I'm into blue lately, light blues in particular. It's a peaceful, non-intrusive color that can easily be matched with other colors. For this look, I used light blue, an electric royal blue, taupe, and silver eyeshadows. It's a bit loud, but still wearable!

I used my Dollface 88-color palette since I haven't been giving it any love lately. I love Urban Decay, but I also love the choices available in my Dollface palette. With the right primer, the eyeshadows look a lot better.

I made a tutorial for those who are interested in copping this look!

Step 1: Do the ground work. Prime your face with concealer, foundation, eyebrow powder, and eyeshadow primer. I used the Revon Naturals concealer, Shiseiso Supplist foundation, In2It brow powder, and Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Step 2: Pat light blue eyeshadow on the inner half of your lid.

I haven't stepped out of the condo since I got home on Thursday. Yes, you heard that right. I can live on what's in the pantry and what's on the Internet. At this point I don't know how to describe my life - some parts boring, amazing, sad, exciting, empty, happy - the list goes on. I evaluate my life by every week I spend it. Was this week great? Or sucky? Or just meh. It's dynamic, and I guess that's a good thing.

My doodle

So how was this week? Let's see. 

• Monday: New arrivals day at Ukay Manila. Always a busy day. Went out in the afternoon to shop for two week's worth of stocks for the store. Then, I attended the Pond's private launch at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati.
• Tuesday: Went to the Vibal office in QC for a meeting. My gosh, QC is sooo far. The meeting was less than 30 minutes while the travel time was 2.5 hours.
• Wednesday: Office day. Or marketing consultancy day. I'm always in Ortigas every Wednesday.

I've had this dress for a couple of months now. I love it to bits, but I'm too chicken to wear it out in public! It's a bright lime color so I'm afraid that I might be stared at - in a bad way. Lol. I like how it looks on me though since I'm light enough to not look that ridiculous in it. Where did I get it you ask? It's thrifted! It was supposed to be up at Ukay Manila.

I love the classic cut and the detail on the neckline

Jacket from Studioline (SM Department Store) / Shoes from Shoebox

More pictures after the cut!

I got the Sally Hansen Hard As Nails polish as part of the goodie bag during the Insta-Dry launch. I've been using it regularly since then! It's a basic product to make your nails look well-groomed and healthy in a jiffy.

What I love about this product

• Has a watery texture and applies thinly
• Dry in a couple of minutes
• Doesn't chip for five days by itself since it adheres closely to the nail

Goodness, it seems that all I've been reviewing lately are skin and body care products. I haven't been buying makeup since I have all I need as of the moment. Also, companies are releasing mostly skincare stuff. That says a lot about what Pinays prefer, I think! They do a lot of research to hit their target market, and I've observed that the trend today is skincare that whitens like nobody's business.

One such product is Avon's latest Skin So Soft variant, the Radiant Glow Whitening. It was only released on August 1. I've been using it spottily since the launch to see how it works for me, so here's my verdict!

What I like about this product

• Has a nice jasmine scent that sticks on my skin.
• It absorbs quickly, within a couple of minutes upon application. It feels cool and light, which I really like in lotions.
• Non-sticky and non-greasy. That's a great feat for a lotion in this crazy weather!
• It delivers the promise of soft skin. My skin feels immediately smoother and more supple upon application. Unfortunately, I haven't used it often enough to validate its claims of whitening when used continuously for seven days. I'm not into whitening to begin with.

I first "discovered" this product in my Mom's bathroom. When I visit her every weekend, I had no choice but to use the shampoo/conditioner that she uses, which is how I got to try this. Verdict? I absolutely love it! I've been using it for a month now and my hair definitely looks healthier, softer, with less hairfall. Moms know best, in the end.

What I adore about the product

• Keeps my hair soft and moisturized. I don't use conditioner anymore.
• Safe for colored hair
• Smells nice
• Has a creamy texture. I don't need much to get a good lather.

Does a 50% or 70% sale sign get your heart rate up? If the answer is yes, you need to visit Robinson's Starmills in Pampanga. The mall claims to have the biggest collection of outlet stores in one roof, with big brands like Levi's, Mango, Plains & Prints, and Havaianas on a year-round major sale. If you're intimidated about going to Pampanga, don't worry, Starmills is just along NLEX and only an hour away from Manila. You can't miss the big mall complex along the road.

photo credit

So, I'm sure you're wondering about the great finds in Starmills. I took a ton of photos to show you, plus price information as I remember them. Overall, I think that if you like buying from the brands mentioned here, a trip out of town is worth it. Just one downside - the sale items are from last season's stock and could even be older than a year. There are also limited sizes available. Well, they're on sale for a reason.

I don't know much about American Rag as a brand, but what they sell in their outlet store are mostly basics like tees and jeans. They have a few unique items, too. They also carry some Terranova and Calliope clothes.

