Archives for July 2017

… My Next Bag?

July 20, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

As you know, I love giving myself birthday gifts and little treats because that’s what I’m all about. I happen to be a thoughtful (self) gift-giver, not playing. I’ve been growing my designer bag collection for the past several years and it gets me excited each time I hit a goal.

Last year, I got myself a Givenchy Nightingale in evening blue. I’ve been eyeing this bag since the redesign came out a couple of years ago. It’s one of the best bags I have in my still-growing collection.

Next year’s treat will definitely be a Fendi. I’m currently torn between the By The Way and the Dot Com bag. Here are some images and modeling shots of the BTW I found online:

Pretty, right? I’m into the whole minimalist aesthetic right now and this bag is so simple, never flashy. I love the handles and conical studs too, they give the bag extra edginess. If you follow me on Instagram then you know I tried the BTW in store:

Back then, I only had my eyes on the BTW and I didn’t get to try the Dot Com. Ugh, I regret ignoring this style!

What a thing of beauty! The crisp lines, the seamless leather, that gorgeous pop of blue! I love the look of this satchel because it’s so structured and sleek. It helps that the branding is always subtle, nothing flashy about the Dot Com! Fendi isn’t exactly known for subtlety but some of the brand’s most iconic bag designs are surprisingly frills-free.

The Dot Com is pricier than the BTW but man oh, man, It’s so beautiful. I’m planning to get the bag straight from the boutique unless one of the personal shoppers I know have this particular color in stock.

I’m also considering the 2Jours but the shape is too similar to my Kensington and at this point, I really need to get a unique bag. I think the DotCom and BTW bag are just that! Ah, so many beautiful bags to think about, I should start saving up.

Review: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

July 17, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

When I heard that Bifesta has pulled out of the country months ago, I was crestfallen! The brand’s micellar water is my holy grail makeup remover (review here).

Sure, Bifesta micellar water is more expensive than other brands but it removes makeup so effortlessly. It’s similar to Bioderma micellar water as far as performance goes. You don’t need much of the product to wipe the whole face clean of makeup. Plus, one bottle contains about 300 ML so you do get a lot of product for PhP400+.

Bifesta’s absence left a void in my heart (Come back, Bifesta!) and I was scrambling to find an alternative. Bioderma’s micellar water is fantastic but it’s hella pricey. I’m just not cool with spending PHP1000+++ for a bottle of makeup remover. Other drugstore subs are either too pricey or affordable but tiny. Well thank Jesus for Garnier’s new range of micellar water!

What is it: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Garnier’s newest line of micellar cleaning water is not just affordable, it’s sizable too… just the way I lovet! The line offers two variants, the pink one for normal to dry skin and the blue one for acne-prone skin. For only PhP249, you get about 400 ML of the product. Sounds like a great deal!

I picked up Garnier’s micellar water as soon as it hit the tropics. I actually got both variants but I’ll be reviewing the pink one today because it’s the one I’ve tested so far.

I transferred the product in an old Bifesta bottle because Garnier’s transparent bottle just isn’t working for me. It’s so wasteful, to be honest. Bifesta’s old pump bottles give more control over the amount of product you use so you save even more.

I’ve had these makeup removers since last year and I’ve yet to finish the first bottle!

Performance

I use about 4 pumps of the product per cotton ball. This gets the cotton ball wet but not soaking. Using the product, it doesn’t leave an oily, slimy residue on the skin. I never felt like my skin was stripped of moisture. There’s no discernible fragrance too.

One of the first things I noticed when I used the Garnier cleansing water is that it doesn’t take as much makeup as Bifesta. It left my skin clean at a glance but I feel like I still have leftover traces of foundation.

I suppose I could be wrong but I always look at the cotton ball after wiping my face. With Bifesta, traces of makeup on the cotton ball were prominent. With this one, not so much. Garnier micellar cleansing water does sting the eyes a little so apply carefully.

Just like a proper Asian, I double cleanse. This, regardless if I used a high-end makeup remover or otherwise. Double cleansing helps wash away leftover makeup, I guess. Thankfully, this product didn’t break me out.

The Pure Active variant does contain alcohol so I don’t recommend this for dry-skinned gals. The Pink one doesn’t contain alcohol so, between the two, I’m all for the pink. I’m sort of regretting getting the blue one for the sake of writing a review because I’m trying to avoid putting alcohol on this fez.

Final Thoughts

I like the Garnier micellar cleansing water. It’s a great makeup remover that’s 100% fragrance-free, paraben-free, and alcohol-free (at least the pink one). You’re getting a lot of product for under 300 bucks too. It’s not as potent as the Bifesta micellar water but for its price, the Garnier micellar cleansing water offers more bang for your buck.

