curly tops

curls in 20 minutes. dare to believe?

i have been enjoying playing curls with my hair with my new hair straightener and i even wake up 10 minutes earlier to give me enough time to curl my hair in the morning, which is not my usual habit.  i even bring it to the office in the afternoon to curl maricel's hair :D and she loves jml wet straight pro, too!

i will start my salon soon!  support me!  XD

well, yesterday, my usual boring routine was disturbed when i have to go to my boss' chocolate shop again to take pictures.  and i have to pass by the mall to ask for free calendars for his daughter, hear me say 'pity me, i don't know what date is today... do you have a free calendar? :)' haha, no, not really...

i know the time, do you know the date?

im slightly patriotic.  do you have a calendar with philippine holidays?

i got home late and my consolation was that bambi already cooked and i got free chocolates from my boss' high-end shop... yipee, choco goodness! i wonder when i'll be back!

i have reinforcement!  i totaly finished my flat tops chocolate ;(

then, and my boss' daughter noticed that my face was glowing, and she asked me what foundation i use, so i instinctively said benefit and she was already saying 'i love benefit!!!' when i remembered i woke up late that afternoon and just used pond's powder... well, nevermind, it was probably the honey and orange that changed my face this week anyway, coz maricel noticed my face last saturday, too.

but confusion came today, coz my new bare escentuals foundation came in medium tan, i was using medium beige before and some days i think it makes my face lighter than it is. so i checked the swatch on my hand, and it is slightly nearer to my skintone... although looking at it from the sifter's cover, it looks really dark.

i will start using them tomorrow and see if benefit can make me buy a new foundation faker (coz i am finishing my first buy) or ill go back to bare escentuals...

and this is my new nailpolish!  i totally love this!  i can't show you how to make it coz i am way too lazy to take photos of step-by-step instructions but basically i painted my nail pink, then painted a litttle half of them red, and on the line separating the two colors i painted z-like blue.  i then used konad for the white dots on the pink.  it is so rocker cool!

irish will totally love this when she sees it!

oily crap...

last week maricel has been complaining about the oiliness of my face.  even irish said (brutally) that i was looking weird when she visited us last week.  she said it was below my usual standard of sparkling cheeks and she was not used to it.

i took this coz i wanted to experiment with my uneven brows using photoshop.  (unfortunately i got each one from each parent)  i will post the hilarious photos next time :)

so this weekend while i was squeezing some orange to make myself some fresh juice, i remembered some DIY home-made beauty stuff i saw on the internet.  i just did not remember them all so maybe i got the orange and honey was originally from two different recipes! haha

so here's what i did, i saved up the skin and scrubbed them one by one on my face.  all six of them.  if somebody from the next building saw me, they'd probably wonder why i was polishing my face with orange peel in the kitchen, hehe.  then i left it for 10-15 minutes, when i felt it kind of dried up my skin i washed it off.  and then, while i was having a bubble bath i generously rubbed honey on my face, like 1 spoonful... and left it there for 10 minutes.

it was super sticky, but at least i have something to lick on while waiting at the bathtub... mmm! (haha, pg talaga kahit saan!)

and then, after that i loaded my face with my new moisturizer, which i did not buy on purpose.  i just ran out of moisturizer when i gave mine to my mother (olay 7x total effects) so my sister bought this one for me since it was the only olay moisturizer in SM.  i took 3x of my usual dose and kind of used it like a mask and left it on my face overnight.

olay white radiance whitening cream review: at first i did not like it coz coming from a tub, my impression was that it would be too greasy to use in the morning as a moisturizer.  especially in smogged up manila.  but after using it for three weeks i have noticed that some spots i had since my early 20s have lightened up, and my face looks even.  and that was without proper skin care coz since i came back i lost interest in that whole 'self-care' routines.

then tada!  i got compliments this morning when maricel said i looked different.  and i did not even go to any salon!  what an amazing kitchen i have (*evil laugh*)...

goodbye olive oyl!

(here with just ponds powder and olay moisturizer)

review time

ok, as promised, no more wallowing.  so im gonna do the second thing i most usually do in my blog which is to make a review of things i own so that you don't have to buy them and make the same mistakes i did.

