Happy Skin Express Gel Polish Review (Dreamer)

These days, I've been addicted to gel-like or gel-shine polishes. I don't really feel like getting actual gel polishes on my nails because from what other people told me, they cost a little bit more and requires a little bit more effort to maintain the polish and your natural nails as well. About a month ago, I found this at BeautyBar in Shangri-la and decided to test it out.

Price: PHP 249

2-in-1 base + color

No UV lamp needed

I actually feel bad that you guys are seeing my nails before I actually get it cleaned at the Salon, (I'll get it cleaned in 2 weeks or so I promise!).


Description Breakdown:

• ✔  - First of all, I cannot compare this to an actual gel polish because I personally never tried it, but I would say, this product isn't exactly chip-resistant, but it does last longer than a regular nail polish on my nails. I chip my nail polish a day (or even in an hour sometimes) after I get it done or if I do it myself. I felt like this nail polish felt thick once it fully dried so it could last me a few more days than what a normal, drugstore polish would offer. There are some few chips here and there but it would usually be at small spots on my nails. The shine finish does last long on the nails even if it's been a few days since I applied this nail polish on it. 
• ✖ - This really varies on how "quick" your quick is. For mine quick is like 15-20 minutes max. I often check my nails 15 minutes after I applied nail polish and for me, this polish did appear dry, but it still easily smudged when I lightly brushed it into a clothing piece or if I need to grab something, and it took me 30 minutes or so for this polish to really be dry on my nails even if I didn't put a thick layer on. Note that I didn't do anything special to get it to dry on my nails, I didn't use a UV lamp (because I don't own one and it doesn't need one as it claims), so I just let it air dry as I watch some youtube videos. This really doesn't have much difference with a regular drugstore nail polish in terms of drying speed for me. 
• ✔ - I'm the type of person who has naturally weak nails, I break them almost every second of the day. I wouldn't say that my nails turned uber strong when I used this polish, but my nails did not feel as weak as it did when I didn't have this nail polish on. My nails felt like it kinda thickened and it doesn't bend as much, so most likely, it's due to the Hydrolyzed Keratin ingredient in this nail polish. 

Additional Notes:

The smell of it is pretty much the same as any other nail polish, although it isn't as strong or what I would call would stink up the room, you could only smell it if you lean really close on the product. The 1st layer is a little bit thin so I tend to put at least 2 layers on each nail. The finish is shiny that it resembles a gel polish finish. The stains on the skin left by the nail polish can easily be removed by putting some acetone on a cotton swab and lightly rubbing it on the skin around the nail. The removal of this polish on my nails doesn't need any special technique or whatsoever, just the regular cotton pad and acetone and it's gone. Overall the color and the finish does look great, I do like those two factors a lot.


Honestly, PHP 249 is a bit steep for a nail polish price if what you're considering is the overall nail polish look. This nail look could be achieved with a similar shade on a regular polish and a really shiny top coat. The thing that I am liking about this product is the Hydrolyzed Keratin ingredient added to it. Like I said I have weak nails that break on a daily basis, so I need all the help that I could get.







*I am in no way sponsored by any of the companies or brands mentioned. I am stating my own opinion based on how I observed my experience using the product. 

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Two Things From Too Faced

For years of being a beauty junkie, I have always heard of the brand Too Faced. It is currently being known for its incredibly cute packaging and having a range of amazing quality beauty products to go with it. People have been raving on Too Faced products left and right that it could get overwhelming to choose which one to get first. I have to admit that the packaging of each product made me want to get every single one because other than me using it on my face, it would work so well as a vanity decoration (they are seriously so cute!).

Since there isn't any physical stores near my place, I browsed through Sephora PH and read about people's experience with each product to help me decide which one I should get and try out. Took me a little while but I decided to get 2 things from there.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar
PHP 2,928

It does smell like chocolate! When I first heard about this product smelling like chocolate, I was a bit skeptical because how could a product actually smell like that? Not gonna lie, I found myself popping this open whenever I see it just to get a whiff of the chocolate scent (Shh!). I do like that they finally included the name of each of the shades on the actual palette rather than having to keep the paper where you'd have to place it back on the palette to figure out each shade's name. It seriously bothered so much people that I'm glad they listened to their customer's requests.

For the actual product, the shades are all neutral which is quite easy to pair up with almost any look that you're going for. The colors are a mix of warm and cool tones, each one looking good with the other that you'll most likely be using every single shade. The pigmentation is good since you won't have to worry on going too overboard when you try to build up the color.

Some personal favorite shades of mine would be "Salted Caramel" because it looks so peachy that it almost looks natural whenever I apply it on my eye lid. "Triple Fudge" looks amazing when I smudge it on my eyeliner on the top and bottom because it makes it look softer around my eyes. I like to add "Marzipan" right in the middle all the time because it makes my eyes look bigger and more awake.

Too Faced Sweethearts Bronzer
PHP 1,618

This bronzer is both a shimmery cool bronzer and a shimmery warm bronzer. You could use either one but mixing them both on your brush really does create that very natural looking flush to your skin which makes it look radiant. I like how this looks subtle on the skin that when someone looks at you, they realize that you did something to your look but can't pinpoint what because of how glowing it makes your face look. The only shade that they do have at the moment is Sweet Tea which I think is the perfect shade for fair skinned people like me.

Unlike the Too Faced Chocolate Bar, this doesn't really have a scent to it other than what I feel how bronzers usually smell like. The packaging is a teal colored heart which I am so obsessed with since it gives my vanity that extra touch of decoration,  although I do feel like it is kinda too bulky for traveling purposes.  The longevity isn't really a problem for me which impressed me considering I live in such a humid place where makeup could practically melt off of your face at any minute. It stayed in tact without me having to retouch it.

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