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?

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.

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! :)