Remember my post about the first make-up workshop I attended with Ms. Jean Ong? 

I told you that I'm going to individually blog about the 2-day workshop but my schedule has gone crazy these days that I almost forgot of sharing it to you. Well, wait no more because here are some of the snapshots of what happened during the second day.

Since the topic for the first day was on basic make-up application, Ms. Jean Ong raised the notch higher by teaching us how to do Avant Garde make-up. First, she demonstrated a sample of an avant garde look, and we had the rest of the day doing our own 2 avant garde looks. I was the model for the demonstration, so all in all I had three looks. Anyway, let the pictures speak a thousand words. 

Guess who appeared in the papers? Find me! Find me!

Last Sunday night, I received a tweet from one of my students saying that he saw me in the papers. I don't really have an idea why plus the fact that I'm preoccupied with my thesis that the tweet never sank in me. 

Until yesterday, when our school librarian called me up and told me I was (again!) one in the major papers in the city, my excitement level got ignited!

I was so ecstatic upon seeing this. Seeing myself in the papers is like a once in a blue moon experience for me so I thought of sharing it to you. I didn't expect that the survey about Forever 21 a friend had me answered few weeks ago will make me land in the city's pages. I was actually one of those lucky girls who got included in the Forever 21 advertisement! 

This explains why I got this:

I'm pretty sure that many girls are feeling excited for its arrival in Davao. Forever 21 is set to conquer the hearts of Davao fashionistas on its opening on September 28, 2012 at SM Lanang Premier.

Hope to bump into you at Forever 21 in SM Lanang! See you there!

If you happen to notice, I sort of experience a lack of posts during the weekend because on those days, I was lucky to have attended the Beauty Amplified Workshop by Ms. Jean Ong. Yes, I am indeed lucky because unexpectedly I won the free slot from Julz's giveaway so I don't need to worry about paying the registration fee for a workshop. The announcement of the winner was made a few days before the workshop so when I knew it, I got excited that I immediately rushed to Gaisano Mall to buy some make-up brushes. 

Wouldn't it be nice if we could always wake up to gorgeous fuss-free hair?

I honestly admit that I am quite obsessive-compulsive (and at the same time fickle-minded too) with my hair that my mane has undergone lots of torture ever since salon treatments were introduced into my mind. As far as I can remember, I started having hair treatments almost 10 years ago and from what started out as a biannual tradition has become a regular monthly habit. I started having my hair glossed (when it was popular) and has started subjecting my hair to rebonding 5 years ago when I could already afford it. Ever since then, I had annual rebonding treatments to maintain that gorgeous salon-straight hair and just last March, I had my first digital perm session because I badly want those flirty curly waves. See how fickle-minded I am! Not to mention, I change my hair color every 2-3 months just because I'm getting tired of  my jet-black hair until I grew accustomed to different shades of brown. If only my hair could complain, I could have gotten a bitch slap on my face!

Because of all the tortures my crowning glory has gone through, the ends have become dried and brittle that I  thought of embarking in a quest to bring back my healthy hair. Even though it might be impossible, I started to try out different home treatments to bring back the life in it. One of the recent products I've tried is the Botanical Choice Nourishing Repair Hair Mask by Purederm.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/IMAX_SMCINEMA

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/IMAXSMCinema

****This post is part of an official press release from SM Lanang Premiere for dissemination.****

Hi! Have you noticed the new look of my blog?

This has been a colorful month for me (I'll tell you later why so just read on!), so I decided to tweaked my blog with something colorful and injected a splash of color from what used to be a very minimal and simple theme.

So, from this header:

to this:

Isn't it colorful?

 Last Saturday, I was not in the mood to work on my thesis and my attention was caught by the make-up tutorial bug. Being a fan of make-up that I am, I always rely on blogs, tutorials and videos to educate me more on make-up, most especially on application techniques because honestly, I'm such a noob on these parts. And yes, I admit, the entire Saturday downtime was consumed watching loads of video tutorials in YouTube.

Just a piece of information, I am not someone who wears make-up all the time save for the usual BB cream and setting powder that I can't leave the house without. I am not gifted with perfect flawless skin so the need to have a bit coverage is necessary. I am not also a fan of eye shadows and I can always go on a usual day without wearing one. But after knowing that every woman must wear an eye shadow, or make up per se, and how it can really change your look big time, I changed my attitude towards make-up.

 Sunday came when I finally get to do the return demonstration make-up application (as inspired by the make-up gurus out there). Since I wanted to learn more and practice more in terms of make-up creation and application, I'll be documenting my make-up experiments here in my blog for my future personal reference as well.

Pardon me with this look. I know I still need more practice in putting make-up. Without the right tools and education, I believe I still need to learn more.

When I was young, I was never endowed with fair Snow White skin. In fact, I was dark-skinned and our neighbors used to tease me because among all the kids in the neighborhood, I was the darkest. At that time, having a dark skin doesn't bother me at all. I really got used to it.

