“Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”

– Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

There's a Harry Potter quote applicable for every situation. These are scary and turbulent times, my friends, and even though it may be difficult and dreary, may we discern the difference and choose to do what is right.

Anyway, the first month of the year is almost over, and I'd like to do a roundup of the things I purchased. A monthly list for this can be beneficial for me in the long run as I get to see collectively what I spent my hard-earned money on so that I can make better choices next time, for my storage space and wallet's sake.

I realize it's virtually impossible to list everything here as I don't want to bore you with what I ate for lunch last January 17 or even my weekly trek to the supermarket to replenish my snack stash so let me qualify this by listing down the things I purchased online as a treat to myself.


BeautyMNL is one of my go-to online shops when I'm bored, resulting to a wish list that's taller than me. I love it because:

• it's a one-stop beauty shop that has a wide and expansive selection of both imported and proudly local products for the face, body, personal care, skin, hair, and nails, among others. It even carries accessories!
• its interface is easy to use and understand (even to online shopping newbies).
• it rewards legit reviews (check their review section Beauty by You) so real-life customers are more encouraged to share their experiences with the products you're eyeing, resulting to more informed choices. 
• it's quick! I checked out on a Sunday evening and got my orders Monday morning! Perfect for shoppers with low EQ like some people I know (read: me).

1. Expert Class Foundation Oval 1 Brush by Pro Studio Beauty Exclusives - I've been wanting to try an oval brush ever since I saw a tutorial online using it, so this purchase made me giddy.
   
2. Organic Eyelash/Eyebrow Growth Enhancing Serum by Leiania House of Beauty - I have long and thick lashes as it is but I'm still intrigued by the positive reviews even though it only costs P300!
   
3. Pixi Glow Tonic by Pixi by Petra - This is almost always sold out so I jumped at the chance of getting a mini bottle the moment it became available. I'll be getting the bigger bottle if this indeed proves HG-worthy to me!

All it takes is a quick search on this blog and you'll see why I love Althea Korea, but the most significant is that it lets me enjoy KBeauty products at a fraction of the price I see in stores here. They also regularly hold sales and give away free gifts with purchase!

Here are the things I bought:

1. Shining Pink Box - It's an eight-piece brush set with a reusable metal tin box with a mirror. Plus points for the color. 
2. Lovely Pink Heart Multi Volume Brush - Nothing really special about this brush except that it's pink! And heart-shaped! TOO CUTE!!! ♥
   

It is said that for one to be continuously good in his or her craft, he or she must put in the work and the hours it entails. It’s a never-ending quest for development, thus training for it shouldn’t stop.

Without meaning to, I failed to pick up a paintbrush and paint the entire year of 2016 because of reasons. I was too busy with work, with my social life, with a host of different things that I missed tapping into my #KrissyfiedMakes persona and see where my palette of paints could take me.

It was because of this that I slightly panicked when we were asked to pick up our paintbrush and scroll and try our hands on Chinese painting by no less than the Chan Lim Family of Artists themselves at the launch event of their exhibit at the SM North EDSA The Block Atrium.


The Chan Lim Family of Artists has been engaged in the arts for close to half a century. In the present there are three generations of Chan Lim artists who use a wide variety of media, styles, and techniques to incorporate Western into Eastern art. The family continues to get involved in the arts by actively developing and promoting Chinese brush painting in the Philippines and abroad, and it was really an honor to have been invited to participate in this class and learn from them first-hand.

Exactly one year ago, I experienced one of the best nights of my life.

My dream of seeing and hearing Nate Ruess perform live came true. 

I remember how ecstatic I felt when my friend Niche broke the good news to me. I just came back from a work trip in Boracay then and all my exhaustion went away. I had to save up for my ticket (nothing less than VIP, of course) and spent the following months jittery and mildly panicky. I literally had no chill. I miss being this excited for something.

My boyfriend and I were broken up at the time so I bought the tickets not knowing who I will watch the show with. All's well that ends well though because we got back together. ♥ I really couldn't imagine watching the concert with anyone but him.

So, a year has passed since that monumental night. I guess it's a good time as any to reflect on the things that have changed since then? 

I'm terribly sad to be admitting this, but I have become more disillusioned. I know and I acknowledge that life is not fair and we're all going to die anyway, but the amount of injustice happening around me makes me feel so helpless. I refuse to be bitter and consumed by despair, but some days make it harder to do so.

