Tuesday, August 23, 2011

AMW Reports: Studio SnR x Bobbi's Mastering the Basics

Given the free time, I wouldn't mind going back to make-up school!  When asked why I would like to attend The Beauty High Tea Series' Bobbi's Mastering the Basics Workshop, my answer was "Why not?  Learning is fun and it should never stop!  There's always going to be something new to learn out there!".


I love being a student again especially on subjects I'm most interested in --- Mathematics (Just joking!)  :P  I am referring to Make-up and it's such a shame we don't have that class back then, I am positive I will bag  the "Most Attentive Student" Award!

I knew I'll be a bit late for this class as my mom's doctor's appointment was scheduled the same day but in the morning.  The doctor came in late, we have to buy medications plus I have to accompany my mom for lunch.  After doing all those, traveling from Downtown Manila to Ortigas on a Saturday is like going for a roller coaster ride!  Lucky me, the make-up Goddesses out there must have heard my prayers as I arrived the place without missing much!

Studio SnR is no stranger to me, I've once taught make-up here for Dollface Cosmetics (click HERE for the report).  The place is very comfortable to hold any kinds of workshop!

 A lot of Bobbi Brown cosmetics greeted me!  I was on a trance seeing all the lovely eyeshadows, blushes, different shades of powders and foundations!  I was in Bobbi Brown Cosmetics heaven!


Just when I thought surrounding myself with make-up is enough to perk me up for an afternoon of beauty talk, there's The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf area for our unlimited supply of coffee!   I think I tried 2 types of coffee during this workshop!  I love both and I'm actually craving right this very moment!


You have to agree with me when I say, food is part of any beauty regimen!  Yummy snacks were also served during the workshop and students won't go hungry.  I can't stop staring at the Potato Croquettes!  Oh, and nachos too!

Ok, on to the workshop! I'll definitely share to AMW readers what I learned! Since I arrived just a couple of minutes late, I wasn't able to remove my existing make-up but I gamely joined in the skincare talk!  Several skincare products of Bobbi Brown was passed around for us to try!

Bobbi Brown believes in the 10-Step Beauty, let me walk you through the 10 steps as taught by Bobbi Brown's Makeup Artist Noel, aided by Bobbi Brown's Ina and Carrot.
Skincare
Bobbi Brown has a wide range of skincare line to target the needs of your skin.  I like the fact that you can choose formulations for dry or oily skin!

The application technique was also taught.  It helps to rub your hands together and gently press your hands on your face to "activate" the moisturizer.  Bear in mind to always do your skincare regimen with clean hands!

Step 1 Corrector/Concealer
Noel taught us the right way to correct dark undereye circles.  First, neutralizing the darkness under the eye area with a corrector then, a yellow-toned Creamy Concealer was used on top of the corrector to brighten up the overall appearance.

When asked why concealer was applied right away, Noel explained that Bobbi Brown believes in Natural beauty.  Some girls do not even need coverage for the whole face, so after this step, you can set it with a powder and you're ready to go!  Cuts make-up time in half!
 Step 2 Foundation
To find your right shade of foundation, you need to swatch at least 3 different foundation shades on the lower cheek down to the neck.  The shade that disappears will be the right one for you.

I'm glad to report that the shade I got from Bobbi Brown years ago is right!  I am a Bobbi Brown's Beige Girl!


Step 3 Powder/Bronzer
Apply loose powder on areas that needed oil-control.  If you are fair and you want to add a warm tint to your skin, feel free to dust a bronzing powder all over cheeks, forehead, nose and chin for a healthy glow!
Step 4 Blush
I like the 1-2-3 step of blush application c/o Bobbi Brown.  Dust a bit of your favorite blush shade on the apples of your cheeks 2x then on the 3rd count, move your blush brush towards the hairline.  To find the apples of your cheeks, SMILING is the best technique!

It's important to always check back your reflection and blend if you see any harsh lines.

