2019 Favorites

Hello!

I’d like to share with you the some of the items that I really enjoyed or made me happy during the 2019. I’m going to arrange them per category for better appreciation.

Skincare Products

Last year, I was more experimental with beauty and skincare products. I felt braver in trying products because it seemed that my skin was improving so I wanted to try products that are cheaper and more accessible than the products that I was using. Of course, not all products worked out well but the following are the products that I’ve tried and have become my favorites last year.

1. Thayer’s Rose Petal Toner

My sister recommended this to me after learning all about it from her friend. Her friend had told her that it worked wonders for her skin and that it helped calm her acne. So my sister told me all about it because she thought that maybe I should try it since I have that similar problem and because it was cheaper than my previous toner.

I was initially super skeptical about it because my previous toner was working perfectly fine for me. But when the time came that I used it all up, I made a decision to give this toner a try. Luckily, a Healthy Options shop was nearby so I was able to get it there.

I think I’ve been using this product for the whole of 2019 and my skin didn’t have any bad reactions to it. I think it even helped in brightening up my skin a bit.

2. Face Shop Rice Bright Facial Wash

I tried this face wash after my mom recommended that I try it. She had been using this face wash for almost a year prior to recommending it to me. She wanted me to try it because it helped in brightening her skin.

I gave it a try since I was already using face masks from Face Shop so I thought that since the face masks didn’t irritate my skin, this face wash might be the same since I think most of their products are gentle in formulation. And I think it worked because I think it was a good combination with the toner in brightening up my skin.

3. Dr. Belmeur Facial Moisturizer

I tried this moisturizer when my old moisturizer ran out. Since I was already using different products from The Face Shop, I thought why not give their moisturizers a try.

This one is around the price of my old moisturizer which means that it is more expensive compared to my face wash and toner. However, I specifically chose this one among all of their moisturizers because it came from their line for sensitive skin. I didn’t want to choose anything that might counteract the positive effects of my toner and face wash so I thought that it would be safer for me to opt for a moisturizer made for sensitive skin. 

All in all, I think my experimentation with skincare products was successful because my skin is less oily now and I think I generally have less acne.

Kpop

Last year, I was still very into Kpop and even listened to a lot of songs by different artists and not just by the groups that I stan. It was also the year that I started collecting Kpop albums.

1. Kpop Albums

For my birthday last year, I decided to buy myself my first Kpop album. I’ve been looking around at online shops for those that were legit sellers. When I found one, I decided to choose a couple of albums by my favorite artists. Of course I was only able to choose among those that they have available which is mostly BTS, Twice, and Blackpink. I was initially supposed to get a Got7 album last October but during that time, I hadn’t made up my mind if I was really willing to purchase albums. So I ended up cancelling that order which I really regretted when I finally made up my mind because it became unavailable shortly after.

Anyway, prior to my birthday, there was an 11.11 sale in Lazada. I saw that the items I saved in my cart was also a part of the sale. I initially only wanted to buy one but the sale got me into buying my first three albums. I did this because after my computation, it seemed like the price for the three albums was equivalent to the price of one so I thought that it was such a steal. 

Mobile Apps

My last category in my favorites for 2019 is mobile apps. These are the apps that I’ve discovered or loved using in 2019.

Photo taken from Google Images.

1. Lazada and Shopee

2019 was the year when I first tried online shopping. After trying it out for the first time, I was amazed at how convenient it was and how if an item isn’t available in stores nearby, I was still able to get my hands on it through online shopping. But after that initial purchase around May, I got hooked on browsing through and buying more items from these online shops. After noticing that I was spending too much on unnecessary things, I stopped myself from browsing through these apps because it was so easy to get sucked into them and keep buying.

However, I got into online shopping again around November after buying my first Kpop albums. As I mentioned above, the sales were what really got me into buying online again because the items were significantly cheaper online compared to their prices in the physical stores. And some items, I was only able to find in these apps.

Photos taken from Google Images.

2. BTS World, Love Idol, and Covet Fashion

I combined these three apps together in one number because they are the games that I played all through 2019. They helped me pass the time when I was bored and I truly enjoyed them because they were so different from each other that I didn’t get tired of playing them.

Also, I enjoyed being able to level up without the stress and hassle of needing to be online and ready to play all the time. They allowed me to play whenever I want and I didn’t have any timed challenges or quests to worry about if I wanted to level up in the game.

Photos taken from Google Images.

