Urban Decay "Naked" Palette

I only learned how to put on makeup when I was in 3rd year College already. Yep, I know I'm a loser. In fact, I don't think I would have learned how to put on makeup without youtube, which is literally the deus ex machina in my life filled girlish woes. I watched countless numbers of videos in youtube just to get a feel of how to properly apply makeup. After awhile, I noticed that several of the makeup gurus that I follow use this brand called Urban Decay, which made me really want to try it out! Most of them really vouch for the effectiveness of the Primer Potion, but I've also heard several good reviews for the eyeshadow products, specifically the NAKED palette.

Unfortunately, Urban Decay is not available in the Philippines (though you can get it from online sellers, but I was just too scared to do that). Again and again, I asked friends, relatives and colleagues who are in America (or those who know someone from America) if they could purchase this palette for me. After years of waiting, Tita Alma, my savior finally heeded my plea. Her sister recently came home from Qatar and she was able to buy this there from a Sephora outlet in Doha. The price there is 236 QR, which is more or less equivalent to 2800.00+ PHP.

Below are some pictures of the product:

This is the NAKED palette. It comes with a small Eyeshadow Primer Potion (3.7 ml). The case has a velvet finish, which you have to take care of if you want to keep it clean!

 

These are the gorgeous colors of the NAKED 1 palette, which contains the "basics" or the neutral colors. There is also a NAKED 2 palette, which you can read about more in this website. I preferred the NAKED 1 palette since the NAKED 2 palette had too many dark colors. I just think that NAKED 1 has more wearable colors.

 

 

 This is the famous Eyeshadow Potion Primer of Urban Decay. I have yet to try this one out yet, but my cousin told me that Palladio's Herbal Primer is more or less similar to this one. The latter can be considered as a 'dupe' since it is much cheaper than this one. 

 This is what it looks like inside. As you can see, some are matte and some are shimmery.

 

 There are quirky labels underneath each eyeshadow pan and they are as follows: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal.

 The eyeshadow brush also has a quirky name. It's called "Shadow Karma Brush." It has soft bristles, but it doesn't really pick up much product.

 Sorry for the blurred quality. I tried swatching these shadows: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck and Half Baked. I had a hard time swatching Naked since it is not very pigmented, but I loved Sidecar and Half Baked. Buck would work well as an eyeshadow for the crease part.

 

 The swatch for these colors are much better: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal. I love the Darkhorse and Hustle shades. 

I tried using some of the colors without the primer and this is what it looks like: 

 

During my first attempt of using this palette, I did not use a primer. The colors proved to be pigmented enough even without the primer and they are surprisingly easy to blend. I used Sidecar as my base color followed by Darkhorse, which was applied on the crease part of my eyes. I put Hustle on the lower lash line topped with Half Baked on the inner corners of my eyes. Finally, I lined my upper lid with Creep. 

 

Photos with my eyes closed. (Sorry for the bad quality and the shadows; I'm only using a digicam so the images are kinda blurred).

 

Photos with flash. The colors are much more vivid and shimmery. 

 

 

 I tried a close- up shot of my eye, but the colors were not very noticeable. At times like this, I suddenly wish I had an SLR to capture it better.  (=.=)'' Oh yeah,  I also didn't wear any mascara; in fact, I don't really use any mascara anymore since my lashes are very weak!

Overall, I AM happy with this product. The colors are gorgeous. The shadows are pigmented. I love the free brush and the potion primer. My dream came true! However, I think that there are also products that are available here in the Philippines, which might be as good as this one such as the eyeshadows of The Balm or Smashbox. It IS also kind of expensive, but for its quality, it's worth it.

Warrior of the Light

I recently read Paulo Coelho's Warrior of the Light: A Manual. I don't know how to make a book review on this one seeing that it's not exactly a single, coherent narrative. In fact, there's no story. Hence, I just decided to list down my favorite excerpts, which offer very powerful philosophical thoughts.

So, what is this book all about? like the cover says, it's "a manual" or short notes on accepting failure, embracing life, and rising to your destiny. It is very thought- provoking though some are just confusing. All I know is that there are lots of "patama" moments when I was reading this book; in other words, there are lots of excerpts in this book that seem like answers to one's current dilemmas. Below are some of the notes that I find most useful and/or important.

