I don't know if I've mentioned this here before but I like myself the least when I'm obsessing about something. I forget everything, and I mean everything, just thinking about the thing I want to do or acquire. It's not healthy. It literally gives me headaches. This is weird because these intense obsessions only began early last year. They're vastly different, too, and seem to come from nowhere, like a train with no headlights.

Ugh! I'm going to step out to sketch later just to get my mind off things, because I feel like I'm going slightly insane. 

Aaaaanyway today I'd like to feature the Ellana Pressed Mineral Foundation (P650). When the awesome people behind Ellana hired me to re-imagine the brand, I immediately pushed for pressed minerals. Because! I love mineral foundation since it gives my skin such a beautiful finish, but I hate how messy and time-consuming it is to apply when I'm rushing out. Pressed minerals are the best, except that they're either too expensive or hard to find locally.

So after much tinkering, Ellana finally came up with their very own Pressed Mineral Foundation. It took a lotta work (hello Theresa!) and I'm not going to take credit for any of it except for being the hard-to-please naysayer while it was being formulated. Lol! But finally, Ellana has it! And it's pretty good if I do say so myself.

This foundation, like its best-selling loose version, provides medium to heavy coverage and a creamy, demi-matte finish.

This is how I dress most days. Unless there's an event or important meeting I have to be at, I'm in shorts (or in this care, "skorts"), a cotton long-sleeved shirt, and my Converse sneakers. The uniform changes according to the look I'm digging at the moment but right now this is it - functional and utterly comfortable without being too boring.

Forever 21 top | Stradivarius necklace and skorts | Casio watch | Converse sneakers | Tory Burch satchel

I have two of these bottoms from the same brand (the other is tan faux leather) and three of these shirts in different colors. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me a few years ago that I'd be buying duplicates, even triplicates of my clothes now. So how did it happen?

Smart people who are nice are the best kind. They know when you're lying, being incompetent, stupid, or malicious, yet they can look past that and still be nice to you. Like, really be nice to you without being fake. How? Because in spite of your worst qualities, they're smart enough to understand why you have them and can't seem to let go of them. Maybe they'll try to change you, or maybe they'll let you do whatever the hell you want. Whatever they choose though, they'll be kind to you because they know you need it.

Stupid people who are honestly nice, on the other hand, are nice because they can't see past the surface of your words and actions. That said, which kind of person would you rather be nice to you? Does it matter?

Anyhoo, here's my last post for my Benefit Cosmetics Week. If you haven't joined my giveaway though, please do, as it's ending in 24 hours. Okay! Here's a review of an interesting concealer, the Benefit Fake Up Crease-Control Hydrating Concealer (P1,300). This promises to conceal your undereyes while thoroughly moisturizing them at the same time!

If you're terribly lazy at applying eye cream before makeup, Fake up is exactly what you need. Its main ingredient is castor oil. It rather smells like castor oil, too, but I don't really mind as it's extremely effective in trapping moisture around my eye bags! The oil makes the concealer super smooth so it glides on the skin with zero tugging.

I was a bit worried that such a heavy oil will clog the pores around my nose and eyes, but it didn't. I didn't get breakouts or anything. 

I was also apprehensive about it staying on and not creasing while i'm wearing it. Thankfully, it stays put for about 5-6 hours when set with powder. It also barely creases as it settles onto my skin.

Where do I even begin. Revlon recently came out with their Colorburst Matte and Lacquer Balms (P575). If you've read my past reviews on the brand's lip products then you'd know I'm a huuuuge fan of them! I love the Colorburst line as well as the Kissable Balm Stains - so imagine that combination of bold color and moisturizing texture without your head exploding. Thought so.

But how are they, really?

All hyperbole aside, these new Revlon Balms are pretty good except for uneven application when it comes to some shades. The Colorburst Matte Balms look amazing in the packaging and arm swatches but tend to be rather patchy and a bane to all ye who have dry, flaky lips. Well I don't even have dry lips and only experience minimal flaking every now and then, but these mattes seem to not work out so well for me.

The Lacquer Balms, on the other hand, are WOW. I love them. The texture is super smooth, it stays on for a good four to five hours, and the finish is just so high-end! This formula doesn't just offer some meek, drugstore-level shine - it's brilliant and solid-looking at the same time, like a high-end color would look like.

