We were waiting for lunch when my Mom asked me, "Did you get eyelash extensions?" I was surprised by the question, since it was the first time she ever asked me anything like it. My mom knows (quite better than anyone else) how much I love makeup. She knows that I always wear makeup whenever I'm out of the house so it's odd - and flattering - of her to ask!

The culprit in question is the Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (P750). It made my lashes look longer at the tips and thicker at the base, while still appearing thin and natural. That's not new I know. But it pulls off the effect so flawlessly that it fooled my mom into thinking I had work done on my lashes. :D

I admit that it's already desensitizing for you, me raving about mascaras all the time, but I think there's something really special with this one!

What I love about the product 

• Makes my lashes look thick and long without looking completely fake. It also forms my lashes into this even, triangular shape.
• It doesn't smudge or budge with daily wear and tear, although expect some mess when you cry or sweat too much.

One of my favorite lotions back in high school was from Jergens. It was affordable, smelled great, and didn't feel sticky. It was such a staple then, but when I got more adventurous with products in college, I just sortof forgot about it, y'know? But when Jergens sent me their new lotion, I just remembered why I loved this back then.

After all these years, Jergens still is affordable, nice-smelling, and non-sticky. A new variant, the Jergens Soothing Aloe Relief, has a calming, clean aloe vera smell that doesn't overpower. So not fussy!

I thought very long and hard about what to pack for my long road trip up North last weekend. I brought all sorts of neat things, but I forgot something basic yet important: a lip balm. Yes, I brought several lip and eye palettes, cheek colors, and lipsticks, but I didn't think to bring a lip balm. Crud. I did bring my Clinique Almost Lipstick in Shy Honey (P1,100) though!

The Clinique Almost Lipstick served as a great lip balm slash tint topper during the five days I was out. It doesn't feel greasy, oily, or waxy, unlike some lip balms. On the lips it feels thin and super comfortable, much like lip balm, but it does last longer and offers a bit of pinkish shine.

If you've seen Memoirs of a Geisha, don't tell me you didn't wish you were a geisha, even for a moment! Screw the fact that your whole livelihood will depend on pleasing men, or that you have to enter a form of slavery (back then) just to train to be one. The beautiful kimonos and the makeup made it such an exciting and glamorous career.

The geisha tradition may have declined throughout the years, but one aspect of it remains an eternal symbol of Japanese culture: the kimono. Artisans still pour their life's work on this garment as the Japanese still prefer to wear it during special occasions.

One of these artisans is Mamechiyo, who recently designed Shu Uemura's limited edition packaging of their Cleansing Oils, UV Under Base Mousse, and powder compact.

I thought that the Love/Serum Moisturizing Curl Enhancing Serum from Davines was the ultimate product for curly hair. It was everything I wanted! But when I tried the Bed Hed Tigi Foxy Curls (P1,645), I realized that the Davines serum was missing something crucial: hold.

Foxy Curls makes curls stand out without feeling greasy or heavy, much like Love/Serum. It is a lot stickier and thicker though while it's wet. This texture helps keep curls and stray hair in place, something that Love/Serum does not do all that well, since its main focus is to show up curls and moisturize hair. Oh FC also smells amazing!

Anyway, Foxy Curls was put to an extreme test when I used it before attending a media event.

I missed doing this last February, but my Top 10 Monthly is back! Here I talk about my favorite products last March. :D There's a lot of makeup in the list, but I also included a couple of hair gems.

My favorite lip color last March was the Colour Collection Moisture Intense Lipstick in Paradise Pink. It's a high-impact hot pink that really stands out, so I especially like wearing it with ho-hum neutral makeup. Love it!

Another lip color I am loving is the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Pop. It's a pretty plumping gloss that's a pigmented pink. Such a fun and flirty shade. :D

Hi guys! How was your loooong (still not done) weekend? I'm out of town, and we plan to hit Baguio tomorrow. Right now though we're just chilling - literally - in a hotel here in Pangasinan. It's too hot outside! 

While I have some lazy time, I thought I'd answer some reader questions over at the Ask Liz! Forum. I regularly answer all questions there if I know how, of course. Hehe. However, I found this set of questions particularly interesting so I thought I would dedicate a whole post on them. Here goes!

Hi, I'm getting married next year, and being a girl who depends on makeup to feel pretty and much more confident, I'm being obsessed looking for HMUAs for my special day. The problem is, aside from extremely high prices plus out-of town charge, I'm scared that they might not get what look am I going for, and I might become a bridezilla.

I am considering to do my own makeup for my wedding. I'd rather splurge on foundation + lipstick + blush and do it myself. Should I or shouldn't I? - Bridezilla

I think you should DIY! That is, if you're confident about your makeup skills and/or open to taking some makeup classes. Bridal makeup is fairly easy if you ask me. It's your basic natural look with waterproof or almost waterproof makeup. You can watch tons of YouTube videos for tips and techniques!

Even the Duchess of Cambridge is a DIY wedding makeup kind of girl

I think that it's a better investment to spend your P10,000-15,000 on good makeup or makeup classes because at least you're upgrading your skills and collection, things that you can use again. You can only use a MUA's service only during that event.

