Hello there!
Last week, I got injured while taking my daily outdoor walk. I had just made my first 200 steps and suddenly fell on my knees. It also didn’t help that I was trying to navigate my NCT 127 walking playlist on my phone.
As a result of this injury, I’ve been resting a lot. I significantly lowered my movement goals on my phone and fitness watch. I also limited my workouts to walking around the house or carrying Berry for weight training.
But enough about injuries! Talking about it adds more sadness to my recovery journey. Let’s talk about the fun stuff. You know, the six things that I’ve been enjoying lately? Jump in and read!
GRWM Cosmetics Lip Speak lipsticks in Berry Pepper and Cheesecake Supremacy
GRWM is one of my favorite local beauty brands in the market. They rally behind awesome causes, make highly inclusive beauty products, and are reasonably priced.
I know that their hero product is the Milk Tint. However, I do think that the Lip Speak lipsticks deserve more hype (if not the same level of hype as the Milk Tints).
This specific lipstick is described as a “true matte lipstick,” but I beg to disagree. It’s a comfortable and buildable matte lipstick that feels like a matte lip balm, similar to Sunnies Face’s Fluffbalm.
I have the shades Berry Pepper, which is a berry browny-pink that reminds me of the new Merit matte lipstick in Maison, and Cheesecake Supremacy, which is a neutral pink lipstick that is a My Lips But Better (MLBB) shade on me. Yes, I like my lipsticks in the MLBB to berry-brown-pink color family, rather than venturing into brighter, bolder colors.
Overall, I enjoy this formula. For a matte lipstick, it feels good, it doesn’t leave my lips feeling parched, and it lasts fairly well. I also appreciate the color story for this line, since the colors are nuanced enough to suit a variety of skin tones. The packaging is also very fun to play with as a stim toy, especially with its clicky-type mechanism.
Now where can you find it? GRWM is available online, as well as some SM malls like SM Makati.
Is this a dupe for the new Merit lipsticks? No, but they look similar!
Straightforward Sopro Tote
I have a confession to make: I have accumulated a fuckton of bags (mostly ludicrously capacious ones) in the past 4 years. This double-strapped tote bag from Straightforward is my latest acquisition.
During a semi-spontaneous friend date, Jow and I ended up browsing the new Straightforward boutique at One Ayala. We had a “same brain cell” moment where we both voiced out a need to own a versatile bag that could be used for travels and daily adventures. This specific bag perfectly met all our needs. It’s very roomy, it doesn’t catch dirt easily, and it looks inconspicuous enough to be a Proper Work Bag for the Corporate Slaves. We also got sold on the price point, since we ended up splitting Php 1,500 for two bags!
Even though I work mostly from home, I find myself using this whenever I need to go to the office or to a neighborhood coffee shop to work. I am bringing this bag as my carry-on during my upcoming trip to Singapore, where I can house my essentials (laptop, phone, personal documents, journals, pens, beauty stuff) and spare clothes.
The Straightforward Sopro tote is available at shopstraightforward.com or Straightforward boutiques.
NCT 127’s The Unity concert in Bulacan
I’ve been an NCTzen for around 6 years now, but this is the first full-length concert of any NCT sub-unit that I’ve been to. I guess the universe decided to align things for me to see the Urichils. I’ve been a fan of NCT 127 and their music, so this concert was the perfect moment for me to fangirl. Yuta took off his shirt, they performed “Skyscraper” and “Yacht,” and Johnny was just his oh-so-charming, pa-fall self. I also didn’t experience sensory hell, which is a good thing for these kinds of events.
I don’t want to go into specifics about the not-so-nice parts of the concert anymore, since this was a core memory for me as a fangirl. I just want to remember the Good Parts, lol.
Bluey
I’m a soon-to-be 30-year-old who likes to watch cartoons. Bluey is my newest obsession. I’ve seen video essays and read commentaries on the show and how it tackles adult issues creatively, as well as its ability to resonate with kids, teens, and adults.
As someone who grew up watching a lot of kid-friendly shows, this show felt like a welcome break from the usual. The lessons do not feel preachy and annoying, and you learn the lessons while you watch the show. The characters also feel very human, where they’re allowed to affirm themselves, acknowledge their mistakes, and grow along the way. There are no holier-than-thou characters that are worth disliking on this show, which adds to its appeal among adult viewers like me!
My favorite episodes are “Pass the Parcel,” “Faceytalk,” and “Keepy Uppy.”
As for the show’s ability to heal my inner child, I enjoyed its emphasis on play. Growing up, my access to play slightly waned after my mom passed away. While I enjoyed playing Marco Polo or Ice Water after school, it was hard for me to access playtime at home due to our living situation.
The show has been a reminder for me to embrace play or gamification in all areas of life. Whether I’m spending my free time playing crossword puzzles or turning my chores into a game, I’m here to make my life a little more playful or fun. After all, life shouldn’t be all doom and gloom (even if I have a tendency to trauma dump and be gloomy online / IRL). I can’t wait for the day where I can see the positive effects of play in my creative practice, and I’m here for it.
I attended my first Broke Ad School lecture!
One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve made as an advertising creative is not immersing myself enough in my craft. Apart from the hands-on mentorship that I lacked, I also didn’t have enough spoons or resources to take myself further in my career through courses or articles discussing the creative process. I thought the hands-on work was more than enough to get by. However, I realized that I needed to learn creative techniques in order to embrace the process of ideation more, and the need to be more versatile when it comes to writing for my clients.
The lecture that I attended was about the ideation process and the creative techniques that most creatives utilize when generating ideas. It was a fun and fruitful session, yet it made me realize that I needed to unlearn how I see good copywriting or ideating. While crafting is an essential part of the creative process, it’s important to learn how to generate ideas and have fun it. The snarking / evaluation stage can come later.
Byredo Bal D’ Afrique hand cream
Over the last few years, I’ve dabbled in Byredo perfumes. My favorite one from their core collection is Mojave Ghost, with Bal D’Afrique a close second.
Although I’m not a big fan of woody and spicy scents, I liked the drydown of the Bal D’Afrique. Not to mention, this perfume is a favorite of Jaehyun and Yuta of NCT.
Recently, I picked up the hand cream in this scent at a luxury boutique as a little treat for myself. It smells bright and fresh, yet it has a layer of muskiness that grounds the woody, citrusy notes.
I’ve been enjoying this hand cream, but I don’t use it every day. Instead, I use this hand cream as a pick-me-up on not-so-nice days, or on days where I feel fancy.
And that’s it for my selection of current favorites! I hope you enjoyed.
Until the next brain dump,
Lea