S&R Sale & Etude House Haul

Hello everyone! I was unable to post because I was already up and about at 5am the other day and I can't bring myself up to create a post when I got back home since I was so tired. You might be wondering, "what did she do at 5am?"...Well, me and my uncle and aunt went over to SnR Pricemart at Munoz, QC to wait in line for the 1st day of the sale. S&R is an American membership shopping area and is very popular because of it's great prices and wide varitey of brands that our local groceries don't carry (like Garnier Fructis shampoo, herbal essences, Aveeno, etc). They are also popular for having semi-annual sales that cuts off prices up to 50%! And they put stuff on sale that won't even expire within the year so it's so okay to hoard ^_^

I spent around Php6k that day (combined items with my mom and sis) because I bought items that are quite big like cooking ware set and sacks of dog foods. If you can only see the amount of products piled up on the carts of other people, you'll be wondering how much they spent that day...I'm guessing around Php20,000 to 50,000 coz they are so plenty. Probably for selling or gifts, maybe.

I got 400 gms of pasta noodles buy 1 take 1 for only Php109...Del Monte Four Cheese tomato sauce buy 1 take 1 for only Php99 (that's a big can already), Safeguard bar soaps 8pcs pack buy 1 take 1 (that's 16 pcs!) for only Php350 and the 12 pcs cooking stuff (non stick pans and pots) 50% off for only Php1,400! I think I got great deals with these purchases ^_^

I'm supposed to post a picture here to show you how many people are there but I can't transfer it from my phone to my computer. But when we got there by 5:30am, I think we're already the 250th customer on the line. Some staff of S&R said there's already a line since 1am! Oh my, that's too early for me and the store will only open at 8am. That's crazy don't you think?

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I also wanted to share with you another haul. I went to Etude House last Saturday and I saw their new line of toners. I decided to try the one for deep pore cleansing for a smoother skin (that's what the label say hehe) and I ended up with a thousand pesos worth of products because I wanted to get the invite for the playhouse on April hehe ^_^

Here's what I got for myself:

I will give a detailed review after a month of using the Skin Mal:gam toner in Smoother variant. Oh, and also the masks...I hope I can review them too in detail if they are effective or not :)

What about you? do you like sales? I do! I love getting everything for a bargain especially if the products are good quality ones. Till next time, bye! ^_^

New Korean Dramas to Watch ^_^

Here are some dramas that started airing last week that I've decided to watch ^_^

1. Rooftop Prince

Genre: Fantasy, comedy, romance

Episodes: 20

Air Time: Wednesday-Thursday @ SBS

Synopsis: The Crown Prince of the Joseon Era was sent 300 years in the future (2012) with his 3 body guards while they are searching for the murderer of the Crown Princess. Coincidentally in 2012, some key characters like the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince himself looks the same with the present people.

Reason for watching: I am a fan of Park Yoochun who is acting as the Crown Prince.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: I am hooked! It is so funny that I can't stop laughing whenever I remember the scenes. I am so glad it consists of 20 episodes coz I would love to laugh and fall in love with Mickey again.

2. Fashion King

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 20

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ SBS

Synopsis: The story is about the aspiring fashion designers with different backgrounds and how they conquered the different trials and became well know in the fashion industry.

Reason for watching: I searched for this because I want to see Yuri of SNSD in her acting debut. At first I just want to watch the first episode but when I saw Yoo Ah In as one of the main cast, I decided to watch this for him.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: This is actually a little on the drama side because the main characters' life was hard but it has a touch of comedy here and there so I still laughed. I can already tell the actors are great so I know I won't be disappointed. I'm excited to know how the story will unfold. Really looking forward to it.

3. K-pop Extreme Survival

Genre: Musical, romance.... & (cross-dressing...Is this a genre? haha)

Episodes: 16

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ Channel A

Synopsis: This is a story about the life of a Kpop Idol group M2 and its members. The company conducted a survival audition on who will become the new members of the group. The character of Ji Seung Yeon is a boyish girl who is very talented and wants to become a hip hop artist. She needs to pretend to be a boy in order to reach her goal.