(...there is laughing in my head)

anyways, nothing bad to say about the first thing on my list which is JML's wet straight pro.  its the hair iron that can be used on dry or damp hair.  because irish' very happy recommended it to me i never thought twice in buying it even though i already have:

philips 8-in-1 hair styer.  very helpful but it takes a lifetime to heat up and forever to finish styling your whole head, especially for curling.  even the simple straightener pisses me off.

conair plimatic trix stix hair straightener.  it heats up decently but my hair gets tangled all the time.  apart from the fact that it only has 3 inches of heating plate.

now we happily go to wet straight pro...

if irish is happy with this product, i am happier!  i can actually straighten my hair even if it is still damp!  (damp, ok? you'll electrocute yourself if you use it on wet hair... then you'd be back at one in straightening your hair :D)  and not only that, i also tried curling my hair and it took only 20 minutes without hurrying.  (for a tutorial on how to curl your hair using a flat iron, click here)  what's more, i did not notice any drying or stiffening in  my hair, which usually happens when your hair dries up from all the heat of the iron.  one morning when i did not have time to style my hair and just went to the office just brushing it, it was still straight and soft.  you can also select your preferred temperature.  i am so impressed...

the only disadvantage is that if you look at it, the buttons for the temperature and power is on the side, and i always accidentally push this every time i use it.  i have learned to avoid it, though the first times were a pain.

quick trivia:  i have read that the peace sign in photographs have been in fashion because the japanese started using them to promote world peace, then the rest of asia followed (that is why most teenagers in asia have photos with the peace sign in friendster and facebook) then the rest of the world.  so, let's promote world peace, everyone!

next review is for a hong kong-made MAC Hello Kitty eyeshadow that i purchased from ebay for just $10 and revlon 12-hour colorstay quad which is a gift from ariane.

yes, it's not really MAC, but who cares?  as long as that mouthless cat with a ribbon is on the label, id be happy to bid for it (lol), but seriously i was suprised to see that it was of good quality, the shadows are so creamy and the bright colors are so lovable!

even the applicator is so smooth and soft!

compared to the applicators i bought from lifestyle which looks spongy, i actually love using mac hello kitty's applicator.  it earned its space in my cosmetic case (i leave my big 120-eyeshadow pack at home and bring mac hello kitty for touch ups or for late mornings :)

meanwhile, ariane sent me this eyeshadow in hope that i might evolve without her knowing that i already did in less than a year when she left.  i guess san diego made her miss me so much that she even sent me a watch from style&co... thanks pokie!

anyways, the revlon eyeshadow's color is very helpful if i want smokey eyes, which is rare.  i tested it for a few days and the colors do have staying power.  and it did not crease or fade.  the only downside is that it came with this applicator that looks worse than my lifestyle sponges.

apart from that, she also sent me 2 nail polishes which i really felt bad about because maricel's pack only has a watch while mine has a lot, so i told her that i only had one nail polish.  ooops...

i love sally hansen nail polishes!

of all the blue nail polishes that i own, i love this the most!  it looks royal blue and my konad plates were happy too!  i began using them again this week..

i was so happy staring at my nails so i gave myself the same pedicure:

that's what i call happy feet! :)

unhappy days

well, im not exactly sad, but my enthusiasm in life wasn't the same as before i left for manila.  i was high all the time back then, and now... i don't know...

maybe i need to go malling.


anyways, it's our girl's night out later, since it has been a crazy week for irish.  so load up the alcohol girl... good thing it's the weekend, for i had enough sitting in the office with nothing to do.  and i hate it because it makes time pass slowwwer...

i did not elaborate on my time in manila because basically, i did not venture out into more than the 5 kilometer radius of bambi's house.  i thought i would be free, but it turns out that having a little kid makes it way different than planning a vacation when you were single.  i did not regret it, however, coz every day i spent with jared was pure sunshine.

although i did get tired most of the time, and i slept a lot.  i wasn't able to eat any street food than isaw, i wasn't able to go to mall of asia or ocean park, not even to filinvest.  most days we walked to my mother's house where we spent the afternoon.

when i came back, even the bright orange curtains and the flower-ridden sky blue bedsheet i bought was not able to get me out of my funk.  even my face is not glowing anymore.  cute makeup doesn't help.

i need to buy something pink in ebay.


ok, i promise next week i will have more comical posts.  enough wallowing.

