Key word: ALMOST.

Shirt and Shorts from Champion USA. Shoes: New Balance Minimus 10 Life (Seriously the most comfortable shoes ever made)

2012-05-29 WOD (CrossFit Insurrecto)

Know the difference between your front rack and pressing positions.

Skill/Strength: Push Press
5x5

MetCon:

L3 (Big Dawgs) 
10 rounds for time:
10-9-8-…-2-1 Clean and jerks (95#/65#)
1-2-3-…-8-9-10 Box jumps (24”/20”)
* 5 Knees to elbows EMOTM

OR L2 (House Dogs)
10 rounds for time:
10-9-8-…-2-1 Push jerks (75#/55#)
1-2-3-…-8-9-10 Box jumps (24”/20”)
* 5 Hanging leg raises EMOTM

OR L1 (Puppies)
10 rounds for time:
10-9-8-…-2-1 Push ups
1-2-3-…-8-9-10 Box step ups (20”/12”, L+R=1)
* 5 Reverse crunches EMOTM

I don’t normally do the most difficult level but cleans are my absolute favorite so I couldn’t pass it up. I started to regret it by the 3rd round — grunting, groaning, almost crying, even saying “I don’t want to do this anymore.” With all my coaches’ shouting and not allowing me to stop, I finished at 13 minutes with a total of 55 clean and jerks, 55 box jumps, and 60 knees to chests.

A while back, I posted this photo of me to show the progress I’ve made since having started CrossFit in November of 2011.

During the first few months I just couldn’t stop telling everyone I know that they should try it and why. I’ve toned down a lot already. Don’t get me wrong, I really am enthusiastic when I talk about how CrossFit is such a fun and effective workout.

I guess what I’m tired of hearing is how people complain so much about gaining weight and wanting to lose it but never do anything about it. It is kind of tiring to keep hearing “Tomorrow, I will..” (Reminds me of this really powerful line Nike uses — YESTERDAY YOU SAID TOMORROW.) Then if they actually do something about it, a lot of them either just starve themselves or go to a globo gym in hopes of getting that beach body with a few hundred bicep curls and by going mad on the treadmill. Nothing really wrong with that if the goal is to look…decent. None of my business, really. To each his own.

However, I am a hundred percent sure that many of you globo gym goers feel that there’s something lacking. Yes, you see a bit of physical change and you feel better about yourself… but maybe, just maybe, you’ve asked yourself at least once if you can keep it up your whole life. How will you achieve progress? How FAST do you think you’re progressing with whatever program you have now?

It all boils down to what your goal is. A lot of people see fitness as a superficial thing. As long as you look “thin” and “slim,” you’re considered beautiful and fit. To me, fitness has become a WAY OF LIFE. It’s something you do day in and day out; something you stick with whether you like it or not. That’s what CrossFit has taught me. That’s what my Coach, Aaron Dela Cruz (CrossFit Insurrecto), showed me. I have long since stopped weighing myself and measuring my body parts. The only reason why I weighed myself the last time was because I was weighing check-in luggage. I am now 116lbs — the heaviest I’ve been in my 23 years of existence — but I’m proud to say that this is the fittest and healthiest I’ve ever been as well. Weight is a poor guage of quality of life. What I know is that with what I’m doing, I’m adding quality AND quantity to my years on earth. If you’re looking for the same thing, go to CrossFit Insurrecto. It’s the BEST box in the Philippines. Trust me, I’ve tried all. If you think CrossFit is too difficult for you, find something that’ll work for you. Whatever it is, just make sure you can stick to it.

Sooooo, after 6 months of CrossFit, I think I say I’m on the right path considering my goal.

I’ll consider this my AFTER of the previous AFTER photo.

So what has the last three weeks of strength training and a WOD here and there given me? A STRONGER ME. The physical is always just the bonus. I’ve been doing Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 and I know he says it’s “boring but big” but I actually think it’s a lot of fun. I train with amazingly dedicated athletes (yep, the big boys) but the atmosphere is really great! Having Jr. Coach Karen Kennedy train with me and encouraging me while the big boys do their thing makes lifting more exciting than I already think it is.

My little sister told me this was kind of (okay, she actually said REALLY) scary but just so girls don’t get that scared, check out my photos exactly 16 days ago HERE. That’s still close to how I normally look like now! I’m positive 90% of people I know, especially the older ones, would say “Ay, hindi na maganda yan! Maganda yung slim lang!” (Bluntly put:That’s ugly, thin is beautiful.)but I don’t care at all. I know when I’m older, I’ll be thankful.

