BecomingSleek.com is now live!
Posted on: December 3, 2014
The first of my planned changes to my blog is a domain upgrade! I am now on a self-hosted WordPress blog, so please do visit! This will be the last post in this domain, all new posts will be over at
BecomingSleek.com
The Sunday Currently #4
Posted on: November 30, 2014
Yep, this is the second time I have a consecutive Sunday Currently, and this one is published on a Monday too! What’s happening to me? A short explanation is that life has been gnarly recently and hasn’t been kind to my blogging schedule. That and my phone’s camera conked out and I haven’t been able to take decent pictures for my reviews. Owell, enough with the excuses! I hope to do much better this week and the succeeding ones, as December is going to be very exciting!
Side note: I have decided that I’ll simply not include the categories that won’t have anything new or noteworthy. I don’t really clutter the blog up so much.
Reading
At the time of this writing, I have just finished rereading The Hunger Games trilogy. This was driven mainly by my recent watching of Mockingjay Part 1 (see Watching, below). It is still one of my favorite reads, and has become somewhat of a comfort read to me. Some time in the future I want to get a good printed version (I only have a digital version currently).
Writing
I’ve started formatting my new Moleskine planner into the form I’ve been dreaming of. It’s not yet perfect, but I think it’s getting there. I’m quite excited to start the new year because of that!
Listening
My husband, daughter, and I are huge fans of musicals, and one of our recent favorites is Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a pretty depressing musical, but the songs are so good! Feed Me is my particular favorite.
Watching
My husband gamely went with me to watch Mockingjay Part 1 (as he did with the last two movies in the series). It was pretty good, we thought, although the biggest complaint we both had was about the pace; there really was no need to split it into two movies as Part 1 felt too slow. It was a treat to watch though, and I thought that Jennifer Lawrence really played a great Katniss. Can’t wait to see Part 2 and see my husband’s reaction to the twists (he didn’t read the books).
Clicking
I recently made a pinterest board for Planner Inspirations, as I’m so hooked into my new Moleskine planner at the moment. I’m also reading through Bullet Journal, which I’m planning to do in the planner as well.
Eating
One of my favorite places to eat at is Mad for Pizza, at Il Terrazzo Tomas Morato. The hook is that you get to design your own pizza from a wide array of choices for the dough, sauce, and toppings. Pretty addicting, and freshly baked pizza is so good!
Thinking
December has come, and with that I always consider gifts. I always like to give gifts to the people that provide regular service to my family, such as house help, laundry, and vet to name a few. It’s a good way to give thanks for their service beyond just providing them their regular salary/payments. I’m thinking of what to give them this year, which is honestly a good problem to have!
Feeling
Just a little overwhelmed. Okay maybe a lot. There is something I am attempting with the blog, hopefully you’ll see it soon. I hope I don’t mess it up!
How has your week been?
The Sunday Currently #3
Posted on: November 23, 2014
How has your week been? Mine has been pretty okay, and the highlight of the week was the quarterly parent-teacher conference and a trip to the vet with two cats. Both have been quite productive and enlightening.
Reading
Would you believe I’m not reading anything at the moment? Que horror! I do have a long reading list, and I should get on with it. Oooh, does reading comics count? My husband has me reading this comic called Journey Into Mystery, the premise of which is that after Loki tore the worlds apart and also saved it, he died and got reincarnated into a young boy, and the comic is basically what happens to him as a young Loki. Very interesting stuff, and I’m only at the beginning!
Image credits: Marvel Wikia
Writing
I bought myself a new planner, and I’m looking forward to using all those delicious pages to write. At this point I’ll be happy to be writing anything, just to get those muscles warmed up again.
Listening
Nothing interesting here, unfortunately. What should I be doing with categories that has nothing interesting?
Watching
My daughter and I are rewatching the anime Hataraku Maou-sama!, the premise of which is basically the devil (Maou) being transported into our modern world with his lieutenant, losing most of their powers, and being forced to work (hataraku) in a fast food restaurant to stay alive. I really enjoy the story and humor and premise, and there is an underlying idea of having to grow up to progress.
Image credit: Zerochan
Playing
I did end up getting Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, and that’s mostly what I’ve been playing recently. It’s vastly superior to the prior version, and the quest mechanism is really fun.
