Saturday, January 13, 2018

Review: Flawless Rejuvelite Mask Acne Control facial

It's the new year and you know what I'm so excited about? People telling me my skin looks so good! You can't imagine how happy that makes me feel and I'm here to tell you that the Flawless Rejuvelite Acne Control facial is giving me that glow. Literally a glowing facial, mamas! Look at the mask Flawless uses on me:

Look at it glooooow!

There are four Rejuvelite Mask facials Flawless offers: Oil Control, Acne Control, Age Defy, and Whitening. Each facial uses a different kind of LED light energy to address your specific skin concern. Since mine has always been controlling my acne, that's what I tried.

To be very honest, I was skeptical about this facial. I mean, light can cure my acne? Get out of here. But I read up on it, read dozens of reviews from happy beauty bloggers and credible beauty editors, even looked up scientific papers on LED therapy (check out my research here), and so I gave it a go.

The Flawless Rejuvelite Acne Control Mask Facial is a full treatment that will take about 2 hours. It starts with cleansing, steaming and pricking and then the cold Oxygenating mask is applied to my face for 15 minutes.

Here comes the LED mask part. For my skin concern, blue light was used for me. Blue light kills pimple-causing bacteria and calms and soothes inflammation. I'll have to admit that I lay under that blue light-emitting mask, I was still a doubter. I guess I was so used to physical manipulation that to just lie quietly under light was unnerving.


After 15 minutes of my LED light therapy, I was free to go. I didn't notice anything different right after (maybe because it was dinner time and I was hungry) but I woke up the next day looking glowwy. Yep! I looked great. I thought, "Nah, it's just the usual facial."

But when I had that glow even after two weeks, and then the few pimples I had calmed down and disappeared and no new eruptions occurred even a month after my facial, I was convinced! I am now a LED light therapy enthusiast! I highly recommend it and if you should ever try a facial this year, mamas, the Flawless Rejuvelite Mask Facials are a must!

Every subsequent Rejuvelite facial I got made me even more smooth and young and glowing. Look at me now (this is just my phone camera):

The Flawless Rejuvelite Mask Facial is P1,100. There is a faster and more affordable option, the Flawless Rejuvelite InstaFacials (Calming, Boosting, Healing, and Firming). Each is only 30 minutes long and just P480. That's what I want to do next!

From the oily, pimply woman I've resigned myself to look like forever, I now look so much younger and better because of my glowing skin! Thank you so much, Flawless!!! Thanks so much for sponsoring my blog and my skincare last year, thank you for believing there was a beautiful woman under all those pimples and scars and wrinkles, and thank you for convincing me that beauty inside and outside can co-exist and be a wonderful thing.

I'm so happy my skin is so much better. I feel a new confidence and, now more than ever, I can't wait to conquer 2018!

To know more about Flawless services and promos, like their Facebook page, follow their Instagram account, and visit their website.

*This post was brought to you by Flawless Face & Body Clinic. 

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Tuesday, January 09, 2018

5 tips for mega moms: How to keep the work-life balance in your favor

I've been a working mama for more than 7 years. I can't see myself not being one, to be honest. I enjoy working. Sometimes I dream of taking a long break—maybe 6 months to a year of just being a housewife and see if I take to it, you know? But I like it that there's a part of my life that is separate from motherhood. I know a lot of moms work because they have to provide for their family. That's one of my biggest reasons for working, too. But I'm also lucky to actually enjoy what I do. I don't enjoy deadlines and enduring the traffic and staying up late at night writing, but I've adjusted my attitude towards the unpleasant parts of my career so that I can continue appreciating the work that puts food on my table and my sons in a good school.

From 2013 to this day, my constant work companions: my kids, their toys, my coffee.

You see, that's the dilemma that many working mothers face. You need to work but you also want to be with your kids. You love your job but you feel crushing guilt when you're missing family time. You want to have it all but when you're just too exhausted, then is it all worth it? Well, after 7 years of triumphs and failures, I have a few thoughts on how to make this work-life balance work.

First things first: There's no such thing as work-life balance. The sooner you get that into your head and accept it, the happier you'll be!

Balance means everything is equal. That means literally giving everything the same amount of time and energy. Let's divide your 24 hours, mama. You need to be a wife, a mom, a career woman, a friend, a homemaker, and yourself. You need to sleep, too. That would mean 3 hours being with your husband, 3 hours with your kids, 3 hours at your job, 3 hours having lunch with friends, 3 hours cleaning the house, 3 hours at the spa, and 3 hours of sleep. Plus at least 3 hours in traffic, of course. Sounds ridiculous.

What you just need to know is everything has a time. It's time for lunch, then eat. It's time to sleep, then sleep. It's time to work, then work. It's time to go home and have dinner with your family, then for heaven's sake go home and eat dinner with your family, put the kids to bed, and spend some time with your husband. Easier said than done, I know. I'm still figuring it out myself because once I get a schedule working, my life changes—kids suddenly don't have classes, husband has a new job, my deadlines suddenly moved earlier—and so I have to re-organize and re-prioritize. It's constant juggling!

Huge perk of bringing my kids to work: Celebrities I interview warm up to me fast!

I've learned a few things about keeping this working mama life enjoyable, though. Here are five and I hope they help you:

1. Don't multi-task.
So how to juggle? I don't believe in multi-tasking, mamas. I believe in focusing at what or who is on front of you. Yes, that's my first tip. Focus on the task or the person in front of you, take care of it, then move on to the next. When you're running all over the house, answering emails while cooking lunch and changing diapers, you won't feel in charge, you'll feel like a disaster. So focus focus focus!

