My goal in life is to never be complacent. I'd like to make the most out of this limited time I am given, and so I try to learn and experience as much as I can. 

When Liz invited me to go to her Estee Lauder x Project Vanity Beauty Workshop, I said yes straightaway! Well, right after I cleared my plans for the day, but you get the picture. I took the Personal Makeup module from Maquillage Professionnel two years ago, but of course refreshers are more than welcome.

At the workshop held in her home yesterday, Liz talked about the proper way of washing our face, removing our makeup, day-to-night makeup, eyebrow grooming, and contouring. She also made us try Estee Lauder products and shared quick reviews about them. She was very attentive and hands-on, and I appreciate that she really knows what she's talking about! I do believe Liz is currently the most credible beauty blogger in Manila, and it was a joy seeing her work her magic on us.

As mentioned, I already took a Personal Makeup module two years ago, but I still learned a lot from this workshop.

What do you think about this look on me? I liked it, and so did my boyfriend. ^_^ 

I got more than a refresher that day. I learned a lot and met new friends! In case Liz holds this workshop again, I highly recommend that you reserve a slot right away. Incidentally, I learned to paint when I went to Liz's watercolor workshop one year ago today! 

Now I want to go through every item in my traincase and get rid of stuff I know I will never use and instead get the products I used during the workshop! Wish me luck!

What a packed Saturday!

I left the house early to go to Rica's condo so we can go to her wedding dress designer's atelier. She is getting married in October and I am one of her bridesmaids! Her wedding will have a bohemian theme and I am so excited because I know it is going to be amazing. ❤ 

After having my measurements taken and a quick lunch at Abe in Serendra with her mom, aunt, and fiancé Eric, Rica and I headed to Maquillage Professionnel in Burgos Circle for our Personal Beauty Makeup class. Today's lesson is about Day Makeup.

"Before" photo of our workstation

After putting on the base: primer, cream concealer, foundation, contouring

When it comes to Day Makeup, Miss Mikee said the most important thing you have to remember is to aim to look as natural as possible: hide flaws and enhance features. Meaning, no special makeup techniques to make eyes appear bigger or smaller, etc. Coverage should also be sheer and light and colors should be muted or neutral.



Extra care should also be given to make sure that you don't go too trigger-happy with shimmer. Subtlety is key.

Here are our "After" photos!

Under fluorescent lighting

Under natural light

Our shared workstation looks like it's been hit by a tornado. Or two toddlers LOL.

I love this look and I hope I can find the time to do this every day before going to work. Nevertheless, I have also formulated a quick "no makeup" makeup look that I will share with you very soon ;)

Also, this happened today:

I graduated from the Personal Beauty Makeup course! Yay!

Big thanks to Maquillage Professionnel and instructors, ARC PR, and our bosses Celine and Jenny! The instructors are all very competent (with only one look, Miss Mikee determined what foundation shade would match our skin best. I was hesitant to use what she picked for me because it looked too dark but when I tried it, it was perfect.) and if ever I would decide to pursue this as another career on the side, Maquillage Professionnel is my top choice. Now I am even more inspired to play with colors. I am so excited for new possibilities!

After our class, Rica and I headed to Fully Booked so I can take photos of - and with - the huge art installation of Mike Stilkey.

Too awesome for words!

Absolutely breathtaking. I want something like this in my future house.

And now after battling with traffic for about three hours, finally, I can rest. Ugly Betty marathon right after I hit Publish! Yay!

Hope your Saturday has been as good as mine. ❤

I have been meaning to post a blog update for the last couple of days but I have been tied down with Kairosoft games especially Pocket Clothier and Mega Mall Story work. We are mounting six (six!) events this month and each one entails a lot of meetings and preparations.

Work is fun but since I can't really divulge a lot of details about the things we're launching, let's just talk about other fun stuff.

Before Midnight is finally showing in theaters nationwide today! Be sure to catch it. For a spoiler-free review of the third installment to one of my favorite trilogies of all time featuring my favorite fictional couple Jesse and Celine, click here.

"We love bread, we love butter, but most of all, we love our lipgloss."

I am having so much fun with these beauty reviews, and so I spent last weekend swatching a lot of stuff that I'm so excited to share with you all. :)

Au Naturel and Bad Girl palettes from Sleek

About two weeks ago I ranted on Twitter about how Customs has one of the most corrupt systems in the country. I've been ordering online from international websites (mostly books and DVDs not found here) without hitch. This first and only time I bought makeup from Luxola, it was sent to the Customs office in Pasay. My father claimed it for me, and if the lady in the counter didn't see my father's ID (he works at the Caloocan City Post Office), she would've charged me P600. Instead she just charged me P50. Why did we have to pay P600 in the beginning when P50 could've been enough? I don't think I would be ordering any other beauty products from international sites anytime soon. So anyway, I played with these colors last weekend as well. Swatches to be posted soon.

