Stilettos to Sweets ( S2S )

Let's try this again

2009-12-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

As Taylor Swift said, "let's try this again, shall we?" :p It's been a year or two?! since I last posted an entry. I have been so so so busy that I didn't have time to take photos, let alone blog. But after reading endless blogs, I got inspired once again to continue blogging.

I bid goodbye to Stilettos to Sweets (S2S) and hello to my new blog, yellowyum.blogspot.com. (Do link me there! :D). I'd probably NOT pressure myself into posting everyday, but this would become a form of distressing. After all, I love writing.

Yellow Yum because I have always loved yellow. It's my favorite color. And Yum because my husband calls me "yum". :) Cheezy noh?

Anyway, I was super busy because I opened a boutique, I'll be talking about it here for sure, and I got married. That's one of the major reasons why I didn't have time to blog anymore. But now, I'll be doing reverse blogging. Just to help other B2Bs out there. :) I know how stressful it is!

I'll also try to post photos as I blog about stuff in yellowyum.blogspot.com. But I'd probably use my cellphone to take pictures, since I don't really bring a camera all the time.

So that's it for now... I hope you'll follow my entries in my new blog. I still have to edit the layout, add people, etc. Thanks for supporting Stilettos to Sweets! Tahtah!

Prom is fast approaching!

2009-01-20T01:06:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for again being MIA. I have been busy lately. Surprisingly. I've got several projects on my plate. One of which is going back to the gym. Haha! It's a new year, time for a new start yet again. :p

So how's everyone been doing? Going back to the gym is quite tiring. First, it's been months since I last went so my body is always sore after hitting the gym. I love joining aero classes because it's not as boring as doing treadmill. Haha! Don't you think so? :p Of course, I know I also have to diet. Ulk! That's what hurts me the most since I so love to eat. Haha! :p But yeah, cutting down carbs and trying a new lifestyle would be good. But I still suggest doing it gradually. So like me, I'm trying not to go back to my old habit, crash dieting.

On to another project... prom is fast approaching. So here's a flyer I created for my services. :) Do click on the photo to zoom in.

Hopefully, I could still find time adding more and more entries here. :) I do apologize for not being able to post all the time. But I'm sure you understand. ;)

MIA yet again

2009-01-15T00:44:00.000-08:00

I know.... Just having a short vacation. :) I'll be back soon!!!

Amici

2009-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Time for a restaurant tripping! :)

We went to this place because of O begging for their Brazo de Mercedes cake. :p The week before, we already went here for a slice of Brazo and some gelato. I'm talking about none other than Amici.

We have tried this restaurant a year ago in their Makati branch (Pasong Tamo). We found it hard to go to because there was no parking area. So when it opened in Megamall, we were really so psyched!

Here are some photos of their interior:

The pastry area:

Here's our number! Ready for our meal!!! :)

So on to our orders:

First stop is the Mozarella Fritto: (P150.00)
O loves Fried Mozarellas and this did not disappoint. At first I thought "just 3?" But when we finished our meal, the quantity was just right.

My order, Lasagna: (P195.00)
Yummy yummy bread and the lasagna was so cheezy! Really really yummy!!! :) I was also able to taste the pasta very well. The whole dish was fresh. However, it was a bit flat compared to that of -ba--o, which is another favorite Italian restaurant of mine. But this was good, really good.

O's Spinach Montanara: (P195.00)
I was also able to try this, I loved it as well. It was so tasty! The sauce was great. Very meaty and cheezy. The pasta was good too. According to O, this dish was so so so filling! And actually it looked like it. It was a big dish. :p

Of course, to finish our meal is our dessert, O's favorite here in Amici, Brazo de Mercedes: (P45.00/slice)
What I love about this is it's big. I took another photo below just to show you how thick 1 slice is. :) The white part was so fluffy and really really tasty, and of course, let's not forget the good part, the yellow part, which is made of egg yolks. It's impossible for you not to stop and enjoy the dessert with this. :p

Thoughts:
Another round of Amici? Sure why not! We will definitely go back. The price was so so reasonable, compared to other Italian restaurants. They have branches in Makati, Ortigas and Tomas Morato, so it's convenient to go to. They serve big dishes. The staff are friendly. The gelato's so yummy and cheap too. Only P45 per scoop. More power to Amici! :)

Amici
Unit 310-311 EF Mega Atrium,
SM Megamall, EDSA Mandaluyong City

Contouring & Favorite Blush

2009-01-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

Posting a candid photo of myself might be a little vain... o_O Haha! But I just wanted to share something that I noticed as I was browsing photos from our party at home.

This was taken by Hilda Bonnevie, our official photographer. :) I was sporting a very natural look (since it was just a house party at our place). I'm holding a calendar to be raffled off. Haha! Anyway, as I looked at the photo, I noticed how lovely my cheeks were. I loved my contour which brought shape to my chubby chubby cheeks and the color of my blush, my gosh! Perfect! :)

So on to my FOTD: (You may click on the photo for a larger view of the picture. Eeep!!!! Just to see my cheeks that is. Haha!)

Face:
Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream
Dream Minerals Foundation in Charlene
Monave Buttercup Lidwash
Fanny Serrano 2 way foundation in Almond
Dream Minerals Blush in Cupid

Eyes:
Nichido Eyeliner in Black
Winc Instant Lash Duo Mascara
In2It Eyebrow Powder

For my contour, I used Fanny Serrano 2-way foundation in Almond and used my Suesh 21's angeled brush. I use this product all the time for contouring. It's about 1-2 shades darker than my skin tone which is perfect for contouring.

(Sorry I haven't taken a photo of the product yet. Hopefully I'll remember to do so soon. :))

For my blush: (My current favorite blush if I may add!) I used Dream Minerals Cupid. It gives that sunkissed look that works very well for me, and for other morenas too, I'm so sure! :) I'm currently liking the bronzed look now than the pinkish blushes. But I have both since I know it just depends on your preference and mood. :)

So there. :) How about you? Any current favorite blushes? How do you contour? Or do you do so? :)

Welcome 2009

2009-01-01T02:16:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!!!

Goodbye 2008 and hello 2009! 2008 was wonderful. There were a lot of new things and changes that has happened to me, not all were good, but then again, they were changes. I do hope that 2009 is better, not only for myself, but for everyone.

It's quite bittersweet to say goodbye to 2008 because I have a lot of great memories. I pursued something that I love doing, new adventures, new friends, I've learned a lot last year. And now, I think I'm ready to face 2009 with my head held up high. :)

2009 is definitely a new chapter of my book and I look forward to it. There'll be more challenges along the way, but I'm sure there'll be more accomplishments as well.

So thank you to 2008 for making me stronger, wiser. And HELLO 2009! :)

My Brush Collection

2008-12-29T03:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I still can't get over the fact that it's a long long holiday for most of us here in the Philippines! Wow!!! This is the longest vacation as far as I can remember! Hope your holidays are as good as mine. :)

To continue with my post, I decided to share my brushes to the world. Since I've been sharing some of the makeup and skin care I use, why not share the tools, right?

So in a glance, here are the brushes for my personal use. (Take note that I have a different set for my clients' use.)

I have Suesh 21's and some individual brushes that I'll be discussing later on.

To break them down: (This is quite a long post, so bear with me. I haven't been posting for a while. :p)

Powder brushes:
I use these when I just want to retouch or use powder for my face.

The flatter one is my smaller brush which I use for powdering the cheek pane area, and the round one I use for the whole face.

Charm Kabuki brush:
I use this brush when I want fuller coverage. I normally wear mineral makeup (specifically Dream Minerals Charlene foundation), so using a kabuki brush is quite handy. When I go out partying or go out at night, I normally use this brush.

Another foundation brush:
I got this brush from Aunt L. She bought this in Japan, if I'm not mistaken. I actually don't know what this is called (if anybody knows, do send me a shout out.) Anyway, I normally use this for my mineral foundation because it gives full coverage and the hair is really soft!

Foundation Brushes:
Suesh 21's and Elianto
I have 2 personal foundation brushes. 1 I use for my liquid or cream foundation and the other, I use for applying Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream. I prefer using a brush when applying creams because I find it more sanitary. Foundation brushes are used for liquid and cream form of cosmetics.

Stippling brushes:
White Collection and Charm
I have 2 stippling brushes because I can't get enough of them! They give this wonderful airbrushed effect which I love love love and it's very easy to use, gives natural coverage which I like.

Retractable Kabuki Brush:
I have this in my kikay kit all the time. I don't really like using sponges, I prefer brushes. So even with a compact or pressed powder, I use this brush for touch ups.

Fan brush:
I love love love using this brush. Before, I didn't know what the fan brush is for, but after taking my makeup artistry course, I learned that this does a whole lot more than brushing the fallen pigments. I use this for contouring (sometimes), for my blush and bronzer!

I normally suggest my students to get this brush!

Angeled blush brush:
I like using an angeled blush brush for contouring my face. I try not to leave home without contouring since I have a round face. This brush helps me achieve more dimension to my face. :p

Concealer brushes:
Charm and Suesh 21's
Another must have for me! As the name goes, it's for concealing. :p I have two, because I like that I have 2 sizes, one bigger for bigger areas and one smaller for smaller areas such as the sides of the nose, etc.

Blending brushes:
Charm and Suesh 21's
Again, I like having a lot of blending brushes. This I use for blending the eye makeup color. So when browsing my eotd, when I blend, I use these brushes. Blending is the trick to perfect makeup!

Eyeliner brushes:
White Collection, Charm and Suesh 21's
I have 2 bent liners namely White Collection and Charm, and a felt tip kind by Suesh. I like having different types of eyeliner, because I love lining the eyes. Bent liners are God sent especially for those who are just starting to learn how to line properly.

I have other brushes included in the 21's set, such as eyeshadow brushes and the like, but I wasn't able to take photos of them anymore. :(

Lastly, here's another set that I have.

Charm Travel Pro:
I bring this with me when I travel, go overnights, or I have an occassion during the night, yet I have to leave the house early. Everything's there already, so this is the only thing I need to bring, this set.

So there you go... my collection of brushes. I'm pretty sure it will still grow because I love love brushes. But I really try to go for cheaper yet good quality ones than buying the branded ones. I try to research first for other alternatives to get my money's worth! :)

Almost all the brushes are available at Dream Collection. Ciao!

Pho Hoa

2008-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

This is a very late post actually. :) We ate at Pho Hoa, a Vietnamese restaurant months before. I used to go to Pho Hoa more frequently way before when they had a branch in Jupiter St., Makati. Anyways, let's proceed.

Fried Spring Rolls:
It was okay. I like the other spring rolls better though. They're mini spring rolls, a small serving.

My order, Glazed Chicken:
This was okay. It tastes like Chicken Teriyaki. But it was too sweet for my taste. (I like their Sizzling Beef with Rice better. [I forgot the exact name of the dish, but it's beef on a sizzling plate. Hehe!])

V's Prawns and Grilled Pork:
I wasn't able to taste the prawns because I'm allergic, but the pork was okay. The prawns were disappointing, they were too small. The rice was just like mine, it was really yummy.

M's Hot Beef Noodles:
(Sorry I forgot the exact name of the dish, but it was spicy, and it was beef noodles.) I think this was good. Pho Hoa is known for their noodles. Plus M looked like she loved it. She even put more hot sauce! Hahaha! Talk about a HOT dish. Haha!

With my dear dear friends, M and V. Love you girls!

Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House
Paseo Center, Makati City
812-5234

For other branches: http://www.munchpunch.com/restaurants/branches/521.aspx

Merry Xmas to All!

2008-12-23T22:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Oiliness related to stress?

