Favorite Drug Store Makeup Products

As soon as I was introduced in Makeup products, I was mesmerized of how it can significantly change not just your looks but also your confidence. It makes you look more presentable and fresh in a day-to-day basis. There are a lot of makeup products to choose from with different brands used varying purposes with great differences in terms of price. As a student, I am not only taking the performance of the products into consideration but the price of the product as well.

Drugstore makeup products are mostly very affordable. Hence, most of the makeup products I use are bought from the drugstore most of which is surprisingly effective and that I really love! Here's a list of my favorite Drug store makeup products:

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Price: P199 (stay tuned because Maybelline always have sales)

To be honest, I hated wearing foundation because it feels too heavy on my face. However, there are times when I really need to cover pimples or acne marks on my face therefore concealing these flaws is a must. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer makes the job done. 

It's easy to use and covers most of my face's imperfections with just one application which is great because I never have to apply a second layer of concealer. You can use a damp beauty sponge, stipling brush or your fingers to blend it. Plus, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer can also be used as an eyeshadow primer.

L'Oreal Paris True Match Blur Cream

Price: P400 (I got mine in a sale price of P300)

I never thought primer can be as important as it is. This primer blurs large pores on my face making application of foundation or concealer seemless. It makes my pores less vissible after applying makeup. For me, using a primer builds a layer between my bare skin and makeup and also helps the makeup to stay longer on my face.

The texture is different from other primers. It's not gel-like but more like a cream powder.

EB Advance Uncover 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Price: P395

Back then, I had a hard time looking for affordable yet beautiful eyeshadow palettes. Most palettes costs in a price range of P800+. My dream eyeshadow palette which is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette costs not less than P3000 on which is really out of my student budget.

Fortunately, Ever Bilena released this beautiful eyeshadow palette which consists of 12 colors inspired by colors of the sunset. It has colors great for setting the base, transition colors, mattes and shimmers. With this range of colors, you can create a lot of beautiful looks from natural to glam eyeshadow looks for a very cheap price. The colors are easy to blend and also easy to use.

If you don't have eyeshadow brushes yet, the palette comes with a dual ended brush which is usable but I suggest investing in eyeshadow brushes to create better and more looks.

I'll be posting a review or looks you can create with this palette soon on my blog!

Maybelline Hyper Curl Mascara
Price: P199 (I got mine on sale for P149)

I haven't tried any other mascara other than this but all I can say is once I tried this one, I never looked for more. The Maybelline Hyper Curl Mascara keeps my lashes curled throughout the day! And it is also perfect for us teenagers who sweat a lot or during the wet season because this mascara is waterproof and does not smudge.

B.T. LA Sculpt Trio
Price: P300

This palette consists of 3 shades: highlight, shape, and contour. I love the highlight of this because it looks pale white in the pan but when you apply it on the high points on your face, it has a sheen yellow/gold tone to it which blends well with my skin color. Moreover, the contour color is also pigmented which means that a slight dip of my brush can produce enough color for contouring.

I apologize for my ugly swatch. But this is what the colors look like both in indoor and outdoor lighting.

The only thing that I didn't like about this palette is the color provided for shaping the face. I never really used this color for the reason that it is slightly close to my skin tone and doesn't really do much in terms of shaping my face as indicated. All in all, I love this BT LA Sculpt Trio and can also fit in travel sixed makeup bags!

Covergirl Colorliciouos Lipstick
Price: P395

This Covergirl Colorlocious Lipstick in the shade 255 in tempting coffee is the perfect "my lips but better" shade for me. I really love using this lipstick especially if I'm aiming for a natural makeup look and also a perfect lip color if you have dramatic eyeshadow colors or match with pink-toned eyeshadow looks.

It's not a matte lipstick and has a slight shine/gloss into it which is okay for me since matte lipsticks often make my lips feel too dry. But you can put face powder on top of it after application if you prefer a matte lip without loosing much of the pigment.

Vaseline Lip Therapy

Price: P107

This isn't a makeup product but I got this from Watsons and this greatly helps moisturize my lips and prep it before I apply lip tint or any lip product.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water
Price: P145 (125 ml)

Again, this is more of a makeup-related product that can also be bought in the drugstore. I've seen a lot of hype on this product before which urged me to get myself one. What I love about this Micellar Water is that it does not sting which means it can be used in removing eye makeup such as eyeshadows, mascara, and eyeliners without hurting your eyes. With this, you'll never have to buy 2 separate makeup removers for your face and eyes because you'll get both in a single product. And it has a very affordable price!

So here are the drugstore products I often use and love! If you have drug store makeup products that you want to recommend, you can comment it down below or reach me through my social media accounts.

You can get most of these products online through Zalora. Use my code ZBAPT8KZ to get 15% off!

