MORE STASH

Home alone with nothing better to do so I'm going to blog about my latest product hoards. Not really that many because I am trying to keep my spending at a minimum. So anyhoo, without further ado...

Lancome Blanc Expert Night Cream
The skin is quite problematic these days- combination kung combination. Oily in most areas most especially the T-zone, but extremely dry- so dry it's already discolored- in some like the area between the lower lip and the chin. Problem is I can't find a good moisturizer that will soothe the dry areas, not give me breakouts and not sting my skin. I've tried a lot and unfortunately haven't found a product I'm hiyang with. Cheaper moisturizers available at the grocery such as Pond's never worked for me. Physiogel used to work but now it doesn't anymore. Belo's Whitening Cream also used to work which was good cos it's cheap but suddenly it just stopped working. Anuber. So one day habang tumatambay sa kwarto ng aking nanay, I saw a new bottle of Lancome Blanc Expert night cream. It works! And I don't know if that's fortunately or unfortunately. The pro is I finally found something that works; the con, it's freakin' expensive. Mommy's stash was from AD who also got it for free. I hope she gets another free bottle soon. Asa.

Lancome Absolue Yeux
Another freebie c/o AD and this time she gave it to me! Yay! I think I really should start paying attention to mis ojos because I'm starting to look frakkin' old for my age which I think is mainly because of my weight. BUT I can see that the skin around my eyes are developing little crinkles already. Que horror! P*kshet. So this eye cream came into my life at the most opportune time. Well, it's just a teeny-tiny tube but beggars can't be choosers, right? I just need to remember to apply it before going to sleep.

Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash

I've been wanting to get this and try if it works on my skin. I think my skin needs a rest from all the harsh astringent I've been using and I figure, why not something natural? I remember AB's TBS Tea Tree Facial Wash I used to pilfer way back in college (hehe) and I remember how I love love loved its smell. Actually, when I went in to the Body Shop store, I was originally buying a Tea Tree Facial Scrub. I ended up buying the facial wash because it was on sale- P100 off the tag price. I was delighted & surprised with this facial wash because it really works and not only on my zits, mind you ;) A very effective anti-bacterial indeed. I'm actually thinking of getting the Tea Tree oil concentrate next time.

St. Ives Green Tea Facial Scrub

Another facial wash/scrub. If you could just see our bathroom sink, it is cluttered with facial wash, facial wash and more facial wash. I'm a big fan on St. Ives's Apricot Scrub but I wanted to try this new green tea scrub. I'm a sucker for facial wash, remember? Plus, it's green tea! I love green tea (but not the tsaa). Well, it's not as good as the apricot scrub and it makes my dry patches even drier and even more discolored so I don't use it on a daily basis, only when I feel my face needs a little scrubbing (which is everyday, actually, but this product is just too drying).

BL Cream
Wonder cream, IMHO. Only got to know about this product through my nail techs who recommended I use it for my humongous scar. It is actually very effective AND cheap. How cheap? P20 cheap. Yes, that cheap. Huzzah! But since it's from China and I can't decipher anything from it's literature because everything's in Chinese- I often joke that it contains lead and mercury. I don't know for sure if the product is actually mercury and lead-free. Let's just hope it is. But wait, there's more! Starting late last year, I developed these itchy chicken skin bumps on my forearms. These chicken skin bumps usually appear when my skin's dry. Usually, it goes away when I put regular body lotion (which I rarely do. Only when I have chicken skin because I have super sensitive [read: arte] skin and lotions make my arms breakout). But last year's chicken skin won't go away with lotion. I used Physiogel, Argan oil, VCO and coffee scrub but all to no avail. Las manicuristas suggested I use BL on the bumps, et voila, it worked. Wonder cream indeed. And since I'm in awe over this cheap cure-all, I reckon why not try it on my dry facial, discolored patches? I did and guess what- Look ma, no more dry, dark patches! Problem area moisturized and not discolored anymore. Wonder cream talaga, diba? I'm thinking of hoarding these, hehe. Let's just hope and pray that it doesn't contain lead and mercury and will work for all eternity.

Etude Easy Brow Pencil

And the obsession over anything pangkilay continues... SM Makati had this 10% on 10% sale. Originally planned on getting a Maybelline Master Shape Brow. However, I'm having second thoughts whether or not to buy one because I still have an abundant stash of brow powders and Maybelline's Master Shape Brow is available only in one color- black. So I did a little canvassing and found a cheaper brow pencil at the Etude counter- only P112 after discounts- and just the perfect shade of brown.

