Tech Report: Western Digital Press Movie Day!

When I got an invite for a Block Screening of the Final Harry Potter Movie -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I nearly declined the invite due to schedule conflict!  Thank goodness my schedule freed up on that day and I was able to go!

It was a first for me to watch a movie at the Director's Club at SM Mall of Asia.   

To Harry Potter fans out there, please do not get mad at me when I say I'm actually excited to go to this event not because of the movie, I cannot even remember the last Harry Potter movie I watched as I was still teaching in China then!  I was actually looking forward to be part of this event because it was sponsored by Western Digital.

Western Digital, the brand, is no stranger to me!  I have a husband who lives and breathes "anything techie"!  I got accustomed to the brand when I was researching for a good external storage system for his birthday way back.  Yes, I ended up with Western Digital 1 Terabyte.  He loves it and its full at this very moment.

There's Wedding Anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines' Day *sigh*, what a wife to do?  Observe and listen!  We were "window shopping" at a computer shop when I heard him asking questions about the then newest WD HD TV and WD HD TV Live.  After a bit of spying and "smart tactic", I was able to surprise him his very own WD HD TV and we enjoyed movie nights on a weekend!  *pats myself on the back*  (Good Job Nikki!)

You can't blame me if the brand is close to my heart!  Base on research, their products are affordable and very durable!  

Before the movie started, we were introduced to the people behind Western Digital Philippines.  (Left to Right)

Mr. Noel Timbol, Business Development Manager, Internal Team

Ms. Ann Margaret Cabanos, Retail sales Manager, Branded Product

Charlotte Koa, Business Development Manager, Internal Team

Here are some information I learned, yes girls...I listened! 

• WD employees worldwide approximately reaches to 61,000!  
• WD's corporate headquarter is in the US and have factories in the ff. countries --- Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore.
• Through the 5-year history, WD sustained profitable performance through execution and investment.
• Western Digital recently acquired Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.  (Can't wait to see what's new with this acquisition!)

One raffle draw was done for one lucky winner of the Western Digital My Book Studio 3TB!  The winner will be the first proud owner of the said storage system in the Philippines.  And I'm happy to announce, the owner of this.... is none other than....Mr. AskMeWhats!   (Come on!  We deserve an applause!) .... :P

 

*smiles sheeplishly* I actually enjoyed the movie!  A lot!  Not because we were inside a movie house of 30-seating capacity, or because we have free popcorn and drinks while we extend our legs and our bodies to enjoy the Lazy Boy.  I, who skipped Harry Potter series in between....super enjoy the movie!!!  Great ending if I may have to add!  I love movies with happy endings!

My Book Studio

3 TB

"My Book Studio external hard drives are designed for use with Mac computers and Apple Time Machine.  Now available with a 3TB storage capacity, the new design features a brushed aluminum casing to match the appearance of a Mac computer, and also serves to keep the drive cool while in use.  The Aluminum exterior combined with its WD Caviar Green drives, eliminates the need for an internal fan to reduce drive noise and extend the life of the drive.  Although formatted for Mac computers, the My Book Studio external hard drives can also be reformatted for PCs."

WD's My Book Studio is distributed locally by Iontech Technologies Inc.  MSRP for My Book Studio with 1TB is Php6,223 (approx $145.00); 2TB is Php7,969 (approx $185.00); 3TB is Php10,672 (approx $248.00).

To whoever are interested with the said product, Mr. AMW will help me review this once he's got the time! :)

Thank you Khristine and Jason for the invite!
Thanks to the people from Iontech Technologies, Inc.!

What do you store in your external storage systems?
You'll probably know my answer!  It's photos after photos for my blog!  I'll kill myself if I lose them!  Years of hard work!  There are also my favorite music from the 80s to present and did I say pictures??? :P

By the way, I have a contest coming up within the day!  Do check back!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: Shu Uemura Color Atelier, Nikki's Bridal Palette

Two weeks ago, I attended The launch The Shu Uemura's Coloar Atelier and it's time I show you the "Nikki Palette" I've created.  (Thanks Tara dear for naming our palettes and I am embracing the new name!)

It took me awhile to finally complete the dream palette I was aiming for!  As Shu Uemura's Make-up Artist Roy patiently wait for my choices, he asked me what I was aiming for.  I excitedly told him: "I have my bridal clients in mind."  He liked the idea and told me it's a "selfless" decision.  Thanks Roy!  It's not a selfless decision on my part as I've always wanted the best for my clients!  I've talked to a couple of makeup artists who told me they swore on Shu Uemura Eye Shadows to help them gorgeous looks for blooming brides!

Presenting....

"Nikki's Bridal Palette"

Shu Uemura Color Atelier Palette says ---

One palette.  Infinite looks.

