Quick Review: The Face Shop LovelyMe:Ex Lip Care Cream in I'm Vitamin

Do you have chapped lips?  I do!  And lip balms are forever in my kit and on my table at home just to make sure I keep them hydrated.  When I read Lia's tip about the lip cream, I just had to try it!  I've been using it every night before sleeping. 

I never thought about slathering lip cream on my lips before going to bed. My lips used to be so dry and it really hurt.  But not anymore :D  This product really made me happy!

Texture: Ok
It's a bit thick but at least it's not sticky.  It's more like a gel than a cream to me.  Maybe it feels like you slathered butter all over your lips but it's ok. It keeps my lips moisturized.  It spreads easily btw. 

Scent: Yay!
It's not so strong but it's kinda citrusy. I like that kind of smell so it's a yay for me. ;)

Effectivity: Yay!
I slather on a lot of it on my lips before sleeping hahaha. Well, I still make sure it's not too thick a layer because that would feel weird.  And true enough, sometimes I forget lip balm in the morning and yet my lips aren't so dry.  I think that's one really good thing! :D

Price: Ok
I think it's a bit pricey considering some lip balms are less than 100 pesos.  I think I got this for 255 pesos in The Face Shop in SM North.

Packaging: Yay!
In general, I am not fond of tubes like this but it's easier to use than anything in a pot.  Not as clean as the stick form of a lip balm but because it's a cream type product, this is pretty good.

Overall: It's a Yay!
I am not really using it during the day time so I still have a lot of product in the tube.  I've had mine since late December and so far so good.  It's worth getting!  It's part of my nightly routine and if your lips get dry easily, maybe you should try it as well!

Quick Review: Laneige In Dream Red

It was my birthday last weekend so I decided to be a little different by wearing red lipstick. The one from Shawill is a little too dramatic for a casual date so I went for Laneige Snow Crystal Moisture in Dream Red.

 
Color: Yay! It's a nice cherry red with a bit of shimmer which isn't so obvious unless you look closely. Or the light hits the lips a certain way.

Without lipstick
With lipstick Wear: Ok
It kisses off. I hate seeing lipstick stains on my cup or straw. But even though it kisses off I didn't really need to reapply so much. And for a day of eating it was on me for 4 hours. The color was still there. Not bad at all. 

Moisturizing property: Yay!
It didn't dry my lips. :-) I suppose my nightly lip cream helps. Packaging: Yay! The cap is secure. Not too tight. And it looks so pretty. The white tube looks classy. And the label at the bottom says the shade you have.
Price: Ok
I got it on sale so it's cheaper than usual. ;-) For someone who is more of a lip balm and lip gloss person, this is good though of course I find the other shade I have as more "sulit."

Overall: Yay! 
I prefer tints and lip gloss but this line from Laneige does make me like lipstick. The nice thing is I really like the color even though it's something that I wouldn't wear everyday.

Birthday Post: Experimenting With Tanduay Ice

It's my birthday so I decided that this month I will try to make myself cupcakes. It just so happened that one of my friends posted a recipe on Facebook. It's Tanduay Ice cupcakes by Her Messy Kitchen. I followed this recipe except for the sour cream because that's one thing I didn't have at home. I substituted sour cream with milk, vinegar and margarine. And butter with margarine. I am not sure what I did wrong. They didn't really have even a hint of the Tanduay Ice. And the frosting was really margarine like in flavor to me. But in terms of texture this was lighter and fluffier than anything I've ever made so that was ok with me. Oh and the cupcakes were light and fluffy. I think that I will keep making cupcakes with buttermilk or sour cream because of the nice texture. :-D I will definitely try this again. I hope I will get it right next time around.

Wishing for a Wish Box: WishTrend's March Special

One of the Korean sites that I am following just posted their latest offering: a WishBox for March 2012!  WishTrend is a company that aims to bring Korean goods to every part of the world.  One of their eye catching products is the Namzia zipper pouch.  I noticed that they sell a number of products that are made for people with sensitive skin. They also have products made for men. How lovely, right?  And now I am soooo curious about the products that they're including in their WishBox. :D

Image Credit: WishTrend

The picture above is on their website.  Because Klair's is included, I am soooo tempted to get this WishBox. :3  I think that one of the products included is Klair's blemish cream. I know that the items are blacked out but the shape looks about right, doesn't it? I saw the review of Klair's blemish cream by Tessa.  It really looks like a promising product! And their WishBox includes something from Ciracle too, a brand I've been curious about.  And because they're including products from brands I already know and love, I am seriously considering this WishBox.  After all, it's not everyday that we get certain brands, right?

