Girls who love drugstore beauty products (like me!) are sure to enjoy the deals at Robinsons' beauty fair called Tint. There's currently a month-long sale in participating brands. Makeup, skincare, and even fragrances can go up to 50% off! Maybelline and L'Oreal are on 20% and 15% off respectively. 

The frequent 20% Maybelline sale is well underway! This is the best time to score top Maybelline products

Read on for more notable beauty deals and see what I actually bought! Warning: tons of photos and great deals ahead!

Are you considering red lips for Valentine's Day (or any day)? A lot of women are a little scared of this color because it's loud AND fussy, but I think it's in keeping with the occasion's theme. A bit of fuss during the first application, when done right, is worth it since you probably don't have to apply it again during the day.

Here are some quick tips as well as some lipstick suggestions:

• Prime your lips with balm. Don't slather on too much. A very thin layer is enough to moisturize; too much and your lipstick will just stay on top and slide off.
• Apply a red lip liner just a little bit inside your natural lip line. Red can be an overwhelming color and you don't want your mouth to look like one huge stoplight! Thin but juicy red lips are more sophisticated compared to thick red ones. 

Lined

Shaded with lip liner

Here I am again with my Valentine's Day makeup suggestion! I feel that this look is flirty and light, just the thing to NOT scare off your date on Valentine's. I know we girls love smoky eyes and red lips, but there are guys who don't appreciate those kinds of looks. No matter. We should wear what we want if it makes us feel good! But for Valentine's day, perhaps it's better to tone it down a little in consideration of our dates.

So, I made a tutorial for this FOTD!

Step 1: Start with a well-primed and evened-out face. I suggest using a primer to prevent makeup meltdown, something like the L'Oreal Base Magique (face) and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance (eyes). For this look I used the Avon Ideal Shade Foundation + loose powder from the same line. I also used the MAC Studiofinish concealer

Step 2: Apply a champagne eyeshadow like MAC All That Glitters all over your lid.

Have you always been interested in fashion, but never actually found the time, patience, or resources to go to fashion school? Yes? Then check out the SoFA Fashion Capsule Series! It's a series of one-day lectures on topics like styling, fashion photography, fashion design, and so on. Industry leaders like Robby Carmona and Candy Dizon will be some of your teachers. 

If anything else, you'll get an up-close glimpse of the fashion world as well as give yourself some additional street cred. ;) More details after the cut!

Cute story. So I met celebrities Tweetie De Leon-Gozales last week and Andi Eigenmann last Tuesday. I asked them what their must-have product is and guess what they both said? Carmex lip balm! Yes, Carmex. It appears that you're never too mature or too young for something as basic as lip balm.

So why Carmex? I always hear this brand thrown around but I've never gotten to try it. That is, until I Tweeted some weeks back that I'm curious about it. Carmex then kindly sent me their products to review.

The original form of Carmex when it was invented in the 1930s

After some light Googling I found the interesting story of Carmex. It was created by Alfred Woelbing from out of his kitchen stove in the 1930s. He started selling it to pharmacists from the boot of his car. Eventually, as the product gained a cult following through word-of-mouth, Carmex opened a factory in 1957 and became one of the well-known lip balm brands in the world. To this day it is still owned by the Woelbing family. Alfred Woelbing himself ran it until he was 96. He died in 2001, at 100 years old.

Read this detailed article on the fascinating history of Carmex. It's a compelling story of one man's entrepreneurial spirit and hard work.

Anywaaay, here's my review of this intriguing product!

I just want to share the look I wore last Saturday to my fave weekend market:

For this look, I skipped the usual pinks with something that I find very flattering on Asian skin: coral and bronze! I tried to keep everything fresh so I didn't use a lot of products. I think this look only took me five minutes to do.

I also took the opportunity to try the latest Bobbi Brown foundation called the Illuminating Finish Powder Compact Foundation. It's so photogenic no?

Ok, I've found my current favorite mascara: the L'Oreal Curl Impact Collagene Mascara (P795) which was released just this month. I admit I didn't like it as much when I first started using it. It was so stubborn to remove (automatic major minus points), and I actually lost more than a few eyelashes in the process! I had to rub and wipe with at least two different makeup removers before it finally came off. That was stupid of me. I should have just read the instructions: it washes off with warm water.

Yep, you got that right. I've tried other mascaras that wash off with warm water, but this is the easiest one to take off. It almost melts on contact with the water plus there isn't that much residue left to wipe off. Winner!

The L'Oreal Curl Impact Collagene promises to deliver curl and volume - and it does. It may have something to do with the special spiral wand. There is a noticeable curl even without using an eyelash curler, but if you want something more dramatic, I suggest using that tool. As for the volume, this mascara fattens up and blackens my lashes quite nicely that I can skip eyeliner when using it.

Let's run through the pros and cons!

If, like me, you have a problem with your round face and chubby cheeks, contouring is your best bet to a slimmer face. Once you've got the technique down pat, I advise investing in a good, long-lasting powder that looks natural on your skin tone. I love the MAC blush in Harmony for that purpose.

I like using this by itself when I wear heavy, smoky eyes and pale lips or with loud lipstick when a pink blush is too much. It's handy to have around when colored cheeks ruin the statement look you're going for.

What I love about the product

• Harmony is a matte, tan-brown shade that looks natural on my light-medium skin tone. Unlike other bronzers or contouring powders, this doesn't have the dreadful orange undertone that looks harsh on the skin. Love it!

