MAC LIPSTICK HAUL

(Riri Woo, All fired up , Speak Louder ,Fanfare)

I don't know why I am liking a bright lips right now usually I go for a more natural nude lips but I think bright  lips is my go to lippies right now except when I go to work but weekend or if I'm having a dinner or hanging out with friends I wore bright lips.

So I went to MAC or my sister hunt it for me since she's privilege on going everywhere in the world I ask her to hunt the Riri Woo and the All fired up lipstick for me.

I kept on avoiding the Riri Woo lipstick because for me it's just like the Ruby woo which is on the permanent line but when MAC release the Holiday collection I was sold because of the packaging who would never love a rose gold and white packaging? Since the Holiday collection was release in the UAE I think last February or End of January and they didn't include the lipstick which I think is a big disappointment for those people who are waiting for the collection and I'm one of them. I really wanted the pleasure bomb and no matter what I do my sister don't want to give it to me because she likes it too. That's the reason why I bought the next color which I think closely looks like the Pleasure Bomb.

The next item that I asked my sister to hunt for me and I think she found it in Australia was the All fired up and it was from the Retro Matte Collection. It's a bright fuchsia and really really lovely on my skin tone if only I can wear it at work I will but I don't want my boss distracted because of my bright lips.This is one of my favorite bright lips plus it's matte and I love matte.

I also bought ( me going to MAC store) 2 lipstick because that time I'm so stressed and I need something to make me happy so I went to MAC and look for something and I saw this color called Speak Louder and I like it so I was swatching it with few more lipsticks but it really speaks to me to get him so I ended up getting it. It's a Cremesheen and describe as a clean poppy blue pink and was just lovely and perfect for Spring.I really love the finish of Cremesheen and how they glide smoothly on your lips and I think you heard me mention it a lot now so I'll stop and jump in to my last purchase.

The last lipstick that I got was actually my husbands choice was the Fanfare. He also prefer nude natural lips on me and just ignore it when I use bright lips. This is also a Cremesheen finish because I love it. It's describe as a mid-tone yellow pink but for me it falls on a very light pinky coral shade. Most of the time now this is what I use in the office and it never leaves my bag. It makes my lips look so natural but better. This I think will fall on my most used lipsticks.

That's all I bought from MAC and I also have a few collections from MAC coming up so make sure you visit my blog.

Have a great day! 

LAURA MERCIER HAUL

I accidentally discovered the Laura Mercier when I was trying to explore the newly opened mall near my work and heard that there is a House of Fraser now in that mall so I went there and after few turns in front of me was the Laura Mercier Counter and I almost jumped because of excitement. I had been a huge fan of Laura Mercier for years now and the only time I can purchase Laura Mercier products is when I visit Philippines which is once a year. So having Laura Mercier in Abu Dhabi is very convenient for me. I hope NARS will be next. 

So this are the items that I purchased and for sure I will be back soon because I wanted to try their skin care and the Caviar stick so bad.

LAURA MERCIER SILK CREME FOUNDATION IN CASHEW BEIGE
I heard a lot of good things about this foundation and had been wanting to try it before but I never wanted a full coverage foundation but now since my skin is in bad situation I decided to try it. This is seriously a full cover foundation like no joke. You need a tiny bit and it goes a long way. I like how this sit on my skin but I can't wear it without a primer underneath because it does glides on my skin after 4-5 hours and to avoid that I have to use a good primer. I also like how luminous your skin like it's fresh and alive. the only downside I can say with this foundation is it doesn't last all day maximum hours with the primer will be 8 hours and you will start seeing blotchiness on some areas. And also I wanted to mention that even though I have a light-medium skin I use the 2 to the last shade and I think their range suits light - medium skin tones so if you have a dark skin tone even the darkest shade will not suit you.

LAURA MERCIER TRANSLUCENT LOOSE SETTING POWDER
I was planning on buying the Skin brightening powder but the lady really sold me to this powder and because I don't like the finish of a Translucent powder because of their white cast or sometimes it looks grey on my skin but this Translucent loose powder was like a heaven sent for me. It's not you're usual white translucent powder it's beige and really fits on which I think till medium skin tone. I also love how fine the talc is that really sits well on your skin.Since I purchase it I never stopped using it and maybe this will fall on my most loved products and if I run out of it I will repurchase it again till they stop making it but I hope not.

