I've heard that Rustan's in EDSA Shangri-La has undergone a renovation. True enough, the place looks so chica now! I remember it being a bit gloomy and admittedly shabby before. Now it's bright, fresh, with gleaming counters and warm beauty assistants.

Last Saturday, I went there to check out Estee Lauder's new counter. What can I say - they really outdid themselves this time! They're occupying a big space near the entrance, complete with a lounge and a long table for anyone who wants to play with EL makeup.

Feeling like a queen. Lol!

The place looks so posh and worthy of Estee Lauder as a premium brand. After touring it, I settled down to listen to a cool and fairly new makeup tip that EL shared to us beauty bloggers. It's called their 4-step Simple Smoky eyes inspired directly by EL's creative makeup director, Tom Pecheux.

Hi Julia! :D

Step 1: With a generous amount of eyeliner, draw a circle on the back of your hand about an inch across.

I get a lot of questions from girls who are just starting to discover makeup. "What do I need to buy first?" they ask. I have actually answered this several times in the past but I thought I would update my list to also include must-have tools.

So, if you have absolutely no knowledge of makeup or if you want to build a kit that has the absolute minimum items, this post is for you! This is everything you need to achieve a flawless, no-makeup look that can be amplified with bright, eye-catching lips depending on where you're going.

1 - Concealer brush from Charm. This is for applying concealer on small blemishes and eyebags.

2 - Flat-top brush from Charm. This is for buffing in foundation if you don't want to use a sponge. For heavier coverage, you can apply some concealer on your face then buff it in with this brush to cover large, uneven areas.

3 - Concealer for blemishes and undereyes. I think the Cinema Secrets Foundation Palette #2 is an absolute must-have. It can be used as a foundation or as a concealer, depending on how opaque you want to go.

Oh, if we all woke up with perfect skin then the beauty industry would be out of business. We'd be cleansing our faces with only water, wearing only sunlight and a smile when we go out. But that's not meant to be, at least for me. I have several blemishes that need to be covered up while they're fading to oblivion. 

Blemishes? What blemishes, you ask? Well, you can't see them because I am somewhat of a camouflage expert. Teehee. Modesty aside I know quite a few tricks about faking flawless skin so today I'm going to share them with you! You'll find them useful if you have rough and uneven skin that may have acne/blemishes. Also, if you need heavy and long-lasting coverage.

If you already have good skin, go on your way and put my envy in your pocket!

What type of foundation should you use for maximum coverage and comfort?

Invest in a good liquid foundation that matches your skin and your skin type perfectly. Not BB cream, powder, or cream foundation. Liquid foundation. Out of all the foundation types I've tried, liquid has the best, more natural looking coverage that has a version for all skin types (dry to oily). 

Read my top six foundation picks to see recommendations!

How to apply the foundation

With a stippling brush (I'm using the one from Charm), dot or pat the foundation on the outer sides of your face moving inwards.  You can swipe the brush to blend it better. Apply a heavy layer (as needed) on the outer area of your face, not on the T-zone as most people would recommend. Why? Because the fringes of our face like the sides of the cheeks and chin tend to break out/ blemish more.

It's so fun when people leave interesting questions! It gets my brain working and compels me to do some research. In my legs post, one reader asked me about high heels. She said:

Hi, I've been always meaning to buy heeled shoes but I've never really gotten to wearing them...I just can't last wearing heeled shoes for prolonged periods of time (prolonged period = 1 hour or more). Is there a tip you can give on how to last in heels? Or am i just wearing the wrong kind of shoe? Are there heels that are actually comfortable? Thanks!

Walking and enduring high heels is like writing or learning how to bike - once you get the hang of it, you can't unlearn it. It just becomes an automatic skill! It's only difficult in the beginning but trust me, once you're past the initial barrier of pain and suffering, you will find your balance and a level of comfort.

Why wear heels anyway? Heels can instantly make your legs look longer, your butt perkier, and your back straighter. You will also be forced to take smaller, slower steps, so you look more graceful and poised.

I received an interesting question on my Kiehl's post last week. Says Dewi:

Hi liz! I'm really clueless about skincare... I'm in my mid 20s and my only regimen is cleanse, tone, sunblock (AM) and eye cream. Do i really need a serum especially kasi acne prone ako? I'm afraid na serums might cause me to break out or be more oily! Help! 

