Lovin' the Bodyshop

to start my blog from my long hiatus, i'll start my blog with my best SOS (shopped.on.sale.) so far. since my way home entails passing in SM Megamall, i got to see that what's hot and the what's not during my favorite -- sale season. and indeed, the best time to buy stuff is after christmas since everything is on sale. 

though i always get to see the Sale sign in The Body Shop lately, i never tried to check it since i bought my MAC studio fix last month and i have enough palettes to fill my make-up stash. but seeing the 70% off sign was simply irresistible.

and this is what i found in the 70% box -- a make-up brush set! this was released last december 2010 for the holiday season but it costs Php2,498.00. 

and with the 70% off tag, it now costs only Php748.50!

 when i bought my last make-up brushes from the Bodyshop (which is just 1/3 of the size of these brushes) it cost me Php1,200.00.  so how can i not buy this one? and according to my make-up guru/roomie unapologeticmakeupjunkie the brushes are good so it's definitely a steal.

the set includes a blusher, brow & lash comb, smudger, eyeshadow and lip/concealer in a sleek black pouch with flaps for protection.

i renewed my LYB card as well for Php100 and i'm surprised that they still put a stamp on my voucher even if my last purchase was like a couple of years ago! and as a renewal gift, they gave me the LYB Beauty Book for Free!

 it's actually a discount book with some reviews of their bestsellers. i'm eyeing on the seaweed clarifying toner which my cousin told me for her is the best line in the Bodyshop.

i'm just happy that i have a beauty to boast about -- NARS bridal palette, MAC studio Fix and these make up brushes! just a good mascara and my set is complete and i'm all set to walk down the ...O=)

The Bodyshop is located at UGF, Megamall

Battle Palettes: Youngblood vs. Nars

      In my previous posts, I made mention of the Youngblood Romanticism Palette . And it took a couple of weeks before my Nars Bridal Palette arrived. I was convinced by my roomie unapologeticmakeupjunkie to buy one due to our penchant for Orgasm -- the blush that is. I have been using Orgasm cream blush for quite some time now and Nars hasn't disappointed me. I found out why it hasn't been one of the most acclaimed blushes in the world.

NARS Loot: Bridal Palette & Multiple Duo in Orgasm & South Beach

NARS Bridal Palette

According to roomie, the palette is a collection of the best of Nars cosmetics:

Eyes:

Nepal, Ondine, Edie, Night Fever

Cheeks:

Albatross (highlighting powder), Orgasm

Lips:

Mitzi, Baby Doll (lacquer),Sexual Healing and Roman Holiday

Fit for a bride

   The palette is exclusively sold online NARS website. It's a $60 value with free shipping within the US. I asked my cousin to buy me and my roomie each and my experience with postal service will just ruin this review. so if you have relatives in the US, better ask them to buy you one and send it in a balikbayan box or give them to you as pasalubong when they come back here in PI to be relieved from the hassle, delay, and tax & custom charges!

NARS website described the palette in this wise:

A blissful union of eye, lip, and cheek color for imparting radiant, romantic effects. Endlessly versatile and always elegant for feeling your most beautiful, your most sexy on your most important day or any day.

Very tempting i must say. And aside from it's sleek and posh packaging, the palette can easily fit into any bag or purse. It is a must-have for any make-up junkie.

And this is my two-cents worth of compare and contrast of Youngblood and NARS palettes:

Romanticism vs. Bridal

The box -- nothing special to both. They are both black boxes

black is back

The compact

-- the silver/aluminum compact of Youngblood is a bit bulky in my bag and it easily get scratches. so everytime i bring it, i put it inside its box to prevent scratches. the rubber compact of NARS, as i've mentioned is sleek and posh and won't be susceptible to scratches. But the Youngblood palette has removable trays for you to customize your own palette. In NARS case, well it's the best of the best already so the removable trays are no longer options.

The swatch -- Youngblood has more neutral shades fit for a bride than NARS. Youngblood's Sherbet blush is a li'l close to that of NARS' Orgasm. For a better review of these products, check my roomie's account.

The price -- Youngblood: S.O.S. Price Php 995.00, original price: Php 4,200.00 

                    NARS: $60.00 plus shipping to the PI plus custom charges 

I'm just lucky that I bought Youngblood on sale. I will not buy it in its original price. While NARS, without shipping and custom charges will cost Php3,000.00 at most when converted to Peso.

The verdict 

   I haven't fully used the NARS palette while Youngblood's a staple in my bag. Since i'm no make-up junkie, i enjoy using it since i won't need to blend much. While NARS for me will be used on special occasions. SO it's basically hard to choose between the two. However, since Youngblood is no longer on sale i'll be much willing to shell out for NARS than Youngblood. So it's one's choice if she likes to be Romantic or she'll be a Bride. okay so much for my "corns" (my term for 'corny') moment. I'm just lucky i guess I have them both.

youngblood romanticism palette

Make-up: Youngblood Artiste Palette - Romanticism

Price: a Php4,500 value which i bought for Php995!

Shop: Beauty Bar Shangri-La Mall

so, i have been waiting for this certain palette for quite some time now. but waiting for it made me want it some more! so for a quick-look at my make-up stash: my NARS orgasm/south beach duo, johnson's cooling baby powder and born lippy lip balm from the body shop.so basically when it comes to coming to places as all-made-up, i'm a big no-no. so when i saw this youngblood palette for Php995 at the beauty bar website, it's must-buy for me!

i'm no make-up enthusiast being stuck with my MAC and NARS beauty loot, so kindly bear with me on this review.

Eye-Candy:

The case is so sleek with its gray case and silver Youngblood name. It's easily findable in my bag. The trays and the pans are detachable so you can easily customize your own palette.

Slim-Shade-y:

In general: the palette is a swatch of neutral shades. so it's really perfect for me. So here are the shades (which i found on the net but they are actually written on the bottom of the shades):

Blush: Sherbet, Blossom

Eyeshadow: Alabaster, Golden Beryl, Penny

Lip Shine: Brilliance, Glorious, Mesmerize

Sherbet is really close to NARS' orgasm blush. blossom is close to my raspberry pink blush from the body shop.

the eye shadows were all neutral so i guess i have to ask my roommate for some tutorials on blending.

the lip shades were love for me since i love nude shades (i'm missing lip 65 lipglass from MAC).

Face Value:

so i used sherbet, a blend of alabaster & penny for my eyes, and glorious for my lips.

this is how i looked before the make-up:

and this is how the no-make-up look went.

i so love the blush and in this shot, you can see how soft it looks and how it blends perfectly on my skin.

the pigmentation of the shadows is amazing!

the surprise in this all though is that as much as it tried to convince us that they are mineral cosmetics, the ingredients do not say so. i really have no idea what mineral make-ups are made of but with these tons of ingredients. i think they are not:

the verdict:

for Php995 it is indeed a steal! especially for a make-up dummy like moi. hehehe but for Php4,500 i guess it won't be. i paid Php 4,200 for a much well-known palette which includes the shipping from NY. so if you can still ask Beauty Bar for this palette better grab it ASAP!(thanks to glo of Beauty Bar Shangri-La Mall for saving this palette for me and informing me ASAP when twas available.) i was told that last week was the last shipment for the YB palette for Php995. next time we'll see it, it'll be sold for Php4,500. So if you can still catch in Beauty Bar, i would advise you get one before its price soars up!