Skin Care Routine

     Hello friends! Let's talk about skin care today! I admit it, I'm not really into skin care. I don't do the full 9 yards of skin care, in fact my skin care routine is very simple. I am blessed to have a clear skin, I am not acne-prone. I have combination oily skin, which means my t-zone area is the only part where I oil up, the rest is dry.

     Let me share to you my modest current skin care routine:

Products that I use:

• Lancome Creme Radiance Clarifying Cream-to-foam cleanser for Normal/Combination Skin - this is an amazing cleanser! This is true to its claim of clarifying the skin. After washing, I noticed that my skin brightens up. It is very gentle and it penetrates deep into the pores and even removes waterproof makeup. This made my skin healthier and luminous.
• Nivea Extra White Repair Pore Minimiser Toner - I'm not sure with its whitening effect, but this does the job of removing impurities and makeup residues. I feel extra clean when I use a toner, and please don't ignore your neck area!
• Bench 94% Aloe Soothing Gel - this is a non-sticky, quick absorbing, and moisturizing aloe gel. I love how light weight it feels and how easily the skin eats this up. This is perfect for everyday, especially on hotter months where a heavy moisturizer is just a NO. 



Aloe goodness! Also great for your hair

• Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50 - another great moisturizer/sunscreen is this Biore Watery Essence. This feels literally like water, yet it is packed with sun protection. This is a must for those who are always out under the sun, and yes, for us who are from a tropical country!
• Evian Facial Spray - this is your midday refresher! This gives a cooling effect that would for sure make you feel better. This can also be used as a moisturizer before putting on makeup. I love spritzing this when I feel like my face is too dry (especially if you are travelling).

• 

  Midday refresher!

• Masks - Beauty Fix Peeling Mask feels like your nose pack except it is for the entire face. This is really painful to remove especially if it sets already. I eventually get used to this. I feel cleaner after using this one. This removes deep-seated dirt and even dead skin cells. I love using this once a week. Another favorite is iWhite Korea's 2-min Whitening Miracle. Unlike the peeling mask, this is not painful at wall. This gently removes your dead skin cells/impurities easily and instantly brightens the face.

• 

  Weekend treats!

• Micellar water - This is a staple for me since I wear waterproof mascara everyday! I use this to remove my eye makeup and wash my face. This removes my makeup easily. On nights where I am dead tired and I don't feel like washing, I just used these.

My everyday saviors!

My advice is don't be swayed by the hype. Instead, look for products that work for you. We are all different, what work for others may not work for you. 

Remember to Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize, and Protect. 
You can add up or customize your own skin care routine. 
Good luck! 

xoxo,
Johara

Highlighter Collection (Top highlighter picks)

     Hey friends! I'm back to share with you my mini highlighter collection! Highlighters are a craze in the makeup world and we all know why. At one point, we hoard highlighters, right? They give radiance, glow, and life. They complete any makeup look. They are like the frosting to your cupcake. The market offers a whole lot of highlighters from drugstore to high end and it is really up to you which one you prefer.

Highlighter heaven!

Aren't they pretty?

     These are my individual highlighters, I did not include those who belong to a palette. Although my collection is still growing, I'm happy to say that they are all amazeballs. Let's keep in mind the "Quality over quantity" principle in all aspects, makeup or not!

    

Your everyday bet!

    

  1. Essence Pure Nude Highlighter in 10 Be My Highlight. 

Yes, this drugstore baby beats the pricier ones! This is the highlight that I reach for everyday. It gives a subtle glow that isn't shimmery or glittery. It blends flawlessly on the skin and is so easy to apply using a fan brush.  This is made in Poland and you get 0.22 oz/ 6.5g. 

Cult's favorite!

2. The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer. 

This is a cult's favorite and mine as well. This is the first highlighter that I've splurged on. I love the light champagne shade that suits my fair skintone. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. Like Essence Pure Nude, this is easy to apply and can easily be picked up by the fan brush. It translates very well to the highest points of your face giving you a beautiful glow. It is made in the USA and has 0.3 oz/ 8.5 g.

Such beauty!

3. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Champagne Splits in Pamplemousse and Prosecco Pop. 

