Barre3 so far

I've been doing Barre3 for almost two months now and here's a little journal about in case any of you here are curious about it, or have been meaning to try it.

Why did I do Barre3 in the first place? For one, I have long been wanting to try it out. Second, the gym in our village lacks variety and sadly, the area is too small to do floor exercises-I'm not really fond of using exercising machines-apart from good ol' treadmill to warm me up-because I can attest that nothing beats the efficacy of body weights. Third, I have a background in dance and from the looks of the moves, looks like it's a dance-y workout. (Thought that it would somehow feed my love for this art)

Finally, it's also easier to workout if you're in a group and you have a teacher that pushes you to do your best-I have no problems with motivation, really, but like any other person, I have my lazy days not to mention I'm always out of the house and I can't do my usual at-home workouts.

In a nutshell, Barre3 is a toning exercise. It's a combination of Yoga and Pilates plus a few Ballet poses and with heavy use of the ballet bar. It aims to increase flexibility, develop a strong core (definitely what I'm excited about), improve posture, (definitely what I need) and help you achieve a dancer- like body (that means longer lines, and super toned arms and legs). In one session, you're guaranteed to lose around 500-600 calories depending on the effort you exert.

I only enrolled for a one month unlimited class (P5,500.00) just to check if it's for me, but little did I know that I'll get hooked! And my body so far? Well... :D

Click READ MORE for the rest of this entry.

Review: K-Palette Real Lasting Eye Pencil

Here's a review on K-Palette Real Lasting Eye Pencils in Black and Brown

Price: P895.00 each

Bought From: Free

Other Locations: Available in all Beauty Bar outlets nationwide

THE VERDICT:

You know, I like K-Palette's liquid eyeliner so much, but what I don't like about liquid eyeliners in general is they have a glossy finish-I prefer matte because it looks more natural and deepens the eyes better that's why I will always be a gel liner gal. While eye pencils yield a matte finish too, the recent ones I've tried can't seem to withstand my oily lids-not even the so-called long-lasting ones.

So here comes K-Palette once again, like a fairy godmother who comes to aid a dolorous damsel, with the new Real Lasting Eye Pencils for someone who likes it deeper, darker, and matte--someone like me.

K-PALETTE REAL LASTING EYE PENCILS IN DETAIL

These pencils were dubbed as smudge- proof, water-proof, tear- proof, fast- drying, and are made with 5 beauty essences. The proud feature of this line is the soft lead pencil that prevents tugging and scratching while eye lining.

Ingredients

Click READ MORE if you want a true long-wearing pencil eyeliner!

Majolica Majorca's Moonlight Virgin Collection (Second Story)

At midnight, a melody is calling.

A young girl is a multi-faceted creature,

always in pursuit of beauty.

She greedily reaches out her hand,

just for one night to obtain gentle,

beautiful wings like a swan...

Overwhelmed by the sparkly shimmer

Following Secret Blink is Moonlight Virgin, Majolica Majorca's second 10th anniversary makeup collection inspired by the sultry, magical quietness of a moonlit night. Be a goddess of the night with shimmering blue eyes, twinkling lips, and a pale complexion highlighted with a sheer, milky wash of light.

Click READ MORE and see the items in this collectible collection!

The New SM Aura Premier+Sarah Jessica Parker!

I was privileged to attend the May 16 VIP opening of the newest mall on this side of Taguig, SM Aura Premier. It is dubbed as SM's upscale shopping destination to date. In this post, I shall take you on a mini tour around SMAP! :)

It is also the 3rd largest mall of the SM group of companies.

The highlight of the event was of course, meeting no other than Sarah Jessica Parker, Hollywood actress slash style maven who became ultra famous for her Carrie Bradshaw character in the hit series Sex and The City. SJP is currently the face of SM Department Store.

EHRMEHGERD. It's Sarah Jessica Parker!!! Here she is, having fun as she showers coins around the newly- launched SM Store.

I was expecting that she'd arrive in an ala- Carrie Bradshaw get-up in the Sex in The City movies-take note-but she just came in a sleek long black dress with a cut-out at the back part. Very simple, yet very chic--she's just proven again that more than the fashionable clothing and whatnots, the aura, projection, and confidence of a person still counts! :D

I was THIS close to madame SJP. Managed to marvel at her face for a while, and the most recognizable thing with her facial feature would be her striking light blue eyes!

Meeting a Hollywood star plus seeing Henry Sy pass by right in front of me was altogether a marvelous experience. May 16, 2013 is definitely one of the days that I'll remember. :)

Now click READ MORE and let's go around SM Aura Premier!

Review: Shu Uemura Poreaser UV Underbase SPF 30 (OB For Shu Uemura Collection)

Here's a review on Shu Uemura Poreaser UV Underbase

Price: Around P2,200.00 (Almost the same price as the classic UV Underbase variants)

Bought From: Free

Other Locations: Available in all Shu Uemura boutiques and counters in leading malls

THE VERDICT:

My most favorite makeup primer on earth, Shu Uemura UV Underbase has just released the newest member of the family: Poreraser. It debuted along with the OB for Shu Uemura collection last March. Poreraser promises to even out the skin surface by blurring the appearance of pores and reduce redness.

SHU UEMURA PORERASER UV UNDERBASE  IN DETAIL

Basically, it has all the benefits of the other UV Underbases: SPF 30, moisturizing mousse consistency, sweet floral scent, and it makes makeup last all day. If compared with my Brightening UV Underbase, Poreraser dries to a semi- matte finish whereas the former dries to a dewy finish.

For a detailed look at the quality of Shu Uemura's UV Underbases, please click HERE.

Click READ MORE if you're looking for an ultra comfortable mattifying primer!

H2O Plus Goodies For You!

H2O Plus, a Chicago- based skin care brand that harnesses the power of Marine extracts is the newest beauty brand to hit the Philippines. I'll try to get more info about this brand soon, but in the meantime, check out this tempting promo to kickoff their first- ever counter at the new SM Aura Premier mall.

You can take home this beauty bag filled with H2O deluxe travel sizes (valued at P2,800.00) with a minimum purchase of P6,500.00 worth of H2O Plus products at the SM Aura Premier department store.

Contents:

Aquafirm+ Micro- Collagen Moisturizer (10ml)

Sea Results Eye Mender Plus (4ml)

Aqualibrium Dual-Action Eye Make-Up Remover (30ml)

Dual- Action Exfoliating Cleanser (30ml)

Please visit H2O PLUS PHILIPPINES on Facebook for more details about this promo.

HOW TO: Impromptu Body Scrub+Reuse Unused Body Butters

I was about to do my long bath ritual last night, then I found out that I already ran out of body scrub. Bam! End of the world for me haha! Seriously, a body scrub is one of my weekly treats so I make sure to include it whenever I have the chance to spend some quality time with myself in the shower.

What to do, what to do? Since body scrubs are just gritty humectants in my opinion, the obvious choice was to grab a body butter and some raw, ground coffee. Most DIY body scrub tutorials would suggest oil, particularly Olive oil, in lieu of body butter/lotion but nah, that's too messy in the shower, not to mention Olive oil is a lil' pricey and I'd rather use it on food!

 If you have any unused body butter in your dresser, this tutorial will show you how to put it into good use by turning it into a body scrub.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Ground coffee

Body butter or body lotion

Plastic spoon

Plastic container

Click READ MORE and know how to whip up this very cheap yet effective body scrub!