I am always broke

I'm not really sure if I should write a post like this. But I just want to let it off my chest. And at the same time try to tell to my fellow Filipinos back home that being an OFW is not easy. And I hope time will come that the we will not be synonymous to rich. Yes this is about my life and my financial status but a lot of OFW's are in the same boat with me. First of all I did not come from a rich family. I used to think that we belong to the middle class but later on in life I start to question that. And just a month ago I had a discussion with a colleague as he was insisting that yes we belong to the middle class. And I strongly contradicts him by saying that even though we are OFW's we belong to the group of people living in Poverty. He says that people living in poverty line doesn't have anything to eat anymore. I think poor people are those people like me who has work but living on hand to mouth kind of life and those who doesn't have work at all and have to beg. In the end it is still all the same both don't have money in the pocket. So both are poor.

Well for me middle class means you have an extra money in your bank account for other things. Or you have a budget for your every needs. But I don't even have an extra budget and therefore I consider myself poor. Yes I have work but the salary is just enough to pay bills and send home. I don't have budget for other things like clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, gadgets and vacation. If ever that I'm able to afford any of those things still it does not make me belong to the middle class. If ever here is what I do. Either I don't pay my bills on time or I just pay it partially. Or I take a loan. Second quarter of the year I purchased a lot of items that I need and wants. At the expense of my supposed to be ticket money so instead of going home for vacation I just stayed at home. This month I was able to hoard toiletries but then I used all my food money. Do people in middle class families to that?

There are far too many factors why I am broke and not only me but most of us. The salary is not equal to the cost of living. If I will rant about it and so the millions of people all over the world. I guess this is the way it is everywhere. Everything are so expensive nowadays. Both in the Philippines and in the UAE. And how can I not help my family when helping them was the main reason why I have chosen to work overseas in the first place. Well I'm the one who send one of the brothers to college and right now he's working. He got work after applying for companies for 6 months. And the other one is still studying and yes I am the one supporting him. He'll finish by October next year. Because of this I have to send up to 60% of my salary. And even if he finish studying it will not mean that my financial status will change. By then I will be paying whatever loans/arrears I'm having now. Not advisable but I can't avoid most of the time. Even if I am done helping my family here comes another factor. The cost of living here just keeps on going up. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

I don't know when will my situation (or every OFW's situation) will change. I don't know if there is still hope. One thing is for sure. Life goes on. As with it one must he happy in spite of whatever circumstances he is in. And that is what I am doing. Trying to be happy. Trying to be positive. But then at times I'm getting depressed. But I am fighting it. I just turn into writing so at least even once I can release the emotions building up inside of me.

Just another Byphasse Haul from Tati

Ramadan is over. Supposed to be during Ramadan we should have 2 days off but then management of each department has the last word. If they say that Friday is the only off day for us then there is nothing we can do about it. Complain and you are the villain. And I know that a lot of OFW's have longer working hours than us so I have to tell myself that it wasn't so bad and I must just comply like the rest of my colleagues after all I have to work to survive. So finally when it's over I had my two days off over the weekend. Friday is the counterpart of Sunday in the Philippines. All offices across the UAE are closed during Fridays. Saturday well that's my day off. Years ago we used to spent the weekends or holidays roaming around the country or the nearby country. But time has changed. Life gets busier. And so my weekend was nothing new compared to all the weekends I had. This is not exactly a complain (defensive mode haha) just feel like sharing it for those who plans to move in the UAE to work. So not surprising that I was in the Mirdif City Centre and since I was there I checked if Tati Shop is still on sale. For those who doesn't know and visited my page for the first time ~ Tati is a French department store that sells affordable clothing, household items and cosmetics. Cosmetics brand that they carries are Modelite, Evoluderm and Byphasse. Broke that I am I spent my remaining precious dirhams on Tati. I'm supposed to spend in food but ended up spending it in toiletries and so be it. In short this post is about my another Byphasse haul from Tati and here they are:

This time around I got myself Byphasse Body Wash and only 1 Byphasse Baby Cleansing Lotion. Each items are 500ML and so far they are the cheapest brand I can find in the UAE. As soon as I get time I will write a separate post for each well better term will be a photo blog as I don't have much to say but to show a lot of photos so the you can be familiar with the product even without seeing it personally.

All these Byphasse items were on sale. Discount was no more than 5AED but it was still a discount nonetheless and if you are living on a tight budget like me you'll understand where I am coming from and why even this small amount of discount matters a lot and already a big help. The most expensive on this batch is the 1Litre body wash for sensitive skin that costs me 17.00AED. 

I'm sorry if I keep on repeating about my financial status is almost every post that I am writing. I'm not asking for people to pity me. I have to state it because until now there is an impression back home about OFW's. As if we have overflowing money in our bank accounts so we can always afford to shop. That is making me state my reasons why do I hoard and when do I hoard? And how on earth can I afford to hoard at times? There are sacrifices being made in each time I'm spending my hard earned money. If I spent the money on food that food would last only for a week or more but then I spent it on toiletries which will last for months and by the time I finish it all then probably there is a sale again and I'll be stocking up again.

