I've been checking out Youngblood, a mineral makeup brand, at Beauty Bar for a few years now. However, I never got around to buying anything because their stuff are too expensive! Think about it, ~P2,500 for foundation? That's a no deal for me. Sure, the products are high quality, but I still can't bring myself to spend when there are better and cheaper alternatives out there.

Just imagine my shock when last Tuesday, upon visiting Beauty Bar at the Podium, I saw a Youngblood makeup palette that only costs P995!

Whoaaa

I stilled my heart for a couple of minutes as I calmly swatched each of the two blushes, three eyeshadows, and three lip glosses. It was LOVE at first swatch. I immediately bought the palette without batting another eyelash.

This is my second time to be on TV! The first time (QTV Channel 11, Fit and Fab segment on fashion bloggers) was quite embarrassing so I won't link haha. This time though was pretty fun - I was with Lauren, and we just talked about Ukay Manila and our blogs.

Tek Tok TV is a show hosted by Hannah and Vince that's all about tech news, trends, the Internet, bloggers - anything geeky and cool. It airs live every Wednesday, 10:30-11:30 AM on the Global News Network channel of Destiny Cable. 

Pics!

Bambi, Lauren, me, Hannah, Vince, Glambox Airbrush owners (pic from Lauren)

Bambi being interviewed. Love her smoky eyes and pale pink lips!

My go-to lipstick lately is my Revlon Colorburst in Fuchsia. For this look, I challenged myself to come up with an eyeshadow combination that will not clash with the loud lip. I thought of warm colors like gold and pink to flatter my skin tone as well as lend a hand in accentuating the fuchsia!

Photo tutorial up ahead.

Step 1: Pat a warm pink eyeshadow (Urban Decay's Sphynx) all over the lid. 

Step 2: Pat on a gold eyeshadow (Twice Baked) on the outer third of your lid.

You may (or may not) know that I'm the buyer for the Ukay Manila Store. I visit ukay stores all over the metro to find unique pieces to sell on the online store I co-own. I'm proud to say that the store has been successful in its first year, but more than that, I'm proud that I don't just sell ukay-ukay - I live in it!

There are some pieces that I simply don't have the heart to sell. Sometimes, I find something that I know won't sell, but it's just too unique or cheap to not buy. There are so many beautiful things in an ukay, more than what you'll find in a run-of-the-mill department store. Cheaper, too. That's why most of the clothes I have in my wardrobe are thrifted.

Here are a few outfits I came up with in a fit of boredom. I took pictures so I'll remember to wear them since I absolutely hate being late just because I keep changing my clothes!

After a meeting yesterday I visited Rustan's Makati to check out the makeup. I love Rustan's makeup - they've got the best! Literally. I wanted to get the NARS Laguna bronzer, then the Laura Mercier Spring palette (which is so gorgeous and pigmented by the way - definitely worth the P2,450 price tag), but then I changed my mind the last minute after realizing that I have too much makeup as it is. I thought to get shoes and a bag, for a change.

I trawled Rustan's for half an hour before I spotted the perfect bag for me! I've always been intimidated by LuLu, a brand based in New York, because I thought that the bags are too expensive. Much to my surprise, they're actually affordable! This tote bag is just the right size, done in the softest of leather with edgy chain accents. This would go perfectly with all my outfits.

I was drawn to loud n' proud eyeshadow colors when I first started playing with makeup. I'd go out in emerald greens and stunning blues all the time! But now, perhaps because of age (lol), I find myself wearing neutral, accentuating eyeshadows more than the shocking ones. That's not to say that I don't love me some heavy black smoky eyes and pops of color once in a while, of course.

Anyway, I was excited to try the new Revlon Luxurious Color eyeshadows because I got, you guessed it, neutral shades!

Revlon Luxurious Color eyeshadow (Satin finish) in Polished Bronze, P475

Revlon Luxurious Color eyeshadow (Perle finish) in Sunlit Sparkle P475

Last April, Revlon released its newest line of eyeshadows that come in two finishes - Satin, which has a smooth, luminous effect and Perle, which has a sparkling effect.

What I love

• The Satin finish is made of LOVE. The texture is very smooth and fine - like "suede", just as the press release promised.
• The Satin finish has very good pigmentation.

I need makeup but I don't know anything about it. What should I get? This is a question I get asked a lot. The type of women who ask aren't usually vain beyond lip balm and the occasional foundation, but needed to step up their looks because they're looking for a new job (or their work requires them to be presentable), a new love in their lives, or just a makeover to feel good. At some point, all of us have to look better, and that's where makeup comes in!

I have already written about how important it is to have quality products in your daily routine. I believe that it's best to spend big for items that you will use for at least one whole year. After much thinking, my peg is P5,000 for the whole deal - foundation, concealer, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipsticks*. That's actually pretty cheap if you think of it in terms of cost-per-wear.

So here are my suggestions for the ultimate makeup kit!

In2It Oil Control Foundation

This foundation has received consistently good reviews from, oh I don't know, most of the beauty bloggers I know! It's cheap and does its job amazingly well. It's TONS better than the MAC Studio Fix, in case you're wondering. The silky texture and feel is quite similar to my Holy Grail foundation, the Shiseido Supplist. The In2It is only ~P450 for the refill, around P600 for the case.

MAC Studiofinish Concealer

Invest heavily in concealers because they need to provide good coverage and lasting power. My personal favorite so far is this cream concealer from MAC because of the wide color range and pigmentation. Yeah, I take back what I said in my review! I use this everyday now. For a cheap but mindbogglingly limited alternative, try the Etude House Surprise Concealer for P300.

