Megan Products I'm Currently Loving

Okay, so this post is looong overdue and I should've done it earlier, but things (crazy things, one of which I consider a wonderful crazy blessing) happened. Okay, so let me backup a bit.

Remember how I raved about the Megan Purifying Nose Pore Strips? Well, I also sent Lifestrong Marketing Inc. an email to commend them on such an awesome product and they were kind enough to send a bag of samples my way. It definitely felt like an early Christmas treat! 

I did a video (my first for this blog) on it and even took loads of photos. Being the first-timer that I am, I tried to edit the video on iMovie, but for some reason, iMovie won't show the video on the Photos file. There were some photos that I have, but none of them were of the video I took. So I looked it up on the internet to see if I could "fix" things and then POOF! It became Coco Crunch! lol, I kid. Seriously though, ALL my photos AND videos are now lost in oblivion. I'm currently using the OS X El Capitan and it has this Photos app, right? I somehow tinkered with it and created a new file/folder without any of the photos I have and when I went back to the original file/folder, everything was gone. Like it just refreshed to a totally blank folder. SO, if any of you can help me, I would REALLY totally appreciate it. 

That said, I had no choice but to create a new video. This time sans my face. Just the products and my voice in the background. 

And here are some of the short reviews I have about the products: 

Megan Hair Spa Nourishing & Straightening

I normally stay away from products that has the word "straightening" since I'm naturally curly and prefer to stay that way, but I made an exception for this one. It doesn't really straighten your hair as far as I can tell (or maybe it would be a bit impossible to straighten naturally curly hair with just a conditioner or DIY hair spa?), but it does make my hair really smooth and silky. It tamed my otherwise wild hair and I guess that should count for something, right? Plus, it smells so good. Another good thing about this product is that one packet is good for 2 to 3 uses depending on the length of your hair and I have long hair that reaches down to my waist, and I was able to use it 3 or 4 times. Yeah, I have thin hair. All that poof and volume is just an illusion created by the curls. But yeah, if it worked well for me, imagine how effective it will be on straight hair. 

Pretty Secret Ginseng Black Detox Mask

This one has a funky smell that I'm guessing you'll eventually get used to. It's very soothing to the skin and after leaving it on for about 20 minutes, it felt kinda sticky even when I had massaged the remaining essence/residue on my face. Not a deal-breaker though especially since your face feels totally moisturized afterwards and you've nothing else better to do anyway except catch up on some shows on Netflix or something. 

Pretty Secret Charcoal Black Detox Mask

This one is pretty much like the Ginseng face mask, but the smell is more pleasing. Slimy to touch and a little sticky, but cool and soothing to the skin. You also don't have to wash off the remaining residue though you may find that it takes a bit long for it to dry off so you'll definitely want to clear up your schedule for this or opt to apply the mask before going to bed. 

Kustie Cherry Blossom Shower & Bath Gel

This is such a fun bath gel! It smells so good and the tiny flower petals inside are such a delight to look at and touch. I've only used this a couple of times therefore I cannot yet say whether the "lightening + brightening" claim on the bottle is indeed true. Aaand I'm already as pale as can be so I don't know if this can get me even fairer though I'd rather not look like I have lost all the blood in me. Lightening and Brightening or not, it wouldn't hurt to have such a fun bath product in your bathroom!

Borrowing from the Boys

As much as I love getting all dressed up, there are times (okay, most of the time) wherein I just don't have the energy to go through my clothes and carefully put together an ensemble especially when I have nowhere special to go or if it's an impromptu trip. My ordinary day of going out somewhere random would be sticking my head in the closet and pulling out whatever is available... or clean, and usually I don't really like whatever is available so I proceed to go through my brother's or my boyfriend's clothes and choose a tee or button down.

Case in point:

shirt: pilfered from my brother's closet; jeans: American Eagle; shoes: Charles & Keith

What I like most about wearing men's clothing is the laid back comfort it brings and that you can style it in a way that looks effortless yet voguish. My favorite items of clothing to steal borrow from my brother or boyfriend's closet are: button-down shirt, tees, and sweaters/hoodies. On a lazy day, I just wear them with jeans or shorts and I'm good to go. But if I wanted to spruce things up a bit, I would style these items of clothing with a pair of heels and/or an eye-catching item like a colourful purse or a kitschy accessory. 

