Before I started buying high-end make-up products and tools, I've already experimented with lots of local brands and some of them have been my favorites for over a decade. Until now I do prefer most of them over imported ones, mainly due to availability in my side of the archipelago and especially for use on a day-to-day basis. I mean, I work at home so I don't really have to put on make-up during most days except for my favorite eyebrow pencil/powder/gel and mascara after my skin care routine and face powder to control my super oily skin.

During the weekends, I do enjoy playing with colors and trying out different kinds of looks to see if I can pull anything besides a natural face and neutral eye make-up. It's a good thing that one of my favorite beauty bloggers, Donnarence (www.MyLucidIntervals.com),  is holding a contest and challenging beauty geeks to "look fab even on a budget". See here: http://www.mylucidintervals.com/2013/05/my-lucid-intervals-anniversary-makeup.html

So here I am doing my "GLAMOROUS" look on a rainy Monday night (because it's my night off, Noodle Boy is out shooting hoops, and the Little NoodleLito is busy playing with his newly downloaded Fisher-Price apps!). Photos are unedited and with no filters, although I've put watermarks on the photos as I already had enough with posers and impostors.

BEFORE & AFTER

Here are the products I used for this GLAM look:

Beauty on a budget!

• AIDO Classic Makeup Kit with F21 Lip Gloss - PhP 100.00
• Human Heart Nature Mineral Foundation in Caramel (Refill) - PhP 295.00 (Promo price! SRP is PhP 325.00)
• Human Heart Nature Mineral Pressed Powder in Island Shell- PhP 325.00 (For setting the foundation. I have oily skin so this is a must for me.)
• Human Heart Nature Mineral Blush in Tropical Rose - PhP 195.00
• Ever Bilena Advance HD Clear Mascara - PhP 100.00 (I used this as a primer since my lashes are almost non-existent! You can skip this if you have better lashes than me.)
• Ever Bilena Superlash Mascara in Black - PhP 110.00
• E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer - SRP $3 or PhP 179.95 (Bought online! You can skip this if you don't have oily lids.)
• E.L.F. Eyebrow Kit in Medium - SRP 249.50 but bought for only PhP 220.00
• Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Love That Red - PhP 155.00
• Ever Bilena Eye Pencil in Black - PhP 50.00

Aido A-785-2 palette

Now excuse me for more selfies... Photos were taken with the iPad's camera and cropped for Instagram format (1:1).



And here's a composite BEFORE & AFTER photo using an app called PicFrame.

Zits and acne marks from Aunt Flow's monthly visit and no thanks to the hot and humid summer season.

I apologize for not doing my hair to complete this glam look. I guess big curly waves (think Dita Von Teese!) would surely complement this glammed up look. Also I know I should have taken pictures with better lighting. I don't think the incandescent and fluorescent lights in my room are giving this any justice. Tee hee. Maybe next time I'll invest in a ring light or a lamp.

So that's all, folks! I hope you like my Beauty On A Budget look. I think the smokey eyes are perfect for any evening party and you know, one can never go wrong with bold red lips. I'm still tanned from all the beach escapades but this look is great with tan to medium and light to fair skin tones. Also before I forget, visit www.mylucidintervals.com for a chance to win an amazing beauty loot from her anniversary giveaway. Click the link below to join her HUUUUGE giveaway!

http://www.mylucidintervals.com/2013/05/my-lucid-intervals-huge-anniversary.html

I'll be posting more looks soon... so stay tuned!