Page 6:

"It's odd," the Warrior of the Light says to himself. "I have met so many people who, at the first opportunity, try to show their worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind their aggression and hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues." 

A warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets. He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. He uses these occasions to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror. 

A warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself. 

 Page 12 (and page 84) almost the same: 

Warriors of the Light have a certain gleam in their eyes.

They are of this world. They are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always make the right decisions. 

They suffer over the most trivial things; they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

They are not always quite sure of what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, believing that their lives have no meaning.

That is why they are Warriors of the Light. Because they make mistakes, because they ask themselves questions, because they are looking for a reason they are sure to find it.  

Page 74:

A Warrior does not keep company with those who wish to harm him. Nor is he seen in the company of those who want to 'console' him.

He avoids anyone who is only by his side in the event of a defeat: these false friends want to prove that weakness is rewarded. They always bring him bad news. They always try to destroy the Warrior's confidence, all under the cloak of 'solidarity.'

When they see him wounded, they dissolve in tears, but in their heart, they are happy because the Warrior has lost a battle. They do not understand that this is part of the fight.

The true companions of a Warrior are beside him always, during the difficult times and easy times. 

Page 85: 

The Warrior of the Light is now waking from his dream.

He thinks: "I do not know how to deal with this light that is making me grow." The light, however, does not disappear.

The Warrior thinks: "Changes must be made that I do not feel like making."

The light remains, because 'feel' is a word full of traps. 

Then the eyes and heart of the Warrior begin to grow accustomed to the light. It no longer frightens him and he finally accepts his own Legend, even if this means running risks. 

The Warrior has been asleep for a long time. It is only natural that he should wake up very gradually.

Page 90:

Sometimes, the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at ones.

In one of them he is obliged to do all the things he does not want to do and to fight for ideas in which he does not believe. But there is another lief, and he discovers it in his dreams, in his reading, and in his encounters with people who share his ideas.

The Warrior allows his two lives to draw near. "There is a bridge that links what I do with what I would like to do," he thinks. Slowly, his dreams take over his everyday life, and then he realizes that he is ready for the thing he always wanted.

Then all that is needed is a little daring, and his two lives become one.

 Page 102:

When somebody wants something, the whole Universe conspires in their favor. The Warrior of the Light knows this.

For this reason, he takes great care with his thoughts. Hidden beneath a whole series of good intentions lie feelings that no one dares confess to himself: vengeance, self- destruction, guilt, fear of wining, a macabre joy at other people's tragedies.

The Universe does not judge; it conspires in favor of what we want. That is why the Warrior has the courage to look into dark places of his soul in order to ensure that he is not asking for the wrong things. 

And he is always very careful about what he thinks. 

Page 107:

The Warrior of the Light has learned that God uses solitude to teach us how to live with other people.

He uses rage to show us the infinite value of peace. He uses boredom to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity.

God uses silence to teach us to use words responsibly. He uses tiredness so that we can understand the value of waking up. He uses illness to underline the blessing of good health.

God uses fire to teach us about water. He uses earth to explain the value of air. He uses death to show us the importance of life. 

Page 114:

The Warrior knows an old saying: "If regrets could kill..."

And he knows that regrets can kill; they slowly eat away at the soul of someone who has done something wrong and they lead eventually to self-destruction.

The Warrio does not want to die like that. When he acts perversely or maliciously--because he is a man of many faults-- he is never too ashamed to ask forgiveness.

If possible, he does his best to repair the wrong he has done. If the injured party is dead, he does some good turn to a stranger and offers up that deed to the soul that he wounded.

A Warrior of the Light has no regrets, because regrets can kill. He humbles himself and undoes the wrong he has done. 

Page 119:

The Warrior of the Light pays close attention to a text that Soul of the World transmitted to Chico Xavier:

"When you have managed to overcome grave problems in a relationship, do not spend time remembering the difficult times, concentrate on the joy of having passed yet another of life's tests. When you emerge from a long period of medical treatment, do not brood on the suffering you endured, think instead of God's blessing that allowed you to be cured.

"Carry in your memory for the rest of your life, the good things that came out of those difficulties. They will serve as a proof of your abilities and will give you confidence when you are faced by other obstacles."

