on the eve of christmas eve

i can't breathe everytime i think about my trip.  i seriously can't breathe.  so i don't think about it anymore.  actually after i packed my bag last weekend i didn't touch it anymore.  but i count the days, and it is dragging on too long... which is what usually happens when you're waiting for something.

and i don't know why but i am nervous, which is totally different from the excitement i usually felt from my four trips back to manila for the past 6 years.

anyways, i had a cup of biguerlai tea two days ago because my stomach feels heavy and maricel said it will help me remove unwanted stuff from my intestinal track so i tried it.

unfortunately i don't feel heavy anymore, i feel pain.  so much pain and so many trips to the bathroom for the past two days and until now that tea still wages war against my stomach.  i am sticking to green tea from now on!


and, since my boss came back earlier than usual i am blogging my last blog before my vacation, probably, just to review my recent stuff ebay:

1.  coralista blush by benefit

" finally! i have been waiting for you for ages.  and i was not disappointed because you gave me so much sparkle on my cheeks that i don't have to use bare escentuals bare radiance anymore.  and your brush is so soft, and your color is so nice, its just the right orange-pink shade that gives my winter a little bit of summer-y look.  i really love the shimmers!!!"

from left to right: mikajy blush in rose, bourjoius blush in amber, benefit coralista, and thrrrob

from left to right: benefit thrrrob, bourjoius blush in amber, benefit coralista, and mikajy blush in rose

2. smashbox best of cream liner palette

the cutest thing in my cosmetic bag!  it is so thin, and flat, as wide and long as my credit card and only half a centimeter thick, but the liners are cost-efficient.  i only need a few swipes and a pop of colour goes into my eyes.  unfortunately the colors are not bright, and the amount of cream liners are insufficient (i probably need to restock every month or so) but if it is for handy cosmetic bags supply only, it is enough.

it is that small

and this thin!

3.  bourjouis maxi-frange waterproof mascara

mascara and cream liner

In Vert Honolulu, kind of blue green.  I only bought this because its only about $4 and the shipping is free coz it is from the same seller as the smashbox item, and i used this once yesterday only on the tip of my lashes, two swipes to give a hint of colour and already i can smell the strong scent of the mascara.  it lingered on for 5-7 seconds and it was not bad-smelling, just the usual smell of mascara multiplied by 10.  but the colour is awesome!  and until i was about to sleep it was still there, after two washes of soap and one wash of face foaming from belo.  but a couple of baby oil on a cotton pad removed the remaining tubes, i called them tubes coz they look like they coated my eyelashes on all surfaces, to lengthen, i guess.

first: extension extreme with that weird alien comb

next, volume maximum with a normal brush

and speaking of belo's whitening facial wash, i don't know if the fresh avocado face mask was responsible for it or belo or olay total effects moisturizer coz i started using them at the same time, but my face is noticeably smoother, and my pores are definitely smaller.  i am so amazed everytime i look at my freshly washed face coz i can't see the pores on my cheeks anymore.  and the facial wash smells good, too.  it reminds me of something but i can't remember.

that's all, i still have to go to cathay pacific's website to check-in online.  goodnight...

mascara tips and sleeping.

after i finished all my pending work today i took some time - ...well actually even if im not finished i always take the time to check 4-5 websites, everyday.

1.  yahoo mail
2.  ebay
3.  friendster
4.  facebook
5. my blog

and since i had time to read all my previous posts in the homepage i noticed that my topics were usually either nail polish, eyeshadow, jared, or my lateness at work.

the last one i cannot explain.  sometimes my alarm just doesn't reach my eardrums.  xD

ok, no.

im just really into sleeping.  actually i feel sleepy just now.   unfortunately i still have to cook before bambo arrives at 10.  did i just type bambo?!?  ahaha.

anyways, in the mornings i have no trouble waking up because i usually look forward to breakfast.  in the afternoon it's harder coz i already ate before i slept.  waking up means heading back to the office where there is no pillow.

the face routine in the afternoon, and on rare mornings when i wake up at 7:50, is plain & simple baby powder, blush and eyeliner.

unlike in the morning where i have a blowdrier and eyeshadow brush in both hands, i don't give much effort in the afternoons.  that's why i can sleep until 3:50.

i know some people disregard sleeping.  they may go to bed at 3 and wake up at 7 with no problems.  i can't.  if time is compromised, i wouldn't eat in the afternoon and just sleep.

anyways, mascara maintenance 101 today, since i have noticed that my bodyshop volume mascara is getting clumpier again.

the mascara tips that i'd like to share are:

1.  do not pump your mascara as you pull it out.  it creates air bubbles inside which may cause your mascara to dry faster.  twist it instead, while you're pulling it out.

