Brand Focus: Shawill (Reviews)

Hey again, everyone!

So okay, I've been busy lately, but sembreak is fast approaching so when it gets there I hope to be blogging (almost) everyday. I'll do my best.

But anyway, here is a brand that I think deserves much attention.

I just started seeing this brand Shawill around lately, I think it's only been around for a year or so. I first caught sight of it at Watson's Gateway, and at first I ignored them because their offerings seemed a bit like a rip-off. They had cream eyeshadows (single) running for P128 each (roughly $2.70) that were a lot like G-Lish's, so I didn't bother to try them.

Eventually, I found Shawill at Landmark Trinoma, with a better display and new items. So I had to get some stuff.

At first I only bought a lipgloss (priced at P128) and a lip balm (P98).

But today, my parents and I were at the mall. While my mom was off looking around for home decor and my dad was looking for a new LCD TV/Monitor, I of course was at the cosmetics department.

Imagine my surprise when I saw new Shawill products! They had 12 eyeshadow palettes and new lipglosses so I had to stop by and just check everything out. Luckily the SA, Ate Paula, was very nice and accommodating.

And so without further ado, here are my purchases (including the lipgloss and lipbalm I got before):

isn't the e/s palette (Shawill 12 color palette #1) totally cute? :D

Inside shot of the palette, no flash. The place where the applicator is on is a mirror

with flash

swatches, no flash, no base underneath. 1 swipe each

swatches with flash, still no base, still 1 swipe each

My thoughts about the eyeshadow palette:

PROS

• The packaging is cute and seemingly sturdy
• There is a mirror in the palette albeit a bit small (although it's long so you can see both eyes and make sure your eyeshadow is even!)
• The price -- 148php for 12 eyeshadows? WOW! That's 12php for each one. In $, roughly...
  a quarter each
• Pretty pigmented
• Different types of palettes to choose from (at the Shawill display there were neutrals and colorful palettes. There are also 6 e/s palettes)
• Very shimmery
• Very blendable
• Good that there is a black and a white and many matchable shades
• Expiry date on the bottom of the palette (although..I'm not sure if I believe it. It says it expires on 2017. Whaaaat!)

CONS

• When you first open the palette, it is overwhelmingly glittery!! But, it turns out it is only the top layer with glitter. Once you get to the eyeshadow it's all nicely frost-finished
• Can be a bit hard to pick up with a brush
• The packaging says 12 color cream eyeshadow, although the eyeshadow is clearly powder
• Also, grammatical error on the packaging (understandable--it is packaged in China but made in Italy)

WILL I REPURCHASE? If need be, yes. But I want to pick up the other palettes, since this one shows so much promise! I am loving it.

Shawill blush in #1, white dot at the center was because the blush is domed and was hitting the lid

included mirror and brush in a compartment

swatch, accurate with flash

My thoughts on the blush:

PROS

• VERY VERY VERY pigmented. A little goes a long way. Too much and you look like a clown
• Mirror included in the packaging
• Nice amount of product for the price
• Cheap (128php, roughly $2.50-$2.70)
• So far the blush pops up on my cheeks and stays even though I'm really oily (it's been 2 hours since I applied it, but while I was at the mall the SA applied it on my cheeks and it stayed for 3 hours till I removed it)

CONS

• Limited shades available, and when I was there there were only 2 available. Others were OOS
• Packaging is nice but flimsy to the touch
• Brush included is useless, sheds like crazy

WILL I REPURCHASE? I'd be interested to try it in other shades.

lip balm swatch. effect: sheer, reddish tinge to lips

lipgloss #3

lipgloss #3 swatched on lips--effect: glossy, shimmery wash of pink

lipgloss #11

swatch of lipgloss #11 on lips. effect: shimmery gloss, sheer with barely there pink

My thoughts on the lip balm and lip glosses:

PROS

• Cheap. lip balm costs 98php, lip gloss #3 10 ml costs 128php and lipgloss #11 7ml with Vitamin E costs 128php
• Very shimmery, gives off a nice effect
• Not sticky!! I think this is very important for lipglosses because sticky l/g's make me go "ugh"
• The lip balm applies nicely and gives a subtle glow and nice shine to lips
• The shine of the lipbalm isn't so intense that it looks like you just ate something greasy
• Stays on relatively well (until you eat, pretty much like other glosses)
• Different shades to choose from (4 are available for the lip balm, manyyyy are available for the glosses)
• Lip glosses have very nice packaging
• Light, pleasant scent and taste for the lip glosses :)

CONS

• The lip balm's packaging fades, but it is good and sturdy otherwise
• Strange price discrepancy for the lip glosses--the 10 ml is cheaper! But maybe it's because the 7ml has vitamin E (supposedly)
• The lip balm will run out fast! (at least for those who are as obsessed with keeping lips moisturized as me)
• Some lip glosses are so sheer that they end up looking all the same on the lips. Maybe it was the lighting. I'll have to go back and check.

WILL I REPURCHASE? Yesssssssss! I'll buy more lipglosses, I think I want to own all the shades someday, at least the ones that seem different from each other. Lol.

Yeah, so that's pretty much it for my Shawill purchases! I hope you ladies in the Philippines find this helpful. :) When you see this brand around, check it out and grab some of their stuff! I mostly stuck with the eyeshadows/blush/lip stuff because I think their powder foundations had fragrance in it. So I avoided it. Haha. Otherwise... I give Shawill a 4/5, for something in its price range it is very very good! (-1 pt for shoddy spelling/grammar on packaging and excessive fragrance in some products..also because I haven't tried everything and can't tell if it's all good, lol).

Thanks for reading!!

Makeup Artist Corner: Q&A With Michael DeVellis

The adorable Michael DeVellis, founder of The Powder Group and The Artist Summit Miami and Chicago, took some time to chat with Makeup Junkie about the relaunch of On Makeup Magazine Fall/Winter 2009. If you're a makeup artist, On Makeup Magazine is a must-have resource. Even if you're just a makeup lover, this magazine is full of the latest in beauty and features stunning editorials. One of our favourite sections is Kit Focus - see what all the beauty experts are using in their kits!

Makeup Junkie: What is On Makeup Magazine?

Michael DeVellis: On Makeup Magazine is a unique kind of trade publication for the professional makeup industry. We focus on makeup, makeup artists and makeup artistry. The art of makeup and the perspective of the artist is the primary focal point. Everything from tv and film to beauty and fashion is covered even special FX! But we don't get into hard-core FX like aliens and gore - that's just not who we are. We like to say we are "Monster-Free"!

MJ: What is the story behind the magazine?

DeVellis: I've been fortunate enough to be in the pro-makeup industry for nearly 16 years and one of the things i always thought was missing was a magazine for the pro-community that was focused on the art of makeup. When I launched The Powder Group 6 years ago, the magazine was something i knew i wanted to produce. There are so many gorgeous fashion magazines with amazing beauty and editorial makeup, but nothing for the pro makeup artist or focusing on makeup exclusively. There are salon magazines that focus on hair, and one or two other publications that are focused on makeup but they take a more film/fx direction and are not driven by the aesthetic beauty that is intrinsic in makeup artistry. That is our focus.

MJ: What is the creative process behind publishing the magazine every season?

DeVellis: We try to allow the most creative freedom possible to the artists, writers and photographers who work with us. They are given the opportunity to create their ultimate beauty story or interview, within a few parameters. When we are determining what the next issue will look like, we look at the artists who we have relationships and see what they are working on, and how we can work that into the issue. We also look at new productions in TV, film and theater, and see what looks interesting to take on a broad array of perspectives on makeup. We try to maintain some type of overall energy to each issue, but there is no "theme" that we stick to. We want to be sure that we are always coming across as fresh and new and try to throw new ways of thinking about beauty and makeup into each issue.

MJ: How many people work on each issue of On Makeup Magazine?

