My Costume for "White Christmas Party"

I had some difficulty trying to find a getup for the white Christmas party. But somehow, it all came together with this dress I bought from People are People, which was on sale for only PhP600. For the inner tube, I wore my Terranova tube dress in yellow. I used a NY and Co. white knit scarf to put on my hair and tied it in a bohemian knot but it somehow looked like a bonnet. For shoes, I wore brown aerosoles ankle boots. I had an Aldo lips necklace too.

For make up, I used the following:

1. Revlon Photoready Compact Make up in 100 Vanilla - as base

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

3. Urban Decay De luxe Eyeshadow in Fishnet

4. Majolica Majorca mini palette in BR 751 (hover on the name Majolica Majorca to get the link for my blog on this brand :)  )
5. Shu Uemura glitter eyeshadows in G White Gold 311 and G Pink 135
6. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black
7. My Big Fatty Mascara by Urban Decay

Check out my left eye which is the color combination I followed:

For the cheeks, I used
1. NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in 723A Pink Cheek Glow - because I accidentally left my bronzer, the ever reliable Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess

2. Urban Decay After Glow Glide On Cheek Tint - as highlighter

For the lips I used
1. Avon Glimmersticks Lip Liner in Red Brick

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Matte 006 Really Red"

Here's the final look:

For an affordable Angus Beef Burger - get it from Burger King!

Hey guys,

I was doing my search for dirt cheap yet stylish and comfy ballet flats (which I will blog about soon after the break ins are done!) when I passed by Burger King. I figured what the hell? Let's get some really tough burger this time! Lo and behold: I landed upon the most affordable 100% Angus Beef Burger. For only 200 PhP, you get a value meal for a decently sized burger, square angus beef patty with excess on the sides of the bun, cheese, glazed with steak sauce, plus some crunchy bits (crispy onions and they added to the flavor). Now I wanted an upsize apple Hi-C, so my total bill was PhP215. Not bad baby!

I made the image larger so you can see the burger clearly.

Now I hate to compare this with Shake Shack, because what I had there was really pumped up. It had bacon. I had the Single Smoke Shack, and according to the menu from the branch in Flat Iron District NYC, it is : cheeseburger topped with niman ranch all natural applewood smoked bacon, chopped bacon, chopped cherry pepper and shacksauce.The dressing of Shake Shack is superb. It is something that they must have created on their own, I am not sure, but the thing is I have not tasted it anywhere in all the steak sauces all over grocery stores. That I say, hats off to you Shake Shack. However, the bacon is a wrong idea because everything you put with bacon tastes great. I made that mistake. It kind of drowned the taste of the Angus Beef. So maybe that was why I wasn't too impressed. Not to mention the line was amazingly long: 30 minutes to line up, about 7-10minutes to wait for your order to buzz (they give you a puck that vibrates with lights) --- all for an Angus beef Smoke Shack burger (has crunchy bacon), really good cheesy fries, and 650 calorie Fair Trade Shake. Total Damage? Aproximately 12 USD. See the long line below:

I am not a burger lover, but this one from Burger King really made my day. So try it out, it is super affordable :)

Gel Nail Polish: Are they really worth it??

My nails on my hands rarely have nail polish and I always keep them short. I find nail polish to be too much of a hassle because it breaks, it cracks, and it doesn't last long enough. Give it 3 days and you need to get that bottle of nail polish remover to make sure your hands don't look like you do not care about hygiene.

I found out about these gel nail polish from a colleague and saw that hers lasted for 4 weeks. 4 weeks is like bliss! So I went to California Nails and Day Spa to have it done.

The entire nail color application together with the gel lasted for about 1 hour. They put the gel first, then you will have to insert your hand in the gadget with a lamp which cures the nail polish and makes it set so hard so fast. Then there will be around 4 rounds of nail polish + curing (about 25-30 seconds under the lamp). So in total, about 5 repetitions of polish+curing.

