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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Beauty Run at Watsons & Beauty Bar

I don't know about you, but for whatever reason whenever I'm out at the mall and doing some shopping, I always leave out the necessities aka basic things that I need everyday. So, I made a beauty necessities run at Watsons and Beautybar a few days ago. I then realized that I want to share what I typically get whenever I go to these shops, plus the new things I wanted to try out.

• Carmex

PHP 149.75 Watsons

I recently emptied out my Carmex lip balm which I use whenever I feel like my lips are chapping. It does its job whenever I put it on, it moisturizes and helps my lips restore itself to make it look and feel smooth. It's an easy solution for me whenever I'm having a hard time managing my chapped lips, so I just keep grabbing a new one whenever I empty the one I've been using. 

• Kojie san sleeveless READY deodorant

PHP 99.50 Watsons

I haven't really found a staple deodorant that I like or stick to, so I'm just trying out new things here and there. That time at Watsons was the first time that I saw this product, I'm familiar with the brand because I always see their soap but I never saw a deodorant. It says that this deodorant offers anti-perspirant, anti-bacterial, lightening and has 48 hours odor and wetness protection. This product smells a lot like soap that isn't overpowering and it feels lightweight on my underarms, like it isn't sticky at all. I would have to test it out a few more times to see if I really like it.

• Gatsby Powdered Oil Clear paper

Watsons

This one I feel like is a no brainer for me. I depend a lot on my oil control sheets every time I'm out of the house. I usually go for the normal oil control sheets of Gatsby but when I saw this which is the "powdered" version, I just wanted to try it out. From what I experienced based on the three times I used it, it isn't powdery but when I pat this on my face, it looks like I applied a really small amount of baby powder and it prevented my face from getting oily again for a few hours. So far I like it but then again I would have to test it out more just to make sure.

• St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Cleanser

PHP 199 Watsons

I was browsing through the face section of Watsons because I needed a new cleanser but I wanted to try something new and I was surprised to see that St. Ives has a cleanser. I didn't hesitate to get it for myself because the St. Ives apricot scrub makes my skin look and feel really smooth. When I got home, I did realize that this cleanser has some beads in it and it says on the back of the product that it is recommended to use for 3-4 days in a week, so this wouldn't really be an everyday cleanser. I've used it once and so far it made my skin really smooth, but I'll be using it a bit more just to make sure if I do like it and decide when I'll be using it.

• Penshoppe Sexy Shimmer Body Spray

PHP 199 Watsons

 Okay, so maybe this wasn't really a necessity but I like taking random photos and I have some ideas that may involve me needing this product. I have yet to try it and I'm excited to see how it will turn out in photos and in person. Nothing really much to say about this other than I am kind of obsessing with shimmery, dewy looks so we'll see if this product would let me achieve that. 

• Hollywood Fashion Tape

PHP 650 BeautyBar 

I am always struggling with my clothes not staying in place. I have used countless of pins, hair ties or whatever I need just to keep my clothes from revealing too much than what I have wanted. I get that I could just change and wear something different if I have such problems with the clothes that I wear, but sometimes I just need or really want to wear something and feel 100% confident and safe in it. I feel that this would help with that, so I picked it up and I will make a more in depth review of this so stay tuned for that one. 

• Happy Skin Express Gel Polish

PHP 249 BeautyBar 

In the past few months, I have not changed my nail color. I always choose my 2 go-to nail colors and I feel like I wanted a change of shade so I tested some gel nail polishes from Happy skin because they look really pretty and can be used without having to have a UV lamp. The shade I picked is Dreamer and it still kinda looks similar to what I typically wear, but still different. Also making a review of this soon but here's a sneak peek:

What are your go-to beauty necessities that you always pick up and restock on?


Disclaimer: I am in no way sponsored by any brands or companies mentioned in this post.

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Halloween Nails: Slime Monster | 2015

I didn't really know what to do with my nails and usually, I do the pumpkin, ghost etc kind of nail art for this season but this year, I wanted it to be a little bit simpler and different. So I looked into my manicure stash and picked out the "Halloween colors" that I wanted to use and voila! Idea and inspiration obtained!

What You'll Need:

• Green Nail Polish. I'm using 01 Green from Rucy's Vanity P50 (1.08 USD) *was sent to me.
• White Nail Polish. I'm using White Satin from Caronia P52.50 (1.13 USD)
• Black Nail Polish. I'm using Magic Black from Sweet Cherry P17.75 (0.39 USD)

Instructions:

1. After cleaning and using a base coat for your nails, paint them using your green nail polish. Reapply as much as you'd want until you get your desired tone.
2. Once your base color is dry, add a tiny drop of white nail polish on your nails. Make sure that it isn't to wet and try to make it as flat as possible. These would be the eyes. You can make 1 eye per nail or 3 or how many you want it to be. It doesn't have to look perfect since it is a slime, you could pretend that it's slipping off of him. *haha*
3. Using your black nail polish, you would do the same thing you did with the white nail polish but even tinier than the white circle for it to serve as the pupil. 
4. Wait for it to dry and apply your choice of top coat and you're done!

