It's good to be back in blogging. I apologize if I haven't answered any of your queries for the past couple of weeks. I have been swamped with work and new projects at the company I am working for. (was just promoted...Yay!) In celebration to my 2nd Year blog anniversary and 600+ Followers, here's a Pre Holiday Giveaway for you ladies ^_^






a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to Philippine Residents only.
ends on November 30, 2012

Note: You can enter only once, duplicate entries will automatically be disqualified.

Like always, I will be adding a couple more items to the lucky winner.
Good Luck ladies! Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***
 

Finally had time to swatch and test out the baked eye shadows from Black Radiance. They're not really that popular but I was just curious about their quality and pigmentation.

Here's another treat for MAC lovers out there. the MAC Carine Roitfeld Collection is now Available locally here in Philippines.

I know that some of you might be wondering, Who is Carine Roitfeld?

Carine Roitfeld is a 58 year old, french Fashion icon. She was the Editor-in-Chief of VOGUE Paris for 10 years from 2001 to 2011 and currently the Editor-in-Chief for CR Fashion Book. She was a consultant for many of the popular french brands like Tom Ford, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent. Read more on wiki.







Photo credits from MAC Cosmetics Philippines.

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

Tomorrow is finally Halloween. We are having a Halloween Zoombie Party at the company I'm currently working for. So, I just had to try Zombie makeup. Here goes...


I know this is a fail because tissue paper on my eye, well still looks like tissue... LOL
Also, I needed to make my skin look even more pale. And Lastly, it just doesn't look real enough.

Anyway, I made my own fake blood using Corn Syrup, Chocolate Syrup and Red Food Coloring. That's the yummiest fake blood ever! hehehe.  As for the peel-off effect on skin, I just used Elmer's Glue All and regular Facial Tissue. I used regular Johnson's Baby Powder to set my makeup.

Since liquid latex is pain to find here locally, I already found another way to make real-looking skin, using Gelatine, and I found a really pale cream foundation to use on skin. So hopefully the next one will be better.

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

Hey ladies, here are the swatches as promised. Unfortunately I don't have swatches for the Eye Kohl Pencils, Dazzleglass, the Nail Lacquers and the Beauty Powder since I didn't have time to finish swatching the products inside the Mac counter.

Hey ladies, the MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection will officially be released today Oct. 27 here in Cebu City.  Please do drop by at the Mac shop located in Rustan's Ayala Center Cebu at 2:00PM today.

I have always been a fan of Zen Zest fragrances ever since I was in college. Among my favorites were the Eau de Toilette in Tangerine and Thistle ,their Eau de Cologne in Seduced which are all from the Sweet Scent Sation Line as well as the Cosmopolitan scent from their Cocktail Collection.


I'm really excited to let you ladies know that this is my first ever sponsored product review.  Yay! The people from Zen Zest sent me a bag full of their fragrant goodies last week. I know you're excited to see what's in it.



I tested out all fragrances for about a week so that I can really experience the differences of each scent.  I find the packaging really adorable. It reminds me of desserts that you buy at a pastry shop to give as presents to your friends.

All four scents have one thing in common, they smell as sweet as sugar. However, some might find these scents a little overwhelming. What I love most about them is that they all smell like what their names are.

* Cotton Candy, brings youthful innocence that carries a sweet fruity fragrance which also reminds me of a candy shop.
* Key Lime Pie, as scrumptious as it sounds, has a mix of tart green limes and honey.
* Cherry Cheesecake, has the luscious fragrance of ripe cherries, vanilla beans and fresh milk.
* Vanilla Ice Cream, has the mouthwatering fragrance of fresh vanilla beans and fresh milk. This mimics the smell of real vanilla ice cream which is why this is my favorite out of the four.

The fragrance lasted for a good four hours on me when worn inside the office, which isn't bad considering that it is a Cologne and not perfume.



I used the Orange & Spices Fragrance Diffuser in our bedroom and oh boy it smells awesome! It definitely has that zesty orange citrus scent with a hint of spicy punch. I'm used to just spraying our bedroom with Ambi Pur Air Freshner, but I'm now switching to the Fragrance Diffuser.


The Zen Zest Fragrance Diffuser also comes with five Reed Sticks. The more reed sticks you use the more fragrant it becomes.  The scent lasts all day long and I won't have to keep on spraying air fresheners anytime soon.  I'm sure this 50ml bottle with last me for months.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the Zen Zest Sparkling Sugar Collection and the Zen Zest Fragrance Diffuser. I would definitely recommend their Fragrance Diffuser as it gives that fresh and relaxing feel to any room. If you're a fan of sweet scents, then the Sparkling Sugar Collection is something you should try.

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***

Hey ladies, Random Beauty by Hollie blog is officially 2 years old! Yay! My blog has come a long way since my first beauty related post last Oct 23, 2010 (here). It has changed so much over the past couple of years and I'm happy to see what I have accomplished. I'm glad that I was able to meet beautiful people and gained loyal readers.  I really appreciate you ladies for taking time to read my posts and for believing in my reviews and wanting to know my thoughts about certain products.

I initially thought that I wasn't going to last this long, because doing each post takes so much time and effort. From testing products, taking photos, to doing research. But I have come to love blogging ever since I found my niche as a beauty blogger. I can talk about makeup and beauty products all day and I'm glad that I have this blog to serve as my stress reliever.


Editing and improving my blog isn't a walk in the park. It takes so much of my time since I personally tweak the html or css codes for my templates.  I also make my own banners or blog headers from scratch through Photoshop CS4. (I was a freelance graphic artist back in 2006)

As my blog has evolved, I too have improved as a person. I was rather shy and had low self esteem when I first started blogging. Because of beauty blogging, I met different personalities both online and in real life. They really helped me become a better person that I am today. I'm now more confident and comfortable in my own skin.


If it wasn't for beauty blogging, I wouldn't have become a freelance makeup artist. I have not studied from any beauty school nor have I attended any makeup workshops.  I'm a self taught makeup artist and everything that I have learned about makeup is from reading Beauty Books, watching Youtube Tutorials, doing online research and through practice.

My love for makeup and passion for making people look fabulous is simply a Hobby (an expensive one at that LOL). I don't intend to make this as a career, I do this for fun. ^_^


I do have something in store for you ladies and it will be announced very soon, so stay tuned.

Until next time.

Cheerios!
***Hollie***