Happy Holidays

I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays :) It's that wonderful time of the year again. I hope all of you enjoy it with your friends& family.

I've had a great past week. I went to my work's holiday party and it was a spectacular night. It was held in Downtown San Diego. Our President is part of this fancy club so we had this nice room at the top of this building all to ourselves with a really great view. I ended up taking Bubba (my sister's boyfriend) as my date and it was fun having him with me because he has his social skills down! Yes I took my sister's boyfriend but he's one of my best friends and I knew we'd have fun. Everyone teased me that night too with their "Oh, you're friend huh?" remarks. So typical but it was super funny because no one really knew the real story besides my close friend at work.

We had an open bar and all these yummy hors d'oeuvres. There were mushroom caps with a spinach filling, coconut shrimp, egg rolls, and lamb. Omg that lamb was to die for! Then we had our delicious dinner. That was hands down, the best meal I've ever had. Bubba and I both had the filet mignon with lobster tail. I thought it was going to be a tiny portion, but it was perfect! Sooooooo good! Then we got our dessert sampler which was really good too. There was like a brownie with berry sauce, bread pudding, chocolate dipped strawberry, and a chocolate cake.

When we finished dinner, we got onto our Secret Santa. For some reason, I knew I was going to be the first one to open mine since I'm the newest employee and I was right. I was kind of embarrassed because we also had to guess who our Secret Santa was, but that bit of wine helped me! haha. I ended up getting a MAC cosmetics gift card from my project manager and was super happy about it. I don't exactly know what I'm going to get, but a mineralized eyeshadow duo might be on top of my list. Another great thing that night was that I got a Christmas bonus. I was totally not expecting one because I'm new and I'm an intern. I didn't get my hopes up but I got one anyways and am super stoked. I hope I get hired full-time by next year!

Some Purchases

I have a holiday work party I'm attending in 2 weeks and I'm super excited. It will be nice to see how my co-workers act out of the office and with a little booze on them or maybe a lot of booze because we're going to have an open bar!

I already bought my dress and shoes for the event and got some good deals doing a little bit of research on retailmenot.com I don't even do any online shopping without first checking out that website because I love getting % offs on my purchases.

Isn't my dress cute? The top is a bow and the skirt part is really fun and flirty.

I got a deal on these shoes. I had originally tried them on at the store but they were too expensive for me at the time. Then I was bored last night and went onto the Jc Penney website and bought them for under $20 when I found a coupon on you know where!

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to wear for accessories and makeup. I've been experimenting with my Urban Decay shadow box and did a nice brown smokey eye last night with a bit of green as my eyeliner to make my brown eyes pop. If I don't go that route, I may go for something with a bit more color. Maybe some purple?

If you have any recommendations, please share it with me by commenting!

One last thing that I bought was a new straightner. I've had my Solia straightner for about 5 years now and worked great. I think it was a year ago that one of the plates started coming loose and it started to snag my hair. I put up with it because I didn't have a job at the moment and it was still working pretty well. I got an e-mail from Folica that they were having a 10 hour private sale and got an AMAZING deal on a straightner with a couple of extras ;) for $89.99! there weren't even any taxes and shipped for free because it was over $50. Unfortunately, the sale is over but definitely join their mailing list because they always send me emails about sales and coupons. That's my go-to place to buy any hair tools because they have good brands and they have tons of reviews done by customers which I really appreciate. I keep tracking my package like crazy, but thank goodness it's somewhere in Southern CA right now. I'm expecting it in the next 2 days and I can't wait to use it!

Who needs a Boyfriend when you have a soft B. Makowsky?

As promised, here are some pictures of my new B. Makowsky purse. It came in the mail yesterday and it came in a huge box. I started thinking "Did I really buy that big of a purse?" Well I opened the box and was really surprised at how big this purse is. I was really thinking that it would be smaller but I can't complain because it's quite lovely. It is a bit heavy as well and it's because of the hardware. I love the dark brown color of the bag with the rose-toned hardware. It's a great match. And how awesome is the animal print inside? Love it! I've never spent so much on one purse before, but like I said, it is something I bought to celebrate for my new job and my 24th birthday. I really do like the B. Makowsky handbag line so I hope to purchase more in the future. Who needs a boyfriend, when you can just hug this bag instead (it's softer anyway)!

Urban Decay Show Pony Shadow Box

I just received my Urban Decay Show Pony Shadow Box through the mail today and I'm so pleased with it. I've never tried any eyeshadows from Urban Decay, but I knew they were good and when I saw this shadow box online, I really fell in love with the colors. I've been looking for an emerald green and a ton of neutral colors to wear for work. My favorite shadows are from MAC cosmetics, but these are ranking pretty high. They go on smooth and super pigmented! The swatches I have done don't even have any primer underneath them and they already look vibrant. Imagine wearing primer and these colors are going to be amazing!

So far I'm really liking Snatch because it looks great as an all over eyelid color and it's shimmery, but not too shimmery for my liking. Mildew is looking a bit light and I really wanted a dark emerald green so I'm still going to have to experiment with it to get it darker either by packing the color on or getting a dark base. I haven't tried Flash or Painkiller yet. Smog and Toasted are really pretty. They're nothing special though, because you could find similar colors at a drugstore for much cheaper, but the texture and pigmentation is important to me so I love them. I have a feeling that I'm going to gravitate towards these shadows on a daily basis. I've never even hit pan on any shadows, but since these are a bit smaller, it might just happen.

So for $30 you get:

• 6 (0.9 grams) of eyeshadow in Snatch, Mildew, Flash, Painkiller, Smog, and Toasted
• 1 mini size Urban Decay Primer Potion
• 1 mini size 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero

My 1st big splurge in a long time

i can't believe i just dropped about $200 on a new purse. i'm not really a big spender on purses or accessories so this was a big splurge in my books. i sort of have this guilty feeling but what the heck! this purchase is going to celebrate that i have a job that i really like and enjoy and as a birthday gift to myself. i went to Macy's or Nordstrom's about a year ago and saw the B. Makowsky handbag line and fell in love after I touched one. the leather is out of this world! it's like nothing i've felt before! after that day i've been trying to canvas around to see where i can get a handbag for a good deal and one day i saw it on QVC and they sell it for way less! luckily i knew that he was going to do a segment and tuned in, and couldn't resist and just purchased it because it was too good of a deal. $100 off retail price and free shipping. come to mama!

