I know you saw the photo, but don’t jump on it just yet, I knowwwwwwww… my heart leaped in the same way when I saw these in Watsons a few days ago thinking they might be like really good drugstore matte lipsticks. I don’t slam products needlessly, but I do need to tell the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maybelline products, especially their eye stuff…but this time, this time FOR THE FIRST TIME, frankly I actually want a refund. I feel totally misled.

So far, exciting, right…

The short swatches are one swipe, the long swatches were my best effort to get them solidly opaque after like 4-5 swipes…when I saw pigment separating that’s when I knew something was wrong. Sheer mattes that aren’t quite matte?! Plus, why don’t these build? Not all of them were complete flops, one sort of stood out, but I’ll save the best for last and begin with the ugh…hard to say, but really the worst one. I had high hopes for this orange. Whatever you do do not get MAT3, that’s this one

A heavy handed swipe on the lower lip, I’m not kidding. What the hey. It doesn’t even register bright orange, it comes on like a lip butter with less sheen.

Um, see pigment separating and settling into my lip creases? Le sigh, I was heavy handed with this orange and I even had concealer over my lips to help the bright shade it should have been…awful that orange is. It’s more like LOWrange.

MAT5 above is a pink toned rouge, way better pigment than the orange, but tell me…does THAT look matte to you? Plus the shade doesn’t feel BOLD it’s quite mehmeh. Mom says it seems as if they may have mislabeled these or the lipsticks went to the wrong labeling batch (BOLD MATTE??!).

Last but finally not the least, bolder and more matte (still not matte enough though) is MAT1, a slightly cool but also slightly coral pop of pink that is not too bright for MAC NC30-35 skintones to use. It strongly reminds me of MAC Pink Nouveau or even a slightly less bright Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent. I have a feeling THIS ONE would have registered completely matte in a drier country. I also purchased a more orange red hoping it would be a Lady Danger dupe but it wasn’t matte. That one was a lovely color kinda like Revlon’s Classic Fire and Ice but because it wasn’t matte I passed it on to my Lola who absolutely loved it, she didn’t mind that it wasn’t matte. I have no idea why the quality throughout the range is so inconsistent. Maybelline, I still love your brand to bits, especially the mascaras and gel liners but next time you label a range BOLD MATTE what I expect for my money is BOLD MATTE. These retail for PHp399.00 from Watsons and wherever Maybelline counters are sold in pharmacies and department stores nationwide. If you see these in store DEMAND for a tester before you decide on getting any of them. Did any of you jump on these ending up as frustrated as me or did I just get dealt a bad batch?

Just wanted to share with you a Mother’s Day pick and what I did with it   This was more of a side gift for Mom, my main gift was a bag.  I spotted this chic bamboo tabletop mirror in the window display of Make Room…I was walking fast and took several steps back.  It caught my eye and it just happened to be on sale at 25% off from Php595, so it ended up beig just Php446.00.  This isn’t my main gift and I decided to use it creatively to present the more expensive gift. For that purpose in itself the price was okay and I knew this was good because now I want one, too LOL. Prices on mother’s day gifts don’t matter by the way, that’s relative to where we are all at. What matters is you give straight from the heart and give her something you know will brighten her day.

The mirrror comes in a box with 3 parts that are really easy to assemble, the bamboo base, the stainless stem and the mirror with the joint behind it which you screw or twist onto the stem.  If you’re wondering about the lipsticks I used to personalize it just for today I used the Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks I blogged about a few weeks ago…easily wiped off with tissue.

You’ll need a simple screwdriver to attach the base to the stem, I did it myself.  I personally think it would have been nicer as an oval or better yet a circle but it still looks great.  You can adjust the tilt and rotate it left or right! You may have to spritz the joint with WD40 though to make it move easier. Anyhoo enough material talk for now, it’s time to let our mom indulge in our hugs and kisses plus time, prayer, and attention. I pray God blesses each of your moms and don’t forget to make them feel special not just today but everyday. If you are a Mom, I praise you today…if you feel you aren’t a good one, recognize it but don’t dwell on it, your children don’t just need you deep inside they want you in their lives. Begin today! We’re all works in progress, just don’t wave the WIP flag. God loves you! Have a joyful day!

What rocks this nationwide (Philippines only) UK beauty giveaway is it is a leap forward into spring (globally niweiz), it will blind you with coral pink, and frankly these bits of beauty aren’t readily available in retail here. I still haven’t made up my mind on whether I should sneak in past all of you and join in myself under an alias LOL (I kid alright).

