How happy am I? As happy as someone who just got FIVE new lipsticks! o (^‿^✿)

In celebration of yesterday's International Lipstick Day, SM Beauty held an SM Lipstick Fest at all SM Stores nationwide and offered up to 50% off our favorite lipstick brands! I went positively loco over the myriad of choices available!

Hello, I am Krissy, and I am addicted to lipsticks

HEART EYES EMOJI TIMES TEN THOUSAND (And it's not even because of this pap photo of Martine Cajucom LOL)

Whatever formulation and finish you're looking for and however controlled or outrageous your lipstick-shopping budget is, you're bound to find a tube (or two, or five, or twenty) in SM Beauty. Drugstore, masstige (portmanteau of mass and prestige), and high-end brands can be found here and it was so much fun going around the racks, ooh-ing and aah-ing at all those gorgeous shades!

The brand I made a beeline for was Happy Skin because I have been wanting to try their products for the longest time but have never gotten a chance to purchase.

An explosion of beautiful colors These are all swatches of Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies See anything you like?

Aside from flitting from one kiosk to another, I also joined the Lip Art Challenge with the help of SA Jessa from Happy Skin.

Couldn't decide which one to try so I slapped on all three. Now shut up and kiss me.

The Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies used for my lipfie: Just Married, Hot Stuff, and 24 Carats

You can also create your own lip art and post a lipfie on Instagram to win a special prize! Just don't forget to tag @SMWomanPH and include the hashtag #SMLipfie. Good luck!

My former officemate Kisty

My girl crush Helga

My sis Ana

Would you like to know what I ended up taking home? Of course you do!

I honestly didn't want to leave the Happy Skin booth. Huhu I want to get all colors! I had to choose the best of the best though, so I got these:

Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies in Honeymoon Glow, Naughty and Nice, and Girls Night Out

Too bad they were being sold at the regular price of P549 (Honeymoon Glow and Girls Night Out) and P599 (Naughty and Nice). The only promo for Happy Skin lipstick buyers is a free GWP: a pretty pouch for every two lippies you get, Not bad, yes?

Lipsticks are one of my top favorite things in the world (I wanted this blog's slogan to be Peace, Love, & Lipstick but it didn't quite have the same impact and panache as Peace, Love, & Lip gloss, heh). I was spoilt for choice but I couldn't possibly buy everything, so in the end I had to whittle down my picks to four. Just as I chose my fourth tube (Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Divine), the SA tempted me with my fifth (Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Spellbound). They were being sold at only P200 each! Okay I kinda regret not getting more as gifts to my girl friends.

So, yes. How happy am I? RIDONKULOUSLY HAPPY!

I wonder how many lifetimes it would take to finish this giant lipstick and this humongous gloss

The International Lipstick Day might have ended, but you can still get red-hot deals at all SM Beauty branches in SM Stores nationwide until August 26! Of course I'm happy about this, but my wallet is not exactly thrilled, heh. If you're coming, I highly recommend that you drop by Happy Skin, Cover Girl, Max Factor, and L'Oreal.

On a bad day, there's always lipstick. Treat these lipsticks as the future cure for those persistently bad days. (^_~)☆ 

Up until the very last moment before I clicked the Send button I really didn't think I would be able to, but I finally went ahead and did it!

So, yes, I think I'm really doing this! Eeeek! Wish me luck!

READING


I just finished reading the two volumes of The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories that I have, and I'm now trying to decide which one to read next among my humongous pile of unread books - either in towers in my room or taking up precious space in my Kindle.

WRITING
My ideas for #StrangeLit. I really hope I can finish this! Aside from wishing me luck, please cross your fingers for me also!

LISTENING TO
... myself yawn every five seconds, heh. I'm sleepy.

THINKING
... if I should change my blog's color scheme because I'm feeling quite sick of it already. Remember when I used to change my blog's layout and colors at least twice a week, just because? LOL. I don't have the time to do it anymore, so I just looked for a layout I really, really like and then just change the color schemes every three months or so. Here are some of the schemes I'm trying to choose from:




FEELING
Nostalgic, especially immediately after the school hop we did at Pitogo High School last Wednesday for FutureYou.PH.


LOVING
The cameo on the Paper Towns movie. I don't want to spoil it to those who haven't seen it yet so I won't say who it is! I almost clapped! The only reason I didn't was because my arms were wrapped around my boyfriend while watching, heh.

WANTING
A reunion with all my close friends from school, university, and my former office.


NEEDING
The power to not sleep without feeling groggy and grumpy in the morning.

WISHING
That my Hogwarts letter arrives soon. I've already spent so much on Muggle education but whatever.

My Marauder's Map is ready WHERE IS MY HOGWARTS LETTER??

