Brush Egg

Any self-respecting makeup lover will surely have at least a small army of makeup brushes at her disposal. After all, what is an artist without their tools? But whether you have 5 makeup brushes or 50, one should always keep them all in tip-top shape. It's a good thing that brush maintenance is a no-brainer, really. It's all about regularly cleaning them. A deep cleaning once every 2-3 weeks and spot cleaning every 1-2 weeks is best on average. Of course you can adjust the time frame depending on how often you use your brushes and/or how acne-prone your skin is; dirty brushes harbor tons of dirt and bacteria after all.

The cleaning task can undeniably be time consuming though, especially if you have a lot of brushes. But a recent discovery of mine has helped to speed up the entire process significantly and it's all thanks to the Brush Egg!

Product description: The Brush Egg is used to help with the deep cleaning process of makeup brushes.

The Brush Egg:

• is compact.
• is quick, easy, affordable, and effective.
• reduces the use of brush cleaning solution (which dries out bristles).
• can be used with any soap or shampoo of your choice.

Say Color Collection Eyelash Curler

Of all the beauty tools we use day in and day out, the eyelash curler is probably the most lovingly abused. And how could it not be? Having perfectly curled and voluminous-looking lashes works wonders at instantly glamming up any face and really opening up the eyes. When it comes to finding a curler, I make sure to look for one that’s durable, effective, and most importantly doesn’t pinch!

Some time ago I tossed away my old lash curler, unsatisfied with how poorly it performed and how much effort I had to put in just to get a simple curl. Plus, it pinched every time! Ouch! Needing a new one stat, I started my hunt for a brand new lash curler. It was then that I remembered the then recent release of the Say Color Collection Eyelash Curlers (Php660.00). For those who don’t know, Say Artillero is a fellow Filipina beauty vlogger and blogger (Makeup by Say Tioco Artillero). I had the privilege of meeting her at an Ellana Minerals blogger event earlier this year. Having quickly made up my mind, I text her that I’d love to order one of them and after a couple of days it was already in my hands! Thanks, Say!

Product info from Makeup Hub:
Ever had your eye lashes damaged by low-quality eyelash curlers? Ever had problems making your eyelashes stay curled all throughout the day? Do you have stick-straight lashes and just can’t find the effective lash curler for you? With the right tips and tricks, the Say Eye Lash Curler gives long-lasting curl without pinching and damaging your lashes!

Unlike most lash curlers, Say’s are packaged nicely and with care in an acrylic box. No other information about the product is printed on it except Say’s and the collection’s name, the curler’s color, and that it was designed in Paris and assembled in China.

Review: Tangle Teezer Compact Styler

All my life I’ve had thick hair. The only thing that’s changed about it over the years is that it’s gone from doll-like curly to wavy. A lot of people have said they envy how my hair has so much volume and that I’d regret it if it were thin or thinner. I can see their point, but from my perspective, I’m sure I’d find it less frustrating trying to give my hair body compared to having to tame it into submission nearly everyday. It takes me at least an hour just to straighten my hair. Yes, an hour. We always want what we can’t have, right?

As you can imagine, as someone with hair as thick as mine, it easily gets into knots and tangles – especially right after I shower. Sometimes, even after using a palmful of conditioner, I still have to often tug with all my might when combing my hair. It’s a pain. Literally. I know I can easily use a detangling spray, but I often straighten my hair with a flat iron that can be used on wet hair and many detangling sprays are flammable, meaning I can’t expose them to the heat of my flat iron right after. So to spare my hair from any more physical abuse, I decided to get something from the much-raved about Tangle Teezer line, their Tangle Teezer Compact Styler. Yes, I’m hopping onto the late Tangle Teezer bandwagon!

Product description: An innovative hairbrush that is just too busy being fabulous! Cute in size and big on style, it can be popped into your bag and pulled out in a New York minute to reboot hair in seconds. Has a removable cover to protect the patented and innovative teeth from fluff and dirt.

Revolutionary teeth configuration for dual action. Gives pain free detangling - Memory flex technology for speedy and gentle results. Ideal on wet and dry hair - Easy click-off, click on cover to protect teeth. Keeps them clean on-the-go - Ergonomically designed to fit snugly in your palm for creative styling and easy handling.

