Who Says

Sometimes you just can't help but feel down and unpretty. So here's a reminder to myself and to all the other girls out there.

I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me.

Fallin' for Fall

With September coming in just a few days, fall is definitely just around the corner. And aside from the fact that fall is the best season, fall fashion is something I am looking forward to. Here are some of the trends my eyes are fixed into.

Black & White          Stripes

atlantic-pacific

All Black

at chictopia

New In: Shoes

And just this afternoon, I went back again to downtown to get that pair of shoes I laid my eyes on yesterday before it's too late. 

ZARA Trafaluc Black Pumps
89,000 won 15,000 won

I've been wanting to buy a pair of black pumps and finally I got one! Really loving the structure and the suede texture. When I arrived in Zara, there were only two or three pairs left in my size.Whew! This pair has already the shortest heels among all the other pumps (shortest but I must say it's 4.3inches to be exact). Okay, with that heel height I'm just not sure how I'll be able to stand in it for a long time. Haha, guess I'll be needing some practice.

New In

It feels like ages since I last set foot in downtown on a Sunday afternoon. Haha! So yesterday, I devoted some time in roaming the shops. It's one of my stress relievers. Of course, I went back again to MIXXO. I was there for one and a half hours looking at every dress, every blazer, every coat, everything! Luckily, my time there was not wasted for I got to pick a dress and a blazer! =)

데코 투톤 원피스 (Deco Two-tone One-Piece) 
69,900 won 29,000 won

 

This dress, I haven't seen it in my last visit. Probably, the staff has just pulled it out from the stock room. Anyway, I am loving the color combination - deep blue, gray, and black. And the materials used are of good quality: the deep blue fabric looks like silk, the gray is somewhat like chiffon, and the black fabric is a thick one. I don't really know what to call it because I'm not familiar to the names of all the types of fabric, but just by touching, I know that that material is different from the other materials. The fit of this dress in the model is quite different from mine. Maybe the model is really tall so the dress is way above her knees. In my case, the dress is just slightly above my knees. But it's okay. Actually, I think it's still perfect.


솔리드 매니시 재킷 (Solid Maenisi Jacket)
99,000 won 29,000 won

 

Omg! I got a blazer from 99,000 won to 29,000 won?!?! Up to now I still can't believe how lucky I am! Usually, you can not find a blazer here for that very low price. Blazers range from 40,000 won and up. And those at the bottom price are still not of good quality. But this blazer? I am definitely loving the quality! Although I don't exactly know the fabric used. It's somewhat rough to the touch but not as thick as wool. You really can't see that in the picture but I really, really love it! The only drawback is the fit. I'm just not sure if it looks good on me, particularly the shoulder part. It's already a size S but that's always my problem whenever I pick a blazer (the fit in the shoulder). Oh well, when I wear that, I'll just put more confidence and a big smile on my face instead of thinking about the fit. Haha!

On A Late Sunday Night

Sitting here in my room on a late Sunday night, soft music playing in the background....ah, this is life! But then again, when I think about it, tomorrow's going to be a Monday. And Mondays equate to work. But oh, might as well enjoy the peace and quiet here right now. So this is going to be just a quick and short post.

These past few weeks, I was so caught up writing the paper, I almost forgot about the other aspects of my life. In a sense that I was so focus and problematic with that paper, I tend to:

• ignore what I look like in front of the mirror
• sleep for three hours or less in some days
• have some breakouts/pimple attack
• postpone and reschedule the Skype/chat time with my family
• don't have plans anymore of how I'll enjoy my weekends

And since I already submitted the paper to my professor, revised some parts (there's just a minor revision that still needs to be done, which I hope to finish this week) I am now ready to focus more on myself. I'll be putting up again a list of To Do's soon. For now, I'll leave you with this beautiful musical piece by Yiruma.

Yiruma - River Flows In You

Powered by mp3skull.com Yiruma - River Flows In You

Acne...It's more than that

These past few months, I've been having acne breakouts again. And it's just frustrating. I'm already in my mid-twenties but I feel like I'm still stuck in the adolescence stage - hormones are at rage and pimples are popping here and there! Whenever my period is near, I get acne breakouts and when the next period comes again, I breakout again. Even though the acne from the first period hasn't healed yet, I have to face a new set of pimples again.

I've had acne since I was thirteen years old. Now, it's already been a decade (plus two years) but I still have it. Acne, some might say, "Oh, it's just a pimple." but it's more than that. It not only makes a person unpretty, it also robs him/her of confidence - confidence in one's self, confidence in dealing with other people, and confidence in facing life.

Acne, if you compare it to some serious diseases out there, it's just nothing but remember that acne has a deep impact on a person's emotional and psychological well-being. Thus, it's important to have some knowledge about it: What are the causes of acne? How can we prevent and treat it?

I decided to start making some series of entries about acne and skin care. I am not an expert but I am one of the millions who have and is still suffering from acne. This is going to be like a documentation of my experiences and struggles with acne and choices I have to make to overcome it.

To start off, I'll be sharing some thoughts and information about acne.

How does an acne develop? 

Growth of bacteria in skin

Based on reading different articles in the net, here's how it happens: Imbalance in the hormone levels (especially during the menstrual period where estrogen level becomes low and androgen level becomes high) leads to the stimulation of sebaceous glands. Oil/Sebum production increases and pores become clogged, which is a good environment for the growth of bacteria (well, more like overgrowth of bacteria). This results to inflammation and irritation and whiteheads and blackheads and pustules (pus-filled lesions).

