What are the secrets to staying gorgeous at any age?

2:56 PM gem 0 Comments

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Always be stress free!

Warning: Some dirty pictures of mine

9:30 AM gem 0 Comments

(pictures may deceive you, read the entire story below)

Yesterday, my uncle visited us. He was with a lady whom he said will help us detoxify our body. He was so excited to have all of us detoxified. She was carrying with her a machine- ION CLEANSE machine. I have seen this before in a morning show where the host tried it. The lady said that the water will change color depending on the toxins that we have in our body. The color can change from brown, orange, green, black and a lot more.

Since I am in the health and wellness industry, I for one wants to find out what's the "REAL" reason why the water's color changes. Do we really release toxins in our body with the help of this machine?

I was second to try it out. I have colds, that I know. She got her basin, placed water in it. She heated the water with a heater. Then she asked me to soak my feet in the water. She placed the machine at the middle of my feet and got some "salt" which she said will fasten the release of the toxins. (really now...) After 30 minutes, this is what she said was the toxins that were removed from my body.

The Tooth Fairy and a Giveaway!

6:35 AM gem 0 Comments

One of the nicest feeling is having your teeth cleaned by a dentist. Isn’t it? For me, the feeling that I have a squeaky clean teeth makes me wanna smile at everyone. I am lazy when it comes to having my teeth checked by the dentist. I once wore braces but for some odd reason, it just made my teeth and bite’s case worse. The other day, I had to undergo a tooth extraction. This is the third that I had to let go. My teeth started to become weak 2 years ago. Had I known that our body stops producing Calcium after the age of 25, I should have done something to strengthen them. Oh well, I bid goodbye to my tooth and said hello to the toothfairy.

Speaking of toothfairy, so do you know why parents tell their kids to put their tooth under the pillow? Let me give you the folklore or the fairytale about it. From what I remember, in the Middle Ages, it was known that evil spirits can gain extreme power once they get to possess a child’s tooth. With this, once a child loses his tooth, the mother would keep the tooth to prevent the evil spirits from getting it. One day, a mother accidentally dropped the tooth of her child which the rat got and hid in between the walls of the house. The mother was so scared if the evil spirits get to possess the tooth. The news spread and it reached the Queen Fairy. She called for the mother and told her that the tooth will be safe with the rat because as long as it keeps the tooth, the evil spirits will not be able to go near it. However, rats leave their hiding places too. For that, the Queen Fairy has issued all Fairies to collect the children’s fallen off tooth. So that the evil spirits won’t find it, the children have to hide the tooth under their pillow so that all fairies would know where to find it. Hence, we have the Toothfairy!

For the bravehearts, there is a movie related to this story. If you want a good scare, you can watch Darkness Falls. It’s a 2003 movie which stars Chaney Kley as the boy who saw the evil spirit when he lost his tooth and was expecting the toothfairy. Everybody thought he lost his mind. After a few years, another boy experienced the same thing. They thought that the boy is just afraid of the dark but later, they realized he was telling the truth.

Enough of the scary part. At least we now have a better understanding of the fairytale. Anyway, the best part about having tooth extraction is the ice cream! And don’t forget that you have to take Mefanamic to combat the pain when the anesthesia wears off.

This will be the last tooth that I will have removed. (please Lord… I am kind) I thought drinking milk will be enough but I was wrong. Milks stored in Tetra packs contain UVA and UVB blockers.

These chemicals are needed so that the milk won’t get spoiled due to sunlight while it is being delivered from the country it came from to its destination. But these very same chemicals prevents the human body from Vitamin D which is needed for Calcium absorption. What is the use of drinking milk if your body won’t get the calcium anyway?! So now, if you regularly drink milk that you buy from the grocery, sad to say, you are just being fooled. Yes there is Calcium there but they will not be absorbed by your body. It will just become Calcium crystals that in the long run will be detrimental to your health.

So how do we get Calcium? I suggest you drink fresh cow milk- this for a fact is accessible for people in the province. After drinking milk, go outside and get your sunlight! (Morning please- 7am to 10am only) The Sun is the best source of Vitamin D which will help your body absorb the calcium. If we are not lucky to have access to fresh milk, find a good supplement for your bones. Make sure to research on its contents. It doesn’t mean that if a beautiful actress says its good for your bones, it really is. We need the best quality since, as I said, the body stops producing calcium after the age of 25. Some of us might not feel the need, but we all know that the signs will show when its rather too late for any prevention.

I am giving away a 30 day Calcium supplement for my readers.

All you need to do is

#1. Subscribe to this blog

#2. Click the Facebook icon below this blog entry and share this on your wall.

#3. Click the Twitter icon below and tweet this.

#4. Send me an email at gemtaopo@gmail.com on why you or your loved one deserve a 30 day Calcium give away before November 25, 2011.

This is a US Brand supplement called Active Calcium. It’s important for your body’s structure and the integrity of your bones to absorb the right levels of calcium and magnesium, and vitamin D helps this process. The benefits of having strong bones include preventing bone fracture and even avoiding osteoporosis later in life. Active Calcium is a balanced and complete formula of these important ingredients. And what makes Active Calcium “active” is the fact that the ingredients are bioavailable. For a calcium supplement to be effective, it must be absorbable, and this Active Calcium’s formula is the outstanding choice among competitors.

