NYX Cosmetics opens at SM Makati!

NYX Cosmetics, the Los Angeles, California-based brand known for quality yet budget-friendly makeup, has finally opened a counter at SM Makati!

NYX has already opened at SM North Edsa and SM Aura, so a branch located so conveniently near the Makati Central Business District should come as good news to ladies living, working, or commuting in or around the area. 

The NYX counter is located at the Ground Floor of the SM Makati Department Store, near the perfumery section.

Rockwell Bazaar haul (Leyende and Bare Escentuals)

Dropped by the Rockwell Bazaar. Bought a couple of Leyende products and one full-size backup jar of Bare Escentuals foundation in Golden Medium.

Descriptions from the Leyende products' packaging:

O'Hara Lavender Body Bar: Soothing lavender essential oils combined with skin-softening organic sweet almond oil give a luxurious lather in the shower, perfect after a long day.

Cool Hand Soup: Hand sanitizer with organic sugarcane alcohol and aloe vera extract.

MAC haul

I bought Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and Select SPF15 Foundation, both in NC40, for mixing with my NC37. I can wear NC37 straight but it can be a tad light under some kinds of lighting, while NC40 is a tad dark, so I'll be mixing them.

Descriptions from the MAC website:

Powder Blush in Harmony: Muted rose-beige brown
Eyeshadow in Dreammaker: Frosty yellow gold (Starflash)
Eyeshadow in Retrospeck: Bleached blonde (Lustre)
Lip Pencil in Stripdown: Creamy brown-beige

Cremestick Liner in Creamola: Soft tan

UGloGirl full-size foundations

Got two full sizes of UGloGirl's foundation. I love the color match and the smooth, natural finish so I got a backup. The packaging is so cute and girly!

Here's a closeup of the foundations:

Adorned With Grace roadtest

AWG passed the Camera Test! I used AWG's foundation and rice powder last night for a dinner out with friends, and a lot of pictures were taken. The photos look great! No white cast, very minimal shine (good oil control), smooth and even-looking, and best of all, it matched my neck seamlessly.

eBay MAC mini-haul

Scored a couple of MAC items off eBay:

Lipstick in Soft Lust: Tan with white pearl (Lustre)

Lipglass in 3N: Neutral brown with gold and pink pearl (Cream)

Charm Travel Brush Pro Set

My Charm Travel Brush Pro Set, purchased from Beauty and Minerals on a pre-buy, arrived today. They look so pretty! Now I don't have to jam my full-sized brushes into a small case when I have to bring them along to get ready for an event later at night. I do have a brush set which I bought from Sephora, but that one consists of only 5 brushes and I often need more than that. So I end up bringing that 5-brush kit, plus the full-size brushes I need in another case, plus the bag containing the makeup I'll be using... which is kind of a hassle. This new set takes care of my problem because it has practically all the brushes I need, packed in a space-saving container. So now I'll only need to bring two cases -- this all-in-one kit and the one with my makeup. Definitely a good buy!

Hong Kong mini-haul + MY FIRST MSF!!!

I am now the proud owner of a Mineralize Skinfinish! Yes, my very first MSF! A big thank you to my aunt who got it for me (together with a 222 brush) on a business trip to Hong Kong.

It's in Soft and Gentle, described on the MAC site as a "gilded peach bronze."

Adorned With Grace samples

Today was my last day of testing my Adorned With Grace samples. I'm done!

Verdict: Beautiful! I love the finish; not too matte nor too glowy. Covers imperfections without looking thick or cakey or mask-like. Perfect color match; I don't have to mix. HG/hoard material for me! Truly FS-worthy. As soon as AWG announces a sale, I'm buying!

Best foundation match: Hope 4.2
Next best: Faith 4.2

Best finishing powder match: Medium/Dark Tint

Top row, L-R: Heavenly Rice Powder in Medium/Dark, Heavenly Rice Powder in Light/Medium, Divine Oil-Control Primer, Celestial Silkening Powder

Middle row, L-R: Hope 3.5, Hope 3.8, Hope 4.2, Hope 4.5

Bottom row, L-R: Faith 4.0, Faith 4.2

Aromaleigh stuff

I've read a lot of good reviews about Aromaleigh, but it was inaccessible to me so whenever there was an opportunity to get hold of their products, I would jump at the chance. Thanks to three of my fellow mineral makeup fans, I've managed to collect a few of their stuff - Voile and Glissade foundations in 3Y and 4Y, and Ultra-Resolution Finishing Powder in Clear and in Translucent.