The picture on the site also shows a cute pouch which has "WishTrend" on it.  Well, there are two designs of the pouch. I love the one with the balloon. <3  Maybe that's part of it too because it says "WishBox."

And if you're going to buy this WishBox, there are two choices for shipping: Regular/Basic and EMS.  Details are on this page.

So tempting, so tempting. Maybe I will wait until the middle of March before I order. Why?  Because if I order over $60 worth of products, shipping is free.  At least for the regular/basic.  But we'll see. I don't mind the regular shipping so it's ok.  It's just that the Namzia pouch is really pretty, that's why I might buy one along with the WishBox. :) It's on my wish list now!

I learned about WishTrend through one of my blogging friends, Tan Kim of Test and Share. :)  You could follow WishTrend's Facebook or WishTrend's Twitter.

Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair

I just got these samples today. Maybe I will use these before I try the one from Tony Moly. I have been pimply lately, mainly on the chin. Here's hoping these work for me. *crosses fingers* If you want to try this product too, just check out the Estee Lauder Philippines Facebook Page. There's a tab there where you can share your tips on life etc:-)

It's Skin Mix & Bake #3

Thanks to Dianna for the quick transaction! <3

I am on an eye shadow phase. I've been looking at gyaru makeup tutorials and I have come to appreciate the eye makeup tutorials they share.  I might not be fond of the false eyelashes but the way they apply eye shadow is something I love.  And maybe it's partly because of those eye makeup tutorials that I am looking for nice natural looking shades.

Dianna is one of the people I met through Facebook and she's selling skin care and makeup products.  One of her posts was of It's Skin Mix & Bake Eyeshadow.  Being the Korean skin care and makeup addict that I am, I kept on looking at the pictures until I could no longer stand it and got it for myself.  Got this for 300 pesos. I think it sounds reasonable :)  Some of the eye shadow duos and trios I've been looking at cost more than that. And she even sent me a couple of freebies: Skinfood's Omija Whitening Cream and a little bit of Luview's Lemon Cleansing Foam.  (Yay! I will actually try out the cleanser~!)

I swear, the colors on this product just made me fall in love with it. Hahaha!

It looks shimmery, right? Compared to my Shawill eyeshadows, the shimmers here look more subtle.  Then again, when I swatched Shawill, it was the top part.  But like what I saw in the store counter, when you get to the middle part of the product, it's not as shimmery.  Anyway, these colors are really pretty. Like natural colors, only a little shimmery.  The one on the right is peachy (but quite light) and the other is more like some bronzey-brown color.  I really like both of them and I wish I took a picture first before I washed my hand when I swatched it earlier.  Oh well.

I am not sure if I could show an FOTD or my trial of wearing gyaru eye makeup because these are way too subtle, IMHO.  The camera wouldn't be able to capture the colors properly, I think.

Oh and I suppose these are baked eye shadows? XD  I am such a newbie. All I know is that just one look and the colors got me :3

On cheap nail polish

All the nail polish in the picture cost around PhP 100 total. Cheap? Yes. Definitely. The OMG nail polish bottles cost around PhP 35 each and the little bottles are PhP 10 each. All of them are from Novaliches Bayan.

OMG nail polishes - both of these bottles have streaky consistency.  I don't know if it was just me and my luck or if they really are like that.  One can layer the yellow but be careful in doing so. It might just look like yellow lines that are not even.  The cracked nail polish -- I might be using it wrong.  It's not cracking as much. Argh. Too bad I couldn't try them before buying. It said so in the shelf with lots of nail polish in Hortaleza. :( I was thinking that it will be fine.  But not really...

Well, if there's one thing I regret about getting these nail polish is that the three cheap ones have no labels at all. I like the colors for experimenting but I dunno. I guess I am a little scared about the ingredients they have.  As for the the OMG ones, I will give them some time. Who knows if they will eventually have thicker consistencies.

