Pom-pom Pretty

It's been a while since I last did an interiors post! Sharing with you these pom-pom throw pillow covers I recently got. I wasn't actively seeking out new pillow covers, but I chanced upon one of the posts of the seller on Instagram and thought I'd check out the account. Saw these designs and thought they were just too cute. These throw pillow covers are P320 each from The Nifty Decorator.

Is it just me? Or is the minimal style on its way out? Or maybe I'm growing out of of my minimalist phase and slowly embracing color. Our living room is where we usually spend most of our time. I've slowly veered away from white, gray, and brown (Oh and black-- Kevin's PS4 Pro and Xbox) and incorporated little elements to spruce up the area. Our huge couch is gray and our walls white so I thought the contrast of these two colorful pom-pom throw pillow covers serve a nice little contrast.  

While I like to keep our bedroom white, clean, and bright (I think Kevin thinks so too because he rarely stays in the bedroom even though we have a TV there. Once I've made the bed he'll prefer lounging around in the living room)--I'd like our living room to look cozy and inviting, and adding pops of color looks like it certainly helps. 

What do you think of the new addition? 

Three Things to do More Of and Less Of

MORE

1. Sleep more. Gosh this has been on my to-do list and my new year's resolutions SINCE I WAS A CHILD. But, I really need to work on this one. I'm lucky my husband goes to sleep early and is slowly influencing me to do the same. Prior to getting married I can stay up until 2 or 3AM. Now though, my latest is at 11PM. Or maybe I'm just getting old?

2. Incorporate more vegetables in home meals. This is more for my husband than for me, really. Whenever I'm in the office I'd usually order a dish that's heavy on vegetables. Whereas my husband prefers fast food whenever we are not at home and I'm not monitoring his meals.

3. Read More. As a child I grew up surrounded by books. My parents made it a point to fill my childhood with as much books. Growing up, they supported my habit of reading (they're pretty big readers, too) which started with picture books, moved on to graphic novels, and on to novels. I was fortunate to have gone to a school with the latest book titles so a huge chunk of student life was spent at the library. In college however, reading for pleasure was taken over by required reading. I'd still be able to read books, but the quantity has greatly diminished. That continued until the day I started working. My current job requires us to read, read, read that reading has become work to me. That I would rather watch or do something else on my spare time. But lately, I've made it a point to start reading again. In fact, I have made it a point to take note of books to include in my reading list. 

LESS

1. Complain. I have this bad habit of making small talk by starting with a complaint normally about the weather (Always a safe topic though not the best conversation-starter). Though I've never been one who's excellent with conversations anyway. But hearing someone complain can be annoying, especially if a complaint is the first thing you'll hear from someone you meet. Also, complaining can be quite counter-productive as you just tend to dwell on the negativity rather than look for a solution.

2. Hold on to Stuff in my Closet. I've always been sentimental / a bit of a hoarder. I had to put a stop to that when Kevin and I moved in to a condo (Most of my stuff are left at my parents'-- which I will purge soon) since cleaning is a pain. What I failed to put an end to is the auditing of my closet. With a small space, I need to just stick with what I really use and let go of things that might come in handy when I go to the beach or in the future.

3. Phone. I don't know when it started--might have been since I moved in with Kevin who is so particular with internet speed--but I've been super hooked on my phone as of late. Constantly scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Even when Kevin and I are binge watching a TV series or on Movie Nights. Kevin has pointed this out twice already so I'm making an effort to disconnect when I need to.

I bet my husband would have preferred if I included "Shop" under the LESS List-- HAH. NOPE.

I'd like to know if you have your own More of/Less of! Do share in the comments section below.

Just Begin

It feels weird to be writing about this topic. A few posts ago, I wrote about what's been keeping me busy lately (apart from my day job, of course). 

In 2014, after having just finished a commissioned wedding invitation suite, I revisited the idea of making my own social stationery and paper goods. Obviously I did not act on that idea right away. I have a strong tendency to overthink, I can also be a big worrier. From that point on, until around October or November of last year, the idea of making my own stationery would pop up. I'd think on it--but the things that I would have to consider just overwhelmed me-- and so the plan of setting up a stationery business would be shelved. 

At the last minute in December 2017 however, I thought, I'd take a chance-- come up with some designs and see if anyone would patronize the designs I worked on. AND OH BOY WAS I SURPRISED. Not only did I get orders from friends, but also from complete strangers! So now, looking back, I'd like to share some of my realizations on working on a new venture / taking a leap / or whatever it is you'd like to start on.

01. The Right Mindset. I am all about planning and not just rushing into things. But, I wouldn't recommend planning so hard as I did that it was detrimental to me just starting on my stationery venture. December of last year was when I told myself "No time like the present". What do I have to lose? Well, a significant amount of money, but... I didn't want that stationery business idea to remain just that. I wanted to see for myself if it would do well. 

02. List them down. It helps to do your research. List down all the things you need to learn or find out about, then slowly work your way through that. Making a list of what I had to do or have beforehand made the jump a bit easier. Having all these thoughts in my head made the task so daunting--but listing them down (in pretty stationery, of course) made them easier to tackle. 