Becca's highlighters and blushes are the bomb! They are crazy pigmented and would give you that highlight visible to the moon! I especially love the shade Pamplemousse as blush (coral - pink) since it instantly brightens my face. It also lasts long! I love Prosecco pop as well, it is a pale gold highlight. It contains 0.28 oz/ 7.95 g.

4. Wet n Wild Fergie Highlighter in Hollywood Boulevard/ Boozy Brunch. 

Wet n Wild changed this highlighter's name into Boozy Brunch but the product is exactly the same as Hollywood Boulevard (an earlier release). This is said to be a dupe for Becca's Champagne Pop. I cannot really confirm since I don't have Champagne Pop, but this one is a beautiful gold shade with tiny hint of pink! It's so pretty! The formula is amazing as well! It is buttery soft and pigmented! This one is the biggest of all my highlighters since it contains 0.4 oz / 11.3 g! Can you believe it? This will last a lifetime!

5. ELF Baked Blush in Pinktastic. 

This drugstore product is so popular! I consider it already a cult's favorite. If you are on a budget pick something from WnW or ELF, they would surely do the highlighting job. This one is a beautiful champagne highlight with hint of pink. Not as fine as the others, but still does the job! I tried a hack I saw from Youtube comments, that you should scrape the first layer of this product to get the best pigmentation. I did it, and it did made a difference! The first layer was kind of hard and the shimmer didn't translate very well, but when scraped it did looked amazing! This has 0.18 oz/ 5.2 g.

Over all, I am extremely pleased with my modest highlighter collection. 

They deliver what they are supposed to do and give me the glow that I want. 

Although most are on the budget side, they are of great quality and at par with high end ones.

Thank you so much for reading!

See you on my next one!

Love lots,

Johara

Best of Beauty 2016 (Eyes) PH

     Happy holidays beautiful people! We are now on the last installment of my Best in Beauty 2016. For this category, we will focus more on eye products( including brows and lashes) that made it to my list this year. Again, most are drugstore products from the Philippines while the rest are international brands. Shall we start?

10. The Faceshop Eyebrow Pencils. Whether retractable or not, this Korean brand surely knows how to make great eyebrow products! They are not overly creamy nor waxy, thus you can easily control the application. The product looks natural when applied and it is long-lasting. I really like the retractable one since you don't have to sharpen it, plus there is a spoolie on the other end! These are perfect and convenient for travelling. 

Left: retractable eyebrow pencil, Right: regular eyebrow pencil

9. Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes. If you are just starting with makeup and want to try an eyeshadow palette, get the ones from Sleek. They have a nice selection of shades, affordable, and pigmented. They are great for creating different eye looks from day to night!

Oh so special palette

8. Nichido's Tinted Brow Gel. This brow gel is unlike the others I've tried before. It does set the eyebrows in place, but it doesn't make your brows stiff or hard. I hate when brow gels would do that. It makes the eyebrows look weird. With this brow gel, it gives a natural looking brows, and yes, it's tinted so you can pick a shade that would best suit your hair color.

Nichido brow gel with some of my favorites

7. Pink Sugar's Eye Candy Eyeshadow Palette in EC-02. Another favorite eyeshadow palette from the drugstore is from Pink Sugar. This is so buttery, pigmented, and the shades are perfect for everyday. This palette even reminds me of Viseart's Minx palette.

Pink Sugar EC-02 eyeshadow palette

6. Maybelline's Fashion Brow. This is my favorite eyebrow palette as of the moment. There is a tinted wax that helps in shaping or outlining the brows. The free angled brush actually works! It keeps the brow hairs in place. There are two brow powders to set the wax, the lighter shade is also perfect for nose contour. The powders can also be used as eyeshadow if you want. :)

Eyebrows are life!

5. Makeup Revolution's Flawless Matte Eyeshadow palette. If you haven't heard the news yet, Makeup Revolution makes great yet affordable makeup. They have a wide variety of blush palettes, eyeshadow palettes, and whatnot. Their eyeshadow palettes are amazing. This one in Flawless Matte is what you need if you love matte eyeshadows. They are silky and easy to blend, and pigmented too. They are perfect transition shades, or to mix with your shimmery palettes.

