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.

Whoever formulates and makes K-Palette cosmetics should get a medal. Seriously. All their products are amazing! Well the ones I've tried so far that is. Remember their Real Lasting Eyeliner? The Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow pen? These are staples for me!

It's no surprise that ended up loving their under-eye makeup as well. The K-Palette Zero Kuma Concealer (P895) is a heavy coverage, heavy duty concealer that can zap the darkest eye bags. It comes in three variants, three shades with different skincare and color-correcting purposes. You can also use them for skin discoloration and blemishes!

Here are my thoughts on this gem of a concealer. 

What I love about the product

• Coverage is opaque yet very smooth - perfect for really dark eye bags. It looks like skin when blended properly; no cakiness here.
• It is water and oil-resistant. You can cry with this and it won't budge. It's also great for girls with oily under-eyes.

Hi Miss Liz,

Can you suggest some good blemish removers? I have these acne marks/scars and it takes a while to lighten them. I just rely on my whitening moisturizer (Olay's) but i don't know if that works. Any suggestions from affordable to high-end products are welcome in my book, since when it comes to my skin care I'm willing to spend. But if it's affordable and works that'll be great! :) - Diana

Hi Diana! What you can do to lighten your blemishes faster is to use sunscreen everyday, preferably something with SPF30 above. Why? Because blemishes are basically caused by hyperpigmentation or too much melanin in the area. That happens when skin is wounded or scarred - the skin tries to repair the damaged spot by producing more melanin. 

To keep the area from darkening more, use a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays. The sun triggers our skin to produce pigment so we need to deflect its damaging rays with SPF products. Here are sunscreens I like:

Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++

Scenario: you're an office girl and you have caffeine-powered meetings all throughout the afternoon. After work, you plan to chill with some friends over cocktails or maybe attend where you need to step up your look. You have your outfit prepared but what about your makeup? It has to be up to the task! What you need are long-wearing products that need only minimal retouching as you transition from day to night. That's where Bobbi Brown comes in.

No other brand understands working women better than Bobbi Brown, I think. Her focus has always been on natural-looking, polished makeup that's easy to do AND carry around. The Long Wear Eye Collection is perfect for all you office girls out there, or anyone who wants long-lasting makeup for that matter. 

I will review the products separarely next time. :) For now, I want to show you a look I did entirely with Bobbi Brown products I have in my kit. It's what I would wear to the office (clean, natural makeup) straight to cocktails (darker, more intense eyes and lips). Here's a step-by-step tutorial!

Step 1: Apply a reliable, sweat and oil-resistant foundation such as the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation. This foundation just doesn't quit! It's also heavy coverage so I can use it to conceal most of my blemishes. 

I met Karrots Nazareno two years ago at an event. Up to this day, she is the most hyper and kengkoy person I know! I admit I was a little sad when I find out that she's no longer with Anthology shoes, but it's hard to dwell on it what with her new show called Live Love Lolz. It's. A. Riot. I swear. I laugh out loud every episode (alone, like a crazy person). It has become a weekly Thursday ritual for me!

Live Love Lolz is a lifestyle show where Karrots talks about donya problems, her best finds, and interviews fascinating people. There are already four episodes available so do watch them all. My favorite so far is the one with the Bulbolizer. She's a fairly famous body waxer from way back in the 90s! Here's a trailer, you can watch the full episode here.

I've long held that you don't need to spend a lot for a good lip balm. They are basically made of the same thing anyway, so it's not like you'll notice a considerable difference between brands! However, some girls like the occasional splurge, and that's where balms like the MAC Suntints SPF20 Liquid Lip Balm in Au Rosé (P950) come in.

I like the formula. The Suntints balm feels quite lush on the lips without being sticky, and it moisturizes pretty well. It has SPF20 too. A makeup artist used it on me and said that while it's not terribly pigmented, he likes using the balm to condition lips before applying makeup. What he does is he works the balm in before he applies the face products. Once it has been absorbed, he wipes it off with a tissue. Voila, instant smooth and ready-for-lipstick puckers!

This balm makes lips appear smoother than they are, thanks to its thick (but not heavy) texture.

