I just lost one of my angels today....again

Have you ever blamed yourself for your pet's suffering? Well, that's what I'm feeling right now. I know it is not really me who caused their illnesses but I felt like I should have done something so that they don't suffer. If you have been following me on Facebook, I have posted that I am really down right now because another dog of mine died. 

90% of my dogs reaches their prime ages before dying...usually between age 8-13 years old and always due to illnesses. That means I was able to grew up with a lot of them and I have been taking care of them since I was a teenager. Except for our German Shepherd, Brando, who died at age 4 many years ago because he ate something and got poisoned when he accidentally got out of his cage and run wandered around our garage, majority of them reached their senior citizen year. 

One of my oldest, Onyok (he's an Aspin), who died early last year got diabetes due to old age (he was 14 years old) and when he got a wound on his front leg, it can't be healed anymore and he died of infection after some time. Until now, I still miss him...how he guards me when I go biking around the neighborhood and how he welcomes me home after school.

Another dog of mine who was a gift to me by mom when I was in elementary got a cancer on her left eye 2 years ago but she died just early last year (she was 13 years old when she passed away). Her name is Petite and she's a Shih Tzu. I loved her so much because she always have that smiling face and she is willing to be carried around and hugged.

Late last year, two of my old dogs also passed away due to old age..They are Mik-Mik (8 y/o) and Dumbo (6y/o). They are both Aspin and have a great immune system. Dumbo is actually Mik-Mik's first puppy and they are only 2 years apart in age. Both are very energetic and very sweet so I was actually sad that they went back to heaven with only a couple of months in between. I'm not sure if it's because Dumbo got sad that her mom died, but she lost appetite all of a sudden.

And today, I lost another one of my fur-babies. Her name is Glimpse and she's a black Labrador Retriever. She is 8 years old and she was diagnosed with a malignant breast cancer. I brought her to UP Veterinary Hospital and they told me that she has a very bad prognosis and even if we removed the tumor, there's no guarantee that she will recover.

I actually got 3 opinions from different veterinarians and I talked with my parents too. We have decided to put her down instead of making her undergo a risky operation. We actually planned to have it done last Saturday but when the veterinarian arrived at our place , I chickened out and cried. I begged my dad if we could at least try the surgery and see if she could still live a good life even if it's just for another year...But sadly my parents are adamant to just put her to sleep. They can't take seeing her in pain because one of her breast tumor already got ulcerated and also the price of the surgery is quite high and we can't really afford it at the moment. So I spent the whole day yesterday crying and rationalizing and what not.

The deciding factor is from my trusted veterinarian who is also a friend. I know he will tell me his opinion based on facts and won't be motivated with money or take my feeling into consideration. He explained that the breast cancer my dog had is really a bad one and it has a very very bad prognosis. And since it is malignant and ulcerated, it means there is a very high chance that the cancer had already spread to other organs so if we will have it removed surgically, the cancer is still there and Glimpse won't actually last even a year. Also, since she's already old, the surgery itself is risky and she can die on the operating table.

And I don't want her to suffer anymore. I don't want her to feel any more pain. So I decided to just toughen up because it is the best option for her...to just sleep and go back to our maker in heaven where there is no more pain and illnesses. 

We had the procedure done today and she looked so peaceful during the whole ordeal. I stayed beside her the whole time so I can take care of her body and hug her one last time. I have buried her at our backyard already but I am still crying until now. I can't seem to stop because I already miss her. 

 

I just wanted to post this up in memory of all my dogs that I love who are already back in heaven. I don't care what breed they are...I love them equally. I know that not a lot of people feels the same as me when it comes to their pets and won't understand what I feel but I don't care. I have loved them with all my heart and I will never forget them. I really hope that when it is my time to go to our maker in heaven, I would be able to be with them again. 

I will try to get back into posting regularly...It's just actually hard for me right now to think clearly. This is the first time I needed to decide for something that involves a life. I hope you guys understand.

Thank you and till next time.

