TOPAZ HORIZON

It's Sunday! Lemme tell you about my new Sunday beauty ritual. I super duper love it! It's my GLAMGLOW face mask!!! I was so excited when I found out that GLAMGLOW, Hollywood's ultimate favorite facial mask, is finally here in the Philippines!
There are two variants—Supermud Clearing Treatment and Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. I got the Youthmud because I like the word tingle!

I got a small jar to try out because you never know if a product's going to agree with you. GLAMGLOW is an all-natural product, paraben-free, and vegan. Still, dermatologists warn that sometimes it's the products with natural ingredients that cause allergies most so always test a small area of your skin before using it on your face.

Thankfully, my face didn't react adversely. In fact, my face loved GLAMGLOW!


Here's what it looks like. It's a greenish gray slush that's grainy and speckled with leafy bits. That's a concoction of green tea, crushed pumice and other minerals, and French sea clay. You have to stir it to mix all the ingredients. Remember to use a spatula or a coffee stirrer (like the ones you get at cafés) to avoid contamination. Don't use your finger!

All you need is a thin layer! So this tiny jar should last me about three to four uses. That means this jar is a month's worth of masks.

The mask smells fresh and minty and like astringent. The smell is strong but it doesn't assault the nose. The sensation is cold and it also stings a bit. But that's expected of a product that's called Tinglexfoliate, right?

After 10 minutes, the mask dries up. You really can't move your face! Anyway, time to rinse! Don't go beyond the prescribed time. What I do is I wet my hands with a bit of water then I rub the re-moistened mask into my skin in small circular motions to exfoliate. Then I rinse off everything thoroughly.

Okay, I won't show you the after because I had a big pimple on my left cheek when I took these photos haha but please believe me when I say that my skin looked absolutely fine. And by fine, I mean my skin looked polished and super clean! Like all my pores shrunk!

Sorry, no photos! I get queasy when I see macro pics of noses and wrinkles. It grosses me out haha so I'm not going to show you my nose! But trust me when I say my skin looked amazing after using this mask. That's just from two uses (last Sunday and today). If I actually use GLAMGLOW twice a week, I think I'm going to start looking like a Hollywood star haha! Oh, and that big pimple on my left cheek? It calmed down and dried up the very next day!

Summary

I LIKE... 

• My skin is softer, smoother, finer, better. It's so touchable! The first time I used this mask, I kept touching my face that whole day because it was so nice!
• I can use it with my regular skincare products. 
• My skin really did glow! It's crazy! The glow lasted for about three days. You can use GLAMGLOW twice a week, but I'm being very frugal with it because...

I DON'T LIKE...

• It's not cheap! A regular jar costs Php 3,750! 

MY TAKEAWAY: While I think it's pricey, it's also effective. Extremely so. I'm buying myself a big jar! Facials at the derma or at a beauty spa usually costs about Php 1,500 to Php 3,500. This is Php 3,750 for a lot of uses and you can do it at home, too. So it comes out as totally worth it.

WHO'S IT FOR: Just about everybody! This mask is for both men and women. The scent isn't feminine or masculine. The mask targets all sorts of blemishes—enlarged pores, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and ingrown hair for the guys (or girls!) who shave/wax/thread their mustaches and beards.

You can buy GLAMGLOW at the Beauty Section in SM Makati, SM Mega Mall, SM Aura Premier; at Fresh Fragrance Bar in Eastwood, Alabang Town Center, Century Mall and Glorietta 5; and Art of Scent in Shangri-La Plaza Mall and Resorts World Manila. More info at GLAMGLOWMud.com.

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So Gwynnie and Chris are consciously uncoupled. While people think Gwyneth invented that term, there are many formerly married people who are still wonderful to each other.

Miranda and Orlando? They are the most consciously uncoupled exes ever.

Oh wait. There's also Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who are so involved in each other's lives, I think it's weird for whoever they're currently in a relationship with. Hilary Duff remains the Disney good girl so much so that even when she and Mike Comrie divorced, it was so nice and friendly, they're still dating, er, going out together as friends.

Let's see. Who else?

Oh, there's Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, who divorced because they said they were more best friends than hubby-and-wife, which supports my belief that you should never describe your spouse as your best friend—even if he is—as that immediately desexualizes your relationship. After all, everyone in Hollywood described Brad and Jen as best friends, hence Angelina's dismissal of that marriage: "It was clear he was with his best friend, someone he loves and respects."

On that note, Brad and Jen are still friends. Brad told W magazine that, "We still check in with each other. She was a big part of my life, and me hers. I don't see how there cannot be [that friendship]. That's life, man. That's life."

That's consciously uncoupled, man. That's consciously uncoupled.

