Think Pink

Really, really pink.

Being in such close proximity to a mall with a Rustan's has today proven to be very, very bad for my already hyperventilating bank account. Today's lunch/shopping date with friends resulted in the not-so-impulsive purchase of what is possibly one of the most shocking and prettiest colors I've seen in powder form.




NARS Blush in "Desire." Obviously.

Isn't it wonderful? It's exactly as their website describes it: a "cotton candy pink." And I am not the type to turn down candy. Plus points for having a name I can freely say in front of my grandmother. I also think I have a highlighter - by which I mean the office supplies and not the cosmetic kind - in the exact color.

I owe so many swatches already; there are still those BeneFit minis to work on.

Also, has anyone noticed that the lighting in Rustan's Shangri-La is probably the worst possible kind for a makeup section? Accuracy in color is of the highest importance when testing makeup - I don't think I want to imagine shopping for foundation there - and those dim, yellow bulbs they use make the various nuances in shade and tone disappear. Pity.

Pretty Grungy

As some of you may know, one of the bands that pretty much made up a third of the soundtrack to an entire decade, Gin Blossoms, is coming to Manila. This has somehow triggered my nostalgic nerve, which has made me almost giddy that the 90s are slowly worming their way back into the mainstream aesthetic. Or so I'd like to think.



Channeling this look is pretty much what I've been obsessed with right now. Unfortunately, seeing as don't have the beautiful ageless pixie appeal Ms. Ryder over here possesses - because seriously, the woman hasn't aged since "How To Make An American Quilt" - I'll have to be satisfied with wearing minimal makeup and floral dresses with boots. Which brings me to mention just how much I want those shoes from the F/W 2010 Dior ad campaign:



And that gorgeously flimsy dress. And those legs.

Also, I'm still a little bit concerned about this whole no-mascara trend that's been popping up everywhere. It demands model-esque perfect skin and bone structure, which, let's face it, I don't have. I am worried. Very, very worried. I think an investment in a good eyelash growth enhancer might make me feel better about this trend. Or I could just remind myself that it's a trend and that it will eventually go away, else someone will have to pry my tube of Lash Blast Fusion from my cold, dead fingers.

The Boots

I have boots now. Rather, Boots, with a capital B, for I have been looking for a pair of black biker boots that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and I have finally found them. This is epic. They are The Boots. And, they were only HKD 299 from a store called Ying Shoes. That's cheap, considering a pair of trendy party shoes in Shoemart, which has always touted itself as the place for supposedly affordable footwear is around a ludicrous Php2,500 now. I love SM, but they've seriously jacked up prices to the point that I go WTF. I guess I'm expecting too much. Or am much too cheap. So sue me. I'm a Starving Artist (also capitalized.)

I also got these at Ying:



They're pretty and bohemian and hurt my feet when I walk too much in them. However, for HKD 100, pretty is more than enough.

I totally get why women go crazy over shoes now.

Not Your Usual Nine to Five

I feel like a legitimate journalist now.

It all started when, while thrifting at the massively overwhelming Anonas ukay ukay, I received a call that went a little something like:

Boss: Hi. Is your passport valid?
Me: Yes, it is. Why?
Boss: I'm sending you to Hong Kong next week for an event.

...Ah. Well, it isn't war-torn Afghanistan, which would have added more journalistic street cred and legitimacy to any writer, but this was admittedly a little more my style. Urban, cosmopolitan, and without the hazards of bullets and shrapnel whizzing past you and your camera crew of one. This also involves shopping.

So one month into my job and for the very fist time in my life, I got on a plane alone, checked into my own hotel room, looked at pretty, shiny things - which is always a plus for me - and bought some fabulously cheap fillers for my already suffering wardrobe. I could have done much more wandering had I stayed longer than one night.

I love my job. I may not be very good at it, but I love my job.

This is my absolute favorite of the (few) pictures I managed to take between dodging crowds and gleefully, maniacally, mirthfully laughing at cheap, adorable accessories:



There was, surprisingly, no major food-tripping, although I do consider it a minor victory that I ate nothing but pork the entire time. My Daddy would be proud.

Oooh. Shiny.

I've said it before, but I love makeup. Makeup makes me happy.

The shimmer of powders, the sheen of creams, even the pure translucence of a simple moisturizer all bring a smile to my face. I love seeing pans, sticks, tubes, mounds of color in such varying depths and intensities that the rainbow pales in comparison.

In terms of providing comfort, chocolate is a distant second to the rapture that takes place once the waxy smell of a richly pigmented lipstick wafts into my brain.

It's one of the reasons I wouldn't hesitate to call myself shallow, really, but there you go.

If there's one benefit from such single-minded devotion, it's that people always know what to get you for your birthday. No one ever hesitates in helping to append my ever-increasing collection.

This birthday was, fortunately, no different. Deception and the sadistic desire to see me turn into a mess filled with both guilt for cosmetic greed and a gnawing desire to get my paws on more pigment aside, my mother is pretty much awesome for getting me this:


Benefit's Stay Put Set and Beauty Bestsellers

Commence gushing over the gorgeousness that is the packaging. Teeny tiny Benefit bestsellers? For $10? Brilliant, and absolutely adorable.

I'm currently loving the Erase Paste, which comes in the shade Medium. The Stay Don't Stray Primer is also commendable and, from the looks of things, may help any eyeshadow survive the Apocalypse. The little vial of Posietint has also proven itself to be the most gorgeous shade of pink for both cheeks and lips, and surprisingly, despite my initial misgivings, That Gal primer is slowly worming its pretty, scented self into my morning routine.

I may provide swatches soon, just for kicks.

High Beam is High Beam in that it makes you look ethereal and pretty. However, I have yet to try Some Kind-A Gorgeous, and I'm a bit "Meh," with the Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner (in R.S.V.P.). The latter is way too light to ever be considered as a liner, and the formulation's a bit dry. Very pretty color though.

Speaking of pretty colors, the powers that be have decided to temper my bliss with an absolute tragedy:



This color was beautiful. It's Mary Kay's Suede, which I discovered was discontinued, recently replaced by Amber Suede, which is a totally different thing, people. I know Bobbi Brown says that if a color you love is discontinued it means you're living in the past and you have to deal, woman, but on this point, I'll have to disagree with the queen of natural makeup. Suede was a plummy, browned red that worked with everything and didn't even have to be worn with natural makeup. You could slap black on your eyes and it still worked. Yes, I've tried.

I think I may have to do some lipstick surgery, and I'm already out of sample jars.

And while we're talking about makeup and all things ephemeral, I'm throwing this question out to the universe: Why is MAC's Face and Body foundation, a water-based bit of genius that seems made for the humid tropics, unavailable in the Philippines?



Think about it, MAC. Think about it.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Fairy tales don't need to involve castles, dragons or knights on white horses.

Apparently, a good record player will do.