It's time to put a little perspective to all the reviews I've been posting! Starting this September, I'll be sharing my top 10 best finds for the month. These are the products that I've been using heavily, the kind of stuff that I don't mind purchasing when they run out (ceteris paribus - all things remaining constant). In other words, these are the things I can swear by.

Here goes!

The Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash is a total savior. Don't get me wrong, I still use my Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (Oily Skin Formula). But since my skin is really, REALLY dry lately due to the acne serums I've been using, I need to use a more moisturizing facial wash that doesn't completely strip my face of oil. That's where Sebamed comes in. I love it with all my heart.

I've been using the Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++ since May but given that I only wrote about it yesterday, it's included in my September list. It's awesome. Read the review!

The Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator conceals and heals. When I stopped using it for a week, my eyes hated me! 

I promised I'd show you what I took home from Sebago, and here it is! It's rather predictable of me really, but I fell in love with the Felucca Lace design (P3,999) when I saw it on the shop window waaay before Sebago invited me to drop by. I really wanted to get the Yellow one, but unfortunately their smallest available size, 6, is rather large on me. So I got the Denim Blue version in size 5.

I regretted it at first. Size five felt too small; it was an effort to walk in them. However, I knew that Sebago shoes loosened and softened over time (they're 100% leather), so I just broke them in by walking short distances before finally wearing them out. Now they're super comfortable and hug my feet nicely!

Product samples will be the death - and/or financial bankruptcy - of me! I fell in love with many a Clinique product just because I tried one of their devious sample sizes. You think, "Oh, I like what I'm using already, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a gander at this new tester size I have." Before you know it, boom, you're buying a product worth 2 gs. 

At least, you already know that it's totally worth it.

So that's how I discovered the Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++ (P2,045). I got a sample of it from one of Clinique's gift pouches, not really expecting that it would be The Sunblock. There are other City Block versions available, but I find that they break me out so I never got around to buying them. Not the Derma White though. This works so well on my skin and I've been using this since May!

What I love about the product

• Has SPF40 PA+++, so it offers pretty good sun protection.
• NO BREAKOUTS. I don't know what's up with sunblocks, but most of them give me pimples - if not immediately, they do eventually.

I'm a lipstick person at heart so you may have noticed that I don't wear much lip gloss. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a few good ones just in case I need an extra "boost" on my lips. Lipsticks may deliver the color, but glosses instantly add a plumping effect because they reflect light.

Photo courtesy of Yves Rocher

One of the latest glosses I came across is the Yves Rocher Plumping Sheer Gloss in 06 Fraise. It's a delicious-smelling lipgloss that comes in a classy (albeit large) tube with a brush applicator.

What I love about the product

• Lip glosses are notorious for being drying, but this one is quite moisturizing. I don't need to wear lip balm underneath. It doesn't dry up for hours.
• As promised, it does make lips look plumper, but almost all lip glosses do that so it's cool.
• I really like the brush. It makes the gloss easier to apply, especially on top of lipstick!

You must have a signature scent the same way you have a signature piece of jewelry or lipstick. It just completes your whole look by taking it up to another sensory level! It's true that people may not remember what you wore but they WILL remember how you smelled like, which is why perfumes are a must in every woman's closet. 

Now, I've tried quite a number of scents for this blog - from cheap to high-end, from light to heavy - but there is only one scent that I keep going back to: the DKNY Be Delicious. It's a radiant, fun and feminine scent while still managing to be very sensible...just like me, in my mind. When I want something sweeter, I always go for the DKNY Delicious Candy Apples in Sweet Caramel. 

So now you know my history with DKNY, you'll understand why I'm totally gaga for their latest fragrance, the DKNY Golden Delicious (P3,100/50ml and P4,200/100ml).

Scent. I would describe Golden Delicious as a beautiful, warm scent that blossoms as it dries down and melts on your skin. Like all Be Delicious scents, its very feminine without being smothery and overly cloying; sensual without being oversexed and obvious.

At last, something new from one of my favorite brands, Colour Collection! I know some folks have been having trouble tracking down a Tupperware dealer in search of their excellent Color Intense Lipsticks, but I tell you, it's worth it. And now there's something else to pine after with the release of the Mineral Cosmetics Line and Age-defying BB Cream.

