ANNE WNDR HAULS: MAYBELLINE PRODUCTS

If you're looking for anything budget-friendly and at the same time has a good quality, it's Maybelline. It's one of those drugstore products that is worth your penny. Everytime I go grocery shopping with my dad, I always make sure I buy a Maybelline lipstick. They have this small stand inside the Waltermart grocery that I always visit. It's just disappointing that they don't have much lipstick colors available there. What I love about the brand is the fact that they are always on sale. I think they are never not on sale. (Good marketing strategy btw)

These Colorshow lipsticks cost P165 each and they come in assorted colors, and they can be matte or glossy. The matte ones are amazing. My favourite is the Mysterious Mocha. They don't dry your lips even though you forgot to put moisturizer on it and the best thing, they last for hours compared to the glossy ones that's why I wear them all the time, even when I was in school. I only have one Colorsensational and its in the shade of Nude and I use it for special occasions and dang, it looks good. It gives your lips a rosy nude finish. I just love it.

And when it comes to balms, I always use baby lips. It was my mom who introduced it to me. I love the smell and how it works great. It keeps your lips moisturized for long hours before you have to reapply it. It leaves your lips supple and plump. And cmon, the smell. I just love the fruity sweet smell and they are only P89.

For those that has oily skin like me, their compact powder is your bestfriend. It really is compact which I enjoy so much. It fits everywhere and you can carry it without a hassle. I've been using it for like four months now and I am still far from buying another one. I believe this one is only P99.

Last but not the least, their Cheek Glow blush-on, this one is just so cute for me. I actually have two but this one is my favourite, it gives you a rosy colour cheeks and it's not too dark or bright and it's pigmented. 

Maybelline Girl!

New Favourite!

These are my new partners-in-crime. They help me make my eyebrows be on point all the time. I sometimes just used the cream one and it works great. If you are following me on instagram (msannewndr) in all of my recent pictures these are the brow products that I use grooming my eyebrows.  The eyebrow pencil is P99 only while the kit is only P250.

I use the wax, the darker brown, to set my eyebrows and most of the time, fill them with it then I use the pencil to shape my eyebrows. I bought the gray shade because I already have thick and dark eyebrows so in order to not make it seem as if it's too drawn and to achieve a slightly natural look. The black shade is a little tricky to use, if you don't know how to use that color carefully it will look a mess. 

I used to use the Nichido foundation stick and it lasted for so long and then Maybelline had this foundation on sale, from P499 I got it for like P350 only and I just couldn't afford to miss trying it out and so far, this is is my go-to foundation. Although I badly want to try their Fit Me foundation and concealer because my favourite makeup guru, CosmobyHaley, use those products all the time and they look marvelous. It's just sad that most store here don't sell them. Would be really cool if it's available here. Anyway, this foundation gives a matte finish, it stays for hours. In terms of coverage, you might still want to use concealer because it doesn't totally cover everything. It's not exactly an oily-face-kind-of-girl bestfriend but I can assure you that it doesn't feel too heavy on the face and it's not oily on the face too, it does not look like you have a foundation on so basically it blends in perfectly on your skin. Just be sure you've got the perfect shade for yourself.

I will post a makeup look using some of these product by this week so just stay tune.

THE SALLY SQUAT CHALLENGE

It's SUMMER TIME and everybody is just going gaga over achieving their summer bod goals. And guess what, I'm one of them. I mean, who doesn't wanna look great while in their bikinis, right? Plus it's the perfect time of the year for students (and graduates?) like me to start working out because most of the us have all the free time and probably just staying home.

I remembered trying to balance my time between studying, doing all the paperworks and working out. It was a hassle and oh so tiring.

Anyway, I'm here to share a little workout routine that I just came across to that would be of great help to most of you. I learned this routine from a Fitness Youtube personality, Joannah Soh, (you guys should totally check her out). She's been my fitness inspiration and I prolly had done almost all her workout routines for a year or two now and my favourite is her Cardio Kickboxing and lemme tell you, it works wonderfully. I lost quite a weight by doing it for like 4x a week. Not kidding.

But this post will be focusing on our bum area. That's right. Our BUTT area. It's a squat challenge with a twist!

