my best kept secret: carrier and essential oils mix - a body and face oil in one

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Alright. Here's another skincare post! I'm on a roll these days on skin care, huh? Well...okay.

It seems many have been commenting about my skin lately. Last one was a good friend of mine in Davao City. Before her was my grandmother. The thing is, I don't really have a very strict skin care routine. I don't go to the dermatologist often either. I do listen to or read their advice on twitter. I follow the Nerdy Derma there. She's also on youtube, the Nerdy Derma, btw. She's just not that active in the latter.

Comments from my friend and grandma include: "your skin is glowing," "it's really nice," "it's soft," and etc. For these really nice comments, I'd thank them. I don't know if I've always had skin as they said they noticed, a really good one but I haven't really changed much on my skin care routine from many years ago.

One thing about my daily skincare routine is, like everything else in my life, I'm super lazy around doing it. Sometimes I just don't do it at all. Most of the time, I only do it when I'm going out. Lol. I also have a very simple skincare routine. My cardinal rules are:

• NO to whitening products.

    There are a ton of whitening products sold in pharmacies or drugstore chains like Watsons Ph (and you know how huge a fan I am of this that every time I go in, I always go out with something...s on hand) and even the skincare aisle/s in supermarkets. You might even find them in the most basic sari-sari store in your neighborhood. But yes, for me, I just have to avoid whitening products like a plague. I sometimes use Myra E lotions (if you're here in the Philippines, you'll know this is very local. They've been around for a while now) so I stick to the moisturizing line they have. Myra E has this in Classic Moisturizing (red packaging) and Moisturizing Plus (darker red or maroon packaging). You can get Myra E's stuff everywhere in the Philippines, of course, so it's pretty convenient for something you'd like to have at a good Ph-native price and if you'd like one to have quickly without having to order online or so and wait for them to get to where you are in the Ph.

    That's generally just it, avoid whitening products. If you can't help it and you'd like to be whiter or lighter then go for the brightening ones. Whitening products aren't exactly the best for Filipina skin from what I know. They don't really work well either so brightening stuff is the better way to go if one wants to be lighter here.  

• Keep it simple. Indulge in only a bit of the pricey stuff (to save up).

    I very rarely use lotions, body butters and the likes from Victoria's Secret and/or Bath and Body Works (B&BW). I only get these when people, my aunts send me some of them from abroad. Most of the time, I will stick with local stuff like Myra E's moisturizing line I mentioned above. Oh and introducing my time tested---I've been using it for years and years now---carrier and essential oils mixtures as body oil, lotion etc. in one. I come up with my own mixes, of course. 

    You might want to ask, where do I get these oils? Carrier oils like coconut and sunflower oil are actually everywhere now. I use Human Heart Nature's, of course. You can get them on their shop on site or coconut oil in 200 mL here and sunflower oil here: 50 mL via Zalora in the old, classic packaging; and the 50 mL via Zalora in new packaging. I would get the 100 mL ones to last me a long time, maybe...2 months, tops? When mixed with other carrier oils and some essential oils. You can also go for the Sunflower Beauty Oil LUXE in 45 mL here that's sweet smelling. My personal favorite is, however, the Sunflower Beauty Oil Bloom. It's slightly pricier than the classic one but likely, less expensive than the LUXE one but it works well for me, yep. The Sunflower Beauty Oil Bloom is available 100 mL here and 50 mL here. Coconut and sunflower oils are my main carrier oils for my body oil (which can also work as a face oil, btw) mixture.

    

    Other carrier oils I use are Vitamin E oil via Myra E and Avocado oil you can get at Casa de Lorenzo Philippines here. You can get Myra E's vitamine E capsules everywhere. It's in local chain drugstores or pharmacies like Rose's Pharmacy, it's also in Watsons Ph. Avocado oil is not available at Casa de Lorenzo Ph's site at the moment. It's also not available in Casa de Lorenzo Ph at Lazada, unfortunately. Their Lazada store only carries their castile soaps. I haven't really tried their castile soaps but I have tried their coconut and avocado oils and I love these two. Hopefully they restock the avocado oil soon. 

    After carrier oils, I would add in essential oils into the mix. Currently, I just put in 10-20 drops of Jojoba Oil (it's available on Zalora's Human Nature/Human Heart Nature shop in 30 mL here) into the current mix I'm using. You can use other essential oils, of course. Some would use sweet almond oil, maybe, argan oil, the more local ylang-ylang oil for fragrance---I'm not sure what its other benefits are but I love the ylang-ylang scent ever since I was a kid---and more. You can check our ylang-ylang essential oil, sweet almond oil and more at Casa de Lorenzo Philippines here. You can also check out more of their stuff at their site here: Casa de Lorenzo Philippines (or CDL Organics).

        I heard on the grapevine Rosehip Oil works wonders for those who have stretchmarks. One of my best friends who's pregnant again used this one before. You can definitely add this in with the carrier oils if you'd like to preempt the appearance of stretchmarks around the waist and hips and other parts of the body if you're carrying or even after you've given birth. It's super pricey at Php 795 for a measly 15 mL bottle of it but Human Heart Nature's is pure and it can go a long way if you mix it with their carrier and essential oils.

        You can read more about using and mixing carrier and essential oils on healthline here: Carrier oils and  Essential oils. You might also find the body lotion vs body oil/s discussion article on healthline interesting. I use both interchangeably, along with body butters, but I stick to mostly my mix of body oils so yep, there's that.

