I was 19 and still in college when I started Project Vanity. My mom rarely got me makeup, so I bought all my kikay stuff with my allowance. God knows how hard it is to indulge beauty whims on a limited budget! I remember saving my lunch money (P20 palabok at the cafeteria!) and even my clothes money (Divisoria is <3) just so I can buy a product I really wanted!

Me in college! I was still wearing braces and glasses. Definitely gave out that Betty La Fea vibe! Hehe.

Lately, I've been receiving a lot of beauty inquiries from girls who are still in school. I find that touching because they seem to trust me on such a big personal issue. As you know, there's so much pressure in college to do well academically; on top of that, there's the pressure to look good. How can a student look pretty and polished on a budget plus a hectic class schedule?

Here are some of my beauty tips for college girls!

1. Commit to a basic skincare regimen. College is the best time to take care of your skin, but don't go overboard with all the newfangled products out there. Use only what you need. A basic routine of cleanse, tone, and moisturize should be enough for your skin. You can miss makeup, but never miss this!

I am so easily distracted lately. I don't know why, particularly, maybe I'm just tired. It grates at me. I need to be 100% productive these days as I juggle four jobs so I don't have time for this. If you guys have tips on how to focus better, they would be much appreciated!

ANYWAY! Today I'm going to talk about Human Heart Nature's latest product, the Mineral Lip Gloss (P195). It comes in two shades, Island Berry, Pink Hibiscus, and Coral Beach. Let's get on it!

What I love about the product

• Non-sticky! My top qualification for a good lip gloss.
• Non-drying.

While I LOVE the Charm Travel Pro V3 brush Set, I don't take all of the brushes with me to use out of the house. If I need to apply makeup outside, I probably won't have the time and space in my bag to do something elaborate; a few key brushes and my fingers should be enough to do a full face. Same thing when I need to retouch.

What's in my travel kikay kit

As you can see, I just bring along a blush, eyebrow, eyeshadow, and powder brush when I'm out. These are my essentials when it comes to brushes! That's why it seems that Sophie read my mind when she made the Charm Pocket Brush Set (P500): it has everything I need and a little bit more.

What I love about the product

• Has multi-purpose brushes to save space and cost. There's a powder/blush brush, eyebrow/eyeliner brush, eyeshadow/concealer brush, lip/liner brush, and a lash/brow comb. 

I just got the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup SPF15 (P2,200) last Saturday so I can't give a full review right now. Still, I want to share an FYI on the product because I find it super intriguing!

Bobbi Brown says that this foundation is lightweight, shine-free, and long-wearing. I've worn it only twice so far, and only on short trips out, so I can't say how long-lasting it actually is. But by golly this is the lightest and most natural foundation I've ever tried so far. 

Agree? I didn't edit this photo at all.

I don't know what the Japanese put in their eyeshadows, but whatever it is, it's dope. It doesn't even matter if the brand is low or high-end - the eyeshadows are usually smooth and highly pigmented. You'll remember my review of the KATE Blendzone eyeshadow and how impressed I was with it. The new eyeshadow, the KATE Eye Shadow CQ (P960) is no less impressive.

Same as Blendzone, CQ is highly pigmented, creamy, long-lasting, well-milled - everything I'm looking for in a quality eyeshadow. The shades in this palette are all lovely and work great with my skintone.

I got this body-hugging dress at Forever 21 some months back and I absolutely love it. However, it's too revealing chest-wise. Too tight. Sorry, I'm such an old lady. I just believe that women look better when they don't bare too much - remember this thing called mystery? Girls my age forget that they're more interesting that way.

So! I wore the dress with a thrifted leather jacket (I know, one of my best finds. Got it for only P250) and an SM necklace to cover up. I love how it turned out.

Forever 21 dress | Thrifted leather jacket | Ferretti pumps | Avon Manzzini bag | Accessories from Parfois and SM

 I also wore these Ferretti pumps for the first time.

Whenever I wear my Colour Collection Color Intense Lipsticks, I always get compliments and questions about where to get them. That explains why I looked forward to the new Colour Collection Mineral Lipstick line (P350), touted to be a long-lasting lip product with the benefits of mineral makeup. 

I love that this lipstick line is intensely pigmented and has no parabens or preservatives. Not bad for a P350 lipstick. Not bad at all.

What I like about the product

• It stays on for five hours with only a little fading. It'll leave a stain after you eat or drink.
• Colors are opaque in one swipe. 

The Clinique Party last Saturday was a blast! United by a mutual love for Clinique, bloggers and their guests got to hang out over makeovers and dinner. I'll talk more about it soon, but for now I want to share a cool tip I got from a makeup artist who did the makeovers at the counter.

Mina, my date to the party, and the makeup artist (didn't catch her name, dang it!)

I was watching the MUA do Mina's face when I noticed this sponge in her kit. I wasn't sure what it was for exactly - could be foundation or just for blending - but I thought this type of holey sponge is an odd choice for those purposes. So I asked her.

It's what she uses as a lip scrub! She said that the whole look doesn't come out right if the client has dry lips under the lipstick. I totally agree with that.

This is kinda overdue, but but but I was super busy last October and I wasn't able to get a nice gift for the next month's commenter. So anyway, the Commenter for September-October is Celene Matela aka Pinkmafiaprincess! I really enjoyed her comment on The Snaps Report: Sick and spoiled. Her tips on dog care in general were super useful! I find myself referencing it mentally every now and then.  

Aside from that, she's been commenting on my blog since last year. Thank you, Celene! I'll email you about where I can ship your Yves Rocher gift. 