3. Nichi and Snapseed

I only started using these apps around the last part of 2019 but I included them because after discovering them, I truly enjoyed using them.

I use Nichi to make my phone wallpapers and I use Snapseed to edit my photos. They’re really useful for me because they help me achieve the aesthetic that I want.

So all of these were my favorites during 2019. I wanted to include more of my new Kpop album collection but I felt that they deserve a post of their own so that I can fangirl more and include more photos of them so I might do that later on.

I guess that’s all for now. Bye!

2017 Favorites

Hello!

For the past Januarys that I’ve had this blog, I’ve always posted my favorites from the previous year. So I thought to continue that “tradition” this year although it’s already the middle of January 2018. 

I’ve been planning on writing about this for a while now but I just haven’t had the time to write about it and take pictures. So… I prolonged making it until I’m free enough to do it.

Anyway…

Here are my favorites from 2017 to early 2018:

1. Sheet masks

Last December 2016, one of my friends gave me a set of sheet masks as a Christmas gift. The set came with three masks with different ingredients. At that time, I wasn’t really familiar with sheet masks.

Anyways…

When I used them, I loved them immediately. I guess it just feels like an extra step to treat your face. It felt nice because it felt really relaxing and it felt like I was treating myself. I also noticed that it did help my skin a bit. I’m not saying that it transformed how my skin looked but it did help give my face some extra moisturizing and some brightening.

After using all the masks in that gift set, I bought myself some more sheet masks. I’ve mostly been buying my sheet masks from The Face Shop especially when they have those promos where you could buy two for the price of one (or something like that). But I’ve also tried sheet masks from other stores and they basically work the same so you can buy them from any shop that sells them. Just check what they’re for so that you can get those with ingredients that your skin might need. 

I used to use the sheet masks every other week or sometimes just when I remember it so there were times when I used them once a month when I was super busy. But towards the last few months of 2017, I’ve been using them once a week or I alternate them with my Kiehl’s Calendula and Aloe face mask (which is on this list of favorites as well). 

I also found out about a trick to help maybe make the experience more refreshing for you. So… I learned that you could actually refrigerate the sheet masks before putting them on because it makes the mask colder therefore making them more cooling and refreshing on the skin.

2. Kiehl’s Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque

In my previous favorites, I’ve posted about Kiehl’s products as well. I’ve been using their face/skin care products for a while now because their products seem to be working really well on my skin. I don’t really know why but my parents and I decided that it was worth the investment because it really did help a lot in clearing my skin up a bit and in lessening the redness on my face and the former spots where acne and pimples had been. I basically saw a big improvement on my skin when I used it so I’m continuing to use it.

Anyways…

I think in around the second half of 2017, I was able to try their calendula and aloe face mask because I was given a free sampler to try it out. I’ve been wanting to try it since I started using the sheet masks but the full size was kind of expensive so I didn’t push it right away. But ever since I was given the free sampler, I was able to try it and I noticed that it really did help in soothing my skin and lessening the redness. 

So… I tried to convince my parents if they could buy the full size one for me and they obliged just last November (I think?). I needed to convince them because as you may know, I don’t really have a job yet so I still need to ask my parents for money (But that will change soon, don’t worry!).

So now, I have the full size and I just finished the free sampler around two weeks ago. For the free sampler, I was able to make it last for a few months because I alternated it with sheet masks and I didn’t really need a lot of the product to thinly cover my face. 

3. Body Treat’s charcoal nose pore strip

I’ve also tried using charcoal nose pore strips this year. I’ve been hesitant about it before because I have a sensitive skin which could become irritated. And using products that you need to peel off might hurt more than those that you just put on your face. 

However, I found out that this doesn’t really irritate my skin so I kept using it especially when I feel like my skin needs a detox. I only use the nose pore strip because that’s the only area where I feel like I get some blackheads and where I get a lot of oil.

4. Maybelline’s Dream Satin Skin press powder (color: Nude Beige)

For my graduation last year, my mom decided to buy me my first ever press powder. She said that she decided to buy one for me since I needed it for my makeup for the graduation ceremony and so that I would have my own so that I wouldn’t have to borrow her press powder when I need it.

I was so excited about this because it was the first “real” makeup product that I owned. I was also happy because I felt like I now own a makeup product that’s actually for me because it matched my skin tone and everything. My mom’s press powder was not really my color although it’s close so I guess it was never really a problem but I’m just happy that I finally have my own.

