My Nurture Spa Experience Day 1

An e-vite I got in my inbox weeks ago to an event at a destination spa tells me one thing: I am overworked and I need to de-stress but I love my work so much that I go bonkers if I not get my hands on my brushes in a span of 24 hours. The keywords spa and destination were those that gave me my yes since it's been a long time that I went to destination spas and I would love to see this for myself.

I've seen Nurture Spa in leaflets and magazines as well as some of my friends' own personal experiences. It used to be a smaller spa before but it has now expanded its area and added more facilities and services. Aside from their massages, body wraps, and facials, Nurture Spa now has other activities such as Qi breathing and stretching exercises, cooking lessons, and wellness talks.

When we arrived at Nurture Spa, it was like we were whisked away to a totally different atmosphere. The temperature was relatively lower, for one thing. Instantly, the cement-paved streets of the metro were replaced with fresh air, vegetation, and of course, a shower of petals that welcomed us to the venue.

Tarragon tea was also served as a welcome drink.
We were served cocktails after registration. We parked our heavy bags in the dormitories and we were given a tour of the place.

Eric and I couldn't resist a bit of camwhoring when we toured the rooms. The matching glasses and green tops weren't planned, swear. Thanks Eric for the picture!

A little self-portrait indulgence.



We were introduced also to the Meditation Path, a spiral stone path of stones of various textures and sizes. We were supposed to walk barefoot in this path and the stones are supposed to target various pressure points in our feet. It does hurt a bit, especially the smaller ones. After the walk though, we felt a sense of relief, like we got rid of some of the tension in our legs, hips, and feet. The meditation path was quite interesting though. It reminded me of the stick they used to massage my feet when I get my weekly Thai massage.

They also showed us various treatments, like the signature Nilaib massage, a Filipino version of the stone massage using steamed hot pouches of traditional Filipino herbs wrapped in banana leaves to pound away stress and knots.

The venue has also been modified to cater to weddings. Nurture Spa has now tied up with Josiah's catering to provide more food choices and treats in case some couples would want to spend their wedding reception here. As you can see, the place has been set up to simulate a wedding. Aside from weddings, Nurture Spa now caters customized proposal, engagement, birthday, and anniversary dinners.

Some of the guests tried out the 10-minute head and shoulder massages using Nurture Spa's coconut-based oils. Other guests tried out the DMS or Digital Meridian Scanner, which was a computerized checkup to monitor symptoms of illness at their early stages. The procedure is proven to be 80-90% accurate and those with phobia of needles and scalpels would be happy to know that this is a very safe and non-invasive procedure.

We also got a chance to chat with Mike and Cathy Turvill, the owners of Nurture Spa who gave us a brief overview of the place. They even posed with us for this photo-op.




(Thanks Jo for this picture)

Dinner was a treat in itself. We indulged ourselves in DIY Mongolian bowls and pasta. I kept my dinner light but satisfying avoiding meat and indulging on seafood, veggies, and lemongrass and ginger tea.

Cocktails were also served. This shot of bubblegum lambanog was as smooth as water and it didn't burn from the inside.

After dinner, those who were just there for the day had to leave. I felt that I needed to stay the night, to get a full grasp of the whole experience. More on this on Day 2.

Decoding Sunsilk's Co-Creation Variants

I guess everyone, if not, at least most of us has a bit of hair concern one way or the other. Whether short, long, thick, thin, chemically processed, dried to a crisp, heavy and oily, or very sensitive, we all have our own concerns. Just when we think that beautiful and healthy hair could only be achieved by the thousands of pesos plunked in high-end salons or that the hair seen in that advertorial could only be achieved by lighting and tweaking of photo-editing, a popular shampoo brand seems to have heard our pleas and created different shampoos to address our specific needs.

The different Sunsilk bottles on the picture sure does remind me of a rainbow, doesn't it? Actually, the colors pertain to different formulations that address to different hair needs. What Sunsilk did though this time was to collaborate with international hair experts who know hair more than we do. Hence, the Best Ever Sunsilk Range was born.

