Shoe Love Affair (A Giveaway)

It is really not that hard to think why women need more than one pair of shoes. One for work, one for parties, one for gatherings, one for when we go to the mall, one for dates, one for the gym, and so on. Oh, maybe two for each occasion or three or four or more. As it is, each pair of shoes is meant for a different event. Each pair of shoes is a statement. Ahhh, the love affair of women and shoes, it just rouses the diva in each of us.

Speaking of shoes, do you know that Miss Odukoya is giving one lucky follower of her blog a pair of shoes? Well, I am so entering. I don't really care what the size is (I am hoping it fits me though). But whatever, the shoe is sooooo dang pretty and I want it. Click this link for the contest rules.

And I am sure you're aching to see what the shoe looks like. Here it is, in all its bubblegummy and pastel splendor, the D-I-V-A shoes!

Food Porn: Pasta Primavera with Tuna Chunks (My Own Version)

As promised to my team on our last day of work last fiscal week, I prepared pasta to bring to work sprinkled with "sale powder" so we close more sale this week (LOL! the last one is a joke obviously). I whipped up my own version of pasta primavera with tuna chunks (hot and spicy and the ones in vegetable oil). To make it healthier, I used spinach fettuccini (the green noodle). For the sauce, I used red and green bell pepper, onions and sliced mushrooms and sauteed tomato sauce with generous helping of extra virgin olive oil.

I woke up around 1AM and started to slice all the ingredients that needs some slicing and opened the cans that needed to be opened. I couldn't find the can opener but the good thing is I managed to open the cans with the knife (thanks to my Girl Scout training).

Here's a picture of the spinach fettuccini ready to be boiled in water with a teaspoon of salt and extra virgin olive oil.

And here are the spices I used: rosemary, thyme, oregano, garlic powder and ground pepper...(the picture is a little blurry, maybe my hands were shaky or I'm still a little sleepy).

And the star of the sauce, the tuna chunks...

And here's the finished product with curled parsley on top (I woke Jonah up to conduct a taste test). I don't wanna mess up on my first recipe. It would be a big embarrassment if I disappoint my team. Thank you Jones for gamely eating the pasta.

Crossing my fingers...I hope they like it!

NOTD: Ladybug

My nails today are supposed to be "watermelon nails". I don't know what happened along the way but after I'm done with it, I think it looks more to me like a ladybug, hence the title. Well, let's get started. I used the bright pink (guava pink) and black and mistletoe green nail polish. I used a crochet hook as a dotting tool and it gave me pretty good dots, much better than using an orange stick I should say. I have fallen in-love with the nail polish corrector pencil that I got from Tamara's giveaway. I'd be broken-hearted if I'll use it up and not get a new one. I'll surely miss the convenience of erasing nail polish smudges on the sides without having to wrap teeny bit of cotton in an orange stick and dipping it in nail polish remover.

Here's how my nail looks like with the base and a single coat of the guava pink nail polish:

And here's a picture of my left hand with the nail polish and three coats of the nail polish:

And here's my nails with the guava pink polish and mistletoe green tip:

And here's the ladybug...

I won't mind if you think it looks like watermelon. LOL! It's what I was trying to come up with anyway. Maybe next time I'll make the black dots look pointed so it really looks more like seeds and not ladybug spots. Hmmmm!!!

Bookstore Haul and I Love You's

I visited my friendly neighborhood bookstore, National Book Store, to check for some interesting reads. However, I did not go home with the books I had in mind in my shopping bag. I did however manage to check out some cute little items that will be useful (did I say useful?) in my daily life. Yes, they will be useful and they will be used...

I got me a new journal and it's pink. I like the paper material plus it has varied illustrations in pink, white and gray. Yes, I write my thoughts in paper too (sometimes not as regular as the electronic thoughts). It has a very interesting cover, there's a girl in a blunt haircut with what looks to me like an electric fan in hot pink and orange (there's a little piece of cardboard on the side that you can manually turn to make it look like the fan is spinning). Ingenious!

I also got me two Little Pink Books (The Bad Girl's Little Pink Book). Haha! That caught my attention plus of course it's pink and shiny. It's an address book y'all! LOL! It's green and pink inside (pretty combination). I'll keep one and give the other to my lil sister when she visits me here end of next month...we both are going on a trip and my mom and dad might tag along with us if they get some time off from their jobs.

I got something interesting too. I got me a little French book. C'est choutte! C'est mignon! I picked up this book (yes, it's for kids) because I wanna learn a few words and I got it for less than a dollar because it's on sale. Haha! Okay, that's enough, all these French words make me crave for some escargot (I love the ones served at The Fireplace, Manila Hotel). Yum!

