Marionette

GAMES OVERLOAD - HOW I COPE WITH STRESS LATELY :)

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 02:23:00 +0000

Hi guys! I know I rarely post anything here on my blog. To tell you honestly, I always felt tired and sleepy lately. But I am good!

Life has been a cycle recently. So whenever I couldn't focus on anything, I have to find something enjoyable to do, so I turn to play some computer games. I remember back when there was no internet, computers came with the solitaire game. I enjoyed playing it back then but was never became good at it. I stumbled upon a free website called solitaire.org which offers many free games to play. The best part? Their website doesn't have ads so you can enjoy a fast gaming experience. You don't even have to download them!

Although their flagship game is solitaire, their website offers other collections of games across a number of categories. They have card games like the casino-type ones that I wasn't really interested in at all, different mahjong games, hidden objects, match 3, logic puzzles, and word games.

I tried almost everything on the site and overall, I enjoyed them! But let me tell you my top 3 favorites.

Third place goes to the Match 3 category.

Match 3

These are basically games inspired by Candy Crush tile games and Zuma ball shooter games.

Candy Fiesta

Out of their 7 Match 3 games, my favorite was the Candy Fiesta, because who did not got addicted to Candy Crush before? I love matching all the same colored candies and racking up those scores. This game is not timed and you are given 65 moves to score as many points as you can.

Zuma Legend

I also enjoyed playing the Zuma Legend. The goal is to create sets of 3 or more balls in a row to remove them from the chain before it gets to the end. Honestly, it's harder than it looks! I failed level 1 multiple times before I was able to win it.

Moving on to my 2nd placer favorite.

Hidden Object

I can not stress enough how much I enjoy playing hidden object games. I discovered so many new words just by playing hidden object games on my phone before. But the hidden object games on this website show pictures of the objects or the numbers you have to find.

There are 8 different scenes to choose from and a variety of ways to play each game setting. I am not very good at finding numbers but I am keen on trying to find objects. Some of my favorite scenes are the Garden Secrets, The Palace Hotel & the Hidden Kitchen.

These are some scenes from the Garden Secrets

Some scenes at the Palace Hotel

Some scenes from the Hidden Kitchen

It gets really hard to find the objects especially if the scenes have too many things around them or are too cluttered. But nevertheless, I had a great time playing these traditional hidden object games. I was delighted by playing the hidden kitchen the most since I am a fan of all the amazing kitchen settings on all 10 levels!

Mahjong

It might sound boring to many, but the Mahjong games were actually my favorite of them all. It's easy and fun and lets me relax more than the other games. You are simply matching two open tiles to remove them from the playing field. There are many kinds to choose from. But I was entertained by playing the Animal Connection and the Cooking Mahjong the most.

Animal Connection

This cute animal-themed mahjong has fun tiles to play with. It's a little different from the classic mahjong game. In this game, you have to connect animal pieces in a direct line or a line that turns 90 degrees no more than twice and does not touch any other tiles. You can choose to play between easy, normal, and hard settings in quick matches or enjoy more challenging timed puzzle matches.

Animal Connection Mahjong

Cooking Mahjong

I love cooking so this Cooking Mahjong became an instant favorite. The idea of the game is to cook the indicated recipes on top of the screen by matching the ingredients needed. The first 4 levels have 4 recipes with 3 ingredients each and the tiles increase in numbers as you finished each level. At first, I have to constantly look at the photo recipe before I get the hang of it. When you reach level 5, there's one additional recipe. So that's another 3 ingredients you have to remember to match, on top of the other recipes. This will go on until level 8 and when you reach level 9, another recipe is added. So you now have 6 recipes with 3 ingredients each to remember and match. After you reach level 13, another recipe is added, with a total of 7 recipes and 3 ingredients each you have to remember. It gets challenging but definitely enjoyable for me to play. That doesn't stop there! This game has 25 levels. So when you reach level 17, guess what?! Yes! Another recipe with 3 ingredients is added. Now, we have a total of 8 recipes to remember. Unfortunately, I only made it to level 20 multiple times I tried. But I am not giving up until I reach the last level. It may take me a while though.😁

It's really good to have an outlet when you're feeling unproductive and tired. For others, it could be just laying around, some do writing a journal or reading a book, and others might binge-watch a TV series or two. Or might play some online games like I do!

No matter what you do, please remember that you are not alone in feeling stressed, lonely, tired and exhausted. You don't always have to power through. Most of the time, it's better to listen to your body and mind and just pause, relax, and take your time to regain your strength back, no matter how you choose to do it.

So, what game caught the most of your interest in solitaire.org games? Let me know in the comment section!

Best Places to Get a College Education in California

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Thu, 05 May 2022 21:32:00 +0000

I have been to California a couple of times and I love its robust economy and rich mixture of cultures. It's a huge place that offers a lot of opportunities.

The west coast is also known for its laid-back attitude, sunny skies, and sandy beaches. It also has some of the best higher education options you can find in the country.

If you’re a prospective student looking at apartments for rent in Irvine, consider one of these colleges.

Stanford University

Ivy League school Stanford is one of the most elite institutions in the nation. Be warned that getting in is tough.

It’s a very selective university, accepting only 5 percent of its applicants.

It’s also costly, with an average price tag of $72,200 for the 2019-2020 school year for those who did not have any grants.

If you do get in, you’ll learn from the very best in the nation. Stanford’s faculty includes 32 MacArthur Fellows, 17 Nobel Laureates, and four Pulitzer Prize winners.

Stanford offers students over 625 on-campus groups to choose from, two museums, and an arts district on the grounds.

Stanford graduates also find much success after leaving school. Recent graduates have reported earning nearly $77,000 annually within the three years after graduation. This is a salary that’s 21 percent higher than comparable schools.

California Institute of Technology

CalTech is one of the world’s leading technological and research universities. It offers 28 undergraduate and 30 graduate degree options with an emphasis on engineering and the sciences.

Historically, students have been privy to participate in world-class research opportunities, like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory or the Einstein Papers Project.

Like Stanford and other elite colleges, tuition is high at more than $75,000 for those without grants. The acceptance rate here is a bit higher than at Stanford, at 8 percent.

But similar to other top-tier institutions, graduates stand to earn a good wage upon graduation. CalTech graduate salaries average around $80,000 annually.

CalTech has over 150 student groups, a performing arts venue, and a series of seminars on campus.

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley is one of the founding members of The Association of American Universities and was established in 1868.

It has many notable alumni that include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and author Joan Didion, as well as 31 Nobel Laureates. Berkeley also churns out more Peace Corps volunteers than any other university.

There are over 120 majors, over 1,000 student organizations, and approximately 30 sports teams on campus.

This public university has an acceptance rate of 17% and tuition sits around $40,000 for students in-state. Recent graduates report a median salary of $68,300.

California State University, Long Beach

Cal State-Long Beach is the largest of the 23-school California State University system. It’s also one of the biggest schools in the state with 32,000 undergrads.

The Beach is an affordable option for students, and seven in 10 receive some type of grant or scholarship to help pay for schooling. Costs average about $10,300 a year.

There are 63 undergraduate, 65 graduate, and 4 doctoral degree programs to choose from over a range of subjects.

It’s a Hispanic-Serving institution as nearly half the student population is Hispanic, and most students are native to the state.

So, which one do you think would be your best bet? Whatever it is, I hope you make the best out of your stay! All the best on your apartment and University hunt.

The Cows of Calgary: A Visitor's Guide to the Udderly Art Legacy Pasture

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 01:47:00 +0000

Have you ever been fascinated by something and suddenly found yourself learning intently learning about it? This is what today's post is all about. A fascination that resulted in the desire to share the interesting things I've learned.

During the pandemic, my hidden desire to travel has been extra strong. But with all the protocols, restrictions, and risks of traveling, I resorted to the internet to bring me and discover interesting places.

I happened to stumble upon Calgary, Alberta, and some of its captivating history.

Calgary is a city that holds on tight to its history of ranching and cattle raising.

Although times have changed and it’s becoming a tech hub, it still respects and cherishes the history it came from. Because of this, it almost shouldn’t surprise anyone that one of its biggest art exhibits is a herd of fiberglass cattle!

If all of this sounds strange to you, these are the top things you should know about the Udderly Art Legacy Pasture and what it means to the people of Calgary.

What is the Udderly Art Pasture?

In 2000, when most people were excited and hopeful about the new millennium, a major art organization decided that it would be a great idea to create a community art project. Named 'Udderly Art,' the project attempted to connect modern Calgary with its long history with cows.

One hundred twenty-five large white fiberglass cows were created and sold to local businesses and individuals for $5,000 each. They could paint and decorate them however they wanted and set them on whatever property they had a right to.

Many companies jumped at the chance and personalized the cows to advertise their shops, decorating them to match with logos and fun, quirky nods to the city's past.

Many of these cows were later sold at auction after being donated by the shops that bought them, making over a million dollars for Canadian and American charities. Seventeen of them now live downtown near the Centennial Parkade, in a cute little pasture of cows called the Udderly Art Legacy Pasture.

Some are still visible in the city itself, but these are becoming harder and harder to stop.

Is This Public?

Yes! You can visit the Udderly Art Legacy Pasture and pet the cows whenever you want to. However, the ones within the city itself are more fun to find, like an Easter egg hunt, so don't be afraid to keep looking for them even after leaving Legacy Pasture.

What Do Others Think of Them?

Most Calgary locals love these cows because they show off their commitment to the arts and its history. They've become a kind of symbol to the locals, and merch of the different cows can be found on everything from bags to tee-shirts: some have even gotten a cow or two tattooed!

Can I Take Pictures of Them?

Absolutely! Most cows won’t be repainted or changed in any way since they're a part of the city's history, so don't be afraid to take a picture with them so you can prove you were there! There are hashtags for many of the cows since they have unique names like Midnight Cowgirl and Chew-Choo, so make sure to check out their social media presence while you're there!

Are There New Cows?

Unfortunately, there currently aren't any plans to add more cows. Although they're popular, most are tucked away and harder to find than affordable Calgary homes for sale. If you ask around, you may find someone who knows where one is hidden, but no new cows are currently in the plans.

Is this a place you'll be interested in visiting one day? I surely want to go visit and explore more of Calgary!

My Road Test Experience: Dade City Pasco County Office Edition

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 18:01:00 +0000

Woah! I can't believe I've been driving on my own for two months now!

I apologize for not being able to update you all! I had intended to but got sidetracked by so many things.

So here's my driving test update! Those of you who read my previous blog about my failed first attempt in the Wesley Chapel office might be wondering what happened next.

Anyway, here it is! In all honesty, after failing the first time, I was discouraged and nervous about trying again. However, thanks to my husband, who happened to be my driving instructor, I never stopped practicing as he always encouraged me to do so. Sadly, he is no longer willing to take me back to the Wesley Chapel office to retake the test. He told me to wait until our own DMV reopened, which is about one month after I took my first road test. I considered it a blessing since it gave me ample time to practice and gain more confidence in driving.

On October 15, 2021, the Tax Collector/DMV office reopened in Dade City. Since then, I've been refreshing the online appointment site every day, but there was still no schedule. Through their Facebook page, Pasco County Tax Collector Office I contacted them and they've been so responsive. I was told the appointments will be available for booking in the system by October 20. Furthermore, I was told that if I live in Pasco, I can come to the office even without an appointment before 2 pm. However, since I always like to have a scheduled appointment, I went online on Wednesday, October 20, and booked my road test. I picked Friday so my husband only has to miss half a day of work. The earliest date and time I could get was 9:05 am on October 29.

My week went by so fast, and although I wasn't nervous before my driving test, reality hit me the morning I had to take it. "I can do this!" I told myself in the back of my head while I was trying to calm myself down.

Since I am also very excited, I woke up at my usual time of 6 am and was dressed and ready by 7 am. That's right, I was ready 2 hours early. It was my last practice before I took the test, so I thought I would at least get the hang of it early as I wanted to be able to pass this time. First, we stop to get my husband's contact lenses, then we head over to the DMV. Around 8:30 AM, we arrived at the DMV. As I wasn't sure exactly where to park, we chose to park in the regular parking area and ask inside when I checked in.

The office was newly renovated, and since it was almost Halloween, most employees were dressed up in costumes. I checked in at the receptionist's desk and informed her that I was here for my road test. I was then given a number and told to wait for a call and to have my documents ready.

Observing from our seats, my husband and I looked around. I noticed two men at the corner where I checked in who appeared to be road testers. We both hope to get the kinder-looking one instead of the one that looks more serious. The wait seems to be around 5 minutes or less. When my number was called, I voluntarily gave all the documents I had with me - my learner's permit, our car insurance, and registration. After taking all the documents, she asked us to take a seat while she made copies. Then, she called us back to ask for an updated registration, since the one I had handed her expired last June. When I looked at the envelope, there was nothing else on it. I started panicking and told my husband I would try to go back into the car to check. Since I assumed I would be faster than him, I walked-ran into the parking lot. During my search through the car, I became really anxious, panicking, and hyperventilating a bit. But despite my efforts, I could not find it. Upon calling my husband, I informed him it was nowhere to be found. His response was that I should go back to the office. Sadly, I return to the office, thinking my road test will probably be canceled.

