Face obsession

After being curious of the 7-steps korean face routine my brother told me, I finally found the sipag to search for it in the net. I found it here and I've been following this ever since.

Since I'm obsessed nga, I also use toner for my face. The best I've tried was Neutrogena Fine Fairness that Kuya brought home. Wala na ata sa market to coz kuya said inuubos na lang ung stock :( Nevertheless, I also used Pond's, the blue one with the label acne-expert. Sa sobrang ka-expertan, I think nagkakapimple lang ako, or I was just influenced by my kach's belief that Pond's causes pimples. Now, I'm trying Belo's essential, night and day (if aalis ako ng day). I liked it so far specially its fragrant smell. :D However, during the days that I stay at home I wash my face with Neutrogena Deep Clean foam facial cleanser, then wash it again with ice-cold water. I read somewhere that it is the perfect toner! Pag maaga din ako umuuwi, ice-cold water routine pa rin after removing makeup. :) wait... Neutrogena (Deep Clean Lotion)din pala ung ginagamit ko for make up removing (not in eye makeup).

**wait, I'm developing pimples.. I think its because of the Belo toner or the Olay moisturizer, or some random environment factors. I'll stop using those two for a while.

Those shu skin purifiers stuffs were giveaways at a party and obviously, I haven't used any nor I plan to in the future. Does those have an expiration date?
That eye serum was the one I asked my cousin to give me. I just don't know if its available here. It's effective in reducing puffiness or soon-to-be-lines. Don't you know that aging starts at 18?! And the first signs are seen on the eyes? Kaya nga naghanap na ako ng eye cream the moment I heard this. :P
I use whitening mask and soon the moisturizing cream. Pfft.. there are some discolorations on my face, hope it helps.

mask me!

And so I saw this article in one blog that I'm following. I figured that while I'm currently obsessed with my face to be so makinis and practicing selca (from my previous blog) I read it as it was interesting. I'm making it a habit to mask my face every sunday (Nakakaisang sunday pa lang ako kaya nga MAKING a habit ;p).

Natry ko na before ung Neutrogena mask, last nung night before graduation rehearsal wherein 3AM na ata ako natulog and to think I'm expecting a photoshoot! Sa mask ko na lang binawi, and there, ok naman! Hindi halatang puyat ako. My face still looked fresh, radiant and moisturized. That's why I really believe in masks.. it's like the ultimate Spa for your face. I also tried iWhite, the cheap ones I saw in Watson's for like 3-4 times. This is also the one I used last Sunday. I liked this, not just because it is cheap but because its paste-like when left on the face. Feel na feel ko talaga nakamask ako, plus I can move (at least the rest of my body) without thinking if the mask would fall like those of 'gauze masks'.

I also noticed the leads in a lot of kdramas were masking with fresh cucumbers all over the face when tomorrow will be a big day, usually kapag may date. Very thin slices of cucumbers that circle around the face, just like in Ratatouille. Saw a poor copy in google:

Facial masks that use a cucumber are great because of the diuretic, cleansing, and cooling properties that the cucumber provides. Cucumbers are useful in reducing facial puffiness, especially around the eyes. Other vegetable masks using carrots, artichokes, etc., can also be beneficial for the skin, providing it with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Cucumber recipes found here.

' "Lettuce contains lots of vitamin A, vitamin B, iron, calcium as well as essential amino acids that calm your skin," she said. It softens the skin's tone, which is usually toughened and darkened due to repeated sun exposure.

Peptine in tomatoes brightens your skin, she added, while grapes have lots of vitamins and minerals that help "revitalize" your skin. The sugar, protein, fat and vitamins of bananas keep your skin moist and clear, she said. '

- The Korea Times

I also found a vegetable toner here. Nice! I might try it sometime.

Selca-ing: Tips for that ultimate camwhore!

I was browsing the insider.com and got irritated because instead of pics or galleries of lara and anya's style tips there were all videos. I don't have that much patience to wait, so I searched for korean stylist in Google. Found a blog on wordpress that got my interest with the salon I'm eyeing for sometime now was the title. Don't like her much. But I still want to get my hair done at Tony and Jackie at either Alabang or Makati.

