Makeup Madness: Up Close - Tanya Burr Lip Gloss and Nail Polish

When my friend asked me if I wanted her to buy stuff for me in London, Tanya Burr Cosmetics immediately came to mind. Tanya Burr was one of the first YouTube beauty gurus that I started watching, and her new makeup line was something I really wanted to try. The thing is, it's only available in select stores in the UK. I can't get it here in the Philippines, so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on some of her stuff. Thank you so much Sheva!

Tanya Burr makeup is really pretty and girly. There are a lot of pinks and nudes in the collection, and I liked that because I don't have enough pinks and nudes in my life. I decided to go for one lip gloss and one nail polish so I could try something from each of Tanya Burr's two product lines. I chose the Afternoon Tea lip gloss and the Bright and Early nail polish. (Aren't the names adorable?) Here's what I think of them. [Warning: Long review up ahead!]

Bright and Early + Afternoon Tea

Makeup Madness: The Great Lipstick Destashing Project

Ever since the Lipstick Tag I've been meaning to do this post. I recently faced the daunting task of trimming down my lip color collection, and I talked about it a little bit in that entry.

How many lipsticks do you own?
I currently have 32 lip products (including balms, creams, scrubs, and gloss) in my makeup stash. I think it's a pretty well-rounded collection. I have enough to keep me from being bored, but I also don't have too many that I don't get around to using it all. I just let go of 32 though, so before yesterday, I had 64. I realized that it was too much for me, heh.

I've been a lippie addict for as long as I can remember, but after a while, I felt like I had too many products just sitting around not being used. I love lipstick for the pop of color it brings to my face and its ability to transform a look, but it's no good when they're just sitting in my makeup collection, looking pretty. I got rid of 32 tubes/tubs/palettes because I have either used them up, or they have expired, or they simply weren't good to begin with.

 Destashed!

I'm not going to let them go without talking about them though. Some of them were well-loved, while some have been languishing in my makeup box for a while, pitifully ignored. I figured I'd post a rundown of everything, and what I think of them. Check out lip stuff from Fresh and Lush to Etude House and Forever 21. I've included mini-reviews as well as some swatches.

Makeup Madness: Up Close - NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige

I've had the NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige for a while now, but I just found these pics in my computer and realized I totally neglected to do the review on it! My bad. I should be more organized!

Anyway, this gloss was part of my Mini Lippie Haul some time ago. I'm actually not into lip gloss that much because it's sticky, it gets in my hair, it vanishes quickly, it feels thick on the lips, and it's simply just too high maintenance compared to lipstick. Once in a while though, I find a gloss with a color that I absolutely cannot resist, and the NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige is one such gloss.

The Product

It's everything a straight-up lip gloss is. It's sticky, it gets in my hair, it vanishes quickly, and it feels thick on the lips. It's supposed to give your lips some shine and also moisturize and soften them at the same time.

Beauty Loot: Mini Drugstore Haul from the Holidays

Happy New Year! I'm back from the holiday break. Goodbye 2013! Hello 2014! I'm so ready for everything this year has to offer.

Let's start with a makeup haul, shall we? The holidays were beyond hectic for me, but I was able to pick up some makeup I've been wanting in the midst of all the craziness. Here's the story and my first impressions.

• Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Petal Pusher - The Wet n Wild counters have disappeared from SM Department Stores for some reason, so I have gone back to the original place where I get my Wet n Wild fix - Pure Beauty in Serendra. We were in a rush to buy things for our New Year's celebrations but I just had to drop by. I realized during that visit that I didn't have a Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection palette yet. I only have the small trio palettes which have less than half the number of shadows in the Eyeshadow Collection palettes, so I picked one up. The Petal Pusher set has really attractive colors, and I don't have most of these shades in my makeup kit yet. The shadows look pigmented and they look pretty festive too, which I need for party makeup. The palette I got looked a little battered, but it was the only one left at the store and it was the palette I liked the most out of the palettes there, so I got it anyway. 
• Maybelline Color Elixir in Glam 13 - I love this lip color! I've been wanting the Color Elixirs since they were announced, so I just had to stop by the Maybelline counter at Watson's after a long day of Christmas shopping to get one. (Maybelline calls them "Lip Polish" here though. I really have no idea why they need to have different products for Asia.) First off, the packaging is simply clever and cute, which hooked me in right away. I thought the colors were really unique too, and now I want all the shades. I actually started using the one I got immediately -- even ended up using it all throughout the holidays -- but I'll reserve my thoughts for a proper review. To be honest, I have no idea what shade I got. The color name wasn't anywhere in the packaging and the sales assistant didn't have a clue either. I just looked at swatches online and decided Caramel Infused was my best bet. I need to get more colors. This lip gloss is just too good.

That's it for my mini haul. Reviews to come soon.

For past beauty hauls, check this tag: Beauty Loot.  

Beauty Loot: Mini Lippie Haul 09.05.13

My biggest weakness when it comes to beauty is lipstick. I always have way too much in my stash, but I can never seem to stop acquiring lippies. I've been trying very hard to use them all up and not let any go to waste, so I have been keeping myself from getting new ones these past few months.

Today however, I caved! I couldn't resist, and it's all my friend Sheva of Beauty by Berrymix's fault, hah! She ordered a bunch of makeup from the US, and I bought a couple of her stuff. One is something I've been wanting for a while, and the other isn't available here so I had to get it. Here's my mini-haul, with first impressions after the jump.