easy stroll

easy stroll by blossom-rain featuring a leather shoulder bag

dainty casual

dainty casual by blossom-rain featuring a pink bow belt

floral

floral by blossom-rain featuring black shoes

Early mornings with him = simple joys

Ever since my boyfriend got his bike fixed, we spontaneously instated a routine where we would go biking and walking together early mornings. At about 5:00 am, he rides his bike to our house and then we would walk uphill to a shrine/worship place/church (I'm talking about the Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague). Inside the shrine's compound there's a garden (Catalina Garden) where we usually play frisbee or have a picnic. We also enjoy the cool morning breeze, the lush green grass and the sounds of birds and critters as they greet the morning and sunshine. Sometimes we would just sit and talk about things, his head resting on my lap.  I did mention that this garden is situated on a hilltop right? I'm blessed that I get to enjoy this beautiful scenery with the person I love ♥

taking silly pictures

i didn't wash my face when we headed out XD

inside the shrine. This is definitely one of the most beautiful and serene places in the city.

When it's time for us to go home, I usually ride at the back of his bike. Actually I stand on the bars that are protruding on the side of the bike's rear dropout. The ride downhill? one word = exhilarating :D 

I really love these times with my boyfriend. We really enjoy each other's company and be overwhelmed with our surroundings. It's life's simple blessings and joys that I'm sure I'll be sharing with my kids in the future (hopefully ♥)

Sushi, Gummy Bears and Bad Mascara

Last Saturday my brother just made another batch of his sumptuous sushi platter c: He has really perfected the maki. Now I can't distinguish the difference regarding the taste between the ones prepared in the restaurants and the ones he makes.

  

I especially like the egg roles. Perfectly shaped and sweet to the taste. He used to receive orders for Christmas. Maybe you'd like to contact him? (just joking! c:, but seriously ;)

Next topic: I just found a brilliant way how not to get bored when studying. Good thing my classmate found this on 9gag. This is perfect when studying our Philosophy subject because it makes me sleepy faster than a sleeping pill. (I'm not kidding. Just 5 minutes reading the articles I start to yawn and fall asleep )

I'm not much of a gummybears fan. I just like the color. Better replace it with chocolate chips c:

Lastly, I just had to write a review about this mascara I bought from Ever Bilena (Im doing this for the sake of those who are planning to buy or those who will impulsively buy this).

Ever Bilena Thicklash Mascara

(the name already faded)

As what my post title states, THIS IS A BAD MASCARA. I usually notice when I put this on I get headaches and just this morning I felt kind of a sinusitis reaction. I just shrugged it off because it does its job of covering my lashes. But seeing how it physiologically affects me, it had me worrying. I thought it was just me who experiences these reactions but this article really hits the spot. Also, when I look at my eyes closely in the mirror, its already red! xc very very very bad. I tried to read the ingredients but it has also faded, though I can still see the word PARABEN (lots of it). Paraben is a big no-no for the criteria when I choose my makeup.

After all this rant, why the heck did I buy this?Well, in my previous post which I talked about my makeup haul for the fine dining event in my school, I picked this out because it was cheap (P75.00) and I was already running low on my budget. I just needed something to cover my lashes as the eyeshadow particles were really obvious on my lashes. 

The things I learned from this experience: NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR HEALTH FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT ON YOURSELF (be it makeup, lotion, soap etc.) always read the ingredients and dont get carried away by the price.

If someone from Ever Bilena will read this, don't take this against you. Take this as a constructive criticism so that you may improve your products. Think about the health of your costumers and not just the price.

So bye-bye Ever Bilena mascara...I'm throwing you to the bin. I think this is the last straw for me when it comes to makeup with synthetic ingredients. I will now only buy ORGANIC makeup.

And in case you will make the mistake of choosing MINERAL instead of ORGANIC, read this article to find out the difference between the two. 

just a brief rundown between the two:

Organic, as is used when referring to food or products such as organic mascara can only refer to plant ingredients, because it is really a way of farming.

