BLOG and LIFE Update

Hi Lovelies!

Its been two years since my last blog post. I have almost forgotten about this blog. haha

Allow me to give you some updates...

(1) SKIN UPDATE

Do you still remember my posts regarding how I battled my acne with so much products and treatments? I had an acne flare right out of college on places where I never get them (let me tell you, they came in troops). Well, turns out the problem is inside me. Specifically inside my ovaries! Yes I have traced where the horrible acne situation is coming from (after 3 years of frustration). I have PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. And one of the most seen symptoms is the facial acne. I will be posting how I got rid of my pimples because I truly believe most girls will be able to relate. Less than a month after taking my medication, they were all gone, gone, gone. MAGIC! I know how difficult it is to pinpoint the cause and treat the nasty zits so I will share. As of the moment, I am enjoying my skin. Buh-bye Zit World! ;)

After taking my medication, I tried Fractional CO2 Laser to reduce my acne scars.

(2) LESS MAKEUP

I have already lessened my makeup addiction since being able to visit the gym and try Boxing. I felt so unhealthy and lethargic because I have not been treating my body right. I eat what I want to without regards to my health and weight which is a NO-NO if you want to live longer and have a better lifestyle. Since going into the gym, I have not been putting on makeup like I used to. And let me tell you, my skin is loving it! Since being pimple-free, I trained myself to put lesser makeup therefore lessening my expenses from hoarding. haha 

(3) HAIR COLOR

I cellophaned my rusty colored hair with a black tint and cared for it with regular at home hair treatments. I switched to Kerastase Bain Reinforce Shampoo and Conditioner again then treated my hair once a month with L'Oreal Power Dose. It's not broomstick straight anymore if you know what I mean. haha It feels healthy and easier to manage as well. I intend to keep my hair black and healthy! 

What was I thinking???

   

Black & Healthy! Woohoo!

(3) BOOK READ

I am currently reading this book written by a Japanese Author Marie Kondo, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up". It was translated to English by Cathy Hirano so it can be available to all readers worldwide and true enough 2 million copies has been sold thereafter reaching the status of #1 New York Times Best Seller. 

"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo
Available at FullyBooked for 680php only

This is a book featuring the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing of which I am in dire need of.  I got curious if it can really help me declutter my room and walk-in closet. Not that I have no idea how to declutter/organize but I have my rebound times after tidying. I always find myself messing everything that I have organized in a very short span of time. It gets all tiring, tidying the same space all over again.

I will update you with how I find the book. With fingers and legs crossed, I can declutter/organize my room and let it stay as it is, FOREVER??? Oh well, that's too much of a dream.

(4) And of course, my lovely ROOM MATES

I got two lovely dogs named Dixie and Leigh. Both are Pomeranian! Dixie (right) is 1 year and 6months old while Leigh (left) just turned 4years old. 

Leigh (left) and Dixie (right) during our Christmas photo shoot.

It was my first time to let my dog have a Paw Party. Dixie celebrated her first barkday with human and furry friends in an Italian Restaurant. It was fun! Then we celebrated Leigh's 4th Birthday at home. 

Barkday Cake & Pup Cakes from Whole Pet Kitchen and the loots bag I prepared.

Dixie's 1st Barkday Party at the veranda of Ristorante Bigoli Eastwood.

That's it! I will not bombard you with so much stuff that is happening in my life right now. I just feel I had to share so much stuff after being MIA for too long. haha Looking forward to more blog posts this year. 

Thank you for taking your time to drop by my blog. It is my pleasure writing for you lovely girls!

LOVE,

Anna

PS Thank you Instagram for letting me remember what happened in the past 2years! haha

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-lasting Makeup Setting Spray

I can't stress how I HATE it when my makeup melts! Whether its because of my oily combination skin or our hot & humid Philippine weather. I have tried different products that promised to make my makeup stay longer but only one stood out. (you might have guessed that from my title! haha)

Presenting the...

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-lasting Makeup Setting Spray

First off before proceeding, let me enumerate some of the stuff that I have tried:

• Model in a Bottle, 18USD for 2 fl oz. Got the original formula so your face looks super shiny after spraying this on. Does its job but this was the stickiest that I have tried so far. Feels heavy on the face almost like hairspray on the face. And to add to that, smells like hairspray. I thought I can use to to set my hair in place! haha Even if it does the job, I don't want to put something sticky on my face.
• Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish, 29USD for 4 fl oz. Attained a luminous finish with this one but is still feels there, a bit sticky too. Though not as sticky as Model in a Bottle. Will  feel lighter after drying. Claims to make your makeup last for up to 16hrs, true that but hello to my shiny face. haha
• MAC Fix +, 21USD for 3.4 fl oz. This was the first one I tried. Well it doesn't claim to be a setting spray but it does somehow make my makeup stay for a little longer. Love this spray for making the makeup look natural and not too powdery.

