A small blog sale

Hi! Please buy from my blog sale! :)

Notes:
1. Sale is open for Philippine residents ('Cause shipping overseas would probably cost more than the products themselves?).
2. Items will be shipped through Xend Express, just add P50 for Metro Manila shipping, and for areas outside Metro Manila it's around P100- will compute exact amount.
3. Payment methods are Gcash and BDO bank deposit (for this option, must email me a scan or photo of the deposit receipt. Please bear with me as I don't have online access to this account nor do I get to check it often).
4. You can email me at idalorena@gmail.com if you'd like more information about any of the products, or buying them.

The items for sale (all photos can be enalarged by clicking):

ELF Studio Powder Blush in Tickled Pink. Swiped with blush brush 3-4 times. P100. *Reserved for Trizh



This photo taken with flash.

This one without flash.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha. Used about 5 times. P100.




NYX Round Lipstick in Cream. Tested once. P100. *Reserved for Trizh




Everyday Minerals new and completely unused Foptic brush (P250) and Everyday Eyeshadow Brush (P199). -Everyday Minerals 1g sample pots of Peach Concealer (85% left) and Back to School Blush (95% left) come for free with these 2 brushes, if you want them. *Eyeshadow brush reserved for Krissy




Venus and Mars Bliss of A Nymph Body Oil. 80% left. P160. You can learn more about this body oil here.



Maybelline Mineral Power Concealers in Medium shades - Sand (70% left, P50), and Beige (90% left, P150).




Also added:
Milk and Mixture Crumble (Moisturizing Body Scrub) in Blueberry Muffin, 300 grams. P175. This is barely used (about 90% of product remaining). I bought it around 2 months ago and it still smells the same- like butter and blueberries.


Photo taken in our bathroom.

It's a big tub. :)

I washed my hands each time before dipping into the product.

P.S. One of my newly discovered beauty blogs (and I'm glad to have discovered it!), A Boquet of Beauty, is holding a giveaway for a gift certificate to be spent on your choice of either Aromaleigh or Fyrinnae (love them both). You can also join it by leaving a comment on her post. :)

Erzulie Cosmetics Mineral Concealer and Cream-to-powder Foundation

Let me start off by saying that Erzulie Cosmetics has great customer service! I ordered from them a couple of months ago, and only remembered to leave my feedback on Etsy much much later on. Through my Etsy feedback, I let them know that I liked the product I got, but was looking for something which gave more coverage, and that the concealer I got was too light for me (see this post). Rhonda of Erzulie Cosmetics almost immediately offered to send me a sample of their cream-to-powder foundation which she said gives heavier coverage, and a concealer in a darker shade of my choice. Yay!

Here is the Progress Mineral Concealer in Medium:

It's made of all-natural ingredients, is non-comedogenic, comes in a tube, and costs $6. The medium shade is just right for my skintone. It's got a creamy feel, and is easy to apply. I use my ring finger and tap it on lightly on my undereyes, then set it with mineral powder concealer. This is not sheer, and covers my dark undereye circles, but not completely. At first it seems to leave a bit of a greyish cast on my undereyes which is typical of many concealers, but the good thing about this one is it kind of adjusts to my skintone after a short while and the greyish cast just goes away. I really liked that about it.

The lasting power in our very hot, humid weather was good, it fades after about 4-5 hours, but I'm glad it doesn't leave the concealed areas shiny like the Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer. I like the feel of it on my dry undereyes, and it didn't settle much in the fine lines on my eye area, only a bit in the inner corners of my undereye where most of the fine lines are. It also didn't cause any irritation to my skin.

Overall, I like this concealer. I've been using it a lot lately! The finish is quite natural and I would repurchase this, and also get myself their color correcting concealers, most especially green (for the red areas on the sides of my nose), and yellow (to experiment on my undereyes again).

Here are before and after shots of my undereyes, by the way, I'm not sure they're gonna be of much help but I'll post them anyways...

Before photo. It's a little blurry- taken in natural light, with no flash, in the late afternoon. Whoa! You can really see how bad my dark circles are here.

