Winter is Here

During chilly months, I get extra dry hands and nails to the point that if I don't moisturize after washing, they get flaky and and my nails are more prone to breakage.  An extra step is needed to keep my hands and nails to their normal state.

Hand Mask
There's a hair mask, face mask so don't be surprised if there's also a hand mask.  I'm making my own by mashing half of an avocado mixing it with a teaspoon of honey.  Just apply all over hands and nails, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes then rinse.  The combination always makes my hands and nails moisturize and smooth.

Cut, Clip & Shape
My nails are usually cut short and straight for easy maintenance and for me not to bite them :)  Then I the sides of my nails with and emery board for a smooth finish.  I have time,  I use a nail buffer with 4 sides to make my nails shiny and polish.

Here's a complete tip on how to Winterize Nails from our friends from Julep:

For color, something a bit plummy and a little sparkly can winterize the nails.  From the color palette below, I'll go with Joanne as it looks simple yet sophisticated and can work well with the color scheme of my wardrobe which is mostly black, navy blue, cream and white.

Sawyer will be my go to if I wanted something sparkly as the copper color and hints of spark didn't intimidate me.

My picks of color are usually simple and versatile to suite my almost minimalist and rock star style so Joanne and Sawyer are perfect for me.

How do you take care of your hands and nails during this season?

∆rya

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Email

Ramyun Almost Supreme

I think this would be in it's supreme state if I added hard boiled egg, some strips of cabbage and fish cakes(???) that are usually found in ramens (usually in swirls of pink and white) plus chopsticks instead of spoon but this is what I usually do with my ramyun~ more meaty and a bit healthier because of the added vegetables.  I also tried putting cheese before and it's so YUM!

To make this, you just need:
 
The Veggies!
Carrots and spring onions are my go to because they are readily available, colorful and cheap :)

and Chicken Balls
for extra meat and chunks.  Tried fish ball before and it tasted nasty so I always go with chicken.

What I do is just cooked the spicy ramyun according to instruction with the balls included for its taste to blend with the soup.  Add the spring onions and let it simmer for 30 seconds and serve with a grin and watch everyone frantically fan their mouth because of the spicyness but still enjoying the eating eat.

Soup + Spicy = Perfect for chilly weather.  ∆rya

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Email

Missha Misa and Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

I'm trying to keep some cacti alive (one already said goodbye because I watered it too much and another one already struggling) and luckily this one in my photos is doing well.  You'll see it as an accessory to most of my photos this coming months because I think it looks pretty.

If you read my Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule then you know how much I love it and it made me want to try more products from Missha.  I got the Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence with the ampoule as a set and the Misa Essence which does half the trick of the night repair.

Missha Misa Yehyun Essence
This is like the younger half sister of the Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule in the the sense that it does half the job of the latter.  This is more suitable for those nearing the age of having wrinkles but still not ready for anti aging products, that is my opinion by the way.  This is one of the "oriental" products of Missha with korean ginseng and other oriental medicine aiming to boost skin elasticity and making it healthy.

Since I already tried stronger essences and ampoule and I'm already nearing 30, the effect is not enough for my skin even if it's moisturizing on it's own and quite nourishing.  Maybe if I used this when I'm younger, then I think it can help in delaying the aging of my skin.  Texture is a bit thick and the "dropper" of this product is useless, I hope Missha will work on improving or just remove it.

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence
There are a lot of fascinating products available in the market that aren't necessary.  One of them is first essence.  First essence or first treatment lotion is a product you apply after washing your face but nope it is not a toner.  Let's just say that it's a pre toner product that nourishes the skin and can you believe that is mostly made of yeast?

According to Missha, Time Revolution The First Treatment contains 80% Fermented Yeast Concentrate, which absorbs into skin instantly to energize your skin. Also contains Niacinamide, a Vitamin B3 component, to improve skin elasticity, enhance skin barrier function, and revive skin tone and texture. DN-Aid, made from Cassia-Alata Extract, provides vitality to aging skin, protects DNA from aging caused by UV rays, and promotes restoration of damaged DNA.

While using this, I can say that my skin slowly GLOWS and brighten.  It help in making it soft too.  If you have extra time and money and wanted to take your skincare to the next level then consider getting a first treatment essence, it can make a difference although overall it's not necessary.