LAURA MERCIER HAND CREME IN AMBER VANILLA
Just before I pay the lady introduced me to the skincare products and I was never interested on skin care products from any make up brand and I don't know why. So she asked me to smell the scents of each tub and I was seriously wanted to buy all of them because the scent is so amazing but I know if I will go crazy buying skin care my husband will start questioning me. So I decided to grab the Hand creme and will be back with the body creme for sure I can't wait to finish all my body butter and go back to Laura Mercier and bring that baby home. So back to the hand creme I was really sold by the scent and next is the texture compared to my Body Shop hand creme I like how moisturizing this hand creme is and also the scent even if you wash your hand the trace of the scent is still there. I just love it and my husband likes the smell to I'm a sucker for vanilla scent and amber.

LAURA MERCIER OIL-FREE FOUNDATION PRIMER
After my last purchase from Laura Mercier I decided to go back and get a primer for my Silk Creme foundation and I asked for the Oil free one. I ca't actually say if I love this product or not for me it's a normal primer but if I wanted my foundation to stay longer this would not be the primer that I will use. I think this primer suits more on my Make up forever Mat velvet plus or MAC Select Fluid Foundation where the consistency really clings to your skin really well and tends to last longer than the normal foundation. However I haven't tried the Oil free foundation of Laura using this primer maybe they will fit together. But now I will find a way to use it with other type of foundation.

So that is it for my Laura Mercier trip hope you like it. If you're in Abu Dhabi go check laura mercier in House of Fraser in World trade Center Mall or if you're living outside UAE and interested in trying their products I would definitely recommend the Loose Powder and the Hand Creme.

Have a great day guys!

MARCH FAVORITES

It's been a long time that I hadn't blog about my monthly favorites and that's because I'm dealing with some personal issues and been focusing on that more but I will try my very best to post blogs again. 

For now.. let's see the things that I had been loving for the whole month of March.

LAURA MERCIER SILK CREME FOUNDATION 

Laura Mercier was available now in Abu Dhabi and I'm over the moon excited when I saw their counter in the House of Fraser in World Trade Center Mall. I was dying to try the Silk Creme foundation as I have to cover a lot of breakout this month because of my hormonal imbalance. This is a very good full cover foundation and really gives you a luminous skin. I can say if you have a very oily skin you need a very good primer for this and also if you are living in a very humid place you have to skip this because it tends to slip on your skin after 5 hours if you have oily skin.

LAURA MERCIER TRANSLUCENT LOOSE SETTING POWDER 

Along with the foundation I also grab the Translucent Powder. I was going to buy the Brightening powder but when the lady on the counter told me to try the translucent powder and she tried it on me I was sold. It wasn't like the usual translucent powder that you can see everywhere that is white, it's more of like a beige-y color that actually for me looks more translucent than the white because this doesn't give you that white cast on your skin. That's why when she applied it on my face I was sold. Best translucent powder ever!

MAC SELECT COVER UP CONCEALER 

As I've said awhile ago, I had been battling with breakouts so a good concealer is a must to cover those breakouts. I had been switching between this concealer and the Make up Forever full cover that I purchased last December. But I felt like this covers my blemishes more specially when it's on the stage where it started to dry and the skin is darker which is very hard to cover. This really covers it so well more than anything else.

LUSH HERBALISM CLEANSER

I got few samples of this facial cleanser when I went to purchase fresh face mask. I was in a hunt for a good facial cleanser and after using it for a week I'm hundred percent sure of buying the regular size because it's so nice and my skin doesn't have a bad reaction to it and I think my skin likes it. My rashes and redness on my skin had stop after using this it was incredible. I just hope that this expires longer than it should. Because it's fresh it expires after 4 months so you have to consume it in 4 months which you can but if it was available on the store since January and you have to purchase one and it's already march so you have to spend a month trying to consume it or else it will be a waste which I'm trying to do now.

LUSH FACE MASK IN COSMETIC WARRIOR
I had been using the Cupcake fresh mask before I discover the Cosmetic Warrior and since this is good for oily skin and troubled skin I tried it and now I'm on my second tub. For some people they may not like it specially if you don't like the smell of it but for me I like it because it doesn't smell like garlic it smells more like a tea tree. This calms my skin specially on days where they just decided to appear on my skin and on days when I stayed up late. I love this and I will continue to use it.

