My Take on Elizabeth Arden Visible Whitening Line

As of this moment and to help my skin get Stellar-ready (at least the skin on my face), I am using Elizabeth Arden's Visible Whitening skincare line, the newest breakthrough regimen-based skincare for whiter and brighter skin, which is already in all Elizabeth Arden counters here in Manila now. For me, who tans and swims and walks around Ortigas and Fort at high noon from errands, this helps in evening my skin tone. I really wouldn't want to call it whitening that I'll be like part of the cast of Twilight. Realistically speaking, the fairest I can go is just up to the skin on my inner arm. It's more of evening up the skin and making it look brighter and better, even without makeup.

Elizabeth Arden is a brand I'm familiar with. I've been a recipient of their makeup GWPs from relatives who would give them as gifts when I started using makeup. Also, I'm a fan of the Green Tea fragrances and I always recommend it to clients and friends who want a light, fresh, and clean scent. Aside from their familiar favorite fragrances Green Tea, Pretty, Pretty Hot, 5th Avenue, and Red Door, they are also known for skin care and even including skin care in their makeup products, such as ceramide lipsticks.

The Visible Whitening skincare line controls melanin production (melanin is what is responsible for those dark spots we get from ageing and lifestyle) while enhancing the skin's ability to reflect light. It's got licorice root, vitamin C derivatives, and SpectraBright to help control melanin production. For the instant effect of brightening like we're naturally flawless like that, pearl powder, mica, silicone, and pigment plus - get this - diamond powder reflects light giving that instant radiance boost. With or without makeup, we've got glowing skin. Glowing not like a discoball but glowing like flawless glowing.

There's a whole lot of products on this range but I will just focus on a few products, which caught my fancy. The packaging is quite pretty too right? True to the diamond powder in it.

Visible Whitening Smoothing Cleanser Php2,400 (125 mL)

Horray for this cleanser being mildly-scented and non-drying. I like how clean my skin feels without it feeling cracked and dry. I haven't tried using this to clean my sponges but a few extra drops of this on my sponge would be great.

Visible Whitening Illuminating Eye Serum Php 2,950 (15 mL)

The eye serum is light enough for the delicate, soft skin around the eyes. It also decreases puffiness and brightens undereyes. It also moisturizes the skin around the eyes for concealer to glide on so much better without cracking or going creepey. The applicator does remind you of a Star Trek gadget right? It can be used to help apply the product on the skin while giving a cooling, comforting sensation.

Visible Whitening Melanin Control Night Capsules Php 4,950 (50 capsules)

These capsules are to be used during the night, after cleansing and toning and before moisturizer. It's actually more of a treatment too, to give the skin the TLC it needs. One capsule actually holds more than enough product for the face. You can actually maximize the capsule's contents on the neck and trouble areas like elbows, knees, underarms, and back-of-knees.

Visible Whitening Smooth and Brighten Emulsion  Php 3,850 (100 mL)

This emulsion is my day and night moisturizer, and with this summer's heat, has a light and easily absorbed consistency that doesn't irritate my pores, skin, or nerves during the weather where I forgo anything that seems to suffocate me. It's just quite hard to take this with me though during travels as the pump bottle has no "lock" function but maybe what I can do for travels is to pump a small amount in a travel-size container or something.

Not to worry for our ladies who love our naturally warm sunkissed glow, with 2 weeks of usage, the skin on my face and neck isn't significantly whiter than the rest of my body. It just looks more even and smoother. I also noticed a bit of reflective particles on the emulsion at the back of my hand too. They aren't chunky like glitter but they aid in diffusing light giving the skin a more radiant appearance.

Another mentionable is the BB Cream, which is available in two shades (1 and 2) and transparent. For those who love BB cream effect on their friends but can't find that one suitable for their own skin tone might be glad to know the existence finally of a transparent BB cream, which is great for all skin tones.

