I love presents!

Lots of people look forward to Christmas for presents! But I don't usually expect anything too 'big' (my family is bigger on the food prep than the gift-giving. So we don't get presents, we get fat! Hahaha!) That's why I love it when a friend gifts me with something that I can use for my makeup clients.

Everyone knows makeup don't come cheap. At least not the good kind haha. So for this year, my happiness level got amped up, first by my good model/photographer friend Nina Villanueva, who gave me a cute little black and pink eyeshadow palette from Forever 21. It contains 7 shimmery shades and one black matte (she knew that I'd been looking for a really dark matte black! How thoughtful, hahaha!). It is really compact and slips into my purse easily, which is why I have taken to bringing it with me wherever I go (just in case :P)

(Forever 21)

And that wasn't all! :)

How does 'Makeup by I-ann Monzon' sound?

I've been wanting to develop my own cosmetic line.

It started with my realization that some colors of foundation are so uncalculated for natural skin tones (manufacturers don't always think of acidity/humidity/stress factors that affect skin tone). Especially here in the Philippines, foundation colors are not very tonally varied, and makeup addicts resort to direct sellers of mineral makeup such as Ellana or Milea, both of which I've found to have a fairly wide range of tones to suit every kind of Filipina.

Even celebs can look like ghosts with bad foundation! (Google Images)

Beyond coloring however, I also very recently developed a curiosity with the performance of some cosmetic products, such as primers and serums, whose properties can fall short of what is advertised. One of my older sisters used to teach me how to read labels of products, so I knew when something had special benefits (ie: sometimes un-advertised are Vitamins E, C and B, or Tocopherol Acetate, Ascorbic acid, Niacinamide). Really knowing what chemicals you slather on your face tends to make you insightful about what these products are there for! :D

New Site for the New Year!

Hey guys! Sorry to have been on a sabbatical. Not having a decent camera can really affect some serious blogging. The old Casio EX-Z90 that I started out with was stolen while I was partying at Fiamma, while my camera after that, a Casio EX-Z550, fell on the floor from quite a height and the repair store MOVED without giving me back the camera or leaving any return address -.-

Update! I'm alive!

Hello everyone! Wow! It's been so long since I've been able to update this blog, but a renaissance is definitely on the horizon. I do apologize, since I haven't been able to post as often (or at all! Haha) due to lack of consistent internet access, which of course is not a good excuse but there you have it :)

To those of you who had consistently followed this blog, I do thank you. And to those who followed up on the lack of activity (teehee, my bad), more thanks are in order, since they made me see that this blog DOES have some life :D And that means YOU, dear reader, so thank you!

My Updated Regimen

I've gone through so many different "styles" of cleansing and treating and maintaining my skin (which historically has been REALLY REALLY REALL BAD. Bad enough to have it in All Caps!)

From experience, the simpler regimens have yielded better results for me. I used to try those typical anti-acne products that seem to jump off the shelves when they come out (serums, gels, essence, spot treatments, etc). Even if a certain product worked for a bit, I'd still revert to my not-so-good skin.

So here is a shortlist of the more effective regimens I've tried, in numerical order based on when I use them :)

I am coloring my hair Blue!

You heard me right.. Blue!

Okay, I only wish I could get my hair completely blue, haha! It would match my newest literary hero, Percy Jackson :)

Buuut... sadly, nope, not electric blue, although my "dye" is that precise color. Actually, I've been plagued by really brassy, orange-tinted hair since my ash-based haircolor has faded a bit. I looked up all sorts of natural remedies, and found the following:

- Lemon juice
- Hair developer
- Purple or blue Toner
- Coffee/Tea
- Grape Kool aid

Which one did I use?

Shoot: Video with UP Indak Oryantal

Finally, after more than a month of shooting and editing, here is my latest (third) video for UP Indak Oryantal :)

Produced by UP Indak Oryantal

Directed and Edited by I-ann Monzon (Me!)

Special thanks to Nathan Dominguez, Babs Peneyra, Erika Pascua, Lucky Limbauan and Mark Lopez for their cooperation!

