Today I keep thinking of the fact that I can't think and it's driving me crazy. I'm suffering from a terrible mental block. Everything is a jumble in my head and I just can't sit down and focus. Gah. I hope this is over ASAP since I have a ton of things to do today.

Anyway, thought I'd share a pair of shoes I got last week. I'm into summer shades of green right now so when I saw this I immediately grabbed it. Figuratively, haha. It's from Ferretti, one of our latest pumps with a higher heel and pointier toes.

Snaps asks, "What's the big deal?"

We have an extra day this year and I find that so incredible. This year, I am granted another day to live and do something a little itty bit more with my life. Am I the only one who feels like this?

Anyways! Today I want to talk about a foundation that I've been using heavily lately: the Clinique Perfectly Real Radiant Skin Compact Makeup. It's a lovely sheer foundation that looks pretty much like radiant skin without the shimmer or glitter.

I don't have the compact, so I only have pictures of the refill. :P Here's what I think of it!

What I love about the product

• Smoothens out my skintone, blurs pores and bumps while still looking natural.
• Gives a sort of matte radiance - if that's possible! There are no visible shimmers in the formula. 
• Has SPF29 PA++! That's a considerable amount of sun protection; not that many foundations have this number. The high SPF makes it a great summer foundation or finishing powder!

I've had this Rajo Laurel x Plains & Prints shift dress for quite a long while now, but this is the first time I'm showing it here. Odd, because I wear it all the time! At least thrice a month, methinks. It's the perfect frock for meetings, but it's also something you can dress up for cocktails or even something casual.

Plains & Prints dress/ Ferretti wedges/ Nine West Bag/ Pinkbox earrings/ Avon ring

Yeah I know I can't pose to save my life, but I hope you get the idea. :) I see many, many happy years with this particular piece.

Anyway, here's the makeup I wore with it. I thought I'd feature this lovely eyeshadow palette from VMV Hypoallergenics called Morning After - it's the perfect duo for a light smoky eye that can be worn during the day.

The name's cute and so is the shade! MAC Plink! is a shiny baby pink with lots of fine silver shimmer. I think it's perfect for fairer girls since it can work as a delicate MLBB shade. It's a bit trickier to match with medium to dark-skinned girls though, due to the pale color.

It's sheerer than I would like and the frostiness is not helping. However, once I layer it on, the color shows up nicely. I suggest wearing a nude lip liner underneath to really make the color pop (if you have darker skin).

As with all MAC lipsticks, Plink! has a good staying power due to its drier texture. It also has that signature MAC vanilla scent!

I am super duper mega excited for Friday! I will giving a beauty talk to Adamson University students as part of the Colour Collection Tour. I am just this close to bursting with all the things I want to share to the students, not only when it comes to makeup and fashion, but how to cultivate their self-confidence and hopefully go into a career they love.

It's really more of me sharing my story. I was a reclusive college kid pretty much, and now I'm in PR and marketing. Makeup plays a big role in my life beyond the fact that I write about it almost everyday. It helped me find the courage to face a future that I wasn't sure would happen to me. 

The purple bus!

After reading comments from readers day in and day out, I realized that few people actually know about proper skincare. That is, they don't know much beyond what TV advertisements tell them about their skin problems and how to solve them. Make no mistake - Filipinas are serious about skincare in the sense that they try a lot of products in their quest for healthy skin, but they're not informed enough to decide when to quit experimenting and to just see a professional.

I should know. I used to think I can solve all my skin problems myself. It was only after my visit to a derma that I realized I just can't! Now I'm not saying I have perfect skin, but it's definitely a lot better after I had it treated. The best thing to do is to go to a dermatologist and ask for advice, but other than that, read up! Here I have Dr. Frank, the brand endorser of GoodSkin Labs, answering three of my skincare questions from New York. ;)

What is the quickest way to calm red, inflammed acne at home?

Dr. Frank: To calm red, inflamed acne at home is to place a cold compress over the spots to help alleviate some of the pain. If the pain persists and the blemishes aren’t going away, visit your dermatologist to best determine how to treat.