I've been on this challenge for a few days now, trying my best to do it for twice a day to see best results, although I won't be able to see the results quickly, but you know, whatever floats my boat.

This challenge is what I call "Sally Squat Challenge". Why? Well, you'll understand why when you hear the song. So it's a simple routine and everyone can do it. All you have to do is follow the lyrics. The lyrics goes like this, "Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down". So when you hear BRING SALLY UP, you stand and when you hear BRING SALLY DOWN, well, you squat. You shouldn't stand unless you hear "bring Sally Up" and that's the best part because you'll be squatting for like a few seconds and you will totally feel the pressure and pain shooting down to your legs but trust me, the next day, you will the soreness on your bum area and that's normal, and the best feeling (for me) because I feel like the workout is actually working.

Most fitness instructors are recommending this routine and have also used the song for other kinds of workout like Pushups and Lunges. It's different from the routines I did and I must say, I enjoy this a lot.

I have given myself two months to do this challenge and I hope you guys try it too. It's only 3mins of your time everyday. It won't ruin any plans at all. You can squeeze this challenge in in your plan and it's up to you how often you wanna do it. I will post a before and after picture after two months in this challenge. I'm crossing my fingers that i'll be able to achieve my goal.

Scroll down and you can see how the routine works below :)

Moby - Flower

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up (STAND) and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Old miss Lucy's dead and gone (SQUAT)

Left me here to weep and moan ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

Bring Sally up and bring Sally down (SQUAT)

Lift and squat, gotta tear the ground ( REMAIN SQUATTING)

 - Courtesy of MetroLyrics

ANNE WNDRS BEAUTY: AFFORDABLE BRUSH SET

Like any other girls, I am completely obsessed with makeup. Makeup is probably my vice and I'm proud of it. I am an avid fan of makeup gurus on Instagram and Youtube and I must say that they have influenced me so much and I have learned many cool stuff because of them. And one of the things I admire whenever I watch tutorials is the Artist's makeup brushes. You cannot just pass up being curious on how much they have cost and where they got it. I mean, c'mon, those babies help them a lot in so many ways.

I have always wanted to own my own makeup brush set despite the fact that back in the day, I didn't know how to use them or why there are so many brushes for one part of the face. Yes, I went to that phase. Clueless and innocent. Don't judge me.

I bought my first brush set when I was in high school from an online seller I found in Sulit.com. It was the only website and online shopping site that I was familiar with and was confident with to check out. The brushes with black handles are Singapore-made brushes that costed me like around P800 for 24 brushes and it comes with a pouch. Looking back now, I am regretting buying them for that price because there are many sites like Ensogo and Instagram that sells these kind of brushes for like P500 only (I know, it sucks). 

Anyway, what's disappointing with these brushes is the fact that they lack consistency in terms of bristles or brush hair. The face brushes like the Kabuki brush, blush brush, contour brush and powder brush have soft hairs and doesn't feel hard on your skin when using them unlike the smaller brushes. Some of the smaller brushes are hard on your skin and it makes me feel as if I'm using a comb on my eyelids. (Not even kidding)

I always use the powder brush and the blush brush because they are soft and does a good  job. I used to use the eyebrow brush but then grew out of it because it's too thick. I prefer thinner eyebrow brush for more precise and clean application of eyebrow powder and it's easier to work on 'em.

The other brush set, gold handles and all, only costed me like P300 for 8 pieces and no pouch, and those are from Lazada.com. When they first came in, they have this hideous smell, they smelled like a sharpie so I was wary to use them and I couldn't take the odor. So what I did was I washed them with baby shampoo and it kinda worked. When washing your brushes, you gotta use baby shampoos because they are milder and won't ruin your brushes. Anyway, there was still a hint of smell so I waited for like a few days for it to die down. 

They are actually my favourite probably because they cost less and they are a lot better to use than the other one. I always use the contour brush and the blending brush. They work great. Worth the penny actually.

