Frustrated Over Nail Polish

Back when I was in the corporate world, I loved to polish my nails. I give myself regular mani-pedis. I do it myself because I get so paranoid about hearing and reading horror stories about how nails and toes/fingers get "murdered" by beauty parlors and nail salons. The good: I get to choose my nail polish brands and shades, the bad: the end result is never as good as the ones done in the salon. Oh well. It's a small compromise for safety and convenience. 

Back to my kwento. Back when I was in the corporate world, I was confined to "safe" earth tone colors. I had to stick to shades of beige and pink. I had to confine my firetruck red nail polish to my toes only since they're hidden. Now that I'm a wahm, I always thought I'd get to pamper myself more, changing nail polish shades every week, trying all the different colors, not just the reds and purples but blues and greens... Two months into my new life, still no nail polish, in fact no mani-pedi! Waaah! How can I let this happen?

So now I vow to give myself a much needed mani-pedi as soon as I can. I'll post these colorful images as inspiration:

Here are some pics from my friend Sarah Lynn. I hope I can do my nails as well as she does...

Wish me luck!

The Body Shop's Valentine's Day Promo

Let me just share with you guys my favorite shop's valentine's day promo. The best way to celebrate this season of love? Look and feel your best for your loved one! Of course these make lovely gifts too.

They have special and delicious Chocomania and Strawberry gift sets:

These yummy goodies are on sale too. 20% off Valentine's themed gifts. 

LYB exclusive offer: Buy 2 get 1 free on selected Chocomania and Strawberry gift sets until Feb. 17 '13 only. 

Beauty Tips for Work-At- Home Moms

After years of yearning for it, it has finally happened. I have become a Work at Home Mom. It has its perks, but I discovered it’s not all roses either. Sure, I get to sleep in everyday, but I sleep real late too, depending on the projects I have to finish. This schedule wreaks havoc to my daily routine.  Often I get to take a bath at night instead of the usual morning.  With this kind of lifestyle, a mom can easily let herself go. It’s so easy to just tumble out of bed, fix breakfast for the hubby or the children, cook, clean, and work without even taking a peak in the mirror. What a big difference from my life back in the corporate world, where appearance is everything and work starts with a face fully made up and pulse points fragranced by perfume.

Being a work at home mom should not be an excuse to let one’s self go.  Here are some beauty tips for WAHMS like me.

Exercise. Being at home all the time opens you to the temptation of working right out of your kitchen, where all the snacks and goodies are found. Resist! And if you can’t, well just exercise. I try to hop on my elliptical trainer whenever I can. Operative word here is TRY…

Elliptical Trainer

Drink lots of water. You should always hydrate. So what if there’s no more water fountain in the corner to gossip in, you should still get your required 8 glasses of water. This will do wonders to your skin and your digestion. I use a Lock and Lock 750ml plastic bottle so I can monitor just how much water I’ve already consumed for the day.

Lock and Lock Water Bottle

Moisturize. All skin types are prone to dryness, yes even the oily types. Dryness is the biggest cause of wrinkles. ‘Nuff said. Moisturize! Twice a day, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to use sunblock as well. When I stepped into my 30’s, I started using Olay products, and now that I’m in my MID 30’s I’ve been pushed into liking the Olay Regenerist line.

 Use perfume or cologne.  Smelling good boosts confidence. So what if we’ve got nowhere else to go or meet for the day, spritz on some cologne and immediately feel the emotional boost it brings. I usually choose citrusy scents but lately I discovered this affordable scent from Bench: Purple by Kris Aquino. It is a Eau de Toilette at only P198 for a 30ml bottle. It smells girly and sweet. I love it!

I hope these tips help newbieWAHMs like me. Working at home is no excuse to be losyang. 

My Japan Home Loot

A few days ago, hubby and I were in Blue Wave Marquinton to have some pictures developed. We passed by the Japan Home Centre and just had to go in. We always do this, just to browse through aisles and aisles of various goodies. I was initially looking for a quirky coaster to put my coffee mug and water container on but I couldn't find any. What I did find was far more adorable! 

I found a cookie-shaped mug cover and a cutie Hello Kitty mouse pad.

Once you get past the wrong spelling, you'll get to appreciate the usefulness of this "mag cover" lol! 

I always complain of my coffee getting too cold too soon. Ever when ordering in Starbucks I ask for extra hot coffee because I can't drink cold coffee. I find it bleech! So I was so happy to find this mug cover that can be transferred to different mugs and actually fits most of them.

Recently, in my effort to plan my daughter's 7th birthday party, I have again discovered and renewed my love for everything pink and Hello Kitty. I have been trying to brain wash my daughter into choosing Hello Kitty for her theme but I am losing that battle in favor of the Disney Princesses. Oh well. Kitty always has a fan in me.

Here's my practical and yummy looking cookie mug cover in action. My Starbucks mug has a wide rim but can still be covered by my "cookie".

Here's my adorable Hello Kitty mouse pad. That's my lovely white wireless A4Tech Mouse on her. 

We bought the mug cover and the mouse pad for only P88 each!

Love, love, love! 

I'll have to go back and comb through the aisles again, who knows what treasure I'll find next time!