Smooth and Manageable (Pink), co-created with Yuko Yamashita: This formula is enriched with Keratin Yogurt Nutri-Complex to cleanse (i.e. remove the dirt) and coat hair strands to avoid fluffy hair (unless that's the peg of course, if you're doing a shoot). Fluffy hair seems to be the problem of most of us naturally-wavy girls. It also works as a fantastic brush cleanser. My brushes are softer after.

Strong and Long (Green), co-created with Teddy Charles: We all know how runway model's hair is forever blow-dried, processed, fried, teased, crimped, and bathed in hairspray. As a result, hair can dry up, split, and break (the falling strands at the backstage floor would be enough proof that hair can break with endless abuse). This one has Active Fruitamin Complex, penetrating the hair and fortifying hair fibers to strengthen and smoothen hair, so hair could grow longer and stronger.

Damage Repair (Orange), co created with Bobsoho Salon: With the talk on damaged hair, Sunsilk teamed up with Bobsoho Salon of London founded by Thomas Taw. This one has Olive Serum Nutri-Complex to give SOS to damaged hair. Instead of just coating the surface, it reconstructs the hair beneath the surface, filling damaged cracks and gaps layer by layer, so the effect is more long-term.

Straight and Sway (Purple), co-created with Teddy Charles: I know two out of five people who are addicted to chemical straightening treatments in order to achieve the low-maintenance straight hair we all see. The problem though with chemically straightened hair, though is the infamous witchbroom look which makes hair look stiff and wire-like. This purple bottle contains Amino Collagen Complex (collagen, as we know, is important in elasticity), which gently relaxes hair bonds so chemically-straightened hair has now soft movement instead of stick-like and stiff.

Soft and Smooth (Yellow), co-created with Bobsoho Salon: Dry and rough hair's rescue would be the Ceramide Macadamia Complex, which acts as a softening agent.

Anti-Dandruff (Blue), co-created with Dr. Francesca Fusco: Dandruff is actually due to a fungal infection, so aside from treating the infection, we should also treat the scalp and hair from the effects of dandruff as well as giving nourishment back. Enriched ZPT Citrus Complex cleanses, refreshes, and purifies the scalp. At the same time, it also protects the hair from dryness (as hair could get dry). This shampoo not only adresses skin care but also hair care.

Hairfall Solution (Gold), co-created with Dr. Francesca Fusco: Has Soya Vitamin Complex for visibly less hair fall, for those with problems with hair that's weak, brittle, and easily broken.

Priced at Php89.00 for a 200mL bottle, they're quite affordable and the bottle lasts long, depending on how much the user uses. For me, a bottle like this usually lasts me a month and a half. If there's more, I just dilute it a bit with water to clean my makeup brushes. They're already available in leading groceries, department stores, and drug stores so feel free to check them out.

Pretty Pink Utility Belt

Working in different locations, sometimes my workspace given couldn't fit most of my stuff. I used to roll out my brush holder so I know which one to use. However, this could occupy a lot of space so sometimes, my already high-entrophy of a workstation could result in a mini-clone of world apocalypse with the tumble-rumble equipment. My solution? to keep the brushes out of the way. A cup holder was my alternative during the theater runs, yet it proved quite hard for my cutesy shorter brushes. Anyway, my alternative would be a brush belt, which I could take anywhere and be stuck to me 24/7. I do have a regular brush belt, which was sort of a washable fabric material that worked. When I saw this pretty thing though at the Suesh site, I couldn't resist. It was candy pink, leather, and hard-to-resist.

