Contour vs Bronzer

Don't know the difference between the two? Don't know what products to use? Want to have a chiseled face without going to the doctors? It's really very easy to fake it. I've got you covered!

Contour
 

Nyx blush in Taupe

Hollow your cheekbones for that supermodel bone structure and slim down your nose to define your features.


Contouring is used to shape and define the face with the use of shadows. As such, contour products are matte and gray/taupe in color (to mimic the illusion of depth). In contouring, you push back the areas of your face that you want to shape. You can only put contour on the perimeter of your face, on the hollows of your cheekbones and on the sides of your nose. Putting the contour on other parts of your face will make you look muddy. And that's not a very good look. Remember to not overdo the contour and to build up the color.


Bronzer

Bronzers are double purpose.

The first use of bronzers is to add a flush of color to the face for that sun-kissed Victoria's Secret look.  With that in mind, bronzers are warm-toned (orangey and reddish) to mimic the warmth the sun gives to our faces. Bronzers are placed on the high points of the face, the areas that the sun hits: cheeks, nose, chin and some areas of the forehead.

The second purpose of bronzers is to add dimension to the face by using darkness. Just like the gray-based contour products, bronzers use darker colors to push back areas of the face to give the illusion of depth. Having no gray tone, you can put bronzer onto a larger surface area of your face to shape it (without running the risk of looking muddy). But also remember to build the color up because we wouldn't want to look orange and be suspected of being the stars of Jersey Shore.


Lowdown
In conclusion, you can use bronzer to have that sun-kissed glow or to softly define your face. Use contour to add shadows to chisel your features. Bronzers can have shimmer and are a wee bit orange or red. Contours are matte and gray in color. Bronzers can be used all over the face, while contours should be used in moderation and be placed on areas that naturally have shadows. 



Don't be afraid to experiment. In the end, it's your face and you have a choice in whatever the hell you want to do. If you're happy with whatever you're currently doing, YOU DO YOU!

xoxo Jam

Bridal Shower: 5 Fun Group Games

The bride and the sister

Bridal showers are kind of a last-hurrah-before-you-get-married party. A few months ago, I attended (and hosted) my first-ever kinky bridal shower for my sister.

Bridal showers are composed of the bride's closest family members and friends. Usually, bridal shower games cater to a small number of people for an intimate party of 5-10 people. My sister's party included 30 people. It was up to me to find fun games and tweak them to accommodate everyone.

Take into consideration that not everybody in the party know each other. The first step: give all guests name tags. The second step: let them count off 1, 2, 3; so in our case all the groups would consist of 10 persons. The third step: have someone fun & energetic facilitate the games. Get the guests pumped up. The fourth step: motivate them by awarding a prize (for the winning team).



1. Arrange Yourself According To...
age, birthday, height, number of boyfriends, years of knowing the bride, etc.

Veronica Marche

This simple and fast-paced game serves as the icebreaker for the guests to know a little bit about the people in the party. It will definitely pump them up for the following games!  


2. Bridal Pop Quiz
What is the bride's nicknames? When is the her birthday? What is the size of her panties? How many ex-boyfriends does she have? Where did the bride and groom have their first date? What is their theme song?

Wedding News Day

Grill the bride's friends as they recall all the information (and secrets) they have of the bride. Test their knowledge of quirky and fun facts about the couple. Make sure that you include diverse questions so every person can contribute an answer and no one will be left out.

3. Tissue Paper Wedding Dress

Ribbons

Give them a bunch of tissue paper rolls and crepe papers to make an unforgettable (and unwearable?) wedding dress. Have them catwalk their creations. Get the bride to say yes to the dress!

4. Penis Camouflage

From penis to a squid

This game requires you to add your own flare to the penis drawing. Make it into any decipherable object. As long as it doesn't look like a penis, and the judge (the bride) understands your work of art, you score a point! Give the participants 20 seconds to create their masterpiece. I'm sure that this game will make your tummies hurt from all the laughing.

5. Sex Position Charades

Chelsey

This is the game that you should totally play in your party. Name the position and ask them to demonstrate it. The more outrageous the position, the better. Or another alternative, act it out and let them guess the name of the position.

At the end of the day, all you have to do is enjoy and have fun. Celebrate with your bride-to-be friend and throw her one heck of a party. As Beyonce might say, treasure her last few moments as a single lady because someone liked it and will put a ring on it soon!

Jam is so corny. Uh.

