After all the health issues in the family I made sure we make it to the strictly formal affair lined up that weekend. I figured it would energize me. Some "me" time with the husband. Would allow me to get out from the sweat pants and into that long dress (thanks to the big mall who had a big sale that week...).

But don't get me wrong, Im not one to be spending a whole hour or more in front of the mirror just to put on make up. For one thing it now only takes me 20 minutes to do my hair ( if I shampoo the night before and condition on the hour...).

I have always been proud of my 7.5-minute make up. Ahihi (so is my husband, seriously). Doesn't take much really. What I have in my arsenal is just as simple. Must of them gifts, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford them.

The 7.5-minute make up. For my formal affair. 

  Two days prior I have already cleaned my face. A simple DIY facial at home, nothing complicated really. This would give any redness the chance to disappear two days later. Dark circles under the eyes are my worst enemies. Took me years and a lot of searching on the net what other ladies are wearing. And what I could afford. Two years ago a friend of mine from New York got me All About Eyes by Clinique. Luckily it works good for me. Lessens the puffiness and moisturizes the eyebags. I didnt have to look far for the cover up as I got the more affordable BB cream specifically for eyes by Garnier. But then of course knowing me, one must not presume I use it for my eyes alone. ahihihi.. works good for the eyebrow and nostril areas, corners of the mouth and under the lower lip, where shadows always form. I usually use my brushes to apply. I love the MAC brushes. But lately Ive been favoring dubbing the cover ups with my fingers. It absorbs and blends better that way.

One treasured possession is the Sheer Cashmere foundation by L'Oreal. It's matte and blends well. But  only apply it in certain areas which need attention. To set everything I love Covergirl's Trublend Mineral Loose Powder, applied with my Kabuki brush by Everbelena. 

Sometimes I like to play with colors as I have demonstrated in old entries of the blog but not during formal affairs. So I stick with the basics. You know the highlight on the middle of the lid and dark contours on the side of the lid routine.... I used to do a lot of winged-tip eyeliners but lately I've been favoring the more circular one. Wherein I just follow my natural curve of the lid up to the tip. I first saw it on Jinky Pacquiao on her controversial cover. No kidding. I said, "wow! Those eyes are not photoshopped. They're remarkably made up and lined! So I decided I like that..."

Gigi, my friend from Singapore gifted me with my now every-reliable color palette. I use them all the time. By Etude House.

Like I said, I always go for the more affordable stuff so I buy my stash at the Face Shop. Eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, the works...

It's a no brainer thing. I just go over some tutorials on Youtube and Im done. hehehe Seriously, 7.5 minutes. That quick. That easy...

While in the subject of unending sunshine in our country...

Meet my cute straw hat.

I took a risk here. It is never advisable to buy hats online where one cannot be sure of the measurements 

and fit. 

Luckily this baby fits!

Isn't it such a cutie? An H x M straw hat. Very light weight and very affordable (that's important right?).

It's casual, not too intimidating for city wear. You know what I mean. 

And it hides my unkept hair hahahahaha!

Please meet my photographer. She directed me in this shoot.

Yeah, my hair is nothing compared to her beautiful curly locks...

Stay cool everyone! Cover up and drink your liquids. 

Allow me to share some instagram photos taken by PA friend Annie during the LifeDance team victory pool party yesterday...

Coz summer never actually stops in this part of the world...

I would barely see where I was going but we just had to put on those sunglasses for the photo op. This was already 7 in the evening.

I love you LifeDance team!!!

I usually use BB creams sparingly. Just because it makes my routine longer and I feel a bit uncomfortable with lots of stuff dabbed on my face. In this unpredictable (tropical) weather of ours.

But again, marketing does get me sometimes. Ehem.

And a roll on bb cream is just too hard to resist. It's affordable too.

The Garnier BB Cream for the eyes.

I prefer using make up brushes for applying anything. The roll on cream for the eyes, no exception. It promises the usual bb cream magic: smoother skin texture, radiance, reduced redness, the works. During normal days I don't do make up, except for a little powder and blush. Yesterday's meeting was a chance to take the bb cream for a test drive.

The "before" photo. Uneven skin tone indeed. Dark circles around the eyes.

The "after" photo. One go across the darkened portion of my eyebags. I decided to blend the cream up to the upper lid and down to the cheeks. Plus a single pat of loose powder. You be the judge.

The redness seemed lessened. Skin lightened, yes. A little bit of magic on the eye area I agree. For it's price of under Php 300, I think I could keep and play with it day to day. Not bad actually. I am naturally (plus the age factor) dry around the eyes up to my brows so I am thankful for the dewy look and feel of the cream . The effect lasted 6 hours. In my book, that is commendable.

I am toying with the idea of using it around my nose, smile lines and chin... we'll see.

HO! HO! HO!

It's the time of the year once again when I shamelessly post my Christmas wishlist for all the strangers to see!

HA! HA! HA!

Every year I come up with the things I had been drooling over, both the needs and the wants. I mean, hey, it's Christmas...and wish-list. No need to go practical on the wishes...hehehe.

1. A Flip camcorder. No matter what the nay sayers think, I still think it's cute, handy and useful. It's HD. No matter how low they go on sale, I still couldn't find myself being able to afford it.

The brighter the color, the better. Makes finding it in the pits of my bag a breeze. I like my gadgets and cases of different colors.

Then I bump again into this. First saw it when my friend used it when he went biking. Pretty cool actually. And very very small. I figured, too industrial. I'm not really going extreme. Ok, so it was a mistake to think that. Handy, check, coolness, check. Price range...well, on the pricey side of P12,000 plus. The GoPro HD Helmet HERO. Will mount unto just about everything. Professional quality 1080p/960p/720p HD resolutions. 2.5 hours of recording on a single charge. With its removable polycarbonate housing, it is waterproof to 180'/60m and shockproof. Sure beats the occasional jerking away of the camera whenever little kiddos decide to do a cannonball into the pool... hmmm.

2. A black belt bag. For work. I usually don't favor lugging around my camera bag during event photography. I wouldn't know where to stash it safely. You just can't be too careful. So I wear a belt bag. But my last one got busted. This looks perfect. So ok, I don't really need an expensive designer belt bag. It's just the perfect shape and size. I can walk and run freely not worrying about whether my camera is still there or not. This is where I'd keep extra batteries for the flash, extra SD cards, asthma inhaler, headache medicine, a lipstick, 1 cellphone and lens wipes.

3. Wonder Woman MAC compact mirror. It came out very very limited. It would be very hard to find this even in Hong Kong. I just love it!

4. Tamron 70-200mm f2.8. Would be so cool for events. I just found out this is the more affordable brand.

It was actually a tie with the Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8. I mean, hey, it's a Nikkor. (Im a Nikon user). Just more than double the price. So ok, ok, I take it back, it's not a tie. The remarkable price difference doesn't allow it to be a tie. Hehehe... well, afterall, this is a wishlist right?
5. Lowepro Micro Trekker 200 Camera Backpack. Lightweight. Really nice look. Better for my back. What else can I say? Oh, US$ 139, that's what. Hehehe

6. Built NY Spicy Relish Lunch Tote. Isn't it a beauty? I could give this to my first grader. Would be too cool. It's a new product by Built NY. It has my ever beloved strap! US$ 29.99 ...

7. Cath Kidston Itouch case in polka dot.
8. Fitflops! With straps y'all! Love it love it! You know I'm not much of a fan of flipflops worn just about anywhere. But this!!! Oh, it is so lovely...and expensive. Ahihihi...all the benefits of Fitflops with a twist of being a little less "too casual" (than the usual thongs)

...and while we're on the subject of Fitflops... isn't this cool? I actually wouldn't mind having this pair. I can picture myself in skirt or jeans...

9. Hunter Wellington Boots. So once again, let me remind you this is a wishlist. And I have yet to catch a falling star --before Christmas. My Hunter boots. Hahahaha! The more affordable original tall Wellingtons in black. The figure is affordable at 69.99. The currency, well, a discount would be helpful: EUROS.

Rain may come in the middle of the day I can still trek my way to a jeepney or taxi. I could just even walk all the way home.

And for the books? Is the Hunter Wellies by Jimmy Choo, US$395. It's not really officially on this wishlist, I just wanted you to drool with me.

...so I'm short 1 more wish. Somehow tradition dictates you should have 10 in your wishlist.

Oh hey, of course I have one more, and not necessarily the least...

10. "...and WORLD PEACE."

