Then, in the brink of exhaustion stress, I turn to my urban oasis – The Spa. I was seeking some me-time that led me to The Spa, and let me tell you my experience about it!

The nearest The Spa branch was TriNoma for me, and me, wanting some me-time ( I sometimes dislike massage-and-run places ) and relief. When I entered The Spa, I could never have thought that it was a part of a mall in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a really busy EDSA.

The common Female Locker Room which house the different amenities such as steam and shower.

I felt like having a Roman bath or something! Feeling like a princess today. Ok, make that queen!

Entering The Spa was already comfort for me, starting with my eyes. It had dim lights, and reminded me of seclusive ancient Roman chambers. I felt very old world, and I would have never thought it was spacious. I was able to try their Tropical Rejuvenation, which was rejuvenation for the body. That was perfect because I’ve been neglecting my body for the longest time. I was ready to begin my quick bliss inside my few hours of seclusion.

First, I was led to a shower room, in which I could shower. After that, I was led to a sauna to “steam up” my body and remove some toxins from my body. The sauna felt very old world, with a huge, huge vase that was creating some steam. The heat was such comfort to my frozen arms ( I do have that condition ) and I feel that my body was detoxified somehow. Oh, the comfort of clean warmth! I just loved the steam-time!

After approximately twenty minutes inside the sauna, I was asked to shower again to close off my pores from the pore-opening attributes of the sauna ( warm water opens up the pores, remember? you need to close it off with cool water. ). After that, I was led to a room with a jacuzzi. I got excited – I was thinking, the best was yet to come?

Oh yes, the best was yet to come! My favorite part came in next – the body scrub! Turns out that The Spa only uses premium products for their treatments – and it is just a great day for me knowing that they use my favorite luxury spa brand, Pevonia Botanica. My body was scrubbed, oh, it was just bliss. My skin has been uneven for too long – getting a tan, and neglecting to scrub, or rather, neglecting to scrub before a tan creates splotchy results, and not scrubbing after makes it even worse – it dulls up! I sighed in relief with this procedure as I love body scrubs – I can just be too lazy to do it on my own and do it thoroughly! Hahaha! It also smelled so…tropical ( how apt, the treatment name! haha! ). Apparently , the scrub used on me was called Tropical Saltmousse, and it smelled soooo soo wonderful- of mango, and passionfruit. I felt like a tropical princess!

After that, I showered off again, and I thought it was done. Apparently not! I was slathered with a generous amount of body yogurt ( ahhh!! my gosh, this was the most luxurious feeling, ever! ) and wrapped in plastic just like that for 20 minutes. I slept like a baby and dreamed a little with the glorious, comforting feeling I felt. Honestly, my skin was never pampered this way and I never had that enough time to indulge in such, so I was really savoring the moment to relax, and just let go of my worries for the week. That twenty minutes felt like a blissful one hour of sleep!

So you must wonder what happened next. I was woken up. Hahahaha! Then, I was asked to jump into the jacuzzi and spend some time there. Ahhhh. I definitely felt like a queen, with time suspended and all, just enjoying the bubbles and just soaking my skin there. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.

I proceeded to have a massage right after my Tropical Rejuvenation body treatment, with my newly renewed skin. Kudos to The Spa for having such skilled service technicians like no other. I totally understood why The Spa is a premium spa – the service was exceedingly good, as it was beyond my expectations.

And so I went home a new me, all relaxed, comforted, and really, really feeling better about myself. I feel like wanting to have The Spa’s Tropical Rejuvenation perhaps after a month or so, just when my body looks, and feels tired. Rejuvenation always makes me more productive, and really ready to face the world once again with renewed good vibes, too!

The Spa Tropical Rejuvenation is a 75-minute luxurious treatment for only P2,300 (Executive room) or P3,000 (Suite/ Villa room).

The Spa Tropical Rejuvenation is also available at The Spa Wellness at The Fort, Alabang, Greenbelt, Rockwell and Eastwood.

This summer, fresh scents are needed. Yes, needed.

