Summer Capital of the Philippines!

Hi guys, it's me again. I promised you that I would post more often so here you go! :) 

Last January 18, me and my blockmates went on a field trip to the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio! It was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY COLD up there (less than 10 degrees I think?), but the place is beautiful! So much history and leisure in one place. :) 

So before I move on to our actual fieldtrip, let me show you our "bahay-bahayan" during our stay in Baguio. We stayed at Le Chateau Transient Home and Accommodation. We were divided into different rooms (named by colors), and our group ended up in the Orange Room. Yeyyy! My favorite color! <3

Orange room! 

Each room has 2 bedrooms (w/ one or more bunk beds), a bathroom, comfort room, living room (w/ TV), and dining room (w/ kitchen and fridge). It is completely furnished! All your cooking materials such as pots, pans, even eating utensils are readily available. :)

Moving on, we arrived at around 1 or 2 pm at Baguio City. Contrary to the scorching sun that we people are used to at this time of the day, it was really chilly in Baguio. So immediately after we have alighted from our van and arrived at our first destination, which is the Ili-Likha Cafe owned by Kidlat Tahimik, we started searching for hot chocolate. We were fortunate enough to meet the owner himself. I admit I fangirled a little since I watched one of his independent films for my Comm 2 class. :)

Ili-Likha Cafe :)

The cafe has a certain charm in it. It's not the usual structured, modern cafe that we are all used to. Different works of arts can be seen all over the place. It's visually appealing and adds to the character of the place. If you want to get a taste of Filipino art, this is definitely one of the places you should visit. :)

Reminded me of The Lorax! :))

Finally, after more than 5 (?) hours on the road, HOT CHOCOLATE!!!

Look of triumph! :D

Me and my friends warmed up a bit before heading out to our destinations for the day! I don't have pictures of all the places we visited like Baguio General Hospital and the Baguio Museum. :(

My friend, Bea, enjoying her cup of hot chocolate! :)

We were the last group to leave the place since our van went missing. So we decided to take wacky photos/OOTDs while waiting. 

Sarah's OOTD! :)

I'm the jeje of the group so I usually do wacky poses such as this! Haha! :))

Thrifted sweater :) 

Our last destination for the day was Maryknoll. More pictures!

Bea's OOTD

Bea and Ching! :)

"F4"

I was really tired the following day because I only slept for about 2 hours so I wasn't as energetic as I was compared to the day before Good thing our first stop for Day 2 in Baguio is in Tam-awan Village. Fortunately for me, there was a cafe in the village so I had another cup of hot chocolate and cheese cake for breakfast! 

Sarah and me having cheesecake and hot chocolate at Tam-awan Village Cafe. :)

We left a few minutes after ordering, since we needed to go to our next destination. :(

Strawberries! :D 

Yeyyyyy for strawberries! :D 

I guess these were the highlights of our trip. It was a great stress reliever for all of us before hell breaks loose again. For those who are planning to visit Baguio, wear layers and layers of clothing. Some of my block mates tried to wear shorts, the outcome was not good (shakes head). :)) We have 2 more fieldtrips coming up, one in Banahaw (I've been there before! :D), and another in Manila (kind of a tour actually), so you'll definitely be hearing from me soon. 

Have a great day! :D 

- Carren

Birthday Gifts aka Etude House Sort of Haul :D

Okay, that was one hell of a long title. Hi guys! It's actually my first time posting here. Yeah, I know I'm kind of a lazy blogger, but I'm really busy with school and other stuff so bear with me! :) I'll try my best to post more often, I promise! 

Anyway, last January 15, I celebrated my 18th birthday. I was too lazy to plan my own debut or even organize a house party so we just had dinner at Vikings with my family and closest college friends. It was a Wednesday so I wasn't able to invite my high school friends since we have different schedules. :( More on that later. :) 

So, as expected, I got really nice gifts from my lovely friends <3. They all know that I absolutely LOVE makeup and clothes, so it was very easy for them to pick out gifts for me. So two of my closest friends, Ching and Geneva, gave me Etude House goodies (Yey!). 

I've always wanted to have a BB Cream ever since the BB Cream Rave happened. I actually have one, but it wasn't suitable for my oily skin. Fortunately, my super friend Ching came to my rescue!

Isn't it the cutest??

BTW excuse me for the quality of the photos. I'm not a good photographer (my sister is), but I'm working on it! 

Anyway this is the Dear Girls Be Clear BB Cream from Etude House. 

Pros :

1. consistency of a BB cream but coverage of a concealer
2. hides dark circles and pimple marks (no need for concealer <3 )
3. doesn't make your face shiny (perfect for girls with oily faces like me) 
4. cute packaging! 
5. price (less than 500) 
6. SPF 30 
7. can whiten skin

Cons :

1. one shade only 
2. difficulty in getting desired amount (I always get too much of what I need :( ) 

So far, I am loving this product. I highly recommend it to oily girls like me! I only wish they had more shades to fit different skin tones. :(

Another gift I got from my friend is this :

... GINORMOUS bottle of Wonder Pore 7 in 1 Total Pore Solution also from Etude House. 