Clicking
Planner hacks is what I’m interested in lately. I like looking at people’s take on their ideal planners, and I like the crafty side of it. I bought myself some stickers and stuff for my new planner, and I can’t wait to get started!
Eating
Another good rediscovery is Sushi-ya, a great affordable Japanese restaurant. We ate at the Robinsons Galleria branch. We always get the bento set for two, with tori teriyaki for the main dish. It’s quite filling and there’s a good variety of dishes included in the set.
Cooking
This week my husband cooked his classic fried chicken drumsticks, again using Crispy Fry for the breading. Apparently my daughter really likes it enough that she ate three!
Wearing
I found myself in need of new slacks to wear to the office, so I trooped over to SM to get a couple. My non-negotiable criteria for slacks are: must have functional pockets (none of those tiny-ass ones, or heaven forbid, the fake pockets); must be straight or flared (ie not tapered); must not be scratchy. Luckily there’s this brand that had styles that fit me, and I got a bonus bag because I hit their minimum amount. Not bad!
Thinking
I’m trying to distract myself from thinking of this, but I am so far failing. Where do I want this blog to go? Right now it is definitely a hobby, and I have learned so much and gained so much from this hobby. But as with all hobbies, there are costs both monetary and timewise. It is a little hard to balance all things in life, and usually one of the first things to go would be hobbies. Quite honestly I don’t want this hobby to end as this is my main creative outlet at the moment. In point of fact, I keep thinking of how to make this blog to become better. Decisions, decisions..
Wanting
More kitties! Haha, joking. … or am I? My vet threatened that it won’t stop with just one and she was right. I can’t believe I now have two cats (and a dog), and I find myself considering more. I know there will be limits to how much my house can accommodate cats and I think it is near that limit. However I am not closing myself to the idea of rescuing more kittens in need.
Feeling
Anticipatory. There are a lot of things happening in December, work-wise and personal. I am mostly excited, and am looking forward to these things.
How did you do this week?
Catrice Mini Haul and Swatches
Posted on: November 22, 2014
- In: Swatches
- 2 Comments
Ever since I got my Catrice Matt Mouse Makeup, I wanted to try more products from this cruelty-free drugstore brand. Nikki of Girl Behind the Glasses reviewed a couple of eyeshadows and I knew what my next Catrice products would be. There were a dizzying amount of eyeshadows to choose from, as evidenced by this swatching frenzy I did when I visited the Catrice booth at Watsons The Block, SM North.
It was really difficult to choose, you guys. Everything is so pretty! In the end I decided to get these two.
These are the Catrice Absolute Eye Color in 070 Mud Spencer and Coralle Hill (Php339) and Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base (Php299).
Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base is an eye primer that costs only Php299. Since my HG primer is running out, I thought I’d try this one from Catrice to see how it stacks up. It comes in a standard plastic pot that contains 4 grams of product.
The product itself is pretty yellow. And, unfortunately, the product is also quite stiff and draggy.
Here it is on the back of my hand, two layers. It was really hard to swipe it from the pot, which I am hoping is only because it’s pretty new. Hopefully it spreads better on the eyes.
The other product I bought is an eyeshadow quad called Absolute Eye Color in 070 Mud Spencer and Coralle Hill.
It is an eyeshadow quad housed in a really pretty acrylic palette. Only the brand name is stamped on the cover, giving us a clear view of the actual eyeshadows.
At the back you will see the name of the product and the amount in the individual pans (2.5g for the big pans and 1.5g for the smalls). Those really ugly white streaks came from the tag price which was really difficult to remove. Too bad the slots for the pans are not standardized to the eyeshadow singles that they sell. I could see the potential for getting your desired colors and setting up your own palette.
Here is what the palette looks like, opened. Even though it’s made of plastic,the palette itself feels sturdy.
And here is a close up on the eyeshadow pans. I don’t have information on the names of the individual shades, so I’ll just call them pink, silver, black, and bronze (clockwise from the top left). Here are the arm swatches, with and without primer, using of course the Catrice primer I also bought.
I really really like how pigmented they look here, although I did use three light swipes each. The color scheme of the palette looks pretty spot on, and the shades do seem to go together regardless of the combination that you choose. The pink and bronze, in particular, are my two top favorites here. At Php339 for this palette, it seemed like a good deal to try four shades already. (And besides, I’m a palette addict!)
