Estee Lauder Double Wear Launch – At Rustan’s, Shangrila Mall

Because of bloggers, a widespread following of makeup enthusiasts, and professionals online, brands like Estee Lauder are no longer just for Tom Pecheux and your stunning grandmother.  As Sam Chapman once rather said in one of the older Pixiwoo videos, “Estee Lauder’s products always deliver because of a customer who won’t put up with anything rubbish.  They go back to Estee Lauder and use the same excellent products over and over again.”

It’s no secret that Estee Lauder’s luxury cosmetic range is still one of the most admired and trusted  in the world, and now a younger bracket is partaking of the brand’s excellence and it’s not at all hard to see why.

I was invited last week with other beauty bloggers to Estee Lauder’s Double Wear get together.  The Double Wear range has been around for quite awhile but they also wanted us in on some unconventional makeup tips the pros use to get the most out of different Estee Lauder products.  The night before I was feeling quite sick at a friend’s place and had to be given paracetamol so you can imagine how glad I was when they asked me to be the makeover model for the product demonstration Read more to see all the photos.

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The Face Shop Phytogenic Concealer Duo – Lovely Liquid and Stick Coverage Plus a Video Demo

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Two weeks ago I was blessed to be invited to a recent Face Shop Event, which I will blog about soon, and I came away happy with some GCs so I could pull out whatever I wished from their boutiques courtesy of them.  This is one of my most prized finds from that pullout.  This Phytogenic Infinite Concealer Duo by The Face Shop performs and speaks for itself and it’s my favorite thing right now, it’s even edged my MAC studio finish concealer pot out of my personal kit.  I’m actually quite taken by the Face Shop’s entire Phytogenic Range, it’s quite impressive.

• “Dual concealer in one to effortlessly hide any types of skin imperfections from a spot to a larger area.”
• “Two textures in one:

             ① Cream Stick: When natural coverage with moist finish is desired (e.g. light freckles, age spots)

             ② Matte Liquid : When full coverage with matte finish is desired (e.g. acne-spots, moles).”

• “Sweat and water resistant formula through Water in Silicon Mechanism: moisture pigments are coated by the silicon to prevent  smudge by sweat or water.”

Its only downfall is the lack of shades in the Phytogenic range (which does include foundation and pressed powder).  I will take just a bit of time to praise this oh so practical form of concealer.  What’s lovely about it is on either side of the tube you get one different form of coverage, your choice…liquid or stick.  So you get two forms of concealer in one travel-friendly product, which is so awesome.  Read more to get the full review and video demonstration.

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Crabtree & Evelyn Summer Hill Hand Therapy Cream – Remembering Lola and “Lindas Manitas”

This is my mother’s hand cream not mine.  Mom has always liked Crabtree & Evelyn and a former boss of hers recently gave this 100ml tube of their award-winning hand therapy cream to her which converting from the site should cost about Php850.00.  I wouldn’t call it your run-of-the-mill type of hand cream, its consistency is like a hand butter without the greasiness and it absorbs very quickly into the skin.  Hand creams remind me of a Spanish blessing my Lola used to sing over my hands while she’d cradle them in hers then let go and we’d rotate our palms together in the air.  My paternal grandmother spoke Spanish a lot but the blessing itself also has an Argentinean origin.  I do remember these words…they bring back memories and Mom seriously believes Lola’s recited blessing helped my hands grow beautifully (I seriously don’t like my nail shapes though).  Actually, some people have asked in the past if they could audition my hands for commercials or photograph them.

“Qué lindas manitas que tengo yo. Linda y bonita que Dios me la dio.”

ENG: Look what pretty hands I have, Pretty and beautiful that God gave to me.

INGREDIENTS: Water, Glycerin, emulsifying wax, isopropyl myristate, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), stearic acid, caprylic/capric triglyceride, sucrose distearate, cyclomethicone, triethanolamine, dimethicone, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, bisabolol, sucrose stearate, allantoin, fragrance, sorbitol, sodium pca, sodium lactate, proline, benzyl salicylate, disodium edta, hydroxyisohexyl, 3-cyclohexene, carboxaldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, linalool, butylphenyl, methylpropional, hexyl cinnamal, citronellol, eugenol, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben.

Crabtree & Evelyn’s Hand Therapy cream contains shea butter to gently moisturize hands, a quick note to purists out there it isn’t at all paraben-free but I honestly can’t get over how it makes my hands feel and smell though.  I’m sure the process of formulation is of the highest quality and I love the dainty, feminine product design.  The Summer Hill scent is a light, pure and simple peppery, soapy floral which is exactly what you’d like your hands to smell like, clean.  I’m glad that it rehydrates hands without that annoyingly thick filmy feeling afterwards that some lotions give, like a suffocating, unseen pair of gloves.  My hands feel claustrophobic with that sensation from other hand creams, we’re not a dry country but working hands still need some TLC.  The product comes in an a collapsible aluminum tube like the Embryolisse moisturizer I had, and what’s lovely about tubes like this even though they’re a bit heavy is they keep the cream cool (especially nice to refrigerate), you get every bit of the product out down to the last squidge and it’s more environment friendly.  I’m on the lookout for a smaller tube of this, I’m hoping there’s a tinier 50ml one…ahh and minutes later, the Crabtree & Evelyn website reveals that there is and it would cost about Php550-600.  Crabtree & Evelyn have local boutiques at Greenbelt, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Place, and SM Megamall.

UPDATED: Mom and I were Shortlisted! Pls Vote to Send Us to the Olympics

Hi guys remember when I joined P&G’s Thank You Mom FB Promo and sent them this photo?

Well, as God would have it, we were shortlisted!  And we’re so thrilled except for one thing WE NEED YOUR HELP.  Mom and I are a pair among 6 P&G Semi finalists for the London Olympics promo. We’d like to ask your help. HERE ARE THE FINAL CORRECT STEPS TO VOTE FOR US, voting open worldwide till June 15, even my friend from the UK voted for us. If we win by votes we’ll be sent to the London Olympics this August:

(1.) Please kindly go to this link…

https://www.facebook.com/thankyoumomPH/app_393118827391935?ref=m_notif&refid=13&notif_t=like

2.) Click JOIN to add the P&G Thank You Mom app (you CAN delete the app after contest ends before end of June or by July when winners are announced.) Allow FB to add the Thank You mom app

3.) When page reappears scroll down to REGISTER put your info (even its not complete adress just type something in all slots), Click SUBMIT

(4.) Click “+1 vote” under my photo with Mom and your vote will be added.

Thank you very much, we really need help because we only have 17 votes and the leading pair already have 350+ I think. If you know anybody who knows us and has an FB account and are close enough to them to share this opportunity to vote please do, thank you!

Criteria for Final Judging and Winner Selection (June 13, 2012)

• Pre-selected entries (3 from Facebook and 3 from SMS) will be posted and voted on by the public through the Thank You Mom Ph Facebook page from May 17 to June 10, 2012. Final selection of winners will be held in the presence of a DTI representative at the Mediacom office, 22F Picadilly Star Building, 4th Avenue corner 27th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on June 13, 2012. • 1 winner from Facebook and 1 winner from SMS will be selected to win a trip to London based on the following criteria.

Thank You Mom Message Quality (Narration, Content, Story) – 50%
Creativity – 20 %
Emotional Appeal – 20%
Likes (Public Voting) – 10%
Total: 100%

IV. Prizes

There will be two Grand Prize winners, one Facebook and one SMS entry. They will each win a (3D/2N)Trip to London package worth 800,000 pesos on August 9-13, 2012 to see the Olympics with their mother. This includes business class airplane tickets and hotel accommodation, food allowance and pocket money.

The top tree entries chosen online will be featured in a TV commercial.

My Mane Musings – Hair Inspirations, Hesitations, Limitations, and Inclinations

Throughout a huge chunk of my life my hair, more often than not, has been long and very feminine and worn down like this with the natural waves towards the end.  I do almost wish I could exude the same “Stare if I care” aura everywhere I went as the girl does in this photo LOL.

Then there was that sly bit of self that’s nagged me my whole life with the yearning to be edgier and STRIKING rather than cute in a sense.  Tonight I was searching for shorter hair options because alas I have hairfall, and I think my hair problem has less to do with age and more to do with my past life as a post production artist.  I’ve just come out of a steady, not very alarming, but constant stream of hair loss that now flows into my freelance life. I probably have only slightly more than half of the hair density I used to have and the hair loss has nothing to do with recoloring.  Before cannonballing into the millions of available hairstyle images online I defined my search making sure my facial shape and huge forehead were factored in.  What surprised me was among the many photos that surfaced in results I actually found a “petite” model with similar body physique and an overall cheeky facial shape/structure almost identical to mine.

This model’s hair taunts me no end and gives me one of those “I-wish-I-had-straight-thick-hair” moments.  However, I know for certain that because of our identical physique and facial shape this insanely high-maintenance hairstyle would most certainly suit me well but would also most certainly be a pain to achieve on a daily basis.  Once upon a time before puberty, my locks were this straight in grade school, life was so much easier that way.  It was quite easy to fix my hair, all I had to do was comb through and leave it down.  This is Sucker Punch’s Emily Browning (who actually turned down the role of Bella Swan for Twilight).  Her hair here is styled straight but if I’m not mistaken it’s naturally wavy just as mine is today.

When I turned 13 my straight smooth locks became a thing of the past and suddenly out came these huge burdensome waves that hadn’t yet fully formed into the lovely twists they turned into later on in my life, the new waves made my hair look lopsided at times.  It was really hard getting my new wavy hair to work with me back then.  During the 90s in Manila it was all about super straight,smooth, bouncy hair, with split-free ends that turned inward as inspired by Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel in the hit TV Show, Friends.  So in high-school I hated my wavy hair, but warping back to now I have come to appreciate my natural beach waves.  Read more to get the full post and the revelation of a personal hair inclination.

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CLOSED: My Body Shop Banana-Split Beauty Nationwide Giveaway – The Blog’s “Yummiest” Treats yet! ‘Til June 25

I haven’t seen a giveaway as “yummy” as this just yet.  I thought up a concept for a NATIONWIDE giveaway to make it more fun to present visually (I like doing that) and I have been craving and missing something I tasted when I was in elementary, when the Baskin Robbins Ice Cream parlor was still at Alabang Town Center, their classic, never underwhelming Banana Split.  Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry ice cream flanked by bananas.  I thought a Banana Split would be a great concept for a giveaway considering I had these Body Shop goodies on hand, they complete the dish sans the cherry on top.  This giveaway will close on the evening of June 25th and the mechanics are at the end of this post.

From Left: The Body Shop Banana Conditioner, Strawberry Body Butter, Chocomania Body Scrub, and coming soon to stores in other scents as well, their Vanilla Body Mist. 

Sorry, can’t get that dessert out of my head, but I’m telling you all these Body Shop products are really lovely.  Read more for the giveaway mechanics and my thoughts on the prizes.

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The Body Shop marks down my Wonder Years item, their Lip & Cheek Stain

I think I went through 3 or 4 tubes of these between high-school and college, they were the one thing besides Clinique Almost Lipstick that Mom allowed me to wear.  Heads up!  These Body Shop babies are a local favorite and have high-dived into the SALE pool from Php795-Php395!

Back then it was like having a vial of blood rouge on hand and you knew the color would match any skintone light or dark and make you look naturally flushed.  On the lips using the magic wand you could be Snow White versus the Queen for a day (movie plug) with a defiant red tinged pout, plus, if on the surface things are getting a bit dry and chapped before Happily Ever After…

…you may just want to whack some Strawberry Born Lippy on, they’re on sale at the moment at Php195 but they may only have the old designed ones on sale, same pot different label design from this updated one above (from the regular price of Php250).  I’m not 100% sure if it’s an ALL BRANCHES thing with the Born Lippy promo, but for sure at The Body Shop Glorietta 3 the mark down is definitely on your Donkey Kong.  I have a more in-depth Body Shop event post coming up so keep hovering and read!!  For more information check out and Like The Body Shop Philippines FB Page.

Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream – Great for Rebalancing and Soothing Irritated Skin

This Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream is actually Nicola Chapman’s (Pixiwoo) drugstore moisturizer of choice and that’s how I first heard about it.  I tend to have sensitive, reactive skin because of past hit-and-miss ordeals with skincare, weather changes, exposure, and certain allergens around the house.  I also have a patch of mild eczema that resurfaces once in awhile on my inner arm crook.  When I heard Nic rave about this cream for the first time over a year ago on their Pixiwoo YouTube channel it sounded like the kind of cream I needed to have on hand for reactive flare-ups.  The brand, Oilatum by Stiefel, does not go unrecognized in my book since a cousin of mine who dealt with skin asthma always had the other regular local Oilatum cream and soap in his bathroom years ago.  Nic almost never fails to use this as her moisturizing primer before her makeup tutorials on their makeup channel.  As with most brands today, Oilatum put out this variant with more natural ingredients to appease sensitive consumers who are trying more and more to veer away from products with harsh chemical formulations.

“Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream is an annivative new therapy specially formulated to intensively nourish and help repair your skin’s natural barrier.  It penetrates deeply to rehydrate facial skin relieving tightnesss and irritation and leaving it feeling smooth.  Suitable for dry and sensitive skin.  Free from fragrances, preservatives, and emulsifiers.  Light enough to be used under makeup. Ideal for everyday use.“

Sorry to those interested in getting this it isn’t available locally, it’s sold in Boots in the UK, I put out a search on Ebay for it last year and was blessed to have found a reliable seller at the time plus the expiration date was nearly 2 years away so it was certainly new stock.  Truth is, because I do have random bouts with my skin I am sort of a face cream junkie (bitter memory of a thrown out unfinished tub of MooGoo floats by, it turned out to be too rich for a tropical zone) and at first when I got this Oilatum one I didn’t like it the first time around, because at first I thought it was also just a bit too rich, though not as rich as Embryolisse which I like.  I thought it was making my skin react at first but I was not sure because I was switching products around  at the time.  Now I’ve rediscovered it and found out its use for other skin conditions, and am so glad I got it.  Read more for the full post with ingredients and what got this back in my bag.

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Super Koi and the Pilipinas Cup rumble at Nuvali – A short visual analogy

I’m out for the weekend because of my brother’s 3-day football tournament at Nuvali, today’s the last day.  I had a bit of an encounter with the famous hungry koi at Nuvali who feed and multiply like crazy.  When you stand over the deck they have eyes for you already in anticipation of a generous sprinkle.  I’m proud of these smartphone photos, I did boost the brightness a bit in post processing but that’s ’bout it.  This pretty much visualizes what took place after the games yesterday.  The Under-16 division of Kaya Elite drew in a game vs. Loyola MSA, so nobody won, nobody lost.  The mood was pretty somber for both.

Then a prickly player from Loyola decided to randomly and ever so crudely spit on one of our players, who was quietly changing and arranging his clothes WITH HIS MOM BESIDE HIM.  Our team captain saw it, and our team captain is said player’s cousin.  Seventeen year-old kapitan pushes the offensive Loyola player, and a brawl ensues which includes coaches, players, and parents.

My brother and his friends who were safely out of the mess watched nearby in near disbelief.  The Nuvali police came and had to break it up.  My opinion?  Spitting on an opposing player is petty, cheap, and a waste of good saliva and it’s even dumber when you do it with the player’s parents and complete team right there.  As for the rest…although anger is valid self-control never hurt anyone.  Anyone up for a football game?

OLAY Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream – Mom gives it a go for 4 days

I never planned to road test any anti-aging products on myself.  Essentially I still haven’t at all except for the eye cream I use, but I had a willing candidate for this Olay review, my mother who used Olay nourishing face lotions for many years in the past.  Olay kindly sent me a bottle of their Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing cream, a breakthrough anti-aging moisturizer which is supposed to hydrate, nourish, soothe the skin and reduce the blatant appearance of lines and wrinkles and show results within a window of 10 minutes from the first application, I’ve got you now, huh?

“Regenerist’s revolutionary wrinkle fighter combines Olay moisture with advanced micro fillers to smooth skin’s surface, relaxing the appearance of wrinkles while the formula with biopeptides + a B3 complex hydrates to reduce the appearance of even deep lines in 14 days **, *vs other Olay Anti-aging products  **with continuous use “

I made my mom try this from the morning of April 16.  We began by taking a photo of her without the product at all and with the product applied after 5-10mins.  Read more to get the full post and review.

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