Today I wasn't able to go to work because I was sick. I didn't go to the doctor but I was feeling flu-like symptoms and was too weak. I also couldn't stay awake for more than two hours without feeling woozy. This might have been avoided had I stayed home last Saturday but I couldn't. I don't like it when people flake on me, especially at the last minute, so I hate doing it to others myself.

Anyway, the point is I haven't been around much lately because I've been drowning in work responsibilities (even more so these days) but it's okay because I love what I do and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

I'll be spending my fourth year with my company in August. In the grand scheme of things that is but a speck, but ohmygoodness it blows my mind how much I have learned and experienced, how many people I have met and talked to, and how many emails and text messages I have sent out already, among others.

That was the first time I contemplated taking a big leap of faith. The Beginning. Sure, I miss the comforts of my old working and living arrangements and how everything was an established routine, like clockwork. Now I deal with a lot of stress not only during events but even in the most minutiae of everyday PE work; I've also had to deal with some people who undermine me and my abilities, but to be perfectly honest? I wouldn't trade this for anything.

(Also, joke's on them because I outlasted them. I win, HAHA.)

Sometimes I worry that I whine around my boyfriend and my friends too much, but I'm not really complaining. I'm just releasing stress, heh. I'm thankful for friends in the industry who understand. Special shout out to Tish, who I met for coffee last Saturday. ♥

Now it's late and I need to go back to sleep because I still need to recover completely for this busy week, but I'll be leaving you with a special giveaway!

Find Out How and Where to Get Good Deals When Online Shopping and Win $100 Gift Card From Sephora

If you like online shopping like most of us do, well then let me share with you three valuable tips on how you can save and where to score the best deals. 

Three valuable tips on how you can save when online shipping: 

The cardinal rule in smart shopping is to avoid paying in retail. So my first tip is to hunt for coupons before making a purchase. Couponing is the best way to save when shopping either in-store or online, and luckily, there are now sites that are solely dedicated for coupons. There are actually quite a few sites but the best one out there is DEALSPOTR. 

Dealspotr is the “Wikipedia of deals” with thousands of community members posting and curating deals for 65,000 brands 24/7. In fact, it has 54% more working coupon codes than the other known coupon site, based on recent study. 

(To know more about Dealspotr, you can visit and sign up here.) 

Next tip is to stack coupons whenever possible. 

Some retailers allow you to use multiple coupons per transaction so maximize your savings by entering the codes strategically. So for example you have a coupon code for a $10 off purchase and another for a 15 percent discount off— enter the 15 percent discount code first, then the $10 code so you’ll get 15 percent off the full price of the item, before the $10 discount. 

Lastly, avoid shipping fees. Most online stores offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount so take advantage of that. But in case you’re falling short of that minimum, search DEALSPOTR and more often than not, you’ll find a free shipping coupon on your favorite store.

Now that you know these handy tips, Dealspotr together with LipstickandChopsticks.com, RonnaBonifacio.com, Krissyfied.com, MrsMommyholic, Tauyanm.com, and RochelleRivera.com want you to experience the “shopping high” so we’re giving away $100 Sephora gift card to one lucky winner.

To join, do all the mandatory steps on Rafflecopter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest has officially started and will end on August 15, 2016. The winners will be notified via email and failure to respond within three days will invalidate the win. Good luck!

Now how to celebrate my 4th anniversary in PR?

Guess who's turning one.


Althea Korea is!

For those who don't know about it yet, Althea Korea is a popular beauty shopping site that ships internationally from Korea to Malaysia and Singapore and now, to the Philippines! They offer comprehensive authentic Korean makeup and skincare selections at the guaranteed best price and unconditional returns. What's more, for a minimum order of P1,500 you can already enjoy free shipping direct to your doorstep! No need to worry about additional taxes nor customs fees! I got to try shopping from them when they first launched here and it was nothing short of wonderful.

Now that they're celebrating their first birthday, it is us shoppers who are gifted with awesome surprises!


From today until the 31st of July 2016, shoppers will receive the Althea Korea Limited Edition Birthday Box and DIY Party Kit. This is available while stocks last. I hope you get one because their boxes are very sturdy and perfect for recycling, reusing, and upcycling, and this birthday box is just too pretty!

Free goodies will also be given to the first 1,500 shoppers. We're talking about full-sized beauty products here, people!

There's also a special birthday giveaway where you can pick 3 Top Sellers for 100% rebate that will be credited into your account!


Now, when you're done shopping and you have received your package, make sure to join the #AltheaTurns1 Instagram Contest. All you have to do is snap a photo with your Althea kit and wish them a happy birthday with #altheaturns1. Amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits, and beauty hampers from Althea will be given away!

