My Top 5 Fall Lipsticks!

Now, I know, this post is a little silly. Come on, who are we kidding, there's no fall season here in the Philippines. But it is October, and it's bound to get colder sooner or later.

This is the season to break out our dark, vampy lip colors. And also to show our love for the deeper nudes. Here's my favorite lipsticks for fall:

Clockwise: MAC Rebel, MAC Mehr, Snoe Rouge Deluxe Marsala, NYX Matte Lipstick Strawberry Daiquiri and Snoe Rouge Deluxe Vintage Rose

1. MAC Rebel

Who hasn't heard of this famous lipstick? This lipstick looks different on every skin tone and the color it would appear in would also depend on the pigmentation of your lips. It looks scare in the tube, but that doesn't really translate when you put it on. Instead, I get a beautiful berry purple which I can build up from sheer to full on opaque. It wears beautifully too and leaves a very lovely purplish pink stain on the lips.

2. MAC Mehr

This is one of the deeper nudes in my MAC lipstick collection. Its a blue based dirty pink and it's perfect for fall because of the darkness of its pink hue. Careful though, if you have a lot of yellow in your undertones or if you're an olive girl, this won't work for you.

3. NYX Strawberry Daiquiri

I cannot not have this lipstick. If I ever run out of this, this is one I will buy again. It's a beautiful salmon pink color that leans a bit on brown. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful this color is. I throw this on when I don't know what else to wear. This lipstick also lasts a very long time too! It can be a bit drying, so best to wear a balm underneath to avoid painful chapped lips especially this cold season!

4. Snoe Rouge Deluxe Marsala

This is Snoe's limited edition shade, color of the year for 2015. It's an opaque burgundy berry color. The lipstick is very moisturizing and smells great too! Since it's one of the darker colors in this line, it also lasts a bit longer and is very smooth, creamy to put on.

5. Snoe Rouge Deluxe Vintage Rose

My current favorite MLBB lipstick! I also see me repurchasing this if I run out of it. It's a pinky nude that leans toward brown. I can literally wear this all year round, but this color is perfect for fall.

Swatched on my NC30 skin.

So, there you have it, my favorite lipsticks for this season. What are yours and do you have any suggestions? Comment down below! 

The Jewel of MAC Foundations: MAC Face and Body

I'll never understand why the MAC Face and Body Foundation (Php 2600 for 120mL and Php 1900 for 50mL) is not getting the love and attention it should in this country. I understand Filipina women are all about the matte finish because, seriously, our climate is enough to make one oil up like a bacon grease pan. But I see a lot of Filipina women opting for the MAC Studio Fix Fluid and MAC Pro Longwear Foundations and those, in my experience, are so heavy and clog up the pores so much, it feels like my skin can't breathe when I put those on. Not to mention, I broke out so horribly after wearing the Pro Longwear Foundation.

Now I have found the perfect MAC foundation that works so good for me and one that I can actually use on a daily basis. It took me so long to love the MAC Face and Body Foundation, but now that I figured out how to use it, I cannot not have this product ever. This is the foundation that I swear by, and I can honestly ditch all my other foundations and just use this for life. That's how good it is.

Texture is extremely runny and watery.

When I first got this foundation, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. I thought, what the hell, this is just water. But as I went on using it, because, come on, I need to get the value for my money, MAC foundations aren't cheap, I figured out that I needed to blend and buff the crap out of it on my skin! And the tool that I use to achieve the finish that I want is none other than my hands!

Now I'm usually one who doesn't like using my hands because I don't like getting product all over the place; I am a very clumsy person and it happens a lot. But I've found that using a brush with this foundation just wastes product, the brush soaks it all up. So what I do is blend, blend, blend it with my hands and then when it starts to get tight and tacky, that's when I go in with the brush. The finish is undetectable and skin like.

Coverage is nearly sheer, it only evens out the skin tone with one layer, but hey that's what concealers are for. This is even sheerer than most tinted moisturizers. It has a satiny finish, not overly dewy. This foundation is buildable, but I won't go as far as saying it can be built to full coverage, which it won't, no matter how many layers you put on. But with that being said, this is a foundation that will NEVER look cakey, even if you decide to put on a dozen layers.

This foundation looks fantastic in photographs! It makes the skin look like real skin, not with a lot of makeup on, only better. 

Now if you're one who looks for a lot of coverage, this is not the foundation for you. However, if you're all about that no makeup makeup look, all natural, lightweight makeup, this is one that you will absolutely love.

August Haul

So, I went a little crazy this August. I've actually purchased more this month than I'd have any other month except for July of last year. I think something happens to me every mid-year and I buy stuff as therapy. Lol, that's still no excuse.

