ShopSui, together with Carlainity, will be joining Summer Solstice Bazaar at Rockwell Tent on June 5-6. Hope you guys can visit us. Get a taste of ShopSui. We'll see you there!

I'm a sucker for flowers. I guess that makes me a girly girl. I love receiving flowers any day. It screams romance and love. I've received flowers from my husband back when we were still dating, but now that we're married, he has yet to give me a bouquet. Hmmm... I wonder if he's reading my blog?! ;) *evil laugh*

So choosing my bridal bouquet was a breeze! I already knew what I wanted, how I wanted it to look like. I definitely wanted red red roses with some crystal embellishments. I wanted it hand tied with a ribbon and just a few pieces of leaves.

My bridal bouquet

So as we searched for a supplier, I knew that it was very critical to explain what I wanted. Afteralll, I will only have one bridal bouquet ever. So I researched different suppliers, I didn't want to spend too much on the flowers since I know it's just flowers and they'll die a day after. So my husband and I went to Dangwa, a place where you can find very cheap flowers. And we met with Mang Boy Mahusay, whom I researched about. I read so many wonderful reviews and just one or two negative comments. When we were talking, he seemed really nice so we entrusted him with the flowers including my bouquet.

Come my wedding day, October 18, the flowers were delivered to my husband's room and when it was turned over to my suite, to my horror, I saw a fake flower. When I observed it, I realized it was a real rose but was actually white, so Mang Boy spray-painted it with color red. I was so furious. I was so mad. I told my dad about it and my husband. My dad told me to call the supplier and demand an explanation and for them to change my bouquet. The bouquet was nothing like what I envisioned it. Yes, there was crystal embellishments, since I bought those and delivered it to Mang Boy myself and explained to him that I wanted those in my bouquet. But the flowers weren't that plenty. 15 pieces. I am a tall woman, so a 15 pc bouquet doesn't look proportionate on me, especially how they tied the roses together. 

Eventually, my husband called the supplier and scared them off, I guess. My husband and dad took care of the situation since they didn't want me to stress over it anymore. Luckily, we were staying at Crowne Plaza Hotel which was beside Robinsons Galleria. They went to Holland Tulips and asked the lady to fix the bouquet. She added a dozen more red roses and put some Angel's Breath and of course, removed the painted rose.

My dad delivered the bouquet to me. When I got it, I squealed and thanked him for saving my bouquet. My bridal bouquet was perfect. Just like how I envisioned it. Thanks to the hard work of my husband and dad. According to my husband, he was willing to shell out even a thousand bucks (I think that's how much the roses were from Holland Tulips or more), just as long as my bouquet turns out perfect.

I guess the moral lesson is to stick to your vision. I actually had a sample photo of what I wanted and gave it to the supplier, just to make sure they know what to do. Also, choose a supplier you can trust. I know, we wouldn't really know. But maybe just have a back up. A just-in-case scenario, just like mine. Remember, it's a once in a lifetime experience and the bridal bouquet is a crucial part of the wedding. It's in most of my photos. And when I look at our photos, I'm just so glad that the issue was resolved and I got my dream bridal bouquet.

I just saw this at Pooch Park the other day and couldn't stop looking at them because they're so darn cute!!!! :)

I'm torn between Baby Archer and Baby Tiger. I'm a Lasallian so of course, it's Baby Archer all the way. But the tiger in Baby Tiger is sooooo cute! Hay. I wonder what will look good on Boo. I better bring him to Pooch Park asap to fit these shirts. Anyway, he already needs grooming.

I apologize for the eeky photos, I know the photos aren't good at all. I was in a rush and just wanted to take a few pics of the shirts. I'll try to ask for better pics next time and post them again. Hehe! :) Love love the new school spirit doggie shirts! :)

I bought two kinds of facial mask and put them to test. I have Etude House's AC Clinic Clay Pack and Garnier Self Heating Sauna Mask. I tried these two because my husband and I like putting masks on our faces while resting. He has oily skin, while I have combination. So because of these masks, we feel the oil is absorbed well enough and we just moisturize our skin after the treatment.

I like the heating feeling when applied to the face. (Though the warm feeling disappeared after a few minutes).

