I was in SM Bacoor with my mom yesterday. I wasn't particularly intent on buying jewelry, until I saw these NACCARA Pearls in the department store!

These earrings were the first thing that caught my eye. I'm not particularly fond of earrings, but I really love how delicate this pair looked, with its tiny majorica pearls and inset stones.

Vitacreme B12 is a relatively new skincare brand here in the Philippines, but I hear that it's been making a name for itself since 2006. The Vitacreme B12 Regenerative Cream is popular in Asia and the US, with users claiming that it moisturized and evened out their faces pretty well.

Nonetheless, when the brand contacted me for a review, I requested to the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk (P2,495) instead. I have too many face moisturizers as it is! Anyway, I've been looking for info about the body milk online with little success; the product packaging doesn't help much in specifying what it actually does. I did find a useful product description on Sasa.com:

It corrects the skin suffering from fatigue, dehydration, aging or dullness.

It enhances skin’s resilience and firmness.

It prevents premature wrinkling.

It smoothes away fine lines and wrinkles.

I've already reviewed the Colour Collection Color Intense Lipsticks before (in a nutshell: awesome stuff), so this time I just want to share a swatch of my latest CC lippie. It's called Crimson Pink, a deep reddish pink that looks quite sophisticated yet very wearable. I imagine this as a rich complement on morena skin.

My CC lipsticks are some of the most frequently used ones in my rather extensive collection.

Yesterday I came from a meeting in U.N. Avenue. That place is horrible! I spent two hours getting there, stuck in Osmena Highway traffic then in a minor flood in Paco. After the meeting, the avenue looked like a parking lot, so I had to walk to the LRT station (in the rain, at that) so I can get to Buendia in one piece. I haven't ridden that train in more than two years! Taft is a nightmare when it rains, and I know this because I spent four years of university there.

Okay, after writing that paragraph, I realized that I sound like a total prick. I'm usually not. But I hate commuting to somewhere unless I can get to it by cab in under 40 minutes. Yeah, me and everyone else.

ANYWAY! At least I managed to get to the Promod End of Season sale in Greenbelt 5 after that grueling experience! It officially starts today but the kind folks at Promod invited some bloggers and their top costumers to get first dibs on the merchandise last night. Needless to say, there was a palpable shopping frenzy in the air as everyone grabbed their favorite Promod pieces at 40-50% off.

There were a lot of great items going for P1,600 below. Staples like jeans and shorts were on sale (their jeans are awesome), as well as accent pieces and tops that are bound to liven up your wardrobe. Notables are the leather jackets that will certainly be useful in the upcoming rainy days, as well as the cute skirts and airy printed dresses that will be nice additions to your current outfit selections.

I SERIOUSLY NEED TO GO BACK FOR THIS SKIRT. PLEASE STILL BE AVAILABLE IN MY SIZE WHEN I RETURN. KTHNX. I'm hitting myself in the head for not getting this pronto, but I was hesitating because there wasn't a sale tag (even though it's in the sale rack)

Creamy white skirt with tan belt. Classic and will give you an instantly fresh look.

You know, I just realized that I don't use any food-themed skincare product in my daily routine. It's really more of a personal preference since I enjoy florals and fresh scents more than those resembling food. 

However, I do like Inovitelle's latest skincare line called Skin Cravings. It features the Smooth Over Body Lotion (P240) and Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub (P255) in two flavors each. I enjoy using the scrub because it's not drying, while the lotion absorbs in the skin immediately.

What I love about the Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub:

• The smell! It's not too strong and doesn't have that fake chemical odor. All variants smell exactly as they promised: Cranberry Yogurt, Dewberry Yogurt, and Strawberry Yogurt.
• The scrub beads are not abrasive on skin. It cleans very well nonetheless.

• After scrubbing, the skin doesn't feel raw and dry.
• Package design! I love the milk bottle concept, plus the image layouting. Tres cute.
• Price is very friendly. Only P255 a bottle which should be good for at least 5 uses, depending on the amount you use.

One of my most fervent dreams is having an affordable mineral foundation that's actually in pressed powder form. Imagine all the benefits of mineral makeup - all in a travel-friendly compact! No more messy loose powder that sticks everywhere and needs a special brush to use. So when I got my hands on the Kanebo Kate Mineral Powder Foundation (P900) I was hoping for a winner.