Elf Complexion Perfection

I wanted to try a powder that would help out with my oil slick and shine and have been hearing a good amount of reviews about Elf's Complexion Perfection. It's pretty much this pan of silky powder which has 4 squares in it. There's a pale yellow, mint green, baby blue, and baby pink color. You can use them individually to color correct. For example, use the mint green to cancel out redness. Or you could swirl all the colors together and just even out your skin tone and mattify your skin.

I've been grabbing for this everyday and I really do think that it helps to even out the skin tone and mattify my skin. The product description says that it's pretty sheer in color, but applying too much can definitely wash you out. I have a light skin tone so I haven't had problems with it washing me out, but for tanned or darker skin tones, you may want to use a light hand to prevent that from happening. I typically use this after my moisturizer and before any makeup. But I've been noticing that I will just use this alone just as powder for the entire day. I'm trying to figure out if my Everyday Minerals is causing me to become oily and so far, it seems to be a a factor.

So for $3, this is a great product. It comes with a good amount of product, 13.5 grams, and it comes in a "NARS like" packaging with it's matte black case and a nice sized mirror. I just wish it had come with a puff inside because I can't really take it and use it without taking a regular sized powder brush. I'm probably going to have to invest in the EcoTools travel kabuki.

24th B-day

I had a pretty nice birthday this year and that's all I wanted! I'm not a crazy birthday celebrator so having a nice lunch with my family was just perfect. We went to Red Robin and had a feast! I got some money and gift cards to Sephora and Starbucks. My cousins know me well :) At night, we had a little celebration for my birthday and the Pacquiao vs. Cotto boxing fight. I don't know why but I love to watch boxing matches and it makes it even better to watch when a fellow Filipino is fighting. Pacquiao is an amazing boxer and he always looks like he's in his element and enjoying it. That match was super intense to watch and my heart was fluttering like crazy! Good thing he won though!

Then on Sunday, we went to my Grandma's house to celebrate again. My Grandma is too cute! She's 79 years old & can't really use her left arm/hand and still cooks me food! Such a sweet woman. I really had a good time just chatting up with her and asking her questions of her life. She has been dreaming about my Grandpa who passed away several years ago and they are such cute dreams. The first one was on his birthday and she dreamt that my Grandpa was asking her to kiss him, but she said she couldn't because she would trip or something (she uses a cane/walker that's why). Then on their wedding anniversary this year, she dreamt that they were on the bed, but he asked her to put a banig ( a Filipino hard blanket) down on the ground so they could sleep and be happy together there ;) and she ended up yelling his name out loud and waking up my aunt. My aunt then wakes my Grandma and says "Mom, dad is dead, why are you calling his name?" My Grandma had a pretty bad health scare earlier this year and we really thought we were going to lose her, so I've been really trying to get to know her on a different level and enjoy her company while she's still healthy. She's such a comedian!

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer

I was beginning to get super oily half way through the day and I was getting frustrated. I've just been using my Everyday Minerals Foundation and even with primer, I was still an oil slick at the end of the day. I've been wanting to try a tinted moisturizer for a really long time now because it's almost fool-proof. So I went to the drugstore and found the Neutrogena Tinted moisturizer and decided to give it a go. The first time I wore it, I wore it alone with no powder to set it. It felt really light and gave enough color without being too heavy looking. By the end of the day, I wasn't as oily so I really liked that. Then I decided to use my Everyday Minerals foundation/powder over it to set it and I'm liking the results. My face isn't really that oily anymore and not very shiny by the end of the day. Hopefully I'll keep getting the same results!

So I've been working for almost a month now, it will be exactly a month on November 8th. I'm really liking it! I've learned a lot and at this point, they are giving me projects with minimal supervision. An assistant project manager sat down with me for about an hour and a half last month to teach me how to prepare a certain document. Of course, it was way too much information to retain but my notes are really helping. So these past 2 days, I've been working non-stop on the document and finally finished all the parts that I could. I'm just waiting on these 2 technical reports that other consulting firms are working on. I have been popping into the project manager's office once or twice a day to ask for help on some topics and he's super nice and helpful. I'll hopefully finish with this document next week, if not by tomorrow. Talk about an accomplishment! The job's pretty fun though because I like to research and write anyways. That's my update on work! :)

Flirt! Cosmetics

Stay tuned for my Flirt! Cosmetics package that I won from Makeup For Life's Contest Giveaway. I got a UPS postcard telling me that I need to go to the actual store to pick it up because there was some mix up with my address, so I'm going to pick it up after work tomorrow. I'm so excited to see the products!!!

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[Big Flirt Thickening Mascara in #05 Violet Vixen]

[Glamourazzi Exteme Lip Lacquer in #12 Va-Va-Voom]

[Dreamy Eyes Eyeshadows in #20 Glamourazzi and #24 Aquavite]

[Swatches; Left: Glamourazzi, Right: Aquavite]

[Peek-A-Blush Sheer Powder Cheek Color #21 Pink Tutu]

My initial reaction is that the products are super pigmented and the packaging is really cute. I like the sleek black packaging! I'm going to try the products when I go out tonight so I'll let you know how everything works out. I'm excited for the purple mascara!

loving october

we had such nice weather today! it was pretty cold this morning but this afternoon, i swear i really fell in love with san diego all over again. i have been taking 20 minute walks during my lunch time and i have a good time because i get to see a lot of things. i see a lot of cool buildings, lots and lots of airplanes, and the bay. it's a good way to get myself out of the office and get some fresh air. i love this fall weather. i wish it could be like this everyday! it's warm enough to still wear flip flops, but cool enough to layer up on scarves and cardigans.