TWITTER ★ http://twitter.com/mrsnoodleboy
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BLOGS ★ http://www.bastaigatsikat.com ★ http://www.mrsnoodleboy.com

For this year alone? I had my wedding and the birth of a son to account for that. 2011 is the year indeed!

xoxo,

I only have 6, one tattoo shy of the 7 I've always wanted since I was in high school. LOL! I don't think Noodle Boy will let me add the last one. Boohoo! But I will get that done. Someday.


xoxo,

Because I'm too vain for my own good, so I don't really have a bad thing to say about myself. HAHAHA! For real... I've worked hard to gain this much self-confidence (ego?) while growing up and my self-esteem is intact until now. (THANK GOODNESS!) So if there's anything AT ALL that I dislike about myself, it's being born WITHOUT a silver spoon in my mouth. I don't blame anyone, not my parents nor my own self. It's just that at the rate that the economy is going, I don't really think much of a bright future ahead -- financially. I'm quite content with my life now so I don't really mind being part of the 99%. I just try to live each day, one at a time, doing the best I can and working on the things I love, spending time with the people who matter to me, and living life with no regrets. :)  AMEN? AMEN!!!

xoxo,

I like the fact that I can be spontaneous, impulsive, random, and most of the time unpredictable. It's actually one of the things that NoodleBoy likes about me. My friends also say that's why I'm fun to be with because I get crazy ideas and do stupid things, regardless of what people think. However, I have toned that down a bit as I have grown older because I need to "act my age". Although most of the time I convince myself that age is just a state of mind. :)

xoxo,

Since entering the last trimester, my brain is too hazy to function, my legs too weak to walk because of my weight gain, and though I try to be active, I truly am becoming a real slow poke. But it's not that bad. I've been busy updating my other blog.

You can check it out at http://mrsnoodleboy.tumblr.com.

This pregnancy fog makes me ever so forgetful. If I had short-term memory, well, it has gotten worse. Like I'm amnesic or something. It's pointless to tell me to remind someone about something because I cannot retain anything... or maybe I'm just really distracted and preoccupied with the baby coming. It's pretty exciting! (And a little bit scary, just a little bit!)

Thank goodness for apps that help me get by with all the TO DO notes and reminders. See? In this high tech digital world, even pregnancy can be a whole lot easier.

Anyway, I've decided to buy Noodle Boy a prime lens. Okay, maybe I wanted it for myself but actually, it will be for both of us and the baby. Considering that I want to document the baby's growing up years as much as I can (a frustration from having absolutely almost nada baby pictures of myself now no thanks to the flash flood back in '91 that destroyed all my baby photos!), so a fast lens designed for low light would be perfect to capture those priceless moments of our baby... and us, new parents. It's an adventure we're really looking forward to.

I actually wanted a Lumix LX5 or a maybe a cool new Micro Four Thirds system, but in these times, I don't think that's the most practical purchase to be made. Think of the Avent bottles and the vaccinations we will have to be paying for. OMG. I think even the MacBook Air should wait until my birthday next year. Having a baby really is no walk in the park. I can't imagine how teenage moms and single parents handle it! Whew!

Ah well, there goes the Material Girl. Giving up my wants for something more important -- my little butterball's needs. I am growing up after all. But this doesn't mean this blog is going down the drain. As soon as I get rid of the 40 pounds I've managed to put on, I will definitely travel to places and take amazing photos (I really miss photography!) and blog it all here. Of course, I will also be blogging more misadventures and drama as it unfolds in my life. Although, you may want to check RAMEN GIRL'S RANTS & RAVES periodically for some sugar and spice.

I also need to do some book reading as I feel my vocabulary needs an overhaul but that will have to wait until after the baby is born. I gotta get creative with scrapbooking if I want my child to have an amazing collection of memories. And of course, our bedroom renovation is almost done so I'll be writing about that one, too. And... I still have pictures of the wedding ceremony I need to post as well as about the computer I've been using for almost 3 months now! Ack!

Hmmm.. how about a contest? Been joining some and not winning so maybe it's time to do a blog giveaway to make way for more blessings! What do you think? COMMENTS BELOW. I'm thinking it will have to do something with the baby. So... okay, lemme work on this and stay tuned for updates!

xoxo,

Go ahead! Try it...

And so I was googling myself today and found out some pleasant surprises. You guys know how I love joining contests and I like to take my chances. Interesting things I found out today... like:

Exhibit A



Actually won the Nokia OVI contest at micamyx's blog. Woot! A PHP1000 GC from Ayala! But I didn't get any email from Nokia about it. Oh well, it happens. It's probably somewhere in cyberspace.