I can’t wait to use them! I’m also quite convinced to get more eyeshadows (hahaha…er..) and maybe try their other products. The blushes look good, and maybe I’ll have a go at a lipstick or two. Unfortunately they don’t have matte lipsticks, otherwise I would have bought one already.
Have you tried anything Catrice lately?
Top 5 Celeteque Products
Posted on: November 19, 2014
- In: Random | Skincare
- 6 Comments
You all know that I’m an ultimate Celeteque fangirl. I’ve tried most of their products and loved almost all of them. If I were to choose only the top 5 products, what would they be? This post is dedicated to the top 5 Celeteque products that will always be on my vanity/bathroom. Here they are, in no particular order.
Celeteque Hydration Facial Moisturizer
This is my go-to moisturizer (day and/or night) when I have no particular skin issue I want to address. It is a great everyday moisturizer, and it keeps my skin calm.
Celeteque Advanced Anti-Aging Cleansing Oil
A new formulation made it so much better. It definitely felt too, well, oily, in its previous incarnation. Now it’s still a bit oily, but it no longer lingers on the face. I like using this whenever I forgot to remove my makeup before jumping in the shower. Yup, this sits with my bath stuff now (hence the peeling label), and I like it that way!
Celeteque Hair & Scalp Care Clarifying Shampoo
Speaking of showering, this one is also a permanent resident in my bathroom. I use this every Wednesday without fail, and I think my hair is all the better for this weekly resetting. I’m only on my second bottle so far since at once-a-week-use it takes forever to finish a bottle.
Celeteque Brightening Facial Wash
This is my non-specialty facial wash. The default, so to speak. I use this every morning before putting on makeup, and at night when I don’t feel like using specialty products. It cleanses very well without that squeaky clean feel (I don’t like that so much), and leaves my face feeling fresh.
Celeteque Acne Solutions Cleansing Gel
On the random days when I sprout (non-cystic) pimples, I break this one out. It is very effective, and will speed up the clearing out of the pimples to at most a couple of days. I like the feeling of a gel cleanser on troubled skin, very soothing.
There you have it, my top 5 Celeteque products that I always have with me. What are your Celeteque favorites?
The Sunday Currently #2
Posted on: November 16, 2014
My biggest fear right now has come to pass. Having two consecutive The Sunday Currently means it’s already been a week since my last post! Unfortunately I’m on a writing block right now, but I’m hoping the upcoming week brings fresh aspects. Here’s to hoping for more blog motivations!
Reading
I’ve finished reading Dune, and it ended the way I thought it would. Very satisfying! Now I’m reading a pair of children’s comic books called Pilandokomiks by Borg Sinaban, which I got from Komikon 2014 held yesterday.
Writing
The question is more of what I should be writing. I really should be blogging, but this week was quite crazy in terms of work schedule that I couldn’t find the time and motivation for.
Listening
Recently hooked on Final Fantasy music, due to my playing of Theatrhythm on the 3DS. My favorites are the following, which are incidentally from my two favorite iterations of FF:
To Zanarkand, Final Fantasy X
Melodies of Life, Final Fantasy IX (spoilers)
Watching
We’re still watching Bleach slowly, like maybe one episode per week. We also watched Big Hero 6 at the cinemas and we all loved it.
Playing
I already mentioned Teatrhythm Final Fantasy in the Listening category. It is a musical rhythm game on the 3DS, played very similar to things like O2Jam (wow old school!). I like it so much that I’m considering buying the “upgraded” one called Teatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, which has more of everything plus extras!
Image credits: Final Fantasy Wikia
Clicking
Clicker Heroes is a great time waster, and runs on the background once you get the engine going! I warn you against clicking it, because you might get hooked!
Eating
Wings! We love wings, and our favorite restaurants that give good wings are Buffalo Wings N’ Things (Glorietta 5) and Red Buffalo (Eastwood).
Cooking
This week my husband cooked Kung Pao Chicken Pasta. It’s very simple! It just consists of deep fried chicken thigh fillets (breading: Crispy Fry), Clara Ole Kung Pao sauce, and spaghetti pasta. The ultimate lazy family meal!
