Mung beans for your face

Today, we will talk about munggo. I love ginisang munggo (sauteed mung beans) but unfortunately, my knees hurt whenever I eat this dish so I try to avoid it as much as possible or try to resist it anyway. Luckily, The Face Shop offers mung beans in a different form:

You may recognize this photo from a haul post back in October. I’ve been using the Herb Day Cleansing Foam in Mung Beans ever since and I can truly say that I’m very satisfied with it.

The label says for all skin types. I did have a few rashes on my first week of usage but I think that’s because my skin was still adjusting. After that, I didn’t have break outs anymore.

I like the scent. You’ll be surprised that it smells differently from what we believe to be a mung bean’s scent. It lathers nicely with the bubble net but you can also use it in its original form as it is very creamy. Just be careful when you press the tube as the product slips out very easily. It’s not a thick cream like Pond’s. The color is a nice green shade, very light and not disgusting at all.

If you’ve noticed the base of the tube at the rim of the cap, there’s some oil forming. I think this is an old stock that’s why the oil is already separating. I guess a lot of people find it weird to put mung beans on their face.

This mung bean facial wash effectively removes dirt and makeup. Sometimes when I forget to remove my makeup using a makeup remover, I just use this with TBS facial brush and my face is squeaky clean again. Although, I’d have to say that I use more than a pea size amount of this product to get a really good lather and a really good cleaning. I think I use about the size of a one-peso coin.

It doesn’t dry out my face and there is no tight feeling after washing. It’s cold now and my face gets itchy after washing so I guess this is not advisable for girls with dry skin on cold months.

I love it so much that I bought another one as a gift for my sister. It only costs Php249 and is such a good buy. I’m almost done with this tube and I plan to cut it up to make sure that I get every last drop.

Do you want some volum’?

I bought this mascara in October and now it is nearing the end of its life. I know that this is a super duper late review so forgive me.

It was the time when I just chucked my Magnum mascara and was in dire need of a replacement. The Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara was out of stock and so I headed back to the Maybelline counter. I chose this because it’s only Php249 and I just needed an interim mascara. I didn’t have high expectations, not with the price, but I was surely in for a surprise.

For a cheap mascara, this works wonders! The complete name is Volum’ Express Hypercurl 3-in-1 Mascara. Why 3-in-1? It promises to give amazing length, 3x more volume and a 75-degree curl in an instant. The bonus is it lasts for up to 18 hours without clumps. The first two promises are true. The 75-degree curl, I’m not too sure of. I wasn’t satisfied with it. I still needed to use an eyelash curler. The 18 hours thing, I haven’t tested yet and probably won’t but I can surely say that this lasts from the moment I apply it until I remove it at night. It didn’t clump during the first two months but now it’s starting to clump. I don’t know if the cold is contributing to it but I can now see more clumps on the brush. It also clumps up a bit on my eyelashes but nothing a quick tissue blot can’t fix.

I was also surprised that this doesn’t smudge below my eyes so I don’t get raccoon eyes after several hours. It doesn’t make my eyes itch although when I accidentally rub my eyes with this mascara still on, my eyes do get a bit irritated.

I also like the curved wand that makes application a breeze.

Here’s a photo of my bare lashes:

Here are EOTD shots using the Volum’ Express Hypercurl Mascara:

I am definitely buying this again after I’ve exhausted all my mascara stocks. I recommend this mascara for working girls on a budget. You’ll surely get your money’s worth! It’s gentle for everyday use and not too showy for daytime looks, perfect for the office.

Eyeshadow: Maybelline Diamond Glow Eye Shadow Palette in Copper

Liner: Maybelline Gel Liner in Brown

At Last!

I was able to cross off two on my Makeup Wish List this Christmas:

Nars15 Wild at Heart Palette and you guessed it! The Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler- Finally!

I just wanted a Nars palette, period. I wasn’t really lemming for this limited edition palette. I just knew that I wanted a palette that I can use everyday and the Orgasm blush. When Cherry (SA) said that this included the Orgasm blush, I was like, SOLD!

