Merry Christmas from Domesticity!

Insert inevitable joke about cats and shiny things here. (Photo taken at Resorts World Manila.)

Domesticity will be taking a short but overdue Christmas break in order to enjoy the holidays as much as possible before returning with more fun entries and beauty goodies for sharing.

In the meantime, please feel free to check out the Polyvore Mini-Editor feature on this blog to put together your own Polyvore collages for viewing! (I might even throw in more Polyvore stuff before the year ends, as well.)

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings from Domesticity!

Our Time in Eden: The Polyvore Set

One of my many new writing projects involves a semi-autobiographical coming of age story set in Indonesia, where I lived during the early Nineties. Yes, I still can't believe it's been twenty years since grunge started taking a hold on popular culture, and I still think that there's a part of me that regrets a lot of the boneheaded things I used to do in the name of Kurt Cobain.

Like many of my writing projects, however, I have also begun the process of developing characterization through art-direction... and since it is a semi-autobiographical story, I might as well do a little wardrobe editing so that the folks in my story would wear the things that I wish I'd worn during that time, as opposed to the things I actually wore in the process.

my time in eden by meimei96 

This Polyvore set is chock full of items that I would have worn If I Had Known Sooner, which explains why I passed on the Doc Martens and Colors de Benetton in favor of espadrilles and Midnight Pomegranate. Then again, it's not like I'm denying the fact that I wore red lipstick with winged black eyeliner practically almost single day, so you can't say that I didn't try hard enough.

Which brings us to a new feature here on Domesticity.

Polyvore now has the Mini-Editor feature, which invites readers to put together their own Polyvore set on this blog. Think of it as taking a shot at doing your own set based on the given theme of each entry - like  Design*Sponge, but more interactive. You don't necessarily have to have a Polyvore account to work with the editor; in fact, you can even add more items if the selections (shown below) leave a lot to be desired.

And since the theme for this entry is "grunge," I'd like to see your own interpretation of the grunge years, for a change. Did you wear your Doc Martens with pride? Did you buy a lot of flannel shirts because of Eddie Vedder? How many fashion and music cues did you take from Sassy magazine? (Or did you even start reading Sassy in the first place, after getting sick and tired of all those side-ponytailed tarts on Teen and YM? Because truth to tell, by the time I was a junior in high school, I was more than happy to trade in my copies of Sassy for Allure and Entertainment Weekly.) Or did you miss it by a few generations, and would be more than happy to get creative with it in the first place?

That's our intro for this entry. Now get to work!


Get your own Mini Editor from Polyvore

What's Your Fantasy: Accent Coaching Edition

Maybe it's my inner theater geek talking here, but lately I've noticed that I have a real thing for guys who speak with accents. And not just any accent, come to think of it, but accents spoken by native English speakers from actual English-speaking countries.

Consider the following:

1) Colin Firth (but of course!) as a stuttering royal in The King's Speech, with the added bonus of Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mum (complete with gentrified Scottish accent) and Geoffrey Rush as a London-based Aussie.



2) Gerard Butler (again: but of course!) delivering the weather forecast for GMTV, which goes without saying.



3) Garrett Hedlund, born and raised in Northern Minnesota - but trained to bend inflections according to each role.



4) Curtis Stone, proving that a natural Australian accent doesn't always have to scrape the eardrums when done right.



5) Bono, introducing "the song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles" in that unmistakable brogue.



6) ...And then there's this clip, which is one of two great examples of how an untempered Canadian accent could get me in trouble if I'm not careful enough. (The other great example, in case you were wondering, can be found here.)



And since I can't just put all of this up without giving some love to the homegrown talent, here's my favorite commercial for Greenwich Pizza, starring the walking cuteness that is John Lloyd Cruz - and one heck of a catchphrase, at around the 0:42 mark.

