As a brand, Bobbi Brown know that women are most beautiful when they look and feel like themselves. The personality behind the brand believes in creating products that help women look and feel like the best version of themselves. The philosophy is something that’s taken to heart, and it’s even written in script on their handy makeup pouches: Be who you are.
Charming, cheerful and someone who definitely knows what she’s doing, Tammy happily answered our beauty questions while taking us through the brand’s skincare and makeup lines. Through all of it though, we picked up some basic everyday tips.
Skin is always in.
Tammy couldn’t stress this enough–the most important thing in your makeup routine is skincare. Clean, tone and moisturize may sound simple enough, but they do wonders for your face in the long run.
And when you’re feeling a little worse for wear, Bobbi Brown recently released Remedies. The specially formulated line specifically addresses different skin issues–the Skin Reviver to brighten up tired skin; the Skin Relief to battle redness and irritation; the Skin Clarifier to unclog and clarify pores; the Skin Moisture Solution that pulls moisture into the skin; the Skin Fortifier to rebuild and strengthen skin’s structure; and the Skin Salve for chapped, cracked skin. Just a two drops on a freshly clean face will do wonders, and make the rest of your skincare routine a lot more effective (and your daily makeup a lot faster).
Find your best match.
Speaking of cutting down your makeup time, Tammy emphasizes the importance of finding the right shade of foundation. “The problem with a lot of Filipinos is that they pick a lighter shade, and have to blend it in all the way to the neck,” she shares. “Why not just find the right shade and save all that time, right?”
She also says that when shopping for foundation, you shouldn’t be afraid to put it on your face. “I’ve seen so many people looking for foundation, but they’ll swatch on their arm. That’s not the same color,” she continues. She suggests taking two or three shades and creating swatches on your cheeks to see which color really disappears into the skin. “Also, you can do some swatches on your forehead. That’s usually a little darker than the rest of your face because it gets the most light.”
Tamara Pineda (photo from Instagram)
Go into the highlight zone.
One of our Bobbi Brown favorites is the Shimmer Brick, a palette of powders that you can use to add some glow to your look. The Shimmer Brick comes in bronze and pink palettes, and individual colors can be used to do eye makeup as well. Trust us, we know the impact that comes with a simple highlight.
For this, Tammy says to sweep the product into the parts of the face that gets hit by the light–the apples of the cheeks, the nose, your Cupid’s bow and the forehead.
Don’t be afraid of easy.
Even though she’s a makeup artist, Tammy admits her everyday look is pretty basic. She takes a deep breath and enumerates the steps a simple daily look should entail–skincare, concealer, eyebrows, mascara, blush and a little highlight, lipstick. Doesn’t sound all that hard to us.
In fact, don’t be afraid. Period.
Makeup is supposed to be fun. Experiment with colors and looks, and keep experimenting until you find the best look that works for you. “At the end of the day, you can just wipe it off,” Tammy adds.
If you really don’t know where to start, though, you can visit any of the Bobbi Brown counters and stores. Their artists are happy to answer any questions or to do quick tutorials–and that comes with absolutely no pressure.
Bobbi Brown is at Rustan’s Department Store in Ayala Center Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu.
]]>A beauty line that packs a lot of personality, Benefit Cosmetics understands the importance of a pretty brow—their extensive Brow Collection has everything from a conditioning primer to a wand that gives your brows a subtle highlight. The brand recently brought in their National Brow Artist for the Philippines (yes, that is how seriously they eyebrows) Celina Fernandez to give brow wax and styling tutorials at their SM Seaside City store.
As someone who’s been doing eyebrows—and pretty perfect ones, too—since 2012, Celina knows what she’s talking about. Here are a few things we learned from her and a couple of tips so that you too can greet everyday with the best brows ever.
National Brow Artist for the Philippines Celina Fernandez has been with Benefit since 2012, and regularly attends international training sessions and workshops with other Benefit artists.
Brow waxing doesn’t hurt, if you do it right
A traumatic waxing experience had turned me off to the procedure, and Celina was eager to change my mind. She asks if I’d been using any topical treatments or had recently exfoliated. This way, she could predict how my skin would react to the wax. “Some places offer eyebrow waxing, but they just do it without really understanding the procedure,” she explains. “We make sure to tell the clients what to expect.”
Use the right wax
Benefit brow artists use a specific kind of wax that’s specially created for the face and bikini area, which means it’s gentler that what would normally be used on legs or underarms. The pearlescent formula is part of Benefit’s international standard, along with their waxing strips, tweezers and other tools.
The specially formulated wax is made for sensitive areas of the body, such as the face and bikini area.
Go from dark to light
“The usual mistake, especially with Asian women, is that they use a light pencil for the brows. That just makes you look washed out,” Celina explains. A darker brow (make sure you use light strokes to mimic hair strands) makes you look younger. Also, the general rule is that it goes from dark at the end and through the arch. The brow should get lighter as it gets closer to the center of the face.
Map it out
To find out the brow shape is the best for your face, bring some geometry into the mix. A straight line from the dimple of your nose should be where the brow starts. The nose through the outer corner of your pupil is where the arch should be. The outer corner of the nose through the corner of the eye is where the brow should end.