I got a little skin care stuff and a "few" makeup items. All of these I will blog about in the next few weeks as I'm still trying to get the feel of them and I'm still unsure of what I really think about them.

First up are the skin care products: the AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser (Php 478) and AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion (Php 548) from Etude House Philippines. I've been using these for a little less than two weeks now and I think these are phenomenal (so far). I haven't used my spot treatment for a few days now because I don't have any zits! I only bought the facial cleanser and the moisturizer because I'm not a fan of toners. They also have spot treatment and spot masks in this line.

Now on to the fun stuff. I purchased a mid-range (high end here in the Philippines) foundation from Benefit (well, their only foundation lol), the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup (Php 1,900) in the shade Petal. I was contemplating on whether to purchase Champagne, which seemed a better shade match for me, but upon comparing the two, I noticed Petal had more yellow undertones and I'm quite a yellow girl. I've used this thrice and it's been pretty good so far. It's lightweight and it does not feel sticky even after being worn for 12 hours on a hot, humid day. I haven't tested this with flash photography yet, but I'm expecting some flashback because of its SPF 25 PA +++. This foundation is oil-free and non comedogenic, and it hasn't caused me any break outs at all.

Upon purchasing the Benefit foundation that day, I told myself why not just go to town and purchase a well known good concealer. So I got the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (Php 1,250) in NC30. And, yes, it is the best! This does not crease and does not budge at all! I haven't tried using this alone as I always set my concealer with powder, but even without baking my under eye with this, it really does not crease. This will be my last MAC product purchase upon learning they've been testing on animals. I will not purchase any more until they are cruelty free again.

I got another beauty blogger essential, which is the Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel (Php 995) 77. AMC stands for Advanced Makeup Components. Inglot in SM Megamall had kindly held this in reserve for me. The first time I went this was out of stock and I inquired via Facebook afterwards when they would have it again. They informed me immediately once these babies were back in their inventory and had sweetly held one for me.

It's been said to be the blackest, mattest gel liner out there. I have found it easiest working with gel liners. I haven't had much luck with liquid eyeliners. They always dry out on me within a couple of months it's so annoying! We'll see how it goes, I haven't even popped this open yet teehee.

I got a few items from NYX as well. NYX is a drugstore brand in the US and they're cruelty-free! I've already had experience with their matte lipsticks and butter lipsticks and I've really liked them.

I purchased the NYX HD Concealer (Php 360) in CW05 Medium. I've heard good things about this concealer. I've used it only once so I don't know how I feel about it yet. 

It has a doe foot wand applicator just like my all time favorite drugstore concealer, the Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer. But whereas the Maybelline concealer is yellow, this one has pink undertones. I guess it's good for the under eye which is what I've used it for, but I haven't worn it long enough to see how it wears throughout the day.

Since I've recently been on a roll with concealers, I've also purchased the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Correcteur (Php 390) in Medium. 

As can be seen it's a peach corrector for the dark circles in the under eye area. I've used this thrice and I don't know if I'm just not applying enough, but I really don't want to apply too much product in my under eye area and emphasize the fine lines even more. But no matter what I do, I don't think it makes any difference! Maybe you can comment down below to give me some tips on how this can be used? I'd be forever grateful!

I also picked up two eyebrow products from NYX. I really wanted to get the eyebrow gel, unfortunately, it was out of stock when I went to their SM Megamall store. First up is the NYX Tame and Frame Tinted Brow Pomade in Brunette (Php 460). I've used this thrice now and I've been loving it so far! 

Beware, eyebrow pomades are not for beginners, especially if you have a heavy hand with application. A little of this product goes a long way. This is fantastic really, it lasts a long time even by itself without using a brow mascara to set the brow hairs. Also, Brunette, is a great shade match for me. It's a lighter brown than my actual hair color, but has grayish undertones. It's not shiny either. Don't you hate it when your eyebrows are shiny? Lol!

And, lastly, I picked up the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Brunette (Php 650). I think it's a little crazy that such a tiny eye brow pencil would cost so much. I've heard this is a great dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, which cost I think is even more insane! I'm not about to drop more than a thousand bucks for an eye brow pencil, come on.

Brow Product

Spoolie 

It's a two ended pencil with the retractable product on one end and a spoolie on the other. It's pretty convenient. I haven't used this one yet so I don't know what I think about it yet. It's pretty new to me since I'm used to a sword type pencil. 

Aaaaaaaannnndddd, that's all! I was going to get a new highlighter too, thank God, all the ones I wanted were out of stock, else my wallet would probably have a huge crater by now if it doesn't already. Feel free to give me suggestions on what other products I should try! 

Fun Feature: My MAC Lipstick Collection

Lipsticks are my thing. I have more lipsticks than I would ever need for a lifetime. Lipsticks are fun. And what could be better than having a collection of MAC lipsticks?

