I’ve been reviewing a lot of makeup brands over the past years but today is my first time to try a local brand from the Philippines. In my recent trip to my hometown, I grabbed 3 items from the Features & Shades Cosmetics and tried them today.

This brand has been relaunched as Features & Shades as it was formerly known as FS by F 21 Cosmetics. Today, the brand is owned by Mr. Edmon Ngo. FS Cosmetics is now sold in 14 outlets in the Philippines.

TWO-WAY CAKE FOUNDATION

This is described as:

• versatile wet/dry face powder that can be used for medium coverage or light touch ups.
• mineral-based formula and promises to not clog the pores while allowing the skin to breathe.
• gives long-lasting coverage for a worry-free everyday use.
• suitable for all skin types.
• has SPF35+ PA+++ to protect skin against harmful rays from the sun.

The overall look reminds me of the MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. The only thing that I didn’t like is the plastic wrap that it comes with simply because it made it look cheap. 

My first foundation was in a stick form then came the liquid foundations. Now, a 2-way cake form is not something new for me, but I’ve used it back in the day when we would go to a salon for hair and makeup. So it’s technically not my first time to try it, but it’s my first time to actually use it by myself and when I applied it on my face, I was a bit worried about two things:

The shade

I picked up the shade Organza because based on the line of question of the SA, this foundation will oxidise. So I was keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the perfect shade for me.

and then the pores…

Despite the use of a primer, it still showed my big pores. But then I still continued applying because that’s part of the process. Also, I made sure I used Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Finishing Powder to deal with the pore problem.

VERDICT

I was really surprised to tell you that I like how the foundation sit on my skin. I wore it for about 7 hours before I removed it and my face wasn’t too oily. I was in a cold and hot environment (wore it while in the kitchen cooking dinner; did the laundry and washed the dishes) so I say that it wore a decent amount of time and it didn’t move. My T-zone became a bit shiny but I just had to pat a tissue on my face & apply a translucent powder and voila! Fresh face! (please refer to the photos below)

Another good thing about this product is the price. Sold at 525 PHP (approximately 11 USD / 15 SGD) this is very affordable especially if you are new to makeup or a babe in a budget. 😉

• Long wearing
• Scent-free
• budget-friendly

SINGLE EYESHADOWS

The single eyeshadow reminds me of the Bobbi Brown single eyeshadows.

Image courtesy of bobbibrown.co.uk

I picked up Ruby Stone because a friend of mine showed it to me and I got curious when I swatched it. Then I also got Lavender Dream because I don’t have anything like this in my stash.

Both shades have a hint of iridescence when applied on the lid. Each shadow is sold at 250 PHP.

CREATED LOOK:

Here is the created look using the FS two-way cake foundation and the 2 single eyeshadows.

On my lips is a combination of a lip liner and the FS True Light Liquid Lipstick in Glossy Tulip. There will be a separate review for the lipsticks (of course!)

Full details of this look will be posted tomorrow. 😀

OVERALL:

I like the FS Cosmetics! I’m happy to know that the quality of this local brand is already at par with the international brands that you can find in the market and I’m glad that I gave this a try.

The foundation and eyeshadow are so good that you can actually use it on special occasions like weddings. The eyeshadow, like the foundation, stayed on my lids for about 7 hours and it faded just a little so it was not really noticeable.

So yes, I recommend that you give this a try! And if you are a tourist in Manila or in the Philippines, be sure to drop by to their stores and check out their products. Soon as I get back to Manila, I will definitely try more of their products.

Thanks for reading and ’til my next review!