Kotex x Love, Bayo featuring fashion by Sylvia Park

I attended the launch of Love, Bayo's latest collection last October 13, 2012 at M Cafe. It was designed by 18-year old Sylvia Park, winner of the first ever SoFA (School of Fashion and the Arts) Young Designer for Bayo Design Competition. As you may have surmised from her name, Sylvia is Korean.

First thing I noticed was how fond Sylvia was of floral prints.

There were a lot of flowery dresses and skirts. Sylvia said that her predominantly floral and lace collection was inspired by her favorite novel Anne of Green Gables.

The designs are very young and feminine.

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Charm Makeup Brushes meet J&C Super Clean Solutions!

Late last month, my good friend Sophie, the beauty blogger behind Beautynomics and the online store Beauty and Minerals, launched her latest line of make-up brushes... the limited edition Charm Travel Pro Set which she named Sonia, in honor of her mom.

As you can see, Sonia comes in a happening leopard-print case.

Don't let the words Travel Set make you think that these brushes are just something to tide you over when you're mobile. It's a complete 14-piece set of make-up brushes with FULL sized heads and travel-length handles. No compromise. The set costs P2,750.

That night, we were also introduced to J&C Super Clean Solutions brush cleaner. It's a product that was conceptualized by Jenny Yrasegui and Celine Gabriel-Lim (hence J&C, haha!), they're also the ladies behind ARC PR. Jenny and Celine wanted something convenient and easy to use for their make-up brushes and so they came up with this brush cleaning solution. One bottle costs P395. I bought a similar product from Sephora and it set me back US$14 so this is definitely more affordable.

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Chef Tatung Taguig at Acacia Estates

If I were a guy still in the dating phase and I wanted an intimate dinner that would get us away from it all, Chef Tatung Taguig would probably be the ideal place for me.

Tucked away deep inside Acacia Estates in Taguig City, it's a quiet nook you can retreat to when the hustle and bustle of the city gets too stressful. I liked how brightly lit the place was without being garish.

Get a table at one of the restaurant's cozy corners for a more muted ambiance.

We were invited to check out the place some weeks ago. We had previously dined at Chef Tatung Private Dining in Quezon City a while back and quite enjoyed the offerings and so we were looking forward to see what was in store for us here. We had some of Chef Myke Sarthou's freshly baked bread while waiting. It's not complimentary like in other places, one order of the Bread Basket costs P110.

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Bobbi Brown Long Wear Makeup for the eyes!

In this post, I will review not just one but two Bobbi Brown Long Wear make-up products... Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Galaxy and Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eye Liner in Jet.

First let's take a look at the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Galaxy. It comes in a glass pot. I like how it's all silvery and shimmery, perfect for all the upcoming holiday parties!

For applying you may use a brush or your fingers. I recommend using a spatula and transferring the product onto a palette for the purposes of hygiene.

The cream shadow is very pigmented. The color is very rich and solid.

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Oishi Smart C for your daily dose of Vitamin C!

I got this unique delivery a month or so ago from Oishi Smart C. It's kind of like a gigantic vitamin / medicine compartment, the type you put pills in and carry around with you to remind you it's time to take them.

Instead of meds however, this case was filled with bottles of Oishi Smart C juice drinks. There's one bottle assigned per day since 500ml can provide 500mg of Vitamin C.

Opening each compartment reveals a message.

For Monday it's "Start your week right! Here's a refreshing immunity boost, alright!".

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Wee Nam Kee in Serendra, Fort Bonifacio Global City

We finally got to eat at Wee Nam Kee one Sunday last month. Hubby and I have attempted to do so quite a few times when first branch at Ayala Triangle Gardens opened but we never quite made it due to the ridiculously long queue. We figured that since a lot of time has passed since then, it was time to try again at their second branch in Serendra.

Since it was Sunday lunch time, the place was packed. I borrowed the above photo from the Wee Nam Kee Philippines Facebook Page because I could not take any decent ones when we went. There were too many people and the tables and chairs were in a bit of a disarray since the patrons went on to rearrange them to suit their groups' sizes.

Anyhow, we had the lady outside list our name since the place was full. She said she would text us when we had a place. I was amused by their birdcage-like lighting fixtures.

After about thirty minutes of walking around Serendra, the lady finally texted us. The first thing I noticed upon sitting down was the sauces for the Hainanese Chicken.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy Camera Launch!

Samsung launched two new to-die for gadgets last month -- their latest cellphone offering Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy Camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is bigger, faster, and smarter than its predecessor Samsung Galaxy Note.

It looks and feels like a small tablet instead of a cellphone, really.

Some specs and features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2:

• 5.55" LCD screen size
• HD resolution at 1280 x 720
• 1.6 GHz Quad Core Processor
• 10GB internal memory
• 8MP camera w/ flash and auto focus
• Expandable memory with MicroSD
• Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Gyro-Sensor
• Up to 300 hours standby time 

Samsung also introduced a first... a Smart Camera! Dubbed as the Samsung Galaxy Camera, it's the first digicam which can accommodate a sim card so you can be fully mobile even without a wifi connection. You can edit, customize, and upload your photos without needing to transfer them to a computer. It actually has built in apps for Facebook etc.

