The first few eyeshadow palettes I had featured explosions of color and shimmer that would make a transvestite proud. I had 120 and 88-color palettes and I loved them! Well, I still love colors and shimmer. But the older I get the more I realize how important it is to have dependable basics to work with. This doesn't just apply to clothes and shoes and bags. It's the exact same thing with makeup.

To create a great eyeshadow look, you need classic neutral shades as your base, contour, and highlight. Think of bright, shiny colors as the accessories in your eye makeup. They grab attention and express your mood as well they should. Neutrals, while meant to work hand in hand with colors, must do so in the background. Unless you're wearing them by themselves, of course.

The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (P1,600 at Stuff in Style) is perfect for a simple to smoky eye look on its own. It's also designed to be a sort of building block for creating more complex, colorful looks. These eyeshadows have great color pay-off and super smooth texture (as expected from Urban Decay), which means that they're quite easy to work with.

I like thinking of this palette as a little black dress - that one thing you can wear to practically anything!

I am so late but The Beatles have taken over my life. I wake up to a Beatles song in my head, clean the house with a Beatles song blaring in the background, and at odd moments during the day a Beatles song pops up in my head and I play it there in full as if I were listening to it from another source. I can't explain why this is happening, and why now. But there it is. It's like a massive album-long LSS! 1 to be specific, a collection of their top hits.

Well, I hope this fades away soon. I'm one of those people who can only think when it's relatively silent.

Anyway - a good Monday morning to you! Today I'll be talking about the Bobbi Brown Rich Caviar and Black Pearl Holiday Palettes (P3,200), which were released as part of the brand's holiday collection. I apologize that I'm writing about this only now, when it's sold out almost everywhere except in Mall of Asia! I just wanted a comprehensive post on it so it took me a while to photograph the looks to go with this post.

The 6-color palettes feature gorgeous shades that you will enjoy using until they run out. There's a blending, brow bone, lid, smoky, gradient and glittery color in each palette, colors which you can use in different permutations - sky's the limit!

"It only takes a moment for your eyes to meet, and then, your heart knows in a moment you will never be alone again," says that song from Hello, Dolly! It's one of my favorites, something I hum randomly or even wake up to in my head. Does it mean that I believe in love at first sight? Nah, it's way more complicated than that. However I do believe that there's a point when you realize that you would very much like to spend the rest of your life with someone. It only takes a moment.

Aaaand segue to makeup. The Stila In The Moment Palette (P1,800 at Stuff In Style) is inspired by the moments that shape our lives. I love the eyeshadow colors since they're well rounded, plum and purple with gold, bronze, and other supporting colors -  these are always flattering on Asian skin. You can do an quick day look or a heavy smoky eye with these combination of colors. You also get a non-smudging eyeliner in the package.

Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons of this palette!

What I love about the product

• The eyeshadows are pigmented, smooth, and easy to blend with each other.
• I love the loosely coordinated colors with flashes of rose beige and gold. They're perfect! The dusky colors are quite sophisticated and perfect with morena skin (specifically, although they go with anything). The darker colors can be used as eyeliner, just use a wet lining brush.

Hey folks! I have some new products from Maybelline that I'm excited to finally talk about. I've had them for a few weeks now and, well, color me impressed! It's been a while since I used anything from the brand so I'm surprised by how nice their stuff are now. 

Here are capsule reviews of Maybelline's latest: The Jewels by Colorsensational Lipsticks, Master Liner 24-Hr Cream Pencil, and Eye Studio Lumineyes Eyeshadow.

The Jewels by Colorsensational Lipstick (P399) is a collection of six jewel-toned lip colors in uber creamy, pigmented formulas. They're not waxy and they stay on for a loooong time given that the colors are on the dark, brilliant spectrum. They leave a nice stain too without feeling too drying!

Something about the cooler weather and the season makes me want to wear smoky eyes all the time. I've demonstrated how easy it is to do the look, so there's no excuse for me (and you!) not to wear it whenever I feel like it! Ha. One palette that makes smoky eyes incredibly easy is the Etude House Dolly 3-Step Eyes in Cute Doll (P648). It contains three eyeshadows that combine perfectly to give you the gradient smoky look.

The Cute Doll BR401 palette contains full-sized, super creamy matte eyeshadows in bone white, caramel, and charcoal brown.

Just a few years ago, a makeup junkie's options for awesome and affordable palettes were very limited. Thanks to online resellers though, we now have access to drugstore brands from other countries like NYX, Sleek, Models Own, and Beauty UK. Kids these days are lucky! :P

Anyway, one product that I've recently come across is the Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in Earth Child (P355 at The Makeup Suite). It's a set of smoky and earthy neutrals that should give you sultry eyes for a dressy day out.

What I love about the product

• All colors have high pigmentation. There are some chalky textures (the white and beige shades) but they still apply opaque.

