I'm not really a big makeup wearer in the morning. I prefer to keep my face makeup free to let it breathe. But sometimes I like to wear minimal makeup. Minimal makeup consisting of moisturizer, a lightweight foundation, concealer, and tinted lip balm.

 I have two makeup foundations in my stash that I prefer to use at daytime. Both are lightweight, makes my face look even and smooth, and both are from Maybelline. They are Pure Mineral Powder Foundation and Clear Smooth Clear Stick/BB Stick.

 I first found Glitza nail polishes in Guardian in City Square Mall while I was buying nail polish remover. They were on sale that time so naturally I checked it out. I saw a lot of really good looking shades. There were colorful and dark shades and I think I also saw glittery ones. Thankfully, there was a nail wheel available so I was able to check the swatches. In the end, I ended up buying shade 15.

What's your favorite blotting paper brand? :)

 I know there are tons of blog posts about Maybelline's Color Tattoos but just let me express how much I like the one I have, Bad to the Bronze. I got this last year or early 2013 I think and I just opened it recently because I forgot I have it. :)) Basically, Color Tattoos are cream/gel shadows that can be used as a shadow base, an eyeshadow, and eyeliner. 

Bad to the Bronze is exactly what it is- bronze, just a bit warmer and toned down. A little of this goes a long way because it's very pigmented. Personally, I think this will look amazing if used in a bold winged liner just because it wouldn't look so harsh and strong on the eyes compared to the usual black liner we always use. If you want to use it as a shadow, you can either sheer it out so it acts like a wash or you can layer it to achieve a stronger lid color. The good thing about this is that you can layer all you want and this wouldn't even crease. Yes, it's that good. Also, I left the swatches on my hand the whole day and after washing my hands a lot of times, the color was still there. It's not as intense and shimmery but it was still there on my hand. So I think Maybelline's claim of it being long-lasting (up to 24 hours) is somewhat true.

I seriously can't wait to get other Color Tattoos. They're such amazing products and they're definitely budget-friendly as well. The color range is awesome as well since they have beautiful neutrals and crazy bold colors. Now I can't wait to have Tenacious Teal and Fierce and Tangy. :P

I got Bad to the Bronze in Singapore. I got it for around S$11.95, the introductory price, but I think it's now S$15.95 which is the regular price. Don't forget to check SASA/Watsons/Guardian/John Little sales too because they sell Color Tattoos for S$11.95. :)

Oh hai there! Here's a little review on Essence's Coverstick. I got this last month (see this post for reference) and I've been using it recently. I picked this up because I wanted to see if it can conceal or lighten my dark circles but apparently this Coverstick is for covering small spots and redness on the face. Since I'm nothing but curious, I tried it on my dark circles anyway. :P

...brow bone highlighters that is! Although I have quite a number of shadows that can be used as a brow highlighter, I find myself reaching out for just these two, depending on what eye look I'm doing. I think they're fool proof and subtle enough for my liking. The highlighters I'm talking about are Virgin and Kinky. Both are (surprise, surprise) Urban Decay shadows from the palettes, Naked and Smoked.

 Virgin is a pale nude beige with a shimmer finish. I use this whenever I do looks that has a lot of mattes in it. I find that Virgin adds dimension to a matte eye and it has the right amount of shimmer that reflects beautifully in natural, studio, and camera lights. Also, I'm a newbie when it comes to highlighting the cheekbones and I find that Virgin is very newbie-friendly since it's not an in-your-face highlighter.

For eye looks that has a lot of shimmers and glitters, I use Kinky. Kinky does look a lot like Virgin but it's definitely paler and has a matte finish. I find that this is such a lovely matte highlighter because it's not stark white because it has a flesh/beige undertone to it.

Swatches!

 Sometimes, not all light shadows in palettes or quads are suitable as a brow highlight. Some quads are all shimmers, so naturally you have to use a highlighter that's less shimmery like satins or mattes. Likewise, you can add dimension to a matte eye by using a shimmery brow highlight. A little tip though: never ever use a glitter shadow to highlight your brow.

What's your go-to/favorite brow highlighter? :)

  I got so excited that I decided to post this now. As in 3 hours after I got my brows threaded.

  My thick, unruly brows have always been my problem. They're shapeless and they grow fast and apparently in all directions. Before this, shaving has always been my number one solution. Problem is, I am scared that I might overshave so I never got to shape my brows on my own. I'm not a big fan of plucking so I don't do that often. I tried Benefit's brow wax last year in Singapore but I found that it was a bit expensive and my brows just grew back in three, four weeks, plus Benefit counters here in the Philippines are so far from where I live so I really can't keep up with waxing. I was about to give up until I saw Lay Bare's website. Lay Bare is a waxing salon but they do eyebrow threading. I've always considered threading but because of the people who said it was painful, I was hesitant to do it. But because I'm so desperate to get my brows fixed, I finally caved in and went to the Lay Bare branch in Robinsons Metro East this afternoon. And I'm really glad I did!