Review: Miss Bella PH Acrylic Organizers

July 8, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: Not a paid post. All items featured in this post were bought using my own monies.

Are you a neat freak? Love organizing your vanity like I do? You’ll love acrylic organizers! Muji is a great place for clear organizers but they’re hella expensive. If you’re looking for affordable acrylic organizers to tidy up your vanity, try shopping at Miss Bella PH.

Miss Bella PH is a beauty junkie’s haven for makeup organizers. The online store has everything from rotating lippy towers to makeup brush cases! The selection is surprisingly vast. That’s great news for those looking for specialized organizers.

I picked up two acrylic organizers from Miss Bella PH: the Carrie and Tiffany 3 Drawer Cosmetic Organizer Set. Here’s a quick review:

The Process

Miss Bella PH has an online store and this is the platform you’ll use to send your orders too. I don’t think the seller accepts orders from casual pings or personal messages.

From the website, there’s a catalog of products from the collection. Just choose the product you want and add the item to your cart. Once you’re done, fill out the order form and hit submit. Finally, you’ll receive a confirmation email and order is complete.

I completed the orders using my mobile phone so it was an easy process. My order arrived within 4 to 5 days, which is kinda slow but it’s fine. The items came well packed, bubble-wrapped and all!

The Organizers

Since I bought the more affordable organizers from Miss Bella PH (PhP750 a pop), I was slightly worried that the quality would be crappy. Thankfully, the organizers are pretty durable. The acrylic material is thick and it could withstand a few bumps.

These organizers look similar but how the drawers are laid out is different. The first variant (Tiffany) has three drawers and a removable top tray.

The other one (Carrie) has 2 mini drawers, 2 large drawers, and a removable top tray. The style of the trays is different too.

I love both organizers, they are so stylish and functional. They make my vanity look ten times better. I love how roomy each drawer is, it can store several full-sized makeup brushes! The top tray is fantastic too. It kept my lippies organized and within easy reach.

However, one of the removable trays I got was badly damaged. I suppose the tray got bonked pretty hard during shipping. I emailed Miss Bella PH about the issue and the seller promptly sent a replacement! I didn’t have to ship the damaged item back to the seller, which is convenient. Took a couple of days before I got the replacement tray but that was fine.

Final Thoughts

The ordering process was so easy and straightforward. The items themselves are so chica and functional. The organizers are also priced right, although some items from the website are a little on the expensive side.

I love the fact that Miss Bella PH’s customer service is prompt too. I got my replacement tray without bugging the rep at all. Overall, I love Miss Bella PH! I would definitely order again if I’m in the market for more makeup organizers.

Review: Maybelline Hyper Impact Liner

July 4, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

A few blogs ago, I mentioned that I traveled to Batangas for my friend’s mother’s 60th birthday. Well, I forgot to pack my makeup kit! Thankfully, we dropped by the local mall before heading home. One of the items I picked up is a pen liner by Maybelline. It’s called the Hyper Impact Liner and it’s amazeballs.

What is it: Maybelline Hyper Impact Liner

The Maybelline Hyper Impact Liner is a precision liner designed for beginners. It comes with an intense jet black formula to highlight the eyes! With just a single pass, I knew this liner is so much better than the K-Palette 24 hour liner.

According to Maybelline, Hyper Impact Liner is:

Equipped with genius technology – jet black ink, 1.5X heavier for utmost stability and flexi cushion tip for easy application.Hyper Impact can create impactful eyeliners for instantly bigger, darker and deeper eyes!

This pen eyeliner is fitted with a cushiony felt tip, not a brush tip. With a flick of the wrist, you can go heavy on the liner for dramz or go thin for a sweet, demure look. Not playing, I go heavy on the liner because I’m mono-lidded. And yes, I line my eyes every day because that’s what Asians do!

Performance

You know what, it’s exactly how Maybelline described this liner to be. The formula is beautiful. The ink is black as sin. You don’t need to layer the product several times to get an even line. And once it sets, it stays put for hours on end.

During the party, I wore this liner for 10 hours in an extremely humid room and the liner stayed intact. That said, the product was breaking down a bit on outer corners of my eyes because these areas were oiling up. On normal days, I wear this liner for 4 to 6 hours and the liner stays pristine… like it’s freshly applied.

The ink is not 100% matte. The finish has a slight sheen to it, almost imperceptible unless you look too closely. I suggest packing inky black eyeshadow on top of the product to get an intense matte.

