Weekend Food Tripping at: Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant

When you get an invite for a Chinese Lauriat Style, you better wear a comfortable clothing and expect yourself full for the rest of the night!  As you know, most of the lauriat style down here serves at least 6 courses meal!  You don't believe it?  Scroll down and don't tell me I did  not warn you! :) 

I attended my dad's "Organization Anniversary".  Aside from the wonderful dishes served, there were performance from China who came over to "wow" us.  Dragon dances and a lot of singing!  Would you believe the dinner starts at 8:00pm and ended around midnight? 

Cold Cut Combination

This is quite a different cold cut combination as they included "Calinfornia Maki" which isn't at par with the usual Chinese dish!  Cold cut usually consist of seaweeds, honeycured pork and soy chicken.

Steamed Suahe (Shrimps)

I did not even tasted this as I'm allergic to shrimp.  I just saw the reaction of the people around the table and I was told they're fresh!

Dried Scallop and Seafood Soup

Quite nice!  I popped in some anti-histamine at this stage as I have a feeling most of the meals served are seafood!  The soup tastes wonderful!!!  I can literally taste the scallops and my tongue felt a bit of shrimps in there!

Taro Duck

I am actually excited for this.  I love Taro Duck, but this one is made quite differently.  Most of the time, the taro and duck are layered onto each other.  You can taste the taro at the top and the duck meat at the bottom.  At this restaurant, I can't feel the texture of the duck as it was mixed inside the taro!

A closer look on the Taro Duck, a special sweet sauce comes with it

Salad Seafood Roll

A mix of fruits and shrimps with mayonnaise served deep fried.  Not the best I've tried.

Local Abalone with Mushrooms

Local or international Abalone, I don't care, abalones are rare and tastes really good.  I love the chewy texture mixed with sweet oyster sauce!

Sauteed Chicken with Veggies

It's more of chicken and celery!  I am not a huge celery fan and the chicken tastes a bit bland.  So I gave this a skip and saved my tummy for the next dish.

Assorted Meat Noodles

Most lauriat styled restaurant would serve rice or noodles at the end part as a "filler".  In Chinese Culture, rice isn't served unless asked for.  Don't ask me why, it's just part of the culture.  I am usually a noodle eater and I am saving up a space in my tummy for the noodles.  Unfortunately, I am almost impressed with the dishes served in this restaurant but the noodles ruined it :(  It tastes a bit weird, I guess it has this burnt smell.  Photo shown below looks great but it tastes weird inside my mouth. 

I did not take a photo of the dessert as I did not eat it anymore.  Too full to talk or even move!  Service is actually good and the waiters are quite attentive.  The restaurant has a wonderful ambiance even perfect for Wedding Reception.  Has ample parking space as well!

Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant

Lots 3 and 4 Super Block A,

Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Blvd.  

tel. no.: 632-556-7525

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!
Happy food tripping!

Create Your Own I Believe Badge and Win Php1,000 Gift Certificates (Contest Closed!)

Last July, I've reported a lovely event hosted by our friends from Levi's called "Loving My Curves With Levi's" .  I've shown to you my "mood board" and I've shared to you what I believe in to get me through life everyday!  A big part on my AMW Mood Board is "Helping Other People" to achieve true happiness. 

Helping out?  Through Beauty Blogging?  At first, I started this blog to help other people on the superficial side of the problems.  "What's the best hair treatment for  dry scalp?", "What's the best lip balm for dry, chapped lips?", "What's the best sunscreen for oily skinned?"...etc...

The above questions turned into: "I want to feel good on my wedding day, can you advise me what's a good skincare regimen?".  "I want to start putting on makeup because I just gave birth and I feel so ugly.", "I am afraid my husband will start looking at pretty girls because I don't take care of myself anymore, can you help me?".  

The questions turned into more personal and I am starting to see myself giving out advises to readers out there!  I have to admit, I am no expert, but it does help to be an "ear" for someone who just needed a  "cyber shoulder" to cry on.  

A Beauty Blog?  Is that all you can offer?  Well..NO!  I can definitely offer more, helping does not have its LIMITS.  Because of this blog, I was able to do my first Makeup Workshop for a Cause, for a friend's sister who suffered Cancer.  When Typhoon Ondoy struck our motherland, our dearest blogging friends donated cash via Paypal and send it to me to be the "middle person" to purchase food and water for the people who lost their homes.  Are they Beauty Bloggers?  Yes!  Where they able to help out people?  YES!  As I said, helping knows No Boundaries, No Nationalities, No Distance -- Helping is TRULY Beautiful!

Now, it's your turn.

What Do You Believe In?
Speak Up then Flaunt It!

