There is only so much you can learn from YouTube and beauty blogs. It's better to stand in front of a true artist and see how he does his fabulous tricks up close! That's why I always try to attend events where brands bring their own international makeup artists. There's always a new technique to see, a new style to absorb. I may not have formal training but I'm fortunate enough to be invited to witness these masters at work.

Last Saturday, I did just that. Gregory Arlt, the Director of Makeup Artistry for MAC Cosmetics, came to visit the Philippines to demonstrate new techniques and products. Gregory does the makeup of Dita Von Teese, Gwen Stefani, and Katy Perry to name a few. He's done covers, campaigns, and shows. I loved watching him since he was so eloquent and entertaining!

He showed us a simple, everyday look and a more glamorous yet understated evening look. You may have heard much of the advice if you already know the basics of makeup, but he also imparted a few lesser-known gems that I think would help all of us improve our daily makeup routine. Here they are!

Tip #1: Moisturize, prime, and spritz. What you wear under your makeup is just as important as what’s on top. Remember to use a brightening moisturizer, a smoothing primer, and a lip conditioner before you put on anything else. Spritz something like the MAC Fix+ to liven up your skin and plump it up. Your moisturizer and primer will seal that water in for better hydration throughout the day.

Tip #2: Use a flat foundation brush to apply heavy coverage powder foundation. You think you can only use THAT for liquid foundation? Think again! If you use powder foundation like the MAC Studio Fix, apply it with a paddle brush to get a finer, more precise coverage. We tend to slather it on with sponges and dense powder brushes, I know, which gets us a mask-like finish. Build it up patiently with a synthetic flat brush, like what Gregory did here.

I tried this at home with a loose foundation and it works!

My first visit to Japan last July was all about experiencing Shiseido's 140-year old heritage and consummate love for art. You saw how the brand evolved through the years and how it looks like today. You've read about the Shiseido Museum in Kakegawa, the Flagship Store, and the Parlour in Ginza. Now, I'd like to show you the Shiseido factory in Kakegawa, Shizuoka!

This is an exclusive feature as I am honored to be the first beauty blogger to tour this factory. I'm grateful to Shiseido for the opportunity, because they don't normally work with bloggers; they usually go with traditional media. I'm happy that they're beginning to support this medium! ^_^

Moving along! The Shiseido Factory in Kakegawa is about an hour and forty minutes from Tokyo by bullet train. It's a sprawling complex that produces Shiseido's makeup products, among them foundation, eyeshadow, and lipstick. If I remember correctly, each building is dedicated to making only one type of makeup!

Shiseido Philippines Brand Manager, Jen Jimenez-Yalung, with myself

The background is actually a mosaic of real eyeshadows

I'll be talking more about the production aspect of the brand on Part 2 of this post. For today, I'll be discussing one of the brand's latest projects: a test facility right inside the Kakegawa complex.

You might be thinking: a test facility? What? That's boring! Guys, it's not. This is my favorite part of the factory visit, actually. The test facility is further proof of Shiseido's commitment to excellence. It was built because they want only safe and reliable plant raw materials for their active ingredients. They seek only the highest quality ingredients which are traceable to the source.

This facility is a preview of the things to come in 2014. It's only a small area for now, but the plan is to re-create it in a larger scale should it prove successful! The photo above shows a cube where various conditions like temperature, irrigation, light intensity, and carbon dioxide are controlled to get the best possible harvest.

Here's what's inside!

It's the big beauty news last week: INGLOT, the Polish makeup brand that's famous for its Freedom System, is finally here in Manila! You can find it inside Glorietta 5 right beside Starbucks. ^_^ 

INGLOT positions itself as a professional makeup brand, with a dizzying selection of colors and heavy coverage face bases that makeup artists will love to use. Of course, if you just love makeup and collecting amazing stuff, then INGLOT is also an addictive choice. I mean just look at all those gorgeous colors!

The brand boasts of its Freedom System where you can buy magnetized palettes with two to 40 slots. Fill these up with eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushes, eyebrow powder/wax, and concealers for a fully customized makeup collection! Better yet, you can switch out the products whenever you need to since they're only held down by magnets; you just need to flip them out with a pin or toothpick. 

The empty palettes cost P495 for two slots, P595 for three, P695 for four, P895 for five, P1,395 for 10, P2,395 for 20, and P3,895 for 40.

A month or so ago Sol of Digital Traincase invited me to her first-ever event: a personal makeup workshop with THE Jigs Mayuga! As you know Jigs is one of the country's premier makeup artists, working with no less than the most sought-after celebrities, brands, and magazines. To be part of his personal makeup class is a great opportunity to learn from the master!

