Sunday, April 17, 2011

Weekend Food Tripping at: Choi Palace

Reading Tweets, Facebook statuses of friends made me realize how most of us deal with stress by gastronomical experiences!  It's such pleasure to enjoy good food with people you love!

In between busy week, the family decided to give Choi Palace a try!  We've seen the restaurant so many times but because it's always packed with diners, we've decided to go on a weeknight which was actually a good idea!


Wonderful table setting which reminded me of most Wedding Receptions I've attended.

Xiao Long Bao
Php120.00 (approx $2.85)
As promised, whenever we are who serves Xiao Long Bao, expect us to order it right away as we are self-proclaimed Xiao Long Bao experts!  *laugh*  This passes Mr. AMW's XLB Standards!  I like the fact that the soup inside is really delicious!

Fried Special Shrimp Ball
Php70.00 per piece (approx $1.60 per piece)
Looks really unique, but the crunchy noodles on the outside is quite thick and it takes a bit of effort to get into the shrimp which isn't that huge as I was expecting! 


Fried Spareribs with Salt and Pepper
No price written on menu
This is actually quite tasty and the meat is really juicy!  I like the fact that it's spareribs and yet, I was able to eat a lot of lean meat! 

Beef Tenderloin in Chinese Style
Php560.00 for Small (approx $13.30)
Another yummy dish worth trying!  The Beef is very tender and the sauce is perfect to be eaten with rice or even alone!  


 Polon Chay Fu
Php120.00 per piece (approx $2.85 per piece)
This may look weird but this is the best dish of the night!  Aside from the fact that I love Tofu, most restaurants serve tofu dishes that are quite similar to the rest of the Chinese Restaurants.  Not this one!  The unique sauce is just too exciting for my tongue I can't even name the ingredients used in this dish!  MUST TRY!)


 Tai Shan Style Pig Knuckle 
with added noodles
Php400.00 Small Order without noodles (approx $9.50)
Tai Shan is actually the province of my great grandparents in Guangzhou China.  I haven't tried this dish at home but the taste is not foreign to me!  I vaguely remembered my grandmother cooking somewhat similar tasting dish like this.  Brings back super old memories!

Mango Sago
Php90.00 per cup (approx $2.15)
This is a huge request of mine on any Chinese restaurant I dine into!  I love mango sago and it doesn't stop me from grinning ear to ear as I savor each spoonful! 


Almond with Fruit Cocktail
Php90.00 per cup (approx $2.15)
The rest of the non-mango lovers out there (ex. Mr. AMW) ordered their own dessert in a form of Almond.  Almond is good but there's a strong taste of lychee.  Sorry but I'm not a fan of lychee!  So yup, I am happy with my Mango Sago!


Choi Palace
3rd Floor Eastwood Mall Veranda,
Eastwood City, Libis QC


Good and attentive servers and customer service, ambiance is wonderful!  Just checkout the gorgeous chair!  The restaurant accepts both cash and card payments!  

It's actually refreshing to know that you can find good, authentic Chinese food at Eastwood Mall!
Thanks to Uncle Robert for accommodating us :)

Happy Weekend Food Tripping!
You deserve good food after a long week!


Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

GoodSkin Labs Gives: Tri-Aktiline Total Face Moisturizer + 1GoodSkin Labs Product of Your Choice --- Contet Closed!!!

Dear Philippine Readers:
Yay for contest time!  I am so happy when our friends from GoodSkin Labs Philippines (Hi Rizel!) asked me if I would like to host a contest for my readers.  


Of course I immediately agreed!  One Lucky AMW Reader will get the chance to win GoodSkin Labs products!  I am stoked!  I've tested GoodSkin Labs products and I am very impressed with the products that I even purchase backups and use them on my clients!

