Ever since I saw makeup master Jigs Mayuga use a mixing palette and spatula at a workshop, I knew I NEEDED those things in my life. I'm not a makeup artist, right, but I love tinkering with makeup and having tools make the process more simple and enjoyable. I'm grateful to Sol of Digital Traincase, who generously gave me a MONDA Studio Mixing Palette (P520) and Spatula (P490) last Christmas!

Before we move forward, can I just say that Sol is one of those people I've been following for maybe half a decade now, even before her store became famous in the PH. She used to blog before, did you know that? She was passionate about nail polishes if I remember correctly. She has since channeled that passion into being one of the top (if not the top) online beauty retailers in the country, but she's still as nice and approachable as before.

I totally did not expect anything from her last Christmas. I didn't make parinig or anything - the package just suddenly arrived on my doorstep. She said it's to thank me for my support through the years, but IDK, it's not like I did a lot. I just love her brand of service and her constant eye out for new amazing things to bring here.

ANYWAY, end of cheese. Here's my review of these MONDA tools! 

I'll start with the palette. I think that if you love liquid and cream products, a mixing palette like this is indispensable. It allows you to customize wet foundations, concealers, blushes, illuminators, eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick etc. easily without wasting any product. Since it's made of stainless steel, you can warm the makeup with a touch of your hand under it. 

If you love applying eyeshadow, it's important to know how to do it correctly. Nothing pains me more than seeing a half-baked eyeshadow job - but then again, I've also been there. It's easy to watch tutorials and think we get it, but it's never that simple. Applying the same techniques to our own eye shape rarely gives us the same results. We need to practice and tweak those techniques until we get it right. Maybe you're not there yet but you will get there, like I eventually did!

Today I'd like to show you some palettes that I think would be perfect for eyeshadow newbies. The Beauty UK Posh Palette (P550 from Makeupholics) is affordable yet offers a nice selection of colors that are of fairly good quality, considering the price. I have here the three palettes: Eden, Masquerade, and Festival. You'll see the swatches later!

Quickly though, the Beauty UK Posh Palette has ten colors that are of varying pigmentation and smoothness. Some are really good while others can be patchy. In general though, most of the colors in Eden and Masquerade have great quality. Festival's matte brights are kinda uneven. This just means you need to wear a primer and to layer the colors carefully.

I highly recommend that you get Eden since it's the best out of the three in terms of quality, while Masquerade is also a good choice if you like silvery, dusky shades.

You're not a true-blue lipstick junkie unless you have the Japonesque 35-Well PRO Lipstick Palette (P1,450 at Digital Traincase). Okay, okay, I'm only half-kidding, but you have to admit that this is such a cool thing to have. Even Lisa Eldridge keeps a few of these! 

So what is it, really? It's a classy black box that has space for 35 lipsticks. It can also be used to store cream foundation if you wish, which makes it incredibly useful if you're a makeup artist. The case and mold is made of a thin, lightweight plastic, and is closed by a silver clasp.

I spent a whole morning selecting and depotting the 35 lipsticks that I wanted to put in this baby. It was a fun activity, albeit rather messy in the end!

If you ask me, I would rather just blog all day. I have so many exciting new finds as well as some random musings to share, but today is tight! I need to direct the shoot for a new batch of drinks for Dakasi (one of my clients) today. You must try the drinks soon, they are delicious, promise! 

Anyways I don't have much time so I thought I'd do a show and tell for today. Recently, I managed to fill up my large Wild Peach Cosmetics Customizable Palette. I put in all the nice blushes and random eyeshadows I could bear to depot. It was difficult because many of these come in pretty packaging - however, if I don't put them in one place I'd forget I have them! It's such a waste otherwise.

Have a look! I have also linked the reviews I've done on these, in case you're interested. ;) 

Whenever I use the Guerlain L'Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow (P2,998) I never fail to get compliments. People think I did something new with my skin or wore a new, more flattering blush. They say I look less tired. At first I thought that it's everything else but this palette, but now that I think about it I mostly get those sorts of compliments whenever I have it on.

So why?

Our eyes are the first things that other people look at when they see us. It's the focus of our whole face, the main feature by which our emotional and physical status are read. If your eyes and droopy and tired then your companion will think you're tired; if they are happy and bright, then you will appear to radiate that all over your face.

My theory is that the Guerlain Les Fauves palette is like "blush" for our eyes - it brightens and freshens that particular area with rich hues of coral, copper, and darkened champagne. They are warm and flattering (on me), as you can see here!

If you're very fair then this would be more of a smoky palette on you, but if you're mid to dark Asian like me then this brings out the golden tones of the skin juuuuust right.

It feels only yesterday when Majolica Majorca arrived in the Philippines, but did you know that it's been here for two years now? So much kawaii cuteness has been unleashed in that short amount of time! There's always something new to collect every quarter. ;) Now that the Japanese brand is celebrating its 10th year this 2013, expect even more covetable items than usual. 