I was on my way home from the PFW opening night when I had an inexorable urge to visit the Beauty section in the department store. I immediately saw a mineral makeup brand I've never seen before: Beauty Treats! I checked the prices and oh boy, these are cheap. Most of the products are under P500. I was delighted to see a pressed face powder, since I've been dreaming of one that's cheap AND mineral for the longest time. I grabbed it without a second thought.

I got bored with my current shoe collection - which is not much to begin with - so I decided to get new pairs. Since I had some Gcash credits to spare, I decided to look in an eBay store I've been following for sometime now: teamchi.

I love that she has trendy, edgy shoes that are nicely made for under P800. The tan mary jane boots are only P750 while the gray studded peeptoes are only P650. How cool is that? I only spent P1,400!

I'm not into showbiz, but I've always admired the work and dedication that goes to making it in the entertainment industry. That's why I'm honored to be one of the judges for the finals of the Search for the Watchpad Crew. It's a contest for the next team of young endorsers for the online media streaming service of PLDT called Watchpad.

The girls

The guys

It was my first time to judge something, lol! It was a fun night just getting to know the contestants casually and finally picking the Blogger's Choice Awardee with fellow bloggers Hannah and Vince. To be quite honest, I initially didn't understand why bloggers were invited to judge a contest like this one. It was clear later on though - PLDT wanted representatives from the active internet community to help in picking winners that are well-versed in the cyberworld, and who better to know than bloggers? They also invited a panel of student journalists, lifestyle and entertainment writers from newspapers as well. 

Me and Hannah. I'm glad we got to hang out!

I love my junk food and my candies, but I always try to eat healthy anyway. I'm always on the look-out for tasty, quick and healthy dishes with low fat and manageable calories. I'm perpetually trying to lose weight but aside from that I have witnessed firsthand how a bad diet can quickly lead to terrible circumstances. My boyfriend had his gallbladder taken out last year, you see. The operation was a cinch, but the two weeks after that were extremely painful for him. I don't want to go through that.

Let this serve as a reminder that beauty comes from within. Eat good food to look good. It's not just skincare and makeup that will keep you looking your best! In the long run, its the food you eat and the lifestyle you maintain.

I love salads but I am generally too lazy to make them the way I like them! I prefer salty-sour salads with some sort of meat - it's already a complete, healthy meal that way. Anyway, let me share with you a simple salad recipe that I whipped up randomly. Loved it! Ate it for breakfast for two days straight.

Part of my job in the beauty industry is finding the latest news about products, events, and trends. One of the things that I have constantly heard about is BB creams. Frankly, I'm not a believer in the hype about these cream's power to give me perfect skin, but I am a fan of them as tinted moisturizers. They make for great makeup bases if you have the right skin type and coloring for them.

Anyway, when I read about BB creams, one name always pops up: Dr. Jart. Dr. Jart BB Creams promise you a lot of things - coverage, anti-aging, healing, and general skin improvement. I'm sure you'd like to know: are they worth their steep price tags? That's really the most important question, isn't it, when it comes to products like this.

I've used each one of these creams for almost two weeks. I can now finally deliver my verdict!

The Black Label is my favorite. It has light, buildable coverage and serves as a good makeup base. Out of all the Dr. Jart BB creams, this is the one that makes my skin feel the best! It makes my skin feel smoother and I noticed that my skin looks less dull - that must be the detox healing working. It has SPF 25.  SRP: 50mL - P1,940 / 15 mL - P845

Yesterday I went to do groceries at Market! Market! Very mundane I know, but to shake things up I wore bright, almost frightening, fuchsia lipstick. My face was bare except for the the Dr. Jart Gold Label BB cream (for the SPF45). As for clothes, I just had a plain white t-shirt and bleached shorts on. 

It's shallow, but I felt good. I felt powerful. I had enough confidence to wear a lipstick very few would dare to touch. Lol!

Lipsticks are powerful tools that have existed for hundreds of centuries. I love my lipsticks because they allow me to easily express myself even if I'm just wearing a bare face and boring clothes. Pinks and nudes are fine, but loud lip color is the easiest way to make a statement! Anyway, that fuchsia lip is brought to you by Revlon.

Will review the eyeshadows soon!

Revlon has just released a new line of lipsticks aptly called Colorburst. It's their answer to the popular Maybelline ColorSensational line of lipsticks. They're more expensive at almost twice the price of Maybelline - P575 per tube - so I'm sure you'd like to know. Are they better?

If you've been following my tweets then you know that last week was an extremely stressful week for me. To be quite honest, I hate being busy. That's why I took the freelancer route but alas! Reality does not agree with my theories about it. That's why when I got an invite to try Mandarin Oriental Hotel's Thai massage last week, I couldn't wait for my appointment! I was sooo looking forward to a couple of hours just lying face down, eyes closed, my mind completely blank...you get the idea.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental is currently hosting a renowned Thai masseuse based in their sister hotel in Dhara Devi, Chiang Mai. Aside from taking part in the Thai Festival, Treen Paleeriam is here to train the hotel's spa staff. He's only going to be here starting today (May 31) until June 7, so if you want to experience an authentic, world class Thai massage, you better book him!

I was given the option of a Traditional Thai Massage or the indigenous Lanna Massage (natively called Tok Sen). The Tok Sen used to be popular in Northern Thailand, but has since been practiced rarely. Being the curious cat that I am, I went for the Tok Sen.