Fitness Mode On: Posting About What I Eat

Hi everyone~!  This post is inspired by the lovely Gellie. :)

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.

Hello Summer! Sharing Sizzling Giveaways for a More Beautiful You

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!

My Etude House haul + Pink Fair ticket

First of all, thank you to all of you who sent me a message after reading my previous blog post. I am definitely humbled and touched by your words. <3 It's been difficult for the past two weeks or so and feeling ugly so I just had to let it out of my system.  You're definitely inspiring women who I respect and trust as well so I want to express my gratitude.

~o~o~o~o~o~

I haven't been shopping as much as I used to so the Pink House ticket was actually the perfect excuse for me to get new stuff from Etude House! ;)  What's a girl to do? Right? Right! Hahaha. Anyway, here's my haul:

L-R: Etude House Pink Fair ticket, Matte Real top coat, Petit Bijou spray (peach!), Dual Nuance #4, Oblique Shadow Brush

I suppose some of you would've expected me to get the latest lippies. Well, I did like the beige shades a lot. It's just that I think I have enough lippies and I didn't see a shade that truly stood out from the bunch. At least for me, I think I could hold off from purchasing them for now.  The shades I liked from the testers earlier were ones that were too close to my current set of lippies so, yeah, it was a no go for me.

The Matte Real top coat was heaven sent! I finally saw it in stock so I just had to grab one before I miss out on it.  :D  And the Petit Bijou spray was something I read about before. I love the fact that I could use it for practically anything.  I just forgot to buy a small atomizer for this though. T^T  The Dual Nuance eyeliner and eye shadow stick was in metallic/shimmery brown so I just had to get it.  Perfect for those days when you know you have to go somewhere but can't be bothered to bring an eyeshadow palette!  And last but not the least, the oblique shadow brush. :3  Eye makeup is a challenge for me so I am building up my tool set for eye makeup.  My lip colors are generally in the pink, light or even nude shades so it's more or less natural looking and so I thought that eye makeup should probably be more 'obvious' or prominent.

The Pink Fair is something I'm looking forward to this weekend. I have friends who are definitely going there and I can't miss this chance. :)  Are you attending the Pink Fair? Hope to see you!

On finding yourself and your inner beauty

I have to admit something: I am very insecure about how I look.

Funny how that sounds like because this blog is about skin care, makeup and things that make one's self pretty.  Well, it does make sense that I am writing this confession to you. Some of you know me personally. Some of you just met me recently. Some of you met me when I was a teenager.

Thanks to M who boosted up my energy this morning when she complimented my latest profile picture on Yahoo Messenger.  She told me that I looked great and that it was good that I am learning to work with what I have.  It's really hard to believe in one's self when you wake up one day feeling like the ugliest person in the universe. (Melodramatic, but it does happen, doesn't it?)  Feeling unattractive is something people of all shapes and sizes experience.  It could be because of what other people tell us or it could be because of something else.  In my case, I have been labeled as the fat girl when I was younger and it doesn't help that I am still big and growing bigger each day.

That's when fighting for yourself needs to happen.  You need to sort out the bad from the good.  J and I have been texting each other last night and she really did give me a sense of comfort.  Despite the fact that she's younger than I am, when it comes to these things, I look up to her because she has that confident air about her. I think that's one of the reasons I miss interacting with her more frequently: her energy is infectious! Just her hello is enough to send good vibes in this universe.  Because of that positive energy that she exudes, she is such a pleasure to be with. The simplest conversations could turn out to be the most inspiring ones.

But I digress.  One needs to find himself/herself and learn more about the things that make himself/herself unique. What is special about you?  Are you paying attention to yourself? Sometimes we're too busy meeting deadlines, dealing with our clients, working ourselves to make sure we earn our keep.  We forget that we need to take care of ourselves in every possible way.  Are we still growing in terms of our character? Or are we stagnating?

