Warmth in Photography

beauty staples

It's a gloomy Saturday morning and it hasn't rained in a while thus explains todays downpour. The cold is finally starting to mellow unlike these past few days that I had to use a hot bag to keep myself warm. The first quarter of the year is always the coldest here up north. ⛄

Skin, our largest organ..

The biggest challenge living in cold climates is how to protect your skin from becoming uber dry and your lips from chapping so I always lather my skin with coconut oil. Applying make up when your skin is beginning to peel due to the cold weather can be annoying so keep your face moisturized everyday. Seriously, coconut oil is such a cheap and healthy alternative and is a good body warmer too.

Speaking of make up, let me share my everyday beauty staples through flat lay photography. I love nude tones if you may have noticed. 

Eyes

• Etude House liquid eyeliner (black) - I'm allergic to other liquid eyeliners but this one works for me plus it's long wearing. You may need to rub it with oil or facial wash to take it off. 
• Etude House Drawing Eye Brow - I switched from ELF's eyebrow treat & tame to this one because eyebrow pencils are easier to use only if your hands aren't shaky. You can use it in no time if you're in hurry, just finish rimming the edges with your preferred concealer (I use Glamoflauge for this). 
• W7 In The Nude (Natural Nudes eye colour palette) - It has all nude eyeshadow tones you may be looking for, perfect for everyday wear. 
• Elf eye primer (not in photo) 

Lips

• Nyx soft matte lip cream in London - One of my faves, the buttery smell is really good plus it glides perfectly when applied.  
• Baby Lips in electropop lip balm 

Face

• In2it UV shine control pressed powder - It's long wearing as well and does not cake. 
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer in medium - I've been using this for ages and it's really perfect to conceal those under eye circles. It is also long wearing and just a little bit of it would go a long way. 
• Revlon Photo ready airbrush effect foundation (i forgot to include in the photo) - I love the glossy finish when applied with moisturizer first. I don't think this would even require any face primer. Also long wearing. 
• City Color Contour Effects - bronzer, contour, highlighter in one. 

accidental bunny ears. From 

Pringles can to diy trash bag holder.

Repurposed Pringles Can..

My latest easy peasy project, a Pringles can. This time around I decided to create something useful to store all those plastic grocery bags although I'm hoping that someday our country will totally phase out using plastic bags because they're extremely harmful to the ozone layer once you burn them and might as well just use those sturdy recycled paper bags instead of plastics. I just used burlap, some ribbons, glue sticks and recycled paper flower for this project. 

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December at Last

Finally done with my Christmas shopping yesterday and boy I was really exhausted. I decided to shop for Christmas presents all at once 'cuz this season is busy enough and I despise last minute shopping. The thing was, herds of people have done the same yesterday so it felt like a last minute shopping all of a sudden! Well, what choice do I have right? Anyways, I wrapped all my presents so that all I need for Christmas is to prepare for Noche Buena and I should be on my nook in weeks to come lol. Christmas season, the best time to be on hiatus. 

Diy Project..

I have decided to upgrade my message board because it suddenly became crowded and unable to accommodate my sister and I's receipts, paper bills etc. So, I dropped by at the fabric store yesterday as well to get myself some tapestry for my diy message board. The textile shop have all fabric type you could ever imagine (kinda like the ones you see on Project Runway where designers run to whenever they have a new challenge). Anyways, I picked the black velvet tapestry one with silver leaves and flowers because black, as always, need not to be overly ornate just to be striking. I worked on this project for less than an hour with the help of glue sticks. This project just cost me less than Php500 as the tapestry was less than Php200/yard.

Munch Time..

I was totally starving after my Christmas shopping yesterday so my sister took me to this local pastry shop/cafeteria along the way as it's brand new and cozy so she wants me to try their milk tea which I gladly did. The place is called Victoria Bakery and it was really cozy inside. I loved the hanging plants because I'm fond of succulents and aerial plants myself. The place exudes this earthy vibe plus their milk teas were pretty affordable too. The Blueberry milk tea only cost around Php75 if I'm not mistaken which made me also try their Banana Cream since the tub just cost roughly fifty something I think. Their hot Matcha green tea latte wasn't as good though and I love matcha lattes but theirs has this overpowering milk taste than matcha. Nonetheless, I loved the look of the place, t'was dimly lit and the flooring was spanking new. 

Cat Momma..

Bought him his new collar
before his trip to the vet

It's a good thing I don't have work today because I was able to take my cat to the vet since he's been really grumpy lately and hisses at everyone who touches him due to his swollen right arm which he might've acquired after a terrible cat fight. The vet suggested an x-ray to rule out fracture which I of course complied except the vet clinic's x-ray machine is busted and my sissy and I had to drive roughly 10KM (round trip) just to take my poor cat to a vet clinic with a working x-ray machine gadh. The good thing was, he did not sustain any fracture and was just prescribed anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic meds. 

