Glow by Lady E

Tusen takk, my Glow Girls from Norway! 🇳🇴✨ You’ve made it to #2 on the blog rankings and I see you — glowing, growing, and shining from the fjords to the cities. Sending you all my love and a big warm hug from across the miles. 💖 Are you ready to glow up your week with me? This post is for YOU! There’s a certain kind of heartbreak that only makeup girls know — when a product looks so promising, feels luxurious, and still doesn’t work for you. That’s the case with the NARS Soft Matte Primer for me. Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not a bad primer. In fact, it’s beautiful on paper — lightweight, adds a luminous sheen, and blends effortlessly.  But here’s what no one tells you when you're just starting out: not all primers work with all foundations. 😮‍💨 I discovered this when I tried pairing the NARS primer with my holy grail NARS Punjab foundation. I thought, “same brand, they should play nice together, right?” Wrong. The finish didn’t sit right. It made my skin look cakey an...

   This week’s glow-up moment is brought to you by something small — but mighty. I made this custom essential oil inhaler using some of my favorite oils: ylang ylang, sweet orange, peppermint, and frankincense — and honestly? It’s giving calm, centered, and ready to slay the week vibes. I call it Sacred Allure. 🌼 Ylang ylang helps balance hormones and soothe emotional tension. It's also a well-known aphrodisiac since ancient times. It promotes optimism and relaxation. It relieves and rejuvenates while fighting daily oxidative stress.  🍊 Sweet orange uplifts the mood and brings back a sunny mindset. 🌿 Peppermint clears mental fog (perfect when your to-do list is wild). It relieves headaches, boosts energy. It helps with anxiety, too.  🕊️ Frankincense centers the soul. Always. It also boosts the immune system, improves skin condition, and ease respiratory issues.  My blend: 5 drops Ylang Ylang (hormone balance, emotional support) 4 drops Peppermint (mental cla...

  If I had to describe this soap in one word, it would be: spa. 🛁 The Dove Cherry & Chia Milk Beauty Bar doesn’t just cleanse — it caresses. Soft cherry notes greet you the moment you unwrap it, and somehow, it makes even the tiniest bathroom feel like a full-on wellness retreat. The scent? Fruity, floral, and softly creamy, like your skin’s wearing a robe and sipping tea. 😌 And unlike other fragranced soaps that leave my dry skin gasping, this one actually leaves me feeling a little more moisturized — not sticky, not tight, just… soft. And my skin really smells like cherries after showering!  I'm also happy because, finally, after many years of using just plain Dove for sensitive skin ( I have MCAS/histamine) , my skin is strong enough to try scented soaps!  💧 But here’s the hack: Layer it. I pair it with The Face Shop Avocado Body Lotion (review soon) for a deeper moisture hug, or The Face Shop Pamplemousse (Pink Grapefruit - review soon!) Lotion when I want to p...

As promised, here's the full outfit from my Baguio Fashion Haul This look is a mix of comfort and quiet confidence: 🧥 Top – Heirloom Beads of the Cordillera shirt from Museo Kordilyera.  🧵 Skirt – This flowy dark chambray skirt was a lucky find. It’s twirl-friendly, lightweight, and fits like a dream. 👜 Bag – From the palengke! Hair Clip - by Inabella, a line of contemporary handcrafted hair clips featuring handwoven Cordillera textiles. (I didn't bother hiding the hair tie anymore because I was afraid that the clip might break.    Earrings - Lingling-O Brass Earrings, also from the museum. Fashion for me is about feeling like yourself in every thread—and this look did just that. I'm a mom now and I've had a lot of changes in my body these past 10 years. I can no longer wear some styles and pieces I wore back then (hello, high heels!), so I'm constantly reinventing my style to suit my present body and demands. I wore this outfit for grocery shopping and mall hopp...