Last Song Syndrome: For the Holidays

A few more songs that are guaranteed NOT to drive you nuts whenever you hear them:

Pump and Lift, Episode 19.5: More Work in Progress

Molten chocolate cake from Circles at Makati Shangri-La, taken on my birthday. OM NOM NOM NOM.

So, self, how's the diet and exercise going?
- Dang! I knew I forgot to write about something! You know, I -

We know, we know. First you had the dengue, then there was NaNoWriMo, and in between all of that you started teaching again and resumed your long term relationship with your TV. And don't get me started with - 
Can we please not talk about all those "dear Mei we get it" archives? The less I have to think about these things, the better.

Fine, then. So let's get back to diet and exercise. 

I admit it, I'm getting very lazy these days. It doesn't really help that we're in the middle of December and party season's just getting started right about now. Do you think that I should -

Honey, put the eyeliner down and talk to me. 
So here's the rest of the story. It's been two months now, I'm finally down to 151, and my friends can't stop raving about how much weight I've lost and how awesome I look these days. Which is fine and all, but somehow it's given me another reason to start acting all smug about my weight loss. And now that my novel-to-be is finished (which I'm editing the heck out of, by the way, before the next writing challenge comes around), I don't feel that sense of excitement any more... like I'm more depressed than usual, in a weird way, and no amount of work or meditation can get me out of it.

Interesting.
So it manifests in so many different ways. It starts with the extra spoonful of rice, or the plate full of chicken cutlets. Then it balloons and turns into more rice, more carbs, more chocolate, and the next thing you know I'm cranky and overstimulated again.

Girl, you've got ISSUES. 
I know. My priorities are totally not where they're supposed to be right now. Meanwhile I'm worried about my "good cholesterol" because it's not going to be a good day once I find out that it's hereditary and I have to go on meds for that. So now...

Now it's December, and you're trying to get back on the bandwagon. Do you remember that package of exercise videos that Scribey just sent to you? 
Why, yes...



C'mon, it's Cindy. Scribey and I used to work out to these videos back in college - why should I stop there?



Seriously speaking, though, it would be terribly foolish for me to not try this at all. Though I wouldn't worry so much if I end up doing more of a 60-Day Shred, at this pace.


And then there's Tanja Djelevic. I haven't looked at the video Scribey just sent to me (*gulp* sorry, luv!) but once I do, I'll make sure to squeeze this in.

See? Now you've got enough exercise videos to last you through the next few months, and you might not even need shoes for most of them. Your bestie just did you a solid there.
That's true. But there is one last problem...

The boob-wrangling. 
Yes, the boob-wrangling! I now have to wear one of my old bras over my usual 38C so the girls would stay strapped in place! Seriously, though, I'm determined to find a way around this.

And you should, once the post-holiday sales start cropping up. 
Indeed.

But promise me that you'll at least start walking again if you start slacking off. 
Of course I will. There's no way for me to burn off those unplayed eps of This American Life that I missed out on all November.

Holidays With an Extra Punch

This holiday look from Smashbox intrigues me. 

Taken as a screencap from my email account. 

Here's how to achieve it, from the Smashbox website: 

Apropos of nothing, this is the second time I've mentioned a lip product named "Maple" in this blog. Hm.

Compare this to the "holiday" looks sweeping the Philippine press these days, using examples from Preview magazine: 

November 2010: Cristine Reyes, looking very much like a cross between Maggie Cheung and a cleaned-up Amy Winehouse (not a bad thing, let's face it)

December 2010: Model/ designer/ makeup artist/ reality show darling (and current national girlcrush) Solenn Heussaff;  check out a list of colors and techniques used here

There really is nothing wrong with all three looks, to be honest; mileage always varies when it comes to makeup, so there's no universal rule saying that everyone should only adopt Trend X, Y, or Z in any case. 