I got some new boots from Charlotte Russe that i picked up last week during the buy one shoe regular price, get the 2nd one for $10. i got some black boots while my sis got some cool "Daria" boots as we would like to call them. i haven't been able to wear them quite yet but i'm super excited just thinking about it.

anyways i had the cramps pretty bad this week. i really wanted to leave work early yesterday because i couldn't take it, but i have only been there a couple of weeks and i don't want them to have a bad impression of me so i decided to stay and suffer. i finally called the doctor's to go in for an appointment because i can't take suffering like this every month and it affecting my life. i have tried remedies such as heating pads, taking tylenol, midol, pamprin, and even exercising daily but those haven't really helped much. they seriously help for like 5 minutes but then the pain comes back. i really hope nothing is wrong with me. i guess i'll see what happens when i go see my doctor tomorrow.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural

So as promised, here is my personal review on the NYX Rouge cream blush in shade CB02- Natural. I went into a makeup store 20 minutes from my house because it's the only place I knew that sold NYX at a good price. I went in there knowing I wanted to buy a powder blush but after swatching the cream blushes, I ended up liking how it applied and how light it felt on. There were some gorgeous colors and these things are super pigmented so a little goes a long way. I was about to buy a brighter pink, but opted to get something more natural looking, and how perfect is it that the shade is called Natural.

I apply the blush with my Studio Tools duo fiber brush and it works great to pick up just the right amount of product. You could definitely use your fingers to apply and blend, but I don't really like the idea of dipping my fingers into the pot and getting it "dirty." If you do use your fingers, make sure to not press too hard because the product is quite soft and you could easily dent it.

The staying power is pretty good too. I usually have problems with my blushes fading and/or wearing off by the middle or end of the day, but this really held up for me. The color stayed pretty true as well. The main reason why I bought this blush was because I wanted something that would stay the same color throughout the day. My Everyday Minerals blushes tend to turn orange after a few hours which bugs me because I want a pink blush to stay pink, not turn orange.

Also, I don't know if this alone caused me to break out. I did notice some redness and/or red spots on my cheeks after wearing it twice. Mineral oil is an ingredient in this so I'm thinking that it may have caused it. This blush is still on my "trial" period so we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks or so.

[Top: Blush was swiped, Bottom: Blush was blended with my fingers]

small update

I started my new job this past Thursday and it was a pretty great day. I'm so excited to be a part of their team and I honestly feel like I'm at the right place. I can't wait to get into the more challenging tasks and really learn all the processes. Everyone at the office is super nice and welcoming. I'm really loving it so far :)

As for updates...I'll try to keep up with them! I know I should be doing more than one per week but I still have to adjust with less "free" time. I'm thinking that the next post will be on the NYX cream blush in Natural. So stay tuned for that one this week.

my lovely gloomy friday night& mint julep masque

[relaxing with my mint julep masque. i would have smiled but i couldn't move my face! haha]

see what happens when i'm bored on a friday night? We're finally having some Fall weather in San Diego. It's gloomy, cold, and there's a light sprinkle outside. This is one of my favorite types of weather and it was perfect today because i was feeling kind of sick. It justifies me staying in on a Friday night.

I guess I could do a review on Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque since I brought it up already. This stuff is pretty amazing. I have pretty large pores and always have problems with blackheads on my nose. I try to use this once a week to really clear out the impurities from my skin. It also helps get rid of my excess oil. I always apply this at night after I have cleansed my face. I apply a thick layer around my cheeks and my nose area because that's where I need it the most. I usually keep it on for 15 minutes, but sometimes even 30. When first applied, it is really tingly but it subsides within minutes. I actually love the scent of this because it's minty fresh!

It's pretty easy to recognize when it's ready to wash off because you won't be able to move your face! It is stiff and if you go look in the mirror, you can see all your pores through the mask. That's what I love seeing! All of that gunk stuck in my pores for a week has been pulled out. Just wash it off with a washcloth and voila. You must look and feel your face after you wash it off! My face always feels like it's glowing and really tight. Did I mention a big tube is only $3.99 at your local drug store? If you don't have a mask in your skincare routine, definitely try this out. It has gotten some pretty great customer reviews on Drugstore.com!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks

Maybelline's new Color Sensational Lipsticks are really my holy grail lipsticks as of now. I really love MAC lipsticks but sometimes I don't have the money to drop $14 for a tube so I try to find good quality drugstore brand lipstick to fill the void. I believe there was a Buy One Get One Free sale at CVS for Maybelline products so it was about $8-9 bucks for 2 lipsticks. These were a great buy so I highly recommend checking out your drugstore ads to see when they will have another BOGO sale.

These Maybelline lipsticks are really great because they have great color and I find them extremely hydrating. There are so many shades in the store and it seems like a lot of the colors are wearable and will suit many skin tones. Most of the drugstores I've been in have the lipsticks sorted out into their color families so there will be a Pink, Red, Purple, Nude, etc section. It makes it really easy to find shades!

I've been into pink lipsticks lately so I love Pink Petal and Party Pink. I have actually been grabbing for Pink Petal everyday now because it's such a soft wearable pink. I use Party Pink when I want a medium pink. Muave-Ulous is perfect for the fall season. Darker shades are definitely in and this is in my opinion is a must have.

Enjoy the swatches and check these out if you are on a bit of a budget but want high quality lipsticks.

[top to bottom: Pink Petal, Party Pink, Mauve-Ulous]

Glitterized in Hillcrest

I had a really fun weekend with my friends! On Saturday night Totran, Dante, and Alex went to Hillcrest and let loose! I haven't seen the guys in over a year because Dante had moved to Seattle but I missed them dearly. I remember my last year in college partying up with the guys and they really showed me how to have fun!

I was the first to arrive at Totran's place so we just talked and did some pre-drinking while we waited for the guys to arrive because they had just watched Kathy Griffin. We caught up with each other and then we headed out to Universal. It was too much fun in there. Good music, friends, and drinks. What could be better. Alex bought all of us a Washington apple shot and then a sweet tea. After 4 drinks I was buzzzzzzzed. I haven't felt like that in a really long time so it felt nice and of course the sweet dance moves came.

We decided to go across the street to another club and it was crazy. Such a different scene but lots of fun. There were definitely some crazy characters in there! We noticed when we got through the doors that there was a glitter room and the guys were joking around that we should put some on but I didn't want any because it would be a hot mess. We only stayed for a bit and then we headed outside. It was just me, Totran, and Dante at first so we were wondering where the hell Alex went and next thing you know.....poof! We were glitterized. We were all pretty sweaty so the damn glitter had something to stick to. Alex seriously dumped all the glitter on my boobs. Freakin' hilarious. I will never forget that ever!

