One of the reasons I enjoy doing themed weeks is I get to dig through my baul to look for things to feature. Sometimes, I forget to write about a certain release (due to the volume of stuff I receive), so there's always something interesting to find. For Lip Gloss Week, it's the Avon Ultra Glazewear Lipgloss (P299). I think I've had this since August 2013!

I remember casually swatching this a couple of times, but forgot about it because I was testing out the Avon Vitaluscious Lipstick. Anyway. The Ultra Glazewear is a fairly pigmented collection of glosses that come in rich, eye-catching colors. I like that it's not sticky, but it does feel a bit thick on the lips. 

It flakes minimally as it dries. You can get away with a wearing a lip balm underneath, so go for it if you have dry lips. :) Staying power is average at three hours. It has a gentle caramel scent that doesn't smell cheap to me.

Here be the swatches!

I was hell-bent on buying an expensive designer bag last month, but thought the better of it. One bag could get me a new Macbook, or that money can go a long way to fund my travel plans. I decided to just add that cash my savings and get a bag that's practical, yet still beautiful.

This blue Rabeanco tote is perfect. It's made of soft, light cow hide leather (smells soooo good), roomy enough to fit anything I'd throw into it, and makes my profile look slimmer. Lol. It's the perfect work bag for my 2014!

I like to call this "Smurf Blue". Haha. I don't know why, I just have this crazy addiction to cobalt and navy blue at the moment! Maybe it's because blue makes my skin look better and brighter than any other color, for some reason. Anyway here's what's currently inside my bag.

Alcohol spray and Watsons tissues. Is it possible to love tissue paper? I love these "mini-hankies" from Watsons. They're super thick and absorbent, unlike other pull-up tissues I've tried before. 

Smart iPhone 5. You're looking at one of my body parts. It's constantly attached to my hands.

This kinda sounds like cheating, but technically, it isn't. So. Ha! I decided to talk about the e.l.f Lip Stain in Fashionista (P250) for my third post this Lip Gloss Week. It's an interesting hybrid of stain and moisturizing lip gloss. You get the pigmentation and staying power of a lipstick, and the plumping shine of gloss.

Applying the e.l.f Lip Stain is a two-step process. First, shade your lips with the highly pigmented color. Wait for it to dry completely. Then, apply the moisturizing gloss on top. Sounds simple right? Just remember to use a small amount of color for your first layer. Too much and it streaks! Don't wear lip balm underneath, too. You won't get an opaque layer of color.

One of the more frequent questions I get as a beauty blogger is: what do I do when I receive a product I don't like from a friend of mine? Oh, the answer is boring. There isn't any drama involved, lol. I just tell the other person why I don't like what she sent and then give some suggestions on how it can be better. If the person is a real friend then she'd know why I can't in my good conscience promote her product on my blog. If the person isn't a real friend but is nevertheless a shrewd businesswoman, then she'd know why it's best if I just don't write about it.

I write tons of positive and so-so reviews, but rarely an all-out negative review. If you don't see it here, then I simply don't like it enough to spend two hours post-processing photos and writing about it. I don't want to waste my time, your time, and a perfectly good relationship.

Anyway! Today I just feel like raving about one of the best brushes I came across last year. Even better, it's created by a good friend of mine! Sophie Uy is the woman behind Charm Brushes. Late last year she finally released her luxe line called SOFFIA - more expensive than Charm, certainly, but with a higher level of quality. I have three brushes from this line and they are all exceptional.

This is a true story: after I got the SOFFIA Opulence All Over Face Brush (P2,500), I didn't use it immediately. I placed it in my bag for two weeks and showed it off to everyone I happened to be meeting. I'll say, "Guys, this is the softest brush ever! Touch it! Be blown away!" and they'd all coo. I just felt so proud that a fellow Filipina can come up with something this awesome.

But why is it awesome? Imagine shampoo commercial hair...on a stick.

Mine is the sorry misfortune of having a neck that's darker than my face. It's always been like this, even though I don't use any whitening products. Anyway, this just means that I always swatch foundation on my neck before choosing my shade. The foundation should match that part as closely as possible, so that my face doesn't look too light in contrast. The lightest my foundation can go (ideally) is the color of my face.

It sounds pretty complex but, not really! Just remember that if you have to choose between the color of your face or neck, always go for the darker one (if you're not extremely acidic). It's easier to darken an area than it is to lighten it up evenly. 

Soooo! Thought I'd review something new that I really like: the Happy Skin Don't Get, Mad Get Even Hydrating Liquid Foundation (P999). I'm sure you've been seeing this around and wondering what the hoopla is about. Well, I'll tell you. This foundation has an excellent demi-matte finish and the staying power to beat. I barely oil up in this even after I've had it on for five hours! Let's run through the details.

Coverage and finish. This liquid foundation has a medium to heavy coverage. One layer is enough to cover lighter blemishes; I find that I don't need to use more than that. It can look shiny initially but once it sets, it's a demi-matte. It's ever so slightly dewy but still predominantly matte. It looks like fresh skin, so much that it reminds me of Bobbi Brown liquid foundations.

Majorly distracted today because of a cold/ allergy I've had for weeks! I'll spare you the gross details but let's just say I need to see a doctor soon. It's really affecting my life. Well, now that's out of the way, I feel slightly better. It's difficult to come up with a coherent thought when you have to blow your nose every five minutes, you know!

Anyway, to continue Lip Gloss Week, I have here the MAC Lipglass in Ready To Roam. This was part of the Fall 2012 Styleseeker Collection. It's no longer available but I still wanna review it if only to talk about the formula and show you how good a red lip gloss can look.

