kira's world

GAH. When I AGREED  to Mom's choice of curtains this year, I had no idea it would look like this:

Believe me it looks so pretty in actual, but the color reminds me of a certain Presidentiable whom I am not voting for but my parents are (if you are Filipino you'd get my drift just by looking at the photo above).

I am so sorry Mr. Teodoro for having forsaken thee...I swear I did not do this on purpose. The parents tricked me!

Have you ever seen a creature so big you were scared to even come near it, let alone touch it?

That's how I felt when I first saw the hermies Dad brought with him from Mindanao. He arrived yesterday and I knew he was going to bring crabs but not this BIG!

Please pardon my unkempt hair (again), I was running around packing Human Nature

orders when I took this picture ;p

This is the biggest hermit crab I have ever seen, touched and owned! Of course I know there are other bigger crabs out there (just search online and you might be surprised) but I think my teensy weensy self can only handle a hermit crab this big!

Contrary to his size, he does not bully the smaller crabs but rather keeps to himself and tunnels the whole day.

Yesterday afternoon Max transferred to another shell. In all his shell fights and shell fittings, I was always present. I've seen him change shells twice and it's one of those rare moments that I don't want to miss. Here are some of the shells Max has transferred into (he's currently hiding in that last one):

As you might notice, Max has been choosing smaller shells. Apparently, his shell when I got him at Alabang was far too big for him! Which explains why he seldom comes out and socializes --- he could barely even lift it! Poor thing.

 So here he is now, with a little bit of substrate. He's been climbing around the new crabitat and looks happy :) And oh btw, I finally decided to buy a BIGGER terrarium, I got a tree bark as a climbing toy, and about 1 kilo of sand for their burrowing. I think the new crabitat looks great, wouldn't you agree?

And a different view here:

It's a big upgrade from the 6"x3" tank (which I turned into an isolation tank for would-be molters), the new one is 10.5" x 6.5"! It's got lots of room for climbing, burrowing and socializing. Which brings me to my next post....I've got new crabs! :D

A short Christmas list of stuff that I want that aren't available here *sniff*:

Organic Wear Makeup: 100% Free of Harsh Chemicals. 100% Free of Synthetic Preservatives. 100% Free of Parabens. 100% Free of GMO's. 100% Free of Synthetic Colors. 100% Free of Synthetic Fragrances. 100% Cruelty Free.

I want products that work and save the environment at the same time! Are those too much to ask for? :)

Organic wear® 100% Natural Origin Blush  

The finest Italian powder with buildable color to naturally enhance and accentuate cheeks.
Two shades blend together for the most natural blushing glow.
A 100% natural origin blush, formulated with 16% certified organic ingredients, including jojoba seed oil and corn starch to moisturize and mattify the skin.
Includes mirror and natural goat hair brush.

Organic wear® 100% Natural Origin Concealer Stick  

Ultra-smooth concealer stick with buildable light to medium coverage.
Blends perfectly and evenly for the most natural finish.
A 100% natural origin concealer stick, formulated with 72.5% certified organic ingredients, including jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil and avocado oil to moisturize the skin.
Available in 4 shades, including 2 color-corrective shades: soft yellow to conceal bluish tones and soft green to conceal reddish tones.

"Get the most out of your casual summer looks with a thong sandal that's as trendy as it is comfy. Your best bet? This gypsy-chic style with multi-strap upper design, slim sole, contrast stitching and metallic studding."

And my most coveted Stanaway Sandals in Cognac. They've just been sold out recently at all Aldo stores in Manila. I only have the Teal pair :(

And a Tough Jeans jacket for the boyfriend! We saw something similar to this in Greenbelt 5 (the one displayed was far sexier and made of leather) selling for Php 12,000!!! I'm sure my boyfriend would really like to have this jacket. And if "The Secret" works, I'm sure in time it will come :)

What about you, what's on your wish list? :)

Ellana is one of the more popular mineral makeup brands here in the Philippines and they have quite a cult following. This would be my first Ellana purchase (I got this too from the WTC bazaar) because although I've tried various MMU brands, I still tend to go with the traditional makeup in a compact. As I travel and go places most of the time (and I am always outdoors), I need stuff that I can use while in the car or no-nonsense non-messy products that can easily be applied for quick touch-ups here and there.