5. Maybelline’s creamy matte lipstick (color: Pop of Pink)

So I have mentioned before that I’m currently looking for jobs now. And because of that, I’ve been invited to some interviews. In interviews, of course you want to look presentable. So my mom decided to buy me a lipstick to give my lips a bit more color especially when I put on my press powder. 

When we were buying my first lipstick, I was so excited because I got to choose what kind of formulation I would get and what color. I decided to go with a more matte looking one because I don’t really like having very shiny lips. I also chose a pink shade because I thought that it suited me really well and at the same time, it seemed age-appropriate on me and looks more youthful.

6.The Face Shop’s watery lip tint (color: Orange Scene)

Before I had my first lipstick, I bought myself The Face Shop’s watery lip tint. I bought it while buying some sheet masks. I finally bought it on that trip to The Face Shop because I’ve wanted it for some time because I always saw it near the cash register and was curious about it and how it would look on me. Also, my sister had one and whenever she would go out, she would wear it and it instantly helped her look good even without putting on other makeup products. When I asked her about it before I bought it, she said that it was good and that it dried nicely. She also said that it was good just to add more color to your lips.

However, I initially thought that they only sold one color of this lip tint so I just grabbed one then paid. I didn’t notice that what I got was kind of orangey red because when I grabbed it, it looked red to me. So when I got home and saw the name, I was hesitant about using it because orange isn’t really a good color on me unless it’s a darker orange or an orange with a brown tinge. But when I put it on, I was pleasantly surprised that it suited me. 

7. Maybelline’s Baby Lips lip balm

I think I’ve included other baby lips lip balm before in my previous favorites but they’re the ones with color. This one doesn’t have any color but it smells minty. 

I use it to keep my lips moist because before I bought this, I haven’t used any lip balms in about over a year or maybe even longer than that. And when I put on my watery lip tint and lipstick, I noticed that the lines on my lips were really noticeable and it seemed to make my lips look really dry.

I decided to try out this trick wherein I put on the lip balm and then I put on the lipstick or lip tint on top of it so that the lip balm serves as a protective and moisturizing layer. This trick really helped me because I notice that when I do it, my lips look nice and soft since the lines aren’t as visible as before. Also, it’s nice to note that it helps my lips stay soft even if I use the matte lipstick which could sometimes be drying on the lips.

8. The Body Shop’s Cherry Blossom fragrance mist

So this fragrance mist was given to me as a present when I passed my board exams. I’ve been wanting to try it out for years ever since I first saw it when I first entered The Body Shop. 

I really love it because I love florally scents that are not too overpowering and this one really fits that because you can really smell it but it’s not too strong that it makes you dizzy.

9. MacBook Pro and Seagate external drive

When I graduated last year, my parents’ graduation gift for me was a new MacBook Pro. My older laptop was still in good working condition but I had to replace it because I couldn’t bring it everywhere anymore because a part of the hinge for the screen broke so I can’t close it anymore. They decided to give me a MacBook Pro because I’ve always wanted one and they said that I earned it anyways so they bought it for me.

But, as I was using it, I realized that the internal storage wasn’t so big and that if I wanted to keep all my files, I had to use my external drive. But the problem was that my external drive was not compatible with Apple products so I had to get one that I could use for both my MacBook and other laptops or computers. That’s when I learned about the Seagate external drive. My parents and I looked around the shop where they bought my MacBook, we told them that what I needed and they recommended the Seagate external drive.

I included these things in my favorites because I really love them and I’m super grateful for them. They’re also things that I use everyday since I had them.

Photos taken from Google Images.

Photos taken from Google Images.

10. Kpop and Kdrama/Kshows

Of course I wouldn’t forget to include Kpop and Kdrama/Kshows in the list because it’s been one of my biggest favorites last 2017. It was the year that I started appreciating them and becoming a big fan so it needs to be on the list of my favorites.

So these are some of my favorites last 2017 until now. Most of them are beauty or skincare products because last year was the year that I’ve really started taking extra steps to care for my skin. I don’t really know why but I think I just wanted to step up my beauty regimen because I feel like I need to start caring for my skin better.

Last year was also a time wherein I learned to explore more of the things that interest me and so I was able to learn to appreciate more things last year.

So I have nothing more to say. I guess that’s all for now and sorry for the super long post but I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Bye!

Proud Aghase and Music Videos Streaming

Photo taken from Google Images.

Hello!

So I think that you may know that I’ve been a fan of Got7 for a few months now. I have written about them before when their music video for “You Are” came out.

I’ve been wanting to write about them again for a while now but things keep popping up that requires my attention. Anyways… what pushed me to finally write about them again is because I’m so happy for them especially with the fairly recent happenings. 

So just last week, one of their music videos titled “If You Do” reached a hundred million views. Also, they won two awards at MAMA 2017. I believe that the awards they won were Worldwide Performer and Favorite K-Pop Star. As I have said, I am super happy for them. I’m also so proud that they won awards  because I feel like they really deserve it and based from what I’ve seen from different fan pages, I somehow feel like it’s about time they get more recognized especially after their comeback with “You Are”. I hope they win more awards in the future.

So… right now, I think most Aghases/IGot7s (their fandom name) are trying to stream two other music videos so that those music videos would also reach a hundred million views each. I just wanted to share that here because I’m trying to support that project by trying to stream these music videos as well. I’m not really that familiar with the rules of streaming yet but I think it helps if I just watch the music videos from start to finish as much as I can. I think the music videos are great anyways so it’s not really a problem to watch them on loop because I love them. (But if you can clarify for me the rules of video streaming for Youtube, you can comment them or message them to me because I really want to know.)

If you want to help in streaming the videos or if you want to check out the videos that I was talking about I will leave a link below so that you can go and check them out. Trust me, they’re really good!

By the way, I just recently found out that they released a performance video for “Teenager” which is a song that’s in the same album as “You Are”. I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet but I’m going to go and watch that as well. I’m going to leave a link for that below as well for those of you who want to check it out too. I might also write about what I think about it in a post when I finish watching it.

I guess that’s all for now, bye!

Link for “A” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eISomx-VMow

Link for “Never Ever” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ1t7CwfvEc

Link for “You Are” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktc8XDBq93k

Link for “Teenager” performance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPhAEcLaiNs

(Enjoy!)

P.S. I’ve been thinking of creating a Youtube channel to make playlists on that I can share with you but I’m not sure about it yet so I’ll update you when I have created it.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Hello!

I’m finally on time in posting this week. Yay!!!

For this week, I don’t want to post about school-related stuff because I have one coming up real soon that I’m kind of excited to share with you about. For now, I want to talk about some of the new things that I got over the past couple of months since I posted my favorites.

  

Stabilo yellow pastel highlighter

I’ve wanted to get my hands on pastel highlighters in such a long time but I’ve finally gotten one sometime in March, I think. I’ve only been able to get one pastel highlighter because it was the only color available in the bookstore that I went to. I’m still trying to look for a whole set or at least some of the other colors but so far, I haven’t been able to find some.

Stabilo black marker/felt tip

I don’t really know how to call this product but it’s basically like a marker pen. I bought it because my marker ran out of ink and I wanted a marker that wasn’t so thick when I write with it. I found this marker while looking around the shop and I immediately tried it. I found it quite cute to use because it was the thinnest marker I’ve owned in terms of the hardware.

Pretty Secret Oil Blotting Paper (Tea Tree)

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but I have a very oily skin. Because of that, I’ve been using oil blotting film ever since I discovered them in my early teens. However, lately, I wanted to try to use oil blotting paper ever since I came across it. So when I saw this, I immediately bought it to give it a try and so far I haven’t had any reactions to it and I much prefer how it helps in getting rid of the oil. It’s also not so expensive which I think is a huge plus.

That’s some of the new things that I’ve bought and tried from the time that I posted my favorites. It’s not a lot because I didn’t include some of the clothes I bought and other things I bought but I thought it was nice to share these with you.

That’s all for now, bye!

P.S. I’m trying out some new styles in blogging because I’m not super happy yet with my style so please bear with me when things change from time to time. 

My Favorites From 2016 Until Now

Hello!

For this post, I want to share my favorites with all of you. It’s been about a year since the last time I posted something like this and that is because I don’t often change up the products that I use.

So without further ado, here are the products that I’ve loved:

1. Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Facial Wash and Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner

I’ve bought these products just last November or December (Sorry I can’t recall when exactly I bought it!) and I’ve been using them since. I think that they’ve been great for my skin because I really saw a difference from how my face looked before and after I started using them. I noticed that I don’t get as much big acne or pimples as I used to. And apparently, calendula extracts have been used in anti-inflammatory treatments for a long time.

However, if you these products, you might have to spend a bit more compared to buying cleansing wash and toner from drugstores or boutiques.

