Tuesday, June 30, 2015

you make my heart smile


Its been almost 4 months since we started dating and initially, I was seeing other guys aside from you. However, in the months that passed by, I just found myself spending more time with you and slowly letting go of the others who I was interested in. There was just something about you that held my interest.

You were not clingy. Sometimes you would message me once a day and sometimes, we'd have marathon conversations on Viber. There would be times you would just randomly call and I realized that I have come to look forward to those random ring of my phone and your name would show up.

You were very supportive. Even when you don't understand my world and my job, you would give me insights on how to go about my job. You would also push me to strive harder and do better. You made me realize that I can be so much more than I already am.

You are randomly sweet. Yes, I say randomly because its not often that you are but when you drop your lines, it makes me melt. When you stare at me and I ask you why then you reply "you're beautiful" in that deep voice of yours and you hold my hand, I just go "awwwww."

It took you 3.5 months before you even said I love you. This mattered to me because then I knew that you meant it. As you said, I love you is sacred to you and its not something that you just say to anyone. You still don't say it every day but when you do, I know that you mean it and I have come to treasure the few instances that you do say it to me.

So there ... you make me smile and most importantly, you make my heart smile. I hope I do the same for you my bear. :)


Love,

Your Bella

Etude House Precious Mineral


The first thing that I said when I saw this was "yes! It's mineral!"

You see, I have developed a bias against mineral makeup. They are just better than the others. It lasts longer, its smoother on the skin, and it finishes in a more natural looking tone. Case in point, in this photo I used the precious mineral powder and it looks very natural on me.



This is what it looks like when you open it. I am grabbing the photo from here because I wasn't able to take a decent shot of it when I used it. This is another plus actually. It was so easy to apply that it was literally 1,2,3 smack. It was so easy. I didn't have to do much with it. It works like a charm.



Precious Mineral Any Cushion (Php 1,098.00) 

Take this with you to school to create the perfect face makeup! Have flawless skin that lasts up to 8 hours plus SPF 50+/PA+++. The special puff is designed for easy application without clumping, anytime and anywhere. 

What are the functions of the 6-in-1 almighty cushion? 
✦ SPF50+/PA+++ 
✦ Foundation-like Coverage 
✦ Sebum Control 
✦ Whitening 
✦ Cooling 
✦ Moisturizing 

Available in three shades (light to dark):
✦ #N02 Light Beige 
✦ #W13 Natural Beige 
✦ #W24 Honey Beige

Leaders Facial Mask

If there is one thing that I have learned to love and adapt as a twice a month habit, it is putting on Leaders face mask to rejuvenate my tired skin and face. Sometimes, I get too busy that I do not have time to drop by Luminisce Skin and Laser Clinic. Thankfully, Leaders has a great line of facial masks that it serves as an awesome temporar replacement for a good facial.

With so many after-work responsibilities, little time is left to take care of the skin. How can you look your best in so little time? Invest with good skin care products and hit the morning work with healthyskin!

Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch (PHP 498.00)

                                                    
Treat your skin with a A 20-minute eye gel that refreshes the delicate skin under the eyes. It Tightens, smoothens, hydrates, and brightens under-eye skin; reduces puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles; silky-soft gel texture glides gently onto skin.

Pore Clinic Care 2 Step Kit (PHP 448.00)

                                                  
Refresh your skin if your skin is oily or tends to breakout easily, try this clay-enriched, two-step kit that removes blackheads and tightens pores around the nose area. The pore removing strip with Morocco lava clay effectively removes blackheads, dead skin cells, and impurities.

Moisturizing Aqua Mask (PHP 148.00)

                                                    
Pamper yourself with one of our facial mask that deeply moisturizes and energizes skin. It contains bio-cellulose mask that is made of fermented coconut juice that locks in moisture and delivers key ingredients deep into skin giving the dull and dry skin a boost of radiance.

Refreshing Soothing Mask (PHP 148.00)

                                                       
If you've been waking up with a dull, tired looking complexion, your skin may need a facial mask that soothes and moisturizes delicate skin. Try this facial mask to immediately relieves sensitive skin irritated by internal and external stimuli; restores skin's natural PH balance.


