Last July 14, Avon introduced its Advance Techniques hair care line to the press. The event happened at the plush Marriott Hotel, where the whole ballroom was transformed into a salon supervised by Lourd Ramos, makeup counter with pro MUAs, and a studio where Jay Tablante took everyone's photos. It was a beauty addict's paradise!

Everyone got a wash and blow dry - of course, all products used were from the Avon Advance Techniques line

Jay Tablante doing his magic

The svelte and style savvy Theresa Herrera hosted the program. Avon Director Ashley Ferguson flew in to introduce the star of the show, Lotus Shield, while Sen Yang, a Senior Manager at Avon's Global Research Center, went on a video conference call to talk about the technology behind Lotus Shield.

Opus was "THE" place to be that night Smart officially launched its partnership with mobile phone giant HTC. The popular club was full of celebrities, media personalities, and bloggers who wanted to find out what Smart x HTC has up their sleeves. I normally don't go to tech events, but I just wanted to say hi to the other beauty/fashion bloggers and of course, Jayvee, who I've worked a lot with in the past.

The willowy Sarah Meier-Albano hosted the event

Now, aside from the brand partnership, Smart and HTC also launched the "Facebook phone" - the HTC ChaCha. The main feature of the phone is the Facebook button that, once pressed, immediately updates your Wall according to the context of your activities. For example, if you take a photo and press the FB button, the photo is automatically uploaded to your Facebook wall. It can also post the music you're listening to, your location, and even updates your contacts' profiles on your phone to match the contacts' FB updates.

Photo grabbed from abuggedlife.com

If you're addicted to Facebook, then yes, the HTC ChaCha was invented for you. You can read more about it here. It'll be exclusively distributed by none other than Smart.

Here are photos of the event!

It was raining cats and dogs plus half of Manila was stranded that night, but it didn't stop the launch of one of my favorite lipsticks, the Estee Lauder Pure Color last June 23 at Opus. I already reviewed the two variants, Long Lasting and Crystal, and the short of it is that I highly recommend EL Pure Color if you want to give your lips a treat. The lipstick is expensive (P1,350 a tube) but it's nice to indulge in if you're looking for something luxurious for a change.

Me and Liz of Estee Lauder

Beauty queen Priscilla Meirelles, pop songstress Isabella Ledesma-Gonzalez, sportscaster/TV host Cesca Litton and Fil-Korean radio jock, TV host and journalist Grace Lee presented the lipsticks to the press. Each of them represented a specific hue from the brand’s thematic color palette, namely: Coral Red, Plum, Nude and Pink.

Last Wednesday, Shu Uemura invited beauty bloggers to check out their latest product: a customizable palette! They also introduced new eyeshadow and Glow On blush colors, collectively called the Color Atelier. All these are designed to accommodate any look you can think of, since the palette can carry a combination of four eyeshadows or two eyeshados + one Glow On. It also comes in singles and doubles.

The palette itself is pretty neat since it's functional and no-fuss (no need for magnets or adhesives), but are you ready for the REALLY good news? The single eyeshadows are only P695! I know, still steep, but compared for other high-end brands here in the Philippines, that price is very, very affordable. They're the kind of things you'd love to collect since the colors and quality are just lovely.

Ok I am gushing too much. I can't help it. I have a couple of well-loved Shu Uemura items (a Glow On blush and a palette) so yes I'm very excited to add a few more. When I went to their Rockwell branch, I was like a kid in a candy store. I checked out all the makeup and agonized about the colors I want to put in my own palette!

There was no question: I wanted four eyeshadows.

You guys know that I love the cheap yet utterly trendy accessories that can be found in SM Department Stores. I've bought, oh, so many hats and little trinkets in the past few years, many I didn't get to blog about. So when SM invited me to the media launch of their accessory department, I braved the strong rains just to get to One Esplanade that wet and traffic-heavy night.

The fashion show featuring SM's latest and upcoming accessories was nothing short of a spectacle. Top models like Ria Bolivar walked the runway, as well as celebrities like Bianca Valerio, Tim Yap, Chesca Garcia, and Mariel Rodriguez.

Here are some photos (and at the end are the accessories I picked in SM).