On making your own blog/website

I've been blogging on and off since 2003. Started out using services like LiveJournal, as well as other clones of LJ. Anyway, blogging is a rather common activity nowadays. Back then people were asked to give invite codes before they could create their accounts.  We have it easy these days, I swear. ;)  And these days, web hosting and domain names are relatively cheaper!  I used to share webspace with 3 other folks.  It was that expensive back in the day. Even just registering the domain name was expensive. I think it used to cost a couple of thousands per year.

Now that I think about it,  I have a friend who asked me about this topic a couple of weeks ago.  Here it goes:
1. Think of the domain name you really think is appropriate for  your blog or website.
2. Check it if it is still available. Most domain registrars have a tool to check if the domain name you like is still available. Commonly used registrars include the following: GoDaddy, Dreamhost, etc.  Locally, I use Ploghost.com because I've registered craftyneko.com with them for quite a while now. Also, I could pay them without even having a credit card because they have an option of paying through bank deposits.
3. Once you already have your chosen domain name, you could use it now. But it depends on what you're using. Some webhosting services actually just ask you for the domain name and do everything for you.  If not, it depends on the tool you're provided with.  The important things to learn are the following: CNAME and ANAME.  These are the two things that you will definitely need, whatever tool you have. If you're using Blogger too, check out this guide from GoDaddy.

So, in this day and age, you've got an idea for a website and you're not sure how to go about it?  There are many options that even newbies can try and have fun with. Let me write down several options that I think you could use when you want to create a website or a blog.

1. Start out by using a blogging service. 
Why do I suggest using a blogging service?  Blogging services have really easy to use features.  If this is your first time to write a blog or create a website, you don't have to worry a lot about the format.  You could focus on the content that you want to put on it.  If you want to post content about cats, then feel free to do so and you could select from the many services like Blogger, Tumblr, Posterous, WordPress.com, etc.  You could even remove the comments section from such blogs if you mainly want to share information and you don't really feel like managing comments. (But, trust me. Comments can be quite good because you could learn from your readers too!)

Another nice thing about blogging services is that they also sometimes give you the option of registering your custom domain through them.  If you have a credit card or PayPal account, it should be easy. Within a few clicks and a form to fill up, you have your own site and a custom domain to go with it. And you just have to pay a certain amount (it varies from one service to another).  Everything's quite convenient.

2. Use a website builder.
If you don't want to have a very bloggish format, and you want it to be more customized, you could opt to try a website builder like Weebly. Or if you already have a Google account, why not try Google Sites?  Both give you a lot of control without having to learn so much technical details just yet.  You could still do drag and drop of stuff to create your website on these two services.  Not bad at all, right?  And not too geeky yet.

More often than not, website builders already have themes included so you don't have to think about the colors much unless there's a very specific branding you want to achieve and if you have enough time to do some tweaks.

3. For the more technically-inclined, get your own webhost and domain name.
This is something I've also tried.  I paid for a webhost and I registered my domain.  In this case, you need to learn quite a bit, depending on how customized you want things to be.  You might also need to familiarize yourself with things like PHP, WordPress, Joomla, Apache, etc.  The good thing though is that there are usually people who are available to help you.  If you want to try this one, I suggest that you really ask a friend to guide you through the steps and that you shouldn't rush it.  After all, you will seriously be the one to maintain everything including making sure that your data has backups.  For a time, Dreamhost was pretty popular among my friends.  Some webhosting providers bundle domain registration with the webhosting service.   They make it easy for their users to just start submitting their preferred .com or .org (etc.) and for the users to start setting up their website.

Among the three, I am currently more into blogging rather than having my own focused website.  For one thing, most of my content is written from a personal perspective and so Blogger was something that I easily gravitated to when I got lazy and stopped my old WordPress setup.  As much as I loved WordPress so much, it also took my time to manage it. So what I did was basically keep the domain name I registered before and set it up in Blogger so that it will now be pointing to this blog.  It makes sense to me.

What about you?  Have you been thinking about having your own blog or website lately?  Share with me the options you've looked at. I am definitely curious.

My Day to Day Makeup

I've posted about my daily skin care routine, which will be updated soon? Lol. I'm trying out the Tony Moly products that I just bought so there's a chance that I will be updating that soon.

Because I live far from the office, I try to use only a little amount of makeup just so I won't look like I am some strange creature. Or I don't even bother with makeup at all, save for tinted lip balm.  Lol. Anyway, here it goes:

What are these items?

