My TBS Body Butters

As soon as I learned that I was having a baby, I hoarded Cocoa and Shea body butters from The Body Shop. Honestly? Having stretch marks is the first thing that scared me. Spreading body butters on my tummy instead of scratching during itch-attacks is better so I got addicted to it. And I believe that it really worked coz I have very minimal pregnancy marks. That's how my love for TBS body butters started.

I took photos of my current TBS Body Butter collection:

The Body Shop's Best Selling Body Butter: Wild Cherry. This is the one I'm currently using. Very nice fruity smell.

TBS Lemon Body Butter

Last Jan 13, 2011, I was invited to The Body Shop's Blog Me Buttercup Blogger event. Unfortunately, I got caught up in a gig and arrived late so I wasn't able to join the activities. Sorry TBS :(

The bloggers were tasked to create their own unique scent using the TBS Body Butters currently available Olive, Pink Grapefruit, Strawberry, Wild Cherry, Shea Butter, Moringa, Sweet Lemon and Satsuma.

They were given mini spoons and containers for mixing. I didn't know we can do this! Now I won't get tired of the scents of my body butters. I'm excited to buy the other body butters and play like a chemist making my own hehe. They're currently on sale btw!

Team Rowena, Michelle and Nikki won the challenge with their awesome watermelon scent. Congratulations girls!

Have you tried TBS Body Butters? What's your favorite?

New! Estee Lauder Timezone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Cream

According to Estee Lauder, night-time is skin's natural time to replenish, restore and produce key proteins, such as collagen. It's quite alarming to a new mom like me who's been sleep-deprived since giving birth because that means my skin aging process is speeding up. Thanks to EL for letting my try their Timezone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Cream! It's the first anti-wrinkle cream I've tried. Though, I don't have much lines in my face yet (knock on wood!), I'm beginning to be more serious with my skin care since I'll be waving goodbye to my 20's this year.

From Estee Lauder, NEW TIME ZONE NIGHT ANTI-LINE/WRINKLE CREME includes a new Tri-Hyaluronic Night Complex featuring High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid Fragments first used in Time Zone and now 5X concentrated, as well as Anti-Hyaluronidase Technology. These ingredients work together to help replenish, rebuild and sustain the ideal moist environment for more lineless, youthful-looking skin.

It's a very rich cream that is not oily after application and leaves my skin smooth once absorbed. It also has a very calming scent that helps me get a good sleep. I've been using this for days now and good results so far. I'll update this post once I'm done using it :)

Estee Lauder Timezone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Cream will be available at all Estee Lauder counters in Rustan's Department Store this February 2011. Suggested Retail Price: P4,250 for 50ml.

Celebrity Inspired Dishes by Lola Maria

Remember my post about loving the location of my new home (which is Mandaluyong) because of the many good places to eat such as Charlie's? Last week, there's an addition to our top restos list near our area when Lola Maria Restaurant introduced their new dishes to bloggers.

Lola Maria is the main dining outlet of Legend Villas (the eye-catching hotel with Vigan inspired design you'll surely won't miss when you pass by the Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong). They serve Filipino dishes and they are known for their kare-kare, lechon kawali, beef steak and chicken gallantina. But they also add international cuisine on their menu. My husband is not a fan of Filipino dishes but he's been raving about the food we had at Lola Maria to everyone since we've tried it.

The eight new dishes of Lola Maria are pretty special. Why? because each dish is inspired by the owner's celebrity friends. "We just made sure we give each dish that distinct Lola Maria Restaurant twist", said Ginger Villavicencio, COO of Legend Villas.

Warning this post is picture heavy!

Vegetable Quiche. Inspired by Randy Ortiz (a famous fashion designer)

Baked tender pastry crust with fresh vegetables. You may opt to top it with a little sour cream.

Prawn cakes. Inspired by Atoy Liave

Oriental style minced shrimps coated with bread crumbs, served with hoicin sauce. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This is a must-try! We enjoyed this dish very much.




Fish Pinipig. Inspired by Iza Calzado

Cream dory fillet covered with crispy pinipig flakes, dipped in tartare sauce. The pinipig made this dish very interesting.



Cocido, known to be a favorite of food blogger Anton Diaz.

Rosemary and Garlic Rib-Eye. Inspired by Ara Mina

This dish is yum! The meat was soft and juicy. I'm sure my dad will love this when I bring him to Lola Maria next month.

Calamansi sorbet to cleanse our palate

I was excited when Mrs. Jingjing Romero of Stratos Inc. told us to save some space for the dessert. I'm glad I listened because the desserts served were super delicious as well.





Ube and Langka Panna Cotta. Inspired by Sherilyn Reyes-Tan



Fried Suman at Tsokolate. Inspired by Wilma Doesnt

This is another love love love! Reminds me of Dulcinea's Churros!



Ensaymada Pudding. Inspired by Danica Magpantay, Ford supermodel grand winner

I was very honored to meet Chef Mike Martinez, chef consultant of Legend Villas. You made good food chef! You made us all very happy :)

It was my first time at Legend Villas. They have very nice ambiance inside and out. Staff are all friendly. Was able to take a photo of the pool only though coz I was overwhelmed with the food.

