Till Next Time, Embraer.

Two days ago, Aug 21, was my last day to operate Embraer 170 as I am about to have my transition training for the Airbus 330 aircraft, in addition to the Boeing and other Airbus aircrafts I also usually fly. It is like dropping off the E70 for the A330. I am not really this kind of emotional when it comes to changes in work, but you know that feeling when you have to leave something that never did hurt you in any way. It's more like giving up a nice and sturdy chair you loved for the promise of a soft and pretty couch. I can be more emotional than that, I must say.

 

I wanted to keep this on record because I never want to forget how my last day for E70 was. It was a fast JED-EJH-JED roundtrip and God listened to my prayer to give us a good crew. From the cockpit crew to us in the cabin, everything went so smoothly, this was one of the rare flights where you never felt as if you're working. Takeoff and landing were perfect. I even asked my flying partner again and again if she noticed it too because takeoff and landing on an Embraer 170 can mostly be harsh as it is such a small aircraft, fighting the wind with a small body as it has would sometimes mean grabbing the airsickness bag.

 

Service in E70 is always a breeze. That is why I loved this aircraft so much. With 60 passengers in the Guest Class and 6 in the Business Class, you don't have to break a finger if everyone would ask for everything. Only in this aircraft that I won't get annoyed for every "Ding" from the passenger call button. Yes, I can be very grumpy when I'm hell tired. :)

 

Another thing I liked about E70 is the crew complement, it only needs 3 flight attendants for a full crew. The Purser, and the other two flight attendants. And as for me who flies with a flying partner, it feels like we're the bosses of our own office, hehehe... but in a good way, of course. And for our last flight for this aircraft, me and my flying partner were just so thankful that we were given a wonderful purser, who never minds whether we took almost a thousand pictures as remembrance.

 

I may never get to operate this aircraft again in exchange of another, but I will never forget how E70 made things easier for me. It may have been the smallest aircraft I have operated but it got the highest of my respect.

 

Masalama, Embraer.. till my next DHD flight with you.

 

Erikka (my flying partner) and Me!

 

That Woman

I've come across one Korean song and got touched by its lyrics.

Translated in English. :)

"That Woman"

                                                                      Baek Ji Young

A woman loves you.

The woman loves you wholeheartedly.

She follows you around like a shadow every day.

She smiles but is actually crying.

How much longer do I just have to look at you, alone.

This love that came like wind,

This love that is like a shit,

If I continue this, will you love me?

Just come a little nearer

just a little bit.

Please don’t step back

I, the one who loves you,

is still next to you.

That woman is crying.

That woman is very shy

So she learnt how to smile

Her heart is so full of tear,

She can't even share her story with

her best friend

That's why, that woman

loved you

Cause you were so like her

another fool.

yet another fool

Please give me a hug before you leave me

I want to be loved, dear.

That's all I wanted

She shouts, just in her heart

just in her heart.

No one can hear her

but that woman is still next you

Do you know that

I am that woman?

You don't do you?

Because you are just a fool.

how much

how much longer

Do I have to love you like this

This love that is like a fool

This love that is like a beggar

would you love me?

That woman, who loves you

is still next you and she is still crying.

It's Okay Not To Be Okay.

This is it I guess. This makes me a superhero. Breaking my bones after saving someone from a fall then reanimate myself by nothing but myself, deal with it. When you love, you get hurt and yes, it is a choice.

PLEASE. Flush the toilet.

Every job has its own dirty side. And as for mine, it's the toilet. 

It is never in our job descriptions to clean the toilet. But we are always reminded to keep it tidy, which boils down to the same action of what else, of cleaning it. Honestly, I could care less about it. I can never open that lavatory door and save myself from the shock of seeing the end result of what you have eaten. But being seated to a jumpseat next to the toilet, I can't stand it. I just have to clean it! I just freakingly have to clean it!

Here's what a flush button looks like in aircraft lavatories aka toilets:

Located in the upper right hand of the toilet bowl is the flush button. Yes it is flat, but pressing it makes the flush work. It is not touchscreen, for heaven's sake, press it. Sometimes, passengers would say that it is not working. Well, with all due respect, it DOES work. Each and every flight, we do this pre-flight check and that includes the toilets. So we know for sure that the flush is working.

