Thursday, September 27, 2012

Product Review: Etude House Pearl Extract


The Etude House Pearl Extract Mask is a very common product since Etude House has this product as one of the gift items that they give when you have reached a single purchase of P500.00. Aside from that this pearl mask only costs P58.00. 

I got this Pearl Extract Mask as a free gift. I got to try it out when I had a little time in my hands. I would rather be relaxed and be able to fully experience the mask rather than just trying it on but being in a hurry to get to work. 

Nifty Nails: Product Review: Face Shop PK103 Nail Polish

Face Shop's PK103 Nail Polish

      
My friend Pj had asked me to buy a hand cream from The Face Shop so in my 1 Nail Polish per visit rule I got a shiny pink nail polish this time. 

This shade is definitely a lot safer and more conventional than what I would usually buy. It's different and at least I would not have to worry about Paul's grandmother saying that I should only wear reddish nail polish (since Red is lucky for Chinese) she doesn't like my yellow or blue nail polishes. She says she has never seen nail polish like those. 

Every time Lola notices my unconventional nail polish I would promise to paint my nails red the next time around. :p

Our Adventures: Manila to Cebu, Day 1

We were VERY  early for our flight so Paul had time to go around and take photos of NAIA Terminal 3. Can you see me (Ica) in the picture? 

When we got married last December 2011 we really didn't get to plan our honeymoon and we ended up having our honeymoon a stone throws away in Thunderbird Resorts Rizal. 

So I really wanted to get to plan some sort of getaway and of course travel with my husband; especially now that everyone seems to be getting to travel all over the Philippines what with the Piso Fares and great travel deals. Taking my cue from budget travelers I was able to book a flight to and from Cebu last February for only around P2,100.00 and that is already round trip for the two of us. 

Since I booked this in February and the flight was still in September (in time to celebrate our 7th anniversary) I still had time to find a place for us to stay and so began my search for a deal on group online buying websites. 


Cebu City Lights. The view from our room on the 30th floor. 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Naomi Ashbelle


Not even snot nor drool could make Naomi Ashbell any less cute than she already is. Her beautiful eyes (which she got from her mom-by the way) will really grab you in and you know that she has you under her spell. 


Naomi's shoot was during a late Monday afternoon and even if we didn't have Mr. Sun on our side we had to make use of whatever light source we had-natural or artificial. Paul and I worked as a team to shoot for Naomi. 





I was worried since Naomi was having her nap when we arrived for her shoot but the second she opened those big eyes of hers she was ready for her shoot.

She wasn't in a bad mood and that was a good thing so Paul and I fired away with the photos. Naomi really showed her smart, sweet and intuitive side during the photoshoot- I mean how many 11 month old babies have you met who can say 'Dog!' so many times -and she knew what she was talking about. We used the ceramic dog that was a display in their house to catch her attention for most of the shots. 



Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Preview: Naomi Ashbell


There is something surreal about watching the children of your friends and seeing them grow and this particular cutie has a special place in all our hearts. 

It was Aimee's pregnancy with Naomi (then known as Kemee) that started all our baby shower traditions in the group. Naomi is also technically the first baby of the group so as she is approaching her first birthday there is much anticipation and excitement knowing that there is a future and that a group of once clueless adolescents are actually parents now- well some of them anyways. 

Aimee's Surprise Baby Shower. August 13, 2011. Yup Naomi was in that tummy! 


Naomi Ashbell during her newborn shoot- October 11, 2011.

Francis Dolor's birthday celebration


This birthday event shoot was a last minute arrangement but we still had fun even if we also came from a shoot just about 5 hours before. :p




It was a rainy September 16, 2012 but that did not stop the family, friends and loved ones of Tito Francis to celebrate his birthday in their home. The place was elegantly set up, there was great live music, (from a keytarist none the less!) delicious food and just love everywhere!


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Pink Hawaiian: Dasigao Family Photo Shoot

Ica: 

Debra is part of my team and we've been planning to shoot her daughter, Daphne for her first birthday. I offered to include their family in the shoot package. 
Shooting their family was a great experience. They were on time and the transition between shoots was timely as well. (and I just love that!) Time Management is 10 out of 10!
The Dasigao family is made up of Daddy, Mommy and 5 daughters-it was a big family with lots of love, laughter and fun. 
They decided on the themes of the shoot which was Pink Hawaiian. In one shoot they were all in pink and in the other they were all in Hawaiian. They were all prepared with their costumes and it was great that the whole family went along with the theme and it was beautiful to see the love and the support there. 



