Review/Swatch: Ever Bilena's Magic Lipstick in Grapes

HAPPY FRIDAY DOLLS! 

So I decided to make a super quick post for tonight, before I continue with studying a bunch of readings for the finals next week. Ain't that grand! So anyways. You've probably seen this around before, which won't come as a surprise to me as this is one of Ever Bilena's best selling products. Its from their Magic Lipstick line and I got the one in Grapes, just because I'm on the hunt for a mauve-ish lippie. 

Not a mauve-ish lippie by the way. What is FAIL. 

It comes in 5 other flavors - Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Apple & Watermelon. I don't think they'd differ much in shades though but that's just me. You can still see for yourself. 

It comes in a white tube with a translucent cap that has a very flimsy feel to it. Oh you really do get what you pay for, huh? From the bullet it looks very mauve but when applied, it is clearly veeery fuschia. I'm not sure why its called a "magic" lipstick but from what I figured, (its not exactly rocket science) it is because it gives off a very sheer color when freshly applied like that of a lip balm but once it settles in, the color will be more dramatic.  

It applies like a lipbalm but I do find that it dries my lips overtime so I always keep a lip balm around when I'm using this. For the price, I'd have to say its worth every penny even though I'm not a huge fan of the color pay off. The lasting power is definitely a winner though! It leaves a beautiful looking stain on your lips at the end of the day - like you've just bitten your lips a thousand times or something. Just to give you a picture. :)

My bare lips for reference:

And this is how it looks like upon application. It will look more pigmented after a few minutes, I promise. 

Overall, if you're looking for an affordable lipstick that isn't so hard to find (Ever Bilena counters are almost everywhere now!) and of course, does its job, then you might want to try this. And its super affordable too. You definitely can't go wrong with the price! A real steal at 80php ($1.97)! RAD, HUH! 

So what do you think? Have you tried anything from the magic lipstick line? Do share if you have! 

As always...

JEM

Snoe Beauty Parallel Pigments CC Cream in Wheat

Truth be told, I used to loathe make up cos my mom always told me to veer away from them as they're bad for the skin. She says I don't need them because I'm already beautiful and make up is only for mature skin. And I was 13 or 15 at the time and when it is mom's orders, it is mom's orders. Well, honestly, I didn't really figure that much until college came in and all my dorm mates, classmates, and pretty much all the girls I knew, wear make up and I'm like, wearing a Johnson's baby powder or something. So much thanks to Youtube cos its where I learned the basics of make up. And its for free! But you know that already so not much news right there. 

 So when I started experimenting on make up, one of the few products that got me hooked was highlighters/skin brighteners. I think its cos I watched too much Korean dramas at the time, and I just can't help but be fascinated by the actresses dewy, but never oily, skin. Their signature dewy skin plus just bitten lips are two things I have completely fallen in love with. So today, I want to share to you one of my lovely finds this year. Snoe Beauty's Parallel Pigments CC Cream in Wheat. 

The "subtle glow" got me here, which is why I got the one in Wheat. Fret not because there are other variants of this CC cream so I'm sure you'll find something for your skin. :)

What Snoe Beauty claims:

So in a nutshell, CC creams are not much like foundations with coverage, but more like primers with skin benefits. It evens and corrects your skin tone, boosts the appearance of your make up, and improves your foundation's wear time.

Ingredients:

It comes off very white but when blended in it adjusts well enough to my natural skin tone. No white cast or whatsoever (thumbs up!)

Let me show you how it looks on my skin. 

Obviously my skin isn't in tip top shape right now but notice how it toned down the redness going on in my skin. It also brightened up my face so I think if you have good skin, you can get away with just this and a bit of powder on top! 

And here, I put one layer of my Pinkie's Collection foundation. Some of my blemishes are still peeking through but that's because my camera captures even the smallest of details. (In denial pa ako, haha!) But kidding aside, I love the blooming kind of glow it gave to my skin. I never get that when I only have BB cream on so I guess its the CC cream working, eh? 

JEM SAYS:

I think its a great and affordable product. Its my first ever CC cream and I'd have to say, I'm quite happy with it. It indeed gives a very subtle glow as opposed to other skin brighteners I encountered in the past that have obvious shimmers. This, however, is au naturale. And like I said, what you get is the blooming kind of glow which would make heads turn. My only beef about it is the packaging. It could get messy if you're not careful but anyway, overall, its a great product! Not bad for my first ever CC cream! Priced at 399php ($9.84) in stores. 

As always...

JEM

Ever Bilena Famous Lipstick in Watermelon (Review and Swatch)

Hello guys! What's up? My class doesn't start until 3 pm so I decided I'd do a quick review! I'm trying to blog as often as I can - now that I only have a few exams left until summer comes in again.

So for those of you who do not know, aside from being a BB cream junkie, I'm also a lipstick junkie. I've gone through this phase last year of just checking out every make up counter I know to see what's new in their lipstick line. IT WAS PURE BLISS I TELL YOU! Everytime I get to buy one, the feeling's  like being rewarded for something you've accomplished. Anyways! This lippie is one of those that I bought when I was going through that phase. Its from Ever Bilena's Famous Line in Watermelon.

I super love the packaging. When I first saw this, I mistook it for Maybelline's Jewel Collection as they have striking similarities - the color of the packaging being translucent and in deep red too.

