Through the years I've been needing to use them, I've already come across different brands, formula, and packaging, which eventually led me to finding what my skin truly needs, a liquid buildable concealer. 

While I want my peepers to look brighter, I also put a big fat X on pricey make-ups. Why splurge if there's another choice that's just as good but with a lesser price tag? Unless a luxurious make-up is given for free, I'd like to steer clear from that area as much as I can. Ha-ha. So for those of you who are in the hunt for an affordable concealer, I suggest you take a seat, read ahead while taking a sip from your favorite cup of tea... or coffee?

SAVE SAVE SAVE

Two of the best in the drugstore nowadays are the L.A. Girl PRO.conceal and Maybelline Fit Me! concealer. I truly swear by these products that it actually hurts me to compare them today.

Both are liquid buildable concealers, but what's the difference?

L.A. Girl PRO.conceal (P349)

I've been using this since December last year (2016) when a close friend recommended it, and this 8 gram tube hasn't run out yet! Buying a tube can last you for a minimum of half a year. This has a brush applicator that comes with its packaging, which makes you apply pressure on the tube for the product to come out on the brush. So warning! -- Too much pressure means too much product dispensed! Pro about this though is that one day, you can exhaust everything out and nothing will ever get wasted. Talk about value for money!

This concealer easily brightens my under eye area with a little amount, maybe this is why my first tube is still with me until today. As cliche as this sounds, a little goes a long way! However, this gets a bit cakey throughout the day if you don't retouch. Retouching with pressed powder works well with this. I work in a well air-conditioned area for me to worry about it getting cakey or wearing off due to the heat, so I think the staying power is the one that needs improvement, if there is. Coverage you set can last you for about 4-5 hours without retouching. Promising, isn't it?

Concealing power: ❤❤❤❤
Staying power: ❤❤❤
Shade selection: ❤❤❤
Value for money: ❤❤❤❤❤

*As for the shades, there are only 1-2 shades available in local drugstores, (sucks I know!!!) but according to my research, the Dollar Store has more than 2, and even on a discounted price! They have stores located in Sta. Lucia East Mall and in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong.

Maybelline Fit Me! concealer (P199)

Since my L.A. Girl PRO.conceal is about to retire soon, I thought I'd get this chance to try another product, hoping it can best my L.A. Girl out of the picture or just be as good as it is. I was surprised when Maybelline actually almost kicked my L.A. Girl in the butt!

Here are a few cons.

It comes in a slim tube with your usual doe foot applicator, which means it will be difficult to get all the product out one day when it's already running out, so compared to the L.A. Girl packaging, this one definitely loses by a notch.

There are only 6 shades in selection for Fit Me! concealer line while L.A. Girl PRO.conceal has 21 shades you can choose from. (BUUUUUT - not all drugstores have all 21 shades).

Honestly, I liked their formula better than the PRO.conceal. For someone who uses concealer everyday, this is easier to blend with the skin, surprisingly doesn't appear cakey even after hours of wear, and looks almost natural! I still love my other concealer and will continue to use it until it runs out, but I might eventually switch to Fit Me! in time. My dark eyebags have found their soulmate.

Concealing power: ❤❤❤❤❤
Staying power: ❤❤❤❤
Shade selection: ❤❤❤❤
Value for money: ❤❤❤❤

SWATCHES

I have the Fit Me! in 25 Medium, and PRO.conceal in GC976 Pure Beige.

For this portion, the clear winner is of course, the Maybelline Fit Me! concealer. 

Next time, I might consider using a color corrector to neutralize the skin under my eyes. But for now, I would love to stick by my concealers doing their wonders.

How about you, have you tried anything from the two? :)

Putting this on the travel section dahil ang layo.

When we felt the urge to up our "date" game, I suggested this place. Our dates usually just consist of eating out or watching a movie together in the cinema. It's always been like that since time immemorial. Though I have no problem with that but it helps to add a little variety every now and then, right? Right!

Anyway, Barkin' Blends is located somewhere in Katipunan so going there is a bit of a challenge for us because we'll be coming from FARVIEW okay, scratch that - Fairview. We needed to beat our katamaran for this incredible date day.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT BARKIN' BLENDS?

