Brush Up!

If you are an amateur with makeup (like me), these tool tips from Beauty Heaven will definitely come in handy when you are trying get your gear together for a good makeup kit.

Top tool #1: Eyelash curlers
All of our resident experts said eyelash curlers, eyelash curlers, eyelash curlers! One even swore blind that they boosted the effect of mascara by at least 50 per cent. So only slightly important for creating that lush lash look.

beautyheaven loves: Ardell Heated Eyelash Curler

Top tool #2: Foundation brush
For flawless foundation, always apply with a brush. It’s a make-up must-have for the experts.

beautyheaven loves: Red Earth Foundation Brush

Top tool #3: Eye brush
Wondering why your smoky eye is more Rocky Horror than smokin’ hot? It’s probably because you’re using the little applicators that come with the compact (perfect for a touch-up but not the real deal). Start blending with a good quality brush and you’ll be amazed at the difference. We promise.

beautyheaven loves: Clinique Eye Shadow Brush

Top tool #4: Brow brush
Brows frame the face. Fact. And if you can’t quite get to the brow bar (or face a pluck), a quick brush of your brows will leave you good as new in no time. Just don’t go getting obsessed. It’s not like we are. Not at all.

beautyheaven loves: Serge Louis Alvarez Eyebrow Brush P2

Top tool #5: Big bronzer brush
The bigger the better according to make-up guru Yolanda Lukowski. That way, you get a more natural coverage. Her top tip? “You want to sweep it over the face, not on concentrated areas, also dust quickly over your decolletage and shoulders too.”

beautyheaven loves: Bloom Retractable Bronzer Brush

Top tool #6: Nail file
Ladies don’t bite. They don’t tear either. So make sure you always have an emery board to hand – we love them; there’s a gorgeously old Hollywood glamour feel about filing your nails. Wouldn’t granny be proud!

beautyheaven loves: Fing'rs 2 Black Files

Top tool #7: Toothbrush
You can tell a lot about a girl by her shoes and her smile. Snap up a battery operated one (plonked right between electric and manual pricewise) and dazzle everyone with your pearly whites.

beautyheaven loves: Spinbrush Pro Clean – Medium Brush

Top tool #8: Tweezers
As make-up pro Elsa Morgan says, “polished brows give a lovely lift to a face at any age.” Slanty, pointy, the choice is yours. Of course, if you’re indecisive – like us – you’re best bet is to go for dual-ended.

beautyheaven loves: Manicare 2 in 1 Tweezers

Top tool #9: Rosewater
Hair and make-up artist Nicole Groch swears by rosewater. According to the pro, it’s great over and under make-up as it refreshes, restores, tones and hydrates the skin. All together now: good skin = good make-up.

beautyheaven loves: Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

Top tool #10: Clean hands
Your hands are your best tool – as Yolanda says, “you can do anything with 10 fingers to blend make-up with!” But always keep them clean: grubby grime and bountiful bacteria are never going to be the shades of the season.

beautyheaven loves: Dettol Healthy Touch Moisture Liquid Hand Wash

I have 4 out of 10, so I guess I better do a bit more shopping to complete the set. Not that I am complaining eh? LOL.

More on Driving

Speaking of driving, J took me out for my first official driving lesson in two years. The last one I got from him was before I was even pregnant with our daughter, so you can imagine my anxiety before we took off. I was all tense and nervous, and my hands hurt while grabbing on to the steering wheel. But when we were driving towards Tharwa bridge, the "rural-ness" of the place seemed to calmed my nerves. I did not realise that we lived just near such rural areas, and the scenery was just awesome. There were no houses in site, just animals grazing on the vast land. I think we would have needed a mobile router had we used our phones in that area. I regret for not taking my camera along. It would have been awesome taking those beautiful landscape shots.

Oh, and I digress. After 40 minutes of driving around using a stick shift within our suburb and nearby rural area, J gave me a 6 out of 10. I hope next time I can score a bit higher. :)

Driving Quiz

What Your Driving Says About You

You are generally an easy going, laid back person. However, you can't help but feel a little jealous and competitive sometimes! You are always increasing your awareness of the world around you. You are a life long learner. You are a very fair person. You treat everyone equally, even when it's difficult to do. You are a calm, peaceful person. You realize that arguments are only temporary, and you try to give people the benefit of the doubt. You have mixed feelings about authority figures. You understand their place, but you believe their power needs to be in check. You are somewhat focused, but you are also a bit scatterbrained. Distractions can get you in trouble. You are a very responsible and conscientious person. You often consider the feelings and needs of others. Your ego is normally in check, but sometimes you get a bit egotistical. You tend to be a little self-important at times.