Exactly how I imagine mermaids' fins to look like - sheer orange with silvery blue-green flecks

Speaking of color, I put on my new orange polish from Hayan Korea. I like it so much. :)

Nail polishes from Anny's Desert Glam collection

And speaking of nail polish, here is the set I won from Maquillage Professionnel's contest hee. I was able to claim my prize just today.

Look at that gleeful smile anticipating all the fondue and waffles she'll eat. Yup, I got a new waffle/ corndog maker and fondue maker haha.

When it comes to impulse buys, I am the Queen. Last week I had this weird urge to have my own fondue maker. (I want it and I want it now!) Thank God for Lazada, I got a Chocolatier Fondue and Candy Maker Set and even scored a waffle/ hotdog/ corndog maker for cheap! #Unlimeryenda mwehehe.

Body Lotion, Facial Moisturizer, and Vitamin E capsules from Myra-E

I wasn't expecting this at all because they didn't tell me they were sending me something. Whoever from the Myra-E team thought of me, thank you so much! I love scented candles so the Alice Blue is a nice touch. Much appreciated. ♥

TRUTH From Neil Gaiman's newest book The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Because of my games work, I also haven't been able to catch up on my reading lately. I am still in Chapter 5 but I am getting a move on because the story is really interesting.

Forgive me this selfie, for I wanted to show you what I have been practicing on. I am learning a lot from our personal makeup classes in Maquillage Professionnel and although I wasn't able to attend last Saturday's class because I watched Despicable Me 2 with my sister, I tried to make my own "no makeup" makeup look and here is what I came up with:

Products used and reviews of products used on my next posts

The goal was to look fresh without looking like I piled a lot of products on, and I think, save for my eyebags, I was able to pull it off. I especially like my lipstick here. It's a special moment in a girl's life when she finds her MLBB (My Lips But Better) lipstick, I say.

What is happening with YOUR life? I want to catch up with you guys! I also need to read more blogs, check what's new in the local blogging scene. Care to leave your own plus recommended links? I would appreciate it a lot! ♥

PS: Please spare a prayer for my sweet friend Poly. Today should've been her birthday. I love her and I miss her every day.

As with all other things that come with being a girl, make-up should be fun. With the spectrum of colors, shades, and formulations available from hundreds of cosmetic brands, it's great to experiment and switch things up a bit every once in a while.

I have always wanted a purple lipstick but I've never had the courage to go and get one for myself (the closest to purple I have is the Maybelline Jewels Amethyst Ablaze that Kira gave me). Yes, courage, because as you may know, bold and out-of-the-ordinary lip colors require a certain amount of chutzpah for one to pull it off, and I'm not quite sure I have it.

Nevertheless, for one fun afternoon of launching Make Up Factory to the press yesterday, I entrusted my face to Jen of Maquillage Professionnel and let her work her magic on me. Here's what happened:

She made me a purple faery. It made me really giddy as one of my first (and favorite) SNS usernames is purpleazure_skye ha ha. I love this color combination so much!

Flawless base, groomed eyebrows, neutral shadow on lids and purple and blue eyeliner on the lower lash line, mascara, a light blush, and purple lipstick. All products used are from either Make Up Factory or MakeUp ForEver.

I really love how Jen did my make-up and I'm crossing my fingers I can replicate it when needed.

Some more photos:

After experiencing the kind of boost that comes from wearing the perfect make-up and feeling pretty, I know I am going to be more experimental with colors and not go for neutrals all the time. Timing couldn't be better because tomorrow's make-up class is about Professional Photography. I'm so excited!

But first, I must rest.


Have a great long weekend, everyone!

Previously in Krissy's Quest for Personal Development, we learned how to do evening make-up. Last Saturday, well, let's just say we turned it up a notch. For our second session sitting in to Maquillage Professionnel's Personal Make-up Module, we learned how to do smokey eyes!

What follows is a series of selfies ha ha. Don't worry, this is just to show you what I learned from the class and applied to myself and I made sure I used the least number of photos needed ;)

We started with the base, and with that I meant applying primer and foundation (and if needed, concealer) with medium to full coverage. As what any make-up tutorial will tell you, when going with smokey eyes, make sure to keep the rest of your face looking simple - thus the light blush and coral lipstick. By the way, I really, really, really love the MakeUp ForEver lipstick I am wearing here. Another color to find a dupe for because we don't have MUFE here anymore!

