Yesterday I was at Makati Shangri-La for a one-on-one interview with Maggie and Annie Ford-Danielson, the global brand ambassadors of Benefit. It was such at treat! The girls we're sweet and approachable, so I felt comfortable asking them questions. I'm still working on the story so stay tuned!

Phone cam, hence the quality. Also caught in mid-blink. Hay.

Anyway, I wore a dress from Vestito, which I've had since December. I just never figured out a way to wear it without looking like a wedding sponsor (the matron kind) but I finally got a brilliant idea. What if I tied it with a lace ribbon? My shape came out and the dress fell nicely. Success.

Vestito dress / Ferretti necklace and shoes / Pinkbox bangle

Simple but chic, I think. As for my makeup I did a light smoky eye with my Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Palette in Sand and a loud like with Sleek True Color Lipstick in Mystic.

Face: Lancome Teint Miracle foundation, Cinema Secrets concealer, Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder, Guerlain Meteorites

Last Sunday I was at Megamall with my family. We had a carb-laden lunch at Amici - so good! I missed that place! I ordered from there a LOT when I lived in Makati. Anyways as we were walking off the food, I spotted an oriental-themed kiosk called Hua Mulan, near Payless. The store sold precious-looking combs so after dithering about whether I want to blow P330 on a wooden comb, I just went for it.

It's not a lot of money but I think it's the most I ever spent on a comb. :P I feel it's worth the "splurge" though, because the product looks really well-made. What really sold me on it is the smoothness of the sandalwood. Combs and brushes usually catch on my curly hair, so the roots are weakened and I get hair fall. I think a wooden comb would produce less friction with my hair!

According to Hua Mulan's Facebook Page:

Sandalwood Combs - This kind of wood is very precious. It needs a hundred years to grow up.

I am 24 today. After all that drama about my age earlier, I just don't care anymore! Lol. This morning I was dour, but then I walked the dog and the weather was so nice - who can be dour on a nice day? So yeah I'm quite happy on my birthday, thanks to everyone who wished me one.

So. I just want to show a look I did last Saturday. It's not groundbreaking but there are two things that are *new* to me here: using the Shu Uemura eyeshadow in Soft Gold with MAC Amber Lights - they are made for each other! - and then this new lipstick I got which I will keep a secret for now. Okay fine. It's from Colour Collection!

Face: Cinema Secrets concealer, Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup, Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder, Cinema Secrets makeup sealant

Tommy Hilfiger's Eau de Prep Tommy Girl (50ml P2,800/ 100ml P3,800) is a cheerful, feminine scent that won't have you smelling like an awkward kid. It speaks of elegance and poise, but it never even remotely strays into the territory of "too much" or "too old". I also appreciate that it's not light and forgettable.

Eau de Prep features pink peppercorn and violet leaf top notes, with musky white roses in the middle and then beautifully finished with a homey sandalwood note. Lasting power is pretty good - the woody base warms up on skin wonderfully and stays on for hours.

It appears I made a mistake. Instead of one winner weekly for my Asian Secrets giveaway, there will actually be five! So hurray! We've drawn the winners for Week 1 yesterday.

Here they are after the cut!

Something with a name like "hair heroes" better live up to it! Snoe Beauty's Hair Heroes with Intense Argan Oil (P499) is a cleansing conditioner that's designed to "save you from a bad hair day" - and it does. It revives dry hair and transforms it into a silky miracle only after one use. Too good to be true? Well, it's true, but the product is not perfect.

Hair Heroes can be used several ways: as a cleansing product (that is, no need to apply shampoo), a separate hair conditioner after your shampoo, a deep treatment mask (wait for 15 to 20 mins before washing off), and as a leave-on treatment.

What I love about the product

• One wash. That's all it takes for you to see a major difference in your hair! Hair feels A LOT smoother, silkier, and moisturized. Must be the famous argan oil!
• Smells like coconut cream. I like it, a bit strong but it doesn't stay like that for long.