How did it look? See below. It is actually very very pretty. The edges look like they are done so well, so gelly, and appears to be wet but with enough surface tension that it doesn't smear. But actually, there is no surface tension there. It is in fact well cured, really dry, and really polished. Now I have done many things with my hands, name it: replacing phone cases, laundry, cooking, what have you! It never cracks and it doesn't chip on the tips at all!!! Amazing!!!!

I am not one to indulge on these things. I always look for bargain finds so I can blog about it and spread the good news. Now what made me want to try it out? It was PhP500 at California Nails and Day Spa. That's not cheap, that is actually ridiculous. However, if it can last me 4 weeks, that is already a great deal, considering the cheapest decent manicure with polish will cost around 100php and will last you for 3 days...6 days for nail polish brands like OPI, China Glaze, The FaceShop, or Ulta.

So how long did it last on me? Day 12 showed signs of minor chipping on the sides. Here is day 16, where you can see my nails have grown so fast as seen on the base:

Today as I post this new photo, it is Day 19 of the gel nail polish done by California Nails and Day Spa. I definitely need to have this taken off. The said salon charges about 150php to take them off but they will remove it for PhP100 if you will have another round done by them. If they are not the ones who initially placed the gel polish on you, they charge about 250php for removal.

Will I have this done again? Probably............but not as frequent. I do recommend it if your nails do not grow as fast as mine. My colleague still has her gel polish intact, we actually went to the salon together to have it done. Hers are still a-ok, and there is no sign of nail growth at all. If your nails grow too fast, and you will notice this because your hair grows fast too, then this is a bit of an indulgence for you. You might want to reserve this for a really good event or a planned holiday/vacation, the sand on the beach cannot damage this at all! It will last you more than 6 days for sure, no chipping, no breaking. And that is still a breakthrough, but yet again, only IF price is not an issue.

Memories of pearl farm...sometimes i keep still and relive the moments... Created with PhotoShake for Android

Autumn in New York

October 27, 2012 -  Finally! After 3 attempts at Bryant Park, 2 visits at Central Park, New York has turned auburn and amber at Riverside Park!

Here are some photos. It is just in time before hurricane Sandy arrives tomorrow Sunday until Tuesday. Calling all photo and Instagram enthusiasts! I hope the hurricane doesn't take all those orange leaves away.......and you get to see it by Wednesday :)

Autumn in New York = "Fall" in Love!

I have found my favorite mascara: Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara

I have been using mascara here and there, often to just darken the tips of my lashes because I hate the clumpy look and the heavy feel. Without any particular requirement, I have used types such as basic black, brown shades, volumizers, lengtheners, waterproof (the rainy days can get tricky with mascara, but I hate these because I lose my lashes by the time I wash my face).

I was neither pleased nor unhappy with my many mascara brands. I used 1 or 2 brands at a time in no more than 6 months. Then I just replace with any new brand that I wanna try.

Now the search is over! I had the opportunity to try Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara. It is categorized as a Thickening and Lengthening Mascara, and I'm telling you, it is a game changer in the field of mascaras. Its brush is too pretty that it combs all your lashes no matter how thick or close together they are. The end result is a natural-looking lash but defined at the tips so they look longer. For some reason, I never had the need to put so much, it never gets clumpy, and it's very light. I do not have that feeling that I have bushy lashes if you know what I mean, like some mascaras make it annoying to blink.

Above are photos of the box and the brush up close. It is priced at 20USD. Urban Decay reformulated this and I think they redesigned the packaging too, but hey, this old one suits me great! How much more for a reformulated version?

The only problem I had with this mascara is that when you use it in places with hot weather, it does not dry up fast enough. So be very careful that you do not smear it after applying. It must have something to do with the oil in the formula. Nevertheless, I still love it because it lasts longer unlike other tubes which dry up so fast even before you use the entire bottle.

The box reads: "It's big, it's fat, it should be illegal. Infused with hemp oil, this mascara is a trip, taking lashes to a new realm where fantasy and reality collide. The big, fuzzy brush makes lashes look so full, so dreamy... so surreal! The creamy formula thickens, lengthens, and glosses lashes. Just one use, and you're addicted."

......and indeed, I am.

My Central Park Tour

As I was waiting for Central Park to get all auburn and amber, here are some photos I took in October 2012. It is a nice chilly weather where you can go around the park leisurely from 2pm-5pm. I followed the recommendation of Lonely Planet to make a walk tour that will lead me to the lake, the Bethesda Fountain, the Great Lawn.

I got off the train at 72nd West Central Park. And here begins my phototour.......

The Bethesda Fountain is amazing and I wonder how it looks like in winter...

Shakespeare Garden

The tree right on top of Strawberry Fields "Imagine"

The park is a nice place to walk the dog, read a book, stare at the lake... Autumn in New York is indeed something :)

Lovin' Korean Air

Took a long flight via Korean Air recently and I am just satisfied with it. First of all, as described by the ticketing office, the airline has enough legroom. I do not have long legs, but I do crouch and extend my legs a lot and always have stuff to put underneath the seats, so the need for space. Not only is it roomy underneath, the aisles and overhead bins also have good space. The curvature of the overhead bins were constructed in such a way that it does not look like it is sticking out or anyone can bump their heads into it.

My connecting flight was a nice experience- I got to see Incheon airport. It is clean and spacious, comparable to Hong Kong airport, which is my favorite airport. It is also very easy to navigate, wide spaces with bright lights, and wifi runs superfly for free :) On airplane mode, my Blackberry Messenger, Gtalk, and other networking sites ran well on my Blackberry phone.

With all the problems that airlines are experiencing right now, it is very fantastic that Korean Air just comes to the destination earlier than expected. My connecting flight brought me to Incheon Airport 20 minutes advanced. The next flight towards my actual destination was a 14 hour flight that still managed to arrive 45 minutes in advance. I was like, this is just a really nice change! I also arrived at an appropriate time of 7:45pm. Other airlines take you to your destination during midnight or dawn, but not Korean Air. I did not leave Manila at a very early time  either. My flight's ETD was 12:30pm which allowed me to leisurely go through the Monday morning Manila city drive.

When it comes to food, I specifically tried the Korean food they serve and I enjoyed it. They serve Bibimbap in both the connecting and the last leg of the flight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibimbap) with this really nice spicy paste shown in the pic below. The paste is similar to Hoisin sauce but not as sweet and it is just a lil bit spicy, so don't get too scared with it.

The Flight Attendants of Korean Air are prompt and respectful. One even taught me how to enjoy Bibimbap - like how to eat it by mixing the veggies and meat with the rice, put on the paste, and do not mix it with the soup!

TV? no problem. You have your own in your seat. The movie collections are nice. I managed to watch 3 movies and 1 documentary. The Audio collection is acceptable, i navigated through it, although it needs more of the recent Western Pop. I did like their "relaxation" albums. You also do not need to bring a 2-prong adaptor (shown below). Just bring your favorite headset with a 3.5mm jack and you're good to go! They do provide headsets but I would recommend you bring your own if it is a long flight to enjoy the sound. I had my very own Action Fit Philips earphones that I use for running and I am so happy I did not bother to buy the more expensive Travel Fit Philips earphones because I do not need it. Any standard earphones will work as long as it si 3.5mm. Before landing, I turned on the skyview which shows the view of our landing. A bit blurred, but it is a nice thing to see.

I am proud of Cebu Pacific for how they land their planes. Korean Air is not so bad either. I did not experience any luggage falling off from inside the overhead bins, it wasn't a scary noisy landing, it was nice actually.

I called Korean Air 4 days before my schedule and the customer service officer booked me my seats for both the departure and the return flights. In case you're wondering, this was done for free. I did try the web check-in a day before my flight, and there is no need to print anything so it was pretty efficient. On the day of my departure, true enough, my seats were booked just where I want to be, including my connecting flight seat number.

I think I may have found a reliable airline (and cheaper alternative) for long flights, or possibly when I get to visit Korea! Korean Air is just superfly :)