Not makeup, that's for sure! Last Thursday, I had a very memorable afternoon at the Jane Iredale store in Evekal Building, Makati. The 100% pure mineral makeup brand is remarkable by itself (will talk about that soon), but what really sealed that day in my mind is the food. Yes, food. Stephanie Zubiri's Modern Epicurean Kitchen was the caterer that day and my god the food was good.

Jane Iredale store

Glorious food

I'm not a food writer so I don't have the vocab and know-how to rhapsodize about the dishes properly, but I hope the fact that I wrote about food here will convince you of its greatness.

There are a ton on tinted lip balms out there, but what sets the Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar(P278) apart is its winking bunny cap. You can't beat that. I imagine all the tinted lip balms of the world waving their sad little white flags to this cuteness.

All your base are belong to me

Kidding aside, the Tony Moly Bunny Gloss Bar is a nice tinted lip balm that delivers even color and moisture. It glides on the lips and stays emollient for hours. Oh, it also smells great - has that whisper of fruity notes.

I've had a Ferretti gift certificate (intended for the press) lying around the house for months now so I thought, hey, why don't I just give it away to a Project Vanity reader? I asked my boss and she said yes. So here we are!

I'm giving away one pair of Ferretti shoes - any pair you want. The mechanics are painfully simple. ;)

What you need to do

1. Follow BOTH Ferretti and Project Vanity on Facebook.

2. I want to know the pair of shoes you'd like to win.

Last month, I ran out of my favorite eyeshadow primers (UDPP and TFSI) at the same time so I decided to hunt for a new one. I'm foolish like that. I have holy grail products sure, but I also like to explore other options. It makes for good blog fodder, and who knows, the new one might actually work better!

Anyway, I came across the MAC Prep + Prime Eye (P1,000+) last August. I normally look for online reviews before buying a product in this price range, but I got this one on impulse plus I was in a hurry at that time. I didn't like it at first but I suppose it's just one of those things that grow on you, you know?

What I love about the product

• Intensifies eyeshadows, like a good eye primer should. It makes pigments and shimmers adhere better on skin.
• It feels like a very thin, lightweight, liquidy concealer, so it evens out your lid and can act as a base for your undereye concealer as well. If you don't have super dark bags, this can actually double as a concealer by itself.

A majority of Filipinas may be hesitant when it comes to makeup, but you can bet that we loooove our bath and body products. Actually we just love our baths, period. We're no Frenchmen.

It's no wonder that aisles and aisles of drugstores and supermarkets are dedicated just for the riot of body care products. There's always something new, something exciting to buy and try! One of them is Watsons' latest bath and body care line called H Bella.

It's a pretty solid collection. I tried everything and all of them met my criteria for body products - they're light, non-sticky, not scratchy at all, and most importantly, they smell great. Here's my quick review of each product in the line:

Protect & Nourish Hand Cream. It's very light and gets absorbed by my skin quickly. Do you hate the greasy feeling of hand lotions? Do you hate how they turn greasy again after you wet your hands? This is not one of those hand creams. 

I wanted to write this in paragraph form, but I thought it would be more fun to list it down! So, these are the reasons I'm selling some of my books.

• I love reading, but I live in a condo. Space is limited for books! (And shoes for that matter). I want to buy new titles and keep only those books I'm likely read again.
• I read most books only once. I don't remember every small detail about them, but each book will always be a part of me and how I view the world. That's all I want from books.
• I need more money to buy more shoes. (Kidding. Er.)
• These books need owners who will value them more than I do. 

And these are the reasons you should buy these books:

• I bought all of them this year from Fully Booked. Many are new titles that I got as soon as they came out. 
• They're crazy cheap.
• You need to support my shoe addiction. Because we're friends.
• I also need to give away some beauty/personal care stuff, so yeah, freebies for each purchase!

And here's what I have:

RESERVED Nina Garcia's The One Hundred. Originally P640, selling for P400. (Must have for fashionistas.)

RESERVED How To Walk In High Heels by Camilla Morton, P200. (Must have for women who want to develop class and grace, as well as the wonderful talent for walking in high heels.)

