My Beautiful Mum, Korean Beauty Products, and Pink Ribbons

My mum has been staying in Korea for the past year because she's serving as an exchange professor from UP, and while there she got diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. She's been undergoing chemotherapy for the past few months, and her last session was at the end of February. She's an incredibly strong woman and I'm so proud of her.

My brother and father took turns going to see her during the duration of her treatments, but I wasn't able to go at all because I kept getting sick. (Chemo patients have very low immune systems, so they're not allowed to be near people who are sick. In the past several months I was down with everything from the flu to shingles (a horrible illness that would have been very bad for her if she were to get it while having chemo), and it's been really hard to not be able to visit.)

I took this photo a couple of years back on our Mother-Daughter trip to Beijing (Isn't she beautiful? :D She climbed the Great Wall in her fifties!)

I don't have any recent pictures of my mum, but I'm looking forward to visiting her in Korea very soon. She's been cleared by all her doctors and is 100% okay now! We were all ridiculously happy when we got the news a couple of weeks ago, and mum went shopping to celebrate her health. :D (Like mother, like daughter).

She sent a bag full of Korean beauty products home with my dad recently, and I was so happy to receive them. I immediately emailed her my thanks and raved about the various items she sent, and we shared our favourite products and application tips.

It's so great to have a beautiful, kikay mum to talk beauty products with. She had nothing but raves for these little Tony Moly gel liners, and after trying on the purple one, I completely agree!

I'll swatch the products and talk more about the various products in the future, but for now I just wanted to share the good news! :D

Ladies-- if you have a history of breast cancer in your families, there is a huge likelihood that you may develop it as well. Yearly breast examinations (which are just painless ultrasounds) can and will save your life... early detection means a 100% survival rate (for stage 1).

My mother had a happy ending due to early detection. Please spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness-- knowing could save your life, or the life of someone you love.

My Past Curly Hair Styles and Choosing a Summer Look

I'm the type of person who loves to change their hairstyle every few months or so, and I've bounced from curly to straight and long to short for many, many times. Each time I cut off and/or style my locks, it makes me feel like a new person-- an instant makeover that never fails to make me feel better.

Over the years, though, I've managed to try out quite a lot of curly hair styles. I've done very short curls like this:

And medium-length to long hairstyles like this:

I actually prefer the way I look with long, curly hair to the short, Curley Sue-type bobs, and my most recent look features mid-length curls and dyed brown hair. I actually maintained my super short hair for about a year and a half, and when I was trying to grow it out it looked quite horrible. I called several salons to inquire about their hair extensions, but for some reason I never pushed through with getting them. (Of course, I did a lot of research and weighing the options included getting lovely long locks ASAP as opposed to the hassle of hair that tangles much more easily and weighs more.)

Because of the summer heat, I'm actually considering getting my hair cut to a much shorter length again. I do miss the convenience of short hair, but I don't really look forward to those awkward in-between months of growing out my hair. Check out some of the pics I saved from TotalBeauty.com-- do you ladies think I'd look good with any of these styles?

I'm actually considering the Kylie Minogue curly bob in the middle, but instead of platinum blonde, I'd go for reddish brown. What about you, ladies? Are you considering changing your hair styles to suit the coming summer months?

Beauty Tutorial: My Everyday Eyes

I've been getting a few comments asking how I do my eye makeup, so I thought I'd do a quick tutorial for interested ladies. I don't like spending too much time on my everyday look, so I always spend 10-15 minutes on my eyes while powder, a bit of blush, and some pink lip gloss take all of 5 minutes. On good days, it takes me about 15-20 minutes to put everything on. For this look, you will need some basic products:

1) Tan eyeshadow (any brand, but I used the lightest shade from Too Faced's Naughty or Nice palette)
2) Pen-type Eyeliner (I used Etude House's Dual Change eyeliner that has a thin tip and a slightly fatter middle)
3) Mascara base (I used Missha's Perfect Mascara Prime Base)
4) Mascara (I used Artistry's mascara in Black)