For the complete lineup of promos and more information about each, please refer to their official website and Facebook Page. Happy birthday, Althea! Happy shopping, you guys! ♥

I've already said this before but it's worth mentioning now: I am happiest when I make. Weaving words is still my favorite medium of self-expression, but no matter what I'm making – prose or poetry or crafts – I'm always in the zone when I'm making something out of nothing. I have an incessant need to start new hobbies and I've already lost count of how much money I've spent on workshops and materials. There was accessory-making, there was calligraphy, there was watercolor, there was gardening, there was yoga, and there was even a time I bought more than three dozen rubber stamps for stamp-making. Those three dozen rubber stamps now lie in a box somewhere in my room, unused and un-carved. 

I have a problem but I just can't stop. My current obsession: resin jewelry.

I've been reading up on it for a while now (check out this tutorial) but I haven't been able to get the chance to do it. When my boyfriend was at Deovir in SM Megamall the other day, I asked if he could kindly pretty please get the materials we need for casting resin and he gladly obliged. 

I was supposed to get the Castin' Craft EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy and Castin' Craft mold from Amazon but it's a good thing we chanced upon them in one of our Deovir runs before. Note: Always check your local craft stores first because you never know what treasures you'll discover! We got the plastic measuring cup from Mercury Drug, while the glitters and colored sand are from National Bookstore.

Resin is very difficult to remove so make sure you have latex gloves on! We got ours from Mercury Drug for only P3.00 apiece.

Since it's our first time to try this, we got the smallest size of Castin' Craft EasyCast Clear Casting Epoxy. This costs P770 and already contains one bottle each of resin and hardener.

I never thought I would find someone who would tolerate and enable my need to start new hobbies and projects. I guess I really lucked out. ♥

I wasn't able to take photos of the complete procedure because I was too busy fawning over my boyfriend but I'm sharing some tips in case you also want to try doing this!

When I first learned about Lucky Blue Smith going here in Manila for Penshoppe, I broke into a silly grin that I couldn't wipe off my face long after the meeting ended. Yes, you read it right! He'll be here in Manila and I am one of the lucky few (heh) who will welcome him at the airport when he arrives on July 29, heehee.


To think I didn't even have an idea who he was when Penshoppe first launched him as one of their brand ambassadors early this year. But with those baby blue eyes? I was caught hook, line, and sinker.


On July 29 (Friday), Lucky Blue will walk the runway as a special guest model for Penshoppe's fashion show at the Conrad Manila. Fans can also look forward to a special meet and greet session with Lucky Blue at Penshoppe SM Aura on July 30 (Saturday).There are two ways to score invites to these two events, just log on here for the complete mechanics.


It's going to be another hectic week for sure, but it's one hectic week I'm definitely looking forward to!

It's past midnight on a Sunday. I should be getting some sleep and recharging for the coming week [that looks like it's going to be long and tiring] but instead I'm here, drowning in a pool of my own tears and trying to make sense with the words I'm typing.

I blame Miren B. Flores.

I've been wanting to get myself a copy of her Loveless. Childless. Clueless. but it wasn't available at the recent April Feels' Day. Now I am on a self-imposed book-buying ban [that will supposedly be lifted once I finish everything in my to-read pile but who am I kidding] but I saw the ebook on Amazon and one thing led to 1-Click and before I knew it...

Standing amidst the wreckage of a fifteen-year relationship, Anna finds herself single, unmarried, childless and, at the rickety age of thirty-five, trying desperately to pick up the pieces. 

There’s a lot of crying and punching, a trip or two, and a list of things to do and be to get her self back. There’s the heady scent of a (possible) spankin’ new man sparring with the memory of the boy who first captured her heart—and may have stomped all over it. 

But what would she know? After all, here she is—loveless, childless, and totally, utterly clueless.

And now it feels like someone ripped my rib-cage apart, took my heart out, and squeezed all the life and breath out of it, and I am left a whimpering adult who couldn't even muster enough discipline to follow through a self-imposed book-buying ban.

If no book has ever made you cry before then I suggest you pick this book up and feel feelings. It doesn't even matter if the main character in the story is 35 years old. Whatever your age, heartbreak is a universal feeling.

Whoever has gone through a breakup or a case of unrequited love will definitely relate to this book. Actually, even those who have never gone through the ugly mess breakups can be will feel like it because Miren describes everything so well. I am currently in a happy relationship but it forced me to dig deep and remember the miserable state I was in.

One of my favorite, most personal blog posts, I wrote when I was going through breakup hell.