Then we walked several blocks to go to Alex's car and hit up the Jack in the Box drive thru because we were hungry. Took the food to Totran's and feasted. It was a great night and it made me realize how much fun I can be if I just put myself out there and stopped being a hermit. Definitely going to have more fun nights like this in the future and be young again!

Glitter.........

alive

i seriously had a great day today. i felt so uplifted and happy with my life and that hasn't happened in a long time.

i have been in this funk for awhile because I felt discouraged after not being able to find work and pushing forward. the direction i saw myself in after graduating was clear and definite, but after all these months of not being able to find my dream job created a bunch of knots and jumbled my direction in life. i felt like i wasn't good enough for anything out there and just went weeks&months without applying myself. i was almost scared that i would fall into depression but luckily, my family is always there for me and are true supporters.

i've been feeling like i'm letting my life pass me by and the month of august is when i decided to finally do something about it. i looked for jobs and applied to whatever looked like i could qualify for, while trying to find jobs that would actually use my degree. unfortunately, with pretty much no experience in the planning field, you can consider yourself the last person someone wants to hire. it's like someone literally put Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak on you so you knew you were there, but others did not. I finally broke out of that damn invisibility cloak and decided that i needed to be seen.

Well....i believe it worked. I contacted someone from a non-profit organization that does wonderful things to protect natural resources and land use planning.I couldn't believe that I found this organization because their line of work is exactly the kind of thing that i want to do. And you know what? this person actually contacted me and wanted to meet with me to talk about work opportunities. hooray!

I met with him this afternoon and while I thought it was going to be a bunch of awkward silent moments, it turned out really well. when you have similar interests and passions with someone, it's hard not to have a great conversation. i talked about my career aspirations and my interests in the field and he talked about all these opportunities that would be a good fit for me. i can't wait to start working for this organization. i'm beyond excited for the challenges and things i'm going to be learning.

I felt alive and driven by the time our meeting ended. geez where has the real sharyn been in the last year and a half? it drives me nuts thinking about my lack of accomplishments when i know myself to be a hard worker.

lesson learned. i just needed to try harder and i have to always remember that i have to reach out and make my dreams come true because no one but me is going to do that. i can't expect anything to be handed to me without any effort.

life is good, so let's dream and make those dreams come true. give life a bit of elbow grease and it will reward you.

My Makeup Collection

So here's my makeup collection pictures that I said I would post up. These have been products that I have collected through a couple years and it's growing pretty slow because of the economy, but no complaints because I have more than enough. My makeup is a good mix of drugstore and high end brands. I really have no preference. It just has to work well. I didn't include lip balms and glosses but you can ask if you want to know. Enjoy!

EVERYDAY MINERALS CONCEALERS, FOUNDATION& BLUSHES

[Click picture to enlarge and to see product shades]

EVERYDAY MINERALS EYESHADOWS

MAC EYESHADOWS

1st row from left to right: Nehru, Beauty Marked, Embark, Nocturnelle, Parfait Amour

2nd row: Shale, Silver Ring, Sumptuous Olive, Electric EEl, Orb

NYX EYESHADOWS

From left to right: Root Beer, Cherry, Sunset, Yellow,Golden Poppy

MISC. EYESHADOWS

Top: Sephora eyeshadows in Pearl#7 and Chrome#9

Bottom: Smashbox Trio in Smashing Perspective

LIPSTICKS

1st Column- all NYX: Doll, Milan, Thalia

2nd Column: Revlon Kiss Me Coral, Revlon Black Cherry, Sephora #51

3rd Column-all Maybelline: Mauvelous, Party Pink, Pink Petal

4th Column: MAC High Tea, MAC Amorous, Smashbox Sequel

5h Column-all MAC: Russian Red, Girl About Town, Half and Half

EYELINERS

From left to right:

-ELF Eye Widener

- Jesse's Girl in Seafoam

-Rimmel Spark it Up! in Peridot

-NYC in blue and black

-Sephora in Electro Mauve

-Sephora Retractable Waterproof eyeliner in Olive

-Urban Decay 24/7 in Rockstar

-Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero

-Victoria's Secret Liquid Glitter Liner in Liquid Metal

-Sephora Liquid Liner in Prune Aubergine

-Wet N Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner in Black

BRUSHES

Back row: Studio Tools Dual Fibre Brush, EcoTools Blush brush, EDM Flat top

Middle row: Sonia Kashuk angled e/l brush, Sonia Kashuk(don't know name), EcoTools Concealer Brush, EcoTools angled e/l brush

First row: Bare Escentuals Concealer brush, Studio Tools eyeshadow brush, ELF eye blender, Essence of Beauty Duo Crease brushes

My Meg's Makeup Package

I just received my megsmakeup.com gift from redeeming my points and I couldn't be happier. I got some really good products to try out! And how cute is it that Meg writes a handwritten note with the package!

Everyday Minerals Blush in Apple

Moon's Harvest Sweet Heart Bath Bomb shaped as a cupcake. I don't even know if I could ever use this because it's way too cute!

All the items in my package: Moon's Harvest Sweet Heart bath bomb, EDM blush in Apple & Moon's Harvest Bath Butter in Blackberry Spritzer

labor day weekend/volunteering

i had a pretty good labor day weekend. the family went on another camping trip and it was fun minus me having to go home early. we got there saturday morning and the food was good and company was great. then by the time i went to bed it was actually quite cold. i didn't really come prepared since i thought it was going to be a warm night. i only brought a thin sheet to use as a blanket and i was freezing my ass off. i got a couple of hours of sleep until i was hearing weird noises. like someone was walking towards my tent and i was freaked out, and of course my tent-mates were sleeping like babies. fortunately, the oldies in the next tent were hearing the same noises and checked outside to see if there was anything out there. they found 5 raccoons near the tent and on the tree right above their tent. haha my mom and aunt were freaking out and couldn't really go back to sleep. i decided to go to their tent in the middle of the night because i was cold and i once again had cramps. everytime i go somewhere fun i swear my stomach gives me problems. i of course wasn't prepared with medicine because i didn't think i was going to need it. it sorta went away but kept coming back several times throughout the night. after eating breakfast and relaxing outside, it would not stop hurting and i asked if my parents could take me home so at least i could be comfortable and have the things i need to help relieve them. i was bummed i only got to stay a day while the rest of them stayed until monday morning. i was at home all by myself suffering, but i tried to enjoy it by watching tons of movies. we recently got Netflix so I was just watching a bunch of movies on Watch Instantly. it's pretty addicting.

