Guerlain Haul: Photos and (Late) Announcements!

I had been planning to post about this for quite a while now (by quite a while, I mean almost a month) but I never really got to it because school commenced and lots of real-life drama (that I would much rather not talk about, thank you) occurred. Still, just in case you’ve been planning to get something from Guerlain Cosmetics and you’re a bit tight on funds, this post might be of use to you!

First, let me share a photo of my much-awaited Guerlain haul that I finally got last December 27 (I told you it was almost a month ago already). I’m currently working on my review posts about these and I’ll have them up before the weekend ends!

I got just the Guerlain Météorites Perles in 02 Teint Beige and the Guerlain Météorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer! The rest were free samples c/o the lovely MUA at Guerlain Rustan’s The Beauty Source Makati.

Yep, you read that right—free Guerlain mascara (which I think is a full size if not a deluxe size sample) and powder foundation (which most definitely is a sample size)! I love that I end up friends with almost all the cosmetic boutiques I frequent. Yay for extra freebies, reservation privileges, and firsthand announcements of new products and exclusive sales!

Happy Skin “Shut Up & Kiss Me” and “Get Cheeky with Me:” Pictures, Swatches, and Reviews

Around sometime last week (I think), I read a post by Carina of Softly Sometimes that featured a concealer by Happy Skin. I had never heard of the brand before that blog post, but I was really intrigued by it because her review began not-so-enthusiastically yet it still ended on a really positive note. Plus points because it was purchased from The Beauty Bar (which had a branches really close to where I live and where I go to school), so I promised myself I would get something from Happy Skin the next time I came across any of their branches!

…I think my friend-slash-thesis mate read my mind, though, because when he handed me his Christmas gift (we sort of came up with a Kris Kringle thing but since we were just 4 members in the group, we all bought gifts for everyone instead), it was a gift bag from The Beauty Bar. I didn’t think it would be anything from Happy Skin since The Beauty Bar carried a lot of other more well-known brands, so imagine how surprised and happy I was when I opened it! The lipstick (more like lip crayon, actually) and blush came in really lovely pink hues that perfectly suited my skin tone, too (or so I’d like to believe). Thanks Arty! 😆

Now, I have been a fan of NARS cosmetics for quite a while now and I can say I’m really used to their rather naughty yet reasonable product names (e.g. Orgasm powder blush for that post-orgasm glow, Deep Throat powder blush for… yeah that, and others LOL), but the names of the items I got are entirely different things altogether—they’re flirty in a cute, teenage, butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of way, unlike the sultry effect achieved by the NARS products we all know and love.

Wish List Item Granted: Guerlain Météorites Voyage Exceptional Pressed Powder (Photos, Swatches, and Reviews)

If you can still remember, some time last month I did a post on an extensive wish list of Guerlain Météorites products—it contained the Guerlain Météorites Perles, Météorites Voyage Exceptional Pressed Powder, and even the Météorites Brush. One Sunday a few days after that (or maybe weeks, lol I was so busy during the latter part of the term that I lost myself along the fabric of time), I finally got to go to Makati to do some shopping and pay Rustan’s Beauty Source a visit.

May I just say that the Rustan’s Beauty Source in Makati is my definition of heaven? Not only does it combine in one place all the luxury cosmetic brands scattered all over the metro—it’s also located right beside the other luxury lifestyle brands such as Tory Burch and the like! How I wish I lived near the area!

My haul from that day! Thanks, mom!

Anyway, drooling-over-life’s-pretty-little-things aside, the main reason why I was itching to go to Rustan’s Makati was because it was one of the very few Rustan’s branches that carried Guerlain cosmetics. I was a bit disappointed for quite a number of reasons, though: (1) they didn’t have the Crazy Paris collection during that time yet; (2) they didn’t have stocks of the Météorites brush; and lastly, (3) they ran out of the Météorites Voyage compact powder tester, meaning I was only able to test the Météorites Perles.

