tender flesh beauty @tenderfleshbeauty - Tumblr Blog

I’m so proud of my boobs.

Here’s the thing, I used to put them down because they were so tiny I used to say they didn’t exist. But they were right there, upright ans defiant, these tiny, petulant buds.

I secretly loved them, even when they didn’t fill our swimsuits and bras and gowns. I loved them for their elegance and lovely shape, two small conch shells.

But I never said them out loud, not often enough. It was easier to put them down, they’re so quiet and unassuming.

But not for long.

When I got pregnant they swelled and grew dark. They chafed under clothes. I grew to love them more, taking care of them, massaging them, putting oils and making them pretty, holding them and marveling at how they where changing.

When I gave birth, I distinctly remember seeing the little golden pearls, colostrum, that bloomed from them as the nurses squeezed them gently. My daughter rooted, latched and looked up to me with adoring eyes. A prayer of thanks escaped my lips.

And now it’s been almost six months. They’ve nourished this darling child to a point of delightful squishiness, made her healthy and strong. When she laughs and drops of milk cost her heart-shaped lips they are a symbol of gratitude to my stalwart breasts. They did that.

So my breasts, thank you. You’re queens. You’re gorgeous. You’re stunners. You’ve done it all and got it all. I’ll never be able to thank you enough, along with the rest of my body, for being so amazing; for quietly and bravely standing by me even as I brayed and wept at your seeming ineptitude. You weren’t all, and never were. It just took me so, so long to realize that. Thank you. You’re beautiful. And I love you.

anotherdayjustbreathe-blog

tenderfleshbeauty

Yes.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Except blonde asians, because weird. I've always toyed with the idea of going blonde, but like my blonde Barbies, I would quickly put the idea back on the shelf. Going blonde involved bleach and regular maintenance. I wasn't a fan of both, but then I started seeing all these glamorously grungy styles. Brunettes were bleaching their hair and letting their dark roots show. Hair was dirtied, tousled, and swooshed in ways that I hadn't seen since Kurt and Courtney. Since I couldn't do grunge fashion justice when it originally came out (thanks parents!), I thought this was my chance. Here is Anne Hathaway as a glamorous punk for the 2013 Met Ball. I love her style, but I'm still undecided if I like, erm, her.

Leigh Leighzark of the Misshapes. A famous brunette who let her true blonde self come out for a few months. I love her because she's a deejay the same way Jessica Alba is an actress.

Daria Werbowy in all the Céline ads. She's not really blonde here, but her hair is perfectly matted and greasy. Yes.

My love, Michelle Williams for Louis Vuitton. It's 1994 all over again!

Lastly, Emily Weiss of IntoTheGloss.com. We actually had the same peg, which was Karlie Kloss as a Kurt Cobain in an Interview Magazine shoot. How adorbs is she?

Hot blonde asians. Soo Joo.

Charlotte Carey.

Let's be clear. No guy really likes a blonde asian. No Filipino guy anyway. No foreign guy who is dating a Filipina likes it either. For them it's unnatural and ratchet. They like Filipinas because of our natural golden skin, dark hair, and ability to find foreigners interesting enough to date. And what about my fellow Filipinas? Well, some of them thought I just wanted to be white. Yes, because blonde hair will conceal my genetics. Let's be clear guys. Asians who go blonde aren't trying to look natural. Who are we fooling? We want blonde hair because we're bored. We like blonde hair precisely because it looks fake. No amount of toning, highlights, and lowlights will let us pass as Scandinavians or the Wakefield Twins. And that's perfectly fine with us. It wasn't easy. On the day I decided plunge into the world of double processing, I made the mistake of washing my hair the night before. The salon washed my hair again, right before applying the bleach. The bleaching itself didn't hurt, but when they started applying the blonde dye-- that's when I started to literally feel the burn. I soldiered through, after being assured by a blonde asian seat mate that it was normal. But man, it hurt so bad-- so bad that I wanted to stop midway, but that meant orange colored hair. I may have a skewed sense of beauty, but orange hair is not something even Rihanna can save. After an hour of delirious pain, it was finally washed out and styled.

I was the proud owner of Malibu Barbie blonde hair. I loved it. Sadly, my scalp was is really bad shape. Not only was it really sensitive to touch, but there were hardened clumps of hair at the roots that I tried washing off the next day. After taking a closer look, I realized that my scalp had open wounds, causing liquid to ooze out and create the painful clumps. I initially tried to loosen the clumps (I imagined this was how extensions felt), but they were too painful. I had no choice but to leave it alone. After 4 days the wounds healed and my hair was clear again. This was was followed by a week of disgusting dandruff-like flakes. Large clumps of brown or reddish skin were falling and my scalp was itchy like hell. I figured this was the dead skin falling away and again left it alone. Mind you, I was washing my hair only twice a week to facilitate the healing process. After those two weeks, my hair was fully healed. And what did I do? Well, I headed straight to another salon for some toning. What can I say? This time, I came prepared with unwashed hair. 3 days of non-washing to be clear. I also made it clear that I intended to grow out an ombré hairstyle. Thankfully, the salon staff listened well and made sure to check my hair and scalp. They added a low volume of peroxide and a very ashy blonde to tone down my bright blonde hair and blend in the dark roots. The result was a beautiful mix of ash white and gold blonde hair.

