Sunday, January 31, 2016

New blog series!

This last week of January, I was supposed to roll out two new series for this blog: an advice column called "Ask Frances" and a press release dump called "Frances Finds". But Topaz Mommy got nominated for Best Parenting Blog for Blogopolis and I got distracted!

So I'm launching the two new series this February!

"Ask Frances" is for my readers who send me questions on life, career and love. I try to reply to their emails but I finally decided that I'm spending too much time dishing out advice during my me time. All my time should either be used for my family, for work or for me (like sleeping, eating, seeing friends)! So since I consider blogging work now, emailed questions asking for tips and advice will see the light of day on my blog! You can tell me to withhold/change your name for privacy, but if you email me a question privately, I will answer it publicly!!! Chosen questions will get fabulous products from me!!!

"Ask Frances" will be posted every third Friday of the month. So if you have any questions, email them to frances@topazhorizon with "Ask Frances" on the subject! I will pick a question to answer and I will answer it as bluntly and as honestly as I can. Walang iiyak! Walang magagalit! For February, the chosen question sender will receive this:
Happy Skin lip glosses!

"Frances Finds" is like a bulletin board for posting all the press kits I get. This is also my way of saving my Instagram account for my life, not products (unless from my sponsors). I'm not going to do that for emailed PRs because I get a dozen press releases a day! "Frances Finds" will only be for press kits sent to my house (and only those I find helpful and interesting!) because I can actually add something useful to the write-up because I've seen, held, smelled, or tasted the product. So I can give mini reviews!

"Frances Finds" will be posted every last Friday of the month. That said, please don't send me press kits!!! Ask me first please (email frances@topazhorizon.com with "Frances Finds" on the subject) and then we'll see if your products and services are a fit with Topaz Horizon. Why? I used to work in PR and I dabble in PR now and I know there's a budget for products to give away. I get so many things that I can't really promote like headbands for baby girls, or shampoo for thick and curly hair, or products from a competitor of my blog sponsors. Sayang naman yung product and effort niyo.

I have a couple more series I plan to launch within the year. There will be "What's in my...?" and "Frances's Favorite". I guess you can tell what those two will be about! But I'll launch those just before summer. I want a series for every week! So you have something consistent to look forward to every week.

As for the blog merger, it is sloooooowly happening! I'm deleting and editing blog posts over 10 years! Every night has been a true trip down memory lane. It's so amazing how my life has changed! How my kids have arrived one after the other! How I've grown fat and old! LOL! Anyway, once all the unnecessary or mega nega posts have been deleted, I'll be ready to merge Topaz Mommy to Topaz Horizon then migrate to Wordpress. So exciting! Thanks for patiently waiting for my relaunch!
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Monday, January 25, 2016

Review: Anti-acne facial products of Flawless Face & Body Clinic

This post is brought to you by Flawless Skin & Body Clinic.

Hi everyone! I want to make kwento. This weekend—I must confess!—I spent more than a few times admiring my skin in the mirror. It's not perfect. I still have a few whiteheads and a bit of dark acne scars on my cheeks. But my skin was smoooooooooth. No more scary bumpiness, no more angry pus-filled volcanoes. My Advanced Anti-Acne Facial Treatments from Flawless really work!

Still, those facials happen every two (or so) weeks. What do I do in between visits to Flawless? I manage my skin with three Flawless anti-acne products: SAS Soap, Erythromycin 2% solution, and Skin Protect Gel.

Here's my review of each product:

SAS Soap, P140
This is for deeply cleansing oily skin.

What I liked:
1. Just a little bit of soap creates a lather soooo rich and thick!

2. There is no fragrance. I'm sensitive to fragrances.

3. My skin is super clean!

What I didn't like:
1. Nothing!
Suds up fast, doesn't melt quickly.


Erythromycin 2% solution, P650
This is a topical antibiotic solution. Its main purpose therefore is to kill bacteria on my skin.

 What I liked:
1. It works!