Here’s a quick guide to mapping out your brows.
Give it a little highlight
If you want to add a bright touch, use the 3D BROWtones eyebrow enhancer for a subtle highlight.
]]>The Brow Collection from Benefit Cosmetics includes a wide range of products that cater to every brow need.
SM Seaside City Cebu (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Everyone seems privy to most of the details about the mall already, so let’s skip the fact sheet and go straight to the point: How to survive SM Seaside City like the boss that you are.
BRAVE THE COMMUTE…
On social media, for every post about SM Seaside City, there’s three about the heavy traffic in the surrounding areas. You can enter the SM Seaside City from the SRP or the Mambaling extension road, which are definitely not the widest streets in the city. As a result, traffic is crazy, but there’s nothing you can do—not even skipping SM Seaside City entirely—to solve it. Might as well make your travel experience as bearable as possible. I have Spotify playlists with songs I can sing along to in the car, while another friend suggested putting movies on your preferred gadget.
Traffic at the SRP going to SM Seaside City (Instagram: @matthewmagnifico)
As far as I know, no jeepneys are allowed at the SRP, so commute is limited to cabs and habal-habal. Some people actually walk from Mambaling to SM Seaside City (now that’s what I call dedication). But hey, did you know there’s now a MyBus you can ride if you want to go?
Unfortunately, no matter how you plan on getting to the SM Seaside City—yes, even by foot if the crowded sidewalks are anything to go by— you are not exempted from the traffic. A moment of silence for traffic-free SRP. You will be missed.
… AND PARKING
The first time I went to SM Seaside City, I had a mini panic attack because when I asked the guard where I can park, he pointed me far, far away from the mall. This. Is. Okay. As it turns out, it’s quite a long ride going to the entrance, especially if you’re coming from the Mambaling end.
There are two options for parking: Upper and Lower. I’ve never been big on basement parking because of claustrophobia, so I definitely prefer the upper one. Based on experiences with both, the upper parking area also seems to have more convenient accesses to the mall. Either way, parking is a bit disorienting, so it helps to note the shops you encounter the moment you get into the mall so you know what to find when you’re making your way out. Otherwise, this happens. As an additional precaution, you can also take a photo of the parking slot codes painted on the pillars… as long as you make sure your mobile phone’s batteries last the whole time you’re there.
ORIENT YOURSELF
Consider this: I stand just a little under five feet. SM Seaside City is around 4,300,000 square feet (roughly converted from 400,000 square meters). To say that the mall can get overwhelming is an understatement. Also, if that doesn’t humble you, I don’t know what else would.
This photo shows four of the five floors at the SM Seaside City (Instagram: @emmsronda)
There’s a lot to cover on foot, but before you run inside your new playground (that is, if you can figure out where to enter), orient yourself with the basic fact that the SM Seaside City is divided into four parts: The Cube Wing, The Mountain Wing, The City Wing, and The Seaview Wing, all named after the sides they face (and yes, you can finally see how the Cube looks like from the inside after gawking at it from outdoors for the longest time). Since the mall has a circular shape, however, I personally don’t see why they’re called ‘wings’. Why can’t it be ‘piece’ or ‘slice’, because you know, pizza? Cake?
The circular orientation means that if you start from point A and walk to either your left or right side, you’re going to pass by all the slices wings and still manage to end up again at point A. So when you see all those arrows pointing to the restroom/ATM/whatever, you are headed in the right direction. It just entails an endless walk ahead. Talk about going in circles.
All signs point forward. (Instagram: @justinjayperez_)
Anyway, point made: Mall is B-I-G. Which leads us to…
WEAR SENSIBLE SHOES
I live and breathe in high heels, and actually spent my first day at the SM Seaside City in five-inch shoes. By the next day I went to the mall, practicality won over vanity and I like having feet and I’m not a total masochist, so I grudgingly conceded to wearing more comfortable flats, even if I had to look up at everyone else. There is just no other way to enjoy exploring all of SM Seaside City with painful feet.
I jokingly suggested to some people that they should wear running shoes and make a workout out of malling (isn’t shopping a sport anyway?), but this is actually good advice. You’re sure to work out a lot of calories, especially if you plan to tour everything in one go. Side note: I’ve been at SM Seaside City practically every day since the media and VIP launch, and yet it took me days to finish going around the spaces accessible to the public.
Expect a lot of walking. (Instagram: @countocram)
It’s good to note that there are golf carts available to give free rides to senior citizens, pregnant women, or just the average weary shopper… that is, if you can manage to get on one.
DRESS ACCORDINGLY
As with any other new mall, the air conditioning units at the SM Seaside City are running at full blast. Backstage at the SM Woman fashion show, I was told that this is done to measure the full capacity of said air conditioning units. That’s cool and all (pun intended), but unless you want to test the full capacity of your body warmth at the risk of catching hypothermia or if you want to prepare yourself should the winter season be legalized in the Philippines, wear a jacket. Especially if you’re planning to hit the ice skating rink.
On the plus side, the insane crowds help with the chilly temperatures. Still, it helps to be prepared. Winter is coming.
