As reported on my Instagram, I've just returned from a 5-day trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Some say that's a pretty long stay for Bangkok, but there was so much we didn't get to do (and shop for)! Now that I'm back home, I'm cramming a surprise birthday video and just looking at my USMLE study schedule is making me palpitate. But stay tuned because I've got a ton of pictures (and shopping tips!) to share.
About a month ago I subscribed to the first local beauty subscription service, SaladBox. (Over the next few weeks, more services announced that they would be launching soon, i.e., GlamourBox and SampleRoom.)
Subscribing allows you to receive monthly beauty boxes. Each box contains four or more samples, full-size or promotion-size, from different high-end and up-and-coming brands. If you like what you received, you can purchase the full size on the website. Like a try-before-you-buy thing. October is their first month of SaladBoxes.
For just PhP 500.00 per month, a subscriber will receive a box filled with four or more beauty and lifestyle product samples. The SaladBox team greatly values the money their subscribers spend so these products will have a value of more than PhP 700.00. SaladBox is currently in partnership with a lot of beauty and lifestyle brands, both local and international, up-and-coming and timeless classics.
To show our appreciation towards our subscribers, SaladBox will also host a weekly flash sale—these deals won’t be seen in any other group buying website in the country—wherein only the subscribers can take advantage of the awesome discounts that SaladBox negotiated from their partner merchants. First deal in line is from Lay Bare Waxing Salon.
Subscribing allows you to receive monthly beauty boxes. Each box contains four or more samples, full-size or promotion-size, from different high-end and up-and-coming brands. If you like what you received, you can purchase the full size on the website. Like a try-before-you-buy thing. October is their first month of SaladBoxes.
I'm making a list of things to do once J finishes his pre-residency. I know he'll want to bum around for a bit. Can't wait!
1. Watch: Ted, Argo, Looper, Sinister, Pitch Perfect, Lawless, V/H/S, Safety Not Guaranteed, Wreck It Ralph
2. Eat! Yabu, Lugang, some Korean restaurant near his place
3. Be together.
1. Watch: Ted, Argo, Looper, Sinister, Pitch Perfect, Lawless, V/H/S, Safety Not Guaranteed, Wreck It Ralph
2. Eat! Yabu, Lugang, some Korean restaurant near his place
3. Be together.
My parents just came back from a trip to Japan, with several goodies for us. Above is a large durable freebie bag I'll be using as carry-on during my trip to Bangkok. *iamexcite*
These were actually a last-minute buy. I wanted to know the price difference between K-Palette here and K-Palette in its original Japan. Turns out it's pretty small -- only Php 100. (Good job Beauty Bar!) Although we don't have the K-Palette mascara available here (yet?). In the back is a lightweight red polka dot umbrella that my mom was very impressed with ...until my sister pointed out it was made in China. DERP.
More from my trip to Cebu.
You probably haven't noticed, but I modified a few things here and there on this blog. Web design is a dynamic process, and I tweak my code a few times a week. (I'm still working out why the Facebook like box isn't showing up in the sidebar on Chrome.) Below are some of the new things on this blog.
National Bookstore impulse buys! Highlighter hoarding and stuff for Hey Kessy's October mail swap.
This is the first post I'll be making exclusively from my phone. (Even the photos are taken with my iPhone.) It doubles as practice for when I go to Bangkok without a laptop. :) Also, all but two of these photos were run through a vintage filter on Snapseed. I'll probably regret doing this, but for now I'm liking the effect.
A few months ago I heard about Hiruscar. Just my luck, Ensogo was running a deal where you could get two tubes for the price of one. This was the first time I was going to avail of a deal from Ensogo, and it was a pickup one at that.
On a Thursday afternoon, I set off for Global City. After getting a little lost, I found the W Building where the Ensogo office is located. I guess a lot of people pick their items up because the guard at bag check immediately asked me if I was there for Ensogo. He then directed me to reception, where I registered and left an ID.
A few months ago I heard about Hiruscar. Just my luck, Ensogo was running a deal where you could get two tubes for the price of one. This was the first time I was going to avail of a deal from Ensogo, and it was a pickup one at that.
