I won't kill for the sake of vanity... tsk!

I was checking out Youtube, for the latest tricks my favorite makeup gurus can share. However, there's one comment that caught my eye... something about the products used in the video... killing many rabbits. That got me really curious, and so I decided to check the youtuber's sight... only to see videos and information that changed the way I look at makeup.

Watching this videos made me love mineral makeup more. The fact that most mineral makeup (if not all) that I know of, were vegan... and most, were not tested on animals.

Check out this video, and realize that it's not neccessary to kill these poor animals for the sake of vanity:



I hope that by viewing the above video, we will all be awakened. I myself have been guilty of using makeup brands, that weren't animal friendly. I checked out the Caring Consumer website, and was surprised to see a lot of the products that I have been using in the past were on the list of companies that tested their products on animals. On the other hand... I was also very happy that 95% of the products I currently have were on the Cruelty-free companies list.

From this day, I swear to stick to cruelty free and organic products... Besides, being vain shouldn't be that bad, aight?

Another favorite look... that I wish to learn soon

I have been looking everywhere for this palette. Hope I can buy one soon. If not, atleast a similar one. I just love how it looked on Michelle Phan. And judging from the tutorial... I don't think it's that hard to learn. Check it out...

Ellana Minerals

Although I first fell in love with Barenaturals, adventurous as I am, I decided to try out other local mineral make up brands, such as: Ellana. I have to say that their website caught my eye. Also, they gave me a free catalog on my first order. For me, it is very helpful... and it made me want to buy more products because I can just check on the catalog anytime.

Here are the stuff I bought:

I am into lip products, so if there's one thing that I usually catches my eye in any make up line... it is anything that has something to do with the lips. In the case of Ellana, I bought their strawberry lip treatment, strawberry lip scrub, lip/cheek tint in Ruby and lip gloss in Lush.


My take on this product: Strawberry Lip Treatment

Hits:

• I love it's minty feel
• No eecky consistency like other lip treatments, just glides smoothly
• At 150 php, it is affordable
• Since it is in a jar, I can use a lot of the product

Misses:

• Only treats temporarily, I need to reapply every now and then to keep my lips moisturized.
  

My take on this product: Strawberry Lip Scrub

Hits:

• I love the sweet taste
• I guess it helps keep the blood on my lips circulated through the massage motion when applying it, I just noticed that my lips look rosy after each scrub.
• Affordable

Misses:

• The sugar granules are too big (as shown in picture 3)
• Can be a bit messy

My take on this product: Lip/Cheek Tint in Ruby

Hits:

• Stays long.
• As mentioned in the catalogue they gave me... it really does not dry right away, so that, I had enough time of blending it

Misses:

• The consistency is too thick for me... can be hard to spread. But ofcourse, with a few tips and tricks I was able to master using this.
• Can be messy and hard to control, since it's in a pump bottle, I sometimes pump too much product.

I also bought some MMU products.

My take on this product: Pure Blend 2-1 Foundation Concealer (sorry I didn't have an individual picture, but you can see it on the pic on top, I only bought a sample jar

Hits:

• I uber love the coverage, it gave me.
• I don't have to add too much products when using it.
• Fits well with my skintone (I used Cafe Mocha)
• Airbrushed finish, gave me that flawless look... me happy.

Misses:

• I can't think of any, I love it too much... will be buying a bigger jar as soon as I finish this up.

My take on this product: Mineral Finishing Powder in Expresso Con Pana Translucent Finish

Hits:

• Gave my oily skin a matte finish.
• Stays long
• Fits my skintone well

Misses:

• I was disappointed with the packaging (as seen in the photos). There were scratches already on the cover when I received them.
• Although the shade suited my skin well, it was a bit dry. I was hoping for more glow, since I chose the translucent finish. Or maybe, I buffed it the wrong way on my face? Will have to experiment more on this.

My take on this product: Multi-purpose mineral eyeshadows

Swatches shown (L-R): Sensation, Delicate and Raven

Hits and Misses:

• Since I oredered only three eyeshadows, I can't really generalize. However, from the three that I ordered, I noticed that Sensation and Delicate are very pigmented. Although Raven gave that ashy look, perfect for smoked effects... I still prefer for it to have a more intense darkness in it. On the good point, Raven has more staying power compared to the first two. I am yet too try it as an eye/brow liner.
• The Sensation eyeshadow is my favorite. Very versatile, and perfect for highlighting too. It blended well.