Reason for watching: I love musical shows like this...just like You're Beautiful and Dream High. I decided to watch the first airing and I got hooked.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: I love it! It feels like YAB and DH combined with a little Coffee Prince on the side haha. I think it's the perfect blend because the lead actress really looks like a boy and not just trying to be one...She's the older sister of Mir of MBLAQ and they really look alike...check out their pic. They look like twins!

Also, the character of Kang Woo Hyun is acted by Park Yoo Hwan who is the brother of Park Yoochun. I just learned about this when I watched the first airing because he really looked like Mickey Yoochun. Check out their pic :)

The first 2 episodes are really promising and I am looking forward to the story. It is very entertaining too ^_^

4. Love Rain

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Episodes: 20 (not yet confirmed)

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ KBS

Synopsis: The drama is about an ill-fated love story between a couple of the 1970s and the story between their children at present who have met and fallen in love too. Will they also end up heart broken like their parents?

Reason for watching: I am a fan of Jang Geun Suk and I wanted to watch this one. Plus, his leading woman is Yoona of SNSD hehe.

First Impression after 2 episodes: No comment yet coz I haven't watched it yet. I'm still waiting for an ENglish subbed episode until now.

You can watch English Subbed episodes of any of these drama at:

www.kimchidramas.net

www.mysoju.com

www.viki.net

Review: Baviphat BB Magic Girls + BB Cream

As you can see, I'm still on the hunt for the best BB cream for my skin type. I have a combination skin (oily on T-Zone and dry on cheeks) and it's very sensitive and easy to breakout. I have tried a lot already and they either break me out, disappear on my skin because of the oiliness or oxidize badly in the middle of the day. And since BB creams tend to be expensive especially if you won't be able to finish them up because it didn't work for you, I've decided to buy BB cream samples online instead of the full size.

This search lead me to Baviphat BB Magic Girls + BB Cream. I got mine in shade #1 and this is formulated for oily skin. I got 2 sachets and just transferred them in a pot. 1 sachet can be used for around 10x depending on the thickness/coverage you want.

Here's a swatch of the product on the back of my hand. I think it's a good shade for me because it have a good amount of yellow undertone and it's not too light.

Here's how it looked applied on my face. I used a stippling brush to apply this because it spreads it evenly and flawlessly. It saves on the product too compared to when I use my fingers to apply.

As you can see in the picture, it gives me a glowy look. It helps in the oiliness but did not dried out the drier areas on my face. It also matches my skintone perfectly. I have no worries that I look like I have too much makeup on.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT:

- It contains SPF30 PA++

- It can control the oiliness on my forehead but did not accentuate the dryness of my cheeks

- Perfect shade match on my skintone

- No oxidation. I still look fresh even after 8hrs without retouching with powder.

- I can just use a blotting sheet in the middle of the day and I'm fine until evening. I did not even soaked the blotting sheet like I used to.

- Buildable coverage. It can be light, medium or heavy.

- Very light on the skin. I don't feel like I have foundation on even if I applied a lot for a fuller coverage.

- No irritations and breakouts.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- Not available locally. I need to order online.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5 - If only this is available locally. I LOVE this product so much! This is the best BB Cream by far. Although I am not closing my door to other brands of BB cream but I know Baviphat BB cream will stay on my top 5 BB creams for a long time.

WILL I BUY FULL SIZE? Definitely! I will place an order as soon as I finished my samples of this product since I bought quite a few for testing.

Review: Tony Moly Backstage gel liner

Happy Monday everyone!

I love wearing eyeliners because it wakes up my eyes regardless of what color it is. Starting late last year, I fell in love with black liners on my upper lashline so I searched and searched on the best matte black eyeliner that won't smudge on my oily lids. I came across Bridgette's post about Tony Moly Backstage gel liners and I was convinced so I got myself one.

I got the dual Backstage liners instead of the single ones because I find that the black one in this product is darker and more matte than the regular...not sure though if it's just a trick on my eyes because the lighting is bright in the store hehe.

I chose the Black Eyed Girls in 01.

It comes in a pretty neat packaging. It is made of plastic so it's very light but it seals tightly so I don't worry about the product drying out.

