This is not a good morning for me. I woke up with an aching body (damn Barre3) and a mild headache. I've been staring at the screen for about two hours just thinking about what to write. Hay! I have several meetings today on top of this. But the show must go on! Today I'm going to write about a powder foundation that I've been testing for week.

Being a fan of the Lancome Teint Miracle liquid foundation, I was excited to see if the new Lancome Maqui Blanc Miracle Foundation (P1,895 for the refill, P995 for compact) is as good. Well it is (subject to the limitations of a powder foundation of course), and here's why!

What I love about the product

• Delivers a natural-looking, satin finish with a bit of glow. This is the ideal finish for me.
• Coverage is medium to heavy. It can cover minor blemishes and uneven areas by itself.

Fair-skinned girls are lucky in the sense that they can pull off a wider range of colors. Anything from pastels to jewel tones look good on fair skin! But, the basics first! If you have fair skin, here are a few tips on how to enhance it with makeup.  

1. Wear pink! Pink is a bright and cheery color that anyone can pull off. If you wear coordinating blush, lips, and nails, the pink will bring out your skin’s cooler (lighter) tones. If you have warm/yellow undertones, go for warm shades like hot pink and fuchsia. If you have cool undertones, go for blue-based and/or pastel pinks.

How do you feel about orange on your lips? It's a fun shade to wear but definitely not something I would try to pull off everyday. It's too tricky to match! Most of the time I would find myself adjusting my whole look just to accommodate true orange lips, and that just won't do. 

But I do like orange a lot so I think I've found a way to sneak it in my everyday routine - via this Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in OR 541 (P1,195)!

It's orange indeed, but not the crazy fluo kind. It's a wonderful uber shiny shade that goes with my medium-yellow skintone so well! Formula-wise, this feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick. I even already skip moisturizing my lips beforehand because this lippie handles that job pretty well by itself.

One event I recently attended was the launch of Daphne Oseña-Paez's home fragrance and furniture line in Dimensione. I'd say it's one of the better functions I've been to lately! The second floor of Dimensione in High Street was transformed into a stylish high tea affair, quite deserving of Daphne's image as a stickler to detail and the evangelist for beautiful surroundings.

Watch the event unfold while Daphne tells the story of her new adventure. :)

Okay! I've been using the Daphne Home Scent in Mint Jasmine Infusion (P349) for a week now. How was it?

I like that the jasmine is not too pronounced - it smells quite sweet actually, with a hint of mint thrown in.

Hi girls! I just want to share the news about MAC's latest collection - Hey Sailor! The first branches to sell it are Glorietta and Shangri-La this Saturday, and I will be in Makati to check it out personally. Exciting! Hope to see you there ha. For now, here's some information about the collection and the local selling dates.

Set sail this summer with a colour and bronzing collection designed to drop anchor in the most sophisticated Port of Call. Decked out in stylishly sailor-striped packaging, a fabulous flotilla of Small Eye Shadows, Lipsticks, Lipglass, Powder Blushes, Pigments, Powerpoint Eye Pencils, Pro Longwear Lip Pencils, Nail Lacquers and Zoom Waterfast Lash.

The Artdeco Camouflage Cream Concealer (P450 at Beauty Bar) is one of the first concealers I ever bought. I remember dithering about it because ~P400 was a lot of money for me, me being a student then. Thankfully I didn't waste my hard-earned savings! I ended up buying two more pans before Artdeco finally left the country.

As soon as the brand opened here again, I immediately bought another one of these. Here's why!

What I love about the product 

• It's a heavy coverage, almost opaque concealer. It can cover pretty much anything.
• Impressive staying power. The hard texture makes it difficult to rub or wash off. It also doesn't melt or fade much during the day - perfect for oily-skinned/sweaty people!

Last Friday I received another pink box from Etude House. I was just about to vamoose out of the door for work, so I HAD to patiently wait all day before I can come home and open it! Well, the suspense was worth it I think. Here's what's inside!

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I have no interior design sense whatsoever. I don't know how to dress up a space and even how to pick furniture. Sure I like a few pieces but I have absolutely no idea where to put them or how to make them work with the furniture we already have. That's why our two-bedroom condo looks a bit...haphazard.

Peacocks top / Landmark skirt/ Ferretti espadrilles/ Pinkbox necklace

But it is home and we have all the stuff we need. It's just not particularly fixed up! Anyway, this is what I wore to watch Prometheus with Marco last Sunday. I always dress down when I'm with him because he's so chill. Too chill, in my opinion, but who's asking!

The month of May was marked by Holy Grail finds - stuff that I now use regularly and will definitely buy when I run out. Here's the monthly installment of my top 10 finds! :) 

The K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner is my favorite eyeliner, ever. It's a liquid eyeliner that doesn't budge or smudge, and has a brush applicator that is super easy to use. I can make thin or graphic lines, draw even, with this eyeliner pen. Win!

I love these Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips Talk Lipsticks because of their shades. The hot pink and nude beige are spot on - exactly what I was looking for. Read my review and a tutorial of how I used them in two looks!

I know that prints are du jour for the season. The crazier they are, the better! However, I'm really not that into colorful prints; I don't like to look to distracting. I feel more in sync with myself (and my style) when everything matches harmoniously. 

Hence, this outfit and makeup combination. :)

Miss J dress / Ferretti pumps and bag/ Pinkbox headband / Parfois bangle

Yellow and gray was the theme of the day, from my eyes down to my shoes. Someone said somewhere that matching your whole look is a fashion crime but whatever! This is what I feel good in, so this is what I'm wearing.

I've always thought of makeup as very much like candy. They're bright, colorful, and cheery - just without the calories! Personally I get the same amount of joy when gobbling candy and applying makeup. Does that make me crazy? *enter: mental image of Liz stuffing candy in her mouth with makeup piled in heaps around her* Um, I hope not!