1. Luview Aqua Essence BB Cream
2. Benefit Cha-Cha Tint
3. Laneige Snow Crystal Moisture in Tea Beige
4. Human Heart Nature Tinted Lip Balm in Island Kiss
5. Nichido Girls Night Out in white
6. K-Palette 24-hour eyeliner

I don't even bother with using brushes when it's part of my daily routine.  Why? It is inconvenient to wash brushes.  All of these products have the fuss-free factor when it comes to using them.

I don't bother using powder these days unless I think my face is insanely oily or if I feel that it is humid. I just use oil control film to let it absorb the oils on the surface of my skin.  Thankfully the Luview Aqua Essence bb cream doesn't add much oiliness to my face.  It doesn't have awesome oil control but at least it doesn't make it worse either and it's sheer. Something that I love for everyday use!

When it comes to my cheeks, Cha Cha Tint simply works! Just two small dots on each cheek and I spread them using my fingers. It's also ok on my lips if I want it pinkish with a hint of peach. For my eyes I normally just line the top lash line with my black eye liner pen. K-Palette 24 - hour eyeliner is the only one that really works for me. So far.  Oh and it dries quickly, something that I love about it! Unlike other liquid eyeliners that take forever to dry, I just close my eyes for a bit and it's dry.  The Nichido Girls Night Out in white is something that I use for my waterline and lower lash line.

My lips are dry but at least they don't crack anymore. It's because I learned to use lip balm (or lip cream) before going to bed at night.  When I feel a bit lazy I just use Human Nature's lip balm in Island Kiss because it has this nice orangey tint to it.  Kinda like applying lip tint and lip gloss at the same time. It's in a stick form too so it's very convenient.  As for days when I feel like wearing lipstick, I usually end up getting the Laneige Snow Crystal Moisture in tea beige.  It's even more natural looking on my lips compared to The Face Shop's Black Label in #7. :)  I don't even use lip balm before applying the Laneige lippie sometimes and it's ok. My lips don't dry up! XD

Some of you might say that I should work with my eyes! Especially the eyebrows.  Because I am rather lazy at making sure that my eyebrows look the same, I skip it. And eyeshadow? Gosh. I am so new to this. But I do use additional eye makeup products when I have the time.  They are as follows:

• A - Luview Gleam Full Mascara
• B - Etude House Drawing Eyebrow #1
• C - Tony Moly Crystal Eye Decoration #8 (I think)

I've been using the Maybelline Hypercurl Mascara but I find the Luview one prettier on my lashes.  And as far as eyebrows go, using pencil is easy.  Maybe when I run out of this product I will get an eyebrow kit. ;)  Why did I pick Tony Moly's Crystal Eye Decoration? It's convenient and I like the shimmer-level.

There you go.  These things are not always in my kikay/beauty kit by the way.  I usually leave most of them at home because I don't see the need to retouch except for my lipstick or tinted lip balm.

What's your makeup like during weekdays? :)

My Latest Tony Moly Haul

The Korean brand Tony Moly announced a sale and I was plenty excited when I first read about it. Sadly I wasn't able to check out any of their stores and counters until this weekend.  When I dropped by SM Makati, I was already tempted to get the snail cream on the spot. But they didn't have the Dr. Tony Pore Clear Sebum Control Serum.  I wanted to prioritize that product because I really ran out of serum already. So I took a chance by going to SM Fairview this afternoon.  I was lucky enough to see that particular serum right away! :D

And then I also saw Kikay Trekkie's tweet and Facebook update. Gosh. Snail cream. I've been wanting to get myself snail cream for the longest time. It was almost 50% off so I know I just had to get it. And I am now crossing my fingers that my skin will react well to the product. :)

My haul:

Left to Right: UV Sunset Maximum Sun Block Cream sample, Floria Nutra-Energy Toner with Argan Oil, Intense Repair Live Snail Cream, Dr. Tony Pore Clear Sebum Control Serum

The serum. It's in a glass bottle and it has a pump. Not travel friendly. Better have a container for it if you want to use it during your travel.  That or trial size sachets.

The snail cream is in a tub and they give you a spatula for it.  Better make sure it's always clean!  It also came with travel size versions of the snail lotion and snail skin. SNAIL SKIN?!?!?! I seriously am not sure what they mean by snail skin.  I have yet to do my research on these two products.

And lastly, what's my total bill?!

