I have tried quite a few lipsticks already, from extremely cheap, to midpriced, and to reasonably expensive. I love all my lippies in some way, but if you must ask me what my current favorite is, I'd say that it's the Avon Ultra Moisture Rich Lipstick. It's got everything I'm looking for in a lipstick: unique shades, lovely effect, and creamy, non-drying texture.

Four color families: Sheers/Nudes, Pinks, Plums, and Corals/Reds

There's really not much to say as the swatches will speak for themselves, but allow me to run a quick review before I post pictures of the 19 out of 20 available shades.

What I LOVE about the product

• Super creamy and smooth texture. The lipstick just glides on easily.
• Non-drying. Although to prolong the moisturizing effect, apply a thin layer of lip balm underneath. 
• Feels comfortable on the lips. It doesn't have that heavy, waxy feel.
• Minimizes lines on the lips, making it look plumper and juicier somehow (you'll know what I mean when you try it). 

For today, I was planning to put up my lip swatches of the new and *awesome* Avon Ultra Moisture lipsticks. However since there are 19 shades and I have at least a hundred photos of them to delete/edit, I ran out of time to finish them all. I need to leave in a bit! So in the meantime I will leave you with photos of Avon's latest collection called Tokyo Allure.

It's inspired by - make a guess - the mystery and romance of Tokyo! Red is the predominant color, mixed with accents of smoky charcoal.

More photos after the jump!

Several posts ago, after I commented on the lack of the Cleansing Oil for Sensitive Skin in Muji High Street, a reader tipped me off that the newly-opened Rockwell branch has stocks. I zoomed off and true enough, the shelf is full of the stuff! I got mild sticker shock though when I found out that the price of the makeup remover is 100%+ more expensive. From P395, it is now P600+. I would have still bought it (it's that good, for me) but the Mild Cleansing Oil variant is cheaper at P425 so I went for that instead.

I don't have much to say about since this works almost the same way as the one for sensitive skin - read my review on it. The main difference (other than the price) is that this is more runny.

I received a bag full of goodies from Revlon today. Among the things they sent me where some of the latest/ reincarnated shades from their Super Lustrous Lipstick line. Of course, the first thing I did was take photos! My favorite out of the bunch is this orange lipstick called Siren. It looks bright orange in the tube, but it's more of a coral-orange mix than just neon orange.

I don't have individual pics of the tube, unfortunately. Don't worry, I'll be reviewing the Super Lustrous lippies in a separate post.

I think Pinays should wear more orangey lipsticks for three reasons - first, orange looks strikingly beautiful on morenas, second, it's always summer here and third, it's trendy right now!

I have read in tons of blogs that the Koreans and Japanese make some of the best makeup and skincare out there. However, the obvious road block is that this stuff is in another country! The good news is that there are a lot of enterprising Filipinas who are very much aware of this demand and know the best products to sell online. One of them is Bon, owner of a store called We Have It 43. I have seen her store way before she approached me, and I was duly impressed by the wide - and I mean WIDE - range of products available there.

She carries popular BB cream brands like Legere, BRTC, Missha, Etude House, Dr Jart, and Liole. She also has famous Japanese brands like Majolica Majorca, Shiseido, Kanebo Lunasol, and Jill Stuart. There are more than 70 brands to choose from! What I like most about the store though is the fact that the prices are not super hiked up. They're more than fair, actually. Bon can afford to do this because she is based in Taiwan and she has direct access to the products, which she ships to a friend here.

Anyway, when she asked me if I want to try some of her wares, I asked her what her best seller is. She pointed to the L'egere White Multi BB Cream (P1,000), which she has sold more than 300 tubes of! I was skeptical at first, until I read that it has a 4.4/5 rating at Makeupalley.

The short of it is that this is the best BB cream I've tried to date. Here's why!