I still haven't tried this yet since I still have lots of pore solution here, but my friend kept on raving about this product so I'm really excited to try this out! 

Well, that's all for tonight! I still have to memorize muscles for our study on cadavers tomorrow! Yes, cadavers. Huhu. Wish me luck! :) Thanks for your time! :D 

- Carren

P.S. I'll try not to make blog posts this late at night so I can get better lighting for my photos! 

Gluta Advance White & Firm Facial Wash Review

Hello guys and gals!Miss me?Haha.Just Kidding.Anyway,today I'm gonna do reviews on my favorite beauty products starting with Gluta Advance White & Firm Facial Wash.

Gluta Advance White & Firm Facial Wash

What it claims:

The Gluta Advance White & Firm Facial Wash thoroughly cleanses and moisturizes by normalizing and neutralizing excess oils in the skin without the over drying the skins surface that some products cause.

Gluta White & Firm Facial Wash has a special formulation that whitens, nourishes, and rejuvenates the skins surface in two weeks giving you a smooth subtle face.

Verdict:

My mother is a dermatologist so I get to try out a lot of different skin products.As you can imagine I was very happy when she gave me a bottle of Gluta Advance White & Firm Facial Wash for free!Since then I have been using it religiously until it eventually ran out.After finishing the whole bottle within a couple of months, I can say that it holds true to it's claims!It cleanses my face without stripping it of it's natural moisture.Honestly though,I can't tell the difference if I did get any whiter after using this because for starters I already have fair skin.Second,I use a lot of beauty products with whitening ingredients so I really cannot attest if that part is entirely true.All in all I would highly recommend this especially if you are a morena who wants to get fair skin.

-Aly

Ripe Rhipes

Hello, loves!

It's been a while since I posted, hasn't it? I've been completely swamped by schoolwork because like the other members of SMACK, I've started college! And it's been quite a whirlwind of a first term (yes, my first term is finished alkfn).

Anyway, onto my post.

I've met some interesting people in my university, and the girl I'll be blogging about is one of the friends I've made!

[outfits c/o Rhipes Backyard]

This is my gorgeous friend, Ira!

She's closely affiliated with the person who owns Rhipes Backyard (which has truly wonderful pieces being sold, by the way), and since I like Rhipes too, I'm kind of advertising it here. Haha!

Anyway, that's the down low for now; in a week mine, Aly and KC's favorite band (THE WANTED!) are coming here to the Philippines and we'll be sure to document to our outfits!

Peace out!

--Maria

P.S. Go check out Rhipe Backyard NOW!

Mani Pedis With My BFF

As you all know being in college is hectic. There is a lot of freedom compared to when I was in high school but it is more difficult to find time to bond with my friends. Yesterday Carren went to my house to come celebrate my father's birthday with my family&I. We also bonded over mani pedis at a near by salon. All in all we had an amazing day together. We badly needed to get pampered and to spoil ourselves even just a little. After all we don't want the stress of schooling to show on our faces. If you girls are wondering how much their service costs it's only P150 for both the manicure and the pedicure which is pretty affordable to me.

 

Manicure and Pedicure : Salon de Jo(formerly known as Edna's Salon)

                            On Carren : Black base with Bright Orange French Tips

                            On Aly : Creamy Light Pink and Creamy Light Blue

-Aly

First Day Jitters and Fluffy Slippers

Vas Happenin' my little fashionistas? I know that I don't regularly update the blog 'cause I'm busy with college and so are my friends/co-bloggers. Last June 14 was the start of a new chapter in my life. It was the first day of college. To stave off the nerves my mum and I decided to do a little shopping and my my,look what I found in a little shop called Smooch in Ali Mall. A pair of adorable bedroom slippers in the color green with this cute red&yellow flower to top it all off. It doesn't hurt that it only costs P150!

                                                                   [ slippers : Smooch] 

-Aly

Beach Photo Shoot

This is a super late post of our beach photo shoot during my birthday. I was kind of stressed out on the way to the beach because it was raining. But if you want a more dramatic effect on your photos, try going there when the weather is cloudy and so on. There's no sun but it was really windy and so we really enjoyed our stay!

Last summer, you would notice that the sheer tops and uneven skirts were really trending. We found some skirts that can be bought at affordable prices, compared to the skirts sold at F21, which is too expensive.

 Left skirt: Centris Station | Middle skirt: Cocco | Right skirt: SM department store

The prices of the skirts ranges from P300-500

  I just had to have a solo pic, in this pose :)))  

With my cousins:

 Swimsuit: Jelly Bean

And as an advertisement, please visit Canyon Cove at Nasugbu, Batangas! You'll really enjoy yourselves there!

That's it for me!

-KC