Fitness Report #4

Hi everyone,

Yay, I passed the first month and I'm still alive! A couple of days ago, I tweeted this:

Everyday, I wake up feeling sore and human. The soreness shows me I am making progress and I need to work out more to get over that. The days I exercise, I feel more alert and awake. The days I don't, I feel as if I am missing something. I am still at awe of how this phenomenon happened to me. I heard about it many times over but I did not believe it. At all.

Here are what I did during week 4:

• Monday: Gym                             1hr 10 minutes
• Tuesday: break (got sick)
• Wednesday: break (still sick)
• Thursday: Yoga                           1hr
• Friday: Yoga and Pilates              55 minutes
• Saturday: Gym                            1hr 15 minutes
• Sunday: Gym                              1hr 15 minutes

Total amount of time: 5 hours 35 minutes!!!

Now, before you all get excited about my time, let me point out that I had 2 low impact workouts last week (the 2 yoga sessions.) Since I had a cold, my body was achy and my muscles were stiff. Yoga is the way to go in this scenario.

I do enjoy my time at the gym and I push myself harder when I am there. Usually, I do 50-60 minutes of cardio and the rest I spend on lifting weight and stretching. I do notice more muscle definitions in my arms and back these days :)

Fitness tip of the week:

If you want to exercise but don't have the workout DVDs, search YouTube. There are so many types of workout videos there, ranging from yoga to pilates to zumba to even belly dancing. In fact, when I learned belly dancing, I used YouTube to learn the moves. Also, now that people can post longer workouts on YT, you may find hour-long programs there as well.

And last but not least, a thank you...

I have received a couple of unsubscription notices in my email lately. Each of them makes me wonder what I did wrong with this blog. I know this is not the same blog as it was three years ago. Back then, I was younger, more enthusiastic, and had so many things to give. Now, I am in a situation where blogging about makeup and beauty products everyday is impossible.

I thought about closing down this blog a few times this year. But each time, I talked myself out of it. I have the nicest group of readers I can dream of and I don't want to let you down. You guys are so understanding and I am very thankful for that.

So I made a decision to do the best I can. I decided to scale down to 3 posts per week and one post is about fitness and exercises. Of course, I know this is not what I had in mind when I started blogging here. But I do believe fitness is also a part of beauty. We all need to stay healthy.

Again, I am thankful for your presence and your support toward my new endeavors. This means a lot to me!

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The Three Favorite Oils I Can't Live Without

Hi everybody,

Happy Monday! I just finished my first workout of the week and decided to blog a little bit before heading to the shower. As you all know, I am a fan of moisturizing my face with oil. After 3+ years of beauty blogging, I have tried a few oils and realized there are a few I can't live without. Not only oils are cheap and stable, they also have therapeutic powers that rival to expensive face creams.

Source

Here are my favorites:

1. Coconut oil

Everytime I use it to moisturize my face, I think of summer. It is a great moisturizer that contains lauric acid, an ingredient that kills acne-causing bacteria. I wrote a review here and I'm still using it. My skin is a lot smoother now, too, which is why I love coconut oil so much.

2. Jojoba oil

I still don't understand why I did not write a review on jojoba oil yet. (Need to do that!) Before switching to coconut oil, I was an avid fan of jojoba oil. I call it "liquid gold" for a reason, as it is gentle, moisturizing, and does not clog pores. During the time I had my worst acne, this was the only thing I used to moisturize my face. As it is technically a wax, it dissolves and pulls blackhead plugs out of the pores really well. My mom is also a fan of jojoba oil as it did a great job keeping her skin supple during the cold months.

3. Olive oil

You use it on your salad, you use it on your hair, your face, your skin, your nails, your eyelashes. Anyway you roll it, olive oil is good for you. It is a versatile moisturizer, albeit being a tad thicker than coconut and jojoba oils. I wrote a review on olive oil here and a face/body scrub recipe here.

Coconut, jojoba, and olive oils are not that difficult to find anymore. In fact, they are getting more affordable if you buy them during sales. If you choose to moisturize with oil, make sure to get the highest grade possible. Cold pressed and organic oils are the way to go since they retain more vitamins and minerals while the source was not exposed to harmful chemicals such as pesticides.

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Five Neutral Looks for Back to School Season

Hello everyone,

I was thinking of doing a neutral eye makeup look for this week but the cold I have decided otherwise. The combination of headache and dizziness forces me to stay in bed instead of playing with makeup. For those of you who are going back to school, I hope you'll have an excited academic year ahead. I dug up my archive and found 5 neutral looks that will make you look polished without being too flashy or colorful.