And after. The lighting is different becaue by this time, there was no more sun outside. My skin looks shiny because of the flash.

I also tried the Cream-to-powder mineral foundation:

*Photo from the Erzulie Cosmetics website.

I received a sample of this foundation in Medium Light. It is also all-natural and non-comedogenic like the concealer, and is on sale at $14. This shade is too light for me, though I find that the difference is only very noticeable in photos. In actual I thought it looked all right but would still prefer a darker shade.

My first thought after putting this on is that it didn't really 'turn' to powder. The finish was not matte nor did it have a powdery feel as I was expecting, instead the finish was dewy. Now this is no problem for me since right now, my skin is very dry and dull, so I actually prefer a cream or liquid foundation with a dewy finish, but if you're looking for foundation with a matte/dry finish, this is not it.

It could be that our hot weather affects the product and the outcome, but I've used this a number of times now and the finish is always the same. It retains its cream form and doesn't really become powdery. It doesn't feel greasy though, and I love that it feels so lightweight.

I like it for my dry skin, and as long as my skin is properly moisturized before application, this doesn't emphasize any flaky areas. I'm not sure how it would do for oilier skin types in our hot weather though.

Regarding coverage, it definitely has fuller coverage than their Flawless Finish Clarifying Liquid Foundation. It evens out my skintone very nicely and covers blemishes well. I like this foundation's coverage a lot. I also find it easy to blend (I use a sponge) and apply. No itchies or breakouts either! I will definitely purchase the full-sized product, perhaps in the medium shade or even darker.

Have you tried any products from Erzulie Cosmetics?

A soap that saved me from bacne (yuck)

Yeah, I know, it's disgusting. Bacne started for me around puberty, then flared on and off, and when I turned to natural bath and skincare products, I resolved to find a solution to it. For some of you who have the same problem, you might want to try Venus and Mars' Javanese Lulur Soap.

(Photo taken from the Venus and Mars website)

I purchased this soap via the Venus and Mars (a local seller) website many months ago simply because I liked the product name. I've always longed to experience a Javanese Lulur treatment so this prodcut sounded really good to me.

The ingredients of this soap are: emu oil, tea tree essential oil, turmeric, tea tree leaves, shea butter, arbutin, calamansi, papain, olive oil and coconut oil, mango.

I have sensitive skin so I tested the soap on my arms first, and when no adverse reaction occured, I lathered it all over my back. I noticed that there was a stinging sensation on my skin, especially if I waited too long before washing it off. But it didn't make me itch, nor did it leave rashes, so I continued using it. It had a very mild scent which to me smelled kind of like oatmeal.

After using it everyday on my back for less than a week, I noticed that my bacne was miraculously drying up! I was really surprised. I noticed though, that while it dried the pimples, it also left the skin on my back rather dry, so after bathing I applied a few drops of emu oil on my back, then a bit of lotion. I followed this routine and it improved my back very noticeably. I loved the results.

I remember that I had some zits on my face at that time, so I tried using it on my face as well. This for me turned out to be a no-no because it didn't help with the pimples on my face and dried my face up terribly. I haven't and won't use it on my face again, and definitely prefer my liquid facial washes. I use this soap on my back only.

The skin on my back cleared up entirely at one point so I didn't get myself any more bars of Javanese Lulur, but recently I started getting zits on my back again. So it's back to the Javanese Lulur soap for me and it's improving my skin again just like before. I don't want my skin to become 'immune' to this product though, so I'm still searching for more natural products that will work just as well and which I can use with this alternately.

I don't know if I sound like an ad, but just to let you know, I'm not affiliated with Venus and Mars - I'm just one of their regular customers. Do also keep in mind that products don't have the same effects on every individual, so I cannot guarantee that this would have the same effect on anyone else, but if you suffer from bacne, I highly recommed that you give it a try! It's pretty cheap too at P100 or P195 depending on the size of the bar.

Lauress mineral foundation and other samples

I've heard many raves about Lauress's mineral foundation, so I was very excited to try them when I received my samples.

