Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume

As one of my dear husband's valentines gift, Wonderstruck is easily one of my favorite! 

I'm not really a fan of perfumes endorsed by celebrities but I got one too many! 

Hubby's been buying them, I guess he thinks it safe to buy products endorsed by someone well known. Good thing, he got a good nose, his buys simply smell fantastic. 

Ahhm it helps, that the first compliments I get when I wear his gift perfumes are from him LOL. 

The box with the Taylor's lucky number 13 in gold

Seriously though, Wonderstruck smells wonderful! I got compliments, 

not from hubby alone when I wear this. It smells feminine and warm. 

However, I don't think the smell stays long on me, maybe 4 hours. 

But the first minutes I spray this on, I really feel like I smell so good and yummy! :) 

Ok, ok, I'm not really a big Taylor Swift fan, I like some or most of her songs, 

but I still refuse to admire someone who dominate the teeny booper age. 

But still, she is admirable in a lot of ways. One, is creating this fragrance.

 It is suitable for wear day and night, actually this is my go to perfume now, 

used to use Elizabeth Arden Green Tea when I'm indecisive on what to spray. 

It also helps a lot that the box and bottle looks beautiful.

Taylor Swift personally chose the bottle and charms used in this perfume.

 The bottle really looks nice, it gets a rainbow color when hit by the light and
the color is beautiful too, I want it in my fingernails!

Top notes: Freesia, Apple Blossom, Raspberry
Middle notes; Vanilla, Honey Suckle, White Hibiscus
Base notes: Amber, Sandalwood, Peach

Too many fragrances combined to create this sweet, feminine smell. Even you won't like the smell,

 the bottle is a nice addition to our vanity table, ladies!

And here's the full ad clip of the perfume, Taylor looks like she was plucked 

out of a fairy tale in this one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own this video

Also available, and I want to get this one too, Wonderstruck Enchanted 

Duty Free to Open in Iloilo

Say what!? Yes! Duty Free Philippines is eyeing to open in Iloilo soon. 

During the visit of Duty Free Representatives in the city's chief executive office, 

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, said that a plan for expansion in Iloilo is confirmed. 

Three sites are considered, Iloilo Airport, Central Business District (CBD) in downtown Calle Real 

or the CBD in Mandurriao district. The plan is expected to be finalized in three-month time.

Duty Free Representatives are said to be surprised to see
Iloilo a progressive city in this part of the country.

Well, if this plan will be pushed through, the presence of a Duty Free shop in Iloilo

will give convenience to our balikbayans and OFWs.   

Cambodia: Haggling at the Old Market

This is our first out of the country trip as a couple. Sure, hubby have been in and out of the Philippines as his work demands. But he never go sight see out of airport or his hotel room (I even ask him to walk around new places), he said, he wanted to see the world with me. Sweet! :)

At the airport..I immediately felt the trip to be promising

Our first, or MY first choice is Cambodia. I thought the country looks so promising, lots of sights to see, not yet spoiled and the country seemed tourist friendly. We were so right! We love every moment  spent at Cambodia, if not for the advance Thailand hotel booking, we would have extended our stay. On our way to Thai border, I'm already planning to come back!

with other tourists, busy taking pictures :)

Cambodia is an hour late from the Philippines, we arrived at 2130 hrs and seeing the airport for the first time, I'm a little surprise to see it to be very small however flowing with tourists. We were glad we traveled at night time, everyone seemed to be in a hurry to go home so custom and immigration was a breeze. Alighting from the plane, one can already see the Cambodian architecture from the airport building, going in, elephant, Buddhist statues are present. There, I felt the tone for the whole trip is set.

Going out with our baggage, we saw our name on a placard held by our tuktuk driver. So off we went to our hotel for the night, a 10 minute ride to the town. We decided to stay at a hotel nearer to the airport then transfer in the morning at our accommodating hotel for the next 2 days, it's a little resort hotel 15-20 minutes off town. We wanted a quiet place, save the generic hotels for the business trips.

Our first look at the street, even on circles and rotundas, architecture is present, also the hotels and establishments are richly carved with elephants, temples and the like. 

