Haggard Yuppie Goes to Cosmo Beauty Block 2016

Hello, guys! I'm so back! Wait, rampa lang ako...

As you can see in the first photo, I just attended Cosmopolitan Philippines' first ever Cosmo Beauty Block (will be referred to as CBB in the next paragraphs of this entry) last August 27 at SM Megamall's Fashion Hall. I know, this is not something you expect from someone whose beauty arsenal includes Safeguard, Johnson's baby powder, and Johnson's baby cologne (feeling high school pa rin si bes) but I am *sincerely* interested in learning about beauty and hair and makeup because:

1. I'm fat AF and I need to make it up for what I lack in the sexiness department dahil sobrang kawawa ko naman kung mataba na 'ko, pangit pa; and
2. my boyfriend deserves a decent-looking girlfriend and eventually, wife. Enough said.

So yun nga, my CBB adventure started with the registration. I read this article several times because I was feeling excited and praning at the same time: http://www.cosmo.ph/beauty/makeup/here-s-why-you-can-t-miss-cosmo-beauty-block-adv-con. I decided to avail a 6-month subscription so I can have VIP access to the event (feeling mayaman, ganoin). The VIP access included early entry to the venue (10 AM instead of 11 AM), VIP seating during the program, and 3,000 pesos worth of makeup workshops by MAC (this sealed the deal for me). I shoot Summit Media (subscriptions@summitmedia.com.ph) an email right away to get the subscription form. Unfortunately, the message bounced back and I had no choice but to call them. Luckily, Ms. Ethel Marie Trabado, Subscription Administrator for Print, was one very accommodating person and after numerous email exchanges (I had lots of queries), I was able to avail subscription orders for me and my high school friend Pria (also a blogger). We also got to send names of eight friends (four for each person) we wanted to bring to the event. 

Ang daldal ko noh? So eto na...

It's the big daaaay!!!

I arrived at the venue a few minutes before 10 so I was able to score freebies easily, way before long queues formed. Registration was a breeze. I just presented a valid ID and they proceeded to checking if my name's on the list. Afterwards, they gave me my loot bag, a freebie card, and a sticker I can put on my shirt to indicate my VIP access status. Shala!

Excited Cosmo girls (and boys?) lining up at the registration area

I don't have a photo posing in front of this lakas-maka-awards-night wall
because I'm shy, hihi.

I took photos of the venue and the booths first before the crowd got thick.

Chic white seats 

Brow Lounge booth

Tokyo Posh booth

Pantene booth

Ever Bilena booth

Revlon booth

BYS booth

I want these throw pillows! They provided a nice pop of color
to the white cushioned seats.

Revlon products on display

I went to the event bare-faced because I was looking forward
to a makeover.

Eh yung ang ganda ng kasama kong straight from night shift
at two hours lang ang tulog. Nasaan ang hustisya, bes?

As far as I can remember (Sabado lang to nangyari pero dahil lola na ako...), here's how it went down:

• I got my free smokey eye shadow palette from BYS, while Pria got a lip palette. I was expecting to get the nude palette that won the Cosmo Beauty Award but who am I kidding, it was worth a thousand pesos a pop.
• We lined up for a freebie at the Revlon booth. We had to pose behind a heart-shaped frame for a photo, post said photo on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with their prescribed hashtags, show the posted photo to the booth personnel, draw a piece of paper from a magic bowl, and get whatever is written on that paper as a freebie. I got a balm stain which I added to my 12-piece lippie collection, yey!
• I played a pin-the-eyebrows game (what I want to call it, LOL) at the Brow Lounge booth. I had to stick the missing eyebrows on the pictures of Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne, Emma Watson, and Beyonce correctly in just a minute. Of course, I won this game and so I got a gift certificate entitling me to a free brow shaping session.
• I proceeded to the Beauty and Butter booth, liked their Facebook page, and got a 150-peso discount voucher, which I can avail for a minimum purchase of 1,000 pesos. Great. 

Commercial break muna...

I was also able to meet my former colleagues because I submitted their names to Ms. Ethel for regular access. Parang high school reunion ang peg ng ingay namin because we were so excited to see each other.

With Rona, Yna, and Klenia (who I haven't seen for more
than a year, I think)

And back to regular programming...

Honestly, I wasn't able to fully experience the CBB because I was busy attending to Pria and her friend and then to my co-teachers. Yes, feeling organizer naman ako. I just can't leave any of them and mind my own business. But then, here are the other things I accomplished despite acting like a mother hen to the girls:

• I claimed my free pair of white Sunnies at the Pantene booth. I also got a GIF picture taken with Klenia, Rona, and Yna. Here it is!

• I managed to sit down for a few minutes to listen to the talks and watch the demos of some of the members of the Cosmo Beauty Council. My favorite was the one by photographer Pat Dy because he shared some tips on how to achieve the perfect selfie. 

Host Cerah Hernandez opened the program.

A makeup demo. Forgive my lola memory for I cannot remember
the brand who sponsored this one.

The Myrza Sison, Cosmo PH's Editorial Director, gave the opening remarks.

Photographer Pat Dy talked about the picture-perfect lighting and poses.

NARS lead makeup artist Archie Tolentino talked about how to make it big
in the industry.

Salon de Maquillage Creative Director Laurent Herbert demonstrated
how to do different hairstyles for different occasions.

Jeline Catt taught Cosmo Girls how to do
the no-makeup makeup look.

          Tokyo Posh owner Denise Aquino discussed how she established her business and how we can also earn from our passion for beauty.

• I got my free makeover!!! After waiting for hours (I just stood near the Ever Bilena booth like a stalker), I finally achieved my goal of having a date-ready face.

Brillante Mendoza-shot, charot!

Pak ganoin! Eyebrows on fleek and matte nude lips

Funny and helpful EB makeup artist

And here are the other captured moments amidst the frenzy of getting freebies and more freebies...

Yna, as well as Klenia and Rona, got free hair chalk application
from the Pantene booth

Pria and her friend were able to try on some really expensive
hair extensions from Tokyo Posh. Of course they took selfies!

Mandatory crowd shot. Cosmo PH accepted walk-ins
that's why things got crazy and my friends weren't able
to get many freebies.

With Pat Dy

With mumshie Myrza. Ang fab at bango niya, please.

I had a blast attending the CBB and I wish there will be another one next year.  Hopefully, it will be held in a bigger venue and will have more booths. 

My almost completed freebie card. I wasn't really interested in
trying on hair extensions and posing like a mowdel
against a sparkling silver backdrop.

Syempre, pang-finale ang freebies!

The Pantene conditioner, Revlon perfume sample, and Avène sunscreen
were already in the loot bag handed to me upon registration. I also got
a tube of Celeteque facial wash but I gave it to Teacher Lhet because
she arrived late and didn't get a loot bag. 

Now it's time to embrace my make-up loving kikay self!

How I Spend Most Nights

Photo source: unintendedgirl.tumblr.com

It saddens me how my nights are always uneventful.

Most of the time, I just go home after work. I unlock the key of my room, turn on the light, kick off my shoes, lie on my bed, and stare at the cardboard that covers the top bunk. When I’m not engaged in a staring contest with said cardboard, I drown myself in social media. Social media is my junk food; I won’t stop consuming it even if it’s not good for me. Usually, I do only a few things when I’m online.

1. I rave about food and cats.
2. I complain about politics and current events. I already stopped complaining about religions because I don’t want to get into word wars and lose friends. 
3. I enter my not-so-secret fangirling world. Yes, I still follow that local loveteam that the rest of the country already tagged as laos. I refuse to believe that.
4. I like or comment on witty, insightful, or interesting posts of friends I know well or even people I barely know. What do I do with other types of posts? I judge them.
5. I try to be self-righteous/all-knowing and post a “wise” piece of advice or opinion.

When I feel happy, sad, or stressed, I eat out (usually alone). I live in a street lined with restaurants so you can imagine how big my midsection is. I hope this doesn’t happen to you. It’s just so difficult to buy clothes for this body nowadays.

Currently, I’m replaying some anime shows I loved aside from watching a variety of movies with my roommate.

I wonder why I can’t make my nights more exciting when I’m only 23 and I’m earning enough to buy myself a drink or two. Sometimes, I imagine myself getting dressed up and putting on some dark lipstick so I can hang out in a bar and look cool as hell. Or maybe check out paintings I’ll never understand and read poetry in a hole-in-a-wall café because I aspire to be a hipster.

However, if I become that fun, partying type of person the society expects me to be, would I still be myself? Or should I just accept the fact that not having fun is my idea of having fun?

Where the hell am I going with this? We all know the truth.

I’m just lazy as f***.

Pauses and Stops

Source: websummarizer.blogspot.ca

When I read our story

I breathe and savor

Every phrase, every word

That's when we love

Each other and more

A few times I pause

And take a breather

That's when we don't

Love each other that much

Now I seem to read too fast

The words suddenly run out

And then I realize

Our story has come to a full stop

Rainy Days and Memories (1)

Source: www.papemelroti.com

Renee makes her usual trip to that old novelty shop. Every Friday, she picks up something that catches her eye; it can be a bookmark, a keychain, or a pin. She just loves how the items look old but smell new, like history repeating itself. She already has a box of knick-knacks from the said shop, and she barely uses them.

She is sort of collecting them for someone: her history that never repeated even if she wanted to.

She remembers meeting Paula a few years back in the very same shop. It was a rainy afternoon.

Paula had a lithe frame and a shock of spiky pink hair. Her eyes looked eager as she was perusing the designs of the journals in the shelves. Renee tried her best not to stare, but she was too beautiful a girl.

She was a girl, as she looked too young to be called a woman or even a lady.

She focused her sight on Paula’s fingers instead. They were slim and white and they gently turned the pages of that insignificant-looking notebook. Renee had to shake off the feeling of being hypnotized by the beauty of this stranger. She grabbed a couple of trinkets she didn’t even like and walked towards the cashier.

“Hey! You dropped your keys.”

Renee turned around and looked straight into the girl’s ochre eyes, then at the outstretched arm up to the hand that cradled the keys. They were just standing and staring at each other for a moment.

“Thank…you.”

Renee slowly took the keys and put them inside her pocket, still staring at Paula. The latter broke into a small, shy smile.

We shall see each other again, she thought.

04.14.16

Mahal mo ako

Bawat titik at tuldok

Isinulat mo nang 

Walang pag-aalinlangan

Ngunit ngayon

Ako'y nasasaktan

Sa tuwing dumadaan

Ang pulang panulat

Sa ating mga salita

Hindi nagtagal

Inaalis mo na rin

Ang mga talata

Ng mga pangako

At pangarap

Na ating binuo

Ano na lang

Ang matitira sa atin

Meron pa bang atin?

Sa manuskrito mo

Ako yung pahinang

Wala na sa libro

Isa na lamang akong

Papel na maraming guhit

Isang pagkakamali

Hindi dapat paglaanan

Ng papel at tinta

Photo source: https://www.pinterest.com/ladygramla/fading-away/

Trying Out Daily's Diet

Welcome back to me!

I've been too busy working and, ehem, fangirling over some loveteam you might not even know that's why I'm writing a new blog entry JUST NOW. Anyway, a lot of things have happened to me lately and that includes getting BIGGER because, you know...

However, I'm not planning to lessen my food consumption and lose weight because pigging out is practically my life. But then I don't  really have a choice because I have only a few pairs of jeans that COMFORTABLY FIT. The others just squeeze the life out of me.

And so, believe it or not, I'm trying out a diet  delivery system for five days. Yep, five 1,000-calorie days. I do hope I won't collapse by the middle of the week, people.

My very generous sister treated me to a week's worth of meals from Daily's Diet. She availed the 1,000-calorie plan worth Php 1750 (no delivery charges), but they have other plans (1,200, 1500, and 1800 calories) that will suit specific needs. They also cater to people with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. 

You can have your meals delivered the night before the scheduled day for the said meals, or early in the morning during the actual day. You can give your payment for the whole week to the delivery person or pay through bank deposit, online fund transfer, Paypal, or credit card. I had a bit of a problem with this one because the delivery person was already near my office at six in the morning and I was still in my bed contemplating about life (I was informed yesterday that delivery time would be around seven to nine). I got worried about how I can pay for the meals because I don't have time to go to the bank and I don't have an online bank account, a Paypal account, or a credit card. Luckily...

1. the delivery person still dropped off my food even without the payment and

2. my roommate has an online bank account.

I'll be updating this post daily to give feedback on food quality and delivery. ;)

Day 1

Monday Menu:

Breakfast - Sloppy Joe Mashed Potato Bowl

Morning Snack - Mango, Melon, and Grapes

Lunch - Japanese Beef Misono with Poached Egg and Japanese Rice

Afternoon Snack - Papaya

Dinner - Linguine Puttanesca

A love letter from the Daily's Diet Team to orient you about the system

Inside these containers are very, very small servings of diet food

Mashed potato bowl was just okay because it has beans (I don't eat beans, except for munggo). Buti na lang may cheese. It wasn't the most satisfying breakfast, but I hope I'll get used to that amount of food for the next four mornings. First snack was just diced fruits in a cup. Still, I'm looking forward to lunch and dinner. :)

Now, lunch

Seems pretty filling but...

Ta-dah! Two spoons of rice for lunch, yay!

A pretty decent meal although I don't like togue. But the serving is just too small for my growing boy appetite. I mean, look at the photo above. Who wouldn't find that depressing? But I have to remind myself of this: 1,000 calories. A day. For five days.

And it's dinnertime!

Pasta was thick and al dente. Kulang sa sauce. One thing I have discovered from eating this thing: I hate capers.

I felt really hungry by the end of the day and I even had a headache. I texted Daily's Diet about it and after giving certain details about myself (height, weight, target weight, etc.), they recommended a 1200-calorie plan. Still, I did not avail it. I just decided to eat crackers and fruits to relieve the hunger pangs (not punks, as what another diet delivery service would always say *rolls eyes*).

Day 2

Breakfast - Pumpkin Carrot Oat Pancakes
Morning Snack - Fresh Lakatan
Lunch - Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl with Garlic Yogurt
Afternoon Snack - Fuji Apple
Dinner - Lemon Capers (not again) Fish Fillet Spaghettini

I enjoyed the pancakes, though it would have been better if they were bigger.

Not sure if it's yogurt or sour cream

Here's my lunch

Chicken was tasty and not as dry as I thought it would be. Loved the garlic yogurt sauce.

And for dinner...

Still had capers, which I removed. Doesn't have enough oil to coat each noodle. Fillet was too sour for my taste.


Day 3

Breakfast - Forrest Ham, Swiss Cheese and Caramelized Onions on English Muffin
Morning Snack - Fresh Pineapple
Lunch - Sake Steamed Clam with Mushroom and Veggies in Soba Noodle Soup
Afternoon Snack - Watermelon
Dinner - Chicken Inasal with Atsara over Ginger and Turmeric Brown Rice

Breakfast came in the form of a delicious open-faced sandwich

Inside that container is a yummy sauce I cannot identify, LOL.
Just poured it all over my sandwich and it made my morning.

My very salty lunch, ugh. I wasn't able to finish it, sad to say.

Buti bumawi sa lasa come dinner. The atsara was really good.

Day 4

Breakfast - Chocolate Mango Granola and Graham Crepe
Morning Snack - Fresh Pear with Cinammon
Lunch - Beef Tips with Broccoli and Shiitake Mushroom over Yang Chow Rice
Afternoon Snack - Lakatan
Dinner - Jicama, Mango, and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Raspberry Dressing

Breakfast was Y-U-M-M-Y because it had chocolate and mango. Enough said.

Beef was very tasty and I was quite happy with the serving. I didn't like the green peas and the broccoli though (because I am still a little girl who doesn't eat her vegetables).

I enjoyed eating the greens in this one. The dressing and the blue cheese made an interesting combination of flavors. 

Day 5

Breakfast - Roasted Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Bread
Morning Snack - Fresh Ponkan
Lunch - Tuna Sisig and Mixed Veggies over Garlic Rice
Afternoon Snack - Apple
Dinner - Grilled Salmon Whole Wheat Wrap with Sour Cream and Dill Sauce

The tomato soup was really good even if it wasn't hot or warm. Bitin ang two slices of bread.

Loved the last two meals as well. Tuna sisig was spicy just the way I like it, and the salmon wrap was flavorful, thanks to the sauce.

VERDICT

• The servings were too small for a big eater like me. However, my body was able to adjust to the portions by Day 3, which means I CAN actually eat less than what I usually consume. 
• The meals were a hit-and-miss in terms of taste. My least favorite were the pasta dishes; I do hope they can improve on them next time. I super loved the Day 5 meals, kahit puro isda. 
• One of the cheapest diet plans in the market, as most plans cost 2,000 pesos and above per week. Still, it is relatively expensive compared to buying 50-peso meals from your neighborhood carinderia.
• Did I lose weight? Yes. How many kilos? Two. Not bad, eh?

Am I doing this again? If I can afford to pay for it myself, why not. Again, a huge thanks to my Ate Bing for letting me try this one out. I realized that there is still hope, people. THERE IS STILL HOPE.

As for now, I'm back to regular programming.