The liner is so easy to use. It’s really one of those fool-proof pen liners that yield an even line. The felt tip is slightly stiff but it follows the contours of the lids, creating a precise line. Removing the liner is easy with micellar water although you gotta wipe several times to get it off.

Swatch Party!

If there’s one thing that I’m having problems with this product, the felt tip is prone to skipping on the skin. This could create a jagged, uneven line that’s hard to correct. But as long as you are careful as you line your eyes, you should have no problems using this liner at all.

Final Thoughts

Compared to K-Palette’s black liner, this is so much better as far as application, finish, and staying power goes. And it only costs a fraction of the price! The K-Palette’s black liner retails for PhP700+ while the Hyper Impact Liner is only PhP400+. A great deal, indeed!

Review: Plaza Mocha Cafe and Gourmet

July 2, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. All the dishes you see in this post, I bought with my own monies.

I haven’t done a food review in a while and I thought now’s the best time to begin again. After all, my food category has been gathering dust since 2012 (!) I’ll start my first review with a local cafe/resto that’s closest to my heart: Plaza Mocha.

Located on Gomez street in my hometown Paniqui, Plaza Mocha offers a great selection of drinks and dishes, particularly frappes, breakfast meals, pasta dishes, and sandwiches. For most locals, Plaza Mocha is the hippest resto in town, I can’t tell you how many times we waited in line to get seated.

But you know, the joint is actually an old haunt. My then-boyfriend and I used to eat at Plaza Mocha all the time back when the place was new and tiny. The resto was renovated last year and it’s been a hit ever since. Apart from the larger dining area, the newly-renovated Plaza Mocha introduced new dishes. And you know food and me, we’re tight!

Tuna Belly with Aioli Sauce

One of my personal favorites from the menu is the tuna belly. The dish consists of an aioli-drenched tuna belly on a bed of sauteed vegetables. It also comes with, a side of salad, French beans, a lemon slice and a dipping sauce.

The dipping sauce, I never use because it distracts the taste buds from the delicate flavor of the tuna. I just give the tuna a good squeeze of lemon and it’s perfect!

There was never a time when my tuna came out dry or bland. The meat is always moist, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. This is my go-to dish and I won’t be surprised if it’s Plaza Mocha’s bestseller.

Baby Back Ribs

My second favorite dish to order is the Baby Back Ribs. Or as I call it, dinosaur ribs. If there’s one thing you need to know about this joint, the portions are massive. The baby back ribs, for example, is so huge, it’s best for sharing. It’s not the kind of meal to get if you’re feeling a bit peckish.

With this dish, you better get your game face on. Whenever a plateful of this dish arrives at the table, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by all the meat!

The dish consists of a rack of rib with buttered potatoes and carrots. Served on the side is a special BBQ sauce. Judging by the taste, the sauce is the reduced version of the rib’s marinade but don’t quote me on that. As for the taste, I like it. The meat is tender, moist, and slathered well with the BBQ sauce.

I would’ve loved this dish more if it’s not too similar to my mother’s barbecued ribs. The taste between this dish and my mom’s BBQ ribs was so identical, I wasn’t as blown away as my husband. This is my husband’s favorite, BTW. If Plaza Mocha is too full and he didn’t get his ribs fix, he throws a (rare) hissy fit.

If there’s one thing I’m not too crazy about this dish, it’s that there were a couple of times when the meat wasn’t browned well. Like, it was taken from the oven too soon, if that makes sense. It’s cooked well done but it could use a little browning for added flavor.

Chicken Steak

UPDATE: Plaza Mocha made adjustments to the recipe, it seems. The peanut sauce has been changed and the chicken is no longer dry. It still looks the same tho

This is one of Plaza Mocha’s newest dish, I’m not even sure what it’s called so I hope I got this right. I will say, right off the bat, that I’m not crazy about this dish, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before ordering, I was under the impression that the chicken used was the breast part because the dish does have the word “steak” in it. But no, the dish comes with not 1 but 4 chicken drumsticks! It’s quite affordable so you do get a lot of bang for your buck with this hefty dish.

As you can see, the chicken is served with a portion of greens, which I thought was a nice touch. Unfortunately, the chicken meat was too fried to the point that it came out dry and gummy. To me, the sauce tasted much like peanut sauce, which I didn’t love.

To be clear, I’m a peanut butter whore. I love peanut butter so damn much I have two huge bottles of it at home. But when used to flavor sauces, I just don’t like it. This dish is bland and on the sweetish side. This is a matter of personal preference but I really cannot tolerate sweetness in any savory dish.

