I feel like a total traitor saying this, but the Bobbi Brown Eyelash Curler (P1,200) can rival the one from Shu Uemura. There. I didn't think it was possible for me to like any other lash curler as much as I like Shu's, but hey I've been wrong before.

Now let's backtrack first. What makes Bobbi's curler surprisingly amazing?

The thing I love most about it is that it never goes near enough to pinch my lids and lashes. In so doing, it doesn't erase the careful eyeliner work I've done on my upper lids! It also fits my eyes perfectly so no lash is left uncurled - yes, even the innermost ones. It's easier to angle than the Shu curler because it's sliiiighly smaller, so I get to all the hairs I want to reach.

Liquid blushes are usually watery red tints, so it's refereshing to see a creamy one like the Majolica Majorca Cream de Cheek Blush (P495). These come in four colors I believe, and I have two of them to swatch for you today.

These liquid blushes aren't solid and dense like say, lip gloss. It has powder particles suspended in a sliiiiightly oily but fast-drying liquid solution. They're intended for use on the cheeks but they are surprisingly nice on the lips once you get over the initial powdery feel. I found out just like, right now! You should try it too if you're in a pinch and this is the only color you have on hand.

Anyway. Got a bit sidetracked there! Here's a quick rundown of the Cream de Cheek.

What I love about the product

• The shades are just lovely. I have Shell Pink Cream (PK312) and Kiichigo Cream (RD411), and I love how they look on me. They have a matte, natural finish that seems to melt on skin instead of sitting on top looking fussy.
• It says on for a good four to five hours even in extremely humid weather. To extend the wear, you can top it off with a powder blush!

Pro tip: if you're going to an important engagement, do not wear anything new. Could be shoes, a cool makeup technique, bra, whatever. As long as it's new, forget about it! You don't know what can happen so don't use anything you haven't worn out first hand. You'll save yourself a lot of time and grief.

However, it does pay to make careful exceptions to this rule. Like last Saturday, when I wore out some new Shiseido goodies for the first time! I hosted a blogger lunch for Wink Laser & Wax Studio (more about it soon!) in BHS so I wanted to look my best. I loved how the Shiseido palette and lipstick swatched on the back of my hand so I just went with 'em.

Such a cute look, this one. I also wore out this faux leather skater skirt that I scored from a thrift shop. I've been looking for the exact same one for a while now, which is why I'm incredibly happy to find one for P150! Crazy! I must go thrifting more often. 

Quite a lot of you gals asked me this question when I posted Avon's latest serum. It seems that there's some confusion about the proper age for starting an anti-aging regimen, but that's the thing: there's no standard recommended age! Even anti-aging ads don't drop exact numbers as to when you should start using the products, if you've noticed. It's very vague. Here's why.

Your skin is unique due to genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Some women can look incredibly young for their age, while others are prone to premature wrinkles and sallowness. If you're lucky to have fabulous genes then good for you. But even so, excessive drinking (of alcohol), sun exposure, stress, or lack of sleep can hasten the aging process. Your skin won't be able to regenerate as quickly or as thoroughly if you don't do basic maintenance.

In other words, you should drink lots of water, wear sunscreen everyday, avoid alcohol and sleep as much as possible. I know it sounds trite but this is advice you can bet your life on! You will age slower if you religiously do all of the above - with or without a knockout anti-aging serum.

Anti-aging beauty products won't stop the hands of time. The best that they can do is brighten skin, fill in wrinkles and even re-inflate them a little over time, and plump up sunken areas of the face.

Hi Ms. Liz! Just curious, are there any beauty products and/or tools that you can't live without? :) - Yana

Hey Yana! This is a difficult question. I am utterly useless when people ask me "what products will you bring to a deserted island?" or "what will be in your zombie apocalypse survival beauty kit?" I intensely like a lot of things and making me choose destroys me.

Seriously though, this is easy to answer once I start thinking about the products I use all the time. You know what I'm talking about. There are things that you immediately reach out for, without any thought process involved. Now it would be too easy to just list down skincare. Hence, I won't include any skincare in this list because that would be facial wash/toner/moisturizer and you already know what my favorites are.