It is also perfect to carry around on trips because it comes with a brush. You just need to remove it from the lid. I have used the brush and it applies the product with ease but don't expect a thin line with this since it's a little thick on the tip. Though I don't have a problem with that coz I like to apply my liner a little thick so it saves me time hehe ^_^

The Black Eyed Girls 01 comes with 2 shade of gel liners: a white sparkly one and a matte black.

Here's a swatch on the back of my hand without any base underneath.

I used the black gel liner on this look using a Suesh eyeliner brush. See how matte it is? I have use it on both upper and lower lashline and waterline.

* if you want to see my tutorial for this look, click here.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT:

- It comes with two shades of gel liner. I use the white one as highlight for inner corners or as an eyeshadow base and I use the black for lining my eyes.

- The product doesn't budge once it had dried. You need to let this liner dry first so that it would be smudge-proof.

- I believe this is waterproof since I accidentally went swimming while wearing this on my eyes and I did not looked like a racoon after so I was happy hehe :)

- I like the fact that the lid closes very tighly because it prevented the liners from drying up. I think I prefer this packaging than the one from Stila and MAC because although both of those are made of glass containers, the gel liners became hard after a couple of months. While I have had this liner for 5 months now and it still looks new.

- The colors are opaque so I only need one to two swipe to get a very black line.

- I also like the fact that since the amount of the product is not that much, I would be able to finish this before it expires. I think I can finish this in a year or two.

- This is affordable. It costs around Php700+ only.

- Available locally in any Tony Moly stores. I got mine from SM North EDSA branch.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- It is a little hard to remove since it is waterproof. You need a good eye makeup remover for this one.

OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5. I love love this gel liner! This is my favorite among all the liners I've tried. I think this is better than the MAC and Stila gel liners because this is creamier, easier to apply and the product doesn't dry up easily on the pot.

WILL YOU REPURCHASE? Definitely! I will get the brown one next haha ^_^

I believe that Tony Moly creates good cosmetics...The makeup items that I've tried from them are all great and affordable. I will definitely try out more from them :)

Review: MBM Lipsticks

Good morning world! It's a bright Sunday morning and I'm happy that it stopped raining already. I can now go out of the house hehe ^_^

I wanted to review another My Beautiful Me (MBM) product. You all know how I love their skin care line (especially their acne kit) because it helped my skin so much in the past years but their makeup line is new. I have already reviewed the pressed powder and I want to move on to lipsticks.

MBM's owner formulated 3 colors for her lipstick line: pink, red and coral. The packaging is very Clinque-like. It is made of a light green plastick material but it seems sturdy enough. It comes with a plain box in the same shade of green. I threw the boxes out since there's no label on it so it's just hard finding which is which if I placed it inside the box.

I pasted a hand written label on the side of the lipstick because when I got mine, it just came out and there's no label yet. It just came with a sticker on the bottom to indicate the shade.

*sorry for the red one...I don't know what I'm thinking when I drew a circle around it haha*

As I've said, it comes in 3 shades. The pink one has a frosted finish, the red one has a watery feel finish and a little sheer and the coral one is almost matte.

Here's some swatch on my hand

And swiped on my lips ^_^

Frosted Pink Daiquiri

Bloody Mary

Orange Blush Surprise

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT

- very affordable. It only cost Php250 each ^_^

- It is pigmented and you can cover your lips with just one swipe of the product.

- Moisturizing like Revlon Lipbutters. I have very dry lips and this product did not aggravate the dryness.

- There are 3 different colors and finish I can choose from although I wish there's more..

- Made by a licensed dermatologist so it has no harmful chemicals and preservatives

- Locally made and is created by batch so freshness is guaranteed.

- It leaves a light tint of color when it fades so your lips doesn't look completely bare.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT

- since it's very moisturizing, it doesn't last that long on my lips. I need to reapply because it fades after eating and drinking like with any moisturizing lip color.

- Again, since it's moisturizing, it melts quite easily. My frosted pink one melted in the tube and is already leaning on the side...DON'T leave it inside a hot car :(

- I don't like the finish of the coral one. The color is unflattering on my skintone and because of the finish it tends to accentuate my lines. I don't think I look good in orange hehe.