And of course, if there's a bookstore, there are some cards,some Hallmark cards. I picked three to be mailed to Mr. Flowers in the next few days. I am not 100% sure if he still reads up on my blog considering that it's mostly makeup stuff now but if in case he reads this, it may not be a surprise anymore. LOL! I won't take a picture of what's written inside so I guess that's the surprise part of it. All these mushy feelings bottled inside my heart are about to burst now...I love you Jelle!

All My Life - Mariah Carey)

Ive been waiting for someone to come into my life
Who would bring me joy and give me pleasure
I have taken chances on romances once or twice
And I found that in my heart its you I treasure

You and only you can make me feel the way I do
You and only you can make it better
You and only you can do the freaky things you do
And I'm so into you and that's forever and ever...

All my life
My loves been waiting for you
All my life
My hearts been waiting too

All my life...

I've been wishing on a star
I've been praying on my knees
I've got some sly and sexy tricks to show you
Most of all I'll give you anything boy that you need
To keep you right here by my side
I know you
I'll show you

You and only you can make me feel the way I do
You and only you can make it better
You and only you can do the freaky things you do
And I'm so into you and that's forever and ever

All my life
My love's been waiting for you
All my life
My heart's been waiting too
Don't you know I need you [boy]
And [I] adore you
All my life I'll give to only you

Blog Birthday Giveaway Winner!!!

As promised, I will be announcing my blog birthday giveaway winner today, July 30, 2009. You can read up on the announcement and the updates here, here, here, and here.

So, here's how I chose the winner. I decided not to use random.org this time. I let some papers and a star help me pick the lucky lucky blogger/follower...

And here's the glass star...

All papers in the star so I can pick the winner...

I chose the paper in the middle of the pack ( I closed my eyes and did not peep)...

And the lucky winner is....

Gracie, please email me your address (mailing info) so I can ship your loot to you. I hope it makes you smile when you receive 'em. Thank you so much for following my blog.

To all beautiful ladies who joined, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. It still leaves me in awe sometimes that you all spare some of your time to read through my blog. Thank you to those who patiently leaves comments and suggestions. I still could not believe that for only almost two months after I joined the beauty bloggers circle, I now have more than a hundred followers. Thank you oh-so-much to all of you. Please standby for another giveaway...

Blush Me Two Times, Babe Giveaway

Linea is having a giveaway to celebrate her 100 followers. Ladies, you still have until the midnight of July 31, 2009 (PST California). So click this link to see the guidelines...

Winners will be picked randomly so good luck to everyone who will join.

What are the prizes? She's generous enough to shower the winner with these products:


Here are her rules: (in verbatim - taken from her post)
1. You Must Be A Follower! duh!
2. Mention my Giveaway in a post on your blog! Link it & post my rules also.
3. Leave me comment in THIS post; "Blush Me Two Times, Babe!" & leave the link post to the post you made about my give away & YOUR NAME & EMAIL ADRESS!
4. Good Luck Ladies!!!

Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette

I loved what I did with my 78 Palette yesterday so I decided to label the 88 and 28 palette as well. I resigned to not naming both the palettes as of the moment as I realized it's not that easy to give each color a name. I didn't realize it was that hard when I started, I felt it when I was halfway through. SO, now I'll prefer only numbers. LOL!

Presenting the Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette:

For those of you who love shimmer shadows you will not be disappointed. These are very pigmented and offer a bit more shimmer than the 56 piece palette.

Palette Ingredients Net Weight 61.0 g/2.15oz

Ingredients(Info from the Coastal Scents Website)
Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT. May contain: Mica and titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Chrome Oxide Greens, Chrome Hydroxide Green, FD&C Red No.40 AlLake, FD&C Yellow No.5 Al Lake, FD&C blue No.1 Al Lake.

And here's what I did: (excuse the bad lighting but for the real colors, take a look at the copyrighted picture from Coastal Scents to better appreciate the palette plus mine's already been swatched and used several times)


Anyway, please feel free to use the picture in your blog if you want (just please don't forget to link back to my blog).

Coastal Scents 78 Makeup Palette

I am not sure if anyone has done this already but out of boredom I decided to label my palette with numbers and its corresponding color names (the way I want it). LOL! I thought I'd be more productive today if I do this instead of being glued to the TV all day long (yes, I have no work today). While I am doing this, I am fervently praying that Jonah will wake up early so we can go watch "The Proposal". Gotta love chick flicks...

