Archive for December 2010

The Holidays is almost over and it means back to reality. I’m still very much enjoying the company of my family and friends. These are the times we can get together and spend quality time together. However, I missed blogging so much and my camera’s memory is already full with photos of the things I wanted to talk about. I’ll get back to regular programming by next year though. Or should I say a few days from now? :p

One of the things I wanted to share with you is my love for California Pizza Kitchen. It sure is one of the best when it comes to pasta and pizza. I have always loved dining there, and I could still remember my first visits back in highschool.

My staple orders revolve around pizza and pasta. I’m a huge pizza eater and I admit my selfishness strikes when it comes to CPK’s pizza. I was having food cravings recently and wanted to eat at CPK so badly. Luckily, H was open to the idea too and so after delivering Skin Hour stocks at Moonshine Garb Boutique in Rockwell, we headed to CPK just across Archeology.

Here are our orders: (which is what we usually order when we dine in CPK.)

Lemon Iced Tea (P105.00)

Was supposed to get the Raspberry one, but decided on Lemon because I liked the citrusy flavor.

Grilled Sausage Penne Bolognese Sauce

Full Size (P565.00)

Our favorite pasta! Since we are meat lovers, this pasta surely satisfies our craving with its hot sausage! I love penne pasta so I’d say this is a pasta made especially for me. :p It’s a little hot because of the sausage used, I think it’s Italian sausage. But it’s not too spicy that will make you cry. 🙂

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza (P325.00)

Served with tomatoes and cream cheese

My favorite pizza in CPK! First of all, it’s chicken. So to those who don’t eat red meat, this is a must! I love the fresh tomatoes mixed with the onions and cheese. Plus the cream cheese that melts when you spread it on top of the pizza. It’s the best! So far, this is the best CPK pizza I have ever tasted and actually ever since I tasted this, this has already been my staple order in CPK. That’s how good this is.

Are you craving for some CPK now? I sure am! Haha! With the cozy laid back ambiance, the friendly staff, the perfect food, nothing can go wrong with California Pizza Kitchen. :p

Here are our orders: (which is what we usually order when we dine in CPK.)

Lemon Iced Tea (P105.00)

Was supposed to get the Raspberry one, but decided on Lemon because I liked the citrusy flavor.

Grilled Sausage Penne Bolognese Sauce

Full Size (P565.00)

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza (P325.00)

Served with tomatoes and cream cheese

Are you craving for some CPK now? I sure am! Haha! With the cozy laid back ambiance, the friendly staff, the perfect food, nothing can go wrong with California Pizza Kitchen. :p

It's been ages since I lasted posted a wedding related entry. I guess there was just so much to talk about, that my reverse blogging had to be put on hold. Well, since I have time in my hands right now, I decided to talk about another very crucial decision to do. This is actually one of the first things we booked right away. It's our reception venue.

There was a big discussion on this, because my parents wanted it to be held at a restaurant, and H and I wanted an event venue or hotel. H and I had a vision of what and how we wanted it so we decided on the latter. So when H and I canvassed and computed, it showed that choosing to have the reception at an events place is cheaper than a hotel.

Blue Leaf was one of the first event venues we had in mind, but H and I were quite skeptic and scared of the price tag. We visited the place and it blew me away. Like what I said to H, I could already see my wedding reception there. The place was breath-taking as it is.

We went to Crowne Plaza to check on the rates if we were to have our reception there. We chose Crowne Plaza because that was where we will be checking in for our hotel preps. They were already booked for our date. What they were giving us was a function room and we didn't like it at all. So H told me to go for Blue Leaf. I was ecstatic!

One of the things I love most about Blue Leaf is its location. It's a hidden place in Fort. It's secluded and very intimate. Which was how our wedding was like. And with just minimal styling, it was very elegant. The place, the ambiance, the mood it exudes. I liked it that way and it also minimized our costs since we didn't have to spend for an event stylist aymore.

We chose the Banyan pavilion for it can hold about 300 guests. We were expecting more or less that number, so it was the perfect venue. It was the biggest of all three pavilions. Blue Leaf also has Silk, which has a capacity of 110 people and Jade which can hold 100 people. There's also an option to get both Banyan and Jade for 500 guests.

Did I mention one of my favorite things about it is the VIP Lounge? Both Banyan and Silk has its own lounge. I thought this would be very helpful so that we don't need to go back to the hotel before going to Blue Leaf. H and I can stay in the lounge area first. :) Which was what we did. We also were fed a bit of appetizers while we were in the lounge by our caterer. She said she knows we won't be able to eat properly when the program starts.

