Rants: You give the Food Industry a BAD name! Sayonara Sirin International Group (Philippines) may I never have to deal with you ever again!

Sayonara Sirin International Group (Philippines)
especially Tere Herada may I never have to deal with you ever again!

eth·ic noun \ˈe-thik\

plural but sing or plural in constr : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation

2

a : a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values <the present-day materialistic ethic> <an old-fashioned work ethic> —often used in plural but singular or plural in construction <an elaborate ethics> <Christian ethics>

b plural but sing or plural in constr : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group <professional ethics>

c : a guiding philosophy

d : a consciousness of moral importance <forge a conservation ethic>

3

plural : a set of moral issues or aspects (as rightness) 

My blog page had always been the place to voice out my opinions on different things. I haven't been ranting about anything in particular in a while until a recent experience got the spikes on my back to stand up. 

Before I even began dabbling with makeup artistry, I've been a Graphic Designer for a while now. It is actually a very rewarding profession creative-wise. Freelancing is an added bonus because you're able to earn extra from the comforts of your own home. Though as exciting as it can be designing for various companies and seeing your works published, there would always be those ones that would know nothing about ethics. Now these companies/people are a big pain in the butt to deal with. People who are experts at demands and making unbelievable excuses come payment time.

Unfortunately, I've endured this scenario recently and from a "friend"(as of press time already a vague acquaintance) nonetheless! 

Sometimes, Friendship and business don't mix well together. Should you wish to forgo putting them together, you can be on shaky grounds. Unless, of course, you both practice strong business ethics. Here is my story and you be the judge:

March 14, 2012- was approached by a "friend" for  favor to help her with catalog design for her new organization. I gladly obliged, for free even, but she insisted she wanted to give me some of their products in exchange.

March15, 2012- asked help for a company profile folder design. same scenario. I asked if they have budget for this and she asked if I would rather do an x-deal since their company was just starting up and they have no budget for it. I said no problem, I'll see what I can do.

March 20, 2012- more design favors for catalog design.

March 22, 2012- asked to design promotional bottle neck labels for the same terms: x-deal. Considering this term, they were persistent (demanding even) in follow-ups regarding updates. Asked for high resolution materials but they could not provide me everything I needed. 

March 29, 2012- since they lack some high resolution product shots, they asked me if I could drop by their office and do product shots. (I don't think they were aware that at this point, an x-deal would not cut it anymore. This is already too many favors!).

April 4, 2012- I did their product shots. Another "friend"(acquaintance), which happened to be the Marketing Manager (Tere Herada) at that point, offered to pay my services in monetary value since these string of "favors" are already getting way too long. Straight from her mouth, "Send me an invoice." Freeze frame, in my understanding, WE JUST ENTERED THE BUSINESS ZONE. Tell me if I'm mistaken. 

From that point on, they can be demanding as they can be, it is understandable because they suddenly became my client. Revisions and editing was done back and forth to the point of crazy redundancy. Policy of any Graphic Designer, once you've been given the layered files and it was given to a printer already, it is final. But I think, that was too much for their minds to understand and respect. she still made revisions afterwards even made me work inside their office under her supervision. They did not have structure. We were going through revisions going through the same points over and over again. But I was patient mainly because I was a friend. They even asked me to re-scale a box packaging done by another artist for free!

April 25, 2012- Sent my first invoice. This is because we were close to wrapping up the project. But then, the Marketing Manager, Tere Herada, had even more revisions on hand! Take note, she kept on piling revisions after proofing! She could have just dedicated herself into checking each detail in one go so time and money had not been wasted. She is a loony bin in my opinion.

So this went on and on and on. Seemed to me they have just been making excuses to not pay me. I've sent my invoice and reminders regularly just to make sure they are reminded of their obligation. Then it came to my attention that there is a huge possibility that the company doesn't have the budget to pay me. this is very alarming for me since I've already invested my time into doing this project. 

I gave them terms and demanded to be paid on due dates they refused to acknowledge and told me to wait. They made me feel like I don't have any right to demand payment on my own terms. WTF! Service has been rendered and I have all the right to demand on my own terms! That to me is very disrespectful and ungrateful considering the fact that I've already done so many favors for them. They've even sent me a derogatory email telling me my emails and reminders are already annoying. If they've only acknowledge one of my invoice reminders and given me a concrete date on when I should expect to be paid, I wouldn't have sent it over and over again. Instead of being professional and properly talked to me, they've decided to turn the tables around accusing me of not doing my job very well.