Fortunately, they actually called me back because they had printed it out after searching it on the computer. The lady even gave us a copy. She then told me she would be taking my photo first, so I had to step back into the whiteboard nearby and look at the camera. It is worth noting that this office took my photo before the road test, as opposed to the Wesley Chapel office. After returning my documents, she asked me to sit down and wait for my test administrator to pick me up.

It was a quick wait, and I was glad to see the tester I was hoping to have for the day. He was nice and friendly, so I felt more relaxed. My husband had to stay behind, and as my road tester and I walked towards the parking lot, he happily greeted everyone. In our small talk, he seemed really nice and happy, and that helps me a great deal.

When we finally got to the car, he just sat down in the passenger seat. There was no initial vehicle inspection. I also had to ask him if he wanted the window down. He just said, "Okay, let's do it". Following that, he read me the mandatory information, which basically stated that he wouldn't be asking me to do anything illegal, and no trick question would be asked during the test. Afterward, he asked me if I had any questions, and I simply answered no.

Then he assessed the surroundings and gave me directions on where to go. We went to the empty parking lot closest to our current location. It seems like a place where testing maneuvers were actually done. He told me to do a quick stop first, then a straight backing, followed by straight-in parking between cones in that empty parking lot. Following all the maneuvers, he praised me for a job well done. This gave me more confidence and I felt less nervous.

I was instructed to drive out of the parking lot and onto the street, which led to several stop signs and traffic lights. Driving down 6th St., I turned left at the stop sign toward Martin Luther King Blvd. After the traffic light turned green, we traveled straight and turned left on 11th St. We took the first road on the right, which is Beauchamp Ave. At the second stop sign, the road tester asked me to turn right on 12th St. At that point, the road tester instructed me to make my last maneuver - the three-point-turn, also known as the K-turn. While I practiced this maneuver multiple times with my husband on a very narrow road, I was surprised to find that the road where I actually did it was a bit wider. I felt like it was the easiest three-point-turn I've ever done since I learned how to drive. Even my tester seemed pleased.

I was then instructed on how to drive back to the Pasco Tax Collector's building. While I'm still feeling a little nervous, I am satisfied with how I fared on my test compared to the first attempt. We arrived safely at the building's parking lot, and all I remember hearing was him telling me I did a great job. Having missed the part where he said congratulations, I asked him if I passed as we walked towards the building. Then he jokingly said: "Where were you when I congratulated you on doing a great job? Yes, you passed!" I was so excited and delighted to tell my husband about the good news.

The road tester then told me to wait while he prepared the remaining paperwork and printed my license.

I told my husband about the good news and we waited for the lady who handled our documents earlier to call us back. She congratulated me and asked me to verify all information that would be printed on my license, and she asked me some questions about restrictions and/or physical and mental health requirements. In addition, she asked me if I wanted to keep my learner's license as a souvenir and I gladly said yes. The process was completed in a few minutes, and the next thing I knew, I had all my documents and my new driver's license in my hand.

All I can tell you is that my experience at the Dade City Pasco Tax Collector's Office was pleasant and quick. Everyone was very kind to us and helped us with a smile on their faces. It was definitely a day to remember!

There you have it! Another achievement unlocked for me. Hopefully these experiences - failure, and success - gave you motivation and inspiration to reach your goal no matter how difficult it may seem. Keep on trying! Success comes to those who never gave up in the first place. 😄

Blast from the past: Games edition

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 02:33:00 +0000

Do you like videogames?

To most 80's kids, like myself, that would be like asking if you like Pizza, Rollerskating or Mtv. They were such an iconic piece of culture growing up. I still have fond memories of hitting the arcade at the corner of our local supermarket - the shining lights, the high-pitched three bit soundtracks, the ringing of high scores and tickets being won... can't beat it! But it wasn't always possible to hit the arcades - those cost money. Thankfully, the home entertainment systems were right around the corner, and suddenly, we could bring the arcade games we so loved to play home.

Looking back, there have been a number of these awesome retro videogames that I absolutely loved to play as I was growing up, and some of them actually bring back really fond memories. So, in the spirit of nostalgia, I'd like to look back on some games that I used to play.

The first game I ever played in a Nintendo Family Computer (FamiCom) was Super Mario Bros. We used to borrow it from our neighbor and I really enjoyed playing it! Oh, how classic!

Image from Google (click photo to original source)

When we first got a home computer, Space Cadet 3D Pinball was so popular. It was so fun to play plus you didn't need any internet connection to play.

Space Cadet 3D Pinball (photo from Google, click to see original source)

And who can ever forget the Spider Solitaire? I strongly belive, if not all of us, most of us (in my generation anyway) had played it. Right?

Spider Solitaire (image from Google, click link to original source)

And of course, my favorite game to play was the Microsoft Mahjong! For some reason, this game entertained me the most. It was just fun to match the tiles and see them be gone pair by pair.

Mahjong (image from Google, click photo to original source)

Of course, there were a handful of games that I never really understood, but have become classics to some retro gamers: Minesweeper, Pipe Dream and SkiFree. I guess I was not really the 'thinker' one so these games weren't fun for me at all.

While I was reminicing, I stumbled upon this online website that offers free games and I saw some iconic games that made me feel more nostalgic. The website is called Plays.org.

I found different types of Pinball games!

They also have different kinds of Solitaire. And they even have a Mahjong Solitaire that I have to try it!

I was pretty much addicted to the Mahjong Solitaire and played it the most. I slowly became a pro at it too. 😆 I started by clearing the board in 20 minutes down to clearing it in just 5 mins and 49 seconds. And I am not even done trying to lower the time down.

First try :)

It was really fun! I can sit all day just playing this Mahjong Solitaire. And did I already mention that this site is free? You can play hundreds of diferent kinds of games for free and can easily choose a game category of your liking.

Then the age of smart phones emerge. You can do almost everything with it and even play games. I remember I was also once hooked on Candy Crush and Hayday!

My list of phone games are quite long, but here are some of the games I remember playing and have been hooked:

Gardenscapes / Homescapes - restore a beautiful home and enchanting garden while you play puzzle games along the way.

Bestfiends - enjoy collecting cute characters and seeing them evolve as you progress into the game while playing fun puzzles.

Criminal Case - have fun doing detective work and solving murder cases while you try to find hidden objects.

Township - enjoy city building and farming at the same time! Develop your own town by building factories, harvesting crops, and creating goods.

Jewels Dash - an addicting puzzle game where you need to create streaks of at least 3 jewels in a row to win.

June's Journey - Hidden Objects - join June in her quest to unveil a scandalous hidden family secret while trying to find hidden objects in amazing scenes from the roaring 20s!

My Home Design Dreams - enjoy designing and decorating your own home while having fun playing addictive match 3 game puzzles.

The years have passed so quickly and the rapidly evolving technology has brought us even cooler games to play. Right now, I'm currently enjoying Animal Crossing : New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch. As a matter of fact, they've just released a new update that I am just so excited to get into and explore. It has a lot (I mean, really a lot) of exciting updates that I am looking forward to. The Island life just gets more excting! I will have to get ready and clean my Island in Animal Crossing so I can fully enjoy all the new updates.

What kind of videogames do you like? And what kind of memories do you have of videogames growing up?

Wesley Chapel Road Test Experience (First Try in Pasco County, FL)

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 17:51:00 +0000

Address: Pasco Tax Collector - 4610 Pet Ln #101, Lutz, FL 33559

Car: 2015 Black Chevy Sonic

I remember when I first got my learner's permit to drive in 2018, upon passing the written exam, the lady asked: "Would you like to take the road test this afternoon?" I was stunned because I had never driven before, so I said, "No, mam, not today."

Back then, I felt that my husband was reluctant to teach me to drive. We did a couple of practices and I was able to drive from Dade City to Lakeland then back. However, I stopped driving after nearly crashing into a tree and causing almost an accident.

Fast forward to 2021, if you have read my previous post about some of my life updates, I mentioned that I went back to working in the office. Since I don't drive, my husband would drive me to work in the morning, and I will arrive an hour early. To get home, I will ask for my officemates to drop me off, which sometimes makes me feel as if I am too much of a burden. But they have been very accommodating of that and never made me feel as if I was a burden. In fact, if my regular ride can't drive me home or is out of the office, another will step up to offer me a ride. I am forever grateful to be working with such wonderful people.

Having said that, my point was that I was eager to learn how to drive again and my husband couldn't agree more. He began teaching me again and lets me drive myself to work in the morning. I literally work near the DMV office here in our town but sadly, their office started a renovation project right around the time that I was planning to schedule my driving test, so they are only able to provide limited services, not including road tests.

There are four other locations where I can take the driving test, although Wesley Chapel is closest to us. Initially, I was hesitant to schedule my road test over there because I was not familiar with the area and I felt like I would be more comfortable driving in our small town.

After carefully considering my options, I scheduled my road test in Wesley Chapel. It was July 2021 when I chose a date for my appointment, which was set for September 4 at 8:30 a.m. Thus, I had plenty of opportunities to practice and get better at driving. The days went by so quickly and finally, it was time to get my road test done.

We arrived 30 minutes early, and there were already a lot of people outside the building. On Saturday, only Pasco residents are allowed to visit the tax collector's office, which many people use exclusively.

I have to park at the designated area no more than 10 minutes before my appointment time. I went to the shaded area at the back of the office with orange cones and waited until my road tester arrived. The first thing he did was ask for my car registration and insurance then for my learner's permit. After that, he checked my signal lights, brakes, and horn.

The confirmation email mentioned that the test would be conducted with the windows down, but my tester asked me to raise them once he had settled in.

He then instructed me to back up and turn to the right then left after the stop sign, then left again after the next stop sign. Right on that road, my nightmare began. The road was without a separation line and had a couple of curbs ahead. As we turned onto a road next to a construction site, my road tester asked me to do my first maneuver, the quick stop. He told me to drive 20 mph and make a quick stop when he told me to. I was then asked to do the straight backing. Sadly, I failed this part, as I backed up and ended up on the wrong side of the road. He was kind enough to let me try again, but I still didn't get it right. The last maneuver he had me perform was the three-point turn or K-turn. I thought I'd nailed this one, but I was so stressed out about my horrible backing straight maneuver that I miscalculated my turn and did a five-point turn instead. Because of that, I already lost hope and expected a failure in this driving test.

My tester instructed me on how to get back to the Tax collector's office and asked me to park in an available parking spot, in-between two cars. My most proud moment was probably this one since when practicing, I had difficulty parking and I had never done it between two cars before, but I did pretty well.

So what's the verdict? "Today is not the day," as my examiner said. Yes, I failed my first road test. Then he explained what I did wrong and what I could do better next time. The three-point turn maneuvers and backing straight clearly didn't go well for me. He also said that next time, I should brake more quickly during the quick stop. And lastly, he noted that when making sharp turns in curbs, I often end up on the other side. He told me to keep practicing and that I could go back in a week without having to make an appointment. All I have to do is show up early and tell them that I want to retake my driving test.

He led me inside the building and got me a number. He told me to wait until my number was called so I could update my records and pay the tax collector fee of $6.25. My number was called after only two minutes of sitting. In addition to asking me to pay, the lady told me she still needed to take my photo to ensure I am the one who took the road test today. It was a quick process and after she returned my learner's permit, I was out of the building and ready to go home.

It was such an experience! I was discouraged at first but I know we can't win all the time. Obviously not everyone succeeds on their first attempt, and losing is inevitable. However, we can always try again and do our best, so that's what I am going to do!

I will come back to share my second attempt experience and maybe write about how you can prepare for your driving test next, so stay tuned!

Alltrue Subscription Box Overview & My Summer Welcome Box

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 23:29:00 +0000

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of their weekend! Let me share something with you that I am very excited about!

Brand's Overview

Hello, fam! For today's blog, I wanted to introduce a women's subscription box that focuses on the mission that matters to me! Formerly known as CAUSEBOX, Alltrue offers ethically, sustainably, and cruelty-free products and partners with brands that support charitable causes. I love that Alltrue connects socially conscious individuals to brands and products that are making a positive impact in the world.

True to its brand new name, the Alltrue community is highly inclusive. All are welcome and the community supports you at home, with work, and in life with everything they have to offer. As product curators, they find brands that match their values, research the truth and facts about each products, and deliver them safely to their community.

Membership For All

Are you a socially conscious individual that wants to help build a better world? Then this subscription box is for you. As part of Alltrue's membership, you will receive their flagship quarterly subscription box - a seasonal curation of 6-8 products that are community-focused, ethically made, environmentally conscious, and impact-driven. Each box is valued at $250 or more and include a wide variety of products from clean beauty, to ethical Homewares and cruelty-free accessories, nicely packaged in an artist-designed box along with their Guide to the Season, Brand Booklet, and a seasonal editorial print magazine dedicated to living consciously.