Oh, you! You're not clueless about skincare at all. You have the basics down pat, although I would recommend that you invest in a good night moisturizer to keep your skin supple. I don't think that a sunblock is enough to maintain your skin's moisture barrier (and by extension, its elasticity) since you're probably using something that's very light.

I do think that everyone should moisturize their skin at night, especially if they have a fan or an aircon unit in their room. These appliances can dry up our skin much more than we think. Besides, night time is the best time to heal our skin from the day's stresses (like pollution, sun exposure, etc). Most moisturizers - especially those designed for evening use - have the basic properties to recharge your skin for the day ahead.

A good pair of heels can make your legs go a loooong way. The heels don't even have to be particularly high! Here are some visual tricks to make your gams look longer: 

• Wear strappy heels, preferably one that has an ankle strap. This slims your feet and ankles.
• Nude-colored shoes blend with your skin, fooling people that there's more flesh exposed, therefore your legs look leaner.

Scenario: It's a busy weekend and you're out with your friends during the day, maybe for coffee and a bit of shopping. Afterwards you plan to go to a romantic dinner with your special someone (kilig!). However, you don't want to fuss around with changing your makeup since you're in a hurry! What do you do? Simple! Wear a different lipstick and add lots of smudged eyeliner!

I'm going to show you a step-by-step tutorial on how I did these looks, but first I want to share my thoughts on the new Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips Talk Lipsticks (which I'm using here). They're pretty good and costs only P478 locally! The colors are vibrant and opaque, with a smoothing and moisturizing effect on the lips. 

They come in several in-demand shades like Breathless Pink (hot pink), Love Pink (baby pink), Worrisome Beige (nude), Excited Orange, Thrilling Red, and Bashful Coral. The packaging is a cute princess pink color with a metallic ribbon accent.

Pretty, yes? So! Here are two looks using these Etude House lippies, and a guide on how I did them. They're super simple and fun, promise.

I taught myself everything I know about makeup. That may not sound as impressive as going to makeup school, but my skills are not too shabby, I think. :P What with all the YouTube tutorials and beauty blogs out there, there's no excuse not to master at least the basics of makeup application!

Nonetheless, it pays to learn from the professionals. They have lots of insights to share, and of course joining a personal, on-hand class is a richer learning experience! That's why I decided to take the Shu Uemura Yume Advanced Makeup Class. I know for a fact that Shu has some of the best accredited makeup artists out there, who've done countless magazines, ads, and celebrity clients here in the country. 

True enough, John Pagaduan taught the class that day. John is a well-known makeup artist here. I frst met him four years ago, when he did my face for an event. He was very kind and humble back then, filled with raw talent, and until this day he's very much the same artistic guy. I was very happy to get him as my instructor!

I brought all my favorite makeup, of course. Those Beauty Pro Cosmetic Palettes are perfect for trying out looks, since they have all the colors I can possibly need.

Okay, let's start! I'll show you my looks and some tips on how I did them. :D

We can't all be gods, professional nail artists, or innately ambidextrous when it comes to applying nail polish. I for one have been painting my nails for years now and I still make a mess, depending on my lack of practice! Nonetheless, people always wonder how I paint my nails so neatly. It's simple: I just clean up the mess with an eyeliner brush.

From messy...

To OC!

Yes, a brush! I saw the technique being used in Dashing Diva. The nail attendant used a straight, short-bristled brush to remove excess polish quickly and efficiently. The brush is kinda hard to find, so I used a disposable lip brush and then an old eyeliner brush to see what works best. I now go with the latter since it's bigger, angled, and thus cleans up faster in a more precise manner.

You can do this yourself as easily as I can. All you need are a few basic materials! 

Makeup for the office need not be overly complicated or fancy. It only needs to do these things for you: to make you look professional and polished, to mirror your competence and the effort you pour in your job. Now it depends on the office environment, but as a rule, a bare face can make you look lazy and ungroomed. A bit of makeup to liven up your complexion can do wonders to get you and your work noticed!

That's not to say that you should go all out and pile on the products. It's best to keep eyes subtle and soft, with just a hint of healthy glow on your cheeks. As for the lips, you can't go wrong with brown-based colors mixed with plum or pink - they are always flattering but never overbearing.