Wearing
I’ve found nice long sleeved shirts at Cotton On. It’s perfect for the cooling weather and can be rolled up in case it gets really hot. I chanced upon a sale and got the shirts for Php600 each. It’s not quite the sweaters I was looking for, but it’s good enough!
Thinking
Friendships. I’ve had an unlucky run where I didn’t realize I was being taken advantage of for a ridiculously long time. I think I just realized it when I had to deal with my daughter getting bullied at her old school (I just basically transferred her to a school that suits her better). It’s really hard when you realize that things have not been going as well as they seemed at the time. It’s even harder to consider cutting ties with what you thought were lifetime friends.
Wanting
What I always want more of is time. There seems to be less and less of it everyday. Either that, or I just want to do more and more things! It might not really be a time management issue anymore, but rather, hobby management.
Feeling
Still exhausted, but I took a few days off work to catch up on rest. (Un)Fortunately it got a bit interrupted when we rescued another kitten. This kitten was found alone near my car, dirty and hurt. The vet said it has a dislocated hip and was possibly hit lightly by a vehicle. It is doing much better now, and we named it Lucky.
See you again next week for The Sunday Currently!
The Sunday Currently #1
Posted on: November 9, 2014
One of Bea’s most recent posts is something called The Sunday Currently. It is apparently a tag or a weekly writing prompt (origin here) with twelve headings to show what is going on with one’s life. I’ve seen it also on Carina’s personal blog (Nothing Spaces). I really love the idea of something that briefly shows a snapshot of one’s life, and it’s interesting to see how things change over time. Many of the headings were fairly redundant (in my opinion), so I tweaked it a bit to fit into my life more. I’m calling it the Geeky Version (since that’s still what I identify as, mostly). I also wanted a way to put in some part of my personal life here in my blog, without necessarily crowding out the beauty blogging.
Reading
Dune by Frank Herbert, strangely and embarrassingly enough; I am a little ashamed to admit that I haven’t read this one before. It’s about a noble family taking over the administration of a hostile planet and finding that things are a bit more complicated than expected (talk about understatement). It’s one of the classic science fiction works, and it stands the test of time beautifully. I’m in the last part of the books and I can’t wait to see what happens.
Image credits: http://www.nicolaswhyte.info
Writing
I was debating whether or not to include this heading, as I don’t really write outside of blogging. That could be a challenge, I thought, and see if I could actually start writing fiction again. Whenever I think of writing fiction, I’m always reminded of a time long ago when I wrote a very short scifi story for a school assignment I believe. Part of the assignment is having your work peer-reviewed. You guessed it: I had a really bad experience with the peer review, and was embarrassed beyond words. I think that was one of the biggest things that blocked me from writing again. With this weekly thing I’m hoping I can start overcoming it and start writing (and sharing) again.
Listening
This was another one of the categories I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep, as I tend to be very broad with what I want to listen to. I decided to keep it to see how my music tastes changes over time. This week I was very much into the percussive guitar genre and two of my favorites are Rylynn by Andy McKee and Passionflower by Jon Gomm. I love having my percussive guitar playlist on the background while I’m working as it’s very soothing and calming without making me sleepy.
Watching
This is one of the new categories I introduced. My geeky family and I have a looooong list of things to watch, and I thought this would be a great way to track which ones we should be finishing and stuff. Right now we’re still in the middle of watching Bleach and we’re enjoying it very much. We’re trying to finish Season 6 (The Arrancar) and I’m happy that the plot is finally moving along. We’re also aiming to watch Big Hero 6 hopefully this weekend.
Playing
This is definitely a heading I wanted to include here. I am always playing a game in some form or another, and I thought, like Watching, it would be great to see which ones I’ve finished over the weeks. The challenge here is to, well, prevent this category from overcrowding the rest of the post! Nowadays I’m very much into playing my 3DSXL, and the game I’m in the middle of right now is Bravely Default. I was looking for a modern Final Fantasy type game with a great job system, and this is it! I think I’ve just passed the halfway point, and I’m already hoping they would release a sequel.
Image credit: http://www.gamerguides.com
Clicking
Now I’m not entirely sure what this is supposed to be. I click a lot of things; I practically live on the internet. What then should I share? Perhaps at this point I’ll share where I click most often: my RSS reader, Inoreader. I like it mostly because it’s the closest to the original Google Reader that I was previously using. Very clean format and no frills.
