Hi Liz! I've been following your blog for quite some time now. I really like reading your posts because they are so helpful to me in so many ways. I really like and appreciate that you care about affordable beauty!

So, I have really oily skin. As if that isn't enough, I also sweat rather excessively. Which is really frustrating because I am still a student (who walks around the campus a lot, under the scorching heat of the sun). My skin breaks out a lot too. By a lot, I mean I always have a big nasty zit or two on my face. They never go away! I don't really know where I've gone wrong. I try to clean my face as regularly (not excessively) as possible, but it seems like I would never be able to have clear skin.

I know that you also have oily skin too, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you about these things. I'd really appreciate if you recommend me any product (for oily skin) that you swear by. Thanks a lot!

Also, I just like to tell you how I enjoy reading your blog, and that your posts are so helpful. More power, Liz!

Hi Honey! Thanks so much for following my site. It really makes me day when I hear from lurkers! So, about your problem. I'd like to recommend my Holy Grail product - Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner. It's labeled as good for troubled and oily skin, and yes, it does help clear my face of pimples and it helps lessen the oiliness.

I would also recommend the Skin Hour Mattifying Day Gel. Lauren and Kira are such fans! They've both given the product rave reviews, and they are perhaps the oiliest people I know (no offense to you guys lol). I haven't tried the product personally, but it looks extremely promisin

I didn't buy much. I initially wanted to buy something to wear for for Preview magazine's Best-Dressed Ball this Saturday, but I figured that everyone else had the same idea so I perished the thought.

I look neurotic. Slept late last night. Wearing no makeup here.

I lost all common sense for the first two hours of being in the store, just trying to drink in all the beautiful things. I was tempted to buy so many dresses! Good thing my practicality kicked in. I have tons of dresses from my very own online store so why bother getting from somewhere else unless I really needed to? So, I stuck to the basics and got lovely accessories to wear with my little black dresses.

I swear, this whole outfit will be my uniform for the next month or so!

I spotted these really cute heart-printed sneakers. I almost didn't get one, because this is the last pair in my size! They're super cheap at P499. The material appears to be canvas, while the inside is padded. I run a lot of errands so I need comfy shoes that I don't mind ruining (unlike my Sebagos. I'd die if the rain and mud breaks down the leather).

I just came from the Forever 21 official launch/ private sale and oh boy, was it crazy! "Crazy" may sound too much, but it's really the best word to describe it. There was an undercurrent of hysteria as the doors officially opened to the most stylish denizens of Manila for the first time. 

A chosen few were given the chance to get first dibs on everything, so the evening was all about shopping! The place was packed. You can spend an hour in that place and not see everything. The Forever 21 flagship store in Megamall A is like a stand-alone department store: there's underwear, accessories, basic cotton pieces, shoes, and all kinds of dresses to fit every age group and budget. There is also a line for men, so F21 really has got it all for you (not surprising since the company that brought it to the country is SM).

I'm the sort of person who is not easily moved by fancy schmancy ingredients that's supposed to give me the beauty of a goddess. I tend to gloss over them because in my mind, it's all just sales talk. Unless we use the products personally, we really have no way to find out if something works or not, no matter how hifalutin' its ingredients are.

That's why I take products like Eyliplex-2 with a bit of apprehension. It has too many ingredients - all 124 of them - I have never even heard of, plus it's quite expensive at P2,600. I can't just recommend something like this to you without making sure that it does its job, which is to lighten dark circles, lift eyes, and reduce fine lines.

The night cream on the left, day gel on the right

I've had this product for two months now but within that span of time I've used it irregularly. I'm simply too lazy. Which is why, to my surprise, I actually saw results! Here are pictures of my eyes two months ago, second week of May:

See the fine lines near the inner corner of my eyes? They're a major problem.

