Inglot Duraline and How to Use It

So lately I discovered this magic elixir that is Duraline by Inglot Cosmetics. I was researching on how I can revive my gel products; I have a Milani brow pomade and 2 Maybelline gel liners that noticeably dried and not does not apply as smoothly as before.One hack I saw as I surf the web was the misting the brush with MAC Fix+ before dipping into the product. But I was determined to find another solution and thus I saw various video and blog posts about Duraline.

It didn’t take much for me to be convinced that this is the best solution and in no time, I found myself wanting to buy one. Unfortunately, the product is out of stock in their SM Mall of Asia and Glorietta store. I bought mine from a makeup artist/seller in one FB group I joined. The product was reasonably priced at Php900.00 plus I paid the shipping fee of around Php60.00

Product Description:

“Duraline Mixing Liquid

Duraline mixed with a makeup product of your choice creates a liquid waterproof application.”

Duraline comes in small 9mL rectangular glass bottle. It has a glass dropper for dispensing the product.
Consistency is like oil but has no smell. It is also paraben-free and hypoallergenic J 

I’ve put 2-3 drops of Duraline in one section of my gel liner and let it sit for a minute.

Here is a photo comparing swatches of the product with Duraline and without. You can see that the swatch with Duraline is more pigmented and application wise, the gel liner went on smoothly.

Aside from the brow and eyeliner gel, I also used Duraline for the following:

1. For eyeshadow and pigments 

I pat a small amount of Duraline on the lid  before putting eyeshadow. The color payoff of this technique is amazing. I have also tried, mixing a drop of Duraline and powder pigment in a palette, and the result is the same. The product really brings out the color of the eyeshadow/pigment.

2. For various colored liners 

Now, I don’t need to buy every color or shade of eyeliner. I just scrape some eyeshadow or pigment; mix it with a drop of Duraline in a palette and then use my eyeliner brush. Red , yellow, green liner? No problem! The possibilities are endless J 

3. For highlighters and blushes

Using the same technique as I do with my eyeshadows/pigments, I scrape some of the highlighter or powder blush and mix Duraline. The result? I get a gorgeously pigmented liquidy highlighter or blush. Sometimes, I just dab some Duraline on the areas I want to put higlight or blush before putting the powder product.

4. For mixing foundations 

Ever since I used the RCMA foundation, I am always on the lookout for techniques on how I can bend it to my will. One technique I discovered is mixing it with Duraline. As I warm the foundation on my palette, I put 1-2 drops of Duraline. The application is smooth and blending the product is easy. Plus the foundation does not feel oily or heavy on the skin. 

Swatches comparing eyeshadow and highlight with and without Duraline.

Overall, I highly recommend this product to makeup artists and makeup enthusiast alike. With this product, you can maximize any powder product you already have as it instantly transforms them into a cream or liquid form. This will help you save money as well, as you don’t need to buy every product out there. It’s versatile, smudge proof and will last a long time. With its price and the many wonders it can do, Duraline is a steal and will surely be a staple in your makeup kit J

1st Impression Review: Missha Pure Source Pocket Pack in Tea Tree

Hello lovely people! This post will be a first impression review of the MISSHA Pure Source Pocket Pack in Tea Tee. 

A lovely someone sent me 5 of this so I figured, why not try it and give an honest review about this😊

As you see from the picture below, description and what-have-you are written in Korean. And since I don't read Korean, I googled information about this product. According to influenster.com, this products gives a "brightening and lifting effect and offers deep hydration and nutrients to skin".

 Currently I am using Garnier Light Complete Yoghurt Sleeping Mask. So far, I have no problem with product. 

This is like my night moisturizer and then I just leave it on my face and wash it the following morning.

Back to the Missha pack, according to roseroseshop.com, this product can be used in 3 ways: (1) as a peel off pack which you apply a thick layer and then after 20-30 minutes, peel off the dry mask; (2) as a sleeping pack, in which applying a moderate amount of the product is the last step in your routine, leave it on and wash the next morning; 

(3) lastly as a wash-off pack ,where you apply this on your face and wash after 10 minutes.

 The product is like a clear gel. As for the smell, I was quite expecting a stronger  scent similar to that of The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil, but this one has just a hint of tea tree scent. I can't say if that's a good thing or a bad thing, as others like the strong scent of tea tree while others prefer not much.

Of the 3 ways to use this product, I decided to use it as a sleeping mask, just as my routine with the Garnier pack. 

I washed my face with Cure which I must say is a very good and gentle exfoliant. I then used my Celeteque Oil-Control toner and lastly I've put a good amount of this Missha pack in my face. I consumed half of the pack so I guess one of this is good for 2 nights use.

