August 31, 2014

How I lost Almost 10lbs in a Month

I don't know if stress is a part of it but I remember before that when I'm stress I eat a lot and gain so much weight so I'll set stress aside as a factor, so here are the things that I do to shed that extra weight.


Rough description of my body type?
I have a pear shape body type:  small face that goes wider going down so I have big hips and thighs.  I look chubby in person and people always get shocked when I tell them that I'm obese type one (there's a time that I'm a candidate for type 2).  Last June I'm at 70kg. (my heaviest).  Then end of July, I'm around 158 to 160lbs. and now I'm at around 150 to 151lbs.

So what did I do?
Did I starve myself?  Did I do insanity work-out?  Exercise to death?  Nope!  I think I just became aware of what I eat and accepted the fact that I'm unhealthy (I became acidic, candidate for heart attack etc. etc.) and need to do something; even small ones, to lose some weight and somehow be a little healthier than before.  I'll conclude my ways in 5:

1.  Don't skip breakfast.
I noticed that I binge and snack less when I eat breakfast.  I usually have a fruit or two, a small cup of yoghurt (mind you it's sweet and flavored)  and a cup of either tea or coffee and I'm good to go.   Also, after a couple of weeks, my food preference (which is usually greasy and full of flavorings) changed...it seems like the fruits did a great big help in cleansing my palette.  Of course there are times that I crave for greasy and heavy breakfast and I allow myself once in a while as long as I don't go overboard and eat like a maniac which is my habit before when I go on a "diet" (by that I mean eating much much less than a normal person would eat).

2.  I drink more hot drinks.
I became a tea drinker; some say green tea is the best, but whatever is your hot drink preference is okay as long as it doesn't contain lots of sugar and other stuff that makes your drink sinful.  I usually go for a plain tea or coffee and sometimes add milk or creamer.  Drinking tea/hot beverages makes me poop on a regular basis and also helps in filling my tummy so I eat less.  I think the warmth helps my stomach to be neutral and keeps the fats from my food "liquid"??? I'm not an expert I just read it somewhere but I don't have the link anymore (sorry).

3.  Acceptable and tolerable exercise on a regular basis.
It doesn't have to be extreme, exercise even in the simpliest form like walking on a regular basis can help in loosing some weight.  I do a 20 minute yoga 3 to 4 times a week for me to sweat and stretch because it works for me.  The key is finding the right form of exercise that you can stick to doing on a regular basis even if it's just 10 minutes a day or every other day.

4.  Going back to food, slowly lower the portion but don't deprive yourself.
August is my birthday month and I eat like a pig for almost a week to celebrate it.  After that though, I went back to my regular eating habits and would only take 3/4 of my regular portion on 1 of my meals in order for my body to just use/consume the stored energy from the food that I ate from that week.  Overall, during the course of my 1 month loosing weight thing I slowly lower the portions of my meals and snacks- I eat 3 meals a day before (2 of which are very very heavy), now I only eat 2 meals (breakfast/brunch which usually includes fruits and mid lunch and dinner) but I snack something in between like a cup of tea or coffee with some crackers or light sweet.  I didn't totally gave up on sweets and fatty-savory foods...I just lowered my portions and replaced half of it with something more light and a little healthier.

5.  Grocery shopping with full stomach.
I noticed that I grab less junk food when I do grocery with a happy and full stomach.  My mind is tricked into thinking that I don't need food :P

So that's it.  I still wanted to lose so hopefully by next week I can increase my exercise to 5 times a week and maybe after another month, make it a little longer or do some other activity (I'm thinking martial arts).  I love to eat so I'm limited with just cutting the portions of my meals and replacing it with something healthier option.

If you have suggestion on how to lose weight without going extreme, do share them with me...I still need to lose 30lbs :)

August 30, 2014

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake


Sadly, I do not have oven anymore (insert cries and woes here) but nothing can stop me from making my own sweets and thanks to Claire Marshall of Hey Claire, I made a No Bake Oreo Cheesecake some time ago like nobody's business.

I actually also wanted to have Reese's version but I ran out of funds when I went to the grocery to buy ingredients (what a fail!) but if you have some then send them to me, just joking...you may also want to use choc nut as an alternative.  I think difficulty that I encountered in making this is that I do not have a beater/mixer so I just used fork which is a challenge because it took me a while before the cream cheese and condensed milk mixed together.