Pulled Pork Soft Tacos

Yes, the pic looks unnaturally bright, I just pulled the image from my Instagram. It seems like I deleted the original photo. This is another one of my personal favorites.

The lightly toasted soft tacos are filled with heaps of pulled pork, juicy mangoes, and shredded cabbage. They are topped with a creamy sauce that complemented the robust flavors of the pork. The diced ripe mangoes paired with a drizzle of lemon juice cuts through the richness of the meat perfectly.

I love the balanced flavors, the play of textures, the delicious mouthfeel, and the fabulous presentation. No cons, there was never a time that my order came out wrong. A must-try!

Spicy Buffalo Wings

This is one of my hub’s favorite, it’s a typical buffalo wings dish with a spicy kick. Plaza Mocha offers two types of buffalo wings, the one with honey and the spicy one. I’ve tried both.

The spicy buffalo wings come with a creamy dip on the side as well as blanched (?) carrots and celery. Plaza Mocha has been serving this white dip since forever and it’s stupid good.

I don’t eat carrots and celery but when drenched with this dip, so nice. This is an old picture pulled from the cafe’s fan page so it’s a little dated. If memory serves correctly, they don’t serve the wings this way anymore.

As for the buffalo wings, they’re fabulous. The chicken meat is tender, perfectly seasoned. It’s not dry or gummy at all.

Just to be clear, I don’t like buffalo wings in general because they’re sweet and I hate sweet dishes. But I’ve eaten my fair share of buffalo wings in the past so I know these tasted great. Not something I would order but this dish always ends up on our table somehow. We always order the wings and onion rings combo.

My only gripe is that this isn’t spicy enough. But then again, heat tolerance is relative. I make chili flakes at home using fresh chilies so our taste buds are probably dead from the constant heat if I’m being completely honest. So what’s spicy to you might be a little weak for me. To get the heat level up, we always tell the cashier to pump up the chili.

(Update: it seems like the reason why the buffalo wings were sweet was because the husband actually ordered the honey-glazed variant but had the order tweaked to add the heat so I mistook the wings for the spicy variant. Apologies for the confusion!)

Meaty Cheese Spaghetti

I’ve no idea what this pasta dish is really called but I know it had meat and cheese in it. This is my little bro’s favorite dish. The pasta is drenched with red sauce, ground beef, and sliced sausages or hotdogs then topped with lots of gooey cheese.

This dish is indeed extra meaty, Plaza Mocha never scrimps on the ingredients. That said, this is a classic Filipino pasta so it’s on the sweet side. I guess this will appeal to children mostly.

Pesto Pasta

If you know me, then you know I don’t order pasta dishes often. The last time I ordered a pasta dish at Plaza Mocha, I had this:

It’s so good, the pesto sauce tasted freshly made, man. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The serving is massive too, perfect for those who have a huge appetite. To reiterate. Plaza Mocha didn’t hold back on the ingredients.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Plaza Mocha is a nice place to eat/chill out, if you don’t mind the slight wait. The place is always packed for a reason.

The food is great and the desserts are fabulous. What sets the Cafe apart from others is the customer service. The attentiveness, warmth, and the effort of the staff members to build relationships with patrons is something that no restos in this town could imitate.

If there’s one thing I hope the cafe would work on, it’s the selection of the dishes. Don’t get me wrong, the menu is great as is but expanding the rice meals (more pork/chicken options as well as adding a beef rice meal), perhaps adding pizzas, etc., would’ve completed their lineup.

For first-time diners, go for the tuna, the ribs, the soft tacos, and the pasta dishes. We also love the nori fries and the onion rings. The breakfast options deserve a special shoutout too!

This review is getting a little too long but I’m not done. I will post another in-depth review of Plaza Mocha’s desserts and drinks soon.

Weekend at Batangas!

July 1, 2017 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

It’s so weird that I’ve been spending a lot of time on the road, traveling with the hubs. And it’s only July! I zipped by Batangas last week to visit my best friends’ family as well as attend tita Precy’s 60th birthday. It was a blast!

It was my first time traveling without the hubs, btw. I’ve only been to Batangas 3 times and during the previous trips, I didn’t pay much attention to the road. Thanks to years of commuting from Manila to Tarlac, traveling to Batangas by bus was a breeze.

I hopped off the bus at the grand terminal and had a piping hot bowl of authentic Batangas goto. So good!

I touched base with Krissy, who was set to fly back to Italy in just a few days. Incidentally, Kris and I met June of 2000, so we’ve been friends for 17 years. How cool is that?

Of course, the birthday girl is beaming from all the love. The festivities didn’t stop until late in the evening. Happy birthday tita Precy!