00001 post in 02010

so... two weeks after i return to bahrain and im still zoning like a zombie...

just going with the flow, waiting for each day to pass so i can go back to sleep.

nothing interesting to say in the office.  and i also went back to snoozing my alarm, maybe because i lost interest in cosmetics after my '10-days of no makeup' drama in manila. or maybe because i don't have new stuff... haha, whatever... i have bought my most delayed and most hindered nyx lip gloss in ebay. and bare escentuals medium tan.  im going to try a darker shade just for a change.

also, the most glorious moment in mommy-jared relationship happened when i left.  jared was brought to my sister's house and as my mother let him knock on the door, he shouted 'mom'.

i miss him, but not in the same way that i missed him before my vacation.

in a way, before i left, i was missing the baby that i took care of.  the one i knew and the one who thought i was his world.  when i saw last december that he survived without me, that he will run to anybody but me, that he calls to them and not me, i was rejected inside.  and the whole time i was there i was seeing a baby who is someone i don't know.  with different likes and dislikes, different moods, who walks and talks (actually, he babbles) and i did not have plans to make him like me.  coz what will happen when i leave?

so i just let the days pass by and i was content to watch him in his daily joys of swimming in the floor (or the plaza's stage), sleeping with dirty feet and drinking milk that i tried to change to a better one and ended throwing his stomach up.  i was like an outsider.  and i accepted that.

when i walk to the office or back to my house i avoid the humans with strollers.  i was half-crazy even in my own standard of craziness.

and until now, i still don't know how to make time pass quicker.  or what to do to make me interested in my surroundings.  when i go back home i spend 90% of my time sleeping.  and my husband doesn't complain, it was our inside joke that his wife is his computer and i'm just the mistress...

10 minutes before i leave the office... now what am i going to do with my night...?

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...

the weekend before christmas!

alu my sister!  i don't know if you're the only one reading my blog but its for all of you in manila to let you know how im doing here, kind of like my public diary exposed for all of you haha..

anyways, the night before the national day holidays, me, maricel, irish and her wanna-be suitor florin went to gosi and had coffee and finalized our schedule for thursday, which is, to have another city centre day.

and so we did go to bcc last thursday, from 11 am until 8 pm.  bambi said it wasn't normal, and i have to get my head checked for psychological problems.  hello, kulang pa nga yun e... di ko pa nalibot lahat-lahat.

(bcc photos)

anyways, bati na kami, but when he saw my post in facebook regarding jacob black this morning, his ears started to give off steam again...

i don't know why im like this, but maybe its because he left me to wander alone a lot of times while he's playing his computer games and so i looked for things to keep me entertained.  and here comes makeup and twilight.  what is he complaining about?  im a completely normal human being.

so while we were in bcc, i saw some shoes that were on sale.  i bought two for my brothers.  that's why i had to fix my bag today, to see if i still have space for pasalubongs and stuff.

i was originally planning to bring only one backpack since i already went home last may and i wasn't planning to give anything to anyone (kuripot haha), but these shoes changed my plan.  so i took a medium-sized stroller bag and included some clothes that were just sitting in my closet and thought that maybe they'll be of better use to my sister, the other one, rj makulit... she adores me.  i don't know why.

so i think i only have some small spaces left and im just gonna buy chocolates and stuff for the family tree... im bad in remembering them all.  i usually just buy stuff and let kristelle distribute them, otherwise i would probably forget the important people.  she wouldn't.  she's a family girl.  and she knows everyone.

next step for me is to pick the important kikay stuff from my drawer, and from that, still i have to pick the ones i can't go without:

i really planned on going light, so ill just pick my favorite brushes, blush, favorite primer, lip gloss and so on.. they will go inside this cute hello kitty bag i bought from ebay:

it opens up like this and it has a mirror, too!

and i probably picked mostly everything, coz i don't buy what i wouldn't use.  but the fave among the faves are:

hello kitty contact lens case (from ebay.  it has sanitized tongs if you don't want to touch your lenses, and a small squirtable bottle for your solution inside)

Be givenchy.  bambi bought this in the airport last may before we went home.  in my excitement i forgot that i had no perfume on. how gross if i was hugged and i smelled like a 9-hour flight... and i only like a few fragrances, coz other smells gives me a headache.  this one's a dream.  but i specifically use this only when im in manila, kind of like a homesick scent...