Vogue Concepts brought us Promod and Yves Rocher from France, Parfois from Portugal, and Flojos from California. But they're not stopping there! Early this September, they brought in one of London's hottest stores called Peacocks. The fast-fashion brand is London's version of the US's Forever 21, with the goal of translating catwalk trends to wearable retail. 

Here's the lookbook-esque catalogue they rolled out for us (you must look at it from beginning to end, there are so many neat inspirations!)

Remember my visit to Sebago last year? That was one of my favorite features because the pink Sebago Docksides I took home then ended up being one of my best shoes. After more than a year of using them whenever I'm not in heels, they're still in great condition, albeit a little dirty.

Take note ha, I've walked them in filthy floods and extremely hot weather where even asphalt fillings would melt. They're still true and totally worth the price! Count me a fan. So when Sebago asked me to visit them again, I wasted no time. Check out some of their new designs:

Felucca Lace

When I was younger and still living in my parents house, an ylang-ylang plant used to grow near my window. It bloomed only seasonally, but when it did, our house smelled like flowers. I always looked forward to evenings when the ylang-ylang would open up; I loved lying in bed just smelling it and listening to cheesy songs on the radio.

Well, the ylang-ylang is gone now and I no longer listen to the radio, but the memory still remains with me. It's not something I think about on a normal day, but when I got the Yves Rocher Jardins du Monde Ylang-ylang Body Wash (~P200), I was pleasantly reminded of those bygone, simpler days.

Nostalgia aside, I like this Yves Rocher body wash because it lathers up nicely and doesn't dry my skin. It's a basic body wash that does the job without fuss! The real killer is the scent.

Been a while since I posted something from Avon here. Recently though they sent me a package with some of their latest goodies, so I'd like to share them with you here as an FYI (for now!). Will definitely be reviewing the new Skin So Soft Lotion since I love this line - it's one of two moisturizers I finished to the last drop this year. I'll also talk about the new eyeliner soon.

Oh, Avon also has a BB cream now! It's only P399 and comes in two shades.

Anew 360° White Transforming Mask (P499)

Anew 360° White Transforming Mask’s fine massage beads stimulate the skin and instantly smoothens the skin by gently removing dead skin cells while Avon’s patented whitening ingredients dramatically whiten skin. 

Being forced to stay home for a week because of the chemical peel caused my life to flash before my eyes. Well, this house arrest made me re-evaluate my priorities that's for sure! These are the things I learned while recovering from my "extreme" skincare adventure.

1. Take care of your face. It's your biggest asset since it's the first thing people see and judge you by! Before spending on expensive makeup and clothes, make sure that your face has everything it could possibly need to be healthy and glowing. 

We're not all blessed with good looks, so the next best thing we can aim for is to have good skin!

2. Prevention is better yaddah yaddah. If you see a problem cropping up, nip it at the roots and don't wait for the nastiness to erupt all over your face. Stop using that new shampoo you bought - or toothpaste, foundation, whatever new product that recently touched your face. Use your previous skin medication. See your derma stat. Whatever it takes.

3. If you have serious skin problems, consult a dermatologist. Don't self-medicate and take what you read online at face value. It only costs around P500 to get a consultation from a licensed derma so there's no reason not to see one. Your skin will thank you for it in the long run! A dermatologist is the only qualified person who can recommend products for your specific skin type and concerns.  

Some girls don't like wearing eyeshadows because of the extra work involved. They also don't want to give the impression that they're overly made up, especially in professional or formal settings where they need to look clean and almost bare-faced. Hence, the "no makeup makeup" was born.

I think that the Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in Country Woods were designed with that look in mind!

This palette has four neutral eyeshadows that are decently pigmented for a drugstore brand. The eyeshadows won't really show up brightly though. That just give the eyes the subtlest hint of glimmer and contour, improving their shape and color, without giving many clues that they're actually there. Pretty neat if you ask me.

What I like about the product

• Nice pigmentation. Won't blow your mind away, but it works.
• Colors really bring out the eyes without looking obvious. They look good on fair to medium skintones. 