SWATCH:

JEM'S THOUGHTS: 

(I'm sorry if my lips don't look their prime here)

It looks really deceiving on the tube. It looks sort of nude-ish but it dictates otherwise when applied. Its rather pigmented actually. For me the color payoff is really nice - coral with a hint of peach to it. It really brightens up my complexion which is why its one of the very few lipsticks I reach for these days. The finish is a bit glossy, so if you're looking for a long lasting, matte lippie, this isn't for you. But I'd still recommend it anyway just because the color's lovely. Like I said, its not a long lasting lipstick. It will sit on your lips for about 2 hours max, after that, you're going to need to retouch. 

Overall, I'd give it a 4/5. Its definitely worth every cent and I simply can't wait to try out their other shades! I got this for 155php ($3.81) and is available almost anywhere! Haha, seriously though, I've been seeing a lot of Ever Bilena counters these days. I even saw it in 7/11 just a month ago! :) 

Anyways, have you tried any from this line? Do share if you have! Would love to hear from you! 

-Jem

Pinkie's Collection BB/Foundation Review

Hey folks! Today's post would be about this foundation I've been using for about a few months now. I bought this some time in November on a whim because the foundation junkie inside me said so. And also, after trying out one of their lippies which I already reviewed here, I knew I'd be visiting a Pinkie's Collection counter soon.

So when it comes to BB creams or foundations, I prefer those that can go from medium to full, coverage wise, because they are such time savers! Well, I have long accepted the fact that I'm always going to need a concealer if I want a flawless finish, but I'm referring to those days when I want to wear make up and still look human. Ya know, for school wear and stuff wherein you only need to look polished because you're a lady, but not so in a way that its too obvious that you're wearing make up.

This is the shade I got it in: 

And obviously, ze ingredients:

This brand used to be called Pinkie Swear, but later on last year they changed it to Pinkie's Collection because another company in the US has already been named as such. If you've known about this brand for quite some time now and have been using some of their products already, then I don't need to tell you that the products are pretty much the same. Nothing has changed, except the label, of course.

I've been seeing a lot of Pinkies Collection counters lately so if you're not familiar with the brand yet, now's the time to visit a counter!

Now on to the product.

PACKAGING: 

I have nothing bad to say in this department. The packaging is really simple and neat, which is how I would have preferred my bb creams or foundations to be. Its fuss free and straight to the point! I think they're one of those few cosmetic companies who spend very little on packaging BUT more on the product itself. I believe they already updated their packaging so no more sticker labels!

CONSISTENCY: 

The consistency is rather thick and creamy. Its is easy to spread and finishes off dewy so for oily skinned gals like yours truly, a finishing veil is a must if you don't want this product sliding off on your face after hitting the 2 hour mark. For the consistency that it has, I'd say it is better suited to those who have normal/dry skin. However, I do have an oily/acne prone skin so I make this work by always finishing off with powder. No breakouts so far so yey for that!

SMELL: 

I'm not exactly sure how to describe the smell but maybe because its not that bad to begin with. It doesn't have a distinct smell, nor does it have a scent that lingers like Missha Pore Cover bb cream or Skinfood's Peach Sake. But if you do get a whiff of it, it does smell a bit like plastic. Doesn't bother me one bit so I think you're good.

SHADE:

The shade I'm a bit disappointed about. They only have two shades to choose from, one is for pale skinned (light) gals and the other for yellow (dark) toned gals. I am fair skinned but have yellow undertones. See the problem? So I hope they come up with a wider shade range soon! I fix this by using a lighter finishing veil. It does adjust decently enough that my face isn't darker than my neck, but I'm still hoping they release more shades in the future!

COVERAGE: 

I would say medium to semi full, but definitely not full. It is able to conceal minor blemishes but definitely for major ones you're gonna need a concealer.

WEAR TIME:

It stays put for about 4-5 hours, after that there will be signs of it fading. I haven't tried it with primer though because I broke out from it once and since then I swore, NEVER AGAIN. Haha! Well, if you are a primer user and you have no issues of it breaking you out then by all means use one.

Enough talking! Let them pictures do ze talking!

So here's how it looks like upon dispensing the product out.

So just to show you how yellow it is, I decided to put a swatch of my Missha Perfect Cover #23 alongside Pinkie's Collection.

And here's a closer look on the two.

 And because I love you guys, I will show you how it looks like on my skin! I don't usually show my bare skin but because its my way of making it up to all of you, I WILL! Haha! Its not in tip top shape right now so I'm sorry! This isn't for the faint hearted! You've been warned!

But anyway, just to give you a picture of how amazing the coverage is. :D

This is still fresh from application so yeah, its a taaaad bit darker than my neck but its hardly noticeable, noh? Anyways, this is after doing one layer. 

And after two layers! As you can see in the picture below, except for those tiny little bumps that aren't even pimples, I think this bb cream slash foundation did great, coverage wise. LURVE IT! :)

So overall, if you're looking for an affordable drugstore foundation that has decent coverage, this is it! My only beef about this bb cream is that it doesn't have any SPF on it considering that that's the number one thing bb creams should have. Looking at the brighter side of it, that could be a good thing too because you won't look like you have mask on on flash photogs. So I think its better to call it a foundation then? Haha! Whatever! One thing's for sure though, this product is awesome and I can definitely see myself buying another one when I run out!

So how about you, have you tried this amazing foundation yet?! Would love to hear about it if you have! :)