Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fitness Report #12: Getting Injured Is not Fun!

Hi everyone,

Last week, I exercised in a total amount of time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. This is a record low and you wanna know why? Yours truly decided to be fancy and did kick-boxing. Somewhere along the short 20-minute of kicking, I managed to injure my left knee. This knee, since as long as I could remember, has always given me terrible problems up to a point that I could not walk for weeks. I went to a doctor recently and he told me there's nothing he could do since the injury is cause by an improperly healed fracture on my kneecap. Once in a while, the knee would get hurt and he advised me not to do anything too intense to traumatize it.

And being a good patient, I thought I should try kick-boxing. It looked more intense than Zumba and I wanted to lose more weight. But I forgot one thing: kick-boxing involves twisting from the knees and after 20 minutes, my left knee decided to take a break.

I am still taking a break until today but it's for a different reason: my family is moving again. After what feels like an eternity, the house is finally finished. Currently, we are exhausted but there are things to be done. Everyday, I tire myself out from all the house work and preparation for the big move. All I long for is to get enough sleep so I don't feel like a zombie but that's harder said than done.

Alright guys, I hope you continue exercising despite my predicament. I hope my knee is going to be better soon so I can finish this fitness challenge in stride. After this, I am going to shoot for the stars. I can't tell you what I have in mind yet. Once I'm done with this challenge, I will let you know.

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fitness Report #11

Hi everybody,

Guess what? I'm only 19 more days away from completing the 100-day fitness challenge, yay! My pair of shoes decided to take an early retirement and I needed a new pair so badly. Finding shoes my size in Vietnam is difficult and especially since I am a fan of New Balance, it is hard to switch to another brand.

A little bit about my feet: they have shallow arches as well as overpronation (the tendency of the feet to roll inward.) I've tried many pairs of sneakers over the years but only New Balance provides comfort and stability. On top of that, a pair of NB lasts for a good year or two if your only workout is walking. Since I do aerobics, running shoes are not suitable. I picked a pair of training shoes and my feet are thanking me for that.

What I did last week:

  • Monday: break
  • Tuesday: Activate + Rush + butt workout (1hr 30')
  • Wednesday: Step by step + abs workout (1hr 16')
  • Thursday: Pilates (1hr 12')
  • Friday: break
  • Saturday: Concert (1hr)
  • Sunday: Gym (1hr 30')
Total amount of time sweating my butt off: 6 hours 28 minutes!

Last week was a particularly good week when I could incorporate multiple workouts in a session. Also, I am adding Pilates on top of Zumba and my body has been really really sore. Despite how simple it may look, Pilates moves are killer body toners. I have tried so many things before but when it comes down to shaping my bod, Pilates is the quickest way to go.

This week, so far I am not so blessed with working out: I have been super busy and it has been so hot, too. I worked out 40 minutes today and felt like passing out instead. Oh well, something is better than nothing. I'll try my best.


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Monday, October 17, 2011

Nghia O'Beauty Nail Polish in S030

Hi everyone,

Remember last Monday I posted about a haul with some nail polishes? Well, I got a chance to try the brown own from Nghia O'Beauty, a Vietnamese brand. In fact, Nghia is a famous company that produces cuticle nippers and nail clippers here. If you go to a nail salon in the U.S that's owned and operated by Vietnamese, chances are you already experienced Nghia hardware. I've used a German cuticle nipper and an American one before using Nghia and so far, Nghia is still the best.

Nghia O'Beauty (NOB) is the brand's nail polish, although the store I visited did sell a variety of brands from cheap to expensive. They also have OPI which surprisingly, is cheaper than in the U.S since they came from the way of Hong Kong. A bottle of NOB costs almost $1USD and has 10ml. The glass bottle is slim and the brush is really good. It kinda reminds me of the brush inside the Rimmel London nail polish bottle.

Nghia O'Beauty nail polish in S030
" How good is this nail polish?" I asked myself before buying it. Luckily, the store allowed me to swatch in store and I was impressed with the quality. It runs smooth and I only need one coat on my nail. Yup, the nail polish is smooth and pigmented.

S030 with Nubar 2010
Another shot at the nails :)
Since this color is just a basic brown, I decided to jazz it up with Nubar 2010.
As they say, everything looks good with a little bit of 2010 sprinkled on top.
Also, here's the thing about the pictures: I applied the nail polishes on Monday and took the pictures on Saturday. Yet, no chips or cracks or anything. Not even tip wear. Granted, I have good base and top coats but this is some serious nail polish! Not even OPI is durable as this. I can't help but think this is car paint kind of nail varnish that I bought because it does not come off unless I take it off my nails.