2008-12-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, here I am again trying to post another entry amidst my busy-ness. Haha! The holidays is coming and I can't wait. I can't wait to blog about the food, the gifts, the makeup, etc. :) Soon soon my love.

Anyway, I realized something during my busy schedule. I was so stressed these past few weeks, and felt that my face was much much oilier than usual. I have combination skin and very oily lids, however, these times, my face was just plain oily. :/ So I realized that indeed, it was because of stress. :( Tsk tsk! It's a sad truth people.

So because of this, I'm hoping that the next year will be better, not as stressed, not as oily. Haha! :) Also, I try to control the oil as much as I can by using these products:

1. Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream

Biased I may seem, but this is really something that I always always use. Before I put on my makeup, I make sure that I wear day cream first. This reduces the oil from my face. (There were times I forgot to wear the day cream before applying my makeup, so I decided to forego, I ended up having really oily skin before lunch time!)

2. Skin Hour Firming & Clarifying Toner
(alternative: Clean & Clear Oil Controlling Toner)

I am an avid fan of the saying "Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize", plus I feel that my skin is a lot cleaner when I tone. Also, you instantly see that the oil is gone!

3. Dream Minerals Persephone Primer

I don't regularly use this since I'm already good with the Mattifying Day Cream. But like what I said, my skin is not normal these times, so additional primer is quite necessary. :/ I use mineral powder just so it's light and very sheer. I don't want to end up having cakey makeup and I don't want my skin to feel heavy.

4. Dream Minerals Charlene, Monave Angel and MAC Hyper Real Medium
(alternative: MAC Mineralize Foundation, Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Powder Foundation)

These are the makeup that I use, because they're very light. Plus I also use this to retouch my face when needed.

5. Gatsby Powdered Oil Clear Paper
(Gatsby Oil Clear Sheet)

I recently bought this, because I felt that I really really need this now that my skin is really oily. I was supposed to get Gatsby Oil Clear Sheet, but I accidentally got the Powdered Oil Clear Paper. I hope it works just fine. I'll update you guys about this. I'll roadtest the sheet and post an entry. :)

So currently these are my must-haves for oiliness! Do you have other products on your mind that I might have forgotten? :)

Flea and Tick Medication & Prevention

2008-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me what I use for flea and tick medication and prevention for my dogs. So I'd like to post my answer here just in case other dog owners would like to know as well.

I am not an expert when it comes to these things, but I am a dog owner and dog lover myself. So these are just based from my experience. :)

I have tried using different types of flea and tick medication/prevention. However, these three are the most effective ones in my opinion.

1. Frontline (http://frontline.us.merial.com)

There are two types, one is the spray and the other is spot-on. I prefer the spot-on better because I find it more effective.

Note that it is important that you apply the liquid to the skin and not just the hair/fur of your dog. Also, it is advisable to not bathe your dog for three days after applying the medication, for it spreads with the help of the oil of the hair/fur of your pet.

There are different sizes of Frontline for different sizes of dogs. (Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.)

A step by step instruction how to use the spot-on.

I give this:
3 out of 3 paws in terms of medication
3 out of 3 paws for prevention
2 out of 3 for price (It's a little bit expensive, about P300++ per tube)

2. Bansect Flea & Tick Collar (http://www.drugs.com/vet/bansect-flea-tick-collar-for-dogs.html)

I have tried this once. However, O has used this a couple of times and says it really is a good product.

Basically, it's a collar for your dog and it kills the ticks and fleas. What's good about this product is wetting it does not impair its effectiveness. So you can bathe your dog and not remove the collar. Unlike Frontline, you can bathe your dog a day after you put on the collar.

Bansect says that it's good for about 120 days, but from what we've experienced, the effects only last for about 60 days. Good enough I think, 2 months is still long considering your dog is already protected from those pests.

Btw, the collar is quite long. As seen in the photo, it can be used by big dogs. So if your dog isn't big like mine (mini schnauzer and poodle), you can cut it in half and use the other half after 2 months. Not a bad tip, right? If you have smaller dogs such as chihuahuas, you can probably cut the collar in 3. Simply use Mighty Bond to glue the ends of the remaining collar.

I give this:
2.5 out of 3 paws in terms of medication
3 out of 3 paws for prevention
3 out of 3 for price (Only P130 for a collar.)

3. Flea and Tick Powder (Pooch Park)

This is another option you might want to try especially for those budget conscious owners. (Sorry I don't have a photo of the product.)

The flea and tick powder promises to kill the pesky fleas and ticks. So if you're dog already has so much, this is the way to go!

After bathing your dog with soap/shampoo, dissolve 1 teaspoon of the flea and tick powder with 1 liter of water and stir well. Use this for the "last rinse" of your dog. And dry your dog and groom afterwards. That's it! Very simple and very quick.

For sure you won't be able to finish the whole liter of water, so you can use that to clean your dog's area. Spray some on his/her bed, clean the cage with it, etc. Disinfect with this liquid solution.

I would suggest using this every other week just so you're sure that all ticks and fleas are killed. ;)

I give this:
3 out of 3 paws in terms of medication for your dog
1 out of 3 paws for prevention for your dog
3 out of 3 paws for prevention for the dog's area
3 out of 3 for price (only P100 per sachet. It's a bargain!)

Overall, I recommend Flea and Tick Powder for cleaning and disinfecting the area of your dog. Because this will definitely prevent and kill the ticks and fleas that come near the area. Bansect collar for those dogs that just need prevention and have no fleas and ticks that much. And Frontline for those who need strong medication and prevention.

These are available at your local pet shops or at Pooch Park Doggie Day Care.

Pooch Park
J Vargas- #181 Auto Depot, Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig
910-5036 or (0922) 9663320

Metro East- Level 4 Robinsons Metro East, Marcos Highway, Pasig
6477025 or (0922) 3024566

Sorry for being MIA

2008-12-17T18:43:00.001-08:00

Hi friends and lovers,

I have been away for some time I know. :/ Boo me! The whole November-December was a really rocky one for me and I had to continuously be on my toes to finish everything on my plate. However, hopefully after Christmas which is a few days way... I'll be down to blogging once again! I know some of my friends who have been reading S2S have been wondering what happened and why I haven't blogged for about a month!

Anyways, like what I said, Christmas is near. (So I'd still probably busy. We just wrapped up our bazaars and the last one is this weekend. But there are still a lot of shopping to do, parties to attend to, yadida yadiada.)

So how's your Christmas shopping? :)

Found this picture and fell in love with it. As you know, Boo is also a Mini Schnauzer. :) Cute, isn't it? Hehe!

(Source: http://flickr.com/photos/35516177@N00/313113128)

Well...

ADVANCE MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

Brooklyn Pizza

2008-12-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

A whole lot of lovin' for a whole lot of pizza!

As you read S2S, you'll find out what things I truly adore in my life, and that is my pets, food, relaxation and of course, beauty. :)

One pizza place I really like going to is Brooklyn Pizza. They offer enormous pizzas at reasonable price. Isn't that what we want? :)

Just how big is it? It might not look too big in this photo. But this can feed 6 people or more!

Plus, another great thing about this is you can choose different flavors to compose your pizza. They don't limit you to just one flavor, but you can choose 4 different flavors!

When I was younger, I could finish a family size pizza by myself (as long as I'm given time and I eat it at my own pace.) That's how much of a pizza lover I am! But now that gigantic pizzas are in, I'm already full with 2 slices of pizza. For normal people, 1 slice will already make them happy! :)

Brooklyn has several branches already and they deliver too!

Here are some of their branches: Visit the one near you! :D

Makati: 1176-C Chino Roces Ave., San Antonio Village
896-9696

Parañaque: 15 President's Ave., Tahanan Village
775-7575

Tomas Morato: 376-7676

Ortigas: City Golf Complex, Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas
633-9999

The Reason for my Hiatus

2008-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry I haven't been blogging that much. I have been busy to the roof and there were a lot of changes that happened in my life, and until now, I'm still struggling with them and trying to move my a*s around. Haha! :) So please bear with me. I hope to be able to blog after our next bazaar on Dec 13-14 at La Vista in Katipunan. Hope you can all drop by our booth! Skin Hour & Dream Collection! See you! :)

Chocolate Batirol

2008-11-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

Another chocolate find in Baguio. Why is it Baguio's full of strawberries and good stuff? Hahaha! :) Anyway, we went to Camp John Hay one day and we saw this place that sells Chocolate Batirol.

If you're not familiar with Chocolate Batirol, it's a chocolate drink that uses a Chocolate tablet or tablea as they call it. Some are thick that you can use it as a dip for your churros and some aren't. So we headed to the restaurant.

And ordered their Original Chocolate Batirol (which is the ordinary chocolate flavor) and the Strawberry Chocolate Batirol.

Strawberry (L) and Original (R)

I was quite impressed with the ambiance. It was very cozy and romantic actually. But the drinks were so-so. I thought that theirs were the thick drinks that I wanted, but it turned out the opposite. But in terms of the two drinks we ordered, I like the original one better. The strawberry flavored drink was weird. :/

However, I don't think I'll be coming back to this place for their drinks again. Maybe I'll try their food next time, but the drinks were a bit disappointing. Sorry. ;)

Sizzling Plate Baguio

2008-11-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Another food post! I seriously can't get enough of food. And I am currently trying to diet... Just great! :/

Here's a good find at Baguio. As mentioned, we wanted to try restaurants that aren't here in Manila.

As we were walking around Session Road (which was quite near the place we stayed), we saw this restaurant and just had to stop and have lunch at Sizzling Plate Baguio.

We ordered the Australian Porter House as it was their best seller.

To quench our thirst, here are our drinks:
Iced Tea and Calamansi Juice

The meal started with soup: (The soup was okay, it tasted like instant noodles.)

And the good part:

Our Australian Porter House served with rice.
(Sorry I was too eager to eat that I forgot to take a photo before diving in.)

The steak was okay. It wasn't that expensive. I think it was around P240-250 and as you see it's already big. For me, tt actually tastes similar to that of --us- o- M-nis. But according to O, Sizzling Plate is better. Anyways, I was so full after eating. I think it's still different from those we order in St---t-wn or hotels. ;)

Hair dare!

2008-11-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

This is an entry that took months before posting. Haha! Sorry 'bout that. I took up professional hairstyling last June and it was really challenging playing with the "doll" that was lent to us for our hands on.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some photos from the class:

This looks a little messy. We didn't use any hairspray that's why... ;) I forgot the name of the hairstyle. :/

This is one of my favorites, it's called Regal. And I think it would really look good on a woman who's out to a formal occassion. Don't you think?

The famous French Twist:

Here's the side of the twist:

My classmate wanted to try another version of French Twist, but our dolls didn't have long hair, so she played with mine.

Side view: (no hairspray) :p

Smile!!! :)

Hairstyling is a lot of work. But as they say "practice makes perfect!"

Chocolate & Strawberries- Happy Together!

2008-11-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

What to do with left over strawberries?! :)) I've got just the idea!!!

*Never never never leave Baguio without trying their strawberries!

You know how we love our chocolate fondues with marshmallows, fruits and lady fingers? If you're not in a fancy restaurant or in a hotel, you can still enjoy the goodness of chocolate and fruits!

Go to your nearest supermart/grocery, and purchase Crumpy or Nutella.

In this case, we bought Crumpy.

You can dip your strawberry in the chocolate spread. Or do like what I did, get a spoonfull of chocolate! :D YUMYUMYUM!!!

Skin Hour- Skin is IN!

2008-11-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Healthy alternatives for the skin is IN!

Share the organic love with us as we celebrate our skin... Skin is definitely In!

