Bring home the Jeju! Clean pores with Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

If i'm not mistaken, this "Super" is the latest kind of volcanic pore clay mask from the brand. It has two times more Jeju volcanic scoria and hence has better sebum control properties (daw).

What is volcanic scoria capsule? See those tiny bumps in the clay mask? These are hardened lava from volcanic eruptions in Jeju Island. The substance is a rare ingredient that powerfully absorbs the sebum and impurities hidden in the skin. Think of it like your elementary science lab experiments: magnets attracting  carbon particles! The AHA in the volcanic scoria helps in gently exfoliating dead skin cells while the cooling clay gives a refreshing feeling so you feel smooth and refreshed after washing. The product contains 6020mg of volcanic clusters.

A multi-porous structure with countless micro pores with powerful natural capacity to absorb and sterilize like the charcoal of oak trees. It is a miraculous material that offers powerful antibacterial, detoxifying, purifying, and moirturizing functions without any additives.

Volcanic cluster is the only week base resource similar to human blood, which is only found in Jeju Island. It is currently classified as a preserved natural resource by the Special Law of Jeju Island. Volcanic cluster, gathered from the areas not contaminated by chemicals such as pesticides, is pulverized to remove the impurities and sterilized at a temperature above 150°C.

How to use? It's advisable to use toner after cleansing the skin prior to smoothing the clay mask on the face (avoiding the eye and lip area), but I always skip the toning part as I don't feel it's necessary. Besides, when it comes to skincare, I prefer having as few layers on my skin as possible. After applying, you'll feel the mask cooling your skin. Enjoy for 10-30mins then rinse with lukewarm water (I just use regular temperature water though!). 

Please click the photo to enlarge and read the ingredients!

The jar is made of plastic. It won't break when you drop it.

Being a huge fan of natural skincare products, I appreciate every bit of eco-consciousness exuded by the market but I've always been very selective ever since I decided to switch natural. Given that this product still has preservatives and chemicals i can't pronounce in the ingredients, I can't attest to it being all natural. Natural means 100% natural to me. I appreciate the effort of Innisfree with being eco-friendly: the box itself is 100% recycled and I think almost all products have statements saying "Please return to Innisfree after use".

Fresh 3M: Innisfree products marked with this symbol means the products are sold within 3months from manufacturing date. So you are guaranteed that those items marked are fresh.

Green complex: contains volcanic spring water infused with extracts of green tea, tangerine, cactus, and citron that are found in Jeju island.

Likes:

- contains rare volcanic clusters

- provides cooling effects

- helps get rid of sebum (after a few seconds you will notice that there's watery substance on top of the mask coming from the pores i think)

- makes my skin feel refreshed and cooled after

- my skin is noticeably glowing and skin tone is enhanced 

Dislikes:

- i have to dig into the jar with my finger because there's no spatula (there is a tube version that contains 200g though)

- my nails get clumped with clay when i dig my fingers into it SIGHS

- hard to obtain in Philippines

- pretty expensive for a 100g jar shipped from Korea to this land of ours

- doesn't really get rid of my blackheads at all

- enhanced skin tone doesn't last long

Will I repurchase?

For now, there's still a looong way to go before I finish the whole jar. But in terms of "is it worth the money?" I say, when you get the chance to buy it directly from an Innisfree store in Korea, buy it! You're ensured that what you get applies the FRESH 3M of Innisfree!

TO INNISFREE: PLEASE HAVE A BRANCH IN THE PHILIPPINES!

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Too moved for the thoughtfulness | Yogi Green Tea Goji Berry is not your ordinary organic tea

Everyone has to eat anyway, so relying on foods to give immune system a boost makes perfect sense. But do we consider the liquids we intake too? Personally, I dislike the idea of accompanying my food with carbonated drinks. It just doesn't suit my taste. I don’t think it’s essential to my stomach needing to be fed either. So it’s always down to water and tea for me.

She is just tired – profoundly exhausted – after unavoidable circumstances have conspired to smear her, dress and all, with dust. (Excerpt from After Dark by Haruki Murakami)

Each sip of warm tea exudes a sense of calmness throughout my body, a mesmerizing series of ocean waves towards the shore, each one a paler energy of the last. Like the feeling of sipping coffee by the windowsill on a rainy day, the thought of sipping a nice cup of tea by the winter sea feels all the same. Except it’s the ber-months and the air feels cool. And there is no winter sea here. Sigh.

Listen to this tea tell you messages; each one different from the other. When I was writing this blog entry, it took me several minutes to finally come up with an intro. I even thought that if I draw one tea bag now, it would tell me: “Awww it’s okay if you’re too moved for the thoughtfulness.” Hahahaha.

The package says: “The bright red Goji Berry, considered one of the most valued fruits in Chinese Medicine, is said to support the liver and the immune and circulatory systems. To this sweet-tart berry we add our blend of Organic Green and Organic Matcha Green Tea, a powdered form of green tea, to create a blend that supplies antioxidants that can support the body’s defenses against free radicals. Find yourself on the path to revitalization with the deliciously invigorating qualities of Green Tea Goji Berry.”