On a Thursday afternoon, I set off for Global City. After getting a little lost, I found the W Building where the Ensogo office is located. I guess a lot of people pick their items up because the guard at bag check immediately asked me if I was there for Ensogo. He then directed me to reception, where I registered and left an ID.
I recently entered a survey contest and was very surprised and pleased to be included among the winners. I received a Nyx HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Blush, which was great because I was on the hunt for a new blush. Even more perfect was the color I was sent: Terra Cotta, a deep coral/bronzy shade, just what I was looking for. Big thanks to the folks at Digital Traincase!
As I've said before, I am such a late bloomer and only recently realized that: (1) I have to start taking better care of my skin, and (2) there is makeup.
I'm just kidding about number 2! What I mean is, I've never applied my own makeup beyond a light dusting of face powder and a tinted lip balm. I've always enlisted the help of my mother or a makeup artist when I needed a makeover for a prom, debut, or wedding. Until this year, that is. With the end of internship came more free time to spend online, and with that came the discovery of niche bloggers.
Here I round up my five favorite beauty bloggers.
I'm just kidding about number 2! What I mean is, I've never applied my own makeup beyond a light dusting of face powder and a tinted lip balm. I've always enlisted the help of my mother or a makeup artist when I needed a makeover for a prom, debut, or wedding. Until this year, that is. With the end of internship came more free time to spend online, and with that came the discovery of niche bloggers.
Here I round up my five favorite beauty bloggers.
photos are copyright their respective bloggers
Above: I'm sending my charger to someone who's on 24-hour hospital duty six days a week, and the airmail theme sort of made sense. Every piece of the charger is decorated for easy identification. (Stuff in hospitals tend to get "misplaced" veeery easily.) Washi tape is, as usual, from Hey Kessy.
This week's link love includes some fantastic nail art, fiction recs, vocabulary tips, and news about the controversial Cybercrime Law.
This week in nail art:
This week's link love includes some fantastic nail art, fiction recs, vocabulary tips, and news about the controversial Cybercrime Law.
This week in nail art:
- Drippin' Dots - a new twist using the old dotting tool
- Black Cats Galore - perfect for Halloween
- Candy Mermaid Nails - so cute!
- Geometric Orange Nails - classy without being boring
click for full size
I've only just started learning about skincare and makeup (yes, I'm a late bloomer). During my board review, my break time from reading books was spent reading articles on anti-aging and pore-refining. Not only did I grasp the concept of glomerulotubular balance vs. tubuloglomerular feedback; I finally understood what my mom meant when she would say she was beginning her "nightly ceremony." As I browsed through countless articles (Flipboard is such an enabler), I realized I wasn't doing enough to protect my skin from nature's onslaught -- and many of things I was doing, I was doing wrong. Here are some of the mistakes I didn't know I was making.
I've only just started learning about skincare and makeup (yes, I'm a late bloomer). During my board review, my break time from reading books was spent reading articles on anti-aging and pore-refining. Not only did I grasp the concept of glomerulotubular balance vs. tubuloglomerular feedback; I finally understood what my mom meant when she would say she was beginning her "nightly ceremony." As I browsed through countless articles (Flipboard is such an enabler), I realized I wasn't doing enough to protect my skin from nature's onslaught -- and many of things I was doing, I was doing wrong. Here are some of the mistakes I didn't know I was making.
Last week I availed of a voucher from CashCashPinoy for a Brazilian Blowout at The List Salon and Spa in Fort Bonifacio. Thanks to CCP, it cost only one-third of the original price. While I was there, their manicurist talked me into getting a manicure with gel polish.
Brazilian Blowout
I've tried hair spas and hot oil treatments before but they disappear after one shampoo. I've never had my hair straightened because I don't like the way rebonding and relaxing result in limp stick-straight hair. I like my hair with volume. Unfortunately, I have too much of it. :pThe Brazilian Blowout got my attention because it calls itself a "smoothing treatment," in that it doesn't result in flat-iron hair like relaxing or rebonding, but instead improves the quality of the strands and maintains the "body" of the hair. It is a cumulative treatment, in that the more you receive it, the healthier the hair will be and the longer the result will last. A hair procedure that would control my frizzy and wavy hair while retaining its natural volume? Sounds too good to be true.