Gale Reads: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I just finished another book, it's called Delirium. This is a much raved book and I got curious what is all the fuss about. My bf's sister kindly let me borrow her copy even if it is an autographed one (Lauren Oliver came to Manila not too long ago) because she also loves the story and she wants me to read it too. So I did. This book has been with me for a week now but I just started reading it a couple of days ago.

TITLE: Delirium

AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver

GENRE: Dystopian, Love story, Young Adult

PART OF A SERIES? Yes -- a Trilogy 

SYNOPSIS: (from http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/delirium.php)

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing.

They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

MY REVIEW:

How can I say this, I didn't totally hate it but I am not totally thrilled about it either. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with the author. I actually love her writing style and I have not encountered any grammatical problems inside. The setting is also great. It takes a creative mind to be able to conjure up a world like the Portland in Delirium. The way she described the place made me feel like I traveled into the future to the era when this set-up is happening. I can really imagine every scenario very easily.

My problem is the main character....The first 2/3 of the book was so hard for me to read...I can usually finish a book in a day but this book took me 3 or 4 days to finish because I hated Lena. She's so whiny, has a low self-esteem and such a scaredy-cat. I also am not a fan of the "all I can think of is him" attitude because it made me bored, in all honesty. I guess it's my fault. I should have expected it since this is a YA book and it is about a girl who felt love for the first time. But still, I got bored and a little irritated just by being inside Lena's head. I guess I didn't get to love her character as much as a reader should to appreciate the whole story.

I prefer stronger willed female characters. I wanted someone who can fight for what she wants and stick with it. Someone who is not always a damsel-in-distress. If she can fight physically, then that's a very big plus for me but it is not a requirement...haha it sounds like a job advertisement. In summary, I just hate a whiny person who always think she's never understood and that she's not pretty enough and she keeps on repeating those statements over and over and over again. It can make me so irritated that I wanted to kill her haha :)

On the positive note, I like Alex and Hana a lot. They are strong and smart and a lot more exciting. I also enjoyed the unusual ending. The last 1/3 of the book is actually entertaining and very unexpected. It made me want to read book 2 which Pandemonium just to see what happened to Alex and Lena's story. So I guess I'll be reading that soon just to appease my curiosity :)

OVER-ALL RATING: 2.5/5

WILL I RECOMMEND IT? If you liked Matched by Allie Condie and other related dystopian books, then you will love this. Lauren Oliver is a great author, I think I'm just getting old for these kinds of characters  hehe. SO if you're on you teens or are young at heart and love to read stories like these, then this book is for you ^_^

What about you guys? Have you read this series already? What do you think about it? Please share them with me on the comment section below ^_^

Until next time, bye!

WGM first broadcast after 3 months ^_^

It's here!! Yay! The new episode of We Got Married with English subtitles by Kshownow.net is already out for all international fans. You can't believe how happy I am when I learned that they will resume shooting for this show after being cancelled for more than 3 months because of ongoing strikes in the network. I'm so glad everything is okay now and I hope they won't have problems anymore in the future. I've been watching We Got Married since Season 1 and I still enjoy it upto now hehe ^_^

You can watch the English subbed versions here:

WooJung Couple

TeukSo Couple 

 I wonder who will be the 3rd couple? I hope it's an actor-singer couple too ^_^

The magic of makeup

Hello! I have tweeted earlier today that I will be doing a makeup tutorial and upload it tonight but something went wrong during the whole process and I decided to try again another day... I really wanted to film a tutorial to see if I have improved since the last I did it so yeah.

So today, I will be doing a post about what makeup can do to improve our over-all appearance for a party, for example. Here's what I came up with. Guess what I did to make it special ^_^

The other half only has light foundation, concealer and a lip balm. It is very natural and good for everyday but the other side is perfect for parties. It still looks simple and not over the top but I added some things to make my assets more enhanced.

Have you guessed what I used? If you thought false eyelashes, eyebrows and circle lenses then you are correct. Grooming my brows and filling in the gaps to make it look cleaner and frame my face better is one of the steps I just learned last month. I never knew that filled in brows looks better haha I thought I don't neet it coz I have naturally bushy brows but I guess I', wrong.

