Ladurée: The LV of Macarons

I first heard about Ladurée last year when I was planning to visit Hongkong. Gerick (our resident luxury expert) pointed out, "Kira, you have got to try out Ladurée! They have the best macarons!" I tweeted HK Harbour City and they replied that Ladurée would be opening on November, a month after my visit. Boo.

So when I flew to Singapore recently, I promised myself that I would bring home one full box of these very famous and delicious macarons. My sister couldn't wait, too, she was constantly Whatsapp-ing me reminding me to pass by Takashimaya.

We initially had difficulty finding the store, we scoured the whole mall and finally just when we were about to give up, we spotted the classic mint green facade. I think I let out a teeny tiny shriek while my friend, Tin, started to take photos :D

Green Beauty Bloggers Meetup: Katsu dinner with Vivi of EcoBeautySecrets.com

In a perfect world, I would prefer to use only organic or natural products. I was into a green beauty phase a few years back, but unfortunately, my skin sensitivities got in the way. As we all know, natural products can still cause allergies especially on hypersensitive skin. So what I did was to learn which ingredients I had to avoid in order to lessen my flare-ups and breakouts. FYI, I am prone to dermatitis on my forehead and pimples around my mouth so even my toothpaste usage has to be closely monitored.

Anyway, nowadays I employ a balance of natural and regular cosmetics and skin care products. It works for me, and I've learned to shun from silicones, parabens, sulfates, pthlates and other nasty stuff. My skin is still a work in progress.

A few years ago, I also stumbled upon Vivi's blog called Eco Beauty Secrets while googling for eco tips and eco-friendly products. I fell in love with her blog because her entries are authentic and very relatable. Her images are also very engaging and fun. Everyone knows that I am too lazy to comment on other blogs. I do read a whole lot of varied blogs from interior design, cooking, to makeup. Vivi's blog struck a chord and I started to comment on her entries, she replied and we started to correspond online. The rest, as they say, is history.

A quick tour of Sephora in Singapore

I flew to Singapore last weekend and it was one of the most memorable vacations I've had. I bunked with my college friend for a few days (she filed for VLs as soon as she heard I was coming over) and we literally just went around without having an actual itinerary. I've been so used to travelling with my family with a set [military] schedule, so I made it a point that this time, we'd just go where our hearts would take us. It was such a thrill to travel alone, so many things happened but I'll save that for another blog entry.

On my first day, we went around Orchard Road to check out the Great Singapore Sale. I didn't go home with a whole lot of stuff, I am the type of person who shuns from sales because thick crowds aren't my thing. If I like something, I will buy it even if I have to pay full price. And yes, my close friends know that am kuripot (stingy) in real life, so flashing 70% off signs won't do much to get my attention.

Anyway, I want to give you a short tour of Sephora. Makeup and skin care junkies (Kira raises hand!) will go crazy here. All of the brands that we are oh-so familiar with in Manila (Benefit, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Stila, etc.) are housed in Sephora. There are also brands that I've been longing for like Soap & Glory, Bliss and Josie Maran, so I beelined for these first.

Poll: Signature lip color or signature fragrance?

I was going through my Twitter feed this morning and saw this tweet about how important it is to have a signature lipstick rather than a signature fragrance. Having studied in Catholic schools all my life (with a uniform to boot!), we were only allowed to wear makeup in college. I'd sneak in a tinted lip balm during my high school days, but admittedly I really wasn't kikay back then. I've had not-so-good skin growing up, it was always oily and hypersensitive and I was always on the look out for water-based moisturizers and sunscreen. You could say, sunscreen was my luho.

That sort of explains why til now, I don't really have a signature lipstick or a signature fragrance. I am so focused on skin care I don't have time for anything else. But if asked what my fave fragrance is, it would be Victoria's Secret Body Mist in Whispering Mist which was phased out in early 2000. In my opinion, it was the best fragrance they created thus far. I don't know why they discontinued it! Next in line would be Ptisenbon Tartine et Chocolat which is a very light and fresh baby fragrance.