You can either join as a Quarterly Member for $54.95 to reserve one seasonal box upfront and gain membership access for a quarter, or join as an Annual Member for $199.80 to reserve all four seasonal boxes upfront with membership access for a full year.

More than just a BOX

Aside from getting your hands into their coveted seasonal boxes,the membership also comes with the following perks:

👍 All Good Things Editorial Print

Be inspired to live more consciously by stories, products, and projects around the world in this seasonally themed magazine.

👍 The Add-On Market

As a member, you will also have access to this seasonally curated collection of socially conscious products that are being offered for as much as 70% off.

👍 The Essentials Shop

As an always-open market that offers hundreds of replenishable household essentials, you'll never run out of dish soap or toothpaste, and other household items. The best part is that everything ships within two business days!

👍 Meet Us Here Podcast

They also recently started a podcast as a way of sharing members' stories on what it means to live an intentional life and sharing ways on how everyone else can get there too.

Alltrue is currently running an Intro Box promo where new members get their first box with $150 worth of products for only $25!

The Glimpse of My Summer Welcome Box

I am grateful to be gifted a Summer Welcome Box! So here's the products I received:

1. MPOWERD - Luci Solar String Lights

2. MYTAGALONGS - Set of 3 Packing Cubes

3. Artisan Direct - Milky Way Lantern

4. COSMEDIX - Moisturizing Hyaluronic Acid Cream

5. Brand with a Heart - OMG Smooth Leave-In Conditioner Blend

6. Hanalei Company - Hawaiian SPF 15 Lip Trio

I definitely love the product selection in this Summer Welcome Box! If you are interested in receiving the next box of the season, sign up now and take a glimpse of the spoilers in Alltrue's Instagram and Facebook accounts or visit their website.

**I was gifted this box in exchange for a blog post, but my excitement was genuine and all opinions are my own**

Life Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 23:21:00 +0000

Hello everyone! You might be wondering where I might have been because it has been a while since I posted on this blog. Sorry about that! As usual, life gets in the way.

But now, writing calls to me once more, so I am writing here again. I hope to maintain that momentum and continue to write here on a regular basis.

In this blog post, I wanted to share some life updates - what I have been doing, what had happened to me, what changes I have embraced, and what are the things that are keeping me busy.

Lets's start by going back to October 2020. I finally left the office world and resigned as a Legal Assistant for my first and real job here in the United States. I was sad to leave behind pears I have known for almost 3 years, but was happy to take on a new path that I was so excited to take - to be a full-time content creator.

For a while, I was so happy to be home, do the things I love to do, and focus more on improving and growing my Instagram account. I was also in the midst of talking business with my brother and trying to set up an Etsy store. But the latter took an unexpected turn and it never came to fruition.

Despite not being able to finish setting up a business, I was happy to find a routine that works for me so I can focus more on spiritual things while still doing and improving my content creation. I bought a camera - (Canon EOS M200), to build my photography game. I had the opportunity to spend more time with close friends, while carrying out our ministry together. I was also able to maintain a clean home and even better care of our fur baby Luke. I was indeed living the life I had longed for and I was happy even in the middle of the pandemic. My mental health improved a great deal and I was finally getting back to my old cheerful self.

Last September 2020, I finally decided to apply for my US citizenship. I had my interview/exam on April 26 of 2021, I passed and took the Oath on May 6, where I officially became a US citizen. I applied for a US passport the following day and I'm still waiting to get it.

I feel like I was doing really good and I am definitely enjoying being home all day! I was even getting at least 1 paid brand deal every month and I was constantly receiving offers from brands to promote their products and also being added to PR lists. Think of it as a dream come true for an aspiring full-time content creator like myself!

But sometimes, responsibility calls back to you. My husband is still helping her mother and I wanted to help my family in the Philippines financially as well. If it's just me and my husband, he can take care of us and all our bills.

I tried looking for work from home jobs to have a stable income. Unfortunately, most of them are call center jobs (which demands long hours on the phone and weekend work). And although I can't be picky as we are in the pandemic and everyone needs income, I must take into consideration my mental health and spiritual well-being.

On top of being anxious about trying to find a job from home, I received the sad news that my father has been in an accident and needed to be operated on as soon as possible. Thankfully, my youngest sister along with the help of my other siblings and my mother was able to get the money and my dad was able to do the operation. But the dilemma did not end there because right after that, my grandmother (my mom's mother) had a stroke. I can't imagine how devastating and saddening, this is for my mother. And since I was too far away, I can't do much - emotionally and financially.

But it must be a blessing in disguise when I was offered a position back on my previous job. After just seven months off, I came back. As I am not yet mentally ready to be a legal assistant again, my supervisor was pleased to accept my request to work at the front desk. As I was writing this, I'm turning three months being back on the job! Do I miss being home? Absolutely! Do I like working back in the outside world, I wasn't thrilled, but honestly, I'm glad. I love what I do and I like the people that I work with. And of course, I'm glad to finally have a regular income so that I can at least give some financial support to my family.

It's been a struggle keeping up with products and PR reviews in addition to keeping the house clean, but I can still manage. I decided to limit, accepting non-paid brand offers and also to limit my application to free products online. I think I am slowly getting better at it. :)

One sad life update though, we gave away our precious fur baby Luke. 😔 We had a hard time keeping up with him since we are both back working, so we decided that he has to be in a new family that can give him the space and attention he needs. I cried for three days, but I felt better knowing that he has now found a new family and home that can give him a better life.

On another note, I started practicing how to drive again! I got my learner's permit way back in 2018 and just stopped practicing because I didn't feel the need to drive. But now that I am back at work, I'm so ready to get that license so I don't have to bother my coworkers by asking them to drop me off at home. I am taking my driving exam next month and I am getting anxious, nervous but excited at the same time. I am going to write everything about it here on my blog. Stay tuned!

So that's it for now! I hope you still find your way back to my blog. Please feel free to share any ideas and suggestions of what you wanted to read here. Let me know in the comments below.

My Favorite Editing Apps for my Instagram Posts

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:33:00 +0000

Do you struggle to get that perfect photo to posts on your social media channels? Do you lack the tools that most content creators have like a ring light for brighter photos, a professional camera, or even a phone with a good camera? Or you just don't have time to catch that natural sunlight or golden hour for better-looking photos?

Whatever your struggles are, know that you are not alone. Even with years of posting on my social media channels, I still struggle to get that "one" photo that will just feel right sometimes. And believe me, there will be just days that you won't like any photo you take no matter what.

But it's good to know that there are some apps out there that can help us step up our photography game. Today, I'm gonna be sharing some of the editing apps I used for my Instagram photo and video posts. Please note that I am not a professional in editing photos or videos, but with practice and persistence in learning these apps, YOU can be one. 😉

1. Lightroom

This app is what I usually used for all my photo editing needs. You can control your photo's color temperature and tint, adjust brightness, apply effects, and even apply presets that you have. I don't play that much in all of these settings right now because I was blessed enough to get presets from @nickypresets. She has a wonderful selection and I love using her Bright and Airy preset for my current feed. The bottom line, you have a lot of control over this app and it's user-friendly and not complicated to use at all plus it's free.

2. Snapseed

Just like Lightroom, this app is free and super easy to use too. Upon opening the app and uploading your photo, you are already given different filters you can choose from. But if nothing from them caught your detailed-eyes, you can go ahead and explore more of their different filters or manually edit your photo easily under Tools. You can tune up your image, adjust contrast and brightness or make it vintage-like, HDR scape, glamour glow, grainy film, or retroflux. My favorite feature in this app would be the vignette and lens blur. Lens blur was my most used feature in this app (before I bought my Mirrorless camera) as I sometimes don't like my background and with this feature, I can easily blur it.

3. A Color Story

I haven't tried this editing app as much as Lightroom and Snapseed but this is quite a favorite of a lot of content creators. You have access to limited but enough free filters and effects to choose from, then the rest of the selection within the app is paid ($2.99 or more). If you are just starting out, the free filters are already good enough. But, if by all means, you found something that calls for you and matches the aesthetic of your Instagram feed, go ahead and get it. It's only a low investment you have to make.

4. Fotorus

Do you need to do a photo collage, maybe a before and after, or wanted to beautify a photo? This free editing app can do that for you. It was actually one of the first apps I used when I was just starting out. Now, I still love to use it for a before and after photo collage and if I wanted to include captions within my photos.

5. Meitu

Do you have something in your photo that you wish was never there? Behold, this app can erase it for you! I discovered this app while watching some Tiktok videos and was amazed at how easy it is to erase unwanted things on your photo. Although I use this app mainly for that feature, it has more to offer. You can easily edit your videos in this app and make them extra with transitions, music, effects, stickers, and texts. This is what I used to create my low-key L'oreal Infallible foundation reel and my Statusphere Unboxing IGTV on Instagram.

6. Go Pro App

If you watched my previous Instagram reels (like this one), I made those videos using this app. I don't even have an account because I don't have a Go Pro camera but it lets me edit my videos seamlessly. When you uploaded your videos, it will automatically choose transitions and music for you but you can manually edit them on your own. It has limited capability I might say but it's perfect for a total noob like me who knows nothing about creating amazing videos like others.😁

Bonus:

StoryLuxe

This is another app I found from watching Tiktok videos. It's not an editing app that you can use to fully edit your photos but it's more like an Instagram story template app. It has some cool templates for your Instagram story although you have to get the paid version if you want to have more access. It's pretty basic and using it is a no-brainer. Just choose your template and upload your photos and your Instagram story is ready to go.

Canva

This is one of my favorite apps to use and many content creators would agree that Canva is one of the best free sites/applications where you can do so much more than editing photos. Canva offers tons of free templates for your Instagram feed post or story post. I love that they also have animated ones that can spice up your posts. They also have templates for Instagram story polls and questions you are free to use. It is super easy to use!

Have you tried any of these? Let me know your favorite editing apps to use!

My Favorite Makeup Brands to Follow on Instagram! (TOP 8)

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:33:00 +0000

As you might already know, I love beauty and started to love makeup not long before I started my Instagram page (which is about 5 years in the making).

As I spent more time on Instagram and tried different makeup, I have come to love some makeup brand pages and I am going to share them with you on today's blog. I have Top 8 to share, let's go!

1. PixiBeauty - They make some Pixi Pretties!

This brand will forever be one of my favorite makeup and skincare brands. They are one of my first biggest PR and I genuinely love their products. And can we just adore their gorgeous Instagram feed with the beautiful combination of the light green and pink shades? My husband used to tell me to make my makeup room with the same theme colors because he also loved the look of it! I kept all my boxes from Pixi and displayed them on my makeup room wall. I also love how they share lovely tidbits about their products in their stories.

2. Colourpop Cosmetics - Creatively Colorful.

Who doesn't love Colourpop Cosmetics? They have some pretty makeup collection and some super cute theme packaging! Don't you love when they have some amazing collabs like Sailor Moon, Disney, The Mandalorian, and now Animal Crossing? They make me want to spend all my money on their delicately super cute product packaging. I love the mixture of product flat lays and makeup looks that they have on their Instagram page plus their constant sharing of interesting polls on their stories! Total goals!

3. PopBeauty - Make your beauty POP

Aside from its pretty catchy product names, Pop Beauty is becoming more popular because of its range of beautiful products including makeup and skincare. If you check their Instagram page, you will see the pop of color that will definitely make you feel happy, and don't forget to check their stories too! If you want to do a bold look, Pop Beauty is your go-to friend.

4. Too Faced Cosmetics - Just seriously having fun

I have not tried as many products from Too Faced as much as I would love to but I love seeing their sweet pink Instagram Feed! Their pretty product shots and beautiful flat lays are something to drool for! Loving their Instagram stories too where they share some recommendations in such appealing ways.

5. Benefit Cosmetics - Your go-to POREfessional

The pink, blue, brown/bronze color combination in their feed is just lovely! I also love all the glowing, shining, and shimmering face shots they have on there. Plus who doesn't love neatly done brows? I am all for it. As for their stories, you'll find a mix of everything you need to know about their products and always love to see their products in close-up action.

6. Doll 10 Beauty - Where makeup isn't complicated

Doll is the name and beauty is the game! I know I don't really have any products from them as of the moment (wait, what?!), but I have been following their Instagram account for a while now and have been enjoying their posts especially the videos they make or share from their customers. I also enjoy their stories that consist of different information and fun Q&A. This year, I might just give in and get myself those gorgeous products they have.

7. Joah Beauty - Smarter beauty, like you

K-beauty fan? Get all your needs for that Korean look-inspired makeup from Joah Beauty! I love new releases posts from this brand and just adore the looks shared on their Instagram page. I am more into that subtle look like the ones on their page so I love seeing them! I also like seeing their beauty community taking over their stories to show-off a look or just share their Joah Beauty products.

