(Bayo top, pants, earrings and belt, Comfit heels, CANMAKE Misty Orange lipstick) Hype this look on Lookbook here. Thanks Kristin for helping me with these pictures.

Wearing yummy, creamy colors for a change, since I’ve been too obsessed with black recently. I am quite guilty for overlooking all the pinks, nudes, browns and whites in my closet since Christmas season started, so I’m wearing them all at the same time to make amends. How do you like it? Monochromatic dressing or wearing an outfit primarily composed of one color is something that has always appealed to me because the effect is always so classy and sophisticated, never passing off as too overdone. And I’m definitely not one to dress up loud and flashy so these classic items from Bayo are perfect!

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Good morning and hello from Melbourne! I know I was only in Singapore a few days ago, but I badly needed a proper vacation after all the work that I’ve done in the past few months. I’m here with my mom and 2 of my parents’ friends from work. I’m enjoying the refreshing change, especially since I’ve spent a lot of time alone in my last 2 trips. So far, I’ve accompanied them to outlet stores in Harbor Town so they can buy all their pasalubongs (or homecoming gifts) to their loved ones. One of them even brought paper cutouts of all her grandchildren’s feet. Oh, the nostalgia! As kids, my siblings and I used to do the same whenever my parents would go abroad. These cutouts would serve as references in purchasing the right size of footwear. 

Today, I’m up extra early because I have to work in the middle of my vacation! But I missed the Internet too, so no complaints here. My hotel charges for wifi, so it was quite an adventure trying to look for a place here in Melbourne that isn’t too stingy about it. In the end, I just paid 5 dollars so I don’t have to walk all the way to the CBD with my laptop. We took a red eye flight from Manila to Melbourne, and immediately proceeded to touring around the city at 9 or so the morning after my flight. So the last time I had Internet was… a lifetime ago. LOL, something I definitely miss whenever I’m in Manila is my 3G/data plan. *cry*

Anyhow, I’ve received a lot of messages from people asking me about this constant traveler’s lifestyle that I have, and how I manage to take pictures and take note of everything while still managing to keep my hair properly-curled, makeup in perfect place, and outfit well in check. Personally, the key to traveling in style is to invest in classic pieces that do not compromise comfort. If you’re traveling and you’re not comfortable with what you’re wearing, I swear that your mind will be all over the place and you won’t be able to concentrate on what you really need to do as a tourist! Unless you are in another country to be spotted or discovered. Or unless you flew to another country only to find a foreigner boyfriend… 

I don’t really dress up fancily when I take a vacation with my family. Most of the time, my outfits would just consist of pants (that I recycle and use more than once, if my holiday is long) and different button-down, cardigan and sweater combinations. I’m a little sensitive when it comes to dressing up in a foreign country, especially since there are times when you need to enter temples and churches and it would be too weird and insensitive to wear shorts and tight skirts. I would totally hate using “I didn’t know because I’m only a tourist” as an excuse if ever I get reprimanded. 

When you’re a shopaholic, you wouldn’t really mind wearing the simplest things if it would mean more space in your luggage for all your new finds. And simple doesn’t have to be boring either. One of my most favorite go-to places for traveling-in-fashion essentials is MUJI! I first encountered the store when I went to Japan a few years ago, and right then and there, I wanted my future house to look like MUJI — white with wood and green. Think earth music & ecology campaigns with Aoi Miyazaki.

I was really happy that they decided to finally become available for us back n Manila! They don’t have the complete selection (I remember the one in Canal City in Fukuoka was HUGE, like a department store) but they have all the best things. I’m a fan of their 4-wheeled shoe racks - I have about 12 of those in my room, and they are incredibly convenient since you can move them around easily if you need to clean/sweep the floor. They don’t look bad at all for shoe racks too! It’s about both form and function, yeah?

So here are some of my favorite MUJI items coordinated to create versatile travel outfits. I played around with some key pieces that I recommend every traveler should have!

This is a default spring/fall outfit. I absolutely love slouchy sweaters! Most of the time I would purposely get them in larger sizes to not only create a cozier effect, but so I can also wear more than 1 layer underneath in case the temperature drops.  I also like styling my stoles/scarfs like this because it makes sense to cover up your neck twice in a cold environment. 

Special thanks to Cocorose London for the immensely comfy foldable travel-friendly flats!

