So yesterday Marco and I went to Makati. He attended a meeting, while I, well, I just tagged along and decided to work outside for a change. 

Marco recently bought a car and he's crazy about it. That's the first thing he'd think about in the morning and the last thing he'd think about at night. It's a Toyota Starlet GT, a rally car with a turbo engine. Yes I know that because he won't stop talking about it. It's supposed to be a rare car, which is why he chose it over a new car, but I don't get it. Men and cars. I just don't get it.

Here's an Avon post...again! I can't help it. Avon is probably the biggest supporter of Project Vanity. They don't pay me or anything, if you're curious. They just send me their latest products to try and it works out so well because I've been a huge fan of Avon even since I was a teen. Anyway, just the other day they gave me three bags of products not just for me, but for YOU! Yup, I'm going to have another major giveaway soon. If you haven't joined the current one, please do!

Today I want to share something they sent me a couple of weeks back. It's one of their newer collections called Desert Oasis, one inspired by the glittering sands of the hot dunes. The collection is quite extensive, with underwear, sandals, accessories, and bags under it. I have a few of them here. Check out the photos!

My life is SO much easier with a tripod. I used to take all my outfit photos by balancing my camera on Marco's design books. Amazing how I never seriously considered a 500-peso contraption of metal and plastic - until now, that is! Anyway, I just want to share the outfit I wore last Saturday. I know, I know, I look and feel like a secretary. I don't mind.

Thrifted blouse/ Bayo trousers/ SM braided belt/ Charles & Keith loafers

Also wanted to show you guys the Gold Dot shoes I bought last week. It was my size, but the strap wouldn't close properly because it's too short. Bummer.

The lipstick trend for this summer is all about fresh and bold shades. They're the colors that you can match up with gay sun dresses in florals or solid colors like white, lemon, orange, and lime. Hence, the Revlon Fire & Ice Collection is right on schedule! It consists of three new shades, with one classic red from way back in the 1950's. Here's my review of the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in the collection!

What I love about the product

• I love all the shades. Temptress and Demure may need some layering to make it really stand out, but I love the sweet, understated effect they have on my lips. Siren is a standout orange, while All Fired Up is a memorable, flattering red.
• Satin finish, my favorite kind.

I have already talked about my current favorite day scent, the Guerlain Herba Fresca. Today I'll talk about my default scent for the evening which is Guerlain Shalimar (P3,998). It's one of the most iconic fragrances in the world and toted as the first oriental scent ever created. It's got a lot of impressive history in a bottle!

Guerlain Shalimar was first created in 1925 by Jacques Guerlain. It's inspired by the passionate love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, two familiar figures behind one of the eight wonders of the world: the Taj Mahal in India. The word "shalimar" is actually Sanskrit which translates to "temple of love".

I had high hopes for the St. Ives Blemish and Blackhead Control scrub (P195). I have too many blemishes lately and I'm desperate for a solution! On a visit to Purebeauty in Serendra a couple of weeks back, I bought this intriguing product to see if it's any good.

It's not. It makes my face feel amazing  - but the downside is, it makes me look like total crap. Yep, it broke me out, which is weird because it's supposed to have salicylic acid.

Girls who love drugstore beauty products (like me!) are sure to enjoy the deals at Robinsons' beauty fair called Tint. There's currently a month-long sale in participating brands. Makeup, skincare, and even fragrances can go up to 50% off! Maybelline and L'Oreal are on 20% and 15% off respectively. 

The frequent 20% Maybelline sale is well underway! This is the best time to score top Maybelline products

Read on for more notable beauty deals and see what I actually bought! Warning: tons of photos and great deals ahead!

Are you considering red lips for Valentine's Day (or any day)? A lot of women are a little scared of this color because it's loud AND fussy, but I think it's in keeping with the occasion's theme. A bit of fuss during the first application, when done right, is worth it since you probably don't have to apply it again during the day.

Here are some quick tips as well as some lipstick suggestions:

• Prime your lips with balm. Don't slather on too much. A very thin layer is enough to moisturize; too much and your lipstick will just stay on top and slide off.
• Apply a red lip liner just a little bit inside your natural lip line. Red can be an overwhelming color and you don't want your mouth to look like one huge stoplight! Thin but juicy red lips are more sophisticated compared to thick red ones. 

Lined

Shaded with lip liner

Here I am again with my Valentine's Day makeup suggestion! I feel that this look is flirty and light, just the thing to NOT scare off your date on Valentine's. I know we girls love smoky eyes and red lips, but there are guys who don't appreciate those kinds of looks. No matter. We should wear what we want if it makes us feel good! But for Valentine's day, perhaps it's better to tone it down a little in consideration of our dates.

So, I made a tutorial for this FOTD!

Step 1: Start with a well-primed and evened-out face. I suggest using a primer to prevent makeup meltdown, something like the L'Oreal Base Magique (face) and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance (eyes). For this look I used the Avon Ideal Shade Foundation + loose powder from the same line. I also used the MAC Studiofinish concealer

Step 2: Apply a champagne eyeshadow like MAC All That Glitters all over your lid.

