It's More Fun To Teach!

I don't blame people when they give a semi "freaked out" reaction when I tell them I want to be a teacher once I pass the CPA Board exam. I can surely understand why.

Of course, most of them might be thinking "You can earn more by working in an auditing firm than in the academe!" Uhhhm, well, that is a fact that is completely undeniable but despite of the voracious saver that I am, I'm not always after the money. :).

I have observed that there is something special about teaching. Our Technical writing teacher once told us that though educators may have lesser compensation compared to those who work in the office, they have a much greater "salary" that is intangible: the love and respect of the students. I can attest to that. No amount of monetary rewards can overpower the "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" of the students every time they begin to understand what you are teaching them. Big dollar signs can make you proud for a short time but teaching can give you that lasting pure pride you take on yourself because you know you have inspired others and you have given to them a knowledge that is really useful in their lives.

Don't get me wrong; I am not, in any way, detesting the work in the office. When I will one day be a CPA, I will accept any job given to me that is connected with my field may it be in the office or the academe. And if I will not have the opportunity to teach students in my young days as a professional, I am sure I will one day return to the four corners of the classroom. For seriously, I am in love with the "ooohs" and "ahhhs" of enlightened students. :)

Les Miz Afternoon ♥

If you were my friend on Facebook, you might have observed that my recent posts are about this lovely, wonderful, extraordinary musical. This afternoon, my dream to watch this breathtaking creation on the silver screen came true! :)

Mama, Chini and I went to Bacolod to watch the movie adaptation of Les Miserables. The novel was absolutely beautiful and the movie did it justice. Les Miserables made me feel what it should make me feel. :).

I don't want to spoil you, guys, but I'm telling you! Your money will all be worth it. A friendly suggestion, though. Please bring some tissues with you. I bawled my eyes out throughout the duration of the movie.

Purple Shimmah!

We always have that one thing we own but we don't know what to do with it. That lip gloss that was forgotten when another one was bought; the 10,000 pens inside your bag; that alcohol you always miss to use because the food's too tempting to mind. In my case, it would be an eye shadow duo with shades of purple and sky blue.

It's Tata's birthday gift to me and it has been sitting on my kit for 8 months already. I cannot find a special occasion where I can use those colors because I'm afraid it might not complement the color of my skin very well (you see, I'm morena).

Had I known I'm wrong, I would have used it often.

This day I decided to give those shades a try. I told myself "They're bold colors but they can still be useful". I decided to create a simple evening look. Here's what I did:

I believe this look is appropriate to wear during the evening. If you have some parties to attend, some get together, or maybe a formal dinner-date, this look is good to go. (Sorry, the quality of the camera ruins the colors). Here's how I did it.

Okay, so, first of all, you need to have a clean face prepped with foundation and powder. After you're done with that, start with the eyes.

For this look, I opted for this light shimmery eyeshadow (the lightest one). It's cream-based, by the way, so, it's really pretty to use. :). This is a product of Sansan Cosmetics. (I use really cheap products. Not much of a Mac girl, hehe)

After I applied this color all over my lids, I decided to use the purple eyeshadow. 

It may not be that obvious but this color is really pretty intense. Too much of it can make your eyes look like you can compete with a zombie. Using a brush, I applied the purple color all over my crease. To intensify the  look, I applied a dark brown color on the outer corner of my eyes to give them a 3d-effect. Plus, I really am a sucker for dark brown eyeshadows, so, forgive me. :)

(The other dark color fell off just this morning. *pout*)

Don't forget to add some liquid eyeliner and dark mascara to add more effect to your eyes.

Also, since this look is appropriate for evening use, your eyes need to look big, bright, and still alive. :). The secret?

