The Vintage Drama Queen's Make-up Loot~ What's in the Bag?

As they say, a girl's gotta invest in some high quality make-up. As for me, though I believe that it is always good to find good bargain finds, based on experience, investing on high quality make-up is a must. I admit, I am a make-up junkie but it doesn't mean I can't live without it. Though true beauty can be seen underneath it all, what is wrong with enhancing your best features? And most especially, what's a little help for concealing those nasty, "it-wasn't-there-before," imperfections?

My mantra in applying make-up is, the more natural it looks, the more appealing it is. And based on my experience in using make-up and cosmetics, the pricey lot are  more indistinguishable. It is quite ironic right? I mean, who pays more for make-up so it wouldn't be that discernible?! But I guess a huge fraction of it goes to  the knowledge on how to apply make up. Believe me, a lot of people doesn't know how to do this...

Well, fortunately, I was blessed with an artistic eye. And armed with my make-up loot, each day is a beautiful day! So what's in the bag? Well, the latest addition to my armada is my NARS blush in Orgasm shade. Based from research, this is one of the best blushes and is used by a lot of celebrities. That's why I grabbed it when I saw it on eBay. And I love the subtle shade it gives to my cheeks-- though it may not look like I am having an orgasm, it hints a playful but not over-the top blush. It just gives my face a youthful vibe.

If you ask me what are the things in my kit that I could not live without, it would be the concealer and my eyebrow pencil. Why because I have dark undereye circles whenever I lack sleep (which is basically most of the time) and I was blessed with eyebrows that have some bald spots. I am not a lipstick person so take it away and I would care less. Powders and foundations are not that big a deal too. My liquid concealer is from BIOTHERM named "Forget It". Kinda catchy for me and it really does live up to its name. It makes me forget that I have stuff in my face that I don't really want. I also have a cream concealer pallette from E.L.F.  for specific color toned imperfections. My eyebrow pencil is from CHANEL but in order to properly fix my eyebrows, which I believe makes a big change in the face whenever it is altered, I use my MARY KAY brow gel which kinda looks like a mini clear mascara. And speaking of mascara, I love the mascaras of COVER GIRL! For me, they have the most natural, no-clumping, full and defined look. For now, I am using their waterproof lash blast length.

My foundation is CHANEL teint innocence, which gives full coverage but I seldom use it during casual days. I just use my CHANEL Poudre Universelle pressed powder over properly toned and moisturized skin. It just gives me light coverage and looks natural. Both of them are courtesy of my mother who also gave me my CHANEL eyeliner Kohl pencils in grey, brandy, copper smoke and teak. I also have an eyeliner palette from LANCOME which has 4 natural shades: Filigree Shimmer, Metallic Burgundy, Matte Dark Brown and Semi-Matte Light Brown. I use the Filigree shimmer for accenting my brow bone while I sometimes use the matte dark brown for my eyebrows using the eyeliner brush.

As for applicators, I believe that proper application of make- up relies on the good ol' make-up brush. Once you tried using brush instead of the puff applicator that always comes with the compact, you will never go back! Why? because it dispenses just the right amount of powder or make-up on your face without clumping or making it look cakey and uneven. Cool huh? Plus, it gives you that sophisticated, "I-know-how-to-use-make-up" look! Try it! My make-up brushes are just the basics. Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, lip and blush travel-size brushes from BODY SHOP and foundation, eyeshadow and stippling brushes from bare naturals. I also have a separate brush from CHANEL, courtesy again of my mother.

So basically, those are the make-up loot in my bag. Oh and did I mention that I also have make-up loot that is not in my bag? Well, there's always a next post. Those are the BB creams, some lipsticks and mineral blushes and etc. that are not for everyday use. As for now, the stuff that I mention are the stuff I carry all the time, wherever I go. So, next time you bump into me, you know what I have in my make-up bag! Not really a big deal for most people but it's something girls gotta share. Who knows, I could give you a tip or two about brands that I have used... but most especially, you could toss in your preferred brands so I could try em' too!

So, what make-up stuff would you recommend me?

With lots of drama,

Heat, Boredom and Tips for Online Shopping.

The heat of summer combined with El Niño's wrath is definitely making me crave for a cooling breeze or an ice cold beverage. The increase in temperature is going into my head, making me hallucinate white sandy beaches and blue azure waters while basking in the sun with my Prada shades and my Vitamin A swimsuit while having an ice-blended Piña colada, complete with a cocktail umbrella.

Poof!

There it goes again! My daydream bubble aka hallucination vanished into thin air, revealing a whitewashed room, with a laptop and mobile phone in front of me. In spite of these gadgets and internet social pages, I am currently bored to mental degradation and the heat is already having a killing spree of cells in my body. I have already harvested my imaginary plants, fed my binary coded fishes and cooked make-believe food. What else should I do? The heat! The boredom! I am slowly withering away...

The sudden visualization of myself, getting older in front of my laptop, hairs turning white and skin getting wrinkled, made me jerk out of my chair. Then I remembered I have something left to do! Shop online and blog about it.

I have been an avid online shopper for years since the boom of online and internet stores. I have my own eBay store as well and I occasionally post my barely used stuff up there an for online garage sale. It generates cash for a new online shopping spree! I think online shopping has its benefits. For me, it saves me money because I don't have to go out and spend on gas or fare and online stores have the best bargain offers that you can't see in malls! Even the hard to find branded stash are in online stores, with less the price! Another benefit is convenience. Just a few minutes (or sometimes hours) and you could buy the stuff, pay for it online and wait for it to get shipped right to your doorstep. However, the down side is, there are a lot of scammers out there in the online world. So you just have to know who to trust.

