I have already reviewed the Revlon Corlorburst lipsticks (which I love) so I'll only be sharing some product photos, swatches, and notes on a particular shade in the line. Soft Nude is a light beige with a hint of pink. It's a tricky color to wear if you skin is anywhere from medium to dark; I can barely pull it off myself! However, this would be perfect for light to fair skinned girls.

Some notes 

• Soft Nude is not as opaque as the other Colorburst colors I've tried. I need to layer a bit to get it to cover my pigmented lips.
• I recommend this for light-skinned women since this can easily make morenas look zombie-like. Lol. Wear this shade with dark eye color and chiseled cheeks to prevent your face from looking washed out.

If you've always dreamed of bottling the clean, just-stepped-out-from-the-shower smell, then you definitely need to try out CLEAN Shower Fresh. The name of the product really says it all! The brand says it's "not heavy, overwhelming, or pretentious" and I would have to agree. 

I find the scent a bit sharp at first spray, smelling of soap, but it lightens up with citrus notes almost immediately. The heart of the scent hints of floral notes (jasmine, Lily of the Valley, orange blossom) while the dry-down is a woody musk.

Estee Lauder is an old skincare brand from way back in 1946. The icon, Audrey Hepburn, once said in 1992 when asked what her beauty secrets are: "...health, lots of sleep, lots of fresh air, and a lot of help from Estee Lauder". That's perhaps part of the reason why it's a name associated with elegant, mature women who like to splurge on beauty goodies. However, with its latest products, I think that I can safely say that Estee Lauder is now also catering to a younger (albeit more refined) market. Their latest releases illustrate as much.

I visited their counter in Rustan's Makati to see first hand just what's up with the brand. First off, let's check out the eyeshadows designed by their creative director, Tom Pecheux: the Pure Color Eyeshadow.

The packaging for these eyeshadows is extremely luxe, done in faux gold casing with the logo embossed on the top and side of the case. There's a bit of heft to it.

Watsons is a paradise for the makeup and skincare junkie. They carry dirt cheap to high end products that address specific needs - and actually do a good job of it! I heard from a person who markets a brand exclusive to Watsons that its difficult to get the personal care store to carry your product. Their staff tests it rigorously, and it may take months before it gets approved, if at all!

This is not to say that every single thing in Watsons is gold. It's just that I've observed that this year, the store has brought out a lot of new, unique products for every budget - quite uncommon for competitors and even some department store beauty aisles.

I've reviewed a lot of Watsons products in the past so I thought to compile my best finds from the personal care store. It's this thread in GirlTalk that inspired me to write this post! Take note, most of the products featured here are exclusive to Watsons.

Himalaya Herbals Protein Shampoo with Conditioner

This is my Holy Grail shampoo/conditioner. I am already on my second bottle of this! I love how it makes my hair feel soft and moisturized while minimizing hair fall. 

Finally, my review of Eyliplex-2

Eyliplex-2 claims to lessen your eyebags and wrinkles. Does it work? YEAH! Check out my before and after photos in my review. You have to regularly use it though, like everyday. My bags are bothering me again so I'm using it again. Recently discovered trivia: the day gel is amazing as an eyeshadow primer! It really makes the eyeshadows pop and blend better! However it's too expensive to use as just a primer. ;)

I was in the high heavens during the Paul & Joe private sale. Everything was less than P1,000! Unbelieveable! For an upscale brand like Paul & Joe that is a major, major deal. This is what I got from the sale:

Lovely packaging. I adore seeing them all together!

Would you believe that I only spent P2,600+ on everything you see here? How crazy is that? These are my first ever Paul & Joe purchases. I scored the well-reviewed cream foundation, cream blush, face colors/eyeshadows, eye crayon, and lip crayon. I'm liking everything so far - give me a couple of weeks and I'll post reviews.

The big blue floral box was actually given to me as a press kit by Prestige Brands (thanks Maan!) which housed their latest fragrance and a Paul & Joe makeup pouch from their Sahara collection. Here's what the gorgeous pouch looks like:

The 12-piece Charm Travel Pro Brush Set was designed by Sophie to be compact, lightweight, and to accomplish simple looks to more complex ones. It's got all you need for a full face of makeup and includes well thought of and well-shaped tools for efficient application. I'd say that this brush set is for an advanced makeup user who needs a smaller brush kit to take outside.

Dark pink faux croc skin case - too luxe!

Charm logo printed on wooden handles

Let's do a quick rundown on the pros and cons of this brush set and then I'll give a short explanation of what each brush is for.

What I love about this

• Soft animal and synthetic hair was used
• Each brush has the right amount of density, firmness, and fluffiness, depending on the purpose
• Doesn't eat the powder/ liquid/ cream makeup
• Applies makeup evenly and precisely. I love the bent eyeliner brush, concealer brush, and angled eyeshadow brush most of all!
• Aced the packaging and appearance category! I love pink and black together, is it obvious?
• It's P1,800 a pop. That may sound a lot, but really the price is very nice for the quality and functionality you get. These will last for more than a couple of years.

