Yes, yes, I know, Majolica Majorca again! Can't help it! I have a bunch of Majo stuff I still need to review. I like the products from the brand so I end up talking about them anyway.

This time, I'll be reviewing the Majolica Majorca Rouge Majex lip gloss (P495). 

What I love about the product

• Non-sticky. Doesn't feel tacky on the lips.
• Moisturizing. I don't even have to use lip balm underneath!
• Great lasting power for a lip gloss. Eating doesn't take it off, a feat not many lipglosses can achieve.

Cream concealers provide the heaviest coverage, but they can be a bit drying and take a little more effort to apply. Liquid concealers, on the other hand, have lighter coverage but application is a breeze. I'm a fan of cream concealers but I wanted to shake it up a bit by buying a well-reviewed liquid concealer: The Balm's Liquid Time Balm (P875 at Beauty Bar).

The Balm's Time Balm cream concealer has a fan base of its own, so when they came out with the liquid version, expectations were high. I'm happy to say that the Liquid Time Balm is a good concealer - but not without a few caveats.

What I love about the product

• Heavy coverage. One dab is enough to hide a cluster of blemishes.
• Has Tea Tree oil, so this is perfect for acne-prone skin. It helps dry pimples quickly. I'm happy to report that I never broke out with this product though.

I promised to show you my favorite way of wearing this awesome gold eyeliner from In2It, and here it is!

It's super simple. Just use a brown eyeliner (I like the Urban Decay eyeliner in Bourbon), then top it with the gold one.

The French-Japanese cosmetic brand, Paul & Joe, has been in the Philippines for four years now. It seems only yesterday when I first heard about it. I was still in college then, and I would read so many raves about their foundation (which is really good btw)! Fast-forward to four years and the brand has grown stronger, releasing new collections every month or so.

The brand celebrated its fourth birthday here by throwing an intimate afternoon party for the press in Lusso, Greenbelt 5. A lot of prizes were given away with the grand prize being P20,000 worth of Paul & Joe products! *whistles* The girl who won that is sooo lucky! Anyway, here are the photos:

I've applied makeup on myself more times than I'd care to count. I've discovered a few shortcuts and tricks in the process because I have to streamline, to cut down the time it takes for me to put on all that junk on my face. Some of these I learned from other makeup mavens. So here are "secret" and not-so-secret shortcuts! 

• On making the nose look more high-bridged: swipe a concealer across the bridge of your nose starting from between your temples to the tip. Use your forefinger. Make sure the concealer is just one shade lighter than your skintone (the usual). You don't have to use contouring powder and brushes to shape your nose!
• Speeding up concealer application: use your finger. Brushes sometimes deliver lighter coverage, less than what your concealer can actually do.

I don't have any major scars thanks to the fact that my skin heals pretty well. I had a nasty bout with chickenpox when I was a high school junior, but most of the scars have faded way within two years. My childhood scars are still here, but they're hard to detect unless you look closely. So yeah, I am not that concerned about any skin disfigurement.

What I am obsessed about though are my face blemishes. While my skin heals easily, it also becomes damaged easily. I get a blemish whether I pop a pimple or not so I look like I have freckles when I'm not wearing concealer. If we are to be technical about it, I guess we can say that my face is full of small scars. Ugh. My only solace before is that the blemishes fade in a month, so I just buckle down and wait them out.

When Hiruscar sent me a tube a couple of weeks back, I practically forgot about it. But I had a crazy idea the other day - can Hiruscar remove blemishes?

It is incredibly hot today, the kind of heat that burns like laser on skin. I know because I've been running around the metro since this morning. First, Mercato Centrale for breakfast (those Tea.ology drinks are the bees knees). Then we went all the way to Fairview to pick up something. Then we went to Greenhills, where I bought a couple of cute accessories while Marco had his battery replaced.

All in all a nice Sunday. I'm thankful for my SPF 100 lotion. And Ferretti espadrilles, they are perfect for weather like this.

Clinique Philippines was happy with how the first party for Project Vanity friends and readers turned out. So, upon insistent public demand (humor me) we have decided to throw a Clinique party again!

Who is this party for?

• It's exclusive only to Project Vanity readers
• Girls (and boys too) who want to experience what Clinique has to offer
• People who want to make new beauty addict friends!

What's going to happen?

• You'll get a Clinique skin consultation. Are you oily, dry, combination? What products will best work for your skin type?

When I first used the Strivectin-SD Instant Retexturing Scrub, I immediately thought: "Oooh! It's a facial in a tube!" My face felt as if it just came out of a 30-minute facial, which is saying a lot for a couple of minutes of scrubbing. My skin was moisturized, smooth ("retexturized"?) and my pores were flushed out.

What I like most about this scrub is that the beads are very fine, so the skin doesn't feel rubbed raw after using it. The product felt gentle on my face, but Strivectin strictly recommends that you use it only twice a week because of its potency. 

So, remember those Ferretti clogs that I was yapping about last Saturday? I visited the store yesterday to get them - I was dead set - but then practicality kicked in. I just got a pair of oxford heels (which I haven't even gotten to wear yet!) and I already have a pair of clogs. They're a bit redundant for my shoe collection, so I decided to buy something I don't have yet - espadrilles.

