A lot of people think it takes me forever to do my face (forever being an hour and a half upwards) but the truth is quite far from that. I don't have time for foolin' around so over the years I've cut down my full face routine to about 30 minutes, 40 tops. Spending 30 minutes can get me a nice, colorful look but an additional 10 could mean a glamorous dark smokey eye. Quick yet polished, they should write that on my gravestone.

So imagine what I could do with just 10 minutes. I'm a quick worker, but I won't take all the credit!There are certain products that help cut down the time I need to be polished and presentable, and one of them is the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Rose Gold (P1,550).

I like v-neck shirts. I love watermelons. I LOVE THIS STUFF. This simplifies my makeup routine immensely! It's a cream eyeshadow that you can just draw on your eyes without needing any brushes. Use your fingers to blend the edges and poof, you're done. Seriously, this is perfect for girls who are intimidated by eyeshadows.

The shimmery pinky gold shade can make your eyes look brighter and more awake in an instant. Aside from using it as a lid wash, you can use this on your waterline and tearduct area to banish the redness that appears from exhaustion. It can make tired eyes look whiter.

I didn't really care for cream eyeshadow before. Why bother when there are excellent powder eyeshadows in any color and finish you can think of? But Lisa Eldridge's tutorial wearing cream eyeshadows plus the Bobbi Brown Shore steered me in the right direction. I realized that this particular formula has something to offer to busy girls who want intense, enhancing, and long lasting color on the eyes with minimum effort.

I love wearing cream eyeshadows when I don't have the time or inclination to fuss on my look. It's easy to blend in primer then wear one color on the lids but it's even quicker to swipe on a cream color! Lazy much? It's a great way to enhance the eyes in just a few seconds! Anyway I recently found out about the MeMeMe Dew Pots (P300-ish at Makeupholics*), a cream eyeshadow that received decent reviews online.

Here's what I think. :)

What I love about the product

• It has good color pay-off. One swipe is enough to shade the eyes, but since I want a super opaque finish I swipe twice. I just use my fingers!
• It's thin, non-sticky texture makes it easy to spread and blend with minimal effort. It doesn't skip or create streaks on the lids.
• It comes in a glass jar with a cap that seals tightly. 
• Affordable!

Not gonna lie - I prefer to use premium products over cheaper alternatives. You can call me a brand snob but the fact remains that pricier products look, feel, last, and color better. But hey, that doesn't mean that I don't buy cheap things! I'm still on the lookout for bargains to play with so I always visit Watsons and other beauty stores.

A few weekends ago, I bought some Ever Bilena eyeshadows in Watsons Mall of Asia. I did some major swatching all over the place but these won me over because of their cheap price tags and nice color payoff. They're not quite like the high-end stuff, but for the price, it's really hard to nitpick. 

First off, we have EB cream eyeshadow in Peridot. This is a nice leafy green with gold shimmer. It's not opaque, but it shows up nicely on the lids.

I don't use cream eyeshadows by themselves because they're harder to work with and blend perfectly. However, they make excellent bases for powder eyeshadow. They increase the intensity and lasting power of the top layer - of course, provided that you're using a cream product that's not too emollient and oily.

That's what I like about the Tony Moly Backstage Paint Eye Pot (P448). It dries up quickly and doesn't slide around on my lid. I like that it doesn't dissolve with water or sweat. It does crease and fade, but powder eyeshadow helps.

Expect me to be excited when one of my favorite brands comes up with something new. This time, Clinique is bringing in a reformulted version of one of their best-selling products, the Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Radiance Renewer (P3,250) and the Lid Smoothie Anti-Oxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour (P1,550).

The Turnaround Concentrate is a "fast acting exfoliating serum that instantly creates a luminous-from-within radiance. Reveals skin's finest texture, too. Works to optimise natural cell renewal, gently, continually, unveiling skin that's brighter, healthier, more uniform." Intriguing.