Thought balloons

It's been a long time since I've last posted, I know. Life has been a little crazy. I went home to the Philippines but only got as far as Manila because there was a war in my beloved Zamboanga. The only thing that keeps me sane about that little fact is that I am going back in November and then I can finally, finally be with my three little bears. There has been a lot of tears and maybe even a little blood shed these past few weeks so forgive me if at times it might seep through my words here. Life has been, at best, quite painful.

But as the old cliche goes, like many others, life goes on. And it really does.   

Pots of gold at the end of every glittery pink, purple rainbows. Sugarplum fairies whispering happy things into your ear while you sleep. Chocolate covered strawberries in the morning. Sand between your toes and sunlight dancing, piercing your eyes.

The little things that make us happy will always be there. I know, that most of us forget that sometimes. We think we are looking at the bigger picture when in fact, we've zoomed in on our faults, our discontent, our frailty as mere flesh and bone and we panic (I know I do) and forget to live. And I mean really live.

Why have we forgotten? Why have I forgotten? 

(Not so) Cheap thrills

I have just spent the past week hunting for Revlon's Colorburst lipgloss in Bellini.

I searched everywhere. 

Department stores (lifestyle), pharmacies, online (souq.com) and still came up empty handed. They had 044 and 043 but no 042 (which is Bellini's product number). How can that be? I finally had this bright idea to check Revlon's stocklist ( yes, having worked in beauty had its "perks") and 042 Bellini, it turns out, is not even distributed in Dubai or in the UAE for that matter.

Que horror.

So. What's an obssesed girl like me to do?

Aside from ransacking every makeup counter I come across (Teddy goes insane whenever we walk through the mall) for possible dupes (though I honestly have not seen Bellini up close and personal to be able to really tell) but based on photos online, Gosh cosmetics has a milky golden, peachy pink gloss that looks very similar. (Separate post on Gosh cosmetics coming up). Let me just add that in my search for Bellini, I have amassed copious amounts of drugstore makeup that I couldn't just pass up. "Revlon, I blame you entirely!"

But I really, really want Bellini.

The cheapest (and safest) place you can find it online would have to be www.drugstore.com . Coupled with deals and percentages off, it's a steal. Revlon Colorburst lipgloss apparently retails for $7.99 to $14.00, some sites even charge as much as $21.00!! (WT!) But on drugstore.com, Bellini retails for only $5.99. I promptly ordered 3.

One tiny little drawback though is that drugstore.com only ships to the US and US territories but if you're patient enough, they have teamed up with MyUs.com, a site where you can "rent" a US address, just like having your own PO Box, wherein you'll receive all your packages and mail and then MyUs ships them to you for a minimal fee. You also get to choose which shipping method you would prefer, and even choose one that wouldn't leave you broke and cursing the winds why you just had to be born a girl and addicted to makeup, but that method would of course, being cheaper, would also take longer. Anyhow, choices and options are always a good thing.

So, right now, I am patiently waiting.

By the way, Chloe Morello, if you'll ever get to read this, this obsession with Bellini is all your fault! lol I heart you heaps!

xo

Quit Smoking = Christian Louboutin

Seeing that my shoe obsession has me thinking, dreaming and scheming, Teddy has come up with a foolproof (really?) plan to get me to give up smoking (yes, that's right)...

I get these...

If I go smoke free for 30 days.

So help me universe.

The Luxury Closet Dubai

Shoes are my new obsession.

Alluring. Strong. Cute. Whimsical. Stilettos. Platforms. Straps. Sky high heels. 

Obsessed I tell you. 

I have seen ads in facebook for a website  called The Luxury Closet but never thought much of it. Until yesterday when out of the blue I finally succumbed and clicked on the link. Lo and behold, Louboutins and Choos for less than 700 AED??! I spent all night last night and all day today just ogling and drooling on shoes (and bags and wallets and men's accessories as well) that would otherwise be out of reach for an ordinary working girl like me. They even have an installment plan option, can you believe that? So, ok, all their items are secondhand or "vintage" but if you're like me and you're not picky (or feel icky) about wearing somebody else's hand-me-downs, then I suggest you check the site out and I guarantee you will find something you would absolutely love. 

Like this one.

The Christian Louboutin Menorca wedges in picnic pretty red gingham. 

550AED. 

Is that a score or what?  :) 

I grabbed it before anyone could, because most of their stuff are all sold out. 

They have various payment options (credit card, cash on delivery which is the UAE's favorite mode of payment, PayPal and pay on location) and shipping is via Aramex within 3-7 business days depending on availability. I opted for the pick-up option though at their showroom at Frasier Suites on Sheikh Zayed Road so tomorrow I will be joined in holy podophilic bliss with my Christian Louboutins. 

www.theluxurycloset.com

What are your thoughts on secondhand luxury items?

One sunny afternoon...

It's been one year since I have blogged and it feels good to be back. It has been a very eventful year to say the least, but that story is for another blog. This, as promised, is a beauty blog, for those of us who are living small but dreaming big.