1. Missing Summer

This is an easy neutral look with the ELF Beauty Book Neutral Eyes edition palette. I hope ELF has something similar this year. Last year's version was $5 a palette and the colors are really soft and pretty.

2. Vanity

Education is expensive. Why pay a lot more money on makeup when you can get a Wet n Wild palette for less than $5? The Vanity palette has some seriously pigmented neutral eye colors that I love so much. This look is also easy to create and the touch of gold on the eyelid adds extra twinkles to your eyes.

3. Natural

This is my "no makeup" makeup look. The Champagne and Caviar from NYX is a joy to work with. Also, it is a budget eyeshadow palette that is so versatile. You can create barely there eye makeup look like this or intense smokey eyes from that same palette.

4. Baby Doll

Granted, this is a wedding makeup look with falsies Kim Kardashian would wear. But if you have naturally long eye lashes, this is a gorgeous look for you (only when you have that extra time to blend colors together.)

5. Rockstar

I love how simple yet elegant this eye makeup look is. This is a purple neutral look that's easy to create with only 4 colors. Talking about time saving, eh?

I hope you'll enjoy these 5 looks I did in the past. They are all neutral looks that makes you look polished and pretty without being too colorful.

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Fitness Report #3

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was ka-ray-zie! I barely had time to check emails at all. Therefore, the Fitness Report was postponed until today. Better late than never, right?

Last week, I had 2 workouts at the gym and 3 at home. It was a more intense week than usual as I spent more time to work out when I was at the gym. The fitness trainers took my measurements and gave me a sample workout to improve my fitness (mostly cardio exercises to help me lose fat.)

Here are what I did last week:

• Monday: break
• Tuesday: Step by step            1hr
• Wednesday: Shred                 30 minutes
• Thursday: Zumba                   35 minutes
• Friday: break
• Saturday: Gym                       1hr 15 minutes
• Sunday: Gym                         1hr 20 minutes

Total amount of time exercising this week: 4 hours and 40 minutes!

Two things that made me so excited: I can run in small bursts (1 minute running, 2-3 minutes walking) and I fit into my old pair of jeans again! This pair I bought almost 2 years ago, wore once, and could not fit in it again until today!

Also, I can't believe I'm in the 4th week of exercising already. I didn't think I could last this long. Since I am having a mild cold, I am taking a break and only do stretches today. It is worth it to listen to my body, y'know?

Fitness tip of the week:

Have a fitness journal. We all think that we exercise a lot but the truth states otherwise. A fitness journal helps track the amount and type of exercises you have throughout the week. It is also a place to reflect upon your weight loss successes. If you feel like your weight loss is not enough, it is time to have longer cardio workouts. You will be amazed of how much knowledge you gain from your fitness journal.

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The Lemming List: Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Hi everyone,
Last week, I was excited when I heard that Urban Decay is going to release Book of Shadows vol. 4. However, I forgot there's an ongoing limited edition UD palette that fits those of you who prefer bright colors. Introducing the 15-Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection:

The palette is in a lovely box with 15 neutral, vibrant, and deep eye shadows

The eye shadows included in this palette

According to Urban Decay, here are the descriptions of the colors:

Deeper: deep shimmery golden brown,
M.I.A.: soft shimmery dark brown,
Ace: dark gunmetal shimmer,
Blackout: darkest, most saturated black,
Half Truth: shimmery smoky purple,
Tainted: pale matte purple with golden shimmer,
Junkshow: bright pink w/fuchsia shift,
Omen: shimmery metallic bright purple w/blue shift,
Evidence: deep metallic blue,
Deep End: bright teal shimmer,
Midnight Rodeo: medium metallic brown w/silver and gold glitter,
Midnight 15: oyster pearl w/silver glitter,
Vanilla: shimmery white gold,
Flow: soft peach shimmer,
Chase: metallic bright bronze

The mix of neutral, bright, and dark eye shadows in this palette is very interesting. I wish this were the Book of Shadows 4 because of the color selection. Also, it is 9 dollars cheaper since it does not contain the extras (min UDPP, eyeliner, mascara, etc.)

Which leads to my dilemma: while I love UD BoS, this is such a wonderful palette as well. It has duochrome colors (Junkshow, Omen) which I did not see in BoS III. Dear cruel Makeup God, why did you choose to play with my mind?