The whole town seemed to be an attraction itself!

We had a good night sleep at Dyna Boutique Hotel and woke up the next day 

refreshed and ready to take on Cambodia!

a carved wood mural at the hotel's lobby

Veasna,our tuktuk driver for the day.

kids on bike
tuktuk, bike and motorcycle are primary means of transport

our first stop, the Old Market

Of course, the old market is a must visit place for souvenirs and pasalubong. It is good to go early in the morning, as vendors are eager to make the first sale and you can haggle prices to half of the original price. As a courtesy, so as not to offend the local, pay half the price plus a little more. So, on our first purchase, a hand painting of $60, we settled at $33. This followed a pattern to our succeeding purchases until our last day.

 Hubby and me :)

Remember to wear modest and comfortable clothes and footwear 

if you wanted to go for some serious 

shopping or visit the temples.

The old market got a lot to offer from silk scarf to paintings, wooden carvings, spices, 

you can even eat at a restaurant lined along the street and watch the day unfold. 

Going there isn't hard, just say Old Market and your tuktuk will take you there.

Cambodian Riel (KHR) is the country's currency but note that USD 

are widely accepted and it makes everything easy too! 

Haggling in Old Market (or any market in our experience)
*Haggle to 50% but also, if you feel kind enough, give extra to make both party happy.

Hubby: How much is this painting?
Vendor: 60 dollars.
Hubby: Last price?
Vendor: 40 dollars only.
Hubby: No too much. 30 dollars.
Vendor: No, 40 dollars. I no profit if I give lower.
Hubby: I can give you 33 dollars only. I'll look around first (preparing to walk away).
Vendor: Okay, okay. 33 dollars.
sold! ;)

This works every time. 

Remember to be polite while doing this and it's an extra to give a genuine smile.

Brazilian Blowout

Hi lovelies! Today, I decided to visit the salon for an overdue treatment of my hair. It's been four months since my last salon visit. My usual hair treat would be hair color and trim, hair spa/ hair booster. When the receptionist mentioned the Brazilian Blowout, I was kind of interested since it's one Brazilian beauty regimen I could withstand, given the other brazilian down there ;). Since hubby was with me, I consulted him directly if it's ok if I get the Brazilian Blowout, well, it's pricier than my usual salon treatments. Gladly he obliged and I was sold when the hairstylist said that Brazilian Blowout is recommended for anyone who has frizzy, damaged  and processed hair. Well at the time, my hair's frizzy, damaged and processed. 

Brazilian Blowout promised to leave my hair totally frizz free, shiny and effortlessly manageable. Hmmmm I kept thinking, a lot like rebonding without the downtime since after the treatment, you can wash your hair, tuck it in your ears or wear a ponytail.  Aside from straightening my hair and making it shiny and manageable, it will also treat my chemically treated hair. However, the treatment will only last for 3 months. 

Before I became Brazilian :)

I already got waist length hair, been asking my hubby and daughter if I could cut it short but they wouldn't let me. It got a little frizzy at the end at the same time dry and unmanageable at times. 

Because my roots are already showing, the stylist had my hair colored first then shampooed it after. I noticed that the Brazilian Blowout shampoo that they use was controlled by someone, as in they measure the shampoo being used (also the conditioner) later on, the stylist told me that the Brazilian Blowout set is very pricey. Apparently 32k php. Also explain the pricey hair treatment. 

After shampoo ( which was very thorough, mind you), the stylist handed me a mask to cover my nose since the chemical used have a very strong smell. I ended up using the mask to cover my eyes too LOL! Once my hair had the chemical treatment, I had a blow dry then he used a straightener to further straighten my hair. I was guided to the wash area after the straightening session (I already like my hair at this time), my hair was rinsed and a conditioner was applied and was thoroughly rinsed again. My hair was blow dried and straightened again. After 3.5hours, I was feeling my soft, shiny hair and hubby kept touching it.

Certified Brazilian! ;)

I didn't snip an inch of my hair since I see the ends are ok after the blowout.

