Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Swatch Comparison: Ever Bilena Off Beat Pink Vs. MAC Pink Noveau

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Here's Ever Bilena's Matte Lipstick in Off Beat Pink and MAC's Satin Lipstick in Pink Nouveau on the tube compared side by side.


From the tube, MAC Pink Nouveau looks more true pink while Off Beat Pink is more of a muted rose. When swatched, here's how they look:  


   
LEFT: Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Off Beat Pink, RIGHT: MAC Pink Nouveau 



MAC Pink Nouveau seems darker because it has better pigmentation than Off Beat Pink. I needed to swipe Off Beat Pink a little bit more just to get a close to the color intensity of Pink Nouveau. Comparing the two, both look very close being in the same cool pink category. Major difference is in the obvious purple undertone of Pink Nouveau - Off Beat Pink shows no purple undertone at all.

What do i like better? In terms of color, Off Beat pink is definitely the winner. Having a skintone with olive undertones, purple and i don't go very well together. In terms of quality though, no question, MAC is the runaway winner. 

My final thoughts,
If you are looking for a close dupe of MAC Pink Nouveau, you may want to try out Off Beat Pink. It's not an exact dupe of MAC PN, but it's pretty close. You will find a more detailed review of Ever Bilena Off Beat Pink here and a detailed review of MAC Pink Nouveau here.


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Friday, February 10, 2012

Review: Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Off Beat Pink

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I love a really good quality lipstick. High end brands are expensive for a reason - better formulation, quality, pigmentation, staying power, texture, etc. But would you really spend P900++ for something that won't last the entire day anyway? This is where cheaper brands come in. Maybe it won't have the same amazing formula, pigmentation or staying power as the high end brands but will serve it's purpose well anyway- to put color on your lips.

So, here's a really pretty lipstick from a local brand, Ever Bilena. For only P145.00, it's really a steal. It's matte - which is not my favorite lipstick finish, but offers a really pretty pop of pink on your puckers.




Off Beat Pink is a true baby pink color. On my pigmented lips, it comes out as a bright, but soft and delicate looking pink.  The first time i tried it on, it was super dry it was very difficult to apply on the lips. You just need to warm it up a bit though by rubbing the tip with your fingers until it melts a little - then application will be much easier. This lipstick can be drying to the lips so make sure to exfoliate and apply lip balm before you put this on. 

Ever Bilena's Matte lipstick line comes in 12 different shades of nudes, pinks, browns and reds. I'm sure there's one color you'll love. 


The Good
- this is a really pretty pink color
- cheap at only P145.00
- pretty good lasting power
- no weird, plasticky-lipstick smell

The Bad
- drying to the lips
- accentuates dry, chapped lips
- not very pigmented (for this particular color)

Final Thoughts
For a P145 lipstick, Ever Bilena's Matte Lipstick in Off Beat Pink is pretty decent. It's a pretty pink color with pretty good staying power. Will I buy again? Sure. Will I try other colors? I definitely will! Can't wait to try out Scarlet. 


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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Review I NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Light Brown and Taupe

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I am not blessed with thick eyebrows. I personally think i have the sparsest, thinnest eyebrows in the world. Without eyebrow makeup, i'd look like an alien. No Joke. This is why i never leave the house without my eyebrows made up. It's just too scary.

For the longest time now i have been very loyal to MAC Browset in Beguille and In2It's eyebrow cake powder. They're my eyebrows bestfriend. I got NYX's Auto Eyebrow Pencil because they were cheap (P175 only) and the colors seemed pretty in online swatches.  

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Light Brown is a scary color for me. It's just too yellow and looks very fake on my eyebrows.

 

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe looks very pretty when swatched. Unfortunately though the color was just too light for my eyebrows, and it was difficult to make it show up on my brows. I had to rub them in real hard to make the color show.


Here's Taupe and Light Brown swatched side by side. The pencil by the way has a brush on one end  which is useful for brushing your brows in place. It's twist-type so you don't have to worry about the hassle of sharpening. It's really very easy to use.

Left: Taupe, Right: Light Brown

Product Specs
Create flawless arches with this eyebrow pencil, a blend of vegetable, coconut and soy bean oil that guarantees a fluid application and sensational color. Use the built-in brush to blend color and style your eyebrows to perfection. Available in 8 shades (Light Brown, Auburn, Medium Brown, Brown, Dark Brown, Taupe, Charcoal, Black) 



Available for P175.00 at Nyx Wholesale PH. (They're the cheapest!) 

The Good 
- they're really cheap
- very convenient and easy to use

The Bad 
- both colors Light Brown and Taupe did not suit me well
- Taupe does not have very good color payoff. I had to rub the pencil real hard to make the color show
- Average lasting power, about half a day

Overall Thoughts
I really wanted to like this product. But sadly, it just didn't work for me. I think i was just unfortunate to have chosen the wrong color, I should have gone with something darker. Damn those online swatches. Will i purchase again? No. But i'll be happy to receive this as a gift, in another color of course. Should you try this out? Considering the price, you should. But be careful in choosing the color though.


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