beauty theory

The Power of Money

2010-01-22T21:52:00.000+08:00

One of the best emails I've received for sometime now... Read on and be inspired. I'll be back again soon.

Power of Money, By Adam Khoo

(Singapore's youngest millionaire at 26 yrs.)

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Suzhou (China). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is traveling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ' He still looked pretty confused..

This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires' ). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment they earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster.

Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky).

I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur' s Orgn) a few years back (YEO) is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worth well over $5m, travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota's and Nissans, not Audis, Mercs, BMWs.

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation.

Thank God my rich dad foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last..

Material happiness never lasts, it just give you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.

Instead, what makes me happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast.. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries.

What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life.

What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this blog is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be it teaching, building homes, designing, trading, winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product.

If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a meaningless life.

revamp

2009-10-23T01:29:00.002+08:00

I so love my new look!!! thanks to my "atch", she was so passionate in renovating my blog! yahooooo!!!
:)

she totally read my mind. clearly she knows my taste. i didn't have to say anything, no instructions, no nothing... she's so cool, she's an architect, a photographer, a blog designer (hahah), a mom of 2 "amazing" kids, and a lot more. all rolled into 1 atchi...

thanks again atch!!! :)

treat me right

2009-10-20T13:43:00.002+08:00

had a nice time in the shower today. this peppermint hair mask really gave me that quick hair spa in less than 5 mins. it's so refreshing. I think i'm still feeling the minty sensation in my head right now... or am i imagining it? i better do this every week :) the jar is pretty big anyway, and i'm still up to more self service cool mint hair spa, especially that my hair is shorter now.

anyhow, i'm glad i decided to do it today... too much stress from work, i deserve to be TREATED right, even for a quick 5 mins ;)

next step... FOOT SPA!

M.I.A.

2009-10-19T04:40:00.000+08:00

am dropping by to admit that, yes, i am missing in action, or maybe have been m.i.a... but it's cool. at least now i am obliged to catch up with you, the best way i can :) haha.
i know u missed me... i'll make it up to YOU. ;-)

baby-skin lady

2009-10-12T13:04:00.002+08:00

I got this copy from our print producer anthony (thank you for being so thoughtul and sending this!)...

Johnson's Body Care

Her name is Karen Lima, I remember Francis Abraham (who is ever so hyper by the way...)our photographer, calling her boom boom girl because the whole time she had to keep on moving for the shoot, it was only BOOM BOOM POW by Black eyed peas that made her move exactly how the art director wanted her to. haha. talk about LSS!

here's how the team looked like:

me, francis, anthony, karen, mario, jake, tynna, ana k

*************************************************************************************************

Regarding her look, i made sure her skin all over the body appeared flawless. Of course, i order to achieve that, i had to use my powers = TSZ AIRBRUSH FOUNDATION in #5 Bubble Tea. haha

So we sprayed away... And when the foundation dried up, what could be more perfect than... tada: BENEFIT's BATHINA.

a beautiful filipina

2009-10-10T21:13:00.002+08:00

Fidgeting thru my photo files, and i came across these pictures(i remember taking them from my Ixus). About 3 years ago, we did this shoot in Industria, with TBWA. It's actually refreshing to see these photos for a change, no heavy makeup, simple, neat hair let down, purely her face, standing out.

She is Miriam Quiambao, presently a TV/Corporate Host, Actress, Product Endorser, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist.
In 1999, she joined the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) pageant, got several awards, including Miss Photogenic (I really think one great contribution aside from her fine features is her radiant olive skin, wc i really love!) , but won Binibining Pilipinas-World title. Eventually though, because of some incidents, she was sent to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant, the same year. That was when she accidentally slipped but rose up gracefully. She said "she felt she represented those women who have fallen both on and off the stage". And she brought home the 1st Runner Up title.

For some time a few years back, I sort of regularly did her makeup, until she got based in HK. When she came back, that was when we had this shoot. I hardly get to see her anymore though, especially now that MOST of my time is used up by TVC shoots, and other time-eater projects. I would love to work with her again one of these days though...

A lot of women used to be really hesitant to use pink shades when they have olive skin. But I think it's just natural that cheeks flush in pink whatever the skintone may be. For a natural effect though, the RIGHT kind of pink has to be used. I didn't airbrush that time, here's what i used...

MAC hyper real NC300

the pearlescent liquid foundation made the skin reflect a natural glow and made the skin look so vibrant. and yes it has spf 15.

VISEART lipgloss in Roselinde (one of my brides' faves because of the natural rosey shade and it LASTS a LONG time.

