I've always had an affinity for elusive, hard-to-find, and sometimes, can't-pronounce-it makeup (lol). I give in to the allure of things that are rare and I find joy in knowing that I own something that not a lot can have. My kind of fun is searching far and wide for certain makeup brands, hunting them down, down to the deepest corners of the internet, if need be, and going beyond what local beauty stores can offer.
The problem though is falling in love with these recherché brands. When I end up loving a brand that's not available locally, I tend to get impractical by hoarding or paying for ridiculous shipping fees, but at least I only have five favorite makeup brands that are not available here (can you imagine if I have 10 or more?!). I love them so much, I want them to come to the Philippines. Let me introduce you to my five super favorite international beauty brands that are not available locally, but I'd love to come here VERY soon.
1. Illamasqua
- Art. Mystery. Expression. Freedom. Some of the reasons why I deathly love Illamasqua along with their carefully curated colors, rich textures, and balanced foundation selection. Illamasqua also has this theatrical feel to it, something that resonates with me as I have always been a lover of Theatre.
2. Giorgio Armani
- If fabric were makeup, it would be Giorgio Armani. My face is always up for a "Best Dressed" award whenever I'm wearing the Face Fabric Foundation!
3. Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)
- Just because...gold case and luxury makeup that delivers.
- I love Soap And Glory's cheekiness that makes bath time even more fun.
4. Soap And Glory
- I love Soap And Glory's cheekiness that makes bath time even more fun.
5. Caron
- Ah, the Haute Couture of perfumes. Caron is a French perfumery and they have one of the most sophisticated fragrances ever made, Fleur De Rocaille.
So that's my top 5. What's yours? :)
So that's my top 5. What's yours? :)
39 Comments
*sighs* I also share the same frustration. I'm too afraid to order internationally because of the horror stories of others regarding our customs so it's either I find it through the depths of instagram or philippine online shops or I just pray in one corner and hope that these brands come to the Philippines! Waah. I have so many brands I want to come here like Topshop makeup, Bourjois, Eyeko, Kiko, Soap and Glory. I hope they come. :'( thanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteKiko! I heard lots of great stuff about their foundation. Oh, Burberry and Tom Ford too! Lovely packaging! :D
DeleteHonestly ms m i want YSL to came to philippines too! the lippies, the glosses, the e/s and the mascaras!!!
ReplyDeletehere are my picks ms m!
1. YSL Pur Couture Lipstick in Fuschia is on top of my list ms m, it is beautiful pink lippie and i cannot take my eyes out of it from the first swatch i saw from Sara (my favorite singaporean blogger)
2. Tint in Oil in #5 Cherie My Cherry, just by seeing the swatch i know i already fall for this! (who doesnt dream of having a luscious and kissable lips in one ♥ )
i will save for these babies talaga!
When i was new in blogging ms m i read a lot of raves and reviews on the Soap and Glory parang ang sarap lang magbabad sa bath tub (kung meron hehe) -- im just happy that lush and philosophy bath lines were already available in our country (their packaging reminds me of benefit) how you cannot love them they were in pink tubes and bottles and tubs!
I havent heard about Caron (ma-google nga ms m) hihi
Some of my dream brands were already in our country like korean brand: Etude House (before i saw a lot of FB sellers who sells them via pre order) and another one is the Sleek i love their eye makeups! and there are more brands coming here in our country.
Actually, YSL has to come back-it was here before. I want their lippies!!! :p
DeleteMine's Kat Von D and Sephora! :D
ReplyDeleteI have two korean brands in mind; Aritaum because their color makeup selection is superb, and Innisfree because I love everything innisfree :D
ReplyDeleteWow, never heard of that before. I want Sulwhasoo to open here-been hearing a lot of good stuff about that brand. :)
DeleteSoap and glory is good. Im a sucker for skincare stuff but mostly I would love it if we had affordable makeup brands from the US like Wet n Wild, Nyc, Nyx and so on. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have Wet N Wild and NYX here already. :) I want Physician's Formula to come here! :D
DeleteGreat picks!!!! Mine would be Urban Decay and LORAC Cosmetics! Please, please, please! Hehehe.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Let's all pray to the beauty and retail gods for that! :D
DeleteHonestly, there are brands that I really want to come here in the Philippines. They actually are here but the downside is that they are only in Manila. I don't want to splurge additionally for transportation but I really hope that they can expand their market to other areas as well - like Cebu for Visayas and Davao and Cagayan de Oro for Mindanao. I personally live in Cebu and I would want to get my hands on CANMAKE products.
ReplyDeleteCanmake will have its e-commerce store soon so just check their fb fan page for updates. ;)
DeleteI actually have lots on my list but here's my top 5:
ReplyDelete1. Innisfree
2. COSRX
3. Benton
4. Mizon
5. Hada Labo
I'm only recently discovered and adopted the asian beauty skincare routine. I've been hauling online from Korea-based sites but I hate waiting for my packages to arrive. And I know of local sellers carrying some on the list but sometimes they don't carry the newer products.
Innisfree and Hada Labo, too! I also want some of Shiseido's drugstore brands such as Perfect Whip to come to PH.
DeleteI definitely want to try Soap and Glory as well! Their packaging is to die for and their products have had such great reviews from bloggers, youtubers and people that have used them. And I agree on the beauty brands that you've mentioned..... but deviating from beauty brands, a sport apparel brand named Lululemon, is a brand that I want to come to the Philippines! Their gym/sport apparels are so cute that it makes you want to go to the gym, workout and play sports all the time 😛
ReplyDeleteHey, the apparel brand insight is refreshing so thanks for that. Before, I was praying real hard for Under Armour to come to the Philippines and finally, it's here. Lululemon for me too! :D
DeleteI love Lululemon but it's so pricey it's like a splurge for gym clothes. Another amazing gym apparel brand is Sweaty Betty. Their very famous in the UK too.
DeleteMy top 5 will be Chantecaille, By Terry (these two brands are really way high end but are really good products). I drool when I pass by Space N.K (which they sell these products, they have online too). For drugstore i hope they bring Borjois here, love their products. It was so easy to splurge when I was in England as they offer 3 for 2. Soap and glory products are amazing too. My auntie always gives me those products every xmas lol. Their body scrubs are the bomb.com also they've got amazing make up range too. Another one will be Laura Mercier, not sure if they have it. Tom ford is already here they only launched it last year I guess.
My wants are simple: I just need a Sephora store. Yes, the whole store. It has to be a whole system to be able to support cross-brand product samples. It's hard to try new stuff when you're not brave enough to try it on your face first
ReplyDeleteWow, another Sephora want-er haha! I hope Sephora reads this thread! :D
DeleteKiko, Kat von D, Rimmel, Bourjois, and Tarte :)
ReplyDeletecheck out my blog: www.martsina.com :)
Thanks for dropping by and for sharing! :D
DeleteI badly need a Sephora store! :)
ReplyDeleteDITTO! :D
DeleteI think I want Sephora to come here, that black and white stripes make my heart skip.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any brand that I want to come here, i just want to have the same product range as what they have in other countries. I can live with drugstore makeup, just more options please!
Me too! It's also easier to say SEPHORA because that store has everything! :D
DeleteSephora talaga. When Marinonnaud opened in MoA, I was so excited as I expected basically Sephora under a different label. It looked more like airport duty free and focused on fragrances than an expansive beauty brand offering, so I was a little disappointed. Sephora would be a huge improvement, since it has Urban Decay, Tarte, Marc Jacobs, and Soap & Glory.
ReplyDeleteSephora exclusive makeup is really good that's why I want them to open here. As in now na! :D
DeleteI love the Soap & Glory skin care products!
ReplyDeleteErika // ofdreamsandthings.com
Me too! I want the body scrubs! :D
DeleteCan I just cheat and say Sephora and Sasa :))
ReplyDeleteHaha. Pwede rin. Also Boots and Bonjour! :D
DeleteBoots shopper here too! Love going there to check their 3 for 2 offers lol.
DeleteAlso can I add SELFRIDGES. I mean - if you want a heavenly high end brand - THEY BASICALLY HAVE EVERYTHING! lol, sorry for the caps. I just get butterflies in my tummy when I mention or hear Selfridges. It's the best mall for me. I mean for everything. Boots for drugstore make up :)
Deletewell Sephora lang masaya na! they carry most brands that we don't have here! and i like that they are generous with samples when you purchase online and in store!
ReplyDeleteYes! That's one of the reasons why I like shopping online at Sephora. Speaking of which, I can't wait for their arrival in PH! :D
DeleteI have only tried once buying internationally and I'm not sure if I will do it again. It took so long to be delivered and I was not even sure if it would be delivered! Good thing it's not that pricey, but if it is something that I've been wanting for a long time, I think I would die of waiting. Haha. Hmm, I want Sephora talaga to be here in the Philippines. As in. :/
ReplyDeleteOh, the risks of international shopping. This is why I only shop from my trusted sites like Sephora and Amazon.
DeleteCan't wait for Sephora to come to the Philippines! :)
This is a good post as it helps me develop more of a picture of what the Philippines beauty market does not offer, at least at this particular moment.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of this post! :)