No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
adopted from Claire Marshall of Hey Claire

Ingredients:
(just eyeball everything)
around 100grams graham (for the crust)
melted butter or margarine (again for the crust) around half of the one in the photoo above
cream cheese (I used the whole package)
condensed milk (I recommend to just use 3/4)
oreo cookies
lemon juice from half of the fruit


How to:
1.  Combined the grahams and melted butter to form a crust.  Depending on your preference you can just make a big size crust or mini ones...I just use small bowls, and pressed the grahams-butter mixture into the bottom.
2.  I put semi-crushed oreos on top of the crust for some crunch and flavor.  Set aside.
3.  Next for the filling, mix the cream cheese and condensed mix until well blended.  If you have mixer then go ahead and use it so your filling would be fluffy.
4.  Add the lemon juice for some kick.
5.  Por the filling into the crust and put oreos on top (be creative on the design).
6.  Refrigerate for at least an hour or until the filling is "settled".
7.  Get a fork and fight with your brother in eating this hehehe.


Yummy!  Yummy!  Yummy!  If you happen to make this, share it on my social sites ~links can be found after the best, Arya below :)

August 2014: HAUL

Stressed?  Yes, but most importantly it's my birthday month so I allowed myself to spend on some things (not all, I have to be practical).  First stop is Forever21.  I almost got a leather jacket and another boots (which is the one that I've been eyeing in F21 US site) but I have to think thrice and weigh every pros and cons and cons won (I don't know how to rock leather in a warm humid weather).


So I pick some tops, just simple and basic ones that can be dress down or up.  I just love how the white shirt camouflages itself as formal with those texture (I remember that my mom has one of these just sitting in her closet only better when I was a kid and now I wish I kept and restore it.
I am always attracted to shirts with stripes...they just look nautical and refreshing and put together so I can't pass on the navy blue stripes shirt.  And when I got home I just realized that the two tops that I got from F21 are way pricier than my pants and was kinda a happy that I got another top (the flowery one) for just 250 pesos (that's less than $5) from a tiangge (hooray for tiannges!).


Still from Forever21, I got two black pants (although in the photo it's like dark blue) because they are on a reduced price and they almost perfectly fit me well (I can't find the perfect pants for my body type...I have weird body structure if you are wondering why).  They also already come with slim belts and I can roll the hem up (for a chic look) or down and they still look good.  They set great on my hips (not too high nor low), they have nice fabric and they are comfortable to wear!

I also bought a pair of Chucks because I miss them (I have 4 pairs before, I think) although I will only wear them on Friday's and maybe Sunday's too.  And another cheap shoes that I can use when walking going to work.


Other stuff that I bought are the plastic storage for my skincare products and makeup and them some other stuff recommended by my sister.  The A Bonne Spa Milk Salt is a cult favorite.  The Black Beauty Hot Oil with Vitamin E is my sister's happiness.  And the The Body Shop's hand cream are so light I got three (gave one to my sister) when I redeemed all my points and voucher from being ever so loyal with The Body Shop Philippines, I only paid 30 pesos, that's happiness for me!


Well, in just a day or two it's already September~"BER" months ,I can already smell christmas (why so fast!!!!).

August 25, 2014

The Saem On The Blackhead


There's a time that I've been obsessed with clearing the blackheads on my face that I hoarded blackhead appropriate products (masks, pore strips, cleansers and the like).  This gel cleaner from The Saem is the second to the last item that I got and it's interesting because it says "steam" in the name.

What's more interesting is the gel cleaner's color...the ash like particles (it is said to be volcanic ash) makes the transparent gel looks gray.  Now getting back on the "steam" word, The Saem On The Blackhead Volcanic Steam Cleaner heats up once contact with skin and I really panicked the first time I used it because I thought my skin is burning but overtime I got used to it (tip: rub the cleaner between your hands first before applying unto face if your skin is sensitive with heat or you just have sensitive skin in general).  The very concept of this gel cleaner is to mimic the heat from steam towel to open up pores and remove black and whiteheads and sebum.