 

Book Review 14: The Beach

 
Book Title: The Beach

Author:Alex Garland

Genre:Adventure

Number of Pages: 436

Personal Rating:9/10

Reading Difficulty: Medium (3/5)

Book Summary 

(none on the back cover): 

After discovering a seemingly Edenic paradise on an island in a Thai national park, Richard soon finds that since civilized behavior tends to dissolve without external restraints, the utopia is hard to maintain. -- Nancy Pearl, goodreads.com

 

Personal Insights:

Basically, this story is about an English backpacker named Richard who 'unfortunately' came across a drunk/high Scottish man who claims that he has been to paradise. The next morning, Richard finds the drunk man dead and is left with a map that he assumes would lead him to the paradise that the man talked about. Wanting to experience 'real adventure,' Richard soon sets off with other backpackers to find this picturesque place only to find out that paradise is not what it seems. 

In a sense, this book is something like a mishmash of "Lord of the Flies," "Life of Pi," "Castaway," "Cannibal Holocaust" etc... Just think of a group of people living together in an island far away from the rest of the world and the dynamics that takes place among the group members when given shocking circumstances like rice run, food poisoning, shark attacks, Thai goons, etc. Yep, it's certainly entertaining so read on!

 

First of all, I'd just like to say that this book just gave me the overwhelming desire to go away and start traveling because it provided such concrete experiences! As a traveler and someone who grew up with the "Generation X" trend, I feel such a strong affinity for this book. In reading the first page alone, my attention was caught already. It talked about Thailand's Khao San Road (though in the book, he called it Ko Sanh Road). With the mere mention of this place, I suddenly became nostalgic of my stay at this same place 2 years ago and I became curious about the experiences of other travelers so I read on. But instead of learning about the character's insights about this place, I was exposed to a different turn of events. He gave a pretty precise idea of what you'd see and expect from Khao San Road, the backpacker's hub in Bangkok. But in the first chapter alone, a lot of things have happened already instead of just having the characters and setting introduced. In a way, it truly is a fast- paced novel, but it can still be relished in a leisurely way. The author has this innate ability to make the readers excited then calm the next moment; the pacing is simply superb. There's never a dull moment in reading this book!

 Apart from the connection I have forged with this book that was automatically made merely because of the setting, I am also VERY FOND of this novel because of the POSITIVE emphasis that the protagonist has given to The Philippines. Yes, you got it right. All throughout the novel, he kept on mentioning the Philippines in a VERY flattering way, which made me so happy that foreigners also have good memories of my homeland. I also did some research and there's this blog (by a foreigner nonetheless so it's not biased!) that mentioned that the 'inspiration' for this book is actually the SECRET BEACH found in El Nido, Palawan of the Philippines! This is not surprising because that place is simply magical and I can certainly attest to that based on my personal experience! Just floating around in that area would give you a lot of fantastic and inspiring ideas! Just look at the pictures below (from google images; wait for my blog about this place also!): 

 you have to swim through here (yep, underneath because there's a big rock on top) to reach the Secret Beach.

But as you can see, going through that scary dive is worth it if the place is this beautiful!

Anyway, enough gushing about the Philippines. Let's move on to the REAL part of my book review!

Reading this book gave me immense joy because it was VERY well- written. The different, separate events are seamlessly connected in one coherent narrative, which is an amazing feat to accomplish! One moment, the protagonist is talking about playing video games and the concept of KO (Knock Out) then at the next part, he is saying something about the adrenaline rush that he feels when he is spying on Thai goons that guard the 'dope fields.' It's just brilliant, how smooth the plot flows! This is a perfect example of a certified page-turner!

 

The characters were also very interesting and their development, thought provoking. The dynamics and interactions in the group was explained SOOO well that you can easily empathize with the characters. For instance, you'd realize that you DO NOT know the last names of the characters, even the protagonists', halfway through reading this book. This gives you the idea of how casual the relationship of the characters are with one another. The conflict of the characters are also well thought of: Bugs vs. Richard concerning cockiness; Etienne vs. Keaty over indifference. These are things that you would not see immediately as 'conflicts' because they are merely implied, but if you study the happenings in the book more closely, you'd understand it more and will be treated to some philosophical thoughts. Here's an example: Which act is more humane? To act like Keaty and pretend that nothing is wrong so as to protect "The Beach" or be more like Etienne and risk the privacy of "The Beach" in order to save a dying man?