After trying those ones, I thought I'm going to stay with the Skindinavia Bridal Spray. Not until my sister tried it and told me her makeup spray is better than mine! How dare you! hahahaha

Well I gave it a try and HEEEEEYYY...... So sad to admit its true! haha You did a good job sister! After several times of borrowing her bottle, I gave in and bought mine because there was a good deal for an XL size from Carefreeshopper. Woot! Woot!

HOW I USE IT?

After I'm done with everything for my makeup except the brow set, I spray this on about 4 times on my face (horizontally on my forehead, vertically from forehead to chin and one circular motion for the whole face) and one spray for my neck too. I find this a better way because I am concentrating on my oily T-Zone and lesser on my dry cheek areas. Afterwhich, I dust on a bit of powder (usually what is only left on the brush I used to set my liquid foundation). Then apply I can apply my brow set already. And I'm done!

HOW IT FEELS ON MY FACE?

It feels light on the face after drying. I don't feel that its there working for my makeup but I can see a great difference from when I forget to spray this on. The smell is definitely also lighter from the recent sprays I have tried. 

THE PACKAGING?

I got a big bottle so it is hard to fit in a small makeup bag for when I'm travelling. But I don't really mind. I just sneak it into one of my toiletries bag together with the shampoos, condiotioner, etc. I also like the atomizer as it sprays on just the right amount and also evenly on the face. 

VALUE FOR MONEY?

This may come on a higher price point because it retails 29USD for 4 fl oz. But just imagine it saving you from all the makeup retouches you have to do in a day. Therefore, it can also save you from using up all your makeup! Because I like this so much, I am going to find a backup at Sephora SG during my upcoming trip. This is a staple to my makeup routine already!

At the back of the bottle, you can see this.

"URBAN DECAY by Skindinavia"

So this is a collab between Urban Decay and Skindinavia, right? But how did it happen that this feels better than Skindinavia's own line? Remains a mystery to me. o_o

It has a newer packaging and this is what you'll get if you plan to purchase it...

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-lasting Makeup Setting Spray

There you go... This is already a long review. It seems I can never make my posts as short and concise like others do. Sorry Lovelies!

Have you tried any makeup setting spray?

LOVE,

Anna

Meeting JLovesMac1

Lovelies!!!

If you are reading this blog, chances are you might be one of the girls who also watches Youtube videos of Beauty Gurus... Are you a subbie of JLovesMac1? 

Well I just want to share my experience on her Meet & Greet last April 1, 2013 at the Guess Store in New Glorietta. 

I am very lucky to meet one of my fave Beauty Gurus and she is a Filipina too!  She's here for a vacation/reunion with her family after 14 years of being in the US. Jarmaine Santiago also known as 'JLovesMac1' in the Youtube beauty community is very different from her virtual alter ego. She seems very shy but not snob! Looks better in personal and I adore her tanned skin which she got from her stay in Boracay. She entertained everyone during the event given a limited time (her flight back home is later that evening). I say about little less than a hundred came? Not entirely sure though. 

I am a subscriber of her channel for years now and I really enjoy watching her videos. She's not your ordinary Beauty Guru! She also airs advice videos. And her sense of humor is remarkable which makes  her not boring to watch.

Thank you Jarmaine for giving some of your time to your Pinay subbies! More power and remain down to earth as you already are!

Photo Credit: Regrammed from Kate's IG.

This is also a shoutout to Kate who I met during the event. She was my companion throughout the meet & greet. And she was very kind to take a picture for me because my phone's battery is about to die that time. We exchanged numbers and since then we followed each other back thru our IG accounts. haha Thank you Kate! :D  

LOVE,

Anna

Updated Face Routine for Summer 2013

Hi Lovelies!

Am I still welcome to blog? haha I never knew blogging could take up as much time. Kudos to the consistent bloggers out there. :)

I'm back with an Updated Face Routine as my rhyming post title suggests. As the season change, I change my makeup too. I use those that will stand the heat and humidity of Summer. Without further rambling, here it goes...

Of course before we apply makeup to our face, we need to prep it (clean, tone & moisturize). This is a non-negotiable step for me! I may skip the makeup but NEVER my morning skin routine. I use my toner, moisturizer and sunblock on this step. After which, I skip the primer because I guess I don't find it necessary for the foundation I will be using. 

