Thanks to dear Thiamere and Firmoo for an awesome giveaway for four-eyed people like. XD Not literally four-eyed, but you know what I mean. Bespectacled.
I've been wearing eyeglasses since I was in high school. The specs of my glasses have changed over the years. Sometimes my eyes have astigmatism. Then they get corrected, then I fall back into my nasty habits: reading in a moving vehicle, not resting my eyes, etc.
Thankfully, despite my computer-based work, my eyes seem to have improved. Still nearsighted, but not as bad as before. I just have to remember to NOT forget my glasses at home when I am in a rush and my room is a mess.
Then again, I have no more excuses! Having a new set from Firmoo, I could keep one in my bag all the time. No excuse such as "Oh I couldn't find my glasses at home."
Pretty in pink, but the website says this model is peach. I love these plastic frames. They're bigger than the ones I find locally. My face is wide so I need wider frames which I find difficult to buy here.
What I love about these glasses:
The style. Geeky, and yet cute at the same time.
Comfort. Even if I wear it the entire day, it doesn't hurt. I guess it's because the fit is just right.
The packaging. When they sent it to me, they included a small screwdriver kit. For those emergencies like a screw is lose, etc. Useful for any of your glasses~!
I think that Firmoo's frames are great! And for people like me with rather large frame needs, I think that they have enough styles to choose from. And some are quite cheap. Frames start at $8 so you could actually compare it with locally available ones.
When I got it, I just had to take a picture right away. I was wearing a pink jacket so it was practically pink overload hahaha.
I don't regret this choice of frames one bit. Absolutely loving it! Thanks again, Thiamere and Firmoo! ^_^
I never got to post pictures of these babies until today. Sorry! But here ya go:
Top to bottom: Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Wet n Wild Megalast in Mauve Outta Here, Wet n Wild Silky Finish in Sunset Peach
Lippies galore! Got these from Dianna's online shop. The last one was a freebie. :D Got really curious about the lip butters so I just had to get one. So far, I think it's ok, but I wouldn't pay that much for a tinted lip balm, I guess. I prefer the texture of Human Nature's tinted lip balm. As for the Wet n Wild lippies, I like the colors of these two lippies. But the mauve one is a bit stronger than my usual color preference so I don't get to use it as much. On my 'daring' days, I go for that. :D
Top Row: Etude House cotton swabs, Etude House Orgel Light eyeshadows Bottom Row: Skin Food Rice Mask sample, ELF angled foundation brush
I bought the eyeshadows and brush from Karen, one of my dear blogging friends. She gave me the cotton swabs and rice mask as freebies. Love them!
Last but not the least, false eyelashes!
These eyelashes were bought by the lovely Shimmerjjang Andy. When she posted the pictures of these lashes, I knew I just had to try them out. I don't really wear falsies but, come on, who wouldn't want longer fuller lashes? XDDD I never thought the day would come that I'd want to wear these falsies but it did arrive sooner than I thought. ;)
For now, I am putting myself on a makeup shopping ban because I have more than enough makeup in my stash. To think Weng just sent me a really special gift! A Sephora makeup palette!
I ended up giving my Shawill eyeshadow palette to my sister because I have more than enough colors on this wonderful palette. :3
That's all for now. Hope you found this haul post interesting~!
I hardly post any pictures of myself because I am highly self-conscious. But after yesterday, I guess it's time to try and post face of the day updates from time to time. ;) My boyfriend and I attended a wedding in Laguna yesterday and considering how lazy I could get, I wanted something long wearing and yet natural looking for my face. It's a wedding, after all. Here it goes:
Without glasses.
With glasses in my boyfriend's car. XD Need the glasses or I won't see properly!