I agree with fashion designer Tina Daniac when she said that well-done nails are some of the best accessories to any look. But face it, who has the time? I sure dont! I'm probably the laziest person when it comes to doing nails, which is slightly embarrassing as it is part of my job to look presentable from head to toe. I'm lazy not because I don't see the value of having beautiful nails, I do, it's just that it takes so long to apply the polish perfectly and even longer for it to dry completely. I simply don't have the patience.

Now this is where Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polishes come in. Insta-dri promises smooth, glossy nails in one coat that will dry in 60 seconds. Verdict? Insta-Dri polishes do dry up in 60 seconds or less! The colors I have (Flashy Fuchsia, Jumpin' Jade, and Night Flight) are very opaque so one coat is enough to get a solid shade. The product received a very high rating at my fave review forum, Makeupalley.

The super vivacious Patty Laurel hosted the event

To launch the new product, the brand has teamed up with celebrity designer Tina Daniac. The young woman came in aggressive, chic black broken by a zebra print tulip skirt. Daniac showcased her designs along with the latest Sally Hansen nail polish line.

I feel frazzled and overwhelmed these days. I'm finding it hard to focus. I downloaded this new app for my Macbook called Omm Writer, which is a basic text processor that has a peaceful and beautiful background, with built-in soothing music to help me focus and think on whatever it is I'm writing. Watch the video to see what I mean:

Yesterday I went to two events. I immensely enjoyed both of them, but the rain and my four-inch heels (which are actually comfortable - up to a point!) really wiped me out. I was so exhausted when I got home. I should make it a point to go to a max of two events per week. But I don't know, I can't help it. I love seeing beautiful things!

Pumps are back on track! The killer red ones are on the feet of Divine Lee. The silver ones are from my personal icon, Bianca Valerio. This photo was taken from the launch of the Ponds x Plaints & Prints Collection at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. 

More stuff after the cut!

The only mascara I've been using in the past year is the Clinique High Impact Mascara. You can glean from the review that I didn't like it that much, but that was only at first! As soon as I figured out how to get the dramatic lash I want, this mascara and I have been inseparable. Even more so when I discovered that it's so easy to remove - wet with water, wipe a bit, and voila! All gone! I like it so much that I bought a tube.

That said, I had high expectations of the newest Clinique mascara called the Lash Power Volumizing Mascara. The Clinique counter assistant tried it on me during my visit and I was impressed by the volume and length that it gave my lashes - with only one coat. Two coats and I get lashes that look like I'm wearing falsies, and that's an achievement for sparse and thin lashes like mine.

The best way to go about this it to just show you!

If you stop and think about it, our world is going to hell. We've overreached ourselves as human beings by taking more than we need, more than what our planet can sustain. It's depressing, especially when we feel powerless to stop the environmental degradation even within our own little slices of earth. The poor suffer most because of it, but in one way or another, all of us are affected.

There are so many things we can do to help the environment, but we should all begin with ourselves. It's easier when we start with our hobbies - if you're reading this, you're probably into beauty and fashion. It's a good thing that brands in the industry have made a tentative move to participate in the so-called green fashion philosophy by providing products and services that give back to the planet in some way. 

Some recent examples are Pureology, which donates to a recycling facility in Rizal, and Zara, which sells 100% organic cotton tees. There are also the newly launched Rajo Laurel Tree Bags.

The Tree Bag Project is an initiative of Rags2Riches, Inc., a social business enterprise, in collaboration with Mr. Rajo Laurel, Anthill Fabric Gallery (another social enterprise), the Indigenous Weavers of Bangued, Abra, Wood Crasftmen of Pardo, Cebu and the San Carlos Development Board, Inc., our Tree-Planting partner. It is a project for a cause that empowers four communities and plants a tree for every purchase of the Tree bag.

Mr. Rajo Laurel enthuses, "What makes this project even more significant is that we have fused four communities in creation of the bag. We have the weavers of Abra who created the linen fabric of the bag made from scrap thread. Then we have the women of Payatas who braided the handle made from scrap fabric.