Suesh has been around since day 0 when I knew more about makeup. It's gotten rave reviews not just for the price but also the quality of their products. I like how their brushes are affordable and compare well to the expensive brands too. More than the usual brush sets, Suesh has expanded to individual brushes, makeup equipment, bags, and now toolbelts, like now. I present to you the pink toolbelt:The pink leatherette material is aboslute love. It's pretty easy to clean (cleanse-off oil would to the trick to remove makeup residue) though. The size is smaller than the ones I see other makeup artists have, but the compartments are really deceiving really, as I took it to a test drive
It holds quite a number of brushes when I used it for my BNP shoot as well, which were enough for me to do makeup without me fumbling for more brushes. It holds my SE brushes as well, plus a little more space for my lash adhesive and (matching spatula). Of course the pink makes it stand out among all the blacks at work. Plus it's compact enough, just don't overload it.

I think you'll be seeing a lot of this in my behind-the-scenes too.

Love for Sand, Sea, Sun, and Makeup!

June and July would mean that the sun won't scorch our skin that much but to reminisce the golden glow the summer sun gives us (or to enhance it if there's still summer sun), MAC's To The Beach collection celebrates summer as it approaches other countries and leaves our shores.

Even the packaging is reminiscent of the beach with warm colors like peach and coral and splashes of yellow and green with drawings that remind us of the ocean.Lipsticks with a seashell design.

Starfish emblem on the powder blush

This must be the time for bronzers because this collection has them all in three formulations - powder, cream, and liquid (in the form of lustre drops). The powder would be to enhance our beach (or pool) tans when we're back in the city. The powder bronzers are also advised for girls with oily skin to warm up their complexions. Cream and liquid bronzers could be used on the beach or pool or for cooler climates where makeup wouldn't melt that much.

This baby has got to be my favorite. As we warm and darken our complexions, we need a bit of highlight to make it glow. And lookie lookie at To The Beach's highlight powder, named Marine Life:


The seahorse emblem is just too cute. I love that it's in a warm coral and pink scheme too. This would be great as a faint glowy blush. Plus, the sea green compact would make it easy for me to spot it inside my makeup kit.

(product pictures grabbed from maccosmetics.com. promotional picture grabbed from purity.webblog)

Gigs: Fashion Show By Massimo Dutti

I got a call the other night asking if I could be part of the team to do makeup for the Massimo Dutti fashion show held at Rockwell. Since I wasn't doing anything that day, I agreed.

Call time was at 11:00 a.m. so I was there at the Rockwell store minutes before the mall opened (Rockwell opens at 11:00 a.m.) After doing some bank errands, the team proceded to do makeup. They gave us a subtle smoky eye peg with a berry-stained lip. Skin was hydroluminous, meaning it's not traditionally matte.

The show started at 3:oo p.m. at the Massimo Dutti store.

The look isn't entirely matte here. The peg shown to us showed a bit of glow on the skin. What I did was use Studio Sculpt foundation set with Mineralize Skinfinish powder in Medium Plus on the model. I used warm blush on her (Peaches) topped with Light Over Dark Mineralize Blush. Her eyes were kept in the warm palette of browns and golds with just a tad of Brun and Carbon for intensity. My next model was fairer (the photos were taken during the show itself). Her palette was lighter and I used a blend of peach-pink for her cheeks. For her lips, I used Brave lipstick topped with Full For You plushglass for the berry scheme.

Here's the work of the rest of the team:



The boys weren't left out too. :) Here, we kept the look matte and focused on evening out their skintones. Highlight was kept at a minimum to make the overall look youthful


Makeup for this show was by MAC, which was the makeup sponsor for the show.

I hung out first at Rockwell before heading back to Makati. I stopped by Park Square to buy a feeding bowl for the birds but I couldn't resist on checking out the dresses at the stalls. I ended up buying two dresses at one stall that only cost me Php450. The best part? They fit my criteria : simple, streamlined, and classic. More on my dresses soon. They're being soaked in the laundry.

Review: Ellana Brush Cleanser

I stopped by the mall last Friday for last-minute essentials that I would be needing for Aia's wedding the following day. On my way home, I passed by the SM Makati weekend market (you know, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, SM Makati has this mini-bazaar at the center) and I chanced upon a brush cleanser at the Ellana booth. I sprayed it a bit and went ahead, thinking I'd run out of time, but I guess I know I would need something for quick cleaning and I would have no time already to make my own brush cleanser when I get home, so I went ahead and bought it.