Their foundation comes in loose powder form and is available in 3 formulations- Minimalist, which contains only 4 or 5 ingredients and is recommended for sensitive, normal to oily skin, Elemental, which contains an antioxidant called Lauroyl Lysine and is suitable for normal to dry skin, and Ethereal, which is supposed to give the heaviest coverage out of the 3 formulations, has a glowing finish, and is okay for all skin types.

I got 3 foundation samples, one for each formula, in different shades.
Top row - Elemental foundation in Pure Yellow, Ethereal foundation in Pure Gold, Minimalist foundation in Fresh Gold, Luminesce powder in Lustrous. Bottom - Matte blushes in True Love and Perky, and my freebie, Pearl Light eyeshadow in Serene.

Regarding the foundation colors, I find that I have to mix Pure Yellow and Pure Gold (with more Pure Gold in the mix) to match my skintone. The difference between Pure Yellow and Pure Gold is that Pure Yellow has a lot more yellow tones in it than Pure Gold does, and I find it to be a shade lighter.

I think Lauress's foundation really is worth raving about! Finding the right formulation depends on your skin type. Mine is sensitive and dry and I love the Minimalist and Elemental formulas.

Minimalist feels light as air, and did not make my face itch even after I started sweating. It has a matte finish, and I was pretty surprised that it didn't make my skin feel dry and tight like most matte foundations do. I'm satisfied with its coverage, which can be light to heavy depending on application. I also like that it doesn't make my t-zone look shiny in photos.

Elemental is also lightweight, and feels creamy while being applied. This did not make me itch either. It has the same coverage as Minimalist, made my skin feel silky, and really didn't dry my skin out at all. I think they're right to recommend this to people with skin that tends to be dry.

The Ethereal formula I don't like so much because it made my skin itchy once I went out in our hot weather. I 'm not sure what ingredient in it I reacted to, perhaps it was the Boron Nitride? Its finish was also a bit shiny for my taste. I think it offers just the same coverage as the 2 other formulas.

I adore the True Love blush which on me is a cool, soft pink. Perky blush is a bit darker and is described as a dusky rose. The Luminesce powder is for creating a soft and natural glow. I don't find it shimmery or sparkly, and I think it's okay, though I would like it to be more 'glowy'. I like to use it as a finishing powder. Lustrous is a soft tan color which is actually darker than my actual skintone, I use it when my foundation seems a bit light. My freebie eyeshadow, Serene (soft, dusky mauve), is lovely- a subtle color and easy to blend.

If you'd like to try their products, now is probably a good time since Lauress currently has their powders on a 10%-20% off sale. I also ordered during a sale and my order was shipped in about 2 days. International shipping cost about $3. Love how they shrink-wrap everything too, so that nothing spills!

Looks like everyone had a great halloween :) Me, I spent it in the province with my family and in-laws the whole long weekend and I missed being online terribly!

Mineral makeup to play with, and mutiny.

I've still technically not broken my no makeup-buy since I've only been getting myself the littlest things here and there. No major purchases, or hauls, at all. It's pretty difficult but I'll live :)

I alleviated my hunger for mmu by a bit through my purchase from Pammy's Blog Sale for a Cause (all proceeds went towards their outreach program, awesome).


The lot of samples (transferred into jars) and a fullsize EDM blush cost only P100 or about $2. The samples were of blushes, eyeshadows, and a few of foundation, from Monave, Cory Cosmetics, Silk Naturals, Dreamworld Minerals, Meow, Buff'd, and some others.

A pretty good, and cheap way to sample from various brands (some of which were my first time to try), IMO. I've only tinkered with the two blushes from Cory Cosmetics - Cosmo Pink and Promise - and I really like the colors. The goods came with a kind thank you note from Pammy. Thank you as well!

I put a new button on the sidebar (right under the Followers box):


I've been keeping up with all the news but I'm not sure how to express how I feel about the issue just yet, just that I support uniqueness and creativity! Do click the button on the side bar if you'd like to know more (I'm pretty clueless about html and don't know how to make the image above a link), or visit these great blogs: Fresco Phyrra, Sparkle is my Crack, and Lipsticks & Lightsabers.