A word of caution though: As much as possible, make sure that the clothes you are borrowing aren't extremely large in size for you; we don't want to look like we're swimming in our clothes, do we? Trust me, it's never a flattering look. If you find that that is the case with your brother/boyfriend/father's clothes, then you're better off buying your own stuff at the men's section instead. 

Beauty Review: Megan Purifying Nose Pore Strips

Just a quick update: I can finally use my laptop again and even better, upgraded the OS which made transferring photos easy peasy!

This is going to be a short one though since I just really want to share with you guys this AMAZING find. Seriously. Even my brother and boyfriend have turned into believers of this product.  

If you are like me who's always on the lookout for great products especially on the skincare category, then you will absolutely love Megan Purifying Nose Pore Strips. One of my pet peeves is clogged pores, particularly around the nose and chin area. It's very uncomfortable for me and I feel like giving my face a proper scrubbing twice a week is not enough, hence my slight obsession with pore strips. I have tried the ones from Bench, Bioré pore strips, and even a tube of clay mask for the nose that you can peel off once it has dried (I will update this blog once I remember the name of the brand, but it does not really work), and NONE of them gave me as much satisfaction as Megan Purifying Nose Strips did. It took out about 90% of my blackheads/whiteheads and left my nose feeling moisturised, soft, and smooth for almost a week!

There's an instruction behind the package so please read it carefully before using the nose strips and just a tip: I allow mine to sit for 15 minutes before peeling it off from my nose to get the maximum effect (I just feel more reassured that most of the impurities on my nose will be uprooted if I let it sit longer). I contemplated on including a photo of my used nose strip just to convince you guys how awesome it is, but I didn't wanna gross you out so just take my word for it. 

What are you waiting for?! Go buy them now! (Php50 per pack) 

Oh yeah, so far I've only seen two types of these Megan Purifying Nose Pore Strips: rose extract and witch hazel extract. I have no preference. I love them both. You can find them at Savemore supermarket and Mercury Drugstore. I haven't seen them stocked at any other places. 

Halloween Late Update

I can't believe it took me so long to post this. My laptop went AWOL on me and I had a hell of a time trying to transfer my photos from my iPad to my boyfriend's computer. Talk about bad luck. I feel like this may be irrelevant now, but I just want to share with you guys how I spent my Halloween. I thought it was going to be pretty much nondescript and since I seriously didn't want to spend Halloween night not doing anything, my boyfriend and I decided to just go on a proper date (which we haven't really done in months now).

I let him surprise me and he came up with dinner at Tenka, this Japanese shabu shabu place in Glorietta mall. The place looked cozy and intimate, perfect for a romantic date in town. It certainly didn't hurt that the place was decorated with Halloween-related stuff like cobwebs on the walls, tombstones on their replica of a cherry blossom tree, and best of all, the staff made up to look like witches, ghouls, faeries, etc. It really made up for us not donning on costumes and going to Halloween parties (which quite frankly, I think I'm getting too old and boring for).

To be totally honest, we haven't really been to a hotpot/shabu-shabu place before so we really didn't have an inkling as to what we were doing. We got practically everything on the menu and left the heat on so high that towards the end, some of the food we put in to boil ended up getting mushy. The seaweed on my seaweed miso soup took on an entirely different taste and it wasn't good. Aside from that error on our part (we have learned our lesson, don't worry), all I can say is that the food was SO delicious and I enjoyed my time there and regretted nothing even when my tummy was close to bursting and I could feel my food reaching up to my throat (I didn't throw up. That would have been wasteful). The staff was also very accommodating so that's a huge thumbs up to Tenka! We are definitely going back for more. 

Oh and through all the excitement, I forgot to take an OOTD so I hope these half photos of my outfit will suffice. It's a tank top from H&M and a Tommy Hilfiger scarf paired off with an American Eagle jeans and my classic black Charles & Keith heels.

Decluttering the Wardrobe

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin; needless to say, it inspired me to go out of my way and put a little more effort into creating my own happiness. One of the things about the book that I really liked was the topic on decluttering. It was mentioned in the book that other people "believe that their physical surroundings influence their spiritual happiness" and I found this to be true with me as well. I personally don't mind a bit of clutter, but I still prefer to live and/or work in an area that is clutter-free and organized; it gives me a clear head and none of the unnecessary stress that clutter brings. 

