If you’re from the MTV age like me, the photo below might send you back to the 90s. :)

Without a doubt, this is the oldest item in my boudoir. The perfect mist it dispenses is priceless!

ZA Cosmetics and I go a looong way back. When PCX Glorietta (the same decade when we had Fashion Cafe, Streetlife and OMG — Glico’s and Betty’s Popcorn) was the place to be, I always asked begged my mom to buy me makeup. Not that I needed it I thought but because my mom always looked super posh when she’s dolled up, I want to have makeup in my (school) bag too. Why yes, she’s ultimate peg! Because I was a tween and she didn’t want me to prematurely damage my skin, all I can have is the ZA Energy Water. While I don’t remember its effect on my skin, all I can reckon is how it made me feel nice and bona fide dalaga. At 12, I clearly remember doing my first makeup haul at SASA Hong Kong. You guessed it — that haul’s mostly just the ZA Energy Water and a couple of lip gloss tubes from Baby Pink. :)

Just like my other fave Asian exclusive brand Fasio (love their compact powders and mascara!), ZA Cosmetics took a step back when big US and UK brands said hello to us. Imagine my delight when 18 years after that first makeup haul, ZA Cosmetics and I are reunited here in Manila. :)

Za Cosmetics, found the need to fulfill the desire of women ages 20-30s to be in control with their lives, by coming up with a total cosmetic brand. Straight from the Shiseido lab, Za has been studying Asian women’s skin for more than 50 years to develop a complete line of products that will readily realize the “Metropolitan Beauty”. With its full range of skin care and cosmetics, Za is designed to support women who desire sophisticated beauty with confidence and vitality admired by everybody. Za Cosmetics Philippines Za, designed by Shiseido Tokyo laboratory, created skincare and makeup products that require no special techniques to ensure enhancement of skin’s self-revitalizing power, and makeup that looks naturally beautiful.

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Boxed surprises are always good but black, boxed BDJ Boxes? I love them! :) I had an amazing humpday last week when the BDJ Box team sent the BDJ Box Elite Edition my way. I’ve been a BDJ Box subscriber for a good while but I missed the April, May and Elite boxes because I always (ugh!) forget to snag one. For July, since June’s already been sold out (sob!) , I made sure that I sent the payment through the recurring Paypal scheme. Gotta love how they got this feat!

My BDJ Box Elite arrived wrapped in plastic with a sweet little note tucked in it. To the BDJ Box Team — you’re welcome and my pleasure! :)

This box’s theme is not only straightforward but also very warranted. Dubbed as “Summer Indulgence”, the first BDJ Box Elite is filled to the rim with carefully curated, summer must-haves. Let’s open the box, shall we?

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L’Oreal Paris recently spoiled me with a pigment rich, lot of treats from their Color Riche Lipstick range. Apparently, since its 1992 launch, Color Riche has been hailed the lipstick market leader. I feel so far behind trying this range just now! :)

Viva Red, Think Pink, Fuzzy Taupe

The colours I got are relatively safe (very “tweakable” if they’re too cool or warm for one’s liking too) for most if not all skin tones. I like how they’re very intense and opulent — exactly how I like my lipsticks. Since it’s enriched with anti-oxidants Vitamin E and Omegas 3, it slips on my skin and lips like a dream and helps keep it hydrated with every use. What I noticed is that the more I use it, the less I snag on my lip balm (a first!) to combat lip flaking.

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CC Creams have been around for a good while and quite honestly, until I got my hands on the Chanel CC Cream, it hasn’t quite impressed me. I first heard of the Chanel CC Cream from Divine Lee and for the queen on contouring to rave about it, I just had to get my hands on it. :) In my opinion, it’s a dead ringer of Chanel Vitalumière Aqua. It’s tad runnier and has less coverage but definitely evens out the skin tone in one application without the caking nor building up. The finish never mattefies on me no matter what loose powder I use. In other words, it’s definitely your skin — perfected to the brim. The caveat? It’s an Asian exclusive product and it’s always out of stock. I got mine from Singapore for around S$82 and it retails around Php 2850 locally if available.

If you don’t have access to the Chanel CC Cream, I bring you great news! Two weekends ago, over never ending nomz at Brigitte’s place, I got to try the new Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30/PA+++. True to its promise, it’s an instant complexion perfector that moisturized my skin without making it greasy. Sophie brought hers that’s in Natural Fair and it flexed on my skin tone, Brigitte’s and even Jamie’s. It’s very comfortable to wear and because it’s from Clinique, breakouts are out of the equation.

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Natural Fair
Chanel CC Cream in 020 Beige

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Make Up Factory has been creating a lot of buzz recently and if you don’t know where to start with the brand, I’d like to share with you how I started my love affair with it.

Make Up Factory Transparent Make Up Base

I’m a big (foundation) primer fan and my requisites are simple yet rarely all available in 1 formula. It has to hit all items below:

• Non-comedogenic, good for sensitive skin
• Decent slip — I don’t want too much silica in my primer as it makes me oil up really fast
• Great oil control — I want to keep my blotting to 2-3x a day (in an airconditioned environment) at the most
• Transparent or translucent – since I self-tan into different gradients, colourless primers are highly preferred
• Housed in either a pump bottle or tube

Last September, one of my friends who came from Europe gave me the Make Up Factory Transparent Make Up Base as pasalubong. I was ecstatic about it because it’s the first time I’ve heard of the brand and with my friend being a makeup artist, I thought this product’s passed her standards.

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I’ve been on a Sample Room rave spree offline (at work and play) and I thought I’d share with all of you the great stuff I’ve recently tried from the country’s premier sampling site . :)

Say hello to my beach camping essentials! The Mustela baby products above have been of great help whenever I’m out camping because not only are they tiny enough for an overnight trip but are also surprisingly good enough for adults as they are for infants. I was wowed on how the shampoo even got rid of my hair’s salt water residue. The Hydra Bebe Body Lotion is a fantastic end of the day treat whether I’m in the city or the beach because it just smells and feels so damn great! If I don’t have what seems like a lifetime’s worth of bath and body products, I will hoard on the lotion for my parents’ home, my pad and the office. For now, I settled with just one 300ml bottle (with pump!) which cost me anywhere between Php 850-900. Pricey yes but definitely worth it!

For someone so tan and always outdoors, sun protection’s never compromised. I got the Nivea Invisible Cooling Mist just in time for another trip. I camped twice in the last 90 days and I got burnt (and peeled) really bad the first time. While this new sunblock from Nivea didn’t prevent me from darkening further, I’m very pleased to share with you that I didn’t burn nor peel after hours and hours paddling and trekking. I’ll definitely buy it again when I run dry of it.

To remove all traces of sunblock (as high as SPF 100), I use the Ahava All In One Toning Cleanser. Cleansing my face with this at the end of a tiring swimming sesh or just at the end of a not-so good day feels like a dream. It’s not too creamy nor too runny. Just pefect to tissue off in a pinch too.

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Earlier last week, Rebecca of cutieverse.com (how fun!) sent me these 2 super cute, organic and all-vegan lip balm from a brand called Hurraw!. First of all — how awesome is it that its content is individually poured in an almost flat, oval twist tube? Apart from the packaging’s standout personality, it’s guaranteed not to bunch up or slip out of the jeans’ pockets like most round tubes.

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