For more information, Like Leaders Philippines on Facebook and follow @LeadersPH on Twitter

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Le Cat Coffe Shop

I have been so envious of the cat cafe in Quezon City. I wanted to visit it but it was just so far away. I thought to myself, I needed to do other things in QC to make it worth the travel time. Its been months and this visit to the cat cafe hasn't happened.

So yes, I was very very happy when I learned from my sister that there was a Le Cat Coffee Shop inside our village. Imagine, there is a cat cafe inside OUR VILLAGE. From Quezon City which was very far to one just right inside our village ... GAH! You cannot believe how happy I was to find out about this.

For more info, go here

It took only 2 days but I was able to force someone to go with me and this person wasn't even a cat lover. Soon as I stepped in, I was in cat heaven. I honestly didn't even really listen to the guy who was telling me the rules and all that because I was already taking off my slippers to get inside the cat lounge.


They currently have 8 cats and 6 of them are very friendly. The other two, much like with cats, youneed to earn their affection. SO ADORABLE. I love how "catty" the place was. They even have cat pillows, cat decal, cat stuff toys, and cat paws as pillows. I wanted to take everything home.



The brown one is called Caramel and she is very sweet. She was the first one I held. The tiger looking one was very playful but since there were 3 of them, I couldn't remember its name.




This is Summer, the most uppity of the bunch. Thankfully, she let me touch her for about 40seconds before she decided it was more than enough. Haha. I love how picky cats are.


Now this one, she is the prettiest amongst all and I can't believe that she's not even a purebred. Yes, she's mestisa and like with all other mestisa, she is gorgeous.


This one was the sweetest but it had a cold and kept sneezing. It was so cute. It loved this pillow so much that it just kept scratching it, sniffing it, and laying on it.


And finally, the short legged one. It had a bowtie and it was just so darn cute when it walked.


You can stay in the cat lounge for 2 hours and play with the cats. You need to pay a fee of 199 which you can consume with a drink. I think its okay to pay that much to get coffee and cat companies.


I am definitely going back to play with the cats again and next time, I'll bring my son and sister and Mom. :) Yes, we are a cat family but we also love our dogs.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

coffee for two please


We met over a cup of coffee. A lot of the times we've gone out, its been to meet for coffee and just talk. I love that we share this love of caffeine and just plain talking. You always seem interested when I tell you about my life, my work, and my dreams. Heck, you even listen to me when I just talk nonsense.

Right now, I wish we were having coffee together. I wish that one day, we can have coffee together soon as we wake up in the morning and coffee together right before we go to sleep. Now that would be something.

a different kind of love ...

I have always been one of those girls who dreamt that their knight in shining armor will come and save them. I was one of those girls who wanted Prince Charming to come galloping and whisk me off into the sunset where we will live happily ever after in a castle somewhere far away. I thought to myself, if I had this, life would be perfect.

When I grew up, I realized that a knight was not what I needed in my life. I needed someone who knows I am not perfect and yet accepts the quirks and faults that is me. I thought I had met the man who fits the bill but when I showed him the worst version of me, he dumped me faster than a bolt of lightning.

Two years since that painful heartbreak and I have all but given up on love. I realized and accepted that perhaps there is no one like that in my life. It was painful to accept that reality but it is what it is.

Then I met Y.

Y is not perfect. He is far from it. He gets into mood and we would have fights that would last more than a day. For those who know me, they know that a fight that goes beyond a day for me is torture. However, he needs at least a day to brood and calm down. Y's life is a little messy right now and his dreams are taking him to a far away place. Day 1 of us meeting and I knew that he wasn't going to be in the country for long.

I knew this and I still went ahead and dated him. I thought to myself, it's just dating. It's not like we'd be together or in a relationship. I thought I had my emotions in check and under control. I thought wrong and boy am I happy to be wrong.

I am not perfect either. Y knows this and he accepts it. He said that there are things about me that frustrates him but he has learned to accept it for it is part of what makes me, me. This was music to my ears. Finally, someone I can just be me with. I didn't need to be perfect even for a moment. I can be who I am and he's okay with that.

4 months later, a lot of happy memories, a few fights and a lot of talking and learning about each other, we are finally together. I am happy. Okay, scratch that. I am crazy happy. I have this huge smile on my face that just sprouts without warning and I look like a fool in love. People say that I have this glow that just won't go away. Comments like "you're blooming" has become the norm.

YES, I AM IN LOVE.