And now, for the November Commenter of the Month gift! It's a generous sample set from Clinique. It contains the Turnaround Body Smoothing Cream, Turnaround Concentrate, Liquid Mild Facial Soap, Repairwear Contour, Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream, and Lash Power Mascara.

As with all Clinique samples, each of these will last you up to a month (and probably even more) of regular use. The pouch is uber nice, too. ;)

So, here are some of my best finds last month! :D These are some of the products I love using - they're really good, plus worth single cent you'll have to shell out for them. Many are inexpensive but the pricey ones really take the cake, promise.

The Dream Tint Moisture Tint with SPF15 is the product I'm currently saving up for. It's awesome. It doesn't have much coverage, but it somehow evens out my skin beautifully. I also like how it acts as an excellent primer before foundation. It's P1,900 (OUCH) but I think it's worth the price!

The Clinique Airbrush Concealer lightens and brightens my eyebags in a jiffy. It doesn't crease much and doesn't feel like anything once applied - brilliant.

The In2It Waterproof Blush Set is made of awesomesauce. Gorgeous colors and great lasting power makes these blushes a mainstay in my kit. Try Lovebird and Affinity!

It's time to shift the spotlight to a new player in the indie fashion scene: Grubbies! It's not flashy or glamorous like the other brands that I've been writing about lately, but that's precisely the beauty of it. Grubbies, to put it simply, is a clothing line for busy women.

I find the concept intuitive. You ever have those moments when you just want to grab something comfortable and go? You don't want to dress up just going to the grocery, a hangout with friends, or to your workout. You just want something you can sweat in and still look presentable. You need play clothes.

And that's what Grubbies has - play clothes.

Avon makes interesting bags, but the Manzzini Collection is way past interesting. It's gorgeous! So wait, why is the collection called Manzzini? "The name Manzzini was derived from Via Mazzini, a fashion street in Italy reflecting the designs of the collection. This bag line takes inspiration from a Manzzini woman who travels around the world - as she eats, shops and loves," says Avon.

They're more expensive since they're a special collection, but I do believe the price is worth it. I like that the bags have a sort of detachable organizer inside for your stuff (at least, the black one does, I haven't used the cream yet) and that they're very of-the-moment. The material used doesn't feel cheap at all too!

Here are a few photos of the bags in actual.

Manzzini Tote with Mini Purse

I don't use cream eyeshadows by themselves because they're harder to work with and blend perfectly. However, they make excellent bases for powder eyeshadow. They increase the intensity and lasting power of the top layer - of course, provided that you're using a cream product that's not too emollient and oily.

That's what I like about the Tony Moly Backstage Paint Eye Pot (P448). It dries up quickly and doesn't slide around on my lid. I like that it doesn't dissolve with water or sweat. It does crease and fade, but powder eyeshadow helps.

Belo is a name that's so big, it has become part of Pinoy pop consciousness. If you need to go to Belo, you need to have your face or body fixed - that's what the word means! After 20 years in the business, the whirlwind that is Dr. Vicky Belo has built a brand that even celebrities would flock to.

I must admit that I don't know much about Belo until I met her during the Belo Blogger's Dinner. She gamely discussed her top treatments over delicious food at The Establishment, The Fort. Two of Belo's most loyal customers, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Albert Martinez, were also there to talk about their favorite treatments too. 

This picture doesn't do Zsa Zsa justice, but I swear, she looks good for her age! She's in her 40s but she looks fit and glowing even with light makeup on. She shares that she loves the Sculptor Plus treatment which effectively tightens and contours both her face and body.

First there was the liquid, then the cream, and finally, Revlon has the powder version of their popular PhotoReady line. The Revlon PhotoReady Two-Way Powder Foundation (P995) is an oil-free and fragrance-free foundation that promises to provide a flawless look under any lighting, with a "medium to full yet undetected coverage". Sounds cool, right?

It is. Even with a heavy layer, I like how this foundation doesn't look like a chalky mask. It definitely delivers on its promise of making me look photo ready, too! The pics will speak for themselves. ;)

What I love about the product

• Medium to heavy coverage still looks natural. I think its because the powder is very fine and well-milled. This foundation will cover redness and minor blemishes.
• Good at oil control. I can go for four to five hours without looking like an oily mess.

Last Thursday was an extra busy day for me. I speedwalked between Greenbelt to Glorietta for four different meetings all spaced an hour apart! I was thinking of wearing flats, but since the meetings require me to be presentable, I had to wear high heels. Call it vanity but I call it survival. Lol. Good thing I had a magic pouch with me.

Yup, foldable flats! These are from Yosi Samra, an international brand that just recently landed in the Philippines. Celebs like Anne Hathaway, Hayden Panettiere, Nicole Scherzinger, Carmen Electra and the uber-stylish Sarah Jessica Parker, have all been spotted wearing a pair.

I like, nay, LOVE boxes. It's a good thing that my line of work ensures that I recieve boxes regularly. Wait, that can be a bad thing. I don't know. It doesn't matter!

Ok, before I start babbling endlessly I just want to share some of my new boxes and how I've recycled them.

I recieved this vintagey box from the Belo team (thanks Denise!). It's actually the same box that Ferretti in Glorietta uses to house accessories! It's cute and it's roomy. I decided to use it for storing products I have yet to review since it's easier to keep track of them this way.

Raise your hand if you're from Cebu! I have good news for you. :D If you love MAC makeup or if you've always just wanted to try it personally, then you don't have to order online or go to Manila to get your hands on it. MAC will be in Ayala Center Cebu in a 31-square meter location starting November 11.