Which leads us to the next point: Who says we have to stick closely to the script when it comes to beauty? Maybe you do want to wear sparkly eyeshadow with the flashiest gown in your closet, or maybe you're the kind of person who could pull off a smoky monochromatic mauve with your office-to-party outfit. That doesn't mean you can't shake it up a bit. Maybe you should start with a monochromatic face and add a bit of black eyeliner. Or take the same black eyeliner and pair it with some bronzer and/or shocking pink lips for a little walk on the wild side. 

(Aside: I wouldn't be surprised if Santa handed the perpetually naughty Cristine Reyes a tube of  Nicki Minaj's Pink 4 Friday lipstick from MAC; she could probably pull it off, too.) 

Either way, this should teach us that we can all afford to be a little more adventurous when it comes to fabulousness during this prime party season. Cheers! 

So: This Happened.

Don't ask me how I managed to write a 50,000-word novel in 28 days without completely falling off the deep end. It's a terrible novel - or at least terrible by Meimei standards - and it probably won't see the light of a single publisher... but I got a lot of satisfaction out of writing it, and I couldn't be happier.

Those of you who are interested in reading the manuscript, however, will have to contact me personally.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I probably should get back to work, and I'll definitely need more sleep. Or at least one of these:

Video Style Moments: The Holiday Edition

Remember when Mariah Carey used to be such a sweetheart?

I still hold the opinion that this is the best video that Mariah ever made, because the clip really matches the retro feel of the song. (The local supermarket has been playing her Christmas album on an endless loop lately, in fact, and it's actually quite good. Her version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is epic.) True, her hair and makeup people didn't have their collective acts together during this time - and I blame Tommy Mottola for that - but the combination of the dress and the go-go boots here is actually cute, not sleazy.

Happy holidays, everyone! Domesticity will be (thankfully) returning to its regular posting schedule as soon as December rolls around this week. :)

What's Your Fantasy: Sexiest Blog Entry Alive

Here's the thing: There is no way for me- and I mean NO WAY - to let this weekend pass without saying anything about Ryan Reynolds being named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine.

Screencap: People.com

On the one hand: I still need to sit down and watch an entire Ryan Reynolds movie from beginning to end. (Trailers don't count, and neither do reruns of Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place.) Part of me doesn't want to know what on earth is up with his marriage to Scarlett Johansson. Also, most of the photos I've seen on the People site makes him look like a cornered deer, and that trailer for Green Lantern is... kind of underwhelming.

On the other hand:

1. Hot.
2. Canadian.
3. To paraphrase my cousin: It's been 11 years since Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place, and his hair is still the same. Which, to me, is pretty endearing. 
4. Watching the Green Lantern trailer made me realize that - finally - I have found a leading man who is capable and very much qualified to unleash all sorts of whup-ass on Peter Sarsgaard, even if it is a bald-headed Sarsgaard covered in several layers of makeup and CGI. (Pete, seriously - love you, still find you hot, but Tom Cruise doesn't count as a worthy adversary.)
5. Let's face it: I think it's about time People chose somebody in my age bracket for their Sexiest Man Alive. The best way to explain why this factoid is nice for me to know has a lot to do with the fact that Ryan comes across as a guy who doesn't let his goofiness get the better of him. Which leads us to the next point...
6. I also have it on good authority (okay, LaineyGossip, but still) that he really is funny, charming, articulate, and an upstanding citizen overall in real life. This analysis, in particular, is quite revealing. 
7. He told People that he makes "a mean omelette." He already had me at the word "omelette" anyway. 
8. Did I already mention that he's hot?
9. And Canadian?
10. Which means that I now feel a lot less guilty about drooling over a really hot Canadian guy with a sense of humor and the capability to recreate a savory egg-based dish using a frying pan. (Wink wink, nudge nudge! Say no more! Say no more!) 

The Ultimate Video Style Moment

Confession: I've been watching this video on an endless loop since last night. (It's for, uh, "research" for my NaNoWriMo project. And by "research" I mean "getting out of my writer's block.")



