Caring and Parentgiving.

I've mentioned before that I come from a clan of teachers and nurses. While the teachers in our family specialize mostly in one field, which is elementary education, the nurses on the other hand, have different specializations.

There's Mum, who is a Cardiology Nurse at the Royal Free Hospital in London. My favorite uncle, now based in Arizona, is a Dialysis Nurse, whose wife is a Navy Nurse. Two of my cousins, meanwhile, are well on their way to become Pathology Nurses. And then there's my Aunt (Mum's one and only sister), a Geriatrics Nurse who specializes in the care of the elderly.

Before moving to London, my Aunt's first overseas job was at a nursing home in California, where her work is no different from the in-home care provided by ParentGiving.com. Her clinical duties revolved around the physical and mental care of elderly patients. Typical responsibilities of this job include performance of routine and prescribed tests, administering of prescribed medication, and organization of patient records. As a geriatrics nurse, she is also responsible for the general care of her patients, which include feeding, bathing, and cleaning patients - even changing their adult plastic pants and cloth diapers.

Being a nurse sure is a challenge, all the more because you deal with the health and well-being of another person. It's amazing how much nurses and health care providers can do to help save lives, whereas as I can't even stand the sight of blood. So don't be surprised if I didn't follow the footsteps of my Mum and my other relatives. I might not even make it to Clinical Practice year if I did.

Pucker Up! | Carmex Lip Balm.

When I posted this photo on Instagram a couple of days ago, I knew my Mum wouldn't fail to notice it.

And notice she did. She even left a comment saying, "Oh, that's not new here. But very, very good."
By 'here', she meant in London, where Carmex happens to be a household brand. These lip balms sure are popular! From their lab in Wisconsin, the brand has a following that spans across the globe.

Invented in 1937 by Alfred Woelbing, Carmex began as a small business for the Woelbing family. Alfred Woelbing concocted the lip balm on top of the family stovetop and hand-poured the mixture into small glass jars. Together with his wife, they sold these jars to pharmacists from the boot of his car.

The popularity of these yellow-capped jars remain up to this day. Only now, they're no longer contained in glass, but in plastic jars. And they sure have gone a long way from being peddled to pharmacies.

Classic Carmex.

Aside from the classic jar packaging, Carmex lip balms now come in sticks and tubes, too.

Click Stick + Squeeze Tube.

I was actually very excited to try the Strawberry Stick first. Remember, I'm a sucker for anything strawberry. Plus the fact that it has sunscreen protection of SPF15. But alas, someone made a mistake of sending me an empty box!

*insert facepalm here*

So I went on to try the Squeeze Tube instead.

Squeeze it!

Its formulation is the same as ones contained in jars.

Check the label! :)

Active ingredients are menthol (to kill germs and alleviate discomfort), camphor (to ease the pain of chapped lips), and phenol (to numb sore lips and remove dead skin).

Sounds a lot like Vicks Vaporub? Right you are.
That was my initial reaction when the lip balm came in contact with my lips. I was like, "Wutda?! Vicks?!"
The tingling sensation and the waxy feel was a bit overwhelming at first, but I got used to it after awhile.

Carmex on my lips. Also known as my 'almost no-makeup' look. :)

What I love:
- It's now available locally. No more pre-ordering from US sites or waiting for balikbayan boxes, lol.
- The sunscreen protection (found on the Click Sticks).
- The light, vanilla scent.
- The price. (Click Sticks and Jars at Php 99.75, Squeeze Tubes at Php 109.75)
- The cooling sensation.
- Not tested on animals. Yay, Leaping Bunny advocate! :)


What I don't like:
- The jar packaging. (Unhygienic.)
- The empty box, lol!
- It contains petrolatum. (As much as I can, I veer away from chemicals such as these.)

I know most people consider this as their HG lip balm - my Mum included. If not for the petrolatum, then I'd be more than happy to jump into the Carmex bandwagon. :)

Visit the Carmex website to know more about their products.
Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter, too!