On a lighter note, I'm more comfortable when it comes to presenting myself to people. I still get shy sometimes most of the time, but PR has no place for people who prefer blending in the background. Pro tip: Remember that everything starts with a smile, and there's nothing that a few seconds of pep talk can't help. 

Let me know if it has something to do with age, but I realized I have become less tolerant of bullsh*t, flakers, and people who have no or low regard for other people's time. I'd rather dedicate more of my non-renewable resources to those who value these things.

The quest for learning never stops, but time is always my greatest enemy. I need to learn how to manage my time better. 

I'm still learning to bite my tongue when the temptation to lash out comes. I have learned to choose my battles but sometimes it's so challenging to just grin and bear it, especially when you know you have the perfect retort.

Lastly, one of the most important changes I've applied, maybe, is not forgetting sunscreen every day. We can't stop growing old, but at least we can help minimize the effects of aging.

I don't know if Nate will ever come back to Manila, or release a new song for that matter, but if news breaks that he has a new single out then I assure you I'll be the first one to purchase it from iTunes. God I still wish I have a physical copy of Grand Romantic.

I watched La La Land with my la la love today and I may or I may have not shed a week's worth of tears inside the cinema while the movie's playing, outside the cinema immediately after the movie, and in Serenitea a solid six hours after we saw the movie.

My expectations were already a bit high seeing as how it won a lot of awards, but it exceeded even that. It's beautiful, it's fantastic, and - not that I need it to - it reminded me why I love movies. It's pure magic, y'all.

Now I just want to close my eyes and bask in the glorious beauty of this film, but I want to relive it here so that I have another pocket to tuck good memories in for when the rainy days come. 

That dance sequence under the stars? Sigh. When you think about it, it's just a simple story about two souls trying to go after their dreams, but brilliant acting, wonderful sets and musical sequences, and film artistry elevated and reincarnated it into so much more. But that's not even my favorite part.

My favorite part of any movie is how it sparks conversation and makes you think. I told my boyfriend that in the event we break up (I'm not saying we're going to, but on the off chance that we do), we are not to see other people straightaway because we will wait until we get back together. And then he scolded me for creating problems when there are none. Of course I'm not counting on it because he's the love of my life, but on the off chance!

Across the miles, my friend Ed also watched it today and it got us talking about our dreams. In the case of Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), his dream was to put up a jazz club, while Mia's (Emma Stone) was to be an actress. When I was a lot younger, my dream was to have a glamorous job as the editor-in-chief of a glossy magazine. When I got a little older, I dreamt of living in seclusion with my own bookstore/ café as means of livelihood. I dreamt of writing a book but now that I've realized it's not as easy as it seems and that I couldn't possibly meet my expectations for my own output, it got sidetracked for other goals. Now I dream of having a regular job, a husband, a kid or two, a house of our own with a library/ toy room, and who knows, maybe someday we can put up that bookstore/ café.

Ed: Would you ever give up your love for a dream?
Me: I don't know... My love is my dream, eh. Hehe.

I used to feel limitless, like the world was teeming with possibilities. Now I don't know if getting older made me forget my impulsive and carefree days, but suddenly it felt like the world couldn't accommodate me and my lofty ideas. Maybe I got realistic? Maybe I became more accepting that something always has to give? Or maybe the world is still teeming with possibilities, but I just got lazy.

Having seen La La Land inspired me to regain that missing spark. After all, I used to think I'm the unluckiest girl when it comes to love, and look at me now. ♥

PS: OKAY THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHARE. I'm not kidding about the tears, you guys, and it's amazing how my Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 24H Auto Eyeliner stayed intact. Fabulous.

I've told this story countless times to everyone who would care to listen and I've already shared this several times here on this blog, but allow me to tell you once again how I first started blogging legitimately.

Circa 2008. I was working at a BPO and with all the extra time I had I decided I wanted to learn how to do my own makeup. What you need to know about me is that when I become interested in something, I get fixated on it and stop at nothing to learn everything I can about it. The first thing I figured I had to do was read up on makeup, preferably from women I can relate to, so it follows that I should look for local beauty reviews and tutorials. That's when I found the blogs of Shen, Nikki, and Phoebe, among others. Product seeding and events weren't popular yet those day so all the reviews and tutorials they shared, they wrote using products they bought with their own money. I was enjoying my (now defunct) Multiply Journal then and its readership, but exploring Blogspot opened a completely different world for me! I signed up, and the rest was history. 