A friend once asked me (this was way back in 2000), "I don't know why you keep buying perfumes. You should invest in clothes more." I quipped, "Well, when you wear a uniform everyday, you should at least smell better than everyone else." LOL.

As for my favorite lipstick, I'm hardpressed at just naming just one. But in terms of usage, I'd say it's the Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Pink Lolita which is a wearable bright pink. It's perfect because it gives my face a bright pop of color without being too flashy or too neon. Obviously, I still err on the conservative side when it comes to makeup.

So I guess, these are my "signature" products. What about you, have you found your signature lipstick and fragrance yet? Do you prefer having just one, or both?

New discovery: Hurraw! Mint Lip Balm

Another organic brand that caught my recently is Hurraw! Balm. I've been seeing it on Instagram a whole lot so I decided to order one from Rebecca of Cutieverse (the official local distributor of Hurraw!). Obviously, I love anything minty so I was instantly drawn to the Mint variant. 

Hurraw! is touted as the "finest, all natural, vegan, raw balm available" in the market. It uses only 100% vegan ingredients (no beeswax), contains no gluten, petroleum, parabens, artificial colors and flavors. Each balm is individually poured in their own facility, plus the formula itself is processed below 118F degrees to ensure that each tube maintains the essential nutrients and enzymes. To find out more about Hurraw's core ingredients, please click here. 

The awesome tingle and crisp, icy scent of our mint lip balm reminds us of those old peppermint patty commercials. We get our organic peppermint oil from Oregon's Willamette Valley. It's the best mint we've found and oh so unique! A long lasting minty treat for your lips! 

Ingredients: *Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, ***Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla)wax, **Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, *Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, **Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, *Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, *Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, Mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf oil, Tocopherols (vitamin e) 
*cold pressed / organic **raw & organic ***wildcrafted  

Price: Php 250 (plus Php 90 shipping fee)

Magical Weekend: Visiting the Enchanted River and Tinuy-an Falls, Surigao del Sur

Travelling is the one thing that keeps me sane. It's what I look forward to and what keeps me going through the day, even when work and school can be tiring (so tiring that I want to give up at times) the thought of saving up in order to visit places and experience other cultures is enough to get me through the day.

I'm not a seasoned traveller just yet, I've never been to Europe nor the US but I am starting by going regional and local. And maybe in a few years I can afford to go to Paris! Flying gives me a certain kind of high, it's an adventure that makes me happy.

Oh btw, thank you to everyone who purchased my clothes and shoes from the last Bloggers United bazaar, the money I earned was used towards my Singapore trip which happening tonight, so thank you so much! I wasn't there to meet everyone, but I shall see you at the next bazaar for sure :)

Anyway, the reason I was absent at last week's Bloggers United is because I attended our yearly family reunion in Agusan del Norte. We're trying to make it a yearly tradition, having had several fall-outs with relatives, but it's nice that everyone is now on the same page and finally and spending time together.

Anyway, we had a blast at last year's reunion and my sister and I couldn't wait to attend this year's event. We were missing 2 families who were abroad at that time, but we had fun nonetheless.

I grew up in this lovely house

Win tickets to the "Man of Steel" movie screening!

Last year, my dear P-nut donned one of his favorite Halloween costumes and came as Super P-nut: Dog of Steel! He got quite a lot of raves from friends and my parents thought it was silly to have him wear a costume every year. I think it's rather cute, wouldn't you agree?

When I was young, I would always tell my Dad I wanted to be like Superman and fly around town. He didn't buy me a costume nor made me wear a cape, but what he did was to support my weight on his feet while I do the Superman position, hold my outstretched arms and say, "Supermaaaan!" I'd giggle so much (because I was ticklish) until I'd fall on the bed and laugh nonstop. I thoroughly enjoyed this until I was 6 years old, methinks.

Nestle Crunch chocolates, on the other hand, was the only chocolate my sister hoarded --- she'd even keep the bite-sized variants from me! And if by the grace of God she decided to share some, she'd unwrap the paper gently, carefully lift the aluminium foil wrapper, and break off a tiny piece for my eating pleasure. Haha! Even up to now, whenever I see a bar of Nestle Crunch, I am transported back to those days when I'd have to beg my sister for a wee bit of chocolate :)