Hello! The Blue Purse is on holiday break at the moment (life is pretty darn hectic this time of the year) but I just had to make a quick post because this is all about tomorrow, New Year's Eve!
Stacked love rings and bangles from Forever 21
I was planning on glittery nails this year for NYE, but I went with metallic instead. Orly Rage was just too pretty to resist! I've been obsessed with rose gold for a while now, as well as mixed metals, so the polish was simply perfect.
I had my nails done at David's Podium earlier and found this shade randomly. I need to get my own bottle because I'm obsessed!
I'm using my phone to post this entry and my phone camera didn't capture the color that well. I'll post a better picture taken with my camera in daylight sometime.
My first impression of it was that it would be a delicate sort of orange, which is why I got it in the first place. I have a ton of strong orange lipsticks, and I thought one in a lighter shade would be a nice change. I was right. It's a pale shade of orange indeed -- a cheery, peachy-apricot color. It's different, which I like because it throws people off, heh. Some people might find it too strange to wear though.
I acquired the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Audacious Asphalt awhile back, but I somehow never got around to posting a review of it. Well, I'm getting to it right now.
The Maybelline Color Tattoos are creamy eyeshadow pots that are long-wearing and highly pigmented. The name says it all, actually. Wearing them is like tattooing your eyes with color for 24 hours. I've never tried wearing eyeshadow for 24 hours straight, but so far the Color Tattoos have never faded or smeared on me even after hours of wear. My first Color Tattoo was Bad to the Bronze, and I loved it so much that I got more shades.
Audacious Asphalt is a silvery gray shadow. It's shimmery, dark, and looks like it's really meant for smokey eyes. It looks intense in the pot, but gets lighter when applied.
As promised, I'm trying to get through all the reviews of the products from my most recent beauty hauls! These are way overdue so please bear with me.
I'm starting off with the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, because the lip butters have been out for a while. (Check out my previous posts on the shades Tutti Frutti and Wild Watermelon.) I got Strawberry Shortcake when I went drugstore beauty shopping and found the Revlon Lip Butters on sale. It was around the time when I realized that I needed some girly pink in my life because my lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes were all neutral or strong colors.
Hello Monday! I feel like talking about beauty today, so I'm finally blogging about some purchases that I made the past few months. Like I said before, I haven't been buying much makeup and beauty stuff, but I do buy things I need from time to time. I decided to just do a collective haul of all the new stuff I picked up recently in stores or things I bought from friends from way back in October to just this December. Here we go.
L'Oreal Paris Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Leave-On Serum - As mentioned in my Hair and Makeup Tool Haul, my hair's due for a rebond so it's wild and crazy right now. I need this to keep it in check.
Revlon 24hrs Colorstay Foundation in Sand Beige - I am always rushing my makeup time so I have been loyal to my MAC Studio Fix powder for years, but I thought I would try liquid foundation for those times when I want to make more of an effort. This has been a favorite among my friends, so I'm trying it out.
Elf Blush Brush - This is another one for my first set of proper makeup brushes. I only need a couple more brushes methinks.
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe - I have been loving the Color Tattoo eyeshadow pots for a long time. Maybelline Philippines still hasn't released the line here though, so whenever there's an opportunity to get a new color, I jump at the chance. My friend Sheva from Beauty by Berrymix ordered some makeup online, so I bought this new pot from her.
My husband and I love coffee. He pretty much can't function without it, and he would be such a grump in the morning if he can't have his regular cup of joe. He almost always has a cup of coffee beside him whenever he works, whether he's in the office or at home. I, on the other hand, live on chocolate and not coffee, but I love it as much as tea. To me it's a comforting drink, made for long conversations with friends, intimate talks with my husband, or introspective alone time.
That is why when we got married, we really wanted a nice coffeemaker. We wanted a Keurig Brewer specifically, because we have tried it several times at A's aunt and uncle's place (who are big coffee lovers too) and we loved the taste of the coffee. We liked the sleek look of the machine too, as well as the large variety of fun K-cup flavors. I have also encountered it in several YouTube videos (which I had A watch), and these further made us want one.