Etude House Dual Change Eyeliner available at Etude House
Megamall Branch (Ground Floor, Building A)
Missha's Perfect Mascara Prime Base bought for Php300 from ebay seller Sun Kim
Artistry's Mascara in Black for Php1,535 available from multiply seller Artistry Essentials

You can use any brand you want, but I definitely recommend Etude House's eyeliner and Artistry's mascara. Really great staying power and no smudging. :)

Step 1: After completing your powder/foundation/concealer/etc. face care ritual, dust your entire eyelid with the tan eyeshadow. I just use the tip of my pinky to apply it, and it gives it a nice sparkly finish. (You can also use white shimmer shadow instead of tan.)

Step 2: Line your lids from inner corner to outermost area, extending well past the bit where the corner of your eye ends. A practiced hand can do this in on sweep, but you can stop and start and go a bit slower if needed. End the line by flicking your hand the slightest bit to the top. Note: You can go as long or as short as you want with the eyeliner-- the longer you go past the corner of your eye, the more dramatic it looks.

Step 3: Coat your eyelashes with your mascara base. Missha goes on white and somewhat tacky, and is fantastic at separating and thickening your lashes. You may double coat it if you want super thick lashes; I used two coats for this tutorial, but usually just go with one. Wait for it to dry before putting mascara on top; I usually do one eye after the other, and by the time I'm done with the right eye, the left is already dry and ready for mascara.

Step 4: Coat your eyelashes with the mascara of your choice. I used Artistry's mascara which has a thickening/lengthening formula already, so this combo really made my eyes pop. You can use regular mascara if you don't want your eyelashes too thick. :) After finishing your last coat, sit in front of the fan for 30 seconds to dry your lashes. After that, you're good to go!

Hope this was helpful! If you have any Everyday Eye looks, please feel free to share with us. Stay beautiful, ladies! :D

Product Review: Victoria's Secret Naughty Little Me Blushing Stick

Naughty Little Me's regular price is about $6.29,
but I got it from ebay seller SoBorn2Shop for Php449.

I'm not a huge fan of cheek and lip stains because I enjoy the process of putting on powder, cream, and pan blush. Still, on days that I want to go natural, I just swipe some Naughty Little Me blush, put on some ruby red lip stain, and I'm good to go.

There's so much to love about this product because it's not messy like the stains that come in tubes, and it doesn't get on your fingers like the stuff that you need to apply with a wand. This is a bit like a deodorant in that it's in stick form, and it's so easy to swipe onto your cheeks as you run out the door.

Pros- Gorgeous packaging and the best container to ever hold a stain. The product itself glides on like a dream, and it gives off this lovely minty feeling that keeps your cheeks dewy. It melted during shipping because of the summer heat, but I popped it in the fridge and it was okay again. Keeping it at room temperature (even during the summer), is perfectly acceptable now, and I think that the only reason it melted during transit was because it was in the back of a stuffy metal truck.

Cons- This is not a dual lip stain-- I tried it and it dried my lips like crazy. (It must have been the menthol). I still love it, though, and though it's a tiny bit pricey at P449, I think it's totally worth it.
 

Check out the lush, dewy stain it gives my cheeks! This is the product of one swipe on each cheek, but you can totally build the color up if you want the completely flushed, I-just-did-something-naughty look. I paired this with some moisturizer and Etude House's Dear Darling tint in #02 (ruby red).

All in all, this is definitely one of my better buys this quarter!

Interested ladies can check out ebay seller SoBorn2Shop, while international buyers can pop over to their closest Victoria's Secret supplier and/or Amazon. I think that $6.29 is a great price for such a great product, and you've definitely got to try this baby out.

Stay beautiful, ladies!

Exploring the World of Magnetic Jewelry

When I was a kid, my mum used to wear magnet wrap around her waist and pressed up against her back. She used to have pretty bad back pains, and she swore up and down that wearing the thin, flat bit of magnet around her waist helped alleviate the pain. (I think it also helped keep her back warm and her posture somewhat better, but I digress.)

