One thing I love about the local beauty blogging community is that we are not a toxic bunch. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have egos or felt jealous, irritated, etc. at each other every now and then, but the negativity is minimal. We don't hold on to it. If there's an issue we settle it quickly and privately or just move on like nothing happened! I guess that while we find beauty blogging tremendously fun and rewarding, it doesn't rule our lives. That why (I think) we're pretty relaxed about it.

Anyway, today I'd like to share with you my top ten favorite finds last month! Here are ten things that I feel enriched my existing collection.

Ahh, Shiseido, my love. The Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Liquid Foundation + the White Lucent Brightening Spot-Control Foundation is a match made in heaven. Even when my skin looks like crap (like right now, pre-period pimples UGH), these two can hide everything without looking heavy. It's a "my skin but better" tandem!

I love all the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows, but my absolute absolute favorite is Bad to the Bronze. It's a beautiful, rich color that can be used alone on the lids then blended up the crease. It makes my eyes look more exciting and polished at the same time. Grab it n' love it!

I don't know why I ever put off owning a metal palette. It really helped me apply makeup better since it opens up new ways for me to mix my products. Such a great find! Get the MONDA Studio Mixing Palette from Digital Traincase.

I'm earning a tidy sum of money at 26. I started freelance writing when I was still in college, so I got a good head start and was able to meet a lot of awesome people who gave me valuable opportunities. I'm grateful for them and very lucky, indeed, but the luck would have turned to dust if I didn't work hard and smart everyday.

It's been fun, these last five years, but I seriously have to consider where I put my money. My rent and bills are my biggest expenditures every month - kids, if you're still living with your parents, be extremely grateful for their generosity! Don't be lazy, sweep the floor or wash the dishes when they ask you to. If you lived by yourself, you'd be bleeding money AND sweeping the floor AND washing the dishes every day. 

I remember, when I moved out two weeks after graduation and did my first groceries, I cried in the supermarket. Like a baby. I didn't know things cost so much. 

And then there is shopping. I'm cutting down on that because it's a vicious cycle. I buy stuff but end up not using them as often as I initially thought I would. I think I've been good these last few months because I managed to lessen miscellaneous spending, but the figure could be better. I'm sure I didn't need six shirts in one go.

Why am I sharing all this? I guess I just wanted to give you some context on what my financial goals are.

I don't know why exactly but Japan is on my mind these last few days. I've been obsessively checking flights, hotels, and the weather on my preferred dates. Honestly I'm starting to feel a wee bit crazy. Why now, why so suddenly? It's like an urge that just dropped down my gut.

I'm trying to convince my parents to go with me this year, but if that doesn't happen I will most likely go by myself. Is this what they call lovesickness? Well. I suppose so!

In any case, here's a little piece of Tokyo for us: the Canmake Cheek Brush (P600)! This is part of the brand's Spring collection and I'm loving it. Not as a blush brush but as a - wait for it - foundation brush. It's the perfect shape and density for applying liquid foundations and BB creams.

Don't let that cute, toy-like design fool you. This is a crazy soft brush with fine synthetic bristles! It's quite small yes but it's about the same size as the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush. They work pretty much the same way except this is only 600 bucks. ;)

When I was younger I had no brand preference when it comes to clothes, shoes, and bags. I just purchased whatever was cheap and looked good at the time, because hey, it's not like I earned a lot of money. I also believed that it was all the same thing, more or less. I'd hate to spend on something that I could get for cheaper.

But through the years I realized that cheaper does not equate to better. My stuff broke down and those that didn't looked outdated, too quickly. So now I'm a little more careful about the things I purchase! I have come to prefer brands that offer the best value for my money - even if they're expensive, I find that I can get more mileage out of them.

But there's another but. Haha. As you know I run my own household and pay my own bills. I like expensive things but I also like being able to pay my rent and keep a healthy savings account. :P That's why I love Rabeanco. The leather is ridiculously smooth, the colors are fairly unique, and the styles aren't something you'd see SM knock off. 

The other day I visited a reputable aesthetic clinic somewhere in The Fort. They do almost everything there, from something as mundane as facials and waxing to more complex treatments like Ulthera (a skin tightening and lifting procedure that uses ultrasound) and cosmetic surgery. I dropped by to try my favorite facial, but before that I settled down to talk with the owner's daughter.