(Eye make up from Smashbox, lipstick from Mac)

My friends feed my love for hats and such. They bring me one from their trips. Bless my dear friends. hehehe. This fuzzy cute fuschia/teal/purple number is from Ann. Yes, dear Ann. She got it from their trip to Baguio last summer (well, a month ago to be precise).

How could I resist taking a photo!

Goes very well with my lipstick eh?

We live in a tropical country. But the weather had been copying more like the foreign windy chilly at times kind of days and nights so this one should be a perfect accessory. Hmm... a trip abroad after Christmas perhaps? I do hope hubby reads this...hahaha!

Thank you Ann! You know I love you...

(Thank you Lulubelle for the lipstick!)

Thank You Boss!

Thank You for love and friendship.

Another one from the MAC Wonder Woman treasure chest.

The Secret Identity Lipglass.

Orangey, rusty.

Simply all make up counter ladies has tagged me 'the one who doesn't like orange'. In anything.

Except for this one. hehehehe

It is more dark rusty on my lips and I like it! It has become my alternate for nudes.

After 5 hours of wear, this is how it looked:

MAC Wonder Woman Lipstick in Spitfire.

I had been wary about this actually. Wasn't too sure if I could get away with a fuschia shade. So I figured, I can't carry it, oh well, at least the packaging is cool. It is afterall my bestfriend, Wonder Woman...

Speaking of Wonder Woman...Diana Prince? IS THAT YOU? Ahihihihhi... I'm so sorry to DP fans, I was working and had my "work" eyeglasses on, I couldn't help but chanel the mild manner secretary of Lt. Col. Steve Trevor. ahihihii...

So I was looking at my make up photos and noticed I'm always serious. Why? I really don't know. So I decided I should be at least smiling a bit on this review. Well, sort of anyway. Hehehehe...

Me, wearing the Spitfire on my lips. It is a rich shiny fuschia pink color on the tube. On my lips, it depends on how many layers I wear. One layer on bare lips gave me a matted hot pink shine. Two layers gave me this richer shade.

I simply love it!!! I had my photo taken outdoors to see how the shade looks while I'm actually out and about, the shade that people talking to me would see.

Awhile back I was looking for my magic lasso. But alas, I don't have a magic lasso. Tried my luck if I could still find my gold cuff. I only have my ring. And for the past months I had been wearing a different kind of bracelet. hahahaha...

Incidentally, it matches my current nail polish.

I love it. I will wear it often.

Hot pink fuschia.

Thank YOU, Boss.

Finally...

Just one of things that got me stoked the past week!

Mailman came knockin' yesterday and VIOLA:

One of the 3 MAC Wonder Woman items I got my hands on. They are pretty limited. So hard to find. Out of stock in Hong Kong and Canada I finally found someone kind enough to brave the crowds...hehehe. Thank you!

Lipsglass in Emancipation.

I was just so excited. Great timing as I had somewhere to go that night. Everything in the WW Spring 2011 collection is jumbo sized! Not bad for it's price tag. SRP published in their website obviously jacked up while being shipped overseas. hehehe...but I'm not complaining. For the same price I'd be paying for something smaller in size.

I decided to break this down to:

When I first applied it. It is pale pink. With hint of pearls. It applies on smoothly and thickly, you would have to dab progressively.

Although it's jumbo applicator allows you to cover your lip on one swish...but I still liked to apply bit by bit just like I would a moisturizer or foundation.

First time I opened and pulled the wand out it got stock. Jumbo sized. I figured if I force it out, some of those precious gloss would go flying all over who knows where, worst unto my shirt! I tried many hand positions and came up with this:

It lets you control both wand and cylinder. Slowly slowly...

I took my now "Emancipated" (HAHAHAHAHAHA) lips out to the sun to have a better look at how my lips are reacting to the pale pink. I have never really tried this pale of pink before. But this I'm definitely lovin'.

I went, had a sandwich (carefully...just the way Hollywood stars eat at parties) and had my caffeine. This is a photo of the color 6 hours later...

It had stayed on, a little lesser on shine but the color my lips are still pale pink.

I love!!!

Now I feel like I need to find my magic golden lasso... hehehehehe!

Enjoy everyone! I hope you got your WW loot!

If you're interested I can get you in contact with someone hunting Hong Kong for this collection. But you gotta do it soon...

KAPAW!!!