Some thoughts:

• Wait, this came out 20 years ago!?!?!?!?!!! And it was directed by David Fincher? Has it been THAT long ago? (All I know is that I was extremely let down by "Too Funky," which was supposed to be a follow-up to "Freedom 90" - and remains one of the big reasons why I still don't get haute couture.) 
• Oh, so many girlcrush-worthy supermodels here. Naomi Campbell has never been hotter, before and since, and Christy Turlington(-Burns) is just made of wowza. (Such a versatile face!) Then there's Cindy Crawford, of course - how could anyone not notice that mole? - and Tatjana Patitz, who I just found out is aging quite nicely... though I have to admit that those shots of her with the cigarettes are pretty hot. 
• On the other hand... Linda Evangelista? Still annoying. I get that she's gorgeous and epic and everything, but something about her just bugs. 
• Also just found out that Marcus Schenkenberg is not in this video (thank goodness - the guy ended up looking really grody, didn't he?)... which then begs the question: Who were those hot guys, and why can't I find them where I should?

And if you liked this one, you should see the semi-homage created for the D+G Fragrance Anthology advertising campaign, shown here. (Warning: Some butt-flashing may be involved here. Also, WTF happened to Claudia Schiffer's body?)

...I'll stop here before I end up with another Halloween Spectacular in my hands. 

Because It's Never Too Early to Plan for the Holidays...

Two entries ago, I mentioned that I wanted this on my gift list:

(Buxom City Slickers holiday set, $39 at Sephora.) 

And because I tend to have a wandering eye when it comes to these things, I thought I could put this on my wish list too. 

(MAC 5 Sassy Neutral Lassies, $29.50; screenshot from MACcosmetics.com) 

That, however, does not compare to some of the things that I actually do want: 

Jillian, you affectionate little meanie, you. I'm already getting 30 Day Shred from Scribey, so this would be a nice addition to my stash of workout videos. 

Also:

OMG BRITISH LAW AND ORDER OMG OMG OMG!!! 

Corny-sounding, I know, but you're looking at the person who will deliberately watch old Law and Order reruns whenever they're on. (But only the first three seasons, though, especially the ones where Chris Noth was still quite hot.) While people may scoff at the UK edition ripping off scripts and plots wholesale from the first few seasons of Law and Order: Original Recipe, I personally think it's a reminder of why the original series was so great in the first place. 

And then: 

OMG MARTIN FREEMAN OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

A friend from NaNoWriMo Philippines recommended this series to me; apparently it has become quite a popular torrent download, which is weird because Filipinos don't always lean much towards the Anglophilic end of the TV spectrum unless it involves Mr. Bean. Also, it has been a while since Mr. Freeman has appeared on my radar - especially after last year's constant marathon of Hot Fuzz - so I'm pretty optimistic about how he does in the Watson role here. 

(Benedict Cumberbatch, on the other hand, will always be on my good side, especially since I'm used to watching him run around frantically in The Last Enemy. I wouldn't worry about his career just yet, is what I'm saying.) 

...Santa? 

Domesticity Reviews: The Fragrances in Meimei's Closet

Credit for this goes to a friend of mine who did this on his Facebook page.

For a quick refresher on which fragrances are which - besides the first three - click here.

Chanel Chance: Remember when you purchased me from Liberty House several years ago, when you got your first non-student job? And you do remember that the first day of your second term is coming up, yes? So it would help that you should wear the very fragrance that has carried you through every single challenge in your career. Pick me, and I will help you fulfill your destiny!

Chanel No. 5: But ah, my dearest bonne Chance, you are mistaken! I have taught Meimei everything that she needs to know about power and destiny! Never mind that I have repeatedly failed in attracting the right garcon for her (then again, so has your dearest sister Allure) but what can one do when one is 18 years of age and could only begin to grasp one's true mission in life! So much potential, Meimei, but it is never too late to awaken it once again.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille: Je suis desole, les madames de Chanel, but I've been Meimei's go-to fragrance for the last 10 or so years, and she just can't quit me. Maybe it's because she's now used to that flan-scented top note?