Weddings in general make me use primers because I never know how humid it could get in the venue. And I hate retouches because I end up spending so much time in the restroom. So here's a list of the products I used for this look:
Face: Benefit Porefessional primer, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl (I used them on my cheeks as volumer), Luview Aqua Essence bb cream (because I like how light it feels and it doesn't make my skin look reddish), Benefit Bella Bamba blush (my favorite!), Krave Minerale Oil Eliminator (my finishing powder), Nature Republic Oil Control Mist
Eyes: Krave Minerale concealer stick (for hiding dark circles), Etude House Drawing Eyebrow in brown, Etude House Proof 10 eye primer, Sephora makeup palette eyeshadows (I only used two shades), ELF liquid eyeliner (pen type in Coffee), NYX jumbo pencil in Milk, Maybelline Hypercurl VolumExpress mascara
Lips: Nanny Rose's lip balm + sunscreen, Etude House Look At My Lips in Paparazzi Coral
Sooo many products! But I just ended up removing excess oils from my face with oil control film and reapplying lipstick or at a later time (dinner and there were hardly any picture taking moments after the first part) Revlon's lip butter in peach parfait. I am glad I decided to use primers today. There was a time that it was a bit humid in the church but all was well in general. :D
Most of you who know me personally would be surprised at the pictures. I think that my face looks considerably smaller now compared to last year or even January this year. Oh and the fact that I hardly go and be girly. Lol.
In other news, I am still losing weight despite my busy work sked, irregular exercise and less strict diet (because of my busy-ness). Nothing drastic but at least, I am still able to do something about my weight. Actually the corset top and skirt I wore yesterday were both quite loose on me, but I had to make do with the things I had at home. I think that I could now start trying on some size 16 and maybe some knitted or stretchy size 14 clothes. ;) That's such great news for me because I used to wear size 18 and I think that some of my clothes were practically size 20.
So yeah, that's just it for now. I wanted to do a haul post but the images haven't been uploaded yet. Bad internet connection at home.
I have been recently posted about hooping and certain dietary changes I've incorporated in my lifestyle. Just got home and I am currently 181 pounds. :) For someone who started with 196 pounds in January, this sure is a feat! I've never really been able to lose a whole lot of weight and keep it off me. I love food too much!
When the love affair with food has gone wrong...
That's when I think I really gained more weight. I mean, I've always loved food. It's just that the love has gone from good to bad. It became an outlet for relieving stress. Finding comfort in food became a nightmare because I couldn't get into my nice clothes anymore, commuting became really awkward and what's worse is when people think I am pregnant. ~_~ GUUUUUH. And then special occasions come and go. Weddings I attended required me to wear formal outfits. I seriously found it horrible to try on dresses with designs I didn't like one bit but I had no choice because I was too big for everything else. My tops are usually US size 18 and bottoms are usually US size 16. It made my self-esteem much worse.
But one can bounce back from the dumps and become better!
One of my friends posted this on her Facebook timeline today:
Most of the things on the picture were the words I've heard from my friends and colleagues who have been getting into a fitness routine. It helps that these people around me are aware of these things and we get to talk about it freely. Now it doesn't feel bad to drink less soda and eat less pizza. I don't feel deprived because I am eating better now and I am more active.
Current diet and exercise routine
Like what I said on my previous blog post, I have no strict diet. But I usually take a heavy breakfast, with protein rich food: eggs, ham/tapa/fish/etc and 1/4 (or sometimes 1/3 cup of rice). Why do I do this? We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. ;) I also have the rest of the day to burn the calories.
Lunch is generally sandwich or salad with fish. (Because the Korean lady is out of the country so no kimchi until next week!) But I sometimes give in to eating rice and a soupy viand like chicken curry or sinigang. I just lessen my rice. Dessert is generally fruits. Sometimes I eat banana, sometimes it's melon, and these days I like pineapple. :D
Commuting home takes forever so I usually eat dinner outside my home. I go for a sandwich or fresh lumpia. :)
When I get home I exercise. But nothing too heavy or intense because I don't know if I could handle it yet. It's usually 30-45 minutes of hooping or poi. Or a little bit of both. Poi is wonderful for my arms. And it is challenging to learn new poi moves that look cool. Hooping makes me sweat more though. Now I understand what they say by hooping is like a gentle massage around your body! Totally loving it and some of my friends have sent me messages that they're interested in taking up hooping too. I guess the video I shared helps in getting them interested.