Anyway, I've never been a huge believer in the power of magnets, whether they be therapeutic, mystical, or otherwise. Magnetic jewelry has been around for about as long as those magnet belts, but it has recently resurfaced under a much more fashionable guise:

Gorgeous, aren't they?

The rings are such lovely things and are extremely discreet-- indeed, the makers say that you can't even tell they've got hidden magnets attached to the inside. As I said, I don't really understand the reasoning behind wanting to wear magnets on your skin, but I don't really think there's anything to be ashamed of if you do. I mean, magnets can be used for a variety of things, the least of which being its therapeutic properties.

Lovely Stud Earrings!

For example, magnets on earrings work as clasps so that even unpierced ears can wear those little gems above. There's no other way for girls with unpierced ears to wear studs, and I thought that was a rather brilliant use for strong magnets.

A lovely heart bracelet...

And speaking of clasps, magnets can also be used to easily close bracelets and necklaces. I for one hate to bother with tiny rings and/or hook clasps, so I imagine that wearing magnets would eliminate the fuss.

All in all, I think that the use of magnets in jewelry opens the door for a lot of exciting clasp options (I'd look forward to being able to use a pin-less brooch, for one thing!). Those that believe in its health benefits can also rejoice because the discreet/fashionable new designs are imminently wearable.

All of the above designs can be purchased over at Billy the Tree's online jewelry shoppe. They offer a wide range of magnetic jewelry and offer free shipping and guarantee absolute satisfaction.

I don't know about you girls, but I'm completely sold! ;) What do you guys think? Would you give magnetic jewelry a shot?

Review: Too Faced's New Romantic Peacock Palette

Regular price is about $33 (around Php1,500), but I got it on sale 

from ebay seller SoBorn2Shop for a mere Php625! Total steal.

I'm a huge sucker for gorgeous packaging, and I so love the fact that Too Faced *really* makes an effort with their product design. The New Romantic Peacock Palette has been around for a while, and even though I've got most of the featured shades (though not quite with the same shimmer), I totally had to have this palette. It's made of thick cardboard, has a built-in mirror, and has this lovely rubberized peacock etched onto its surface. With a super sweet eye shadow-blush-lipgloss combination, this is the perfect palette to slip into your purse and take with you on a weekend getaway!

Isn't it pretty?

This palette features 3 eyeshadows (for color, crease, and highlight), and 3 lovely pink lipsticks (bright pink, nude, and some shimmer gloss), and pretty pink blush rectangle. You can't really go wrong with pinks, and there's something to be said for not having to agonize over which eyeshadow goes with which blush and lipstick.

I suppose the only thing I don't like about this palette is that it's not easy to coax a "Night" look from it. It's a no-brainer to take this to work or a casual day out, but if you're stuck outside and have to primp for a party, there really isn't much you can do with this.

Eyes, Lips, Cheeks: Peacock Palette

Eye Liner and Mascara: Code B Liquid Eyeliner, Artistry Mascara in Black

Face: Skinfood Buckwheat Loose Powder and Body Shop Face Primer

Here's the look I was able to coax from it. I used the light brown shade to cover the entire lid, the pink to add a pop of color, and a tiny bit of brown to cover the creases. The pink lipsticks go on delightfully nude, and they provide high shine and shimmer without being sticky. The blush is simply perfect, and I didn't have to worry at all about it matching my skin tone. I highly recommend this product! :D

Interested US buyers can snag this on Amazon at $27.50 (on sale from it's regular price!).

Unfortunately, the only way local shoppers can get this is to wait on Ebay if anything new pops up. I saw the Unicorn palette (this is the Night version of this palette, and it's got some lovely dark color combinations in it), and it's up for around Php1,200. That's about the right price if you convert it, if a bit cheaper. And the best part is that you don't have to pay for shipping from the US!