And a helpful reminder, the orange button near the mirror is not a flush button. It is the Flight Attendant Call Button which is used in emergencies like if you need some help whilst inside the lavatory. Accidentally pressing that button (sometimes mistaken as a flush) only makes us open the door even if it is locked, making yourselves exposed to us while your pants are down. Geez.

So the next time you board an aircraft, do your flight attendant some favor. Please flush the toilet.

My First Birthday 33,000 Feet Above Sea Level

I don't want to forget the details of my first ever birthday in the skies so I am taking record of it. I know most flight attendants have a list of their own, so here's mine!

July 30, 2012

I operated Flight Number SV 1903 and 1902, Riyadh-Taif and then back again.

Aircraft Operated: Airbus 320

Position Taken: R1 - which was quite a shock since I was forced to take it, as no senior would want to during that time. But then as the flight went on, I indeed enjoyed being R1, and would definitely love to take it again given the chance. :)

Days before that, I met Amira, a beautiful, sweet and funny fellow flight attendant who had the same flight schedule like mine, so I was with her from July 28 until the 31st. By the way she is Egyptian.

Amira and me before the flight

This girl Amira is such a sweetie. In the morning of my birthday, she ordered from the hotel room service for an Egyptian breakfast for me. She wanted me to try Om Ali, a buttery, milky, sweet soup-like breakfast prepared with different kinds of nuts. I love love love it! :) Well, yes I love anything sweet but this is special. I would like to show how it looks like but I'm sorry I finished the whole stuff right before thinking of taking a picture of it.. haha.. :) Thanks to folkmann.ca, here's a picture of it's goodness:

Warmed in the oven until the outside turns brown, but sweet and soooo creamy inside. Hmmm.. :)

I enjoyed the whole day as everyone was so nice. From the cockpit crew with whom I got the chance to serve, to every single crew in the cabin, all of them were so nice, we worked altogether harmoniously.

**********************************************************************************

Another surprise took my heart away when I finally reached my flat after my flight schedule. My close friend Erikka, who is more like a sister to me, brought out the child in me with this "New Year Cake", as I call it.. This was the first time I had a cake complete with fireworks!! :)

Erikka and me

Erikka and me, and some of our few close friends here had been through a lot. From Day One of application for this airline until now and until the end, we only have each other here as family. **Grouphugggggg**.

**********************************************************************************

Over the distance, a lot of my friends also extended their love and birthday greetings and wishes, which I am so thankful for. Mkaye and Eds, thank you for having that Starbucks Moment "with me" though I was not there physically.

I don't know if the rest of my birthdays will always be spent on the skies, but definitely I will never forget this first one. :) Thank you Lord for my good friends and for adding another year in my life.

My "Type" of Sunday

Having a job far from home is a very difficult thing that you have to go through everyday. And it can be even harder if we are talking about being hundreds and hundreds of miles apart, which gives you an option of being home only once in every few months.

Ever since I got this opportunity of having the job that will change our lives, I had to accept the sad truth that I will be missing a lot of things and people with whom I come to know as components of my daily life. I miss the waiting shed where I used to stay in at the corner of our nearby street, I miss the rain that gets me soaked up in my corporate attire even before I reach the office, I miss the sari-sari store where I buy my guilty pleasures of Marty's. Above all, I miss our church.

I am a 4th Watcher, (PMCC 4th Watch), a Born-again Christian in easier terms. Every Sunday, in Worship, we partake in the Holy Communion as a remembrance of Christ's suffering for the redemption of our souls and as a covenant between God and us. So when I started to live here in Jeddah, one of my biggest concerns is not being able to partake in that fundamental activity which really breaks my heart big time.

But God moves in our lives and that He keeps us able to think of ways for us to fulfill His will. One of my closest friends in the church has been continuously communicating with me, well, for moral support and of course, for spritual advises. He is an Elder in the church and he really wanted to help me out in having my communion over geographic distance. He then came up with an idea of officiating the communion through, guess what, the Internet.

In the situation that I am in, it is the best idea anyone can ever think of and I am really very thankful of having a friend helping me out to fulfill my duties as a Christian. I managed to open only one window in my desktop (and I demanded myself of this for me to have my focus), I prayed before everything else and I asked God to please bless this communion as this is going to be my first in the world wide web.

