Wednesday 30 September 2015

EsTrails/ESurient: Food-tripping at Oroquieta City, Philippines

This is one of the scenery one could not always see in Ireland

Hello beautiful earthlings!

This post is dedicated on our foodie adventures in my dad's hometown in Oroquieta City.  My siblings and I lived for a year in this town for a year after living in Saudi Arabia and before going to Ireland.

One of the things that we always do whenever we are in the Philippines is to eat street foods.  Our parents don't like the idea of us eating street food since it is considered not the cleanest foods.

Tuesday 29 September 2015

Other: Cousin's Wedding


Hello beautiful earthlings!

How have you all been?

A couple months ago, my cousin got married when we were in Philippines and I was her maid-of-honour.  My sisteres were bridesmaids and my brother was the best man.


This is my goddaughter who was one of the flower girls!


The happy couple finally wed.


Ate Norlyn and I photobombing the photo session of the bride and groom.


My sister Steffi and her boyfriend Mark did the whole garter thing but instead of a garter, it was a yellow ribbon.

The wedding's colour theme was rainbow.


This little lady had the same dress colour as me! Isn't she adorable?


Archie (of BigShots Styles and Events) is the wedding planner who also is my cousin's best friend.  It is so cute how they all helped out for my cousin's wedding.


My second degree cousin Athena with my aunt wearing green!


Aunt Jinky (we call her Mommy Jinky) is like another mom to me. So glad to be reunited with her because of the wedding.

Everyone got emotional as we saw our cousin walking down the aisle. I am wishing the couple happiness in their married life and healthy and happy pregnancy for my cousin!

I'll see you guys in the next post!

Peace & Love!
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Saturday 26 September 2015

ESurient: Sarsá, Mall of Asia


Hello beautiful earthlings!

This is the first ESurient related post but it is nothing different from a food related post.  I decided to call all my food posts to ESurient.  It has ES in it and it means greedy or hungry so I think the word describes my foodie self and posts perfectly!

I am here to talk about this restaurant we ate in during our stay in Manila.  My mom told us to eat here since she saw it in a Filipino TV show while we were in Ireland called Kris TV and it was highly raved apparently.




Sarsa has a casual, comfortable ambiance which I liked a lot.  You could actually see their kitchen and the chefs preparing the dishes.



Their menu includes a brief introduction on who they are and what they serve.  At the bottom of the menu, it also explains what the word sarsa mean.  It means a sauce that makes the dish taste better.



The restaurant also has an outdoor seating to those who want to bask in the hot warm Manila air.  We just stayed inside where we knew we wouldn't be cranky since we were in a room with air conditioning.


The view is quite nice outside though. Across Sarsa and several restaurants around that floor, they face Manila Bay.


Inside the restaurant, they have a huge blackboard with their new dishes.  The price range of the restaurant is quite good.  I think it is quite affordable compared to the food pay over here in Ireland.


I did not expect much on their food since I really did not know what to expect but man! IT WAS FANTASTIC! I ordered two dishes: lechon manok salad (roast chicken salad) with calamansi (calamondin) dressing.  The dressing was so delicious and complemented the chicken really well!


We were a large group when we got there and only took a photo on our side of the table.

The other dish that I ordered was tuna sisig.  I don't know why I didn't take a photo of it. Maybe because I was too hungry to even take a single photo.

Remember how much I raved about the lechon manok salad couple paragraphs ago? Well the tuna sisig was even better! I have not tasted anything quite like it and it was SO DELICIOUS! I highly as in HIGHLY recommend t if ever you're in Manila/Mall of Asia.


I had to rave about the food in my Instagram.  Our friend Zandra mentioned that eating at Sarsa was one of the things she wanted to do in her bucketlist.  She mentioned the head chef of Sarsa, JP Anglo in the comments and he commented saying thank you!

I am not paid to say this or I'm just saying this because the chef said thanks to my photo in IG but I honestly love the food I had at this place and I would definitely come back whenever I am in Manila in the future.

Well, that's my ESurient post of the day.I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that you are not reading this in the middle of the night hungry!

