Product Review: No 7 Instant Radiance Foundation in deeply honey

Before attending makeup school I was so into watching makeup gurus on YouTube and I relied only on them to tell me what products I should try. One of my favorites are the Pixiwoo sisters. After watching hundreds of their videos it was only a matter of time before I would inevitably call my family in London to ask them to buy me makeup the Pixiwoo sisters use.

(FYI, one half of the Pixiwoo sisters' name is Nicola. My second name is Nicola. And who said that name wasn't famous?!)

A couple days ago my aunt & uncle arrived from London and I received my wonderful pasalubong. Now, upon graduating from makeup school I realized that some of the things I asked for might not be ideal for professional use. So now I guess my personal makeup stash will welcome a few new members.

One of the things I requested was the No 7 Instant Radiance Foundation. I have really oily skin and choosing an "instant radiance" foundation might not be the most ideal choice. But remember, I made the order before going to makeup school.

This foundation is very liquid and the first time I pumped it out I was surprised because of the quite runny consistency. I had been so used to slightly creamy products coming out of pumps for those were the kind that I had (no malicious pun intended).

The coverage is medium but buildable making the pigmentation quite strong. I used a stippling brush on one side of my face and a foundation brush on the other. The stippling brush gave a sheer coverage while still concealing dots and redness on my face.

product description, ingredients and recommended use

It had a dewy finish that felt matte and I think this is probably the only reason they call it "instant radiance foundation" because apart from that there was no radiance or glow on my face. Truth be told my face looked rather gloomy, even with the dewiness, but I think that's because the shade I had was a bit darker.

It doesn't feel heavy though you can feel that it's there (does that make sense?). After 2 hours of wear my t-zone started to oil up but the rest of my face felt supple but not oily. After blotting I found there was very little foundation left on my nose that you can see the redness. I used with this the collections 2000 concealer and put it under my eyes. 5 hours in, my face was completely oily (this was night time already) however my undereye area where I've put the concealer stayed completely matte with the coverage completely intact.

the pump bottle

The next day I lightened the shade by mixing it with my lighter Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation which had a matte finish. I must say I was really impressed with the combination of the two. The color was a perfect match, the dewiness of the No 7 foundation was lessened and the matte cakey look of the Revlon foundation was also minimized. They worked in perfect harmony complementing each other. However, it was very very noticeable I had foundation on that day. As I was about to leave I asked my brother what he thought of my skin and he had commented that it was flawless but advised me to use less foundation. I had thought he was just so used to seeing me with and without makeup that's why he could tell. But upon asking my mother, she commented the same thing. The foundation was very noticeable meaning it did not melt nicely on my face. It probably just... sat there, I guess.

Overall, the foundation is pretty nice and I think it would be ideal for people with really dry skin or people who live in really cold weather as it is harder to get a dewy effect around those temperatures. The coverage is pretty nice and the smell is fantastic. The foundation was a bit runny but I think that helps over all seeing as you won't have to tug and pull to spread it all over your face. I think this would be ideal for use on nights out where the lighting is kinder and the weather cooler. This would also be great on mature skin because it can give the dewy glow that mature skin lacks. This is a nice foundation that is good to have but I wouldn't cross oceans to repurchase this.

A Family Affair

Last Saturday me and my family were very fortunate to share in a celebration of "an instinctual and unconditional kind of love that breathes life into a marriage and gives rise to a family" (verbatim from their thank you note).  

Consul Eddie and Madame Julie de Guzman are an institution in our church also beloved family friends.  On their 50th wedding anniversary last Saturday, January 26, our church choir was asked to perform a famous love song "Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin."  

It seemed like the perfect opportunity for all of us to get dolled up and that we did.  It was a great evening filled with love, friends, great food, an unbelievably beautiful atmosphere, great music and dancing - gangnam style!

the beautiful stage

yummyness

more yummyness

even more yummyness

never ending yummyness

a little bit of family history

presenting His Majesty Chorale, or at leats 1/3 of it

beautiful centerpieces

me: hawakan mo nga kung totoo or crepe paper lang
my bro: ate, totoo! repolyo!
hahaha! :)

tealights without the heat

meet my family
(i wasn't told kelangan nakanganga)

my mother and eternal model and the third olsen twin

bro!!!

wucky daw.

more wucky!

the third man in my life

 I hope this inspires you all to find love and keep it and celebrate it with your own wedding or wedding anniversary, and get me to bring out your inner beauty!  After all, love is the only shocking act left on the planet.

