For a young professional like me, I always want to look good because it makes me feel good. From clothing mix and match to trying out hair care tips and following skincare routines, I have known and distinguished things that bring out the best in me and also those that do not work for me. 

I am strictly following a weird skincare routine for a long time now because guess what, it is the only method that works for me and my acne. I had teenage acne before that lasted for years which bothered me a lot. It caused me to try lots of products found in the pharmacies, online stores and even dermatologists’ clinic. Sadly, none of them work until I found the little ninjas that I am using right now. This is not the famous Korean 10-step Skincare Routine nor the Models Routines you see in Youtube. This is more like of a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) that is invented by me and my sister in Taiwan. 

I also visit skin clinics and spas in my current city once in a while to treat myself with relaxing facial treatments, satisfying massage and lots of self-pampering. For the month of June 2018, I visited Bioessence spa in 3rd Level, SM City Cebu. It was such a perfect timing because it was their grand opening and they welcomed me dearly there.

Like any other Filipino event, there was an opening mass participated by the owners, staff, therapists and us – social media influencers. It was followed by holy water blessing, cutting of ribbon and lots of picture taking and then food feast of course.

Holy Water Blessing and Ribbon Cutting

A beauty clinic with 34 branches in the Philippines, Bioessence is a non-invasive skin services center in a relaxing environment. For 23 years of service now, true pampering is the essence of their brand. Experience “me time” here where every pamper session is a journey to wellness, a holiday for the skin and body as well as a rejuvenation for the mind. Their relaxing Spa packages ranging from P999 for Body Massage with Facial, to P2499 that includes a Body Scrub, Body Massage with Facial.

Choose the product that suits you.

Bioessence’s founder, a renowned dermatologist and skin care specialist, Dr. Emma Beleno-Guerrero (Dr. EBG) upholds utmost professionalism in the practice of skin care and wellness and she passes on the same ideals to all her staff and employees who are all well-trained in their respective fields of specialization.

For Skin Wellness, Bioessence’s skin treatments are scientifically proven and have gone through rigorous research and studies to customize procedures with the unique Filipino skin. The treatments are done by licensed skin therapists so clients are assured of safe and effective results.

Shop, shop.

Look at what they gave me.

I tried their hand paraffin, in-demand Oxygen Intensive Treatment for my face and the stress relieving back massage. They were very relaxing! 

1. Hand paraffin uses melted wax with aromatherapy. The therapist put alcohol
on my hands first, rubbed them nicely then dipped them thrice to the liquid solution. It was very hot but very relaxing as well.

White hands because they are coated with wax. :)

2. Oxygen Intensive Treatment uses Oxygen Ceuticals infused with natural liquid oxygen. It was applied using a metal airbrush tool.  This is good for skin rejuvenation because as we age, our skin becomes less efficient at renewing itself, resulting in slower cellular metabolism, the reduction of collagen and elastin, and the appearance of fine lines and discolorations. The external effects if sun exposure, air pollution, diet, and day-to-day stress can make skin look dull and dry. When skin is deprived of oxygen, it shows. This treatment is to nourish the skin with the much-needed oxygen.

Oxygen Ceuticals

3. Stress Relieving Back Massage was my favorite of all. I chose the soft massage because I usually got black patches on my body if I choose medium or hard massages. Guess what, it was a perfect decision!

This is where the relaxation happens.

With Miz, Anj and my fellow influencers

My dress blends with the girls'.

Kami shoofa.

Who run the world? GIRLS!

It is International Women’s month once again! And with that, I intend this post to be a little extra special as this tackles about women. Yup, I am one of them and so are your sister, mother, grandmother, aunts and even some of your neighbors.

The role of women personally and professionally all over the world is growing by leaps and bounds. Corporations, countries and most people are showing and recognizing values that women encompass. I am a firm believer of women’s power. I have a strong faith that we, women, have so much potential within us that we should be proud of.

To impart a short personal tale, I was a small, poor, province girl who had no idea what I would want to be when I grew up. I thought my life was meant to be calm, plain and peaceful just like my mother and the rest of the women in my village who did household chores and took good care of the family. I never knew I had so much in me until I uncovered them one by one. Thanks to the people and opportunities that helped me mold who I am today.

It is always a good story to tell about how someone who started zero from the ground, rose into something better anyone could have imagined - even myself. Helping the people that matters to me and improving myself are such a great relief when I think about it. I know I am still young and very courageous. Countless of adventures are out there waiting to be ventured and I am excited for it. My life right now is still what I sought - calm, plain and peaceful but with an added twists, unimaginable opportunities and bounty of happy moments in between.

At my early age right now, I can say that these four characteristics have personally helped me. I share this to some of my friends when we have serious conversation. I am glad to be writing it here as well.
Let us make sure to lead each of our step towards goodness and success. Let us be more valuable out there.

1.  Be versatile
This means our flexibility to being able to adapt to many different situations. This is a thing we should never neglect. Equipping ourselves with skills and knowledge in many areas will mold us into an in-demand well-rounded individual. Who wouldn’t want that? We all have the time needed for this. How about if we push this through? *wink*

2. Be hungry for knowledge
Curiosity is one of the key things that keep our lives full of adventures. Just because we are considered an expert in our field, doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn anything more. Learning new things will only make us more successful. As they say, “Get out of your comfort zone and you’ll be amazed at what you learn.”

3. Be hurt and move on
Human as we are, we are bound to get hurt. It’s one of the most effective teachers we can have in our life. We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we will screw up totally bigtime sometimes, that we can say unimpressive statements and many more negative things. The key there is to learn from our mistakes, make an effort to correct them and then be better next time.

4. Be the best version you can be
Each day is a new opportunity to grow. Each day we can be better than yesterday.
We hear it all time; “Do your best!” “Be the best you can be” “Be confident”. In a world where standards are raising, everything is more complex and more competitive, if we’re not doing our best – it feels like we will be left behind. Surround yourself with great people you feel you have connection with. Be open to new learnings – own it, learn, push and stay excited.

You go girl!

By the way, if you want to meet like-minded professional women here in Cebu, we at Google Developers Group Cebu, are organizing an event called Women Techmaker Cebu (WTM). It will be held on April 7, 2018 at The Company Cebu in Mandaue City. WTM will feature talks from women in technology across various fields, networking opportunities, and more--all geared towards increasing visibility, community, and resources for women in technology. I will be there and together with me are awesome women with careers in technology. See you there!