Floral Shoes for $2.99

Today I'm linking up with Ms. Genni's Great Finds Sunday and here I am sharing with you my awesome find yesterday. My sister and I were at SuperTarget yesterday to do some last minute shopping before she heads back to Maryland. Like the usual, the first thing I would always do is check out the store's Clearance rack and I must say it's a fun way to shop and find better deals.

I was looking for some sandals for myself when I saw this yellow floral shoes laying around with the grown-up shoes...which only costs $2.99! I couldn't help myself but to grab it right away. Who wouldn't fall in love with this? If you have a daughter and you want her to look more girly, these shoes are so perfect. Good thing the size was just what she needed and it's also great for the coming autumn season.

Linking with :

xox

Sissy in Town

Today is my sister’s flight back to Maryland and it’s a sad day because I’ll definitely miss her company. It was fun having her here and I have always enjoyed going shopping with her even before. Whether it’s a shopping spree or just plain window shopping, we both loved doing it together. 

We had a very long day of shopping yesterday since we know it’s going to take months or even years before we could spend time together again. While she had her shopping extravaganza, I just took some few stuff for myself which I will be sharing it with you on my next post.

Fun times with sissy! (Notice the pattern of my pose on each photos, lol!) We walked tirelessly around Country Club Plaza and not fearing the scorching heat of the sun. We took her to Jack Stack Barbeque for her first best Bbq experience here in KS. Even though there's more best bbq places in the city, we didn't get the chance to try them out anymore due to lack of time.

I can’t believe how time really rockets. I’m just glad there’s plenty of ways to communicate with loved ones nowadays. Skype has always been a great measure of getting in touch with my family but other than that there’s been facebook who never misses entertaining me with MyEmoticons facebook chatemoticons. The YM’s and their comical smileys were old and still considerably loved. But anyway, I’m just glad my sis finally visited us and she at the same time had fun being around her really witty niece (my daughter). 'Till next time, sissy! :)

GLAMOUR + BIRCHBOX : July 2012

I was surprised to receive a package from Birchbox this Monday because I know I never subscribed to them. But later I realized that I am expected to be receiving a July 2012 issue of the Birchbox because I won the Glamour + Birchbox Sweepstakes! I joined Glamour's sweepstakes a month ago but for some reason, I forgot about it and I had to check my email again just to confirm if it’s real.

My email confirmation.. teehee! :)

 

For those who don’t know what Birchbox is, it is a monthly subscription program not only for women but also for men.  You will be receiving trial-sized samples from well-known brands as well as up-and-coming new products. I’m not sure how much it really costs to subscribe but I believe you can start from as low as $10. If you love to try new products without spending on full-sized ones yet, then this is the smart way to do it. 

I am so happy with everything that I got in the box. I did check online for other ladies out there who are subscribed to them and I found out that they pretty much got the same stuff but not exactly the same as mine. The most favorite thing I received was the Oscar de la Renta perfume. I’ve been eyeing on this one for a long time now because I heard that this one smells terrific. Even a tad smear on the neck makes the awesome smell last all day… I can’t believe it!

Here are the products in my box: (All info based on the card attached)

AHAVA | Purifying Mud Mask 

  

Thick with Dead Sea mud and Kaolin white clay, 

this fast-acting mask detoxifies skin in the amount of time

 it takes to catch a commercial break. Full-size, $30

LAURA GELLER |Doubled Dipped Lipstick in Caribbean Kiss

 

This double-sided lipstick makes it easy to switch 

between (or layer) two golden pink pigments. Full-size, $17.50

MANNA KADAR | Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion

This illuminating liquid gives you 

complexion a supermodel-like sheen. 

Mix it with your foundation, 

or apply as a highlighter. Full-size, $29

OSCAR de la RENTA | Live in Love

This elegant floral layers notes of hyacinth
and orchid over a rich base of sandalwood
and cedar. Full-size, $25-78

LIFESTYLE EXTRA

BIRCHBOX EXCLUSIVE | Earbuds

"We designed these neon headphones just for you.
Pair them with your best playlist." -Glamour & Birchbox

FTC: This post is not sponsored. 

The Best Heat Protector for My Hair

Heat styling is one the most popular ways to create a great hairstyle and flawless tresses. I often turn to heat styling to straighten and shape my hair but high-temperature treatments with the use of hot tools can leave your hair frayed, brittle and super dry. When flat irons were first released, I was one of the many who got crazy about it. Although I don’t frequently use it, I never used anything to protect my hair from the heat.

It is just recently when I found out that I should never heat style without using a heat protector. Heat protectors help prevent damages caused by heat and at the same time keeps the hair healthy and smooth. But with so many heat styling protector products in the market today, it’s a hit or miss in finding the best one for you.