Ria Bolivar

I try not to go to too many events lately because I do have work and I want to spend my free time just relaxing. But when Majolica Majorca calls, you know it, I'm there! It's one of my favorite makeup brands right now (if you haven't noticed yet, hehe) so I wanted to show my support.

The event happened last Wednesday at Opus, Resorts World. The set up was quite enchanting, as if the guests stepped inside another world. Take note, it was 3pm in the middle of a work week! The Majo team really transformed the space - it was quite an achievement ha. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

An installation by Tina Daniac is the first thing we saw upon entering

The beautiful and talented Bianca Valerio hosted the event

This year, Avon is celebrating its 125th year in the business of making women beautiful. They kicked off the celebration with a party at Republiq with all their iconic brochure models and brand endorsers: Lea Salonga, Ruffa, Gutierrez, and Angel Locsin! It was a fun intimate night for all guests as their latest colletions were presented to the press to the beat of The Beatle's greatest hits.

Among their newest products are the Avon Ultra Moisture Rich Moisture Seduction Lipsticks and the Retro in the City jewelry collection - do click the links for my review and photos. This time, I'd like to share the event photos.

Here you go!

Parfois (par-fwa) is a Portuguese brand that just opened shop in Manila last year. I remember checking it out in Glorietta 4 then, but I had the impression that it was too expensive for my budget. The store definitely looked swanky and intimidating! But what do you know, the accessories are actually quite affordable. All of them, even the elaborate ones, are less than P1,000, with an average price of P380 to P600+. That's about the same price range as Forever 21 or SM accessories.

I'm really glad that Parfois invited me to be their blogger stylist of the day last Friday. It was my first time to assist customers in a store and I must admit, it's exhausting! Nonetheless, meeting everyone was a real treat; I was impressed by the diversity of Parfois customers. There were students, yuppies, working moms, and even grand old ladies with white hair. I guess this diversity speaks for the kind of items you can find in the store - timeless, versatile pieces that can be worn by anyone regardless of age.

Thrifted sequined dress/ Muji stockings/ Charles & Keith oxford heels

...I actually don't know what I was going for in this look. I do know that I loved the delicate, twinkling blue sequins of the dress so I had to put it on at least once in my life! I wore it to low tea at the Manila Peninsula with blogger friends. Elizabeth Arden hosted the event since they wanted to introduce their latest perfume called Pretty Hot. I'll post a detailed review of that scent soon, but in the meantime, here are a few more snaps of that idyllic afternoon!

Those chocolates are TDF!

I told myself I won't get seduced by the hype of the 2011 royal wedding, but I couldn't help it! Watch the YouTube stream here, right on the official channel of the British wedding.

Here are some scaps I took:

This post is a little late, but that's only because I was waiting for the second Clinique Party attendees to write about our private event. I thought it would be fun to narrate what happened using their own words! 

Photos from Kari

The cute-as-a-button Kari was the first girl to come in. She narrates, "I decided to go ahead with the skin consultation and makeover while waiting for everyone else. Dindin, one of the Clinique consultants, helped me go through a comprehensive skin test and patiently explained the reasons for each of my skin problems...[she] gave me tips on how to keep those skin concerns in check, which basically boiled down to: 1.) exfoliation and 2.) sun protection. My dry-combination skin (type 2) needed regular but gentle exfoliation to scrub old skin cells away (which caused flaking) and sun protection to take care of the new ones that emerge."

The bubbly Angeli (who I met before) enjoyed meeting her fellow beauty enthusiasts. "Another best thing about Clinique party is that I had the opportunity to meet other beauty afficionados from different walks of life

While randomly browsing the Interwebs today, guess what I saw! A mega cute video of the Majolica Majorca Sugary Trap press launch! It was held at Bizu in Greenbelt, where we were surrounded with colorful macarons and cakes. Guests were also given icing, candy sprinkles, and sugar dust to use in designing our own cookies and cupcakes. It was the perfect setting for such a sweet collection from Majo.

Watch the video to see pictures of that beautiful Thursday afternoon.

Everyone also got personalized macarons with their name on it. Of course, we also received products from the latest collection. I've been using these delectable cosmetics lately and oh boy, they are such a treat.

