Chronicles of Skin: The Ultimate Diamond Facial at Skin, The Spa + Giveaway!

The phrase The Spa will always be two syllables that will bring the image of relaxation to mind. Apart from the usual fare of kneading, The Spa has always been a favorite urban retreat for the simple reason that their ginger tea is a concoction that will make you want to stay inside it forever.

However, on a (hot) Tuesday afternoon, I was in for something different as I turned right to SKIN, instead of turning left to the spa reception. I was feeling a wee bit dull in the face area and when weekends and holidays have been devoted to housework, a girl can opt for a facial instead.

The first order of every facial (and girls, you must remember this) is a talk with the dermatologist to discuss your skin’s state, while sipping hot ginger tea, of course. SKIN’s derma (who had a fabulous perm and perfect poreless skin) had been a kind and listening ear to my skin woes. I told her about my breakout episode last year where nothing, NOTHING, could stop my breakout. As I recently discovered, I have no hyperthyroidism, as I was previously told so it was probably just a bad case of stress mixed with a breakout phase. Thankfully, I had no breakouts this time, just acne scars from decades ago. She recommended dermaroller --- which I promised myself I would save up for, even if the maximum recovery would just be up to 85% of the skin.

After my long quandary on the topic of skin, I moved towards questioning her about why I had such intense hairfall --- so much so that I asked her if I was dying. LOL. The derma conducted a bit of hairfall test on me and surprise! My hairfall rate was just normal. She said that if 3 out of 10 of your hair falls, then that’s something to be concerned about. I had 0 and had a total of 50 for an entire day. The threshold is up to 200. HA!

The Ultimate Diamond Facial

To tell you candidly, I was every bit of ready to face pricking --- tiis ganda, in local parlance. I knew from experience that there was always some pain from the pricking wherein your facialist would ask you “Ma’am, masakit ba?” through your tear-stained face. I was ready but the pain, when it came, was tolerable and get this --- done by the dermatologist herself.

The facial itself consisted of the usual treat of cleansing the face properly. Like any other The Spa massage, I almost dozed off into oblivion. According to Dra., massages keep the blood circulation in the face. The point of regular facials is to clean the face of accumulated dirt that normal cleansing do not remove. Whereas normal facials are just clean and go, this one included a diamond peel which is a softer version of peels, yet a tougher way to exfoliate. In a nutshell, it’s a procedure worthy of becoming a routine every three weeks or so.

That, and you get to have the ginger tea again after your treatment :P

To inquire about Ultimate Diamond Facial, you can call SKIN at 4038000 /  09178092399 or visit them at SKIN Dermatology and Laser Center inside The Spa Welness, The Fort Bonifacio Highstreet Taguig City. Opening Soon at Shangri-la Mall. 

NOW, the fun part: one lucky reader will get to go through the same luxurious treatment as I have, which is the Ultimate Diamond Facial! All you have to do are:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That’s my skin after two days: minimal blemishes and no more dullness!

Winner will be drawn on Friday, May 24, 2013. Goodluck!

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Chronicles of Cream Blush: Bobbi Brown Sheer Cherry Cheek Tint

For so many years, I have shied away from anything cream, liquid or anything that needs to be blended. You see, growing up, I had the most hideous acne – which produced the yuckiest scars. Surely, they’re still there and my cheeks have scars but I guess aging has a way of making things seem better.

When Bobbi Brown came out with a Pink + Red collection, I was iffy to try out the red stuff because a) I am almost never a red lipstick kind of person and b) I hadn’t worn cream blush in a long, long time.

Bobbi Brown’s Sheer Cherry cheek tint comes off as a scary, intimidating true red at first. When I first opened the fab twist cap, I was thinking all sorts of ways to tone down the redness of it so I could wear it everyday. Upon swatching on the back of my hands, it was just perfect.

The Good:

Where have I been all this time? Cream blush is perfect, especially if you have dry skin. Of course, I don’t have dry skin (combination) but I make it work instead by patting Bobbi Brown Retouching Powder in Yellow most days. BB Sheer Cherry makes it impossible to look over-flushed because you can always blend with your fingers once you’ve swiped your cheeks already.

No scent. Goody.

Blendable.

Natural. Can’t get over the fact that for once in this lifetime, red looks actually good on me (walang kontra! =P)

The packaging. Bobbi Brown, hands down, is the topnotcher when it comes to classy, consistent packaging. Love the elegant black casing of everything.

Wear it everyday. This has been my consistent blush for daytime --- and in case I need something stronger for nighttime, I highlight it with BYS Bronzing Powder.

Not bad at Php 1,350 a pop.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Cherry Cheek Tint is available at all Bobbi Brown counters at Rustan’s.

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Chronicles of the Eight-Hour Sleep: The Fake Up

One of the truly good things about my life is my ability to fall asleep anywhere, anytime and up to eight hours or more. When I hear about my friends and their sleeping patterns, I sometimes get envious that I cannot sleep in the wee hours and wake up looking like a fresh daisy at 7 AM. If I sleep at 2 AM, I would much rather not sleep at all than wakeup at 10 AM.