I love MAC lipsticks. I think the quality of their products is outstanding. MAC was my gateway drug to high end makeup products. You could really tell the difference in quality against cheaper local products. Best thing is MAC is paraben-free and lead-free.

I have nine MAC lipsticks so far. And I love each and every one of them. Each was bought with a lot of thought and hard decisions were made. LOL. Come on, they're expensive here in the Philippines, costing Php 1000 a pop.

Let's get to the fun part. Lipstick swatches on my NC30 skin tone:

Left to right: Patisserie, Kinda Sexy, Brave, Cosmo

Left to right: Mehr, Viva Glam Miley Cyrus, Girl About Town, Rebel, Russian Red

Let's start with the nudes.

1. Patisserie (Lustre)

Patisserie is, by far, my favorite out of the whole bunch. This is my holy grail "my lips but better" color. It comes in a Lustre finish so it's nearly sheer and takes a few swipes to get a good color pay off. This does not even last three hours on me because of the finish but I love it nonetheless and I don't mind reapplying.

2. Kinda Sexy (Matte)

This is a peachy nude kind of color. It's a matte finish so it lasts for a long, long time. It's not very drying, but it is my habit to put on some lip balm before applying lipstick, especially if it's matte. Kinda Sexy doesn't wash me out, but it is a tad lighter than my skin tone. I find it best worn with dramatic eyes.

3. Brave (Satin)

Brave is my second favorite among my collection. A very close second. This is a muted pink nude. It's another MLBB color, although more opaque than Patisserie. It comes in a Satin finish, meaning it's not matte, but not so creamy either. This lipstick lasts around 4 hours for me, that's without drinking or eating. This lipstick is great for everyday wear and I also hear this is the lip color of the famous (or infamous?) Kylie Jenner lips.

4. Cosmo (Amplified)

This lipstick photographs the best among my collection. This is what I wear when I know there will be some photo taking to where I'm going. This is another pinky nude and MAC describes it as a "coco pink" which I think is spot on. It's an Amplified finish, and it's very creamy, very smooth with a great color pay off.

5. Mehr (Matte)

Mehr is a matte, dirty pink lipstick. I think this is a fabulous nude for the fall season. It's a darker pink than Brave, but the color is still muted. This also lasts quite a long time on me although it's a bit drying. I would not recommend this lipstick if you have a lot of yellow in your undertones since this is a blue based pink and it'll be bound to make you look "dead".

Now onto the brighter colors:

6. Viva Glam Miley Cyrus (Amplified)

When I first saw this lipstick in the tube, I thought to myself "Stay far, far away." It's a blue-based, bright hot pink shade. But the sales assistant at the MAC store recommended it would be wearable and to my pleasant surprise it was! It's a bright color, but not too bright as to make people stare at you. It's a fun summer color. Also, MAC donates proceeds from sales of the Viva Glam line to the MAC AIDS Fund so it was a good buy for me. 

7. Girl About Town (Amplified)

This color is very close to Viva Glam Miley Cyrus. Only a tad more "berrier". I saw this color on Kim Kardashian and thought it looked stunning on her skin tone. MAC describes this as a fuchsia pink color which it really is. It's very flattering to women with medium to deep skin tones. Because it's an Amplified finish, it's creamy and the color pay off is vavavoom!

8. Rebel (Satin)

Rebel is among the most famous of MAC lipsticks. This lipstick is just gorgeous. On the tube, it looks terrifying as the color is a dark purple. It looks a bit plummy on me, but I've heard this lipstick looks different on a range of skin tones. Your lips' pigmentation is also a factor on how this lipstick would look on you. On some people, this would look pink, on some plummy or fuchsia and it looks purple on others. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this lipstick to anyone whether you're fair or dark. By the way, this lipstick is a bitch to take off. It's so long lasting, it leaves a stain on the lips and you'll need a good makeup remover to completely take it off. I find that I even need to brush my lips with my toothbrush to get the color gone.

And, lastly, my single red:

9. Russian Red (Matte)

Photo taken December 2014

People say Russian Red is the older sister of Ruby Woo (my younger sister has Ruby Woo and it's true.) Russian Red is deeper than the famous Ruby Woo. Russian Red would make you look more glamorous, more mature whereas Ruby Woo would make your face look brighter. What sold me on this lipstick is the fact that this was the color Madonna wore all throughout her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. I think this color is an iconic classic, it's never going to go out of style.

So there you have it, my MAC lipstick collection, so far. I did intend to buy more, but I've recently found out that in order to be able to sell in China, MAC has been testing on animals. MAC used to be cruelty free and it makes me feel quite disappointed that MAC is willing to compromise that for a profit. Nothing is worth the suffering of another. So I believe I won't be purchasing MAC products anymore until they're cruelty free again.