There are two sections of the cafe. One is the Human Zone, and another is the Dog Zone. There are many rules inside the Dog Zone that you can read up in the Human Zone to get yourself oriented.

Dog Zone pass costs P219

It comes with a free drink of your choice that you can bring with you in the dog area. I got passion fruit tea, and my boyfriend decided to have a chocolate milk tea. Human Zone is also the place for you to wait for your turn, because not everybody can be accommodated all at once. You only have 2 hours to mingle with the fur babies. 

To anyone of you who knows me, you probably know that I have asthma. But I adore dogs so much, so my boyfriend - upon agreeing with this date, told me that I should bring with me a face mask so that I can wear it all throughout the 2 hours. (But I take it off when taking photos hehehe peace)

Thankfully, I didn't trigger my asthma on this trip. Love ako ni Lord! (but yes, pasaway)

At first, mailap ang doggies. I needed to ask one master (there were many masters in there that dogs follow around for treats) to put a dog in my lap to see if she's going to stay there. Well... she stayed, for a photo. And then ran away to play when she saw the master giving the phone back to me. Smart one!

Here are some pictures.

Time was speeding inside the Dog Zone. I didn't actually notice 2 hours was almost over. I just hated the fact that the batch we were in was with loud high school students who laughed, shouted, and talked as if they were the only people inside the cafe. We came there to relax... pero 'di sila relaxing kasama. I feel bad for the dogs kasi di ba, intensified hearing nila? Imagine the stress these kids brought upon them for 2 hours.

Buuuuut, again, it was a nice experience with Barkin' Blends. I'd like to believe that they take good care of their dogs since in their instagram, it can be seen that they walk the dogs during their day offs. Cute! The dog zone also has water stations for them which makes it easy to help themselves hydrate.

Tips for people going there:

1. Wear closed shoes that will make you wear socks, or better yet, wear slippers. Only socks or slippers are allowed inside the Dog Zone.

2. Bring extra shirt? The dogs might pee on you hehehe I saw one dog pee on a human and it was downright funny! The guy said "Naging teritoryo ako ha, inihian na ako" but he laughed and shrugged it off nonetheless. Sport!

3. You can't bring in a bag so they have lockers. Make sure to wear something that has pockets so you don't have to hold on to the key all the time. I don't have pockets that time and my boyfriend does. So lesson learned, bring your boyf! Charot. Love you, Ace!

4. For people prone to allergies, wear face mask like I did! Wag makulit!

5. The earlier you go there, the better. 

10/10 and will be coming back for sure! Pag stable na ulit ang baga ko.

Have you been here before? How many dog names did you memorize? :D

♥,

I first bought a Rouge Magique like 2 months ago when it went on sale from P400 to just P300 as an introductory price. Then yesterday, when Loreal announced another sale (buy 1 take 1 on all lipsticks), my sister decided to hoard 2 more. 

Loreal Rouge Magique lipstick line brags shades perfect for Filipina skintones. You just have to find your match. Nudes, browns, reds, or plums. They have it. For ours, we bought the Beige Revour (for me), Purple Comtesse (for my sister), and Mauve Petal (for my mom).

What I like about this lipstick is that one swipe delivers enough coverage for your lips. In my case, I swipe it twice to avoid having to retouch earlier than expected. A swipe lasts for about 3-4hours without eating. This is also in matte, but not the true matte wherein your lips gets chapped hours after putting it on. 

Purple Comtesse: A red with a purple hint; best for morenas
Beige Reveur: MLBB shade, nude with pinkish hint; best for medium skintones
Mauve Petal: A strong mauvey plum shade; best for fair skintones

This is what they look like under a decent fluorescent light.


Beige Reveur has been my go-to shade whenever I feel like not rocking any strong colors for the day. Definitely my lips but better!


(Excuse the clumsy lipstick heads, as they've already been used HAHA)


Pros: 
1. One swipe has that much coverage
2. Not drying on the lips
3. Vast collection of shades
4. Perfect for morena skintones
5. Classy packaging
6. Does not have a pungent smell
7. (Unbelievably) Lightweight

Cons:
1. ....hmm well, nothing much

Will I repurchase? YES - pag sale. Haha! They're also available in leading department stores and Watsons nationwide, so it's not a hard find.

Do you have something from the same lipstick line? Let's trade notes!

♥,