What are your biggest skincare regrets? Was it a terrible product or bad skincare advice? We all made mistakes with thinking that everything we read and hear on the internet is the real deal but skin is so complex and unique to each individual that we cannot say a product or routine is a one-size fits all.

We wish it was that easy. We could all just lather coconut oil on our faces and be okay for the rest of the day. But in the real world, coconut oil is not our savior.

Coconut oil might actually be the devil that’s the cause of all your skincare problems—clogged pores, pimples, or greasiness.

Here, I will share the skincare routines, products, advice and beliefs that I fell for. These my top skincare regrets. I deeply regret following everything I read on the internet without doing more research, especially No. 4. 

Like, what the heck was I thinking?!

Coconut Oil cures all skincare problems

You probably think I have it out for coconut oil but it will come as a surprise that I used to love coconut oil because it was seemed like such a powerful product. I mean just go online and you’ll find how coconut everyone says it is good for everything…cooking, daily supplement, hair, skin. It was like a wonder oil.

I was obsessed with coconut oil and would use it in my DIYs: hair mask, deodorant (disaster!), lip balm, face serum, lotion, body butter, cleanser, toothpaste, face scrub, makeup remover and even micellar water. I DIY’ed the crap out of coconut oil.

But I was wrong on so many levels. Coconut oil is not meant for everything.

I watched all these minimalists and environmentalist influencers on Youtube talk about how ALL skincare products are unnatural and bad for the skin, bad for the soul, bad for the planet. One of them even went on to say that to achieve great skin, only coconut oil is necessary.

I fell for it because I loved the idea of not having to care too much about my skin and not having to stress over picking cleansers, serums and moisturizers. Instead, I heard the sweet words of just use coconut oil and all your worries will go away…

Syke!

So for a week, I would put coconut oil on my face every day and just let it sit there. I never washed it off because I thought it was good for the skin a.k.a I was a dumb ass.

I eventually got tired of and hated the sticky, heavy, oily feeling on my face and finally stepped away from the oil. My face felt so clogged and greasy, I knew my skin was suffering. Especially when I started to break out everywhere.

Harsh scrubs work better

I’m sure I’m not the only person who thought that scrubbing harsh scrubs on the face harder would get rid of dead skin cells better to achieve clear skin. Thanks a lot St. Ives!

Nope! We all just got red and irritated skin. More harm done.

Please, if you are still using a physical exfoliator, just stop. Chemical exfoliators such as AHA, BHA and retinol are better and more effective for your skin.

Coffee grounds is a great exfoliator

Oh wow, here’s another one. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any worse, I used coffee grounds with coconut oil to exfoliate my skin.

Why is it so bad?

It’s bad because it damages the skin through micro-tearing. There are small tears on the skin which weaken the skin’s barrier and make skin dry, red and sensitive.

Because coffee grounds are not uniform in size (never shall they be) and may have sharp edges, they are too harsh on the skin and do not work as a face scrub. I’m also a 100% sure that this was one of the reasons my skin got so bad.

Melanin is natural sun protection

Now this is just embarrassing.

I should just face palm-punch myself in the face.

I got this information from the same girl that preached how coconut oil was the ultimate skincare product.

After realizing all the harmful effects of UV rays from the sun, I made sunscreen a daily step in my basic skincare routine. It is important to wear sunscreen every single day in order to avoid sunburn, dark spots and the risk of getting skin cancer.

Derma rolling is the best thing ever

This became super popular and people were obsessed and just raved about it. People were acting like it was more life changing than botox.

I would watch all the derma rolling Youtube videos I could find, read all about it on blogs and Instagram and even spend countless hours online looking for an affordable brand of derma roller.

Thank the heavens I am cheap  and never went out and bought one. So I never got to try it. They are very expensive (in my frugal opinion) and not worth the risk.

Just like botox, there are dangers. Derma rollers can cause irritation or infection if the tool is not cleaned properly. It creates wounds on the face so that there is constant healing and new, younger skin surfaces after the repair. However, as we age, the collagen naturally present in our skin also disintegrates. When you are deliberately creating wounds on your skin, you are causing degradation and speeding up the usage of the collagen.

 

You only need sunscreen when you are at the beach

This is a skincare commandment: Wear sunscreen every day. Even if you are just indoors or if it’s a cloudy day, the sun’s rays can still penetrate through the clouds and the windows. Protect your skin from burning, early signs of aging and dark spots by wearing and reapplying sunscreen religiously.

Makeup wipes are the best

Hahahahaha!