A woman's hooping adventures and her amazing transformation. :)
Hooping won't let me lose the pounds fast but it's fun. :)
What about other ways to get rid of the fat?
Well, I've thought about it time and again. Maybe someday if I have the budget I'd look into Belo's Sexy Solutions. Losing the flab around the belly and thighs is really a bit tougher. When I measure my body, it seems like I've been losing inches but not much in those areas ahahaha. Gosh. I've been worried about having smaller boobs because they used to be bigger but I think that they're still proportional enough to my body hahaha. After all, Sexy Solutions is a non-invasive fat reduction clinic that has machines that can (1) melt fat in stubborn places, (2) tighten loose skin and (3) tone muscle. Plus they say that they have fitness and nutrition coaches who could tell me if I am doing something wrong. Right now, I don't have an analysis of how much of my body is fat, etc. And if I need to make my activities more intense, I need guidance on that too. Sexy Solutions has experts so why not, if I have the resources? ;)
She looks gorgeous, doesn't she? Well, I don't really aim for anything like that. XDDD Something that's appropriate for my height and build would be enough. After all, I've never been a skinny girl and I just want to become more fit and healthier.
Someday maybe? I'd think about it really hard. But for now, I will keep on reading about healthier food and learn some new poi and hooping moves that will let me know myself in a different way. After all, through hooping and poi, I've met new friends and have found new things to share to my old friends.
At the end of the day...
It's all about becoming healthier. It really helps to have friends to cheer me on and help me through these challenges I am facing. I am just thankful that so far, things are looking good and I love it. Some of my old clothes fit me again and somehow there's a little bit more confidence than usual. Here's hoping I could keep at it forever and pass the things I've learned to other people as well. :)
I have been spinning poi for 30-45 minutes thrice a week at a minimum. If I could go at it every night, I would. Anyhow, I do feel that the physical activity has been helping me with my weight loss because I end up burning the calories I ate during the day and consistent physical activity just makes me feel better in general. Plus I actually learned a new poi move. :D
Poi isn't enough for me though. Even if I do try to incorporate other movements with my legs (by turning, doing some awkward dance-like movements), it's my arms that mainly get the workout. So when I lost my first 10 pounds, instead of getting rewarded with a massage, I got a hoop as a reward instead and I don't regret it at all!
Me and my hoop! I ended up tying the loose pants/half pants thingy because it was hot and well, the hoop slipped too much hahaha. Barefoot hooping at Venice Piazza.
I've never been good with the hula hoop as a child. 1-3 spins on my waist and that was it. So what made me think that it's going to be better now that I am an adult? It's because I have been reading about fitness and hooping seems to improve one's core strength. Would you believe that I sweat more when I hoop? And that I actually end up moving my entire body when I hoop.
I attended Planet Zips' hoop workshop yesterday and I love the fact that Sweet said that we shouldn't be afraid to flail or look awkward. That hooping celebrates the awkward. The sillier you are, the more creative you can get. She taught me how to turn while inside my hoop as well as turn in a different direction while my hoop spins in another. She also taught me off body hooping which really is a lot of work on the arms. And probably my back, especially when I pass the hoop from my front to the back and over and over again.
Hooping on the waist and hip area now make me feel more aware of my posture, because Sweet pointed out to me that the reason my hoop falls when I turn is because of my posture. I should stop thinking to hard about my hoop lessons and be more aware of my body, no? Even for poi, I think that also applies. Maybe the reason I learn a little slowly is because of that. But at least I now have physical activity and actually have fun. It might not be the conventional way of doing things but I like it and I could do it consistently. After all, I don't really want to feel stressed about losing weight. Some folks lose 10 pounds in a month. Good for them, I guess. Maybe I feel a bit envious but I really don't know if at this point I could go to the gym and lift weights because I get really bored. Someday maybe I'd do that. For now, lemme have fun with my hoop and see what happens next. ;)
PS: If you're in Manila and are interested to learn poi or hooping, don't hesitate to check out Planet Zips. And if you're based in Cebu, there's Hoopaholic Cebu. The people are friendly so say hi~!
