Sunday, January 22, 2012

First FOTD and Unexpected Binging

Hallo everyone! Kung Hei Fat Choi! Isn't it fun to celebrate New Year's Eve twice? Actually, the thing that excites me the most every Chinese New Year is tikoy! It's really good especially when coated with egg. Yum!

Anyway, as stated in the title, this will be my first Face Of The Day post.  I'm a bit hesitant to post this but what the heck. Like I said, I want to make my blog more interesting.


Thursday, January 19, 2012

Let's Go Vintage (ACGC Europe Tour 2012 Photoshoot

I'm not sure if I mentiond this but the Ateneo College Glee Club is coming back to Europe to compete in the European Grand Prix for Choral Music. Last May 2011, the ACGC won the Grand Prize in Varna, Bulgaria, qualifying them to the EGP 2012. EGP is like the FIFA of Choral World and one of the most prestigious choral competitions in the whole world.

I just want to make sure that you know the reason behind this shoot. And of course, to tell the world how proud I am of my ACGC family. Choral groups are not as aprreciated here in the Philippines and hopefully someday, Filipinos will know of the rich choral music tradition we have. We do have a lot of award-winning choirs here in the Philippines: Ateneo College Glee Club of course, Philippine Madrial Singers, Ateneo Chamber Singers, Imusicapella, UST Singers, UP Singing Ambassadors, Loboc Children's Choir  to name a few. 

Anyway, enough with the geeky choral (yes, I'm a choral geek) stuff. Ave, Miggi and I made sure that the photoshoot this year will be more "Bongga" since this is indeed a big year for the group. Last year's theme was Spring Glow (Click Here) so we promised that this year's theme will be very contrasting. On the way to our 1st meeting, I saw Bruno Mars's billboard ad for Bench. I fell in love with the shades  of brown. Perfect peg! Then Ave said that we could do vintage since Bruno Mar's campaign has that vibe. Miggi agreed with our proposal and added more elements to the idea. We initially wanted a "Vintage Travellers" theme but the logistics will be more difficult since we'll be needing old big luggage to recreate the effect. After costume inspections and online research, here are the final photos.

Below are the groups shots of each voice section and committee. My traincase has a cameo in the Alto 1 photo. Hihi! Even without the elaborate props, we still achieved our vision for the shoot. Galing mo Ave!

 
The boys (Clockwise: Tenor 1, Bass 2, Tenor 2, Bass 1)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

There's a Fine Fine Line... (ELF Pen Eyeliner Review)


Hello All! Here's another product review but this time, I'm reviewing liquid eye liners! I think each one of us is always in search of the best liquid eyeliner out there. Of course we have our own criteria but the most common things we look for are the following: opacity, ease of use and staying power. I am a fan of winged liners but it would be quite difficult to achieve if you're eyeliner is not helping. I've already tried so many brands but I still haven't found the ONE.

I bought this product hoping to find a quality yet cheap one that would be great for everyday use. Since I like pen liners (because it's easier to manipulate), I gave it a shot. So here it is, the ELF Pencil and Pen Eyeliner Case. I was just really planning to buy the pen eyeliners (in black and brown) but since this case costs the same as buying 2 eyeliners, I decided to get this set instead. And yeah, I got a free pencil eyeliner! Teehee!

As mentioned, the set consists of 2 waterproof pen eyeliners and one shimmer pencil liner. It retails at Php 249.75 and comes with a clear plastic (with zipper) packaging convenient for traveling.



Friday, January 13, 2012

I ♥ Matte (NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review)


Who's a fan of Matte Lipsticks? I am! I just really love how dainty matte lipstick looks, not to mention, it's staying power. However, the thing we hate about it? It's drying and causes chapping of the lips. And we all know that chapped lips is a NO NO! It doesn't only look unpleasant but it also hurts especially when the weather is not helping.

Good news! A lot of makeup brands have launched lip products with matte finish but keep the lips moisturized. One of which is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream.

"Neither lipstick nor lip gloss—this is matte lip cream. A new kind of pout paint that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick formulas, also moisturizing."



Thursday, January 12, 2012

Upcoming Concert: A Drop in the Ocean

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
- Mother Teresa

Hi Guys! This is just a quick post to promote my choir's (Ateneo College Glee Club) upcoming concert. If you're a choir enthusiast or simply a music lover, you should definitely watch this once-in-a-lifetime performance.


A DROP IN THE OCEAN
For the Benefit of the Ateneo Sesquicentennial Scholarship Fund

featuring

the ATENEO de MANILA COLLEGE GLEE CLUB
Ma. Lourdes Venida-Hermo, conductor

the ATENEO CHAMBER SINGERS
Jonathan Velasco, conductor

and

the CAPELLA OF CALVIN COLLEGE
Joel Navarro, conductor

============
ADMISSION IS FREE
============ 


For more concert information, contact:

Alex at (0917)588-0810 or Miggi at (0920)905-5175



You read it right! It is for FREE! However, donations will be accecpted and will be given to the Scholarship Fund. Again, don't miss the chance to watch 3 Award-winning choirs perform on one stage.

See you there! :)

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Quality ≠ Expensive (Makeup Brush Haul and Review)


If you're a makeup lover and still looking for quality makeup brushes, this post is for you!

 Another long overdue product haul and review but better late than never! Last October, I tweeted about the super cheap yet quality brushes in Landmark. They were having their Cosmetic Sale back then and all makeup brushes were discounted by 10%.


Though I have a collection of trusted brushes with me, I can't help myself to get hold of at least a couple of new brushes every now and then. One of the biggest investments of MUAs is a good set of makeup brush. And good ones don't normally come cheap. Even a basic set for everyday use can be quite expensive. That's why after visiting Landmark and seeing these brushes, I immediately raved about it on my Twitter account to let my friends know how SULIT it is.


1) Eyeliner Brush 2) Mini Concealer Brush 3) Small E/S Brush 4) Smudger Brush 5) Kabuki Brush 6) Marionnaud N°38 Brush

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Organic is IN (Human ♥ Nature Product Review)

One of my readers requested me to do a review of local products, specifically Human ♥ Nature. And as promised, let me give to you my very 1st HN product review. For those of you who are not aware of the brand, here's a quick overview.




"Gandang Kalikasan (a brainchild of Gawad Kalinga), Inc., the company that brings you the Human Nature range of natural beauty products is founded on three core principles of being PRO-PHILIPPINES, PRO-POOR, & PRO-ENVIRONMENT.The company continues to strive for providing prosperity to the Philippines through successful and sustainable social enterprises and quality natural products for all Filipinos. "

Like other affiliates of GK, Human Nature employs GK residents and has started to work on a Human Nature organic farm in Bulacan.So when you buy their products, you're actually hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. You don't only give your skin a favor (because it's organic) but you also help you also give jobs to you're fellow Filipinos.

Luckily, I didn't have a hard time looking for dealers since I have a co-worker who's one. And since I'm new to the brand, I decided to buy only a couple of stuff in small quantities. My first purchases were the Balancing Facial Wash and Toner.