I also chose to use a brown colored contact lenses instead of the blue or green ones because I didn't want to look too fake. Although I love colored contacts because they are fun (if you noticed from my older posts), but using contact lenses with almost the same shade as my natural color makes it hard for people to guess what I did to look prettier and I learned that I prefer it that way hehe. It actually worked because my mom once told me she can't pinpoint what I did but I look different (We went to a formal event that time) and a lot of people complimented me whenever I use my brown lenses.

Adding false eyelashes also opened up my peepers without me worrying of looking like a raccoon.. I usually don't apply mascara if I have a choice because I have very oily lids and I usually ends up looking like an emo at the end of the day because of that. But I don't suggest using falsies everyday because the glue can make your lashes a lot thinner in the long run coz you can sometimes pull out the lashes during removal.

Products used:

FACE:

Holika Holika Petit Clearing BB Cream

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

Ever Bilena pink powder blush (no shade name on the palette)

Ellana Minerals HD Powder

EYES:

EO contact lenses in honey (grade 3.50 both eyes...I think I needed to upgrade to 3.75)

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

MOD Minerals in Splendor (all over the lids)

Coastal Scents white eyeshadow from 88 matte palette (as highlight)

Coastal Scents black eyeshadow from 88 matte paletter (for smudging the liner and on lower lashline)

Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in black 01

MUFE star powder in 902 (inner corners and lower lashline)

Generic false eyelashes

Etude House eyebrow pencil in gray

LIPS:

Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Embrace

You see, you don't need a lot of products to enhance your natural beauty. Just choose one part of your face you want to emphasize and concentrate on that. I chose my eyes coz 99% of the time I wear eyeglasses and whenever I have an event to go to I wanted to show them off hehe. 

What about you guys? What part of your face do you want to emphasize more when you do your makeup? Share them on the comment section below. Thank you for dropping by!  ^_^

Hershey time!

I would just like to share some pictures of my little Hershey showing her different sides  ^_^

While posing for a picture:

  *goofy face caught on camera*

*she's always trying to reach my face hehe ^_^*

While sleeping:

These 2 photos were taken by my sister while me and Hershey were sleeping...Pardon me coz I look weird sleeping haha...I just saw these pictures after I woke up ^_^

*sleeping on her back while snuggling on my side*

 *I can't believe we sleep in the same position haha ^_^*

*I took this while she was taking a nap today. She seems cold so I placed a blanket on her*

 *And she automatically snuggled under our Hello Kitty blanket...How cute is that?*

While playing:

*She's so happy playing with her lady bug pillow*

After being scolded she went running from my room and went into hiding under my parents' cabinet...

That's it! I hope you enjoyed seeing my baby. She's really the perfect "kid" to be around with coz she's very fun and energetic and so snugly and wants to be petted ^_^

You can follow me on Facebook if you want to see more Hershey pictures. I have the link on the side bar...Thanks for dropping by! ^_^

K-pop Updates: News of the week

Hello everyone! This post will be filled with updates about Kpop news that happened this week ^_^

1. Wonder Girls made their comeback on the different music programs after releasing their new single "LIKE THIS". They also released another song called "GIRLFRIEND" and performed it live.

Here's the MV:

Here's their comeback stage at Inkigayo last June 6.

Here's their comeback stage at Music Bank.

2. MBC We Got Married will start airing again after their 3 months hiatus! The first episode will air on June 16 tentatively but at least they withdrawn their announcement that the show was already cancelled. Yay! I can't wait to see WooJung and TeukSo couples. I hope they'll show WooJung's wedding already coz it's past their 1 year anniversary ^_^

3. F(x) just released their new single "ELECTRIC SHOCK" and it already had more than 3 million views on Youtube after 3 days and the week isn't over yet! Let's make it 4 million views! I love the song ^_^

That's my top 3 news right now for all of my readers who are also Kpop fans like me. Are you excited for WGM too? Enjoy the videos!