8. Romantic Beauty - Making your makeup journey fun

Make way to this rising makeup brand! They might be new to the game but they are definitely catching up! I love their feed and how they always share the looks made by their consumers in their stories. With all their amazing makeup and beauty products, you'll hear more about them in the days to come. Check out their Instagram page to see their aesthetically cohesive feed. While you're at it, appreciate how gorgeous their product packaging is!

That's it for now! Did your favorite makeup brand's Instagram page made it to this list? If not, share them below so I can check them out too!

*Although some of these brands sent me their products as part of their PR list, this post is not sponsored.*

Upcoming Etsy Store update PLUS Freebies

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:56:00 +0000

If you read my previous blog post, you already know that I excitedly announced that my brother and I are doing business together and launching an Etsy store pretty soon! Today, I am excited to share more about it and at the end of this post, we have some freebies for you! So let's keep going!

First of all, what led us to this point? Well, nothing like being your own boss while making an impact on others' lives, right? Besides, this blog is all about motivating others and making an impact on their lives.

So, you may be wondering what kind of products are we putting up on our Etsy store? As I have mentioned in my previous post, we will be selling printables and digital products like calendars, planners, inspirational quotes, and images. Being an influencer, I love planning things out especially my content. Having a planner is so important as it gives me a clear understanding of what things, products, and posts I need to prioritize. Also, I love inspiring people with quotes that I share on my Instagram caption, be it something I just made up or I got from google. So my brother thought of designing images to go along with it. We are still in a very early stage but we are trying to have something up on our Etsy store very soon.💓

For making it to the end of this post, I am giving you access to a copy of a weekly planner, a giveaway tracker (both for influencer and for giveaway entrants), a login manager, and 31 inspirational quotes you can use as a caption on your social media posts.

Click here to get your freebies:

And if you happen to like the freebies, stay tuned for our Etsy store launch and you can get more helpful planners and trackers, especially if you are an influencer like me.

2021 Plans and Goals + Exciting announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 13:53:00 +0000

2020 - what a year it has been! Now that we are finally in the most awaited year, have you ever thought of what goals you wanted to achieve in 2021? Given the uncertainty of us getting over the pandemic soon, you might think that it is hard to set any plans and goals. But hey, setting goals gives us motivation and can make us look at the future with more hope and positivity.

So, let me share some of my goals this year along with my action plans! Hopefully, it can inspire you to make some too. Plus I have an exciting announcement at the end of this post. So let's start!

1. Grow my Instagram audience. Despite so many hardships 2020 gave us, I appreciate that it also gave me my biggest Instagram milestone - reaching 10k followers. This year, my goal is to at least double it and make it 20k. I would love to reach more people to inspire and motivate through my content.

Action Plan: Dedicate at least 1 hour each day to research my potential audience and engage with them.

2. Have more outdoor photos. Most of my photos from last year has always been indoors. The excuse of course is that we are in the middle of the pandemic and I don't drive anyway. But last month, I discovered a nearby trail/park that seldom has people. It's definitely a perfect spot to take photos and the best part was it's walking distance from home.

Action Plan: Dedicate a day or two to go to the trail/park. Schedule and plan ahead of what products to bring for the photoshoot and include them in my planner.

3. Lose 21 lbs. According to a BMI indicator online, my BMI is 25 and it is considered overweight for my height. I am currently 141 lbs and my goal is to get it down to 120 lbs.

Action Plan: Walk/Run on the treadmill or at the park for 1 hour a day this month then start a consistent workout by February. I am leaning towards starting another Chloe Ting Challenge next month!

4. Improved my mental health. 2020 took a toll on me. This year, I wanted to improve my mental health. I believe this is one of my important goals this year.

Action Plan: Dedicate a social media break day and do the things I enjoyed offline like reading books and doing puzzles.

5. Close at least 20 paid collaborations this year. Last year was an eye-opener for me. Being an influencer is a totally fun thing to do but it requires hard work too. As an influencer, I learned to wear different hats - creative director, photographer, stylist, planner, copywriter, and strategist. Yes. It's a lot of work. This year, I am dedicated to only saying yes to collaborations that align with my mission and vision and to brand deals that can see my value and willing to pay the price.

Action plan: Formulate a pitch template and start listing 5-10 brands that I wanted to send my pitch to. Engage with each brand for a month before sending a pitch to start the connection.

6. Dedicate more time to spiritual things. I feel like I have been so inconsistent on my spiritual goals last year so this year, I want to be more consistent.

Action Plan: Schedule a definite time early in the morning to do bible reading. Block at least 1 hour for bible study every day and do at least 2 hours and 4 days in my volunteer ministry in a week.

7. Grow my TVPage affiliate sales to at least $80 each month. I was invited to be part of the Macys Style Crew last November and I earned at least 50 dollars on my store. It was not a lot but it definitely motivated me to do more.

Action plan: Create consistent content and share regularly on my social media channels. Include a schedule on my planner.

8. Be consistent in planning. I made a decision last year to plan my content ahead but never really stick to it. This year, I wanted to do more planning. I started focusing on planning my day ahead. And my goal is to be able to plan at least a month of my social media content.

Action Plan: Utilize planners and dedicate a day to just planning things out. Use planning tools like Planoly or Later for my social media posts. Write everything down on my planner and plan as far as 1 month ahead.

9. Take at least 2 classes about Social Media Marketing. When I quit my job, I told myself I wanted to focus on learning social media marketing like Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and SEO. 3 months later, it all ends in just starting out and I am back to NADA. Nothing. So this year, I wanted to focus on learning and taking as much knowledge as I can to be better in this field.

Action Plan: Decide what course to learn and focus on one course at a time. Dedicate one to two hours each day to my chosen course and apply what I learned as soon as possible. Make sure to include it on my schedule and write it on my planner.

10. Grow my blog and have at least 2k subscribers by the end of the year. I was so happy I was able to relaunch my blog last year. However, nothing happened that much and I think I only gained at least 5 subscribers. I might sound ambitious with 2k subs, but I am going to work towards achieving that goal.

Action Plan: Improved my content. Create a consistent email campaign that can relate to my subscribers. Create an interesting lead magnet by the end of January that will make others subscribe to my blog.

11. Start a business and launch an Etsy Store! This is what I am most thrilled about! I am excited to announce that my brother and I are starting an Etsy store this year and plans are already in place. We are finalizing our products and I can't wait to tell you more about them in my next blog post. Hint: it's digital and printables. Another hint: one of the products is going to help influencers like me to plan their contents.

Action Plan: Finalized the name of the store by the end of this week. Have the designs ready by next week and have the store ready for launch by the end of this month.

At the end of this year, I will be revisiting this post and see what goals I achieved and what goals I still need to work on. I will also be sharing what my struggles are and what things work and didn't work out.

I am so excited to see what this year will bring us all! And I can't wait to hear about your goals that you will be hustling to achieve this year. Please share them below!

Stay tuned for my next blog and I am going to share some business deets about our upcoming Etsy Store!

20 Random Facts About Me - 2020 Year-End Edition

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 14:46:00 +0000

If you have been following me on Instagram for a while, you might already know some facts about me. As we end this year, I'd like to share more not-so-fun facts about me so you can get to know the person behind this blog better.

1. My name means a doll or a puppet moved by strings but it's totally something that my parents didn't know when they came up with my name. They are just combining their nicknames. 🎎

2. I don't drive. In the Philippines, we have all sorts of public transportations and private vehicles are oftentimes a luxury. I did get a learner's permit here in the US but my husband is now too afraid to teach me because of one little accident we had while I was behind the wheels. 😂

3. I don't like taking medicines. If I can bear the pain, I will. 💊

4. I love crime movies, TV shows, and anime. I enjoy detectives and spy movies. 🚨

5. My superpower is that I can go on a day without eating or just eating once. Unlike many, I prefer sleeping over eating. 😴

6. I used to play guitar and write songs but now starting to have an interest in a Ukelele. 🎸

7. I am not a fan of horror movies or anything about zombies. 🧟

8. I have motion sickness. I can't read (even browse my phone) while in a moving vehicle. 🚓

9. I don't celebrate holidays like Christmas, New Year's, and Easter due to my Bible-based beliefs. You can check out this link for more information: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-celebrate-holidays/. 🌲

10. I can always imagine what could happen in a certain situation and in a negative way. Like for example, I saw a nail poking out somewhere, my brain would immediately imagine myself getting poked in the eyes, bleeding and I can sometimes feel it. Yes, it's weird. 💁

11. I love giving gifts. There is truth about what Acts 20:35 in the Bible says: ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.' 🎁

12. I wanted to be a band member when I was younger. I dreamed of being a lead vocalist or someone who plays the guitar or the drums. However, I don't really have the talent for it.😆

13. I think I have grown tired of working in a company setting or working for others in general. This year, I felt so lost in what I really wanted to do. And I am still figuring things out. 📴

14. I am a graduate of Business Management and I majored in Marketing but I don't really think I have used my course that much. 🥈

15. I am not good with math or numbers. Thank goodness for calculators and Google. 🔢

16. I love babies and kids but I prefer to not have my own. People don't understand that sometimes and it's totally okay. But, if ever I get pregnant along the way of my married life, I will definitely embrace motherhood. 👶

17. I am not really good at English grammar so pardon me if you see or hear me say grammatically wrong things. 😅Although English was taught in school at an early age, it is not my first language. Tagalog (Filipino) is my native language and I feel more comfortable reading and writing in that language. 🔖

18. My husband was my first and last boyfriend. We met on Facebook thru a common friend and the rest is history. We are celebrating 6 years of marriage soon. 💓

19. I had one minor surgery once to remove fibroadenomas from my right breast but I am a pretty healthy person. I dread going to the hospitals and getting blood work done. 😖

20. If I can go back to one place aside from my hometown in the Philippines, I wanted to revisit Monterey, California. I fell in love with the place when we had our Legal Summit / Team Building in Cannery Row years back plus it is where I first met my then virtual boyfriend (now husband) in person. 💨

If you reach this far, nice to meet you! Please leave a comment with your Instagram or blog so we can connect! I hope to see you more in 2021.💗

What's one thing you'd like me to write about here on my blog? I am open to suggestions! Let's get ready for 2021!

My Top 20 Beauty Brands in 2020

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:55:00 +0000

2020 might not be everyone's favorite year right now. There was so much sadness throughout this year, but I can't help but to still be thankful. Along with everything that happened are some great realizations and discoveries for me. And although it might be a little early to say this, I will claim it already:

"Hey, I am still alive and ready for 2021!"

But before we leave this super dramatic year, I would love to take this opportunity to mention the top 20 beauty brands that made my 2020 a little better. Shall we start?

1. PixiBeauty. This brand would be my number one on the list. If you read my previous posts, I never failed to mention PixiBeauty. Not only because I am on their PR list, but also because all their products are honestly incredible. So if you haven't check this affordable brand yet, you should start checking them out and see their wide range of skincare and makeup products. You might find a new favorite brand come in 2021. See my dedicated post for this brand here.

2. Good Molecules. Although I have only come to know this brand this year, it has quickly become one of my favorite. Their skincare worked so well for my skin and they have become a staple to my skincare routine. My wonderful 2020 skincare journey would not be the same without this brand. Learn more about them in my previous post here.

3. Fresh Beauty. This might be one of the most expensive brands I included in this list, nevertheless, they do deserve this spot because they have remarkable products that work. You can find something you will fall in love with from their variety of skincare, body care, and fragrance products.

4. Rituals. Looking for something affordable but luxurious beauty products? This brand is for you! Their body care set is phenomenal. And I can't wait to try their perfume, skincare, makeup, hair care, kitchen essentials, and clothing products. Yes, they have it all.

5. Innisfree. Are you a k-beauty fan? This Korean beauty brand should be on your list this coming new year if you haven't already tried it. Aside from their cute packaging, you'll love their skincare, makeup, body, and hair product line up.

6. Filorga. I have only tried two of this brand's products yet I might say they don't disappoint and it made me want to try all of their products. I am not even exaggerating. This brand is also on the pricey side but it's for a good reason. Their products are effective!

7. Kiss / Impress Manicure. I am not a fan of fancy acrylic nails but who doesn't like pretty nails once in a while? That is why I came to love this press-on manicure brand. Besides having a gorgeous line of beautiful nail designs, they are also easy to apply and are great for last-minute party calls. Yes, even the zoom parties.

8. Amika. What is beauty without beautiful hair, right? This brand has some astonishing hair care products. I personally love their Flash Instant Shine Mask. I didn't even have to comb my hair, let's leave it at that.

9. Eva-NYC. Let's talk more about hair care products. There's nothing more satisfying than a good hair day on quarantine mode. Ever since trying out their dry shampoo, this brand easily becomes one of my favorites.