See, feel and ask about Skin Hour! Visit us at the following venues:
- http://skinhour.multiply.com
- Us Girls Big Bazaar at Eastwood City (Bazaar D Booth 5) on November 29, 2008
- Santa's Christmas Bazaar at La Vista (Booth 120) on December 13 & 14, 2008
- Backstage Store in Serendra, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Skin Hour will be doing roadshows near you! So watch out for that soon! :D

Little John's

2008-11-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

I have been AWOL for quite some time because I am currently adjusting. :) A lot of changes have happened recently and until now, I can't say I've fully adjusted to the changes. Don't worry... I'm okay. :)

Anyways, here's one of the places where we dined during our stay in Baguio. And I've got to say it's true that you can't have everything. Why do I say this? Read on.

Little John's in Mile Hi

The interior. (The photo was taken around 2-2:30pm. This was the time we had lunch. Yeah we were really late.)

Let's run down some of our food before anything else, shall we?

Chili con Carne: (I don't quite remember the name of the dish, but basically it's chili with some beans in it and some tortillas for the crunchy factor.)

Once stirred.

O's Beef Tapa:

My Lemon Peppered Fish:

Now on to the review and experience...

The staff were not too friendly. I hate these kind of staff because they make us feel that we owe it them that we're dining there, when in fact, they should be thanking us.
It was pay as you order. You may upon ordering and wait for your food to be served. Nothing bad about this.
There was no pictures of the menu. The menu was written in a blackboard (chalk board) and hung in the wall. You can't really picture what or how the food look like.
They have their own comfort room. Plus points for them! It was also clean.
According to my research, their chocolate fondue is a must try. We were not able to try this.
Chili con Carne- I don't really like beans, and I didn't think there were too many beans. Heck, I didn't even know there were beans! But O liked it. I like the crunchy part.
Beef Tapa- I'm a sucker for eggs, so I liked the eggs. The tapa was nothing special.
Lemon Peppered Fish- Okay there was lemon, and I tasted the pepper. But the fish was too dry and too stringy!!! I didn't like it at all.
The prices weren't that expensive, but the quality of service and food was no good either.

I forgot how much these dishes cost. I'll try to check if I still have the receipt with me, but overall, I was disappointed, just because I expected a lot from it too. :/ Oh well...

Check back again for more on my trip! :D

Filling Station Dinner

2008-11-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

Before I share the whole entry, I'd like to say I wasn't able to take lots of pics of the Filling Station. We were already really tired and so we just ate and ate and ate. Haha!

Anyways, still for my Baguio entries, after trekking in Camp John Hay, we were so excited to visit Filling Station. It had a special place in our hearts because we loved our previous experience in Filling Station, so we were very excited. :)

There were several restaurants but we chose Shakey's.

We ordered the Buddy Pack. Cost is P330.00. I was craving for Mojos!!!!

Afterwards, our Filling Station experience won't be complete without dessert!!! Bought ice cream in Strawberry & Cream.

O ordered Ice Cream #7. :)

I ordered Ice Cream #3.

I super love my ice cream with the strawberries, strawberry syrup hidden under and the chocolate ice cream. It was all good! O also said that he liked my ice cream better. Haha! :) Ice cream #7 according to O was normal. Haha! :p

Good ending to any nice experience is a sweet dessert and romantic moments with your love. :) How mushy! Haha!

Historical Trial

2008-11-06T04:18:00.000-08:00

It's about time we move to another fun activity. We did a lot of research prior to going to Baguio. Since we were already in Camp John Hay, we went to a Historical Trail. It was P30.00 per person and it was fun fun fun.

Here are some highlights:

Btw, before I continue with the photos, there's also a "negativity cemetery". I didn't take photos because I was a bit creeped out. Haha! Basically, there were figurines which were symbols of negativity and they were buried there. Something like that. Haha! I didn't really pay much attention since I was quite scared. Hehe! :)

Heads of the generals during American period in the Philippines.

Here's my favorite... the Bell House. :)

Our accomodation during our stay in Baguio..... not! Haha! :p

This is near the Bell Amphitheater.

I felt one with nature... really. And I loved every minute of the trail!

Here is the Bell Amphitheater.

Peek-a-boo! :D

Even though we were so tired because of the hiking that we did, we had so much fun! We took so many photos and I just chose some pics to post here.

P30.00? It was totally worth it!!!!! It was fun trekking, taking photos, reading historical facts, visiting my favorite Bell House. :)

Miles Hi Diner

2008-11-04T03:57:00.000-08:00

Where to eat breakfast when you’re craving for American food while in Baguio?

Go to Mile Hi Diner!!!

We were visiting Camp John Hay so we were in the area. Mile Hi is a place where imported brands of food, clothes, etc. were being sold at cheaper price than here in Manila. There’s also several restaurants in the area.

On to Mile Hi Diner. I chose this restau because when I saw the menu outside. I saw the photos of the American breakfast and my tummy started to rumble. Haha!

Here are some photos inside:

Was able to take a photo of the breakfast menu.

Free coffee was being served before 11am, and since we were there before 11, we were served coffee. :) I love freebies!!!

Our orders:

American Breakfast

Bacon, ham, sausages, egg, what more can I ask for? Heaven!!!

Grandma's Corned Beef Hash

The corned beef is so so so delicious. I wonder what the brand is, if it’s their own corned beef or what. But it really is delicious. I love it!

The price aren’t that cheap, but what the heck, we don’t always go to Baguio and this is A VACATION. Haha! So it’s okay to indulge. :p

The Manor

2008-11-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

The Manor is one of the famous hotel accommodations in Baguio. They have really yummy breakfast buffet. (We tried their buffet my first time in Baguio) and they have a wonderful ambiance. We had to go to The Manor to check out the place once again and to take pictures. :)

Here are some of the pictures we took in the open area of The Manor. It was fun fun fun!

Also we stopped by their pastry store.

Aren’t they delicious? Eye candy!!!

We purchased pralines. Cost= P160. They’re so so yummy!

Also, I saw this intriguing chess set so we took a photo.

The Philippine government officials. Cute and funny, it really is.

Anyways, I’m not sure how much lodging in The Manor is. But it really is worth a visit for your picture-picture. Haha! :)

Nagomi Spa

2008-11-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

What is a getaway without some R&R? Do I hear spa bells anyone? :)

Yes, while in Baguio... (OT: Yes I will be posting about my Baguio Trip probably the whole week, I'd be sharing my experiences, food, ambiance, adventures. So hold your horses for my beauty entries.) We simply had to have our massages. Yehey!

We searched the city for a quaint and nice spa and we ended up at Nagomi Spa. O got the Nagomi Stone Body Massage which uses hot stones to relieve the stress from the back and I got the combination of Swedish Body Massage & Foot Massage, since as you all know, I'm a sucker for foot massages.

As we waited, they had our feet soaked in warm water and rose petals. It was a relaxing feeling. Then we were escorted to our 20-minute sauna. It was O's first time and I couldn't help but laugh that O couldn't breathe inside. Hahaha! :p

Afterwhich, we were accompanied to our VIP room. Here's a photo before the massage started.

On to our massages:

O's Nagomi Stone Body Massage: P700
According to O, the stones were very very hot. In fact I heard him tell his therapist to remove some rocks a couple of times. As he said, he didn't know if the stones should be THAT hot or if they just didn't know what they were doing. At the back of my head, I thought I'm so glad I didn't get that massage or else I might not be able to nap as I would be talking to therapist over and over again just to get the right temperature. In my opinion, I wouldn't know also if the stones were really THAT hot. O has quite a thin skin when it comes to heat. He always puts the aircon to a cold temperature which is to cold for me. So we never know. But aside from that, he also got a body massage so he was relaxed and dozed off too.

My Swedish Body Massage & Foot Massage Combo: P795
My therapist was really really really good. Before she even started, she already asked me about the pressure, so I told her "hard". And that was it. I didn't have to tell her to make the pressure harder at all. The leg massage was really good too. And surprisingly, I dozed off when she was massaging my back. Normally I don't doze off, most especially if it's dry massage. But I was disappointed with the foot massage, because again it was Xiammen massage and not Thai. I asked them prior to the service if the foot massage was Thai or Xiammen, unfortunately, I don't think they know the difference. I was disappointed with that.

After our massages, we were handed hot towels to wipe and clean our bodies. Normally, in spas here in Manila, they'd be the ones to do this for you.

As we head to the receiving area, there was a tea set waiting for us. The tea, I don't know what kind smelled so good. It was delicious, very very relaxing.

Overall, the massage was okay. It was relaxing, just what we needed. But I don't think I'll go back again. Maybe I'll try another spa first and see and compare which is better. :)

Rose Bowl

2008-11-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

Another restaurant I tried during my trip to Baguio was Rose Bowl.

Let's back track a little. Before going to Baguio, we have decided that we'll try the restaurants that are only in Baguio and cannot be found in Manila. So we did a lot of research. We love eating so it won't really be a vacation without yummy food.

On to Rose Bowl. It's a Chinese restaurant near Session Road. According to O, Rose Bowl has been established more than 10 years ago. Of course it has already been renovated and maybe the dishes were also updated, but the quality was still good. Anyways, here are our orders:

Fried Chicken to share:
The chicken was really tender, it reminded me of Max's Fried Chicken here in Manila.

Sweet and Sour Pork:
I am so happy about this dish because the pork is really cooked in the authentic way. There were not much extenders (or maybe there weren't any). Really good.

Chicken Curry:
I like this dish!!! It was different from the usual chicken curry I eat in Indian restaurants. Yes, I like Indian food too. This was cooked the Chinese way with button mushrooms.

I wasn't able to take a photo outside because it was already dark and there were a lot of people walking briskly. But here's a picture inside.

All in all, Rose Bowl serves authentic Chinese food, which is really important to Chinese people like me. I don't really like Chinese food that much (just my personal preference) but this restaurant was really good. It's not very cheap, but not that pricey either. I think the bill totaled more or less P700.

Strawberry Taho

2008-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Still from my trip:

Next stop was to go to Mines View Park. It's a place that every tourist must go to. They sell everything from food to clothes, things you would want to buy as souvenirs and as gifts to your friends and loved ones. In Filipino terms, "pasalubong".

I wasn't actually able to take a lot of pictures during my visit to Mines View because there was a lot of people that time and I didn't want to get and use my camera (for obvious reasons).

One thing I wanted to try was the Strawberry Taho. A lot of vendors have been telling us and urging us to try it, so we gave in and bought one.

The white part is taho, which is made of soybeans. And the red syrup is the strawberry syrup. You might not be able to see, but there's also sago in it.

The best way to enjoy your taho is to drink it while it's still warm. I asked the vendor to put lots of syrup because I really really like it. :)

Strawberry taho is really delicious. Sad that we don't have it here in Manila or probably in other countries too. So when you do visit Baguio in the Philippines, never forget to try the Strawberry Taho. :)

Fresh Catch Isdaan

2008-11-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

I am back from my Baguio trip!!! It was truly truly beautiful. :) Of course I'll be sharing some of the photos I took from the trip. First stop is our short trip to Tarlac to have lunch.

I have always wanted to visit Fresh Catch Isdaan. I've seen the restau before during my first trip to Baguio and I've watched a feature about it too.

We were still full when we got there so we ordered the following:

Buko Juice still in its shell.

Grilled Tilapia:

Wrapped in banana leaf so smelled really good.

Tada! There's onions, tomatoes, all good stuff! Yum!

While waiting, you can ask fish food from the waiter and you may feed the fish.

Here are some of the beautiful spots we just had to take photos of.

I look like I'm in a different country, don't I?

The giant statues that will greet you as you park the car.