The key to having good skin for me is simplicity and not overdoing things or overthinking these things. Sometimes, I use these body butters, body oils, body lotions when I remember I have them and other times, I just shower or take baths and that's good for me already. I do use exfoliating products once in a while but it's like, just a once a week or once every two-weeks thing for me. My go-to body scrub is the Sunflower Beauty Body Scrub. Alternatively, the Coffee and Vanilla Body Scrub should work too and if Human Heart Nature isn't up your alley, there's always St. Ives Philippines to explore. You can check out St. Ives Philippines' stuff at the Unilever Offical Lazada store here. Home made alternative for body scrubs: granulated sugar + honey + I usually added bits and pieces of papaya or mashed papaya in mine. Go for the ripe papaya, of course, yes.

All of those and if all else fails you, you can always go for a lifestyle change. Going vegan helps, I think. Or being more into seafood and vegetables and fruits. I normally am into those more than I am into meat.

A way to save up on Human Heart Nature stuff---as the cost of theirs can add up along the way---is to be a member or an advocate of their line of products or brand and get 15% discount off of every product. I'm already a member and an advocate so if anyone here is interested in being one, I can be a referrer. Just leave me a message here or email me at: kgrace_1987@yahoo.com. I check the latter almost daily. For Casa de Lorenzo Philippines' stuff, I think you'll have to email them to let them know you'd like discounts when you buy in bulk or so. They're likely still very active on the site and on their contact pages or so. 

Human Heart Nature's products are totally available in USA and Canada through their HHN USA and HHN Canada websites, respectively. I think their products are quick to get sold out, however. You'll want to look out for the next dates their sunflower oils will be available there (I just read it's December 27 for CA).

For those looking for other oils like Grapeseed oil, maybe a cheaper rosehip oil, and avocado oil given Casa de Lorenzo Philippines doesn't have them...these, I found Jade Essentials Ph on Lazada. The carrier and essential oils they carry are pretty affordable. Some essential oils are expensive there but if they are the kind that's imported from elsewhere but the Philippines, then that's understandable. The only thing that Jade Essentials Ph on Lazada disappoints me in is how they don't have ylang-ylang essential oil. They're still pretty good with their lineup of affordable carrier and essential oils, though, so that can be easily overlooked here.

And if you're the type who can afford anything, there's Rodin Olio Russo but I think a good number of people aren't happy with their parent company rn, Estee Lauder. Apparently, the guy owning or heir to the business empire is a misogynist. As I can't afford ROR, I don't really buy and use it and make my own instead. :) Doing this is better on the savings, too.

And that's it for now. Until the next post! Or you can follow me on my fangirling twitter and personal instagram for timelier updates. :) 

spotlight on something local, regional part 1 of ?: positive kalyca - pk

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A lot of things changed over the pandemic lockdowns. New business sprung up in our neighborhood alone, new brands are also up...and a whole lot more. Now, I may not be able to travel yet to other places (except on November 7 and 8, soon!) but there's plenty here in the city, Cagayan de Oro City, I was born and raised in to check out and play local tourist in somehow while I'm still here.

Anyone that followed this blog from day 1---even when this was still on LiveJournal---know its owner (me...?) is hugely into supporting local brands other than local homegrown tea cafes or houses (Chingkeetea...and I swear I working on the 2nd part for the last one. It's just sitting in my drafts yet but it'll be ready to go live here soon as I've done some tweaking of it) to name a few. This blog has not changed and it never will. 

Today, we'll be putting a local beauty or cosmetics brand that my bff, Michi, has gotten me into via a mini mall in Pabayo-Hayes Sts. here, Zea Picks. The mini mall has just opened and CDO locals should check their offerings out. They have a ton of fun stuff for girls who love accessories, make-up, fragrances, and more. Clothes, too. They carry clothes from the big Chinese brand, Shein. Those who aren't too into shopping for clothes on their site or app can just get Shein clothing and accessories in store at Zea Picks mini mall instead. 

Side note: I'm not into Shein. Something about how they do business puts me off. I don't have it in me to support anything of theirs, to be honest, so... You won't see me buying Shein stuff any time soon. Zalora Philippines is still my shopping online mecca go-to along with local brands on Lazada and Shopee PH. Shop local, folks! Our local sellers and makers deserve our money, time, support, and more. Shein is pretty shady and screams mega CAPITALIST!! to me but of course, it's a China/PRC thing to be just that when it comes to businesses like this. 

Zea Picks mini mall's floor space is tiny. It's about the size of probably just one tiny store space in Ayala Centrio mall like N.Cat's. But even if it's the case, they carry a lot of fun stuff from local sellers and makers here in Cagayan de Oro City and beyond. One such brand they carry that I'm going to talk about in this blog entry is Positive Kalyca or PK! They're available on Shopee PH on the second link.