I went through the whole hoopla: I cut my hair, I lost friends, I lost stuff he borrowed that I never got the chance to ask for back, I lost plans and dreams. There were ghosts, there were scars. But most importantly, there was a choice. There was hope. Hope that someday these things that hurt will hurt no more, and all will be a faint and distant memory.

It's all a faint a distant memory now, and as cliché as it sounds, I'm glad it happened.

"I think the best and worst part of any relationship is the history—you can never have a clean slate. There's no such thing. So you go on as best as you can—both of you. And sometimes, you'll do it right. Sometimes you'll screw up. You'll forget to love, you'll lost the love, you'll hate the love. But always, you will love."

Because, as a wise man on TV once said, "love is the best thing we do." ♥

They say nothing lasts forever. But I'm not asking for forever, just something that will last the whole day, or at least until after the event is over.

I work in PR and it's important that I look presentable especially during events, but I don't have the luxury to look in the mirror and retouch all the time. The best I can do is have faith that my makeup will last through pleasantries and conversations with our guests, quick bites and sips here and there, and air kisses. The next important thing I have to consider is budget. It's easy to find long-lasting makeup if you have the money for it, but for someone like me who has a lot of other things to prioritize when it comes to finances, affordable makeup is heaven-sent.

L'Oréal Makeup Designer/Paris heard my woes and released Infallible, a full makeup range that promises to fight makeup meltdown. They generously sent me products from the line to try, but because I am such a lipstick junkie I am sharing my thoughts on the Infallible 10HR Lipsticks first.

Bid adieu to fading and flaking and welcome sophisticated, high-impact color that lasts all day with the new INFALLIBLE 10HR LIPSTICK, the #NEVERFAIL lip color from L'Oréal Makeup Designer/Paris that stays fresh and vibrant for up to 10 hours.

The Infallible 10HR Lipstick is said to end your search for lip color that lasts from morning coffee to evening wine. They sent me five shades from this line, and I'm sharing the swatches here!

Aside from filling in my brows and patting on Maybelline Super BB Cushion, I didn't put anything else on my face in these photos.




Bold Bordeaux is a brownish-red, kind of like a dark mauve. It almost looks like Persistent Plum, but tamer, if that makes sense.




It irks me that my camera couldn't quite capture the exact shade of Everlasting Plum on my lips. (The swatch at the back of my hand is more accurate.) This is a rich plum-colored lipstick that borders on purple. I have a lot of purple lipsticks but I don't think I already have something that looks like it.




Persistent Plum almost looks like Bold Bordeaux, but darker and more pigmented. This is such a #girlboss lipstick, and I can see myself wearing it on formal meetings.



Refined Ruby is such a beautiful ruby color that wasn't captured by my camera. The name and the shade remind me of Dorothy's ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz, Dita von Teese's signature red lips, and the shiny red apple that almost killed Snow White. I really like this a lot, and I think I will wear the hell out of this lipstick.




Resilient Raisin is a rich brown shade that is like Maybelline Touch of Spice's more sophisticated older sister.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of all swatches:


I still can't choose a favorite.

I've been using these lipsticks for a week now and whilst they didn't last 10 hours on my lips (it's not their fault I am such a big eater and snack-er) what I've noticed is that they are indeed long-lasting and non-drying. Thanks to the infused vitamin E, Infallible 10HR Lipsticks are hydrating and have a creamy, easy-to-glide formula that applies evenly. One swipe is enough but the color is buildable without feeling tacky or dry. If you're looking for something matte, these are not it. They settle into a demi-matte finish but that's okay because the richness and opacity make up for it..


The Infallible 10HR Lipstick comes in an expansive range of 20 shades: from subdued neutrals to vibrant hues to bold, deep shades. I was sent the bold, deep shades but I would like to get the nudes, too. They sent all swatches to me via swatch cards and if that's not a tempting invitation to get all the colors from this line then I don't know what it is. LOL. At P500 a pop, I say these are affordable enough, especially since I don't have shades that look like these in my traincase already.

I don't wear foundation except for more formal events so I haven't put the other items from the Infallible line to the test yet, but I hope you can watch out for my review of those as well. For more information about Infallible, you can visit L'Oreal Paris Philippines' Facebook page. Thank you for reading this post!

Disclosure: I was sent the lipsticks but I was not required nor compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. Click here to read my blog's complete Disclosure Policy.

Weather forecasts said the typhoon has left the Philippine Area of Responsibility, but the sky continued to be relentless and unforgiving today. I was supposed to go out but I stayed home instead.

Not that I'm complaining.

They say you don't have to leave the comforts of your house to visit other places, so long as you have a book with you. And oh boy, what [dark and perilous] places I visited today, thanks to this book.