The spitting and urinating monkeys. Haha! You can win 1 kilo of fish if you survive this game.

Legend of the giant hand.

The infamous Tacsiyapo wall, where you can purchase plates, mugs, pitchers, even old television sets and throw/smash them onto the wall. This was believed to release anger.

We will definitely be going back here when we go to North next time. It really is a must! :)

Stila Cosmetics Eye Shadow

2008-10-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Before going to Baguio, I was able to sneak this entry in. :)

Here's another gift from Aunt L. Aunt L is truly kikay, so lucky me! :p

She gave me 2 eyeshadows from Stila cosmetics. Here's one of them.

Kiwi shade.

Here is a swatch:

Decided to apply it once on my lids.

I have yet to roadtest this product. But my initial reaction? I like the shade. :) Haha! I'll be posting another entry about the product once I've tested them whole day.

Vacation Vacation Here I Come

2008-10-23T18:47:00.001-07:00

I will be going on a much awaited and well deserved vacation. I'll be going to Baguio and might not be able to post any entry startying October 26 to November 7. But don't you worry, I'll be posting lots and lots of entries about my trip. I told myself this trip will really be a GETAWAY in its true meaning. No worries, no problems, no project plans, no work, no nothing. Just purely relaxation and fun. Well hopefully that's what happens. :) So I'll be back!!! :D

Daytime Orange

2008-10-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

As promised...

I know I have been AWOL for the last couple of days and I haven't been posting regularly. :/ So here's another hard earned EOTD. :) Hope you like it! Coz I really do! :)

Let's start the show...

I used what Aunt L gave me... Shu Uemura in M Beige and Orange. Yes you heard it right, Orange! Haha! It's a pretty orange color, and not the "bilibid orange" don't worry.

Here's a swatch:

Start with my eye... It's already quite oily since I just got home. Hehe! :p

I used the M Beige shade first.

Apply it to the inner lids.

I stopped 3/4 of the lid, since I'll be adding a different shade to that.

Now, it's time to use the Orange shade of Shu Uemura.

Apply it on the outer side if the eye. Make a v shape.

Here's how it should look like:

Notice that there's demarcation which we still need to fix.

Now to do that, use a blending brush. I'm using Suesh brushes. Blend blend blend!

Tada!

All better! :)

Now to highlight the browbone, I use my favorite off-white Elianto eyeshadow.

Highlight the browbone. This will make the eye makeup for dramatic!

Now, time to use my newly purchased Nichido eye pencil in Black brown.

Here's a swatch:

Line the upper lashline and don't forget to tightline. Tightlining will make your eyes bigger and livelier!

Here's how it should look like:

Finish by lining the lower lashline. Curl the lashes, and apply mascara. I used Covergirl Lashexact Mascara in Black Brown.

When smiling:

Shu Uemura & Nichido

2008-10-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

What does these two brands have in common? They both have really good quality. Of course one is branded and the other is local, but I rarely look at the brands. I try not to discriminate when it comes to makeup, just as long as they have a wide variety of products, they have good quality, and I've tried and tested them. :)

You'd probably be reading on different brands as we go along with my posts about beauty here in S2S. I wanna give women choices and not just stick to high end brand. However, a tip is still to go and try the products yourself first. I normally try the tester products in counters or if I buy online, I read on the comments of other people, before buying for myself.

Anyway, back to the topic... Aunt L gave me 2 lovely shades of Shu Uemura eyeshadows. *Thanks Aunt L! I really like them!* Here they are...

M Beige and Orange

I also got myself a dark brown color of eyeliner. You know how much I love eyeliners! I needed this for tightlining. So I went to SM and bought Nichido eye pencil in Black Brown. This eye pencil can be used as eyeliner or eyebrow pencil.

Here's a swatch:

I'll be doing an EOTD using these products. So stay tuned! :)

Good news to consignors!

2008-10-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Consignors for Bazaars

Dream Collection and Skin Hour are now accepting consignors. This Christmas season, share the good news of mineral makeup and organic love by selling Dream Collection's MMU and Skin Hour products. Send in your contact details to 09228242758 and be able to sell Dream Collection and Skin Hour is your bazaar schedules!

Get Reseller Discounts and additional freebies! :)
Dream Collection and/or Skin Hour products may be consigned for bazaars/outlets.
Reseller discounts will be given.Additional freebies will be given for big sellers!

Woohoo!!! :D

Wedding Jitters

2008-10-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

I got this from someone's multiply and I'm just reposting. :)

Wedding season is upon us, and as you watch excited friends and family members scurry down the aisle, you might be wondering: When will it be my turn to tie the knot?

It is not unusual to get antsy about ascending to the next stage in your relationship, especially when you see friends of the same age (or younger!) already in the land of happily ever after. Of course, not everyone needs a ring to create a lifetime commitment with their partner, but for those who do want to get married, waiting for the proposal can be agonizing.

So, why in the world isn't he proposing?

Men Don't Hear the Clock Ticking. While men are fertile well into elderly years (Hello, Hef!), the biological clock keeps a different timetable for women. Even though medical advancements can now allow women to have babies well into their forties, the chances of conceiving and carrying a healthy baby to term decrease rapidly with age. Men often do not realize the extent of this fertility timetable, and even if they do, they might not feel the same pressure to settle down. The good news as to why he hasn't proposed yet? It's not you -- it's Mother Nature.

Men Dread the Big Day. Not all women dream of the big day and the white gown, but many do. As a result, some women crave marriage more than men, simply because they can't wait to be princess for a day! However, the groom-to-be usually feels something akin to dread -- not because he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life with his blushing bride, but because he doesn't want to spend hours deciding table arrangements or corralling his family into a reception hall. The upshot? Be sure your man knows your future wedding isn't going to be a three-ring circus, and get him thinking about possible honeymoon spots. The thought of you in a bikini in Aruba might get him down on one knee.

Men Want to Be Prepared. Yes, romantic comedies make spontaneous proposals look tempting, but the truth is that marriages fare better in situations where the finances and big life decisions are already planned out. If you and your significant other haven't seriously discussed marriage, let alone where you will live, if you will have kids, etc., chances are that he hasn't proposed because your relationship isn't prepared for that next step. The cure? Figure out if your life plans are on the same track by casually mentioning your own future goals, whether it is to own a business, buy a house, or have a baby.

Men Fear the Proposal Moment. Have you ever thought about how scary it must be to plan what is supposed to be the most romantic moment of you and your partner's life? From JumboTron proposals to hiding engagement rings inside of Crab Rangoon, previous grooms have created a lot for your partner to live up to. Assuage his fears by letting him know that skywriting is nice, but sweet, simple gestures are best.

Finally, if you know that you are ready for the next step in your relationship, but you still haven't seen any bling, you might want to consider summoning up your bravery and popping the question yourself!

My thoughts: Last paragraph.... Or not?! :p

Listverse.com

2008-10-14T00:23:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned in my previous post in Twitter, I have been visiting this site recently and I am loving it. So I think it's time to share this site to everyone.

Welcome to Listverse.com. There's so so many topics to choose from. I find this site really interesting and quite informative. I hope you do too! :D If you like snooping around like me, you'd like this site. Haha!

Green Day

2008-10-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

A very very very hectic schedule I'm in. I can't even hold regular workshops as of the moment because of my busy schedule. But I managed to do this tutorial before I went out. :p

Pls. excuse my zit. :(

Prep your whole face (and your eyes most especially) with primer. I used Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream.

Buff your face with foundation. Normally I use mineral foundation since I like the light feeling but full coverage. :) I'm using Charlene matte foundation.

Umm... sneaky me! This is how I make my fotd/eotds. :)

Conceal and lighten dark areas such as eyebags. I'm using mineral makeup again. Using Buttercup lidwash to disguise my eyebags. Huhu!

Left: concealed with Buttercup; Right: without.

Conceal red areas such as the sides of the nose, blemishes, etc. I used Max Factor in Nuvo Beige cream concealer.

Now on to the eyes...

I'm using these two shades from my Elianto eyeshadow palette.

First is use the lighter shade and apply over lids.

Next is to apply the darker shadow at the outer v of the eye to create dimension.

This is how it should look like. (Taken without flash)

After blending well, highlight the brow are with an off-white shade. I used Elianto off-white eyeshadow.

Next is to use a neutral color that is close to your skin tone just to bridge the gap between the colors.

Here's how it should look: (taken without flash)

Use the light green shade on the lower lashline. Stay on the inner side.

Next is to use the darker shade and apply it on the outer side.

Apply liquid eyeliner and tightline with pencil eyeliner to make your eyes bigger and more alive. I used Fashion 21 liquid eyeliner in black and Nichido pencil eyeliner in black for tightlining.

Curl lashes and apply mascara. I used Winc Instant Lash Duo to make my lashes look longer because of its fibers.

Result:

On to the eyebrows:

Groom your eyebrows with brown eyebrow powder. Use one shade lighter than your hair. I'm using In2It Eyebrow Powder.

For the face:

I contour my cheeks, since I have a round shape face. For countouring, use a darker shade of foundation (either cream or powder). I normally use powder foundation so it's light. I use Fanny Serrano foundation in Almond.

How it would look: (Yihee!! Smaller cheeks!)

Next is for blush. I opted to use a bronzer for this. Used Shiseido Luminizing Brush Powder in Bronze Shimmer, which I have reviewed before.

Result:

I used a nude lipliner to fill my lips. Lipliners is a must if you want your lipstick to stay on longer. Here I used Shiseido in Mauve-Brown.

For color: I chose to use a peachy shade of lipstick from my Fanny Serrano lip palette .

Finish off by setting the makeup with charged face mist. I'm using Skin Hour Firming & Clarifying Toner.

Tada!!!

Happy happy! :D

Jason Magbanua

2008-10-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Can I just share? I found this video a couple of months back and I can't help but get goosebumps when I watch it. It's so so sweet and the effects and the music just made it even more breath taking.

Watch James and Tania's wedding video here.

I am officially a Jason Magbanua fan. I actually inquired about his rates. He's definitely out of my reach. But his work speaks strongly about his reputation, his name, his brand. :)

To soon-to-weds, you might wanna check out his packages!

Jason Magbanua
Unit-6 Star Centrum Condominium,
317 Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City
817-1989

Happy Wealthy Spa

2008-10-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am quite giddy. Last week was good. Attended a party in the morning, ate some goody cupcakes, went to SSJ in GH, and finally went and got my pinakaaasam-asam massage! So I think it's time to share my experience with the world... or at least to my readers.

One of my favorites when it comes to affordability and really good massages is Happy Wealthy Spa. Talk about convenience, it's quite near our place in Ortigas, so double points for that. The services are reasonably priced. 1 hour foot and back for P350, 1 hour and 20 minutes for P400 (which I usually get), 2 hours for P600 (which I'm dying to get!)

I got the 1 hour and 20 minutes package. So as I wait for my place, they always serve hot tea while waiting. They have cubicles and not rooms, which some might not like, since you get to hear the chopping sound of the therapist right next to your cubicle. Or you might hear some customers talking while you're trying to sleep. They have 2 private rooms though, one is a couple's room, meaning there are 2 lazy boys. And the other, good for families, 3 to 4. I've tried their private rooms before when I went there to get my massage with O. I've also tried the cubicles.

This time, I was assisted to a cubicle and asked me to change to shorts. You see, this is the only down side for me. They do dry massage on your back. If you've been reading my entries about my massages, I love love love love oil massages and really dislike dry ones. I just find it eeky and it hurts because the clothes rub on my skin.