I proceed with my Foundation of choice. I am currently interchanging the use of the Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation and my Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation. On most days, I prefer the light to medium coverage of the Shiseido one (this comes with a high SPF but it surprisingly photographs well). I only use Vichy Dermablend for days when I need more coverage. Mind you, both are non-comedogenic! I am not someone to sweat it all out when its hot but I definitely perspire a bit. I worry that my foundation will clog my pores when it mixes with sweat. Gross as it sounds but its a reality especially in summer. With a non-comedogenic foundation, I don't need to worry about makeup clogging my dear pores. 

Conceal my blemishes! I use 2 concealers. The Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer for my undereye area and the Kat Von D Tattoo concealer for my other blemishes. Sometimes I skip the Kat Von D concealer when I get too lazy. But the undereye concealing is also non-negotiable!!! haha Yes with three exclamation points. If I can only select one makeup product for my face, it would be my undereye concealer. 

Powder everything! I have an oily combination skin so this is something I do to stop the makeup from moving and being soaked up with my skin oils. I prefer this T.LeClerc Pressed Powder in Banane because of its yellow tone. It kinda brightens my face also.

Contouring for my chubby bunny face! I use The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer to slim down my face. Plus this step makes everything look more natural and not so flat. 

By putting blush, you're making your skin appear healthier. I apply my MAC Pink Swoon Powder Blush at the higher part of my back cheek. Yes on the back cheek just above my contour. And to give it a gradient effect, I apply a tiny bit of MAC Well Dressed Powder Blush on the apples of my cheek dragging it up to meet the MAC Pink Swoon. If I am lazy, I just apply the MAC Pink Swoon. haha

Grooming my brows makes a big difference to how neat my makeup looks. I prefer a subtle arch. I use MAC Wedge Eyeshadow to fill-in and contour my brows. Then set it with MAC Brow Set in Beguile to prevent the hair from straying. 

Lastly, I do 3-4 spritzes of my makeup setting spray.  I use the Urban Decay All-Nighter. This will allow your makeup to endure the heat and humidity without melting. Plus it makes your skin appear just a bit dewy. No need for a highlighter! ;) (Sorry I forgot to take a photo.)

I know some would say I use a LOT of products for my Face Routine. But trust me, if everything is put on its proper place with moderation it wouldn't appear like you've put as much. And throughout the day (even with the setting spray), the makeup will fade. It becomes more natural as the day goes by. 

Everything is available locally except for the Vichy Foundation, Bourjois Concealer and Kat Von D Concealer. But I'm sure you can preorder from various personal shoppers site. I recommend Carefreeshopper.

Freshly applied makeup

There you go Lovelies...

I would like to know if there something unique you do on your routine. Feel free to share at the comments section below. 

LOVE,

Anna 

First Visit at American Eagle Outfitters

Hi Lovelies! 

I haven't posted in months. But I am working on some posts to get back into the blogging scheme. Meanwhile, let me share with you my first visit in American Eagle Outfitters.

So American Eagle Outfitters opened its flagship store at Bonifacio High Street Global City last March 1, 2013. Never had the chance to visit but sure enough I didn't plan to visit on its opening day. 'Twas a good decision though. I have read that there was a runway show and many celebrities were there. Shay Mitchell who stars in the series Pretty Little Liars was also there. Packed as heck, right? 

But I had the time to visit yesterday. We'll actually I just sneaked it in after bringing my little cousins to play at Active Fun across the AE Store. I spent prolly 30 minutes trying to find some pieces to wear for an upcoming trip in a month's time. I don't have my SLR with me so I am popping photos I uploaded on my IG account. Sorry for the low res. :(

One bag for my purchases.

Luckily I IGed some photos while I was in the fitting room... haha

Knit Sweater, 2,499PhP

Can you see the lit button just above my shoulders? I think all fittings rooms should have that feature. If you need something from the SA, just press the button. No need to go out of the room! :) 

Tank Top, 999PhP and Shorts (don't know the price, didn't get it! haha)

Out of all the things I got, this one is my favorite. They call it a Festival Shortie and of course I am in the size 00 (smallest). that's how petite I am. :(

Festival Shortie, 2,499PhP

I also got some other stuff but I didn't take a photo of them. They also have Aerie which showcases their lingerie line in a portion of the store. From what I know, they have another floor for men. I think the store's worth a visit!

Have you visited the AE Store, Lovelies?

Love,

Anna

PS
If you want to follow me on Instagram: annacay
Thanks! ;)