Keurig Demo by Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi) and Luke (LukeConard) | DIY: At Home Coffee and Tea Bar by Blair Fowler (juicystar07)
The Keurig is a single-cup brewing system that brews your coffee or tea or hot cocoa for you in under a minute. That's about 3 minutes (rough estimate) including the time to heat up the water. You load pods called K-Cups into it, it punches a hole in the pods, and then you have a fresh beverage. With it, you don't have to deal with the mess of filters and pots and such. You just fill up the water tank, push some buttons, put a mug on the drip tray, and that's it. Also, it makes coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, as well as iced coffee or tea. For iced, you just need a cup filled with ice and an iced coffee/tea K-Cup and you're good to go.
The problem was that Keurig isn't available here, but A's aunt and uncle, who were also principal sponsors at our wedding, offered to buy it in the States for us as a wedding gift. Of course we said yes! So they went, and they got back from the US a while ago, but they shipped their stuff to the Philippines and the box took some time to get here. (Thank you Mama Punk and Papa Choity!)
It eventually did, but we had to find a place for it in our apartment. We also needed a cart for it, plus a power transformer. Last night, we finally put our Keurig together! I'm usually a nerd when it comes to these things, so I did a full unboxing, like I do with gadgets I love. I'm not going to do this for microwaves and other appliances, but if we get a juicer or something like a Blendtec one day, you can bet I'll unbox it!
First brew!
Before I get to that though, let me tell you about our first cup! We chose a flavored K-Cup for our first time -- the Timothy's Kahlua Original from the variety pack that came with the machine. A and I chose to share a medium mug because it was midnight when we finished reworking the apartment. As expected, it was excellent. It had the sweet, distinct Kahlua flavor of rum, caramel, vanilla, and coffee.
The thing is, this particular coffee was supposed to have a sort of light roast only, but it had me feeling wired the entire night and aggravated my insomnia. I fell asleep at 5am! Coffee usually has an adverse effect on me -- it makes me sleepy -- but last night it was the opposite. No more late-night Keurig sessions for me. The husband, however, who pretty much has coffee running in his veins and is probably immune to it, had a good, sound sleep. Okay, let's backtrack to the unboxing!
I haven't been paying much attention to makeup and beauty lately, but I have been randomly buying stuff that I know I need. I guess it's my subconscious self telling me not to let myself go, and to still pay attention to my daily upkeep!
Some of my recent purchases have actually been beauty tools. I picked up some hair stuff because it's that time of the year before my hair needs to get rebonded again. Since I don't have the time for it yet, I got some hair things to keep it as manageable as I possibly can (it's almost impossible to tame my natural hair). I also got more brushes. I figured I really need to stop using my mini brushes as well as the useless brushes I get in compacts, so I'm buying professional brushes now. I am not investing in expensive brushes yet though, because I want to practice with cheap ones first. Here's the haul. Details after the jump.
Remember that charming little e-book called All's Fair in Blog and War that I blogged about a while back? I'm writing about it again because it now has a print edition! The author, Chrissie Peria aka Kaoko of Kingdom Cow and Kitchen Cow just so happened to be one of my longest online buddies, so we ended up doing a meetup up at the Starbucks in Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, so I could get my hands on it. We came with our husbands, plus their dog and baby, and had a lovely time discussing the book and other adult stuff. We haven't seen each other since 2007, when we were still single girls who had all the time in the world to obsess about Japan and make bento. We definitely had a lot to catch up on!
Chrissie + me + her adorable poodle Cooper at Evia
All's Fair in Blog and War is a novella about love and blogging. It's actually local chick lit with a sprinkling of international flavor. It gives you a lot of fun Philippine tidbits, but it also takes you to the old world-new world streets of Macau. It's a story about travel bloggers named Five Cuevas and Jesse Ruiz who don't like each other but were forced to go on a trip together. Now that makes it seem like it would be predictable, but the book is all about the journey, not the destination, and what a wonderful journey it was. It was pretty cute! I got really kilig with it.
I had Chrissie sign my copy, of course!
This has become one of my favorite local novels and I don't even like that many. Check it out when you need a new feel-good book to read.
I went to High Street last Saturday thinking of clothes and makeup, but I ended up with a ton of books instead. I stepped inside Fully Booked and just lost it. The hubby says I had this giddy smile the entire night afterwards, heh. Besides, books simply last longer. Makeup and clothes are pretty much temporary things, while books stay around for years and years -- almost forever, actually. Here's my eclectic haul.