Isn’t this a healthy give away! You wouldn’t have to worry about bone problems and this will definitely help keep teeth strong paired with regular dental checkup. Click AWAY!

Red Wine for Your Skin

4:25 PM gem 0 Comments

Looking young is not just a dream these days. A lot of skin care clinics offer treatments and even surgery to bring back one's younger looking image. However, I would rather stay away from needles and cosmetic surgery just because there are natural ways to keep ourselves looking young. But mind you, it is easier to preserve the beauty that God has given to you than to try to get back years of youthfulness that you've already lost.

I am not a fan of lotions because I hate the greasy feeling and I disgust it when it mixes with sweat in a hot day. I don't want to lock myself in an air conditioned building all the time. So now, I am going to share a very effective way to keep your skin soft and smooth.



You've probably heard about Teri Hatcher bathing in red wine. This was also written in The Book of Hollywood Secrets. This bath is very good for all skin types. Red wine has polyphenols which are great antioxidants and antiaging. All you need to do is to pour a glass of red wine in running water and soak your body for 20 minutes!




If you don't have a bath tub to soak yourself into, then you can try LUSH Gloff Shower Gel which is a limited-edition wintery shower gel inspired by a festive Swedish mulled wine. The formula is infused with warming organic red wine, brandy and spice oils to get circulation flowing down to your toes and heat up those cold, sore muscles.

For some, the red wine bath might not be economically feasible. People nowadays are wise. They want to get more value for their money. If you want to maintain a youthful skin and a healthier body, check out Proflavanol. It is your "red wine tablet". It has a generous amount of grape seed extract in each tablet offering superior antioxidant protection. It is 20x more potent than your regular Vitamin C and 50x more potent from regular Vitamin Es. This is why it helps in keeping the skin youthful most specially if you are prone to pimples or acne. Do your research. I don't think there's a product that's offers better benefits for the skin (other than Proflavanol C100- a higher version)

Our Bar at Home

We need a better way of living. What you eat is what you are. Diseases and skin degeneration do not show at a young age but your body will show the signs after 10 years. Why waste your money for surgery when you can preserve your youth not tomorrow... but TODAY. Go and take your red wine bath or take Proflavanol for a healthy glowing skin. You'll be glad to never hear the word "You look STRESSED today!"

TIME, Website and Makeup Tutorial!

9:44 PM gem 0 Comments

It depends on how you look at and value time, really. Some think they can't get enough and some think they have a lot. But in reality, if you find out you only have a few hours, worse, a few minutes left, wouldn't you spend it by doing the most important thing that matters to you?

You got it right, I've already seen the movie. However, this is not a review about it. It would be best if you watch Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried's movie "In Time".

And since we are speaking of time, I HAVE to find the time to post about the things that I have already started. First is my official website! Yey! Apart from the business that I am in, I have loved makeups ever since time in memorial. It has now become my part time job!

Presenting… Makeup By Gem Taopo

And a few of my friends have been asking if I could start a makeup tutorial online. Truth is, I have never really done anything like that before. There is a big difference when you do personal makeup and makeup on screen. Yet, I always want to learn from experience so, after a long time of editing, cutting to make sure everything fits in less than 10 minutes, I finally finished my first makeup video.


This makeup is best done with cream eyeshadows. In this tutorial however, I used the Sleek pallette that I just bought from last weekend’s Supersale Bazaar at the World Trade Center.

Youtube username is: fordiamond

This is the pallette that I used in this video.

It was really fun doing this. As I said, I just hope the cyber bullies don’t find me! Trust me, the makeup looks better in face to face.





My eye color is brown and that’s not a contact lens. I hope the video helps!

Always remember that we should make every second of our lives worth it. Do not be contented in doing the same thing over and over. Live life by doing the things you love and by helping others.

Ciao!

Goodbye October!

7:34 PM gem 0 Comments

A couple more events were squeezed in my already hectic October.

Bea celebrated her first birthday!!! We didn't anticipate the heavy traffic that we got stuck into when we left at 9am Sunday morning. All Saints Day was just around the corner so everybody was rushing to their provinces for this day. A travel of 40 minutes from Monumento to Munoz was not a very happy site. But, what is important was that we got there to be a part of Bea's celebration!

Daddy Tim, Mommy Kaye and Bea

Wearing Pink- great minds think alike!

with Budda Bee

Loving the games!

 After an hour, we had to rush to a meeting in a friend's house in Mandaluyong. Had a very good merienda. Ibang klase talaga ang pansit na galing Motmot. hehe. That meeting was filled a lot of surprises. The meeting was held for everyone to continue dreaming and to always keep in mind that we should not let temporary hindrances stop us from changing the lives of people for the better. I was touched seeing this video that Raymond made for the team. We really have come a long way.




October taught me to value the people I love. As much as possible, we should spend time with them and keep connected. Life is better lived when we spread the love.