Friday Stuff

 i said in my previous tweet that i wish that on a Friday i have a schedule at QC so i can go to Trinoma and bring home some chewy jr.! wish was granted! another reason to love Fridays! yey! so here are some stuff i bought:

a long sleeve bolero, an inspirational book and some chewy jr cream puffs!

let me start first with the cream puffs. this is a long due post since i'm so addicted to these cream puffs. i learned this from my former blockmate at facebook and whenever i had the chance to drop by trinoma, i make sure i'll buy some chewy jr.

cream oozing out!

as the name suggests, the bread part is chewy and crispy at the same time which is a first! and the cream inside is so yummy. each puff costs Php45, a box of 3 for Php139, a box of 6 for Php229 and a  dozen for Php  439  . and i'm telling you that it is worth it. i can finish a box of 6 in two hours! hehehe it has a variety of flavors which you can read in their facebook site. for my first chewy jr, here's what i bought:

blueberry, almond sweetheart, oreo crunch,
 cheeselover, chocolate madness, ensaymada

the only food that comes with instructions!

i know a box of 6! hahaha which i all ate for myself! hahaha my favorite still is the cheese lover and ensaymada. the ensaymada's topping is white chocolate with grated cheese and the mix up worked for me.

Chewy Jr. is located at 2/F Trinoma Mall beside White Hat and near Nothing but H2O. you should not just take my word for it.

and on my way to the MRT station, i passed by Chapters & Pages and checked out some inspirational books. i missed "A Grateful Path" when they had their kiosk at SM Megamall and i'm glad i found it here and only one copy is left so i bought it! haven't read it but it's not as colorful as ashley rice's but i need more inspiration now than ever. hehehe

and lastly, on my home i picked up my bolero which i bought online from Shop at Chunks, one of my sources of my cheap, chic and fab dresses.

 most of her items are priced Php300 and below so i can buy form her almost every week.

i fell inlove with the bolero because of the puff on the sleeve and the gold buttons. will pair it with my black tank and shorts then accessorize. or with a white top, my high-waist pants/skirt and i will look fab in the office. hehehe i can't wait!

and with these purchases, i really thank God it's Friday!

Olay Total Effects

i used to see Olay in my mom's beauty stash when i was a kid. and it's surprising that i'm the one using Olay today!

it was my fellow goodgirl (GG) jules who got me hooked on this product/brand. i could not find the perfect moisturizer for my skin. some moisturizers made me breakout while some gets my skin fairer & breakout. so i decided to give Olay Total Effects a try.

thanks jules for the tip!

and it gave my skin what it needed -- smoothness with no breakouts! the Php699.00 price is worth it. and when i finally found the perfect moisturizer for my skin, it became a staple in my own beauty stash, just like mom's. well, moms know best!

after getting convinced with the moisturizer, i tried to find the perfect facial wash. so i first tried the Olay Total Effects. it did not make my skin dry at all. but after putting the Olay moisturizer, i felt that my skin was greasy already. so i decided to check a facial wash for oily skin. and good thing Olay Total Effects has its own version of cream cleanser for oily/blemish prone skin. 

and viola! twas perfect! i rarely had pimples (only on some "special days" i guess) and it is a good combination with the moisturizer. the cream cleanser has beads and you will feel clean after washing.

Olay Total Effects has been my bestfriend ever since. 

Then, Olay surprised me with their shower cream plus body butter! I saw it displayed at watson's with a buy one take promo for only Php250.00.

 I chose the pink one with its promise to my skin "extra nourishing".  And when i used it, i can feel the softness of my skin just in washing off the lather! and i didn't use a lotion right after but my skin didn't feel nor look dry.

Too bad, i couldn't see this shower cream/body butter being sold in watson's or supermarkets. and i'm enjoying my last bottle of Olay while it lasts.

To sum it all up, Olay has never disappointed me. The Olay Total Effects Line is a sure staple in my beauty stash and i can say that they are all worth it. And i always watch out for their promos especially when the moisturizer comes with a 20ml freebie!

"three's" a charm!

Aside from the wonders this product line gave my skin, i'm such of their endorsers the F girls! 

Daphne. Angel. Cher: the substance of being a woman.

i missed F! with the three of them, and seriously, who doesn't want to look or be like any of them. so advertising indeed pays!

Battle Palettes: Youngblood vs. Nars

      In my previous posts, I made mention of the Youngblood Romanticism Palette . And it took a couple of weeks before my Nars Bridal Palette arrived. I was convinced by my roomie unapologeticmakeupjunkie to buy one due to our penchant for Orgasm -- the blush that is. I have been using Orgasm cream blush for quite some time now and Nars hasn't disappointed me. I found out why it hasn't been one of the most acclaimed blushes in the world.

NARS Loot: Bridal Palette & Multiple Duo in Orgasm & South Beach

NARS Bridal Palette

According to roomie, the palette is a collection of the best of Nars cosmetics:

Eyes:

Nepal, Ondine, Edie, Night Fever

Cheeks:

Albatross (highlighting powder), Orgasm

Lips:

Mitzi, Baby Doll (lacquer),Sexual Healing and Roman Holiday

Fit for a bride

   The palette is exclusively sold online NARS website. It's a $60 value with free shipping within the US. I asked my cousin to buy me and my roomie each and my experience with postal service will just ruin this review. so if you have relatives in the US, better ask them to buy you one and send it in a balikbayan box or give them to you as pasalubong when they come back here in PI to be relieved from the hassle, delay, and tax & custom charges!

NARS website described the palette in this wise:

A blissful union of eye, lip, and cheek color for imparting radiant, romantic effects. Endlessly versatile and always elegant for feeling your most beautiful, your most sexy on your most important day or any day.