The Finer Things in Makeup

As my love for makeup grew, so did my collection. Soon enough my makeup drawer became a makeup table and as I ventured into the world of professional makeup artistry one lesson keeps coming back to me over and over again.

On that one fateful day in makeup class we were doing avant garde makeup which requires a lot of color, a lot of skill and a lot of creativity and taste. My very strict but highly skilled teacher looked over my shoulder to check my work. Eyebrows aside (cos he always notices mine is a little unidentical) he asked what brand eye shadows I were using. He said it wasn't my technique that was wrong for he had been watching me work and that it was my makeup product that lacked pigment. We took a stroll around class and he showed me the makeup products that were exemplary in terms of pigmentation. Then he stood in the middle of the room and made the announcement that would forever reverberate in my mind. "Don't skimp on your makeup products. You will not only be defined by what you do but by what you do it with." From then on, I never looked back.

I have nothing against affordable makeup products. I have reviewed quite a few in the past and still use some of them on myself. But when it comes to professional makeup, the price tag can serve as a good marker for the quality of products. High end brands don't price their products just because they can. The name of their company wasn't built in a day and the quality of their products isn't based on a hunch. Careful research and testing go into making the product and housing it in sturdy, reliable (also beautiful) containers. These are carefully though out, planned and executed much like how a drug is made. I want to offer the best for my clients because they pay to get a good experience not just a pretty face. Because one more thing we were taught in makeup school is that we should make makeup an enjoyable experience for our clients. It's not a job, it's an experience. So to provide experience you can't get just anywhere I have started to save up for the growth of my higher end products.

One of the products I've been eye-ing in the higher end category is the Guerlain Meteorite Pearls. This product alone can cost you a good Php 3,000.00. Not to mention it's not easily obtainable as you have to go to Rustan's Department Store to find Guerlain counters. Thus, I summoned the mighty power of eBay to which I was surprised there were actually 3 ads for the above mentioned product. Of course I picked the store with the cheapest amount which was only Php 2,300.00. Compared to the retail price at Rustan's I get to save Php 700.00 which could still fetch me at least 2 Inglot eye shadows. I immediately texted the owner to express my desire to purchase and Ms. Jona gladly arranged a meet up.

(I just want to take this time/space to promote the eBay store. They are very kind and accommodating ladies who sell high end products at much cheaper prices. They have cosmetics, high end bags and apparel and even a unit in Serendra for rent. Please do check them out here.)

The Guerlain Meteorite Pearls is probably one of the most talked about face powders on the internet.  Aside from it being a wonderful product, the packaging (and pricetag, I think) make it a collector's item especially with the different releases they produce each year.  If I'm being honest the reason I saved up my christmas money to buy this was so I could use it on my mother.  At the age of 55 she is very blessed to still have even skin tone (uneven skin tone being the first marker of aging skin according to studies).  Because of this it will be fairly easy to give her youthful glowing skin, without using too much highlighter or shimmery products, with the sheer luminescent finish of the Guerlain Meteorite Pearls.

The permanent line of Meteorite Pearls come in three shades - 01 Teint Rose, 02 Teint Beige, 03 Teint Dore.  My personal opinion, the teint rose is the most universal shade of the 3 as it gives a sheer translucent finish but still giving every skin tone that lit-from-within glow.

I need not discuss why there are other colors such as green, purple and yellow.  If you're out to buy this product and diligently doing your research beforehand you would have probably already stumbled on other blogs dissecting this product into full detail.  My purpose here is only to reinforce the claim of the majority satisfied with this product.  It is a ridiculously good buy because of the amount of product you get and the beauty of the packaging.  According to Guerlain, they are the unmatched authority in face powders and I am quite inclined to agree.  Though the scent (of violet) threw me off a bit, as it reminded me of my much older tita who also has a penchant for makeup, that didn't put a dent on the excellent overall performance of the product.  You may think you don't need it, but you will be very very very glad to have it.

Product Description

Ingredients

Bob's your uncle

Have it your way and it will be okay, that is.  That's what it means when you say it in Australia.  Now this is not a grammar or cultural lesson.  I just thought it would be a cute title for this post because yesterday I received my makeup goodies from the land down under.

On my other blog, I talked about a makeup swap for the holidays.  I was partnered with Emily Smith, a sweet blogger from Australia.  We had agreed on a budget of AUD50.00 which is roughly Php 2,500.00 for us Pinoys.  Yesterday, I received her package or rather I had to go to QC Central Post Office to receive her package.  Let me just say that the QC Central Post Office is a very sad place.  It was poorly kept and not suitable for working conditions or accepting Filipino taxpayers.  It actually broke my heart to see a government establishment look like that.  Made me think where exactly my taxes go.  Anyway...