From the creators of the award-winning graphic novels Trese, Seroks, Tabi Po, and Mikey Recio and The Secret of The Demon Dungeon comes The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Creatures & Beasts of Philippine Folklore, an imaginative book by Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo, David Hontiveros, Bow Guerrero, and Mervin Malonzo that seeks to divulge the deepest, darkest secrets of Philippine lower mythology.

I grew up on local komiks thanks to my Grandma, so I've always been interested in local folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. This book panders to that interest, and flipping through its pages was such a treat to my seven year old-self! In this book, we read riveting details about the many monsters and mysteries that abound in local folklore, purportedly based on documents written by a character named Alejandro Pardo.

In The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, the titular character was a Spanish explorer who came to the Philippines in the early 19th century during the Spanish colonization. Pardo studied the creatures of local folklore—among them the aswang, kapre, bakunawa, duwende, tikbalang, tiyanak, and manananggal—and chronicled his eyewitness observations in a journal which also contained hair-raising illustrations of its subject matter. Pardo’s writings, which were gone from the light of day for two centuries, ends up in the hands of one of his modern-day descendants and a colleague—and the result is this book, a chilling look into the world of Philippine folklore’s ghastly beings.

The photos I shared here are just some of the beings I am already familiar with, thanks to the stories that made me cower under my blanket I heard and read when I was a kid, but there are a lot more I do not know about yet, mostly because stories about them circulated in just a few regions in the country. You learn something new every day, and I'm glad this book taught me a lot.

Aside from detailing popular creatures from Philippine folklore, this book also teaches how you can defend yourself from these creatures when you come across them.


The chapter "Defending Against the Dark" emphasizes the need to always be ready and identifies which weapons are the most effective.

As you can see, creating this book took a lot of effort and research. I was floored by the illustrations found inside and bemoan the fact that they might have taken permanent residence in my nightmares starting today.

If you are familiar with J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, I daresay this is the Filipino version of that, so the beasts and creatures are more familiar, making them seem more real.


And really, who ever said they aren't real?

The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Creatures & Beasts of Philippine Folklore is published by Summit Books and is out now in bookstores, newsstands, supermarkets, and convenience stores nationwide for P295. 

For updates and more information, like Summit Books on Facebook and follow on Instagram.

Hello, weekend! I am so ready for you. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

But before I curl up in bed with my pillow and the book I'm currently reading (Blast from Two Pasts by Kristel Villar), I'd like to share what we did last weekend.

I've probably helped organize or gone to more than a couple hundred of events already, but the Penshoppe Denimlab DIY Bar held in Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall last weekend is one of my top favorites.


As I've written before, I'm not saying this just because I work with the brand. The Penshoppe Denimlab DIY Bar was a perfect exercise in EQ and creativity and I am SO happy with the outcome.

Alex and Marvelle [and Sadness] manned the fort with me on the first day of the pop-up shop

Busy bees

With Ana who just came back from Japan! Woohoo, thanks for the support!

Say Alonzo and her son Asher

With the Partners in Vogue Dana and Tina. I love these two!

With my qt boyfriend #cheese

It took me a looong time to decide on the patches I want for my Denimlab items, and even then I still kept on asking myself if that was already my final decision. LOL. Tip: It's better to wear your Denimlab item before deciding on where to put the patches as it will show you how the garment falls on your body.

Penshoppe also invited one featured artist per day to paint on the items of the first 20 shoppers to buy at least P2,000 worth of stuff from the pop-up shop. Tippy Go of Googly Gooeys was the featured artist on the first day.

My favorite part of that day witnessing Tippy paint on my Boyfriend Jeans ♥

So prettyyyyy (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

A unicorn farted rainbows, hee

Krissy and Tippy!

My blogger friends who went also had a great time. You don't believe me? Check out the blog posts of Ana, Ava, Ruth, and Paul! You may also check out the #DenimlabDIYBar hashtag on Instagram.

With Ana, Aisa, and Ruth

Post-event dinner with Alex, Anne, and Chad ♥

Here are the Denimlab pieces I bought and customized on the first day of the Penshoppe Denimlab DIY Bar:

Lightweight denim parka with three doughnut patches

Boyfriend Jeans with K and unicorn patches and painted on by Tippy Go

What do you think?

Everyone enjoyed the three-day event as you can see on this video:


The only sourpuss who didn't enjoy the event is Sadness.

Sadness wanted to have patches applied on her jeans also but she was told there were no patches small enough. Awww. HAHAHA!

Now that the Penshoppe Denimlab DIY Bar is over (but watch out because they're planning to bring it to other places in the country), I'm excited for our next project. Lucky Blue Smith is coming you, guys!!!

'Til next!