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!