#makeupbrushset #affordablemakeupbrushes

And as you can see, I don't use the pouch, I just display them like that. Using glass bottles or mugs are a lot better, they make it more classy or girly and they are pleasing to the eyes. You can actually put anything on or in 'em. I put sand in 'em just to make it cute. The white glass is actually a toothbrush holder but not anymore. Lol

ANNE WNDRS BEAUTY: MY PIMPLE REMEDY

One of my main problems growing up and up til now are pimples. They are just these monsters growing on your face when you least expect it. It ruins your confidence and self esteem. I started having pimples when I was in 6th grade and oh boy did I not see it coming. I felt so shy, I felt like no one would ever like me and I felt as if I was ugly. I tried every product I saw on TV, I even convinced my parents to see a dermatologist even though they keep on telling me that it's normal but you know, as a growing teenage girl, I only wanna look pretty and that means having clear, smooth skin.

I tried using tea tree soaps because the dermatologist said it's mild and doesn't have any chemicals in it. I cut back eating chocolates and fried foods. Basically, I did everything but nothing worked. So I told myself that it would clear up eventually. It did clear up, I stopped having breakouts when I entered college. And I was delighted. But that doesn't mean I don't get pimples anymore. I get like a pimple or two when it's really hot (summer time) and before my period. 

Anyway, I have this friend that recommended this pimple product and she said it worked for her so i said why not. I'll give it a try and so I did. And guess what, it actually worked. I tried ointments before and I must say that S.O.S did a good job. It's a roll-on ointment and all you have to do is put it on the pimple and the pimple will slowly fade away overnight. That's according to my experience. It actually says that you have to apply it until the pimple is gone but for me, overnight works but I'm guessing it's for mild cases only. It also says that it's like twice a day application but I do it every night. I apply it after I put moisturizer before going to sleep. I've been using this for like two years now and I'm satisfied with the result.

You can buy this in Mercury (Drugstore), I bought it there and I'm guessing it's also available in Watsons and other drugstores. It only cost like P100, more or less. Plus, it doesn't need any doctor's prescription but if you like, you may ask your doctor about it.

Life saver!

Bloglovin'

ANNE WNDRS BEAUTY: EYEBROWS ROUTINE

Most people like me would definitely say that grooming your eyebrows is important. My favourite part of my face is my eyebrows. I first started grooming it when I entered college and Pete knows how hideous it looked. I was a complete amateur. No practice, just me being all experimental because you know, when you're in college you feel like you can do anything. So basically, I got curious about eyebrows and started doing mine. Filling and stuff. I even went to that moment in my life when I got my eyebrows plucked in a salon and it turned bad. It was thin and it didn't complement my features AND I spent quite a lot of money which wasn't worth it. Anyway, because of that experience I told myself that I gotta learn how to trim, shave and wax my eyebrows if I wanna have the result I want so I had a lot of practice.

I got better and better. Watching tutorials really helped a lot because they give you ideas on what products to use and how to apply them. In my opinion, it really doesn't matter what brand you use because it all boils down on how you use them because you could be using MAC or Anastasia and your eyebrows could still look ugly. Brand doesn't matter. How can I say that? Simple, because I'm a complete thrifty person and as much as possible I look for anything cheaper but you know, still worth the penny. My first eyebrow pencil that I bought was Nichido. It's like only more or less P100 which is cheap compared to other brands and I must say it works great. 

I used it for a long long time. I sometimes used the eyebrow powder kit of the same brand before it broke into million pieces. Lol.

In these pictures, I used the black shade of Nichido Eyebrow Pencil and Fashion 21 Eyebrow Clear Gel to put them into place. Everything was below P200 and if you have SMAC, you could avail like 10% discount, I think, given that it is on sale.

So my piece of advice to anyone who wants to have perfectly sculpted eyebrows out there, you don't need to spend too much on products, you just gotta know how to shape, fill and brush your eyebrows and you could make that eyebrows on fleek on such cheaper price.

#EyebrowGametooStrong

Look at that eyebrows!

ANNE WNDR EATS: CHEF LAUDICO GUEVARRA'S

Great reviews and familiar name, those are the things that made me agree to check Guevarra's and celebrate Graduation Day with my girlfriends.

It's basically a restaurant at the heart of a peaceful subdivision in San Juan, Pasay. It actually just took us more or less an hour driving there which was surprising because we thought the roads would be congested. What I just didn't like about driving there was the roads. We pretty much drove to narrow streets which was irritating for me. I was scared to put a dent on the car. We were just really thankful for Waze for helping us around *insert smiley face*. We pretty much have no sense of direction. If it wasn't for Waze, I'm pretty sure we'd get lost with all the turns that we had to take.