I started beauty blogging four years ago. My blog ran on nothing but my time, computer, internet connection, and a student's allowance. Starting out I wrote general information articles on beauty and reviews on products I buy. Four years later, I am earning quite a good sum of my money from my blog alone. The swag I get every month is maybe worth five figures. And I still write general information articles and reviews on products. :)

I sound like a bragging asshole just about now but I'm telling you this because my "success story" is not as simple as it sounds. For the past four years I invested a huge chunk of my time and money on this website. Waking up at 6am just to write and process photos, planning my content days beforehand, marketing my blog and personal brand, these things are not a walk in the park. I have what I have because I'm passionate about my niche. I did this when I got nothing out of it. I will still do this even if all my sponsors leave me.

My actual job is handling the social media and PR of retail brands. Every so often, a new blogger messages or emails these brands asking for "sponsorship". That is, free stuff for their blog review or contest.

Denim is a staple in our country because of its versatility and sturdiness. If you're a denim lover, there's a new player in town: G-Star RAW.

G-Star RAW is a luxury Dutch brand that's famous abroad for its unwashed, untreated - or raw - denim. It has a militaristic feel to it, with streetwise pockets and edgy zippers conveniently sewn in the fabric. The brand is currently available in 6,000 selling points world wide, with flagship stores located in top fashion capitals such as New York City, Paris, and London. 

And now, the brand is finally in the Philippines. Here are some of the essential G-Star looks to cop!

My favorite!

This is where I start talking about some of the events that I've attended these past few weeks. This blog doesn't exist in a vacuum after all! :P One of the parties I've been to lately is the launch of the reformulated Kerastase Chroma Captive Line. It was held at The Goose Station in The Fort, where the dreamy Chef Rob Pengson prepared a special three-course meal for the guests.

Here are pictures and information about Chroma Captive (must-try if you have colored hair)!

Chef Rob 

Sophie, me, Rowena, Nikki, Kim, and Jen. Always nice to see everyone!

My main skin problem of late is pore blockage. I had dull, rough, and bumpy skin full of icky blackheads. Ugh. You see I hug my dog a lot, and I have also been trying a lot of new face makeup, hence the dirty pores. I unfortunately haven't had time to get a facial so I limped along with my mild cleansers and go-to exfoliator. No toner.

That is, until I started using the Etude House Wonder Pore skincare line. This stuff is AMAZING. Absolutely amazing. I searched for reviews of the older Wonder Pore toner and most of them were positive so I was encouraged to use the rest of the line, which included a new mousse facial wash and clay mask. I'm so glad I did it!

This review is gonna be long since I will talk about all three products, but to summarize: the Etude House Wonder Pore line delivers its promise to clean up pores and refine skin without drying it up like a flaky prune. After using it for just a few days, my skin felt like it just shook off all the dirt and product build-up, and it became smooth and glowy once more. After two weeks, my skin has majorly improved. I will definitely buy when I run out!

Here's a more in-depth review of each product in the line. :)

The Etude House Wonder Pore Whipping Foam (P798) is a facial cleanser that can also double as a mask. To apply, just slather it all over your skin and then massage it where your pores are most blocked.

Hi folks! How are you holding up? The rains have somehow abated (we're on alert level Yellow according to PAG-ASA) so that should be a relief. Should you be interested in donating relief goods to those affected by the flooding, you can find a consolidated list of relief operations here. There may be one in your area.

Back to lighter things! Today I'm going to show you how to do silvery smoky eyes using some Revlon products that have been recently released. It's a light smoky eye so you don't have to worry about it looking garish, but it does give your eyes some definition and mystery. Perfect with LBDs, sequined outfits, and general evening wear! If you're going to a wedding or party, this is a great look to try.

I've already done my face makeup and eyebrows. Ready? Here's how I did my eyes!

Step 1: With your finger, smooth out an eye primer all over your lids. This will help intensify and extend the wear of your eyeshadow. I used the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer + Brightener.

Step 2: Pick a soft silver eyeshadow to use as lid color. I'm using the Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow Quad in Siren here

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of being one of the panelists at Unilab's Social Media Summit. The topic I participated in, along with Kris of OC Mom in Manila (who runs her own marketing consultancy firm) and Dr. Narciso Tapia of CebuMD, is blogging. 

