Friday, January 29, 2010

Beauty and Wellness, For Longer



Truly, life isn’t getting any better for us Filipinos, especially when you talk about money. That is why we need to scrape every penny that we own and invest it in things which are worth investing in. We spend for food, shelter, education, security, and others. In the category I just referred to as “others”, toiletries are classified under that.

So to save up on these not-so-essentials, here are some tips from a budget-conscious “kikay”.

1. Shampoo - Buy everything in bulk. The bigger the container is, the bigger your savings will be. The ones sold in sachets and in smaller containers have higher overhead cost, but the content is the same anyway. For as far as your grocery budget can bring you, buy the biggest body wash, shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles there are. And you will save a lot in the long run.

Bonus: You also save yourself some emergency trips at the convenience store because you'll be running out of toiletries for much longer.

2. Foundation/ Tinted Moisturizers - It's best to get them in liquid/ gel/ mousse form, because you'll actually need to apply less of the material. They spread out really well, and evenly so you only use less, as compared to powder/ cake foundation. Just be careful with the blending.

Bonus: You don't need to use a puff or a brush to do the blending, and it usually lasts longer and spreads thinner so you get a more natural look.

3. Lipsticks/ Lip gloss/ Lip balms - When you apply a lip product, just do so at your lower lip and just press your lips together to spread out the color. Ta da! You just extended its life up to twice. Moreover, if you have old lipsticks, old lip balms and even old lip glosses, you can melt them all in a microwave and store them in a little container, like those Body shop lip balms. New shade, new shelf life! What a steal!

4. Mascara - It's best to buy waterproof mascara with a winner brush that won't smudge and won't clump your lashes so you don't have to reapply and use more material. Also, the more time you spend in applying mascara means more time leaving the lid open, which dries it out faster. When you are finally done, screw cap very tightly.

Bonus: Don't bother applying for your lower lashes. Also, by following the tip above, you save time.

5. Powder - Choose something light but long lasting, something shine-free also. This way, you don't have to retouch as often. Also, stretch your pressed powder's life by not removing the plastic which lies between the puff and the actual powder. This prevents the puff to constantly rub on the powder and in the process "steal" some powder.

6. Perfume – For your Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum stocks, just spray/ apply on areas where your pulse points are, for that is where you will maximize the scent exuding through you. Also, if you’re running out of perfume, just add a few drops of water and pour it on your body lotion. That way, you still wear the scent and you’ve just made the most out of your expensive fragrance.

7. Blush on – It’s best to get the one in gel forms because they blend very easily and you can just put them on-the-go. They create just the correct dewy coverage, and they can last for a very long time because you only use a little and they’d spread well (like those foundations). My 8 gram gel blush lasted for four months of everyday use!

Those are the things which just come off at the top of my head right now. If you have more suggestions, you can email me via live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Indeed, beauty comes with a price. But who says it’s non negotiable?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Want to be an AWESOME GRAPHICS DESIGNER?



Everywhere we go, we are flooded with man made images, more commonly and collectively referred to as Graphics Design. We see them in the gigantic streetside billboards, in public service announcements, in job postings, even with graffiti. It's obvious this industry is getting bigger and bigger; as evidenced by numerous graphics design companies here in Davao city. (And why, yes, the rest of the world too.) And as the popularity and competition of this genre is getting thicker, will you let yourself become engulfed in the sea of pros?

So if you are interested in joining this industry but you don't know how to start from scratch, the best thing that you can do is to enroll yourself in a short course about graphics design and digital art in general.

Now if you want to the pro way, you've got to learn the it from the pros! Cube Pixels Design Studio is home to many awesome graphics designs--logos, web design, layout, name it. They offer a comprehensive Photoshop and Corel workshop for only P3,500 individually. If you get the package workshop (that's Photoshop + Corel) you can avail it for only P6,000.

And what's more, you can have your schedule's say! You can choose from an everyday schedule, a biweekly or a triweekly arrangement. Still in school? No problem! Have a full time job? No problem! The sessions only last an hour or so, every 6pm. You will be starting your course with theoretical discussions on Basic Graphics Design (with the usage of Photoshop and/or Corel) and then after a few sessions, you'll be clicking the mouse and creating your very own designs...of course with the guidance of your trainer/s.

Give their portfolio a look-see: www.cubepixelstudio.com. And you will see how much you'll be getting out of your money's worth. Enroll now! :)

EMAIL ME FOR INQUIRIES/ DETAILS: live_out_loud@ymail.com or give them a ring-- 225.0362 :)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Loner Profiles



We know them, we see them all the time. Sometimes we care about them, sometimes we pretend to. Most of the time, they’re just like fleeting ghosts in our everyday drill. Nobody really knows them but they don’t appear to care. We call them loners, oftentimes, replacing the middle N with an S. But who are they really? And why do they have some sort of a social allergy?

Here are some compiled profiles of these so-called loners.

1. The Extremely Shy One. There are certain loners who grew up in an environment where human interaction is not really encouraged. For example, when they were kids, they were told by their parents to lock themselves up in the bedroom when there are visitors. When they were left with a group of people, they were told to not talk to anyone. So then they cannot look at the eyes of the people they just met, they keep their hands to themselves and continue to dwell on corners.

2. The Intellectually Arrogant. They are the ones who have some noisy worlds in their head, telling them that they are far more intelligent and brilliant than everyone else. They opt to not talk to most people because they think that most people can’t say anything worthy of listening anyway. Although they speak with some selected people (the ones who they deem to be worthy of their time) they are usually hated by most people anyway. When they speak, they are usually condescending and when they don’t, they’re most probably curled up with a big book and a big name on it.

