Nicocosity

Last August of 2018 I bought the biggest investment in my art artillery, and that is this beaut:

My precious

I admit up until now, I look at my Copic Sketch Cardcaptor Sakura set with a glimmer in my eyes! I mean just look at it, isn't it precious? I remember when I got this, I was so happy that I couldn't wait to go home to open this, that I immediately ripped off the packaging, and took this photo at the McDonalds at Canal City! Hahahaha excited much? 👌😂🙃

I mean I have always wanted to have me self a simple set of Copic Markers despite the fact that I have 0% expertise in rendering artworks with markers! What's worse, my desire to have Copics grew stronger upon finding out about this limited edition set, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Copic, where they decided to collaborate with CLAMP to further celebrate their glory. A simple intro of what is CLAMP: It is an all-girls group of Manga artists that gave the world great mangas such as Cardcaptor Sakura, and Chobits.

Yep, this masterpiece is from CLAMP 😻

Ok I'm just gushing and babbling now.

But for those who are curious, or are planning on buying this, Are Copic Markers really worth the coins?

Noted with thanks 👍

First, let's talk about the brand itself. Copic (コピック) is a Japanese brand of high-quality markers and related art materials made by Too Corporation which according to it's website HERE:

has been offering a wide variety of art/design-related services and supplies with world-class, cutting-edge technology.

I remember hearing about Copic markers when I was in college, where my architecture friends would jokingly say, "Alam mong mahal ka ng magulang mo pag madami Copics mo," or in English, "Your parents really love you if you have Copics," because they are so DARN EXPENSIIIIVE!

In case you want to pay a visit to their HQ after the quarantine hahaha!

Copic markers are available in a myriad of colors and different versions, namely Classic, Ciao, Wide, and what I have here is the Sketch. What they differ from each other are its brush tips, where the Classic comes in Broad and Fine Nib.

On the other hand, Copic Sketch is a hybrid of chisel tip...

and brush tip...

... both makes a perfect combination for those who love to render with markers.

My Precious

What I find particularly nifty about this set is that it comes in a clear acrylic case with little dividers, so that it won't jiggle wildly. Also, it looks really sleek and professional, making me feel like I am an expert whenever I see this standing proudly in my work station-which I am 10000% definitely not 🙅

I am very fortunate to get this special edition Cardcaptor Sakura set, where it includes colors that CLAMP usually use in rendering the beloved character Sakura Kinomoto. As you can see in the photos, they have the colors BV25 Grayish Violet and BV23 Grayish Lavender for the dark hair, and E21 Soft Sun and E31 Brick Beige colors for the skin. I find it cool that this selection comes with colors that are suitable for drawing portraits, because it includes a number of shades perfect for coloring skin tone 👍

I used a planner's extra page for this, but the ink still seeped through

Just like working with different art media, not limited to Copic markers, it's important to use a certain type of paper when working with markers. I figured, given that there's a huge chance of fraying, refrain from using the markers in rough services, and yep that includes watercolor paper. Instead you can opt to use vellum paper, preferably with 200 GSM, but just remember that the color of the Copic Markers, or rather its ink, are strong enough to filter through the back of a 200 gsm vellum paper ☝ Take note of that mah friends!

Like this.

Anyhoo, let's move on to actual application of this on a fashion illustration.

Made use of my washi tape in creating a mixed media fashion illustration ❤

So how did I fare with in working with these babies to produce this fashion illustration? I know it sucks. For a beginner who is more adept with watercolor, I definitely needed more practice ☝ I still find it hard to blend colors seamlessly, since in order to blend you have to be precise with how many coats of color you'll put in your paper, which in watercolor's case you can just fill it in with more water to dilute the color, then swipe it off with tissue paper hoping the world will not see an evidence of your mistake🤞🤞🤞

One trick I have gotten from my countless hours of watching Youtube tutorials is the use of colored pencils. If you need more depth, but has limited Copic colors, you can opt to use color pencils. This one is a good suggestion, given that it made me revive my hardly used Faber Castell watercolor pencils 🤗

As I have mentioned in a joke awhile ago, Copics are expensive! One piece costs around Php 230 to Php 300 or around $4 to $6 depending on where you buy it- but of course it's a lot more affordable when you buy it in Japan. This baby cost me around Php 4,500 or roughly ¥ 9,000 when I bought the very last piece in Yamamoto Bumpodo *HALLELUJAHHH* (Blog about this experience HERE) which is a huge contrast to how much it is sold online, like here in Artillery Philippines:

Yup, I saved as much as Php 3,000!

Another good thing about Copics is that it's refillable! Imagine how much you'll actually be saving in the long run! Imagine if this is the case, you won't need to throw out the markers once they have dried out. Efficient? Check! Economical? Check! Environmentally-friendly? TRIPLE CHECK!