I have been downsizing the contents of my makeup bag to-go and I use multi-use tints more than anything else (if you followed my skin care and beauty posts here, you'd know) so it's only right I get into this local brand. I'm not entirely sure of the history of this brand. I think the owner is from the city I attended graduate school in Literary Studies in, Dumaguete City, and I suspect she may even be from the same university I was in at the time, Silliman University. It's just my best guess from what I could gather from the brand's instagram, Positive Kalyca (PK) page. I'm not entirely sure if the owner's a born and raised kagay-anon like me or a transplant to here from somewhere else. I might have met her a few times, though, or just once at a bazaar that ran from September 16-ish or 15 to 18 just recently in Lim Ketkai Center's rotunda (the middle part of the mall) here. I checked that bazaar out to see what I could get for friends and walked out with about two multi-use tints that are pretty new to the line or brand and 1 highlighter I've been using more of lately. I got into Positive Kalyca or PK through bff Michi and her inviting me to check their stuff out on Zea Picks mini mall some three weeks to a month ago and I've been hooked since. At least I don't have to go far and spend so much on shipping fees now just to get makeup and skincare stuff because we have this among others now here. 

Here are some things from this brand that I'm into lately:

Their PK lip oil luster in Latte! The bff wanted to try the Dalgona one but I noticed it didn't really ink or stain much so Latte it was for the two of us. We got 2 of these, one for each of us, at the regular price of 1 that's 150 Php (roughly 3 USD when converted) during the 9.9 (September 9) sale at Zea Picks mini mall! It was such a good, GOOD deal, of course! 

Rather than using the PK lip oil luster in Latte on the lips as it should be, I'm using this one for contouring. Hah. I'm not really into lip products, to be honest, but somehow, most I find in stores like this are for the lips and most people I love (my extended family and some friends) abroad just looovvvee sending me lip stuff to try and make good use of. (I need more face makeup and skin care, please, more than lip stuff...and thanks.) I'm normally more of a tinted lip balm or just lip pencil/crayon girl. I'm not a huge fan of heavy makeup, colors on the lips on most days but I understand this is something most women are into because it's the easiest to apply when in a hurry to go out and with very little time to put color into their faces. Using the PK lip oil luster in Latte as a contour is just so me, though, I think? 

Unfortunately, this is not available on their PK Shopee PH page. You can check out their Instagram and Facebook pages, though, if you're interested on or curious about where to get Positive Kalyca (PK) stuff around here in CDO and beyond.

to check out:

Positive Kalyca (PK) shimmer highlighter

Positive Kalyca (PK) radiance highlighter

These two PK highlighters at 69 Php a pop (a piece) in a lighter and darker shade I constantly have in my makeup bag to-go now. I use the darker shade as both a contour and a highlighter when I get lazy with applying makeup. The one in the lighter shade, for me, is something I use with the summer tint (it's about orangey but I like it sooo much!) from another local brand I have started liking over this year's Higala-ay Cagayan de Oro City fiesta, Oh My Organic (OMO). I'll blog about this brand some other time, probably once I've tried their other tints. I wish they would add more colors to this one, though, soon. I'm due to check out more multi-use tints and stuff from them soon, too, anyway. Meanwhile, you can check out some Oh My Organic (OMO) products on Woodcrafts and All Good Stuff on here on Shopee PH.

These two on the photo above may be newer shades you can get in store at Zea Picks mini mall or wherever they have displays in the malls here in CDO or anywhere else they are at in Dumaguete City and more. Some older ones like the PK shimmer highlighter is on Shopee PH. The PK radiance highlighter is there, too. I'm somewhat curious about these two myself so I may or may not check them out and get them at Zea Picks mini mall the soonest when I have the chance to go there again for stuff.

My latest buy from Positive Kalyca (PK) is the premium chili tint in Anaheim. It's not available on the Shopee site but I found this one---possibly newly launched---at the bazaar back around September 17 (my personal...I mean, birthday) at the middle of Lim Ketkai Center, ground floor. It's only 99 Php per tube, too!

I didn't do a lot of self-treating while I was at the said bazaar that day but I did get stuff for some good friends so there's that. I treated myself to some food instead before going home so that's how my personal day, birthday went this year. It was alright.

Here're how their display booth or table at the bazaar I went to looked like:

 

They also sold some stickers, yes, and I got 3 of these since I do like me some stickers and other stationeries myself. I'm as much a paper, stationery addict as I am into good, affordable, and very accessible makeup and skincare. Haha.

What made me curious about PK's Premium chili tint in Anaheim is its pigmentation and shade. It seems to be a cross of nude and red for me. Nude red? Red nude? I don't know. I'm not a fan of red and I rarely use anything red on the lips, the cheeks, and the eyelids but this shade of red that's almost nude-ish is definitely up my alley as a fan of nudes, instead! Seriously. Nudes rule over reds although the latter can be sexy on anyone...women, and more. 

I have yet to open and try this one but since I'm not done with my tube of the PK lip oil luster in Latte and the highlighters yet (I got an additional darker shade of the highlighter in the second photo above from this bazaar, btw) and I still have plenty of reds for the lips and more in my makeup bag to-go and others from family, loved ones abroad... It's going to take a while before I can open this new one I got from the Lim Ketkai Center, center bazaar back in September 17. Yes, I wrote/mentioned center twice. Haha. I felt like I just had to.

....the local makeup hoarder that I'm becoming lately, however, I'm thinking about getting another tube of this I can take to wherever I'm going on November 7 with me rn. I hope Zea Picks mini mall carries this one there now, too. 

It's about...less than 3 months to December 2022 and there are bound to be more bazaars in the malls here and possibly everywhere in the Philippines were I (we) am (are)  to come so do check those out if you'd like to look into local offerings here and there like this one, Positive Kalyca (PK). As for those like me who are in Cagayan de Oro City here, you can check out Zea Picks mini mall for this brand or makeup line and more if you're not into big malls like I am. Crowds make me anxious these days especially with Miss Rona still around and coughing up newer variants that seem to be deadlier than the ones before them. I promise their products won't break your bank, deplete your savings, and you also get to support local small business at the same time by checking their stuff out there.