For the panel discussion –  Your online BFF: Blogger Friend or Foe?  Partnering with bloggers as message advocates 

Unilab thought that it would be great to invite bloggers who are also in marketing and PR to get useful insights on how to work with online influencers. We were asked questions like blogger integrity, how to approach bloggers, what motivates bloggers to work with brands, and so on.

It was fun! I'm passionate about blogging and the community. No - I am in love with it.

Okay so remember my attempt at organizing my dresser? I thought it was okay to have everything generally grouped together and lying around in no particular order. Like I said, I'm not the kind of person who puts things back in place everytime they're used. But after living with my "organizing" efforts for a few days, I realized that it's a failure! I didn't know where my things were half the time. I forget the stuff that I actually have since a lot were buried underneath the ones I've been picking up of late.

Upon your suggestion, I decided to hit the mall for some cases and here's what I found:

These are stackable containers from the Mall of Asia department store. I'm sure they can also be found in places like Saizen, and, well, pretty much everywhere else. They're only P99 each so I got four. And now, my dresser, which looked like this:

Now looks like this!

Ta-dah!

I am rather proud of this achievement. :P It took me a couple of hours to weed out stuff that I won't use often so that everything will fit, then I arranged everything in place.

Here's how I did it!

I think that everyone should have their signature eau de parfum. Something romantically French, upbeat American, posh English, or maybe all of the above! But if you're a teenager or at your first job, I know that it's impractical to spend P3,000+ on a bottle of upscale perfume. Not when there are cute shoes and dresses to be bought.

So if you're not ready to buy your "scent"mate or if you're looking for one without having to spend a lot, I have a recommendation: the Zen Zest Coral Eau de Toilette (P200).

I kid you not, it's only P200! I went 0_0 when I found out, myself. When I first got it, I was assuming it's in the P800-1,000 range. Why? It's gorgeously packaged in a colorful, thick box, while the flacon itself is made of hefty glass. It certainly doesn't feel cheap; you get the visual and tactile feel of a pricey perfume.

Lovely is the best word to describe this scent. It's feminine and soft, very floral and powdery.

The weather finally cleared! Yay! I don't want to sound like a weather reporter here, but I'm sure you know how  rain can disrupt the whole of Manila. Everyone is in a bad mood. Things don't get done. So at least that's finally over.

Oops, I think I spoke too soon. -_- Major rain and wind here again in The Fort! Ugh.

Anyway, today I'm going to review one of the hottest products to hit Manila recently! The Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Cherry Macaron (P795) is one of the two new blushes to join the popular Puff de Cheek family. Like I said in my capsule review earlier, it is much more pigmented and a bit more long-lasting than the earlier blushes from the line. Not complaining since these two features are a must in this schizo weather! 

Color. Cherry Macaron is a red-coral mix with a bit of pink. It has fine silvery sparkles that are undetectable when worn. It imparts a nice glow on the cheeks, as an illuminator would.

Argan oil has been the darling of the beauty industry for over a year now. I'm sure you've seen all these products boasting of having argan oil as their star ingredient, and I'm sure you've also wondered why! Here's the deal: this oil, which so far can only be extracted by hand from a tree that grows in Morocco, is nutrient-rich and has anti-inflammatory properties. You can use it from head to toe, if you wish! 

Most pure argan oil products in the Philippines can cost around P1,500 upwards. Understandable considering it takes 45 minutes to crack enough nuts - by hand! - to make a four-ounce bottle of this stuff (or 118ml). But according to the owner of Snoe, Jen Gerodias-Diaz, argan oil doesn't actually have to cost this much. She imports the Snoe Oil For All Argan Oil straight from Morocco and sells it for roughly ~P800 a bottle.

Granted it's not a particularly big bottle, but I find that you only have to use a little to make it work.

This morning I attempted to re-organize my dresser. "Attempted" is the operative word here. It still looks rather messy but as far as I'm concerned everything is where I want them to be. Hehe.

I just re-used some boxes but I will probably buy proper containers in the near future. Or not. I love the idea of recycling even if the end result doesn't look as pretty or as neat as new things. But I also love the idea of having clear storage boxes with sections. Ugh. I don't know! What do you think?