what to do with unused perfume sampler

On Valentine's Day, the little miss had been buggering me about a gift for her two teachers at school. Told her the day before, a personalised card with cute red heart cut outs and handwritten warm notes is okay. The stuff we do during my elementary days. We would buy red art paper and cut into heart shapes and paste into white bond paper. Would write a personal message unmindful of erasures and not-so-pretty scribbles. But, it was A-okay, then. Wasn't it now?

The little girl wouldn't buy my idea. Buy something to give to my teachers, gave a sharp "command". Last Christmas, she gifted both teachers, pencil holders and the security guard, face towels. Something usable. She continued to whine. Suggesting a plastic made red roses that sells for 10-20 pesos a piece at the local market. Aw! Surely, I didn't give in.

Then, I saw these perfume sampler that were sitting in the bathroom caddy (serves as air freshener there^_^). These were given by sissy-in-law (of course, as always) as part of the Christmas package she sent two Christmases ago.

Most are not my "specific" brand, I had to give few to my nieces. Except the D&G Light Blue samplers which tops as my uber fave scent. So, I asked the little girl if it be okay if we gave few to her two teachers. She immediately gave a nod ^_^.

Few tips I'd like to share what to do with perfumes (or other gift/pasalubong stuff) in case you didn't want to resell them or it stood as "white elephant" in your vanity.

• perfumes (unused or those old scents you have) can be used as air freshener. When your Glade runs off its scent or are ever tired of the citrusy commercial air freshener, perfumes can be perfect substitutes.
• whiff a little on your seat cushions, throw pillows, even on couches, edge of your curtains, bed spreads...guest will be delighted to the sophisticated scent of your home. They would want to imagine, Am I at Rustan's?
• Be careful not to spray directly on fabrics, as perfumes can cause stain. Must be the oil.
• And, by the way, because perfumes are made from essential oils, scents are long-lasting. Especially the Eau de Parfum.
• Only recently, I happen to spray perfume, too, on candles and potpourris which scent have already fade off. A few whiffs ons wax candle will surely add relaxing feel to any room. 

This is tried and tested. Surely as I am sitting and writing this post in our room, I can smell the Juicy Couture (the pink ones in the above photo) I sprayed yesterday in a DIY potpourri.
And, it continues to mystify my senses and perhaps ignite some passion.
Ooopppsss!

 My share for Project 366 Blog Photo Challenge

red lips on V-Day

Not so sure if I am ready for this.
A red lipstick.
Dhemz sent this all the way from Texas. Part of a package she sent me which arrived on the day of my birthday last October. Thanks again, girl. Lab yah!
Now, did I say I love lipstick. I don't do eyeshadow, eyeliner, a little blush is fine with me. But, lipstick's one thing that's on my vanity agenda. Color choices I have were nude, browns, peach, LOTS OF PINKS, but never RED.
Maybe the love-hate relationship with a red lippie has something to do with (1) I have "morena" skin. I used to believed RED would make me more "maitim". (2) Being very vibrant and very bold in color, I shun red lippie because I always do not want to be "noticed". Hence, I always prefer subtle colors.
But, then, as it is the RED MONTH now, I dare challenge myself.

Valentine's Day means RED DAY. It is! Look at how vibrant this Wet n Wild lipstick that Dhemz sent me. It is so easy to apply. Great coverage in just one application.

Better stay tuned, Fergie. I know you'll rock as the WetnWild's newest beauty ambassador. But, in the meantime, let me enjoy the RED LIPS on V-Day!

PS. Just for additional sheen, I applied this Urban Decay lipgloss. So yummy!

Wished everybody had fun this day. I did!

pre-Valentine treat

It's Valentine's Day. I do wished everybody had spent the day with their love ones. As I did. But, nothing fancy. No fancy dinner. It was a weekday. A workday. A busy day, as always. But, we do have our "date" last weekend. We went to our favorite pizza place, ate some pasta and pepperoni pizza. It was fun. We had hoped to finished the day with a feel-good movie, but, the movie lined up in the theater did not appeal to our taste. We just decided to visit a home depot. Hoping to find anything we like for our home.
I had been planning on purchasing bathroom lighting fixtures for the longest time now. The wall sconce that husband had placed in our bathroom had been broken few months back. There were too many designs, I had the hardest time choosing. Husband said, if I were to choose one, I had to look for something similar to the lighting in our bathroom. And, perhaps, one that could reflect light from the bathroom mirror that hung on its adjacent wall.
It's always pretty helpful to have someone around to help me decide which one to pick. I can be too fickle minded when shopping for stuff. All stuff. I was very thankful that weekend, the husband was very cooperative. I never heard him complain of the loot we brought home that weekend.

