makeup madness

ang hirap magpaganda...grrr!!!!!

so, i have a project that will require me to appear on cam, and everything has been going great! i think i'm doing a good job.  now, my only problem is--my darn looks.  huhu, i need to look good and therefore need makeup, tons of it! curse this spotty, ruddy skin of mine (just kidding, Lord. i'm very grateful).  but i do need to clean up a bit.

unfortunately, "a bit" is quite relative.  though the difference might seem tiny on screen, it sure isn't when it comes to the preparation, not to mention the effect on the pockets!

this is what the "natural" look requires:

1. toner for my oily face
2. primer to make my skin look smoother and to let the makeup last longer
3. foundation to even out the skin tone
4. concealer to minimize those terrid acne marks and my giant undereye circles
5. powder to blend it all in and keep shine at bay
6. eyeliner to make eyes pop
7. several shades of eyeshadow
8. brow powder
9. eyelash curler and mascara for the wide-eyed look
10. blush for a natural flush
11. lip balm and lip color so i don't look like a corpse

this means, unfortunately, that i'll have to break my Project 365 rule on makeup. aaack! i'm trying to limit though, and am determined to settle for cheap but good alternatives.  i need to buy #s 2,3,4, at the very minimum.  mind you, those are the most important items too, since my skin is really the devil here.

no wonder all those celebrities are shooting up! if you had to do this every day, you'd go crazy too.

wait a sec, what about my hair?!?!?!?!?

buy a water bottle!

no, not the disposable one, silly.  i was reading an article on yahoo about how this woman saved so much by going green and i was immediately drawn to it because usually, when we think green or environment-friendly, we assume it will cost us more.  but in the long run, going green actually lets us save more money, save our lives (or rather live healthier), and save the planet. yay!!!

i think the key is to do it one step at a time, and start with things we can really committ to.  for example, even if i'd like to go green at home, i can't really control that because i still live with my parents and siblings.  i've been contemplating becoming a vegetarian for some time now (i really feel sorry for the animals too) but haven't gone through with it because i know it would drive my mom berserk with additional stress.  bt there are things i can do (and have already started doing)--some of which, though not all, also allow me to save money along the way.

1. as much as possible, i bring my own shopping bag to the grocery.  i only buy a few items every now and then for my personal consumption at the office.  since the supermarket is so close to my workplace, i also sometimes just carry the stuff that i buy when i forget to bring my own bag. yay!  (i think i'll do a tutorial on how to make your own shopping bags soon)

2. i bring my own lunch.  obviously, this saves me money coz i don't usually have to buy food when we have leftovers at home.  aside from that, i use reusable containers and tiny stainless steel cutlery to minimie waste from packaging had i gotten takeout.  when i go to the carinderia to buy additional food, like a serving of veggies, they usually use so much plastic when packing the food, so i also try to minimize waste and plastic use by sharing plastic bas with my co-workers.

3. this week, i shall buy a water bottle.  i've been thinking of getting an SIGG bottle but i'm not quite sure yet coz it is a tad expensive.  but i have realized that it's better to carry my own supply of water with me should i get thirsty, rather than buy water in a disposable plastic bottle.  this will not only lessen waste (think of how many bottled waters you usually consume in a year), but will also improve my health (dangerous toxins from the plastic. aack!).  but really the best part of it all, and i only found out about this recently, is the fact that you're making a statement.  nobody should sell or charge for water because it is a right of all human beings; the companies who claim these water sources are depriving millions of safe and clean water.  therefore, we really need to make a stand! and i'm not sure how long or how many people it will take, but the important thing is we do our part to help the cause.

this is the water bottle that i want, btw.  but it's not available in the country :(  i'll just settle for one that's available here. go local, right?!

if you're interested to find out more, here's an article on the trouble of bottled water. good read!

btw, animal lovers out there! did you know...?

DIY: draped skirt

so i was chatting with keet earlier today and we got to talking about a lot of different, wonderful things, including the skirt that i was wearing at work that very hour.  of course, she couldn't see it.  anyway, i'm really proud of this skirt because i only bought it for P20 at a nearby thrift shop aka ukay-ukay, but now it looks like a thousand bucks! i know, i know, whatever happened to humility right? hahaha. i'll just show you...

thanks to my office mate Jonas for taking the pic!

anyway, this skirt is a bit avant-garde so it really isn't for everyone.  my own sisters hate it.  but my female office mates like it, and so do several of my other friends so there you go.

turning your own plain skirt into a couture piece is easy enough.

You'll need:
- a circle skirt, preferably in a soft/flowy fabric to produce better drapes
- dressmakers' pins
- sewing needle, thread in the same color as the skirt, a pair of scissors

Instructions:
1. fit the skirt and try to imagine where you would like the draping effect.
2. using the dressmakers pins, just bunch up the skirt in certain areas and pin tiny parts of the fabric together.
3. make sure to check in the mirror if you're getting the look that you want
4. once you're finished draping with the pins, take your needle and thread and sew where the pins are positioned.
5. remove the pins and voila! you have a draped skirt that's one-of-a-kind.

