El Nido, Palawan

Posted on 25 April 2012 by Belle

Much has changed in El Nido since I first set foot on it. Getting there is so much easier – there are now 2 airlines flying direct for those who can afford it and a fleet of air-conditioned vans ply the mostly well-paved route from Puerto Princesa City to El Nido town.

While the beach in El Nido town has never been the most ideal; erosion has ravaged it and almost eliminated the shoreline. I’ve witnessed how during high tide, the water now reaches beach front restaurants and some guesthouses – splashing diners and sleeping guests alike. Walking around El Nido town during our last trip induced feelings of claustrophobia. The boom in tourism has turned it into a crammed maze of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, convenience stores and massage parlors. I fear El Nido town is slowly turning into Boracay or Khao San Road in Bangkok.

The best way to enjoy the Bacuit Archipelago is to stay in Corong Corong. This is around 3 kilomenters or 5-10 minutes away by tricycle from El Nido town proper but this distance is negligible. You get spectacular views and you’re away from cramped El Nido town. While eating options are limited to the few resorts in Corong Corong, you will find no shortage of tricycles offering cheap rides to and from El Nido town proper.

Here’s what it looks like from Corong Corong:

Get a kayak and paddle your way to seclusion.

If you plan on going island hopping around Bacuit Archipelago, do not join any of the tours – no matter how tempting the all inclusive price tag is. Rent your own banca and take as much time as you want on a specific island or skip some islands altogether.

El Nido bay doesn’t get ideal sunset views because Cadlao Rock blocks it but Corong Corong does.

Where to stay in Corong Corong:

Island Front Cottages http://www.islandfrontcottages.com/ Mobile Number: 0939-2758501 *prices here have jumped but are still quite reasonable

There are a couple other beach resorts in Corong Corong although I’ve never stayed there:

El Nido Stunning Vistas http://www.elnidostunningvistas.com 0921-7515783

Greenview Resort http://www.palawan-greenviews.com 0921-5861442

Model’s Own Hot Pink Lipstick

Posted on 21 April 2012 by Belle

Model’s Own is a UK based, animal-cruelty free cosmetics company. I got attracted to the Model’s Own brand because I love bold colored lipsticks & nail polish. This brand is not available in the Philippines but I was fortunate enough to find a local reseller that was offering it at a very reasonable price point. It retails for 6 GBP and I got it for less than 400 PHP.

I bought Model’s Own Hot Pink during my crazy bright pink lipstick hoarding phase.

This is a very very bright pink color and perfect for a bold lip statement. The color payoff is great and one swipe is will do it for most people. The color is true to it’s name – Hot Pink! If you’re familiar with the highly coveted Candy Yum Yum from MAC’s Quite Cute collection then this is an excellent dupe. This is also the lipstick version of Orly’s Basket Case nail polish. This vibrant pink is so perfect for summer!

I’m crazy about the formulation of the lipstick. I was expecting it to be similar to Barry M lipsticks which can be quite dry but I got a pleasant surprise. It’s very creamy & moisturizing. It also lasts for a long time – around 5 hours of wear.

Here’s Model’s Own Hot Pink swatched on my inner arm.

It comes in a clear tube which is very handy if you own a lot of lipsticks like me so you can see which one you’re grabbing. You get 4 grams of lipstick in each tube. Not bad at all for the quality and the price point.

As with my other bright lip colors, I like to wear Model’s Own Hot Pink lipstick with just some black mascara and eyeliner.

Aix-en-Provence, France

Posted on 19 April 2012 by Belle

Aix-en-Provence is in the warmer southern part of France. It made a pleasant day trip from Lyon, France where we were primarily based.

It’s a very charming place.

Grrrrraaaaaaaapeeeeeeesssssss!!! Grapes!!!

OK, enough gawking at grapes.

Walked, walked, walked to see these views.

Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara

Posted on 15 April 2012 by Belle

Lash King is the latest addition to Majolica Majorca’s extensive mascara line.

Smudge proof, water proof and fits of hysteria proof. Perfect for everyday use. I work 12-15 hours daily and at the end of my work day my lashes are as perfectly curled as when I first applied them in the morning. No raccoon eyes too!

Believe all the hype. It is lengthening, curling and volumizing. I don’t even need to use an eyelash curler after applying this. Lash King boasts of an Acrobat Catch brush that makes it easier to hold at any angle (hello, inner eyelashes) and holds a good amount of mascara fluid.