Anyway, I found out that this blogger was sort of inflicted with the korean craze as well (as there were a lot of BOF articles). I clicked at an interesting article, and I want to share it here. "I stumbled upon this Korean website where it gave tips on taking self pictures. The Koreans apparently have perfected this method and even coined a name for it – SELCA, meaning self camera.You don’t need to look like a supermodel or all made-up for a selca. Selca is all natural and fun posing."

If there's a habit I so perfectly master back in college, it's the copy paste method. I want to post it here myself, so if ever they removed the URL or trash the blog, I do have a copy. hehe. Camwhoring is a habit I would like to relive specially now, I have an awesome camera! :P I know I already gave her a name.. I forgooooot grrr.

Star Tips on Selcaing

Sel-ca is a newly created word by Korean netizens which stands for self-camera and it refers to taking picture of yourself with either your digital camera or camera phones. Although the word sel-ca has English roots, it’s part of everyday vocabulary and activity in Korea as you can see even celebs are snapping away.

Rule # 1: Check yourself out.

Make sure that there is nothing stuck in your teeth, that your hair is in order and that the lighting is okay. Common ways to check yourself out are taking out the princess mirror in your purse, using the reflector on your digital camera or taking a practice shot. Remember that the more lighting, the better but if you can’t get the right amount of spot light directed to you, try using the black and white option or any other color option in your camera.

Rule # 2: Never look directly into the camera!
The worst thing you can do for yourself is to look directly into your camera for it’ll make your face look huge! For a more slimmer look, follow these three simple tricks.

(1) Look up at your camera

By elevating your camera 20 cm, you are forced to look up, which makes your face look a lot slimmer and your eyes bigger. The key to this trick is making sure that your chin is down while your eyes are looking up to the camera. And make sure that you keep your eyes wide open- like you are surprised. From personal experience, it takes time to master this, but once you have it down, you are good to go!

(2) Look down at your camera

Instead of elevating your camera 20cm, lower your camera 20cm and look straight down at it while keeping your eyes wide open. Because you are looking down, you are forced to lower your chin. This creates the necessary angle to keep the face looking slim. Although this sounds easy, the results are not as flattering as looking up at your camera.

(3) Tilt your head

The hardest yet most natural looking pose is to tilt your head, looking like you are not conscious of the camera – although you are sel-caing. Because you are looking away from your camera, it’s most likely that you are not going to get the shot you want, so don’t get discouraged if you only get parts of your face or none at all! It’s all part of the sel-ca learning process. Once you become acquainted with your digital camera and you are used to sticking your arm out, you’ll have that perfect sel-ca shot in no time.

Rule # 3: Express yourself!
Showing off your perfect teeth is so yesterday. In today’s digital era, it’s all about expressing yourself, so take advantage of the fact that there is no film to waste and show off your wacky side to the world.

(1) Put on a funny expression

There’s no better way to show off your wild side than to take some wacky shots of yourself. Being able to take such shots, shows that you are confident enough to make fun of yourself and no, you won’t be considered a freak because the pictures are for your own viewing pleasure! So snap away!

(2) Accessorize

If you get bored with just putting on funny expressions, then try accessorizing to make sel-caing more entertaining. Common props used by everyday sel-caers are scarves, towels, hats, and wigs – we dare you to try something new.

Rule # 4: Practice, practice & practice.
To master the sel-ca technique, practicing on a regular basis is a must! The best way to practice is to take your digital camera with your everywhere you go and start snapping away whenever you have extra 30 secs to spare. You can sel-ca…..

(1) while waiting for a site to upload

While you are waiting for your favorite blog, POPSEOUL! to load, take some shots right by your computer. It’ll take you less than 30 seconds to turn on your camera, elevate or lower your camera – lower your chin and snap!

(2) while shopping

While waiting for the shop girls to bring the clothes in your size, take some shots of yourself by the mirror in your fitting room. Unlike the face close-ups, you can take a full body shot with the help of the mirror but the downsize is that your camera is included in the picture. But hey, as long as you can show off your slammin body, does it really matter?