I also decided against body products since I'm very low maintenance in that department. So, here are my five absolute favorite beauty aids for the face!

Artdeco Camouflage Cream Concealer. This concealer is opaque and stays on all day - considering it's less than P500, that's quite an achievement. It's a concealer that I finish down to the last swipe; it's what I've been using consistently since Artdeco came back to Manila last year.

I've been wishing for a real, professional blow dry bar in the Fort area for some time now. I've only read about the bars in Pasig but they're just too far for me. Yes, hair salons offer blow dries but the ones I like are in awkward pockets of Makati. The only reason I would get a pro blow is if I'm going to an important event, and these events are usually in Rockwell or The Fort area.

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the "Coming Soon" sign of Blo Blow Dry Bar in Serendra late last year! It just opened last week. I was also v.v. happy to find out that there's already another branch in Powerplant. Double yay!

But wait, what is Blo Dry Bar? It's actually the first to market the no cuts, no color concept in North America. It specializes in blow drying alone. From what I've seen in my visit, they only use reputable hair products and tools to achieve that perfect coif! The attendants are well-trained and pleasant. The interiors are in hot pink and white with a feminine minimalist feel.

Reception area in Serendra branch

Seating

The procedure is fairly straightforward: the attendant will shampoo your hair, then she'll hand you a menu of services.

Hi folks! I finally have the winners! :) They are Kitti Banzon and Tara Cagadoc. They've scored for themselves a chauffered lunch date in Tagaytay in the All New Ford Focus. Yay! See you on the 23rd then! The agency will get in touch with you soon. 

See their sweet entries here. <3

Have you always wanted to try the Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation but balk at the P2,200 price tag? Well,  I have news for you: the L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation (P845) is a very close drugstore dupe. That's not surprising since L'Oreal owns Lancome, after all! The texture, finish, down to the ingredients are very much the same with only minor differences. 

Lucent Magique promises to give skin a "radiant halo" with its liquid-light technology. True enough, it's quite illuminating - I love how my skin looks like with this foundation on. Now this kind of stuff is right up my alley, but if you're oily this might be something you want to think about.

Here's the run down!

What I love about the product

• It gives a gorgeous radiant finish on skin. I don't see any shimmer in the formula but it has a subtle satiny shine. It looks absolutely natural with its sheer to medium coverage. Expect to it to cover reasonable blemishes and discoloration! 
• Watery texture is light and easy to smooth all over the skin. It never feels greasy or mask-like even if the humidity is in full force.

The last two months of February are extremely crucial to me. I have added a new set of clients and with it, an assistant (yay)! There will be quite a few events and plans to execute and everything. Is driving. Me crazy. I'm happy and psyched to be working with exciting brands, don't get me wrong, but the next two weeks will make or break these new relationships. Everything must be perfect. All must be in sync.

Anyway, I attended this event last week. I loved the venue! It's this rooftop bar at the new Seda Hotel beside Bonifacio High Street. The place is so airy and light that just thinking about it soothes me. I must visit again soon, perhaps to work!

(I don't drink because I'm boring pfft. I do interesting things but I really am a boring person.)

These Ferretti heels feel like summer

If you know me you will rarely see me in distracting prints, colors, and lots of detail.

Last year, the big anti-aging story was all about re-activating our youth cells. Apparently, scientists have discovered a way to jumpstart youth by re-energizing some cells with a special ingredient. I don't know if there was any truth to it but I do know that most of the anti-aging products that came out in 2012 had that magic formula.

This year, Avon might just be headlining another new development in the anti-aging race. It appears that the new Anew Clinical Pro Line Corrector with A-F33 presents a different approach to anti-aging inspired by Nobel Prize-winning research. It promises to fade wrinkles in seven days by intercepting collagen-blockers.

If you have the cheekbones of a Roman goddess then woo good for you. Congratulations on your genetic good fortune! But if you're like me with a round face and chubby cheeks then contouring may be the best thing to slim down and/or define your face.

