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New Year, Clean System

Published by Justine

One of my goals (I don’t really say resolutions, see previous post) this year is to completely zero out my MacBook Pro and start from scratch. Everything that’s in there has been around for almost 8 years or so, since I bought my very first MacBook then bought my second one and did a Migration Assistant from the old one.

It’s been a long time coming, really. I hardly use the apps I used to hoard, I hardly listen to songs from my iTunes collection (hello, Spotify!) and the files that are inside are remnants of my sleepless nights in college writing countless essays and reports and marketing research and the likes. Needless to say, stuff that I’ve grown out of. I have a separate hard drive for my movies, tv shows, documents and photos, so I dumped everything in its rightful drive and proceeded to do a clean install. It was a very productive Saturday in, and it felt good.

Now that it’s back, I’ve listed out some of the things I’m going to do to preserve the life of this little buddy of mine.

1. Will not re-download iPhoto anymore. I have a hate-hate relationship with this app. For me it doesn’t serve its purpose because I really like sorting my photos manually and I feel like no matter how many times I select the option to NOT duplicate my photos, it still does.

2. Will re-upload files that are from 2012 and up only (not including music). I have some stuff that dates back to 2005 and I feel like it should stay in storage, where it belongs.

3. I’m still debating on whether I will be re-uploading my awesome and metadata-clean music collection or keep iTunes as clean as new. I think I’m fine with Spotify for now so I don’t think I will. Maybe with the exception of a couple of Taylor Swift and K-pop favorites.

4. There are some apps that I use daily and love and actually purchased, but are now discontinued (CoverSutra and Reeder to name a few). They were still inside my Applications folder so there’s no point in re-downloading them anymore. Time to part with the ones that are gone.

5. Thanks to Microsoft Office online and Office for iOS, I think I will wait until the 2015 version of MS Office. This may make me use Numbers, Pages and Keynote more!

Point is, it’s time to simplify, simplify, simplify! It’s gotta start somewhere and knowing how much of a procrastinator I am I decided to do it STAT. I hope this means better life for my MBP. Next step, social media purging? I did a few of it last year so this year I’m going to make sure I just keep the ones that I actually use. Here’s to a simple 2015!

On Holidays and Goals

Published by Justine

The year is coming to a close and before I leave for my much needed Christmas holiday I’d like to take the time out to write a little in this blog.

It’s been a while since I’ve learned to write for myself in this little avenue of mine. I certainly still do it with the thought of people actually reading it (although not as much as before) but I really have learned to keep writing and writing even though I don’t do it as often. It’s the reason why I still have the blog, so I can still write, because God knows much writing I get to do in the “outside” world that doesn’t involve work emails, tweets and product proposals.

In 2015 I won’t make a resolution, instead I will create a journey. A journey that will hopefully lead me to positive things in my life. I haven’t really formulated a plan, but I will list out the things that I have started on before the year has started, and hopefully this will continue to grow for the betterment of myself. The most important things are:

1) Financial (started!)
2) Health
3) Mental health
4) Eliminate most negativity
5) Love life

Notice how love life is the last? I didn’t even begin to worry or think about it until I’ve been feeling the pressure from friends and family this year. I’m not doing it because of their pressure but I’m doing it to take some pressure off me because pressure from the outside means pressure from within as well. I know people want the best for me so the least I can do is try in that department, right?

I don’t hope to achieve everything by 2015 but I want to make sure I get started. I want to make better choices to create lesser (better if none) regrets as I grow older. I think that should be a good goal in itself, right?

Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy the rest of the year with loved ones! 🙂

Things I Love Thursday, #5

Published by Justine

Can you believe it’s been 3 years since my last TILT? 2011! Well then, let’s proceed!

1. LORAC Pro 2 Palette, about $42

 

I got mine last weekend and I have been using it every single day since. My first major palette was the LORAC Stylist (Naked, what?) so it made perfect sense to me that I would purchase the LORAC Pro 2. It seems like US-based beauty bloggers prefer the original LORAC Pro to this one, but I feel like I can do more looks with this 2nd one and it also looks friendlier to my skin tone. I’m excited for my journey with this palette!