I saw this last and had to get it! I have the first Tiny Book and loved it, so this was a must-buy for me. I can't for the life of me find the second book here though! I will have to keep looking. These books are completely adorable but they also get you thinking.
After reading Eleanor & Park, I had to follow it up with Rainbow Rowell's other books. Attachments was published before Eleanor & Park, while Fangirl just came out and is the author's latest book. I can't wait to start reading these!
This is a beautiful book of classic fairy tales. The stories are the realistic ones that are far from the Disney versions, and they don't always have happy endings. I have always wanted a copy.
It'll be a while before I get through these books, but I'll be posting reviews as I finish each one. I've already started with the fairy tales, and so far it has been such a nostalgic treat! I'm such a happy bookworm right now.
This newly-opened eatery was a random discovery. The husband and I rarely ever venture down East Capitol Drive, but one Sunday, we decided to hear mass at the Kapitolyo church for a change. We had to park a few steps away from the church, and on our way back to the car after the service, we spotted Silantro. We were actually planning on having dinner somewhere else in the neighborhood, but we readily changed our plans because we were so hungry that we were quite happy to find a place already right in front of us. I didn't have my camera with me because I didn't know I was trying a new restaurant that day, but I was mighty glad we found this place.
Packed on a Sunday night
Silantro is a casual dining kind of restaurant. It has an al fresco area and an airconditioned area, but the place is on the small side, so expect it to be packed at dinner time, like it was when we went there. We liked that it's packed though, as that boded well for the quality of the food. Luckily, we were first on the wait list and we only had to wait a few minutes.
When I first moved to Kapitolyo in 2009, it wasn't the vibrant food hub that it is today. I've been coming to the area for years, since my husband has been living here since our college years. It was a quiet area, and there weren't a lot of good restaurants. Our favorite places to eat at were few, because there really wasn't much to choose from.
One is the Pasig institution that is Three Sisters, which serves one of the best barbecue sticks in Manila. Another is Poco Deli -- a quiet, tiny, corner deli that serves fantastic comfort food. Tokyu over at the Pioneer Center serves very affordable, but great Japanese food. Jade Palace, an authentic Chinese place just off Kapitolyo in Shaw Boulevard is another favorite. There are others, like Cafe Juanita and Kainan Au Gusto, and Bahay Pansitan that served Filipino food and have been in the area for ages, Good Burgers, which does quick burger deliveries, as well as Lia's bakery, but somehow we never ate much at/ordered from those places, or never went to them at all.
Then, Charlie's Grind and Grill with its Black Angus burger, and CAB Cafe, with its scrumptious desserts opened, and those quickly became our new favorites. After that, the neighborhood simply went food crazy. Fast forward to four years later and Kapitolyo is now a bustling, busy neighborhood, absolutely filled to the brim with cool food and parking problems, heh. The best part about it is that new restaurants are still popping up all over!
Even LooLoo's Fearless Foodie's Field Guide to Kapitolyo Map couldn't fit everything in. A lot of restos aren't here.
Since my husband and I live smack dab in the middle of this wonderful foodie neighborhood and this is a new blog, I thought I would do a Kapitolyo Food Trip series. I will be writing about my old haunts, as well as document my experiences when I try out all the new restaurants. If you haven't been to Kapitolyo, I hope this convinces you to come here, and if you've already been to Kapitolyo, I hope this persuades you to come back again and again. This neighborhood just keeps getting better and better, and I'm very lucky I live here.
All Kapitolyo food trips will be up at this tag: Food Tales of a Kapitolyo Resident. Keep checking back for new posts. This is going to be fun!
Hi everyone! This is just a quick update before I get back to business. The Blue Purse was on hiatus for a few days just because I had some personal stuff I needed to focus on. For site updates, please follow The Blue Purse @TheBluePurse on Twitter, and TheBluePurse on Facebook.
Then when I was ready to get back to blogging, a calamity happened, and it didn't feel right writing about my obsessions while the country is reeling from the wrath of the super typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda). [Stories: CNN, Buzzfeed 1, Buzzfeed 2.] I had to take a few days off. It's a horrible, sad time for the Philippines.