Then come high school and puberty. I was starting to get insecure because most, if not all, of my classmates were tads fairer than I am. My crush even chose another girl who's far fairer than I am. Ouch! Since I am in the puberty stage, being dark-skinned started to hit my self-esteem big time that I indulged myself in whitening products. From that on, I made sure that all the skin care products I've been using contains promising whitening effects. I even resorted to oral whitening medications when I was already earning a salary because I wanted to maintain that fair skin and to take care of my self-esteem. All for the love of whitening products and my delicate ego. 

Although I am not even close to having the snow-white fairness, I was happy with my so-called fairness and started to become contented and complacent that I took whitening for granted. As I aged and turned a quarter of a century this year, I noticed how my skin started to become dull and lost its glowing fairness. Then I discovered Avon Anew 360° White Skin Care Line.

This skin care line promises to produce fairer skin by inhibiting the formation of melanin on the cellular level and boosting cellular energy, which results to a fairer and more vibrant looking skin. It also aims to produce 360° of fairness and makes dark spots and dullness go away. 

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I'm taking a break from my usual blog posts to give way for something more important - health. This post is intended to ignite awareness about a common syndrome which some of us might not be aware that we already have this.

Have you heard of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS? I used to hear this a lot from my girl friends and acquaintances who have been diagnosed with this syndrome. In fact, my mother has also been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and has undergone surgery to remove the culprit a few years ago. Usually, females affected with PCOS experience irregular periods, acne breakouts and oily skin, significant weight gain coupled with inability to lose weight and pain in the lower abdomen and pelvis. 

To be honest, I've been having irregular periods since menarche that I even grew up getting used to it. Aside from that, I used to worry a lot about my oily skin problems and have been battling with moderate to severe acne for years. I always put the blame to my unhealthy habits such as lack of sleep, intake of fatty and oily foods, and the products that I've been using, and that no matter how I abide to healthier habits and a strict skin care regimen, my acne just won't disappear. I also noticed abrupt weight gain, which I first thought as a result of buffets and binge eating. Never did I imagine considering any underlying health condition for all these events. Not until, in October 2011, when I underwent a transrectal ultrasound (TRS) and diagnosed to have PCOS. Both of my ovaries are affected. I have been under medication for months now and I've noticed that the symptoms in me are slowly disappearing. My skin is noticeably smooth now save for the marks that previous bouts with acne have left as a souvenir, and that my period was back to normalcy. The only problem I'm dealing with right now is the difficulty of losing weight, but little by little, I'm shedding some pounds.

The month of September is dedicated as PCOS Awareness Month. If you're someone who has been experiencing the same things I previously mentioned, then better consult a gynecologist immediately so that treatment can be started as early as now in order to avoid its complications. This syndrome can lead to serious problems, such as infertility and heart disease, if left untreated. 

For this month, help me spread the word about PCOS. For more information and support, click on http://www.pcosupport.org/.

Be aware! Spread the word! 

Enough said. 

Last Christmas, my boss asked me to choose whether I want a make-up or a Starbucks tumbler as a Christmas gift. I did not have a hard time deciding as I always choose the make-up over anything else. Never did I expect that she was going to give me a gift set from Estee Lauder. 

These items were a part of a gift set which also includes a pouch (not photographed because I abused it as a make-up kit). The set includes sample sizes of the Perfectionist C+ wrinkle lifting serum, a Resilience Lift Extreme ultra firming eye cream and Resilience Lift Extreme ultra firming creme SPF 15.

Just sharing to you what I wore on a weekend of errands and relaxation.

Life has always been a constant change. Say hello to my new hair!

I was itching to have my hair cut because I noticed that my ends are dry and that I felt a bit bored with my lousy curly hair. I wanted my hair to look healthier and manageable and that I wanted to have layers for my curls. Since my favorite salon cannot accommodate me that day, I tried to scout for another one which can give me great results. I stumbled upon SVS salon which is a new Korean Salon in our city. I gave it a try and this is the end result - shorter and layered curly hair.

For years now, I always rely on Korean salons for my haircut. One thing I love about them is that they always give you what you tell them that you want from them. Since communication is sometimes a barrier, these Korean salons rely on magazine pictures where you can choose your desired styles and point it to them. Most of the time, they were able to copy and produce similar outcomes to your chosen style.

I was actually anxious when the stylist started cutting my hair. I thought that I'll be saying goodbye to my curls and that my anxiety's increasing because I'm not yet ready to let go of my perm. Even though they curled my hair with a curling iron after the cut, I am still hoping to have the curls at the lower ends of my hair.

But after washing my hair the next day, I am totally relieved that my curls are still there.

From what used to be goldilocks-like curls are now transformed into flirty waves!

What do you think of my new look?