I still have a lot of weight to lift and hundreds of WODs to conquer before I become even the smallest fraction of one of my favorite CrossFitters, Andrea Ager. But I know I’m on the right track. I trust the program. I trust my coach. I trust myself.

I trust CrossFit Insurrecto

Drop by the box. #36 AAA Health Plaza, Scout Torillo St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Follow CrossFit Insurrecto on Facebook and @Cfinsurrecto on Twitter.

One of my biggest pet peeves is blue shadow gone wrong. A number of Filipinas and salon makeup “artists” seem to think that blue eye shadow goes well with the Pinay skin tone. When I say blue eye shadow, I mean the grayish blue ones. Sadly, it’s just not flattering for morenas. Instead of accentuating beautiful bronze skin, it just makes it quite ashy and dull. The super puti (fair) ones might just be able to pull it off but it would still take quite an amount of oomph to carry it well without looking over the top.

However, these kinds of things challenge me. I believe it’s just a matter of learning which blues to use and what other colors to pair them with. I wouldn’t usually go for two blues (a light and a dark one) since I think it looks tacky that way.

I just dyed my hair a darker ash brown (again, at Aura Salon) a couple of days ago and decided I would experiment with blue shadow and how to make it wearable. I wouldn’t have worn this BERRY BRIGHTS LOOK with my blonde hair because if I did, there would just be too many things going on; I’d probably look like a clown.

Here are the products I used for my look:

Top row: Pop Neon Lid Matte Cyan Shadow

Middle row: Lancome Le French Touch in 316 Soft Marshmallow, my favorite lipstick as of the moment! I find it hard to pull of cool pinks but this has just the right amount of blue undertones to go well with my warm skin tone. This would look really good on Pinays with dark brown hair.

Bottom row: Urban Decay Book of Shadows III’s Last Call and Rockstar

eww. please excuse my ugly nails. :(

12 Easy Steps to BERRY BRIGHTS: 

1. Prep, prime, and apply foundation.

2. Groom and color in brows.

3. Apply primer (I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original — get one for yourself   by clicking THIS) all over the lid.

4. Apply MATTE CYAN eyeshadow below the crease/socket line with a large flat eye shadow brush and blend until the edges are soft.

5. Apply a magenta-ish color like LAST CALL at the crease with the tips of a medium flat eye shadow brush, making sure to not go below the eye socket line.

6. With a small and thin flat eye shadow brush, draw a dark violet line directly on the socket line outward in then blend to get rid of harsh demarcations.

7. Line your lower lash line with the same magenta shadow.

8. Apply a light pink, almost neutral shade on the inner corners of your eyes and blend upwards.

9. Apply a gel liner (I used Clinque gel liner in True Black) with a thin eyeliner brush.

10. Sweep at least three coats of mascara (I used Max Factor False Lash Effect)

11. Dab on a bit of soft pink blush (or you can even skip this part)

12. Brush on a cool pink lipstick and gloss on your lips for a delicious looking pout.

Hope you like this look!

For my cousin’s wedding (see previous post), I wore a Chanel inspired dress designed by my sister, Jessi.

I couldn’t bring a smaller clutch or else all my stuff wouldn’t fit. I think this Chanel purse went well with my dress anyway.

This was my last hurrah as a blonde. I loved being blonde but as of now, it’s just too difficult to maintain. I just had to convince my mom (who wanted me to dye my hair dark already since my roots were showing) that the whole look would be ruined if my hair was dark!

Every time I have a formal event to attend to, I ALWAYS have my hair up. (Having my hair down just makes it harder for me to move.) My sister Jessi also has to do it for me every time too; I just don’t trust regular salon stylists because most of the time they’re styling is just too baduy, old fashioned, and stiff. I’m a sucker for the perfectly imperfect up do. I had to curl my hair before my sister teased the crown. I’m sure the upside down french braid is pretty obvious and then she just twirled the ends into a chignon.

My nails were done by Piandre Salon in my village. I love how the effect perfectly captured the night sky. This Chanel lip gloss is what I put on right after applying Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Flying Cloud, a pinkish coral shade.

Since my dress was simple and feminine, I decided to go for the dramatic eye and soft lips. I used the Naked Palette’s Gunmetal and Creep to get that silvery smoky eye and falsies to complete the look!

My cousin and ninang, Ate Chin, is one of the beautiful people in the world. Even just one look at her, no one would be able to deny it. What makes her even more beautiful is the fact that she has the BIGGEST heart. She’s probably the sweetest, most thoughtful, and most malambing person in our clan. She has so much love to give, not just to her family, but to those who actually need it the most — the less fortunate, the abandoned, and literally the children in the street.

Her now husband, Royce, hit the jackpot when he got my cousin to marry him. :)

It was a beautiful night with beautiful people!