2.  make sure you keep the opening clear.  wipe off excess mascara in the opening of your tube.  this might be the bacteria's headquarters if you don't keep it clean.

3.  unless you have thin lashes, don't coat more than twice.  you'll look too made up, and that's not really our goal, isn't it?

4.  wait for your mascara to dry before you apply the 2nd coat, otherwise they'll clump in your lashes.

5.  keep a cotton bud around so you can easily clean smudges.  wiping with your fingers might smear the mascara, and once it dries you might have a black stain in your eyelid.  for the whole day.

4.  also, do not share mascaras with friends, no matter how close you are or no matter how close you want to be.  its not hygienic, hello?

and always remember that mascaras has a shelf life of only 6 months.  discard it afterwards otherwise you might be wearing an eyepatch for three days...

going bonkers @#&%^@ at sephora

i really love walking into sephora's shop in city centre.  they have all my most wanted cosmetics - benefit, nars, stila & too faced, and soon they'll launch bare escentuals in bahrain!

and also the fact that abby, francis' friend works there and gives me amazing freebies each time!

last saturday, to lift the monotony of our daily life, and also because it was irish' birthday, but that's not so important (haha! im only joking, irish!  you know i hate it when i like you too much but i do!), we went to city centre and again i went straight to sephora.  i always take a sample of nars multiple o blush, coz it costs 13 dinars ($34) and i don't allow myself to buy expensive cosmetics (fear of dependency).

anyways, my bare escentuals rev-er upper is half-empty, so i tested their smoothening primer.

and omg it really is smooth!  as in sliding smooth on your skin.  the sample i rubbed on my arm was so convincing that i bought one and told irish to get one, too.  (she did)

comparing it to rev-er upper, which i now use only on special occassions, sephora squirts out more than enough for my face.  or maybe because it feels silky that's why im thinking i have too much.  anyways its so small that i don't think it will last me a month, but the upside is that it delivers the same lasting effect as r.u.,  doesn't get my face oily and it also smells good unlike rev-er upper which smells weird.

but rev-er upper is still my number 1, because it complements the foundation i have (they're from the same company) and i can get it for $10 at ebay.  and it makes my pores look smaller and my cheeks matte and ready for mineral veil.

and i've found a cheap eyeshadow base there too!

this little pot costs $9.2, but i found it cheaper than what i had on mind - too faced shadow insurance or urban decay primer potion, which costs around $18 and up on ebay.

so far, it did make the eyeshadow more vivid, and it lasted for 5 hours looking like i just swiped them on.

and another brown eyeliner, coz i liked the one i bought before.


and the freebies i got:

really good samples, too.  i tried the eyeshadow sample two afternoons ago coz i woke up at 4:30pm (work starts at 4!) and i just put on baby powder and blush and half-ran to the office!

haha! late ka!!!

i love this black shade!  i just swiped these with my fingers when i arrived in the office.

the mascara is supposed to be lash stretcher, but i didn't see lengths like i did with bourjouis, although this one made my lashes beautifully separated and natural-looking, like you were born with it.  if i have extra money ill buy the actual product, that's how happy i am with the sample.

long and thin lashes are more natural-looking.

unlike my previous mascaras, which made my eyelashes thick,  except for bourjouis which made it long.

those were my product reviews! thank you. :)

mascara face-off

this is a true story: my body shop mascara gets jealous.

seriously, when i bought my brown mascara from body shop, it was clumpy and i was totally disappointed.  so i bought a black waterproof one from avon.  and the next day when i tried my body shop mascara it was smooth and nice like nothing of the day-before's tantrum.

so when i ran out i bought another one and again it was getting clumpier and clumpier since last week, so i bought sephora's brown mascara as my replacement, and voila! my body shop mascara is as nice as it could ever be again.

i know, im a little retarded :)

anyways, i have compared the curl-holding ability of the two browns that i have this afternoon: the body shop super volume mascara and sephora triple action mascara.

here is my first try on step-by-step product comparison (*hehe*)

starting with curling the lashes first,

sephora's mascara (left) didn't quite show so i applied a 2nd coating.

what's worse, it doesn't hold the curl. sephora with left vs body shop on the right

so, to keep it visible, you have to curl your eyelashes again. tedious, i know...

so, compared with the body shop, which is still curled and thick even without re-curling, sephora failed the face-off...

plus, the bristles of body shop (right) helps separate my lashes so they become more visibly thicker.  isn't that nice for the faintly eyelashed?

full face with No. 1 & 2 mixed from my 22k lip palette.

close up.

wacky

my pathetic attempt at winking.  a smiley like this (~_^) looks better than me

peace.

my nail polish, with the yellow from konad on black base.

