How Long Does It Take to Have Your Philippine Passport Released?

      I don't know about you but I am a constant patient of Doctor Google. Be it a recipe for kadyos, a review on a Nars foundation, or standard steps on how to process your papers--I make sure that my Dr. Google is at hand. Dr.G's pretty handy, I tell you. Saves you a lot of cash too.

    Anyway, I am bound to travel at the end of this month and I took notice of my passport just a week ago. Saw that it will expire on the third week of August and decided to have it renewed. And yes, there goes Dr. Google rounding up all my questions. 

     To sum it a bit, I got on to DFA's site (don't you just miss how we used to call our country's departments Ministry of this and that...?) and set my appointment which was to be on the 23rd of June. No biggie. Then it made me think of the depressing things I'd see on my way to Manila... Scratch that, I just don't do well on long travels... I always go on withdrawal during fourteen-hour flights--so I went to my nearby DFA (not more than five kilometers away) and asked if they'll acknowledge my appointment there. The guy I talked to (DFA staff) advised me to go with my Manila appointment since it will take a month before they could actually accommodate me. A frigging month, that's right. A big slap on my face as a tax payer. Since I needed to have my passport pronto I wiggled my way out and check my options. Ended up going to an agency and have my appointment the next working day. Since things were pretty dubious, I contacted Dr. Google and asked around... It seemed that Dr. G along with the people from DFA have transpired to commit a lapse in promulgating that it currently takes EIGHT (working) weeks to release passports. Ouch. I should've practiced my usual speech of doing things today 'cause you're bound to do them anyway...

      Tough luck. The day of my appearance, I've learned a few things I so wished I knew a week before.

     One, you can extend your passport for two years. The Foreign Affairs Ministry (DFA as one would normally call it) will stamp your passport so you could use it. However, their outdated site reminds its readers to be aware that this option is for dire purposes only. Meaning if all your relatives are alive and kicking, if your employer allows you to forego a deadline--by all means smell the flowers and sit for two months until our printing facilities are able enough to print your passport-- then you're not legible on the extended Philippine passport program. However, it seems like if you have an existing ticket (round trip, please), present this along with other supporting documents you may or may not have and get that stamp.

    So why didn't I just had my passport extended,--you might ask. Honey, not all countries accept extended passports... Probably, because there aren't a lot of countries incompetent enough to neglect fixing 'technical problems' for months... So yeah. Tough luck, really since Singapore is not on my agenda.

     Two, go find yourself an agency that could process your Philippine passport for fifteen days. I kid you not. This could be done--provided you could sing a twelve-thousand pesos tune. 

     Three... Something that I still have to confirm, DFA Manila could process your passport half the time. If your paying twelve hundred pesos for overtime visa, expect to have it in a month... And that's not even sure so take the added risk.

     Just after I signed and have my photo taken, I asked the guy if he could assure the 60-working day processing of my passport. I received a blank stare and pursued the matter. He then asks another guy and grudgingly gave me a gray answer. Another b*tch slap on a tax payer's face. 

     Now, I know I should've checked my passport and went about it earlier.... Baseless reason of thinking things are still the same and I could receive my passport seven days after... Oh, well. Should I blame the BSP then for their lack of skills on linear programming? They print our passports. And now that they have to divide their time on printing our new currency and our passports... Could I blame them? Not if only banks get the big bulk of the mint. And not even if it might take a year for me to get a hold of one.

    Hopefully, my passport gets released on the last day of August... Or wait until kingdom come perhaps.

Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick Review

So... a few weeks ago, I came upon a vlog about Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick. Thing is, I am pretty much low maintenance when it concerns the lip department so I was kind of surprised when I had this urge to go give the thingamajigs a try. So off I go to the nearest EB counter and got myself three tubes.

Luckily for me, the tubes were on sale at php99 a piece. When asked on why they were on sale,  the lady divulged that they'll be increasing the price of the matte lipsticks on their next restocking... for a price of.. Umm, I forgot.

So, on to the lipsticks I got.   The pictures below are as follow (storm, pink flame, mauvey) with the second picture taken with flash.