10. Laneige. One of the keys to beauty is well-hydrated skin and lips. This is where Laneige comes into the picture. They have hydrating skincare and lip products that can make a difference in your beauty routine.

11. First Aid Beauty. I was first introduced to this brand this year and I couldn't be happier. FAB created products for all skin types but has a specialty for dry skin. Their Ultra Repair Cream is a best-seller and is also a game-changer for me. Their products are one of my winter must-haves.

12. I Dew Care. This is a fairly new brand to me but swiftly became a favorite. They have adorable and fun packaging and their products are exceptional. They had me with dewy and glowy skin. Most of the time, that's all I wear.

13. Spongelle. Bath has been extra enjoyable with Spongelle products! Their body wash-infused buffers are my favorite. All of their products from body and bath, hand care, feet care, and candles smell heavenly. Need a bath? Make it extra with Spongelle.

14. Hum Nutrition. Would you agree that beauty also comes from within? I do! I was gifted some of Hum Nutrition products that help me look and feel good inside and out. It has been a very great help for my skin as I have noticed I don't experience troublesome breakouts like before.

15. Merci Handy. This brand has been a ray of additional sunshine amidst the pandemic. Not only do they have very fun packaging (and some lovely jokes to smile about), they also have a charming hand, body, and hair products.

16. L'oreal. This year won't be complete without some L'oreal products. To tell you honestly, most of my lipsticks are from them and who doesn't love lipsticks? It's my favorite makeup. Now that I stay home and do not wear masks, lipstick is the only color I wear on my face most of the time.

17. Pop Beauty. This is a rather new brand that brings a pop of color to the beauty world! Their products have interesting names that will certainly get your attention. They bring you "uncomplicated" skincare and "unapologetic" color through their quality products.

18. Buxom Cosmetics. They offer a variety of beauty products and my favorite was their plumping lip glosses. The shine of their glosses are gorgeous and provides that refreshing and cooling sensation. Let's keep that until 2021 and the years to come.

19. Joah Beauty. If you are looking for an affordable K-beauty and drugstore brand, this is a brand you should start looking at. You can find it at your local CVS and there are so many products to choose from. Take your pick.

20. 310 Nutrition. You might think, this brand is not a beauty brand and you might be right. But hey, beauty comes from within, remember? 310 Nutrition has been part of my health and wellness journey throughout my 2020. Their protein shake powder and collagen powder are something that I can say became part of my beauty journey. Their collagen powder helps support healthy skin, so that counts as part of beauty, right?

Thank you for making it at the end of the list! I hope you found some new brands to try this coming 2021.

What are your top beauty brands this year? Did any of mine made your list too?

Achievement Unlock - Celebrating an Instagram Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 13:10:00 +0000

A few months back, I was stuck at 4k followers on Instagram. I made it a goal to have 10k followers by the end of the year. And here we are, making that goal a reality!

But you might be wondering, why is the Instagram follower count so important? As a brand, it shows your brand power and as an influencer like me, it shows my influence and my expertise. Also, it's easier for me to be noticed by brands that I might be able to collaborate with if I have that big 10. But don't get me wrong, as I mentioned before, a lot of brands don't look at follower count but rather than engagement. So smaller accounts can still collaborate with brands.

Of course, as you may have already known from my previous posts about my influencer journey and how I became one, my Instagram started as a hobby. I love sharing my first-hand experiences with products and found a passion for skincare and beauty. The main reason I set the goal to hit 10k was because of the swipe up feature. Since I just started my blog up again this year, I find it easier for me to promote a new blog post and direct my followers to the link on my Instagram story instead of telling them to check out my bio. It's unquestionably a game-changer!

The Journey to 10K

It was never easy achieving this goal. It's a series of trial and error - what techniques work and what don't. Plus, Instagram's algorithm has been all over the place lately, so you cannot honestly tell. But you know what's the biggest take away from me? Reaching goals can only happen when you have help and support. So I am forever grateful to all the people who believed in me and supported me all the way. For all the likes, shares, and saved from my family, relatives, friends, acquaintances, and from all the people who genuinely followed my page because of my content. A ten thousand or a million thanks won't ever be enough to show you how grateful I am.

The Promise

Of course, the journey never stopped here. My mission to inspire, motivate, influence, and make an impact continues. I know that honest and genuine content matters and I will continuously strive to be better. I am still learning my ways of creating captivating video content and still trying to improve the quality of my photos. Believe me, I was never the creative type when I was younger and art is not my favorite subject, so I'm a bit struggling here. But all of you are my inspiration!

So, all that being said, let's take a look at my Top 10 posts!

Skin Update and Current skincare products

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 14:49:00 +0000

Hello! So today, we are not doing any gift guide post. Instead, I just wanted to share some skin update and the current products I am using on my skincare routine. Maybe, you can find something that you'd like to try!

In the last couple of years that I have been here in the US, I always have problems during the winter season because it's when my breakouts are THE WORST. You can see some photos of how bad it was in my post here. They eventually stopped, especially this year. But the breakouts definitely left visible marks on my face.

This was taken in November 2019

Gladly, I found products that actually worked for me. I still get pimples/acne especially during "that time of the month" but it's not as worst as before.

This was both taken in June 2020

So here are my staples:

Good Molecules Clarify and Cleanse Bar - it's not a secret that this is actually my favorite product from this brand. I love how gentle it is but so effective in clearing up my skin. I use this morning and night as the first step of my skincare routine. So far, I am on my third bar.

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner - this is another favorite and I was actually on my second bottle since I discovered this brand. I love that it's alcohol-free and fragrance-free too! It's very refreshing and helps brightens my skin tone and reduced the appearance of my pores. I typically used this morning and night too but will occasionally use an essence in the morning in replacement (or beside) for using this.

Fres Beauty Black Tea Firming Eye Serum - this is my go-to eye cream in the morning as it gives a firming look effect on my eyes.

Fresh Beauty Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Cream - this eye cream is my go-to at night. It has more of a rich and creamy texture but is lightweight and does a good job in giving your undereye some luminosity.

Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Treatment and Stubborn Marks PM Treatment - this bundle was sent to me for reviewing purposes and I actually liked it so I am trying to finish them up. It helps me keep my breakouts at bay and also helps in lightening my pimple marks. Obviously, I use the AM treatment in the morning (up to two times a day) and the PM treatment at night.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream - I love the soft texture of this cream and how it leaves my skin hydrated and soft. Since I am using acne products that tend to make the skin drier, this moisturizer is perfect. It's lightweight and non-sticky too! I use this morning and night but will also occasionally use other moisturizers.

Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen - I love this water-based sunscreen with Broad Spectrum SPF 36 because it's lightweight and provides hydration to my skin plus it doesn't leave a white cast behind. I alternate this with Innisfree Matte Priming UV Shield Sunscreen with Broad Spectrum SPF 37 whenever I wear makeup. It's a great primer and sunscreen in one!

Fresh Beauty Rose Petal-Soft Lip Cream - I love the subtle rose scent of this lip cream and it makes my lips soft and supple. I love using it in the morning.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - this is a great lip mask to leave overnight as it locks moisture and gives you softer and refreshed lips in the morning.

As I grow older, I try to keep my skincare routine as simple as possible. But if I want to be extra or changed things up a bit, here are the products I add to my routine:

PixiBeauty Glow Tonic - it's another favorite and I alternate this toner with the Good Molecules one. Although I prefer using the brightening toner as of the moment to lighten up my pimple marks, I love using this glow tonic if my skin needs extra cleanse, especially when I wear makeup during the day, because this toner can deeply clean pores.

T'else Kombucha Teatox Essence - I love using this refreshing essence in the morning in replacement (or beside) of my regular toner. I love the calming scent of it that gives me a wake-me-up feeling.

Pop Beauty Lit AF Essence - I recently received this and currently loving it too! It's a gel-essence that gives me a lift-me-up feeling with its energizing scent. It is a great source of hydration.

Sugar Wonder Drops Lip Primer - such a great primer for the lips! I use this every time I wanted to wear lipsticks, especially matte ones because it makes my lips smooth to easily apply lipsticks.

Sheet Masks - I use them for additional skin refreshment and hydration. I am particularly enjoying the Molequle and Avajar Masks. They make my skin soft, hydrated, and refreshed while taking care of my pores and brightening my skin.

Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches- nothing beats hydrogel eye patches and these are working great for me. When I had a rough night or wasn't able to get a good night's sleep, this is my go-to eye patch since it can brighten, hydrate, and reduce puffiness around the eyes in just 10 minutes. I am now on my second container.

Hime Sama LED face mask - when I wanted to be really extra, I wear my multifunction LED face mask that can help in collagen production, whitening, calming, tightening, and smoothing the skin and also helps in redness, acne, and pigmentation.

And of course, beautiful skin comes from within too! Here are some of the supplements I am currently taking:

310 Nutrition Collagen Powder - I was kindly gifted this Collagen Powder and this was actually my second pack. Collagen is known to help support bone and joint health and also strengthen hair and nails and promote skin elasticity. I love mixing it with my smoothies!

Hum Nutrition Supplements - these supplements were also gifted to me and I am taking them daily. I have the Daily Cleanse that helps cleanse your skin and body by getting rid of toxins that can cause breakouts and improves skin clarity. I also have the Skin Squad Pre+Probiotic that helps nurture the gut and clear skin and supports an even complexion. They also sent me the OMG! Omega the Great supports even skin tone and a healthy heart, brain, and body by providing omega 3 fatty acids for skin healing benefits that in turn helps brightens and evens the skin tone.

And with all that being said, here's how my skin looks like now:

It is still far from perfect but it definitely improved a lot! I am still deciding if I am gonna changed up my skincare products this colder season. I will update you all soon if I do!

Did you see any favorites from the products I mentioned above? If not, what products are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments below!

*Some links are affiliates, and I may earn a small commission when you purchase through these links.

My Influencer Wish List (Can be your next gift guide idea)

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 16:31:00 +0000

For today's gift guide idea, I would like to share my very own wish list!

Previously here on my blog, I shared some gift guide ideas in skincare and perfumes. Today, I will be sharing some things that have been on my wishlist for quite some time now and can be great gifts for someone you know that has the same interest as me.

So without further ado, let us begin this exciting wish list!

1. SKINCARE FRIDGE

If you read about my Influencer journey, you probably know by now that I started by sharing about skincare and makeup. And as I grew older, skincare has been more important than ever for me! I particularly love masks and serums, so when skincare fridge became a thing, I always wanted to have one. I will probably say that I don't really need it (because most of the skincare products are good at room temperature), but hey, they are cute and can cool my masks! (I love my masks cold, so they are currently on my kitchen fridge.😂)

I especially want to have the big skincare fridge, not just the mini ones. And these two came across when I was looking around:

Teami Luxe Skincare Fridge (photo from Teami website)

Fria Skincare Fridge (photo from Vanity Planet)

They are so cute and will be perfect storage for my skincare babies!

2. HOME DECOR PIECES

Okay, if you scroll through my Instagram, you will probably see some of my home decor posts. I love decorating the house, and I think I am starting to develop an addiction 😅) But I am not a compulsory buyer; that is why some of the things are still on my wishlist. Here are some that I have been eyeing for a while now:

Kate & Laurel Sequoia Modern Round Wall Shelf

(photo from Amazon)

Haotian Modern Ladder Bookcase
(Photo from Amazon)

Kate and Laurel Felicia Mirrored Decorative Accent Trays
(Photo from Amazon)

OUTDOOR DOIT Jewelry Organizer Cabinet
(Photo from Amazon)

You see, these are not only gorgeous decorations but also something an Influencer like me can use in her photoshoots!

3. HOME OFFICE ESSENTIALS

If you are working from home like me, you will probably want to be as comfortable as you can. I know I basically have most of everything I need to be comfortable in my home office. But here are some products that would make me even more delighted to be working from home:

JACKYLED 9.8Ft White Surge Protector Power Strip Tower
(Photo from Amazon)

Hercules Tuff Charging Station
(Photo from Amazon)

FLEXISPOT Adjustable Exercise Bike Desk
(Photo from Amazon)

I would really love to have that exercise bike! I also wanted to add a decent laptop but can't decide which one. Any recommendations would be great!

4. PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT

As an influencer, I learned that you can better influence others by giving them great visuals, so photos are so important. However, if you are just starting out, you can use whatever resources or equipment you have. For example, use your phone and natural sunlight for your photoshoots, be creative! That is exactly how I started and how I am still doing it right now. 😄

I really wanted to step up my photo game, so here are some of the products on my wish list:

Canon Content Creator Kit
(photo from Canon website)

Sony - Alpha a7 III Mirrorless
(photo from BestBuy)

Linco Lincostore Photo Video Studio Light Kit AM169
(photo from Amazon)

4. PLANTS AND POTS

Okay, this one is not necessarily something I need as an influencer, but I really wanted these things just because.