Be the stylist of your own palette. your own palette transforms to meet your every desire by mood, occasion, fashion or style. mix, match, and customize your palette to coordinate your color make-up as you do your wardrobe. with shade selection by Shu Uemura's expert artists you can create infinite looks. explore the joy of mixing and matching with your dream palette!

AMW says ---
Pros

• Packaging is sleek and simple to use, no magnets nor tape needed.

• Each eyeshadow or glow on blusher are packed neatly, hygienic and has a manufacturing stamp!  

• You can choose your own eyeshadow shades, no need to spend on colors you already own or colors you don't use.
• You have the option to go for --- 4 eye shadow shades, 2 eyeshadows and 1 glow on blush or 2 glow on blush.  Your choice. 
• Eye shadow shades are very pigmented and adheres to the lids even without primer.
• Eye shadows are creamy and smooth to apply.
• Eye shadows --- have five different textures to choose from (matte, pearl, iridescent, metallic and glitter)
• Blushes --- available in matte and pearl.  It's nice to have a choice of matte or shimmery blush!
• For make-up artists, it's convenient to own this one sleek palette which you can easily carry around for re-touching.
• The matte glow on blusher I own works not only as blush but as contouring powder as well!

Cons

• Not all shades are in stock due to high demand!  I have chosen approximately 3-4 eye shadow shades that aren't in stock!  
• Since you the one creating your own palette, there's room for accidents!  Like me, I accidentally created a dent on my glow-on blush because of my long nails!
• I wish they have different sizes of quad cases available.  Let's say squarish one?
• Pricey for people who are on the budget.

Overall

This palette is worth every single penny as you get to love all the colors included in the palette as you choose them yourself! 

Tips

• It's difficult to choose from wide range of shades.  Focus on what you are aiming for.  4 eye shadows?  2 Eye shadows and 1 Glow On blusher?  Or 2 Glow On Blushers?
• Choose depending on the looks you have in mind.  Will you be able to use one shade as much as you can?
• Be careful in transferring the eye shadows and glow-on blushers to the palette.  If you accidentally dent it with your fingernails, you can press it again by putting a clean tissue on top of the eyeshadow and gently press with light pressure.
• Be careful not to drop the palette.
• If you are on a budget, you can purchase the eye shadows and blushes on its own without the palette!  Do not throw the plastic that comes with the packaging.  Or you can create your own palette by purchasing inexpensive plastic cases and stick the palette with a double sided tape.

Will I repurchase?
I will definitely repurchase more eyeshadow shades and glow-on blushers!

To whom do I recommend this to?
If you like to bring minimal make-up, this is the best!

Where to purchase and how much?

Quad Case + 1 Glow On + 2 Pressed Eye Shadows (Php3,580/$83.00).  Available at Shu Uemura Boutique and counters nationwide.

 The shades included in this palette ---

Eyeshadows - Dark Brown 861 and Light Beige 813

Glow On Blush - Medium Amber750

You can easily slide off the palette case as shown on photo below

Gently put the colors one by one.  Feels like jigsaw puzzles!

Voila!

You can choose to fill in 4 eye shadows,

2 Glow On Blushes

or 2 eye shadows and 1 Glow On Blush like what I did on mine!

Remember my Net 25's Homepage Guesting last week?  I was asked to create Makeup For Rainy Day and I only have a couple of minutes to finish the make-up of my dear model Erika!  I've decided to bring out the Shu Uemura Color Atelier,  Nikki's Bridal Palette.  

Even by using a tiny amount, the eye shadows Light Beige and Dark Brown showed up on TV Screen! 

The blush works as a contouring powder too!  It gives a nice shape to the model's overall look!

This is definitely a palette I'll be including in my make-up traincase!
I'll try my best not to use this on myself!  :P

If you are creating your own bridal palette, what shades are you going to include?
I'd love to read your combination!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Makeover: Wedding Happiness

Wedding day ---

On this special occasion, every bride wants to look their best and the pressure is on you, as a make-up artist to make her the most beautiful Bride not only on photos but also in person!  You are also tasked to make sure the make-up stays all day even if she perspires or cries! 

Each tiny detail needs to be taken in account for, the Bridal dress, the hairstyle, the color motif, etc... everything has to work well together.  

And the most important of all? The bride HAS to look like herself! 

With all those stress, why do I love this job of mine? There are a lot of reasons and I'll just name a few!

The cute stuff laid out on bed for photographs!  Brides and Grooms are getting more and more creative nowadays....

Let's not forget the gorgeous fresh flowers for the bride and her entourage to hold!

Flowers give me the energy!

I get the chance to get to know my bride as most of them would talk to you and tell you about their wedding jitters.  It feels great to be able to calm them down and share my own wedding jitters, my own funny wedding memories! 