Soooooo, with all that said and done, are Copic Markers worth the $$$ or the ¥¥¥?

Copics are expensive, yes I have to stress it again, but it's an investment. I think before actually buying it, you have to think things through on how much use you can get out of it. While it feels really nice to have a glorious set of Copics sitting proudly on your desk, you have to deliberate if YOU ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO USE IT. Only then you'll get to have you ROI, or Return of Investment from these babies- and you'll definitely have to get your ROI from it. But if you just want it just because its copics? Hmmm, better spend it on something you'd really use.

I have no qualms regarding its quality, because to be honest Copics really are among the best in its field in the art world. It's quality truly justifies its price; hefty may it be, but it's definitely worth - Just use it, I have heard a lot of horror stories where unused Copic markers tend to dry out 😟

Have I helped you in your deliberations whether to get one now or... later? 😉

Love Always,
Nicole ♡

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Floaty Airy Fairy, Floaty Airy Fairy, Floaty Airy Fairy ~ It feels like after chanting this 3 times a magical nymph will suddenly appear in front of you hahaha!

Anyhoooo, we are back with a MAKE-UP REVIEW! Yep, despite not being a make-up expert whatsoever, I am back with a review on Peripera Air Ink Velvet lippies! Apparently upon checking 2 of my most viewed content are make-up reviews and art stuff reviews- 2 subjects I am interested at but not exactly an expert of, but what the heck, here we go with the review:

Before we dive into the packaging, just a quick word about the brand. So this cute lippie is from the brand PERIPERA, a popular South Korean cosmetics brand under a bigger brand called CLUB CLIO, which has multiple cosmetics and skincare brand under its wing. Aside from lippies, Peripera also carries a variety of products like foundations, eyeshadows, and of course lip products.

One of the notable attribute of Peripera items are its packaging. Although not as crazy as Tony Moly's , I mean have you seen their egg pore pack that looks like an actual egg???, but they are definitely banking on the cute packaging direction. The Peripera Airy Ink Velvet lippie comes in this carton box bearing the shade of the lip tint inside, and also an illustration of the bottle.

At the back part of the box you can spot what is the shade name of the lip tint you bought, and a bunch of Korean text, which I'm guessing could be ingredients used in making this product... I don't know, friends who can speak Korean, help me out haha! 😅

As you can see, yes this baby is retailed at Php 450.00, or $9++ when me and my cousin bought it in Watsons, but I remember at that time of this purchase there was a buy 1 take 1 promo because of World Lipstick Day, or something, so technically we had ours at Php 250 each! YEEEEY! So always keep your eyes peeled for deals!

Tadaaah! Here's how the bottle of liptint looks like out of the box! As I have said the packaging resembles those ink pots with droppers inside! The body of this liptint is made of plastic, so no worries if this slip out of your make-up kit and onto the floor, it won't break and create a massacre of red goo in the floor. When you open it you'll see that it has a doe foot applicator, which helps in precise application to the lips. Another minuscule thing I like about the packaging of this product is the print on the bottle doesn't fade or disintegrate, which is a weird pet peeve of mine about stuff.

C'mon prints, don't go Peter Parker on me!

Another thing I like about its packaging is you can actually see if you're running out of lip tint, which is nice because you can quickly replenish ASAP! This is a really nice thing, because I always get frustrated when a product I like run out and I have no idea because the packaging conceals it hahaha!

Let's talk about consistency ~~for a second that made me sound a bit reputable to do this hahaha!~~, unlike the usual lip tints in the market where the product comes off a syrupy or ink-like, this one is very creamy which I think makes it easy to apply on the skin without the fear of making it look streaky- a fallback I always hate when using liquid lip tints.

SWATCH: L - Elf Light Rose | R - Dry Rose Brown

With the creamy consistency, when applied to the lips it feels almost powdery but lightweight keeping up with the promise of being airy - but won't leave your lips dry and patchy! How about velvet-y? Yes, indeed! when we say velvet the first thing that comes to mind is soft, luxurious, and how smoothly our hands go through it, pretty much the same when you swatch this in either your hand, your lips, or even cheeks and eyelids! But aside from those attributes of velvet, this doesn't feel heavy on the lips, perfect for people who hate the feeling that the make-up they use feel like actual paint on their skin.

OK before you ask why are there 2 swatches all of a sudden? I have actually two of these babies, one I got like a couple of months before the darker one (the new one with the box packaging). What's good with the Peripera Airy Ink Velvet that urged me to do a re-purchase? It truly delivers the 'airy' feel and look on the lips. My first bottle is in the shade of Elf Light Rose, which makes a perfect base whenever I create a gradient or ombré lip look ~~OHA!~~. I have always been a sucker for dusty rose colors because I feel that it's a subtle yet it brings a nice flush to your face, hence why my repurchase was in the shade of Dry Rose Brown, which is a bit darker than the original one.