Altman Plants - Live Succulent Plants (64 Pack)
(Photo from Amazon)

Costa Farms Clean Air 3-Pack
(Photo from Amazon)

Brussel's Live Fukien Tea Indoor Bonsai Tree
(Photo from Amazon)

Anthurium
(Photo from Amazon)

Flowerpot Treeman Baby Groot
(Photo from Amazon)

Rivet Mid-Century Stoneware Planter with Wood Stand
(Photo from Amazon)

3 Piece Ceramic Succulent Planter Pots
(Photo from Amazon)

Okay, these plants and pots list went longer than expected. But how cute is that baby Groot planters?!

Hopefully, soon I can actually own some of these plant babies!

So, that's about it for now! I know I have more things that I can only wish for, but these are the things I have on my mind right now. You can check this list on my Amazon Store Front.

What's on your wish list this year?

Disclosure: "As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases."

Holiday Gift Guide – Skincare Edition

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 01:50:00 +0000

Holidays are just around the corner, and many people are starting to get their gifts list done. Although I don’t really celebrate any of the upcoming holidays, I love gifting in general!

I made up a list of some of my favorite things that would be great for gifting and in today’s post, I will be sharing skincare products.

PIXI BEAUTY GLOW TONIC

First on the list would be my all-time favorite PixiBeauty Tonic.

The Pixi Glow Tonic is a highly concentrated, invigorating facial toner that deeply cleans pores by sweeping away excess oil and impurities. I personally love this toner because it's gentle enough to exfoliate the skin but tough enough to remove dirt and impurities, leaving the skin soothed, refreshed, and radiant. It comes in 3 sizes - 15 ml, 100 ml, and 250 ml. It's perfect for gifting on its own, but if you want a more sophisticated one, you can get the Best of Bright Kit, which includes the Glow Mud Cleanser, Glow Tonic, and Glow Mud Mask.

Photo from Pixi Beauty Website

GOOD MOLECULES - THE HERO REGIMEN

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I often rave about this brand - Good Molecules. This brand has become one of my all-time favorite skincare brands. It's not only effective but super affordable too! I also love their initiative of listing all the ingredients and how much percent they put in the product written on each box. They mostly use glass bottles and avoid the use of plastics to save the environment. Plus, who doesn't love products that were never tested on animals?

For a perfect gift, why not buy a mix of everything? The Hero Regimen Collection would be the perfect one! This bundle includes seven of their best selling products to prep your skin from morning to night - Instant Cleansing Balm, Niacinamide Brightening Toner, Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Overnight Exfoliating Serum, Squalane Oil, Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer, and Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches. Check out my previous post about Good Molecules and some favorite products from them here.

Photo from Good Molecules Website

MARIO BADESCU - DEW IT FOR THE GLOW

Who doesn't want that "glow," especially this holiday season? Why not gift a friend (or yourself) this Mario Badescu Dew it for the Glow Bundle?

Photo from Macy's Website

This set includes the Enzyme Cleansing Gel, Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner, Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater, Hyaluronic Dew Cream, and Hyaluronic Dew Drops. These products are ideal for all skin types and will certainly give you (or anyone you are gifting this) a dewy skin that glows.

FIRST AID BEAUTY ULTRA REPAIR CREAM

Super dry skin? No problem! This First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration is perfect for your friends or relatives that suffer from dry skin, especially this colder season. This multi-function cream provides head-to-toe moisture and instant relief for dry, distressed skin and even eczema. It's lightweight and fast absorbent with no greasy after-feel.

If you want to make it a fancier gift, try getting the All that Fab Kit, which includes Pure Skin Face Cleanser, Facial Radiance Pads, Ultra Repair Cream, Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Cream, and Ultra Repair Lip Therapy. This 5-piece limited edition set of FAB skincare essentials will help promote a smooth, radiant, and hydrated complexion. Anyone will be delighted upon receiving this!

Photo from First Aid Beauty Website

INNISFREE JEJU CHERRY BLOSSOM JELLY CREAM SET

This is definitely a cute set any skincare-loving youngster will love! This set includes Dewy Glow Jelly Cream, Dewy Glow Toner, and Dewy Glow Emulsion. This trio is all you need for a simple yet effective skincare routine that can boost your skin's radiance while delivering soothing hydration the skin needs.

ELIZABETH ARDEN VITAMIN C CERAMIDE SKINCARE GIFT SET

Vitamin C and Ceramides can be holy grail ingredients. It can be a wonderful gift for moms and grandmoms or just someone that needs extra love and care for their aging skin! This Elizabeth Arden Vitamin C Ceramide Skincare Gift Set includes Vitamin C Ceramide Capsules Radiance Renewal Serum, Ceramide Lift and Firm Day Cream Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30, and Advanced Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum.

Photo from Macy's Website

These are just some of my favorite skincare products that you can consider gifting to your loved ones.

Stay tuned for more holiday gift guide series!

*Some links are affiliates, and I may earn a small commission when you purchase through these links.

Home Office on a Budget - A glimpse of my home office corner

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 14:29:00 +0000

As I transitioned back to working from home, I started working on building my home office. I want to be as comfortable as I can, because the more comfortable I am, the more enthusiastic I will be to work, won't you agree?

I always wanted to work from home, and I truly believed that this is the time for me. I started looking at home office ideas on Instagram and Pinterest. These are some favorites so far.

theunstitchd.com - Pinterest

Casinha Organizada - Intagram

worldmarket.com - Pinterest

Of course, I had to consider my budget, so I window shop (well screen shop, really 😅) around for a few weeks to see the best offer. I am mainly looking for a desk and a comfortable office chair with good quality but won't break the bank.

I found my office chair in Walmart.com.

Walmart - Yoyomax

This office chair was originally $169.99 but was on sale at Walmart for $91.99. I was drawn to it because of its ergonomic design with an adjustable headrest and lumbar support that looks so comfortable. It has a breathable mesh material that promotes air circulation and keeps my back and legs relaxed. The headrest and the seat is adjustable up and down while the backrest can be adjusted forward and back. The installation is also a breeze - no additional tools or fittings are needed. It took me less than 3o minutes to install everything.

On the other hand, I found my office desk from Amazon.com:

Mr. Ironstone L-Shaped Desk - Amazon

I could have bought my chair in Amazon if the prize is on sale like in Walmart, but unfortunately, it was not. Anyway, I really fell in love with this Mr. Ironstone 50.8." L-shaped desk, perfect for the corner that I planned to build my home office. The original price was $129.99 but was on sale for $99.99. It has a white marble top and gold frame legs, so it was a perfect design. It also has excellent reviews and looks really good based on verified purchasers' photos. I also love that it arrived within two days! (I am a Prime Member, by the way😃)

The assembly is pretty easy too. It took me less than an hour to assemble everything all by myself, and I am impressed.

So here's the overall look and feel of my humble home office:

I am really going towards the rose gold theme here, but I am still working on that. 😂 You can check my home office rose gold list essentials in my Amazon Store Front. You might find something that you would like too!

My Starburst Wallpaper Sticker is from Wallmonkeys that I was sent complimentary for review. The little frame below was from Dollar Tree; you will be surprised how much cute stuff you can find in there! You can also do DIYs from Dollar Tree products if you are the creative type on a tight budget. I like to do that, but sometimes my creativity runs dry along with my motivation. I am usually just too lazy. 😂

I also love the idea of having a brick wall. Am I the only one? I found out that one of the easiest ways to achieve brick wall design without spending too much time and money is by using faux bricks. I came across Faux Brickwork, which has some good selections of Faux Brick Wall panels.

Here's how chic they look:

I think this would really look great in my home office!

Flemish Bond-Raw

If you are looking to step-up your brick wall-looking home or business, you may want to check Faux Brickwork. They are located in Clearwater, FL, and can serve the US market with exceptionally sturdy, beautiful, and realistic faux brick panels. They also offer samples to make sure you are 100% before committing to a large order.

Their panels range from $49.99 to $89.99 each with Dimensions of Width 39", Height 36 ½", Depth ¼" or 40", Height 35", Depth ¼". They have a friendly design team that can assist and advises you on your design, and if you can't find the faux brickwork that speaks to you from their extensive line, they can provide you comprehensive design service for the more bespoke ideas.

What do you think? Is faux brick a good idea or no? Let me know in the comments below!

*Some links in this post are affiliates, and I earn commissions on qualifying orders.*

How to Build an Advanced Skincare Routine

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:30:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I am in no way a skincare professional or expert. All information in this post is based on my own combined research and personal experiences. Everyone has different skin types and can react differently from products.

In my previous post, we discussed how you can start a skincare routine from scratch.

But although our skin's basic needs (cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting) remain the same, our skin's needs change as we get older. We might also develop some skincare concerns as we age - like pimples or acne breakouts, large pores, signs of aging, redness or uneven skin tone. So, you may want to step up your skincare game at some point.

Now that we covered the basics, let's move on to a more advanced skincare routine.

Basic Morning Routine:

Advance Morning Routine:

1. Cleansing - it is still important to do your morning cleansing to get rid of all the dirt that might have build-up overnight. Choose a cleanser based on your skin type. You can visit my previous post to help determine your skin type.

2. Toning - this is not only a great way to remove dirt that has been left behind from cleansing, but it also balances your skin's pH. The use of toners help tone and tighten skin.

3. Improving - this step includes adding antioxidants to your routine. Vitamin C and E serums are great for improving your skin's texture. Serums with Vitamin C can help protect your skin from damage and reverse sun and pollution damage.

4. Treating- this step includes the application of spot treatments and eye creams. Most of the acne treatments are advisable to be used at night time, and I personally only use them at night. Eye creams, on the other hand, is a staple for me. It helps to brighten, smooth, and reduce puffiness and darkness around my eye areas.

5. Moisturizing - this will always be essential because our skin needs to be hydrated all the time. If our skin is dry, it can easily be irritated, and we don't want that.

6. Protecting - this step is crucial. Wearing sunscreen can help your skin not only in the present time but also in the long run.

Optional: If your skin is leaning towards the dry type, you may want to try adding the use of face oils. Face oils can serve as an extra level of skin protection that strengthens the outer layer of our skin and preventing water loss. You can add this step after applying your serum (step 3), or you can mix it with either your serum or moisturizer.

Basic Night Time Routine:

Advance Night Time Routine:

1. Cleansing - if you wore makeup during the day, you may want to try double-cleansing at night to ensure all dirt and grime are removed. You can either use an oil-based cleanser or micellar water first, followed by your regular lathering cleanser and water.

2. Exfoliating - this is an important step, but it's advisable to do it only once or twice a week. Exfoliating the skin helps remove the build-up of dead skin cells and helps unclog pores for smoother and healthier skin. You can use exfoliating cleansers or clay masks that are known to be good exfoliators.

3. Toning - apply your toner the same way you do in the morning. I prefer using my hands to apply my toner directly to my skin. I just gently tap it on my face instead of using cotton pads or balls. You can also use mist toners. Do whatever works for you.

4. Improving - add serums that are packed with hyaluronic acid. You can also alternate your hydrating serums with retinol that can improve your skin-aging concerns.

5. Treating - Always follow serums with your eye creams of choice; we don't want to forget our precious eye areas! After taking care of your eye areas, make sure to address your other skin concerns like acne or pimples, dark spots, and acne scars by applying your spot treatment. If you are using retinol, make sure to read your product instructions before adding them to your skincare routine. It can sometimes be irritating to the skin if you use them both at the same time.

6. Moisturizing - our skin works double time at night, and moisturizers are essential for glowing skin when you wake up. Use night creams, which are thicker than your regular moisturizer in the morning. It helps seal active ingredients and lock-in hydration.

Optional: If you want to pamper your skin a little extra, add a sheet mask after your serums/essences (step 4). You can also use a sleep mask (usually gel or cream-like) in place of moisturizers.

Final Thoughts

Again, everyone has different skin types and skin needs.

Your skin may only need a 3-step skincare routine, or it may need the whole 6 steps or more. Listen to your skin and be observant to what it really needs.

Whatever you decide on, always remember the rule of thumb - apply products with the thinnest consistency to thickest, or from liquid to cream.

You may not see instant results, but if you find that skincare regimen that works for you, stick to it, and you will eventually see the results.

Do you have a specific skincare routine? Share it on the comment box below!

Home Improvements During the Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 12:12:00 +0000

When the pandemic started, most of us have a 360-degree turn of our lives.

My work implemented a rotation schedule for us when the pandemic took it turns to worse just so there's not a lot of people in the office and that we are complying with the social distancing protocol. I started working for two days and then two days off. With all that free time, my husband and I started a home project. We repainted the house and bought new furniture. It was a total make-over. But no, we did not overspend or splurge. We bought what we can afford and somethings I repurposed and was used for something else.

The first thing we worked on was our kitchen. We used to have a lot of plates, utensils, bowls, mugs, and water bottles that we don't really use, so I started boxing them and put them away. We are only two at home and rarely got visitors, so all of those are mostly clutter in our kitchen. We got a cheap set of plates and bowls from Walmart with a color that eventually started the theme of our house.

Mainstays Amelia Topaz Dinnerware Set

Here's a look of our kitchen:

Our next project was then the dining area. We found the cheapest but comfortable dining set from Wayfair, and since the brown color doesn't really match our home aesthetics, we bought some chair Covers are from Amazon. The giant wall frame was given to us by a friend.

The living room was the next one we did, and it took us a while to finish putting everything together. The sofa set was also from Wayfair. The coffee table was something we got from Facebook Market for super cheap, and the TV stand was from a local thrift store in our area. This living room update is definitely our favorite part of our home project!

The last part of the house that we had a significant update was the master's bedroom. The bed was, of course, from Wayfair too.

We did some minor updates on our bathrooms, but that would be for some other time for us to share because we are still in the process of repainting it. We are also still working on my husband's "man cave," a.k.a gaming room; when it's finished, we are going to share it with you too! As for my playroom, I updated it a couple of times already, and most of the furniture I have there was some old furniture from our bedroom and living room that I chose to repurpose instead of just throwing them away. I will do a separate post about it since I've got so many things to share from there! But here's a glimpse of my vanity area:

We are happy with how things turned out. I believed that even if you are renting, you can still make the best out of your home. But I am looking forward to that day that we'll be able to own our house that we can call forever home. I always wanted to move somewhere else. Maybe not on another state, because I love Florida! I guess, just somewhere new.

I've heard a lot of good things about Jacksonville. And if ever you are in the market for a new house yourself, you can count on Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty, Erin E. King MBA. Erin was recognized as Best of Zillow Realtor. He specializes in Jacksonville's historic homes like the homes for sale in Ortega.

Erin King is also a Ramsey Endorsed local real estate provider in Jacksonville. A Ramsey endorsed local provider is a 3rd party affiliation that he has, and he's really proud of it! With his combined expertise and experience in buying and selling, you are in good hands and can definitely find your historic dream house in the Jacksonville area.

His website is also easy to navigate, and there are quite several beautiful homes for sale in Ortega. I particularly like this one:

Home for sale in Ortega

My husband and I always dreamed of a house far from neighbors and with a big extra lot where we can have our fur baby, Luke, run around and play.

You can check out more houses from the website and if you find what you are looking for, make sure to give Erin a call.

Hopefully, someday, we can have our own little house, may it be here in Florida or back home in the Philippines. For now, we are grateful that we are living in a charming and affordable townhouse that we can decorate on our liking.

What about you? Are you planning on buying a new home anytime soon? Or were you able to do some home projects or improvements during the pandemic? I'd love to hear from you!

My Top 5 Favorite Romantic-Comedy Korean Series!

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 11:50:00 +0000

Are you a K-drama fan? If yes, you probably already watched everything I have on this list. I won't say that I am a big fan of Korean drama because I don't watch everything that most of the k-drama fans will watch. I mostly like romantic comedies and feel-good dramas, although there's definitely a couple of heavy drama ones that I did love (that's for another time for me to share).

Today, I am just sharing my top 5 favorites, which I watched two or more times already. I usually re-watched them to entertain myself during my treadmill workout. 😁

My Top 5 Favorite K-Drama Series

5. The Secret Garden - this is a 2010 South Korean television drama starring Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin. At first, you will think that it's your typical Cinderella story between a stuntwoman and a rich and arrogant department store CEO. But there's more to it than that. I love how they mold the characters in this drama - including the supporting casts, and how each of their stories unfolds throughout the series.

Netflix/Giphy

4. My Love from the Star - a 2014 romantic fantasy TV series starring Jun Ji-Hyun and Kim Soo-Hyun. This is about an extraterrestrial alien who landed on Earth in the Joseon Dynasty and, 400 years later, falls in love with a top actress in the modern era. What I love most about this series was the hilarious character of Jun Ji-Hyun and the mysterious but cute character of Kim Soo-Hyun. This drama also entails family relationships, the complicated life of an actress, love, and friendships.

Giphy

3. The Legend of the Blue Sea - this is another romantic-fantasy tv series aired 2016 and starring Jun Ji-Hyun and Lee Min-ho, two of the most top-rated Hallyu actors. I already love both of these actors, and they have the perfect chemistry in this series. This drama will leave you laughing because of the innocence of the mermaid who made it to land to follow the man she fell in love with, who turns out to be an expert con-artist. And at the same time, it will make you cry because what is Korean drama if it can't make you sad and cry, right?

Giphy

2. Full House - this will be one of my forever favorite TV series because I just love the story and the characters, and also, this is the first series that my husband watched with me. Among this list, this seems to be a classic, which aired back in 2004 and starred by Song Hye-Kyo and Rain. I love the storyline. It's about an innocent and ordinary girl who is just trying to survive as an orphan and become a successful writer and a famous actor who wanted to escape all rumors surrounding him and his career. They ended up living together in a fake marriage.

Photo Credit: KBS / Wikipedia

1. Crash Landing on You - this is the most recent series that I probably watched four times already. I love the plot of this 2019 drama starred by Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. This drama is about a South Korean heiress who, while paragliding, is swept up by a storm and ended up crash-landing in North Korea, where she met a North Korean officer, who tried to protect her, and they both ended up falling in love with each other. This is the second k-drama series that my husband watched with me, and considering he was actually the one who chose this series.😆

Netflix / Giphy

If you have any recommendations, comment below and let me know so I can check them out! And please share your top five too!

How to start a skincare routine from scratch

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 15:58:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I am in no way a skincare professional or expert. All information in this post is based on my own combined research and personal experiences.

Are you new in the skincare world? Are you looking to start a skin care regimen that will work for you? Let me share how I started so you can get an idea of where to begin!

First off, what is skincare?

According to Wikipedia, Skincare is the range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. They can include nutrition, avoidance of excessive sun exposure, and appropriate use of emollients.

So when do we supposed to start to have a skincare routine?

Let me tell you this, I started a skincare routine when I am already past 20. But according to an article I read from the Essential Wholesale and Labs, at age 14-20, skincare is supremely important since teenagers often develop chaotic skin. Experts say that it's never too young to find and start a routine that works for you, and as the old saying goes: "Prevention is better than cure." Starting a skincare routine while you are young will help you out, in the long run, to put off the effects of advancing years for much longer.

But what if you are past your teenage years? Don't worry! It is not too late to start a routine. This remains true: our basic skincare needs to stay the same - cleanse, moisturize, and protect. But as we grow older, our skin needs more attention, and adding some steps are sometimes necessary, like toning, exfoliating, adding some special serums, and/or prescription treatments. But let us start with the basics.

When I came here in the US, I discovered that there's more to skincare than just washing your face with soap and water. In all honesty, I started off with only blindly using every skincare product I can get a hold for free, which I can definitely tell you were not a good thing.

You should know your skin first. Do you have a normal skin type? An oily one? Or maybe a combination or sensitive skin? That is something I did not really pay attention to when I started using skincare products.

How can you determine your skin type?

Tatcha has mentioned two great ways to do it:

The Bare-Faced Method - is where you cleanse your face thoroughly with a mild cleanser and gently pat try. Leave bare for 30 minutes and examine your cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead for any shine and after another 30 minutes, evaluate whether your skin feels parched. If your skin feels tight, your skin is likely dry. If there is noticeable shine on your nose and forehead, your skin is most likely normal/combination. If there is shine on your cheeks in addition to your forehead and nose, you most likely have oily skin.

The Blotting Sheet Method - is where you gently pat a blotting paper on the different areas of your face. Hold the sheet up to the light to determine how much oil is visible. If the sheet picked up little to no oil, you most likely have dry skin. If the blotting sheet reveals oil from the forehead and nose areas, your skin is normal/combination. Finally, if the blotting paper is saturated with oil, it is incredibly likely that you have oily skin.

Let's dive in deeper to each skin type:

Normal - blessed you! You have a well-balanced skin which is not too dry or too oily. Your skin is not prone to breakouts or flakiness.

Oily - this is when your skin always looks glowing, but its because it has excess oil, especially on your T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin). Your skin tends to feel greasy, and this is the type that is often prone to blemishes and breakouts.

Dry - this is the opposite of having an oily skin where your skin feels and looks dehydrated and dry. It can be noticeably rough, flaky, and itchy.

Combination - this is when your skin is oily in certain areas and dry in others. Usually, the skin is oily in the T-zone and dry or normal on the cheeks and the rest of the face.

Sensitive - this is usually characterized by visible redness, frequent rashes, and bumps, with patches of dry, flaky, and irritated skin. This skin type is more likely to quickly get irritated when trying new makeup or skincare products.

Give yourself some time to really understand your skin type and, along with it, give some thought of what your skin needs.

Now that you know your skin type, what's next?

Let's talk about your skin's BASIC needs.

As we have already mentioned, our skin's essential needs consist of cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting.

Cleanse - it is essential to wash your face morning and night. By cleansing, you are getting rid of dirt, sweat, sebum, and makeup from the skin's surface.

For normal skin, most cleansers would basically work, but it's always good to find mild cleansers that can remove dirt and grime but will also preserve your natural sebum.

For oily skin, oil-free foaming and gel cleansers tend to be the most effective. Look for cleansers that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to help with breakouts.

On the other hand, oil, milk, and cream-based formula that contains shea butter, honey, lipids, or ceramides work well for dry skin type. Avoid cleansers with irritants such as perfumes, alcohol, and other harsh ingredients.

For combination and sensitive skin, an ultra-gentle cleanser is your best choice. Look for fragrance-free, paraben-free, and soap-free cleansers. A gel or micellar cleanser that contains aloe tends to be a good choice.

Of course, choosing the right cleanser for your skin can sometimes take some time. Whatever cleanser you picked, make sure you take the time using it right. It is recommended that you apply your cleanser with your fingers in gentle, slow, circular motions for at least 30 seconds to a minute. After washing your face, gently pat it dry with a towel and avoid scrubbing it to your face. This is something I also learned late from the game. I used to scrub the towel on my face instead of just patting it gently.

Moisturize - this is an integral part of the skincare routine since it hydrates and softens the skin while sealing moisture. Like finding the right cleanser for your skin, it might also take time to find the right moisturizer for you and may take a trial and error method. But be patient, you will definitely find a match!

For normal and combination skin type, choose a simple, neutral, light, and non-greasy moisturizer.

Oily skin usually does great with lightweight oil-free moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

Dry skin, on the other hand, can benefit from a richer and denser cream that contains shea butter, jojoba oil, or coconut oil.

For sensitive skin, always go with fragrance-free formula and moisturizers labeled hypoallergenic, and that contains aloe or chamomile.

Protect - it is vital to apply sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 and broad-spectrum to protect your skin from developing skin cancers and also prevent the development of fine lines and wrinkles every morning. It is recommended that you apply your SPF 30 minutes before going out and re-apply it every two hours. You can use a daily moisturizer that already has a built-in moisturizer for a simpler routine.

It won't be necessary to use SPF at night. You might opt-in using additional skincare products instead, like exfoliators or acne treatments that specifically target your skin problems.

But if you are only starting to build a skincare routine, it is always better to start with the least products as possible. You also have to give your skin some time to get used to your routine. Do not be discouraged if you have not seen any results overnight. It can take up to six weeks to actually see results. Consistency is the key.

And also, don't forget your lips! You can use a lip scrub once or twice a week and apply lip moisturizers every night.

On my next blog post, we'll dive into a more advanced skincare routine.

I hope this helps you start a skincare routine that is best for your skin! Do not hesitate to leave a comment or question below if you have any.

If you are looking for a skincare brand to start with, check out my Good Molecules post here.

My Pixi Beauty Collection!

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:54:00 +0000

Brand spotlight coming up!

Have you ever heard about the brand PixiBeauty? If not, you're missing out! It's a beauty and skincare brand that offers incredible products to bring out your natural beauty. They've been around for 20 glowing years to provide "pure, awakening & skin-loving products that create a naturally radiant 'just had a good night's sleep' look." Sounds pretty amazing, right?

For today, I am sharing my collection of their skincare and beauty products and my favorites among them (which was actually hard to pick because they are all good!)

*By the way, all of these products are PR gifted, but this is not a sponsored post*

Here's their PixiGlow Cake ($28 each):

It comes in two Shade: GlidedBare Glow and PinkChampagne Glow. These 3-in-1 coordinated cheek colour and light-diffusing palette help to achieve a naturally healthy, radiant complexion with flushed apples of the cheeks, subtle contouring, and glowing highlights. These will definitely give you the naturally healthy and radiant glow! I can't pick just one from these two because I used each dependent on which look I am trying to achieve.

