Quick post! I just wanna pop in to say hello, and happy holidays to you all. ^_^ Hope you're having a grand time so far! I'll be having a staycation with my family in a hotel here in Fort, then probably veg and watch cable TV until tomorrow. All I want is a chill and fun time with my loved ones.

Before I leave, thought I'd show you something I got for myself this Christmas. I think that the best gifts are the ones that you actually purchase for yourself, because no one knows what you want better than you do, right? That being said I finally got something I've been looking for a long time: a pouch wallet.

I'm not that picky with brands when it comes to wallets which is why mine always looks kawawa. But in my defense I really want something where I can jam my cash and coins without thinking, where there's space for my cards. I haven't found something like it in stores - that is, until I saw this pouch from Rabeanco in SM Aura.

It is absolutely perfect.

Talent is cheap. There's tons of people out there with a natural talent for certain things, but the fact is that unless they spend hours and hours honing that talent, it's just potential. It's like oil under the ground. We have to dig for it, pump it to the surface, and refine it until it's ready to sell and use. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's way too easy to be mediocre. Good, but never good enough. That's how I feel about the things I do, most days.

But on to lighter things! Specifically, a shiny gold glitter polish from Deborah Lippmann called Glitter And Be Gay (P825). This is part of the fall collection but I think it's a perfect holiday nail polish as well!

Glitter And Be Gay has gold, holo, and blue glitters of several sizes suspended in a warm yellow gel base. This is meant to be used as a topper, specifically for its sister, Fake It Till You Make It which I am also wearing here. I love the dimension of this glitter polish, and how it changes color in the light due to the holo glitter. I received a lot of compliments when I had this on!

I like myself the least when I'm obsessing something. It starts slow and steady, a passing thought, a random craving. Then it slowly builds in intensity and irritates me endlessly unless I give in to it, or in this case, have it. Sigh. But whatever! Let's discuss another holiday collection, this time from Stila. ^_^

Stila has these awesome gift sets that are pretty good value for the price. Like this box of glosses - you get nine tubes for P1,750! That's basically P195 per lip gloss. Crazy. I love that they are also boxed in mini-sets so you can give two and keep one for yourself. Or the other way around. *medyo evil laugh*

I will review these glosses next time. For now though, I'd like to show you the Portrait Of A Perfect Eye Palette (P850), a neutral eyeshadow compact with gorgeous warm shades. Yes, I'm also surprised that it's only P850 for like six colors! This is precisely the reason you should keep track of holiday collections. Brands often sell some items for slightly cheaper than the average price. ;)

Can we just get one thing straight? Everybody, and I mean everybody, needs lip balm. And we don't need just one lip balm. We need at least three, one each in our pocket, desk, and bag. With that universal truth (humor me!) established, allow me to present some of the best stocking stuffers you can give this Christmas: Burt's Bees sets!

Beautiful packaged and thoughfully chosen, these Burt's Bees babies are great to give and receive this season. They're quite inexpensive yet still "branded", so to speak, and yes women (even guys) of all ages would find them useful! You can get the ornament lip balms above for only P325, while the boxed sets range from P650 to P1,250. 

Here are the details plus my suggestions on who you can give these to. ;)

For teens who love fruity sweet scents: Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter (P325)

For your lolo and lola who need to take care of their lips more: Ultra Condition Lip Balm with Kokum Butter (P325)

The Bobbi Brown holiday collection is always a treat to look forward to every season. This year, it didn't disappoint with a beautifully-edited selection of luxurious lip and eye palettes, lip glosses and brush sets for the beauty enthusiast who wants to get - or give - the gift of glam.

(I think I fall under the former category, because Bobbi Brown is too precious to just give away. Haha.)

Quick product details:

So that's what's up. I'll review the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Eye Palette in Sequin (P2,700), a gift I received from the brand. It's a 10-color palette full of earthy, frosty shades. It's a good mix of cool and warm tones. I know you're thinking though: frosty? What?

Have you already done your Christmas shopping? If not, I just have one reminder: make sure that your gift is something the other person can actually use. I know, I know, it's such obvious advice! But it's easy to forget in the heat of elbowing your way through the holiday mall rush. 