*Excuse my need for lipstick and bronzer in that photo. It was pretty early in the morning. And now? Well, I plan on staying away from salons for at least a month. In the mean time, I hold out for as long as I can in between shampoos, relying on dry shampoos to take out grease and slept-in smell. And each time I do shampoo, I make sure to use a sulfate-free one and condition, condition, condition. And heat-styling? Only when I really need to. Thank God for good hair cuts. Beauty wise, it's near impossible to head out without putting on a semblance of a face. The need for color and definition is now greater than ever. Brows, lashes, lips, and cheeks. Always. The upside is that I can now wear paler-than-thou colors. Not bad at all. Like Ms. Weiss described so aptly, I am now the proud owner of severely "dry and damaged hair". Rock on. :-)

#blonde #blonde asian #soo joo #charlotte carey #michelle williams #anne hathaway #daria werbowy #emily weiss #leigh lezark #karlie kloss #interview magazine #intothegloss

girlannachronism

Altuzarra spring 2014 rtw details

girlannachronism

Hair and Makeup at Zac Posen spring 2014 rtw

girlannachronism

Makeup at Jason Wu spring 2014 rtw

cultofpretty

Blond ombre backstage at Creatures of the Wind. #NYFW

Hair by Kerastase, make up by NARS

Image c/o Rachel Scroggins (The Greyest Ghost) for Cult of Pretty

tenderfleshbeauty

Gorgeous!

girlannachronism

Rag & Bone spring 2014 rtw backstage

girlannachronism

Makeup at Jason Wu spring 2014 rtw

Marc Jacobs Beauty in Manila

I wanted to title this Marc Jacobs Beauty Haul, but I only bought one eye shadow palette and one gloss. Instead, let’s just call this How I Caved And Learned to Like Marc Jacobs Beauty. When I saw the first photos of Marc Jacobs’s makeup collection, I was really underwhelmed. The designer holds a special place in my heart because of his understated, cool-girl aesthetic, but this felt a little out of step. The packaging looked too cheap and plastic-y, and the colors seemed too in-your-face. I associate Marc Jacobs with barely-there makeup, so the sleek lines and bright colors of his makeup collection didn’t seem to jive with this look. I couldn’t imagine Sofia Coppola wearing this makeup, but apparently she did. Well, if it’s good enough for Ms. Coppola, it’s more than cool enough for me. Beauty bloggers gave the Starlet palette a big thumbs up. Since I skipped the Dior Bonne Etoile shadows, I decided to pick up this metallic palette. I was still in love with my Dolly Wink liquid liner, so I skipped the Blacquer and instead added a Lip Vinyl, picking the shade Heart-Shaped, a shimmery, pale candy pink lip gloss with a hint of coral. Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl Heart-Shaped

The Lip Vinyls come in Full and Sheer shades and Heart-Shaped is listed in the latter. As I have a drawer full of still unused lipsticks, I went with a sheer shade. I also figured that a lighter shade would be a better test of the line’s quality. It should give just enough color for it to be a grab-and-go item, but also step up in terms of hydration and wear. In terms of color, Heart-Shaped breathed life into my corpse lips with its pretty, glossy pink tint and fine hot pink and silver shimmer. While I dislike layering gloss over lipsticks, I can imagine this would pair well with light colored lipsticks and stains.

The formula was light, gel-like, and hydrating. When you first put it on, it gets very minty, owing to the supposed lip-plumping action. I didn’t notice any actual plumping, but the mint was a very nice and refreshing. This wore on my lips for about 2 hours and faded evenly, without any of the shimmer migrating to other parts of my face. Do think this is worth the price tag? It is for me. Many lip products tend to make my lips peel and dry them out after a while. This one kept my lips well hydrated and was very comfortable to wear. Besides, I adore the cotton candy scent (my sense of smell is very plebian) and the minty feeling. The verdict: You know who would use this gloss? Regina George. ‘Nuff said. Style Eye-Con No. 7 The Starlet

What else can I add to the long list of people singing the praises of the Starlet palette? I’ve been exclusively using the seven metallic shades exclusively all week and color me impressed. They held up against Manila’s ludicrously humid weather for an entire day without primer, lasting up to 7 to 8 hours. The shadows have a very soft and creamy texture, and a little goes a long, long way. I wouldn’t recommend this for makeup novices, but if you love daring makeup looks and are confident about your blending skills, then grab this palette. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve yet to use the gold and copper shades, but I was able to use the bright silver blue one at full strength, using the sponge applicator that came with it to achieve a foiled look on the lids. I tempered it down with the dark brown shade (3rd from the left) on the crease and lots of blending. It was really, really nice.