Here's their Rose-Infused Collection:

These are probably one of my favorite collections. I love everything pink and rose. :) This collection includes the following:

Rose Glow Mist - this refreshing Mist helps moisturize skin, improve elasticity and provide free radical protection - $15

Rose Ceramide Cream - this ultra-rich cream provides long-lasting nourishment and help to improve skin's elasticity while protecting it against environmental aggressors - $24

Rose Cream Cleanser - this is a soothing and gentle cleanser that helps strengthen and soften the skin - $18

Rose Tonic - this toner rehydrates, replenishes, and refreshes skin while gently removing any impurities - $15

Rose Flash Balm - a great pick-me-up 3-in-1 moisturizer that instantly moisturizes and brightens the skin that can be used as a mask or a primer - $24

Rose Caviar Essence - this gorgeous looking product with its encapsulated flower oils is a weightless serum-essence that helps nourish and hydrate skin while providing immediate and long-term radiance - $24

Rose Oil Blend - a botanical blend that rejuvenates, restores and renews the skin to help improve its elasticity and glow - $24

Makeup Fixing Mist - keep that glow locked with this makeup setting spray that prolongs makeup wear while keeping your skin hydrated - $15

Among these products, my top two favorites are Rose Caviar Essence and Rose Ceramide Cream!

Here's their Eye Reflections Shadow Palette ($24 each):

They come in 4 shades:

Mixed Metals

Reflex Lights

Natural Beauty

Rustic Sunset

I am fortunate enough to get a hold of Reflex Lights and Natural Beauty palettes! And my favorite is the Reflex Lights between the two.

Here's their Glow Tonic Collection:

Glow Tonic To-Go - you want your glow tonic to-go? Here's their solution! The travel-friendly pads pre-soaked in Glow Tonic so you can quickly achieve that toned, brightened, and hydrated skin wherever you go - $18

Glow Tonic Serum - this serum is all about hydrating and moisturizing while providing gentle exfoliation to the skin to show a radiant complexion - $24

On-The-Glow - would be one of my favorites! This multi-tasking stick can hydrate the lips, body, and hair! It's a perfect travel-buddy moisturizer - $18

Phenomenal Gel - this neutralizing moisturizer helps stabilize skin's pH levels while providing moisture and balance complexion - $24

Glow Tonic (100 ml) - this is my first and most favorite Pixi Product of all time! This gentle toner smoothes the skin and gives it a healthier glow - $15

Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel - this will probably be my least favorite skincare product from PixiBeauty. Although it promises to remove impurities and brighten the skin, I did not feel or see anything special when I used it. - $18

And yes, the Glow Tonic will always be one of my forever favorites!

Here's their complete Vitamin C Collection:

I got 5 of these products which I listed below:

Vitamin-C Juice Cleanser - it gently cleanses and brightens skin while improving the overall tone and appearance of your complexion while boosting your skin's natural luminosity. - $18

Vitamin-C Tonic - this toner helps prep your skin to your skincare routine. It helps create a smooth and vibrant complexion while soothing and brightening your skin. - $15

Vitamin-C Serum - this serum provides immediate and long-term radiance and helps reduce the effects of sun damage. - $24

Vitamin-C Caviar Balm - this brightening leave-on mask provides deep hydration while nourishing the skin and providing heavenly moisture day and night. - $24

Vitamin-C Lotion - this lotion provides hydration and protects the skin from sun damage while boosting the skin's luminosity and gives skin smoother complexion. - $24

I used up the Vitamin-C Juice Cleaner and Vitamin-C Tonic pretty quickly, which tells you that it has become my favorites from this collection. Among others that I don't currently own, I am down on trying the Beautifeye Eye Patches ($24), Vitamin C Sheet Mask ($10), and the Vitamin Wakeup Mist ($15).

Here's their PixiPretties Collection:

The Layers Highlighting Palette - with this highlighting palette, you can customize your own highlight by mixing it together and layering it. It's a multi-use glow-mix palette for your lids and cheeks. - $24

Eye Heart Palette - this palette includes wearable and light-reflective shades in a super silky formula that helps you to easily create stunning looks. - $20

Glow-y Powder - This silky soft, multi-dimensional highlighter has prismatic particles that give you the most gorgeous and radiant glow. It comes in two shades - Fetch (brown tone) and Wednesdays (pink tone). - $16

Endless Shade Stick - An easy-to-use shadow stick that helps you to create a beautiful eye-look quickly. It definitely falls into the on-the-go category, and what more interesting is that it is smudge-proof! I have this is One and Done, Copper Glaze and Matte Cocoa shades, but it's available in 4 other shades: Pearl Lustre, Pink Quartz, Matte Cognac, Bronze Blaze- $14

Lit Kit - This Kit includes Liquid Fairy Lights, a long-wear, liquid glimmer eyeshadow, and MatteLast Liquid Lip that provides full-on color while keeping the lips hydrated. It comes in two varieties - Day and Night, so you can easily change up your look - classic to dramatic! - $18

My top two from this collection is definitely the Eye Heart Palette and the Lip Kit!

Here's their complete Hydrating Milky Collection:

I am so happy I got to own 6 of them:

Hydrating Milky Makeup Remover - this is a gentle makeup remover that helps you get rid of the most long-wearing makeup without stripping the skin's essential moisture. - $24

Hydrating Milky Cleanser - it's a creamy daily face wash that gently cleanses the skin while providing it with deep hydration. It's suitable for all skin types and ideal for dry skin. - $18

Hydrating Milky Peel - a gentle exfoliating micro-peel product that clears away dead skin cells to show brighter skin. - $24

Milky Tonic - this is a balancing and hydrating milk-enriched toner that help soothe your complexion and provides essential hydration to the skin while helps your skin relax. - $29

Hydrating Milky Serum - this serum helps hydrates and revitalizes skin while giving it the protection it needs and improving its elasticity. - $24

Hydrating Milky Lotion - this multi-use lotion can be used for face and body to deliver instant moisture and long-term hydration. - $24

Missing in this collection is their Supersized Hydrating Milky Mist, 160 ml ($20), and the smaller version - 80 ml bottle ($15). My favorites would be the Hydrating Milky Makeup Remover and Hydrating Milky Peel.

Here's their Retinol and Jasmine Collection:

Retinol Jasmine Cleanser - this is a creamy moisturizing cleanser that helps remove all impurities for smoother, firmer, and more radiant-looking skin. - $18

Retinol Tonic - this multi-action treatment toner helps reduce fine lines and smoothes the complexion while soothing sensitive skin. - $15

Overnight Retinol Oil - this smoothing night oil helps restore skin plumpness and improve the appearance of fine lines and pores. - $24

Retinol Jasmine Lotion - this lightweight moisturizing lotion helps to ensure healthier-looking skin by while leaving skin feeling renewed and nourished. - $24

Retinol Eye Cream - this super nourishing eye cream helps improve skin's elasticity and helps minimize the look of fine lines around the eye area. - $22

Among these fantastic products, my favorites are the Overnight Retinol Oil and Retinol Eye Cream.

Here's more of the Pixi Beauty Products I currently owned and loving:

Glitter-y Eye Quad - this quad of four glittery shades is perfect as a finishing toper to add sparkles on your eye makeup looks. It's available in 3 shades: Rose Bronze, Gold Lava, and Blue Pearl. I currently owned the Rose Bronze palette. - $14

Liplift Max - this peptide-infused lip plumper is a volume-maximizing lip treatment that hydrates and nourishes the lips with its cooling sensation and glossy finish. It's available in 5 shades: Petal Ice, Honey Sheen, Sheer Rose, Sweet Nectar, and Peony Bloom. I have 3 of these - the Petal Ice, Sweet Nectar, and Peony Bloom shades. - $14

H20 SkinDrink - this intense moisture gel delivers a burst of hydration to the skin while instantly rejuvenates and refreshes it. - $6 for mini and $22 for the regular size.

Makeup Melting Cleansing Cloths - these pre-moistened cleansing cloths can effectively remove makeup while calming the skin and leaving it feeling perfectly clean and balanced. - $10

Large Lash Mascara - this mascara has a specialized and buildable formula that intensely volumizes and lengthens the lashes with its oversized brush. $16

Summer Glow Palette - this silky natural mineral powders in a mix of matte & glowing finishes is perfect for creating a natural sunkissed glow look. $20

There's so many to love from Pixi Beauty! What's your favorite collection or product? If you haven't owned any yet, what would be the most you are excited to try?

My Blogging and Influencer Journey - Looking Back

noreply@blogger.com (ladyshulammite@gmail.com) — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 12:43:00 +0000

I have previously posted a blog post about my journey into becoming an influencer with a tad bit of information and enough tips for you to begin your own influencer journey.

Today, I am giving you a detailed background and timeline about how I started!

The Beginning – Stepping into the world of blogging.

I always wanted to have my own website because I know somewhere in me – is someone who loves to write. I purchased my own domain in September 2016 and started working on the design of my blog. However, it's not until March 2017 that I finally and officially launched it!

The Next Step – Building my Instagram Foundation and Presence

March 27, 2015, when I dived into the Instagram craze and opened my account just for personal use. I was just posting random photos of everything. Came 2016, I was a stay-at-home wife doing odd jobs online and obviously had a lot of spare time in my hands to be on social media platforms, specifically Instagram. I saw people getting free stuff and sharing their thoughts about them. I said to myself, "I want to do that too." I started following freebie hunters so I can learn where to get free products to review that led me to discover different platforms and websites and started signing up for them. I always love to share my thoughts and my experiences with others, so that little fire of passion for sharing my first-hand experiences to others, later become that Influencer passion I have until now. In March 2017, I started to get products to review. I accepted everything – from scissors to kitchen utensils, pet supplies, makeup, and skincare. Then I came to love skincare and makeup – that became another passion.

I then started following makeup bloggers and skincare enthusiasts. I slowly learned how to do makeup and started to have a complete skincare routine! Makeup and skincare became my niche. I enjoyed watching makeup tutorials on Youtube and Instagram. And when TikTok emerged and took over the world (okay, I am just being exaggerated here!), beauty influencers became more active in sharing their talents in this video-based social media platform where they can be more creative. I can tell you that they are absolutely fun to watch!

True, there's a lot of fantastic beauty influencers in TikTok right now, but Popsugar rounded up a few talented beauty influencers that you should be following.

Although blogging is my passion, sadly, I stopped May 2019 due to a lack of time and motivation.

Reaching some milestones – Expanding my Instagram Family

So going back to my journey, I started my Instagram with around 150 – 200 followers, and most of them are friends and family. I reached my first 500 followers in May 2017 and mark the 1000 followers around September that same year. I can't remember exactly how I grew from there, but all I know was, I was stuck at 3k followers for so long – probably a year (2018 - 2019). Fast forward August 2020 – I just recently reached 6k!

And along with it, I was able to find time and motivation again to continue blogging, hence, rebranded and relaunched my blog!

It was a struggle to grew my Instagram following but always thankful to those people who supported me from Day 1. I believe that it's imperative that you know who your target audience is and that you are willing to show up for them every single time, even if you don't feel like it. Engagement is key. I have also learned that taking good photos and adding a compelling caption that gives them a glimpse of who you are, helps a lot in retaining your existing followers and gaining new ones. Plus, don't forget to play with the hashtags if you want your post to be seen by new people.

My current goal is to have 10k followers by the end of the year. Let's make this happen!

Collaborations and Sponsorship – The endless possibility

Is the number of followers important in getting those collabs and sponsorship? For me, it's a yes and no answer. And I will tell you why. I had gotten quite a few collabs when I was just starting out, especially from small brands that needed product testers and can offer you free products. There are also several platforms where you can work with different brands, even if you still don't have that big following. So, in this sense, the number of followers is not essential in getting collaborations. Some brands actually prefer micro-influencers (influencers with less than 10k followers), because they tend to have a higher engagement rate. This means their products will actually be seen by engaged and interested people.

However, big company and higher-end brands tend to rely on macro-influencers (influencers who have over 10k followers) which obviously have a better following. The logic behind this is that, their product will be visible to more people because macro-influencers have a higher reach. Macro-influencers also tend to have a higher chance of getting a paid sponsorship – meaning, brands are willing to pay them with money along with free products, to promote their brand. So yes, in this case, follower count, really counts! Still, this is not always the case; micro-influencers can be paid and offered sponsorship by brands too. I actually have a current paid brand deal in the works while I am still considered a micro-influencer. So all of this comes down to different factors and also depends on the brands.

But nevertheless, we can see here that influencers are becoming essential parts of marketing. That is why many brands are depending on them to promote their products. And then, this is where influencer marketing platforms play an essential role. They help brands find the best and trusted influencers to promote their products. See, for example, Intellifluence, an influencer marketing platform that is home for more than 80k influencers from 176 countries, all ready to collaborate with the right brands. And since beauty is one of the most popular niches, they have a new approach to beauty marketing. They have a pool of talented cosmetics influencers who are waiting to collaborate with beauty brands.

All that being said, influencer marketing seems to be staying for a long while. And for this reason, if you want to start your own journey as an influencer, now is the time!