   🍊This white bottle surprised me. Looking for a lotion that will soothe my very dry skin but appease my histamine is a constant battle. I've been turning to K-beauty lately. My favorite lotions from The Face Shop are always out of stock so of course, the next Korean brand I go to is Innisfree. Since I didn't have time to go to the mall, I just ordered online. With fingers crossed that this would be great, I got Innisfree's My Perfumed Body Lotion in Green Tangerine.  The verdict? Short answer, she’s a keeper. 🧴 The texture is what won me over first. It glides on easily, sinks in fast, and leaves a satin finish. No sticky residue, no oily feel—just skin that feels calm and hydrated. 🍊 The scent is what I’d call “spa in a bottle.” Think citrus zest softened by a whisper of green tea. It’s not overpowering, just clean and refreshing—the kind of scent that makes you want to do a full skincare routine, light a candle, and play Lofi beats in the background.  The perfu...

  Dark circles. We all have them at some point—after pulling an all-nighter, during our period, when we're stressed, or sometimes, just because. They're those pesky shadows that make us look more tired than we actually are (or maybe they’re just telling the truth 😅). But let’s unpack this properly, like you’re chatting with a wellness coach friend who also hoards concealers and correctors like they’re gold. 💬 So what causes dark circles? Several things: Fatigue and lack of sleep – Your skin becomes dull and pale, letting dark tissues and blood vessels show through. Dehydration – Your eyes can look sunken, and the skin gets darker. Genetics – Some people just have naturally thinner skin under the eyes. Aging – As we get older, we lose collagen and fat around the eyes. Allergies and rubbing – This causes inflammation and broken blood vessels. Vitamin deficiencies – Lack of iron, vitamin K, or vitamin B12 can also cause darkening under the eyes. 🧃 Can vitamins help? Yes! Especi...

When I bought these pink Hello Kitty eyebrow razors from Miniso in Baguio, I honestly just thought they were cute. I didn’t expect much more—maybe just something to display or a backup tool to keep in my vanity kit. But friends, these are more than just adorable. The larger blade is exactly what you’d expect from a good brow razor: it’s not too sharp that you’d cut yourself on first swipe, but sharp enough to cleanly trim and shape your brows with control. Perfect for general shaping and those fine baby hairs around the arch. But the real star of this set? The small razor. I didn’t even know I needed something like it until I used it. It's become my secret weapon for cleaning up those tiny, hard-to-reach stray hairs—especially the ones sitting right above the lid area. The small blade makes it easy to get precise, smooth shaping without the stress of nicking or over-trimming. It’s gentler than it looks, which makes it ideal even for someone new to dermaplaning or brow shaping. And ...

Obrigada, minhas Glow Up Girls do Brasil, por todo o amor e apoio! Eu vejo vocês. Estão prontas para brilhar ainda mais esta semana? Este post é especialmente para vocês! It’s Monday again — a fresh start, a blank canvas, and another chance to show up for yourself. Whether you're heading to the boardroom, clocking in from home, or making breakfast for your little humans, you deserve to feel put-together, powerful, and polished. And sometimes, that confidence starts with something as simple as well-groomed brows. Today’s spotlight is the Chanel Brow Kit — a tiny powerhouse that quietly whispers, “You’ve got this.” From the sleek, iconic compact to the precise tools inside, everything about this kit feels intentional and elegant. It doesn’t scream — it knows its worth. And so should you. Inside, you’ll find two pigmented brow powders, a spoolie, an angled brush, a blending brush, and a mini tweezer. The angled brush is missing from the photo because it was missing at the time. I look...

  Sunday swatch time, Glow Girls! 💄 Let’s talk about this beauty I’ve had tucked away in my kit for a while now—MAC’s “Over the Top” lipstick. It came as part of a special set, and I wasn’t sure about it at first… but spoiler alert: she’s a keeper. Let’s get into it: The shade? A rich, muted mauve-rose with just enough depth to complement those of us with a Deep Autumn palette. Think polished without trying, flattering without overpowering. 💋 Finish and formula: Now, I’ll be honest—this one leans matte, and I normally run from mattes like they’re trying to ruin my already dry lips. But I had a trick up my sleeve: I layered it over my Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (because hydration is life), and the combo? Chef’s kiss. Without the balm, it’s too drying for my taste. 💄 Application + staying power: Glides on smoothly enough, but unlike MAC’s classic bullet lipsticks, the staying power here isn’t as long. It fades into a pretty stain, though, which makes it great for casual days out o...