And if you've been following this blog, you should know by now that my routine is pretty basic --- just sunblock + eye cream + foundation + blush + lip tint and I'm ready to go.

First, a quick description of the product as lifted from the packaging:

"Lightweight, waterproof and talc-free cream to powder formula that gives full and even coverage throughout the day. With natural ingredients including Tea Tree Oil. Use before concealer."

The Ellana Mineral Stick Concealer comes in 2 shades but I chose the lighter shade Alive which is a better match to my skintone.

First of all, I am not totally sold on the packaging. I mean, white on black? C'mon, I'm sure they can design a better one. Also, the label is just a sticker that looks like it was slapped on a plastic tube [in a hurry] with the ends overlapping. The text on the label was hard to read because it was not printed on properly and tends to fade after much handling. So sorry I cannot list the ingredients because I can't read them anymore!

I would also appreciate if they placed a safety seal in all their products, even though the very accomodating shopgirl obviously gave me a new one, I would like a sealed tube of concealer, thankyouverymuch.

Okay, moving on to the review. Let me say that this reminds me of the Maybelline concealer I used back in the 90s:

The only difference is Ellana's is much smaller and therefore easier to maneuver, but the shade and consistency remains the same. I reckon that since it contains Tea Tree Oil it might be better to use this on blemishes. But the only thing I can think of concealing would be my dark circles. I wished it said Dermatologically tested and Ophthalmologically tested so I could test it without worry, but let's move on.

I first applied my Pond's Light Infusing Undereye Cream then carefully applied the Ellana concealer under my eyes including the outer and inner corners. The concealer has a creamy consistency that's easy to spread but being in stick form, still tends to pull and tug the skin a bit even if applied lightly. I then applied my TFS Premier Foundation, patting carefully along the eye area. (Note: I sometimes reapply the concealer AFTER I've applied foundation for a more opaque coverage, but not for this particular review).

I think it's a very nice shade and my eyes look better with it than without it (but no MAJOR differences here), though it does not totally cover my undereye circles (for this I still have to use my L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation).

The concealer unfortunately tends to sink into lines and creases. Eeep! I can't believe that it actually made my fine lines more noticeable! The good thing is that when this happens you can just smooth over them and blend it in. The concealer also survived well during my 1-hour commute along Taft avenue on a hot day. It's very light and [semi]waterproof but if you need to take it off any makeup remover will do the trick.

So in conclusion, it's a pretty good mineral stick concealer that is well worth your Php 250 ($5.20), but for heavier and more even coverage I suggest you explore other makeup (mineral or traditional) brands. As I've said, I used this under my eyes but I'd also like to hear you experiences with this when used to cover blemishes. So your experiences and comments are most welcome :)

Will I buy this again?

Yes I will. Even though it seems like there are so many cons more than the pros, I would repurchase this product for the following reasons:

• it is mineral makeup -- did not make me breakout at all
• lightweight and easy to apply
• very affordable [for mineral makeup]
• shade is perfect for me
• their office is just near my house (tee-hee)

If only they made this with SPF 15 (or higher) then maybe I can call this my HG concealer ;)

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My mom also purchased the Ellana Baby Buki brush at the bazaar for Php 300 ($6.25). It measures 2.5" and is a smaller version of their Kabuki Brush made of hi-quality nylon hai. I must say that it is very, very soft! It could rival our Kabuki brush from the The Body Shop which we bought for Php 990 ($21.00).

I still have much to explore in the Mineral Makeup world, however I will purchase another MMU product when something fancy catchces my eye. For now I am quite content with my makeup stash (I have to embrace this moment LOL).

I saw these yesterday at PCX while waiting for my sister. Like most so-called "window" shoppers, I told myself that I will not buy anything but rather just "look around". Right.