*tips, you can go shorter too, to create a more bubbly look.

hope you found this DIY article useful.  will try to come up with more. y'all know i love to get crafty and all.

random money matters

went to a HUGE wedding last weekend-- rumors abound that the decorations for the reception area alone amounted to half a mil already! ridunkulous, right?  but it was a really wonderful night and i truly wish the newlyweds a happy and equally amazing marriage. anyway, during the reception, my relatives in the same age group got talking about independence and marriage, specifically our age deadlines for both.  i want to be out of the house between 25 to 28 y/o--i've recently been feeling quite down, to be honest, and think that i really need to discover who I am and be the person I want to be, regardless of how other people around me are.  and i somehow feel that i can do this best by living on my own, acting the way i want to, instead of always reacting to the situations i encounter.  i also need to make something of myself and feel that living on my own will help me do that, if only so i won't have to tiredly keep explaining the choices i make.

anyway, back to topic.  i'm 22 and a half now, which means i've got about 2.5 - 5.5 years to save a ton of loot, if i am to ever live on my own (btw, normally, marriage is another option--sharing the bill with a husband would be nice haha--but i don't want to make any predictions and jinx my chances.  to be honest, the romantic future is looking a bit bleak right now.  okay, self-pity ends here). 

ideally, when i'm on my own, i should still manage to keep saving instead of having it all go to rent and survival expenses.  how, you ask? at this rate, i don't know either! haha. but i've read a few things in the past that did get me thinking.

one is to let your money work for you too.  apparently, this is one thing that the rich do.  instead of spending on something that won't contribute to your wealth (like a signature bag) or, worse, that will even subtract from it (like a fancy car), you need to put your money in a place where it will work hard to make you richer. haha. so you can use it to further a biz, invest in stocks, or even earn in a bank.  i told our maid this last night and she suddenly got the idea of buying a pig instead of a TV.  that's the spirit!

another one is a quote i just read from the King, Elvis, himself.  "Sharing money is what gives it its value."  'nuff said.

here's another beautiful quote from Henry David Thoreau (whose works i should start reading, btw): "Goodness is the only investment that never fails."

and with that, i bid y'all adieu, at least for now.  i hope these ramblings get you thinking and adjusting your lives the way they're starting to do mine :) feel free to share your favorite quotes about wealth on this post.

marion cotillard

does this girl look like someone we all know?

 *i do miss my long wavy hair though...i promise to give it the same effort i do my short hair. can't wait! and apparently, it really is important for actresses and models (though i'm neither so i don't know how this is all connected) to have really plain hair. proper length, no bangs or anything. makes it easier to style for shoots, films, etc.

the holy grail

i think, right now, girls such as myself can consider 3 things their holy grail: Mr. Right, an ideal (but not necessarily perfect) career, and the right shade of foundation.  now, the former two topics have been mentioned several times on my other blog, so perhaps it is time to give the third a shot as well.

recently, i have been on the hunt for THE perfect foundation for my skin tone. i know, i know, what about Project 365, you ask? after all, i did say no buying of makeup. well, that was when i had an option of getting my makeup done for Sunday's big event. but my friend isn't available then, so ima have to do my face, as well as that of my mom's and ate cla's, myself.  anyway, i have a budget from my dad this time around.  i guess he doesn't want us to look terrible beside all those bigwigs.

so i tried out several brands at first: shiseido, cinema secrets, revlon, max factor.  i really wanted to try mac but didn't get an opportunity.  my main concern was getting the right color and coverage for my undereye circles and dark spots, but still looking natural. and by natural, i mean NATURAL.  so natural that people will think i just woke up looking all fresh and flawless.  the problem is, most brands and foundation types rarely get it right, in my opinion.  i see a lot of people looking good with makeup, but the problem is, i know they're wearing tons of product.  i don't wanna know that.  i want to look like a model, a movie star.  i want to look perfect. well, almost. makeup is not equal to cosmetic surgery after all.   and after trying those expensive brands, my search seemed futile. 

the no-makeup look from Becca

Cinema Secrets' cream concealer/foundations weren't yellow enough for me.  their Summer Sand powder might have been good, but i didn't think it was worth the price, especially since it didn't offer enough coverage for my undereye circles.  Shiseido also didn't have the right shade and didn't offer enough coverage.  Max factor totally got it wrong.  the best comment i received was that i looked ab it whiter than usual (un ang best sa lagay na yan), while the worst were that my eyes looked swollen and my eyebags magnified.  Revlon's shades might have worked but it still lacked that wow factor.  i'm still not convinced.

So, i looked to the internet, specifically google and girltalk, for help.  in my extensive web-surfing for the holy grail of foundations, i chanced upon bobbi brown's website.  of course, i can't afford her stuff, but the chance encounter did prove useful--the really cool graphics and instructional videos gave me an idea --i should just mix my own foundation! 

tons of shades but still difficult to get it right!

so, as soon as i got home, i whipped out the existing liquid foundations we had--gifts from my aunt.  they were obviously just surplus from her stash but i thought i might as well be green and use 'em.  one is CoverGirl in True Beige, the other is Rimmel in Sand.  True Beige is too light and too pink for me, while Sand is too dark.  i mixed them together, but i felt it still lacked the glow and the yellow tint that i needed, so i went on a search again. today, i found some good candidates from Nichido and Ever Bilena.  and the good thing is--they're much cheaper than the important brands (and made in the Philippines too)!  for 30ml, Nichido is less than P300, while EB is less than P200.  Nichido has Light, which is too light for me but may have the yellow i need to mix into my other stuff.  Natural is darker and less yellow, so it might be the good too.  EB has Gold and Beige--they're close enough to each other so i have difficulty deciding, but i think they're much better than the previous brands i tried. 

I'll let you know how it goes but i'm praying that it will work it out :)

PS - you might be wondering why i'm so bent n getting it right? aside from the fact that i want to look good, i also figured it might be a good idea to learn the basics of makeup, not just so i can help out my family and relatives, but also because it could come in handy in case ate cla decides to pursue her photography full-time.  after all, the bread & butter of most photographers are the shoots.  we could be an affordable 2 for 1 combo!

*other things also come to mind when talking about the holy grail of women. some of them are:

the right lipstick per category (red, pink, nude, etc.)

the right pair of jeans

the perfect white blouse

and the list goes on! we'll try to tackle those in the future. just see post under "the holy grail".

Beaty Secrets from the Bible

akalain mo!

found this cute site! will read and review soon.