Review: Colourpop's Out and About (Mixed Finish Bundle)

Long ago before I got pregnant on my second child, I bought tons of lippies from Colourpoop because it was love at first use when I bought one of their products locally. I knew then that I need to do some shopping at their website and hit the free shipping amount to make myself happy. I even chanced on free palette when I hit the free shipping amount mark. Glad I did. It was never a regret.

I bought a lot of nudes since I'm a big fan of it. From those I purchased, I got one collection which is the Out and About that has 3 different shades - Viper, Times Square and Baracuda.

From the three lippies, Viper and Times Square are matte while Baracuda has a satin fnish.

Viper - This one has a doe-foot applicator and the consistency is nice. It has a purple shade and it easily glides on the lips even if it's ultra-matte. It is long wearing too!

Times Square - This is in a nude shade and makes my lips boldly matte. This is long wearing too!

Baracuda - My fave among all three. This has a satin finish. It has an added moisture that makes my lips looking fresh and light. It's a mix of pink and red shade. The color looks great on me. However, it is not completely transfer-proof.

I love everything to be honest, but recently I declutered some of my used and unused stuff where I ended up giving a lot away. I gave away the matte ones to friends and kept the Baracuda for myself since I love the color and the finish.

I still have Colourpop lippies to share with you guys so keep on checking my post every now and then. 

Also, you can follow me on Instagram (@thecuteanddainty) for story updates and more beauty finds. 

Review: The Face Shop CC Ultra Moist Cushion

I'm not a foundie person. Ever since I liked Korean skincare and makeup, I always use cushion since then. So whenever there's a good deal on cushions, I always grab the chance to get them. So when The Face Shop had a sale on their CC Ultra Moist Cushion way waaaaay back, I just had to grab one. It came with a refill so I had more reason to get it.

I always like cushion for it is compact and very convenient to use. I can use it easily whenever I want to do touch-up at the middle of the day, even without bringing brushes or makeup sponges. 

  

PACKAGING - The product is housed in a box and it is in a sophisticated compact that has embossed gold details in it. The SPF was shown on the box and good thing there's an English translation on how to do the refill.

SCENT - There's no particular obvious scent but the product has a good scent once opened. 

PRICE - I remember getting it at the store. If you know me, I always score good deals online but the time I bought this, I feel a little generous to myself. HAHA. If I remember it correctly, it is priced at P1195. It already comes with a refill. 

EFFECT - I like that this has a dewy/glowy finish without the oily feel to it. The shade I got was Apricot Beige and it is the perfect shade for my skin tone. I like that it is easy to blend and hides away my imperfection such as dark spots and dark circles. It also lasted for a good couple of hours.

Yay for me! (｡◕‿  ◕｡) 

• Sophisticated packaging. 
• Compact and easy to use.
• Has dewy/glowy finish.
• Has a free refill.
• Hides imperfections pretty well.

Nay! (｡◕︵◕｡)

• A little expensive.

Price: P1195.00

Bought from: The Face Shop

Size: 15 g.

This is one of my holy grail when it comes to makeup. Korean makeup for me is really a bit expensive, compare to Western products. But I think it is all worth it because apart from getting the skin I want, there's this Korean skin feels as well. 

You? What are your favorite cushion to date? 

How Wigs Help Gain Back Confidence

They say that our hair is our crowning glory. It may be true for some but for people battling with alopecia, it's hard. 

Few months back, I remember my husband had few spots of hair loss on his head. At first, we didn't thought that it meant something. Time went by and it became bigger and bigger. It was also scattered around his head. From then on, his self-esteem went down and almost didn't want to go to work anymore. 

We found out from research that majority of the effect of it was because of stress. He seek medical help and we spent thousands for his treatment. 

My husband's case was just a simple case but I found out that a friend of a friend suffered from intense hair loss and they didn't know what to do. Also, the person can't cover the expenses for treatment and medicine. Good thing, a group of concerned people donated wigs to her. That's why she uses wigs instead. 

