prettification

Will not be posting here anymore. Kthxbai!

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:13:29 +0800

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!

Shimmering Thoughts: LUVIEW KOREA MEGA COSMETICS GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:54:24 +0800

Shimmering Thoughts: LUVIEW KOREA MEGA COSMETICS GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!:

Thanks, Luview, for this giveaway! I am pretty sure the winners will be so happy with their products once everything goes to their homes. And thanks to Andrea for facilitating this giveaway :)

Here’s to 2012~! I am looking forward to great product reviews from the Luview angels.

shimmerjjang:

Some girls are just too lucky with Random Name pickers such as the Fruit Machine~♥

I want to sincerely thank everyone who have joined the Worldwide Giveaway. There will be more events in the future and I do hope to see you guys there again!

HOW I CHOSE THE WINNERS:

1. I have checked all…

It's Chic & Sassy Mom's birthday today! :)

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:41:56 +0800

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 ;)

Speaking of new year resolutions and new stuff, Tony Moly...

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:32:00 +0800

Speaking of new year resolutions and new stuff, Tony Moly Philippines has a new promo/event for everyone. :) When you get a makeover and a product from their shop, post a picture on their Facebook wall and say how that makeover or product will help you in ushering a new year and a new you. Prizes include two Crystal Sticks (eyeshadow) and a Petit Bunny Gloss Bar. Good luck to everyone who will join!

On pictures and being self-conscious

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:52:25 +0800

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:

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.
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.
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.
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:

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.
Lose weight. Doctor’s orders. Can’t do anything about that, right? XD
Practice how to smile. And hold it. Because I don’t want derpy pictures.
Shop for new clothes. New clothes to help me look good and feel good.
Keep on practicing the regimen I already have. And/or improve that. I think it’s been working for me.
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 (SM North Edsa) sale - Dec 26 to Jan 15

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:38:58 +0800

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.

Bee’s first giveaway! I stumbled upon Bee’s first...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:41:00 +0800

Bee’s first giveaway!

I stumbled upon Bee’s first giveaway when I was looking for reviews of Human Nature’s lip balms. Anyway, the giveaway is only up to 12 noon today so I hope that you will all see this post to get a chance to win lots of great prizes including Human Nature’s lip balms, shampoo and conditioner and some Ellana goods as well!

Good luck to those who will join!

Review: Human Nature Lip Balms

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:24:00 +0800

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! :)

Thanks to Tous Les Jours Philippines for giving me this cake...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:04:00 +0800

Thanks to Tous Les Jours Philippines for giving me this cake through their Christmas giveaway! ♥ It’s so pretty. I don’t have a lot of money right now because of bills, gifts and stuff. But this cake made me so happy today because it is indeed a Merry Christmas and someone’s watching me from above (I guess) and knows that I want to share a great cake with my family. :) And this one is perfect because it’s chocolate and it’s so pretty and Christmassy! We don’t have snow in the Philippines but this snow man on this cute cake brings us holiday cheer.

Hope you’re all having a great weekend. Enjoy the holiday season! Cheers ♥

The Skin Shop promo for December 2011 - Philippines

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:24:07 +0800

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 ;)

Make-up Play: CL MAMA 2011

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:46:35 +0800

I love Erika Jjang’s tutorial of this eye makeup :) Check it out and don’t forget to comment on her blog just so she knows you appreciate it too ;)

erikajjang:

Annyong haseyo!!! It’s time for another make-up play! :D Consider this as my early Christmas gift to fellow BlackJacks! ;) And today it’ll be a tutorial on the look of the baddest female Seoul City ever had! Awesome rapper and 2ne1 leader CL! <3

She rocked the stage with 2 performances last MAMA 2011 held in Singapore! She also performed side by side with will.i.am and Filipino pride (kekeke like I’m announcing a boxer) apl.de.ap!

Photo taken from: http://www.facebook.com/2NE1

She looked stunningly gorgeous with her signature black and heavy eyemake!

Her skin looks glowing! Looks like Dara uhnee gave her some Nymph Aura Volumer! :D

Let’s get started!

Products used: 1. Tony Moly Simply Style Slim Mascara Curling; 2. Etude House Proof 10 Liquid Liner; 3. Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer No. 1; 4. Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream No. 2; 5. Etude House Miss Tangerine Palette No. 7; 6. Everbilena Black Eyeliner; 7. Maybelline Eye Studio Black Gel Liner.

Step 1. To achieve CL’s glowing look mix 3 parts Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream with 1 part Nymph Aura Volumer.

