A few weeks ago I was featured in Carina's Softly Sometimes Nosy Beauty series, which goes through an average Juanita's makeup kit. If you're like me and love peeking into other people's private stuff lol, I highly recommend you check it out. Even if you're not, Carina's spontaneous and personal style of blogging will keep you reading. My humble contribution is located here.

Hi everyone! If you follow me on instagram you'll know I'm back in California. Also flying to the East Coast next week, taking care of some real-life stuff. So sadly entries will be few and far between. Before I left I had a great, albeit rainy, day:

This is the start of a series in which we peek into people's skincare routines, starting with my own.

I believe the best thing you can do for your skin is to pay attention. The state of your skin determines what products will give you the best results. And I'm not just talking about general oiliness or dullness, but seasonal and hormonal changes as well. This is partly why my routine changes every few months, usually depending on the weather. For your reference my skin is combination-oily, with normal cheeks and an oily T-zone. I tend to favor the milder skincare products because I find that they balance my skin better.

Let's begin with my night time routine, just because it's more extensive.

Happy long weekend Philippines! I know many of you are using it to catch up on work and chores, but for the lucky few who have nothing to do, or are just looking to procrastinate, here's a roundup of my favorite YouTube beauty vloggers (ohhh, that term is so awkward but so appropriate).

I used to favor written blog posts over videos because it takes sooo long for vids to load. But I've come to appreciate seeing a product in action, how the light reflects off it, its heft in a human hand.

These people are my favorites because they:

1. are very articulate, i.e. coherent with few pauses. Even if they're filming in their bathroom or on their living room floor, their fluency gives a sense of professionalism to the video.
2. give comprehensive reviews, or post tutorials that can apply to many skin types and face shapes.
3. review a variety of products, from department store to drug store.
4. upload their videos in high-quality. Pixelly videos make the bb Jesus cry.

I was at the Carmel Drug Store just browsing when I saw they had a rack of Japonesque makeup brushes. Being Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea for that matter, I had a feeling the price was jacked up but something about the Japonesque Pro Eye Shadow Crease Brush called out to me. I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually 75 cents less than at Ulta. It was doubly fortunate that I snatched it up because I didn't encounter another Japonesque brush during the rest of my trip. And honestly, ever since I got it I've been using this every time I do my eyes.

I am forever trying to get control of my hair. Daily hair-washing removes hair's natural oils and by itself is enough to put a strain on my mane. And you know how fond we are of taking baths. Way too easy to get sticky and sweaty in our weather! It's actually a requirement in some residencies that you bathe before morning rounds, lol.

So my hair, it won't submit to just any conditioner. It has to be the aggressively anti-frizz kind, which works partly by weighing your hair down. In times of high humidity, this sucks. So when I need a little bounce in my step I break out Yves Rocher Éclat Radiance Rinsing Vinegar.

This photo looks like food, perhaps some sort of sandwich spread. It's actually a bath product, but it sure smells good enough to eat! As soon as I sniffed the Zenutrients Oatmeal & Goat's Milk Intensive Body Scrub at Sesou I dropped it into my basket.