When I saw the price tag on these babies, I was sold. Each lip tint cost only Php 89 ($1.89) and came in 3 colors (from left to right): Strawberry, Cranberry Jam and Cherry, plus a regular minty lip balm for extra dry lips (not pictured). I think these replaced the now defunct Maybelline Lip Smooth:

Because I like pinks, of course I got Strawberry and was so excited to try it the moment I got to the ladies room. Description lifted from the packaging:

Refreshing Tinted Lip Balm 

• Moisturizes dry/dull lips
• Gives moisturizing shine
• Softens & Smoothens lips
• Dermatologically tested
• Non-sticky texture
• SPF 16

The descriptions are pretty simple & straightforward. This is how it looks like when opened:

It's not obvious in the pic but this awesome balm has micro-glitter! It seems like Maybelline was reading my mind when I asked for the perfect pink lip tint! And this how it looks like on my lips:

I was so happy with the pink tinge that I went back and bought 2 more packs of the Strawberry lip balm. What's so amazing about this product aside from the ultra-cheap price was how moisturized and smooth my lips were. Even an hour later, my lips were still silky smooth but not tacky, heavy or overly shiny. It stays true to it's claim to give a "non-sticky texture".

I love love love the pink hue and I cannot stress this enough! If you love Smashbox's O-Gloss and Prestige's Perfectly Pink , then I guarantee you will love this new Maybelline lip balm/tint as well. The color is basically the same but just in a balm form. PLUS it has SPF 16! How can you go wrong with that?! And let me point out that because it uber moisturizes your lips, application is a breeze and the tint goes on oh so evenly smooth.

And the scent, well, it's pretty good too! As you all know I prefer all my products to be unscented or fragrance-free but the scent of this lip balm is pretty much okay. I think it smells more like cotton candy than strawberry, but it's very subtle and not overly sweet or sickening.

This product gets a thumbs up for me! You better hurry before they all go away much like the Prestige Perfectly Pink lip balm. Whenever I find a new remarkable product that I really like I tend to buy more than two. I regret that I only bought one piece of Prestige's Perfectly Pink lip gloss because Beauty Bar never restocked them :'(

So run to the nearest PCX and grab these babies, they're so cheap you can so afford to get all colors!

I adopted ANOTHER cactus from the World Trade Bazaar last December 15. We always go to this bazaar because by Uncle is the organizer and VP of Worldbex, so we were present as early as the 1st ever Christmas bazaar wherein they flew in Santa from the North Pole.

The theme this year is Filipiniana, so it was a good break from all the Western Christmas decors we're used to seeing. I especially admired the life-sized Belen and the Calesa:

And finally, meet Fuzzy:

It's called an Old Man Cactus because it's got wisps of whitish hair along its stem. Fuzzy particularly has short hair because it is relatively young, but wait till you see when it grows hair like this:

The first time I saw it at Manila Seedling I made a mental note to come back for it. It SO reminded me of that movie "Halimaw sa Banga" (all you 80s Filipino kids should remember that), wouldn't you agree? Initially I thought of naming my cactus Kramer for obvious reasons, but decided on Fuzzy. "Fuzzy" seems more appropriate not to mention cuter (Who wants to think of Kramer?!?! Yech.)

And another hermie update, they are having a chunk of pear tonight and I was able to take a picture of them eating!!!

Hermies are voracious eaters but they need variety. I tried to feed them carrots 2 nights in a row, and they totally ignored it on the second day. So now I have to think of what to feed them in the morning since they apparently are very picky eaters. So today it's a chunk of pear, tomorrow a slice of carrot, then maybe the dried shrimp, then the crab food powder. I want to squeeze in some grapes soon.

AND! Maximus starts climbing!

I decided to take him out of his crabitat several times a day (as opposed to just once a day) so he can exercise. And as usual I used Mom's huge belen, so Max has an expresslane to roam around and climb if he wants to.

Sorry I wasn't able to take a picture of him climbing to the top of the sign. Sometimes he's shy and sometimes he's so gregarious, and today he's the former. I want to handfeed him too, but right now all I can do is coax him to eat by positioning him near the food dish.

I also added moss to their crabitat because we've been experiencing chilly nights here and the crabs have been burrowing a lot or sleeping huddled together, which means the humidity is not right. I don't have a repti-lamp here so I decided to use moss instead. I think they're enjoying it since they've stopped burrowing in the substrate and just sleep under the moss.

