Concealer, Foundation, Review Crew Marielle Ong Concealer, Foundation, Review Crew Marielle Ong

Here’s looking at Y.O.U Beauty: New foundation and concealer alert!

What was your foundation game like five or ten years ago? Or if you’ve been using makeup for longer than that, do you remember what the formulas were like when you first started? There was a time when it was all about matte, and the coverage options seemed to be either full or fuller and, dare I say, cakey. We’ve come a long way since then, and the formulas feel more... efficient. The wear is generally more comfortable, while the finish of some varieties look more skin-like than ever. Most of all, these innovations are premiering at a fast pace while becoming more affordable!

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Announcements, Beauty News, Finds Marielle Ong Announcements, Beauty News, Finds Marielle Ong

Where to buy legit CeraVe and The Ordinary products in the Philippines

Since many of us are cautious about going out these days, physical shopping trips tend to be planned more carefully than during the pre-pandemic era. But that doesn't mean discarding your beauty routine and limiting yourself to grocery supply runs. One way of still being able to stock up on your kikay caboodle is by visiting a one-stop shop that offers choice products from all over the world. It's time to stop, LOOK, and shop!

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Features, Finds, Hair, Hands, Health & Wellness, Shopping Marielle Ong Features, Finds, Hair, Hands, Health & Wellness, Shopping Marielle Ong

I’m spilling it: Here are my top five secret Shopee finds

Ever since the start of the community quarantine, online marketplaces like Shopee have helped give us convenient access to certain things from the outside world. Learning a new hobby? You're likely to find competitively-priced supplies. Forgot to pick something up from the last supply run? Perhaps one of your favorite sellers has it. Want to try something new? There’s tons of listings to discover.

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Shopping Red Dimaandal Shopping Red Dimaandal

Five tips on how to buy beauty products online with zero regrets

These days, buying beauty products online can be a tricky business. Whether you’re online shopping for something you haven’t tried before, or attempting to get the best bang for your buck at your favorite brand, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options (or fall into a hole of looking at swatches to determine whether that shadow will really work with your eyes). Throw in the fact that star products tend to sell out faster than ever these days, and it’s enough to make you want to slam your laptop shut.

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Features Stacie Chan Features Stacie Chan

Inside the life of an online seller: How two beauty stores built their business from home

If earning more income is one of your New Year resolutions, you may want to consider getting into online selling. Sure, it’s a small operation compared to the likes of Sephora PH and BeautyMNL, but it’s proven to be a lucrative one. Shoppers still appreciate having a trusted suki who can give recos and address issues at a personal level, and it’s easier to give feedback on what products they’d like to see next! But, how to start? We got in touch with two popular online sellers whose shops we’ve frequented and trust.

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Announcements Claire Reyes Announcements Claire Reyes

The Face Shop is now in BeautyMNL - here's what to grab

I must confess that I get a high from scoring an awesome beauty bargain! This is the main reason I keep coming back to The Face Shop (TFS) stores. They put at least one product on a 1 + 1 promo every month, and it draws me in every time. They’re generous with GWPs, they have a rewards program tied up with Bench, and their character collaborations have wowed us again and again. Of course, their skin care and makeup offerings perform really well for the price!

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Staff Picks, Tips and Tricks Denise Bengzon Staff Picks, Tips and Tricks Denise Bengzon

Staff Picks: Our top tips for going on a Shopee spree

While there are obvious perks to being able to swatch and test products in person, I find myself doing most of my beauty shopping online. There are no busy crowds, no hovering sales people, and no traffic or parking issues to deal with. I like the option of being able to easily canvass and compare for the best prices, and most especially enjoy being able to quickly research for blog reviews before adding items to my cart! We've already listed our fave online stores to purchase from but there's one marketplace that we've become (mildly?) addicted to: Shopee!

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Shoes Frankie Torres Shoes Frankie Torres

Five beauty products that you should never buy on Lazada

Ah, the holidays. Carols are playing on the radio, tinsel and ornaments hang everywhere, and traffic is overwhelming. The current state of our streets and malls might rob even the most festive person of the Christmas spirit. Thankfully, online shopping giants like Zalora and Lazada can mean that gift hunting doesn’t have to involve burning through a tank of gas and the last of your patience!

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Features, Shopping Liz Lanuzo Features, Shopping Liz Lanuzo

Taste Central: the online store for snobs

Are you a snob? A snob is defined as a person who believes their tastes in a particular area are superior to others. You can be a music, food, bag, beauty, or shoe snob - all at the same time. It doesn't mean you're a terrible person, just that in the course of pursuing the things you care about, you've already narrowed down the qualities of a "good" find. 

I am a snob. I'm particular about how I dress and the products I use on my face and body, simply because I already know what works and what doesn't. :) However, I'm not as concerned about how luxe a brand is as I am about the quality of the product. If it works and it's affordable at the same time then all the better! In my experience though, quality - the kind I will cherish, enjoy, and maximize to the end - often comes at a price.

And that is why I love Taste Central. It's a well-curated online store that contains only things that cater to, well, snobs. Haha. It's a website by tastemakers for tastemakers; for people who are willing to blow cash on the good suff. Taste Central is actually the sister site of Deal Grocer. Instead of discounts though, you can buy products outright.

There are quite a few awesome things in there for beauty enthusiasts such as we. There are hard-to-find brands like Jo Malone, AesopFresh, Philosophy, and Bumble & Bumble. There are also quietly famous brands you've never heard of before but are too expensive to be hipster (lol) - Chantecaille, Percy & Reed, Red Ken, Mukti, Babor, and Frederick Feckkai

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Shopping Liz Lanuzo Shopping Liz Lanuzo

Reader question: Online makeup shopping

Hi Liz, I just want to ask you about online shopping. My dilemma is I love to shop for make up online because it's easy and tempting but sometimes I receive make up that has foul smell and I realized maybe old stocks na yung nareceive ko. Kahit trusted seller shop naka-receive pa rin ako ng old stock as in may liquid part na yung lipgloss. We don't know kung properly stored ba yung mga products or gaano na katagal sa place nila yung products so I would like to ask if you can recommend any online shops for make up? Thanks! - Chiena

The first time I bought makeup online was in eBay. I ordered this palette from Rustan's for a really good deal, I think it was P300? I was so excited to get it! And yes, I also bought it from a trusted seller. Imagine my disappointment when the eyeshadows were as hard as plastic and the lipsticks were this weird greasy stuff. It was a horrible waste of my student's allowance, to say the least.

Since then I prefer to buy makeup mostly offline and only in select stores online. Here are some tips on how to screen online makeup stores!

1. Research on the product you intend to buy. When was it released exactly? Find the earlist blog post about it online so you can make a reasonable guess. As a rule, you shouldn't buy any beauty product older than two years. Yes, even if it's sealed.

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