The massage starts with the foot spa and head massage. It wasn't hard and it wasn't soft, which is just perfect. The stress was instantly starting to decrease, thanks to Lorna's (the therapist) technique. Afterwards, she moves to the arms. This was the part when I dozed off. Haha! I know... it was premature dozing off. It just showed how stressed and tired I was. Later, was my favorite favorite part! Foot massage!!!!! It was Thai massage which I really like. I think I've only told Lorna to make the pressure harder just once, and she got it perfectly. The foot massage was terrific, I slept for the most part. Next was my back massage. Liked it? Not so much, because it was dry. :( Boo! I asked my therapist to go back to my head since my head was spinning and I really needed more massage. And she did.

I slept right after and I think took a nap for about 20-30 minutes. Haha! :) That was how good it was!!! After that, I left Happy Wealthy feeling relaxed and well... happy! :)

Happy Wealthy Spa
Unit 131-133 Julia Vargas Square
Julia Vargas cor Meralco Ave.,
Pasig
910-5168

Open: Monday to Sunday
1:30 - 11:30pm

Cupcakes by Sonja

2008-10-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate a good news and a holiday but be with your loved one and have a good yummy snack!

Yesterday was a holiday, I had so many chores to do, but since I was with O, I still had a great time. (We ended up sleeping around 1:30 in the morning the next day!) We stopped by Serendra to go to Backstage and eat lunch. Before heading back, O and I went to Cupcakes by Sonja to grab some tasty goodies.

Giddy giddy while opening the box!

Here's my cupcake. I ordered Peppermint Patty.

It was mmm-yummy! The cake was dark chocolate, but I didn't even taste the bitterness of it. I liked the icing because it wasn't too hard unlike the other cupcakes. And as usual, it had the signature Sonja's sweetness in every bite!

For O, he ordered Mint Condition.

It was also really good. This was the second time we ordered this cupcake. What I didn't like about it this time though was the chocolate chips on top was a little bit hard (so I assume that the chips were a little bit old. o_0)

We ended up sharing our cupcakes with each other. (Aawww sweet!) Him feeding me and me feeding him when it's my turn (since he was already driving when we were about to eat Peppermint Patty.)

We love eating! :D Overall, the cupcakes were really good. But I think what makes them so-tempting is the icing! Really really sweet, really really yummy! I don't know if elder people would enjoy this treat as much as we do. Maybe a "less sugar" version would do for them. :)

Elianto Brush Cleanser

2008-09-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

After a weeklong deep retreat (without any spa! BOOHOO!), I've finally brought myself up and I'm feeling better now. Whew! Well sooner or later, I'll be back to normal in no time. ;)

Anyways, after a long hiatus, I've decided to post something close to my heart, makeup. :p

I'm sharing one of a makeup artists' best friend. A brush cleanser!

Take note: I actually use a mild soap to clean my brushes. You can also use a baby shampoo to do this. However, there are some events that require you to work fast and work on several faces with a limited amount of time. So what do you do? It's quite unsanitary to use the same brush for other faces. You would want to sanitize and clean it before using it again.

So I use my Elianto brush cleanser in times like this.
(This bottle has been with me for more than 7 months and it's more than half full!)

Back view:

I transfer it to an atomizer spray bottle for easier usage and compact storage.

What I do is after using a brush a spritz a small amount of the cleanser to the hair of the brush and swirl the brush to a tissue paper and voila, all clean.

Tutorial coming soon!

Note: I still clean it with my mild soap when I get home though. I only use Elianto brush cleanser when I need to sanitize my brushes during a gig that requires me to work on many faces.

Tips:

You can never have too many brushes especially if you're a makeup artist! :)
Invest on your brushes! You'll be using it so many times and good quality brushes will save your day!
Use brush cleanser (whatever brand it is) sparingly. The components of the cleanser may be too harsh on your brushes. It has alcohol, so if you don't want to ruin your babies, spray just a small amount of cleanser until all the pigments are removed.
Clean your brushes after every gig! You don't want your brushes to be infested by bacterias and use it for your clients again.

Nobody told us to get our trophy, says Franz

2008-09-29T01:47:00.000-07:00

By Abac Cordero of Philippine Star

Saturday, September 27, 2008

It wasn’t really on purpose that La Salle failed to accept the runner-up trophy last Thursday at the Big Dome following a very painful loss to Ateneo in the UAAP finals.

Coach Franz Pumaren said as the hurting Green Archers locked themselves inside their dugout after the game, nobody really told them that it was time to receive their trophy.

(Related stories on Page 15)

“Nobody told us to come out and accept the trophy,” said Pumaren yesterday. He was no longer as bitter as he was right after Ateneo clinched the title with a 62-51 win.

“Of course we were feeling bad but we were never really told to come out,” said Pumaren, who rued the officiating in the game that turned out to be the last of the season.

According to Pumaren, UAAP president Sergio Cao of host University of the Philippines decided to hand the champion’s trophy to Ateneo, amid all the celebration going on in the court, even if La Salle had not accepted theirs.

“I was told Mr. Cao told Fr. Bernie Oca (of La Salle) that they did not bother to call us because they felt that we were feeling really bad. That’s why we were not told to come out anymore,” said Pumaren.

Pumaren said it has already happened in the past that the runner-up team in the UAAP was no longer asked to come out and accept the trophy.

The Green Archers, their coach added, have already accepted defeat.

“We’re okay now. In fact we’re already looking forward to next year,” said Pumaren, adding that from the Big Dome the Green Archers had a sumptuous dinner in a Chinese restaurant in San Juan.

Last Thursday’s match was the last game for JV Casio in the UAAP, and probably also for Rico Maierhofer who might turn pro since he’s about to finish his studies.

“Whatever Rico’s decision is we have to respect. We will not hold him back. He has played for La Salle for so long and he has given us a title (2007). He’s ripe for the PBA,” said Pumaren.

Pumaren raised the fact that during game the Blue Eagles were awarded 28 free throws (making 18) off 29 fouls called on the Green Archers.

“And compared to us, we were awarded only eight free throws during the entire game where Ateneo only had 13 fouls in 40 minutes of play,” he said.

“It’s quite a disparity. But that’s how the competition goes,” he said.

When it rain, it pours

2008-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

When it rain, it pours... that's how I would describe yesterday. I was in a big hole and was feeling so bad words cannot describe it. From the start of the day until I go to bed, stress, problems seemed to take its toll on me. I wanted to stay home today, rest for a while and not do anything, but I couldn't. I'll be meeting with clients and some suppliers today and I've already confirmed the schedule. I know I have to snap out of this real soon, but I wanted to allow myself to feel how I'm feeling for the time being because I know it's valid.

How many times have people told you to "be strong, and ignore what others are saying and thinking". This is true and if I wasn't in this predicament, I would say the same too. But honestly, is it that easy? It's not. I've learned that we have let ourselves feel tired, hurt, angry, emotional sometimes. Those feeling will make us stronger one day, sooner hopefully, but we have to feel it and let emotions flow.

I'm so grateful that my family was there to back me up to comfort me during these times. I know that they're also worried about me, my welfare. And I cannot thank them enough for simply being there. Because of these times, I also learned who my real and true friends are. I'm so lucky to have found friends I can trust. Two of my friends, Mari and Vassy dropped everything when I asked them to meet me. They didn't know what my situation is, but they were there, with just one call (or email).
I'm still feeling low as of this moment, but knowing that I am loved and that life must go on, I know I'll be fine, soon I hope. For now, I'm just happy that I feel better than yesterday. Though my heart is still aching, my mind still throbbing, it's a lot better now.

Thank you for being there. Thank you for letting me feel this way for now. Thank you for simply being who you are.

Low

2008-09-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

Mood: Low

For the couple of weeks, I've been preoccupied with a project I'm doing. It's quite stressful since it involves a lot of detailed planning. And now I don't know if this is due to stress, or it's just because of a situation I'm currently in... I am feeling low. I'm sad, I feel helpless, irritated. I've been dealing with a lot of things right now, with my project, gigs, etc. I guess I just feel that I need a vacation, some sort of free time to do nothing.

Thanks to my friends, Mari and Vassy for being there when I needed comforting. Seeing you guys already made me feel lighter than how I feel now.

I hope all my worries come to an end, and I do get my much deserved vacation really soon.

Backpacking through Ilocos

2008-09-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

13 bayans. 4 modes of transportation. 8 new friends. Miles and miles on foot. And thousands of new memories and experiences.

This is the Amazing Race Region I series!

To satiate our craving for adventure, Ken (Gen's bro), Gen and I hopped on a plane to Laoag one rainy evening here in Manila and got lost in a 3-day sunshiny escape in Ilocos.

Sleeping bag: Texicano Hotel
Upon landing, we took a tricycle into the city and asked the driver for the cheapest hotel there is. He directed us to Texicano. Fair enough, it was pretty cheap for P300 per head per night. We each got our own bed, the room had an aircon and TV and the shower had hot water. All we could ask for.

DAY 1
Plan was to go around the neighboring bayans around Laoag. These bayans surround Laoag and can be reached either via jeepney or tricycle. Be wary of trike drivers though. Some will charge you higher seeing that you are tourists. Negotiate for the fixed rate per head in that area.

LAOAG

Sinking Bell Church
It does sink, so says its marker. Reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

St. William Church
Ilocos is home to some of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the Philippines. These churches date back to the Spanish period and were preserved as battles were scarce up north.

Capitol

Fort Ilocandia
Pretending to have stayed here. Yeesss. It's that expensive. Cheapest must have been P5k per night. Nonetheless, it's its own li'l haven up north.

BACARRA

SARRAT

Fabian Ver's House

Church

Convent Ruins

Marcos birthplace

VINTAR

SAN NICOLAS

PAOAY

BATAC

Church

Empanadahan
Ilocos' delicacy. They really add in the color orange. It's a hodge podge of veggies and meat with egg. Tastes good. I vaguely remember that they sell this in SM MoA and is called Okoy, have to check though.

Marcos Museum
This is one of the reasons why I'll be going back to Ilocos, if his remains are still lying there that is. Wasn't able to see Marcos' preserved body since it closes by 4.

DAY 2
From Laoag, we move further north - on the trail to Pagudpud.

BURGOS - Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
So here's the thing, since apparently we're roughing it out, we took the bus. Now the Lighthouse is situated on the mountain top, so we had no choice but to climb up the paved path 15 minutes long.. OR we trek it up through the woods for 5. We chose 5. With our heavy packs and steep unpaved uphill trail, it's a good thing I wore my Veja sneakers.

BANGUI - Windmills
Far from Holland, but amazing structure up close.

Plus, Bangui's Church. By this time, we joined our 8 new friends and hitched a ride to Pagudpud.

PAGUDPUD

Patapat Bridge
Difficult structure to build since it curves according to the outer edges of the mountain. Aka French Riviera of the North, it's the only bridge which connects Ilocos and Cagayan Valley. You can still see the footbridge below.

Pannzian Resort
No decent photo for this one. Aside from Tina and Owen's group (thank you so much again guys!), there were no other guests. The sand wasn't sparkling white and talc like as I've heard, but if you want to find that little piece of jewel in Pagudpud, you should head for Saud beach instead. Perhaps next time I can see this treasure myself.

Kabigan Falls
If it weren't for Owen's prodding, we would have missed this breathtaking view completely.

Trek to the falls was a good 30 minutes, plus another 30 for the trek back. Crossing running water, almost lost my havaianas.

Only photo we have of our 8 new friends.

DAY 3
Heading down south to Vigan. And finally to Manila!

BADOC - Juan Luna Shrine

BANTAY

VIGAN

Crisologo House
The Crisologo family was quite influential in Vigan since they were rich and later on ran for politics.

