I admit that I have a love-hate relationship with Taylor Swift. Okay, it's more like a one-sided thing because I'm the only one who's aware of it. LOL. 
What I mean is, I have long ago accepted that she's just a human being and that she isn't perfect. She falters sometimes, and yes, I get angry at her sometimes. And for every bend, I always find it in my heart to love her. Moreover, she's been with me through some tough times through her music so she's done a great deal of stuff for me. 
As I await the release of her new album "Reputation", I decided to make a list of her songs which I love; ten of them.
It's a tough call because she has tons of hits. But these are based not on Billboard but on  my own preference and how it made an impact on my life, so it's gonna be a bit diverse. 
For added measure, I also added five runner's up, just because. :)
So here they are. If I can listen to ten of Taylor Swift's songs over again, these would be the ones on loop.

"State of Grace"
...and that guitar riff at the beginning that seems to transport me to a different place. I can't pick a favorite line from this song because I love all the lyrics in its entirety.
"Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right."

"Ours"
It's a song that reminds me so much of my daughter. I think the video had just come out when I'd given birth and it played a lot while I was just new to being a mom, so it gives me a really warm feeling. :) And it's a really sweet song with a great melody.
"I'll fight their doubt and give you faith with this song for you."

"I Knew You Were Trouble"
The perfect song. The Taylor Swift song that I have nothing to complain about. When it came out, I thought, what a great time to be brokenhearted. 
"'Til you put me down"

"Sparks Fly"
...never fails to make me smile.

"Mary's Song"
Story telling in one song, here it is, yes.

"All Too Well"
The sad song. We all need something like this once in a while.
"You call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest."

"I Know Places"
My favorite song from the album "1989". I just get turned on when she says "...And we run!". Ha ha. I also loved her rendition of it on the "1989 World Tour DVD" and I just keep on rerunning that part. Yes, the guy dancer was also noticed.
"We take their shots, We're bulletproof."

"Fearless"
My anthem, circa 2008. Ha ha. Let's just say it has helped me through some tough times.
"Clean"
For having a unique sound that I never grow tired of.
"You're still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore."

"Fifteen"
It's the song that I wished I'd heard when I was fifteen. It would have made a whole lot of difference.

The Five Runners Up :)
"Safe and Sound" - I sang it a lot in my mind after Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. Tear-stained, babe.
"Long Live" - Spell victory with this song. It just reminds me of that time when we were champions during the Sportfest.
"22" - The lady jam. I have self-proclaimed after all that I am forever 22.
"All You Had To Do Was Stay" - Can you listen to "I Know Places" and not put this on next?
"Wildest Dreams" - Dark and sexy.

***
November please come soon, we are soooooo excited for "Reputation".

XO,
Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , ,
Hi! I have recently tried this Shiny and Soft Foot Peeling Mask from Purederm and I will be chronicling my experience. It's a pasalubong from a friend (thanks Ma'am Salva!), so I don't really know how much it costs. I've seen something similar on Shopee and price ranges from Php 65.00 to a hundred.
Let's see how my experience went! ;)


What Is It?
Purederm Shiny and Soft Foot peeling Mask is a foot exfoliant plus treatment filled in a pair of wearable mask sheets. It can remove caluses.

Here are the details and the ingredients list of this product. It also contains the instructions and some reminders (Cautions!). It's important to read them before putting on the masks.


Before we move on, my (lovely) toes say hi! :) 


So there's an illustration at the back of the packet but here's how it looks like IRL. I'm sorry, I don't know if whats the name of this material but it doesn't easily break apart and I didn't experience any leakages while using it. You have to tear up the opening so you can insert your foot in the mask. Wearing them isn't the most wonderful feeling - it's like stepping on something squishy. And you have to wear them for like 60 to 90 minutes. 


What Happened When I Used It? Was It Effective?

After wearing the foot masks for an hour or so, I washed off the excess liquid essence. I didn't feel anything after washing it. Nothing painful, no tingling sensation either. That's why I even doubted if it can actually take off my caluses.

And then I saw that the nail polish on my toenails have literally melted off. That's when I realized that there must be something potent in the ingredients.

I observed that the peeling started on the fourth day. It continued up to two weeks after wearing the masks. The label said that you shouldn't pick on the caluses once they start peeling off. I had to use all my strength to restrain from doing so. LOL. But they actually came off easily whenever I showered. Don't worry, there were no pains involved.




