And by that I meant staycations like this. We should do this more often, yes?

Hey everyone, how are you spending the Holy Week?

Aside from taking the time to reflect, this long weekend also gave me the opportunity to rest and relax. I have been reading and watching movies and my favorite TV shows to my heart's content since Thursday and it feels really good to have the time to do so. So far I have begun reading about six novels including Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's and I have also re-watched the Toy Story trilogy (I still teared up each time), HappyThankYouMorePlease (what a sweet movie), FRIENDS Season 3, Daria Season 2, and Katy Perry's Part of Me. 

Did you see How I Met Your Mother's latest episode, The Time Travelers? It was a gem and reminded me of how much I really love this series and these characters, especially Ted Mosby. And mind you, it's not just the fictional character I like. I think I love Josh Radnor now more than I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt and that is why I don't have a boyfriend in addition to my being painfully shy and dreadfully awkward in front of other people I don't know. This is a terrible segue, but can we please have a show of hands for every one who loves Cartoon Network's The Amazing World of Gumball and The Regular Show as much as I do? Yay! ｡◕‿◕｡

So there. This is actually just a quick post to say hi and mark my blog's new color scheme hee. So hi! After I hit Publish I am planning to go back to watching Daria. Tomorrow we'll wake up early for Easter Mass and then visit our relatives. And then, and then, AND THEN, I'll go to SMART-Araneta Coliseum to meet my friends for dinner at around 6PM before we head to The Script's concert! I've been waiting for this since August last year so I guess you can tell how excited I am!!! ヽ(´▽｀；)/♪

In other news, it is my birthday exactly a week from today and I seriously don't know how to feel about this, except I know it is inevitable and I should stop being too much of a drama queen. A friend and I had a nice conversation about it yesterday, but I guess that's another post for another day. Daria and Jane and Trent are waiting. (¬‿¬)

When was the last time you discovered something for the first time?

Last weekend was full of discoveries thanks to Nescafé and Nuffnang. Instead of spending my Saturday in the comforts of our couch or in front of my computer at home, I was actually out there, doing something. Nothing wrong about the former of course since I spend the whole week working and my body does deserve some rest and relaxation, but when I received the invite I knew I just had to say yes.

What made it more exciting was that the invite didn't really specify where we were going or what we were going to do, all it said was to come at our meet-up point wearing our best exploration-ready or casual resort-wear outfits (Ehem ehem I almost wore a bikini ha ha)!

Mom & Tina's along C5

After getting our fill, we were ushered into a coaster to begin our adventure/ field trip!

While in the coaster, we had mini games that made us even more excited. It didn't take us too long to reach our first destination though as it was only less than an hour away from the city: Antipolo!

First discovery: Crescent Moon Café

Crescent Moon Café makes and sells handmade ceramics; if you have ever eaten in restaurants like Sumo Sam, Yabu, and Red Crab then you have seen samples of their work. The café also serves food so you can enjoy eating while being surrounded by nature. It's a really beautiful place where time seemed to stand still.

As with other crafty stuff, I've always wanted to learn pottery so I was really excited for this pit stop. I've already visited a pottery studio before when we went to Ilocos but it was my first time to see someone use a potter's wheel in person.

Who knows, maybe next time I can indulge this interest and actually enroll in a pottery workshop.

Second discovery: Pinto Art Museum

Not far from Crescent Moon Café is another beautiful secret garden I can't believe is just an hour away from the city: Pinto Art Museum. With the whole place - all 1.2 hectares of it - milling with paintings, sculptures, and art installations, it is definitely every artist's kind of wonderland. I can never be a painter (drawing is one skill I never learned as a child) but it was one of my many childhood dreams, so you bet I also really appreciated that we went here.

We took a quick break for lunch prepared by Bizu and Nescafé.

Third discovery: Bianca Gonzalez as the new Nescafé-in-a-Can endorser

There are some celebrities who are all goody-two-shoes on TV and social functions but whose attitude do not translate well off-camera, whereas there are some who are well-rounded, sincere, and authentic. When Bianca walked in, she really felt like a breath of fresh air. She is probably one of the prettiest and most down-to-earth celebrities I've ever met, and kudos to Nescafé for signing in such a perfect match to their product.

The exploration continued after lunch.

As you may have observed, majority of the pieces are about religion, slice of life, nationalism, satire, or social commentary. This pit stop was really enriching for the mind, heart, and soul, and the time we spent there was probably not enough.

Fourth discovery: Nescafé-in-a-Can

Nescafé-in-a-Can comes in three flavors: Mocha, Latte, and Espresso Roast. They can be found almost everywhere: supermarkets, drugstores, groceries, even convenience stores by gasoline stations! It is so easy to pop by any of these and get your caffeine fix. Perfect for long drives, especially if you're going away from the city for long weekends! My favorite is Latte, what's yours?

Not really a new discovery but something worth mentioning: It's always great to experience and discover new things with old friends and new ones.

With Ana and Helga Photo from Helga

Ana and me with varying shades of lipstick increasing levels of tiredness. Very well worth it, though!

Group photo!