The pavilion was spacious. We requested for a small dance floor for our first dance and the program. And the rest we had round tables and two VIP long tables for our principal sponsors and parents, and of course the table for the newlyweds.

The venue inclusions are as follows:

Five (5) hours use of venue
Two (2) hours ingress
One (1) hour egress
Air-conditioning system
Pavilion Projector and screen (2,400 lumens LCD projector, 8ft. x 8ft. screen)
Pavilion sound system (Delta 6 speakers, 1 equalizer, 3 amplifiers, 1 mixer with 6 inputs, 2 microphones, 1 media player)
Parking space
Caterer's area
Pavilion Lounge (adjacent to the pavilion)
Security Staff support
Engineering staff support
Housekeeping staff support

I think the most important things to consider in choosing a reception venue are the following:

Budget - Compute and recompute your budget. In our case, the hotel was more expensive than the event venue. And the food, we were pretty sure, won't be as good if we were to be strict with our budget.
Location - It's best if the location of the reception is close to the church. Our wedding church was Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills. We allotted maximum of 30-45minutes travel time from the church to the reception, given that our wedding was a Sunday (not much traffic).
Privacy - This is my personal opinion. I like my events private, no party crashers as much as possible. Intimate, with only the people you want there.
Mood and ambiance- If you visit the venue and already sense the mood that you want for your wedding, it helps minimize styling costs.
Parking - Ample parking is always crucial. There are other event venues in the Metro, but some don't have enough parking space. This, we find is very important, because we have elders who are coming to the reception. We didn't want them to walk too far, and hear negative comments about the event. And we also think of the convenience of our guests. Not everyone has their own drivers.

Blue Leaf passed all the criteria and we're very satisfied with the place. I have some other tips based on my experience if you want to book at Blue Leaf. These are the things we did.

The place already has a sound system, so you can opt to get a live band and not rent another sound system anymore.
We paid an additional P5000 to tap to the electricity of the pavilion because we had lights installed.
We had drapes installed as well. Half draping is fine, given it already looks very romantic.
Have a backup plan for your cocktails. Usually cocktails are done at the back. But if it rains, the alfresco area doesn't have tents.
If you can pay the full amount right away, ask if they can give you any discount.
Almost every year they increase the rates, so book early to get the running rate.
We didn't hire an events stylist anymore. We just added lights, drapes, candles and flowers.
Always go for an ocular inspection.
If you're bringing additional microphones, test them before the day itself. Just to make sure that it works with their sound system. This also goes with your cds, laptops, etc.
We had my sister make us 2 back up CDs so these were playing when our live band stops for their breaks.

I hope these things help. I know they're not much, but those are the things I found very crucial to know when choosing and deciding on a reception venue. After all, that is when you start to PARTY!

Here are the rates until December 31, 2010 if you have an event in mind:

Rates: (valid from January 1 to December 31, 2010)

Banyan Pavilion	Silk Pavilion	Jade Pavilion	Banyan and Jade Pavilions
Capacity: 300 guests	Capacity: 250 guests	Capacity: 200 guests	Capacity: 500 guests
Php 120,000	Php 110,000	Php 100,000	Php 200,000
Whole day, Children's party and multiple pavilion rates are also available

Blue Leaf Events Pavilion
100 Park Avenue, McKinley Hill Village, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
898BLUE / 8982583 / 8872175
http://www.theblueleaf.com.ph

*All photos from Blue Leaf's website.

Hi everyone! Beautiful Sunday to all. I can’t believe Christmas is fast approaching and I haven’t even started Christmas shopping yet. I’m quite broke and so I’m thinking of giving special effort-full gifts instead of really expensive ones. What those are you ask? I have no idea. Haha!

Well, it’s been almost a month now and I have been using my Loreal White Perfect Day Cream almost everyday. (I still use Skin Hour Mattifying Day Cream when I know I will be sweating a lot or it will be humid.) But aside from that, my skin has really adjusted to using White Perfect.

Here’s a side by side comparison: before vs after using White Perfect Day Cream:

*I have cleansed my face, removed makeup and toned. I have not put any moisturize on.

with flash

without flash

Okay, here’s my verdict:

For the whitening effect, I wouldn’t say my face has gotten whiter. My family used to tease me because I was dark. Darker than them. So until now, that’s how I feel about my color. Although it doesn’t really bother me. :p But if you noticed, my skin didn’t get any darker too even though I’m always out and about and we had our bazaars al fresco meaning outdoors.