Laura Mercier blush in Rose Bloom

- matte velvety finish, light diffusing, and is buildable. it has a very light finish and is almost booboo-proof. It leaves a very natural finish.

It works really well...didn't go for a shimmery blush because the foundation already had a pearl finish, so as not to overdo the "glow".

look what i found... :)

2009-09-21T00:54:00.002+08:00

can't remember how long ago we shot this...

prod house: industria
director: mandy reyes
agency: tbwa
client: kfc

how ya doin?

2009-09-18T03:38:00.000+08:00

haven't been here for a while. Ive been busy with a lot of things...
im just warming myself up for now. I will start blogging again... soon.

meanwhile, i have to go back to the "set". as far as i know, we're almost wrapping up. this shoot ("hoodie") is actually pretty fun, light and easy. I hope all shoots are like this... then, maybe i wouldn't think of slowing down :p

TSZ AIRBRUSH MAKEUP

2009-06-02T01:27:00.003+08:00

here we go... i'm officially distributing TSZ AIRBRUSH MAKEUP here in the Philippines. i'm pretty eager about the whole thing because it's one brand that i believe in. It's the first airbrush brand in Asia so far and they have formulated the cosmetics really well. The foundations, and blushes have been perfectly developed. Even the Glitter foundations and the colors, they're all so easy to blend with each other. Been using this brilliant invention for years now, and i don't think i'll ever let go of it. I've gotten a lot of benefits from it, more than I've actually expected.

I know this venture will not be an easy one. It'll take more of my time, hence, i have to practise more time management!

why, why, why can't I stop? I know i've been complaining about not having enough time for myself, and here I am, getting into something that's just gonna eat up my time more. pretty ironic there... oh, well, i guess passion is the major proponent here. I guess my love for makeup and the industry itself did it.

Of course, the product itself had a lot to do with it. This silicone based airbrush makeup leaves a very smooth texture, feels REALLY light on the skin, lasts long, versatile(depends on how creative you can be), and is hygienic( meaning, one doesn't have to worry about sponges and brushes), it can be very flexible(in terms of being sheer, full coverage, matte or dewy)... it all depends on the need or the look one is aiming for. What else could you be needing more?

I'm really looking forward to the batch of cosmetics and equipment to arrive. The months of negotiation is finally done, after being delayed for sometime...

Popularity

The most popular cosmetic trend in America, UK, and Canada right now. It is already in Japan and Korea. Steven Spielberg required it for his movie AI (“Artificial Intelligence”). It has also been used in movies like “X-Men” and “Pirates Of The Caribbean 3,” “The Davinci Code,” “Lord of the Rings,” “27 Dresses,” “Stepford Wives” just to name a few.

It has also been used on TV shows such as “Friends,” “Baywatch,” “The Sopranos,” and “Heroes.”

Many celebrities have used it such as Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Janet Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Catherine Zeta-Jones, J. Lo, Heidi Klum, President Bill Clinton just to name a few.

Getting popular in Asia – on the popular “Beauty Queen” TV show, featured in Kelly’s Huang’s beauty book, and used in Annie’s skin product advice book. We used it for the Vis A Vis and Eros hair fashion shows. Also being used in various beauty colleges in Taiwan. Some have actually created an airbrush major at their college.

Some well know celebrities in Asia that have used our products include: Jolin Tsai, Annie Yi, Elva Hsiao, Karen Mok, Maggie Cheung, Sammi Cheng, Liu Jia Ling, Shu Qi, and Zhang Ziyi.

here is the website: TSZ AIRBRUSH MANILA

email: tszmanila@gmail.com

salt of my world...

2009-01-30T02:50:00.001+08:00

i love kms... this product has been my favorite for 3 months now. it's just the best. amazing how it gives volume to my ultra limp hair.

my hair has never been this good =)

new beauty

2009-01-28T04:30:00.004+08:00

I got to work with this beautiful face yesterday... I can't wait for the story to come out on april...

I was really lazy the whole day so i didn't even bother to bring my camera...
which, i regret.

This Up and Coming model has the kind of beauty that I'm really fond of... great skin,

amazing bone structure... I just love her face. I'm looking forward to see more of Diana...
She has this character that i'm so sure will really make her stand out among most new faces around....

SlumDog.......