Our dearest friends from Levi's who support us on what we believe in, will be giving away 3 Php1,000 GCs from Levi's.  Here's what you need to do to join!

1. Go to I Believe Badge Creator on Facebook and make your own I BELIEVE badge using the application on the fan page.
2. Upload a picture and input a short statement declaring what you believe in. (You must be included in the photo)
3. Badge must be shared on the wall of  your Facebook profile.  There's a share option on the application once the badge has been generated.
4. Badge must be used as your FB Profile Picture for the duration of the contest for the entry to be valid.  
5. Comment back on the Link of the Badge you've created.
6. The 3 most creative pictures and statements will win the GCs.

 Contest run from today until September 4, 2010!

I'd love to see your badge!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: Myra VitaGlow

Tinted moisturizers are slowly getting its fame because of the "no make-up" look that everyone's been sporting nowadays. Gone are the days of heavy foundation,with the "El Nino" phenomenon, it is but practical to apply lesser products especially on your face!

What's a Tinted Moisturizer?

A tinted moisturizer in simpler term is a combination of foundation and  moisturizer.  Unlike foundation, they come in smaller range of shades as they generally are sheer and build-able!

Unlike the simpler formulations of tinted moisturizers made in the past (in which I thought the products are only for immortals), companies nowadays are listening to the  needs of the consumers thus improving formulations made for our needs!

Remember my post on Vitamin E a couple of days ago?  I had fun reading comments from my readers and a lot of you commented on how great Myra VitaGlow tinted moisturizer is.  I got intrigued and I did not hesitate to give this product its well deserved road test!

Myra VitaGlow says ---

Myra VitaGlow Tinted Facial Moisturizer is the latest addition to the Myra cosmetics line.  This amazing product rolls 6 beauty benefits in one tube: it can serve as your moisturizer, make-up base/foundation, concealer, sunscreen, contains minerals for that glowing finish and has Vitamin E to nourish skin.

AMW says ---

Pros

• I can skip on moisturizer as this product is moisturizing enough for my dry/combination skin.
• Has added  benefits of sun protection, Vitamin E and minerals.
• Works as good makeup base, my powder foundation stays longer and the number of times I retouch throughout the day is lessened.
• No allergies or skin irritations occur once I started using this product.
• Scent is not overpowering.
• Does not feels sticky or heavy on skin
• Has a nice glowing finish that doesn't look shiny or oily
• Has SPF 15 for that extra sun protection
• If applied alone: Gives a light coverage.
• If applied together with liquid/powder foundation: Gives a medium to heavy coverage
• Can minimize the darkness of my under eye circles and redness at the sides of the nose.
• Packaging is great, easy to tote along. 

• The "tint" does not create a white cast on photos.
• Comes in 2 shades (Ivory and Beige) - most tinted moisturizers come in one shade only. Color blended well on my skin.
• Very affordable (Php135.00 only!)

Cons

• not all skin types would work well with having an "extra step" on your routine
• some who are used to higher SPF may find SPF15 not enough for them, I was told though that SPF15 is enough for daily use, the higher the SPF may cause product to feel sticky on skin.

Overall

It's a bit difficult to purchase a good tinted moisturizer that does not break the bank!  I am glad Myra was able to come up with such product with a lot of added benefits!  I found myself reaching out to this daily and dusting off with my favorite setting powder!  Prep time in the morning is cut in half!!!

Tips

• Start to apply sparingly, applying too much may feel heavy on skin
• If you have super sensitive skin: test on the product below the ear and leave it overnight to see if skin irritations or reactions occur
• Application technique: can be applied with fingers, sponge or foundation brush (whichever you're most comfortable with)
• Make sure to apply with sanitized tools and fingers!
• If you find Ivory or Beige is a bit too light on you and you are on a darker skin tone, dust with a loose or pressed powder that's a shade darker than your skin (Perfect if you purchase a wrong shade in the past, time to bring it out!)
• Ivory suits people with lighter skin tone and Beige suits those with yellow undertone

Will I repurchase?

Give me some more time, I'll be doing a revisit a couple of weeks after and I'll let you know if there are any changes after longer usage.

Where to purchase and how much?

At leading groceries, department stores and drugstores for Php135.00 (approx $3.00) for 35ml tube

Photo Time!

Myra VitaGlow Tinted Facial Moisturizer

in Ivory

Applied on hand and absorbed on skin

Before and after shot 

The shade absorbs onto the skin naturally after several minutes

To those who plan to purchase, I hope you find this review helpful!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!
Happy Friday!

(This is a sponsored post.)

