She is none other than Maria Geraldine (Jinkee) Pacquaio, wife of Manny. She is now dubbed as the First Lady of Philippine Boxing.  Many are not surprised at all to see her transformation to a girl of the province (probinsyana) type that has come a long way to her new image.  She now shows refinement and glamor attained and I’ve read just recently, that she is now one of the billboard models of the well known beauty clinic- the  Belo Medical Group.  This might explain it all why Jinkee looks a lot different compared to the first time people saw her.   Hmmm, she can do all her make over to her heart’s content because for all we know, she has the money to do spend for it.   She too can pamper herself with Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes, Jimmy Choo and Birkin bags that cost half a million pesos.   I believe it was her  way to relieve tension!   A bag lady huh!

Jinkee’s well found glamor and fame met the demands of her being a public figure and her make-over best illustrates the power of money!

Lucky her!  And for Manny… strike while the iron is hot!

Does it happen to you?   I know that most women have their share of the so called “bad hair days” which often affects our mood but this bad make up day happened to me.  I love taking photos to capture the moment on special gatherings and it was a terrible feeling that I had on the night of the wedding reception party of a friend wherein I stood as one of the principal sponsor.   I prepared for that big event so I hired  the services of a “make-up artist (?) trusting that she will make me ever beautiful that night.  I thought I looked alright but photo after photo taken in the party registered horribly!  That’s how I felt upon seeing the pictures.   Nothing turned out well… The foundation didn’t blend well enough to my skin color.  In short, the color is lighter than my skin tone and the full foundation with face paint stuff applied did not looked good on me.  It looked horrible and was not refined as I like.

It was a wasted night!  Wasted because I paid for the hair and make-up that only upset me, my husband and my children.  Ewww… that was all they can mutter and long after they were teasing me!    I thought I will be able to surprise them but they’ve  got a good surprise themselves.    To end up with such an unproductive investment of time and money  only to look that way  was very upsetting!  I don’t have much time really to redo my make up because of time constraint but only if I have the liberty of time, for sure I would have washed my face and do it all over again.   Upon reviewing all the photos  it all revealed my bad make-up and hair too!   Grrrrrrrrr…..

I know that I am the least skilled with applying make-up for now, but I would rather try to learn to practice applying it on a daily basis as I go to work.   A friend advised me that good  make up is a pretty big investment.  Good quality brands should be taken into consideration and it isn’t cheap.   It also requires a lot of time to practice to get all that make up application properly and to develop the artistic skills of doing it especially the eyebrows and the eye make-up.  Thanks to my lady friend who gave me few tips  and now I have got it down almost perfectly for there were days that I cannot get my eyebrows done right… sometimes the lines are way too thick.   However, I am developing the skill very slowly and I will  continue on with learning how to do make up application well so I can do my face for special occasions and I will no longer require the intervention of others.

To most people this is something quite trivial and yet very important to so many of us.   We all want to look our best!  The help of light make up makes a significant difference.

Sorry, I don’t have the courage to post my “bad make-up” photos.

Exaggerating it may sound but you will turn yellow with jealousy if you see someone like my officemate walk by with white silky smooth skin.  Besides being young, she has this vibrancy in her that even her skin glows.   Well, even without asking you can tell that she is taking good care of herself, her drawer is almost full of beauty products; hand lotions, perfumes, make up.  She is indeed vain.

A fair and lovely officemate of mine

However, I feel perplexed why people put much weight on fair people than the darker ones. I think the problem is sticking to the older generation’s thinking.  Women are always seen beautiful on advertisement, media, etc so there is always pressure for other girls who are dark skinned.  The skin lightening industry currently spans the globe and more and more are patronizing whitening products that promises a fairer skin in just few weeks.

Everybody is beautiful in their own way and it doesn’t matter what the color of our skin are.    We just need to be contented and happy with what we’ve got.   And we should always remember that being beautiful is not only seen thru our skin color but with also with the heart and soul that make up the rest of our personality.

I am happy for my officemate.  She has good genes!