Syquia Mansion
Now this house was really something - quite grandeur - had 2 living rooms where one is for VIPs, a peephole to see visitors, a sort of bank room where the gold are kept and weighed, stables leading back to the front door so the carriage can stop right in front of the staircase. This was actually the house of President Quirino's wife and belonged to the Syquia family. It once was named the Quirino Mansion as a tribute to the President but the Syquia family was apparently the righteous owners. The caretaker was very well informed mind you. Sometimes, he relates, he can sense the spirits of the owners roaming around the house. Shiver.

Pottery making

Then, it was back to Manila for us. Partas bus became our refuge for 10 hours and before we knew it, the sun no longer shone and we nestled back into our homes respectively.

Til our next adventure!

Busy Bee & House

2008-09-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Just want to share I've been so busy and I'll be quite busy these coming weeks, because of personal matters. Nevertheless, I'll still be posting time and time again, so keep S2S in your bookmark.

Did I mention... I've only watched 2 full episodes of House? Haha! Well I find him quite funny amidst his obnoxious acts and speeches. Anyways, I don't follow the series but if I catch it on, I watch it.

I saw this poster, I think House is already on its 5th season. I found it funny. This is really HIS personality! Haha! :)

Do you watch House too? What series do you follow?

Colorful Eye

2008-09-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have been quite busy lately that I haven't had time to post new and exciting entries. So here I am with an eye makeup tutorial.

I find eye makeup really challenging but fun. It's all about blending and combination of color and balance. Thus, the eye makeup is really the one responsible for making the whole look stand out! (That is if you're not wearing red lipstick.)

One day when I got home, I saw my old sarong (sarong is cover up in English). Sarongs are always coloful and mine was no exception. My sarong had a lot of pink, blue, purple and green. So I was inspired to do a colorful eye makeup tutorial. :)

My eye. (You can see a crease because of my oily lids.) :(

Prep the entire eye with primer. I'm using Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream.

I'm using my Elianto palette for my eye color since I bought lots of candy eye colors. I'm using this cool pink shade.

Using my Suesh eyeshadow brush. I apply to the center of my lid.

Here's how it should look:

Next is to apply the second color which I'll be putting on the inner corner of my eye. I'm using the apple green shade.

Apply it from the inner corner blending to the pink shade.

Unblended version:

Blend it well so that the demarkation goes away.

My third shade, I'm using the dark blue shade from my palette.

I apply it on the outer corner of my eye forming a v shape.

Like this:

Blend blend blend!

Now for highlight, I'm using Lancome Color Focus in Moonlight.

Line the eye with liquid eyeliner. I'm using Fashion 21 liquid eyeliner in black.

Add some color on the lower lashline. I used the apple green and cool pink shades.

Lastly curl the lashes and add mascara. I used Maybelline Unstopabble Shiny Black mascara.

Final look:

Dream Collection's Anniversary Promo!

2008-09-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

SALE ALERT!

Dream Collection is celebrating its 1st year this September 24. Celebrate with a blast of discounts!

Enjoy 10% off on all MMU (excluding sample sizes) and makeup brushes! Promo is until September 30, 2008.

Visit the website:

Dream Collection
http://dreamcollection.multiply.com

Tutti at Bizu

2008-09-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Some photos from Diana's Tutti Frutti Bday Dinner at Bizu in Greenbelt 2. :)

Food reviews to follow.

Island Spa (Heaven on the Fifth)

2008-09-12T01:16:00.000-07:00

Weeks ago, (sorry I've been so busy that I wasn't able to post an entry about this earlier) I had a really bad headache one day and it was pouring outside. I wanted, needed to have a massage and a good sleep. Before heading home, I went around Makati to find a good massage place. I went to several spas but they were close (it was around lunch time, 12:30?), most of them opens 2pm onwards. I had to take myself to a mall to check other spas. I ended up going to Heaven on the 5th at Rustan's. I knew there was a sanctuary there, although I heard it was expensive. There was Island Spa. I've been to Island Spa in Jupiter several times before. I have to say I love their ginger tea (the best ever!) and the massage was not so bad either. So I headed straight inside and got myself their famous Foot and Body Massage. It was much expensive than Jupiter's. It was about P900+ (I forgot how much it was, if I'm not mistaken it's P980.) for 1.5 hours. Yes, it was expensive, but I really needed it for my head was already cracking from pain.

The staff were very very friendly. I don't know if it's because I was their first customer or they wer just that way, friendly. I got a private room, I wasn't impressede with the room. It was a small cubicle. Compared to their branch in Jupiter, their bathroom was even bigger to this "room". I wasn't able to take photos of the room, because my stupid camera phone couldn't produce enough light/flash. Haha! :)

The girl in the photo is not me. :) Got this photo from the internet. (Sorry I forgot where.)

Anyway, back to the service. My therapist was really good. Her name's Cecille. Look for her if you want a hard massage like me. :) She started with the foot massage which lasted for about an hour. I loved it. The pressure was good, I didn't have to tell her over and over again to make it harder. I told her before the session started that I wanted her to focus on my feet and my aching head. Not so on my back. Anyways, after my foot massage (it was my kind of massage, it was Thai foot massage. If you remember the Xiammen foot massage that I didn't like? : / ) we started with my back massage. She used oil to do this which I appreciate. I don't really like dry massages and massages with your clothes on. I don't like the feeling when my clothes are rubbed against my body. It hurts most of the time. Since she knew that I wanted hard massage, she also used her knees while balancing her weight to put more pressure. I loved it. It didn't hurt, just enough pressure. Lastly was my head. My head was spinning so I really really wanted her to focus on my head, and she did! She pulled my hair very gently, pressed the pressure points and made me relax more.

I also liked the fact that they let me stay and sleep for awhile. I think I slept for around 30 minutes more. I don't know if it's because it was a weekday so there were not much people, or if they really let you stay. I didn't hear any interruptions and I was able to doze off. After the massage, I felt energized and I felt a lot better.

Overall, I liked the experience. I loved the therapist. I'll probably visit her again, but would probably go to the Jupiter branch instead. Rustan's branch was really more expensive. It's about P100-140 more expensive.

Just to share with you, here are some photos of their branch in Jupiter. (These were the only pictures I found in the internet.)

I was also able to find a price list of the branch in Rustan's.

Island Spa

Jupiter Branch:
2nd Level Jupiter Place 136 Jupiter St.
Bel-Air, Makati City
899-1234 or 751-8296

Rustan's Branch:
Level 5, Heaven on the Fifth
Rustan's Makati, Glorietta

Allergies

2008-09-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

Allergies. I think everyone has allergies. Some are mild and some are really dangerous that can even lead to death. I have read an article about dangerous allergies that led to death of several teenagers in the U.S.

Personally, I have allergies, but they differ in effects. Most often I keep on sneezing, and some I get red bumps on my body. Let me share with you some of the things I'm allergic to. (I think some of you will pity me.)

Crabs

Yes I am allergic to crabs. I don't think I was born allergic to it, because I remember munching on crabs when I was younger. My parents would crack the shell for me so I can eat the meat easily. But eventually as I grew up, I started getting red bumps whenever I eat crabs.

Shrimps

I'm also allergic to shrimps. However, it's quite weird because I can eat tempura, and I do eat tempura. However, for other dishes, I also get red bumps. I also used to eat shrimps, but got allergies same time as I got allergic to crabs. I wonder why?! O says it may be the way the shrimps are prepared and cooked. Some shrimp dishes need the shrimps to be deveined first before cooking. O says I might be allergic to the vein and not really the meat of the shrimp.

Oh well whatever it is, I've decided to abstain from eating crabs and shrimps. (Poor me as they say) Since I'm pure Chinese, we would always order shrimps and crabs during special occassions, and yes, I don't eat the crabs and shrimps. My dad never fails to order my fish or other meat just to make sure I have something to eat. My mom says I have to regularly eat them to boost my "immunity" to the allergies. But nah, I've accepted the fact that I will never eat crabs and shrimps again. Good thing those are my only allergies! Imagine if I'm allergic to chicken or beef. Oh no!!!! ;)

How about you? What are you allergic to?

Photo credit: Hilda Bonnevie

MAC Glitter Eyeliner in Divine Lime

2008-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

On to another review. One of my unexpected favorites, the MAC Glitter Eyeliner in Divine Lime. From my previous entry, this was one of the products I got from MAC. At first, I was a bit hesitant because I thought it would look to "doll-like", but when I tried it, I instantly loved it.

So let's begin.

Before I used the glitter eyeliner, I would first use a pencil eyeliner for the base. In this case I used a MAC Technakohl. I used the greypaint shade.

Forgot to tightline. (Sorry!) :)

Now on to the fun part! Here is the glitter eyeliner to be used.

Swatch:

Apply the glitter eyeliner on top of graypaint. Reapply until desired amount of glitters have been transferred.

Let it dry before opening your eyes to prevent smudging.

Curl lashes (tip: warm up your eyelash curler with a hair dryer before curling, it boosts the curls and makes it stay longer) and apply Lancome High Definition Mascara in Black.

Thoughts on the product: I like it because it already gives life to the eyes. I didn't apply any eyeshadow, yet because of the sparkles of the eyeliner, my eyes already pop. :) This is a great eye makeup for going to the mall or meeting your girlfriends. :)

Updo

2008-09-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Sharing one of my client's pictures during a wedding. She had long hair but her hair was very thin. She asked for an updo since she felt that she was having a bad hair day. I wanted to raise her confidence by giving her the it-girl package, so after doing her makeup, I proceeded with her updo.

Here is the final result. Very sleek, very classy and it keeps all her hair in place so she doesn't need to move it from her face.

Tips: For this look, I used a lot of hairspray, because she had layered hair. I also used a lot of hairpins to secure all the loose ends and to make it clean. For the bun, I used 1 hairnet to keep the hair in place. To add volume to her thin hair, I puffed it by teasing/backcombingb the hair before putting the hairnet. :)

Cinderella

2008-09-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

Watched Cinderella last August 13. We were seated at Balcony 1 of CCP Theater for 1,030 each. We booked for this show really early thats why we were able to get good seats (we also choose to watch the weekday show to get better seats). At that time, no more good seats available for the weekend show.

The show started about 5 minutes late. We'll its still ok compared to other shows/concert which usually starts 30 mins late.

I'm sharing some of the pictures that i took during the play before i got caught. hehe

The glass slippers (it is shown before the movie started)

Their House (with the stepmother and two step sister Portia and Joy)
The Castle (with the king and queen)
The fancy carriage (with the horses and the fairy god mother)

This is one of Lea's fantastic work. Her acting and voice, well how can I describe it? It's really A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! She really really has strong and powerful voice. I also like her 2 stepsisters (Portia and Joy) perform, they are both funny.

The production was sooo good, the props were nice, how they changed the scenes (fast and not boring) sometimes they do it with a dance. I also like how Cinderella changed her costume from her ball gown to her rag dress for example.

The music was great too, especially "The Prince is Giving a Ball" song. They sang this song several times during the entire play. Around 3-4 times I think. My sister had LSS with that song after the show. hehe

Well this show is definitely worth your money. I would want to watch it again and again and again... hehe I'm giving it a 2 thumbs up!!! :)

Myron's

2008-09-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

My dad was craving for steak last Sunday, so we initially planned to go to Racks. But the rain was pouring really hard so my mum suggested we eat in a mall so we won't have a hard time parking.

We ended up eating at Myron's in Powerplant.

There were so many people at Powerplant that day and we had to wait for our turn to be seated.

Here is the menu. The photo is a little small. My sister took most of the photos. But for most photos, I had to edit the colors since the place had dim light and the photos turned out quite dark. Had to adjust the brightness and contrast.