Actually, I’m just making up an excuse. I love fresh, floral scents all year round. Even if the weather demands fragrances somewhat “warmer” to the senses, my fresh, floral scents are my default. See my undying love for DKNY Be Delicious Scents? There you have it.

When DKNY released its Pure line, I was absolutely psyched to have pureVerbena. It was my dream scent. It was so fresh and clean, and took me to the beautiful hills, ala Maria Von Trapp. I’ve been using this fragrance frequently as the bottle is almost empty. It’s going to join its other DKNY bottle-sisters, soon!

Anyway, a new addition to the Pure line includes DKNY pureRose. Aside from the clean, fresh feel that the Pure line gives, it adds a really romantic, feminine rose fragrance that is unique from the conventional rose that I am used to. I thought that it would be similar to the rose scents that I would get to try with essential oils formulated in room sprays or my Marks and Spencer Rose body wash, but I was wrong. DKNY pureRose had a unique angle to it. It begged to differ. They added some more ingredients. Like femininity. Womanity. One more – romance! Smell this and it would tell you such story. This smells alluring, and stretches a little bit, ending with a faint, powdery ( but still floral ) ending.

Overall, this is a good scent not only for summer, but beyond summer. This, I say, is the scent of a woman.

If you get to see this fragrance, I encourage you to take a spritz, and tell me if we share the same story, or you might have another of your own.

Clinique Chubby Sticks, how I love thee. I love thee with thy greatest love…

Okay stop. I’m not a poet. I was just illustrating on how much I love Clinique Chubby Sticks!

It just has to be the best invention in the lip color world! I’ve been whining far too long about lip products that give out great color, but are drying on the lips. Oh, my lips can be chapped at times, and it just shows, specially when you apply color on them!

Clinique invented such a great lip product and truly listened to its consumers. It fulfilled all my fantasies of a perfect lip product :

* Natural, luscious-looking lip color
Okay, I do have those moods when I only wear really basic makeup, and I’d love to pull off that natural look. Clinique Chubby Sticks give you that your lips-but-better look!

* Good moisture on the lips. The comfort, the comfort!
Yes, I’ve experienced those days when my lips feel so tight and uncomfortable. Reasons can range from being sick ( yes, lips seem to be drier that time ), during summer, or when I’m exposed to the A/C for quite a while. I sometimes feel so lazy to apply lip balm, and yeah, that’s partly, or almost all my fault!

With Clinique Chubby Sticks, I don’t need to wear lipbalm before applying it, fearing my lips would look insanely dry and flake with overly pigmented lipsticks ( that I love, somehow! haha ! ). This just moisturizes my lips, eases my tight lips and gives it comfort, and gives it natural, beautiful color it deserves. I got to convince alot of friends who weren’t really into makeup to get this because it was their idea of a perfect lip color – just beautifully natural! Isn’t that wonderful? I feel so achieved when someone listens to what I have to recommend. Truly. Hahaha!

BUT. BUT! Things just got a little bit more intense! Clinique Chubby Sticks are now available in a more, pigmented formula called Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense. Yes, intense! My favorite lip crayons have way more pigment than its sheerer sister, the normal Clinique Chubby Sticks, and we can now have really pigmented lips and having well-moisturized lips at the same time!

Tadah!!! Clinique once again has ears, and know how to listen to its consumers! Clinique KNEW that aside from natural-looking beautifully tinted lips, some girls want some color. Yes, vivid color. But they want the same soft lips achieved by Clinique Chubby Sticks. So they went intense. Woot!

Now, don’t you think this is intense?

Not everyday that I wear red, don’t you think? This is Mightiest Maraschino. It’s a beautiful, beautiful cherry red shade that just captivated my heart! It’s just so beautiful, that I found myself wearing this more often than my regular lipsticks. Just had to skip blush and use bronzer instead for this one!

I’d love to get more shades of the Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense - and I am eyeing at all 8 shades from the collection! Haha! The price point in the Philippines is not bad, it’s 920 PhP. It’s less expensive than luxury brand lipsticks out there, so I think I’m pretty sold here!