Today was a pretty good day too. I woke up around 830 to get my workout in before I had to go volunteer for Habitat for Humanity at 10. I didn't work out for 3 days and i needed to force myself before i stop all together. i don't even know what i'd look like now if i didn't start my daily work out back in April or May. I believe i've lost over 10 pounds already and i'm happy about that. i already reached my weight goal which is pretty amazing, but i'm going to push for another 5. it just makes me happy that i can do this for myself and see results. for me, working out is about boosting my self-confidence because i feel like i lost most of it a couple of years ago. it's a gradual learning experience and i'm enjoying it. anyways i volunteered for a good 3 hours just helping out organize an office. it was a complete mess and i turned it into a well organized one after i was finished. i cut myself terribly this afternoon from all the paper and folders though. i got 2 paper cuts and a deep folder cut under my nail. ewww! it felt nice to actually work and be busy. i'm sick of not having a job and working towards something, but i've been applying to a lot of places lately. it's not necessarily in my field but i'm keeping my options open. oh, i actually emailed someone at a non-profit organization that do projects in my field and he wants to meet up to talk about internship or volunteer opportunities next week so i'm pretty excited about that. i would learn a lot from him and the organization. another one that i just applied to happened to be where i volunteered because my boss happened to mention it to me and forwarded my resume. this past year, i've learned to really push myself and take the initiative. i just need to do so all the time and not be afraid of rejection. i want to live life and experience it....the good and maybe even the bad.

fall trends

[NARS Fall 2009 collection]

i love the fall season! i can't wait to wear fall clothes :) as much as i'm going to sound like a brat about being over summer and the hot weather, i really love cooler weather. i can't wait to get some grey jeans, scarves, and boots. so some fall trends include lots of purple! purple shirts, purple cardigans, and purple lipstick. yes purple lipstick. I'm not talking about a neon purple though....more like a wine purple. One I've fallen in love with is Revlon's Black Cherry.

Another fall lip trend is fuschia. Look at how beautiful Alexis Bledel rocked it. The trick is to do a super simple eye so it's all about the lips. A recent trip to CVS's BOGO sale surprised me to a pretty pink shade by Maybelline in shade 155-Party Pink. Their new Color Sensational line is moisturizing and offer a variety of beautiful shades. For a splurge, try MAC Girl About Town.

One last trend I want to talk about is the smokey eye with a nude lip. If you're not comfortable with bright lipsticks then play up your eyes. You can even diverge from the grey and black smokey eye by doing a green, purple, or brown smokey eye.

Free Lip Balm

If anyone wants to get a free mini EOS lip balm then click here. I know there's only a limited number of lip balms they're giving out so sign up for it NOW. I've been hearing good things about it so why not try it for free right?

lovin me some taylor

thank you taylor swift. i feel like you are singing to my heart&soul. i feel so much better after listening to her music. so at ease.

Review: Bubble and Bee Organics Pit Putty

[image from http://safemama.com]

It's been two days since I have received my package from Bubble and Bee Organics and everyhing is working out fantastic. Let me say that first of all, I love this company already. Before I ordered anything, I was just on their website and saw a little button that said Stephanie(the owner) was online. I decided to send her a message and right away she responded. That is a very rare thing to encounter now-a-days because you'd probably have to go through customer service and a bunch of people before getting an answer.....and probably would have to wait a few days to week to receive a response too! Anyway, she was very helpful and informative when she answered my questions so already she gets brownie points! So I decided to buy her deodorant duo pack in the Geranium Lime scent after hearing that it was the more feminine scent. I was a bit skeptical on the geranium part because I had no idea what that smelled like, but the scent of limes won me over. I love lime!

So I was waiting for the mail to come and it took exactly 2 days for it come to my mailbox :)

Then the big opening. As expected, I received my 2 deodorants in geranium lime.....and then something dropped....a gift! It was an organic lip balm in Coconut& Lime. It smells sooooo good. It really smells like coconut and lime and the first time I put some on my lips was like heaven. It went on extremely smooth and my lips were moisturized instantly. The greatest thing is that I don't feel bad about constantly licking my lips because it's organic. Win-win situation!!!!

Okay let's get to my review on the deodorant. I lifted up the cap and got a sniff of it. I'm going to tell you the truth, it was a bit too strong at first. And i noticed it had melted a bit from its travel to its new home so I stuck it in the fridge for awhile so it would get stiff. After I tested it's consistency I applied it to my underarms and there was a bit of flaking but I wasn't worried because I was told that it would do that and to just rub it gently onto my underarm. It worked like a charm. The scent changed from the package to my actual skin too. It kind of mellowed out and I definitely smelled that lovely lime scent.

