Remember a few years back when everyone was crazy about high heels? That thankfully died down, and now the fashion gods dictate that sandals and sneakers are the hottest things since sliced bread. I rarely see anyone in heels now - even magazine people, unless it's a very important event. Who has the time to suffer wearing tall shoes? 

I do still love wearing them every once in a while, but now I'm on a sneaker semi-addiction. Even more after I saw most of the stylish people in Tokyo wearing New Balance, Vans, and Converse sneaks! In the same vein, women are now going for more convenient, easy cosmetics. We don't want to fuss anymore - we just want something that requires the least amount of thought and effort. There's a good and bad side to that but I think we can all agree that easy is good!

Anyhoo, today I want to introduce you to something new from a local megabrand: the Human Heart Nature Mineral Color Creme Lipstick (P295). I'm not going to prolong this review. This is an excellent lipstick in classy packaging, and it reminds me so much of the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipstick! It has the exact moisturizing feel and shiny finish.

However, as with the Shu Uemura lippie, this isn't particularly long-wearing. It'll take only two or three hours before it fades completey. That's alright though as it doesn't flake up when it dries - a quick retouch definitely won't feel gross! It's very similar to other balmy lipsticks like the Clinique Chubby Sticks and Revlon Kissable Balm Stains. This HHN lipstick just like you're applying smooth, buttery balm. It's super moisturizing.

Zenutrients is not your typical beauty brand. Aside from hair care and body care products, Zenutrients has these nifty troubleshooters that can get hasten the relief of headaches, body pain, skin irritations, and insect bites, among other things. 

Health and wellness is at the core of the brand. The ingredients are herbal in nature, with a local heart. Think virgin coconut oil, gugo, ginger, and essential oils!

I have a couple of body care and ginger-infused balms from Zenutrients and I really enjoyed using them. ^_^ Let's start with the Zenutrients Organic Opaque Herbal Soap in Blueberry, Vanilla, Milk & Caramel. I don't have the price right now but it should be around P100 to P150. This is a yummy smelling soap that lathers wonderfully. It doesn't dry my skin too, which is always a good thing to have in any soap.

My bathroom always smells good when I use this! Downside though, this runs out easily. It becomes gooey quickly too so you need to cut the soap up in segments before your first use.

What does "organic" mean when it comes to the beauty industry? It's murky and confusing until today because there is no industry-standard meaning to the word. There is also no agency that regulates organic beauty products. A company can come and say, "We're organic" or "Our product is 90% organic" and no one can stop them from lying outright or tiptoeing around the truth. 

For example, a brand can claim that their moisturizer is 90% organic. That's true if the base of the moisturizer is something like shea butter. But the remaining 10% could consist of all sorts of chemicals and preservatives traditionally found in cosmetics/body care. They aren't necessarily "bad", but it's certainly not what people have in mind when they bought into the organic catchphrase.

"Organic" is usually attached to terms like green, healthy, safe, chemical-free and natural.

This is the first time I've been acquainted with the organic brand, Venus & Mars. Yes I know, I know, but I'm not big on organic stuff to begin with. In any case, I can say that we're off to a good start! I'm currently loving the Venus & Mars Lip Butter Tints. I have the one in Cherry Berry and it's pretty good.

It gives a pigmented, lipstick-like wash of color that looks lovely with a couple of swipes. I love that the colors leaves a nice stain even after eating or drinking. Plus, the product is moisturizing and doesn't feel greasy or waxy at all.

I am so easily distracted lately. I don't know why, particularly, maybe I'm just tired. It grates at me. I need to be 100% productive these days as I juggle four jobs so I don't have time for this. If you guys have tips on how to focus better, they would be much appreciated!

ANYWAY! Today I'm going to talk about Human Heart Nature's latest product, the Mineral Lip Gloss (P195). It comes in two shades, Island Berry, Pink Hibiscus, and Coral Beach. Let's get on it!

What I love about the product

• Non-sticky! My top qualification for a good lip gloss.
• Non-drying.

When I was younger, I was very reckless about using skincare products. I thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" Indeed, what? I found out the hard way after allergic reactions and several breakouts later. Thus, I've taken to reading (or at the very least, scanning) the label of each product I use. You'll also notice that in most of my skincare and makeup reviews, I provide a snap of the ingredients (when applicable).

I usually Google the ingredients I'm concerned about. Now if you've tried doing that before, you'll notice that getting the results you want can be a challenge. The EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is very helpful, but you'll have to wade through a lot of data to get the info you need. I also like Cosdna since it's more straightforward, but it's not as comprehensive as EWG. 

So where else can we go? Fortunately, Human Heart Nature decided to develop an app that functions as an ingredients database.

Remember my review of the Human Heart Nature Lip Balm in Peppermint? I mentioned that I didn't like how hard and waxy it was. It seems that HHN listened with their new Tinted Lip Balm (P75)! It glides on more easily and feels slightly less waxy, so yay for that. I also like the shade of Flame Tree since it's very rich - not far from legitimately being a sheer lipstick.

Texture and feel. The HHN Tinted Lip Balm in Flame Three is more emollient and easy to apply compared to its plain lip balm cousin. It still has that waxy feel (that I hope it would lose someday) but it's more bearable now.

Moisturizing properties. Helps moisturize with its essential oils. I like that it takes some time before it dries up.

Mineral here, organic there. That has been the trend in beauty for the past few years, but these days it's more of a given than an optional thing for brands. I mentioned before that I'm not completely sold on 100% natural beauty products simply because they're either ineffectual or, if the quality is good, the price can be prohibitive. Nonetheless, there is one brand that has sucessfully battled this dilemma by being somewhere in between - Human Heart Nature.

The HHN Mineral Eyeshadow Palette in Enchanted Evening (P275) is the first makeup I've tried from the brand. The packaging is pretty and the price is friendly, but is the quality competitive?

What I like about the product

• It doesn't have the usual tacky shade selection. The lilac, dusky violet, and gray purple are sophisticated shades that I didn't expect in a P275 palette. They will work with fair to morena skintones.
• Well-milled and not chalky at all. I like the silky texture.

Ahh, lip balms. I have already lost count of all the lip balms I have lying around the house. However, the Human Heart Nature Lip Balm in Peppermint (P60) is special to me because it's the first all-natural, organic lip balm I've tried. It's the most affordable too!

It's a nice lip balm. It won't knock your socks off but its best feature really is the fact that it's natural, with no petroleum or other chemicals in the ingredient list. If your lips are sensitive and have a tendency to darken easily, this organic alternative may help you in the long run.

Texture and feel. The HHN Lip Balm has a hard, waxy texture that will really pull at your lips if you insist on swiping it.