One coat is not enough for me but two coats are perfect! Three will give you clumpy lashes and make it feel heavy.

A word of caution. This mascara is really budge proof and can be stubborn to remove if you don’t use the right products. I use Cils make up remover (a French drugstore find) that really works like a charm. I put makeup remover on a cotton pad, fold it in half over my lashes and press down for a few seconds before gently swiping away.

Lash King retails for PHP 795 in the Philippines.

Majolica Majorca’s Lash King is my Holy Grail mascara!

Pére-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Posted on 31 March 2012 by Belle

Cimétiere Pére-Lachaise is located in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and is the world’s most visited cemetery. Luminaries like Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, Chopin, etc. are interred here.

Apparently, it’s also one of the most coveted pieces of real estate in Paris. There is even a waiting list for people who want to get buried in Pére-Lachaise!

The place is huge and it’s not difficult to get lost.

For the ardent tomb raider, there is a free map with details on who’s buried where to help you plan your visit. We only got the map after exiting the main gate and had left everything to pure chance. Anyway, why stress so much over it? In case you miss your must see tombs, you can always come back. It’s not like they’re going anywhere anytime soon, non?

It’s not hard to guess who’s buried here. This one is surrounded on all sides by metal barriers that non-vertically challenged devout pilgrims can easily jump over.

The 2nd tomb I really wanted to see was Oscar Wilde’s. Since we didn’t have a map, we decided to ask a nice elderly man who was chatting up other people & giving directions to tombs. He walked with us to Oscar’s grave & tried to make small talk by verifying if he indeed worked there. He replied with a smile, ‘No, I’m more a future client.’

I consider myself lucky to see Oscar Wilde’s tomb before they decided to outfit it with a glass barrier protecting it not from the elements but from lipsticked kisses.

Can you guess which kiss mark is mine?

OK, maybe I ought to rename this post as Oscar Wilde’s Tomb.

How to Get to Pére-Lachaise:

Depending on where in Paris you’re coming from, you may choose from any of 3 Metro stops to get there: Pére-Lachaise, Philippe Auguste or Gambetta Porte.

Operating Hours:

From November 6 to March 15
Monday – Friday: 8:00AM to 5:30PM
Saturday: 8:30AM to 5:30PM
Sunday & All Holidays: 9:00AM to 5:30PM

From March 16 to November 5
Monday to Friday: 8:00AM to 6:00PM
Saturday: 8:30AM to 6:00PM
Sunday & All Holidays: 9:00AM to 6:00PM

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Macaroon Quick Review

Posted on 24 March 2012 by Belle

So much hype lately on Revlon Colorburst’s Lip Butters. I just couldn’t resist dragging myself to the Revlon counter in SM Makati to check them out. Surprisingly, our local SM counter was well stocked with a very good (if not almost complete) selection of Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter shades.

Tried out Peach Parfait, the shade I was really keen on after seeing swatches online but I found glitter too chunky on this one. Tutti Frutti was too 80s orange and not in the good way. Sweet Tart was too cool and looked like a milky pink on me.

In the end, I chose Macaroon. It’s a very lovely, subdued color with very fine golden shimmer. Macaroon is one of those MLBB (My Lips But Better) lipsticks that every girl should have. On me, the color looks a lot like a subtly discofied NARS Dolce Vita – the original MLBB lipstick.

Texture could be smoother though and I really hoped the formula was more moisturizing. They call them Lip Butters after all! Nothing a little dab of Homeoplasmine (or any other lipbalm) can solve though. Staying power is decent. I get around 2-3 hours wear.

What I don’t like about Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter is the packaging. The little notch on the base of the lippie which is I think is intended to make the lid stay put also makes it a tad too tough to remove. I learned the hard way because I nicked the top of the lipstick while removing the cap. Not good for rush touchups =( The tube is also a bit wobbly. I’m not sure if it’s a one off thing or if all tubes are like this. I also wished they were scented after their names!

Overall, still a decent buy at PHP 525.

Dove Nutritive Therapy Hair Care: Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo & Conditioner

Posted on 10 February 2012 by Belle

I discovered Dove Nutritive Therapy Hair Care Products by accident while doing my regular weekend grocery run a couple of weeks back. There was a Dove Hair Care promo girl all dolled up , nervous at 9 AM and asking me to try their products. I felt a bit sorry for her so I asked her which was best for dry hair and she handed me the Nourishing Oil Care one. It comes in 3 other variants – Straight and Silky, Hair Fall Rescue and Intense Repair.

