Newbie Style Challenge

Gogo posted Newbie Style Challenge on her blog the other day. I wasn't able to blog my entry earlier because of problems with my Internet connection, and the challenge actually finished a few days ago, but I decided to give it a try anyway :) The task was to make a fashionable newbie avatar with the cost no bigger than 20L$ (see Gogo's post for full guidelines). I made a girl's look and a boy's look - my main goal was to make outfits with a sense of personality, not just random things threw in together. I am satisfied with the result and I hope you will like it too :)




Outfit details:



Girl - avatar cost 17L$:

• Top: artilleri @ The Gnubie Store (Jennae dress / in Pink) / 1L$ / I turned the dress into a top by resizing the skirt and moving it upward
  
• Jeans: fri.day (Low.Rise Jeans / in Midnight) / 0L$ / GSH item
  
• Shoes: magi take (Leather flip flop / in Beige) / 10L$ / tinted R: 242, G: 109, B: 199
  
• Necklace: chuculet (Ina pearl necklace / in Cream) / 5L$
  
• Sunglasses: miw @ The Gnubie Store (Soda Painted Sunglasses / in Pink) / 1L$
• Bag: Tres Blah (Tote Bag) / 0L$ / subscribo gift
• Nails (with jewellery): U&R Dogs (Nail Aleko) / 0L$ / 15 minute camp
• Skin: LeLutka (LOLA_lgt-ORTA(L Brows)hairbase) / 0L$ / Orta opening free gift
• Hair: D!va (Haruka / in Rhodolite) / 0L$ / Group gift limited hair
  
• Eyes: Umedama Holic (Tsuya Eye) / 0L$ / GSH item
  
• Shape: I made one / 0L$

Boy - avatar cost 16L$:

• T-shirt: Arai @ Saikin (Thunder T_Red) / 0L$
  
• Jeans: magi take (Skinny Jeans / in Stone) / 10L$
  
• Shoes: magi take (Leather flip flop / in Green) / 0L$ / tinted R: 51, G: 51, B: 51 / there are black flip flops available for 10L$, but I wanted to stay within 20L$ challenge limit, and the green flip flops were free
  
• Necklace: EarthStones (Beaded Touch Necklace / in Chrysoprase) / 0L$
• Bracelet: Concrete Flowers (Rainbow Shagbands) / 1L$ / tinted R: 23, G: 23, B: 23
  
• Sunglasses: miw @ The Gnubie Store (Soda Painted Sunglasses / in Black) / 1L$
• Guitar: Kujisawa Guitars (Ryuu 4) / 0L$
• Suitcases: BSN (Attache cases) / 1L$ / I coloured them a bit
  
• Skin: Glamorize (Alexander Skin 07) / 2L$
  
• Hair: From library (Male Rocker Hair / in Black) / 0L$ / I made a hairbase out of system hair for this style
  
• Eyes: Umedama Holic (Tsuya Eye) / 0L$ / GSH item
  
• Shape: Decolletage (William Shape) / 1L$ / I edited it a bit
  

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: GIORGIO ARMANI ROUGE D'ARMANI LIPSTICK IN 504

Here's an initial review on GIORGIO ARMANI ROUGE D'ARMANI LIPSTICK IN 504

PRICE: ?
PLACE BOUGHT: HONG KONG AIRPORT, HONG KONG
OTHER LOCATIONS: GIORGIO ARMANI COSMETICS ONLINE, EXCLUSIVE DEALERS

THE VERDICT:

My first ever Armani cosmetic is the Shine lipstick, which is impressive by the way. I love the color, the feel, and how it compliments my skin tone very much! There's really no going back once you try Armani!

My second lipstick is from the Rouge D'Armani line. The newest formulation by Armani for their lipsticks. Here's a description taken from giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com:

Exceptional long-wear formula results in up to 8 hours of intense color. Experience comfort and shine, without fading and feathering. Soft texture leaves lips feeling continuously hydrated. Lipstick packaged in an elegant black lacquered case with an exclusive magnetic closure. Sealed with a click.

Let's now review the packaging.

And I thought that Chanel's lipstick packaging is the most sophisticated, elegant, classy, and expensive-looking packaging there is! Armani's shiny black tube is elegance redefined. It's edgy, because of the metallic silver sheen, yet the black color makes the packaging a classic. Black is indeed the color of sophistication!

The magnetic closure makes this very convenient. No need to worry about not putting the cap tightly because it seals with a click! The emblem in the middle has the initials of the brand.

Let's now review the product.

504 is a purple rose shade. The slight purple undertone made this unique, and the rose made it wearable at the same time.

In terms of quality, this lipstick glides on smoothly. Once you swipe it on your lips, it dresses it like fabric. Imagine how a soft piece of fabric hugs your body perfectly and snuggly. And the lipstick settles to a light and feathery finish with a super pigmented color pay- off. Staying power is good, yet I can't say that it stayed put for 8 hours because I've been drinking, eating and smoking. Finish is satin. And it did not dry my lips out!

And if you're going to ask me if I'm going to buy this again, it is a resounding yes! I want to get the shade 510, which looks like a coral shade. I've realized that I've no more coral lippies in my stash. And boy, I would love to have one from Armani! :)

HAULS FOR THE WEEK

Hola dearies! Que tal?

Another week has passed, and we're entering another one. I can't believe that we're halfway through the year already!

Here are some of my accumulated hauls from this week and last week. :)

My haul from Hobbes and Landes, The Fort High Street.

Labels and a notepad. Being the OC that I am, I just have to put labels basically on anything that I own, especially my books!

A treat for my beagle and labrador.

And finally, I got myself a Sigg aluminum water bottle. It's lightweight, doesn't hold smells from drinks, peel and chip resistant. And the color is cute!

My hauls from Zara, The Face Shop, and The Body Shop. The Body shop's paper bag was not in the pic because the beagle tore it into pieces right before I knew it.

I love Face Shop's cleansing foams. This time, I'm trying Mung Bean. It illuminates and sloughs off rough facial skin surfaces. It's effective, and super cheap for a huge tube!

I'm finished with my dry oil mist and I got myself another one. And I also got meself a bath and massage oil. Oh how I love the body shop's rose- scented products!

An eyeshadow which I bought on impulse. I'm looking for a justifiable reason on why purchasing this eyeshadow was the right thing to do. So I just thought that I was lemming for a pearly pink eyeshadow for quite some time now.

The body shop freebies that came along with my haul. A cosmetic pouch, white musk edt sample vial, and a travel bottle of a japanese cherry blossom body wash.

While almost all of the girls are raving about Forever 21 here in Manila, I'm going gaga over Zara, one of my favorite clothing brands.

Zara, Powerplant Mall was on a huge sale! And I was able to score really cute clothes that are very cheap! My total bill for everything is 2380php, considering that it's only the price of a dress or top if you buy it on a non- sale day in Zara. I got 5 clothes for the price of one!

Ain't this sleepwear cute? I wanted to get two more but I have to stick with my budget. Sando and boy shorts terno both for 595php only.

A crisp white spag top with an unusual hem cut that's perfect as an inner wear. I love the fit of this one, and I'm happy that it's boyfriend- approved, meaning my boobies are not showing or almost exposed. Therefore, it's approved for public wear. Got it for 295php only.

A Zara brand basic tee which I got for 495php. Original price was around 795php (?)

And my favorite haul from Zara. A cute country- style crisp polo with a ribbon at the hem in the middle. Good to pair with my tattered denim shorts and leather brown bag for that Daisy Duke style!

HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!

What Color Is This?

Bianca Lorene

These are the images that

I simply

can not erase...

Bella Notte

They seem to haunt me from day to day...

imprinted forever on my mind~

La Madone

So...

I have decided to paint

my playroom!!

BUT I can't do this without YOU

&

I do need your HELP

pretty please~

What color & shade do you see

in these images the very most?

Have a fun weekend

my darlings!!

XO's

fin

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: AQUAPHOR HEALING OINTMENT

Here's an initial review on AQUAPHOR HEALING OINTMENT

PRICE: 350PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: FROM A RESIDENT DOCTOR OF INTELLICARE (MY HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDER)

OTHER LOCATIONS: DRUGSTORES (?)

THE VERDICT:

Last April, I've had severe chapped lips. I had this nasty habit of peeling off the skin when my lips are dry. It's equally satisfying and entertaining in a way that I can only appreciate. The chapping occurred for a week. I've applied petroleum jelly, lip balm, and every single lip remedy there is in my house, but the dryness persisted and stayed. And one day, the dry skin have developed blisters underneath, and it was so painful! I could barely drink or eat!

Then I've awaken to a bloody and super rough lip surface. It felt so painful. It felt as if someone threw a huge punch on my lips, which caused it to pop. I immediately went to see the doctor.

To cut the long story short, the dryness was caused by stress, pollution and sun exposure. I've had a wound on my lips and the continuous exposure to pollution and the sun caused an air- borne bacteria to find a breeding ground on my lip wound.Then the condition worsened.

I was laughing really hard when I've found out that the bacteria responsible for the infection is called HERPESPLEXIS. Nope, I don't have STD. It's a bacteria that causes dryness and infection on body parts with thin skin, especially the lips.

The only recommended topical medication is Aquaphor, which was sold to me by the doctor who checked my condition. Aquaphor is a healing ointment for severely dry skin, most especially the lips. I was advised to apply it before I eat or brush my teeth, then i have to drink antibiotics to combat the bacteria from within.

Aquaphor is made of a special petroleum base with lotsa' moisturizing and healing properties that are naturally found in the skin such as glycerin and collagen. It is unscented, glides easily, colorless, yet it feels kinda' heavy on the lips since it's meant to provide a barrier. But when applied thinly, it'll do the trick.

For 2 weeks, I've been using this. It indeed lessened the pain of the wound whenever I over stretch my lips when I smile, talk, or laugh. It's also effective because it provides a thick barrier that shields my lips from food, making me eat whatever I want when the wound is in the process of healing.

If you are the type who would always get windburns, severe dry lips, or cracked lips, i recommend Aquaphor. Whenever I would feel that my lips are peeling and drying, I slather some then leave it on my lips overnight. Then the next day, the peeling and drying are gone!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: AVON IDEAL SHADE PRESSED POWDER IN MEDIUM

Here's an initial review on AVON IDEAL SHADE PRESSED POWDER IN MEDIUM

PRICE: 365PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: AVON LADY (DIRECT SELLING)

OTHER LOCATIONS: AVON OUTLETS IN MALLS; AVON LADIES

THE VERDICT:

This face powder is given to me as a gift by my aunt for my 22nd birthday. And this came just in time because my Sephora powder is almost finished.

The Ideal Shade Powder Promise.

Let's now review the product.

Powder case is quite big, so expect it to require a good amount of space in your bag. But it's lightweight, so you don't have to worry that it might be too heavy. The packaging is quite classy, If I am going to compare it with the past packaging designs of Avon.

It comes with a puff, which I seldom use because I like applying my powder with a brush so that the powder is distributed evenly and will look more natural when blended.

Medium is a tan shade with a slight rose undertone. It is the darkest among the 3 shades offered by the brand. I thought that it might be a shade lighter than my skin tone. But since this fits almost any skin tone, this might just do the trick.

The powder is semi- chalky, yet it applies effortlessly with little fall out. It has no scent, and it leaves no trace of color, if applied lightly. But if you build it up, a hint of color may show on your skin.

As you can see, the shade matched the skin tone of my neck even if the shade seemed a bit light for my skin tone. The light reflexive and tone- adjusting properties of this powder did the trick.

Staying power is impressive. It did not cake nor streak during the day. And it also kept my face matte for 3 hours maximum. I love that it's at par with MAC and Sephora's staying power. But if you're looking for coverage, this one might not be your best bet. This powder is formulated to suit almost any dark skin tone so one trick to give that effect is to make the formulation semi- translucent.

Another important thing, I did not break- out nor experienced any allergic reaction to this product.

I'm impressed and I see myself buying this again. To be honest, Sephora's quite costly with the pre- ordering cost and all. And I use up my face powder in 1- 2 month's time so this proves to be a good alternative. :)

HAULS FOR THE WEEK+HUBBY AND I'S 36TH MONTHSARY

Hello my lovely readers!

Howarya guys? Long time no blog! I've been busy with Dulaang UP's fund- raising project, rehearsal, and studies so I've basically no time to finish my blog drafts! Plus, I've new books that I have to read and I haven't finished Lolita yet!

Hubby and I ate at Seven Corners, Crowne Plaza, Ortigas to celebrate our 36th month together as a couple. Time flies by so quickly! We've realized that we've been together for so long, yet everything still feels so fresh! I just love my Randy so much. He makes me complete, and same way to him. It's good to know hat after all that we've been through, the break- ups, heartaches and all are worth it! Now, we're stronger and better!

And now, off to my hauls for the week. I haven't bought a single make- up since May. It's because I don't feel the need to, and I have enough to last me a lifetime. But make- ups still kept on coming because people would always buy or give me make- ups. But I'm pretty sure, I'm getting something from MAC's Venomous Villains collection! And once I empty my MUFE lift concealer, I'm trying Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage. Been wanting to try that for a long time now.

Anyway, here are my hauls.

And hubby's gift to me for our 3rd year anniversary as a couple. A shaker cup, which I've been dying to have ever since I've been taking protein shake as a work out supplement. Too bad, the packets are weight gain supplements, not protein shakes. It's been a tough journey losing my excess pounds so I'm not drinking these! Good thing a friend of mine who needs this decided to buy these packets! :)

Hauls for the week.

I had to buy this 'cos of the 2010 beauty awards. :p

And books! Books are another addiction of mine, apart from make- up. I've saw this metal bookmark in Fully Booked with an engraved list of 50 books to read before you die. So I got the following from the list: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT- TIME by Mark Haddon and WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte.

Have a great week! :)