It's out! The latest version of the popular Charm Travel Pro brush set (P2,200) is now in stock at Beauty and Minerals! I'm not going to do a review of this set just yet since I got it only a few days ago, so for now I'll just show you some pictures and do a quick comparison between this and the Version 2 from last year.

The new Charm Travel Pro V3 has 14 brushes for the eyes, face, and cheeks. It's a powerhouse of high-quality brushes that can do a variety of advanced makeup looks while still being convenient to travel with.

Dark eye circles can not always be cured - well, short of surgery that is. They may simply be a genetic predisposition, or stress and sleepless nights are just part and parcel of your daily life. I do love Eyliplex-2 for lessening dark circles, but undereye creams can only do so much if you're stubbornly prone to darkening in that area.

The next best thing is to use a great undereye concealer. Mind you, not all concealers are good for the undereyes. That area requires something that can both stand sweat and watery eyes without being too opaque and hard. A good eyebag concealer is creamy, moisturizing, natural yet with good coverage, and wears well throughout the day.

The new Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (P1,900) fits all those qualifications. It contains a pan of concealer and a pressed powder that goes really well together. I believe that this is the improved, reformulated version of the old kit (double-deck compact with loose powder at the bottom), which I think is too emollient and messy to use because of the loose powder.

What I love about the product

• Opaque, yet looks like skin when applied. It only takes a few dabs to completely cover up my dark circles! It melts on skin, looking natural and invisible (you'll know what I mean when you see the before and after photos).
• I've worn this during long work days outside the house, and this has withstood the humidity and sweat during the whole day. It doesn't become patchy nor does it fade considerably. 

I saw a swatch of the OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (P395) polish in a blog somewhere and couldn't stop thinking about it. This particular nail color was from a limited edition collection so I don't know if I can find it again. Good thing that the only OPI collection that Market Market carries is the Swiss Collection for Fall 2010 - the one that has Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous! Ha!

The shade is a gunmetal grey with micro sparkles. It's unexpectedly smooth to the touch once it dries, with a high-shine finish to it.

Let's face it, we're all much too young here to be using heavy-duty anti-aging products like the Filextra Facial Revolumizing Treatment with Collagen (P2,800) *wink*. But I'm sure you know an aunt, grandmother, or even your own mom, who might need something like it!

Filextra is a face moisturizer that is designed to "revolumize" a face that has devloped sunken cheeks or eye sockets due to loss of collagen over time. As we age, we produce less collagen, thus resulting in sallower, thinner skin that sags. Filextra targets that particular sign of aging by providing instant brightening with light-reflecting ingredients. In the long term, it's supposed to rebuild the skin using collagen boosters, refill by replenishing H2O levels in the skin, and revolumize by using an advanced lipid filling complex.

Of course, I can't use and review this for you since I'm quite young, but I can tell you about how light and easily absorbed the texture is.

I did mention before that I'm not a bag person, so I ever rarely buy bags for myself. This is why I super appreciate it whenever I get good bags as a gift. XP I got this plastic/mesh bag with orange pleather straps from Avon. It's where they housed their press samples of the recently launched Advance Techniques haircare line (more on that soon).

It's the kind of bag I can actually bring everywhere shamelessly since there are no tawdry logos or details. It's simple, elegant, and looks well-made. It reminds me a little of this cute line of bags from Furla:

I first laid eyes on these Parfois platforms last May, when I became their stylist for the day. I found the shoes a bit pricey though at P2,280, and besides, I was in an accessories craze at that time. 

Good thing I waited! Last Wednesday, I was in Megamall running errands. I decided to drop by Parfois because of the screaming 70% off sale signs, and while walking inside, I was muttering in my head "please be on sale pleasebeonsale pleasebeonsale". It was! I got the shoes for a little over P1,500! 

Thrifted secretary blouse/ Forever 21 embroidered skirt/ Parfois bracelet/ Naccara majorica pearl cocktail ring

It was raining cats and dogs plus half of Manila was stranded that night, but it didn't stop the launch of one of my favorite lipsticks, the Estee Lauder Pure Color last June 23 at Opus. I already reviewed the two variants, Long Lasting and Crystal, and the short of it is that I highly recommend EL Pure Color if you want to give your lips a treat. The lipstick is expensive (P1,350 a tube) but it's nice to indulge in if you're looking for something luxurious for a change.

Me and Liz of Estee Lauder

Beauty queen Priscilla Meirelles, pop songstress Isabella Ledesma-Gonzalez, sportscaster/TV host Cesca Litton and Fil-Korean radio jock, TV host and journalist Grace Lee presented the lipsticks to the press. Each of them represented a specific hue from the brand’s thematic color palette, namely: Coral Red, Plum, Nude and Pink.

Haven't been to a SuperSale Bazaar in a while, actually! But I'm going because Ferretti and our sister brand, Simply Felice, will be there. You guys know I love Ferretti, but you MUST also check out Simply Felice. It's our clothing brand that is only currently available in the Gaisano Mall of Davao, but we're debuting it in Manila tomorrow.

