Say Hello to Happy with Benefit Cosmetics

The weather has been kind of gloomy these days, but trust one of the happiest and most colorful brands, Benefit Cosmetics, to brighten things up with the launch of their newest product - the Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation.

If you're happy and you know it...click the link below to find out what got me tickled pink at the event!

Creating scent-sational spaces with Zen Zest Home and Aromatherapy

When I come home after a long day, so begins my ritual to unwind and relax. That includes taking a long shower, getting into some comfy clothes, firing up Netflix, and filling my room with a pleasant fragrance. In this constantly hot and humid climate, it's easier for our homes to smell kind of unpleasant. I don't know why, but my room tends to smell kind of stuffy a lot of the time...

I always have a small army of home fragrances (sprays, candles, etc.) at my disposal to keep any unpleasant odors at bay. It's mostly made up of products from Zen Zest since I love the different scents they have to offer and just how affordable they all are. Of course this meant I was super excited to attend yet another scent-sational Zen Zest launch at Vanilla Cupcake Bakery to see what new products they had to offer!

A VIP shopping experience at Beauty Backstage

There's little a girl like me loves more than shopping. Especially if it means shopping for makeup! Well, I and a handful of other bloggers were given some much needed retail therapy at the Beauty Backstage event held last week at Whitespace Manila where we got reacquainted with popular cosmetic brands hailing from both Europe and the US.

Click below to read all about my Beauty Backstage experience and find out what I took home.

Zen Zest celebrates 15 years

Some of you may not know this, but aside from hoarding collecting makeup and skin care goodies of all kinds, I'm a bit of a sucker for fragrances too. Perfume, linen sprays, scented oils...you name it!

As you'd expect, when my good friend and fellow blogger Liz from Project Vanity invited me to celebrate Zen Zest's 15th anniversary, there was definitely more than a whiff of excitement and anticipation in the air.

The Zen Zest story: "Fifteen years ago, Michelle Asence-Fontelera noticed how expensive imported bath and body products were and how no local brands provided the same good quality at affordable prices. Hence in 2001, Zen Zest was born. It was Michelle’s answer to the need of every Filipina to elevate her beauty, style, and home without breaking the bank."

Abracada-brow!: Benefit Cosmetics launches its new brow collection (Pt. 1)

Whenever I get an invitation to attend a Benefit Cosmetics event, I do a little happy dance in my head. And why not? Every event I've been to has been crazy fun! Like I said before, Benefit is a brand that knows how to celebrate. Now though, there's an added reason to celebrate with their new and complete brow collection that was officially released only a couple of days ago. A bunch of us got a sneak peek at the collection beforehand though during their global media launch at Revel at The Palace on May 2.

Since there's so much to write about and show, this one's going to have to be a two parter! For this post, enjoy my write-up / photo diary of what was in and what went down at the launch...

The theme for the launch was magic, but of course since Benefit loves to party it up, it was magic done Vegas style!

Meeting the newest curl in town

As human beings we naturally respond to different shapes. Did you know that we react positively to or are most attracted to curves or shapes with curves? When brands design logos they have to take such a thing into account. An article called "The psychology of logo shapes: a designer's guide" from creativebloq.com states that "Circles, ovals and ellipses tend to project a positive emotional message...Curves on any sort tend to be viewed as feminine in nature." Well that got me thinking maybe that's why we ladies love seeing curves or sloping shapes even when we do our makeup. We contour, we draw in or emphasize cupid bows and full, curvy lip shapes, soft brow arches are seen as the ideal, and of course, we curl our lashes.

Beautifully curved and luscious lashes can perk up any girl's mood, as well as her eyes. Benefit Cosmetics knows this all too well and came up with their new and much raved about Roller Lash mascara. Of course there had to be a Bene-licious bash to launch it and I was all too excited to attend...

The event was held last month at the Skye Lounge in BGC. So yes, this post is long overdue already! The theme this time was the swinging 60s; an era of fun, girly, and flirty glamour.