I think I mentioned before that I am extremely lazy when it comes to my nails. These days though I'm in the mood for some color so I took out the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish I got, oh, half a year ago! I wasn't even sure if it's still ok to use, since the polishes I've owned before tend to either dry up or curdle when opened and then stored that long.

So how was it? Well, it was good as new! You know how nail polish thickens when you've opened it? This doesn't. It's still thin and easy to spread after six months.

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri promises to dry in 60 seconds and it does! But you have to wait a bit longer for it to completely set if you apply a thick layer, around two minutes - still not bad if you ask me.

Jumpin' Jade

What I love about the product

• Dries quickly
• There's usually no need for a second layer since the color is opaque already

I was at SM Mall of Asia last night. A visit isn't complete without checking out the clothes in the department store, of course! My favorite brand there, Soiree, has restocked so yay for that. The teens wear department also has new interesting things. I wasn't able to take any photos, but I happened to come by an SM catalogue in Facebook while finalizing my Avon contest (plz join ok?).

Here are some of my favorite clothes and looks:

I am smitten with the cool shades of tangerine and other citrusy fruits like lime and lemon for this season. It's so refreshing to the eyes no? They're so easy to pair with any ol' pair of denim, tan, brown, or white pieces. I just want to say though, the bright fuchsia lip on the models rather clash with the orange. The MUA could have used a complementing shade like a glossy pink or peach.

Here's another trend I like - solid colors! And LOTS of them.

I was 18 when I started going crazy over makeup. I'd read through tons of blogs and watch lots of tutorials everyday, and when I can afford it with my student budget, I'd buy makeup for myself. I'd pile on colorful eyeshadows and powders just for the fun of it. As I got older though, my enthusiasm reared back a bit. I mean yeah, I still read tons of blogs, buy makeup, and enjoy applying all this gunk on my face, but the real world (work, tiredness, or just plain laziness) intervenes. Hence I have tamad looks like these:

MAC Studiofinish concealer, Colorescience pressed mineral foundation, NARS Super Orgasm, Revlon Colorstay automatic eyeliner, L'Oreal Curl Impact mascara, Paul & Joe Eye Crayon in 01, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure

The goal is to use as less products as possible while still looking pretty and polished.

It's a beautiful Saturday morning! You best get up and spend it outside, lol. I just came from Mercato Centrale with Marco, where we took our car out for the first time. All went well. Whew. Anyway, I was disappointed when I didn't find this mushroom and artichoke dip that I bought a few weeks back. It was quite memorably delish with bread or crackers.

Moving on, I just want to share some great reads from the Beauty & Fashion channel at thePOC! I love the topics we've been publishing lately.

Danica Flores Magpantay wins first place in Ford Supermodel of the World 2011  A Pinay makes it to the top of the most prestigious modeling competition in the planet!

Professional and theater makeup in the Philippines  There's makeup, and then there's Makeup. Find out what the pro makeup brands are and where you can find them locally.

Do men hate what you're wearing? Guys are animals from another planet. What are the things we wear that they just don't get?

A study of trends: The Longchamp Le Pliage bag  Why are Longchamps so popular, and should they even be?

10 common beauty blunders  We never even notice them!

Tête-à-tête with Jot Losa  Here's an interview

In a tropical weather like ours, it's best to avoid heavy, musky fragrances during the day. Why? As the day progresses and the sun goes higher, the heat tends to magnify the scent of the essential oils in your perfume. Imagine it mixing with copious amounts of sweat and natural oils in your body, and you've got a musky, strong smell that's not pleasant at all!

That's why I prefer using light, energetic scents for day. My past favorites are the DKNY Be Delicious EDP and the Benetton Giallo EDC for their lovely floral/ fruity fragrance that's made for beautiful sunny days. Lately though I find myself reaching out for one of Guerlain's best-loved perfumes called the Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca.

As the name suggests, this perfume smells like a basket of fresh herbs. It invokes mental images of walking in a field of grass, just before the sun rises, before the sparkly dew evaporates in the first rays of the day. It's got a pinch of citrus, a sprig of mint thrown in, and a lovely flowery mix just wafting from underneath. 

Today I hung out with Ina Casas, Bobbi Brown's newly promoted Marketing Executive (congrats!). This girl is so fierce! I love all her outfits, plus she's a serious makeup enthusiast. This is a photo of her during last year's Preview Ball:

Panalo! Anyway, while we were chatting today, I told her that I was really impressed with the Black Swan look she posted on Facebook. It was done by Owen Sarmiento, one of MAC's resident makeup artists, for Estee Lauder's Christmas costume party. The look was exclusively designed by MAC for Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis's movie.

Natalie Portman

Ina Casas! Minus the white, mask-like skin and gray pallor of the original

I love! But I'll tell you what the real clincher is: the whole look was created only with Bobbi Brown products. Hard to believe eh?

Another item I got from the We Have It 43 store is this well-raved mascara called the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander (P750). Majolica Majorca is a Japanese brand, a low-end line of Shiseido (the way Kate is the drugstore line of Kanebo). I've been reading about this mascara for years, but since Majolica Majorca isn't available in the Philippines, I can only wonder! Good thing the We Have It 43 store, well, has it.

I find this mascara deserving of all the rave reviews - it does bring my pudgy lashes to such great heights, never before known! Check out the Makeupalley rating at 4.3/5. It has one major caveat for me, however: it's extremely difficult to remove.

What I love about the product

• Majorly lengthens and volumizes lashes with only one coat. Two coats and you'll look like you're wearing falsies. It's because the formula has these tiny fiber hairs that helps thicken and bridge your natural lash hairs.
• Zero smudging. It's also waterproof, tear-proof, and sweat-proof. 

One coat