Here's another round-up of favorite links this week.

Beauty

6 Makeup Ideas for Perfect Red Pout - Beauty and the Budget
7 Deadly Beauty Sins - Kiss and Tell
Flawless Foundation Routine - Forever Yours Beauty
What's in Your Eye Cream? - Beautylish
Which Brow Shape Is Most Flattering? - Beautylish

Homehacks and Workhacks

Make Your Own Gel Air Freshener - Lifehacker
How to Ask for a Raise 101 - WorkAwesome
Microproductivity: Get More Done and Lower Your Work Stress Without a Second Wasted - Lifehacker

Working Out

Wake Up Early and Get Motivated to Move - Fitsugar

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I was contacted by Jhing of Dermclinic this morning (Oct. 6, 2011). She actually contacted me way back Saturday, October 1, 2011 but I was not able to take the call and she texted me an e-mail address instead. This week is really hellish for me work-wise so I wasn't able to follow up my complaint using the referred e-mail address.

Anyhoo, Jhing asked me what my problem about the deal was and I explained to her what I mostly described here. She told me that 30 shots per UA is ridiculous since that's way too many for the skin to handle. My boyfriend (and some random blogs and a commenter) also noted that 60 shots for one session is uber.

Well, that's cool but what I still don't understand is how two separate people from Dermclinic SM City Cebu told me in two separate occasions that per session can use up to 60 shots per arm. And remember how the person with a white coat and whom I assume is a dermatologist told me to bring ALL of my vouchers on the next visit? Well, if 60 shots per arm is too much then why tell me that. Ugh, so inconsistent/ridiculous/dangerously misleading.

Anyway, Jhing said that the 60 shots may be a per-package thing and they might have misunderstood my question. While I totally disagree since the doctor asked me to use 6-7 vouchers in one visit, I just let that comment slide by because I'm tired and I was late for work.

The cool thing though is Jhing offered me a deal that is hard to refuse. She told me that I can..

use one voucher for one session just to see how things would go. If I am not satisfied with the service, I can always inform her and she'll give me all of my money back. Including the first "test" session.

Well, that's very nice and I was really pleased with how things went. She also facilitated the reservation by forwarding my number to the Dermclinic SM City Cebu staff who called me a few hours later. I have an appointment next week!

A few more hours after the call with Jhing, Catherine (I think) from Cashcashpinoy also called me to follow-up on the Dermclinic issue and asked me how things went. So I told her that everything's good, for now.

All in all, my complaint was addressed in a little over a week (9 days, or 7 working days to be exact), and even faster if I had answered the call last Saturday. hrhr. That's a pretty speedy resolution with which I am very pleased. However, this really isn't fully resolved yet in case I opt for a refund so we'll see how this adventure goes!

Toodles.

The weekend was pretty fun! It started early on a Friday with volunteering at a Gawad Kalinga site and then spent the whole afternoon at Kishanta for a team party. It was crazy in a fun (but totally tiring) way. I capped the night with a massage, a lovely dinner with my boyfriend (it was our 29th month!), then a facial which "awakened" all the monsters in my face.

Granny's Chicken or something something. Bigby's

Rack-a-Bye-Baby (baby back ribs). Bigby's

Saturday was spent at UP Cebu for the 2nd Cebu Comics Convention. It was okay.

My dog.

Uhm, my face.

My hair in its new cut. This is the only part of my body that I like right now. lol

I bring you some of my favorite links posted this week. These were collected around the first half of the week since the second half was all sorts of hell for me, work-wise and personal-wise (mostly face-related).

De-uglification

Choosing the Right Make Up Brushes for a Flawless Finished Face - The Beauty Files
Beginner's Makeup Kit Essentials - Beautylish
Get a Chic, Easy Monochromatic Makeup Look With Just 4 Products - Bellasugar
5 Foolproof Steps to Covering Up a Breakout - Bellasugar

Lifehacks aka Go Fix Yo'self!

DIY Rubber Band Travel Clothesline - Lifehacker
The Stupid Things You Do at Work (and How to Fix Them) - Lifehacker
How to get over your post-vacation blues - HelloGiggles

Nerdness 

Game of Thrones Season 2 Teaser - Winter is Coming

It's banned books week this week, and the week is almost ending but that doesn't mean the quest for hunting, reading and enjoying banned books will end on Saturday!

I find it weird how books can be banned. To quote my personal hero, Kurt Vonnegut..

Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

Word, son.

And because I'm running out of things to say that won't make me sound like a ten-year old, here's a list of frequently banned/challenged books that belong to the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. How many have you read so far?

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell
10. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
11. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
12. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
13. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
14. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
15. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
16. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
17. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
18. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
19. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
20. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
21. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
22. Native Son, by Richard Wright
23. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
24. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
25. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
26. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
27. Go Tell It on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
28. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
29. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
30. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
31. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
32. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
33. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
34. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
35. Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
36. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
37. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
38. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
39. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
40. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
41. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
42. Women in Love, by DH Lawrence
43. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
44. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
45. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
46. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

I have not read a lot which is kind of embarrassing (lulz) but that's gonna change! I'm gonna bucketlist this bitch. Enjoy!

P.S.

If you're from Cebu, you can check out La Belle Aurore (my favorite bookshop in the world) this week. The shop's featuring Banned Books for viewing and reading.


Everyone should definitely check the shop out, and not just this week. The place is gorgeous.

Cashcashpinoy is not handling my request for refund very well. They've had the gall to:

• Block me from their Facebook page. Very classy.
• Blatantly lying to me about the sessions:

Cashcashpinoy Sucks

Don't buy it from Cashcashpinoy. Because at the end of the day, they cannot guarantee what their merchants promise and you cannot trust what they write even if its in black and white.

My Letter to Cashcashpinoy

You simply cannot ask us to renegotiate the terms of the voucher each time we face the merchants themselves. The voucher business is based on trust. Without it, I'm not sure I will purchase from nor recommend your website in the future.

No Guarantees from Cashcashpinoy

Consumers are not protected by the party that brokered the deal, Cashcashpinoy. The most that Cashcashpinoy will do is forward complaints. If you have issues, then you are on own. Imagine if its an isolated case and you are dealing with a large company, good luck getting a feedback, let alone a refund.

Caveat Emptor: Group Buying Sites in the Philippines

Also, it was only when we called that we were told that booking was only for a 15- or 20-minute treatment per session. The 90-94% savings ain’t true. It wasn’t pointed out on their website that it was only a trial treatment!

Unreachable Cash Cash Pinoy 1

Cash Cash Pinoy seems to have gone the extra mile shielding itself from complaints from customers.

UPDATE:
October 6, 2011 - I was called by Jhing of Dermclinic this morning and she offered me a reasonable deal which I accepted. Read more here.

MissKatV in partnership with StyleQuarter are giving away free things! I personally want the Love Minerals Pressed Blush (coz blushers are awesome) and the Nyx Pencil Eyeliner. Too bad they're not in one set. teehee. ^^ Regardless, the prizes are awesome. :)

SET 1:

1. Lorac Lip Polish in Delicious
2. NYX Long Pencil Eyeliner - Dark Brown
3. Love Minerals Pressed Foundation (Sand Dollar)
4. Human Nature Balancing Facial Wash

SET 2:

1. Lorac Eyeshadow in Innocence
2. Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Face Powder (25gm)
3. Human Nature 100% Natural Lip Balm (Peppermint)
4. Love Minerals Pressed Blush (Petal Bloom)

To join, click here.

Their deal information explicitly stated that for P595, you will be getting P3500 worth of service, which meant an 83% worth of savings. This "discount" is the bait that made people buy more than 1,900 vouchers to avail of their promo. I bought 7 vouchers myself, which  amounted to Php4.1k.

I set an appointment last Monday, September 26, 2011 for my first (of seven) sessions of NuLight IPL Hair Removal Treatment. When I got there, the dermatologist explained to me that I will only be getting 10 shots of the IPL treatment (5 per underarm), instead of the 60 shots (30 per underarm) that regular sessions go for. I was like, WUUUT, since there was not a word in the deal that Cashcashpinoy posted that mentions this catch. When I purchased the vouchers, it was in the knowledge that I will be getting one session worth P3500 with an 83% savings, which basically is 60 shots of IPL.

This is really sick and disgusting. The Department of Trade and Industry explicitly states that "Sales talk should not misrepresent the product or service" which means that no concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation should be done in any form of advertising.

To quote the article posted in DTI:

"What does concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation mean? The law cites several examples such as the following:

• A consumer product or service has the sponsorship, approval, performance, characteristics, ingredients, accessories, uses, or benefits it does not have.

Retailers are encouraged to promote transparency to consumers among their ranks. All information about a product or service, especially those that concern pricing and quality, should be disclosed to the consumer."

I read everything in their deal information and never did they mention about this 10 shots per treatment. This is a gross exploitation of deals and promos. The law explicitly states that everything about a product or service should be disclosed, especially if there's a difference in the quality that would explain the mark-down in price.

What's even more gross about this is when you calculate the price per shot. I'm a nerd when it comes to deals and savings and calculate up to the last cent. Here's what I came up with:

PHP3500 (regular price) / 60 shots = PHP58.666

PHP595 (deal price) / 10 shots = PHP59.50

So... not only were consumers tricked into buying something not worth 83% of savings, THERE IS NO SAVINGS AT ALL.

