These days I am scrabbling for time to properly blog. :( I want to write more how-tos and tips, but those usually take me a good two hours to do. So, for the meantime, I'll be doing rapid-fire posts instead.

Snaps watching over my stuff as they wait to be photographed.

I just finished with a massive product photo session so I'd like to give you an idea of what I'll be writing about in the coming weeks!

Benefit Hervana blush. This much-awaited blush is much-awaited for a reason.

Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. Awesome stuff, this from a girl who is super picky about moisturizers.

Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter. Cream-to-powder illuminator that doesn't look weird.

Lancome Teint Miracle. "Light creator" sums up what it does!

Going inside Rustan's and inquiring about prices is nerve-wracking: agree or disagree? Call it shallow but checking out the luxury store was so intimidating when I was still in college! I knew I couldn't afford most of the things there, so I was quite shy and a bit scared to look and ask around. I couldn't bear the thought of being ignored or looked down on.

Now that I'm working though I am less intimidated. :P Once I was over my insecurity I found out that I was wrong about them. The people in Rustan's are actually super nice and always helpful! I love the attendants in the Clinique counter, as well as in Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, NARS, Paul & Joe, and Laura Mercier - the ones in Rustan's Makati, where I always visit. They're very warm, easy to talk to, and I never felt unwelcome.

Anyway! I just wanted to share the new website called the Rustan's Beauty Source. At first I thought it was an online store like Beauty Bar, but it's actually more of an online catalogue with photos and prices.

It's the first day of December today - the last month of the year! Omg! I can't believe that 2011 is coming to a close. But before we all reflect on that important bit of news, let's all look into the upcoming bazaars this month. It's time to get your shopping claws (and eco bags!) ready as cool deals and finds flood the metro.

The Moonlit Bazaar at Rockwell Tent will be resuming for the next two weekends of December. Fashion fiends will love the great buys there, but if you're a true beauty addict, you MUST visit Digital Traincase's booth! That's the best place to buy affordable NYX, Milani, and Sleek makeup.

Benefit is a wildly popular brand worldwide, not just because of their cheeky names and packaging but also because their products deliver exactly what they promise. Ever heard of Benetint? This cult classic has actually been around since the 70s, when twins Jean and Jane Ford started a backyard business selling cosmetics. Over the years, it has become one of the most well-known cheek colors and one of Benefit's top-selling products.

The brand is finally arriving in the Philippines this December 15, and I want to show you what to expect! Think cute and vintage-y interiors, our fave Benefit products (of course), and friendly prices that matches Hong Kong's. Yes, the Benefit here is reasonably priced and is actually cheaper than in Singapore! You can check out the complete price list at the end of this post.

Okay, ready to see what happened at the blogger sneak peek in the Benefit office? Here goes!

The last time I've used Smashbox was waaay back in 2009. Hoping to remedy that with some of the new products from the brand! Here's a quick peek plus a bit of info about these beauties.

Smashbox Studio Skin 15-Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation (P2,100) - Blurs imperfections using light diffusing spheres and delivers natural-looking, buildable medium-to-full coverage while keeping skin hydrated and shine-free all day.

Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer (P2,050) - This formula delivers the perfect amount of luminosity to the skin while also extending the wear of foundation and filling in lines and pores.

Hey folks! Just wanna share some news from my end of the world. Quick lang.

Check out how I did my fall look over at Miss Match. Wait, what's Miss Match? It's a cyber-styling website that has locally available fashion and beauty stuff you can play with! It's like Looklet and Polyvore, but it's proudly Pinoy-made. I love how it has prices of the products, too, so it's also a sort of catalogue shopping but with a huge number of different brands.

Eco bags are not just a passing trend. They're more convenient to use than plastic bags, inexpensive, environment-friendly, and donates to charity! One of the latest bags to hit the market is the Grubbies Eco Bag.

Who here loves MAC? (Me, me!) Okay. Now that we know who you are, I'd like to share a new tidbit from the brand: they've brought their best-selling and cult favorite products back to Manila! Yes, lipsticks like Rebel, Peachstock, Ruby Woo, and other formerly out-of-stock blush and eyeshadow shades are back at MAC.

You don't have to go to Hong Kong or duty-free malls just so you can score your favorite MAC product since they're most likely now available locally.

They did it because, well, that's what you wanted! MAC Philippines listens. So if you have any more requests, inquiries, feedback, or even complaints, you can leave them here and I'm sure MAC will read them. :)

Okay, so here are some of the newly restocked products at MAC:

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.

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.

When I was younger, I was very reckless about using skincare products. I thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" Indeed, what? I found out the hard way after allergic reactions and several breakouts later. Thus, I've taken to reading (or at the very least, scanning) the label of each product I use. You'll also notice that in most of my skincare and makeup reviews, I provide a snap of the ingredients (when applicable).

I usually Google the ingredients I'm concerned about. Now if you've tried doing that before, you'll notice that getting the results you want can be a challenge. The EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is very helpful, but you'll have to wade through a lot of data to get the info you need. I also like Cosdna since it's more straightforward, but it's not as comprehensive as EWG. 

So where else can we go? Fortunately, Human Heart Nature decided to develop an app that functions as an ingredients database.

The great thing about makeup is that there is no one way to do it right. Each makeup artist has her own set of techniques and picks up new ones along the way from different sources. Brands, too. You'll notice that each beauty brand has its own story - mission and vision, if you will - and this is reflected in every product they release and makeup looks they create.

Shu Uemura is famous for its clean, colorful, and whimsical makeup that can go dramatic if the occasion calls for it. The colors are applied on a fresh, dewy face, and while the intensity of the shades vary they never smother the wearer's natural beauty. Shu Uemura is definitely one of the few names who are consistent with their "brand look"!

Amazing right? If you want to learn Shu Uemura's techniques, they're now offering a certificate makeup class at their Rockwell studio. The 9-hour course is divided into 3-hour classes, to be held within a week. Each class will only have six students to guarantee hands-on teaching. Best yet, the whole thing is only P5,000 at Dealgrocer.com (discounted from P10,000)!

Shu Uemura's classy studio in their Rockwell branch