Review: Concealers

Pimple here, pimple there, pimple everywhere. Sigh. Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.

Can you relate to this?  No? I mean with the air so polluted, (almost all) foods processed and full of preservatives, deadlines to meet (stress), and not to mention our monthly visits coming? If not, then you are one of the blessed few who haven’t experienced what most of us have.

But hey! Every problem got its own solution, right? So don’t lose hope just yet. ;) Whilst we can lessen the chance of getting pimples in many ways, we can’t totally avoid them. So when you have a big event to attend to, or a date with your, ehrm, crush, or you just wanna look flawless every day, don’t fret, you can always rely on the mighty concealer.

So today, I will be making a review of a few concealers that I have used and can recommend.

Best for: Dark spots, pimple scars, dark circles:

1.  MAC Studio Finish Concealer- This I absolutely love! It’s thick but smooth consistency helps conceal dark spots and scars evenly. You only need very little to cover them up and it’s easy to blend. Be cautious though as it may cake if you put too much. And, it is more costly than the others. But needing only a little every application, it will definitely go a long way.

2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer- Yep, it's not their concealer, but it works as impressively! It acts like a foundation and concealer as one which is a double plus for me. It saves you time and gives you the matte finish you are looking for. This is best for combination skin types. Their concealer (Secret Camouflage) works good too, but I'd prefer this because I can use it as a foundation as well. Savvy!

3. Mary Kay Liquid Concealer- I find this very affordable (Php420) and nifty. It also has a thick consistency which covers scars quickly and thoroughly. Unlike Mac, I haven’t experienced caking from it. It is also best used for dark under eye circles as it is a creamy liquid and can thus be easily spread.  But in the Philippines, they only offer two shades, Ivory and Beige, which is a bit of a downer because they’re mostly light for the natural Filipina's skin tone.

Best for: Active pimple spots

1. Yves Rocher Tea Tree Concealer- A must for those who have active pimples. It contains Tea Tree extract which is known for its anti-bacterial property. So while having that flawless finish, your pimples are also being treated. I like how its texture is mousse-like and how it is just enough to hide away impurities. It can be compared to Mary Kay’s but it’s better because it supposedly kills bacteria on the spots. It’s not so expensive either, Php600+. and it already gives you a treatment and a concealing effect.

2. The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer- Like Yves’ product, it helps treat pimples while masking their appearance. However, it has a light coverage compared to Yves’, so you will have to use a little more. For only, Php675, the quality lives up to its price.

I have tried others but these are what I can recommend that’s both quality- and price-wise. I may add more to the list when I have time. My top pick among the 4 is actually Yve’s simply because it does not only quickly and smoothly conceal our pimples but it also heals them. Mac is best only if you have the money to spare and if you don’t have active pimples. Mary Kay is your choice if you’re on a tight budget. And well, The Body Shop is best for light and almost-healed pimples. They’re all actually nice; you just gotta get the one that’s best suited for your needs.

I hope this helped!:) If there are any review requests, just comment below and I’ll try my best to give the product a try.  Also, my next review will be about the best Foundations I’ve used. Until then!:) 

P.S.= This is a super late upload. I got so busy and I haven't even organized the pictures I took for this review yet. Will post asap. :D

Great Sale Bazaar: You lose some, you gain some

Last Saturday, May 3, 2014, my partner, Kai, and I (Style Strutter CDO) participated at a bazaar which was held at Ababu Persian Kitchen beside Tita Fannie's XU. It was organized by the beautiful and humble Ms. Bling. It was participated by other online and preloved sellers. As online sellers, bazaars are a great place for us to display our products, meet new customers, and even get to know other online sellers.

(c) Kai

It was full of getting-to-know-you's, fun, eating (Ababu serves yumyum Persian cuisines at very affordable prices!!!), and shopping. Yes, even if our sole purpose there was to sell, we can't help ourselves but buy from other sellers. I bought from them and they also bought items from me. teehee. I think we spent as much as we sold. :)) Or that's just me. HAHAHA

And with that, here's what emptied my wallet that day:

4 blouses (wasn't able to take a pic with the other one bec Mom wore it yesterday :D), 2 shorts, and 13 cute washi tapes!
My picks were from Ms. Ana Marfori, Lauren Go, and Marj Limbonhai's closet sale :)

I bought spaghetti tops with sheer and soft clothes, and shorts because the summer heat is scorching hot! 3 of it are my pre-Mother's day gift to my mummeh. But she doesn't know that so as not to spoil that I have a surprise gift for her on the special day itself. Also, all clothes were preloved, but most of them were not used (impulsively bought by the sellers. Whooops! I share their sentiments on that HAHA). Almost all preloved clothes were sold for Php200 and below, except for dresses which were mostly Php200 above. Thrift shopping was at its best!

XX1, Mags, F21

The Washi tapes are to die for!!! When I saw them, I was like this little kid who found Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I've been looking for a CDO-based online shop that sells these kind of designs of washis and finally, my search is over <3 and at a good Php70-100/each, it was all worth it! Thank you, Marj!:)

Washi tapes from @artstrings (Marj & Lauren)

I also wanna say thank you  to Ms. Bling for the place. To Ton2, for helping us set up. For my help, cousins, boyfie, and even Sasa-mae, I am deeply indebted to you guys for watching over the place when Kai and I had to leave. To all co-sellers, it was really great meeting you, gorgeous ladies! And even when we sold similar stuff, there was really no competition. We helped each other sell our products and there was good camaraderie. Thumbs up to all of us!:)
And to all our customers, we hope our goodies made you smile as you had us do ;)

Bazaars are really fun and it's a great place to shop especially when you're in a tight budget. Last Saturday was actually the second bazaar that was held at Ababu. We are hoping for a third one on May 17, and we do hope to see you all there. So save up and get ready to shop, dine, and have a good time with your friends! ;)