He tells me that he feels happy when he's with me. He said that even before we became official, he was already thinking of making me a part of his future plans. He doesn't say the words I love you often (to be honest, its very rare that he does) so when he actually tells me he loves me, when he whispers it to me, it gives me goosebumps and it just makes me melt.

However, he is also leaving. YES, HE IS LEAVING the country soon and I need to accept that and support it with my whole heart because this is something he has wanted for some time now.

People tell me that it will be hard and I know that. Some of them even seemed pretty surprised that he would be leaving so soon and just after we became official. Honestly, I was never a fan of LDR but as they say, people change and when you meet someone right, it just flows.

He has been so supportive of what I do since the first day we met. He constantly pushes me to be better and he makes me feel and believe that I can be more than what I already am. He makes me feel like I can be what I want to be, and that nothing is too high or impossible. It's an amazing feeling.


Will it be hard? Yes, it will be. Am I scared that he might forget me? Yes. Am I worried that he might meet someone else? Yes. Am I wishing that he would just stay and be with me? NO.

The love I feel for Y is different from all the love I felt before. The love I feel for him, it is the kind of love where I just want what is best for him and what will make him happy. I want him to achieve his goals and his dreams in life. I want him to be the best version of himself and be the kind of man he has always dreamed to be. I want him to pursue his passions and find out new things about himself that will make him a better man. I want whatever it is that will make him happy and better.


Amidst all of this self discovery that he will go through, amidst all the new surroundings and meeting new people, I hope that he won't forget me and us. I hope that he will remember why we matter and why he chose to be with me. I hope that when he feels miserable and sad, he will not turn to someone else but take a deep breath and know that somewhere in this world, there is someone who is doing the same thing and someone who accepts him for all his flaws and imperfections. I hope that he will stay in touch and remember to not make me worry too much. I hope that he will surprise me at times with random selfies and photos of places he wishes he could share with me for I plan to do the same.

I hope he remembers.


I hope that when we don't understand each other, when we fight because we don't agree on something, when we don't see eye to eye, he will not give up. I hope that he will not let go until he is really ready to let go and forget that I existed. I hope that no matter how hard things will be, he will hold on and fight because he believes that this is something worth fighting for.

I will piss him off; this I know for sure. I will do things that will make him upset and make him think "what was she thinking?" This will happen for I am not perfect. I will be jealous and I will be insecure and he needs to accept that. He needs to remember to reassure me and in turn, I will do what I can to ensure he will never have a reason to doubt me.

I will never disrespect him though. I will not cheat on him and think I can get away with it. I will work hard to make this work and if it doesn't, I want it to be for a good reason and not because there was a lonely night where I didn't think straight. I will always give him the value that he deserves because he is a great person worthy of being loved.

I have no experience with long distance relationships. In the past when there was an attempt, I have always been too quick to jump to conclusions and I have always been too insecure to survive one because I needed constant affirmation and assurance. I'm trying to be brave and mature now but I know that I will falter at times. Since I have learned to love myself and recognize my value, I no longer need too much affirmation but a reassurance here and there still matters. Now, should I doubt, I will choose to have faith. If we cannot have faith, then we have nothing and I refuse to choose nothing.

"I want you to know that there’s a 50% chance that this won’t work, that one of us will wind up hating the other. I will try to keep your head above water, but sometimes I’ll need help, too.
I can’t be your savior, and I don’t expect you to be mine. Just watch me unfold and I’ll watch you unfold, too. We’ll get drunk and tell each other everything. I know that’s cheating but maybe it’ll be alright. Maybe we won’t wake up embarrassed.
I am going to fall in love with you, too, feet first. Maybe we’ll slow dance off a building together, maybe we’ll have forgotten each other’s names by this time next year. I don’t care, the sky is gray with or without you, so I’m not going to look up anymore, I’m going to look ahead."  Source
To you Y,

I don't know what the future holds for us. When we first had a cup of coffee together, I didn't know that it would lead to this. All I knew at that time was you were interesting and you were not intimidated with me. I'm glad that I still do not intimidate you. I'm glad that you let me run free and that you run with me with as much wild abandon as I have. I just hope that while we both are pursuing our dreams, somewhere along the way, our paths will keep on crossing until we reach the end and in that ending, it will be you and me holding each other's hand, ready to say "hey, wanna have that cup of coffee with me again and start a life together?"