What Does Your Driving Say About You?

Break Needed

I was raring to check out those Outer Banks rentals, because I would have wanted to go somewhere out of town during the long Christmas break. A change of scenery would have been nice but some family members from Melbourne will be coming up to see us during the holidays, so I guess that holiday escape is out of the question. I hope we get another chance to go on holidays before the year ends. I reckon we deserve a break from all the hustle and bustle from time to time.

Ambivalent

Gosh, this financial crises sure is a major one. The exchange rates has surprised me because my stint in paid blogging allows me to change my earnings to the Aussie Dollar and the difference is sometimes really huge! Personally, it is a good thing because I get paid more, but J reckons it isn't a great thing for the economy. Well, I believe him, as he has worked in Finance before and he knows what he's talking about. These are trying times indeed.

Gift Ideas

Can you believe October is almost over? Christmas is just around the corner, and I have yet to make plans for the holidays. One of the more important concerns are the gifts for our family and friends. I am particularly in charge of that, especially since J is not much of a shopper. It still remains to be a challenge when coming up with ideas of what to give the kids. While I would want to give them something educational or long lasting, and would want to refrain from giving toys (like an rc helicopter for the little boys), it breaks my heart to see their disappointed faces when they get something as boring as clothes. Their faces do light up when they receive a new toy, and sometimes that's just all you want to see. Ah yes, another dilemma for me to deal with.

PBF Raffle Deadline Extended!

Here's a new announcement I made regarding the raffle that's ongoing at Pinay Bloggers' Forum.

I’ve been really busy these past few weeks that I have not really had time to go around informing more people about the raffle going on at PBF. As such, I am extending the deadline of submission of entries to the 29th of November (11 PM Phil Time). You heard it right. That is a full months’ extension so that more Pinay Bloggers can join. Announcement of the winner will be at 8PM (Phil Time) on the 30th of November, Sunday, which also happens to be Bonifacio Day in the Philippines. This will be the first and last extension for this round. For those still not in the know about the contest mechanics, please click here.

Birthday Reminder

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday. Well, actually it's her twin and her birthday. They will be turning 2 decades old, which makes me feel really old. I can't believe how time flies. I can still remember when I was just 12, and I was helping my mom taking care of them. And now, they're all grown up, graduating from college in a few months' time.

I was thinking of giving them a magnetic bracelet each, but finally decided to just give them some cash. They love shopping online, so I reckon, the flexibility will allow them to get whatever they want for themselves. I hope they get something really nice, and they better show them to me! LOL.

Slow Poke

You Are 40% Hyper

You aren't exactly hyper, but no one would accuse you of being lazy either. You have enough drive to get everything done - with energy to spare. You don't get overly worked up or rushed. You'll happily take your time. And you definitely enjoy your down time. You can only be hyper for so long. Unlike more hyper types, you don't have a ton of interests and friends. You prefer concentrating on what matters to spreading yourself too thin.

How Hyper Are You?

Yeah, I can be a bit sloooooow. LOL. J, of all people, would know that for a fact. :)

The Things That Parents Do

Living in the technology age has its advantages and disadvantages. The Internet has certainly has its perks, but of course, as with everyday normal life, there will always be bad elements out there. The WWW is a good tool, of course, if used responsibly. It is so much a part of my life, and I am sure it will also be the same for the future generation, if not more. The little girl may be far too young now to enjoy the benefits of having an internet connection. But when she is old enough, I reckon I will become the paranoid mom every mom becomes when they see their kids chatting and surfing online. I am afraid I may have to use a keylogger just to monitor her daily logs. It's not really something I would want to resort to, but, hey, a parent's got to do what she's got to do!

