I can pretty much say with conviction that the quality of Tony Moly products is uniformly good. It won't blow your mind away like the more expensive brands, but for the affordable price Tony Moly surprisingly has nice products. The more I get to know this brand, the more I like it! There's so much more to it than just the cute packaging.

This time, I'll be talking about the Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Petit Powder (P348). It's a silky, well-milled translucent powder that's great for setting your cream or liquid makeup. It especially goes well with the Tony Moly Baby Doll BB Foundation.

Texture. The Berry Lovely Girl Petit Powder feels silky and soft, quite unlike the other powders in its price range. It's a lavender white when you see it, but it blends in smoothly if you use a fluffy powder brush.

I want to go to New York someday. I want to experience the beauty and energy of the most fast-paced city in the world. It's a city so familiar to me because I've read many stories set in it - I feel like I've already been there, at least in my head! But until I've actually set foot in it, I'd take Donna Karan's word that one of her newest scents, DKNY Women, is New York in a bottle.

Packaging. Like New York, DKNY Women is built like a skyscraper - tall, elegant, all glinting edges. It comes in a silver box that fits the perfume bottle's contours, looking modern and forward just like the scent. The bottle is a bit inconvenient to travel with, but it does look nice on the dresser, dwarfing all the other normally bottled scents.

Scent. DKNY Women is a fun and energetic scent that's underscored by a touch of romance. I'd say it's perfect for the modern, no-nonsense woman that's focused on her career.

This is what my vanity table looks like right now. I know, it's messy! Even though our helper cleans it up immaculately, I always trash it after putting on a full face of makeup. I need more space or I need to get rid of my stuff. Leaning towards the former, I love my stuff!

You can see One Day by David Nicholls there. I read it last Sunday, and all I can say is if you haven't read it yet, you should! It's one of the best books I've had in a while. It's a story about two people's paths crossing in a span of twenty years - like 500 Days of Summer, it's not a love story, but a story about love. The ending is quite painful, but I love how the author made it bittersweet.

So anyway, moving on to the kikay stuff! I did my nails today because I'm going to a dinner tonight. I only intended to wear the NYX Girls nail polish in Pacific Blue, but I suddenly had a brilliant (though not-so-original) idea: what if I do a French tip using another color?

It's a little mind-boggling for me that there are so many lip balm brands out there. You see, at the end of the day, they're all made of the same stuff and does more or less the same thing. The only differences are the packaging and how light or waxy they feel on the lips. 

No, scratch that. There is another important feature that oddly enough not all lip balms do well - that is, healing chapped lips. I had high hopes for Vaseline Lip Therapy because the balm feels light and cushy on my lips. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much for chapping.

Then again, it's also a matter of being "hiyang" to lip balm. In any case I don't often get chapped lips, so Vaseline Lip Therapy is nice to use for normal lip days.

What I love about the product

• Feels satiny and light on the lips; there is none of that icky waxy sensation when I wear this.
• Cherry tastes nice! It's slightly sweetish. It also smells nice - lightly scented, it doesn't have that strong chemical cherry fragrance.

I mentioned before that Clinique has some of the best foundations out there, and with the brand's latest product called Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup (P2,400) I haven't changed my mind! The Superbalanced is a pressed mineral foundation that you can shave off to turn into loose powder. It has physical sunscreen at SPF15 with UVA/UVB protection, a shield that's good for a neat three hours.

Other than that technical stuff, this foundation delivers a beautiful, smooth finish that seems to look better as you wear it. I must admit I raised an eyebrow when I saw it on my face the first couple of minutes I applied it. it looked too powdery! After a while though it started melting on my skin and it looked absolutely amazing.

Case in point:

What I love about the product

• Looks beautiful when worn. I like how it makes my skin look glowy and natural without shimmer or shine. Coverage is light to medium so don't expect this to cover blemishes; use a separate concealer.
• Has the benefits of mineral powder (friendly to sensitive skin, doesn't clog pores or make you break out) combined with the convenience of a pressed compact.

There are a lot of dirt cheap, awesome brushes out there, but the thing is we often have to dig around for them or accidentally find them. One "accidental" find of mine is this double-ended eye brush from Avon. As I remember this is only P150, but it's another mainstay in my vanity table.

I've actually had this for a few months now. I spotted it in this huge Avon bash at Republiq, just sitting there with no one really paying any attention to it. It was part of Avon's new mineral line at that time, but everyone was cooing about the kabuki brush and of course, the mineral makeup. I was impressed when I got to try this double-ended brush though - it packed a lot of color and applied it smoothly!

