Etude House Haul ♥

Today was a fun day since my family and I celebrated our Mom's birthday. My sisters and I also did some shopping afterwards. I was planning to buy a red top or dress for another birthday party I have to attend next weekend, but didn't find any (that I liked), so I bought kikay stuff instead.

I missed shopping at Etude House! ^_^ I replenished my must-have makeup remover and bought a few more "necessities".

Etude House Happy Tea Time Cleansing Cream in Milk Tea (P198.00)

I've tried almost all variants (aloe tea, lemon tea, and milk tea) of this cleansing cream already. I stopped using this for a while since I became obsessed with eyelash extensions, and you can't use makeup remover with oil in it or else they'll come off. Now, I'm back to my old favorite. This one doesn't really smell like milk tea (and I wish it did, but it smells more like powder). You just massage the cleansing cream on your face, tissue it off, and follow with a foaming cleanser for clean skin. It's dirt cheap, but it gets the job done!

Etude House My Lash Serum (P248.00)

I had my lash extensions removed last weekend since they were all over the place just after 3 weeks. :( Now, they're so short and sparse, so I'm really excited to try this lash serum. Not sure if it will work, but since it's affordable it's worth a try. Will update you guys on this!

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Cotton Fit in W13 Natural Beige (P848.00)

My sister and I loved the sachet sample of this BB cream because of its matte finish, medium coverage, and spot-on shade hence the repurchase.

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Skin Care Kit &

Pearl Aura Brightening Essence (GWP)

For every P1,000.00 single-receipt purchase, you'd get this skincare samples as freebies (for the month of February)! :D

Like Etude House Philippines on Facebook for more information on their products.

Any hauls you've done lately? Do share! :)

Love,

Helen

Ellana Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation in Chai Tea Latte

I've often raved about Ellana's Loose Mineral Powder Foundation because of its good coverage, skin benefits, and price point. This one foundation erased my notion of "hassle ang loose powder kasi makalat". Since it was so good, I didn't mind the mess at all, and eventually learned to apply it mess-free (but that took practice!). Then, Ellana comes up with a Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation. (HG alert!)

My shade is Chai Tea Latte, a light cool shade. The pressed mineral foundations come in 9 shades.

Like the pressed mineral blushes, it comes in a lightweight cardboard packaging with magnetic closure. It comes with a mirror, but no applicator. Sponge applicators aren't recommended for mineral makeup. The best thing to use with this is a soft but dense powder brush or flat-top brush.

Swatches:

Unblended | Blended

Before

After (with a light layer of Ellana Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation in Chai Tea Latte)

When worn

Ellana Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation gives my skin a flawless look while still appearing natural. It looks best when it settles onto my face after a few minutes and mixes with my skin's natural oils. This powder won't just sit on top of your skin; it melts into your skin and gives off a radiant liquid makeup finish - lakas maka-Godess glow! This powder foundation will erase your pores, minor redness and blemishes, and dark circles (that aren't too severe) - all while being skin-friendly. I'm using this everyday (for months already), and I don't breakout from it. Because it's pressed, I'm loving the convenience so much. I use this at home, and I also bring it out for retouch. To date, this one's my favorite powder from my makeup stash. I've currently hit the pan with this one already, and I'll be repurchasing for sure when I use it up.

Price: P650.00

Available at ellana.com.ph

Like Ellana Cosmetics on Facebook for more information.

Love,

Helen

The post contains an affiliate link. I get to earn a small commission on your purchase, and you get 15% off on your first purchase. :)

Too Cool For School Art Class Glazing Brush Pen in 02 Peony Garden

Too Cool For School launched a new lippie just this February.

I'm excited to share with you my thoughts on the Art Class Glazing Brush Pen! :D

As usual, Too Cool For School never fails to impress with their quirky packaging. I'm loving the box that comes with it! How you open it reminds me of folders with string fasteners. Very arts and crafts-inspired.

Good news! Their packaging now comes with English translations. This gloss prides itself of having unique packaging from the box to the lip pen itself, and lip nourishing ingredients such as cocoa butter, cocoa seed butter, coconut seed butter, and marine collagen.

I'm used to dispensing this type of lip gloss by turning the base portion of the pen, but with the Art Class Glazing Brush Pen, you just click it several times like a pen to dispense the gloss. Too cool, indeed! :D

I like this type of brush applicator better compared to wands that you dip into the gloss itself for hygienic reasons. This brush is also easy to use - just don't over-click to not waste precious product. Applying it is so much fun since I feel like a painter glazing my lips to a perfect glossy finish.