Here's one question I want you to answer....truthfully! :)




Mechanics:
  • Comment in this post together with your name and valid email address.
  • One entry per person, no duplicates please!
  • Since this contest is hosted by our dear friends from GoodSkin Labs, kindly "LIKE" the GoodSkin Labs Philippine Fan Page (www.facebook.com/GoodSkinLabs.ph).
  • Contest starts now until April 30, 2011 11:59pm local time.
  • One winner will be picked by the people of GoodSkin Labs and I will announce the winner in this blog!
  • Winner will win one Tri-Aktiline Total Face Moisturizer (in which I truly love and use on my clients) and another GoodSkin Labs product of your choice!
Here are some GoodSkin Labs products I've reviewed and you may choose if you win!
GoodSkin Labs Smooth-365
GoodSkin Labs Tri-Aktiline Total Face Instant Line Reducing Moisturizer
GoodSkin Labs Eyliplex-2

Goodluck!
Thanks Rizel and GoodSkin Labs for this!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Readers' Corner: Because You Wonder and I Answer

*waves* Happy Friday!  Summer season is definitely here but I am too lazy to get off my bed each and every morning!  So to those who share the same sentiments as I do, aren't you glad it's FINALLY Friday???

Today's post, I will be sharing some Q&A portion I've had on Cbox/email and I did promise everyone that whatever questions I found interesting, I will share to readers.  I know I know, shoot me!  It's been taking too long because my brain is just scattered all around!

On not being able to do eye make-up but wants to look "made up" and beautiful

AMW says:  
I agree with most readers, yes, doing eye makeup will make a huge difference on your look!  Who wouldn't want to look gorgeous everyday?  But due to traffic, most of us (especially me) would need to wake up early to go to work just to steer away from all the hustle and bustle of living in a city.  There are some days I want to do a "no make-up" look which is quite easy!  But on random days I want to look "at least" a bit made-up, I have a secret to share!  I never pick up an eyeshadow as it takes too much time to do all the blending and with the warm weather, I just don't feel like applying!  Here's my secret for a nice "look" people will notice....

TADAH!

Yup!  Colored eye pencils!  They are turning out to be my bestfriend!  I bought the Lancome Le Crayon Kohl at Strawberrynet and I love how bright aqua blue it is!  With the smudger sponge on the other end, I can choose to create a simple blue liner look or apply a thick line and smudge gently which creates a very simple smokey aqua blue look!

And here are photos of my eye using the bright aqua blue liner on the waterline.  You can choose to apply the same liner on the upper lashline alone!
 

On Dark Spots or marks on skin

AMW says:
You may have really nice skin at the moment from all the trouble you went through to achieve it, but don't you hate it when there's a single dark spot that just won't go away?  I am lucky that dark spot is not YET a problem for me at the moment (Lord, please don't let it be) so I haven't really tried any dark spots treatment!  The most I've tried are "brightening" skincare or skincare line that can help "lighten up" spots or even out skin tone.  

I've recently came across with a Dark Spot Corrector Pen from Garnier!  As you all know, I haven't been using much Garnier products because there's just so many products to test and I unfortunately have only 1 head and face!  *laughs*  The brand is promising though as my mom-in-law swore on the effectivity of Garnier Light Overnight Whiteninig Peeling Cream (you can search on the left hand side for Garnier tag for all information on Garnier products I've discussed).

If you don't have any issues on Garnier ingredients (Please read the box), you can give this a try!  It worth to try as this costs only Php199.00 (approx $7.70).   Whoever have tested this, feel free to share to us your experience!
 

On More Inexpensive Hair Treatment

AMW says:
I've finally found satisfaction on a hair treatment from Kerastase.  My favorite out of all the range is the Kerastase Masque Nutri Thermique which works so well on me I actually finished up a whole tub even after trying to hard to scrimp by using only a small amount and applied only on the ends (driest part of hair).