Exhibit B



It's my entry from the My Pilipinas contest at ourawesomeplanet.com! I got the 5th place. Not bad.

And I even found our class website!

Exhibit C



Wow! The stuffs you find online, huh!!?

Nice.








PS. Always wear a smile not because life is full of reasons to smile but because your smile itself is a reason for many others to smile! Make me happy... Please vote for me!!! ☺ Click here: http://www.havaianasphilippines.com/happysoles/willtravel/p2_profile.php?pid=9

I've been really busy lately, thus I haven't had time to blog. Goodness! A lot had happened since my last blog and I don't even know where to start. I promise to blog all of them (with pictures!) but I got something important to tell you guys for now...

Today, I'm posting the mechanics for my Mini Birthday Contest!!! Yipeeee!!! Are you ready? Here we go.

Contest Mechanics:

For my Mini Birthday Contest this year, there’s going to be 3 categories and a lot of chances to win…

Twitter: If you haven't yet, you can follow me @MyMariaTV and tweet this: “Just joined MyMaria’s #bastaigatsikat Birthday Contest 2010 to win the gift of Flickr Pro! http://bit.ly/9RFcYa”

Please limit your tweets/RTs to 2 x a day. Each tweet/RT will count as 1 raffle entry. I shall be taking note of all your entries and draw them randomly. I am going to pick one lucky Twitter follower who is going to enjoy a Flickr Pro account on my birthday (04/18) and I will send you a DM if you win. Contest is open worldwide.

Multiply/Bloggers: For a chance to win a Multiply Premium Account + A Local Obagi Kit, you can re-post this entry, blog about it, and place a link back on your blog. Please leave a comment below and a link to your blog entry so I can keep track of it. I shall again draw the winner on 04/18 and send you a message or comment on your blog if you win! Two other bloggers will also get to win GlutaMAX Lightening Soaps with Glutathione 135g each. Contest is open to Philippine residents or those who have an existing mailing address in the Philippines.

+

Facebook: You can Become A Fan of my blog account at http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMaria-Basta-Igat-Sikat/249299832126 and answer the question I posted on the profile pic! Take note: You are only allowed to guess the answer ONCE A DAY. Whoever gets it right first on or before my birthday gets to win a pair of Havaianas from me! I will send the lucky winner a message asking for his/her size (and perhaps a particular model if available). Then I shall purchase the Havaianas pair at our exclusive distributor and ship it to you. Two other lucky Facebook followers (drawn randomly on 04/18) will win GlutaMAX Lightening Soaps with Glutathione 135g each. Contest is open to Philippine residents or those who have an existing mailing address in the Philippines.

But wait, there’s more…

I shall have weekly contests starting on March 21st, so watch out for more prizes! I will tweet them, blog them, and post them on Facebook for more details.

So until then… Stay tuned!




Celebrate life and love!

For all your palate pleasure... We have a new blog!!!

Check it out at http://theramenoodleshow.blogspot.com ... This is where you can check out the food and places we've gone to and what we have to say about them. ;)

You're in for a treat!

Brought to you exclusively by Ramen Girl and Noodle Boy!

P.S. Bookmark it now. Hit Ctrl + d for PC or Command (Apple) + D for Mac on your keyboards now. Will be updating it regularly. So stay tuned...

Ormoc City, a small town in Leyte, has been my home for the past 26 years. The ups and downs of living in a small town have been highlighted by yours truly with my Plurks, Twitter, and random statuses in Facebook. The provincial life is anything but ordinary. You’d be surprised really, if you had ever lived in one.

So in spite of all the rants and raves I have for my dear old Home, Sweet Home, there will never be another place I can ever call “home”. I’ve realized that when I lived in Cebu for 3 years. For sure, we all feel the same way towards that very place where we grew up in, a place we find comfort and safety where family is, and the place where fond memories and even suppressed ones are made – it’s really a place each of us hold in our hearts. In fact, it's been said that a home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.