4711: Meimei once wore me when she acted as a judge for a trivia-quiz night at the Math department, and ended up earning more respect from the undergrads for being tough and knowledgeable. If she'd known earlier that my dry down smells better than that intimidating top note, she'd wear me more often.

Le Petit b. b. by Agnes B.: Hi, Mr. 4711! Can I help you with your top-note problem? I'm a little too light, but I can still help you!

Sand and Sable: ...COOKIES!

Caron Farnesiana and Pan Ame de Patou: Darling, why are you still saving us for special occasions? Is it because we make you feel like you should be wearing a dress all the time?

YSL Cinema: Well, you did wear me when you went to watch Cats, right? And I did help you get through that intermission with all those intimidating high-society folks in attendance - even if you were, in fact, wearing a skirt from Gap. Wouldn't it be nice if you'd wear me again with a more glamorous gown, and possibly a much hotter date?

Mysterious Blue Bottle from Kuri's Stash: Yes, you can wear me to work. And by "work" I mean Domesticity and NaNoWriMo, if you know what I mean... KIDDING! No, seriously, you can totally wear me to work.

The Body Shop Indian Gardenia: Well, well, I just realized that Meimei's beginning to like me again as a floral. Wonder if she'll let me help 4711 and Le Petit b.b. on their sillage problems?

The Case for the Shout-Out

We interrupt our usual schedule of off-blog lesson planning, NaNoWriting, and other distractions for some breaking news.

Be In Style has just featured Domesticity in their Best of the Web series, which runs every two weeks with a running theme. This week's theme is "first impressions," and here's an excerpt from their entry 

The blog’s “Video Style Moments” entertain readers while subtly encouraging us to exercise our aesthetic muscles.  Keep an eye out for the microcosm moments where editor Meimei posts thoughtful moments from her life.

Sweet! Once again, many thanks to the staff at Be In Style for the awesome feature story. :)

Also, for those of you who have just found this site, a few pieces of worthy beauty moments...

First, a Face for The Moment.

This picture is from more than a year ago, taken right before I was about to go out for speed-dating. This is actually more of an earthy-style look, with a lot of browns from Stila and a bit of bronzer to go along with the brown-and-orange theme I'm working with here. The whole night was a bust date-wise - remind me to tell you that story about Wow Guy and This Is Not a Job Interview Dude on this blog -  but I ended up hanging out with a bunch of super-cool girls with whom I ended up watching Star Trek with over the weekend. (Wish I'd met them earlier, before the whole move to the Philippines happened. Miss 'em.)

Second of all:

WANT. That's all. If ever, though. (Christmas?)

And third:

I'll admit to liking the mascara and the lipstick (well played!). Putting aside all speculations about Shakira's weight, the crazy wardrobe, and the rattiness of her hair, though: Am I the only person who goes around saying "DAHNCE... OR DIE!" at every random opportunity?

...Just me, then? Okay, then. 

When Meimei Disappears

You might be worried about the title up here, after all the disturbing blog entries that I've been putting up lately. And no, I'm not talking about running off to Canada, even if it means better Food Network programming and even better potato chip flavors.

(Also because the alleged future father of my supposedly ramen-haired children has now moved to Los Angeles, which I am trying my best not to take as a sign. Or something.)

ANYWAY-

Two things: First, I have become invested in the World Series of Baseball lately. As much as I like the Rangers for their pwnage of the Yankees (who I still hate, in spite of the pretty that is Derek Jeter), I'm totally rooting for the Giants because 1) I have a lot of friends in San Francisco right now who want to end the torture, and 2) George W. Bush, which goes without saying.

And besides, the Giants has my part-Pinoy homeboy Tim Lincecum, even though he really needs to cut his hair if he wants to be taken seriously. (Seriously, Tim: You sort of have the Joseph Gordon-Levitt thing going on. Win Game 5 already so you can finally visit a barber in the off-season!)