2. Make a family schedule.
A family calendar is a must for every busy family and is especially useful for family groups where a parent has returned to work or school. No more forgotten appointments or inability to organize family time or date night. There are plenty of calendar apps available for download, some for free. I'm a bullet journalist. Yep, nothing like pen and planner! My husband has a white board calendar on the back of our bedroom door.

I'm the social calendar keeper in my home—pedia check-ups, play dates, kiddie parties, family visits. My husband takes care of the financial calendar—when bills are due, when they're paid, what checks are expected. I've now put a calendar in my kids' room, too, so they're aware of important dates. It's really helped everyone stay on top of (instead of buried under) their lives!

 3. Ask for help.
This I know for sure. Everyone calls me a supermom because I have three little boys, juggling many jobs, and no household help. Let me tell you something—I feel like a failure most of the time! And I also realized one thing: I earned more and was happier when I had household help. My life now is not impossible because I'm obviously making it work, but is it easy? Nope.

Spare time for working mamas, if can even you find spare time, is so precious. School and work aside, there is a considerable chunk of time taken doing seemingly small chores and activities that can take time away from your family. Cleaning, meal prep, personal admin, these can all take time away without you thinking twice. There are some simple ways to regain those marvelous minutes.

Cook and freeze meals on the weekend to be eaten together during the week, or you can order meals from Harvest.ph. Use ride-sharing services like Uber so that you can answer emails on the way home. Hire a cleaning service like Happy Helpers to come in once per week.

You know what works in my family? Everyone chips in. My husband does chores. No such thing as "domestic duties are for women" BS in our home! All the children have a task to do—packing away, making beds, setting the table, cleaning the car, sorting the laundry, cooking. Don't think you can do it all yourself. You can have it all but only if you don't do it all. You can quote me, mamas.

4. Make time for you.
When you are tired, both physically and mentally, you will be less inclined to sit and enjoy family moments. This is why I know I need household help, mamas! I'm always so cranky and mean when I'm tired. Guess what? I'm always tired! But this year, with the youngest boy finally weaned and my two older boys in school, I now have a little time for myself and my mood has improved a little.

Taking care of yourself can be as simple as eating. Yes, mamas. Don't forget to eat! Something as simple as a yogurt or banana is excellent if you're too busy to eat anything else. This year, I am so grateful because I can now take baths again. I don't have to rush through my showers anymore because the baby is crying, and that is a big deal! I also get a mani and pedi once a month or a massage as I wait for my kids to be let out from school. I have also gotten more sleep since my youngest stopped breastfeeding. I'm so happy! From 4 hours of sleep since 2010, I now sleep 6-8 hours! This is monumental for me! This 2018, I've started doing 10 minutes of exercise every day, and I'm hoping I won't just become a stronger and healthier mother but that those endorphins will also make me a more cheerful one.

5. Never stop learning.
Sometimes, you really just have to accept you can't have a normal job and have a fantastic family life at the same time. Many moms I know had to quit their jobs and started a career from their home. They became real estate agents, insurance agents, freelance writers, graphic designers, artists, makeup artists, and bloggers. Sometimes, it's the other way around. You haven't been employed because you devoted 5-10 years to your kids and now they're all in school and you want to go back to work. What to do???

Whether you're going back to work, quitting your job, want to start a business, or planning to work from home, you can still be a mega working mama by learning a new skill that can help you become better at your job or propel you to a new career. The best part is technology makes it possible for you to do this from home or on your spare time! You can sign up for the Master Class courses (the ones taught by celebrities!), attend workshops (like the Boss Bellas ones I do with Manila Workshops), or enroll in online MBA AACSB accredited courses. 

At a photo shoot with two kids in tow. Possible but not easy! Still, I'm grateful for my life!

When you're a working mama, you'll likely feel tired and overwhelmed. Your family won't always be as supportive as you need them to be as they struggle to adjust to your new job or the ever-changing demands on a working mother. But your work is not just for putting food on the table, it's also for your personal happiness, so don't ever think you're not being a good mother just because you have a career and are overwhelmed. You can do this, mamas! 

*This post contains affiliate links.

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Wednesday, January 03, 2018

This one time I got penis-envy

It's 2018! Happy New Year! As with everyone alive on the planet, I decided I was going to be healthier in 2018. Again heehee. But this time I mean it. So I started the year doing cardio and push-ups and crunches and hip thrusts and squats. I did well, too, doing four reps of ten for each exercise. I felt so strong! So proud so proud.


But then I wake up and my whole body is freaking out, right? My whole body literally can't move. I think I injured myself. I crawled out of bed. My eldest boy was worried enough to say he can borrow the trolley from our condo so he can push me around. Heehee so cute! Anyway, after stretching my limbs gingerly, I felt well enough to hobble about.


So here's the thing. As part of my new healthy lifestyle, I'm now drinking 8 glasses of water. I'm so proud of myself, guys. But you know what that means—more trips to the bathroom. So imagine me hobbling to the toilet and when I get there, I CAN'T SIT DOWN. Frikkin' thighs and ass are SCREAMING. I'm gasping the F-word every single time I sit down!


I just want to pee standing up. I wish I had a penis after every leg exercise day so I won't have to sit and die every time I pee.

It's January 3 and I already want to give up. But I won't. I'm going to do this! Last year, my goal was to have pimple-free skin and eat healthier. I did that. Yes!!! This year, I'm going to get fit and strong. So even though my body is hating me at this point, I'm going to keep tough loving it.

Don't worry. I'm not going to turn into a fitness blogger (unless may sponsor hahahahaha #keepingitreal). But if you can give me tips on how to pull off getting fit when my working mama life  is already so full (especially since I have no kasambahay to watch over the kids while I hie off to the gym), that would be a huge help! 

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