And here's how Positive Kalyca (PK) stuff look on yours truly...me.

I use a combination of makeup lines/brands here from mostly local and it looks like the colors are barely even there so I'm not entirely sure if I have been doing my almost daily makeup right on this one. I lately use a combination of the multi-use tint in Summer from Oh My Organic, Human Heart Nature's Perfect Flush lip and cheek cream tint in Rosy (my personal favorite from their makeup line, of course! Right up there with the tinted lip balm in rosewood now. It's also got new packaging and a new name, Blush & Bloom, that's really cute! very feminine and nice!), and highlighters and the lip oil luster in Latte from Positive Kalyca (PK).

Almost bare-looking here aside, I'm all for and am quite obsessed with how light multi-use tints are and easily washable they are. You can definitely retouch them very easily when you're out but at the same time, it saves you the trouble of using micellar waters or makeup removers when you're at home from engagements, the office, or a day or night out with the girls and more. These things may not be very pigmented enough to cover up and conceal some skin imperfections here and there but that's exactly why we try to be more religious (I do but I keep failing anyhow) with skin care and maybe the occasional trip to the dermatologist if we can afford it or if this is very easily accessible to us.

I'm not entirely fond of having to lug around with me a face full of heavy makeup so this is the bestest thing for me, barely-there make-up. Multi-use tints. All the fun stuff in varied liquid and powdery consistencies and more to apply to the face for quick coloring! It's also, I think, the best for those who want some color while at the beach or the pool. They're very islander girly things to have for everywhere and yep, very much a must have for 365 days of summer in a tropical country like our (my) own Philippines!

Nude, barely there face colors? Locally (and in this case, very, veeerrry locally made) made cosmetics/makeup? Count me in! Expect me to be behind Positive Kalyca (PK) all the way from now on :) I'm adding it to my list of favorite local cosmetics, makeup, and skin care brands right up there with Human Heart Nature and the others I've featured on and off here.

Right up next after this post will be on Oh My Organic's tints I have yet to try out of their Summer one that I like a lot. I just need some more research on this and try out the other tints outside of Summer. It would be awesome if they put out more shades of their tints aside from the four seasons: summer, spring, fall, and winter...or, I think, it was sultry? and be around the same as how many Colourette PH has put out of their signature Colourtints because I would be so down to these very local lines/brands having wider ranges of multi-use tints. For Colourette PH, if you are here in Philippines as I am, feel free to shop their fun stuff on the Colourette PH Lazada flagshi store here.

I'm currently thinking about Colourette PH's nude Colourtints (and there are a lot of this. seriously. it's Colourette PH!) and Coloursnaps in Beachy and Waves. Both are only 279 Php a piece on their official site's shop, btw. And yes, I have a thing for summery stuff, yes. You can very easily tell with how I got easily tempted to get Oh My Organic's summer multi-use tint when I found it in the display they had on the ground floor of Ayala Centrio mall when we scoped this one out during the Higala-ay fiesta this year. Just very recently, actually. I'm just holding off on Colourette Ph purchases because I still have a lot of other more local to here in Cagayan de Oro City and the bisaya/cebuano region in general's makeup, cosmetics purchases to finish. Haha. Hah. These purchases will just end up cluttering my room more, my vanity, actually, and I may end up having to get or buy and use more makeup bags I can alternate for trips out here and there and I don't really want that. I'll try Colourette PH stuff some other time. Possibly when I've finished all the others I have rn.

Colourette PH had a buy 2 for the price of 1 promo on Colourtints some time around October 10 (the 10.10 sale) but I didn't bite because I still had stuff from Positive Kalyca (PK), Oh My Organic (OMO), and Dear Self Beauty (DSF) so yep, I'm tabling trying stuff from this brand/makeup line out until later. I definitely know the things I want and need from Colourette PH as I do with BLK's new fun stuff so you can bet I'll stock up on stuff from them sooner or later and I'll be reviewing those here, too. Kind of. I didn't really get the hype of Colourette PH stuff until I read tweets from its CEO and founder and found her really likeable on twitter, social media in general so yes, this brand of makeup/beauty products have my (eternal) support, too! Colourette PH, too,  hits all my love and obsession with nude shades. Seriously. I'm officially a stan...fan.

I'm also only talking about multi-use tints in this post because for these brands' skincare stuff...I still am more into Human Heart Nature's and they kind of overlap so I don't really bother mentioning or even checking those out as much as I do their makeup lines or products. It's kind of overkill if I also blog on that in a makeup or beauty post like this. Plus, I also have different preferences when it comes to skin care. My beauty and makeup go-to brands or lines are totally different from my go-to skin care ones. That's just how I roll in real life. Yes.

Here's to more skincare, beauty, cosmetics, and makeup posts in 2022! Expect more to come in 2023, of course. Heh.

Continue supporting Fashionnutcase on instagram and here on blogger/blogspot by clicking on the affiliate links with products that interest you. Thank you very much! -K.

beauty: all that's in my beauty bag lately and all about South East Asian makeup and skincare

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I've had this sitting in my drafts for a while now along with some others. I think majority of this post was written when I was some few days away to my final work day with the company I was employed at from 2017-ish 'til then, 2020. 

