Bright and groom

In today’s lexicon of grooming and skin care, words like brightening, clarifying and rejuvenating are bandied about in the same manner that cleaning and acne control was the rage, and all one really needed, back when skin care was just emerging. Factor in that you’re addressing the male market, and you’re practically in the Dark Ages here in the Philippines, where a number of men still feel ordinary, harsh, skin-drying soap is all you need, and astringents or toners should sting to prove their efficacy. And that’s where Lab Series Skincare for Men becomes an elucidating, educational experience. Dedicated to the unique skin needs of men, the Lab Series Research Center has been working since 1987, in developing high performance, technologically advanced products for skin care, hair and shaving — essential concerns of the modern Man.

Lab Series products are color coded into four main categories: light blue for Clean, green for Shave, dark blue for Treat and red for Body. And each category has a line-up of basic products, and a line-up of targeted solutions (specialized problem solvers, with a “plus” sign to indicate its status). Face wash, face scrub and oil control products fall in the Clean category; while shave cream and gel, and razor burn relief products fall under Shave. The Treat line includes moisture defense, night recovery and eye therapy products, and there’s a special LS line that has anti-aging properties — a face cream, renewal serum and eye lift. For Body, there’s a deodorant stick and a body sculpting gel.

I know some will scoff at such male-directed vanity; but at my age, I need all the help I can get to “age with valor.” Highlight your product as rejuvenating and/or anti-aging, and you have me in your corner. A mobile skin analyzer was on hand when Lab Series had its event, reading our skin tone, elasticity, sebum levels and other parameters that would help us better understand our skin condition and issues. You just gotta Lab that kind of attention to detail!

Sparkle and clarity

Maja Jewelry’s Janina Garcia and Tocande bags’ Audrey Ednacot.

One of the more exciting, young jewelry designers will have her third trunk show on Sept. 26 at the Cameron Room at the Essensa in Taguig City. Janina Garcia is a second generation private jeweler. Her mother is Mary Jo Mabanta Garcia, and Janina is one of those who embraces modernity while maintaining a healthy and true respect for classic lines and tradition. For this new Maja collection, a number of pieces will be art deco-inspired, while still utilizing fluid, irregular shapes and a handmade feel to the execution and finish. The colors of semi-precious stones will also add to the overall look of the new collection. A special guest of Janina on the 26th will be her friend, bag and accessories designer Audrey Ednacot with her trendy, modernist Tocande line. 

So if you’re after singular jewelry that isn’t mass-marketed; and bags that can act as conversation pieces, calendar the 26th, and Janina’s Maja trunk show. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and will remain so until 9 p.m. 

The wages of war

That war is “good for absolutely nothing” is one of the trenchant messages we get from this trio of novels. Fountain’s book follow the exploits of media war heroes from Iraq, as they are wined and dined in Texas. Del Toro and Hogan check in with the concluding chapter to their Stain trilogy, humans against modern day vampires. Roy-Bhattacharya’s novel is a poignant indictment of US presence in Afghanistan. Great reads that take warfare as a starting point for literary prowess. 

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk — Ben Fountain (available at National Book Store) Bravo Squad are survivors from an Iraq rescue operation that captured on news footage, catapults the members of the squad into hero status, in an unpopular military occupation that needs heroes desperately. Attending the Thanksgiving Dallas Cowboys game allows Fountain to take potshots at our concepts of heroes, big business, media moguls and operators, and much of what stands for patriotism and the American way of life, amidst a geopolitical situation that is at the best, muddled and confused. Talks of movie rights swirl with irony throughout the book, as does the irony that the squad returns to Iraq the following day. An absorbing read that’s satirical in nature, yet packs a big punch.

Novels that turn warfare and battles into flights of literary imagination.

The Night Eternal — Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (available at National Book Store) Here, finally, is the concluding book of the trilogy that Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan collaborated on. It has been two years since the events that made up The Strain, and the world has been taken over by the Master and his vampiric bloodline. Eph, Fet and Gus form part of what resistance still exists, while the Master has turned Eph’s son, Zack, into a host-in-waiting, still human, but fully in sympathy with the Master’s cause. Quintus, the half-son of the Master, plays a more prominent role in this book, showing that not all vampires/fallen angels have evil designs on Mankind. While not as action-driven as the first two books, this one satisfies as it delves into father-son relationships and their permutations.

The Watch — Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya (available at National Book Store) In Afghanistan, a crippled woman wheels herself to a US forces-maintained garrison to claim the body of a dead brother. This brother led an attack on the garrison and is believed to be a Taliban member, something the sister insists isn’t true. Based on Sophocles’ Antigone, the book has a very unique structure. Each chapter is from the point of view of a different “player” in the unfolding standoff. Flashbacks allow us to better understand the various players, and emphasize the frustration and futility of this kind of warfare. Sure, 9/11 is the rallying cry of the US soldiers for their presence, but 9/11 seems very far away. A deep, poignant read that highlights humanity in an arena where it has no place, given the blood lust of war.