A few hours later.....
I still smelled good. No funk! I couldn't resist smelling my undearms every 5 minutes or so because I just wanted to make sure that it was working. This stuff worked surprisingly well to keep me really dry like an anti-perspirant (but without all those bad chemicals). I really am impressed with the deodorant because I didn't know for certain that it was going to work this great. Like I said in my previous post, I have tried out some natural deodorants in the past and none ever worked for me. This one has got me hooked now. I'm never even going to use those nasty chemical-filled deodorants/anti-perspirants again! Goodbye to Secret, Dove, Degree, and Suave. Hello Bubble&Bee Organic!

natural deodorant

i've been on the look out for some natural deodorants. i've actually tried a couple in the last couple of years or so but nothing really worked and some smelled so manly that it had to be thrown away. yuck! i guess i'm not the only one that has been having trouble finding a natural deodorant that actually works. it has a lot to do with the natural chemistry of your body, so something that works horrible on one person could actually work really well for another.

my main factor in trying to go natural is trying to get away from all those chemicals. there are many studies that actually link breast cancer and aluminum(main ingredient in drugstore deodorants). that is frightening because my dad's side has women who actually had breast cancer. i mean there's no guarantee that by switching to a natural deodorant that you won't get breast cancer, but it's something to try to prevent it. the chemicals in anti perspirants actually clog your your pores and imagine the toxic build up!

i've done a bunch of research and it looks like a company in Utah, Bubble and Bee have one of the best organic deodorants that work. I just ordered a duo pack in geranium lime for Sheena and I to try today so i have no idea of its effectiveness until i receive them but i'm having high hopes for it. my regular deodorant has kind of stopped working as well as it did, so i'm ready to try something new and organic. i will do a review in a few days so look out for that. hmmm...am i going to be fresh&clean OR musky? i hope it's the first one!

a bit off balance

i just want everyone to know that i'm feeling a bit crazy right now! damn hormones! i feel like shit. i had really bad cramps last night, night sweats, and i thought i was going to pass out. today i feel like jello, irritable, and i want to cry for no damn reason. being a woman really has its pitfalls. i would like to be tranquilized right about now.

learning some history of my homeland

it amazes me how little i know about my homeland. i know for sure that it's because i was born there and left at a young age. i can't remember studying the history of the philippines at all and while i think it's a bit unfortunate, it's understandable that i don't remember because i believe i was so young. the reason why i'm writing this is because of recent events. Former president Cory Aquino passed away this weekend. We have Filipino channels at home and every show was interrupted by the news of her passing. I was quite surprised. I didn't know too much about her although I'd hear her name here and there. I then asked my dad if she was an influential figure. He kind of looked at me funny and told me that she was the first female president of the Philippines. She is truly admired by the Filipino people, as probably thousands attend her public viewing at the Manila Cathedral. This admiration made me want to learn more about her and her family. From what I have learned so far, her and her husband were amazing politicians. They were in politics to make changes and her family suffered for that. Her husband was assassinated upon return to the Philippines from a 7 year exile in the U.S--due to allegations of bombings in Manila by President Marcos. Such a tragedy. But with that, came her presidency. She did so many great things even prior to her term that she won Time Magazine's Most Influential Woman of the Year in 1986. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize. Amazing woman. R.I.P. President Cory Aquino.

It's these little facts that make me realize that I need to learn more about my birthplace. There are so many events that I don't know and should know. I need to learn about the beginning of our history and its progress through time. The last time I went to the Philippines was about 10 years ago and I didn't even go to the historical sites! I am truly saddened by that, but the next time I go, I'm going to explore my homeland and learn more about it. How exciting!

do you want free makeup?

https://www.everydayminerals.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=102&func=view&catid=2&id=237746

so i happened to read something on a makeup forum about a makeup review website that will give away free makeup when you accrue points. the way you gain points is through rating products, commenting on articles and the forum, and you even get points for getting your friends to join. check out the link above to see what a member got when she redeemed her points. i mean come on now Urban Decay products for free?! how can a makeup lover resist joining! haha. obviously it's going to take some work from your end to get those points, but it's not very hard at all. you can easily get 20+ points in an hour or so. please let me know if you would like to join and i will send you an invite through your email. leave me your email address in the comment box.

camping weekend

quick update on the sugaring hair removal. the 1st batch of sugaring wax that i made was not cooked long enough so it wasn't the right consistency. unfortunately, i do have several little bruises on my legs after using that batch the first time. i stuck it in the microwave to cook it for a few more minutes and it worked so much better. *if you don't want to use strips when you sugar( i.e. see the video below), the trick is to cook the ingredients until it's pretty dark.* i was able to remove some patches of hair with little to no pain and after 2 days, there's still no growth. YES! i'm loving it so far!

okay....on to my weekend.


hmmm no surprise! i went camping! what else is new right? hahaha it's become such a favorite activity for my family and i. it's a great stress reliever and sometimes, you just have to get away from the city and enjoy nature. this camping trip was a bit different because we went with bubba's family. every single one of us had such a great time because we had such good food and company. we usually end up eating filipino food, but bubba's aunt was like freakin' iron chef and cooked a good variety of food. haha
here's a detailed list of what we ate during our trip:
FRIDAY NIGHT:
-buttermilk-parmesan crusted fried chicken
-buttermilk potato salad
-fried corn
-cornbread
-sisig
-blueberry cobbler cooked in a dutch oven :)

SATURDAY MORNING:
-garlic fried rice
-filipino red hot dog
-hamonado
-eggs
-bacon
-pandesal
-espada(dried fish)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
-grilled corn dogs
-tuna salad
-egg salad
-my mom's famous pork bbq
-bbq chicken
-fried fish
-grilled&fried eggplant

SATURDAY DINNER:
-left overs from lunch
-peach cobbler cooked in a dutch oven......AMAZING!

SUNDAY MORNING:
-fresh blueberry pancakes
-bacon
-hash browns
-scrambled eggs

is that an insane amount of food or what?! our tummies were definitely happy. my mom, aunt, and uncle really enjoyed themselves too because they were able to try different things out this time around. usually they're the only ones cooking! both families ended up learning things from each other which was really cool! bubba's family is pretty new to the camping scene so they wanted to see how we set up camp and then we got to learn how to cook some of their food. oh yeah, i got to meet up with my mini me again! bubba's cousin, Lily was adopted from China about 4 years ago and when they showed us her baby picture, and we were surprised to how much she resembled me when i was a baby. she really could be my daughter! haha i like the way she says my name....she can't say the "R" so she replaces it with a "W" pronounces my name like "SHAWYN"

anyways that's my weekend update. hope to rest of you had a good weekend too!

sugaring

for some odd reason the hair on my lower legs seem to grow like crazy. i freaking hate it. i'd say maybe 2 or 3 years ago i noticed that they were growing way too fast and it bugged the heck out of me. it just came out of nowhere. now i'm forced to shave everytime i wear shorts, skirts, or dresses. i can't even shave one day and have smooth skin the next day. haha it's that bad. so 2 years ago i tried the Nad's wax, but I felt that it made my leg hair grow even faster. i thought it would have the opposite effect but apparently with my luck, it got worse. so today, i decided to make some sugar paste because i heard sugaring is better than waxing. the sugaring paste only sticks to the hair unlike wax, which sticks to the hair and skin. if you want to try this out the recipe is:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice ( do not skip this)

You're going to want to cook it on your stovetop on medium heat for 25 minutes or until it's an amber or golden brown color.