2. If I have a developing zit, I just soak a cotton ball in Erythromycin and plant that ball over the affected area for 10 minutes. The pimple dies.

3. It lasts for 4-6 weeks so it's affordable.

What I didn't like:
1. Oh boy, does this sting! It evaporates quickly enough so it doesn't feel like your face is burning. I like to fan myself while applying this.

2. Okay, I don't know if this is actually the medicine that causes it, okay, but my skin smells bad after application. It smells like wet socks. Vince says my face doesn't smell like wet socks but, nope, it doesn't smell nice.

3. My skin doesn't taste good, too. I know this because when I lick my lips, I sometimes lick past my puckers and I taste the medicine, and it tastes awful. Vince concurs. Heehee.

But who cares??? My skin is clearing up by the day! Wala na lang kissing masyado while I'm on treatment!
No added color to the solution. 

Skin Protect Gel, P290
This is a sunscreen. All the dermatologists tell me that this is the single most important product in any skincare regimen!

What I liked:
1. It's soooo cheap! My favorite sunscreens are Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (P1,995 for 30ml), Lancôme UV Expert SPF 50++ (about P2,000 for 30ml), and VMV Armada SPF 30 ($50 or about P2,300 for 88ml). This tiny tube is P290!

2. This lasted me 4 weeks! The reason it lasts long is because I only need a pea-sized amount! Why does that matter? The FDA, dermas, beauty brands and beauty magazines will tell you that we all need a teaspoon-sized dollop of sunscreen for our face, ears and neck. That's a lot.

And then did you ever notice that sunscreens are always sold in these tiny tubes??? So if I put 5ml (that's a teaspoon) of sunscreen on my face from a 30ml tube, that means a tube will last me just 6 days. Two thousand bucks for 6 days is insane.

3. It mattifies my skin! I'm super oily and oily-skinned girls really don't like sunscreen. But this sunscreen is so light, it's in gel form! And you only need a little! And the best part is my skin gets matte! No oiliness for hours!
 
What I didn't like:
1. The smell. It's too fragrant. So thank goodness I only need a tiny amount for my face!

2. It's a mattifier, right? While I like how my skin stays not oily for a loooong time, I also need to wait for a looooong time for the sunscreen to dry up. Okay, I exaggerate. I only wait for maybe a minute after application for the product to completely dry up. If I apply makeup while the sunscreen is still fresh, it rubs off like libag. So I brush my teeth muna while I wait for it to dry. Then I apply my makeup.

3. It's a sunscreen but it doesn't say the SPF. So on days I need to be under the sun, I still put an extra layer of sunblock. 

4. Like all sunscreens, this needs to be reapplied every 4-6 hours.
Just a little gel goes a long way.

All these skincare products are available at Flawless clinics nationwide. You'll need a prescription to purchase them, however. That shouldn't be a problem because a consultation with the resident dermatologist at Flawless is free! 

I'm so happy I chose Flawless to take care of my skin. For more promos and information, visit the Flawless website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram (@myflawless).

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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Marking milestones

This post is brought to you by UNOde50.

I just turned 39 a couple of months ago but I have big plans before I turn 40. Well, maybe not so big for many people but for me, I have plans to get my life in order before the big four-oh. I'm sharing my plans with you so I can have accountability because, honestly, I've been meaning to do some of these things for, I dunno, decades now. Decades! 

I just think that it's high time I do some—if not all!—of everything I've been meaning to do. And I finally wrote them down (and published the list!) because I was browsing the website of an online Spanish brand I love for women necklaces and other jewelry and accessories, and thinking, "I don't need new jewelry even though I want new jewelry..." and then it just came to me—I'm going to reward myself with a piece of jewelry for every milestone achieved! Here is what I plan to do before my life begins again at 40: 

Get flawless skin. As I keep mentioning for years on my blog now, I've always had bad skin. I accepted it as a part of being me. But last year, I decided that I can't subscribe to the "inner beauty matters most" excuse anymore. Honestly, I'm beautiful enough inside already!!! Time to take care of the outer beauty for once!