The most recent and the best one I’ve tried so far is the PANTENE Heat Protector for Normal to Thick Hair. I love how easy it is to apply on my hair because of its spray bottle aspect. The consistency is also a bit watery which works great for better distribution on my hair. I’m always happy with the healthy-looking finish it gives my hair plus the smell is amazing! But frankly speaking, there’s no evident result of lustrous shine but overall I’m still satisfied with it. 

GOT2B Crazy Sleek is the first flat iron and blow dry lotion I have tried. It provides heat protection and also delivers long-lasting and smooth hair that resist curling. The texture of the product is somewhat like a gel with faint white color. It has a bit of citrusy scent to it but even if it has a spray type bottle, I still had to use my hands to distribute the product all over my hair. 

CHI (Cationic Hydration Interlink) Silk Infusion has silk reconstructing complex and used as leave in before proceeding styling. I’ve heard so many good things about this brand which led me into buying one for myself too. It does make your hair silky but I am disgruntled with the smell. Imagine spraying a men’s cologne all over your hair and the smell settled there until you finally washed them off in the shower. Not a fan of that at all!

Last brand is the FANTASIA Hair Polisher Heat Protector Serum. This is one of my oldest heat protectors and the least used. It is said to straighten, shine, and protect hair from damaging caused by heat styling tools. The product is enriched with Silicone, Aloe, Vitamin E and Sunscreen and it is in oil form. But if you hate the greasy feeling, this is not for you. The moment you apply it, you can already feel the greasy mess on your hands and more on your hair. And that explains why this brand is being less used. I think this thing is going to be in the trash soon which I’m pretty sure it’s expired by now.

Basically, I'm only using the Pantene brand now and I'm definitely recommending it to everyone. I believe they sell it for other hair types as well. Do you have a favorite heat protector too? I would love to hear about it and maybe try it sometime. :)

Linking up with:

FTC: All products are purchased by yours truly. I am not affiliated with these companies and not paid to write this review.  These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

When to Change Your Face Soap

(Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Facial soaps have expiration too. However, according to FDA, cosmetics do not necessarily require by law to have expiration dates. While cosmetics nowadays are labeled with expiration dates on their containers, those are just guidelines to indicate when a certain product may substantially deteriorate its effectiveness and lose its power to fight bacteria especially if stored incorrectly. 

Believe it or not, I personally experienced disposing my favorite facial wash even though it’s still half empty. My holy grail facial cleanser has turned into something I had dreaded using. I have been using the same facial cleanser for more than a year now and for some reason I’m starting to break out and get rough and itchy spots on some parts of my face. I haven’t used anything else which brings me to a conclusion that facial soaps do expire and that the soap I was once in love with has sadly gone bad. 

Referring to FDA’s account will somehow give you a point of relief, but nonetheless there’s nothing wrong to be watchful for the things you use on your skin. Facial wash or cosmetics, I believe are the same thing. So here are the signs to look out for: 

Appearance – the change of liquid contents, whether they have already separated, discolored, clumpy or dried up, will obviously give you an idea that it is time to dump it in the trash. And you can definitely tell the difference since you are using the same product for a while. 

Odor – I know most of the facial soaps have either strong and perfumy scent or no scent at all. But if it starts to smell bad or if you think the scent changed dissimilar when you first started using it…send it straight to the trash. 

Feel – If a product feels different once you apply it and it’s not working just like how it used to, say, the soap is bubbly before but now it’s just plain gooey and slimy.

Reaction – Take my experience, all three signs I’ve mentioned above are negative but then after using my soap for quite some time now, I started getting bad reactions on my skin. I got red rashes on my face, sort of like dry patches and sporadically itchy. No other reason why it’s happening but I’m certain it’s from the old soap. So, without any hesitation, I knew I had to get myself a new one. 

H&M and F21 Nail Polish Mini Haul

My sister was in town for the weekend to visit me and also see the beautiful city of the fountains for the first time. A shopping aficionado like me, her first request was to go shopping at the crown center plaza. I will share more of our escapade in a separate post but right now I'm going to show you just a few of what I bought nails-wise.

I always enjoy getting in line for checkout just because there's so much cute stuff displayed along the waiting area screaming "buy me!".

I got a Purple Nail polish for $2.80 from Forever21. I also bought some from H&M too. The trio set nail polishes are worth $5.95 which includes nude, gold glitter and copper colors. My favorite among all the colors I got is the Fantasy Ocean from H&M which I believe is only $3. Its like blue-green with really fine gold shimmers in it. The polishes I picked are so pretty I can't ignore them!

They have more colors that I really want to try but I'm going to have to wait and relax because It's something I don't usually go gaga with.

I'm liking up with:

My Friend’s Autumn Wedding

 

Betty and Robert’s Wedding – November 2011

I’ve always dreamed about simple but graceful wedding of my own with only few guests from family to really close friends. Fewer guests mean especially solemn ceremony…by the beach! With all the bridesmaid dresses beautifully complementing my gown and the groomsmen’s garb were also harmoniously put together. There will be ocean blue and aquatic hues all over the reception and pearls from center tables to the cake patterns. It;s a dream I'm sure someday will be a reality.