The clothes at Simply Felice fun, girly, and affordable at an average price of P700, but they're not the sort you'll find just anywhere. Of course, the accessories are also worth a gander - they're of the same quality and styles as this necklace I scored last week.

But I guess I better show you some of the pieces you'll see tomorrow. All of them come in very limited quantities so if you like anything, you should go ASAP. ;)

Yesterday, I dropped by Tony Moly's recently opened branch in Megamall. I wasn't able to attend the press launch last Tuesday due to work but Foz, their marketing person, kindly set aside my press kit for me anyway.

The kit included a bunch of goodies, but I also bought this Baby Doll BB Foundation (P398) because it looked super promising when I swatched it in the store. So yeah, here's my Tony Moly loot! It'll take a bit of time to review them but I'll add my first impressions here for your reference when you visit the store. ;)

The Baby Doll BB Foundation is supposed to control oil. I tried it on half my face and it's light, it dried quickly enough. It's the only foundation at Tony Moly that can match medium skin like mine - everything else is too light. The cute bunny bottle is a face mist, I haven't tried it yet. It's called Pocket Bunny Sleek Mist. The tomato jar is their best-selling Tomatox Brightening Mask that instantly brightens skin (I swatched it on the back of my hand, it does).

The Shiseido Supplist Poreless Powder Foundation was my HG foundation for a while. I think I used up two or three pans of it before moving on my current favorite! While I wouldn't mind buying this foundation again for lazy days or as setting powder on top of liquid foundation (when I really need coverage), the Supplist has sadly been discontinued last year. 

Now, its younger, flashier sister has appeared on the makeup scene - the Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker Pore Cover Foundation (P895/refill while the case is ~P500). The quality and finish of this foundation reminds me so much of the Shiseido Supplist, and it's not a surprise really. Shieseido makes Majolica Majorca after all! 

The main difference between the two would be the better powder quality and coverage of the Shiseido Supplist. Otherwise, I'd say that the Skin Remaker Pore Cover is a cheap dupe of its pricy sister.

What I love about the product 

• Delivers a very smooth, flawless finish.
• Coverage is light to medium. I recommend applying this wet if you want heavier coverage.

Sometimes, all it takes to have and spread good vibes is to just look the part. I was all about good vibes last Friday when I went to a shoot for Ferretti. I knew it was going to be a fun day, a good one, so I made sure my whole outfit was in tune with it.

Topshop blouse/ Soiree jhodpurs/ Ferretti tan wedges/ Parfois gold leaf necklace and ring 

I really liked my outfit that day but, yes, I should really learn how to pose. Never mind! The color combination and silhouette was what mattered. For makeup, I wanted to road test my Color Atelier palette from Shu Uemura for the first time. I only had 10 minutes to do my face since the call time for the shoot was early, so I just lined my eyes with two shades for that nice cheery pop of color.

Face: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, MAC Studio Finish concealer, Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer (for those really pesky blemishes), Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (for dark circles), Clinique translucent loose powder, Guerlain Meteorites

It was a slow hour at work when I saw the Zoya Mod Matte Mini Trio at Digital Traincase. I didn't really intend to buy anything online, but I have wanted to try Zoya and matte nail polish for some time now. I slept on it for a couple of nights but I decided to get the set anyway since P800 for the set is an ok price plus the colors looked fantastic.

Well I was going to write a few more lines saying how I was so excited about this set, but I'll save myself the trouble and say that I am sorely disappointed by these Zoya matte polishes. They are smooth, pigmented, dries fast and the colors looked even better in person. However, even with a base, these nail polishes will chip within a day. If you carry something heavy, or open something with a planed edge, or if you just happen to wash the dishes, several of the nails will already have big chips. :/

Phoebe, Lolly, Mitzi

I LOVE that a lot of women these days have taken to wearing high heels. Five years ago, did you see females here in the Philippines wearing three to five-inch monsters in the street - outside of fashion magazines? An even better question is, did you see major department stores proudly featuring their highest heels in their displays instead of comfy flats and sandals? No and no. Stylish high heels are a phenomenon that Filipinas have just recently embraced. I love the implications.

For one, this means that we women are more comfortable about standing out instead of being part of the herd. It means we're a little more liberated about our sexuality, discounting the medieval notion that high heels are only for prostitutes. In short, I think that women in high heels feel more empowered and are literally (also figuratively) standing tall. 

This is not to say that women who prefer flats are not empowered, that's too simplistic. It may come down to a matter of comfort, lack of occasion, or some other excuse. But if the only reason you don't have good high heels is fear, then I think it will do you good to finally break out and try it for a change. You'll feel better about yourself and, I suspect, feel a little more beautiful than you already are. ;)

Well, that went on longer than expected! I actually want to talk about Burlington's Biofresh Flexfigel and Sofigel pads! These godsends make women's life easier by padding our pretty shoes with gel inserts so that our feet won't hurt. Simple idea, but an incredibly useful. It's not a new concept but I do like that the pads are affordable and, from what I've tried, quite durable. 

