Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray: Does it Stand a Chance in Humid Metro Manila?

I don't have to tell you that summer in Metro Manila can be such a scorcher. During days when even air conditioning doesn't seem enough, it's sad how a lot of ladies are walking around like oily, cake-y messes. I've been there once or twice and it ain't pretty. My solution has been to wear little to no makeup as possible: just a hint of concealer for the undereyes, brows filled in and then a slick of sheer lipstick. But there are times when makeup is necessary-- for that, I have the Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray.

The claim:

This groundbreaking formula mists on, ensuring makeup that won't budge for at least 16 hours.  Color dispersing technology keeps makeup even so it always looks just applied. Weightless but powerful, All-Nighter resists moisture and even has a techy cooling ingredient that makes skin look and feel fresh all night long.

Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Made by Skindinavia! It says so right there

I haven't been using any primers lately, not even on occasions when I need full-on makeup. I just notice that my current foundation and concealer combo (Revlon Colorstay + Cinema Secrets) look more like my real skin without it. My HG primer is currently the Clarins Lisse Minute which is perfect for blurring pores but I don't need that with the Colorstay so I skip it. That means that for staying power, this UD spray is basically the one thing that keeps it all together and it manages to do that pretty well.

UD instructs that this setting spray should be the last step in the makeup routine. A couple of spritzes in a T or X formation ensure that the fine mist covers every inch of the done-up face. For me though, it's actually the next-to-the-last step because it leaves a sheen on the skin which I tame with a dusting of Guerlain meteorites. For best results, make sure that you give the bottle a good shake before spraying.

As soon as I run out, I will be repurchasing for sure. When you've carefully applied makeup, it makes sense to make sure that it stays put for as long as you need it to, right? I might, however, look into other variants such as De-Slick which provides a matte finish, or go for the original Skindinavia ones. After all, UD has apparently just repackaged Skindinavia's formula. A lot of it will depend on what's locally available from online sellers when I've run out. Neither Skindinavia nor UD has direct stockists here in the Philippines.

I've had this 118 ml. bottle for more than a year. I've bought this from CareFree Shopper about a year ago for around P1500 (?) and a little goes a long way. UD has actually changed the packaging since then.

This UD setting spray pretty much plays nicely with most foundations and face bases: liquid and powder foundations, oil-based concealers, BB creams, etc. Be careful though with foundations that tend to oxidize because the spray seems to aggravate that flaw.

Do you use a setting spray or do you feel like it's an unnecessary step in your routine?

My Green Halo haul

So last Holy Week, I blogged that I ordered a couple of natural crystal bracelets From Green Halo. The bracelets arrived and they were so lovely that I couldn't help but order more! And here I was, feeling rather smug because I had gotten better at not spending :)

But (and excuse me for attempting to rationalize here) take a look at these beauties and if you're a crystal lover, you would perfectly understand why:

Green Halo haul! I really only meant to get ONE

Green Halo is turning out to be quite a treasure trove. First of all, their 40% off sale is still ongoing and then, I managed to unearth their year-old picture album of chip bracelets-- would you believe that each strand is only P200?

This is my garnet strand. This was such a surprise! In dim light, it looks like plain dark burgundy but hold it up and it looks like it's on fire!

The idea behind the crystal strands is that you can customize the energies that you need. For example, if you want more business luck you can combine citrine, aventurine and clear quartz. Citrine and aventurine are so-called 'money stones' while clear quartz magnifies the energy of any stone used with it (see Monica, I've been reading up! hahaha). Or, you could wing it and choose what you think looks pretty, like my stacks below:

Black obsidian, garnet and clear quartz

Amethyst, rose quartz and blue lace agate

As usual, each Green Halo order comes with info regarding the energy of your crystals, how to program it, etc. I don't claim to be any expert so if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask Monica. She really knows a lot, plus she mostly deals with the heavy orders like huge natural rocks and druzees for people who really invest in crystals. You'll find her very nice and helpful too.

Aside from the chip bracelets, the rest of my haul are:

Pink calcite and peridot jasper. The color combination is so Lily Pulitzer. Click on the image to get a bigger view and you'll see the slightly gritty surfaces, which really gives it character.

Amazonite

Red coral, black tourmaline and onyx. To be honest, I don't know which ones are onyx and which ones are tourmaline. 

Pardon the picture-heavy post but some Facebook friends were curious about the quality of the stones. Green Halo owner Monica shares that she sources hers from the US, to make sure that they are authentic. In my experience, authentic stones feel so distinct from synthetics; first of all, they feel cold rather than warm (like how a stone floor feels) and they have a certain heft to them.

What are your favorite kinds of accessories? Are you into crystals too?