She said she has had Ulthera done on her face, and then showed me a picture with one side finished, mid-procedure. It was dramatically thinner! It was non-surgical too so my jaw almost dropped to the floor! She said she used to have a wide face, and it's probably the same procedure Kim Chiu had to achieve her now-pixie face. This treatment is meant to be done only once a year, and costs about P90,000 per session.

I tell you, I have never been as tempted to alter my face as I had been that time. Cosmetic procedures are more advanced so the pain and downtime are now minimal - the cost is manageable too, if your income is in the upper-middle bracket. It was tempting to try, whether or not the clinic generously offers an x-deal.

This reminds me of a post Regina Belmonte wrote on her Tumblr - it's not about cosmetic procedures per se, but it's related. Regina is Cosmopolitan Philippines' beauty editor-at-large and I believe also editor of The Philippine Star's YStyle Section.

Skinny bitches, feel free to contradict me. Because sometimes, I really, truly, honestly feel that the only reason I don’t have more going for me is that I’m not thin. And in my head, the reasonable half of my brain is like, “That’s stupid, Regina. Your worthiness isn’t dictated by your dress size,” but the less reasonable half still can’t help feeling that way anyway.

THIS. It was a nameless feeling before reading this post, but I feel this way sometimes too (note the operative word okay - sometimes).

The Estee Lauder Double Wear line is gold. It features the brand's longest-wearing products, which are a godsend in our humid tropical weather! I have the new pan concealer and it's quite reliable for all-day affairs. But that's a review for another day. Today I want to talk about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Brow Lift Duo (P1,000+), an excellent double-ended pencil for perfect, understated eyebrows.

If you liked my eyebrows in my recent looks, this is what I had on! At first I was unconvinced about the shades - the brown end looked very faint in the swatches while the champagne is almost invisible. But once they're on my brows all I can say is, much wow! This is my current fave brow product. <3 I am aware I have A LOT but I can't help it! I'm particular about my eyebrows and I get a high whenever I discover new products for them.

Have a look!

Left is Soft Brown, right is Highlight

I wanted to write a review post for you but I need to see a doctor today. Oh it's nothing serious - it's just allergies! I've been putting off this visit since last year but I feel I need medication at this point. I don't know what I'm allergic to, just that sometimes I wake up with a runny nose, teary eyes, and crazy sneezing fits. My voice now sounds weird because my throat feels damaged with all the sneezing. My face hurts also when this happens. The quality of my life is already affected! So, I'm off to to Makati Med to look for an allergist or at least anyone who can prescribe something for this.

Anyway. I may have mentioned a few times on IG that I lost some weight. Did I do anything special? Yes, I started to draw and paint again! The more I used my hands, the less I ate. I realized that I eat when I'm bored or when I'm watching TV, so now I try not to get bored and I only watch shows during legit meal times. Simple no? 

One of my latest lipsticks is the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in 45 L'Adoree (P1,650). It's my first Chanel anything ever so at first I was eyeing one of its classic reds - it can be a nice signature color for years to come. But then I saw this dark purple bullet at the counter. I decided then and there that I'd much rather invest in a unique color, and a limited edition one at that! I have maybe over 200 lipsticks currently and I do not want to personally purchase anything that looks like something I already have. 

(And besides, MAC Russian Red is already a winner. I can't possibly need another red lippie.)

Chanel L'Adoree is part of the brand's Spring 2014 collection. I believe it's a limited edition shade, the only one out of the new lip products I believe! I knew I had to have it because it was dark, dramatic, and not easy to dupe. It's a creamy plum purple that is surprisingly quite wearable!

It's a muted shade so it's far from garish once worn. You won't look like a cartoon or something straight out of a goth romance novel (I'm sorry if that was what you were looking for, goth lips are awesome too!), because this is such a sophisticated shade. I'd stick my neck out and even say it's timeless, in its own way. 

