Eureka! Moment #7: Bullet Journal

20200921_103936_0000

Hey, everyone! Today I’ll be sharing something that I have not really discovered for the first time — it’s more like rediscovering. I have always loved writing and I have kept a diary ever since elementary school, but it was just a plain diary full of random writings, notes, and quotes. I tried organizing my diary as I’ve seen my aunt do for her own diary, but I just lack those creative juices back then, so I stuck with just writing my feelings down. As I’ve said a thousand times already, writing has always been therapeutic for me — it has been sort of an outlet for releasing my stress, anxiety, anguish, and all the feelings I could not say out loud. That’s also the reason why I have this blog in the first place. Continue reading

Advertisement

Eureka! Moment #6: Backdrops

20200921_103936_0000

Hello, blogosphere! It’s that time of the month again where I feature something that I have discovered and have totally enjoyed using from the previous month. For July, I will be talking about backdrops!

As you all know, I love taking photos of food, places, my books, and basically anything I can think of. Going into quarantine, I don’t have a lot of food and places to take pictures of. So I am left with my books for my Instagram content and it has been a struggle for me to look for an IG-worthy space in our house that fits my aesthetic. So I have been using my white pillow case as background for my photos:

image

Using my pillow case was totally okay, but it’s already starting to wear out and needed cleaning, and I don’t have an alternate pillow case (or any other cloth, for that matter) to use. So I decided to look for other materials that I can use for my photos’ backgrounds and have found out about these backdrops and it totally up-ed my game in flatlay photos.

This backdrop that I found in Lazada is reversible and has two designs which are both white. I also bought an orange cloth backdrop which I also sometimes use when I get tired of the white background. I am absolutely in love with both products that I am planning on buying another color for each; I’m planning on getting a darker shade for the base backdrops and a lighter one for the cloth backdrops.

Here are some sample photos where I’ve used them:

image
image
image

Amazing, right? I think there are a lot of other shops selling these kind of backdrops. You can look it up in both Lazada and Shopee so you can choose you preferred color and style.

Eureka! Moment #5: BeautyMNL

20200921_103936_0000

Hey, everyone! It’s that time of the month again where I feature some of the things that I discovered in the past month that I totally loved or that made my life a bit easier. So for this month, I’ll be talking about the beauty of shopping at BeautyMNL.

Since the quarantine started, it’s been really hard to buy some of the stuff that I need, especially some of my favorite skincare products. So after a while, once couriers were allowed to operate again, I started installing applications where I can buy the products that I use and BeautyMNL is one of them. What’s great is that some of the products that they are selling are discounted!

After a month of not being able to go outside, the stocks that I have of my favorite skincare products have ran really low. Here is my latest beauty haul:

image

I restocked my ultimate favorites:

  1. Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Cleansing Foam
  2. Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel

And bought some products that I’ve been seeing in the internet that looks so good:

  1. Mads Essentials Coffee Scrub
  2. RiRe All Kill Blackhead Remover Stick
  3. Skin Potions Watermelon Shocker

It’s my first time trying the last three products on my list and I am so in love with Mads Essential’s coffee scrub and RiRe’s All Kill Blackhead Remover Stick. The coffee scrub smells so good, like a combination of coffee and chocolate! The All-Kill Blackhead Remover Stick, on the other hand, is really effective. I’ve been using it for over three weeks now, and my blackheads are almost non-visible. As for the Watermelon Shocker, I personally think it’s pricey for its size. It smells really good, though.

Anyway, BeautyMNL offers a lot of other items, too. Like vitamins, organic food, etc. If you’re planning on purchasing from BeautyMNL any time soon, please be reminded that most of their products easily run out of stocks as a lot of people are buying from them, too. You can add the products on in your wishlist and wait for a notification that it has been restocked and make sure to check your notification regularly!

Are you familiar with the products that I’ve mentioned? How did it go for you? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Eureka! Moment #4: Skin Potions

20200921_103936_0000

Hey! Welcome to another one of my Eureka! Moments blog posts. This month, I’m writing about some of Skin Potions Philippines’ products that I just started using a few days ago. It was recommended to me by a friend, so I did a couple of research with regard to the ingredients they use in their products, their background, and then I checked their Instagram account.

I just couldn’t help but spend a lot of time browsing through their Instagram feed because their products are so cute and girly! If you know me personally, I am all for cute stuff (it’s actually becoming a problem sometimes haha). Anyway, I was really undecided about what to order because I wanted to try everything! Like their micellar water and facial wash, but I’m already using other brands for those.

So what I did buy for myself from their online shop are these:

image

Don’t they have the cutest packaging? My kawaii heart is so pleased. Anyway, the Glass Skin moisturizing anti-pimple cream smells so good, I’m addicted! When I woke up the morning after my first night of using the products, I took a selfie because I really felt like my skin is softer and more moisturized than ever.

image

I’m so happy about the feel of my face and I’m excited to see the results after consuming these products! I mix the oil and Glass Skin Cream together because the oil’s scent is so strong. And voila, there’s the results in just the first use!