Yesterday, I received a package that contained totally unexpected goodies: Guerlain and Bulgari perfumes! I was only expecting small testers for review, but I guess Sigrid of Luxasia has something else in mind:

L-R: Bulgari Eau Perfumee Au The Blanc, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, Guerlain Idylle, Guerlain Shalimar

They're extremely photogenic, no? They smell just as good.

...rummage through your guy's closet, or sew something! These days I feel as if all my clothes are too "young" on me. I don't want to look like a teenybopper at my age, for crying out loud. I don't want to look too manang and boring either! The look I'm going for is something feminine, sophisticated, and subtle. I think I'm over those clothes that scream LOOK AT ME.

So anyway, I found this Gap shirt from Marco's closet. I gave this to him for Christmas, but dude's never worn it! How annoying. I decided to, ah, borrow it for this outfit post. I love how the dark sea green works with the bright red rose belt.

The trick to making men's clothing look more feminine is super simple

Loving makeup or clothes is just only one facet of our personality. Often, we have other hobbies like painting, reading, or music! That's the rationale behind this giveaway - it's a combination of two loves! It's super easy to join. All you have to do is tell me which musician is your beauty/fashion inspiration in a fun Facebook post.

I'm giving away this loot:

Estee Lauder brushes (face, blush, lip), Purederm Face Mask, Revlon New Complexion loose powder, Obagi Gentle Cleanser, Purederm BB Cream, Celeteque , Purederm Deep Moisture Hand Mask, Leona Lewis, Michael Jackson and Ciara original CDs (c/o Sony Music Philippines)

Contest mechanics:

1. Like the Project Vanity Facebook Page.

2. On your personal Facebook Wall, share which musician is your beauty and/or fashion icon. Add a photo of your favorite look, too!

I am currently using Estee Lauder's latest moisturizer called Time Zone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Creme. It's so good, I want to use it during the day! It's the first heavy cream moisturizer that my skin enjoys. There's none of that greasy feel I just can't stand in other brands. And believe me, I have tried quite a few cream moisturizers.

This age-defying moisturizer works overnight to help dramatically reduce the look of lines and wrinkles. Our exclusive Sirtuin EX1 Technology helps reverse the appearance of aging for a years-younger look-more lineless, radiant and rested.

Helps support skin's nightly restorative actions including natural collagen production with an amino acid complex. And while you sleep, the soothing scent calms and relaxes. 

I am way too young to need help in the wrinkle department, but I like it mainly for its moisturizing and soothing properties. I highly recommend this for mature or maturing skin because this product is designed with repair during nighttime in mind.

I found myself with nothing to do yesterday afternoon so I rummaged through my stuff, hoping there's something interesting to tinker with. I saw some Avon necklaces, and had a semi-brilliant idea!

I thought it would be cool to combine them in one necklace. The one in the middle is from the latest Avon collection called Tokyo Allure (more about that next week) and, unlike other necklaces from the brand, doesn't have a detachable pendant. It would be perfect to have two different pendants on either side.

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!

Who can say no to "all-natural" beauty products? I know I can't! So when Kustie came out in malls, I was excited. Kustie is an affordable, easily-accessible "all-natural" brand that seemed to perform well according to blog reviews. 

Let's move on to the actual quality and performance of this body scrub and moisturizer!

I've been looking for a MAC 15-pan magnetic palette (P835) for MONTHS, but finally, MAC Glorietta restocked! I excitedly checked YouTube videos to touch up on my knowledge of depotting, or moving individual eyeshadows, to a magnetic palette. It would be so much easier to have all my eyeshadows in one place, making it more convenient to pick and use colors.

The procedure looked quite simple and quick to do - but I should have known not to judge appearances! It's harder than the YouTube gurus make it seem. However if you're careful, depotting your eyeshadows shouldn't be too much trouble.