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Jessie J. Inspired FOTD

Hi everyone,

Lately, I've been hearing Jessie J's songs everywhere I go. From "Price Tag" to "Do It Like a Dude" to "Nobody's Perfect," I listen to them all. And what's better than her songs? Her makeup style. Jessie J. rocks some seriously fierce makeup. I could not help but do my own version of Jessie J's makeup. And let me tell you this: I had a blast doing this week's FOTD.

My Jessie J. inspired FOTD
"It's not about the money, money, money. We don't need your money, money, money. We just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag..."

What I used

The Eyes

Andes: cut the crease;
Ochre style: contour crease;
Firespot: lid;
Sahara: highlight

Notice the fish tail look as I flicked my upper and lower liners apart? That's the Marilyn Monroe's eye effect. Jessie J does that a lot with white eye shadow in between the dark liners. This makes your eyes look more wide open. Very interesting effect.

This is a cut-the-crease look with orange on the lid and browns as accent.

Love how these Shisem falsies look on me.
I forgot to curl my lashes before applying false eyelashes. After applying the Shisem, I found out my curler is not wide enough to curl everything. Gah!

The Face

• Foundation: Mineral Hygenics in Medium Light applied wet with ELF Studio powder brush
• Blush and highlight: Neutrogena Healthy Skin blend in Fresh and ELF Studio blush in Gotta Glow
• Lips: NYC lipstick in Blue Rose (405B)

And now, ze bloopers ;)

Revenge of the lashes
Remember the Katy Perry look I did 2 weeks ago when I didn't have my falsies on? Yeah, I got them now, mwhahahaha!

The Mariah Carey wind machine went wrong. That's because I relied on  real wind, not a fan. Talking about low budget!

Last but not least, you should watch this video clip. Jessie J. sang live here and she was awesome! This girl can sing and she reminds me of Christina Aguleira circa Stripped. Don't you think?

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Fitness Report #2 and a Makeup Tip

Hello everyone,

I still can't believe I'm in week 3 of exercising already. Week 2 was a total blast since I incorporated weight training into my exercise routine. Also, I joined a gym to work out during the weekends. Let's see what I did in week 2, shall we?

• Monday: skip
• Tuesday: Sculpt and tone (47 min)
• Wednesday: 30 Day Shred level 1 (30 min)
• Thursday: skip
• Friday: Activate (40 min)
• Saturday: Mix (1hr 15 min)
• Sunday: Gym (1hr 15min)

Total amount of time: 4hours and 27 minutes!! (Last week's time and schedule is here.)

Fitness tip of the week: If you are sore from weight training, don't give up. Take a day off and do cardio exercises the next day. It will help elevating the pain.

Beauty tip of the week:

Have a CD you don't use anymore? Well, it's time to put it to good use!
Picture source

I know most of us are moving on to the MP3 frontier and CDs are the things of the past. If you have a CD that you don't use anymore (not the one that contains the data of your thesis or dissertation, ok?), it's time to put it to good use.

A CD is a good foundation palette. Instead of pouring foundation on your hand, pour it on the CD before using the brush to apply it to your face. Also, if you need to mix your own foundation, it is a better surface for mixing since it's smoother than your palm and easier to clean. It also works well with mineral foundation.

So, please don't toss that CD away. Use it as a foundation palette, as long as the CD does not contain anything you want anymore.

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The Lemming List: Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV

Hi everyone,

It feels like yesterday that I talked about Urban Decay Book of Shadows III. Once I got my own BoS, there was no turning back. Compared to other eye shadows, UD's are more pigmented. A little bit goes a long, long way. Also, unlike other companies that make palettes, UD palettes uphold the quality without sacrificing the price. After this, I hope to get one BoS a year as long as UD makes them. A really high quality palette makes me a lot happier than owning a bazillion so-so to crappy ones that have little to no pigmentation whatsoever.

This year's palette goes high tech and all. The price does increase (from $54 to $64) but you get 4 more eye shadows, a full-size liquid eyeliner, and a sample size mascara as well as the usual UDPP. Needless to say, if you are a fan of UD palettes, you do not need to buy black eyeliners at all. The 24/7 mini eyeliners will breed like bunnies in your closet.

Image courtesy of Temptalia.com. For more information about this palette and a chance to line up and get it early, please click here.