Choosing the Perfect Foundation

It may be quite hard to find the perfect base for you. Our skin colors and skin types are different from one another. One product may look good on your friend but it might not work for you. You might be using a foundation right now that you feel isn't quite working out for you. There are several factors in choosing the best foundation for you and I'm here to help break it down for you!

Jam's HG Foundation

My holygrail foundation as of the moment is MAC's studio Fix Fluid in NC30. It has a very yellow undertone which I find I needed because some other foundations make me look quite grayish. It has a medium coverage (buildable to full coverage) & a matte formula. It also photographs beautifully with flash. It covers my pimple and scars quite well. A close second, or a dupe, to this is Revlon's Colorstay Foundation For Oily Skin. I use my Nars creamy concealer in Ginger to conceal scars the foundation wasn't able to cover. I then use my Make-up Designory loose powder to set my liquid foundation.


Tone:

pink undertone (cool) vs yellow undertone (warm)

This is the most crucial element in choosing a foundation. You see, our skin doesn't just have a gradient of light to dark. It also has an undertone. You might notice some people who have a pink or gray cast on their face that might not match their bodies.They're wearing a foundation with the wrong undertone. There are three kinds of undertones--cool, warm and neutral. People with cool undertone have a pink, red or blue tinge to their skin. The veins on their wrist are blue or purple. Caucasians usually have a cool undertone. People with warm undertone have a yellow, gold or peach tinged skin and their veins are green or olive. Southeast Asians are usually under this bracket. If you're in between cool and warm, you're probably neutral.

Shade:

Graftobian creme foundation palette

In my opinion, your foundation should match the color of your neck or your chest.  To avoid putting foundation anywhere else other than your face, swatch the foundation to match your neck or chest. The foundation should blend in with your skin. If ever you buy a foundation that's a tad light for you, you can always warm up your skin by bronzing and contouring your face. However, if it's a little dark, put a lighter concealer to highlight your face.

Coverage:

upper L-R: no foundation, light coverage of rimmel foundation
lower L-R: medium coverage of revlon's colorstay foundation, full coverage of graftobian cream foundation

 If you have fairly decent skin, you can choose among bb creams, tinted moisturizers or foundations with sheer to light coverage to even out your skin. If your skin is a bit problematic, it's best to use a foundation with medium coverage. You can opt to go full coverage but it may look quite heavy. You can always use concealer to hide stubborn blemishes. Take note that some foundations are buildable, meaning for every layer you apply on your face it will cover more.

Finish:


There are many finishes but we can categorize them into-- dewy, satin and matte. Dewy finish is very luminous and youthful. I shy away from this kind of foundation when I have active pimples because its reflectiveness tends to emphasize the bumps on my face. Satin finish is a middle ground of dewy and matte. It isn't too shiny but it isn't too flat. It has a satin/velvet feel to it. Matte finish is shine-free, which is perfect for me because I have oily skin. On itself, it may look flat, so make sure to add a bronzer  to warm up the skin and a highlighter to bring back some of the shine if you think you need it.

Form:

L-R: Naturactor cake foundation, MUD cream foundation,
MAC studio fix powder foundation, MUFE Mat Velvet+ Liquid Foundation

Cake foundation are water-activated foundations that have maximum coverage. They are commonly used in theater. Be careful in applying this because this foundation coined "cake face" which means having too much make-up (mask-like). Cream/stick foundation offers great coverage because they are thick. This is the best foundation for mature skin as it provides moisture and luminosity to the skin. To prevent the foundation from sliding, it is recommended to set it with powder. Liquid foundation is the most popular type and the one which offers the most range in terms of formulations for any coverage or finish desired. Powder/mineral foundation is best suited for normal to oily skin. If you have dry skin, moisturize well to avoid the foundation from clinging to dry patches. This can be used on it own, to set the foundation and to add additional coverage. Spray/airbrush foundation offers the best skin-like illusion. Though it gives the best finish, it is expensive and time-consuming for everyday use.

 Base:


Oil-based foundations, as the name suggests, use oil as its main ingredient. Cream foundations are usually under this umbrella. They provide the most opaque coverage, stays moist and will not cake up. However, they can smudge and fade. Alcohol-based foundations are the most lightweight kind but are quite sheer in coverage. Water-based foundations have a blend of water & oil and provide medium coverage that has a natural look and feel to it. Silicone-based foundations blend over skin very smoothly. They are lightweight and comfortable on the skin. Other foundations even have more formulations like oil-free and transfer-resistant ones that are great for people who reside in hot and humid places and for oily-skin people.