And here are my toes now. Big difference, huh! I mean, apart from the nail color of course, LOL.

Definitely buying this mask next time. :)

XO, 
Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , ,
I recently saw Adriana Lima doing her own makeup on Vogue and I really enjoyed it. It was a relatable one because all the products she used were from Maybelline. Well, she's a model and there's a good chance that she probably doesn't use Maybelline every single day of her life but I still enjoyed the video. You know, you get to compare your own makeup application techniques to theirs and you also pickup something new from them. 
It also inspired me to whip out all the Maybelline stuff in my stash and I decided to use all of them to create a simple everyday look that I can use at the office.


Here they are! Not a lot, nothing too fancy either but I've got everything I need here to prettify myself. 



The products I have here are:
Maybelline White Superfresh UV Whitening Long-Lasting Two-Way Cake in Shade 04 Honey
Maybelline Fashion Brow 3D Brow and Nose Palette in Dark Brown
Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser
Maybelline Hypercurl Volum' Express Mascara
Maybelline Creamy Matte Nudes in Nude Nuance, Clay Crush and Touch of Spice

So, which one is the most used and abused? :)
My problem areas have always been my pores and my dark circles. I'm glad that the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser is always around to help me minimize those pores, without needing to spend a million bucks.

I used the Maybelline White Superfresh Two-Way Cake as base and I'm glad that my primer and powder worked hand in hand in making my skin look good. I used it dry, btw.

Next up, I used the Maybelline Fashion Brow Palette to fill up my arches. I also use it as an eye shadow and contour powder. The Maybelline Hypercurl Volum' Express Mascara gave life to my eyes.

As Adriana said in her video, lippies can instantly change one's look. I have the Maybelline Creamy Matte Nudes in Nude Nuance in the first photo, Touch of Spice on the second and Clay Crush on the last. 

 #FOTD - Maybe she's born with it... or maybe it's Maybelline. :D
I can't really say if which of these three lippies is my favorite because it changes from time to time, depending on my mood. I guess I use Clay Crush the most because it's the nudest one and it looks really good when topped with a gloss.

 Touch of Spice looks very similar to my natural lip color when applied thinly. With two coats, it's almost red. I wear Nude Nuance once in a while and I love it too! It almost gives off a "touch me not" aura, if you know what I mean.

***
So, are we Adriana-ish yet? Or maybe Gigi-ish? :) Ha ha. Far from it maybe. But Maybelline's always got my back for affordable and good quality makeup so that I would always be able to rock my own looks. 

Do drop a comment and tell me what you think about my makeup looks. 

XO,
Carissa
*Note: This is not a sponsored post. All products were personally purchased by the author.*
by No comments:
Categories: , , , , , ,
Today I'm reviewing something from a local brand: Nichido's Final Powder in Ivory Glow which some Pinay beauty bloggers have described as a dupe for the Laura Mercier translucent powder. I know that that is a bold comparison because the latter is considered a holy grail setting powder; not to mention it is quiet expensive. The comparison was enough to spark my curiosity so when I chanced upon this at a local Watsons shop, I decided to grab it, after-all, it is very affordable.

I've been using this as an alternate setting powder since I got it in January so I think I will be able to make a fair review of it.
Chop chop after the jump!


Nichido Final Powder
Shade: Ivory Glow
Price: Php 150.00
Where I Got It: Watsons Robinsons Place Tacloban
Also Available At: SM and Robinsons Department Store Nationwide 

 What Is It?
The Nichido Final Powder is a setting powder that promises to: 
-give picture perfect skin in any light;
-highlight skin with soft sheer flawless effect that gives natural glow;
-even skintone and disguise imperfections.

 Wow! Solid promises! Does it deliver? We'll see. :)

Ingredients/Packaging
It contains talc and parabens, so if you are iffy about those components then you might wanna steer clear of this product.
This is how the packaging looks. It comes in a transparent tub, which I wager isn't so durable so I've been careful about not dropping this, especially on concrete floors. The black screw cap closes up well so I've never experienced any bad incident whenever I carry in my purse. The puff is scratchy so I prefer not using it and just use powder brush instead.