REVLON LIP BUTTER IN LOLLIPOP
This lipstick was in my purse for almost 2 months now and I had been wearing it almost everyday. I don't know why I'm loving it but every time I use it I felt more "alive" shall we say or my face looks more alive than me. It's a fuschia toned color that you can apply light or heavy as you like or whatever you feel that day. I just love the texture the color and the feel on my lips.

LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO 
This is somehow works on my skin well. It helps my skin control the breakouts on areas that are breaking out a lot unless I stayed up late the night before. I noticed that I breakout a lot whenever I stayed late I don't know why. I use this as a moisturizer but it's not enough on areas that are normal because I have a oily combination skin so I need another moisturizer on areas that are normal or else it will be dry and flaky.

LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR CLEANSING GEL
I had been using this cleansing gel as a replacement for my old Seba cleansing bar of course because of breakouts again. And since I had been using the Effaclar Duo and fell in love with it I thought I had to give the Cleansing Gel a try. It's amazing and I use it in the morning and evening and also helps my skin to calm down as well. It's gentle and after you wash your face with it your skin feels smooth and clean.

CLINIQUE SPOT GEL TREATMENT
I decided to switch to a Spot treatment that targets breakout because the Benoxyl peroxide really dries my skin out so I went to Clinique and tried the Spot treatment. This really helps but doesn't do it's magic overnight it will take days to see the results which is fine than burning your skin with harsh chemical.


Till the next monthly favorites! Have a great day!

SKIN CARE HAUL

I had been battling with breakouts this past few months and was worst last month since the breakout looks like an acne for me.

I never had an acne before however there will be 1-3 breakouts here and there but never stayed for a long time. I had an oily-combination skin and normal to dry during winter but this past few months my skin was acting so crazy that I was a bit depress and moody because I don't know what to do anymore.

So I did a research and experimentation on few products that might help me. Makeup Alley was a great help because of people's review and reaction on products that I wanted to try. So I narrow down the options to try and ended up with these items. Clinique was my trusty skincare regime ever since I had been with Clinique for years now and I'm still loving it. Additional to Clinique was the La Roche Posay Effaclar line and Lush for a more natural solution and Kiehl's to treat the scarring.

CLINIQUE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT MOISTURIZING GEL- 
This is my all time day moisturizer to battle my oily skin. It's designed to suit combination to oily skin. This makes your skin matte and helps your skin with too much secretion of oil. So I still kept this whenever my skin is clearing up and behaving well.

CLINIQUE  ACNE SOLUTION CLARIFYING LOTION - 
I had been with this toner for years to help me maintain a balance skin and controls the oiliness. This is a medicated formula that also unclog you pores. If your skin is a bit sensitive I advise you to use it only at night since you need thorough cleaning at night compared to morning because it dries your skin a bit.

CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE EXTENDED THIRST RELIEF MOISTURIZER -
That was a mouthful! Even though I have the Dramatically Different moisturizer I still kept this in case my skin was acting dry in some areas like my chin, around my nose and between my brows which tends to be drier because of the treatment that I'm using. And also for some areas that peel I need an extra hydration for them.

CLINIQUE SPOT HEALING GEL - 
This is my treatment for spots that are showing up. It helps minimizing the spot though it's not an overnight solution specially if it's an angry spot but if you catch it while it's starting it will minimize easily. I like it because it's a clear gel that you can put under your foundation you just need to let it dry for 30 sec to a minute before doing your makeup. I use it at night and sometimes in the morning if the spot is really bad.

LA ROCHE-POSAY - EFFACLAR DUO-
I heard this item from Tanya Burr and was eager to try it because of tons of good reviews from Makeup alley. It's a treatment for acne and blemish prone skin. This is a very good one. If you wanted to jump into calming your face for breakouts you have to try this.It helps you control the breakouts and unclogs your pores. I've heard that the formulation of the one sold in US was different because it contains Benoxyl Peroxide. I'm using the one which is made in France that is gentle to use as a moisturizer. So if my skin is acting bad I use this twice a day and if it's fine I use this only at night to maintain the treatment.

LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR PURIFYING CLEANSING GEL - 
I bought this after buying the Effaclar Duo because I feel like my Clinique Foam Cleanser was not working with my skin any more so I decided to try it. It says that it's a gently cleanses impurities while respecting the ph balance of the skin. Well I find it gentle and not drying. I think this also helps my skin control the breakout compared to the Clinique that I'm using before and it leaves my skin soft after washing. So far I'm loving this and will make a review about this if it continues to work with my skin.

LUSH FRESH FACE MASK IN COSMETIC WARRIOR- 
I was a fan of the Cupcake fresh mask but I wanted to try something more that really targets the acne prone skin. So although  I have doubts about this because of the garlic I still decided to get it. Actually that day when I reach home I clean my face and applied it to see if I'm going to like the smell and I noticed that the smell wasn't that bat after all. It smells more of a tea tree than the garlic and I'm still loving it and will definitely switch to this from now on.

LUSH HERBALISM CLEANSER- 
When I bought the Cosmetic Warrior I asked for a sample of the Herbalism because it says that its for troubled skin, thinking that maybe it will help my skin because it's all natural and maybe my skin will not get irritated for sure. So I also use this switching from the Sulfur soap to this. I noticed that my skin was softer and the bumps was slowly disappearing. This was like a heaven sent to me! Once I finished the sample I will definitely buy the regular tub. 

KIEHL'S CLEARLY CORRECTIVE DARK SPOT SOLUTION - 
After those spots invaded my skin I need to find a solution to clear the scars they left so I decided to try the Kiehl's and since I read a lot of reviews about this as well even if it's a bit expensive I still wanted to try it. As of now the scars on my left cheeks was lighter I had been using it for just 11 days and it was not as dark as they were before knowing that my skin heals very slow and usually it takes months to lighten. This doesn't break me out so it's a good thing.

I will soon make a skin care routine that works for Acne Prone and that was helping my skin right now. I still need to observe some of this items for my skin.

LUSH HAUL

Winter time means bath time!

There's few items I got from Lush one thing because I love the spicy scents of Lush products during winter but the rest of the year no.

So I make it a point to enjoy it during this season. My husband also loves Lush bath products and he loves soaking in the tub and relax during weekend so it's nice that we're enjoying the same thing.

First thing I picked was the Christmas Penguin Bubble bar - Shaped like a cute little penguin. It smells like an icy fresh scent more into like a man scent that's why my husband really likes it. Some of the ingredient of this bar is citrus and the Sicilian Lemon oil  which honestly you can't smell the Lemon or the citrus ingredients in this bar.

The Comforter Bubble Bar- This items smells like a lovely sweet berry smell but not over the top sweet. The water was really nice to dip in because it's pink and produced a lot of bubbles. The feature ingredient of this product is the Black currant that gives a lot of lovely scent to it. If you want to try Lush and you're new to Lush products and don't know what to choose, try this and I'm highly recommending it.

Next is Cinders. This is one of my favorite Bath bombs. One thing I look for a Lush bath bombs is the smell of Cinnamon and Vanilla and once I smell it on a product I'm sold! This cinders contains Cinnamon and Orange which is like happiness to me. I really love this product and if you're into cinnamon scents this is the one to try. 

Another spicy scent is Bombardino. This smells like Christmas with a hint of Vanilla and Cocoa butter you will smell so delicious after this maybe a bit too strong from some but I love how this stays and clings on your skin for a long time and leave your skin feeling so smooth and soft and leaves the bathroom smelling so good too. 

Last bath bombs I purchased was Phoenix rising Bath bomb. It has cinnamon scents that's why I bought it and the feature ingredient of this is Jojoba oil which really moisturize your skin. Like Bombardino it clings to your skin for a long time. Though it's a bit messy to clean afterwards because of the glitters and the purple color it gives. Though for sure this will make you relax and think of happy thoughts.

I also bought a Porridge Soap because it smells like breakfast and very warming. So I wanted to give it a shot and it's also for sensitive skin. It contains bits of oats to gently exfoliate your skin, I'm just hoping that the bits are tinier so you can really exfoliate your skin well. Compared to the other lush soaps this doesn't dry my skin nonetheless I love the smell.

Last purchase was the Cupcake fresh face mask. Who will never want to take this home after smelling it. Smells like mint chocolate chip because of the vanilla, cocoa and mint ingredients of this mask that is created for oily skin and suits teenage skin. It claims that it removes excess oil and calms breakdown. So I have high hope for this one. Aside from having massive reviews online I'm still hoping this will work with my skin issues.

