2014 Holiday Gifts Haul

This year, I received a lot of blessings at work and my personal life. It took a lot of my attention and I get tired and stressed out because of it but I'm still grateful for having it. To end this year, I'm sharing the gifts I received from my family and close friends of mine. This isn't bragging, this is just my way of thanking them.

The pillow and pouch are from an office mate. One of the nicest people I met at work. I'm enjoying the pillow and the pouch is just right to replace the makeup bag I've been using.

The Siberian husky stuffed toy is from my younger brother. He purchased it from Blue Magic, a store here in the Philippines and his name is Mr. Smith. My brother and I love dogs and would definitely want a husky but it's just too big for our place. Aside from that, he knows I collect stuffed toys and I sleep with most of them.

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The bag is from my cousin. Last year she gave me my first Celine bag and this year it's my first bag from Call it Spring. Shoes and bags are investment for me but I guess I don't need to buy a new one for 2015. I honestly don't know how to keep most of them since my room is quite small.

The last two gifts are from my mom and dad. I already gave my mom a hint of what I like so she purchased the Revlon eyeshadow palletes for me as well as the eyebrow pencil. It's my first time to have a Revlon eyeshadow pallete but I've already tried the eyeliner and eyebrow pencil. I'll be putting up a review on these on my next post.

The other gift they got me was a Samsung tablet and I love it. It has microsoft office which I can use for work or even at school. I can bring this with me wherever I go instead of a laptop.

Thanks for reading. I'll see you on my next post.

Cebu City Escapade

This post has been long overdue but I’m going to post it anyway. As I’ve mentioned on my post last week, I went to Cebu City with a few colleagues for the Annual National Convention. But before we had several days of long hours of seminar, we were able to go for a little bit of sight-seeing during our first day.

The first stop is the Chapel of Pedro Calungsod. Everyone in the group were Catholics so there was no problem going for a bit of church visits. The place looks really clean as if it was just built a few months ago. The surroundings on the reclaimed lot where it stood is not as clean though. Nonetheless, the wind blowing and bamboos are just calm and relaxing.

On the opposite street of the Chapel was the SM Sea Side. Still unfinished but our tour guide said it will be bigger than MOA after it is finished.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel

Two weeks ago, the PICPA Annual National Convention was held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. We arrived around 10pm Tuesday night. The valet and the front desk officer was very accommodating but some of them speak to guests using their dialect. I’m not discriminating or anything I just find it a little bit inconvenient because I have to say repeatedly that I don’t understand.

Anyway, the hotel looks really beautiful from outside when we arrived that night but the lobby looks much better.

Trip to Villa Escudero

Sem break's over but before it ended, me and my colleagues were able to go out for a day of travel to Villa Escudero. It took us six hours to reach the Villa from Olongapo and when we arrived there around six am, it was still close and won't open till eight o'clock. We went to the closest market first to grab something local to eat but most of the stalls were still close. We were driving back when we saw an eatery which sells "bulalo", a native dish with beef boiled with different kinds of herbs. That was my first time trying bulalo because honestly, I don't really like eating beef but since the beef in their bulalo is boiled until it's tender, I kindda like it. After breakfast, we went to San Pablo Market and San Pablo Church. San Pablo Market is much bigger than the first one we visited but I didn't really find anything that I like to buy. The church is also beautiful but I think they're still undergoing renovations on the facade.

After that we went straight to the Villa. When we arrive, they welcome us with "gulaman" (a kind of refreshment in the Philippines) to drink. Inside the Villa, our first stop was the musueum. I was only able to take pictures outside because they don't really allow pictures to be taken while inside the museum though there are no restrictions into bringing you mobile phones.

Nail Swatch : Nailtopia Nailpolish

To begin with, my cousin owns this polish. I just happen to see it near the television so I decided to give it a try. I've already used it on my old post Nail Art-A-Go-Go : Jewel Tones (Lotus Flower Inspired) and fell in love with it.

The picture above is the comparative swatch. You can  see on the far left of the picture how pigmented it is for a single coat. This reminds of my Barry M. nail polish. It cost about Php130 but it's really worth it. I'd definitely buy my own. 

Have you tried this brand? Let me know what you think about it by commenting below.

See you on my next post... ^_^

Nail Art Tutorial : Contrasting Colors

This is actually suppose to be an entry for the one month challenge that I wanted to participate on but I wasn't able to post it in time. I don't want to waste it because I really like how it turned out.