 In Action
I'll let the photos do the talking. 
A - Face with foundation
B - Baking with the Nichido Final Powder
C - After baking 
Full face on. Hello Monday!
My Take
Okay, I know my face looks kind of too white and powdery post-baking but once the powder melds into the skin, it really looks great. Maybe it's not really perfect, flawless or super even skin tone but it's a difference that make you say "I look like I'm glowing." Another wonderful thing about this product, based on my experience is that, as the day progresses, I don't see any darkening. Some powders look dark on my skin at the end of the day. Even when my t-zone starts to oil up, I still look fresh. That's probably the only con about this product for me: I need to touch-up after noon break as my oils seep at about 3 to 4 hours. And who knew that looking like a million bucks doesn't mean spending too much? At Php 150.00, you definitely get the good end of the deal; that's for 25 grans of product, btw. Wow! 
I just consumed my entire tub and I'm definitely getting another one soon.

XO,

Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , , , ,
...is not a novel thing to do. Camp Kawayan Resort has been around for quiet a while now and I know that as a Burawanon I should have been able to try it a long time ago. Circumstances. :) Well, it's good that I finally got the chance to do it with mi familia on the September 1st holiday. And boy did we have a blast, especially my Celestine who even quipped that "Camp Kawayan is amazing!" 

Take note though that the place is also open during the day so if you wanna come while the sun is high in the sky or when it's about to go down, it's totes up to you.
Since our home is located like 5 minutes away from this place, we can come anytime. We came at sunset and look ma, no need for shades and SPFs. 


It's located at Brgy. Balorinay, Burauen, Leyte. I honestly don't remember how this looked like before it was turned into a resort.  I have a pretty good guess that it was a forest. :) Under the auspices of the current proprietor, who happens to be my mama's former student in high school, this place has been greatly transformed. But it still feels close to nature with all those trees, bamboos and foliage. Plus an irrigation system is located right next to it so there's a sound of running water. You can hear cicadas at night and the air is just so cooold.

Camp Kawayan? So, asan po si Coach Bamboo? 😁 Wala po. Puro kawayan lang.
This bridge goes over a fast-flowing irrigation system. 
Where the catfish at? Yep, there are huge catfishes inside that pond, the size of my baby's arms or even bigger.


We brought in some food and rented out a cottage. There's an entrance fee too, btw, but trust me it's really affordable. 

The cottages - also made of, guess what. :)
So obviously, the main attraction in this resort are the pools. There's a huge one for adults which is about 6 feet deep at the center and maybe 4 or 5 feet deep at the sides. Thank God, or I'll drown because I'm not much of a swimmer. I perused the slides several times, taking chlorinated water inside my nostrils each time. Oh well. Happy naman. 
There are also two pools for the kiddies. One is 2 feet deep and the other one is just over a foot deep. There's a barrier between each of the pools for safety. 

 I adore these little water fountains that sprout everywhere. 

 Here are more photos of our fun time at Camp Kawayan Resort. :)


The look of excitement!
So inviting. Camp Kawayan Resort.
The slide at the kid's pool.

***
When we were kids, me and my younger brother, our parents used to take us to the Daguitan or Marabong river during Sundays. Somehow, it stopped being cool doing so. Maybe we just grew up but we hear that it's not as clean as it used to be or that the rivers have changed their course. Then we flocked to the beaches of Dulag or Tolosa. 
I'm glad that right now, we don't have to go far because different resorts have sprung in Burauen, pun intended. There's the Pines Farm Mountain Resort in Barangay Aboyogon or the Cansiboy Cold Springs, which I hope I can visit soon. It's really something to be proud of.

 Right now, I'd like to say 'kudos' to the people behind Camp Kawayan Resort and we hope to see you again soon.

XO,
Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , , , , ,
Here's a review of the BYS Velvet Lips Liquid Lipstick In Bare Beauty. 

I went home during the long weekend and spotted this liquid lipstick in my mama's kikay kit. I opened the tube and she just said that I can have it because it's too drying on her lips. I didn't even say yes, I just tried it on right away. :)


BYS Velvet Lips Liquid Lipstick
Price: Php 399.00
Available at: Watsons and BYS Counters nationwide, also online at www. zalora.com.ph

What Is It?
BYS Velvet Lipstick is a creamy, highly pigmented formula that glides on for easy application, boasting an instant, smooth matte lip. The non-drying formulation gives full coverage that stays put throughout the day, and includes a precision applicator that coats lips in one simple swipe.

Packaging

It comes in a tube that's squircle in shape. It contains 6g of product and the written in the bottom of the tube is the brand name, shade and batch number.


It really sickens me when I see this much mess underneath the cap and on the neck of the tube. My daughter fussed with this when I wasn't looking and took too much product with that applicator.

