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?

10 Ways to Pamper Yourself for P200 or Less

So I was alone this afternoon, and I had money to spare. Actually, I had more than P200 but I wanted to bring home food and ice cream so I kept my "pampering" budget at that. The ending? I didn't really UNDERGO any form of pampering aside from window shopping (because it was absolutely a by-product) but along the way, I thought of ten genius ways to be pampered for P200 or less.

1. Get a foot spa at a cheap salon. I am pretty sure there are foot spas which cost only P200, you can stroll around the AdDU college campus and I'm sure you'll find one. Getting a foot spa means ending up with pretty feet and that's really heartwarming. A foot massage also sounds just as divine.

2. Buy Hershey's kisses and eat them all up by yourself. WARNING: This is pretty embarrassing so I advise you do all the pigging out at home. Well, it's chocolate. And chocolate is a basic human right. YUMYUMYUM.

3. Buy a lip gloss. It is amazing how much power a woman can have anytime of the day, anywhere she goes, when she has the right lip gloss on. Explore the bounds of this power and buy a lip gloss with a shade that compliments your skin tone. I recommend Nivea Caregloss & Shine (a little over P100), the Penshoppe lip gloss palette (P129) and Ever Bilena lip gloss in shade 07 (P75---a steal!)

4. Buy the latest issue of your favorite magazine and read it cover to cover. Magazines are usually filled with words which encourage you to become a better version of yourself in the most important aspects of life (aka 3Bs): beauty, business and booty. I'm a fan of Marie Claire (filled with intelligent reads) and Cosmopolitan (foxy foxy foxy).

5. Watch a feel good movie. Hit the cinemas. I'm sure you'll find one movie there that you seriously wanted to watch, it's just that you have no one to watch it with. Well, why bother, when you can down the whole tub of popcorn all by yourself? LOL. At least you don't have to explain the sticky parts of the plot to someone who's a empty upstairs.

6. Hit the flea market. Well the flea market is a tricky place. You don't really find the things you need there, but you find things that you like, and you end up buying them anyway. Most of these things are just pretty-at-the-moment and after a few days, you will wonder why you bought them in the first place. Sigh. But going to flea markets and knowing your cash can stretch farther is therapy in itself, isn't it?

7. Go to the arcade and play all the games you're dying to play! Just knock yourself out. Personally, I think the arcade is a great stress-reliever. Everything is bright and happy-tuned and it is filled with goodies! Timezone is my home away from home.

8. Go to the gym. The upscale gyms have a one-time fee, which range from P100 to P200. Exercise is good for your body, enough said. Besides, you could use the extra endorphins. Lastly, you might bump into a buffed cutie there, right? *wink

9. Buy flowers. Everytime I think of flowers, I instantly smile. They just radiate a big portion of the world's quota for beauty and therefore they have the power to make anyone smile and feel better with just the sight of them. I ♥ gerbera, long stemmed deep red roses, two-toned mums and orchids. Mixed flowers bouquets are love!

10. Have a street food buffet! Eat the streets out! LOL! For once, neglect the oil, salt, grease and even smoke! Street food is cheap and yummy! Come on, don't be a killjoy. With P200, you can even treat your whole barkada to a kwek-kwek fest! :)


Now that I think about it, perhaps the reason why I ended up doing NOTHING among these ten is that I simply couldn't decide. :p So have you? Hit me back for other stellar ideas! ♥

Bitch Tip #5: Minimize Eating Out

Eating out bills are made up of cost of food + overhead + service (+ restaurant name!). So eating out costs a lot more than eating at home. Also, the same poison works for spending for overpriced coffee. Bring a “baon” at home or in school, or better yet, choose a clean kitchenette (karinderia), have a daily meal budget and ACTUALLY stick with it.

If you like eating out because it lets you catch up with friends, hold a poker/karaoke/board game night at a friend's house instead. Have easy-to-prepare meals and you may even throw in a bottle of wine. At the end of the day you'll still have fun and you'll save a lot more versus ordering entrees or paying for cocktails and overprices hors d'ouvres.

Bitch Tip #4: Save Up on Manicure Touch Ups

Seriously, the cheapest salon manicure I know costs P50 and the most expensive one (the basic one, not the one with nail art) costs P120. The thing with manicures is that they should always look perfect so you will be pressured to keep them up, or simply keep your nails looking natural.

If you are used to getting a manicure (especially with a colored nail polish on) it’s difficult to get by with naked nails. Plus, there's the pressure brewing if you go to a place where all the female members have manicure-maintained nails. (An expensive college? A bank executives floor?)

My advice: get a manicure set and do it at home. This helps you spend time with yourself, away from chores and work, lets you save, and most of all, you can pick the exact color that you want. If you don’t want that, get a basic manicure session, skip the color and do with colorless polish.

Bitch Varsity's Exclusives: My signature nail color is a sweep of glitters (one coat)and pink translucent polish (two coats). It looks just timid, classy, unique and healthy. Get your own signature color too! :)

Bitch Tip #3: Slash Your Laundry Budget

If you are living alone and has never been a fan of handwashing, you are most likely spending wads of cash to the laundry shop. THAT, or you’re simply extravagant and you want to have ridiculously sweet smelling clothes all the time. (SIGH. Such heaven.)

Laundry services costs start at P15 per kilo. A 2-person household with both people working can accumulate around 12 kilos of laundry a week, excluding bedsheets, pillowcases, curtains, etc. Imagine how much you can save if you did your own laundry!Plus there are laundry shops which charge extra for whites and "industrial" laundry. My advice is, you classify your laundry according to the complexity of it being handwashed. Jeans should be grouped together with heavy-material tops, bedsheets, pillowcases, etc. Send them to laundry. The lighter ones: the “pambahay” clothes, underwear, hankies and socks, handwash them using a good detergent, apply fabric softener if you want, and schedule washing with a buddy so you’d still have fun while you’re at it.

Before there was Tide Total Care and Downy, having the laundry-shop quality was difficult to do with bare hands. Today, mankind has gone a long way. So have fun washing!

Secret shame: I actually find handwashing fun. I get challenged with heavy materials and white bedsheets! Don't.tell.anyone! :)