What better way to frame flawless skin than with big gold earrings? I love the shape of these!

Get fit. Forty years old is old for many people. Like, they dread it. I never have, but now that it's on the horizon, I feel it. Creaking bones, aching back, sore muscles. I can't be unfit. I have three young children! I need to live at least 30 more years and those years need to see me in tip-top shape!

Eat healthy. At 39, my metabolism is still pretty fast. Yes, that's my excuse for being skinny because if you saw what I ate on a daily basis, you'd freak out. I eat lots of meat, carbs, fats and sugar. Veggies and fruits? On a rare day, they show up on my plate. I should eat better because my body deserves it. Plus, it's hard to teach my kids to eat healthy when their mama doesn't! 

I don't own a leather-strap watch so let's mark the passing of time with this one!

Get a physical check up. Well, because of what I said above! After years and years of abusing my body with stress, unhealthy food, and sleepless nights working, I really ought to check if everything's okay. I haven't had a physical since 2010! 

Own a streamlined wardrobe that flatters my new body. I'm getting rid of most of my clothes and shopping for new ones—clothes, bags and shoes that fit my age, my work as a blogger and freelance writer/editor, and my life as a mom. But I'll shop for clothes when I have that new healthier body! Hopefully, in 6 months!

My busy life needs a simple wardrobe... which means statement accessories like this chunk of rock!

Take my whole family on a trip abroad. Our last family trip abroad was to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2013. Back then, there was just Vince, me, Vito and Iñigo. No Piero yet. Actually, Piero was already in my tummy but we didn't know it yet! So I guess you can say that was our first family trip abroad! But I want an official trip abroad, hopefully before Piero turns 2 so his plane fare will be free.

Launch a new and improved Topaz Horizon. My blog turns 10 in May and I want it to be bigger, better and more beautiful! I'm working with a great team to make this happen but I have a LOT to do before we can launch. For one thing, I need to delete dozens of blog posts—those that used uncredited photos and those that were negative and nasty. Yep, I wasn't a responsible blogger when I started 10 years ago! So those have got to go. Deleting posts is hard, though. That's what's really slowing me down in the whole migration to Wordpress! 


I want an interesting bangle so I'll be inspired while I type! Love that silver pearl solitaire.

Learn to play an instrument. One of my few regrets is abandoning my piano lessons. I come from a musical family. An extremely musical family. Everyone knows how to play an instrument or two, or sings and dances, or writes music. I'm the only one who stands out as being unmusical. I didn't care for the longest time but now that I have kids, I regret that I can't pass on that legacy. But it's not too late! I can still learn something! Maybe piano or guitar!

Reach my crazy financial goal for the year. I have a new business that I started with fellow moms, entrepreneurs and bloggers Martine de Luna and Ginger Arboleda. Beauty Biz Bliss has a ton of activities lined up for working women this year and I hope you can support us! If BBB becomes a smashing success on top of my blogging career, I won't need to go back to a 9-to-5 job ever again!

If my business takes off, I'm going to indulge in a chunky chain neck piece.

Teach Creative Writing. I've always always always wanted to do this! I'll teach a writing class here at my home. My husband knows I've been dreaming of this for years but I just never got to doing it because I had a demanding job back then which was replaced by demanding children! But this year, two of my kids will be in school so maybe it's time! 

Okay, that's a lot. Ten to be exact. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do all in 10 months! 

Still, when I was window shopping online at the fashion UNOde50 jewelry website this weekend, I was inspired to finally get off the couch and make my life better! If only for new accessories!!! You know that I reward myself with jewelry whenever I have a big milestone (if you don't, then click this link for a brief history: "About push presents"). But when Piero came along, I haven't really bought myself anything. So no push present for his birth yet! Must get a ruby ring for that big event, and for the other milestones mentioned above, fashion jewelry will do just as nicely!

How about you? What are your perpetual plans? And how do you reward yourself when you reach your goal? Do share!

*photos from UNOde50 website
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