And it looks more than good - it's fabulous. Red as a lip color is traditionally ruled by matte lipstick, but a glossy red, when done right, has its own powerful charms. It looks modern and chic even with just the barest of makeup.

It's that time of the month. Congratulations to Roscin Rosales and Rhania Chang! You guys win the Revlon loot and POSH Pocket Shoes worth P3000 respectively. So happy for you guys, these are lovely things to add to your makeup kit/ wardrobe! Please just email me on how to claim your prize. Marianna Fernandez will be receiving also a special something from me. She's one of my favorite regular commenters. :)

Moving forward. The Commenter of the Month for January will be receiving P3,000 worth of products of her choice from Ellana Minerals. 

Ellana as you know is the country's top mineral makeup brand, with products adored by magazine editors and beauty bloggers alike. I personally LOVE the Intensive Cover Foundation, as it gives that poreless, perfect coverage that stays well on oily skin. Aside from the foundations, you must check out the brand's Blush Duos, Cream Color (I have two and adore both, as well!), and brushes. If you're interested to learn more, please follow Ellana on Facebook and Instagram. ^_^ You can also purchase at Ellana's online store.

Okay, same mechanics as before!

Lip glosses have come a long way from being sheer, gluey, and generally annoying. With new ingredients and technology, even the most affordable brand can come up with a gloss worth switching up your lipsticks for. I thought I'd talk about some of the interesting glosses I have this week. I'll begin with the most intriguing of them all: the Maybelline Lip Polish (P350).

I believe this came out in the Philippines recently. It's popular with YouTube vloggers, and is known as "Color Elixir" in other parts of the world. What makes this special is how it mixes the high-shine glassiness of lip gloss, pigmentation of an average lipstick, and the moisture of lip balm. All that without being sticky!

Think of a lipstick with a very wet texture and that's pretty much how the Maybelline Lip Polish feels like when freshly applied. It'll dry up in an hour and will become tacky then, but I love how that dried-up layer of color sticks on my lips. It feels almost like one of those long-wearing lipsticks that hardens and sets.

Charming. The gloss mold is lipstick-shaped.

And this is fairly long-wearing, for a gloss.

Recap: last November, I was invited to visit the Shiseido Factory in Kakegawa, Japan. The first part involved a visit to the test facility for raw materials - I saw how Shiseido is currently studying how best to produce their own ingredients. They've built a self-contained unit where they can design the most beneficial environment to grow plants, and hopefully branch out to farming them in bulk in the near future!

We've seen their plans, but this time I'll give you a general view of what they currently make and how they make it in the Kakegawa factory. I don't have a lot of pictures since some areas are naturally restricted, but I figured I can still tell you what I saw.

After the tour of the test facility, Jen (the brand manager of Shiseido Philippines) and I were ushered into a lecture room. Here, two kind ladies gave us a presentation about the factory. They also did some demos on how foundation is made!

So how does Shiseido come up with its awesome beauty products? First, they research and develop new technologies. What do the customers need? How can they better improve on what they already make? Once that's been determined and formulated in their dedicated research centers, the products are tested by a team of experts. Shiseido, as far as I know, does not do animal testing unless required by law. Most if not all products and ingredients are evaluated on human skin. 

Once the products pass a rigorous testing system, they are manufactured in the factories and then shipped out to stores. Foundation, powder, lipstick, and eyeshadow are just some of the cosmetics produced in Kakegawa. 

I think foundation is one of the main products here. The diagram above shows how it's produced - by mixing the powder and liquid binder, placing the mixture in the compact, and then pressing it down with a heavy metal object (I didn't catch the name!). 

Here's how it looks like:

When one is a certain age, memories grow fuzzy around the edges. It can happen when you're 79 or like me, at 24. I find myself forgetting a lot of old yet important details in favor of absorbing day-to-day information. This irks me to no end but then, what are blogs for?

I don't want to be overly melodramatic here so I'll keep it short. The year 2013 has been incredibly amazing, for me. It's the year I finally got to travel out of the country, the year I met more wonderful people and managed to sign in more clients. It's a year of discovery, of seeing just how far I can push the envelope. Many of my dreams came true. This gave birth to new aspirations for 2014, naturally!

Here are a few highlights of my 2013. I hope you don't feel like I'm bragging or anything, as this is just a useful way for me to reference how my year went. :)

The world outside was something that I only read about in books or saw in TV shows. That said, I knew I'd get to travel someday, but I didn't know that 2013 would be the year! I was extremely lucky to visit Japan twice, first during the muggy summer and second during the fall. I love this country and would like to come back at least once a year, if I'm able. It's beautiful there, the people are nice, and the food is amazing!

I hope someday I can explore more of it outside Tokyo.

I also got to visit Hong Kong with my parents. It's a great place to shop and eat at, but not much else. Still, I appreciate being able to see the awesome Hong Kong skyline and to finally visit Disneyland. I have more photos in this post.

I organized six events/ small gatherings for my clients last year. I got to work with amazing new brands like Wink Laser & Wax Studio, Dakasi Milk Tea, and Ellana Minerals.

I only have one resolution for 2014, and it's a simple one: joy.

I stayed at my mother's house during the New Year (something I don't often do nowadays) and I looked through all my old stuff. My books, notes, my clothes even. I remember the exhiliration I had back then, that curious feeling of excitement as if something amazing is about to happen real soon. Years passed and all the good things did happen, for the first time. I found joy in all of it.