The house is so pretty!

There's me and my two gorgeous long time friends. We've all been friends since Highschool.

We were the second group of customers that first arrived at the restaurant which was pretty awkward because we arrived like 20 minutes before opening. They probably thought we were too excited, which we were. And also because we were hoping to get seats, we weren't able to get a reservation because when I called in, the staff told me that they are booked for the whole week. It made an impression that it must be really something to check out.

It was really disappointing that there were no staff to accommodate early bird customers. It was scorching hot that day, mind you. I was really expecting that there would be someone to welcome us in the front door. I get it that we came in too early and that everyone was way busy in preparing inside but it would have been nice to have a staff outside to tend to our needs or just a friendly face.

Yup. There I am, laughing my ass off for no apparent reason. 

Still laughing. I didn't get any good photo because of the laughing.

Taking pictures while waiting. This is one of the seats outside where early bird customers can wait.

I have no idea what was funny. I guess I'm just a happy person.

We finally got inside!

We thought we were gonna wait to get ourselves some table but upon opening, we were immediately escorted to our table. And the place wasn't really packed.We were there til 1 and the lunch schedule is until that time only. I guess there were cancellations.

Staffs were really nice, btw. A staff even joked around with us and they were really patient. How was I able to tell? Well, I was looking for a proof that I'm a graduate and I have no physical proof. The picture is on Instagram so I had to look for it.Their wifi was bad. We had a hard time connecting so I had to use my mobile data instead which didn't tell help. Anyway, the staff had to wait for like 30 minutes and I was really delighted that the staff did. Such nice people.

That's not all we got.

Their food was great. Although it would be nice if they have more fruits. They only had papaya. I'm a fruit person so kinda sad. I really love their fried squid and crablets. I was soo in love with it. I like that they incorporated bagnet in some of their dishes like in Kare-kare. I love the Kare-kare.

I like the windows. It looks so homey and refreshing.

Plates!

The first thing I noticed was the place, probably because they hang above our table. They are plates signed by celebrities and other famous people who visited their restaurant. How did I know? I asked the waiter if I could sign, unfortunately, I'm neither one of those people that were mentioned. Sad.

They even give personalized mugs for graduates! Just present any proof that you graduated this year or are graduating. 

They also got us cakes. I even joked about bringing the plate with me. I didn't wanna ruin the lettering.

I just didn't like when they placed the cakes in a tin foil. I was hoping they would at least put it in a box. It looked messy for me. But I'm just glad that the cake wasn't ruined when I came home. Oh and btw, it was amazing.

I don't know why the staff took the picture from below. He even got into an Indian sit!

So much better. I like the angle from up here. Lol

Took a photo because there was a group that was taking a group picture so we had to wait. They were blocking the exit.

All in all, it was a nice experience although I wouldn't say that I would like to come back. There was nothing special for me.

Here's the map courtesy of Google.

Address: 387 P. Guevarra St, San Juan, 1500 Metro Manila

Phone:(02) 705 1811

Hours: 11AM–2PM, 5–10PM

ANNE WNDR WRITES: LIFE IS TOO SHORT

Life is too short

“People are travelers here on Earth”, they say, I believe. We don’t get to live life for a long long time even if we want to. The day will come that we have to leave because our time’s up. Everybody should be thankful if they have reached a long year run here on earth because not everyone is given the chance to do the same. Some people die before they even get to see the light, sniff the air or hear the sound of the chirping birds. Some people are given a short time to stay here because they have illnesses that are impossible to cure. And some are lucky enough to live life as they planned on. Each people has their own life plan made by God. You and I, he and she, them and us. We all have our own life plans. You may never know if the person sitting next to you has six months to live or maybe by faith it’s you. It’s all due in God’s time.

We had/have our own experiences of having to deal with precious moments that we just let passed or took for granted and never bother to give attention. May I ask, have you ever thank God for something simple as being able to wake up by the trenchant sound of your alarm clock?  Or the whiff of the cigarette smoke from your neighbor’s? Or maybe being busy in writing your declarative speech that needs to be in IPA form? I guess not. Have you said “I love you” to your mom and dad, your brother or sister, or maybe your pet dog or hamster before you leave the house? How about apologizing to an old friend you haven’t spoken to for a long time because of a shallow reason? Still a no?

