Usually a seasonal release over the summer, some of the favorites from the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess line, such as the Bronze Goddess Skinscent (a personal favorite!) will now be available year round. Yipee!

Aside from getting to play with makeup all day and being able to play with many different faces, one thing I love the most about working in the beauty industry is all the insider training and education I've received. Working for Estee Lauder (being my first job here in the United States) has been such a rewarding experience thus far. Back when I was working as a fashion stylist, I've always had an appreciation for makeup, but I never really had the expertise or the confidence to say I knew a lot.

EVERLAST-ing boxing gear, literally! Everlast pro training gloves, Everlast hand wraps, Wodwhipper jump rope, and Everlast punch mitts


So you guys, looks like I'll have to Manny Pacquiao my way into losing the postpartum fats! :D

Seriously though, it's been two months since I popped out my little man, and everyday is an uphill battle to lose the excess poundage. I have gained a total of 45 pounds, and lost short of 30. That's an achievement, I suppose? But as they say, it's always the last 10 or 15 pounds thats near impossible to get rid of. I would hustle my butt off to the nearest crossfit gym if I could (I got hooked right before I left the Philippines!), but paying $250/month? No thanks. So with that, me and the hubs decided to go ahead and get us some brand new boxing gear-- I've boxed on/off in the past, so hopefully it really helps this time around.

First time moms out there, any tips on how YOU won the weight battle? Insights appreciated!:)

Ten months.

That's how long I've been absent from this space. Heck, that's the longest I've ever been gone from this space, ever. I've long given up on the thought that I still have hundreds of followers still rabidly waiting for a new update from me, but hey-- I'm hoping at least my mother and a few of my most loyal friends would be ecstatic to see something new on this page again.

Everyone who's connected to me personally would probably know by now some of the reasons as to why I've been gone that long, but if you're one of the two casual readers still hanging on to the hope that I'll return someday and explain myself, I can sum it up in three words: change is constant.

My life has been nothing but ongoing and overwhelming changes since early last year. I just HAD to decompress, even if it temporarily letting go of a lot of the things I held dear, including this blog. As you can tell from this photo, I'm obviously NOT in the tropics anymore (defeats the purpose of keeping the name, yes? but whatevs)-- I left the literal warmth of home to relocate to the heart of Midwest America (where it's ridiculously cold for more than half of the year) to finally start a little family with my significant other. Last year brought out probably the biggest change I least expected-motherhood. We now have little Dallas Isaac, our wee two-month old and the third member of our little family. So there you have it--  I actually popped a human being (Achievement unlocked!) AND moved to a whole new country in a short span of ten months. It really is too short of a time to have done both that. So again, can you blame me for being gone that long?

So as you can see, I didn't just change cities, or countries; my life completely changed course in every which way.  Finding myself being a new mom in a whole new country while trying to establish myself again has been nothing short of a challenge everyday, but I'm trying to go through the motions with open arms. I think it's going to be very interesting to see where my new life takes me.

Just like me, please expect a complete do-over where this blog is concerned. And while I'm probably no longer going to be identified as a "cebu fashion blogger" (though I miss my old blogger friends so!) or will be posting less about clothes and more about, say, the wintry beauty of Michigan or my quest to lose postpartum fats, I hope you find that my new life will be just as interesting as the last one I led. It's good to be back!:)