Just one tip for using Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense - even if they’re really pigmented, they won’t bleed on your lips at all, but just remember to have a lip brush nearby as it is best to apply the darker shades using lip brush – the crayon isn’t exactly angled to give you precise lines to “draw” your lip if you wish! But what I do is that I have my trusty concealer pen and just lightly line around the edges to make the application flawless.

Oh, Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense, I think I’m falling for you!

Just a quick post as I am juggling stuff here and there for Sample Room – watch out for our next runs, we’re giving it to you!

But for now…

Inviting everyone to watch The Full Monty this coming Saturday! Yes, this coming Saturday, get a chance to watch this movie-turned play and see our local actors belt it out, act and sing it out like never before! I think this is gonna be really cute and fun!

For information on how and where to buy your tickets, kindly visit The Full Monty’s Facebook Page. See you there!

As alot of my readers are asking me about budget makeup finds, I am really, really trying my best and am constantly on the lookout for the best budget finds, and I must admit that sometimes I find it hard to find good budget foundation. The reason would be my skin is far from perfect. I have large pores, I have depressed scars, and I recently explained to a friend of mine that I need a skin care that is water-based that can prevent oily skin and banish my breakouts, but also cannot be too matte that it would magnify my pores, and show my depressed scars. My skin is so weird – it needs to be balanced and dewy – just right, just the way my skin wants it. Same goes for liquid foundation – I’m really really particular about it, that I’ve thrown away alot of foundations that I thought of giving a try, but end up disappointing me. Alot of good-skinned gals have found their loves with really affordable foundation brands ( even below 500 – you’re really lucky! ) and as for me, I’m having a hard time. I was able to find my favorite foundations in high end brands, but it’s a good day today, that I’m about to share to you one of the great exceptions, and one really good budget find for foundation!

It’s the L’Oreal Lucent Magique Two-Way Cake Foundation

Light. Translucent. Fair. The 1st skin luminating Tri-powder foundation for a seamless lit-from-within skin complexion. A finest quality powder foundation with seamless trace coverage. Infused with 3 powder finish: Luminating Pink Tourmaline, Translucent Light Pearls and Vitamin C whitening Complex.

Skin is transformed with the lit-from-within skin finish. Sensorial upon touch with the light as a feather texture that lets your skin breathe. Suited for the young modern woman.

I can just say that this is just a gem! A really rare one. This one retails for P845.00, and replaced my two foundations, the Cover FX Mineral Foundation that sells for around 2,000 PhP and the Lancome Maqui Blanc Miracle Powder that is a little below 2,000 PhP for the refill alone. I’m not kidding when I say that this can really, really perform well! I have the shade in G1 here, and it’s for light-skinned gals with yellow tones like me. I use my brush and swipe everything ( as you can see on the photo it has several layers ), swiping even the micro-shimmery part to be able to get a “bright” skin look. The final look? Totally flawless. Stays for hours. I’m really, really happy!

This is me, wearing a really thin layer of Clinique Even Better Liquid Foundation underneath, and setting it with L’Oreal Lucent Magique Two Way Cake. I didn’t see any cakey-ness on my skin at all, and I feel as flawless as ever! It doesn’t look like makeup on your skin. It just gives my skin some really pretty glow! My skin did not oil up with it, nor did it wear off after a few hours – it’s pretty long-wearing! I’m really, really pleased.

Aside from the miraculous L’Oreal Lucent Magique Two Way Cake, there are also two equally amazing products that I do recommend :

L’Oreal Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation

Lucent Magique liquid foundation is made of 40% pure water that keeps skin hydrated up to 24H. It gives every skin tone a flawless complexion, with just-right coverage to let the light shine forth. Infused with Liquid-Light technology to bath complexion in a radiant halo, as if lit-from within. The end look? A perfectly glowing skin finish.