While I don't subscribe to the GOOP bullshit that since we live longer lives now, marriage is no longer the relationship ideal, I do think it's admirable when two people who shared their lives can go on their separate ways and remain friends. That says a whole lot of good about them.

Sigh. Miranda and Orlando, please get back together!

UPDATE: Gwyneth and Chris are on a "break-up-moon" or a honeymoon after people split up. Again, they didn't invent it. Brad and Jen were famously (or infamously) making out in Anguilla the week they announced their split!


*photo from News.com.au

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I am on shoe-shopping mode. I haven't bought shoes in a while, mostly because there was no reason to buy new shoes last year since I hardly went out last year.

Woah. Did I just say there was no reason to buy new shoes? There is always a reason to buy new shoes! Who is this woman who says there's no reason to buy new shoes?!

Well, the old me must've stirred from her style slumber because I feel the itch to scratch the credit card on shoe shopping, and the first shoes that caught my eye are schu's new styles. Here are my favorites:

For daytime events...

For nighttime events...

For errands...

For meetings...

For when I want to feel pretty...
There are so many more colors and styles so perfect for the summer! You can check out all of Chocolate schubar's Spring-Summer 2014 line and the TYCA line at their Facebook page. But be warned: That's what I did and now I'm a mess, just thinking about shoes! All the styles are available at all schu shops so I guess I'll bump into you at schu if you shop for shoes, too!

*all photos grabbed from schu's Facebook page

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Shailene Woodley, star of Divergent and the upcoming The Fault in Our Stars (and Hollywood's newest It Girl), has a point.

Quote from a TIME article on Shailene.

I always told Vince, "We women are our own worst enemy," since we seem to be the first in line to pull down, put in her place, insult, shame a sister. I have been a victim of this for as long as I can remember. That's why most of my friends as I was growing up were boys. Of course, being surrounded by boys who really were just friends made the girls even nastier towards me. I have always tried to be supportive of other women. The only times I remember being nasty towards another woman is when Angelina Jolie got together with Brad Pitt, and when Kris Aquino was being annoying. But I have long since realized the error of my ways. Live and let live!

This Women's Month and forever after, let's please be kinder and more encouraging and more supportive of each other. We have to stop the hate. Peace, love and light to all!

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I was at a lunch hosted by P&G Beauty at Manila Polo Club. They were celebrating Women's Month (yes, March is Women's Month!). It was a small party for magazine editors, newspaper journalists, editors of lifestyle websites, and then there was little old blogger me.

I haven't been attending events the whole of 2013 (save for a few blog advertiser events because, well, I had to attend those!). It was my first year to be a stay-at-home mom and a full-time blogger. I tried working as a freelance writer and newspaper columnist, too, but, boy, I realized I can't juggle too many things after all. Something's bound to suffer, and I've since accepted that I am happier and more effective if I just slooooow down and just relish my awesome life! It won't be this slow forever (I doubt I'll be a housewife all my life) so I will enjoy this phase while it lasts.

(But it was still kinda nice to see old friends again!)
Big perk of being pregnant? Everyone wants to give up their chair for you, so that's how I ended up sitting between P&G's Country Communications Leader Clint Navales and super host Issa Litton.

The lunch was P&G's way of picking the brains of the media, especially the women of media who create media for women. P&G said they did a nationwide survey of Filipinas from all socio-economic backgrounds and found these surprising beliefs:

• Women believe that men should still get the higher paying job. In fact, between a man and a woman with the same intelligence and credentials, women think the job should still go to the man. WHY? Because men are the breadwinners so they should get more opportunities and more money.
• Women also think that, for the same job, it's okay for men to earn more than women, and to get promoted faster. WHY? Same reason as above.
• Women use beauty products not to attract and keep men, but to hide their age. WHY? Because young girls want to appear older while mature women want to stay looking, I dunno, 25 maybe! Just reinforces the issue that women are ashamed of their age!
• Men are hired and promoted for their potential, women for their experience. WHY? Women need to prove they can do the job. Men just need to show up.

There were actually more but I'm reeling. I am in total shock. It's the 21st century and the Philippines is a modern country but apparently our beliefs are still medieval.

I am living in a bubble.

Dear readers, I don't think we women should subjugate men. Neither do I think women are the superior sex. I just believe that we should be given the same opportunities, the same rights, the same accolades, the same encouragement and support, the same appreciation. I'm lucky to be married to a feminist who encouraged me to pursue my ambitions and then respected my choice to be a full-time mom when I decided on that. He never put me down or put me in my place or told me I can't do things because I'm a woman. I hope all men can be like my Vince and all women can have a dad or husband or mentor or friend like Vince!

Don't let anything hold you back, ladies!


Let's celebrate Women's Month by destroying the boundaries and beliefs that hold us back!

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