Hello Kitty in your face!

At last! My first online haul of the year from Ichibankao arrived yesterday. Its not much, but its adorable!

Rosette x Hello Kitty Collagen Wash 120g. ¥1250

moisturizing face wash made with marine collagen, with mild green apple scent. The collagen helps maintain skin's softness and elasticity. How cute is that pink HK tube huh? :) I tried this already and it gave my skin a lightly tight feeling but not drying at all. My skin was soft and it felt really clean (I have normal skin). The tube is big and contains a LOT of product so i do feel I got a good value for its price. :)

Hello Kitty is so cute giving step by step directions on how to wash your face. hahaha

Rosette x Hello Kitty Hyaluronic Acid Gel 80g. ¥2350

An all in one product for lazy ladies like my Ate (elder sister): Lotion, Essence, Emulsion & Cream. This gel promises to moisturize the skin. and it delivers, quite well. ^_^

cute jar!

it comes with a small spatula to prevent contamination.

the gel is fragrance free but it smells like my favorite, Blanchir Milky Conditioner minus the creamy smell. Maybe its the hyaluronic acid. I tested it on the back of my hands, left it overnight for allergy test and it was so soft and supple when I woke up this morning! I'm definitely using it on my face later :)

I also got a box of Kao Prettia Bubble Hair Dye in Royal Brown ¥1650

I've never tried dyeing my hair before, but I'm dead curious about this bubble hair dye, it looks so easy and fun! I wish I got a lighter shade though, since my hair is so dark, I'm not sure if Royal Brown will show up. I'll let you know :)

and a free La Sana Hair Essence sample, thanks Kelly! :)

I'm not sure how to use this, do I put it on damp hair or dry hair? Do i leave it on? It sure sucks not being able to understand nihonggo! (>.<)

♡  coffretgorge

Thank You + Etude House Haulie

Happy heavens! I have reached 50 followers today! I feel really satisfied as a blogger and super duper happy of course! When I started blogging I didn't even know what to expect, i just wanted to share my thoughts on this passion we all share and now I have 50 blogger buddies! ^_^ I would like to express my gratitude and sincerest thanks to all the lovely ladies (and gents - if there are any) who read my blog and always leave love and sweetness here in ♡ coffretgorge. 

