Mini Sephora Haul

Sharing my mini Sephora haul! Mini, not just because of the quantity, but also because I got items in travel size LOL.

I wasn't actually ready for a Sephora trip (I haven't done research so I spent a considerable amount of time going through the items in the Sephora Georgetown branch.) I visited 3 more Sephora branches and ended up buying some more stuff--none I'm guilty about.

01. TATCHA Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

My skin was super dry during our visit--heck, it was flaky, even. So I was itching to buy a mist on the first day. I couldn't bring my Avene Mist because I was concerned it would be seized at the airport. This mist however comes in the usual spray and not the pressurized one and is just 15 ml so I knew it was perfect for the plane ride home.

Pros:

+ No adverse reactions, but sadly, not enough to keep flaking skin at bay. Unless I spray every so often. Back in Manila though, this is just perfect.

Cons:
- I'm not a fan of the scent, it has a weird scent which goes away after a while (luckily)
- It's pretty pricey for such a small bottle
- As opposed to other mists, this leaves little white spots on your face upon initial spray-- it kind of looks weird so it's not something I'd put on at work, while working away behind my computer.
- I have yet to see any brightening effects though... So I don't know if I would still purchase...

02. Milk Holographic Stick in Supernova

I actually didn't plan on buying a highlighter on our trip--especially since I love my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Separate review on this!!!), but I saw this little stick and thought, what the heck, I can use this on days I don't want to go with a powder highlighter. Also! It's packed with mango butter and coconut oil, which were exactly what my skin needed at that point in time. 

Pros:

+ Perfect for those who prefer liquid/cream blushers (I am, on some days)

+ Moisturizing (See ingredients list HERE)

+ The glow is subtle.

+ A little goes a long way-- I have been using this for months and it seems like I haven't made any significant dent on the stick!

+ The shimmer doesn't go on other areas of my face...

Cons:

- With that last point said, I noticed it doesn't stay on very long on my face either. I need to reapply throughout the day if I want to keep the shimmer. 

03. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

They weren't kidding when they said creamy! This is the best concealer I have tried EVER. This is actually my favorite from my mini-haul (and from all the makeup products I bought on the trip!). This concealer does not budge, cake, or dry around the area you want to conceal. IT. IS. THE. BEST. I had the Makeup For Ever HD concealer before I tried this and I hated it. It dried the skin around the area I'm trying to conceal making it even more obvious! 

I actually don't have any cons for this product! I love this so much. 

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments section below! xx

I Vlogged!!! // First Impressions

My apologies for the very late post, but I'd like to announce that I've made my first vlog! I expected it to be much harder, but I didn't expect editing the video to be that hard. Anyway, I'm just glad the Vlog is now up on YouTube! Please watch the video, comment (and maybe subscribe? <3)!

Products featured in the Vlog are the following:

01. COSRX Blackhead Power Liquid (This is on sale on BeautyMnl!);

02. Ellana Mineral Makeup Loose Mineral Concealer and Foundation (I use the shade Cheer);

03. NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Light My Fire ( I really love this product); and

04. MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (Bronze, matte liner).

Keep Me Clean

Sharing two of my favorite makeup removers today! The Avene Micellar Lotion and the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. The latter of course, was an afterthought purchase while I was in Tokyo.

01. Avene Micellar Lotion

Truth be told, sometimes I get home super tired from work and the first thing I do is remove my makeup with this and then... I end up falling asleep. LOL, disgusting I know, but I'm getting old and not as energetic as I once was. 

Anyway, I found out about Avene way back in high school (more than 10 years ago). My dermatologist suggested I try out their facial mist to keep my face calm. Back then Avene wasn't in the Philippines yet and I had to get my Avene from my dermatologist. And it was so costly! Luckily, Avene's here now and my skincare routine is largely powered by maaaany Avene products. 

Their Micellar lotion was also suggested by the same dermatologist, whom i still go to actually. When I'm in a hurry (most of the time) I use this to remove my makeup. I love that this is gentle enough to use for the eyes and lips. 

There's no cloying chemical scent to it and does the job real well. It removes makeup without feeling like I removed my skin as well.

02. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

This was not on my To Buy List for our Tokyo trip in January, but I kept seeing this on each and every drugstore I went into so I thought I'd get a bottle and try it out. 

According to DHC, the Deep Cleansing Oil is ideal for those with normal and combination skin, but I'm stubborn like that so I still tried it even though I have Oily and Sensitive skin. No negative reactions from my skin though!

I like to use this product when I feel like my face is so blah and needs a bit of pampering. The Deep Cleansing Oil is meant to be massaged onto the face and then rinsed off with lukewarm water. So when I'm not rushing to go to bed, I spend a significant amount of time massaging onto my face before rinsing it off. 

Tried this on my eyes, but found it too thick for my liking. So I stick with my Avene Micellar Lotion for the eye area. 

I didn't expect much from this product, but after trying it out it looks like I'm going to be incorporating this to my skincare routine. Definitely buying this again!

What's your go-to makeup remover? Let me know in the Comments Section below!

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!