This is actually a beauty post and me, seemingly going a bit after a brand in the locale I'm not too fond of for a plethora of reasons, most of them coming from just me being a mere mortal.

in the photo: BYS lip liners in latte to go and crimson, forever21 liquid lip gloss in dusty pink rose pale, Beauty Counter lip gloss in blush shimmer, human heart nature tinted lip balm in rosewood (find this in my store's favorites page, just click on view detail to see once the link is accessed from here), BLK all-day lip and cheek tint in red via Watsons (already sold out, I hope they restock) // BLK all-day lip and cheek tint in red via Zalora and something from BLK Cosmetics' older releases I'm not sure of but I use as an eyeliner for the lower lid as it's in brown...hmn..., Maybelline hypercurl mascara in very black (it's on sale in Watson's!)

Lo and behold! Pictured here are some of my current skincare, makeup, cosmetics in general or beauty brands. There are some more I'm interested in, of course and we'll talk about that along the way. Yes. So read on, my dears~

Staples in my makeup bag are stuff from BLK Cosmetics available in Zalora here and also in Watsons Philippines online here: BLK Cosmetics via Watsons (their official website is this one you can also shop their products in: BLK Cosmetics); Australia's BYS Cosmetics available in Zalora here and also in Watsons Philippines here: BYS Cosmetics via Watsons; and of course, Human Heart Nature's cosmetics or makeup line available on their site here. These are the three beauty brands I use on rotation day in and day out and I always tend to have some items or pieces of in my two makeup bags. They're essentials to me, especially when I leave home and stay out for a while in beaches, pools or resorts or even...just in my grandparents' home in the province. I'm a huge, HUGE fan of the multi-use products they offer people, actually. They keep my makeup and skincare bag clutter free. It's really just my skincare products that are constants for me (most all of them are Human Heart Nature, of course but you'll see an errant St. Ives there from time to time now, so yeah) end up being all over the place in my overnight bag/s. lol.  

I don't think multi-use makeup is in the US or anywhere else outside of South East Asia yet but they're quite the thing here now. I can't recall when they started being a thing in this region of the world but definitely, definitely...I'm hooked onto them for life. They're like, everything...EVERYTHING to me rn. I predict they'll still be everything to me in the future. Haha. 

Some of my favorite multi-use makeup pictured above are: the Human Heart Nature PerfectFlush lip and cheek cream tint in the rosy and BLK Cosmetics' K-Beauty All Day lip and cheek tint in red that's also available on sale now here on Watsons Ph (currently soldout, sad now)! The former is creamy in texture and the latter is watery. Both color the skin nicely, though. They're mostly for the lips and the cheeks but I use the cream tint for the eyelids sometimes, when I'm bored of my regular brown and black or gray smoky shades in the eyelids and the cream tint works fine for me as an eyeshadow too! It's handy when you're out somewhere and you can't bring your makeup bag with all the palettes with you. This is definitely something I'd always have in my bag for when I need to be out for hours without my makeup bag/s (I have two makeup bags rn, yes) or so. Right up there with the tinted lipbalm in rosewood I also love from the same brand and some others. There are really just those times when we need to put a little color into our faces to look as human and decent as possible and this, the tinted lipbalm and the bb cream or cc cream I current use are the three things I can't not have in my bag when in situations like this where I'm on the go. These three in a small bag? Yes, please! I don't need anything else other than these, to be honest.

I'm really big on eye makeup so I can't definitely be without eyeliners and mascaras. Up there, in the photo, is something from BLK Cosmetics in brown I can't figure out. I always thought it to be an eyeliner so I use it for the lower eyelids as it's in brown. It is an eyeliner, I suppose. I must've gotten this one when I didn't find anything of the sort in black in BLK Cosmetics in Zalora. My last purchase of makeup from this brand was actually...right before I left for Taiwan for Pentagon's Prism Tour concert date there. I've actually had this since 2019. lol. Yeah, I haven't been wearing much makeup lately so my beauty stuff are taking more time to exhaust themselves and run out of now. The current eyeliner in black I use now, meanwhile, is a pencil kohl liner that isn't anymore available in BYS Cosmetics both in their Zalora page and Watsons Ph page. It's not on their Shopee page now either. Yep, it's old too. I'm only sticking to it because, well, it's taking time to consume the whole thing and I'm not really fancying at all buying a new one yet. If I were to buy a new one though, I've some options in my head pictured right below here:

From L-R: the liquid liner and kohl pencil duo in black and the really cute and fun liquid liner pen with star stamp, both from BYS Cosmetics in Watsons Ph online and Zalora, respectively; and the waterproof liquid liner in brown from Blk Cosmetics via Zalora.

