charmed life♥

Do you normally look forward to food whenever you travel?  For someone who loves cooking - I admit I do.  When I first went to Sydney in 2004 - I loved the "Pancakes on the Rocks'" Caesar Salad, Salmon Sashimi in Japan and Thai Lime Iced Tea (BKK) in  2019.   On my recent travel to the USA, I gained a couple of pounds eating out with family and friends.  But I tell you there are a lot of good food there.  One of the restaurants that caught my attention was Finney's Crafthouse. Finney's Crafthouse is family owned American tavern founded in 2016.  They have multiple locations in Southern California.  In my last day in California, we had light dinner there at their Porter Ranch branch.  (The Vineyard - Porter Ranch - I truly love the place!) What we had? Chicken & Waffle Bites - crispy waffle bites top with buttermilk chicken.  This is sooo delish!  I loved it!  Chicken Quesadilla - is a bomb!  Not really a Guacamole...

When this bag was released by Marc Jacobs last year : I immediately fell in love with it!  But when I went to the Marc Jacobs boutique here in the Philippines only the black is available.  I asked my friend in the US to check this bag for me, but unfortunately it was already sold out.  (hu hu)  Fast forward to April 2024, when I checked their website it was available again and  they added a small size (10" x 5" x 8").  In 2023 they only released 2 sizes : Medium (13' x 6"x 10") and Large (16" x 7" x 13").  I contemplated on what size to get, I was opting for the medium size (when it was first released) because I can use it two ways: via top handle and crossbody (it comes with adjustable strap).  Now the dilemma started when they added a small size.  After weighing the pros and cons of Small and Medium - I finally decided to go for the Medium size which is my original choice.  I felt that the size is appropriate for me because I do carr...

It was my sister's special day last week.  For a change we decided to try Burrow Café located in Taytay Rizal.  It was our first time there, but unfortunately I find the place - overrated.  I'm sorry, but I always give an honest review on everything that I post.  We know it was an underground café... We never expected that it was too steep to climb and go down on around 70 steps.  We brought our senior parents with us (both 80 years old).  They have a ramp aside from the stairs, but honestly my parents did not enjoyed the going up and down session... struggle is real.  The restaurant not suitable for senior citizens. As we entered the café, honestly there's nothing spectacular.  I was hoping for something amazing but it was just too ordinary.  Maybe we expected too much.  I did not tried to go around the place anymore.  Another thing, there is no separate restrooms for male and female, two are available but they are both common comf...

Here is another make up foundation review.  I bought this Dream Focus foundation by Vice Cosmetics from their Endlezz G Collection before I got the BLK Life Proof serum foundation.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use it right away because I forgot about it. When I was spring cleaning my closet I found it still inside the Watsons paper bag.   I just started using this product two weeks ago... (in order to come up with this review).  If you have read my previous make up foundation reviews, you will know that I love matte finish (for foundation and powder).  What I love about this Dream Focus foundation it's demi-matte, weightless but it has a wonderful coverage.   It's also buildable, it does not cake.  I also tried applying it on top of the BLK Daydream life proof foundation since it kinda dewy to mattify it a bit - promise it worked! Blendable?  Yes, it is.  As I have said on my previous blog entries, I don't use brush or sponge in...

After trying Blk's Airy Matte serum foundation, I decided to try their Daydream foundation.  I bought the same shade in Butterscotch.  It is also available in five (5) shades: Oat, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Chestnut and Latte - like the Airy Matte Foundation. --- click here to see my review on the  Airy Matte Serum Foundation It's very similar with the Airy Matte foundation:  Lightweight, fragrance free, blendable and buildable.  This is not a full coverage foundation but it perfectly covers blemishes, hides pores and camouflages redness giving you a super natural no-make up look.  Since it's not full coverage, you need to use a concealer to hide those dark spots.   It's not a natural matte finish: find it kind of dewy (giving the skin a little glow, adding some sheen).  Honestly I am not really a fan of dewy make up finish.  Having a combination skin, I like the airy matte foundation more. Lastly, it's also long lasting and transfer proof....

Here is another make up review.  This time I will be reviewing a local brand make up owned by Anne Curtis the Blk Life-Proof Airy Matte  Serum foundation .  A little backstory:  I use the L'Oreal Infallible fresh wear Make up foundation, but I think they have already discontinued it because there are limited shades available online (and the shade that I am using was already out of stock for months already).    Ever since L'Oreal cosmetics pulled out their make up from physical stores like Watsons and SM stores and shifted to online selling platforms they have not replenished their stocks.   Sad, but I need to find a good alternative.  Yes, I use make up foundation with SPF because I am in front of the computer for more than 8 hours.  And using it really protects my skin from the skin damaging light from the computer screen. There are two (2) kinds serum foundations of Blk: Daydream and Airy-Matte.  It's really hard to choose, but th...