Click READ MORE to continue with the ingredients, price, etc.

How I keep my skin and body healthy

Healthy skin radiates because of a healthy body, and a healthy body comes from the right diet. To be honest, I don’t have a specific diet I stick to; I just eat, drink, and avoid whatever. I watch Youtube videos, read books, and read about Miranda Kerr’s health principles among others. C’mon, we all love Miranda. ;) I have a list of healthy recipes, juices, foods to eat for every day perfect skin, Miranda Kerr’s supermarket shopping list, Japanese beauty secrets, etc. and just live with that. No strict principles. The most important thing for me is to be aware of those you should avoid in terms of diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Right now, here are the lists of things I try to keep in mind:

DO’s.

- Vitamin C 3x a day

- Sleep at least 8hrs a day

- Need to be asleep by 10:30pm

- Drink green tea

- Anti-aging face massage once a day (Click here for the english dub: Tanaka Japanese Face Massage)

- Stretching

- Change pillowcases and towels every week

- Change blanket every two weeks

- Drink a lot of water (I think I drink more than 8 glasses a day out of habit)

- Incorporate the Foods To Eat For Everyday Perfect Skin in your diet. See versions one and two. Here is a quick summary of the second link:

Foods to Eat For Every Day Perfect Skin

Green tea

Spinach

Red bell pepper

Carrots

Papaya

Salmon

Celery

Dark Chocolate

Flax seeds
Virgin Coconut Oil (cold-pressed)

  My simple Adobong Spanish Mackerel Steak with raw tomatoes and celery drizzled with apple cider vinegar

DON’Ts.

-    Eating fastfood and sweets

-    Drinking softdrinks

-    Eating high-calorie foods after 7pm

-    Doing any of the Brain Damaging Habits (see list below)

Brain Damaging Habits

No breakfast

Overeating

Smoking

High sugar consumption

Air pollution

Sleep deprivation

Head covered while sleeping

Working your brain during illness

Lack in stimulating thoughts

Talking rarely

This is just my personal list. I don’t always get to follow all of them but I keep them in mind. Search the internet or browse my blog for more health discussions. The key is to make your own list and know what you should avoid. Happy searching!

Tanaka Japanese Face Massage for anti-aging - English dub

Hey it's 2NE1! Review: Clio Waterproof Turnliner Twisturn in Club Black 7

Currently endorsed by Sandara Park. I think it was Lee Hyori before. Isn't 2NE1's second concert tonight??

I've always wanted to get a korean fashion magazine, so when I heard the news that EXO will be featured in Ceci Korea's June 2013 issue I became ecstatic and quickly placed a pre-order with Wazzup Duizhang. Wazzup Duizhang capitalizes on group orders of K-pop photo books, CDs, and also magazines. It took a great while before I received my order (what with all the delays and additional customs fee) and it cost me a little more than P1000 including shipping. I'm so glad though that I had to wait, because I got this eyeliner as a freebie!

Here's a picture of my Ceci Korea magazine from my oatmeal post on instagram:

Already a bit dirty because I've been using every time I get the chance to.

It has tiny specks of glitter, maybe that's why it's called Club Black? 

Description: It provides a fresh liquid eye liner by using an auto-liner container. Powerful waterproof effect gives high-defined eye line without smudging all day. Vivid colors and brilliant pearls present trendy eye makeup.

When they say it's waterproof, they mean it. It stays on the whole day and doesn't smudge so in order for me to remove it, I would need my trusty Human Nature Sunflower Oil and cotton balls. After I wash my face, I use the sunflower oil as makeup remover then wash my face again. The order in which isn't at all important for me as long as I remove this very, very waterproof eyeliner (though some may argue). I don't like to scrub oil on my dirty face anyway. Below is a picture of my eye after I washed my face:

The Art of Murakami

Either I have been reading too much of what I'm supposed to read, or I've deprived myself of reading the kind of books I usually read. 

Months ago, I decided to get to know the Divergent series and involve myself again in the whirl that is teen series by reading the first book in the series. I'm pointing all fingers to my friend (Hi, Arianne) who's a big fan of Hunger Games (You know their saying if you point a finger to someone, you're pointing four fingers back to yourself? Guys, please laugh). The hype for the movie last March added to my sudden urge of reading teen series once again.

You see, two years ago, I decided to follow my friend's change of path by reading only well composed literary works - the kind that boggles your mind by citing thoughts so scattered that they can't be easily put into a coherent whole to make sense of them. But the problem was my "reader personality" faltered and the next thing I knew, I stopped squeezing non-academic books into my busy college life. Upon reading Divergent, the old reader in me came back to life and started reading once again.