It's not cheap, considering I only bought two products, right? BUT! On regular days, these items cost much more.   The snail cream alone is around PhP 2000 and the serume is almost PhP 700.  That's why even though I was reluctant to break my budget, I also bought the snail cream.  I am really hoping it will help me deal with my skin troubles!

I've been prepped up via Kikay Trekkie's review of the Tony Moly Intense Repair Snail Cream. I am expecting to only put a little of it in the day so that I won't find it too sticky or heavy in the mornings. Maybe I will apply more in the evening, as there's more time for it to get absorbed by my skin.  I am crossing my fingers that I will find both products effective.

Did you shop during the sale? What's your haul like? :)

Matsumoto Jun Is With Me All The Time

Yes. He is! Well, his picture to be more precise. Thanks to Charo for helping me out yesterday. Now I can take screen shots on my phone. Now the internet knows that I think Matsumoto Jun is one of the best actors out there.

RANT: On switching from Linux to Windows XP

The short version: It sucks.

The long version:
I wouldn't really do it if it was just about me. But my aunt will start using this old machine so it's not practical to convince her to use Linux. After all, I will be quite far away from her so tech support will be an issue. Anyway, I am getting really pissed off.

For starters, on Linux we have live CDs which can be installed immediately to the machine. And if the machine (like my netbook) has a faulty external DVD/CD drive, we could still manage to install a Linux distro.  Converting the disc image into a bootable USB installer isn't as convoluted nor as tedious nor as long as converting a Windows XP installer.

I suppose people will say it's because it was not meant to be used this way.  True that. But still. It's really getting on my nerves now. ~_~ So the next time someone asks me if I could help them convert their old Linux machine to Windows XP, I'd probably not do it unless I have REALLY PLENTY of TIME.  And if it's not a case of something similar to my aunt,  I will just help them find a good set of tools for their needs.

Komku is the tool I am currently using for this process. I will bookmark the link but I am crossing my fingers that I will NEVER have to do this again. ~_~ details later.

Trying Out Shawill

I have been wanting to learn how to apply eye shadow on myself. But the quad I got from ELF isn't exactly what I hoped for. So I started asking for recommendations from my friends online and offline. Because I passed by SM Makati I just had to get some Shawill stuff.
My mini haul. The total is less than 300 pesos! Check out the prices. They are quite cheap! But I think that the eye shadow palette colors are so pigmented and they are worth playing with! Evidence of how the colors show up: I also got a lipstick because it was a nice red. Not matte but it's dark :-) I will not be using this shade very often so I find it OK to get it cheap. Got any favorite stuff from Shawill? Let me know so I could check it out.

GADC Manila - Still Waiting For Participants

We've got some participants here at the CodeFlux office and some are still on their way here. If you signed up online do come here and join us!

GADC Manila happening at CodeFlux this weekend!

Some folks at CodeFlux are preparing for this weekend's Global Android Developer Camp.  It's a 48-hour long hackathon.  Android developers who have ideas have a chance to showcase their skills and learn from each other.

These are the IDs to be used later. 

The walls of the organizers' area looks like this this morning. 

We've got shirts here for the participants too! Haha XD Better come and register.  I am not sure if the participants will still be allowed to join tomorrow if they fail to show up this evening.  Here's hoping I'd see really cool apps this weekend! :D  I will definitely try to keep this blog updated based on what I see happening here at CodeFlux.

Sam Won With Someone Special

The other night was Valentine's day. JM and I didn't really have plans for it. But we wanted to eat dinner and I craved for kimchi chigae. At first I suggested that we go to Kkachi but he pointed out that it was the 14th so there would be heavy traffic in the Makati Avenue - Burgos area. What to do when such a dilemma comes your way? Well, you could check out foursquare XDDDD But it was getting rather late so we talked about it. I kidded him about going to BF Paranaque, where there are a lot of Korean restaurants etc. So yeah we did! Our friend Joel has been telling us about Sam Won. But we never got the chance to check it out until the other night. It's a Korean grill located in BF Paranaque, along Aguirre Avenue. It was crowded when we arrived. Families were enjoying the grilled delights. We ordered two dishes : kimchi chigae and sangyupsal. We were asked by the Korean lady manning the table near the entrance if we wanted to have our kimchi chigae mild. Of course not! Hahaha. We both like spicy food! While waiting for our food, it was explained to us that because we only ordered one sangyupsal they were going to grill it for us. But for orders of two or more plates of meat, we could grill them on our own. Maybe next time.

