Can you believe there are only nine days left 'til Christmas? Because I can't! I'm always left holi-dazed whenever Decem-blur rolls around, and I can only do so much so as not to drown under the collective wave that work, personal commitments, get-togethers, holiday-induced stress and traffic jams, and shopping for gifts this season brings.

Anyway, just because I think it's very timely, I'd like to share with you a review of one of my nicest lipsticks, the Estée Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in Poppy Love. There's just something about it that reminds me of Christmas and you'll see why.


I got it from Rustan's in Glorietta late last year. (In the interests of full disclosure, I just need to say that I bought this lipstick with my own money.) Housed in a classy gold tube with a transparent glass bottom to easily identify the shade, it looks and feels expensive. Indeed, at around P1,300, it is easily the most expensive lipstick I have.


I remember getting it after I watched The Wizard of Oz for the nth time. I'm a sucker for anything pop culture-related and I get obsessed with collecting anything that could be remotely identified with my current fixation, so of course I had to get something, anything, that I could relate with the movie; in this case, Dorothy's ruby red shoes. The Orly nail polish in Star Spangled is still in my wish list, by the way. (^_−)☆ I know that Poppy Love is a tad pinker than those shoes, but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and nothing else from the many other brands in Rustan's captured my heart quite like this shade did.


Can you see the micro-glitters? Gorgeous, right? I took this photo a couple of months after I've started using this lipstick, so please forgive the less than stellar photo.

Estée Lauder describes Poppy Love as a "Dark Red", but it's really not! It's actually more of a bright cherry red with a touch of pink. It also has gold and silver micro-sparkles. So prettyyy. Here are some swatches:

At the back of my hand, one swipe

My bare lips

On my lips, one swipe

On my lips, when accompanied with a completely dolled-up face Makeup done by the Estée Lauder team during the Move to the Vibe of Glorietta event from last year.

I have quite an extensive lipstick arsenal, but it's such a unique shade and I'm glad I don't have anything quite like this in my collection. I love the case and the color, and I wish I can try the other shades as well. It can be a little drying, though, so make sure to swipe on some lip balm first. Also, I noticed a slight whiff of fragrance that while not unpleasant, might not sit well with other people who are too sensitive when it comes to scents on cosmetics.

Happy color, gold case, and micro-glitters, do you now see why this lipstick is perfect for Christmas? If you're still looking for a special gift for a special someone - your mom, a sister, a best friend, your wife/ girl friend, or yourself! - go to an Estée Lauder counter and take your pick among the many Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick shades available there.

Again, nine days before Christmas? You must be kidding. Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?

I can be pretty impulsive sometimes most times, not only when shopping but also during more crucial moments when I relied on impulse and gut feel more than the more logical and scientific approach of weighing the pros and cons before deciding on something.

To my credit, though, this is something I have wanted for so long and I'm glad that I finally got the funds, time, and chutzpah to try to pull it off.

I'm talking about my hair. (^_−)☆ 

Yesterday, immediately after watching Frozen, I was overcome by the desire to have my hair colored a vibrant red. I've only ever had red and blonde highlights but never a full head of red hair. I thought of going the DIY route instead of the more expensive salon visit, but even though I found the two times I did it fun and left me with decent-looking hair, it was really messy and difficult with no one to assist me. And so yesterday, this happened:


This is not a sponsored salon visit. It took me less than two hours at FIX Salon in TriNoma (the one beside The Spa) and P1,750 plus tips to achieve this red, and I LIKE LOVE IT. Oh man, it hurt like a hot-headed beesh. It felt like more than ten pairs of hands from a lot of different directions were pulling my hair at the same time and it was all I could do not to request the girl attending to me to dunk me head first into an ice-cold bucket of water. But oh well, no pain, no gain. I think the result was worth it. This is how it looks like from the side:

What do you think?

Looking at my hair makes me hungry because it reminds me so much of red velvet cupcakes.