Lauat Hair Treatment Shampoo & Leave-on Hair Conditioner
I need to address the issue of my thinning and dry hair pronto which means to avoid harsh hair products. I chose Lauat because it has gugo as an ingredient which, supposedly, helps make your hair grow thicker. I also got the leave-on hair conditioner (in spite of a bad experience from it years before) so I could stop using hairspray to keep the frizziness at bay. They must have changed their formulation because it's not as oily was it was before (when I first tried their leave-on conditioner, literal na leave-on siya. Kahit binanlawan ko na siya ng limang beses, nanlilimahid pa rin ang anit ko sa coconut oil) and it amazingly tamed my frizzy baby bangs. For the first time in years, my hair looks groomed.

Syoss Shampoo & Conditioner
A Tresemme knock-off, you think? But it's made by Schwarzkopf so I guess it's legit and not a Chinese knock-off. Using this sparingly though because I think it has the same effect on my skin as Tresemme.

So there, my latest hoards (and freebies!). Now I have someone with me in the house so I'm going this end this already and go eat dinner. 'Til my next hoard. Toodles XOXO

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 16/35: STARGIRL

If reading this book is like being pregnant, I'd have a bouncing baby girl/boy by now. It took me 9 long months to finally finish Stargirl. Finally. Not that it was boring or anything because I actually liked it. It's just that it took a while for me to gain momentum, it was verrry slow in the beginning and picked up pace only in the middle.

Leo Borlock was curious and very intrigued about this new student at Mica High. Stargirl (not her real name. lol) was new to Mica High during eleventh grade. She got everyone's attention right away with her quirkiness and ukulele-playing. To the other students, it seems that Stargirl is out of this world. While Leo may not get why the other students are making such a big fuss over the new girl, he develops some sort of obsession over her.

Even if Leo initially thought Stargirl was weird and was actually annoyed with her weirdness, I already had an inkling that it's more than annoyance over the girl. Why else would he spend so much of his time poring over her. He already found her interesting, it's just that he can't admit it to himself yet that he's greatly intrigued of her mystique.

Everyone loved Stargirl when she first came to Mica High. She was a novelty to them. But like all novelty ideas, the popularity eventually wanes. Hillari Kimble used to be the only one publicly known to be Stargirl's hater but after that basketball incident, everyone followed suit. Lemmings. Bah.

While reading the book, I kept asking myself, "what if I were a student in Mica High, would I treat her the same as did the rest of the student population?" Well, I do find her weird. She sings "Happy Birthday" to everyone on their birthdays, has a pet rat sitting on her shoulder and she minds everyone's business. Hmm.. doesn't sound so weird right now. But still, I find myself saying "what's wrong with you!!!" out loud. However, I do not think she deserved the shunning. It was way too harsh for the other students to treat her that way just because she acts that way which I think because she cares too much. But I think I wouldn't hate someone just because the most popular girl hates her or because the entire school does; I will dislike someone for my own reasons and sometimes that reason is I don't like her curly hair. True story, btw.

I expected more from Leo. At first, yes, he did find Stargirl very bizarre but when he finally sorted out his feelings and realized that he like likes her, he should have defended her. Then again this is high school where there is a need to fit in, to do what the other kids think is cool. There was this time when Leo went to Stargirl's room and found a wagon with pebbles- the more pebbles, the happier she is. There was this time when Stargirl tried to be the normal girl Leo wanted her to be and during those time when Leo went back in her room, he only saw three pebbles in the wagon. That was sad. And even is Stargirl already compromised her individuality, the student population still shunned her. To Stargirl, she was oblivious to everyone's shunning and I guess what affected her more was Leo's inability to love her in spite of what everybody thought. Apparently, what everybody thought mattered more to him than his love for her.

I do think that Hillari Kimble hated Stargirl because Stargirl was becoming more popular than her. The girl didn't do her any wrong, it's just that she can't take the fact that someone's becoming more popular. You know naman how the social hierarchy in high school is (or any social hierarchy, actually)- people in power would do anything even if that means harming another in their pursuit of staying in power. Hillari may have won when she successfully tuned everyone against Stargirl but during the Ocotillo ball which is the culminating activity of the schoolyear, Stargirl somehow managed to steal, albeit not on purpose, the spotlight  which enraged her. Apparently, some people don't know how to share.

It's a sad story actually.

Good thing there's a sequel to this book so we can find out what ever happened to Stargirl.

As we approached each other, the noise and the students around us 

melted away and we were utterly alone, passing, smiling, 

holding each other's eyes, floors and walls gone, 

two people in a universe of space and stars.

hooray for today

Didn't go out today to get that free sausage mcmuffin as I had originally planned. Hey, it's free but I'm thinking I'd only get the freebie when I buy something so it's not really free. It only works if you're really going to buy something but if you're only buying to avail of the freebie, you don't actually save money. Plus, I'm not really a fan of sausage mcmuffins. And no, I am not sourgraping :P

Just thought of updating this blog o' mine with personal chuva cos it seems that I only blog about books. Lack of posts regarding personal events may mean that my already boring and uneventful life has become even more boring and uneventful. Or maybe because I still don't have my own computer!!! I have a feeling I'll get my hands on my pretty laptop on June. I just have this nagging feeling... I do hope I'm wrong.

