Keep Calm & Beautify

When I became pregnant, one thing that worried me (among other things) is the fact that I might be causing damage to my baby with the beauty products I so enjoy on applying. I know for a fact that lipsticks are the most risky, not only with the questionable ingredients some brands may contain, but also for the fact that we're ingesting them whenever we eat or drink.

It is for this fact that I have made a deliberate switch to organic and natural products, especially for lipsticks. But finding them in the Philippines wasn't exactly easy. The ones I usually find through Google were brands that weren't available here. Fortunately with a little more time and a little more patience (you need it more when you're pregnant), I finally found one that's homegrown.

Pili Beauty's tinted lip balm is made from natural ingredients with pili oil and elemi oil as its core ingredients. It can be used daily, alone or under lip color.

I chose a tinted lip balm instead of a lipstick because I know that my lips tend to chap. At the same time I don't want to get a plain lip balm because I'd love a little color on my lips for when I go out. A tinted lip balm hits two birds in one stone.

I love the labeling of Pili Beauty. It is forest green with gold and turquoise print. It has a natural, a-product-of-the-forest feel to it. Sadly (and my pet peeve with natural brands), it's obviously pasted on, and a little bit skewed at that.

Another thing I've noticed about natural homegrown brands, their packaging is generic. Maybe that's because they want to keep expenses to a minimum. But being a lippie addict, I still salivate over the gorgeous lipsticks like YSL, or the cute ones from Etude House, or maybe even nice and pretty ones from Maybelline. The natural/organic lipsticks like Pili's aren't ones that'll be gracing the stage of my vanity table.

The shade I chose was berry. I thought it'll give me a hint of color that looks like I'm brimming with health. 😀

But I was wrong. Pili's tinted lip balm is very pigmented. 😅 And it's buildable too. So the more I put it on (you know the term - slapping on lip balm), the darker and vampy I become. So much for looking healthy and glowing! 😅

And another thing, I can't exactly wear this at night because of the pigmentation. I'm afraid it might stain my pillowcases. An un-tinted one on the other hand might have been a better choice because it feels good on the lips and keeps the chap at bay.

The price of this one is at P300+. Too expensive for a lip balm. This is available online at Pili's website and at online stores like BeautyMNL and Zalora. Check them out, they have other shades.

I love the tinted lip balm from Pili because it's made with natural ingredients, it's moisturizing, and it's pigmented. It is also easily available online (although that made it difficult to gauge the color on yourself). What I don't like about it is that I chose the wrong shade (I misjudged the intensity on the lips), it's price and it's packaging.

Boy was I ever disappointed. First and foremost, the delivery took forever. I paid in October because it was an October promo. I was excited to receive my first box on November. Super excited! My packages I usually have delivered at my hubby's office and as early as 2nd week of November I told him I was expecting one. 😀

Well, as it turns out, Saladbox is consolidating the November and December boxes in one box - the Holiday Box. Ooookay.

To be shipped at December 5.

That deflated me a little.

Well, no worries. We are just within Metro Manila so I figured since it wasn't in the thick of the holiday season yet, deliveries would only take a couple of days max.

MY GOLLY! Weeks passed. WHERE IS MY PACKAGE?

I am following them on Instagram and I kept checking how the delivery was going, has anyone received theirs?

A lot of the comments I've read though were negative. Those who haven't received it are pissed while those who did were disappointed.

Hmmm. 🤔

I finally received mine just a few days before Christmas. And I've noticed, it was the day after I commented on their Instagram page asking where my box is. Maybe they have forgotten about me and needed reminding?

When I finally got my hands on it, yep so excited once again (new makeup!) I opened it to only feel indifferent.

Look at them. They will not cause you to jump for joy.

At the same time, for P333, I think what I got is already worth the price.

But then hang on. Why am I getting an Ever Bilena blush instead of the Ever Bilena lipstick they announced?

They had been hinting about this quality lipstick (don't quote me on that - haven't tried it) that they're including in our holiday boxes and even sent us an email asking us what color/shade we prefer from 3 choices.

Where is that lipstick that I made the effort to pick a shade of? 😂

It looks like they have run out of stocks that's why some packages were super delayed. But I'm curious as to how come? Didn't we made our orders as late as November (they still do promote their boxes even when they are suppose to be already delivering them)? Shouldn't they know how many items they needed to fill every box? And how come I get the replacement product when I paid as early as October? Was it because I availed of the cheapest promo? Because if that was the case, then they shouldn't have gotten my hopes up with an email about choosing the dang lipstick color!

Anyway, I'm not that upset. I'm trying to stay off lipsticks that aren't natural/organic anyway because I'm pregnant so I'm happy I got the blush instead.

But this blush looks inexpensive. It looks like a toy. Or at the very least newbie makeup for teens - if you know what I mean. I'm not talking about the Careline lip balm in macaroon packaging. I love that one. I love cute packaging. But Ever Bilena's blush's packaging looks like it'll easily break. I'll let you know how it'll fare once I tried it out. And I'll let you see pictures.

With my beauty box came another box. The Saladbox Man. It's their curation for men. I thought, "Hey! Good idea! I have an additional gift for hubby."

But then I thought, does this count as a 2nd box out of my three? I researched online and found out this is a freebie and doesn't count with the number of box subscriptions. Hooray! Free gift for my man!

These are the contents. I am not complaining. These are more than what my hubby is even using (I'm just talking about the astringent really).

He was happy to receive this. And although he's unsure about the astringent, and raised his brows with the toothpaste (toothpaste as gift! 😅 ), he's pretty happy to have new bath products that he won't need to repurchase any time soon.