Kimchi. Chigae. This was pretty good. Not as spicy as we wished it would be but at least we know by now that we should ask for it to be spicy next time we go there. They serve this dish with one cup of rice. I forgot to take pictures of the sangyupsal :-( We were so hungry so by the time it arrived we just ate. It was pretty good too! The pork was marinated nicely. I am not sure what spices they used but it was sweet, salty and a little spicy - not in the chili kind but the spicy meaning there are spices. I was able to take pictures of the side dishes they gave us.

 
Next time (I will make sure there is one!) I will take pictures of the grilled meat. :) It was a rather filling meal for us considering we just shared everything. Our total bill was around 600 pesos, more or less.   You could ask for house tea and it's free of charge.  We got one 1 liter bottle of it! It was pretty ok. I think it was barley tea.
Google Maps doesn't seem to have an entry for this place yet. Or my internet connection's so slow it's not loading all the information. Anyhow, click this link to see the general area where Sam Won is located.
Their address is: 226 Aguirre Avenue Phase 2, BF Homes Paranaque.

A Lovely Surprise - From Nanny Rose

Got home really late tonight but all is good. I just got a really lovely package today, courtesy of Amanda from Nanny Rose's :) I have made a quick review of their waxing kit on my old blog and I think it would be great to have a more detailed review one of these days. Especially now that I think I have more reasons to do so! They apparently have more products now. Want to see what they are? Read on! Left to right: Four Slices of Raspberry Cheesecake lip balm, Lemonest Lemony lip balm + sunscreen, The Waxer's Starter Kit (Sticks & Pulls, and Mild Like Chamomile after wax salve), Sweet as Pea hand + elbow salve, The Common Mint Peppermint foot salve. The salves came just in time! I am glad that I will have a chance to try them out. My feet feel so tired from walking and my elbows aren't so smooth - they're elbows, I know, but at least they don't have to be so rough. Such cute colors on the salves' packaging :-) I am biased towards these colors hahaha. I've got new lip balms to try as well. I am addicted to lip products, I swear. I will definitely give these a test run in the coming days. Starting tomorrow lol. One of them has spf protection, so that's something to possibly try for summer. ;-) And last but not the least : The Waxer's Starter Kit! When I first bought their waxing kit, it was just Sticks & Pulls. I didn't see an after wax salve. This is going to be interesting to try, that’s for sure. Been busy lately and I ended up converting most of my pants to skirts so I have been shaving more often than before. *gasp* But I swear : it's just a quick remedy for my leg hair. Ugh. I will definitely try to not shave and wax instead. It looks much neater too. That's all for now. This is a preview of things to come on my blog. Have you posted your latest beauty haul? Feel free to comment to share the link here. :-)

Quick Review: Tony Moly Eye Decoration #8

I bought some stuff from Tony Moly in SM North last month after I met up with the pretty Marilou of Princess Wannabe. :) Here is a photo of my purchases from Tony Moly:

Tony Moly Lemon Seed Massage Cream (PhP 198), Crystal Blusher #7 (PhP 298), Crystal Eye Decoration #8 (PhP 248)

A closer look at the Crystal Eye Decoration

I think that from this point on, reviews will have a general Yay, Ok or Nay comment. Each factor to be reviewed will have those words.

Form Factor: Yay!

It is one of the most convenient things, ever. If you're someone on the go and have not much time to do your face, or if you want to transform your no makeup look into something a little more funky, the Crystal Eye Decoration is convenient to bring along in your bag/purse.  You get an eyeliner and an eyeshadow in this stick form.  No need to bring brushes along too.  The applicator is built on one of the ends of this makeup product. ;)

This is the eye shadow end of the product.  Unscrewing the cap reveals the applicator. The cap contains the eyeshadow.  When you tip the cap over, the eye shadow doesn't fall out of it so don't worry. ;) It's fine even for makeup newbies! If you want more product, just screw the cap back on and then unscrew it.  The applicator end has a spring-like mechanism that unwinds the applicator when it's not capped but when it's capped, it kinda makes sure that it pushes the sponge tip against the eye shadow.  It's a little hard to explain.  But you could head to your nearest Tony Moly counter to check it. 