Different wigs are available at different online stores. From the website of Unice, front lace wigs are popular. There offer various types of wigs. There are bob wig, curly wig and some straight wigs. These are beautiful wigs that even I would want to try. But more than showcasing beauty, these wigs helps boost self-confidence to those people who have hair problems.

To be honest, I, myself would love to wear a wig too. Haven't tried it yet but I am very open in doing so in the future. More than beauty, these are tools that brings back self-confidence to people who might need help. 

Wardrobe Pieces After Pregnancy

Weeks before going back to work from my maternity leave, I tried to do Konmari on our home. It is a term about Marie Kondo's cleaning. Marie Kondo was known for her books regarding cleaning and organizing and Konmari was popularized recently as she shows how to fold clothes the proper way. While I don't do perfectly the same like hers, I just copied some parts on her technique like putting all the clothes in one place. All the types of clothing from my head covers, scarves, crop tops, my sexy rompers, dresses, jeans, shoes and basically almost everything should be put in one place. In decluttering it, I categorized each from what we want to keep, to sell secondhand, to giveaway or to trash.

So after piling all the clothes from the closet, I sorted them by getting a piece of the clothing while asking myself if it still sparks joy for me. For those clothes that has no spark at all, I toss them on the last three option, either to sell, to giveaway or to trash. I ended up keeping a little amount to myself and found a lot of items to let go. 

My reason why I did this is because we have a little to no space left and we need to make room for the new ones. I noticed that there are a lot of stuff on our closet that aren't fit for us anymore and they stayed on the closet for a couple of years already. I know that now's the time to get new ones for the people at home. For husband, the children and me. Just in time that I wanted to purchase new tops for women because we are mostly girls in the family.

And since I already cleaned and organized most of the things in our closet (even my husband's and children's), I am then trying to update our wardrobe. But of course, we'll limit our purchases to only those we need.

Here are some pieces I am considering in getting once I'm prepared to upgrade our wardrobe.

1. Tops - I need few tops to compliment my look whenever I use jeans during Friday at work since it's our wash day. It is also the most accessible option for breastfeeding or collecting milk just in case I need to collect milk stash.

2. Dresses - I am a dress-person and I like to use dresses since it's the easiest to wear for mamas like me especially if it has breastfeeding access.

3. Scarves - I like bringing a scarf because it protects me from cold, rain, sun and it can also be a great accessory in upgrading up my wardrobe.

4. Shoes / Sandals - Because I gave birth recently, I felt that my feet are bigger this time compared before I got pregnant. So it's a must for me to get another pair or two.

... and I'm thinking of a whole lot more but to be honest, I only  stick with these four because I just gave birth and it will take time for my body to go back. 

Things to Consider in Cosplaying

Few days ago, I was back to work from my maternity leave after giving birth. I gave birth last May and we had 105 days of leave before returning to work. It was an expanded leave because I only got 60 days on my firstborn. I am so thankful for the long rest days I had to cherish with my newborn because I get to spend more time with her and nurse her. A lot of my readers know that I advocate breastfeeding and you can check more of my pregnancy and parenting story on my other blog, Much Love, Mommy. 

Anyway, I prepared myself in returning to work last week. As I returned to school (I work as a junior high school teacher for those who didn't know), I met the substitute teacher for my spot who happens to be a cosplayer and a vlogger. I somehow pondered how difficult it is to start vlogging and/or cosplaying. 

I have been contemplating to try vlogging too but without the right equipment and enough time, I think it will be difficult. I will still try to gather more knowledge and time to study video editing if I wish to pursue vlogging in the future. Since I also got interested in cosplaying, I did a little research on what to do and how to start the act of cosplaying. Here are some of the first things to consider if you wish to pursue a different hobby like cosplaying.