And second:

It's my first time doing NaNoWriMo, and already it has taken over my soul. Never mind that I'm a sworn writing geek when it comes to these things, and never mind that I have lost enough of my mind to describe one of my characters as an angry blogger and another as this guy playing the part of this guy and this guy, but more Irish.

(Horrors! Meimei has based a character on ANTHONY FRIGGING BOURDAIN! Run for the hills!)

(...No, I definitely was kidding. Please don't sue me, Tony. But do send me the home addresses for the other two, if you have them lying around and/or your lawyers don't mind.)

The whole novel's been mapped out already, though, and I'm thinking about getting 20% done before work starts and I lose more of my mind. Assuming, of course, that the World Series doesn't go into Game 7.

Okay, that's enough writing for now. I'm going downstairs to check on the game. And by "game" I really do mean Game 5.

EDITED @7:03 PM to say GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN! And also that I'm using this guy instead as the physical prototype for my lead male character. I love you, Gerard, but I figured that Jeremy would make a more convincing pancake-flipper.

Last Song Syndrome: Let's Not, and Say We Did

Shallow note: I'm not the only one who has noticed the awesomeness of the lead singer's color-blocked sweater in this video, right? Seriously, that is one cool sweater. Even if I don't like the way he's pushed the sleeves up to 3/4 length over his elbows.

In my defense, I've already heard this song on the radio dozens of times before, so it was inevitable that I would hunt down the lyrics and watch the video, which apparently explains... well, everything.

Which then leads us, in a way, to another explanation of why and how it ended up in the Halloween Spectacular:

And I wanna know what happened to your boyfriend
Cos he was looking at me like "woah...!"
Yeah right before the kitchen was a dustbowl
And tossing me the keys and I can't forget how
everything just coming through the windows
and half the street was under my nails
it's like we sitting in the Faraday cage,
when the lights all failed

And now everybody gotta go hungry
and everybody cover up their mouths
And I haven't seen the body count lately
but looking at your faces it
must have been bad - 


(...I'll stop here before we end up at Sandra Lee's house for dinner. *shudder*)

Domesticity Halloween Spectacular 2010

A note from Meimei: 
Now, here's a Halloween entry for you, chock full of shocking revelations and terrifying twists. Unfortunately, I had to put this entry under a break due to the sensitive nature of its contents - especially when you consider  that the bulk of this entry contains memos and documents retrieved from the offices of TLC Southeast Asia (and/or possibly hallucinated by yours truly during a Dairy Milk binge) which may prove to be extremely scandalous. If you have a low tolerance for scandal (and/or satire), proceed at your own risk...

Video Style Moments, Part 3: "Airplanes" by B.o.B. (Feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore)

Speaking of emo singers with colorful hair...



I love Hayley's eyeshadow in this one.

Unfortunately for us, the Lauren Luke tutorial version just pales in comparison - pun intended - next to the original. (And I say this as someone who adores Ms. Luke unconditionally; it's just that there wasn't enough there there, you know?)




Lesson learned: Lime green eyeshadow really is tricky for the rest of us.

Video Style Moments, Part 2: "Closer To The Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars

I'm posting this for my brother, who remains traumatized by the Jared Leto archive on The Internet Never Forgets.

(And for longtime My So-Called Life fan Scribey, who might be traumatized to see Jordan Catalano sporting a gigantic red mohawk here.)

(And also for my niece, who I think would like this song as much as I do... even if it makes me feel old to explain the concept of Jordan Catalano to her.)

For the rest of you reading this blog: Mohawks! Nail polish! Guyliner! Anything less would be a letdown.

Video Style Moments, Pt. 1: "Cold War" by Janelle Monae

I love Janelle Monae - not just her music, but her whole quirky style and vibe.

For this I have to thank both Afrobella and that one Gap ad I saw of hers not too long ago - I'm just so glad that she's getting a lot of love lately, both from the critics and the fans.

