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The Sunday Currently, v20

Published by Justine

THINKING
About how full I am and that I ate rice for dinner. I’ve been laying off rice for the past 2 months now but I couldn’t help it earlier tonight during dinner with friends. We decided on Filipino food and it’s just kind of impossible not to have rice with it. No regrets!

SMELLING
Sleep Lotion by Bath & Body Works in Warm Milk & Honey that I found in my mom’s room. It’s such a soft smell and so pleasant that I think I’m going to steal it from her and use it from now on.

FEELING
Generally good. It’s been a great week with a good balance of work, play, food, friends, and rest. Let’s use the #blessed hashtag for all its worth. I’m also excited because as of 5 minutes ago, I think I found a dog!!!! Gaaahh can’t wait to meet her and see if she wants us as her new family.

LISTENING
Drake. Drake is always a good listen.

LOVING
The weather this past week. Overcast with no rain but not too sunny either. Just right. It’s also my tonsillectomy’s one year anniversary so I’m overall grateful and loving the fact that I am living a life with no more tonsillitis. So happy.

HOPING
For my internet connection to get reconnected because it’s been down the past few days. We have two connections at home so I’m not too worried but this particular one is just for me and work, and the other is for the family.

WISHING
For a productive week at work. Good challenges, strategies and tasks are always nice for the brain.

WONDERING
If I should stay up/wake up for the EURO finals later. I’ve been good with next day highlights and replays of the recent matches I’m interested in. It really sucks to be a European football fan in Asia because the game times are such a bitch!

The original Sunday Currently appeared here.

Friday’s 10 Happy Things, v13

Published by Justine

It’s been a good week! Here’s why:

1. Boracay! In my 28 years of living, I have finally set foot in Boracay! I went with my ex-colleagues for their 4th of July weekend trip and it was overall a great time. There were about 18 of us and it was just a full 3 days of lounging in the beach, eating good food, drinking too much alcohol, and soaking in what Boracay had to offer, whether it was completely skin-burning heat or overcast skies.

2. Holidays. Even though I don’t work in an American company anymore, I took the 4th of July off for the Boracay trip and the 6th was another holiday because of Ramadhan. I got to catch up on sleep and recharge myself. Definitely much needed.

3. Puka Shell Beach. I fell in love with Puka. It’s about 20-30 mins by trike from Boracay White Beach and although the sand isn’t as white and crisp as Station 1’s, the fact that it wasn’t that populated, had such a great sea bed to swim in and really really clear waters made it everything for me. It was also so chill, a large contrast from White Beach. If I were to go to Boracay again I would probably choose to stay in Puka.

4. Thursdays at Craft. This has become a monthly thing for us and each time it doesn’t disappoint. Last night was another one of those nights to note.

5. Subway. Sadly Subway sandwiches don’t exist in Cebu anymore, so we made sure to get it when we were in Boracay. The whole group literally flooded the store and had a sandwich party. I’ve always been a fan of Subway and the fact that it’s unavailable in my city makes it all the more tastier.

6. Jonah’s Fruit Shakes. While we’re on the topic of F&B, might as well, right? Before I went to Boracay I had about 4 friends urging me to try Jonah’s. It was definitely good! But coming from Cebu I would say it compares to a lot of local fruit shake joints here.

7. This photo (the last one taken last night). When we took this photo we didn’t plan for it to be a yearly thing. It just became such an iconic pose for us that it became natural to do it each year. Looking forward to knowing how many years we can keep this up.

8. Burgers. I’ve been so into burgers lately it’s not necessarily a good thing but it makes me happy.

9. Erik Conover & Jessica Celements’ vlogs. I am currently obsessed with this couple’s videos. It’s so weird because I’ve been following Jessica Clements’ beauty vlogs for a long time now but I had absolutely no idea she had a vlog channel with her boyfriend. They’re just so positive and full of life, not to mention two completely beautiful people.

10. MY GLOSSIER STRETCH CONCEALER!!! No words. I have finally found the best concealer that works for me.

Random Questions Vol. 1

Published by Justine

I slept all day today (Wednesday, technically) because yay for holidays and I badly needed it. I was in Boracay with some friends for an extended weekend and somehow I haven’t recovered from it. It’s midnight now and tonight’s pre-bedtime reads included Racked. Came across this article where they asked Rashida Jones questions and I decided to do my own, following the same-ish format.

Favorite store in Cebu:
A bit challenging because the stores I like in Cebu are all chains–I’ve yet to find something I like that’s completely local. I’ll say Rustans because I’m basic like that.

What’s on heavy rotation in your closet:
These black dresses that I own, I have about 4 or 5 that I can wear just about anywhere or to any occasion. Mango and Pull & Bear makes really versatile ones.

Favorite drugstore beauty buy:
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and Maybelline Define-A-Brow pencil. Both not available in the Philippines, sadly.

Favorite investment beauty product:
My NARS Audacious Lipstick and LORAC Pro 2 palette. I would say my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder but I got that as a gift (that repurchase will soon be, though).

Top two comfort foods:
Indomie Goreng and Pork Sinigang.

Your karaoke vibe:
2000s hip-hop and Top 40.

Hulu or Netflix:
Netflix, because no Hulu here. Still, Netflix has better selection anyway.

What you’re currently binge-watching:
The last show I binge-watched was Kimmy Schmidt. I think I’m about to jump into a K-drama soon. Help.

Last book you read:
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, just so I could watch the movie. Not a big fan of both (prefer Moyes’ other books).

Favorite Cebu restaurant right now:
Planet Grapes in Ayala. Burger Joint in The Gallery (mostly coz I’m craving a burger at this very moment).

