Taking Aldo For A Spin

Went out for dinner and movie Saturday Night. To guarantee that I'm no loshang, it's time to play dress-up and make-up. Also, it was time to take my Aldo out.

I miss wearing all black. It's instant inches to the height and pounds off. The top is actually a bodysuit which is a pain whenever you wanna go bathroom. My uniform short shorts with comfy heels and a red scarf since movie houses are always so darn cold.

Makeup detail:

Red lips, neutral eyes with a wing.

Concealer: MAC NC30 studiosculpt concealer

Foundation: Maybelline Angelfit Healthy Ochre

Contour: Stained Cosmetics Countouring Palette

Blush: MAC Stark Naked topped with MAC Soft and Gentle

Brows: MUFE Eyebrow corrector in 0

Eyes: MAC Nylon on lid, MAC Ricepaper on browbone, MAC Mineral to contour

Liner: Blacktrack topped with Kryolan Black and The Body Shop Glitter Liner on the inner corners

Mascara: Maybelline Cat Eyes

Lips: Ever Bilena Love That Red

Ever since I purchased Ever Bilena's Off Beat Pink and got exposed to their mattes, I became an instant fan and purchased another one, Scarlet, an orange red and then purchased their bestseller, Love that Red. I'll better do an in-depth review on that soon, as a very nice, very bold, and super affordable red lippie. By the way, Ever Bilena matte lipsticks are slashed down to Php 99.00 only!

Which Body Butter Are You?

*disclaimer: product provided for review

Enjoying the cold months saves me electricity and garners me the effortless fresh look instead of looking like I'm about to melt with the sweat and my hair mushrooms up due to the humidity. The downside of the cold months too, though is the dry skin and pain of my skin and heels cracking. Not a pretty site really. While exfoliation gets rid of the dry flakes (I use good ol' exfoliating gloves or loofah to do the trick), I need to replenish the moisture lost and keep the new skin cells healthy. Lotion does the trick during the day when I go out. For stay-in cooler days though or on times where I'm exposed to nothing but cold recycled air, I rely on body butters to butter me good for baby-smooth skin.

Why body butters? They're less greasy too and they don't leave a shiny sheen, which the matte girl in me doesn't like. The oils I prefer to layer on my damp skin then towel it off. Body butters are really lush and feel like, well, butter on the skin and they get absorbed well so they sink right to our dehydrated skin rather than stick to the clothes.

The Body Shop was where I've heard first about body butters, my first body butter I remember was the mango variety (it would be weird to say flavor though, but come to think of it, they do smell yummy!), and I remember it being tad too heavy for me to wear when I go out all over my body so I save it only on my feet and hands, the parts which get dry a lot. Another yummy-scented body butter I had from The Body Shop was coconut, which literally took me to the beach during the dry seasons. The formula of body butters are so much lighter now, richer than conventional lotion but it was okay enough for me to slather some on my tummy during the day without the need for me to wipe it off after.

There are various scents to choose from, inspired from yummy fruits and luxury scents. My favorite two though, do not come from an orchard yet smell as yummy.

Moringa and Olive both have lush formulas suitable for normal to dry skin. The scents are just as divine and I like how both of them smell fresh and clean and sort of mysterious. The olive one reminds me of a clean scent that you'd be drawn to but you can't seem to know if it's fruity or floral. It's a familiar scent (probably if you're familiar with olive oil) but you don't know where it's from. I don't really know if olives smell like that really but it's one of the scents I find so comforting, fresh, clean, and well, expensive. I jokingly call it an "amoy-mayaman" scent.

Moringa is actually english for our very own malunggay. The scent of moringa is actually an acquired one, this scent is more floral and powdery. The scent is very clean but kinda exotic. It's a very sexy scent actually, kinda like a Middle Eastern princess like feel. It's a very clean, sexy, and sensual scent at the same time, it's not a nostril overkill scent. And that scent I don't smell in my tinola.

Of course, there are other old favorites should olive and moringa be too unusual for others. Another favorite of mine is strawberry, which is lighter in formulation with a sweet, fruity scent that makes you smell as sweet as fresh strawberries. Strawberries always have that pleasing taste anywhere and they smell just as terrific. Satsuma and Pink Grapefruit are citrusy and yummy scents which give an uplifting feel. I reserve the sweet scent of Mango for very cold days when I need a tropical scent boost with a body butter made for very dry skin.