I woke up really early last Monday because the dogs were so noisy. That is so unheard of in this crazy chilly weather. I am NEVER awake at 5, except when I have a bazaar or if I'm going on a trip. Brrrr....

So anyway, before I checked on my little doggies and give them a good scolding for waking me up so early, I decided to check on my hermies. I separated them the night before -- the 3 natives crabs (including Mort) were all together while Max was in his own crabitat (I know, he's so spoiled he doesn't want to share). The natives were doing okay. Max on the other hand was MISSING!!! Gah!!!

I could not believe that I would lose him because a) he was in his terrarium, b) his terrarium was closed shut and c) i placed a paperweight on his terrarium door. See, I was so praning already ever since I lost Delia.

So I looked everywhere -- I checked the substrate (he could have burrowed), checked the neighboring terrarium (maybe he got bored and visited the natives?!), and then sat on my bed. Hmmm...with all the safety precautions, I am not convinced that Max was still able to escape.

And then I heard a crawling sound.....

Max had crawled up til the grate and couldn't get out. He was a nudie and wanted to escape! Eep! The next logical thing to do is to coax him into a shell....any shell! A nudie crab is NOT a good thing. So by process of elimination, I decided to remove the 2 painted shells that were in his terrarium and introduce a new shell that was sent in from Mindanao (my Dad sent me awesome shells via LBC last Sunday -- yeah my Dad fully supports my crab obsession).

Instantly, Maximus explored the new shell and then crept right in.

Now Max is more gregarious and interacts well with the other crabs. I figured his old shells were too heavy for him, and this new one is much, much lighter (think thickly padded motorcycle jacket vs a thin cotton knit cardigan --- definitely much more comfy).

Look at him go!

I've also gotten questions about hermit crab food so here are some pictures of what I feed my hermies:

The Hermit Crab Food Powder retails for Php 80/100gms. It is a mixture of Whitefish Meal, Shrimp Meal, Wheat Flour, Corn Meal, Yeast, Enzyme, Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamins. "It's a complete and balanced nutritional for Hermit Crabs, contains all high quality protein, vitamins ad minerals to increase growth and keep Hermies in healthy condition as well as enhance resistance against disease."

Sanyu Shrimp is Php 120/50g contains dehydrated shrimp which has "indispensable calcium which is good for shell and bone formation. It is also rich in protein, vitamins and carotene that increases appetite, promotes healthy growth and colour-enhancing effect." My hermies also LOVE carrots and totally hate leafy veggies.

Hermies are basically scavengers so that means they can and will eat ANYTHING. You can also feed them human food as long as it is food that is not processed. Example, you can feed them beef but preferably one that is boiled with no seasonings, sauce, added ingredients, etc.

It's another busy Monday for us folks here in Manila. Aside from the fact that bazaar season is over (for me anyway), I

 am faced with the aftermath of posting everything on my online store, encoding all sales and expenses and trying to squeeze some gift shopping in between. My "job" is fairly easy and I've grown accustomed to it, except maybe for the constant bickering of my 2 dogs (Micki the Shih Tzu and P-nut the Chihuahua). Not only that, I also have to attend to my cactus plants and my new hermit crabs. Afternoons are such a delight for me, as all my pets are quiet and asleep, and this is the only time I can actually work or write.

Anyway, another reason I love Mondays is because I always look forward to Ukay Manila's new posts. I love ukay (thrift) shopping and I am so addicted to it. I prefer shopping and discovering good finds personally, but if the need be that I have to go online to shop, then Ukay Manila is the premier ukay shopping site.

The site is handled by 2 equally fashionable ladies, Lauren Dado and Liz Lanuzo, who by some stroke of luck (and "small-worldness") are people I can call friends -- just because we DO have common friends. Har har. They always come up with unique pieces every week but I usually go for the dreamy, lacy, girly dresses. And I can tell you that I am always the first (or *gasp* the second) visitor on their site whenever they have new postings -- I am somewhat a stalker (or to put it better, a "suki") in that sense.  So because of Ukay Manila, I can say that I really love Mondays now!

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In other news, my hermit crabs had their first taste of exercise the other day. I bet you're thinking, "A hermit crab needs exercise?!" Well yes they do, especially if their crabitat is as cramped as what their stingy owner bought them (a measly 6" x 3"). So where do crabs exercise? Why, in the sink of course!