So I hope that this post has helped you if you are looking for an easy D.I.Y. Halloween Manicure and comment down below what nail art would you do this year? Happy Halloween everybody!

The Ghost treat that can be seen in the first photo is what I was inspired by on Pinterest and decided to make them myself. 

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Bobbie Cosmetics Poof! Concealer Review

A few weeks ago, me and my brother went to Watson's just to grab some necessities and I stumbled upon the Bobbie Cosmetics Stall. I actually wasn't that aware that they released a cosmetics line since I was so focused on their nail polishes. Though, they have really cute packaging and inexpensive products.that I ask myself how come I never noticed it before? Anyway, I picked up this cream concealer in the shade CN-02 (The 2nd lightest shade). And here is what I think about it:

Price: 
P100 ($2.14 USD)

What do I think of this product?

Without Concealer

With Concealer

While I was trying out their testers, I do notice that they only have 3 shades and that may become a down side since this shade is abit lighter than my skin tone and the next shade is too dark for my skin. I now use this for my undereye circles which does a great job at hiding and highlighting although, it doesn't work well on hiding blemishes. It's scent is pretty faint  that it goes unnoticed and it's easily blendable even if you are just using your fingers to pat in onto your skin.

After you set it with powder, expect it to stay where it is for a few hours but, This product does cake up or crease on my skin after 6 hours or so. Not that much of an issue if you won't need it for a whole day.

Is it worth the money?

Yes, I think it is since for it's price, it does help with the dark undereye circles. Like I said, you can use only your fingers and it has a small mirror on the other side of the product just incase you need to use it on-the go. It is quite small so you can easily carry this around on your purse and it doesn't eat up space. I was actually satisfied with this that I would wanna try out other products on their line like the eyeshadow palette and lipsticks. So if you want a cheap concealer for your undereye cirlces, try this one but I don't really recommend this for hiding blemishes.

So that is my review for this product and I hope that this has helped you incase you are looking to try this out. If you have any more questions, suggestions or request or even if you already tried this product, how has it worked for you? Leave a comment down below and I'll try to reply as soon as I see them.

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Nail Polish Picks | Fall 2015

I honestly can't believe that I haven't done some nail polish picks ever, well besides monthly favorites where I just practically show 1 or 2 shades that I've been using the whole month. But today, I feel so inspired by fall.. or in the Philippines we now have the "tag-ulan" season. Being me I hoard alot of nail polishes. So narrowing them down to a few of what I'm about to show you for fall was pretty hard but after a few minutes of picking out each one, I'm happy with it. Most of them are in the "berry" side shade because I cannot explain why when I think of fall, I always think about that color. Note: Press the "♥♥♥" to be directed to the item I mentioned and for those without the hearts, I couldn't find them or their website.

1st color that I will include here is one that I featured on my August Favorites post and it is the Play by: Etude House #25 P128 ($2.73 USD). I love that this color is a somewhat a muave pink that I absolutely adore, for sure this is my favorite color not just in polishes. I think that it is quite perfect in matching the weather that we have right now but not too depressing and very feminine and calm to the eyes. ♥♥♥

A darker color is the Caronia Nail Polish in Summer Fling P37 ($0.79 USD). I think, compared to the 1st one that I showed you guys, this one is a lot more bolder and what you would expect to see quite a lot from girls everywhere you go. I always thought that Caronia Nail Polishes are the "on-the-go" nail polish because of how pigmented most of their products are. And like I said, It is a berry-red shade that I absolutely love to look at.

Out of everything that I showed you, I think this is the darkest of them all and it is the Flormar Matte Nail Polish in M10 Extreme Grape P179 ($3.82 USD) (I forgot exactly how much but it is more or less around that price I indicated). It's shade is almost similar to the Caronia one, but since this is matte, it is a bit more muted but will not wash you out. A perfect accessory if you are planning to go to events wherein  this would actually make you look like you made a bit more effort because of how flawless this polish looks on the nails. ♥♥♥

Next is the Paintbox Nail Polish from Bench in the color Nude P58 ($1.24 USD). The name speaks for itself although it does look quite abit more yellow-orange, I think that if you are wanting a nude pick but wouldn't wanna have identical colors as everybody else, then I suggest to try this out. It isn't a boring color and still manages to be simple, eye-catching and matches almost anything. Plus this has a vegan formula so for all cruelty free lovers out there, I recommend this nail polish line, I love it soooo much. ♥♥♥

Lastly is what I used to wear a lot and I'm deciding to bring it back and it is the Sassy colors nail polish in Frosted Sapphire P20 ($0.43 USD). This nail polish does need building up when you apply it because it isn't that pigmented which I am quite thankful for because that way, I can keep applying until I am satisfied without it looking overdone. The fact that it is frosted is what gives it a unique touch that I think is perfect if you are ever planning to go on a night out or you just wanna spice it up from the colors that you would usually wear.