Sweetie, I know more of how the Graphic Design Industry works more than your itty bitty little brain can wrap around on. I've been doing it for years and my true respectable clients are still with me today. It's plain and simple, "Don't seek for services you can't afford" and humility will do you good. 

So after 6 months of waiting (I've actually forgotten about this company already and just left everything to Karma) they've contacted me. As usual, same BS and empty promises. Whatever! Pay if you will I don't care anymore! What made me even furious was, my invoice indicated a certain amount and, it's not like they've asked or negotiated for me to lower the price to the amount they are willing to pay, they've DIRECTED me to revise my invoice according to their liking! Talk about being an arse!

Karma is a bitch and you are next in line. Pay me whatever, I just want you and your company out of my hair and out of my life! And for my fellow Graphic Designers, PM me to know who this particular company is to save you guys the heartache I've had to endure. As of the moment, I don't patronize any of this company's products and asked my friends to do the same thing. 

At the end of the day, MANAGER is just a 7-letter word. You'll never be one until you have this 6-letter word------ E-T-H-I-C-S.

Till then,

Product Review: Real Techniques Stippling Brush

For an artist, his tools are probably his best friend. For a makeup artist, it is her/his makeup brushes. This is one tool you should probably invest in more and yes dolls, quality DOES matter.

In my case, I can never get enough of them. I'm always interested on new ones that come out and with Real Techniques who has gotten great raves from all types of review, my curiosity got the best of me!

I've never own a stippling brush before this one because I've put so much faith on my beauty blender for flawless foundation application. But then again, cleaning the beauty blender is never an easy feat. The stains could be an OC's worst nightmare. So, everyone was saying how a stippling brush could achieve almost the same effect as that of an airbrush machine and it is very easy to clean, I was instantly on the hunt for the perfect stippling brush. That was the tricky part. I've read different people's experience with theirs shedding badly and leaving streaks when they apply makeup. I had to do extra research.

Stumbling upon Real Techniques, I was sold by two points: 1)Endorsed and is a brainchild of a popular Youtube guru-Sam Chapman, half of Pixiwoo 2) very affordable yet of high quality. If it disappoints, less tears would be shed :) So, I went on multiply.com to look for local reseller of the brush. 

I bought mine from yourfabfindsonline.multiply.com from their pre-order service at Php 650.00 (approx. US$15.00). I had to wait a couple of weeks before it got to me but I guess the waiting only "amped up the ante"! hahaha...

The brush is purely synthetic. In fact, all Real Techniques brushes are made from synthetic fiber (cruel-free!). Now, for the true girly girls out there, the color would be enough to get hook on this brush--it's pink and shiny! :D The appearance is totally something I've never seen before in a makeup brush. The body of the brush is almost completely ferrule (probably aluminum) except for the base which is made of rubber to provide a  better grip and is flat at the bottom so you're able to stand the brush on a flat surface (very innovative!).

I've had this now for 3 months and I consider this as one of my favorites by now. Though I rarely used this for foundation simply because the head itself is a bit small. I love this for finishing powders, blushes (cream and powder), and contouring/bronzing powders. The brush picks up just the right amount of product so you have more control on how much you put on your face ideal for really pigmented products.

The head is small but quite dense. I've already washed this numerous times and so far no shedding for me! Dries really quickly. Great, especially if you're to use this for several purposes.

My problem with regular brushes is come deep cleaning time. I have to be extra careful when running the brush heads under running water careful not to let the water sip through the short ferrule as it may loosen the glue that holds the head from its wooden body. With this one, I don't have to worry much. Practically pain-free to wash!

I love this brush so much I'm planning to buy several back-ups and probably try other brushes from Real Techniques especially their Core Collection.

If you haven't tried any of their brushes, I suggest you should! Highly recommend it. :D

Till then,

Maven "Beyond the Blush : A Beauty Blowout" (2nd Leg)

Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA for a couple of months. My sister got married and I was a bit busy doing a couple of stuff. Anyways, I haven't been out on events lately and I have to say that I've really missed it. Well, Luckily, Maven Magazine had set us an irresistible treat -  a beauty blowout! :D 

As you know, this is the 2nd leg for this event. The first one was held at the Trinoma Mall which I was not able to attend so this time around, I made sure not to miss it. Thankful too that it was held at Glorietta 3 near Rustan's (a venue I'm pretty much familiar with).