We ordered a lot. So without further ado,

Cream of Pumpkin Soup (P100)
This is very very yummy! I love the thickness and the texture of the soup. It really was delicious. It's a must try if you're dining in Myron's.

Mussels Mariniere (P200)
We ordered two bowls of this. It was good, but the soup was a little bit salty for my taste. And the mussels were small. :( I don't know if it's worth it, since I don't really know how much mussels cost.

Penne with Spicy Chorizo and Mushroom (P270)
I ordered this thinking it would be yummy. I love love love penne and red sauce. However, I was really disappointed. It was a sweet kind of pasta (Pinoy style but not Spagetchup :p). I really like Italian pasta where the sauce is a little bit in the sour side. I didn't also find a lot of chorizo. Not good.

On to our steak...

US Angus Pepper Steak 6 oz with sidings (P450)

Side of Rice

Side of Baked Potato

Side of Fries

Side of Mashed Potato

First of all, I ordered the one with mashed potato and I loved the mashed potato. It was uber delicious. But!!!!! The steak was too peppery. My sisters couldn't even eat it because it was too spicy for them, so they had to remove all the pepper before diving in. At first, it was just okay for me, but eventually, I really didn't like it anymore. The steak was tender enough although it was dry. There was too much pepper, way too much pepper, we can't taste the steak anymore. :( Bad bad bad order!

Duet of US Angus Steak and Grilled Prawns (P500)
This was the order of my mum. I got to try it, I liked the bacon part, and the steak wasn't as peppery as ours. But I think it's still not worth the price. I wasn't able to try the prawns since I'm allergic to them. Mum said we should have eaten at Everything at Steak. Haha! So I guess it means she didn't like her meal either.

Overall, the ambiance was okay. It was cozy, great for dates. But the customer service sucks big time. Right after my mum occupied one table, a waiter came up to us and asked her to stand up as he checks if we were supposed to sit there. We kept telling him the waitress outside asked us to enter and occupy the table, but he insisted we should wait for further instructions. THE NERVE!!! And as we ordered and asked for spoons/water/etc., they were not very pleased to be serving us, which we find quite annyoying. Never should they treat customers that way, whoever they are. Plus, the food wasn't anything spectacular. With that amount of money, it wasn't worth it. I am definitely not going back.

Happy Birthday Diana

2008-08-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Happy happy birthday! :D May this year be full of adventure, happiness and love!

Here's the different angles of Diana. :)

Swivelz

2008-08-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

O was so so excited to show me a "gadget" he recently bought. I've always laughed at the fact that he has so many small gadgets that not all people know about, much less own. Anyways, so when he showed me his new found gadget, he followed by telling me he bought me one too.

Here it is... Swivelz! It's P79.75 found in Handyman.

It's for cleaning glass tops. Cleaning of Swivelz is actually very easy too. Simply wash it with water and soap and let it dry.

Here it is. O bought a red one for me, and black for him.

It can be opened just like the photo below for easier cleaning (such as watches).

It's very very handy and has a keychain, so you can keep this in your purse.

Use it for your eyewear. It really does clean.

For your watch. Small dirt? Swivelz leaves nothing but clean lenses!

For my calculator. Hehe! You can also use it for your laptop screens and pc monitors. Those are always always dirty. Just make sure you clean Swivelz after.

My cellphone. You're sure it doesn't scratch the lens, unlike our normal wipes.

Let's just say even though I laugh at the gadgets of O, I'm always always impressed. :p So happy he got me this too, what a thoughtful gesture. :)

Surfing at La Union

2008-08-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

I love love my newfound adventurous spirit! I'm so thankful that my friends share that same passion.

Last January, Gen, Roms and I, together with Gen's brother and friends went to La Union. We went seeking in search of those waves we've so heard about. Landed on the sands of San Juan, La Union.

How to get there: Took the 7-hour trip by bus. Partas bus line at Cubao. Left Manila by 11 p.m., arrived there by 6 a.m.

Temporary residence: Sebay Resort & Entertainment Center
Tel. (63-72) 888-4075
Fax. (63-72) 700-0849
Mobile. (0910) 739-5698
Website. http://sebay.cjb.net

After resting, we started what we came there to do - SURFING!

Learning how to surf

Lie down on the board. Get acquainted. You will hang on to it for dear life out in the water.

Assume flying man position - both arms stretched out. You will paddle against the current and wait in this position.

While waiting for a wave, have one leg stretched out, one leg bended to help you quickly stand up.

When a wave comes, as a beginner, your instructor will give your board a little push to help you ride the wave. Quickly stand up like doing push ups with one leg in front.

While riding the wave, bend your knees slightly to help you balance.
Ride that wave like a pro! Once you're near the shore, jump off your board.

You should know that...

You will meet the water/wave head on as you paddle against the current.

You will get wiped out - falling into the water several times.

Just your bikini top is not a safe option. Try to wear a shirt or better yet a rash guard. And board shorts to prevent the board from scraping on your bare knees.

If you're not used to push ups (as I'm not), your upper body will ache the next day.

Best months to surf: November to April. Or call the resort first to check the status of the waves.

Verdict: After that stint, I said, "Pro surfing here I come!" It was so much fun! Despite kissing the water several times, falling off, being hit by the board, and body ache, the moment you're able to balance on the board and ride that wave, it's all worth it.

FOTD

2008-08-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

After doing hair and makeup for Gagate-Ramos wedding, I had to make sure I dress the part and look the part too before I head to the reception.

Here's my look. :) I love it! Very very classy. :) (I took this photo when I got home, since I didn't really had the time to take photos while doing my makeup.)

Let's break it down.

Products Used:

Eyes:

Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream
Shu Uemura Yellow Cream Eyeshadow
Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow in Glistening Sand
Elianto Eyeshadow in Black
Elianto Eyeshadow in Dirty White for highlight (I forgot the name, but it's looks like an off-white)
Fashion 21 Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Winc Instant Lash Duo Mascara
Blinc Kiss Me Mascara

Eyebrow:
In2It Eyebrow Duo

Closer view:

Face:

Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream
Loreal Liquid Foundation in N3 mixed with a few drops of Golder Amber
Dream Minerals Mineral Foundation in Charlene
Fanny Serrano Two Way Cake in Rajah for Contour
Shiseido Luminizing Powder in Bronze Shimmer for Blush
Skin Hour Firming & Clarifying Toner to set makeup

Lips:
Shiseido Lipliner in Mauve-Brown
MAC Lipgelee in Gilded Kiss

I thought that I was pretty that night. :) Confident enough to face everyone and proud of my work for myself and for them. :)

Ciao! :D

Siam Ocean World

2008-08-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Are you serious?????????

This is the only question I have in mind!

Recap! O went to Thailand early this month and he took photos of his trip. He mentioned that he went to this mall and was surpised when he saw a "tourist attraction" inside the mall. When I asked what it was, he showed me these photos.

See the fishies? I wasn't really stunned, I thought that there were are aquariums in the mall, and you get to see them. But no!!!

There was a shark shop?! What's that about? Dive with the sharks??????????

The last photo made me scream!

Walk with the sharks? Dive with the sharks? Are you kidding? Who in their right mind will want to be in an aqarium full of sharks? Eeep!!! The thought of it already makes me sick. (I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm afraid of sharks! :p) So I asked more information about it from O. He wasn't sure because he didn't try it, but he thinks you'll be placed in a "cage" and will be suspended to the water, so that the shark can't really eat you but you can still see it upclose.

See upclose? How about feel upclose? WAAHH! What if he bumps and bumps the "cage" and if the shark's too strong, what if he destroys the cage? I'm being paranoid, I know. But being trapped in a "cage" while the predator is aiming for me and I can't really do anything about it, swim fast, nada... it doesn't tickle my fancy! OH MY!!!! What an "attraction!"

Expo @ WTC!

2008-08-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

We joined WOFEX at WTC last Aug. 6-9, 2008. I just want to share our booth from the exhibit. The exhibit was both tiring and fun at the same time. My cousin and I headed the said event for our company.

Our booth is quite big for us.. TADA... after almost 5 hours of setting up and bringing all the stocks in our "bodega" at the back. :)
This is the "Pick-up & Go" section. I did the layout of this area.

The famous Ornaments Wall. We always use this when we join bazaar or trade fair.
The Staffs for the 4-day event at WTC. all smiling for our first day... Everyone's excited.
Sadly, we decided to join this event a bit too late. We're not able to get a space at the main hall, we were placed at the annex of the WTC.

Overall the exhibit was a success. We were able to sell boxes and other items at the same time attract new clients.

My Baby Boo

2008-08-26T01:49:00.000-07:00

I think it's time for me to introduce everyone to my baby...

He is so cute, very very sweet, furry, very mabait and protective. His name is Boo, my Miniature Schnauzer.

Boo was given to me by O as a birthday gift three years ago. He's the son of O's Chi and the brother of Hans. You might recognize Hans from all his tv guestings and his dog shows. :)

I've always liked dogs, and before Boo, we already have Poochi. I'll introduce him next time. When Chi gave birth, I really asked for a pup from O. Thankfully, he gave me Boo. He said, then I can try taking care of someone. Mother in the making perhaps?!?

Boo is really really sweet. Eveyone in the house says so. Even my dad who doesn't like dogs, love him. He sits beside you and sometimes he takes your hand and lets him touch you. What I love most is when he sees me upset or mad, he comes and sits beside me, quietly he waits for me to look at his beautiful meaningful eyes and he takes my hand.

The photos here were taken during the calendar pictorial for the Miniature Schnauzer Club of the Philippines. Boo was so behave that the photographer didn't have a hard time making him pose. Thus, his photos were used for Pooch Park's banner and flyers. :) That's my Boo!

He is three years old this year and even though he already has sons and daughters of his own (two litters), he is still our baby, he is still MY baby.

With his brother Hans. Boo is on the left.

I LOVE BABY BOO! Though we rarely spend time together anymore because of my busy schedule, please know that I will always always love you and I miss you all the time. Now I can't wait to go home and see him!!!

New Layout & More

2008-08-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

Yehey! :D Finally!!! After almost a month of looking for a new skin, I've found one which I think is very very pretty. :) Don't you think so? Diana, Roma? Hope you like it too. :) Actually I think there are a lot of other better templates than this, but since I'm a newbie at Blogspot, I don't really know where to find them and how to go about them.

Anyway, I found this layout at http://www.finalsense.com/services/blog_templates/. Oh thank you thank you so much for the amazing choices. I saw some other great templates, but unfortunately I can't seem to save them (again I don't know and I don't understand how). But it's okay, I think that this pretty template's nice. :)

If you're wondering where our barkada photo is, I had to remove it from the header to give way to the new skin. I'll be putting it back and maybe put below or to the side.

So so so happy I got a new skin! Oh and since I had to delete the old template, I lost all our old destinations/links. So if you want to be linked, let us know so I can add you up. :)

More: I've added my Twitter as seen here in the homepage. Yehey! I finally learned how to use it. :p Quite fun to use actually. (Shout out to Diana and Roma, let me know if you want your own twitters too. I'll help you create one so we can have all our twitters here.)

What else is new? I'll be adding more gadgets and new stuff here soon! Upgrading to a better Stilettostosweets (S2S)! :) Oh yes, I gave Stilettostosweets its own nickname, S2S. Since it's a bit hard to pronounce and type, S2S seems appropraiate. :)

Cheers to new updates and more features!

Wensha Spa with my girls!

2008-08-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the time to blog about my new spa experiences, I'm so behind! I have had about 3 massages and haven't posted them yet. Been so busy lately. :(

Anyways, for my kabarkada's birthday (Shout out to Cee!), we decided to treat her to a spa day! Gen has suggested we try Wensha Spa near the World Trade Center. So let's start with the photos!