I promise to say yes as long as you promise to ask that question. Till then, I will be here becoming the best version that I can be while cheering you on as you pursue your own dreams and become the best version of you.


I look forward to seeing you again ... 

Monday, June 22, 2015

Etude Face Blur



Everyone who knows me knows that I am not really a big fan of foundation. I feel that it is too heavy on the face and that it eats away at my skin. I grew up never using it and limiting myself to having some only for photoshoots and TV guestings.

When I got the Etude Beauty Shot Face Blur, I had my apprehensions but since I was being more adventurous and open now to beauty products, I thought to myself, why not give it a try?

I am so happy to report that this primer has a lightweight formula that makes your makeup last longer and holds your makeup in place even in the summer heat. If you finish with powder, it actually gives you that light summer look ready for photos and even for the rainy season. It does this because it has a 3-in-1 multi-filter effect just like on camera apps.

It smoothens and softens skin texture, has pore and bump correction, and it also has skin tone correction which turns dull skin into glowing. As you can see in these photos, I only had the Etude Beauty Shot Face Blur and I was perfectly camera ready. What more could you ask for?



BeautyShotFaceBlur(Php898.00) is available in all Etude Beauty House found in leading malls.

Etude Sunprise



Since I have become a convert of sunscreen, I have constantly been on the lookout for sunscreen that does not feel sticky in any way. After all, living in a country as hot and as humid as ours, one of the ickiest feeling you can have is a sticky face.


Thankfully, Etude has a sunblock that is easily absorbed by the skin and whats good about it is that it also naturally corrects any color on your skin that is not even. How awesome is that?





I used this one that I got from Etude during my time at the beach and I can tell you, it worked. Even though I was under the sun for 4 hours, I didn't get dark and I looked fab in my photos.



As you can see, my color remained the same even when I have been going out a lot and my skin look like its been photoshopped when it hasn't been.


SunpriseNaturalCorrectorSPF50+/PA+++ (Php 498.00)Amakeup baseand sunblock in one for a smooth base ready for makeup application while still having effective sun protection. This sunscreen has whitening and wrinkle care properties of Niacin Amide and Adenosine to brighten up your skintone and improve skin elasticity.\

Friday, June 19, 2015

Two Types of People


I am definitely the one on the left. I tried biting the chocolate bar before like the one on the right and it just bothered me too much.


Books are supposed to be taken cared of. This is why bookmarks exist. USE IT!


Seriously, who makes a rectangular sandwich? Triangular is always the best option. ALWAYS.


Fine, call me OC but I cannot handle seeing an inbox with numbers on it. I receive an email and I need to read it, RIGHT AWAY. I see a notification and I need to check it asap.


I am more of an in-ear type of person. It is less invasive and bulky. With this one, its just really a matter of convenience.


Same with the notifications, things have to be in order. I have way too many apps to scroll through everything.


I don't have time to watch things on TV anymore. I am definitely the one watching on the laptop.


5 more minutes please?

So, which one are you? 

Thursday, June 18, 2015

La Finca in Domecillo


I first heard of this place from my brother. He told me to go ahead and visit it because the view was spectacular. I finally got to visit it but unfortunately it was nighttime and so there was no view to see anymore. However, I went ahead and gave the place a try since I was already there.

Domicillo has two restaurants but I opted to go for La Finca which is their Filipino restaurant as opposed to the one on the 2nd floor which is a Japanese place. I just wasn't in the mood for ramen that night.


I love the exterior of the place. It looked and felt very welcoming.


This is the entrance to La Finca. On the left, there's a stair going to the Japanese restaurant.


There is also an area for al dresco dining should you want to bask in the chill of the Tagaytay weather.


Inside it is very cozy. The place is actually perfect for a date place or an intimate gathering.


I tried their pesto with shrimp pasta and I liked it. It was pretty good but not outstanding. I missed the nuts that normally goes with it. La Finca's version did not have one but I did finish this dish so that says something.


I tried this chocolate dessert which the manager said was KC Concepcion's favorite but found it disappointing. Maybe I just don't have an appreciation for desserts that have way too many taste that I could not identify or it just wasn't my thing but I found this one lacking. It has meringue, chocolate, pudding, and caramel among other things but I just felt that it was too much and too little all at the same time.


Would I recommend this place? It's pretty okay but I'd have to say that Pamana is a much better choice.