I’ve also ordered their other products, like their Potion Balm, Tomato Serum, and Watermelon Shocker soap. I also wanted to try their Sorcerer’s Cream for my underarms but they’re still out of stock.

I was also able to recommend it to my mom and cousins! My mom’s currently using their Aloe Vera Skin Saver Gel and Tomato Serum (that’s why I ordered the serum because I saw her using it and it also smelled great!) while my cousins are using their Micellar Water.

You guys should check them out at skinpotionsph.com! They have the cutest yet affordable and effective products when it comes to pampering your skin. They also sell makeup, so for all the makeup junkies out there, this one’s also for you.

Eureka! Moment #3: Dalgona Coffee

20200921_103936_0000

If you’re following me on Twitter or Instagram you would probably know that I love coffee. My day wouldn’t be complete without drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, not only does it keep me awake, it also gives me the energy to get things done.

At this time, I couldn’t get may usual Starbucks or Tim Hortons or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf fix because of obvious quarantine reasons. I intensely miss having a cup of Starbucks’ Caramel Macchiato (sometimes White Chocolate Mocha) or Tim Hortons’ infamous iced coffee with your choice of flavoring (i.e., caramel, mocha, or vanilla).

Continue reading

Eureka! Moment #2: Book Shields

20200921_103936_0000

I am not really a fan of e-books and audio books because of the following reasons:

  1. I love the scent of physical books.
  2. I enjoy flipping through a book’s pages.
  3. For e-books, I honestly get a migraine when I’m reading from my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I do e-copies of books sometimes, especially when a certain book that I want to read is not available in the Philippines. I just prefer physical copies.
  4. As for audio books, I just don’t get the hang of it yet. I tried, and it’s just not working for me. I usually end up falling asleep. It’s just not the same as “reading.”

As a reader who prefers to read physical books, I always bring a book with me wherever I go. You know, just in case I get some free time or I get bored. Through the years, I have come to the realization that my books get easily damaged inside my bag (e.g., it gets a few dents or folds) and it frustrates me sometimes because no matter how I put it inside my back, it always ends up getting damaged. Continue reading

Eureka! Moment #1: Fujifilm X-A3

20200921_103936_0000

I am launching a new series on my blog called Eureka! Moment. I got this idea from our weekly stand-up meetings in the office where we were supposed to share something that we recently discovered — a new book, an old place that we do not know of, a new song, events, etc. I think they came up with this idea to help us improve our communication skills. It didn’t push through, though, because projects kept coming our way and so we decided that it is more effective for the team if we talked about tasks assigned to each of us instead of sharing random things.

I took note of the topic because I thought it was such a an excellent idea to share little discoveries in everyone’s life. I also like the idea that discoveries need not to be discovered for the first time in history nor it does it mean big, scientific or technological stuff but little things that you find out that you never knew could help keep you going, or things that can make you smile, or simply just things that interest you.

With that, I am launching Eureka! Moment on my blog not only to improve my writing style/skills, but also to constantly remind myself that there are little things in life that I still don’t know of — things that are still yet to be discovered and found out by me which can turn out to be a favorite thing, song, book, or just favorite anything.

So before I share my first discovery, here are some ground rules everyone should keep in mind while reading Eureka! Moment:

  1. I am aware of the possibility that some of you may already know of my discoveries, but I don’t need anyone pointing that out. This series is about me discovering things that I am not aware of in the past — events that have transcribed in the earlier years, books that were published long ago (that I am only reading just now), songs that aren’t really new, places that I never knew existed, etc.
  2. I also don’t need anyone telling me how lame or little these discoveries are, nor how it doesn’t make that big an impact to the world. People discover a lot of things everyday and not everything they discover make an impact immediately nor it will make an impact in 5 to 10 year’s time. In a similar note, not all discoveries need to make a huge impact. Sometimes, it only needs to make an impact to one or few people.

Now, to begin with introducing you to my newest discovery:

I’ve been taking photos of random things since 2010 — not that I’m an expert or a pro, though, because I’m no photographer, but I do like the idea of capturing a moment. For me, photos are forever — they capture moments, places, and events that you will never experience or see ever again or can never go back to.

So I consider cameras as one of the most beautiful gadgets ever invented; they are the ultimate collector. We assimilate everything we see, so the idea of being able to capture the things that you love in a single photo and being able to keep it seems so magical.

image

I never really got my own camera as I never really intended nor planned on leveling up on my “photography skills” (if that’s what everyone likes to call it) since I don’t really have much skills in editing and all that shiz.

So most of my Instagram posts until 2019 are mostly taken using my phone, until last December, my boyfriend suggested that I buy my own camera for the following reasons: 1.) So that I can learn how to use a real camera 2.) Have the quality of my photos more enhanced 3.) So that I can take my Instagram game and blogging game to the next level.

He already had a model in mind — it’s part of the Fujifilm X series and it’s very budget-friendly given that it’s really cheaper compared to others that have the same specs.

image

So far, I’m still learning how to take that IG-worthy shot. And though I had to give up my Instax Mini 9 for this, I’m so happy I finally have my own real camera.