I'm glad that I bought this chocolate brown nail polish. In store, it is in the upper echelon of the Vietnamese-made nail polishes and this nail polish is so worth it. I would buy it again but Nghia O'Beauty seems to have conservative colors only.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Specific Beauty Skincare Giveaway Winner

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you for joining Specific Beauty skincare giveaway. I appreciate your support but unfortunately, there is only one winner.

Congratulations, MJ Moore!

Please reply to my email within 48 hours with your mailing address. Otherwise, I will have to pick a replacement winner.

Also, I would like to thank Specific Beauty and their awesome rep for this opportunity.

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fitness Report #10

Hi everyone,

Here's a quick look on what I did last week:

  • Monday: break
  • Tuesday: Exhilarate and butt workout (1hr 20')
  • Wednesday: Mix (1hr 25')
  • Thursday: break
  • Friday: Pilates and abs workout (1hr 15')
  • Saturday: Ripped (1hr)
  • Sunday: Cardio party+ 20 minute workout+ arms workout (1hr 20')
Total amount of time exercising: 6 hours 20 minutes.

After working out for 6 hours and some minutes for the last 3 weeks, I think I finally reached my ideal exercising time for now. The amount of time I spent is enough to challenge my muscles without making me feel like I have an easy pass. Also, it's not long enough for me to feel like I should pass out, either. I know the optimal time I should spend to exercise in order to lose weight is 90 minutes and I've been getting closer at it. I did Mix a couple of times since it is a longer workout and I always feel the fatigue the day after. Therefore, I know I'm not there yet. But I intend to get there soon, though. It's only a matter of time :)


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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

My 10 Gym Pet Peeves

Hi everyone,

Although I am not a gym rat, I have enough time in the gym to have my own pet peeves. Here are my top 10:

1. I go to the gym and hear people bragging that they spend x amount of time working out while the only thing I see is them talking to each other while leaning on the machines I intended to use.

2. Guys who leave their towels on the machines that they don't use as a way to reserve them: if you are not using them, take your stinky towels away so I can use the machines.

3. People who don't wipe away the sweats they leave on the machines: and you expect my clothes to absorb your sweat? Ewww!

4. Guys who drop the weights on the floor after using them: there's a rack, you should put the weights there. If I trip and fall because of those weights, it's going to be all on you.

5. People who talk on their cell phones while working out: come on, I don't want to know what you are planning to do tonight. Keep that to yourself and go somewhere else to talk.

6. Girls who wear skimpy workout clothes but never break a sweat because all they do is to talk to handsome guys: 'nuff said. Stop sauntering in front of me while contorting your body to impress that guy. He's exercising. He's not interested.

7. People who don't wear proper workout clothing: I'm not Tim Gunn or anything but please stop wearing what you would wear to sleep to the gym. The fabric is not thick enough to cover your man boobs and/or naughty bits after you are on the treadmill for 15 minutes or so.

8. Elderly people who walk around naked in the locker room: every gym has to have at least one. I'm not discriminated or anything but please, put some clothes on. The locker room is still a public place, y'know?

9. The person who likes to correct the yoga instructor: I have one word for you: moron! She is the instructor. You are not. So keep your opinions to yourself.

10. The person who wants to know all about how much weight you have loss and then give passive-aggressive comments: if that person can't find a way to be encouraging then don't say anything at all.

How about you? Do you have any pet peeves at the gym? Please share, ok?

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Monday, October 10, 2011

I Can Haz Haul!

Hi everyone,

The last makeup purchase I did was somewhere in January. It felt like a million years ago since I bought makeup for myself. Living in Vietnam has its own perks but for a beauty blogger, it ain't fun. Too many skincare products and not enough makeup. And even for the makeup that I could find, they were so expensive. A MAC eye shadow costs $14.50 USD back in the States. It actually costs around $30 here, not the $19.50 international price we see on the MAC LE price list.

Not only I miss makeup, I miss drugstore makeup. Nothing is as awesome as finding nicely pigmented eye shadows on sale and I had a coupon. I don't get that kind of deal over here.

Recently, I found a shop that sells nail supplies near my place. Lucky me, it also has a variety of makeup. Not as expansive as the U.S drugstore but the quality is good and the price is right. You can't believe how happy I was when I hauled home a whole bunch of stuff.