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K-Palette Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Liner

Today I finally post a review that's long overdue -- K-Palette Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Liner. Although I have thick and dark eyebrows, they are far from perfect so I still need to do something about them... haha!

Anyhow, this product is revolutionary because it combines both powder and pen in one stick.

This is K-Palette Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Liner in #01 Chocolate Brown. I misplaced my photo of the packaging but I will upload it once I find it in my hard drive. O_O

One end has a cap filled with powder.

Opening it reveals a sponge tip with brown eyebrow powder.

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Frankie's New York Buffalo Wings in Ortigas

We were invited to try out Frankie's New York Buffalo Wings last Oct. 25, 2012. It's located in City Golf Plaza along Dona Julia Vargas Ave. in Ortigas. Honestly speaking I dislike going to Ortigas because of the horrendous traffic, so if I had not been invited I probably would never have known about the place.

Anyhow, we got there in time for dinner. The place is very casual. It comes across as a place to chill and enjoy a few beers after a day's work.

There's even a Foosball machine you can play with.

While waiting for the others, we were served an order of Fries (P80, pictured above) and Dip (P20, also up there beside the Fries). The fries are just seasoned with salt and pepper but they make for great finger food all the same.

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Starbucks Christmas Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I mentioned wanting to give away 2013 Starbucks Planners a while back. Unfortunately, that's not possible at the moment BUT to make your Christmas merry, I'll be giving away twenty (20) Starbucks tall drink vouchers instead. So two of you lucky readers will each take home ten (10) vouchers each.

It's bound to be a Merry Christmas with your favorite Starbucks holiday beverage on hand, right? So without further ado, check out the contest mechanics below.

Personally, my favorite Starbucks beverage is the Cool Lime flavor of Starbucks Refreshers! What's yours?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to all Philippine residents. I will ship the prize to you if you win. You have until December 15, 2012 to get those entries in. Oh yeah, one of the winners will be drawn exclusively from my Instagram followers so follow @animetric on Instagram for more chances of winning! :D

Congratulations to Cym Gonzaga-Marzan and Katrina Antonio-Demetrio, you have won 10 Starbucks tall drink vouchers each! Will contact you regarding shipping.

Thank you Starbucks Philippines for this Christmas treat for my dear readers! :D

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My Entice the Salon hair makeover experience!

It all started with me attending my dear friend and fellow blogger Marj Sia's Birthday Sparty at Entice the Salon last Oct. 18, 2012.

To be honest a hair makeover was the last thing on my mind because I had to fetch the kids from school in a couple of hours. I just wanted to avail of something simple like maybe a little trim to get rid of the split ends and maybe a hair spa treatment, hahaha!

But Marj had other ideas, hahaha. She told me she'd get William Wong, the creative director of Entice the Salon, to give me a new 'do. William was so much in demand I had to wait about two hours to get a turn. So that was the day I said goodbye to my one-length hair.

William asked me what I wanted and I basically told him to do what he thinks is best. After looking my hair over he muttered something to the likes of short and spiky... and bangs. Yikes. My hair is rebonded so it's really tricky to cut and style. I was already having second thoughts but then I left it all in his hands.

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What's inside Glamourbox?

Glamourbox. The name immediately put images of high end brands in my head, haha! Being the beauty addict that I am, I really couldn't wait to find out what's inside. This post wasn't supposed to be until next week or so since I have a really loooong backlog but due to popular demand, I'm posting it today. :D

Last November 13, Glamourbox finally revealed the content of their very first box, which we will refer to here as the November Box. Former Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Lia Andrea Ramos is actually one of the founders of Glamourbox.

Glamourbox's November Boxes were on display during the event. I really love the simple yet elegant design.

With Glamourbox, you pay P595 a month as a subscription fee. In return, you get a box with at least five (5) premium beauty samples. I say at least five because I have a feeling that on some months (like November for instance) there will be more than that promised number. Glamourbox's partner brands are not the usual run-of-the-mill beauty products you find everywhere. The Glamourbox team really scour the world (yes, the world) for what they believe are excellent beauty brands to introduce to the Philippines. Eventually, these brands will be sold through Glamourbox's upcoming e-commerce site.

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Sentro 1771 at Greenbelt 3

We were invited to dine at Sentro in Greenbelt 3 one Saturday night last month. My hubby is somewhat averse to Filipino cuisine because he can't stand the scent of vinegar and so we don't really visit Filipino restaurants all that much.

The restaurant was packed when we got there. Good thing we had reservations.

While waiting for the food we were served some watermelon seeds to munch on. I tried one but found it to be makunat, if anyone can tell me what makunat is in English I'd be grateful... haha! I'd describe it as brittle and uh... rubbery at the same time?

First dish out was Sizzling Tofu (P250, pictured above). It's cooked kind of like sisig but instead of meat, cubed beancurd is used. The beancurd is sauteed in garlic and onions, a bit of mayonnaise, and what tasted like soy sauce. Just like sisig, you can squeeze calamansi all over it for that extra zing.