I like that after the treatment, the skin feels soft.

I like that it comes in a sachet. Very affordable.

I like that since it's more liquid (lotion based), you only need a small amount to cover the entire face.

I don't like that it doesn't tighten. It just feels like lotion on the face.

I don't like that I didn't see any oil absorbed by the pack.

Overall, I would choose Etude House's AC Clinic Clay Pack anytime. Even though it's more expensive, I will still buy it because, I saw and felt the effect. It felt really nice on the skin. The Garnier Self Heating Sauna Pack didn't do anything for my skin, personally. My husband feels the same.

Rating: 

I received Clinique Youth Surge Night from the Clinique event I attended last month. I've been using it during night time and also tried using it even in day time as a substitute for Moisture Surge.

After trying this product for three weeks, I noticed that my face  is softer. I don't have wrinkles and fine lines yet, so I can't say anything about that. But I noticed that it's more supple and hydrated. Obviously this should be the effect of moisturizers. 

Clinique's Youth Surge Night is actually pretty heavy so it gives intense moisturizing. I like it! :) I only use a small amount of product. During day time, I make sure that it doesn't feel too much. Though I've tried this, I made a mistake and lathered way too much product, it didn't make my makeup cake. Fortunately!

What I don't I like about this product though is the smell. It has a faint sour smell. Even my All About Eyes Rich has this smell, but is a bit milder. I guess that's really their smell, but I, personally don't like it. And it bothers me a little when I put the product on my whole face.

How do I use this during day time? I use it just like Moisture Surge. I put a small amount on my hands, rub them together and just pat it on the face after my makeup application. It hydrates and gives moisture to the whole face. When I use this, I don't spritz Skin Hour's Firming & Clarifying Toner anymore, because it does the same thing.

I love how softer my face is. I'm blessed with soft skin, but with the Youth Surge, my face is now baby soft. Really! :p

Makeup and beauty stuff aside (for my non-beauty readers, I'm sure you're already bored with too much beauty stuff recently. Haha! So I'm sharing two of my newest purchases. I just got them last Sunday. 

I got this key hook for my coin purse actually. I always always have a hard time finding my coin purse in my huge bag and it takes me forever to find it. So sometimes, instead of looking further, I just hand over a whole bill, and end up getting more coins. :/ So finally, I got myself a key hook so it's easier to find my stuff. The key hook is actually a key holder. It's normally used for keys. But yeah, I use it for my coin purse. :p

You hook it to your bag like so.

Close up

I chose this design because it looks sophisticated.

Plus I have a bag holder just like it. See???

My twin organizers! :p Loves it!

Onto my gadget purchase:

I usually do my work on my bed and it gives me back ache when I slouch to write or type. I would put pillows and pile them on top of each other and use it as a table but doesn't really work since pillows are still soft. I've been lemming to buy a lap table, then we found this when we went to CDRKing.

Here's how it looks:

I like that it can be adjusted, even the cooling fan.

 

Yes, it has a built in cooling fan. Just plug the usb to the laptop.

Also comes with a built in mouse pad.

Here's the laptop desk at work. No more back aches for me! Yey! :)

I've already eaten in Chef de Angelo so many times with my husband. We usually order the sampler meals because it's already a full meal with pasta, pizza and chicken. But this time, I went out with my friends after attending the Bobbi Brown workshop. So I was able to try different food offered by Chef de Angelo.

Our yummy appetizer! It was big enough for the four of us to share. It was simple, with two dips. Simple and delicious!

This, I liked very much. It was just Italian tomato sauce but it was soooo goooodd. I love this pasta. This is also the pasta that I order with my samplers. :)

I'm actually allergic to shrimps and crabs but I wanted to try this because it looked really good. It was okay, juicy not dry at all. But I couldn't give a proper testimonial since I just had a spoonful of this. I didn't want to have an allergic reaction. :p But my friends seem to like it. It was simot-sarap!

Save the best for last! I actually suggested to get a meaty pizza since I'm a meat lover, but my friend Carol wanted this and since I was up to trying something different, so we tried this. I must say, I'm so glad we ordered this. It was super good! I will order this again next time. It was so good. Very cheezy, the crust was tender not dry and not toasted. Just perfect! I could taste the different cheezes used. It was really good. My favorite order of the night!