Till next time, bye! ^_^

News on Animal Testing

Happy Independence Day to all Filipinos! ^_^

I just wanted to share this with you all. You know that I'm an animal lover and I can't take it whenever an animal is hurt so I when I became aware about animal testing I tried my best to look out for brands I should avoid. I follow PETA's list always because they update it every month and they are the strictest who does these investigation if that brand is really cruelty-free.

BUT if I wanted to know if an Asian brand is cruelty-free, it is harder. We don't really have a database for that unlike the ones made in US, UK, Australia and Canada. So I just hoped and pray that what I'm using are cruelty-free.  

Sadly, one of my readers commented on my blog that Amore Pacific does conduct animal testing and a lot of brands sold in China are required to perform this harsh practice. I got baffled, to tell you guys honestly. I love Amore Pacific brands like Laneige and Etude House and they are staples in my skincare. I have bought a lot of their products coz they are great and works for me. But I want to thank my reader for pointing it out so I am gonna stop supporting all the brands under the Amore Pacific Corporation until they stopped the practice of animal testing. I don't think their explanation in their website is enough for me to still purchase their products knowing a lot of animals suffered for that. (If you want to see their explanation, click here.)

Now, I'm wondering if Tony Moly, Skinfood, The Face Shop and other Korean brands that I love also does animal testing.They are not in the list from KARA that is 100% cruelty-free..

*If you want to know if your favorite Korean brand tests on animals or not, click here.

HIGHLIGHTS on brands available locally:

*DO TEST*

1. Procter & Gamble - this company is always on the top of the list for testing on animals

     e.g. Olay, Pantene, Downy, Head&Shoulders, Ivory, Max Factor, Secret, SKII, etc

     * click here for the complete list of locally available brands from P&G

     * click here for the international brands under P&G

2. Johnson & Johnson

     e.g. Aveeno, Johnson's baby care, Acuvue, Neutrogena

3. Unilever

     e.g.  Sunsilk, Suave, Axe, Dove, Ponds, etc

4. Loreal

    e.g  Loreal Cosmetics, Kiehl's, Maybelline, Lancome, Kerastase,  Shu Uemura, Garnier

5. Direct Selling: Mary Kay, Avon, Nu Skin

*DON'T TEST*

1. Revlon *edit: was removed from the list in July 2012*

2. E.L.F. Cosmetics, Wet & Wild, NYX, LA Color
3. Youngblood Cosmetics, Duwop Cosmetics, Burts Bees, Murad, Prestige Cosmetics

4. Lush

5. The Body Shop - They were able to retain their cruelty-free status even though Loreal bought them.
6. Crabtree and Evelyn

I can't enumerate all so please feel free to click the links below to see the whole listing for the month of June 2012 ^_^

* For the list of companies/brands that DO TEST on animals, click here.

* For the list of companies/brands that DON'T TEST on animals, click here.

Oh, can anyone tell me why Urban Decay, MAC Cosmetics and Makeup Forever were removed from the list of cruelty-free brands? They've been on that list for many years but starting this year 2012, they're not there anymore. Well, until that issue is resolved, I'm not gonna buy from them anytime soon.

EDIT: I found an article explaining why PETA removed Avon, Mary Kay, Urban Decay and Estee Lauder brands (eg. MAC, Smashbox, Clinique, Bobbi Brown etc) from the cruelty free list. It seems that these companies allowed/paid Chinese laboratories secretly (under the table) to poison test their products on animals so that they can sell in China. They betrayed the trust of consumers that believed they are still cruelty free brands :(

You can check the full article here and here.