I've definitely tried other liners like the gel pot and quill types from Maybelline and L'Oreal and BLK Cosmetics' older liquid liner but for now, I'd like to try these out when my pencil liner runs out one day-ish. I think the one I got from BLK Cosmetics ran out fast so I got BYS Cosmetics' kohl pencil liner in black instead. There're only so few of the gel pot and quill liners and they're non-existent in drugstore brands like Maybelline and L'Oreal now so the pens are the way to go, I suppose, and the pencils that 'til now, continue to go on. South East Asian drugstore brand Nichido's pencil liners are pretty fine, too, I think. I remember using one of theirs not too long ago when my Special Education class in college went to Cebu City for a sightseeing trip and a look into some of the special education classrooms in the city. It wasn't bad for an insanely cheap pencil eyeliner. That one I had definitely got in a lot of use since then. The time we went to Cebu, too, was one period in my 20s my then closest friend and I were crazy about eye makeup and sat side by side on the bus to do our eyes. lol. Fun times~

Mascara has always been Mabelline's Hypercurl mascara because it's really cheap both at Watsons and SM Supermarket branches everywhere here but I'm currently thinking about venturing out and looking into other slightly higher priced but pretty good drugstore and some non-drugstore mascaras. Some of those I have in mind rn are:

from L-R: Lash Blast Fusion Water Resistant Mascara in Very Black, COVER GIRL; Infinilash Maxvol, Absolute New York (it's 50% off on site now!); the Fresh Sunkissed Volume Boost Waterproof Mascara and the Volume + Lash Extension Mascara (also available in Watsons PH online), both from BLK Cosmetics; the what the fake! volumizing and lengthening mascara (I read on a US beauty magazine online...not sure which it was...that this is all the rage where cheapie but really good mascaras are concerned and it's selling a lot on Amazon so yeah, it intrigues me...), the get BIG! LASHES volume boost waterproof mascara, and the I love extreme volume waterproof mascara all from essence cosmetics on shopee

Essence Cosmetics is, I think, a German brand but it's sooo cool that it's here already and the selection on their shopee page here is massive it's literally makeup playground. Kind of reminds me of BYS Cosmetics' that has some face and body glitter and some others I'm quite interested in plus...they even have metallic gold lipstick! I'm not big on lipstick, we'll talk more about this later, but It'd be really cool to have that one.

Ah, Essence Cosmetics is cruelty free and contain no hazardous to one's health chemicals which makes it all the more sweet for a cheapie, non-drugstore makeup brand. BLK Cosmetics and Human Heart Nature makeup are the same. So you can see why I'm easily drawn to them like moth to fire. I mean, who wouldn't be? Right?

I am doing the eyeshadow or eyelid colors last because this is where some things get tricky. I already mentioned I use the PerfectFlush lip and cheek tint from Human Heart Nature on the eyelids when I'm on the go and have little time to put color on my face so a bunch of multi-use makeup actually make it to this section along with some eyeshadow palettes I have in mind. Right now, I still have a face palette from the US, the Complete Look palette from Almay and a tiny, compact eyeshadow palette good for the daily day to night use. I also have Human Heart Nature's Perfect Eyes Mineral Eye Shadow palette in Earthy Beauty and it's too much rn to try to finish all 4. Someone help me. Lol.

I'm talking about these three palettes pictured below:

This is a ton to finish, right? Yes, it is. And to top this, I also tend to prefer the multi-use lip and cheek tints (they're lip and cheek tints but I use them for the lids too) like the Human Heart Nature PerfectFlush lip and cheek cream tint in rosy for the eyelids so yeah...RIP all the palettes I own at the moment because I'm pretty sure my multi-use makeup stuff will get more use than those. Multi-use makeup are just sooo good and so compact to bring with you everywhere that's why I like them a lot lately. I already own one of BLK Cosmetics' and Human Heart Nature's so let's look into more that I'm thinking about rn, hmn?

From L-R, going down: Coloursnap in Bloom, Coloursnap in Beachy, and Coloursnap in Waves, all three from Colourette Cosmetics; K-Beauty Intense Color Liquid Eyeshadow in Daisy, K-Beauty Intense Color Liquid Eyeshadow in Jasmine, K-Beauty Intense Color Liquid Eyeshadow in I Love You, all three from BLK Cosmetics; Airy Matte Tint in Daze, BLK Cosmetics; Holiday All-Day Lip and Cheek Tint in Punch, Fresh All-Day Lip and Cheek Tint in Very Berry, Fresh All-Day Lip and Cheek Tint in Feeling Peachy, and K-Beauty All-Day Lip and Cheek Tint in Cherry, all from BLK Cosmetics; Face Stack Multi-Pot Pan & Lid in Wanderlust, BLK Cosmetics; Fresh Creamy All-Over Paint in Coco Crush, BLK Cosmetics; Face Stack Multi-Pot Pan & Lid in Jetsetter, BLK Cosmetics; K-Beauty Creamy All-Over Paint in Peony and Fresh Sunkissed Creamy All-Over Paint in Summer Time, both BLK Cosmetics; Universal Multi-Tasking Matte Color Stick in Rose, BLK Cosmetics; Fresh Creamy All-Over Paint in Very Berry, Fresh Sunkissed Creamy All-Over Paint in Golden Hour, both BLK Cosmetics; Face Stack Multi-Pot Single Pan in Tan Lines, BLK Cosmetics; Little Luxuries Mini Creamy All-Over Paint in Sunstone, Little Luxuries Mini Creamy All-Over Paint in Pink Topaz, both BLK Cosmetics; Universal Multi-Tasking Matte Color Stick in Merlot, BLK Cosmetics; Intense Color Liquid Eyeshadow in I Love You (Shimmer Bronze, BLK Cosmetics.    

Missing: Universal Multi-Tasking Matte Color Stick in Mimosa, BLK Cosmetics Multitasking Glowstick in Sunset, and the BLK Multitasking Glowstick in Desert Rose, also all BLK Cosmetics.  

