"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. ~Voltaire, War"

A soldier carrying a lifeless little girl's body

When was the last time you've given a good thought about the wars over Iraq and Israel? Honestly, all I did about it was to plainly know that people there are fighting over things they can't agree upon. I knew there were military funding, bombings, children forced to learn about guns, and a whole lot more of depressing things unimaginable.

Today, I stopped plainly knowing about it. I stopped the less needed sympathy and started empathizing with Iraq's and Israel's respective gloom.

I pray to God for strength to be patient with the meanest people I encounter in places. I ask God for prudence with the choice of words that comes out of my mouth. I ask God to bless me with the will to be as loving as Christ, especially when He faced those who hated Him.

It's a tough commitment to make, but I'm happy to be taking these few steps in my mini-contribution to world peace. It may not be as glorious as what other people can do to stop the war, but I know that I'm putting my heart into it. It will be hard and it will be a huge struggle for me (I'm soooo inclined to be mataray, maybe because of too much stress), but I am putting my heart into it with God's help.

If you are crushed by the little girl's lifeless body above, I hope you can be convinced that there must be something done to end the war. I hope that, rather than plainly sympathizing, we can empathize like the soldier. That we can choose to carry and hug the helpless child, rather than muttering, "Poor kid", and walk away.

Royally yours, Bleak

I'm so wistful thinking about:

1) Sigma Brushes - I've watched good reviews about it on youtube. Cheaper MAC's? Perhaps, even better!




2) Skin79 Shiny Pearl Water Drop BB Cream - see how cute it is! it really sparkles! LOLz. If you can refer me to a review on this prod, please do so. *hugs!*


Are you lemming on some stuff, too? C'mon, tell me! I'd love to know.

Royally yours, Bleak

Skinfood's Pineapple Hand Cream perfectly fits the summer season mainly because it smells like real pineapple. Before you get freaked out by the scent, let me tell you that it smells like pineapple... IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY. Everytime I put this on, my folks would tell me how nice it smells.

Skinfood Pineapple Hand Cream, 45mL
Around 600+PHP (~ 13)

The Edge:

• scent spells out summer: it's pineapple right at your fingertips! (pun intended)

• moisturizes the driest hands

• small amount should do; product goes a long way

Uh-ohs:

• feels kinda greasy if you accidentally put on too much

• tends to make the hands too shiny instead of moisturized-matte (perhaps because I don't have dry skin type)

• it's too liquefied. it should be a cream, duh!

Less is more: a little amount is good enough to minimize the ugly lines on your hand
and moisturize it!

(L): I accidentally squeezed out too much product
(R): Too flowy. I sort of expected a creamier prod

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ROYAL RATING: Spend-worthy? Not really. There are cheaper alternatives. I just use this product during special occassions, say, holding hands with boyfie *royal chuckle*. No, really. That's when I use it coz he loves the scent on my hands.
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Hands are so precious that it needs to be pampered after a long day's work. Why not try giving your hands some massage using a hand cream/lotion? It's a stress reliever for me!

Royally yours, Bleak

My very own dermatologist is my dermaroller! Yep, she does my dermaroller-ish treatment manually as she deems it more suited for my acne scars.

Dermarolling treatment promises a lot of beauty benefits such as finer pores, deep scar treatment, improved skin elasticity and diminished fine lines. You pay for a dermaroller kit (dermaroller plus the topical anesthesia) and you're off to around 5 to 6 sessions (depending on the gravity of your scars) of skin puncturing.

Dermaroller pics, choose your variant!
Outer two rollers offer a bigger area of dermarolling
Middle roller is a three-liner variant
Price range: 14,000PHP-40,000PHP (kit plus doctor's fee)

My procedure mimics dermarolling, but is a whole lot more tedious. Collagen induction or subcision is the hard (and meticulous) way of getting dermarolling's benefits. Thank God for such a passionate and honest dermatologist, she offered this taxing treatment (on her part) despite the fact that she can just mow my face with that dermaroller! She has this needle that she pushes onto my severely diffused acne pits. This technique allows scarring and eventually, deposition of collagen fibers above the scars.