As you may have noticed, the palette is already smudged with different makeup. That’s because I’ve been using this everyday since I bought it. = )



The eyeshadows are:
Abyssinia, Alhambra, Ashes to Ashes and Pandora

Blush:
Orgasm, The Multiple in South Beach

Lip Lacquer:
Baby Doll, Red Lizard, Manhunt, Fire Down Below

I’m really proud of this palette and I can really say that it’s a good buy. I’m being very careful with it to the point that I still keep it in its original box.

Here’s a quick pic of my eyelash curler:

I’m also using this everyday. When this first came out, I was like, what’s all the hype? It’s still just an eyelash curler. When I first used it, I immediately felt the difference and concluded that this is not JUST an eyelash curler.  The best part is, I got this for only Php850! Rustan’s was on sale the day I decided to buy makeup and perfume!

I made an EOTD using the palette and the curler:

I used Alhambra all over the lid then Abyssinia to highlight the inner corners of my eye and below the eyebrow. I then applied Ashes to Ashes on the crease and blended it. For the eye liner, I used my Maybelline gel liner brush (review coming) wet and dipped it in Pandora. I didn’t do a full look because I have yet to master photographing my entire face and make all the colors show. Mascara used is by Maybelline which I will make a review of next.

I was surprised that even with an eye shadow base, the colors really don’t last the whole day and that’s just when I’m in the mall. There’s still a bit of color when I get home but I can hardly see the difference in shades. Maybe it’s because the shades are too light. Next time I will apply more. The blush, on the other hand, lasts and the lip lacquer also lasts for a considerable amount of time. I did the EOTD just a few hours ago and the Pandora e/s smudged a bit on my left eye. Maybe it needed to dry more. I’ll try to use this as an eye liner when I go out.

On another note, MB was laughing when he saw me applying ‘NARS’. That’s how he said it, “O, bakit ka naglalagay ng Nars?" when he knows that I’m not leaving the house. He’s been sick for a few days now and he didn’t go to work today because of fever that’s why I’m the designated yaya. Told him, I wanted to be in Nars while taking care of him. Haha! A girl’s gotta be glamorous right?

Hi!

How are your holidays so far? Mine has been a whirlwind of events, shopping trips and hectic organization. We decided to do some minor home improvements and that involved some major general cleaning. The reason for this is we hosted the family Christmas lunch. If you’re a follower of my food blog, you’d know that I was really planning this.

About 5 days before Christmas, I caught the bug which my sister got from one of her observation stints in a SPED school so we were both sick. I am still nursing a cough to this day. Unfortunately, MB also got it from me so now MB is in bed with a slight fever, colds and cough. I think one of the reasons we got sick is because we’ve been very exhausted for the past two weeks (making our immune system drop), frantically buying gifts and arranging the house. We bought a few furniture and so we had to switch around a few things in the house and throw out a lot of garbage and old stuff. It also constantly rained and there was a scarcity of cabs and so there were a lot of times when we got wet. The umbrella didn’t matter anymore because our hands were too full to even open one. Tired + wet + lack of sleep + lack of healthy food to eat = SICK

The Christmas lunch was not perfect but it was fun nonetheless. I’ll write more about that in 240 baons.

As for myself, I was able to cross out a few on my Christmas wish list which I will be posting soon. Today is a quiet afternoon that’s why I am able to write. No more cooking (well, maybe later for dinner), heavy lifting, re-arranging and stuff like that. There are still a few things lying on the floor in my room and in the (new) home office in the hall but I’m glad that these are only minor things that need to be dealt with. I can just do them in batches. I am only trying out this new table that we bought for my room. We gave up our big office table and decided to buy a smaller one fit for two. Our table before was big enough to accommodate two PC’s. Now, it looks like a coffee table, big enough to fit 2 laptops but small enough to allow more space in the room. The chairs are also quite comfy. My cousin commented that my room now looks like an internet café. I don’t know about that. I just know that this table is perfect.  And a few more nips and tucks, my room will be perfect.

I wrote a list of topics and products that I will be posting and boy was I surprised! I reached number 35! I have quite a load of backlog posts! I’m still trying to breathe. Slowly, I’m going back to my old pace. Hopefully I’ll be back blogging in no time.

