Because I was not born to blend in, I was born to stand out!

As epic as the name of the lipstick is, it really is the most attention-grabbing of the bunch that I was able to grab from Sample Room. As you know, you can try out these lippies for free if you register on the site and use your points to "grab" samples and have them shipped to you for a minimal fee. Then review the product and get your points back so you can use them again (adding +1 to you existing points). Confused? Just go to the site and check it out yourself.


Anyways, moving into this review, HEADTURNER is a hot pink shade. For 30 years, I've never been overly fond of pink lips... or lipsticks in general. But when I decided to become a beauty blogger, I let go of my inhibitions and started wearing pink lipsticks. At first I was hesitant that it wouldn't complement my weird, uneven skintone. But boy, was I wrong. For about a year now, I find that I'm very drawn to bold and bright pink colors. Must be the subsconcious Barbie in me? Who knows.

Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick in Headturner is a flattering color that easily shows off your fun even flirty side even if you're not really that kind of gal during most days.  From Nicki Minaj to Emma Stone, it just shows ANYONE can pull off hot pink lips. I shouldn't be an exception because I think there's no hard or fast rule for wearing it.

Clearly among the 9 Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipsticks that I have in my lipstick army as of this post, HEADTURNER truly is my color because it reflects my personality the most. Why? Since I am an only child, I guess you could say I'm used to being the center of attention and attention-seeking perhaps comes naturally to me, not that I am exactly proud of it. (You'd think maybe it's because I'm an Aries?) But TBH, I really don't mind being in the spotlight. Not all the time though, but if there's a ship heading to bathe in the limelight, you can be sure that I'll be on that voyage before you could say, "Aye, Aye! Captain!" Heck, I'll probably be in first class or have my own suite, too!

I think there's a deeper explanation for my attitude, although I'm not trying to justify anything from my childhood, okay? I would just like to state that while growing up, my teachers trained us to be competitive and to rise and be the cream of the crop. I succeeded in overcoming any ounce of stage fright and during my academic life, I remember being the EMCEE or Master of Ceremonies countless times. And now that I've mentioned it, please allow me to say that I am actually feeling proud of that because it is an accomplishment for me. I've realized there are many who do struggle to speak in front of a crowd and have their voices be heard. My loud, sometimes boisterous, voice probably contributes largely as to why I am able to turn heads.


To make the long the story short, the Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick in Headturner is obviously a shade that best describes my personality. Not just the name of it but because in reality, it does cause people to double take and ask what lipstick you're wearing! I've never come across a more moisturizing, long-wearing, and very affordable lipstick that lives up to its name.

So for those of you who want to step outside your boundaries and try what it is like to be the center of attention (even if that's not your regular thing!), you can forego all other makeup and just swipe this hot pink shade on your lips and get ready to turn heads.

Depending on your lighting and camera settings, the color can turn into a lovely magenta.

And while we're at it, I have a few tips for ladies who are still wary of sporting this show-stopping pink color.

• As I mentioned above, go easy on your eye makeup if you want to wear the Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick in Headturner during the day. You can just simply line your eyes and skip the eyeshadow.
• You might want to skip the blush as well when wearing bright or hot pink lips. I recommend just a bit of highlighter and don't be heavy-handed. Contour, if you must. I know I do!
• Because summer is upon us, you have every excuse to wear this shade. Tee hee! 
• #YOLO! While you can, wear pink lipstick! Don't wait 'til you're 90 years old staring out the window on your wheelchair watching fun, fearless females with their bright pink lips and wonder why you never did it. Wouldn't you be the groovy lola when you show a #selfie to your grandkids wearing the Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick in Headturner and rocking it?
• Wear it and forget it! Do not be concious and don't worry about it. I found out that the Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipsticks give you 4-5 hours of wear time until you may need to re-apply but even if you don't, the wax may fade but it leaves a lovely stain on the lips. That's why I heart it a lot!!!

You can buy Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipsticks from your Tupperware dealer for only Php 350.00 or you can just grab it from Sample Room for FREE! Hurry! Before supplies run out!


Please watch this short video I made for my Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick in Headturner review.


Thanks a lot for reading and stay tuned for more beauty reviews and my upcoming annual Summer & Birthday Giveaway! 'Til then...  Mwah!



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The best part of becoming a VIP at SampleRoom PH is that I was able to grab the complete sampler set of Shiseido's latest skincare line, IBUKI, designed for women of the Millenials whose lifestyle is pretty much like mine.

So here's the story of my life right now. I am a medical transcription editor and a writer for various publications who maintains 2 blogs and a couple of websites. Between those mentally taxing occupations, I also find time to manage social media accounts for family businesses and my own (which btw is more than I can count with my fingers). There's also our own café I run and sometimes cook for and I buy groceries more or less 2 x a week. In spite of all that, I spend time with my husband watching TV shows over lunch or dinner and play with our Little Mao/Noodlelito who is quite a sponge nowadays learning and absorbing everything around him. Then of course, I haven't stopped breastfeeding him... because why not? There are also times I need to perform my duty as a Barangay Councilor who heads the Health and Sanitation Committee in our district. All these and you might wonder how I manage to get around my daily life, camwhoring and doing selfies after I experiment with makeup? Well, there's no secret except to be ready for anything.

Let me explain further. I am a bit insecure (just a little bit!) because my skin lately has been awful. Dang! Before I got pregnant, my hormones were already acting up but I had enough moolah to buy all the beauty products and supplements I need to maintain a radiant glow and glorious skin. And only tried a glutathione injection once but I didn't pursue it. It was just an experiment because you know me, I'd try anything as long as it won't get me killed or convicted. Tee hee. I do embrace my own skin tone and do not want to be super fair FYI. So anyway, fast forward to 3 years later, happily married with a bouncing baby boy, my finances cannot support my old beauty regimen as I have other priorities now (read: immunization and vaccines) and so I have to be wise as a mother and a wife.

