THE V.I.B. HOLIDAY SHOPPING EVENT THAT ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR ME

"SAVE THE DATE" is what it said on top of every email Sephora had sent to all V.I.B. members & that's exactly what I did... but I still ALMOST missed it!!!!!! the problem was not in the saving the date it's in getting the dates mixed up....

The V.I.B. Holiday Shopping Event started Nov 10th ends the 14th...

I thought today, the 15th (Tuesday) is the 14th.... but I didn't give up.... I thought, it wouldn't hurt to try....

so I put stuff on my drool list in the shopping cart... entered the V.I.B. discount code & viola!!! in some sort of miracle, it worked!!!!

I actually wanted only the UD Naked Palette that I've been holding off on for a long while now.... but of course, you can't ever go to Sephora (online or in store) & pick up one thing & one thing only.... it's just impossible....

so here are the stuff I ordered...

Urban Decay

Naked Palette

I'm just tired of being the only one who doesn't have this palette... simple & plain! I just want it!!! LOL

NARS Lipstick

Schiap

ever since I missed the MAC Candy Yum Yum lipstick from the Quite Cute collection I've been desperate to find a close dupe.... and you all know I am obsessed with hot pink, fuchsia-ish colored lipsticks... & when I saw a lip swatch of this lipstick, I knew I just have to have this....

[image source]

[image source]

I wanted to get other shades but I wanted to try this lipstick first just in case I won't like the finish of it... here are the other shades I'm definitely adding on my drool list....

Funny Face

Dolce Vita

Barbarella

do any of you own any of these shades?? if so, can you please advise if they are worth splurging for??? 

Make Up For Ever 

Duo Mat Powder Foundation

# 203 Light Beige

I've been curious about this product especially because there's so much mixed reviews about it... I've only been using my MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural to set my foundation but I also want to try out other brands.... plus the MAC MSF is just not good enough by it self, so I wanna give this one a shot & see if it'll be a good coverage powder for when I'm in a hurry or just when I don't feel like putting on a full foundation face... I did a research on what shade will match my NC30 skin & according to a lot of reviews, #203 is perfect for NC30 shade... but I also hear some say #205 also works... so I based my decision on what the majority said... if the shade fails then I shall return it & exchange it for the #205...

# 205 Medium Beige

Tarte

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

I was pickin between Blissful, Tipsy, Natural Beauty & Amused

Blissful (warm peach)

Tipsy (coral)

Natural Beauty (muted strawberry red)

Blissful & Tipsy are in the orangey-peachy side & I feel like I already have a lot of blush with peachy shades.... I wanted to try Natural Beauty so bad but I just wasn't sure how this would look on me... so I opted for a less risky one -

Amused

which is a bright pink shade... I have MAC's Dolly Mix & NARS' Desired blushes which are in the same shade family but I have a feeling Amused will be a lot different than these two... based on swatches, it's more muted pink than Dolly Mix & Desired... I guess I'll find out when I get my package....

I almost almost missed the 20% deal.... if you haven't ordered & you were planning to, it might not be too late yet... so go on & gather the items on your wish list & head on over to Sephora.com & enjoy this great deal they are offering to us cosmetic addicts right now...

another great deal I didn't wanna pass on is the extra 4% rebate that Ebates.com is offering... so I signed up for that as well... I'm new to the whole Ebates thing but the extra discount sounds really good to say no... so if you wanna avail of this awesome tempting deal, click HERE & enjoy shopping... coz you deserve it gurl!!!!! =)

MAY FAVORITES

let me start my comeback with the flava of the month for the month of May....

for the FEZ

Rimmel Fix & Perfect foundation primer 001

a primer is used to make your skin smooth, it minimizes your pores, it's supposed to even out your complexion & prolongs the wear of your foundation.... I can definitely vouch for all these! I've been using this primer since the beginning of May only coz my MUFE primer became a permanent resident of one of my caboodles... & I can't believe I abandoned it before... this primer is awesome! it really makes my pores look like they're not there, therefore makes my skin looks smooth & ready for the foundation.... 