Long flights need the most comfortable clothes. When I know I’m going to be on a plane for more than 10 hours, I usually dress very functionally! I feel totally uncomfortable wearing shorts/skirts inside the plane too, because I have a strange pet peeve about my skin being in contact with my plane seat. You’ll never know when the last time they properly cleaned the seat was. You’ll never know how many minuscule grains of food accidentally dropped from your tray to your seat. You’ll never know if someone put their bare feet on the seat. Call it paranoia but I’ve seen all of this happen already *cringe* :(

Scarves such as this one are quite convenient too, especially if you’re in a low-budget carrier and you’re not given any blankets. It can serve as a blanket/shawl to give you the warmth that you need!

I get cold easily so I always bring a cardigan with me in my hand carry luggage, in case my scarf isn’t providing enough warmth. Here’s the most popular way of wearing a scarf too! Or maybe I just watch/read too much Harry Potter. 

Anyway, if you’re wondering why this whole post lacks accessories, it’s because there are some forms of jewelry that beep when you pass through the scanner. It would be such a hassle to go back only to find out that it would only be a necklace causing all that ruckus. Better to just wear all your arm/neck bling when you get to your hotel, just before you head out for your tourist activities! Unless you want to take outfit shots in the airport. Or inside the airplane. That would be the ultimate challenge.

Hope this entry helped! I got all these items from MUJI in SM Mall of Asia, which will be having their anticipated BIG! BIG! SALE this weekend (September 14-16, 2012) already. Up to 70% off, and they’ll be open until midnight. Awesome news for workaholics like me who only really get to go out and enjoy life outside the Internet past a certain time. :)) Follow them on Twitter @TheMallofAsia and follow their hashtag #BigMOASale for specific details and promos!

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So much time has passed since I last created a make-up tutorial! I’m really set on doing more of these beauty posts in the next following months since the feedback on my old entries have been quite good! I’m happy there are people who have learned to love make-up because of my entries - there is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you influenced a part of someone’s life, even if it’s just as shallow as make-up.

As you all know, how I do my make-up transforms my look completely! Recently, I came out in a magazine cover (more on that in my next post), and I got a few “You don’t look like yourself!” comments from my friends, which were totally non-offensive and understandable because I thought so too! Everything they put on my face was totally opposite of what I normally wear - white sparkly eyeshadow instead of my usual brown/gray preference, zero eyeliner instead of my usual downwards wing, barely there falsies instead of my usual heavy Japanese ones, and thick and defined eyebrows instead of my usual thin and natural ones. It wasn’t a bad thing though! It was all actually super fun and interesting, since I seldom present myself in that somewhat default showbiz cover girl make-up since I’m no natural beauty like Anne Curtis! I wish I could look as good as her with zero make-up on. *sigh* I look so crappy on an off-day, haha.

After the cover shoot, I realized I didn’t look so bad (allow me to be vain, please?) without the usual black eye make-up, so I decided to find a compromise between the make-up from the cover shoot and the make-up that I usually do. Then I discovered brown eyeliner. The one that I’m using is the K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner, but you can use anything from brown gel liner (for something darker) to brown eyeshadow (for a subtle smokey look) as well. Brown eyeliner leans toward a more natural look that is most suitable for daytime. It doesn’t create a dark, harsh line, preventing you from looking too made-up.

I recently got a Shu Uemura orange and pistachio palette from the Chocolat Donna Autumn Winter 2012, which I think is a fun alternative to dark smokey eyes! Besides the usual brown and beige, the palette includes a hint of spicy orange glitter, nutty pistachio, hazelnut and crystalized ginger peel with gold accents that you can play around with. From the same collection, I’m lusting over the raspberry and mocha palette and the framboisier powder blush too! Ugh, too much perfection, Shu Uemura! You make me want to spend all my money on you. </3

Now, on to the tutorial…

I know that I used to do tutorials step-by-step with separate pictures, but for this one I decided to compile everything in one photo in case you want to save it on your phone or computer for reference. Thanks to Shop Dainty for the circle lenses!

Step 1: Use a brown shimmer eyeshadow all over your lids. Here I’m using MAC Casino. You can also try looking for Shu Uemura P dark brown 861 and Laneige Snow Radiant Eyes 03 for different shades of shimmery brown. Or if you’re not a fan of shimmer, try MAC Cork (which you can also use for contouring, btw!)

Step 2: Using a brown pencil, gel or liquid eyeliner, line your eyelids. Extend it upwards to create a classic wing.

