BYS Cosmetics Now in The Philippines!

BYS stands for "Be Yourself", a cosmetics brand that was established in Australia in 2004. 

Designed for girls first experimenting with makeup as well as women who are looking for exceptional quality cosmetics that are also affordable, BYS offers more than a thousand products and is found in over 30 countries worldwide including the UK, France, South Africa, parts of Asia and the Middle East. Japan is its largest market outside of Australia.

That said, when Michelle of My Mom Friday invited us to a make-up workshop hosted by BYS, my fellow moms all got super excited. Guess who also wanted to tag along:

When Karrots, Berry & I got to the venue, we immediately loved the set-up. We had this portable make-up station to use, and I found via Instagram, when I posted this there, that it's available in Divisoria for about Php20,000 a pop. Is that a deal? Or no deal?

When we all got settled into our seats, Angie Goyena of iFace Cosmetics, the local distributor of BYS in The Philippines, warmly welcomed us and told the BYS story.

She  shares that iFace, the Philippine distributor, decided to bring BYS to the Philippines late last year. Currently, BYS is the only color cosmetic brand in the world with the largest range of products and colors. For the eyes alone, BYS has over 100 products/ colors in 12 categories. 

Take for instance, BYS eyeliner pencils do not only come in the usual black and brown, they also come in gold, in neon colors and even with glitter. Even eyeshadows come in neon shades!

They also have the largest range of nail polish with over 400 shades and variants such as Scented, Glow in The Dark, Magnetic, UV Reactive, Chrome, 3D Special Effects, Neon, Matte, Mirrorized, platinum, grafitti, mardigras and more.

BYS is also known for its mineral makeup range. The BYS Minerals Naturale line is formulated with natural ingredients free of chemicals, dyes, preservatives and talc and have passed the US FDA, European Union and Japanese safety standards. So safe that the BYS Minerals Naturale line is ok to use even after skincare and derma procedures like laser, IPL, micro-dermabrasion or a simple facial. 

Another standout from BYS is its line of Baked Cosmetics. The Baked Bronzers and Blushers are made with an innovative formula that keeps oiliness and moisture at bay and hides impurities. Texture is ultra silky and may be used wet for thicker coverage and dry for a more natural, lighter effect. The bronzers give a radiant, luminous glow on one’s face and body while the blushers provide a natural, long-lasting highlight to cheekbones. .

That said, we did get to play with the main makeup line as well as BYS mineral products. The standout for me was the eyebrow pencil and if only I were more adventurous in makeup, I wouldn't think twice about experimenting with BYS colors because not only are the shades fun - like hello, orange eyeliners, they're also affordable!

BYS is currently available in 33 select SM and Watson’s outlets in Metro Manila and a few key cities like Cebu. By the end of 2013, there will be 50 stockists nationwide.

For more on BYS, visit their website, and like them on Facebook! 

Shop Glamourbox + Free Shipping till February 15!

Yes, January was sold out, like December was. Again with February.  But this post ain't just about bad news. If you haven't experienced Glamourbox yet, because they just keep on getting sold out, well, you can shop what has been in Glamourbox plus more cult, hard-to-find brands via the Glamourbox Online Boutique! FREE Shipping too until February 15, 2013.

Here's my January Glamourbox. Getting it in the mail makes me so giddy already, what more the unboxing:

My January 2013 Glamourbox

Like what's inside my Glamourbox? Shop HERE!

Light Weight Vanity Kit from Dashe

Before I continue on to my Maarte Mommy posts, I wanted to show you the lightweight vanity kit that Dashe Cosmetics sent me as well. This is so timely because I actually have my beauty products all over the place. The everyday ones in a Jo Malone perfume box, the special occasion ones (ie eye palette, etc) in a cosmetics pouch, lip glosses swimming in my bag. I had a fun time trying to organize my stuff here:

That's just the top part, it opens up like this, so you get about 4 compartments which I organized by cheeks/lips, and eyes:

Two compartments for face, hehe. Just Dr. Jart's BB Cream, SK-II foundation and powder, everyday sunblock from La Mer and heavy duty sunblock from VMV, plus a sample tube of Smashbox Photofinish primer:

The compartments further open up to reveal a deep space to store makeup brushes and bulkier pieces like eyelash curlers and such. I still have space for my nail polish collection, but since I don't really use those lately, I've decided to just store my usual beauty stuff.

I am a bit scared thought that I might be adding more stuff to my vanity kit. I just attended Studio SnR's Bobbi Brown makeup class last Saturday upon the invitation of Sydney Go and yikes! I have so many things I want to get from Bobbi Brown. It's hiyang to my skin, and now I realized I need more makeup in my super sparse arsenal, ahaha!

For price, inquiries, or more information about this lightweight cosmetic kit, visit Dashe on Multiply and Facebook!

Dashe Great!

I really only ever started using makeup when I was in my 20s. Yes, I am a late bloomer. I know. After years of applying make-up using my fingers (barbaric, but that's just whipped foundation, cheek stain & lip gloss, and hey I made sure to wash my hands first), I decided it was time to buy makeup brushes. The only advice my mom ever gave me when it came to buying makeup brushes was to use ones made from sable, or real animal hair at least. She said, don't  be afraid to splurge because you'll use it for years. Again, quality over quantity.

Now, I never really bothered to learn the technicalities as to why real hair is better, but as far as I know, they feel so much nicer on the skin vs. synthetics. And so, I bought my first makeup brush set, all of 7 pieces from Smashbox, at the ripe old age of 30. And only because first, I thought the houndstooth handles were pretty mod, plus yes, the bristles felt nice on the skin.

I was happily using Smashbox makeup brushes for 5 years until last year, when my Mom gifted me with a limited edition travel set from Chanel. I loved it of course! It was perfectly packaged in a small handy black pouch, and again, the brushes were made from real animal hair. Even Berry loved it when I pretend to put makeup on her, because she liked the feel of the soft brushes on her lids and cheeks. Such a girly girl!

Now, here's the deal, it's a travel set, so the brushes are limited, but yet, I used it on a daily basis. So it was my lucky day when Ecat and Tifany of Dashe Cosmetics sent me a 12 piece set of Dashe makeup brushes for me to try. 

Ecat said that Dashe is a local brand of makeup brushes, but everything is custom made in Korea. Plus plus! Dashe only uses high quality animal hair for all of their brushes. True enough, when I giddily opened the package, the brushes were really well-made and the hair, actually comparable to my Chanel ones! Here's a side by side (Dashe on the left, Chanel on the right):

Foundation brushes

Powder brushes

Eye Shadow brushes

Blending brushes

I honestly cannot say there is a big difference in using Dashe vs. Chanel. They feel practically the same, and work equally as well. One may argue that since I am not a makeup professional, I really wouldn't be able to make an objective assessment, but apparently, the line makes great starter sets for budding makeup artists. Which is good enough for me!

According to Ecat, they supply some makeup schools like Lasalle International's makeup department and the Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty. With Dashe's high quality, reasonably priced brush sets, the line is perfect for girls like me who don't want to splurge while still experimenting with makeup. 

Dashe makeup brushes are also available at First Aid Greenbelt Makati, PCX Rockwell Powerplant and PCX Alabang Town center.

Here are more brushes from Dashe:

Powder and contour brush set in coral (also comes in purple)

6 piece Zebra pink set

12 piece set (this is what I have - MFO)

17 piece set

21 piece set

30 piece set

Tool belt set

Dashe also carries unbranded make up palettes from the US and a few Ben Nye items. For prices, inquiries, or more information visit Dashe on Multiply and Facebook!