This Byphasse body wash has six variants and I have chosen only 4 variants with smell that I like the most. I don't want to get them all then end up with a short money when I'm about to pay :)

Thanks for dropping by to my page and I'll do a little more research about this product like why it is good for the skin as I tend to ignore that very important information. I only seem to care about the smell and the price. Forgetting that some people are visiting the page hoping for further details.

Skinfood from South Korea

Skinfood is a brand of skin care and make up from South Korea. As I understood from the write ups this brand was created to cater to young women. Those who are in high school and college with limited budget. So it is supposed to be an affordable line of cosmetics. It has one shop in Dubai Festival City which I haven't visited yet but based on their prices via website I would not label it as affordable. I'd call it expensive. All my Skinfood items, I got it from an online seller from Instagram. The prices are much lower than the shop in Dubai but still in the expensive side. But I ain't complaining or ranting about the prices. Merely sharing the information. If price is not an issue then I'd say I'm almost happy with Skinfood products.

'Almost' happy as I haven't found products yet that works 100%. Right now my concern is how to clear my nose from whiteheads. For good. What is happening is whenever I clean my face and use a nose strips there will still be some left. Then the next day instead of seeing them lessening they just seem to be procreating. In spite of the technology and thousand products in the market still there is no solution for this. I even tried using Benzoyl Peroxide which made me looks like a descendant of Rudolf with an asphalt nose. Skinfood Peach Sake Pore Serum is able to control the oil but only for a few hours. Skinfood Peach Sake Toner is able to matte the nose upon cleaning at night but then it lasts for at least an hour or so only. Premium price to pay for a few hours of being oil free.

Skinfood Peach Sake BB Cream ~ I want to write a separate post about it as soon as I can but to just show photos and swatch only. It has been only a year since I started using BB creams so I can't say that I have much extensive experience about this. But so far I am satisfied with what Skinfood BB Cream can give. Does not help me with whiteheads but does not aggravate it either. So I am fine with that.

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder ~ I haven't gotten around in using it on daily basis but my initial impression was good. It smells good. It is really translucent. This requires another post too. But I think this is a promising product. That's all for now and thank you for visiting my page.

Soap and Glory: Scrub Your Nose In It

Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It

Price: 50.00AED @ Boots Pharmcy Dubai

Promo Buy 1 Take 1

Made in UK

I don't normally shop at Boots Pharmacy. They do not have a branch in Ajman. And seeing a lot of SA inside always making me run away from them. I don't dislike SA. They are people with decent jobs. But then SA's persuasion and me are not a good combination. The first time I shopped at Boots was in their branch at Lamcy Plaza. The SA was kind enough when I told her I don't know yet what will I purchase, I would look around first and let her know if I need anything. And the reason I finally decide to go inside a Boots Pharmacy was seeing the magic words "Buy 1, Take 1". In short I purchased this product even without reading reviews first because I got curious and not because some SA persuaded me to do so with matching lines how they are personally using it. 

This is the box. This purchase was sometime in April and during that time I was crazy and keen on finding products I could that would solve my concern about controlling the oil in my nose. As I really hate the whiteheads/white bumps on my nose. I wanted something aside from nose strips since using those strips on daily basis is not advisable. Scrub your nose in it. Nose. My nose was my main concern. My hopes were high. 

Special Pore Refining Formula ~ yes I need that in my life. Years of using nose strips and sometimes taking out the whiteheads with various tools has finally taken its toll on me. My pores in the nose has become big and some even have scars. 

AHA Facial Scrub ~ much has been said all over the internet how AHA is good for the skin. But the thing is I can't remember a single thing to write about AHA right now. If a lot of people swear by it then it must be good. 

To be honest I don't know what is Superfruit Yuzu is but it sounds good anyway. (Note to myself: google it later). More photos first before I share my experience with it:

Moment of Truth: well I will not contradict those people who swear by that it can remove dirt and impurities. But then I haven't found yet a facial wash or facial scrub that can't do that job. Facial wash and scrub were created for the purpose for crying out loud! But then the reason I purchase it was not to just clean my nose as I can buy other facial scrub in the market for a lower price.

I purchased it hoping that my pores in the nose will get better. Call me crazy or obsessed with my whiteheads as this is already the nth product I used for the purpose of making those white bumps go away. Fine this was able to scrub my nose properly. Does it helps making my pores refined or smaller? No. Does it helps in eliminating my whiteheads? No. I was hoping that by scrubbing my nose with this those nasty whiteheads will go away along with the scrub but I was wrong. In conclusion there is not scrub in the world that can remove the whiteheads so why spend money on expensive scrubs then? I'll just go back to the good old St. Ives or hunt down the market for more affordable brands.

Byphasse Micelle Solution

Byphasse Micelle Solution

Price: 18.00AED @ Tati Shop in MCC
Made in EU

Byphasse is a brand of cosmetics from Barcelona, Spain. The aim of the brand is to provide skin care products to all at an affordable price. They said to be distributing their products at 50 countries worldwide but honestly I didn't know about them until recently. It was sometime in April or May when I first visited the Tati Shop in Mirdif City Centre. Tati on the other hand is a department store from France that carries affordable clothing. Aside from the clothing they also carries skin care and make up products. They carry Byphasse and Evoluderm. In the UAE market I haven't seen them anywhere else but on Tati.

Micelle Solution is a facial cleanser/makeup remover that consists mainly of water making it the safest and most gentle product out there. Well there are small molecules of oil suspended in the water but then it majority of the ingredients is water. The reason why this has become so famous. If I'm not mistaken Bioderma is the pioneer. But then Bioderma is quite expensive and there are still countries/areas in the world that it is not available. So it is good to know that now there are too many drug store brands of micellar water to choose from now. It is not meant to be a facial wash but a cleanser to remove the makeup.

Sans Parabene of Paraben Free seems to be trend when it comes to skin care products in Europe. As I see it in almost every European cosmetics I purchased. There are people who believes that parabens can cause cancer that they are avoiding products containing this ingredient. As for me I am not really keen into avoiding products with parabens at all. If I'm using something without it then it's good but if it has I don't mind as long as the product will perform well as expected. Micellar water is the perfect product for people with sensitive, dry or irritated skin.

My experience with Byphasse Micelle Solution: well my experience will surely differ from others as I don't wear heavy make up or complete make up. Even if I wear one the whole day I use a facial mist a lot especially now that it's summer time and the brands I'm using doesn't seem to be long lasting even when I use a make up base so at night when I come home there is hardly make residue at the cotton pad. But just some dirt. So in removing make up I can say that Byphasse delivers. Actually all the micelle solution I have tried. But if I were to compare Byphasse to Bioderma this one seems to be a little sticky but not always it could be the other products on my face but nevertheless Byphasse can compete.

I use it to remove my eye make up. I can say that it is safe to use as it doesn't sting. Whenever I'm using a product I'm always watching out if it will feel like drying my skin. Or it will irritate me my skin. If none of those happened then the product is good enough for me. And so I'll say that Byphasse is a good product. And a good deal that you'll get a 500ML for it's price. But as of June 2015 the price became 20.00AED. Even so it is still the cheapest brand of micelle solution in the UAE.

Added this photo to show how it works. The first swatch is the Essence Lipstick I applied at least 3 or 4 layers so it was heavy. The yellow one is a Mac eye shadow in gold shade. Last is the Daiso Mascara which happens to be waterproof. But I don't always use mascara. Maybe at least twice a month?

Here's the result after using one cotton pad with Byphasse Micelle Solution.

That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by and I hope this post of mine is helpful to some of you. Till next time.

Toners

Facial Toners. It is a liquid product meant to clean the face. The second step after the facial cleanser or make up remover. To make sure that whatever residue left behind by the facial cleanser or make up will be removed. But not all people uses Toner. Some says you can skip it as it is just a waste of time and money. Some says it is needed as extra care for the skin. As for me prior 2014 I don't have an exact skin care regime. Meaning I just clean my face with just about anything I can get my hands on. Soap. Eskinol. Any facial cleanser. RDL. I was young back then. Being young comes with a smooth and soft skin. When sun spots starts appearing along with thousand of whiteheads that is when I realized I should have taken care of my skin properly as early as possible. Now my skin is aging. And has been drier than before. Prevention is better than cure. I included Toner in my regime, hoping my skin will get better. Here are some of my facial toners:

From left to right: Avene Gentle Toner, La Roche Posay Physiological Soothing Toner, Botanics Cleansing Toner, Skinfood Peach Sake Toner, Byphasse Soft Toner Lotion and Olay Refreshing Toner. Inshallah if my busy schedule will permit me to do so I'll take up more photos and write a post for each product.

It has been more than a year that I'm using toner religiously. I can't remember anymore how many brands I tried. I am avoiding Alcohol Denat but then some of the brands I own have them. How's my experience with toners? Well none of them helps as far as sun spots and whiteheads are concern. But then none of them promised to be able to do so. With the current brands I own only 1 claims to have a brightening solution or effect and that is the Botanics Cleansing Toner but it will probably fall into the category of 'products I used to brighten/whiten the skin but did not able to do so'. As I have repeatedly said that I haven't found any brightening/whitening products yet that truly works. Somehow in a way it slows down the aging process of my skin. Not because it has components to fight off the wrinkles. But because of this step I became more attentive to my skin instead of just slapping my face with products. I observe my skin's reaction. I became gentle with my skin. I listen to it. But this post does not mean that I am relying only on toner. Toner is just a part of the regime. Sometimes I follow the Korean steps in applying skin care. Sometimes I just follow the basic.