✅ Packaging, ✅ Price, ✅ Consistency, now how about pigmentation? True enough the color you see on the bottle is the same color of the product, but does it change when you actually apply it? Answer ...

Remember the product claim is Airy and Velvety, so when applied it looked like it's the blurred version of the color, or imagine being behind a frosted window/mirror where the color is not as strong or opaque- yeah, yeah because this is a tint nga. But what's different with this compared to the pigmentation of a syrupy lip tint is this doesn't look glossy or sickly bright, this one is more subdued but still packs with color. Given that the color is subdued with a first swatch, this is buildable so if you want a bolder look you can put 2 or more coats to achieve that PAK NA PAK na color.

To answer if the pigmentation is good? Yeah, because for a tint even after applying it evenly to the skin, the color is still there. I have had a couple of tints in the past where after blending on the skin it disappears - that's a foolproof way of mine in knowing if my make-up item has amazing pigmentation. But with this one, you'll still see the color ♡

Yazzz Ari, BLEND IT!

Is there a forever with this?

No. Nawp. Hindi. Nothing is perfect, and you can never have it all, and that applies to this product as well. Unfortunately it doesn't stay after eating or drinking, so a re-application is a must after your lips touch another surface. Ok so how about if you did not drink nor eat any morsel of food, will this stay? Not really, it still fades. As much as I would claim that I like this and that is why this is a constant in whatever bag I bring, not really because I need this to re-apply every couple of hours. I wish this would stay like how the Maybelline Super Stay Crayon does, I guess I really can't have it all.

Now that we have tackled the major factors of this lippie, let's proceed with the classic Pros and Cons ~~because I know some people are so lazy to even read all of the things above~~

PROS
💗 Cute packaging that is sturdy enough for you to drop it out of your bag, like 121 times without the fear of it breaking and spilling all its content. Also the print on the bottle doesn't fade, which is 👏 especially for those who hate it when products lose print on items after awhile.
💗 Creamy consistency but it isn't sticky, and when applied comes off as airy and light.
💗 Despite it being airy and matte, it doesn't dry out your skin. The feel of the product is very powdery.
💗 Pigmentation is ok, because the color doesn't fade after applying and blending.
💗 Sure this is a LIP tint, but I used this as blush and even eye shadow, and I must say it's 👌
💗 At Php 450, the price is reasonable considering how much use you can get from this.
💗 It's available in Watson's, and its mother brand, Club Clio, is available in major stores nationwide. But since we are currently on quarantine, opt to buy it online instead - like in BeautyMnl HERE
💗 SOOOOO Many shades to choose from! From Oranges, to Pinks, and even Browns.

CONS
💔 It doesn't stay that long, whether you use this on your lips, your cheeks, or eyes.
💔 And given that it doesn't stay that long, you're going to use it up in no time.
💔 For some reason while there are soooo many shades to choose from, most are out of stock 😞 So, it tends to get difficult to try all the colors your heart desires.

Let's just say this lippie is one of my 'holy grail' products.

For the longest time I was in a great search for a good lip tint/ lip stain that gives off a healthy flush, since one of my biggest frustration is always looking like a pale siopao, and to garnish this dumpling of a face I need products that won't look too harsh or 'deliberate' on my face, and lo and behold I discovered this!

With all the lip tints I have tried in the past given that I use also as cheek tint, it usually comes in syrupy consistency, they tend to be streaky when applied, or if you don't blend it asap it'll end up looking like a weird pink birth mark because of the wonky shape it dries into. But with the consistency of this creamy light product, you can blend it evenly and in a way it'll look like you had a healthy flush thanks to a quick 2k run or even a drunk flush haha! Basically something that will look natural, and not a clowny streak across your face.

As for actually using it in your lips, doing that Korean gradient lip won't break you into a sweat. You can just use a light shade of this baby, then use a much darker color of the same product, or use Peripera Ink Lacquer (which I will also review soon) in the middle , then with some small dabs, et voila! A pretty gradient pout!

And that's it pancit! I must say I will definitely vouch for this product especially if people would ask me for a good lip tint that won't break the bank, won't leave that awkward emphasize on your lip's waterline, easy to apply, multi-purpose, and for those who don't find justice in buying a Php 1000+ 3CE liptint 😉

Love Always,

Nicole ♡

P.S.

Here's a photo of me with a swipe of the Dry Rose Brown shade on my lips and cheeks Ayie 😸

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