Thanks for dropping by ^_^

Kpop Updates: JJ Project

Okay, JYP really did a good job by making JB and JR be a cast of  Dream High 2 before he made them debut as idols. This made the duo popular in a wider range of audience and the anticipation for their actual debut as singers much anticipated. It is really a wise move. I just saw their live performance today for the first time and although it took me some time to like the song "Bounce", I really enjoyed watching the two of them perform with so much passion and energy. It made me want to dance and bounce with them hehe ^_^

Here's a link to their debut stage:

I really love seeing the smile on their faces. They look so happy performing. I hope they will make it big in this industry because they really have talent. Can't wait to see them on variety shows ^_^

Gale Reads: Kate Daniels Series (#1-5) by Ilona Andrews

Happy Monday everyone! You might be wondering why I had gone underground again this past week so I will tell you a secret. Here are some of the reasons why I usually disappears for a couple of days: (1) super busy at work (2) personal problems/ a relative is visiting and we're always out, (3) I am busy watching a drama and I've decided to do a marathon run or (4) I am reading a series of books and I can't stop until I'm finished with everything. For this past week, it's been reason #4. I have been reading a lot lately because my sister let me borrowed her IPAD 2 and it's so easy to read my ebooks using that instead of my Ipod Touch. I really wish I could have an ebook reader soon coz it is lighter than and Ipad and less stressful for the eye plus a longer battery life.

This week, I have finished a very famous series called Kate Daniels. It is written by Ilona Andrews (which is actually a pen name for 2 people...a husband and wife tandem. They are writing 2 series at the moment: Kate Daniels and On Edge.) The Kate Daniels Series currently have 5 books under it and a couple of novellas...It is still ongoing and it is said that book 6 will come out in 2013.

Genre: Dystopian, Paranormal, Fantasy

Status of Series: On-going

Author: Ilona Andrews

   

Summary from Ilona Andrews Website:

The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.

It’s a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrappers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

MY REVIEW:

COVER TALK:  I'm not that fond of the covers. I think it's a little tacky and have not done justice to the content. I would have liked it better if the illustration itself was drawn beautifully but these just looks sloppy to me. Also, I think having the lion out of the picture would be better and just focused on the drawing of Kate just like what Nalini Sighn did on her Guild Hunter Series. So I am giving 2/5 stars for the covers.

STORY:

This series is really awesome! I can't put it down and I had this feeling that I needed to read everything in one seating. I read one title per night so I ended up sleeping just a couple of hours this last week so that I can finish this. It's really a page turner and I can't help myself but be sucked into the world of Kate Daniels. I even sometimes dream about being one of the characters in the story hehe ^_^

I super duper love the lead character Kate Daniels. She's one tough cookie to break. She's a trained killer, very smart, learns through her mistakes, loyal, honest, has a very witty mouth and had a very strong will to fight for something she believes in. She's also very powerful because of her magic and skills. I also love the fact that she's not a whiny love-crossed heroine. Oh, I'm really so happy that being in her mind doesn't consist of pinning for her love life. Actually, it even made me wish there's a lot more Curran interaction in the story because I won't categorize this series as a romance novel as it lacks a romantic angle.

The whole series evolves around Kate's fights against the different forces in her world who plans to wreak havoc in their lives in Atlanta. There's a lot of ass kicking, sword wielding and magic powers involved. The way Andrews wrote the scenes is really awesome because I was able to picture everything in my head clearly as if I was there and watching it like an spectator. I applaud Ilona Andrews for being able to use different mythology (Greek, Norwegian, Latin, etc), history, and a lot of magical being (witches, shammans, etc) and melding them together to create a world full of magic and knowledge. 

Having novellas every now and then is fun coz I could read about certain characters from Kate Daniel's world and also reading about Curran's point of view even though they are short are nice.

I really hoped they showed a lot of love and interaction between Curran and Kate because this book needs more loving between them. Curran is rarely on the events and it would be nicer if I could feel a connection that they love each other.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5

I definitely recommend this book! There's never a dull moment and it is full of twists and turns so you'll be kept on your toes every time. I can't wait for book 6 to be released but it is stated in Goodreads that the expected release would be on 2013...Waah, it's too far!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers who like action-packed stories and kick-ass female heroine. Readers who loves dystopian, fantasy and paranormal genre and wants to experience a world full of magical creatures and powers.

Will I buy these books in the bookstore? Definitely! I am planning on going to Powerbooks to get my hands on the paperbacks version because I want to be able to reread them again in book form. As I've said, reading a physical book is way better than reading an electronic version and it's easier to go back to the parts I wanted to read again.