Barenaturals Minerals

I have always loved makeup, and have used quiet a lot of products already. However, when I heard about mineral makeup, I decided to give it a shot. Everyday Mineral Makeup was the first MMU product that caught my attention. I have heard good reviews from them in Youtube and through other MMU users. I have ordered from them through their online site... yet, I still can't wait to try using mineral make up...and can't wait for my EDM shipment. With that, I decided to try out MMU products that are locally available.

It has always been my habit of checking product reviews before buying. When I checked around, I noticed that Barenaturals are one of the local products with wonderful feedbacks from buyers. With this, I decided to buy from them first.

My first purchase were brushes, and some MMU. However, on my next purchases, I started investing on non MMU products which they also offer, which includes their: brushes, oils and extracts. For this post, I decided to share a little on their MMU though.

I have gathered their 3 types of Mineral Foundation: Therapeutic Skin Perfecting Mineral Foundie, Classic Foundistay... and my favorite, Premium Glow Foundie.

My take on this product:

Hits

• I especially love the airbrushed, and dewy finish that Premium Glow Foundie gave me... Love the finish, not to mention, it indeed gave me the glow I hope to get
• Staying power is perfect for my day to day activities. I don't have to retouch often.
• Affordable
• I have a Golden Medium skintone...and all three foundation variants fitted me...how cool is that?
• I love the packaging... the matte gold suited my makeup purse...lol

Misses:

• Therapeutic and Classic Foundie almost have the same effect on the skin (in my opinion)...although I believe their formulations are different so are their benefits.
  

My take on this product: BN Skin Perfecting Primer

Hits and Misses:

• Feels light on the skin... I don't feel I have them on, when I use them.
• No eecky feel, not greasy and easy to apply
• Affordable
• Has a weird smell though, but it is not overpowering.

Overall, I love my Barentaurals products. Although I didn't post everything I purchased from them (brushes, emu oil, etc), I am still a Barenaturals suki. Not only are their products worth the price (very affordable) but also because, Lami, the seller, is one of the best online sellers around (peomise!). Very accommodating, especially when I just started switching to MMU, she helped me on which products to buy, that'll suit my skintone.

There are more goodies in the BN website that I am yet to try :-)

EDM Flat Top Brush..Me, Happy!

It has arrived!!! For two days, I can’t stop checking the gate, hoping to see the courier bring my goodies...and now here it is...my very own Everyday Minerals Flat Top Brush! Oh okay, I also bought the EDM eye shadow brush, but I just can’t contain my happiness for finally having the flat top brush!!!

You see, I am a certified mineral make up convert. Starting my make up kit from ground zero is not that easy. It took me a lot of patience with the trial and error part: which shade is better, which brush works better with what, and etc.

I bought quiet a number of brushes already, and I especially spent much on kabukis. So far, with all the purchases I have online... none of them really made me this excited. I thought of finally giving up my search for my favourite brush, and just be contented of what I have...until I came across video reviews of the EDM Flat Top Brush...and not to mention, reviews made by my favourite Youtube gurus: Xteeener and Kitcat627. Right after I saw their reviews, I checked the Everyday Minerals Website. It was love at first sight, I must say. The moment I saw it, I just want to have one the SOONEST. I realize that if I opt to buy from the EDM website, I will have to wait for weeks... so definitely I must find another option: Multiply shops!!! Many thanks to tianggeatbp.multiply.com, for selling their EDM brushes at very affordable prices, despite their popularity. Besides, I need them to be cheap... being a mom, and with the not-so-friendly to the pocket price of my son's milk, I can't splurge on cosmetics and the like!

I was able to purchase the flat top brush at 450php, and the eye shadow brush for 300 php, not that bad if you compare their prices to everydayminerals.com. And my favourite part, I don’t have to spend that much for shipping, nor do I have to wait that long to have my EDM brushes :-)

My take on this product?

The EDM Flat Top Brush is indeed the softest brush that ever touched my hands...you can quote me on this, when I say it's the best for it's price! Not only that, it's handle is just the right length for applying foundie and mineral veil. It gave me effortless applications because it is also so dense! I am so happy :-D The velvety feel of the brush tips glided on my face, without poking me, my face feels so pampered. Also, I didn't just use it on mineral make up... but also with other conventional makeup, and it worked fine too.

I didn't mention much about the EDM eye shadow much, because I wasn't as happy with it as I am with the Flat Top Brush. I find it too stiff to apply makeup on my lids. It was not as soft as I expected it to be. I am still happier with the eye shadow brushes I purchased earlier.

I took some pics a few seconds after opening the shipment, and posted them below, for you guys to check out: