I just wanted to share the fun that we had during our Prenup Shoot last April 15. Checkout my wedding diary (link to my wedding blog on the tab Other Sites)  for more pics. :)

***UPDATE***

My photographer just uploaded some of our pictures from our fun photo shoot. You can check it out in my wedding blog.

I am just so addicted to lipsticks or lip tints or lip stains, whatever you call them. As of this writing, I have 11 lipsticks/lip tints. Yes, I am beginning to become a lipstick hoarder, and I am planning to buy more! :)

Anyway, I'll be talking about my Pink Sugar Tints in Queen Bee and Red Rouge shades.

I first had my hands on Pink Sugar Tint last year. I had ran out of my then favorite lip cream from Sooper Beaute and they already phased out that particular product so I was on the search for a replacement for my lip cream staple.

I was at SM Lanang department store when the colorful display of Pink Sugar Tints caught my eyes. Back then, the nude color trend hadn't invaded the makeup industry yet. I was just looking for a shade that was similar to my pink lip cream then. So I swatched the first batch of Pink Sugar Tints on my arm and I fell in love with the Red Rouge shade. It wasn't too red and wasn't too pink either.

Red Rouge

With flash

Without flash

No flash. Natural light (facing window)

With flash (facing window)

With flash (window behind me)

What I loved about this tint was it's pigmentation. It was very pigmented and a little product goes a long way. However, I had a love-hate relationship with this tint because the formulation was a little disappointing. This tint was pretty thick and difficult to apply because it dries too fast. Also, I found that it tends to be patchy and "namumuo" when I apply lip balm before or after application. It was also drying my lips.

I happen to read similar bad experiences from different bloggers who reviewed the first batch of tints released by Pink Sugar. So I guess it was really their formulation.



Then I learned that Pink Sugar released new shades and it was mostly nude colors. I was ecstatic but also a little weary. I was concerned about the formulation. So I read reviews first and looked for swatches to know which ones I'd like to purchase.

Then I was convinced that Pink Sugar improved their formulation and beauty bloggers were loving their new releases. So I went ahead and got one for myself.

Queen Bee

I bought the Queen Bee shade and I was in love with it. I love that it was creamier in formulation and it was easier to apply. Glides smoothly on my lips and no more prep needed. It's not patchy and no more "pamumuo" of the product. Also, it wasn't drying my lips. It's quick drying but it's totally an improved formula from the first one I bought. It has a true matte finish. It was also transfer proof with minimal drinking and eating. It does fade but it fades evenly and leaves a tint of color. This is my favorite lip product among my collection.

With flash

Without flash

With flash (facing window)

Without flash. Natural light (facing window)

Pink Sugar did a really great job at improving the formulation. They were also consistent with the pigmentation. I just loved this newer version of the Pink Sugar Tints.

The only drawback for me was the price. I'm a cheapskate and P349 was already pretty expensive for me but I would still repurchase when I ran out of this tint. I'd probably get another shade if the budget permits. :)

Another lip product that was a resident in my bag was the Bench Paintbox Lip Crayon.

From top to bottom: Brick Red and Pink Passion

I discovered this product by accident while I was searching the internet for Maybelline Lip Crayons. I didn't even know that Bench had a makeup line. I thought they only sold perfumes and lotions.

Anyway, I didn't see that many reviews about the lip crayons but the ones I read had nice things to say about this product. Also the price was really what convinced me to buy one.

Brick Red swatch with Flash

Brick Red swatch without Flash

No Flash. Natural Light (facing the window)

No Flash. Natural Light (window behind me)

With Flash (window behind me)

With Flash (facing the window)

Pink Passion swatch with flash

Pink Passion swatch without flash

No flash. Natural light (window behind me)

With Flash (window behind me)

With flash (facing window)

Likes:
- Creamy and easy to apply
- Very pigmented
- lightweight on the lips
- affordable (P159 only)
- leaves a tint of color after fading

Dislikes:
- Not transfer-proof
- smells like crayola
- no free sharpener (and Bench doesn't sell jumbo sharpeners)
- limited colors (only four colors available)

If you remembered, in 2015 I blogged about finding my HG shampoo and conditioner, the Happy Organics' Gugo Shampoo and Conditioner. However, my hair came to that plateau moment where in the products didn't work that well anymore. So last year, I was back on the search for the perfect hair products for my combination type of hair.

To expound more on my hair type, I have this weird combination of oily, frizzy, dry, untamed, semi straight from the roots and wavy on the bottom half kind of hair. Weird right? Anyway, at certain times of the day my hair type changes. Before shower, my hair is oily from the roots until the middle part and a little frizzy at the tips. After shower and after naturally air drying it, my baby hairs stand on ends and some dry strands become frizzy. Then after about an hour or two, the baby hair frizz tames down and my scalp produces just the right amount of natural oil that makes my upper part of the hair to be semi-straight and the tips to go wavy/curly -- like having a nice beach waves. Then after more than 12 hours, my hair goes back to it's pre-shower stage. So you see, that's how weird my hair is.

Another problem is having lots of hair fall, mostly due to breakage. So I had to consider all these factors in finding the right shampoo and conditioner.

Ever since I had my hands on organic shampoos, I couldn't convince myself to go back to SLS shampoos. That's why, it's a must for me to find a good organic shampoo without the hefty price tag. So I gave Human Heart Nature another try. At first I used my baby's HHN shampoo for girls. It was okay. Lesser hair fall but the problem is, it's not very bubbly for me. So I had to consume a handful for the product to produce bubbles. Since I'm sharing it with my daughter, the product doesn't last us long because I consume too much.



Then I bought my own and opted for the HHN Strengthening Shampoo in cool peppermint. I had used it for about a month and results were great. I still had hair fall but not that much anymore. It totally lessened and I was very happy that it finally worked for me. (By the way, I had already used this before, maybe 2 years ago, but it wasn't that effective back then.)



When I ran out of the Strengthening shampoo, I accidentally purchased a different variant (because the looked alike and I didn't read the label). Instead of buying the Strengthening shampoo, I picked up the Clarifying variant. It was still a good shampoo though because it's more bubbly than the Strengthening variant and I really felt like my hair and scalp was really clean every after wash. I just noticed more hair fall with it but it was still not the alarming amount of hair fall.



I will probably buy the strengthening shampoo again and just use it on most days and use the clarifying shampoo once or twice a week.

As for my conditioner, I could tolerate using commercial conditioners since most of them don't have SLS in it. Anyway, for the past year, I have emptied Dove Oxygen & Nourishment Conditioner,  Dove Intense Repair Conditioner, Dove Hair Fall Rescue Conditioner, Dove Daily Treatment Intense Repair Conditioner, and Daily Defense Keratin Conditioner (sorry forgot to take pics because I didn't think I was going to blog about it).

Based on my experience with the above mentioned conditioners, the Dove conditioners pretty much did the job okay. All the Dove conditioners I tried didn't aggravate my hair fall problem and it all helped with taming my frizz. However, at some point, I felt like the taming effects weren't that great after continued use. Somehow my hair grew accustomed to Dove that it just didn't have that same effect as with the first few months of use. Also, I read somewhere that one should alternate using hair care products because there's a tendency for the hair to hit plateau (product doesn't work anymore).

So, I introduced my hair to Daily Defense Keratin Conditioner (from Watsons) as I heard Keratin infused hair products are good. I like this conditioner at the first few weeks of use because my hair was soft and easy to finger comb. However, my hair fall worsened while I used it. I'm a cheapskate so I emptied the bottle just to not put my money to waste.

The next conditioner I tried was Pantene 3 minute miracle conditioner. I was scavenging through our bathroom essentials cabinet when I found a sample size of this conditioner that my brother won from a healthcare contest at work.


I instantly noticed lesser hair strands when I shower and my hair is really soft with it. I had already emptied two bottles as of this writing and am already on my third one. I love this conditioner because it didn't aggravate my hair fall problem and it goes well with my HHN Strengthening or Clarifying shampoos. Also, it made a very huge improvement on my hair. I would still get those excessive oils when I hit the 12 hours mark after washing but it is not anymore super oily. Also my hair doesn't feel limp and lifeless and it did a very good job with my waves.

I am not a super fan of combing my hair. I only comb my hair before shower and before sleeping. Sometimes I comb it when I come home from work because the jeepney ride really messed my hair up. But I am so happy that I get very less tangles and very less hair fall. This conditioner really helped manage all my hair problems. So this will definitely be a staple in my hair care regimen (for now).

P.S. Reactions to these products vary for each person, so what may work for me may not work for you. Thanks for reading and hope this post helped you with your hair dilemma. :)

Last year I blogged about all the lip stains, lip tints, and lipsticks that I owned. As I previously said, ever since 2014 I couldn't get out of the house without putting on lip color because my lips look pale with some dark spots here and there.

As of late, I am currently on the "matte" and "nude" lips trend. Today though, I'm featuring my most recent lipstick purchase, the EB Advance LTD Matte Liquid Lipstick in Jet Setter (this isn't a nude color).

I learned about this liquid lipstick about 2 weeks ago while I was browsing the internet for reviews on the Maybelline Powdermatte lipsticks. So I got super curious especially when I read that it only cost P180. Cheap right.

So for 2 weeks, I had searching for this liquid lipstick in all the department stores that I had been to. I scoured the beauty section at Gmall Dept store, JS Gaisano Dept store, NCCC Dept store, and Victoria Plaza Dept store, but I couldn't find it. I asked the sales ladies and they all said the same thing -- we don't have that item yet. SAD!!!

Then last Saturday, I finally found these liquid lipsticks at SM Lanang Dept store. You just won't guess how ecstatic I was to finally get my hands on them. So I swatched some of the colors that appealed to me: Cashmere Blush, Pink Pearl, Jet Setter, Rich Vino, Chocolate Truffle, and (I think) Private Beach (for swatches of the complete LTD lipstick shades please click the link: http://www.imgrum.org/user/ebadvance/1822174727/1432338879289477741_1822174727).


I had always had my eyes on Cashmere Blush because that was the shade the I always saw in blog reviews and almost all bloggers who reviewed it loved that shade. However, when I swatched it at the EB counter, I thought it was a little too pink for me. I was afraid that it might look too washed out because I had a morena complexion.

Among the swatches on my forehand, I was eyeing Private Beach and Jet Setter. I was torn between the two shades. I wanted to buy both but I was hesitant since I was on a tight budget. So my sister convinced me to get the Jet Setter for now since according to her, I already had a lip cream that had a similar shade with Private Beach.



I know the shade Jet Setter wasn't along the "nudes" but I just loved the muted pink-violet/plum color and it was my very first "non-red"/"non-pink"/"non-nude" lip color so I bought it anyway. Also, I had always been wanting to try a violet lip color but I was just afraid I won't be able to pull it off.


I road tested this liquid lipstick and wore it to church on Sunday. After the service, I went to the mall and ate fries. I thought it wouldn't fade but the color on the inner part of my lips was completely faded. There was still color on the outer part of my lips but it didn't fade evenly so my lip color looked off.

I wore this again to a get together with friends on Monday. We had BBQ for dinner and the entire lip color faded after the meal.

With Flash. Indoor Lighting

With Flash. Indoor Lighting

No Flash. Under Natural Lighting

No Flash. Under Natural Lighting

Likes:
- Very nice pink-violet/plum shade (sorry don't really know what hue this is called) that isn't too bright for my complexion
- VERY AFFORDABLE price
- So easy to apply
- VERY PIGMENTED
- Matte finish
- Non-drying
- a little goes a long way
- Straightforward packaging
- No odd taste
- No nasty smell

Dislikes:
- Available on selected malls only (or maybe because it's a new product that's why no availability in other branches)
- Fades when you eat

Overall, I am so in love with this liquid lipstick from Ever Bilena because the pros outweighed the cons. This is my first lipstick from this local brand and I am super impressed. I will purchase another shade from line and I am hoping that they will keep this in their collection because it's a total lipstick staple!