I also love the idea that the characters' personality are so flawed and life-like. Let's take Richard as an example. He is the protagonist of the story. You'd think that he'd be perfect and morally upright, which is usually the stereotype for all protagonists. Yet, there was a certain part in the book where he mentioned that after doing something as mundane as smoking, he suddenly turned into someone that he himself cannot recognize. He became a risk-taker when he was a conventional type of guy before. There were also moments where he just acted in such a cold manner, which even scared him! I also love the haunting quality that some characters possess like Jed. I can't forget the part in the book where Jed was thinking that he was still alive yet, people have forgotten about him and have abandoned him in a tent together with a dying man... His accusing yet resigned disposition just made me feel so sorry for him when he said, "Richard, I'm still here but they do not come and visit me!" In sum, the character development is just so rich and complex that you just sort of anticipate what happens next and how they would act given a particular problem!

The ending is shocking to say the least; it was something like a scene form the movie "Cannibal Holocaust" or similar to the ending of Hari Kunzru's "The Impressionist." What I like about it though is that there is a sense of closure unlike other book endings that leave you wanting for more or something... As for the movie vs. book debate, I'd have to say that reading the book is still much better than watching the movie. Why? Because there are lots of scenes that the movie was not able to include, which I think is important for the plot. The movie did not even INCLUDE Jed, who is a very important character considering that he is the one who does the espionage tasks for the group AND, he is the best friend of Richard... Also, the character of Richard in the book is less of a jerk than the one in the movie (though I have to admit that I did enjoy watching Leonardo DiCaprio!) But of course, you also MUST see the movie if you want to see the place (though I don't agree with what the producers did in Thailand while shooting there) and the soundtrack is simply awesome!!!

Would I recommend this book? 100% yes! For people who love traveling, adventure, romance and action, this is a perfect page- turner. However, I would not recommend this book to kids/teens/people who are just sensitive because it has mentions of drugs, sex, cursing, murder, etc so be careful! You have been warned!  

Favorite Excerpts:

I do a lot of traveling alone, so sometimes I get starved of conversation and company. It makes me alert to body language, because even if I'm feeling a bit lonely I don't want to inflict myself on a person who isn't interested.

I learned an interesting thing about jellyfish from a Filipino guy... He taught me that if you pick up a jellyfish with the palm of your hand, you don't get hurt-- although then you have to be careful to scrub your hands, because if you rubbed your eyes or scratched your back, the poison would lift off and sting like mad. 

I don't like dealing with money transactions in poor countries. I get confused between feeling that I shouldn't haggle with poverty and hating getting ripped off.  

There's an infinite amount of chances for something to happen, then eventually it will happen-- no matter how small the likelihood... That means somewhere in space there's another planet that, by an incredible series of coincidences, developed exactly the same way as ours. 

You find plastic pitchers all around provincial Asia and their purpose has confused me for years. I refuse to believe that Asians wipe themselves with their hands-- it's a ridiculous idea... Of the mysteries of the Orient, this should be easiest to unravel, but the subject matter appears to be veiled in a conspiracy of silence. (then Richard starts telling a story about his Manilan friend who felt ashamed that he used toilet paper instead of the plastic pitcher, which the Filipino locals find unacceptably disgusting.)

In an all- blue world, color doesn't exist.. If something seems strange, you question it, but if the outside world is too distant to use as a comparison, then nothing seems strange.

In the traveler's ten commandments, that's (assimilating one's self) commandment number one. You don't march into Hindu temples and start saying, "Why are you worshiping a cow?" You look around, take on board, adjust, accept. 

Give, and gifts will be given to you, for whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to you in return. -- Keaty's favorite bible quote

Collecting memories, or experiences, was my primary goal when I first started traveling. I went about it in the same way as a stamp collector goes about collecting stamps, carrying around with me a mental list of all the things I had yet to see or do.

I don't keep a travel diary. I did keep a travel diary once, and it was a big mistake. All I remembered of that trip is what I bothered to write down. For exactly the same reason, I don't travel with a camera. Photographs never seem very evocative... If only there was a camera that captured smell. Smells are far more vivid than images. 

Travel conversation was a pretty good substitute for conversation about home. You could tell plenty about someone from the places they'd chosen to visit, and which of those places were their favorites... I knew my affection for the Philippines was equally as telling. a democracy on paper, apparently well- ordered, regularly subverted by irrational chaos. A place where I'd felt instantly at home.