I'm not saying that you should hate yourself because your face is wide and/or fat. In fact you shouldn't hate yourself for anything you have or don't have if you are to be happy and productive! I for one love my face as it is, but sometimes when I'm off to special occasions I prefer a little bit of definition - for photos, more than anything. I look different in photos than I do in person, so I want to even out the odds in favor of getting a flattering shot. It's not like you can ask a blog or publication to delete a photo of myself just because I look muy terrible!

I have the impression that most girls in the Philippines aren't into contouring. Blush yes, but not contour. I can think of only three reasons this is so. Do you believe in these yourself? Here are three contouring myths that may be intimidating you - and why you shouldn't be at all!

"Contouring will make me look more tan." Bronzing can give you a tanned glow, but contour powders are usually matte and must be applied only on very specific areas of the face. They should only go on the cheekbones, temples, side of the nose, and jawline. If done correctly it shouldn't actually make your face look darker or your complexion, muddy!

You can use good quality brushes for half a decade or more if you take care of them well. They should even be able to withstand a level of abuse, because that's why you're paying so much for them to begin with! But no matter how expensive or cheap your brushes are, you'll notice that some of them will start to have fly-away bristles after frequent cleaning. How do you prevent this?

Simple! Just use a brush guard. :) It's basically a fine plastic net that you place on top of your brushes while you're drying them. It keeps all the bristles in good shape while still allowing them to dry properly. I'm sure you've heard of this before, but you probably think it's something you can live without. Well, yeah you can, but your brushes need one!

The one I have is called the Charm Makeup Brush Guard (P250). It contains twelve pieces of brush guards - in different sizes but any size can fit even the biggest face brush. You can even cut them up to use with your smaller eye brushes. 

Fair warning, I will be trying out a new anti-blemish serum after I publish this review, so don't be surprised if you see me talking about another serum just after I swear by this one! If I weren't a beauty blogger I wouldn't be going out to try new serums every time I empty a bottle. I would have stopped long ago at the Estee Lauder ANR, the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery, then Shu Uemura Tsuya, and now, the Kiehl's Clearly Corrective serum, which are all awesome products by the way. But I am a beauty blogger so I always have something new and interesting to try. 

Anyway! I'm here to talk about the Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum (P3,000), which I have been using since late November. It's an awesome product that helped me clear out the last vestiges of my old blemishes and prevents my new ones from darkening overmuch. Yes, this stuff works! For me at least. You'll see a photo.

What I love about the product

• Lightens blemishes with its main active ingredient which is Vitamin C. Now you don't need to put pure lemon juice on your face. :P Kidding aside this serum does lighten blemishes but it won't happen overnight - it's very gradual. I noticed lightening of my marks in about three to four weeks.
• Brightens and somehow tightens the face. I noticed that my skin has a smoother, super-fine texture. It's more like a subtly lacquered surface if that makes sense! 
• Helps heal pimples slightly faster because of its salicylic acid content.

How many foundations do you have and whats your current fave? - ManilaJen

Hi Jen! Fab question. I love foundation, and even on good skin days I still prefer to wear a little. It really helps enhance the skin, to take it to the next level of flawlessness not humanly possible. Well maybe it's possible if you have genes the aliens would like to keep in storage but that's beside the point. Foundation can make skin look even better and hey, I'll take that any day!

Currently, I have 22 foundations in my collection (I forgot to add the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme and the Age Defy since I can't seem to find them!). I don't use all this all the time - I still have exactly one face - and there are a few that I haven't actually tried yet. But I do like to rotate. I use only light foundation if I'm stepping out, and the long-wearing, heavy ones are reserved for special events.

I regularly cut down on my foundations. If something isn't my shade or if the formula does not suit me, I give it away to someone who would appreciate it better (after I've reviewed it). I honestly hate things going to waste!

I think of shades as beauty products. Why? Because wearing them instantly provides you some level of sun protection on the eyes and face. If you have a major pimple, puffy and red eyes due to crying or an allergy, or if you came from a chemical peel, shades are your best friends. It covers up most of the unglamorous things on your face and immediately gives it an aura of mystique. What's not to love?