Juice Organics Eye Treatment

What else could I say? Another item again from down under. This was part of SIL's package last year, but, then, she kept sending on many other stuff, even my skin does not know which to use first :) There's actually pretty few "kikay" stuff in my vanity that were "white elephant". Others, I have been sharing to those close to me.

This one, the SIL specifically cited that I badly needed it for my eyes. So, okay. I have dark circles around my eyes and wrinkles growing around it, too. Aw! The miseries of being 40's.

How can I stop adding years to my age? Maybe, if I could stopped it, lines/wrinkles would also stopped showing. Oh. Reality bites. We age. We get older. We do get skin problems along the way. There were better options to combat aging. 

• Diet and exercise works well. Nothing beats a good and healthy diet coupled with exercises to balance our system.
• Stress management. We do often hear, "It takes more muscles to frown than to smile." Take it, seriously.
• Hydrate. Our skin needs to breathe. Drink more fluids (not energy drinks which were loaded with sugars, aha).
• Pamper our skin as we age. Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize.

And, so, one procedure added to my basic regimen...

Cleansing, toning, moisturizing with Clinique's gift pack , then started with this revitalizing eye treatment from Juice Organics. Their products according to their website contains 100% certified organic juice base, packed with organic active ingredients and powerful antioxidant technology.

The Juice Organics Wisdom goes like;

"You are what you eat. The same goes for your skin."

Yet, two days of using I am expecting yet any magical result. I wished it could be true to its promise...

Put your skin on a healthy diet of Juice Organics' age-defying, certified organic ingredients and you'll love the way your skin looks and feels. This age-defying eye treatment blends organic grape and carrot juices, vital nutrients and vitamin antioxidants to hydrate, help brighten dark circles and smooth fine lines for ageless eyes.

This face have been to a lot of battle. Discoloration, fungal infection, dryness, acne. The last one is making me overly irritated once PMS surfaces each month. 40's and aging...ouchy!
Wouldn't it be too late taking care of our skin?

My share for Orange Tuesday

flip-flops parade

30th December 2011. When hubs' sibling and families had a reunion of sorts. And, boy, did we enjoy the night. It is food fiesta, story-loaded events, added games for the kiddos to enjoy, beer session for the guys, and, flip-flops parade...for us, funny ladies ^_^.

No, we didn't planned this. It's just coincidental. We laughed and suggested it necessitates a photo op. Even if our feet were dusty and ugly.

Far right was my foot, with my Ipanema Ritmo Platform, next to mine is my SIL's with her Grendha, and the last three were nieces in Ipanemas, too. 

At least, I am not one with a love-affair for flip-flops.

My share for Dhemz's 366 Blog Photo Challenge.

Ipanema Ritmo Platform in Black/Silver

Most gifts were left unwrapped. Except for our little girl who wanted her gifts be wrapped with pretty Christmas papers. All others, were left as it is. Because, items/gifts were bought days before Christmas and all stuff were "ASKED" so that regrets will be avoided.

Black & Decker Mixer for me; Converse basketball shoes for the son; Mossimo shirts for my two "boylets", the Samsung Galaxy Y for the eldest daughter; bag, tops, ballet flat and other kikay stuff for the little daughter; and,  Ipanema and (2)Grendha flip flops...

As much as I got excited over the Samsung plasma tv and the mixer that came into realization last December, I got too excited over this Black/Silver Ipanema Ritmo Plat wedge. Couldn't wait to try it out the moment it was handed to me.

I always had love affair for Ipanemas compared to its competitors. Very chic designs and its wedges/platform heels gives a sleek and sexy look on both feet. Nice choice, hubs. You could have gone off to MOA :) Uber thanks.

This is the third black Ipanema I looted. One was a flat one, the other one is a wedge type. Both pairs have been continuously giving comfort to my odd feet. Hence, the choice for the brand. Plus, Ipanema's easier to clean. Just wipe it off with either wet or dry cloth. It's good to go. Whereas, its biggest competitor, I find it harder to clean. Dirt cling unto the rubber you need a brush with soap to clean it out. I swear on this. Look at this white/gold pair.