Step 5 Lipstick/Gloss
Step 6 Lip Liner
It is very important to test different shades of lipsticks to see which shade would match your skintone the best.  

The most flattering shade will either match or be slightly darker than your original lip color.
 

Step 7 Brows
Define brows with an eyebrow brush using an eyeshadow shade similar to your hair color.  If you are comfortable with pencils, you can do tiny check marks with a brow pencil. 
I personally believe that a well defined brows can lift your overall look!  It takes time to practice filling in your brows but after you mastered it, you can do it with your eyes close (well, not really) *laughs*

Step 8 Eye Shadow
For basic eyeshadow application, its usually the easiest to apply a light eye shadow color all over the lids.

  
Medium Eye Shadow Color on the lower lid then blend!

This technique is "fool-proof" and would enhance the eyes of any eye shapes!  So if you are just starting out on eye shadow application, practice this technique first and go further using different eyeshadow shades!  You'll get unlimited looks in no time.

Step 9 Eye Liner
Upper lashline is best lined with your choice of brown or black liner.  Try to apply as close to the lashline as possible to make your lashes appear fuller.

Step 10 Mascara
True black mascara makes the most impact to short and sparse lashes like *ahem* mine.  But if you prefer a softer, more natural look, go for the brown one.  It helps to apply mascara from base of lashes to tips while rolling the wand to separate lashes and avoid clumps!  Lash curling is preferred to be done prior to mascara application to prevent lash breakage. *ouch*


After the 4-hour workshop, each participants were given a loot bag from Bobbi Brown included is a complimentary 20 minute makeup lesson and personalized face chart at the Bobbi Brown Counter. 

I had a wonderful time learning and I want to thank Sydney of Studio SnR for inviting me to be part of this wonderful workshop!  I would love to go for more as I learn something new each time!


If you feel bad for missing out the Bobbi Brown Workshop, there's another one coming up under The Beauty High Tea Series called Studio SnR x Majolica Majorca.

One AMW reader gets the chance to win a FREE slot!  How?  Keep smiling and click HERE.

Hope you learned something from my report!
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!



Monday, August 22, 2011

AMW Reviews: Dove Beauty Moisture Facial Cleanser

How's your weekend?  Mine was super busy as I've been running around the Metro for so many things!  It was a worthwhile weekend though as I was also able to attend the Studio SnR x Bobbi Brown workshop which I will report to you once photos are ready to go! 

I will start the week with a facial cleanser post.

As I said before, it takes 10x longer for me to review skincare regimen rather than makeup, I like reviewing skincare products that I've used at least a month.  The same goes for the current facial cleanser brand I will be talking about, the Dove Beauty Moisture Facial Cleanser.

Four months ago, I did the Pond's Flawless White Unbeaten Challenge, even after the challenge, I did not shift back to different skincare regimen, I stick to it until the very day I used up my Pond's Flawless White Deep Whitening Facial Foam.  The Flawless White product range did well!  I would strongly suggest anyone to use this product as long as the ingredients won't cause them allergic reactions.

Ready to read my review on the product that promised moisture?  I do believe I'm the best person to review this product as I have dry skin!


Dove Beauty Moisture Facial Cleanser says ---
With 1/4 moisturizing cream and beauty essence, it effectively cleanses while delivering moisture deep within your skin and locking moisture in for deeply nourished and fine-textured skin.

Best for: Normal and Dry Skin.
Size: 110g.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Petrolatum, Lauric Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Stearic Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-39, Polyquaternium-55, Fragrance, Disodium Edta, Dmdm Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. 

AMW says ---
Pros
  • Soft, gentle fragrance.
  • The foam cleanser is very gentle on skin.  Feels refreshing too.
  • Latters pretty quickly.
  • Leaves skin smooth and moisturized even after cleansing.
  • No allergic reactions or skin irritations.
  • Inexpensive.
  • My skin never felt tight or dry the whole day!
  • Skin feels soft to touch.
  • Even without moisturizer (I actually did not tone nor moisturize my face just to test this product), woke up with subtle and moisturized skin even inside an air-conditioned room.
Cons
  • Does not remove all traces of make up. (ex. Waterproof makeup or BB creams)
  • Not for all skin type, combination/oily-skinned individuals may find this product too moisturizing for them.
  • If you have other skin concerns like breakouts, the product targets only to moisturize the skin, there's no pimple-fighting ingredients.
Overall
The product name itself is quite straightforward, it targets to moisturize your face and it does the job --- a good job!

