Just because I want a quiet life. :) Will not delete the old posts though ^^; I just feel like it’s a hassle to some folks who have linked to a review or two of some products I tried. Thanks for reading my posts, you know whoever you are. Thanks to all the new people I’ve interacted with, etc.

Happy new year! Hope you have a great life in 2012! 

Make her smile by posting a greeting on her blog or her Facebook page! And if you also got a Skin Food Gold Kiwi set through her giveaway, it won’t hurt to say thanks ;)

Yesterday we went to Bulacan because it was Christmas.  We had a wonderful feast for lunch and we had some fun and games. I think that my mom’s side of the family has an addiction to bingo during special occasions like the town fiesta, birthdays and of course, Christmas.

So we had some time of taking pictures.  I really don’t feel comfortable about having my picture taken for so many reasons:

1. I am huge. Like seriously. ~_~ Doctor said I should lose weight. So 2012 will be all about that. My friends say I still look fine. But really. I am huge. I love my friends to bits for not being harsh. It’s just that I am realistic.
2. I don’t know how to smile properly. For some reason, most of my pictures show my ‘derpy’ side. Bah.  That or I have my eyes closed. Argh.
3. My face is lopsided. Uh, in Filipino, medyo tagilid yung mukha ko. As my boyfriend says, it’s fine considering I recovered from Bell’s Palsy some years ago.
4. I just feel so self-conscious because of the 3 given reasons earlier.

I know it’s ironic because I’ve been chronicling what I do in order to look better, to take care of my skin, etc.  That’s why review pictures take so much effort in my case. I don’t know how to take a picture of myself, especially my face.  I am more comfortable with taking pictures of swatches of products on my hand, etc. When it comes to details, I am fine with noting them down.  But pictures of my face are another matter.

A lot of beauty bloggers post their FOTD. I don’t. For one thing, I wear really simple makeup. It’s the no makeup look, or something like that haha.  Just enough to cover the blemishes, make my skin less dull (thanks to bb creams!), make my lips look less dead and enough to make my eyes more visible.  I don’t party so I don’t have party looks to share either.  I’ve got issues, don’t I? Well, who doesn’t? 

These issues are stuff I have been dealing with for years now.  I guess the makeup helps me especially when I need to go out and meet people (for whatever reason like gatherings or meetings). Normally I don’t even bother putting on anything but lip balm.

And I guess that’s why I started this blog.  I need to figure out what to do about how I look and present myself better.   Admittedly, there are tutorials on how to make the wonky eye look like they’re aligned and because it involves using eyeshadow, I haven’t been really practicing those looks because eye shadow is just so hard for me to do. I think I look like I have bruises on my eyes when I do put them on.

So this coming year, I have some resolutions to make. Some of them are:

1. Massage my face regularly. I have to look for my massager but I really need it because the right side’s facial muscles have been so tense again. It’s part of the reason why I have a lopsided face.
2. Lose weight. Doctor’s orders. Can’t do anything about that, right? XD
3. Practice how to smile. And hold it. Because I don’t want derpy pictures.
4. Shop for new clothes. New clothes to help me look good and feel good.
5. Keep on practicing the regimen I already have. And/or improve that.  I think it’s been working for me.
6. More importantly, I need to really love myself more.  It’s hard when you hear relatives asking you why the heck you weigh so much, etc. But really, it’s one of the first steps to becoming more confident. At least that’s what I think.

This blog will more or less be a record of these things in the coming months. Hope you’d keep me company in this journey. :)

Skin Food fans who live near SM North (or who can easily travel there) will have a sale of selected items up to 50% off. I just got this message on my phone this afternoon. 

I like Skin Food products and considering it’s 50% off, I suppose it’s heck lot affordable compared to their regular shop prices and will probably be competitive against online shops.  At least you get to try some of these products because they usually have testers in the boutique. :)

Will you be going? I’d probably check it out on the next pay day.  I am looking for some skin care products to try. Hopefully they’re on sale.

Disclaimer: My Human Nature lip balm in watermelon was bought in Beauty Bar Greenbelt 5 some time ago. The Human Nature tinted lip balm in Island Kiss was sent to me by their team.

Maybe I should do a comparative review or something? I dunno haha. I could just say that I like them both for different reasons?  That would be too simple, I guess. Anyway, here it goes.

The Comparison

Texture

Regular Lip Balm: Quite solid.

Tinted Lip Balm: Solid enough but creamy when you use it.

Waxiness

Regular Lip Balm: Waxy.

Tinted Lip Balm: A little waxy but not too uncomfortable.

Color

Regular Lip Balm: none

Tinted Lip Balm: orangey, coraly

Scent

Regular Lip Balm: watermelon

Tinted Lip Balm: hm, reminds me of chocolate for some reason

Effectivity

Both: Keeps lips from chapping in air-conditioned room for 3-4 hours. 

Price

Regular Lip Balm:PhP 69.75 (approx USD 1.60)

Tinted Lip Balm: PhP 79.75 (approx USD 2.00)

Among the lip balms in stick form that I have tried (Chapstick, Nivea, Human Nature), I like these more than Nivea and Chapstick. Granted that Nivea does have tinted lip balms, I never liked the feeling of their lip balms. But I do use them when I can’t buy anything else.  As for Chapstick, I dunno. I am just not happy with it anymore because it feels more waxy than anything. The Human Nature regular lip balm feels a bit like Chapstick somehow but at least it seems to be more effective on my lips.  With Chapstick, I apply the product more often (maybe twice as often) compared to the one from Human Nature. And I like the minty feel of Human Nature lip balms.♥

For those who want some lip color, the tinted lip balms come in three variants but I only have one with me.  Liz of Project Vanity reviewed the Flame Tree variant. I am not sure who has reviewed Pink Orchid but if you have, please feel free to share your thoughts about the product.

Pictures of the Island Kiss tinted lip balm:

That’s the color of the lip balm when you open the cap.

It’s fairly obvious when you swipe it on your hand. And if you have pale lips.

The color is more obvious once you swipe it a couple more times. Kinda like sheer lipstick to me. :)

This is just the first of a series of reviews of products by Human Nature. :) I have yet to talk about the Sunflower Beauty Oil and their Love Minerals blush in Petal Bloom.  Which reminds me, I need to write about them too under the series of “Brands that I use” XD  

For more details, check out the Human Nature website and/or the Human Nature Facebook page.  You could also buy them from Beauty Bar branches locally or via Beauty Bar online.

Here’s hoping that some of you will find this review useful especially now that evenings are a bit chillier than usual.   It’s the season ;) Merry Christmas, everyone! :)

The Skin Shop has a new promo! Now that they’re here in Manila, they want to know more about their fans and their preferences when it comes to their products. So how do you join this event? Follow these steps:

1. Take a photo of you holding the product/s of The Skin Shop that fascinate you. (Visit Watson’s SM Megamall, SM North EDSA Annex and SM Manila — if I recall correctly!)
2. Post your photo on The Skin Shop’s Facebook page.
3. Leave a message about why you love The Skin Shop and why you choose that product.

Event period is Dec 1-31, 2011 :) Hope to see your pictures on their Facebook page soon ;)