I know!  A lot of you are probably raising one or two eyebrows as the price tag is quite high.  On weekends that my hair condition is not that bad, I do alternate by using more inexpensive hair treatments.  There's a lot out there but I share one mid-range option and one inexpensive option!  That's fair right? :D

L'Oreal Professional Serie Nature Oiliss Masque
Php1,045.00 (approx $25.00)
Best to use if you have normal to dry hair!  This works even as daily conditioner (if you have the budget), I finish up conditioner way faster than shampoos so I'm always ended up with shampoos without their partner!  It happened to me right this very moment so I am actually using this (on a tiny amount) regularly applying only at the end part of my hair!  It's non-greasy and smells wonderful!  

For deep treatment, I apply a good amount on the roots and massage gently.  I leave it for 15 minutes or more and voila, easier to manage hair for the coming days!

You guys can find L'Oreal professional products at most leading salons!  You can see them on display at David's Salon!  I usually get it from there.



Hair Treats Hair Spa Aloe Vera
Not sure but it's really  inexpensive!
I love looking inside Watson's because there are so many options to choose from that fits your budget!  I think my love for hair products started way earlier than my love for make-up!  I've tried so many hair products in the past I can create another blog just for hair!  *laughs*  This I've tried way back and me and my sister use to spend quiet Sunday afternoons massaging each other's head and wrapping our heads with cling wraps and sip on warm coffee!  Though instructions would say 20-30 minutes, we would leave this the whole afternoon would end up with super soft, shiny hair!

I've finished up big tubs of the Lavender variant and the Aloe is another one worth trying.

On wanting to try Tsubaki 

AMW says:
If you are a beauty blog reader for quite some time, I am sure most of you have came across the Shiseido's famous shampoo and conditioner brand called Tsubaki!  *sheepishly raises hand*  I am one of the few who got addicted on reading reviews about Tsubaki!  Either the Red, the White or the Gold version, I just got so intrigued on the raves I've read I've been wanting to purchase it!  That one time I traveled to Shanghai, it was a Eureka Moment for me to have found a huge display of Tsubaki products and without giving much thought, I purchased the huge sized shampoo, conditioner and hair treatment right away not even thinking how heavy it is!


Lucky to most of you as there are more and more sellers selling them nowadays!  To some who does not want to shell out at least Php1,500 (approx $35.00) for a shampoo and conditioner set, I've seen at Watson's a very similar looking Tsubaki-ish bottle but this brand is made in Korea called Pure Beauty.

I am not saying Pure Beauty brand is similar to Tsubaki or even close to it, I guess it's the fact that Pure Beauty uses high quality Japanese Camelia Seed Oil in which a lot of Japanese use for their products!  The range consists of 5 products:  Treatment Shampoo, Treatment Hair Conditioner, Treatment Hair Mask, Treatment Essence Water and Treatment Hair Care Oil.

The price range is around Php300.00+ each product.  Worth it as the size is quite huge!
These are exclusively available at Watson's Your Personal Care stores SM Department Stores Beauty Secion Nationwide.  You can always start by purchasing the Treatment Essence Water or the Treatment Hair Care Oil first!



On scars

AMW says:
Scars, I used to think I'm flawless and I don't have them!  Well, that's the power of "thick faced" :P  I've had people asking me about scar treatments and I used to apologize and tell them I am not that confident enough to give information about those as I haven't tried any!  Not that I am confident now, a couple of months ago, Tiffany from an agency contacted me and asked me if I wanted to give a "scar lightening" product a test.  I nearly said no!  I asked for the website of the product and read everything!  Finally, I told myself why not?  Yes girls, I do not have flawless skin!  I do have scars because I am an "energizer bunny" remember?  I've been clumsy so many times so yes, I am testing this at the moment.  I am not sure if one tube will make a huge difference but it's worth to try!  Will probably test this on the "flat iron incident"!  

So girls, wish me luck!  I'll report if I find anything exciting to share!

Hiruscar can be purchased at Mercury Drug stores for Php852.00 (approx $20.00) for 20g tube.  They also have smaller 5g tube for trial for the price of Php319.00 (approx $7.50).