Tip for the Day: How To - Sponge for Nail Art

I know the demands for lovely nails nowadays.  I've seen women sporting lovely shades of polish as part of their fashion statement.  Paying for nail art is quite pricey but doing it on your own is a bit challenging.  I've heard all your woes!  So here's a semi-good news for Nail Art Design lovers out there who want to create Posh looking nails minus the Posh Price!

As seen on my First Sponge Nail Art Tutorial early this week, you can definitely see that I've used a super non-professional looking sponge to dab the polish with.  I'll share you my DIY technique.

Its the simplest to purchase dish washing sponge that's porous in texture.  Meaning, the sponge is not too firm!  First things first, before you go grab on your dish washing sponge, take a look around you, have you purchase any pouch? Laptop bags or bags that has sponges inside?  I've found one that I got from a Phone pouch!  Thanks to hubby for not throwing this away!

On the outside, it's obvious that it's not porous enough, there aren't enough holes, what I did is to cut the sponge in 1/8 to save up the remaining.  It'll look like the photo below.

Cut the edge of the foam and you 'll know why I did that on the next step.

You can see the center of the foam to be more porous.  Unsure if it works or not?  You will never know unless you give it a try!

Dab on your preferred polish directly onto the sponge/foam just like photo below.

Dab excess on a sheet of paper until you are left with a tiny amount of polish.  You will know if the polish color gets lighter as you continue to dab on the white paper.

With a light, patting motion, just like the way you do on "bouncing method" with makeup, pat on the upper portion of your nails.

Repeat until you get the desired "Gradient" look as shown on photo below.  It may get a bit messy, so do not forget to wipe excess with an acetone-soaked cotton bud.

Hope this helps to DIY lovers out there!
It costs absolutely nothing for me to have my own Sponge for Nail Art Designs!
Expect to see more gradient nails from me using Sponge Method.  I am totally enjoying this!
I hope you will too!
Till next "How To"!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF15

I can't live without a lip balm, I carry it everywhere I go, I have one inside my bag, one near my bed,  and one on top of my dresser.  When it comes to serious moisturizing, I've always been dependent on my Kiehl's No.1 Lip Balm.

I am a bit crazy when it comes to dry and chappy lips, so aside from the scattered lip balms around the house, I would like to carry another form of lip balm, the easier-to-apply type!  I'm done with my Lipsan Lip Care so I'm off to purchase another one!  I wanted something quick!  A couple of twist and swipe, I'm ready to go!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care says ---

Best if you want to Moisturize and protect your lips from UVA and UVB rays with vanilla-flavored, Vitamin E lip care stick that can be worn alone or under lipstick.

• Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that moisturizes and helps to protect skin againt premature aging and environmental aggressors.
• Community Trade coconut oil and Community Trade olive oil help to nourish and condition lips.
• Organic Community Trade beeswax helps to condition lips while acting as a barrier that prevents moisture loss.

Key ingredients: Organic Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Vanilla Flavor, Vitamin E.

AMW says ---
Pros

• Has a faint vanilla smell which is quite nice
• Easy glide on lips
• The Lip Balm is quite solid, does not melt easily and yet, it's not super hard!

• Does not have a weird, waxy texture
• Contains Vitamin E which can brighten up the look of your lips, or in my case, even out my uneven lip color.
• Can apply lipstick instantly and lipstick color does not glide off.
• Has UVA and UVB protection in a form of SPF15 which is enough for daily use
• Cute, simple, light pink packaging.
• The light, moisturizing feel lasts a bit longer as compared to other drugstore lip balm

Cons

• Super dry and cracked lips?  This alone is not enough 
• Has tiny waxy feel which will make other people feel a bit weird
• A bit pricey

Overall

I can't really tell if this is Holy Grail (HG) material as this comes off in between.  There's just so many competition out there!  But to be honest, I will be able to finish up this tube as it helps sooth my dry lips and the best thing I love about this is it makes my lipstick glides on easier with no lines shown.

Tips

• Try on tester before you purchase as there are some sensitive noses who just can't take Vanilla scent.
• Never share lip balm with a friend!
• Ask for "Sale" date!
• If your lips are really dry, do not forget to re-apply as needed.
• After eating or drinking, wipe your lips first to remove oil, you can brush your lips with damp toothbrush and re-apply this lip balm.

Will I repurchase?
If it's on sale.

Where to purchase and how much?
At The Body Shop for Php395.00 (approx $8.80)

Lips applied with The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care with SPF15 only

Have you tried this lip balm?
I am having positive outlook on this and the darkness on the sides of my lips are getting a bit lighter!
Will let you know if there are further changes once I finish the tube!

Have you tried this lip balm?
Has it done anything for you?
Smile, click comment, and share your experiences!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!