Here's a video of a person performing the sugaring on the legs.

I tried it out on a section of my leg but it didn't work because i think my leg hairs are too short and it was really hot so the paste was just melting on my skin. I'm going to give it another go in a couple of days. What I'm going to do next time is knead the sugar paste until it turns from the amber color to white. Hopefully I will be able to get great results with this hair removal method because i'm sick and tired of shaving! Plus, it is practically free to make the sugar paste and do it on myself!

okay moving on to LOVE.......(great transition from the sugaring huh?)

i've been single for over 2 years now and people are really expecting me to have found another one already. it's actually quite funny to me. i'm not on a constant look out for one, and right now, i'm happy being single. i like the feeling of no one holding me down. of course, i will admit that i get lonely sometimes. it comes and goes. but i know love will happen for me again. he's out there somewhere....we just haven' found each other yet. some people say i'm too picky but i can't help but be that way because i have certain things that i want in someone. it's just a precautionary thing for me, but i know it can harm my chances of finding someone by a lot. and another reason why people want me to have a boyfriend is because they almost feel bad for me like i'm suffering or something. hahaha. i'm perfectly fine people! i don't need a guy in my life to make me happy.....but it wouldn't hurt either huh? all i gotta say is that if you like or have interest in me, you better let me know. hahaha i can be a bit blind sometimes. ;)

hotness

it's been a hot few days here in san diego. i would love to go to the beach to get some relief from the heat, but i'm stuck in the house during the day because we're not done painting the house. 3 more walls and we're done!

anyway yesterday, sheena, ronell, and i watched the Harry Potter movie yesterday and it was so good! i think it's my favorite one so far, but sheena and ronell weren't so satisfied because they've read the books and a lot of things were missing. I want to go watch it again, but I'd rather get the DVD so I can put the subtitles on so I can understand everything they were saying.

other than that, my summer is going pretty well. I've been able to do some fun things and just get to hang out with my friends. this weekend bubba's family is going camping and it's going to be a good one. there's going to be tons of food, i don't know what i'm going to do with myself haha.

successful day of painting

my room went through a great transformation today and i'm absolutely thrilled of the outcome. it went from a boring shade of off white to a calming blue-green shade. it took my sis and i about 4-5 hours to get the entire room done. it was fun, but i'm so tired now. i looked up how many calories it burns to paint a room and i think it calculated like over 1,000 for my specific weight.that probably explains why i was feeling light headed. oh well because it was worth it! now i love my room. it looks as though my painting services aren't over yet....i still have to help paint the entire interior of my house. pretty excited about the transformation but i know i'm going to be so tired!

now i'm just listening to some slow Jason Mraz songs to help me relax. it's been a good day. i can't wait until friday because some friends and i are going to PB to hang out and catch up. time to be young and live life!

wet n' wild mega eyes creme eyeliner

i love wearing eyeliner, but i hate how none seem to stay put. i've tried pencils, liquid, eyeshadow as liner, and even some other cream eyeliners and none have impressed me so far. i even thought that urban decay's 24/7 liner would work but i still have problems with it wearing off and smudging throughout the day. so i've been researching and have heard great reviews about gel/creme eyeliners seeming to work best so i was going to buy the Indelible gel eyeliner online and the websites that sell them suck. Most had a $10 minimum and/or had expensive shipping. the other option i had was buying MAC's black track fluidline for $15, but I skipped on that because I'm waiting until I go to the Carlsbad CCO to get it for under $11 instead. So for the mean time I found out that Wet N Wild sells a pretty darn good dupe of Mac's so I went to Rite Aid and bought the Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner for a whopping $3.99. hahah i love a bargain.

I tried it yesterday afternoon and I must say that it is really good. It stayed on my waterline people! Other liners usually fade after an hour or so on my waterline so i'm pretty much in love with this product already. It's really creamy and dries pretty fast so you have to work fast and make sure you have a good brush to use. It does come with an eyeliner brush but it was way too firm for me. I use my EcoTools angled eyeliner brush and it works really well. And f.y.i. you have to make sure you keep the lid closed tightly after use because it will dry out since it's in a plastic and not in a glass container. I keep mine in a ziploc bag just in case!

So if you have extremely oily lids and/or have problems with liners staying put....you might want to try this product out. It's a bargain!

it seems like i'm only starting my summer now

i had an amazing couple of days so far! i just now feel like i have started my summer. i've been sorta being a hermit crab which is no fun some times! so on monday i met up with ali and julia at starbuck's to catch up. i wish all of the girls lived in the same city because not having them around is sad. i only get to see them maybe 3 times a year? anyways we caught up on each other's lives and it was just nice to have girl talk and reminisce. then yesterday me, sheena, and ronell went to watch the hangover. freakin hilarious! i remember seeing previews for it and thinking ehhhh but then i heard so many people saying it was so funny so ronell got us some tickets and the movie was awesome! i NEED that movie on dvd asap! then today was absolutely perfect. me, sheena, ronell, and my 2 nieces went to torrey pines beach. it seems like a tradition now to take the kids out every summer and they really do enjoy themselves. it's fun being a kid! anyways we got our tan on and even got in the water with the kids because they were begging us to. the water was pretty cold at first but it felt so nice after getting used to the temp. i seriously need to go to the beach more because i feel like i don't take advantage of it enough. anyways after that we got In n Out and then we all went home. then i got ready and got nerissa so we could catch up. life is awesome. i'm trying to be better at enjoying life. i know i don't live it to the fullest so cheers to trying from now on!

my 4th of july

it has been a sad couple of weeks for me since my Lola(grandma) had been admitted to the hospital for a bunch of tests. she had been having problems of falling and just lots of other problems like high blood sugar and her constant trips to the bathroom. we just found out today that she has been taking medication for Parkinson's disease. my cousin, sis, and i have been suspecting that she had Parkinson's for awhile now because her hands tremble, and i guess now her medication explains it. It's been hard on my family but we are trying to keep a positive attitude and we've been visiting my Lola a lot to keep her entertained while she's at the hospital. I believe she might be released tomorrow, but we don't quite know what our plans for her are going to be. She has made it very clear to all of us that she doesn't want to stay at a nursing home so we're trying to see if we can get someone a live-in caregiver so she has assistance in the comfort of her own home. All I can say is that my Lola looks good and she is very aware of her surroundings--meaning she still remembers who all of us are and has a good memory. We're staying strong for her.