Now tell me, what are your Nail Polish Picks this Fall season?

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ORLY Matte Topcoat Nail Polish Review

Hello everybody! Today I will be talking about one of my latest purchase and it is the ORLY Matte Topcoat Nail Polish. I have never owned an ORLY Nail Polish in general so this will be my first try of their product and let's see how it'll go..



Item Description: Matte it up! Turn regular glossy nail lacquer to a unique matte finish. Ideal for creating unique nail art and spot varnished nail looks. Directions: Apply one or two coats over your favorite ORLY nail lacquer for a matte look.

Price: P499.75 ($10.91) and I got it at the SM Department Store at SM Megamall.







What I think of this product?
I have been addicted to matte nails ever since last year but when I always buy matte polishes, there are only limited colors and I get sick of repeating nail colors all the time so when I saw this at the department store the last time I went, I just know that I had to get it because with this, I could turn all of my nail polishes matte on my nails.

In the directions, I think that it recommends using ORLY nail polishes that are not matte but I used my #25 on the Play collection nail polish from Etude House just to give it a try if it would work on other brands too, and the #25 has been my favorite this month, and when I finished applying it, I let it dry for about 5-7 minutes then applied 1 coat of the ORLY Matte Topcoat and it took awhile for it to dry but when it did, it lessened the shine of the nail polish that I used underneath and then I applied another coat and it did turn it completely matte so I think that I am satisfied.

The smell of this product is what I'm not a fan of. It smells like the usual dizzying scent that nail polishes have, I do wish that this would be unscented but I rarely encounter any nail polishes that are actually unscented or have a bearable smell.

Is it worth the money?
For the price, I do think that it is quite expensive for a nail polish because I am used to paying P15 - P200 ($0.33 - $4.37) for a single polish, so it surprised me that this costed so much. Although I do gotta say that I am satisfied with the results and I'm sure that I would use this for a very long time until I run out or it dries out (which I rarely have nail polishes that dry because I keep some of them on the fridge to keep it from drying out). So yes, I do think that if you are looking for something that would make all your nail polishes look matte on your nails, then you should definitely get this.

So that is my review for this lovely topcoat and I hope that you have found this useful or if you already tried it or you could give me cheaper alternatives or you want me to try some other products then leave a comment down below and I'll also try and answer your questions as much as I can. I will also be doing a few more product reviews for this coming days so stay tuned for that one!

Thanks for reading and until the next blog!

Wanna see my birthday haul where I got this and other products as well? Click HERE
Or do you wanna see my previous review about my Stila Liquid Lipstick in Patina? Click HERE

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My review on : Flormar Matte nail enamel ( Nail Polish )

Welcome back to my blog guys!

Today i'm doing a review about the new nail polish i am raving about. 

It is the Flormar Matte nail enamel in the color MO3 Elegant Gray.

(The one on the left) I've bought them at Watsons SM Megamall and I think they were about 149 PHP or 179 PHP.

I've wanted matte nails ever since I 1st saw them on tumblr. This color may not be a full on black but its pretty close and looks really nice too. I've got people asking me where I had them done or where I got it. 

So I have been using and testing it for 2 weeks now and I've gotta say I am loving matte nails. Its super fast to dry and I don't need a top coat. Altho, the only downside of the polish is that.. The matte quality doesn't really last that long. I don't know if its just me but this is a photo of my nails with this polish after a week or so:

So seeing the comparisons, it is abit different from when I 1st applied it. I always ruin my nails by doing the dishes and laundry but was kinda disappointed when the matte was starting to have gloss in it. But other than that it is great, its pretty much the only matte polish that I could find that is near from where I live in. And I will try the other colors soon. From what I've seen they got a purple (darker than what I showed you on the picture at the start), sky blue, red and pink. 

I'm still also searching for other matte polishes so let me know when you guys find some in PH!

*continues to paint left hand nails*

Rings - Cotton On. SM Megamall. 199 PHP

Leopard Pajama bottoms - Gift from my mom from Israel.

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