Best item on the menu:
Planet Grapes – everything on the menu is great, that’s precisely why it’s my choice of restaurant. Cebu has a lot of good food, but it’s only Planet Grapes where I can say I like probably everything on the menu.

Review: My Shopping Box

Published by Justine

I don’t usually do reviews, but my first experience with My Shopping Box was so positive it made me do an entry.

I’ve been eyeing the Glossier Phase 2 set for a while now but I was on the fence of getting the whole set because I already have the Boy Brow, a product that I absolutely love. When I checked it again a few months after release, the Generation G lipsticks were suddenly sold out so I held off on buying it, then realized that it might take months for it to get restocked again. I remember Boy Brow sold out soon after I purchased it, and Glossier didn’t restock it after 6 or 7 months, only during the release of Phase 2. The Stretch Concealer was really the priority of my list anyway, so I decided to just get it in case it gets sold out too, plus a couple of other things.

Anyway, I decided to make use of the My Shopping Box membership that I got via GCash Amex and ordered the Stretch Concealer and 2 new Flavored Balm Dotcom from Glossier. I couldn’t wait! Here’s a quick timeline:

  • Thursday, 9 June 2016 – Ordered products from the Glossier website, shipped to the MSB virtual address in Burbank, CA
  • Saturday, 11 June 2016 – Products arrived in Burbank, CA
  • Tuesday, 14 June 2016 – Received email from MSB to authorize my purchases, paid on the same day
  • Thursday, 30 June 2016 – Products arrived, delivered straight to my doorstep, no extra charges

According to their website, shipping via Air—the method I chose—takes 10-12 days. In my case it took about 15, maybe because I was located in Cebu but still, it wasn’t bad at all! Considering I didn’t have to pay any extra fees aside for the $11 I initially paid for the shipping costs ($5+ per lb, mine was 2lbs), my first experience with them was definitely a flaw-free and easy process. This kind of scares me because I can now buy things easily from the US and have it delivered to my house in a click of a mouse.

Here’s an initial quick review of the Glossier products I purchased, in case you’re interested? Stretch Concealer in Dark – love at first swipe! This is kind of concealer I’ve been looking for my whole liiiife! It’s super creamy and moves with your skin–just the way I like it. I thought it was a bit dark at first but then I swiped it beside my Maybelline Fit Me concealer and it was a tad bit lighter and just the perfect color for my skin. Cherry Balm Dotcom – I was excited for this because the original Balm Dotcom is my holy grail but I find the smell to be too overpowering sometimes. I love it for its slight tint. I hope I will get used to the smell soon. Mint Balm Dotcom – I love the smell. The mint is perfect and I love the cold tinge on my skin.

The Sunday Currently, v19

Published by Justine

This is going up quite early because I’m home on a Saturday x Sunday night! I’ve quite a lot going on for July so it’s a homebody weekend. The photo above correctly depicts my current position right now, lying on my stomach in bed in the dark, typing away on my MacBook.

WANTING
A new dog. It’s been exactly 4 years since Sushi died and she will forever be missed. Recently I’ve been getting that lingering feeling of having a pet and I think it’s time and that I am ready. I’m just looking for places where I can adopt or buy—whichever comes first. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and should be taken seriously so I’m not going to rush into it because it’s something that requires a lot of decision making and extreme thought. Also when we bought Sushi, she chose us and not the other way around, so unless I get the same vibes from our soon-to-be dog then I won’t haphazardly make any rash decisions.

LISTENING
All of GOT7’s hits from beginning to end. I’ve been so out of touch with all of K-pop in the past few years but I try to keep up with my (very few) favorites, and GOT7 is one of them.

WATCHING
I probably spent the whole day yesterday watching Edward Avila‘s videos on YouTube. I’ve been going back to watching a lot of 8 to 10 step Korean skin routine videos in hopes of getting inspiration in improving my own skincare routine. So far it’s not happening (yet) as I am still lazy as fuck. Of course, one video led to another and I suddenly I drowned myself in most of his videos. Sometimes I feel like male makeup vloggers tend to go overboard with their makeup and I’m not bout that life, not even with female vloggers, and Ed’s videos were just what I need from a male perspective. Straightforward, focusing on the base and brows which is exactly like me in my day to day life.

FEELING
Not sure. I’m definitely feeling broke, to be honest. My phone bill arrived last week and I have to pay more than double my monthly bill so that sucks. Blame roaming and being in two countries in a span of half a month. Oh well, that’s the price to pay! Other than that my abs are feeling pretty sore because last week has been all about the cores and planks.

LOVING
My Wet n Wild Vegan Brushes! They are pink and absolutely gorgeous, inexpensive and super great to use. WNW just restocked them on the website after being sold out for over half a year. Grab them if you can, they are definitely worth it and MORE. I have most of the face brushes: Contour, Flat Top, Large Stipple, Blush, and Powder Brush.

NEEDING
To shampoo my hair already. Saturday night at home made me do weird things like using up all of the hair products I own into my hair, including samples of past beauty boxes related to hair that I don’t use anymore and need throwing out. I have a mix of weird gunk from salt spray, hair masque, volumizing oil, pre-shampoo conditioner all mixed and I won’t be washing my hair until I wake up later in the day. I guess I’ll just have to sleep this off!

READING
I just finished reading Me Before You in hopes of catching the movie before it disappears but honestly it didn’t move me much. It kind of shocked me because I am the most emotional person but I didn’t even shed a single tear while reading the book. I prefer Jojo Moyes’ 2014 book One Plus One—oh I cried buckets while reading that one.

HOPING
For a smooth week ahead! Mom leaves for Jakarta for a month, I have a lot of errands to do because it’s the start of the month and I want to close things out as much as possible, and I’m going to Boracay next weekend! Definitely looking forward to that as it will be my first time.