LOVELY LOOT:

• Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub 250ml £8.00
• L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray (Extra Strength) travel size 75ml £2.39
• Jo Malone Travel Candle(Lime Basil & Mandarin) 60g £22.00
• Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Stellar) 5.5ml £5.99
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, (Medium3 /MAC NC30) £4.19
• Maybelline SuperStay 14-hr Lipstick (Stay With Me Coral)
• L’Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara WP (Black) £10.99
• Givenchy Bloom Compact Mirror, w/ red velvet sleeve (gift w/ purchase)

All this stuff is seriously soooo hard to give away. To join simply follow the instructions given by the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post, there are 3 required actions and 1 bonus action for more entry points. In the meantime click Read More to jump to close-up photos of the prizes and what I know about the praises sung of them. The trivia about a couple of these is quite compelling. The Rafflecopter mechanics follow immediately after.

Just looking at these photos makes me smell AND see the blooming freshness of spring already!

This Soap and Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub with notes of fig, orange, yuzu and pomelo smells yum but cleanly fragrant at the same time. It’s the partner scrub of their Foam Call body wash. I heard about this scent from Anna of “Vivianna Does Makeup”. She was originally talking loads about the Foam Call body wash which has the same fragrance notes. L’Oreal Elnett is the hairspray of high fashion biggies and celebrities alike…what it’s known for abroad is “brushable” hair hold and it keeps hair where you need it without looking like you’ve got hairspray on. The only con about it is the smell is strong for some people, I tried to find the new fragrance-free version but there wasn’t a travel size of it. I read a proper explanation about this mainstay spray from its feature here on bigtime beauty blog ITG (Into the Gloss).

Now, what’s with the candle? Jo Malone London is the Briton answer to Diptyque which is one of their direct competitors. Jo Malone has everything scented from candles to colognes, advanced skincare and bath & body products. On the Royal Wedding Day, reportedly, Kate, now the Duchess of Cambridge, had personally requested a selection of Jo Malone candles to fill the Abbey with fragrance, including Jo Malone’s bestselling Lime Mandarin & Basil candles, yup that’s one single scent but they said she also combined Grapefruit candles to layer fragrances in the Abbey. For lashes L’Oreal False Lash Telescopic is model Ruth Crilly’s staple mascara (A Model Recommends) and it’s currently mine as well. This is the UK titled same mascara as my L’Oreal Shocking Extensions Telescopic Mascara from the US, the waterproof version gives beautiful definition (both volume and length), won’t smudge and holds curl so well. It’s everything I want in a mascara.

The Maybelline 14-hr longwear lipstick, a completely creme matte range, was somewhat of a dark horse drugstore product until Lisa Eldridge practically waxed poetic over the matte shades Stay With Me Coral and Non-Stop Red in her Ultimate Guide to Red Lipsticks video here. The shade I’m giving up (huhu…haha I have my own of course) is Stay With Me Coral which is the first bright coral lipstick that doesn’t make me look like a clown, it’s a warm bright pink and the range smells like raspberry gummi bears. It stays on grandly without completely drying out my lips or making them peel but to be safe I still recommend hydrating your lips overnight with a rich balm before using this the next day. Next up we’ve got Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (which I saw on FleurDeForce’s channel)… this in particular is having its moment of glory currently as a top drugstore liquid lipstick. I did, however, review something similar by Careline locally, you might want to check those out (they even smell the same, that synthetic watermelon note). Although Rimmel Apocalips isn’t as longwearing as I’d hoped (4-5 hours max) the colors go on strong and fade later on beautifully and this bright coral fuschia shade, “Stellar”, is actually quite…stellar. Last but NOT AT ALL the least is Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer which has been raved on by at least a billion (I exaggerate) beauty bloggers in Europe online. The Lasting Perfection shade Medium 3 which matches MAC NC30, is the shade I got and it is the most exact liquid concealer shade I have ever owned. This, my friends, is the first drugstore product I’ve encountered with this much hype that ACTUALLY delivers following every good word every person has ever had to say about it. It just works…it goes on creamy then dries semi-matte to matte, it covers the under-eye area, spots, and everywhere else fabulously and doesn’t get cake-y on me. I also picked up on how good this was first from Fleur as she mentioned it repeatedly through monthly favorites and also in her Best of Beauty 2012 video. I just can’t say enough about it and the fact that it’s only £4.20 (Php270.00) per tube is a blessing. For most of my time in Europe I was only wearing this concealer and pressed powder on top. There are only4 shades and mine, Medium 3 is the second to the darkest. The darkest is Deep 4 (probably an NC40 match) and it was sold out at the time when I looked in both Boots in Dublin and UK.

As a simple, spring bonus I’m also including this super pretty Givenchy Bloom compact mirror. It’s a gift of goodwill for me because the Filipino sales assistant in a Dutyfree I purchased perfumes from was so happy to encounter a fellow Filipino that he gave me not just one but two of these lovely mirrors and they feel heavy, seem to be made of steel with enamel, and snap firmly with magnetized lids. It has a regular and magnifying mirror on either lid and also comes with a red velvet sleeve for classy safekeeping. So that’s it for all the loot folks, now you know what you could be winning so now is the time to KEEP CALM AND JOIN I love you guys! From May to you… haha…haha.