Tips
  • If you prefer the make-up removing properties, you can purchase the new Dove Foaming Make Up Remover.
  • Remove all your make-up well with a separate make-up remover before washing off your face with this product.
  • If you have normal skin, you can apply a light layer of moisturizer all over face.
  • If you have super dry skin, concentrate on massaging this product on the dry spots and leave for a couple of seconds before you rinse it off. 
  • If you want a better cleansing technique, instead of using your hands to wash off facial cleanser, use a soft sponge so the dirt will also be wiped off together with the product.
  • One itchiness or skin irritations occur, STOP using the product immediately.
Will I repurchase?
Yes.

To whom do I recommend this to?
People with normal or dry skin.

Where to purchase and how much?
At leading supermarkets, drugstore or Watsons for Php199.00 (approx $4.70).

This is an inexpensive product that works!  I think most of my readers have combination/oily skin?  Let us look into another cleanser ok?  In my personal opinion, this is best for people who have similar skin condition as I do! 

P.S. Ooohh, I love the Dove Moisturizing Bar for my body, I have finished 2 bars within a span of 2 months! 1 bar each month, not bad!

"Have you Dove-d yourself?"

Keep smilin'
Stay happy


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Travel Food Tripping at: Lao Dong Beef Noodles, Aroma Bakery, Coco Milk Tea and

Happy Sunday!!!  Bear with me as I'm still on my travel food tripping! If you're hungry after this post, all I can do is apologize or both you and me can book a flight to Shanghai!  Game? :P

My brother asked me what I wanted to try for dinner during my 4th night in Shanghai, I told him I wanted something inexpensive, local tasting at the same time, super delicious! 

He brought me to the restaurant near his office!  Lao Dong Beef Noodles (老董牛肉面).  To non-Chinese speakers out there, do not worry as the menu of this restaurant has English translations! 

Lao Dong Beef Noodles Shop's origin is from Taiwan.  If you are from the Philippines, you probably heard about the partnership between Lao Dong Noodles and Chowking several years ago!

If you're craving for good, Taiwan hand-pulled noodles, this is the place to be! :)


My brother ordered their house specialty, the Lao Dong Beef Noodles.  He shared to me his order and I nearly kicked myself for not getting the same order as him. Mark my words, this is the BEST Beef Noodle Soup I've tried in my entire life!  Okay, that's an exaggeration, but for now, this is the best in my "taste bud's" dictionary.


Lao Dong Beef Noodles
38.00rmb (approx Php247.00/$5.80)
The noodles are hand-pulled, the beef broth is super tasty --- not too salty nor bland, the taste sits perfectly together with chunks of tender beef!  I will definitely go back for another order if ever I visit Shanghai or Taiwan again!


Since my brother ordered soup-based, and I was craving for a particular noodle dish that I had way back inLin'an Hangzhou, China which was made by the Muslims from the North, I opted for the dried noodles.  Of course, Taiwanese noodles are made differently but I was hoping it will, at least, satisfy my craving! 

Dried Beef Noodles (not the name of my dish as I wasn't able to take note of the name and price of the dish), blame me, I was still in Lao Dong Beef Noodle Soup Heaven!

The dried Beef Noodle version is served with similar noodles as the first order, half boiled egg, slices of cucumber, onion leaves and dried beef.  I particularly requested them NOT to put cilantro on my bowl of noodle dish!  May it be for garnishing, sorry... not a fan, don't judge me! :P


I would still go for the Lao Dong Beef Noodle Soup in a heartbeat, but you can't blame a hungry horse!  I finished the dish without difficulty.  It was a long day! :P

Lao Dong Beef Noodles is located at the Jing'An Temple Station.  You won't miss this station as you will see the well lit Jing'An Temple.