They're perfect for summer and utterly comfortable on my feet. They're versatile enough to be worn with most outfits, but they're not that plain. I ask you this: why wear flip flops when you can wear espadrilles? ;)

I bought it for only P899. I have been abusing my old Ferretti wedges since I got them last October, so I can vouch for their comfort and quality.

I'm stressed out lately. Well, who isn't? My excuse is that I'm busy with my new work, juggling all my other priorities, and then there are all these issues plaguing the local blogging community right now. I just want to go on vacation - again.

I'll be vacationing with the family in a couple of weeks, but for the meantime the next best thing to do is to visit a spa. I got a gift certificate  for a free facial at The Spa a couple of weeks back (won it from a contest). I finally made time to use it last Monday, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to pay for a massage! That explains my good mood. :D

I first visited The Spa last year when I treated our Asian Secrets bride, Kirby, to the Bonifacio High Street branch. Just stepping through the wide doors gave me such a rich sensory experience that I promised myself I'd go back. You'll understand me when you go in, too - there's this sweet tangerine smell that immediately surrounds you.

The Majolica Majorca Jeweling Eyes palette (P795) has pretty much the same quality as the Trick-On Powder Eyeshadow palette, so I won't review it in detail anymore. It does have one discerning quality from the latter, though: it has more of a sheer, iridescent effect. It's not quite shimmer or glitter. I would describe it as something with a very fine sheen.

Packaging is slightly different as well, with the Jewelling Eyes palette having embedded beads on the side and sporting a jeweled print cover design.

Here's the Avon contest as I promised on my Facebook page! :D I've been saving up all of these products for the past couple of months for you, haha.

As usual, it's super easy to join!

Mechanics: 

1. [MUST DO] There are four sets of Avon products in this Facebook album. "Like" the set you want to win and leave a comment telling me why you want to win it.  

I got a couple of comments yesterday regarding my "glowing skin" in this post. It's mainly due to two things that I have been using religiously in the past week (meaning I am not trying out any other skincare product): Pond's Pure White facial wash and Clinique Moisture Surge. My skin has finally calmed down after yet another nasty breakout, but I have a few pimples again because I used this face sunblock yesterday. Ugh. Must. Stick. To. Routine.

Anyway, other than skincare, a marvelous foundation called the Colorescience Pressed Mineral Foundation Compact (P3,750) contributed to the glow. I've had it since October last year but I haven't reviewed it for some reason or other. I don't have a good excuse!

What I love about the product

• Beautiful, glowy finish. I prefer this over matte finishes, but I guess it depends on preference since some girls may not want to highlight oily skin. In any case Colorescience has a very fine sheen, not oily-looking at all.

I used to consider mascara as an unnecessary part of my makeup routine. It’s a hassle to wear and a hassle to remove, plus they keep hitting my glasses whenever I blink! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice extra to wear for special events, but I don’t use them every time I go out. That is, until I started wearing contacts recently.

A lot of things changed since I started wearing contacts. I’m now more meticulous about my eye makeup since every mistake is easily seen. I’m more careful about the junk I put near my eyes too, since I can’t risk irritation or worse, infection. I also started going crazy over mascara - I rarely go out now without at least one layer of it. 

So, I’d like to share my current favorite mascara: the Colour Collection Triple Effect Mascara (P499). I didn’t like it at first, but when I got the hang of it, this mascara and I have become inseparable! 

What I love about the product

• Looks very natural, close to real lashes. I haven’t tried mascara like this before! Although one layer doesn’t do much, it’s in the second coat where the magic happens. It makes my lashes look like a thick fringe, thanks to the small fibers in the formula.

I only buy bags once a year. That kinda sounds ridiculous now that I said it out loud, but the truth is I've never been that interested in bags. I did consider those uber chic Cambridge satchels above but I'm not one to blow P5,000- P10,000 on a bag - at least, not yet!

So when I saw this bag in Market! Market! yesterday I practically jumped with joy. 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the price tag - P650 - but I still managed to haggle it down to P580 since it's the last piece in stock.

Estee Lauder is essentially a Western brand, but you have to give them props for being responsive to Asian needs. More than just whitening, we are obsessed with achieving brighter, more even skin. That concern is something tha Estee Lauder seeks to address with its reformulated, Asia and Europe-exclusive CyberWhite Brilliant Cells line.

According to Estee Lauder, there are four key factors that contribute to dullness and discoloration of Asian skin: dehydration, uneven skin texture, disorganized collagen and poor microcirculation.

Estée Lauder’s scientists developed a comprehensive and advanced brightening system ever with NEW CyberWhite Brilliant Cells. Incorporating exclusive Full Spectrum Brightening technologies, Estée Lauder now addresses the four key factors that contribute to dullness and discoloration to reveal translucent, luminous skin, while highly targeted Anti-Spot technologies address all four key dark spots that can cloud your complexion.  This powerful system helps reveal fresher, fairer, brighter cells delivering full spectrum brightening results to illuminate every facet of skin for a beautiful translucency and luminosity that seems to radiate from deep within. 

Liz of Estee Lauder discussing CyberWhite

The launch was short and sweet, with guests having delicious canapes from Bizu while the Estee Lauder girls talk about their latest product.