Let me be completely honest when I say I love receiving free stuff in bloggers' events, but if made to choose, I definitely prefer campaigns that are more "experiential" like this Weekend Discoveries trip prepared by Nescafé and Nuffnang because aside from learning new things, I also get to be in settings out of my normal comfort zone thus making me more aware and letting me discover and appreciate more things about myself and my surroundings.

My winning Instagram photo (I won an art set for this, yay!) made into a ref magnet and my personal chiller with "supplies".

Thank you so much Nescafé and Nuffnang!

When you get an invite like this,

you say YES.

Because when you do, you open yourself to wonderful things.

When life asks you to participate, you go ahead and do it.

If you do, then there will be more to write about.

Cheers to more explorations, experiences, and discoveries!

PS: I'm still sifting through a ton of photos taken from today's one-of-a-kind adventure. HUGE thanks to Nestle Philippines, Nescafe, and Nuffnang!

Okay, so I won't even try to do a "humble brag" and just say this upfront: I love my eyes. I love its shape, I love that I have long and thick eyelashes, and I love my eyebrows' arch. There is only one problem that stops me from flaunting it for all the world to see (ha ha): I need to wear eyeglasses. All. The. Time. I am practically blind without it; I cannot go out without my glasses because doing so would lead to many accidents as going without my trusted pair is like watching a 3D movie without 3D glasses on - pointless and dizzying. I have contacts but they're frakking expensive and I'm not used to wearing them that often. I'm too paranoid that I'd roll my eyes a little too much and they'd end up inside my body LOL.

That's not to say I have stopped my quest for great products to prettify these peepers, though. I love looking for nice eye products and learning eye makeup techniques because who knows, I might suddenly decide to join the lottery and instantly win and then I can buy myself a brand new pair of perfect eyeballs. ^_^

One great product I've tried recently is the Eye of Horus Natural Mascara. I've already heard and read lots of good things about this mascara so I was thrilled to be asked to write what I think about it. This was sent to me by the Glamourbox team but rest assured that this is an honest and unbiased review.

Eye of Horus mascara strengthens and lengthens for ultimate Goddess lashes. Naturally formulated in the style of the ancient Egyptians with plant based ingredients. Designed to accentuate and enhance the natural beauty of your lashes.

It comes in a simple black box with gold details and the tag-line is "Awaken the goddess within." Very Cleopatra-ish, yes? Gorgeous, I love it.

This mascara is perfect for those with sensitive skin and fine, brittle lashes. Remember how in those old period movies the Egyptians always had eye makeup on? They didn't have cosmetics back then, that's for sure, so what they used were natural waxes and oils. Basically, Eye of Horus used the same principle as basis for their eye makeup range.


The brush is flexible and thin. I was expecting to be disappointed with the pay-off at first because the bristles don't seem able to pack a lot of product but it turned out that this brush carried just the perfect amount as it didn't clump upon application unlike other mascaras I've tried!

Here are some photos to further demonstrate the effects of the Eye of Horus Natural Mascara on me. Please note that aside from the watermark I didn't do any other adjustments to these pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER with one coat of Eye of Horus Natural Mascara, no eyelash curlers used

Another look

Did you notice how my lashes looked considerably thicker and more defined without looking unnatural? I've been wearing it every day and I just love how it doesn't irritate my eyes, nor smudge, nor clump. Alas, I haven't tested yet if it will smudge or not if I cry but I will definitely update this post if I do.

Last Monday I put my mascara on at around 6 am. I got home a little past eight in the evening looking and feeling tired as hell but I still managed to take this photo to see how the Eye of Horus Natural Mascara held up.

More than 12 hours and it still looks great!

Just for fun, I tried my eyeglasses on while preparing the photos for this review just to see if it will have any "magical effect" on me. Look! Now, if mascara stays put like that for that long, then it should be difficult to remove, right? Wrong. For a waterproof mascara, it's actually very easy to wash away using warm water, no need to tug on your skin. Amazing!

Looking like a total doofus while my sister was in the background counting lizards(?)

I wouldn't mind using eye makeup even when I have glasses on if the product I'll use is as good as this. The many accolades the Eye of Horus has received from bloggers and editors from other countries are very well-deserved and it has now earned a permanent spot in my makeup kit! At P980, The Eye of Horus Natural Mascara is a great product and I highly recommend it. You may get yours by going here.

A few months ago I told you about my first Brazilian waxing experience care of Strip Manila and how it has made me feel lighter, fresher, cleaner, and much more comfortable down there. I honestly thought how I could have gone on far too long without having it! Especially now that summer's here... We all know that summer = swimwear so I have to make sure I avoid any oops-moment like accidental peek-a-boos LOL. 

To welcome summer, Strip Manila has partnered with I Love Koi to celebrate the release of their newest wax, the Shanghai Summer Orange. Strip chose Love Koi to help celebrate the liberated spirit that comes with stepping out in true summer style.




The tie-up introduces refreshing looks inspired by Shanghai Summer Orange; each swimsuit in the collection comes in different shades of orange with a variety of cuts. To further promote this partnership, a fashion show will be held in Prive on Thursday, March 21. Please see the poster below for details.


Are you excited? Check out this special teaser!

Please send your RSVPs to RSVP[at]arcarpopr.com. Hope to see you there! :)