I searched the internet for contrasting colors and this is the happiest combination I found. I matched a pastel yellow from the Cotton Candy line of Etude House and Dark Silver nail polish from Barry M. I wanted to make a checkered patter but I ended up with only four squares for my thumb and middle finger and half on my pointing and ring finger.

I think my pinky is also a little small and I wouldn't want the design to be repetitive so I decided to paint it in solid yellow color. Then again, I thought it would look so different and bare to just leave it that way so I used black gems to create a cross. 

If you don't really like so much gems on your nails, you could use a nail tape for the pointing and ring finger. That's how the original design was suppose to be but I couldn't find any nail tapes. Good thing it turned out really pretty. ^_^

This is it for now.... I'll see you on my next post... ^_^

Nail-Art-A-Go-Go : Monochrome

Here's another day hoping you'd like my design for the challenge. I was suppose to make this post yesterday but I was kindda tired with the day's work. Exam week is a lot more tiring than it looks.

Anyway its the 4th day of the nail art challenge and today's theme is monochromatic. Honestly, when I first saw the table, I didn't know the difference between achromatic (click here to see my achromatic design)  and monochromatic I had to google it. Basically, monochrome means you have to use one color in different shades ranging from the lightest to darkest to emphasize the design.

For this challenge, I used my Etude house nail polishes. I used a pale pink color for the base, its PK003, and a darker one in BR301. I simply made a big blob of polish then spread it out to make the tail imitating a heart shape. Then I added small dots for decoration.

This is it for the 4th day. Check out my blog again tomorrow for the fifth day of the challenge. If you love it, give it a g+ ^_^

Nail-Art-A-Go-Go : Warm vs. Cool

This is the third day of the challenge and today's theme is warm vs. cool. So far, the categories are easy and work isn't getting busy yet.

Anyway, I'm not so sure if I have any inspiration on this one. I just thought of using navy blue and lilac because I like the colors and they look good together. They also fall right for the theme. ^_^

To make sure I'm not gonna make any mess on the side for the lilac, I used scotch tape to cover it. After painting the other half with blue, I took off the tape and colored the other half with a shimmery lilac. Then I simply put dots on the side, four for each nail. I wasn't able to get some nail tapes so I placed gems in the middle part instead to cover up the line. It's not that it doesn't look good but it looks a bit unfinished if I'd leave it that way.

There's something I want to change though. I really should've looked for some nail tapes or probably used a smaller gemstone for the center. The ones I used looked as if it dominated my entire nail.

Oh, well. I hope you also liked this one. See you tomorrow for my next nail design.

Nail-Art-A-Go-Go : Jewel Tones (Lotus Flower Inspired)

Today's the second day of the challenge and the theme is Jewel tones. The nail polish I used is from Nailtopia. I don't really remember what number it was but it looks like garnet red to me so I decided to use it. I also don't own the polish. I borrowed this one from my cousin since I honestly don't have much variety of nail polish colors. Most of what I own are pastel colors.

Nail-Art-A-Go-Go : Achromatic Nails (Dots and Bows)

It's been awhile since I made any nail art tutorial. I honestly don't remember posting any nail art tutorial since my camera broke so until I can buy a new one, I'd be posting photo tutorials instead.

Anyway, I recently joined Polish Pashionistas on Facebook because I read from one of the blogs I followed that they were having a February Nail Art Challenge called Nail-Art-A-Go-Go and I wanted to join. They are not giving away anything. It's a simple daily challenge for the whole month of February.

Everyday you have to make a nail art design according to the category. I saw it last month so I had a little time to think over and do my nail designs. It was a bit difficult because it's different when you do you're designs on paper compared when you apply it on your nails.

First day's theme is Achromatic. That means the color range you have to use is black, white and gray only. I had several ideas to be honest. I wanted to do bamboo shadows, notes etc. but I ended up with this one because apparently it's the most decent I was able to make with my shaky hands.

The nail tip is frosted white, same with the dots but only with a different color. Then I used a regular gray to make the band looks like it's frilly and to emphasize the bow.

That's it for today... Please check out my next design tomorrow.

Nail on the Go : How to Apply Fake Nails

I love doing my nails but I just don't have that much time to sit around and do it unlike before. So I would usually just go out with clean but bare nail. Last Christmas, my friend gave me these fake nails as a gift. You could find a lot of these in stores even in Hortaleza but if you like something with more intricate designs, you can visit the Beauty Bar although it is much pricey. If you plan in buying the expensive kind, it's fine since you can still use it again.

