Random Beauty by Hollie: July 2011

REVIEW: Human ♥ Nature Hydrating Facial Wash

6:47:00 AM

I've already finished two 50ml bottles of the Human ♥ Nature Hydrating Facial Wash. I've been using it non-stop for the past couple of months and I'm quite happy with it.

Product Info from Human ♥ Nature

Moringa is a treasure trove of natural nutrients, with 7x more vitamin C than oranges, 4x more calcium than milk and 4x more vitamin A than carrots! Together with Aloe Vera, which is known for its soothing, healing and moisturizing skin benefits, you can have the power-packed vitamin boost your skin needs for that daily cleansing regimen without stripping your skin's natural moisture barrier.

Retail Price: Php 79.75 for 200ml bottle

also availalbe in 50ml bottle

What I like about it...

* inexpensive, really very affordable compared to other facial washes

* it's organic and doesn't contain harmful chemicals

* it's really mild, perfect for my sensitive skin

* leaves my skin moisturized after washing

* did not cause any breakouts or allergies

* made my face feel softer

* it does hydrate my dry skin

* creamy and milky texture

* it has an expiry stamp, which other skin care products don't show

What I don't like...

* it has a strong herbal scent, but I got used to it

* if want to have that squeaky clean feel, this is not for you

My rating: 4 / 5

I won't recommend this for oily skinned people since it doesn't really give out the clean feel you're after. I have dry and sensitive skin that's why this worked well for me. Their website also mentioned that this is for dry or mature skin or for those interested in delaying the ageing process. I started using this when I had a breakout last May and it really helped clear my skin.

This is available in all Beauty Bar stores or you can buy this from their website, click HERE.

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Nail Polish

Nails of the Week: half and half

7:46:00 AM

Good morning guys, here's another NOTW for you. I mentioned before that I've been slowly learning how to do nail art on myself and here's what I came up with this week.

Nail Polish Used

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Metallica

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Caribbean Frost

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in French White

Wet n Wild Megalast Quick Dry Gloss Top Coat

I just used wnw metallica as the base coat, then applied the wnw caribbean frost on top on a diagonal form then placed white dots on the center of the diagonal line using the pointed part of a wooden nail pusher since I don't have a dotting tool. That's how easy it is!

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Random Stuff

Cebuana Beauty Bloggers Meet Up

9:04:00 AM

This is our first ever Cebuana Beauty Bloggers Meet Up! The plan finally pushed through. You can only imagine how excited I was to meet all of them. The location was Ayala Center Cebu Terraces, Bo's Coffee at Fully Booked Store. I won't keep you waiting, here are the photos.

from left to right

Pearl, (Me)Hollie, Khymm, Janah, Kristine, Noe, Raine

If you guys follow me on Twitter, you probably know how much I want to meet fellow bloggers in person. I was hoping for this to happen and it finally did. It really was a super fun Friday night, and I'm so happy to have finally met these beauties. There was so much stuff to talk about in so little time, I hope to meet with them again.

I watch Janah and Noe's videos on Youtube all the time. Trust me, they're really fun to watch and they're even more fun in person. By the way, if you don't know yet, Pearl is the sole proprietor of Dollface Cosmetics. Kristine is one of the editors for InstyleCebu, she's also the Lifestyle writer for Freeman/PhilStar newspaper. Cool!

It really was such a pleasure to meet Khymm of Shopcoholic, because her blog is the first one I ever found and the reason why I got inspired to start beauty blogging. I was all giddy when Raine brought her Urban Decay Naked Palette and a couple of MAC lippies. It was my first time ever seeing those products up close, since I don't own any high end makeup. LOL!

Visit and subscribe!

Pearl

http://dollfacecosmetics.com.ph/

http://www.youtube.com/user/dollfacecosmetix

Noe

http://www.youtube.com/user/COLORismyweapon
http://colorismyweapon.blogspot.com/

Janah

http://www.youtube.com/user/maricarljanah
http://www.maricarljanah.com/

Kristine

http://theglamarazzi.com/

http://www.instylecebu.com/

Khymm
http://www.miss-shopcoholic.com/

Raine - already stopped blogging

Don't forget to follow my blog too! :)

Let's do this again ladies!