Just to get you and I going, here’s a glimpse of things to come:

1. I will be introducing you to Madison, my new Acer netbook.

2. Maybelline product reviews

3. My favorite hangout/gift trove during the holiday rush

4. NOTD’s

5. EOTD’s

6. A shoe post

7. more beauty reviews

and a whole lot of different tips and tricks for working kikay girls on a budget!

Enjoy the holidays everyone!

Do you want natural volume?

Do you want lips like Angelina’s? Have you ever considered lip injections? Well, if you don’t have the budget, what do you do? There are products out there such as Lip Venom and the like but they cost some money. So, what does a regular working girl do? For only Php17o, she can buy this:

The Nivea Natural Volume promises to provide you with natural volume and beautiful shine. I was intrigued when I saw this at Watsons sometime in September.

It doesn’t make your lips plump up instantly but because of the collagen, moisture gets locked in making your lips healthier. The shine also gives an illusion of plumpness.

I personally did not see/feel any difference. I think it’s just regular lip gloss. Or maybe I’m just not paying enough attention plus the fact that I don’t use it everyday. Maybe you have to use it everyday to see results. It also says that it’s not sticky. Well, it’s a bit sticky but not as annoying as regular lip gloss.

Here’s what the product looks like:

It’s like pink goo. Hehe. Just kidding! It has tiny sparkles to add shine. On my first few weeks of using this, a clear watery liquid just comes out so I thought that it’s a clear gel. After that, the pink goo came out so I was really surprised. I think I got an old stock that’s why it was a bit watery. Here it is on my lips:

This is on bare lips. It’s only now that I’ve noticed that it can stand alone. But I think I’ll still use this with a bit of lip balm. I’m just not used to applying anything without a lip balm.

I’m quite satisfied with this product as I use it as a regular lip shine. I also like the fact that it’s not too shiny like you have oil on your lips. It’s SPF 30+ and protects against UVA and UVB rays. I will not repurchase though as I still have tons of lip products to finish.

Fruity Shine

I am terribly, terribly busy these days. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since Friday. There are just too many things to do, too many places to go to, too many people to meet, too many gifts to wrap. I am very thankful that I found the time to sit down and write today. I will posting a lot of backlogs as they’re piling up in my hard drive.

This is the Nivea Fruity Shine Strawberry Lip Balm:

I can’t resist Nivea’s packaging. They’re so pretty! This is a new packaging. The top is slanted, not flat but the balm inside is still round:



I’ve been using this for a month now and as with the Angel Star, I am very satisfied. I just can’t stand the smell. It’s too strawberry sweet! I don’t like very sweet scents. It’s funny though, the taste is just mild.

Here are swatches:

I like using this on days when I’m too lazy to apply lipstick or when I’m just running errands. The tiny sparkles add a bit of shine so it looks like I’m still wearing a bit of lipstick.  As with all my Nivea lip products, this doesn’t work well on very dry lips. Right now, it’s cold and my lips are chapped in spite of several layers of Angel Star lip balm.

I love using the strawberry lip balm as a base for red lipsticks. It leaves a pretty red stain  after the lipstick has been wiped off. It also allows for a smoother application of red lipstick. I don’t end up with patches of red. One tip that I’ve learned from the Sephora Beauty Book, do not apply red lipstick on chapped/dry/peeling lips as it will be emphasized.

It’s SPF 10, not much, I know and it says it protects against UVA and UVB rays. It costs Php84 at Watsons.

We find ways… to piss you off!

I just can’t take it anymore! BDO is really ruining my used to be perfect banking experience with them. The first incident happened last Friday at the main office in Makati Ave.

I was encashing a check. They wouldn’t let me because apparently, the other ID that I was presenting was not a valid one. It’s a government-issued ID, by the way. I asked why. I think I was speaking to the supervisor at this point as the teller immediately called him and asked about my ID’s. I told them that it was the same ID I used to open an account with them. He said that’s different. That was opening an account. This was encashing a check. I asked what difference would that make and he just kept saying that my ID is invalid. I told him I resigned from the company issuing the check that’s why I don’t have a company ID anymore. I even told him to call up the company to verify. He just kept insisting that my ID is invalid.