Did you know that Jigs used to work as an airline attendant? Unfortunately, he was laid off when the airline experienced difficulties at that time. Instead of feeling sorry for himself though, Jigs took it as a sign to finally pursue the thing he loved the most: makeup artistry.

So, he took his savings and invested the money on a cosmetology course at the Center for Aesthetic Studies in Makati. He eventually got hired by L'Oreal to manage a Shu Uemura counter in 2005, and then a year or so later got promoted as Chief Makeup Artist for L'Oreal Paris. How's that for turning your lemons into lemonade?

It's so easy to get caught up with everything that's wrong with your life. It's also equally easy for people to lecture you that there's always a silver lining, that there's a positive side to things. But I guess that the most useful truth to remember is this: nothing is permanent. Not your relationships, not your problems, and not your life, even. Everything ends eventually. You can either look forward to the ending, or to the beginning of something new and perhaps even better. 

You just need to hold on and enjoy the ride. :)

Moving on! This picture was taken during the event I organized for Ellana Minerals. It's a candid shot of me by Yuki being stuck to my phone as usual - I should put it down more often, I know. It was a looooong but super fun day that I hope won't be happening again any time soon. :P Events are only fabulous when you're attending them; making them happen is a completely different planet. Nay, galaxy!

Photo credit: Yuki Tansengco

If you've been following my Instagram (@lizlanuzo), you may have read that Ellana recently hired me to work on their branding and marketing. I'm ecstatic about this partnership because I'm a huge fan of the Ellana mineral foundation since I was in college. I went through jars and jars of that stuff! Not kidding. It was the best thing I could afford then - imagine, pure mineral makeup for only P400? MMU that has heavy coverage and great staying power? It was my acne-prone college self's perfect base!

MAC's latest collection brings the holidays to a fever pitch - of the disco persuasion. (I thought about this line for one whole day, because I'll be damned if I didn't put "disco" and "fever" in my opening sentence.)

Anyway! Divine Night is MAC's flagship collection this season, dominated by rich shades of gold, bronze, plum, and pink champagne. The look is composed of a fierce darkened eye, stark contour, and a dirty plum lip - a very modern discotheque vibe. Check out the photos from the super fun launch that happened last week!

Divine ladies: Ria Bolivar, Catriona Grey, Jessica Yang, and Ella Pap

Play area

Times are long past when girls literally used tape to create double eyelids. These days, we have flexible and almost invisible glues to create bigger eyes and that deep crease! K-Palette Philippines recently launched one of the brand's best-selling products in Japan: the Real Lasting Mega Cute Double Eyelid Tape and Glue (both P695 at Beauty Bar).

What's the difference between the Orange (tape type) and Pink (glue type)? The Orange tape is applied all over the lid to create a deeper-looking lid. It has some shimmer to it and can even be used as an eyeshadow primer as long as you're wearing it. The tape can even be worn by double-lidded girls who just want more definition on their eyes.

The Pink glue is for creating a more enhanced crease. It's meant to be applied right where the crease meets the lids, in one thin line. You get a white plastic wand to hold your skin in place while the glue is drying. Aside from faking that crease, the Pink glue can also be used as false lash glue.

Orange tape vs Pink glue

Both types are completely transparent when dry. They are also waterproof - for real! They didn't budge from my hand for almost two days until I peeled them off! They also truly glued the lids together when I tried them.

Last September 26, I had the privilege of holding my first formal beauty workshop at Solaire Resort & Casino. I've held workshops before but I always considered them to be casual (well, as casual as these things could go!). This particular occasion was extremely nerve-wracking because I was so afraid of making a mistake!

I represented Beauty Box Corp, the company of my good friend Cheryl. Beauty Box is the official distributor of K-Palette, Fairydrops, Cure, and Fuwarie - all awesome Japanese brands that I've raved about in the past. I truly, truly believe in these products. I use them all the time! Maybe that's why Cheryl hired me for the job, haha.

I've already worked with Cheryl sometime last July, when we shot marketing collaterals for her brands. I produced and directed the shoot that time. I had so much fun working on that one mainly because Cheryl and I understand each other well, and my creative team are people I've worked with several times in the past. Well, I guess that's a story for another day.

Anyway! The workshop was part of the Solaire Image Week, which aimed to enrich the beauty knowledge of Solaire's employees. It was an initiative by Charmagne Garcia-Laconico, Solaire's Image Consultant and also Metro Magazine's Beauty Editor. I think it's a great idea for companies who need their employees to look as beautiful, confident, and competent as possible. Those in the hospitality, beauty, and any sales-oriented business would especially benefit from beauty workshops like this!