Now in the past, to be honest, I was never completely smitten with the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks. The color selection then was somewhat blah because none of the shades I encountered ever seemed to suit my oriental undertone. The shades would look great obviously on someone paler or Caucasian in ethnicity and I didn’t care to buy darker shades just to find something that would suit. It’s nice to know that the Color Sensational lipstick range is at least randomizing the reds up a bit and that Maybelline locally are bringing in a couple more vibrant colors. I was sent these shades to try. The swatches are pretty gorgeous. If you’re having trouble distinguishing between the reds, here’s a primer: Are You Red-dy is the softer, slightly milkier red, Very Cherry is like a non-matte, less cool dupe of MAC Ruby Woo, and the deepest red of all is Red Revival, a good drugstore dupe for MAC Russian Red, a warm earthy rouge.

You’ll have to excuse me but the lighting of the shots with the lipstick applied wasn’t very good today…there were passing clouds and the dilemma of shifting sunlight. I balanced the hue out as best I could so that colors appear in their truest form.

I was more impressed with the payoff of the reds than the lighter shades, it’s a nice creamy texture and the pigment is more opaque than the previous formula of Color Sensational as I remember it. I’m not fully convinced though on the improved longevity end…I felt grease. I just wish these shades looked as good on my lips as they do on my arm. It’s a bit too high shine for my personal taste mainly because my lips are massive. I feel this will only last 3-4 hours on me and once I eat it might be a goner. Lipliner is absolutely necessary. I used Nichido lipliners before applying the red shades. Blotting will add staying power.

The problem of transfer wouldn’t be the case if you used this in an air-conditioned environment or a country with a drier climate. It probably stays on better in less humid places like the U.S. or Europe. I prefer a tad more drag where my lips are concerned and less shine. This I think would be really pretty on girls with more petite lips and would certainly bring out that lovely pout. Color Sensational lipsticks are available for Php399 from PCX, Watsons, and leading department stores that carry Maybelline Products nationwide.

There’s a tidal wave of automatic lipstick crayons surging through the beauty blogosphere at the moment, all but one are spin-offs (come on, we know that).  I’d like to own a nice sturdy, fat lipstick crayon someday just to see…but, sometimes still…well, I don’t know.  To me there’s something still immensely chic, iconic, and quite grown-up (never old) about classic, creamy lipstick in a bullet and I can’t seem to get enough nude mauve shades on board.

“Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick, created by Dick Page for Shiseido, fuses powerful skincare with cutting-edge color technologies to create the ultimate lipstick. You will fall in love with the clear, true color and rich, full-looking finish that make these luscious shades unique.  Driven by the advanced technology of Dual Optimizing Powder, Ultra-Fine Satin Smooth Pearl, and Super Hydro-Wrap Vitalizing DE, each radiant shade gives lips lustrous, all-day moisture and a protective veil that actually improves texture.”

Think of a beige that’s been spiked with a rose undertone and that’s what you have with PK303 or Pink Mesa, which costs between Php1100-1250 locally (I’ll clear up pricing with them).  Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge lipstick in PK303 or Pink Mesa is an absolutely wearable nude mauve.  It might not be the most exciting color ever, but it’s elegant and no one will ever debate with me to question how wearable it is, because it is super wearable.  It’s a keeper and a Shiseido lipstick case as sleek as this just amps up any evening bag or purse on you.   I’m guessing Perfect Rouge is kind of like the Shiseido counterpart to the Dior Addict lipstick range.  The lipstick, even with a moist feel, doesn’t migrate outside the lip edge too easily.  It won’t make a mess  if you eat or drink, but you will need to top up afterwards.  You get rich, medium to full intensity pigment in a classic, creamy, moist texture which softly highlights the lips without glossing them over.  I’m guessing that in Western countries, where the climate is loads less humid or quite dry, you’d probably get exquisite adherence and more longevity out of this without losing softness.

I chose this after the Shiseido Workshop I did (which I will blog about soon).  This shade PK303 I think would suit skin shades from a MAC NC30 down to an medium NC40 at most.  Just a note, in real life this shade is just slightly warmer.  I think my screen is playing tricks with me, the lipstick looks a bit cooler here (not by much) but my skintone is correct.  I brightened the scene because it was kind of dark at home earlier.  I spread my L’Oreal Magic Lucent foundation across my lips before lipstick application to counteract the strong deep color of my natural lips (which often interferes with paler lipstick shades) and doing that helped the lipstick shade take more of the limelight.  I used the lipstick straight from the bullet, no lipliner.  Shiseido Perfect Rouge in PK303 Pink Mesa is marked online as a NEW shade.  Check out your local Shiseido Counter or boutique if you’d like to try it on.

*press sample provided by brand for review