Fashion blogging is way, way harder than it looks! I took a lot of photos of this outfit but I only ended up with two that I could use. In theory it should be easy - I mean how hard is it to just stand and pose? But there's more to it, I find. 

Forever 21 blazer and shorts/ SM belt/ Pinkbox bangles/ Avon bracelet/ Neccara ring/ Nine West Bag/ Schu heels

The cool thing about my job is that I can work anywhere most of the time. It means that I can multi-task and shoot down errands whenever I need to! I just have to be connected to my email accounts (five of them) at all times, which my Blackberry takes care of. For heavier work like Facebooking, blogging, editing photos, or anything involving documents, I turn to my ever reliable Macbook Air.

A few weeks back, we had our condo fumigated, so I had to bring Snaps to the day care for a few hours. Try Pup Culture btw, if you're looking for a great day care center for your dog. Anyhoo! That day I decided to kill three birds with one stone: take my dog to Pup Culture, do my bank errands, and work. For the latter I decided to park myself at Bubble Tea. I love their tea and the Japanese food!

It's in the tiny bubbles!

It's an old, old war. White skin versus dark skin. In popular media, white is thought of as pure and expensive, while black/dark skin is considered dirty and plebeian. When will it end? When will Filipinas, specifically, finally be free from the all-consuming idea that only white is beautiful?

Well, FHM is not helping for sure. Their cover shows a shining white Bela Padilla in the midst of grasping black-skinned women. She is "stepping out of the shadows", that is, stepping out from the undersirable status of being obscure.

I spend serious time taking product photos that I even have it down to a science. So understandably I'm not happy whenever an online store filches my photos to earn money. I mean, how hard is it to take your own product photos or even just ask permission from the owners? 

Those are my Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter photos. Do not approve  ಠ_ಠ

Not meaning to be a bitch here, actually. I'm not mad, just baffled. All my photos are under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. It means that:

I think that the Internet should be a free place to share our ideas and output, and to police it by banning people from using your photos is just pointless.

Like I promised yesterday, I wore red lipstick when I went out. I was feeling a bit adventurous so I put on bright purple eyeshadow along with it too! I've seen this look in a lot of magazines before, so I thought why the hell not. It actually works but you really have to be 100% confident about it.

As for the outfit, it was super hot and sunny yesterday so I dressed with maximum comfort and cheeriness in mind. I also wore my new Charles & Keith heels, which I got on sale.

Thrifted knit top/ Forever 21 skirt/ SM belt/ Pinkbox necklace/ Avon bracelet and ring/ Charles & Keith heels

Can I just say, my diet is working! Didn't eat carbs for a week, then now I'm incorporating vegetables and fruits. The weight loss is quick, although I really have to start exercising again. For strength. 

Now, for the makeup!

Can someone please explain business card etiquette to me? Some of the people I've met extend their business card carefully, with two hands and a little bow. I'm wondering if that's how it's really done. Then they leave your card on the table respectfully, as if they're considering it. As for me I simply give my card, then slip theirs in my bag after checking it out.

Whatever the accepted practice is though, I think it's important to have a stylish card case. It makes one look more professional and keeps the cards from getting all frayed swirling around a bag. Practical, in other words.

I got this case from Avon. It's actually a set that comes with a compact mirror.

I need to fly out the door so I'm making this super quick! The Snoe Beso Balm (P149) is a slinky, lightweight lip balm that doesn't feel waxy at all. It's also pretty moisturizing, and doesnt dry up into flaky clumps on me.

It feels quite like my fave lip balm Aquafina, actually! It is super minty, however. It also has a sting. I've tried minty lip stuff before, but the Beso Balm is in a class of its own!

I was in a meeting yesterday with someone I've come to consider as a friend, so the look is more laid-back than what I would usually wear to work stuff. I just took out two of my old thrifted items - a lace skirt and a knit/chiffon top - and a NYX eyeshadow palette from Digital Traincase that I haven't used yet.

Thrifted lace skirt and chiffon top/ Primo belt/ Avon watch and bag/ Pinkbox bangle/ t0nic wedges

NYX Eyeshadow Palette in TS08 (Spring Leaf, Lime Green, Green Tea)

I think I've worn a similar green eyeshadow look like this before, but this time I paired it with a cheery pink lip.