This Year Calls For Planning and Organization

I have always been a scatter brain. Nothing new to me. What came as a surprise is the fact that I get anxiety/panic attacks when I feel overwhelmed by the things I need to do. I found this out when I was still part of the corporate world (officially I am still part of the corporate world till January 17 but whatever). I had tons of things to do, I’d bring work home and still go to the office of weekends! Despite all my effort, there were still lots of things to be done! I would feel burdened with the things I still have to do that I’d end up worrying about them too much and not accomplishing anything.

This is why I have always been attracted to organizers and planners. Gadgets galore! I was a Palm brand loyalist, from the pda handhelds to Treo smart phones. I’d go off on a great start, putting in all my to do’s and calendar items. Then I’d lose interest, then well, I’d stop.

 All this changed when I came across a good ‘ol paper planner in Fino, a fine leatherware store here in the Philippines. I got it on sale last October. It was originally at P3,750 but I got it at only P1,500 only because its inserts were still 2012. I figured I can always buy 2013 also available at Fino for P450.

 Here she is in lovely, shiny maroon authentic leather!

FINO Leather Planner

With my handwritten, homemade tabs

I decided to call her Jody after one of my favorite photographers. I was so excited to set her up. I looked for ideas on the net and that was when I found out there was a huge following for paper planners! Here I was feeling old and traditional when elsewhere in the world there are people clamoring for planners just like me. I found out they loved the Filofax brand in particular. I discovered the Philofaxy blog and learned a lot more. It didn’t take long before I was browsing the Filofax USA website for find out what the fuss is all about.

 Did I fall into the Filofax bandwagon?? Find out next time!

Independence and a Hedgren Shoulder Bag For My Birthday

I knew this year would be different from all the other years. I am at the precipice of something new and exciting. I am about to get what I have been craving for these years. Independence from corporate life. As I shared in this post, I will be a free woman starting January of next year, and to celebrate the “new me” I decided to give myself a gift. Of course I was turning 36 and birthdays are always a big deal but I wanted a symbol of my joy and happiness and of course independence. I decided I wanted to go shopping for a bag. None of the stuffy, corporate black leather bags for me, nope, I’ve had 15 years of my share of that. I wanted a bag I can wear with my jeans and sandals.           

          

I looked in several shops including lacoste, esprit and guess but I couldn’t find anything I wanted. I wanted a bag that is both casual and presentable for when I meet with clients. Of course it has to be roomy enough so I can haul my stuff around. I strolled in a Travel Club store, not really expecting anything since they are more known for luggage, but imagine my surprise when I saw colorful shoulder and laptop bags from Hedgren. 

I’ve heard of Hedgren from my brother-in-law years back. He bought a knapsack with the same brand name. So I knew it’s imported. I looked around and found the pink one so adorable. I wanted it immediately. Sadly they didn’t have it in the size that I wanted. The pink one was just too small. It won’t even be able to take in my bulky make up kit. So I opted for a nice medium sized one in mocha (it's actually iron according to their website).  I know, still a safe color, but I had no choice… at least it wasn’t black. 

I got the new Clapham Medium  from the Subway Collection. Here’s a description from their site:

Be wowed by this fresh, casual collection for girls and women who feel young at heart. These lightweight bags are perfect for a fun day out and an evening about town. 

Casual beauty

so roomy! perfect for me!

Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Clear Stick

I admit I have been living under a rock, with only dual face powder and lip gloss with me to keep me primped up. I haven’t been aware of the latest trends in the cosmetics world. Imagine my surprise when I finally realized I needed supplies and saw this on the Maybelline counter: the Maybelline Clear Smooth B.B Stick. I thought, hmmm, a concealer? A lip balm? Apparently it was a BB cream in a stick… but what the heck is a BB cream?? (toldya it was pretty lonely under the rock I was living in)

Wonderful find at only P249

Well fellow makeup innocents, BB stands for Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm. Ahhhh… Apparently it has been made popular here in Asia and recently big brands in North America caught on.

I bought one and tried it on. I was an instant convert! What I like about it is its stick form makes it so easy to apply. Just glide it on your face, like applying lipstick. It comes in such a small package so it is easy to carry around in your purse.

Priced at P249, it is pretty affordable. It has mineral clay which lessens the appearance of  pores and skin impurities without actually clogging them. Makes face less greasy too since it absorbs excess sebum or oil. It has SPF 21, so it also protect skin from harmful sun rays. It can be worn alone as light makeup or as a makeup base.

It has eight benefits in one stick. It gives your skin clear healthy flawless bare skin look:

Improved clarity

Lesser visible pores

Lesser greasy shine (perfect for oily skins!)

Long lasting shine control

Reduction in redness

Smoother skin

More even tone

More radiant

I got mine in the 01 Fresh shade. I love it! It gives almost complete coverage without the heavy and clogged feeling, plus my face ends up with a matte and powdery finish. My huge pores disappeared! Literally! I also put some on my pimples and it lessened their appearance giving an illusion of clearer skin. I also love the fact that when I got home, it was easy to remove too.

Late as I was in this BB bandwagon, I love that I finally got introduced to it through the Maybelline BB Stick. It is now part of my kikay kit!