As a beauty addict, I eat, sleep, and breathe makeup recommendations. To be specific, I really love giving them! But while I can dash off a laundry list of fave eyeshadows and lippies, foundations have always posed a bit of a problem for me. See, while I have generally resilient skin (combination-oily, with a tendency for breakouts now controlled by the In Her Element Low pH Rose Gel Cleanser), many of my friends fall on the more sensitive side of the spectrum, meaning I don’t often have recommendations - especially for liquid formulations - I feel I can safely recommend.

I’ve been battling acne for what feels like forever, with topical treatments, soaps, oils, and acne sets. Anything that promise clearer skin, you name it, I’ve probably tried it. I’ve even gone so far as to DIY a number of Pinterest hacks that I eventually regretted. My skin is a bit better now that I have a trusted skincare routine but I can't help but feel curious when a beauty read introduces a new idea for treating acne and removing the dark marks it leaves behind. 

My fascination with searching for better skincare centers a lot on the ingredients used in them. I’m currently on a rice bran and/or rice-based skincare trial as it's supposed to aid in skin brightening, but a recent read about everyone's favorite probiotics drink got my wheels turning. Could the “good bacteria” in Yakult be as good for my skin as well my gut?

She's beautiful, she's smart, and she's... nerdy? Miss World Philippines 2017 Laura Lehmann is the first to admit she never expected to become a beauty queen but she's absolutely thrilled about where life has taken her. Get a sneak peek into her pageant life and learn about her beauty secrets as she prepares for the global stage.

Blush is the easiest way to freshen up our face but it's also notorious for not being able to keep up with our day. So, for today’s beauty throwdown, we are pitting some of our favorite powder blushes against each other to see which one looks the best even after hours and hours of wear! Who doesn't want that pop of color to still be as vibrant and flattering at the end of the day, right? Let's go!

Empowering women through their products is at the core of Elizabeth Arden's beauty philosophy. After all, the founder's mantra was, "To be beautiful is the birthright of every woman." To keep up with the women in today's digital age, the company launched in 2015 a campaign titled "From the Desk of Liz Arden". While only a fictional character, #LizArden connects the brand with its customers, with help from other beauty bigwigs like models, designers, makeup artists to name a few.

A good part of my day is spent double tapping on beautiful faces on Instagram. Admiring gorgeous skin, ogling at perfect brows, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at perfectly chiselled features - I draw most of my makeup inspiration from following celebrity makeup artists! If you want to escape your makeup rut or are simply looking for a daily dose of pretty, here are five celebrity MUAs you won’t regret following on social media.

I'm a huge fan of Make Up For Ever because they always have professional makeup artists in mind when they create products. Their colors can be as creative and exciting as they can be wearable, plus the formulas - they wear so well during the day! I always pick up MUFE when I know that I need my face to stay with me for at least a solid eight hours.

Recently, MUFE launched two new eye products: the Aqua XL Ink Liner (P1,400) and Aqua XL Color Paint (P1,495). These are designed to be water-resistant and long-wearing, with lots of fun color options. I've been testing them out for a couple months now and here's what I think!

When I was growing up, wearing eyeglasses was painfully un-cool. You got teased for them and were generally considered ‘ugly’ for wearing a pair. A lot has changed since then, with fashionistas now using a pair of specs as a cute accessory for their outfit. With the right frames, you can even use glasses to balance out your face shape!

We hunt for the perfect reds, count our pinks by the dozen, and maybe even add a statement purple or black to our lipstick collections. Given that we have a full spectrum of colors to choose from, why would we ever want a lipstick that almost-exactly matches the natural color of our pouts? Why not just wear a clear lip balm or gloss instead?

How has your week been? We hope you've had a great one but if not, this week’s roundup is bound to make you smile! You'll wanna know about the Fenty Beauty Liquid Lipsticks (could it really be happening so soon?) to BECCA’s adorable mini highlighters. We’ve also got a couple of sales to get you started on your Christmas shopping, minus the wallet guilt. And if you're a Star Wars fan, you'll love the result of your two fandoms coming together!