I forgot to take the after photo at the salon coz we we're already running late in picking up G from her dance class. Hubby took this photo at home. He was teasing me after the treatment to do some hair flip (which I did) since my hair seem to have more bounce and it seemed 'balik ayos'. Mind you, I thought some eyes were on my hair too! hahaha! Well, I'm satisfied with the Brazilian Blowout and if permitted financially, I might do this every 3 months since the Brazilian Blowout is a cumulative treatment. The more you receive the blowout, the healthier the hair will be and the longer the result will last.

Toto Kaloy's Bibingka

Namit!

Namit! (Delicious!)

This is our G's favorite bibingka. One of the things that keep Gia still when we attend Sunday mass' is a pack of bibingka. Now whenever we go to the mall, this is one snack she often ask for. She don't eat burgers or pasta or any food that's typical to be asked by little kids. So, when she ask for something, we readily make it available for her.

We love Toto Kaloy's Bibingka, sure, they are freshly baked as when they ran out of bibingka at their kiosk, we would wait for 15minutes for a new batch. It's 15php a piece, 90php for a box of 6.

This is actually very filling, we could eat 2-3pcs though because we love Kaloy's that much, a take out is a must too. You can refrigerate it and reheat at a later time.

A piece is very filling but you'd go for a second one!

We love the shredded young coconut that they use.

Toto Kaloy's have kiosks in SM City Iloilo, lower ground floor (in front of Iloilo Bingo), Gaisano Capital City Mall, Robinsons Place Iloilo, 2nd floor and the Atrium Mall.

Christmas Gifts! iPod Shuffle

iPod Shuffle Red 2012 color addition

I wanted to complete my collection of  Apple products. Today, I received a package and it's an iPod shuffle, a small and perfect addition to my growing collection.

hubby ordered online a red shuffle

opening the box, it was well packed

The small package comes with the headset, the shuffle itself, starter booklet and USB. I was excited since I've been wanting a new mp3 player which could keep me company when I do my early morning jog. I thought this is a good choice for it. What I like most though is the engraving.

so sweet

You can checkout the Apple website on how to add a special message on your favorite Apple product. It is a perfect touch to add sweetness on that Apple gift you wanted to give yourself or a special someone.

On the product review itself, iPod shuffle is a small wonder with a sturdy built in clip, support for playlists, a voice over feature that announces playlists, track info and battery status. Some would be turned off by the 2GB capacity but I think that would be enough for me, that's about 360 songs. What I dislike is the controls tend to get pinched when clipping the iPod to my clothes. Apart from that, I'm satisfied with  this small gadget to bring my songs on the go!

Christmas Gifts! beats. by dr. dre.

Beats by Dr. Dre solo HD red special edition! This is one gift I truly love. 

I was eyeing a Hed Kandi and felt lucky that I got beats!

This solo HD headphones' light and is foldable, making it small enough to fit in my purse.

monster beats box, very well packaged

Opening the box, carrying case is revealed with the beats folded away, also its cleaning cloth, booklet and headphone wire. Although folded, I wouldn't call it portable as it is a traditional hifi headphones you would not use for a jog or exercise. This gift is best company for a run.

One thing I like about beats solo is it is not humongous, I can actually use it and not look like I'm trying hard to be cool teenager. The cord is not permanent, and probably you can replace it once damaged. Also, it is not battery operated  and it can run even with an iPod shuffle. 

could be extended for better grip on head

The first few hours that I used the monster beats, I was hooked. I now know why they named it Beats! That is if your music quality is good, I find it a very compatible headphones for a certain type of music like bass heavy raps and songs also with modern pop. However I find Beats render very clear sound to the point that you can hear nuance, I hear little details in a song that I've never heard while just listening from a speaker or other headphones.  But this also means that the over all quality of the product is good if I could hear those subtle nuances.

Safe to say I love my monster beats and I'm bringing it anywhere! 

As hubby put it, I was on a sound trip when I started using Beats!

Whatever your type of music, a good headphone's an investment you'll surely appreciate!

Til next time, lovelies!

xoxo