My Very First MakeUp product!

This product has been a staple in my makeup bag since 2002- which was The first time I really started using makeup. I was 1st year college and could afford to buy makeup finally!

I believe I discovered this product thru a magazine-- The ever trusty Cosmopolitan!

I dont remember the price though when i first bought it. Probably around P90 or equivalent to 9AED or 2USD. And i think the price has gone higher now. I bought three boxes last time i went for vacation which was December 2011. And I still have one which I have just recently opened.

This product is amazing! I do not know how I can stress that enough, aside from the fact that I have been using it for the past 10- almost 11 years now.. And here it is.. Drumroll please...

Its BENCH's Pretty When Pinched lip & cheek tint.

First of all, I think the name is so adorable!-- Pretty when Pinched! It really does make your cheeks look pretty like when you pinch them and they turn reddish.

I am asian, and a lot of asians don't really have that natural blush prominent on their cheeks especially those with darker skin tones, unlike caucasians or people with paler skin tones, where their cheeks naturally turn reddish or pinkish in hot weather or after exercising. Hence this product helps achieve that.

I call it my cheat product! (^_^)

Whenever I would use it, it would give my skin such a natural pinkish/reddish glow that made me look like i was blushing! Or in tagalog "mamula mulang kutis (reddish glowing skin)" which is a trademark of the Mestizas/ Mestizos (Filipinos who are of mixed race- which then makes them have paler skin than the native Filipinos). And as we all know, up to this day the pale skin is very coveted amongst Filipinos as they view these people to be of higher stature than the common dark skinned Filipinos. Effects of the Spanish Colonial Period! Anyway, before my post becomes a historical one, lets get back to business.

Fair warning guys, this product is a cross between a liquid blush and a cream blush. Its not as liquid as the famous Body shop's lip & cheek tint and not as creamy as the cream blushes in pots. But it has a very watery consistency which I believe makes it easier to apply!
This does also come in liquid form, which is packaged in a Nailpolish-esque container, with a brush applicator, but I prefer the one that comes in a tube since its easier to carry around. They have changed the formula over the years & the packaging, I noticed! I prefer the old one, but as they say, it is for product enhancement!
It comes in two shades- one which is lighter and more pinkish, and another which is more reddish and purple. Although I really cannot distinguish them in the tube. They both work well with all skintones.

I remember, that I even fooled my then boyfriend, that my blush was very natural! He even commented that it looked adorable, until one day he noticed that my blush went up high until my temples! Hahahaha! That was because of me & my crappy product application! I actually spread out the product up to my temples without even noticing!

The technique in application is to first get an ample amount (preferably a small dot) of product on your finger tip, (DO NOT! I repeat DO NOT apply it directly on your face!) use that finger to spread the product on your cheeks. This will prevent excessive staining on the cheeks and will make the blush look more natural! Just be careful in your application though, as a little goes a long way, you wouldn't want to end up looking like a clown with super red cheeks (unless thats the look your going for).

I apply it once in the morning or whenever Im getting ready to go out, just after I apply my moisturizer or liquid foundation. You can even apply it on your bare skin if you want. And no touch ups necessary. It literally lasts all day. Do not apply it on top of powder though, as it might streak!

And what I notice is when you exercise or if its really hot, it actually pops out more eminently on your face, as if you were naturally blushing! It even works under sunscreen! Amazing right??

You can even use it under a powder blush and I think it really makes the color pop out more.

I have tried a host of other products, including high end ones, and yet I still keep going back to this one. I really don't know if its just nostalgia, but what I do know, is this product works!

Its available in the UAE thru the Bench stores in Abu Dhabi & Dubai.
The sad part is they do not sell it online at the Benchtm.com website.

I will continue to use this product and might even get my kids to use it one day! (Hopefully they don't discontinue it!)
And here is to Happy Cheeky days! So give it a go guys!

Lets Drink To That!

The secret to radiating beauty!

I am so loving this new theme!! hahaha! and because of that, I was kind of inspired to make a new post.

Everytime we pay a visit to the loo, we lose 1/2 liter of our body fluid by just peeing. Specially during the summer months, just standing outside in the heat/sun makes your body lose water thru sweating.
I wanna stress this fact, no amount of make up can ever give you that perfect glow. Yes, u may use bronzers and shimmery highlighters to make you look like you are radiating, and yet, it is still not as beautiful as seeing someone who is literally radiating from within!!
And the secret to radiating? easy— hydrating!!