EAT AND BE MERRY
Not all the shops are open yet, and the bulk of those seem to be the dining establishments. Seriously. SM Seaside City, we need to sit down and talk about priorities.
There’s a lot of new concepts to look forward to (Tim Ho Wan!), but for now we’ll have to make do with a handful of restaurants, mostly fast food joints such as Jollibee and McDonalds as well as the ones on the food courts of the cinema and the supermarket. Naturally, these are jam-packed, so unless you’re a contender for The Hunger Games (literally, not the book/movie series) or willing to wait in line for who knows how long, make sure you don’t go to the mall on an empty stomach.
The crowd at Jollibee (Instagram: @karissayu)
BE NICE AND HAVE FUN
Over the past few days, I’ve noticed that some mallgoers seem to relish bumping into other people. This is not necessary. I can’t emphasize enough how SM Seaside City is huge, and even with the crowd, there’s still a lot of space for people to share. So, play nice.
The crowd at the SM Seaside City’s media and VIP launch on November 26 (Instagram: @thestylecebunews)
Most of all, have fun! SM Seaside City is a huge (ha) development for Cebu. It’s pretty. It’s shiny. It’s sparkly. It’s new. It’s big. It’s a lot of things, yet most of all, it’s an experience that should be celebrated by everyone.
SM SEASIDE CITY CEBU
South Road Properties cor. Mambaling Road
Cebu City, 6000
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by Patty Taboada
Did I miss any tips? Or do you want to share your thoughts? Sound off in the comments section!
]]>As Forever 21 welcomes you to their other home, catch their Holiday 2015 collection, which embraces the modern family through the #ForeverFamily campaign.
Photographed by elite fashion photographer Dan Jackson and styled by industry legend George Cortina, Forever 21 highlights three authentic families that each represent what it means to be part of a global modern family. The images radiate the contagious energy associated with the holidays.
As every Cebuano values family relationships, the warmth and joyous spirit of this bond is at the heart of the Holiday collection – including lightweight sweaters, bow blouses, and midi button-up denim shirts for women, to party-ready sequin halter jumpsuits, embellished mini suede shirts, and trendy flared jeans for the statement outfit – layering separates perfect for the tropical weather of Cebu.
The collection also incorporates jovial knit sweaters, relaxed chinos in an array of colors and suiting in classic and slim fits for men, as well as new interpretations on dresses, parkas, and slogan tops for kids. The collection marries the family together through fashion and invites you to embrace your own #ForeverFamily.
Mark your calendars as Forever 21 opens their doors to everyone in SM Seaside City this November 27. Expect exciting offers and special surprises!
FOREVER 21
2/F SM Northwing, SM City Cebu
UGF SM Seaside City Cebu
WELL-CRAFTED DAY. Uniqlo and Cebu march forward, transcending the norm when it comes to daily clothes. LifeWear leads the pack towards deviation hinged on a purpose for every facet of the Cebuano life, through innovation and making life simpler but better. (A ZEE LIFESTYLE x UNIQLO collaboration: photography by JAN GONZALES/creative direction by MELO ESGUERRA/styling by RYUJI SHIOMITSU and BLAQ MAFIA/makeup by EMI AYAG/hair by MARIELL FERNANDEZ/shot on location at the KENNETH COBONPUE SHOWROOM)
“We have opened 24 stores in Metro Manila and Luzon; entering the Visayas market is a milestone in our growth strategy,” shares Katsumi Kubota, Chief Operating Officer of Uniqlo Philippines. The opening of its first store in the Visayas will soon be followed by another one in the much-awaited opening of SM Seaside City Cebu this November.
CEBU LIFE MADE BETTER. (A ZEE LIFESTYLE x UNIQLO collaboration: photography by JAN GONZALES/creative direction by MELO ESGUERRA/styling by RYUJI SHIOMITSU and BLAQ MAFIA/makeup by EMI AYAG/hair by MARIELL FERNANDEZ/shot on location at the KENNETH COBONPUE SHOWROOM)
Uniqlo provides clothing with innovation and real value, engineered to enhance everyday life. Committed to carrying clothing that focuses on the wearer, product offerings include Filipino’s everyday wear necessities such as premium denim jeans, stylish legging pants, colorful chino shorts, graphic t-shirts, polo shirts, Supima cotton t-shirts, and inner wear. The product line-up will also include the bran’d unique and proprietary collections AIRism, HEATTECH, and Ultra-Light Down among others.
DRY AND FLY. (A ZEE LIFESTYLE x UNIQLO collaboration: photography by JAN GONZALES/creative direction by MELO ESGUERRA/styling by RYUJI SHIOMITSU and BLAQ MAFIA/makeup by EMI AYAG/hair by MARIELL FERNANDEZ/shot on location at the KENNETH COBONPUE SHOWROOM)
Its LifeWear concept, Simple Made Better, advocates apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity made with such elegance that it becomes the building blocks of one’s style and clothing that is constantly being innovated to bring more warmth, more lightness, and better comfort to life. LifeWear is about simple apparel with a not-so-simple purpose to make life better.
UNIQLO
G/F The Northwing, SM City Cebu
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