Since I'll be doing more than one face, I would need something to quick-clean my brushes in between faces so 1) the colors won't turn out muddy and would still look vibrant on each face and 2) hygienic purposes. It's not practical to wash the brushes between clients so a spray-on and quick-drying brush cleanser would be a good alternative. This costs Php150 for a spray bottle (the spray bottle is kinda small, holding about mL of the product). It also contains tea tree oil, which is a natural antibacterial agent.


So when I got home, I thought I'd take this to a road test. I had a client that day so naturally, I need to clean and wash my brushes. Before washing the brushes, I used the brush cleaner first.


The directions say to spray on the brush (one spray would do for a small brush, but for a big brush like a powder brush, a couple would do)


and rub on a paper towel



What I like about the product:

Smells really good. I like the fresh and clean scent.

• Quick-drying. My brushes are dry in time for the next face.
• Removes dirt.
• Affordable.
• No sticky residue.
• Easy-to-use.

What I don't like about it:

• Quick-drying a bit too quickly. I have to re-spray the tissue since it dries up quite fast so I tend to use more product.
• It doesn't remove color completely from the brush. There are still some color residue, but it's enough. Hence, this is only good for quick-cleaning.
• It doesn't have refill bottles. You have to purchase another spray bottle.

Overall, I think this product is okay if I'm using this only for quick cleaning in-between faces or before washing brushes. I use this to remove excess product first on my brush before I wash them to cut washing time in half. This I like though, plus there's tea tree oil to kill bacteria. This product works better though if I spray on the tissue or paper towel and then rub my brush through that part. Lipsticks, concealers, and foundation are quite difficult to remove too. I'd give this a 4/5.


Always remember to clean brushes after use to prolong their lives and to make sure they're bacteria and germ-free and the colors stay vibrant when applied.

A little break....

Revealing my new hobby, this time, not related to makeup or anything (in fact, it shows me with no makeup at all)



Since the piano got tuned, I've been using that time to create music covers. It really brought me positive energy. And yes my dears, I love 80s sappy karaoke music.

Wedding SOS At A Click

Here in the Philippines, weddings are a whole production number. Fifteen years ago, when my older sister got married, I remember her little notebook of all her wedding details, being on the phone constantly with her wedding coordinator, and of course, the pile of wedding magazines she always buys to look into suppliers. When we got home from the U.S. one box was dedicated to her wedding invitations that she ordered there. Back then, suppliers were limited and since it was the first wedding of the family (on both sides) we all didn't have an idea how it goes.

[image from mayweddingflowers.com]

Weddings have come a long way now. People are getting more creative and looking into more suppliers. Being a wedding supplier myself, I've seen how a wedding works behind-the-scenes, and mind you, I too, feel the stress and anxiety as my bride client does.

With so many suppliers and ideas nowadays, brides-to-be are sometimes at a loss at who to book or how to go about it. Fortunately, a wedding blog was launched to help us all

Welcome weheartweddings.com, a fun and creative wedding blog that was created for the modern Filipina bride. When I browsed through the site, I saw that it didn't only include the standard and usual themes but also creative and quirky ideas as well. Behind this website are Marbee Shing-Go (current Editor-in-Chief of Wedding Essentials) and Cynthia Bauzon-Arre. It features various suppliers (both newbie and seasoned pros) and also testimonials from other brides and grooms to inspire the birde. Aside from tips and advice, this blog also features simple DIY tips and tricks to help soon-to-be-wed couples make their own wedding invitations and other paraphernalia. This is one part that I like because it's like giving their own unique personality into it rather than copying from standard templates and "usual" norms.

This blog is updated at least four times a week (yay! no delays!), so all content is current.

