DAY 9: Beauty Must Haves

I only really started using foundation and other “heavy” make up on my face last year, and I think it’s maybe because I was exposed to cosmetics for work. After playing around with some products, I’ve finally found the ones that suit my skin and I guess they’re now considered as must haves for me.

To start, well, I can’t go out without putting on moisturizer, sunscreen and lip balm; these are the essential products for me. I like using Clinique’s moisturizers (I switch it up depending on what I feel my skin needs) cause it works well on my skin. For my sunscreen, I use Anessa and I actually really like it cause I find its consistency just right. It also doesn’t leave that sunscreen smell and a sticky feeling on your face. I always make sure to have at least one lip balm everywhere–at home, in my bag, on my desk, wherever. I always peel my lips out of habit, and it’s not even cause it’s dry.

Make up: I’ve been using Clinique Even Better Refresh Foundation and I sometimes mix it with Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation (it does wonders to dry skin). Then I set it with Too Faced Peach Perfect Loose Powder, which is really light and leaves a matte finish.

For my brows, I use Anastasia’s Brow Powder Duo. I personally like using powder/pomade more than [retractable] eyebrow pencils because they last longer, not on your brows but the product itself. Then I use NARS for my blush and for my lips, I use Bobbi Brown Lip Color, and/or Estee Lauder Lip Volumizer, when I don’t really feel like putting lipstick on.

Lastly, I just curl my lashes. I don’t really put anything else on my eyes because frankly, I suck at it.

When I’m feeling extra, I love using Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in the shade of Afternoon Glow. We love a good highlighter!

Day 7: List 10 Songs You’re Loving Right Now

1. Make It With You – Bread
2. Lost in Japan – Shawn Mendes
3. urs – NIKI
4. I.F.L.Y – Bazzi
5. Skywalker – Miguel, Travis Scott
6. Maybe You’re The Reason – The Japanese House
7. Good News – Mac Miler
8. Thinking Bout You – Frank Ocean
9. Chilly – NIKI
10. When She Cries – Restless Heart

Day 6: How to win your heart

1. Respect
2. Be a man of your word. Come through
3. Effort
4. Good humor
5. Spend time with me

Day 5: Places you wanna visit

1. Switzerland – literally breathtaking
2. Hokkaido – also literally breathtaking
3. Greece – always.
4. New Zealand – BEAUTIFUL
5. Quebec – also BEAUTIFUL

Day 4: What’s In My Bag

• Make up purse
  • lip balm, lip stick, eyelash curler, hand cream, perfume, white flower, alcohol/sanitizer
• Card holder
• Keys
• Airpods
• Phone
• Charger
• Pen

Not in the photo: Phone for the photo

Day 3: Top 3 Pet Peeves

• Loud chewing
• When there’s something blocking the view
• People who are chronically late

Day 2: Piercings/Tattoos

Already closed one on the left cause I wasn’t comfortable with the placement and re-pierced the same hole on my right like 3 times cause I had mixed feelings about it before.

Currently:

3 Left Ear (lower & upper lobe, helix)

3 Right Ear (all lobes)

In 7th grade, I wanted to get a nose piercing, but I felt I was too young to do so and as time passed, I wasn’t into it anymore. In 11th grade, I wanted a belly piercing but I was scared of needles at the time. Now, I find needles aren’t actually as scary–they even hurt less, I think. If I were to get another one, it’d be a conch piercing as I’ve always wanted that to be the first non-lobe piercing I’d get.

As for tattoos, I’ve probably looked for inspirations and sketched ideas in my head countless of times already for that perfect tattoo. It would definitely be something small and I’d have it either on my foot, wrist or upper arm (inside)–those are only the top 3 locations. Following those would be behind my ear or on my ring finger. Obviously indecisive. 

Day 1: 10 Things That Make You Happy

1. Family.
   • Being with the entire family* at home + trips with them + doing everything together, basically
2. Friends
   • Hanging out, talking to them, going on trips
3. Books/Movies/Shows/Music
   • Even rereading, rewatching
   • Buying books even when you won’t be reading them for a while
   • The smell of books (old/new)
   • Discovering new music/listening to old favorites
   • When someone gives you a playlist
4. Being outdoors
   • Catching the sunset, walking around outside when it’s early morning or late in the afternoon or I don’t know, I just prefer being outdoors as much as possible
5. Anything related to breakfast
   • Breakfast food. Brunch dates. Coffee in the afternoon.
6. Good company + drinks + the beach
7. Good conversations
8. Travels–international AND local #LoveLocal
9. GOD
   • Just knowing I can pray my worries away
10. Saving the best for last, Yuji. ❤ How did I get soooo lucky?!

*entire family: Cruz + Taguiba + Padilla + grandparents

‘seventeen highlights

At the end of the year, I always find myself reflecting if it’s been a good year or a bad year. 2017 would be one of the years I’d consider great. It started off okay, but it got better and better as it went by. Typical, but I really learned so much — from different people, experiences and travels. So I’ve decided to highlight the best/worst/okay/important things that I’ve encountered in 2017.