Here’s what I loved about this cream though. I really see that my skin is more glowing. It indeed gave me a more radiant skin. I remember that the cream has Tourmaline Gemstone which is known to help stimulate skin microcirculation, to help give skin a more rosy glow. I think you can see in the photos above that in my before pictures, my skin was more flat, matte. But for the after pictures, it looks a little more moisturized even though I haven’t put on any moisturizer.

before and after

My dark spots are still there though. But in this close up shot, you can see the difference in color. See how my skin looks a little healthier now?

before and after

My little bumps still there. Maybe I still need to continue using it? I know it’s not a miracle cream and it’s not like I had plastic surgery anyways. But notice the mark in my before photo. It has a brown circular mark on my cheek? In my after photo, it’s not as visible anymore.

Disclaimer: Products sent by company. I am not affiliated with the company. All information written are based on my experience and are my 100% honest opinion.

Here’s a side by side comparison: before vs after using White Perfect Day Cream:

*I have cleansed my face, removed makeup and toned. I have not put any moisturize on.

with flash

without flash

Okay, here’s my verdict:

before and after

My dark spots are still there though. But in this close up shot, you can see the difference in color. See how my skin looks a little healthier now?

before and after

Overall, it is indeed a good product. Just look at the effect on my skin and I’ve just been using it a little over a month now. I’m sure regular and continuous use will lead to even better improvement. I love it! Thanks Loreal for a wonderful product! :) So go now and purchase one. It’s available at the leading department stores and supermarkets.

Disclaimer: Products sent by company. I am not affiliated with the company. All information written are based on my experience and are my 100% honest opinion.

I was sent a lovely package by Loreal once again. This time, I think it’s intended for my husband. Haha! I was surprised when I opened the package and saw Loreal Men Expert. (Off topic: I have an update post about my Loreal White Perfect Day Cream soon.)

Anyways, I gave the product to my husband and asked me to test and review it for me. I didn’t want to use it because I know that men and women have different skin conditions.

Pure and Matte Charcoal Black Foam

This product is intended for men who have oily skin. The impurities and excess oil accumulate in the pores making the pores bigger. And on the skin, sebum oxidizes and darkens, making the skin look shiny, unclean and dull.

Men Expert Pure & Matte Charcoal Black Foam:

1. Cleanses, clears & mattifies for long
Enriched with Salicylic Acid, this formula cleanses and clears skin efficiently: excess sebum and dull dead cells are removed, skin is clear & mattified for long. Pores are visibly tightened and blackheads are reduced, your skin becomes soft, smooth and radiant!
2. Reinforces the skin’s natural resistance
ADS™ Active Defense System, a powerful soothing active ingredient that helps to reinforce the skin’s natural resistance against daily aggressions.
Results: Less irritation, less tightness and more comfort.
3. Fine bubbles remove impurities from skin
With L’Oréal Paris’ new foaming texture with fine bubbles, your skin is cleansed and impurities are washed out, This product helps to avoid sebum rebounding after wash and leaves you a pleasant fresh feeling.

Well here’s the lowdown on H’s skin. He has oily skin. His pores are quite big especially on the nose and cheeks section. He usually oils up after an hour or so. That’s how oily he is. His skin care routine is quite simple. He just cleanses his face. That’s it. Although now, I have encouraged him to take it a step further by toning. He doesn’t moisturize, he doesn’t put sunscreen. I know… It’s such a shame. I have been telling him nonstop to do so, but what can I do aside from just nag? Haha!

Anyways, he’s been using the Charcoal Black Foam for about two weeks now since I received it. And when I asked him to give me his thoughts about the product, here’s what he said:

1. He likes that it’s simple. It’s just a facial wash, which he is used to.

2. He has used another brand of facial wash which gives this squeaky clean feeling, Men Expert Pure & Matte Charcoal Black Foam doesn’t. The latter makes him feel like his skin still has moisture.

3. The fact that it’s black is unique. Since we’re used to white colored facial wash.

4. He doesn’t feel tightening of the pores. But he feels his face is cleaned when he uses it. No need for toners anymore.

5. In my opinion, his face still becomes oily, but not as fast as before.

6. I like that it doesn’t smell too manly. I hate “manly” scents. It makes my head hurt and makes me dizzy.

7. He uses this twice a day.

8. One tube would lasts him for months. The tube is huge.

9. For the price of P195, it’s a good buy.

I asked him if he would buy another tube again when he’s ran out of it and he said “yes”. That shows that this product is worth buying. Now, how to teach him to moisturize. Hmm… :p

Disclaimer: Products sent by company. I am not affiliated with the company. All information written are based on my husband’s experience and are our 100% honest opinion.

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