Both formulas do not dry out my lips and I can even afford to skip lip balm (yes even with the Matte formula). The Lacquer is solid in two swipes, while the Matte takes more than that to build up. The Matte also fades rather easily and unprettily, but the Lacquer stays on reliably. I don't know if I just got the "meh" shades with the Matte but this has been my experience with the formula so far.

Swatches: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm vs the Lacquer Balm

Overall, I love the Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm SO MUCH while I feel just a grudging affection for the Matte for what it tried to do, which is offer moisture with the zero-shine finish. Can't wait for the day when Revlon would reformulate it or come out with something better.

Anyhoo, here are swatches of all the shades I have! Enjoy, and do let me know which ones rock your socks off. ;)

Being a beauty blogger, I get lots of opportunities to try out products I wouldn't have purchased myself. If it were up to me I'd probably stick to one drugstore facial wash forever and completely miss out on the good stuff! For there is a difference between high-end and drugstore skincare. Most people would recommend you splurge on moisturizer, eye cream, and serum (well I do too) but I think there's also a case to be made for expensive facial cleansers.

Yes, you're just going to wash them off anyway, so why pay big(ish) bucks for something that'll stay on your skin for only a couple of minutes? It's because high-end cleansers have a softer, fluffier lather, they smell better, and usually remove light makeup effectively too.

Sigh, I'm right in the middle of having them one of those insanely busy days. But, I always have time to blog! Even if it's just 30 minutes. :P Today I'd like to show you the Benefit Gimme Brows Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel (P1,000+). I remember loving the Brow Zings so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this one. 

Gimme Brows promises to define, shape, and volumize your brows in go. True enough, this does it for me! It's long-wearing too and hardly fades even when I'm out all day. It's pretty easy to use with such a small wand - you get a lot of room to shade small sparse areas and to build them up in segments if you wish.

The texture is watery and coverage is sheer upon initial application. It's definitely not your typical brow mascara in that regard! Others would be thick so you can't really go back to re-do certain areas, plus they rather dry up quickly. Gimme Brows is buildable and gives me enough time to work with it. 

Here's some news for all you fab and busy moms out there: Smart recently introduced their Family Ties Plans, which helps you stay constantly connected with members of the family while ensuring a safe and protected environment for children when they use their mobile devices.

With this plan, you no longer have to think twice about making that quick call to your son to check up on him at school or sending some sweet-nothings to your husband while at work because of the unlimited calling and texting features that come with the plan.

At the launch: Mompreneur and blogger Janice Villanueva and PR practitioner Ana Ongpin talk about how they juggle their family along with their hectic work schedules. Both love the new plan as it keeps them in touch with their kids and staff!

Here's the new TVC (which will air starting today):

Details of the Smart Family Ties Plans 

Families have two choices for their postpaid lines: Family Ties Plan 900 includes unlimited calling within the family circle, unlimited SMS to Smart subscribers and 200 all-network texts, as well as 100MB of free data for each line every month.

You've tried blushes, of course, but have you tried a fabulously scented one that seems to perfume your whole face? That's what makes the Benefit Rockateur Box O' Powder Blush (P1,600) stand out. After you squee over the cute embossed design on the powder, you won't miss its bright floral scent as you blend it over your cheeks. It's surprisingly pleasant! I like that it doesn't smell chemical at all.

And the color? It's a beautiful pink rose with a generous amount of bronze in it. Rockateur is not a bronzer - it's predominantly pink - but it has enough to warm your face up in a snap.

I love that it's not overly pigmented so you get a couple of chances to layer this the way you want it. It delivers a pretty, glowy color on the cheeks, but it's not in any way oily-looking. The golden shimmer is very fine anyway so they hardly show up.

Staying power is okay at 4-5 hours before it starts to fade. I remember Hervana staying on longer than this one even though it was less pigmented. Nonetheless, like I said before a 5-hour cap on blushes is fine by me as I'm not often out all day.

Anyway, here's a look wearing a couple of layers of Rockateur!

Friends and family have, in recent years, asked me when I'm going to get married to my long-time partner. We've been together for seven years now - I'm 26, here's turning 32, so one could say we're the right age for marriage. We also know everything about one another and we could live with all that sordid information. We are best friends. I guess that's as good a qualification as any, although admittedly not quite romantic. 

We are the least romantic people I know. It'd be awkward to do a pre-nup shoot canoodling in the grass, or even a "through the years" AV presentation. We hardly have any pictures together, nor do we take any of one another. We don't know when our anniversary is except it's sometime May. Or June? We're not sure. That's the narrowest I can get.

