How to Alter Your Sweatpants

Sorry I’ve been off the grid here, but rest assured I’ve been keeping myself busy!

Lately, I’ve been reconnecting with my sewing machine and it’s the one thing that has been keeping me busy apart from dates, endless bingeing of Love is Blind, playdates with Chili, lunches with friends and family time.

In case you didn’t know, I learned how to sew when I was 16, but didn’t really get back into it until 2017! I took sewing classes for a few years until covid hit in 2020. Rather than let it slip from my grasp, I’ve taken up some time to sew. Though I have yet to learn how to make clothes on my own, I’ve been quietly reworking ’em.

Purchased on December 2021, I was swooning over Miaou’s low rise Dita sweatpants, which feature cute O rings and a bootcut silhouette. However, they were too big on me as I have narrow hips. Even though I’m a size XS/S, the cuts of Miaou tend to run big at the hips since it’s cut for those who have wider hips.

Check out my Reel on how I altered it!

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A post shared by Michelle Varinata (@michyvari)

Miaou Dita Pants: https://rvlv.me/Ucvsdo

MY AM and PM Skincare Routine

Staying in, forgoing the makeup and barely going out is great to let your skin breathe. On the flip side, when you want to wear a mask while exercising, the sweat around your mouth area gets active, causing you to break out or get a bad case of clogged pores (it has happened to me!). Alongside the change of weather from winter to spring (or summer to fall if you’re in Oz), that also triggers a new set of skin issues. Ditto with moving into a new place, too.

Since my skin has been through hell and back, I’m just so thankful that it’s been treating me well (save for the hormonal acne I get when it’s near that time of the year – ugh!). Even as I experiment with new products, I have to admit that I never got one too many issues with it as I mainly stick to using clean beauty brands. My friends have always asked me to how I get good skin and my sister calls to ask me which products she must use.

The secret? It’s all about being informative about which products suit your skin. In that case, it means using products that DON’T contain: parabens, artificial fragrances, alcohol, silicones, BHA and other skin unfriendly preservatives that damage your poor precious canvas. By being clean with your skin, it will also be clear as well!

Ditto with kicking gluten, dairy, processed foods and alcohol* (except for wine). (I’m sorry, carb, beer and fast food lovers!) Same with cigarettes and vaping as the heavy metals and other pollutants inside the secondhand smoke age you like CRAZY! (DISCLAIMER: I have socially smoked and vaped on/off in the past and those are the things I don’t do anymore. It’s just gross, period!) Same with eating too much meat, sushi and eggs as those things ARE linked to acne due to vitamin B12. (Heck, even my old derm Dr. Lancer has even advised me to AVOID eating sushi!) Like any other Indo girl, my addiction to fried food is real and unfortunately, I had to kick that to the curb as the oils from all that frying DO cause acne.

Regardless of some products, I do the best I can to stick to a clean beauty brand as those have greatly helped my skin. To be honest, most of these brands happen to be things I discovered during my travels, Sephora trips or Instagram. I have to admit that sometimes, some brands don’t ship to Singapore, so that kinda made me extra stingy about using these products generously! (Sadly, that includes CBD skincare as I was only able to try them abroad in Europe or the States!!)

Alright, here is a breakdown of my AM and PM routines:

This is my secret to how I get ready in the morning!

This is how I get ready for bed!

*Speaking of alcohol, grain alcohols such as vodka and whiskey are quick fix exceptions as that helps to kill the germs. It might not work for everyone, but it has worked for me!

One Palette, 3 Looks: WInky Lux’s Cashmere Kitten Palette

Ethics are called into question as I love cute things, but I feel so freaking torn when it comes to using makeup that isn’t phlatate, sulfate and paraben-free as the brands that make products that feature these ingredients are sadly, things that we just happen to love. Thankfully, not all hope is lost with Winky Lux! As a cruelty-free brand, it also is sulfate, paraben and phlatate-free as it cares to protect consumers like you and I to value our health.

In light of COVID-19, our health isn’t to be taken lightly for obvious reasons; however, we also shall extend that to our skin as it’s so sensitive to so many ingredients. Our naked eye can’t see nor can we physically feel the ingredients slip into our skin’s barrier. Much to my surprise, none of these pigments fell out of their pans nor did I ever experience any severe fallout from the pan after one and a half years of owning it.

Here’s my video tutorial on how YOU can wear all 3 different looks for everyday, date night (over Zoom) and/or your birthday!

P.S. I’ve included the links on where you can purchase the exact products and my looks on my YouTube! ❤

P.P.S. Winky Lux’s PR team gave this palette to me! 😉 Everything else is purchased.

One Palette, 3 Different Looks: Pat McGrath's Nocturnal Nirvana

Let’s be honest: have you ever used what you bought on Black Friday? Unfortunately, we are all too guilty of one thing. In 2007, the average U.S. household has over 50 unused new items worth $3,100 USD. In 2019, a survey conducted in the UK reports that £544 was spent on beauty products, still fresh in the box. As a consumer of beauty products, I hate to admit that I haven’t finished my eyeshadows and because of the scarcity of some products (e.g. Pat McGrath’s Dark Star 006), I only wear them once in a while. As embarrassing as it sounds, I also have to say that it’s because that sometimes, I run out of ideas on how I can wear certain eyeshadows. However, don’t lose hope!

In this series, the first one I’d like to kick off with is Pat McGrath’s Nocturnal Nirvana palette. Featuring four stunning colors, it’s basically a Mardi Gras party filled with gold, aquamarine blue, duochrome green/purple and royal purple. Given that those are not everyday natural hues, it’s implied for night use only. Knowing me, I know that you know how much I LOVE wearing my colors loud and proud during the day!

These are the EXACT products I use to create my look!

Since this was a treat myself Black Friday purchase, this palette was worth EVERY dollar I ever spent on at Sephora as it was a limited edition product. No fallouts, no fades, no creasing, etc! That’s why Pat McGrath’s products have a high price tag attached to it as every single particle is super duper fine, which is why I purchased it to begin with. Although you can only find this on eBay or Poshmark, I promise you that you will never be disappointed!

Since this palette looks hard to wear, I’m gonna break it down on how YOU can make the most out of it!

my first hair tutorial: blowout for mullets

Hey y’all!

I hate to admit that times are tough. We are living in a pandemic, ruled by paranoia and living under constant fear of the new disease that’s altered our entire outlook.

Not only do we have to socially distance ourselves, we also have to give up simple luxuries whether it be a short trip to Europe or a nice tropical getaway in Bali. Also, what was once a small errand like a trip to the salon is now a scarcity as we have to withdraw ourselves from having someone touch our hair.

Since a handful of you have admired my style and makeup game, I kinda wanted to start off with something easy: hair styling. Since hair is the foundation for outfits and makeup, I feel that it’s the right time to give away my top secret formula on my mullet! Because y’all can’t book a trip to the salon now, I wanna do my part to help you get a Hollywood style blowout at home. 🙂

Please check out my first video and try not to laugh at my Jim Carrey impression: