Kiehl's Power Plant now open for business!

Kiehl's just opened a new branch at Power Plant Mall. Hooray! My family has always loved Kiehl's. My husband Vince is the real fan—nearly all his grooming products are Kiehl's. I use the hair thickener and sunscreen. My babies use the foaming baby wash. Yup, we're fans!

But with their boutiques at Greenbelt 5 and Mall of Asia, I haven't really been able to buy the products my family loves. But now that there's a Kiehl's shop 5 minutes from my home, my new problem's going to be I ahve to stop myself from shopping too much!

I was at the opening event last week. It was an all-day affair and beautiful women and well groomed men were dropping by throughout the day. I passed by after lunch. If I had known there was going to be a buffet, I'd have eaten lunch there instead!

Here are photos of the event, plus the luscious products I brought home to try.

Kiehl's originated from New York City in 1851.

The decor is very NYC.

The pasta bar and other edibles.

Munchies and dessert station

With MEGA's beauty team, Kim Reyes-Palanca and Max Ignacio

This is the new Aromatic Blends Collection. It includes body cleansers, lotions and fragrances.
The scents are sourced from around the world in sustainable ways.

Here are the fragrances! I liked the bottle of Nashi Blossom & Pink Grapefruit best.

My husband's order. He super loves this facial foam.

This is my hair essential since I have the thinnest, finest, flattest hair in the world. 

The Kiehl's team recommended I try this. I'll give a review soon! I hope it works!

I love argan oil. It rid me of pimples! So I'll try it on my body, too, with these.

Truly excited that Kiehl's is so near us now! I urge you to drop by the new boutique at Power Plant. It's on the second level, near the center of the mall. You can't miss it. Now, if unlike me, you live noweher near Power Plant, other Kiehl's boutiques are at Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, Mall of Asia and Alabang Town Center.

Pond's Flawless White is giving away 300+ tickets to Kylie's concert!!!

Love Kylie Minogue? Then you're going to love Pond's Flawless White! The whitening range is sponsoring a super easy contest: They're giving away 306 tickets to Kylie's Aphrodite world tour, specifically the Manila concert on July 5! Hooray!

Now before I give you the mechanics, let me tell you why Pond's is so in love with Kylie. Last year, the sexy pop star revealed that her mommy used the classic Pond's Cold Cream and so she uses it, too. She said Pond's is the secret to her flawless skin!

So next week, Pond's Flawless White returns the love to Kylie by inviting more than 300 fans to her concert. It's super easy to be one of these lucky fans! Just follow these steps:

TWITTER
How: Follow @pondsph and RT this: I use the unbeaten power of Pond's Flawless White to whiten every day. Now I can use it to meet Kylie Minogue too! #Ponds_KylieMinogue

Prize: Three winners get 2 lower box tickets plus a chance to meet Kylie!!!

PRODUCT PURCHASE
How: Buy P500 worth of Pond's products in participating supermarkets, department stores and drugstores in Manila. Any kind but at least one must be from the Flawless White range. A Pond's beauty advisor will then give you a raffle form. Fill it up and start praying!

Prize: 150 lucky shoppers will win 2 tickets from either upper A, upper B and lower box sections.

Winners will be announced on Pond's Facebook page (click it now to know more about this exciting contest!).

Good luck!

Event: Pond's launches White Beauty Naturals featuring the pretty Angelica Panganiban

Pond's is so excited to launch their first natural line called White Beauty Naturals. It's so natural that on the launch this Tuesday, they used the ingredients of the products for our dinner. Seriously!

The face they got to represent the new whitening line is pretty starlet Angelica Panganiban. She's known for wearing no makeup, even for TV interviews because she likes to let her skin breathe. She can do that, of course, because she has perfect skin. So I guess that's why Pond's thinks she's the best girl for their new line!

The event was held at Sofitel, my favorite hotel in the city. The organizers converted the Sunset Pavilion into an indoor garden, complete with trees, shrubs, flowers, climbing ivy and a gazebo.

Lovely models came out to... you know, I really don't know what the models were for.They just strutted about onstage in goddess gowns created by Rhett Eala. They didn't go around the audience showing off the new products or asking us to test them, smell them, etc. They just stood there and looked stern and beautiful. Strange. I think Pond's could've done away with them. Although I did like the gowns!

Anyway, after the models spent a few minutes walking around frowning, they cleared out so that Angelica can own the stage. She's actually prettier in person than I thought. She was tall and slim. On TV, she kinda looks short and chubby. Oh, those dreaded 10 pounds the TV adds!

Then the host interviewed Angelica who said that she really is a low maintenance girl when it comes to her skin and that she's so happy Pond's came out with a product line that she's happy to use.

Then Angelica was whisked off to a table so that the media can interview her. That table was actually next to mine so I got close enough to see that, yes, her skin is absolutely perfect. I was so green with envy! I've always had oily, acne-ridden skin so whenever I see gorgeous skin, I get so envious!

