New Year, New Traincase

Make-up is a hobby I can no longer resist, that I must admit. I am in love.  Though some may see cosmetics as artificial and materialistic, I see it as art, full of techniques and colors. I no longer see it as vanity, I see it as a skill to enhance what is already there, to bring out what is hidden, and to somehow create what is missing. I look at the actresses in TV and looked at the details of their blush or shadows or even the shape of their eyes and I tried to imagine what did the makeup artist applyon their face. I long to do more of this, and I hope I can continue this passion.

Anyhoo, if that ain't being too melodramatic about makeup, let me continue by happily sharing with you, dear reader, that I finally got a traincase. Saying that, I feel like having a traincase seals the deal of me pursuing a career in makeup artistry. I did not waste my christmas wishlist just because I want to have a metal box to store all my makeup in. I wished for a traincase because of a need- a deep need to say goodbye to my plastic containers and papers bags, and to finally have a decent, chic, professional looking case to travel with me whenever I have make-up shenanigans. Also, I need one to protect all my makeup when transporting them to other place. I always have this fear I will lose or drop every makeup I carry, it's funny but yes, one of my greatest fears is to damage or lose all my makeup.

Speaking of the traincase, I've been lemming for one for about a month now and I've done all my research on the Internet, so when my handsome Santa surprisingly invited me to go out so he can buy me a traincase, I just know where to go.

So, before further ado, let me present my baby. I still have to name her, but yeah, this is her...

We got this traincase from a small beauty store inside Manila City Plaza in Quiapo. If you are not familiar with Quiapo, it's like a huge wild marketplace and almost everything is being sold there. The building is beside Quiapo church with the sign "Manila City Plaza", go straight to third floor. Once you see Jollibee, just look into your left and you will see at the corner a stall selling all sorts of materials for beauty salons (cape, clips, ear caps, hair caps, velcros, curlers, etc.) You may not be able to see the traincases on display so just ask the sales assistant for some help. I did a little sketch map to give you an idea where to go. This particular traincase costs P1500 but we got it for less because hey- we haggled! ("Ate, bawasan mo naman, baka pwede mas mababa sa one five?") - Truth is,  I could have haggled for less than what we paid for but I feel so overwhelmed with a new traincase in front of me and the sales assistant seems to be so tired from all the holiday rush going on so we just ended up buying this for P1400. 

Okay, going back to the traincase, I am surprised that this traincase is so elegant looking, you can hardly tell it is priced less than 1500. Outside, it is made of black semi matte covering with silver metal linings. I have seen traincases from branded companies and this one is comparable to those (if not better). I chose the black one instead of the silver one because because personally black looks more elegant and looks more expensive. Also, I heard somewhere that black is good for business, haha!

The handle reminds me of a car's steering wheel. It feels secure, strong, and sturdy. In the middle, it has this soft part (see the ragged part in the middle of the handle?) that feels soft to touch so it won't feel as heavy when you carry it everywhere. Ain't that fabulous? It's just amazing!

It opens and closes in a firmly built clasp. No problems with its mechanics at all. It also comes with a lock but I decided to never ever lock it again because the first time I tried locking it, I find it too hard to unlock it so I just decided to ditch the keys. Maybe I would just use a belt to secure it when I transport it.

Once fully opened, it has a total of nine compartments: eight medium compartments (four on each side) and one huge compartment at the bottom. There's also a space where you can stand your brushes, foundations, and all your paraphernalia once you are on the set. It is such a lovely sight once you've set it up. The metal parts that connects the compartments are surprisingly very firm! You have to push it hard and strong to put it on place, it is not sloppy and it doesn't slide down when you've filled it up with too much product. It is very, very strong!

Put my little signature on the side just in case I lose it (I have this freaking fear of losing all my makeup, it's crazy)

Anyway, that's it for my new traincase, I will be doing a follow up on this post to tell you how I arrange my makeup on this case. This post is getting too long so I decided maybe next time I will show you.

That's it for now. Hope you have a great new year and may your endeavor be blessed always.

Love,