I hope you are all well, my friends! Enjoy the last few days of July! Take care of your hearts. ♥

This week's Currently comes a day late because reasons. Also, I feel like all I ever post here are my Currently updates. I HAVE to blog more but work and life keep me pretty tied up. I am reminded of this when this came today:

If you're reading this, THANK YOU for still sticking around! ( ˘ ³˘)♥


READING
I'm relishing the last couple of stories in Eliza Victoria's A Bottle of Storm Clouds. I really like her writing style and am awed at how expansive her imagination is and how easy she makes writing urban fantasy seem to be.


WRITING
My ideas for #StrangeLit. It's tough when all your ideas come to you in the shower and you have no means of writing it down. What I do is I repeat them in my head over and over until I feel like I have committed them to memory, and then grab a pen and paper or my phone the moment I step out of the shower.

LISTENING TO
Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion. I think I want to go to her concert.

THINKING
[Still connected to #StrangeLit.] More ideas to add here:


FEELING
So so. It was a pretty difficult day and I am looking forward to curling up under the covers. I am so ready for a new day.

LOVING
That I was able to catch up and reconnect with family and friends last week.

With my friend Dewi

With my friends Alex and Kira at the Physiogel event (blogging about this soon!) last Wednesday that Miah and I went to after we saw Ant-Man (such a fun movie!)

With our interns Josh, Precious, and Paolo during the Dunlopillo event held last Thursday, which is incidentally their last day with us

With Ana on the day cursed with traffic of epic proportions

During a day-out with family last Saturday in celebration of my cousin Janet's birthday

This coming weekend I'll meet up with my former officemates. I can't wait! Times like these are rare and far between, so I really cherish them.

WANTING
More time to rest and recharge. I feel like it's all I ever post here, heh.

NEEDING
To write more. I feel like I've neglected this blog for far too long, and that makes me sad.

WISHING
That I can finish my story for #StrangeLit. I really, really, really wish that.

I hope you are all well, my friends! Take care of your hearts. ♥

♥

I was so sick of the rain this past week. It doesn't matter how good being bundled up in blankets with a good book feels; the endless rain seriously put a damper on my spirits.

In any case, I'm still thankful it inspired me to pick my paintbrushes up again and paint.

The worst work schedule I ever had was the 3 PM - 2 AM shift I had in my old job. It was a four day/ eleven hour-work week that didn't feel like it was worth it because the "extra" day off I had, I just spent on reclaiming sleep. The worst  part is that because I was too scared to commute at 2 AM, I had to wait in the office until 5 AM, when it's relatively safer. And because I would already be too tired, too cranky, and too sleepy when I get home, I would skip meals and just drink a glass of milk instead. Less than two weeks of that bad habit and I was at the doctor's, diagnosed with gastroenteritis. I didn't know you aren't supposed to drink milk when you aren't eating LOL. At least I know better now. 

I remembered that story because I love milk but I don't get to drink it as much as I would like. As a growing kid yuppie in her late 20s who subsists primarily on takeout food, has an active social life, and has a demanding work life, I am aware I don't get the recommended dietary allowance my body needs to remain in tip-top shape.

That's where vitamins and food supplements like Calchews come in.


Calchews is the only calcium supplement in the market that comes in a delicious chewy form. It contains Calcium plus Vitamins D and K to help protect and strengthen bones and teeth without the risk of heart disease. It comes in two variants: Caramel and Chocolate. Getting my recommended daily dose of calcium just became more fun and convenient!


Vitamin D is responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate and zinc and prevents rickets. Its best evidence of benefit is for bone health. Meanwhile, Vitamin K helps prevent calcium deposits in the heart, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. These two work hand-in-hand for our bones and teeth, and since I don't get to exercise these days AND I'm wearing braces, these are really helpful for me. This is also perfect for those who don't like drinking milk!


The fact that they both taste so good helps a lot in making me feel that I am not ingesting yucky medicine! I like both flavors but my preference leans towards Chocolate more only because I'm more of a hot fudge sundae-girl than a caramel sundae-girl. But seriously, Calchews taste so good (with just the perfect mix of soft chewiness and flavors that it took all of me to stop myself from taking more than one!

Make it a habit to treat your bones well and try Calchews. You can actually get your free samples from Sample Room! All you have to do is create an account (if you don't have one yet) and request for your samples!

It should be noted though that you should consult your doctor first if you are pregnant, nursing a baby, or taking blood-thinning medicines before using this product. 

Calchews are available in boxes of 7's (P90.20) and 15's (P180). Enjoy!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. Read my complete Disclosure Policy here.

Sometimes when I’m alone with my thoughts, I look back on my younger years (not that I’m *that* old, heh) and remember what it was like. Sleepovers and staying up all night with my friends thinking what the future would be like, not minding any real responsibilities aside from homework and school projects, and patiently waiting for classes to be suspended due to inclement weather are just some of my favorite parts of high school.

My senior high school class St. Augustine of San Jose Academy Batch 2002 – 2003

Now that I am older and dealing with “real world” requirements and inconveniences like taxes, traffic jams, and pressure to succeed, I look back on my younger self and thank her that she was able to ascertain what she wanted to do at that age and was able to follow through in spite of the delay.