You know what else was green? The guests! The theme of the night was green, green, green. Even I burrowed through my closet, looking for green dresses.

Unilever's Jacqe Yuengtian, fashion designer Rhett Eala
and Age Miracle image model Rissa Mananquil

Visions & Expressions Ginggay Joven, Inquirer columnist
Tessa Valdes Prieto and me

For my outfit details, click here. For my review of Pond's White Beauty Naturals, we'll wait for 2 months from now!

Your first makeup kit: What should be in it

Mav Duran sent me this question:
I'm thinking of buying my first makeup set. What would you recommend I should buy first? I mean what are the essentials that I should be getting?

When choosing products for your first makeup kit (and forever afterwards!), there are just three things you need to know:

Set the base. 
Concealer hides a multitude of skin sins, foundation creates a smooth canvas to paint on and powder sets your foundation so that it won't melt and move around your face.

However, if you've been very good to your skin, you won't need to exhaust yourself on this first step. So the real first step is take care of your skin! Eat healthy, sleep well, have a good skincare regimen. If your skin is clear and glowing, you won't need to cover up your gorgeousness!

Add color.
Once you've set the base, the face can look flat and pale. Here's where color comes in. Color is really just needed on cheeks (for a pretty glow) and lips (for extra juiciness!). But since eyes are the oft-called windows to the soul, prettifying your peepers is a great idea.

Accentuate. 
This is simply adding structure to your face. Eyebrows must be defined, lashes curled and plumped, eyes lined  to make them pop. You can also use bronzer to contour cheekbones. These products are the dark products--blacks and browns--and are designed to ground your look.

So what do you need in your first makeup kit? Here's a basic list:
Base: concealer, foundation, powder
Color: eye shadow, blush, lipstick
Accents: eyebrow powder, mascara, eye liner

Yes, just nine products. That's the foundation of your makeup arsenal. Then once you become more confident, you can add these fun things: primer, correctors, highlighter, bronzer, lip gloss, fake lashes, and tons of various lip colors.

Here's what's in my makeup kit:
Base: La Mer concealer, La Mer foundation, La Mer powder, Lancome pressed powder, La Mer lip balm

Color: NARS blush in Orgasm, shu uemura eye shadow palette, Bobbi Brown eye and lip palette, lipsticks from Avon, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Revlon, L'Oreal

Accents: ModelCo eyebrow kit, Lancome mascara, Stila eyeliner, Bobbi Brown bronzer

Hope that helped, Mav!

The ultimate in facials: La Mer exclusive facial!

I was lucky enough to be invited to have a La Mer facial at Shangri-la Makati recently. This facial is offered only to their most important clients so I was pretty psyched to get one for free!

Everything about the treatment is luxe--from the spacious hotel suite transformed to a spa to the best fluffy bedroom slippers ever!

Obviously, all the products used for the facial is La Mer. From cleansing and treatment to masks and moisturizing, I was slathered and smoothed with La Mer! So rich! The massage was so relaxing, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I looked great! Ahhhh, La Mer!

To avail of this luxurious treatment, just purchase P20,000 worth of La Mer products. The next facial is this September!

Event: Meeting Pond's Gold image model Tweetie de Leon

The Pond's Gold line includes a cleansing mouse, a cleansing foam,
a day cream, a night repair cream, an eye cream and a serum.

Had a lovely lunch the other day. Hosted by Unilever, the lunch was at the luxurious Shang Palace at Makati Shangri-la, in a private room decked in golden touches. Along with other editors, I had an intimate lunch with Pond's Gold image model Tweetie de Leon.

This is her first endorsement of a beauty brand in a long, long time. She told us that she tested Pond's Gold for a couple of months and when she saw the fab results, only then did she agree to sign up as its endorser. I guess she really believes in this anti-aging line! Well, I saw the results up close since I sat right beside her. Tweetie is drop-dead gorgeous and she only had eye makeup on!

Tweetie said that she uses all the products in the line but that her favorites are the cleanser and the serum. She confessed that she's actually very lazy with skincare, hence she quickly found what works best--cleaning and treatment!

Unilever's Jacque Yuengtian (right) said, "No matter
how we try, when we pose beside Tweetie, we just
can't look that good!" I agree, Jacque, but only for me.
You look smashing as always =)

She also revealed that beauty is all about having a beautiful life. If your life is happy, your relationships are great and your body is healthy, it will really show on your skin. So yes, she recommended Pond's Gold as a skincare regime, but she also encouraged us to live happy, healthy and full lives so that our beauty will shine through to everybody!

Pond's Gold gave me a beautiful golden box with the day cream, night cream and serum. I'll just finish testing this other skincare line and then I'll start with Pond's Gold. Watch this space for my review!

