And what did I get? This!
It even comes with a sweet note.
I like the "next give-away" part. I probably won't win the next time but I'll definitely help promote it! Thank you sooo much for the prizes Jen! You've greeted me with a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" but this turned out to be more like a "Happy Valentine's Day" thing.
Oh lala, just look at the prize:
Honestly the package was quite big! Pictures don't do justice. I was planning to go to the mall but when I was finally able to pick it up from the post office, I had to go straight home because it wouldn't fit on my bag.
So I got three eye products and two face products, all from a Japanese brand, Cosmagic.
Oh I just love the packaging of these. How I wish I can read Japanese! Watching anime all these years did not help at all. hmmff.
And I know the packaging is a bit over the top so at first look, all you can make out is pink, black, and sparkly but let me talk about the products I got one by one. I'm not really sure why I'm doing this, showing off I guess? Hey it's not everyday that I win this kind of give-away, so let me have my moment. Also, I want to show Jen how thankful I am and that I really do cherish these products I got in my heart. teehee! (I meant use "char!" but I doubt if anyone can understand that expression.)
Cosmagic Hyperbeam Eyes. This is an eyeliner, sort of. It's the first time that I get to use a product like this. Love it to bits as I'm a big fan of eyeliner.
Cosmagic Lock On BrowI was excited about this product. Etude house has something similar to this and I've been meaning to buy that one for the longest time but I just can't make myself do it simply because I have thick brows already. The brow that you see on me in every picture on this blog is actually half of my actual brows. hahaha! But anyway, glad I have a good brow pencil now.
Cosmagic Lash Dynamite MascaraNeedless to say this will come in handy. Mascaras always do. I want to try this one soooo badly, but I have to finish my Maybelline Hypercurl first. I can't even open this yet because you know what happens to mascaras when you open them and not use them. Mascaras are the most short-lived make-up product.
Cosmagic Mineral Powder BBOlrayt! Couldn't be happier with this loose powder. Compact powder felt too heavy for my lately. And I'm glad that this one is mineral powder too. I'm not sure what BB here means though. Is it the same BB as BBcream?
Cosmagic Sweet Deco CheekCutest blush evaaah! Just look at that puff in a stick. Ok I don't know what else to call it. And the packaging reminds me of sailor moon! You can't see it here yet. But I will make an in depth review of this one and you'll see what I mean. I don't really have a light pink blush, can you believe that? I mostly stick with coral, or a darker shade of pink. I hope this one fits my skin tone well.
What really made me happy about winning this give-away is that I get to try out Japanese cosmetics. There's no practical way to get a hold of these products from the Philippines! And I've been always drooling over Japanese products because bubz always mentions them.
What even made receiving this package a sweeter moment is the amount of effort I had to put into finally locating it.
Post Office AdventureReceiving this package hadn't been easy. Even if Jen used EMS as the courier, I still experienced a bit of trouble. Through EMS, the package should have been delivered to my doorstep a few days after it has been sent. After all, the shipping fee via EMS isn't cheap. The package has a tracking number which was great but when I finally checked their website after a few days, it indicated that my package has arrived in "PHZONE" and that it is in retention.
I searched the internet what that meant but my search was futile. I ended up in forums that discussed how messy things are in the post office. People getting charged big amounts and lost packages, those were all I read about. I went to EMS Philippines' facebook page and its wall is filled with angry posts from people who haven't gotten their packages yet. Some of them professed that they've been waiting for months!
The sensible thing for me to do was to visit the post office myself. Unfortunately for me, I'm new in Cebu and I don't know where it is. I only know a few people here and they don't know where it is too. Come to think of it, who still uses the post office these days anyway?
Google map wasn't helping too. There's too many post office locations when I search for it.
I emailed EMS one day. They replied by simply telling me to visit the post office. When I asked for its location, they just gave me numbers to call. Unfortunately for me again, I don't have a telephone and I don't have access to one.
The day after I called though, I got a notice from them. That is 18 days after my package has supposedly arrived on "PHZONE". The notice indicates that it's already the second notice and that I must claim the package at Cebu Central Post Office at window 30.
Finally I searched google for Cebu Central Post Office and got a location. It's beside Plaza Independencia! A park that bf and I often go to. :) hahahaha!
So finally just this morning, I got my package, and was even able to claim another package that was sent to me from the USA via regular post.(wonder why they didn't send me a notice for that one)
yey!
I read so many bad thing about Post Office services in the internet, I was expecting the worst. But the transaction at Cebu Central Post Office went smoothly. I just had to present the notice, present a valid ID and a photocopy, pay P40, and I'm done. I arrived at 12:45 and got my package at 12:50. There was no line even!
I'm still puzzled about what the P40 fee is for and I don't understand why they can't just deliver the package to my address. I've received two separate packages from Firmoo.com and they also used EMS. Those packages where delivered straight to me and I didn't had to pay for anything.
I can't deny that there are still lot of inefficiencies, if not anomalies, happening inside the Philippine Post Office. But at least now, the staff are kinder and there's improvement. Also they have a website that they are still working on I guess. It's updated but not quite finished and polished yet. There are still some inactive pages, but it does help you a bit. That's where I got the right email address to email to.
I'm kinda happy and sad about this whole venture. I can't shake of the thought of how important the Post Office is in the economy. It's not just about mails and packages. It's representational of a lot of things. In the ancient times, the economy of a civilization is measured by how abundant trade is. Also how reliant the Post Office is speaks of how much the people can trust the Government. A disorganized and inefficient Post Office speaks of a corrupt and ineffective Government
And...........this post has gotten too long and even if I feel like doing so right now, I have no plans of speaking about politics in this happy place of mine. :)
So, as I was saying earlier, I will make individual in depth reviews of these products. Hopefully this brand will hit the Philippines shores someday.
And don't forget to visit Jenponix.com.
Jen likes doing outfit posts and is just a genuinely friendly person. You can check her lookbook page or message her at twitter. You can follow her at @jenponix
Thanks for reading my blog!