10 Beauty Hacks A Girl Must Know

I'm sure that every makeup enthusiast like me has pieces of beauty hacks (or even more) handy to utilize when the need arises. These beauty hacks that we know are something that we love sharing with our girlfriends or BAEs. I think my passion for reading and exploring things helped me big time in leveling up my hacking ability when it comes to skin care and everything in the beauty sphere.

Improve Your Online Shopping Experience With BPI My ePrepaid Card

I didn't hesitate to get myself a prepaid card when BPI launched its first re-loadable card a few years ago. It works almost the same as credit and debit card but it's prepaid, hence, the product's name. I chose my ePrepaid card over a credit card for three apparent reasons:

1. I don't want to incur hidden charges and be overcharged!
2. I can easily set my shopping limits since I used to be an impulsive shopper.
3. I cringe at the idea of using other company's money rather than my own because it psychologically pushes me to bite off more than I can chew (which elaborates # 2).

Valentine Special: How To Move On From A Recent Breakup

While others talk/write as an attempt to paint the town red with their romantic articles, I'll be writing something that would negate all the cheesy sweet nothings that have been all over the place recently, for a change. Yes, I am defiant like that. I've heard and read a lot of pieces of advice about moving on and they are all seemingly right except that we have to apply those theories in a way how grown-ups normally would, of course. 

How To Take Better Selfies

Have you ever wondered why they take better selfies than you do? That doesn't mean they (at least not every one) resort to various editing applications just to manipulate their default photos, maybe, they just know how to do it right.Well, instead of endlessly alluding like a baby and immaturely comparing yourself to others on social media, here are some tips how to take selfies properly:

Finding the right angle

Straight-face shots are okay but not flattering all the time especially if your face is wide like mine. There is nothing wrong with having a wide face shape but if you want to look slimmer in photos, you better stay away from the poses done in 90s and tweak your posing style.

Tip: If you want to have a slimmer face, try tilting your head a little bit and avoid looking straight to your camera. Focus on your most flattering angle which is the most balanced and symmetrical; it could be the right or left side of your face. No one knows your face better than you.

Moreover, extending your arm out helps reduce the bloated face effect. Holding your camera up high gives you the illusion of bigger eyes and longer neck while placing your camera below your chest level will just showcase your double chin.

P.S. Do you look better when you smile with your teeth showing? Or without?
 
Bad vs. good posture

Elongating your neck will make your photo slimmer, too. Bad posture will just accentuate your bad angles and bulges.

Pay attention to your camera's orientation

Knowing the difference between landscape and portrait orientation in your camera makes a lot of difference. Some lenses make your face even wider when landscape orientation is used while portrait makes some faces way longer and slimmer. Remember not to hold the camera too close to your face. Your camera's distance is another factor to consider.

Find your light

If you want your face to look brighter, turn towards the main light source (e.g. window). You can also have the back lit effect by turning away from the light which will make your photos softer and more mysterious.

The power of makeup artistry (totally optional)

I usually take selfies if I have a new look to showcase or a new blog post to promote to my readers. Being a lifestyle blogger that I am who usually tackle things about cosmetic reviews, beauty hacks and so on, I make use of makeup to enhance my features. Contour and highlight is one of the best ways to emphasize assets and conceal unflattering features to achieve better selfies. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with it as long as it's done in moderation. Lastly, I'd better use makeup rather than undergoing a cosmetic surgery; expensive and risky.

Don't 'FLASH' it

Avoid using flash in your photos as it gives you an unnatural lighting and it overpowers your features.

Make a background check

Check your background because no one wants to see things that are unpleasant to the eyes. Do you remember the couple who took their photo together having a burning building (Burj Khalifa if I'm not mistaken) as their backdrop? Don't give bashers the reason to bash and bully you.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Don't take a selfie showing off your cleavage then ask for respect. Don't make fun of yourself. Just don't.

