a month ago. Also, unlike some "so-called" drugstore brands which are priced really expensively, these have really affordable prices, and for me, I do get more than my money's worth. ;) Don't get me wrong, I do love other drugstore brands even if they are quite expensive, as long as they work for me. LoL!

Anyhoo...

I got this in the shade 09 For Fairies. I would describe it as a Rose Gold color with a gold undertone (or specks/shimmer to be more precise). But, even if it does have shimmer, it is very subtle! In fact, you can wear it alone without anything else in the daytime if you are really not into applying makeup. I got compliments from my cousin when she saw it, and she is not fond of shimmer. But, when she saw me wearing this, she said she likes it a lot. :D

Following are some more photos, followed by my Pros and Cons for the product.

A closer look. It has a dome shaped lid (sorry, i forgot to take a side view of it)

09 For Fairies. Contains 5.5g of product. Ingredients of the product are not listed, but it did indicate that this product contains Carmine for some people who may have a reaction to it.

 

Ugh! A really crappy photo, the true color did not show. But, here's to show you what the product looks like.

Applied with both a base and without. The lower, more shimmery one is without the base, and right on top (which is barely visible) has a base. 

My thoughts....

This works as a base on itself. In fact, I prefer to use it without a base as it patches up more when I have something underneath it. The gold specks/shimmer clumps up when I use it with an eyeshadow primer/base. So, I like to apply on by itself. Plus, based on the photo, I think the real "pretty" color showed up better without the base.

Pros:

• Stays on for most of the day! No base needed! It's a base in itself. LoL
• Worth the price. I only need a tiny amount to put on my lids. 
• I like the smell. It's a "nutty" smell, like hazelnuts or something. I really can't tell, all I know it smells like a yummy, smelling nut. :D

Cons:

• I got a dried up product (see photos below). :( Boo-hoo! And you can't even check it in-store because it's sealed. But, I remember quite well that the sample I tried out back then is of a squishy, creamy consistency, but this one I got is really solid. 
• And because it's dried up, I find it quite hard to apply. It takes a long time for me to "even" it out. Again, I blame it on a dried up product.

I attempted to take a lot of shots so you could see how dried up the product was. It literally has shrunk and a space can be seen at the side of the container, which is common in cream products.

Now, isn't that a bummer? 

Well, aside from the fact that it has dried up, I still really like it and I use it EVERY time I go out. You can put on any color on it anyway, so why not? Haha. And I plan to get some other colors since they are really good on-to-go eyeshadows!

Plus, I found a way to "melt it down" and make it workable at least every time I use it, which I will post next. This method of mine also works for dried up cream eyeshadows! :D Interested? Let me know in the comments below if you want to know how. 

Cheers!
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{Vanity and Me} ELF Eyebrow Stencil Kit + Official ELF Online Shop Review

Hello everybody! So, I am starting another new blog series - Vanity and Me. I was actually planning on making a separate blog for it, but come to think of it, I am really not in the "professional world" or make up blogging. I mean, I don't really go out to buy products I don't need just to make a review of it. So, I decided to just add another section to my blog since this will be more of an occasional thing, though I love makeup so much. :D

Anyhoooo...

For the first post on this series, I will be reviewing the ELF Eyebrow Stencils and the website itself. If you are just like me who find shaping their brows consuming half of your make-up time just like me, then this post must be for you. LoL.

** I would like to warn you that I am no professional makeup product reviewer, so please spare me to rude comments. I am all in with constructive criticism, but if you are here to bash me with rude comments, just leave. :D Plus, this is my first time. Hopefully, I will get better in time. **

Shipped with tissue paper (inside the LBC packaging of course. LoL) The ELF sticker is actually just a cheap looking sticker that you could get done on an internet cafe. O.o Even I could make my own, even better.

It came wrapped in bubble wrap with this little thank you card from the ELF Team.
From top to bottom: Soft Arch, Structured Arch, Curved Arch, and Full Arch.

Product description found on the back of the packaging:

Achieve perfectly shaped brows to accentuate your face. The reusable stencils is easy to use and with 4 stencils: Curved Arch, Soft Arch, Structured Arch and Full Arch to choose from, it makes these brow stencils suitable for all brow shapes. Now your brows can look picture perfect everyday!

The stencils are made of  plastic they call PVC, I think? You know those gradeschoolers use as plastic envelopes? These are the same material, only a bit thicker in my opinion.

To use, you basically choose the stencil that works best for your brow shape, and simply line it up with the start, arch and tail of your brow, and simply fill in with brow powder or pencil.

Pros:

• Very affordable, only Php129.75
• They are indeed reusable and quite sturdy for the price and material.
• Putting on my eyebrows is such a breeze! (Though it takes a couple of practices to get used to)

Cons:

• I only found mine on the online store/website of ELF Philippines. Not sure if this is available at the stalls at some branches, but here at SM Clark, they are not.
• ELF Team took a loooooong time to deliver my item (will go into detail on this below)
• The stencils are not labeled according to the type of brow it is, so you have to match it with the photo on the front of the packaging (which is not easy, I tell ya!)
• Poor packaging. I was expecting it to be like those from the Original ELF products

Overall, despite more Cons than Pros, I still like my stencils. Putting on my brows definitely takes a lot faster now. :) Plus, it's by far the cheapest stencil I found. Though I don't own any other or seen other brands, they do say that some stencils cost more than 1k! I am not willing to shed out that much for just a couple of stencils. O.o 

Now, for a short review of the website. As mentioned, I got mine from ELF Philippines website. It took a while for them to arrive. In fact, I ordered from them first a day before I ordered some products from another company (online, as well). And, guess how long I waited ---- 3 LONG WEEKS! For just some stencils, I think it wasn't worth the wait and trouble. Being a consumer, of course, it scares us when we don't receive our package in time, thinking the sellers ran off with our hard-earned money. And, I love ELF and all their products, but then, I am not really impress

Cheers!
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