Joppa Foundation Medium 2.5

After testing the new sample I got, I decided that Medium 2.5 of Joppa's Full Coverage foundation was a better match for me.  (I ordered myself a full size refill bag right away).  Joppa's foundation has medium to heavy coverage, it doesn't break me out nor produce an oil slick on my face after a few hours.  It is on of my HG mineral foundation for more than a year now.  Their finishing powders, blushes and eye shadows are also very good.

Good thing they came up with this new shade because the Medium #3 lacked yellow but was a perfect match otherwise.  It was just a bit on the pink/beige side.

Here's an FOTD from a party I went to last weekend:

 

(no flash)

(with flash)

Face:

Avon Magix Face Perfector SPF 20

Joppa FC Medium 2.5

Dreamworld Creme Topping in Cocoa

Aromaleigh URFP in Translucent

Blush:

Adorned with Grace Shimmer blush/glow in Glamorous

Eyes:

Avon Magix as primer

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers e/s in Shell (lighter shade on lid, darker on crease)

Lips:

Silk Naturals lipgloss in Cherry Crush

 

***

Would anyone like to adopt my Joppa FC foundation in Medium #3?  I have 2 FS Refill baggies that I could give at a good, discounted price.

Eyeko Lip Gloss

New Eyeko Lip Gloss in collectible tins!  Only GBP4  per tin in 3 flavors:

Cheeky Cherry

Creamy Cupcake

Rosey Pink

Enter code "Eyeko Gloss" at check out and get a FREE gift from Eyeko.  Promo until March 8 only.

All orders ship Free anywhere in the world.

Jane Be Pure Mineral Blush

I got my Drugstore.com haul more than a week ago and included is this Jane Be Pure Mineral blush.  Been eyeing it since last year and at only $4.99 per compact, I had to have it, LOL!  

  

(with flash)

(no flash)

Ingredients are:

"Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Ehtylhexyl Palmitate, Zinc Stearate, Juniperus Communis Extract (Juniper), Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract (Nettle), Sambucus Nigra Flowers (Elder), Propylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Butylparaben, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tin Oxide, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850:2), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410:2), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Carmine (CI 75470), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)"

Not so pure in my opinion but I do use traditional blushes too.  It's only the foundation and finishing powder that has to be pure minerals for me or I'd get breakouts.  Much as I'd like my mineral blushes pure, they usually come in loose powder form.  Those in compacts or in pressed powder form are easier for me to travel with. 

Anyway, I got the shade Rose Satin which looks like the darkest shade.  The powder itself applies silky on the cheeks.  It's not chalky or powdery when you swipe the brush and is fairly pigmented.  The shade looks natural on me.  It does last a long time on my oily skin which is a major plus factor!  

(no flash, natural light)

Swatch:

(no flash)

(with flash)

The compact is cute and the bottom opens up where you'll find a mirror and a brush included.   The brush, you can discard because it is so tiny and scratchy like most drugstore blush brushes. 

 

I want to try the other shades but I have a feeling they won't show up on my medium-toned skin like Rose Satin does.  Hopefully they make darker shades of this because quality is good and price is soo right!

Photo with Jane Be Pure mineral blush in Rose Satin.  

(Sorry, no other m/u on my face, just MAC Tinted lip conditioner in Petting Pink).

Plueys and Leg Huggers

Last year I joined a local contest for Plueys, the rubber boots that are so cute.  I was one of the winners for a 10% discount coupon.  I kept putting off buying the boots for my DD because it wasn't raining and I thought they were a bit expensive for a kid who'll quickly outgrow it.

Everytime I kept putting off buying it, it would rain.  Ha!  My discount GC went unused when the end of the promo came.   Last week we were strolling around the shops at Serendra when my DD saw Plueys from a shop there and charmed her dad into buying her one.  I so wanted to kick myself because the price was a bit higher than getting it from the distributor's website.  I just made sure we got a big size (like 2-3x bigger) but not too big that she couldn't walk comfortably in it.  She got the Berry Stripey color.  Hopefully she'll get at least 2 years use from it.  And now it's almost summer!

Ever heard of BabyLegs?  They're leg warmers for babies up to bigger kids and can also be used for the arms.  I got a cheaper alternative from Tiny Tots.  The color selection is fewer but is 2-3x cheaper than the original one.  I got these a few weeks ago.