It was just an ordeal though to get him to the x-ray table because my cat isn't very easy to deal with and he can get very aggressive (hisses and scratches) when he's in pain so the vet needed to pin him down the x-ray table and tape his paws and muzzle on his mouth so he wouldn't scratch and bite which really broke my heart because I know how stressful it was for him. I promised myself never to take him on that same vet clinic for x-ray ever again. I hope the vet could've been easy on him and did not use too much force just to get the x-ray done and over with. Animals, no matter how big or small deserve to be treated with care, there's always a subtle way to get things done really because they're like kids. They're like babies, helpless especially when they're in pain and ailing. On a lighter note, my cat was loved by many at the vet clinic because he was the only cat patient early today since all patients were dogs lol 😂. 

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Underneath the Clouds

"I want my own rain cloud" I said to myself when I saw one on Pinterest! Since it’s DIY, I did not buy anything for this project and just used whatever materials I have at home. It’s not that difficult to make neither because the materials are easy to find and cost very cheap as well. Ok, so here’s a rundown of what you will need to make your DIY cloud. For instructions, you may check out this youtube video, I found it very useful :)

Here’s my very own diy cloud light. 

(Music: Ocean of Noise by Arcade Fire)

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Dream Away

I Finally finished my third DIY dream catcher today which I started making few days ago. For some reason, I found it quite easier to make compared to round dream catchers. I made it from scraps as usual. I used some BBQ sticks, cotton yarn, feathers, beads and jute twines. The yarn was a little tedious to weave though because of the triangular hoop. My only concern, I hope my cat will not tear this new dream catcher apart when it gets bored because this one is quite fragile since it's made from BBQ sticks. It was quite fun to make although it does not serve its real purpose as it's supposed to be placed on top of the bed. Yeah whatever, I'll always be fond of dream catchers. ❤

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A Sorta Pet Tag

I have been scouring the internet for dog and cat name tags and I found them pretty pricey. I understand though because they’re made from either brass or stainless piece of metal that’s why and the names are digitally engraved as well. The price is less of my concern actually because there are so many options online to choose from. The weight is what somehow bothers me most ‘cuz it’s made from melted metal. 

Our dog Yumi for sure is able to deal with that but not my cat Atari. He’s kind of easily bothered by anything dangling and trust me he is because the first time I gave him his collar, he went crazy over the jingle bell sound in his neck. I purposely wanted a bell in his collar so that everyone in the household would know whenever Atari is approaching. It is an impending disaster since Yumi and Atari are both residing indoors and they just won't co-exist peacefully. Every time Yumi yelps, Atari for sure is around. We just cannot resolve this anymore because Atari grew up without Yumi and vice versa. There are days when they don’t mind the presence of each other but most of the time they do. 

Ok, so going back, I thought of another DIY project for Yumi and Atari. Something feather light, something cute…hmmm..then I figured buttons would be the best match because it's round and I have those cute decorative ones handy, the ones I just bought from the craft store. I always make sure I have buttons for my DIY projects. 

Materials:

• Button (about the size of a .25c coin)
• Quick dry Natural/Clear nail polish
• Baker’s twine
• Candle
• Print out of your pet’s name
• Hair Dryer
• Scissor

Cut the print out and make sure it fits the size of the button perfectly. The front should bear your pet’s name (font size should be at least 8-10 depending on how lengthy the name is) whilst the back should have the owner’s address and phone number. Make sure to limit the characters. I reduced the font size to 8. 

I used a baker’s twine so I could attach it to the collar. I lit a candle and used the wax from it so that the twine is able to pass through the button’s hole. It will serve as a chain so that the button dangles from the collar. 

The last step is to apply clear nail polish on the button to sort of glue the cut outs to it then apply a second coat to give the cut outs a glossy finish and also to avoid the paper from getting wet/collect dust. You may use a hair dryer to dry the buttons out or just let it air dry under the heat of the sun. Allow few minutes and there goes yer DIY pet tag. 

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diy from scraps

I Finally got the jute twine rolls and chalk pen I ordered last week from this shop on Instagram that sells mason jars, jute twines, label stickers etc.  I was so excited that I started decorating my spice canisters right away. I'm thinking of ordering some burlaps as well because I saw a lot of really cool ideas from Pinterest and who knows I might even think of selling them one day.

my diy message board, still
halfway through...

Today, I made a small message board from an old hang-in-the-wall decor. I used the back of it, braided few string of jute twines, thumb tacks, label stickers, my chalk pen and it's partly done. I'm thinking of few more addition to it but I'm still collecting some more materials. I'm not happy wit it yet because it feels empty to me.

posted from Bloggeroid

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