Dearest Colourette and BLK Cosmetics made, produced for us Filipinas/Filipinos by my favorite Filipinas, PLEASE. LET. ME. LIVE. Let me liiiivvveee! I need all of these. Like, seriously, but then...money, ugh, where the heck are youuu?!?!?!

Christ. The Coloursnaps from Colourette Cosmetics make me want to live forever by the beach in a hut or a shabby chic cottage right there and so do the Sunkissed Fresh line from BLK Cosmetics. And all of those multi-use makeup! Ugh. I'm struggling and weeping internally at the same time rn because I want and need a lot of the ones on the photo above so I can proceed and completely hermit by the beach or the pool...either in a resort or some other. This doesn't even include the shimmery stuff that double as highlighters... 

And without further ado, we have the highlighters and the multi-use ones too that can also double as highlighters, from L-R as usual: vegan glow (creamy highlighter) in radiant and sparkle by The Vegan Beauty in shopee (it's only Php 120 now!);  shimmertint in crystal prism, shimmertint in rose quartz, shimmertint in tiger's eye, and shimmertint in yellow diamond all by Colourette Cosmetics. You can shop their shopee site here, too: Colourette Cosmetics; Little Luxuries Shimmer Jelly Multi-pot in pink amethyst, Little Luxuries Shimmer Jelly Multi-pot in pearl, Fresh Sunkissed Shimmer Jelly Multi-pot in Golden Hour Glow, contour, blush, & highlight palette in flushed, BLK Cosmetics multi-tasking glow stick in sunset, and the BLK Cosmetics multi-tasking glow stick in desert rose, all by BLK Cosmetics.

Some of the items from BLK Cosmetics are a repeat of the above but they also double as highlighters so I'd include them here.

The Vegan Beauty on Shopee is another beauty brand that's local that I also stalk some days. Aside from their creamy highlighters, their clay blushes look good and seem worth a try. And in terms of prices, they're super affordable.

I'm currently tempted to get Colourette Cosmetics' Coloursnaps in Beachy, Waves, and Bloom rn along with the Vegan Beauty's two highlighters. They're only Php 120-150 a piece rn on shopee so they're very, VERY hoardable...if that word ever exists in the dictionary or somewhere else. ....and I have to think this and go about this very carefully before I spend so much on those and not leave anything else for others. lol.

Ugh. All of these that remind me of the beach and the sea and us still not being able to go out, travel and all, backpacking wherever because Miss 'Rona's still out there, hovering around us and she hasn't even stopped mutating for the worst and now we have new, more ferocious, scarier and even more dangerous and infectious variants from South Africa. 

I'm already resigned to the fact that we're going to have Miss 'Rona around us for a long time but at the same time, I'm also thinking: 'when will this ever end?' I'm pretty sure a lot of us are going this way.

That said...this post...in a nutshell...all I can think of and say is, those multi-use makeup products are really something huh? I don't think I can ever get enough of them in this lifetime. Hah.

Anyway, kind of going back but kind of not also...because...we're more like, going forward in here to something that's been on my mind for a while...

I'm picky with my makeup and skincare stuff as I am with clothing, shoes, bags and more. Yes. This post and the previous ones establish that.

Now, to what I was getting at...

If you notice, there's no mention here of a specific brand that's hot now and has been so since around...I don't know...two years ago? Pre-pandemic era. I'm talking about SunniesFace. 

A lot of my co-workers at the office I worked at until sometime late-ish last year are crazy for anything from this brand. I can understand why. Their products are packaged much like another cult favorite's, the Glossier. I know of a similar brand though, with really cute and minimalistic package design: Cloud Cosmetics. They used to have a website but now they seem to be selling their stuff on shopee too, right here: Cloud Cosmetics on Shopee. But I'm not really here to talk about their packaging. I actually have no issues with whether SunniesFace wants to be a the Glossier copycat where that goes, really. What I want to bring to the front here is their owners' issues and there are a lot, apparently.

The first issue I know of was the instagram post of theirs on their vacation or trip to China wearing the Chairman Mao's hat. This one is still circulating forums 'til now. I'm pretty sure this also made its rounds around the beauty community in Reddit among other issues the brand's owners are embroiled in. This was from some years back but I imagine some still are mad about how that ig post came to be and have called boycott on their brand. I have no problems boycotting the brand of owners that do not respect the history and such of another country including that of China although I'm much that into that country for some...well...different reasons. Anyway, for that ig post, their brand definitely deserved being boycotted by the socially aware people. 

Ah, if you want to know more about the Chairman Mao's hat issue and their ig post on that, you can read on the significance of the said hat here on the hatrealm. Apparently, the hat has so much symbolisms embedded in it due to its history and all so you're only allowed to wear it if you're using it as a stage prop in a theater or when you're in a very communist area in China. It's disrespectful and gross to wear that one and post pictures on social media sites like instagram just for fun or something...to attract more views into your feed. Please, let's respect historical items, relics like this even if they're merely replicas now. 

I actually wanted to say I liked Sunnies Studios better because they do have pretty cool and quite affordable, fun sunglasses, eyewear in general but then I came across this article from coconuts dot co. This is sad because I used to like Georgina W. when she was studying in Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and some features of her I'd come across on the local teen and all fashion, sports, university happenings/events magazine, Candy, way back when I was in late high school to sometime in my early college years. I was even excited before and when the brand was launched that I even thought that one day I'd get at least one eyewear, sunglasses from her brand but...yeah, no. Now, I won't even bother thinking of getting anything from her brand. There are others with better eyewear and less problematic, better, much more human in that they're very relatable to the likes of me...owners. If you know what I mean. Business people being humans and not delusional their feet don't touch the ground anymore.