Despite the many jokes made about them throughout my life, I am far from insecure about my “tiny” eyes. I’ve embraced their slightly mataray look and almond shape, which make rocking the trendy K-Beauty “puppy eye” a relative piece of cake.

My one struggle with them, however, has to be my eyelashes. They are very fine, stick straight, and too short to curl. They also tend to get swallowed up by the slight fold in my eyelid, creating a “curtain” effect that makes my eyes look constantly half-closed.

It's common for celebrities to collaborate with their favorite brands, but to put up their own makeup empire? That's a different level entirely! That's why we were excited when top endorser and actress Anne Curtis announced her makeup line, blk cosmetics. It's attuned to her personal philosophy of keeping it simple and fuss-free when it comes to makeup. She partnered with industry mainstay, Jacque Yuengtian-Gutierrez, to ensure that she could bring her vision of "uncomplicated beauty" to her fans!

While scanning through my Instagram feed, I came across an Etude House video of its endorser Krystal using a new product called the Tone Up Fix and Fix primer (P698). While I know she already has nice skin (a pre-requisite for any Korean idol), I got sold into the whole concept of Tone Up products that promise to improve complexions in just one, easy step. Sounds like a dream come true for lazy girls!

I can’t be the only one who loves that post-workout glow – it leaves my skin looking supple, moisturized, and a little flushed. That’s how I want my skin to look all day everyday! It’s all natural and very glowy but sadly, with all the sweating involved, it’s also unhygienic and possibly stinky. Instead, you can cheat your way into scoring that athletic glow, without breaking a sweat!

We had potted aloe vera plants on our window sill while I was growing up. Aside from providing succulent décor, we would often use the plant itself for various skin, hair, and medicinal purposes. It was our family’s equivalent to Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and hummus in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. For us, it was the solution to burns, scratches, pimples, scars, thinning hair, and more! We would simply pluck a leaf from the plant, squeeze it on the affected area, and let it do the job.

It seems that scientists have been showing interest in this miracle plant, as well. Recent studies* have shown that aloe vera and cape aloe extracts have skin-healing and barrier-strengthening properties.

As a teenager, I had extremely oily skin. I swear, I could have given all the oil wells in the Middle East a run for their money for all the excess sebum my skin would produce! In my 20’s, my skin started to normalize: no longer quite as oily but more of a combination type. When I recently hit my late 20’s though, I noticed that my skin would be itchy, red, and peeling all the time. I would apply moisturizer on the dry spots, but would have to deal with them again the following day. This left me feeling very confused. I had a nightly skincare routine but why was I still having so many problems with my skin? After doing a lot of research, I discovered that my symptoms were signs of my ceramide level slowly dropping.

Sparks flew the first time I experience Kate Tokyo in the summer of 2016. It was during a media event launching a line of eyeshadows and face bases that I found myself captivated with this J-beauty brand’s take on edgy makeup. More so, it was when I learned to do the life-changing vertical gradation eyeshadow technique that made my monolids look bigger and brighter! I’ve been doing my eye makeup that way every since.

Some of you may know that I started beauty blogging while I was in college almost ten years ago. I was a poor student in UP Manila, but I had some income from freelance writing gigs so I could buy makeup here and there. Still, I'd save up all my allowance and eat the cheapest lunch everyday just so I can shop for things to review! I started with drugstore brands but eventually worked up to pricier but better products.

I remember that one of the very first "expensive" things I bought was a Prestige palette in Beauty Bar. I remember going inside the store so many times, exploring and swatching everything, before deciding on that 750-peso face and eye palette.

Honestly, it's getting harder and harder for me to blog. There are so many moving parts in our business that keeps my whole day booked! There are events, products, and even our own line which is now available in retail. It's a lot of work but I love what I do every single day. I don't want to stop writing because it is a huge chunk of who I am and it's how I built this up from nothing. So I'm not going to overthink it; I will keep on writing about the products I use, and it will have been worth it if you enjoyed reading it.