What's your favorite Lush products? 

MAKE UP FOREVER HAUL

Just before I went for a vacation I decided to pick up some items from the Makeup Forever and I had been a fan of Make up forever Mat Velvet plus for a very long time and was itching on trying their HD foundation though I had it before and it was on my wrong shade so I didn't use it anymore and it was just on my train case for clients.

So I finally went to visit a Make up forever counter since there is a new store opened a few blocks away from my work I decided to give it a peek and maybe I can get something nice.

And Ended up buying 3 items from them.

First thing I want to buy some more but the lady who's assisting me was nice but she's giving me wrong information about the products. She's even giving me the wrong shade of foundation and concealer and kept on insisting that shade. The last time I bought the HD foundation I listen to the lady on the counter and ended up wasting my money because they're not very lenient with return and exchange policy here and I don't want to do the same thing again so I just get 3 foundation shades close (i think) to my skin and swatch it on my jaw line which is the easiest for me to match if I'm buying a new foundation and she just said that "ahhh that's perfect for you" and ended up buying the shade #123 which is a yellow base foundation for light-medium skintone. 

Then I pick up a concealer and again she is giving me a #10 which is so so dark for me and I still go to what I know is my match which is #7 from Full cover Concealer. I had been having breakouts recently because of my hormones and wants to cover up the mess they're doing so a full cover concealer is a must for me. 

The last item I bought was the Aqua Creme #13 Warm Beige which is a very very lovely color. I was actually just seating on the table and was thinking about the concealer when I saw the pot on my table and I grab it and swatch it on my hand and I fell in love with it. It's a very nice base or an easy on the go swept on you lids and viola! your eyes will look fresh and awake. This kind of color is what I use whenever I feel like I want to look more natural and awake.

I will be doing a separate review for the concealer and the  HD foundation so if you're interested don't forget to follow my blog!

FOREO LUNA MINI

I discovered a new skin care solution that helps me control breakout. 

It's is the Foreo Luna mini.

After stopping my meds to regulate my hormones my skin was acting so bad and ridiculous! this is one effect of having an imbalance hormones so I need to seriously deep clean my face all the time and take good care of it, however some days it doesn't really help. So I decided to purchase and try the new Foreo Luna mini. You can purchase it online through their website and they will ship it to you through DHL because they offer worldwide shipment.

This was a little bit pricey but worth it. It cost USD 139. I was planning to buy the Foreo Luna but I wanted to try it first so I just went ahead and bought the Luna mini because it's cheaper and if in any case it won't work for me then at least I save some than buying the Luna for USD 199.

So, how does it works? 

Foreo Luna has a T-sonic pulsation (transdermal sonic pulsation) that helps you clean your skin deeply and gently. It helps you clean your pores from impurities to reduce the cause of breakout. This will actually makes your skin glow and you will see the result in just 3 days. It is also made with non abrasive touch points that are coated with silicone. So instead of brushes that maybe to abrasive for some skin like mine so this is a great alternative and much hygienic because it will not be having a bacteria built up on the bristles like the usual facial brushes.

How do you use it? 

I use it twice a day morning and evening as advised but if  using it twice was so harsh for your skin then use it only at night as you need to clean your face deeply by the end of the day to remove dirt and make up residue still clinging on your skin. What I do, I wash my face and as you apply your cleanser turn the Foreo on by switching the button according to your own preference (first click was the high and once you click it again it will be at low) and use the Foreo to rub the cleanser to your skin but wet the Foreo first so it will glide on smoothly. So once your foreo is running you will feel like it pauses meaning you have to switch to the other side of your face. After a minute you will feel that it will pause 3 times meaning you can stop but it will still continue to run and after 3 minutes it will stop automatically. Sometimes I exceed the minute because sometimes I feel like I need more. but most of the time specially in the morning I use it for a minute only.

Verdict

This is an amazing product. It's true that after 3 days you will see the result. At first I don't believe that but you will see that your pores id minimizing and your skin is glowing. At first few days I used the high setting but I switched to the low because I feel like my ski is burning after swiping some toner on my face. But everything was okay after switching to low. I can't live without this now specially with all my here and there hormonal breakouts.