I recently discovered this conditioner from L'Oreal.  Yes you read it right, not Pantene.  Don't get me wrong I still love Pantene but recently I am in search of something that will tame my frizzy hair.  Well my hair is not curly its naturally straight but there are some parts that really look frizzy. I wanted them to be smoothed out.  I don't want to use hair dryer or flat iron regularly because I am afraid that it would damage my hair.  I tried hair rebonding to tame my buhaghag (frizzy) hair which really worked but I only do that once a year.  But when I turned 50 I realized that my hair became more dry, that is why I also take supplements - Vitamin E and Collagen.   While I was in Watsons, found this Ever Pure Frizzy defy Conditioner of L'Oreal it's sulfate free.  Sulfate on shampoos can strip off - hair's  natural moisture that can leave it dry and possibly damage it.  At the reverse side of the package it says that it has maru...

source: Sephora.com For those who is not familiar with this make up line, it's owned by Patrick Starrr.  Patrick Starrr is a Fil-American make up artist who recently launched his own make up brand.  Honestly, I have learned about this brand through the vlog of Small Laude, when she had a collaboration with Patrick Starrr.   I admit (super curious) really wanted to try it.  I have tried American make up brands like Clinique and Colour pop and they did not disappoint.  So why not try One/Size to support a fellow Filipino.   One/Size is available in Sephora Philippines online:  One/Size on Sephora PH .  Since I have a hard time sourcing Clinique Super powder double in Matte Honey, I decided to try it's powder foundation.  What's good about the Sephora website they can help you find your shade.  To find your matching shade: just choose the brand, product and shade.  In  my case, I chose my favorite Clinique shade - and th...

This is a long overdue review.  Mr. Paws Ph is a Pet Grooming Salon and Hotel located in The Grove - Rockwell, Barangay Ugong Pasig city. I first learned about Mr. Paws in January 2021, through Moira dela Torre's Instagram: when I was looking for a grooming salon for Mochi's first haircut.  There are a lot of things I really considered in choosing a pet salon.  My sister had a bad experience with a pet salon near our place because her furbaby died due to a broken skull, and I don't want to experience the same.    Grooming by appointment - Since the Covid-19 cases that time was really high, I really opted to find one that is not crowded.  It's really a plus factor that they don't accept walk-ins.  You need to book an appointment for your furbaby's grooming.  You can book here:  Mr. Paws Ph - Online Booking . Cleanliness -  Aesthetically the salon was at par.  It's clean and they use organic and high quality cleaning products in the s...

source: Casetify.com Well, we see Casetify all over the internet either on Instagram or Facebook (even here in my blogger - *wink!).  I have to admit their designs were totally awesome but I had second thoughts of purchasing because it's a bit pricey.  When they had the Hello Kitty line, I admit I passed on it - not because I don't like Hello Kitty but there are other HK cases in the market  that I can buy for a much lesser price.  But when they recently collaborated with Alice and Olivia which I adore, so I have no other excuse but to get one.   Alice and Olivia especially the Stace Face design is my favorite. Alice and Olivia merchandise are also expensive I remember during our side trip to Hongkong (in 2019) I went in the Alice and Olivia boutique there was this small pouch that costs around P6,000.00+ (can't remember the price in HK$ anymore) : I really wanted the pouch but I find it too expensive for a small make up pouch.  I do have some AO items...

Hello bagaholics!  One of the most coveted bags today - Marc Jacobs Snapshot Camera bag... Before I proceed on how to distinguish genuine from fake bag, here is a short review. The bag maybe small but it's really spacious.  It has two compartments: can fit a couple of things including a phone, car keys, a small wallet, compact powder and a lippy. Aside from wearing it as a shoulder or cross body bag you can also use it as a clutch. It's a versatile bag!♥ Authentic Marc Jacobs Logo strap Snapshot camera bag in Dust multi  Nowadays, those who produce fake bags can really make a 1:1 copy.   But when you look deeper and examine the bags you can really spot the difference.  Purchased both bags to compare.   1. Stitching  2. Brand leather stamping : The "Marc Jacobs New York" - notice the size, font and spacing of the letters. 3. Shape of exterior pocket  4.  Hardware: Metal stamping/engravin...