As I have said before, I have been in the online shopping biz for quite a while so I already know how to buy, what to buy and who to buy from. I recently bought a new pair of Old Navy bikini swim wear, Bath and Body Works foaming wash and cologne, Mary Kay brow gel and a Smashbox O-bronze intuitive bronzer all for a bargain price, almost 75% off if i bought them from retail stores!

So for you newbies on the internet shopping world, here are some pointers:

1. Before online shopping, open a Gcash account or have someone in your household or your circle of friends with a globe number have a gcash account. Most online transactions are done through this. If you don't have any access to a gcash account, you could pay via Globe center: Just fill out the gcash forms, know the seller's full name, address and globe number.
2. If you are shopping from eBay, check the feedback score of the seller and his or her feedback messages. If  he or she is a power seller or with feedback scores greater than 50, you could really trust the person. But sometimes, even accounts could get hacked.
3. Depending on the value of what you are buying (ex. Electronics, mobile phones), the payment method and delivery mode should also be secure. If you are just buying small toiletries amounting to less than 500 to 1000 bucks, then it is okay to have the transaction via Gcash and have it shipped via any courier (Air21, Xend, 2Go, LBC). But if you are buying valuable items like electronics or items with values 1000 up, then a bank deposit is a more secure transaction or a Cash upon meet-up or delivery is best.
4. Know the authenticity of what you are buying (ex. bags, signature items). If the seller could not provide you   a proof of authenticity and he or she is selling it dirt-cheaper than the actual price range, then it must be a fake or a class A item. You could always ask the seller.
5. If you are buying through eBay, some items are sold through bidding from a lowest bid price. So know how to bid. (I will post bidding tips soon.)
6. And Lastly, if you are in doubt during the transaction, do not continue. Some online shopping sites like multiply do not have a feedback score and rely on comments posted on the page. So just use your instinct and read, read, read. 

Well, hopefully, I could help you with these tips. For any questions and concerns about online shopping, just feel free to message me here! 

With lots of drama,

Life is a Box of CHANEL Goodies... It is not always what you want.

Yes. For me, right now, Life is a box of Chanel goodies with a golden glow emanating from the gold and black box as I slowly unfolded the black ribbon with gold Chanel prints.

Seriously, for a while, I thought I was hearing glorious musical voices as I opened the box. The anticipation was overwhelming. I was very careful enough, mindful of the delicate ribbon and box, as if, they too were worth as much as the contents. My mom sent a long due package from Canada and it arrived last night at home. I was not home yet because I was assigned at Bulacan. When my dad told me the package arrived, I told myself, "At last..." It was supposed to arrive last December as a birthday/ Christmas present for me and my family. But alas, due to the cost of sending a package that big, it took 3 months just to get here, customs and all. That is why the anticipation was already up to the brim to a point of indifference. It was so long overdue.

Now back to the moment I had with the gold Chanel box...

After untying the ribbon, I inhaled a deep breath of air. This is it. I opened it and saw a lot of Chanel goodies... a compact face powder, Two perfumes, a make-up remover, sun protection cream, body firming creme, lotion, soap... 

I stared at them, touched and replaced the stuff back in the box again.

I smiled. 

I closed the box again. 

Tied the ribbon again and looked at the other stuff that mom sent us.

Aside from the box, I received 3 packages of gourmet tea from a well-known tea store in Canada, David's Tea. I love tea that's why my heart kinda skipped a bit when I was smelling the tea and reading the descriptions of the different infusions and flavors. I also received 3 pairs of socks, which made my smile even bigger because I know I love cute short socks and I need them for everyday work. I was also excited with the pairs of lingerie and cute undergarments my mom sent me because I love cute and sexy lingerie. I was also thrilled for my two brothers who received Pokemon Platinum and Ranger game cartridges for their Nintendo DS. I was also happy for my sister who got a Kate Moss perfume and some toiletries that she needs too. My dad also have new shirts.

After all the excitement and happy warm feelings, we finally fixed up the mess that we made while unpacking. Then there was silence as each of us retreated to our own rooms. I looked at my own loot and realized something. Of all the things my mom sent me, the Chanel box of goodies has the highest worth. But it did not give me the happiness and thrill that I felt when I smelled the tea that I love and wanted. It did not make me giggle with satisfaction like the way I did when I saw the teflon muffin pans, pepper mills, and cooling rack that I could use for my baking. And it did not make me smile for long as much as the smile that I feel inside for my family because they are happy.

I realized, like the Chanel box of goodies, life sometimes gives us great things and big opportunities that we should be thankful for but would not make us happy. This is the reason why that guy from your office turned down a promotion and just settled for something less. That is also the reason why that girl from your neighborhood settled for the middle-class simpleton rather than the corporate high-roller. And that is the reason why people are happy even if they don't have everything... Because they have what they want... they chose what they need.

I remembered my mom asking me for what I need and what I want. I did not ask for that box. All I wanted was a Clinique Happy and a Davidoff Cool Water perfume because they were my signature scents. :)

And in lieu with the current Holy Week celebration, it also made me realize that all these things are not we need in life. We may be happy for a while for all these material things but in the end, we will always be unsatisfied. Because in Him alone will we be truly happy. Because we need Him in our lives...

Have a Holy Maundy Thursday everyone.

With lots of drama,