Those are the last two items of Missha that I have.  Arya

Visit my social medias.  I'm in the following or email me:)

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | Email

Where to get products (affiliate links):

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence
-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HEP0R0
-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMIEGXK

Missha Misa Ye Hyeon Essence
-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H4HUUQ6

Arti-Artisan

My first idea is to tell you the last moments of my 2014 which consists of masks, diy rip jeans, membership cards, "charot", last sunset, fireworks and food of course.  But I'll just move on with some of the food particularly the "artisan".

From Wikipedia:

An artisan (from French: artisan, Italian: artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative arts, sculptures, clothing, jewellery, household items and tools or even mechanical mechanisms such as the handmade clockwork movement of a watchmaker. Artisans practice a craft and may through experience andaptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.

The adjective "artisanal" is sometimes used in describing hand-processing in what is usually viewed as an industrial process, such as in the phrase artisanal mining. Thus, "artisanal" is sometimes used in marketing and advertising as a buzz word to describe or imply some relation with the crafting of handmade food products, such as bread, beverages or cheese. Many of these have traditionally been handmade, rural or pastoral goods but are also now commonly made on a larger scale with automated mechanization in factories and other industrial areas.

Scarsdale Artisanal Delights
Scarsdale caught my attention when I visited my old neighborhood because of the shop's "scandinavian" vibe.  Aside from that, I noticed that their donuts are bigger than normal, simple unlike others and have flavors that are not "normal" in a Filipino sweet doughnut store.  I only got two for me and my sister's tea time.

I got the maple and glaze variant.  The maple reminds me of the bacon I love (hehehe) it has a bit of a smoky taste to it while the glaze has just the right sweetness to it.  Actually both has just the right sweetness to it but I bet, if my niece and nephews whose already accustomed to super sweet doughnuts or those people who think that frappes in Starbucks has just the right sweetness would say that these are too plain for their liking.  The doughnut itself is pact, firm and a little airy which reminds me of the freshly made doughnuts that I buy in small bakery shops when I was a kid.  Hope that soon I can hang out in one of Scarsdale shop and sip coffee soon.

Team Manila + Theo Philo

Team Manila came out with chocolate with quirky variants and labels like "Bawal and Bitter" which is a milk chocolate and "You'll like this Alat" which is the sea salt variant.  I dont' know if Team Manila itself made these chocolates or if they team up with Theo Philo to make these but anyway from Theo Philo, I got the Milk Chocolate with Pili Nut and Pinipig.

I am sometimes extreme, so I while letting these chocolates melt in my mouth I literally wanted to taste the saltiness of the sea salt and the dizziness effect of the pili nuts.  With the sea salt variant, I guess a little more sea salt is needed to intensify the contrast of the chocolate and salt and for milk chocolate, I wanted it more to be creamy.

For the Theo Philo, maybe it's better if the pili nuts and pinipig would be finely ground (I remember the pili bar I ate before and it was the best) and mix it with the chocolate rather than in chunks that are sometimes just in one side of the bar.  Just suggesting but I'm happy that there are more Philippine made goodies that are starting to circulate, I hope my kababayans would show their support and maybe in the near future, we can export these and help our economy and...okay I'll stop here :)

  

Share your artisan finds.  Arya.

Oh, will just share these two photos as a goodbye to 2014:

 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | Email

Oops! I Did It Again

This is supposed to be a Lush haul.  I thought that I would be like the youtubers going gaga over their Lush haul but when the sales assistant said that they don't have the mask of magnaminty, my heart sunk.  Still look into the products to find what my sister asked me to buy for her and the serum with camu camu (if I'm not mistaken) but I can't find them in the neat shelves of soaps, hair products and other stuff.  So I went to Sunnies to find Donnie, I have the plan of changing its lense to graded one but my eyes got disappointed when it's also out of stuck...And then, out of a whim I remember, Forever 21...wrong move on my part because that's when the series of shopping events started :P

By the time I got to Landmark to buy a pillow, I already have 5 shopping bags in my hand so why not show them to you even though all of them are pretty basic and my photos (as usual) are in blur.

FOREVER 21
It's BOGO time again and their boots are included (OMG!).  I've been eyeing a lot of F21's boots and I finally got one (although when I'm in the store I'm contemplating if I should get the military style too but then again how will I wear it in my everyday office attire?)  I got an ankle boots with square toes (because pointed shoes are just painful for me) with I think 2 or 1.5 inches heels which is surprisingly comfortable.  The zipper on the sides makes me smile, it's easy to wear and remove the shoes because of this detail.  The crisscross straps are nice too but I won't mind if they are not included.