Enter Shiseido Ibuki skincare. Makeup is only the icing on the cake. For me to regain my confidence to be able to brave the world out there without insecurities is to have great skin. If you have it, then you're sure to look good even without makeup. I used to need a ton of beauty products but when I used Shiseido's Ibuki line, it all just boiled down to 4-5 items. It's basically everything a working woman in her 20's and 30's need to get that clean, glowing skin that masks all the stress and the late nights she has to put up with in this day and age. Here, I'll show you.

First, there's a Purifying Cleanser. I love the exfoliating effect of this product. People who are sensitive to fragrances may need to adjust to Shiseido's signature scent because it can be pretty strong for some. I love the totally floral smell of it. It has these super tiny microbeads that gets rid of those dead skin layer on your face. It is recommended to use it sporadically but I have oily skin and I find it best that I use it daily. Also, you only need a wee bit pea-size amount to clean your whole face! I imagine this 30 mL tube would last me at least 2 months. For people who have normal skin, I think their Gentle Cleanser is more suited.


The next thing to do after cleaning your skin is, of course, to use a toner. Cleansers can be drying and we don't want that for our face. Imagine concrete roads, they crack under the heat of the sun. Hosing it down with water is pretty much the kindness you can do to avoid any accidents. I know it's weird to compare your face to a cement road, but why not? You get the picture. So now the toner or the Softening Concentrate, as what Shiseido's Ibuki line calls it, is by far the best-smelling toner I've used. The Purifying Cleanser leaves my face squeaky clean but when I apply the toner, it's as supple as my baby's bum! No really, it does make skin automatically feel hydrated. It's like rain on a hot summer's day. Visualize it.


Okay, next we have two types of moisturizers. The Protective Moisturizer with SPF 15 is obviously for daytime use and the Refining Moisturizer is for nighttime. They both do the same thing as they intensively correct the appearance of unevenness, i.e., pores, breakout or blemish marks, and roughness of the skin. The major thing I noticed is how it made my skin feel soooooooooo smooth. Like 100% smoother! Which means, putting on my foundation, concealers, and powder is so much easier. The daytime formula is a bit thicker compared to the runny consistency of the nighttime formula.


The last product I got to test, which I think is definitely the best thing in the Ibuki line, is the Eye Correcting Cream. I've been using different eye creams in the recent months but this Ibuki one is the only thing that helped to conceal the dark circles under my eyes. You know now that I sleep at least 4 hours a day only so you can just imagine the Panda eyes the moment I wake up. It's true! I'm scary like that when I've just woken up.
The Eye Correcting Cream does wonders at cooling my puffy eyes and because it is salmon-colored, this is probably why it helps in diminishing my dark circles. Although I would still need a concealer to effectively cover the dark circles, nevertheless, the Eye Correcting Cream is like caffeine for the eyes! For me, it instantly brightens my sleepy-looking tired peepers.


Overall, my experience with the Ibuki line is nothing but terrific! You know I need all the beauty doses I can get and even though sleep is really the best cure out there, some of us don't have the luxury of enjoying it. But now, with Shiseido's Ibuki line which is a premium skincare for the women of today, even stressed out Maria Claras who juggle work and family life like a pro circus member can experience the luxurious skincare and treatment tailor made just for us. I believe that the continued use of these products will prolong the aging process that stress can cause. Makeup enthusiasts such as myself can never underestimate the power of skincare. Plus this is a Japanese brand!!! You can never go wrong... like ever.

How does one become ready for anything? To do this, you’ll need to manage your priorities first. Stress is the biggest enemy but if you summon your “ibuki” (息吹) which is your inner strength then you can do anything. As a huge fan of everything Japanese and believing that IBUKI means inner strength, renewal and resilient enough to endure and emerge beautiful, I now know that Shiseido Ibuki is the answer to my skin troubles. Apparently, stress manifests a lot physically; it has taken a toll on my skin and I need all the help I can get being awake for 20 hours a day to get the job done as an editor, blogger, tech support, entrepreneur, public servant, breastfeeding mom, and basically, an all-around Jill of all trades.

This is what I do and I love it!

The moment you wake up each day you have choices to make. Before anything else, I give thanks for a brand-new day, take a shower, wash my face, follow my skincare routine religiously, apply makeup if I have to, and try to look my best for the day so I can conquer it. I take my list of Things To Do. Prioritize then do the tasks as required. It does help to finish the easier chores first, and then move on to the more difficult ones. (Siri also reminds me of things I need to accomplish... like A LOT of times throughout the day.) Bottomline: I can be ready for anything if I have good time management. Honestly, it's all about timing. As an editor, I usually do the shorter files first then go on and deal with the longer ones. I seem to finish faster that way and I get more time to do the other things I have to. I also multitask a lot, e.g., breastfeeding while managing social network accounts, doing inventory and buying groceries for both stores and for our own consumption, and taking care of my skin with Shiseido Ibuki products at the same time healing them from stress-related problems.

#TBT #ThrowbackThursday from 5 years ago when I used Shiseido products exclusively -- Benefique, Whisis, Purewhite, Perfect Whip, and just the medicated baby powder. MUST GET THIS BACK NO MATTER WHAT!

If my skin can be brought back to life, there’s no reason for me not to bring life to everything that I do. I think balance and harmony can easily be achieved if you surround yourself in beauty and see the beautiful things around you.

Big thanks to SampleRoom.PH for introducing me to the awesome Shiseido Ibuki skincare line. Register now and be a part of a great community where you can find and test the right products for you. Try before you buy! 

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