Group Photo

We enjoyed the food so much and our chickahan (conversations), we didn't realize it was already 10pm! The food was good, we also chose a corner table so we won't be disturbed. I really love these girls and so glad I got to see them again! :) And thanks to Chef de Angelo, it made the reunion so worth the wait.

On to an event I attended last May 15, Saturday. The Bobbi Brown Workshop courtesy of Suesh Cosmetic Brushes. I was excited about the workshop because Bobbi Brown is one of the brands that I've always heard about that stays true to fresh looking skin.

Anyway, For Bobbi always start with a well moisturized and primed face.  Moisturizer is the key to a fresher looking skin. 

First is to use a corrector to lighten the area. The correctors are usually pinkish/peachy shade. This helps lighten the dark circles/eyebags. Correct the undereye area first and then apply concealer. Use a concealer brush for controlled application and with warmed fingers, dab it to blend to the skin. The concealer will lift the area making the undereye look fresher and cleaner. After this, it's important to set again with powder. A pale yellow tone of powder is best. Try Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit. This kit includes Creamy Concealer on top & Sheer Finish Loose Powder on bottom to set concealer for long-lasting wear.

After finding the perfect foundation shade by swatching 3 shades to the skin and finding the one that disappears into the skin, apply foundation where you need it. Foundation helps brighten, reduce discoloration and minimize appearance of pores. Focus on the center of the face and blend it out with a foundation brush. For a natural finish, liquid foundation is advised since it is buildable and sheer. Semi-matte ones for oily skin. And for dry skin, a tinted moisturizer or water based liquid foundation is recommended.

After applying foundation, set again with a loose powder. If the skin feels dry, dust powder only around the nose and forehead since these are the areas which usually get oily first.

Sometimes after applying powder, the skin becomes pale and flat, so dust a bit of  bronzer on the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Dust it outward. For a soft matte look. use Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. This will warm the skin and give it a natural flush to the skin. 

Use 2 shades of blush. 1 a more natural warmer shade and one will be the pop of color. (This was the first time I heard about "pop pf color.") The warmer shade should be applied from the apples to the hairline, and blend a little bit downwards. The pop of color will be applied on the apples, on top of the warm blush shade.

For dry skin, pot rouge is recommended for its creamy texture.

 Step 6: Lip Liner

For a natural look, find a shade that evens out and is closest to your lip color. This will give a very natural kissable lips. Apply lip liner on top of the lipstick. (This is again, my first time to hear this step. We usually do it the other way around. Lip liner first, then lipstick.) If you put lip liner on top, it will define and make lipstick stay longer. Good tip! :)

 Step 7: Brows

Fill in the gaps by using eye shadow that matches your hair color. Apply it with an eyebrow brush. Use a spoolie to blend the eyeshadow evenly. Start at the highest point or the arch of the eyebrow and fill in. Apparently, brown eyeshadows are used. To set unruly brows, use Natural Brow Shaper.

Use 3 colors of eyeshadow for a natural look. Light shade for the base, medium and dark. Deposit the eyeshadow first and then blend. Use the medium shade all over the eyelid, the light shade as highlight and the dark for eyeliner.

Bobbi Brown does not contour, she believes in "blended eyes."

Use a dark colored eyeshadow for lining the eyes or use Long Wear Gel Eyeliner with an ultra fine eyeliner brush. It's best to just build the eyeliner, start with a small amount first. For chinitas, to make the the eyes look bigger, apply liner and make them thicker on the outer side.

Hold the mascara wand parallel to the floor and brush from base to tips. Wiggle the mascara wand to deposit more product.

For self application, when applying mascara, look at the opposite direction. See photos above. This makes application easier. Try Extreme Party Mascara. It's volumizing and makes you the center of attention! :p

Ina and Bea decided to give Mabel a little more color, so Bea applied a sparkly eyeshadow onto the center of her eyes.

Mabel, the pretty model that day.

She looks like Aubrey Miles, doesn't she?