Rewind: 7 Party Looks to Cringe Back On

Last night was our annual office holiday party. Save for the first one (which was held in the office parking lot in 2007 and which I missed; and an early kick-off event in the NBC Tent back in 2008), the shindigs were held at the World Trade Center every January. This year’s party was dubbed “Rewind,” which looked back on all our company’s years of growth, and how we are looking forward to all the new challenges and changes after. There were a lot of murmurs that this would be the “last hurrah” before “we all go our separate ways (or buildings?).” Hmn…

 

Looking at the pictures, I could hardly believe it was already a year since the last one! My process’ group was quite small last night, which was a bit sad, but still, last night’s festivities and antics also showed how close our little family has gotten. And we’re still the same camera-hungry, dance-floor-hogging party revelers and merry drinkers year in and year out! 

 

So for fun (I don’t know if you’ll think likewise, but I certainly had fun looking back at my own chakaness from the recent past haha!), I went back and found pictures of me during the previous parties I have attended. Most (if not all) were definitely cringe-worthy, what-was-I-thinking evidence of bad make-up, dress/color choice, lighting, smile and alarming weight-loss that made me wonder if I changed genders sometime in the last few years?

 

 Happy okraying!

 

Glam Nation, 2007. My dress was designed by my late friend Janno Farrales when he was just starting out (he designed Judy Ann Santos’ yellow pleather dress on a Preview cover that same year). I had Morticia Addams-inspired black hair was because, after months learning how to dye my own hair, it turned a bright, horrifying shade of orange-brown so I covered it all up with some permanent black goo.

 

Discovolution, 2008. We did retro 60’s to 80’s so I decided on some metallic gray dress that I bought just a couple of hours before the party. It did nothing for my skin tone whatsoever. And what’s with the pandesal-bouffant hair?

 

Kick-Off Party, 2009. I forgot what the theme was. Apparently, it looks like I forgot to eat for the most part of that year, too. This was my skinniest look ever. Mukha kong lalaking scary! Bad romance can do that. Ewww. I loved my lace black dress, though, although with my too-thin frame and dark complexion, black was not flattering at all. Same goes for my Rihanna-wannabe ‘do, but I kinda want this pixie cut again!

 

 

2010. Again, I forgot what the theme was, but it looks like I haven’t forgotten my penchant for shiny dresses; this time I think I did a bit better than the silver number from a couple years back. I liked the color and how it complemented my skin, and the knitted fabric made it easy to wear and did not reveal too much. This was also my chubbiest (aside from when I was preggo) but I was growing out my hair and bangs, hence the outdated ponytail. But gosh, I wanna be this healthy again hihi!

 

Black Party, 2011. I tried curling my hair and I ended up with wet-looking, stringy curls. I had my dress made but the seamstress didn’t really get my idea so my envisioned matte-black, mesh-backed dress ended up as a nondescript, star-satiny blah dress. Hay. Saved by my uber-red lips na lang. Also, I forgot half of this night due to extreme intoxication. But I did remember getting up onstage for some game SamY, one of the hosts, ran, but I forgot to get my prize (apparently I won but was too drunk to claim it). Never again. 🙂

 

Vegas Party, 2012. My first time to party sober! I was just six days into my month-long, self-imposed alcohol embargo (see here why I didn’t drink that night). Back then, people can’t believe I was NOT drinking and kept shoving alcohol under my nose. I wore a sleeveless sequined top my mom gave me for Christmas and a navy bandage micro-mini. I had ruler-straight hair with bangs. I spent most of the night sipping iced tea in a dark corner and running from the free-flowing beer taps so not many decent pics of me haha!

 

Rewind, 2013. I wore a white, long-sleeved lace dress I got from Cotton On in HK, same grey pumps from last year and pulled up my bob into a pony and clamped some curly hair-extensions. I did not know how to style my hair, but looking back now, I wish I had worn my hair short kasi lagi na pala kolong hair. Plus, better undies and a stronger lip color. Fail ang smoky eyes and nude lippie haha! And my unforgiving dress keeps revealing my newly-acquired pooch stomach (which was pumped full of iced tea; no drinks for this lady again this year). 🙂

 

Oh, well, there’s still next year. Or, is there?!

The Long and Short Of It

Contrary to popular belief, I did not cut my hair because of some boy. Geez, give me some credit please, and stop calling me Bianca Manalo or Basha. In fact, ask him. I’ve been meaning to change my hair style for months- and kept on yapping about it – but was being a total wuss at the prospect of cutting my locks, which took more than three years to grow out.

