Bagging the perfect purse for the holiday season

Dear Rissa,

Can you recommend a good eyeliner? What brands do you use? I feel frustrated because the one I currently use always gets smudged. I always have to check myself in the mirror, clean up my eye area, and retouch. I want something I can use every day.

Lastly, I’m also looking for a pretty bejeweled bag. Where can I find one?

LIAA

When it comes to the eyes, no woman wants smudged eyeliner and end up looking like a panda. Personally, I use eyeliner pencils from Make Up For Ever, Mac, and Ever Bilena. These brands of eyeliners glide smoothly on my lids without any tugging or pulling feeling. And since I have poor eyesight and have to wear graded contact lenses, other eye products easily irritate my eyes. But these have been safe to use even for contact lens wearers like me or even those with sensitive eyes. But believe it or not, the Ever Bilena eyeliner is one that I can always count on (available in all leading department stores, supermarkets, and personal care stores). I’ve been using it for years. It costs only around P40-50! It’s a cheap beauty trick I learned long ago from top makeup artists whenever I’d inspect the tools of their trade backstage during a fashion show or shoot. These pencils don’t smudge, even for everyday use. Most eyeliners from foreign brands seem to be built and are more suited for American and European climates. I’ve been more than satisfied with a local brand like Ever Bilena. In my experience, it has a formulation that can withstand our humid weather. It comes in two shades. The dark brown shade will work best for casual days but for more intensity and drama, opt for the black one.

On the other hand, it may also not always be the eyeliner’s fault. You can also blame smudged eye makeup on long lashes or moist undereye skin. You may also be the type who sweats a lot, causing makeup to run. If this is your case, then waterproof eyeliners are a good solution. You can try Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils (stores located at Shangri-La Mall, SM The Block, and Bonifacio High Street). Make Up For Ever is popular for its waterproof range of products. Its Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils come in over a dozen shades, even metallic ones such as gold, silver, and copper. The color really stays in place even in the most extreme conditions — while sweating and even underwater.

When it comes to bags, designer Amina Aranaz is always on every fashionista’s lips. Worth checking out is her Copper Diamond Collection (available at Aranaz Greenbelt 5, Power Plant, and Rustan’s Makati). Inspired by the different facets of diamonds, you’ll fall in love with the unusual bag shapes. The use and mix of luxurious leather with mother-of-pearl, Swarovski crystals, and intricate hand beading make the bags of this limited-edition collection eye-catching but not overpowering to your favorite outfit. These are the perfect purses for the holiday season.      Rissa

* * *

Be comfortable in your own skin, with your own style

Dear Lucy,

Can you give me again please the number of the person who sells Bare Minerals? I read in Preview magazine that it is one of the best beauty products of 2008. Have you tried it? Is it really any good? I consider myself quite stylish, but that could also be a problem. Sometimes my friends tell me that I am too stylish and that if it were not for my young age and my confidence, I sometimes lean towards the “over-the-top” look (think of a restrained Tessa Prieto-Valdes). What should be my guiding principle? I admire how you always look classic and put-together, but never showy. Is it bad to be showy? I want to develop my own style, but I want it to still be appropriate even through time. Where can I get nice accessories that are affordable but fabulous?

By the way, my mom says she loves your show Shall We Dance!      nonie-anne

What an unusual name you have! Thank you very much for your letter and your kind words. Yes, I have tried Bare Minerals and I am quite fond of the brand actually. Their foundation is nice except that the lightest they carry just does not match my skin tone. It is still a tad too dark. But I love their undereye concealer, aptly called Well-Rested. It illuminates the undereye area very naturally. I also like the Mineral Veil — it makes the skin look dewy. It is actually a sparkly finishing powder that makes the skin glow, again in a very natural way. You can use it over either a bare or fully made-up face, your choice. They also have nice blushers that appear diffused when applied on the cheeks. Very pretty, indeed. There is a local distributor, her name is Elaine and you may call her at 09189078831.

Style is a very personal thing. I would like to think there are no hard and fast rules really and that is what makes it fun and dynamic. What’s important is you are comfortable in your own skin, with your own style. If you lean towards the over-the-top look, that is fine, as long as you have good taste. More than keeping up with trends and owning the newest and the best there is, it is good taste that will carry you through. I am halfway through a book by Nina Garcia entitled The One Hundred, a guide to the pieces every stylish woman must own. It is a fun book, written in a very witty way, with wonderful illustrations by Ruben Toledo. It will inspire you to create different looks; it will also tell you a lot about your own personal fashion sense. The book is available at Fully Booked.

As for nice accessories, my favorite haunt is Aldo. Their accessories are so nice and sell so fast that they now have a store devoted solely to it. I saw the Aldo accessories store at Bonifacio High Street and I cannot wait to drop by there soon. Arnel Papa (available at Greenbelt 5) also makes great world-class accessories.

I hope I was able to help you, Nonie. Enjoy your life fashionably!

Lucy

* * *

From Dark To Invisible

Dearest Tingting,

I am 45 years old and I have this dark area below my eyes, which some say is pigmentation due to aging. I am afraid to try things unless they’re recommended by someone as credible as you are. Please tell me what to do and what concealer would be the best to try to make my dark undereye area less visible.

By the way, I am a working mom and I always like to look my best when I go to work every day. Also, I want to grow old gracefully just as I have watched you blossom with age.

career mom

Make sure you have no allergy to medication. Assuming you have none, get an eye cream with a combination of vitamin C and kojic acid like SesDerma Kojicol Plus and C-Vit eye contour cream marketed by Sesvalia.

Tingting

* * *

Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com.