The eyeliner end doesn't need unscrewing. Just lift the cap off to use the automatic eyeliner. :)

The product is straightforward in terms of using it.  Just dab/swipe the eyeshadow applicator on your eyelids to give your eyes the nice shimmery powder eyeshadow.  I chose #08 because it wasn't white. It's supposed to be peach but it looks more like a really light yellow to me. It's fine by me because it's not a very difficult color to wear. It looks a little natural when you just swipe it a couple of times but the shimmery goodness is more obvious if you swipe a lot of this product.

The eyeliner is an eyeliner. Twist the eyeliner end to extend the length of the eyeliner's tip. Then use it on your lashlines.

Swatches: Ok. (Neither Yay, nor Nay)

Here is a picture of the product's swatches.

On the left is the eyeliner; on the right is the eye shadow. The eyeliner actually has little golden shimmers. It is not so obvious here, sorry.  It swatches darker on my hand compared to what it's like when you apply it on the upper lashline. I guess it's because I can't really apply much pressure on that part of my eye. I am scared.  But not to worry because you could just apply another layer of the product anyway, if you want really bold lines, that is.  I think that the eyeliner's texture is not too soft, that's why I am more careful when using it. 

As you can see, the eyeshadow I picked is just really light. I am still not used to very dramatic colors so I picked this. It's just right for me.

Pardon the bad lighting in my room but here's a picture to show what it looks like when you use both ends of the Crystal Eye Decoration stick.  The eyeshadow is makes the eyes shimmery and brighter and the eyeliner really does define my eyes well. :)

Lasting Effect: Ok

I went to a couple of events using this. When using an eye primer, the eye shadow lasts practically all afternoon and evening.  But without, you need to retouch, depending on how oily your lids are.  As for the eyeliner, it gets a little smudgy if you're the kind who would easily cry or when you yawn, tears fall down. But in general, I think it's fine.

Value for Money: Yay!

I think that it's worth buying. :) I wanted a different color but it wasn't available in SM North. I should look at other branches to see if they have other colors available.

Overall: It's a Yay! for the Tony Moly Crystal Eye Decoration in my book :)

I have simple needs and this is so convenient. When I go out, I could just bring a couple of things in my purse for retouching/touch ups! They are: this, Benefit's Porefessional, a lipstick and oil control film and everything is fine. Seriously!  I will just be careful in using this on my lower lashline though. But all things considered, it's a go for me even if I do have oily eyelids.  As long as I've prepped my face properly before applying makeup and I've got all my essentials done and my full face on, I just need those things for retouching.

Potato Love at Murphy's

Potatoes have a special place in my heart. Seriously. I like eating baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, french fries, potato wedges, potato chips, etc. Yes, the carbs. Gah. No wonder I find it so difficult to lose weight.  I used to order baked potatoes from Wendy's but I am not sure if they're as worth buying as they used to.  But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I've got another baked potato source when I am craving it and I'm in Makati.  That happens to be Murphy's!

Baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli!

A closer look at the baked potato :)

I swear it is glorious!  I just went to Murphy's a few times before and I didn't know unti some time last November that they serve baked potatoes and you could basically have whatever toppings you want with it.  I was expecting like a potato, just like in Wendy's.  But no.  During the instances I ordered baked potatoes, it was always a pair of them nicely baked potatoes that have whatever topping I asked for.  The price varies based on your order. I think bacon is a relatively expensive topping compared to brococoli and cheese.

I forgot how much this combination of toppings and potatoes cost. It's been several weeks since this was eaten. ~_~ (Yes, I have a whole backlog of food posts!)  But I think that it's around 160-200 pesos and it's sooo filling. I think I could only eat up to 1.5 potatoes when I am hungry.

If you love baked potatoes and want a different set of toppings instead of the usual cheese and bacon, try heading to Murphy's! You could even eat this dish with a glass of your favorite beer if you so wish it.

Quick Review: Laneige Snow Crystal Moisture in Tea Beige

Laneige Snow Crystal Moisture in Tea Beige

Price: 475 Pesos (reduced price because of buy 1, take 1 promo)

Place bought: Laneige Trinoma

I learned about the Laneige promo thanks to Chic Sassy Mom. :) Saw her post in Facebook about her new lippies and I couldn't help but get myself a couple because it's Laneige on sale. Hahaha. XD Marge/KikayTrekkie has good reviews about the Laneige lipsticks so I can't help but be curious myself. I've been looking at their website's listing of lippies ever since I read the reviews.