I always believe that acne and pimples are relatively common among teenagers and my children especially my daughter is not spared from the hassles of it.  She woke up depressed to find out a big pimple on her forehead and would not stop till  I said yes to her prodding for us to buy those pimple clearing solution in a nearby pharmacy.    So off we went and she took  assorted lotions like make up remover, deep cleansing lotion, toner, moisturizers hoping that her pimple will be gone in an instant.

I told her that no amount of lotions will surpass good hygiene; the usual keeping the skin gently exfoliated and hydrated , balanced diet, good sleep and lots of water to flush out toxins.  I advised her to avoid greasy ,sugary and salty food.   Come to think of it, if you will stay away from all those tastes, you will end up eating bland foods… But if it works, so by all means do it!  And we still keep in mind what our grandmother told us that we need to change our pillowcases often.

During my younger years, I only had occasional break-outs, maybe because I listened well to my Mom of her reminder to refrain from touching the  face with dirty hands and never ever prick a pimple because if you do, scarring will occur and its main effect is psychological, such as reduced self esteem and mostly depression.   You will tend to shy away from mingling with people (getting socially insecure) especially if you have severe case of acne. I don’t want my daughter to feel that way so early treatment is therefore needed to lessen the impact of her getting insecure about her looks.

I know  she is already getting bothered by them, so I promised her that we are going to get an appointment to a dermatologist so she will stop her whining.  I understand that she tried all sorts of home remedies, like ridiculous it may seem as  putting a toothpaste on the pimple and that she  believed it will help it fade away.

Some individuals can keep acne not only during their puberty but some even beyond their forties.   Ah, her pimples come and go…

As we went shopping one time in a newly opened mall, I can feel the weight of my husband’s feet as he dragged his way inside.   He made a crucial mistake when I asked him if he had plans for the day and told me there’s none.  He was trapped!   I must admit that I fit the stereotype theory about women being shopaholic.  I love shopping for items such as clothes, shoes, make-up, perfumes.  I shop as a way to stay current, because let us face it, women’s fashion trends change more frequently than men’s.   And certainly I cannot speak for every woman.  I like to shop because I like fashionable and trendy stuffs and I love to play around with certain looks with the magical use of accessories.   Magical?  Yes, I feel good about those ornaments because I believe it livens up and enhances my personality.

No, he is not worried about how I handle our finances because he knows that I only shop if our budget will allow my expenditures.   It only annoys him with the time wasted waiting because I love to try on every pair of shoes before deciding whether to buy anything.  I can’t help but go in a frenzy hopping from one mall to another to glance upon fashionable clothes that is also as similar as in the other shop.   And I will end up going back to the first mall where we’ve started to look around.

The thought makes him sick and wonder why do women love to shop?  He doesn’t really have much of a choice but to cool his heels while sitting in a comfy sofa in the waiting area because he sensed I will “shop till I drop”.   We are in contrast when it comes to shopping, when he needs to shop, he knows exactly what he’s looking for, head straight and buy what he needs without wasting time.

Oh well, my husband is the typical type of man who wants to get out of the mall minutes after he gets in.

… yes, I can feel that I need to do something about my expanding waistline.  As my age increases and so does my waist and hips.   What to do about it?  Self discipline!  But I can’t seem to get into the right track.   Lazy me.  I’ve been planning to start even a simple work out but  dismissed the idea when work in the office tires me during the day and I can feel that my energy are all drained up.

I am already getting worried and panicky because the big day… the wedding of an officemate is in October- a month away.  Of course, need I say I want to look my best!  It will be a photo op to post in my Facebook.   Just kidding!  Primary reason is that I am not getting any younger, my clothes does not  seem to fit right,  I feel so heavy, etc.

Let me think… Detox might help.   They said that it will help cleanse specific common toxins and habits off our lives.  Toxins creates harmful effects in our body so we need to get rid of it.   How?  A home remedy was given to me long time ago but I did not try it so I believe that it’s timely while I have this nagging urge to start my self proclaimed ‘detox program.  I hope once I started this, I will continue on because for sure there will be times that I will feel like quitting.   Determination.. ah do I have it?  The mind and body should be prepared for the experience ahead.

