The 10 Most Underrated Beauty Habits

1. Applying plain-old coconut oil as body lotion.  Apply generously all over and then just pat dry. You can reapply to very dry areas and even put socks on after applying to heels and feet.

2. Exfoliating regularly and thoroughly. Exfoliating is key, otherwise you are putting creams and lotion on dead skin and it cant do its job.

3. Exfoliating your lips too.

4. Using humble, cheapie petroleum jelly. 

5. Braiding your hair before bed for easy waves.

6. Keeping your feet to the grindstone. You have to pumice your feet like daily. Sandals and crusty feet are never cute. 

7. Fighting frizz with an old tee. Drying your hair with a T-shirt versus a towel helps lessen frizz and define curls.

8. Indulging in lavender-laced beauty sleep. Bath & Body Works has a great-smelling lavender vanilla aromatherapy lotion called Sleep. 

9. Practically swimming in body lotion daily.

10. Chilling the heck out. I think taking 20 minutes for yourself each day is the most underrated one. I have to make myself do this and when I skip it I eat more and feel not so focused. I'm trying to fit it in, but with a new puppy and a job with longer hours, it's so tough! The best is taking that 20 minutes with my awesome new headphones! Bliss!

7 Dreamy Bohemian Braid Hairstyles

We just see so much gorgeous braid inspiration on the red carpet, the runway and on wedding blogs lately. Here are some of my favorite wedding-worthy braids; which would you wear (if any)? 

 

A braid crown + wispy bangs, as worn by French actress Louise Bourgoin this week

Another version, worn by British actress Kelly Reilly last month--this style has heavier bangs and a fishtail braid

Julianne Hough's cleaner no-bangs no-wisps take on the braid crown

The woodland-fairy braids at the Alice + Olivia show during Fall 2013 Fashion Week

This enchanting braided updo, featured on the blog Style Me Pretty

Source: stylemepretty.com via Petra on Pinterest

This romantic flowery braid from the blog Hair and Makeup by Steph

Source: blog.hairandmakeupbysteph.com via Petra on Pinterest

The half-up braid/bun hairstyles from the Fall 2013 Rodarte show

Banish those Undereye Bags & Dark Circles

If you woke up this morning with tired-looking eyes, here's a quick fix you may not have considered--and it's in your kitchen right now...

In a piece about foods that promote great skin on Self.com, I found this nugget of wisdom for the scourge of undereye bags and dark circles:
"Dark under-eye circles can make you look like the Crypt Keeper—not cute. But the vitamin C in oranges banishes bags. It strengthens collagen, the skin's supportive structure, to lift sunken areas that create shadows."
Yes! I've been low on citrus lately, so I'm going to boost my intake and see how it helps blast these dark circles (and, um, I'm also going to try to get to bed earlier, too!).

Chocolate, the Secret Ingredient for Glowing, Beautiful Skin?

Splurge your way to gorgeous skin? I'm liking the sound of this! More on the news that an ingredient in chocolate may have skin-boosting qualities...

According to reports, British scientists are investigating compounds in chocolate and say they've made a breakthrough. The flavanols in chocolate, they say, may have anti-aging, skin oxygenation properties. The scientists are working on supplements based on these compounds in chocolate that may increase the body's absorption of cocoa's flavanols.
In the meantime, we can wishfully think that maybe the occasional squares of chocolate we enjoy now and then may be be good for our complexion. Nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking!

Go chocolate!

What Your Coffee-Sipping Speed Could Mean For Your Teeth

So what's your coffee-sipping style: do you drink a cup slowly over the course of a morning, or do you gulp it down quickly? The answer might impact your teeth...

My coffee is one of my favorite parts of my morning routine--I like having it while I sit down at the gym before going to work. And because I like it so much, I'm a slow-ish sipper. Savoring it is the name of the game.

And apparently this "coffee nursing" may be contributing to an increase in adult tooth decay. According to Seattle dentist Heidi Hackett: "The constant exposure to the lactose or milk sugar is giving the bacteria in the mouth a flood of raw fuel or 'food' to metabolize.'"

According to Hackett, drinking your latte within 15 minutes is A-OK; sipping it all morning long is where your teeth get into trouble. But, she says, you can drink some water or chew sugarless gum to help neutralize the acids in your mouth.