OVER-ALL RATING: 3.5/5. It's not the perfect lipstick but it performs well. I do reach out for my Revlon lip butters more than this because of the shades. I like satin watery-feel finishes so among the 3, I tend to use Bloody Mary more followed by Pink Daquiri applied lightly.

WILL I REPURCHASE? hmm, probably not. I don't think I can finish this up anytime soon. I'm not really a lipstick person so I tend to buy tinted lip balms more.

Gale Reads: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

As I've mentioned this morning, I will do a review of the book Halo by Alexandra Adornetto which I was able to finish reading last night.

Alexandra Adornetto started writing when she was still a teenager. She wrote Halo in 2010 when she was only 18 years old. You can read her bio here.

Halo is the first book in the Halo Trilogy. As I've said, it was released in 2010 and was followed by Hades in 2011 and the last part Heaven is scheduled to be released this year.

I chose to read this book because (1) I got attracted with the cover and (2) it is about angels. If I will grade this book by the cover alone, I will give it 100%. I love love love it! It's so perfect ^_^

Since I was a teenager, I love reading and watching stories about angels...regardless if they were fallen or not. I read some reviews online before and it seems to have quite a follower so I pushed through and read it.

The story is set in a small town called Venus Cove. Three angels (the archangel Gabriel and Ivy and Bethany) were sent there to keep the peace in the community and counteract the evil forces that are wrecking havoc there. The problem arised when the youngest angel, Bethany, was sent to high school and fell in love with a human boy named Xavier Woods.

My Verdict:

So, okay, I don't really know what to say. I think it's actually my fault because I have quite a big expectation for it and it did not meet that. The idea of the story is great but the execution is not. I hated every moment that Beth comes into the scene which is ridiculous because 95% of the book is through her perspective. I hated her dumbness the most. Where can you find an angel that lacks so much wisdom and commonsense? I hated her damsel-in-distress act and her self-centered view on things too. To tell you guys honestly, I hated everything about her, period.

I guess the author being a teenager can only give so much when it comes to expressing things. And of course, because she was living the experience of a high school student at the time she wrote the book, the events and also the point of view will be more realistic on what a senior high school student thinks. I don't know, really, I'm speechless because I'm so disappointed.

The only thing I like about Halo aside from the book cover are Xavier Woods and the 2 other angels. That's it. And since this is a trilogy, I will stop here and not read the other 2 anymore. I'm so happy that I read this as an ebook and I did not pay for this.

OVER-ALL RATING: 1.5/5. If not for the cover and story line, I would give this a lower score.

WILL YOU RECOMMEND THIS? No. This is such a waste of time. There are a lot better Young Adult books out there like Clarity and Iron Fey.

But if you're still a teenager, maybe around 10-16 years old, you probably will enjoy this because the way it was written and how the story was told is through the eyes of a teenager so you'll probably be able to relate with her.

Thank you for dropping by! ^_^

Review: Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm + Whitening

It's a bright and sunny Saturday! I woke up really early around 7 am even though I slept very late last night (I think around 2:30 am) because I finished reading Halo by Alexandra Adornetto. I will post a review later on that one later tonight :)

Now, let's go to business. I wanted to share with you guys this product that I'm using for almost 1 year already. I specifically use it for lightening my post acne scars... it's from Etude House and it's called Red Spot Balm + Whitening. It is under the AC Clinic line that is meant for the acne prone skin.

It comes in a green glass jar and it contains 20ml of product. The lid is made up of plastic and it closes tighly so I don't have any problem travelling with this. The packaging is very sturdy, IMO. It has a medicinal feel to it, which I think is what they intended it to be since this is their line to cure acne problems.

It is a white cream that is very easy to spread on the skin. This is the 4th step in this skincare line. As you can see in the picture, I am running out of the product since I use this 2x a day for a long time. The scent of salicylic acid is quite strong too but I don't mind since I love salicylic based products for my pimples since they work better on me than benzoyl peroxide.