Because I wanted the color to stay vibrant longer, my friend Michelle and I went to The Landmark to get Vidal Sassoon. I also wanted to get Clarifying Shampoo because I feel like too much gunk has accumulated in my hair already. Landmark ran out of the Premium Color Care Series, though, so I ended up with these:

TRESemme Keratin Smooth gift pack with 190mL shampoo and conditioner bottles and Human Nature Clarifying Shampoo

I hope these work with my hair. In any case, I checked Sample Room earlier and I'm really glad that for only P130 shipping fee, I will get to experience Vidal Sassoon's Premium Color Care Series!

Another crazy work-week begins tomorrow. That's okay because I have crazy hair to match it. d(-_^) Gotta go catch up on some beauty sleep now but before that, I want to leave you with this just because I found it awesome:

via

See you around!

Ohai! My December has been abuzz with events for work and for this blog, work reports and press seeding, personal commitments with family and friends, and pre-Christmas dinners and get-togethers! It's cuh-razy really, but I still try my hardest to find time for myself to just read and watch movies. (On a somehow related note, I watched Frozen just yesterday. I know I'm too late to the party but I couldn't not say here that I loved it. It's not your typical Disney Princess movie and I loved the songs!)

Yesterday I was invited by my friend and former officemate/ neighbor Michelle and her best friend Jonas to a get-together/ KTV party. I was excited to go because I haven't seen them in a while and because I thought our other former officemates would be there. Turns out it was a get-together for their group. They've been friends since high school so I was worried at first that it would feel like I was crashing their party. Thank God they're all very cool people and I ended up having a great time. We all stayed the night, then woke up early this morning to home-cooked breakfast. I can be really shy but I love meeting new people and gaining new friends.

After more than a year ever since I left my old job and old apartment and moved back to my parents' house, it was the first time I went to that area again. As the van we were riding last night moved along Commonwealth Avenue, I found myself dealing with a rush of memories associated with the landmarks we passed. There were several noticeable changes, but it essentially remained the same place I once knew. Philcoa, UP-Ayala Technohub, and oh look there's HSBC, my old office. There's the footbridge by COA that I used to cross every day to go home to the old apartment I lived in for more than a year, the subdivision where the two apartments I lived in with roommates when I moved out is located, the pet shop I used to visit every week for food for my pet fishes, the KFC branch my former roommate Asther and I went to one late rainy Sunday night, the late night drives to the nearest Burger King or McDo drive thru... I could go on and on.

What's weird is I recognized those places and I acknowledged the memories, but somehow it felt like I couldn't have been more removed from it all than if I was a stranger passing by a completely unfamiliar place.

It has only been a little more than a year since I moved out of that place, but it seriously feels like forever. All those things I enumerated above? They feel like ages ago, like they're from another time or a story from an old book whose cover has already gathered dust and pages have slowly turned yellow. So many things have happened and I have changed to accommodate these changes - for the better, I hope.


It is what it is. No matter how many changes come (and they will, I'm sure they will), I am thankful for the constants in my life: my family's love, my true friends, and my never-ending passion, zest for life, and faith that everything gets better.

*Blog post title is a quote attributed to Frantz Fanon

Aside from books, movies, and concerts, shoes are my favorite indulgence. Real-life Carrie Bradshaw said it best:

My eyes almost popped out of their sockets several times yesterday as we were given a tour of the newly opened Shoe Department of the SM Store in Makati for the SM Makati Media Shoe Shopping Party! Understandably so as the fourth level, all 5,500 square meters of it, houses more than 25,000 pairs of shoes! With those statistics, it easily contains the largest selection of shoes in Metro Manila. There are shoes for literally everyone!

After a brief program and a quick tour around the whole floor, we were given the chance to go around the store by ourselves and shop. Shopping for shoes is srs bznz, you guys. There are so many choices available that even the pickiest person would definitely find something for him/ her!

You can choose among SM's stylish house brands like



Milanos and Salvatore Mann for men, or go sporty and active with


Nike, Adidas, Merrell, Converse, Skechers, Reebok, New Balance, Saucony, Puma, Fila, Accel, And1, Vans, and Sperry. Those who prefer casually cool looks can take their pick among the many choices available in Crocs, Havaianas, and Sanuk.

When shopping for children, check out




Sugar Kids and Tough Kids.

