Yoinked Gift Items

Hope everyone's Christmas rocked. I finished my Christmas shopping at literally the 11th hour. Haha. I was a mess.

Of course, I think I would have finished sooner if I hadn't been sneaking in my own stuff with the presents. Ha-ha.

Take-sies back-sies allowed.

Actually, these were things I was considering to give to certain people for Christmas but ended up keepin for myself. Ha-ha.

Neutrogena Wave

Included this in my Christmas shopping under false pretenses. I never planned to give it away. Been wanting to try the Neutrogena Wave cleanser for the longest time, but was holding out. I didn't want to seem too lazy to wash my face with my own two hands. Ha-ha.

The Face Shop Cushion Touch lip plumper in PP 401

I might review this in the future.

Sleep Mask

It was pink satin with the words "Sleeping Beauty" embroidered. How can I resist?

The Face Shop "Anti-Aging" Gift Set

The Face Shop gift sets are quite nice. They're "themed" so you can choose a person's gift based on the recipient's (or your own) main concern. This set comes with 7 sheet masks and a trial kit and what's cool about it is that you can mix and match the masks you'll get. The kit originally had 7 COQ10 masks but I took the opportunity to sample various masks which I'm curious about.

2 pcs Hyaluronic Acid- for ultimate skin hydration

2 pcs COQ10- for supple skin

2 pcs Ceramide- for greater skin hydration and elasticity

1 pc Collagen- for firm, hydrated skin.

LOL, at the lonesome collagen mask. I don't like uneven numbered things (OCD haha) but most beauty products already contain it, and I even drink it so I don't think my face will miss it.

Then again, COQ10's a pretty common ingredient, too. Oh well.

Flebeaute' Collagenic Trial Kit

includes:
Light Skin toner - 40 % improvement in skin texture
Firming emulsion- 75% improvement in skin firmness
Eye Contour Serum- 90% improvement in skin moisture level
Collagen 70 Cream- 64% improvement in skin resilience.

A 5-peso coin was used for size comparison. I haven't tried this as I'm on a different treatment right now. I'll give feedback when I do.

I have leftover gift items lying around, such as stocking stuffers and the like... dunno what to do with them now.

See you later! ^^

10.1 inches of awesome

Did that sound dirty to you? Don't worry, it's not. hee-hee.

I was talking about this:

Acer eMachines emd250

Just sharing another Christmas present. I'm probably the laziest netizen in the world. You've probably noticed the sad lack of updates on this blog, right? I've even abandoned most of my social networking accounts because they were full of fail. It's because I can't be bothered to tote around a proper notebook or go to a desk when I'm not at work.

Came with (from the flyer):

- Intel Atom N270
- 1.6Hz/1.0 Gb DDR2 800 MHz
- 160 Gb SATA HD
- 10 in. screen/camera/wireless LAN
- 6-cell Li-ION battery

It's about an inch think and really lightweight: small, slim and really sexy. I used an Ipod Touch as a reference for size comparison. One of my sisters thought that this would be the solution to my problem. I hope so, too. I'm planning something like an online venture by next year, and this would really come in handy then.

Hopefully, this would also mean more comments, eh?

One of my favorite things

I am a sucker for lucky charms. Maybe they work and maybe they don't, but with all of the stuff that's going on these days, I think it can't hurt to have a little extra good luck on our side.

I especially like the lucky cat that we can usually see in front of some shops because not only does it bring good luck, but it is freakin' cute. If I'm not mistaken, it's called a "Maneki Neko" in Japanese. There's a Chinese Version, too, which usually has a mechanical waving arm.

Here's something I got for Christmas:

O HAI!

I can has cheeseburger?

Yay for huggable lucky lolcats.

'tis the season

Grab a new Myspace Layout

Hey, how are ya?

Hi guys. Wow! I've been on hiatus for a really long time, and I can't promise to post more frequently at least until next year. *crosses fingers* But how has everyone been?

I can't believe it's already Christmas next week. Jeez, I've been so out of it. Everyone done with their Christmas shopping? Silly question, right? Us girls are never done when it comes to shopping.

Anyway, been playing with the beads to de-stress.

silver charm bracelet. I love the color combination of pink and black.

Crystal cluster bracelet w/ gold lock and findings. I like this color combination, too.

Another version of the crystal cluster bracelet. No lock this time, just a stretchy cord.

Pearl cluster bracelet. The speckled pearl beads look like candy.

Happy holidays!

Maui's Thank You Giveaway + Awards

Maui of Makeup, Rants, Musings and More is having an awesome giveaway to thank her followers.

Joining is easy. Read her BLOG for details.

Thank you Maui!

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These awards are long overdue. Sorry for taking so long to pass them on. They mean a lot to me.

Thanks to Sis Pumpkienpie of I Love Much for the One Lovely Blog award. Please check out her blog. It contains great info as well as awesome opportunities from all over the web.

One of the rules for accepting the blog is to name 15 people to pass it on to, but if you don't have this on your blog, yet, I want you to have it. Everyone's blog is lovely in its own way.

