A Film Review: Begin Again

And God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young.
It's hunting season and this lamb is on the run.
We're searching for meaning...
But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

- Lost Stars, Begin Again (2013)

I'm an avid fan of movies with a lot of music in them. I tend to go for those in the likes of August Rush and Rent. I especially like those with great OSTs. I was in for a pleasant surprise cause when I went to catch this movie I had no idea what it was about.

(c) sites.psu.edu

Let's talk about Begin Again. This movie had its debut at last year's Toronto International Film Festival but only released to the international public this July 2014. At a glimpse, the movie is basically a movie about moving on and starting again [Yes, it is made obvious by the title. I like it better than the original title planned which is Can a Song Save Your Life?].

Beware there may be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

(c) timeinc.net

(c) wp.com

Anyway, there's this long term couple who are songwriters as well as artists, Dave Kohl (Adam Levine) gets signed on by a label and that brings them to New York. Gretta (Keira Knightley), Dave's girlfriend, then gets a taste of how fame can change people. Gretta and Dave do not work out and that brings us to Gretta meeting Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo). Dan is a washed up music producer who's job and life have fallen apart. He sees Gretta's music as his ticket back into producing "real" music as opposed to what his label wants. There adventure begins as they start recording an album in the streets of New York in an against all odds manner. Along the way, you meet Violet Mulligan (Hailee Steinfeld) and Miriam (Catherine Keener), Dan's daughter and ex wife respectively. James Corden plays Steve, Gretta's best friend and CeeLo Green as Trouble Gum, an old friend of Dan's. It ends in a delightfully bitter sweet, realistic path for all characters. That was a risk the writers took and  for that I give them a kudos on a job well done.

(c) mtv.com

(c) yimg.com

Exceptional casting of course and great direction by John Carney. This is why I was surprised that the rights to distribution was only acquired in September 2013 by The Weinstein Company. A powerful cast behind it and it was only released to the public a year later. I love the Keira Knightley's portrayal of being both feminine and androgynous at the same time. I think this is a signature for her and it translates in the movie very well. Adam Levine's debut in acting wasn't as strong. He obviously needs a little bit more practice cause in some of his scenes the emotions didn't come across very well. [Let me just say that beard was horrendously funny.] Moreover, to be paired with a seasoned actress like Keira was a bit too much. Mark Ruffalo showing everyone that he is in his element of course. I prefer this type of characters on him. Dare I say that he's way better in this than being The Hulk.

Cinematography around New York was amazing. You also can check out the OST below via Spotify.

The verdict for this movie is a must see. It's worth your time and money. The best people to go with would be friends (preferably those that love and appreciate music and probably have been in a band.) cause this is definitely not a date movie. 

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel

In a tropical country like the Philippines where the sun is like a death ray, sun protection is an absolute must!  Summer 2014 seems like one of those exceptionally warm ones, and I thought of purchasing a new face sunblock.  As I was waltzing around Watsons, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel caught my eye. I have been testing it out for about a month now so I can provide a fair review for this product.

Product and Packaging:

The product comes in a blue, glass bottle.  The packaging is quite tough, as I've already dropped mine a couple of times, and I found no cracks whatsoever. 

In keeping with its blue theme, the product itself is also blue in colour.  It is lightweight and has more of a thin and watery consistency when spread out. It has a fresh scent to it that goes away a few minutes after application. I only needed half a pump to cover my whole face and neck. 

Half a pump of the Hydro Boost Gel

What the product looks like when spread out

Claims:

The Health Beauty Circle website claims that:

Neutrogena® Hydro Boost™ Gel SPF 30 PA++ has long-lasting hydration with sun protection for soft and supple skin with a lasting healthy glow.

Dermatologist tested • Oil-free • Non-comedogenic

On the box, the product further claims the following:

Long-lasting hydration with sun protection for soft and supple skin with a lasting healthy glow. Refreshing gel formula contains Hyaluronic Acid and Olive Extracts that provides up to 4 times more moisture to dry skin cells continuously over 12 hours. Ingredients: From the ingredients below, I don't see any paragons used in creating this product, which I think is a plus for me! :)

What I like about this product:

• Quite affordable (it costs Php830.00 for 40 ml or 1.35 fluid ounce of product)
• A little of the product goes a long way;
• The pump for hygienic purpose and also for convenience;
• The scent;
• Sturdy packaging;
• No white cast when the product is applied, unlike most sunblock;
• Ample SPF for everyday use (SPF 30 PA++ with UVA/UVB protection);
• Gentle on skin;
• Doesn't break me out;
• Moisturizes very well but is also not greasy at the same time; and
• Sits well under make-up