Step 2. Spread all over face and gently pat to finish~

Step 3. Using Maybelline’s gel liner, line the your upper eye line.

Step 4. Using Everbilena’s Black pencil eyeliner, line your double eye lid crease.

Step 5. Using Maybelline’s Gel Liner, fill in up to the double eye lid crease and flick the end of your upper eye line.

Step 6. Connect the double eye lid line to the flick! And apply black eye shadow to achieve a semi matte look! It will also help to avoid creasing~

Step 7. Using the gel liner, line your bottom eye line, remember to apply a thin line :)

Step 8. To define the look use Etude House’s Liquid Liner and trace the outer lines of the eye make

Step 9. To finish the eye look apply a thin coating of Tony Moly’s Simply Style Slim Mascara~

Read More

Kikay Si Maria holiday giveaways!

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:23:00 +0800

Not one but two holiday giveaways from Kikay si Maria!

First up: Kikay Si Maria x Asian Vogue Shop

If you love shoes and think about how magical they are, share your thoughts and get a chance to win 1,000 pesos worth of gift certificates from Asian Vogue Shop.

The second part of her giveaway is a collaboration between Kikay Si Maria and Erika Jjang. The prize packages are as follows:
Package A: Suesh Portable 3-way LED Lighted Mirror worth Php 8,000
Package B: Red Jhelli contact lenses, Elswear bangs/apparel, RK Manila accessories plus a surprise gift from Elicina Philippines. :)

So what are you waiting for? Join their giveaways now!

More giveaways! From sugarpao, mygorgeouspinkcheeks, micheatsandshops

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:55:32 +0800

There are so many giveaways and some of them are ending on Christmas day! Check out more giveaways from local bloggers

Sugar Sugar’s Christmas giveaway

Prizes include:
- Benefit Posietint (Full Size)
- Paul & Joe Travel (Brush) Bag
- Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation S in 30 (Deluxe Sample Size)
- Paul & Joe Light Cleansing Milk N (Deluxe Sample Size)
- My Beauty Diary Bird’s Nest and Japanese Cherry Blossom Mask.
- Will include a bunch of samples too

How awesome is that? :) Also, check out her reviews. She’s got Etude House product reviews too! And so much more, actually. Why do you think I keep coming back to her blog? ;) Click the link above for the details on how to join her wonderful giveaway.

The lovely Bec San Diego of My Gorgeous Pink Cheeks also has an on-going giveaway which I know some of my friends would really love because there are NARS products included! There will be three winners. One will get the NARS products, another will get the IWhite set and another will get a set of Nivea lip care products (perfect for those with chapped lips!)

Bec is holding a giveaway on her blog because it’s on its second year (and counting!) so please drop by and congratulate her for that ;)

And lastly, check out Mich Bugante’s Christmas giveaway. I saw Mich’s blog because I was looking for posts about coral lippies. I love her outfit posts so I kept coming back for more posts on her blog. Anyway, prizes from Mich include a bunch of Nivea lip care products, a Forever 21 GC, an ArtBlanc notebook (something I really want!), Tony Moly nail lacquers and a hand spray from Snoe.

Good luck to all of you who will join these giveaways! :) Hope you girls win! These are really wonderful giveaways to these ladies that I follow on the internet. Good luck and happy holidays ♥

Let’s all try to do our best to send help to our fellow...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:29:52 +0800

Let’s all try to do our best to send help to our fellow Filipinos who are in need of help.

Thanks to Kikay Trekkie’s Hoiday 2011 giveaway, I can now...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:35:00 +0800

me with my clinique goodies!

clinique goodies

Thanks to Kikay Trekkie’s Hoiday 2011 giveaway, I can now try Clinique and see for myself if their products will work on me. I have friends who have shared their personal experiences using Clinique and I can’t help but become curious. Is everything that they’re raving about as good as what they say? As with most skin care products it’s really different per person.

Anyway, here’s a list of the products included in the kit. It’s basically a travel/trial kit sized set which is perfect for me because I am not sure if I will commit to using Clinique or not.

Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx
Derma White City Block SPF 40 (tube and sachet)
Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer
Turnaround Body Body Smoothing Cream
Superdefense SPF25/PA+++
Repairwear Contour
Supermoisture Makeup for Skin Type 1,2 (sachet)

This means I have new stuff to try! :) Reviews will come later, after I’ve experienced using them, of course ;)

But for the products which are recommended to those with skin type 1,2, I might give them to one of my dear friends. She’d be able to appreciate them more :)

WishTrend's Christmas Giveaway - open worldwide

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:20:51 +0800

WishTrend's Christmas Giveaway - open worldwide:

Ever heard of Wish Trend? They’re a Korean company who wants to bring skin care, makeup and fashion accessories to anyone in the whole world. They have products from brands that I’ve never heard of in Manila like Roju Kiss, Liz K, Ciracle. They sometimes have deals (which I want to avail one of these days) where you see sets being sold for less than 30 USD. One thing I love about their site is that they feature blind tests. Blind tests are product tests which have bloggers as participants and they do not know the brands of the products they are testing. Kim Tan from Test and Share was the one who first told me about Wish Trend and their blind tests.

Right now Wish Trend is conducting a giveaway for its fans and customers. You just need to fill up a survey and they will count it as an entry. They will draw 3 winners of Namzia pouches and Liz K veiling cream. The Namzia pouch is really cute! I am sure you’d want to check it out!

For more details, check out Wish Trend’s blog entry and fill up the survey form. It won’t take much of your time. And who knows? You might win the Wish Box ;)

alittledecadence: New items at the Little Shop! Click, click!...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:49:18 +0800

alittledecadence:

New items at the Little Shop! Click, click! :D

I love Cat’s work. And I can’t help but share them to you :) It’s Christmas and some of you might still be looking for gifts for your loved ones. Check out her shop for more items.

Thriftshop Girl's ELF giveaway (ends on Dec 18)

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:21:06 +0800

Thriftshop Girl's ELF giveaway (ends on Dec 18):

If you like ELF products, check out this giveaway by clicking the link above. It helps if you have a Facebook and Twitter account so you could easily follow the instructions.

Prizes include the following:
ELF Brightening Eye Liner in Black
ELF Brightening Eye Liner in Ash
ELF Liquid Eye Liner in Coffee
ELF Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15 in Angel
ELF Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15 in Mauve Luxe
ELF Blush, Bronzing & Blending Brush
ELF Brightening Eye Color in Blue Moon
ELF Brightening Eye Color in Ethereal

Good luck to everyone who will join! :)

Skin Food giveaway for bloggers! :)

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:40:00 +0800

Skin Food giveaway for bloggers! :):

Thanks to Chic Sassy Mom for having a really cool giveaway for her readers/followers. In cooperation with Skin Food Philippines, Chic Sassy Mom will have Skin Food’s Gold Kiwi trial kits available to her readers. (If you’re following me on my Facebook page, you would’ve seen this by now.) Isn’t that fabulous or what? No purchase required even! (I got my own voucher in my email inbox already actually.) And if you’re a blogger, she’s got a little giveaway for us too. ;) It’s really simple:

Mandatory Entries: + 5 Raffle Entries
Make a blog post about the SkinFood Gold Kiwi Gift Sets giveaway.

Share your blog post entry on your personal/fan FB page status with mention to @Chic & Sassy Homemaker.

Please leave a comment on this post that you’re joining.

If you got a little confused, just head on to her blog post about the Skin Food bloggers giveaway and join by December 14. It’s just a couple of days away but it won’t take a lot of time to post a little something, right? ;) So hurry up and click the link above or, this link for details and clarifications you might have. Have fun and enjoy the treats from Skin Food! PS: This is only for bloggers residing in the Philippines. :)

Skin Care Routine as of December 11, 2011

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:25:17 +0800

Morning:
1. Facial wash : Physiogel
2. Toner: Wonder Pore Freshener
3. Moisturizer: Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion

Evening:
1. Remove makeup: Maybelline Eye and Lip Makeup Remover, Human Nature Sunflower Beauty Oil (for the rest of the face)
2. Facial wash: Physiogel (alternating with Garnier Oil Clear Brightening Scrub)
3. Toner: Wonder Pore Freshener
4. Serum: Etude House Mini Size U
5. Emulsion: Mini Size U

Every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday/Friday additional step in the evenings:
After washing the face, Nature Republic Kelp Mask is applied on the face then washed off with warm water after 15 minutes.
Then the occasional nose strip or the Saizen Charcoal Mask.

However, my routine might change soon. Why? Because I am running out of emulsion. Also, I am still looking for sunscreen, especially in the mornings. I might use Benefit’s Triple Performing Emulsion in the evenings as well. The Saizen Charcoal Mask isn’t as effective as I hoped it would be.

What’s your skin care routine?