Face: Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, Cinema Secrets concealer, Clinique Perfectly Real compact foundation to set

I was checking out Beauty Bar in MOA last Sunday when I saw a new brand called Formula 10.0.6. Well, it's not actually new new since it apparently has been around since 1933, but I think it's newly arrived here! According to the website, the brand excels at perfecting troublesome young skin with ingredients that work. "Troublesome young skin", that's me alright.

I bought a sample sachet of the Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask (P120) knowing absolutely nothing about the brand. :P I liked how they packaged their products, so even though the price is quite reasonable, I got the feeling that the stuff is hip and expensive. It's just my luck that I bought what seems to be the most popular product of Formula 10.0.6, with a 4.2/5 rating at Makeupalley.

Ok ok I'm dithering. Deep Down Detox is a great mask! I got it because I am waaay overdue for a facial and I needed something quick to clean up my face. Well, this mud/clay mask didn't clean my pores as well as I hoped, but it helped with the oiliness extremely well. It's been three days since I used it and my face is noticeably less oily! 

"Proof, not promises," says Elizabeth Arden about their flagship anti-aging cream, the Prevage Night Anti-aging Restorative Cream (~P5,000/ $132). So what is it? Basically, it's a night cream that has a powerful anti-oxidant component to battle fine lines and dullness.

...an intensive overnight moisture cream with advanced Idebenone technology that was specially formulated to work during the night in synch with the skin’s sleep cycle, as it’s the time our skin is most receptive to treatments.

Many factors cause eye bags. For some it is just plain aging and genetics, in which cases it will be improbable to remove the eye bags short of surgery. For others, it's a stressed and unhealthy lifestyle. Eyebags caused by lifestyle factors can at least have hope in being corrected!

Now, the best beauty "secret" is a healthy lifestyle - there's really no going around it. So if you look haggard beyond your time, perhaps it would be wise to cut down on drinking, smoking, salty and fatty food, and maybe throw in a bit of exercise once or twice a week. And please, sleep!

So! With that out of the way, I'll be sharing some beauty products and concealing techniques you can use in hiding your eye bags. I don't have particularly dark eye bags, but my under eyes look puffy and shadowy because of their bulging shape. Yes, that's just how it is.

And here, my friends, are the things I do to lessen the appearance of my eye bags!

Before

After!

Skincare

Never rub. Ever. Don't rub or touch your eye area because the skin around it can easily be pulled out of place. Resist the urge and keep your hands away from your eyes or else you can develop fine lines before their time.

My Shu Uemura cleansing oil is still the best for me, but there are quite a lot of affordable alternatives available in the market now. They're basically the same - mineral oil-based makeup removers that take the gunk off effortlessly. Their difference, I find, lies in the smell, the residue left over after rinsing, and how skin-friendly they are. 

For not all cleansing oils are created equal. Even though they are made of the same stuff, some ingredients may cause pimples. Some are too thick and leaves a film of oil even after you rinse it off. Some, like the Revlon Absolute C Radiance Moisture Cleansing Oil (P550), has a very distinctive scent.

The first thing you'll notice about the Revlon cleansing oil is the overwhelming citrus smell. Now I'm not particularly sensitive to perfume in skincare, but this one is too much for me. I wish they'd take it down a notch, no, several notches. It claims to have Vitamin C but I don't think they have to prove it with the strong orange smell. We get it.

That said, it's quite effective at removing makeup with only a small amount of product.

It is not a secret that I love lipsticks and other lip products. I think that it's the easiest, most accessible, and most prettifying thing a woman can wear. Thus, I've been steadily collecting lip stuff in the past couple of years, and I think I've amassed enough for a fun guessing game! Are you ready? :D

Snaps is challenging you to a battle of educated guesses and dumb luck. The game is super simple: just guess how many lip products (lip stick, stain, tint, balm, gloss - so technically not just lipsticks) are inside this box. 

If you guess correctly, you win this Avon loot! (thanks Avon team!) 

Contest mechanics

1. Follow Project Vanity on Facebook and me on Twitter.

2. Share the contest over both platforms! The more players, the merrier. Don't forget to tag me and please make sure it's public. :)