Super dry skins would benefit from Shea body butter or Cocoa body butter, with a warm yummy scent of chocolate and vanilla that's comforting to the senses as it is to the skin. The good thing too with the variants for dry and extra dry skin are that their scents are not as overpowering so it doesn't overwhelm us just like that so that it stays just there in our vanities rather than being used.

Of course, I can't recommend and insist what body butter to use, since it will really depend on the person. Olive and Moringa are my personal choices. Of course, I'd love to have all but that would overwhelm my senses, pocket, and husband since I'm taking over already half of his vanity. Maybe I could alternate and switch as I finish each tub. I could switcharoo to Pink Grapefruit during the summer or Cocoa Butter should my skin start cracking again. Since it's pretty dry now, it's pretty okay to use this all over the skin, especially at night. For summer, the heat and humidity could cook the skin and senses with an intense moisturizer so I leave this on trouble spots or when sleeping at night in a cold airconditioned room.

Feeling Good Inside Out With SpaRga Wellness Center

Spas are there for a reason - to make you feel good by kneading and heating up the kinks and knots that cause the owies that plague our daily lives. Even by just calling a massage therapist for at at-home massage does wonders in an hour's time. Come a week after, sometimes even days, we feel like going to the spa again for a massage for letting the kinks out.

An invitation to a launch of a spa event I got yesterday got my attention going because apart from makeup, I love going to spas for a massage. I miss my friendly neighborhood spa back in the Las Pinas home and for an emergency kink, I resulted to calling the home service spa the condo complex has. I thought a spa would be interesting. I got the address of this spa called SpaRga Wellness Center, which apparently has been around for quite some time. It's located along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, near Buendia.

While going there, I sort of got lost so I called the PR asking if I got the location right. After several U-turns, I was able to see the quaint little building and the sign SpaRga. It was so funny though that I used to pass this route to school or work for the past few years I never really paid attention to it until now. You could miss it since it's drowned by the bigger buildings of Singing Cooks and Waiters and other banks and government offices. To get there, just take EDSA southbound then turn right to Roxas Blvd. Take the side street instead of Roxas Blvd per se. It would be on your right. It's right opposite the PNB Building along Macapagal and the complex with the roofs where Hall 5, Hall 6, etc. are written. If you're already past Buendia cor Roxas, you missed it.

When I got there to register, I was welcomed with a hot towel to clean my hands and the refreshingly relaxing scents of lemongrass and olive. It was as if I was taken to another world since outside is busy, busy, smoggy Roxas Boulevard. Inside, was complete zen.

I was taken to a place painted a refreshing avocado green color dotted with calachuchi plants and calla lilies. I took my seat where we were offered refreshments. I chose my favorite lemongrass drink, since I've always been a fan of lemongrass and I wanted to match with the scent.

The flavor was mild and refreshing, which tasted amazing with the veggie sticks served as appetizers. I decided to eat the veggie sticks alone since the dressing was blue cheese and cream, which were danger zone to my tummy (towards the end of the event though I was wolfing two shotglasses of veggies with the dressing).

As soon as the event started, we were introduced to the owner of the spa, Mrs. Ruth Gautier, who shared with us the story of the spa's location, from the time that it used to be an old house to the spa that it was now.

The spa's interiors had remnants of the old house that it was before, complete with wooden stairs and capiz windows. I did notice the presence of calla lilies around and when I asked about it, Ruth said that among the choices of flowers that she had, she was drawn by the simplicity and elegance of the calla lily, with its pure white color and simple streamlined form, nothing complicated or cluttered.

Calachuchi also was another flower I saw around, either in the corners of the stairs or scattered randomly along with rose petals like little white stars. Calachuchi is also a readily available flower and it had a pleasing and mild scent, another personal choice of the owner.

The event also introduced to us aside from the massages Swedish and Shiatsu, the traditional therapeutic massage or hilot, which not only makes us feel good but also targets what causes our kinks and strains and irons it out to perfection.

Our volunteer gets a head and neck massage that's good for migraines. That's Alice, the head therapist working her magic on the three volunteers. Swear, she's a miracle worker and she could tell your ailments just by looking at you, even the cause of it. Freaky but cool.

Shen said she's prone to back pain and she gets her lower back massaged. After the quick massage, she said she felt relaxed and relieved.