 Since today's a weekday, the shop wasn't packed. I got in, registered, filled up a form, and waited for my turn. I was called in at around 2:30 pm. Before threading, the brow technician asked me if I wanted shape or just cleaning. I answered shape immediately and I told her not to make it too thin. The procedure wasn't so bad at all. It wasn't painful though it did made me eyes water probably because, I don't know, it's near the eye area? Anyway, I don't know if that's because my tolerance for pain is high or because the lady who handled my brows was light-handed. It did hurt a bit on my left brow but that's because my left eye area is more sensitive than my right. There was some plucking involved too but that was after the threading part. The session lasted for only 15 minutes. :)

 Ready for some photos? Here's my "before" brows, taken just yesterday:

My new brows, taken 3 hours after threading:

 Look, I got arches!! My new brows are very lady-like now, haha!

 My experience with Lay Bare was really pleasant. It was quick, tolerable, and most of all, budget friendly! Will you believe me when I tell you I just paid Php110 for this? Yep, that affordable! Plus, they have two branches near my place so it's very accessible. Aside from eyebrow threading, they do waxing services too. Click this to view their services. If you're looking for a place to get your brows threaded, I really recommend Lay Bare. They do accept walk-ins but I suggest going on a weekday to avoid queues. :)

 Ending this post with my makeup free but happy face. I got 'em good brows! Oh, and my dark circles and eye bags say hello too. =3

 Here's a late haul. :D

 In Singapore, my favorite stores that carry beauty products are Sephora and Watsons. Both are opposite poles really since Sephora carries the semi to high-end brands and Watsons carries the high street/drugstore brands. One of the brands I saw in Watsons was Essence. Apparently, Essence is the number 1 cosmetics brand in Europe. I approached the stall immediately because I was curious about it since it was recently launched here in the Philippines (both in SM Megamall and SM Aura) and I've seen how affordable the products were in peso. I didn't expect it to be really affordable so imagine how excited I got when I saw the prices!

 So here are the items I got from the Essence stall. Let me just say that it took me a great deal of self-control to not hoard those colorful nail polishes, colorful tubes of mascara, eyeliner pencils, and even their face products. But looking back, I think I should have bought those colorful jelly nail polishes... :P

 You have no idea how excited I am right now. This is my very first Sleek palette and I fell in love with it instantly mainly because it's a neutral palette. My love for neutral palettes will never end. They're just so easy to use and they're fool-proof. The shadows in neutral palettes just look great on everyone. Some people prefer colorful shadows but not me. I prefer neutrals over colors. But please don't think of me as entirely boring because I love playing with colors too. It's just that every time I use colorful shadows, I tend to just use one and all the other shadows are......yep, you guessed it, neutrals.

 Anyway, here's a quick view + swatches of the Au Naturel palette. Enjoy!

  Hey there, say hello to Sunny! Sunny is a nail wheel I got yesterday. I think we all know what nail wheels are for but in case you don't know, let me fill you in. Basically, a nail wheel is something you see in nail polish stands and nail salons. Each fake nail is painted in a different color of nail polish. You can either swatch a nail polish in one of the fake nails to know what it looks like or you can use it to practice or create different nail arts before you do it on your own nails.

 I've decided to use a nail wheel for future nail polish posts. Instead of painting my nails, I figured swatching nail polishes on nail wheels is easier and faster. Nowadays, I prefer not to paint my fingernails because I like my nails clean and natural. I do, however, love painting my toenails but I'm not a big fan of taking photos of my feet. Not that my feet are weird or mutant looking, I just prefer not to show it to the world.

 Hopefully, I can pull this off because I'm really looking forward to painting the fake nails with my new nail polishes. I know several bloggers who sometimes use nail wheels for nail polish swatches so why can't I? :D

 When Wonderstruck came out in 2011 (2012 here in the Philippines), I was intrigued. I'm not gaga over scents/perfumes really but I've always wanted to check it out because it's Taylor Swift's. Okay, please don't judge me but yes, I'm a T-Swift fan (not the over-the-top I-love-you-forever-and-ever-Taylor kind of fan but you know what I mean). Thankfully, Wonderstruck was available in last month's Luxasia Singapore sale so when I saw this, I knew I had to get it. And I'm glad I did because I really, really, really, like it.