A 'natural' beauty tip. For the lips.

By natural I mean using natural ingredients. I know that there are countless tips out there on using natural ingredients, such as things that you can actually find in your kitchen (bananas, avocadoes, sugar, to name a few) for beauty rituals, and it's rather fun to try them, but do be careful. Definitely do a patch test first! I for one now know that, although I like honey, my skin does not like it.

But I do want to share a tip that I've been incorporating into my routine for many weeks now. I only used two ingredients for it: emu oil and unrefined shea butter. I purchased my emu oil from Barenaturals, a local seller (also available from Garden of Wisdom who ships worldwide), and the unrefined shea butter from Coastalscents (available locally at Botany Works).

I thought of using them when my lips swelled up from allergies. Eeew, yes, I know. After the swelling went down the texture of my lips became very rough, I hated the feeling of rubbing my lips together! I thought of trying emu oil on them since I use emu oil for any insect bites or minor skin irritations that I and my daughter get. Unrefined shea butter I usually rub on my heels, to keep them soft, and on my daughter's eczema.

I just got a small dab of the emu oil and applied it all over my lips. Surprisingly it didn't feel yucky. Then I grabbed a small amount as well of the unrefined shea butter and put it all over my lips also. And after about 2 days my lips were even soften than before they swelled up, I swear! The emu oil and shea butter are gone from my lips after less than an hour, but I continue to feel the moisturizing, softening effect hours later. I now do this when I wake up in the morning, after baths, and after kissing hubby goodnight. It's just super! And if you decide to try this tip, I do hope it works just as well for you!

By the way, have you noticed my beautiful new banner and template? They're courtesy of dulcette, whose payment will be in the form of makeup items. Cool, yes?
Her blog is pretty new, so let's welcome her to the beautyblogging community :)

I am so happy that our daughter's first birthday party turned out quite nicely and that she enjoyed it. My weekend was memorable and happy. How was yours? And do you have any natural or homemade beauty rituals that work well for you? Share!

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer

Tried this in my quest of finding my HG undereye concealer.

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer ingredients:

Water/Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Propylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, Ozokerite, Phenoxyethanol, Magnesium Sulfate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Methylparaben, Acrylates Copolymer, Alumina, Butylparaben, Aluminum Hydroxide, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Calcium Pantetheine Sulfonate, Tocopherol, Dextran Sulfate, Silica, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, May Contain (+/-): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), Mica.

I have the two shades they have for medium skintones- Sand and Beige. I purchased Sand first, from a fellow forum member, but found it too light for me. Still I was curious if this concealer would work for me so I got the next darker shade, Beige, from drugstore.com.

Swatches: top - Sand; bottom - Beige.

Blended a bit. Top - Sand; bottom - Beige.

Just so you know, I only used this on my eye area, so I can't say how they do with covering up blemishes. Also, I have serious dark circles and a number of fine lines around my eyes. I applied these on my undereyes as well as on my lids which are a reddish/pinkish color. Then I set it with mineral concealer powder.

What I like about it:

-It felt creamy upon application, and lightweight once on.

-It's unscented and did not irritate the ultra-sensitive skin around my eyes.

-Blends easily.

-Evened out the color on my lids.

-Doesn't settle too much in the fine lines on my undereyes (settled a bit in the lines in the inner corners of my eyes. Really have a lot of them for someone in her 20's!)

-Affordable price.

What I don't like about it:

-It's not very sheer, but didn't completely cover my severe dark circles. Better suited for people with not very dark undereye circles.

-I wish they had more color options. Sand has yellow undertones but was too light for my skin. Beige was more my match but I wish it had more yellow tones to it- as the name implies, it has beige, and pink undertones.

-It was okay when the weather was cooler, but when I used this out on a typical hot day in Manila, it pretty much melted off me. My lids and undereyes became really shiny after a while.

Overall, it's okay for the price. It just doesn't work for me with my super dark circles and the scorching Manila heat, so I won't be repurchasing. Will blog about other concealers soon!