STORM is a bright red with a mid-cool tone. I think that this shade would look lovely on both fair and dark-skinned people. This kind of reminds me of Nars Indian Red lip stain. It is pretty much long-lasting and leaves a stain on the lips as it fades over time. For the price of less than a hundred pesos, the color pay off is massive and lasts long. I initially used this with MAC lip liner in Cherry and was amazed that the pigment's intensity stayed on for five (roughly) hours with me drinking, eating, and gabbing constantly.

PINK FLAME is a cool-toned pink with a hint of coral hues. For a matte lipstick, I find that it has a slight sheen when applied. Since I'm not really a pink junkie, I did not go gaga over this color. I even questioned myself for buying this shade as I always tend to incline myself over dark purple, dark red, and nudes when choosing a lip stick. It's just a so-so shade to me but will try to experiment on it in the future.

MAUVEY is a nude pink lipstick that is almost the exact shade of my lips. Ten swipes and it still looked like I had nothing on! I paired it with Nars' Turkish Delight but it unfortunately washed me out. However, when I tried to put MAC's Lustreglass in Love Nectar over it, it looked amazing. I really wanted to like this shade but the 'color match' with my lips was a bugger.

All in all, the matte lipsticks from Ever Bilena get you a good bang for your buck. They did not dry my lips out. But still be forewarned to use a moisturizing lip balm (I used Laura Mercier Lip Silk or Jack Black's lip balm in Lemon) being application. Even if it claims to have moisturizing agents on its ingredients, it is still imperative to apply a kind of barrier to protect your lips. I kind of have sensitive lips (it's kind of weird to put that to open) and these lipsticks did not give me a rash or some sort. As for the packaging... well, for Php99 don't expect durable and unbreakable (not even click-seal) tubes for these babies 'cause they are all not  that. Then again, one should pay more for the content than the cost-inducing packaging... Or at least for me. To each his own.

While the sale (I think it's on while supplies last... or at least on the counter where I bought it) is on, I think it's a good opportunity to try them.

For years, I have always admired Latinas for their gorgeous, gorgeous lashes. I don't know (or even mind) whether it came from bad ass genetics or from a packet. They have really thick and curled lashes that seem to cry ‘woman’ whenever I notice them.

     It didn't take long before I plunged into the bandwagon of false eyelashes. I stumbled a few times and that included buying without consulting Ms. Makeupalley or even Dr. Google. Long story short, a few buck went down the drain.

     So, there I was being all that excited over buying falsies... MAC, Make Up Forever... Tokyo Lash. I was so hyped up over these darlings that I was a bit unmindful of the wee bit of hole it's creating in my purse. Two days after... I went back in the Philippines ready to use a pair for an occasion when alas, my DUO wasn't with me. I rushed to the nearest beauty counter I could find... And since I'm in the province, the nearest I could go to was Beauty Bar. And here did the fiasco that was perma lash started.

So... To start with, this eyelash adhesive claims that:
 
    

"specially formulated and waterproof to hold lashes securely and comfortable. Andrea Perma Lash Adhesive is designed for use with PermaLash & DuraLash individual lashes. This adhesive is specially formulated to ensure the lashes remain securely and comfortably attached, day after day."

It comes in a .125 gram-bottle  and is available in clear and dark form. 

Straining me off with Php 195 pesos, I was at the very least expecting a decent adhesive pay off. However, few though, my expectations were, this product still failed me. All for good reasons.

1. The product has an overpowering smell reminiscent of the Filipino plastic balloon. If you're not familiar with the smell, let me put it this way, it could give ammonia a run for its money due to the pungent smell. And to put it on top of our lashes is a massive challenge not to cry (over the smell)
2. Within the hour of putting the lashes using this adhesive, my eyes felt uncomfortable with the almost crisp-like fibers of dried glue that settled on my lashes. Which were so uncomfortable I had to take them off... WHich brings me to the other reason why I hate it.
3. It is a pain to take off and eventually ruined my falsies and some of my real lashes!