i think ill have lots of blogging to do while passing the 3-hour breaktime now that we're back to our old schedule of 8-1 then 4-7... get used to it!

thank you to my sponsors (hehe)

i love this pic! see how my cheeks shine?

i don't have special regimens, and i use only the affordable products on my face. always i avoid to be high-maintenance.


it was interesting coz when i was in highschool i had oily skin, but in mid-college when i went to dubai i must've left my oil glands at home coz my skin started to dry.

then my skin thought it would be funny to try all skin types coz when we transferred here in bahrain i started to have combination skin - oily on the t-zone and dry everywhere else.


anyways, my daily regimen 101. (with matching reviews in fairness)

to start with, i wash my face in the morning only after i take the shower. they said the stuff you use on your hair reacts with your sensitive face and more or less it might be the cause of your skin problem. i just use normal soap, although using clean and clear, belo or skinwhite soaps shows better results.

my secret weapon - bare escentuals skin rev-er upper. it preps my face for mineral foundation, and helps it last longer.  although it smells weird, it really makes a difference using this first before foundation.



then my daily face routine is to buff bare escentuals mineral foundation, then my mineral veil and finally - clear radiance.



the fine mineral powder foundation hides the discolorations and pigmentations, while the mineral veil gives a "soft focus camera lens effect" (no lie, this is the one i can't not do coz it gives my face a soft finish), and the clear radiance gives me that glow on my cheeks.

i started using these since i saw their video, and i never bought another foundation again.  i really do not want heavy makeup, and this is perfect for me.  it's so light, you wouldn't even feel like you're wearing foundation.  and it's really pure, the tagline says 'you can even sleep with these on your face'.  plus it lives up to its name with regards to effectiveness.  and easy to apply, which is the number 1 reason why i use it since i usually wake up 30 minutes before our office starts.  who wouldn't want to use this?

unfortunately they are available only from US, so i buy on ebay to stock up way before i run out.


if i want a dewy look ill use the body shop's illuminating vitamin e cream on my cheeks. it's tested and proven, and it was so convincingly beautiful that ariane actually started using this when i finally told here why my cheeks are glowing, after months of her asking me.



and at night-time if i want sparkles ill probably dust my fez with penshoppe's face it face glitter. it doesn't have big glitters, just small fine ones perfect for your face.



and for my most healthy-looking blush! ive been using it for 6 years now. it's also a good lip stain but it fades fast. it's just perfect as a blush. ariane became an avid fan, too. i've been getting the most compliments saying i have natural healthy-looking cheeks because of this baby:



in the afternoons when i come back to the office and i want a darker blush i use bourjois' rose amber blush. it helps contour my face to eliminate chubby cheeks! ariane asked me about this blush too but it didn't work for her coz we have different skintones.



for mascaras i either choose avon black waterproof mascara if i want dark eyelashes, or the body shop's brown mascara to accent my brown eyes, or borjouis deep black mascara if i want lengths. i got this for free and i wasn't expecting much from it but it is awesome because it makes my eyelashes look longer and it looks so natural!  the body shop makes my lashes thick, while avon makes them long.




for face brushes i never use anything else with mineral foundation except for this facebrush from bare escentuals called flawless face brush. i love it coz it's so soft, it makes the mineral powder feels like silk on my face! the next one is an angled blush brush, good for contouring your cheeks. the two ones are from hongkong and im not using them except if my facebrush falls on the floor on one clumsy morning.



i wash these with jared's shampoo by the way:





then the lips. these are my favorites: the battered one is the body shop's born with it strawberry lipbalm for a more healthy looking slightly-red lips. ariane tipped me that. i use it everyday and it's always in me bag, then penshoppe's fruity pout lip jelly if i want mega awesome glossy lips, and my everyday balm, chapstick, which never fails me. i always stock up on this when im in manila.



for lipsticks, well, i don't really use lipsticks coz i hate their smell. plus i hate their quick disappearances when i needed them the most. i use nivea 10-hour extreme resist lipstick, which comes in a creamy tube.  so far, the longest it stayed on my lips was 5 hours.  i don't use the attached gloss though, coz it looks so oa for normal days...



this is a staple in my bag: a mini-mineral veil and the body shop's retractable brush. for oily t-zones.




then at night if i feel grubby ill wash with my sister's neutrogena, otherwise just my favorite whitening soap again. then loreal's pore tightening toner. if i have remaining makeup on ill wipe it with a makeup cleanser (my sister left me with givenchy clean-it-all), and i moisturize. always i moisturize.





in all fairness, i know every girl has their own, be it quick or time-consuming, as long as you're comfortable with it.

these are all basic, and i know i will add more come salary time. i will gladly update as soon as i have a new pretty discovery!