I generally believe that when you are beautiful inside, you get to reflect that outside.  When we learn more about ourselves, when we allow ourselves to dream and pursue those dreams and achieve them, we gain confidence because of the little victories and the big victories we come across. Confidence does play a big part in giving out a beautiful aura which translates to something generally appealing to people.  You might not look like Ms. Universe, but you could still be the most charming person around if you let yourself shine.

The bad thoughts enter my head often these days. Maybe that's part of the reason why I haven't been blogging as much. But if I want to improve myself inside and out, I need to wrestle with those thoughts and win over them. And some of them, I need to embrace. Why? Because I think that some of those bad thoughts are partly correct: they might be about my weaknesses and so I have to embrace those weaknesses so I could deal with them accordingly.  If I want my inner beauty to shine through this madness I am experiencing right now, I need to face them one by one and just bring them out into the open. Well, not as openly as posting about all of them here. At least find someone I trust to talk to about them and not let the thoughts fester.  I need healing first.  Then I hope to gain the confidence that will help me become the better version of myself.

And if you're struggling like me, I encourage you to sort things out and find help from people you trust a lot.  It will be better for you to find someone to lighten the burden. He/she could remind you of the good things in your life and show you what lessons you could gain from your experiences.  You don't have to feel alone.  I hope that once you've started dealing with these things, you'd become a more confident person and a beautiful one too.

Giveaway Alert! Super Summer Giveaway

Kikay Si Maria, Shimmerjjang and Makeup by Ana Patricia have collaborated on a really HUGE summer giveaway for beauty enthusiasts out there. There are some required and optional stuff to do so read the details of their giveaway carefully!

Details of their giveaway as posted by Eloisa Co/Kikay Si Maria is here so click this link!

You need to like the Facebook pages of their sponsors:

Luview

HBC

Krave

Red Jhelli

Skinsonic

Suesh

Style Qtr

RK Manila

So check them out on Facebook. :D  I follow most of these pages (if not yet all of them) to get the latest product information and even details of giveaways from them.

And for the rest of the details and FAQs please check out Eloisa's post. (The link is up there!)

I dunno if I will join the giveaway or not. I am not lucky with such huge giveaways! I mean, I've won giveaways before but nothing this big~ I find the Clarisonic as a very huge incentive to join hahaha XDDD  Try your luck, you've got nothing to lose. :)

Post-Event Update: Snoe Suntervention Bloggers Convention

This is a rather photo-heavy post! Some pictures were taken using my phone, some were from the Snoe Beauty Inc.'s Facebook page and some are from Sofie's friend Christian Amiel Tira. Image credit will be given where it is necessary. :)

Last March 24, I went to Snoe's Suntervention Bloggers Convention held in Dasmarinas Village.  Their twitter update encouraged bloggers to interact with them so I didn't hesitate and grabbed the chance.  After all, Snoe was the brand of sunblock I was using.  (I have yet to review "Here Comes the Sun" soon! Sorry about not blogging about it sooner.)

Image Credit: Snoe Beauty Inc.

Upon entering the premises, everyone is encouraged to register and we even get Snoe money after that. Snoe money was used later in the event. We were even given a chance to try their false eyelashes. 

I was one of the people who arrived early and I met Donnarence and Sofie. :) 

Image Credit: Christian Amiel Tira

We had a chance to chat a bit and meet other bloggers too. One of the people I wanted to meet after so long was there too! Guess who? Michelle Bugante of Mich Eats and Shops. :D  While waiting for the others to arrive, we had a chance to test out some of their products.

Snoe's different products

 bb cream!

