What's Your Fantasy: Oscar-Nominated Augmented Reality Edition

I have no time to faff around with Esquire's Augmented Reality issue online.

I do, however, have a lot of time to look at this guy:

Because, seriously, Jeremy Renner is the embodiment of "attainable hot." (Expression stolen from somebody on the Television Without Pity forums, during a discussion of Renner's lead-actor role in the late, lamented police series The Unusuals.)

Okay, make that Oscar-nominated attainable hot, but still: Doesn't he look like the kind of guy you should be dating anyway? Like, not blindingly hot, or male-model hot, but hot in a way that your friends and family would understand, yet only you would totally get the whole deal about the guy. In all possible definitions of the word, of course.

No additional technology necessary.

Photo credits: Esquire.com (screencaps mine) and theunusualsblog.com. Also, if you miss The Unusuals as much as I do - or if you just want a good dose of Renner to keep you warm - you can also pre-order the complete series on DVD, exclusively at Amazon.

MAC Spring Colour Forecast: A First-Impression Review

Of all the four Spring Colour Forecast collections that MAC has put out this year in the US market, Amber might be my favorite.

 

1) I can't think of any other company that would put eyeshadows named Flip and Manila Paper in the same quad. (It helps that they're both neutral, too - even more reason for Pinoy and Pinay MAC addicts to go nuts!)

2) Ever since I started working at the university, I've become obsessed with wearing earthy nude colors all over, especially on my lips. Not boring, work-safe nudes, mind you, but nudes with a little bit of tint and shimmer. These lipsticks fit the bill.

3) Seriously, that Gold Dust lipglass looks like fresh mango juice to me. Again, very Filipino - and very Tetchie Agbayani - without being too literal.

My second-favorite collection would be Coral, because I'm more partial to warmer tones of peach and pink. Unfortunately, I can't wear pink eyeshadow without looking ridiculous, and I can't bring myself to wear a lipstick named "Fresh Salmon." That hasn't stopped this lovely Blush Ombre from calling my name oh so softly.

The other collections, Pink and Plum, don't seem to appeal to me... but that's ultimately because cool, blue-based colors rarely flatter me, if at all.  So until I can get my hands on this collection at my nearest MAC outlet, I'll still continue to dream of Amber and Coral.

Disclaimer: No samples were provided for this review. All screencaps are mine, with additional commentary produced with MS Paint.

Ga Ga, Drool-La-La

Via the Fug Girls and Craft Magazine:

You've read that right, folks: LADY GAGA COOKIES. (Detailed descriptions can be found here, in the original Flickr set.)

Wonder if somebody has already told Ange de la Cruz (currently the "it" girl of Manila's pastry world) about this yet? Because I'm sure she'd love to make this happen. :)

Ange's "couture cupcakes," as pictured on the banner for her blog

(ladycupcake.typepad.com)

EDITED (7:10 PM Philippine Standard Time) to add this bon mot from my actual inbox: 

 

Perez Hilton-style paint job, mine. ;) Seriously speaking, though: do check out these babies below and throw a little coin into your mama's Amazon Associate account!

Fairytale Brownies Valentine Sprite 24

Fairytale Brownies Valentine Keepsake Dozen
Fairytale Brownies Valentine Truffles
Fairytale Brownies Valentine Dozen

Is This the Holy Grail?

Taken from (where else?) the official Bumpits website.

I just love the note on the end that says "Bumpits are not edible."

Also, I've heard from folks who have Bumpits (and have owned them way before Jersey Shore started airing) that they're actually not that bad. I'm just holding judgement until I'm quite sure that the results will not make me look like I'm suffering from a massive head tumor.

My Current Work Uniform

Yay, new Polyvore set!

And since I'm newly employed as an ESL teacher (okay, temporarily as of this writing, but at least newly employed) I might as well share with you a few elements from the current looks that I've been rocking at work. Now, my current workplace is a little more relaxed, but it's the kind of "casual" workplace that has a lot of unspoken rules regarding the existing dress code, so I thought I'd share my own tips for dressing up in that kind of environment.

- Dress for authority. The ESL program I'm working with is part of a sociocultural exchange program at the university, which means that there's already a built-in expectation to stay on the conservative side, fashion-wise. Our "kids" may show up for their classes in trendy, fashionable items - like, say, ripped denims and bright off-shoulder tops - but that doesn't mean their teachers should show up for work likewise without getting the stink-eye from one of the higher-ups during the day. The Gap camp shirt shown here, for example, is a tad rugged, but it still has a little more structure and polish than your average polyester blouse, and easier to dress up than a jean jacket.

- Dress for comfort. Like the majority of female staffers at this job, I too would really like to show up for work in a dress, at least for one day. And while that thought may sound nice, it's actually impractical in real life, where we have to do a lot of walking - uphill walking - just to get to our classrooms. Add to that the fact that a few of us have to take the jeepney to work, and you're looking at a major comfort issue at hand. Long story short, pants and sensible shoes (like the Privo wedges shown above and at left) are an elegant, work-friendly solution for both comfort and respectability.