In other news, we had a great 4th of July. I went with Sheena to North Island to celebrate with Bubba's family and friends. It was a perfect day. Great weather, great location, great food, and great company. Bubba's family got some rooms in the Navy Lodge and the beach was like a 20 second walk from their rooms. The food was so good! We had some ribs, bbq chicken, potato salad, spaghetti salad, chicken kabobs, burgers, hot dogs, brownies, home made apple and cherry pies, beer, and a bunch of alcoholic drinks. I don't really drink anymore because I'm trying to lose weight but I figured "what the heck for today!" Bubba's dad really tries to make me drink shots whenever I see him so I eventually cracked and took a shot of his Coralejo tequila with Bubba's aunts. Surprisingly, it went down well! hahaha i usually suck so bad at taking shots. Anyway, after taking that shot, the ladies got a little tipsy and we started our girl talk about hot Edward Cullen and then for some reason, the conversation ended up on me about being single and then Bernadette( Bubba's cousin's boyfriend's mom) had the idea of trying to hook me up with her brother. So embarrassing! They kept pointing and telling me to talk to him. hahah. This guy is a bit older than I am and he's super quiet. The age doesn't bother me at all since I need someone who is mature but the quiet thing is something i'm trying to stay away from. I'm a little quiet myself , but I don't want to be with someone who is way too shy to talk. It's so funny that everyone is trying to hook me up now. Even my Lola was trying to hook me up with one of the physical therapists at the hospital. My mom knows better though because she already knows how irritated i can get. I guess I better get used to it though. I'm trying to keep an open mind. 

Oh yeah, Arizona update! It was freakin' hot! The temperature was usually over 100 degrees, the highest was probably 112. Yikes! We had a lot of fun exploring some tourists spots and checking out the real estate. It is way more affordable there than here, that's for sure! I still don't know if I could make the move because of the heat, but who knows. I still have to think about relocating.

update on my teef

so i had my dentist's appointment this afternoon and it went well. It all started last weekend when I was flossing my teeth before bed and I felt like it was stuck in between my teeth. I was trying to wiggle it out nicely, but then......out popped part of my tooth. hahaha. like the inner core of one of my molars! i thought it was originally my filling, but then i stuck my tongue in the whole and it was way too deep. anyways, i went in today and my dentist said it was definitely part of my tooth that came out and that it needed to be filled. my dentist is a big fan of not injecting anesthesia when he drills and of course i trust the guy because he's done so many damn fillings for my cavity-prone mouth. it wasn't at all painful until the end because it was hitting close to the nerve. here comes the scary thing though......i might need a root canal if i feel throbbing pain near that tooth. i guess there isn't too much space left from my tooth to the actual nerve so a root canal could be waiting for me in the future. OUCH! i'm hoping and praying that it won't have to come to that!

some upcoming events

looks like life might be picking up its pace starting this weekend. i'm so excited! this saturday, a bunch of the geography crew will be at diana's to have a pool party/bbq/get together. i haven't seen any of them in awhile so it's going to be fun to catch up with friends and just relax. then sheena, bubba, and i are gonna head off to Arizona on Monday. We're probably going to check out the Tucson area and feel a vibe of the place, see if there are jobs out there, and to see if we can actually handle the heat. i for one prefer a mild climate, so it could be a hard adjustment. anyways, i'm excited because i'm going to take my car on her first road trip. zoom zoom zoom! i think i'm getting my car back from the shop this week and i can't wait to drive it again. i just miss driving on my own because it can actually be a stress reliever for me. i'll post some pics of the party and the road trip when i can. 

i'm finished....now what?!

so i finished the twilight series last night! i need to get my hands on a hardcopy set soon! i want to read it all over again. now that i finished reading it though, i feel a little out of it. i was so into this fantasy world that the real world seems so mundane. i spent like all the hours of my day reading for the past week that now that i'm done, i'm so bored. t.v. doesn't even do it for me right now! the only way to fix this is to go out and have some fun, but the only problem is that i don't have a car for another week. WAH! 

the only other thing i've been focused on this past week is on working out. i'm losing more weight by the look and fit of my clothes. i still have some pair of smaller sized jeans that i didn't throw out because i was intent on getting into them again. i tried them on like 2 days ago and voila....it fit and there's even a little room left over. it probably helped that i cut down on my calorie intake too. i wish i did this a long time ago because it doesn't seem so hard if you really put your mind to it. the only downside of losing weight, is that some clothes are a bit too big now. i bought like 2 pair of Buffalo Jeans last summer and now they're too big. i don't even need to unzip or unbutton them to take them off because they just slide right off. i'm actually really sad that i won't be able to wear them right. 

that's my update. uggh life is so mundane right now.

summer reading

so the last time i posted it was about robert pattinson. well it doesn't stop there. i am now officially obsessed with the twilight books. i can't seem to put them down! i just finished the 3rd book from the series and waiting until i get breaking dawn later this afternoon. they are sooooo good. i'm glad i watched the movie first because now i can imagine r-patz as edward cullen, k stew as bella, etc! so far my favorite book has to be eclipse and i can't wait to read breaking dawn to see what happens in the end. i've been looking around to see where i can get the hardcover set for cheap because i want to own it and it looks like walmart sells it the cheapest. i want to read this series over and over again! sorry for being so obsessive lately but i can't help it. 

oh yeah, Team Edward or Team Jacob? 

what can i say, i'm back to my old teeny bopper days.