To be completely honest with you, I've been feeling down the past few weeks and it's so difficult to find joy from things I loved doing before ⎼ reading and writing included. Me? Dislike reading? Amd writing? Why?? Believe me when I say I'm as baffled as you are. That lack of enthusiasm and time is one of the reasons why I haven't been able to blog as much.

And so this couldn't have come at a better time. 

Maybelline chose me to be part of the Maybelline Squad, a group of bloggers they recognized for continuously supporting the brand. ♥ There are a lot of perks for being part of the squad, but my favorites are being given sneak peeks and a chance to try the products even before they get released in the country! 

Sometimes I wonder if the things I do and spend time on are worth it, sometimes I don't get recognized for going out of my way to do a better job, and sometimes it feels like mistakes get magnified and fixated on. Sometimes I think I don't have as much clout as I did before, and that the people who used to read my blog have all moved on. I can't dwell on those, though. Instead I'm going to play with all the new makeup I got from Maybelline and revel on this award because, really, what a great honor to be chosen alongside beauty bloggers I look up to not only for their blogs but also because of who they are as a person, like Nikki and Phoebe ⎼ beautiful inside and out!

One more time, with feelings!

This award is very well-received! Let's go back to the perks. As I said, we'll be given early access to new products before they even hit the market, and I was sooo excited that I wanted to do a twirl then and there!

Here are just some of Maybelline's newest products for this year:

Super BB Fresh Matte Cushion, Hyper Ink Liquid Liner, Powder Matte Lipstick, and Master Strobing Stick!

They're even releasing a Strobing Cream! Of these, I'm most excited for the Powder Matte Lipsticks and Strobing Stick and Cream! A+++, those two.

Thank you again for choosing me, Maybelline! I'm looking forward to a Maybelline-beautiful year ahead!

When we welcomed the new year, I promised myself and the world wide web that I won't purchase a new lipstick until I'm done reviewing every single tube I already have. Yes, a girl can never have too many lipsticks, but this girl does not have a big enough storage room for all of them. If you know me and my love affair with lip colors, then you know how challenging this is for me. On one hand I'm glad to get usage out of all my lipsticks while freeing space as I let go of others, but on the other hand I am praying to the lipstick goddesses that no new can't-be-missed shades or collections are released to the market until I've made a sizeable dent in this undertaking.

Right now I'm just glad for the chance to rediscover old favorites and play with swatches.

What better way to start this habit than by sharing one of my favorite Maybelline collections from late last year? If you remember and if, like me, you liked the Vivid Matte Lipsticks and its bright and bold colors and intense pigmentation, you'll be thrilled to know that Maybelline released new shades under this line!


Maybelline's kits are always something to look forward to. ♥




They're bright, they're bold, they're guaranteed to perk you up!

I love my nudes and my browns and my MLBBs, but my love for bright colored lipsticks is immeasurable. Shocking pink pouts! Plum kissers! Scarlet reds! Gimme all of 'em!

Here are the individual lip swatches (´∀｀)♡


Vivid 5 is a blue-based red that looks darker on the tube than on the lips. It's not a unique color and I'll be okay with letting this go in favor of my other reds.



Vivid 6 is a hot pink that instantly brightens up the face and flatters all skin tones. It will make an excellent gift for your kikay sister or friend.



Vivid 7 is a nice candy apple-red that reminds me of those summer days I spent in the visiting carnival that used to go to our little city during fiesta. I like this red better than Vivid 5.



Vivid 8 is a loud purple pink that can take you from day to night depending on the eye makeup you pair with it. It's a much better version of my Maybelline Amethyst Ablaze!



I didn't expect to like Vivid 13 as much as I did mostly because I thought it would make me look pale or sickly! Instead, it was able to strike the perfect balance and I got the perfect Barbie pink lipstick for me. ♥


Like their older sisters, the new additions to the Maybelline Vivid Matte line are infused with bold saturated pigments plus honey nectar and give a creamier touch and "vividly sensational" color finish. They stay on my lips for four to five hours without eating. I still apply lip balm before putting them on but as you can see on the photos, they did not settle on my lip lines. For only P299 a pop, you can't go wrong with any of these, except perhaps skip Vivid 5 if you already have a similar shade and go for any of the other four instead.

What will be your signature lip color for 2017? Did you even think of choosing one? I change my lip colors depending on my mood so I can't really choose, but it'll definitely be a bright colored lippie for me. After all, my ultimate favorite lipstick is a hot pink hue.

I ran out of my Maybelline Super BB Cushion and I wanted to repurchase because I really love how easy it is to use and how it gives me a dewy glow --- but then I did the next best thing (or probably the better thing?): I made my own!

The It's My Cushion Case set in Althea Korea caught my fancy in one of my online window shopping sessions but I'm lazy and didn't really want to bother. However, seeing tutorials (from Beauty Geeks, xoVain, and Project Vanity) inspired me to mix my own concoction!

I got two cushion case sets and two extra sponges on my most recent Althea Korea treat yo'self haul and set to make the best cushion compact made especially for me using some of my tried and tested products. I finally got the chance to it on the last day of the holiday break, and I want to share the process with you!

A closer look:

Your bases of choice I used L'Oreal Infallible Stay Fresh Foundation 24H as the base ingredient and then used small portions of Nella Aura BB Foundation and TonyMoly Goat Milk Pure CC Cream to blend

A couple of drops of The Body Shop Oils of Life for added skincare

I got this from The Landmark for only P49.75!

Cushion compact from Althea Korea but you can also reuse empty cushion compacts already have. Just make sure to clean them thoroughly!

You can also add sunscreen, but personally I prefer applying my sunscreen directly into my skin.

And now for the step-by-step mechanics. It's very easy, actually. All you have to do is mix your chosen products and ensure that the resulting combination matches your preferred consistency and, more importantly, your face skin color!


 Test the consistency; you don't want it too thick nor too thin.


Once you've worked out the ratio, it's time to pour and mix!


I found mixing it directly in the cushion is better than using a separate mixing bowl because you don't have to deal with wastage. Every mL or ounce of product counts!


It's best to start with a small batch, then just add more products as needed.

When done, put the "cushion" back carefully and use wipes to clean the compact and remove spills.

Left hand has my Krissyfied Cushion concoction, while the right hand is bare. See how it covered up the freckle-like spots on my left hand?

The finished product on my face I put it on in the morning while this photo was taken late in the afternoon. No retouching done!

New calendar, new beginnings, and a blank slate to fill with more stories and memories. Happy New Year, boys and girls! How did you welcome 2017? I hope it was with a lot of merry-making, joyous hearts, and full bellies.

One of my favorite things about welcoming a new year is jazzing up my chosen planner. Although this time around, I don't have a new planner to work with. I've been using a Moleskine 18-Month Weekly Planner and it's been great so far, mostly because it's Le Petit Prince-themed and because all the white space offers so much creative potential. (You can see some of my spreads by checking the hashtag #KrissyfiedJournal.)

For 2017, I also picked up this book by Adam J. Kurtz called 1 Page at a Time.


"Daily creative companion" sounds about right because it serves as a journal/ scrapbook that you can work on, one page/ day at a time. There are 365 prompts for each day of the year but you can also get off the grid. There are no rules! The book is yours, have your way with it! As for me, checking other people's creations gave me such a burst of inspiration that left my fingers tingling!

I know I said I didn't have time to paint something this year, but there's something about the changing of calendars that got me raring to create.

Beautiful mess

Nothing too crazy here; I just worked on the last couple of weeks' spreads because memories from those are too good not to document. ♥

AND I GOT TO PAINT AGAIN!

Well, I must have forgotten how or my hands got too clumsy, because my first two attempts sucked to high heavens. I practically begged my sister to paint me a bouquet of flowers to put on my Journal's first day of 2017!

My sister Kyla's painting on the left, mine on the right

But I ended up using the one I painted anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I really need more practice because having paintings that suck is such a waste of pigments.

Anyway. If' you've been a long-time reader of my blog (why thank you!) this is the point where I share with you my "word" for the year - the governing word that will dictate this year for me.

This should be the Year of Dreams - the year where I dream dreams (again) and work towards getting there. I don't know, I used to be a dreamer, but maybe I lost my way a bit. I need to re-focus and not necessarily go back, but to find my way.

For this year I hope to: beef up my skincare routine and follow through instead of getting too lazy for extra steps after washing my face • not buy more lipstick unless I'm done reviewing every single tube I have • evaluate life and career choices • paint more • create more • read more books • watch more movies • learn how to cook simple dishes • declutter • be more grateful • go somewhere new with my boyfriend • be thirty[-one], flirty, and thriving!

I'm looking forward to seeing where 2017 takes us!