I asked the dermatologist about why this was not stated in the promo and she admitted this by blaming the marketing department of Dermclinic. That's understandable (lol not really) but what's insane is that they expect me to go on with this craziness; even having the gall to tell me that if I want to avail of the full treatment, I should set another appointment for another day and bring all of my seven coupons.

LOLWUT?

I'm getting this shit refunded. If they give me a hard time, I'm planning to bring this up to DTI and have a lawyer friend get this resolved.

UPDATE:
October 6, 2011 - I was called by Jhing of Dermclinic this morning and she offered me a reasonable deal which I accepted. Read more here.

The Philippines has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season*. We're all Christmas junkies by heart and the start of the -ber months starts a lot of people's countdown to the holiday merry-making.

To celebrate the start of the -ber months and the early Christmas season (as well as few other celebrations**), Kikaysimaria and BB Cream Addict are holding a pre-holiday Giveaway Contest. The prizes are crazy awesome and there are five packages up for grabs too.


* Christmas in the Philippines
** It's Kikaysimaria's birthday on October 20 and blog birthday on the 25th! :)

HelloGiggles, one of my favorite female-centric sites, always produces great content. I read almost everything the writers from the site post and this particular one by Kate Harmer is a favorite. In Turnin' Thirty: Notes from My Twenties, Kate talks about being comfortable and being happy about turning thirty and the lessons she learned the past few years.

It's a bit long so I'm summarizing the article for anyone who has ADD and focus on the stuff that struck me most.

Over time, most people get better at being people.

Some things I learned in my twenties:

Have a uniform.

Find an outfit that you feel good in and buy it in every available color combination. Waking up is way less stressful knowing you have something that just works.

Education is an amazing escape route.

Education pulled me out of a mental black hole. I was challenged to think and live in an uncomfortably new way and it was exactly what I needed. School helped me see my situation from a different perspective and regain some self worth.

The only way to become something is to be it.

Just DO the job you want. Make up assignments and give yourself deadlines. Be as awesome as you can be and start showing people what you’ve done. If you’re busy being what you want to be, then… aren’t you?

Don't touch it.

Get your hands off your face. Touching it won't make things better.

The coolest people are the hardest workers.
Rad people didn’t get that way sitting around. The most exciting people are nerdy about something and invest time and energy into that interest.

Admit that you don't know.

Almost all of my social anxiety between 12 and 25 stemmed from the dull, nagging fear that I would say something wrong, not know what people were talking about or not have the answer to a question. Turns out conversations thrive on questions and asking people to explain something makes them feel good.

Have friends.

One of the very best decisions I made in my twenties was to stop thinking I didn’t need to connect with other people and be vulnerable enough to try.

That's my first TL;DR post for you. To read all of the very awesome post, click here.

InStyle presents 5 beauty products that flatter everyone. Here's the round-up and some products available locally for everyone to play with. I painstakingly searched for local products, their prices and some reviews so you don't have to. :P

1. Gold and Purple Eye Shadow  Gold on inner corners brightens all eyes, while purple's broad appeal is that it's not too cool or too warm.

• Try Lulu Makeup's Rio Palette. Available at TheLuluMakeup site for Php950 for the purple eyeshadow and the Manhattan palette (also Php950) for the gold eyeshadow. Say Tioco Artillero uses these palettes a lot for her tutorials.
• Dollface Cosmetics also has palettes and eyeshadow quads with purple and gold eyeshadows.
• For cheaper, non-palette options, there are Ellana Multipurpose mineral powders for Php130 for 0.7 grams and are available in many variants of Gold: Felicity(pale gold with green shimmer), Sensational (iridescent white gold (white shifting to gold)), Gorgeous (yellowish pure gold frost), Divine (light tan gold frost), Shine (lemon gold frost); and Purple: Orchid - purple frost; and Laugh - deep violet frost (eyeliner/eyeshadow)

• The Body Shop Lip Liner: Shade 10 in Pink Brown. Price to follow.
• CoverGirl LipPerfection Lip Liner in Smoky. Php325. Liz of Project Vanity reviewed the product here.
• Etude House Auto Lip Liner. I got a pink-brown shade (forgot the shade code, sorry!) for only Php98. 

3. Sheer Pink Lip Gloss  Sheer pink gloss complements all lip colors and never looks overdone.

• Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar(P278). Check the Project Vanity review here. 
• Lip Ice Sheer Color (Php145). Project Vanity review here. 
• Nivea Pinkish Boost (Php100+). I personally have this and this lasts forever! lol

4. Deep Cocoa Eyeliner  A dark brown liner is rich enough to register on dark skin but won't overwhelm ivory skin.

• Kanebo Kate Gel Eye Liner (Php660). Check out Lush Angel's review of the black shade here. It should be available in Watsons but last time I checked this isn't available in Cebu.
• Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Brown (Php449). Check out Lady E's review here. Available in Maybelline counters . 
• Prestige Waterproof eyeliner in Brown. (Php325). Ginger reviews it here. You can buy this in Beauty Bar.

