This might be old-ish news to you if you're an avid follower of beauty news but - yay! Canmake Tokyo, one of the top drugstore brands in Japan, is finally here in the Philippines. They've had an online counter over at Glamourbox for a few months now, but it's only recently that they set up a brick and mortar location in Glorietta 2, inside Somera.

When I went to Tokyo and Hong Kong last year, every beauty drug store I visited had Canmake. It's impossible to miss: the bright pink logo and collaterals, the cute little princess-themed makeup. And the price! It's very affordable. I'm happy to report that the prices here are almost the same as abroad, with the product selling for as low as P390 and at most, P680 (for the BB cream/bases). 

Ever since I saw makeup master Jigs Mayuga use a mixing palette and spatula at a workshop, I knew I NEEDED those things in my life. I'm not a makeup artist, right, but I love tinkering with makeup and having tools make the process more simple and enjoyable. I'm grateful to Sol of Digital Traincase, who generously gave me a MONDA Studio Mixing Palette (P520) and Spatula (P490) last Christmas!

Before we move forward, can I just say that Sol is one of those people I've been following for maybe half a decade now, even before her store became famous in the PH. She used to blog before, did you know that? She was passionate about nail polishes if I remember correctly. She has since channeled that passion into being one of the top (if not the top) online beauty retailers in the country, but she's still as nice and approachable as before.

I totally did not expect anything from her last Christmas. I didn't make parinig or anything - the package just suddenly arrived on my doorstep. She said it's to thank me for my support through the years, but IDK, it's not like I did a lot. I just love her brand of service and her constant eye out for new amazing things to bring here.

ANYWAY, end of cheese. Here's my review of these MONDA tools! 

I'll start with the palette. I think that if you love liquid and cream products, a mixing palette like this is indispensable. It allows you to customize wet foundations, concealers, blushes, illuminators, eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick etc. easily without wasting any product. Since it's made of stainless steel, you can warm the makeup with a touch of your hand under it. 

I've always believed that when robots or artificial intelligence evolve beyond human capabilities, they would not go Terminator on us. They would most likely be either benign, even altruistic towards humans, or would simply leave us and move on to the next plane of existence. Another possibility just occured to me: they can combine their capabilities with our species, becoming a hybrid of organic and metal/plastic/silicone etc. (My thinking is distinctly Asimovian.)

This is what was running through my head after watching Her. It's a movie about a man falling in love with his operating system. Did I get teary eyed? A little bit. But their love story didn't interest me so much as the moral and practical implications of the premise. Why are letter writers rich in the future? What makes a human, human? Is romantic love less real when shared with 641 other people? Where did the OSs go? 

In any case, watch Her. It's a good film.

Moving along! I want to quickly show you what's inside the January-February BDJ Box. I got this last Thursday! I like how it contains a LOT of stuff that I can actually use. My favorites would be the Ellana Lip & Cheek Gel (of course, lol), Beauty Bright Soap (reviewed it and loved it!), the free Brow Construction from Browhaus (my HG brow salon), and the Revlon nail art polish. 

Hmm, I just realized, I like the stuff I've already tried. I should probably be more adventurous and go for the other samples/vouchers! Check 'em out here.

Quick post! I just wanna pop in to say hello, and happy holidays to you all. ^_^ Hope you're having a grand time so far! I'll be having a staycation with my family in a hotel here in Fort, then probably veg and watch cable TV until tomorrow. All I want is a chill and fun time with my loved ones.

Before I leave, thought I'd show you something I got for myself this Christmas. I think that the best gifts are the ones that you actually purchase for yourself, because no one knows what you want better than you do, right? That being said I finally got something I've been looking for a long time: a pouch wallet.

I'm not that picky with brands when it comes to wallets which is why mine always looks kawawa. But in my defense I really want something where I can jam my cash and coins without thinking, where there's space for my cards. I haven't found something like it in stores - that is, until I saw this pouch from Rabeanco in SM Aura.

It is absolutely perfect.

You know what (and this is just an observation, not a complaint) having a beauty blog and getting sent a lot of free stuff takes all the fun out of makeup shopping. Whenever I see something that makes me go "oooh-I-want-that-looks pretty-awesome!", that enthusiasm is quickly followed by a dour practicality "But-I-have-like-twenty-of-those". 

Every so often I do buy something because I feel that I absolutely need it and don't have something like it yet. However, it ends up getting buried by all the other products that I still need to start using and reviewing. I told you. It's sometimes not at all fun to be a beauty blogger.

Image credit: muza-chan.net

That's why when I went to Japan a few weeks back, I only grabbed three beauty products for myself. These were things I felt I needed at that time. Besides, they were inexpensive so it'd be totes fine if I don't use them often or like them at all. :P

I stopped by Matsumoto Kiyoshi in Akihabara to look for some pabili and to check out the drugstore beauty stuff (of course). Here's what I got!

