Pucker Up! | Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint.

I made a resolve to not buy (or experiment with) new makeup, at least until I have tried and tested all the items in my 'to-blog' box. I really have one at home, where I place all the makeup that I need to swatch, try, and blog about. That box is now almost full, my goodness, but I will try my best to go through all (or at least half, lol) of those items within the next few weeks. (Take note of the operative word 'try', haha.)

Let's start with the Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint from Tony Moly. It's a color-changing, strawberry-scented lip tint in gel-form, and one of the best-selling products from the brand.

Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint, still sealed.

It comes in a clear and sturdy plastic pot. And I say sturdy because the clumsy ol' me accidentally dropped this while removing the seal, but it didn't crack or break. Whew! :)

Clear plastic pot.

The view from the bottom.

The Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint comes in three variants - 01 Clear, 02 Green Apple, and 03 Grape. Mine is the clear one, as you can see.

01 Clear.

It has a gel-like consistency, and you can apply it using your pinkie or with a lip brush. I prefer using the latter for hygienic purposes, and because I don't like staining my fingers with it. Yes, it stains because this colorless product turns into a lovely shade of pink! Magic! :)

It gives a hint of pink when swatched on the skin.

Pink stains on my pinkie.

Here's how it looks like when worn.

Bare lips.

With Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint 01 Clear.

I love how this product moisturizes my lips (I actually skip the lip balm whenever I wear this), and gives it a pop of color at the same time. The color is buildable, and has great staying power, too. It fades a bit after eating and drinking, but it leaves your lips with a natural-looking, pinkish stain. 

Now if you're thinking of buying this from Tony Moly, look for the Delight Magic Lip Tint instead. It's the repackaged version, which was launched sometime last year. (I told you my blog backlog goes back to ancient times, haha!) 

Tony Moly Delight Magic Lip Tint.

The potted packaging and color-changing formula is the same. It's also priced at Php 198 (around $5), like its predecessor, the Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint. The only difference is that there are now four colors to choose from. Oh, and they tweaked the cap design, too. They added the name of the product, instead of just writing 'Tony Moly'.

Products Used:
FACE: Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream,
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium, Skin79 Skinny Mirror Pact.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown, BYS Waterproof Eyeliner,
Love & Beauty Eyeliner in Dark Brown, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint in 01 Clear.

Have you tried color-changing lip products before? What brand/s are your favorite/s?

Foodie Goodie | Crispy Tofu Bites.

Tofu is love!
You all know how fond I am of tofu, having professed my undying love for this ingredient in some of my previous food posts.

If you love tofu as much as I do, I'm pretty sure you'll love this dish as well. It's easy to prepare, and kid-friendly, too. My six-year-old claims this is his new favorite dish - next to chicken curry. Haha! :)

Crispy Tofu Bites

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, drained and cut into bite-size squares
Potato flour or cornstarch for coating
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Coat the tofu generously with potato flour/cornstarch. Fry it until all sides are brown. Place it in a paper-towel lined plate, let drain, then set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the ginger, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Cook for a minute.
3. Pour the sauce over the tofu.
4. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Happy weekend eating! :)

Kids, Gadgets, and Social Media.

Is your child surfing the ‘bad’ websites? 
This is not the only question that comes to our mind when we think about how social media can destroy a young mind. But this issue is on the rise. Moreover, we have given them some devices that are only for their usage.

If this is the scenario, can we prevent them from surfing the bad links? Yes! Here are some tips that should be noted and followed to save the day.

Tech-savvy tots.

Know more about social media terrors.
As a parent, you should know about social media terrors. If you know about it, you will be in a position to tell your children about it. Again, every social network has different risks. Don’t relax once you have understood the risks related to Facebook. There are other popular social media platforms your child might use such as Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, etc. So, educate yourself about the platform before your child uses it. Once you have adequate knowledge about it, you can tell the DOs and DON’Ts of these platforms to your child.

Check for the age limit.
If Facebook says that your child should be at least 13 years to use that social network, understand it and keep your child away from it until the age of 13. However, if you have understood the risks and feel that your child should be at least 16 or 18 to be on that particular social network, take necessary steps to keep them away till they can understand the risks and face it on their own. Having said that, we are not suggesting that you should keep them away from social networks till you are alive, but let them use it once they are old enough to tackle basic issues on their own.

Enjoying Totoro! :)

Have a computer, not a tablet or laptop to help your child while studying.
If you are planning to buy a tablet or laptop to help your child study, you should change your plans and get a computer instead. This is important because you can place the computer in the common area in your home and keep a watch on your child’s activities. So, get a computer for him and make your task simpler. If you are planning to buy a computer, visit ChameleonJohn and look for matching coupons that will help you get the same at a discounted price.

Privacy settings.
On every device they use, you should check the privacy settings. On your computer, you can modify the section ‘parental control’. Similarly, if you have gifted your child a smartphone or a tablet, you can check ‘content filtering’ and modify it accordingly. You can also know about the sites they have visited by looking at the history of sites visited.

Your child is vulnerable. Don’t make the mistake of letting him stay alone and do whatever he or she wants. This can be risky, very risky!

What else have you tried to keep your child safe from social media terrors? Share your views in the comments.

Wordless Wednesday #118 | Frozen Birthday Party!

Oh yes! Another birthday party to which Yue, his friends, and the rest of the Grade 1 class were invited. Marianne, the celebrant, had Frozen for her party theme, and she was dressed as Elsa for her event.

Yue, Marianne, and Bienn.

There was a face painter at the party, and the kids took turns in having their faces painted.

Little man on the hot seat. :)

Little man had Olaf painted on his face.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

While some of his friends sported Adventure Time characters on their faces.

Olaf, Finn, and Jake.

No party would be complete without parlor games...

Fun games for the kids!

And a magic show, too. Yue even had the chance to be an apprentice for the day. :)

Yue the apprentice.

Looks like he's having a blast. :)

And here's Marianne's super cute birthday cake. With cupcakes to boot.

Happy Birthday, Marianne!

Let it go... let it go... ;)

Hair Story | Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Mocha Pink.

If you've been following this blog for quite some time, then you probably know or have read about my DIY hair coloring adventures. I've been using DIY hair color for the past two years or so, and have tried different shades of this Bubble Hair Coloring from Etude House.

Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Mocha Pink.
Box contains Bubble Coloring Solution, Pump Bottle,
Silky Perfumed Hair Treatment, Latex Gloves and Plastic Cape.
View the contents here.

This one's Mocha Pink, the most elusive shade in the Bubble Hair Coloring line. Well, at least from my experience, that is. I've always wanted to try this shade but it's always out of stock whenever I visit Etude House. I finally managed to chance upon one from Etude House Festival Mall a few months back, though I wasn't able to use it right away.

The reason? I had my hair colored at the salon (for a change, lol) last August, and well, it took awhile for the color to fade.

So anyway, here are the before and after photos of my hair. (For the step-by-step instructions on how to apply the product, click here.) My previous hair color was a combination of Schwarzkopf Medium Blonde and Warm Copper, and you can still see hints of it in my now grown-out bob.

Before.

It turned into a Medium-kinda-Brown after dyeing it with Mocha Pink. You may not be able to see it in this photo, but the roots of my hair are brownish pink. 

After.

I love! :) This is now officially my favorite shade in the Bubble Hair Coloring line. :)

Wanna go for DIY hair coloring, too? The Hot Style Bubble Hair Coloring is available at Etude House branches for Php 428 per box.