Spring 2011: Shu Uemura Morphorium Blue Palette

For their spring collection, Shu Uemura turned to the rain forests for inspiration. Aptly named Morphorium, they took the bright colors of the tropical butterfly and successfully made a bold looking palette which will make any beauty junkie weak in the knees.

morpho |ˈmôrfō| noun ( pl. -phos)

a large tropical butterfly, the male of which has bright blue iridescent wings. Native to the Central and South American rain forests.

here's what I got from the workshop last weekend. I took advantage of the exclusive discount as I've been wanting this palette since I saw the ads online! :D

A standard in their palettes, the Morphorium Blue pans are housed in a sturdy plastic case. It's a bit heavy, but I like it better that way. It makes it feel luxurious to touch and carry. The big mirror makes it more travel-friendly.

palette includes 2 dual ended applicators. I like the long and slim sponge applicators, it makes the powder shadows glide on smoothly to my skin. The brush ended one is useless for me. Sorry to say.

the shimmery butterfly overspray will be washed out with wear.

swatches on bare skin:

L-R: (powder eyeshadows) Matte deep purple, pearlescent bright blue, shimmery green which turns golden on the skin and shimmery bronze (cream shadow/liner).

with primer:

blusher:

a cool toned pale pink 

its a great idea to put a faint colored blush in this palette because the eye shadows are already bright and vibrant. The cheeks and lips should be toned down a bit. Its all about the EYES. ^_^

random box photo lol!

As for quality, its standard Shu Uemura, which only means greatness. The shadows are smooth and silky especially the bright blue and the bronze cream shadow/liner. They last the whole day, no fallout even without primer. The blush is also really nice minus the silver shimmer overspray. I just want to brush it off to get to the pale pink blush! xD

If you're a Shu Uemura fan, you like palettes and you're in the mood to sport bright colored eyes this season (which I think is the perfect time to try wearing colorful makeup), this palette is worth checking out in my opinion. I'll do my best to post an EOTD or a FOTD soon. Must look for more ideas on how to wear it! Suggestions are very much welcome. ;)

Thank you for reading!

♡,

G

Weekend Update: Shu Uemura Beauty Workshop

Being one of my favorite cosmetic brands, a Shu Uemura event is always a go for me! This time, I remembered to bring my camera and made sure I snapped some pics. :)

This is how the workshop flow went:
March 27: Rustan’s Shangri-La
4-5pm Beauty Workshop by Shu Uemura internationally accredited make-up artist John Pagaduan

5-6pm Beauty Tips and Make-up Demo with Celebrity Mom and Beauty Junkie Nancy Castiglione

All workshop attendees will be treated to a 10% discount and shu uemura skincare travel set goodies! <- this is what I looked forward to the whole day! I love discount! xD

Shu Uemura MUA John demonstrating a simple summer look:

teaching the gals blush application techniques.

Canadian actress/model turned Makeup Artist Nancy Castiglione:

She taught us how to put on a flawless face within 15 minutes using the simplest tools, shared her favorite Shu Uemura products (Face Architect foundation, Cleansing oils and brushes) and accommodated questions from the attendees. 

After the makeup demo's and Q&A's came shopping time! All the workshop attendees were treated to an exclusive 10% discount on all Shu Uemura products.

The Shu Uemura counter turned into a playground for beauty junkies! :)

we all received a special treat for attending the event

a photo op with MUA Nancy is definitely a must! I love meeting fellow beauty junkies!

She shared a great lipstick trick which I will share in a separate post. :)

Want to know what I hauled in? Here's a clue, the bold colors will make your hearts flutter! will blog about it soon! :)

How was your weekend?

♡,

G

Etude House Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint #2 + FOTD

Two posts in a day... Someone's on a roll! xD I had the opportunity to shop for a bit at Etude House the other day so I checked out their new collection, Miss Tangerine. The collection features the bright and zesty color orange which was very refreshing to look at. But honestly, none of the items from the collection caught my fancy since I find Etude House lipsticks drying, and the blushers and shadows from the collection seemed to be very sheer, powdery and loaded with glitters. 

I only purchased the new Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint which seems to be the safest choice if you really want to get something from this collection.

 Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint #2 Tangerine Follower SPF 13

cute packaging, the polka-dots reminds me of DollyWink.

it looks really bright ad orangey in the tube...

but this is how it looks like when swatched, sheer orange

which turns into a milky pinky-peach, depending on the "mood" or temperature of your lips.

here's my basic FOTD wearing the Follow Me Tint:

It looks more orange on my lips than in the swatch (it can also turn into a bright pink), which is why I cant really say the exact shade because it will depend on your natural lip color and temperature. The texture of the balm is smooth, it gives my lips a nice tinted sheen and its really comfortable to wear. The SPF is also a big plus for this product. However, I don't find it moisturizing, its actually drying after an hour or two.

Overall, this product is only nice to have, NOT a MUST-HAVE. Price is Php298 (approx. USD7)  at local Etude House stores.

side note -> The cute bow necklace I'm wearing is a gift from lovely Lulu! :)

TGIF! Have a fun weekend!

♡,

G

Giveaway Loot from Mai-Kat Oshaberi!

Call me lucky G, 'cause I won Kat's Giveaway! I was so happy to see her package waiting for me when I got home. Aloha, goodies from Hawaii!

Kat sent me the fuschia Charlotte Russe Shrug which fits me like a glove! I'll definitely wear it over a dress when the weather gets cool and breezy. She also added a super kawaii diary case as a surprise gift!

Thank you, mummy Kat for your generosity.

♡,

G

Guerlain Rouge G Serie Noir in 71 Rose Desir

There's just something about Guerlain's limited editions that sets my heart aflutter, as almost all the Guerlains I own are from LE collections. Today I'm going to share my thoughts on Guerlain's Rouge G Serie Noir in 71 Rose Desir from the Spring 2011 collection. This is my first Guerlain lipstick (I just paid with eyes closed) and I must say, it was love at first swipe! 

Packaging is a very luxe and elegant looking black lacquered case with mirrors on two sides, it has a magnetic enclosure which is rather weak and can loosen up easily when tossed inside a roomy purse. It also weighty, heavier than YSL Rouge Voluptes which are the heaviest lipsticks I owned before getting the Rouge G.

The lipstick formula is amazing, its very hydrating and kind to my lips. I usually need to apply lip balm or essence prior to lip color but this one doesn't need prepping at all! Rouge G is the BEST lipstick I have tried so far when it comes to moisturizing abilities. Plus it doesn't leave me with that gross, ugly white film which forms on the edge of my lips some lipsticks tend to do (yuck). The quality justifies the price tag for me. I just wish they make refills for Rouge G's. I've been using mine a lot and it seems I'm halfway through my tube! 

swatch:

Its a semi-sheer, semi-opaque rosey-pink lipstick with pink and silver shimmer. It makes my lips look naturally milky and glossy and lasts 4-5 hours. The shimmer is not that gritty since its very fine but you will still feel it. Rouge G's have a faint rose scent which doesn't linger for long after application.

My verdict? Rouge G is a must-try lovelies! The shade I picked may not be unique but the formula is DIVINE which makes it very comfortable to wear. I highly recommend it! This is LE, so get it while you still can; or you can try other shades and let me know what I'm missing out! ;)

♡,

G

Sunshine after the rain... OPI Need Sunglasses? NOTD

Hello dear lovelies! Remember me? :D Sorry for that long and unannounced hiatus, as I've said before, March is a busy month for me. But now I'm back and I have another nail post for you in a fun and vibrant color... with all the things that are happening around the world right now, I think it would be nice to spread joy to everyone we can connect with. *Can I get an amen?*

OPI Need Sunglasses? from the OPI Brights collection.

Its a sunshine-y, mustard-y yellow that flatters my warm skin tone. woot! It has tiny specks of shimmer to add a bit of dimension to the nails. Application is very streaky, it took me 4 thin coats to get the opacity shown in the photos.

tip: it will look fabulous worn with neutrals, khaki, army-chic and safari-themed/colored clothes. Try it! :)

I believe its already sold out, but just in case anyone is wondering, I bought mine at Rustan's Shangri-la for Php395.

Thank you for visiting!