Eating
Ah, what a conundrum this is. I love eating, that’s why I included this new category! It’s gonna be hard choosing just one to share, but let me start with one of my favorite places to eat: Omakase. It’s the go-to Japanese restaurant for my husband and I, and so far we have found nothing that can beat their sushi and maki. Our favorite branch is at Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato (QC).
Image credits: http://www.itsberyllicious.com
Cooking
Again a new category I added, as I also love cooking. There’s barely any time to cook these days, but once upon a time I cooked my baon regularly. Recently we try to have a regular home-cooked breakfast on the weekends, which my daughter really enjoys. We would usually have some fried eggs, pandesal, and either bacon, corned beef, or spam.
Wearing
Sweaters! It’s nearly or even practically sweater weather, and I’m loving these right now. I want to get more! Any suggestions?
Thinking
Time management, to be honest. I find it very hard to find time to do all the things I want to do (not to mention the things I need to do) and I couldn’t determine why. I would always blame travel time but I’m not sure if that’s the only reason.
Wanting
I definitely want a lot of things! But right now in my immediate purchasing future I intend to buy a bigger everyday bag. The bag I am using right now cannot fit my 3DSXL and I would like to have it with me inside the same bag instead of carrying it separately.
Feeling
Exhausted. I feel super stretched with no end in sight, and I’m just glad I can sneak in a bit of blogging and video gaming every now and then to keep sanity intact. I feel that once I resolve that issue with time management, the stress will be reduced automatically. Let’s hope for the best!
I’d be interested to see your sundays currently! Let me know if you’ve started your own!
Review: Ofra Lipstick #205
Posted on: November 7, 2014
- In: Reviews | Swatches
- 4 Comments
One of my recent makeup kit mainstays is Ofra Lipstick #205. This is the other option to receive from the Beauty SOS Glamourbox last year. I got my #202 (red) from that, and this #205 I bought from Shayne.
It is what I would describe as orchid pink, although it leans a lot more violet on the tube. There is a small window on the bottom that lets you see the shade.
As I said, on the tube it looks a lot like purplish pink.
Here is the arm swatch. See what I mean about orchid pink? It’s actually quite dainty and lighter than what the color in the tube looks like.
One of the things I really like about this lipstick is that it looks different depending on whether you blotted the lipstick or not. Check out the lip swatches here.
Here’s a face shot with the non-blotted version. You can really see the sheen of the lipstick here.
And here is another shot, this time blotted. The sheen is now much more muted, and it looks almost matte.
I really like that I can choose to go either matte or shiny with this lipstick. It also smells like vanilla, which I really like. It lasts relatively long, about 4 hours, without drinking or eating. Unfortunately it has a tendency to transfer, so be careful about that. This looks like a standard 4g or 3.5g lipstick, and costs Php650.
Ofra is cruelty-free.
Pros: beautiful orchid pink shade; relatively long lasting; cruelty-free
Cons: price; transfers
Ofra Lipstick #205 is available through the Glamourbox Boutique, as well as selected Snoe outlets and Glamourbox stalls.
- In: Musings
- 18 Comments
Image credits: http://connectlanguage.com/
We’ve all heard about buyer’s regret; we may have even experienced it once or twice (or more times). What surprised me recently is that it’s possible to regret not buying. I suppose it shouldn’t really be that surprising. After all, this is what fuels the idea of limited edition releases (I’m looking at you, MAC).
This post is to let you know that I am officially regretting not purchasing a couple of limited edition items, and now they are, well, no longer available.
LORAC Mega Pro
Image credits: Lorac Cosmetics
I mentioned to Liz that I wasn’t too thrilled when I saw Temptalia‘s take on the Mega Pro. Temptalia didn’t seem too impressed, especially comparing to the original Pro and Pro2. For some reason I put a lot of value in her recommendation, so I scoffed and did not place an order. It made sense, I thought, since I don’t even own either of the original Pros yet.
About two weeks later I saw some bloggers start posting looks using the Mega Pro. Cue that sinking feeling in the stomach. It looks and applies much better than the review stated. I should have gotten it since it has 32 shades for $59, making it the single palette I will probably have been using forever.