1. Start who you want to cosplay

I am a big kpop fan and being a part of it, I attended lots of kpop functions, meetups, concerts and a whole lot more. As I attended those gatherings, I noticed that there are lots of fans who copy their idols or even the whole group they idolize from their hairstyle down to their shoes. They use natural hair wigs, or they have weave hairstyles to copy the looks they wish to copy. Some uses short lace front wigs to match the latest hair trend of the idols. Just the same in cosplaying, you have to use the same thing for that. They buy the same clothes, accessories, and shoes like the character they want to portray. In short, they copy almost everything to the character they want to cosplay. For that, some has the means to buy their costumes while others try to DIY their own.

2. Assess how much you are willing to invest

If fangirling/fanboying or cosplaying is your passion, then it is understood that you are willing to shed off cash on your stash. Buying tickets, merch, and other materials needed is a given in this field. You may also wish or need to spend on whatever materials your group endorses which requires a lot of cash. So you have to know if this is really the hobby you are willing to invest in.

3. Attend gatherings, group events that are related to fangirling/cosplaying

Broaden your experience by attending events related to what you wish to pursue. Just like what I do in blogging about beauty, I keep on attending workshops and events related to beauty which provides more learning about the field. There are those paid and unpaid workshops from different brands where I try to attend. For cosplaying, there are meetups and gathering of other cosplayers where you can attend to mingle with other people and other group. The key is to socialize with the people you have the same interest with.

Adding a hobby or two is good to add more spice in our life. Just like what I do, I write blog because it keeps me sane with motherhood. It is like an avenue for me to express myself. I also feel that someone is listening to me whenever I try to write my musings and there are people who visit my blog so than you all.

ZILINGO LAUNCHES ITS LATEST FASHION COLLABORATION WITH AVEL BACUDIO AND ALDEN RICHARDS

(THE COLLABORATION COLLECTION GOT SOLD OUT AFTER 10 MINUTES OF BEING LIVE ON ZILINGO)

Zilingo, the leading commerce platform for fashion and lifestyle, announced its partnership with world-renowned designer, Avel Bacudio, and multiple award-winning actor Alden Richards for their latest capsule collection of affordable limited edition athleisure wear. Part of the sale proceeds will benefit children from the Northern Luzon Association for the Blind in La Trinidad Benguet, Philippines. 

The collection will be launched at an exclusive fashion show on Thursday, August 22 at Xylo Club in Bonifacio Global City.

The AvelXAlden collection brings to Zilingo’s customers an affordable line of clothing that combines comfort and functionality, suitable for different occasions. 

“We are extremely excited to work with Avel Bacudio and Alden Richards to showcase and carry their very first collaboration on Zilingo,” says Edryan Lorenzo, PR and Influencer Marketing Manager, Zilingo Philippines. “Inclusivity is part of our DNA and we are pleased to have Avel and Alden onboard to provide our customers with fashion options from a collection that embodies the same values,” Ryza Dipatuan- Razo, Marketing Director, added.

The collection will feature jackets, tracksuits, pullovers and joggers in shades of black, maroon, navy blue, off-white and gray. These colours were specially chosen as they were the first colors Avel Bacudio could see after being afflicted with temporary blindness for a period of time.

“I’ve always been a fan of Avel Bacudio’s designs. He’s been a good friend of mine for the longest time. As such, I am really psyched to have my very first fashion collaboration with Avel Bacudio,” Alden Richards shared.

“With this collaboration, we go beyond providing affordable fashion options to our customers - we share the opportunity to contribute to the social fabric with the Northern Luzon Association for the Blind on-board as our beneficiary, a cause close to me heart,” Avel Bacudio said.

Zilingo is proud to be supporting the collaboration between two talented individuals with unique styles of their own. This is the first time a fashion line will be rolled out on stage and simultaneously made available for sale on the Zilingo website and app.

Fashionistas across the country can purchase AvelXAlden collaboration on the Zilingo website and app starting August 22, 7PM and have them delivered to their doorstep at no extra charge. Customers can also enjoy the convenience of multiple payment methods including cash-on-delivery.

As of writing some products from the collaboration collection went sold out during its first 10 minutes on the Zilingo website. Customers do not have to fret for Zilingo will restock in the days to come.