So what have I been up to lately?

Spending time with the nephews. The boys sleep over almost every night. They could get pretty rowdy and super kulit but they're super duper adorable. And while they pretty much break everything they get their little hands on, I still love having them around. Just yesterday, the yayas were watching this Redford White and Leo Martinez movie on Cinema One. When J2 saw Whitney Tyson, he asked,

{source}

 "Bakit sunog yung tao?" LOL. At first, I didn't understand his question. Akala ko tinanong niya kung bakit tulog yung tao. E wala namang natutulog sa eksena. It didn't make sense so I asked him again. Bakit daw sunog yung tao. I was laughing really hard. Kids really say the darndest things.

So I finally got myself a new hair dryer. SM Department Store was on sale last Friday and everything was on 20% off (if you have an SM Advantage card). So I got myself a Babyliss hairdryer for only P1,100++ What a steal, diba? They're selling China brands for the same price in Divisoria so when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it right away. Plus, the hairdryer was in teal. Cute :) 

Aside from the hairdryer, I got myself another eyebrow pencil. Bought it from Etude. Original price was P128 and since they have this 10% on 10% discount, I only bought it for P112. Hooray! Not that I really need another brow pencil now but since all my brow pencils were almost used up and I needed to buy a new one soon anyway, I'd just take advantage of the sale. It's official: I'm banning myself from buying another pangkilay for the entire year. Last eyebrow-related expense will be the brow shaping I'll be trying out in Benefit. 

Just finished Season 3 of Dexter. I almost forgot all about the Dexter DVDs I bought but after finding out that Sarah Walker of Chuck fame (Yvonne Strahovski in real life) is in Dexter's 7th season, I knew I had to watch her in it. Have to get seasons 4 to 7 and watch Julia Stiles and Sarah Walker in Dexter. Man, I miss Chuck (not Bass, okay?). 

We have a new pope and he speaks in Spanish! Me gusta :) My Spanish is very, very rusty and I think I can practice by listening to him. It's Easter soon and I will see to it that I watch him deliver his Easter message. I hope it's in Spanish. 

I really miss my Korean dramas. I'm watching Greatest Love (again) on GMA. Their dubbing sucks but I really love this series so I'm still watching. So here I am wishing I could get my hands on a really nice Kdrama soon. Now that we're on the topic of Korean entertainment, I've been keeping tabs on Kpop Star Hunt. For the second time, a Thai was announced a winner. In fairness, magaling naman talaga. So anyway, was watching yesterday and I loved two of the songs that were sung. Kaya pala medyo familiar- one was used in the Greatest Love and the other was used in Secret Garden.

Beautiful. Is it because I can't understand a word they're singing? I'm relying purely on the melody. Fan-made subs are a big help though. I need new dramas to break my heart with, to fall in love with. Yep, that's the story of my life- living vicariously through Korean dramas and YA books. Not bad, actually :D

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 15/35: THAT BOY

I love love love this read. Gave it only ★★★★ though. I don't give 5 stars easily, y'know. For a book to deserve 5 stars, it has to be as good as The Time Traveler's Wife or This is A Love Story, basically that I gush about it endlessly for a day or two. That Boy (Jillian Dodd) was an enjoyable read. There's something about journal-type books that I love; maybe, because they're very easy to read.

Basically a case of a girl falling for the boy-next-door but since the story involves two boys-next-door, you would have to stick with it til the end to find out which boy she ends up with. JJ was best friends with Phillip since they were both in nappies. Danny came a few years later. JJ's friendship with Danny didn't exactly start on a good note but this got me thinking about little boys being mean to little girls- meaning, he may have sort of liked-liked JJ. Anyway, ever since Danny found out JJ plays mean football, the three have been the best of friends.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

♥ Love triangles. I live for kilig and love triangles are oftentimes good sources of those. Phillip was JJ's first kiss, but it was Danny who taught her how to make out. Phillip may have never admitted to JJ's face or to anyone that he likes her but c'mon we all know he loves the girl. JJ may have never thought of Phillip that way but she has always lusted over Danny. Ha. The thing is this love triangle was complicated. Both Phillip and Danny were likable and they both adored JJ, so you see it was hard to take sides.

♥ The guys were swoon-worthy. Now that I am an abs-loving ahjumma, I swoon over Phillip and Danny because they both have abs and are good-looking. Haha. Danny may be a little bit of a douche, but he's also kinda sweet. But I am a sucker for good guys so I like Phillip more. For myself. Haha. If I were to choose who ends up with JJ between Danny and Phillip, I'd choose Phillip anytime. He's been in love with her for the longest time and he's always been there for her since time immemorial. But even if she ends up with Danny, I'd be perfectly fine with it. It'll be just a little sad because we know that would break Phillip's heart.