Top row: Debby nail crackle nail polish, Nghia O'Beauty nail polishes in S030 (chocolate) and S019 (flesh tone), Sivanna baked eyeshadow, and Honey eye shadow trio
White eye shadow/liner pencil
Mabrook black eyeliner
Mabrook lip liner
A nail buffer
I was extremely happy to find this baked eye shadow (baked a shadow was a typo, I believe!)
Sivanna Colors is a Thai brand, btw

This pan is huge

And look how beautiful it is!
This eye shadow reminds me of something MAC produced in their first mineralized eye shadow collection ever. Look at the veins, so pretty!
The trio I bought is from Honey Professional, a Korean brand

The colors are shimmery and pigmented.
This trio reminds me of the Vincent Longo one I almost bought a while back.
Overall, I was happy with my haul. The nail polishes are also awesome and I am going to do separate reviews in the future. I'm just so happy that I get to have affordable makeup again. Right now, I'm eyeing on a baked blush that looks like one of those MSF from MAC. When I reach my 100 day fitness goal, I'm sure to take it home as a way to celebrate my success :)

Who says makeup doesn't have motivational power, huh?

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Cheek Contouring: an Update

Hi everyone,

Instead of the weekly FOTD, I'd like to do a tutorial today. It feels like ages since I did one and frankly, I miss it. The last time I did a contouring tutorial was almost 3 years ago *gasp*! Things has changed since and I haven't been contouring my face the same way I did back then. One thing I noticed when I let my contouring line go deep into my face is how it looks in films.

It looks dirty. Like I had a beard or dirt on my face. Of course, everything looks nice and dandy in the mirror but once captured in film, the dirtiness shows. I read this in so many books. Bobbi Brown warned me about this in her books but I didn't listen. Why? Because I like to contour.

In color films, the dirtiness doesn't show as badly unless I use a really dark contour powder. But in black and why? Oh my!

I had to find a way to slenderize my face with makeup but without leaving the tell-tale dark beards under my cheeks. If you look at last week's FOTD, you'll be surprised at how natural my face looks. And yes, I did contour it.


So, how did I do it?

First of all, I use a different brush that's not a slanted cheekbone contouring brush like MAC 168. It is a fabulous brush if you want a sharp line but since my face is already round, using MAC 168 doesn't make my cheekbones look cut like those of an Eastern European model. Instead, I use a small round brush. The brush I use is EcoTools retractable face brush. Also, to have a softer and more natural contoured face, I use a bronzer that's a shade darker than my skin.

The brush and the bronzer

After applying blush and highlighter, I make a fish face and buff the bronzer in a circular motion. The placement chart should be like this:

Brown: bronzer; Pink: blush; Yellow: highlighter
Usually, I don't blend the three together. Maybe blush and highlighter but not blush and bronzer. If I do so, it would muddy up my blush and I don't like that. After that, I apply bronzer to the perimeter of my face and call it a day.


Now, I prefer this contouring method better. As you can see, the light hits and recedes in the appropriate places and there's no dark beard that hits my lips. Contouring is an advanced makeup technique and depending on the face structure as well as the makeup style that you should use the hard or soft contouring technique.

So, what do you think about this? How do you contour your face? I'd love to hear from you.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Fitness Report #9

Hi everyone,

Exactly three weeks ago, I was frustrated about the lack of weight loss. I worked my butt off and didn't lose any significant amount of fat at all. On top of that, I was starving all the time. You see, I wanted to fast-track my weight loss record by eating less of everything. Instead of seeing dramatic decrease, I actually gained a little bit of weight. It went on like that for two or three weeks and I asked a couple of trainers about that, none of them gave me a satisfactory answer.

So off to Mt. Google I climbed. After a little bit of digging, this is what I found out: when I ate less, I put myself in starvation mode. Like a bear preparing for winter, my body converted any bit of food I ate into fat and tried to retain my weight as much as possible. And we all know fat has 3 times the volume than muscles. Not only did I not gain weight, I probably looked bigger, too.

Part pissed off, part hungry, I decided to enjoy my meals while exercising a bit longer. And off went the pounds. I was really surprised that the recent weight loss was actually fat loss. Now, I have less fat to lose and the battle seems less daunting.