Yours truly gets to be the willing guinea pig for foot massage. When I got there, they towelled of my tootsies with a warm towel before a dry massage that targeted pressure points. The first point massaged was the midsole which felt absolutely good that just shut me up from kidding around. After applying pressure points to my ankles and shins, it was sort of painful but feels good after. Alice asked me if I had a sprain on my right foot some time in my life. Turns out that I did, I tripped while walking a few years back and it was painful for like a few days then the pain sort of went away on its own. Alice mentioned that something's painful because there's something wrong with that part, say you had an accident or injury a few years back. If you're ticklish, there's something wrong with your circulation. To sum it up, if it doesn't feel good, there's something wrong.

After the demo, we were served lunch. I skipped the mini burger in the buffet for two servings of fresh lumpia, penne pesto, and chocolate cake.

For a second drink, a refreshing drink of avocado and pandan was my choice. These drinks are not only yummy but they have bodily benefits as well. By the way, no artificial mixes in the menu here. Everything is fresh and real from the crisp veggies to the choice cheeses and grocery items.

After our snacks, we toured the spa vicinities where we saw the various massage rooms.

The single massage room if you want a room all to yourself.

Couples or friends could opt for a room for two.

The jacuzzi laced with roses and mood light.

Here's another treat I discovered. Jo and I got to try the massages. Alice recommended that I have the Shiatsu massage due to my back problem. Okay, here's the thing... I never mentioned that I had a back problem. Okay, so far it could be obvious too but Alice was able to diagnose just by looking how I got it and when. It wasn't an accident but I got it during my growth spurt in elementary aggravated by bringing heavy books.? She told me to lie on my tummy as she proceded to align me. Since my camera was at the locker, we'd all have to rely on my narration.

Okay, Ruth and Alice warned me that it's going to hurt. BAD. And it did. The aligning process wasn't the relaxing stretching from yoga or pilates. Your muscles and limbs are stretched and bent at angles you've never bent before. Ruth reminded me to breathe according to the stretches. Can I just say that I've been stretched during yoga but never have I been stretched that's so painful I thought I was going to throw up. Brazilian waxing or physical therapy was no match and it's like you think you'll be split in half after the process.

Afterwards though, I felt a relieving feeling, like blood was rushing through the right places. Alice told me that my spine had been realigned and she made me feel my back. My right scapula was less pronounced Jo confirmed the results.

When I looked in the mirror, my back was so much flatter and when I stood up, my legs are more aligned. I felt more balanced. It was just too cool because I've underwent so many treatments and have undergone chiropractic treatments and even had a doctor abroad, which cost a lot of money. I've been through brace and conservative treatments and I was told that only surgery could correct my spine. Wooohooo! Looks like I have hope. Alternative medicine rocks! After that, I was massaged now using the Swedish technique using non-greasy lavender oil that lulled me to a ten-minute nap as it rubbed me just in the right places with the therapist only asking me if the pressure is right.

Anyway, I was also given a chance to try out reiki, which balances your energy using touch. According to Wiki, reiki is a form of alternative medicine transferring healing energy through the palms. Weirdly enough, the reiki therapist was able to assess certain aspects of my life in a freakishly amazing way, like what's causing me to have all the bad energy and how to avoid it. It was weird and cool at the same time, since I've never met her in my entire life until today and somehow what she was saying made perfect sense. She warmed her hands by rubbing them together with minty orange oil that smelled uplifting rather than overpowering. She then pressed her warmed palms on certain areas of my body where energy was concentrated like my head, tummy, throat, and legs. I had this feeling of heat and energy more on my head, where she said most of the energy was concentrated. After that, I had a relieving feeling, like the anvil on my head was removed.

Basically, I was really impressed at this new spa. If it really does work, there could be a better and more natural way of improving the quality of life of someone without pumping in chemicals or going through the knife. Aligning my spine in 15 minutes got my attention up. Until now, as I'm typing this post, I don't feel much pain and ngalay. I was advised to drink lukewarm drinks for the next few days to relieve me of the toxins which I'll be purging out in the next weeks or few.