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Face

REVIEW: Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation in Honey

4:36:00 PM

I've already hit the pan on my Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation! So, it's high time for me to do a review on it.

Product Info from Maybelline Philippines

High coverage powder foundation with SPF 20 UV protection.

Long-lasting Oil Control, Silky smooth texture, Fragrance free, Oil free, Non comedogenic, and Won't clog pores

Availabe Shades: Light, Nude Beige, Natural, and Honey

Retail Price: Php 249.00

I've already tried using the medium coverage variant and I really liked it. You check my review HERE. That's when I decided to try this variant as well. And to my surprise it became my favorite.

What I like about it...

* inexpensive, very budget friendly especially for a powder foundation

* has SPF 20 PA++, which means more protection for your skin

* High Coverage, it really evens out my skin tone and covers blemishes

* I love the smooth and very fine texture of the powder

* Stays really long, in my experience it started to fade after 6 hours

* Doesn't look cakey nor leave white casts even when I sweat

* has a lightweight texture, I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask

* didn't give me any breakouts or allergies

* matte finish

What I don't like...

* The sponge that came with it could use an upgrade. It's really not that bad, but I just use my powder brush for a smoother finish.

* The shade honey is slightly lighter than my natural skin tone but it's the closest shade I could find.

My rating: 4 / 5

Edit: I take back what I said, this still is NOT my HG face powder, so I'm holding off on my repurchase. The reason, my face looked really light on photos, I still have yet to find a powder that fits my skin tone perfectly!

I use this powder everyday and it's just awesome. I've also used this on my "No Makeup" makeup look which you can check HERE.

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Skin care

REVIEW: Dove Men+Care Deep Clean Body and Face Bar

11:53:00 AM

For the first time, I heard my husband said that he really likes this one soap and that's Dove Men Deep Clean Body and Face Bar. So it came to me, why not ask him to make a review about it. Whew, glad he said okay. Here's a special review for the guys from my hubby, Odie. Read his two cents about this bar soap.

My husband always had oily and acne prone skin ever since he started college. So he already tried a lot of facial washes, soaps and cleansers. He's really not vain, he just wants to find something to help remove the big bumps on his face. I just noticed that he's been repurchasing this particular soap for a couple of months now.

So I asked him, what to do you really like about it?

hubby said:

- the invigorating scent
- the exfoliating experience because of the beads
- feels fresh and squeeky clean after washing
- skin does not feel dry nor gives a tight feeling after washing
- pimples have been significantly reduced
- the scent stays long and lasts for hours

Is there anything that you dislike about it?

hubby said:

- it dissolves rather quickly
- he find's that Php 60.00 for a bar of soap is expensive. he's such a cheapskate! LOL

hubby's rating: 4 / 5

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Looks

EOTD: Pink and Gray Smokes

10:47:00 PM

Would you believe me if I tell you that this look was inspired by my new bed sheet? Believe me, I'm not kidding at all. I'm even so tempted to change the title to bed sheet inspired look. LOL!

I used the gray shades from my Dollface Cosmetics Avant Garde Palette and rest of colors where from my ELF Brightening Eye Color in Luxe and in Pretty n' Pink.

Please let me know if you want a complete tutorial on this with the eye diagram and etc. It would be my pleasure to do so.

This is the Bed Sheet I am talking about. :P

Here's my top 10 Favorite Skincare/Beauty Products:

1. Human Nature Hydrating Facial Wash
2. Celeteque Facial Moisturizer
3. Human Nature Sunflower Seed Beauty Oil
4. Skinwhite Facial Cleanser
5. Alba un-petroleum cherry lip balm with SPF 18
6. Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation in Honey
7. ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
8. Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Papaya
9. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Love that Pink
10. Maybelline Volum Express Falsies Waterproof Mascara in Black Drama

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Food

My Version of Potato Croquettes

12:25:00 PM

My son loves this stuff and I want to share my recipe to you all hoping you will like it too. This will definitely make a good and healthy recipe for your kiddos.

Potato Croquettes

Ingredients:

- 6 medium sized potatoes

- salt

- pepper

- evaporated milk / fresh milk

- butter

- cheddar cheese

- breadcrumbs

Peel and slice potatoes into chunks.

Place potatoes in a pot of water and add 1 tbs of salt.