Address:
老董牛肉面
静安区,万航渡路1号(百乐门对面)


My brother also gifted me Peach Tart from Aroma Bakery.  For someone who's not a fan of anything with peaches, I was not tempted devour this at once!  I actually kept this inside the hotel fridge for 2 days!  Just when I'm afraid this will spoil, I took just one bite to taste.....

And my "not-so-into-peaches" moment has vanished!  It was really really really (not exaggerating) good!  The tart, after 2-3 days is still crunchy and the taste of the peach together with the egg tart is just right!  Perfectly blended to complement each other.  I don't know how much this cost but I believe this tiny cutesy does not come cheap!
And since we're talking about the best of the best in terms of my Shanghai food tripping experiences.  I've found the best Milk Tea to date!  I thought Happy Lemon in China is the best tasting milk tea, but after trying another famous local Milk Tea branch called Coco, this definitely goes on top of my list!  

I've seen several branches of Coco Milk Tea around the area and the long queue made me want to try it even more!  After a hot and humid afternoon of walking, I've decided to take a rest in a particular mall!  As soon as I got in the entrance, the huge Coco Milk Tea mascot greeted me!  What pushed me to give this a try is the fact that I don't need to line up (because it was during work hours).


Yes, there are only 3 customers in front of me but check out how crazy their orders are!  Each customer ordered at least 3-4 cups!  This MUST be good!


Coco Pudding Milk Tea
6rmb (approx Php39.00/ less than $1.00)
WINNER!  I was all smile as I took a sip from this huge orange straw!  I can taste the egg pudding on every sip!  To prove how much I love this drink?  I immediately texted my brother (who's busy at work) just to let him know the EUREKA MILK TEA Moment of mine!  And it's inexpensive!

Last but not the least, I've found my favorite and tasted the best among the best (for now).  It's time for me to to shift back to "unselfish" mode and bring Mr. AMW the bacon --- the bacon is his favorite Xiao Long Bao from Yang's Fried Dumpling.  Thank you Lord the new location of this restaurant is just a couple of minutes walk from my hotel.  The morning before I checked out the hotel, I bought 4 orders of these yummy steamed pork buns!  Each order consists of 4 huge pieces, 4 orders is equivalent to 16 pieces!  I'm not crazy, I just know how to hoard!

The most difficult part is to transfer them to a plastic container, the mini buns have soup and oil inside so can you imagine how messy it was?  It was worth the effort though as Mr. AMW finally tasted his craving after 3 long years! 


Have a great Sunday Food Tripping!
Which among the many food photos you would want to try?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!


Saturday, August 20, 2011

AMW Reports: House of Obagi Introduces Obagi 360 System

I was one of the few lucky bloggers who got an invite to enjoy dinner with friends from House of Obagi.  We were told that HOO have their latest product bundle offering called the Obagi 360 System.  In this event, several dermatologist will be available to answer our skin related queries!
The event was held at M Cafe, Greenbelt 5 and most of the bloggers knew each other so there's a lot of chit-chatting going on, actually too much chit-chatting! :P

When I arrived I sat next to Rowena and Shen, well I actually sat at the area "who pays the bill" ! *lol* And it was a fun table as we shared the same table with Dr. Allan Pua, who got all red because someone's harassing him!  *laughs* (Girl, you know who you are :P)

Several questions were thrown at him and he happily answered them.  One question I remembered was "Which Obagi treatment would work for Acne Prone Skin?" - Clenziderm was highly recommended but according to Dr. Pua, it pays to visit a dermatologist for them to check out your skin issues and suggest you the right treatment. 

After the meal, Ms. Eileen Marcelo welcomed everyone.  I actually missed the first HOO event so this was a first for me to visit such lovely HOO Family!


