I came across this site, tryandreview.com and saw that they were looking for product testers and reviewers for free. Since I have a very tolerant skin, I signed up for the first product I encountered which was the new Garnier Serum Mask - HYDRA BOMB.

Cool name, huh. The BOMB. The name alone gives a notion that your face will be soaking with extreme hydration. It also reminds me of this drink we used to buy in a BGC Mall: something like Hula-Hula Bomb.

I must say, it is really nice to have these websites that give honest reviews about a product, and that's their goal here, complete honesty, to help consumers make informed buying decisions.

So, this Sunday afternoon, I opened the parcel it came in and read my welcome letter. It's sort of a welcome but the title is really "CONGRATULATIONS".

Here's me with it anyway: (I submitted the same photo to the website, a requirement)

As per the product description, it's a tissue mask that infuses skin with 1 week of serum in 1 mask.

I have a normal skin, so I really don't need that much of the hydration, but again, this was a free product for me to review.

Upon applying the mask on the skin, you need to remove the blue protective film. I find this a hassle. Most skin masks aren't this tedious. LOL.

The eye slits seem to be a bit small for me, so I have to be careful not to let some of the serum get inside my eyes.
After 15 minutes, I removed the mask as instructed and sort of expected an "intensely rehydrated, smoother, and more radiant skin" as per the packaging. It might be because I didn't have a dry skin to begin with, that I didn't notice any difference at all.

What I did notice though was that my skin looked dewy after I put on my liquid foundation. At the end of the day though, that combination of hydration and foundation made my skin feel oily.

So, my point here is: I can't use this product. :D

1. The seemingly small eye slit. Really, it bothers me. A serum CAN irritate any eye, of course.
2. The blue film. I don't get it.
3. The smell. I don't like it, it's a bit too strong for me.
4. It doesn't suit my skin type.

What's good with the product though, is that it doesn't come in too expensive! So I definitely recommend this to those with VERY dry skin. Or if you're heading to the beach or have just been to any low humidity place (oooh- this would work best in Qatar during summer days!).

Disclaimer: I certify that this review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion, and that I have no personal or business relationship with this website or product, and have not been offered any incentive or payment originating from the website or the product to write this review. 

You know what birds do? You know, their thing -- relocating, moving, migrating? Yup, that's what I did.

Last February, I have decided to leave Manila and work in (*drum rolls*) ILOILO City.

As soon as I got off work on the 28th of February, which was my last day with that company, I headed to Philippine Airlines ticketing office to redeem my free flight (should blog about that) and I booked for the March 2nd flight without batting an eyelash.

The next day was spent packing and looking for possible jobs and a place to stay in Iloilo. I didn't know anyone in the city aside from distant relatives and my bestfriend who lives in Guimaras— and aside from the fact that I didn't want to bother them, the pretense that I am a strong, independent woman must be consistent, so I had to find my way to my own place all by myself.

When I finally found an available room, I messaged the owner and found out that it was very near to the developing MegaWorld business district, where I plan to spend my next working months and years in. So I told her that I am coming from Manila and that I will check out the place on March 2nd and will move in immediately if I find it to my liking.

And boy, was I ever lucky to find this place. It's just by the outskirt of the business district, and going to the mall and workplace would only take 5 minutes by car, maybe less. It's situated at the end of a road though, so that means I'd have to walk 5 minutes to get on a cab or a jeepney (thank God for taxi-hailing apps!)

I have to tell you, the morning walk is so therapeutic! The sound of the trees and birds, the greetings of my distant neighbors, or even some passers by/street vendors, really gives a calming effect and a sense of peace (of course, until I get to my workplace, which is often toxic —a very usual ambiance in the BPO industry).

In the afternoon, I get to walk the same street and enjoy the many colors of the sky brought about by the sunset. AND AGAIN, it only takes a little less than 10 minutes to get home.

Isn't that just fantastic? Compared to Manila, this is really where I find my peace and calm.

Iloilo is the city of LOVE. And this bird loves it here a whole lot!

Plus, Guimaras is a boat-ride away! *heart-eyes*

Recently, I've noticed that my "Frequently Used" emoji list consists of one or two emojis that I have never, ever, ever (ever!) used. It has bothered me before, but the recent bouts of security breaches around the world had me Google-ing reasons for such occurrence. There were a couple of forums, but not one of them had definite answers.

So, as silly as my reason was, I contacted Apple through their chat support. It is quite bothersome to have some stuff on your phone especially if you're sure you did not put it there, right? As soon as she asked "how can I help you today?",  I got straight to my question and gave information she might need. I have worked as a CSR before, so I quite know the drill and I know she might have some more customers to assist who have more important issues than mine-- so I added for clarification that no one else uses my phone and my iCloud account isn't linked to other devices aside from my centenarian MacBook.

Her answer: "All emojis are updated" --something like that-- point being, my question really has not been addressed. She then gave me a link to self-help articles, which I thanked her for, sparing her the admonishing lines that I wouldn't be wasting both our times if I'd found the answer there in the first place. I politely said "that's all for now I guess. bye." to which she replied, "it was a pleasure helping you today. enjoy your afternoon!"

So I turned to Twitter -- and found out there are dozens of people asking the same question.
"Why is this on my frequently used?🤖️"
"How did this 🀄️ go here?!"
"I have never used this!🏯" 
"Is butt-texted a thing?🏺" Some replies said maybe they just accidentally clicked on it. Some suggested resetting their list would clear this list. Some pointed out that this could be an iOS 9 glitch.

As my phone is running on iOS 10.3.3, I'm quite sure that this isn't a glitch. I have been monitoring my list now and so far, there were two that I've accidentally clicked but only once each, yet still, my phone deemed it as "Frequently Used".

I am now also checking if the emoji "suggestions" have anything to do with it, but so far, it has no apparent effect on my list. I'm guessing, and hoping, that this is really just a result of accidental clicks. If anyone has answers, I'd be happy to read on them, please do let me know!

^_^



I returned to my browser to find that she messaged me "Hello? Are you still there?" and then she disconnected, ending our "chat". Um.. didn't we already say our goodbyes, girl? 😂