Strange Adventurer

I've been itching to travel for a long time so when the opportunity arose, I immediately took it. Last February, I chanced upon a sale in Cebu Pacific and found out that the plane fare to Taipei was insanely cheap. I didn't think twice and immediately bought tickets! It was an excellent destination because, first, Taiwan is only a two-hour plane ride from Manila, and second, one of my closest friends from college is actually staying near Taipei! We could definitely meet up there, I thought. Another one of my friends from college, Phya, (who's also a blogger!) decided to join us later on. Awesome!

We left Manila on a Thursday night, and arrived back in the Philippines early Monday morning (so technically, we just missed a day of work). There were lots of things planned for our first day in Taipei so I made sure to bring comfortable clothes. This was what I wore on our first day. Photos of the places we visited and the adventures we had on my next posts!

Sample Room

Have you ever experienced buying a full-sized beauty or skincare product only to find out that it doesn't suit you well? Well, worry no more! Sample Room gives you a chance to try products out for free -- all you have to do is register! They partnered with brands such as Shiseido, Nivea, Dove, VMV, Benefit, DKNY, Calvin Klein, and many others to give you free samples to get a feel of their products.

Just recently, Sample Room sent me a package containing products from Belo, Olay, and Safeguard. Click the button below for my reviews!

Too Cool For School Morocco Ghassoul Pore Solution

Too Cool For School invited me to their store opening in Glorietta 3 but I wasn't available so they left a loot bag for me instead. What I got was a cute tumbler and a bottle of their Morocco Ghassoul Pore Solution--review below!

Denim Ready

I love wearing shorts during weekends. It's not that I like showing skin--it's that with shorts, I feel free. I can run around and do just about anything without having to worry about it getting blown up by the wind (as with skirts). And it's fairly easy to come up with a top that goes with it nicely, too.

I've worn this distressed pair from Pull & Bear more times than I can count. I suppose you remember them from my previous posts?

Black and White Again

I'm still relatively new to the corporate world, and thinking of what to wear every day has been quite a challenge. Coming from a university that required uniforms, I never felt the need to buy slacks, belts, button-downs, knee-length dresses, and blazers. So when I started working five months ago, I had absolutely nothing. Okay, that's not entirely true. To be exact, I had one button-down (white, too casual to be worn in the office), two or three dresses that might be acceptable (most of my dresses end way above my knees), a few belts (but only one that matches my office outfits), several blazers (but none that fits me perfectly), and no slacks.

Given the current state of my wardrobe, I could probably come up with outfits good enough for only a week (or two?). Clearly, they weren't enough. I did some serious shopping and figured that the best way to go about this was to invest in basics. A black button-down, white pants, black pumps--pieces that I can use over and over again.

And using just basic pieces, I came up with this. What do you think?

Shoes Off, Happy Socks On

Seeing cute, adorable socks in the mall, on the streets, or even on someone else (lol!) instantly brightens up my day. I don't know what it is with me and socks, but this happens every time. I don't know any brand that specializes in fun, colorful socks, until Happy Socks arrived.

Happy Socks, a Swedish brand, is all about turning that everyday essential into a colorful addition to your wardrobe, ultimately spreading happiness. The media launch was named #100HappyActs, and you'll soon find out why! Click the button below to see the rest of the post.

#TheAvèneMiracle

The first time I heard about Avène was when my mom bought me a bottle of their tinted sunscreen during one of her travels to Europe. The texture was great but the color didn't suit me well. I wanted to check out the rest of their products but it wasn't possible because they weren't available in the country at that time. But now I can do exactly that because Avène has finally arrived in the Philippines!

Last March, they launched their products in the Philippines, which includes a variety of sunscreens, cleansers, creams, and lotions for various skin types. Read more about their products after the break!

Heroine Make Jewelry Eyecolor

For the launch of Heroine Make's Jewelry Eyecolor, make-up artist Sayuri Igarashi who came all the way from Japan did a short make-up demo at the Beauty Section of SM Makati. Ms. Igarashi gave out expert tips and shared some techniques on how to prepare looks for various occasions. We also got to ask her some of our makeup questions which she gamely answered! Read more after the break.

P.S. I just had a haircut that day which explains why my hair looks weird in the photos. My bangs were cut way too short! Lol.