Too Cool For School Art Class Glazing Brush Pen in 02 Peony Garden gives a very natural pinkish glow on my lips. Not to mention plumper-looking lips! It has high shine, but it doesn't feel too heavy, goopy, or sticky at all. It has a mild, sweet scent but flavor. It does has a hint of tint that makes my lips look healthier and more alive compared to its bare state. It lasts fairly long for a gloss - around 5 hours even when I sip water often, but it comes off when you eat. I work in an air-conditioned environment for 8 hours a day so my lips feel dry whenever I don't use any lip product. Whenever I use this gloss, my lips feel sooo soft and nourished as I take of my makeup by the end of the day. I'll be sporting this gloss on days when I feel like rocking minimal, natural, girl-next-door makeup.

Available in Too Cool For School stores in the following locations:

• SM Mall of Asia: Entertainment Mall Level 2
• SM North EDSA: Main Building Level 2
• SM BF Paranaque: Ground Floor Main Atrium
• SM Mega Fashion Hall: Fashion Trade Hall

Visit http://estore.toocoolforschool.com.ph/ and Like Too Cool For School - Philippines on Facebook for more information.

Love,

Helen

#PerksofaBella: Freebies at CBTL!

Every Philippine holiday doesn't matter when you're working at UP Technohub. But that's totally okay since I'm used to it already and I have a friend from church who shares the same feels as I do. Meet Willace, my cell group leader! ♥

We met up during lunch break and had a chika date at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I usually just order drinks or dessert here, so it's nice that we finally got to try "real" food here. Haha! Because I have my BDJ 2015 Planner, I used some of the super sulit coupons.

Chinese Chicken Salad (P175.00)

+ FREE Southern Blend Iced Tea (worth P125.00) from the BDJ coupon

Roast Chicken & Mushroom Fusilli (P235.00)

+ FREE Chocolate Chip Cookie (worth P55.00) from the BDJ coupon

We loved both the fresh and crisp salad and the tasty pasta. Oh, the serving's pretty huge, too! I can't wait to use the "Buy 1 sandwich, free 1 Chicago Cheesecake" coupon next! :D

Gotta love BDJ. I'm certainly enjoying the #PerksofaBella! ♥

Love,

Helen

Photo Credit: Willace Sia
No watermarks, but you may not use without permission.

K-Palette 24h Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner in 01 Natural Brown

My eyebrows are naturally sparse, so everyday I have to fill them in to look more polished. I'm used to doing my brows using brow powder and an angled brush, but since I have oily skin, it easily comes off whenever I accidentally touch it by mid-day. By the end of the day, they'd look so uneven. Late last year, I finally have liquid brow makeup a try. I've always thought that they're difficult to work with, but actually they're so convenient to use. I'm currently on my second K-Palette 24h Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner (yup, I finished the first one in 2 months) so it's about time for a review!

Shade and tint your brows to perfection! K-Palette 24h Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner comes in 2 shades: 01 Natural Brown (for fair skin) and 02 Grayish Brown (for tanned skin).

This eyebrow pen comes with a dual flat point tip for easy application. It dispenses a small amount of product which comes out as a soft, light brown shade with one swipe.

If you want a more intense finish, go over the same area several time to build color.

K-Palette 24h Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner goes on subtle and very natural, and I just layer it on for darker brows. It dries fast and is smudge-proof once it sets. This one is water-resistant, but not waterproof. If you sweat or splash your face with water and wipe your face, you'd see some yellowish pigment on your tissue as you dry your face, but it most of the product still looks fine and intact while on your brows. It lasts all day, alright! I finished my first pen in 2 months (with everyday use). This second pen, I'm saving especially for travel and outdoor trips, but I would really, really love to use it every single day. (I just wouldn't want the eyebrow powders in my kit to go to waste.) Despite the price, I'd repurchase!

Price: P795.00

K-Palette is exclusively available at all Beauty Bar stores and Rustan's The Beauty Source Shangri-la and Makati.

Like K-Palette Philippines on Facebook for more information.