Paul: 

September has been a very busy month for us.  If you guys have been following us, you may have seen our Prenup Zombie Shoot, covering a birthday party, shot a future birthday celebrant, Naomi, and of course this family shoot along with a mini shoot for Daphne in preparation for her birthday party.  
Shooting the Dasigao family was fun and light.  I was a little bit intimidated because they were really impressed with my early impromptu shoot of Daphne even though my wireless triggers failed me at some point which I find really embarrassing. 
The day's weather forecast then was cloudy with scattered rain showers.  We pushed through with the shoot, as it has been long delayed.  We made use of Canon Speedlites, JJC Flash Trigger, since my camera doesn't have the ability to trigger the strobes wirelessly.  We opted to shoot in Debra's sister's condo unit. Made most of our time with a little trial and error with the light but I had some good photos.




Saturday, September 15, 2012

Preview: A Left for Dead Prenup Shoot

Evil is waiting

Our good friend Valerie is getting married in October and we've been brewing up a 'Zombie Prenup Shoot' for some time now. Finally after rescheduling for a number of times already the shoot pushed through today September 15, 2012.

Here are some preview shots of the shoot. This post was done right after we arrived home from the photoshoot. More photos to come soon!

Marry me?



Friday, September 14, 2012

Kenshin Himura's battle to get to Philippine Cinemas

The characters from the Rurouni Kenshin anime series.


Kenshin Himura from the anime Samurai X is probably one of the most recognizable anime characters that even non-Otakus would be familiar with. He is the reluctant hero with a dark past, who is trying to atone for his sins as a 'wanderer'.

Based on the manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Rurouni Kenshin has been loved by millions across  the globe. Children have been named after this timeless Samurai

Himura's Legacy

The anime series was very popular during its run in the late 90's to early 2000. The series was shown (repeatedly)  locally (Studio 23) and on cable (AXN).

There was a lot of buzz during the anime's 15th year in 2011. There was a new OVA series (Shin-Kyoto-Hen) that was launched but the biggest buzz that was created was of course the live action movie adaption.

Rurouni Kenshin Theatrical Poster 

Nifty Nails: Product Review: Etude House Nail Polish DPK 002 Wink Pink

Nail Polish on the piano. Photo by my husband- Pcheng Photography.

So here is another Nail Polish Review and for this review let's take a look at Etude House' DPK 002 Wink Pink which is part of their 'Dear My Deep Color Nails' line. 

I really wasn't planning to buy Nail Polish (I originally visited the store to purchase a moisturizer for my face---product review for that coming soon) since I just recently bought my blue Face Shop Nail Polish - see my review here. But I decided to buy this since I needed a little around P100 to be able to get a free gift from Etude House. (I chose the Pearl Mask--review for that one coming soon as well)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Review: Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha

Ever since the start of the work week I have always been sleeping for only around 3-4 hours a day. So come Wednesday shift I was already soooo sleepy so I decided to try Starbuck's new drink: Salted Caramel Mocha.I'm a fan of Salt, Caramel and Mocha so trying out this drink wasn't that adventurous of me.

The first time I encountered the advertisement for this new drink I immediately remembered the time when my friend Mj let me try Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. I don't know if Starbucks is just trying to get into the band wagon of Milk Teas since it is so popular in the Philippines right now.

Whether or not they were just trying to get in the trend- Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha was actually a good drink.

Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha on my office station. Great way to start the day-especially if you are sleepy. 
When I went up to the counter I told the Barista that I wanted to try the new Salted Caramel Mocha the Barista cheerfully said 'Ndi po kayo mag-sisisi' (You won't regret it) and I didn't!

You can have the drink as a hot beverage or over iced. I'm really not a fan of hot beverage so I ordered it over iced and it was pretty good. There was a dark mocha taste that is always a good thing and you can actually feel the coffee kicking in from the dark mocha taste. 

You can also subtly taste the salt and the sweetness of the caramel actually go well together. 

Over all it was a pretty good drink next time I would have them blend the whipped cream.

I ordered a tall glass since I was just trying it for the first time. So here are the prices.

Tall - P145.00
Grande- P165.00
Venti- P170.00


Apologies since I don't have good photos- this was a coffee run on my own without my photographer husband-Paul. :p 

Next time I order this drink with him I will be sure to take better photos. :)



Stealing Shots

We originally scheduled a shoot for Monday, September 3, 2012. It being Paul's off and since it was US Labor Day meant we both didn't have work in the evening. It's rare for us both to not have any work at the same day so we decided to and spend this day with taking photos. 

We've had a pending photoshoot with our Cosplayer friend Yayi (you can read all about that here) so after agreeing on a time and place we were off for our photoshoot. 

Since we arrived on time (8:00AM) and Yayi  wasn't ready yet we went around to do an ocular inspection and find spots to take some photos. 

Light and Shade

Product Review: The Face Shop Rice Ceramide Toner

Gotta love this Rice Ceramide Moisture Toner

I've been meaning to try out a new toner and I came across Face Shop's Rice Ceramide Moisture Toner.

It comes in a 150ml bottle and costs around P300.00 (+) I have to get back to the store to make sure. :p 




As the name suggests it's a Moisture Toner so unlike the usual toners that are just like water this one has a thicker consistency and feel.

You can immediately feel the added moisture when you use it.

Unlike the traditional toners that can actually sting from time to time there is no stinging sensation when you are using this Rice Ceramide Moisture Toner.

The toner is made with extracts of fruits and plants. As the name suggests the toner has ceramide which helps in maintaining moisture and also prevents dry and flaky skin.





Nifty Nails: Product Review: The Face Shop PL602 Nail Polish

Face Shop's PL602 Nail Polish 

I change the color of my nails every two weeks or so. That is why I am starting to accumulate different kinds of nail polish. For this blog post I will be reviewing Face Shop's PL602 Nail Polish. 

I love it that the Face Shop has Nail Polish at P95.00. This is very affordable and it's easy on the conscience to go to the store and buy one nail polish at a time. 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Album Review: Today is a Beautiful Day by supercell

So here is my first Album Review and I will be reviewing supercell's second album 'Today Is A Beautiful Day' now this isn't a new album- in fact it was released last March 16, 2011 but keep in mind it doesn't matter how old or new a song or an album is because good music is good music no matter what the age. 

Cover art for Today is a Beautiful Day

Album: Today Is A Beautiful Day
Grade/Rating: (A)
Artist: supercell 
Released: March 16, 2011
Highest at charts: No.3 -Japanese Oricon weekly albums charts. 
Awards: Gold Disc given by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in July of 2011, the award was given since the album exceeded 100,000 copies which were shipped in a single year. 

Some of the songs in the album were used in various anime and other media: 

  • 'Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari' -ending theme to the anime Bakemonogatari (2009) 
  • 'Hero'- theme song to the manga magazine of Shueisha Aoharu -special edition of Young Jump. 
  • 'Love & Roll' was the theme song for the anime film Cencoroll (2009) 
  • Hoshi ga Matataku Konna Yoru ni -ending theme for Type-Moon's visual novel entitled: 'Mahotsukai no Yoru' 
  • Utaka Hanabi -14th ending theme of the anime series Naruto Shippuden 


The first time I heard about supercell was when I heard their song 'Utaka Hanabi' which was the 14th emding theme song of Naruto Shipuuden. 

I really liked the song it was slow and mellow, the melody was beautiful and the translation of the lyrics were beautiful as well. The song was also sung in a very emotional way that can just bring tears to your eyes. (I'm the type of girl who cries over the most trivial things) Even if I hate Sakura's character - the song is obviously for her and referred to her unrequited love towards Sasuke. I normally hate these two characters but the song is just so touching that my hatred towards them melts away whenever I listen to this song. 


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Product Review: Etude House Mascara Remover and Silky Cotton Pad


There was a paragraph that I had read which really struck me and caught my attention. The gist of the paragraph was that-if we spend so much time on putting on make up we should also spend time to make sure that we make an effort to removing the make up. 

I've always had trouble removing the make up I apply on my eyelids and of course the eyeliner and the mascara. After washing my face I would still find traces of eyeliner or mascara- so I decided to give Etude House's Mascara Remover a try. 

I really loved this product and I swear by it! It's always a part of my ritual before going to sleep. It's very effective and very easy to use. 


This is me with make up on. I have small eyes so I always make sure I put on eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara. The mascara isn't obvious here but I am wearing mascara. :) 


This is Etude House's Silky Cotton Pad which is also a great buy since it's great to use with the Mascara Remover. It's really soft and it's better than cotton especially if you are removing make up from your eyes. This box of Silk pads has 80 pieces and costs around P148.00. 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Serenity and Yukata Photoshoot









Sept 3, 2012 my wife arranged a cosplay/yukata shoot of our friend, Yayi.  Yayi has been part of the cosplay circuit for quite a while now.  In preparation for the shoot I had to borrow some equipment which were not with him when I came by to pick up some stuff(thanks alot Pogs! LOL).  On the day(more like the night) before the shoot I had to report to work.  So I had to stay up all night and still be awake for the shoot.