However tempted I was to declutter my space from the bedrooms to the kitchen, I still am aware of the fact that any kind of cleaning can be tedious and to tackle everything in one fell swoop would be nigh on impossible for me since I easily get distracted and bored when it comes to cleaning/decluttering. Believe me, I tried doing it once with my whole bedroom and it was not a pretty sight (for a week). 

I decided that I would tackle my closet first and started sifting through the mountain of clothes crammed into the small space. It probably took me a good 2 hours going through the vast amount of clothes I didn't even realize I had until I ended up with 2 garbage bags (!) full of clothes I no longer wear. I was shocked and also proud of myself for not giving in to my sentimental side. 

Since I'm all done with decluttering my own wardrobe and wouldn't be doing so again for another couple of months or so, I figured I could help my readers tackle their wardrobe decluttering and make the experience a bit more fun. 

• Invite your friends over to help you out and maybe turn it into a small decluttering party. Remember that scene from the Sex and the City movie where Carrie had her best friends over to help her decide which ones to keep and throw? Perhaps you could do the same thing complete with the "Keep" and "Throw" placards for each girls to hold up as you go through your clothes. 

• Wear something comfortable with a hint of style to get you in the mood. Maybe a colourful scarf or one of those cute knitted turban headband.  There's a scene in the movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic", wherein she was trying to declutter her wardrobe wearing a scarf and a pair of yummy yellow pumps. 

• Play your favorite music/songs in the background. Doing so will make you feel upbeat or relaxed (depending on your choice of music) and get you through the process without much stress. Dancing while decluttering is allowed!

• Divide your clothes into 3 groups. Yes, 3, under the categories of Keep, Throw, and Give. Sometimes we have clothes that have gone through wear and tear to the point where it's fruitless to try and repair them and the only thing they are good for is as a rag or the trash. These are the clothes you put in the "Throw" category. Remember, only Keep clothes that still fits you perfectly and are still in style (examples of these are classic pieces and recurring trends), the rest, Give away (yes, even that little black dress you've been meaning to wear once you lose a few pounds. And then go buy one that fits and flatters you now). 

• Have a break! Allow yourself some snack time in between. Just don't make it longer than 10 minutes so as not to lose focus on the task at hand. If possible, bring the refreshments and snacks into your room to lessen the temptation of doing other things and promising yourself to continue the decluttering on another day. 

• Organize. Now that you've decided which ones to keep and which ones to throw or give away, you can now start organizing your wardrobe. Different people have different organizing preference. You can either sort your clothes by color, by outfit types, or however you want it done. I, myself, sort my clothes by type. For my tops, I sort them by their sleeves (sleeveless, short sleeves, and long sleeves) that way I can easily grab a top without having to go through everything I own and creating a mess. I also have a separate section for lounge wear for when the only plans I have for the day is staying in and binge-watching on Netflix. If you have no clue how to organize your wardrobe, I suggest you go on Pinterest or Youtube for ideas. 

• Extra tip: If you're having friends over to help you declutter your wardrobe, maybe you can ask them to wear something comfortable yet fab to give the Decluttering Party an uplifting vibe. For the refreshments and snacks, you can browse through Pinterest for ideas on what to serve. Champagne or cocktails are okay (assuming you're no longer a minor), but it's still ideal to stick to juice or perhaps mocktails. After all, we wouldn't want to go overboard with the alcohol and regret everything the next day, right? 

Well, that's all the tips I have for you, and if you do decide to declutter your wardrobe, let me know in the comment box how you went about it and if my tips were helpful. I would really love to know! 

A Fresh Start

image source: StockSnap.io

Dear Readers, 

        If you used to frequent The Bohemian Doll or maybe visited this blog once or twice, you have probably noticed that all of my previous posts are no longer here. The reason for this is because I finally decided to focus on this blog rather than just dabble in it, updating sporadically. My poor excuse was that nothing interesting nor spectacular really happens in my life; nothing worth blogging about. Then I realized that the reason behind this way of thinking was that I would compare my beginnings to well-established bloggers' middle (yes, I'm talking about this quote). Instead of waiting for something beautiful or spectacular to happen in my life, I should go out there and make it happen because more often than not, just sitting around waiting is useless and counter-productive. 

I'm so excited for the fresh start I'm giving my blog! Expect honest reviews on beauty products, beauty and style tips, opinions on the latest trends, travel and living, maybe a bit of food blurbs here and there since I love to eat, AND more OOTDs (definitely working on this since I find OOTDs my weakest point as I'm uncomfortable having my picture taken in public). 

Wish me luck!