My take home pandesal with tuna paste is also delish!

Enough raving! Lola Maria Restaurant is located at Legend Villas along Pioneer corner Madison Streets, Mandaluyong City.

Let me know when you've tried this ok?

How to make your makeup last EXTRA longer?

A few weeks before my makeup gig, my client's wedding coordinator messaged me saying "Please make sure Julie's makeup on her wedding wouldn't melt". I said "Of course!". But I got sooo curious. So I asked the bride during our trial makeup what they're up to. Watch this video for one of the most unique weddings I've witnessed.

This is an unofficial video.

Nice noh? Kudos to Redefineweddings for the amazing on site video presentation and to Social Happenings for the wonderful idea. And of course! to the couple (Julie and Jess) for being so game to make their special day a very memorable one.

Weddings nowadays can be exhausting especially for the bride. Starting from the photoshoot at the hotel, church and before the reception. What more if you're riding the LRT? If I'm the bride, I'd really sweat to the max! After the wedding, I said "the Graftobian setting spray didn't fail me!"

Of course the primer and the makeup application adds to the strength to the makeup. But if you want it smudgeproof, waterproof and last for more than 12 hours, this magic liquid is the key! I haven't used any other brands of setting spray yet but this one works for me already. In fact, I didn't do much retouching to the bride. Just blotted some powder on the nose and t-zone. You just have to be careful when spraying this after the makeup. It should be at least 10 inches away from the face as it tends to get shiny if sprayed directly to an area. I use my airbrush to put this for a finer application.

Graftobian setting spray is available
locally at HD Makeup Studio and online at
http://camerareadycosmetics.com

Hair and Makeup for BC Magazine

You might have already noticed BC on magazine stands. Their maiden issue was very eye-catching with the most beautiful moms in the Philippines for 2010 on the cover. Daphne Osena was included in it as well (you may check her post here). In the US, BC features hip Hollywood parents with their babies. Ain't it cool that they brought it to the Philippines?

Before 2010 ended, I had the privilege to work with their amazing team. Sharing with you the photos of the hair styles and makeup I've done for them.

Cool eh? Can't write much coz I'm dealing with a sick baby sigh :( Hope he gets better right away.

Cuts 4 Tots: Where My Baby Got His First Hair Cut

When my baby was about 4 months old, he had a bad hair fall. So bad that he got only the hair on top of his head left and some on the sides. Icky! Not cute haha. So I already planned to have his hair cut months before his first birthday so he'll look good in his first party photos :)

Some suggested their "suki" salon, but I can't entrust my baby to someone who's not a pro in cutting kids' hair. Besides, I wanted nice shots for my baby's scrap book haha. Beware that some kids' salon don't allow photos and videos to be taken so ask before you get their service if you want souvenirs ok?

Cuts 4 Tots it is! This branch featured in this post is at the 5th level of SM Megall Atrium.

I don't let my baby play all of his toys at the same time so imagine how excited he was when I put him on the car chair with a television and lots of toys in front of him.

But he got cranky as soon as he knew that something's up.

It's easy to trick a baby when there's a lot of toys around and people to play with him. I tried transferring him to the other car chairs and it worked! He also loved the Hi5 show. I was thinking of buying him a cd but his doctor said "No tv until 2 years old" arrghh.

I also got him a certificate with his hair and before and after pic for his scrap book. We added P195 for this.

We had a good experience at Cuts 4 Tots (SM Megamall). We paid P290 for my baby's hair cut. A little bit pricey but worth it considering how careful the hair stylist was with my child. I was relieved that my baby didn't have a traumatic first hair cut experience :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Belle De Jour 2011

A planner is definitely one of my answers if you're going to ask me one of the most famous query in beauty blogs: "What's in your bag?". It's the most effective thing for me not to forget my deliverables and schedules. I've been using one yearly but it's only this year that I'll be using the BDJ Planner. I know I know! I'm a late bloomer. That's why I thank my hubby for giving it to me as one of his gifts last Christmas :)

Scroll down if you haven't seen this year's look. You might be convinced to buy one too :)

Monthly tips and guide. Perfect past time if you're somewhere else waiting.

Vacation Planner

My hubby and I didn't get the chance to travel last year because of our "demanding new comer". Hopefully, I'll be able to write something on this page this year.

Christmas gift list

I might as well plan Christmas 2011 as early as now to avoid cramming haha.

This is the only planner I've seen that has a menstrual tracker. I hope to be able to use this already. Oh I'm beginning to miss my period! It's May 2009 since I last had one haha. That delay is one of the benefits of purely breastfeeding :)

A notepad for the other essentials

To unleash the writer in me. Somewhere I could write if something crosses my mind.

Bills Tracker. Perfect for moms like me or girls who are just budget conscious.

Cashflow Tracker

Lots of discount coupons. My favorite as well! I have now compiled those I'm going to use first.

And of course, the most important thing in a planner: lots of space to write your daily activities. Some people may not agree but I don't care if it takes a lot of space in my bag as long as it has everything that I need.

What planner did you buy for this year?