I've never had my hair colored, ever. Whenever I go to salons to get a cut, I always smell the distinctive stink of hair dye. It's the kind of odor that goes straight inside your nasal passage and stays there, painfully. That's a huge deterrent for me! My hair is really thin plus I suffer from hair fall so I've been staying away from any sort of chemical treatment for years now.

And then came L'Oreal INOA. A play on the words "Innovation No Ammonia", L'Oreal's revolutionary hair coloration system promises optimal scalp comfort and the absence of smell. It's because there is zero ammonia in the formula. At the heart of INOA is the ODS (Oil Delivery System) which is supposed to optimize the hair penetration of the coloring active ingredients.

Robbie discussing the system

Demoing. The system has three major components just manually mixed with each other.

I liked the silver and blue, but pink is still my favorite color! I ended up snagging these dark pink Sebago Docksides because I figured it will go with more outfits and look less dirty over time. See there, that's me being practical. I want to be able to wear these for as long as possible!

I've been using these boating shoes for a week so much I'm actually even wearing it right now. The insides are lined with super soft leather. I love how the shoes hug my feet and feel light even with the thick rubber sole. They're made for walking - in style, of course!

Anyway, as promised, here are a few outfits that I came up with these shoes!

I used to find myself intimidated by Clinique. The products are expensive, and the clean aesthetic of the packaging - even the counters - can be alienating to those on a budget. However, after meeting the people behind the brand and using their products for a year now, I can say that your skin (and your money) is in very good hands.

May from Clinique invited me to their Rustan's Makati counter last Thursday to introduce me to two of their newest products: the Derma White Bright-C Stick Makeup, a cream foundation in stick form, and the Lash Power Volumizing Mascara. I got the mascara so I will be reviewing that separately (one word - wow). For now, I'll be talking about the Derma White stick makeup and how hands-on the brand is in teaching its clients to maximize the products.

Derma White Bright-C Stick Makeup SPF 15/PA++ is a two-in-one foundation stick that incorporates makeup and brightening benefits in one product.  The formula contains a high concentrated infusion of potent Vitamin C and Vitamin E located at the center of the stick to help brighten and soothe damaged skin immediately.

I have never heard of Sebago shoes until the uber stylish Rosanna (of Little Miss Dress Up) blogged about it. Who knew that boating shoes could look so chic! Sebago has been around since 1946, first selling hand-sewn penny loafers, then moving onto authentic boating shoes for the enthusiasts of the sport. 

Think it's not for you? Think again. Boating shoes have now become a fashion staple under the dressy preppy category - the actual nautical shenanigans aside. Sebago happens to have the icon in that style department since the 1970's called the Docksides.

Since their very first time out of the shoebox and onto a boat, Docksides have been beloved by sailors everywhere. Appreciated for their handsewn genuine moc construction that wraps the foot in a single piece of form-fitting leather, delivering seamless comfort and hardwearing durability. As well as for their slip-resistant, non-marking rubber soles that offer sure-footed security, the functional rawhide laces, and their non-corrosive brass eyelets that help them look as good as they wear.

The iconic Docksides will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The kind folks from Sebago asked me to pick my very own! I was very delighted, to say the least. I fancy my personal style to be on the preppy spectrum when I dress casually which is why the Docksides are right up my fashion alley.

I initially wanted to get the two-toned silver ones, like Rosanna's, but I generally don't like knowing I have the same shoes as someone I know (not know as in know, if you get my drift!). Just a quirk, but there it is. These silver shoes are irresistible though!

It's the weekend! How's it going for you? Me, I don't really have weekends since I mostly work from home. Right now I'm preparing to go to my mom's house, but before I leave, I want to share a product that I've had for a few weeks now: the Etude House foundation brush.

I find myself struggling to say something about this brush. Why? Because all I can think of saying is "meh". It's so-so. I can live with it, I can live without it.

What I like 

• No shedding
• Easy to clean with only baby shampoo
• It looks neat, compact, professional
• Relatively affordable for only sub-500 pesos