Upping the Ante

Hi everyone,

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the encouraging words during my fitness journey. They mean a lot to me. If you guys are following me via Twitter (and you should!), you probably notice that I have tweeted a lot about fitness recently. I was surprised that not only my Twitter people are still following me but my tweets inspire them to start exercising (well, at least one person that I know for sure!) And guess what, that makes me happy! I know to start exercising is not easy. I tried so many times in the past but I failed. This time around, I have the people and the tools to make it happen and only time can tell how far I can go.

The dumbbells, my shoes, plus a mat for my knees

During the weekend, I decided to get some extra weights. The usual 2kg hand weights (the red ones) are too easy for me. I can barely feel anything and I want my arms to burn, yo! So, I went out and bought 2 extra pairs of dumbbells: a pair of 3kgs and another pair of 4kgs. They look bulky because they are filled with sand instead of made out of iron. The iron weights are muy muy muy expensivo. I could not afford them at all!

Also, exercising did pay off. Here is a picture of moi after 2 weeks of P90X:

Can you see my cheekbones? I was surprised of how prominent they are. This picture was taken after a party so my lipstick was gone. I was full and tired but look at them cheeks! This is something I used to try at various angles back in the days. But now they're here! Just for vanity reasons, P90X works and it works so well that I don't regret all the sweats I've been shedding at all!

Also, an extra bonus: look at my skin. This is the closest to bare skin I can give you. I only used a thin layer of powder foundation, that's all.

I found this online today. It's a workout sheet for P90X and Insanity straight from the Beach Body website. I have an ambition to do Insanity by the end of this year and let's pray that things are going well because I really want to do this hybrid workout after that. This time next year, I'm going to finish this hybrid workout for real =)

That's all for today, folks! I'm upping my ante. How about you?

With lots of fitness love,
Dao xoxo

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How to Remove Glittery Nail Polish

Hi everyone,

Do you love glittery nail polish? I do, I do, I love it very much! It sparkles, it shines, it makes my nails look very interesting. However, there's a downside to every bling: glittery nail polish are too tough to remove! As much as I tried removing them, there would be some tiny little flecks that did not want to come off. Grr!

But don't fret. You live, you learn. After wearing and removing so many layers of glittery nail polishes later, I have come up with a fail-proof method that does not make me mad when it comes to removing glittery nail polishes. I hope this trick will save you a lot of pain in the future, too.

Here's how you do it:

1. Soak a cotton pad with nail polish remover:
No, I didn't say dab, I said soak. Really soak it in, sistah! Don't skimp on the nail polish remover at all.

2. Have some pieces of tin foil/saran wrap nearby. We're gonna need it.

3. Place the cotton pad on top of your nail, then use tin foil/saran wrap to wrap around the pad, the tighter the better. Personally, I prefer saran wrap as I can get a tight wrap.

4. Repeat to the rest of the nails and wait for 5 minutes. Or go scare the kids and cats if you want to :)

5. Remove the tin foil/saran wrap and gently wipe away the glittery nail polish. It should come out easily. After removing the nail polish on all of your fingers, wash your hands and voila, you're done!

The only downside of this method is the dryness. Your cuticles and nails are going to feel like being on fire. So, once you're done washing your hands, moisturize well and if possible, wear cotton gloves and go to bed. I guess the dryness is one of the reasons I don't wear sparkly nail polishes that often anymore. However, it's still fun to do so once in a while.

That's all for now, me lovelies! If you have any other advanced Jedi tricks on how to remove glittery nail polishes, please let me know.

Have a lovely day,
Dao xoxo

P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and  subscribing to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Time to Switch Facial Cleanser: Hazeline Clear White

Hi everyone,

Lately, the weather in my 'hood has been scorching hot. In Saigon, when the heat comes, it comes with vengeance. The nice weather forecast lady predicted the heat is going to continue until mid-April and can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Not cool, weather, not cool!

As a result of the heat, I have developed some sort of bumps on my forehead that did not exist when the weather was oh, about 2 degrees cooler. Regardless of how much I clean my face with black Pond's and the facial cleansing brush, the bumps did not seem to go away. Out of desperation, I decided to try something different: Hazeline Clear White facial cleanser.

Hazeline Clear White facial cleanser with turmeric extract and jojoba oil to prevent pimples and whiten skin

 Now, I have come to believe that in order for a skincare product to sell well in Asia, the word "whiten" has to appear somewhere in the label. Believe me, this cleanser does not whiten my face at all. However, as it contains turmeric extract, it manages to calm down the bumps significantly. Also, it has a stronger oil prevention property than the black Pond's (James Pond's, haha!)

How it looks like
This cleanser has some fine micro-beads in it, btw

Ingredient list

This is the cheapest facial wash I've ever used. However, you can't use the price tag to predict the quality as it is a decent face wash. For a dollar, I have nothing to complain about it, except that it can be quite drying in the winter. Which makes it a perfect cleanser during summer. It does contain jojoba esters and turmeric extract, although I believe the zit-zapping power has to do with the presence of salicylic acid. Also, it does have niacinamide, which is a safe skin brightening agent but as it is further into the list, I don't think it can do much to the skin. Also, I've noticed the lack of sulfate in this face wash as well as the other one that I have. Which means Unilever did listen to their consumers and reformulated their skincare products for the better.

Hazeline Clear White face wash cleanses my face really well. If I use too much, my skin will have that squeaky clean sound after washing with water. It does have a mild floral scent and my skin does feel comfortable afterwards. And did I tell you about the oil control property? It does control oil pretty well. If I wash my face in the morning, I would not feel oily until around high noon.

Also, a tube does last me a long time. I bought it last summer and still have about 1/5 of it to go. Would I buy it again? Of course! It's fabulous and cheap, although I can use it during the summer only.

That's all for now, folks! I hope you have a lovely day.

Love,
Dao xoxo

P.S: Please support my blog by following me and  subscribing to my feed. Thanks a lot!