I told him that I needed the money as I will be going to MMC right after the bank. He said to just deposit it in my account. I told him I didn’t bring my ATM as I was already expecting this money. He asked for my bank account number. I told him I don’t know. Then he asked for my address. I asked which address he needed, my house or the company’s and in a haughty voice he said, “ Ewan ko. Ano bang address ang ginamit nyo pang open ng account? Malay ko ba kung anong ginamit nyo.” And he was looking at me as if I stole the check or something. I told him, can’t you check? My account is at SM Makati. First they said that they do not have access to the other accounts then after a few minutes, they found my account. I was fishing around my bag to see if I have a copy of my account number and apparently I had one. I tried giving it to the teller but she said she already has it. Lies.

Oh, after a lengthy discussion, the supervisor had the nerve to ask me for an NBI clearance! What the hell??? Why would I need an NBI clearance to get MY money!

I was really pissed off that day and told the supervisor, I thought you find ways. And he said, that is all I can do for you. For you to deposit your check and withdraw it from the ATM. That’s my “we find ways”.

Let’s step back for a moment and analyze what he said. Assuming I had my ATM with me that day, he wants me to deposit my check. Let’s say I did. After that, he wants me to go to the nearest ATM which is just a few steps away from the counter and withdraw my money. Now tell me, how idiotic is that? That is such a waste of time, effort and paper! Why are they doubting my identity when I already have 2 government-issued ID’s in front of them and they even verified that it’s the same ID used to open my account?? They have my pictures and ID up on their monitor!

So I ended up not withdrawing my money that day and not going to MMC. I already told them that it’s an emergency and they wouldn’t budge. Siguro if I passed out in front of them or collapsed then they will release the money. I’m also wondering if they will do the same thing to some famous person like Kris Aquino. They will probably encash her check without asking for ID’s.

The second incident happened today, just a few minutes ago. I received a letter from BDO’s collection agency, Capital Collection and Recovery Specialists Inc.  saying that I’m not paying my loan with GE. I immediately called them up and told them that this was impossible as I’ve issued postdated checks good enough to cover my entire loan and my account is well funded. The guy on the other end just said, ok ma’am, just disregard that notice. WTF???

I called up BDO to complain because this has been going on for the past 4 months now and it’s such a hassle! They have been calling me up every month asking what my mode of payment is and then to end the conversation they would say, “O sige ma’am, tatawagan ka na lang namin pag di ka na nakakabayad” /We will just call you up again if you’re not able to pay anymore. The other time it was, “O sige ma’am tatawagan ka na lang namin pag hindi mo na napopondohan ung cheke mo.”/ We will just call you up if you’re not funding your checks anymore. Now tell me, if you’re somebody who pays your bills on time, even earlier, how would you feel if somebody says that to you? That’s very rude di ba? And improper! I feel insulted. I’m proud to say that I pay all my bills days before their due dates.

So this was the last straw. This idiotic letter. And they even got my minimum due wrong! BDO gave me a bunch of numbers to call and directed me to another agency handling my account.The guy I spoke to said that the other agency will call me up every month to “update” their records. The first thing he said was to remind me of my due and not update their records. Clearly, they just want to piss their clients off.  He told me that I can complain at the head office. He also said to call somebody else, who is in charge of the GE loans and ask if one of my checks bounced. I told him, I am absolutely sure that none of my checks bounced otherwise, the bank would have called me plus I deposit more than enough funds TWICE a month to cover everything. Besides, why would Capital Collections tell me to disregard the notice if I’m not paying my bills? They clearly made a mistake.

I ended up not calling anymore as I know this will go nowhere unless some higher up reads this blog post of mine. It’s such a waste of time, money and effort. I can do more productive things than stay on the phone, wait and be transferred to God knows where.

I used to be proud of my BDO account. I used to tell my friends and family to open a BDO account as it’s the best. I told my mom the other day to open an account with BPI, BDO’s number 1 rival. Now I’m going to tell all my friends about my very bad experience with BDO.