♡,

G

China Glaze Tree Hugger + Konad NOTD

When I paint my nails, I usually have no idea what to do and what color to choose, so I just grab the ones I haven't worn yet.

I picked up OPI Green-wich village and painted my nails... then thought it looked kinda dull so I topped it off with CG Tree Hugger and I loved the result! This NOTD makes me feel lucky! ^_~

Here are the nail polish I used:

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, OPI Green-wich Village, China Glaze Tree Hugger, Konad Special Nail Polish in White and Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

also tried my free fauxnad plate from bornprettystore and my Konad stamper set

I don't know if its just me but its so hard to pick up the image! it took me countless tries before the image stuck to the rubber. KONAD FAIL. I gave up on my right hand after an hour of trying really hard, it drove me crazy! >.<

on another note, I want to thank all of you who left comments on my last tag post, appreciated my handwriting and found it 'cute', OMG. All my life I have been frustrated and envied my friends who have the perfect cursive or block type of handwriting. Hahaha! Thank you lovelies for turning my frustration into joy. BIG bearhugs to all of you!

♡,

G

The Writing's on the Wall... of my Blog... (Meme)

It's been a long while since I did tag posts. So when I saw I got tagged by sweet Eva to do a simple handwritten questionnaire I did it right away. Thanks for thinking of me babe! Though I have to say, I don't have the nicest handwriting! and thanks to computer typing and the touch screen technology, its not going to get any better. hahaha :P

Get a piece of paper and write the answers to the following questions:

1. What's your name/your blogger name?
2. What's your blog's name/URL?
3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Favorite quote?
5. Your Favorite song?

6. Your favorite band/singers?
7. Anything else you want to say?
8. Tag three to five other people.

click to ENLAAARGE :P

I tag Karen (cfbeauty), Nat (Natgn), Cynthia (slowbrogal), Blair (BijinBlair) and Penelope (insipredbybeauty) ^_^

Clé De Peau BEAUTÉ Correcteur Visage Concealer in Ochre

After hitting pan (and almost finishing) my then HG Shu Uemura pro concealer (in 7YR), I decided to try the highly raved about concealer from Shiseido conglomerate Clé De Peau BEAUTÉ.

I bought mine at Lane Crawford, Harbour City for HKD480 which makes it the priciest concealer I've ever purchased. You can also get it online on adambeauty or Strawberrynet. BUT I suggest you try it first if you can. Better to be safe, as its pretty expensive.

product is made in Japan

It comes in a simple, sleek and smooth dark blue packaging which measures 8.5 cm.

lots of info on the tube, as you can see it must be used within 24 months but I doubt i will be able to finish it in 2 years. I've been using it for 3 months now but it doesn't seem to shorten a bit. Less is more. ;)

The tube works just like a lipstick, you can extend and retract it as you like. Here is the concealer extended to its maximum, SA recommended Ochre/Ocher (my MAC shade is NC30). There are 4 shades currently available: ivory, beige, ochre and honey. Karlasugar has the best swatches of them (click here).

What I like about this is concealer is its pigmentation and creaminess, its very easy to blend around the under-eye area and it lasts the whole day when set with powder. I prefer applying it with my ring finger as the warmth from my finger helps it spread evenly.

I forgot to take a "before" photo prior to applying the concealer so here is an old photo of my eye area (bare skin) just to let you see my concerns:

As you can see, my dark circles are not that bad (I sleep a lot! haha), but I have dark pigmentation (a spot) under my iris, deep lines, and redness on the outer corner of my eye.

with Skin79 hot pink BB cream:

with Clé De Peau concealer in Ochre:

it blends perfectly into my skin! pretty amazing huh?

I can only find two drawbacks to this product, one is that it can settle into fine lines if not set properly which is ironic because with the price point given, I'd say their target market would be those mature ladies with lines around their eyes! But don't fret as a light patting motion on the area will make it appear smooth again.

second, the price... It is a high-end/department store label, HKD480 for 5 grams of concealer maybe too much for some. 

Overall, if you can afford it, find a perfect shade to match your skin tone and you have a smoother under-eye area than me. I'd say go get it to experience its awesomeness.

Repurchase? Very likely. :)

I hope you found this review helpful!

♡,

G