Sis Nicquee of Pop ups of My Mind passed this Beautiful Blogger Award to me. I feel really honored. She is one of the most thoughtful and sweet bloggers I've encountered. Read her blog if you haven't already. It contains all sorts of interesting bits and pieces about anything and everything under the sun.

Same thing goes with this one. All of you are beautiful. By all means, accept this award if you don't have it, yet.

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I have other pending tags, but I'll save them for later posts.

Night-night!

At Last! Saizen Charcoal Mask

Charcoal is an amazing thing. For centuries, it has been used for purification purposes. Activated charcoal is used to treat mild poisoning, and I remember when I was young, we used to always put blocks of charcoal inside the refrigerator to remove the odor from various food.

The Charcoal Mask from Saizen (or Daiso to the rest of the world) is a much-raved about product around my part of the world. It's effectivity as a beauty product, combined with its affordable price has made it a hit indeed.

However, since this product is so popular and can only be bought from one place, acquiring a tube was a huge challenge for me. The store was always out of stock whenever I dropped by. To be honest, I was quite frustrated, because I can understand not being able to buy something a bit expensive right away. But something as affordable as a Saizen item? It drove me pretty crazy. I had to have it.

Anyway, I'd been trying to content myself with other products from their charcoal line, because they were pretty interesting, too. So far, I've tried the bar soap, nose pore strips, cleansing cream and facial cleansing foam. They were all pretty nice, too.

I had a bit of luck last week. I went to Saizen not expecting it to be available but to purchase whatever I found interesting. (Yup, it's that kind of place.)

Lo and behold:

I didn't let this golden opportunity pass me by. I immediately bought a bunch, even though I didn't have any experience using it. Who knows when they'll have it again, right? I was thinking even if this product turned out to be not to my liking, I can always give them away. I have been buying little bits and pieces for stocking stuffers as early as now, anyway. Ha-ha.

I was able to try it last weekend, and I likey! After using it, my face became noticeably clearer and brighter. Another thing I like about it is that, when it dries, it really is dry. I mean, like a bone. Its texture became like that of rice paper, which makes it really easy to peel off. Other peel-off masks I've tried stay soft and gummy when dry. So it's hard to remove completely, and the little bits that get left behind are actually the hardest to pick of. It can even hurt.

Hmm... cons? It hurts like the dickens to remove if you get it in your hair. Watch out for that. It's enough to make someone as bushy (LOL) as me cry.

Also, it's hard to come by, but you can get in touch with the store so that they can inform you when it's available. Some of the girls even reserve their tubes beforehand. As for me, Saizen is literally a stone's throw away from where I work and I don't mind checking in every now and then. Because finding it by chance is kinda like winning the lottery for me.

And some impulse buys can be really rewarding, too. Like this lipgloss.

Saizen Lipgloss in Pink Lame'

I love it so much. Light-colored glosses don't show up that well on me, but I really like the pay-off using this one. And the glitters are so fine, the color looks really natural when worn. I also love that it is flavor and fragrance-free. It doesn't bother me at all when I have it on.

I also dropped by HBC that day, since I was already there anyway. I wanted to try their Vitamin C Serum. It must have been my lucky day because this was another product that was usually out of stuck, but they had it. I also bought San-San Nail Polish in Cloudy Gray. It's pretty.

I love the color of their packaging, don't you?

That's it for now. Oh! I've joined the bandwagon. Here's a shot of me with the mask on, just in time for Halloween.

Boo!

See you later!

Hello again!

I know that I have been taking really long breaks in between posts. Sorry about that. I missed so many great reads here but I'm trying to catch up on those as well as tags, nice virtual gifts from you lovelies, and not to mention giveaways and contests. LOL!

I'm also trying out new looks for the blog. I like this new layout. There's more space for pictures. Hee-hee.

Oh and if you need a good laugh, check out the vid below. I swear, I haven't laughed this hard in ages.



I hope you haven't gotten sick of me, yet. I mean to post more substantial entries shortly.

Still alive!

Hi everyone! How have you been ? I'd like to thank you all for the kind words and prayers on my previous posts. I hope that everyone is doing well.

What a freaky past couple of weeks, huh? Not just in my country, but all over. I hope that people never stop helping those who are less fortunate. Every little bit helps.

Anyway, these pictures have been on my drafts for the longest time. Makeup finds in a stationery store. Go figure. But each cost less than PHP 50, so whee!. (About a dollar.)

GUPPY blush.

When opened.

Up close.

There's a compartment with a mirror and a blush brush. Too bad the brush is useless. Ha-ha.

Qianyu eyeshadow.

I think this would have been cuter as a blush, instead.

I wanna show you my background, coz eye love eet!

Strawberry Shortcake fleece blankie!

Expect more cutesy (non-makeup) things from said stationery store soon!

My hometown is officially a disaster area.

Because our fridge is not working, we have been throwing everything left into a pot to make a common soup for our meals, so as nothing would get wasted.

Water has entered my house. We were spared from the actual flood cause we live on the higher part of a hill, but the sheer force of the nonstop downpour actually let water in. Nothing that couldn't be rememdied by constant mopping, but everything smells moldy now.

