Style Cat: 2014

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

LIP Year 2014

Hands down of all the beauty products that came out last year both high end and drugstore, lip products were definitely the boss of 2014! And I want to share with you my reviews and opinions of the different lip products I've purchased, tried and fell in love with the past 12 months.

*LIP MOISTURIZERS/BALMS

My personal favorites are the Christian Dior Creme de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm $28.00, Rosebud Perfume Co. Minted Rose Lip Balm $7.00, Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve $6.00 and the most convenient and affordable Carmex Healing Lip Balm.

CD Crème de Rose is the most expensive I bought at Sephora but OMG it is well worth the money because I feel it is a treatment that conditions and keeps your lips hydrated the whole day without drying, it applies silky smooth and is non-sticky. I love using this as a prep before applying lipstick. Though it does not plump my lips, which really does not matter nor do I feel I need it, I am just so satisfied with how it treats my lips and it smells so pretty! The two RPC lip balms are my next loved which I purchased also at Sephora, they are much more affordable in comparison to Crème de Rose but also provides the same benefits. The only thing I have to say about the application is that they have a slippery finish on the lips due to the petroleum and oils in them. I use these as an evening lip mask before bed. Lastly my oldie-but-a-goodie favorite throughout the year especially for change of seasons is the Carmex brand which you can purchase (if you live in the US) pretty much anywhere like at Target, CVS, Walmart, Costco and Walgreens. This product to me is a lot similar to the Crème de Rose when it comes to the finish, applies smooth and is not slippery but it does have a minty or tingly feel, it also treats and heals lips from dryness.

*LIP LINERS
NYX: Pinky, Mauve and Dolly Pink
Jordana: Baby Berry, Rock n' Rose, Plush Plum and Sedona Red
Rimmel London: Natural, Tiramisu and Café Au Lait

The brands I've been using are from Nyx Cosmetics, Jordana and Rimmel London. All are available in the drugstore except for NYX which you can purchase at Ulta or similar beauty supply stores or Target. Overall I love that they are affordable but have awesome quality, they create really good definition to the lips and blend well with any lipstick in my opinion. I've gone through other brands but love these the most.

*Wishlist: Mac lip pencil in Whirl and Soar

*HIGH END/LUXURY LIPSTICKS

Nars Audacious Lipstick ANNA

love the dusty rose/mauve pigmentation, creamy, matte finish. MY FAVE OF ALL!

Gerard Cosmetics Lipsticks in 1995, Nude and Tequila Sunrise

discovered these last year and so impressed with the coverage, finish and wear of these lippies

Too Faced MELTED Liquified long wear lipstick

Melted Peony, Melted Nude, Melted Fig and Melted Berry
- unique precision tip applicator that dispenses product, has a light weight, creamy moisturizing matte finish
and is super pigmented.

MAC Cosmetics Lipsticks in Kinda Sexy and Please Me

both are matte finish, a tad drying but extremely pigmented and doesn't budge

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Glace

OMG this color brings me back to the 90's and is a sure win Kylie Jenner lip color! Mauve/pink/brown color with a soft satin finish.

Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet

I got this in one of my Ipsy bags and is a rich berry/maroon color in person. Ultra pigmented and super long wear, leaves the lips stained even when some of the product wipes off. Creamy/satin finish.

Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipsticks Angelic Nude and Plummy Rose

glides on silky smooth with sheer but buildable color

And lastly the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine color 8 Pink In Confidence

this is such a beautiful shimmery nude pink color, applies silky though it is a bit slippery for my liking; this is definitely a gorgeous everyday lip color!

around $5 each at Ulta

*DRUGSTORE LIPSTICKS

In this category NYX owned my year and I did not use any other brand for majority of 2014. They are definitely of high quality and pigmentation, affordable and do not dry the lips. My personal picks are their Matte lipsticks in Natural, Aubrey, Sable and Perfect Red and YASSS I've found my favorite red lipstick in this brand, and one Butter lipstick in Candy Buttons. To me these matte lipsticks are just as good as MAC, if not, even better only because when applied alone they do no dry out the lips, they are matte but a slight demi matte finish.

LIP CREAMS/GLOSSES/LACQUERS

Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in White Russian

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Dolly

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Flirty Mauve

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Rose

ALL are moisturizing and non sticky. I especially love the Laura Mercier lip glace, it smells like pastry!

NYX Butter Glosses Crème Brulee, Apple Strudel, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Tiramisu

NYX Butter Gloss = gloss HEAVEN!

these glosses have superb quality and are budget friendly to ladies new to makeup, an awesome addition to any makeup collection!