* Good for 'topshopping' with my friends haha I remembered one!

(3) while driving

Next time you are stuck in traffic, whip our your digital camera and practice your sel-ca skills. But please make sure that you are stuck in dead-lock traffic when you do this. It’ll be so sad to read that the cause of the car accident was “sel-caing.”

(4) getting ready to sleep

*Kiniiiis my ged! Nainggit lang ako sa kakinisan! Might as well do it, since my cam's been locked in the room for a looooong time. She missed me.

If you just don’t want to get out of bed or can’t fall asleep, practice in your bed. This post is rated PG, so nothing naughty of course! However, let me warn you that it’s a lot harder to get your sel-ca angle in bed, but it’s worth a shot.

*Another tip, make sure you're cam has a BIG memory cause while practicing, you don't always get the best picture in every click! Good thing I my cam got with it its own 8G memory card! wooohoo!!!!

Rule #5: Don’t upload your embarrassing pictures online!

From another article from the same blog:

Rule #6: Don’t take sel-cas in the locker rooms – for the sake of your locker buddies!

*eeeewnessss... Just imagine if you were in the background. gosh!

*And since I really love to travel and taking pictures of my outdoor adventures (and would probably go to Davao next week yey!) here is the most cool tip I got!

Rule #7: Don’t take touristy pictures! Instead, put yourself in the spotlight and just enjoy what’s in the background.

* Ang nice ng shots nya! so cute! Love it!

If you plan to vacation anytime in the near future, make sure to take these vacation sel-ca tips from Korea’s top sel-caists aka celebs. First of all, take a look at Eugene’s sel-ca pics. Can you tell where it was taken? How about So Yujin’s sel-cas? Any ideas on where she vacationed?

Don’t feel embarrassed if you couldn’t tell where they were taken right off the bat, because that was intentional. Upon closer look, you can see that Eugene is at the CNN studio in Georgia and So Yujin is strolling down the streets of the romantic city, Paris. Celeb sel-caists always make sure that they are the focus of the pictures, instead of the popular tourist sites because the picture should be about YOU and not some touristy site. So, here’s our rule #7…

*The best tip diba? Remember to make yourself the FOCUS of the photo. Ang Pinoy kasi and most tourists, parang fan na nagpapapicture sa background para sa 'I've-been-here shot!' like this shot I got right here. Diba?! ano yan?!!! hahaha I think it would be considered a perfect photo if you're enjoying yourself IN the background not the background swallowing you! right?!!!!

Now, where's my camera??? :D

Now what?!

It's 5PM and I already had nothing in line to do today. Finished Dal Ja's as expected. Playlist created - wish I could transfer this to my phone. I've been tweeting in the past weeks, not really for myself or to anyone to know what i'm up to (as if there's something interesting now) but rather to read tweets from people.. more like celebs. I like Ruffa G's tweets, followed her the first time she announced that she registered. She's the first Pinoy celebrity, and well she's not getting anything from it ($$$), something free, not like the text subscriptions sh*t. Anyway, just to make it clear, I'm NOT her fan! My bestfriend, though adores her soooo much!

Found another Japcompany. Hmmm, they need 15 programmer trainees. It's ok if I would program, at least I'm closer to my ultimate dreeeeeeeeeeam. haha Top1 top2. yeah.. yun na lng tawag ko!

Waaah I can't find anything to do!! gosh. Maybe I'll read hp7. soooo bum!grr.. There's not enough ingredients in the house to experiment with.. or maybe I'll watch travel and living na lang ulit. Check out some recipes and pretend to care on other people's lives. I don't want to deal with other things that might lead to SP mode like online shopping and stuff.. bat naman kasi! haha mahirap na ume-SP, hirap ng mahirap! yan naiisip ko tuloy ung vest!!! biaaaaatch

ume-SP

Something I thought that could comic the 'drama' episodes I've been going through in the past months. SP - Self Pity, a word that came out the moment I turned on the TV. I forgot what show it was. But I believe that was God's way of telling me that, well This has a name and its not a disastrous depression again. Well it sounds kind of funny that's why I picked it to throw away the 'drama' and maybe just say it as comic as possible.