What I did not like about this product:

• The packaging is opaque so I can't see if I'm running out or not;
• Quite hard-to-find as not all Watsons carry it, but it can be ordered online on the Health Beauty Circle website

The Verdict:

Given my oily combination and morena skin, finding a good sunblock that does not make me look like Casper and/or a grease pan has been quite a challenge! I love that this product looks good both in person and in photos! I may have just found my new sunblock favourite. May I also add that I do believe that the Hyaluronic Acid seems to be working well because I have been mistaken as (up to 5 years!) younger than my real age. Hihi! ;) 

All in all, I give this product a 4.8 out of 5 rating! :)

Any beauty products you would want us to review?  Drop us a line on the comments section down below. :)

Ciao~!

Nailed It: Dinosaur Eggs!

Godzilla is now showing in the Philippines!  As a child, I have always seen Godzilla as some sort of a dinosaur clone gone wrong. Hihi!  In honor of that silly childhood memory, I thought of making a really easy and simple nail art inspired by dinosaur eggs. 

Fun dino nails!

 To achieve this really easy effect, you'll need:

• a base coat
• a top coat
• I used ORLY Top2Bottom which works both as a top coat and base coat.
• a dark blue nail polish
• I used Nature Republic Colorwaltz BL509 Deep Sea Blue (Php55.00).
• a sea green nail polish
• I used The Face Shop Lovely:ME ex GR509 (Php95.00).
• a black nail polish
• I used Chic 2-way Nail Design Pen & Brush in Ebony (~Php30.00).
• a dotting tool or a toothpick
• q-tips and nail polish remover to clean up around the edges

What to do:

1. Apply a thin layer of base coat on all your nails.
2. Apply a layer of the dark blue nail polish on all nails except the ring finger nails.
3. On the ring finger nail, apply a coat of the sea green nail polish. This will serve as your accent nail.
4. Apply an additional layer if you need more opacity.
5. Wait for the base colors to dry.
6. On your accent nail, apply random dots of black nail polish.
7. Once dried, apply top coat.

Easy, isn't it? Try it out for yourself.  If you have any tutorial suggestions, leave us a comment! :) 

Nailed It! Summer Orange

Summer has long started and people are starting to hit the beach!  Summer also means the perfect time to don very colorful nail colors.  Lucky for me, I bumped into a nail polish sale at Skin Food, SM Baguio.  I bought Skin Food Fruit Drink Nail in No. 5 Orange Drink for only Php79.00 (~$1.75)! Yipee, what a steal!

For my first nail post, I opted for a simple nail art using this new polish. Check it out!

To achieve the above effect, you'll need:

• any orange nail polish color
• a clear top coat and base coat
• small strips of masking tape, big enough to cover half of your nail
• q-tips for cleaning out the edges

What to do:

1. Apply a thin layer of base coat on clean nails. Let it completely dry.
2. While waiting for your base coat to dry, weaken the adhesive on your masking tape by sticking it to your skin and quickly peeling it off.  You don't want your tape to be too sticky as it might peel off the coats that you've already applied.
3. Stick your tape diagonally on your nail, covering only the bottom half of the nail.
4. Apply your orange nail polish on each nail.
5. Wait for about two minutes and apply a second layer of orange nail polish.
6. Very carefully peel off the tape.
7. Let the orange color dry.
8. Apply top coat.

Voila! Super easy summer-ready nails! :)

Revew: Clinique All About Eyes Rich Eye Cream

I was a little bit unfortunate in the genetics lottery when I inherited dark undereye circles from my father side. As I approached my mid-20s and with law school, I've noticed that the dark circles got worse.  Add hideous puffiness due to sleep-deprivation, and a bit of fine lines to the equation as well.  So I decided and get myself my first eye cream, the Clinique All About Eyes Rich Eye Cream. 

Let's get right on to it, shall we?

Product and Packaging:

The product is a very thick formula contained in a tiny, peach-colored jar. (You'd have to make sure to have clean hands before dipping right in.)  There's 0.5 oz or 15 ml worth or product in the jar, which is quite normal for eye creams.   However, The consistency of the cream is so thick that this tiny jar would certainly last for months! Even if I turned the jar upside-down, none of the product would drip off! I've had this eye cream for more than 2 months now, and I've only used up less than a fourth of it.

Claims

The Clinique website claims on this product states that:

Moisture-rich eye cream diminishes the look of undereye circles, shadows, fine lines-instantly and over time. De-puffs, calms with botanicals. Helps boost natural collagen production. Strengthens skin's moisture barrier against common irritants. Ophthalmologist Tested.

The Verdict

The current condition of my skin right now is oily-combination, and it gets oilier during the summer, so I'm just using the eye cream when I won't be wearing any make-up or before I go to sleep. It is a tad too rich for me to be used during the day.

In the times that I've used this product, I did like that:

• it did lots of improvement in de-puffing the bags under my eyes; 
• it is very moisturizing and at the same time, does not irritate me;
• it does not give me milia;
• it smells good right off the jar, but the scent doesn't bother you upon application;
• a little goes a very loooooong way; and
• the packaging is very pretty (I'm a sucker for pretty packaging ^^,).

However, I did not like that:

• it is very pricey -- I bought this for around $40 at Duty Free (~Php1700.00);
• the packaging is not hygiene-friendly;
• it did not get rid of my dark circles (yet);
• it did have any significant improvement on my fine lines; and
• my eyelids get very oily if I use this during the day, such that my concealer would just melt off within 2 hours of application

For my first eye cream, I'd give this product 4 out of 5 stars. Hopefully, with longer use, it will prove its claims on reducing my dark circles and fine lines.

Will I recommend this product? Yes. Those with dryer skin than I do will definitely love this product.

Are there any beauty products or services you'd like to be reviewed? Leave a word or two on the comments section down below!

Ciao~!

Review: Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration Makeup Remover Cleansing Facial Wipes

First blog post! First review! Yey! Here goes...

I recently went home to my parents' house in the province, and much to my dismay, I forgot to bring along my trusty makeup remover wipes.  So, I decided to buy some emergency facial wipes for my stay here.  I decided to purchase the product under review today, Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration Make-up Remover Cleansing Facial Wipes. Phew, that's a mouthful!

This is what the product looks like.

Packaging:  

The product is in a typical and simple plastic packaging with a resealable opening, like most wet wipes. Considering that there are 20 wipes included, it's quite lightweight and travel-friendly.

Ingredients:

You guys can check out the list of ingredients below.  This product contains paraben, so it is not advisable for those who are going au naturel with their face products. It also has a bit of artificial fragrance in, which I was able to smell when I wiped it on my face.  It smells like a combination of alcohol and flowery scent (if that makes any sense haha).

List of ingredients on the packaging

Claims:

On the Celeteque website, it claims that:

CELETEQUE DermoScience™ Hydration Make-Up Remover Wipes gently removes make-up, excess sebum and dirt that may clog skin pores. It hasActive Skin Hydrators that help boost skin’s level of moisture. It is convenient to use anytime anywhere.

The Test

Just an intro, before I go into the test results, I have oily skin around my T-zone. My U-zone is pretty normal. I'm also acne-prone around my nose, upper lip and chin area.  Because of the treatment I've been applying to treat my acne, my upper lip area is dry.

Today was a light makeup day for me. I only used my Clinique face powder and Etude House lipstick.  Before going on to my night routine, I wiped the makeup off of my face and here's the outcome.

Ewww, all that gunk!

It did take the makeup off quite well off my face, but it gave me awful stings around my the dry areas of my face.  The stings lasted for a good 3-5 minutes.  That was a very bad downside, since I expected this product to be moisturizing.  Because of that, I didn't even dare wiping it unto my eye area.

The Verdict

I would give this product a 2.5 out of 5 stars.  

Will I repurchase this product again? Probably not. I found this product quite harsh on my dry patches. My skin can have an on-and-off sensitive phase even in the most humid weathers.  I don't think the Hydrators actually worked on me because I did find that my dry patches are even more drier the next morning. :(  However, if you have normal skin, then this product might work for you. 

Pros:

• very affordable - It retails for only Php160.00 at Watsons
• lightweight and travel-friendly
• removes basic makeup around the face efficiently

Cons:

• products seem to be harsh especially for sensitive skin
• alcohol-like smell
• not advisable to be used around the eye area

So, that's it for my first-ever product review. I hope you found this informative. If there are any other products that you would like me to review, leave it on the comments section down below, and I'll check it out.

Ciao~!