Let me just say that these glosses are so yummy, so sweet smelling that you literally want to eat them! It is like having buttercream icing right at your nose at all times. They feel so good on the lips, are not slippery or sticky at all, they apply silky smooth and the most important thing... they do not dry your lips. Have you noticed the trend of my lippie picks yet? :)

Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer and I picked up Galaxy and Aurora

GREAT drugstore product just as affordable as NYX, smells equally sweet with extreme color pay off

I was quite surprised at the pigmentation of this product. One swipe offers generous color pay off and is a creamy satin finish to the lips. I bought these at Walgreens for about $5.

Ultimately what's important is knowing what benefits your lips like products that are moisturizing and helps keep hydration. Consider the wear of the product and the formulation that is does not create dryness over time. Regarding lip balms just make sure what you buy protects, conditions and heals the skin. Also consider products that contain natural or all-natural ingredients. Bite Beauty lip products for example are made of food grade materials and claims to be edible.

Being beautiful also means taking care of your skin by being mindful of what the product contains :)

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Thursday, January 1, 2015

2014 A Look Back

This year was definitely full of memories! Many I will forever hold near and dear in my heart, a few maybe not so pleasant were just fleeting moments of sadness and some hurt but have taught me to stand up again and carry on. 2014 is very special to me because of the many "firsts" me and my family have experienced. Here's a recap of the past year ---

JANUARY

~ Birthdays galore. We celebrated several family members birthdays during this month, both present and not, near and far (our youngest son, my husband, my dad, my mother in-law, my brother and my baby niece Micah). This month I also passed the National Exam for Certified Phlebotomy Technician which was an awesome treat for me to start the year feeling extra proud and sharing this with my children.

Spent family day up in the snow at Tahoe

Birthday celebrant

Hubs too is a January baby

our little Birthday Celebrant & mommy w/ our good friend Joann

Hosted my niece's 1st birthday

MARCH

~ Good/Bad Luck. Celebrated my birthday mid month but also encountered a very traumatic incident on March 31st, I got into a car accident and totaled our vehicle. It was the first rain of the season so oil and water set the stage for my car to veer off lane and into the center divide while on northbound 680 in the Pleasanton area. A counter motion caused my car to spin out and around several times before I came to a stop in the center of the freeway causing traffic. I sustained chest contusion, severe whiplash and misalignment in my coccyx.. After 3 weeks of healing and many prescription drugs I tried to get back to work but I was scarred for a while and was very nervous being on the road again and though I knew I had to overcome the fear, I still have a daily reminder of that event - the pain I feel in my tailbone due to the "blunt trauma". It has not completely gone, there are good and bad days. This pain has hindered me being physically active the way I once was but I thank God for when the good days come, I am able to do as much as I can to stay fit!

Happy birthday to ME!

JUNE through JULY

~ Prom, Promotion, Commencement + R&R. Our oldest baby has finally completed her high school education and we are now proud parents of a senior graduate! And our youngest baby has been promoted from middle school to high school, we are so blessed! We also had the pleasure of having my in-laws visit us for the first time in the US coming from the Philippines to spent the summer. We visited a few places with them to share our life and new experiences here in the Bay Area! Our July birthday celebrant is my mom :)

#OOTN with Sergio

Congratulations Chloe and Rylan!

@ SFO,Welcome to California! CHEERS from Castello Di Amorosa

Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, CA

Atop the Castle of Love

Picturesque view of the vineyards

*Travel CALIFORNIA: Castello Di Amorosa

site seeing from San Francisco's Twin Peaks

*Scenic view of San Francisco atop Twin Peaks

Palace of Fine Arts

*Travel CALIFORNIA: Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco

took a little field trip at Pier 39 The Embarcadero :)

under the Bay Bridge

got up close and personal with Alcatraz a.k.a. The ROCK

under the Golden Gate Bridge

bye Alcatraz it's been real

*Pier 39 San Francisco - Escape from the Rock Cruise via Blue and Gold Fleet

Mom's birthday at Tomi Seafood buffet with her "balaes"

Eastridge Mall San Jose location http://www.tomiseafoodbuffet.com/

In-n-Out #ftw... farewell mama and papa see you soon!

AUGUST

~ Duality and Calamity. A month we celebrate both life and our dad's memory. Our middle child turned another year older this month but we also keep in our hearts the love and presence of our father who died of Lung Cancer in 2007. This month we also experienced a serious earthquake in Napa County, one that got me nearly as frightened as the ones we have back in the Philippines.

Birthday Celebrant

You are forever loved Dad (1947-2007)

SEPTEMBER
~ Reality Bites. Our baby girl turned 18 and started college while working part time!

Our one and only Princess ♥

OCTOBER

~ Fleet Week Newbies + Halloween. Me and hubby's first time to Fleet Week, made it a date since the kids didn't want to join us and before the day was over we got a bit of media action. LOL! Spent Halloween passing out candy while our kids went door to door collecting more.