(Note: The photos are from Anton of Ourawesomeplanet. I wasn't able to take photos during out stay. I've read Anton's review about it last year and have always wanted to visit it.)

Here is Wensha outside.

This is the locker room and the wet floor is here too.

This is the hallway. You'll see some tables for dining as well.

Now here goes the experience! The massages are for P580 inclusive of 8 hour accomodation and buffet. We'll get to the buffet part later. :) At first, I was hesitant with the price but considering we get to use the wet floor and there's food invloved, I thought maybe it's not so bad. So why not give it a try.

We were handed our robes and went to the common room for our foot massage. Yes, we only got foot massages and gave Cee a foot massage and mani-pedi package. I don't really like common rooms just because I'd rather have my private time for myself. I've only been in three common rooms to this date. Moving on, the chairs were okay, there were televisions and headphones each chair, which was pretty high-tech I must say. The therapists were men and female. And I don't know if you should request a female therapist if you're not comfortable with a male. It was my first time to have a male therapist since I didn't know we had to request. (It wasn't so bad, he was strong and I didn't have to ask him to make the pressure harder again and again.) It was my first time to have a male therapist. I would guess O wouldn't be comfortable with it, but then again we love going to massages that I'm not sure if he'd still mind.

The massage was good. It was a combination of head, back and foot massage. I love that my therapist was really strong and I almost dozed off. Well almost... my friends continuously talked and talked that I wasn't able to sleep. It was okay though. I had fun with my friends. :)

After our hour-long massages, we headed to the dining area. Honestly, when Gen and Diana reminded me that there was buffet, I thought there will be a variety of food and we can eat as much as we want. Unfortunately, there was only shabu shabu. You get to choose what ingredients to put, but that was it. No rice, no pasta, nada, zilch. Although you still get to eat as much shabu shabu as you want. It was okay, it's still food.

I think I enjoyed this experience not just because of the good massage, or the so-so food, but because I was with my barkada whom I love talking to. We actually stayed there for about 6 hours. We honestly couldn't believe it was almost 10pm! We chitchatted the night away. Haha!

Will I return? Maybe... I might bring O there, let him try. But I want to make sure there's more food and not just shabu shabu before going there. And well, honestly, this type of spa, it's better to bring your girls. :)

Wensha Spa
in front of World Trade Center,
Gil Puyat St.
832-0515

Waffle Foldover

2008-08-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

After watching the play “Cinderella” by Lea Salonga, we decided to eat something. We went to Pancake House and browse through their menu. After sometime my sister and I had an urge to try one of their mouthwatering desserts.

So we ordered their Waffle Foldover. Its P180.00

It has peanut butter, 2 BIG scoops of vanilla ice cream and candy coated choco bites inside a big folded waffle.

It’s really yummy and filling at the same time. If you’re a fan of peanut butter this is a must try! We weren’t able to finish the whole thing because we already had dinner earlier that night.

Will surely eat there again after some time... want to try other desserts and food as well.

MAC Technakohl in Greyprint and Uniform

2008-08-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

Spotlight on my 2 MAC Technakohl eyeliners. As I've said in my previous entry, I'll try to review the products. So now, it's time to talk about the Technakohl eyeliners I got.

Uniform and Greyprint

First stop, Greyprint...

I lined my eyes, just the top part. Didn't put any eyeshadow for that "daytime and simple look".

Wasn't able to tightline, sorry! :) The color looks great. It gives the eye a little "pop", a little something that we can't pinpoint.

Now, for Uniform...

I lined both top and bottom close to the lashline.

I like the shade of Uniform. When you just look at the eyeliner pencil, you'd think it's mostly a hint of green, but when you apply it, as seen in the photo, it looks more brown than green.

I curled my lashes and put Winc Instant Lash Duo Mascara for a sexy look.

Thoughts on the product: I really like these liners. I've never been a pencil eyeliner kind of girl, I'd rather use foiled mineral eyeliner, because it's really easier to handle. But now I'm beginning to really enjoy and learn more using pencil liners. Technakohl doesn't smudge! So if you want to smudge your liner, this is not for you. But for smudge-free lining, this is great! I have really oily lids as I've mentioned over and over here. So putting primer is always a must for me. So before I put anything on my eye, I start with Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream. The line stays put for hours! No need to retouch. Plus, I like using eyeliner when I'm too lazy to wear makeup or if I'm just going to do an errand. You don't have to be madeup all the time, so just a sweep of eyeliner, voila, you're great!

For Greyprint: The color is nice since it gives your eyes a little "pop", a subtle one. However, I realized when I roadtested the products that this shade isn't advisable to acidic people like me. Since my eyelids tend to go grayish and dark, the greyprint shade looks too gray, and not in a good way. I can still use this, but maybe I have to put shadow first to counter the acidity and the color.

For Uniform: I am a fan of this shade! I love the fact that it looks a little green and brown at the same time. It reminds me of "army", this shade. I wear it alone with a clean face and pink or red lips. :) I really really like this color! And it's not as harsh as black eyeliners. Love it!

Star Carrots Pepper Steak

2008-08-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

Because of the Pepper Steak fad, I had to try Star Carrots. It's located in Metro East mall. I've seen this restau a couple of times before but didn't really know that they served pepper steak. How would think they do, the name of the restaurant's Star Carrots? I've always thought it's a vegetarian diner. Anyways, O tried this the night before. He was really hungry so when he saw that it was steak they were best known for, he tried it out. And the day of me trying Star Carrots for the first time arrived.

Here is the view from the outside.

According to the palace mat, they are the first in the Philippines to serve Pepper Steak, and they serve fast. (Actually they do. After about 10 minutes or less, we already got our orders. Although we ate around 5-530pm, so there were not much customers yet.)

Here is the menu. Not too expensive as Pepper Lunch, but not too cheap either.

We ordered their Strawberry Iced Tea, price is P37.00. But it was really really yummy!!! I super enjoyed this drink.

The order was served with their soup of the day. I liked it, but O put more pepper.

Here's my order. Pepper Beef Steak (Jumbo), with rice, beans, corn and carrots, and as mentioned, served with soup. This one costs P215.00, but the regular size is P127.00.

O's Yakiniku Steak (Jumbo) also complete with the toppings above. Price is P205.00 for jumbo, regular is P122.00. (As seen in the photo, O was already diving in his meal. Hehe!)

The restaurant was okay, it had clean tables, there was television, they also had a bar which was pretty cool. So if your'e dining solo, you can opt to sit there. The food wasn't so bad either. Of course, you can't compare it with Pepper Lunch. But it wasn't so bad, it was pretty good actually. Also very filling. As O said, he wouldn't invite me to eat there if he knew the restau wasn't good. And mind you, O ate here the night before. So for a person to eat the same food two days straight, that means there's something good about it. I really really like their sauce as well. They have two kinds of sauce, a regular one and the other one's a little bit spicy. I love love the spicy one! I put it on my steak and my rice. It was yummy! Our conclusion is the sauce really made the difference and it's what makes the food as delicious as it is!

So if you're on a budget, this is the way to go. They have a meal that's as low as P82.00 only. So it's not so bad. I'd definitely dine here again, but not anytime soon. :)

Star Carrots Pepper Steak
Level 5, Robinsons Metro East Mall,
Marcos Highway, Pasig City

Robinson's Haul

2008-08-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

I promised myself I wouldn't buy too much, and well... I didn't. Just these two goodies that I really really really need.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Caramel and Fanny Serrano Two Way Cake in Rajah

Spotlight on Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse in Caramel. It retails P599.20 but since Robinson's was on sale, it was 20% off! I got it for P479.20.

Swatch: I didn't blend the color yet. I got this shade for clients who are morena. I don't have this shade yet.

Blended. The finish was mousse, it was a bit cold, and when applied, it gives a soft finish but full coverage. I really like it. It blends well most especially after using a finishing powder just to set the makeup.

Spotlight on Fanny Serrano Two Way Cake in Rajah. I got this for P399, regular price. Boo! Haha!

I like using two way cake although I don't really use it wet. I just find the coverage heavier even though it's powder. The product has a sponge also, I don't use the sponge though.

Swatch of Rajah. I bought this shade since this was the darkest shade. And I'm a big fan of Fanny Serrano products. It's one of the best quality local products. :) I love their products!

Closer look. I'll be using this shade for contouring.

So reviews to follow once I've used and roadtested these. :)

King Kong in Icebergs

2008-08-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

To cap off a long tiring day, sweets is always good! :) After a whole day of chores and early dinner, O and I decided to drop by Icebergs for some relaxed time well deserved. It was almost 10pm and Metrowalk was still rocking!

After looking at the menu for a few moments, we knew what we wanted to order!

King Kong's Revenge! It's about P335.00.

It was heaven in a bowl. 5 scoops of ice cream (your choice of flavor), fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pineapple, brownies, whipped cream, and chocolate chips! We had to share this gigantic bowl. :)

We enjoy going to Icebergs Metrowalk although during Friday and Saturday nights, it's not the typical family ambiance you'll see. Since Metrowalk is known for the night life, there'd be loud music during the night. So let's just say you can't really enjoy quality time because of the noise. Oh well... here goes to munching down your food! :p

Icebergs
Meralco Avenue, Brg Ugong,
Pasig City
687-5920

Shiseido Luminizing Brush Powder in Bronze Shimmer

2008-08-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

As promised here's a little something something from my previous entry, heere is my review on the Shiseido Luminizing Brush Powder in Bronze Shimmer. Again, I got this on sale so I purchased it for only P600 and it retails for about P3,000+. So it's a great deal!

Swatch of the product:

I applied once on the apple of my cheek. I'm not sure if you see the difference but my cheek instantly has glow to it. :)

It gives a slight contour which I like. I would go out with just 1 sweep of this baby.

Now, to intensify it a little more, I sweeped it another time. I used the brush included but tapped off the excess before applying.

Closer look:

Thought on the product: I have to say... I'm loving this product. At first I was a bit hesitant, but I love the fact that it already gives my cheeks dimension. I have big cheeky bones, hehe. And I really contour before going out. But with this product, it already creates dimension and makes my face a bit more slender even without contouring. What I don't like about it? The brush is a little hard. So what I do is I use my angeled brush and get the pigments from the brush of the product. Also I don't like that when you get the brush out of the tube, there's too much pigment that I have to tap if off. So the trick is to push the top button to close the cap, then manually open it again. Closing the cap already lessens the pigment. Remember to do this with the nozzle inside the tube so the pigments will fall inside.There are two other shades of the luminizing brush powder but I didn't get the other colors anymore because this is the only one that impressed me.

Magnifying Mirror for Eye Makeup

2008-08-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

One of the most important tools in doing my makeup- my magnifying mirror!

I bought this at SM department store and it costs around P150.00. I don't quite remember since I got this last year. Anyways, I decided to share with you one of my tricks. I use this magnifying mirror when I do my eye makeup. Promise, it makes a difference!

It has 150% zoom so I see every area of my eye and I can even see my pores! Hahaha! I love this when I do my eye makeup most especially eyelining.

I really suggest to get one for yourself, especially to beginners in doing makeup. It really helps! One tip, you have to hold it really close to your eye (if you're doing eye makeup just like me), or else you'll get a blurry image and will just become dizzy.

This actually has double sided stickers so you can stick it onto the wall, but I decided not to so I can hold it and position it whatever or however I want.

I think there are different kinds of magnifying mirrors so do check them all out and see what you like best. There's 120, 150 and 200% zoom. :) Hope this helps! Good luck! :D