Give Until It Hurts

Yesterday we went to UERM to bring food and water. I saw a friend of mine at the lobby whose car was one of those you saw in the video floating in the water. It was his colleague that was on top of the car and was later on rescued. They were still there yesterday because they were waiting for the tow trucks for the cars that were tossed and turned by the flood.

The whole hospital has been shut down and almost all the patients have been transferred to other hospitals or discharged. We just dropped off our relief goods at ABS-CBN last night instead.

So many people at ABS-CBN donating or volunteering. My little girl was excited when we went because she thought she was going to hand out the food and water herself to the victims. She was so disappointed when she couldn't. We had to tell her gently that she couldn't do that as of now coz she's only 4 y/o. Also, the relief goods we sent would have to be sorted out and repacked individually to benefit more people.

I know what it means when they say "give until it hurts". We emptied what was left in our wallets to buy the relief goods. Turns out it was hubby's car insurance budget he used. Now I feel guilty ordering and buying beauty products the last couple of weeks when that money could be used to help other people.

I hope more people donate because so many people still need help.

Typhoon Ondoy Update

I was able to contact my cousin at last. They are safe in Pasig but their 1st floor is still under water. Unfortunately, my relatives who live near me aren't. Their house was devastated. A few of my friends also had their cars and houses destroyed.

My mom's staff in the office were also affected. We were able to donate a few bags of clothes (mine, hubby's and DD's) and my DD's diapers that she wasn't able to use when she got potty trained (all still new!). Will bring bottled water later to UERM for the patients.

Hubby temporarily has no work because the hospitals and clinics have no electricity and the operating rooms were inoperable (this means no income for us!). Also no phone lines in the clinics.

I don't think I could buy or blog about beauty products at the moment.

Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims

My heart goes out to all those affected by Typhoon Ondoy (Int'l name Ketsana). They say it's worse than what happened to Hurricane Katrina in the US.

My family and I are safe here at home and power was restored last night. Flood waters were waist deep outside our gate and it NEVER floods in our place. It almost went in to our house...maybe around an inch to go. We put all electronic equipment and electrical cords on higher places just in case.

A lot of people in other places are not so lucky. I still don't have word from my cousin and his family who lives in Pasig. Can't contact his phone. I hope they're all okay.

Just search the word Ondoy and you'll see lots of heartbreaking photos. My alma mater was also badly affected- UERM.

To make matters worse, there are 2 more typhoons coming! I hope it doesn't really hit the Philippines.

Please send donations to ABS-CBN or GMA (the network), the Red Cross or other organizations that truly want to help . Thanks!

Olay Complete SPF 15 Combination/Oily

Another sunscreen/moisturizer I use in rotation with my other SPF moisturizers is the Olay Complete SPF 15 for Combination/Oily skin. It has UVA/UVB protection and is non-greasy. It makes the skin silky soft to touch while lessening shine for oily skinned gals like me.

Ingredients:

Since it only has SPF 15, I use this only for days when I don't expect myself to be out in the sun at all. Instead I use my Neutrogena ones with higher SPFs.

Like other Olay products, I don't breakout with their use. This doesn't completely eliminate shine but it helps for a few hours. I've tried it under makeup and it can be used as a base too. There is a mild fragrance like their other moisturizers but it goes away quickly.

There are other variants for this line to suit your particular skin type: Normal, Sensitive and Combi/Oily. I got this 6 oz. bottle from drugstore.com for around $10 but checking now, it looks like they have changed the packaging. The other variants are readily available though (fromOlay website).

It may be available locally from PX stores in Greenhills or Somera (Glorietta) but I'm sure the prices would be jacked up.

Wedding FOTD

Went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time and had delicious food. Was also able to use makeup that were new and those that I rarely use.

FOTD:

Avon Magix SPF 20 (tube) as primer

Lauress Minimalist Pure Yellow (1st layer)

Adored with Grace foundation Hope 3.8/4.2 mix (2nd layer)

Dreamworld Creme Topping (clay/silica) in Banana

Silk Naturals Unblush on under eye area

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Dark on e/b

Blush:

Contour & Blush Palette on cheeks

Eyes:

Jessie's Girl Quad 4 on eyelids

Makeup Masala gel liner in Cocoa on upper and lower lash lines

(I forgot to put on mascara!)

Lips:

Stila Lipglaze Stick in Blackberry

Celeteque Advance Update: Week 3

True Results Celeteque Advance Challenge Week 3 has passed.

I still don't see any results nor improvement on the fine lines under my eyes :-(

before:

week 3

Just don't mind the un-groomed eyebrows on Week 3.

Nature's Gate Extra Strength Spot Corrector

One of the things I recently bought from Healthy Options is this: Nature's Gate Natural Results SA Acne Tx Extra Strength Spot Corrector (Uh, really long name huh?).