My Summer Diet and the Freeway Swim Suits I Plan To Squeeze Into

With the hot summer sun beating down on us, it's hard not to think of future beach trips and the skimpy swim suits we need to squeeze into. There are other ways of getting thinner, of course, like drinking poison slimming coffees or exercising. Unfortunately, I have no interest in dying young (via crazy coffee) and I'm not particularly excited about going on a treadmill everyday.

So, I've turned to the time-honored tradition of dieting. :) I don't do the whole starving-myself-and/or-vomiting schtick (again, because I'm not into dying young), so whenever I need to lose pounds I turn to (ick) healthy foods instead of my usual blast-o-butter tub of popcorn. This method requires determination and a butt load of self control, mind you, so it's not guaranteed to work for everyone. Also, I tend to have 3 square meals a day plus one afternoon snack, so I've got a pretty regular diet in the first place. If you're one of those gals who eats 2 times a day when dieting, this method is probably not for you.

My method includes turning breakfast and snacks into this (unappetizing) combo of crackers and cheese:

I have a pack of Jacob's crackers (individually wrapped into 3 pieces per foil), and one triangle of The Laughing Cow cheese spread in Light. I usually spread the cheese over all three Jacob's Low Salt, High Fibre crackers so that it doesn't taste too much like cardboard. It feels like you're just eating a bit, but it's actually quite filling. I feel pretty much full until lunchtime and I'm in no danger of wanting to snack in between.

The banana comes into play during afternoon snacking:

Yum.

For lunch and dinner I have regular food, but in smaller portions and/or health-fied. If I normally have a McChicken sandwich with fries and pineapple juice, I trade it in for The Sandwich Guy's whole wheat chicken salad sandwich stuffed with greens. Ditto with dinner-- since I usually eat out for this meal, I just switch to a healthier restaurant. If eating at fast food can't be helped, I eat only 75% of my usual portion.

Since the boy and I are vacationing out of town during holy week, I have approximately 2 weeks to get my butt tighter and my stomach flatter. Freeway has come out with these drop-dead gorgeous numbers, and I plan on getting myself into one (or all) of them. ;)

So sayeth Freeway about their gorgeous summer collection: "This summer, Freeway brings out flattering silhouettes through its Beads Series! Lots of natural coco beads in different sizes, strung through beautiful macramé portions of the swim wear. Flattering, sexy and fresh. Aside from stunning swimwear, Freeway’s Summer Collection includes the most coveted big mesh cover-ups in many flattering silhouettes, and wide assortment of summer dresses, shorts and tanks for that dressy casual summer feel.  Whatever your heart desires this summer… Freeway will be your partner in crime."

I'm really more of the bikini-type, but I'm seriously liking the cut of this monokini:

Still, if finances allow, I'd probably end up buying this one:

It's small, sexy, and it's got incredibly detailing on the bottom. I really love black bikinis with a twist (my current one has metal chains as the connectors), and this just begs to be worn whilst lounging in Bora.

Totally worth eating cardboard for a couple of weeks, if you ask me! :D

February Giveaway Results: And the winner is...

 A big thank you to everyone who joined my February Giveaway! The winner of the Red Rose necklace is...

EDELWEIZA!!

The winner was chosen with random.org, but I thought her response to my V-day question was also quite nice: "I love Valentine's Day because most people during this time are extra mushy and sweet. Also, it's good for the economy. :)"

I totally agree because I'm a huge sap and I love random sweet things (except for flowers, which I hate because they're pointless). *ahem* Anyway, congratulations! I'll be emailing you to get your shipping address shortly. :) For the rest of you ladies-- not to worry! There's a giveaway every month and I'm already hard at work on March's prize. Here's hoping March is your luck month~

Review: LIOELE 3D Jewel Cheek & Highlighter

Lioele 3D Jewel Cheek & Highlighter

P725.00 from Ebay Seller Sun Kim

I've never been much for contouring/highlighting because I find it a bit too troublesome for an everyday look, but when I saw this Lioele 3D highlighter go on sale at my fav ebay store, I knew I had to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised because this had not only the compact highlighter (similar to Guerlain Meteorites in that it has several colors in one cake), it also came with some lovely pink pearls for the cheeks.