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Johnson's Baby Milk Mom's Nourishing Spa at Watson's Makati

Last October 12, I took part in Johnson's Baby Milk Mom's Nourishing Spa event held at Watson's Makati. It's a whole day affair which aims to show moms how they too can get soft, smooth, and beautiful from Johnson's Baby Milk products. I believe it's equally important for moms like me to look good because taking care of ourselves shouldn't stop when the babies and children come along. Being at our best helps boost self-confidence and empowers us to achieve more.

I arrived at around 12nn. I was promptly given a name tag and a stamp card for all of the day's activities.

The first thing we had to do was register and like the Johnson's Baby Philippines Facebook Page.

Doing so earned me my first stamp. Upon completing all five stamps, one would be given a special gift from Johnson's Baby.

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Sample Room lets you try before you buy... for FREE!

I'm pretty sure by now you've heard of those sample boxes proliferating the metro and making their way to our doorstep by mail. Normally, you pay a subscription fee and then you get a mystery box filled with beauty product samples every month. Skin care products, hair care products, make-up... you name it, these beauty boxes have it. Just to make it clear, Sample Room IS NOT anything like those boxes.

So last October 11, I was invited to a hush-hush dinner at Sutra (one of my fave restos by the way... I've dined there 3x in the last couple of months... haha!) by the Sample Room team.

Meet the ladies behind Sample Room! From above left to right there's Nats, Katherine, Diana, and my good friend Sophie, the blogger behind Beautynomics. Being beauty enthusiasts themselves, they know just how important it is to try something before making a long term commitment. Don't you just hate it when you buy a full-sized beauty product only to find out later that it doesn't suit you? By then your only options would be to give whatever it is away or sell it at a loss. This is exactly how I discovered my favorite skin care brand. A friend gave me a bunch of samples and I got hooked because they worked so well for me!

You can access Sample Room at http://www.sampleroom.ph. It's under construction at the moment so be sure to subscribe before you go so you get first dibs when sampling starts!

So how does it work and how is it different from those mystery sample boxes?

1. There is no surprise. When you register for Sample Room, you are given points to spend on samples that you want. The number of points each sample costs vary. The higher end samples would of course cost more points.
2. The samples are completely FREE. You don't pay for subscription or anything, just shipping for the samples that you yourself picked out.
3. You earn more points to spend when you post a review of the sample(s) that you got.
4. There's a wide variety of high quality brands personally handpicked by the Sample Room team to choose from.

I can't reveal Sample Room's partner brands right now but just to give you a clue, one of them is my favorite skin care brand... a brand that I use every single day. Wheee! :D

Thank you Sample Room for a wonderful evening... I'm really excited about what's in store for us! Do drop by http://www.sampleroom.ph and leave your email so you'll be informed right away when the sampling starts! :D

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Spend Happy Together Time with BPI!

When was the last time you spent some happy together time with someone special? Most of us are so busy most days that taking time out to be with a loved one becomes the last priority. I'm pretty sure there's someone you'd like to spend some happy time with. What better way to invite them to do so than by creating your very own karaoke-style invitation via BPI's Spend Happy Together Time app! You can access it by liking BPI on Facebook.

All it takes are three easy steps. Click the Get Started button to proceed.

Basically, you create a video app that goes by the tune of the song "Happy Together" by filling in the blanks with your own words... in effect, creating your own lyrics.

After you're done, you get the option to preview your work so you can either go back and edit or proceed to the next step. My lyrics are all about shopping because I'm a shopaholic, haha! I swear I can spend the whole day shopping...

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Charlie's Grind and Grill via City Delivery!

Because I'm useless in the kitchen, I'm pretty reliant on food delivery when our cook takes the day off. Last weekend was one such occasion, so I decided to order from City Delivery. I have actually tried their service a couple of times in the past for restos like Amici and D'Original Maki Haus among others but we were too hungry during those times so I didn't blog about our experiences. All hubby and kids wanted to do was eat.

This time, I decided to order our dinner from Charlie's Grind and Grill. I placed my order in advance. I called City Delivery's hotline 87878 at about 1pm and told them I needed the food around 5:30-6:00PM. We usually have dinner at around 6:30PM on weekends so this would give me a bit of time to take photos of the food before everyone digs in haha! I logged on to http://www.citydelivery.ph in order to access Charlie's Grind & Grill's delivery menu.

Sure enough, the food arrived a few hours later, exactly between 5:30-6:00PM. Everything was in a big brown paper bag.

Each food item was individually wrapped in aluminum foil. I was quite impressed because Charlie's Grind & Grill really paid attention to every last detail, even including the lemon wedge that's served with the Cerveza Negra Fish and Chips (P235, pictured above) in the restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised by how big the fish fillet (cream dory) was too, so it's definitely good for sharing. The fries are good old-fashioned real sliced potatoes, not the frozen variety. It comes with tartar sauce for dipping.

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