The bathroom sink is the perfect exercise playground because they can roam around, climb and run and not be able to escape.

So that's Maximus over there (in the pink shell -- remember he stole Delia's shell!) and the local crabs whom we call "natives" because they only have their natural unpainted shells (yech). Obviously Maximus wasn't in an exercising mood when I took this picture, but the small ones were more than eager to escape.

Aside from the bathroom sink, Maximus and Mortimer have another special playground. First, meet Mortimer:

I call Mortimer "Mr. Feisty" because he has tried to pinch me several times, plus he isn't shy and afraid of humans. This is their new playground, our vintage "belen" complete with moss. Mom will kill me if she finds out I've been playing with her nativity set (hee-hee).  

See what I mean by "Mr. Feisty"? He's rarin' to go just like a wind-up toy!

So there you go, my Christmas just got busier, especially when my Dad said he'll be bringing his Pekingese when he comes to visit for the Holidays. I hope I still find the time to blog amidst all the holiday parties. I am SO looking forward to all the dinners, lunches, shopping, etc. etc. ;D

Today is Maximus's 4th day with me, and although most of the time he's hiding in his shell, he has truly made fantastic progress! First of all, he has not attempted a "shell fight" with any of his new bunkmates. Either his new smaller friends have unattractive shells, or he's just not in the mood for it.

From the start Maximus has been a little timid, but crabby. He is a BIG crab compared to the new ones, but he still gets pushed around by just 1 crab. All the other crabbies are just plain scared of Maximus, but not Mortimer! The latter has been inverting and pushing Max around, and Max just seems to ignore him.

This evening I watched eagerly as Maximus and Mortimer ate their carrot and cornmeal feeds. It is such a joy to see my pets thriving happily. And I am so amazed with how they feed themselves, they seem to really enjoy their veggies.

The other smaller crabs love climbing the "Do Not Enter" sign, while Max has to stay at the bottom because his shell is too big :( I am seriously contemplating on buying a much bigger terrarium where all these guys can play around. Even though hermit crabs are small critters, they still need their exercise.

So here are some pointers for taking care of your happy hermits. I am by no means an expert, but these are some of the stuff I pulled up online (articles and videos) and also from experience:

1. Hermits LOVE to burrow! So make sure your susbtrate is about 2" higher than your crab's height. Aquarium sand or smooth pebbles (gravel) are best. Hermits burrow 80% of the time (at least mine does). Therefore it is imperative that your substrate should be deep enough to accomodate their tunnelling. You need to clean the substrate once a month with unchlorinated water (very important!) only -- do not use soap!
2. Hermits LOVE climbing and exploring, so make sure their crabitat contains lots of toys such as stones, signs or poles, logs, etc. Be careful though, hermies are known to escape easily if you leave the top open.
3. Provide friends! Even though they are called hermit crabs, in reality they LOVE company! Get 3 or 4 hermits total (as much as the terrarium space permits of course) and see them interact with each other. Sometimes I find them all piled up on top of each other fast asleep. It's pretty cute!
4. Use unchlorinated water ALL THE TIME. Use this to clean their crabitats, their dishes and most especially for their drinking water and bathing water. Crabs cannot tolerate chlorine and exposing them to such will give them a slow and painful death.
5. Feed your hermit crabs every night. These guys are nocturnal and so most of their crab activity happens after 8pm. I have also heard them chirping early in the morning. You'd be amazed at how their chirping can actually be as disturbing and loud as let's say, crickets or cicada noises.
6. Spritz their crabitat and the crabs every few hours with -- you guessed it -- unchlorinated water. These land hermit crabs have specially developed gills that they allows them to breathe even when they aren't in water all the time. However, these gills need to be kept moist and so misting helps regulate the humidity in the crabitat and makes sure that the crabs can breathe properly.
7. Give your crabs lots of TLC. They may not be as affectionate and responsive as dogs or cats, but they are still very charming and endearing. Play with them and feed them, just make sure you don't drop them!
8. For more info on hermit care, please visit this very informative sirte: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/.