Don't overdo it and know your limitations

• Nothing is more annoying than having a cloned default picture using a 6-photo-layout collage (some use 9). To be honest, your friends don't really get the point. Collage is used when you want to showcase mixture of pictures and not just your single cloned face.
• Posting more than a couple of selfies a day is some kind of attention-grabbing disorder. One is enough, please.
• Over-filtering and over-editing defeat the purpose of this how-to blog post. Furthermore, these apps cause your facial features' disappearance (barely-there nose, wax-looking faces, etc.)

Thought to ponder on: No matter how good you are at appearing pretty in front of the camera, it still doesn't define your personality and real attitude as a person. Everyone can be beautiful in their own way if they learn to appreciate and love themselves. Be BE-YOU-tiful inside out.

Why Do Crafters Love UPCYCLING?

Some would say, DIY junkies like me, are not practical. DIY and upcycling or repurposing any object are just a waste of time when you can buy ready made stuff from stores. Well, crafters have got bajillion of reasons that a 'practical' person could not understand. In a busy world like ours, people think that things can be done in a speedy fashion and upcycling and DIYing are almost impossible due to time constraints.

Rucy's Vanity Auto Eyebrow Pencil (Updated Eyebrow Routine) | Review

I wouldn't like to carry on without greeting all of you "Happy New Year" first. Everyone has been so busy during the holiday season, me included. New year means getting things better, setting new goals to achieve and changing our old routines. Everything evolves and so as the products that I use for my eyebrows. The (not-so) first product I used for my brows was good and did its job for its price. I even showed here my alternative product for a brow gel and another well-loved eyebrow pencil which I probably purchase again.

Today, I will be sharing with you what I think about a new addition to my eyebrow routine - Rucy's Vanity Auto Eyebrow Pencil. A Korean product that cost me Php 80 only (the cheapest eye brow pencil I have ever bought). I ordered it from their website along with other products that will be reviewed later on. 

I think the product itself is too inexpensive for how it does its job and the length of the lead is just sufficient enough but I only have one thing I am discontented about - it breaks easily. I love everything about it but that. Plus, it is not 'waxy' so it doesn't smudge off easily when your face tends to get oily. Others might not like the fact that it has a poor color payoff but I take it as its advantage. Why? Because it usually takes some time for me to build the color up when I fill in my brows and that is a good point for me. My brows won't come out too strong and it will keep the natural look we usually want to go for. 

(ctto)

Now, I want to share with you how I make my brows.

You may use a clear mascara or a brow gel/tint to tame down the stubborn strands for a more precised and defined brow shape. Meanwhile, just a gentle reminder my beloved RaveViewers, my blogsary giveaway is still on-going. Please click on the image below for the full mechanics. Don't miss the chance so join now. Good luck!

 

DIY: Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea (Part 1)

I know some of  you are still swamped and shopping plans are so hard to squeeze in your schedule. You just can't defeat your busyness no matter how zealous you are in the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. For those who have time at home and don't want to beat the crowd, here is one of gazillion ideas that doesn't require much of your time. 

Have You Achieved Your Goals For 2015?

It seems like yesterday when we welcomed and embraced 2015, yet, it is about to end. In a matter of weeks, I will also be celebrating my first blogsary. It is truly a great milestone for me ever since I took blogging seriously. For those who don't know yet, RAVE & VIEW is already my third blog and this is the only blog I was able to keep up with for the entire year. 

How To Cut Your Own Hair (Long Bob Haircut)

I usually trim my side-swept fringe when I get tired of my usual (messy bun) look. But last week, I have gone beyond my usual craziness and chopped my hair off. It is very easy and economical but make sure you use sharp scissors especially if your locks are as thick as mine.  

Holiday Gift Guide for 2015

Yuletide season is fast approaching and most of us fret when this season comes not because our budget to buy presents for our family and friends is finite but because we don't plan our shopping checklist ahead of time. Most of us like the notion of last-minute shopping which is not a wise idea especially if you are on a tight budget. This is not actually too much of a dilemma as long as we know the so-called GIFT-GIVING strategy. I already bulleted the said strategy in my previous post, but this time I will be giving you some ideas by sharing with you my handpicked items.