We're at a delicate time right now with the Philippine national elections getting nearer and nearer and nearer with every day that passes. I think we should try to be more compassionate and empathetic and especially, be a better judge of character where choosing people we hang out with and people whose businesses we patronize especially here in the locale. Now I know it's petty of me to drop such a brand like these two I mentioned (and they're owned by the same people since yeah, everything starts with Sunnies) especially because this is just...well...business but it actually feels better to back brands that are socially aware and socially responsible to their employees, their source of raw materials and more. Human Heart Nature is one of those. Another brand that's the same but I hardly talk about here that's BeachBorn is another and so is Colourette Cosmetics. 

I like the brands and their owners and founders I like to be relatable and decent human beings, companies that show care for people. By this, I mean, they care not just for their employees but even for their clientele, customers, audience...whatever you'd like to call that one they primarily cater to. It makes me proud actually, that I'm using products made by such kind, socially aware and responsible, very decent human beings that give back and are always thankful of people around them. I'm entirely sure how to put it but there's this light and airy feeling about supporting such brands. 

In the case of BLK Cosmetics, it's more that I know of its owner, Anne Curis-Smith, now Heusaff, being a gracious celebrity person though I've never met her in real life and just followed some of her stuff on and off and I'm pretty sure BLK Cosmetics, her biz, likely took long to materialize. It's still a small and growing brand to this day and from what I see of her, even if Solenn H. is her sister-in-law, she's not really like Solenn and company. Solenn and co feel like the type who don't touch the grass outside very often and can be quite unrooted from the grimness and of stark reality even when its around them. I gathered this from a tweet of someone I'd read in passing. The tweet mentioned about her and her friends', people's E! Philippines' (probably very Kardashian family-like in just how shallow, vapid, just business it can be) reality show. One thing I really like about Anne is that she worked hard to be where she is now and she continues to work just as hard to continue what she does best and be her best self so yeah, that's why I like BLK Cosmetics aside from the fact that it, like Colourette, is a treasure trove of everything an islander chick (yes, I just called myself that because... /eyeroll) like me needs. 

I dropped the Sunnies brand and I'm not caring for it not because I'm petty but because I'm socially aware of a lot of things, my twitter and blogs are a testament to that if you've been following me here, on instagram and even on livejournal (especially on livejournal because I've been putting out posts on social, socio-political issues there slowly but surely). Their, Sunnies' business owners' values just don't really align with mine that have actually changed (and some have never really changed since I was young) over time. But I do hope the owners of the brand wise up and become better people one day...someday. There's still a lot of opportunities and time to be better people (not just for them but all of us, too). Life is, well, quite long after all. 

Having been there for brands like Human Heart Nature when they first started 'til now made me realize a lot of things. (Just a bit of veering away from topic of this ending part of this post: Although I started this blog originally as a fashion blog, I actually meant it also to be a platform where I can shout my love for this brand and others like it so...yeah...this explains why we're here now.) My main realization is that I think and believe that businesses really shouldn't just be all good vibes and all that fluff and stuff: fake, shallow, vapid, very commercial and just there because, well, CAPITALISM! And that it makes the owner/s a lot of money. I think a business and its owner/s should also show some social responsibility to people, their employers and their clientele, the people they cater to. They should have it in them to give back to those less blessed compared to them as those same ones among others are who keep their companies up and running. Much like the environmentally good, sustainable cycle in clothes and such that I know some bloggers I follow or stalk on and off are into these days (I'm a bit into that too so lately, I have been going back to thrifting when I can, hehe...I just don't overdo with things like shopping anymore now so...), the beauty and skincare, selfcare industry both local here and abroad should aspire to be like the ones I follow as of late. Some have their political stances with people they share the same values with and some, although not very vocal in politics and/or socio-politics, have at least a show of social responsibility to the masses that support them year in and year out. 

I'm an aspiring business owner or entrepreneur myself and it's so good to have people in that industry, especially here in our country these days that are good and worthy of being emulated. It's not just the good vibes but the good feeling that you get from supporting a company that gives back and knows to be thankful to the people that supports it and appreciates even those less privileged than them. I'd want a business, my future business that I'm still, at the moment, taking tiny bits of steps to eventually, one day materialize here, that's not only good in product offerings but also, good, kind, compassionate, empathetic, sympathetic in treating people, it's clientele and those who aren't, all the same. A very kind and considerate business or company that has a cycle of all things good going for it like the sustainable cycle that's going around the clothing, shoes, fashion industry these days among some blogging circles. Yes, I'm aware as I'm an avid follower of such bloggers since the times of BryanBoy, Rumi Neely and more.     

I'm looking forward to that day that I have such a business I run (maybe even with a friend or two here in my city, my locale) that is known for being kind to everything and everyone. 

Okay, so I'm not saying at all to be like me where choosing products and companies to follow and patronize goes but I'll just end this blog entry with this: In everything, choose kindness. Let's make this world, our nation especially, a better place to be in one kind, nice act and decency, grace and all at a time.

Oh and yay! Php 99 deals going on at Shopee Philippines! Shop here at Shopee for really good, super affordable deals this season of gift giving!