Here's one... I was drove to the wrong church 15 minutes before my wedding!  Thank God I was able to advise the driver to the right church on time!  *laughs*

I am very personal with my clients, I make sure to cover all the concerns they have.  Skin redness?  Zits?  Dry and oily areas? Under eye circles? Brides do share to you their worries and concerns which makes me feel honored because they trust me on the most important day of their lives!

I also get to talk to the family members.  I get surprised at times on how small the world is!  We get to link our common friends!

Even though the chitchat is there, re-touching should always be done before they leave the make-up area after they changed into their gowns.  You also get to help them to make sure their gowns, jewelries and shoes are all worn well!

Best of all,  the simple transformations I can see by bringing the beauty on each client!

I will share to you the make-up looks I've done for the most recent make-up gig.  I want to thank Emily for recommending me to be her bestfriend's make-up artist!

Mother of the Bride

Sister of the Bride

The Groom

 The Bride

 Congratulations to the newlyweds Tim and Mau! 

Hair by: Felicity Son

 

I hope you enjoyed my mini sharing of my thoughts as a make-up artist on wedding days!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Nail Art Tutorial: Girly Polka-Dotty

Dear friends, happy start of the week!  I had a good weekend spent with my family!  I also spent my weekend watching "Accidental Love" on KBS Channel!  Gosh, I know each of us were given 24 hours a day but seems like I'm trying to extend it!  Do you feel the same? :D

Let's talk about my nails, I had my Angry Birds nails for good 2 weeks (due to tight schedule) and my nails are growing uncomfortably long!  What I did was I cleaned my own nails and cut it at a good length!  The length I'm most comfortable is this.... best for someone like me who types a lot!

I was inspired by the girly polka-dot dresses I've seen on MGM Channel! Hahaha I swear I was just channel surfing when I saw some of the gorgeous outfits in black and white screen!

Step 1:

Apply your favorite base coat to prevent nails from yellowing and for the base polish to "adhere" to your nails better.  I am using ZOYA Base Coat.  Applied one coat of Orly Cotton Candy Polish and applied Revlon's Temptress for 2nd coat.  This gives a unique pink shade.

Step 2:

Draw random diagonal lines with L.A. Colors Art Deco in Black then fill it in with The Face Shop's Black polish.  

Step 3:

Using a bright red shade from Paul & Joe 012, used my nail dotting tool or you can opt to use toothpick to create random dots to be applied on the pink portion only.

Step 4:

Create a sparkling border between the black and pink polish with L.A. Art Deco Polish in Silver.

Step 5:

Using a 2 Way Nail Art Pen in white, create dots in between to create "Flowers"!  

Step 6:

With the similar polish used on dots, apply flower bud with a dotting tool.

Step 7:

Making sure everything is completely dry, apply your favorite top coat to protect your nail art.  

You have girly looking nails to look at!  This is ok to be done on both long and short nails!  You can minimize the number of dots or create smaller dots if your nails are short!

If you find the shades too girly for your taste, you can change the color combination, you can try Black and White (which I did on my toe nails) or you can go for color blocking nail polish (yellow and blue, yellow and purple, green and yellow, blue and green etc...)  The choices are endless!

Have a great start of the week! 
Keep safe and do not forget to smile!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Something New: Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion

Remember the last post where I put a photo of a product packaging and asks you to guess what brand it is?

You guys are smart, most of you guessed the brand right just by the look of its packaging!  Mystery lotion unsolved!

Here's what's on its product description ---

The new ultra-light body lotion with sea minerals contains the innovative Hydra IQ active ingredient that has been developed specifically for the needs of normal to dry skin. It keeps the skin soft and supple, envelops it in the subtle scent of blue lotus and leaves a refreshed feeling.

The one-of-a-kind formula with Hydra IQ makes body care a long-lasting intense experience. It provides a non-stop supply of moisture to the skin – longer than ever before. This is based on the worldwide exclusive Nobel Prize technology, which promotes optimum moisture supply and distribution from within – for over 24 hours.  NIVEA Express Hydration Body Lotion is not only effective for an extra-long time, but is also absorbed by the skin extraordinarily quickly and thus helps repair the eight signs of dry skin: dry, redness, rough, tight, flaky, dull, itchy and peeling.

NIVEA Express Hydration Body Lotion has been developed with dermatologists and skin compatibility is clinically and dermatologically proven.

I've seen these available at all leading department stores, supermarkets and drugstores nationwide!

Available in ---

75ml for Php36.00

125ml for Php65.00

250ml for Php120.00

400ml for Php224.00

Prices aren't bad!  I don't mind trying this out to see if this helps my dry skin!  I will also try the famous powers of the Nivea Creme in its every classic blue tin packaging!  I am using this for my hands!

Have you tried Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion?
if you did, tell me what to expect!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!