I'll watch the last episode of Dal Ja's Spring today. I can't believe I cried in one of the episodes when it was funny the whole time. Once lang nagdrama, nafeel ko naman agad! haha

Going back to the 'real' world

Spent hours here on a Saturday. That's a change. Cause if I don't brave to came here, I would've lost my patience at home - doing the same things, hating the same people. Blaming myself.

I've watched two eps of Dal Ja's Spring. I just realized how different this series from others. Everything is mature. Not the usual dramas. Of course, there is the opposing families, but here it is shown with a lighter perspective. Things were taken care of maturely, no crying, no self-pitying.. It managed to be funny from start up until the end (or so I think after 19 eps) unlike others. Very simple, career-oriented, rich and fresh. Different but brilliant and light. Wow! Is this a review or something?

I'll go back at home. On a positive light, I'll watch cable shows as what was stated in my prev blog. However, I do hope I won't run out of patience and I won't remember the trip on Sept1. I don't want to go. The guilt and the self-pity. C'mon... As if I won't be pitying when I'm left alone in the house.. Well I believe it will be less though. Maybe I just can't take the future 'money issues' that my brother will rattle indirectly on me. I already had enough bumming around...

Job job job.. come to me so that I could pay my debts rightaway to Mr. Soya. My aussie-to-be friend is such a good person, no wonder he is showered with blessings. :p

Maybe later, I could play some dress ups haha.. gosh how I want a vest and a short jacket.

average bumming

One of the questions in the to-ask-in-an-interview article was: So what will be my average day look like?.. This is my 'is-and-hopefully-will-become-WAS' average day bumming as I struggle for the last bits of optimism despite my formulated 'anchor theory'.

Home:
Aside from the largest contributing factor of my own diagnosis of 'self-pity' which is the repetitive and unending chores, I try to enjoy myself in front of the cube. Although I really love cooking and trying/experimenting on a lot of stuffs.

No. 1 on the list is Discovery Travel and Living. Wishing I have the job of Bob Blumer in Glutton for Punishment (How I loved the Medoc Marathon and Tour de France in, well, France). I also stay tuned whenever foodies hit the shows. So much love to Curtis Stone and Jamie Oliver. Sometimes, I even list their recipes. Aside from this channel, I stayed rigidly glued watching ET, the Insider and the occasional good movies. Laugh is guaranteed when I watch Ellen and Conan O' Brien. 2nd Ave and ETC keeps my life sort of updated

Net:
For the net, which is my haven and my life. Facebook, Twitter, and now watching Dal Ja's Spring.. I would say this is good. This has far been the longest gap time I spend in watching a Kseries. I love it though! Very mature yet the romCom is very fresh.

I also keep on salivating in online shopping looking for fashion ins and outs and searching for trendier ways (or at least acceptable in my part) to wear my other clothings. Sometimes, I search for regimens for skin, that would be the only good coming out of my bumming - controlling the environment for my skin. constantly dropping by at WH site and relive the dream to stay fit.. Take note.. dream!

*Sigh sigh.. loser life?! I miss the busy me.

unsuccessful attempts

Nothing much happened during my last blog. Lots of unsuccessful job interviews from amazing companies. Sometimes, I just wish I'm in another country so that I could enter any job that I want. I'm hardworking myself and can accept any jobs.. It's just harder living here. Sight of parents and friends remind you of your degree and university. Many eyes are looking at you.. *Sigh

I so badly want to go to another country. New environment, new life. Independence period! I want to live on my own. My 'anchor theory' proves to be in more painful existence everyday I spent at home. Haaaaaay...

With all the amazing companies that interviewed me in the past couple of months, now I know, that I'm the problem. Maybe I'm not doing so good in job interviews. Haaaaay... Before my little ounce of confidence and optimism runs out, I hope God would bless me with a nice job, no nice Career!

I found this article in yahoo webpage. A good tip: To all who will be scheduled for a job interview in the coming days... WE Must remember this.