Here are some products I would actually use on my own wedding:

Cinema Secrets Foundation Palette #2 is a photogenic foundation/concealer duo, but personally it can look thick if you don't apply it properly.

I won’t be the first nor will I be the last to wonder, but what’s up with summer this year? It’s quite harsh. Even though I’m lazy with sunblock, I now make it a point to wear one all over my body and face every time I go out. In fact I’ve hoarded a few bottles in preparation for this very month!

Speaking of sunblocks, I want to talk about one that I’ve been using for a while now: Sunplay. I’ve had the chance to try it last May. While it took me some time and practice to get used to this fairly unique liquid sunblock, I ended up liking it a lot! Read my old review first. Done? Here’s why I stuck with this product:

• It’s something I can use over my favorite moisturizer. I don’t like most sunblock lotions because they can get sticky and greasy, but before I thought it’s just something we all need to put up with.

It is an incredibly nice day today, don't you agree? There's a kind of hush all around, a gentleness even. I just wish it won't be too hot later on. 

A gorgeous morning to you all!

Anyway, I just want to share a couple of my S&R finds. When we moved to Fort Bonifacio a couple of years ago, we instantly signed up at S&R. I shopped only once then. Why? Because for a household of two, I thought it wasn't practical to buy in bulk so I just did my groceries at Market! Market!

I've been shopping at S&R these past two months though. It's cheaper in the end because buying more means paying less, plus the meat and vegetables are usually fresh.

"You've never had a face mask unless you've had one at the Facial Care Centre." That's what kept going through my head as the attendant carefully moulded a thick layer of gel-like seaweed mask on my face, followed by a a paste-like mineral mask that hardened after a few minutes.

But I am getting way ahead of myself! A couple of weeks ago, Facial Care Centre invited me to try one of their famous facials. I was way overdue for one so I just had to go. The location was their new clinic in Eastwood so even though it was out of the way for me, I still made the trip.

Hotel-like rooms

Of course, you do not just go in FCC and ask for a treatment. You have to see one of their in-house dermatologists first to find out which of the facials will suit you best.

A lot of people think I just go around using new face skincare products all the time. I don't! Haha. When I find something I love, I stick to it like a barnacle. Occasionally I like something new enough for me to use it regularly, but after a while, for some reason or other, I find myself going back to my core skincare products. 

So! Let's start. I've known myself to be combination-oily ever since my teens, but in the past couple of months, I find that my skin gets dry and irritated often. When that happens I take a break from my Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (Oily Skin Formula) and just use the ultra-mild Sebamed Face and Body Wash. Then I use a thicker layer of the Clinique Moisture Surge.

Sometimes, when I'm really lazy and dry, I use the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil as an all-in-one facial wash and moisturizer. Seriously! After removing my makeup with the same oil, I use another layer and rinse it as a normal (but non-foamy) facial wash. Then I don't use anything afterwards. When I wake up in the morning, my face is kind of oily but glowing. I don't know but I feel that the Shu restores my skin's moisture balance.

I've been on the lookout for a new eyeshadow base for a while now, but I didn't actually get a new one because I wanted to use up my MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base. I didn't want to put an ok primer to waste! But the summer is pretty harsh this year. My eyeshadows crease and fade too much because of the heat, and that's just not acceptable. So I turned back to the best eyeshadow primer I've tried: the Urban Decay Primer Potion (P1,200 at Digital Traincase).

It's been two years since I first met the UDPP. After all that time, I still think it's one of the best - if not the best - product for making your eyeshadows stay put.

I'm sure you've heard about the fabled Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler before. I have too, but I never seriously considered buying one before because it was so expensive for a curler! At P1,000+ locally, it's too much compared to curlers that never go beyond P300. I thought there must be some reason it was so pricey, but whatever it was, I couldn't see how the cost could justify it.

Oh, how wrong I was.

I got to try it because of my advanced makeup class at the Shu Uemura Atelier (in Rockwell) a couple of weeks ago. John Pagaduan, Shu's accredited makeup artist, lent me his eyelash curler. It was love at first use. I immediately bought my own after the class!

Why I LOVE the product

• It curls like no other. The curl looks natural and not awkwardly crimped. It lasts for hours on end, even without mascara! I counted four hours minimum. Mind blowing.

When I talked about the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk last July, I gotta admit that I gave it a so-so review. I liked it but it's something I can definitely live without. After using it consistently for eight months though, it has become an indispensable part of my skincare routine, and here's why!

First off, it's magical. Lol. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's kinda true! This is what I use whenever my skin is dry, dull, and lifeless.

I've been thinking of the ocean lately. I want to go on a vacation, but I don't know where! Boracay is easy but I don't like the main beach there. Plus I prefer somewhere we can drive to. Any suggestions? Where are your favorite beaches?

Folded & Hung shirt | Greenhills skirt | Ferretti pumps | Pinkbox bangle | Parfois necklace

Anyhoo, I just want to share an ocean-inspired outfit I wore the other day. I assisted a magazine writer (and friend) as she pulled out items from our stores. No joke, that job is HARD.