I Nailed It #14: Lemonade

Hello! When I need a break from just everything, I take out my nail polishes and just make a mess on my nails. ^^ But it also helps when I see awesome inspirations on the Internet, kinda like this one from one of my most favorite beauty sites ever, The Beauty Department. From my sea-green and blue ombre hair to my nail art attempts, The Beauty Department was part of just everything.

This is their most recent Mani Monday entry and it just looked so cool so I decided to try it out. Fair warning okay? Mine is obviously not as neat and pretty. ^^

thebeautydepartment.com

I think my lemons need a little more love. 

Anyhoo, here's the stuff I used: Sassy Colors in Jungle Green, Twinkle in Mocha Malt, Klik in Regular White, OMG in Mojito, and OMG in Strobe for the top coat. I absolutely love Strobe. It just gives the nails a really cool reflective effect.

Enjoy your week! Cheerio!

Certified Movie Buff: She's on Duty

Hi! As you might have already figured out, I'm a big Korean fan. I blog occasionally about the Korean series I watch but I don't really talk much about the Korean movies that I watch. Mainly because I'm a sucker for movies with happy endings. Life's already too depressing so I need my movie fixes to be a little less worse. ^^ But I still do watch a couple of  Korean films but don't end up writing about them because my heart usually get into tight knots when I try to. Not because they all ended sad or anything, it's just that I don't quite know what I feel about them. Most of them are so complicated. Anyway.

But this one's an exemption. I've watched this a couple of times already and I loved it because I like action films with people going undercover. ^^

en.wikipedia.org

This is a 2005 film starring Kim Sun-ah (My Name is Kim Sam Soon, Scent of A Woman/Helena's Promise, I Do, I Do) and Gong Yoo (Coffee Prince, Big). Kim Sun-ah plays the role of Chung Jae-in, a cop who goes undercover to befriend and protect Seung-hee (Nam Sang-mi, Gourmet), a daughter of a gangster, so that she wouldn't be used as bait. So Jae-in has to go undercover as a high school student--that means trying to protect Seung-hee, while studying and trying not to be a war freak and big bully, courtesy of her police training. And believe me, she's like a Korean version of Gracie Hart-- she just can not, not fight. ^^ And then there's Gong Yoo, but his character was quite a mystery throughout the entire film, and I wouldn't want to be a spoiler, so...

But this is quite an enjoyable movie, if you're into action-comedy films. It was quite nice to see Kim Sun-ah in this kind of a role. I've seen her sassy, shy, and simply adorable, so it was good to see her kick ass. ^^

If there's any way you'd get the chance to check it out, please do. You might really enjoy it. ^^

Cheerio!

Darkness Paris Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Brown

Hey guys! I'm sorry for not updating this blog quite as often. Doing overtime at work is making my body shut down a little earlier than usual so, I can't squeeze in doing entries like I used to during the weekdays. Nevertheless, I will try. ^^

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, C.N.A opened their 3rd branch at the 2/F of Farmer's Plaza Cubao. (Their first two branches are in Malate and Morayta). And my sister just couldn't miss their opening, so she went there with my mom and picked up a few stuff. But, I wanted to go check it out too and so I did during the weekend and ended up buying a few hair clips and this eyebrow pencil from Darkness.

The very first item I tried from Darkness was their oil blotting paper, and it was pretty good. They actually have a lot of stuff but the one thing I needed at the moment (and for the sake of my wailing empty wallet) was an eyebrow pencil and this was only 80 bucks so I went for it.

I was actually a bit hesitant to buy this because I wasn't able to find any tester but, I went with my gut and figured this has to be the lightest brown shade they had, with all that color indicator thing on the cap.

The Verdict:
I absolutely love it! It actually lasts on me the entire day kinda like my Etude House eyebrow pencil.And the color is quite similar too. Unless you rub it quite well, it is waterproof too. Given the price, I'd say this is a great eyebrow pencil. I wish they had a lighter brown color, since I'm planning to dye my hair again. Nonetheless, it's actually perfect for those with medium to light brown hair. ^^ The spoolie was also very useful. 