Anyway, here you go...presenting Coastal Scents 78 Makeup Palette:

Ingredients (info from Coastal Scents Website)
Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT. May contain: Mica and titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Chrome Oxide Greens, Chrome Hydroxide Green, FD&C Red No.40 AlLake, FD&C Yellow No.5 Al Lake, FD&C blue No.1 Al Lake.

The case measures 9" x 6.5" closed.

Contents
60 Eye shadows
12 highlighting and liner shades
6 blushers

Mirrored Inside with 2 foam tip applicators

And now the color names I coined for the palette...

1. Buff Yellow
2. Yellow Corn
3. Golden Yellow
4. Golden Poppy
5. Golden Rod
6. Peach
7. Peach Orange
8. Pumpkin
9. Persian Orange
10. Golden Brown
11. Desert Sand
12. Flax
13. Pale Taupe
14. Beige
15. Bisque
16. Wheat
17. Corn Silk
18. Khaki
19. Burnt Sienna
20. Chocolate
21. Sky Blue
22. Wisteria
23. Slate Blue
24. Steel Blue
25. Dark Blue
26. Cyan
27. Sea Green
28. Turquoise
29. Ultramarine
30. Royal Blue
31. Yellow Green
32. Chartreuse
33. Lawn Green
34. Olive Green
35. Spring Green
36. Drab Olive
37. Forest Green
38. Tea Green
39. Blue Green
40. Leaf Green
41. Light Pink
42. Peachy Pink
43. Pink
44. Hot Pink
45. Fuschia Pink
46. Orchid
47. Pink Violet
48. Purple
49. Psychedelic Purple
50. Royal Purple
51. Terra Cotta
52. Tomato
53. Tea Rose
54. Vermillion
55. Venetian Red
56. West Coast
57. Walnut
58. Wood Bark
59. Red Robin
60. Red Rebel
61. Aureoline Yellow
62. Alert Tan
63. Golden Sunset
64. Chocolate Shaving
65. Battleship Gray
66. Bean Pod
67. Chalk White
68. Silver
69. Gray
70. Birch
71. Black Currant
72. Blackout
73. Cape Honey
74. Chantilly
75. Charisma
76. Chardonnay
77. Deep Blush
78. Coral

Whoa! I didn't think it would be that difficult to name the palette. Nonetheless, I had fun. If there is someone out there who has named this palette already and has given better names, would love to read up on it... ;-)

FOTD: Purple Peepers

I have been practicing on doing Arabic-inspired make-up and yesterday I think I finally was satisfied with what I did (for the most part). I might try to do it again today if I get myself a new bottle of liquid eyeliner or just use the gel kind. If the pictures won't come out better than the ones I am posting now then I'll use some of these pics and a few others with the make-shift turban on to join a blogger contest.

Well, anyway, I hope y'all like these pictures. I need more practice and I will spend some more time harnessing such little skill I have.

I love love love the earring that I used in this FOTD. I got it for $1. Yay to midyear sale!!! It is purple and made of wood and surprisingly not heavy. The multicolored gems I got for $1 as well in a little Indian accessories stall for $1. Who would have expect such interesting pieces would come very cheap huh?








As usual, lighting is a little crappy as I have not seen a lamp that I like yet. I have been scouring the malls to no avail. Sigh! I seriously need some good lighting for crying out loud. But anyway, I guess I should make do with what I have for now.

Products Used
The Face Shop Creamy Emulsion
Smashbox Illuminating Serum
Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
The Face Shop BB Cream
MAC Prep + Prime Eye Cream (medium)
Coastal Scents 78 Palette (light pink, fuschia pink, purple, dark blue, black)
MAC Sheer Loose Powder NC30
Monave Blush - Buff Apricot
Monave Concealer Foundation - Mirabella
EB Blush - Tan
No Brand Falsies
In2It Liquid Eyeliner
EB Black Eyeliner
EB Brown Eyeliner
Lancome Eyelash Curler
The Face Shop Freshian Volumizing Mascara
Smashbox Quench Moisture Rich Lip Gloss

Blame It On The Weatherman

Not really...

It was drizzling when I went to work early today and was raining hard when I got off work. Since I did not bring my umbrella, I decided to walk around the mall and see what's interesting.