For pricing, the other brand is pricier. Oh, I must say, all branded flip flops command steep prices. You shall say, they're only plain slippers, haha. But, then, I'd say, the first pairs I have bought in 2007 were still in tip top shape up to now. Rain or shine, no deformities, prints still in tact :) Promise ^_^

Holiday happiness, isn't it :)


My share for

internet on our daily lives

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

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I, for one, uses the internet daily, finding ways to expedient available learning tools and availing of services that makes life more easier. It is all in the internet now. The question of how reliable each websites we are viewing depends on each user. I wouldn't know life now without internet. It allowed me various online transaction processes which enables me to save time and money. And, only recently, because of health issues, search engine have led me to find Walgreens. By signing up as a member, it is offering special discount on annual membership on Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

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setting goals ahead

The goal (the word is something I have to give meaning to^_^) for this year is to eat less. Oh, I have read couple of blogs about this same goal, too. Hope we can all succeed :) Another one is to buy less and less clothing. Last weekend had given me time to declutter my cabinet space and I did haul up a bag full of unused clothing. Yeah, I did spend couple of hours thinking many times if I really had to take them away from me. It was such a "hurtful process". Ha ha.

But, then, I did promised a cousin who came by on New Year's day that I will be junking off old clothes and other stuff. She will be picking up the stuff this weekend. It was never too hard after all when you thought something you hold onto (and left unused in the shelves) will be used by someone, especially when they have less to buy themselves new ones.

Eat less and buy unnecessary stuff this year. Uh oh. Crossing my fingers.

I hoped the "buying process" ends up last holidays where I zeroed off my Paypal account. Swoosh! It was down to just $0.16 few days before Christmas. I got guilty, I wasn't able to lend a friend who were asking for $5. Aw! I am Bad! For a blogger who earns small time only, it would take me considerable number of opps for me to earn up seven thousand pesos ($165 @P42 exchange rate on average), the amount needed for me to withdraw from Paypal without charging me fifty pesos ^_^. Hence, when the amount reached P7k before Christmas day, I was in seventh heaven :) Who wouldn't need dough on holidays? Especially that food and grocery items were most needed.

For that reason, I am wishing I could get more opps this year. I know that would mean extra effort toiling on the computer to get the ranking going. How to? That remains the question.

And, so, after spending on the food items, I get to part with what remains in the PP loot...

Sadly, I used to be Medium on Kamiseta items...tsk, tsk...god of the diet, please let the magic you cast on Jessica Alba's stunning figure cast on me, too ^_^.

Forget the vanities. I am just very thankful, the long planning of staging a get-together with couple of college batchmates pushed through. We may be small in number but the laughs were almost thunderous. The too many stories told trying to bridge twenty years of life right after college were too much it will surely take forever. Our voices nearly blasted the cozy space of Vicentico's Restaurant. It was an afternoon filled with renewed friendship.

Me on the right. Thanks for the hearty lunch, classmates :)

Feeling full and haggard but completely happy. Life is not about having the dough to spend on things you wanted. Nor is life measured on how much have you achieved professionally. Or, life is not measured by how many friends you have.

I may not know what is it. All I knew was, life is measured in terms of your contentment. At yourself, at people around you, at your God.

 On me: 

Kamiseta Navy/White top P699

White Esprit Pants: P1299

Belt: P129.75 @Robinsons

Ipanema Ritmo Platform Black/Silver Wedge: P1395 (gift from hubs)

Let's keeps moving forward in reaching our desires this year. Stay safe everyone ^_^

My share for Wednesday Whites. 

in lieu of those absences

How long have I been off here? The past holidays have kept me busy. When at home, it is either my hands were geared up with pot holders and busy concocting foodies. My, have I told anyone that my family love foodies with much fervor, I wanted to resign as their chef^_^. Uh, oh.

And, just as everyone had been the last holidays, events were abundant last December. With birthday invitations coming off almost every other day, not to mention a wedding that we had to make an alibi for not attending. And, get-together with friends were the most fun. Imagine seeing friends or classmates again after eon of years, haha. And, oh, I wouldn't forget the Christmas parties we attended where we do received cutie gifts, foodie gifts, and fruity ones, too :) 

And, lastly, the family gatherings which made us felt the true meaning of Christmas. Giving. Sharing. Reuniting. Loving.

For all the blessing the holidays had brought, I am thanking everyone who made each of those days wonderfully bliss!

...those were my huge alibi for my absences at the blogging world ^_^