My friend, Kleo, just turned 18! She had her debut last September 27, 2014 at the Vivere Hotel in Muntinlupa. Of course, there was no way I wouldn't attend even if my friends and I had difficulties getting a ride. Who am I to pass up a chance to see my friend all dolled up and dressed in a gown? Aside from that, it was also a chance to meet up and have fun with some friends I haven't met in a while so here I am with another photo post! TL;DR: Less rambling, more images.

The party was held in the Ballroom of the Vivere hotel. The place was absolutely beautiful – most especially the fixtures on the ceiling. The walls of the ballroom itself were covered with mirrors so it gave one the feeling of being in an enchanted place. The lighting only added to that "magical" atmosphere, but it did make it a bit difficult for me to get decent photos.

Alex and Marty posing with the Kleo standee by the entrance.

The party was fun, and everything seemed so well prepared. There were video messages from family and friends who couldn't make it, videos of Kleo at a photoshoot, and slideshows with photos of her growing up.

Tari using Marty as a desk while she writes a dedication for the debutante.

My friend, Alex, and I on the "hotseat".

I found her version of the 18 Candles particularly interesting because it was so different from what the 18 Candles traditionally are supposed to be. For the 18 Candles, the assigned guests were grouped by how they were related to Kleo, and made to sit with her onstage while they answered questions Kleo chose for them. My friend, Alex, and I sorta represented our group of friends, PDX.ing, and were told to answer the question "If Kleo were a cosmetic, what would she be?" We ended up answering that she was an anti-aging serum because of her youthful, child-like looks.

A ferris wheel with candy. All parties should have one.

There was also a candy bar filled with marshmallows, gummy worms, chocolate and more! Needless to say, quite a lot of the guests kept coming back for more.

The party lasted well into the night with people on the dance floor, and of course the debutante took centre stage. She looked so happy that night so I'm sure that it was truly a memorable day for her. Happy Birthday, dear baby girl!

Cheers for Kleo! 

Kleo and the Pedestrians.

"Tingin sa itaas!" Some people didn't get the memo.

Trying to go for a Teleserye concept. 

Taray pose with PDX.ing girls.

The One Direction pose is a tradtion. 

Kleo with her blockmates. 

"Let's take a photo while we're still fresh!" 

PDX.ing family photo on-stage.

A trolley packed with gifts. How about that? 

The struggle to take a family selca is always real. 

But the love in those smiling faces is more real. <3 //cheese

event photography

Sunday, September 28, 2014

I'm back with a make-up review of sorts. To be quite honest, I'm a bit new to the whole make-up thing. Before the latter half of 2013, the only cosmetic I ever really cared about was eyeliner so I'm not really sure if I could do this review properly, but hey, it might be helpful for all the other make-up noobs like me.

Next to eyeliner, eye shadow is most probably my favourite out of all cosmetics. I can forgo all the other things like base, lips, or cheeks and I would still be perfectly happy. Out of my current collection of eyeshadows, this one is my favourite.

I first heard of 1028 Visual Therapy when it was recommended to me as okay for those with sensitive skin. My skin is really picky and is prone to breaking out with most brands of makeup so I jumped at the chance to try this out. I swatched it a couple of times when I would see it at Watsons while I was in Taipei and lo, no allergic reactions at all! There are no parabens, pthalates, or sulfates! My interest in it only increased when I kept seeing it on a Taiwanese TV show about cosmetics. I decided not to buy it at first, because I still had the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette, but I eventually caved and had my mom buy it for me before she came home.

It's time to play, "Guess Which Shades I Use The Most"! 

The packaging is made of tin, which makes it light, sturdy, and easy to carry around. It also has a small, round mirror which is just the right size when you're applying eyeshadow. The palette comes with six shades all somehow the perfect middle-ground between a satin finish and a shimmery one. (Which is my obnoxious way of saying that it has a satin finish, with really fine shimmer.) Perfect for someone like me who loves shimmer, but doesn't want to overdo it. 

Here are the shadows swatched without primer. As you can see, the colors can be categorized into warm undertones, and pink undertones. The shadows don't come with individual names but I tried to describe the colors (L-R):

1. bright, salted creamy caramel

2. bright, almost-peachy warm bronze 

3. Ivory

4. almost like sienna, with pink undertones

5. pastel pink

6. light mocha with pink undertones

I really love how easy the shadows are to work with. They're easy to apply and blend with just the fingers, which is really handy when you're in a rush. Since the shimmer is so fine, there is minimal fallout – way, way better than the shimmers in my Smashbox Full Exposure Palette. All the shades complement each other, so it's easy to mix and match. The wear time is also amazing! The color stays on with minimal fading for the whole day, even without primer. 

Ever since I started using this palette, I've been sorta kinda ignoring my well-used Smashbox Full Exposure Palette unless I'm in the mood for matte eyeshadow. It's just that wonderful. If I had the money (and I didn't have all the other eyeshadow palettes I have) I'd probably end up buying it's sister palettes, too. 

The Macaron Eyes palette is the third in 1028 Visual Therapy's Eyeshadow line, the first two being Brownie Eyes (which my friend Pauline did a review of in her blog) and Toffee Eyes. I definitely recommend these for people who want to try out Taiwanese Cosmetics. They're available in Watsons Taiwan and Singapore. At 499NTD (around 750Php), they're quite a steal!

beauty

Friday, September 26, 2014

This time, I'm doing a nail polish review! 