Dove’s Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo and Conditioner variant contains Almond Oil, Coconut Oil and Sunflower Oil. My digitally permed hair needs to be really really well moisturized or else it turns into an annoying crazy tangled mess.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo was really, really moisturizing enough on it’s own. But using the conditioner really upped the amp! My curls are brought back to life and get extra bouncy. Smells really great too!

After a few days, I chanced upon another type of conditioner that they were offering – the Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner. This is marketed as a dual action product which has the effect of an intensive hair treatment and a regular conditioner.

Like striped toothpaste, 1/2 of the product is yellow (treatment) and the other half is white (conditioner) . True to it’s claim, it really is more moisturizing than the normal Dove Conditioner but you need to be careful not to use too much otherwise it weighs down your hair.One thing I don’t like so much about it is that it doesn’t have the same scent as the Oil Care shampoo.

I will definitely re-purchase all 3 products to alternate with my other favorites!

Allemagne

Posted on 16 January 2012 by Belle

Snaps from my trip to Germany which mostly revolved around alcohol.

Here’s Neuschwanstein Castle where I got my first taste of freezing European weather. I spent more time gawking at the sheer number of Asian tourists touting their trolleys all the way up instead of the castle itself. I think it’s more beautiful viewed from afar instead of up close.

Finally, Oktoberfest which I loved! I must have been the smallest person inside the tent.

Gotta love German efficiency.

Olympia Looping, the world’s biggest portable roller coaster. Ride = 8 euros. Watching people throw up at the top of each loop and catch their puke on their laps a few seconds after = priceless.

Superheadz Necono Digital Camera Review

Posted on 13 December 2011 by Belle

My first camera from Superheadz was the Golden Half - a fixed focus half frame 35 mmcamera which never failed to disappoint until the hinge broke when I dropped it on the plushly carpeted floor of a Thai Buddhist temple. I had been eyeing the Digital Harinezumi from Superheadz for months but the adorably cute cat-shaped Necono won me over. I had the perfect chance to road test it during my recent trip to Europe.

The Necono’s viewfinder is located in the cat’s right eye. You can rest your fingers on the ears them to steady the camera as you take a shot.

Meow!!!

There is an LED status light on the back of the Necono’s head so you can tell which mode your camera is on. It lights up green for still capture, blue for video, blue & green for interval mode and green again for self-timer mode. I loved the interval mode as it takes 1 photo every second until the shutter button is pressed again. Perfect for street shots!

There’s a magnet on each foot so you can attach the kitty to strange places for more creative shots. The magnets are quite strong and I had a lot of fun using it combined with the interval mode inside the Paris Metro (note: not recommended during rush hour on any form of crowded transport).

There is a silicon cover on the cat’s belly that protects the MicroSD slot and charger connector. I use a 2GB MicroSD card that currently has free space of about 1.3 GB and it contains 525 photos taken on the Hi resolution setting (2048×1536) and 3 videos no longer than 1 minute. You can view and transfer your photos by

Charging takes 1 hr 30 mins and is a breeze to do via USB or the electric adapter. Battery life was quite good. I would take it on 6 hour walks and be able to take 40-50 photos. There is supposed to be a function where the camera auto shuts down after 10 seconds of non use but it wasn’t happening with the unit I got. If not for this quirk I would probably get more mileage out of the battery.

Dirty feet from traipsing all over Europe.

Control buttons are on the tail. It’s easy to switch between modes and the LED status light is pretty straightforward. To take a photo, position the cat, press the shutter button and the LED status light will turn off. The light comes back on after a second or two after it’s captured an image.

L-R Shutter Button, Mode Button, Select Button

Honestly, the face freaks me out a little. The left eye lights up to count down when you’re using it on self-timer mode. There is a tiny slot on the nose that acts as a mic for videos. This little kitty takes dreamy, Super 8-esque videos with or without sound.

Mr. De Mille, I’m ready for my close-up!

What I don’t like about the Necono is not the lack of the viewfinder or the slow response time when taking still photos. It’s being unable to switch to Black & White mode without connecting it to a TV or to the expensive Monitor Ground accessory. The latter is a tiny video monitor that looks a lot like the Harinezumi.

Camera doesn’t capture images well in low light conditions or indoors. Fine with me as I like to stay outdoors anyway plus I always carry at least 2 cameras when going out on walks.