I Won A Giveaway!

Are you the kind of person who never wins anything?

That's me!

Well, not until a few months back. I like joining giveaways on Youtube and Instagram because one, I might just win and two, most of the time, the items they are giving away are never available locally. Besides, it's really easy to join. You get to support the people you like and at the same time, pray to the makeup gods that you actually win. Lo and behold, the makeup gods actually listened to me. When Karima McKimmie [Shameless Fripperies on Youtube] posted her giveaway on Instagram, I immediately joined without expecting too much. I even forgot that I joined until one day, when I woke up, I was already proclaimed the winner of said giveaway! It was hosted alongside Becca so naturally, I won something from the brand!

Karima was super nice and extremely generous for including more than the said prize.

So, what do you think of my flatlay game? Haha.

Anyway, here are all the items she sent me. I was so surprised when the customs officer opened the package in front of me and saw all the contents that I forgot how frustrated I was at them for charging me for these gifts. My eyes actually twinkled.

She sent me a total of four products. I love all of them and am still truly grateful.

Moral of the story: continue doing what you love and never give up. If you are totally into giveaways, go ahead, it's free! You might just one day get lucky and get the grand prize. :D

Here are a few close-up shots of the items I got. Enjoy!

I especially enjoyed the It Cosmetics Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Disc because of the waterproof bronzer. It is genius!!

Love,
Maple

My first Zoeva Brushes | Filipina Tries Out Zoeva Brushes

A few posts back, I talked about my favorite makeup brushes. In that post, I talked about how much I love affordable brushes. I don't own a lot of expensive brushes aside from one bamboo kabuki brush from Tarte which I barely use. It's not that I don't want to experience these hyped up brushes, it's just that I would rather allot my money on other things like makeup, clothes or food. I keep thinking that if ever I get these brushes, I don't want to get just one. I have been eyeing several brushes from Zoeava and Morphe in the past few months. So when Sephora Philippines had a 15% off discount in its entire site, I grabbed the opportunity and got these brushes. I got a good deal but I still think that I paid a pretty penny for both of these.

The brushes came in separate zip bags (as seen in the photo above) that are sturdy enough to be reused. I could definitely use these when I travel. The two brushes that I got are the ever famous 102 Silk Finish Brush (804 Php) which is usually out of stock in the Sephora Ph site, and the 103 Defined Buffer Brush (804 Php). Like I mentioned before, I love face brushes, so I decided to pick these two.

Here are the brushes up close:

Aren't they beautiful?

Now, let's talk about each individual brush.

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish

On the Sephora site, it says:

The 102 Silk Finish is a vegan foundation brush that helps you achieve a natural, streak-free finish. Its bristles are soft but sturdy, perfect for applying and blending of powder and mineral makeup.

I don't own anything like this. I also got if because I find that a lot of makeup artists on Youtube seem to own this. I will give this brush a whirl using several products to see where this works best. I don't think I like this for powder, maybe for setting my under eyes?

103 Defined Buffer

The description for this brush on the Sephora site is:

The 103 Defined Buffer is a vegan foundation brush specially shaped for a full coverage application of foundation. Its angled head is perfect for applying and blending foundation on the eye and contour areas.

I'm also planning on using this for foundation or BB Creams. I love the shape of this brush. It reminds me of my favorite angled brush from Landmark. The difference, of course, is that this one has a sharper edge compared to the round edge of my beloved brush.

Here they are side by side:

These have such great weight to them. They're so shiny and spanking brand new that I don't want to use them! Of course, that won't happen, since I really do need to use them. Haha.

Now, here are closeups of the handles. They have shiny handles with specks of glitter in them. There are no other words to describe them but beautiful. Better yet, they are vegan. 

I will definitely use these in an upcoming video. 

Have you tried Zoeva Brushes before?

Love,
Maple

Maple's Makeover: Myka J. Does My Makeup

No two people are alike. I also believe that everyone has her [or his] own way of putting on makeup. I decided to test it out when my sisters and I visited a friend. Myka (http://msdearlady.blogspot.com/) is my youngest sister's best friend from way back when. Her style from mine is from two different ends of a spectrum. I would like to say that she has more edge [ripped jeans, combat boots, and all] while I stay under the simple, almost basic end. When she ask for permission to do my makeup, of course, I had to say yes. I wanted to see how her makeup style would translate on my face.

My Everyday Makeup Routine + I Made A Youtube Video!

I made a Youtube Video!

Maple Loves: The Face Shop Design My Eyebrow #2

The Face Shop Design My Eyebrow Pencil

If someone told me that I can only use one makeup product for the rest of my life, it would have to be an eyebrow pencil. I haven't been wearing makeup for that long but I have developed a love affair with eyebrow pencils. I have really sparse eyebrows, so just imagine my glee when I discovered the power of eyebrow pencils.

Filipina Tries On: Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

Hi there!

I hope you're all having a wonderful holy week, if you are from the Philippines. If not, then I still hope you are having a nice day. :)

For today's 'Filipina Tries On' segment, I would like to talk about my favorite palette as of the moment, the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette. I got this from Sephora Philippines. I actually had to wait for this to come back in stock because it has been out of stock for a while now. Even as I type, it is, again, out of stock at the Sephora PH site. I got this for 1,100++. If you are not willing to wait for this on Sephora, you can find it floating around Instagram or other online cosmetics stores. They are a little bit more expensive, though. Come to think of it, the Sephora PH shipping fee is also expensive. But if you buy a total of Php 1,300, you get free shipping. I just added a pair of nice false lashes to my cart to avail of the free shipping. Mind you, this was my first transaction with Sephora Philippines, but it was smooth and delivery time was short. So, two thumbs up for that. :)

Filipina Tries On: Pink Sugar Eye Candy Palette

Pink Sugar Eye Candy Palette

First off, let me explain my title. "Filipina tries on..." The phrase seems to be popular on Youtube nowadays. It's not that exactly but you can find all sorts of "Filipinos try," "Americans try," and so on. SO, I thought maybe I can use it for this blog. You know how cosmetics look different on every skin tone? That's what I was going for. So readers will have an idea how a particular product will look on a particular person. Am I confusing you yet? Anyways, this is somewhat a first impression / review of items that I will be featuring. I want to make this a segment on my blog.

So now, onto the main attraction! In today's "Filipina Tries On," I will be trying the Pink Sugar Eye Candy Palette in 01. :) To those of you unfamiliar with the brand Pink Sugar, it is a Filipino brand that was launched in 2015, if I am not mistaken. They used to only carry scents, but recently they came out with cosmetics. This is the second product I will be trying from the brand.