Happiness is your choice: Alber Elbaz X Lancome Collection

We human beings only aim for one thing in life: To be happy. Whether it's in front of a cheering crowd or a simple hut atop a mountain, as long as we are genuinely happy, we can survive, we can thrive. But in a contemporary world where happiness is defined by fame, fortune, and power, and has become a branded commodity and made available to a selected few only, is there any way for us to find at least a speck of happiness amidst all the glitz and glamour, the hardships and trials, and the unbreakable social strata?

My spiritual mentor said that we are innately happy because we are made that way. The only thing is, we've made the external, materialistic, imposing world our life that we have completely forgotten to look within, the only world that matters, and the only thing that will make a world of difference. Happiness is within.

So how do you find happiness? The truth is, even if I say that's it's inside us, you can't find it if you don't acknowledge it as your natural state-it is not out there, it has never been out there. Happiness is your choice-I never really liked calling happiness as "A Choice" because that statement alone separates us from happiness, making it seem as an element of the outer world. "Be as a child again", as Mabel Katz, International Spiritual Guru would put it--we have to go back to that child-like attitude where we could easily let go, easily trust, and just decide to be happy at any moment. Be happy now.

"These days, in our materialistic culture, many people are led to believe that money is the ultimate source of happiness. Consequently, when they don’t have enough of it they feel let down. Therefore, it is important to let people know that they have the source of contentment and happiness within themselves, and that it is related to nurturing our natural inner values."

-Dalai Lama

Photo Credits: Lancome Philippines

In the Fashion and Beauty industry (or any industry for that matter), it is always easy to compromise happiness as the name of the game is power struggle. Everyone wants to be number one, to be coveted, to come up with the first, ultra fashionable, highfalutin' this and that, but I guess the quintessential questions will always be: Am I happy with this? Is everyone happy with this? Is my audience happy with this? Renowned fashion designer Alber Elbaz said in an interview with style.com: 

"I think that we're in a time today that we're turning into an industry of power. Power creates fear. I feel it—the time and stress. Everybody I speak with today, they're all telling me the same thing, that it's an endless amount of shows around the world, endless things to cover, and everybody wants to have a part of you."

Now those of you who are not familiar with Alber Elbaz, he's the visionary behind Lanvin, known for his quirky, defiant, brazen couture. He has teamed up with Lancome-through a very personal collaboration with Youcef S. Nabi, Lancome's current president-and came up with a namesake collection that breaks away from all the seriousness, competitiveness, status, and materialism-it's just all about being colorful, fun and...happy--Nothing more, nothing less.

Alber Elbaz X Lancome is a ten- piece collection of the brand's best- sellers packaged in unique, eye- catching, and cheerful Alber Elbaz- exclusive designs. I attended the Philippine launch last week at Lancome, Greenbelt 5. Click READ MORE and see the entire collection, and let the fun begin.

This spectacular product catalog was patterned after the pop- up story books of children. It's available on counter for viewing. Drop by and unleash the child in you. :)

Eyeshadow palettes and singles.

The palettes have a combination of sparkle, semi- matte and frosted eyeshadows, while the singles are all metallic.

Whenever my friends ask me what's the best pricey mascara, I say Lancome. Back when I was too brand conscious with everything, I only used Lancome mascaras. Lancome has packaged three of their top- selling mascaras namely Hypnose Doll Eyes, Hypnose Waterproof, and Hypnose Star in a very lovely, collectible box-it retails at P4,000.00++.

Cupcakes made by Shen, Mikki, and I. (From Left to Right) Boy, that cupcake- making activity sure took out all the stress in me!

With my playmates, errr...friends in the industry: Mikki, Sheena of L'Oreal, Shen, and Jheng. :)

Here are the prices:

L-R:

Hypnose Doll Eyes- P1,995.00

Hypnose Star- P1,995.00

Hypnose Waterproof- P1,995.00

Hypnose Doll Eyes Palette- P2,995.00

Hypnose Drama Palette- P2,995.00

Hypnose Star Palette- P2,995.00

Hypnose Doll Eyes Mono Eyeshadow- P1,895.00

Hypnose Drama Mono Eyeshadow- P1,895.00

Hypnose Star Mono Eyeshadow- P1,895.00

These cute mascaras will remind me that Life is a playground, therefore I should have fun! :)

The Alber Elbaz Collection is now available in all Lancome counters. Please visit LANCOME PHILIPPINES for more information about this collection.

So how's your day? What did you do to be happy today?