I know it’s been a while now but I’m sure it’s never too late to share my dear friends Betty and Robert’s wedding affair. It has been almost a year now when the event took place and I’m pleased to say that I’m glad my family and I made it to their special day. Weddings are such an exceptional occasion you wouldn’t want to miss especially if it is your very special friend even if it takes us to fly out to their City. I cried when she started walking down the aisle but I had to hide it from my hubby before he thinks I’m too melodramatic. 

I’m so proud of Betty for preparing mostly everything by herself with of course some help from family and friends. But it’s amazing how she managed to do all of it without even hiring a wedding coordinator. I guess that is only possible if you aren’t busy with anything else. The couple wanted my daughter to be their flower girl too but since she is not used to be around with lots of guests especially new faces, I declined just because I don’t want to cause any delay during the march if she wouldn’t want to walk  and do her thing. 

You can check out my complete outfit of that day here. It started getting really cold that time of the year which is why the ceremony and reception was held in the same indoor location. 

The bride's mom, Kara and I after the ceremony. Her family has become really good friends of ours since our stay in CA.

Dancing the night away... <3

The Tebelin Siblings with the groom and us! :) As always, the little one is busy with something.

 I had fun during the wedding and was glad I got to be with them again. My family flew back to KS the very next day and I missed Betty already. I can't wait to come visit her and her family again.

$1 Hot Oil Treatment

Who among you love’s to take a trip to the dollar store? I do! I specifically go to the Dollar Tree and boy they have all kinds of stuff! I always find myself amused seeing all the stuff they sell for only a dollar $1. It's where I buy most of my daughter’s drawing stuff and some toys that I know she’d be tearing up easily even if it is expensively bought. I was at the store few weeks ago and I came across to this Hot Oil Treatment which of course…just a dollar! I grabbed two of it and I was so eager to try them. 

Have you ever felt so hot lately? It’s getting really hot and humid here in the Midwest and our a/c’s kicking it all day. And with that, my scalp has started becoming flaky and too dry. I was hoping that the cheap hot oil that I bought would work. Surprisingly it did! Each box comes with two plastic tubes and it only needs to be immersed in tap hot water for a minute. I massaged it on my scalp and didn't bother putting some on the rest of my hair because I’m pretty sure this cute tube wouldn’t be enough for my super thick and long hair. It only a few days though.

After applying it on my scalp, I waited for a minute then jumped in the shower afterwards. My head felt good after the shower and it never felt so greasy at all. The product is decent enough to work that good considering that it is only $1. Have you ever seen or tried this before? Let me know… :) 

FTC: Post not sponsored.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment/Concealer Review

Price range from $7.00-$10.00. First off, let me tell you what this is. It is a concealer that also treats under-eye problems such as dark circles, puffiness and fine lines. It is formulated with Goji Berry and Haloxyl that helps with the treatment and also instantly creates a radiant and fresh looking eye area. It comes in Fair, Honey, Light and Medium shades, a brightener shade which acts as a highlighter, and Neutralizer shade for extreme dark circles which should be applied underneath your concealer shade. The bottle has a unique dome type sponge micro-corrector applicator.

I know it’s been out in a while now and I know I don’t really need it but after hearing all the hype about it I just wanted to give this a try. After all, it is still a concealer and I think I need one :). I never had dark circles under my eye (maybe a tad darker than my skin) for my entire existence but I can never hide the fact that puffiness has always considered me as its best friend. It’s always been there and the truth of the matter is…It never bothered me. Not a single time! I may have gotten used to it being always in my face and I guess it’s not that bad. 

I bought this concealer basically for my puffy eyes and also to help prevent having fine lines. I’m not sure if it actually works but I’ll definitely let you know if it did. It’s only been like 3 weeks since I had this and I barely even used it. 

I made sure my eyes were tired (lol) before taking a photo of them.

The shade that I got is in Medium (30) and I think it is a good match on my skin. For reference, I am using NC35-37 on Mac cosmetics and #310 Warm golden for Revlon Colorstay. To use it, make sure to turn the collar of the applicator in the direction of arrows imprinted on it and wait till the product is visible on the sponge. Apply it directly to the under eye area and blend. Using my fingers works perfectly as it blends on my skin so naturally. I couldn’t really say if it’s pigmented because I don’t have dark under-eyes but it does brighten and reduces the puffiness around my eyes.

As for the formula, I would say it is creamy and blends easily. It is super light on my skin; I can’t even tell it was there. I like it but I can’t say I’m loving it….yet! Nevertheless, I’d still recommend it to everyone. It worked okay with me but please be aware that it will possibly not work for others particularly to those who are sensitive and very picky.  

FTC: Post not sponsored.