2. Physiogel Calming Relief Face Cream

I’m not sure if this had been included in my previous favorites post but I know that I’ve been using it early in 2016. This greatly helped in reducing the redness of my face. According to my dermatologist, I have a condition called rosacea. I don’t remember exactly what she said but I think it’s the cause for the redness of my skin. She said that so far, there’s still no cure for it but she did hear that you can do something to help with the redness. So that’s why she recommended me to use this product and I think that it’s really done its job.

I think that the price of this is not that bad considering that one bottle last for a few months. I also thought that the air pump was quite cool.

3. Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Body Lotion

When it comes to body lotion, I’m a bit more adventurous because the rest of my body isn’t as sensitive as my face. So currently, this product is my favorite body lotion because I think that it’s hydrating but it doesn’t feel as heavy as other lotions that I’ve used. I also think that it dries or get absorbed by my skin quite fast.

4. Maybelline’s Baby Lips in Raspberry and Peach

So last year, I started trying out using lip balm. I loved it but I wanted to try something that has color in it as well so I came across these tinted lip balms and I’ve loved them since then. I really like how they make my lips look when I have them on. I also like how they smell and taste.

These lip balms are quite easy to find and I think that they’re quite cheap.

Of course, the list is not really complete without me talking about some of my favorite stationery items. In contrast to my beauty related habits in staying with products that work for me, I am quite adventurous when trying out different stationery items.

So here are some of my favorite stationery items:

5. Uni Pin Fine Liners .05 and .1

The thing that I love with these fine liners is that their tips don’t break easily and the ink doesn’t smudge as much. I also like the look of the pen itself because its black and it’s matte so dirt doesn’t stick to it as much and even if dirt would stick to it, you don’t notice it right away.

I don’t think that they’re super pigmented but I could overlook that because the ink is quite consistent and, as I mentioned, it doesn’t smudge.

6. Muji pens (Sorry I don’t remember their exact names!)

I admit that I bought these pens because of all the hype about Muji stationery which made me want to try it out. It took me a long time to get a hold of these because the malls or shops that I frequent doesn’t really have a Muji branch and there’s not a lot of Muji branches near where I live.

I really love how these pens look and at the same time, I love that when I use them, they’re really pigmented and the ink flow is quite consistent.

7. Zebra Sarasa Clip pens

I started collecting these pens while I was on a lookout for just colored pens that I could use for my class notes. Then, I started loving them because they write so smoothly even if my writing looks quite thick when I use them it’s fine (I usually prefer that my pen writes thinly because I personally think that my penmanship looks better when the tip is thin). I also love that it comes in so many colors (they have different shades for different colors) and tip sizes.

8. Zig Scroll & Brush

I bought these because I wanted to try doing calligraphy and I saw a lot of Youtube videos using brush pens in doing them so I thought they could help. I chose these three colors because I like them but I do plan to buy more only when I start feeling more confident with my calligraphy skills.

So those are just some of the things that I’ve loved almost throughout 2016 until today. You can comment if you want to share with me your favorites so that I could try them out.

That’s all for now, bye!

P.S. Nothing is sponsored. I just really love these items.

February Favorites - School Supplies

Hello!

So I did a January favorites post last month and I thought to make another one for February.

For February, I wasn’t able to try out new skin care or beauty products because I still have those from January and because I got really busy last month. But for February, since school started around the middle of January, I was able to use a lot of school supplies so I thought I should make a post about my favorite school supplies last month.

January Favorites - Beauty and Skin Care Products

Hello! So it’s now February… I feel that the latter half of January flew by so fast. I had a lot of things that I had to do that I felt that I was already starting to fail at my new year’s resolutions, which by the way I’m still trying to follow.

So throughout January I was able to buy or receive quite a few things that I wanted to try. I used to not like buying clothes and anything related to beauty or skin care but towards the end of last year until now I kind of started liking them.

So throughout the latter part of December to the whole of January these are the beauty and skin care products that I have loved.

A Quirky Kind of Love

Hello! So since I enjoyed reviewing books from one of my previous posts, I decided to do it again. The book I want to write about is “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell. I bought this book because I liked the cover and it came in a set with “Fangirl”. I liked the colors and the illustration on the cover and since it was on sale… I bought it.

December 2015 Book Favorites

Last December 2015, I tried to catch up with reading because I noticed that I wasn’t reading much during the semester. I have always loved to read so realizing that I wasn’t doing it that much made me a bit disappointed with myself.

But enough about that… among the books that I have finished last year (although, admittedly I was only able to read a few books), I have two which really made me feel excited and just overall happy the whole time I was reading them.