If you ever plan to get your hands on one of the best mineral makeups ever created, the Jane Iredale Makati Showroom will truly impress you. Here are some of the makeup we got our hands on during the event last August:

You will want to take home a bottle of this liquid minerals! It evens out the skintone impressively and provides sheer-to-medium coverage that's so natural. The minerals are suspended in some gel-like substance:

Wasn't that interesting? More to come below:

The huge photo's the dream tint, a tinted moisturizer. Medium is a nice tint for my skintone. Disappear is their concealer while the three spray cans are their facial mists (the gold one does an excellent job of allowing makeup to meld with the skin!).

Their loose mineral powders are called Amazing Base. My perfect match is Golden Glow since these powders barely oxidize on my skin. If you want to be on the safe side and give room for the possibility of oxidation, go for Warm Sienna.

There are tons of other stuff to love at the Jane Iredale Showroom Makati. They have a resident MUA there, Ms. Tess, and she can help you out with the products.

Jane Iredale Makati Showroom: 103 Evekal Bldg, Arnaiz Ave., Legaspi Village Makati 5193905

Jane Iredale Branches and phone numbers:
Rustan's Makati 81644533
Rustan's Alabang 8505532
Chimes Abreeza & Gov. Sales (Davao City) 082 2213769
Medico Aesthetico de Davao 09228823996
Medi-Spa Zamboanga 062 9927134
Jinky's Fashion World (General Santos City) 083 5542228
Glamour Secret (Banilad Town Center, Cebu) 093 256
Headzone, Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Now that Halloween's coming, I'm smelling bird and pig outfits cooking. Malamang yan. The Angry Birds is utterly pop, it's printed on anything and everything printable!

Here are a list of reasons, in photos, why you should de-AngryBird-ize your system halloween while making it a bit more fun, bird-free and chaotic:

get freaky contacts and dress up as a bloody, freaky nurse

costume shops will have something cool and crazy for you

octomom and the kids

create paper mache heads of controversial personalities

got kids? dress em up delicioso in either lobster or spaghetti costumes

sanitary pad. hmmm, fine, be an angry bird!

easypeasy sesame street costumes

version 2 of the above

become Ronald's nemesis

you can't walk around in these though

Seen something that inspired you? I hope so. 

I think Angry Birds are cute and it's inevitable that Halloween 2011 will have these cute creatures around. But let's minimize their presence, mmmkay?  You can definitely be more creative, fun and cuhrayzeee!

How could I have missed Kate Winslet for Harper's Bazaar UK? The 35-year old actress looked glam (and so thin!) in each spread for the magazine's November ish. Images by Tom Munro. Thanks, Marie!

 

Time to pick up our jaws!

Source

I was delighted to see these two lovely ladies wearing Chloë Sevigny Mary Janes x Opening Ceremony-inspired platforms:

The Inspiration

Helga Weber got it from Lovely Shoes (overseas), Lana Tiotuyco, from JCube Online (local reseller!).

The real deal at three-hundred ninety-five-whopping dohllahz:

Helga's style: MJs with shorts, Lana's style: MJs with dress. Cool noh?

The sleek, futuristic packaging is  s.e.d.u.c.i.n.g  our eyes! Or at least my eyes.

I'd take the brush (that looks planted on an Ayala flower pot; they do have square pots there,don't they?), at least 2 compact cases (which, when placed beside each other, reminds me of lego), and both lipsticks (which carries the obvious gray line that holds the Gareth Pugh signature) --- all because the packaging is just delish!

Source

Out in stores on November 23 for U.S. and Canada, and on December, internationally.

LIPSTICK

Restrict—Creamy greyed nude (cremesheen)
Fervent—Glossy blackened berry (satin)
$22·00 U.S./$27·00 CDN

LIPGLASS

Vacant—Sheer light lavender grey with violet pearl
Outrage—Sheer berry with blue pearl
$22·00 U.S./$27·00 CDN

METAL-X CREAM SHADOW

Obscura—Frosty gunmetal grey
Ardent—Frosty blackened burgundy
$32·00 U.S./$38·50 CDN

PIGMENT

Guise—Frosty grey
Deceit—Blacked plum with pink pearl
$32·00 U.S./$38·50 CDN

POWDER BLUSH

Strada—Mid-tone nude
$30·00 U.S./$36·50 CDN

BEAUTY POWDER

Elude—Translucent neutral beige
$60·00 U.S./$72·00 CDN

NAIL LACQUER

Inert—Creamy mid-tone greyed nude (crème)
Ascension—Grey with blue violet refective pearl (frost)
Hyper—Deep blue with violet pearl (frost)
$23·00 U.S./$27·50 CDN

LASH

Flight Lash—Dense, geometric triangle-shaped lash
$18·00 U.S./$21·50 CDN

ACCESSORIES

Gareth Pugh for M·A·C Makeup Bag
$75·00 U.S./$90·00 CDN

Square Handled Buffer Brush
$60·00 U.S./$72·00 CDN

Others:

MASCARA
Studio Fix Boldblack Lash—Blackest Black
$15·00 U.S./$18·00 CDN

TECHNAKOHL LINER
Greyprint—Rich pewter grey with frost
Graphblack—Rich graphic black
$19·00 U.S./$23·00 CDN

Vampy 3D Makeup, anyone?

Here's Fashion 21's Aqualicious Moisture-Rich lipstick in Arctic Stone, which most local makeup artists claim to be a good dupe for MAC Twig. I haven't tried MAC Twig so I'm leaving photos for you to judge if it is indeed a sneaky local dupe.

MAC Twig vs its dupe, Fashion 21 Arctic Stone

Upon swatching, it appears that the lippie has tiny shimmers under the presence of a flash. For the freaked out shimmerphobes, do not fret, the glitters become absolutely unnoticeable when on the lips.

