Monthly Archives

July 2011

Movie Review

Review: Deathly Hallows 2, and Happy Birthday Harry!

Posted on July 31, 2011

I have no idea how old you are in your fictional life, but I wish you blessings and warm tidings. You don’t look very happy in the picture above though…

I spent the day with you by the way (again! cue the eye-rolling of people who will not understand). Watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie 2 today with family. Yours is the ONLY movie franchise we watch together, and that’s saying something, as we are a dysfunctional lot and do not really like spending that much time together as a unit. Makes me even sadder that with the ultimate end of the telling of your life story in movie magic, comes the end of one excuse for genuine family bonding as well. I divert, but I guess that is part of the point I am making.

I’ve seen the movie three times, and if time and money permit that I see it a few more times, I am certain it will not grow old. Not just yet. The film was properly dark and subtle in places, properly dark and exciting where it matters. It will still beg patience of movie-goers who only rely on the films to follow your story, but that is a given, with two-inches thick of words to go through. I still lose it on that final scene of Severus Snape, and I do not stop crying until the credits roll, by which time even my Coke has gone salty with my tears. That last two images before the close–and I quote a fellow geek–were poignant.

This is turning out to be the saddest birthday greeting ever. Sorry! Happy birthday Harry Potter! And JK Rowling too!

Makeup and Skincare

Review: Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover

Posted on July 31, 2011

I was going to wait until I finished the entire pact before commenting on it, but my sister destroyed her Etude House powder and begged for this one, so with my kind heart I bequeathed it to her (with the arrangement that I may demand it from her any time I wish). Anyway, I divert.

Majolica Majorca is the answer to all lovers of Shiseido who cannot survive the pricing. Shiseido items are made of gold, and they price them accordingly, nothing is below Php1,000. For Majolica Majorca, on the lucky hand, nearly everything is below Php1,000. It was a happy day when Shiseido thought to make this brand. And in celebration, I excitedly purchased it’s Pressed Pore Cover.

It looks like that cos as I said, I was happily emptying it (sorry~~). The powder came in that awesomely, intricate container. It was too pretty, and that SHINee sea foam blue color was a 2011 limited edition, so of course that’s what I chose! It regularly comes in black, which is pretty too in a more elegant way (but since I was more childlike than elegant… hehehe)

I am happy to report that it glided on my face as effortlessly as my emptied Shiseido Supplist Power Foundation (which worked magic, let me vow it now). It is a super fine powder, so it absorbs and blends quickly after a little gentle patting. As (I hope) you can see from the pictures though, it has a very light, almost white color, and that’s the only shade it comes in. So I guess it blends well mostly cos it matches my skin tone too.

  • Pros: It’s a Shiseido brand for cheap! Only Php895 and it refillable (my Shiseido one was Php1,100 for only the container!) It is a super fine powder and blends very well, stays on long and makes skin feel and look soft.
  • Cons: has only one shade in a white-ish cast that might not agree with the darker skin tones. It will be great for fair to medium though, I daresay. Light coverage may not cover stubborn spots.
  • Verdict: It’s a good everyday powder for touch ups, and for those days you only want powder over your moisturizer to let your skin breathe. If you want foundation-like coverage though, this is not for you. The product label says you can put it on at night before bed and it will be good for the skin, but I thought that was a bit strange and I did not want to waste it XD

And with this Pressed Pore Cover, I bid you sayonara. Bless my sister’s face well~~

Makeup and Skincare

Review: The Face Shop Quick & Clean Oil-Free BB, Aqua Tinted BB, Dr Jart Rejuvenating BB Silver Label

Posted on July 30, 2011

Since I was gifted a free Saturday, and since random comments about subject products sprout in my head every other hour anyway, I figured I might as well write a review of sorts. A things to know:

1. I don’t own an SLR and I am the laziest picture-taker ever, so I beg your pardon for the crappy pictures. There will be no swatches, no before-and-after pictures, no pictures of my face (shy) in this blog. Ever.

2. Giving the givens: I am Asian, with fair-ish (yellow undertones) combination to oily skin that is still sometimes pestered with spots here and there, and I live in a tropical country often humid and polluted.