All in good time, I'll be heading off for a much-needed vacation next week. Maybe I'll get to enjoy it more with my new disposition then! SpaRga is a place I'll definitely come back to. Not only does it relieve me of my aches and pains, but it really improved my posture and targeted why am I having those problems in the first place. The prices are relatively affordable. Whole body massages (swedish, shiatsu, combination) cost around Php500 for an hour. The Modern Hilot (Php 1,500) massage and Reiki and clinical massages are scheduled by appointment. Aside from the relaxing treatments, they have also a Cafe that serves healthy treats, Indian vegetarian, non-vegetarian, paellas, and Mediterranean specialities - that and free WiFi. You could call 8369143 or visit SpaRga wellness spa at #1 Sta. Escolastica St. Corner Roxas Boulevard Pasay City.

Pristine White at the SAG Awards

White may not be one of my favorite clothing colors but at the Screen Actors' Guild Awards, it totally rocked on the red carpet for our ladies. White could be a crazy tricky color to wear, like what underwear to wear or we have to be extra careful with movements since a stain or smear definitely could show through but for these ladies, white was their choice, whatever it may happen.

picture from socialitelife.com

Amy Adams' Herve Leroux number turned my head from the computer screen to the TV screen. She just looks so clean and regal with her hair slicked back into a high ponytail and simple fuss-free makeup. The dress hugs her in the right places who would have thought that she's already a mommy.

Speaking of mommies, maternity was no excuse for mom-to-be Natalie Portman, who was also awarded the Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Lead Role for her role in Black Swan.

picture from hollywoodreporter.com

As Amy's was a warm white, Natalie goes for the pure pristine white that's loose enough to accommodate her growing belly but still flatters her figure and flaunts her assets. The strapless gown flaunts her toned shoulders and arms, a result of her intense training to get her toned ballerina arms and condition her body for the role. She just looked so pretty and glowing.

Special mention is another white gown that turned heads was Eva Longoria's. It isn't exactly all-white since it had a mix of taupe in it, but nevertheless it was hawt!

image from cocoperez.com

I gotta give points to Eva for rocking a very sexy dress. In some situations, dresses cut like this could raise eyebrows to the conservative few, but Eva makes it look so elegant I'd actually consider wearing a dress cut like this to a wedding if it looks good on me that way. Eva's actually very petite, but she shows that petite girls still look amazing in a floor-length dress, just know the cut and style for you.

I especially like their makeup looks, which were kept simple with a touch of liner for subtle smoke and drama and a kiss of gloss for shine. I like how they chose to wear their hair up as well, since it looks so much more elegant and neater for this kind of outfit. Natalie's and Eva's hair would look good on a bride. The loose handcombed updo of Eva could widen a narrow forehead or it could give a youthful, carefree look for a summer bride who would want to avoid humidity hair. Amy's slick-back hair draws attention to the neck and could make way for a more dramatic eye, should you wish for more smoke and rar.

Nevertheless, these ladies knew how to rock white. :)

Red Love Again

I have a reason to rake in more jobs, and this paper bag holds the reason why.

I've been amazingly good so it's time for a reward. I was at Serendra this afternoon since I inquired with a makeup school I've been eyeing on. While out, I wanted to relax a bit and grab a cupcake at Sonja's. Since it was still early, I thought of crossing over a bit to High Street and check out the shops. Lo and behold, There were shops on sale. I went in at Topshop through the sale rack of clothes and eyed on anything I would like then tripped over to La Senza for the undies on sale. I was teetering between what to buy when I told myself... Hey, I need a decent bag as I've been carrying the same bag for the past week since that's the only one that's decent enough especially to events. So I kinda feel bad about pestering the girls at La Senza that day, but a new bag was just about calling to me so I searched at Aldo for one (at the sale rack too, yes I'm cheap).

So anyhow, I had to buy a grownup bag, so I forgo-ed the pretty undies for this bag:

photo-op with my bridal shoes-turned-regular-shoes. They look good together!

Before anything else, please do not kill me heaven...I will justify and narrate why and how I got it. But before that, ease the wrath first with how purdy it looks. Loving the details and the color that it looks like a grownup expensive bag. But hey... note the price tag and the price slash:

The original price is way less than a bag Christine would classify as makasalanan so the price slash is really something. Then I forgot also that Aldo is a sister company of Bench, so I could earn points for my Lifestyle Card. Turns out not only could I earn the points, but I've reached already the Php200 off benchmark for me to use the points. I asked the guys on counter if I could use my points on a sale item and... THEY ALLOWED ME!!!! YEAAAAAA!!!!!!! So I paid a total of Php 1000 on an originally Php2395 bag. Not bad right?