Some of the Gomez girl cousins with the bride (L-R:Jessi, Erica, Ate Lisa, Ate Chin, Me, Jodee, Ate Mel, Ate Nina)

Jessi, Jodee, Me, Erica, Ate Malen, Rico, Ate Lisa, Ryan

With Felise, who just came home from Liverpool just for her Ate’s wedding; the Maid of Honor who gave the best speech of the night!

With Kuya Moach, Ate Chin’s Kuya, who I practically considered as my own kuya growing up.

One of my favorite pictures of the night! I was so excited when I saw my neices, the Camacho baby girls! Tasha (above) is my Ate Nina’s first born. The whole night she kept asking me “Are you Blair Willows?” (from Barbie Princess Charm School) So adorable! Tasha, Tali, and I were also wearing very similar princess pink dresses!

With Tali. I was so thrilled when she let me hold her because, apparently, she doesn’t go with anyone just like that!

This is Riana, my Ate Malen’s daughter, the little girl with the prettiest smile in the world! I swear that smile never comes off! I’d also have to say that she’s one of the most fashionable girls I saw that night. And yes, she even had to show how her shoes went perfectly well with her dress. Such a beautiful little girl!

Speaking of fashionable, here’s what my sisters, my mom, and I wore to the wedding — all designed by my sister, Jessi!

Jodee looked so perfect in her dress! The color is amazing on her and the floral detail on her chest is just divine.

I love the ruching of this dress. It wasn’t executed exactly the way it should’ve been but my mom absolutely rocked it!

The best thing (among the many) I like about this dress is how it perfectly showed off my sisters ASSets! It looked so gorgeous on her. She looks like a cross between Jessica Rabbit and The Little Mermaid, don’t you think?

The original design of my dress was a bit different from this but I’m glad that my sister and I decided to alter it. I love how it looks like Vintage Chanel — all feminine with spot on amount of glam!

Bride’s, Bridesmaids, Maid of Honor’s, Sponsors’ dresses by Cary Santiago

Gomez dresses designed by Jessi Gomez

Hair (Jessi, Jodee, Jilli) by Jessi Gomez

Makeup (Jodee’s and mine) by me 

Prom is always exciting. Well, I’ve only been to one (yep, mine) but I get what the fuss is about. Picking your dress, choosing hair styles, trial makeup, asking your crush to prom, having an awesome night with your girlfriends — it’s a girl thing. These days, the closest I get to being involved in proms is doing makeup. 

This is my cousin, Alex. I’ve seen her grow up… from being the most kulit baby to the brilliant and beautiful young lady she is now. I couldn’t believe I was making her up for PROM already!

Alex is a simple girl but also a lot of fun. She has really fair skin with cute and light little freckles sprinkled on her face. I did not want to cover those up at all so I just gave her a thin layer of foundation.  I didn’t want her to look over the top because it wouldn’t go with her personality at all. I wanted to keep the look young, natural, and fresh, with just the tiniest twist.

On her lips, I wanted a juicy pastel peach. I used YSL Rouge Pur in 144 Silky Apricot. On her cheeks, I swiped on a peachy shade as well — Karma (My ultimate favorite blush) from Ulta.

I kept her eyes natural by applying shades from Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows IV. (Skimp, Baked, Midnight Cowgirl) To add that youthful twist, I rimmed her lower lash line with a beautiful deep green (Bender) from the same palette. On a side note, people keep asking me if I sell the Naked Palette (which I don’t) but I just feel that they’re so caught in hype of it all. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s amazing and have one myself but people are quick to disregard other stellar palettes such as this. If you count the number of neutral/naked shades in here, you’ll get 12. And then you get a BONUS of FOUR gorgeous colors too! To me this is just more versatile. The best Book of Shadows Urban Decay has come up with even if the packaging isn’t nearly as great as the BoS III: UD <3 NYC.

If you’re interested or have decided on getting this palette for yourself, just order at Kissed and Made Up Cosmetics! <— Click on this link. (Available in the Philippines only)

Here’s Alex finished look! She looked absolutely STUNNING!

Model: Alex Nazareno
MUA: Jilli Gomez
Hair: Jessi Gomez

Dress: Landmark 

It’s true! In my previous post, I mentioned that I had exciting news about Urban Decay. What could be more exciting than Filipino beauty addicts having the chance to own makeup from one of the most coveted beauty brands???

Check out available Urban Decay products for sale here: Kissed and Made Up Cosmetics!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV

Best combination of colors in all the Book of Shadows, in my opinion. I think every buyer of this palette is a winner. High quality single shadows sell for around P1000 in the Philippines. With this palette you get SIXTEEN amazingly pigmented eyeshadows with incredible color payoff and staying power c/o UD’s best-selling Primer Potion, PLUS eyeliner, mascara, and a primer potion for P 3,750. How can you go wrong?