Still on L'Oreal

This is the newest addition to my makeup stash -- L'Oreal's Touche Magique Concealer. It's not a really a newly released product by L'Oreal, but I have been seeing it so much on eBay and have read great reviews on it, that I decided to check it out myself. And I am glad I did! I oftentimes get really dark circles under the eyes, and I have been on the look-out for a good concealer that'll help cover them up. Touche Magique works for me, and it certainly brightens my eyes even more. I just love the over-all effect, when I lay a decent amount of mineral foundation on top of it. It definitely gave my skin a smooth flawless finish! :)

Skin Concerns

I have been lucky enough not to have acne or major breakouts ever since I could remember. My only skin problem is moisture as it tends to get really dry in the cold months. It was a good thing I was able to consult a dermatologist back home and was able to get relief from the itchy red skin I has having from too much dryness. My basic essentials supply is starting to run low now, and am really thinking of having them shipped from the Philippines to me here, as I could not find any similar product here. Ah yes, the things we do for beauty! :P

Shameless Plug: Scrappy Freebies

Scrappy Freebies is the most recent blog I have created. It features a collection of select digital scrapbooking freebies found on the net. I am only showcasing those that appeal to me, hence the word select. If you are a digiscrapper and love freebies as much as I do, I hope you can head over to Scrappy Freebies. And while you are there, don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you can be updated everytime I post a new lead on a great freebie.

Party Socials

We've been attending birthdays almost everyday of this week. There are lots of October celebrants, and in our family alone we have 6! Imagine that! Gosh, it felt like Christmas as we came with a big bag of presents for all of them. Hehe. And yes, as with all parties, the food was overflowing. There goes my exercise regime, which really tempts me to take a peek at the latest diet pill reviews. I know they're the easy way out. But I am not about to give in just yet. :P

Busy, Busy

I've only little time to spare today. My sister-in-law's husband will be getting the surprise of his life later tonight as she prepared this surprise birthday dinner for him. He's just turned 50, a big milestone, in this day and age. And as part of the celebration, my SIL has tasked us to prepare a photo slideshow as a tribute to him, and a little layout that we can use as a sort of screensaver while the party is going on. It's rare that I digiscrap, but I reckon this called for one from me. Here's a simple layout that I did. I sure hope they like it! *fingers crossed*

Living the Dream

A former co-worker of mine is packing her bags and making the move to the Big Apple. I reckon it won't be an easy task, but it's a long time dream for her to finally be able to live and work there so I guess it's all worth the hard work. She'll probably need a good New York Moving Company to help her with her stuff, but more importantly, she's lucky that one of our friends is also based there to help her settle in fast. It looks like all is working out for her and I am happy that's she's finally going to live the American dream.

Getting the Chills

Gosh, I can't believe this weather. Recently, we've been having very windy days. It's been very nippy, and what better time to occur when our heating system is busted, hey? Really crappy I tell you. So, it's a good thing we have our column heaters on stand by. Otherwise, I would not know how we could have coped with the cold. It's like freezing winter all over again in October. I hope the weather improves the next couple of days, at least until we get the heat back on.

Makeover Dreams

I am in constant search for the perfect living space design. Since getting our own home, it has something that has been a passion of mine, like investing in renovations that will certainly increase the value of our home. On my list are getting new blinds, new carpet for the bedrooms, timber flooring for the lounge, new sofa and storage space, probably getting home theater lighting as well, and yes repainting the entire house for a fresher new look. There's lots really to do. Now, it is all a question of money. That, of course, is a different problem to deal with. :P

Monday?!?

You Are Monday

Like this day of the week, you are ruled by the moon. More than anything, you are flexible. You are moody and impressionable. You are easily influenced by the world around you. And while you can be temperamental, you eventually adjust. While Mondays tend to be the hardest day for people, you don't mind getting back to regular life. You're the one waking up early and making the coffee while everyone else complains.

What Day of the Week Are You?

Gosh, I can't believe I am a Monday. When I used to work, I didn't like Mondays at all. This time though, staying at home, I have no weekend to speak of, as everyday is a work day, and am especially busy on the weekends when hubby is home.

Tube Schmoob

I am getting frustrated with our TV in the master's bedroom. The TV, I reckon is perfectly fine. It's the reception I am very irritated about because even with a set top box (yes, our set's not yet HD), it can only manage to get a few channels on the screen. Practically, the set is useless as we don't get to watch anything much on it, which leads me sometimes into thinking of just getting a high definition LCD type. There are probably good tv deals out there, but with budget constraints and all, I guess we will just to suck it in for the meantime. *sigh*

Raffle at PBF

Would you want to score a free subdomain? There's a raffle going on at Pinay Bloggers' Forum. If you are interested to join, please click on the image below for more details.