So yeah, BDO – We find ways… to piss you off, to ruin your day, to annoy you,  to make you miserable.

Stardust

Among all makeup types, eye shadows are the least that I buy. Every time I see a palette that I like, I try to tell myself that I still have my F21 and Youngblood palettes to finish. But, there are times when I get smitten or there’s a good promo going on (The Face Shop e/s) so I break this rule. Such was the case of these palettes:

I kinda swore to myself that I will not buy Nichido makeup anymore as the color pay off was terrible and it doesn’t last long. But I couldn’t help but purchase these lovely palettes last night. Stardust is a pretty good name for a palette, after all.

There were no available testers so I just told myself that I’ll just apply a lot to make the colors show. It’s only Php168 each so I got all four.

These are Nichido Stardust Blue Lagoon and Totally Neutral.



These are Enchanted Green and Kiss of Pink.



Here’s a close up:

The other reason why I bought these (aside from the palette being cute)  is to be able to retouch my eye shadow during the day/night when I am out. Since my palettes are big, I rarely bring them with me. These on the other hand are very light and compact and can easily fit inside my small makeup kit. I am just bothered by the lack of plastic covering on the shadows. The applicator is, of course, useless.

I’m wearing Kiss of Pink now and I was really surprised. I checked myself in the mirror during lunch and the colors are still there. I retouched them a bit just because I wanted to use my palette again. = ) But it would have been okay without the touch up.

I’m also surprised that for an affordable e/s, my eyes have not itched yet.They’re also not watery meaning I’m not allergic to these shadows. Let’s see later in the afternoon.

I got these at Watsons Greenbelt where the SA was annoying. She was busy talking to the other SA’s while I was looking for a tester. Finally, I asked her who was in charge there. She said she was in an annoyed tone. I asked if there were testers available and she had that look in her face that says, “Oh, it’s just another free loader. Why did you even interrupt me when you’re not going to buy?” She said there were none and that the displays were all covered and cannot be opened. But she helpfully said that the blue shades are nice. Uhm, how am I supposed to know that without swatching them? I told her I wanted to see if the “highly pigmented” thingy on the back was for real. She couldn’t answer. So, I just shrugged and asked her that I’d like one of each. She said, oo merong apat. Tig-iisa” (Yes, there are 4, one of each). I told her yes, I can see that so please give me one of each. I’ll buy all 4 palettes. That’s when her eyes lit up and she suddenly had a burst of energy. She even said, Ma’am let’s open each palette first so that you can check. And she did all the work by herself. This time I was being a snob. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. I just glanced at the palettes and nodded my head. She was very nice after this. I wonder why there are SA’s like that.

I will try to make an EOTD of each of these palettes. I think this is a pretty good buy. I’ve been noticing that Nichido is slowly improving its quality and packaging. I hope one day they can be on ELF’s level or even higher. That would be very good news for all Filipinas who want to look pretty on a budget.

More Madness

Thank you BPI for always making my Christmases gadget-filled ones!

I am very attached to my ZEN mp3 player. I didn’t want to replace it because it does its job quite nicely. It’s still alive and kicking. But now it can slow down and just play music whenever I’m taking a bath and not go with me everywhere.

Learning is very important to me and I don’t like idle time so I put my language lessons in my Zen. Sadly, it can’t accommodate all my lessons so I had to upgrade. I like brushing up on my French whenever I have the chance and commuting is a perfect time for that especially now that traffic is horrendous.

As for the external drive, Coco has been crashing more frequently now and I need to back up all my files including all my blog photos and drafts. I don’t want to buy CD’s any more as they pile up.

For a while I was avoiding ipods as my ex gave me one before then took it back when he left me. I know, right? Bad memories and all. So anyway, I wanted to buy another ZEN player but the ipod was cheaper. I’m a practical girl so I went with the ipod. The best part of it all is, I didn’t pay a single centavo and I won’t be paying until March 2011! How awesome is that?

So what’s your Christmas gadget spree?

