Ate, Bug off Please!

My tiny babies are now all grown up and they stay downstairs. They’re in that stage where they are very curious, playful and just want to explore. These are some pics I took before they migrated.



They were just outside my door. I was supposed to go out of my room when I saw them feeding. So how am I supposed to go out?



I didn’t want to disturb them so I just took some photos but the little one was not digging it at all.

That’s their elder sister Chanel. She’s very sweet. She always licks her siblings whenever she sees them. She hugs them while they sleep.

I guess this baby is getting pissed off with all the picture taking while they’re feeding. = ) He’s giving me the evil eye. Nah, actually, he’s giving me a flying kiss. When cats wink at you, they are actually giving you a flying kiss. If you want to reciprocate, wink at them slowly.




In the end, the baby just gave up and allowed me to click away.




Oh, how I love kittens…

Falsies

Want this?



Now available at Hyphen. Hurry, there are only 10 pieces left!

Cerulean EOTD

Here’s a close up of M’s Party EOTD courtesy of Clinique:








Read more about this event and learn a few tricks here.

Partying the Night Away

Meet M. She’s a reader/follower of this blog and she’s a very good friend of mine. I invited her to the Clinique Mini Makeover Workshop. She came wearing this maxi blouse/mini dress that I really like and she looked like she was going on a date. Well, she wasn’t but she was meeting a girlfriend later on. Malou, her beauty consultant asked if she wanted a natural or a party look. M and I both agreed – Party!!! You only get a few makeover’s in your life so why not glam it up, right?

Before that, she was given a skin assessment.



She’s lucky.  She only has a few complaints.

Her skin type is:




Her face was prepped using the toner and moisturizer from the 3-Step System.






Like with the other girls, Malou also taught M some tips on how to care for her skin and how to apply makeup.

One of the things she taught was putting loose powder on your hand then rubbing it with the other to warm it up. Then you press your hand again on your palm and pat the same hand on your face to apply the powder. This results to a smoother finish. The powder also adheres to your skin better.

Another technique (that I’ve also learned from Estee Lauder before) was mixing concealer and black eye liner to make a great base for smoky eyes or if you just want your eyeshadow to be bolder and more vibrant.

Here’s the final look:

 

Isn’t she stunning?

Ready to party the night away!

Stay tuned for her EOTD!

Wedding EOTD–Copper Brown

(Updated by request)

It seems that 2011 is a suitable year for marriage for most in my age group. I have been hearing news of weddings since the start of the year. Even my friend Kitten found herself invited to a couple of weddings this year. Let me tell you a secret. I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to be MB’s sister’s “makeup artist” during her wedding. I sooooo wanted to apply makeup on the bride and the rest of the girls. I am no makeup artist but I can dream can’t I?  Oh, well. Maybe next time. With another girl, of course.

So, I’ve been here in bed the whole day as my legs are so painful and stiff at the same time. (I walk like a penguin at the moment). So to pass the time and to do something productive, I decided to make an EOTD for someone who will be attending a wedding . I started with something a bit conservative in terms of colors as I know there are a lot of ladies out there who get intimidated by color. Well, don’t be.

Here’s the look:

Tools of the trade:

I also chose this look keeping in mind a girl who is on a budget and cannot afford to splurge a lot especially on makeup that’s going to be used on special occasions only. If that’s you, don’t worry. This palette can go from day to night, office to party. You can use these colors everyday, I promise.

You will need the Maybelline Diamond Glow Eye Studio Palette in Copper Brown, Maybelline Gel Liner in Brown, a pointed eyeshadow brush (this is Ellana) and a flat eyeshadow brush (this is HerBench). You can also use the brushes that come with the palette if you don’t have separate brushes.

Let’s label colors from right to left, starting with the darkest as Number 1 then so forth.

Time to have fun!

1. Apply eyelid primer if you have. If not, draw a circle on the base of your thumb with your black eyeliner. Make it as big as a 5-centavo coin. Then apply some liquid concealer and mix with your finger. Apply on both eyelids. This will make the colors more vibrant and will also make them stay on longer. Don’t forget to fix your brows too.

2. Apply E/S #4 (lightest) all over your lid, up to the crease and brow bone using a flat eyeshadow brush. 

Note: In this step by step tutorial, I only used 1 brush and my finger to pat on E/S#4

3. Take the Ellana brush (pointed) and dip it in a little bit of water. If you’re using the brushes in the palette, take the sponge tip applicator and wet it. Dip on E/S#1 (darkest) and apply as if you’re applying eyeliner. Draw a bit of a cat eye. Don’t worry, this will be very subtle in the end.