Here's a list of dos and don'ts when wearing office makeup!

• Keep your skin well-hydrated to make sure that it won't dry out with unusually cold office airconditioning. To moisturize during the day without removing your makeup, spritz on a face mist! The humectants in your moisturizer and makeup will trap the moisture of the water in your skin.

Evian is a nice facial spray. It's mineral water and has a minimum amount of chemicals.

• Invest in good makeup that are fool-proof and will get you out of the door in under 15 minutes. That means getting multi-purpose products like cheek and lip tints, BB creams, eyeliners that can double as cream eyeshadows - the likes. But of course it ultimately depends on your preferences.

The cool thing about working for a fashion brand like Pinkbox? I get freebies and discounts. :P I honestly like the brand because it has both functional and pretty accessories that don't go overboard. Like any girl, I love making a statement with accessories, but it should be seasoned with a little subtlety, taste, and playfulness. 

So anyway I was organizing my accessories the other day and decided to store all my Pinkbox pieces in one place. Here's a pic! Read on to see my favorites and what I ended up using as a storage solution. ;)

I just realized - I took oodles of photos of my makeup and skincare during my out-of-town trip the other week, but I only have two or three shots of myself to show for it. They weren't even good! I guess I just don't like taking photos when I'm busy doing something on a vacation. Next time though, perhaps I should take more just for posterity. :P

Anyway, I want to show you what I brought with me on the trip. I rather overpacked buuut at least I knew I was prepared for whatever! Hope you like this little show and tell. I brought products that I feel suited the demands of summer - bright colors on the lips, light shades for eyes, and warm cheek colors. For the face base, I just brought a long-wearing concealer + a light, illuminating powder foundation. It's too hot for cream or liquid types. 

I housed my cosmetics in this neat Rustan's pouch that Pond's gave it to me a few months ago. I like that it's big but slim, roomy enough to fit in lots of stuff while keeping them from bouncing around.

Hi guys! How was your loooong (still not done) weekend? I'm out of town, and we plan to hit Baguio tomorrow. Right now though we're just chilling - literally - in a hotel here in Pangasinan. It's too hot outside! 

While I have some lazy time, I thought I'd answer some reader questions over at the Ask Liz! Forum. I regularly answer all questions there if I know how, of course. Hehe. However, I found this set of questions particularly interesting so I thought I would dedicate a whole post on them. Here goes!

Hi, I'm getting married next year, and being a girl who depends on makeup to feel pretty and much more confident, I'm being obsessed looking for HMUAs for my special day. The problem is, aside from extremely high prices plus out-of town charge, I'm scared that they might not get what look am I going for, and I might become a bridezilla.

I am considering to do my own makeup for my wedding. I'd rather splurge on foundation + lipstick + blush and do it myself. Should I or shouldn't I? - Bridezilla

I think you should DIY! That is, if you're confident about your makeup skills and/or open to taking some makeup classes. Bridal makeup is fairly easy if you ask me. It's your basic natural look with waterproof or almost waterproof makeup. You can watch tons of YouTube videos for tips and techniques!

Even the Duchess of Cambridge is a DIY wedding makeup kind of girl

I think that it's a better investment to spend your P10,000-15,000 on good makeup or makeup classes because at least you're upgrading your skills and collection, things that you can use again. You can only use a MUA's service only during that event.

Here are some products I would actually use on my own wedding:

Cinema Secrets Foundation Palette #2 is a photogenic foundation/concealer duo, but personally it can look thick if you don't apply it properly.

Hi everyone! Please welcome Dionne Co, our guest blogger for the day. She blogs at Hello Beauty, so please do visit her and say hello! She's a true-blue makeup addict if I ever saw one. You'll love her tips, I'm sure.

Back in my high school, almost 99% of the students were Chinese. A lot of my classmates complained about not having double eyelids (we used to call it “ting sun” or “fold”) so you’d see some teenage girls walking around with scotch tape on their lids! It was pretty funny to look at but wishing for double lids was, is, and always will be a common occurrence among Oriental girls.

Although I don’t really have anything against surgery, it’s still pretty painful, expensive and risky. Not everyone’s willing to go under the knife. Today, I’m going to show you how to create that double lid effect with something inexpensive, safe and accessible – makeup!