The newest foundation from Kate delivers well in terms of finish, texture, and reasonable price point. I love how it looks like on me and the convenience of being able to use the compact anywhere, but then there is one major caveat: my skin (stubborn as it is) does not like it. 

What I love about the product

• Smooth, flawless finish. The coverage is light to medium and doesn't get cakey when you build it up.
• The texture of the powder is finely milled and soft. Feels like powders from luxury brands!

MAC will be releasing its Semi-Precious Collection in the Philippines this July! Semi-Precious is inspired by gems (bronzite, black tourmaline, gold pyrite, and lilac lepidolite) that are not quite diamonds, but just as glamorous and glitzy. It mostly features MAC's mineralized blushes, skinfinishes, and foundation, but I think the stars of the show are the split fiber brushes.

A perfume review is the most difficult to do. To begin with, how can I communicate a scent over a monitor? What are the right words to use? It takes me time to review scents because I need to know the perfume first until we are old friends.  

Merely saying that a scent is "nice" or "good" is not enough. Most fragrances smell nice anyway (which is why they are called such, ha ha). These days, they are more about creating a mood, an image, or a story than just merely smelling good. That's why packaging and branding are just as important as the actual formula.

So what is Elizabeth Arden's Pretty Hot EDP about? It's a feminine scent, but with an undertone of smoldering allure. This is the girl you meet wearing chiffon dresses and dainty heels, but she is also extremely confident, competitive, and crafty.

I love my MAC blush in Harmony for contouring, but these days I am looking for something a little more softer for everyday. MAC Harmony is awesome but it can be difficult to work with if you're hurrying since it's quite pigmented - I end up spending longer blending out the edges.

That's why I wanted to get the NARS Laguna Bronzer. I went to the NARS store in Rustans to check it out but I hesitated because of the P1,750 price tag. I knew it was worth it since the two NARS products I own happen to be the best I have, but I don't know, I haven't mentally prepared myself to spend P1,750 that day! So I decided to sleep on it.

Good thing I saw this in a blog sale. I immediately snapped it up!

What I love about the product 

• Smooth, fine-milled and pigmented, but it manages to melt on skin instead of just sitting on top looking like makeup
• Incredibly long lasting. It stays on all day with minimal fading (at least on my combination skin)

Before I ever got interested in cosmetics, I was into drawing and painting. If you've been following my blog, you know that I love colors - how we pick them to adorn ourselves and our surroundings, how they work together to look even better, how a good color story can change moods and create inspiration. Now you know where that came from!

Doing makeup and painting are not that different. Both are mediums of self-expression, using colors, brushes, and moods to create a story about who you are. They follow the same principles of color and technique. In the end, the only difference is the the canvas used.

I stopped painting when I was in college though.

In case you didn't get the memo, summer here is officially over! By "summer" we mean an uninterrupted daily heat wave; by "summer is over" we mean crazy hot days interspersed with torrential downpours. So yeah! It still sucks either way.

So, in keeping with the gloomier weather, I decided to get an O.P.I Nail Lacquer in Diva of Geneva (P400). It's the biggest amount I spent on nail polish ever! So is it worth it? 

Yes, it is! Other than the gorgeous color, I love that the texture of the product is very smooth and thin, yet quite opaque. One layer is actually enough, but I prefer two layers for a more dimensional effect. It dried quickly within a few minutes.

I didn't experience any bubbles even if I painted on a thick layer. Be warned though

Lip balms are the kind of things you should keep lying around in case you need it - which is all the time! Me I keep a lip balm on my desk, current bags that I use, my jeans pocket, and my dresser. I can't stand dry, chapping lips so I take extra precautions. Especially now when the weather is cooler, sensitive skin tends to be drier.

One lip balm I love is the Mentholatum Lip Ice lip balm (P89). This lip balm brand has a cult following in Singapore and Hong Kong, so much that my friends would stock up a good supply before leaving for the Philippines. Everyone hoorayed when Lip Ice finally arrived in our shores last year - and I totally understand why.

What I love about the product

• Moisturizing without being waxy.
• Takes a loooong time to dry up on your lips, and when it does, it just sort of absorbs into the skin instead of drying up in flakes.
• Has SPF15!

Heads up! SM Manila is having a grand accessories sale today. The event is called RED SALE. It will be held at the upper ground floor of SM Manila, today until June 26. Fashionable items for men and ladies are up to 50% off and as low as P50. There are handbags, scarves, necklaces, and other pieces on the racks. It's excellent time to stock up on scarves and hats now that the rainy season is here!