1. Started the New Year with family in Baguio and went to Manila the same day to have New Year’s dinner with my relatives.
2. Made Tagaytay (pt. ii ?) happen with friends.
3. Had my first ever root canal, and it actually did not hurt at all! Okay maybe a little bit, towards the end, but that’s it. It was a lot better than I expected.
4. I probably had the most visits to the dentist earlier in 2017. I can’t even count how many times I went because of check-ups and follow-ups for the root canal.
5. Saw Wicked with the entire family and Sound of Music months later (but without my grandparents this time)
6. February 23-28 • My grandpa’s birthday • Just being at home (it’s a big deal) • Dinner at CAP with the fam (minus Ken) and relatives from the states. We haven’t seen Audi, tita Lani, tita Atet and ninang Ofie in years. • Lunch at home with pretty much the same people. • It all happened in one long weekend, and it was, by far, the best weekend of the year. Little did I know, there’d be more to come ❤
7. Finally turned an idea into action. Sold Acai bowls during ISAC and for a first timer, I believe it was successful. It was such a scary and overwhelming experience but I had to push my doubts aside. That will definitely not be the last time I’m doing that!
8. Korea for Easter break. Being with family and catching up with high school friends I haven’t seen in so long.
9. Scrapping the word “LDR” for good. ❤
10. 4-day Baguio trip with the Daddies. So much laughter on this trip! Love you guys.
11. Too much Samgyupsalamat (well, kbbq, generally) this year 😦 it’s so bad but it’s soo good. Maybe that’s why I gained so much weight lol
12. Finally official! Took way too long but it’s a long story. ❤️
13. Spending our birthdays together again.
14. Thunderbird with cuzzins + aunts and uncle.
15. My ADSALES class, because it was one hell of an experience. A stressful one at that, but enjoyable all the same.
16. Trips to Peninsula and Shangri-La with the family for birthdays and debut preparations.
17. Some college drama here and there.
18. My little sister’s debut. Aw :’) she ain’t a kid no mo’. (also, where my family finally met Kevin for the first time)
19. Having the opportunity to learn and experience so much during my internship at DDB Philippines. Seeing their day to day lives and being able to experience the agency life first hand will always be something I’ll treasure and remember as I make my way through the real world.
20. i. Halloween break • Starting it off with a dinner date with Kevin in Resorts World and him dropping me off to the airport. • Korea again but this time, it was better and more fun. • Being home with all the cuzzins • Auntie Salome and Uncle Boni’s visit. ii. ASEAN break, for extending the Halloween break a week after since we were not about ready to go back to reality after it. Haha
21. Passed Thesis. Lived the whole reputation of how a Thesis/OJT term was supposed to be — the drama, the stress, the breakdowns, sleepless nights, stress-eating. Y’know, the usual.
22. Lost my phone, my cards and my Brent I.D. The worst thing that happened to me in December. Oh wait, no. I lost my mom’s card in Japan too. The day after, I almost lost my phone (AGAIN) in the bathroom in Disney Sea. Thank God it wasn’t in the Philippines cause I probably wouldn’t reunite with my phone again. GAH. The worst.
23. Home (and travelled) for the holidays. I’ll be making a separate post for Christmas break (which I’ve already started and I’ll link it below!) since December itself has been so eventful. I loved every bit about it. Minus the part where I lost stuff (read no. 22). Haha

Wow. Okay that was a lot. I tried to eliminate some but that just shows how amazing 2017 was. There were times when things got really stressful and I had to constantly write motivational words on my planner just so I don’t lose it. But that’s part of life! You can’t learn if you don’t go through the toughest of times.

This year, I also realized the value of being with your family and loved ones. With all the bad things going in the world — innocent lives lost from terrorism, people (especially young people) going missing and so much more — I’m grateful that I get to live my life the way I do. Family is truly the greatest thing that anyone can have, and I would be damned if I didn’t have every single one of them.

I pray that 2018 will be just as amazing, or maybe even more, and may it be filled with happiness, laughter and love. Here’s to 2018!

Snippets of My Christmas Break I

Snippets of My Christmas Break I

Disclaimer: This was supposed to be posted in the middle of the break but I’m a few days late cause every day has been so eventful.

It’s the middle of Christmas break and I know I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself but I can’t help it. I really don’t want this break to end yet because it’s been everything I dreamed of. For me, it’s the ideal Christmas break. Our whole family is home, and we’ve really been spending lots of time together. It feels like the old days. Not only that but we also got to do our own things like having days for travel with the family and being with friends. Everything just fell into place, I guess.

I’m scared that once we go back to our daily routines (school, work, etc.), this would all be gone and everything would be different again. Bad kind of different. If only time would just slow down so we could live in this moment a little longer. But I guess for right now, I just have to enjoy it while it lasts and not anticipate the end of it.

I’ll  be posting more snippets of my break, but for now, I just had to let this out because I’m already feeling sad that soon enough, we’re going back to being away from each other.