Very tempting i must say. And aside from it's sleek and posh packaging, the palette can easily fit into any bag or purse. It is a must-have for any make-up junkie.

And this is my two-cents worth of compare and contrast of Youngblood and NARS palettes:

Romanticism vs. Bridal

The box -- nothing special to both. They are both black boxes

black is back

The compact

-- the silver/aluminum compact of Youngblood is a bit bulky in my bag and it easily get scratches. so everytime i bring it, i put it inside its box to prevent scratches. the rubber compact of NARS, as i've mentioned is sleek and posh and won't be susceptible to scratches. But the Youngblood palette has removable trays for you to customize your own palette. In NARS case, well it's the best of the best already so the removable trays are no longer options.

The swatch -- Youngblood has more neutral shades fit for a bride than NARS. Youngblood's Sherbet blush is a li'l close to that of NARS' Orgasm. For a better review of these products, check my roomie's account.

The price -- Youngblood: S.O.S. Price Php 995.00, original price: Php 4,200.00 

                    NARS: $60.00 plus shipping to the PI plus custom charges 

I'm just lucky that I bought Youngblood on sale. I will not buy it in its original price. While NARS, without shipping and custom charges will cost Php3,000.00 at most when converted to Peso.

The verdict 

   I haven't fully used the NARS palette while Youngblood's a staple in my bag. Since i'm no make-up junkie, i enjoy using it since i won't need to blend much. While NARS for me will be used on special occasions. SO it's basically hard to choose between the two. However, since Youngblood is no longer on sale i'll be much willing to shell out for NARS than Youngblood. So it's one's choice if she likes to be Romantic or she'll be a Bride. okay so much for my "corns" (my term for 'corny') moment. I'm just lucky i guess I have them both.

Battle Desserts: Mc Donald's vs. Jollibee

After a day's work, i always try to find something to relieve myself of the stress. Since I can not shop everyday (and i must tell you that it's torture since i'm going inside Megamall every night before going home!), i diverted my shopaholic stance to some sweet-fix. at first, i was loving the ice scramble sold at foodcourts -- large scramble with milk powder add-ons for only Php20! (i know i'm such a cheapskate when i started to work for and earn my own money) but one night, i went home late and i missed my scramble night.

on my way home, i decided to drop by Mc Donald's and bought Berry McFlurry and Apple Pie. I never ate apple pies but since i was desperate i tried it. 

so much for being a cheapskate that my sweet-fix cost me Php64.00.

Mini Apple Pie:     Php 25.00

Berry Mc Flurry:   Php 39.00

there goes my sweet-fix

So here it goes!

Anent the Berry McFlurry  -- it is so yummie! if you love blueberry  cheesecake this is it's counterpart in ice cream! and you can taste the graham mixed in the mcflurry. but do not expect for real blueberries though. so the Php39.00 is worth it.

blueberry cheesecake in a cup!

 And for the Mini Apple pie, i had to take pictures of myself since this will make my "Firsts List".

the first bite of apple pie... in my entire life!

there are some apple bits and some sweet gook inside. but i never really enjoyed it. maybe it's because i'm such a fan of apples that i don't imagine eating them in a bread. i just love apples the way they are.

 i loves the picture on the packaging though, it looked yummy. so that will be my first and last bite of apple pie from Mc Donald's.

That's when i decided to compare.
After a week after my McDonald's sweet-fix, i challenged my tastebuds to some Jollibee experience.
So i bought Black Forest Sundae and Peach Mango Pie.

Jollibee sweet-fix

 My Jollibee sweet fix cost me Php57.00.
Black Forest Sundae --    Php 36.00
Peach Mango Zert Pie --  Php 21.00

I forgot to take pictures of the sundae since i finished it already. it's just like your regular sundae with a dash of cherry syrup, some brownie bits and a cherry on top. i loved the fruitiness of the cherry mixed with the choco fudge. so it's a thumbs up for me.

and as for the Peach Mango Pie, it is relatively smaller than the apple pie in Mc Donald's and the peach and mango bits are not really prominent with the sweet gook, but i loved it! and it made my night!

 the verdict:
Price wise:  the sweet-fix at Jollibee is cheaper. But Berry McFlurry has a unique taste that you had to go back for it again.
Taste-wise:  ti depends on my mood i guess. but apple pies will be scrapped off my list for now.

My choice: Jollibee. My tastebuds are naturally Pinoy so to speak. and of course, Jollibee has stayed true in their ad:

S.O.S.: First LBD from Zara

I coined a new label for my posts: S.O.S. which stands for "Shopped On Sale".

During the last sale season (june to august) i received my credit card from MNG. i know it's a (not-so) perfect timing and since my boyfriend asked me to buy him a fedora hat, i checked out Zara at Shangri-La Mall. and there it was the fedora hats from Zara Man. I sent an MMS to my boyfriend and asked him to choose which one he likes best. while he was having his deliberations, i roamed around Zara to check out some stuff with no intention of buying. I'm no really fan of Zara since my Zara-size can only  fit into Zara Kids.

Just before my boyfriend sent me his "decision" i found this dress in a corner of the Php895 rack. i checked the tag first and saw that it was a Php2,000 + value marked down to almost 50%! i checked the size and tried it on.

i felt that the details made it more special

 

it was a perfect fit! since i'm no "dress-expert", i already loved the way it fit me and the fact on how much it was marked down! and i never owned a Little Black Dress! so with no hesitations, i bought it with thoughts of what shoes and accessories to wear it with.

and if you're wondering what was the fedora hat i bought for my honi, well here it is... and undeniably i loved it too! i so hat wanted a fedora hat for myself!

so there goes my Zara S.O.S. experienced where i bought some of my firsts!

and btw, these two stuff were the first charges in my MNG card.