Craves: Coffee Shop Planner

The main culprit for my weight gain are coffee shop planners last year. I had this plan on getting all the planners from all the 3 coffee shops and did not notice until too late that the venti caramel macchiato wasn't doing me any favors.

Nevertheless, looking back on 2015 and the one planner I did end up using, it was a really good idea to get one. I was able to plan my leaves and write down some of the important things that I always keep on forgetting. 

So then I will get another one this year. One thing I've learned is to keep the Christmas drinks at tall and lite and the others to full-leaf teas only. It's both cheaper and less likely to keep me from extra large sizes.

Share: Toshi Phone Case

I don't like cellphone cases because I don't buy the most popular units so the cases available aren't the cutest and with accesories, looks over funtion win for me so why bother, right?

Unfortunately, with a three-year old who picks up the phone every chance he gets, I ended up giving up on the no-case thing and started a hunt a weekend ago. Thankfully, Toshi is available.with their universal cases and they have a lot of cute designs so I picked one that makes me yearn for Disneyland.

It fits anything in the range it's meant for but with my slim phone (Xperia C3), the case feels like it was meant for a bulkier phone. My one peeve is that I can't take pictures from the back like I used to be able to. On a last note, it's pretty so I got what I wanted, and that's what matters to me.

Crave: Shu Uemura Calligraph: Ink Liquid Eyeliner

I want this a lot and should have snatched it when I swatched it at the store a few months ago. It stayed on for two whole days at the back of my hand. I washed my hands on those days. That's just impressive.

Picture from the product website.

Share: Late Night Snack

I tend to eat snacks late at night at home on weekends. Sometimes, I raid my son's snacks and other times, I make my own from leftovers like this.

I wasn't sure what to cut the nori sheets with so I folded it and ripped it by the folds, scooped a spoonful of rice and topped it with some leftover breaded shrimps. I prefer it with plain shrimps or even canned tuna because I like tasting the fishy flavor enhanced by the seaweeds but we use what we have. A little Japanese mayonnaise makes it creamy and perfect.

I fold the sheets over everything and they end up in bite-size pieces that I gobble up way too soon. Yum.

Love: Stila Color Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette

I've always been pale. So much so that an ex mentioned I looked like death on the stage screen at our graduation rites in college. Blush and lipstick have always been my friends. This Stila Palette is my current bosom buddy.

Cheek blush are normally not found in palette versions and this particular set was a dream. Not only could it be used on the cheeks, it was also for the lips. Even better than that, it sold for less than the price of a single Stila Convertible in the Philippines.

Cream blushes may be touchy but these are just perfect for me. I actually can use any of the colors on the cheeks depending on the mood. The lightest one, Kitten, works well as a highlighter, instead of cheek flush on me. All the others range from intense to a natural flush. Blending is easy too. I use my hands or a stiff brush and just blend out from a dab at the center of my cheeks.

I didn't use these for the lips at first but I now reach for them often for that purpose. They may be easy to blend out on the cheeks but they end out pigmented for the lips. I just dab with my fingers and I've got a mono cheek and lip look that works. It could be drying sometimes but I don't mind a whole lot.

These wear well on the cheeks, staying put for an 8-hour workday. On the lips, not as long, as I tend to bite. For the price, so well worth it.

I don't think I'll every get a chance to buy these again but if they offer another one, I am so going to hoard.

Review: Laura Mercier Eye Canvas

This particular eye primer from Laura Mercier has become a daily essential in my make-up routine. It neutralizes my lid area, makes eye liner and eye shadow last longer and makes their colors pop. All these are important for me as I'm the type to get panda eyes at the end of the day from fall-out out of any type of eye make-up.

I use only a little of the product every time as too much ends up in the creases.It's got a mousse-like consistency and is easy to spread without any type of tugging. Once set, it doesn't budge and helps in making the application of eyeliner and eyeshadow smoother. Eyeshadow is easier to blend in too.

I've been using it for more than a month almost everyday but there hasn't been a lot of dent so it's an economical buy for me. I got it at 40 off but I'm not going to hesitate in a repurchase at full price as it's totally worth it.

Review: Nars Blush Desire/Amour

I've gotten a chance to get my grubby paws on some Nars products and I'm lucky to get one blush compact with two shades each. One is Desire, a hot pink shade and the other Amour, a matte coral (they call it peachy pink).
 

Of the two shades, I prefer using the Amour as coral looks the most natural on me when it comes to blush. Also, I was a little afraid of Desire. It was just so pink on the pan. I wondered if it'd look too Dresden doll on me. Trying both of them out, however, made me realize that one is as pigmented as the other.
 

If you don't get enough warning on the pigmentation, it's not hard at all to go overboard in applying these blush shades. There's a lot of pigments, even with just a light stroke of the brush on the pan. You don't layer with this. You just apply once and it's good. Lasting power is great as well. If you're careful, one compact can last quite a long time so the price is worth it.

This is not a full-sized product but there's a possibility this thing will last even longer than most of my other compacts. I'm happy with it. My complaint, the dreaded Nars packaging. It's matte black and it picks up everything.