A New Procedure Promises to Change Brown Eyes Blue--Would You Get It?

Some doctors are saying that they may have pioneered a new treatment that turns brown eyes blue. Would you get it? 

I used to know a lot of people in college who wore color contacts because they claimed to hate their "boring" eye color so much. I always thought that was weird, and I think it's even stranger to hear that an eye doctor in Chicago, Dr. Elmer Tu, has reportedly developed a procedure that uses lasers to turn brown eyes, permanently, blue. If the procedure receives FDA approval in the next three years, as planned, you could plunk down an estimated $5,000 for blue eyes. 

How does it work? According to reports, a special laser destroys the brown pigment in the iris, and this stimulates the color change to happen slowly over the following weeks. (So yeah, you'd have chameleon eyes for a while.) 

The procedure is thought to be safe, but it isn't reversible, so if you ended up with, say, a really strange color of blue eyes that you hated, there would be NO going back.

Whiten Your Teeth Naturally

Teeth-whitening products aren't cheap, which is why I loved learning about the foods that can polish and scrub your teeth and get rid of stains naturally...

USA Today had the scoop on the foods, according to dental experts, that can scrub away stains and keep them sparkling white. The so-called "toothbrush foods" are as follows:

1. Apples and celery: Crunchy fruits and veggies are great for clearing away plaque and polishing the teeth and gums. They also increase saliva productions which can protect your oral health, say experts.
2. Strawberries: Think of them as nature's teeth polishers. Strawberries produce an enzyme called malic acid, which is said to keep teeth white, according to a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.
3. Cheese: Good news for cheese lovers! Your favorite white cheddar, and other cheeses, contain a type of lactic acid that helps zap tooth decay.

Meet Thailand's pride: BANGTIT

Khemmikka Na Songkhla, the professional titty slapper of Bangkok (more like Bangtit) who slaps the beauty right into women all over Thailand.

Over in the mythical land of Thailand, ladies who want to be plumper in the chichi area but don't want a surgeon's scalpel cutting into their body go to Miss Songkhla who uses an ancient secret technique called Smacking Yo Bitch Titties Up to bring a woman closer to Christina Hendricks proportions without surgery. Miss Songkhla uses her magical hands to pinch, slap and knead fat into chichis as the soundtrack from Vibes plays in the background.

Miss Songkhla's titty slapping boutique was in danger of being shut down when one woman claimed that getting her breasts Ike Turnered gave her cancer. The Thai Health Ministry stepped in and conducted a 6-month study where they closely examined Miss Songkhla's chichi abuse techniques. After all was said and done, and they cleaned up the mess in their chonies, they ruled that not only does Miss Songkhla's techniques not cause breast cancer, but some subjects' chichis actually grew a few cup sizes. Miss Songkhla's titty slapping hand is government approved!

That right there is the perfect job. You get to legally whoop a trick for a check? Count me in ;)

20 People Being Perfect At The Emmys

Celebrities charged the red carpet looking perfect as always (celebrities are perfect, if you weren’t already aware).

Here are 20 of the most perfect, which is an understatement, considering just how devoid of flaws these folks are.

20. LL Cool J

19. Aubrey Plaza

18. Joel McHale

17. Seth Meyers and who cares?

16. Darren Criss

15. Robert Morse

14. The Lonely Island

13. Kerry Washington

12. Kat Deeley

11. Loretta Devine

10. Will Arnett

9. Jane Krakowski

8. Stanley

7. Sally Draper

6. Taraji P. Henson

5. Duh

4. Scott Caan and who cares?

3. Christina Hendricks

2. Heather Morris

1. MISS BLANKENSHIP LOOK AT HER WOW

A Fragrance Just for Men's Beards. Nope, Not Kidding.

Finally! Men can now make sure their beards smell great thanks to a new fragrance made just for facial hair. Wait, what?

Yeah, apparently, there's a new men's fragrance out there called Dude No. 1 (hehe) that's scented oil made just for beards. It seems it was designed as a way for the creator Anne to trick her boyfriend into wearing a fragrance—by hiding it in a moisturizing oil that keeps facial hair nice and soft. Funny, no? But is this something you'd actually want a guy to use? I mean, when you kiss someone, their facial hair is all up in your business. And then won't your chin smell like a dude afterwards, too? I would have to see it in use in the field before I make a solid conclusion on this one. In the meantime, you can find out more about over on the mcmc.com site.