Anyways, I would just like to present Majolica Majorca's latest collection: Psychedelicious! It's like a vivid candy fantasy brough to life in the form of makeup goodies. There are new products like a shimmery, fragrant body powder and a brow mascara. Check 'em out!

I have so much fun Instagramming, I decided to do this every week. Think of it as my diary of sorts! Here are some of the things I am loving right now.

Trying out the @DaphneOP Homescent in mint jasmine. Smells fab but not obnoxious.

Oh gosh! I've been looking for these two for over half a year now. Just found them in an old bag. 0_0

So, I finally have the commenter of the month for May! Her name is Sabrina Co. I always enjoy her product feedback - she always puts things in perspective for me! She won my special Snoe gift pack. Congratulations!

For May, I am giving away one of my favorite eyebrow products: the Benefit Brow Zings palette. It's a powder and wax duo that also includes the necessary tools for shaping your arches. Benefit kindly gave me a brand new one in their last event, so I thought I'd share it here on Project Vanity.

I know I've sung praises of several eyebrow products before, but I think that the K-Palette Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow Pen (P1,050 at Beauty Bar) deserves a whole new symphony. It's a fantastic eyebrow shader because it can draw realistic-looking hair using the liquid pen and give depth to brows with the powdered sponge tip.

This is THE product to use if you have big gaps in your eyebrows that can't be properly filled with powder, wax, or pencil products. Using the liquid pen (such as what you would find in an eyeliner), you can easily draw short hairs on the gaps - with no one the wiser! 

Anyway, here's a quick review and tutorial on how to use this K-Palette eyebrow pen!

What I love about the product

• You can draw perfect eyebrows with a lot more control compared to pencils, waxes, and liquid brow mascaras. 
• As with all K-Palette pens, this pretty much stays put until you take it off.
• The pen end is always ready to use - no need to shake. I've had this for over a month now and it's never dry.

Every year, Shu Uemura gives it their all for the Holiday Collection. It's a culmination of everything that the brand stands for - whimsical, colorful, and bold beauty to tickle the imagination. Here's a quick look at a few years' worth of campaigns!

2009 saw a collaboration with designer Tsumori Chisato, 2010 with artist Aya Takano, and 2011 with famed film director Wong Kar Wai

This year, Shu Uemura will be working with one of the biggest names in fashion: none other than the great Karl Lagerfeld himself!

For two decades Karl has been using Shu Uemura eye shadows to illustrate his fashion sketches.

It's funny, but the first couple of years that I started wearing makeup, I rarely put mascara on. I thought it was an uneccessary part of my routine; why bother working on my lashes when an eyeliner could already give the illusion of a thick fringe? But I was wrong. Mascaras ARE important if you want your eyes to look more fresh and awake. There really is a difference!

Benefit They're Real Mascara 

I used to just swipe my mascara upwards a couple of times and called it a day. I mean, how complicated should it be? Put goop, exeunt. However, I've learned a few tricks along the way to maximize any mascara! It doesn't matter if you're using something cheapo or expensive. Use it the right way and you can get fab lashes each time.

Here goes!

Step 1: Curl. Curl your lashes, starting at the base then crimping it upwards, tilting the curler as you go. It's important to curl your lashes before mascara to get them to stay that way all day.

I've heard that Rustan's in EDSA Shangri-La has undergone a renovation. True enough, the place looks so chica now! I remember it being a bit gloomy and admittedly shabby before. Now it's bright, fresh, with gleaming counters and warm beauty assistants.

Last Saturday, I went there to check out Estee Lauder's new counter. What can I say - they really outdid themselves this time! They're occupying a big space near the entrance, complete with a lounge and a long table for anyone who wants to play with EL makeup.

Feeling like a queen. Lol!

The place looks so posh and worthy of Estee Lauder as a premium brand. After touring it, I settled down to listen to a cool and fairly new makeup tip that EL shared to us beauty bloggers. It's called their 4-step Simple Smoky eyes inspired directly by EL's creative makeup director, Tom Pecheux.

Hi Julia! :D

Step 1: With a generous amount of eyeliner, draw a circle on the back of your hand about an inch across.

Today I want to talk about the Color Club Professional Nail Laquers (P310). The distributor, Beauty Lane, kindly sent over a couple of nail polishes for me to try. I've been curious about the brand ever since I heard that it's finally available in the Philippines last year, so I'm only too glad to finally get my hands on 'em!

Okay, first off, they're not exactly cheap. They don't look expensive like O.P.I., Orly, or China Glaze but the price is curiously in the same range. What gives?

I feel at my best in shift dresses and soft makeup. I like to try new things, of course, but I always come back to this combination when I want to feel pretty and confident. I guess I can call this my trademark style!

Forever 21 dress/ Aldo bag/ Charles & Keith heels/ Pinkbox earrings and ring/ Snaps the pomeranian

So, my advice to young women is this: keep a shift dress (or ten!) on hand for whenever you want to look all poised and ladylike. SM carries SO MANY nice shifts, but I also like rummaging in Celine and Forever 21. Take this draped shift for example - it's one of my best finds.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, Forever 21 also carries a lot of classy stuff. :P Anyway, here's the makeup I wore with it! I decided to go with soft eyes - meaning no harsh lines or too thick lashes.

Are you into yummy and fruity body products? If you are then you should check out the Avon Naturals line (if you haven't yet). Seriously. This line has some of the best-smelling that I've tried so far. I don't know who comes up with the scent combinations but whoever it is, I want to shake his/her hand!

The latest products to join the Avon Naturals family is this Sparkling Pear & Acai Body Wash and Lotion duo. Imagine the strong, sweet tang of pear with an undercurrent of sharp berries. Delicious no?