I used this around 9:17 PM, and my face looks very wet because of it. I didn't experience any tingling or sting while I have it on. At 9:40 PM , the product was completely dry and absorbed by my skin. I tried touching my face and it has a bit of sticky feel; same as when you touch a scotch tape. Nonetheless, it wasn't really that bothering.

The following day,  I noticed my skin did looked "brighter" and feels tight, or perhaps this was the "lifting" effect of the product. So glad that it did not leave any marks on my pillowcase.

Overall, I can say that this product is good. However for everyday use, I'd still prefer the Garnier mask since because it dries faster than this one. I'd gladly bring this product with me when I am travelling since the Garnier package is quite heavy and bulky.

How about you? What Korean skin care products are you using and swear by? 

Let me know so I can try them as well 😊😊😊

Hello Life, Hello 2017

Hello lovely readers! I am back from my loooong hiatus  (almost 10 months!) and for this post I just want to share whats going on in my life and the  hello’s of my 2017☺

Hello 2017, Hello New Career

Since 2013, I have worked as a Market Research Specialist for a non-bank financial institution. I had fun, learned a lot, made many many friends and acquaintances, struggled on some projects, beat deadlines and kicked ass on my stay there. But you come to the point that you want MORE, and I am not just talking about  income here but also career advancement. It was my main struggle in the last months of 2016; thankfully though I got an offer last November and I started my 2017 with a new career. I am now working as a Marketing Services Executive for a multinational pharmaceutical company, and surely I got the “MORE” I was looking for.

Hello 2017, Hello Love Life

Perhaps this is the 1st time EVER that I will be talking about my love life. I have always kept things private about this and I intend to keep it that way. Yes it is not always rainbows and butterflies but I just want to share how happy I am right now. This person makes my every waking day so worth it *blush*

Hello 2017, Hello Makeup

Yes 2017 was an amazing whirlwind as I started my new job, but that didn't keep me from my interest and passion. I have been doing makeup for proms, graduation and soon will be doing weddings as well. I know I am still far cry from those amazing makeup artists but I am  pleased that I can still pursue this. I plan to take an intermediate course this year to learn new techniques and of course upgrade my kit befitting a pro. 

Hello 2017, Hello Healthy Me

No I won't be promoting any diet here or a gym/workout you should try. This year though I vowed to start taking care of my health: eat better, sleep enough, be more active and take lots of water are some of my goals for this year. My goal is no longer about losing weight, but to live a healthy and happy life. Here are some of the steps I made for this goal:

• I used the FitBit watch that I got last December; at first I wasn't really happy about having this watch but now I really appreciate that I get to track my steps for the day (my current goal is at 7,000) as well as the hours of sleep that I get. 
• Downloaded a "Drink" app which reminds me to consume water.
• Letting go negativity; may it be a toxic person or a toxic environment.

Well we are already half of 2017 but I can sense that the remaining months will be as exciting and full of blessings☺

Is Your Morphe Brushes Palette Authentic?

While I was in 168 Mall in Divisoria the other day, I saw a lot of fake cosmetics and how crowds are totally digging those products. I can't blame them, I know how tempting it is to buy fake makeup. Just imagine having that cult favorite Nars Orgasm blush for a fraction of a price? Sounds like heaven for us tipid girls. 

I never patronize fake makeup, not because I can afford the real deal, but because buying counterfeit cosmetics is always a bad idea. Why? You don't know where they come from and what ingredients they contain. Some may even contain carcinogenic and other harmful ingredients like arsenic, lead and mercury.

Morphe is a popular brand among makeup artists and makeup geeks. They offer gorgeous eyeshadow and blush palettes as well as makeup brushes. So for this post, I am not gonna tell you why you shouldn't buy fake cosmetics. Instead, I'll share what to look for or how can you check if a Morphe palette you've been eyeing is the real one.

Morphe box (front)

First, the box itself is sturdy and not flimsy and is almost 1 inch thick. The color of the box is matte black and letters in the "MORPHE" (aside from the "M") and "www.morphebrushes.com" are written in gray and not white. At the back of the box, the letters in the ingredients section are also written in gray. Font style of looks like Times New Roman. 

Serial number at the lower right of the box (back side)

The serial number is printed in the box and is not a sticker. There are no stickers whatsoever on the box of an authentic Morphe. The square of the serial number is in white. Letters and numbers inside are written in black. You can also see the variant of the Morphe palette. Here I have the 35N which is an all-matte palette.

When you open the box, flap of authentic Morphe should face away from you and not facing you.

Morphe palette when you pull out from the box

 When you pull out the Morphe palette, it will be covered in bubble-wrap.

Bubble wrap of the Morphe palette inside

 The bubble wrap is a double layer. Most fake Morphe palettes only have 1 layer of bubble wrap.

