Loving shu uemura's new Supreme Matte Lipstick collection!

My friends will tell you that I've been on the hunt for a hot pink lipstick. Not a pretty pink, pale pink, sweet pink, bridal pink, virgin pink. I've been looking for a pink so hot, your eyes will melt with one look. Yup, hottest pink! And I finally found it in shu uemura's latest Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte Lipsticks!!!

The new matte collection has a ton of shades but what's currently available in Manila are just 6 shades: (from left) brown, nude, hot pink, hot red, light pink, pink.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to do a proper color correction of my photos. The shades above are super saturated. They don't look like that at all. Sorry!

Here I am at shu uemura Power Plant to test the hot pink shade (MPK 376):

That pink is much brighter in person. It makes my lips scream. It's super hot! The lipstick is matte but it goes on smooth and creamy. My lips didn't feel dry at all. Its super ingredient is ceramide. I looked it up in Wikipedia and I didn't understand a lot about ceramide. But I did see that it's a fatty acid. Our skin naturally has ceramides—it's what holds our skin cells together. Somehow, shu uemura was able to add this to its lipsticks.

I'm super in love with my new hot pink lipstick. But when I saw shu uemura's Karen wearing the hot red, I wavered. I've been looking for a vibrant red lippie, too!

Each tube of the Rouge Unlimited Matte Supreme Lipstick is just P1,195. Now before you complain that that's too much for a little tube, consider that it's so deeply pigmented, just a few swipes will do! Your little tube will last a long long time.

I also got a super cute limited edition shu uemura tote. Hmm. Looking at the illustration... Maybe I should get bangs, too. My post-partum hair loss is freaking me out. I'm getting balder by the day!

But at least my lips look great!

Make sure you drop by shu uemura this weekend. The Matte Supreme shades are in limited quantities so get your coveted color 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!

La Mer lip balm to the rescue!

I don't know why my husband likes to kiss me because I have the crackliest, peeliest, driest lips in the world! A slight change in the weather does that--from warm sunny outdoors to the frigid office, the humid day to a cold rainy one... That's why I don't use lipstick--it just doesn't look very good on chapped lips! I do have several sticks and pots of lip balms--Chapstick, Burt's Bees--in my purse, on my vanity, in my desk drawer but so far, nothing has really helped.

So when La Mer emailed me to thank me for the post I wrote about their drive to save the oceans and said they will send me any La Mer product as a sign of their appreciation, I immediately said, "I'd like the lip balm please!" Some friends said, "You shoulda asked for the Creme de la Mer!" But, hey, I've heard a ton of good things about the lip balm so I just had to have that!

And so here it is!

Ahh, the La Mer lip balm. I dabbed it on right away and loved how luxurious it felt on my dry chapped lips. I'll tell you how it works in a few days! I truly do hope that this will be the answer to my lip problem!

Revlon's ColorBurst lipsticks are really bursts of color!

I got a bag bursting with these tubes of lippies but I'm not a lipstick person (I like tinted balm) so I gave them all away. My staff was beyond delighted.

Then I saw some reviews on other beauty blogs (this one by Shen's Addiction is the best!) and I almost wailed in regret for not keeping even one tube! These colors are amazing...

Lola Cosmetics' Klexius Kolby one beauty tip for the ladies!

A few weeks ago, I found myself at Makati Shangri-la's posh Red restaurant for an intimate lunch with makeup artist Klexius Kolby. There was just me, Preview's Pauline Juan and Good Housekeeping's Pia Rojas and--after a lovely meal of tuna tartar, sea bass and flourless chocolate cake--we just had to ask Klexius about Hollywood, makeup tricks and beauty tips.

I'm baaaaaack, beauties!

I haven't blogged here since forever! Beauty blogging is hard, folks. I thought it would be easy, given how many products I get as the editor of OK! Philippines. But the beauty industry is beyond huge! Every week, there's a new product launch, a new innovation, a new technology, new stuff to review... and I just can't keep up. The products and press kits have made mini-mountains at my desk at work and at home. My bosses and my husband are complaining!!!

Here are just some of the lovely boxes I've been getting from...

Olay
the new Regenerist Cream

Lancome
Magnifique perfume and body lotion 
with a tiny tube of mascara

Bobbi Brown
lip glosses and an eye shadow palette
with a personalized pot of lip color

I have a lot more. You won't believe how many more I have--boxes and crates and cabinets of this fabulous stuff! I almost posted photos of my office and my overflowing product cabinet but I got embarrassed at my mess. So I'm finally going to blog about the stuff I've been getting--for the sake of my marriage and my job!

I do want to say that the beauty industry's been pretty exciting this 2010. So many new things for primping and prettification! So do visit this blog soon as I have a lot of things to tell you about--all of them beautiful!