DeVellis: It may be surprising that there are so few people behind putting the magazine out but there really are only a few of us working on it. It has been a pretty intense learning curve given that 18 months ago I didn't know what an FTP site was and now I design and set up pretty much every page of the magazine myself. James Vincent, our Director of Artistry, manages most of the photo-shoots for our product features as well as special features like Beauty Queen - along with a thousand other things he does for the magazine! He is amazing. We work with an amazing (and very patient!) technical graphic designer, Theresa Petruso, who does some of the set-up, and all the tech-stuff to make sure the files are okay to print and uploads everything. Kelly Hushin is our copy editor - and is amazing and fast and always very kind about the fact that we give her no notice on things and she gets it all done so quickly! Then we have a team that help make sure everything gets out to the subscribers, retailers and schools. Plus of course the dozens of writers, makeup artists and photographers who contribute to each issue.

MJ: What have been some of your favourite features?


DeVellis: There have been so many favorites in our short time publishing. I think that one of my all-time favorites was the James Vincent Barbarella beauty story. James is such an amazing artist and we decided that we would go outside of our normal format for this story. He really created an amazing visual piece, with the most gorgeous makeup I think we have ever featured. I also love our Reality Check feature - where we talk to people on the street and ask them each the same question, like "what lipstick are you wearing?" From a personal standpoint though I think that our Icon and Giving features are really special as we look at beauty and makeup from the perspective of creating something more than pretty faces and giving back to the community and the world at large.

MJ: What do you want people to take away after reading On Makeup Magazine?

DeVellis: I hope that our reader is inspired to look at makeup and makeup artistry in a different way than they might expect. We have tried to create a resource for artists to not only learn about makeup technique and new products, but to explore other paths within makeup artistry.

MJ: What's next for On Makeup Magazine?

DeVellis: Well our next big project - The Artist Summit Miami and Chicago - is a big deal for On Makeup Magazine on a lot of levels. We are doing a really cool opportunity for anyone attending the Career Night on the Saturday of The Artist Summit, where we will choose one artist in each city to have a photo story featured in the next issue of On Makeup Magazine. We are really excited about that.


We also will be doing a special, additional Summer issue in 2010 called On Styling Magazine that will approach the art of hair styling in the same way as we work with makeup for On Makeup Magazine. You are the first to hear about this!

MJ: Where can people buy On Makeup Magazine?
DeVellis: Well since we are now publishing only two issues a year, we have moved away from retailing the issues in stores, but they can be picked up online at thepowdergroup.com on our SHOP page. We also offer four-issue subscriptions globally, so it can get delivered right to your door. The Fall issue just arrived at our office and our next issue comes out early next year so new subscribers would want to purchase an issue online. Past issues are always available online as well.

www.thepowdergroup.com

Makeup Artist Corner: The Artist Summit Chicago

The latest pro-makeup artist event from the producers of The Makeup Show, The American Beauty Tour and Evolution. A three day educational summit for the professional community. Featuring dozens of seminars, panel forums, and hands-on workshops from the most inspirational educators in the pro-makeup industry. Introducing The Summit Shop - a unique new pro-retail experience.

When: October 10-12, 2009
Where: River East Art Center
435 E Illinois St
Chicago, IL
Time: The Artist Summit education program runs from 9:00AM - 6:30PM Sunday and Monday
The Summit Shop is open Saturday 4:00PM-7:00PM and from 10:00AM - 6:00PM Sunday and Monday
Career and Industry Night at The Artist Summit will be held at The Summit Shop on Saturday from 4:00PM - 7:00PM.
Ticket Information: Visit www.theartistsummit.com

www.theartistsummit.com

Bridal Show!!!!!

Had so much fun as a guest of Alyssa Jul Photography at the Salem bridal show!!! Alyssa RoCkEd and even booked a wedding for Tahoe!!!! People loved jumping in their photo booth that her husband Corey made. If you know of anyone looking for a wedding photographer, this girl is GREAT. They also let you rent their photo booth for the reception. I was able to meet and speak with so many brides about their upcoming weddings. They were all so excited and happy, and why NOT right?!?!? Thanks for the memories of sneaking behind the booth to stuff our mouths full of Quiznos =) Alyssa and Corey!!!!

Smokey Brown wih Bold Lashes

This look was done around the same time as the greens but just hadn't edited it yet. Here it is. Sorry the lighting leaves much to be desired..wha wha whaaaaaaa... =).

Playing with makeup/hanging out with family

I really should be working...but well, I'm just going to slack off for maybe just a bit more. I've been reading blogs, so I was inspired to post.