2009-01-27T06:40:00.005+08:00

: I love it... This movie was greatly DONE!; I haven't really watched a Lot of Indian movies, so there isn't any point of comparison I could find to match it against. I should say though, this movie made me laugh a dozen times. I loved that it had a happy ending =)... The story is quite simple but very interesting. One could say that it's impossible, but when you really think about it, it isn't that far from happening after all. I guess what Jamal said about it being written, I would think, means this destiny was written for him... It pays that he grew up to be keen, so observant in what was going on around him all the time. Could say he's street smart... which I guess matters more, and got him to where he really belongs.

(Frieda Pinto)Latika, who actually was the reason why Jamal was in that game show. I like her face. One of the most beautiful Indian faces I've seen...
I love how soft her face registered on screen...

Dewy Day

2009-01-25T02:25:00.002+08:00

Long day for me... work started at 530... Location was an hour and a half from where i live. So I had to wake up at 3am. Good thing it was fun at work, time zoomed by pretty fast..
Although, it didn't go on so smoothly in the beginning... But i think we ended pretty well. Worked with a bunch of CLASSIC people... I have worked with them in previous shoots... From about 8 to 4 years ago... hah!!! =)

Covers

2009-01-12T14:16:00.012+08:00

This month, i've done some cover shoots for Candy and Seventeen Magazines.
I think it helps to keep me feeling young, working with these celebrities...
I focused on doing light, and natural makeup... which is a good thing. The editors and stylists for both mags asked for that look. Maybe that way, we get to remind the "PROMMERS" and other teen agers that the best way to look pretty is by not covering the face with TONS of cosmetics.

Candy: Nicole Uysiuseng

Candy Prom Special: Lauren Young

Seventeen: Shaina Magdayao

Here are some of the products I used to achieve these looks...

Benefit Blush in Georgia

Mac Blush in Fleur Power

Benefit Lipgloss in Corsage

Benefit creaseless in birthday suit

Benefit Lipgloss in Kiss me

lip therapy

2008-05-18T02:19:00.009+08:00

this is definitely "the balm"! it's just amazing. for almost a year now i have been having really chapped lips. i've gone to the derma to have it checked because it was starting to get bad. i was asked to use petroleum jelly and some all natural toothpaste, which was kinda pricey. it didnt really deliver as i expected. i still didnt figure out what caused the extreme dryness of my lips. so i tried going to another derma and she gave me aquaphor. it kinda did work, but i felt like it just made my lips pale... then i tried Burt's bees lip balm...the ones that come in a package of 3. it did well but after an hour or so, dries up again...so it's kinda my 2nd fave lip therapy... next to... KEIHL'S lip balm !!! i just bought it a week ago and my smackers are now back to normal! I got the Hue no.30G. It's super moisturizing and soothing. It's a light golden color with peach tones. so it serves as my sheer lipgloss ;) plus i love the fact that it has SPF15 sunscreen that provides UVA and UVB protection. niiiiice! :)

i can't wait to go back and check out more of their skin care. yipee! :)

"april's anne"

2008-04-19T18:04:00.004+08:00

it's out... for a few weeks now actually... Seventeen's April cover girl, Anne Curtis. I did her makeup, Paolo Pineda photographed her, while Cindy Go styled...
it was fun doing it... like i said before, I really love doing the glossies... the interview for the write up was done while we were doing makeup. i love how bubbly this girl is. She can carry a conversation really well. Always has a lot of stories to tell... here are some pics i took while we were shooting...

happy wedding

2008-03-16T04:01:00.005+08:00

happy with her dad(Archie Lacson) and Camille, her cousin

March 15,2008
Happy Lacson Married Anton Mabulay...
It wasn't so formal for us today. everyone was just giddy since the bride and the coordinator are best friends. I actually knew them since college. Even camille, we all went to College of Saint Benilde. Not close to them but would make casual kwentos when we see each other. they were so warm however...
Happy wasn't named Happy for no reason... The Creator truly has molded her to be a true epitome of the meaning of her nickname. =)
she said she hadn't had enough sleep... but voila!!! she still looked so radiant! she had that natural bridal glow.
what a stress free wedding... I hope all the weddings to come end up like hers...or even happier.

I'll ask for some pics taken by the photographers...

I can't say much but it was a BEAUTIFUL wedding... i stayed until the first part of the reception and saw that it was gonna be FUN celebration...

project Teresa

2008-03-15T03:47:00.003+08:00

today, i did teresa's herrera's makeup(who by the way really got me so interested in yoga trance, im thinking of joining her classes one of these days. it looks fun! but hard :p ). it was for the cover story of a magazine focused on sports... i think it's for free though. it's a pretty cool magazine. i'll post more pix + the scanned copy when the issue comes out...... i'm actually getting a lot of ideas about freemags and stuff... don't wanna tackle them yet... soon maybe.

anyways, it was a relaxed shoot. working with teresa and edsel, the photog was light and breezy. music was awesome... and very few people involved, which made working feel so much like just hangin out... By the way, i got to use the lipgloss that i had bought the other day, and again... i sooooo love it. ;-)

i'm thinking, i really wanna do more editorials and fashion shoots. I know they don't make as much moolah than advertising but i really miss the "GLOSS" in glossies... its where i started loving my kind of job... up to this day, i realized, it's what i really, really l-o-v-e.