Pardon my really wide nose. Please look at how it looks like on my lips instead XD

So yeah, this lipstick is beige. I originally wanted the latte beige.  But I thought that this tea beige shade looked better on me.  It's brownish pink on me, something that I actually really like. It's one of my default lippies now because it's more natural looking than the Paparazzi Coral lipstick from Etude House's Look at My Lips collection.

What I love about it:

• The color is natural looking! 
• It lasts quite a bit longer than most lippies I have. It says 8 hours but it depends on what I eat and how much I wipe my lips.
• It doesn't dry my lips. I could use it even without a layer of lip balm first.
• So far, the packaging hasn't failed me, compared to the Look At My Lips one.  This one seems to have a secure cap!
• Got it on a discount. ;)

What I don't love so much about it:

• Maybe the regular price? But even if it happens to be at a regular price, I'd get it anyway.  I've been meaning to get myself a lippie or two from their shop.
• Maybe it's a little more difficult to say if this shade has lasting power haha. I think it looks quite natural looking on me depending on the lighting.

At the end of the day, I could say that I am soooo happy about this product!  I am considering getting more Laneige lipsticks in the coming months, depending on how much lip product I end up using haha.

Tapsilog Time at Sinangag Express

Nothing beats a hearty breakfast! And we Filipinos seem to know how to enjoy our breakfast. Whether it's pan de sal or something -silog (sinangag at itlog), we'd really make sure that our stomachs will be full before we even start our day.  I happen to prefer -silog food in the morning, if it's possible.  Especially if it's tapsilog with spicy vinegar!  

Last month, we fetched our friends from the airport and considering we were all so hungry, we ate breakfast at Sinangag Express on Malugay Street. 

Ah yes, they are open 24 hours a day! Isn't that marvelous?

And yes, of course it's a meal. Tapsilog ftw! Don't forget the vinegar!

My verdict:

I really loved it!  I loved the flavor of the tapa. It wasn't too salty.  And even with the spicy vinegar, you could still taste the goodness of the tapa.  Considering this was breakfast and it didn't have as much rice as the usual from the other Sinangag Express in Makati Cinema Square, nor like Tapa King's meals either, it was quite filling.  At least I didn't feel like I had too much rice!   And I am glad that I asked for spicy vinegar.  It's addicting hahaha. XD

Will I go back for this? Sure! Now I know why my boyfriend and one of our friends go to Sinangag Express in BF Paranaque to have dinner when they go home late from work.  It's filling and it's not so expensive because it's less than 100 pesos (roughly 2.25 USD or so).

Details:

Sinangag Express

Sinangag Express Website

Sinangag Express Malugay on FourSquare

Sinangag Express' general area on Google Maps

January 2012: Coffee Cupcakes

My very first attempt at coffee cupcakes! :)

I've decided to challenge myself to learn at least one new recipe each month.  So that means I should have learned at least 12 new recipes a year!  I plan to try something new once a month and tweak that as I go along.  For the first month of 2012, I made coffee cupcakes because January is my sister's birth month. She happens to like coffee. ;)

I used this recipe for coffee cupcakes as basis of what I made. But of course, not everything is perfect.  I didn't have all the ingredients so I substituted some stuff.

Alterations:

buttermilk -- milk with vinegar as substitute (basis: about.com's page on buttermilk substitutes)

corn syrup -- none used

Things Learned:

1. There's no need to rush out for buttermilk because you could make it at home. I usually read about people using lemon but for people like me, we don't have lemon at home often. Thankfully vinegar works too!

2. Do not burn sugar. I think that the coffee syrup didn't end up becoming sweet is because I burned it.  Better set the heat to low. Or maybe I should try using a double boiler?  Just to avoid the bitter flavor.

3. Pre-heat the oven long enough to ensure that the heat will be more evenly distributed.  I am not sure if I got this right. But I think I pre-heated the oven longer this time compared to when I baked before. Hrmmm.

4. Buttermilk seems to have made the cupcakes less dense than what I expected.  I suppose it's to be expected?

I think that this recipe would be better if it had something like a dulce de leche filling inside, I think. Especially if the coffee syrup ended up a bit bitter.  I will definitely try making a new batch one of these days.