They're cute.  DD has used them in the movies to keep her warm, at the mall, to keep mosquitoes from biting her legs, etc.  They're pretty handy so I just keep a pair in my bag for her.  Adults can use them for the arms too when it gets chilly.

Good thing there are less expensive alternatives since they get the job done of keeping the legs and arms warm.

Joppa & AwG swatches

I got my recent sample orders from Joppa and Adorned with Grace minerals.  I have a full size of Joppa full coverage foundation in Medium #3 but noticed that it would turn slightly pink whenever I wore it.  Good thing Joppa came up with a new shade in #2.5 which has a more yellow undertone.  

I've tried it and it does look better with no pink tones in it.  

Here's a swatch comparing the 2:

    

no flash, in natural light

with flash, in natural light

Medium #3 does look a bit more beige while #2.5 has more yellow.  Now I can get my full size before their free shipping ends next week (March 5).

****

Adorned with Grace

I have heard so many positive reviews on this relatively new mmu company that I gave in and got some samples to try.  I haven't tried them on my face yet though as I'm still re-sampling Joppa.  Anyway, here are swatches of the foundations I did on white paper, applied dry:

Not sure which one would match me but they all look similar with very slight degrees of darkness.

Haul

My recent haul which I just got this week:

Joppa samples of their new shade Medium #2.5 plus freebies (inbaggies).

Adorned with Grace samples of foundations and powders.  Francesca was kind enough to add samples of e/s and blushes.   The packaging is so cute and the baggies were vacuum sealed.

wrapper

vacuum sealed samples

foundations in Hope 3.8 and 4.2 and Grace 4.0 and 4.2

Celestial and Divine powders

blushes (oops, I forgot to take a photo of the Marvelous e/s)

From my friend E. of Beauty Society, a skin care company: 

skin care samples

***

Will post individual posts on them soon.

Ghirardelli brownies

Not beauty related...

My DD convinced me to make her a batch of brownies because she was crying for some from Goldilocks. I promised her I'd make some so I did last night.

Being the lazy me who hates cooking or going anywhere near a stove (I have a fear of fire), baking is the only thing I would do aside from the occasional pasta dishes I cook. I used a box of Ghirardelli brownie walnut mix we've had for ages and added in some more walnuts I found in my mom's tupperware of mixed nuts.

And here's the final product after 38 minutes at 325C.












She's excited to bring some to share in school today.

Shopaholic and OPI

Sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while.  Life got busy :-)

****

I watched the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic last week.  I wasn't expecting to like it from what I've seen from the trailer.  It was different from the books in a lot of ways (the accent and the setting) but similar in others (characters and basic plot).

  

If you haven't read the book, you'll still enjoy and understand the movie on its own.  Isla Fisher fit the role of Becky Bloomwood although I would have preferred it if she retained her British accent as in the book.  Also, she keeps reminding me of Amy Adams from the Disney movie Enchanted.  Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandon was eye-candy (much better than Rob Pattinson IMO but there is a similarity).  

The movie is a feel-good one yet there is a good message you can get from it;  simple life lessons we all need to remember.  If you haven't seen it yet you can still catch it showing in theaters now.

***

After the movie, I went around the mall and got a few things.  I've heard before that OPI was locally available now at Rustan's Essences and being the nail polish addict that I am, I decided to check it out.  Indeed it was available plus the different nail treatments too.  The shades though were more of the classic ones with a sprinkling of very few shades from current collections.  I only got myself OPI Lincoln Park After Dark using my FSP points so I got it for free!  Each bottle costs P395 (around $8).  A bit expensive than getting it from 8ty8beauty or Head2Toe even with shipping. Since I'm still waiting for a few bottles I got from a spree I settled for just 1 shade for now.

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, with flash

I love OPI (and China Glaze) polishes because they dry easily, aren't too runny nor too thick and have a wide variety of shades to choose from.  The newer collections are also Big 3 free.

Here's a swatch I did of Lincoln Park After Dark, no top coat, 2 coats:

 

no flash, natural light 

with flash, indoor

A very pretty dark purple color.  Two coats show it's purple hue while adding more makes it lean towards black although when light hits it you will see that it isn't black.

***

My current nail polish collection.  Mostly Zoyas, China Glaze, OPI, 1 Essie and Elianto.  I threw or gave away all other brands when I cleaned up my stash a few weeks ago so this is what is left of it. Some shades are with my mom (the light and sheer ones).  When the new ones come in, I need a bigger box.