I know I am supposed to post a review but let me just share my first five months of trying to get fit and eat better. Last December, my doctor told me that I needed to lose at least 20 pounds so I could become healthier. Then Christmas break happened and I gained 10 more pounds. Wtf. I had to lose a minimum of 10 more. ~_~ When 2012 started, I already had a talk with my boyfriend that when we're going out to eat, he should really stop me when he notices I am eating more. And that I should eat probably half of what I normally eat to begin with.
Changing my eating pattern wasn't easy at all. At the office, everyone loves food. Surrounded by everyone, it felt even more difficult. But what helped me more was the fact that one of my teammates was eating healthier. With that, I started eating more vegetables and less rice, less sweets. He's a good influence. XD He talks me about articles he has been reading, his workout plan, etc. And aside from that, my other friend keeps reminding me to eat breakfast -- breakfast with protein, not just carbs. Oh and he did remind me that I should have a cheat day, the time I could eat anything and everything I want (but still in moderation).
Right now, I eat only half or even just 1/3 of what I used to eat. When I catch myself eating more pizza, I share with my boyfriend or one of my friends.
Meals are usually like this:
Breakfast: 1/2 or 1/3 cup of rice, a fried egg, sardines/tapa/meatloaf/etc.
Lunch: salad (or kimchi or other vegetable dish) + fish/chicken/other meat + banana/other fruits OR sandwich + fruit
Dinner: sandwich + fruit OR veggies (sometimes 1/3 cup of rice) + fish/chicken/other meat
I still eat snacks. I do eat icecream from time to time. I still eat potatoes but not as much. And I actually don't eat a lot of 'diet' food. Right now, I haven't been strictly measuring everything I eat. I try to get a feel of what I need and what I don't really need. There are times when I crave sweets so I still eat them when I do, it's just a small portion. Enough to give me energy and not make me crave more.
Sorry I don't really have before and after pictures. But I have gone from 196lbs to 183lbs from January to today. I had a very bad feeling about what I weighed in January. Maybe I will take a picture of myself one of these days and let's see what happens in the next number of months as I plan to keep on working at it.
It's summer but I am slaving away at work more often than not T^T I cry for the fact that our internet connection at home isn't good so I haven't posted all my pictures from the Etude House Play House event just yet. *sigh*
Anyhow, so many things are happening this summer. Fabulous bloggers and one of my favorite brands are having their giveaways so I hope you find the time to check them out:
Shimmerjjang's Giveaway with Makeup Hub by NC - I love Andy <3 She's been so helpful to me when I just started out looking for good reviews of Korean makeup here in Tumblr. As a way to thank her readers, she's holding a giveaway. Check out the details because there are two ways to win!
The Beauty Junkee's Grand 3rd Anniversary Giveaway - The lovely Martha of The Beauty Junkee is celebrating her 3rd anniversary and she's got plenty of goods for her loyal readers and fans. :) I like her reviews because of the details. She includes price and where you could buy the items she reviews so it's very helpful! Plus she's so talented. Definitely worth reading, if you haven't seen her blog yet.
Mich Eats and Shops Makeup Bonanza Blogversary Giveaway Part 2 - Mich is a blogger who shares her makeup finds and even her food adventures! First encountered her blog when I was looking for coral colored lippies and now she has her blogversary giveaway. :3 The instructions are fairly easy to follow so I hope you could join this giveaway without a hitch. ;)
Snoe Suntervention Bloggers Competition - Get a fabulous trip to Boracay package by sharing your dream vacation destination and how Snoe's beautiful products will figure in that trip. I love Snoe's products because they are affordable and effective. (Remember my post about their Hair and Body Glaze?) Visit their website for the details of their products. (Check out their sunblock line and Body Rituals line too!)
I am planning to join some (if not all!) of these giveaways myself. XD Here's hoping to win something awesome and something I definitely need. Hope you win too if you do join. :D
PS: Coming soon would be a couple of sunblock reviews. Snoe and Clinique!
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