For an easy day look, Café Makeup suggests using the peachy shade (2nd from left) all over the lid with the dark brown shadow on the crease. I tried this and even though we have vastly different colorings, we were both able to achieve a soft, neutral eye look. For an even softer eye, you can use the first shade, which is a metallic purplish taupe. The verdict: This is indispensable for glamorous night-outs and (surprisingly) versatile enough to use during the day. Just keep your blending brush handy. Overall, I think Marc Jacobs Beauty is worth the splurge if you're a fan of the designer or of makeup in general. It's fun and a little irreverent, just like the fashion label and its creator. I'd give it a few more seasons to really prove itself as a must-have brand like Burberry and Tom Ford. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either. I've got a few more new brands coming soon, like beauty vlogger Michelle Phan's Em and makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury's eponymous line. I don't know how I'll get a hold of either of them, especially Ms. Tilbury's Selfridge's exclusive, but living in Sephora-less Manila hasn't stopped me before!

#marc jacobs beauty #marc jacobs #manila makeup #style eye-con palette #lust for lacquer

midcenturymodernfreak

Vintage Eyeware! - Via

cheeky---cunt

What Do You Use: Skincare

I have been a long-time cosmetics junkie. Sometimes, when I am feeling down, a cute drugstore lipstick can bring back a spring to my step faster than a loaf of Wonder Bread slathered in peanut butter can.

Skincare is something that I only seriously got into in my 20s. Sometime in college, I developed horrible adult acne. My goal was to have Pond’s-worthy skin and I was obsessed with Cinema Secrets, MAC Studio Fix, and Bare Escentuals foundation and concealers. I never wore blush or lipstick as they always highlighted my red, bumpy skin. Thus, after primer, concealer, foundation, and powder, eyeliners and eyebrow pencils were my biggest splurges. I inherited my mother’s non-existent eyebrows so I was forever filling them in and getting the perfect arch. Eyeliner was de rigueur as it drew attention away from my skin into my eyes, one of the few features I actually really liked.

As much as I would like to say that turning 30 has made me invest more in skincare than in makeup, in actuality, experience and more money has just broadened my budget for self-care. Now it’s makeup, skincare, hair, organic food, and a personal trainer. I suppose in the next few years, I will have to add surgery to that list, but for now let’s pretend that healthy eating, cosmetics, and an “active” lifestyle will give me perpetual youth.

Skincare:

I’ve been dating a Frenchman for about 5 years now hence the yearly sojourns to France. Everybody talks about the amazing Gallic pharmacies, and you can bet your pan aux chocolat that it’s truly worth the trip. Left to my own devices, I will spend hours and hours scouring those aisles. Here are the ones I am currently using:

Bioderma Crealine H20 Ultra: If you know what a makeup vlog is, then you know who Lisa Eldridge is and what Bioderma miscellaire water does to your makeup and skincare routine; both are life-changing. I always pat my face dry after using Bioderma, as it helps against excessive drying. Mind you, my face is pretty sensitive—even Cetpahil feels drying. I tried the Vichy version and it’s just not the same.

Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser: this is pretty much foaming miscellaire water. This also takes out every bit of dirt and almost all of one’s makeup (even waterproof ones). On light makeup days, this is simply amazing. The Caudelie version also smells of refreshing grape and olive. If you want roses, then get the Nuxe 3 Roses version.

Embryollise Lait-Crème: A tad too nourishing when Manila’s humidity goes on overdrive, but it’s the perfect moisturizer for most days. It also held up really well against the cooler spring and autumn temperatures. Like the Bioderma water, this too has a cult following among cosmetic-philes. I read in some beauty forums that the French version is better than the ones being sold internationally. I can confirm that at all, but each time ze partner’s maman comes to visit, I always ask her to buy a tube back for me. Used once a day, it should last you 6 to 8 months.

Nuxe Prodigieux Eye Contour: I am a big fan of most Nuxe items and this one is doing a fine job of absorbing really quickly, moisturizing the eye area, and staving off fine lines. I don’t need my eye cream to do more than that.

Nuxe 24hr Moisturizing Body Lotion: creamy, sweet smelling, and totally moisturizing. I am the kind of person who will insist on slathering on the Body Shop’s body butters even on the hottest of days, so I can’t really judge if this is “light”. I’d say that it’s just a tad bit heavier than Kiehl’s Crème de Corps Light.

Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse d’Or: Dry oil is fab and this makes me feel tanned. If you want to have the little extra glow on certain days, this oil is perfect. It’s lighter than the lotions, but it’s just as moisturizing. The Caudalie Divine Oil is next on my list, but for now, I am enjoying the heady scent and the fine golden shimmer on my limbs.

Non-French brands:

DHC Cleansing Oil: This washes off faster than the Shu Ueumura ones and it does just as good a job. When I am feeling patient, I will use this to take off all makeup and cleanse the face in one go.

Aquaphor: Dry lips, cuticles, and rough patches are a thing of a past since I discovered this American do-it-all.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: This is drying as hell, but nothing works better on a cystic pimple or a kadiri-to-death white head. Dab this one and it will slash the little bugger into half before wiping it out on the next application.

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion: I love this. Ever since I got on the pill and it controlled my hormonal acne, this has stopped whatever occasional zit my ovaries and allergies send over to my face. Whenever I feel bumps coming on, I will just dab this on the area and it effectively kills the offending would-be zits in 1 or 2 days.

Next up, bathroom products!