Dirty Hairy Bath Time with Parian Spirit.

I have only a few tools in my self-declared kikay kit. So few you could count one to ten and that sums it all up LOL!

My brushes are the most used and abused in my kit (after all, yun lang naman ang mayroon ako haha). I have to be comfortable in using them so I would always clean my brushes. What do I use? I usually wash them with same shampoo my mom use which is Head & Shoulders (Is it bad? People please tell me!). Then I lightly spray it with alcohol before I let it to air dry.

I have been doing this since the first time I used my brushes.

One day, I decided to sneak a peek at Suesh Store and came out with this: Parian Spirit - Professional Make-up Brush Cleaner (8 Oz.).

I bought a small clear dish as my washing bin :)

Literally my tools.

Product Description: A cleaning agent that has a watery consistency. Upon opening it has a strong orange peel scent. When you sniff it long enough, it turns into this medicated scent. Transparent in appearance but when you dip something in it, oil-looking patches will be seen.

Product Performance: It did clean my brushes however I am not very convinced at the way it removes dirt, dust, and grime (Yuck!). After swirling for more than 10 minutes and leaving my brushes soaked in Parian Spirit, I can still see make-up residue when swiped on a clean white cloth. I had to wash my brushes again using shampoo to totally remove all stains.

Price and Placement: I bought mine from Suesh Store, but you can also get this from Nippon Esthetics Solutions. Ugh! I forgot how much I bought this. Tsk tsk! I have this shopping habit of buying something without remembering how much it costs. Bad, I know haha. At Nippon Esthetics Solutions you can purchase the same size at Php 650.00.

Let us see it in action! Ready? Go!

The Dirty Hairy Troop.

The aftermath.

See those spots on my brushes. The dirt were not completely removed.

Over-all, I am not impressed with it to buy another one. I am still in search for that HG material brush cleaner!

How about you? Care to share what you use as brush cleaner?

Ciao!

Snapshots #2.

I have been buying stuff lately. Maybe because of stress or nag-fefeeling mayaman lang ako haha!

I decided to buy loom bands for my sister. I plan to create one as well, but because of so many things going on for the past months I have not even touched the kit. (Hanggang ngayon plano pa din siya lol).

Bought for PhP 450.00 at a bazaar. 

The bold one, the glitter one, the one that glows, the metallic one,  and  the colorful one.

Me thinks of this as test tube. Or anything laboratory equipment.

Sadly, this one is not sturdy. Better buy a metal one. 

My friend went to Korea this year. And because she loves me (Hi bebs!), she bought me these.

From Korea with love. Sweet eh hehe.

She asked me to try out the snail mask. I'm up for being a guinea pig haha.

I actually asked for cute Korean guys to be shipped back in Manila, but the excess baggage was too pricey.

Ciao,

Maddie :3

Acnemy 101: The pro-activ way.

I am way past adolescence period but still I suffer from what most people would not want to have on their face – cystic acne with frequent appearance of black and white heads topped off with large pores plus ....(Kadiri much! Kelangan specific talaga haha! But you get the picture right?) Like the fortunate ones (the irony in it), I was teased since elementary until high school (I guess during college, people were sort of polite not say it in my face or we were all just busy trying to know what we really want to do).

One of the most embarrassing moments was when I won a free Majo-Majo session. I was having an extreme please-hide-my-face moment and all the girls there had divine skin condition (Kalerky!). Good thing the host was very kind and accommodating (she gave me a pat and told me not to worry!).

I really tried hard to find what will work for my acne. I used mineral powders (I got lazy in following the routine, plus it really gets messy when I use it), masks, peels, and pills (I will tell you about this in another blog post). Just last year, I found what really works for me (for the meantime that is). I do believe that at a certain point we all reach a saturation period for the products that we use.

I am just happy with my current skin condition and also confident enough to realize that life is bigger than my skin problems.

Here’s how I found out my current skin routine. Before I was using products which contains salicylic acid. It was a good way to target my large pimples, but was not effective in the long run. I later found a blog post where this one girl (whose skin is ever smooth and blemish-free) said she also suffered the same. I could not believe my eyes. There was no evidence that she suffered acne! 

In the post, she mentioned she was using Proactiv System. What!? I used to shun this product, because I saw it on a TV shopping network before. My ideology with TV shopping network is that, they just purely want you to pick up that phone and get your cold cash – minus the results of their products. Well, I dove in and bought one 30-day kit of Proactive. Guess what. It really does work! Hallelujah! My ultimate verdict that it worked is through my dermatologist. When I came to visit for my regular facial, she complimented on how clean my face is. I was planning to tell her that my good genes were already acting up haha!

I will continue to use Proactiv as long as I have cystic pimples. But it does not entirely remove white head or black head. Guess I'll have to still find a product to address those pesky skin problems!

Left: 30-day kit                       Right: 15-day kit

Proactiv here in the country comes in three packages. There is a 60-day kit, a 30-kit and a 15-day kit (This one is always sold-out). I have bought both 30-day and 15-day kits, and believe me you can go a long way with these kits. A 30-day kit lasted me 4 months while the 15-day kit for two months. The price ranges from PhP 1,500.00+ to PhP 3,000.00+ depending on the kit. I always buy my Proactiv at Watsons.