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My Current Skin Care Routine

Hello~ I know I've been inactive lately because I'm going through things that hindered me from looking for inspirations for my blog posts and yet here we are.

Today I will share my skin care routine.
A quick disclaimer, I do not have perfect skin. I still have few pimple marks, bumps, large pores, and redness on my face but I can say that it was better than before and these products really helped my skin to get better.

You can watch my YouTube video instead if you prefer watching than reading:

Facial Wash
I use two products as facial wash—one is for morning and the other I use at evening. Both work perfectly. In the morning, I prioritize hydrating my face (even though I have very oily face) because my skin always feel super dry after washing hence I use the Celeteque Hydrating Facial Wash.

At evening, I feel like my face have accumulated a lot of dirt during the day therefore I prefer cleansing my face using Pond's Acne Clear to prevent my face from pimples.

Makeup Remover
RULE NO. 1: Always remove your makeup before you sleep. This Garnier Micellar Water is a must-have for me. The great thing about it is that it removes your makeup without stinging your eyes and skin. To be honest, it feels like a magical water that removes your makeup instantly. With this, you won't buy two makeup removers for your eyes and face because this product works eitherway. PLUS, it is affordable so I definitely recommend this!

Face Toner
This Cosrx AHA/BHA Treatment Toner is my holy grail product! It greatly improved my skin texture and minimized my pores. It lessened the tiny bumps on my cheeks and this help stop the appearance of large pimples on my face. Definitely get it asap!

Moisturizer
I know most of you have heard of this product—the Nature Republic Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera. If not, then let me introduce to you this wonderful product. I use this after I put toner on my face and neck and sometimes before I put makeup on. This makes my face smoother and more fresh.

I can say this also contributes in preventing my face from breaking out. Also, this product has a ton of use not only in preventing pimples but also you can use it in your hair or on irritated areas of your skin. Basically, this product is heaven-sent!

You can get this in a very cheap price of P245 for 300 ml of product which is a total steal. Stocks last quickly, believe me, I find it difficult looking for this in Nature Republic stores myself.

Sunscreen
This is not actually a sunscreen suncreen. This Olay Total Effects 7 in 1Day Cream has SPF 15 so I suppose it's enough to protect my skin from the sun. Better have sun protection than nothing at all.


Since it's summer, I also use lip balms and petroleum jelly for my chappy lips.
And lastly, keep yourself HYDRATED!

So this is my skin care routine. I hope you find this somehow helpful let me know if it did. And if you have your holy grail products that you want to recommend, you can comment it down or reach me through my social media accounts.

Read my previous skin care routine here.

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Bullet Journal Monthly Spread: February 2018

I know this is pretty late. I haven't been into blogging lately since I'm pretty busy with school and never got the chance to draft enough post to keep up. Anyways, here's a quick look in my February Spread.

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Book Review: Sad Girls by Lang Leav

I am so happy that I am finally going to make my very first book review on my blog. I'm still new to reviewing things and I hope you like this one in some way.

I would like to start by saying that we all have different opinions on different things. My opinion is based on my experience and my thoughts regarding the book. You are free to like and not like a certain book and so am I. Having different opinions and interests makes this community more diverse and open. Happy reading!

Title: Sad Girls

Author: Lang Leav
Genres: Fiction, Romance novel, Bildungsroman, Coming-of-Age Fiction, New adult fiction

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Date published: May 30, 2017

Language: English

• ISBN-10: 1449487769
• ISBN-13: 978-1449487768

Sad Girls is Lang Leav's very first novel and was published in the 30th of May 2017. Since then, I have read and seen so many people on the internet (specifically Twitter) who loved the book. Lang Leav is one of my most favorite authors and she greatly inspired me in engaging more into poetry. Hence, I thought I really have to have the book as soon as possible. The book costs Php785 ($15.49) and I have to admit, it really has a pretty high price point for a paper back book. Moreover, the book has an average rating of 3.49 from 3, 507 ratings on Goodreads.

Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to—it’s the first one who breaks it.

School is almost out for Audrey, but the panic attacks are just beginning. Because Audrey told a lie and now her classmate, Ana, is dead. Just as her world begins to spin out of control, Audrey meets the enigmatic Rad—the boy who could turn it all around. But will their ill-timed romance drive her closer to the edge?

Source: Goodreads

Firstly, I would like to admit that I have high expectations with this book. I am a fan of Lang Leav and her works but I think this isn't one of her works I will recommend everyone to read. 

To be honest I had mixed feelings for this book. I was filled with different emotions by every page and I don't mean that in a good way. It was a bit triggering to me. There were times when I had to put the book down because I can't breathe normally or just cry, worrying about things I should not be worrying about. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating but it really is that bad for me. 