Subscribe to my blog for more ESurient/food updates! I'll see you in the next one.  Have a blessed week everyone!

Peace & Love!
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Tuesday 22 September 2015

EsTrails/Review: Kabayan Hotel, Manila

Photo by Hotels.com
Hello beautiful earthlings!
After our trip to Singapore and Malaysia, we headed over to the Philippines! Yay! Our first stop was Manila and we stayed there for three days since mom had to get her executive check-up and run errands/preparation for my sister Nikki's 18th next year.

Monday 21 September 2015

ESthetics: Hera Travel Diary Make-Up Collection


Hello beautiful earthlings!

I have received news earlier today from CutenCuterFactory.com that the Korean cosmetic brand called Hera will be releasing its new make-up collection called "Travel Diary" this coming October. They told me that they will be also having this collection in their website on the exact day as the products will be released to the Korean market.

This collection is in collaboration with Italian designers Milko & Diego.  They incorporated travel elements in the product and packaging design.  


The collection will include the goodies shown in the above photo.


The above photo shows Hera's cushion foundation, eyeshadow palette and blush with highlighting properties.


I am excited that Hera included their cushion foundation in this collection.  I bet this will be the main reason why people would want to get this since this product was raved by a lot of beauty bloggers and Youtubers.



The palette contains 5 products that looks marbleized and baked.


Isn't this photo cleaver making it look like a camera but in reality it is a blush compact?



I do admit that I am a lipstick addict and my mom complains on how I have way too many.  There would be times that I would really respectfully disagree.  The packaging for the lipstick is so pretty!


I am so happy that Hera included a cleansing oil in this collection!  It is quite clever that they did since you need to remove all those make-up products at the end of the night when you are about to hit the hay!  It even has Paris as its background!

I want to have all of the products! But if I would have to choose one, I'd probably go for the cushion foundation or the lipsticks!  Man, choosing was difficult! Haha

Like I mentioned earlier in this post, CutenCuterFactory will release these goodies to the international market on October 1st!  They also offer FREE worldwide shipping.  I think this is a great opportunity to have these in your own hands and take advantage of opportunity!

I hope you guys enjoyed this little post that previews Hera's new collection! Have an amazing week ahead!

Peace & Love!
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P.S. The photos in this post are not mine, they were just sent to me to show the new collection.  I give full credit to the photos rightful owner.

Saturday 19 September 2015

EsTrails/Review: Sri Packers, Kuala Lumpur


Hello beautiful earthlings!
When we got back from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, my mom thought that it would be better if we stayed over in an affordable accommodation for the night to sleep in till we go to KLIA to catch our flight to Manila.  We didn't really think that it was possible to spend the night in an airport and mom said that it would just cause us hassle so we booked a night at Sri Packers.

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Food: Dall' Italia Pastabar


Hello beautiful earthlings!

About three weeks ago, our seastar Bianca of Cosmetique-Cosmos and I went to have lunch at this small pasta bar in the Temple Bar area.  It is located in Merchant's Arch just across China Blue.

Monday 14 September 2015

OOTD: Encounter Yves


Hello beautiful earthlings!

It has been a while since I last posted an OOTD related post.  So here I am today with one.

Birthday Post

Hello beautiful earthlings!

So yesterday was the day I hit my mid-20s.  I am thankful that God has blessed me another year to live my life to the fullest. I am blessed for everything that has happened during the previous year.  It was definitely a memorable one.

Friday 11 September 2015

EsTrails: Day Four in Singapore

Hello beautiful earthlings!
Did you guys like my title? It kinda rhymed and I found it a little entertaining!  For my travel posts, I'd normally just write down the places we went to that day but we went to so many places on our fourth day that I just summarized the title to "Day Four in Singapore".
Mom talked to our hostel hostess and rented a taxi for the whole day that included our transport to the hotel.  I cannot exactly remember how much it costed us but if you are interested, you could contact Gusti B&B for their tour packages.
The vehicle we got was a taxi van and while we were sightseeing, our luggages were placed at the back.  Our taxi driver was so nice and brought us to a bunch of places in a short time frame.