What about you? Have you read this series already? If yes, are you excited for the next installment too? Share your opinions in the comment section below...I would love to hear from you.

Till next time, bye! ^_^

ATTN: Food Drive for the rescued Pit Bulls (CARA)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to ask for help to all the people who will read this. CARA Welfare Philippines (www.caraphil.org) is asking for help through food donations (either by giving a sack of dog food or in cash for buying dog food) to feed the 175 rescued Pit Bulls from the dog fight. They are having a shortage of food right because they consume 5 large sacks of dog food everyday for these abused Pit Bulls who survived and were rescued. Your donations will be really needed for these survivors to survive. For directions on how to donate, please click the picture below for instructions. Please do share this in your blogs and social networking  sites so we can spread the word and a lot of people will be able to donate. Thank you so much!

Gale Reads: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Hello everyone! I just finished reading a book last night and it took me so long to read again coz I can't use my Ipod touch this last month for some reason. I can't access internet from there and I don't know what's the problem. Anyway, my sister is good enough to let me borrow her Ipad 2 so I can read hehe. I was supposed to read Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews but I didn't feel like it last night and I have decided to go for a fantasy love story that is not too heavy instead and so I ended up reading Of Poseidon by Anna Banks ^_^

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal

Title: Of Poseidon

Author: Anna Banks

Read in: 6 hours

Summary:
Galen is a Syrena prince who went to land to investigate about a human girl said to have the ability to communicate with fishes. 

Emma  is an 18-year-old girl who went on a summer vacation with her best friend on a beach and had survived a tragic shark attack. After the attack, she began experiencing weird things in her body and she doesn't know what it is.

After Galen and Emma met on that eventful day, a lot of hidden things unfolded and it might be the solution for the Syrena Kingdom to survive.

MY REVIEW:

COVER TALK:  I so love the cover! It is not a straight-on-your-face cover that says what the story is about (i.e. an angel for an angel story, a vampire for a vampire book). It is the perfect image of Emma in my opinion. I'm so glad they didn't placed a mermaid picture on the cover hehe ^_^

STORY:

Okay, this book really blew me away! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from this because it is the first mermaid story I have read since I became an adult. My last mermaid story was The Little Mermaid haha and I don't think that really counts for a novel anyway. I'm so glad I am not disappointed after reading this and I can't wait for the next installment!

Anna Banks is a new author and I believe this is her first novel ever published (I'm not 100% sure thought). I like her writing style because she was able to describe the scene very beautifully and it made me imagine what it would look like and feel as if I was there in the scene with the characters. I have rarely found any grammatical error which I am happy about because that's  the usual flaw that I find in YA books and some romance novels.

Going to the characters, I actually am a fan of the fact that the love story between the two main character progressed naturally and is not the typical love at first sight kind of thing. It is really a breath of fresh air for me that they did not start liking and loving each other the first moment their eyes met. Attracted, yes, but not the head over heels kind of way. It is so natural that it made you really want to follow how their feelings progressed.

I love the fact that Emma is not some love-crazed teenager only thinking about the love of her life...She's actually mature, strong, smart and not whiny. Love love her. Galen is also an admirable man because he is very loyal to his family and he really did try to do the right thing. And I love seeing him gets jealous. These two are really a match made in heaven in terms of characters especially the temper  ^_^

I'll end my review here coz I don't want to give out spoilers. All I can say is, you should definitely try reading this book because it's worth it. I hope book two arrives soon coz I want to know what happens to Galen and Emma's love story and also the future of the Syrena civilization ^_^

OVER-ALL RATING: 5 out of 5

 This is really a very entertaining read. I can't put the book down and I ended up finishing the story in 6 hours! I slept around 3am this morning because of this and my eyebags are so big and dark for my date with the BF haha ^_^

RECOMMENDED FOR: I think everyone who loves paranormal love stories, fantasy type adventures, and mermaids would definitely enjoy reading this. It is so much fun and engaging to read that I felt so sad that I can't get my hands on the next book to know what happens next. It really has a good cliff hanger and it hooked me.