I can't tell how many times I intend to stop reading this because every page, the story and its characters become more and more underwhelming. Another page became more awful than the previous one and I wanted to stop reading it but thinking about how expensive this book is, I just kept on going. Every page is every hope that maybe it will get better but most of it were just a big disappointment to me.

I think let us start with the things I don't like and then with the things I adored in this book just so we could at least end with a good note.

Characters

I didn't see that much character development. Probably the only characters that received development  are Audrey and Rad, which are the two main characters of the story. There are more characters left in the book that should have had received much attention but, to me, just became some characters to fill in the spaces. The other characters aside from them were just there to add a pinch of history for the main characters and nothing more. There's this part of me wanting to know more about the characters because the story is too centered between Rad and Audrey (mostly Audrey) that it almost felt like I am just reading about a selfish brat's point of view and not the whole story. The bottomline is, the characters are stupid and I did not learn from them aside from not being stupid and to not make egocentric decisions that is obviously going to ruin future events. 

Plot

THE PLOT. I DESPISE IT.

I hate the way the book portrays everything. 

Firstly, let me start by the thing I don't like the most: CHEATING. I would like to clarify that I don't support couples who were built from cheating. It feels not right. Basically, the story revolves around a selfish brat, Audrey, who cheats with her boyrfriend, Duck, by going secretly and alone with another boy named Rad without thinking what her boyfriend might feel and how the situation could ruin everything. Unsurprisingly, it did ruin everything. Being so related and connected with someone does not justify in cheating in a relationship. You can talk to someone because there is nothing wrong making friends but going out somewhere secretly at midnight with someone you just met for only a few days is not normal at all. 

Secondly, I know how Audrey hated her mother that it could have been portrayed better. If she doesn't like her mother, then there other ways to show it. I don't like the way Audrey talks to her mother just because she cheated on her father years ago. At the end of the day, she is still her mother and she deserves respect. No matter how much I despise the idea of cheating, people make mistakes and regret commiting those wrongdoings and Audrey's mother did. But she uses it to blackmail her mother. I don't like teenagers to be portrayed like that.

Thirdly, I really don't understand why the root cause of everything occurred. Like, why? Why spread a   false and horrible rumor just because you are bored with your life? I still don't get the idea. It would be more justified with other reasons other than being bored. You can't just ruin someone's life (which caused someone to end her life) for the reason that nothing much is happening with your life.

Lastly, I'm not contented with the ending of this book. Instead of "oh, okay so that really happened," it turned to "so what about [insert a character's name here]? how did they expect to just bury [the past] just like that?" I have to give credit that I had some kind of connection with the characters in a way that I cared for them a little but in the end I was not able to get the closure I wanted with them. It's just disappointing how unrealistic and terrible it was for both Rad and Audrey to not to face the dreadful act they committed aka murdered someone and just forget it as easy as that.

Here are just a few things I liked in this book: I learned a few different things, not with the story but of what was mentioned, specifically Saturn Returns and the Schrodinger Cat which I have no idea of it before if it wasn't for this book. Plus, the writing somehow reminds me of Lang's other works. She still wrote the book like a novel without losing her poetic side. There are good quotes and metaphors I liked and I wish I annotated but didn't.

I gave this book two stars for the reason that, yes, I don't like the book and I don't recommend spending that much money just to get it. There are much better books to buy at that price point or even lower than that. But, this is Lang Leav's first novel and not all author's first books are great enough to be appreciated and loved by many. Will I recommend this book? The answer is no for its high price point and unworthy plot. However, I do recommend  to just stick with Lang's other works because I think those are masterpieces and I read those poetry books from time to time. Will I ever read her novels/books in the future? Probably, yes. But next time, I will lower my expectations.

If you still want to buy Sad Girls by Lang Leav:

Physical Copy: National Book Store, Fullybooked, Lazada, Amazon, Book Depository

Kindle: Amazon

Have you read Sad Girls by Lang Leav? If yes, what do you think about it? Did you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to hear from you. 😊

Add me on Goodreads to know my current reads, my favorite books of all time, and an advance glimpse of my book reviews and ratings. 

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Bullet Journal Monthly Spread: January 2018

I know this January setup is super late because I'm still a bit hesitant if I am going to post this but I did anyway. I would like to thank you for all the love you have given to my 2018 Bullet Journal Setup for it got over a thousand views in less than a week and I am really grateful and happy for that!

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Books I want to Read this 2018

I just stepped out from a very severe reading slump lately and boy oh boy I am ready to hunt some great books to read! I've been into watching BookTubers' (YouTubers who make videos about books) videos of their top favorite reads of 2017 and I created a list on my head of what I might read in the future.

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