When I was very young, my mother gave me art materials for Christmas. She included boxes of pencils, oil pastels, and water colors along with fresh paper. That was the most memorable gift I've ever received in my life. My mother didn't just give me stuff - she gave me possibilities, the means by which I can explore whatever talents I might have. I don't remember asking for art materials but she figured out I would love them.

Until this day, getting a box full of colors make me feel disproportionately happy. I collect paints and colors in different mediums for my art hobby and I also love getting palettes and pots of makeup. Who knew a fairly inexpensive Christmas present would define who I am today? (That, and books). I would be a different person had I never received it.

Anyway, the introspection is brought to you by this press kit from Maybelline! I was at the launch of the brand's latest cream color, the Color Tattoo Eyeshadow (P375), yesterday. You'll remember that I reviewed and loved them last year so I'm pleased that they're finally here! These are excellent long-wearing and uber pigmented eyeshadows that don't even require a primer - or brush, for that matter.

I won't go into detail describing these as I've already posted a review. All you need to know is that if you don't have one (or three), you better run and shop. This is a cream eyeshadow that definitely deserves your hard-earned money. They're easy to work with, they're pigmented and come in beautiful colors, plus they stay on all day with very mineral creasing (if at all). Oh and did I mention they're quite affordable? They're selling for P375 each locally!

I highly recommend getting Barely Branded (a metallic warm beige) and Bad To The Bronze (rich, warm bronze) to start your collection with. These are shades you can use everyday. Later on you can move on to the more exciting colors, which you can use not only as eyeshadows, but as eyeliners too.

Here are the swatches!

This might be old-ish news to you if you're an avid follower of beauty news but - yay! Canmake Tokyo, one of the top drugstore brands in Japan, is finally here in the Philippines. They've had an online counter over at Glamourbox for a few months now, but it's only recently that they set up a brick and mortar location in Glorietta 2, inside Somera.

When I went to Tokyo and Hong Kong last year, every beauty drug store I visited had Canmake. It's impossible to miss: the bright pink logo and collaterals, the cute little princess-themed makeup. And the price! It's very affordable. I'm happy to report that the prices here are almost the same as abroad, with the product selling for as low as P390 and at most, P680 (for the BB cream/bases). 

MAC isn't particularly famous for their mascara selections, I'll give you that. I've tried two from the brand and liked them well enough, but they're not the OMG-you-gotta-have-it-now kind, you know? Still, I thought it'd be nice to give you an idea on what to expect from a MAC mascara. I have here the Zoom Waterfast Lash (P1,000+), a water-resistant formula that promises to lengthen and volumize lashes beautifully.

I like it. The wand is small and slender at the tip so it gets on my upper and lower lashes easily. The formula is easy to build up, so much that in two coats I can achieve a thick fringe that could pass off as falsies. It's quite black and intense! It barely smudged on me, but I just have to use an oil-based makeup remover to take it off.

I'd be lying if I said that everyday is a mega hyper inspiring blogging day. Sometimes I just really want to get work out of the way and/or attend to my other hobbies. Sometimes I don't feel like adding yet another beauty product review to the hundreds that this website already contains. I mean did you even notice that I've already written 2,210 posts in the last six years? I don't but sometimes I do notice.

Obviously I can't blog forever. Maybe I'll stop when I reach 5,000 and finally, truly feel that I've said all I can possibly say about the beauty industry. That's still some time in the future though! When I don't feel inspired, I try to be consistent instead. Inspiration is awesome to have but it won't sustain me and take me all the way to the top. Consistency, while dull and repetitive, is reliable. No one can't take it away from me except me.

Anyhoo, we're back to MAC Week. I have here the Prep + Prime Fortified Skin Enhancer SPF35 PA+++ (P1,450), a tinted sunscreen that has illuminating properties. This was a CC cream before CC creams were born. It's quite sheer but it brightens my complexion wonderfully!

This isn't a primer in the sense that it makes makeup stay on longer. It's really designed to correct complexions with certain issues like redness (Neutralize is recommended, a yellow), dullness (Adjust, a peach), and sallowness/yellowness (Illuminate, a lavender cream). I have Neutralize here and true enough it can tone down redness and keep my skin bright while at it.

