For the record, I am a fan of NARS. Has to be my fave high end cosmetic brand to date besides Urban Decay. Ever since my mom bought me my first NARS shadow duo in Kuala Lumpur and blush in Deep Throat before we went to Australia for my birthday last year (not to mention the 3 free mini glosses in Sweet Revenge, All Night Long, and Missbehave), I was hooked in spite of their prices.
So last weekend, we headed off to Rustan's to get my brother his birthday gift for his 24th birthday and I couldn't help but stop by the NARS stall and find myself something I'd need as a prelude to Christmas (yeah, Filipinos celebrate Christmas starting in September). And I got myself the Loose Powder in Eden:
I often discover new music from YouTube, specifically fanvids (or fan made videos). I downloaded and saw the 2004 film Alexander (with Collin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, and Jared Leto) but the Final Cut version which is basically the uncensored 3.5 hour take of the movie. Becoming enamored with the doomed love story between Alexander (Farrell) and Hephaistion (Leto), I began searching for great fanvids dedicated to the pair. And I stumbled upon this one:
I was curious about the song because quite frankly I did like it. And at the end of the video, the creator had written down that it was entitled The Takers and was written by a band called Barcelona. Being the Curious George that I was, I researched the band. Barcelona is an indie group originating from Seattle, Washington. They said that their music is "piano-based with an element of rock" and draw inspiration from such bands as U2, Coldplay, and Death Cab for Cutie. I was surprised that they had only made one album considering how good I thought their music was. And said album is named "Absolutes".
The original release was in 2007, but in 2009 they added a couple more songs which included the one used in the Alexander fanvid. Don't be fooled, the video only utilized 2 minutes of the 4 minute song.
Listening to the entire 2009 album (yes, I downloaded it and synced it to both my iPod and my iPhone), I was hooked because their melodies and lyrics both evoke feelings of pain, longing, love, and youthful passions that often plague today's generation of young people without being overly angry or angsty. Barcelona's songs are by no means "emo". It makes me imagine couples from a small, suburban or working class town rather than jilted teenagers who have resorted to wearing all black as an outward sign of hatred for love. Although some might find that their songs to be too "Vampire Diaries montage"-ish like when the pair is separated by unforeseen forces. I don't know if someone would have a problem with that, but I certainly do not. I have become such a fan of theirs because it is a rarity in today's musicsphere to have a band or artist compile a set of songs that are contemporary and at the same time their lyrics tell a story or give their listeners something "concrete" to imagine. For me as a writer of fiction, I draw inspiration from music and the meaning the words contain to draw out a sequence for the plot because it allows me to imagine the scenario through the lyrics. For the most part, Barcelona's songs have done it for me.
The band has a small following and I wished that they had really broken out into mainstream media. It's music like theirs that would make me want to watch MTV more often, rather than skip it because of all the Bieber, Rihanna, and KPop videos they'd rather air. Then again MTV was never really for the indie crowd. Now that Barcelona has ended their songwriting, it makes me very curious as to "What could have been" for them.
FAVORITES:
The Takers
Please Don't Go
Falling Out Of Trees
Come Back When You Can
I am blogging about House of Flair and Thriftshop Girl's giveaway that is currently ongoing! Okay, I am really happy about transacting and buying US items from Ms. Suyen (who owns both stores!), so I am joining the giveaway and posting all about it on this blog! Look how great the prizes are!
Well, not much of a haul but I'd like to call it that!
My order from House of Flair just arrived in the mail and I couldn't be more excited! Coz it's my first ever Urban Decay purchase as well as from Sonia Kashuk! Was so happy with the very speedy transactions with the seller Ms. Suyen!
I know it's still September, but in the Philippines we celebrate Christmas as soon as the -BER months hit. Yes I know I can't possibly acquire all the stuff on this post for the holidays, but a girl can dream right? So here's the short list:
It's been a few days since I received my Charm brushes through the mail and I have tried and tested each of them. So now here's my review of the retractable kabuki!
The flat top brush has definitely risen among the brush ranks for its versatility. It can be used for liquid, powder, and cream foundations or blushes (as a foundation and blush brush) to achieve the desired airbrushed effect, and even for contouring (serves the purpose of the angled contour brush). With all the hype over this brush, I wanted to find out what the hoopla was all about. Trouble was I was looking for a brush that didn't cost so much and would do the job for me.
Well, it's not so much of a haul, so I call it a mini-haul.