*I received these products for free for review purposes. Thoughts and opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Feed your Mind at TropicMind.com!

Coming from a family of teachers, I grew up with much ado for studying. Sounds nerdy, but it's true. Even if it's been years since I graduated from college, I still love learning new things - be it a new skill, a new language, or even facts and trivias that are unknown to me before.

And the way I see it, my little man has the same enthusiasm for learning, too. He loves flipping through books, he loves asking all sorts of questions, and he absolutely loves school. For a three-year-old, he's quite an eager beaver - even refusing to skip school (he's in Kindergarten, by the way) despite heavy, incessant rainfall. Which is why I'm always on the look-out for new and fun ways to feed his mind and keep the enthusiasm burning.

Just recently I discovered a hidden gem in the virtual world of learning.

I came across Tropic Mind, an educational virtual world for kids. Here, you will find many different islands, where each island is devoted to a specific educational topic.

Topics include Math, Physics, Biology, Anatomy, Health and Nutrition, Ancient History, Astronomy, Ecology and the Environment, and a whole lot more.

Physics made simple.

Health and Nutrition emphasized.

History made alive.

Math made fun.

World History in animation.

Caring for the environment.

These topics are discussed in a fun and unique manner - either through an educational cartoon, an animated game, or both. A team of highly-experienced teachers and educators provide the site with its educational content, while a pool of creative animators and graphic artists make the learning experience fun and enjoyable.

As for the kids, they have these guys to guide them as they explore the different islands and go through the lessons.

To make the learning experience a more personalized one, Tropic Mind allows you to create your own character and style it up to your liking. You also have your own island, which you can decorate as you wish. You even have the option to keep and take care of a pet, too!

There's a clothes shop, a furniture shop, and a pet shop where you can buy all sorts of items for you, your pet, and your island home. The coins needed to buy from these shops can be earned through the educational games.

Learning becomes more fun and exciting when you have friends with you. Tropic Mind feels the same way, which is why the site provides you the option to interact with your friends by chatting, sharing virtual items, or sending gifts.

Best of all, child safety comes first in Tropic Mind, and parents are assured that all content found in the site are appropriate for your kids. Uploaded material and created items are strictly-monitored, while comments and messages go through a language-filtering system prior to posting.

I'm glad my son and I had been given the chance to experience Tropic Mind first-hand. While the topics are ideal for kids aged 6-12, I'm proud to say that my three-year-old had a pretty good grasp of some of the lessons. He had fun recognizing letters and numbers, learning about the food pyramid, exploring the world map, the solar system, and even the parts of the body. All these he did under my supervision, of course. Once he starts playing, it's quite difficult to pry him away from my laptop - which is my only gripe, haha!

Needless to say, if my three-year-old can finds this site fun and engaging, what more for older kids who can actually read and work their way through the site with less supervision? I'm sure it'll be twice more fun for them.

Tropic Mind is free for kids to play and explore. However, to maximize and enjoy the full features of the site, a paid membership is required. Rates begin at $5.95 a month, $29.95 for six months, or $49.95 for a whole year. Should you wish to cancel your paid membership, you can do so anytime.

To know more about Tropic Mind, visit their Parents' Page here. Like them on Facebook, and stay updated on Twitter, too!

*I have been provided with a free trial membership for the sole purpose of this review. However, the opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Halloween Made More Fun!

Next to Christmas, Halloween is perhaps the most anticipated and celebrated holiday of the year. Cobwebs, spiders, cauldrons, and tombstones are all too familiar adornments during this season. Pumpkins and candies are also part and parcel of this annual tradition.

But what makes this occasion even more fun and interesting are the costumes. These days, Halloween costumes are not just limited to kids and teens. Even adults have joined in the bandwagon, too!