Three hours post-subcision/collagen induction
Look at those huge pores!!!
Costs me: 1,oooPHP (suki price. LOL) along with glycolic and DP treatment


One week and 2 days after: still with scarring
Do not force the scab to get off your skin; don't even help them get loose

It took me a week and five days before I went back in action. I don't know but my scars take up so much time to heal. Some of those who undergo similar treatment take a week (or even less) for complete healing.

I noticed significant results when my scars healed completely. I had less obvious pores and the pits were more shallow this time! These pics were taken January 2009... my second session for subcision. The first treatment was last September 2008, where I noticed impressive results as well.

I hope I could afford fraxel (my derma tells me that this is the best option for me). But she doesn't offer this treatment just yet (imagine that! she was honest enough to recommend a treatment she has yet to offer) and besides, fraxel is waaay too expensive and I don't have the money for it (if I had the money, I'd go for it).

My MD, a fellow Thomasian: Sixta Foronda , M.D.

6F Aesthetic and Anti-Ageing Center
14/F Medical Plaza, Amorsolo St., Makati City

Treatments I avail from her: DP, Glycolic treatment, collagen induction, TCA, steroid injection for major zits

Royally yours, Bleak

It was love-at-first-slather.

I first used it on my elbow that was bound for a keloid scar. I got that wound from being dragged by my 9-month old pit who chased a ball while I was walking him (think: asphalted road kissing my skin. and i was too dumb not to let go of my pup's leash).

The wound I had was at its earliest stage of forming an ugly keloid when I used Revlon Aquamarine lotion on it. Thank God for friction massage plus Revlon Aquamarine's collagen-rich formulation, my wound skipped the trip bound to ugly keloidness (is there such a word?), and now, I can barely see the scar.

Revlon Aquamarine Body Lotion for Extra Dry Skin, 437 mL
Vitamin A and Collagen enriched
Purchased at Watson's (also availble in selected grocery marts), 140PHP (~ $3)

The Edge:

• cheaper than your Victoria's Secret, Calgon and B&BW haul

• softly scented; boyfie'll tell you, "ang bango mo naman!"

• love how easily it seeps through the skin! no greasy feel!

• it's a moisturizer and a keloid-buster in one (for keloids, use Revlon Aquamarine in conjunction with cross-fiber massage)
  

• skin gives a healthy glow after application

• stubborn and dry skin will truly be moisturized!

• a pea-size covers a big area because of its thick consistency. One big bottle lasts me three months daily use (AM and PM)
  

Uh-ohs:

• sooner or later, Revlon Aquamarine won't be available locally (my relatives in the US are having a hard time looking for this already. BTW, US stores sell this for a little over a dollar)
  

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ROYAL RATING: Spend-worthy? Absolutely! It should get an award. I'm giving it
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Slathering it on area B

You don't need to shell out a lot to get a superb body moisturizer. I say Revlon Aquamarine Lotion deserves to be tested. I've been using it for more than three years now since that fateful pulled-by-the-pup incident (he was technically a pup, he's just 9 months... weighing 27 kilos and with superb gameness). I sure hope you gals can try it out too and relate to the rave I'm doing on the web :)

What's your body lotion staple? Will you want to try Revlon Aquamarine out? Lemme know.

Royally yours, Bleak

Anti-cellulite creams and gels never tickled my fancy. I've experienced having those ghastly cottage cheese-like whatzits on my tummy and thighs (gawd, they're ugly!), but I never mooned over slathering on any of the anti-cellulite stuff. Why? Because I'd rather exercise and eat healthy. Thank God I got into a medical course that opened my eyes on how IMPORTANT these two are! It may sound so cliche-ish, but it remains a fact: a healthy lifestyle is the only way to go if you wanna look and feel good.

Truth #1: CELLULITE ISN'T AS SUPERFICIAL AS YOU THINK

How does cellulite form? It happens when your fat cells distort the connective tissue underneath the skin. If there's one good thing about cellulite, it is the fact that you are not alone. Everyone's bound to have them. Try pinching your thigh and you'll see the awful truth! Anybody can get them, and most people do, so don't feel like you're the only gal going through the blobby stage. Cellulite gets pretty ugly when they become visible (without pinching your tummy/butt/thigh) and it just totally ruins your look. This is a result of full-blown fat cells, and they're so huge that they're distorting your skin. Fat tissues are on a deeper level and not on a superficial note.

(Photo credits to: TheInsider.com)
Even the charming Kate Hudson has 'em, too!

Truth #2: GIRLS HAVE A BILLION MORE FAT CELLS THAN GUYS DO

Yep, we have more fat cells than you could even imagine. That's why in med school, we choose to dissect the male cadavers not because we, giggly girls, would love to see that dangling organ called the penis, but because female bodies are harder to dissect because of the chunk of fat.

Truth #3: OUR FAT CELLS ARE FIVE TIMES LARGER THAN THAT OF THE MALE'S

First, we have more fat cells than the dorks, now we have these things larger than ever! Hurrah! Now that you know how blessed we princesses are for being more prone to cellulite, it's time to accept that we are bound for that orange-peel look. Knowing these

stuff can help us get a clearer mind about issues instead of freaking out and doing dumb things we think will help us get rid of the problem.

Yes, they can effortlessly ruin your look

Truth #4: YOUR FAT CELLS ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

The only way for the full-blown fat cells to go down the drain is to get into an invasive medical procedure. Get a lipo if you have the money and the drive to get some serious beauty down-time. If you don't have both, then SHRINK 'EM FAT CELLS! Yup, shrinking them is the best thing if you really want to get a divorce with cellulite. Ya think those anti-cellulite gels and creams can seep through the skin and extract the excess fat? Think hard before you gimme an answer.

Truth #5: CELLULITE FORMATION IS GREATLY ATTRIBUTED TO BEING OVERWEIGHT.

I hope to see the experts bask in the glory of smoothing on these anti-cellulite creams and gels and claim that they're targetting to shrink some fat cells. The root of this cellulite problem is full-blown fat (that disrupts the tissues 'neath the skin). Fat cells are on a deeper level and your common topical prods will have a hard time giving you that sexy bod if you're plainly depending on 'em.

These are the awful truths about cellulite. It's either you get rid of the fat cells or you shrink them. Anti-Cellulite prods only serve as adjuncts to a healthy lifestyle in order to battle the ugly cellulite issue. Planning balanced meals and exercising regularly are your best swords for shrinking the fat cells, believe me.

Royally yours, Bleak

D&G's famous fragrance, Light Blue, is most probably included among the top ten perfumes worn by most women in our country. I love this scent not only because it draws a helluva 'ttention on the lcuky spritzer, but because it makes a girl fell like a real princess!
But because of the cost (I think a hundred mL bottle costs around 4,000+PHP or $100) and the fact that I'm not a perfume person, I just sniff and become wistful whenever a girl, wearing D&G Light Blue, passes me by.

Last year, I bumped into a D&G Light Blue Dupe, would you believe? It's at Jellybean, Trinoma.

Sicilian Kiss, eau de toilette
Bought at: Jellybean Boutique (branches at Trinoma, Megamall, Galleria, SM North, etc)
Amount: 199PHP (got this Nov '08) or ~ $4

The Edge:

• i swear by the claim that it is a total dupe of D&G Light Blue

• waaaaay cheaper

• locally available

• cute packaging! (but I believe that they changed it into a different container this year...booo!)

• since it is D&G Light Blue's dupe, you can make heads turn too at just a fraction of the real thing's cost!