Step 3: Highlight your brow bone! Here I’m using the 3rd color from Shu Uemura’s orange and pistachio palette which is a satin light peach shade that is slightly lighter than my normal skin tone. 

Step 4 and 5: Apply mascara on your top and bottom lashes. Here I’m using Laneige Perfect Lash Mascara. It’s one of new discoveries! It’s quite good for lengthening, so on a normal day, I pair it with a volume mascara so I can get the best of both worlds. Don’t know if this actually works but it makes sense to combine, right?

Step 6: Get some brown falsies and stick them as close to your lashline as possible. These ones are just some random ones I found in Singapore. Call me obsessed - they are ideal for that “my lashes but better” effect, or that “I know I’m blooming and I know you can never tell what I added to my face to achieve this *evil laugh*” effect. :)

Optional: Eyelid tape. I like using eyelid tape because I think false lashes look better with parallel double eyelids instead of tapered double eyelids!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Feel free to comment on my DISQUS if you have any questions or any suggestions for future tutorials.

Since I’m already on the topic of make-up and beauty, I might as well share to you my favorite skincare products! I think it has only been about 8 or so months since I was suddenly enlightened to take care of my skin. I’ve never been the pimply blemish-y type, so I thought I could do away with putting so much gunk on my face. #HUMBLEBRAG! However, I read somewhere that it’s never too late to start taking care of your skin! Better to start early so you can prevent panicking with anti-aging products when you’re in your 40s or 50s. I’m trying to prevent that moment in the future when I finally see signs of wrinkles but regret that I took my skin for granted when I was younger. I also have generally dry skin, so there’s a possibility that in the future, I might look older than I really am if I don’t moisturize properly. 

Here are a list of products that I use:

1) Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil - 1 bottle is sold every 15 seconds. This is something that I swear by! This might sound exaggerated, but I don’t feel comfortable removing my make-up with anything else but this. I’ve been using the Advanced Formula since college, but I decided to switch to the new Ultim8 complex because I got sold on their claim of “8 outstanding skincare benefits after 4 weeks of use, skin feels 88% revitalized, 98% refined, 90% more translucent, 94% smoother, 90% more radiant, 94% suppler, 90% nourished and 92% moisturized”. True enough my skin has never been better since I switched to this.

2) Shu Uemura TSUYA Skin - DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THIS. I’ve been using this for a week now, and it’s like magic. I’m not only saying this because I’m Japan-biased, lol. Before this, I used to put 2 thin layers of liquid foundation on my face. Now, I can do with just 1 thin layer.

I love it so much that at the end of the day, I just want to remove my make-up ASAP just so I can put this stuff on my skin. It’s true that with this product, you can achieve porcelain-fine, petal-soft, translucent glowing skin in 7 days. I saw a major difference and it makes me want to cry buckets of joy every time I see my no make-up face in the mirror. *sparkly eyes*

3) Laneige Water Bank Essence, Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX and Laneige Water Bank Mineral Skin Mist - Wanted to look like Song Hye Gyo so I got these, LOL. She swears by the Water Bank Essence, by the way. Laneige is one of my favorite Korean brands for skincare! They’re a bit pricey than other Korean brands like Etude House or Tony Moly, but Laneige is totally worth every peso. Don’t you find it so depressing when you touch your face and it doesn’t feel bouncy? I think mine is caused by bad sleeping and eating habits, so I use the essence and sleeping pack once a week so all the work stress and unhealthy food will never ever show. Prevention is always better than cure.

Anyhow, the mist is something I just like spraying on my face when I need a good perk-me-up on a hot and humid day! I guess you can compare it to MAC Charged Water of Evian mist.

4) Hada Labo Superhyaluronic Hydrating Lotion (toner), Hydrating Milk (moisturizer) and Moist Eye Cream - I get these products every time I go to Sasa in Hong Kong or Singapore! Would you believe that 1 is sold every 4 seconds in Japan? Must be really effective, since I personally think Japanese girls have the best skin in the world. These are my default skincare products because they simply work - no frills, no scents, no anything complicated. I’m still hoping for the day Sasa comes to Manila so these products can also be enjoyed by Filipinos…

Shu Uemura and Laneige can both be found in SM Mall of Asia, which will have another 3-day sale soon! Up to 70% off on select items from participating stores. September 14-16 is *the* time to Enjoy the “Good Life” at a discount! See you at their Big! Big! Sale! Follow them on Twitter for fun giveaways and mall announcements.

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