Hot Brights from The Body Shop

Look at what just arrived on my desk today--a big bag of The Body Shop's latest makeup collection called Hot Brights! The collection has Lips & Cheeks (P795) in Rose Sunrise and Coral Sand, Eye Colour (P695) in Violet Sunset and Pearly Sky, Eye Liner (P550) in Purple Haze and Sapphire Sea, and Blush (P1,195) in Pink Skyline and Bronze Horizon.

What grabbed me immediately was the Lips & Cheeks. I love the Rose Sunrise (then again, pink is my kryptonite). Makeup artist Chase Aston loves it, too, and gives these tips on how to wear it: "Smooth and blend the pink stain onto your lips and cheeks for a sheer rosy hue, and follow by adding a wash of the sheer gloss to your lips. So pretty!"

Pretty indeed! Love it, love it!
The Beauty Writer

NARS and my new Orgasm!

NARS makeup artist and West Coast Lead Trainer Dawn Stultz was here last week and I was able to have a lovely chat with her about--what else?--makeup! First, I just want to say how incredibly mesmerizing Dawn's eyes were. I have no idea what color they are. Because of the warm soft light in Rustan's Essences, her eyes kept changing color from gray to blue to a light hazel. Incredible.

So anyway, I asked Dawn what makeup essentials a woman should have in her bag. She replied that it really depends on the woman since some girls love playing up their eyes or just having powder and blotting paper or really piling it on! However, she did quip, "Stop any woman in this store right now and I bet you'll find three kinds of lip products in her purse!"

For summer, Dawn recommends simple makeup so a powder, a lip gloss and a bronzer stick are enough to take a girl from day to night. She's really in love with the NARS bronzer stick in Palm Beach. She applied some on me and I looked healthy and glowing! The trick is to apply it in the figure 3--temples, cheeks, jawline--and blend, blend, blend. You can use the bronzer on your eyes, too, and on lips then just top with gloss. Simple and easy. I like that a lot!

Oh, and not only did I get to chat with such a lovely woman, I also got to take home these lovely products! Thanks, Dawn, NARS, Rustan's Essences and Visions & Expressions!

I did buy my own blush, the phenomenal Orgasm. Dawn says that NARS Orgasm is the bestselling blush in the entire world. I believe her. All the Hollywood stars and makeup artists swear by it--it's the only blush that looks great on every skin color and tone! Dawn adds that it's almost always out of stock. I believe her, too, since I've been trying to buy Orgasm forever. Just my luck, at her interview, NARS had new stocks! I immediately bought one! Now I look so pretty. Yey!

NARS cosmetics are available at Rustan's Essences, Glorietta 4, Makati City.

The Beauty Writer

*bronzer stick image from Sephora.com

WIN! A Mika Heart Shu Makeup Brush Set - UPDATED!

CONTEST IS CLOSED.

NOTE: Contest ends on May 7, 6 PM. I'll announce the winners on May 7, 11:59 PM. Manila time!

UPDATE!!! MORE PRIZES BELOW!

To celebrate my entry into the beauty blogging world, I am giving away this limited edition Shu Uemura Mika Hearts Shu Portable Brush Set!

The brush set is a collaboration between the Japanese beauty brand and photographer Mika Ninagawa. (Here's what Vanity Fair has to say about the partnership.)

Shu Uemura describes this super pretty set: "Carry your brushes in a portable Mika Ninagawa work of art! Purple on the outside with a special Mika red rose photograph lining the inside, the limited-edition brush case includes a set of four Shu Uemura brushes, each handmade in Japan by professional artisens for optimal makeup application for the face, cheek, eye and lip."

The set includes 4 brushes: goat brush for the face, pony and squirrel brush for cheeks, sable and kolinsky brush for eyes, and sable brush for lips.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Write about the contest in your blog.
2. Make sure to link your post to this post.
3. Leave a comment informing me of your post.
4. Wait for 7 days because I'll announce the winner on May 7!

The winner will be drawn randomly. Of course, I'll be checking if he/she also did a post on his/her blog first!

MAY 3 UPDATE!!!
I love the response! My page rank went up dramatically! I thought that maybe only 2 or 3 people will join but now... I've decided to give away more prizes!

2nd PRIZE: Jurlique Maintain Balance Introductory Set. This is actually more expensive than the brush case above! This is about P4,000 from Jurlique Greenbelt 5. The kit contains a Balancing Foaming Cleanser, Rosewater Balancing Mist, Daily Exfoliating Cream, Herbal Recovery Gel and Balancing Day Care Cream.

3rd PRIZE: A Shu Uemura Lipstick Holder. This is a super cute case that will hold 2 lipstick tubes. Specially designed with delicate artwork, it also comes with a little mirror for quick touchups wherever you may be!

Good luck! Spread the word! And thanks for joining!

P.S. Yes, I will send the prize anywhere in the world (shipping's on me!) so this is open to everybody in the world. However, if you aren't from the Philippines, I'll have to use regular post which can take up to a month in transit.

The Beauty Writer