Minerals, on the other hand are not plants. They are simply naturally occurring solids.

So when it comes to mineral makeup, you are not looking for organic. You can’t organically farm minerals. They are a given from earth’s geological processes.

from: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/

And I suggest you also read "Why you should look for organic mascara". or better yet, read the whole blog: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/ .I say: ORGANIC IS ALWAYS THE BEST c:

now I'm on the hunt for an organic mascara available here ♥

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note:

"There are many minerals that are considered safe, therefore if you see them included in your organic mascara you don’t need to be concerned. Which is not to say that all mineral makeup brands are created equal. Many add the same synthetic preservatives, colors and fragrances that make people turn away from traditional makeup in the first place." from: http://organic-mascara.blogspot.com/

La Natural Makeup

I've been browsing (while procrastinating) on the right eyeliner that I can use everyday. But somehow my boyfriend doesn't like me wearing too much makeup (heck, he doesn't even want me to wear makeup at all). So I'm calming myself down and talking some sense in to me to forego the eyeliner (I'm not much of fan anyway because of my experience with the elf eyeliner pen). So I looked for a makeup tutorial about easy and no-makeup makeup (I'll be successful if my boyfriend doesn't notice XD)
I was overjoyed when I found this Fresh 5 Minute Makeup by the ever-famous Michelle Phan 

It's perfect and really easy for an everyday look. She looks so pretty and effortless, which I like very much. No eyeliners in this baby c:

In this tutorial she only mentioned putting (and doing) the following:

1.sunscreen

2.concealer to hide dark circles under the eyes

3. face powder

4. redefine the brows (my mom, brother and boyfriend commented how thin my eyebrows have gone. and because of that, I am convinced that I have to buy an eyebrow shadow (Nichido eyebrow liner duo kit tops my priorityASAP list)

5. curl the lashes and add mascara (she gave out a tip:use a card and hold it against your lids so that your lashes will get an even coating)

6.blush

7. and lastly, put lipstick!

and that's it!its just that easy to get the polished and natural look. I think this kind of makeup enhances your look instead of drowning your face with color. I absolutely love it!♥

Renewed DIY Inspiration

I say renewed because I forgot how much I fell in love with DIYs and clothes revamps. I've been browsing on easy sewing projects that I might do (and some not-so-easy-intermediate-projects) and I can't wait to try it myself. I can really see myself doing this full time (okay maybe not full time but a big part of my daily activities). And maybe I can save (and make) a little money on the side with the revamps that I just discovered.

I LOVE this simple high-waist dress tutorial by talk2thetrees. I have seen this one before and been meaning to try it but I usually find myself a.)with no money to buy on some fabric b.)I dont have a stashed supply of different colored threads c.)I have no time to make it because Im so stuffed with school work. Yeah I gave out a lot of reasons but once school is out of the way I PROMISE I will do this c:

how cute is this dress from howjoyjul.com? I couldn't believe this one was upcycled! Once my sewing skills will improve I will definitely try this one.

 This goddess-like maxi dress is just gorgeous! Here's the tutorial by sewpetitegal.

Here's a fun and easy tunic dress tutorial by sewcountrychick. I remember seeing a similar dress in our advertising client's boutique. Just the right fabric will make this dress really pretty and dainty c:

This wrap-belt tutorial is also a must try!I find sewing belts really easy and I think I can do this one with my current sewing skill level XD

here's a little outfit inspiration to get yourself feeling giddy c:

I still have a long way to go, sadly. I really want to take a basic course on sewing (which I hopefully and finally take once school and graduation is over). Sometimes when I'm reading tutorials I would just sit there and go "what the heck is she saying?!" I couldn't understand the sewing terminologies XD it kind of sounds like a math equation. Sew it on this part, right side facing here wrong side facing there.....it gets confusing!But  I will patiently sort things out and get the hang of it. Nothing is an easy ride if you want to perfectly do something right? ♥

(I don't own any of the photos in this post. They belong to their respective owners)