Cute, staple miniskirts for only P400

A khaki beaded jacket. P1,200 if I remember correctly

A couple of readers have asked me about the stuff I keep in my bag and makeup kit. I was at first hesitant to answer because - and this may come as a surprise - I don't bring a makeup kit! The things I bring outside are usually just the basics. I don't like being bothered to re-apply makeup (unless it's lipstick) so I make sure that I only wear reliable and long-lasting ones before I leave.

On a normal day, this is what I have in my bag!

A light, compact umbrella. I don't leave home without this! I don't like getting caught in a sudden downpour and then scurrying like an insect for cover. Everyone should bring an umbrella all the time.

Keys. Very mundane. The key chain is from Havaianas, I got a lot of this stuff a few months back. I just gave them away.

Faux ostrich wallet from Bijoux. This wallet is huuuge! I think it qualifies as a clutch already. Aside from money, it carries receipts, IDs, ATM cards, gift certificates plus other random junk I feel I shouldn't lose. In other words, it's full of junk lol.

32 gig iPod Touch. A good chunk of my life is spent on the Internet, which is why this gadget is indispensable to me. I use this for surfing the net, checking my five mail inboxes, Twittering, media stuff, games, chatting, setting up schedules and notes etc. WiFi isn't usually a problem because there's a lot of places to get it free from!

Are you a certified camera whore? Do you take pics of yourself in so many angles while trying to find the perfect lighting conditions? If so, you may need the Revlon Photo Ready Powder to help you along.

Light/medium looks dark in the pan, but applies light

This face powder promises to give your face a flawless finish under any light. Does it? The answer is yes, surprisingly. I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge believer when it comes to products that promise superlative results. The Photo Ready, however, delivers - with a few caveats.

What I like about this product

• As promised, I get a flawless, even finish. This doesn't have much coverage, since it's designed to be a finishing slash anti-shine powder so it is best used on top of concealer and foundation. The end result is a matte face with a slight glow. Let me show you:

Dim indoor lighting

I'm lucky to currently live in a place where there's a lot of trees, plants, and space. I used to live in Makati, up until a couple of months ago when I moved into this condo at The Fort. Makati is pulsing with energy and the gears of business, but it's also cramped and almost entirely built out of concrete. The Fort, on the other hand, has a more leisurely feel to it, with an equal mix of greenery and cement. At first I didn't like it here, but I got used to it and now I can't think of living anywhere else!

Anyways. Nature is a good thing to have around us, but unless you're living or working near it, you'll be hard-pressed to commune with it. That is, until Rexona came up with a simple idea of bringing nature to you via the Internet.

Just this week the brand launched Nurture Nature, a Facebook app where you can watch a live garden in real time grow by giving commands to the cute gardeners. It's in line with their latest product called Rexona Naturals Antiperspirants, a supposedly more natural way to take care of your 'pits. It has sunflower seed oil and should not block your pores, thus allowing your skin breathe. I haven't used the products yet because quite frankly I don't need or use antiperspirants (I'm not a sweaty person), but I'll review when I get around to it!

In the meantime, check out the Rexona Facebook app. It's a stress-buster while you remotely take care of all those plants, but aside from that, you can get to ogle the gwapo and super hyper gardeners!

I don't know who this guy is, but damn does he move around a lot!

This is perhaps my bestest ever purchase ever! Yesterday I went to Robinson's Starmills in Pampanga on a shopping tour. Did you know that there's a lot of outlet stores in that mall which sell really cheap branded stuff? There are tons of amazing finds in that place (magic words: Mango Outlet)! But I'm getting ahead of myself. I will write about the trip in more detail soon.

I originally didn't intend to buy because I didn't need anything as of the moment - I'm stocked! But when I saw these shoes at a crazy cheap price, I just have to have them. They're not elaborate or wildly trendy at the moment, but I love the classic simplicity plus the fact that they make my feet look sexy. These are shoes I can wear forever with anything!

Gratuitous shoe photos shall follow lol.

It was one of those small, intimate events. I wouldn't even call it an event - it's more like a leisurely lunch with friends just talking about their lives. I really enjoy these types of product introduction more than the big, glitzy ones because I feel that the people behind the brand are more interested in bloggers and blogging, rather than just a quick way to get the word out about their products.

It started unconventionally. Beauty and fashion bloggers were greeted by this:

Glue, scissors, magazines, and cute scrapbooking materials

Goodness, I haven't touched glue in months. This is exactly my kind of thing, so I went on to work on the order of the day: to make a mood/inspiration board about what I believe in.

Et voila!

I believe, first and foremost, in beauty. I believe that every woman has it but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't work on it! My style is very girly so I'm all about florals, ruffles and frills, lace, occasional bright pops of color, and lots of subtle details. I love feeling like a woman and I love being well-groomed. So how does Levi's fit in all of this?