First Impressions Do Last: The Charm Angled Kabuki

When Sophie mentioned that she'll be launching new Charm brushes on her birthday, I eagerly awaited the special announcement. When her birthday came, I wasted no time and ordered one of the three new brushes: Charm Angled Kabuki. I think my package got stuck somewhere but it finally arrived today. Tah-dah!

And there she is! Isn't she a beauty? The Charm Angled Kabuki comes dressed to the nines in the famous Charm Essentials colors. I was really so excited and decided to post my first thoughts on my new baby. I'll post again once I get to use her.

What I love:

• Cruelty-free. Made with synthetic, vegan hair. No animals were harmed in bringing you these lovelies!
• Soft. The bristles on this brush feel very luxurious and non-scratchy. They can fool you into thinking that you're using a natural-haired brush.
• Dense. This brush has the right amount of bristles and again, the thick hair feels so luxurious.
• Ergonomic design. The handle and the overall construction of the brush are just right. Good weight and handle length feel good in my hand.
• Feminine colors. Just had to mention this in a separate bullet! I love the pink and black color scheme of Charm essentials. So chic, and it gives just the right amount of girly vibes. I love, love, love the cute Charm logo printed on the handle as well.

What I don't like:

• Having to wash the brush before you use it. Is it obvious that I can't wait to use my new Angled Kabuki?
• None so far! But I don't think I'll find any negative aspects. I'm happy with all the Charm brushes I have!

Do I have you drooling yet? Get yours today from Sophie at Beauty and Minerals. You won't regret it! 

Beauty Loot: Summer Edition

I'm notorious in my family for buying something, keeping it, and start using said something at a later date. Sometimes, my "new" clothes are actually from last season or *gasp*, last year. I've collected some beauty stuff over the latter part of summer, mainly because I keep on forgetting to take a photo to blog. Finally, here's my Beauty Loot for summer :)

First up is the Pretty in Pink 14 pc vegan makeup brush set by Charm Essentials. I bought the oh-so-cute set from Sophie's Beauty and Minerals, the home of Charm Brushes. I actually have two other Charm brush sets and a few individual ones. I love Charm! Affordable yet quality brushes. 

Then I have an Ecotools Bronzing Brush that I got from the Boy. I actually pestered him to get this from me and thankfully, he did. So far, it feels really soft and nice. Then I have some goodies straight from Korea. Three sheet masks, BB cream from odbo and a cute kitty hand cream from The Face Shop. I also got Choco Flaki, my favorite Korean chocolate snack thing ever. They're all in the refrigerator though.

Finally, the NARS blush. My aunt got me this with some of her leftover Rustan's gift cheques. It's in Gaiety, and it's a really lovely pink. I haven't defiled mine yet, but Ate Lara brushed it on my cheeks when it just arrived. I fell in love instantly. A girl can never have too much blush!

Now that our rainy season has officially started, these tidbits left from summer will surely make my dreary days brighter. 

Love at First Touch

It was actually love at first sight. When I first saw the new releases of Charm make-up brushes, I drooled. I told myself, I will save up for them (because purchases at X amount and above needed due consideration and saving up first before an actual purchase, go me and my budgeting rules). People started getting them, and raving about them, and loving them. So yeah, I was jealous. I wanted them. I'm like, the last person on the planet to get them. 

Fast forward to November. Sophie posted this and then this! I was like, "Wow, this is my chance!" so I grabbed it. BF Mics wanted a change of scenery, since we were always and forever at Eastwood and Trinoma. I suggested, "Let's go to Rockwell! We haven't been there in a while. And I have this bazaar I wanna go to." He agrees. So we braved the awful, perpetual traffic disaster that was EDSA, and the terrible heat that was the weather yesterday, and went to Rockwell. 

First stop, Moonlit Bazaar! After getting in, we kinda walked around a little bit. Right there in the middle was Beauty & Minerals. Oh, gasp! I was kinda shy to talk to Sophie at first. But I sucked it up and introduced myself. Woohoo! Sophie is like the super nicest lady ever. Very pretty and down to earth too! 

I already knew what I wanted from the stalking looking at the B&M website. Sophie was also really kind to explain a bit more about her new brushes. They're now (all?) synthetic, meaning a little bit easier to maintain. Wash synthetic with something less moisturizing than for animal hair. Another big plus for me, since synthetic means no animal cruelty! Aside from that, Sophie also gave me a shade recommendation for eyeshadow.

So without further ado, here are my brand, spankin' new babies!!

Charm Holiday Brush Set

Charm Luxe Retractable Kabuki

B&M Silver Rose eyeshadow

Freebies from Sophie:
Cure sample, B&M blush sample in Flush, Charm Concealer brush

I'm glad I started saving a while ago, and of course, thankful for B&M's anniversary promos. Thank goodness I was able to time everything right! Not only did I get to buy my must-haves, but I was able to meet Sophie in person! I was sooooo excited about it. I'm glad I remembered to ask for a photo! Too bad it was only with my bleh camphone, with bleh picture quality.

Sophie and me!

So yeah, call me a fangirl. Love my older version Charm Flat Top and Kabuki brushes I got from her, incidentally, almost exactly (wah? haha) a year ago. It was also November, and B&M's anniversary sale too! I also got my bottle of Cure from her. And, I regularly read her blog, Beautynomics. I'm sooooo happy I was able to meet her. I was like, "I'm a fan of yours!" I do love B&M and Beautynomics. Even if I don't buy anything, I look at her pretty stuff on B&M. I don't comment regularly, but I read all her entries. I'm still so giddy! She's the nicest person, ever! I mean, I texted her and stuff, and she replied!

So about my new babies. I. Am. In. Love. They're absolutely wonderful! The Holiday Brush Set has all the essentials, it's the perfect size for taking out with you wherever you might have to go, are made from the softest synthetic bristles, and all the cute little handles are in pink! The Luxe Retractable Kabuki, on the other hand, is a marvel. I have the older version Charm Kabuki, and the difference is spectacular. I loved the old, hot pink-bristled Kabuki, but the Luxe Retractable stole my heart away. It more than lives up to it's Luxe name. It's oh-so-soft and silky bristles are absolutely luxurious. It's simply to die for! I spent a good few minutes just running it all over my hands and fingers. I couldn't resist, so I ran it over my neck and a bit of my chin too, even before washing it. It's just soooo good to feel! It's also the perfect size to take around with you everywhere. Since it's retractable, you won't have to worry about messing up or ruining your bristles in transit either. I could go on forever praising these godsends, but you get the point! They're awesome, fantastic, wonderful, beautiful, and all the other nice adjectives you can think of!

If you are looking for a place to go to tonight, I suggest you head on over to Rockwell's Moonlit Bazaar. They'll be there until 12 MN. All of B&M's eyeshadows are on sale at only 100 each! There are also other items that are on sale. And as for the new brushes, you have to see for yourself. They look so lovely and soft and wonderful on the internet, but wait 'til you touch them. It's a whole new experience. They're so soft, the photos don't do them justice, so go and touch them. And meet Sophie!

Charm bushes available at Beauty & Minerals: http://beautyandminerals.com

Sophie is the owner of B&M and Beautynomics, her blog: http://beautynomics.com/blog