All matte goodness from MUR Flawless Matte palette!

4. Fashion 21's Liquid Eyeliner. This eyeliner is more clingy than your boyfriend. This stay puts the whole day, until you decide that you want to remove it. It is super duper black and easy to apply. It has a thin brush applicator for precise lining of your lash line. This is water-resistant, smudge-proof, and budge-proof. This can only be removed by a micellar water or an oil-based remover.

Trusty liquid liner

3. Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara. Personally, Maybelline mascaras are the best from the drugstore! They are affordable, yet would give you beautiful lashes. I am not comfortable with false lashes, so I would opt for mascaras. Lash Sensational is my everyday mascara. It lengthens, volumizes, and holds the curl of  my lashes. Unlike other mascaras that weigh down the lashes, this one is light weight.

Back-ups of my Lash Sensational

2. Zoeva's Eyeshadow palettes. Zoeva is one of those brands that although affordable would give you great quality products. Their eyeshadow palettes are swoon-worthy. My favorite is definitely Naturally Yours since I can use all shades for everyday. There is no single shade that I cannot pull off! The shade selections are perfect for school or work and the quality is AMAZING! You don't have to exert effort in blending since they blend like a dream!

1. Juvia's Place Nubian palette. My favorite purchase this year! Juvia's Place just startled us with their Egyptian-inspired palettes. And who can ignore them when Nikkie Tutorials raved about them? They are buttery soft, pigmented, and this Nubian palette is any eyeshadow junkies' dream. The Nubian palette is compact, thus it is travel-friendly. All shades are wearable and perfect for everyday!

Close up, if you aren't convinced yet!

Definitely No.1!

Review: Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder

     Ever since "baking" became a craze in the makeup world loose face powder received a whole lot of attention. Thus, the search for the best loose powder began. I emptied my first jar of Nichido Final Powder in Ivory Glow and I was curious to try Coty Airspun Loose Powder. Coty was raved by a lot of Youtubers so I decided to give it a try and see what the hype is all about.

     I bought mine from an online store since this product is not available in the Philippines. I got it for P480 from @girllabph on IG. Other sellers would sell this for P500-550.

Shade: Translucent Extra Coverage

It claims that, "featuring an exclusive Microspun formula where loose powder particles are spun and swirled until they reach a cloudlike softness. This ultra smooth powder hides tiny lines, wrinkles, and blemishes, and gives a new softness to your skin. Use to set make-up or as foundation. Long lasting. Dermatologically tested". It is made in China.

First Impression: IT IS HUGE! It has 2.3 oz or 65 g! Although this is pricier than other local loose powder (Nichido/Innisfree), this contains way more product.

size comparison with other loose powder

The powder is ultra fine and yes, it has a strong scent. Personally, I love the scent (it's not too grandma-like, as what they would say; it reminds me of Enchanteur perfumed talc), it fades after a couple of minutes. The powder sets the foundation beautifully especially the undereye area. 

It doesn't crease or cake up. It is indeed LONG-LASTING.💪This will stay put until the end of the day and will keep you looking fresh all day long.

Since I have Combination-Oily skin, my nose area(only) oils up after 5 hours, I just blotted it and it's all good. I like that this keeps my blush, contour, and highlight (it fades a bit) intact.

The powder has 8 variants: Suntan, Fragrance-free, Rosey Beige, Naturally Neutral, Translucent, Honey Beige, Muted Beige, and Translucent Extra Coverage.

My shade is Translucent Extra Coverage and I love how this doesn't affect my foundation, yet would give me a good matte coverage. This is perfect for people with oily and combination-oily skin.

Over all, I am impressed with this powder. It executes very well what it claims to do. I like that you get a lot of product for a fair price. This is indeed a must-have for baking!

Have you tried this powder? What are your thoughts? Share down below!

Thank you so much for reading!

See you on my next post!

Love lots,

Johara

Jessup Makeup Brushes

     Hello beautiful people! As a makeup lover and enthusiast, using the right tools makes a lot of difference in makeup application. Tools are just as important as makeup. Having the right tools would help you refine your makeup skills and would give you your desired results. Getting the right tools is tricky nowadays since different brands are coming up with something new every minute!