Anyone who has ever used Urban Decay shadows will tell you how beautifully vivid the colors appear on the skin. They are extremely velvety unlike cheap shadow which are powdery, are a pain to apply, and are impossible when it comes to staying power.

I cannot stress enough how perfectly UD picked the colors for this particular palette. It has about TWELVE naked-neutral shades and FOUR very usable colors! It’s like the Naked Palette with a bonus! Speaking of bonuses, it also comes with a liquid eyeliner in Perversion (black), a Supercurl Mascara (black), and cult favorite Primer Potion. What are you waiting for? GRAB ONE FOR YOURSELF RIGHT NOW… THERE ARE ONLY FIVE MORE LEFT! P3,750 at Kissed and Made Up Cosmetics!

Oh, and if you Pinay/Pinoy beauty junkies have run out of this magic stuff, I have FOURTEEN left!

I get so insecure when I feel like I’m about to run out of this juice! It’s every makeup addict’s staple, that’s for sure.

BARGAIN HUNT is the newest fashion adventure to hit the streets of Manila, and YOU have the chance to be a part of it!

Wild Events would like to invite you to be part of BARGAIN HUNT on the 6^th-8^th (Friday to Sunday) of July 2012. The event will be held at the New Megatent in Libis, Quezon City!

FOR INQUIRIES, CONTACT DOMINIQUE THROUGH 0917-718-4606 or wildevents.ph@gmail.com!

Hi, I’m Jilli. I’m a makeup addict.

Now let’s play Where’s Waldo. Makeup style.

So excited to share them with you! Even more excited to share some URBAN DECAY NEWS for all you makeup addicts, UD minions, and soon-to-be UD minions out there!

No, I still don’t have all the time in the world but THIS is absolutely blog-worthy.

After almost three months of WOD Nation (Guerilla CrossFit), the best CrossFit certified coaches in the Philippines now have a home and all of us at WOD Nation now have our own playground — CrossFit Insurrecto.

Their name couldn’t be more fitting. They are game changers and are revolutionizing the perception of fitness in the country, not just because they’re doing CrossFit which is revolutionary in itself, but also because the coaches are extremely dedicated and passionate about what they teach.

They’re not your usual gym trainers who give you a sheet of paper with a list of all these exercises you have no idea how to do and which you will probably not be able to do properly because you’re just left alone most of the time. No, these coaches do not let anything pass. Being excellent athletes in their respective fields of sport, they go back to the science behind every move and practice the art of it by creating techniques and customizing each motion to fit the unique structure and built of our bodies. Thinking of it from an architectural point of view, what they teach is FORM with FUNCTION. Neither simply follows the other.

I know I’ve already blogged about CrossFit and talked about it non-stop outside of this blog that people’s ears are probably bleeding from hearing too much about it. So let me SHOW you instead what we, at CrossFit Insurrecto, do.

Junior Coach Ken

Junior Coach Karen

Coach RJ - Mobility Expert, Arnis Maestro

Coach Ferds - Elite Triathlete, Ironman World Championship Finisher

Coach A - Competitive Powerlifter (He squats 445 lbs! Oh but in the photo, he’s doing a 165 lb clean.)

How much more bad ass can they be?

Right now you might just be thinking why I ain’t selling you ABS, PECS, and ARMS. Let me ask you, how many gyms have promised you that and haven’t been able to keep it? Well, they may have done their best (although in my opinion, they never will) but why haven’t you kept your end of the bargain? You also say, “Of course they can do stuff like that, of course they look that way. They’re the coaches.” I’m far from achieving my dream body — if you keep doing CrossFit, it won’t even be about that anymore. But just so you’re assured that there ARE physical changes, I look like this just after ONE MONTH of training with these coaches.

I’d say my arms aren’t that bad. And I got them without a single bicep curl! Ha!

Because cleans have also become one of my favorites, I’ve gotten a stronger back.   I have scoliosis and having a strong back will save me a lot of trouble when I’m old.

At CrossFit Insurrecto, you’ll have a reason to keep coming back. NO. MATTER. WHAT. I’m not going to tell you what it is. Go find out for yourself.

CrossFit Insurrecto. #36 Health Plaza Building, Sct. Torillo, Diliman, Quezon City. (Very close to Timog Ave. and Tomas Morato Ave.)