It's hard to move on to business as usual when a tragedy of awful magnitude just struck our country last week. Everyone is still reeling from the loss of life and property, and then the feverish desperation that comes after it. I'm not an emotional person but everytime I read the news about Yolanda's destruction I feel like there's a small twinge near my heart. That's not just because of the graphic stories of suffering on the ground; it's also because of the heroism of our people and the kindness that other countries have shown us.

I don't know what else to say. I just wish that help to those in need comes swiftly, and that in the future we can pass laws that will help minimize the risks from natural disaters (among other things). 

Shall we move on to lighter stuff? If you're here, perhaps you're also looking to feel slightly less burdened from the news. :)

Plains & Prints just released their Holiday 2013 Collection last weekend! There's over a hundred pictures of all the new pieces in the press kit (see the full lookbook here), but for brevity I decided to post Anne Curtis's looks as styled by Liz Uy. Anne as you know is Plains & Prints latest endorser, and I think that it's such a perfect fit!

Anne has a glam-next-door, slightly eclectic taste in fashion. P&P has pretty much the same aesthetic so it was only a natural progression for both fashion powerhouses to work together.

Plains & Prints' Holiday 2013 has four sub-categories: Camo-Chic, Fire, Earth, and Holiday Dresses. See them in detail after the cut!

Sooo, how was your vacation? Mine dragged as I didn't go out of town or even to the mall. I spent my long weekend watching TV shows, reading books, and playing a new game (Disgaea 4!). Speaking of books, if you like Cinderella-type stories, you should consider reading The Selection (Hunger Games-ish) and A Kiss at Midnight (Cinderella with no magic, more wit). They're not particularly good books but they're fun to read!

Anyway today I want to talk about my visit to Regatta a couple of weeks ago. I have to be honest, I was only expecting the usual preppy stuff like polos, collared shirts, and sensible bottoms. Regatta does carry these must-haves - in better quality than what's usually in department stores - but I like that they came out with uber chic printed pieces! You'll see them later. ;)

Here's a quick tour!

Regatta has casual stuff for you and the special men in your lives

Unisex fragrances and accessories

I love the look of fresh, dewy and glowing skin. Can you give me a few products that will help me achieve that? Thank you. - Therese

Hi Therese! I love this question because I love glowy skin as well. I don't understand the obsession with matte skin because our skin is not matte in its natural state. Nothing screams *makeup* than a face that's covered in a blanket of matte powder, for me! Shine is fine as long as you're able to control it and place it strategically on your face.

A dewy-looking face starts with good skin, of course, so make sure that your skincare routine is up to spec. I find that using serums make a huuuuge difference - try the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate or the Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin Serum (which I am testing recently). These work super well! As for makeup, there are many products that you can use to achieve a glowy face. The trick is to use only one or two of them at any given time, depending on the look you want to achieve.

Face Base: for an all-over glow

A thin, light-coverage foundation can deliver dewy skin simply because it allows our natural skin to shine through. Remember, in order to achieve dewy skin, you must not cover up your bare skin with too much makeup. Light, illuminating makeup will just enhance your skin, not blot it out.

The Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup gives such a nice dewy finish. If you want something with even lighter coverage, try the VMV Hypoallergenics Skintangible SPF30 which is a tinted moisturizer with SPF30. 

Last night, it was so cool that I slept without the airconditioner on. I think it's my first time to do that this year (barring blackouts)! I wish the weather would stay this way, you know, rainy and cold but not overly so.

Anyway, it's that time of the month! Here are the products that I really liked last July. :)

Beautiful tinted lips should be your bare minimum when you going it. There are so many nice tinted balms at an affordable price so there's no excuse to have bloodless-looking puckers! One great colored lip balm slash lipstick that you can find in drugstores is the LipIce Color Lip Balm. I love it because it's super moisturizing and quite pigmented to boot. It does have a waxy smell and taste but thankfully, it dissipates.

Have you always wanted to build your own eyeshadow palette without spending for a MAC or Shu Uemura one? Well, you'll love the Artdeco Eyeshadows and Custom Palette System then.

I tried a lot of awesome high-end stuff last June so they're going to pepper this list. However, there are some affordable gems that you definitely shouldn't miss. Have at it!

I'm all for products that are convenient to carry around while still having a formula to beat. The Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink is rather expensive but it's a handy prettifier than can do both your lips and cheeks in one hot minute. Useful when spotting your crush from the hallway and having almost no time to fix up!

Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs a great neutral eyeshadow palette. Not everyone can splurge for Bobbi Brown or MAC though, and that's where the Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow Quad comes in. It's a well-thought out collection of flattering neutral shades, and the formula is pretty good too! "Not too expensive" is the magic phrase.

If you want stunning, perfect eyebrows, you can rarely do better than the K-Palette Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow pen.