Beauty Stash: March 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Singapore Series: Marina Bay, Singapore City Tour

The next day, we woke up early hoping to catch the sunrise at Marina Bay. Well, it turned out we’re already late! We took the MRT from Kembangan to City Hall, then walked to City Link Mall. We decided to grab some bread and coffee from Breadtalk. For travelers on a budget, this is a good choice for breakfast, unless you want heavy breakfast. For SGD 2, you can have a toast and a coffee. We opt to get hot floss about SGD 2 and coffee at 50 cents. Not bad!

We walked all the way from City Link Mall to Esplanade. There, we ate breakfast, took some photos and rested for awhile.

After that, we went to Merlion. Unfortunately, Merlion is now Merlion Hotel, so you will not see the old Merlion there. You can also view the Singapore Flyer from Merlion.

Under the bridge from Merlion to Esplanade Park.

One Fullerton

Singapore Flyer

Singapore Series: Taste Paradise and Le Peranakan Hotel

The flight from Clark to Singapore is around 3 hours. So while my daughter and husband is sleeping, I tried taking pictures from aerial view.

We arrived in Singapore at around 3:30 pm. Cebu Pacific Air landed at the Budget Terminal, so we took the airport’s free shuttle service to Changi Airport.

From there we boarded the MRT to Tanah Merah interchange and transferred to the Green Line going to Joo Koon. I was really amazed by Singapore’s transport system, especially the MRT. It is very convenient, organized, clean and fast. People also give priority seats to the elders, pregnant, PWD and those who are travelling with kids. Upon arriving at City Hall interchange, we boarded a train to Orchard (Red Line). We got off at ION Mall, a luxury mall in Singapore.

We had dinner first at Taste Paradise in ION Orchard. The ambience is perfect! However, perhaps because of language barrier, we had difficulty in communicating with the staff. WE ordered fried rice but no fried rice was brought to our table, so we decided to cancel it. The servings are also small.

After dinner, we went to Le Peranakan Hotel, where my cousin is staying for the rest of her business trip. It is on the East Coast Rd., the nearest MRT station is Kembangan (Green Line). It is a bit far from the MRT station so we decided to take a cab. Cab from Kembangan MRT to Le Peranakan Hotel is about 4 SGD.

Le Peranakan Hotel has too buildings. So if you plan to sneak in some of your friends, I guess you could do so. The reception is on the first building while we stayed on the second one.

The rooms are small but clean and new. It has a king-sized bed, a TV with cable, hot and cold shower and aircon. Rates start at SGD 100.

Singapore Series: Going to Singapore via Diosdado Macapagal International Airport

The night before our trip, I freaked out upon seeing the website of Philtranco that the earliest bus to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) was at 12:00 noon. Our flight (CLRK-SIN) via Cebu Pacific was at 12:10 pm and we should be there at least 2 hours before. I searched the net to find an alternative way to reach DMIA and saw some complicated means of doing so. Like some wrote you have to take a bus to Baguio or Pangasinan and alight at Dau Bus Terminal. From there, take a jeep to SM Clark and alight at the jeepney station before reaching the mall. There are airport shuttles from there that costs about Php 200 per trip. Some posts are actually outdated and inconsistent.

As I am bringing my daughter with us on this trip, I want a hassle-free means of going to DMIA as much as possible. So I kept my fingers crossed that there is still a Philtranco bus to take us there early in the morning. I searched my FB account and saw that Philtranco,too has an account so I dropped them an inquiry on their earliest trip schedule. Luckily, as late as 11pm, someone is still manning their FB account and answered my post that they have a 6:30 am trip from Pasay. Hurrah! Now I can have a sound sleep.

The next morning, we left the house at 5:30 am. A cab from Zobel Roxas in Manila to Philtranco terminal in Pasay costs around Php 120. We bought tickets to DMIA which costs Php 350. This is also the bus that will stop at the back of SM Megamall.

The bus is nothing special, just a usual aircon bus. What’s special is that it only took an hour and a half to reach DMIA. So when we arrived at DMIA, it is still closed as it opens at 9:00 am.

DMIA is known to house budget airlines like Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific, etc. Terminal Fee in DMIA is Php 600. Flights from DMIA to Singapore takes about 3 hours.

Tips:

1. Make sure to catch the Philtranco bus from Pasay or Megamall to have a hassle-free transfer to DMIA. It does not only saves time but also money.

2. If you do not have check-in baggage allocation, do not bring folded umbrellas and canned goods, unless you are willing to leave it t o the guards at DMIA, for good.

3. If you are travelling with an infant, make sure you already have a Travel Tax Exemption Certificate from PTA. Click here to learn how to get a TEC.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Body Shop’s Empower Your Beauty Event

The Body Shop Philippines held a makeover event yesterday at the SM Mall of Asia. I was able to have a slot on their makeover session at 7pm. So after office, I went straight to the event. Since I was a bit early, as I arrived a little past 6pm, they let me take photos first of their booth in front of their shop. After about 15 minutes, they asked me to answer some questions to determine my skin type and needs. Upon answering the digital questionnaire, the results divulge that I have combination skin. True enough, because only my T-zone is oily and the rest of my face is dry.

For combination skin, The Body Shop recommends their Seaweed line of skin care products. The following products were used on me:

Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser – a cleanser specifically designed to maintain skin’s moisture balance. It cleanses skin without leaving it too oily or too dry. It feels cool when applied, something that I really like about it. It is very refreshing. Plus, you can just wipe it off with facial tissue. No need to rinse with water. This is perfect for people like me who are often too tired or too busy to take off makeup at night.

Seaweed Clarifying Toner – removes excess dirt, tightens pores and helps keep moisture balance. It is non-drying.

Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream – it is a good moisturizer without the greasy feel. It has matte finish so it is a good makeup base if you are not into heavy foundation.

For my dark undereye circles, The Body Shop recommends Moisture White Shiso Eye Serum. What I like about this eye cream is that it does not sting my eyes, which is my common problem when I apply eye products.

And the event’s highlight, Moisture White Shiso BB Cream Spf25. As a blemish balm, it acts as a moisturizer, sunscreen and makeup base. It also has skin brightening properties. What caught my attention is that unlike other BB Creams, this one does not have a grayish cast when applied, perfect for those who has yellow undertones. Plus, it is not heavy, cakey or oily, making it suitable for humid countries like the Philippines.

After the thorough prep, I was treated to a makeover courtesy of Charlotte Micael (TBS Rockwell), a finalist for The Body Shop’s Nationwide Makeup Competition.