I love this! I have always loved L’oreal liquid foundations, and have found them to be the best bet for liquid foundations if you’re on a budget. They’re the best, if we’re talking about affordability! I used L’Oreal liquid foundations during my makeup studies, and loved True Match to bits. L’Oreal Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation ( priced at P845.00 ) is a bit tricky to swatch and find your perfect shade though – I’m currently mixing N2 which is a tad too neutral and fair for me, and G4, which is too yellowish and dark for me. My mix is just perfect for my skin, just adding a bit of G4 to the N2! Just an advice, do ask when you’re about to get this liquid foundation, as salesladies will be more than happy to help you out, and walk around the mall for a bit to determine if it’s the shade for you. This one’s pretty light, and gives you that light-reflecting flawless skin. I will definitely be posting a look of me wearing this foundation. This is pretty nice, too!

L’Oreal Lucent Magique Concealer Pen

No more imperfections with this 1st Touch of Light concealer pen. A magical touch-up pen infused with breakthrough Liquid Light Byron technology. Corrects and illuminates the 5 main areas of fatigue and imperfection. Light up every detail, every contour.

To correct the 5 main areas for luminated end-look:
1) Prep lids before eye shadow
2) Smooth over under eye area
3) Around corners of the nose
4) Trace on fine expression lines
5) Contour around lip line

I used to have pens of YSL Touche Eclat for my undereyes and just found them too light for me, that I wanted something creamier, and more long-lasting. I just forgot how portable and easy to use they were. Fast forward after 5+ years, L’Oreal comes up with something similar, at such an affordable price of 545 PhP! I find this a really good quick fix for my undereye circle when I am in a hurry, and concealing the redness around my nose. Works like a charm! The consistency of this light-reflecting, glow-inducing concealer is not too thick, but not watery as well. This can effectively conceal moderate undereye circles, if you’re asking me. I love this!

Ask me what I think of the L’Oreal Lucent Magique line? It’s a winner in my book. It works, it’s amazing because it can give you flawless, glowing skin, and it’s really affordable! I highly recommend this to those who are in a budget and could not commit to luxury brands just yet – this one’s pretty close! *winkwink*

I’m gonna make this really quick again, as Nivea products are so not difficult to review. I usually use them for a few days, and just come up with one sentence. I believe that they are sooo..no-nonsense and straightforward when it comes to their product benefits! I, for one, are a big fan of their sun products. Now comes something that’s been well thought of, I’m amazed with the product development team of Nivea – they are geniuses that they know how we want sun protection for the body, without the ickiness of a sunblock product that feels like cream. I mean, yeah, I apply sunblock on my face and my body obligingly whenever I know I’d be basking under the sun, but for everyday, sometimes I wish I could but I just couldn’t handle that I’m applying something creamy on my skin. The new Nivea UV Whitening Serum solves that problem of mine!

NIVEA, helming the world’s best line-up of whitening products, introduces the NIVEA UV Whitening Serum, the Philippines’s first and only intensive whitening and repair serum for the body.

This is NIVEA’s first foray in introducing serum to the Philippine market, in its pursuit to provide more long-lasting whitening products that do not only stop at whitening, but persist to create a healthier, more vibrant skin tone that lasts. The NIVEA UV Whitening Serum contains real Vitamin C, nature extracts, UV filters and Hydra IQ that ensure whiter, healthier, more even-toned and moisturized skin within just 14 days, with results that visibly last.

Below are 11 benefits found in just one product:

1. Advanced UVA & UVB cell protection with SPF25 and PA++
2. Nourishes sun damaged skin
3. Enriched with Licorice for fairer skin tone
4. Enhances and supports the skin renewal process
5. Infused with Hydra IQ and Red Seaweed
6. Enriched with natural Vitamin C from Camu Camu
7. Enriched with 95% anti-oxidant pure Vitamin C derivative
8. Light and non-sticky texture
9. Gives more radiant and fairer skin tone all over the body
10. Gives smooth and even skin tone all over the body
11. Skin compatibility is dermatologically approved

Let me conclude this review of Nivea UV Whitening Serum with one sentence. Game? Okay. It’s not sticky. That’s it! It’s really light in texture, and it disappears in your skin as it is absorbed rather quickly. Feels like you didn’t apply anything at all, and yet, you gain that sun protection for the entire day, specially this summer ( SPF 25 PA++ is adequate, I believe! ) , when the rays of the sun are just so glaring! For such a big tube ( 200ml ) for 219 PhP, this is certainly a steal!