I know how hard it is to shop for makeup on a budget. Even if we want to buy MAC or Urban Decay eyeshadows all the time, for example, it's just not practical for our wallet. That's why we should never dismiss drugstore products. Who knows, we just might find a pearl in the sea!

That said, Revlon eyeshadows have come a long way with the new reformulated ColorStay 16 Hour Quads (P550). These are surprisingly good - I would even say that some palettes are worth including in your must-have makeup kit. Here's why!

What I love about the product

• Fairly pigmented and color-true (meaning what you see is what you get) for most colors. Just use it over a base to maximize the pigmentation and lasting power.
• Great color combinations! They're not too common and plain, IMHO.

Sleek is the UK equivalent of NYX, and like NYX has gained popularity by offering affordable yet colorful and highly pigmented makeup. I first heard about it when raves of its eyeshadow palettes started circulating around the internet. Naturally I was curious, so I finally scored one for myself called the Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette in Me, Myself, and Eye (P650 in Digital Traincase).

The short of it is, it's pretty good! The color selection doesn't make sense to me but I actually like it that way. I already have so many color coordinated palettes so at this point I'm just looking for unique, stand-out colors I don't have yet. Me, Myself, and Eye definitely has those.

What I love about the product

• Colors, hands down. Salt N' Peppermint, Primal Green, Lilac Allen, Supernova, and Blue Monday are memorable shades you can build a whole look on!

It was very difficult to narrow down my favorite eyeshadow palettes because there are so many great ones that I use regularly. But for the sake of curation, I just picked five palettes that I use the most. They're the kind of palettes that I wear without thinking, especially when I'm in a hurry! You'll notice a lot of neutrals going on there but believe me, they're quite different from one another.

Sigma Flare Eyeshadow Palette. Didn't like this so much initially, but it has the best purple eyeshadows I've ever had! They look great on me so I overlook the chalky formula. The eyeshadows are still pigmented anyway.

Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Palette in Sand. This is my foolproof palette - I can never go wrong wearing this. The eyeshadows are have a soft-focus finish so they don't take much effort to apply and correct. This is my favorite when I'm off to work stuff.

Brigitte is a true-blue makeup addict who started collecting, reading, then blogging about cosmetics a few years ago. Then, she moved on to study and practice makeup artistry professionally. Finally, she came out with her own cosmetics line called Beauty PRO Cosmetics only recently. If that's not passion, then I don't know what is!

I like to think of Beauty PRO as makeup made by a makeup addict for makeup addicts. It has the perfect pigmentation and texture, with carefully chosen colors that are designed to be wearable (the Sweet and Smoky palette) and exciting (Crazy Colour). Let's go through the pros and cons, shall we?

What I love about the product

• Beautiful colors that offer amazing color payoff. You don't need a base to make them pop out.

Surprise, surprise. This is me raving about IN2IT for the nth time! I can't help it, not when they have amazing products that can rival expensive brands for only a fraction of the price. Remember their blush, eyebrow powder, eyeliner, and foundation? I have them and they are all super products. This time, I want to talk about their new eyeshadow palette called the IN2IT Eye Colour Palette (P380).

Shade selection and texture. These palettes come in four variants that contain wearable, flattering shades that is obviously chosen for Asian skin. The eyeshadows have excellent pigmentation and far from being powdery and chalky. They do contain a bit of sparkle which makes them grittier than I woud like, but overall the texture is fine and silky.

Vibrancy and staying power. You can definitely use these without primer and they will come out vibrant. They will also stay in place, but do expect creasing if you have oily lids.

I don't know what the Japanese put in their eyeshadows, but whatever it is, it's dope. It doesn't even matter if the brand is low or high-end - the eyeshadows are usually smooth and highly pigmented. You'll remember my review of the KATE Blendzone eyeshadow and how impressed I was with it. The new eyeshadow, the KATE Eye Shadow CQ (P960) is no less impressive.

Same as Blendzone, CQ is highly pigmented, creamy, long-lasting, well-milled - everything I'm looking for in a quality eyeshadow. The shades in this palette are all lovely and work great with my skintone.

Have you guys seen the Revlon CustomEyes Shadow & Liner Duo in Metallic Chic? It's pretty no? The textured palette reminds me so much of cozy cableknit sweaters. That aside, you'll find that this palette is better than Revlon's last few ones. 

Shade selection. The CustomEyes Shadow & Liner Duo has five eyeshadows (the darkest of which you are supposed to use as an eyeliner) that are decently pigmented and nicely chosen.

You know those pesky Facebook ads? They can be annoying, but they're useful sometimes! That's how I found out that The Pink Slippers Boutique is selling the Sigma Flare Eyeshadow Palette. It's part of the latest palette collection of Sigma featuring eight eyeshadows bundled in with a double-ended brush (the E55 and E40). At P2,000 it looks expensive, but I think the brush + eight eyeshadows more than make up for the cost. Bought this a couple of weeks back and I really enjoy the brush, most of all.