Have you read Of Poseidon already? What about a good mermaid story? Please comment below so I can check it out too. ^_^

Gale Eats: Japchae

I just want to share this with you guys...What I made today for lunch and snack time.. I ate this with my BF and my family ^_^

Japchae  

(Glass Noodles with Stir-fried Vegetables)

Ingredients needed:

- Glass noodles -- You can get this at supermarkets and Korean mart

- Beef, sliced thinly into strips -- I got the pre cut one from the supermarket...it's called "stroganoff"

- Spinach

- Carrot, julienned

- Onion, sliced thinly

- Bell peppers, sliced thinly

- Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly (remove the stems)

- Eggs -- scrambled eggs then sliced into strips

- Garlic, chopped

- Sesame seeds

- Sugar

- Sesame Oil

- Soy sauce -- I used Kikoman

- Olive oil

Procedure -- I followed "Aeriskitchen" from Youtube but I adjusted the amount of the ingredients coz I cooked a bigger batch. Here's her video ^_^

I loved the result! It tastes so good and perfect for everyone...even my dad who is very picky told me it tastes good.

I just hoped that I have a bigger wok to cook it with coz it's so hard to mix and a sharper knife for cutting the veggies (why does a ceramic knife so expensive huhu)...but aside from that, everything went smoothly. I think I can make this easily on our next family gathering...Something new to add from the usual pasta stuff hehe ^_^

Review: Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Tip Concealer

Good morning everyone! It's a bright and sunny morning right now here in the Philippines and I really wanted to go out. I can't believe rainy season is already coming very fast. We are already experiencing rainy nights.

Anyway, I have been testing out a concealer that I got for a couple of months now. I just wanted to be sure that I have used it a lot before I do a review so I waited until I used up a lot ^_^

I am gonna review Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Tip Concealer in Shade #1.

I got this for around Php200 only so I am very happy with the price. It comes in a lipgloss like container and it has a doe foot applicator. 

Here is what it looks like on the skin when swatched...

After blending a little...

 How it looked like on my eyes without any brightening undereye powder on top of the concealer.

I LIKED THIS because:

- It is very affordable and available locally.

- Shade#1 is perfect for brightening my eyes. I can also use this to highlight my nose bridge coz it looks natural when blended.

- Coverage is buildable without any caking. I love that I can layer this product on my undereyes and it won't crease or cake.

- I can use this for touch ups too during the day. If my eye makeup smudges, I can just wipe it with a tissue and then apply this to make me look fresh again.

- I can even use this as an eyeshadow base. I don't know how it prevents my eyeshadow from creasing easily too. Even if it doesn't make my eye makeup stay put the whole day like an eyeshadow primer does, at least it helps my e/s adhere to my lids better on days I don't like to put up a fuss on my look.

- It doesn't settle on my lines even if my eye area are dry. My sister can even use this (she doesn't like putting anything on her undereye coz it settles on her fine lines) without any problem.

- You only need to use a small amount everyday. I have this for more than 3 months now and I still have a lot of products even if I use this everyday.

- It doesn't turn my undereyes blue! That's my problem with yellow-toned concealers, it makes me look bluish because I'm acidic but this doesn't oxidizes on me so I am so happy.

CONS:

- None!

- It might be too light for very dark circles coz this is not a thick and opaque concealer...but since I prefer brightening them than totally concealing, I don't mind it at all. It might just be a con for some.

OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5.

I super love this concealer! I think I found something that I can use for a long time. 

WILL YOU REPURCHASE? Definitely! I might check other Tony Moly concealers too coz I wanted to try a more opaque concealer for days that I really have dark circles to cover.

TIPS:

- It is better to use a small amount at first and just build up the coverage gradually.

-Using a blending brush like MAC 217 for applying this product creates an airbrushed effect.

- Always set with a powder to make it last a lot longer.

What about you? What's your HG concealer? And have you tried Korean brand concealers too?Let me know in the comment box below ^_^