Uh-ohs:

• smell fades in less than an hour

• you need to spray on quite a lot of the product (to make heads turn; but a little of it is good enough to bask in D&G Light Blue's heavenly scent)

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ROYAL RATING: Spend-worthy? Are you kidding me? It's 199 bucks... of course, it is! I am rating this D&G Light Blue Dupe: PERFECT!
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I have another variant, the Jellybean Margarita. I wore it on a date with boyfie and he tells me it smells like the old D&G. Eeeeep! Is Jelllybean duping D&G scents? Well, lucky me.

Jellybean Margarita, eau de toilette

Do you like D&G Light Blue, too? What is your much coveted scent? Fill me in, princesses!

Royally yours, Bleak

I never liked setting my foundie with a powder because it just ruins the entire look. Give me a handful of time, say 10 minutes, and I'd look like a soiled gal with a dirty face. Ulk. A royal turn-off, I must say.

But then came Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder (URFP). This is a setting/finishing powder made of I bought their translucent variant online and I have to say that I'm very, VERY, very, VEry impressed. I use my EDM FT brush for this to achieve that airbrushed look!

Aromaleigh URFP translucent, FULL-SIZE, 0.5 oz net vol
Ingredients: silica, mica and iron oxides
Amount: $13.75 (~ 670+PHP)+ $5 int'l shipping+ 35PHP customs tax (QCPO)

The Edge:

• totally masked my big pores giving me that soft focus

• eliminated that "dirty" look due to my oily T-zone

• kept me looking fresh throughout the day

• re-application needed only after several hours (it takes 6 hours for me to retouch)

• my sensitive skin didn't break out

• it made me look FLAWLESS!

• a teeny weeny amount is needed and Aromlaeigh's URFP full-size can go a looooong way (I say six months, daily application)

• ingredients are skin friendly, promising reduction of fine lines and imperfections.

Uh-ohs:

• not available locally

• the sifter jar makes it so easy to allow some powder to spill (what I did was I transferred some of the contents to another sifter jar so that I don't waste the precious URFP)

Look at how it perfectly fits my palm! Will certainly fit your purse, too!

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ROYAL RATING: Spend-worthy? Absolutely! We're giving it: PERFECT!
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I'm waiting for the peaches and cream variant I ordered a few weeks ago. Most gals claim that this surpasses the Aromaleigh URFP translucent. I can't imagine that there can still be something better than this! Good job, Aromaleigh!

What's your setting powder? Or are you like me that gets freaked out with how powders make the skin look weird?

Royally yours, Bleak

It was only this year when I realized how a complete skin care system can turn your life 360. I'm nearing the dreaded 30 and I just can't forgive myself for not knowing something as important as this! Cleanse, tone and moisturize (C-T-M): three easy steps to gorgeous skin. Just this past month, I started to use real facial cleansers (and finally gave my regular soap a break from interacting with my zits), a toner, and a moisturizer.

In a week's time, I couldn't believe my eyes at the huge difference that the C-T-M method can do! I've grown to love every budding zit that sits on my face (I've had them since third grade), and I didn't know if I'd jump for joy to not see pimples lurking on my forehead, cheek and nose OR if I'd start musing where in the world my acne have gone to. *royal chuckle* Needless to say, I'm one happy (and aging) gal to have finally found the right road to good skin!

While it may be difficult to develop the discipline to religiously cleanse, tone and moisturize the face, the fruits of such labor can be among the most rewarding things a girl can ever have. I've always planned on skipping the ritual since I'd rather sleep right away after a night's hot bath. But I was able to manage to convince myself that this was a good skin regimen, after all, it was the only skin regimen I have.

If you're still not into this skin care system, know that every girl HAS TO CLEANSE, TONE, AND MOISTURIZE! Its coveted effects may not be as drastic as how fast I achieved them (I noticed the glow a few weeks after), but it will surely pay off in the long run... and you'll remember your Scorecard Princess for it!

Are you in a skin regimen already? At what age did you start it? Lemme know!

Royally yours, Bleak