I'll continue using toners as a way to give an extra pampering to my skin. But as of the brand I don't think I will shell out money again ever to expensive brands since all of them can clean the face properly. That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by to my page. Till next time, Ciao!

90's Alternative/Rock

List of Songs:
00:00 Live ~ Selling The Drama
03:31 Candlebox ~ Far Behind
08:40 Green Day ~ Basket Case
11:46 4 Non Blondes ~ What's Up
16:50 Better Than Ezra ~ Good
1956 Blind Melon ~ No Rain
25:47 Collective Soul ~ Shine
31:08 Creed ~ My Own Prison
35:25 Deadeye Dick ~ New Age Girl
38:43 Foo Fighters ~ Big Me
40:54 Gin Blossoms ~ As Long As It Matters
45:19 Goo Goo Dolls ~ Iris
48:54 Nirvana ~ Smells Like Teen Spirit
53:31 Oasis ~ Champagne Supernova
1:01:01 Pearl Jam ~ Alive
1:09:16 R.E.M ~ The One I Love
1:13:30 Stone Temple Pilots ~ Interstate Love Song
1:16:45 The Cranberries ~ Zombie
1:21:55 Smashing Pumpkims ~ Bullet With Butterfly Wings
1:26:27 Ugly Kid Joe - Cats In The Cradle

Byphasse + Evoluderm Haul at Tati Shop

Last Friday I visited the Tati Shop in Mirdif City Centre. For those who doesn't know Tati, it is a department store from France that carries affordable clothing. Admittedly my first impression with anything about France is associated with the word expensive. Only now that the impression is shifting. France just like any other countries in the world has expensive and dirt cheap products. But for me not all items from Tati are really dirt cheap not unless they are on sale. And they happened to be on sale when  I went to their shop.  But if you will compare their price range with other brands coming from France then they are definitely affordable. Tati carries not only clothing items they also have make up (Modelite Makeup) and skin care products. As of skin care they do have Byphasse which is a brand from Spain or a collaboration between Spain and France. And also Evoluderm. Evoluderm is a another French brand of affordable cosmetics. I wanted to pick up some shirts that costs only 9.00AED but I had to choose what I need urgently? Couple of new shirts or cosmetics? It is the latter. I can't afford to have both anyways. So here's my haul from Tati shop consists of Byphasse and Evoluderm:

Price range from 9AED to 18AED. Afterwards I went to Carrefour to compare prices with other French brands like LCS and Nectar of Nature to be sure that I really got a good deal. Byphasse and Evoluderm normally carries the biggest size. So seeing 500ML is very common in them. It is now summer in the UAE and my skin becomes drier that I consume a lot of creams. I used to be a fan of some expensive brands but not anymore since whatever the price range is both can do the same job.

Prices for those who wants to know:
Byphasse Hair Mask ~ 18.00AED
Byphasse Baby Cleansing Lotion ~ 11.00AED
Byphasse Gel Wash ~ 14.00AED
Byphasse Hand Cream ~ 9.00AED
But please bear in mind that these are sale prices. If they are not on sale there's a price difference between 2AED to 5AED. And for us who are in a tight budget this matters.

Evoluderm Hand Cream ~ 9.00AED
Evoluderm Lotion ~ 12.00AED
As of the quality they are good enough. I mean nothing extraordinary that will blow your mind but not bad either. For example the lotion will moisturize you enough but nothing extra like it will whiten your skin or something like that. Or will work as anti aging and the likes. But at least they don't have empty promises. The only downside is Evoluderm and Byphasse has a lot of products to offer but then in the UAE market it is quite limited. I hope Tati UAE can just bring them all. And I'm willing to try them all. That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by. I will write a separate posts full of photos as soon as my time will allow me to do so. Ciao!

Bioderma Sebium Gel Moussant

Bioderma Sebium Gel Moussant

Facial Wash/Facial Cleanser

Price: 89.00AED for 200ML @ Aster Pharmacy

Made in France

Purchased this Bioderma Sebium Gel Moussant out of curiosity. This was my first costly facial wash or facial cleanser. What made me bought it was it has been said that gel are good for combination skin. I have dry cheeks but very oily Tzone. Oily nose eventually leads to having  thousand whiteheads everyday. Even after cleaning my face and/or using nose strips. 

Not much photos to share as this is already an empty bottle. The gel comes in blue color. Very gentle and non drying. No scent. No parabens. Oil free. It has been a year since I used it so that's all I can say. But then I can't remember anything about it that I don't like. I did not repurchase not because it was a bad product but because it is overpriced in UAE market. And I still have tons of other facial wash to try. This will work well for people with sensitive skin as I have said that this is very gentle on the skin. 

But then the very reason I picked it up was I'm hoping it will help me regarding the oiliness of my nose. Sadly it did not. But not blaming the product though as it did not promise such thing. It's only meant to clean the face without irritating the skin. And it delivers when it comes to that. And to be fair I haven't found a facial wash/facial cleanser that actually helps in controlling the oil and lessening the whiteheads. So in conclusion I could use any facial wash/cleanser that is affordable and easily available. As long as it can clean the face that's all should matter. 

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting my page. Ciao!

[Galderma] Benzoyl Peroxide Gel

Benzoyl Peroxide Gel

Price: 20.00AED @ Aster Pharmacy

Made in France

I had been reading a lot of blogs and write ups regarding whiteheads as I badly wanted them out of my nose for good. It has been said that actually whitehead and blackhead are mild forms of acne. And so if that is the case I take it that acne solutions will also work for whitehead. Because of that from using different kind of toners and facial cleansers my attention has shifted into finding a cure against acne. And one of the solutions being offered out there is using Benzoyl Peroxide. After a few days of thinking about it I finally went ahead and searched for it sometime in April. I found it at Aster Pharmacy in Dubai for only 20.00AED.

When I first try it I used other face products along with it. So during the first time I did not really notice anything. Or feel anything that I kept the product in my drawer. But alas last week of June I decided to take it out and use it. As I am already exhausting other products I have to fight the whiteheads but to no avail. Actually I'm trying hard to control the oil. Controlling the oil will lead me to be whitehead free nose, right?

Here's the list of ingredients for people who wants to know. Whatever it is that's written on the box is also written in the tube. While the photo below states the name and location of the company.

Directions.

And here is what I experienced the second time around of using it. I applied it for 2 consecutive nights. Without applying anything else on my face. I figure it will be better that way. Since the first time did not really work as there were layers of skin care products on my face.  Instead of applying in my nose only I was not able to avoid to spread some of the cream in some parts of my cheeks.

And what happened? The next day after the second night the first thing I noticed was my nose and near it was very red. It resembles to when I applied some blush on to my cheeks. I had to stop using blusher as it will look like as if I decided to use it on my nose too. It was fine with me. As there is a price for everything right? And I thought the redness will go away quickly but it did not. I read the manual later where it states that the user will experience redness and should avoid sun exposure. Redness then is the skin's natural reaction to the product. But seriously how can I avoid the sun exposure when it's extremely hot. After all it is summer in the Middle East. I should have use it on winter instead.

I have dry cheeks but even so my cheeks are soft to touch. What Benzoyl Peroxide Gel has done to my nose was it dried it out but not in a good way as the skin where I used the product was rough to touch. Imagine the asphalt. Imagine touching it. That's how I feel whenever I touch my nose. Although somehow it did managed to sort of close my pores. If there is such a thing. But that's how it looks like to me. It was able to minimize the oil from my nose. But it did not make me a 100% free from whiteheads. Now Benzoyl Peroxide is back in the drawer and I don't know when will I use it again or will I ever use it again. I should now accept that having a very oily nose full of whiteheads is natural. And no permanent solution. I will continue using nose strips but I must stay away from taking drastic measures like this one. 

On the other hand it got me thinking. That there is a possibility that they can create a pore minimizing product that really works. As Benzoyl Peroxide was able to do that for my nose. Maybe I could just try mixing this product with an oil controlling cream. Just maybe. Thanks for dropping by sweeties. Till next time.

Unbelievable discounted clothes at Splash in Dubai Outlet Mall

I thought since Ramadan means less work timings, more time to do other things. Nay! In fact it's busier than ever whether at work or at home. Just sharing before I go ahead to write what is this post is about. Does the shop named Splash ring a bell? Well even if you are in UAE and you don't know Splash I don't blame you. There is a shop in some City Centres called Centrepoint and it carries Lifestyle, Beautybay and Splash. But in some other malls the said shops are stand alone. Just like in Dubai Outlet Mall.

Dubai Outlet Mall is another mall that is located near to Al Ain. Meaning that is the farthest  mall in Dubai. It is in the middle of nowhere. I don't see nearby establishments. Not much public transportation. Taking a taxi would cost a lot. But this mall is popular for having items at cheaper price if you are to compare with other malls. Downside? They might not have your size. Items are usually from the last season. Not updated. For those who cares. But since I am not a fashionista. I don't follow the latest trend then this mall is heaven for me.

3rd week of June and it seems like the Dubai Summer Sale was over in most malls. So me and my special someone decided to visit Dubai Outlet Mall and it boggles me how come they still have an ongoing offers when the DSS is over? Just to set the record straight even though the prices in Dubai Outlet Mall are lower it can still go down when they have an offer or sale. Get my drift? I purchased far too many items from Splash as they have the best deal out of all the shops in that mall. And that is the information that I wanted to share. 

Lee Cooper is a British brand of clothing. Normally a Lee Cooper jeans would cost around 80 to 100+ AED at other branches of Splash/Centrepoint but in Dubai Outlet Mall you can get it for only 30AED. And since I always do window shopping I know that you will not get the same offer anywhere. And since they are having a promo you can avail the buy 5 get 2. That applies in all the clothes inside the shop. Not only to Lee Cooper. And not only to jeans. I even got some jeans for only 10AED and I repeat for only 10AED. And if you will question the quality well I had been buying items from Splash or Centrepoint since 2007. That pretty much speaks about the quality isn't it?

Kappa is an Italian brand of clothing. Sports wear. Their jogging pants would cost more than 100AED but in Dubai Outlet Mall I got mine for only 30AED and of course I grabbed the deal they are having. Shirts for only 5AED to 15AED. Blouses as well. Skirts too. Only a fellow 'kabayan' will understand shopping also for your loved ones back home to be send via cargo. I shopped not only for myself but for my family too. Will check them out again on my next payday. I could go on and on with this post but have to go now. Will try to share photos some other time. And lastly Splash is not the only store in Dubai Outlet Mall there are others that is also worth checking out.

Till next time. Ciao!

Empties Part 2

Ramadan is about to finish and I thought during this time I'll have an ample of time to take photos and write posts here. But I was wrong. The time was just enough for me to get a proper rest and sleep. Then cook those dishes I can't easily cook when I had to work the whole day. I don't even have time to bake and I miss eating baked goodies. I tried taking photos while cooking but I can't handle doing both at the same time. Which makes me wonder how those food bloggers can handle that. Maybe for me someday when I'm no longer in this place. 

So for now my topic will not be about food or cooking. Just a second part of my empties post that other day. With the first part I mentioned that I cannot live without hand cream which is very evident here. I took photos before throwing them out. And I just can't believe how many products I finished in such a short period of time. Here they are. 

Hand Creams and Foot Cream. Until now I keep on trying different brands but only the affordable ones. Sometimes I am dying to try others with a very good aroma like the Bath and Body Works but it's beyond my budget. But I will see if ever they go on sale.

Eucerin Intensive Foot Cream ~ it is a German brand of skin care. In the UAE market it is available in Pharmacies like Aster and Boots. And the only foot cream in this post. This is less than 100AED and the most expensive foot cream I ever tried. The verdict? It was indeed a very good cream for the feet. But then feet is the most difficult skin part of the body that is so hard to maintain its softness. In short I need more products for the maintenance but then I can't always afford this price range that I had to stop. Right now I still use cream for my feet but only for the sake to keep it moisturized. But so hard to maintain the softness. I now buy only cheaper products but if you have money and time to take care of your feet then go ahead and try this Eucerin Intensive Foot Cream.

Sebamed Hand + Nail Balm ~ Sebamed is another German brand of skin care products. It is quite popular with baby skin care. As of the price range I'd say it is affordable if I were to compare with other brands in the Pharmacy. But it doesn't mean that this is inexpensive. This balm or cream is around 50AED. I forget the exact amount as it has been months ago. It is available in Lulu and Carrefour. I wonder why its called balm when its thinner than lotion. And I need thicker cream for my hands. But glad that now we have a lot of brands to choose from. A lot of affordable items are now available in the market. Being beautiful does not equate to having the most expensive product.

Corine de Farme Hand & Nail Cream ~ Corine de Farme is a French brand of skin care that falls into category of being affordable. In UAE it is available in Carrefour. They have a wide range of baby skin care and I'm now using most of it which I would gladly share in the days to come. This hand cream is no more than 20AED. I think it was 13AED to 15AED only. Claims to be paraben free and organic. It surprised me as most of the organic products I came across with are expensive that I don't bother with them. Good product and good price but I did not repurchase as I can see there's more in the market waiting for me to try them out. And this is not always available in Carrefour before I forget. They don't seem to replenish Corine de Farme items often.

Creme21 Moisturizing Cream ~ not sure if it is German brand or just made in Germany. I got it for only 7AED at Safeer Mall. Indeed the cheapest of them all. But this is my least favorite. It has a thin cream. Yeah my skin absorbs it well but it was so thin that I had to apply repeatedly  to achieve desired results. I was able to finish it in just a week or so. Good price but just so and so product. Will not repurchase again. 

That's all for now. And I hope this little post of mine helps. Can't wait to share the part 3. If ever I get around in doing that :)

How can I afford to shop when I'm always on tight budget?

I wish I have taken photos but then if you are in my shoes you'll understand why each time taking a snapshot is the least in my concern. Every June there is Dubai Summer Sale in all malls and almost all the shops are participating. It usually runs from June to July. But this last June I do not know what happened it didn't last until July. But some shops started their sale price last May. I just got lucky enough that I was able to persuade my friend to visit Outlet Mall before June ends and voila! Outlet Mall has still an ongoing sale especially Splash. Imagine Lee Cooper jeans for only 30AED and with further discount upon payment! And that my friends is the answer to the question 'how can I afford to shop when I'm always on tight budget?'.

When I came to this country some 9 years ago my waist line back then was just 24. And I was able to maintain my figure for at least 4 years? But then by the time that I was about to hit the big 3-0 seems that my metabolism slows down. No. So whether I like it or not from 24 I became 26. And I'm not sure if it is the same size with Philippine brands of clothing. As sizes back home are slightly smaller I think. My arms got bigger. I'm dieting and I'm exercising but then I guess a woman's body structure will eventually grow big as time goes by then go back again to being small in old age. Actually I don't mind my waist line but another part of my body that seems to be growing are my thighs. So because of big thighs and big arms I find myself buying often clothes than I did when I was younger.

And it is no secret that I don't have an overflowing money in my bank account so I am always budget conscious. Because of that I take time to look around at all shops I could to check and compare their prices and to know what is the cheapest that I can get. And some people are surprised whenever I tell them my budget range and yes I'm able to purchase within that range. My jeans usually costs around 30-35AED and sometimes lower. Levi's are the only jeans I would buy for more than 100AED. But I am not really after the brand. My tops often costs me around 15-25AED only. With this prices I could spend at least 100AED per month on clothing. I get many clothes but without making my pocket cry. In case you are wondering where to I shop since all the prices in UAE just keeps on going up, here are the store names:

New Look ~ almost all the malls have New Look branches and if you will look hard enough you can find sale items between 10 to 20AED only. But this year I can't find jeans anymore that would cost only 30AED.

Forever21 ~ I used to ignore this shop as their place is so big and I get tired easily looking around but then when I started seeing signs showing up to 70% off and I get to buy items for only 10AED to 15AED; this became my favorite shop. With this price I wouldn't mind exploring the whole store. 

H&M ~ finally they now have a branch in Ajman. Sale price starts at 15AED. Not bad. The secret in shopping in this place if you are petite like me? Go straight to kids section. 

Splash/Centrepoint ~ this is my favorite of them all. The only place where you can find a shirt for only 5AED if you are patient enough to dig and search among the sea of clothes! 

There are more shops in this country but I don't take time anymore to visit them. Because of the prices these 4 shops can offer when on sale I can't bring myself anymore to shop at a slightly higher price. As of the quality of clothes? So far no complaints from me. Promise to take photos to share some other time. Ciao!

Of makeup and whiteheads

Here I am again with my favorite topic. Whiteheads. Maybe I should rename my blog to something like "Chronicles of my Whiteheads" or "The girl who rants about Whiteheads". For weeks now I had been patiently reading blogs and articles about whitehead. How to cure them. As well as using different products. Sadly I don't think it's possible to be completely whitehead free once you have them. The nose will keep on producing oil whatever the weather is and whatever product you use. The same way our body will keep on producing sweat whether it is summer or winter. But at least it is proven and tested that having a 'botox' in underarms will prevent you from sweating. Whereas there is no such treatment for the nose that will stop it from producing oil. Oil control products can hold off oil only for a few hours then the nose is back to normal again. Oil. The root cause of whitehead.

The other day I watched Nikki Tutorials on YouTube. She's amazing. She put on makeup only on half of her face to see the big difference. Sometimes I wish I can do the same but then I lack the skills to do so. Second video I watched was about Filipinas makeup common mistakes which left me scratching my head and  a little ashamed of myself as I was guilty to some of them. Nikki said that there is no rule in makeup. Do whatever look you want to aim for. While this Filipina who made the video pointed out (which she learned from another make up guru) that one must not use eyeliner in the eye line if you will not put it also in your eyelids. So I am doing it wrong whenever I use an eyeliner then? Which is easier to give up and eyeliner then. Easy to give advice especially when the person giving an advice has a hooded eyelid. But then after watching these videos make me think.

I gathered all the foundation, bb cream and cc cream I own. No matter how good it is or even if it says to be oil free and non comedogenic still it can't help that some of it will aggravate the whiteheads on my nose. Which made me vow never again to purchase any of those. Also I will avoid the SA's more than ever. As I recently purchased Rimmel Nude Foundation as I was stupidly persuaded by the SA when all I wanted to buy was the Rimmel Makeup Base. An impulse purchase as I was trying to find a brand that can replace Essence All About Matt Oil Control Makeup Base which is hard to find. Persistent SA and me are not a good combo.

And now I can see myself eventually giving up makeup soon. I'll just finish whatever I have. Foundation and the likes are no no for my whiteheads. No eyeshadow. No mascara. No eyeliner. I'll just finish the ton of blush on and lip products I purchased when I was on shopping spree for those. Seems to me that only those are safe enough for me to use.

Empties Part 1

I had been using skin care products since forever but then only last year when I started to learn and explore about different brands. And go beyond my normal ritual. Normal ritual for me was facial soap for the face and bar soap for the body. But as I'm getting older I face a skin issues like sun spots, dry skin and of course the never ending whiteheads that I always complain about. Prior 2014 I had been using every once in a while whitening products but was not really paying attention that much and only a few months back when I started to observe and write down if something is really going on with my skin or I am just wasting my hard earned money. Sad truth it was more of the latter. 

Hand cream ~ I cannot live without hand cream as I have extremely dry hands whether it is summer or winter. And I already tried dirt cheap brands up to those that are out of my budget. But hand creams will be included in my next empties post. Not today. 

Here are the empty bottle of the products I used and it is good that I have taken a photo first before throwing them out as well as writing a post so I won't forget. 

Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Cleanser ~ I was confused at first because in my time and while I was in the Philippines cleanser would mean a soap for face. We don't call toners as cleansers. We call them toners. We only have Eskinol and RDL that time. So this one is not a washing soap for the face but a toner. This is less than 30AED if I am not mistaken. And I picked it when I decided to wage war against my whiteheads. I mean all my life I had been using nose strips but I felt that it was not enough and maybe there's a product out there that would help me out to banish them for good. Did this product help? In cleaning my face, yes. In banishing my whiteheads, no. Did not repurchase and I went ahead to try other products that might solve my problem.

Loreal Whitening & Moisturizing Toner ~ purchased this late 2013 then kept it in my drawer until I forgot all about it. Not until I had a general cleaning last year. Because 2013 I was not really interested with toners or at least have the knowledge I have now back then. I forgot the exact price of this but it is no more than 50AED. As soon as I found it I used it up. It claims to be whitening. Does it live up to its promise? Nay. Is is moisturizing? I can't remember at all as it has been months ago. A few weeks back I have written a post about using tons of products with promises to whiten the skin but turns out to be a big let down. This is one of them. Up to this day I haven't found a whitening product that really works on me. I did not repurchase as I find it too expensive for toner. Plus it has an Alcohol Denat that I am keen on avoiding when it comes to toner.

Vichy Micellar Solution ~ when I learned about micelle solutions and how good it is when it comes to removing make up I went a little crazy and purchased different brands. This is one of them. Right after I purchased my Bioderma. Vichy is another company under Loreal. It delivers what it promises to do so. Maybe because micelle solutions doesn't have too many claims except removing your make up in a safe way. Without false promises. This is actually hard to find Vichy product. I got it from Aster Pharmacy for 79.00AED. I did not repurchase as I have other brands of micelle solution to try afterwards.

Loreal Micellar Cleansing Water ~ Late 2014 too many drug store brands came out with their version of Micelle Solution making me not go back anymore to costlier brands like Bioderma and Vichy. I got this from Carrefour for only 30.00AED. This is a value for money. As time goes by I realize that skin care products and make up does not necessarily have to be so freaking expensive. 

Nectar of Nature ~ this is a French brand with a very affordable prices. I love this brand. I love this shower gel. And the good thing about this is they have so many variants available and it is often on sale in Carrefour. I got it for less than 10.00AED and it was buy 1 take 1 that time. I would purchase again this Wild Blackberry variant IF I'm done trying out other variants.

Out of the two I would choose Loreal than Vichy. Though both products works well Loreal is easy to find and cheaper. While Vichy is hard to find and expensive. Once in a while Vichy has a promo but I have not seen Micelle Solution to be included in it.

And before I go let me tell you that Vichy and Loreal Micelle Solution if you will look at the ingredients that difference would be one has fragrance while the other one doesn't.

Daiso Product #12: Eyeshadow

Daiso Eyeshadow [Brown]

Price: 7.00AED @ Daiso UAE

Made in Taiwan

For years I had been wanting to try eyeshadow from Daiso but since I am not really into eyeshadow it has taken a long time before I finally gave in and purchased one. Daiso eyeshadows are affordable. Mostly comes in cute packaging and I remember from yesteryears those tiny and colorful choices. I have chose shade of brown so I can use it in office, that is if there will be a miracle in the morning and I will have an extra time haha.

Another photo of the packaging. Details are written in Japanese. Spanish and English. Methinks that somehow Daiso is now big in Spanish speaking countries that they have to include it out of all the languages in the world, eh?

Back of the product on How To Use and Purpose. 

Ingredients if you must know.

Company details and Country of Origin.

The packaging is sturdy and small so you can bring it with you if you want. And I like that the front is transparent. So the shades are visible even without opening the palette.

It has a mirror inside and comes with 2 sponge applicators.

The swatch. Out of the 3 shades I can say that only two looks good on my morena or brown skin tone. The lightest one no matter how many layers I applied on my eyelids it won't show properly. But then I tell myself still it is not bad for the price. 

Last words? This is one of my many Daiso purchases that I don't regret buying. It can hold a candle against other eyeshadows I have. The only reason why I will not repurchase because for sure it will take me a decade to finish this one. Not unless I decide to use it everyday. That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by.