First off, I doubt that the makeup is actually 100% mineral - BUT there are no parabens or fragrance involved in the making of this line, and they also threw in some soothing ingredients like aloe vera, green tea, shea butter, and jojoba oil. The lipsticks are mostly made of oils, waxes, pigments, and silicates, so they can pass off as mineral makeup.

The powder makeup is mostly mica, talc, zinc, pigments, and chemical binders. So not entirely mineral makeup but they do have less irritants than the usual makeup. IMHO, that's a good job already because so many companies who got into the mineral makeup bandwagon are FAR from actually being MMU.

On to the collection!

They released five new shades of Mineral Lipsticks with SPF15: Plumberry, Creamy Coral, Satin Shell, Brick Rose, Smooth Wine. They're all pigmented and delightully loud!

It's been a while since I talked about mascara here, eh? This time I want you to meet Revlon's newest called the Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara (price TBA). It will be available starting next month, so this is sort of like a first look for all you mascara fans out there.

I really liked its predecessor, the Revlon Grow Luscious Fabulash so naturally I was curious about what this mascara can do! To start off, the main difference between the two is the wand. The Plumping Mascara has a smaller wand with an edge that tapers off, making it easier to maneuver around the lashes compared to Fabulash.

Formula-wise, they're very similar, except that Fabulash adds a bit more length.

Finish and texture. The Plumping Mascara delivers thick, black lashes in one coat. The formula is goopy so you don't have to layer so much to get vavoom lashes, but if you want something really dramatic, two coats will do the job.

Mineral here, organic there. That has been the trend in beauty for the past few years, but these days it's more of a given than an optional thing for brands. I mentioned before that I'm not completely sold on 100% natural beauty products simply because they're either ineffectual or, if the quality is good, the price can be prohibitive. Nonetheless, there is one brand that has sucessfully battled this dilemma by being somewhere in between - Human Heart Nature.

The HHN Mineral Eyeshadow Palette in Enchanted Evening (P275) is the first makeup I've tried from the brand. The packaging is pretty and the price is friendly, but is the quality competitive?

What I like about the product

• It doesn't have the usual tacky shade selection. The lilac, dusky violet, and gray purple are sophisticated shades that I didn't expect in a P275 palette. They will work with fair to morena skintones.
• Well-milled and not chalky at all. I like the silky texture.

It's been a while since I did an outfit post here. Between then and now I've quietly hoarded dresses as if there's no tomorrow. It's about time really. I don't like my clothes anymore.

Anyway! As you can see I'm still in a tan mood. The dress was a genius find from Forever 21; it works sooo well with my body type! What's nice is that it's like an LBD, it can be worn different ways with the right shoes and accessories. It's like a blank canvas one can play with.  

Forever 21 dress/ Parfois heels and ring/ Ferretti necklace/ Pink Box bangle 

It's been over two weeks since I got the Obagi Blue Peel. It's a memorable experience because it was my first ever TCA peel, but it's also a little life-changing in the sense that I've re-evaluated how I view skincare and beauty in general.

Anyway, the results were very good - the peel took away the lighter blemishes and left only faint marks where the darkest and biggest blemishes used to be. I broke out afterwards, but I hear that it's part of the purging process as the newly resurfaced skin adjusts. Also, I had my period at that time, so the pimples were really on a roll. I'm continuing with my acne medication (I'll write a separate post about it) and I'll let you know how that goes in a week or so.

Let's track back, shall we?

Day 6: So close 

By day 6, most of the old skin has already fallen away, leaving only two big chunks on the sides of my cheeks. The skin is still fresh but drying very quickly.

Not makeup, that's for sure! Last Thursday, I had a very memorable afternoon at the Jane Iredale store in Evekal Building, Makati. The 100% pure mineral makeup brand is remarkable by itself (will talk about that soon), but what really sealed that day in my mind is the food. Yes, food. Stephanie Zubiri's Modern Epicurean Kitchen was the caterer that day and my god the food was good.

Jane Iredale store

Glorious food

I'm not a food writer so I don't have the vocab and know-how to rhapsodize about the dishes properly, but I hope the fact that I wrote about food here will convince you of its greatness.

There are a ton on tinted lip balms out there, but what sets the Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar(P278) apart is its winking bunny cap. You can't beat that. I imagine all the tinted lip balms of the world waving their sad little white flags to this cuteness.