He doesn't like most things that I like. He is my harshest critic. I don't understand his passion for cars or why he doesn't eat spaghetti or sinigang (seriously who does that? WHO?). But we can be completely ourselves with each other - no masks or pretensions - and we like what we see even though it's sometimes not pretty.

So, knowing this, can you imagine us doing a big wedding with all the trimmings? 

I suppose weddings exist so that people and the god of their religion can witness the couple's love and vows to one another. It's like...a public contract. Two people will do it in front of a hundred people so that their words are writ in the memories of their guests.

This week, I'll be featuring some interesting products from the cheekiest cosmetics brand in the block: Benefit! I picked out some new finds a couple of weeks ago, and I'm very excited to talk about them as I'm happy with the results. ^_^ In fact I'm so happy, I decided I can't keep all of the products to myself haha. I'm giving away a toner and moisturizer at the end of this post, so one lucky reader can also try out Benefit's skincare range!

Before all that though, here's a review of the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash (P1,200), a one-step makeup remover and foaming facial cleanser. 

Benefit isn't exactly famous for skincare, but I have tried the brand's Triple Performing Facial Emulsion as well as the It's Potent! Eye Cream before and really enjoyed using both. The skincare range smells fantastic - clean, light, and expensive. I love that very little goes a long way, and that their creams work well with combi to oily skin.

The skincare line looks like it's designed for maintenance more than anything. It's pretty basic, with nourishing ingredients, but they don't promise (nor deliver) any drastic changes to the skin. If you're already happy with your face and just need something gentle to maintain its glow, Benefit's skincare line can do it for you.

Now, the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. This is a "1-step gentle wash" that can remove makeup and cleanse your face of impurities.

One thing I love about the local beauty blogging community is that we are not a toxic bunch. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have egos or felt jealous, irritated, etc. at each other every now and then, but the negativity is minimal. We don't hold on to it. If there's an issue we settle it quickly and privately or just move on like nothing happened! I guess that while we find beauty blogging tremendously fun and rewarding, it doesn't rule our lives. That why (I think) we're pretty relaxed about it.

Anyway, today I'd like to share with you my top ten favorite finds last month! Here are ten things that I feel enriched my existing collection.

Ahh, Shiseido, my love. The Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Liquid Foundation + the White Lucent Brightening Spot-Control Foundation is a match made in heaven. Even when my skin looks like crap (like right now, pre-period pimples UGH), these two can hide everything without looking heavy. It's a "my skin but better" tandem!

I love all the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows, but my absolute absolute favorite is Bad to the Bronze. It's a beautiful, rich color that can be used alone on the lids then blended up the crease. It makes my eyes look more exciting and polished at the same time. Grab it n' love it!

I don't know why I ever put off owning a metal palette. It really helped me apply makeup better since it opens up new ways for me to mix my products. Such a great find! Get the MONDA Studio Mixing Palette from Digital Traincase.

I'm earning a tidy sum of money at 26. I started freelance writing when I was still in college, so I got a good head start and was able to meet a lot of awesome people who gave me valuable opportunities. I'm grateful for them and very lucky, indeed, but the luck would have turned to dust if I didn't work hard and smart everyday.

It's been fun, these last five years, but I seriously have to consider where I put my money. My rent and bills are my biggest expenditures every month - kids, if you're still living with your parents, be extremely grateful for their generosity! Don't be lazy, sweep the floor or wash the dishes when they ask you to. If you lived by yourself, you'd be bleeding money AND sweeping the floor AND washing the dishes every day. 

I remember, when I moved out two weeks after graduation and did my first groceries, I cried in the supermarket. Like a baby. I didn't know things cost so much. 

And then there is shopping. I'm cutting down on that because it's a vicious cycle. I buy stuff but end up not using them as often as I initially thought I would. I think I've been good these last few months because I managed to lessen miscellaneous spending, but the figure could be better. I'm sure I didn't need six shirts in one go.

Why am I sharing all this? I guess I just wanted to give you some context on what my financial goals are.

I don't know why exactly but Japan is on my mind these last few days. I've been obsessively checking flights, hotels, and the weather on my preferred dates. Honestly I'm starting to feel a wee bit crazy. Why now, why so suddenly? It's like an urge that just dropped down my gut.

I'm trying to convince my parents to go with me this year, but if that doesn't happen I will most likely go by myself. Is this what they call lovesickness? Well. I suppose so!