 

It actually grew out from a really short pixie I had in early 2008. I guess I just got tired of going back and forth to my trusty parlorista (who has been cutting my hair since high school) so I just left it alone, so it grew and grew. In the last three years, my hair has been colored quite a few shades several times (Light to Medium Brown, Chestnut, Caramel and Coffee), layered, banged, ironed, plagued with split ends, the occasional flakes due to stress and switching hair products, threatened by hair lice when my daughter brought a head-full of it from school, and most recently curled, until I finally had it chopped off. 

 

A few samples to show the “evolution.” Clockwise from top left: supershort pixie in March 2008 until half of 2009 when I stopped cutting it; growing it out in August 2010; bangs and lighter shade in March 2011; longer and fuller in December 2011, curly from May-Sept 2012; sleek and short October 2012.

 

 

I love my new shorter ‘do:

 

Because it takes less time to dry and style. I don’t have to go to sleep with several meters of sopping wet hair, soaking up my pillow and risking insanity. Remember the old wives’ tale of going to sleep with wet hair? Actually, I don’t remember if it causes one to go crazy, blindness or white hair. In any case, I think I got some of all three: I’m kinda lukaret, my eyesight has worsened and I have several strands of uban. In  the morning, I stick my head out the window or under the office washroom’s hand dryer for two minutes and voila! Instant hairdo!

 

I save on shampoo, conditioner, gel and hair serum. Sometimes I can skip conditioner, as there are no long strands that get tangled up. My curls used to be high-maintenance as well, requiring several fistfuls of gel to stay in place and achieve that I-jumped-out-of-the-bed-looking-this-delightfully-rumpled-and-did-not-spend-ages-in-front-of-the-mirror-fixing-it look.

 

Shows my neck and cheekbones more, Yeah, as if my bony structure need more emphasis haha! Plus, some said I look just a bit plumper (my face anyway) with shorter hair.

 

I don’t get to feed my jeepney or bus seatmate with clumps of wet hair when I fall asleep and forget to tie back my hair while commuting in the morning.

 

Sometimes, I do miss my long hair:

 

When I want to look and feel like a girl, flipping my hair when I’m happy or kilig (to that expression, “Ang haba ng hair mo teh!“) I look even more boyish (some would say, baklaish) with my short hair. Plus, I lost more than eight pounds after cutting it. It’s either I really did lose weight (horrors!), or my hair actually weigh that much. I vote for the latter.

 

Long hair has more options in styling. I can go from chaka-bun-look to pa-mysterious-effect heroine with loose waves.

 

My profile pics look better with more hair! *vanity shots lang!*

 

Anyway, it’s gonna grow out soon. In the meantime, I have more pressing problems to face. Like, how to gain those eight pounds back, and more.

 

 

Five Budget Kikay Products I’m Swearing By This Month

I was rummaging through my perpetually messy kikay kit and realized my skin’s been behaving quite well this month. So, just because I’m a girly girl too (di lang obvious sa itsura ko haha!), I wanna share. 🙂

1. Garnier LightComplete Multi-action Whitening Cream. It’s light and leaves a matte, powdery finish, plus really helped clear those pesky acne marks I’ve had since the early part of this year, when it seemed pimples have taken permanent residence on my face. Plus this product has UVA/UVB filters so it’s the ideal day cream. As for its 8-hour shine-free claim, if I use it alone, it stays matte for an hour or so, but I blame my oily, nay greasy skin for that. If used with concealer and powder, it stays fresher longer. But as a make-up base, it’s better than other moisturizers. About PHP 65 for a 20 ml tube.

 

2. Maybelline Clear Smooth B.B Stick in Radiance. I have been using the liquid BB cream for years now, but this is way better. I’m glad my sister Joy sent me one. It goes on really light on the skin, evens out blotchy skin tones and visibly minimizes my pores. It also has SPF 21 PA+++. Not because I have porcelain skin, but I never use any face product without any form of sunscreen or sunblock. I use it as my concealer and just apply dabs under my eyes, around the nose and mouth and on my T-zone (forehead and nose bridge). Since it’s a stick, it’s easier to apply, unlike messy liquids that can spill or need spongers or brushes to put on. For a commuter like me who almost always ends up doing my make-up routine inside a moving bus, this is definitely a plus. It doesn’t offer the same full coverage as foundations do, but it’s perfect for everyday use and for those who don’t like the feel of too much gunk on their faces. It comes in two shades; the lighter one is Fresh. PHP 249 for a 10-gram, 3-inch stick.

