Are you ready for summer?

here's something that I don't really feel ashamed to admit...i hate SUMMER!

well, aside from the fact that I dunno how to swim so i don't really get to enjoy the waters...i also hate getting those nasty freckles and sun spots whenever i stay a lot longer under the sun. i wasn't born with fair skin, but somehow studying somewhere where i got to wear a jacket almost all the time made me a bit lighter (and yeah, all those whitening lotions, soaps, pills, yadah yadah) but since then, I don't get a tan anymore...just sunspots!

when my colleagues started planning for an out-of-town get together months ago, i got excited with the thought of getting to spend time with my officemates without talking about work. but still, the thought of getting baked under the sun scares me. they all seem to enjoy water and the sun...and i don't. sniff!

last week, i was asked to pick up a package for me at the office reception and this cute, summer-y box said HELLO:

wow, I AM SPECIAL!
(swoons)
LOL

i got more excited when i opened the box:

honestly, the first things that caught my eye were the frisbee and the camera!
^_^

but of course, the STARS of the package are these two new good stuff from Beach Hut:

Beach Hut Max 100++ SPF

Beach Hut Face sunblock SPF65

I tried these babies and whoa, they are not sticky and no greasy feel...at all!
no allergic reactions too. i think i'm gonna love this lotion-type sunblock, as much as i am loving their sunblock spray.

so yeah, i am definitely ready for summer!
i'll be bringing these with me on our outing this weekend, and of course, expect a review soon.

someone's going to play frisbee and taking pictures in the wateeeeerrrrrrr!
^_^

NOTD: Revlon in Siren

i didn't think that orange nail polish would suit me, until...

Revlon polish in Siren is LOVE, and perfect for summer :)

What's funny is that when I met with mom last weekend, she's wearing the same polish!
Like mother, Like daughter indeed.

^_^

Casual Office OOTD...

it's another one of those lazy days when i can't seem to find something to wear and i'm already running late for work (as always!)...

Guess top, a Xmas gift from Mom

Penshoppe jeans

Melissa shoes

and an easy makeup look:

til next time, tata!

Something New: The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso BB Cream SPF25 PA+++

A multi-action make-up base for fairer-looking complexion instantly! Soft focus powders help diffuse light to soften the appearance of flaws and conceal blemishes. A must-have beauty essential for busy women!

Whenever I pay TBS shops a visit, i usually get their cotton and their Lightening Touch in 03. And yes, their Vit E lipbalm and handcream. I know that they have various skincare lines, but I don't really get to check them out.

During my mom's recent visit, I saw this BB cream in her kit and I was actually surprised that my mom has finally joined the BB cream craze. She uses it as a makeup base and she finds this product really good and even said that it gives out a healthy glow. So I immediately tried it myself and mom is indeed right. It's sheer, but definitely gave me a certain glow as if i was able to have a good night sleep.

After checking on the ingredients, I got sold and asked mom if I could have it. She must have really liked it because she said No. LOL! So yeah, I bought one myself.

available in one shade

but it does blend in to your skintone after a while. i have a colleague who's on the morena side and she uses this too!

This is one must-have product this summer if you want lightweight sort-of makeup with SPF.
price: Php 1195 for a 30ml tube
(got it for 20% off)

i have this feeling that this would become a staple in my kit.
will post a review soon!

PONDS Flawless White Challenge Week 2

We would like to thank everybody for supporting Shen & I as we continue with PONDS Flawless White - Unbeaten Challenge. We're on our 2nd week and I am sure you'd want to know how we're doing...yes!?

oh yes, you do ^_^

Our 2nd post is up and to read what's the outcome on Shen on her first week of the regimen,
just click here.

Again, THANK YOU for all the support. If you haven't supported us yet, well, what are you waiting for? LIKE us now...and I mean NOW! (pretty please?)

you can also click on the Like button on the right side of my blog, but it'll still be better if you visit our page on the PONDS microsite and read our story.

stay gorgeous, everyone!

Tutorial: Eye Makeup using 2 shades...

here's another eye makeup tutorial and this time, using just two shades of eyeshadows. I decided to go for a creamy beige (Wet & Wild Brulee) for base and a shimmery pink-peach (MAC Sunset B.) on the crease. I opted not to use a brown shade for the crease as i wanted to give my eyes a pop of color.

let's start:

1. Apply primer (Nyx HD eye base) on the entire lid

2. Using a flat shader brush (MAC 239), pat your base color on the entire lid

3. Using a medium-sized blending brush (MAC 222) apply your crease color starting from the outer part of the lid up on the crease , following your natural eye contour and stopping before you reach the inner 1/3 of the lid. No swiper motion on this part of the application.

4. To get rid of harsh lines, use the same blending brush or a slightly bigger one (MAC 224), and swipe back and forth on the crease. You can also blend the color upward by swiping the brush slightly higher than where you applied the crease color.

