Pucker Up! | GAP Lip Gloss.

It's been drizzling non-stop since this morning, and the cold and gloomy weather gave me the perfect opportunity to wear my makeup darker than the usual. It's that time of the year when I rim my eyes tighter than the usual, and the plums, berries, and oxbloods in my lipstick collection are worn more often.

Today, I whipped out this chocolate brown lip gloss from my makeup stash - after being relegated to the bottom of the pile for months. I've had this lip gloss for quite sometime now (received this as a gift from Tita Mac, one of my favorite online sellers of branded US goods), but never had the chance to blog about it.

Lip Gloss from the Gap.

This one's from the GAP (apparently, the popular clothing brand also sells makeup), and I believe this lip gloss comes from the Color+Shine Lip Gloss Trio, which is available in GAP stores only. I did a bit of research on the pricing and found out that these glosses sell for around $12. Hence, each lip gloss costs only $4 (around Php 174).

Chocolate brown.

The packaging is pretty simple, and there's no shade or name indicated on the tube. But as you can see it's a dark, rich shade of burgundy brown. The color reminded me a lot of the lip products from Bobbi Brown's Black Velvet Collection. 

Doe-foot applicator.

It comes with a doe-foot applicator, and the plastic tube even has a mirror at the back. 

Mirror at the back.

This lip gloss has a minty, chocolate scent and leaves a cooling sensation on the lips when applied. I especially love how crazy pigmented this lip gloss is, considering that it's, well, a lip gloss. When swiped, you wouldn't even think it's a lip gloss because of its opaque texture and satiny matte finish.

One swipe on the left, two swipes on the right.

It's formulation is rather thick but not too sticky, and does not feel icky on the lips. And considering that it's a lip gloss, its wear time of four hours (at the most) is pretty decent than some of the lipstick brands that I've tried. 

GAP Lip Gloss when worn. Excuse the zit near my chin.

What I love:

- The yummy chocolate scent.

- The tingling, cooling sensation on the lips when applied.

- Highly pigmented.

- Opaque texture.

- Decent wear time.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- Not sold individually.

- Available in-stores only.

Products Used:
FACE: Laneige Snow BB Cream, Missha Under Eye Brightener,
Skin 79 Skinny Mirror Pact.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown, BYS Waterproof Eyeliner,
Tony Moly Lovely Eye Liner Pencil, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: GAP Lip Gloss in Chocolate Brown.

Have you tried this lip gloss before, or any other makeup from the GAP? How was your experience?

Red, White, & Blue Event | Win a $25 GAP Gift Card!

What better way to celebrate the Land of the Free than freebies and giveaways!?

Welcome to the Red, White, and Blue Event 

hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network.  

We're celebrating Independence Day with a bang - an event full of giveaways!  

Each giveaway is either patriotic, made in the USA, OR color themed!  

So, be sure to hop around and see the fun, unique prizes at every blog!

For this event, I'm keeping it simple. I'll be giving away an eGift Card to one of the most popular American clothing brand - GAP! This gift card is worth $25 and can also be used on GAP's sister stores such as Old Navy, Piperlime, Banana Republic, and Athleta. And because GAP does international shipping, I'm also opening this giveaway worldwide!

Enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter below.
This event will run until July 15th only! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that you've entered to win on my blog, be sure to hop around to all the other bloggers offering fun, patriotic giveaways.  If you're a cloth diapering fan, you'll want to check out the color themed giveaway from Thirsties - an USA cloth diaper company!

Enter the Grand Prize Here!

Disclosure: According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Red, White, and Blue participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Christmas is the Best Time to be the First Grandchild.

There's a distinct privilege to being the first grandchild in the family. I know that for a fact, because I'm a first grandchild myself.

For one, you almost always get anything you want. As a child, I practically got almost everything that any little girl would desire - pretty dresses, fancy hairclips, Barbie dolls, and all the latest toys featured on Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club. (If you're a kid of the 80's I'm sure you know what this is. LOL.)

Another thing, you always get brand-new stuff. I never got hand-me-downs or second-hand anything since there's no one ahead of me.

Also, you get everybody's undivided attention - unless you're born with a twin, that is. And since I don't have one, I once enjoyed being the star of my Mum's household.

I was lucky enough to have a (late) grandfather who used to work abroad. He showered me with all things wonderful, as I was the apple of his eye. And I have a stage lola for a grandmother. She enrolled me in practically all summer workshops available during my time. And made me join all sorts of contests and kiddie pageants to boot. She's Anabelle Rama and Lolit Solis all rolled into one. Haha!

This same privilege that I basked in some xx years back is the same privilege that my son is enjoying right now. Not only is he my Mum's first grandchild, he also happens to be my Grandmum's first great grandchild. Just imagine how pampered and doted upon my little man is in this side of the family.

To give you an idea, here's his Christmas loot. And all that came from just my Mum, my brother, my sister, and my cousins from London.

The only thing that came from his Dad and I is that Cars pillow, which is a last-minute substitute because our real Christmas present got stuck somewhere in the Bureau of Customs. Bah, humbug.

He had too many presents under the Christmas tree that it took us until 3am to open them all. Yes, we have the traditional Noche Buena (midnight dinner) here - glazed ham and all. And this was my most favorite photo of Yue from that night.

That's the reaction you get when a child loves the present he got.

Eyes widening in delight when he saw those three familiar letters. Written on the shirt and pants set that he got from my Mum were G-A-P. Haha! This kid knows brand names already, thanks to his Lola Mama.

The little man still has a few more presents on their way, aside from the ones that got stranded. They're from his godparents who never forget to send Yue their love. (I have the most amazing friends, you know.) I have a feeling those presents will elicit the same response from John Cena's number one fan. That's a dead giveaway as to what gifts are coming.

How was your Christmas? I hope you (or your kids) had an eye-widening, jaw-dropping gift-opening moment, too. Cheers to the Holidays!

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