If you’re any of the Team E (hullo, girls!), you would know how “mantika” I sleep, too. Throw in an angry dog, noisy neighbors and morning chika and you would find me still in blissful sleep. I don’t know where I get that.

Now, as we grow older, I find that even with good sleep, our undereyes develop so much more baggage than it did when we were in our teens. It used to be that we had zero to minimal eye baggage – and now, even with eight hour sleeps, we look a bit haggard and worn out. And when it does happen: there’s always the concealer.

There are only a few concealers I tote around everywhere with me. Let me introduce to you the newest one in my stash, specifically designed to hide eye bags and fine lines AND moisturize those areas, too.

In real life, faking it may sound like a bad idea but when you’re sad and you try to fake happiness, it does come true! It’s a personal belief that if you see yourself eyebag-less and with healthy vibrant skin, it will eventually happen, too!

Anyway, here’s a short and sweet lineup of good and bad:

The Good:

Hydrating. There are only a few creamy concealers in the market and Benefit’s Fake Up tops that list. This fact is due to the addition of Vitamin E and appleseed extract to the semi-transparent external portion of the stick as you can see in the photo. It’s truly a treat to swipe the Fake Up stick onto the under eye and pat gently with the ring finger because it glides on ever so smoothly!

Perfect for touch ups. There was a day in my working life that I had spent the entire day crying in front of my computer --- I just had such bad day I couldn’t stop crying but I needed to work so I had been doing a strategy deck while crying my eyes into puffiness. By end of day, I had a dinner to go to so I swiped Fake Up very quickly in the car and during dinner, no one could tell I had been crying all day. True story.

Once you go Fake Up … Prior to using Fake Up, I used a drugstore brand which delivered but lacked in the brightening department. After using Fake Up (which I mix with High Beam and It’s Potent), I was spoiled silly by the way the concoction lighted up my face (yes, feeling!). I have stopped feeling dry under my eyes, too. Guess the apple seed extract and Vitamin E worked!

The packaging! I love that it’s like a lipstick and fits my makeup bag perfectly.


The Not too good:

This product, in my opinion, is designed for the undereyes. It has a bit of tendency of slide off if applied in oilier areas like the chin. You may have to turn to powder and/or matte concealers for those.

If you live in an area more humid than Manila (now, how is that possible?), it might not stand the test of weather. Then again, if it can withstand Manila weather (which it does), then you’re in good hands.

Other than that, there is nothing I can think negative of this product. Hooray for Benefit’s Fake Up!


Benefit Fake Up is available at Benefit stores in Greenbelt 5, Shangri La Plaza and soon in Trinoma at Php 1,300.

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Things to be grateful for

It was a Friday, and the girls and I were exchanging messages throughout the day. Shen, Sophie, Jheng and my bestfriend, Dang have all been my constant companions since three months ago that I finally decided to ham it up to life and try living entirely on my own. Yes, ala Carrie Bradshaw. For many months, I’d been deciding what to call how it feels and last night, while reading the May issue of Real Simple, where a lady comes back to her former home and calls her former love writes about how she chose the path where she is now --- that it had been like walking on a tightrope but it she loved it because hope sustains us and that love takes many forms, including the one for self.

It had been like walking on a tightrope. Every step of the way is either a triumph or a small loss. It hasn’t been an entirely losing battle --- and I know it won’t be. But I have to say everyday has been a challenge.

“Do you miss your nieces and nephews?” asked my mentor and great friend J. I used to live next door to my baby nieces and nephews and whenever I felt somber, I always came up to them and cuddled them like little puppies. “Of course, I do. I just see them every other week now but this is the way it has to be,” I said.

Granted, living solo has its grievances --- but mostly it has been a joyous experience. I get to learn about myself. It started with the fact that I after all, didn’t need so much to exist. Like a certain showbiz personality, I slept on the floor for a few weeks while waiting for my bed to arrive. I’ve whittled down the pairs of shoes I own and I can, in fact, be a good hostess, after all. The dishes may have been such a chore but with Shen’s technique (aka cheering yourself while doing the dishes “Hell to the yeah!), dishes and cleaning the bathroom have been extremely fun.

And because instead of feeling morose as I usually do on this kind of day (it is Mothers’ Day morning as I type this), I would just like to share with you five things I am grateful for today, the past weeks, and in the future. There can never be too much gratitude to feel --- so I hope that in so doing, I will spread the good feeling it has been giving me.

1. Team E girls. I honestly do not know where I would be on several days that the girls have picked me up from “lusak” as we call it. There are days when a human feels her lowest and when I am in my lowest of lows, they are always there to cheer me up, spray me lavender oils (hello, Sophie!), show photos of boudoirs (Jamie!) sing crazy songs with me (Shots!), make my bed and do my dishes (thank you, BFF!) and cheer the dishes with me (Shenny!). Life has truly been like Carrie and the girls and I am ever so grateful for having found these girls in my life.