Boil for about 15 minutes until potatoes are soft and easy to mash.

Once done, drain water out and place potatoes in a bowl.

Mash the potatoes one by one with a fork until done.

Prepare at milk and butter.

I'm using Alaska Evaporada and Magnolia Butter-licious.

Place about 3 tbs of butter and 3 tbs of milk on to non-sticking pan.

Heat on low fire and mix continuously until thick.

(you can add more milk if preferred)

This usually takes about 30 seconds to finish.

Add ground black pepper and salt on mashed potatoes to taste.

Pour milk and butter mixture to bowl.

Mix properly until mashed potatoes are fluffy.

Prepare thick slices of cheddar cheese.

(I'm using Kraft Eden Cheese)

Place breadcrumbs in a bowl.

(I'm using Fry Best bread crumbs)

Take about 1 tbs spoon full of mashed potaoes and flatten on your palm.

Place sliced cheese on the center of the potato and form into a ball.

It should look like this with the cheese inside.

Coat mashed potato balls with breadcrumbs.

Make sure that it's completely covered with crumbs.

Deep fry potato balls onto hot pan until brown.

(cooking oil should be very hot so that will turn brown in seconds)

and your potato croquettes are done. Enjoy!

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Looks

Makeover: Wedding Guests

10:47:00 PM

My friend Irene called me up and asked me to do her makeup along with 2 other friends last Friday. The occasion was an afternoon wedding. I was excited to do this for her and quickly agreed with a big smile on my face. I want to share with you the looks that I did for them, hoping that I did an okay job...fingers crossed!

Jing, Ritchel and Irene

Did all their makeup at Irene's Apartment

I used light shades on Irene to give an illusion that she's wide awake, even though she really looked so tired and sleepy. (she only had 2 hours of sleep)

for her face, I used Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation in Natural

and Avon Ideal Shade Loose Powder

for her eyes, I used Maybelline Unstoppable Eye liner pencil in Espresso

for her cheeks, I used ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

for her lips, I used NYX round lipstick in Doll and

topped it with Careline Lip Gloss in #103

I did a kind of rosey themed makeup on Jing, since I though it suited her tan skin tone. and oh she has great skin so applying makeup on her was a breeze.

for her face, I used Maybelline Mineral Power liquid foundation in Natural Beige and San-San Two-Way cake foundation in #03

for her cheeks, I used Wet n Wild matte bronzer in medium

and Avon Smooth Minerals Blush in Blushed

for her lips, I used Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blush,

topped with Flirt Squeeze Me Super Shiny Lipgloss in Zippy Ginger

For Ritchel's deep skin tone, I used light blue and deep purple shades. I just thought that these colors would easily make her eyes pop in addition to that, it matched her dress really well.

for her face, I used Maybelline Mineral Power liquid foundation in Natural Beige San-San Two-Way cake foundation in #03

for her cheeks, I used Wet n Wild matte bronzer in medium and Victoria Jackson Blusher

for her lips, I used Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor in Mulberry and Sephora matte lipstick in #541

Products I used for their eye makeup:

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Dollface Cosmetics 88 Avant Garde Palette
ELF Eyelash Curler
ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black
Maybelline Volum Express Falsies Waterproof Mascara in Black Drama

This is it for now.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

Looks

RBBH Look: Going Color Crazy

11:18:00 PM

This is the first time I've done an Avante Garde Look. I was just playing around with my Dollface Avante Garde Palette and came out with this... yeah you can call me crazy! I can't possibly wear this outside. LOL!

for the EYES

ELF Studio Eye Primer and Liner Sealer

Dollface Cosmetics 88 Avant Garde Palette

Etude House Oh m'eye Lash Double Up Volume

for the Lips

NYX Round Lipstick in Doll topped with Careline Lip Gloss in #103

for the FACE

Celeteque Facial Moisturizer

Maybelline Mineral Power liquid foundation in Natural Beige

Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder in Honey

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Sand

ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

I'm ready for your comments, suggestions and most definitely any violent reactions...LOL

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Looks

No Makeup Look + NOTD

4:30:00 PM

This is my effortless version of a "No Makeup" makeup look. This is in fact my almost everyday look. I said "almost" simply because, I don't wear the same look for more than 3 consecutive days, I just feel that would be too boring.