For more information, you can check out their website HERE.

If you have other questions, I will try my best to answer and of course, if I get the chance to ask the "right people" I will do it to get answers!  And if you have something to share, feel free to do so!  Reading emails, comments and Cbox messages relaxes me :)

Have a gorgeous weekend!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!




Thursday, April 14, 2011

AMW Bulletin: Exceptional Fragrances at Exceptional Value



Dear Philippine Readers:
Fragrance and Cosmetic Sale on April 14-17, 2011 at 1779 N. Garcia Street, San Miguel Village Makati City.

Avail up to 80% off on Versace, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Banana Republic, Gap, Bebe, Juicy Couture, Nina Ricci, Moschino, Morgan, Paris Hilton and a lot more!

Also Includes Paul & Joe Beaute (Make-up and Skincare)!

Enjoy shopping!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Reports: NaRaYa

NaRaYa, have you heard or seen this brand?  The brand has been around for years and I've visited their Robinson's Place branch several times and even bought some cute ribbon pouches as gifts!

I love ribbons!  *ahmm* I am sure it's quite a known fact to my friends! So seeing ribbon travel bags, handbags, pouches is like seeing a huge DOLLAR sign!  hehehe

Here are store photos of NaRaYa in SM North EDSA branch....


In-store display
You get my point about feeling like a princess inside the store, right?


To get to know more about the brand and just to get to know the people who brought the brand to our country.  A couple of bloggers were invited for an intimate dinner at 2nd's Restaurant last week.  I was a bit early and got in to a function room with this gorgeous display of NaRaYa bags!

 

The Brand Manager for Ferretti and NaRaYa  Philippines, who is also a blogger Ms. Liz Lanuzo was there to accommodate us.  Gorgeous outfit and her shoes I want to "shoe-nap"! 


Lauren was also there and we both enjoy our Buffalo Chicken!

And Jill who sat right beside me for the night,
I believe base on her lovely smile, she enjoyed sitting next to me noh? *laughs*

As I took the photos quite early, I wasn't able to get a photo for the rest of the bloggers together with Ms. Cecille (the wonderful person who brought in NaRaYa to the Philippines), but I grabbed a photo from Pax of Drowning Equilibriums.  Thank you dear!


Here's what I learned about NaRaYa, the brand creates various products from different fabrics depending on the demands of clients!  Each production was done in such quality control that I took a huge "gasp" when I learned how meticulous they are in creating ONE bag!

There are surprisingly so many variety to choose from colors, textures, sizes and fabric designs!  Whether you are a huge bag person or a tiny pouch person, you will definitely find something worth your money!  I was glad to be assured that the NaRaYa products are made for durability as seen on its stitches!  That is what I am aiming for in a bag as I carry gazillion of stuffs!

Here are some products available locally, all photos from NaRaYa Philippines.

 

I got myself a medium-sized white bag!  I usually don't go for white bags but the fabric is washable! 


I will use this bag for make-up gigs!  I've changed so many "gig bag" because they tear up quite easily. I am excited to use this to store my make-up brushes, make-up tools and a lot of those extras that aren't inside my make-up train case!

Fellow blogger Kim also uses NaRaYa bag for her hair stuffs, which are seriously heavy!  I think she vouch for the quality of these bags as well!


NaRaYa branches that I know is SM North EDSA and Robinson's Place Ermita.  
The bag shown on photo costs Php1,199.00 (approx $28.50)

Oh, we do not only talk about bags but also shoes!  We were also re-introduced to the Ferretti Shoes!  Yay for locally-made shoes!  I will talk more about Ferretti when I get the chance to visit their store and take photos for everyone okie dokie?


Ah, are you into ribbons like AMW?
Gosh, I have ribbon clips, headbands, dresses, shoes, sandals!
Grow up Nikki, grow up! :P


Keep smilin'
Stay happy!