MAC Please Me

Please Me. I have a love-hate relationship with this bullet. While I get compliments when I wear this, it takes a lot of effort to make it work. It is one of the driest matte I have ever encountered. Like retro matte dry. But unlike the retro mattes that I own, this has a light color such that when not blended properly may emphasize lines and show some streaks. I use a lip balm to prep my lips and a lip brush to apply. Personally, I don’t think I can apply this on my lips evenly without a brush. When I use this, I also throw in Chatterbox or Brave in my bag because I might need something quick to apply when I’m rushing to a meeting. Yes, Please Me is cannot be rushed. However, once all the work has been done, this is one of my favorite shades.

Empties!

I don't always get to use up products so I'm pretty happy with this bunch:
1. Ponds Cold Cream - as daily makeup remover
2. Celeteque Oil Control Toner - used during the day
3. Maxi-peel Exfoliant Cream - I use this every 2 weeks (5 consecutive days) to get rid of dead skin cells

Summer "Skin"

Ellana pressed mineral foundation. I go for the loose powder version if I want heavier coverage. Alternately, I use KohGenDo Aqua foundation, lightweight and doesn’t make me look like a greaseball. It looks very natural too but with enough coverage for what I need.

The Balm blush in Swiss Dot - since it’s summer I like using a coral blush. I usually go for Cabana Boy on other days.

Happy Skin - perfect combo for my chosen blush plus it moisturizes my lips. I still go for matte lipsticks on work days since I need something that’ll last longer.

Anastasia Dip Brow - cut my time doing my brows in half! Gives me fuller brows that doesnt look fake and too made up. Lasts all day too.

MAC MSF - the grand finale. Love the finish it gives. Unfortunately I dont carry this in my bag because I’m too scared to break it. In my bag I have the MAC Blot powder.

My "Happy" Lipstick

I just received my package from my favorite online seller, The Beauty Junkie PH and I am so pleased I was able to get Pleasure Bomb, a part of the limited edition MAC RiRi Hearts 2013 Holiday collection. It’s soooo pretty. It may be too bold for some but not for me since I like wearing bold lip colors. Though it reminded me at first of Girl About Town, this one is a “happier” shade. I paired this with a very light pink blush (MAC Dame). I also used my Elf eyebrow kit because since I am trying to grow my eyebrows, the wax helps put the stray hairs in place. Everything is set by the Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Face Powder. PS. My Naturactor concealer mysteriously disappeared a few days ago, but to my surprise, it’s now back in my drawer. Hmmm.. I wonder who among my 3 girls is the suspect

Using Wet Foundation Brush

I almost gave up on using the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation for daily use because of it’s heavy coverage and tendency to cake. Good thing I tried using it with a wet brush and it gave me a lighter coverage and didn't cake all day yesterday. I tried spritzing the brush with Mac Fix+ and just water and both worked just fine. 

*I don’t like using a sponge because I don’t have time to wash it every after use.

Making Mattes Work

On my vanity tray: - Missha BB Cream - Natural Rice Dual Foundation - Nyx blush in Angel - Maybelline Baby Lips - Please Me by Mac I am so happy that I was finally able to make Please Me work despite the very dry formula. I disliked it during the first few times I used it but I came across a blog post that suggested using lip balm before and AFTER applying the lipstick. It totally worked and still managed to last long on my lips. I can finally make the most out of my other matte lipsticks. I’ll try the same trick with my Nars Catfight next time.

Faking Sleep

We all attended Clarice’s family day at St. Paul College. We had to start preparing at 6am despite arriving home late last night so I need to brighten my look despite the lack of sleep. Because I am still in love with MAC Pleasure Bomb, I used it again today with Nars Dolce Vita. This blush looks dark in the pan but is very subtle on the cheeks. I used my usual L’Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation topped with Revlon PhotoReady Two-Way Powder Foundation to make it last longer. Finally, I used Guerlain Meteorites Perles as finishing powder.