Here goes. Since the BB Cream trend latched onto my sister, and irrevocably, to me, we’ve been going through more than what two faces really need in one time. I think the first one we tried was Etude House Magic BB Balm and Missha Silver Matte, but that was months ago, and I’ve already forgotten. Therefore, I will focus on the three products above, all used in rotation.

1. The Face Shop Quick & Clean Oil-Free BB. This BB promises oil control control and light coverage, both vows it delivers sufficiently. It has a nice green tea smell, is relatively easy to apply (better if on top of moisturizer or base), but has no SPF. So people scared of sun damage and early skin aging (raises hand) will want to put sun screen before this.

  • Pros: cheap-ish (Php600+), smells super nice and clean, light matte coverage, blends well
  • Cons: needs blotting after a few hours
  • Verdict: I recommend-ish (God, this blog will have the most iffy makeup reviews ever!). Good for BB cream beginners who want a fresh, no-makeup look. Its ashy color blends well with most skin tones, and melted well into mine. And did I say it smells good?

2. The Face Shop Aqua Tinted BB Cream. This one says it has 70% moisture content including deep sea water, and promises a cooling sensation upon application. Also has SPF 30++. Yes to all! Definitely felt the moisture and its effects on one with oily skin such as mine (failure rests on me). But I bought this one mostly cos it just glides on the skin, and felt like a splash of water when applied.

  • Pros: cheap-ish (Php600+), light, dewy finish, very easy to apply and gives a refreshing cool feeling upon application
  • Cons: not recommended for oily skin, cos the moisture bit rises soon after application. It must be the deep sea water, but either way, I need to blot a lot.
  • Verdict: Probably will work wonders for dry skin. Does not do oil control at all, though bystanders observe it looks dewy on my face rather than oily. It is a bit lighter in color than Quick and Clean, and has a fresh scent. I might buy it again though, as a little thing to take in the bag for emergency touch-ups.

3. Dr Jart Rejuvenating BB Cream Silver Label. Whitening and rejuvenating, purposely for acne-prone skin. We bought it cos my sister once read a blog entry that said a plain girl suddenly looked so pretty after using this (an Internet fairy tale??). It has SPF35, the highest in our collection. This one is thicker, has a grayer cast than the Quick&Clean, and is whiter on the skin after application. Best matched with a fair complexion.

  • Pros: super good coverage, doubles as concealer for my eye bags and blemishes. Lasts the WHOLE day, due most likely to its thickness. Not sure about killing blemishes, but mine do not erupt anymore when I continually use this.
  • Cons: a bit expensive (Php1400, I think), will not blend well if you have darker complexion, no matter what they tell you. My sister’s face and neck come out in two different colors when she insists on using this. Still requires blotting.
  • Verdict: Will repurchase if I am not tempted by another brand. We have decided that you need at least one serious BB cream in your stash, and for this batch, this one is it. I use it on Mondays or on when I have late night dinners/meetings, basically at times when I expect a long day. This product lasts the day and night with me, and just for that, it makes me happy.

Oohh reviewing is fun! Btw, the Face Shop loot is available in malls all over this country. Dr Jart too is available in SM, but I got it for cheaper through the best online seller ever >> http://wehaveit43.multiply.com/

Okay, I think I deserve my P&P replay now.

Life and Lemons

I thought I was over the loss of the Boy who Lived

Posted on July 28, 2011

But a few minutes into the clip and I’m still crying over Harry. IT IS THE END OF AN ERA, gennemmit. I felt the heartbreak halfway through my first reading of the Deathly Hallows, and my heart is hammered to pieces again now. It’s the end of a magical adolescence, which is much more substantial than a magical childhood, I must say. Because when you have something as brilliant as this story marking the peaks and dips in your troubled journey to adulthood, you find wisdom in spell books and get to know unassuming heroes to look up to. Harry Potter has led me to adulthood. I can explain it in detail, but I will not. Surely, only a fellow geek will understand.

God bless you JK Rowling. I will re-read your books every year, until my last.

After all this time. Always.

Life and Lemons

It hurts

Posted on July 25, 2011

I was pushed on the train (normal) and fell on my knees (this is new), one arm tangled with a fellow fallen passenger. God bless the seated lady who tried her best to lift us up. But the damage was done–one blue patch on my knee, a couple more gashes on each leg, and certainly several more bruises to color my body in 12 hours time. Also, I was 45 minutes late to work.

Thank you, Monday. You have yet to disappoint.