The trick here is depth and dimension.

Read the complete step-by-step tutorial on how to create a double eyelid look after the jump! 

I didn't have access to the internet yesterday so I wasn't able to blog. Ugh! I complain a lot about how difficult and desensitizing it is to blog everyday, but when I fail to do it, I feel incomplete. Anyhow I'm back and I have a couple of interesting things to share.

Joana, Mikha, and moi. Project Vanity readers are all pretty, I swear. 

Last Tuesday night I had the chance to meet my two Commenters of the Month, Joana and Mikha. These girls are really sweet, and so kikay! I really enjoyed chatting with them. I wish we had all night to hang out, but the Meg party was just next door and I also scheduled to meet some friends there. 

So yes, that explains the bongga smoky eye. I don't do this on a regular basis because I rarely go out to evening parties (and even then a red or dark lip is quicker and cleaner to do!), but the event was at Skye so I wanted something that would stand out.

I don't mind spending for shoes and makeup, but I am extremely stingy when it comes to body care products. I think that the stuff we use on our bodies have very basic functions and thus need not be be expensive. In my mind, basic products should be as cheap as humanly possible. On the other hand, complex products we intend to use a for a long time should be things we invest in (cost-per-wear).

I'm a cheapskate where it matters

I mean, why spend more than P30 on a pack of cotton buds? Or more than P200 for a body wash? Hand washes (the ones that come in 200ml bottles mind you!) that cost more than P70 is already highway robbery for me. Yes, I'm very particular about prices when it comes to buying such things! I don't see the point of spending a lot for something when there are alternatives at a much cheaper price that can do the same thing or differs only minimally from the expensive option.

That's why I really appreciate Watsons Switch & Save campaign. It encourages shoppers to turn to incredibly affordable but good quality Watsons label products to be able to save for things that actually matter.

There seems to be some confusion about what goes first and what matches (texture-wise) when it comes to makeup application. Now, there are several makeup textures - powder, cream, liquid, and gel. The general rule is to match wet textures with each other (cream, liquid, gel) and powder over powder.

Nonetheless, we always need to mix products so it's important to know what should go with what. You don't want streaky and uneven application, right?

For example, powder blush MUST go on over some kind of powder base (foundation or setting powder). If you apply it on top of liquid or cream foundation, you'll find that you'll get nasty streaks and too much color! The wetness will "grab" the pigment on the blush and make it brighter where it's wetter.

Many factors cause eye bags. For some it is just plain aging and genetics, in which cases it will be improbable to remove the eye bags short of surgery. For others, it's a stressed and unhealthy lifestyle. Eyebags caused by lifestyle factors can at least have hope in being corrected!

Now, the best beauty "secret" is a healthy lifestyle - there's really no going around it. So if you look haggard beyond your time, perhaps it would be wise to cut down on drinking, smoking, salty and fatty food, and maybe throw in a bit of exercise once or twice a week. And please, sleep!

So! With that out of the way, I'll be sharing some beauty products and concealing techniques you can use in hiding your eye bags. I don't have particularly dark eye bags, but my under eyes look puffy and shadowy because of their bulging shape. Yes, that's just how it is.

And here, my friends, are the things I do to lessen the appearance of my eye bags!

Before

After!

Skincare

Never rub. Ever. Don't rub or touch your eye area because the skin around it can easily be pulled out of place. Resist the urge and keep your hands away from your eyes or else you can develop fine lines before their time.

Valentine's Day is a day away and I'm sure a lot of you are wondering (well I at least I am)...why should you care? Excellent question. It pressures couples into making grand gestures of love on a pre-determined day, and singles just get to feel like crap. I love love. I am in a five-year old relationship. But I dread scheduled stresss.

Be that as it may, Valentine's Day has its uses. It's another excuse to dress up and go have a fun date with your special other or friends, even. So, I thought I'd do a post on beauty tips to keep in mind for the day of love! Take note that they are specifically for a romantic date with smooshing and what else in mind. ;) Consider these as reminders.

Prep time

1. Wax. Depilate. Shave. Say adios to the mustachio and the leg fluff. You want to be smooth and silky all over! I know it's so much work and you think he won't notice anyway but honey, he will. I like using Veet wax strips and depilator creams.