So what's the diference between Biofresh Flexigel and Sofigel?

I've had pigmented blushes before, but the Avon True Color Blush in Rose Lustre (P370) is probably the scariest of them all. This highly pigmented cheek color provides a beautiful reddish berry flush that would look great on morena skin. If you have fair skin, a sheer stain of Rose Lustre will look pretty natural.

The trick to using this is simple: when you use your blush brush (forget about the brush it comes with, it's useless) take most of the powder out on the back of your hand. This way, the blush will look natural on your cheeks and you can layer when needed.

An insightful article published on the New York Times posited that nail polishes are the new lipsticks. That, in times of economic stress, nail polishes have replaced lipsticks as our means for instant gratification. The second reason is that, in a celebrity-driven world, nail polishes makes us feel closer to our favorite celebs without actually having to buy their thousand $$$ shoes, bags, and clothes. A Chanel nail polish is still Chanel at the end of the day.

I enjoyed the article, but the comments below it also deserve to be read. This brings me to the question: How do you feel about wild nail polish? By wild we mean bright colors, glitter, shatter, and nail art.

Personally, while I find crazy nails fun, they're not something that are always appropriate.

Good morning! It's a little dark, misty, and cold outside. I'm glad I don't have to go out today - oops, it just started raining hard right this moment! Time to make mushroom soup! I can live on that stuff indefinitely.

Rambling aside, I just want to announce the Commenter of the Month for July. She is Camille Mendoza. I love her insightful comments and her bouncy energy. I also appreciate that she's active on the Project Vanity Facebook Page. Congrats Camille! Please email me your shipping address. :)

Now, for July, I have another cool gift for the CoM: a set of my super favorite Colour Collection makeup! She will be getting the Gluta White BB Cream, three Color Intense Lipsticks (Tea Rose is among them - it is absolutely amazing! One of my best lipsticks), and a Triple Effect Mascara (one of the best mascaras I own. I use this all the time).

It's a mildy wet, cool Saturday and all I can think about is doing nothing. The last week was crazier than normal so I am looking forward to the upcoming week where things seem to be lighter. Before I sign off for the rest of the day reading a book and maybe painting a little, I just want to share my newest necklace.

It's this gold-and-turquoise beauty from Ferretti. Yes, the shoe brand also sells wicked accessories, but the really awesome ones can be found in our Mindanao stores. I managed to score this one while I was in the showroom, before it gets shipped off. There are only two pieces!

I believe that this is only P550. Such a steal. 

Last Wednesday, Shu Uemura invited beauty bloggers to check out their latest product: a customizable palette! They also introduced new eyeshadow and Glow On blush colors, collectively called the Color Atelier. All these are designed to accommodate any look you can think of, since the palette can carry a combination of four eyeshadows or two eyeshados + one Glow On. It also comes in singles and doubles.

The palette itself is pretty neat since it's functional and no-fuss (no need for magnets or adhesives), but are you ready for the REALLY good news? The single eyeshadows are only P695! I know, still steep, but compared for other high-end brands here in the Philippines, that price is very, very affordable. They're the kind of things you'd love to collect since the colors and quality are just lovely.

Ok I am gushing too much. I can't help it. I have a couple of well-loved Shu Uemura items (a Glow On blush and a palette) so yes I'm very excited to add a few more. When I went to their Rockwell branch, I was like a kid in a candy store. I checked out all the makeup and agonized about the colors I want to put in my own palette!

There was no question: I wanted four eyeshadows.

I bought the Mario Badescu Special Healing Powder (P795) on impulse. It looked and felt a lot like T. Le Clerc's famous Loose Powder so I was interested in trying a cheaper version. Now, the MB powder is pretty good at oil control and quite helpful in fighting pimples because of its disinfectant properties. It also has very basic non-comedogenic ingredients - all four of it! It's practically mineral makeup.

However, I don't use this much mainly because I'm anal about how finishing powders should look like on my face

I started this day by watching Hello, Dolly! with Barbara Streisand in the lead role. It's lovely! The elaborate gowns, hats, and of course the catchy songs made me fall in love with the film. I often wish I lived in an earlier era, where romance was less calculating and more passionate. As it is I can only settle for old films like this.

Anyway, I just wanted to share what I wore yesterday. I went to two events: Shu Uemura in the afternoon and Smart x HTC in the evening. I was ready to just plop in bed by the time I got home! It was fun though, I got to see some people I haven't seen in ages.

Topshop blouse/ Tiangge skirt/ Charles & Keith oxford heels/ Parfois necklace and ring/ Avon bracelet

I know I said I shouldn't wear loose tops, but I can't help it. They're not flattering in photos but they're practical in the real world. Time for the makeup!

Face: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, MAC Studio Finish concealer, Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer (for those really pesky blemishes), Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (for