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What Are You Giving Mom this Mother's Day?

If you are like my family who gives gifts every special occasion, you would also run out of things to give. The technique I guess is to make a list of things that family member likes or has passion for.

For example, your list can be on general things such as books, clothes, shoes, bags, gadgets, accessories, perfume, cosmetics, travel etc. Then you may choose a category for the year or randonly pick from any of the categories. That's what I do, and I think my parents and brother do the same, too.

So for Mother's Day this year, I'm giving my mom a perfume. How's this for a mom gift?

If you need more choices of perfume, click here.

New Look, New Season

If you were to ask me what it is that I had not done yet in life? Coloring my hair would be my quick answer. Yes, I have never colored my hair despite the cajoling of my haircutter. I never gave in however strong the temptation may be.

But this is not to say that the idea of dying my hair never crossed my mind. In fact, if I had the courage, I'd go for red hair. My friends even noticed that my avatars often wear red hair. I know people can change hairstyles and hair color like a whim. But not me. Perhaps because hair as our crowning glory, I'm scared  that the new "do" may not suit me.

My natural hair color is black. But they say that it's actually dark brown and I have been wearing it long for a long while now. When the rainy season comes, which is like a month away from now, I plan to wear it shorter. So this early, I'm already checking out brown hair styles, that is if I still can't get the courage to go red-haired.

Of course, when you plan to change your hair color or hair style,  you can't help thinking about a total makeover. That is the case with me. To achieve that total beauty makeover, I started checking out skincare tips, makeup tips and the works. I'm lucky to have stumbled upon Allure, which has all the answers to my beauty regimen questions.

Are you planning to have a makeover anytime soon?

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Ruby Tuesday: Red Ribboning the Brim

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Originally uploaded by Meikah

A couple of years ago, my BFF Danny Abacahin published his book of poems: Brim.

It is a poignant account of the author's life. The language successfully evokes the emotions, the scenes that help form Danny. In the process, it provides a window to knowing myself, too.

It's a good read.

For more Ruby Tuesday, click here.

Grieving for the Loss of an Earring

I got these lovely accessories from Shing (Handcrafted Fashion Accessories) middle of last year, I think. Ever since, the set has been one of my favorites. 

Actually, the pieces did not come in one set. I liked the bracelet first, and then decided to get a pair of earrings to match. Cuvic, the designer and one of my BFFs, suggested the earrings. Lovely!

Every time I wear them, my friends drool and I would often get appreciative looks from other people. 

Last Friday, I wore the set again to the 3rd Social Networking Conference Summit. When I got home that night, though, I noticed that the other pair of earring was no longer dangling from my right ear. I had to recall where I might have lost it. After all, I had quite a round of events that night: Martin Nievera show at Glorietta Activity Center, the Bravo! Fashion Show in Greenbelt 5, and dinner Pho Hoa, Greenbelt 1 I couldn't remember. :( I am brokenhearted. 

One thing about handcrafted accessories is that you only get one a pair of each kind. No duplicate, and it's not mass produced. 

I hope Cuvic (I haven't told her yet.) can make me an exact replica of the earrings. Or make me another pair that will match the bracelet. 

How Are You Managing your Bills?

You know how it is when you're addicted to shopping. Especially these days when online shopping for brands is already accessible to most people, shopping has become a form of art and an addiction. If you are one of those people, most likely you are now running up large credit card bills and if you don't wise up, you're doomed!

But there is hope for you---for all of us. Billshrink.com credit cards help you manage your purchases, thereby helping you monitor your bills. BillShrink puts technology to work by scanning millions of data points and constantly re-calculating your usage and needs against all the possible product combinations.

Billshrink, for example, tracks options in the market and recommends the good deals so that you can lower your bills. It helps compare cards from AMEX, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, HSBC, and many more issuers to find the best credit cards.

What's interesting about Billshrink is that it does not only offer their services to individuals but to business as well. Corporations can avail themselves of the business credit cards on Billshrink.com and get help in improving their bottom line. It's actually an easy online resource for your business.

Now isn't that cool? Check it out!

Fundraising Made Easy

Organizations and even individual persons have at one time raise money for a cause. And I've observed that these fundraising activities have grown in the recent years. Perhaps because times have been hard for many of us. So, we find people learning about fundraising stuff, and gather fundraiser ideas on how to do it effectively.

Since my younger days, we have had several fundraising activities such as holding garage sales where we sell branded clothing, shoes and bags. The most common, however, is the newspaper drive. We had to haul newspapers and weigh them and then sell them to junk shops. It is hardwork, but, well, it pays off.

Technology has brought fundraising activities to the next level and has made fundraising easy and fun! Take for instance the fundraising with magazines. The idea is to raise funds from the convenience and comfort of your home. You just invite friends and family to save money on their favorite magazines from your custom online fundraiser.

If you're an avid magazine reader, I think you will enjoy this one, yet you are able to help build funds for a cause, too. So, check it out!

Is Your Wrinkle-Fighting Routine Up to the Challenge?

There's no more denying it, I'm at the stage in my life now when I need to watch what I eat, drink or do. Aside from that, I also observe that my skin needs more than gallons of water for it to be as supple as it used to be.

I was reading up on caring for the skin tips when I stumbled upon this quiz---Is Your Wrinkle-Fighting Routine Up to the Challenge?---over at TotalBeauty.com. Here's my Wrinkle-Fighting RX:

Step 1: Cleanse -- You generally don't cleanse too often (twice a day is plenty) and your skin is relatively cooperative, but just like most of us, you're not immune to bad-skin days. Use a hydrating cream formula (like L'Oréal Paris Advanced Revitalift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser, $6.99) to help exfoliate and smooth skin. Exfoliate once a week with a gentle scrub to really slough skin and promote cell renewal.

Step 2: Moisturize -- To avoid "mood swings" in your skin, stick to the same products daily without switching it up too often. After cleansing, slather a good, rich moisturizer on your face and neck and hands, which also show wrinkles as we age. (One that TotalBeauty.com readers love is L'Oréal Paris Advanced Revitalift Complete Cream SPF 18, $15.99.) Forego the SPF cream at night for an anti-aging treatment instead.

Step 3: Treat and protect -- Give wrinkles and newly surfacing fine lines a dose of extra attention with a concentrated treatment of anti-aging wonder retinol (or Vitamin A). (Try L'Oréal Paris Advanced Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate High Potency Serum, $13.50.) P.S. Since retinol can make your skin more sun-sensitive, now is as good a time as any to increase your daily SPF levels.

Take the L'Oréal Paris RevitaLift 8 Week Challenge to see just how well L'Oréal Paris Revitalift products can transform your visible wrinkles after eight weeks of use. You could qualify for a chance to win a trip to Paris (plus $2,000 of spending money) or dozens of weekly prizes (as if smooth skin wasn't prize enough)!

Take the quiz here and get your RX.

Ruby Tuesday: First Attempt at Crocheting a Handbag

I'm learning to crochet. I started taking up the hook and yarns last year, but till now I still haven't had a finish project that I can be proud of. :D

Well, the photo above is the first project that I tried, but failed again. I was supposed to crochet a handbag, but got lost in the counting that the handbag became a canister. If you look closely at the photo, you will notice that the workmanship is not that good. The yarn appears to be crisscrossing. (._.)

I am not discouraged yet. I know one of these days I can finish a crochet project---if only I have more time to learn it though.

More Ruby Tuesday here.

Going for Some Fashion Advice

Don't you just love seeing people wearing layers and layers of clothing with lots of accessories, yet still look all put together? I envy them!

I think many of us, if not all albeit silently, want to look our best. Or at least put on an ensemble that is easy on the eyes. Sadly, though, not all of us are born with some fashion sense. That is why we scour for beauty news.

Fashion for women these days has never been exciting. I can see that the trend now is more on the practical side, and not so big on brands. Mix and match is popular. Just a couple of days ago, I saw on a beauty blog a woman who mixed and matched her bikini. The top was from a different color/style and brand, while the bottoms was of a different color/design and of a different brand as well. They didn't exactly match, but the bikini was perfect.

We can't always pull off something like that. Thus we go for some fashion advice. Well, guess what? I stumbled upon a website that you can check out for fashion advice. Stylecaster has fashion people put together pieces of clothing---from the head pieces to the footwear---and put them together to achieve a certain look.  

A feature of the site that I find interesting is the part where you can make a model make quarter turns. I really enjoyed looking at the different outfit ideas.

Another interesting point is that you can get fashion tips based on your body type. Isn't that cool?

If you want to look good, you can also check out the Stylecaster fashion tips.

Getting Clothes from Divine Trash

I am now preparing my wardrobe for my island trip in May. Since it's going to be a trip to the beach, and it's at the height of summer, so I should be getting clothes that are light and soft. But I'm also looking for that perfect Maxi dress that I can wear to the beach. You know of course that Maxi dresses are the in thing for beachwear these days.

So I searched for women's clothing online and was not disappointed.  Look what I found:

This beautiful flowing, colorful maxi dress has an elasticated empire fit bust line and large sash tie halter neck fastening. It's fully lined, so I don't have to worry about what to wear underneath. 

I also got this loose-fitting oversized shirt. It's 100% cotton so it's perfect for summer.

The crew neck, short sleeves and a cute seagull print on the front would make me look sexy. :)  Like in the picture, I also would like to wear the shirt with leggings, put on some chunky accessories, and achieve this effortless look. 

Divine Trash, the name of the brand, actually has a lot of great women's clothing to choose from. I also want to emphasize that on their website, I can view the details of every piece of clothing that I set my eyes on. I would just hover over on the dress or shirt, and the details are magnified.

Now, I'm really getting ready for my summer trip!

My Primadonna Wedge Shoes

I just love these wedge shoes from Primadonna! The color and the style are perfect for me. Although they are five inches high, they feel so comfy that I don't feel wearing high heels at all. 

Another thing I like about these wedge shoes is the design. The front part is like a gladiator shoes, too, and its design makes my feet look slimmer, my legs longer. Therefore I feel sexier. ;)

This is my first Primadonna shoes, and I'll be definitely checking them out when I decide on my next shoe purchase.