Drink each day drink 6-12 glasses of the following mix combined in a glass or jar and to drink continuously for 10 days.

• 2 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons of genuine “grade B” maple syrup
• 1/10 Teaspoon or more cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of water, room temperature

I guess the mix is not so appealing but maybe this will work.  I hope you will  join me in this program.  Let us be detox buddies.  Let’s give it a try!

I will report to you the results , just give me 3 months max.

We feel sorry for a friend for refusing to wear sleeveless shirts because her armpits are horrendously dark and ugly (gosh!). It was a “sight not to behold” as we teased her.  Every time, we talked about armpits, she cringed because the truth is; hers is something to be ashamed of.   She blames shaving for causing the darkening and she seems to think that her deodorant is making it worse.   She has tried whitening soaps, creams but nothing seems to work.   She had tried lemon juice soaked in her underarms for an hour but she quit and instead squeezed those lemons for a refreshing drink.  Lol!

She is inferior and would shy away from swimming and get- together.   In our group we have a friend who seemed to be the epitome of beauty and know it all who endorsed a derma product which she swore to high heavens that it really worked as she was giggly showing her smooth and white armpits.  Well, we were told that exfoliating will do the initial trick to eliminate dead skin and using Sephora brand and Derma Doctor is one of their effective product lines.   It is called a brightening deodorant for she had seen great improvement in no less than 2 weeks and told us that it really brightens her day with every use because she feels confident with her underarms. She maybe is exaggerating but we had seen the results on her and we believe her.

She just wanted to share this information to anyone interested to give it a try and I am posting it, hoping it would be of help to countless women who have the same problem as my other friend. Well if it still does not do magic, a professional help is what we need.

There is still hope…

What will I do to complete my look for the coming wedding of my officemate?  Alright, I have spotted a gown in a mall somewhere and a pair of heeled shoes to match.  All I need to do is to purchase them.  I have already talked to my favorite hair stylist to do home service for my pedicure, manicure and hairdo and make up of course.  Since, I will be one of the sponsors, I wanted to stand out too (vain huh).  

 My stylist suggested to have an eyelash extension which is a hot new rage now.   I remember my friend whom I met few weeks back proudly displaying her thicker, longer, eye opening and prominent eyelashes.  Such a cool and sexy look! 

Okey, I trusted my stylist when she promised that  she will transform me on the day of the wedding with my new look to WOW!

Out of the blue, I took my digi cam and took pictures of the back of my officemates head including mine.  For no reason at all, I wanted to have my pictures different this time because the usual photos are face front.   Today, we have seen how much our hair has grown.  My officemate- Ana has a way past shoulder length  which she neatly clipped while Maureene just had hers hang loose.  It is past the bra line and growing and getting longer.  While mine,  something did not quite feel right.  I am quite worried that the one who did my haircut doesn’t have that “magic touch” because my hair seemed to grow slow.  It is still short , layered and colored.  The highlights are now fading and I believe that I have to visit the salon for a hair make over.  I am giving my hair daily dose of shampoo and deep conditioner hoping it will help make my locks grow faster.  

Our hair is our crowning glory.  Bad hair day affects our mood.  But today, I had achieved the blow dry and perfect volume of hair I like, so I had this aura of calmness and feeling sexy when I report to work.   Before I knew, I was taking pictures left and right and took shots even the back of our heads.

Sentimental me!  Time flies fast and our my daughter after  her debut last year will be celebrating her 19th b-day this September.  We can’t help shed tears  for she has grown to be a fine, charming lady.  Although, there are times that she wants to have her own way but we  know she is learning her life’s lessons well.  Afterall, she is accountable for her actions.

I remember well after my delivery, we got the shock of our life when we were told that she had congenital defect- that was cleft palate.  We exhausted all means to have her operated on and before she reached her 2nd b-day, she had undergone plastic surgery called Pharyngoplasty and cochlear implant because of her speech defect and hearing problem.  And miracles did happened!

Now, our daughter has grown up to be talented &  charming!   She is indeed God’s many wonderful blessings to us!