My grandma and aunt sent this over from the USA. I honestly had no idea that Michael Kors had a beauty line – all I knew was that it was a brand for bags and fragrances, so I was pretty much surprised when this was given to me. It's a nail lacquer and lip gloss set from Michael Kors. For this post, I'll focus on the nail lacquer.

As expected from a brand like Michael Kors, the packaging looks simply luxurious, with a thick-bottomed glass bottle and metallic, gold cap. Upon closer inspection though, the cap seems to be made of rather flimsy material and feels almost like plastic.

No topcoat.

 This particular color is called "Envy", a creamy, bright magenta leaning a little bit more towards violet. Not usually my color when it comes to nail lacquer but it's really pretty *u*. It was a bit difficult to apply, as the formula is a little on the thin side. I had to be really careful not to let it pool at the tips or at the sides of my nails. During my application of the second coat, the formula became a little unwieldy and streaky (though that may just be me being a little rusty when it come to nail lacquer application). There was some bubbling that occurred but they were really tiny. Without topcoat, the lacquer was already pretty glossy.

With Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Honestly, I was expecting more from this lacquer because it's from Michael Kors, but it's not bad at all. The formula is decent enough and the color is marvellous, but I do think there are better lacquers that don't cost as much. The set retails for 48USD so I'm assuming that the lacquer costs at least half and that would amount to more than 900Php.

Final Verdict: Decent, pretty basic nail lacquer. But too expensive.

beauty nail polish

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

For most Filipinas, the 18th Birthday or the debut is the biggest event of her life (next to her wedding, of course). And just last week my cousin, Abby, celebrated hers in Ysabel's Garden. To celebrate her coming-of-age, I decided to put up a photo post! I'm not much of a photographer, but I tried my best. Heh.

The theme of her debut was "Winter" and so the set up was mostly whites and blues. I loved how the chairs were made of transparent material, almost like they were made of ice.

Don't you think the lace patterns kinda look like snowflakes? 

The cake was made by a family friend. Apparently, there were a few problems with the fondant because of the rainy weather but it still looks fantastic!

Look at the glitter and sparkles. Personally, I am a sucker for glitter and sparkles.

Abby and her escort as she makes her way to the stage. 

You'd be hard-pressed to find a debut where there is no singing or a performance from a friend.

Getting her make-up touched up after dinner. :) 

With the three cuties who helped out during the 18 Roses.

Here is my younger brother as one of the 18 Roses. 

Of course, what would a debut be without the debutante having a number of her own? 

Obligatory thank-you speech near the end of the festivities. 

event family photography

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Hello everyone!

This is my first serious endeavour into blogging. (My angsty posts in my LiveJournal account back in high school don't count. Obviously.) I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a long time, but I've always put it off in favor of reblogging things on Tumblr and watching strange YouTube videos and not doing any writing AT ALL.

To remedy that, here is my first post: inside my make-up bag~!

I usually do all my make-up before I leave the house, so I tend to not take so much make-up with me. I usually just bring what I consider the bare essentials to touch up but there are those times when I'm in a rush and I don't have the time to put on make-up at home. Before I got into the habit of putting together a make-up bag, I would usually just bring my Lancôme Absolu Voyage Palette that I got from my parents, but it was still pretty difficult to use since it had the tendency of getting a bit too messy at times.

1028 Visual Therapy Macaron Eye Shadow Palette

I just got this very recently, but it has wormed it's way into my daily make-up routine.  I love how it comes in a thin, tin package with a mirror so it's very easy to bring around. The shades are also really easy to work with even with just my fingers. (The brush is just there for blending purposes.) The pigmentation is amazing, and it really lasts through the day even without primer. (That says a lot considering I have oily lids.) Also, it has such a yummy name! Even if I'm not a fan of Macarons.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow and Silky Powder Blush

This is a gift that I got from my mom and it contains three eyeshadow colors: (1) Ivory Slipper 

(2) Nude Fresco and (3) Enchanted Forest. But I only really bring this one around for the blush: Rosette. Aside from the blushes included in my travel palettes, this is the only other powder blush I have, but I am happy with it. I love the color, and though it does take some time to build up the color, it's easier for me to control how pink my cheeks end up.

Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in SoftSmudge Black 

I'm usually more of a gel or liquid liner person, but it can be a bit tedious bring around my pot of gel liner and a separate brush or waiting for liquid liner to dry. Pencil liners are easier to carry around and apply evenly especially when you're in a moving vehicle. The color isn't as intense as I want it to be, but it's okay. With primer, it doesn't smudge much,  but it's a far cry from the Bobbi Brown gel liner I usually use. But hey, it gets the job done.

1028 Visual Therapy Ultimate Oil Control Powder

1028 Visual Therapy is quickly becoming one of my favorite brands! Not only are they really affordable, but they work so great too! This one really does live up to it's name as the "ultimate oil control powder". At first, I really just used this to touch up in the middle of the day, but I've found that it also makes for a pretty good finishing powder. It also has a bit of a fragrance, but it doesn't irritate my skin at all. I don't use the puff it came with and I apply it with a generic retractable powder brush, but that's my own preference.

Too Cool For School Milky Lip Tint Pink

I'm not a huge fan of lipstick as I'm not comfortable with the way it feels on my lips, but I do appreciate giving my lips some color, and this one does the trick! It's easy to apply, and if I want a more intense shade, I just build it up. I also sometimes use this with my red one whenever I feel like I can attempt gradients lips (but I've never been successful so far).

beauty

Wednesday, September 10, 2014