Women usually gravitate towards foxy fictional characters and sassy, curve-clinging outfits for their costume. The men, meanwhile, go for pop icons and comic book characters. Some of the mens top costumes include Elvis Presley (he's a classic even when it comes to costumes), Optimus Prime of the Transformers, and the infamous Hellboy. The kookier the costume, the better. The crazier it gets, the more fun it'll be.

The season of spooks might be more than a hundred days away, but at http://www.spirithalloween.com the spirit of Halloween is alive all year long. They have a vast collection of costumes to choose from that are designed to fit any and all sizes. They come in pocket-friendly prices, too. 

For those who like doing things ahead of schedule, now is the time to shop for costumes and other Halloween paraphernalia. Spirit Halloween has released its latest collection, and are now available online. This year's selection are quirkier than ever, with Bert and Ernie, Homer Simpson, and even Charlie Brown added to the list. Hefty discounts apply to selected items - all the more reason to start Halloween shopping now.

Sleek Makeup Bad Girl i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette | Product Review, Swatches, and The Look.

Taking off from this teaser, here is a full view of the items I received earlier this week.

My Sleeks! Eyeshadow palette, blush, and lipstick.

I was looking forward to just the blush and the lipstick, since they were the ones mentioned by Pao (Achi Pao, as I fondly call her) during our Facebook conversation. So imagine how thrilled I was to find an eyeshadow palette included in the package. A wonderful surprise, indeed!

Just to give you a background, Sleek Makeup is a London-based brand of high street makeup. Theirs is a wide range of products that are chic, trendy, and suitable for women of all ages and races. Being the only high street brand with 17 different shades of foundations, Sleek Makeup is also renowned for their competitiveness against widely-recognized designer labels and premium brands.

For this post, I will be concentrating on the eyeshadow palette alone. These three products are just  way too wonderful to be crammed in a single entry!

Moving on, when I saw the the name of this particular eyeshadow palette, my first thought was, "How appropriate!" I was referring to myself, of course. :)

Bad girl! 

Inside the box is this compact - black, slim, sturdy, and indeed very sleek.

Slim, chic, sleek!

Now here's the view inside the compact - twelve pearlescent shades that are oh-so-bold and drop-dead gorgeous.

Not for the faint of heart.

This palette may be too intimidating for those who are not used to wearing (dark) makeup. But if you want to step out of your comfort zone and would want to 'go to the dark side', I suggest you give this palette a try.

Swatched on skin.

With its creamy texture and soft touch quality, this mineral-based palette contains a large amount of mica which reflects light and gives the shimmering effect to the eyes. The pigmentation is just as exceptional. A gentle glide of your brush or applicator on each shadow (which is what I did with the swatches above) is enough to give your eye all the color it would need. Which is why you should be wary when using this palette, as you might overdo it. Just a little of these powdery eyeshadows can definitely go a long way.

Here's the look I created with the Bad Girl i-Divine palette.

Green smokeys!

Using Gunmetal to define the lids, I blended it with a hint of Underground on the creases. Next, I blended it with Intoxicated on my outer V. Using Innocence to highlight this look, I dabbed a bit of it on my inner lid and with a feathery stroke, gave it a sweep all the way to my brow bone.

Smoking green! :)

For someone whose least favorite color is green, I actually loved the smokey look I created. I had a lot of fun doing it, too. I'll experiment with the blues next time as I haven't done a blue smokey yet. Of course, I'll be sharing that 'artwork' here in my blog.

The look. :)

Face: L'Oreal Base Magique Primer + Missha  Signature Real Complete BB Cream # 21
Eyes: Sleek Bad Girl i-Divine Eyeshadow, Avon Extralasting Liquid Eyeliner in Black,  Kohl Royal Selections Eyeliner in Charcoal Gray, Avon Supercurlacious Waterproof Mascara in Black, Ever Bilena Eyebrow Liner in Brown
Cheeks: Avon Smooth Minerals Blush in Blushed
Lips: Jordana Double Length Lip Liner in Rose, Avon Ultra Color Rich Moisture Lipstick in Apricot Mystery

In summary, here's my two-cents' worth for the Bad Girl i-Divine eyeshadow palette.