How To Lighten Dark Hair Without Bleaching

I was never a fan of dyeing my hair because it never worked on my thick-stranded hair. I first dyed my hair back in 1997 to no avail. Then I gave it a try again after a year, same result.  My hair was just too thick for this dyeing method. Plus, I was a scaredy cat to bleach it because I know it would damage my mane. But you would always crave for something new like a new look, perhaps?  So, since I had every tool to do my research on how to lighten hair as dark as mine without bleaching, Google didn't disappoint me.

How To Spot Legit Online Stores

E-commerce (short for electronic commerce) is a part of trading industry has reportedly been in the business world in 1971 but has gotten its breakthrough when several online stores massively sprouted on the internet in the mid-90s like the Amazon which initially started as an online bookstore. And the rest of the biggest online shopping websites came after and marked their success in the commerce history. 

Online shops have been most of the shoppers' go to places on the internet because of the fact that online shopping is: convenient, hassle free, cheaper prices and the list could go on and on. But the question is, how could you spot legit online shops from not? Some of you might be already aware on how to do so, but for those who are still on the "trying-to-figure-out" stage, this post is for you.

How To Fix A Broken Makeup (Pressed Powder & Eyeshadow)

Having mood swings that time of the month is something men couldn't fathom. All the more when we get broken-hearted when one of our compacts break (two in my case). It is beyond frustrating especially if it still unused. I've seen a lot of ways on Pinterest so I don't take credit for this and that is what I want to share it with you. 

How To: Recover Your Lost Village On Clash of Clans (iOS and Android)

Yes! I have lost my second village when I made some changes in my GOOGLE PLUS account. If that happens to you too, fret no more because there are just FIVE easy steps to recover your lost village, for those who don't know yet. Here's how...

My Eyebrow Routine: Everbilena, Pinksies, San San (updated)

Today, I'd like to share with you my updated eyebrow routine, using three inexpensive brands - Ever Bilena, San San and Pinkies. I showed you here, how to do your brows in a simplified way using just one product. Since I want my brows to look for defined and neat, I added two more products.

Instead of using the eyebrow gel, I opted using the Ever Bilena Colorless Mascara which I got for Php 100. I use this to keep my brows in place without giving them that strong shade. I just like the subtle effect of this when applied on top of  the brow pencil.

How To Insert Multiple Links In A Single Image {simplified}

Have you  ever been so helpless beautifying your blog but didn't know how? That moment when you wanted to connect with your readers so badly but you didn't even understand what HTML and CSS codes are for. I've been in that situation before but I'm delighted to say, not anymore since I managed to come up with my own simplified procedure by 'patching' all the ideas up. I'd like to thank all my favorite generous bloggers for giving away the idea on how to understand HTML and how it works. 

Today, we're going to be customizing a social media button to be placed on your blog's sidebar. Without further ado, let's get started shall we?

How to Block Annoying Game Invites on Facebook (Part 2 of 3)

Are you sick and tired of getting game invites from your Facebook friends? Does it drive you nuts when they still send you more invites despite your numerous posts hinting them to stop including you in their 'playlist'? If yes is your answer, worry no more because this post will certainly help you step-by-step on how to get rid of these daily annoyance.

In the previous post, this type of Facebook friend was mentioned and it falls on the GAMER category. However, you are encouraged to log in to your Facebook account to a PC for you to see the complete settings. 

1. Once logged in, you can see the games activity at the far right of your page. Click MORE, like so in the picture below. 

5 ways to maximize your Facebook usage

1. Avoid complaining about life on your posts. Life is not always sweet but life is still beautiful despite the trials. Learn to embrace life and it will embrace you back. 

2. Avoid being bitter (on your posts). Know your insecurities and learn from them, improve yourself instead and stop comparing yourself with others. 

3. Inspire others by spreading positivity especially on social media platforms such as FB. Trust me, optimism is contagious.

4. Feel beautiful and you will be, inside out.

5. PRAY and be contented. Know how to count your blessings because at the end of the day, you are still BLESSED.