Price: 155php (~$4)
Pros: a pretty good shade for neutral lips, inexpensive, creamy and non-drying, great lip color to match dramatic eye makeup
Cons: isn't longwearing (2hrs max on me), color is not suitable for all skin tones (may appear odd/boring on darker skin tones)

The shade is so natural against my skin tone, I seem to be not wearing anything on my lips. Case in point:

The lipstick would've been prettier if I wore face makeup to cover up the bad skin. Remember that nude lips works best against a flawless skin.

FUN TRIVIA about me: You might have already sensed my lack of love for lipsticks with all those lip stain/balm posts. Fashion 21's Arctic Stone is the very first lipstick I bought. 

1. Is that thread above her brows? 

2. That's a wonderful, wonderful concealer.

3. I'm a blending brush-o-phobic, and I'm seeing light in this perspective.

I'm still worried about my dad's health and I'm praying hard that he gets up from everything strong and wiser. I feel that this predicament's darkness encloses me like a tunnel, only, I see light every now and then despite being several miles away from its end.

People who continue to touch me with their simplest caring gestures have created the most unique tunnel I've ever gone through in my life.

the weird tunnel i'm being so poetic about (and yes, it's not a tunnel tunnel, real tunnel)
taken at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

And to all of you my dear readers, you have to know that you're a part of that frequent light.

I'm positive I'm near the bigger light, I pray I pray

I can't wait to see the sun beam at me at the end. Happy Sunday everyone!

During the Jane Iredale event last month, I was lucky to experience how their magic mitt makeup remover was able to magically turn my face into a clean slate! Shen and Jheng got really impressed that they bought one for themselves!

Ms Judith Barran, owner of True Scents & Minerals, Jheng and Shen

Jheng experiencing the Jane Iredale magic mitt action

Shen being too cute for the photos as she poses for me!

The best thing about this type of makeup remover is that it's ideal for travel, gentle, easy to use, exfoliates while cleaning the face, and is less expensive. Check out this Youtube vid.

This has a high-rating at MUA, rating 4.2/5 from 40 reviewers. Check out what this has to offer:

Label says:

• Magic Mitt quickly and completely removes makeup using NO cleanser

• This cleansing process promotes the health of the skin because it does not affect the skin's natural acid mantle

• When this beneficial barrier is intact, it aids the skin in protecting itself from harmful and invasive bacteria

• Not only will your skin thank you for using Magic Mitt, but you will also save yourself minutes at the beginning and end of each day

Magic Mitt is Made Of:

Magic Mitt is made from a new generation of specially knitted micro-fibers many times thinner than a human hair. When wet they create a hydro-mechanical process that breaks the surface tension of the oils that bond makeup to the skin.

Magic Mitt from Jane Iredale, $15 on website
895 php locally

How To Use:

Use Magic Mitt the way you would a washcloth. Soak it in tepid water and remove makeup. When completed, wash the Mitt in soap to cleanse. Rinse in clear water, then hang up to dry. When dry, it is sterile.

Availability:

You can purchase these mitt makeup removers from Jane Iredale website. Jane Iredale Philippines is located at True Scents and Minerals Showrooms at Makati and Davao.

I'm definitely seeing this type of makeup remover as an ideal skincare staple. I have to finish up my Shu Uemura Pink and Kanebo Freshel cleansing oils before getting this. I find the magic mitt a bit pricey though since Aquazorb costs way lower than this.

I miss my long hair. If you've been with my blog for quite some time now, you must've already figured how much of a sucker I am with getting my locks cut short. I was even thrilled to discover Fab Salon in Newport Mall last August when they gave me a pretty angled bob.

I suddenly remembered back when I still had long hair, there were days when I wanted my bun clean and nice, and days when I wanted it sexy and effortless.

Have you got long hair? Which bun do you feel like wearing most of the days???

Psalmstre's Placenta Soap with goat's milk may not be an ideal bath staple, but it tops my list of best whitening soaps. If it were less too drying, it will definitely be something I'd strongly recommend to those who want a fairer complexion in no time.

What I love about it:

• comes in a trial size (affordable at 30php)
• comes in 3 sizes to suit your budget (the largest & most expensive one being the most cost-efficient)
• in my case, (+) noticeable whitening within 3 days
• capable of exfoliating the skin
• no strong scent

Psalmstre Placenta Soap w/ goat's milk, 90g, ~58php
also comes in 30+php and 80+php sizes

Uh-ohs:

• utterly drying; a highly moisturizing lotion is a must
• may cause skin rashes (which I detest, hence, my recommending the soap to those who want to whiten the skin always comes with an emphasized precaution)

Pslamstre's Placenta Soap comes in 2 variants, the white one (with goat's milk) and the orange one. I find the white variant more effective in terms of whitening. 

Some Helpful Hints:

1. for a faster skin whitening result, allow the soap's lather to stay on the skin for at least 5mins (oo, karirin ang pagbabad sa katawan) , use 2x daily

2. although the soap has an exfoliating effect, it won't hurt to use your favorite body scrub to hasten  its  whitening effects (try Asian Secrets Lulur or Abonne Spa Milk)

3. use a towelette when rinsing to remove the dead skin cells exfoliated by the soap (towelette is usually needed on the 3rd-4th day of use)

4. once you have achieved a significantly fairer complexion, decrease frequency of use to make sure that the skin does not experience chronic drying (every other day and make sure that the soap's lather just stays on your skin 3mins tops)

It's an irony that the brand claims to be an anti-aging soap. With the extremely drying effect on the skin, Psalmstre's Placenta Soap with goat's milk may just be the perfect tool to make the skin look old if you do not take note of Helpful Hint #3! This could've been a holy grail whitening soap if it kept the skin well-moisturized.