Body Ritual Recipes Body and Hair Glaze in Nectarine Ginger Tea

We had all sorts of games that day and I was called out for the first game. ^^;;;;;; The most awkward girl over there, I think. LOL. Because it was their launch for their latest product, SunTervention, we had to put sunblock on their male models. ^^;;;; Aiyeee~.  After a couple of games, the very beautiful CEO of Snoe talked to us about their latest products.  She was so lovely. My phone camera couldn't capture her beauty.  We actually had other games too.  So it was actually a very fun and informative event, especially for those who are new to the brand. :)

Snoe's CEO, Jen Gerodias-Diaz

I don't remember everything from her talk.  But some of the highlights were:

1. SunTervention - This is more intense than their "Here Comes the Sun" sunblock.  It offers SPF 80++ protection and it has a nice calamansi scent.  As she said in her talk, they're serious about sun protection and that even in their packaging they usually remind their customers to use sunblock.  (It is true if you check their products.  Do drop by their shops to see what I mean.)
2. Their latest products: CC cream :)  Something to watch out for, especially for bb cream fans.
3. They will have more shops which will give their customers a better experience.  (I saw their post in the Snoe Facebook page of their store design in SM Valenzuela and it looked so pretty!)
4. They have so many new products like a new variant of Hair Heroes, their Body Ritual Recipes Hair and Body Glaze, etc. That's why you really just have to go visit their stores. :D

The great thing about this event is that I met so many new people.  It's amusing how I have commented on some of their blogs already (way back) and I am even subscribed to some of them. ^^;  (Like Lucky Citrine, Carizza Chua, Codename Aya.) And of course I was happy to see Bec again (she's ever so bright and sparkly!) and I was blown away by the loveliness of Martha and Shen. :) So it was really cool that way.  I even met some new people like Gen (such a creative lady and I hope she will succeed in what she plans to launch in the future!) and Nin.  I was lucky to have talked with some of them and I hope to lessen my shyness and awkwardness in future events or opportunities to see them again.

Anyhow, at the end of the event, we got a chance to spend our Snoe money on their products.

My Snoe money

Everything in this photo was bought using Snoe money except for SunTervention because they gave that to all of us who went there. So lucky~! Perfect for summer. :)

I've been using Suntervention on my face and my body these days.  Has this replaced "Here Comes The Sun"? Yes!  Why? I prefer the texture of this one. :)

So there you have it.  I have yet to post reviews on these wonderful products.  I was truly lucky to have been given an opportunity to be at their event because Snoe is surely one Filipino brand to watch out for.

Quick Review: Skin Food Black Sugar Mask (Wash Off)

I like Skin Food products because they work well on me. The first bb cream that really didn't give me any issues was their Peach Sake BB Cream. :) Anyway, I was lucky enough to be picked by the beautiful blogger Des of Chic Sassy Mom and the products included were all from Skin Food so I got to try some of them including this wash off mask.

Sample size of the product. I used it 3 times. :)

Instructions from the Skin Food site:

Apply evenly after cleansing. Avoid eye and mouth area. Gently scrub and wash off with lukewarm water after 10 - 15 minutes.

Take note it says lukewarm water, not boiling water, not freshly boiled water either~! Don't hurt your skin. I usually mix hot water with tap water and test first so it's slightly warm but not hot. You get what I am saying? ;)

Texture: Yay!


It is thick and grainy, just like what I expected because it has sugar. Look at the pictures below.

It is thick and brown.

Spreadable~! And you could see the grains.

Some of you might fear that the grains are too big. I think that it was ok and it didn't really hurt. I think the sugar kinda melted with the heat from my hands as I spread them. XD  So no worries on how big the grains are.

Scent: Yay!

It was kinda citrusy and sugary. I LOVE IT!  I wouldn't mind using this mask regularly hahaha.

Effect: Yay!

My face felt really nice and clean.  Some bloggers said they looked like they had a glow after using it.  I couldn't really tell because of the lighting at home.  But my face felt oh so fresh and clean.  It didn't feel dry so I think that's a good thing.  

Overall I was happy with this trial packet and I am considering to get this after I used up my exfoliating creams. Well, unless I end up too happy with my Human Nature Strawberry scrub that is!  I can't comment on the packaging because it is different when you buy it full size.  I am also not sure of the cost when you buy it.  I think it's around PhP 550 or something.  Not bad, considering that's their mall price.   I am glad I had an opportunity to try this out for a week! Thanks again, Des! :)