HD:  
 

Angelina Jolie with too much MUFE HD powder

High-definition foundation is a type of product with finely milled elements that are virtually undetectable on HD television and film. When using a product like Make Up For Ever's HD powder, use it in small quantities and brush off the excess afterwards. When being photographed, it is also important to take note of the spf of your foundation. A high spf content will leave you with a white cast when photographed with flash.



Tips: Moisturize first and apply a primer that will suit your skin type (mattifying if you're oily, hydrating when you're dry). Apply liquids and creams first. Powders come last. The highest coverage you should go for is medium coverage and from there, correct the discolorations with a color-correcting concealer and then apply your foundation or  concealer of the same color over it. It will more natural as compared to using full coverage all over your face, even in parts that do not need such heavy coverage. The most important thing to do is to blend your foundation! I usually prefer a liquid foundation with a matte finish because I oil up and sweat a lot. Set your liquid or cream foundation with powder so it won't move. I just apply a powder contour to bring back dimension and a  highlighter on top of my cheekbones and a light dusting on the bridge of my nose just so that I won't look flat. If you overdo the powder and you end up looking too mask-like, hydrate your face by spraying a mist of facial spray or setting spray.

Tokyo Shopping Guide

My family and I have been to Japan four times. Three of those visits were made in a span of one year. So yes, you can say that we fell in love with Japan and got addicted to it. Japan is our new Hong Kong.

Our family is not the adventurous type, nor are we the temples-and-castles kind of guys. We're the eat-and-shop kind of travelers. Here are the places that keep calling our names, and our wallets.

Clothing & Apparel

Duane and I in Ginza

If shopping for clothes is your weakness, you've come to a great place. Tokyo has loads of places that are itching to rob you of your money. Ginza and Omotesando are two shopping areas that boast of many upscale stores like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, to name a few. Ginza is Tokyo's most famous high-end shopping district. Aside from luxury brands, it also has towering malls like Mitsukoshi and Matsuya. A visit to Ginza is never complete until you visit Japanese brands GU and Uniqlo, all 12 floors of it. Omotesando, which boasts itself of being Tokyo's Champs-Elysees, is a tree-lined strip filled with shops similar to Ginza's. 

Takeshita Dori Street

Japanese clothes don't come so cheap, but they are very eye-catching and fashion forward. Check out Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Harajuku's Takeshita Dori and Shibuya's Shibuya 109 mall. Takeshita Dori might be the most interesting shopping area to visit. This small alley is packed with stores that make the cutest, fluffiest and weirdest clothing promoted by Japanese women dressed like anime characters. They also have the cutest trinkets for young girls. If you want to have a Greenhills-mall kind of shopping experience, head on over to Shibuya 109. Shibuya also has big stores of Uniqlo, Forever 21 and H&M. Japan has loads of department stores worth visiting too, namely: Tobu, Seibu and Marui.

Diver City's Gundam Statue

If high-end or Japanese brands don't float your boat, you might want to get in with some familiar international brands. Ginza has Zara and H&M but if you want to visit loads of stores in one go, you'd be better off in Odaiba. Odaiba's Diver City has H&M, Zara, Forever21, Bershka and many more. While you're there, hop on to their other establishments like Decks Tokyo Beach, Aqua City and Venus Fort.

Lifestyle

If you're itching to buy some supplies for your home, school or office, I've found the perfect places for you. If you want to buy into Japan's minimalist style, immerse yourself into the whole Muji lifestyle. Everything you need from home furniture to the littlest items like cotton pads can be found here. Their biggest store I've visited is in Yurakucho. And I say biggest without exaggeration because their Muji model house is located inside the store.

stylus ballpen shaped like a dog and mini office supplies
from Flying Tiger Copenhagen

Connected to Muji Yurakucho is Loft which is like Muji's sassy twin sister. It has the same diverse items but with much more unique designs. Any regular item is remixed into a cooler-looking object. They have utensils that can be art pieces. Even their stress balls look mighty awesome. Similar to Loft is another brand called Tokyu Hands. If your life isn't sassy enough, spice up your office and home with Flying Tiger Copenhagen's cheap goodies. Daiso, a 100yen shop, also provides a good and cheap alternative for stuff you might need. Don Quijote also has items for your home that are pretty cheap.

Food

Aka chocolates, sweets and green tea. If you want to buy chocolates for pasalubong, don't buy it in stores like Family Mart because they will be more expensive. Instead, opt to buy it in grocery stores. One chocolate I was fond of buying in Family Mart cost 40yen more or about 15php. This discount comes in handy if you're planning on buying in bulk.

Bigger version of Meiji's Apollo from Don Quijote

Don Quijote is seriously the chocolate and sweets heaven on earth. They have a ton of brands and many unique flavors. Many American-brand chocolates have Matcha/Green Tea flavors (which you can only find in Japan).You'd want to taste them all. They also have supersized versions of Meiji favorites like Apollo and Choco Baby.They also have loads of tea selection. Don't miss this if you're a tea lover! You can find the infamous KitKat flavors here. If you're still not content with the flavor selections, try going to 7 Eleven. I'm not quite sure if all 7 Eleven's carry KitKats but the 7 Eleven Tokyo Station branch is home to flavors like wasabi, chili, sakura, etc. The Kitkat Chocolatory found in the food section in some department stores also have a few flavors, but I do suggest buying in Don Quijote or at 7 Eleven because they are cheaper there.

Kitkat Flavors: Chili, Kobe Pudding, Purple Yam

Daiso also has a great selection of chocolates, but not quite as big as Don Quijote's. Sometimes, Daiso comes out with Daiso-produced chocolates and sweets that are delicious. Definitely look out for that. Muji has some food items that you might want to try too. They have these delicious marshmallows filled with strawberry-flavored chocolate. They also have a green tea latte powder mix.

For non-sweets, the best place to shop is at the grocery store. Buy their noodles, spices and sauces. If you're into alcoholic drinks, try their sake and their single malt whisky, Yamazaki.

Beauty

beauty finds

For Japanese brands, have a try at Matsumoto Kiyoshi or any other drugstore you might come across. Don Quijote has loads of products like shampoos, teeth whitening, lotions, face masks, etc. They also carry a few cosmetic brands, local and international. If you want to hoard on international beauty brands, Loft has Revlon, Nars, Tangle Teezer, La Roche-Posay, etc.

Flea Markets & Souvenirs

Nakamise Shopping Street

Asakusa's Nakamise and Shin-Nakamise Street are two intersecting shopping streets near Senso-ji Temple. You can buy things ranging from suitcases to battery-operated dogs, to Japanese food souvenirs. Another cheap market smilar to Asakusa's is situated near Ueno Park, Ameyayokocho Market. You can find cheap clothes, bags, watches, etc.

I and Duane in Ameyayokocho Market

If you want cartoon-themed trinkets or food souvenirs, the best place to visit is Tokyo Station's Character Street and Tokyo Skytree. Both places are filled with many character-centered items like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma, Funghi, Pokemon and many more, much much more. If you're fans of Japanese animated characters, you'll have so much fun walking through the shops that offer items from keychains to ballpens to big stuffed toys. Many stores here offer sweets with Tokyo-centered themes like the Tokyo Choco Banana.

One-Stop Shops

The following shops sell almost everything from clothing, beauty items, home and office supplies, souvenirs to food items: Daiso, Don Quijote, Muji & Loft.

So if you think Japan is expensive, you might really want to save up because of all the things you would want to buy and gobble up there. Japan really isn't that expensive. You actually get value for your money because Japanese food and items have great quality. Uhh can you tell how much I love Japan? 

If you want me to talk more about the places mentioned here or if you have any more questions, just message me or leave a comment here!

How I Lost Weight With No Intense Exercise

BEFORE

The pictures below were taken on April 2014. You may have seen my before/after instagram picture and thought that I just stretched the photo. I didn't. I admit that I am not thin or anything near that. For the most of my teenage to young adult life, I have always been overweight except maybe for a brief moment of time I lost so much weight. I was already overweight but I gained much more pounds because of our trip to Hong Kong and Japan. There can be no dieting there because of the delicious food that tastes even more delicious paired with steamed rice. The result of that very sinful combination was the Jam you see below. 

You may not notice how fat I've become because I don't normally post full-body pictures of myself. In the few times that I do, I'd be covered up or be behind somebody. It also came to a point wherein I'd crop my pictures so that my body will not be included. In short, I was so insecure and uncomfortable with my body.

That reason, along with some others, pushed me to change my habits. And alas, a miracle, I've stuck to my weight loss plan and it works. I diet but I don't do any intense exercise. I've lost 16 pounds already. Although I'm just halfway through my goal, I'm proud of myself and I want to share with you what I've been doing.

As of now, I don't have many "After Pictures" because I'm not yet finished but I hope you can see the difference. Pictures are way way way down the article :)

CAUTION:

I am not recommending that you follow my exact diet-exercise because I am not an expert. I am simply sharing with you my weight history, the 4 general factors that helped me lose weight and my diet-exercise routine. If you want to lose weight the right way, please consult a doctor or a fitness expert. I am not liable for anything that may happen to you if you follow my diet-exercise.

It is always important to keep in mind how much calories our bodies need. A healthy and balanced diet is always recommended.

·         If you want to try my diet-exercise, keep in mind that you revise it based on your health concerns & lifestyle—how much food your body needs, your activities, etc. (And again, ask a professional.)

·        Take note of any health concerns you may have when dieting.

BACKGROUND

A few things about my weight issues, lifestyle and eating habits so that you may understand my body and why my diet-exercise worked for me

·         When I was younger, I was really thin. That didn't really last long because in my teenage years I gained weight. I was always self-conscious. Well, I still am today but not as much as before. I do not wear shorts, sleeveless anything, skirts, tight-fitting clothes because I am not comfortable with my body and the way it looks to me.

·         I was never the sporty-type. I barely passed all our PE classes in grade school and high school. I did not ever learn how to ride the bike. I never liked moving too much. I never liked the idea of exercising (because it’s very exhausting). If I had to choose an exercise, it would be running on the treadmill. I tried that but I only last a few minutes before I’d quit.

·         Eating was my hobby. I only eat a few types of food. I would list the things I don’t eat (e.g. vegetables, pizza, lasagna, salad, noodles) but I think it will be a shorter list if I mentioned the food I allow to actually enter my mouth. I eat any kind of meat that is not swimming in sauce/broth/soup. I like my meat dry (except for some sauces: teriyaki, sweet n sour, bbq, etc). I also like bacon, hotdog, spam, tocino. In short, I am a meat-eater. I like processed or deep-fried food. And when the food is really tasty, I like pairing it with rice. I also enjoy desserts very much. I have a sweet tooth especially for chocolates. I also like junk food. Sometimes when I would get hungry, I would ask someone to buy me a bunch of snacks amounting to 200php and I would eat 2 or 3 in a day (all by myself).

·         I think there was only one time when I lost a lot of weight. Maybe a month and a half before my debut, we arrived from a summer trip. I gained a lot of weight because of all the amazing and tempting food. I wanted to lose a lot of weight because I was heartbroken and I wanted to look good for myself (and for revenge). Aside from the dieting and the tiring dance rehearsals for my debut, I tried taking Xenical, a pill that helps you lose weight. The combination was proven to be successful as I slimmed down; but as soon as I met Duane I let myself go again. He already liked me so I saw no point in dieting already. We enjoyed eating and eventually we became fat (or in my case, fat-ter). I was alright with that because even if I got fat, he would still like me BECAUSE THERE ARE NO TAKE BACKS HAHAHA.

4 FACTORS 

IN WEIGHT LOSS 

1.                 Motivation

I have tried a few diet techniques already but I always end up losing hope and quitting altogether. I think one of the most important factors in pushing through with your diet is your motivation. Why do you need to diet and exercise? Why do you need to lose weight? Your reasons may vary because we have different goals but they are all valid.

I started dieting because my friend will be getting married in a few months; and that meant I needed to wear a sleeveless dress. I can’t go there with my usual get-up: jeans, sleeveless top paired with a jacket to cover my arms and fatness. I have no choice but to show my huge arms and my large silhouette with bulging love handles. I will need to stare at pictures of myself, uncomfortable and very insecure.

(People of different shapes and sizes— may it be thin, sexy or fat can be confident in what they see in the mirror. More power to them for being happy with their body. I have nothing against people who are overweight. I am just speaking for myself when I say that I do not think I look good overweight because I am not comfortable in my image. I do not like what I see.)

Another motivation that helped me was the bunch of clothes in my closet that used to fit me. Many of the pants I had did not fit me anymore. It was really frustrating to try it on and find that they cannot go any higher than my thighs.

And one more, you can go watch YouTube videos of people who have already lost a lot of weight. I’ll admit that one video got to me.

2.                 Goal

Once you have your motivations, set a goal that is more or less set in stone. I always had a goal of fitting into a certain item of clothing but I did not find that to be motivating enough. Clothes will always be there to fit you when you lose weight. They don’t require you to get moving as much as an event does.

An event, in my case, is much more motivating because it has a date. You can’t easily move it. As an example, my friend’s wedding is in October. I can’t just stop my diet because my goal is to look good (and reach a certain amount of weight) by the time of her wedding. I can’t slack off because that event is immovable.

In your case, you can set an event a few months after you start dieting. That certain event should have a dress code which will force you to have a leaner body. I think the perfect event that will truly motivate you is a swimming outing/party just because you will need to wear a swimsuit (just a suggestion)

Perseverance

You really have to want it. The reason most of my attempts failed is because I didn't have any clear motivation and goal.

I really wanted to lose weight and look better. It’s as simple as that.

     Self-control

This might be the hardest factor in dieting. My mom always brings home so many food and sweets. And at times my family eats out I have the tendency to eat everything that I want. Self-control really boils down to the other three factors I’ve mentioned. If you have a strong motivation, a clear goal and if you really are set on losing weight, you can control your urges to overeat.

The key to self-control is portion control. Control, puro na lang control. You can cheat or treat yourself a little but learn when to stop. Just yesterday, an unscheduled cheat day once again, I ate this delicious ice cream from Baskin Robbins. I thought of my diet and how I did not want to gain all the pounds I already lost. I did not finish the whole serving. Instead, I stopped myself when I was quite satisfied and I shared it with someone else.

THE DIET-EXERCISE

Aka Lazy Starving Diet =))

1. NO-NO’s

• Soft drinks, artificial drinks (iced tea, mixes, bottled drinks), milk
• Rice, bread, pasta (or anything similar to that: I’m sorry I don’t know because I don’t eat that)
• Fried food
• Junk food
• Candies

2. AVOID

• Eating out (just because you’ll be tempted to finish the whole meal)
• Meat (you can eat this once in a while but in very small portions only)
• Sweets (my weakness)
• Processed  food

3. DRINK 1 TO 2 GLASSES OF WATER 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR MEAL

This is very important. I do this so that before I eat my meal, I would feel less hungry and therefore eat less.

4. EAT VERY LITTLE

Because I drink a lot of water beforehand, it’s easy for me to not eat so much. And when I do eat, I do it slowly. I have heard of the saying that it takes about 20 minutes after you start eating before your brain to tell you that you are already full. I have not researched the validity of this statement but I can speak from my own experience. I’m sure you have also experienced eating so much in so little time that you feel really bloated only a few minutes after. So eat slowly and enjoy your food because you won’t be eating much anyway.

5. GREEN TEA AFTER EVERY MEAL

I usually drink green tea right after I eat or at maximum one and a half hours after. I was quite unsure of its effectiveness in my diet but when we had a party and I drank green tea after eating a lot, I pooped right away. I did not notice its effect on me even though I was peeing a lot because I thought the water I’ve been chugging was the culprit. Maybe since I didn’t eat a lot, it did not have to release it through my bowels? I’m really not sure.

6. WALK 6,000 STEPS UP (or increase your movement if you already have a relatively active lifestyle)

If you read the background on my lifestyle, you know that I do not like exercising. Walking was the perfect solution for me. It did not feel like exercise. I just walk ‘round and ‘round our hose. Tip #1 download a pedometer. I use the Breeze app on my iphone 5s. I’m not sure if this app is available to androids or if this app just works on the 5s. I’d recommend this over setting a time for your daily walks because minutes are just too damn long. It’s more fun to look at the number of steps skyrocketing to a few thousands than to glance at your watch and see that you’ve only been walking for 3 minutes. Tip#2 play music to motivate yourself. I use Spotify and I enjoy streaming playlists with party music.

7. DON’T BE TO OBSESSIVE

Don’t count your calories. Don’t weigh yourself one day after you start your diet. Give it time. If you’ve already been dieting for quite some time, weight every other day. Do not weigh yourself after your cheat days. Only weigh yourself after your “recovery” days.

A CLEARER LOOK AT MY 

DIET-EXERCISE WEIGHT LOSS SCHEDULE:

Wednesday pm-Friday          lose approx 0.5 kilo a day or 1 kilo for the two days

Saturday-Sunday                     cheatday

Monday-Wed am                    lose cheatday weight

*loop =))

SAMPLE DIET-EXERCISE LOG

*in every after meal, drink green tea

Thursday

        Breakfast             3 turkey bacon, 1 sunny side-up egg

        Lunch                    1 bowl Koko Krunch

        Dinner                  2 small apples blended

        Steps                     7947

        Kg Loss                 0.3

Friday

        Breakfast             1 bowl Koko Krunch

        Lunch                    1 Banana

Dinner                  1 Saging na Saba with Honey, 1 one-inch cube of beef (I really wasn’t going to       eat meat but my mom asked me to taste it. I don’t eat meat in that size LOL)

Steps                     5241

Kg Loss                 0.6

CHEATDAY

I did not list the food I ate, but on cheat days I make it a point that if I eat rice, I only eat one cup of rice for that day. I also don’t eat too much. Always eat in moderation even if it’s cheat day.

        Monday

                Breakfast             1 pack Greek Yogurt with Raspberry Pomegranate

                Lunch                    1 Banana, 1 pack Skyflakes

                Dinner                  1 Chocolate Croissant

                Steps                     8433

        Tuesday

              Breakfast             2 thin slices of Spam

        Lunch                    1 toast bread, assorted meat

        Snack                    1/3 cookie, 3 mini cookie cups

        Dinner                  1 bowl Banana & Mango, 1 cookie shotglass with milk

        Steps                     9406

Wednesday

        Breakfast             1 pack Greek Yogurt with Blueberry

        Lunch                    1 bowl Banana & Mango

        Dinner                  1/3 bowl Fish, matchbox size Chicken, 1 mini cookie cup

        Steps                     11036

        Kg Loss                 0.2 (weight loss from last weigh-in on Friday)

*I only weigh the day after, e.g. Thursday’s weight loss is determined by weighing on Friday morning. I do not weigh myself on cheat days to recovery days. My weight on Wednesdays should be equal or less than that of my Friday weight. So I really only lose weight on mid-Wednesdays to Fridays.

If you think my diet for every day is too extreme, here is yesterday’s meal log which is a bit more than what I usually eat.

        Thursday

                Breakfast             1 pack Greek Yogurt with Honey

                Lunch                    ¾ large French Fries, 3/5 of 1 scoop Baskin Robbins Chocolate ice cream

                Dinner                  ½ bowl Mango, Assorted Meat (2 chicken drumsticks, 1 thin slice of beef, etc)

                Steps                     7341

                Kg Loss                 0.2

AFTER

I actually started cutting down rice a few months before I started this diet-exercise routine. I only pushed myself to really get moving on June 20, 2014. My weight tally started May 15, 2014.

During the period of May 15 to July 31 or two and a half months, I’ve already lost 7.3kg or 16 pounds.

I can now fit into my old pants and the jacket we bought last March that was too tight for me is already loose. I still do not have a body I can call “sexy” but I am not overweight anymore (according to my BMI). I am committed to losing more pounds and eventually having a more healthy diet (and maybe start doing intense exercises in the near future). I can only starve myself for so long. What I really aim for is to be able to eat the things I want (but in moderation) and not gain back the pounds I’ve lost. So there you go. 16 pounds gone, 7 to go (but ideally, plus 8 more).

Forgive me for I still don't have any decent pictures because although I am quite happy with the results, I haven't achieved my desired weight and shape yet. I hope you can see the effect though. I didn't measure my waist but I am able to wear some pants that only went up to my thigh. There's less friction in my thighs LOL. My arms fit previously tight-fitting sleeves and my side bulges are less evident. So there's that. I shall have more pictures when I'm 7 pounds lighter so you may see the difference more clearly. 

HERE'S TO LOOKING GOOD AND FEELING BETTER!

*AGAIN, please consult a professional if you want to lose weight the right way. The effects this diet had on me were headaches and dizziness due to low blood sugar levels. I am now trying to resolve that issue. Do not copy my diet-exercise because we have different bodies and your body may react differently to what I did. I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you if you follow my diet. I am not a professional. I am simply sharing the diet that worked for me.

Happy 1st Birthday to my blog!

Forgive me for not updating as much. I was not in the zone. Anyhoo, I received an e-mail from blogger a few days back telling me that my blog is already one year old, so congrats for that!

And because that is something worth celebrating, I'm uploading a quick video (for my non-existent readers haha). 

A quick background on the video:

1. I have this massive pimple on my cheek. Get over it.

2. You may have noticed that the outline of my lip is quite red. That was the result of trying on a cute lipstick I bought in Japan that unfortunately made my lips swell like crazy a few weeks back. Right now, my lips are still recovering. The outline is really red and dry. So yeah, that sucks.

3. That is my usual make-up routine when going out when I have the time to be glammed up. When I don't have the time, I usually skip the liquid contouring and highlighting. I just use powder for that. 

4. The products used in the video are the ones that are in my make-up bag. The only variation of my looks is the color of the lipstick I'm wearing that day. I'm not much of an eye shadow fan. I usually skip it.

5. No hate please cause my skin really isn't at its best right now. And next time I'll adjust the angle so you won't have to stare at my double chin hahaha. 

6. Everyone is beautiful, flaws included. You are beautiful. I am beautiful. Let's spread love and not hatred okay? :)

Watch in at least 480p please? :D Sorry for the crappy quality. The sun was too bright. Shot & edited using an iPhone5s with apps iMovie & Givit. 

Makeover: Everyday Makeup (Updated Contouring)

So there I am wearing no make-up with my bestfriend, my Canon 60D.

For this tutorial, I won't be putting any eye shadow at all. I opted to skip this for an easy and quick (ish) everyday look. 

The products

Most of these products are from ELF cosmetics. I recently purchased so much stuff because their US site was on sale!

Steps:

1. Prime  your face
I used ELF's mineral-infused primer. Using primer is really important because it can hide your pores, make the foundation glide smoothly on your skin and make your make-up last longer. You can apply it using your hands.

2. Put on foundation

I used Graftobian's cream foundation. You can actually skip the contouring in your foundation & just do step #5 if you lack the time.

I started my contour & highlight in my foundation using three shades: (pictured L-R) 1) a lighter shade (compared to the color of my face) on the lower part of my forehead, under my eyes, on the bridge of my nose, on the cupid's bow and on the laugh line 2) a darker shade on the outlines of my face, under the cheekbones, on the sides of my nose and under my lower lip (to make the lips look bigger) 3) the right shade (that matches my skin color) to blend the contour & highlight.

I used Real Techniques brushes

After applying the foundation, blend onto skin and make sure there aren't any visible harsh lines.

3. Set your foundation

I used ELF's translucent HD powder. I used a translucent one so that the shading & the highlighting from my foundation would still show. I just started using this powder. Back then, just recently, I was still using colored powder to set my foundation just because it was the only one I had and also because I would also use it to correct the color of my face if I used a much lighter/darker foundation. So now that I have acquired this translucent foundation, I think I'll be sticking to it (but I will also keep my colored pressed powder inside my bag for retouches).

4. Fill in your eyebrows

If you have perfectly groomed eyebrows, there is no need for you to add this to your quick, everyday make-up routine but if your eyebrows need a little help, go ahead. I used ELF's eyebrow kit: shape with the gel first and then set it with the eyebrow powder. Make sure not to go too dark in filling in the start of your eyebrows (near the tear ducts of the eyes) as that may look very harsh & unnatural.

An optional step, you can put eyebrow tint to match the brown eyebrow powder you used to fill in your brows.

5. Contour/Bronze up
Pick a bronzer or matte brown powder (with ashy tones: grayish not orangey) and apply it to parts of your face you want to push back. I used this to outline my face. I also put it under my cheekbones and on the sides of my nose.

Not all faces are of the same shape so my contour will not suit all faces. All you need to know is that you should apply contour on parts of your face you want to push back. If you have a wide forehead, you can apply contour on the temples and/or on the upper part of the forehead. If you have a wide face, you would want to apply contour on the sides of your face. If you have a very long & sharp chin, apply it on your chin. If you don't have pronounced cheekbones, apply it under your cheekbones So basically everything you want to hide and push back, apply contour.

6. Apply blush
I think anyone can never go wrong with a pink blush. Remember to build up. Do not put too much all at once because it is harder to blend. Put blush on your cheekbones just above your contour: from your hairline up to the end of your eyes. Be careful if you add blush way past the end of your eyes because your face might look too droopy.

I used a blush from The Balm.

7. Lips

If you have naturally moist pink lips, well then I am envious of you but if you don't, do not fret because lipsticks exist. For an everyday look, use pink or nude lipsticks. You can also use lip tints for a more natural look. If you are just a naturally adventurous girl, go for a bold statement lip.

I used ELF's matte lip color in Red. It actually turned into pink because I used a white lip primer underneath. It didn't end up red but I loved the pink color it transformed into.

8. Eye lashes

You wouldn't know the difference curling and putting mascara on your eyelashes make until you do so. You might want to skip this part if you do not have time but doing this makes such a huge difference (not too much but you get my point). You won't be doing your eye shadow anyway so another thing to do to make your eyes pop is to define your lashes.

So that's it! Do you think I need to start making videos or is it better to have picture tutorials?