I asked also how to care for my bag so this baby lasts me a long time. They told me that the bag is relatively low-maintenance. A feather duster should do the trick of nixing away dusts and should there be stains or skids, rub the nasty with a bit of Wipe Out (a wax-like substance they showed me that comes in a can that's being sold for like Php 48.00 at hardware stores) on a soft cloth.

I really want to buy like protective bag cases for my bags so they stay in good shape. Any idea where?

Footwear for the Non-Trad Bride

Golds, silvers, ecrus, and teals move away.... this bride's footwear is bold red. I chose my bridal footwear months before D-Day so I could break them in months before so I won't trip or fall. I always wanted to wear red shoes when I got married because it's my favorite color and mandated it to be the motif and well, I didn't want to be like all brides were, because what's the fun in it right?

The search for the perfect shoe was harder than I expected. Although I have only one color in mind, I have to take note of the material. Most of the red evening shoes I saw were in satin or didn't speak rebel enough. The one that I wanted didn't go on sale at Zara and no way would I plunk Php4000+++ on a high-heeled shoe when I live on flats most of the time. When I visited People R People store last October though, I checked out their heels on sale and spotted a pair of peeptoe four-inch shoes in red. I checked out the price and knowing that it was down to Php799 from around Php1200, I bought it right away since it also had my size, which was a 9. I was sold immediately.

They weren't just red peeptoe stilettos. They were red SNAKESKIN peeptoe stilettos. They weren't dainty and snakeskin just spells rarrr. Of course, that's not a real snake that sacrificed its hide for the sake of fierce fasyon-ness but the print is just to purdy!!!!!

With heels as purdy as these, who could tell that I've got big feet? My feet are big and I'm glad the style of the shoes didn't make me look like Bigfoot's long-lost un-hairy niece.

Of course, high heels mean pain in a few hours, so I needed to somewhat alleviate the pain I'd be feeling. I know I'll be kicking them off for flats come reception time but from preps to picture taking to ceremony, I needed to still keep smiling somewhat while wearing them. Here's what I did to break in the bridal shoe:

1. Broke them in by walking around the house an hour or two a day in them wearing gym socks to give them a bit more room to try to get used to it.

2. Breaking them in could identify some trouble spots to know what measure to take while wearing them.

3. Following #2, I found that to finally be relatively more comfy in them are to buy cushions. I bought a pair of cushions for the sole and also on the heel to snug them well.

4. Try them out in certain occasions, like photoshoots or events. The gym socks does its job at home but the gym socks have got to go during D-day right?

5. Have fun and rock them when the day comes!

Expect to see these shoes in more events and shoots, at least until I slip into a pair of flats after. I love that they're still funky enough not to spell "wedding!" So I could still rock them in events or on occasions where there's a need to dress up. :)

Three Hours To Subic For a Prenup

Christine, Aisa, Mich and I unite again for another project last week. Got to posting this now since Christine and I were working on a catalog shoot this week and I grab pictures from Aisa since I didn't bring my camera that day. Where was the location for our shoot... travel Northbound and Stations of the Cross of tollgates to the lovely place of Subic.

I was at Subic a few months ago for a print ad shoot, which I have yet to blog about but at that time, it was the crack of dawn while travelling. Since I live at a business district, Christine told me she would pick me up at Shell McKinley at 6 am. There was horrible dawn traffic at SLEX so as soon as Christine saw my shadow, I hopped in her car and zoomed EDSA to NLEX only stopping to grab food at KFC NLEX while speeding to Subic i

n 140 kph.

We met up Aisa and Mich at Subic. They were already with our clients, Eds and Jeff. We'd be doing a prenup shoot since they're getting married in a few weeks. Since we're masters of improv, without the presence of a studio and shooting on location, here's what we used to improvise a studio and dressing room:

Converted a little table in Starbucks to a make-up station. while the trunks of Christine's and Jeff's cars were used as storages.

That's us taking directions from Christine as she lays out the storyboard... or that's what the picture says.

Touching up on Eds' strays and smears. The heat was beating literally on my back I had to shield my hair and my eyes too.

Awwww layout pre the pre-sunset, because come sunset we were at the last location, an old-school type of fair. I'm glad the guard allowed us to use their location and promise, it worked! He was even nice enough to take our group picture. All of these pictures are from Aisa's blog post.

Fun day! Great job you guys!