While at it, the launch also gave newlywed couples a chance to say "I Do!" (again!) to another proposal. This time, it's from Wedding Essentials. This would be giving newlyweds a chance to be featured on the cover of Wedding Essentials Beautiful Weddings Issue. Yep. You got that right - a real-life wedding to be featured!

Wedding stories would be featured at weheartweddings.com and throughout the week, readers would get the chance to vote on their favorite wedding story via an online poll. At the end of each week, a Wedding of the Week winner would be announced. This promo would run for ten weeks and end on July 18, 2010.

So, here's how it works: The WE (That's Wedding Essentials) editorial staff would pick five of their own favorite stories. These picks and the ten Wedding of the Week winners would each receive a WE gift bag worth Php3,000 and be featured on the Beautiful Weddings-October Issue. Each of the 15 wedding stories they feature would have their own cover and alos be invited to the Beautiful Weddings-October Issue launch.

If you want to participate (ahem, ahem, to your brides out there) just email bw10@weheartweddings com. To know the full details of the promo, visit www.weheartweddings.com. Good luck to all future participants!

Trial Makeup With Aia

Last week, I had another trial makeup session. I came to Aia's house right after my shoot, since my shoot was just minutes away from her place. She wasn't there yet since I arrived thirty minutes early but I was entertained by her daughter and niece. After chatting with the children, she arrived.

I know Aia from college since we went to the same school and had the same course (but obviously didn't follow the usual path of our course). She was two batches higher than me and since our course is pretty small, people from different batches know each other. I also followed Aia's blog since she writes pretty well (her journal consist of her musings and thoughts). I somehow lost track of her blog but she later stumbled upon me on - whaddya know? - Jill's Facebook account. It's a small world since she knew Jill way back in high school and saw my trial makeup on Jill. She later booked me to do makeup for her wedding. :)

When she arrived, she showed me her motif and how her gown looks like. The gown was Greek-inspired, in a warm ecru color with intricate beading on the sash. Her motif was gold and bronze, so the colors are very warm. When I asked about her skin condition, she just said that her skin was dry, and she swears by Cetaphil for her ultimate skin care.

We then proceded to makeup. I checked the foundation mix on her to see how it matches and compliments her skin tone. After that, she cleansed her face (with Cetaphil of course) and I sprayed Fix+ on her to tone her face since she mentioned her skin is dry and regular toner might aggravate her dryness. I then used a hydrating moisturizer and eye cream on her face and let it sink in before makeup.

So here's Aia before makeup. As you can see, she's very pretty to begin with, even without makeup. She has a wide, welcoming smile, a lovely pair of eyes, plus her color is absolutely beautiful.

I brushed foundation on her face with my weapon of choice - a 187 brush since that gives the best coverage with an airbrushed effect. I concealed dark circles and redness with concealer and set everything with powder. I made sure not to use powder or material with strong SPF because that could cause a white cast on the face. After contouring her face, I tapped a peachy-pink blush on her cheeks just to give an overall view.

I immediately fell in love with her eyebrows as they were perfect. No shaping was done. All I had to do was define them with my waterproof eyebrow makeup in a light brown shade to soften her expression. Eyes were kept soft and smoky earth-toned with a bit of sparkle on the lids. I got inspired from an editorial I did the past week where I used bronze, golds, and browns to make a subtle, soft, and warm smoky eye. For eye makeup, Aia initially told me that she gets emotional easily so I would be needing waterproof makeup. My best friends then were - MAC Paint Pot as a base, Shu Uemura painting liner in dark brown (as black could be too harsh for a bride, and I want the eye makeup soft instead of strong), and Maybelline Cat Eyes mascara. I made sure that her concealer too was water-resistant.

I asked Aia if she was okay with falsies. I told her we could try it out first, then see how it looks. If she gets comfortable with them, then we would go on with falsies on her wedding. If not, we could have them removed. We tried her look first without falsies and with. The falsies really opened up her eyes (I used a pair with a very natural finish). It took a while before she got used to them. Eventually, she did (more on my word on bridal makeup in future posts).