2. NARS Audacious in Vivien, about $32

As much as I want to include so many other beauty-related things (ahem, Real Techniques Nic’s Picks set, ahem).. I promised I wouldn’t make this list makeup-centric so this will be the last beauty item! I bought this sometime last month and if only I had lesser things to pay for I would definitely get me more of these. Imagine, there are about 40 colors in this line and at almost Php1800 per lipstick, it’s not exactly impulse buy friendly. But I love it so much and it could be the best lipstick I own. I seriously thought I was happy with my MACs. The forumla is amazing, the application is great and the color is so damn pretty. I am also happy I chose Viviene among all the others colors. It’s great for every day wear but it’s also wearable for special occasions.

3. GrabTaxi Promos in Cebu

GrabTaxi has been around in Cebu since early this year but it’s only now that we’re being spoiled by promos. Last month was the -P100 fare and now until the 21st of December they’re currently offering -P50 fare which still isn’t bad. It’s so useful and I save a lot of money. It’s also so much safer to go home because my work schedule ends at exactly midnight!

4. Sims FreePlay

I have been playing this game nonstop on my iPad Mini for about 3 weeks now. It looks so good on the retina versions, compared to when I played it on my old iPhone a couple of years ago that I ended up uninstalling it. I’ve even resorted to spending money on LPs and Simoleons. Help! There are no cheats for this damn thing and there are times I just get too impatient that I end up reducing App Store credits.

5. Roommate Season 2

Roommate is a Korean variety show where they house different celebrities from different industries and age groups, put them in one big amazing house and let them do challenges. It’s sort of like a wholesome family friendly version of Celebrity Big Brother minus the Big Brother aspect and being quarantined in a house 24/7. The celebrities still go to work or whatever activities they need to do but they must go home to this house. Cameras also get to follow them when they go to the supermarket or buy things for the house. It’s so much fun! I’ve only gotten into it with Season 2 and I have been loving the new cast and the activities they do. I might be out of touch with Korean entertainment lately, but Roommate is awesome.

Year Ender

Published by Justine

And just like that, it’s December once again. When in the Philippines, it’s a month of Christmas parties, crazy traffic and panic buying. I don’t think I’ll ever get fully used to this culture. Filipinos are so rich when it’s Christmas season and the next thing you know it’s January again and people are back on the grind, working hard for the next holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all of it.. but having grown up in a country where Christmas is just a holiday, I still get somewhat surprised and ultimately overwhelmed.

The good news is, I’m traveling this Christmas and going back “home” to Jakarta! Funny how things are the other way around now, I used to get so excited about coming home to Cebu during the holiday season. I thought 2014 was going to be the first year I don’t get to travel abroad after a long time, but this Christmas trip saved it. I am one lucky daughter.

I usually try to do a “looking back” entry at the end of the year but I don’t know if I can actually enumerate memories anymore because everything’s gone by so fast. A lot of things happened not only to me, but also to the people around me.

My best friends coming to Cebu for my birthday week was definitely a major highlight, probably for the most part of my life. A good friend also recently gave birth and it’s all so surreal to me, too surreal (!!!!), plus my addiction to makeup is still going on.

I am looking forward to starting the new year but I do admit to be kind of worried. Is the pressure of being in my late 20s getting to me, or is this what they call the quarter life crisis? I thought they made up those feelings to mask being old and irresponsible but now that I am at this age, holy fuck IT IS REAL. Okay this is turning out to be more intense than what I planned.

If ever I don’t get to write here anymore, to you, a Happy Holidays!

40 Questions: A Skincare + Makeup Questionnaire, pt. 2

Published by Justine

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I did one of these last year, and I’m pretty sure a lot has changed in a span of one year and 3 months, so here’s one to close the year out! Unfortunately for my pockets, makeup still continues to be pretty much my main obsession when I thought it would have already died down. Anyway, I found this “questionnaire” on a random blog I came across while googling reviews on lip scrubs.. here goes!

1) How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice a day.. more depending on the weather.

2) What skin type do you have?
Combination. I have really oily T-zone area, but really dry lower cheeks near my jaws. It’s annoying.

3) What is your current facial wash?
Pond’s White Beauty Lightening Facial Foam. Not because it’s lightening, but it’s truly the ONLY facial wash that’s really good to my skin. I try and switch it up sometimes, recently Neutrogena, but nothing ever compares to what Pond’s does for my skin.

4) Do you exfoliate?
Not often. My face gets irritated easily so I only do it when I feel like I really need to.

5) What brand do you use?
Whatever I see lying around, hah.

6) What moisturizer do you use?
theBalm Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer and/or Muji Moisturising Milk in High Moisture.