Majolica Majorca has recently released its Spring Collection for 2013. Named Secret Blink, it's all about giving in to the whispers of your heart, of bold secrets that you can't dare speak of. Majo has always been an incurable romantic when it comes to its collections and that won't be changing anytime soon! Secret Blink features a limited edition rose gold case for the Skin Remaker, a Majoromantica scent, lash conditioner, new mascara, and a collectible palette.

I have three items from the collection, so here are quick reviews and swatches for you!

The Lash Expander was the first item I tried from Majolica Majorca, before the brand arrived here. I loved it because it lengthened my lashes and didn't smudge at all. This 2013, the Lash Expander shall be phased out and replaced with the improved Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister (P795).

Have you tried customizable palettes yet? They're a pretty cool tool for keeping your makeup in one place where you can see them. If you like to collect, I'm sure you know how it can be difficult to remember the stuff you actually have! Customized palettes are also useful to people who like to travel light, without the uneccessary clutter of bulky compacts.

Now there's a few of them special palettes floating around already, but I'd like to present a local and affordable brand: Wild Peach Cosmetics.

Magnetic palettes like this usually cost P500 to P900 a pop, but Wild Peach sells them at P280 (small) and P550 (large). That's quite a price cut from the competition, ha. I thought it would be flimsy when I found out! But contrary to my low expectations, WP palettes are excellently made with a little bit of heft. The cardboard material feels thick and sturdy, while the matte finish is quite classy in person (there's also a glossy finish but why bother haha).

Here's the small sized version in action. I have the large but I haven't photographed it yet! I'll blog about it when I've filled it up.

I've read good things about the L'Oreal Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation (or Lumi Magique in the US) and I'm so happy to announce that it's finally here in Manila! Lucent Magique is all about "light-infusion" or brightening, but without the obvious accompanying shimmer. I immediately used the foundation as soon as I got it, and mark my words, I sniff a new favorite low-cost base! 

The liquid foundation is only P845. Very, very affordable yet it feels so high end. It reminds me of the Lancome Teint Miracle, actually. Same finish but the Lancome I think is more long-lasting.

Another interesting product is the Lucent Magique Concealer Pen. It's only P545 and works much like my favorite Clinique Airbrush Concealer, although the peg is the YSL Touche Eclat.

The first few eyeshadow palettes I had featured explosions of color and shimmer that would make a transvestite proud. I had 120 and 88-color palettes and I loved them! Well, I still love colors and shimmer. But the older I get the more I realize how important it is to have dependable basics to work with. This doesn't just apply to clothes and shoes and bags. It's the exact same thing with makeup.

To create a great eyeshadow look, you need classic neutral shades as your base, contour, and highlight. Think of bright, shiny colors as the accessories in your eye makeup. They grab attention and express your mood as well they should. Neutrals, while meant to work hand in hand with colors, must do so in the background. Unless you're wearing them by themselves, of course.

The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (P1,600 at Stuff in Style) is perfect for a simple to smoky eye look on its own. It's also designed to be a sort of building block for creating more complex, colorful looks. These eyeshadows have great color pay-off and super smooth texture (as expected from Urban Decay), which means that they're quite easy to work with.

I like thinking of this palette as a little black dress - that one thing you can wear to practically anything!

Something about the cooler weather and the season makes me want to wear smoky eyes all the time. I've demonstrated how easy it is to do the look, so there's no excuse for me (and you!) not to wear it whenever I feel like it! Ha. One palette that makes smoky eyes incredibly easy is the Etude House Dolly 3-Step Eyes in Cute Doll (P648). It contains three eyeshadows that combine perfectly to give you the gradient smoky look.

The Cute Doll BR401 palette contains full-sized, super creamy matte eyeshadows in bone white, caramel, and charcoal brown.

Is it chocolate or is it makeup? The Shu Uemura Chocolat Donna Limited Edition palettes look good enough to eat! In fact I wanted to keep mine pristine so badly that I only used it a grand total of three times since I got it last July. I know it's silly, but if you had something this pretty you'd want to keep it new-looking for as long as you can.

Packaging aside, the eyeshadows can stand on their own. They're super creamy and pigmented, and the color selection is great too! The one I have, the Orange & Pistachio Palette has a glittery orange shade, a matte green, satin beige, taupe, chocolate brown, and dark brown all together. They don't have names, just numbers (1,2,3,4,5, and 6 respectively).

The best kind of eyeshadow palette is one where you can choose all the colors yourself. Agree/ agree? I've been collecting MAC eyeshadows in the 15-pan palette, but I haven't completed it yet considering it costs roughly P16,000 all things considered. I also have a Shu Uemura customizeable palette (one of my faves!) but it costs around P4,000 for a four-color case. Not too bad if you don't mind investing, but if you're a student on a budget, that can be unrealistic.

So when I was a student, guess what I got for myself? Artdeco eyeshadows! I think I had six of them back then. Since I was too cheap to buy the magnetic palette, I kept them in a small tin case that used to house chocolates. What can I say - when you're saving, you have to improvise!

That's not to say that Artdeco eyeshadows are cheap ha. They're still pricey at P350 each, with the palette selling for P450 (four slots, if I remember correctly).