Have you been out? It's such a nice Saturday! I guess everyone agrees because there are very few updates on my social networks. Hehe. Anyway, before I go off, I just want to announce the Commenter of the Month for August. Her name is Julz! She's been so helpful with her comments and product feedback on my posts last month. So, she's getting the cool Tony Moly skincare and makeup set. 

And now, get ready for my Commenter of the Month gift for September!

The best commenter this September will win this Yves Rocher loot bag containing a Lash Plumping Mascara, 3-in-1 Eye Pencil, Moisturizing Cream Lipstick in Rose Cannelle, and Agave Sap Velvety Moisturizer. I'm so envious! I wanted to keep these! But I think the CoM deserves them more than I do. ;)

The Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Heart Lip Palette (P448) is cute, but at first it hardly looks like something you'll actually use. It looks waaay too much like a toy and reminds me of those "makeup sets" you can buy for kids - bright and fun, but the colors don't actually show up since they're just petroleum jelly.

Well guess who's wrong.

The Heart Lip Palette apparently features Tony Moly's best-selling lipsticks. After using this for a few days, I can totally see why.

What I love about the product

• Decently pigmented. It starts off as semi-sheer but you can layer for a more opaque finish. Make sure to pile it on.
• Great color selection. There's a nude, peach, pink, and red that are all quite flattering. My favorite is the peach!

Heads up! I'd like to share the most interesting news I got in my inbox. ;) Enjoy.

Ensembles x Religioso

Ensembles has a new collection this September! It's designed by Choc and Yvette Religioso, the duo behind that luxe store in Greenbelt 5. The collection "embodies the stylish empowered woman of the new millennium, inspired by the genteel well-dressed women of the past.  Each piece origininates from the classic button down shirt, given a dash of drama that is the signature of the line’s designers".

Here are my top three pieces! My favorite is this shirtdress. It's so moderno! I wonder if it comes in other colors.

Foundations even out the skin and soften blemishes, but they don't always give the illumination that our face needs. They usually have a matte or satiny finish so you may need another product to sort of finish off your face in a literal halo of light. Illuminators do this for you by having light-reflecting ingredients that create this subtle haze of light around your skin.

Sounds too complicated? It's actually easy to get illuminated! It's only difficult when you're using the wrong product - by wrong I mean too shimmery, too pigmented, too obvious. I love the Guerlain Meteorites for that instant ethereal glow but for a warmer finish, I prefer to use the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact in Bronze (P2,300).

Shimmer bomb? As the name suggests, the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick is shimmery in the pan. However, when it goes on your face, the fine shimmer diffuses and isn't really detectable unless you look closely. It's more shimmery than the Guerlain Meteories (which is more on the pearly side) but less pigmented than the NARS Laguna Bronzer.

Pigmentation and finish. At first, I was trying to get it to work like a bronzer by contouring my cheeks and the sides of my face with it.

The ennui that went with my Blue Peel experience is perhaps the biggest challenge I've hurdled so far. I couldn't go out of the house for long during the day because the sun makes my face feel hot and slightly itchy, so I felt bored and confined. I also felt sad because my face looked bad, so much that I questioned my decision to do the peel.

Now that I'm on my sixth day though, I feel better because I've already seen a drastic reduction of my blemishes and blackheads. I'd say it's three to four days before all the peeling skin is completely gone, and I can't wait! Seriously. I can't.

Day 3: It all falls apart

After the skin dried from the chemicals in Day 2, it became a hard, tight shell. I couldn't move my face much. It was in Day 3 when my face started cracking, beginning in the chin area. 

I'm already on my fifth day of the Obagi Blue Peel. My face is peeling heavily, but I love the skin that I see peeking from under the old layer! You'll see when I post pictures tomorrow. For now I want to talk about the two skincare products that I've decided to stick to while I'm still recovering from the chemical peel.

I came across the Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash (P870/200ml) around two years ago. I got a tiny 5ml bottle of it as part of a press kit, but when I ran out I didn't purchase. At that time I found it expensive at P750 for a bottle, considering my facial washes never cost more than P100-200 before! So I skipped it and forgot about it.

After the chemical peel though, I had to switch to a gentle facial cleanser that wouldn't excessively dry up my peeling and hypersensitive skin