L'Oreal True Match super-blendable makeup W4

I have been using this foundation ever since I got it in April (see haul post HERE) & I love it!!! it matches my skin tone really well & I love how natural it looks! it doesn't cake even with the warm weather... it stays on pretty good too, I'm not too sure how long though, like I said it matches my color really well that I couldn't really tell when it rubs off.... 

MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Medium

you all should already know how much I love this powder... it's my forever HG powder! I wear it most of the time (most of the time only with concealer underneath & sometimes with liquid foundation).... this MSF usually works good with anything but for some reason I think this works really really really good with the True Match foundation... they are like partners in crime.... they're like peanut butter & jelly... Bonnie & Clyde... sushi & soy sauce... spam & eggs... Davi & Black Ops... rice & vinegar... LOL... ok the last 3 were weird coz they were contributed by the manfriend.... hahahaha.... but you catch my drift right?! I think these 2 were made for each other... nuff said!

for the CHEEX

NYC Smooth Skin bronzing face powder 720A Sunny

loooooovin this bronzer!! I love how it's very soft & subtle... the only thing I'm not very fond of is that it leaves a harsh line, you have to blend it really good.... but other than that I love it for everyday use....

Make Up For Ever blush powder Orange Coral Matte 5

I've been so into orange lips for months & months now & this blush color from MUFE seem to be my go-to... it's the perfect peachy color for my complexion... a little bit goes a long way with this product.... I love that you can always build up the color if you want a brighter orange....

MAC bronzing powder Refined Golden

I got this in April but I started using it only mid-May... you only need an itty-bitty amount of this product, just a very light brush on the cheeks to give you a little bit of that bronzey[glitter] effect... this is something that you don't wanna overdo, otherwise it will look, well overdone (duhhrrrr!!)... a fan powder brush is perfect for this, or anything that would allow lightly sweeping of the product much like the one from Laura Mercier on the picture below.... 

[source]

tools 

Coastal Scents' Flat Bronzer brush

due to laziness, my makeup brushes, which have been used at a makeup gig, are still all unwashed & I wouldn't usually embarrass my self like that but I can't keep this unmentioned because I just found me an all-around brush!!! believe it or not, this is the only brush I use for my whole face.... it's perfect for all over powder... I use it to contour my cheeks by turning it in an angle... I also use it to dab lightly on the MAC bronzing powder & apply it with a very light hand... & finally I use it to apply my blush... I just make sure that I wipe it on a clean towel in between application of different products... 

I usually use my fingers to apply my liquid foundation so I wouldn't normally use this brush [or any brush for that matter] but just for the purpose of proving a point (that this is indeed an or should I say THEE all-around brush) I tried it with my liquid makeup & it works too!!! CS should change its name to multi-purpose brush.... 

for them PEEPERS

Milani Liquif'Eye metallic eye liner pencil 01 Black

this to me is the master of all black eyeliners!! it glides on super smoothly & let me tell you, it won't smudge or budge for shit!! it stays on all day.... the only thing with this eyeliner is that you can't use it if you are planning on a smudged, smoky eyeliner look.... other than that, it is love! 

Maybelline NY the Falsies Volum' Express mascara Very Black

if you want volume on your lashes, this is the way to go.... need I say more???

Wet n Wild ultimate brow kit 963 Ash Brown

 & of course, the ever so awesome eyebrow kit!! can you tell how much I use this product with how dirty the gel(the white on top) is?! haha... excuse the nastyness, but yes, I cannot live without this product, may not be part of my everyday routine but when I do get dolled up, this is the one I pick up all the time! 

for the POUTY

Wet n Wild megalast lip color Pink Suga'

just a pretty nude lip color... with enough amount of moisturizer underneath it, it's a great lipstick, otherwise it's too drying.. but I still love it!

my everyday makeup usually consists only of moisturizer(not shown), sunblock(not shown), eyeliner, mascara & lip balm... I don't feel like getting too dolled up just to get super sticky after an oral surgery....

but yeah, these are my go-to products for the month of May....