Not enough HAs in the world to make me not regret this one. These seem so convenient and effective to remove all the makeup and gunk on your face but here are the problems:

• Easy to use? You are tugging at your skin just to remove all the dirt and makeup, this can cause wrinkles to appear earlier.
• Wiping gently to avoid tugging skin? Sure, but then your face is left not completely clean—makeup and other products may still be there.
• Follow up with a cleanser? Well, that was a waste. Should’ve just started with the cleanser in the first place.

Trust me, you can’t win with makeup wipes.

Soap as a cleanser

We have all tried this. It’s not just me.

Soap is great at cleaning and it also has less packaging and waste but bad news: Soap is alkaline.

Uumm…okay. What’s wrong with that? Why is soap bad for the face?

Well, my dear friend, the skin is naturally acidic (less than a pH level of 7) and it is protected by the acid mantle. When you use alkaline products too many times, it disturbs the pH level of the skin and damages the acid mantle. This can cause the face to be more susceptible to bacteria, causing acne and build up. Horror show!

I regret following or believing these skincare products and routines but I’m glad I can share them with you and hopefully, you’ve added something new to your skincare knowledge.

Hey there! Long time no blog :)

Here I am again. Will I apologize for being M.I.A.? Will I make excuses that life got so busy and hectic I barely had time to create blog content? 

Yes, of course I will. What type of blogger would I be if I didn't?

First off, I apologize for not being active on this blog and I have been thinking a lot about what I want this blog to become. Sure, it is still my law student lifestyle blog but I feel like I definitely have not niched it down. I currently talk about law school, skincare, alignment and personal growth on here. I feel like I am all over the place so let's see where this goes and how I will manage to save my little space on the internet from crumbling into a failed passion project.

The life is update is this...

• Life has gotten so busy. I mean, I'm in my third year of law school. What would you expect? Day in and out, I hit the books, get buried in a mountain of cases and drown in liters of delicious coffee. I am sleep-deprived and dehydrated on most days (Believe it or not, this water lover FORGETS to drink her water smh). On the weekends, if I'm allowed and able, I take long naps during the day, do as much laundry as I can, binge watch some shows and vlogs, spend time with my family, talk to my friends and do some retail therapy. 

• New normal is difficult to get used to. We took advantage of the world we live in before and didn't bother to think when we washed our hands, where we put our hands or what is personal space. I am literally writing this after coming home from the mall where they would not let me in because I was wearing a mask but I forgot my face shield in the car. It was the most embarrassing and scary experience of my new normal life. Take note to self (and the world): Don't forget the essentials: face mask, face shield, hand sanitizer/rubbing alcohol, tissues/wipes.

• I have been very consistent and patient with my skincare routine. I am absolutely loving the improvement on my skin. Skincare is life! Also, this means I will be posting a skincare routine soon.

• Update on my health: I was rushed to the ER on June 30 and they found an infection in my kidney. I had to go through several blood tests, check ups and an ultrasound. Nothing seriously bad is happening with me, no deathly disease. Being sick in a pandemic is not the best thing. I have to take medicines daily and watch my diet but me being me, I am stubborn and still have a pack of medicine untouched. Don't worry, I'm working on it. #SelfCare

• I've fallen madly insanely in love and happy with someone. The best part is that they are in love with me too. Have I found my life partner? Okay, let's not get too excited. Love moves in mysterious ways. I always believed in love because your girl is a hopeless romantic. Just when I wasn't looking, here he comes changing my world and serenading my heart. I am a very private person and don't have social media or post about every single detail of my life and everything I feel so talking about my new relationship here is something special to me.

When you enter the hall ways of any law school, you must come prepared. But with today’s new normal going on, the common highlighters and fancy planners won’t really cut it. This is the Law School Supplies List 2.0. This is new normal edition y’all.

Law school will be the adventure of a lifetime. You will not only need the drive, strength and determination but you will also need to prepare the best weapons when you go into battle. Scared yet?

Don’t worry, there’s no blood shed in law school. Though, I will not guarantee there will be no tears and sweat, sleepless nights, caffeine fueled study sessions and mountains of law books and cases involved.

Just like all law students, I am excited and nervous for the upcoming semester. Now that we are in the new normal, everything is definitely changing. For one, my university has come up with a learning continuity plan and created schedules for classes which will solely be online.

Here are the top necessities I will be needing to survive online law school from the obvious to the “just good to have”.

Good and stable internet connection. It’s the best time to invest in a really fast and reliable internet provider since everything being online is becoming pretty prevalent and common. Here in the Philippines, the internet reliability is a big problem factor with the integration of classes and work online and hopefully, the internet companies will help the Filipino people in making internet more accessible through affordable subscriptions and great service.