Lesson learned: Do read more reviews other than Temptalia. Third/fourth opinion and all that.
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Angela
Image credits: Makeup and Beauty Blog
The NARS Audacious range is all the rage even until today. I didn’t immediately jump on the bandwagon primarily because the price is quite steep. Php1650 for a single lipstick seemed a bit too much, even if it’s quite possibly one of the best formulas released. The packaging is also very nice, and the shade Angela seemed like a really safe bet.
I even got to swatch it! I found it at the NARS counter at Glorietta, but I didn’t have the moolah then to purchase it. And besides, I was again reminded that it costs Php1650, so I dithered and said I’ll just return for it maybe the week after. From the lesson learned with the Mega Pro, I took to the internet and was comforted by various positive reviews of Angela. My husband even okayed it! I went immediately back and yep, you guessed it. Sold out. Rushed to the one other branch in my travel range (Shangri-la) and yep, still sold out. Alas, it was not meant to be.
Lesson learned: I’m not sure what the lesson learned here. Should I have bought it, knowing that 1. it was out of my budget to be sure and 2. it would have been an impulse buy?
How do you deal with FOMO (fear of missing out)?
- In: Non-Beauty | Unboxing
- 4 Comments
Well well well, an unboxing after a long time! And this one is a new subscription box called She Likes Shoes. From the name you can gather that this is a shoe subscription box, the only one so far in the country. How does it work? You can just go to the How It Works page from She Likes Shoes, or you can read on to see how I did it.
You need to sign up for an account at shelikesshoes.com. Creating an account does not mean you are already subscribed and have to pay; what it does is to allow you to see the shoe closet of the month. This is what I did ever since I found out about SLS, and I was able to peek at their shoe offerings without having to commit yet. October rolled along and I immediately felt affinity to one of their October shoes so I signed up for a 3-month subscription around the tenth. I was immediately billed Php499 through Paypal (their only other payment option is Pesopay), and was set up an automatic billing for the succeeding two months for the same amount (Php499) on the 3rd of each month. In return my account was credited with 1 STEP.
STEPS are the currency that you use to buy SLS shoes. For each month you are subscribed you will receive 1 step. The monthly closet will have three tiers of shoes: about four or five shoes costing 1 step; two or three shoes costing 2 steps; and two or three shoes costing 3 steps. You can easily buy additional steps (at Php500 each) at to allow you to buy the higher tiered shoes. As the one I liked luckily was in the first tier, I didn’t need to get additional steps. Also starting just recently, you can also buy the popular styles from the previous months’ closets (Previous Styles), again by paying through Paypal or Pesopay.
Claiming the selected shoe is quite easy. Just select it from the closet and you will be taken to the details of the shoe. Just select your shoe size then click Get Shoe. The order slip will be revealed and you will need to enter your shipping address and contact number. Click Claim Now to finalize the order. SLS will then get back to you through email to confirm your order, and give you a date window within which you will receive your shoes. My email stated that I will get mine between October 21-27. Well guess what? It arrived on October 21!
My chosen shoe is the Hillary. It is a black patent closed shoe with a bit of platform, pretty much a patent version of a schoolgirl shoe. I’ve been wanting to get one for some time, as this kind of shoe is really well within my style. It costs 1 step. It arrived in a nondescript brown shoe box, wrapped well and padded in soft paper. I could not believe it was so light! The shoe looked pretty imposing and bulky, but it was made of pretty light materials I guess. It was just what I wanted!
The fit is a little loose. I’m a half-size (7.5) and SLS only offers shoes in whole numbers so I ordered an 8. I figured it should be okay since I plan on wearing socks with these shoes. The sole feels really cushy although of course I expect I will need to break it in for a bit.
I am one happy lady with her new shoe! I can’t wait to see what next month’s closet brings. I hope there will be one or two that fits my style. She Likes Shoes designs and produces all the shoes they offer, which is quite amazing. Their usual style for the first tier are sandals or flats, while there is usually a pair of boots in the higher tiers.
Heads up! You will get a free step if you subscribed (not just create an account) within the month of October!
Disclaimer: I subscribed to She Likes Shoes with my own money. I am pleased with the shoe and the service which is why I wrote this post.
Becoming Sleek 