Why am I telling you all this week after week? I know I cannot force anyone to exercise but I do hope I inspire you enough to be healthy with me. My sedentary life did damages in my body that people my age does not expect. Achy back and knee pain combined with an insatiated hunger for food. Does that sound familiar to you? But all that has gone away after I started exercising. I found myself being active and happier. Before, a little hiccup along the way can send me to a merry-go-round of worry. But now, I know how to deal with them. I have become more accepted to life.

So please, exercise with me and write down what you did in the comment section. I'd love to hear from you.

What I did last week:

  • Monday: break
  • Tuesday: Zumba Cardio Party and abs training (1hr 20 min)
  • Wednesday: Zumba Ripped and arms workout (1hr 20 min)
  • Thursday: Zumba Concert and abs training (1hr 25 min)
  • Friday: break
  • Saturday: Pilates and butt/thigh workout (1hr 20 min)
  • Sunday: Gym with upper body workout (1hr 15 min)
Total amount of time sweating my butt out: 6 hours and 40 minutes!

And remember what I said earlier about eating and working out? I lost 2 lbs of fat this week and gained almost 2 lbs of muscles. 1 lb of fat is in the abdominal area, which is great news. According to Dr. Oz, the smaller the omentum (the layer of fat around the abdomen), the less likely for a person to get diabetes, hypertension, and even a heart attack. Therefore, I am exercising to keep my waistline smaller.

That's it for this week. I can't believe I'm into the 3rd month of exercising already. The results are not as huge as those in "The Biggest Losers" but they are mine :)


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Monday, October 3, 2011

Microfiber It!

Hi everyone,

Happy Monday! Let's have a little fun today, shall we? Can you guess what kind of fabric in the below pictures?

Do you have the answer yet?
How about now?
Alright, I think I've given out enough clues. Here is the answer:

They are microfiber washcloths!
About 2 years ago, I started using microfiber towels to wash my face in the morning after many of my friends gave thumbs up on them. Honestly, I still think it is the best decision I have ever made to take care of my skin. These microfiber towels are the same kind sold for dusting furniture and washing cars. They are really cheap and usually available in the auto section. The pink one was a dollar item that was on sale at Target. I got 2 for 50 cents, which was a really good deal. The blue one I bought in a pack of 5 and they are actually sold for car cleaning. Lastly, the green towel was a recent purchase. It is huge, fluffy, and cheap.

My old towels, after almost 2 years of use, has begun to thin out. They lost the graininess that make them great for exfoliating. I was desperate since I had been looking for replacements and could not find any. Then, last weekend, we went to another part of Saigon and hit this huge supermarket. And tada! Right in the towel section were these babies. They cost me about 65 cents each and I bought two.

Now, you want to know why I love these towels so much. I grew up with regular washcloths to clean my face and although they do a decent job, they can be really scratchy. I remember running away from towels when I was a child. Running and screaming. Then, one day I read about the Aveda shammy cloth and actually experienced it myself when I went to Aveda Institute for a facial. It was decent and expensive ($20 a piece if I remember correctly.) I went to JoAnn's, bought a yard of fleece, and cut them up into squares. The fleece towels were as good as the shammy cloth and definitely softer than the cotton washcloths. But once I experienced the microfiber towels, my world has changed for the better.

Microfibers are synthetic fabrics and there are two types available: the smooth kind and the fuzzy kind. While both are excellent for dusting and cleaning without abrasion, the second kind can remove dirt better. Also, microfibers hold more water than cotton and does not tangle hair as much, which make them the perfect hair drying cloth as well.

If you haven't used microfiber cloth to wash your face before, here are a few things you need to notice:

  1. Use less force for the first few times: although they are soft, nice, and fluffy, microfiber cloths are really good facial exfoliators. When I used my new washcloth, I was a little bit too enthusiastic and I could feel my face being exfoliated more than usual after I was done.
  2. Don't use bleach on it: as it is made from synthetic materials, bleach can burn your microfiber.
  3. Don't put it in the dryer, either: after washing your microfiber washcloths, just air dry them. I put my cloths in the dryer once by mistake and they hardened.
  4. Don't use fabric softener on them, either: this will dull the fabric.
Yes, it is a bit harder to maintain than your regular wash cloth but the result is so worth it. After I started using these washcloths, my face has become clearer. After washing my face with the facial wash, I rinse with water until clear, then I soak the washcloth in water and use it to wipe away the soapy residuals. In the morning, I just use the microfiber cloth to wash my face with water. No face wash necessary. I change them after 3-5 uses and hang them dry after I use them.

How about you? Have you tried the microfiber washcloths yet?


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