Laptop/Computer. Any device which can connect to the internet and has a good quality camera is a must with online classes.

Earphones. Buy a pair of good quality earphones so that during online classes, you can really focus and hear what your professor is discussing. It’s also best to wear them in order to avoid disturbance with what other people are doing in the same room or house as you. Your house mates do not need to know that you are discussing Chapter 3 of Banking Laws.

Planner (Digital and Physical). Oh, the good old planner. I think, when it comes to online classes, just have both. Majority of school work will now be online, so it is good to have all your to-do lists, reminders and notes on your computer or device.

As a precaution, also write down everything in your physical planner. Some stuff you must take note of:

• Email addresses and passwords
• Log-in details to online classrooms
• Zoom Meeting ID and Passcodes
• Deadlines for school stuff

Email address. It comes as a shock that some students do not have an email address dedicated to professional communication or school related emails. When you use your personal email address for school work, there is the tendency that your inbox will be filled up with spam mail, useless social media updates or notifications and subscriptions emails you never open.

Create an email address you will use solely for school work and communication with professors and classmates. If your university provides you with your own student email address, it’s also great to use that one.

Online Storage. Some of the best online storage services I can recommend are Google Drive and Drop Box. They are very easy to use and navigate to organize all your important files.

So, are you ready for your first online class?

I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay safe, always.

Photo Credits: Ylanite Koppens via Pexels.com

Hi there! It's Bella, your broke full-time law student with some tips and tricks on how to save and earn money on the side.

I quit my job a few weeks after starting law school. All I had were some savings in my bank account and a dream lol. And also, the support of my ever-loving parents. 

There was tuition to be paid and also expenses for books, meals and travel. Aside from selling my stuff (clothes, bags and accessories) online, I try my best to look for ways to save and earn money while working my butt off in law school. Oh, sleepless nights and wounded feelings...

Now that we are in new normal, most of my classes are done online for the time being. I don't need to spend so much on travel expenses to and from school or buy lunch at the cafeteria.

These tips and apps can prove helpful for anyone, not just students.

 

Stop going to coffee shops

Do you really need to sit and study at a coffee shop and drink overpriced lattes?

No, not really.

I used to go to coffee shops and milk tea shops all the time to study. I would spend hours there reading and researching while getting odd glances from baristas and employees. I did get work done but I eventually realized that the cost of a drink adds up to a ton of money wasted on so much sugar and ice.

Instead of going to a coffee shop, find a good spot in your home to study or go to the university library. You are already paying library fees so might as well use the library and also, think about all the unlimited books you can borrow and read. Ooh la la.

Borrow books or buy them second hand

Law books are very expensive probably because they weigh so much. Just kidding.

The best way to save some money for books is to borrow or buy them from a friend (lucky you) or borrow from your university library.

Also, go online and search for students who are willing to sell or rent out their books. They may be old and already filled with highlights and notes but you are still able to read and learn from them and the big plus is you save some big money as well. 

Thrift shopping

Are you cringing yet?

Well, sucks for you because thrifting is an incredible and fun way to save money while staying stylish and helping the planet and small businesses.

I would say I am a passionate thrift shopper because there are so many beautiful and unique clothes you can find at thrift stores. Majority of the clothes I bought and are still in great condition come from thrift stores. There are even some designer brands you can find if you are lucky and willing to rifle through all the clothes racks in the store.

Sell Your Notes

Whaaaattttt?

Yes, it’s possible to earn money by selling copies of your notes. Whoever did this in the first place is a genius!

I personally have not tried doing this because for the love of God my handwriting is not the best and I don’t think anyone would be that interested and willing to buy my notes.

But check on Etsy stores and Instagram and you will find a bunch of student bloggers selling their notes, study cards and reviewers. For a good price too.

So if you are someone with well-organized notes and great penmanship or willing to format type written notes well, give it a go.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. When you decide to use my links, I will receive a commission but this will not cost you anything.

Use Shopback app

An avid online shopper?

Yay, this is the app for you.

If you are interested to join the app, click here to register and get Php100 Cashback Bonus.

Shopback is a cashback rewards platform and it also has coupons, promo codes and discount vouchers and deals for your online shopping needs.

Depending on the online store you choose to purchase from, you receive a percentage of the purchase you made for each transaction.

Let’s say you bought makeup from Shopee. The current cashback for purchases on Shopee is 2%. If you purchased lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes worth Php2,500 from a store in Shopee, you will receive Php50 for the transaction. 

We interrupt this broadcast for some savings...