Eye makeup detail

For her lips, I opted first for a pale pink-beige lip, but it was too pale at first. So I darkened it with a bit of bronze-brown lipstick. It was quite dark when I applied it so I softened it by adding a hint of frosty beige color on her center lip and blended in my favorite gloss for brides: Viva Glam V.

I reapplied blush and highlighted her cheeks with shimmery bronzer using a fan brush. A final spritz of Fix+ sets the makeup and ties everything in, so it doesn't look to cakey.

For her hair, Aia wanted some sort of a loose, low, and messy updo. Her inspiration was Korina Sanchez's hair when she got married. The bun wasn't really the sleek, tightly-pulled, no-hair-on-the-face look but it had some hand-combed texture. She also showed a gold garter headband that she bought. Wacks experimented first without the hairband and then with the headband.

After makeup, this is how she looks like.

Wacks used little products first on the hair during the trial makeup so as not to damage the hair (the wisps would be gone on the day itself). Of course, during the actual day it would be tons of hairspray, mousse, and wax (Mental note: equip bride with 2 sachets of conditioner to remove the gunk after and soften the hair). This is just to give her an idea on how her hair would be shaped. Since the reception would be in a garden, humidity would be our enemy so updo would be a good option.

The cutest and most adorable part was when her 2-year-old went to her and said, "Cute mama!" I especially like the natural glowy look on brides, but this time, I added bronze on her since I wanted to match it with the motif and enhance her tanned skin. :)

Prettifying with Pret-A-Papier

MAC's new collection, Pret-A-Papier is all about neutrals this time - the palette is very classic warm beige and vellum with coral and peach being the color statement. With our skin darker, neutral is the key, plus coral looks absolutely fabulous on tanned skin. I passed by the MAC counter two days ago and saw these babies on display. So the usual thing - swatch, take pictures, and post a review, for those who would love to know more about it.

Neutrals, neutrals, neutrals... who doesn't love them? First of all, let's go to my most favorite part, the lips.

Four lipsticks (three lustre and one amplified ) and three lipglasses for the lippie-lover. The shades are mostly beiges, corals, and browns. The colors are very warm, which gives an instant life to the face. Plus, these shades are very soft, so the effect is very subtle.

Swatches: TOP (lipglasses L-R) : C-Thru (repromote), Fold and Tuck, and Pret-a-Papier

BOTTOM (lipsticks L-R): Archetype, Dressmaker Dressmaker, Made To Order, Kraft

C-Thru has been a regular stock at MAC counters and it's now repromoted in this collection. By the name C-Thru, it's our alternative to colorless lipglosses except it's more on the white-nude shade so it could soften a loud orange to more pastel-peach with a tad of gloss. Fold and Tuck is a subtle red-coral shade for those who would want a stain of color without looking overdone. The Pret-a-Papier shade was one shade I was apprehensive trying out at first since it really looked too brown on the tube. The color is actually quite sheer though (I'll tell you how I found my own use for this shade later).

Pale lip lovers would love Archetype. Made to Order was my winning shade, since it's such a subtle and pretty coral shade which would look great on any skin tone. The only amplified finish from the collection, Kraft, was a rich cool brown. Since it's amplified, I could pair this too on subtle smoky bronzey eyes should I quasi-break the rule of dark eyes and dark lips. Dressmaker, Dressmaker was a favorite of many who tried it. However, when I tried it, I found it a bit too pale on me when it looked soft on others. My solution? Pret-A-Papier on top to give my lips a pop, so it doesn't look so pale. Again, the lipsticks, save for Kraft, are all in Lustre finishes so those who want more color should use a lipliner under (recommendation colors: Spice and Chicory. I like Chicory because it's such a dark, brick-orange shade that's very unique).

Eyeshadows again are very neutral, something to use for a subtle bridal event with a coral or sand-colored motif.