What I LOVE about this product:

- helped lighten my post acne scars slowly but surely.

- non-drying on the skin

- aside from its whitening effect, it also helps in controlling my pimple prone skin..I rarely get acne now on the areas where I put this.

- Affordable. I think this cost around Php600 only and it lasted me for a year.

- Can be found easily on any Etude House stores.

- I love the packaging!

What I DON'T LIKE about this product:

- It is unhygienic since you need to dip your finger to get some product...although this comes with a spatula for a cleaner approach but I lost it so I just use my finger.

- I think its effect on me had plateaud already...It's like that with all skin care products in my case. My maximum would be 1 year to 1.5 yrs and my skin will get immune to a product. So sad, it looks like I need to look for another one :(

- The scent may not appeal to people who have sensitive nose and hates medicine scents.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5 - Super love this product because it is very effective in lightening my scars. I just wished it comes in a tube container for a more hygienic approach.

WOULD I REPURCHASE? I'm not sure. I think my skin got immune to it already so I'll look for another whitening product to use then I'll come back to this if that did not work.

What's your favorite whitening product for scars? Share them with me please. Thank you! ^_^

Gale Eats: Tous Les Jours Cake

Whenever I watch Korean dramas I always wish we also have those cute stuffs they have especially the pastries. I love how they decorate them and they look so delicious too! So when I learned that Tous Les Jours opened a branch at SM North The Block, I was ecstatic because it is very near my place.

Their breads and pastries are super yummy! I love the unique flavors and look because I am already bored with the usual breads we see on our local bakeries even those in Bread Talk and French Baker. And it's nice to have a wide variety of bread.

But what attracted me more in Tous Les Jours are not the breads but the cakes. They are so wonderfully decorated that they look like art. I love the shapes and colors and the flavors. You should check out their stores because just looking at these cakes will make you happy ^_^

Their cakes are packaged in a very sturdy box like this and it comes with a knife and 2 candle sticks.

The box itself is cute so I usually keep it with me even if there's no more cake hehe. It is made up of thick cardboard so you won't worry that your cake will be damaged when you travel it. It also insulates the cold so the cake won't melt easily.

Here's one example of a cake they design. This is a strawberry shaped cake. Look how perfect it look. It's really perfect to bring in parties as gifts because they are unique and can be the talk of the party.

My favorite cakes are those made with their strawberry cream. I love how smooth they are in my mouth and the sweetness is just right. Even my mom who doesn't like sweet loved this cake. The straberry sponge cake inside tastes so good too. It is very moist and yummy. This cake has fresh strawberries in the middle and you definitely must eat those too. I love all the layers of this cake... well almost everything. I don't like the strawberry powder on top because it's sour hehe but my cousins love it if it's combined with everything coz it balances out the taste...but I guess I have sweet tooth so I just like sweetness haha ^_^

I love eating the cream so I ate a lot of them especially the one on the outside that serves as the "crown" of the cake.

The only bad thing I can see is that I can't bring this in far places because they are made of cream and must be refrigerated at all times. Travelling time for this cake from the store to your place should only take less than 1-2 hours depending on the weather.

Although others are detered because of the price, I think paying P600 or somthing for a cake this good is worth it. I got this straberry one for Php580 (around $13) only and this is big and freshly made. Why would I buy a cheap cake that I won't enjoy eating, right?

OVER ALL RATING: 5/5- I love this cake! I don't think I'll come back to eating Goldilocks and Red Ribbon. Nothing can compare with this one. I will definitely try the chocolate ones because my sister said they taste superb ^_^

What about you, would you like to eat something this good and pretty? I think I stared this cake for quite some time before I decided to eat it haha ^_^

Drama Review: Dream High 2

Hi! Here's another drama review for you guys ^_^

*Warning: LONG post*

Dream High is a story about the students of Kirin Art School who tries to achieve their dream of becoming top performers. The whole story evolves the different struggles these high school students faces before they can reach their dream of becoming an idol (a term used for a singer who is very popular among teens and young adults). This is like a behind-the-scene on how our favorite idol groups became famous kpop stars.

