Recent online shoe haul.

So I went a liiiittle shoe crazy a while ago. Remember I mentioned in a previous post how my obsession comes in waves and that, at that time, it was shifting to shoes? Yeah. I bought four pairs of shoes after that. Two pairs of flats and two pairs of heels. All in the span of less than a month. Yikes.

Clockwise from top: Hot pink peep toe pumps, rose pumps, cream captoe flats, pink ballet flats

I got all of these online. I'll post links to the shops where I got them. You'll see the prices when you click the links. I'm kind of afraid to admit how much I spent on all of these.T_T Each pair is actually relatively affordable, though. Let's just say, collectively, the lot of them cost as much as a decent pair of running shoes.

Hot Pink Peep Toe Pumps

Photo credit.

Got this pair from FashionCookie ShoeAvenue. These are probably the highest heels I have. Almost 6 inches high!o_O They'll definitely get uncomfortable if you stand/walk in them for long periods of time, but they don't pinch or rub anywhere. Which is why I like suede shoes. They're so easy on my feet for some reason. However, with the weather lately, I've been having a hard time finding the chance to wear these babies. I'm scared they'll get ruined by the rain. >.<

Pink Ballet Flats

Photo from Suelas.

This is Suelas's Llanura in "Tutu Pink". They're foldable and come with a pouch you can tuck the shoes into. Actually, I already owned the exact same pair before this recent purchase. They were my most used and abused flats. And I loved them so much I just had to get another pair when they finally gave up on me. I hope Suela's doesn't stop producing these. I will be heartbroken if they get discontinued. Hehe.

Cream Captoe Flats

Photo from Satchi Store.

These are Satchi Store's Vivi Captoes in cream. I bought these to use alternately with my Suelas Llanuras so I don't wear them out too quickly (yes, that's how much I love my pink flats). Satchi Store boasts of "unbelievable sneaker-like comfort" from their shoes. Yes, the shoes are very soft, buuut the lining is a bit scratchy. I'm quite sensitive when it comes to the itchies so this was kind of a disappointment. What's even more disappointing is that I think all of their shoes are like this. I own another pair from this store (the Kochi Loafers), and I had to line the front part of those shoes with Leukoplast cause I couldn't bear the scratchiness. Thankfully, the construction of the Vivi Captoe makes the lining more bearable. 

Rose-colored Pumps

Photo from Shoe Goddess.

When I saw these pumps on Shoe Goddess (aka HighStyleFancy), it was love at first sight. But I'd already purchased the three previous shoes I mentioned so I told myself I really didn't need another pair. But I kept going back to the site just to look at them and sigh. I made a little bargain with myself, that if the shoes were still there by the end of October, I'd get them. And then Multiply held one of their "Discount Frenzies" for shoes. All that bargaining went out the window. I snatched up those shoes with the discount code and got Php 500.00 off. Mwahahaha! I fail the Marshmallow Test.-_-

I'm pretty much over my shoe phase for now. Sana naman, diba? Hahaha. My current obsession has shifted to organizing. I'm on a mission to de-clutter my room. I've been buying containers, holders, and organizers, left and right. Ayayay. Progress is slow and I still have a long way to go, but I'll show you the results once I'm all done.

- Jix.

My Unii Palette.

Ha! Finally. Overdue post.

Like I said the Unii Palette was the main catalyst for my starting this blog. I finally got it and have already been using it for the past three and a half weeks, but I'd become pretty busy lately and haven't really been able to sit down and write about it yet.

So without further ado...

What is a Unii Palette?

The above video pretty much explains it all. Put simply, it's a makeup storage case. It opens up like a compact with a mirror on the top panel. The bottom panel is magnetic where you can stick pans of makeup which have been removed from their original containers. I won't go into it so much since all the info's on their website and there are tons of detailed reviews out there.

What attracted me to it was the fact that I could consolidate all the different brands and types of makeup I had into just one portable case. Perfect for travel.

When I first heard about the Unii, it was only available for purchase online from their site. Shipping cost to the Philippines pretty much turned me off of the thought of purchasing one.

Some time later, I don't remember why, I randomly Googled "unii palette philippines" and.... tadaaa! A couple of local online shops were selling it. I got mine from La Petite Confiserie for Php 1000.00 + Php 50.00 shipping, which is kind of cheap considering that Unii sells it on their site for US$ 29.00 without shipping.

I know it's not cheap for an empty plastic case, but this is such a cool product! Ingenious! I haven't seen anything like it (well, there's the Z-palette -- same concept but it's made of cardboard). I wanted it so bad I was willing to shell out the money for it.

The latest "edition" of the Unii Palette comes in 6 colors. The pastel ones are just soo adorable, I wanna cry. Hehe. I wanted to get the turquoise palette (most of you know how obsessed I am with this hue), but since I told myself I need more variety in my color selections, I got the Honeysuckle one instead. My heart still aches for the turquoise one, though.T_T Pag tinopak ako, bibilhin ko yun. Hahaha.

The Unii Palette in pastels, and basic white and black. Image from Unii.