Nichido Electric Lady Shaver

Like a lot of other girls, I used to be really self-conscious about facial hair. Yes, I know that any kind of facial hair, peach fuzz and whatnot, is totally normal but I still couldn't help but feel really insecure about it. It doesn't help that any hair I have on my body is naturally dark and grows quickly too. I've tried practically everything to minimize or get rid of facial hair. From using creams, to waxing, to laser treatment. Bleaching only reduced the appearance of the hairs when I wanted them gone, waxing and depilatory creams meant that awkward period between sessions where you had to wait for the hair to grow back before you could do it again, and laser treatment was too expensive for me to do regularly.

Eventually I decided on shaving. It was quick, easy, and I could it do it everyday - especially since visible hair growth practically happens overnight for me. Told you it was quick!

Up until recently I've been using an ordinary brow shaver to take care of any facial hair I want to get rid of. You know those cheap, easy to find ones you eventually throw away once the blade dulls? But when I saw this Electric Lady Shaver (Php398.00) from Nichido last month, I immediately bought it since I figured it could make the everyday job of keeping my face hair-free even faster and easier.

The shaver is meant for eyebrows and any other facial hair, and can even be used for body hair. I think it's much too small for anywhere else other than the face though unless you want to spend a long time shaving away at your legs, underarms, etc. It's described as "quick, easy, and gentle on skin".

Review: not.a.sponge Volcanic Power Puff

In the mornings, I like to keep my skin care routine nice and simple. After all, what with me still needing to apply makeup after, having a quick but effective skin care regime means I save a lot of time. It also helps that you don't use too many products on your face just for skin care alone when you'll already be using layers of products for makeup right after.

So every morning, I like using a light facial wash which I follow with toner, a serum, and then some moisturizer. That's it. Didn't I say it was simple? Some days I'll add in sunscreen, but only if I know I'll be out under the sun for longer periods of time than usual since a lot of my base makeup already has sufficient sun protection.

But recently I've added another step to my morning ritual with my not.a.sponge Volcanic Power Puff that I received from Beauty Bar's product launching a couple of months ago. Since I like and need my face to be properly prepped and squeaky clean before applying makeup, I figured this would help a lot in helping me achieve that. I've tried a number of different 'cleansing tools' before, sponges included, but they've either been too harsh for my skin or I just wasn't very impressed with them overall.

Product description:

not.a.sponge* is made from the super food 'KONJAC' vegetable and a selection of results driven organic compounds that your skin will LOVE! It may look like your average sponge, but we would never want to put this 100% pure, natural, handcrafted puff of love in such a category. A fast and natural cleansing partner that will wash away impurities, returning your skin to a deeper state of euphoria. Happy washing. 

WHY WE ARE TRULY NATURALMade from 100% sustainably farmed Konjac vegetable root extracted from the plant amorphophallus konjac. Used for its medicinal properties, the Konjac has been traditionally embraced by the Asian cultures for over 100 years and we have passionately found a true artisan who has mastered the technique of creating what we think is the worlds best quality not.a.sponge* which has nothing fake about it! Your skin will love you.

There are three not.a.sponge variants for the face: Bamboo Charcoal (for deep cleansing and those with problem skin), In The Raw (for all skin types), and Volcanic Power Puff, which is what I have, that's meant for sensitive skin and helps with anti-aging.

More info for Volcanic Power Puff...

not.a.sponge* infused with volcanic scoria is gently exfoliating, anti aging and super soothing. This volcanic compound unique to pristine JeJu Island instantly exfoliates and firms the skin washing away the years and leaves you with a healthy, natural glow. Scoria is said to be hugely beneficial and powerful in calming skin conditions like Eczema, Psoriasis etc due to its high anti-bacterial properties… so, perfect for the extra sensitive among us. May the force be with you!

Out of all the variants, I think this is the best one for me. I have combination skin that is also a little sensitive, and because I have drier areas on my face then exfoliating them gently everyday should help them from becoming too dry. Also, since my face isn't very dirty when I wake up either, I don't need something that's particularly deep cleansing anyway.

I don't have any wrinkles just yet, so I won't be able to comment on how it can 'soften them away' as the product describes, but I do like how it promises to soothe and calm skin and that it has anti-bacterial properties because I'm also acne-prone.