I arrived early so as not to miss anything and so that I could freely check out the booths before the workshops begin. Only a couple of people are there and I was fifth from the pre-registered participants list to arrive. A lot of great sponsors and participants! After registering upfront, I went to the Sweet Patti Cakes station for a complementary cupcake with an M gum paste embellishment for Maven. How cute!

First booth that caught my eye was Snoe's. They have a lot of their products on display and the person manning the booth was actually very friendly and accommodating. I haven't tried any of their products before so I hover around to test a couple of samples of their products.

I'm always on the look out for a great non-greasy sun protection so I think Snoe's Here Comes the Sunblock with Bengkoang is very promising! :D I've also spotted some hair extension clip-ons which are really fun to play around with! 

Digital Traincase was also present at the event. I had the pleasure of swatching and getting acquainted with their products (so I'd know what to order online next)!

The Face Shop was there to offer us Mavens a free makeover.

Another familiar exhibitor is Milea Mineral Makeup which is from the same company as All Organics skin care.  I've been a customer of All Organics for a while now so it was great seeing them there. Look at all those pretty minerals!

Workshops was scheduled to start at 1:00 PM and would last up until 6:00 in the evening. We were welcomed by Myx VJ Bianca Roque who's the host for the entire afternoon. She gave us a rundown of what was in store for us ladies. 

First on the list was a lecture on personality development by Bb. Plipinas - Universe 2002 Ms. Karen Agustin-Ostrea which is now a Director for Global Image Management.

She gave us tips on how to dress according to our body shape, for the office, and also on how to determine our color personality. Here she is doing a consultation with one lucky volunteer...

Then, we were treated to a makeup demo by Benefit's Chief Makeup Diva, Ms. Mica Tuaño-Fuentes. She introduced several new offerings from Benefit which are definitely a must to watch out for. 

One participant also was able to get made over by Ms. Mica bringing out her natural flush and beauty!

A representative from Prime Skincare Asia was present to talk us through proper skin care regimen (very informative) with the aid of Nivea Philippines, one of the event's generous sponsors.

Nivea Philippines raffled out several goody bags much to the girls' delight!

On a different note, Mr. Ben Ampil took the floor to give us a lecture on money and basically some general guidelines on how to pave the way for success. 

He taught us very helpful tips one of which is to compare success as to having a taxi ride. We should ask ourselves 1) Where do you want to go? 2) How do want to get there?  and 3) And how would you know if you're already there? very enlightening! I must say, he is a very entertaining speaker. Really enjoyed it. :D

Next up is a makeup demo by The Face Shop. Their models for the day were very pretty. They are the winner and the runner up of a contest they've previously held. TFS makeup artists did different looks on each model. One for night time and one for the Day. Then, they raffled out a couple of their products.

Last workshop for the day is from Tokyo Posh. Ms. Denise Aquino, owner of Tokyo Posh, graced the event and gave a demo on how easy it is to change looks without fully committing to a new hair cut! Because of how impressive these hair extension clip-ons are, I am now a believer and can't wait to own my very own! It was amazing! :D

And to cap off the event, registered participants were treated to impressive Maven loot bags containing products from various sponsors who made the event a complete success. 

It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled afternoon. If ever a 3rd leg would come about or another Maven event come up, I highly recommend you guys to come and participate. You will sure enjoy it! And make sure to grab a copy of Maven Magazine available at National Bookstores.


Till then,

Review: Makeup Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector

You should know by now that the eyes are the windows to one's soul right? But every window need the perfect frame to hold it and with our eyes, it is the eyebrows. With a pair of perfectly coiffed eyebrows, you could practically get away with minimal make-up and still look put together. So before learning how to do any other make-up technique, you should first practice to achieve the perfect set of arches. Now as for me, I learned the hard way. During college days wherein I started paying attention to how I look, I easily became guilty of over-plucking my eyebrows. Tip: if are doing anything to your brows for the first time, I suggest you have them shape by a professional first to custom shape them according to your face shape. A few suggestions would include The Browhaus and Benefit. 

But for people finding that tip a little bit too late, our only saving grace would be our eyebrow kits, pencils, and in this case creams. I have tried all of them. But the problem I always encounter when using brow powders and pencils is that, they look great at the start of my day but tends to fade later on. So, when I saw Makeup Forever Eyebrow corrector, I instantly want to give it a spin. 

According to the Makeup Forever website:

Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector is a waterproof eyebrow defining cream that shapes and intensifies brows. With its creamy texture, corrections are subtle and the brows look natural. 
The result remains flawless throughout the day and holds up under all conditions (water, heat, etc).