I think my workshop went well, although I didn't expect it to drag on for two hours per session.

I have a love/hate relationship with SM Aura. I hate that the food choices are limited (as are seats during the weekend) and that the cinemas are almost always full. Seriously what's the point of having an IMAX theater near me when it's fully booked most of the time? I love the SM Store - so many well-curated items in there - but it's also limited. 

Still, the shopping at SM Aura blows High Street, Serendra, and Market! Market! out of the water. Before I would need to go to Makati to shop at stores like Forever 21, Uniqlo, Miss Selfridge, and Bershka. Now all that is 10 minutes away! I also love Suite Blanco (it's like a much cheaper Zara) and L'Indochine. 

Aside from clothes though, beauty shopping at SM Aura is also leveling up. The SM Beauty and Watsons there have excellent drugstore selections, but I love that MAC is also now available in the mall.

It's a huuuuge store, bigger than the one in Rockwell I think. It's all gleaming black surfaces and bright lights, as if you're in a real studio. The latest collections are also available there - check out these palettes!

The MAC Illustrated Ccllection by Rebecca Moses features limited edition kits and palettes. The palette containing the blush, four eyeshadows, and two lip colors retail for about P3,000. Not bad!

Here are more photos from the event!

I feel extremely foolish for forgetting this, so I am sorry in advance for the very short notice! Mira (Clinique's Marketing Manager) and I have been planning this for a while! I will be hosting a small afternoon soiree at Clinique in SM Aura this Saturday, August 31, from 2-5 PM. Nibbles will be available, and the confirmed guests will receive a gift from Clinique. 

There will be a short personal makeup workshop featuring Clinique's best-selling products. All attendees can also avail of a free facial right there in the store. Then, we'll have a fun activity where you guys can win full-sized goodies. ;) It's going to be awesome!

So, if you don't have plans this Saturday and would like to be part of this exclusive gathering of beauty fans, please do let me know if you can come. Just email your name and mobile number to lizlanuzo [at] projectvanity.com! The first 14 who confirm will be automatically included in the guest list. As a kindness to those who are truly interested, please only email me if you can make it for sure. Thank you so much and see you then!

Next announcement! The Clinique Bonus will be happening again this September. You'll get a set of deluxe samples free with your single receipt purchase of 4,500 from September 1 to 15, 2013, while supplies last. If you step up your purchase to P5,000, you'll receive a Clinique tote bag (one per customer).

Here are more deets on what's inside the Clinique Bonus set!

The Avon Brochure is like an ever-changing, fast-paced shopping mall on paper. There's always something new to look forward to every two weeks, new products and promos that are sure to trigger the shopaholic in each of us. My mom and I love shopping the brochure especially since she's an Avon lady. She doesn't sell but she gets an amazing discount for every purchase! ;) Is that awesome or what? 

Solenn Heussaff for Avon

Anyhoo, today I want to give you a preview of Avon's current and upcoming intimate apparel and jewelry collections. There was a big fashion show held at SM Aura SMX some weeks back, showcasing all the new things to watch out for in your biweekly Avon brochure. The brand also introduced the popular and gorgeous Solenn Heussaff as their new jewelry endorser. Check it out!

Lizbeth Bra

Claudette Bra

Marsha Bra

Last Thursday the Philippine press had the privilege of being one of the first in the world to see Shiseido's latest skincare line. The presentation was held at the Shiseido headquarters in Tokyo, and boy was it such an eye-opening hour and a half! The Japanese principals first discussed their research findings on the new generation - their motives, aspirations, and lifestyle trends.

The Shiseido headquarters

Did you know that in Japan, the average age is 46 versus the Philippines' 21 years old? The Japanese opt to make fewer and fewer children, and this has brought a lot of uncertainty to those in their early 20s and 30s. Instead of being with family that is directly related to one another, there is now what is called a "happy collective". Young people would forge solid relationships with those their own age, to sort of take away the loneliness of living alone, which appears to be the custom in Japan.

Shibuya, the pulse of Tokyo

There is also an emerging middle class that prioritizes not only value in their purchases, but in also patronizing a brand that they can relate with. The relationship is more like a patron supporting an artist.

The world is a huge place but there are two cities that I want to see in my lifetime: Tokyo and Paris. I have always assumed that I will be able to visit them when I'm 30 or something - traveling in your early twenties while paying rent in an upscale city, well, it doesn't compute. But thanks to Shiseido I had the opportunity to see Tokyo last week. I'll be sharing with you some of the beautiful sights to be found in this mega city, as well as the latest innovation from Shiseido!