Mature skin tends to be duller, with age spots, wrinkles, and dry skin overall. That means normal makeup just won't cut it anymore! To enhance older skin, makeup artists would recommend products that have intense moisturizing and brightening effects.

One foundation that fits the bill is the Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup (P975). I wouldn't recommend you put too much stock on its "DNA advantage" that is, its claims to protect your DNA from aging, but it is certainly a good foundation for its intended market.

Texture. It's thick, creamy, and easy to spread on even the toughest, wrinkle-ridden skin. It also helps soften lines due to its light-reflecting properties. Has SPF20.

Coverage and finish. Coverage is medium to heavy.

I see Cinema Secrets in beauty aisles all the time, but I've never purchased from them. The price is one factor but another thing that kept me away is how medieval this brand feels! It's not hip (like MAC), cute (Benefit) or aspirational (Lancome), if you know what I mean. It's Cinema Secrets and you take it or you leave it.

Branding aside, Cinema Secrets is famous for being exactly that - the secret of makeup artists for cinema and even the stage. Their products are designed to withstand the heat and effect of harsh lighting, sweat and oil, long hours, and other unpleasant side effects of being an actor in front of the camera or audience.

Cinema Secrets makeup has uses beyond the entertainment industry, however.

I've already shared some of 2012's upcoming makeup trends, and this time, I have more! MAC Philippines recently launched their Spring-Summer 2012 Trend Recap, which features four looks that will be huge this year. We're talking iredescent, lit-from-within skin, strong eyebrows, matte/satin lips, metallic shades, and bold swatches of color in strategic areas.

Nicole Thomson, a Senior Makeup artist at MAC, flew in from Australia to demonstrate the new beauty looks to the press at Midas Hotel. 

And here are the looks to beat this year!

Neo-N

Gorgeous, not grittily graffiti-esque, it’s about wearing neoprene colour against plump, workout-fresh skin and an aerodynamic brow in an effortlessly chic, considered way.

This stuff is the bomb. The real deal. After three weeks of using the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate, I can honestly say that this is one of the best skincare products I've ever tried - up there with my Clinique Moisture Surge, Clinique Liquid Facial Wash, and Burt's Bees Toner. 

Observe:

Hi, I'm Snaps. Today I'm going to show you some of Liz's new shoes. She was taking pictures of them a while ago, but I thought it's preposterous that she's not taking pictures of me, so I sat beside the shoes and did her the honor of having me as a model. 

You like? The first pair is from Ferretti. Liz bought them on her way to a meeting because she was wearing crummy flats. She told me that she loved the electric purple-blue color but it was really the lightness of the wooden heel that won her heart.

Being an independent adult is terrifying. Aside from paying all the bills yourself, there are also the decisions you have to make everyday about your career, your relationships, your own well-being - it never ends. On one hand it's cool that your parents don't manage your life anymore, but there's also the risk of making a grave mistake and having no one else to blame but yourself. 

Morbid thoughts for such a pretty Thursday morning, I know! It's actually a good, no, awesome day for me and I am in a merry mood. Just scribbling.

Anyway, I just want to share something new from Avon - their newly repackaged and reformulated Avon Naturals skincare line. There are three variants, namely Rose & Rose Hips, Tea Tree Oil & Green Tea, and Honey & Milk. Here's the product info and prices for your reference!

Formulated to deeply nourish the skin and leave it feeling soft and supple all day long, Avon Naturals Milk & Honey Nourishing Skin Care products bring together honey extract and milk protein that smoothen rough, dry skin, and provide long term moisturizing benefits—all wrapped in a sumptuous honey and milk scent.

Last Christmas, Tony Moly sent me a package that contained one of their best sellers: the Tony Moly Appletox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream (P525), cutely nicknamed as the Appletox. I've never used it until last night mainly because I'm anxious about breaking out. I've never used a Tony Moly skincare product before so I really took a chance here!