03. Be Passionate. It's easier to keep pushing if you are passionate about what you are doing. If you just started because everyone's doing it too and it seems easy enough, then that might not be a good push for you. Chances are, after you've mustered up the courage to take a leap-- there will be several hurdles still down the line. Your passionate for your venture or project will fuel if you'd still go through the hurdles or just give up. 

I'm a firm believer that milestones--big or small, should be celebrated. Having a tendency to overthink and worry, just taking a  leap with social stationery means a lot to me. I'd like to know about what hurdle you've recently gone through or if you've had the same experience about starting on a new venture!

February Faves // Japan Skincare Haul

Contrary to our first trip to Tokyo, on our second visit, I did not go crazy on makeup. This time, I made a list of things to get-- all skincare. Well there was a mascara.. and a Dior Lip Glow.. ANYWAY. So i tried very hard to stick to that list and I was pretty successful in hunting them down. It wasn't very hard really, since they were EVERYWHERE. Much to my husband's disappointment, I think...

Product description: Hada Labo Goku-jun super hyaluronic acid hydrating milk moisturizes deeply, offering nourishing hydration and skin-smoothing conditioners. Infuses your skin with moisture and leaves it with a natural, healthy-looking glow. Skin becomes smoother, softer and richly hydrated. Skin pH balanced, low irritation. Free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol and colorant.

There's a special technique to applying this on Youtube! I've seen other vloggers apply their serums/essence/moisturizer the same way so I've adapted the same technique to most of the skincare I use. 

I really love this product. There's no annoying scent, and it really did wonders for my skin. I've been using this DAILY (twice on some days) and it really made my skin so much smoother and softer. It would leave a very shiny effect on my face but it doesn't bother me since I put other products after it in the morning, and in the evening I like to seal this in with an Avene moisturizer. 

When I was still thinking about this post I was going to say that I haven't had breakouts since I used it. But come my period, I had two zits! Sooooooo I can't say that it totally cured my pimple problems. Maybe my pimples are just way too determined. 

According to DHC, the Lip Cream "Softens lips with aloe leaf extract and vitamin E, and gives lips a polished, neutral shine. Free of fragrance and added colorants".

I have gone through soooooooooo many lip balms, both cheap and expensive, and this is by far the one that I can honestly say, WORKS. I have extremely dry lips and lip balms are a necessity. Prior to trying this out, I was using Carmex and it worked alright. But this one! I love this so much. I've been using mine since January 24 of this year and I don't think I'm using any other lip balm. Luckily I found an online seller based in Japan who can buy this for me!

The Shiseido Oil Control Blotting Paper is a powder coated type of blotting paper. You can barely notice the powder though--or feel it. This wasn't really on my list of things to buy but I thought I'd give it a try. I really just bought it because I love that it came with this reusable little pouch, LOL. And yeah, it keeps oil at bay. On days when I cannot reapply powder on, this is a lifesaver. 

We've been to Tokyo twice in a year, and I'm making sure that we will return to Japan again in succeeding years. Until then, I'd like to know what other Japanese products you recommend I try!

Beauty Review // Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

I've been seeing this blush from beauty vloggers long before I purchased it. I thought, I don't need a coral blush. I'm fine with the pink ones I have. Besides, I don't have a coral lip product to pair it with. HOWEVER. While we were at a mall in Tokyo, I saw A LOT of Japanese ladies buying the Dior Lip Glow and I saw this coral shade that I really, really liked. I didn't buy it right then and there however as it was EXPENSIVE. On our way home however, while we were at Duty Free, I saw the Dior Lip Glow in the shade I wanted and at a lower, more reasonable (I think) price so I bought it! So anyway, I had a coral lip, without a coral blush to match HAHA and so that was my push to buy this blush already.

This blush is beautiful. I love it since it combines both color and highlight. Therefor minimizing  my makeup time in the morning. I thought this was going to be expensive and unavailable in Manila, but I was so happy I found it on Beauty MNL.

Here's how Milani describes the Baked Blush-- 

At first I thought the product was really powdery on the pan, but I was pleasantly surprised as it was powdery but it didn't go all over the place. The color is also very buildable and gives that glowy look. As I have very visible pores, I make sure that I double up on pore primer with this one as it can really highlight visible pores with the fine shimmer.

I haven't seen what other people have said about Luminoso but this really reminds me of the NARS Orgasm. The color is peachy-coral and the shimmer is GOLD. I love it. It's like NARS Orgasm at a better price. 

See how pretty? SWOONING. 

Anyway, here are the pros and cons:

PROS:

+ affordable

+ combines two products : blush and highlight

+ this is a product that will go well on any skin tone; but will flatter medium to dark tones more I think

+ staying power is pretty impressive

+ that's a lot of product in the pan. I've been using this very often and it still seems new!

CONS:

- the brush. Never mind the brush, get yourself a better one.

- can highlight visible pores; primer necessary!

- will take some time to get used to where to put the product on because you want the shimmer to just highlight the apples of your cheeks, right? Not the entire cheek

If you're on the lookout for an inexpensive coral blush (with a highlighter!) I highly recommend this xxx

The Milani Baked Blush Luminoso is available at BeautyMNL for P499.