THANK YOU! 

~~~

Now onto my mini haul from Etude House. At long last, I finally had the time to drag myself and Lurvey to Megamall (where Etude House is located) and boy was there a lot of people! I haven't gone to Megamall in ages! (ok i'm exaggerating. lol)

I like the pretty & princessy pink paper bag

I got a free Lee Min Ho file folder (left), isn't he cute?! *sigh* I find his pose awkward though. hehehe ;)

Honestly, I wasn't over the moon when I was perusing the shelves of Etude House, one reason is that it was so warm inside! Who would want to sweat while cosmetic shopping? Answer: Not me! :P Plus, the stuff was a little blah. But being the diligent happy camper that I am, I managed to snag some stuff just to try the quality of the products ;)

First thing I grabbed, a pack of Happy Tea Time Green Tea cleansing tissues - Php98

for those days when I have a long travel home, this is very convenient; I don't think it can take off waterproof mascara though, because when I tried it I was only wearing regular mascara and it took me quite a while to clean my lashes. It has green tea scent which is not too heavy, i can tolerate it.

Moistfull Collagen mask sheet - Php98

formulated mask sheet to supply collagen and moisture to improve complexion

Falsies! - Php198

I don't use falsies, I just like buying them. I know, I should try putting them already! :)

Nail Art pen - Php148

works like a correction pen. :)

Dear Darling Nails Bling Bling - yes that's the name! ^_^ - Php198

RD010, scarlet red with gold glitters

 

swatch in tape:

It reminds me of Dorothy's red pumps. gorge!

Have you ever tried Etude House products? What would you recommend? :)

Thanks for reading! 

♡ coffretgorge

BB craze: L'egere White Multi BB Cream

L'egere WHITE Multi Blemish Balm Cream

Sun protection, makeup base, skin cover, foundation up to 24 hours with multi herbal extracts. 

A lot of beauty bloggers raved about this BB cream and gave it 2 thumbs up so I decided to order my very own tube to try. I wasn't really expecting to be blown away, but I was. It glided on very smoothly even if i only used my fingers to blend, its not too 'white' , it stays on the whole day and most importantly, it does not make my skin break out into bumps. Yay!

BB cream straight from the tube:

it looks a bit dark when squirted out of the tube, but once it has been properly blended, it gives off a true to color match which I love. I think its great, kind of magical actually because it really does suit different types of skin tones (and skin types) from fair to medium ( i don't know about dark complexions). ^_^

BB cream when blended:

I'm so happy I've found my HG BB cream! :)

 

ps. I ordered my L'egere BB cream 50g. from ebay seller, beautylady99 (from Taiwan) for $29.76, it came bundled with a L'egere Whitening Face Mask (which i haven't tried yet) She shipped it real fast and I received it within a week! :)

Puny Loot: Estēe Lauder + YSL

I'm being really good right now downsizing hauls and controlling myself that I cannot want another blush or eyeshadow palette. What I really needed was a new brightening moisturizer to replace my now empty Kanebo Blanchir Milky Conditioner - which i loved 'til the last drop.

My puny loot

Estēe Lauder Cyber White EX 

Extra Brightening Milky Lotion

got this at Marrionaud, Mall of Asia; tagged price is Php3,300 but I got it for Php3,000 (approx. $63) after discount.

The product is made in UK.

"not all spots are created equal" - 

will this milky lotion live up to its promise of brightening and preventing sun spots? I sure hope so!

I must say, this milky lotion is heavily scented compared to the Kanebo Blanchir which smelled like milk and was more pleasant to my olfactory sense.  I was afraid my skin would break out with this, but after a few days of using it (day and night), my skin is still clear, just brighter. Hmm, I guess its effectively doing its job so far! :)

But I'm not repurchasing as I find the scent too heavy for a facial moisturizer, I might go back to Blanchir after finishing this.

YSL Rouge Volupte #4 Sweet Honey

Php1,550 at Rustan's Shangri la

swatch:

One of my favorite lipsticks, YSL Rouge Volupte is very pigmented, plus it has SPF 15 and can I just say it glides on like butter? It does. So smooth and creamy! Sweet Honey is a warm beige shade, really nice color to pair with peach and coral blushers and warm eyeshadows.

Oh and just in case some Manila beautyholics are wondering, yes YSL got extended until further notice, but there are no more stocks arriving (sad!) So if you want to stock up on YSL cosmetics, you still have time. :)

January Magazines: Stella + Preview

January Magazines: Stella & Preview 

Stella Jan-Feb 2010: Beauty, Fashion and Travel (Bangkok)

Thai sweetheart, Paula Taylor

This is my first time buying Stella magazine, what caught my eye? Paula Taylor of course, i think she is such a darling. Besides being pretty, I love her personality, she can slack off and be a prima donna in Thailand (where she is super duper famous), but she still opts to go to foreign countries and try her luck. She's also popular here in the Philippines because of The Amazing Race Asia, her "friendship" with sporty hunk Marc Nelson, endorsements and a movie with a veteran comedian last year. Hong Kong is her next target market, will she make it? We'll have to wait and see.

Plum shades for spring, are you feeling it?

Preview: Fashion and Beauty

The first lady of boxing, Jinkee Pacquiao

I like the way they styled her for the cover, I think its very chic for Jinkee. It's very wearable too, not over the top imho.

Animal prints: ROAR!

Spring looks: Fringe benefits, Naked eye

I also like this issue of Preview because it has lots of pages dedicated to beauty and how to fix common makeup mistakes, which is helpful to non-pros like me.

What beauty trends are you feeling this season? As for me, I'm sticking to pretty pink lips and soft blushers during the day. I love it, so fresh like flowers in springtime. :)

Epic FAIL

photo from dpd.com

Isn't my title dramatic or what? hahaha! Just a heads up to my dear readers from the Philippines! (who like shopping on eBay)

ALPHABEAUTYUK DOES NOT SHIP TO THE PHILIPPINES.