Five traditional eyeshadows and two Paint Pots complete the list for this collection. I discovered my love for Paint Pots after trying them first hand. They really are fantastic primers especially for girls who have oily lids. Although I couldn't bring the products out for product shooting on natural light, I was able to take swatches of the shades with better lighting.

LEFT (Paint Pots T-B): Groundwork and Coral Crepe

RIGHT (Eyeshadows T-B): Tissueweight (frost), Cut To Fit (frost), Bamboo (Matte), Memorabilia (Matte), and Gazette Grey (Velvet)

Again, since this palette is all about neutrals, the colors are very, very subtle. We don't get strong blacks or blues here. A subtle gray could contour an eye swept by base colors Bamboo or Tissueweight while Cut To Fit could add a bit more warmth so the combination could be less dull. Memorabilia, a subtle lilac could be blended with Gazette Grey for a bit of dimension as well.

Since the colors are quite sheer and matte, paint pots could help in making the colors adhere more to the skin. Groundwork is actually a regular stock already at all MAC counters and the satin brown shade is an excellent base and a favorite of many bridal makeup artists (yes, make it reach the browbone, there's still brow highlight color to lighten that up). Coral Crepe kinda looks unusual, especially those who are apprehensive of putting an orange color to the eye. The trick is to use this subtley. On its own, it looks great to warm up the eye a bit. It's a fantastic base too if you're doing a peach-colored eye makeup scheme (pair with Dressmaker, Dressmaker if you're doing a subtle smokey peach eye).

I wasn't able to take pictures of the blush though but here, we have two sheertone blushes - Instant Chic and Garb. Instant Chic kinda reminded me of a warmer version of Melba or Peaches. It's actually what was used on the model in the picture, and I like how it instantly gives life to the face. Garb was too sheer for me, and I see this more as a highlight color for morena skin. Aside from the two sheertone blushes, this collection also has one mineralize blush, namely Light Over Dark, which I prefer using as a bronzer and/or highlight on top of blush, so the look isn't too matte.

Overall say? Since this is neutral, I think this collection has promising shades especially if the makeup artist is in the bridal business. I like the warm spectrum, which looks fantastic on tanned skin. I'm curious to try the Coral Crepe paint pot, as I've never tried coral eyes before. For lippies, Made to Order gets my vote.

This collection is already available here in Manila at all MAC counters - Glorietta, Rockwell, MoA, and Rustan's tower.

Review: Eyliplex-2 Eye Cream

When I was told about this new product that promises younger-looking eyes instantly (yes, you heard that right, INSTANTLY!), I was immediately intrigued by it and wanted to see so for myself. I'm already conscious of taking care of my eye area skin since it's so sensitive and it's also one part of my face that's constantly being abused (think layers of concealer, eyeshadow primer, liquid liner, you know... the eye makeup works). Isn't it ironic that the most delicate area of our face is the part where we work on the most in terms of makeup?

Eyliplex-2 promises a breakthrough 24-hour system to immediately care for our undereyes and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. I was given a trial pack to try out the product first and see for myself how it is and now I'm sharing it to you.

So here's how it looks like. It's actually a dual solution, and the container is similar to those tiny jars that hold contact lenses, only bigger. Instead of the contact lenses, the jars hold solutions for the eye area. To make it easier, it's color-coded.

The white jar on the left holds the Fast-Acting Day Gel, which we use during the day. This gel contains Suberlift, which visibly lifts and tightens eye area skin, minimizing droops and sags. The Rho-Cite complex contain antioxidants and minerals that promote radiance and a more youthful appearance. This one does like a tad of "damage control" that we need during the day, since we're facing people and we want to look our best.

The blue jar, on the other hand, holds the Long-Lasting Night Balm. This one is what we use during the, err, night. It has Haloxyl PFE, which significantly reduces dark circles and helps restore firmness. Mala-Plump comples boosts natural collagen production (which is needed for the skin's elasticity) to help reduce the appearance of eye area wrinkles.