In a day this gloomy and wet, it's hard to imagine that summer ever happened. But hey, that's not an excuse to come in to work (or wherever you're going) looking like a drowned rat! Or even a rat expecting to be drowned for that matter. Er. Well my point is that it's important to have some life and color on your face whatever the season is, which is where the Benefit Cabana Glama Makeup Kit (P2,000) comes in!

This palette has everything you need to fake that glowy summer tan. In keeping with my past experience with Benefit products, the items inside are well-formulated and designed to flatter. Here I will discuss them one by one!

Just a few years ago, a makeup junkie's options for awesome and affordable palettes were very limited. Thanks to online resellers though, we now have access to drugstore brands from other countries like NYX, Sleek, Models Own, and Beauty UK. Kids these days are lucky! :P

Anyway, one product that I've recently come across is the Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in Earth Child (P355 at The Makeup Suite). It's a set of smoky and earthy neutrals that should give you sultry eyes for a dressy day out.

What I love about the product

• All colors have high pigmentation. There are some chalky textures (the white and beige shades) but they still apply opaque.

I know how hard it is to shop for makeup on a budget. Even if we want to buy MAC or Urban Decay eyeshadows all the time, for example, it's just not practical for our wallet. That's why we should never dismiss drugstore products. Who knows, we just might find a pearl in the sea!

That said, Revlon eyeshadows have come a long way with the new reformulated ColorStay 16 Hour Quads (P550). These are surprisingly good - I would even say that some palettes are worth including in your must-have makeup kit. Here's why!

What I love about the product

• Fairly pigmented and color-true (meaning what you see is what you get) for most colors. Just use it over a base to maximize the pigmentation and lasting power.
• Great color combinations! They're not too common and plain, IMHO.

Sleek is the UK equivalent of NYX, and like NYX has gained popularity by offering affordable yet colorful and highly pigmented makeup. I first heard about it when raves of its eyeshadow palettes started circulating around the internet. Naturally I was curious, so I finally scored one for myself called the Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette in Me, Myself, and Eye (P650 in Digital Traincase).

The short of it is, it's pretty good! The color selection doesn't make sense to me but I actually like it that way. I already have so many color coordinated palettes so at this point I'm just looking for unique, stand-out colors I don't have yet. Me, Myself, and Eye definitely has those.

What I love about the product

• Colors, hands down. Salt N' Peppermint, Primal Green, Lilac Allen, Supernova, and Blue Monday are memorable shades you can build a whole look on!

Bed Head is famous for its hair care products, but did you know that they actually made makeup? Yes? Bah. I had no idea. When the brand sent me the Bed Head 4-Play Eyeshadow Palette, I thought it was going to be a crummy product simply because makeup wasn't their specialty. Buuut this palette is actually pretty good!

What I like most about this palette is how sophisticated its colors are. There's a dusky purple, a white gold, a taupe-purple, and a pretty pink in the mix. They're something you can wear for the day then intensify for night time. 

It was very difficult to narrow down my favorite eyeshadow palettes because there are so many great ones that I use regularly. But for the sake of curation, I just picked five palettes that I use the most. They're the kind of palettes that I wear without thinking, especially when I'm in a hurry! You'll notice a lot of neutrals going on there but believe me, they're quite different from one another.

Sigma Flare Eyeshadow Palette. Didn't like this so much initially, but it has the best purple eyeshadows I've ever had! They look great on me so I overlook the chalky formula. The eyeshadows are still pigmented anyway.

Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Palette in Sand. This is my foolproof palette - I can never go wrong wearing this. The eyeshadows are have a soft-focus finish so they don't take much effort to apply and correct. This is my favorite when I'm off to work stuff.

Brigitte is a true-blue makeup addict who started collecting, reading, then blogging about cosmetics a few years ago. Then, she moved on to study and practice makeup artistry professionally. Finally, she came out with her own cosmetics line called Beauty PRO Cosmetics only recently. If that's not passion, then I don't know what is!

I like to think of Beauty PRO as makeup made by a makeup addict for makeup addicts. It has the perfect pigmentation and texture, with carefully chosen colors that are designed to be wearable (the Sweet and Smoky palette) and exciting (Crazy Colour). Let's go through the pros and cons, shall we?

What I love about the product

• Beautiful colors that offer amazing color payoff. You don't need a base to make them pop out.

Surprise, surprise. This is me raving about IN2IT for the nth time! I can't help it, not when they have amazing products that can rival expensive brands for only a fraction of the price. Remember their blush, eyebrow powder, eyeliner, and foundation? I have them and they are all super products. This time, I want to talk about their new eyeshadow palette called the IN2IT Eye Colour Palette (P380).

Shade selection and texture. These palettes come in four variants that contain wearable, flattering shades that is obviously chosen for Asian skin. The eyeshadows have excellent pigmentation and far from being powdery and chalky. They do contain a bit of sparkle which makes them grittier than I woud like, but overall the texture is fine and silky.

Vibrancy and staying power. You can definitely use these without primer and they will come out vibrant. They will also stay in place, but do expect creasing if you have oily lids.