What I love:

- Sleek and chic packaging. Sturdy yet light enough to carry around in your purse.
- Wide range of color. Majority of the shadows are dark, but very versatile.
- Highly-pigmented and long lasting colors. Can be worn with or without a primer.
- Blendable shades. The shadows may look intimidating at first, but are pretty workable.
- Creative eyeshadow names. Can I just say that I love Rebel the most? Because it's purple, and it's MY monicker.
- The shimmery effect on the eyes. Adds the spunk and flair to the overall look.
- Suitable for sensitive skin.
- Affordable price of Php 650.

What you might not like:

- The waffle design. Honestly, this is my first time to come across an eyeshadow with waffle prints. It looks weird but I find it a bit cute, though.
- Dark shades that may be a bit too overwhelming for some. Not to worry though, as Sleek Makeup has several other eyeshadow palettes (such as Storm, Au Naturel, and Original i-Divine) that may be more suitable for those who prefer lighter colors.
- Not yet available at department stores or drugstores, in case you're the type who'd want to see things in actual before buying them.

Sleek Makeup is officially distributed in the Philippines by Ms. Smile of Updated Trends. Purchases can be made through her online store, or at bazaars such as this.

Stocks are also readily available with Ms. Sol of Digital Traincase. If you want to check out more Sleek Makeup and see the products in actual, I suggest you visit the bazaars where Updated Trends and Digital Traincase participate in. You may place your order or inquire about their upcoming bazaar schedules through the following:

Facebook: Sleek Makeup PH / Digital Traincase
Multiply: Updated Trends / Digital Traincase
Twitter: Digital Traincase

I'll be posting about the blush and lipstick later on, so do visit my blog again for the review, swatches, and like what I always say - 'the look'. :)

While the Bad Girl i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette was given to me for free, the opinions stated in this article are entirely my own.


Sharing with Shadow Shot Sunday, The Simple Things, and Photostory Friday.

No Complaints, Just DealFun.

When the impending release of the iPad 3 (or the new iPad, as some would prefer to call it) broke out in the news and on the web, I knew my husband would get all-hyped up about it. Which was exactly the case this morning, while we were talking via Skype. He's been complaining about how his three year-old laptop is starting to conk out on him, and how a brand new tablet (an iPad 3, specifically) would be a suitable replacement.

I bombarded him with a handful of iPad 3 'cons', but he came up with his own list of 'pros' in rebuttal. Like how the new one has a better screen resolution and a faster processor. Not even the thicker dimension and heavier weight of the new tablet could take away his excitement. And because it seemed like there was no stopping to him buying a new gadget, all I could do was support his cause. I asked him to check out online stores or auction sites first before actually going to the mall to make reservations for an iPad3. He was a bit reluctant to this, but seeing how he hasn't come across any dealfun.com complaints, he agreed to my suggestion.

Now that he's willing to compromise, maybe I could wheedle him to get me an Alienware M17 laptop, too.

Sneak Peek | Makeup that's Oh So Sleek!

Today, the courier guy came bearing gifts. These were sent to me for product review / feature, which I'll be doing later on. I just couldn't resist sharing my new art materials and how great they look, even at first glance.

Gorgeous blues and grays.

Oh yes, I get to experiment with another smoky eye look!

Pretty pomegranate.

Subtle shimmers on this pan of pink.

Bright and orange-y!

And lip color that screams for attention.

So Sleek!

These are all Sleek Makeup products, a London-based makeup brand. Sleek Makeup is available in the country through Updated Trends, the official distributor in the Philippines. Thanks Ms. Smile, Ms. Sol, and Achi Pao! These babies are now in good hands, lol.

Swatches, product review, and 'the look' coming soon!

Sharing with Rednesday!