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

White eyeliner, Ladies and Gents! Applying this on your lower lash lines will pop up those eyes. :)

As for the face

I always like to contour my face when I need to attend formal afternoon/evening events. Contouring highlights the face and creates an illusion that you have hollow cheeks (and for someone who's got a chubby face, that sounds good news, hahaha). That shade encircled yellow is what I use for contouring. If you don't have a bronzer, choose a blush that's two times darker than your skin. I will post a blog next time on how I contour my face. :)

After contouring, it's time for the blush. Again, since you want your eyes to be the star, you need to keep the blush on your face to a minimum. Choose a light color that will complement your eyes. :)

Last, but not the least, don't forget to play with lipstick. For this look, I chose a light pink lip shade. 

Purple and Light pink does sound very Barbie, right? :)

So, there you have it, folks. :). This is just a proof that you shouldn't let that little eye shadow color scare you. You can find ways to make that little fear your ultimate weapon. Just like in life! :)

The Blushing Bride

Every single girl loves to talk about weddings. I mean, seriously, is there any female out there who does not giggle and get giddy when the "wedding" topic is brought? I seriously doubt that. This girl is no exception to that fact.

I love weddings and I had been privileged to witness two wedding ceremonies last December. All the guests always have one thing to say "Oh gee, the bride's really pretty! She's just the prettiest woman today!" Ahuh. Truth be told. Every bride deserves to be absolutely stunning/gorgeous/beautiful on her very special day.

I also dream to get married someday. There is a Mormon joke that says "Mormon girls know the colors in their wedding without even knowing who the groom is". That is very true. When I was 18 years old - the year when I learned how to do make-up - I decided that I will do my own make-up when I get married. The practical girl in me says "The money you'll spend on hiring a make-up artist can be used on more important things..." Since then, I have been a fan of Youtube bridal make-up tutorials.

This afternoon, after a long day of writing and rewriting two chapters of our feasibility study, I decided to play with make-up. I opted to do a do-it-yourself bridal make up. I have made bridal looks before but I will say that this one is my favorite. Here are a few pictures:

How did I create this look? Here's what I did... (Guys, forgive me for the quality of the pictures. I hope the colors are still identifiable to you... :) )

After you have prepped your face with concealer, foundation and press powder, you proceed to the eyes. First, apply a base color all over your eyelids. Here's the color I used. It's called "seashell". It's a shimmery white color. Applying this all over your lid will enhance the other colors you will apply later. Also, brides should have fresh-looking, sparkly lids, so, having some white shimmery eyeshadow is an advantage.

One you have already applied the white shadow on your lids, it's time to have some "pop" of color. What I used in my eyes is the sparkly purple shadow from Revlon's "Plum Likes It Hot". Apply this color onto your eyes in a windshield wiper motion. Take note, shy away from applying dark make up on your eyes. You want to look soft and romantic as possible.

To make your eyes look bigger and romantic, add some really light ash color onto your eyes. This will create  a "shadow" on your lids that will make your eyes look bigger. Apply this lightly on your eyes with a brush. This is the color that I used:

Eyebrows are also an important part of your look. Make sure they look clean. Choose a color that is the same shade as your hair and fill in your brows with this.

Add drama to your eyes by applying liquid eyeliner, false eyelashes and mascara! :)

Next stop, the blush on! :). For your wedding day, keep the colors on your face as soft and as neutral as possible. :). Here's the color that I applied on my cheeks:

For the final touch, the liiiiips. :). The lips are the "shoes" of the face. There's a line that goes "shoes can either make or break an outfit"; this is also true with the lips! It's a popular advice that the bride should choose a lip color that is soft, pastel and romantic. But I also believe you can choose deep shades as long as they do not make you look scary. :). Here are the lip shades that are my top favorites when it comes to bridal looks

The deep fuchsia color

The bold Mac Morange

and the pretty, girly, barbie pink shade.

Make your lips pop by applying lip gloss! (Personally, though, I prefer my lips matte.)

So, there you have it! An easy, you-can-do-it-yourself bridal make-up! You're now ready to face the groom  that is still isn't there. ;). Hope you like it! ;)