♥ As I have mentioned, I loved how it was written journal-type. It was very easy to read and I loved how the chapter headings were in JJ's handwriting (supposedly). I would have loved to get inside Phillip's or Danny's head sometimes but reading JJ's thoughts is really amusing.

So what did I learn from this book? That a girl and a guy can't be just friends. Mayroong isa na may malisya. Haha. But what the hell do I know, riiiight?

I forget why I picked this book to read but I'm glad I did. I usually judge a book by its cover and if I did choose what to read next based on book covers, this would not be it. Glad I have my beloved ereader here which only shows me titles so every book is on equal footing. Haha. I really should remind myself to write down thoughts as they come so when it's time to write, I do not come up with nonsensical babbling.

You know life is weird. There are times I feel so grown up and like 

I know everything I need to know, but then I think about the future 

and realize how little I do. 

THAT BOY, Jillian Dodd

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 13/35: SMART MOUTH

My Lenten sacrifice for this year includes:

• I won't drink Coke 
• I will abstain from eating meat Wednesdays & Fridays
• and no erotica-ish books, too (such as the Rock Chick series)

for 40 days. Just as I broke all of my New Year's resolution even before the first month of 2013 was done, I broke my Lenten sacrifice but I'll say with a much longer holding period. When I chose to read Smart Mouth, I didn't really think the book has lots of sexy time. I mistook it for a girly-girl, full-on chick-lit. Guess I was wrong...

It was okay. Many liked it but I am not one to rate a book based on the frequency of sexy times the characters had ;) I do not get blinded by those. Ha. I still look at the story as a whole and Smart Mouth was a little repetitive and predictable just like that 50 Shades trilogy and the Rock Chick series.

But I liked how it ended. This book really calls for a happy ending. Derek deserved his happy ending, y'all! Actually, good for Derek and Reese.

I forgot to have a theme this month. Initially, I was thinking of books with 'summer' in the title, but I don't think I want to read Jenny Han's Summer series in succession. So I tried the random number generator on the internet and I'll read that book with the assigned number. Saves me time from deciding which title to read. It could get a little overwhelming, y'know. So many books, so little time. Next books are Stargirl (by Jerry Spinelli. This book is way looong overdue) and Chicken Soup for the Soul Celebrates Sisters.

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 12/35: LOVE STORY

When I pick up a book, I try to throw all expectations out the window. You know what they say, expectations are the root of all disappointment. So twelfth book was Love Story by Jennifer Echols. Before I read the blurb, I was sort of expecting something a la Love Affair (Warren Beatty, Annette Bening) mainly because of the title. Wala lang. Feel ko lang. So anyway, after I read the blurb, I get it that this story was in no way similar to the Warren Beatty-Annette Bening flick, but it seemed as interesting.

"I closed my heart to him then. I thought I had succeeded in forgetting him ten times over. Each time I was mistaken. He managed to find his way into my heart again and sabotage it from the inside."

Erin went off to college to major in Creative Writing, in defiance of what her moneyed and landed grandmother (in other words, haciendera) wanted for her which was to take up business. She went after what she wanted, so she's now a struggling, poor college girl in New York trying to make ends meet with the barista job she's doing very poorly on. Erin has a penchant for romance novels and thought that is the genre she wanted to focus on. While discussing in class about her original story about the love affair of a rich heiress and a stable boy, Hunter joins the class. Harmless? Not, if the stable boy was patterned after a real one and he just happened to walk in. Que horror.

I really like Erin and I kind of sympathize with her on this whole broke college girl in New York thing. She was used to the good life, never lifting a finger and people catering to her every whim but after being disinherited by her grandma not only of the farm but also of her college fund, she tries the best she can so she can follow her dream. I can just imagine that must be very hard. It's a complete turnaround from the life she was accustomed to.

I also like Hunter because he seems really likable and how Erin described him, I reckon a real eye candy. Plus, he has abs! Oh yes, I know I'm turning into a full-fledged ahjumma now that I get flustered with abs. Haha.

Theirs is a really cute story. It's so cute how Erin has been crushing on Hunter for a long time and also the same goes for Hunter. But theirs is a simple love story complicated by their circumstances.

Though I did enjoy reading Love Story, I only give it ★★★. It has to be as good as This Is A Love Story for it deserve five from me ;) Plus, I do think that it ended abruptly. It's like Erin and Hunter got into this blow-up in front of the class, in front of their professor and they make peace just like that? Nobody even said sorry and I think that is imperative for them to have their closure over this issue so they can start anew. Parang, ganun lang?