You should definitely visit if you're in the area. Check out the items on sale after the jump!

I got a bottle of the Cutex Caring Nail Polish Remover (P59.75/ 59ml) a couple of days ago. I found it a bit steep for a small bottle, but I thought, well why not? I'm a bit bothered by how drying my cheapo Bobbi nail polish remover was, plus the smell practically hurts my nostrils whenever I'm too close.

Anyway, I immediately Googled for more information as soon as I got home and found that this Cutex remover is a highly rated product at Makeupalley with a 4.1/5 score. Well, that's a surprise!

It removes nail polish quickly enough in just two to three wipes. It's also not as drying as the other nail polish removers I've tried (Bobbi and Caronia - skip the latter, it's horrid!), leaving my nails feeling a bit healthier and stronger. It must be the moisturizers infused in the formula.

Like other acetone-based nail polishes though, it has a noxious smell.

I woke up at 2am today and decided to watch a movie until I felt sleepy again. I'm into period romance dramas these days, so I decided on Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) starring Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li. Other than the gripping, operatic story, I loved the movie for its moving visual landscape, the costumes, and of course, the makeup!

I first watched Gong Li as the anti-hero in Memoirs of a Geisha - loved her there, and in fact I'm watching it again soon just to see her. In Curse of the Golden Flower, Gong Li cuts a beautiful, regal, and cruel figure in her role as the Empress of China during the Tang Dynasty. She is always dressed in exquisite silks and heavy, rustling robes with embellishments that tinkle as she moves. Her makeup is perfect, with a dewy, flawless face, angled eyeshadows, and full lips with gold dust.

Here are her best looks! Actually, I just failed to include two (one almost bare-faced and another in lilac makeup) because they weren't as striking as these.

This is her first look. She sports gold eyeshadow on the inner lid, with a plummy, slightly purple eyeshadow that goes up on her outer lid. Her eyes are lightly lined with a bit of mascara. The lips are a plum shade with gold dust patted onto the bottom.

I was supposed to go to this event last Friday, but I didn't push through because the traffic was utterly horrible. I couldn't flag down a cab for thirty minutes so I just gave up. I mean, I do love nice events, but not when they come at such a hassle. Unlike trad media, bloggers don't get salary and reimbursement for transportation whenever we go to an event. :P

Ok that's just me being bitter that I didn't make it. Hehe. Anyway, I did do a nice look with a lilac lipstick, so all my preparations last Friday were not totally in vain! A reader requested that I show off how the Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Primrose can be worn. I feel that if you're medium-toned, the best way a pale lipstick like this can work is with smoky, lined eyes. 

Face: MAC Studiofinish concealer, Clinique Perfectly Real powder foundation, Guerlain Meteorites

Cheeks: MAC Harmony to contour, Estee Lauder Silky Powder Blush in Tender Petal

It's no big secret that I have an ongoing love affair with Clinique. The brand is quite pricey locally, but the products I use work extremely well on my skin. Again, it's always a matter of being hiyang, so I'm really lucky that I found my skin's "soulmate"!

I'm a fan of the Clinique Moisture Surge because it gives me a nice glow and more supple skin without the oiliness. However, it's not designed to help much during and after a big breakout. I try a lot of products for this blog so something always ends up giving me pimples - I need something that can help clear them and deal with the pesky blemishes that crop up afterwards. That's why I wanted to try the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer (P1,600/50mL).

It's pretty good. Here's why!

What I love about the product

• Helps dry up pimples faster, especially the smaller ones. It has salicylic acid, a key ingredient that targets acne. It has no parabens and has very little comedogenic ingredients. (See here for reference)
• It lightens blemishes, but this takes time, two weeks at least. I'm very happy with it nonetheless.
• Blackheads and whiteheads are no longer a problem whenever I use this.

Super light gel texture

Ok, so I finally gave in! Curiosity got the better of me, really. I wanted to know if expensive nail polishes like Orly are indeed worlds apart from the P30 ones available in any drugstore. And? 

The Orly nail polish in Gilded Coral (P349) is a gorgeous shade that looks like a peachy pink champagne on my nails. It's very wearable and can go with most looks you can think of. You can scour any drugstore but I can tell you right now that you won't find a cheap dupe of this locally! Gilded Coral is part of Orly's spring collection called Precious.