CutenCuterFactory.com


Hello beautiful earthlings!

Last week, I was contacted by the owner of CutenCutenFactory.com to be an affiliate blogger of their website.  I was so delighted and more than happy to do it!

So what is CutenCuterFactory?  Well, it is a shopping website that specializes in Korean cosmetics based in Seoul, South Korea. The website sells high end products such as Laneige and Hera to more affordable brands such as Innisfree.  One good thing about this website that got me all excited was that they offer FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!  That is a huge plus on my cards!


Their website is simple and very easy to navigate.  The first thing you would notice is that they have a banner with arrows that shows customers their latest deals.


Underneath that, they have a grid list of all the new products they have in stock. Aren't they adorable?!


Like every other Korean stores, they also give away freebies with any purchase!


This is definitely in my wishlist! My birthday is coming soon maybe keep in mind that I want this! Haha just kidding!

I honestly think that this is such a great offer since the Hera UV Mist Cushion is already about $45! $4.95 more and you get two products!

I suggest to sign up at their newsletter to get the latest promotions they offer so you wouldn't miss out!


Also, don't forget to like their Facebook page for more updates and information about them!

That's it for now! I will see you in the next post! Have a good weekend ahead!

Peace & Love!
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Wednesday 9 September 2015

H&M Studio Autumn/Winter Collection 2015


Hello beautiful earthlings!

I had the privilege to be Bianca of Cosmetique-Cosmos' plus one for H&M's press night/shopping event for their new Studio collection for A/W 2015 on Tuesday night.



The mannequins were wearing the new pieces from the collection!


When we got there, we were offered prosecco and cake pops!  Bianca enjoyed a couple of glasses of prosecco I might add! Haha


They had two screens at the cash desk that plays the fashion show showcasing the Studio Collection back in Paris.  I got excited to see Lui Wen on the screen!


There were a lot of people at the event, from bloggers to press people to customers who were actually eyeing to buy the new collection way before everybody else!


I really want that bralet since it was only €19.99! Even though I would not really wear it outside! Haha I just wanted it because I thought it was pretty!






The collection was very futuristic and space-like.  These goodies will be available for the public on Thursday.



Vogue Williams was at the event as the DJ!  She is gorgeous!



Since it was a shopping event, we roamed around the store to actually shop.





It was more peaceful at the 2nd floor which was the Divided concept of H&M.  That was where we found a couple of pieces that we wanted to purchase.


Bianca concentrated on what to get haha!


The staff at the third floor gave us free copies of the Stellar Magazine which was amazing!


I had to take a photo of her with the winding stairs inside the store!



There was a fashion show during the event that happens every 25 minutes.  The models would start making their way from the escalator.  A lot of the people gathered around to watch the models strut their stuff.  


I really like what this model was wearing! And she rocked the cap too!  And can we just say how beautiful all of them were?


We got near the models during the third set - if you'd call it a set.


Vogue Williams wore this space helmet on every time the models would come down the escalators.


When the male models came, man! I was trying so hard to act cool cause they are so freaking good looking that I would probably end up balling at how pretty these boys were!


I have this huge crush on the guy in the middle! He is so tall and so good looking!


The servers started giving these goodies out when the event was about to finish.


Bianca was so excited to get some sweets!



This event made me broke to be honest!  Here's a little OOTN.  A lot of people I spoke with complimented me which made me very happy and it humbles me to be honest!  One compliment that really made my heart melt was that I looked so classy! It was such a huge compliment!

A photographer from Dublin Fashion asked me if it was okay for her to take my photo and all I could say was "Really?!".  I don't know what happened to the photo or where they posted it.  The fact that someone asked me really flattered me.


Thank you Bianca for taking this photo!


There were such nice and kind people at the event.  One guy asked us if we wanted a photo together and he was so happy to take our photo with my camera.


We had an amazing night at the event and I am thankful that Bianca chose me to be her plus 1!  I cannot wait for H&M's collaboration with Balmain! I am definitely sure that it is going to be bigger and it is something to look forward to!

I hope you beautiful earthlings enjoyed reading this post!

Peace & Love!
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