Skype was not very helpful at that time so we opened up a chat to have it done. I prepared my Bible, a small piece of bread and a small glass of grape sap. And through the authority that is vested upon him, he officiated the communion.

Officiating this communion is not that easy I must say. Because before proceeding, we need to be apprised first of the Word of God, and Alvin (my Elder friend) has to type and type contiuously in the chat as if he was talking to me personally while deliberating. And me on the other hand, needed to type my response. Ok, it isn't hard to type, right? But doing this is a bit unusual. 

After taking the communion and our prayer, he made me sing the Doxology, and I tell you, I really felt as if I am there at our church standing and singing my heart out. I almost cried. I thank the Lord for making me capable of this and for Alvin, for he was sent by God not only to be my friend, but also as a warrior of faith reaching out to me over the distance.

God never sleeps to make sure we take our breaths, what is a single act from us to show Him that we acknowledge?

Indulge with Strawberry and White Chocolate with Avon Naturals

I guess most girls are smitten with sweetness and softness and everything that comes with it. So there needs no explanation why I came to love this new shower gel and body lotion from Avon.

                                 Strawberry and White Chocolate Shower Gel and Body Lotion

Every time I use these I feel nothing but sweetness and softness and indulgence that lasts. :) Night time is the perfect time to bathe and nourish in these as the scent calms the senses and makes you imagine you're sleeping in a field of strawberries! I just love these two so much that I will be buying again and again, that I am sure of.

* Shower Gel

The shower gel smells so good and it really leaves the skin so soft after rinsing. I use this with a pouf and lather gently in circular motion all over my body. It never strips the skin of its moisture and for people with normal skin, I guess applying lotion after bath is not necessary as this is very moisturizing.

* Body Lotion

Like the shower gel, this body lotion smells equally as good. It gives the skin that needed moisture and gives such a velvety feeling that lasts for hours.

I am glad that my best friend introduced this to me. :) She really knows how to catch my heart. If you have a chance to grab these treats, please do not hesitate, give it a shot right away. I believe Avon offers this on sale for I think a few bucks over a hundred pesos each (I'm sorry I forgot).

And don't worry, ants will not eat you while you're sleeping. :)

MAGNUM: Ahh.. Kaya Naman Pala.

Lately, I have been seeing posts of this ice cream on stick on Facebook and it kept me wondering why on earth this ice cream is such a hit. I haven't tried this yet personally (blame it on the diet), but seeing the hype makes me want to break the rules of my diet just to figure out how did this made it to center stage.

Some of my friends say that it only tastes like most of the ice creams on sticks you can find in the market, and that it is not in any way more special that Dairy Queen's Dilly Bar. But that is just their opinion (thanks to that, I now have no urges whatsoever to kill my diet). Having that said, one thing came into my mind: Great marketing strategy through a very effective media, Facebook (and Twitter).

And this article from Yahoo News validated my idea.

"How an ice-cream bar turned into a trending topic and almost sold out."

It trended when it launched on Feb. 28 and then again sometime around March 7. A week later, on March 15, it was the fourth top trending topic on Yahoo! Search.

Kony? Gerald Anderson’s birthday? A TV announcer’s controversial remark?

Nah. Try Magnum.

The ice-cream bar by Unilever-RFM Ice Cream Inc., has inundated the Net with mentions on Facebook and postings on Instagram, a photo sharing app especially favored on Twitter.

On the day it launched, Magnum immediately became the top trending topic on Twitter, gaining millions of impressions, according to Brian Chanyungco, assistant brand manager of Selecta. In online marketing, impressions are the estimated reach of an ad or a topic.

This means that when the brand’s social media-savvy brand “ambassadors” tweeted or used #Magnum, it was retweeted or re-shared by possibly, tens of thousands of the celebrities’ fans or followers to their own network of friends, and so on.

Celebrity stylist Liz Uy alone has more than half a million followers. She is a Magnum “ambassador” together with actress Solenn Heussaff (498,000+ followers), TV host and Esquire style director Raymond Gutierrez (450,000+ followers), designer Rajo Laurel and Chef Erwann Heussaff (100,000+ followers each), and columnist and social bon vivant Tessa Prieto-Valdes (30,000+).

