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After successful collaborations with fashion legend Vivienne Westwood and ingenious furniture designers The Campana Brothers, Brazilian shoe label Melissa once again finds itself in an unexpected tie-up—this time with noted names in the field of architecture and industrial design. The cutting-edge brand launches a duo collection of innovative footwear in partnership with famous architect Zaha Hadid and noted industrial designer Karim Rashid.

The first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel’s equivalent in architecture), Zaha Hadid is considered the most important woman in her field today. Combining Melissa’s superior injection technology with a fluid, wavelike aesthetic, Hadid created a collection of sandals which merges futuristic artistry with nonchalant wearability.

Karim Rashid, on the other hand, is renowned not only in structural design but in furniture, lighting, and art as well. He has done work for clients such as Prada, Issey Miyake, and Umbra. For his collection under Melissa, Rashid was enthusiastic about working with plastic, fashioning his line of footwear into unusually-molded, ultra-modern platforms imbued with sensual minimalism. His line Melissa + Karim (P4,195 per pair) is now available at Mix in Greenbelt 5 and soon in selected Culte Femme boutiques. Hadid's line, Melissa + Zaha Hadid (P12,950 per pair), is available exclusively at Mix in Greenbelt 5.

Who knew a midweek work night could be filled with such glitz and glamour? On October 14, legendary makeup brand Shu Uemura held a cocktail event at the Powerplant Mall to announce the local winners of its Beauty Art Makeup Competition 2009. Out of the 6 semi-finalists, Level 1’s Angelique Dinglasan took home the prize for her ethereal “Dusk” creation, while Level 2’s Grace Deang garnered the ribbon for her avant garde accomplishment “Fluidity.”

The competition, which celebrates the environment this year with its Mother Nature theme, promotes local makeup artists and sends a lucky few to participate in Shu Uemura’s ASEAN regional finals. Both Dinglasan and Deang will fly to Kuala Lumpur on October 28 to represent the Philippines—and hopefully make a repeat performance of their success here.

Dinglasan, who studied design at the London College of Fashion-University of the Arts, gradually made the shift into beauty because she says “Makeup was the best way for me to show my talents.” She is currently making a career as a makeup artist for editorials, advertisements, and wedding events. Her winning entry “Dusk” emphasized the eyes with the glittering reds and golds of a twilight sky, and earned her the additional honor of Photographer’s Favorite.

Deang, on the other hand, “fell into” the beauty industry by initially doing makeup for her friends. Realizing that it was her true passion, she sought further experience abroad with workshops like Il-MIKIAGE and Trmptu in New York and Kryolan in San Francisco. The inspiration behind her entry “Fluidity” was clearly water-based: the wave pattern on the forehead and frothy effect of long white lashes leave you brimming with excitement for what she has in store. “Makeup has to drive you,” says Deang, whose victory as a rookie might just make her the dark horse in the next leg of the competition.

The other semi-finalists included freelancer Tracy Conlin, Japan-based Rey Legarda, former hairstylist Third Octavo, and the night’s Fan Favorite Amanda Padilla.

Aside from their trophies and high spirits, Dinglasan and Deang each left with a Shu Uemura Ultimate Brush Set worth P50,000 and Makeup Box worth P40,000. We wish them all the luck in Malaysia!

I’m no brow virgin. I’ve had my share of tweezing, plucking, shaving, and threading. The problem is, I’m lousy at maintenance, so after a cleaning, my neatly-shaped brows usually morph into big hairy monsters again. So I jumped at the chance to try Browhaus’ Browgraphy service, to see just how good it was: Singaporean brand (think OC trainers) + architectural philosophy (a Bauhaus-based tandem of function and fashion) =  high expectations, after all.