I can be a little - okay maybe more than a little - judgy at times. When I received the new Ever Bilena Liquid Lipsticks (P185 in stores) I immediately had low expectations. It's not because of the brand. Ever Bilena has proven itself as a drugstore name to beat this year in terms of quality, but I did not expect much because the colors look pretty dark in the tube. Dark colors in liquid lipstick form tend to be streaky and sad. Not these Ever Bilena ones, though!

As a teen with a student's allowance, I loved haunting department store makeup sections for beauty finds that fit into my limited budget. That's how I discovered Ever Bilena’s “little sister”, Careline Cosmetics. The cutesy packaging and affordable price made it the perfect jump-off point for a beginner’s makeup adventure! I've long since moved on to more "grown up" brands so it was exciting to get reacquainted with Careline, now looking better than ever.

If my memory serves me right, the first nude lipstick I ever bought was the Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Mauvey. This was almost a decade ago. Bright pink was the color to wear and nude was normally an unflattering sickly color on Filipina skin tones, but Mauvey was different. It was satisfyingly nude but without the dead zombie look. At less than P150 back then, I got to try a color I wouldn't have experimented with at any other price point!

Who doesn't want long and lush lashes? It's an easy way to look more youthful and awake, not to mention they make your eyes look bigger even while wearing glasses. It's no surprise that lash serums, lash lifting procedures, and lash growing DIYs are getting a lot of attention. For a quicker albeit temporary solution though, there's always the option of using mascara!

Several foreign brand mascaras have already made their home in our kits, but how about local ones? Do they perform as well as they promise? Let's find out and shine the spotlight on mascaras from five local brands: Features & Shades, Ever Bilena Advance, Celeteque, Fashion 21, and Happy Skin.