But wait, why did the brand decide to bring the press to Japan instead of just holding the usual launch? The new line of products is a special step for them, they explained, because it is the first time that they'll be tapping the younger generation. Shiseido is thought of as catering to an older market, but they want to change that.

They wanted us to experience Tokyo - the luxe yet composed atmosphere of Ginza (the business district), the healing environment of the Meiji Jingu Shrine (a forest in the middle of the city), and the electrifying, high-energy streets of Harajuku and Shibuya (food and fashion reign supreme). We also visited the Shiseido Museum in Kakegawa, and where it all began in 1897 - the Shiseido Parlour and the Shiseido flagship store along the Ginza strip.

By visiting all these places, we are able to understand the brand at a deeper level. We have seen Shiseido's awe-inspiring past, its present, and perhaps even its future. Are you ready to see it as well? 

Let's go on a trip! :)

This week was supposed to be Skincare Week but with an impending trip I wasn't able to photograph everything in time! Oh well. I'll have a proper themed week next week once everything has settled down. ^_^ For today I will talk about the latest innovation from Clinique - a fresh take, rather, of one of their most-loved products of all time!

Clinique recently held an intimate and utterly dainty event at R-Space, Makati. The whole area was lit up in a soft honey glow, with accents of yellow on a cream background. It's such a lovingly styled event - something I always appreciate as it helps me sort of "feel" the brand better. I mean I know what it is and what kind of products it makes, but I am out for the story - not for a plain catalogue.

Clinique has always been known as a sort of clinical skincare brand. Modern, ascetic even. This time it is presenting a warmer, happier face to the world. Clinique loves good skin, but now it's all about good skin with a smile. :)

M.A.C usually has a release or two every month which reflects the trends of the season. This June, where it's summer in the U.S., M.A.C presents Temperature Rising, a sizzling collection that is inspired by steamy summer nights and sweaty bronzed skin. The collection is all about warm, smoky colors with well-placed dazzle and requisite brights - the M.A.C trademark, of course!

The Philippine launch happened last Saturday at Rustan's Glorietta. One of the country's top models, Jessica Yang, graced the event. A M.A.C makeup artist demonstrated the scorching hot look of Temperature Rising using the products from the collection while a DJ scratched tunes in the background.

Here's a demo of the look, in photos! Later on you'll see a few swatches I've done on the lipsticks. 

Are you loving the cooler weather lately? It's still hot, but at least it's not scorching hot! I would sometimes go out at 8am to walk my dog and already the sun was unbearable. But now there's a cool wind blowing, the sun is bright but not burning. Perfect!

A change in the weather means a change in your wardrobe. We're in a tropical country so floral prints, bright colors, or anything short and airy are du jour, but I'm sure you also get bored wearing the same things. It's always a relief to get the chance to layer clothes and wear sweaters again.

If you're looking a for some inspiration on what to wear this rainy season, check out these new pieces from Penshoppe! This is what they presented at the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week. I got to attend the show and it was pretty fun (albeit over in like 15 minutes). These looks are great for everyday shindigs, with a street smart edge to them. Have a look!

Sugar, spice, and everything nice would be the best words to describe MAC's latest collection: Baking Beauties! I like that it's not overly saccharine with the pink, cream, and mint; the dark lipstick and luscious new Paint Pot shades are an interesting contrast to what could've been a bland sweets-inspired collection. 

I managed to attend the launch of this collection in Glorietta two Sundays ago, so I have some pictures of the demo! (Don't worry, the rest of the branches only had BB last weekend). The makeup artist, Noel, did the Baking Beauties look on the model of the day. That would be dramatic chocolate eyes and a pale pink lip, same as the promo images.

Bare faced and ready to go

The Paint Pot in Eclair was applied all over the lid, almost up to the browbone.

I've been to a lot of parties and even throw some (modest ones) myself, but nobody - and I mean nobody - does parties like MAC. A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to attend the MAC Archie's Girls collection launch. In keeping with the well-loved comics' setting, the Mall of Asia activity center was transformed into a 50's paradise. There were sock hop dancers, vintage-y music, a jukebox, and a kissing booth. The food was right on theme as well with soda floats, burgers and fries, and mini desserts!

But of course the real star of the event was the eternal love triangle - Archie and his girls, Betty and Veronica. MAC released the Archie's Girls collection with two sub-categories. Betty had light, girl-next-door makeup, whereas Veronica had daring and vampy colors fit for boyfriend stealin'.