Gadget Freak

I can be a gadget freak at times. Though am not much into gaming and acquiring the latest playstation 3, I do love my cameras. They are my latest downfalls, as my recent investment was an DSLR type. I have no regrets though because it performs well and does the job that I require. I'm still not over my cam obsession though as I am keen on getting a new point-and-shoot digicam to upgrade my 4-year-old 5MP one. I am eyeing the 14MP by Canon. But that'll have to wait for now. :)

Loving L'Oreal

I am a recent mineral makeup convert. I have never been much of a makeup person but with all the hype on mineral makeup going on, I decided to give it a go, just to see if it was something that I can learn to love.

My first attempt was when I purchased L'Oreal's True Match Mineral Foundation in Buff Beige. I am glad I gave it a chance because it really does wonders! I've never liked that heavy, cake-y feeling that some foundations gave. Though this one gave me great coverage, it felt so light on my skin I can barely notice it. Even J noticed how beautiful the finish was, and that for me was the true test of good makeup, as men don't usually notice these kinds of things. I've recently purchased their blush in Soft Rosewood, and it has not failed to impress me once again.

Feeling Paranoid

Sometimes I feel like we have no privacy anymore in this world of ours. Everything is exposed and we are more connected and linked to each other especially with the advent of the internet. And yeah, don't forget the security cameras, that's installed in almost all public places. Ah well, I guess that's the price we have to pay for the advancements in technology. At some point, there's always going to have a pay off of some sort.

Impossibly Irresistable

This is the latest item I have in my makeup bag -- Clinique's Impossibly Glossy Lip Gloss in Plum Passion. As I have mentioned earlier, I have been shopping around for products which suit me, and this one certainly takes the cake! I am not much of a lip gloss fan as they tend to be really sticky and thick. Also, to much shimmer is not my thing. But when I tried Clinique's IGLG, I fell in love with it.

Why? Because even if it is a lip gloss, it was very light on the lips but at the same time giving you that little bit of shine and color, without being too overdone. this one's a winner for me, and I am quite keen in trying out the other shades as well. That is my new obsession now. :)

Big Day Ahead

Oh boy, my big exam is just two days away, and I am hardly beside myself. I hope all that reviewing will pay off. After all, this is my final chance in getting that OTR title to my name, and it would be such a shame if I would be unsuccessful in the end. The pressure is mounting, no doubt. But J says reassuringly that it is not the end of the world if I don't pass it. I will surely take that on board. Gosh, after all this hard work, you would think I would want to jump on a plane and go on one of those Vegas vacations, right? But no, I just want to go back to the way things were. It's like having a thorn taken out, once this exam is over.

Qantas is losing it

Gosh, it seems like Qantas has been having bad days more than I am. The recent mishap has gotten a lot of passengers hurt and that definitely does not help in reviving their image as one of the safest airline companies in the world.

I am taking a Qantas flight tomorrow and though I am not normally queasy about flying, the accident sure has made me doubtful about tomorrow's flight. Let's pray all goes well, and I don't figure into being a victim of one of their plane's malfunctions. Touch wood!

Car Envy

J and I are thinking of getting a new car. Our old but still working one needs a major paint job, but having that done would be too much expensive. I reckon we are better off buying a new one than getting the repair job done. But since, we just bought our house, I guess this other luxury will have to take a backseat for now. Besides, of all the things that you can invest in, a car is said to be one of the worst because of its fast depreciating value as it gets older, not to mention that it can be expensive in the long run if you consider all the maintenance costs as well (which makes you think of getting cheap auto insurance too). Priorities, priorities, priorities!

Brunette

Your Hair Should Be Brown

You are an intelligent, well respected person. You are very confident. You take yourself seriously, and other people take you seriously too. You are a good leader, and you can be trusted with someone's life. You motivate people well, and you command respect easily. You are competent, successful, and organized. You can't stand chaos. Some people mistake you for being cold, calculating, or elitist.

What Color Hair Should You Have?

Well, it is brown. Dark brown, that is! Even if I am Asian, I have never had that black hair Asians are most known for. :)