Went shopping for my fave Kiehl's stuff!

Lenny Tiongson of Kiehl's invited me and some friends to shop, shop, shop at the newly opened boutique at Mall of Asia. Oh, what fun we had!

That's Lenny with OK! magazine's beauteous beauty team,
Nicole Delos Angeles and Nichole Reyes-Mercado.

Preview's Lyca Puno, Eunice Lucero and Agoo Bengzon. 

And here's what I bought:

Why? Here are my reasons!

• For Vito: 2 bottles of Kiehl's Baby Gentle Foaming Hair & Body Wash - This is super duper my favorite for the convenience! The wash foams up so there's no mess and no sponges. I love the barely-there scent (some baby washes are too fragrant) and best of all, it's so gentle on Vito's baby skin. 
• For Vince: 1 bottle of Acai Damage-Minimising Cleanser - Vince says, "I really like that," when I asked him about this facial foam. He says his skin really improved while using this and I can definitely vouch for that! 
• For me: 2 tubes of Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 - I actually use Lancome SPF 50 makeup base but I don't think it's very good because after months of use, I still have sun damage. So I'm switching to this. My friends say it's the best SPF 50, both in texture and efficacy.

Thanks, Lenny!

To my readers, here's where to find Kiehl's fab boutiques: At the ground level of Greenbelt 5, nearest the driveway, just along Legaspi St., and at the second level of Mall of Asia, just enter the main door (ya, where the globe is) and go up the escalator and go right. Have fun shopping!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 12

There's some improvement from the last report: Now that I've gone back to applying just the prescribed 2 drops on my face, my ginormous pimple has dried up. Pretty quickly, if I may add!

So today is the 12th day since I started using Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. My skin is super soft. Do you want super soft skin, too? Then you can get a chance to win your very own bottle of this concentrate worth P2,880!

Here's what you have to do:
1. Just finish this sentence in a post on your blog: "I want to try Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate because..."
2. Then finish that blog post with this sentence: "I hope I win my very own bottle of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate from Beauty For A Living!"
3. Leave a comment on this post with your post's URL link so I can check if you link to my blog!

That's it! Judging the winner is entirely up to me! But a fun and creative post will definitely help things along for you. Sob stories are welcome, if that's your thing. Flattering me may help, too! Joke, joke, joke. I just feel really fat and heavy now that I'm about to give birth but I'm digressing...

So I'll announce the winner on the very last day of this Midnight Diaries Challenge, which is on July 20! You have 3 days, beauty-zens! Good luck!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 9

It's Day 9 of my Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge and today I have some bad news. I have a huge pimple on my right cheek. Like, giant.

The thing is I don't know if this is because of the concentrate or because I can't sleep well anymore due to my advanced pregnancy (heartburn, back pain, an overall feeling of heaviness, frequent urination, etc).

I asked OK! beauty editor-at-large Nicole delos Angeles about this and she said the oil could be too rich for me. I sheepishly confessed that instead of the prescribed 2 drops for the entire face, I lavish my skin with 4 to even 6 drops! That's how much I love how soft my skin feels now! Nicole just looked at me with exasperation and said I should follow directions!

So, folks, I took a rest from the concentrate last night but will apply again tonight--this time, with only the recommended 2 drops!

And remember to stay tuned to this blog for instructions on how you, too, can have your very own bottle of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate! Just a gentle reminder: Use 2 drops only!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 6

It's been almost a week since I started applying the elixir, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and so far, I like what I feel.

To those who just dropped by this blog, I've agreed to take on the Midnight Recovery Diaries of Kiehl's, which is to sleep well and to apply this oil on my face and neck for 15 days. Unfortunately, due to my schedule and my pregnancy, I can't really sleep that well. But that doesn't mean I don't feel and see any good changes to my skin!

I apply the concentrate on my face, neck and hands. Kiehl's said to just put 2 drops; I like putting 4! I emulsify the oil with my fingers first then when it's nice and warm, I spread it on my face, neck and whatever's left over I rub all over my hands. And now all of those parts mentioned are super supple. I like touching my cheeks and neck and hands now!

Appearance-wise, well, the skin looks very moist, but not oily. I don't know what this elixir is supposed to do actually (whiten? brighten? remove wrinkles? reduce size of pores?) since my skin looks the same, except for the fact that it looks very supple... and young. Well, I guess that's what it's supposed to do! After all, its tag line does say, "One night. Two drops. Younger-looking skin by morning."

And since you're all with me in the middle of this challenge, I am offering one lucky reader the chance to take on the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge, too! Just follow my diaries first--it will be over by next week--and I'll tell you how to get your very own bottle of youth!

 

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 3

Oh, I'm so sleepy now. Must either be the fact that I'm pregnant or the fact that I'm also doing the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge and today, Thursday, is Day 3.