FLY Shades sent me these sunglasses about two months ago and I've been wearing them since then. I'm not one for high-end, uber-expensive sunnies (not yet?) so I really appreciate that these pretty FLY Shades are just around P340-P390. They're not flimsy at all - I've dropped the ones I use regularly and they're doing fine, if not a bit scratched up. Anyway you can find more information about FLY on their Facebook Page. :)

FLY Shades / Zara dress / Veloci watch / Ferretti heels / Tory Burch satchel

Yes, I'm wearing shorts underneath. I doubted the wisdom of this mini-dress as soon as I left the house, but oh well I like it like this. I can't think of it as a top because it's too long and thick so I will stubbornly maintain that it is in fact a mini-dress until the day I die.

Believing in something does not instantly make it true. Still, it's often beneficial to believe in anything that would keep you functioning at optimum level. Being optimistic can calm you down and keep you focused on the task at hand instead of wallowing and quitting when things get tough (as they always do).

Of course, good things won't just randomly happen to you. You have to set the stage for them, plant the seeds, feed the hens, etc. Anyway! Here's the monthly roundup of my best finds last January! I have a nice mix of affordable and high-end products here. 

Let's start with the Bobbi Brown Rich Caviar and Black Pearl Holiday Palettes. These are unfortunately limited edition, but thankfully Bobbi always comes out with new and exciting palettes. They're always wearable and chic at the same time so you really can't go wrong with one. :) I have oodles of neutral palettes but my Bobbi Browns are probably the most abused of them all!

Here's another must-have: the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. This is a collection of six neutral shades that you can mix with each other or with your bright eyeshadows. It's a neat basic product that every eyeshadow lover would love to have. Looks boring, yes, but when you have it you'll be able to unlock your other hard-to-match eyeshadows. (Assuming you don't have something similar already okay!)

I have so, so many photos from last week! I already had to cut down considerably but I can't possibly not post these pictures. Last week was quite eventful, with my birthday plus quite a few meetings and deadllines in between. It's a challenge to stuff all my activities with only 24 hours a day, but I owe it all to my new associate, Denise, who is awesome by the way. 

Here are the pictures!

Was at Vanilla Cupcake Bakery in Glorietta yesterday. Pretty cupcakes and even prettier place!

I go weak for blueberry cheesecake in any form and shape

Micellar water makeup removers (whew) are genius. They're great for removing makeup anywhere - and I don't mean just the face or body! They can take off makeup stains on your clothes (at least lighten them anyway), tables, floors, and most surfaces for that matter. And since they're just basically water, they barely leave any residue and don't need rinsing.

One time I accidentally spilled black eyeliner on my leg and floor - the ink flowed through the pen and when I opened it, out it sprayed. :/ I used some Bioderma on tissue to clean up the mess! I also like to use water-based makeup removers to clean rubber-textured makeup packaging. As you know, rubber is a dust and smudge magnet, and cannot be easily cleaned with just alcohol or soap. 

An example is this tube of Fairydrops BB cream. You won't see it in the picture since I post-processed it already, but the white surface was chock full of foundation smudges.

Feeling under fire today! Work has been non-stop since I woke up but I'm taking a break to write about an awesome eyeliner I got acquainted with recently. Now I've seen a lot of raves about the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner (P449), but I didn't jump into the bandwagon because I already have the MAC Fluidline. That's the best gel eyeliner for me! Can the Maybelline one compare?

It's a nice, more affordable alternative, but it's not quite like the Fluidline in terms of pigmentation and texture. As for the lasting power - whoa! The Maybelline one will not smudge, smear, or fade even if you wear it all day. You can rely on it to look fantastic from the time you leave your house up to the second you wash it off.

You might be wondering why the packaging is different. Well, it's because this is the reformulated version that was just recently released. :) Here's a quick rundown!

What I love the product 

• It's incredibly long-lasting. I will not attempt to wear it for 36 hours but I've worn it 10 ten hours at most and it stayed fresh. It didn't smudge, smear, fade, or slip on my upper lids.
• Decent pigmentation. It's solid in one line as long as the brush is properly loaded with a generous amount of product.