I look and feel tired!

Products Used

Celeteque Facial Moisturizer

Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation in Honey

Avon Smooth Minerals Blush in Blushed

Etude House Oh m'eye Lash Double Up Volume

Maybelline Lip Smooth Color Bloom in Pink Blossom

You can simply finish this look in 10 minutes!

Nail Polish Used

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Red

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in French White

Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers Nail Color in Midnight

New Flats from Payless Shoe Source

(Ayala Center Cebu Branch)

I finally found the perfect pair of red flats. This is the "Eden Ballet Flat by Predictions" Yeah, I have HUGE feet size 10. These are AMAZING, it is just the most comfortable flats I've ever had. Most of the flats I have are from "Parisian" since they have a plus size rack which I can easily access, but they're not as comfortable.

This is actually the third pair of shoes I got from Payless Shoe source this month and so far I've been loving them all!

This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

Food

Early Lunch at SIAM

9:14:00 AM

I haven't done any food tripping for the past months, I've been so damn busy. My hubby and I finally had time to go out together for lunch during the weekend and decided to try eating at SIAM restaurant. It's located at the ground floor of Ayala Center Cebu Terraces. My hubby loves Thai cuisine and yes we've been to Krua Thai several times, so trying out SIAM was a smart choice.

Watermelon Shake

Bagoong Rice

Krua Thai's serving is much bigger than this but Siam's Bagoong rice taste better.

Spicy Tuna Salad (kinilaw)

This is one of the best tasting raw fish salad I've ever tasted!

Grilled Pork with Spiced Honey

The pork meat so tender and the sauce is just delish!

Meet my Husband the Law student... :P

We watched Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon afterwards! hehehe

This is it for now!

Cheerios!

***Hollie***

ELF

Battle of the ELF Eye Primers

7:03:00 PM

This really isn't a battle per se, I just want to make a comparison between the ELF Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer and the Elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer. Both products retails for $3.00 each. So you're probably wondering which of the two to pick since they cost the same.

Product Info from ELF

The Prime side sets your eyeshadow in so your color won’t fade, bleed or crease. The Liner side transforms your favorite eye shadow into a waterproof, smudge-proof liquid liner with this unique clear liquid and built-in felt tip precision eyeliner brush. Now you can have your eye makeup lasting longer for no fuss no budge color.

Product Info from ELF

This gentle and completely sheer Eyeshadow Primer has key vitamins A, C and E to help prevent aging and moisturizes the skin. The formula glides on easily and disappears instantly to create longer-lasting, crease-proof eyeshadow. The Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is designed to be used with your favorite mineral eyeshadow to provide ultimate staying power for beautiful and vibrant color that lasts. 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.

Here's my two cents...

The ELF Studio Eye Primer is a cream based primer so it doesn't dry out easily while the ELF Mineral Eye Primer is in a thick liquid form (much like a liquid concealer) which dries up fast, so you'll have to spread it right away on your lids upon application.

I used a matte purple eyeshadow

Notice the photo above, both primers made the color vibrant, but since the ELF Studio Eye Primer is cream based, the eyeshadow sticks on to it better and is even more vibrant than the ELF Mineral Primer.

I lightly scratched both swatches with my finger, notice the photo above. The elf mineral eyeshadow primer really didn't budge, it stayed! While the elf studio eye primer smudged easily.

So in conclusion, both has it's own pros and cons.

ELF Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer

- makes the eyeshadow more vibrant

- creamy which makes it very easy to blend

- the liner sealer part of the tube is very useful especially if you don't own any colorful eye liners.

- decent staying power but creases easily if you have very oily lids, I have dry skin / lids so it works for me.

ELF Mineral Eye Primer

- I love the fact the it has no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes

- Excellent as a primer, tried using it for over 8 hours, didn't crease at all!

- makes my eyeshadow vibrant and last longer

- the only downside is that it dries so fast which makes it hard to blend

I honestly do like both primers simply because they do the job considering the price. It's dirt cheap! I use the ELF Studio Eye Primer when I'm just at the office or at the mall and I use the ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer when I'm going to party or when I'm going to be under the heat of the sun since it has better staying power.

I hope this helps. This is it for now.

Cheerios!

***Hollie***