This post has been queued up for a while, just never felt like posting it until now. Gotta love reading blogs, they sure put you in the mood to write! Haha.

Anyway, a while back I got to hang out with my cousins (we never hang out even if they live just next door, pretty sad huh?), and while we played Wii and took turns playing Rock Band and so on, my cousin Catherine (I call her Ate Kaye) asked me to do her makeup, completely out of the blue.

And while I was pretty busy that weekend considering my impending deadlines of doom, I nevertheless agreed. How couldn't I? They say playing with makeup is therapy, and I find this to be absolute truth.

So I took them up to my room and put my makeup on the bed and let them have at it (I was also with my cousin Analyn and a cousin's cousin, Jacq). Ate Kaye picked out my PAC palette and said that she wanted me to do a look on her with the blue e/s. So I got right down to it (I had a bottle of the exact same foundation she uses so I used it on her).

The finished look on Ate Kaye:



On her I used the following products:
FACE Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Cream Foundation in Sandy Beige, ELF Bronzer in Warm Tan for contour, ELF illuminizer in Luminance for highlights, Ellana Minerals concealer in Smile
CHEEKS Ever Bilena blush in Raisin
LIPS Jean-Michelle Lip Couleur Liquide in St. Tropez Fantaisie-2
EYES UDPP, PAC perfect finish pearly eyeshadow palette, Rimmel quad (the one that Cheysser sent to me, I don't have it on hand and can't check the shades), Dollface Cosmetics 28 Neutral Palette, Coastal Scents Gel Eyeliner in True Black, Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes mascara

So I did Ate Kaye's makeup, then she pretty much insisted that I do Jacqueline's, too. If you recall, I've already done her makeup in a post from like...ages ago. Haha. It was fun to do her makeup again, and oh my gosh her lashes are so long. Ate Kaye and I were jealous, seriously.


On Jacqueline:
FACE MAC Studio Fix powder foundation in NC35, Ellana Minerals concealer in Smile, ELF Bronzer in Warm Tan for contour, ELF illuminizer in Luminance for highlights
CHEEKS Ever Bilena blush in Raisin (This blush is so versatile, I love it! Applied with a good brush it gives you a perfect wash of color without making you look like a clown!)
LIPS NYX Round l/g in Real Nude
EYES Art Deco eyeshadow base, Coastal Scents Matte 88 palette, Jesse's Girl Bejewelled Quad for highlight, Maybelline Eyestudio eyeliner pencil, MAC Zoomlash mascara (she didn't even need her lashes curled. I only used the Zoomlash because it was the only mascara I had on hand that wasn't waterproof)

Here is a shot of the two of them together

So far they've both made me pledge to do their makeup. Ate Kaye wants me to do her makeup for her graduation in October, and Jacq wants me to do her makeup for her prom next year. Of course, I said yes. Haha!

Anddd this post would not be complete if I was not in it (jk, jk). But yes, I also did my makeup and Ate Kaye straightened my hair for me (wow I had no idea it's that long already!), so here I am:

On me:
FACE Ellana Minerals Intense Coverage Mineral Foundation in Hazelnut Latte, Ellana Minerals Oil Absorbing Mineral Finishing Powder in espresso Con Panna, ELF Bronzer in Warm Tan for contour, ELF illuminizer in Luminance for highlights, Ellana Minerals concealer in Smile
CHEEKS Ever Bilena blush in Raisin (can't get enough of this lately!)
LIPS Revlon Matte lipstick in Mauve It Over, topped off with Shawill Gloss #11 (I think?)
EYES Art Deco eyeshadow base, Makeup Masala Mineral Eyeshadow (sample) in Agni, Rimmel quad, ELF pencil eyeliner (in coffee I think), and Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara. Also, used I think an Avon quad for highlight

Here's the three of us goofing off together:


Tada! That finishes my post for today. Bye! :D

Happy Birthday ChickAdvisor!

Makeup Junkie would like to wish ChickAdvisor a Happy 3rd Birthday! To celebrate, ChickAdvisor is doing a give away worth over $750 of beauty products and gift certificates! If you want to be apart of the draw, click here for contest details!