The only thing that I hope they'd apply to this eyebrow pencil is the slanted tip design since it's easier to color the eyebrows that way. But still, this is a great product. Affordable too!

You can pick this up at C.N.A. Drop by one of their branches, and I'm sure you'll pick up more than just makeup. ^^

Cheerio!

Food Talk: Sariwon Korean Barbecue

Hello guys! I just suddenly felt the need to rifle through my sister's old photos. While she has developed a certain penchant for taking pictures way before, I didn't feel the need to "blog" about them, until now. ^^

We ate at Sariwon during my sister's birthday last year. Being Korean fanatics, and my sister being an even bigger Korean fan, eating something Korean was a default choice. My dad spoke highly of this Korean barbecue restaurant so we were excited to try it out. It was actually my first time to wait for about an hour before being given a table and order! When we were there, a lot of people were in line that I felt that we were actually lucky to just wait for an hour.

I apologize beforehand because I could no longer remember the prices of the following items that you are about to see. But if it helps, here's a copy of their menu, right off Munch Punch. Surprisingly, I do remember what the stuff we ordered looked like, I just can't put a name on everything. ^^

When you're seated at Sariwon, they will serve this compact towelettes, pour warm water on 'em. you can watch them "grow" and use them to wipe your hands, in case you'll be ordering some sort of samgyeopsal or those pork slices you'll be wrapping in greens or their galbi, which I think we had. ^^

One of the reasons why I absolutely love Korean barbecue eateries is that they don't skimp on their banchan or the side dishes. My favorites would be the mashed sweet potato, the baby potatoes, the anchovy side dish, and....KIMCHI!

I had to cover my face because I was too busy chewing when my dad took this picture. Can you see the Japchae? This glass noodles dish is a family favorite. Although Sariwon's serving was quite small, we still loved it.

Bulgogi! This stew was so filling.

Grilling Time! I think we had the regular Galbi. I remember the server from Sariwon cutting this marbl-y baby into pieces. Jjang!

My favorite part of the meal! I wouldn't really call it a dessert since it's a drink but this sikhye was pure awesome-ness. It's a sweet rice drink with nuts and fruits. There is also a canned version of this that you can buy at Tous Les Jours. My sister loves that but thinks that the one from Sariwon is better.

We also ordered haemul pajeon, which is like a pancake/omelette with green onions and squid and a whole other stuff. I wasn't a big fan of this dish but I see it a lot on K-dramas and find it cool-looking. ^^

Their dishes are priced quite steeply but I'd say that in terms of taste and service, Sariwon is a must-try Korean barbecue place. 

You can find Sariwon Korean Barbecue at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig. ^^

Cheerio!

Maybelline Baby Lips Color Lip Balm in Berry Crush

Hi! Being stuck in an air conditioned room for eight hours can do wonders for your lips. I'm kidding. ^^ My lips get extremely dry during work hours. And while I can steal lip balm applications, I can't really re-apply my regular tints. The solution? A tinted lip balm!

My sister got this for me, and she also got me the regular menthol version before.

The Verdict:

I loved the regular version of Baby Lips. Although I think Blistex works faster on really dry lips, the regular version did its job of moisturizing my lips well. This tinted version is no different. 

For 89.00 Php, I'd say this is a great lip balm to keep in your bag. It doesn't stain the lips but the color looks very natural and it keeps the lips smooth and moisturized. I was actually a little worried because I picked the "reddest" color of the bunch but it turned out to be a good decision because the color isn't too red so it doesn't look a little off. It just gives that "just bitten" color on your lips. 

Plus, it smells awesome. It's not a strong berry scent but it's there. ^^ It also protects your lips with its SPF 16. ^^

Any favorite tinted balms? Lemme know. Cheerio!