This is part of my Baguio 2025 series.  When I pack for Baguio, I don’t just bring sweaters —I bring sheet masks. A girl’s gotta stay glowing while braving fog and market runs, right? After a long day of exploring Baguio's markets and museums, I always carve out a little me-time to wind down. No fancy spa needed — just a comfy bed, clean skin, and a beauty mask I packed for the trip. For this trip, I brought two: one was the Pearl Essence Mask Sheet by Esfolio. I got it randomly from either Watsons or Shopwise (yes, Shopwise has surprisingly good skincare finds!). It promised a lot: pearl extract, green tea, ginseng, and even portulaca extract—fancy names, but would it soothe my MCAS-prone, rosacea-reactive skin?  I also picked it because the mermaid design was too cute to resist, and I thought the pearl essence might calm my redness from the heat and altitude. 🌬️ Wind-down Ritual: After a long day of walking and exploring, I washed my face, skipped the toner (my skin is alre...

There’s something so satisfying about stumbling onto adorable, practical beauty finds—especially when you’re not actively looking for them. During my recent Baguio trip, I made a quick stop at Miniso (okay, maybe not that quick 😆), and these two caught my eye: a hot pink makeup brush cleaning mat and a Hello Kitty eyebrow razor set that made me squeal a little inside. They’re now officially part of my glow-up kit, and they’ll each get their own moment in the spotlight for Toolbox Tuesday—because cuteness aside, I do have thoughts. 😌 For now, I just wanted to share these fab little finds that instantly made my inner beauty girl feel seen. One’s practical, one’s playful—but both? Definitely part of my self-care routine. Have you spotted these in your local Miniso? Or found similar gems while traveling? I love seeing how our beauty kits grow with each new discovery. ✨ Stay tuned for the full reviews next week!

 🌍 Shoutout to my lovely readers from Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Norway! You’ve been lighting up my blog this week — thank you for the love and support! 💖 This is a part of my Baguio 2025 Series. One of the things that make my beauty kit bulk up when I travel are makeup brushes. I'm sorry but I just can't use small travel brushes. I want my brushes full-size whether I'm at home or in a hotel.  The problem with that, aside from the bulk, is the quantity of brushes that I need to bring. Let's count them: Foundation brush Eyeshadow brushes Eyebrow brush Blush brush Bronzer brush/contour brush Lip brush Optional blending brush and fan brush Then multiply that to the number of days I'm away. I can get away with just one lip, eyebrow, and blush brush each. But for the rest, I need multiples.  On our last trip, I was running out of foundation brushes and so I thought I'd try to use my Herb Day Cleaning Tissues from The Face Shop. It a...

Baguio is very special to me, not just because it's my healing place, but because it's where I find treasures that I don't find in Manila. During a quick visit to Museo Kordilyera, I didn’t expect to come home with a handful of fashion finds—but here we are. This nondescript kraft envelope holds my fashion haul from Museo Kordilyera. I like how they thought of using a recyclable and multi-purpose mundane thing to package your museum purchases.  This haul combines local craftsmanship with a bit of high-street flair. Think: Cordillera culture meets everyday wear, with a touch of “I’ll probably style this later into a full OOTD post” thrown in. 😉 🪡 Museo Kordilyera Finds 1. Printed shirt A loose-fit shirt printed with traditional Cordillera motifs. It’s the kind of piece that feels like both a souvenir and a future favorite—light, breathable, and wearable even on Manila days. It’s rare to find something this cultural and this comfortable. 2. Brass Lingling-O Earrings These w...

  T his is a part of my Baguio 2025 Series.  Whenever we're in Baguio, I always drop by SM. I know we have tons of SM here in Manila, but there's something magical about SM Baguio for me. I always find the perfect-fitting clothes or discover new HG skincare, etc. This trip wasn't an exception. I visited The Face Shop just to look around, but found the White Seed Facial Wash! It's always out of stock in Manila. I grabbed both tubes, of course! The attendant said that's their last two! I told her that it's so hard to find it in Manila. Aside from that, I also found this Pamplemousse (Grapefruit) Lotion. My son and I have been using the Avocado version of this line, and we are very happy with it. (Review coming soon!) Let me tell you a little something about TFS' White Seed Exfoliating Cleansing Foam and why it has a cult following, from the perspective of someone who has very sensitive and rosacea/MCAS/histamine flare-prone skin. Texture It has the perfect tex...