The Yahoo! search trend on March 15 may have something to do with the celebrity Magnum VIP Party scheduled that evening.

But, you can only hashtag a product so far—officially #Magnum with other crowd-sourced variations like #MagnumIceCream and #Magnummadnessmanila. No hashtag can save a dud from sinking. But the opposite is also true: a great product will create its own perfect wave for others to ride on.

Right time, right product

And for many Pinoys, Magnum was the wave du jour.

It arrived at the sudden onset of summer, when temperatures rose to 32 degrees.

For those who have traveled to the U.S., Europe and other parts of Asia, it’s a familiar product—Magnum being the biggest global brand of Unilever and having been in the market since the 1987.

Described as “gourmet” ice-cream, Magnum is coated with Belgian chocolate—said to be the best in the world—that’s been formulated to crack into desirable shards to reveal a generous bar of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

In the Philippines, three flavors have been introduced (elsewhere in the world, there are 10 or so variants): Classic, Almond and Chocolate Truffle.


Prized flavors, social buzz

What fed the frenzy was the way certain flavors—especially Chocolate Truffle—seemed to run out faster than the Classic. This led to Instagrams on Twitter showing people triumphantly holding a bar (and sometimes a box) of the prized flavor.

Bindoy Baltazar, marketing director of Selecta, admitted the popularity of the product exceeded their expectations but declined to say by how much. But, he allowed, stores have been re-ordering on a daily basis; before Magnum, re-orders of other products would be made every two days.

And the run has been happening on the strength of social buzz alone. Ads for the mainstream media—radio, TV, print—aren’t due until the coming week, Baltazar added.


Cheap? Not cheap?

At P50 a bar, Magnum is pricier than most—a Cornetto, another Selecta product, is half the price—but Baltazar says that the product, which is made and shipped from Indonesia and Australia, is priced lower than a Magnum in Singapore, which costs around SGD$3, or around P102.

As assistant brand manager Chanyungco puts it, “People can afford a P130 cup of coffee, an P80 cupcake and an P80 milk tea, so P50 for a Magnum is very affordable.”

And given the perennially low stocks in convenience stores and the way rhapsodic status updates continue to show up on social sites, people, so far, have agreed.

Source: Yahoo News

Just For Fun: MakeUp Session With My Friend Jac

It is always exciting to play with make-up but it can be also even more exciting to do it for a friend. Jac is my best friend since college and we went through all of it together and until now, we share the same interests may it be on make-up or skin care.

I am a lover of make up and all the things that come with it, but I am not an expert. So I was so thrilled when she asked me to doll her up for her office event, and who am I to say no?? :)

Here is a Before and After photo of our playtime:

Haha, why was she so shy to smile for heaven's sake? I remember I'd have to convince her to say yes when I told her I'm gonna blog about this. :) I'm glad she was very happy with the end result (though she know that she must, or else...haha..kidding!).

" A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away." - Arabian Proverb

For A Change That Will Do Me Good

My new friends - during the orientation day
(Me, Erikka, Marj and Kikoh)

A month ago, I applied for an airline as a Flight Attendant. Luckily, I got selected after a series of interviews and assessments and I could not thank heaven enough for this wonderful blessing given to me. Until now, the fact still sits at the top of my head and I will have to rub it in to let reality sink in.

My brother is a flight attendant too working for a different airline and I can see how he enjoys the job. Years and years ago, he kept on convincing me to try my luck and join the bandwagon as he knows I will like the things that he likes and enjoy the perks he gets to enjoy. But being the "maton" that I am who prefers chucks over stilettos and jeans over skirts, I doubted. I said I will never get to live the lifestyle exuded by the glam that is of flight attendants and other than make-up, there is nothing I really like about them.

Everything changes with age. After years of brushing my brother's advise, I realized that I am NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER. Ouch. 5 years from now, it will no longer be cute for me to be "maton" and speaking of being work-wise, I must now decide whether to remain in the so called "technical environment" I used to live in and rot here forever. That sends a not-so-happy thought in my head and a voice in me kicked in saying, it is now or never.