I Nailed It #13: Cath Kidston-Inspired Nails

Hey! I was never known for my art skills. No, scratch that. I'm known for my bad art skills. But my sister seems to trust me when it comes to doing her nails. She even requests for incredibly tough designs like the minions from Despicable Me and this time, a Cath Kidston inspired design. Of course, they come as abstract designs. ^^ 

Don't laugh! ^^ I told you I rock at abstract designs. ^^

What I used: For the base, Etude House Look at My Nails in Strawberry Milk (Far right), OMG in Mojito for the big petals (2nd bottle from left), OMG in Gossip (Far left) for the small petals, OMG in Banana Boat (not in picture but it's a pastel yellow polish) for the dots and short lines, OMG in Salsa for the petal accents, and Girl Stuff in Avo Loco for the leaves.

I used OMG's Strobe (Far left) as the top coat for a very cool effect. ^^

EXTRA! My mom's toenails. ^^ When she saw what I did to my sister's nails, she requested for the same design. ^^ But her base is Caronia's 24K.

I'm in need of designing practice. ^^ Cheerio!

Food Talk: Stacy's

Hey! A few days after we've dined at Stacy's, my sister kept on asking if I've already posted an entry about Stacy's. We enjoyed our stay there so much that I ended up with so many pictures to rifle through. So be warned because the pictures that follow are of a cute resto that resembles a life-size doll house. ^^

I have to thank Sumi Go of The Purple Doll for writing about this place. ^^ (She's an awesome food blogger, so do check out her foodie finds)

Since I was the one who babbled about Stacy's, it was my duty to figure out how to get there, so of course we got lost *duh*. It was a good thing there were people who were nice enough to point us to the right way. 

Complimentary Merry Mix (Pretzels, Popcorn, and Marshmallows all in a cute cup!)

Raspberry Blush (68.00)- Tasted like Sola Iced Tea. Awesome! Love this iced tea 

Cool Lemonade (68.00)- A true blue sour yet refreshing drink ^^

Stacy Jones (215.00)- My dad's chosen lunch of the day transcended the taste our local tapsilog. Fluffy eggs, heart-shaped garlic rice, and tender and tasty slices of marinated beef. ^^

Clara's Feast (195.00) - My mom usually eats more bread and others than rice but she chose to eat this colorful bowl of fried rice, two sunny-side up eggs, with chorizo and flakes of dried fish (tuyo). In terms of taste, this is a great meal that kind of reminded me of our usual Sunday morning meals. I personally thought it could use a little more, dried fish. ^^

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Pomelo (175.00)- This refreshing salad was a big hit! The shrimps were still very plump, the dressing was sweet, the pomelo gave it a little citrus-y taste, and the walnuts threw in the added crunch. 

Homebaked Chicken Parmesan (215.00)- My sister's order kind of reminded me of a dish I used to have in college. She loved this dish so much. The chicken was baked perfectly and the tomato sauce and cheese made it more filling.

Monkey Toasts (165.00)- I loved loved my order, which my dad referred to as a dessert. Cinnamon French toasts with caramelized bananas and strawberry preserve, served with whipped peanut butter, dusted with sugar, and blessed with tiny dark choco chips. Awesome-sauce. ^^

They give you these butterballs when they hand you the receipt ^^

A few pages of their menu. (Click to enlarge)

As you can probably tell, we enjoyed our time at Stacy's so much that we didn't mind the heavy rain that followed our meal, or the fact that we got lost, or that we had to wait for a couple of minutes before we were able to dine inside. You could always eat outside where they have a few more chairs but we didn't want to miss seeing all those cute items inside. ^^

Do visit Stacy's when you get the chance. I think you'll have a great time! ^^

You'll find them on the 1/F of Capitol Greenstreet Commercial Center, QC. Capitol Greenstreet is somewhere near the Celebrity Sports Plaza. Just drive a little further to the trees. ^^

Cheerio!