The Philippines needs your help. The devastation is tremendous. Please donate to the Red Cross. For locals, the easiest way is to text. For international donations, please go to the Red Cross website.
Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. Life does go on and the world won't stop spinning. The Blue Purse will be back soon.
Remember that drugstore product haul I posted last August? If you've noticed, still haven't posted a single review yet! My bad. I don't have a good reason, but on the upside, it means I've been using the products for almost a couple of months now so I'll be able to review them thoroughly.
I'm starting today with the simplest product I got -- the Maybelline Eye & Lip Makeup Remover. I have been using this for years, and it was only part of the haul because I ran out and needed a new bottle. It has become a staple in my makeup bin.
I take my makeup off with cleansing wipes and facial cleanser, but sometimes eye makeup (especially eyeliner and mascara) as well as some lip colors can be hard to get off. That's when I resort to the Maybelline Eye & Lip Makeup Remover.
The husband celebrated his birthday last month, so I thought I'd post a look from his birthday from a couple of years back for this Throwback Thursday. This was from 2011, but I still have and wear this outfit. That night we had dinner at Borough and it was lovely.
Blue and white striped dress from Nectar at The Ramp, blue and brown striped wedges from Lela Rose for Payless
To be honest, I haven't been wearing makeup much lately. I've been finding myself going barefaced a lot, even when I'm actually going somewhere nice. That's weird because my skin is better now but still isn't at its best, but for some reason I've been loving the fresh-faced look and don't feel like piling gunk on my face.
The one thing I still can't live without though is lipstick. Most days, I skip the eye makeup and blush but I do swipe on some color on my lips before stepping out. What can I say? It will always be my favorite beauty product!
I've been re-evaluating my stash lately because it's time to throw out expired tubes and those that have melted. I just realized that I need to get new tubes of my favorite bright NYX Round Lipsticks. I first tried them when I was a beauty/fashion editor and NYX sent me tubes for review. I have since repurchased the colors a bunch of times.
I love them, but unfortunately, they have the tendency to melt in extremely hot weather, which is almost always what we have here in this tropical country. I have three favorites -- Pink Lyric, Haute Melon, and Peach Bellini. All except Pink Lyric have melted. I should have known better and stored them in a cooler area, but the good thing about NYX Round Lipsticks is that they're super light on the pocket and I can easily get new ones. For now, here's my review and swatches of these pretty brights.
A late-night/early morning mini-adventure before saying goodbye
Thursday
Start of Day 4
After my midnight soaking, I finished packing and then I dressed up, ready to go to the airport. I hate packing at the last minute, that's why. Then I went over to Lowenz's room to exchange pictures and stories, and wait for checkout time because we didn't plan on sleeping anymore. Here he is, transferring pics from my notebook to his.
He showed me the CD of the band he watched in Shinjuku. We listened to it for a while. He got to chat with the vocalist (the only member who spoke English) after the show, and he asked the band members for their autographs as well. He was also able to get a signed sketch of a Japanese artist he recognized. Cool, huh?
I spent last Saturday at our Cavite house, visiting my dad with my husband. My bag was filled to the brim because I made sure I brought a bunch of things for me to do while we were there, or in the car on the way to and from there. I figured it was a good time for me to do a Purse Peek.
The hubby brings me pasalubongs (homecoming gifts) all the time, but tonight's pasalubong was better than usual. He got me Thor's hammer, and it even came with a burger!
Hello, Thor
Jollibee is offering Thor's hammer for just 95 pesos alongside an order of their new Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ burger. You don't have to order a kiddie meal or any value meal. As long as you get the burger, you can get the hammer.
It's kind of rainy today, all gloomy and a bit chilly. This weather reminded me of the time when I attended a resort wedding that was supposed have a beach vibe in the middle of December. Unfortunately, it rained a lot that day, but thankfully the dress code called for prints and somehow the cheery outfits some of the guests had on made up for the dismal weather.