So, what do you think about this palette? It's more neutral than last year's rendition and I'm glad the Midnight cowboy does not rise again this time. He can rest. Yes, he can :)

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Simple FOTD

Hi everyone,

I decided to do a quick and simple FOTD today. My first attempt tanked horribly and I was so tired so I had to settle for something less complicated. Hence this look:

Simple FOTD
Why did I look so sad and sleepy here? 

It was really simple: winged eyeliner, a pair of falsies, and some crazy lipsticks.

See anything interesting here?

I used 2 Revlon lipsticks: Siren (orange red) on my upper lip, and Fire and Ice (pure red) on my lower lip. Can you tell the difference?

Apparently, two-tone lips are in these days. I gave it a try and was thoroughly impressed of how similar these two colors look. Next time, I'll try purple and red to see how it goes :)

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Fitness Report #1

Hi everyone,

I want to do push-ups like that baby boy!
Source

It's been 10 days since I started exercising and a week since I posted this blog declaring war against body fat. I schedule myself to exercise 5 days a week and intend to keep it that way. Here is a quick report of what I did in term of exercising during the first week:

 Week 1 (8/01/11)

• Mon: Step by Step (zumba) 30 minutes
• Tue: Step by step                 1 hr
• Wed: 20 minute basic workout 1hr
• Thurs: break
• Fri: Activate                         40 minutes
• Sat: Mix                              30 minutes
• Sun: break

Total amount of time: 3 hours and 40 minutes. Not bad!

This week, while I continue zumba-ing, I add weight training to it. Remember how I threaded Jilian Michaels's "30 Day Shred"? Well, my dear, I just did it today. Zumba can kiss Shred's bootie and I mean it. 30 minutes of level 1 in Shred made me sweat the same way as I did an hour in zumba. But to be fair, I would not last those 30 minutes if not for the first week of zumba. Before, whenever I did Shred, I felt like I would keel over and die if I did another jumping jack.

Tip of the week: if you decide to give Zumba a try because um, I don't know, because I'm too persuasive, please invest in a reliable sports bra. Zumba has a lot of intense movements and if you are a well-endowed girl like me, it's better to have your twins strapped down on your chest. That way, you will have minimal to none amount of chest pain post exercising.

That's all for now. I'm not weighing myself because I don't want numbers to dictate my level of happiness. If my clothes fit better, I know my effort is paid off. How about you? Would you like to join me? We still have 90 more days to go. 90 more days to change your body to the better. Come on, let's work out together!

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Does Your Brush Hang Low?

Hi everybody,

I have a question for you:

Does your brush hang low? Does it wobble to the flo'? Does it shine in the light? Is it platinum, is it gold?

Ok, I totally copied Jibbs's "Chain Hang Low" here but I found a way to hang my brushes to dry.

KAPOW! Awesome, yeah?

How to do it: wrap a rubber band around your brush's handle, then insert a clothespin before hanging it on the  hanger

Doesn't matter how wide your brush is, as long as you can wrap the rubber band around it. Also, you don't even need to use the clothespin, I used a butterfly clip to hang the brush on the left. It worked!

I wish I came up with this idea. Miss Tiffany Ma on YouTube came up with it first. I gave it a try since I have a whole lot of brushes and not enough place to dry them properly. I washed 12-13 of my most frequently used brushes and only used 2 small hangers to dry them, instead of the whole table! Hanging my brushes upside down has one advantage over the drying on the ledge method that I usually do: the water does not back into the ferrule. This is important if you have giant and dense synthetic brushes like my kabuki and flat top brushes. They take forever to dry and when the surfaces seem dry, the insides are still wet. But with this method, the brushes get to dry from the ferrule down to the surface. In fact, all my big brushes were really dry when I took them inside. They smell lovely, too.

Thank you Tiffany for the lovely tip. You guys should wash your brushes and give this a try, ya?

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Last Friday Night FOTD

Hi everyone,

A few days ago, I watched Katy Perry's new music video "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)". Her colorful 80s retro look caught my eyes and I told myself I had to recreate her blue and purple look (screen shots below.)

The perm, the bright makeup, and those plastic earrings remind me of the 80s. I remember some of my cousins used to rock those perms with sky-high bangs. Remember them? Good times :)

With the aide of my trusted Urban Decay Book of Shadows III, I recreated the look. Turns out it's not so difficult. After some serious blending, here is the result:

I heart the 80s, yeah?
Wanna know how I did this look? Jump!