As some of my long-time readers know, I let go of a relatively easy but high-paying job to pursue what I really wanted to do almost three years ago. Even if we don’t factor in the pay-cut I took, it was still not an easy choice to make as that job served as my security blanket for more than five years before I decided it was time to really grow up and make a career out of something I love doing.

I guess things really do have a way of working out in the end because even with less than three years in the industry under my belt, I have already been promoted twice and am experiencing things a small-town girl like me wouldn’t have thought possible.

I belong in a demanding and grueling industry but I go to work every day excited for all the things I would be doing, people I would be meeting, and tasks I would be ticking off my list. The cliché that tells about doing something you love and not have to work for the rest of your life rings true to me, and I could only hope the same for you, too. Dragging yourself to work every day is not a good feeling; it sucks you dry until you become devoid of excitement and enthusiasm so if you are currently under this funk, I do hope you get out of it ASAP.

And that, kids, is why it’s important to know early on what you would like to do when you grow up and join the workforce. The job market has gotten ultra-competitive in the past few years and I’m sure it will be even more so in the future so if you can already envision as early as now what path you would like to follow someday, the better. Self-awareness is key, so knowing who you are and what you are good at, and what you would like to achieve in the future is essential to determining the next steps you will take. The adage “knowing is half the battle” is very applicable here, yes?

This is where FutureYou.ph comes in. As I shared before, FutureYou.ph is an online tool for exploring career opportunities and their education and training pathways. A project of the Philippine Business for Education and in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Philippines, it provides the youth easy access to the latest job market and education information they need to make better decisions about their future. Probably the most important thing to note is that FutureYou.ph is not a job application site. What it does is that it provides you with basic information on available jobs now and in the next few years so that you can start the career planning process even before you go to college. You are not limited to just the jobs that are in demand at any given time, though. If, like me, you pay no heed as to which jobs are on-trend, FutureYou.ph also gives you a peek at the industry you’re interested in so you can ultimately decide whether you want to be part of that world or not. After you have specified the degree you would want to have, FutureYou.ph also lists down the qualifications needed as well as the schools that offer that degree. The Explore Schools Page is where you can find schools based on your personal preferences while the Top Performing Schools link lets you find out if your preferred school is a consistent top performer in the licensure exams. I think its coolest feature though is the Career Quiz, which is perfect for indecisive peeps out there who haven’t figured out yet what they would like to be.

The future depends on what you do today, so make sure you do something today that your future self will thank you for. ;)

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. Read my complete Disclosure Policy here.

A blink and a sigh, and it's July.

I can barely believe it but welp, here it is. Before you know it the holidaze will be here again so maybe it's best to take advantage of all the end-of-season sales happening everywhere. Heh.

As for me, July was off to a great start. Last Thursday, Miah and I went to Newport Performing Arts Theater with my friends Ralph and Mike to see Bituing Walang Ningning: The Musical. We enjoyed it a lot thanks to the believable portrayals of the actors and their immense talent, although I found the script a little bit lacking. Still, going all the way to Resorts World Manila and going home late on a work-day was worth it especially during when Monica Cuenco as Dorina Pineda sang the title song for the first time. Mesmerizing. Huge thanks to Jom for the tickets!

Saturday was spent with Miah again and catching up with my favorite restaurant Bigoli my good friend Michelle in TriNoma. I used to not like going out on weekends because I prefer wasting time in front of my computer or painting or reading, but look at me now. Heh.

Most of the afternoon was spent being ignored in favor of his new toy - the Batman: Arkham Knight collectible. JK it wasn't like that at all. ( ⋂‿⋂’) 

Now I'm well-rested and ready to take on this (rather rainy) week. Here is this week's Currently.


READING


I just finished (finally!!!) Alternative Alamat. Don't think it was the book's fault on why it took me so long, though. I just haven't been able to concentrate on reading these days so this one took me a long while. Thanks to Alternative Alamat, I am now Eliza Victoria's newest fan. Next book on my list is her A Bottle of Storm Clouds, in preparation for #StrangeLit.

[TRYING TO WRITE] 
My entry to Activity 1 for #StrangeLit and an rough outline of what I would like the story to be about.

LISTENING TO
Grand Romantic by Nate Ruess. I will never get tired of this album. Here's my current favorite song:


THINKING
Of all the books I'd like to buy if only I have unlimited funds.

FEELING
Sleepy. Okay I have to finish this soon.

LOVING
New beginnings.

WANTING
This, this, this, and THIS. Basically everything that Fully Booked posts.

NEEDING
Days to slow down a little bit. We're not in a hurry, days.

WISHING
That it won't rain hard anymore. Typhoon Egay is still in the country and there's another one coming, and we have an event on Thursday. Crazy.

Oh, I just made up with my guy. All is well in the world again.

Can you believe it's July?? Gosh! I hope you stay safe, warm, and dry, my friends! ♥