Blue and pink printed maxi dress from The Ramp, silver necklace from SM
The hubby and I have been getting sick a lot lately. Fever, colds, cough -- you name it, we had it. He has been getting sick from this virus that has been going around since forever in his workplace, and last week I caught it after he did. Needless to say, last week was pretty horrible for us, so we started taking vitamins regularly again and eating more fruits and veggies. We were also thinking of other healthy things to do, and I considered getting Juju Cleanse solo kits for us, since I tried the full one-day cleanse already and have experienced the health benefits of fresh, raw juice.
It was definitely such great timing that Kat Rempe Azanza of Juju Cleanse got in touch with me last week and sent over two Immune Boost Solo Kits for me and the hubby! A and I were feeling so under the weather, and we really needed an instant vitamin and nutrient boost. The juice kits were delivered to our place last Thursday and we made sure to drink it all as quickly as possible because they're fresh and raw, which means that they only last for about 1-2 days.
I went to Disneyland, felt like a kid again for a while, but immediately started feeling like an adult again when I saw the 3-hour wait lines.
I discovered that I don't really like any "classic" Disney character, save for the princesses.
I got myself lost on the way to the subway, but got to where I was supposed to go eventually.
I went with Rex to Ueno, where we looked through some interesting downtown shops, almost got flattened by a San-X bear, saw the beautiful cherry blossoms, had a street food dinner, and walked through a park with a pond.
I saw how one can never get bored in Japan when Rex took me to see the Tokyo Games Center.
I found out that I've gotten used to the cold, and my legs have gotten really strong.
I realized that there are just some people I can talk to for hours with, with comfortable silences in between, while there are some that I can never be that way with.
I fell in love with this country, and I'm so sad now that I'm leaving.
I gotta go.
We're going to go hang out in Lowenz's room to share pics and stories and wait for checkout time now.
Japan, mata aimashou!
Definitely.
Current Mood: sad sad
Current Music:Silence in my Tokyo Dome Hotel room
Wednesday
Start of Day 3
Ohayou! (Good morning!) I woke up early, said bye to Rex (whose talking Japanese cellphone woke us up), showered, toothbrushed, and dressed quickly, then had breakfast with Kaye, Edu, and Alex at Pier View, which had the international buffet. No more Yugyo-An Tankuma Kita-Mise (where the Japanese breakfast was). Bacon is heaven.
If you know me you would know that I love my Zara trousers. They're completely versatile and can be worn a lot of ways. I have a semi-androgynous style as well, and these pants, which are a bit baggy on top and tapered at the bottom really work for me. I have three colors -- khaki, gray, and navy.
For this Throwback Thursday, I'm taking a stroll back in time and going through the various ways I wore my pair of navy Zara trousers. It's one of the easiest pieces in my closet because I can just throw it on like jeans and go.
Casual Edge
Edgy peep-toe booties made a big difference in this outfit.
Silver circle earrings from Boracay's D'Mall, periwinkle top from Human, Longchamp LM Metal bag in Steel, navy Zara trousers, gray Aldo watch, silver and black knuckle ring from Forever 21, black peep-toe booties from SM Dept. Store
White and Khaki
It can be worn with just a white t-shirt and brogues.
White t-shirt and beige brogues from Forever 21, black quilted Mango bag, silver Giordano watch
Everyday here is a freakin' adventure. Mar. 28th, 2007 at 7:38 AM Quick update. Tokyo time: 8:45am. Yesterday was just awesome. I bonded with Kaye, my fellow journalist. I ate ice cream outside, in freezing weather. I got my picture taken with Hachiko the dog. I had my Lost in Translation moment in Shibuya. I ogled weird stuff in Don Quixote. I went broke over a bunch of bento stuff. I nearly died on a very Amazing Race-like adventure to get on the last train (my muscles are still aching). I stayed up nearly all night talking with Rex, my childhood friend. I'm exhausted, but smiling. Leaving for Disneyland now. Later. Current Mood: happy happy Current Music:Silence in my Tokyo Dome Hotel room
Hello, Flashback Friday! The hubby and I have finally posted our prenup pics -- One Hot Summer Day -- as well as the behind-the-scenes photos at our wedding blog, That Happy Day. It's only fitting then to document what we wore that day on this blog.
We wanted a casual prenup. We didn't want it to look like a movie or have magazine poses. We didn't want to act differently from how we would typically act. We also didn't want to have props or wear stuff that we wouldn't usually wear. We just wanted it to show us spending time with each other on a normal day at one of our favorite places, UST -- the place where we first met.