Unfortunately, I dd not find any redeeming factor or characteristic of this product that I could mention to be less mean. Tried it four times (all three in the hopes that the aftereffects will be better) and never again.


Will I buy it again? 


No.


Bought it, hate it, ditch it in a flash.




Hope this review helped and saved you a few pesos over a product that I shouldn't have bought.


I am curious, though. Is there anyone who had a different experience with this adhesive?

Review: LANEIGE Pore Trouble Skin Refiner

      God, I'm on a roll! 

     So... just when I signed off and started thinking about my next post I glanced at my bureau and found my lonely Laneige Pore Trouble  Skin Refiner and eventually thought of writing a review. Yep, being in my early twenties brings forth mental issues, meaning my superficial take on aging and the jazz. I know I don't have wrinkles as long as the Great Wall but I might as well start taking care of my skin or I might as well keep all cameras away from me decades from now because I'll be too ashamed to be tagged as the old woman who has a weathered face. So yeah, I jumped on the Korean skincare line a couple of years ago and plunged into the Laneige hype that is Song Hye Kyo. 

     So just for the curious, here's my take on this product.... and for those who want to dive into what this product supposedly promises, you might want to hold on the buck for a while and read...

     This product promises to:

                     -remove excess sebum and dead cells

                     -refine skin pore and bring back vitality to skin

     To start with, I have an oily skin type. I rarely get an acne outbreak unless I develop a certain allergy, it's that time of the month or alas, a product I unwittingly tried without consulting Dr. Google. I remember purchasing this product at a Laneige counter in Trinoma a couple of years ago. I was getting paranoid over the gradual enlarging of my pores that I felt like I had to buy it. Back then, I had this distorted notion that if something sells at a pretty steep price, it had better be good unless... Well, I really was not thinking much about the unless part. 

      So yeah, 1,300 pesos after... I found myself with these realizations:

• The best part of it all is that the bottle is really nice. Then again, I did not purchase it for the bottle but more of what's inside it. 
• For Php1, 300 pesos, I could have just bought a much cheaper and more effective product such as Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner.
• Did it make my pores look smaller? They sure feel didn't... much more seem like it.
• It did have that cool sensation that lasted three seconds max.
• It smells like Listerine and alcohol.
• To end, thank God it didn't break me out but didn't do anything for the price of US $25 

       In the end, I think consumers of this product pay more for the beauty of the bottle and not its content.

       So... is it a bad product? No, if you don't feel ripped off with buying something that has cheaper alternatives. Yes, if you can ask a friend to give you a pretty bottle and if you can darn well afford a cheaper but more effective toner (since it pretty much does the same job).

      After almost finishing the bottle, do I find myself repurchasing? Um, no thank you. One pretty bottle is enough. 

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Holiday Hangover

      It's been ten days after the holiday season (that's excluding january second for the busy bees who had to work that day ...meaning me) and yep, the aftershocks that finally had dented my diet, my skincare and my drive to work are pretty apparent on my state of mind and (ignominiously) my face.

     Sadly, I was not blessed with an invulnerable skin and body type that my face has this tendency to get puffy and my body to bloat when I eat a certain kilogram of food. Boo! Anyway, I'm starting off this blog with a few challenges to myself before the month ends. Obviously, that entails revamping the fashion of how I eat... although, try as I might, I still haven't gotten myself around to eating healthily. So, that basically just means portion control. Dang, wouldn't it be genius to make a month-long diary with photos to see the changes this plan might conceive.... But heck, I still don't have the guts to show a cellulite-infested and flab-inflated face this time of the month.... Trashes my illusions of becoming something I want to be.

     Second would be focusing more on my job. I need to--scratch. Make that imperative. So there, it should be cardinal rule to meet my weekly quota to have the dream moolah I've been supposedly banging my head for.

    Third and lastly (I'm being realistic), I need to be responsible of the things I've endeavored myself to start with. Meaning this blog and that other thing that I should be sharing before the first quarter of the year ends.

So yeah, there goes my first post and hopefully this blog gets updated for the second one.

*** Note to self: READ third challenge

      Self: got that.

                                                                                                      

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