Haul #1: Accessories from St Francis Square!

Hello my lovelies!

Today's post will be about my first accessory haul! ;)

accessories!

 
I got these things from St. Francis Square (the mall-ish building in front of SM Megamall) the other week and I'm so excited to share my awesome and super affordable finds with you! :)

Let's start with the earrings. :)

pretty turquoise studs

This pair is absolutely adorable! If you've seen my mini-haul, you will know that I have been loving turquoise lately! Turquoise crystals embedded on a gold disk = uber pretty! 

emerald = color of the year. yey!

This pair is quite similar to the pair shown above, except that this pair is dangling, and it has green crystals embedded on a textured gold disk. :)

I absolutely love that I was able to get these two pairs above for only Php 40 each from Php 50! ;)

This next pair is super lovely. It immediately caught my eye! 

uber pretty gypsy-ish earrings

I love that it is nice and dangly and the detail is so so pretty! Here is a close up so you can see what I mean:

uber pretty detail!

See? :) For some reason, this design reminds me of gypsies. It's so Esmeralda, don't you think? ;) The best part is that I got this pair for only Php 50! Awesome deal! :)

Next up is the pretty ring I got too.

dragonfly and flower ring

It's uber lovely, don't you think? The dragonfly and flower detail looks pretty amazing to me. :) Here is another pic so you can see how it looks like from the side as well as how it looks when worn. :)

on my finger

I also like that this ring is adjustable so it can fit my super thin fingers. :) So, how much is this ring? Well, I was able to get it for only Php 80! Yey!

Last but not the least is the uber uber gorgeous coral and gold bracelet that I was able to get.

isn't it just gorgeous?

Since I have been obsessed with the color coral lately, pretty much anything coral catches my eye. If it's coral AND gold, then I absolutely, positively have to have it! 

This little cutie was practically calling out my name amidst the heaps and tons of bracelets it was buried under. I immediately dug it out (well, not really, but you know what I mean) and I swear my eyes were sparkling as I held it up to the ate and asked "Magkano po 'to?" with my voice almost trembling with excitement. 

Her answer? Php 150. Since I am trying to improve my tawad skills, I bargained and got this lovely thing for only Php 120! Not that big of a discount, but hey -- it's a start! ;)

I love that I was able to get this bracelet for such a low price. Other similar bracelets at the mall costs around Php 300. ;)

Here are some more pictures of this lovely lovely thing so you can see why I am so obsessed with it. ;)

on me

I especially love the chain design it has and how nice it looks on my wrist. ;)

pretty chain design

Gorgeous, right? Told you so. ;)

All in all, I only spent Php 330 for all of these lovely accessories. ;)

If you want some really affordable accessories (and other stuff too), I swear that St. Francis is one of the best places for you to find some for yourself! :)

Whew! So that's all for my first haul! What did you guys think? Comment below! It makes my day. :)

Sample Room Haul #1: Neolia, AHAVA, VM

Hi there! Today's blog will be all about my Sample Room haul! :) This isn't really my first Sample Room haul ever, but it's the first one I'll be writing about. I do have a Sample Room review up, though, if you are interested to know more about it. :) Well, onto the review! Here's what I got from Sample Room this time:

cute packaging! 

here are the actual products that I got

So, let me give you a breakdown and reviews for each. :)

1. Neolia Olive Shampoo & Conditioner (Full Size 400ml / Php 310)

"An organic shampoo and conditioner that is formulated for all hair types, most especially for delicate scalp that helps reduce dandruff. Each variant has a unique ingredient to help moisturize, revitalize and moisturize both hair and scalp. Neolia products were developed without compromising the effectiveness and pureness of each product by giving greater importance to certified natural ingredients."

Here is a picture of the samples.

10 ml sachets

Let me start with the shampoo in this duo.

I actually really love this shampoo! It's very nicely scented, reminiscent of a local shampoo brand I can't quite figure out yet. It also is quite thick for a shampoo. Its consistency is that of a nice jelly conditioner type product. 

What I like most about it is that it lathers quite well. This is something I look for in a shampoo, especially since I do get oily hair at the end of the day. With this, I don't feel the need to re-shampoo for my hair to feel clean. 

Now for the conditioner.

I don't like the conditioner, to be honest. While it smells quite nice like the shampoo, it's really, really runny. It's like watered-down shampoo -- which is a weird consistency for a conditioner. When I tried to dispense some onto my hand, it actually trickled down in between my fingers. Odd.

Because of this, I don't think I was able to get any of it onto my hair. Obviously, I can't vouch for its effectiveness.

2. AHAVA All in One Toning Cleanser (Full Size: 250ml / Php 1,095)

"A light, water-based cleansing milk for face and eyes. The triple formula effectively removes makeup, dirt, and impurities; tightens pores and rebalances the skin's pH; leaving the skin clarified, toned, soft and saturated."

"No need to rinse. Use daily, follow with proper skincare."

Here's a picture. 

30ml sample

What do I think about this product?

Well, I really love it! 

This product is supposed to be able to remove all traces of your makeup, all while toning and moisturizing your skin. It's like your typical bedtime routine all in one. 

