Yesterday I was at a lunch meeting with an editor from Working Mom, along with my boss from Pinkbox.

We were happily chatting when Liz Uy and Raymond Gutierrez (who btw truly lost a lot of weight, as advertised!) walked into the restaurant. My boss is interested in working with Liz Uy, so I got up, chatted with her a bit, and asked for her number. I was SO SHY about the whole thing!

I was surfing through the interwebs yesterday when I saw a young personal blogger wearing a questionable outfit. I won't go into details but the look is so wrong on so many levels! I'm not being mean or trying to position myself as a fashion expert, but I will think of myself as sensible when it comes to clothes. And the things that I am seeing some young women wear these days do not make a lot of sense.

I wore this when I met Daniel Matsunaga last year. I wish. I didn't.

I know I've worn some questionable outfits in the past myself (above), but I have learned not to repeat my mistakes thanks to some people's catty comments. Criticism is painful - often unbearably so - but they need to be said and heard if anyone is to move forward. And this is what I think about the fashion blogger culture and their truckloads of followers.

Do not aspire to (e.g. copy) everything that fashion bloggers show you. That sounds harsh, but again, I am not trying to be mean. Famous fashion bloggers are famous for a bunch of reasons - they are pretty, with (usually) svelte and willowy figures, and they are one step ahead of local trends.

If you are not any of those things, then restrain yourself from copping all their looks.

I was going through my traffic stats when I noticed that a lot of people were coming in from a US website/forum called Makeupalley. In case you don't know - I love Makeupalley! It's a sort of bible for me, my ultimate reference when it comes to information about products I want to buy or review. So, it's a big deal for me that one of my links is over there. 

Of course I clicked to the page where the link is. Apparently, it's a forum thread about guesses on how old I am. The general consensus is that I am in my thirties, although a couple of people threw in some forties guesses. The guesses were based on this post. 

I was mortified! At first. I know I look quite mature for my age, but I always thought the general perception is that I am in my mid to late twenties.

Last Christmas, my boss from Pinkbox gave me this lovely jewelry box as a gift. You know how I'm such a sucker for boxes so I shall say no more!

Many of my relatives wonder why I choose to stay in the Philippines when I could have looked for other opportunities abroad. Call it the University of the Philippines brainwashing (lol) but I would like to live and die here! Ask me again in ten years - I might change my mind - but right now I'm happy where I am and I can't see any reason for me to leave the country indefinitely.

The new Department of Tourism slogan courtesy of BBDO-Guerrero

I would LOVE to travel more, sure, but I want to stay here. I love the Philippines. For serious. It's beautiful, but more importantly, it's a free country.

Hand sanitizers are a dime a dozen these days, but have you come across one that's is dispensed as a foam and turns into a light lotion? I don't think so! That's what makes the Snoe Fizzy Clean Hand Sanitizer line relatively unique. It cleans hands while moisturizing them at the same time. It's a little sticky at first, but once it dries, the stickiness disappears.

I like the green tea scent - it's subtle and a little sweet, like herbal candy. Packaging-wise, it's basic and a bit haphazard, but for hand sanitizer, who minds?

People on Twitter are ranting that Jinkee’s cover is ‘shopped so heavily that it doesn’t even look like her. It’s true, it’s Photoshopped to the nines, but not in the way of drastically altering her face. I mean, the woman is naturally pretty and is even looking better these days. Gorgeous makeup and strategic posing can go a long way in making a person look different on camera you know!

I do think they sharpened her jawline and lengthened her neck a little bit, but that’s it for changing her appearance. What annoys me most about the cover photo is how airbrushed and fake it looks. Why did they have to make it look like her skin is painted on when it already looks fine? Yeah Jinkee has some rough pores and maybe a couple of pimples but that can be softened without having the whole thing look too unrealistic.

Mega posted a behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot last night, but it appears that the video has been taken down. Haha. Good thing I managed to take some screencaps last night! It's now back up! Watch it.

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!

I like, nay, LOVE boxes. It's a good thing that my line of work ensures that I recieve boxes regularly. Wait, that can be a bad thing. I don't know. It doesn't matter!

Ok, before I start babbling endlessly I just want to share some of my new boxes and how I've recycled them.

I recieved this vintagey box from the Belo team (thanks Denise!). It's actually the same box that Ferretti in Glorietta uses to house accessories! It's cute and it's roomy. I decided to use it for storing products I have yet to review since it's easier to keep track of them this way.

A lot of people have been doing this lately, and so I decided to join the bandwagon. Lol. It's fun! I've actually done it already last year. However, a lot of things has changed since then, so my bag also "evolved" along with them.

What's in my bag depends on what kind of bag I'm using (which in turn depends on my outfit), what I need to do that day, and where I'm going. Yesterday, I was in the office for a presentation, so I didn't wear much makeup. I decided to bring a makeup kit so I can do a full face for a media event I'll be attending later in the evening.

Forever 21 shades, Majolica Majorca makeup kit, alcohol, mint gum, keys, Tony Moly pressed powder, Estee Lauder Sensuous, wallet, iPad (forgot to add the Blackberry in the photo)

As with last year, I still don't bring a makeup kit on a regular basis, but I sometimes do when the need arises.