- Match the bag with the shoes. This is one of the biggest Unspoken Rules of the Workplace, since it shows a sense of consistency regardless of how "casual" everything else turns out to be. I lucked out because I have a red bag that matches my favorite red flats, but if I were starting over again I'd go with something in the neutral family. Here, the Fossil bag is in a warmer caramel shade than the suede in the Privo shoes, but the structural details in the bag match the sporty geometric lines in the shoe straps.

(Unpopular opinion: Real leather makes all the difference here - and even if you're not wearing actual cowhide, then at least make sure that the material in question holds up like the real thing. The loafers I wore on my first day at work got so much work from all the walking that they came home looking beat-up and shredded at the end of the day. As much as I make fun of the "fake" "leather" on my red flats from SM, at least they've survived the daily hike!)

- When the whole look is conservative and neutral, you can go wild with everything else. This weekend, our weather shifted drastically from sunny to stormy-ish (high winds, cloudy skies, occasional rain), so I started wearing my long scarves to work. Besides keeping me warm, the scarves provided a much-needed hit of color close to my face while putting a bohemian-preppy spin on my work look. (See: Lauren Conrad, right.) I also started wearing a turquoise bracelet on my right hand - partly as a conversation piece for my students, partly to spice up the more conservative elements of my work outfit, and partly because I like to have something sparkly to look at during the moments when I'm feeling quite stuck at work.

Last Song Syndrome: Marry Me, Neil Finn

I've been listening to a lot of Crowded House on my iPod lately... and what gets to me is that, despite the fact that most of these songs were released (and became popular) during my angsty teen years, the lyrics speak more to me now that I'm much older.

Exhibit A: This one.

(Don't mind the freaky video, people - just tune in for the music.) 

Domesticity Reviews: The Products That Could Possibly Save My Life This Year

Powder: L'Oreal Infallible Never-Fail (in Sun Beige). I'm still bummed about this powder getting discontinued - well, not as bummed when you consider that I bought this last summer before The Big Move - but as you can see in this entry, the coverage is pretty thorough, almost like a powder foundation. I personally don't have any problems with cakiness - or putting on powder with a sponge, which I always do - but that's partly because I live in a very humid climate where makeup has a tendency to melt as soon as you put it on. That's obviously not the case with the Infallible powder: even after a day's worth of humid environments and some inevitable teary-eyed moments during Avatar, the coverage of this powder remained even-toned and smooth. Bonus points for the improved throughout the day, too, because it really did look and feel like my own skin at the end of it all.

Mascara: Maybelline Unstoppable Curly Extension. My current go-to mascara of choice at this point. (Check out the pre-bent angled brush here - nifty, eh?) The bad news is that I do have some major smudging issues with this one, which means that I still have to wipe that brush down with a tissue before I apply a single coat. The good news, however, is that it does give me a lot in the way of definition and curl, plus it stays on with the tenacity of an ABS-CBN field reporter. (No five o'clock raccoon eyes here!) Not to mention that it does wash off effortlessly with water and a little face wash.

Sun Protection: Beach Hut Clear Spray Sunblock. A surprising find, courtesy of the in-house store at Plantation Bay Resort in Cebu. (Again, no Fresh here - but they do have a nice selection of Human Heart Nature body butters and insect repellents, so there's that.) I bought this mere hours before we were due to go snorkeling off the coast of Mactan Island; apparently I was in a state of panic, because the last time I went out snorkeling resulted in what could be best described as a (supposedly) "Waterproof" Sunblock FAIL. This stuff, however, was a flat-out revelation to me - even after hours of swimming in blue ocean waters, with UV rays bouncing off every conceivable direction, I came off the boat with not a single burned spot on my skin... and this is after frequent standard re-applications of the stuff at every turn! Much credit goes to the genius spray bottle, which gets to those hard-to-reach crannies on my back without missing a single spot, and to the truly lightweight formula that goes on clear and sheer. Did I also mention that this product was developed in the Philippines for the Southeast Asian market? And how cute is it that their website is called LotionSucks.com? (Heee.)

Eyeliner: Ever Bilena Dual-Ended Eye Pencil. And speaking of Filipino products... well, I can be quite unapologetic when it comes to Ever Bilena eyeliner. It may have only cost me 1/10th of what I would've paid for MAC or Revlon over here, but nothing else comes close. The texture is soft and powdery - no harsh Amy Winehouse batwings of kohl here - and the staying power is amazing. The pencil shown here is black on one end and brown on the other... but I'm planning on getting the one with black and blue eyeliner, just for kicks.

Lip gloss: Maybelline Fruity Jelly lip gloss (in Creamy Guava). Oh, how many ways do I love thee, Fruity Jelly? You're one of the two bargain-priced Maybelline products in the Philippine market (the other one being the Clear Smooth powder), so you really don't cost an arm and a leg. You go on smooth like a balm but never stay sticky; you're glossy, yet you have the right balance of sheer color and shimmer to make me feel like I'm wearing something of note. You're a creamy peachy-pink with flashes of gold, which makes me look and feel like I'm wearing something more luxurious. You barely rub off on my glass whenever I drink, and you come in a tiny tube that's handy to tote around town when I need to touch up. See? LOVE.