Put your fresh face forward with Pond's new White Beauty Pearl Cleansing Gel

I think life is all about perfect pairings, just like a cup of tea and a good book or the perfect powder to set your favorite foundation. When it comes to skin care, it’s not just about the products that work best for you, but also work best with one another. That’s why a long-trusted and innovative brand like Pond’s decided to come up with the new dynamic duo of skin care with the launch of the Pond’s White Beauty Pearl Cleansing Gel facial wash; aimed to not only provide numerous benefits to skin, but to also compliment the effects of their popular and raved about Pond’s Flawless White Dewy Rose Gel.

I know what you’re thinking. This whole “gel” thing seems to be a trend, huh? It’s almost like every beauty brand out there, Pond’s included, is releasing or re-inventing some sort of gel product - everything from nail polish, to eyeliner, to face masks. That’s why Pond’s called upon their resident beauty expert, Agoo Bengzon, at the launch to tell us a little more about this fast growing trend, including other hot beauty trends out there right now.

Shake Up Your Makeup with POP Beauty

There's really nothing like getting glammed up from head to toe, right? When my hair is perfectly styled, my makeup is looking on point, and my nails are primped and polished then I feel like I can take on the world.

Last week I got the chance to get totally beautified at the launch of UK cosmetics brand, POP Beauty. I've been hearing about the brand quite a bit from other international bloggers, so I was happy to hear it's finally reached us all thanks to the Glamourbox team!

The event was held in Blo Blow Dry Bar at SM Megmall's Mega Fashion Hall. I actually talked about Blo before when they first opened their flagship branch in the country. You can read all about it here.

So what is POP Beauty? It’s the brain child of Swedish-born, London-raised singer and internationally acclaimed makeup artist Sara Strand, who wanted to find the perfect products to use on both her clients and herself that would really pop. In the beauty world, it means giving that bit of ‘oomph’ which really pulls together and completes a look.

According to Sara herself, "It’s all about seeing yourself with new eyes - you can really POP when you move away from your routine and allow yourself to play and to try something new!"

The no-touch up secret is here: Maybelline New York’s White Super Fresh

If you wear makeup on a daily basis like I do, but live in a country where the climate is hot and humid pretty much all year round, then needing to retouch your makeup at some point during the day becomes inevitable. Now we all know heat leads to one thing: sweating. You don’t need me to tell you that sweat, next to oil, is one of makeup’s worst enemies. Not only does it make your foundation or powder start to look gross and cakey, but eventually all the sweat means your makeup just ends up disappearing altogether. How frustrating is that?

Not to worry though because Maybelline seems to have the answer to one of life’s most important questions: “How can I keep my makeup looking super fresh all day?” I found out how during the launch of Maybelline’s newest product…

The event was held last Thursday at Chateau 1771 in Ortigas. Thankfully I was familiar with the place since it’s near my old college so I used to pass by it a lot. This exciting sign greeted us at the entrance!

Rustan’s Beauty Addict Masterpiece

When it comes to luxury beauty brands, there’s one place I never fail to return to get my high-end fix: Rustan’s. The upscale department store here in Makati is one I’ve been frequenting ever since I was a little kid. No joke! I can still vividly remember buying Barbie dolls in the children’s section upstairs, haha.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that whenever I receive an invite to attend a Rustan’s event, I immediately try to clear up my schedule for that day. Yes, I get that excited! The latest event, held just last month, was entitled Rustan’s Beauty Addict Masterpiece and was simply a celebration of…well, all things beauty! Nearly every brand part of the Rustan’s beauty department, from Clarins, to Chanel, to NARS, had fun activities planned and awesome giveaways and samples for all the guests. Everything was for a good cause too because every written message on the "Signed With Love" freedom wall at the event meant Rustan’s would make a PHP300 pledge to I Can Serve, a local foundation of breast cancer survivors promoting early detection.

Now why don’t you grab a drink and sit back as I take you through the night that was every beauty addict’s dream come true…

The sweet smell of luxury at Beauty Scents

Ever since I was younger I was always in the middle of building collections. At first it was Barbie dolls, then Pokémon cards, then video games. For the past 3 years or so, it’s primarily been makeup, though hoarding would probably be a more accurate term. I don’t know, collecting just gives life that extra bit of thrill, don’t you think? More recently, I’ve started a new collection: perfume.