Purple Eye Liner and EOTD Photo Attempt

I bought this Nichido Girls Night Out Purple eye liner in July. I made several attempts to take a photo of an EOTD but failed. This latest is not an exemption but it looks a bit better.  At least I can see the colors now.

It’s supposed to be a deep blue, pink and violet look but the colors are all washed out. The base is pink, the e/s from The Face Shop then the crease is violet with the outer v in deep blue. But in the photo it just looks all lavender. Also, the eye liner is a bit thicker than that. (My room is very bright in the morning.)

I think I shouldn’t do EOTD photos in daylight. This one was taken in July, one night when I was playing with my eye shadow palette with a look that I saw in a magazine:



This, on the other hand, is all shades of purple.

The Nichido eye liner is very affordable at 80 pesos. It doesn’t last the whole day but it will do for me especially if I’m just hanging out at the mall.  I experience some itching when I don’t take this off immediately when I get home. It smudges a bit so I guess I would advise against it if you have oily lids. But, if you can find a good primer then I suggest you go for it. Sometimes when I accidentally rub my eyes, I panic and look for a mirror because I might have drawn a purple line somewhere on my face. = )

I have other shades of the Nichido Girls Night Out eye liners. I hope I can make them work as they are very light. I have trouble seeing them on my lids, what more on cam. I wanted to buy all the colors but after a few months of using them, I decided not to. I want to venture into gel liner territory just because they last longer and are waterproof.

Dear Maybelline, How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways…

1

2

3

.
.
.
.
.
.



I guess it’s safe to say that I love you a lot! = )

I wanted to buy the gel liner in black but Landmark has sold out. = (

Reviews coming soon!

DIY Hair Magic

Oh how I love DIY hair treatments! It’s affordable, effective and there are no annoying attendants telling you that you should do this and that treatment and buy this and that product because your hair “needs” it.

During normal days and summer, my skin is dry. So when it’s cold, imagine how my skin looks like. My scalp, unfortunately, is not spared from this “dry spell”.  I was very happy when I found this at Watsons:

It costs between 69.75-89.75 pesos. Sorry, it didn’t have a price tag and I threw the receipt away.

Promises, promises:

• Recharges scalp & hair
• Has tea tree and vitamin E

The tea tree part got me. I immediately put it in my basket. Now with this product, I had high hopes. I’m glad it didn’t disappoint.

It’s my first time to use a heat activated product. I was really surprised because the moment I touched the product, it became hot. I made the mistake of rubbing too vigorously and almost burned my hand. It’s that hot! So warning, rub gently and slowly until you reach your desired temperature. It stayed hot/warm on my hair for a few minutes. It was warm the whole time it was on my scalp. 

I used up the whole pack. Apply the product like how salon attendants would. Massage your scalp too for an extra treat and full on relaxation!

I actually felt like I was having a hot oil treatment in the comforts of our own bathroom. Too bad I forgot to wear a cap. Nevertheless, it did what it’s supposed to do.

It smelled of tea tree oil and I’m glad that it didn’t give me any allergies. I had a hard time rinsing it off. And when it finally came off, my hair felt weird, like my hair is wrapped in something. I can’t quite figure out what it feels like exactly but it felt weird. But to be clear, it didn’t ruin my hair. I primarily purchased this product to soothe my dry and itchy scalp. The shine, softness and hair manageability were just bonuses. The nice hair lasted for about 3 days. Not bad for something that costs less than a hundred bucks.

I will buy again!

NOTD: Mermaid Nails

The title was inspired by Kitten’s comment on an earlier NOTD post.

After application, mermaid tails immediately entered my mind. I think it lacks sparkles though. I used my Beauty & Love nail polish for this.

Acnedot

I didn’t have high hopes for this product. I purchased it on a whim. Saw it on the counter while paying for my stuff and decided, what the heck. So I got it. I never thought it would work wonders.

Exhibit A:

Stubborn pimple that pops out on the exact same spot during that time of the month

Exhibit B: The morning after

Closer:



On day two it was dry and flat and did not recur. It usually does but this time, it was gone for good.

So what is this miracle cure?

And it’s only Php22! Need I say more?