Ever since I saw makeup master Jigs Mayuga use a mixing palette and spatula at a workshop, I knew I NEEDED those things in my life. I'm not a makeup artist, right, but I love tinkering with makeup and having tools make the process more simple and enjoyable. I'm grateful to Sol of Digital Traincase, who generously gave me a MONDA Studio Mixing Palette (P520) and Spatula (P490) last Christmas!

Before we move forward, can I just say that Sol is one of those people I've been following for maybe half a decade now, even before her store became famous in the PH. She used to blog before, did you know that? She was passionate about nail polishes if I remember correctly. She has since channeled that passion into being one of the top (if not the top) online beauty retailers in the country, but she's still as nice and approachable as before.

I totally did not expect anything from her last Christmas. I didn't make parinig or anything - the package just suddenly arrived on my doorstep. She said it's to thank me for my support through the years, but IDK, it's not like I did a lot. I just love her brand of service and her constant eye out for new amazing things to bring here.

ANYWAY, end of cheese. Here's my review of these MONDA tools! 

I'll start with the palette. I think that if you love liquid and cream products, a mixing palette like this is indispensable. It allows you to customize wet foundations, concealers, blushes, illuminators, eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick etc. easily without wasting any product. Since it's made of stainless steel, you can warm the makeup with a touch of your hand under it. 

It's MAC Week once again! The brand just sent me some press material + a bunch of products so I'll be going through them and letting you know what's up. ^_^ MAC remains one of the most relevant brands in the beauty world so it's important to pay attention to its trend reports and collections. It's great if you can buy the products, but more than anything it's the inspiration you take away that really improves your makeup style.

For my first post, here's a daring lipstick from the Magnetic Nude Collection, which was released last month. This collection features a lot of shimmery skintone nudes and molten metals. It's a winter collection, hence the dramatic play in contrast and colors. I know we're moving on to summer but the Carnal Instinct Lipstick (P1,000) is still a beautiful color to wear!

MAC describes it as a deep brick red with gold pearl. It's a dark, dramatic color that can turn off those with weaker constitutions (lol) but if you adore unforgettable lip colors then this you shouldn't miss. Carnal Instinct is a heart-stopping, dare I say vampiric shade of red that you won't easily find in other brands.

This was actually a Reader Question that I decided to turn into a question for everybody instead. Why? Because many of us aren't sure about the standard tipping rate in the beauty industry, or that there is such a thing to begin with. The best way to find out is to ask everyone and hopefully find a general guide for best practices in tipping in salons.

The tipping culture here in the Philippines is a bit weird. It's not like in Western countries where service personnel expect and even often demand a 10-20% tip, or in Japan where giving a tip is considered an insult. Here, there seem to be tiers in giving tips, depending on how swanky a place is. We tip very minimally in say, neighborhood salons, but tip more in high-end places. But it's unusual to tip the salon owner as we feel he or she might be insulted, or worse, that we didn't give enough.

Should we give tips, even though there is a service charge included in the price or even if the personnel already receive a salary?

In my opinion, giving a tip is a way for me to say thank you to the person I just spent an hour or two of my life with.

Context is everything when it comes to wearing makeup. At least, it's important to me. I try to match my face to where I'm going because I believe that makeup should complement the situation and not be too much in contrast to it. You know what I'm saying? Paint your face and dress appropritately, too, and people will respect you. 

(Then again if respect isn't your priority then go ahead and wear whatever the hell you want. Seriously.)

So! A couple of girls asked me about the makeup I had in one of my recent reviews. It's something I wore to a lunch meeting, hence the thoroughly neutral color scheme. But neutral doesn't necessarily mean "flat and boring", which is how some people seem to do it. Neutral makeup can be fun, beautiful, and equally effortless, too! Here are some tips on how to liven up your neutral makeup.

1. Matte eyeshadows are lovely in photos but in person, they just look...flat, unless you're a crazy gifted makeup artist who can layer and blend it perfectly. I still prefer to wear satin or shimmery eyeshadows since they brighten my eyes better. There are tons of awesome neutral palettes out there, but this time I tried an old one from revlon called Graffiti.

I wore the shimmery champagne on the lids, the light tan on the crease, and contoured with a tiny bit of that charcoal color on the outer v. Easy and simple, true, but it's the finish that takes the cake.