Acne is a multifactorial 'pheonomenon'. 

Heredity and environmental factors (pollution, stress, diet, cosmetics, etc.) play a major role. So in other words, Your lifestyle greatly affects the occurence of your acne.

My case, I know it's genetics. Both of my parents suffered from acne so my chances of having acne-prone skin is really high. Hormones, ugh, they just can't be tamed. Add to that other factors - stress, not having enough sleep, and an unbalanced diet (or more appriately, unhealthy diet).

Okay, so what should we then? 

Live healthy

Simple, Live a healthy life! But honestly, living a healthy life is easier said than done. Right? I don't want to write every step in living a healthy life because even as a child, we already know what they are. Our parents and our teachers always remind us to: 

• Eat healthy and nutritious foods (Remember Go, Grow, Glow?)
• Drink plenty of water
• Have enough sleep
• Exercise

The problem is, we just find it hard to put them into practice. That's the sad truth but hey, it's not yet too late! We can all start living a healthy life!

Is there a cure for acne?

At this age and technology, there are a lot of ways on how we can treat acne. Topical medicines, antibiotics, pills, peeling, laser, etc. Or we can even go to a dermatologist. But sad to say, there's no perfect medicine which can cure it right away, 100%, and offers a promise that you will never EVER get even a single pimple in your whole life. But then again, we should not be pessimistic about it.

We can still win this battle with acne. We just have to deal with it in a holistic way - a healthy lifestyle combined with a safe acne medication!

MIXXO

Last Sunday, while I was strolling in downtown, I decided to explore MIXXO, a Korean brand of clothing for women. They also have intimates, bags, shoes, and accessories. So, it's definitely an all-around shop for women. I've been there before but I never really got the chance to look at their items. This time I kind of spent several hours admiring almost everything.

What caught my attention? The simple and classy outfits of these mannequins

Walking in, I was greeted with several beautiful pieces of clothing.

MIXXO has a lot to offer - from formal to business to casual attire! And I must say the clothes are of good quality. You can really see it in the fabric used, how it was tailored and how clean the seams are.

And guess what?  They're having an end of season sale! Well, almost all of the brand stores here in Korea are having an amazing SALE right now. And yes, I do love sales! I think one of the things I'm good at is buying good stuff from sales! Imagine getting that beautiful dress with a 50% off from it's original price! Who wouldn't want that? 

I bought a simple yet lovely H-line two-tone dress last Sunday. From 59,900 won to 29,000 won. Yay!

 


And this beautiful piece - a pleated, chiffon dress - which I got yesterday. From 39,900 to 29,000 won. But in the E-shop, it's already selling at 19,900 won. Had I known earlier, I would have just purchased it in the E-shop. But it's okay, no regrets.

 

So there. Actually, I'm still eyeing several other dresses. Maybe I still need to buy two more. I'm planning to wear all of them in my much anticipated event in October. I was so proud I even showed the two dresses to my mom thru Skype. I got a thumbs up from her but she then told me this, "You'll still wait for two months before wearing them? Where will you put them?" I told her in the cabinet. And she said, "Oh, they'll just sit in your cabinet for two months?" It made me laugh.Poor dresses. But as of now, they just really have to wait until October comes. Hehe.

For more information, visit www.mixxo.com (though I suggest you use a translator because the site is in Korean)

P.S. I'm really trying my best to score some good finds before the sale season ends. Who knows how much the prices will go up again when the new season comes?

The Legacy of Michael Phelps

Having twenty two medals and finishing his last Olympics victoriously, Michael Phelps is indeed the "Greatest Olympic Athlete of All Time"

Watch the video Memorable moments: The legacy of Michael Phelps and be inspired.

Image source

Wishing They're Mine

Did a little bit of browsing in the Zara site and tadaaaa! The SALE is insane! 70% off (or even more for some items), can you believe that? Oh well, maybe I'm just a sucker for sales! Haha! Anyway, here are two of my most coveted blazers. I would really love to have them but I'm just not sure if they're still available in stores, especially in the Zara shop in downtown. The sale is already running for one month so it's possible that only a few items were left and the sizes available might be too big for me. But I'm hoping that I can still find them on Sunday. Or if not, maybe anything, any item, that would look great on me. Wish me luck!

What are the chances? What are the odds?..

...of  YOU and ME

A Deeper Appreciation for The Olympics and The Athletes

With the Olympics being in the news everywhere, I can't help but immerse myself in that newfound world these days. I am not an athlete but I'm gaining much interest in the Olympics. When I was a kid, I used to see it in TV but I didn't pay attention. However, now that I'm a grown up, I am seeing it in a different perspective. Watching all those athletes from all over the world compete with each other, it's just amazing! No doubt, they're the best of the best, creme de la creme of their respective countries. And reading all those articles in the internet about them: their stories, their dreams, their sacrifices, gives me all the more reason to understand how much discipline, effort, dedication, and hard work they've put into it and how their sports mean so much to them.

Being in the Olympics is already a big accomplishment but for most, if not all, winning the games and having  gold medals is the number one goal. Yes, I know. But then again, I think that a good athlete, even though he/she didn't get the gold medal, but knows in his heart that he has done his best, is still a victor.

To all the athletes of the 2012 London Olympics, I salute you! Thank you for bringing honor not only for yourself, but for your nation as well.