Here's what you need:

Potted eyeshadows, thin knife (preferably dull), pin, candle

Thong, alcohol, tissue, small flat magnets with adhesive on one side (not in photo)

Step 1: Place the tip of the knife in the slot near where the cap locks in. Gently pry the eyeshadow loose. This is what it should look like:

This was supposed to be titled "my current skincare routine", but then I realized that I forgot to include a couple of regulars like the Myra e Daily Sun Protect Facial Moisturizer SPF 15 and the Eyliplex-2 eye cream. I also realized that I don't use everything every single day - as you know, I work from home, so I don't go out five days a week.

As such, I adjust my so-called "routine" into something less fussy. I'm vain, but I don't obsess about it!

Meet the team:

Left to right (click the links for reviews):  Muji Cleansing Oil for Sensitive Skin,  Pond's White Beauty Activated Carbon Cleanser, Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner,  Clinique Moisture Surge,  Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye, Smooth-365 Clarity + Smoothing Peptide Serum

Can I just say? I hate it that Muji hasn't yet restocked the Cleasing Oil!

Last Thursday, I was puttering around Megamall, trying to kill time before an event. Naturally I paid a visit to the beauty and skincare section to see if there's anything new - and there was!

Elite Paris sells what looks like professional-level makeup and tools for an affordable price. The brand has single eyeshadows at P300+, eyeshadow quad at P600+, foundations, blushes, and nail polish. It also features a few brushes, nail and hair tools, and hair styling products.

I wasn't able to try the blushes and foundations, but the eyeshadows are worth a mention. They are quite pigmented, with a smooth (albeit slightly powdery) texture. I think the P600+ price tag for the quad is a great deal since the quality of the eyeshadows is better than the usual drugstore brands.

Singles

I very rarely go out with my friends, which something I should definitely change this year. I have to stop being lazy about going out of the house no! So last Friday, I got Mara, Kira (plus Mark), and Ozy to have dinner and just chill. We went to Ristras for the homey Mexican food.*

Bad lighting, huhu

I wore a pair of one-of-a-kind leggings I got from Streets of Seoul. It has a mesh front with strips of black crisscrossing it, while the back part is actually opaque. Rad! It instantly adds an edge to any look. I got a lot of compliments because of this. Sadly, you can't get another one if you're interested, since it is literally only one piece at the store.  Still, you ought to visit since there are other great finds.

Thrifted leather jacket/ Hanes t-shirt/ Thrifted bodycon skirt/ Streets of Seoul leggings

A PR company sent me a 200ml bottle of the Vaseline Healthy White SPF24 sunscreen AGES ago, like half a year ago. For some reason or other though I never blogged about it, which is sad, because this has become an indispensable part of my skincare regimen. I actually finished off the huge bottle, so I purchased a 350ml one!

I love this mainly for its SPF 24 UVA/UVB protection. I never go outside the sun without slathering it on my skin. I know there are other SPF lotions out in the market, but this is perhaps the most affordable with a high SPF rating minus the thick sunblock-y feel.

It has a lotion-y, slightly floral scent that I don't find overwhelming. As for the texture, it's certainly lighter than the usual sunscreen/sunblock lotions

Yesterday, The Body Shop invited beauty bloggers to their Megamall branch to have fun with their famous Body Butters. I particularly enjoyed the part where we were asked to make our own Body Butter scent out of the existing variants! 

TBS Body Butters fall under three types: Nutty (Shea and Olive), Fruity (Wild Cherry, Strawberry, Satsuma, and Grapefruit) and Floral (Moringa, smells like jasmine). The bloggers were divided into four groups of three people, and I got grouped with Tanya and the fab Frances. Here's what we came up with:

Scent 1: Olive + Wild Cherry

I went to a Body Shop event yesterday (will blog about that shortly). I knew I was going to see my blogger friends in a laid-back atmosphere so I chose to swathe myself in lightweight cotton, cotton, cotton. 

Topshop burnout tee/ Zara cardigan/ Folded & Hung skirt/ Muji sock tights/ Charles & Keith platform heels

In other news, I just enrolled myself in driving school! I chose A1 since that's what everybody recommended. I'm a little nervous since I can get careless when I'm on the road, plus why drive when there are cabs?