 

3. CoverGirl Clean Sensitive Skin Pressed Powder in Soft Honey. My friend Leni bought it but was a couple of shades too dark for her so she sold it to me for a mere fraction of its PHP 499-price tag (hooray for friends!). It matches my complexion perfectly so I avoid that white-face-dark-neck horror in pictures. Normally I would have to touch up my face or wipe it with tissue after an hour or so of putting make up but with this powder (used with the afore-mentioned moisturizer and BB cream) it leaves my face matte for hours. I looked it up and it comes in 12 shades, with Soft Honey being third to the darkest. It’s also fragrance-free and comes in Original and Oily formulas too. It comes with a puff but goes on better with a big, fluffy powder brush. Try Nichido’s surprisingly soft kabuki brush for about PHP 240.

 

4. Dalacin C antibacterial capsule (generic name Cindamycin) mixed with half a small bottle of astringent (Eskinol or Maxi-Peel did fine). Apparently, this was an age-old practice only recently shared with me. Cy and Mac, my officemates, told me they’ve known of this little concoction way back in high school.Hmn, maybe because I never had to worry about pimples until well into adulthood so I never heard of this?  Haha!  I was going through an especially “rough patch” (so to speak, my face was rough and riddled with blemishes for several months) and have tried many products in vain. The branded capsule cost about PHP 60-70, but I scored mine at Rose Pharmacy for about PHP 6 each. Toner is PHP 25-35 for a 75-100 ml bottle.

 

5. Olay Regenerist Cream Cleanser. Don’t tell my mom (because it’s hers) but I’ve swiped quite a few dollops from her tube. I’m used to foaming facial washes and soaps, which kind of left my skin with a  squeaky tight and dry feeling, thus setting my industrious oil glands into overdrive. But this cleanser is thicker and heavier, doesn’t bubble up as much, and has tiny exfoliating beads to remove dullness. My face feels more supple and moisturized after washing. I should probably buy my own product before Mama noticed I’m sharing hers. Cost about PHP 320.

 

 

 

Joggin’

I don’t jog to get to lose weight, and I say this without any trace of smugness. If there actually was a way jogging would make my butt and chest bigger, I’d do it every single day!

Team sports bore me (so much for being a team player!). Ever since I got hit on the face by a basketball while watching a pickup game when I was in fifth or sixth grade, I have a strong aversion towards ballspleasewipethatdirtythoughtoffyourmind! But really, even tennis balls scare the shit out of me.

I was a cheerleader in high school because I liked prancing around in short skirts better than jostling with other smelly players for a jump ball or a spike. If I were to get all sweaty might as well do it with pompoms and ribbons and look all good and girly, right?

I jog because I like the alone time, just me and whoever’s on shuffle mode in my iPod (right now it’s Britney Spears, the Glee cast, Mario and Paramore). I don’t even like jogging with someone, lest I might be expected to make small talk and God knows how much I despise that, especially when every breath should be conserved for the running.

I don’t just jog anywhere. It has to be around campus, most often around Baker and the Freedom Park. My ideal time would actually be early morning, best when it just rained the previous night. But since I hoard waking up late in the morning (since I’m always up at the crack of dawn, or I just got into bed before dawn after a night of partying), I settle for late afternoon, around 5 pm. It also allows me to people watch, as the place is usually crammed with families on picnics, couples canoodling on the grass, and other sports fanatics. On a good day I’d spot another runner with really great ass. Ah, motivation. Sometimes I’d take Ging to play or run, but right now she prefers to stay at the computer shop or read her pocketbooks than tag along with old foggy Mom. Pre-teens, hay.

I run when I’m really happy or really down, but curiously not when I’m bored. If I’m bored I’d rather sleep or watch dvd’s. When I’m happy, the endorphins make me extra high, like I feel I could do anything. When I’m sad or angry, running’s a great stress reliever and the solitude is a fine opportunity to mull over stupid mistakes and plan my enemy’s demise, nyaha. It’s good detox as well after a night of excessive drinking, whoo.

And for some weird reason, my running shoes should be pink, or else I don’t get inspired at all.