It is available in 4 shades: Light Taupe Brown(No.0), Medium Warm Brown(No.2), Dark Ash Brown(No.3), and Dark Brown Black(No.4).

I was deciding to get No.0 or No.3 but when I called MUFE Bonifacio High Street to check for availability , No.3 was out of stock. My mind went on overdrive thinking No.3 would have been a real favorite since it is out of stock (hehehe...) so I decided on No.3 thinking I could always mix in a bit of my MUFE full Cover concealer if I wanted to go a bit lighter. I asked Ms. Jean from Baratmode to help me get this.

I was so surprised by how small this tube was when I first got it. But when I swatched it, I immediately knew the size is misleading because you would only need a teeny tiny bit of this product.

Just this much for both brows

See how pigmented? You could always adjust how light of an application you wish to have.
The one at the top I just swatch with the leftover product from my hand.

Packaging is ideal for this product. Remember the ELF cream eyeliner I reviewed here? It's comparable. Though, the ELF one is in a pot and at this time, mine has already dried, you can still use it but don't count on it gliding effortlessly on the skin. MUFE being in tube form is much more hygienic and makes the product less prone to drying out.

A little demonstration on its application, here is my sparse bare eyebrow:

I kinda look angry but I'm really not! hahaha...

I just take a stiff eyebrow brush to apply this. Emphasis on the stiff because I find if you use that, you have more success in achieving a more natural look compared to using a soft eyebrow brush. Then, I dip the brush on to the product and swirl it a bit at the back of my hand to take of the excess from the brush.

I then start to fill in my brows in short strokes starting from with my arch and the tips as I want the least amount of color on my inner brows close to my nose.

Here's my finish brow compared to the bare one:

This product stays true to it being waterproof. I tested that part out when I took a bath with this on. Did not budge unless of course you rub on it too hard. This is great if you like to swim but still want to look great and have sparse browse like me. But for an oily face and sweat, you might find a little bit of fading later on. A little dusting of powder over it beforehand would actually help with that making it stay on a bit longer. I probably won't be buying again anytime soon because like my MUFE Full Cover concealer, this will last me a lifetime! :D I also got the MUFE eye seal so I would be road testing that with my eyebrow powders and pencils. Anyhow, If you are not a swimmer, does not sweat easily and is not oily-faced, then, you might want to skip this. But for makeup artists, especially those doing bridal work, where waterproof and long-lasting products play an important role, this might come handy. :D

Place bought: www.sephora.com thru pre-order site Baratmode

Price: US$ 20.00 / Php 1,200++

Where to get locally:

MAKEUP FOREVER BOUTIQUES

Bonifacio High Street

B:8, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City, Philippines

Tel. No.: +632 856 5243

Shangri-La Plaza Mall

Level 3 Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Tel. No.: +632 379 6193

Till then,

Cover Monday: Crazy over Adele!

Like everybody else I'm coo-coo over Adele and her songs which makes me want to sing them all day, all  night, anywhere, and anytime! :D These two are amongst my favorite so I decided to share them for my cover Monday. As usual, lyrics are down below so come on and sing with me! :D

Links:
Someone Like You (Angeli Cover)
Hiding my Heart (Angeli Cover)

"Someone Like You"

I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, "
Yeah

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
Yeah

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
Yeah

"Hiding My Heart"
(originally by Brandi Carlile)

This is how the story went
I met someone by accident
Who blew me away
Blew me away
And It was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and you took my pain
And buried them away, buried them away

I wish I could lay down beside you
When the day is done
And wake up to your face against the morning sun
But like everything I've ever known
You'll disappear one day
So I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away

Dropped you off at the train station
Put a kiss on top of your head
Watched you wave
And watched you wave
Then I went on home to my skyscrapers
And neon lights and waiting papers
That I call home
I call that home

I wish I could lay down beside you
When the day is done
And wake up to your face against the morning sun
But like everything I've ever known
You'll disappear one day
So I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away
Away, yeah

Woke up feeling heavy hearted
I'm going back to where I started
The morning rain
The morning rain
And though I wish that you were here
On that same old road that brought me here
It's calling me home
It's calling me home

I wish I could lay down beside you
When the day is done
And wake up to your face against the morning sun
But like everything I've ever known
You'll disappear one day
So I'll spend my whole life hiding my heart away

I can't spend my whole life hiding my heart away

Till then,