Everyone knows I am kikay. One look at me and many will say… Ahh, yes you definitely are. Because I am like that, I take great effort to take care of myself and to try to look good. I am very particular with the clothes, the makeup brands, the shoes, and the skincare I buy for myself. I also make sure that my body gets a good de-stressing by getting a good massage once in a while or visit spa’s to get a quick facial.

But… this is the first time that I have experienced the diamond peel.

Diamond peel is a non-surgical method of encouraging skin renewal. This treatment uses a wand with a disposable diamond tip that propels crystal flow to the skin and also vacuums away the dirt and dead skin cells.

I had mine at the Clarity Aesthetic Center. The attendant first slathered some cream that was cool to the skin all over my face. She then wiped it off after giving my face a quick and light massage. Then she turned the machine on and I just felt this pencil-like thing on my face. Then I felt my flesh being sucked by that pencil bit by bit. It wasn’t painful at all mind you but I felt awkward at first. Since I could not see what was being done to my face, I really couldn’t tell what all the vacuuming was doing to my skin. I doubt that whatever was being removed was visible to the naked eye. After about 30 minutes, it was over. She showed me the “dirt” that was removed from my face and I saw a very small wad of cotton that was black with the dirt she said came from my face. Oooowwwws - I was tempted to challenge her.

I looked at my face and it was red and raw (or at least that’s how it felt). But my skin felt lighter and somehow cleaner. I was told to ensure I put on sunblock so that my skin does not get sun-damaged.

About three days later, I finally noticed the difference. My skin had always felt thick, and slightly grainy… there was dirt on it all the time regardless how much I scrubbed it clean. Also, there used to be spots on my face that were so dry they were actually peeling. And of course I have the large pores and the white heads and black heads. Now… I cannot keep from touching my face. My skin feels so soft and smooth. My pores have been diminished to oblivion and my nose is free from white heads - as in!

So ok. I am a believer. I guess that’s why many celebrities have such good skin. I am sure many of them go through the same if not similar procedure to take care of their faces, especially since its mostly their faces that sell. Now I can have my own diamond peel session at an affordable price at the Clarity clinic.

I am totally loving my face right now… hehe.

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A before and after look at David Cook.

American Idol has come out with another hunk of a musician in the form of David Cook. His initial performances did not really have an impact on me because he looked like another awkward rocker on the show. But each performance has brought him closer to becoming the next Idol. Despite the controversy of the arrangements of his performance, I would like to have him come out on top.

One of his best performances that instantly turned into a hit is his rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Always be my Baby”. You can even hear this performance played over radio stations. I have included a video of this here so that we (my readers and I) can fall in love with him at the same time.

** Update 5/7/2008 **
I know my best friends are reading this right now… so this if for them… Doesn’t David Cook remind you of a certain… aj? Hehe…

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Janette Toral has opened up part 2 of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs to nominations. The project aims to identify new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2008.

The nominees should be blogs that started anytime from July 1, 2007 to the present and are gradually gaining a considerable amount of readership and influence.

I recall that last year, my food blog, Kubiertos, was lucky enough to become part of the Top 10 list for 2007. It was a very surprising but happy outcome because as a result I think Kubiertos gained and retained many of its current readers.

So here are the blogs that I feel have become influential despite being in existence only from July 2007 to today.

1. The NOT so talented Mr. Montano? - Let’s face it. This blog rocked and shook the blogging and elite community. This blog has gained so many readers and triggered so many passionate reactions that it has reached celebrity status by being featured in several TV and Radio shows.

2. Julia Aquino - I do not know who the writer is (apparently only 18 years of age) but I was amazed at how it rose the ranks of many top blogs lists. Being an entertainment blog is one thing but being on top of everyone else is another thing. Her posts on various celebrities, tv shows and other teeny-bopper interests certainly hit the homes and computers of many around the world.

3. Mamavice - This site is dedicated to all Moms. It contains real life experiences of several mommy writers with the hopes that theirs will provide enough information to help out other moms who are experiencing the same thing.

4. Gourmeted.com - Being a foodie makes me appreciate others like myself. So it is only apt that I have a food blog in my top 10 list. For 2008, I would like to include a food blog of a couple from Arizona. Their blog offers a variety or recipes, cooking articles and reviews. They are one of those at the top of the entrecard list for the cooking and dining category.

So who is on your list?

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I recall that I was the last in my family (of 3 girls) to ever appreciate the benefits of cosmetics or makeup. Although I was always intrigued when I watched my mom perform her morning ritual of putting color on her face. Its just that I was hesitant for a long time to pick up the skills she so clearly displayed with putting on makeup.