My observations so far:
My skin doesn't look any better but it does feel softer and smoother. My face and neck really feel moist and supple. Best of all, no greasiness. Yep, even though the Midnight Recovery Concentrate is pure oil, my skin is not so oily anymore. How weird is that?! So my skin's texture has definitely improved but when I look in the mirror, I still look the same!

I do have hope that I'll start to see--not just feel--a change at the end of this challenge (15 days, baby!). Actually, 15 days is quite brief. Studies show that it takes about 6-8 weeks for skin cells to renew themselves. So a slow change is best for our skin.

I'll be offering more updates on Day 6. For now, since it's almost midnight, it's time for my beauty sleep. Good night!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 1

So you all know I'm doing this review of the new Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. All I have to do is sleep by midnight, get at least 7 hours of sleep, oh and apply 2-3 drops of the elixir on my face before I nod off. The details of the challenge are here.

So how did I do last night?

Well, I had strawberries and my prenatal milk and also had a nice warm shower before bedtime. Then I put a few drops of the concentrate on my cleansed face. For the purposes of this review, I only used the concentrate and will use just that product at night for the next 15 nights.

This morning, I woke up to... looking okay! No miraculous amazing beautiful skin but I do like the fact that I don't look greasy. The concentrate, you see, is oil, and I was worried that my already oily skin will get even greasier. But the 3 drops I spread all over my face and neck were quickly absorbed and I didn't react negatively to the oil (meaning, no breakouts!) so... So far, so good!

Will update again on the third day!

I'm taking on Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Challenge

Sheena Dy of Kiehl's sent over this beautiful blue bottle of magic, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate. The label says that it's a "replenishing elixir of pure essential oils and distilled botanicals to visibly restore the appearance of skin by morning."

Sheena then invited me to take part in the "Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge." Here's what I have to do:
1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
2. Drink soothing beverages like herbal infusions or milk before bedtime.
3. Avoid exercise near sleepy time.
4. In the afternoon and early evening, stay away from stimulants like coffee, green tea and colas.
5. Enjoy relaxing activities, like a warm bath, before going to sleep.
6. Shut the TV off when you're ready to sleep.
7. Curb your alcohol consumption.

For fine fair skin, try Neutrogena's Fine Fairness line!

Attended a lovely lunch thrown by Neutrogena recently. The skincare brand trusted by a lot of Hollywood celebrities is introducing their latest whitening line this month. And I really need this! Pregnancy has darkened certain body parts and I no likey darkey parts so as soon as I'm done with the pregnancy, I'm using Neutrogena's Fine Fairness range.

Actually, Robert Kwon, Johnson's & Johnson's regional director for professional marketing in Asia Pacific, assured me that the range is safe for pregnant women. And I believe him but I saw that retinol is one of the active ingredients, and pregnant women are usually advised to stay away from Vitamin A. But as soon as I give birth, I'm definitely using these products.

So looking forward to the new NARS eye shadow base!

The fabulous ladies of Visions & Expressions and Shey Mazon of Rustan's invited me to a little beauty launch of something very big: the NARS 2010 Summer Collection! Now I'm a NARS user (For blush, I only use Orgasm--it's perfection!) so obviously I had to go. I was so excited that I forgot to bring my camera! So I'l have to use the press images but there was a part in the demonstration that was really unbelievably amazing and I wasn't able to take a shot to show you! Am I annoyed with myself? YES!

Anyway, Rustan's flew in NARS makeup artist Michael Hanz. He is so adorable with really fluttery eyelashes. And he's such a girlfriend! The first time he met us editors and he made us feel like we've been friends for life. So, anyway! I asked him who his favorite Hollywood clients are and he said quite bluntly, "Emily Blunt." He also added that Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan of the Multiples line, Serena Williams and Beyonce love everything, and Kim Kardashian uses Turkish Delight gloss.  

Now, while we all oohed and ahhed over the many new products (like the Orgasm Illuminator, Pure Sheer Lip Treatment, etc), what really had me AMAZED was this little tube:

Behold, the PRO-PRIME Smudge-Proof Eye Shadow Base! Michael said it best: "This won't make you breakfast but it will change the world!" And when he showed us just how, I became a believer.

Want to win a Lancome gift set?

I love Lancome. My favorite products are Bi-Facil Make-Up Remover, Genifique Youth-Activating Serum, and my super duper latest fave--the UV Expert Make-Up Base with SPF 50 (which I'll write about soon because I'm soooo in love with it).

Anyway, Lancome Manila (that's the Facebook page) is giving away fab gift sets and you ought to try your luck. Here's how (click to enlarge):

Good luck! Okay, I'm off to have pics taken of me and my UV Expert tube. I hope the so-called luck of pregnant women wins me a set. I've already won one contest. Please please let me win this one. I'm only going to be pregnant once!

P.S. Lancome Manila's Facebook page here.