I have a referral code for Php100 off your first order on Shopee. Use Code RISCH224

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Shopback is a really great and handy app to have on your phone to help you save a bit of money each time you go online shopping. You don’t have to pay extra fees at all.

Remember, if you want to join Shopback and get Php100 Cashback Bonus, click here.

 

Read and Earn with Buzzbreak

Whenever I have a few extra minutes I get on my phone and use Buzzbreak to read news and current events and get points. Once these points add up, I am able to cash out real money into Paypal or Gcash. It’s very easy but note, you won’t be a freaking billionaire from this app. It’s still good to have a bit of extra cash though.

To join the app and earn 1000 points, enter the referral code B08411215 

When you’re waiting in line, sitting in your car or the bus, waiting for your next class or just chilling at home, you can go on the app and earn.

You earn points by:

• Reading news articles
• Watching videos
• Answering surveys
• Doing tasks (installing/using apps, reaching levels on games)
• Daily log-in
• Hourly Rewards
• Spin the Wheel
• Free Points (every 30 seconds)

If you want to give Buzzbreak a try (and you should) and earn free 1000 points, click here to download the app and enter this code B08411215 upon registration.

I hope you got some inspiration and ideas on how to save and earn some extra cash. Times are tough nowadays because of the pandemic and new normal but I hope you keep safe and stay positive.

 

Photo Credits: Ksenia Chernaya via Pexels.com

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. When you decide to use my links, I will receive a commission but this will not cost you anything.

Say hello to August. It's the season of the Leo's. And guess what? It's my birthday this month, so in dedication to becoming a year older and hopefully wiser, I've decided to list down the most life-changing, mind-boggling and close-to-my-heart words of wisdom and life lessons I've collected through the years of my life. Enjoy!

1.       You don’t need a lot of friends to be happy.

2.       Create with the universe, not against it. You are a strong, deliberate creator.

3.       There is no need to obsess over impressing everyone.

4.       Stop comparing yourself to others because it will make you insecure.

5.       Try new things. You’ll be surprised what you learn or enjoy.

6.       Be grateful for the people that help and support you.

7.       When no one is cheering for you, be your own cheerleader.

8.       Stay private. Stay humble. Stay low key.

9.      Be more private in the things you do so you can focus more on you and not on what others are thinking, asking or saying.

10.   Take more pictures if you can and preserve those memories and happy moments.

11.   But also, remember to be in the moment. P.S. get off your phone and live.

12.   Don’t dwell on your mistakes. Reflect on what you have learned and move on.

13.   Achieving dreams will require hard work, perseverance and commitment.

14.   The number of followers you have on social media should not define your happiness.

15.   Social media should not take over your life.

16.   Having clear skin is better than having flawless makeup. Skincare is life!

17.   Don’t keep or allow toxic people back in your life.

18.    Be kind to others. Treat them the way you want to be treated. You will never know the struggles and experiences someone is going through.

19. Healing takes time so be patient. You can't magically change overnight. This applies to a lot of things: skincare, hair care, diet, mental health, break ups and failures.

20. Work and succeed at your own pace. You don't have to hustle everyday because other people are promoting and doing it. Read #4 again, please.

21. Stop setting your expectations of others so high. If you do, you'll just be disappointed all the time. People aren't perfect so stop imagining they are.

22. Wearing sunscreen everyday is very important. Again, skincare is life!

23. It's okay to be single and happy but it's also okay to be single and sad/lonely. Feel your feelings but don't lose yourself based on not having a relationship.

24. It's just the beginning. You're young, ambitious and strong. You will make it!

xx Bella

Photo Credits: Marina Utrabo & Markus Spiske via Pexels.com

Is your head most of the time, if not always, filled with negative thoughts?

I shoot my hand in the air. Yes, me—guilty.

I’ve always had this feeling of inadequacy, not in life, but in myself. I’ve always felt like I had more to grow, to learn and to improve but even after taking steps to change who I was or become a better person, I was never enough. For every bad thing that happened to me in my life, I would tell myself things along the lines of:

…well, of course this happened to me. I have bad luck.

…I don’t deserve anything good.

…Don’t worry, I’m used to bad things happening to me, and my absolute favorite

…This wouldn’t have happened to me if I was prettier, smaller, smarter (just picking out all the ugly things I saw in myself)

My negative mind always made me tell myself that the world was against me, that I couldn’t do anything right and even when I felt empowered, I still felt lacking in what I wanted to do. When I wasn’t negative and angry, I was lost.

But I, like so many others, really want to change that way of thinking. Growing up scared of the world and the judgment of others made me realize how stronger I needed to be.

