Domesticity Reviews: The Products That Could Possibly Save My Life This Year

Powder: L'Oreal Infallible Never-Fail (in Sun Beige). I'm still bummed about this powder getting discontinued - well, not as bummed when you consider that I bought this last summer before The Big Move - but as you can see in this entry, the coverage is pretty thorough, almost like a powder foundation. I personally don't have any problems with cakiness - or putting on powder with a sponge, which I always do - but that's partly because I live in a very humid climate where makeup has a tendency to melt as soon as you put it on. That's obviously not the case with the Infallible powder: even after a day's worth of humid environments and some inevitable teary-eyed moments during Avatar, the coverage of this powder remained even-toned and smooth. Bonus points for the improved throughout the day, too, because it really did look and feel like my own skin at the end of it all.

Mascara: Maybelline Unstoppable Curly Extension. My current go-to mascara of choice at this point. (Check out the pre-bent angled brush here - nifty, eh?) The bad news is that I do have some major smudging issues with this one, which means that I still have to wipe that brush down with a tissue before I apply a single coat. The good news, however, is that it does give me a lot in the way of definition and curl, plus it stays on with the tenacity of an ABS-CBN field reporter. (No five o'clock raccoon eyes here!) Not to mention that it does wash off effortlessly with water and a little face wash.

Sun Protection: Beach Hut Clear Spray Sunblock. A surprising find, courtesy of the in-house store at Plantation Bay Resort in Cebu. (Again, no Fresh here - but they do have a nice selection of Human Heart Nature body butters and insect repellents, so there's that.) I bought this mere hours before we were due to go snorkeling off the coast of Mactan Island; apparently I was in a state of panic, because the last time I went out snorkeling resulted in what could be best described as a (supposedly) "Waterproof" Sunblock FAIL. This stuff, however, was a flat-out revelation to me - even after hours of swimming in blue ocean waters, with UV rays bouncing off every conceivable direction, I came off the boat with not a single burned spot on my skin... and this is after frequent standard re-applications of the stuff at every turn! Much credit goes to the genius spray bottle, which gets to those hard-to-reach crannies on my back without missing a single spot, and to the truly lightweight formula that goes on clear and sheer. Did I also mention that this product was developed in the Philippines for the Southeast Asian market? And how cute is it that their website is called LotionSucks.com? (Heee.)

Eyeliner: Ever Bilena Dual-Ended Eye Pencil. And speaking of Filipino products... well, I can be quite unapologetic when it comes to Ever Bilena eyeliner. It may have only cost me 1/10th of what I would've paid for MAC or Revlon over here, but nothing else comes close. The texture is soft and powdery - no harsh Amy Winehouse batwings of kohl here - and the staying power is amazing. The pencil shown here is black on one end and brown on the other... but I'm planning on getting the one with black and blue eyeliner, just for kicks.

Lip gloss: Maybelline Fruity Jelly lip gloss (in Creamy Guava). Oh, how many ways do I love thee, Fruity Jelly? You're one of the two bargain-priced Maybelline products in the Philippine market (the other one being the Clear Smooth powder), so you really don't cost an arm and a leg. You go on smooth like a balm but never stay sticky; you're glossy, yet you have the right balance of sheer color and shimmer to make me feel like I'm wearing something of note. You're a creamy peachy-pink with flashes of gold, which makes me look and feel like I'm wearing something more luxurious. You barely rub off on my glass whenever I drink, and you come in a tiny tube that's handy to tote around town when I need to touch up. See? LOVE.