While "Tightrope" is her big single, I'm more partial to "Cold War," shown here.



This video has been shown extensively on Channel V (we get the Malaysia/ Singapore feed on that, by the by - not that I'm complaining, since Channel V Philippines sounds like a big snooze to me), so imagine my surprise seeing this video on YouTube after weeks of thinking that her skin and lips looked a tad orange.

Though I'm guessing that Janelle would rather that we focus on the music, I have to say: Seriously - that lip gloss, with that little hint of gold in there, is just gorgeous. Same with the lashes and the eye makeup, too - paired with the hair and the skin, the whole thing is quite reminiscent of Annie Lennox, and I mean this as a serious compliment. Something tells me that the stylist in charge also used some MAC here, as well, since the colors remind me of the collections that came out this year.

As for the video itself: We've seen videos where the singer starts crying while lipsyncing (see also: "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy) but I think the point here is about control. Look at how she just loses it and fans herself in the middle of it all, before she sheds that one tear without ruining her mascara; it's the straight-up stress of getting this whole thing done in one take, which goes well with the lyrics of the song.

All in all, a great video for a great song, made even better by gorgeous styling.

Last Song Syndrome: The Theme Song of the Week

I spent all of last week recovering from dengue fever at the hospital.

I'm back at home now, and doing better... but I'm still not quite "there" yet, mentally and emotionally, and the fact that my laptop is (kind of) broken doesn't help matters.

That's why I have to take another break from this blog until I get my stuff in order from here on forward.

In the meantime, please feel free to look through the Domesticity archives for some of my best entries within the last few, which I'm sure you'll enjoy immensely. Thanks, guys. :)

Fun With Screengrabs

Dear Lush:

From this year's collection of Lush Christmas products. Drool. 

If I buy this lip balm, does that mean Bob Blumer will show up at my house and make out with me?

(Or at least tell me that he has created his own version of Razon's Halo-Halo using bananas poached in maple syrup. That would be awesome. And hot.)

And speaking of Lush:

This ad actually showed up on my blog a few days ago (thanks, Nuffnang) and immediately I thought, "Dang, they finally made a drugstore version of Coalface?" Mind, I've never washed my face with any kind of black carbon technology whatnots, but I did learn from reading Lush Times that the black stuff is often recommended for folks with oily skin. That's enough for me to buy the "cleansing impurities" angle, since I've seen a lot of girls out here with all sorts of acne problems regardless of skin color.

Now if only we could get the marketing monkeys to admit that they're only using the "whitening" angle to sell product that actually does nothing for pigmentation...

What's Your (Ruined) Fantasy: The "Oh, Honey, NO" Edition

Since it's been the kind of week where LOLs are few and far between, I've been checking out The Internet Never Forgets, which posts cheesy pictures of (currently) hot actors during the hungriest periods of their life.

There are a lot of gems to be had here; the entire sections for Jared Leto and Jensen Ackles alone should supply you with enough cringeworthy laughs for a lifetime, to say the least of Robert Pattinson and Brad Pitt.

THIS, however, is my favorite one of all: 

"Someday soon I'm gonna make you a vampire. Da doo NOM NOM NOM, da doo NOM NOM."

Yes, I know that Ian Somerhalder rarely takes a bad picture; this archive is proof of that. Still and all though, it's proof that no sane male should ever attempt to take their hairstyling cues from Shaun Cassidy circa 1978.

(Apropos of nothing, I used to have a Shaun Cassidy T-shirt that I inherited from my sister... who, for the sake of this discussion, counts him as one of her lame celebrity ex-boyfriends, alongside Leif Garrett. If we had known that cable television and the Internet were going to be invented, we would never have spent so much time squee-ing our heads out at the Record Bar section of SM Makati.)  

To compensate for this, I shall direct you to a relatively non-heinous picture of Mr. Somerhalder himself.

I am aware that his face is kind of crooked... but still, not that hard to look at from my point of view. Also, you're welcome.