Medical Doctor, Dr. Stephen Lacson started the presentation with a talk on the Obagi 360 System.  The system aims to promote overall skin wellness.  The system brings out the best in our skin because it addresses each skin concern on each individual.


Several Before and After photos where shown to people who went through the Obagi treatment.  I am not surprised because I have several beauty blogger friends who swore on Obagi treatments!  Even my mom-in-law uses the Nuderm set and speaks highly of it!

 **photos from HOO

Speaking of Obagi experiences, a couple of the bloggers present were called to stand up and share their experiences on some Obagi Treatments.

Obagi Blue Peel - Sophie of Beautynomics shared her experience HERE, Rowena of Animetrics shared her experience HERE.
Obagi Blue Peel Radiance - Angela of LushAngel shared her experience HERE

I actually stood up to talk about my experience not on the peeling (as I'm scared at those) but to talk about their new product called Elastilash!  I've been a super OC blogger as I had this for MONTHS but you guys would understand how difficult it is to talk/review about a product for lash growth!  So watch out for this as I'll be reviewing this...within the year!  *lol*

We were also introduced with Obagi Sunblock!  A couple of beauty bloggers swore on the Obagi Nu-Derm Sun Shield in SPF50 as the matte-est of all matte when it comes to sunblock which is highly recommended for oily-skinned!


See how everyone is so engaging?

Then comes the raffle.  Ms. Alexis Santos (in black) from HOO helped in picking 3 super lucky winners for 3 Obagi star products!

Lissa Kahayon won Elastiderm Eye Cream

Phoebe got the Elastilash!
So excited to read her review on this!

Frances won Obagi Pro-C Serum
She even gamely poses with the product, too cute!

I may not need this now but probably will in the future!
**photo from HOO

What not to love?  Group Shot!  Not everyone who attended the event was in this photo because some left already!  The rest are photo addicts! :D

**photo from All The Vanity

Another Group Shot!  
It was also great to meet several bloggers I haven't met in person!  
*waves* Hi Marj! Also hi to Chummy (not on photo)
 **photo from All The Vanity
Thanks Roanne for group photos! 
Ah, such a nice way to de-stress just a couple of days before the week ends!

Any Obagi users or Obagi Treatment addicts out there?
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!


Friday, August 19, 2011

So, this Is How It Feels Like to be on Radio

When I was asked by Trixie to be on radio together with Nuffnang AU's Lynda and David who came over for a short trip, I said yes right away as I've always wondered how the DJs work on radio or how a radio station looks like (yes, judge me if you want but I'm a radio virgin! :P)

I like listening to The Wake Up Show with Vince and Tracy because of their teamwork!  I like Tracy's laugh while Vince would throw in some smart antics!  It's not called THE Wake Up Show for nothing!

 
It was a crazy morning of all days, traffic chose to visit the areas we passed by!  But thanks to Trixie!  We made it to the show!
Us, getting ready for the interview, I'm actually huffing and puffing deep inside!  :P  Thank goodness I'm actually NOT that nervous as expected!  Probably, I'm still concentrating on catching my breathe rather than worry about what I will say on the microphone!


**photo grabbed from Lynn

David and Lynn were interviewed regarding what Nuffnang is, what they are doing in the Philippines and how much they enjoyed the country.  I, on the other hand, was interviewed about my "endless beauty" *laughs* Fine!  I'm going to tell the truth, I was interviewed for this blog AskMeWhats.com as I am Nuffnang PH's Blogger of the Month for August! (Read article HERE).

Here's the complete cast for the day!
L-R DJ Vince, Me, Trixie, Lynn, David and DJ Tracy

Thanks Trixie for the crazy driving skills or else we won't make it to the show!
Trust me, David and Lynn got a taste of what Philippine Driving should be :P

Now I can say ---
Mellow 94.7
SOUNDS GOOD! :)
Thanks Nuffang PH!
Thanks Mellow 94.7 for guesting me on radio!
This experience will definitely go straight to my "good 'ol memory box"

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!