For inquiries, visit their Facebook Page, or send an email to thebox@crossfitinsurrecto.com 

Photos by Jan Aliling

Coaches’ Shirts from U.S. Master Sports

I almost never post anything that I don’t write myself but this article had me too shocked that I just had to post it. Not only do I believe that it IS kind of my responsibility, I am also just shocked and panicking that I actually own and use some of the products on this list!

Via Yahoo News:

Heavy Metals Found in Many Cosmetics: Not Listed on Labels

by Sarah B. Weir

In light of recent news that the FDA found lead in 400 brands of lipstick, Yahoo! Shine took a look at other products containing potentially hazardous ingredients. Historically, women have risked their health for beauty by usingcosmetics laden with poisons. It’s reported thatQueen Elizabeth’s face became so disfiguredfrom lead-contaminated makeup, she had all the mirrors in her palace removed. In 18th century France, courtesans applied vermilion rouge, which contained sulfur and mercury, and suffered damage to their teeth, livers, and nervous systems as a result. While the levels are much lower, according to a 2011 report byEnvironmental Defense, an Ontario-based research group, dangerous heavy metals still lurk in lip gloss, mascara, foundation, blush, eye shadow, and eyeliner.

The researchers tested a total of 49 common products selected from the cosmetic bags of six average Canadian women. They found that every product contained at least one of seven heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, beryllium, thallium, and selenium. Lead, a known neurotoxin, showed up in 96% of the items. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that lead exposure is not safe at any level. Heavy metals are considered a by-product of manufacturing and it’s worth noting that none were listed in the ingredients lists on the cosmetics’ labels.

There is scientific debate about safe levels of heavy metals in the body. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which pushed for the FDA’s recent scrutiny of lipstick, points out that, “Individual exposures to these metals in small amounts are unlikely to cause harm, but heavy metals can build up in the body over time and may increase risk for a variety of health problems.” The U.S. Department of Labor links arsenic to stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate.

The report notes that the highest levels of arsenic, cadmium, and lead overall were found in lip gloss, which can be ingested orally. Of the items tested, Benefit Benetint lip gloss contained the highest level of lead at 110 parts per millions (ppm), which is more than 10 times higher than the limit set by theHealth Canada Draft Guidance on Heavy Metal Impurities in Cosmetics.

Other products found to have the highest levels of impurities were:

Clinique Stay True Makeup foundation (Stay Ivory) — arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium

Sephora Sculpting Powder Trio eye shadow (Brown and Pink) — beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush (Springsheen) — beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium — I HAVE THIS!!!! Oh MAC… tsk tsk…

L’Oreal Bare Naturale mascara (Black/Brown) — arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, thallium

Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner (Black Onyx) — beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel

Almay Intense i-color Trio eye color (Trio for Blues, Brown and Dark Grey) — beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium

Benefit Benetint Pocket Pal (Red Tint and Clear Gloss) — arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium, thallium

Cost is no indicator that a product contains lower levels of heavy metals. Erin Charter, one of the women whose cosmetics were tested, commented, “The product [Benefit Benetint lip gloss] I spend the most money on, because I thought it was better for me, ended up being the worst out of anything tested!”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics supports passage of the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, which was designed to give the FDA authority to ensure that personal care products are free of harmful ingredients. It also mandates that contaminants, such as heavy metals, be fully disclosed. In the meantime, the Environmental Working Group has a user-friendly searchable database that rates the safety of thousands of cosmetics and other personal care products. 

Copyright © 2012 Yahoo Inc. 

A few days before my mom decided to be Twiggy for Valentine’s, I decided I wanted to be Marilyn Monroe for my best friend’s sister, Bettina’s, black tie debut! (I wish I had decent pictures from the party because it was beautiful… ALMOST as breathtaking as the debutante!)

Because I always have no one to take my photo, please excuse the camera. Haha!

Might as well try out the Norma Jean look while I have blonde hair! Curled my own hair with those wonderful Korean rollers I borrowed from my sister. No heat required, can you believe it??

Pretty easy look to pull off. Shimmery white lids, defined crease, soft and arched brows, highlighted brow bones, slightly winged out black liner, and signature red lips care of none other than Madame Gabrielle Coco Chanel.

I have the most adorable and prettiest mom! Would you believe she’s turning FIFTY this year? :) I sure do hope I got those “forever young (looking)” genes from her!

Mom decided to go as Twiggy to a 1960’s themed Valentine’s Party complete with the little dress! And yes, she did the Twiggy eyes on herself too. Many people don’t know that my mom was my first ever makeup guru. When you went to the salon to get fixed up for prom, I was at home with my mom doing her magic on chubby 16 year old face!

She’s wearing a Diane Von Furstenburg dress and has with her a Chanel purse. Such a glamorosa mommy!