Here are the some photos to show you guys. I just had my facial session last night so my ‘After’ photo is not within this month. 

THE HORROR! Yes. It's what I wake up to everyday. Good thing I have optimism and confidence as my true skin lol.

I just had my facial session last night, so this photo was not taken this month.

Have you tried Proactiv as well?

Ciao,

Maddie <3

Chilly day spent at City Light Hotel Baguio.

NOTE: This is a late post. We visited Baguio August of last year.

Due to the call of duty (and additional revenue LOL!), my boss and I went Baguio. I’ll spare you with the usual turista blog, since we did not come there to do sight-seeing. Though, we enjoyed walking around Session Road while carrying 6 kilos of pasalubong. What a great way to insert some cardio work-out haha!

This is also my first backpacking trip. No luggage, no three to four bags with me (only if we bring our own car); just my white duffel bag and a shoulder bag. Yep, that is my definition of backpacking.

My boss decided to stay at City Light Hotel for our over-night business trip. I quite like the hotel, except for this and that. Just read on to know more.

·         How to get there? Upon arriving at Victory Liner Terminal, we hailed a taxi (Note: In reality, it is an FX) and paid 60.00 PHp. The trip was less than 5 minutes with moderate build up of traffic going up.

·         How much are the rooms? Since we went there just this month and on a weekday, we availed of their rainy day promo. For a deluxe room, we paid 1,820.00 PHp/ night for two pax with complimentary breakfast buffet. You’ll also need to shell out a refundable amount of 500.00 PHp for security deposit.

·         The room? The room has a modern minimalist flair to it. Well, modern –ish design is the whole concept of the hotel. But, the minimalism has been taken literally. The room was huge and bare. There were two beds (large enough to roll around) and a TV console table. That’s it. I think one or two chic furniture would not hurt. However, the room bathroom is clean so I am a happy kid while sleeping.

·         The food in their buffet menu was so-so. The seasoning, for most of their food, was more on the salty side.

·         Over-all experience? I’d stay again here IF (and a big if) there is an available Wi-Fi for each room.

Here are some photos which I took using my Samsung Phone:

Bathroom with heater. Yey!

Lobby area during the morning.

Fireplace accent for that evening look at the lobby.

Buffet.

Ciao,

Maddie

2014. New Year, New Me?

Happy New Year to all!

Yes, I know.
                                                                               

When was my last post? It was the around the third quarter but last year. Poor habits really die hard. With this in my mind, I will share to you some eye-opener ideas for the New Year (Inspired by reading blogs that make brutal sense and by spacing out to fuel my barely-there creative mind).

1.    New Year often signals the opportunity to change to a new version of yourself; be it with a new ‘do or new mantra in life or even a new resolution (which was actually Version 2 or 3 or your last year’s resolution). It never actually hurt to think that way. But the real catch is you can actually start even before the New Year to change to that better version of you. Why wait for New Year? When you wake up every single morning and realize that NOW is the day to seize something from your bucket list.

Last 2013 I said I will save money - literally, just not I-will-do-it next month type of attitude; but heck, I was not able to save any last January 2013, nor February 2013 or June 2013. Then I planned (deadly pitfall here), to start by 2014. Come August, after so much drama over why I could not see any money (in my wallet, in my bank account, in my other bag I left at home or under my bed) I decided to act on saving. I did not starve myself to death (but had acute gastro thing, which had me think on my eating habits), but I really fought the urge to buy the things I fancy. Needless to say, I reached my financial goal before December 30, 2013.

2.    New Year means clean slate, but what about that last year drama-problem-checklist you left unattended. Though many of us will think to start fresh; begin at point zero or from scratch, there are still things from yesteryear that needs to be finished, attended to, and continued for this year.

Like in my case, all those work I had done last year (which I am proud to say we exceeded our department’s target – again), will have to be revisited, compiled, and used for this month’s planning session.  Another example is when you want to forget about your past [bad] relationship. Yes, it was a relationship that ended in the most I-can’t-face-my-invited-wedding-guest kind of way, but the thing is, that dude is still within the same Earth proximity and that your guests needs to be informed that 2014 plans will not push through.

You may want to bury 2013 six-feet under, but never forget that what 2013 has done to you will more or less have an impact you and will forever create an imprint for you this year. You need to get off denial stage during New Year.

3.    In eye-opener item 1, I said there is a pitfall when it comes to planning. I think many will agree that planning and planning and planning alone will get you nowhere (Unless you are like Kanye West who can professionally hire someone to act on your plans). Planning for your New Year’s resolution can actually bring good pheromones for you but you have to act on it to reap happiness. You plan this and that and visualize how you will feel during that awaited planned moment. There should be a process flow which you should take action to mobilize your plan.

If you plan to have a new car this year, but part of this plan is to wait until the prices have dropped. Then wait. But make sure that during that waiting period you still take action into securing that the car will become yours (Regularly checking with your suki car dealer for discounts and looking at different flexible payment terms with the amount of money you have will actually do something for you). Waiting in vain is something you should not do. Like me, getting lost with all my thoughts will not have a post to virtually pop out for me. I need to get my hands do the typing.

So what are you itching to actually do this year? Do share!

Ciao,

Maddie