     Well, look at these beautiful purple-bristled brushes! Aren't they unique?

Jessup brushes in purple and gold

    These are the Jessup brush set. They are said to be a dupe of Sigma and Sonia Kashuk brushes but for a pretty affordable price! In this set you get 15 brushes - a combination of both face and eye brushes! I think that is a great deal, right? The brushes are dense, soft, and obviously very beautiful! It's not always that you can find a purple set of brushes, right?

Jessup's Face brushes

     In this set you get 6 face brushes. They are dense and soft, not wonky at all. You get the following: (left - right)

1. Powder - very fluffy brush perfect for setting the face with powder.
2. Blusher - just the right size for the blush. It fits perfectly the apples of the cheeks.
3. Contour - perfect for cream contours and even nose contour since it is slim.
4. Angled Face brush - perfect for powder contour and bronzers.
5. Foundation - use to apply liquid or cream foundation and even concealers.
6. Buffing brush - my fave from this bunch! I use this to stipple the foundation on my face since it is dense.

All in one set of brushes!

      The set also includes a whole lot of eye brushes. You get: (left - right)

1. Angled liner
2. Smudge brush
3. Concealer
4. Precision smudge
5. Small Shadow
6. Crease
7. Fluffy Shadow
8. Blending
9. Spoolie

      Over all, I am impressed with these brushes from Jessup. They are great quality and would serve you for a long time. There is minimal shedding when I washed it. They are perfect to create your desired makeup look. This is a must-have for beginners who are looking for a set of brushes.

     If you are from the Philippines and you want to get your hands on them, you can check out @beautymarketmnl on Instagram. They are P1,500 per set of 15 brushes and there are more colors to choose from!

www.facebook.com/beautymarketmnl
www.instagram.com/beautymarketmnl

Thank you for reading!

See you on my next post!

Love lots,

Johara

The Best Beauty Blender Dupe (Miine Makeup Blender)

     Hello beautiful people! Happy New Year! Let's welcome 2017 with positivity! As I said before, makeup tools are as important as makeup. No wonder different beauty tools sprout out in the market. The Beauty Blender is the queen of all makeup sponges,but here in the Philippines it is expensive. It costs P900-1,000 which is a big amount for a sponge that needs to be replaced every 3-4 months.

     I've been there like you, hunting for some BB dupes that could do the job. Sadly, generic makeup sponges or even those released by local brands are just too stiff, rubbery, and would just absorb most of the product.

     When I saw a makeup blender at Watsons I was excited at the same time hesitant whether to get it or not. In the end, I decided to get it since it is only P159! That is like 1/5 the price of a BB!

Miine Makeup Blender in Black

      They have a pink variant in a tear drop shape that looks a lot like a BB, a black one, and a set of 3 makeup sponges that comes in pink, black, and white.

       First impression is that it's softer than the other sponges I've tried. I wet it and it did expands. As it expands, it becomes softer! I'm thrilled!

         It claims that, "It is a revolutionary makeup sponge designed to create an impeccable, streak-free, even coverage with minimum product waste. It features an open cell structure that fills with a small amount of water when wet; this allows the makeup blender to expand in size and become softer, then returning to its original size when air-dried."

Suggested Usage:

• Wet the makeup blender with water until it expands in size.
• Squeeze out the excess liquid, use a towel if available.
• Dab the sponge in your makeup and blend on your face, pressing slightly on the surface (also called stippling) for a flawless airbrush finish.

     The product is Latex-Free and made in Korea. It has a pointed end for hard to reach spots like the nose, mouth, and eyes. A curved side for curved areas such as the nose wing and chin. And the bottom part for larger areas such as forehead and cheeks.

     I noticed the first time I washed it before use, that there were bubbles coming out of the product. Perhaps it's the way of cleaning the product out before the initial use.

     Over all, I am very happy that I bought this Miine sponge! It applies my makeup easily and blended it seamlessly. It is very soft (SO.SO.SOFT) and comfortable to use unlike other sponges I've tried before. It expands and go back to it's original form when dry. I will be tossing out my old sponges that served me quite well. For now, I am contented with Miine makeup blender, this is indeed the best dupe of the Beauty Blender!