Anyway, the cap seals tightly and I have not experienced any leaks. I just have a problem with excess product gathering at the neck of the tube and when you twist it tightly, the excess product is squeezed out. Tsk tsk.

The applicator is flat and is actually good in outlining the shape of the lips.

Ingredients
Not indicated.

Swatches
This is a photo of this product taken from the BYS website and it looks kind of different in real life. The photo leans toward the brown side. Even the name, Bare Beauty made me think that it would dry down to a more brownish shade. 

On the tube, it looks to me like a bit rose-y and mauve-y, with a slight hint of brown.

BYS Velvet Lips Liquid Lipstick in Bare Beauty//image from bys.com.au
Here are the swatches: 
before drying

completely dried

See? It definitely looks rose pink to me when swatched and dried.

In Action
My mama gave it to me because she thought it was too dry but I know that that is the norm among matte liquid lipsticks now. 

The first time I tried it, it really flaked badly on my lips. Me thinks my lips were kind of oily at that time so there was a barrier and it wasn't able to adhere well to my lips.

The next time I tried it, I made sure that my lips were clean and well exfoliated. And this is the result. 


No flaking, no chapping, no bleeding, no ugly lines emphasized. I was overjoyed. It is indeed velvety-matte and I'm glad that it didn't feel like lips were suffocated. 

My technique when applying this is to outline the shape of my lips using the tip of the applicator and then I just fill in the blanks and blend it using the flat part of the applicator. It dries pretty quickly and won't budge after that.

The BYS Velvet Lips Liquid Lipstick in Bare Beauty on  my lips, up close.

Well, unless you eat oily food, of course. This is me, about 6 or 7 hours after applying the lipstick without touching up. I'd already eaten lunch and taken a bite of that ice cream. It's still pretty much visible at the edges of my lips and leaves a nice pinkish stain. I just blotted it out on my lips so that I won't have that weird line.


My Take
First, I love the consistency and the formula: it's not runny and just creamy, just a bit less mousy than the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. When it dries down, it doesn't bleed and it doesn't transfer. It's matte but I still feel like my lips can breathe. Lips also feel soft and smooth.

Staying power is good, but if you eat something oily, it will definitely flake. It also doesn't have an overwhelming scent. It does have a muted scent, akin to the smell of a new book, right after you take off the packaging. Ha ha, at least that's how it smells to me. It's okay with me and it doesn't linger.

Above all, what I love about this product is that I got the right shade. I have bought a lot of lipsticks online and it's always a let down when  purchased one that looked great on the computer screen and on the model but doesn't work well on me. This one, I wasn't even able to try out and swatch and I got it for free and it makes me feel blooming and lovely! Just a perfect match. Thank you, mama!

Overall, if want to keep up with liquid lipstick trend without spending too much, I would highly recommend this product. Just bear in mind the cons, huh? :)

XO,
Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , , , ,
....but you won't see me in any of these photos because:
1. it's her spotlight;and 
2. I looked haggard and stressed just dressing her up;
 ergo, no photos of me. :) 

Now, tell me, does she look like my mini-me? The parallelisms between the two of us are always discussed within the family: born on the same date, at almost the same hour, both Rabbits, both Sagittarians. 

Four days ago she lost one of her baby teeth and my brother reminded me that once upon a time, I also joined a school contest (Miss United Nations) with a missing tooth. Now here we are, after two decades, she's in Binibining Wika, and I'm the nervous momma.


But, the whole thing went in a breeze. I was just being paranoid, I guess. She did great, especially during the production number when she was in front and center, busting out those dance moves. She even told me that she didn't feel nervous. It helps that one of her friends is also in the competition.

With MJ, playmate, classmate and neighbor.
Production number.
Snack time!
All dolled up and looking lovely.
I wonder what's on that mind of hers.
Ehem. Right before she had a tantrum and refused to stand up on stage. Oh no!
She is Binibining Madasalin.
See! She was so delighted about her sash and her bouquet. It was a consolation prize but she was happy all the same. Well, we're still in kindergarten and went against third graders and I love her fighting spirit.

 Didn't get nervous, huh. And actually complained that there were too few people in the audience. 
Ha  ha!

 Here's to making memories.

 XO, 
Carissa
by No comments:
Categories: , , , , ,

Thanks for visiting my blog! Don't forget to follow or drop some comments!

Thanks for visiting my blog! Don't forget to follow or drop some comments!