The yellow-orange particles burst and intensify the heat of the gel cleaner.  According to koreadepart.com, the gel will turn into oil but I didn't observe that and now that I'm reading the instructions on how to use it, I found out that I'm using this too much:  I use it on a daily basis whereas it is recommended to use it 2 to 3 times a week only, yikes!  Good thing it's not that harsh and it doesn't dry out my skin (that's a relief).  Anyway, as an everyday cleanser it does loosen up the blackheads and sebum on the skin thanks to it's  heating feature but most of the time I have to pluck or use pore strips to completely remove the blackheads that are sticking out (the blackheads won't freely detached from the skin).  Also, I don't think it can remove make-up as I see lots of brownish residue on my cottonpad (when I apply my toner).

The heating part is really interesting and can help save time when hot/steam towel is not readily available (like in my case).  You can purchase this at w2beauty.com and use arya.deguzman@gmail.com to get a $5 voucher upon registration.

Fancied de Lata: Pasta in Tuna White Sauce


I think this is the ultimate fancied de lata recipe that I make because aside from the pasta (and the cream which is in tetrapack but there are creams that are in cans too) every ingredients that I use are in cans.

Pasta in Tuna White Sauce

Ingredients:
500 grams pasta, cooked
1 can button mushrooms, sliced
1 can (around 300ml) evaporated milk
2 180 g cans hot and spicy tuna (I usually drain the liquid from one of the can but retain the other)
1 250 ml all-purpose cream
2 cloves minced garlic (or more, hear your heart's desire on this)
1 tsp. oil
salt and pepper

How to:
1.  Heat oil and saute the garlic over low heat.
2.  Add the mushrooms and saute until it sweats.
3.  Add the tuna.  Then the milk.  Stir until just combined.
4.  To thicken the sauce add the all-purpose cream,  Stir slowly until sauce thickens.
5.  Turn off heat.


6.  Combined the cooked pasta and sauce.
7.  Serve/plate and enjoy.

If you wanted an herby/refreshing version, add some freshly chopped basil.  Yum!


August 24, 2014

Holika Holika Pig-nose


Holika Holika Pig-nose Clear Black Head Cleansing Sugar Scrub (why is the name so long???) is something that I hate in the beginning but that hatred turned into love when I accidentally learned how to properly use it.  This is a physical kind of scrub from; the name itself, sugar plus balm (the balm which has been a buzz in the youtube world which is said to be a better cleansing "agent" than other type/form cleansers? not sure, soon I'll find out since I'm going to use one...will try to compare it with oil, foam and other types of cleansers that I already use *cross finger*) and I can't believe that it has pink clay (I just found this out as in this very moment) or is it the balm that I'm looking at right now (I swear it looks like a balm!)).  Moving on, this one also has lemon extracts which explains the citrusy scent of the scrub and aloe vera, both of which is said to provide a brighten complexion and nourish skin.

If you are thinking that this will magically remove the blackheads on your face then you are wrong, this balm didn't promise that (based on the description I found in the net).  Instead it says that the soft white sugar exfoliate the skin removing dead skin cells and allowing for the easier extraction of blackheads and other impurities from pores while the pink clay (which I think is the balm) help absorbs excess sebum.  Seems like your ordinary sugar scrub but the "balm" makes this scrub a bit special as it makes physical exfoliation/scrubbing much enjoyable and easier.


The balm/pink clay keeps the sugar from sticking to the face for better exfoliation and at the same time it already cleanses the skin and it can even remove make-up.  I just hate the sticky feeling it gives though so I either use a mild cleanser after or just lightly scrub my face again with a konjac jelly.  Or as directed, just wash off with lukewarm water (I don't have the luxury of having a hot and cold faucet so I rely with the konjac jelly).

I said in the beginning that I hated this at first just because I thought that the sugar is just too harsh for my skin but it turns out that I'm just exerting too much pressure.  One day I just absent-mindedly put this on my face (I think I'm daydreaming) and after like a minute, the sugar just dissolved and my skin was exfoliated without being hurt-no redness and harshness felt.

Overall, it's a good light scrub (if use properly) that loosens blackheads and sebum and makes extraction much easier.

p.s. I got the description info from holikaholika.ca.  You can purchase this at w2beauty.com and use arya.deguzman@gmail.com to get a $5 voucher upon registration.