I have to say that this product may be able to do just that! 

I used this product when I sported a full-blown smokey eye (dark cream base, dark shadows, blobs of mascara -- the works!), and this was able to remove it with a swipe. Yup, you read that right. With one downwards swipe, my eyeshadow base, eyeshadow, and mascara (top and bottom) was gone. Nada. Zilch. 

Since my eye makeup was so dark, I had to use another cotton ball for my face, but I'm pretty sure a little blob of the product can actually take care of your whole face of makeup easily.

Cleansing -- check!

Now, what about the toning and moisturizing properties, you ask? 

A look at my pores after using this showed that they weren't quite as big as usual. My whole face also felt quite smooth and supple as well. 

Toning -- check! 

Moisturizing -- check!

It also smells quite good, which is always a plus. ;)

I have to say, though, that as an oily-skinned gal, I still wanted to clean my face through my usual routine just to make really sure that it was really clean. Dry to normal skinned gals won't necessarily need to do this, though. :)

All in all, this product is really quite great to have, especially when you travel and you do not want to lug around a whole bottle of makeup remover, a separate eye makeup remover, etc. :)

3. Venus & Mars Mineral Eyeshadow in the color Halo (Full Size: 5g / Php 145)

"It's mineral makeup in its simplest form. NO irritating components such as Bismuth Oxychloride, Boron Nitride, Parabens, Ethylene Gycol, Formaldehyde, Petroleum products, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Carmine, and other Mineral Makeup fillers. Only what your skin needs. Now fortified with Pearl Powder and SPF 20 and infused with Vitamin E, V&M Minerals is the best that your skin can ever experience. Finally, your skin can truly breathe."

Shade: Halo

I had never actually heard about V&M Minerals before. Apparently, it's an online mineral makeup brand that's been around for quite some time under a different name or something to that effect. 

Anyway, I was super excited to try this out since I do love eyeshadow so much. 

This mineral eyeshadow is in a loose mineral form like this:

with flash

without flash

As you can see from the pictures above, the shadow is an uber pretty turquoise color . I was really excited about this since I have nothing like it in my collection. :) 

Now, as standard with all cosmetics, here are some swatches for you to look at:

swatches

Top swatch: With ELF eye primer

Middle swatch: With LA Splash creamy shadow base

Bottom swatch: no primer or base

As you can see in the swatches, this shadow can really be more pigmented depending on its base. I recommend a good eye primer to really make this color pop on your lids. 

I like that this shade is sheer enough that it doesn't scream turquoise eyeshadow when you wear it, but it is definitely buildable if you want a more intense shade. 

I actually haven't tried this on my own eyes but I'm pretty sure it would work great. ;)

Soo, all in all, I must say that this was quite a wonderful Sample Room haul. The items that I got were mostly great! 3/4 isn't bad, is it? ;)

I totally love love love the whole concept of the site and how it gives everyone a chance to try products before deciding on whether to buy them or not!

Want to get your own samples too? Check out my Sample Room review and find out how. ;)

Mini-Haul #1: Genevieve Gozum Goodies!

Hello there!
For this post, I would like to share with you my itty bitty mini haul from Genevieve Gozum. :) It only consists of 2 things -- thus the use of "mini-haul". 
To be completely honest with you guys, I am not the type to buy things from Genevieve Gozum. It's simply not a store that caters to my tastes. :) 
However, while I was out one day with one of my friends at Trinoma, my friend told me that she needed to buy a belt. She then went on to say that there were really affordable belts on sale at Genevieve Gozum. Naturally, I immediately perked up at the idea. Hello, who doesn't like sales, diba? ;)

Soo, we went over to Genevieve Gozum and we immediately saw a belt rack at the entrance of the store promoting belts that were on sale for only Php 50.00! Having just bought a belt that costs Php 400, I immediately perked up at the idea. Soo, I browsed through the belts and found this little beauty here!

Isn't it pretty? And it only costs Php 50.00 too! Here is a close up of the lovely leaf design on the belt.

The belt is made of a leatherette material and I couldn't be more happy about purchasing it. Even my friend had to buy one like it after seeing how pretty this belt is! :)

Now, let's move on to the second item that I bought. A lovely collar necklace! 

Before I show you pictures of it, let me begin by saying that I have had a recent obsession on collar and statement necklaces as of late. I think it was brought about by watching the Pretty Little Liars series and seeing Aria Montgomery's style (which I absolutely adore!).Haha. :) 

Anyhow, I loved the fact that I was able to find a gorgeous collar necklace at Genevieve Gozum. Not only that, but I was able to find one that only costs Php 175.00! What a bargain! :) 

Here is a picture of my lovely turquoise collar necklace. 

Isn't it just gorgeous? :)

I am currently loving turquoise accessories and I have no idea why. I used to detest the color since it's the color of my High School uniform, but now I am totally obsessed with it! 

Anyway, here are some close up shots of the details on the necklace.

See the stunning little light blue crystals embedded on the collar? :)

Soo pretty!

All in all, this little mini-haul has changed my perspective of the Genevieve Gozum store. I'll make sure to check it out the next time I go shopping and see if I can get any more great buys! :) 'Til then!