Now comes the eyes. I'm really glad I learned a super easy, fool-proof way for smokey eyes because it is something I've always wanted to learn and attempted to do but I always end up looking like someone punched me in the eyes! I wish I can teach you how to do it but if you really want to learn, you'd have to enroll in Maquillage Professionnel and take up the Personal Make-Up Module as well. ;)

You can choose any color you want for your eyeshadow so long as it's a dark color. I chose green. Aaand here's the result:

Putting falsies on is optional. I did not put them on anymore because I was wearing my glasses and neglected to bring my contacts since I was in a rush that morning.

Me and my officemate/ friend Rica

And this, my friends, is why I am on full make-up when I went to line up for more than six hours for Manix Abrera's autograph. ^_^

For next Saturday's session we will learn about Professional Photography Make-up! I don't know if I'll have another lifestyle shoot done soon but I'm looking forward to learning how to do this! How about you, if you will enroll in a make-up class, what specific technique would you like to learn? ♥

Ah, weekend. We meet again.

I'm so excited because tomorrow I'll go to Maquillage Professionnel for another makeup class! Last week we did evening makeup, and then tomorrow we will learn how to do smokey eyes. I can't wait to seduce you guys with my smoldering stare LOL.

After class, I will then head to Fully Booked in Fort for Free Comic Book Day! This is my first time to attend so I don't know what to expect exactly; all I know is that there'll be a lot of falling in line involved. As excited as I am for free comic books though, I am much giddier at the prospect of finally meeting Manix Abrera, the creator of the Kikomachine Komix I am so addicted to and look forward to getting once a new one is out hee. His works were introduced to me by my good friend Niel. Back then he has already released four books so I bought all of them at the same time following her recommendation. First few pages and I was hooked! The 9th book was released just a couple of weeks ago and I made sure I got a copy on the first day it was available. :)

I have a dilemma though: I'm not sure whether it's okay to ask Manix to sign all my 10 books. If he doesn't mind it, I'm sure other people will since I know there'll be a looong line for his autograph. I asked my friend/ officemate Anne about this and she just went on and talked about how cute my problems are ha ha. I thought I'd just bring everything and then decide there tomorrow. When I got home, I looked for all my Kikomachine Komix and I found everything... except for one.

I remember keeping it somewhere safe because it was a gift from someone and I didn't want to lose it. Well, I guess I must have kept it really good because I can't find it! Either that, or the comic book is clearly cursed. I've already asked for my mother's and sister's help to no avail, so screw it, I'm just going to buy a new one tomorrow and have that one signed by Manix so that I won't feel so bad about my cursed lost copy.

So there, I think I need to sleep now so that I would look well-rested tomorrow. It would be nice also to reserve my energy since there'll be a lot of waiting heh. Goodnight, everyone! I wish you all a great, lazy, and unproductive weekend! (⌒▽⌒)☆

I've always been a powder-and-lipgloss kind of girl but I also love prettifying myself up for special events or for those times when I just feel like it. I've wanted to enroll in a makeup class for so long now but I never got the chance (or the funds) to; somehow tutorials in Youtube, beauty blogs, and Allure magazines have been enough.

I am not one to let a chance to go to a make-up class for free just pass me by, though. As an added perk to working for ARC PR, we were enrolled to Maquillage Professionnel's Personal Make Up Module! Located in Burgos Circle, MP School of Make Up Artistry provides technical training for both individuals who seek to become professional make-up artists. They also have modules for novices like me who just want to learn the basics.

Today's lesson concentrated on Evening Makeup. This is important for us because we also hold evening events and the last thing we want to happen is to not appear presentable to clients and guests.

For Evening Makeup, there are only two things you have to remember: intense and dramatic. After a quick demo by Miss Yuki on my boss Jenny, we got to work on our own. This is where going to classes is better than Youtube tutorials - you get to see the techniques in person and you get immediate feedback whether what you're doing is right or not.

If you want to enroll in a class but you are worried that you don't have enough makeup or tools at your disposal, you don't have to worry because MP provides everything for their students. You just have to show up!

And here are our AFTER photos!

I admit I had a bit of a problem with the eyeshadow because I couldn't determine where the crease should be ha ha, so I'm thankful that Miss Yuki was very patient with me and taught me a technique I can use to make it much easier!


I am looking forward to finishing the rest of the module! I'd like to thank my bosses Jenny and Celine for this! Now I need to go shopping for more makeup because I realized how much I lack... I mean, I've never even used concealer on myself before this, thus the concealer-less existence of my traincase. I also need a great eyeliner and a new eyebrow pencil. And a blush palette, too,! As I said on my previous post, "Costing me lots of money, this job is. Oh well." It's fun being a girl! ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