I did not eat anything for lunch and so the mouth-watering chocolate display in Leonidas lured me in. Chocolates never fail to tempt me, ever! I bought a couple pralines (different flavors) and some dark chocolate, about 100 grams and I was billed Php498 (a little more than $10 for 8 pieces). It was packaged in a gold box with a blue signature ribbon. And then the store clerk probably read my mind, she told me "this is cheaper in Belgium" as she handed me my sweet fix. I just smiled and revel at her possibly reading my mind. After Leonidas, I went to get some cash because I was bent on buying a tube of BB Cream (the Korean magic blemish balm cream). I was successful and lucky enough to get the full size at The Face Shop. It was about Php1100 ($22). I have been using the trial pack and so far I think it has prevented a few breakouts especially now that it's almost the time of the month once again. I will be doing an extensive review of the product in the next few days (if I don't get lazy). I also bought some mask sheets and a new pair of falsies (gotta love the ivi).

After picking the stuff I've been lemming for, I decided to check if it was still raining and sure it is so I scoured some of my favorite stores. I went to Beauty Bar and grabbed the Dashing Diva nail buffer, nail file (2) and orange stick set which cost me Php100 ($2). It was the only thing I think I needed from the store. No more make-up shopping. I also went to Lush but did not pick up any. I bought 4 pairs of earrings for only Php200 ($4). I still have a few items I need to use at home. As I was on my way out, I felt the MAC store was calling me (LOL). So, I had to stop and check what I can pick up. I did get the eye primer pot (#8 in my wish list: MAC Prep + Prime Eye Cream (medium)). Finally, they have the medium shade in stock. I also picked up the pink eye mat from Lise Watier. I spent Php2,000 ($40) in that store. And oh by the way, I took home an expensive looking nail clipper as freebie for the purchase.

As it was an episode of impulsive buying, I decided to convince myself to head out the door and refuse to be tempted any further. I manage to get away from the snares of the mall and passed by McDonalds to buy some Twister Fries (my lunch). Got home soaked from the rain because it took me a while to open the gate. Nonetheless, I was happy and smiling. That impulsive buys sure made me hella happy. Just before I started writing this I washed my brushes with extra virgin olive oil (to remove the pigments/colors) and dish washing liquid (antibacterial soapy suds). Clean tools!

No, I'm not blaming the weatherman...Sometimes we just have to let the rain fall.

Anyway, if you want for yourself a Moleskine Large Cahier Ruled Black Set of 3, please head on over to Topaz Horizon's blog. Her giveaway is being sponsored by Avalon, one of the longest running online shopping website in the Philippines.

MakeupJunkee's GPWP E/S Challenge

What's GPWP? Well, it's green, pink, white and purple. Those are the only colors that I can use for the challenge set by MakeUpJunkee. I have been following her blog and she has amazing LOTDs.

Contest Ends: August 9th at 6:00 pm California time. (Yay, I'm on time!)

Anyway, for y'all to know here are MakeUpJunkee's rules (in verbatim):

1) Contest ends August 9th at 6:00 pm California time.
2) There has to be at least 5 entry for me to do this contest.
3) Must be a follower to join. If you're not a follower just "click" follow and your good to go.
4) Re-post this on your page with a link.
5) Must post up three pictures of the look and one picture of the items used to achieve look on your blog.
6) Email me at christinamoua84@hotmail.com to let me know what the link to your contest entry is.
7) This contest will have two winners. A first place and second place.

What you have to do for the contest:

For my contest, you have to create a look (eyes) using only these colors: Green, Pink, White, and Purple

Everything else is up to you (blush, lipstick, etc.)
They can be any shades (ex: darker or lighter green) and you don't have to use all the colors, but you have to use at least two of the colors listed.

For this look, I decided to mainly use the Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette (picture shown at the bottom part of this entry). I prepped the lids with Smashbox Photo Finish Light because I ran out of UDPP and then used Monave's creme brulee (it's almost white teehee) as lidwash. I used CS medium green on the inner half of the lid and CS purple on the outer half. I used the lightest shimmery CS pink on the browbone and the arch. And then dotted the littlest amount of shimmery white in the inner corner (guess I put so little that it's not evident in the pictures anymore). Other products used are also detailed below.









Products Used
The Face Shop Creamy Emulsion
Smashbox Illuminating Serum
Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
The Face Shop BB Cream
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette (medium green, pink, purple, white - almost ivory)
MAC Sheer Loose Powder NC30
Monave Blush - Mystic Rose
Monave LidWash - Creme Brulee
Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburts
The Face Shop Falsies
EB Black Eyeliner
EB Brown Eyeliner
Lancome Eyelash Curler
Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eyes Waterproof Mascara (this is the best mascara I have tried so far, hands down!)
Maybelline Moisture Extreme Velvety Wine 951
Smashbox Quench Moisture Rich Lip Gloss