So that's it, a month ago, I checked online, looking for an airline open for hiring and I was able to see one. Immediately, I took all the necessary steps and thank God my heart wasn't broken on this one. Weeks from now, I will be leaving for training and that means that I will have to relocate near the airline's base. Another challenge, yes. Another phase of my life that I will be very excited to discover.

But then again, there are still a lot that I have to learn. When I get to think of what is ahead of me, I feel the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach. Maybe I am just so excited.. It's like the act of preparing to jump in bungee jumping, nerve wracking but with full excitement. :)

When Giving Up Is Not An Option

Tired. That's how I feel. And this, is the kind that no bedrest can fix. The people around me think I am strong enough to handle just about anything. But deep inside, I seek for a pillar to whom I can lean on and rest my worries. I can cry but I must not let them see. I can stop but I have to make it unnoticeable. For these times, it is hard to show strength when mine is nearly used up. But I have to go, go, go..

Because giving up is not an option.

End Of The World??!

Will the world end now that it is finally 2012? I think not. Because for me, it has just started hours ago. The world has started over again to give new chances and new beginnings. There is always something so renewing every New Year and the world is very much thankful that as 11:59 PM of 2011 stroke its final second, 12:00 AM came in with full excitement, shaking the ground with roar and lightning.

The world is old and is subjected to end, we all know that as a fact. But that stays at the back of our minds. Because we, as hopeful human beings would rather face the New Year morning with childlike hearts, keeping prayers in our pockets that in this New Year, we can now get things right, that this is another chance for us to finally set our marks.


For the bad things that broke our hearts in the past year, we now just put them behind and brush them off our shoulders. What didn't kill you only makes you stronger, right? So that makes everyone of us, alive and existing, stronger ones than what we were before. And that single thought of strength is enough for us to keep us going, keep us fighting. For after the 365 days from today, we can once again say, another battle has won.

Inspired By Tara: 5 messages to 5 different people without using names

1. Today marks your first year there in Heaven. Thinking of you still makes me feel very very sad because I can remember all of our happy days together like it was just yesterday. We all miss you here so much. I know how much you'd want to show how beautiful heaven is, just as you were when I was a little girl.. always wanting to show me all the beautiful things in this world. Someday we'll meet again.. and until that day, I will hold my tears as much as I can. I will be the bravest daughter a great father like you could ever have. I love you more and more each day, through life and beyond.


2. I don't hate you but I don't like the truth that you delayed my career growth, with the help of your judgmental thinking. It's not that I trust myself so much. I only think I could have done more than what you think I can.


3. I miss you! Let's have a blast this weekend!


4. I know you're a dog but I treat you as my friend. Don't worry; we'll have your sight checked by the vet. Don't eat too much! I sometimes think you're a pig and not a dog.


5. Not long from now, soon we'll get married. I have forever been waiting for that day, just in case it doesn't show. I am happy because you always make me laugh, and happy that sometimes you make me cry. For it may be of joy or of pain, in every tear I only find my soul inch by inch closer to you. I love you forever.

Not That Bad

Sometimes, willful disobedience is all worth the risk.

Nobody Did It But Me

Four days ago, when we were in Singapore, we stayed at Universal Studios to enjoy the remaining hours of the day before they close it out in preparation for the F1 Race. All of the rides were nice and good enough for kids to enjoy and the mascots around were like actual fairy tale characters taken out of a story book.

I was in awe with each sight but there is this one thing giantly standing in an area in a manner somewhat daring me straight in the eye saying "Can you handle me?". And this,


dared me like a monster ready to eat my heart out.

I know, I know this may seem easy to look at.. but seeing this face to face is like a challenge. "Will I try this or not?" "To ride or not to ride?"

*******

Battlestar Galactica^®
(as taken from the Resorts World Sentosa site)

Choose your side – HUMAN or CYLON - as you engage in the ultimate intergalactic battle between good and evil on the world's tallest dueling roller coasters! Themed after the hit television series Battlestar Galactica, these spectacular, intertwined coasters offer a truly exhilarating adventure as you twist, turn and drop in an intense aerial dogfight.

Riders on both coasters will experience unbelievable thrills as they race towards each other and nearly collide!

Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN^{® - Red}
Zooming at speeds of 82.8 km/h, the HUMAN Viper Mark II is a seated coaster that propels you 14 storeys into the air while pursuing your enemy


Battlestar Galactica: CYLON^{® - Blue}
The CYLON Raider is a suspended roller coaster that will turn your world upside down as it runs through a vertical loop, corkscrew and cobra roll.

*******

And I have chosen my side - CYLON!!! and never did I regret it. We came in a pack of seven and I was the only one with the nerve to take the joy ride (Proud Smile).

For a good minute that I was suspended in air with my legs fighting the wind (good thing not a shoe went off), I did nothing but scream my heart out. It felt good to scream as loud as I can, the loudest that I can belt out under normal circumstances. I enjoyed the ride but most of all, I enjoyed the feeling of being detached from land, up there 14/15 storeys above, defying gravity. Gravity of all kinds that keep on bringing my soul down.

For a good minute, my heart was numbed by the thrill Cylon brought me. Just this one time, thrill devoured the hurt I have been keeping even before I set foot in Singapore. But it was only a minute. After that, soon as the ride was over, a little bit dizzy I walked out of the exit gate, wishing I could just stay there, up there trading hurt for thrill and tears for screams.

The Struggle That Never Stops

Sometimes, things are just not right. Like why the heck you'd have to go back to square one and start all over? It's just not fair, thinking how much you've given and how much you've lost over someone or something then after all, you have to accept that everything's null and void.

I guess that's what the world is all about.. for not getting what you've worked for.. and not having what you deserve. Time after time people complain (like I do) about not getting what's supposed to be given to them. And it's a common dilemma. A battle between ego and reality. Life and Love.

Then we all end up being quiet. We all fall into the bed of accepting what was given, fair or not fair, much or not much. Because we'd rather stand up with the resolute mind that was left of us to continue and never stop. The world was never fair anyway, never.

DIY: Lipstick Merry-Go-Round

This candies kept me busy this morning.

As I went through Indian Vanity Case's blog, she gave me an idea on how to create my own lipstick sundae.. :) Mine didn't resemble a sundae but looked more like a merry-go-round of lipsticks.

I've got lots of lipsticks (more than 20 tubes I think!) and due to this addiction, they still keep on coming.

Being able to put several tubes of lipsticks in one pot is a great idea and with this project, I managed to combine 10 lipsticks and an EOS lip balm in one ensemble.

Well, I decided to include a lip balm at the center because I always put lip balm underneath lipstick. So this really comes in handy.

Things I used:

- a clean knife
- small, clean pot (was once a mineral foundation container)
- tissues (to clean up the knife)
- heat
- metal container (used when melting lipstick)

How I did it:

1. I selected different shades of lipsticks, from Reds, to Nudes and Pinks. These are the ones that are about their mid-lengths.

2. Placed them in the freezer to harden the lipsticks so I won't crush them easily when trying to take them out of the tube.

3. Once hardened, I one by one measured and cut them just about the height of the tub then placed them in a row along the edges of the pot.

4. Then these lipstick cut-outs, no, I didn't throw them away. :) I melted them in a metal container and poured it at the center of the pot. This will hold the lipsticks in place and will later set as a holder for the EOS lip balm.

5. I scooped out the lip balm from the sphere and placed it right at the center where I poured the melted lipsticks. Then I waited for the whole thing to cool down.

and... Taddaaaa!! My own Lipstick Merry-Go-Round! :) :) :)

I am really happy I came to see Indian Vanity Case's post, I was able to come up with this. Credits to her creativity! :)

I will be having a vacation to Singapore in a couple of weeks from now and this for sure will keep me company during my trip!

Hope you like this post as much as I do! :) Happy Sunday to everyone!

SNOE Magic Apple Whitening S-rub (for the face and body)

"Our special Apple Whitening S-rub works like magic!"

Instructions (from the back of the tub):

Massage on dry skin. Apply particular attention to dry and flaky areas such as elbows, heels and knees. Then leave on for 5 minutes and rub till product is sloughed off from skin. Product will go from white to gray and even brown, depending on how much dead skin is removed. Skin becomes silky and lighter instantly! The best part is that there is no need to rinse. Use on the face and dark areas of your body. For maximum results, use twice a week. Alternate with Snoe White Beauty Bars. Use SPF 30 after treatment.