2. Linen Spray, All is Well and high thread count sheets. For Jheng’s birthday, we all drove up to her hometown in Bataan. It was my first time to sleep beside Sophie, whom I discovered to be such a luxurious sleeper! Through her, I discovered the miracle ball (which relieves back pains etc.), the So True Naturals Lavender Linen Spray that put me to sleep for 12 hours (yes, ask anyone), and All is Well oil from Zenutrients. AH! Heaven! When I returned to Manila, I was having withdrawal symptoms so Sophie came to my rescue with the spray and oil. As for me, to complete my new luxurious sleeping habit, I changed all sheets to my highest thread count ones and slept for hours on end at my home.

3. Aerosmith’s The Global Warming Tour. It has been five days since I was rocking out to Steven Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith but until now, I have goosebumps from Steven’s performance. ANG GALING! When Manila Concert Scene first announced it, I already screamed in anticipation but sort of waned out when I saw the prices because they weren’t cheap! But hey, Steven Tyler is Steven Tyler. I prayed for days and thought about it like I was embarking on a big journey. In the end, I allowed myself the little joy of seeing a rock legend live and after the concert, I was truly, truly grateful that all odds were in my favor to make it happen. I am a very happy girl.

With my friends Johann and Rose at the Aerosmith concert. LOVED THIS CONCERT SO MUCH!

4. Travel plans. I think it was in Forbes Magazine, or Fast Co. or INC where I read it that one’s high on making travel plans is much higher after the travel itself. I am somewhere in there right now and it surprises me that the feeling of wanderlust is stronger than ever. For a while (and maybe because I was so focused on nesting and chores) that I have forgotten what it felt like to be in new soil, immersing in culture you’ve only read up in books and hearing languages you don’t understand. I am on a travel planning high and I can’t wait!

5. Faith. “When you have nowhere else to go, look up,” said my good friend Jheng. And when she does that, I am always in tears at how could I even forget going to God when I have troubles. I admit that I am a very un-Christian Christian. I sin in so many ways every day and despite reading the Bible and attending small group meetings and worship services and listening to The Anthem on repeat. And despite all of that, faith saves me --- and makes me believe that despite being more wicked than I would ever dare find out, I am loved more than I would ever dare realize.

And to you, my dear reader, thank you for always indulging my thoughts. I hope that you have a great and blessed day.

xx

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Do Millenials Really?

This TIME cover came out last night online and as someone born in the 80s, I had some deep thinking to do.

Cover by TIME Magazine

Those aren’t just unfounded negative stereotypes about 80 million Americans born roughly between 1980 and 2000. They’re backed up by a decade of sociological research. The National Institutes of Health found that for people in their 20s, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is three times as high than the generation that’s 65 or older. In 1992, 80 percent of people under 23 wanted to one day have a job with greater responsibility; ten years later, 60 percent did. Millennials received so many participation trophies growing up that 40 percent of them think they should be promoted every two years – regardless of performance. They’re so hopeful about the future you might think they hadn’t heard of something called the Great Recession.

Source - Josh Sanburn http://nation.time.com/2013/05/09/millennials-the-next-greatest-generation/#ixzz2SrxJZxaV

Even in China, where family history is more important than any individual, the Internet, urbanization and the one-child policy have created a generation as overconfident and self-involved as the Western one. And these aren't just rich-kid problems: poor millennials have even higher rates of narcissism, materialism and technology addiction in their ghetto-fabulous lives.

I couldn't exactly say that the entire article was unfounded --- I had to go through several paragraphs of research and statistics that proved that our generation has indeed become too self-involved. In an attempt at both pseudo humility and proving the article's point, I had to look at myself and realized that I am a very good example of Me, Me, Me. I've been a victim of too much Instagramming and talking about myself that there are days that I drive myself crazy thinking about myself, what I need, what I want and where I need to be.

I had been talking with a blogger I look up to {Hi, F!} and she mentioned to me that she reads my blog now that I don't talk so much about beauty --- and instead, err, well, non-beauty stuff. "I've grown up," I told her. "I've gotten sick of my face plastered all over my monitor, actually." And that is the truth. There was a time that I've gotten so abhorrent towards beauty blogging and vanity that I got into 'inspirational' blogging instead.

And I mean it. But even then, every single day, I find myself plastering my life all over the Internet as I am doing this very minute. I find tapping on my iPad when I'm away from my Mac and I find myself liking my virtual friends more than some people I meet sometimes.

Oh. :s

But in the end, Joel Stein redeems the millenials -- as they often do. And maybe, despite the self-entitlement, the piggybacking on parents, the narcissistic lifestyle, there is hope that even the generations after us will not emerge into a Me, Me, Me, Me one.

So, yes, we have all that data about narcissism and laziness and entitlement. But a generation's greatness isn't determined by data; it's determined by how they react to the challenges that befall them. And, just as important, by how we react to them. Whether you think millennials are the new greatest generation of optimistic entrepreneurs or a group of 80 million people about to implode in a dwarf star of tears when their expectations are unmet depends largely on how you view change. Me, I choose to believe in the children. God knows they do.

What do you think?

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