I came with no expectations during the last Clinique Party, but I have to say I was impressed by all the readers who went. They looked gorgeous! I would like to claim that it's because of the tireless efforts of this blog (hihi) but I'd be fooling myself. Good-looking women are that way because they're confident about themselves and their daily sartorial or beauty choices. Beauty has always been in how you perceive and value YOU.

To everyone going to my Clinique Party tomorrow, I'm excited to meet all of you! Look good ha, but no pressure. :P Here are the outfits of the readers who went to the first round:

Kira in her cute modern boheme outfit

That's Marbbie looking electric! Color blocking wtf!

The French-Japanese cosmetic brand, Paul & Joe, has been in the Philippines for four years now. It seems only yesterday when I first heard about it. I was still in college then, and I would read so many raves about their foundation (which is really good btw)! Fast-forward to four years and the brand has grown stronger, releasing new collections every month or so.

The brand celebrated its fourth birthday here by throwing an intimate afternoon party for the press in Lusso, Greenbelt 5. A lot of prizes were given away with the grand prize being P20,000 worth of Paul & Joe products! *whistles* The girl who won that is sooo lucky! Anyway, here are the photos:

Clinique Philippines was happy with how the first party for Project Vanity friends and readers turned out. So, upon insistent public demand (humor me) we have decided to throw a Clinique party again!

Who is this party for?

• It's exclusive only to Project Vanity readers
• Girls (and boys too) who want to experience what Clinique has to offer
• People who want to make new beauty addict friends!

What's going to happen?

• You'll get a Clinique skin consultation. Are you oily, dry, combination? What products will best work for your skin type?

Last Saturday, I hosted a Clinique Party for my friends and readers. It was an afternoon of beauty consultations, kikay talks, and discovery. Mira, the Marketing Manager of Clinique, said she thought that everyone knew each other. I guess that's a compliment to everyone, because most of them met each other only for the first time!

I think everybody had fun because the event was so chill yet very informative. Clinique has its own beauty system - philosophy, if I may call it - that's been consistent since it was founded in the 60's. The core of the brand is the skin consultation where a Clinique expert determines your skin type and prescribes products for your personalized 3-step skincare system.

Aside from the 3-Step System, Clinique has the half face makeup demo. This is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to apply cosmetics on themselves. The Clinique consultant does half a face of makeup and then teaches you how to duplicate it. Neat right?

Here are more photos!

If you know your local fashion ABCs, then you should know who Bianca Valerio is. Aside from being fashionable and multi-talented (she's a makeup artist, TV and events host, and model, among other things), Bianca sets herself apart by being intelligent and incredibly frank. She's honest where other celebrities would play coy. Example: when asked where she got her jacket, Bianca said, "From Hong Kong! It's only P500!" If she said it was from Chanel, we would have believed it.

Bianca has a knack for looking expensive from head to toe, but this girl is a bargain hunter at heart. Her "designer" bag? From a tiangge. Her accessories are only a couple of hundred pesos from Bangkok. Thus, it's no surprise that she agreed to be Colour Collection's Chief Makeup Artist considering her passion for spotting great, affordable finds that work.

I'm sure a lot of girls are wondering what Colour Collection is by now. It's Tupperware's makeup brand! Who would've thought that the plastic container giant dabbles in makeup?

Clinique contacted me last week and asked if I'm interested in holding a Clinique party for Project Vanity readers. What a cute question - of course I am! As you know, I am crazy about the Clinique Moisture Surge and Clinique makeup. I would like you, dear reader, to try Clinique for yourself with no pressure to buy.

If you've always been curious about Clinique but never got around to trying it, going to my party is the best time. ;) Clinique agreed to lower the minimum purchase for their Clinique Bonus Time promo exclusively for Project Vanity readers. Instead of P3,900 worth of products, you only need to spend P3,000 to receive this gift.*

Last week, I had the pleasure of being a guest for Net 25's morning show called Homepage. I talked about the fashion trends for 2011 and, needless to say, I had so much fun. The hosts, especially Ivy, were super nice and accommodating. There was no room to be shy! Of course, the researchers Steph (who invited me) and Blueberry (yes that's her name!) made sure that I felt welcome. It definitely made my trip from The Fort to far away Quezon City worth it.

This is my third time to be on TV. I think I'm getting the hang of it, lol. The first two times were embarrassingly awkward. Anyway, here's a photo diary of what transpired last Wednesday!