MAC haul

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
Lipsticks in Malt and Syrup
Studio Finish Concealer in NC35
242 Brush

Shiseido Perfect Smoothing Foundation

I saw an advertisement of Shiseido's Perfect Smoothing Foundation, and being the Shiseido foundation collector that I am, I had to get it. Its color is closest to the Supplist Poreless, but it's a tiny bit more powdery. It also applies smoothly and evenly. Like with Shiseido's other powder foundations, the case is sold separately and is refillable.

MAC Mineralize Blushes (Sonic Chic Collection)

I bought three mineralize blushes from MAC's Sonic Chic collection.

As described in the MAC website:
Love Joy: Warm mid-tone brown with gold pearl
Nuance: Mid-tone peach with gold pearl
Warm Soul: Mid-tone beige with gold pearl

MAC Neo Sci-Fi haul

Just a few items from the Neo-Sci Fi collection. I chose shiny, shimmery browns to spice up neutral looks.

Lipstick in Astral: Mid-tone brown with red pearlized pigments (Lustre)

Lipglass in Supreme: Bronzed brown with white pearlized pigments (Frost)

Eyeshadow in Magnetic Fields: Black brown with silver pearlized pigments (Veluxe Pearl)

MAC Sculpt and Shape Powder

The local MAC stores had run out of Sculpt and Shape (am kicking myself for not getting them sooner) so I resorted to eBay and luckily, I found the shades I needed.

As described in the MAC website:
Accentuate/Sculpt: Pale blushed beige/soft taupe brown
Lightsweep/Shadester: Soft peachy beige/mid-tone leathery brown

UGloGirl haul

My UGloGirl package has arrived! I got full sizes of their finishing powder in Translucent and concealers in Buttercup and Golden Honey, as well as foundation samples of Almond and Butter Pecan (yellow-toned). Haven't tested them yet, but here's a photo:

Eyeballing the samples, I think my best match would be Butter Pecan.

EDIT: Yup, Butter Pecan!

Shiseido haul

I'm always thrilled whenever a foundation -- be it mineral or traditional -- is a great color match. So when the Shiseido makeup artist found a shade for me and in the mirror it looked almost exact, I just had to buy it. I ended up getting two powder foundations and two liquid ones.

The powder is really smooth, and the liquid spreads easily. As a result, both types had an even application. The oil control could use some improvement, but it's nothing that blotting paper can't take care of.

The Supplist Poreless is slightly yellower than the White Lucent, and it covers pores better. On the other hand, I find I'm a little less oily/shiny with the White Lucent, and its finish is a little more matte. The powder compact is reusable, so when you've hit the bottom of the pan, you can just push the pan out and get a refill pan. You don't have to buy another case, which means savings on the consumer's part.

As for the liquid foundations, the Lifting foundation is for dry skin, so I just use it on the areas that need more moisture - my chin and the areas around the mouth. On all the other parts of the face, I use the Dual Balancing.

Smashbox bronzer and highlighters

I hauled in some Smashbox goodies earlier this week on Monday. I can't find a match among their foundations (can't seem to find any that's both medium and yellow enough at the same time), but their bronzer (Fusion Lights Dusk) and highlighters (Soft Lights Lens and Soft Lights Shimmer) are GORGEOUS! I haven't been using bronzer-with-highlighter for very long, and these are idiot-proof; I didn't look like a sunburned orange or a disco ball. Looks very natural, and you only need to use a few light strokes for them to show up. Definitely a good deal, especially since there's a lot of product in the pan. And they're not glittery at all, so you don't have to worry about huge specks of glitter falling down your face. Just a nice, soft sheen.

Aubrey Nicole haul (again)

I ordered full sizes from Aubrey Nicole during their Mardi Gras free shipping sale last February, and I received my package yesterday. I'm happy just looking at the huge 3oz jar of foundation. My haul:

Elegant Minerals samples

Today I tested my samples from Elegant Minerals. I ordered only two foundation shades - Cornsilk and Sandstone. Based on the website descriptions, it was pretty easy to narrow down my choices to just two.

I tried Sandstone first. To my eyes it looked yellow-peach. I think it had some peach undertones; I didn't bother doing a full face. I swatched both shades - applied wet - on the back of my hand. Sandstone looks peachier, while Cornsilk looks more yellow-olive.

When I tried Cornsilk, it was a perfect match! I wore it the rest of the day. I love the powder - it has light to medium buildable coverage, great slip, and a velvety matte finish. The pores on my nose appeared smaller, and it evened out the surface of the skin, making my cheeks look really smooth. I have to get a full size of this!