7) Do you have freckles?
I don’t.

8) Do you use eye cream?
I want to! Still looking for good brands to try. So far I’ve tried Benefit, Clinique, and The Body Shop.. but they haven’t given me the exact results I wanted. Looking into trying Kiehl’s, especially this one.

9) Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Very much so. I had such bad acne during my teenage years.

10) Did you ever have to use Pro-Activ?
Yes! I definitely had a Pro-Activ phase in my life.

11) What foundation do you use?
Up to now I still do not use foundation, because I feel like the weather here is going to make my face look all cakey with it.

12) How about concealer?
I switch it up between Etude House Surprise Essence Concealer because it’s inexpensive and does the job right, The Body Shop Stick Concealer in 04, or the Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen.

13) Do you know your undertone colour?
I fall under cool undertone because my veins are mostly blue.

14) What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I use it to give out a more dramatic look but not all the time.

15) Did you know you were supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes.

16) What brand of mascara do you use?
Volum’ Express HyperCurl and the Rocket Volum’ Express are my favorites from Maybelline which I think makes really great mascaras for its price, but I’ve been using the LORAC Cobra Mascara a lot lately.

17) Sephora or MAC?
What is this even? Well I love the Sephora store but makeup line-wise it’s definitely MAC.

18) Do you have a MAC Pro card?
Nope.

19) What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?
90% of my brushes are from Real Techniques because I don’t think I need anything more, and a shitload of eyebrow brushes I buy from here and there. It never ends!

20) Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?
Yes. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer which is the best eye primer in the face of the earth.

21) For the face?
Not anymore.

22) What is your favorite eyeshadow? Colour or shade?
Anything LORAC (I love love love the LORAC Stylist Palette plus I have a couple of singles), and the Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio. Don’t have a particular shade that I love but I lean towards frosty neutrals like brown, mauve, or pink.

23) Do you use pencil or liquid liner?
I use gel or pen liner.

24) How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Not often, surprisingly.

25) What do you think of pigment eye shadows?
I would think they’d be a bitch to handle.

26) Do you use mineral makeup?
I actually want to.

27) What is your favorite lipstick?
Now THIS is a question! Right now it’s NARS Audacious in Vivien, NARS Sheer Lipstick in Vendanges, LORAC Lip Luxe in Orchid, and my trusty Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in 225 Sultry and MAC Russian Red among many others! I also really love Rimmel’s Kate Moss lipstick line (also in matte). Such great colors.

28) How about lipgloss?
Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish because it’s so cold on the lips!

29) What is your favorite blush to use?
MAC Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby and NARS Orgasm. Nuff said.

30) Do you buy your makeup on Ebay?
Nope, and I have no plans to for now.

31) Do you like drugstore makeup?
I love drugstore makeup! Such good choices out there.

32) Do you go to CCO’s? Cosmetic Company Outlet?
Hmmm.. no idea what this is. *Googles*

33) Did you ever consider taking makeup classes?
I did. I was supposed to join one a month ago but couldn’t make it because of out of town plans.

34) Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
I’m really bad with liquid eyeliners, that’s why I almost never use it and stick with gel or pen liners instead.

35) Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Overly done brows and overly concealed under eye. I just think it’s super unnatural.

36) Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick or eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I gravitate more to neutral tones, as much as I love colorful shades.

37) Which celebrity always has great makeup?
The Kardashians/Jenners and Jessica Alba.

38) If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use?
EYEBROWS. Simple.

39) Could you leave the house without any makeup on?
I can leave the house without any base on or or absolutely nothing, but I NEED to have my brows. Please.

40) Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
Yes, as long as I have visible brows, because the hindrance here are my brows, they are nonexistent. So I must make sure that they exist and this is done with the help of makeup. For other things, I actually do not mind not having any on.

41) In your opinion what is the BEST makeup line?
MAC, NARS, Revlon, The Body Shop. I just think these are really solid makeup brands that don’t require much thought when people want to buy products from them. They’re not that high end to the point of being too expensive, and they’re not low end either.

I think it all boils down to trust and following. Also, NARS and TBS does not test on animals, though I think Revlon does, and recently MAC has because they’re available in China and any makeup or skincare that’s being sold there requires animal testing. Sadly.

42) What do you think of makeup?
I think it’s a great away to enhance beauty as long as it’s not overdone. It’s also a good way to change up looks to suit either the occasion, the outfit, the situation, or even the weather.