Nope, this isn't a weird fetish of mine. It just hit me that amped up lower lashes (that's not over the top!) can be a great way to get others give you that second look.

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Here are a couple of drool-worthy lashes from real people:

There are some lucky girls who can use a normal false eyelash as top and bottom lashes:

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Which can be really too much for certain eye shapes:

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She's got pretty eyes, but the specific falsies she used had an overly thick base that didn't flatter her. Would it have made a difference if she glued on something with a thinner false eyelash base? Or, cut the falsies to fit only the outer 1/3 of her lower lashline? Let's see...

Falsies applied on the outer 1/3 of her lower lashline

Now, you can also get yourself some falsies that were made for the lower lashes. Let's look at Jae here:

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She even showed us how a set of lower lash falsies can make a difference. Her right eye sans the lower lash falsies, while the left eye a bit more dramatic with the falsies:

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Ekimura shows you the difference, too! Her right eye's the one with false lower lashes.

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Different types of lower lash falsies:

Photo collated from HERE

Interested in experimenting with your lower lashes? Do tell me about it if you get the chance to dress them up! Pictures will be appreciated :)

Now, it's beginning to become a weird fetish...

Just when I thought I've tried all sorts of facial masks, Purederm's Cell Illuminating Hydro Pure Gel Mask comes along. Okay, so there are sheet masks, cream masks, peel-off ones and clay masks. Imagine my excitement when I was given a gel mask to try out! Sweet!

Purederm Cell Illuminating Hydro Pure Gel Mask, P199.75 ($5)
available at Watson's and SM Beauty

Products says (taken from Purederm.ph, with a few edits):

Packed with high-moisturizing ingredients that penetrate deep into the skin to deliver results. You will notice that the mask becomes thinner in time, as the active ingredients get absorbed into your skin.

It contains Arbutin, Green Tea Extract, Betaglucan, Vitamin E and other natural ingredients to clarify uneven skin tone and lighten spots for a brighter, pearly translucent complexion.

It's interesting to note that a beauty product as simple as this can be infused with a number of cool-sounding stuff in it. Let's dissect:

Arbutin - a more expensive form of hydroquinone; mainly used in skin lightening

Green Tea extracts - known chemicals to be stronger antioxidants for the body than vitamin C and E; its antiseptic and anti inflammatory properties are known to improve facial problems

Betaglucan - known for its ability to induce collagen formation and skin restructuring leading to lesser appearance of wrinkles and fine lines

Vitamin E - the key to natural skin beauty; prevents cell aging due to oxidation; softens skin scar tissue to minimize its appearance; also reduces the appearance of dark spots and other skin discoloration

Purederm's Hydro Gel Mask is truly a luxurious treat for the face. I love how different it feels versus other mask types --- it just feels so regal.

Pros:

Immediate effects I noted were a "calmer" aura for my face and a purely clean feel to it. Something you'd always expect from masks, really. I didn't see anything worth raving about at this point.

The mask is quite big for my small face. The upper and lower masks
should not really overlap. See girl's face on photo above.

Gooey gel-like mask.  This is pure luxe!

Cons:

This mask type is such a pain to use! It may have instructions and illustrations at the back, but it's not your usual easy-on mask. This baby is also a bit pricey. It's 200 bucks ($5)/pack... masks usually costs 30-80 bucks. I might just wait for Purederm sales to come along and check out if this mask goes 50% off!

It will take more than one mask for me to conclude that this stuff lives up to what it promises to do. If you have a couple of extra bucks and would love to try the regal feeling of a hydro gel mask, Purederm Cell Illuminating Hydro Pure Gel mask is for you. However, since I am rather hesitant to shell out a few hundred bucks for a single-use mask, I opt to buy other Purederm masks out there (hello dual well-being mask at 40 bucks!) that delivers just as well. 

Last night was just frustrating. I had to delay a beauty post today to make way for a statement:

"Mongrels (those dogs that aren't purebred) are beautiful, too!"

Chatted with an old pig last night who coolly professed to wanting all mongrels dead (by running over them) because of how ugly they looked and how they trashed the streets with their emaciated looks. He babbled about how much he knew about various dog breeds and how expensive his purebreds were. Gaaaah! 

By the time he got so full of himself, to which I silently gave disapproving nods to, I threw him a picture I got from my wallet as I took off. I gave that arrogant pig a photo of my decade-old mongrel, Boggart:

This is my Boggart, my mongrel, and I love him so much.

"Mongrels are beautiful, too!" I shouted back at him as tears welled from my eyes. I was totally pissed but congratulated myself for not punching his face (yes, I can be very violent) while he glorified himself in that 10-minute chat we had.

For those who have been reading my blog, you know how much I love animals. While there are those that scare me or do not tickle my fancy, I never resented their existence. I know that there is beauty to every living thing and the weird- or freaky-looking ones just need more time to be appreciated.

I am just in pure shock (and in tears) thinking about how many other condescending people hate mongrels to the point of wishing them ill (or wanting to run over them!). And to all those poor mutts who've been a little less lucky for being a mixed breed, you are all beautiful to me.

I'm obviously not happy with how Close Up White Now fared on my pearly whites (well, they're not so white that's why I gushed about this breakthrough product when I learned about it). Perhaps because I've set my standards way too high on this that I threw the idea of it being just another "whitening" toothpaste.

Close Up White Now Toothpaste

However, the box says 'White Now'.

And so I was smitten. It promises an instantly whiter teeth c/o a potent ingredient, blue covarine foam, which will cause the instantly white effect that can last up to 3 hours. How in the world can a girl not fall for a teeth makeup? Closeup White Now is a breakthrough! Or so I thought it was.

After brushing, I slowly (imagine, real slow) lifted my head from looking at the sink to the mirror. There was some drama to it because this IS the first time I'm using a teeth makeup and I felt like crying. But to my dismay, I didn't see anything different, even to the slightest degree. Nada. Nil, zilch and void.

Michelle Phan Endorsement

For a product that promises an instantly white teeth (for 3 hours), the verdict can be delivered in no more than a minute post-brushing. I could've crucified Close Up White Now that very instant but decided to still give it a chance. 

Down to the last drop, I never saw anything great. Though it made my teeth squeaky clean and the flavor was truly refreshing, sadly, it was just another toothpaste. If there's any consolation, it did not cause me chin zits the entire time I used it.

Close Up White Now gel sure looks enticing!
I failed to capture the blue-ish part of the product.

It could've been my teeth or the way I brush, I wouldn't know. But I really felt terrible that Close Up White Now didn't work for me as a teeth makeup.