How it started

My supposed change of path started because of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet's love story. No, my dear friends, I'm not the evil third party who decided to go book-vegan because I'm a loser... they're fictional characters from Pride and Prejudice! Although a lot of us like to believe that they are real. When I first encountered the book all I ever thought was "Jane Austen pls" (to quote ala tumblr language). Who wouldn't go crazy reading these lines:

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”  ― Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice (Translation: I love you)

via Google Images

Now, when I think of it... I think Pride and Prejudice started it all. If you haven't read it yet, I think you're missing a whole lot of Mr. Darcy! For those who aren't inclined to reading, fret not for there is a movie adaptation starring Keira Knightley! *fireworks* Going to tell you only one thing though: "Nothing beats the book. That's a given." When you've done any of the two, go watch the Lizzie Bennet diaries over YouTube... they're really funny!

I've been quite obsessed with Murakami's works recently so I've been meaning to mention his books in my blog.

Have you heard of Hard-boiled Wonderland? The title is not really as weird as its author: Haruki Murakami. Murakami is a japanese novelist, born in Kyoto, Japan in 1949. He's the most popular Japanese novelist with works translated into English, and with millions of sales worldwide. If you want an easy story, and nothing like the pain and pleasure quality of reading classic Jane Austen, you may want to read Norwegian Wood. It's more realistic than his other works, but equally good.

So far, I've only read South of the Border, West of the Sun, After Dark, and  Sputnik Sweetheart. I'm currently reading Norwegian Wood and I hope to finish it soon so I could watch the movie adaptation (from Japan, ofcourse!). When you've read a lot of Murakami works, you're going to notice a sense of similarities or a reborn of a character. Like there WILL always be a cat, mysterious woman, among others. Use this and see if you can say "girl bingo na ako!" (Girl, I've hit bingo!)

It's published in New York Times Book Review, drawn by a cartoonist for the weekly online strip "Incidental comics". I'm not even kidding. See for yourself:

via Tapioca.tv, via Instagram

So what's the deal with the "Art of Murakami"? I think you have to read it for yourself!

I think I've grown bored with the kind of books I've been reading recently, so I tried reading teen series books again since they're more adventurous and full of thrill! I don't deprive myself of the joy of series anymore, I read the books I like but explore other kinds of literature too. To quote Murakami...

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

...but that doesn't mean you should stop reading other kinds of books! What kind of books have you been depriving yourself lately?

P.S. There's a book called Me & Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. Just in case you want to read it.
P.P.S. I would really appreciate it if you share your thoughts!

Where to find results for Civil Service Exam April 6, 2014 batch

Close to 200,000 registered examinees were expected to take the Civil Service Examinations last April 6, 2014 in 52 of the testing centers nationwide with Metro Manila having the highest number. The top 5 were:

1. Metro Manila - 31,640

2. Region 4 (South Luzon) - 28,404

3. Region 3 (Central Luzon) - 13,500

4. Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) - 12,734

5. Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) - 12,553

According to CSC, 171,684 out of 200,000 were to take the Professional level while 28,316 for the Subprofessional level. I think the reason for the huge number of examinees is because CSC extended the deadline for the CSE-PPT exam applications. You know how most people like to do things in the last minute.The original deadline was February 20 but was changed to February 27.

Basically, if you pass the Professional level you will have the eligibility needed for permanent appointments in government positions.  The names of the passers will be posted in the CSC website within May. However, it is possible for the results to be released in early June due to the number of examinees who took the exam.

What do I have to do after I passed the CSE-PPT?
Since representatives are NOT allowed to claim the Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) on your behalf, you have to personally claim it at the CSC Regional Office where you filed your application.

Bring the following:
1. Two (2) valid Identification Cards (with your name, picture, date of birth and signature preferably those presented at the time of filing of application);
2. Application receipt, if available; and
3. Two (2) identical photos similar to the picture you pasted on the Picture-Seat Plan (PSP) during the examination.

For further query on schedule, requirements and procedures in claiming your CoE, please coordinate with the CSCRO concerned. You may access the link http://excell.csc.gov.ph/cscweb/dir_ro.html for the directory of the CSCROs.

Sources:
CSC News updates
CSC File

If you want more updates like this and more, like my fb page or follow me on twitter.

Early Bird Breakfast Club and Camille Co's birthday dinner

Camille with the P1000 SM Accessories GCs

Surprise, surprise! I was lucky to be given an invite for Camille's birthday dinner at Early Bird Breakfast Club, Century Mall branch. The mall was new to me so I got a little lost (and very late!) even though I think I've suffered enough from traffic anxiety. Argh! I should've taken the path from Ayala. Nevertheless, I was able to attend even though I'm several hours late and boy, glad I made it!

Early Bird Breakfast Club was created with a vision to give highly-satisfying meals no matter what time their day starts. Oh diba! Even if you're on a graveyard shift, you can satisfy your breakfast cravings! The restaurant's interior is very calm with its charming salmon pink walls, dainty interiors, and cute quotes plastered on their walls. This branch is the second EBBC. The first one is in Taguig and has a different color scheme.

Click READ MORE below to see the entire blog post and food review!