Love,

Helen

Haul: Cuteness Overload from Caboodle Box

Warning: Guard your wallets while reading this post. Even the kuripot Helen wasn't able to resist! :D

Yesterday, our office had an event wherein there were various booths that sold goodies and gift items for Valentine's Day. Flowers, balloons, potted plants, sweets (such as cakes, cheesecakes in jars, leche flan, cupcakes, candies, and cotton candy), and more! I wanted to buy everything in sight, but I was most drawn to Caboodle Box, a stall that sold super cute stationery and trinkets. When I found out that they had an online store, I knew I had to share it with you guys!

And now, I present to you my Happy Valentine's Day haul - something that made me so ridiculously happy, I wasn't able to work well and concentrate after I shopped.

Happy Day Diary Stamp Set 40pcs (P280.00)

I love writing on my BDJ planner my schedule and whatever transpired during the day. This will make my habit of journaling more fun! I'd place the "How Boring" stamp during meetings, and my favorite would probably be "Pay Day". Hahaaaaa. I'm so happy with this purchase. I've also seen cute alphabet stamps exactly the same as those being sold in Typo (in malls it costs around P600.00 but here in Caboodle Box they're just at P230.00). Must. Resist. Temptation. But I don't think I can for too long... Haha :D

Here's the side of the stamp which will get dirty with ink in just a bit. Everything about it is cute, and until now, I'm so freakin' happy with this purchase. ♥

Colorful Stamp Pads 12s (P100.00)

Of course, I had to get a set of colorful ink pads to go with my cute stamps! It would be silly if I didn't.

Because 12 is too much, I managed to convince my friend to get her own Happy Day Diary Stamp Set (mwahaha) and we split the stamp pads to save money. We picked alternately which color we wanted, and here are mine! :D

The Book Lamp (P100.00 each)

It clips on your book, it sits on your desk.

My boss and I bought matchy-matchy book lamps that are just too cute for words. These ones also come in other colors, but we had to get ours in our favorite girly shades. Until now, I still can't believe that it just costs P100.00! Such a steal. Malls would sell these at a much higher price, I'm sure.

So will you be getting your own Book Lamp now? :D

Heart Masking Tape & Animal Paper Tape (P45.00 each)

They also sell washi tapes in many cute designs! The shop owner, Jenny, was able to recognize me as we've met in an event before (so that's why she looked really familiar to me, too) and she gave me these as gifts. So sweet! ♥

Cute sparkly pens

Jenny also gave me and my boss cute pens for shopping at their stall! Mine's pink! :D Caboodle Box also has a lot of cute pens, notebooks, and memo pads.

I'm overjoyed and still on shopping high from this haul. Go check out Caboodle Box on Facebook or IG for cute finds at pocket-friendly prices. :D

What's your favorite from this haul? Mine's still the stamp set, then the book lamp. Haha!

Love,

Helen

Etude House I Need You, Tea Tree! Mask Sheet

For the longest time that I've been a fan of Etude House, I've noticed that they keep on revising the packaging (and probably the formula, too) of their face masks. Every time they release new ones, I just have to try. Haha :D

Read my previous reviews on the following variants:

• Mango
• Royal Jelly
• Lemon
• Pearl

I believe that after they released the Alphabet range of mask sheets (AKA mask sheets with variants from A to Z), they discontinued the slow moving ones and retained the more popular variants with ingredients that are more familiar to us.

I chose Tea Tree since I was breaking out quite badly when I bought it. This one gives a "Soothing & Clean" effect on the skin.

This mask sheet contains grapefruit, tea tree, green tea, honeysuckle, peach, ginkgo biloba extracts, and more to nourish the skin.

Pros:

• It comes in a cute packaging, as usual!
• The sheet itself feels thicker and more durable than the previous ones I've tried.
• This one feels more moist than the discontinued Alphabet Mask Sheets.
• It feels cooling and soothing on my skin.
• Dry patches (from the weather plus anti-acne products I use) were gone right after I used this.
• My skin looked healthier and so much better after using this one!

Cons:

• NONE! I promise.

Price: P58.00 (but sometimes Etude House goes on sale at 20% off so it's best to hoard at that time)

Available at Etude House stores nationwide

For more information, visit Etude House Philippines' official website at www.etudehouse.ph. Like Etude House Philippines on Facebook, follow @etudehousegirl on Twitter and @etudehousephilippines on Instagram for more updates and promos! ♥ 

What's your favorite variant of mask sheet? :)

Love,

Helen