At the moment I’ve got a humble nine bottles arranged on my desk. Luxury, high-end perfumes are now one of my many weaknesses though, but it’s an almost vicious cycle because as much as I’d like to get my greedy little paws on another, new Ferragamo or Versace scent, I don’t want to be drowning in debt either. If only there was a way to get my luxury perfume fix without breaking the bank…oh wait, there is! All you have to do is take a trip to Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna and step into Beauty Scents – the country’s first and biggest beauty outlet store.

On July 31st, Beauty Scents officially opened its doors to an eager crowd. Despite the nearly hour long car trip it took to get there, I was pretty pumped!

Making magic with K-Palette’s 1 Day Magic

At some point in my childhood, like many little girls, there was something I wanted really badly (aside from being a mermaid, or a princess, or a mermaid princess) and that was a magic wand. Why? Well, why wouldn’t you want a magic wand? I could make pretty dresses, unicorns, and anything else I wanted appear in a blink of an eye. But alas, decades later and still no magic wand. Thankfully K-Palette is here to give us what could be the closest to magic wands we’ll ever get with their new 1 Day Magic collection!

To experience just how magical the new products really are, I happily attended the K-Palette 1 Day Magic event held a couple of weeks ago at R Space Events Venue.

Bright and Bee-autiful with Burt’s Bees Daisy White

When it comes to my skin, my primary concern is dealing with my (hormonal) acne. Note to self: make an appointment with a dermatologist asap! However, aside from wishing I had clear skin, I also always hope and strive for a complexion that’s both bright and glowing. Think about it. You’d always look so refreshed and you can virtually ditch all your highlighters and whatnot! Plus, there’s less of a need to layer on the concealer and foundation just to get your skin tone as even as possible.

So when I got an e-mail almost a couple of weeks back about an event for the formal launch of Burt’s Bees newest skin care line, Daisy White, you could say I was…buzzing with excitement!

The event was held at Le Jardin at The Fort. I had never gotten the chance to try this resto before, but I did read up on some good reviews about it. It’s very conveniently located near my house too, as is The Fort itself, and I arrived there within twenty minutes! I was actually half an hour early. I’m usually an early bird when it comes to events, haha.

M·A·C Divine Night and Stroke of Midnight Holiday Collection

Last week I was invited to the launch of M·A·C's newest collection, Divine Night, and their exclusive holiday collection, Stroke of Midnight. This is one of the year's most anticipated beauty events so I was definitely excited to go!

The event was held at Whitespace Manila and the entire venue was decked out in retro-inspired glamor. If you want to check out my photo diary of the entire event, just click below to see more!

How to Work That Tacky Blue Eyeshadow!

Last Saturday, I was one of the lucky twelve people chosen (link) to attend a makeup workshop hosted by none other than Martha from The Beauty Junkee at the Shiseido boutique in Greenbelt 5. I've been a reader of her blog and a personal fan of hers since last year so I was very excited to be part of the VIP list! I'm also a huge lover of anything Shiseido, particularly their makeup line, so you could say it was a win-win situation for me.

The theme of the workshop was "How to Work That Tacky Blue Eyeshadow". Blue eyeshadow sadly has an almost universal reputation of being a 'tacky color' to work with when it comes to makeup, especially if not done right. In this country, it's seen as the cheap color that many sales ladies in malls or department stores wear. Here, Martha tells us that it's important to choose what kind of blue shades to work with, and to apply them properly, in order to avoid it from looking tacky in the first place.

Blo is now in Manila!

The other weekend I was invited to the opening/media preview for Blo (Blow Dry Bar) at Power Plant Mall, Rockwell.

Hailing from the US and having been around since 2007, Blo is the first "no cuts, no color concept" hair salon that offers services perfect for last minute hair drying and styling for an impromptu party or those dreadful early meetings. That's right, if all you need is an excellent, no fuss 'blow' to get yourself prim and proper or va-va-voom glam, then Blo is here for you!

Arriving at the event is like stepping into Barbie's Malibu dream house. What 'red' carpet? It's all about pink here with Blo!