To use these products, I used the Fast-Acting Day Gel during the day before I put on my makeup. I made sure to tap and not rub in the product with my ring finger on my delicate eye area. Then, I have to let it absorb (the directions said to allow 3 minutes for optimal tightening effect) before I put on my makeup. On my hand, the gel is transparent, so the color doesn't appear or interfere with the rest of my makeup. The Long-Lasting Night Balm is what I use for night, before I go to bed. This has an opaque formula, which is somewhat richer than the Fast-Acting Day Gel. However, even with a richer formula, it's not as greasy as like, say, slathering petroleum jelly on the undereye area.

What I Like About It:

• It didn't sting my eyes.
• No heavy smell.
• No greasy afterfeel.
• The effects. I noticed that the little line has diminished and I like the instant result. Although it's not like an instant facelift, I saw that my eyes looked a bit more youthful and awake.
• User-friendly. Just tap, wait, and go. Your fingers would do.

What I Didn't Like About It:

• The price. This product costs Php2,600. It costs more than twice of the current eye cream that I'm using, but at least I know it works. I used this for a week and I see that my eye area is getting smoother.
• Too much of the Fast-Acting Day gel could cause the concealer to be crepey. I had the mistake of applying a tad too much of the gel on my eye. It kinda looked fine but as I was patting the concealer in, I saw that the concealer sort of "marked" the area where the eye gel was and the eye gel sort of "peeled" like glue. The solution? Use just a little amount.

Overall, I'd use this product and purchase it if I had extra cash on hand. It really lives up to its promise. The only solution though that I'll use a little amount, especially on the day gel, since it has the tendency to sit on the eye area and "peel". This product is available at all Watsons branches only, so for those who want to buy, you know where to go.

Event Update: Promod's Je Ne Sais Quoi

Thursday afternoon. Our Marguerite stands quietly as she awaits her fate. This was the time when Argie and my creation gets judged according to her style as she faces off with six other muses for Promod's Je Ne Sais Quoi styling event.

The SM Mega Atrium was stunning that day, simulating the streets of Paris brimming with art.And here's Marguerite with her scarf and the statement necklace (an amalgamation of Argie's love for details, texture, and inspired creativity). Beside her is a huge LCD screen with my blog post, which describes her story and the post that also shows her different costume changes in whatever situation. At least now, the mannequin has a head so we could showcase the scarf properly.

I'll just let pictures do the talking. :)

Shen and Tara with their muse. It was ages since I last saw Shen and I'm glad to see her in this event.

Lace Llanora and Joanna Lei pose with their work.

Me and Marguerite. Flats make me feel short today. Heeheehee. Now it's time to announce the winners. Two teams were declared winners each team receiving Php12,000 worth of gift certificates from Promod.

And here they were. Shen and Tara were called first. The next winning team was Geolette Esguerra and Bianca Consunji. Bianca wasn't present for the event but Geolette was there to represent the team. :)

Here's my partner-in-crime Argie, who came straight from work to the event. Here he is with Marguerite.

I ambushed Tessa and asked her to have a picture with their work. :) She teamed up with her cousin Jill Sabitsana for this project.

More pictures!!!!

Alex, Lauren and her boyfriend, and Nikki.

Obligatory pose at the photo wall.

Argie and I with Char The Star (a nickname coined from one of her fun shoots)

Argie and I with supermodel Isabel Roces, who was one of the judges of the event.

I'm really happy for the winners, and although we didn't win, the experience event on its own made all of us winners. It was a lot of fun creating looks, bonding with my friends, meeting new people, and most of all, just having fun. After the event, it was shopping time at the store.

Argie and I had a hard time deciding what to buy from all the pretty outfits. He finally chose a statement jacket and necklaces to use for styling. As for me, I still went for my classic streamlined lines and the color I gravitate to - black (at this point, I sense Argie throwing rows of colorful fabrics towards my direction). I managed to score a pair of tailored linen black pants and a straight-cut dress that's so Twiggy-inspired (on sale. :P )