Morphe palette (front)

Morphe palette (back)

Sticker of the Morphe palette

The sticker is a glossy grey and the text is in black. Font style looks like Arial Narrow.

The clasp or closure of the palette looks like the photo above. It's square-ish, not round.

Morphe brushes 35N Palette (top view)

You can see that the palette is symmetric and perfectly aligned. The 35N palette is arranged in 5 pans per column or 7 pans per row.

Clear film covering the eyeshadows

The clear film is very thin. In fake Morphe palettes, the film is quite thick.

Close up of the eyeshadow pans

Since I bought the 35N palette which is an all-matte palette, I believe it is common sense that no eyeshadow should have shimmer or glitter on them. Also, the eyeshadows are flat and not in concave shape.

Morphe brushes 35N Palette

If you are really tempted to buy fake cosmetics, step back and think, "Is this really worth it?" "Am I willing to risk my health?". If you can't afford high-end or pricey makeup, just do your research and you will see tons of results for dupes of different makeup products. In fact, there are lots of good drugstore makeup, so better pick that than fake makeup. I hope this post has helped you! :)

Diet Delivery: Plan Eat Review

I live in Manila and work in Makati so I commute an average of 3-4 hours everyday. With that, I barely have time to cook meals for myself . Now, my office relocated in Makati Ave so its even more difficult to buy affordable and good meals. So in my search for a food delivery service that will suit my needs, I came across Plan Eat.

Plan Eat offers 1200, 1500, 1800 and 2000 calorie meals. The different meal plans contain the same set of meal, they just vary in quantity. I order the 1200 calorie per day set since I haven't been visiting the gym lately, my only exercise perhaps is when I'm malling haha :) The set is worth Php1,200.00 which is good for 5 days plus Php 100.00 for the delivery. They deliver the food on the day of consumption so when I get to my office building at around 8:30AM, my food is already waiting for me.

This is not my first time to try diet delivery. I have tried Dear Diet before (failed to do a review) but they charge Php1,700.00 (inclusive of delivery) for 1200cal meal. It's still cheap compared to other diet delivery services but with Plan Eat, I get to save Php400.00 more.

So for my first week with Plan Eat, below are the meals that I received from them.

DAY 1

Breakfast: Green Tea Chocochip Muffin

AM Snack: Apple

Lunch: Sausage, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta

PM Snack: Cassava Cake

Dinner: Grilled Oriental Chicken with Red Rice and Cucumber Coleslaw

What I Love: The Green Tea muffin, sorry I am sucker for anything green tea/matcha.

DAY 2

Breakfast: Tocilog

AM Snack: Banana

Lunch: Chicken Raisin Pomodoro Pasta

PM Snack: Chia Pandan Pudding

Dinner: Thai Patties with Cream of Spinach and Bun

What I Love: The Tocilog made me sing with glee, I feel like I not on a diet because I get to eat tocino. The Chia Pandan pudding was also very good.

DAY 3

Breakfast: Chicken and Egg Arrozcaldo

AM Snack: Banana

Lunch: Pesto Burger

PM Snack: Coffee Flan

Dinner: Swedish Meatball with Mushroom gravy, veggies and brown rice

What I Love: The Coffee flan, it was sooo good. I am really loving their snacks!

DAY 4

Breakfast: Tuna Wild Chestnut Breakfast rice

AM Snack: Apple

Lunch: Chicken, Sundried Tomato and Eggplant Angel Hair Pasta

PM Snack: Mango Curry Pande-Pizza

Dinner: Beef Stroganoff with veggies and Dinner Roll

What I Love: Again the snack won, the Mango Curry Pande-Pizza. It was just genius! I love the curry and mango combination.

DAY 5

Breakfast: Chicken Caesar Wrap

AM Snack: Apple

Lunch: Tilapia Fillet with Lemon butter sauce, veggies and brown rice

PM Snack: Pinoy Ensaymada

Dinner: Mom's Baked Mac

What I Love: The Baked Mac, it was tasty and has a generous amount of cheese.

Overall, I am pleased with my meals with Plan Eat. I am also glad that the set comes with 1 sachet of instant coffee so I still get to enjoy coffee everyday. I would recommend Plan Eat to those who are interested to try calorie counting and are looking for affordable meals. Having food on delivery certainly was convenient for me since I don't need to worry on my meals plus I get to be surprised what will I get everyday. Some people may find the meat servings quite small but hey that's what calorie counting is about right?

Uniquely Singapore 2016: Haw Par Villa

Not your usual theme park, Haw Par Villa at Pasir Panjang is the kind that can give you the creeps.

One of the main attractions here is the Ten Courts of Hell, which showcase gruesome and graphic exhibit. 

Turtles living in the water that surrounds the pagodas.

For good luck :)

The Tiger Car

Entrance to Ten Courts of Hell