If you're going to a party, especially to formal ones, it's not quite chic to sling a tote, shoulder, or hand bag with your cocktail dress. It destroys the mood of your outfit as well as the occasion. It's recommended to bring a clutch bag instead since it's compact, streamlined, and formal.

But of course, clutch bags don't necessarily have to be used only during evening events! You can wear them with casual clothes too, if they're big and roomy enough to function. You may as well have the clutch in black to max out the versatility.

I picked up this gift from Dorothy Perkins yesterday (thanks Michelle!). It's exactly what I need!

The clutch is plain, sleek, and most importantly, roomy! It can easily fit my phone, foundation, and lipstick with lots of room to spare for a wallet and camera. I promptly wore it last night to a dinner date with Marco at 101 in Enderun.

A great neutral, travel-friendly palette is a makeup must-have. Plus points if the palette can be used for day to night! Perhaps the best neutral palette that has come out this year in terms of value and quality is the Urban Decay Naked Palette. However, if you're not willing to shell out P2,000+, pine in the endless waiting list, or stress about payment and shipping form the US, then this palette from Wet n' Wild is a pretty nice n' cheap alternative.

The Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette in Vanity is love at first swatch for me. The colors were pigmented, creamy, and flattered my skin tone (yes, not all neutrals look good on all skin!). It's not perfect of course, but overall this is a solid product that is well worth the P500 you'll be shelling for it.

What I love about this product

• Pigmented
• Creamy, especially the matte chocolate brown and tan colors
• Long lasting. I'd even go so far as to say that these are a bit waterproof. I don't even use a base to make this last all day! I like using the chocolate brown as eyeliner, especially on the waterline since it sticks very well there.

This is just a super quick post as I am rushing out to the Paul & Joe private sale. I will also be visiting the Makati Wellness Studio for some treatments and the Estee Lauder counter in Rustan's in the afternoon! Whew! Super busy day. I haven't had time to reply to comments yet, but will do when I get back.

In the meantime, here are some photos of the new Charm Travel Pro Brush Set. I've been using this exclusively for a couple of weeks now. One word: love.

I don't buy magazines. Well, with one exception! I love Yummy because that's where I get ideas for cooking. I mean sure, I can probably find those recipes in the internet, but I buy Yummy because I can tear the pages and bring them to the supermarket. The pictures help me visualize what I'll be making!

As for other magazines like Cosmo, Mega, Preview, I prefer to read them online. It's an entirely different format and there are no editorials but I'm content since I can find those in other sources.

The only time I ever get to leaf through magazines is when I visit my mom's house. She has stacks of the stuff! She loves showbiz so she follows Yes! She gets Cosmo from one of my Titas who lends it to her. Last weekend, I set down my usual routine and started reading some old magazines. Guess what I saw!

I am crazy about button-down polo shirts lately. I wear them with just about everything: shorts, skirts, pants, and even dresses! There are just so many looks you can do with this basic piece. It also helps that it comes in different colors, prints, and variations. The possibilities are endless!

This particular polo top is a find from an ukay in Baguio. It has poofy, voluminous sleeves, and this big v-collar running down the front and back. Very vintagey, eh? I wore it with another thrifted find, a button-down black a-line skirt.  

You know what I love about blogging? Aside from getting to share my finds and thoughts on beauty and fashion, I get to meet a lot of new people - some of them I consider my friends! One of the people I met through this blog is Anne. She works in Canada and loves makeup as much as I do. So, when she offered to swap products with me, I was more than happy to oblige! We met up yesterday at the Mall of Asia (picture to follow).

I swapped out some of my favorite stuff, plus an Ukay Manila dress I personally picked for her. Here's what she gave me!

I've always wanted to own the famous Shu Uemura lash curler, but whenever I go there with my monies, I blanch at the thought of spending P1,000+ on a mere eyelash curler that doesn't even come with a refill. I know, I say that one should always buy the best products first to learn what true quality means and then find cheaper alternatives once you do. But right now I don't feel the need for a kick-ass eyelash curler - I can do with an okay curler because my Clinique Lash Power Mascara curls and holds my lashes pretty well.

So, while trolling Watsons for a new curler to replace my cheapo Nichido one, I came across the Fanny Serrano Eyelash Curler.

It's pretty famous in its own right, because I remember it having the Cosmo magazine stamp of approval. In fact its mini-version currently does! Seeing as it was only P175, I bought the full-sized curler.

What I love about it 

• It takes only a couple of presses to curl my lashes. 
• It makes my stumpy, stick-straight lashes show up and separated nicely.