If you're not a fan of big crowds and passing by several stores to get stuff for different people, you should look at these VMV Hypoallergenics Holiday Sets. There's a set for the guys, kikays, mothers, and pretty much anyone in your life! They come in a nifty box made of recycled paper and tied up with a grosgrain VMV ribbon, which means that you don't even have to bother wrapping them. ;)

Here they are, with detailed info from VMV:

My VMVery Favorite Things (P1,000.00, a Php 1,725.00 value). Seven of our greatest hits, sized for on-the-“glow” portability. From basics to powerful protection, mmmoisture to multi-tasking therapy, these popular pickings are guaranteed to keep those at the top of your list skin the pink of health all year long. 

• Re-Everything Face-Hand-Body Lotion Head-to-toe anti-aging glow! 30 mL (1 Fl Oz)
• Id Sweat Acne and Overall Anti-bacterial Gel. Our multitasker: treats bumps, disinfects, keeps skin cool, fresh + matte. 50 mL (1.69 Fl Oz).
• Armada Sport SPF 70. A wait-in-line-for-it fave for its skincredibly light feel + powerful protection. 15 g (0.53 Oz).

MAC's latest collection brings the holidays to a fever pitch - of the disco persuasion. (I thought about this line for one whole day, because I'll be damned if I didn't put "disco" and "fever" in my opening sentence.)

Anyway! Divine Night is MAC's flagship collection this season, dominated by rich shades of gold, bronze, plum, and pink champagne. The look is composed of a fierce darkened eye, stark contour, and a dirty plum lip - a very modern discotheque vibe. Check out the photos from the super fun launch that happened last week!

Divine ladies: Ria Bolivar, Catriona Grey, Jessica Yang, and Ella Pap

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The holidays are just around the corner. It's a time for celebrations and reunions with loved ones, but if you're a beauty junkie, then there's one other reason this time of the year is special: holiday sets! Most high-end brands have their own limited edition collection that features wearable art or sets for gift-giving. Now is a good time to collect some precious pieces, give an impressive beauty gift, or just get more value for your money.

Today I'd like to show you the Estee Lauder Holiday 2013 Sets. Every year the brand releases beautifully detailed solid perfume and powder compacts, and this year is no exception. These designs are inspired by the Zodiac and charms traditionally synonymous with good luck. Check 'em out!

Estée Lauder elevates the popular Zodiac theme with sleek golden-matte compacts adorned with a clear Swarovski® crystal and magnetic closure. In recognition of the 2014 Year of the Horse, Estée Lauder added a colorful, eye-catching crystal compact symbolizing success in the Chinese tradition. 

The Zodiac powder compacts feature the universally wearable Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder. 

The new solid perfume compact collection exemplifies the theme of luck with elaborately crafted compacts, including the Golden Horseshoe and Lovely Ladybug.

This season’s solid perfume compacts feature Estée Lauder’s Beautiful, pleasures and Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia fragrances. 

Other than collectibles, Estee Lauder also has great sets that'll make even the hoariest makeup enthusiast giggle in excitement. Lol. (I've been meaning to use the word "hoary" here for years now). Click after the jump to see the sets + prices.

It's hard to move on to business as usual when a tragedy of awful magnitude just struck our country last week. Everyone is still reeling from the loss of life and property, and then the feverish desperation that comes after it. I'm not an emotional person but everytime I read the news about Yolanda's destruction I feel like there's a small twinge near my heart. That's not just because of the graphic stories of suffering on the ground; it's also because of the heroism of our people and the kindness that other countries have shown us.

I don't know what else to say. I just wish that help to those in need comes swiftly, and that in the future we can pass laws that will help minimize the risks from natural disaters (among other things). 

Shall we move on to lighter stuff? If you're here, perhaps you're also looking to feel slightly less burdened from the news. :)

Plains & Prints just released their Holiday 2013 Collection last weekend! There's over a hundred pictures of all the new pieces in the press kit (see the full lookbook here), but for brevity I decided to post Anne Curtis's looks as styled by Liz Uy. Anne as you know is Plains & Prints latest endorser, and I think that it's such a perfect fit!

Anne has a glam-next-door, slightly eclectic taste in fashion. P&P has pretty much the same aesthetic so it was only a natural progression for both fashion powerhouses to work together.

Plains & Prints' Holiday 2013 has four sub-categories: Camo-Chic, Fire, Earth, and Holiday Dresses. See them in detail after the cut!

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!