3. The One With the Bad Reputation. It’s simple really. They’re alone because no one likes to hang out with them for fear of affiliation. Perhaps they are the ones who have stolen the class money weeks ago, they’re the ones who screwed up your marketing team’s winner proposal or they’re the sellout writers who leaked your feature article ideas to the no-good magazine which was able to publish them first. Hmm. This is challenging. I don’t have any idea what they have in their minds, really. But I’m guessing it’s among regret, lack of apology or indifference.

4. The Weird One. People don’t talk to them because they’re not understood. The luckier ones are tagged as “artists” (fondly?) because they are into things which most people cannot appreciate instantly. For example, an obscure visual art, obsession for some weird-sounding music (along with equally weird-looking musicians) or a semi-humiliating sense of fashion.

5. The Techno-crazy. This might be the child of everything aforementioned, but these techno-crazy kids deserve a loner profile of their own anyway. They’re the ones who are always glued to their cell phones, their portable gaming gadgets, their application-filled ipod-touches or other what-have-yous. They isolate themselves from the world so the people around them also do not feel the incentive to pound through their barricades and try to get to know them. (Hmm, unless they’re really good looking, I guess.)

Are you one of them? Well you better not be. There is NO supplement for human interaction. Need some help overcoming your getting-to-know fears? In for some more loner kwento? You may email me at live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

New Year's Resolutions (?)



You know how it works, guys. It’s a new year, a new leaf turning over, and we are most willing to accommodate those little lifestyle changes which are intended to better ourselves. We call them New year’s resolutions. Sometimes, it’s because it’s the momentum for change (for the better), that’s pushing us to do so and sometimes, it’s just plain old pop culture eating us up.

So now it’s the first week of the year and we’re already feeling a little bored over our “resolutions”. And because I’m with you on being bored, I’ve come up with a list of the most famous resolutions which never get used anyway---aside from being ANOTHER recycled resolution for the next year.

1. Diet. Always at the list of Top New Year's Resolutions. Okay, eat healthy, eat right, eat less.. Those are just a few things that we promise to ourselves. But then again, we all know that eating NOT the way we want to is really a difficult thing to do. And yes, anytime of the year. However, there is also no doubt that a lot of us are not contented with the way we look or weigh and we want to do something about it. So even if our hearts are not really into dieting (hey you can get back to that anytime of the year) we just go with the resolution bandwagon and claim “to diet” as our New Year’s resolution. Boo. My advice: slowly trade your current craving with healthier food. If you’re hungry, eat a fruit. Drink less softdrinks, drink more water and try your very best to love vegetables.

2. Save. Even when you spent more than ten years in school and more than ten years of allowance-handing, a lot of us still are not good with budgeting. This is why when we graduate college and finally start earning money for ourselves, we still end up short of cash often. Then we borrow from friends or we scrape every penny we can find. The thing is, financial stability and frugality needs a lot of discipline. The best time to learn about it is NOW. And not when the calendar becomes replaced. Don’t take the cab unless you really have to, don’t spend on weekly manicures, buy the things you need first, and the wants later, and most of all, save a portion of EVERY bit of money that you receive (somewhere that’s really hard to access).

3. Quit smoking/ drinking/ gambling. Those are the three most famous vices that a lot of us are into nowadays. We take the New Year as an opportunity to give ourselves a chance to undress ourselves of these little chains that bind us into spending for things that we don’t need and are even dangerous. But then really, once you are hooked into it, it’s difficult to detach yourself from it. My advice: do not become overwhelmed by the New Year hype and start quitting smoking/ drinking/ gambling for real slowly. Just start doing it less and less often until you quit the habit.

4. Relax. For most of us who lead very busy lives, we tell ourselves by the start of the year that we won’t spend the entire year as stressfully as we ended the last one. We promise ourselves that we will relax once in a while and will spend more quality time with the things that really matter in life—like passion, relationships and a happy home (as opposed to paychecks, commissions and boss’ approval). However, a lot of us don’t really take this into heart because we are too caught up by work and we have been hard-programmed to treat it as our top priority. My advice: get a regular time to relax. Start with Saturdays and/ or Sundays.

So that’s it for blah resolutions. Are you currently sporting one? Update me on the developments, alright? I’ll be waiting--- live_out_loud@ymail.com.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Bitch Varsity Captain's New Year's Resolutions

It's not like it's gonna resolve anything. Whatever.

1. Walk more. As I have very little time to exercise. (More excuses to go shopping! *happydance)

2. Get less professional manicures. Utterly useless and the good ones are expensive. Just keep the nails clean, short and buy a fabulous manicure set for at-home touch ups.

3. Focus on writing career. Beat (not meet!) deadlines, read books/ articles about writing (you can never write too well!), ditch underpaying clients, contribute more material for print publishing AND read more. Be more picky with projects.

4. Write poetry and become seriously seduced with it again.

5. Improve professionalism. Be on time, always look presentable, amp up charisma.

6. Reconnect with old friends. Cheezy but it's a feel-good thing.

7. Save every P10 coin I can find until it goes out of the circulation. What can i say? BWAHAHA.

8. Surf the net for useless stuff less often. And update this blog more often. (I told you, I'm going to focus on my writing career!)

9. Quit stressing about people you can't change. They'll die anyway. Be patient.

10. BE FAITHFUL WITH EVERYTHING PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED.


Bitch Varsity Captain