There are several reasons I like this brush, but it all boils down to its multi-functionality. This brush is an all-around wonder because the two ends can do your eye makeup in one go.

You think white is a sweet color, the color of purity and the symbol of all that is good and spotless. But it's such a bitch to wear if you're on the chubby side (like me)! I coudn't resist this white eyelet dress when I saw it on the racks though. It looked passably alright when I tried it on so off it went to the shopping bag.

That said, I am feeling and looking huge lately. The last two months have been crazy and tiring, so I made up for it by eating a lot of take-away food. I was too pressed for time to cook, and also couldn't spend two hours in the supermarket. Aside from that, I simply lost control. I didn't care about what I ate and constantly made excuses not to exercise or cut back on the junk. It felt good to eat.  

And this, this is the result.

I promised myself only recently that I will start taking care of myself.

It's always a treat to hang out with fellow beauty bloggers, no matter where or what for. You see, most of us have day jobs that are worlds away from what we gab about online, so getting together is the best opportunity to actually talk about makeup and skincare as true-blue hobbyists. It's not like we talk beauty - in-depth - to our bosses and friends, no?

Bambi, me, Kira

The House of Obagi dinner was one such opportunity to get together. The best beauty and fashion bloggers, as well as members of the press, got to hang out and of course find out more about the brand's new skincare line called Obagi 360. It's hard to explain thoroughly in just a few sentences, but I'll try (and you can always refer to the document below for more information)!

Obagi 360 is a collection of HOO's best selling individual products that are put together to work "synergistically" with your skin. It carries the Obagi Nu-Derm Foaming Gel, Toner, Clear, Exfoderm, Blender, Physical Sunscreen SPF 32, Pro-C 10%, Elastiderm Eye Cream, and TR Complex - HOO's dream team. Obagi 360 also recommends its treatments to go along with 360 for your best skin yet.

Here are more photos of the event!

Lissa Kahayon, Marj Sia, Sophie Uy

If you look inside my bag - at any time, in any bag I'm using at the moment - you'll see the Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover Powder (P850). I like carrying it around because the compact is pretty and unique, plus it's handy for blotting in the middle of the day without getting my face looking cakey. I find to be a basic, non-fussy powder which is exactly what I need for retouching.

That doesn't mean that this is just for retouching. This well-milled silky powder instantly smoothens and mattifies skin, blurring out pores, so it's also an excellent finishing powder on top of liquid/ cream makeup. 

What I love about the product

• Very smooth, airbrush finish. It's subtle, but it's there. Does it even out pores? I don't have big pores so I can't tell. But I notice an overall smoothness when I use this.
• Translucent shade can easily match fair to medium skintones.

You know those pesky Facebook ads? They can be annoying, but they're useful sometimes! That's how I found out that The Pink Slippers Boutique is selling the Sigma Flare Eyeshadow Palette. It's part of the latest palette collection of Sigma featuring eight eyeshadows bundled in with a double-ended brush (the E55 and E40). At P2,000 it looks expensive, but I think the brush + eight eyeshadows more than make up for the cost. Bought this a couple of weeks back and I really enjoy the brush, most of all.

What I love about the product

• Great selection of fun colors - warm and cool - that can work well together. Indeed, this is the one feature that convinced me to buy the palette. 
• Intensely pigmented with the right eyeshadow base.

Eyeing that Forever 21 dress but put off buying it for some reason or other? Well, there's no reason now since Forever 21 Makati is having a three-day sale with selected items at 50% off! I hope I can catch the sale this weekend, there are some pieces I've been mooning over. X-ing fingers!

There’s just so much to look forward to at the Forever 21 3 Day Sale at SM Makati from August 19 to 21:

• Aug 19 10AM-12nn: 10% off on regular priced items when you use your SM Advantage Card/BDO Rewards/SM Prestige Card.

I got this Wet n' Wild Fast Dry Nail Color in Gray's Anatomy (P199) a few months ago at Watsons. I tried it once, but I didn't like how it was so sheer that even three layers weren't enough! This time though I decided to use an opaque base just to make the duochrome effect pop out. I'm glad to report that it worked. :D

This duochrome effect is very similar to Chanel's Peridot polish at only a fraction of the price. Don't be fooled by the bottle though, the effect is not as pronounced when worn. You'll see it only at certain angles.