• Nichido Cream Blush in Pink Champagne. Say uses the blush here.
• Ellana Moisturizing Cream Blush in Flirtation. Shen reviews the product here.
• E.L.F. All-Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade. (Php150). I personally use this and I love it. Cheap and it works! Kikay Trekkie reviews it here.

So.. I was looking for nude lipsticks when I stumbled on this blog which loosely reviewed looks of Filipino celebrities during the recently concluded Star Magic Ball. I don't really know every one of these celebrities since I don't have time to follow local shows but .. well, anyway.

While I don't really agree with all of the comments in Vanity Clinic, I have to say that this Lovi Poe girl really does look tired.

Enjoy 20% discount* on regular priced items.

To inquire on book availability in the Cebu City branch, call (032)417-1007.

*Discount doesnot apply to local, consigned and N-coded items.

“Fresh, young and elegant” were the three words Maybelline New York Global Makeup Artist Charlotte Willer had in mind. “The skin is dewy, the brow is strong and the lip pops with a sheer wash of color.” 

Face Fit Me! Foundation was used to create perfect, dewy skin before Fit Me! Blush in Medium Coral was added onto the apples of the cheeks for a youthful glow. 

Eyes For the strong brow, Charlotte used Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil that is a shade or two darker than models’ natural brow. She also added Baby Lips Lip Balm in Quenched onto the eyelids to enhance the overall dewy effect. 

Lips Color Sensational Lipcolor in Very Cherry was dabbed in the center of the lips with fingertips to create a satined effect and a pouty pop of color. 

Nails To embody the height of ’60s SoHo sophistication, Kristina Estabrooks from CND crafted soft almond, nearly neon, coral “Power Nails” with two coats of CND Colour in Poppyfield and kept the toes clean and neutral with CND Colour in Desert Suede.

I love the strong brows and the dewy skin.

I'm definitely getting a lipliner, a waterproof mascara and a cream blush. And maybe some nail polish too so the boyfriend can practice painting my nails. lol

I'm broadcasting this to the world so I'll feel pressured and ashamed when I eat too much.

By August, I'm hoping to fit exercise and a healthy diet into my daily regimen. I ballooned to 120lbs from my normal 105-107lbs after college.  I blame all the beer and the massive hormonal changes from all the teenage vices I shamelessly indulged in, but that's the past so I'll try to go easy on myself for that.

Post-college and after employment, I found that losing weight is mothafucking hard - my body isn't as obedient, I have more money to spend on food and I have less time (and more excuses) to ward off exercise.

But that's all gonna change starting today. I'm tired of feeling awful after looking at myself in photos and until I'm happy with how I look like (lol good luck with that), I'll never stop.

I'll probably be taking some diet pills to help me get started then we'll see what happens after that.

The beautiful Diana of Kiss & Makeup tagged me! This is my first award ever and I think it's a bit premature but I think this is so sweet and a lot of fun! :)




THE RULES:

• List 7 FACTS about yourself
• Pass to 7 Bloggers
• Notify the 7 Lucky bloggers who got it.

ONE: I'm a patent engineer specializing in software patents. This means that I try to get U.S. inventions patented on a daily basis. The operative word here, of course, is try. haha. It may sound like a really boring job but it's cool and I love it.

We are bombarded with an insane number of beauty products in the market. The number can be quite overwhelming and if you're impatient and impulsive like me, you can become a victim of pretty packaging and nice words and end up buying crap that's not necessarily suited for you.

To guide everyone in their pursuit for perfect (or better) skin, it's imperative that we are all aware of some skin care misconceptions to avoid falling into the consumerism trap.

•  Natural and organic products are always better. Buyer, beware! Many natural and organic products are not as they claim. Plus, many times, active ingredients have to be synthesized to be bioavailable and efficacious. Synthetic compounds can actually be identical to those found in nature and be more effective. Natural vs. laboratory-processed should not lead to an up or down decision about whether a product is good or bad. Not all chemicals are bad, and not all natural or organic ingredients are good.

• Using larger quantities of a product will yield better results. Less is more. Normally, a pea-sized amount of facial product will do the trick. Excessive amounts can cause skin problems and waste money.

• Packaging is not important. Packaging in skin care is vitally important—not for aesthetic reasons—but to protect the efficacy of the ingredients. Wide-mouth jars, transparent containers and pumps that are not airless all pose problems in keeping ingredients safe and potent.