I Just Had A Good Hair Day :)

Oh alright, it sounds pretty random and insignificant, but having permed hair means I usually get a messy bunch of frizz by the end of the day! But today, I tried out a very (stupidly) simple solution, and it worked, and my hair was amazingly bouncy and defined after 18 hours of moving around :)

Review: Celeteque Advanced Light Cleansing Oil

Most beauty aficionados are likely to be familiar with the term ‘cleansing oil’, which until recent years, has almost referred exclusively to the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. Other brands have followed suit, although with varying degrees of similarity and function. Recently, local hypoallergenic brand Celeteque (which apart from the Garnier line, is my go-to for the best “basic” skincare) has introduced a cleansing oil to their Advanced (anti-aging) line of products.

Let me explain how I came by this in the first place. I have slightly sensitive but extremely oily skin, and it’s been that way for a while. All throughout high school and early college years, I had constant breakouts and I only enjoyed clear skin when I discovered Celeteque (for maintenance skin care) and Garnier (for treatment-based skin care) in 08-09. 

Shoot: Deconstruct with UP Architecture Forum

This was by far the most work I've done in a single shoot, and it was a lot of fun :) Models walked in and out and each look had to be a bit unique for each person.

The shoot was for the posters of Deconstruct 2011, an annual back-to-school party hosted by the UP Architecture Forum. Most of the "crew" were my college classmates, so it was a lot of fun!

For more information regarding this shoot, read Nina Pilapil's post here :) These photos are directly from her blog :)

Bellyfest 2011 - Show/Stage Makeup!

I just very recently started using a new product and it instantly became my Holy Grail for long-lasting makeup. What else could it be but...

Silicone-based Primer!!! (will do a review soon..)

On June 25, 2011, Peak Performance Dance + Fitness held the 5th annual Bellydance Festival in the Philippines, aka Bellyfest 2011. I am currently part of a performing bellydance organization (UP Indak Oryantal), and we had so much fun as part of the performances that night :)

Shoot: Ginger w/ Photographer Joel Lirio

My friend Kriska asked me to do makeup for her clothing business' photoshoot, and I accepted even though it was far from where I lived! Their brand, Ginger (Sunking), is composed of mostly vintage-type, colorful, funky and flowy pieces, as well as wonderfully crisp and original jackets for men.

Shoot: Welcome to the Jungle w/ photographer Nina Villanueva

I just did a wonderful themed shoot with my good friend, Nina Villanueva, a model who has recently been getting a lot of hype for her glamour/fashion photography skills. I've known her for a long time, but this was the first time I worked with her professionally, and it was awesome :)

Review: Mineral Makeup (Foundation)

I received a request this week about a specific brand of mineral makeup (MMU). For this entry, I’d like to discuss mineral makeup in general, as well as review certain brands I’ve tried and tested :)

Mineral makeup is so-called because it is made from pure, finely ground minerals, so it provides a higher amount of pigment than most other makeup. “Regular” makeup actually uses the same mineral pigment base to give foundations, concealers, eyeshadows, lipsticks and liners their hue. What makes mineral makeup different (at least the loose powder kind) is that it contains no binding agents or additional chemicals such as fragrance. It also has a natural form of sun protection which comes from the characteristics of the minerals themselves.

Review: Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine-Free Face Powder

I have very very oily skin, and I live in hot and humid Philippines, so I depend on powder to get rid of midday shine. I don't like using heavy 2-in-1 powder foundations, because they tend to look too heavy and caked on, plus it usually gets ashy on my already ashy skintone. I also have acne-prone skin, so thick makeup = eww.

When I was looking to buy a new powder, I noticed my sister kept getting the Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine-Free Face Powder (whew, what a name!). Local stores offer 4 shades, and I got myself the one in Honey (which has slightly yellow undertones), from Watson's, for 199 PHP.

Review: Eyelash Perm at Let's Face It

My friends make fun of me for always dressing up my lashes. If I go a full day without makeup, I will not feel good unless I've applied some mascara, or at the very least curled my lashes. I have fleshy lids, eye circles AND bags, as well as lashes that are medium length and relatively thick BUT point down so you can't even see them!

Sooo. This year, I decided to have an eyelash perm for my birthday! I decided it would take me a lot less time to get ready in the morning, as well as not make me worry about my lashes getting wet and going stick-straight in the rain or while swimming. For this procedure, I went to the Katipunan branch of Let's Face It.