My entrance into the corporate world was not exactly colorful… literally. My dad used to reprimand me for not even putting on lipstick as I ran out the door. He would always say I looked anemic. That time my only constant companion was Pond’s face powder and nothing more.

The year I lived in the States was my rude awakening to my sorry state.  Everyone I worked with thought I was like 16 years old… and treated me that way. I had a hard time being believable because the foreigners I worked with thought I should still be playing Barbie or something.

So I convinced my more knowledgeable roommate to accompany me to the nearest Ulta store we could find. There, we filled my basket with powders, blushes, primers, eyeshadows, lipsticks, brushes, perfume and other tools and accessories.

Our next stop was the Scottsdale Fashion Square. The Express, The Limited and Banana Republic offered all the right things to up my look to “professional” from teen.

I was all set. I had the look to match my words. I became a success. That was eons ago.

Now, my makeup kit remains the first one I bought and it has never been empty of various brands of makeup. There’s my Maybelline, Mary Kay, Clinique, Mac, L’oreal, Face Shop, Bloom, Sue Devitt, Revlon, Almay, Body Shop and lots more. My face never leaves the house without ample coverage, with or without color.

The newest addition to my beauty loot is mineral makeup. This type of makeup has received so much hype that even conventional makeup brands have come out with their own. Too much hype in fact that I simply have to try it out to find out if the product really is what its been said to be.

I scoured the internet to find out which brand I could buy that would provide value for money (secretly, I was hoping to find a brand that wasn’t too expensive). I then chanced upon a multiply seller - BareNaturals. The site offered comprehensive information on their products and the inquiry I sent to their contact email was replied to immediately. Because of this and because their products were very affordable, I decided to buy myself a complete set of mineral makeup products - including an 8-pc brush set.

The loot from BareNaturals came with a DVD how-to on applying mineral makeup. I was so grateful for that DVD because I could not get it into my head how to start using the jars of makeup that I had ordered from them. But the uncertainty was temporary and soon I was brushing my face away (not literally). So was it the experience I thought it was? Here are my ooohs and aaahs with mineral makeup:

• Mineral makeup is very light on your skin. Being very oily, my face tends to feel heavy after hours of full coverage makeup. It doesn’t matter if the foundation I am using is oil-free. My face is its own producer of oil and needs no help in that department. With foundi-stay mineral makeup foundation, my face although still oil-producing surprisingly does not feel heavy or sticky.
• The mineral makeup glides on smooth and silky. I love how the powder covers my skin. A small amount does the trick of covering up your whole face (as promised) and a very small pinch can actually light up your cheeks with color. The color though is not overpowering and lasts the whole day unlike my other blushes and bronzers where only a part of it lasts the day.
• At the end of the day, after removing my makeup, my skin still feels light. Before, I swipe on toner even after using makeup remover. I do that because somehow my skin still feels heavy and oily after removing the gunk on my face. This time, I don’t have to succumb my skin to another round of cleaning if I used mineral makeup.
• I love how the powder does not stay on the brush. I have been using mineral makeup everyday for a week now and my brushes still look (appears to at least) good as new.
• Aside: I love the brushes I bought from BareNaturals. They’re made with vegan bristles like taklon, teijin and toray. I have an extensive brush set already but these are quite an addition and I am not regretting the purchase. They are soft to the skin and do not leave strands all over your face like my other synthetic brushes do.

All in all I am hooked. The price of approximately P200 per 5g of mineral makeup is the icing on the cake.

Online store: http://barenaturals.multiply.com
Official website: http://www.mybarenaturals.com

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This will be short and I may write a longer post about it but I just have to say that the incident that happened at a Cebu Hospital that was videotaped and posted on Youtube is… unbelievable!

There are no words to describe the impact this video had on the people involved and to those who have watched it. it is the lowest form of ridicule to the patient and to the hospital they represent. it has made a mockery of the medical profession.

Another unbelievable thing is the lack of outburst from the blogging community… or maybe I just have not searched that deep enough through the google pages. I expected something similar (or more) to the ruckus caused by the Desperate Housewives comment about Filipino doctors or by the comment about OFWs in an article by Malu Fernandez or to the video of the teacher making love with a student.

I feel for the patient and hope in all fervor that he triumphs over the doctors and the nurses and all the other people in that room and in that hospital. They deserve to be punished to pay for what they have done.

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