Comes in a tub of 100 grams

My take:

I got curious when I saw the Snoe Stall at Robinson's Galleria (Ground Floor) weeks ago. They offer different skin care products which they claim are natural and organic. "Natural and Organic", hmm.. (o_O) that immediately lit up my bulb so I gave in to check out what's in store.

Honestly, I ended up buying this because of the scent! It smells like fresh apples and it's just so hard to resist. I've been using this on my face once a week, as a facial scrub to exfoliate my skin. Though I haven't tried this as a body scrub as I use a different product for that matter.

At first, I was really hesitant as I have combination skin that is quite sensitive to harsh products, but being the scientist at heart, I was ready to experiment. Haha.. :)

And my experiment did't let me down. In fact, how I wish I can exfoliate my face everyday (I know that's a crime), just so I can use this often because this thing is starting up an addiction in me. But contrary to the instructions, I prefer to rinse this out after scrubbing.


PROS:

** has very fine micro scrubbing particles, making it suitable for facial use.
** has a minty feel, the kind that relaxes the senses.
** polishes the face, making it smooth giving your skin that healthy look.
** no irritations!

CONS:

** has a lingering apple scent (some might not like it, but for me, that thing got me sold).
** not a hundred % organic product as shown in the ingredients list.
** comes in a tub container, you will have to scoop this out with a small spoon.


I like and enjoy using this scrub that I will surely get another once this runs out. For a price of a little less than 200 (sorry, I can't remember the exact price), I'm getting more than what I paid for. This makes my weekly home facilitated facial something to look forward to every week end. :)

Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Eye Liner

This image was borrowed from the Avon website. This was from an ad so I guess I'm good to go with this. Why borrow a picture anyway? Well, simply because I have given out my own Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Eye Liner right before I could even get a picture of it.

Hmm.. sounds like a product to hate, huh? Not really.. but if I can give one word of advice: Do not buy this. Why?

1. It does not last the way it claims to be. 8 Hours? The ads must be joking. It's not even waterproof and with minimal perspiration, one swipe of the hand can set a line across your face without you knowing it - unless your officemate tells you so.

2. It stings sensitive eyelids. I have sensitive eyelids, and this sends a burning sensation soon as I applied this on.

3. I got the shade "Shimmering Black". They must have named it "Gray". It is not shimmery, and it is not Black.

As much as I could, I don't wish to have this as a ranting post. But then, I can't find better ways to say how much I regret getting this product. Good thing my cousin "volunteered" to salvage this thing, Im about to ditch this straight to trash.

Oh boy, I believe I'm in a good mood.. yes I do. :)

Nyx Cream Blush (Diva and Hot Pink)

Who can ever get enough of Nyx goodies?! Not me, that's for sure. I recently got these eye candies from the trusted Digital Traincase, I'm glad I did because these are my current favorites, I highly recommend these if you're into cream blushes.

When it comes to blushes, cream blushes or cheek tints offer the most natural look you can get with a blush - with proper application, that is. I tried using these with a stippling brush but eventually, I settled with using my fingers, as the heat from my hand somewhat makes the application easier.

I got the shades Diva and Hot Pink.

DIVA - A little brownish, almost scary red in the pan (I remember my friend saying, "You got this??!, why this??"). But she later ate her words after seeing it blended as it came out to be a subtle, pretty shade of crimson. I see this pretty much to complement my red lipsticks.

HOT PINK - Another shocker in the pan. The shade is simply Hot Pink. Same with Diva, it eases the shock when blended, as it came out as a nice, bright pink, candy pink in my terms that will perfectly go with any pink lipstick.

PROS:

** The pan holds a lot of product. Given that you'll only need a tiny amount, this will certainly last for months and months of usage.

** Veeerrryy pigmented.

** Unscented. As in no scent at all.

** Not sticky and easy to blend, you don't have to rush for the fear of having hard edges.

** Lasted for about 3-4 hours on my combination skin, (better than some of my powder blushes doing some magic of disappearing on my cheeks).


CONS:

** Can't think of any, hehe.. :)


For a humble price of 320 Php each, you'll definitely get your money's worth. Thank heavens for Digital Traincase. Sol, you are an angel! :) :) :)