Dark eye circles can not always be cured - well, short of surgery that is. They may simply be a genetic predisposition, or stress and sleepless nights are just part and parcel of your daily life. I do love Eyliplex-2 for lessening dark circles, but undereye creams can only do so much if you're stubbornly prone to darkening in that area.

The next best thing is to use a great undereye concealer. Mind you, not all concealers are good for the undereyes. That area requires something that can both stand sweat and watery eyes without being too opaque and hard. A good eyebag concealer is creamy, moisturizing, natural yet with good coverage, and wears well throughout the day.

The new Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (P1,900) fits all those qualifications. It contains a pan of concealer and a pressed powder that goes really well together. I believe that this is the improved, reformulated version of the old kit (double-deck compact with loose powder at the bottom), which I think is too emollient and messy to use because of the loose powder.

What I love about the product

• Opaque, yet looks like skin when applied. It only takes a few dabs to completely cover up my dark circles! It melts on skin, looking natural and invisible (you'll know what I mean when you see the before and after photos).
• I've worn this during long work days outside the house, and this has withstood the humidity and sweat during the whole day. It doesn't become patchy nor does it fade considerably. 

Cream concealers provide the heaviest coverage, but they can be a bit drying and take a little more effort to apply. Liquid concealers, on the other hand, have lighter coverage but application is a breeze. I'm a fan of cream concealers but I wanted to shake it up a bit by buying a well-reviewed liquid concealer: The Balm's Liquid Time Balm (P875 at Beauty Bar).

The Balm's Time Balm cream concealer has a fan base of its own, so when they came out with the liquid version, expectations were high. I'm happy to say that the Liquid Time Balm is a good concealer - but not without a few caveats.

What I love about the product

• Heavy coverage. One dab is enough to hide a cluster of blemishes.
• Has Tea Tree oil, so this is perfect for acne-prone skin. It helps dry pimples quickly. I'm happy to report that I never broke out with this product though.

When I started to get into makeup I harbored the secret fantasy of becoming a makeup artist. I never did push through with it though, because I'm not as happy about applying makeup on other people as writing about it! My forte really is writing, hence this blog. I enjoy the process of gathering information and sharing it.

As my dreams of becoming a makeup artist faded away, I do still want to own a makeup artist's ultimate symbol: the train case. That's why I was blown away when Avon handed me this awesome train case made by Suesh. The huge case was full of goodies Avon thoughtfully put in! This will sound really cheesy, but thanks Avon for making one of my dreams come true! Haha. 

Curious to see what's inside? Click click!

Here is a picture of me with zero makeup and photo processing. I have okay skin lately, but as you can see, I have a number of blemishes and roughness in some areas. I also have natural eye bags that I really can't do much about. Like everyone else, I want to put my best face forward, so I started my enthusiasm for beauty products in the quest to fake perfect skin.

There are literally cartloads of stuff that you can use to look as if you have a flawless, glowing face, so the only question really is this: how much are you willing to spend for it?

I rummaged through my beauty collection to find the best way to fake perfect skin in terms of cost. I came up with two sets of products: one that's affordable, while the other one not so much.

Damage: P2,410

Pond's Flawless White Day Cream (P300), Purederm Magic BB Cream (P660), Revlon Beyond Naturals concealer (P750), Ellana Mineral foundation 6g (P420) and finishing powder (P280)

Damage: P12,200

Clinique Moisture Surge (P2500), Smooth-365 Serum (P2600), MAC Studionfinish concealer (P900), NARS Sheer Glow foundation (P2450), Colorescience pressed mineral foundation (P3750)

Before we get to how the products actually look and perform against each other, let's start with how my beauty routine goes. I find that this works best to create that flawless face.

1. Start with a good moisturizer. Make sure that it absorbs on your skin well, leaving a matte yet glowy finish.

It's the weekend! How's it going for you? Me, I don't really have weekends since I mostly work from home. Right now I'm preparing to go to my mom's house, but before I leave, I want to share a product that I've had for a few weeks now: the Etude House foundation brush.

I find myself struggling to say something about this brush. Why? Because all I can think of saying is "meh". It's so-so. I can live with it, I can live without it.

What I like 

• No shedding
• Easy to clean with only baby shampoo
• It looks neat, compact, professional
• Relatively affordable for only sub-500 pesos

I have long wanted to get my hands on the NYX Concealer in a Jar because of the rave reviews online. Of course, the price is too good to be true for the promised quality - $5 or only around P300 from resellers. I had to wait two months after paying to get my hands on it, but I didn't mind because I thought it would be worth it.

It's not.

It's my fault really. I got the one in Medium, which I read was for NC35 skintones. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the jar, swatched it, and found that it's too dark and too beige for my skin! The horror. I waited for two months and it was all for naught.

So yes it's basically as good as trash to me. There's just no way I can use it becaue it's really obvious on my face - like dark patches. More pictures and serious review after the jump!