" color coding"

2008-03-12T04:42:00.004+08:00

so i did it... diverted myself away from the non-stop dwelling of the thought of 8D... after my shoot for the cover of seventeen, i had to hang for a while in bonifacio high street 'til around 7pm, Dom finished his gig early enough to come with me and wait until the "coding hours" was over. checked out a few books in fully booked, had salad and cafe mocha lite in Figaro... checked out Bo concept... love, love, love it!
...Until, (here's the best part) i passed by MAKE UP FOR EVER!!! waaaahhhh!!! i remembered them texting sometime last week or the week before last, that the liquid lip i tried to reserve about a month ago was there already. so i decided to go and see if it was still up for grabs. Unluckily, it wasn't the right color i asked for...and so i ended up checking out the other stuff they had and finally resolved to getting the Fascinating Lip Gloss instead! it all started out with just me trying it out to compare with the Liquid Lip... it smelled so good and fruity and didn't feel heavy on the lips at all. it's actually concentrated and has a pearly gloss, but at the same time, is so sheer, and looked really fresh. how it glosses the lips, i think, is what's so cute about it... and the way it gives the pout an ultra-moist look.
so the "impulsivity" ruled once again. i didn't just buy one color, but three! #'s 8, 13, and 17. No regrets though! In fact, I can't wait to use all of them in my other cover shoot tomorrow... Too bad i bought it too late for the 17cover... another thing i love about it is that because it's so sheer and light, i can use it on myself! and all the 3 shades felt so right on me ;) i think i won't store them in my makeup kit yet... it'll be safe in my personal bag while i'm still feelin' it. hehe...

and so here's how it looked on me... it's so me... the look and kind of makeup i always love to do. the "natural" look. the one that's always being asked for. the kind of makeup that enhances features... and not alter...

and my new babies are:

in shades # 8,3, and 5

slight insomnia

2008-03-11T05:59:00.004+08:00

i can't sleep... i know i was so hot to buy new makeup earlier today. and i tried to divert my attention to something else so that i wouldnt give in to my craving to go makeup shopping. But i think the effort to fight my longing to shop had led to something a little more than i expected. i really totally forgot about buying new "toys" for me...because D and i ended up house hunting...again. the brokers we've been trying to get in touch with finally gave us choices today and saw 3 units... yes. i, together with D have been looking for a 2BR unit for months now. it's been hard trying to be patient viewing apartments, waiting for the unit resellers to agree and set appointments with us, and just finding that "perfect one" for us...today, i think we did. or should i rather say the "almost perfect" one for us. we literally fell in love with the place and..."mrs. lopez". i could say everything just fell into place. we ended up chatting with the owner and her daughter for 4 hours. time went by so fast. we really found the place so lovely. A little higher than the price we were hoping for but i think it's reasonable... a bit pricey but the parisian theme just made it "right". i can't convey exactly what kind of vibe it gave us but it's definitely more than a-ok. we just have to wait and pray about it and let God do His will. I just hope it'll favor us. hehe ;) i'm excited about so many things...like what's in store for us, are we gonna get what we're wishing for? or maybe something more? or something totally unexpected and different from what we are asking for but better for us?...i have got to stop thinking about it first. i don't know how im supposed to do it. i just know i have to... meantime, i'll try my hardest to shut my eyes and wakeup at least 6 hours after. gotta get ready for the cover shoot...something else i'm excited about =p

new candy...

2008-03-10T14:46:00.003+08:00

im craving for new makeup... im so itching to buy new stuff... somebody stop me

meg girl of the month

2008-03-07T18:35:00.005+08:00

yey!!! just grabbed this teaser from the meg website. haven't seen the actual mag yet but im pretty excited to see it...Yes, Heart Evangelista is Meg's MARCH '08 covergirl.
hearty heart... pretty girl. i always enjoy doing this girls make-up. she has turned 23 last feb 14. Can say she has bloomed to be a very bee-yoo-ti-ful lady. And has matured a lot, i can see. when i think of the first few times i did her makeup 5 or 6 years ago, there's been a big positive change in her... physically, mentally, emotionally. All for the better. I'm really happy for her and echo.