I have watched the first season last year and I loved it! It was so good because of the love stories and also the performances. Although the story line is not unique, it was well executed and I loved every episode. Kim Soo Hyun is really a great actor. he was able to make me smile, laugh, cry and giggly with his acting. I was so sad when it ended.

Dream High 2 is a Monday-Tuesday drama and it consists of 16 episodes.

In all honesty, the main attraction of this show are the actors because they are real singers (idols) in real life. There are 4 idols in this show...3 are performing as students and 1 acted as a teacher.

I loved seeing Jinwoon (a member of 2AM) act on his first drama. It's so natural and hilarious and perfect for him. I can't believe that I was able to see him up close and personal and I was able to get his authograph last year! haha Can't stop myself from smiling whenever I see him smile on screen ^_^

Jiyeon (member of T-ara) is a veteran actress already compared to the others because she already had a couple of dramas under her belt. I love how her character developed from being "the face" of her group to becoming a real performer. Her character as Rian is really a common practice in the actual Kpop world. There will always be a member of the group who is responsible for the visuals but have no real talent in singing or dancing. Their only role is to look good, period.

Hyo Rin (member of Sistar) is okay in this drama too. This is her 1st try in acting and I think she did a good job but I can't say anything about "real acting" coz majority of her scenes are actually performances and not drama-drama scenes.

Kahi (leader of After School) acted as a strict teacher here and she did great on her scenes as well. I like seeing her teach dancing coz she really has a talent and her first job is a choreographer before she became an idol so she fit the role.

JYP (the CEO of JYP Entertainment) is still here as a teacher and he's still funny but I loved his character in Season 1 better. He looks so dumb here.

Aside from these idol stars, there are also a couple of trainees (people who are still training and are waiting for their debut stage) that became a part of the main roles.

JB is a trainee under JYP Entertainment. This is his first project since getting accepted in JYPE and is still waiting for his debut as a singer/dancer. He is one of the main character of the drama. I love seeing him perform because he is really a great dancer but I'm not quite sure about his acting. I think it lacks a little emotion especially when there are melodrama scenes. He acts opposite Jiyeon and Sora and those two are real actresses so it became more obvious that he is just a beginner.

JR is another JYPE trainee who passed the same audition as JB. I think he acted better than JB in this drama even though this is also his first try in acting. I love his Satoori (accent) and it reminded me of Sam Dong's from season 1.

Ailee is my favorite trainee among them because she is really talented. She is under YMC Entertainment, the same company with Wheesung. She is born and raised in New Jersey and she became popular through her Youtube channel and became a trainee in Korea after. She has just debuted as a singer this February 2012 and I love her first single "Heaven". She has little screen time in the drama so a I can't judge her acting but I love her performances a lot :)

And of course, let's not forget the leading role of Shin Hye Sung peformed by Kang Sora. She is well known as the wife of Super Junior's Lee Teuk in We Got Married. Her role is very complex and have a lot of down compared to ups. I like how she portrayed her role because it moved me. Shin Hye Sung is an ordinary girl who wanted to become a singer but doesn't have the talent for it...

OVER-ALL VERDICT: 4/5 - I loved watching Dream High 2. There's always something happening and everything is fun. There's no irritating acting and the story is good. The love triangles or square are fun to watch too! JB-Hyesung-Yoojin-Rian love square is so complex that I did not guess who will end up with whom until the last 2-3 episodes. I also enjoyed watching Siwoo-Na Na-HongJu love triangle because it was so funny hehe. Their ending is fun too so you shou,d check it out. The love story of Ui Bong and Lee Seul reminded me of the Milky COuple from Season 1 so I liked them too :)

Over all, I do not regret spending my time watching it....But I loved Season 1 a lot better because it has more depth compared to Season 2. And the scenes in Season 1 were more memorable than this season. But I love this ending more coz there's a reunion of the main characters ^_^

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS? Definitely! But I would suggest you watch both Season 1 and 2 so you get the whole picture ^_^

One drama done...what will I watch next? My Mondays and tuesdays would be empty for a while until I find a new drama to watch, i guess...

Anyway, thank you for dropping by! See yah! ^_^