Since I can't find another shoe to pair with my boots as a BOGO, I got a blazer.  It's just okay for me but I rather get something else but my options are very limited since the available shoes in SM Makati are all pointy, the clothes consists of skirts, dresses and sleeveless tops, and the bags are just not my type.  I contemplated a lot while in store (I couldn't believe I spent an hour in F21)
and here's a funny thing:  I asked someone in the boots section if she would want to share the price with me (I'm kinda desperate na) , too bad she wanted to buy 2.  I got rejected, nabusted ako guys huhuhuh.

The two knitted "muscle tops" are just 300 pesos for both, cheaper than my camis so why not?  They are good for layering and in the summertime.

It's all Forever 21's fault because across its store is H&M which is also on sale (DAMN).

H&M and UNIQLO
I wanted to also get a gray cardigan but I needed a trouser more because I got really fat over the holidays and the "jogger" pants from H&M are comfy and can hide my big belly (and it's on sale).

I hear a lot people saying "what's with Uniqlo, the clothes are just so plain" and that's what I love about Uniqlo, they are plain actually the more correct word is basic and I'm eyeing a lot of the store's button downs that are wrinkle free and stretchy pants.  I got the ponti leggings pants that is thicker than normal leggings and looks like a regular office pants, I just hope no ones going to notice it when I wear this in the office (crossfinger).

BENCH
Lastly, Bench.  I don't know what's wrong with me but I always wear cami when I'm wearing a polyester type of fabric or a button down shirt so my sister introduced me to these Cami Bras.  I just have an okay size boobs so support is not a problem and the feeling that there's no thick "band" on my lower chest area is freedom!

Happy Shopping! Arya

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | Email

Sample: IOPE Kit

Auto pilot:  ON

Got 4 of this IOPE Moisture Intense Kit last 2013 and use most of them last year.

IOPE Moisture Skin Cleansing Foam
It says that this cleansing foam is moisturing, it's not.  While it really cleanses my face, it also suck all the moisture out of my face like I when I use ordianry bar soaps.

IOPE Moisture Intense Softener
Ahhh, this one is something that I really like.  Though it's thicker than normal toners, this is perfect for my dry skin as it also moisturize it while toning and it makes the skin soft.

IOPE Moisture Intense Emulsion
Lately, I'm not a fan of emulsion anymore and this one feels more like a body lotion.  I gave most of them to my sister and a friend.  Some, I just use it as a body lotion when I'm travelling or at someone else place (the size is perfect for travelling).

IOPE Moisture Intense Cream
The intensity of moisturization of this is so high that my crack heels benefited much from this cream.  Moisturization wise, this is really good but it just so heavy on the face and sometimes I wake up with an oily face when I use this at night.  This is more applicable to those with a winter or a very cold weather.

IOPE Mild Sun Cream
This is my favorite out of this kit.  It has SPF 35, it's moisturizing, it's easy to spread and it also acts like a base that it blurs my pores and other imperfections of my face plus it also makes my skin glow a little bit.  It has a pleasant smell and looks really natural considering it has spf which makes my skin look ghastly.

IOPE Bio Activator Plant Stem Cell Active
Not part of the set.  This essence/ampoule or whatever IOPE call it is amazing as it got rid of the bumps that I got from Olay Regenerist Cream.  It also makes my skin much smoother  and my pores looking smaller.  This is a very active product that when I use it day and night on a daily basis, my skin got a little sensitive so I just use this at night.

Happy New Year!

Arya

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | Email

Sample: Sulwhasoo

Gone for awhile but I'm trying to get back to this blog though for now I'm on auto pilot and wouldn't be very chatty.

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Cream
Got interested with this cream as I read a review somewhere that it rejuvenates skin which my tired face mostly need and it works.  Some might get irk about the ginseng, earthy and herby smell but this stuff really moisturizes and seem to repair the skin.  Although it's on the fluidy side, it feels heavy on the skin.  It's probably because I used a lot of water based skincare lately but so far this is a great cream.

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Eye Cream
I ordered 30+ sachets of this eye cream which equates to a full size amount.  This is a thick but tolerable eye cream which, again, kinda rejuvenates the undereye area.  Though it did not make my dark circle go away or the lines in the undereye area, it keeps the wrinkles and crow feet at bay which is good because I'm already nearing 30.  Although it's a heavy eye cream, I find it better than using a fluidy one as it doesn't slide on my cheeks...it just stay where I apply it and with the right amount, gets absorb by skin quite fast.

Great New Year to Everyone.

Cheers to 2015!

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Google+ | Instagram | Email