Few days after our shoot, she had her birthday special in ASAP, and again did her make. ;) i was backstage when they did the number so i didn't really see how it looked like on tv(our monitor backstage was soooo tiny :-s. It's all good though, baby D texted me that Heart looked so radiant. hehehe. Love your own baby's work, huh? Well, a lot of other people saw it and heard Heart thank me on TV for her makeup (you're welcome love marie!). a lot of people texted in... All positive feedbacks so far... soooo... good! =p

101 ideas

2008-03-07T04:02:00.005+08:00

sometime last year about this time and month(feb/mar 07), i was shooting for a fashion ed for MARIE CLAIRE philippines. the reason why i remembered is because i was browsing through my old photos in my hard drive i came across these outtakes. Her name's julianna(our brazilian model)... i had so much fun bronzing her away. like i said yesterday, i miss doing these kinds of shoots and working with Giselle Go who by the way is now in Singapore starting her new challenge as the EDITOR IN CHIEF of Harper's Bazaar(Congrats Giselle!!! Break a leg!) Oh and of course working with Paolo Pineda is always fun! :)

these are the ones i took from my cam...

for that marie claire shoot, i used this adorable love of mine... BRONZE GODDESS... boy, i'd kill to be one... another genius invention from tarte... My friend shayne sarte bought this for me in sephora when she went to the U.S. november '06. I've had this baby for more than a year now. Can't believe how economical it can be... it takes a gazillion years to finish! I just love how it smells like tanning oil being applied on your skin while basking under the sun, lying on the sand... on the beach... hmmmmm... i love how it's so easy to apply and it really does last long on the skin... no need for much touch ups... the longer it stays on the skin, the more natural it looks... i just love it. i think i'll wear it tomorrow, that way, i'd get more excited about the coming summer ;) yahu!

ready to get ready

2008-03-07T00:38:00.004+08:00

hey d. im glad ive chosen this new outlet... i actually look forward and get excited everytime i plan to write in. so many things have been running through my mind... all my past and coming shoots, the vacations im planning, a lot of career stuff, some personal issues... i'm thinking though, i really have to seriously take care of myself and my health more. i can't always drown myself with work and end up not enjoying them anymore. gotta learn how to take it slow. its hard being a freelance makeup artist because i tend to accept almost all jobs that are offered to me. i always want to make the most that i can make. but i think it's normal though. good thing my work is 95% fun most of the time, i mean doing makeup( the working environment can suck sometimes-especially in advertising)...
after a long time of not being able to do a fashion ed for this high fashion magazine, which i really love, i did one earlier today... we did it really fast and i had a lot of fun doing it. the UY tandem always works! i got so excited esp when i saw the photos roughly edited. super minor tweaking so we were able to see the pics about 5 mins after each layout. i can't wait for it to come out... Felicity was so funny ... she has a million funny stories to tell...everytime. she just cracks me up. hayayay... i'll be looking forward to my next fashion and beauty eds ;-) it's still one of the greatest way to express my makeup artist inside as it tends to get repressed when i do advertising stuff since what we do mostly is deliver what the "clients" ask for, not so much freedom, in other words... in the meantime, all i have to say while im doing all my tvc and print shoots is... take it easy, d!

with the team: frank, liz, vince, rachel, d, felicity, sarah our model

take 2!

minimal movement

2008-03-06T15:15:00.003+08:00

been sick for days now. i dont have much of a choice but rest... i actually miss being relaxed as i am today... im kind of thinking of a billion things i want to do but don't know where to start. i'll go on thinking things over inside the four corners of my 18b, while enjoying my "relax" instant coffee which is actually good :p and listening to my movement cd which i got from colette ;) i love how minimal techno can be so "moving"...

y blog...

2008-03-02T14:50:00.002+08:00

i don't know why... for a lot of different reasons, i guess. actually started some before but since ive become so busy, ive taken for granted my "alone" times, and just forgot about it. ive actually forgotten even my blogger name from 2004. A few days back, while i was in a very hectic shoot, i realized how much i miss the days where iv had a lot of time for myself... i'm not really complaining about being busy with work. But i think it would do me good to 'blog-in' and spend sometime with me, my laptop, and myself. I'll try to log some of my thoughts once again... maybe about everything i think of that are worth blogging, about my loves and hates... i dunno, i guess i'll just write about whatever.

just slide with me...

2008-02-29T03:45:00.002+08:00

some of my work

just slide with me...

2008-02-29T03:45:00.001+08:00

some of my work