HAULS: Before the Holy Week

I know, I know, I keep on saying that I am busy, but truly, I am. The past few months have been the busiest this year, and it ain't stopping any time soon. sigh. I really hope I can unwind a little this Holy Week.

Anyway, this is a quick post of my recent hauls. Oh my. I have a lot of pending reviews! Please forgive me lovelies. If and when I can, I really try to make reviews, don't I? hahaha. =)

So here they are.

Kanebo Eye Makeup Remover

HAULS: A Busy Week

Just a quick post lovelies. I promise to post a review on mascaras and blushes in the next few days, I swear. Been very busy with a lot of things lately. Anyway, just sharing my hauls since last week. =)

NYX Stick Blush

HAULS: Quick Weekend

It was one tiring weekend for me, and another very tiring and stressful week ahead. Hmmmm. I hope you guys had a great weekend because mine was just so-so. =/

Anyway, I was able to find some alone time last Friday aftie. After meeting and chatting with a few clients, shipping stuff here and there, I made it early to the mall. I bought some stuff at National Bookstore and went straight to Cafe Mary Grace at TriNoma. I love spending time at the very homey and cozy Cafe Mary Grace so much that I always choose this place whenever I need to talk to myself and eavesdrop on what other people are talking about. I love that activity and I cannot do that unless I'm alone. hahaha. =)

Of course, I got myself my favorites, Mushroom Cream Pasta and The Sangria.

Photo Credits: Cafe Mary Grace

HAULS: From Here and Dublin

I had a terrible headache immediately after waking up. But nevertheless, things ended well for me today. Why? Because my box from mom in Dublin came today! I wish it was her who got home instead (it's been a year already since we last saw each other, sniff!). I just miss her very much. Oh well, before I go too melancholic here, I just wanna share my hauls from here and of course, my mama.

I got two paper bags of clothes, mostly slacks and dresses but here are my favorites.

Denim Skirt: House of Denim

HAULS: Accesories from Accesorize

I accompanied Em last week while he was buying some gigantic siopao at SM North Edsa when I caught a glimpse of the newly opened (I think) Accessorize branch. I always pass by their branch at Greenbelt 5, and now that they're only a stone away from me, that's both good news (which means more accessories for me) and bad news (at least for my wallet, hahaha. =)

I snagged these items on sale. And it's not just an ordinary sale, but a Chinese New Year Promo 70% off sale. Yey!

Accessorize at SM North Edsa

UPCOMING KISSES

Forgive me for my lack of posts, lovelies. I promised more posts for the new year but due to a lot of reasons, I have no choice but to set aside blogging first. Reasons include health, money, and the bright future. Hahaha. So I'm sure you can forgive me on this. =)

Anyway, as always, time flies really fast, eh? It's February! And Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Well, I don't actually celebrate Valentine's Day, but I want to send some extra love this month to all of you. As you can see, I have decided to change my blog layout (I hope you like it) and as a bonus I have included "raining hearts" on the background which will be here (to bug, annoy or delight you) until the end of the month. ♥

And since Valentine's Day is all about hearts, hugs and kisses, I will be posting some nice reviews about my newly acquired lippies, which I think is appropriate for this time because as I've mentioned, this month is all about hugs and kisses. Those lips will be used at an extra these days, you know. =)

So the "upcomings" are these:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

TODAY: My Obagi Visit and Obagi Nu-Derm and C-Rx System Haul

Today is the fourth time I visited the House of Obagi at SM North Edsa. The first time was when I was having dinner with my sisters at Sbarro and took a glimpse of the white and bright clinic. I always pass by it but well, I just pass. hehe. Moving on, that day I had one of the most meaningful discussions of my life - with Doc Aileen. We talked about my skin condition, mostly my allergies, my fears about chemical peels and bad experiences. I also couldn't help myself but stare at her great skin, I told myself I want to have skin like hers. It was really smooth and flaw free - up close.

L-R: Obagi Nu-Derm Sunshield SPF50, Obagi Nu-Derm Action Mositurizer

MONTH ENDER: HAULS OF THE WEEK

It's December and I can't believe it. Sure, Em and I already put up the Christmas tree, changed the curtains to gold and red, and saved up on some coins to be given away to kids singing Christmas carols, but it really hasn't dawned on me yet. It's 24 days more and it's Christmas day again. Now I'm starting to panic because I haven't prepared any new recipes yet and the Christmas lights have not been set up. Worse, I still haven't bought the "priority" gifts. Oh no!

Well, I promise to focus more on those things tomorrow. Anyway, the shopping part is easy, maybe I could start doing that tomorrow. Hahaha.

Now that November is over, and the Yuletide season is now official, let me just share how my week went. Last week was one of the best weeks of my life because even if I was tired going from one place to another, I was able to do a lot of shopping. I wish I could review all of my hauls in one sitting but since this PCOS is killing me, I'm really not feeling well. I promise to do a review one by one soon.

WARNING: PICTURE-HEAVY POST.

NYX Nude on Nude Palette, NYX SMLC in Abu Dhabi and Stockholm

Wish Upon A Star: Sephora Philippines + My Recent Sephora Haul + Benefit Big 10 Review

I have been wishing for quite some time now that there was a Sephora here in our country. I know every makeup junkie wishes that too. It seems to me that the owners of Sephora didn't notice that there's a tiny country in the world map called the Philippines that up to now they didn't even think of opening just one branch here. I'm sure, with the large number of Filipino migrants all over the world especially in the States, a good number of Filipino clients patronize the chains if not, the brand itself. So, Sephora, if you're reading this, please come to the Philippines and make us happy. But what/who is Sephora anyway? 

Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate Louis Vuitton • Moët Hennessy (LVMH) in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries. Carrying over 250 brands, including Sephora's own private label, the store offers cosmetic and beauty items that include makeup, skin care, fragrance, bath and body, hair product, and hair and make-up tools. (Source: Wikipedia) It's like our local Beauty Bar on steroids. hehehe. They carry products and cosmetics from most of the brands that I love, Benefit, Chanel, Tarte, Bobbi Brown, Illamasqua, Nars, Urban Decay (ok, I can't stop listing...) and of course the beloved Sephora Collection. My ultimate wish is to own the first Sephora here in the Philippines but I know it's close to impossible since I will be needing a whopping 2.5 million US dollars to begin with. But, hey who knows, I might close a good business deal with Bernard Arnault soon, eh?

SEPHORA STORES

TODAY: Flawless/Supermarket Visit

I go to Subic (or more aptly Olongapo) for a variety of reasons. One, to go to Kitty and Nala's vet. Two, to do some grocery shopping. Three, to go to Flawless Olongapo branch. And today's the day I did all that.

It was Nala's schedule for his 2nd leuko vaccine (one more to go). He grows up too fast and the vet said that he's happy to see Nala getting in good shape. He gained a lot of weight, his fur has become better and he's now meowing loudly - in a matter of just one and a half months. I would have posted photos but he's fast asleep now after getting tired from pulling down all the ornaments (he particularly loves the red balls) from the Christmas Tree. Darn that cat! :)

Anyway, Em and I also did some grocery shopping. I have this motto in housekeeping, that when the eggs have run out, it means it's time to go to the supermarket. Always worked for us. ;)

We usually do the shopping at the Royal Subic Duty Free Mall because everything I need in life is here - minus the tax. My favorite part of the mall is of course the Pharmacy where I get to see (and buy) the most necessary things - toiletries!!!

Here are some of the things I got today.

Dove White Bar in 2's

REVIEW: Beauty UK + NYX Lippies

Ok, I'm not sleeping yet. I'm still trying to finish this big bag of RITZ Toasted Chips Sweet Home Sour Cream and Onion, which is really, really good and healthy. I've been craving for this for months and I got two bags right away. Anyway, I'm not gonna talk about these chips, I'll talk of lipsticks instead.

Have you ever found yourself wondering why you always buy the same shades of makeup? Of course, the foundie is a different story because it's unlikely that you have to change foundation shades per purchase. I'm referring to lipsticks, blushes, etc. You now get it.

My HG blush is Nars Orgasm, but since it's so expensive (and I don't want to get stuck for years using the same shade of blush), I'm always in the look out for dupes. Over the past years, I have accumulated a good amount of blushes with almost the same color as Orgasm. So basically, it's like being stuck with the same shade of blush after all. Sheesssh.

Same goes with lipsticks. I'm not a lipstick person. I'm the one who tends to neglect my lips so often that I think I look okay without a lipstick on. It's just lately that I realized that colorless lips are not cool. So I'm on the look out for good ones. I was a MAC Twig person but I read somewhere before that Fanny Serrano's Coco Copper is an exact dupe. So for 199pesos I bought it. And yes, truly, it's a good dupe. I'm still keeping it and shying away from the Twig.

I would want to play with the lipstick shades I use so I tried pinks, reds, and nudes. As I recently posted (a few hours ago), I recently bought some new lippies. And there! I swatched them, took some photos, and dear, they are all sisters. It's like they belong to the same lipstick family. I swear when I bought them they looked different from each other. But now, I'm not so convinced. Here are the swatches of Beauty UK in Passion, NYX Round Lisptick in Fig, and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp and San Paulo.

BAZAAR LOVE ♥

I know I've been putting off blogging lately. I have a lot to talk about but I just can't find the time. Anyway, I have been mostly outdoors doing what else - Christmas shopping! Christmas is around the corner, and I'm really excited that I have been making plans this early.

And since it's the season to be jolly, bazaars are just around every where. I get tons of invites from bazaaristas asking me to drop by their stalls or even put up a stall of my own. Well, dropping by is easy, but joining, I have a lot of thinking to do about that first.

I have visited a number of bazaars for the last couple of months but today I will talk about my three favorites, namely: The Trendsetter's Bazaar, The Supersale Bazaar, and The Rockwell Moonlit Bazaar.

The Trendsetter Bazaar took place on October 7-9 at the Rockwell Tent in Makati. I went there at around 8PM on the first day. I met some of my favorite online sellers there and some friends too. I almost didn't make it because I had a blotchy and red face that day (I just finished my powerpeel session and skin fusion at Flawless in the AM), but that didn't stop me. The tent were full of shoppers hustling and bustling about. But since the boyfriend was with me, we just spent less than an hour there because he wanted to go to Powerplant Mall and well, eat. However, I took home 4 blushes that day. And here they are.

L-R: Milani baked blush in Luminoso, NYX Cream Blushes in Tickled, Tea Rose and Golden

CUTE LITTLE THINGS: Stationery Love ♥

A few weeks ago (or more than a month, I think), Em and I went to this small town department store which sells every thing from toothpick to air conditioning units. I was about to buy some plastic plant cups because we need to do some transferring in the garden, until I made a stop over at the office and school supplies section looking for a new notebook and pen. And there I found some cute stationery selling for only 15pesos each! (about .35USD) Ain't that a bargain? =D

Well, I love paper. Organizers, notebooks, calendars, tags, gift wrappers, notepads, planners, sticky notes, stickers, as in every thing paper. And I have always been fascinated with how they are crafted and designed creatively, with full attention to detail. I think every girl does, of all ages, love stationery, even if at most times they just end up unused and oh well,  as clutter (as goes with my case). haha. Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt if you own too much of these, does it?

I took photos and scanned some of them but I must warn you, this is a picture-heavy post. I also included some sticky notes and stickers I bought for only 20 pesos. =D