I received a total of 9 items all of which, I think, are local Australian brands.  We had an exchange of email regarding things we like to shop for and things we would want to try from the opposite's country.  And I'm pretty satisfied with what she sent over.  I haven't tried any of these items yet though I have swatched some.  I guess you'll just have to stay tuned if you want to find out more about them.

1.  Bloom Full & Flirty Waterproof Fake Lash Mascara in Black

I had told her that I like shopping for mascaras and she said so does she.  I guess this is one she thinks I would like.  Upon opening the product to take pictures I found the mascara to be quite dry already.  Old stock?  Used?  Mishandled in Transit?  On a side note, this wasn't sealed either but it did come in a box.

2. Nude by Nature Natural Mineral Lipliner in Chique

This product claims to be waterproof and instead of a smudger at the other end you get what I think is a smaller version of a blending brush.  Pretty cool and different, I think.

3.  Australis Double Decker eyeshadow duo in Cosmic Rays

I've actually heard of this brand from other makeup gurus on youtube.  It's 2 eyeshadow formulas in one, you get a cream eyeshadow on the top and a loose powder eyeshadow at the bottom.  You've seen this packaging before, usually for loose foundation with concealer on top.  I absolutely love the rose gold color of the powder eyeshadow and can't wait to try it on.  I think the khaki gold cream eyeshadow on top would make a perfect base for the powder eyeshadow.  It might create a different color altogether, or at least a different underlying color.

4.  Australis Paparazzi perfect High Definition blush in Poser

not sealed, surface looks scratchy

if you look closely you will see an area where the marks or ridges of a new powder makeup do not appear

Sad to say but upon close inspection I found this product was used (just a little).  The fact that it wasn't sealed actually gave it away.  It doesn't come with a brush and the color is too dark for me to use as a blush.  However it works well as a contour so I guess I'll be scratching that off my need to buy list.  It has a bit of shimmer in the pan but on the cheeks it doesn't really show.  The pan is also huge at a net weight of 9g and I really like the colors of the sleek, sexy packaging.

5.  Savvy by DB lipstick in Pretty Pink

I had told Emily that I really like nude lipsticks but that I was willing to give pinks a try.  She, on the other hand, loves pink lipsticks.  So I succumbed to her authority in pink seeing as how she has had more experience with it than me.  The packaging is reminiscent of the Nyx lipsticks but the color of the packaging is a dark maroon which I think is very lovely and different from the usual black.  I found out that this cost about AUD4.99 and knowing how expensive makeup is in Australia this is a really good find.  Savvy by DB lipsticks are the Nyx lipsticks of Australia.

6. Face of Australia Lip Quench in Iced Almond

From what I gather Face of Australia is one of the pricier brands, correct me if I'm wrong seeing as I'm not from Australia.  I can't wait to try this because I specifically asked for a nude lipstick and she got me one that I think is the perfect shade.  This product claims to be a moisturizing lipstick with shea butter & jojoba oil and an spf of 30+.  The packaging feels quite heavy and looks rather big.  I hope it'll fit in my lipstick organizer.

7. Savvy by DB trio eyeshadow in Cafe Lattee

Honestly the first time I saw this I immediately thought of army fatigues.  It's quite a hug pan for eyeshadow so you get more of the three colors.  I'm not sure how I'm gonna wear the dark green shade but I'm glad I got it cos I don't think I have anything like it yet.

8. Bloom Organics Scented Soap in Fresh Citrus

I really like the whole packaging, the labels and colors and prints and stuff.  The scent is quite strong which smells more like leaves rather than the actual citrus fruit.  It's pretty small so I'm stashing this in my box of travel essentials.

9. Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment

Ah yes, the ever famous pawpaw ointment.  I must be clairvoyant cos I knew this would be part of the package.  I love this product and this is definitely one of those all around ointments.  Feel an itch?  Put some Pawpaw Ointment.  Got burned?  Put some Pawpaw Ointment.  Got Dry Lips?  Put some Pawpaw Ointment.  Hungry?  Eat some Pawpaw Ointment.  Kidding (although I did find a video on Youtube of a little girl actually eating this).  See?  All around! 

I'm really excited to try these products.  Emily, if you're reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hopefully, we can try this again some other time.  

On the other side of the spectrum, I will show you all what I got her.  I'm just waiting for the confirmation that she's already received the products.  

Want to try a makeup swap?  Send me an email and we'll work something out.