I Blog, Therefore I Am.

For now, the best I can do about my Rosacea is to "fake it" and avoid further damage. One of the best creams my 3rd Dermatologist prescribed me was the Heliocare Ultra Gel with 90 SPF sunscreen. I was advised to get a higher than 70 SPF sunblock to avoid more redness and flare-ups. It's working for me so far, and I've been using it daily for two months.

• It does its job very well! I am not as red as before, and I am now confident to brave the sun even at its strongest. The write-up on their website says that Heliocare is for people not used to sun protection. I agree because I am very guilty of this.

• Paulina Vega of Colombia is the 63rd Miss Universe. This is not really a surprise since she was predicted to win by several beauty pageant experts, blogs, and forums as soon as she arrived in Miami for the competition.

• Paulina's been the front-runner all throughout the competition. She is a Latina bombshell who fits perfectly with the Miss Universe mold. 

• I wouldn't say that she is the perfect and most deserving Miss Universe candidate to win on this batch. She was okay but there were obviously more deserving winners come Finals night. More on this later. 

• There's a lot of flak surrounding Paulina - from being a prima donna with an attitude to being a bubble head. Let's give her a chance and let's see. Venezuela's Gabriela Isler is not the perfect winner either but she turned out to be one of the nicest and best Miss Universe queens. But, one thing is sure - Paulina sounds very much like Sofia Vergara. :D

• Speaking of Colombians, I was surprised to learn that Paulina is just the second Miss Universe of their country. I always assumed that Colombians are very successful in Miss U. They are crazier than Filipinos when it comes to beauty pageants. A quick Internet search said that they just had so many runners-up (11) in the past. They are the fourth country in terms of runners-up next to USA (21), Venezuela (18), and Brazil (13). 

• Trivia: Philippines used to send our delegates to Colombia for "beauty training" before the Miss U pageants. No surprises since National Pageant Director Stella Marquez de Araneta is a Colombian.

• MJ aced the pre-pageants and preliminaries and was easily selected as one of the Top 15 semifinalists. I laughed a little thinking about those "top" international beauty pageant sites who did not even consider her. I believe that some of them deliberately did not include MJ on their list just to spite the ardent Filipino fans.

• The swimsuit competition was easy breezy for MJ. This has always been her strongest segment with that swoon-worthy body and fantastic catwalk. She was included in the Top 10 as expected.

• Then comes the dreaded Evening Gown competition...and the blaming game. MJ wore a very dismal white gown by Colombian designer Alfredo Barazza. Almost everyone I know hates the gown and we all know that MJ cannot do anything about it. MJ was very consistent in her beautiful styling all throughout the competition except when she had this gown and the National Costume gown which was also made by Barazza. 

• Rumors are now circulating online that MJ wore a beautiful pink gown made by a Filipino designer at the last Dress Rehearsal. Some said that MJ was berated and scolded for attempting to wear it in the Finals and Madamme Stella insisted that she wear that  ugly white gown of Barazza instead of the nice Leo Almodal creation. MJ was mortified about the incident and reportedly cried and was in very bad spirits before the competition.  

• An ugly gown broke MJ's bid for the country's 3rd Miss Universe crown. It's okay to compare the gown with the 87 other dresses. But comparing it with 9 gorgeous gowns in the Finals is quite a stretch. The gown was not designed to flatter MJ's body and built.  It made her smaller compared to the other girls. It was definitely not a gown for a soon-to-be-crowned Miss Universe. 

• My heart really goes to MJ. She did the best she could for all of us but there are just things beyond her control. I admire her more because of this. 

• Trivia: The gown pictured above was already the improved version. MJ wore that white gown in the Prelims but she had it altered by top Philippine designer Veejay Floresca before the Finals. Veejay did a good job in repairing it by making it more sexy and flattering - but Veejay can only do much with an ugly ensemble.

You're still our Miss Universe, MJ! We can't wait for your homecoming!

What is Glutathione?
Glutathione is a small protein composed of three amino acids such as glutanamic acid, cysteine and glycine. It is used as an antioxidant and is essential for the functioning of the immune system. It also helps in whitening the skin. It converts the dark/brown pigmentation eumelanine to phaeomelanin, a yellowish white pigmentation.

What is Flawless White Injectable?
Flawless White Injectable or Gluathione injectable is pure Glutathione (dissolved in its diluent) and injected intravenously using a butterfly or injected intramuscularly.

How is it done?
Flawless White Injectables are done by doctors.

How often should it be done to see results?
Single dose can be given 2x a week.

How long does the procedure take?
10 to 15 minutes
There is no downtime procedure, patient can go back to your usual activities after the session.