EOTD: ULTRA VIOLET + #92

PRODUCTS USED:

~ face ~

Monistat chafing powder-gel (as primer)

MUFE HD foundation - #123

MAC mineralized skinfinish natural - Medium

MUFE powder blush - #5

NARS bronzer - Laguna

~ eyes ~
MAC paint pot - Painterly

MUFE powder blush - #92

88 matte palette - Magenta color (see image, eyeshadow used is marked in green)

Jesse's Girl pure pigment eye dust - Cloisonne Violet or now called as Ultra Violet in the website (click HERE to see my haul post on this)

Avon pure shimmer color stick - Natural Shimmer (for highlights)

ELF eyebrow kit - Dark

24/7 eye pencils - Zero

Maybelline NY the colossal mascara - Classic Black

~lips~
EOS lip balm
MAC lipstick - Creme d' Nude
NARS lipgloss - Turkish Delight

on to the results.... please excuse my not-so-flawless face, I forgot to use a concealer...

LAST SEPHORA HAUL OF 2010

another delayed post, is my last haul of the year 2010....

I received my package from Sephora around the third week of December which was the busiest week for me, so I didn't get the chance to post it right away...

mainly, I was gonna get the Urban Decay Naked palette but it wasn't available at that time, so I had to refer to my wish list (see on this post) to see the next items I was lusting on.... so here's what I decided to get....

3 MUFE eyeshadows

(or some of them labeled as blushes??)

I got #5 Orange Coral Matte, #60 Navy Blue & #92 Purple

here they are in the individual packaging

aren't the colors so pretty??

#5 Orange Coral Matte

Blush Powder

(matte vibrant coral)

as mentioned in this post, I am still in search for that perfect bright peachy/orangey shade blush, since NARS' Taj Mahal & Illamasqua's Lover were not in stock, I had to look for an alternative... so I found this MUFE color & had a feeling that this shade would work perfectly with my skin tone.... it looks like it's more wearable than the Illamasqua Excite blush, which might be too orange(??)... 

#60 Navy Blue

Eye Shadow

(matte navy blue)

I just love navy blues, I had to get this one...

#92 Purple

Blush Powder

(matte brilliant purple)

the infamous #92 shadow that's both very famous for being such a beautiful shadow & also such a pain in the butt for the stain it leaves on the skin... no matter what they say about this shadow, I knew I had to have it... I've wanted this for as long as I can remember....

here is the back of the packaging which shows the number of the shadow/blush.... what's great about the packaging of these shadows/blushers is that there's no need for depotting... the metal pan pops right out of the single eyeshadow packaging, ready to be placed in any magnetic palette casing....

the size of these shadows/blushers is about twice the size of the regular MAC eyeshadows... I think they're humongous!! here is a picture to show the comparison of the sizes....

the 3 MUFE pans compared to a quarter & a MAC palette refill pan....

here are the swatches without any base or primers...

I also took advantage of a great promo that MUFE is having right now.... if you buy any combination of 3 MUFE eyeshadows, diamond shadows or the powder blushes, you'll get a free 

MUFE Eyeshadow Palette

(holds 10 eyeshadows/blushes)

I was like, "scorrrre!" LOL.... how great is that?? this thing usually costs $20 but they give it to you for free!! I think it's awesome! MAC never have that kind of deal!

this is how the palette looks like inside & with the shadow pans in...

comparing it to the MAC pro refill palette which holds 15 eyeshadow pans....

I can't wait to fill it up with some more MUFE shadows/blushes.... what shades do you recommend???

& last but not the least.... I got the

YSL ROUGE VOLUPTÉ

Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15

#2 Sensual Silk

(creamy pinkish beige)

need I say more???

the swatch...

I didn't get much coz I didn't really wanna spend money on cosmetics right now, the main reason why I even shopped at Sephora was just to take advantage of of the $20 gift card that Sephora sent to all VIB members on the first week of December... (good from December 2nd thru the 13th)...

plus I just got a bunch of stuff from the Sephora Friends & Family Sale in November (see haul post HERE).... so I need to slow down... Sephora, please! enough of your emails about discounts & gift cards & all that stuff!! LOL

so I heard Urban Decay Naked palette is now back in stock???? hahaha.... G help me!!!