This is in response to the tag I got from Groovy Black Chick the other day. I decided to have fun for once and unmask 7 random facts about me as well. No makeup talk for the meantime.

1. I’m a huge Legolas fan. That should explain the leggylass nick I often use- it has absolutely got nothing to do with my appendages.

2. I studied classical piano back in elementary and high school but I always skipped my piano classes. I wanted to learn to play contemporary music, instead.

3. I’m a believer of chakras. I have healing crystals for every chakra point.

4. I have fear of crossing the streets. I got into an accident once, got hit by a motorcycle.

5. I think Michael Copon is hot. He was slightly annoying as the rich brat Felix Tagaro in One Tree Hill (James Lafferty was my idea of handsome) but I surprisingly found him extremely appealing in the “Scorpion King 2.” He’s Fil-am, by the way.

6. I have an old pillow which I love hugging to this day. It has a texture that makes me enjoy scratching it.

7. The first song I learned as a kid was “You Light Up My Life.”

I’m tagging anyone who wants to answer this post. Hopefully, Misakichan, Lipstickaddict, Sophie and Shen can answer, too.

Model: Alyssa Chaves
Photography by: Dustein Sibug

I did her makeup under difficult circumstances- in the car parked in a quiet place but it rained that I had to continue doing her makeup with my hubby holding up an umbrella for me. The color pink wouldn’t pack and kept falling off. The colors were difficult to blend on top of UDPP. This was not the look I had in mind but I had to innovate a little because of the faulty blending and packing.

Practicing it on myself. It is easier to blend without a primer.

Attempting face painting on my niece

This eyeshadow palette is a hit among youtubers and bloggers. My guiding principle in purchasing cosmetics or any goods for that matter is that you get what you pay for. I don’t usually fall for cheaper alternatives unless the feedbacks are really good, otherwise they’d end up gathering dust or locked up in the closet. By scrimping, I end up paying for more.

As a makeup artist, branded products are the easier way to go, but the ability to hunt for more affordable but good products is a skill to be learned. Otherwise, your fees will keep on surging to keep up with the pricey arsenals. If practicing, it’s good to start with cheaper alternatives. Think of it this way: when practicing how to drive, using a cheaper, less advanced vehicle like a jeep, will make you a more adept driver who knows how to work it in difficult circumstances. If you start on an automatic transmission, power steering and all, you will enjoy the comfort of it that you will no longer be willing to drive a less powerful and cheaper car because it will put you in a very stressful situation. Same goes with makeups: if you know how to make an ebay 120 eyeshadow palette work, you will have no trouble shifting to a Mac or Make Up For Ever palette. If it’s the other way around, you will complain a lot and might even ditch the 120 palette and stick to the branded stuffs and practice on really expensive products. For me, the 120 palette is a good buy for practicing creative makeup because of the striking colors but you will have to deal with its weaknesses.

When my 120 palette arrived, there were about 10 colors that cracked. It was enveloped in a very thick layer of bubble wrap yet it didn’t prevent them from cracking. When I dipped my brush on some intact colors, they went phloof and disintegrated as well.

Here’s my assessment of it:

PROS:

• Cheap- I spent less than P1000 or around $21 including shipping (which was pricier, by the way)
• Wide color selection.  You get a variety of dime- sized 120 colors. You won’t need  pool-sized eyeshadows to practice, anyway.
• Highly Pigmented- no need for a primer on this one. Bold, striking colors in a single wipe. You will enjoy making rainbow patterns and let your creative mind go wild. You can go face painting using this palette.
• It came with a free gift- a travel size brush set

CONS:

• They crack big time-It was a good thing I still had my binder and pressed them back together.
• Some colors are not that great- when I tried fuschia pink on my model, it wasn’t as good as it looked. It won’t pack and kept falling off. I had to keep retouching only to fall off again. It was too powdery.
• They won’t blend when used on top of UDPP. I didn’t get the look that I wanted in my model because of the blending problem. Lesson learned: No primer should be used for this palette.
• It has a scent. A baby powder but not an overpowering kind of scent.

Verdict: 3.5/5.0. A little messy to use with the powdery consistency of some but the pay off of most colors is worth it. Good for practicing.

Do I regret purchasing it: At first, when I saw the cracked colors but when I started practicing on them, the colors were amazing.

Will I repurchase? Maybe not in a long time. By the time I consume all the colors, I will be skilled enough  to move on to Ben Nye, Kryolan or other professional theatrical makeup lines.

I was about to sleep when an email alert caught my attention- the Smashbox Glam Holiday Kits which include this one:

A $225 value that you can get for only $59! The palette contains the following:
70 eyeshadows
8 cream eyeliners
8 lipglosses & 4 lipcolors
2 blush shades
brow tech
soft lights
4 brushes

Smashbox does not ship internationally but since my friend will be coming home from the US, I lost no time in ordering one for myself. Darn, I broke my no-buy rule. But hey, this is a limited edition and a chance too good to pass up.

This is available online from Smashbox.com. Avail of a free mini fusion soft lights in Celebrity for every $50 worth of purchase. Use the code: Celeb. I ‘ve been smacking my head when I forgot to use this code upon checkout. I must have been too excited about my order.

Yup, you’ve read that right. Coastal Scents introduces its latest addition to their products, the gel liners. Your addiction to fluid eyeliners doesn’t have to come at a steep price. The Coastal Scents Gel Liners are only $6.95 each, with 10 colors to choose from. These babies are said to be highly pigmented and should last all day. Will it deliver its promises? Let’s find out. Let’s wait who gets to review it first. Probably I’ll dish my own when I do get my hands on it it. The color selection is interesting. It should be nice for creative makeup.