 RADIATING=HYDRATING! and a whole lot of vitamins! =)

It seems that a lot of people nowadays, dont like drinking water.. (I myself am one of them!) Reason being is because its tasteless!!

If you are like me, I have been struggling to guzzle down Liters of water as prescribed by health professionals! And due to this constant struggle, I have tried a few tricks to make myself drink water more! hope these few tips can help to make drinking water a bit more tasteful to the palate!

1) Drink water with something that has punches of taste. When I was diagnosed with UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) , it would take ages for me to finish a glass of water, but I had no choice, I needed to drink water! (8 glasses minimum!) so what I would do, was buy a bar of chocolate, and eat as much as I could, and with that I could guzzle down gulps of water to wane out the taste of the chocolate. so whenever I drank, I would still have that after taste of yummy cocoa instead of just plain tasting water! =) note: you can go for uber salty, or chilli or anything that has a load of taste, it could range from salty chips, to beef jerky, to even yummy cheese cake! anything goes really, as long as you guzzle water along with it.

2) You can also try drinking mineral water- this second option is a bit more expensive, but a lot of benefits. Mineral water has a different taste from the normal distilled water due to the minerals that it contains. And as they say, mineral water is healthier too! (I dont know if its just me but sometimes it has a vague taste of coconut juice!)

3) speaking of coconut juice, here’s another alternative to water- Drink coconut juice! its simply fantastic! it has everything in it. its nutritious, yummy and inexpensive. It contains high amounts of electrolytes and potassium which helps the body in repairing & hydrating itself. but of course, you cannot substitute this entirely over water. H2O is still vital!! =)

These are just a few tips that I have learned along the way, but then again, bottom line is, if you want look beautiful you have to ensure that your body is beautifully taken cared of too!!

I have noticed that no matter how beautiful a person/model is, when it comes to their skin, its much much easier to apply make up to a person who has naturally supple and hydrated skin, rather than someone who has sullen and dry skin.

Im not saying that there are no solutions to dealing with people with dry skin, there are, but it takes loads of time and effort to make their skin look radiant, and it takes a ton of product to achieve that almost perfect glow.

so my advice, glug glug glug!! gulp in that water! hydrate!!! - try it, and find the difference it’ll make.
and lets drink to that!! (*toast)

Viva La Vintage!

I have very recently discovered about vintage make up! Thanks to the fantastic makeupartist, youtube guru and blogger-- Lisa Eldridge. (www.lisaeldridge.com  if you guys want to check out her blog.)

Although I have been a makeup enthusiast all my life, I have never really thought about make up and its history or impact in society. I have know started to discover how makeup played a major role in women empowerment & development. There was a different view of makeup throughout mankinds history depending on the time and era that we were in. I am currently still in the mode of research with regards to this subject and might make a completely separate post all together. However, as of the moment, I would like to express how enchanted I am of the subject and how this has started to fuel my passion for makeup all the more.

stay tuned to my next posts!

Tata for now! 

Euphoria

A short post.

How make up gives me tingles!
Fell in love with make up since i was a kid. There’s something about it that sparks creativity and imagination in me. The swirl of colors from the brush. The liquid vividness of a gloss. And the ultimate pop and glow from the colors used on the perfect canvass—- a face.

My very first blogpost!

Quick tip of the day


Since i havent been able to post anything decent for a while, i just wanted to share some stuff that i have learned over time (real personal tips and tricks that I learned thru my own experiences.) Im gonna post random quick tips of the day when i get the chance to. Maybe some of u might find it useful.
And maybe u guys could share some of your tips too! =)
My very first tip:
1) its so hot and humid nowadays since summers finally here. Dont you just wish you could just wash your face with ice?? Well I found a solution to that! I have been using Neutrogena glycerine clear soap for a few years now and I just hate it when u leave the soap outside sitting on a soap dish and due to the moist air that accumulates in the bathroom, the soap tends to melt. One day i decided to pop it in the fridge just to stop it from melting. And when i needed to wash my face that time, i just pulled it out from the fridge. And lo and behold, it seemed like i was using ice to wash my face!! =)) it also sort of helped close up the pores on my face since it was very cold.
Talk about Hitting two birds with one stone!! what a cool and refreshing way to cleanse your face!!


Try it out guys! =)
Leave me a comment if u like this tip, tried it out or if u have any tips to share. Thankiess!