I truly believe that we can all escape the negative mindset we have. I’m working on it and so should you.

How do you stop these negative thoughts from overpowering and affecting your day to day activities?

I’m a firm believer that thoughts are so powerful. What we imagine and think to ourselves greatly affect our actions, which then leads to a result—success or failure.

When we are always with negative thoughts, we feel negative emotions such as fear, uncertainty, or anxiety towards the situations in our lives, even the non-threatening ones. These negative thoughts cause us to look at situations in a negative light and we lead ourselves towards a path of failure.

Instead of doing the work, we spend too much time worrying and wondering how to finish our tasks. We stress over every little detail and question our judgment and capabilities of doing the job.

There are a ton of negative thoughts that can go through our head in one go but the most popular of these are:

• What we assume people think or say. No one on my team believes in me. No one cares. >>> Read How to stop caring what others think of you (link)
• Towards the situation. Everything is going wrong.
• Towards ourselves. I can’t do this. I’m not good enough.
• Towards past mistakes. I’ll always fail.
• Unknown. Nothing as scary as this but it’s inevitable so don’t put energy onto this.

Why I hate negative thoughts?

Well, who doesn’t really? Negative thoughts have robbed me of happiness and opportunities to better myself and to live life to the fullest. I wasn’t shy. I was afraid, I was angry and at times, I just gave up on even trying to be happy.

Negative thoughts can…

…make me feel bad about myself. When I have negative thoughts, I get irritable easily and when I get irritated, I feel angry at everything and everyone. Even when I know I shouldn’t be, I just feel angry and frustrated with everything in my life. This makes me feel bad about myself. Like I’m a bad person.

…make me lose focus on the situation or problem. It is difficult to find a solution or do a task when you can not clear your head because they are just full of negative thoughts.

…affect my relationships. I may lash out at people because I need someone to blame. I blame myself, get mad, blame other people, get mad at them. It’s a vicious toxic cycle that I hate being in.

…make me feel ungrateful. I think the world is against me and I focus a lot on what I do not have thinking that if I had that thing, my problems would go away and I would be happier and less negative.

How to stop of negative thoughts

These are the things that I did and still do. It may or may not work for you but give these tips and practices a try if you can.

There are two main steps.

Really? Only two?

Yes, only two. But I also wrote down below what I did to better implement these steps in my life. I focus on these two steps because I don’t want to complicate things for myself. So, I stick with simplicity.

Pause and shift.

Pause- catch yourself with the negative thoughts and tell yourself to stop. You are in control of your thoughts.

Shift- find a positive side to the situation or problem. It may be something obvious or you may need to do some reflection.

That’s it.

Want more?

To further supplement and enhance the pause and shift, keep on reading.

Here are some techniques that I hope can help you stop the negative thoughts from coming back and keep your mindset on a more positive note.

Be conscious of your thoughts and reactions. You are reading this so I assume you have become aware of your negative mindset. Yay! I think that’s what they say: The first step is acceptance or something... (I hope you know that saying and understand what I mean)

When I realize that I’m being negative is when I catch myself being rude, angry and just in a foul mood. So, I hit pause and ask myself one of these questions or something similar:

• Is it possible to not bitch about this?
• Can this be solved even without getting mad?
• Is there any way to say or do this in a more positive or compassionate way?

My answer to these is YES.

Can we control our thoughts? I say no and yes. In every situation, we always form thoughts whether we choose to or not. We cannot control the act of thinking or forming thoughts but we can very well control the thought itself.

We have all the control and power in us to create and think positively.

Reflect on the situation. In shift, you may not see the positive side right away so ask yourself: What does the situation call for? Not your negative thoughts or energy, I hope. Take the positive route. It's better and bright.

Meditate. I include this in so many posts of mine but it’s just so great. Something you can do to ease away not just negative thoughts but also negative feelings. I love meditating and it is just so beneficial to me and my health. I know. Crazy right?

But yeah, I love it. If you haven’t tried meditation, you definitely should.

Be rational. Discuss with yourself or someone you trust. Two heads are better than one. 

I haven’t met a problem that has been solved by being negative. Honestly, thinking negatively and acting on these negative thoughts can even make things worse for you. But we are human and we can become engulfed by so much emotion sometimes. We can’t think straight.

When you can and really need it, sit down and really think about the situation. Put down the pros and cons and how your outlook on what is happening can really affect you and what you might do next.

Hope you had a great read and are on your way to being better and happier!

xx Bella

Recommended Readings:

How to stop caring what other people think of you

How to enjoy life

Remove fear and social anxiety

How to become the Right Kind of Confident

Photo Credits: Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels.com