I have yet to hear from various members of my family and I am hoping it is just because the phones are dead and there's no power for recharging cell phones but I do not know for sure.

The power has been out since Saturday noon. No phone lines, either. There was no water for a while but it came back after a while.

I have been getting dressed, having my meals and doing everything by candlelight.

My next paycheck will be spent on emergency rations., but there's not telling when that will arrive as banks tend to go offline at times like these.

Another storm is said to be approaching.

On a side note, I do not get the "action shots" by common folk. If people are gonna stick around in a crisis like this, a camera should be, i dunno, the last thing they should be thinking of grabbing. How about at least a line to throw to people being swept away, huh? Leave the Jimmy Olsen-ing to the pros 'mkay?

Sunday Update

How's everyone? I miss all of your blogs so much! Honestly, it sucks that I can't spend so much time blogging and blog-hopping as much anymore when I just started making friends through this blog, but I'll try to stay updated with everyone's posts..

Anyway, things have been crazy IRL lately. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but let's just say that having the time to blog and read everyone else's is the biggest break I could get lately. I can't even get any decent shopping done, anymore. Still the same old routine: I try and sneak in vanity stuff and the little nothings which make me happy when I'm running errands.

Here are some random goodies from the past week:

Monday @ Robinson's Galleria (where I paid some bills):
From Watson's

More Purederm products

CO-Q10 Sheet Masks

Strawberry Yogurt Packs

The elusive Pigeon pressed powder

This is the Indonesia-licensed one in Beige. It's also available in Pink. (I wanted the white one from Japan, but that's even harder to find, since I rarely pass by the any branch of the store known to carry it. And even if I do, according to some G-Talkers, it's usually out of stock.) I'm pretty happy with this one, though, because of the translucent finish and ability to control oil. My only complaint is the smell. It's not stinky or anything, but I would rather not use anything with fragrance on my face.

From Saizen:

L-R: Depilating Strips, Hyaluronic Acid Essence.

They looked like interesting products which would be a steal if they worked, so I wanted to try them. Haven't yet. Will update you.

From HBC

San-San Products
L-R: Plumping Lip Gloss,
Waterproof Mascara,
Brown Eyeliner Pencil,
Black Eyeliner pencil.

San-San's claim to fame is that their makeup products are enriched with vitamins. Their products are also super-affordable to begin with, so when they go on sale, the prices are unbelievable. The waterproof mascara is awesome. It did not smudge even when I got caught in a sudden heavy downpour this week, and it doesn't clump.

Friday @ Ever Gotesco Ortigas (where I went grocery-shopping)
From the Thrift Store:

Clockwise:
Oversized Red print bag,
Black patent flats with side bows
Purple patent flats with bows

One of the thrift stores I visit most often is located inside a shopping center. It seemed weird for me to see it there at first, because I didn't think it could compete with stores that sold new merchandise.

The red bag is huge! I don't know if oversized bags are still fashionable or not anymore, but I need huge bags to survive. It's made of canvas or some other similar fabric but laminated or has some kind of finish that makes it semi-waterproof and resistant to stains. The handles are bright red synthetic leather. Eye love!

From the Department Store:

L-R:
Small plastic pots w/ spatula
Nail care stuff
Polka Dot Umbrella

Nail Care Stuff, Clockwise:
Caronia Fast Dry Top Coat
4-Step Nail Buffer, has 4 different surfaces for filing, shaping buffing and polishing.
Caress Nail Polishes: Sweet Blend and Cool Blue

I think I am becoming addicted to nail stuff, which is weird, because I still need to get my manis and pedis professionally done. I am so bad at applying nail polish by myself. But maybe I just need practice. But they're pretty and mostly cheap, so I guess it's okay.

I also noticed that I've been buying nail polishes 2 at a time. Well, three on the earlier Quiapo post. But usually I have to buy at least one cool and one warm color, or one from the red family and one from the blue family. Hmm... OCD?

My cutesy umbrella with ruffles.

I hate the rainy season. But I do love cute umbrellas.

Friday @ Quiapo
from Hortaleza

More Cyleina Organic Soaps: Black Pearl and Tomato

I've told you about Black Pearl before, but it's my first time to try Tomato.

From the cutesy shop from before:

Big face brush
More Bichun Nail polishes (Teal and purple)
Sponges and eyeshadow applicators.

It was already late when I got there so I didn't get to look around that long. On my way out I saw this ginormous kabuki-type brush in rainbow colors. Ha-ha. I think I'll be back there real soon.

Gem's 1st Giveaway

Gem (Vanity and Everything in Between) is having her first giveaway.

G-lish trio eyeshadow
Clinique black mascara
Clinique lipstick in Berrylicious
Estee Lauder lip gloss
Elianto nail polish
G-lish mosaic blush powder
Blue eyeliner
Bag!

Mechanics:
1. You MUST be a follower of my blog. So, click on the "follow" button if you aren't a follower yet!
2. Copy the image and post it together with the mechanics on your blog. Don't forget to link back!
3. Leave a comment on this entry saying, "I'm in!"

Join here