5. Apply your liquid eyeliner (preferably waterproof, to avoid panda eyes) starting from the inner corner going to the outer corner. You can wing your liner for a more dramatic look, like i always prefer mine :)


6. Curl your lashes (Shu Uemura lash curler) and apply two coats of mascara (Maybelline Stiletto mascara).

7. To get rid of any e/s fall outs or to give your undereye area a brighter look, apply a liquid highlighter (TBS Lightening Touche) and then pat with your fingertips. Set it with a loose powder (Skinfood Salmon dark circle powder) to keep it in place



8. Line your waterlines with a white eyeliner (Prestige) for an awake look. Smudge (MAC 214, 219) brown eyeshadow on the lower lash lines



and then here's the finished look:

you can use different shades of eyeshadows using this technique. it's easy and saves you (esp. me) a lot of time in doing eye makeup.

i hope you like it and til next tutorial!
(kisses)

Casual OOTD...

as you all know, I'm a jeans/shirt kind of girl. on days that i know i'd be walking around a lot, or won't be having any meetings at work... i'd rather be in jeans, shirt and my trusty Melissa shoes:

besides, my colleagues would throw jokes on me whenever i'm wearing a dress or a skirt. guys would ask me if i'll be watching a movie after work, or a date. geesh, what's with dresses/skirts got to do with watching a movie? ^_^

and here's another easy look on days that when I'm in a hurry (but still late) coming to work:

a single shade of mineral eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara for an easy eye makeup

i take a lot of time doing my eye makeup when I'm blending multiple colors. using a single shade of mineral eyeshadow gives the illusion of using a number of colors and saves me a lot of time.

i still wish i can go out without makeup on....it'll definitely save me a LOT of time and my ass from losing my job for coming in to work late ALL THE TIME.

^_^

Shopping for essentials...

in as much as i wanted to start shopping for clothes, i try hard not to. i still have a few more pounds to lose, which by the way are too stubborn to leave, and i don't want to buy clothes with my current size. i used to measure S and sometimes even XS, but now even M sometimes don't fit well that i have no choice but to get L. sniff. so yeah, i'll try to wait until i shrink back to S.

alright, i might be dreaming too much.

for the past weeks, i've been shopping but only for essentials:

yep, they are all essentials...sort of stuff i can't live without.

again, they are "essentials.."

fine, maybe i need to stay away from Watsons.
^_^

Happy Friday Looks: Silvery Blue

Maybelline eyebrow liner
MAC e/s in Elektra (lid), Sunset B. (outer 1/3 of lid, crease) and Carbon (outer-V and a bit on top of Elektra)
In2it waterproof liner
Maybelline Stiletto mascara
UD 24/7 liner in Zero

yeah, i didn't use any blue e/s but when i mixed Elektra (silver gray) and Carbon (black), somehow it turned bluish. i dunno why, it just happened! so don't hate me.
LOL

Dr. Jart BB Cream (silver)
Cinemasecrets concealer
TBS Lightening Touche
Lauress mineral foundation in Radiant Ivory
MAC sculpt and Shape
MAC beauty powder in Pretty Baby

MAC l/s in Peachstock
Estee lauder purecolor lipgloss

i just love this angle...makes me look a bit thinner

and no, my head's not aching, nor i'm covering my ears, nor on the phone...i just feel like posing like that. and yeah, i look stupid ^_^

i hope you all had a great weekend. it's another work week and i just can't help asking myself, "where did my weekend go?" I've worked last weekend and hopefully work would be lighter this week. Anyhoo, I still wish all of you a great week ahead.

tata!

PONDS Flawless White Challenge - please support us!

Hiyee, beauties!

The Ponds microsite for the Ponds Flawless White - Unbeaten challenge is now up. Please support me and Shen by liking our page here.

Thanks so much!
^_^

Ponds Beauty Challenge with Shen...

Shen and I met online when we were both starting to explore the world of makeup. With this common interest and a budding addiction to anything beautiful, we've talked endlessly thru our blogs. After finally meeting her in person, both of us didn't know that it would be the start of a friendship that would go beyond things that are more than just beautiful.

at the Ponds - Win a date with Dingdong and Piolo event

Oh yes, our very first event (thanks to Sophie) was Ponds. I can still remember how giddy the both of us were during the event. Well, who wouldn't be? Good thing that we didn't have to fight over the same guy since she has this big crush on Dingdong while I have a, err...i mean I'm with Piolo!
^_^

at the Preview Best-Dressed event

From then on, Shen and I bonded like sisters -- talking endlessly about almost anything under the sun. We would spend hours and hours of talking about the same thing, and still get excited to talk about it the next time we meet. And like sisters, we don't always have good times...we also fight. Actually, we fight a lot (but not as much as Sophie and I fight LOL). I must admit, our fights would be mostly about my endless whining about a lot of things...my fears and insecurities and my lack of confidence in just about everything that I do.

working it with Nikki

still at the Preview event (sorry, was too hungry here..hahaa)

at the Ponds launch of Plains and Prints event
(Shen here is definitely loving RED!)

If there's one thing that I love about Shen, that would be her tactless way of knocking some sense into my head. She'd remind me to trust myself and believe that i can do better next time if I'd fail. She's one person i can count on to tell me the truth no matter how much it would hurt.

at the Flawless event with Phoebe and other bloggers

at the Neutrogena event with Nikki

After almost 3 years since our first event, who would've expected that we'll still be together in this challenge posed to us by no other than PONDS. By now, you might have learned a lot of things about us already which includes our being partial to some high-end brands.


In this challenge called Ponds Flawless White - Unbeaten, Shen will be using the line herself while i document her progress and provide you with results and of course, honest feedbacks. I'd be using the products as well, so we'll be both giving you precise information on how it feels and how it works on our skin.

And yeah, the challenge is definitely not easy...most especially for those who have suffered from bad skin for years, like us. but being in this challenge together makes it a lot easier. besides, this is one challenge we won't mind facing if this would help a lot of people find a great alternative to their high-end skin lightening products.

Join us as we take this challenge and see if Ponds Flawless White is indeed unbeaten when it comes to skin lightening. We do hope that you support our team by liking our page that will soon be uploaded on Ponds website.

thanks in advance, dearies!

(and of course, thanks to Nikki of Askmewhats for the pics)