I highly, highly recommend this product for lotion-phobic gals, who have always wanted to have sun protection every single day. Trust me, you’ll never let go of this once you try this! I love it to bits!!!

Hello everyone!

I’m sharing with you my official scent for summer and all my bright days ahead! It’s the limited edition Clinique Happy in Bloom.

Clinique Happy in Bloom is a fresh, frosty floral that opens up with notes of yellow plum, a cocktail of frozen fruit, and watery green notes for a crisp introduction. Notes of muguet, white freesia and a mimosa accord from the original Happy, lend a tactile nuance of petals. Transparent amber and white wood provide depth with a natural feminine softness.

The warm weather always demands lights, fresh scents to keep up and forget the heat of the season. We always try to have fun for whatever season comes along, right? Clinique Happy in Bloom seeks to have fun in the warm sunshine by giving a burst of freshness, while giving a dainty air of femininity. It’s reallyI feel really fresh, and lady-like whenever I wear this. I love this so much that I have this in my bag, and just spritz away whenever I feel so stressed during a really warm day. Somehow, it perks up my senses, gives me that confidence lift ( fragrances have that effect on me! ), and gives me so much good vibes for the day. Oh, don’t forget that chirpy bottle design. This bottle will stay with me for a long, long time!

Happy in Bloom will be available for a limited time at all Clinique counters nationwide starting April 2013.

I admit. I admit! My hair has been a tangled mess lately. I’ve been diving more and more, as I am just about an addicted scuba diver loving the wonders of the underwater landscape and wildlife. I told myself at the beginning that I am going to take care of my really bleached hair and will not let it be exposed to saltwater, but here I am, risking all just to enjoy the thing I really love to do. Oh, my hair is just a tangled mess everytime I ascend to land, and it’s a pain to wash it, being all stiff, tangled, and really dry afterwards. My hair has been poofier than usual and a little bit more damaged, so I have been trying for some ways to prevent further hair damage. Oh, the things you do for love!

Going back, colored hair really requires devotion. You take a step further in changing your hair color – it’s like topping each of your existing hair strands with a fresh coat of paint. If you compare it to a newly painted wall, the painted wall is wiped clean with wet cloth every week or so to remove dust, and the paint won’t really change in color unless it’s light, and will just deteriorate with being exposed to light and with it getting old. With your hair, just look at this – you “paint” your hair, and wash it every single day with shampoo. The hair color ( analogous to “paint” ) will look tired with frequent washings, and the once-bright hair color would turn dull in no time if you keep on shampooing it. The culprit ingredient? Surfactants, or sulfates.

Read up :

L’Oreal Paris proudly presents the all-new Hair Expertise EVER Range, the 100% Sulfate Free Hair Care for colored and over processed hair. Its breakthrough technology responds to the Filipina’s need for a specialized hair care for superior performance. With that said, L’Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EVER is poised to take the Filipina into a whole new level of hair care.

100% Sulfate Free Hair Care
L’Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EVER ranges are made with formulations without the harsh surfactant salts and are 100% free of sulfates. Therefore, the formulation is very apt for sensitive hair. That is why EVER provides a different type of technology: Semi-professional, optimal hair nourishment and protection without the harsh chemicals.

What are sulfates?
Sulfates or commonly known as “surfactants” are shampoos’ main ingredients and are responsible for the foaming and detergent properties. While these are widely used for their foaming and cleansing properties, they are also well known to have a level of harshness to the sensitive skin and hair, specifically stripping off the lipids from the hair surface and its keratin proteins.

EVER is infused with botanical extracts of Rosemary, Mint and Juniper. These natural ingredients are purposely formulated for an invigorating, aroma-therapeutic, sensorial experience. The scent may be well associated with a spa-like indulgence in every bath.

The new L’Oreal Ever line is a sulfate-free system that takes care of colored hair, and damaged hair. The entire line promises gentle love to your hair, with the promise to be gentle on your hair and try to preserve your hair just a little bit longer. Another plus, would be that some people are allergic to sulfates. That’s me, occasionally.

So I was able to try the L’oreal Ever Pure System, designed for colored hair. The green line, called Ever Strong are for damaged or over-processed hair. I’m sharing my thoughts about each of the products I tried :

L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Shampoo

I find the L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Shampoo okay. I was surprised that for a sulfate-free shampoo, I was still able to gain some lather. Organic shampoos or shampoos devoid of harsh chemicals and preservatives don’t bubble often. This one still gives me that comfortable cleansing base. I mean yes, it’s the stuff that bubbles that are actually harmful, but can you blame me for being accustomed to it since I was a kid? It’s my comfort zone. Bear with me that I feel that my hair is better cleansed with it.

L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Conditioner

L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Conditioner, I would say, is remarkable. I usually don’t like conditioners because I love masques better. Yep, I use thick, intensive masques as my daily conditioner because my hair is really coarse and thick ( If you should know, it takes three people to iron my hair to do rebonding. hahaha! ). But this? This is great. I was surprised that I didn’t have to take so much conditioner just to de-tangle my hair post-dive. It was really easy to de-tangle it in the shower, and my hair is soft and smooth right after my shower. I feel that my hair is saved, somewhat, by this wonder! It’s a great, great everyday conditioner that can also act as a deep conditioner if you leave it for more than 5 minutes! I love this!

L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Masque

As I’ve already found love with L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Conditioner, I gave the Ever Pure Moisture Masque a try. This had a thicker consistency than the Moisture Conditioner, and it was also acceptable as a daily conditioner for me. I just kept on alternating between the conditioner and the masque day by day, and I love both! If given a choice on what to buy, I think the masque would have my vote as I find it economical – the masque can be used with less product and give de-tangling, soft-hair results. But what I love about the conditioner is its light consistency and effective conditioning despite its light texture. Ahh! I’m confused. Let me have both!

Well, maybe for those who have really coarse and damaged colored hair – go for the masque for everyday, and for those who have fine-textured hair, go for the conditioner so as not to weigh your hair down!

Overall? I’m totally repurchasing the L’Oreal Ever Pure line over and over again. The price point is not too prohibitive – below 500 PhP per product isn’t that bad, to be able to maintain your colored hair! I would have some bias towards the conditioner and the masque, though, as it’s not everyday I find gems in conditioning products!

I really love eyeshadow primers. They’re just the idea of heaven for those who have oily lids like me. Heck, even my eyebrows have oil glands that I need really waterproof eyebrow pens, eyeliners, and even eyeshadow primers. I need makeup products to stay put, and trust me, it’s not cheap. I think my skin’s just too demanding and challenging. *pouts*

For reference, before we go further, I’m defining what eyeshadow primers are. Eyeshadow primers are what you apply on your lids just right before you apply your eyeshadow, to make the eyeshadow “stick” to the primer, and remain there, preventing oxidation, and oiling up of lids which can make the eyeshadow run all over your lids ( which is messy ). Eyeshadow primers can actually be concealer, but they’re just too moisturizing. A good eyeshadow primer is usually sort of a cream with not much moisture, a bit dry, to help the eyeshadow just stick on the lids, and just stay put there. For me, it’s imperative to get one if you’re into eye makeup. It gives you security!

I’ve been using Urban Decay Primer Potion, and as much as I love it, and I know how effective it is, I can’t help but have some difficulty getting it in the Philippines. It’s also a bit hard and sorta tricky to blend eyeshadows with the Primer Potion. But then, I’ve always thought that it’s the only thing that works, so I just stayed faithful to it for years. I’ve had tubes of Urban Decay Primer Potion all used up and some just dried from time, I think I’ve used more than 5 tubes in this lifetime already.

But then something came along that made me change my mind about things.

Yes, this! The Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Vanilla is my new HG Eyeshadow Primer.

Effortless and high impact-that’s the essence of NEW Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick. This do-it-all formula glides on tug-free and can be used to shade, define, smoke up and highlight eyes. In subtle to eye-popping shades that last for up to 8 hours without creasing, flaking or fading, it’s a stroke of genius. Just swipe on and go.