I've been lemming AND needing additional brushes lately -- for both traveling purposes and for my foundation. I swear that I do not have the standard foundation brush in my basic sets, so I have to apply my liquid foundations with my fingers. Plus another boo-boo of mine is that I don't have a travel size brush that I can chuck inside my makeup bag for quick touch ups of my powder or blush.
Taking a trip to the Beauty and Minerals online store and the effective persuasion of Ms. K of Loving Sunshine, I decided to grab these two babies to join my growing brush family:
It's a rainy, rainy day and I love it! Plus I got my certificates from the Philippine Red Cross for my Basic Life Support and Standard First Aid today! :) That's 1 out of 3! So all I have to wait for now is my IVT ID and nurse's license from the PRC!
Anyway, I have the urge to write a new blog post and this time it is about moisturizers. It's such an important part of my beauty ritual because dry skin just feels rough and looks unappealing and unhealthy. Besides, everyone wants to have baby-smooth skin, right?
Alright since I am still in the process of amassing cosmetics, this is another first for me. Because this is my first ever primer (eyeshadow primer to be exact) which will be followed by my UD Box of Potions scheduled to arrive late September.
Anyway, I am starting to get into the goodness of the NYX brand because thrift girl here adores their super wide range of colors and products for less. And I have to blame my seller/NYX provider Ms. Christine B. from Vanitygirl Shop for enabling me with speedy transactions! :) Much love to her! And the NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone is my second purchase from her following my 10-piece Runway Palette in Champagne and Caviar (now renamed Caviar and Bubbles). Although there were issues with the courier upon delivering (the delivery guy went to different addresses and stated that I had either moved out or the house was abandoned), it arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to try it out today. So here it is:
I'm a self-confessed brush addict, always on the prowl for the best tools to apply my makeup. And for one I recently became a "brush vegan", which means that I only buy synthetic hair because I do love animals and I personally have allergic reactions when I use natural hair face brushes. I've got brush sets from Suesh and Smashbox, both of them with animal hairs. So I don't really use them on myself that much (except for eye brushes), and instead just utilize them on friends and family when I help do their makeup. And in my constant search for great synthetic brushes, I stumbled upon this fantastic set:
As a newbie makeup addict on a budget, I have been on a mission to find a palette that won't bust a major hole in my wallet. Since I started browsing beauty blogs a lot of women raved about Coastal Scents' range of palettes and colors, not to mention how pigmented they are. And just like them, I went nuts! I wanted to get my hands on those babies! Because you get 10 to 88 eyeshadows! Plus some sets even have built in blushes, concealers, and lip shades! Awesome right?
But as I scoured the world of Multiply shopping (yes I get most of my makeup from Multiply sellers...as do most Filipinas these days) in search for those who carry Coastal Scents sets, I fell face first onto the DollFace store front! And HOT DANG! They have makeup palettes much like CS, but cheaper! Plus they even have their own brush sets that come with tons of tools on them!
Okay, I have only started running around the makeup circuit as someone who is trying to establish my own blog. Yes, total noob. And through my browsing, reading, and lemming, I have stumbled upon Ellemakeupblog's UD Naked Palette giveaway! Until July 31, 2011 ONLY!
I have been drooling over the Naked Palette for a while but it's out of my budget at the moment (since I am holding on to my saved up allowance to pay my uncle for online orders :P), and I really hope to win just like the lottery! Or Scott Pilgrim against the 7 Evil Ex-Boyfriends.
I've read about OPI since college from the Allure and Marie Claire magazines I've been buying with part of my allowance. And I was pretty sure that Rustan's in ATC had them on stock judging from the last time I was there. So as soon as my mom had time to go to the mall, I rushed to the OPI shelf and browsed for something I'd like! I wasn't looking for a specific color when I went there, but my eyes instantly trained to the reds. The last red I had was Caronia (a cheap local brand) Tea Rose which had some pink undertones. It was okay, but I wanted something that was "the perfect shade of red", something that doesn't have so much pink in it.
First review for this blog! :D Been a rainy day for me but still had to run grocery errands with my mom today. Yes, it's a ritual after church whether it be dry or wet season. Then again my motivations to go all changed when I saw that The Body Shop has 30% off on selected items for their members...which included me! And in spite of TBS having their item prices soaring off of the roof (they are SO expensive even on sale!), I was tempted to take a look because of the mere fact that I have a serious love affair with their products since college -- be it their synthetic brushes, Shimmer Waves palette, blush, lotions, and scrubs.
So after doing the groceries, I slipped into the store and got myself this:
And...I hope I get to contribute some great content in here that might be of interest to others. I have a long way to go as opposed to a lot of bloggers who have been active for years, so I'm rearing to keep up...I hope!