The SM Store has also brought global brands like Badgley Mischka, L.A.M.B., Jeffrey Campbell, Joe's Jeans, Nina, Adrianna Papell, and Marie Claire.


Those gold glittery pumps though... *swoon* The new shoe department also showcases trendy and proudly Filipino brands like Figlia, Figliarina, Gibi, Rusty Lopez, Janilyn, Janeo, Mario D'Boro, Chelsea, and many more.

I also really like Parisian's new designs. Comfy, pretty, and very affordable!

I was overwhelmed with all the choices available and feared I would spend hours inside the SM Store, so it was good that I was able to reel myself in again. My brand of choice? Parisian!


It was also nice to see Miss Na'omi who I met during the Parisian Bloggers Party last year. To this day, even with all the events I have attended and mounted through my job, that shoot still remains one of my ultimate faves! :)

We were given GCs to shop, and would you like to know what I got? Here's a peek:


I got six pairs of shoes, three of which I will give to my friends as Christmas presents. Thank you so much, SM Shoes! I'm so excited to share with you the ones I got through future outfit posts hee.

The Shoe Department is located at SM Store Makati's Fourth Level. Come, visit, and find a pair (or two or three or more!) perfect for you. ♥ 

My favorite book is a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and in the closing lines of the title book Carver says, “I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone’s heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making. Not one of us moving. Not even when the room went dark.” And I think that that's what writing is: it's listening for that beating heart. And when we hear it, it's our job to decipher it to the best of our abilities.

This movie is a suckerpunch to the heart. It may or may not have made me cry at least three times tonight. I realize I am particularly biased towards books, movies, and TV shows that reference other works of fiction and those that feature writers, and I won't make any apologies about it.

Stuck in Love is a funny movie with a fair share of heavy drama, that watching it made me feel like I was wringing my heart dry. It's no Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (my ultimate favorite movie!) but what it lacks, it more than makes up for in its cast. Greg Kinnear *swoon* and Jennifer Connelly were great as a divorced couple struggling to find a healthy balance between distancing themselves from one another and being there for their kids, but the real superstars of the film are Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Liana Liberato (I seriously thought she was the girl from Flipped!), and Nat Wolff. They were all very compelling and likable and convincing, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.

I really enjoyed this film, but it's riddled with implausibilities. I can understand waiting for someone for six months, I can even understand waiting for three years. I can understand trust issues and feeling abandoned. I can understand reeking of romance and good intentions. I can understand the process one must go through in order to be able to write well. I can understand all these things, but for the love of God can someone help me understand how a 19 year old Fiction Writing student was able to have her book (that she wrote in a month!!!) published without riding on her dad's coattails? And how she was able to have a direct connection with Stephen King, much less have him help publish her brother's work? Oh well, I guess that's what suspension of disbelief is for.

Despite the loopholes, I really liked Stuck in Love and would probably sporadically use some of the quotes from the movie.

"I remember that it hurt. Looking at her hurt."

Oh man, I miss being in love.

Are you ready?

...

...

...

Because I think I am not!

I spent the whole day panicking because aside from posting the official press release of the event, I haven't done anything in preparation for the sixth installment of the Bloggers United Bazaar! Yep, we have been doing this twice a year for the third year now but I never learn. ミ●﹏☉ミ

I sped home the minute I got off work, which was still a lot later than usual because Friday traffic whattup. You should've seen me flailing around like a headless chicken earlier. My room looks like a tornado passed through it but it's okay because I can organize it again tomorrow. Now, everything I will sell has been packed in my tiny trolley. Talk about hustlin'. (」゜ロ゜)」

You were supposed to be seeing a preview of the stuff I will be selling here, but I have the sniffles so I figured I should just rest so that I will feel better tomorrow. Why why why do I have to get sick every time Bloggers United season comes around? Tsk. ლ(´﹏`ლ)

Anyway, hoping to feel a lot more energetic tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you guys! Please come early because I'd have to leave by 6PM to go to a Christmas party with my friends.


Take your pick among the clothes and accessories I will sell. J&C Super Clean Solutions will also be sold at a special price of P299 yay! See ya at World Trade Center tomorrow! Kisses! ( ˘ ³˘)♥