The top part opens like a typical compact, and it contains the all-over face highlighter. You can apply this with the brush and/or powder puff that comes with the container. (You unscrew the compact top off to get to the tools.)

When you remove the puff and brush, you have a full layer of pink and white pearl blush highlighters. (I don't recommend using the crappy free brush to apply this, though. Nothing's better than a big fluffy blush brush for picking up powder off of pearls.) It gives off a darling pinkish white glow, best applied on the upper area of your cheeks whilst using your favourite pink blush on the apples.

This is an excellent product for girls who want "their skin, only better". It goes on pretty sheer and is infused with these tiny glowing particles that makes your skin absolutely radiant. Expect to photograph a shade or two lighter than your regular color, so don't forget to dust your neck whilst using this. Even though it seems to blend into your regular color in person, you definitely look brighter in photographs.

I personally use this to dust off my BB cream, though the picture on the left has me wearing it with no other foundation. As you can see, it doesn't help much with my under eye circles, but it's great for that lovely glowing look that all Korean women seem to have. :)

I like this product a lot, though I don't see myself repurchasing it. I prefer more pigmented blush, and the glowy look can be achieved through SkinFood's Buckwheat loose powder (though you don't get the shimmer).

Interested readers can pre-order from Ebay Seller Sun Kim-- just PM her the exact name of the product and expect it within a couple of weeks.

Stay beautiful, ladies!

Etude House Haul: Lip Plumper, Dear Darling Lipstick, and the Aqua Sherbet Ice Toner

 

I can never stay too far away from Etude House, and a few weeks ago I came away with this excellent haul. Everything worked wonderfully, and I will definitely buy all of these items again once I run out. My purchases were Dear Darling lipstick in this lovely pink shade, Plumping Lip Tint in Red, Aqua Sherbet Ice Serum, and some false eyelashes (aren't they adorable? Such a pretty heart case...).

I already use the Aqua Sherbet Ice Toner daily, so buying the matching serum wasn't a touch choice for me. I'd been using Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil moisturizer prior this, but ever since I discovered it has parabens (which cause premature ageing), I've been trying to find a good substitute.

Luckily, Etude House's Aqua Sherbet serum worked wonderfully for me! I've been using it everyday since I bought it, and my skin is looking absolutely wonderful! No acne, super smooth finish, and my skin feels so healthy and glowy even without makeup!

 

Dear Darling Lipstick in BR 301

The Dear Darling lipstick was also incredibly awesome. It glides on smoothly, providing a perfect cream finish with a bit of lovely sheen. The price also wasn't bad, as I spent about P450 on it. The package was so lovely and the product itself is wonderful, so this was money well-spent! It's not as pink as it appears in my photo, by the way-- this color is actual a bit of a maroonish-pink that's perfect for morenas like me!

Plumping Lip Tint in Red

Likewise, Etude's Plumping Lip Tint was another winner for me. I don't have a lot of lip plumpers, and I've been looking for a reasonably-priced one that actually works. (I just can't bring myself to shell out more than a thousand pesos for a Duwop Lip Venom, haha). Anyway, Etude's entry into this beauty genre is a definite show-stopper. I love the red sheen it gives my lips as well as the plumping effect, and I usually wear this over my lovely Dear Darling lipstick. It was also around half the price of a Lip Venom (I can't remember exactly how much, but definitely less than 500), and that was just the icing on the cake for me. Hehe.

This is what the Dear Darling lipstick looks like when worn. I also layered a tiny bit of Plumping lip tint on top of it, which just made my lips shine like mad. Total love for these two products.

I don't like to wear sheer lippies by themselves, so I don't often wear the plumper by itself. Still, on days when you don't want a lot of fuss, it provides a quick slick of color and some seriously mega-shine. I highly recommend both products-- they're such a great buy!

For those who are interested, Etude House may be found in SM Megamall's ground floor (near Toy Kingdom). Stay beautiful, ladies!