Like I said, I've been using this for a little over three weeks now and I have nothing but love for the Unii. I just looove the convenience of it all. I can do my makeup in the office when I'm running late. And I can do it using all my favorite products without having to tote around this huge palette and a bulging makeup bag. It holds up really well, too. I've tossed it into one of my big hobo bags where everything gets jumbled and jostled around, but the case and my makeup were all still intact.

Cons? The depotting process was pretty messy. I broke some of my makeup (mostly because I'm a klutz and dropped the pans *headdesk*). I also had to destroy some of the original containers by way of melting the plastic, just to get the pans out. But it's all good. I'm so happy with the end result!

Here's what the inside of my Unii looks like:

There I have several eye shadows (14 to be exact), one blush, a contour color, a highlight color and a lipstick I depotted and melted into an empty rectangular pan, plus a couple of small makeup brushes.

In some reviews, people have complained that they feel the Unii Palette is too small. But I think it'll only be too small if you're thinking of using it as a regular storage compact or if you're the type of person who cannot pack light and wouldn't be comfortable bringing only a few makeup pieces. However, to me, it's just the right size. I need it for it's portability. I have my go-to everyday makeup looks established, so everything I need for that is in my Unii. I can already do six eye makeup looks with what I have in there! If ever I want to do something different it wouldn't be difficult to just switch up the colors.

Unii is in the process of designing a bigger palette for their next release, though. So that's something to watch out for.

- Jix.

On not scrimping when it comes to skincare.

Okay, I concede. As much as I want to tell you guys that you can get the same results from cheap skicare products as the high end ones, I've learned that investing in high quality, albeit expensive, skincare products does make a difference. I haven't tried many of the high end brands, but from what I have tried, I can say you do get your money's worth when you choose to spend on skincare, especially for the face.

Yes, there are the select few who were blessed with skin so perfect, they can get away with just washing their faces with plain, bar soap (or so they claim). However, the lot of us may need more care than that. I know I do.

I'm lucky I have a skincare benefactor in the form of... drumroll please... MY DAD. Yep, my dad is probably more vain than all us girls in the family. He's the one who keeps lecturing us on always, always using sunscreen everyday (boy, do I get an earful whenever I go to the beach), telling us to follow the three-step skin care routine (cleanse, tone, moisturize), and warning us not to rub or stretch the skin on our faces lest we get wrinkles. It's pretty funny. But what the heck, if he's willing to fund our pursuit of good skin, who's complaining? Haha.

My dad was the one who provided me with Clinique's 3-step skin care system and Super City Block (facial sunscreen). My initial thoughts were, "Whyyyy are you spending so much for this?! We could've used the money for better things!" I honestly didn't see the point. But I used the products anyway.

It wasn't 'til a few months later, as I was sorting old photos, that I noticed how much of a difference there was in the quality of my skin. In the old pictures I had such uneven skin and a lot of tiny blemishes. I'd thought my skin was okay since I didn't break out in splotches of acne or anything. I thought a few bumps were normal. I didn't know it could be much better.

Before

Now

The "before" picture is o-l-d. Like 4 years old. I stole it from Dax's Multiply since I couldn't be bothered to search through the virtual baul in my external hard drive. Haha! I think this was taken a few months before my dad started giving me the Clinique products. Take note: that's a low res photo, and I already had powder foundation on (it's a photo of me doing my makeup, hehe). I shudder to think how it would have looked in HD.o_O The "now" photo was taken a couple of hours ago -- no makeup, freshly cleansed, toned and moisturized face. Excuse the pores, it's a macro shot of my forehead. MACRO. Click the photo to zoom in. That's how much clearer my skin's gotten after a few years of proper skin care. Thank you, Dad!

My dad also gets all these samples of beauty/skincare products (because of his work) and passes them on to us to try. I'm continually amazed that there are products that produce noticeable results overnight or even instantly after application! Examples are the Clinique Turnaround Concentrate and the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack (which I just tried out last night, thus inspiring me to write this, hehe). Of course, they come with pretty hefty price tags, but it's just proof that you get what you pay for.

So yeah, if you have the moolah to spare, invest in your skin care products. If not, at the very least, try to stick with the 3-step, cleanse-tone-moisturize regimen in the morning and evening. Find the best products, within budget, that work for you.

And just so this isn't all about expensive skincare, here's my cheaper version of the 3-step program for the times I run out of my Clinique stuff before Dad replenishes my stocks, hehe:

I didn't take note of how much these cost, but I'm pretty sure none of these is over Php 200.

Disclaimer: We all have different skin, so please remember that what works for me may not work for you.

Wow, this certainly seems to be transforming into a beauty blog. Hahaha. I should start writing about other things. My fixations come in waves and cycles. It's been beauty lately. Now it's shifting to shoes (again). Hahaha.

- Jix.

P.S. I also highly recommend getting a good eye cream. Not sure if it's noticeable to other people but I feel like it makes my eyes look less old and tired. Plus it really improves the texture of the skin around the eyes. My heart sinks a little whenever I run out of the Clinique eye cream samples since those samples are a bit hard to come by.