What I love about the product

• Great selection of fun colors - warm and cool - that can work well together. Indeed, this is the one feature that convinced me to buy the palette. 
• Intensely pigmented with the right eyeshadow base.

I'm finding it a teensy bit difficult to begin this post, which is why I've been putting it off. I want to be able to sound sophisticated and knowledgeable while writing this review but I can't seem to get it right! You see, all I really want to say is this: Shu Uemura makes some of the best, if not the best, eyeshadows out there. Get one if you can, I'm not kidding!

I own a Shu Uemura travel palette but I never really appreciated the brand's eyeshadows until I got to try their singles from the Color Atelier. The colors are absolutely amazing, and the texture, my gosh! So soft and buttery. You don't even need a primer to make them stay on and look intense. These eyeshadows have no cons for me, although I do know P695 for a refill pan is steep. Still, that's considerably cheaper than other similar high-end brands pricing their singles at P900 up.

Shu Uemura recently released a customizeable palette that you can fill up with eyeshadow singles and/or blushes. It sells separately for P1,095 and also comes in one and two-pan versions. It's a well-designed case but you may also opt for a magnetic palette from a different brand to hold more Shu eyeshadows. Because seriously, are you going to stop with just four? I'm not!

Here are the colors I chose for my customized palette. I wanted to get ones I don't have yet; the rainforest paradise vibe was an unconscious theme! Hehe.

ME Soft Blue 655

IR Soft Gold 370

Last Wednesday, Shu Uemura invited beauty bloggers to check out their latest product: a customizable palette! They also introduced new eyeshadow and Glow On blush colors, collectively called the Color Atelier. All these are designed to accommodate any look you can think of, since the palette can carry a combination of four eyeshadows or two eyeshados + one Glow On. It also comes in singles and doubles.

The palette itself is pretty neat since it's functional and no-fuss (no need for magnets or adhesives), but are you ready for the REALLY good news? The single eyeshadows are only P695! I know, still steep, but compared for other high-end brands here in the Philippines, that price is very, very affordable. They're the kind of things you'd love to collect since the colors and quality are just lovely.

Ok I am gushing too much. I can't help it. I have a couple of well-loved Shu Uemura items (a Glow On blush and a palette) so yes I'm very excited to add a few more. When I went to their Rockwell branch, I was like a kid in a candy store. I checked out all the makeup and agonized about the colors I want to put in my own palette!

There was no question: I wanted four eyeshadows.

It was the eyeshadow that drew me into the wonderful world of cosmetics. I loved the fact that you can paint your eyes with them, just as if you were working with watercolors or oil pastels on paper. Now, I like a pop of color on the eyes as much as I like neutral well-contoured eyes. I find that whatever look one goes for, it all comes down to color combination. Does this taupe look good with this bronze? Does this pink look good with blue? And so on.

One palette that has a seemingly non-coordinated color combination offers a really good color story: the Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Romantic (P319).

What I like about the product

• Great color combination. You think pink, blue, mint, and white gold doesn't work together or looks too much - but you're wrong! They come out pastel, giving off that spring-y vibe.
• Nice packaging.

I haven't been wearing colorful makeup for months now. Well, okay, there were a few times during evening events but most of the time I have neutrals on. So what happened? Just two things, really. When I go to meetings of course I have to look polished and professional. When I go to events, I sometimes meet people I want to work with in the future, so I don't want to pile on the color. In between meetings and events I run errands, and even though I love makeup, I don't love it enough to wear eyeshadows all the time!

BUT. If there's one thing that will bring back my love affair with colorful eyeshadow, it will be the Mini Bobbi Brights Palette by Bobbi Brown!

I saw this in an event for Bobbi Brown's new book and palette called Beauty Rules. Anyway, I swatched some of the eyeshadows and was wowed by the pigmentation and how buttery smooth the texture is! Love.

A great neutral, travel-friendly palette is a makeup must-have. Plus points if the palette can be used for day to night! Perhaps the best neutral palette that has come out this year in terms of value and quality is the Urban Decay Naked Palette. However, if you're not willing to shell out P2,000+, pine in the endless waiting list, or stress about payment and shipping form the US, then this palette from Wet n' Wild is a pretty nice n' cheap alternative.

The Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette in Vanity is love at first swatch for me. The colors were pigmented, creamy, and flattered my skin tone (yes, not all neutrals look good on all skin!). It's not perfect of course, but overall this is a solid product that is well worth the P500 you'll be shelling for it.

What I love about this product

• Pigmented
• Creamy, especially the matte chocolate brown and tan colors
• Long lasting. I'd even go so far as to say that these are a bit waterproof. I don't even use a base to make this last all day! I like using the chocolate brown as eyeliner, especially on the waterline since it sticks very well there.