Marco and I have always talked about getting a dog, but we never got around to actually pushing through with it. We live in a condo with rather strict pet rules, plus our schedule can be unpredictable sometimes! All the logical reasons point us toward NOT getting a dog. But last Saturday, we did not listen to reason.

I was in Tiendesitas, having a late lunch after a meeting. I knew that Marco was passing my way so I waited for him to pick me up. I've never EVER been to Tiendesitas before (I know, I know), so I took the opportunity to explore what the fabled shops have to offer.

I saw this Pomeranian.

There were lots of dogs everywhere, but they weren't interested in me, nor I with them. I wasn't looking to buy a dog to begin with. But when I met this Pomeranian puppy, he looked so happy to see me and immediately held his paws out of the cage. He also put his nose out so I can pat his head. We spent a few minutes like that, but I had to go since I knew I couldn't afford him right now.

You know, outside of my job and this blog, I don't have much of a social life. Sometimes I mind so I end up going out, shopping and eating a fancy meal by myself - come to think of it that's rather counterintuitive, no? I just get more bothered. But sometimes, like today, I'd rather just stay home and apply myself to quieter pursuits. It's more fulfilling and ultimately less painful on my wallet lol.

I got two new books from Fully Booked the other day: One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell and Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King.

With One Fifth Avenue, I was looking for the usual chic lit stuff: witty if not funny, romantic, a little slapstick, escapist to the core. But the book comes off as a pretentious commentary on the lives of the rich and famous in New York.

It's time to put a little perspective to all the reviews I've been posting! Starting this September, I'll be sharing my top 10 best finds for the month. These are the products that I've been using heavily, the kind of stuff that I don't mind purchasing when they run out (ceteris paribus - all things remaining constant). In other words, these are the things I can swear by.

Here goes!

The Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash is a total savior. Don't get me wrong, I still use my Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (Oily Skin Formula). But since my skin is really, REALLY dry lately due to the acne serums I've been using, I need to use a more moisturizing facial wash that doesn't completely strip my face of oil. That's where Sebamed comes in. I love it with all my heart.

I've been using the Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++ since May but given that I only wrote about it yesterday, it's included in my September list. It's awesome. Read the review!

The Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator conceals and heals. When I stopped using it for a week, my eyes hated me! 

Not makeup, that's for sure! Last Thursday, I had a very memorable afternoon at the Jane Iredale store in Evekal Building, Makati. The 100% pure mineral makeup brand is remarkable by itself (will talk about that soon), but what really sealed that day in my mind is the food. Yes, food. Stephanie Zubiri's Modern Epicurean Kitchen was the caterer that day and my god the food was good.

Jane Iredale store

Glorious food

I'm not a food writer so I don't have the vocab and know-how to rhapsodize about the dishes properly, but I hope the fact that I wrote about food here will convince you of its greatness.

Last night, Anna of Vogue Concepts dropped these Yves Rocher goodies by our place. I've been feeling a little down because my face is a mess and I can't stop touching it (!) so this gift cheered me up big time!

Quick recap: Yves Rocher is a brand founded in 1959 that's all about botanical beauty. Botanical beauty, what? It means that all their products are heavily based on plants with beautifying properties. They grow, harvest, manufacture, and distribute their own products from France. It's a one-stop store that has everything for your hair, body, face, and makeup needs. The prices are friendly too!

Out of all the stuff I got, I'm most interested in the Yves Rocher Couleurs Nature concealer kit (oh, you know me and concealers) and the Jardins du Monde Ylang-ylang body wash.

I've received a lot of inquiries from readers about the contact lenses that I use. If you've seen any of my FOTDs, you'd have noticed the nice greenish tint of my eyes! I used to wear only clear lenses but I found that boring. Besides, colored contact lenses can be worn for up to three months, whereas most clear lenses are only good for a month. I'm waaay too lazy to visit the optical store every month so colored lenses are a more practical option.

So! I bought these contact lenses at Executive Optical. They're called Flexwear Colors and are surprisingly cheap at only P650 a pair. Did I say they were graded, too? They're really affordable. I used to buy my clear contact lenses at Sarabia, but they cost around P600 for a pair. At EO, the clear lenses are only P200 (I think).

I just tune out on most weekends. As in, I try not to think or do anything that doesn't involve eating, reading, watching or shopping. And maybe checking this blog once in a while. Hehe. Anyway, I just want to share the stuff I can't live without lately, especially during weekends if ever I can be convinced to go out of the house.

I recently got these cheap shades from Forever 21. They were on 30% off, too! I don't get buying shades that costs more than P500. As long as shades shield my eyes from the sun and look good with my face shape, I don't know why I should spend more when I can spend less. But maybe I'm just ignorant? I don't know! Anyway I like this pair because of the vintage-y shape.

I've had these Ferretti espadrilles since, oh, July. I've been meaning to write a full blog post about them, but I never can seem to get a nice outfit photo with it! I do wear this pair all the time though.