1. The box have 12 sets of nails with different sizes that may or may not fit your nails. So the first thing you have to do is find the size that fits you. If it doesn't fit, get a nail nipper and cut it on the sides or the bottom following the shape.

2. Then get the nail glue and apply it at the back of the fake nail.

3. Attach the fake nails and press it against your nail.

And that's it, you're ready to go. You have to find a really good nail glue for this one 'cause you don't want it coming off. You might also want to cut it shorter since it is difficult holding anything with extra long nails specially texting. ^_^

Review : #ChoosetoSHINE with Pantene and BDJ Box

After I came home from work, I saw a package lying on my bed. I was kind of excited because I thought it's the brush set that I ordered but when I saw what's in it, I got a little confused. Its the Pantene Pro V kit from BDJ. Then I checked my email and finally figured out what it was for. It's a gift from BDJ for those who joined ilovebdj.com last December (lucky me... ^_^)

The kit have two full size hair products. One is an after shampoo conditioner and the other is a leave on conditioner. The product is meant to make your hair strong, healthy and shiny. This really is a great gift for me since I just had my hair treated and colored last December.

The first conditioner is nothing unusual. Except that you have to leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing it. I've only been using it for a week so I didn't really notice much difference.

Review : Catena Foaming Bath and Softening Body Lotion

We had a party on the last day of school and of course, an exchange gift. We made a wish list and I asked for something I can use to pamper myself with. The budget is only P100 so I honestly didn't hope for anything so nice. Then again, I guess she's a good shopper and got me something I'd like to use. She gave me a foaming bath and body lotion set.

The foaming bath gel says "Excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature leaving the skin soft and smooth." I can't read the back label since it's all written in characters but it does a good job. It's kindda weird when I first smell it but if you love the scent of real fresh rose, you'll love this one. The scent doesn't really stay long but it'll give that relaxing feeling while taking a bath

For an extended rose aroma therapy you can use the body lotion. The scent last longer than the bath gel but really light. It lathers smoothly on my skin. It feels so moisturizing without the sticky or oily feeling and it dries fast.

I saw another set at Japan Home Centre and I'm thinking on trying it out, too. One is in Lavender and the other is cherry blossom. I'm not much of a fan when it comes to floral scents but this one is really worth trying if you ask me. Maybe because the scent isn't that strong.

My First : Celine Bag

I already mentioned in my previous post that I have wanted to buy myself a Celine bag but I couldn’t because of the price and my budget. I love Celine clothes and shoes but I only buy them when they’re on sale unless I really like or need it. But I couldn’t do the same thing with the bags. Knowing myself, I personally need a bag that would fit anything and I could toss anywhere without feeling bad about it, the very reason why it’s difficult for me to get an expensive one. It’s quite pricey even when it’s on sale and the designs are not really meant for daily use. Oh well, I don't have to worry about it now, do I?

My cousin got me an off-white colored one with gold zipper details on the side. The bag has three small pockets, one on the front with a loop kind or lock. It also has one at the back and inside with two extra pockets for the phone. 

Year End Haul (Shoes, bags, accessories and other random stuff)

Happy New Year to all my readers. Another year have passed and I didn't really made this year as promised so I won't be making another blogging resolution that I would most likely break. I feel really sorry for that. After the operation, I had a change of occupation and started taking my Masters in Management making me busier than I used to.

This year, I'd like to start my blog with a haul of some of the things I purchased and received as gifts. Just a disclaimer, this post is in no way intended to brag about what I have. And the stuffs are things that I accumulated over some time and some were given as presents . Let's just say, this is my way of thanking everyone for all the presents they gave me and keeping track of my purchases.

The only time that I love to buy shoes without regret is during a sale. I went to Ayala for some Christmas shopping and I found a really great deal at Call It Spring. Originally, the leather and lace shoes cost Php2,195 each but I only got it for Php650 per pair. They're really comfortable and I so love wearing them specially the leather shoes. It's currently my go-to shoes. I'm kind of more careful when using the lace one though because I don't want it getting stained. It's really going to be perfect for spring until summer because of the color. The rubber shoes would be my parent's gift for me. The color is just so pretty and girly but the tough kind of girly. :p

The next would be a bag from Celine and an inspirational book that my cousin gave me as a Christmas present. Honestly, I just got it today. I wanted to buy a Celine bag for myself but I'm having second thoughts about it because I'm really getting off my holiday budget but I guess now I don't have to worry about it.