1.  sephora eye primer

2.  nivea 10-hour lipstick & gloss

3.  mikajy lip brush (i love this!)

4.  loreal eyesmoker in black (my current fave eyeliner)

5.  benefit lip beads (lip exfoliator)

6.  maybelline xxl curl mascara (super long & thick lashes)

7.  contact lens case

8.  sephora face primer

9.  benefit high beam

10.  prestige ultimate brow definer (why i love it?  it has a liner on one end, and a mascara-like brush on the other end)

11. mikajy blush

12. 22k lip palette

13. bare escentuals mineral veil

14. benefit some kind-a gorgeous foundation faker

15. bare escentuals mineral foundation

16.  bare escentuals clear radiance (subtle shimmer without dewiness)

17. benefit blush in thrrrob

18.  olay total effects 7x (my new moisturizer)

1. colourland face brush

2.  bare escentuals flawless face brush

3.  colourland lip brush ( i use it on my eyeliner, and it totally uses every centimeter of it!)

4. colourland flat stiff brush

5.  colourland angled brow brush

6.  bare escentuals maximum concealer brush

7.  angled eyeliner brush (i got it from watson's)

8.  paula's choice pencil brush

9.  smashbox shadow brush

10.  nars smudge brush

im not planning to bring my konad stuff, although i would love to paint rj's nails... i just want to bring stuff that i wouldn;t bring back, coz i know when i come back i'll have a lot to bring.  so maybe next time.

and since i have been in manila earlier this year already, im not planning on splurging anywhere.  ijust want to spend time with my little monster...


to my officemates: thank you for covering up for me.  have a nice holiday!

ps. this is where im going:

manila ocean park*

market market*

sm bicutan*

sm mall of asia*

*images from the internet, no copyright infringement intentions!

motto in ebay: "patience is a virtue"?

you'd think i'd be used to to receiving stuff by now, but im still drunk-happy when i see a package with my name on it!

especially when these arrived, coz it was packed in a big box, and i thought it was the other one, with the hello kitty gloss, blush and lip balm.  turned out it was just a brush!

im still impatiently waiting for my other stuff.  apart from above, i still have a hello kitty eyeshadow, borjouis maxi frange waterproof mascara, smashbox cream liner palette, coralista and justine case in a plane or a post office somewhere.

anyways, quick review, for the nars smudge brush, i was expecting it to be soft and cute, and i wasn't disappointed.  although im not using it everyday coz my smashbox shader brush almost does everything on my lids, this is still a good brush to keep, maybe when i learned how to do that smokey eye thing...

i can't get over how long this brush is!

next is the pencil dome brush, which is suppose to be used on the outer half of your lids, for lining or smudging the liner... it's cheap and i can't complain coz it's soft, too.  no shedding when i washed it.

smudged purple liner on the outer half of my eyes.  suppose to make it appear bigger.

and apart from ebay, my new product of choice is the maybelline xxl curl, which makes my lashes look fake, it is seriously thick and long.. i love it so much!

i wasn't born with it, it's just maybelline...

and my newest aha! moment:  i replaced my bath salt's container for my yoko milk salt!

basically, i want to use this every night.  it really makes my arms smooth super fast.  and it's heaven to put lotion on smooth skin.  but it's a tedious to dip my hands inside everytime.

so the glamourflage bath salts have this cool "salt and pepper dispenser" look, and i just placed the contents on a small jar and put yoko bath salts inside and voila!  hindi na ko tatamarin every night! hehe

im a genius (toinks!)