As I've probably said a million times over, I love Salicylic Acid, or rather my face does. I am allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide, one of the main treatments for acne so this does it for me. Also BP made my face geisha like since I started using it as prescribed by my derma way back in high school. I never noticed that I was walking the world with a head that looked different from my body until I got into makeup 3 years ago. Then I had the problem of evening out my skin tone so my face and neck matched, haaay!

Anyway, back to the product, I got this for P300+ for a half ounce tube (sells for $9.99 in the US so it's much cheaper here in Manila). It's organic (hurray!) containing 2% salicylic acid as it's active ingredient plus other good stuff like lemongrass, echinacea, ginger root extract, pumpkin seed extract, etc. It is a bit thick going on but you just have to spread it well. Only a little bit is needed and the packaging dispenses just a little at a time since the nozzle is tiny. No product is wasted. Plus, there is no strong medicinal smell.

It is dermatologist-tested, Paraben free and can be used up to 2 times a day (I use it twice a day). And like all acne treatments, a good sunscreen should be used daily while using this.

I've been using it for more than 4 weeks now and it healed the little breakouts I had (from trying out a product to be posted later). It does help quickly but gently combat those nasty zits while not drying out my skin. Usually topical meds like this (especially extra strength ones) would give you the flakies but it didn't for me.

I will definitely continue using this because it isn't that expensive, it's organic and it works.

Shen's Birthday Contest

Shen of Shen's Addiction is having a birhtday contest. I'm reposting it here:

Open to all Philippine-based readers/bloggers as long as you meet the following criteria:

1. You must be a follower of Shensaddiction.com blog

2. You must have an active and legitimate blog, running not less than 3 months. (not necessarily a beauty blog) Active, meaning you are posting regularly for the past three months.

To join, write the following at the comment section:

1. Answer: What's the best memory you have of your mother?

2. Type in your Name and Blog Address (no emails please. if you have a legit blog, it means I can contact you. I also don't want to be a weapon of spammers online. hehehe!)

3. Spread the news of this contest via your website. Please link or repost of this post. Of course I won't judge it based on your answer. I will choose the sole winner randomly.

Prizes will be of the following:

birthday contest - prizes by leeshengee on Polyvore.com

It's not much but these are some my favorite products and I'm hoping to share them with the lucky winner. :)

Deadline: September 20, 2009, 11:59pm.

Winners will be announced through post on this blog and contacted via her blog. :)

I reserve the right to disqualify contestants that I deem unfit to join this contest. Thank you once again for continuing to read my addictions. :)

Additional Prizes:

*****FIRST PRIZE*****


***SECOND PRIZE***


*THIRD PRIZE*

I will now be able to give three lucky readers/bloggers a chance to try products that I love and has become a part of my daily routine.

much love,

Shen

Your Lips But Better

Look what came in the mail this week. I seriously thought this package has gotten lost in the mail because my friend Jen sent it to me end of July. It took a month and a half to get to me. The PO mark on the package was Sept. 1 and they said that due to the bad weather the past couple of weeks they had a backlog of packages.

Anyway, I bought 4 lip balms and she sent me a ton of freebies. It was all packaged well with a really cute logo of Gigi her dog on it.

I ordered the following lip balms:

L-R: Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Raspberry, Raspberry Mocha, Neapolitan Ice Cream

The Freebies:

L-R: Apple Grape lip balm, Rose Lip Balm, Vanilla Lotion Stick

Mint Lemonade Soap:

Adorned with Grace eyeshadow pigments:

Jen's card:

The Rose lip balm went to my mom. The Neapolitan Ice Cream was my DD's order and the rest are mine, mwahahahaaa! I love lip balms and Jen's smell so delicious. They're all organic and home made. The balms go on smooth, not runny or hard. Just the right consistency in my opinion. They make my lips soft although I am not sure how long they really last on the lips coz I keep reapplying mine just to smell it.

My DD has also kept the soap to herself and the mmu pigments I will share with my Malaysian friend Sue who is currently in the country for job training.

I hope Jen makes more delicious smelling balms and one with SPF too.

Celeteque Advance Update: Week 2

Here's Week 2 of my True Results Celeteque Advance Challenge.

I don't see any changes yet so far. I've also been sleeping a bit late the past week and been busy with family acitivities.

Four more weeks to go.

before:

week 1:

week 2:

E.L.F. Nail Polish

Have you tried e.l.f. nail polishes?

I recently tried 3 shades which I got from the Makeup Mix Shop (click on the logo at my sidebar to shop) and I got the following shades (L-R): Berry Pink, Champagne and Bubble Gum Pink.

They are Big 3 Free (woohoo!) and cheap at only $1 per bottle. The best thing abut them? They dry fast! I didn't need to put on a quick dry topcoat when I swatched all these coz they were all dry to touch in a matter of a few minutes. Less than 5 minutes!