When I first saw the Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Collection in Temptalia a couple of months back, I was floored. I like the theme and the fact that this collection is targeted towards women who wear glasses (me)! You see, it's a more difficult to use makeup when you wear glasses since they bring focus to the eyes. You don't want to be caught dead with droopy or tired-looking eyes, right? The Tortoise Shell Eyeshadow Palette is specifically designed to highlight our peepers without them looking overdone or trying hard. 

Aside from the palette, a set of mini-brushes with tortoise shell handles will be making a debut. If you've ever wanted to try Bobbi Brown brushes but can't afford them, this set is your best bet since you won't have to pay full price for them to get the same quality. It's P3,000 for the set but that's considerably less expensive than the normal size brushes which can go up to P2,000 a piece.  

Click after the jump to get more tips from Bobbi Brown on how to wear makeup with glasses on!

I was so giddy when I got my grubby hands on these Pinkbox goodies. I made sure to pick items that I'll wear a lot in my day-to-day activities since I've made the mistake of choosing accessories that are, er, too flashy for just running bank errands or doing groceries before. Don't get me wrong, I love flashy accessories! But I figured it's time to get pieces that are a *bit* more subdued than my usual fare.

Here goes!

I like this faux pearl and gold chain necklace because I can wear this with practically anything. I can jut put on shorts and a t-shirt and this won't look too much. I can wear a fancy dress and this is just the right complement. 

I was also wearing this headband in that look. It added a feminine touch to everything.

When I think of great blushes I first think of NARS, then MAC, and (because of Sophie's rave) Bobbi Brown. I didn't think of Estee Lauder because the brand isn't really famous for their makeup; they seem to have focused on making great skincare and fragrances instead. So when I got this blush palette from the EL holiday set I bought last year, I really wasn't expecting much.

Don't you love it when I'm wrong? The Estee Lauder Deluxe Blush Compact is a great find because it does everything a blush needs to do exceptionally well. The colors are also thoughtfully selected, since there are shades that can match any skintone and look.

Specifically, the blushes included in the compact are called Signature Silky Powder Blushes. Let's go!

What I love about the product 

• Super pigmented. Check out the swatches! I always use a light hand, which means that I save up on product. I've been using these since October 2010 and I haven't hit pan - granted, I use other blushes at the same time, but I use this one pretty often.

Hello! I'd just like to announce the commenter of the month winner for July. Her name is Ivy Boto. I really enjoyed reading her well thought-out comments both on this blog and on Facebook! Hope you enjoy the Colour Collection set I'm sending over, these products are seriously some of my faves in my kit. ;)

Now, this is a bit unusual, but I would like to announce a runner-up CoM. Her name is Mrs. Brigoli. I love her enthusiasm in commenting as well as how she writes her comments. I would love to send her a blush (she's on a blush phase, I hear), but I'm afraid I don't have anything brand new at the moment. I'll just send over this Elizabeth Arden White Glove Extreme Skincare sample set. Will also add a couple of goodies.

Now, are you ready for the CoM August gift? :D

Yes, Tony Moly!

Ok, back story: I've been looking for an awesome blush brush since June. I don't want any normal brush. I want something I will look forward to using everytime I wear makeup, something that feels luxurious and beautifying. Have I lost my mind? I looked far and wide for this mythical brush. There are only two brushes I seriously considered: one from Japonesque and the MAC 116 brush. The problem is that they both cost roughly P2,000. I told mysef to save up, I still have other items to knock off my list (such as a new camera, phone, and the Clinique Derma White Super City Block - such an awesome SPF product). So I didn't get my dream brush.

That is, until I saw this Marionnaud Premium Blush Brush (P299) in SM Makati last Saturday.

I was trolling the beauty aisles aimlessly that afternoon. One of the many Marionnaud stands was right smack in the middle of the walkway so I didn't miss it. I first saw the powder brush, it looked new plus it cost P500! Since when did Marionnaud brushes cost P500 a piece? The label says Marionnaud Premium. I immediately looked for a blush brush and wham! There it was.

I'll go on ahead and say that this is PERFECT. This is what I've been looking for. Don't bother reading my review, dash away and get one from Watsons/ SM Department Store!

What I LOVE about this product

• The natural hair is incredibly soft with the right density. It feels like a dream on my face.
• The brush is the right size and angle for both blushing and contouring. You'll remember that the cheaper Marionnaud blush/contour brush doesn't do much but contour (unevenly while it's at it). This new brush is worlds better.