So, yesterday I went to Deira City Centre after work ( I must say, it felt strangely wonderful to be walking through the mall, and not be working there) with the intent of buying a smoothie blender, fully armed with a blinding list of an array of veggies and fruits for my (always broken) path of wellness. Whoever it was who first came up with the idea that mashing and meshing all your daily dose of fruits and veggies to be downed in one go is a GENIUS, kudos to you! The list went a little like this:

1. Blender (carrefour)

2. Spinach, Lettuce, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Parsley, Celery, Lemons (yes it's the glowing green smoothie!)

3. Ginger, Zucchini, Kabocha Squash, Tomatoes, Peanuts, Spanish Sardines, crackers, Bread, Milk, Maltesers, Canned Tuna (I was clearly hungry when I penned this list at my work desk)

3. Chicken (I was craving chicken tinola)

4. Beef ? (question marks are for optional items)

5. Check if carrefour has Loreal lipstick in Fairest Nude (because I cannot find it ANYWHERE in the UAE, yes I checked online as well)

6. Maybelline lipstick in Ambering Rose

7. MAC lipliner in Cherry

8. MAC blush in Dame ? (an old favorite)

9. MAC Fix + spray ?

10. A pair of black pumps (because my current ones, a very comfortable Vince Camuto 2 inch ones, are falling apart after one year and I have not even been wearing them so much)

Nothing too crazy right?

I headed straight for Bershka.

Their insane sale racks from last month have dwindled to a few racks of workout wear of various tank tops in juicy colors, track shorts/crotch shorts, some leggings here and there and some in your face floral miniskirts. (Shoes! I reminded myself) All they had were either chunky and glittery or the usual flats and I rarely wear flats except for my beloved Havies. I grabbed a couple of tank tops and this dainty little cardigan in Tiffany Blue.

They came in white, black, cream and that lovely seafoam blue. It's part of the new collection so I am pretty sure it will be there for some time.

New Look.

I walked in and was greeted by a whirlwind of sale racks. 50-70 off. Heaven right? All sized 14-16. I was too late! I walked defeatedly to the shoe section, keeping an eye out for black pumps and walked out of the fray (people were literally grabbing things off the shelves) with these:

4 pairs of shoes. 250 dirhams. Score!

On to MAC. Had to walk through the entire length of the mall since MAC was conveniently located on the opposite end of where New Loook was. Deira City Centre now has a Texas Roadhouse steakhouse, a PF Chang's and a something which I completely forgot the name but I am pretty sure they served Arab cuisine.

Upon stepping into the store, I think I looked lost to the SA so she scurried over and asked me if she could help me. I quickly told her I wanted the Cherry lipliner so I could not further tempt myself but she was soooooo nice that I let her walk me over to the chair (which I never do, being a former MUA for #$*&, one never knows if their brushes are properly cleaned and disinfected, hello facial warts!) where she proceeded to wipe off my makeup and slap on moisturizer, eye cream (now why didn't I get that??), foundation (I finally found my shade), blush (I tried both Dame and Peaches because it looked so good on Sonia Castaneda but it sadly made my look muddy) and freshened up my lipcolor (drop dead red). I didn't tell her that I used to work with makeup as well, it makes other SA's feel that you are trying to show them up if you do but that's just me (shoutout to my beautiful SA Oxana). My Teddy walks in just as I pay the bill and while he says I looked wonderful (he would say that even if I was covered in camel poo I tell you) he also jokingly asked me to hand over my credit card. The dang register was blinking the price right at his face when I thought I had so effectively blocked his vision. So we walked out with these:

I still have not mastered the art of blurbing my photos so the MAC items I got are as follows:

Studio Fix foundation in NC41 (I was formerly an NC35)

Studio Fix + Spray

Dame blush

Blacktrack fluidline gel eyeliner (blackest eyeliner I've ever tried and does not budge one bit)

Cherry lipliner

Mineralize skinfinish powder in Medium Plus

and an oil control lotion.

I still mildly hyperventilate when I think about the price.

Dropped by Boots as Teddy had to pick up a men's toiletry kit, and Boots had a buy 1 get 1 offer on most of their products and we, well he, went a little crazy.

Half of the "get 1" stuff by the way, he gave to me. Hahaha.

Needless to say, I didn't get a blender. I didn't get my vegetables, nor any food for that matter. At the rate I'm going I'll be eating makeup for the rest of the month until payday but hey, I'm happy.

XO

Happy New Year Strawberries!

So, it's the first day of the new year and I've made it one of my resolutions to resurrect this blog and make it a beauty blog :) It's been 4 years since I last posted my "want,want,want" post and since then, I've moved to Dubai and have been (and still am) working in the beauty business. I now have access to all the brands I have been just dreaming about before and more. And now I would like to share it all with you.

Now this will be from a rather not so extravagant point of view as I am just a regular working class girl like most of the world. So please don't expect any blow your mind shopping hauls but I will be talking about my obsessions (Louis Vuitton anyone?). All of us can dream, can't we?