Have you always been interested in fashion, but never actually found the time, patience, or resources to go to fashion school? Yes? Then check out the SoFA Fashion Capsule Series! It's a series of one-day lectures on topics like styling, fashion photography, fashion design, and so on. Industry leaders like Robby Carmona and Candy Dizon will be some of your teachers. 

If anything else, you'll get an up-close glimpse of the fashion world as well as give yourself some additional street cred. ;) More details after the cut!

Cute story. So I met celebrities Tweetie De Leon-Gozales last week and Andi Eigenmann last Tuesday. I asked them what their must-have product is and guess what they both said? Carmex lip balm! Yes, Carmex. It appears that you're never too mature or too young for something as basic as lip balm.

So why Carmex? I always hear this brand thrown around but I've never gotten to try it. That is, until I Tweeted some weeks back that I'm curious about it. Carmex then kindly sent me their products to review.

The original form of Carmex when it was invented in the 1930s

After some light Googling I found the interesting story of Carmex. It was created by Alfred Woelbing from out of his kitchen stove in the 1930s. He started selling it to pharmacists from the boot of his car. Eventually, as the product gained a cult following through word-of-mouth, Carmex opened a factory in 1957 and became one of the well-known lip balm brands in the world. To this day it is still owned by the Woelbing family. Alfred Woelbing himself ran it until he was 96. He died in 2001, at 100 years old.

Read this detailed article on the fascinating history of Carmex. It's a compelling story of one man's entrepreneurial spirit and hard work.

Anywaaay, here's my review of this intriguing product!

I just want to share the look I wore last Saturday to my fave weekend market:

For this look, I skipped the usual pinks with something that I find very flattering on Asian skin: coral and bronze! I tried to keep everything fresh so I didn't use a lot of products. I think this look only took me five minutes to do.

I also took the opportunity to try the latest Bobbi Brown foundation called the Illuminating Finish Powder Compact Foundation. It's so photogenic no?

Ok, I've found my current favorite mascara: the L'Oreal Curl Impact Collagene Mascara (P795) which was released just this month. I admit I didn't like it as much when I first started using it. It was so stubborn to remove (automatic major minus points), and I actually lost more than a few eyelashes in the process! I had to rub and wipe with at least two different makeup removers before it finally came off. That was stupid of me. I should have just read the instructions: it washes off with warm water.

Yep, you got that right. I've tried other mascaras that wash off with warm water, but this is the easiest one to take off. It almost melts on contact with the water plus there isn't that much residue left to wipe off. Winner!

The L'Oreal Curl Impact Collagene promises to deliver curl and volume - and it does. It may have something to do with the special spiral wand. There is a noticeable curl even without using an eyelash curler, but if you want something more dramatic, I suggest using that tool. As for the volume, this mascara fattens up and blackens my lashes quite nicely that I can skip eyeliner when using it.

Let's run through the pros and cons!

If, like me, you have a problem with your round face and chubby cheeks, contouring is your best bet to a slimmer face. Once you've got the technique down pat, I advise investing in a good, long-lasting powder that looks natural on your skin tone. I love the MAC blush in Harmony for that purpose.

I like using this by itself when I wear heavy, smoky eyes and pale lips or with loud lipstick when a pink blush is too much. It's handy to have around when colored cheeks ruin the statement look you're going for.

What I love about the product

• Harmony is a matte, tan-brown shade that looks natural on my light-medium skin tone. Unlike other bronzers or contouring powders, this doesn't have the dreadful orange undertone that looks harsh on the skin. Love it!

I think I mentioned before that I am extremely lazy when it comes to my nails. These days though I'm in the mood for some color so I took out the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish I got, oh, half a year ago! I wasn't even sure if it's still ok to use, since the polishes I've owned before tend to either dry up or curdle when opened and then stored that long.

So how was it? Well, it was good as new! You know how nail polish thickens when you've opened it? This doesn't. It's still thin and easy to spread after six months.

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri promises to dry in 60 seconds and it does! But you have to wait a bit longer for it to completely set if you apply a thick layer, around two minutes - still not bad if you ask me.

Jumpin' Jade

What I love about the product

• Dries quickly
• There's usually no need for a second layer since the color is opaque already

I was at SM Mall of Asia last night. A visit isn't complete without checking out the clothes in the department store, of course! My favorite brand there, Soiree, has restocked so yay for that. The teens wear department also has new interesting things. I wasn't able to take any photos, but I happened to come by an SM catalogue in Facebook while finalizing my Avon contest (plz join ok?).

Here are some of my favorite clothes and looks:

I am smitten with the cool shades of tangerine and other citrusy fruits like lime and lemon for this season. It's so refreshing to the eyes no? They're so easy to pair with any ol' pair of denim, tan, brown, or white pieces. I just want to say though, the bright fuchsia lip on the models rather clash with the orange. The MUA could have used a complementing shade like a glossy pink or peach.

Here's another trend I like - solid colors! And LOTS of them.