All your base are belong to me

Kidding aside, the Tony Moly Bunny Gloss Bar is a nice tinted lip balm that delivers even color and moisture. It glides on the lips and stays emollient for hours. Oh, it also smells great - has that whisper of fruity notes.

I've had a Ferretti gift certificate (intended for the press) lying around the house for months now so I thought, hey, why don't I just give it away to a Project Vanity reader? I asked my boss and she said yes. So here we are!

I'm giving away one pair of Ferretti shoes - any pair you want. The mechanics are painfully simple. ;)

What you need to do

1. Follow BOTH Ferretti and Project Vanity on Facebook.

2. I want to know the pair of shoes you'd like to win.

Last month, I ran out of my favorite eyeshadow primers (UDPP and TFSI) at the same time so I decided to hunt for a new one. I'm foolish like that. I have holy grail products sure, but I also like to explore other options. It makes for good blog fodder, and who knows, the new one might actually work better!

Anyway, I came across the MAC Prep + Prime Eye (P1,000+) last August. I normally look for online reviews before buying a product in this price range, but I got this one on impulse plus I was in a hurry at that time. I didn't like it at first but I suppose it's just one of those things that grow on you, you know?

What I love about the product

• Intensifies eyeshadows, like a good eye primer should. It makes pigments and shimmers adhere better on skin.
• It feels like a very thin, lightweight, liquidy concealer, so it evens out your lid and can act as a base for your undereye concealer as well. If you don't have super dark bags, this can actually double as a concealer by itself.

A majority of Filipinas may be hesitant when it comes to makeup, but you can bet that we loooove our bath and body products. Actually we just love our baths, period. We're no Frenchmen.

It's no wonder that aisles and aisles of drugstores and supermarkets are dedicated just for the riot of body care products. There's always something new, something exciting to buy and try! One of them is Watsons' latest bath and body care line called H Bella.

It's a pretty solid collection. I tried everything and all of them met my criteria for body products - they're light, non-sticky, not scratchy at all, and most importantly, they smell great. Here's my quick review of each product in the line:

Protect & Nourish Hand Cream. It's very light and gets absorbed by my skin quickly. Do you hate the greasy feeling of hand lotions? Do you hate how they turn greasy again after you wet your hands? This is not one of those hand creams. 

I wanted to write this in paragraph form, but I thought it would be more fun to list it down! So, these are the reasons I'm selling some of my books.

• I love reading, but I live in a condo. Space is limited for books! (And shoes for that matter). I want to buy new titles and keep only those books I'm likely read again.
• I read most books only once. I don't remember every small detail about them, but each book will always be a part of me and how I view the world. That's all I want from books.
• I need more money to buy more shoes. (Kidding. Er.)
• These books need owners who will value them more than I do. 

And these are the reasons you should buy these books:

• I bought all of them this year from Fully Booked. Many are new titles that I got as soon as they came out. 
• They're crazy cheap.
• You need to support my shoe addiction. Because we're friends.
• I also need to give away some beauty/personal care stuff, so yeah, freebies for each purchase!

And here's what I have:

RESERVED Nina Garcia's The One Hundred. Originally P640, selling for P400. (Must have for fashionistas.)

RESERVED How To Walk In High Heels by Camilla Morton, P200. (Must have for women who want to develop class and grace, as well as the wonderful talent for walking in high heels.)

Vogue Concepts brought us Promod and Yves Rocher from France, Parfois from Portugal, and Flojos from California. But they're not stopping there! Early this September, they brought in one of London's hottest stores called Peacocks. The fast-fashion brand is London's version of the US's Forever 21, with the goal of translating catwalk trends to wearable retail. 

Here's the lookbook-esque catalogue they rolled out for us (you must look at it from beginning to end, there are so many neat inspirations!)

Remember my visit to Sebago last year? That was one of my favorite features because the pink Sebago Docksides I took home then ended up being one of my best shoes. After more than a year of using them whenever I'm not in heels, they're still in great condition, albeit a little dirty.

Take note ha, I've walked them in filthy floods and extremely hot weather where even asphalt fillings would melt. They're still true and totally worth the price! Count me a fan. So when Sebago asked me to visit them again, I wasted no time. Check out some of their new designs:

Felucca Lace