Dress Me Up Buttercup

Hurraw! Lip Balms are certified vegan and made from the highest quality raw ingredients such as almond oil, coconut oil, cacao butter, jojoba oil, and olive oil. It is widely popular in the US, and even American Apparel carries this brand in their stores. And good news for all of us here in the Philippines because it’s now available locally at www.cutieverse.com.

A few weeks ago, the exclusive local distributor Ms Rebecca Pilapil sent me two lip balms to try! I first read the leaflet that came with the products and here are just some of the things the US press like The Washington Post, Teen Vogue and The New York Times said about Hurraw! Lip Balms. So naturally I got more excited and curious on what the fuss was all about.

I received the Lime Lip Balm, and their bestseller Black Cherry Tinted Lip Balm. Okay first of all, I find the packaging unique as it is not the typical round shape but a flat oval one instead. The balm is enclosed in a hard plastic tube to ensure it won’t melt or slip off your pocket. It’s also properly labeled and color-coordinated with the flavors. The Lime is a clear balm, while the Black Cherry as stated on the label is a tinted lip balm. It depends on your needs if you want a balm that gives a color payoff or one that complements your natural lip color. Personally I like my balm to have a little bit of tint cos I look like a zombie without one. 

Anyway, I first tried the Lime flavored one, and I immediately fell in love with the citrus scent! The Black Cherry, on the other hand, has this strong sweet smell. Oh gosh, if only these balms could be eaten they’ll probably be gone by now cos they really smell so gooooood you’ll think it’s edible! As for the performance, I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. It glided on my lips smoothly unlike other balms that felt so waxy on the lips upon application (don’t you just hate that feeling?). It also didn’t feel sticky nor uncomfortable on the lips, instead I find it very moisturizing. And most of all, since I don’t like super glossy lip balms that seem to scream “hey look! I just ate lechon my shiny lips can prove it,” well good thing the Hurraw! Lip Balms don’t give that effect. 

All of these factors plus the fact that these are vegan lip balms made me love this brand even more! No preservatives, non-toxic, gluten free and made only from natural flavors and colors. Hooray for Hurraw!!! The only downside I see is the staying power (max 4 hours on me), but no worries because I don’t mind reapplying especially since every swipe makes me smile cos of the delicious fruity scent!  

Other flavors available: Almond, Earl Grey, Grapefruit, Green Tea, Vanilla Bean, and Mint. 

PRICE: Php 250/each
WHERE TO BUY: www.cutieverse.com

Typically I veer away from stalls that sell mix brands of cosmetics - MAC, Urban Decay, Benefit, etc. - because I’m pretty sure those are class A, fake or counterfeit products. But I don’t think NYX has fake counterparts yet, so I felt more comfortable shopping when I saw a NYX stall in Greenhills. The name of the shop is The Makeup Store and I like that they have testers for lipstick, blush, concealer, eye pencils, etc. unlike other stalls. Anyway, I can’t help but take photos of these pretty little things!   

Lip products. Their Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa used to be my favorite lippie *read review here*! 

The infamous NYX round lipsticks. I had the shade Flower *read review here* but unfortunately it retired already, haha! Downside to NYX round lipstick is that it melts easily! :(

Face products. Sadly they don’t have the NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder in stock! I find it effective in keeping oil at bay. Also NYX Shine Killer! 

Jumbo Eye Pencils. People rave so much about these eye pencils! 

Pretty shades of blush. 

I want to try that NYX Eyebrow Kit with Stencil! 

Can you spot the PUSH-UP BRA FOR EYEBROW? Word! 

The Nude on Nude Palette looks like a knockoff of UD Naked, agree? 

They also have a huge makeup palette that opens up like this! Makeup galore!  

For nail-aholics, I’m sure you’ll go crazy about these NYX nail polish! 

I love the topmost set! Pretty combination of colors! 

Of course I didn’t go home empty-handed! I bought two Jumbo Eye Pencils because I read so many great reviews on these! I got the shades Black Bean and Milk for only P150 each (originally P200 but I was able to haggle).

Here are the swatches. I noticed they’re both very pigmented and creamy, which made it easier to apply because it glided on smoothly. The Jumbo Eye Pencil is great as eye makeup base, eyeliner, and eyeshadow for smokey eye look. Milk shade could also be a highlighter especially on the brow bone. Talk about multipurpose for these babies, huh? 

For 100% authentic NYX products, visit The Makeup Store at Greenhills Shopping Center (tiangge area). Open Sunday till Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-9pm.

Or you can shop online thru their Facebook page at The Makeup Store. 

What NYX products do you fancy? What would you recommend I try next?

Apart from the controversial name of this blush, I found myself wondering why this is the so-called holy grail for blush among beauty gurus, makeup artists and aficionados. So finally after arguing with my kuripot self, I bought one for myself a few months back. My wallet wasn’t happy of course, but let us save that for another post. Today I shall grant some of my readers request for a product review. 

Packaging-wise, nothing really is so fancy about this. In fact, I often mistake this one with my ELF Eye Brow Duo Kit because they look the same… size, color, shape. I’m 98% sure the packaging is from China! And okay, sometimes I wish it comes with a free mini brush or something… though many people do not really usually use brushes that come along with makeup because they are such makeup junkies and probably own a dozen of dime of quality brushes (such as Sigma, MAC, and hehe VO). But still, for days that I do not bring my entire makeup kit (which is most of the time), I find it a hassle to apply this one. 

Okay, okay, why do I seem like I’m bitchfitting this pretty little thing? I can hardly leave home without this blush! I’ve been using this ever since! Now here is the part where I tell you everything I like about it. First of all, the color payoff! The color may be subtle but once light reflects on the cheeks, baaam girl, hello glowy cheeks! I find that the peachy pink hue matches my skin tone perfectly and the fact that it has golden shimmers made me fall in love with this blush. It is said to match morena, fair and dark complexions so I guess that makes it universally loved as well by a whole lot of people. Staying power is also impressive. In this extreme Manila hot, I still sometimes catch a glimpse of my blush at the end of the day. This is best worn on days you want to prettify yourself but don’t want to look like you made so much effort doing so. Let the blush shine! Just please, DO NOT apply so much of this and make a clown out of yourself. Besides, blush should just enhance your natural glow and give you a nice flush. Yung tipong dumaan lang yung crush mo at kilig na kilig ka at obvious dahil namumula ka. HAHA! 

With all these ingredients and chemicals found in the Nars Blush, my face didn’t get irritated, and thank goodness no pimple breakout!  

So for a hefty price tag of Php1,550.00 for such a small blush (4.8g), would you be getting this one too?

Available at NARS, Rustan’s Makati.