You're not a true-blue lipstick junkie unless you have the Japonesque 35-Well PRO Lipstick Palette (P1,450 at Digital Traincase). Okay, okay, I'm only half-kidding, but you have to admit that this is such a cool thing to have. Even Lisa Eldridge keeps a few of these! 

So what is it, really? It's a classy black box that has space for 35 lipsticks. It can also be used to store cream foundation if you wish, which makes it incredibly useful if you're a makeup artist. The case and mold is made of a thin, lightweight plastic, and is closed by a silver clasp.

I spent a whole morning selecting and depotting the 35 lipsticks that I wanted to put in this baby. It was a fun activity, albeit rather messy in the end!

I've always wanted to own something from Japonesque. I have this impression that the brand is serious about makeup artistry and craftsmanship, being such a well-loved name by makeup artists all over the world. I never tried it earlier though because of how expensive it is. One basic brush can fetch more than P2,000!

Truth be told that's not an uncommon price for high-end brushes. However, seeing as I just apply makeup on myself, I don't want to spend that much on a single brush just yet. So imagine my surprise when I saw a pro-sized Japonesque brush for only P895 at Beauty Bar!

I literally stopped in my tracks and asked the sales assistant to take it out from the box. I actually wanted to buy a brush like this from MAC a few limited ed collections ago but again couldn't justify a ~P2,000 splurge for a single brush. P895 isn't peanuts either but it's reasonable because, well, it's Japonesque. 

Okay sorry about rambling on about the price. Still can't get over it. :P I think the reason this is cheaper compared to the normal Japonesque brushes is because half of it is synthetic hair. It's also made for makeup enthusiasts like me - not beginners but not professional either. It hits the sweet spot between quality and being reasonably priced.