Regardless, I made a decision that day to wait out on my first loose Météorites Perles until the Crazy Paris collection was out, so I got the Météorites Voyage compact powder in Mythic instead—yay for my makeup bag cos it’s much more portable, but boo for my credit card bill because it’s around twice the price of the loose pearls. I know it’s refillable and all, and since I’m so obsessed with cosmetics it’s considered a good investment, but I swear the price is cray!

…no regrets, though. Matter-of-factly, I’m actually planning to visit Rustan’s Makati again soon to purchase the loose Météorites Perles and the brush I missed out on the last time (changed my mind—I don’t want the Crazy Pearls collection anymore), plus the Météorites primer I tried out on the same day (which should be another post entirely). 😆  #ErikaProblems #whydoineverlearn

Holiday Haul #3: MAC Stroke of Midnight Lip and Cheek Bag in Pink

Wow, I am lagging waaayyy behind schedule with my Holiday Haul blog segment! It’ll be Christmas in less than 3 days (here in Manila, at least) and I’m not even halfway done with the haul posts, let alone the swatches and reviews. Oh, and my aunt and cousin from the US will also be arriving 2 days after Christmas, bringing with them two of the items on my wish list—yet additional products to write about! To top it off, those do not even include the pending posts outside of this blog segment! OH MY GOODNESS I AM SO OVERWHELMED. 😯

Anyway, before I go into a complete psychotic meltdown, here’s Holiday Haul #3 for you all, and it’s (obviously) about the lovely MAC Stroke of Midnight Lip and Cheek Bag in Pink!

Apache Burgers and Ribs Review

…wow, I’ve been MIA for 4-5 days now. Really sorry! It’s just that I couldn’t come up with a decent blog post and good photos because I had slept for just an accumulated 8-10 hours from Monday to Thursday. Crazy, right? It sucks even more that my skin is suffering the consequences of my extreme lack of sleep. Yup, driving to school early in the morning + thesis + getting home at around 8-10PM every night + insomnia = surefire recipe for disastrous skin (and a severe scarcity of blog updates).

Anyway, the post I will be doing today won’t be related to makeup at all—this post is about the burgers and ribs place at BF Parañaque that my boyfriend and I tried for the first time last October 25 (a little late in the loop, I believe). We’re always on the lookout for new places to try since we’re always hungry but I’m hardly ever in the mood to cook, and Apache Burgers and Ribs caught our eye as we were driving by Aguirre St. at BF Parañaque because of their unique decor: there was an astronaut statue outside the bar beside them (which they also owned but operated only at night, according to the cashier we talked to).

The diner’s exterior.

Bad lighting and framing, oops. I had my camera for just 5 days on the day I took that so I was still a complete idiot about operating it back then (now I’m just slightly dumb, lol).

Meet Toffee

I didn’t really shoot this photo to post on my blog—I was merely transferring my countless practice shots from a few days ago along with the photos I took for my two upcoming posts, when this particular photo caught my eye. Clearly I need more practice with taking photos and familiarizing myself with my camera’s controls, though! I’ve been finding this photography thing quite challenging, to be honest, and I never really thought I would. Maybe because I had never bothered manually adjusting the settings on all of the other cameras I’ve operated before, which all also happened to be point-and-shoot cameras? Regardless, words cannot express how much more respect I have for professional photographers now! You guys do wonders!

(click the photo for the full resolution)
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Focal length: 17.479mm
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: F5.0
ISO: 1600

New Camera: Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

If you had read my first blog post, you might recall me writing about wanting a bridge (advanced point-and-shoot) camera for the macro shots I’m planning to take for this blog (because how am I supposed to capture makeup swatches in crisp detail without a good camera, right?).

…well, I finally came to a decision after a few days of researching camera tech specs and I got it two days ago. Everyone, meet my newest baby, the Canon SX50 HS! 😀