Now for this blog entry of mine, I am going to take you on a tour of our port city as well as share with you an experiment I’ve been doing lately.



Remember my tweet last October 31st when I said I felt like a whale when I found out I already weighed 105 pounds? Seriously! Well, that’s a thing of the past now. Okay, so maybe I have a really cool metabolism or maybe I’m just disciplined when it comes to certain projects, or maybe I’m just really vain. Whatever it is, I am telling you my scheme worked!

What works? My fish diet! And no, I don’t have a trail of cats following me down the street. Anyway, it’s a dieter’s dream. No, not the cats. The fish! Just because it is one of the foods lowest in calories and fat. How can that be? Well, I’m not going to tell you, you can try and Google that if you really want to know.

But first and foremost, welcome to Ormoc City. Here are some of the places best for jogging and exercise where my friends and I meet and have made into our favorite haunt… during the day anyway since most of us are night owls.

Ormoc City Plaza:



Ormoc Memorial Gardens:



"RECLA":



OSPA:




*My favorite sunset view from OSPA.

Pictures do paint a thousand words. :) Breathtaking, noh? Ahh, yes. The benefits of living in a pollution-less place. Pretty huge contrast to urban living. In fact, Ormoc City is a consistent winner of the Cleanest and Greenest City program of the DILG. Must be why my experiment went so smoothly.

From 105 pounds…



To my targeted 95 pounds.



Okay, so maybe 10 pounds isn’t that huge a deal... but it matters to me. I mean, if I get so much as over a hundred, my jeans won’t fit anymore. Not that you can really tell due to my small frame. The first thing I notice though when I gain weight is that my thighs seem to be inflated! So I am adamant to really stay at 100 pounds or below. And all this I accomplished in less than a month!

What’s that you say? “I smell something fishy.” Well, You’re right. So, what’s the big secret? None other than Century Bangus Fillet.

FUN FACT about me: I don’t really eat Milkfish/Bangus unless it is boneless… just because I still don’t know how to take the bones out of any fish and there have been quite countless traumatic times in my life when I had bones stuck in my throat. *shivers at the thought*

And so obviously, the greatest thing about Century Bangus Fillet? It’s BONELESS! Now that’s like a dream come true! Mmm… I just can’t get enough of it! And it even comes with an easy to open can. No more fighting with a dumb can opener!





Apparently and proven by many, diet + exercise is a great combo. But what kind of diet really works? We have Atkins, South Beach, et cetera… As for me, with the limited ingredients one can find in a small town, I know one that doesn’t require a lot to prepare.



Even my dad, who has been a diabetic for as long as I can remember and who is unfortunately unable to enjoy lots of good food, delights in a sumptuous meal with me every time a cook up a storm with Century Bangus Fillet!





VOILA!!! It’s like fine dining. Check out the sizzling hot plate and the presentation!







BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

Not only is Century Bangus Fillet great for meals, it can be a real lifesaver in the wee hours of the morning. Take for instance last Saturday when a bunch of us decided to have a little get together over a couple of drinks. Even health buffs want to have a good time once in a while.

Although Ormoc City has seen many changes over the years with its "nightlife", 24-hour food joints and such haven't caught up yet. The only thing you can actually find open past 2AM is a Dunkin Donuts branch. Sad, but true. But if you're willing to wait until 4AM, popular carinderias near the market would be open to serve you by then.

That's why I am so glad to have a couple of Century Bangus Fillet cans in the car with me all the time.






Not only is it a healthy choice over junk foods or chichiryas, it also helps relieve that burning sensation in your stomach or bouts of gastritis when you've had a little more alcohol than you should.









Looks like we've found the perfect pulutan! Hehe...


So here’s to a recipe that’s a surefire winner… anytime, anywhere!



Cheers to Century Bangus Fillet!



So what are you waiting for? STOCK UP! Get yours from your favorite supermarket now!