In any case, here's a little piece of Tokyo for us: the Canmake Cheek Brush (P600)! This is part of the brand's Spring collection and I'm loving it. Not as a blush brush but as a - wait for it - foundation brush. It's the perfect shape and density for applying liquid foundations and BB creams.

Don't let that cute, toy-like design fool you. This is a crazy soft brush with fine synthetic bristles! It's quite small yes but it's about the same size as the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush. They work pretty much the same way except this is only 600 bucks. ;)

When I was younger I had no brand preference when it comes to clothes, shoes, and bags. I just purchased whatever was cheap and looked good at the time, because hey, it's not like I earned a lot of money. I also believed that it was all the same thing, more or less. I'd hate to spend on something that I could get for cheaper.

But through the years I realized that cheaper does not equate to better. My stuff broke down and those that didn't looked outdated, too quickly. So now I'm a little more careful about the things I purchase! I have come to prefer brands that offer the best value for my money - even if they're expensive, I find that I can get more mileage out of them.

But there's another but. Haha. As you know I run my own household and pay my own bills. I like expensive things but I also like being able to pay my rent and keep a healthy savings account. :P That's why I love Rabeanco. The leather is ridiculously smooth, the colors are fairly unique, and the styles aren't something you'd see SM knock off. 

The other day I visited a reputable aesthetic clinic somewhere in The Fort. They do almost everything there, from something as mundane as facials and waxing to more complex treatments like Ulthera (a skin tightening and lifting procedure that uses ultrasound) and cosmetic surgery. I dropped by to try my favorite facial, but before that I settled down to talk with the owner's daughter.

She said she has had Ulthera done on her face, and then showed me a picture with one side finished, mid-procedure. It was dramatically thinner! It was non-surgical too so my jaw almost dropped to the floor! She said she used to have a wide face, and it's probably the same procedure Kim Chiu had to achieve her now-pixie face. This treatment is meant to be done only once a year, and costs about P90,000 per session.

I tell you, I have never been as tempted to alter my face as I had been that time. Cosmetic procedures are more advanced so the pain and downtime are now minimal - the cost is manageable too, if your income is in the upper-middle bracket. It was tempting to try, whether or not the clinic generously offers an x-deal.

This reminds me of a post Regina Belmonte wrote on her Tumblr - it's not about cosmetic procedures per se, but it's related. Regina is Cosmopolitan Philippines' beauty editor-at-large and I believe also editor of The Philippine Star's YStyle Section.

Skinny bitches, feel free to contradict me. Because sometimes, I really, truly, honestly feel that the only reason I don’t have more going for me is that I’m not thin. And in my head, the reasonable half of my brain is like, “That’s stupid, Regina. Your worthiness isn’t dictated by your dress size,” but the less reasonable half still can’t help feeling that way anyway.

THIS. It was a nameless feeling before reading this post, but I feel this way sometimes too (note the operative word okay - sometimes).

The Estee Lauder Double Wear line is gold. It features the brand's longest-wearing products, which are a godsend in our humid tropical weather! I have the new pan concealer and it's quite reliable for all-day affairs. But that's a review for another day. Today I want to talk about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Brow Lift Duo (P1,000+), an excellent double-ended pencil for perfect, understated eyebrows.

If you liked my eyebrows in my recent looks, this is what I had on! At first I was unconvinced about the shades - the brown end looked very faint in the swatches while the champagne is almost invisible. But once they're on my brows all I can say is, much wow! This is my current fave brow product. <3 I am aware I have A LOT but I can't help it! I'm particular about my eyebrows and I get a high whenever I discover new products for them.

Have a look!

Left is Soft Brown, right is Highlight

I wanted to write a review post for you but I need to see a doctor today. Oh it's nothing serious - it's just allergies! I've been putting off this visit since last year but I feel I need medication at this point. I don't know what I'm allergic to, just that sometimes I wake up with a runny nose, teary eyes, and crazy sneezing fits. My voice now sounds weird because my throat feels damaged with all the sneezing. My face hurts also when this happens. The quality of my life is already affected! So, I'm off to to Makati Med to look for an allergist or at least anyone who can prescribe something for this.

Anyway. I may have mentioned a few times on IG that I lost some weight. Did I do anything special? Yes, I started to draw and paint again! The more I used my hands, the less I ate. I realized that I eat when I'm bored or when I'm watching TV, so now I try not to get bored and I only watch shows during legit meal times. Simple no?