August 19, 2014

SUPER! Missha's


I fell in love with Missha's Super Aqua Essence that I didn't hesitate to get the boxed set of the line even if I still have lots of products in line.  I expected a lot from Missha because most of their products that I tried are superb but budget friendly so the Super Aqua Hydrating Emulsion is kind of a let down so good thing that the toner is something that I like.

So why am I not a fan of the emulsion.  Yes, I like the frosted blue bottle and the refreshing smell that reminds me of the fresh ocean but it just takes a lot of time for my skin to absorb it maybe because the texture is a bit gooey leaving my face looking a bit oily (bit is the favorite word of the day!) and it doesn't really moisturize well.

The toner on the other hand is just refreshing: it's a simple, light, basic toner that is suitable for all skin types.  I usually refer to it as the flavored water, it just smells light, clean and refreshing without any hint of alcohol.  It doesn't dry out nor moisturize my skin-it's in the neutral zone.  I have the full size before and it's also in a frosted light blue glass which a great representation of aqua.

Another quick review for you but I hope I covered the basics.

August 16, 2014

Quick Bites: Tomato Pesto Longganisa Pasta



Sometimes something fancy can be done at home without declaring war in the kitchen.  Bottled sauces and some leftover can do the trick like what I did with this Tomato Pesto Longganisa Pasta.

What you need is some leftover pasta of your choice...


Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, mine is by Filippo Berio and some leftover Longganisa cut into pieces (you can also use chorizo or any other meat that you like as long as your stomach can digest it hehe, last time I used chicken).


Just toss everything in a pan in a low to medium heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste and your done!  Easy!

Missha Bordeaux Absolute Body Butter


A sale can make you get things in an impulse and this is one of them.  I got Missha Bordeaux Absolute Body Butter when Missha Korea had a massive sale last December and I'm glad I did get this even if there's no review about it because in my opinion it is better than The Body Shop's!


On sale, I got this around P200 (that's less than $4) which is much cheaper than any other butter that I tried.  The consistency of this one is really like the spreadable butter from grocery stores: not to runny or jiggly or mushy with bits of solid.  But despite it's consistency this is non greasy (or maybe I just apply it right after I take a bath that my skin absorbs it well), it just moisturizes and gives the skin a thin layer of softness that is lovely to touch especially when I just shaved, hehehe.  The smell reminds me of Welsh grape juice not like wine, but that's okay.


I should have got another tub of this during the sale but I always get body butter from The Body Shop that I still have two left and wouldn't like to stock on another butter.

That's all!

August 3, 2014

July 2014: Boots, Signing Off, and a Little More

There are times that I'm just full of energy to blog that I post so much in just a week and then the laziness strikes and I'm like a ghost who disappears and suddenly appears just like now.  I'm just a bit lonely, uninspired, and un-accomplish this month (and even last June) that I can't find the energy to write the right words for product reviews but the good thing is, I have 95% of the photos I need this August and hopefully can put words into them to keep this blog alive and well kicking!  Oh I'm also a bit lazy to find all the videos of my playlist this month, internet kinda sucks (it's so slow, I can't even watch Claire Marshall's vlogs properly).


Aside from trying PNR (what an experience I must say), I'm also trying to incorporate some things that is not typical in my closet like the boots above.  I'm from a tropical country and wearing boots is just....just thinking about wearing them makes my feet sweat!  But hey, it's rainy season now and I got them on sale so why not.  The only problem is the opening is just so wide that my only choice is to tuck my skinny jeans and I'm still not used  to it.  Share any ideas to me on how to wear this boots properly and the "stylish" yet simple way!

And because I'm feeling lonely, I shop! but there's no skincare or makeup products this time.  Just clothes but I deleted all my photos since most of them are just basic, so I will just show you this denim button down shirt which I've been dying to have since last year and finally found a piece in my size!  These are comfortable to wear and quite versatile, love it much!


And lastly, properly saying goodbye to these three thru blog post because they served me well.  As you can see the brushes' hairs are falling like crazy and they gave me "whiskers" whenever I use them now and the blush I think is already expired because I bought and started using it like more than a year ago and cream blushes are only good for a year, I don't want to risk so Goodbye to Artish Studio Powder Brush, Ecotools Mini Kabuki Brush, and ELF Blush--thank you for being a part of my early stage kaartehan!


I hope everyone will have a great August, I'm looking forward to this month.  I'll be a ghost again for some days or weeks but I'll be back, for sure :) so stick around!