Our only concept for the shoot was modern color-blocking, which was the overall theme of our wedding. We chose orange and blue outfits, our favorite colors. When he wore a blue top, I wore an orange top, and when I wore something blue, he wore orange. We really went orange and blue all the way, from the proposal day (when we didn't know we wanted blue and orange for our theme yet), to our wedding day.
Note: My first Travel Tuesday post has to be about Japan. It's my favorite country aside from my own, the Philippines, and I can't wait to go back there. It's a hard country to travel to (visas, astronomical travel expenses, it goes on and on), and I feel very lucky to have been able to go there. It only seemed right to me to look back on that trip -- my favorite to date -- for my first travel entry. These are my thoughts from way back in 2007. Here we go.
Freezing in Tokyo
Greetings from Tokyo! March 27, 2007 at 2:25am. Konnichiwa! Tokyo time, 3:25am. So far, I've: Had Japanese talking to me like I was one of them only to say "ok" when they find out I'm a foreigner. Eaten a meal where I had no idea what it was that I ate, but it was delicious. Giggled with Kaye and Erika over the tons of cute boys here. Bought Pocky. Warmed myself up with hot chocolate from McD's. Gotten tricked by a vending machine. Walked around for two hours, totally lost. Stalked a cashier named Kobayashi at an AM/PM store. Seen porn, like, everywhere. Shivered uncontrollably in the super cold (for us Pinoys) weather. I'm so tired, but it's been so fun. Time for bed. Sayonara. Current Mood: cold cold Current Music:Sound from my Tokyo Dome Hotel room TV - CNN
March 26 to 29, 2007. Japan was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. It was the first time I went to a country that I didn't want to leave, and actually felt homesick for. Now I need to take Japanese language lessons and think of a way to live there for a year at the most. Tokyo is so dynamic! It has character in every nook and cranny. It's rich with tradition, but at the same time, it's so modern, clean, and colorful. It felt like a pretty safe city, and we didn't feel wary venturing out by ourselves - even at night. I wasn't prepared for the very cold climate however. It was less than 10C there, and us Filipinos are used to 25 to 30C temperature, with our coldest being 15C! I brought jackets, sure, but they were flimsy ones that I had to layer to get warm. That was fine though, I was able to adjust to that. The major booboo I made was not bringing sneakers. I wore my peep-toe flats because it's such a hassle taking my shoes off at the airport for the security checks, and I brought heels because we were told to attend the conference in business attire. Because I already had two pairs of shoes, I decided to forego sneakers. I thought, hey, it's summer here and I'm not wearing any hot footwear for the airport, plus it's spring there, it'll be nippy, but doable. Hell no. I was so used to going around humid and balmy Southeast Asia that I forgot it was totally different in the Northeast. My toes got cold, and flats are not at all helpful in catching trains. I'll get to that later. The Japanese are so nice. They'll help you out when they can, they're very polite and really quiet, plus they're so cool-looking. The only problem is communicating with them - the language barrier can be a bit hard to hurdle at times. Still, I didn't feel as lost as when I was in Taiwan, and I didn't feel any attitude like in Singapore. They're just that approachable I guess. The company also makes a trip memorable, and I was lucky that I went on the trip with my co-journalists Edu (Manila Bulletin), Lowenz (Inquirer Online), Kaye (Speed), and Armin (Gadgets) plus our hosts from Epson Philippines Alex and Erika. They're a pretty good set of people - nobody was difficult or anything, which was great. Lowenz is my friend and ex-officemate too, so we go way back, and Kaye and I have been travel buddies for several trips already. I have to stop myself now, because I can go on and on about Japan for days. It's no wonder that I'm only posting about the trip now, because I've really been overwhelmed by the pictures, the stories, and the whole experience. I'll have to post this entry in parts, because it's going to be extremely and insanely long. There, I gave you fair warning! This trip was my best one ever, and I hope I can go back to Japan some day soon. Alrighty, let's get to the kwento!
Monday
Start of Day 1
First time on Japan Airlines. I was so excited to be going to Japan that I didn't mind the lack of movies and in-flight entertainment. I just read the magazines and listened to my Walkman.