4. Next, wipe your brush on a facial tissue and dip on E/S#2. Apply this color on half of your eyelid from the the center going out. That includes your outer V. Don’t blend this with the darker color. Put this above.

5. Wipe your brush again and dip in E/S#3. Put this in the inner half of your eyelid starting from the corner of your eye up to the point where it meets the darker eyeshadow.

6. Dip your flat brush on E/S#4 and gently pat over the part where you applied E/S #3. Pat more color upwards towards your brow bone. Take your pointed brush again and dip on the same shade (#4) and gently pat in the inner corners of your eyes to highlight. Line your lower lids starting with the inner going outwards but only up to half with the same light color. Dip your pointed brush in E/S#3 and line your lower lid from half going outwards.

7. Next, line your upper lids with the brown gel liner. Do not make a cat eye. Just wing it very subtly on the ends. Use your fingers to blend the colors on your outer V and if you need to fix your liner.

8. Curl your lashes and apply your favorite waterproof volumizing mascara. I used The Magnum in this EOTD.

C’est fini!

(Fix your hair. Don’t be lazy like me!)

It’s a bit sparkly and down to earth at the same time. I think this is best for day weddings that are done indoors. You want something fresh and light if you’re going to a garden wedding.

So, what do you think of this look? Do you think I should make more Wedding EOTD’s?

Saturday Date EOTD

It's almost the weekend! Are you planning to go out on a date or be with your girlfriends for some bonding time? Here is a perfect EOTD for a Saturday afternoon get-together. Eye makeup is courtesy of Baby from Clinique:









Again, she used a golden strawberry all over the lids and a brown eyeshadow for the crease. A brown liquid liner was used on top and a pencil liner for my waterline. Read more about this event here.

Blog Award

Thank you Michelle of Beautiful Loft for this award:



Let’s see, 7 things about myself. Hmmm…

1. I like eating reheated spaghetti with sinangag (fried rice)

2. I was a figure skater

3. I adore cats---- Duh. And hate people who hate cats.

4. I actually don’t mind having polymyositis. Sure it’s hard and annoying but I’m too busy to give it any attention. Well, unless when I’m paralyzed.

5. I love anime and medical dramas but I just couldn’t find time to watch them. Note to self: Download eps!

6. I didn’t attend 3rd and 4th year high school

7. I am having another life-changing event and that is seriously reviving my businesses and opening (and making it last) another online shop, Hyphen. This is a culmination of all my passions and past businesses. I’m making this my full time job. I’ve started joining bazaars when I was 17 and through the years it was on and off. I’ve been thinking about going back to the bazaar scene for a year and I got the push I needed last December. So I guess you’ll be seeing me again in bazaars. After all, House Magazine named me the Bazaar Diva and it would be a shame to let them down. So I hope you’ll support me in this new endeavor.

Here is my list of versatile bloggers:

1. Kitten of Inside A Cat’s Mind

2. Ahne of Shopping is My Cardio

3. Sugar of Whimsical Whatnots and Whatever

4. Charry of Eye Candy – (Eye Candy is a new discovery!)

My New 3-Step Skin Care Routine

I have tried many products to cleanse, protect and maintain/improve my skin. When I was a teen, I was very loyal to Pond’s. When I took steroids, my skin became very sensitive to products. I suddenly  became allergic to products that I’ve been using for years. So, my quest for a new skin care line has begun.

From Pond’s, I went to Celeteque then to Etude House then to The Face Shop Cleanser. Celeteque was okay but I felt that it wasn’t enough. Etude House was better than Celeteque but I felt that there is still something better out there. I tried the TFS facial wash and I was very satisfied. I thought it couldn’t be better until I found this:

(Prior to this, I used Garnier moisturizer and Nivea Sparkling White Toner.)

I am Skin Type 2 on the Clinique 3-Step System. I will not sugar coat this. These products do not smell nice. They smell like something a doctor would give you but in saying that, they also work like something a doctor would give you.

I saw results immediately. My right cheek is always filled with rashes. They’re not visible from afar but when you look closely, there are bumps. I have been bothered by this for a very long time and I just completely resigned to the fact that steroids changed my life, or in this case, my face forever. I didn’t have high hopes for the Clinique Facial Wash but lo and behold. After washing, the rashes diminished. They were not completely gone but they were lesser, thinner.