Are you intrigued? Or confused?

Crazy about BB Cream!

BB Cream or Blemish Balm Cream is among Asia's hottest beauty products right now. Where did it come from and how did it become so popular?

It is said that the formula comes from Germany where dermatologists prescribe it to heal laser skin surgery because it has soothing and skin-regenerating properties. Famous South Korean actresses then began using it for beauty purposes and since Asian dramas are huge all over, a craze was born. The trend that started in Korea first spread to Japan then to South East Asia and is now quickly making its way to Europe and the USA.

Celebrities who underwent laser surgery discovered and started using this wonder cream. Korean cosmetic companies got wind of it, realized the business potential, adapted the technology and started making their own formulas, thus making it available to the general public.

This "public" version of BB cream is suited for all skin types and are targeted to those who have sensitive and acne-prone skin. It has the advantages of both skin care and makeup as it improves the skin's condition and evens out the skin tone while providing coverage for dark spots and other blemishes.

General Product Features and Benefits

* Produces a very natural, "no makeup look"

* Provides perfect coverage like a foundation would but since it's not as thick, it doesn't clog the pores

* Works pretty much like a tinted moisturizer

* Conceals all types of pigmentation, discoloration, acne and other blemishes

* Has healing properties that soften, smoothen and refine skin

* Encourages skin regeneration to create and maintain youthful skin

* Contains UV Protection for healthy skin (SPF levels differ for each brand/product)

* Anti-wrinkle and skin-lightening benefits (available for some variants)

How to find the perfect BB Cream:
1) Do your research.
2) Narrow the playing field.
3) Find the perfect consistency.
4) Find the right shade.
5) Invest in BB Cream for the sake of your skin!

In a nutshell... BB Cream is an all-in-one cosmetic beauty and skincare product. Depending on the brand you choose, this cream can act as foundation, concealer, sunblock, and moisturizer all in one go. Please consult your dermatologist before applying this cream (or anything you've never tried for that matter) on your face. Better try it on a different body part first to see if you might be allergic to it.

Things You Just Can’t Do With Pointy Nails

Brave celebrities like Fergie, Rihanna and Lady Gaga are looking fierce these days—literally. So, is the new pointy nails trend a Do or a Don’t? First, let's talk about what you can't do with them. Here's what we came up with... 

After all, the talons make it quite a challenge to:
1. Button your skinny-day jeans.
2. Write an email.
3. Tickle a baby.

4. Put contacts in.
Or take contacts out.
Or anything with contacts.
5. Give a back rub.
6. Slip on a pair of strappy sandals.

7. Text.
8. Hook a bra.
9. Put on earrings.
10. And don’t even think about inserting a tampon. Yikes!

Bottom Line: A red-carpet Do…a real-life Don’t!

au naturelle curls

lately i can't figure out what i want to do with my hair.
i want to have a new look but i just can't decide what to do with it!
(rather, i can't find a decent squammy parlor where my hair won't get damaged.)

luckily, i chanced upon this old photo i took from our vacation to the province of abra two summers ago and found inspiration from the kids.

here they are parlor-ing themselves without the chemicals and gadgets.
ladies, introducing the madre cacao insta-curl 3000:

it's very easy to use:
1) pluck out a few twigs from the madre cacao plant
2) get a small bunch of hair together and wrap them around the twigs, tie the twig's ends together to secure hair.
3) let it sit for a few hours. stay in a rather warm or humid place to serve as your natural heater.
4) let everything loose and voila! perfect curls!

note: do not shampoo or condition your hair before curling, otherwise it won't be as effective.

Fosh nails

your look at your nails and you tell yourself, "pakshet, kelangan ko na magpa-manikyoor!"
you go online and search for cheap nail services rates and you find nothing that suits your budget (aka 20pesos). you say to yourself once again, "bibili na nga lang ako ng kyootix!"

as a Squammy, you don't go to Rustan's and buy your Orly or Esse.
you go to Isettan 2nd floor and grab this:

Klik nail polish, only 12pesos.