There are a lot of simple things in life that we just brush off because we don’t think of it as something to be treasure and that we are very confident that it’ll stay longer. I bet a hundred bucks that some or maybe all of you will answer my questions before with; “I’ll do it later”, “Why bother?” or “There are tons of time in the world to do it and besides I’m busy”. The question is, are there? How sure are you that you’ll be able to say that later? What if there’s no more later? Did these questions ever popped into your mind by any chance?

What I don’t understand is why people won’t do it now rather than later? What if it’s too late do it? We don’t hold the time in the world. We just don’t notice or won’t try to notice but every second, ever minute is precious. Every syllable, every word like saying a short “hello” or “bye” is important. Why? Because we don’t have the ability to go back in time or ask for another chance. That’s just preposterous. Time machines aren’t invented yet, I’ll inform you. 

Waking up in the morning or being able to see the light striking from your window sill are little things in life that we should be thankful for. Be glad that you can still upload photos on Insta, update your status on Facebook and tweet on twitter. Be happy that you’re stuck in a heavy traffic and is beyond exasperated because you’re late for an important meeting with a client or investor. Smile widely that your professor assigned the class to write a twenty page essay, single space and font 12 to pass tomorrow because it all means that God has lend us another day to experience all of them. Another chance to think back in our lives and reflect everything we did or maybe make it all right.  Another minute or hour to hug our dogs.

You’re still here, embrace the beauty that is life because it’s so short, you’ll never notice its gone. Thank you.

Marianne R. Escobar

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PERSON THAT SAVED ME

I was looking through my old stuff when I came across a familiar paper, folded into four and hidden between the pages of my diary. I wrote it when I was in my third year in college. Our professor asked us to write something to someone, that someone could be anybody and that something could be anything. During that time my boyfriend was battling liver failure. We were both in the hardest moment of our lives. I was completely stressed most of the time and had a hard time focusing on my studies. When I was writing this, I was thinking of the possibility of losing him, it was painful but  all I could think of was to express my gratitude and my support to him. He still haven't read it. I still have not told him about the existence of this letter and I sure hope one day, he will be able to.

16 August 2014

Dear Mr. Potato,

Meeting you wasn't something I planned on. You came into my life when  I was in my most disastrous state and you were in yours. We started as strangers - two teenagers, both lonely, both helpless, both alone and both in need of love - then we became best friends eventually lovers. But most importantly, you turned out to be the best teacher.

I thank God everyda for making our paths crossed because you taught me a lot about life and love.

You always ask me why I love you and why I still love you after your acYoucident. It's simple. I love you and still love you because you taught me that love is beautiful and life is something we should never take for granted.

Thank you for teaching me that there is hope in humanity, how to love and be loved, how to stand for what I want and never be afraid to fight for it, that it's OK to fall because you can always stand up. You saw what I am capable of, my flaws, basically my imperfections and yet you saw them as a beautiful reminder that there is such thing as perfectly imperfect.

You taught me that it's ok to be scared, to be weak...to be fragile because that's what makes a person stronger.

But most importantly, you taught me to cherish what I have and live life to the fullest and to never stop showing your love and care to a person because time flies so fast that we could wake up one day and realize that things can never be the same again.

You have been my inspiration and my angel. Your presence brings meaning into my life.

I love you and as much as possible I want to be here for you. I know that you're getting tired and that  pain can something be too much to bear for you but you know that I am so proud of you because after everything that you're going through, you are still fighting and never giving up.

You're my superman and I want you to always remember that no matter what happen, I'm here for you.

You're not the only one fighting, we're both fighting, your battle is my battle, your pain is my pain. We're a team all throughout this life obstacle.

If I could share even just half of your pain, I would love to, in a heartbeat.

I know God has a plan. Just have faith, be stronger and be positive because there is no lock without a key, a problem without a solution.

May God protect you all the time and heal all your wounds, but most importantly, may He give you the chance to live more of your life because you deserve it as much as I do.

Mrs. Potato