Astrid's Basic Essentials Kit

I don't wear make up even if I'm a working girl and I admit I still get mistaken for a high school student. I personally want to learn how to make myself look more mature. However, I still haven't made time to sit down and learn how to apply make-up.

I just have a basic prettifying kit that I use whenever I feel too bare or ugly. I think it's important to have that something that will lift your confidence up a bit. For me, it's my lip tint. I may forget the rest of my arsenal, but as long as I have my lip tint I feel like I can face people. I've added a few more things to that. Here's my Bare Essentials Kit:

1. Bobbi Brown Velvet Plum Pot Rogue Lip/Cheek Tint- I fell in love the first time I tried it. It has a rich dark brown colour that makes my lips stand out more but in a very natural way.
2. Burt's Bees Tinted Lipbalm- The tinted lipbalm adds a hint of colour to my lips. It's not as obvious as the lip tints but it helps so i don't look as pale as i already am.
3. Burt's Bees Lip Gloss Ruby Moon - It's one of the darker shades of their lip gloss series. They almost have the same colour as my Bobbi Brown tint but this one has a gloss on it. I love it because even it loses its sheen overtime, the colour still sticks.
4. Art Deco Mascarra - I fell in love with this when i first tried it. It elongates my lashes in a very natural way. It's perfect for day make-up, as I don't look like I have a lot of goop on my eyes.

I'll post a before and after photo soon. What's in your Basic Essentials Kit?

-Astrid

OPI Nail Polish

I bought two OPI nail polish. My favourite being pink and electric blue. I really wanted to buy a range of neutral colours but OPI's quite expensive. I think the best nail polish colours are the ones that's a few shades lighter/darker than your finger nails. I love how they look, very polished, classy and some shades actually elongate your fingers.

I like OPI because it lasts long and doesn't chip too much however I've been doing a lot of housework lately and I'm not too sure if they will last as much.

If anyone can reccommend another great nail polish brand, I'd love to know!

Back to School Hair Care

What happens to a lazy college student with dry frizzy hair every morning?
--A college student with bad hair day all week!

I dont really want to wake up early in the morning to be able to tame dry frizzy hair, 'cause... 'ain't nobody got time for that!

So, I am very glad to find the garnier fructis moroccan sleek oil. My hair feels so weightless and I feel like I am in those shampoo commercials (Sumusunod sa galaw mo kinda hair).

I apply it before and after blow drying my hair which takes less than 10minutes. It gives me more time to sleep-in!

I've used a couple of hair products like pantene, frizz-ease and tresemme but garnier was definitely THE BEST, plus it was cheaper too. You can buy it in any superstores like Walmart, Safeway etc..

Minimalism

I have a very tiny built; so,I rarely fit any dresses perfectly. However, Brandy Melville carries clothes for girls my size! I don't normally wear tight dresses for the fear of looking 'too skinny' but this dress was an exception.

 I wore a simple black dress paired up with a 'gladiator' sandal.
The dress has this little cut in the back which made me feel sexy! 

I got the gladiator sandals from Spain. It was 2 years ago so I totally forgot the store name but if you walk around Madrid Downtown I'm sure you'll find it.

Crabtree & Evelyn Citron Soap

Look, I have another Crabtree and Evelyn soap review. My mother loves their soap collection. I particularly liked the citrusy scent of this soap and how fresh and natural it smelled.

-Astrid

Soap Review: Crabtree & Evelyn's Crabapple and Mulberry Soap

My Crabapple and Mulberry soap has run out!

Aside from its pretty packaging, the daintily carved handsoap smelled so wonderful that every morning before heading out my mother would sniff me in delight and tell me I smelled heavenly. The scent wasn't  "perfume-y" strong, it was more on the side of a baby fresh smell.

Right now I'm using Tokyo Milk's Bird soap which smells wonderful, it has a citrusy scent to it unlike the former. It's bigger than the crabapple soap but priced the same.

I love it. Every time I'm feeling lazy to hit the shower early, I remember how good it feels to be lathering in soap like this and I get excited to go to the bathroom.

I'm collecting all the soap packaging too. They're so pretty and you can always reuse them for art projects.

-Astrid

Bag Hag Alert!

Here are some of the bags I was able to get my hands on. I was thinking of keeping them for myself but my mother tells me all my bags look the same. 

I wonder if I should just start selling bags rather than hoarding them? I like bags with minimal design, I tend to buy bags with earth colours but bright ones are fine as long as they don't have any brands visible on them. The bags I've bought have lasted me for more than a year and they're not necessarily branded because let's face it, bags aren't investments, they depreciate over time. 

As long as I have a classic, sturdy bag, I'm good.