At first, I was skeptic about this product. I’ve tried alot of products that promise that they’re long wearing and smudge on me anyways. I’ve always been disappointed with really alot of products already, that I didn’t set my hopes up on this one. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick is available in an assortment of shades – there’s even a beautiful emerald green shade and a deep plum shade that would be really pretty as eyeshadows, but I chose Vanilla, a concealer-like flesh shade that can act as a trusty eyeshadow primer that I can just apply any shade of eyeshadow shade that I like, and make it really useful like that.

During normal days, I find it so nice to be able to make my eye makeup-less eyes ( well, not anymore with this cream shadow stick! ) look really wide-eyed and awake as I apply the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Vanilla on my eyelids, and on the inner V of my eyes. Take a look at the photo of my eye on the left. I purposely made the application unblended so I can show you how I applied the shadow stick. On my entire eyelids until I felt the crease, and drawing a V on the inner V of my eyes. The result? Take a look at the photo of the right. The eyes just look awake, and the lids look brighter. It’s such a good add-on to my really simple look whenever I go out for fieldwork and meet clients! I feel really confident with “brighter” eyes – with all my simple efforts like using eyeliner and applying mascara just to make my eyes not look so sleepy whenever I would go out.

As for it acting like an eyeshadow primer, I find it really reliable. I would go home from a night out with eye makeup still intact, so consider me really pleased. I even swatched the cream shadow stick on my wrist area, took a shower, and the swatch remained even after I stepped out of the shower. Amazing stuff.

At P 1,550.00, the price is not so bad considering that it is in crayon form and won’t seem to dry up just easily. It’s so easy to apply on the eye area, and it’s so portable! I really highly recommend this for those adventurous with eye makeup – go get the other shades, and for those who would want to invest in eye primers – this is it. Give this a try! I remember reading Rae Morris’ book with her telling her readers to stay away from cream eyeshadows because they don’t really stay, but in this case, this is one concrete exception and proof that technology, research and development can do wonders and can create great products that would help oily-lidded eyes like me find some salvation.

I love this to bits!

I’ll make this short and quick.

Oh, how I love the new Nivea SUN Protect & Refresh Invisible Cooling Mist!

As summer is my favorite time of the year, I just feel so happy to be near at sea. I can even feel that it’s summer year round in my heart as my dives have been more frequent. The closer I am to water, the happier I get, and the more refreshed and calm my mind becomes. Oh, I dream of owning a resort one day! If only.

Going back, with the warm sunshine filling my senses with good vibes, I still need protection for my skin, as it can burn without sun protection. Nivea is one of my trusted brands in sun care, with my favorite tanning oil from them. The Nivea SUN Protect & Refresh Invisible Cooling Mist is a genius innovation – it’s a spray-on sunblock.

A spray-on sunblock might seem too common, but what’s unique about it is that it’s really cooling! As I spray on some cooling mist on my skin, I feel shivery as it’s just so chilly on my skin, that was such a contrast from the warm weather! It’s just perfect for the scorching heat! It feels like a dry oil mist sprayed on my body, and it photographs well on photos, looking like you have glistening skin against the sun. Beautiful!

I was able to use this for my diving trip. Being SPF50, it was good enough to help my skin not get burned as we stayed in the boat and under the sun for some island hopping fun all throughout the day. I think I’m getting hooked with this, and as the bottle ran empty ( we were more than ten in the group who passed the bottle around! Sharing is caring! ), I think I’m convinced to re-purchase on this one. For P550.00, I consider it a good buy because it has ample sun protection, it feels really light on the skin, and it has that “sexy look” factor with the skin glistening as if oil had been applied on it.

Some from our dive group used this spray and we were all burn-free. We had a blissful weekend diving the beautiful waters of Coron, Palawan, diving in the Barracuda Lake, Twin Peaks, and the shipwrecks there! It was such a beautiful trip with great company.

So, here’s to my number one recommendation in this season full of fun under the sun!

P.S. samples of this were available at Sample Room awhile ago! Now, it’s all out of stock. Do watch out from time to time if we’re restocking!