Spicy Japanese nuts and crackers were the snack! I love these things. I ordered the JAL signature drink, Sky Time Yuzu, which tasted like a weird citrusy soda. I liked it.
Monday is almost coming to a close, so I'm rushing this post. I didn't do Manicure Monday last week because I knew I was having my nails done later in the week. I attended a wedding last Thursday with the hubby, so I went to the salon to get a blow-out and a mani-pedi that morning.
The thing is, I have some standards when I get my nails professionally done. I'm really super critical of manicurists because come on, if they do a bad job, I might as well just do it myself at home. I have only found two manicurists I like at two separate salons that are both at the Podium - one from David's named Flor, and the other at Bench Fix that I forgot the name of because I've only been there once. I haven't tried the Nail Spa at Shang and the nail salons at Megamall though. If you've tried any of them, please let me know in the comments! Don't ask me about other places that aren't in the general Ortigas/Kapitolyo area though, because I just go to the salons near my neighborhood for convenience.
That day though, I was pressed for time so I decided to just go to the David's along Shaw. I really don't like the manicurist there, because I have had my nails done multiple times there before (since it's the closest proper salon near me), but it really seems like she doesn't make enough of an effort to do her job well. I had no choice though, and I thought I'd give her yet another chance, but sadly, I was disappointed once again. Sorry but I just have to rant.
See, I usually bring my own nail polish, especially the ones that I have a hard time putting on myself since I'm so manicure-challenged. Since I was wearing glittery silver shoes and accessories that day, I decided to do silver glitter on my nails. I brought Forever 21 Love and Beauty Nail Polish in Moonbeam for the base and Nicole by OPI's Make U Smile from the Justin Bieber collection to put on top of it. We accidentally ruined one of the nails (the manicurist and I moved in opposite directions at the same time) but I noticed after I left the salon that she didn't bother doing it over. She just tried to patch it up with more nail polish which turned out looking a bit lumpy. She also didn't bother spreading the glitter around my nails. I told her to do two coats so the glitter would show up more and she did, but she didn't make sure that the glitter was visible on every nail. It looked very inconsistent. There were also some blank spots. They're hardly noticeable but they're there. Frustration!
Anyway, bad manicurist aside, I liked the combination of Forever 21's Moonbeam and Nicole by OPI's Make U Smile. Metallic nails just add instant bling to a look.
I wanted an elegant look since I was going to a wedding. The silver foil of Moonbeam looked great with Make U Smile's big hexagon and small dot glitter.
My Instagram pic of it last Thursday didn't quite catch the details but it looked very classic and polished.
Back in March, I decided to try doing a juice cleanse. It was a few weeks before my wedding, I was feeling a bit stressed, and I was right in the middle of personal training at the gym. I wanted to detox -- clean out my insides, give my body a nutrient boost, and to just be a bit healthier on the whole. After checking various options online, I went for Juju Cleanse. It's a juice fast program that delivers fresh, raw, cold-pressed juice kits right at your doorstep.
GETTING IT
My friend Cielo and I ordered at around the same time, though we tried different things. She wasn't a veggie eater so she just got a few solo juice bottles that aren't part of the cleanse programs to try them out. On the other hand, I began eating veggies when I first started working out and seeing a nutritionist a couple of years back, so I opted for the one-day Level One Cleanse. It's designed to ease one into the program gently, and isn't so green. That is perfect for me, because while I may be able to eat quite a bit of veggies now, I can't do veggies for prolonged periods of time.
Pretty drinks all in a row! [Pic from the Juju Cleanse website.]
Ordering was really easy, since everything was done online. I was lucky that I live in a city where Juju Cleanse delivers. Those who aren't as lucky have to go to designated pick-up points all over Manila. So I ordered, paid, set my cleanse date, and my juice kit was delivered promptly the night before my cleanse day.
THE JUICE KIT
The juice kit came in a very convenient thermal bag. It's insulated to keep the juice bottles cold, and the bag makes it easy to tote the juices around with me in case I had to go somewhere. However, I purposely did my cleanse on a day when I had nothing scheduled and was just staying at home, because it was my first time and I didn't know how my body was going to react to the cleanse.
