Inside the mind of a woman

I have always wondered why there are very few women here who wear red stilettos. I have worked for so many years at the city’s business district and have always paid attention to someone’s shoes. But I cannot recall that I have ever seen more than a handful of women trotting in red shoes. Most of the time, they wore unexciting, forgettable pairs. Not one pair made me stop and stare and with wide eyes mutter – “I want those shoes!”.

Several years ago, I laid my only pair of red stilettos to rest. I had finally worn them down until it became embarrassing to even be known to own that pair. It took a few more weeks before I agreed to throw them out without a replacement. It was very difficult to find another pair of red stilettos that I finally gave in to letting go of the storage space for my other pairs of shoes. I visited many stores, strolled across the city’s largest malls but did not find what I was looking for.

Why don’t a lot of stores sell red shoes? I think its because not many women would think of buying themselves a pair as they would one that is black, brown or cream. I think green colored shoes would attract more buyers than red ones. Is it because red make people think of the words sexy, vamp, flirt, temptress. Red intimidates people. Red catches people’s attention and only the gutsy can get away with it.

So red stilettos are much like lace lingerie. They make you feel sexier and they add a spring to your step. And I am so happy to have found the perfect pair of red shoes recently. Although, my feet would die if I were to wear them to work regularly but they are one of my most cherished possessions today. I swear I feel 6 feet tall while wearing them. Everyone should have at least a pair on hand for those special moments. Something akin to the long black dress.

Do you have red shoes? Get one now.

These are my new Louboutins

** topmost photo courtesy of xtina_badgirl

I think I have turned into a lip balmaholic, a lip balm addict. I must have at least 10 different brands of lip balm on hand and stored in my makeup kit. Some of them are still unopened to this day.  I have some at the office, in my bag, and at home. When I chance upon new lip balms in shops or stores, I cannot help but look and browse. It may be because my extremely dry and chapped lips drives me crazy day in day out.

The internet has also been a great source of information as I have discovered that products which are made of all natural ingredients are the best in the market. One such lip balm that I have come to love is Leyende’s Kiss Kiss Balm Balm that come petrolatum-free.

In my search for more organic and eco-friendly products, I came upon Etsy.com.

Etsy provides a marketplace for crafters, artists and collectors to sell their handmade creations, vintage goods and crafting supplies. Most of Etsy’s shopping Categories are for items handmade by the Etsy seller.

– From the Etsy.com website

A single query at Etsy for lip balms will produce pages and pages of sellers who make their own lip balms from shea butter, beeswax, aloe, cocoa butter and other ingredients you may not have even heard of in a lip balm. I looked through each and found the products that best fit my needs and my budget.

Mummumscrafts has this amazing offer of a 5-for-the-price-of-4 lip balm package that consists of the following flavors: watermelon, cherry vanilla, coconut, peppermint and tea tree. The price is so cheap and when I asked, she confirmed she will ship to the Philippines! For $10, the 3 week wait was bearable and at the end of that, I had 5 yummy lip balms to add to my stash.

I have used up my cherry vanilla and am almost at the end of the watermelon lip balm tube. They slide on thin and moist and you can feel the moisture immediately penetrate your lips. However, the strong scents are too delicious and too tempting that sometimes I don’t notice that I have managed to lick through my lips again. I still love them though (even if hubby doesn’t) as they help ease up the pain that comes with chapped lips.

Now I resolve to try harder and use more eco-friendly and natural products on my skin and on my face. I feel they work better with my skin composition as evident with my foray into mineral makeup and skincare. I wish I could stick to a 100% all natural line but not all things I need are made that way yet and if you think beauty (or the illusion of it) has no price, then think again. Cheers!