All swatched with no basecoat and no topcoat:

Bubble Gum Pink:

- I had a little problem with the formula on this one. I had on 4 coats of this shade because everytime I would put the next coat on it would drag the previous coat leaving uneven spots. The formula was a bit thick unlike the other 2 shades I got. You have to let it fully dry before applying the next coat (which I didn't do). I think I need to put a nail polish thinner in this one.

no flash

with flash

Champagne:

- This was 2 coats with no application problems. A very pretty neutral (and nude) color. This I left on my nails and had no chips for 3 days (because by then I had to remove it).

no flash

with flash

Berry Pink:

- This was 2 coats, no application problems. It's very pigmented.

no flash

with flash

***This one spilled (see bottle cover?) because I found out that my little girl played with all these 3 colors when I left them on my dresser. She put the different shades on her nails. Our bedsheets are also full of the Berry Pink shade because she tried to wipe them off her fingers then covered them with pillows so I wouldn't find out.

I hope e.l.f. would bring the nail polishes locally (and sell them cheaply) because these are really good polishes that are safe to use. There are a good number of shades to choose from too.

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit

The e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit. I got mine in the Dark shade from the Makeup Mix Shop (click logo on my sidebar to shop).

It is housed in a sleek black compact with a brow gel and powder plus a small dual-ended brush to use it with. There was a bit of condensation on the gel when I got it but it was no biggie. It was fairly easy to use even if I had very little experience with brow powders.

Swatch, no flash:

Powder on top, gel at bottom.

with flash:

I have thick and full brows that always need grooming/plucking. Most of the time I just use a brow gel in the tube or my Palladio brow wax pencil (which I can't find anywhere anymore) to tame my unruly brow hairs. I have one area at the middle of my right brow that is a bit sparse so this brow duo came in handy.

I put on the gel using the angled brush end first then the powder to fill in the color using the blending brush end. I used small strokes in the direction of hair growth and just cleaned up the upper and lower areas with a tissue. I then used my regular brow comb/brush to polish and blend evenly. I ended up with even and neater brows.

brows before:

brows after:

The shade was just right for my black brows. It just looked a bit darker coz I think I used too much powder but now I know better. It held up well for the half day I left it on my brows and I tried to rub it off but it stayed on. It doesn't say if it's waterproof so I'm assuming it isn't but at least it had good staying power. I think if I put a primer on it would last the whole day.

This is a good buy for me and one of the good products in the e.l.f Studio line. Plus it's so cheap too at only $3.

No DSL

I've had no phone line nor DSL connection since Monday and PLDT still hasn't repaired it. #@*#!!!

I am so pissed off! Sorry, I won't be able to reply to comments right away although I have scheduled posts which I did since a week ago. I am now at an internet cafe to do some important stuff online.

I am just so frustrated, Aaargh!

Haircut again

I got another haircut more than a week ago. Again from Tony & Jackey with my favorite Korean stylist Calvin (he really is so cute). My last haircut was end of June I think and it was just a bit longer than this cut but my hair grows fast so I had it cut really short. I'm sure by December my hair will be long again enough for me to put it in a small ponytail . It is just so hot that I can't stand it. However, short hair needs more styling for me because my hair is wavy. Oh well, at least I, or rather my hair, always looks different.

Photo taken Sunday when we went to Lipa, Batangas to visit my SIL and her family. We went around Fernando Airbase too since they live there. My hair is darker now than in the picture coz I colored it when we got home. I have a wedding to go to this week and my gray hairs are showing.

FOTD:

Face:

Adorned with Grace foundation in Hope 3.8 and 4.2 50/50 mix

Dreamworld Cream Toppings in Cafe Au Lait Clay/Silica

Blush:

Stila Cheek Duo in Pink Glow

Lips:

Eyeko Fat Balm in Strawberry

Celeteque Advance Update: Week 1

True Results Challenge Week 1:

I don't see that much difference yet on the lines beneath my eyes but my skin has definitely improved. It feels a bit "tighter" and my mom-in-law complimented me yesterday that my skin looked good.

Here are my before and after pictures.

Before

Week 1

On to Week 2.

Awards!

Thanks to the pretty Lelila for the award. I really appreciate it.

Please check my post here because I've done the same one previously.

DIY Project:lip balm in a tube

Isn't it frustrating and unhygeinic to use lip balms in pots? I prefer my lip balms (and glosses and other lippies for that matter) to be in tubes.

I've had the MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in Petting Pink for a few years (see, it's still in it's old jar container) but I don't often use it because it's in a pot. So a few weeks ago I did this:

From here:

To here:

I used a lip balm tube I've just used up and cleaned it well. I melted the MAC in the microwave then poured it in the tube. I let it harden in the refrigerator. I still have some left over in the pot but I'll transfer it when the tube has been halfway used up.

Neat huh? Thanks to Jen for teaching me how to do this.