 On Jan. 5, 2010 I ordered 2 boxes of Kao's Prettia Bubble Hair Dye in Glossy Brown through a reputable eBay seller, i paid through Paypal and got a confirmation, etc. but didn't get an email regarding shipping details for 6 days, then exactly one week after paying, I got word from AlphabeautyUK that they do not ship to the Philippines because of bad experience. What? After making me wait for a week, thats what you tell me now? How sad! I replied to them by saying that that shipping information should be up on their eBay page to avoid matters like this. I don't know if they fixed it already, i haven't checked (bitter melon! hehehe) Okay, I refuse to make this post a rant so let me just say that I hope they fix whatever issues they have with the Philippine Post Office because i do think that they have good prices and they offer a wide assortment of goodies for beautyholics like me! ^_^

I just feel I need to share this information to avoid future disappointment to my fellow beautyholics/online shopaholics who are Philippine residents. I repeat, eBay seller ALPHABEAUTYUK DOES NOT SHIP TO THE PHILIPPINES. :)

ps. Yes, i got a refund! and I'm still getting a Prettia Bubble Hair Dye in the mail albeit a different shade and just one box, its still better than nothing. Thank goodness for ichibankao! (i ordered this haul prior to my cancelled eBay transaction) ^.^

'til my next post dah-lins!

still a happy camper,

♡ coffretgorge

Beauty Books

I've always wanted to learn how to apply makeup properly, unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to enroll myself into a formal makeup course, so instead I collect beauty books and makeup manuals that I can read whenever i need inspiration or reminding on what or how makeup should be done. I am no professional, I just really enjoy it that's all. Plus they make really nice coffee table books too! A little personal touch is always nice. :)

My beauty books @_@-

The 5 Minute Face by Carmindy

This is the first beauty book I ever bought, I didn't know who Carmindy was at the time (2006), but the title caught my attention, makeup in 5 minutes? Im sold. haha! Seriously, if you need guidance on proper skin care and makeup essentials, tools, etc. this book will help you a lot like it helped me. It has tutorials on different looks for a variety of skin tones and different looks for occasions you might be attending (i.e. black tie, weddings) but my favorite part is the 5 minute makeup tutorial, from base makeup to point. no eyeshadows in the 5 minute face sorry to say, just simple, pretty plain jane makeup. 

pages from The 5 Minute Face makeup tutorial

Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin and Hair by Melissa Schweiger

After months of reading and re-reading the my first beauty book, I decided to get another one. What better book to have than that of the cosmetic giant, Sephora. This book has a lot of pages dedicated to products, the best mascaras, blush, powder, even perfume! 

product pages from Sephora

Bobbi Brown: Beauty Evolution by Bobbi Brown with Sally Wadyka

This is my sister's book which she let me borrow, I almost always get sleepy when i read this (hahaha!) This one encourages all women, that no matter what age group you belong to, you are always beautiful and you need to take care of yourself. What I loved in this book is the hair color guide. :)

Beauty by hair color, Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

The newest beauty book of the bunch, I got curious about this when I saw it at the Bobbi Brown counter, this book covers skin care, base makeup, point makeup, making a portfolio, making it as an artist and beauty tools too! *whew* that was quite a list! If you are a budding makeup artist who wants insider info about the makeup industry, this will help you a lot. The only downside is that it is quite redundant if you have the Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution books since there are a few tricks and topics you can find in both books.

Eyeshadow tutorials from Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual

Do you have a favorite beauty book you would like to share? I'd love to hear it to add more titles to my puny collection. ^_~

♡ coffretgorge

Tokidoki x Hello Kitty Love

I've seen a lot of beauty bloggers share their makeup bags or vanity cases through their posts, so today, I am going to let you take a peek of my travel stash too! As you will see, I don't pack light (that's quite a challenge for me) hahaha! I am also revealing my Tokidoki x Hello Kitty vanity case. Its so cute and wonderful! I feel really happy when i see it!  *going crazy* Thank you bag fairy! ^_^

Is there anything more adorable than this?!

all photos are taken by Lurvey with his Nikon D90. So clear and crisp photos! Thanks love! ♡.♡

That's my Suesh brush roll on top ^.^ (ooops! sorry for the dirty mirror! I didn't notice that! hehehe)

I love the adjustable compartments, the velcro is so easy to move around! and the side pockets oh my goodness, its so functional, makes it easy to organize eyeliners, mascaras and other stuff which come in a tube container. I actually planned on putting my brushes on the pockets but the handles are quite longer than i expected.

first column: eyeliners, mascaras, eyelash curler, lippies, gloss, my Lunasol sponge and some e/s palettes which didn't fit into the third column hehehe

second column: skin care essentials

third column: e/s palettes, meteorites, bb cream, foundation, loose powder and concealers on the pockets.

Just a little sunshine to brighten your day ^_~

♡ coffretgorge

Very Hollywood: Michael Kors for Estēe Lauder Spring 2010

I just want to share what I discovered today when I was browsing the Estēe Lauder website. Lookie here, another designer x cosmetics collaboration! Well, it might not be as cute as the Tsumori Chisato x Shu Uemura or as dainty as Paul & Joe's Alice in Wonderland collection but there's something really cool and elegant about this collection.

(all photos are from the Estēe Lauder website)

There are 2 key looks in this collection, Rodeo Pink which consists of upbeat, sunshine shades and Film noir eyes (according to the site) 

for cool toned ladies! :)

and Bel-Air Beige which is primarily coral cheeks, peach lips and a dramatic yet soft smoky eye. 

for warm toned complexions like moi! :)

Blush: Sunset Pink $26

Sunset Coral $26

Duo Eyeshadows: Night Star $30

Blonde Mink $30

Nail Lacquer $18

available in Bungalow Pink & Hollywood Gold

I must say that the nail lacquers in this collection look gorgeous! I've had great experience with Estēe Lauder nail lacquers and I won't mind getting the shades in this collection. (time for a trip to the department store! haha)

If you'd like to see the complete collection, head over to Estēe Lauder website. :)