Since I had a bit of free time last night and needed to get rid of some dry skin anyway, I decided to try the Appletox. It's supposed to be a face mask-cum-exfoliator as it dries into flakes you can rub off. 

How to use the product. Apply a light layer all over your face. Wait for it to dry, usually in 10 minutes or so. After drying, gently massage the mask off your face to get rid of deep-seated dirt and peeling skin.

I've had the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara (P995) for months now and I use it all the time. However, each time I sit down to try to review it my mind just drains of all thought. It's like writing about my toe. It's an integral part of me but it's not something I really think about, y'know?

The thing I like most about this mascara is how volumizing it is while still being incredibly easy to wash off. Yes, it washes off with just water; even so, the integrity of the mascara is not compromised with normal sweat and oil around the eyes. Just don't cry!

There are pros and cons of having a mascara that's washable. The obvious pro is you don't have to rub and sacrfifice a few lashes just to take it off. I personally prize this feature because I hate having to fuss over makeup removal after a long day.

Yesterday I was at a lunch meeting with an editor from Working Mom, along with my boss from Pinkbox.

We were happily chatting when Liz Uy and Raymond Gutierrez (who btw truly lost a lot of weight, as advertised!) walked into the restaurant. My boss is interested in working with Liz Uy, so I got up, chatted with her a bit, and asked for her number. I was SO SHY about the whole thing!

I was surfing through the interwebs yesterday when I saw a young personal blogger wearing a questionable outfit. I won't go into details but the look is so wrong on so many levels! I'm not being mean or trying to position myself as a fashion expert, but I will think of myself as sensible when it comes to clothes. And the things that I am seeing some young women wear these days do not make a lot of sense.

I wore this when I met Daniel Matsunaga last year. I wish. I didn't.

I know I've worn some questionable outfits in the past myself (above), but I have learned not to repeat my mistakes thanks to some people's catty comments. Criticism is painful - often unbearably so - but they need to be said and heard if anyone is to move forward. And this is what I think about the fashion blogger culture and their truckloads of followers.

Do not aspire to (e.g. copy) everything that fashion bloggers show you. That sounds harsh, but again, I am not trying to be mean. Famous fashion bloggers are famous for a bunch of reasons - they are pretty, with (usually) svelte and willowy figures, and they are one step ahead of local trends.

If you are not any of those things, then restrain yourself from copping all their looks.

This is what my bathroom shelf looks like.

[I need a bigger shelf]

Products come and go, but there are a few good ones that I keep coming back to - and one of them is Asian Secrets. :) I've been using it since 2010!

I don't use a proper body scrub all the time because I'm a busy girl, but whenever I want to treat myself to a long, satisfying bath, it's Asian Secrets all the way. I also like using it before a special occasion, as it really helps smoothen my skin for the big day.

Okay so you packed your makeup kit with the utmost care because you want to look your best in a meeting or an out-of-town wedding. But alas! You forgot your blush! You brought three lip balms, gazillions of brushes and all manner of eyeshadows, but you didn't bring something as basic as a blush. What do you do?

a. Fall into pieces and cry like a little girl.

b. Run to the nearest mall or drugstore and buy a blush. Being late be damned.

c. Borrow a blush from an acquaintance/ semi-stranger and revel in what might be a bacteria-infested party on the compact.

d. Use your lipstick as a blush!

Kidding, just kidding. The best answer is D. You can actually use your lipstick as a blush, provided that it's matte or satin, that is.

I woke up early today, before sunset, and walked my dog. It always puts me in a contemplative mood. I was remembering a conversation with someone about makeup. She asked, why do you love makeup? I said, I love collecting them. I love having them. But that's a stupid answer, isn't it?

I had the whole weekend to think about that. Hehe. And here's my answer: I love makeup because it helps me enhance the things I love most about myself. I love it because I think of it as a toy, to play around and just have smashing fun with. That's it, really.

Anyway, I just want to share a look I wore last Friday!

Face: MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, Colorescience pressed mineral foundation