I then used the toner. Apply on a cotton pad and apply in one sweeping motion to the cheeks and t-zone area. Apply on the cheeks first then the t-zone. Do not rub the product in. I also apply this to my neck as I always follow the rule – do to your neck what you do to your face. On my first use, it stung. It was really mahapdi. I asked Baby (from Clinique) if that was normal. She said if it’s not tolerable then stop. I told her I can take it so I continued. After several days, the stinging diminished. I still feel it sting from time to time but not as painful as before.

Lastly, I applied the moisturizer. Then I forgot all about it until I woke up the next morning. My skin was not flaky. It was not itchy and the rashes were GONE! All completely gone. I was in shock. It was my first use and it worked this good. So I thought that it was beginner’s luck, like gambling. I gambled with the product and got lucky the first time. So I used it again and again and again. The results are great. My skin is better. It’s not that dry anymore. I’ve been using these for approximately 2 weeks now and I’m very satisfied. I still have some TFS Facial wash left (review coming soon) and I used it last night. My face was very itchy afterwards. I didn’t experience that before using Clinique. I guess my face now likes Clinique better.

With continued use, I’ve noticed that the dark spots left by pimples are becoming lighter. I think this is because of the toner that has exfoliating properties. Makeup application, specifically liquid foundation, make up base and regular foundation, has become a breeze.

And you know that area on my cheek where a zit always pops up during that time of the month? Surprisingly, there wasn’t any this time. A zit popped up but on my hairline and  it went away in a day. I think that area on my cheek has now completely healed.

Other girls spend a lot on makeup. I invest more on the canvass. I want good, healthy, beautiful looking skin to start with. Makeup should bring out the most beautiful in you and not just hide your flaws or whatever it is that you want to hide. Makeup should complement you and not hide you. That is why I believe that skin care is more important.

I bought this trial set for Php1,500 at the Clinique counter in Rustan’s Makati. I will definitely buy the full size bottles next time. They’re actually sulit  as you only need a small amount for each product every time you use them.

Have you found your HG skin care routine yet?

Lip Ice Color Lipbalms

So I went Lip Ice CRAZY last year. I finally found the time to blog about 3 of them. Here are the Lip Ice Color Lipbalms (for soft and beautiful lips –haha!):

The three variants are Candy Apple, Pretty Pink and Sweet Rose.



There’s a lot of product in one tube. This is Pretty Pink which looks really red.



This is Sweet Rose. I love those tiny sparkles!

Here are swatches:

From top to bottom – Pretty Pink, Sweet Rose, Candy Apple. I just opened Candy Apple today and I haven’t used it yet like for the whole day. I just swiped it on for photo purposes.

Lip Swatches:


Pretty Pink looks very light. This is perfect as a base for other pink lipsticks.

When I’m too lazy to apply and bring lipstick, I swipe Sweet Rose on. The sparkles and strong shade make it a good lipstick substitute.

Candy Apple is also light. I was surprised that it didn’t turn out red like the picture on the cover. I guess I can use this as a base for red lipsticks.

I love the fact that these lip balms are SPF 15 so my lips are protected. It says on the packaging that it contains water microsphere so I’m thinking that makes your lips moisturized. Oh, I just read this, “super moist retention formula”.  It also contains Vitamin E, Lanolin Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Mango Seed Butter to keep lips soft and moisturized.

After all that hoopla, it doesn’t work on me. My lips still chap, they still dry up. You know why? These lip balms are sweet. I don’t like sweet lip balms. I tend to lick my lips to get rid of the taste. Also, the sweetness annoys me. It stays in my mouth for a very long time. It also dries up my mouth and throat. I have to drink water every now and then just to stop myself from licking my lips and to get rid of the taste. I do last for a few hours without licking but I’ve noticed that my lips are still dry. I need to reapply for maximum effect.

To make these lip balms a little more effective, I try to remember to scrub my lips. I apply the lip balm, wipe my lips with tissue then swipe again after all the dry skin has been removed. Now that makes this lip balm tolerable.

Price is a little bit over one hundred pesos and is available at Watsons and Beauty by SM. Will I repurchase? No. I’d recommend this for teens and for girls who love sweet lip balms. They are also nice for days when you just want a natural fresh look.