Hmmm... I've been seeing this ETC All-Good Card advertised on ETC for some time now. They never say how you can get one though... they simply said to log on to http://www.etc.com.ph to know more. Well I did just that and guess what? According to the website you have to stay tuned to ETC to know how you can get one. Well I've stayed tuned and logged on, and still no go.

   I finally got my hands on an actual card when my sis-in-law, who's the marketing officer of MALDITA, managed to score some from an event. MALDITA is one of ETC's partner establishments and so there were some cards at their disposal.

   The card came with a small booklet which listed all the perks you can get by simply flashing them your ETC All-Good Card. Here are a few of those perks to give you an idea:

   TimeZone - P200 worth of load for only P160
   Lancome - Once a month free makeover service and skin analysis
   Ebisu - Free dessert for P500 purchase
   Fuzion Smoothie Cafe - Get P300 GCs for every P1000 purchase
   Skin Food - 10% discount on cash purchase  + free makeover + free product sample

   The ETC All-Good Card has over 50 different partner establishments. Now if only they'd say how a person can get one... anyways if I ever find out I'll be sure to share.

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on glam fashion make-up at Center for Aesthetic Studies yesterday. CAS is where a lot of renowned make-up artists like Jigs Mayuga of L'oreal Philippines graduated from. A 4-hour workshop costs about P2.1k pesos, and they offer a full certification course on make-up artistry.

It was a great experience. CAS has a full staff of very knowledgeable and experienced instructors for both hair and make-up, and the school itself is well-equipped. They have a multimedia projector and whiteboard for their lectures and they have mirrors on almost all the walls so you can practice what you've learned. You have to bring your own cosmetics and model though.

Our instructor yesterday was Ms. Jennie Delica, who does make-up and training for Avon Philippines and other companies. She was a very clear and effective teacher and she had me doing smoky eyes and nude lips after about an hour. CAS is very particular about hygeine and would really train you to clean all your brushes and tools thoroughly on a regular basis. CAS also offers workshops on self make-up.

CAS is great for an exercise in creativity, self-enrichment, and maybe even an option for an alternative career.

Center for Aesthetic Studies
2/F Franck Provost Bldg., 120 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati City
897-0383

I am not a fan of Shu Uemura Sweet Lip Gloss.

It's sticky, which makes application a pain. Just about the only good thing about is the sweet candy smell and taste. Although the colors are bright and pretty they are not so obvious when actually applied. If your lips are dry, then tough luck because you can't apply it straight on because it's going to make a mess of the dry flakes of skin of your dry lips. Your lips will have to be in good condition for it to give you a wet, glossy finish.

My little girl loves the sweet candy smell and taste though...

I have combination skin which tends to get greasy when it's humid. It has always plagued me because even with powder and make-up the oil still shines through and I look horrid in pictures. A lot of the time I have to Photoshop the oil away from my face.

Anyways I read about Awake Sebum Regulating Lotion in one of Marie Claire magazine's Tried & Tested features and was lucky enough to have bought a bottle at 50% off during Rustans' employee sale some weeks back. I must say it really works. I applied the lotion at around 11am and I still wasn't shining come 5pm. My face would usually shine like a mirror a couple of hours after applying face powder but not with Awake Sebum Regulating Lotion.

   I'm hoping this reaches all the moms and dads connected to my multiply account and then some. Baby powder is cancerous, and that's not an exaggeration. The main ingredient is talc, which is similar to asbestos. Anyways here is the article complete with scientific and medical references:

   http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/talc.htm

   Please read and be aware. I know people here in the Philippines are quite fond of baby powder.

I love Kiehl's products in general, but I'd have to say that this particular one doesn't deliver what it promises (the label is pictured on the right).

Yes, it's gentle... but it's so gentle that it takes a lot of product and repeated applications before it can do the job of removing your eye make-up. Eye shadows are no problem, it's the eyeliner and mascara that Kiehl's Supremely Gentle Eye Makeup Remover has trouble with. It takes me at least 2 cotton buds per eye soaked in this to completely remove eyeliner (whereas it takes only one bud with Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil), and countless more buds (say 5-6 per eye) to remove water-resistant (not waterproof) mascara. After the cotton buds, you'd have to use a cotton ball over your entire eye area to make sure everything is off. I used Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil and it took two cotton buds and a single cotton ball do rid my eye area of ALL make-up.

This is not to say that it doesn't have its uses. I find it really efficient in taking make-up off the rest of your face... but then that's not really what it's for.

I'm not really fond of mascara. I have naturally dark and thick lashes so I don't deem it as something indispensable. I also have a traumatic experience with waterproof mascara. During a Good Housekeeping event I was lucky enough to be made up by Jigs Mayuga who used L'oreal's latest waterproof mascara on me -- and it was almost impossible to remove afterwards! It took me hours of dipping cotton buds in eye makeup remover and running them over my lashes repeatedly until my eyes were stinging and red before I was rid of it.

Shu Uemura Fiber Xtension Lengthening Mascara is incredibly lightweight, easy to apply, and clump-free. It's feels like you're not wearing any mascara at all (my lashes always feel heavy when I use mascara but not with this!) and yet you can see its eye-enhancing effect. It comes in basic black and other fun shades like bronze, blue, and green. It's not a pain to remove either, it comes off with a cotton ball and eye makeup remover in a jiffy.

This really is the best mascara I've ever used.