Ladies and gentlemen may start using this regimen at the age of 21, and would be recommended for anyone who would want to keep their radiant glow. I've tried this also on clients and even in flash photography, they didn't leave a grayish cast. I can recommend the emulsion, eye serum, toner, to be used on brides for weddings (for weddings we might need to skip the BB cream though, because that may reflect in flash photography).

Bridal Work: Grace

Most ladies are at their happiest and prettiest come their wedding day. My pole bud Grace was all megawatt smiles and giggles come the day of her wedding. She's been really excited planning about it since she and her longtime boyfriend Eph decided to get married. This wedding was held last December at Manila. Grace and I have been pole friends and batchmates since we started poleling. I have our pole bud Tricia to thank me for  this because she was the one who insisted Grace get me for her wedding to do her makeup. I think it all started when I brought my kit to the studio and Grace was early so I asked her if I could play my tools on her. Being the very kikay girl that she is, she said yes.

Her wedding preps were as early as 4 am and I told her the night before to get some sleep. Being the excited girl that she is, she was like "Please don't get mad. I wasn't able to sleep. I tried but ang hirap talaga." She didn't look like she was super sleepy or had no sleep at all.  It was a breeze doing her makeup. She loves pink and I gave her a very fresh pink palette for her wedding with just a bit tad of smokiness. For her hair, my good friend Lorybelle gave a very soft and romantic bun for her, one of my personal favorites in bridal hair.

 Her poler self is revealed at the bridal shoes, Pleaser shoes, nonetheless next to her very girly pink bouquet.

Happy lady at the bridal car. Excited and nervous at the same time.

 Prettiness as sunshine. It was a sunshiney morning December wedding.

Crazy pole friends represent! Hannah, Rj, and me were there for her and so were two of our pole teachers Amaya and Kayleen.

As of this moment, Grace is already expecting her first baby. Yay! Congratulations! She's having a very breezy and exciting pregnancy and we can all expect nice things for her. I'll be seeing her in a few weeks as she'll be watching us in our annual recital.

[All photos are taken from Grace's personal Facebook account, a mixture of photos from her family and the official photographer of the event, iSnap Creatives]

Forever21 Opens in SM Aura Premier

Last weekend, Metro Manila was practically halted to a standstill as the newest SM Mall, SM Aura Premier opens in  Bonifacio Global City as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the newest lifestyle and shopping center in Metro Manila.

When everyone's favorite garment store, Forever 21 opened, the mall was packed with every fan as Forever21 opened its 7th and newest store in the Philippines. This time, it's got more than 2000 square meters of retail therapy, and it also has a second floor.

A fashion show was held featuring their trendiest items.

The store had a very organized floor plan (Yay for OC's like me). On the first floor, you can find the latest items, basics like the tees, tanks, and denims, and initmates.

 The second floor holds the shoes and accessories, Forever 21+, Forever 21 Girls, and 21 Men.

Here are some of my personal picks and those that caught my eye while I was browsing the newest store. And yep, I was doing my own shopping too.

 Grays and cool colors of blue and mint green.

 Leather, spikes, torn denim, and rock icon shirts such as Guns 'N' Roses, Rolling Stones, and Freddie Mercury caught the fancy of this little kitty who loves rock and metal. I really hope that they would have an Aerosmith tee as well soon.

 More leather, bustier, leopard prints, and bright scarlet for meowie fierceness.

Since I like solids and neutral palettes, a few chunky accessories (in black and gold) add texture while keeping my very neutral scheme.

Eye palettes, blush, and lipgloss with leopard detail in the packaging. 

My loot's theme is kitty! Black maxi dress with a tiger, metal cat shirt for the kitty who loves metal, and hello kitty socks. :)

And my kitty seems to approve of my purchase.

 On the bright side, I don't have to cross EDSA now or go all the way to Ortigas (when I'm not there) if I need an emergency nothing-to-wear outfit if I'm going somewhere the following day. Hopefully, the traffic equalizes so that I have an F21 branch that's really just 10 minutes away from my house. I wish they get to have more sportswear too as I wasn't able to see any sportswear in the racks.