Hong Kong Diaries - March 2012

I went to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago for a quick trip with my cousins. I didn't have my kids nor my husband with me and I missed them terribly but I had a much relaxed trip as opposed to our annual family trip last December. We didn't do any touristy activity at all! It was basically three days of eating, shopping and WALKING.

I didn't have any plans to shop but when you're in Hong Kong, you really can't help but do otherwise. And I was so excited when I realized that we were arriving a day before the Marni x H&M launch. I had my eyes on just one item from the collection - these sandals:

Photo from Fashionista.com

We arrived at our hotel around lunch time, left our luggage, went out to have money exchanged before we ate. And Marni x H&M billboards welcomed me to the land of shopping.

Oh, hello, Marni! :)

This was my first meal:

Assorted Roast Meal

And here are some more of what I ate...

Roasted Duck

I had roast and a truck-load of rice (hahaha! I swear they serve too much rice!) 

almost every meal. If I didn't get roast, I had noodles.Yes, it was a carbo-loading trip.

Yoshinoya's Tobiko Salmon Flakes Bowl

This is my sister's favorite. We don't have this in Manila. When she discovered 

it a couple of years ago, I was pregnant and couldn't eat seafood and I was 

really jealous. Since then I always look forward to have this when in Hong Kong. 

I wasn't able to have this last December and since my cousins didn't want to eat at 

Yoshinoya, I went by myself and had my fix. And honestly, I don't really understand 

why I so wanted to have it. It's nothing special, really. Next time, I'm sticking to my 

roasts and noodles!

I totally underestimated the weather. It was just so hot in Manila days before the trip and I packed Manila wear and just added a lightweight jacket/sweater/blazer. It was crazy cold. Colder than last December. The sun didn't even shine during the three days we were there.

Morning view from our hotel

Late afternoon view from Harbour City - FOGGY!!!

It was so cold, my feet cramped up (must be my age, too! hahaha!) - while walking. It was really, really painful. 

What I do as soon as we get to our hotel.

I had to go to Watson's and get Bengay. And while I was at it, I grabbed a bunch of other stuff.

 

I hoarded hair products. I've already tried a lot of products for my curly hair - did the spray, mousse, wax and cream which is the one I like most. But it is just so hard to find a cream-based hair product here in Manila that is not crazy expensive. I use it everyday so I finish a bottle quite fast. The one I'm using right now is the Sifone Hair Beautifying Wavy Milk (second bottle from the right) and I like it a lot. It leaves my curls soft but defined. It's by Kao Corporation from Japan. I haven't tried the one in the green bottle and the Faddy brand yet. I want to finish the Sifone first before I open another one. Yes, I have high EQ (hahaha!). But maybe I could try them soon so I can write a review. Let's see...

Anyhoo, back to Marni x H&M, I did not camp out and fall in line. None of my companions were crazy about the collection. It would be lonely and sad to wait by myself out in the cold. We went to H&M after lunch and I was feeling nervous while I was looking for the collection. They could have sold out by that time. So I asked a staff and told me to proceed to the second floor. And I was surprised to see that the Marni section had a ton of stuff left (except for accessories which have sold out early on). There were racks after racks of clothes and they still had shoes! I quickly asked for my size, tried them on and held on to the box. I was feeling greedy and asked for the silver ones in my size. When I stepped away to try them on, I realized I was given the wrong size. When I went back, there were just about four pairs left and none of them were my size. Oh well, I guess the silver ones were not meant for me.

Good thing I didn't camp out for those sandals. I mean, they started at 8:00am. Eight in the morning!!! I don't think I was even already awake at that time. Here's a photo of the bracelet color guide and shopping hours. They take these collab launches pretty seriously, no?

So what else should you do when in Hong Kong? Visit as much branches of Sasa and Bonjour and make sure you have lots of time to waste. I probably went to three or four Sasa stores each day. There are a lot of items you can find in one branch that the other won't have. And oddly, not all stores offer the same discounted items. I was able to score a Clarins Beauty Flash Balm at 20% off when other Sasa stores sell them at a full price. Evian is cheaper in Hong Kong than here in Manila. For the Manila price, you can already get the jumbo can in Hong Kong! And of course, there are a bunch of makeup tools and whatnot to discover. Sasa is a makeup junkie's wasteland heaven! I love it!

It was a fun trip but really tiring. I think the walking took a huge toll on my feet. I've noticed that when I go to the mall for two to three hours, my feet start to hurt when I usually last way longer. We didn't even leave the Tsim Sha Tsui area. We never even rode the train to other parts of the city. We were just in one area the whole time. There are so many places to visit. Next time, we should stay longer. I just hope we have the money to do so. Hahaha.

DIY-titis

I'm sick. I've been bitten by the DIY bug and I don't want it to ever go away. EVER! I love it!!! :)

Inspiration from Honestly... WTF. Thank God for Pinterest!

So what have you created lately? :)

Kashmir

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. There are just a lot of things going on right now but I do have a ton of things to share with you so I hope to do a lot of writing. :)

First up is date night with the husband last week. We had dinner at Kashmir, an Indian restaurant. We love Indian food and, in our opinion, Kashmir is the best place to have really good and authentic Indian cuisine. We're no food experts but Manila's Best Kept Restaurant Secrets seem to think so too as Kashmir has been awarded as Best Indian Restaurant in 2010!

It was our second time at Kashmir. You will just love everything about this restaurant. Their interiors are really pretty and I feel like they sort of prepare your whole body for the gastronomic experience that awaits you. Here's what we ordered, I think we ordered the same food we did the first time:

Hummus

"The traditional middle-eastern dip, made with chickpeas tahina, olive oil and lemon juice. Served with warm pita bread."

Rogan Josh Kashmiri

"A real taste of India. Tender mutton pieces cooked in a rich gravy of varied spices and herbs."

Palak Paneer

 "Fresh cottage cheese and spinach simmered in tangy, creamy gravy."

Roti Chanai

"Our Malaysian croissant-like fluffy bread enriched with milk and ghee."

After our first trip at Kashmir, I often daydreamed about the Palak Paneer. It's just gloriously delicious. I've never loved a vegetable dish so much in my life! So that was the first thing I ordered when we came back.

Surprisingly, their Hummus was amazing. I don't remember it being that good the last time. I couldn't resist the slight sour kick and ate the creamy dish until I wiped the plate clean. Of course I shared it with my husband but I had more than half of it. Oh no!!!

The Rogan Josh Kashmiri was my husband's favorite. He is a meat monster (he's actually allergic to seafood and has no idea what he's missing). The meat was good but not mind-blowingly good. But the sauce is a whole different story. I super loved it. Oh my goodness, I could live with just the pita and the sauce. It was firing up in my mouth! Yum, yum, yum!!!

I normally don't mix up my food. I only eat one dish at at time. But I couldn't help but eat them altogether and it was a food orgasm in my mouth! I don't know how else to explain the flavors and spices I was tasting. They were all so good!

So, I've been counting my calories on and off for the past month. How many calories did I consume? Who the hell cares??? Hahaha! When you want Indian food, go to Kashmir. I promise, you won't regret it! Oh and they have valet parking!!!

Kashmir

Festejo Bldg., 816 Arnaiz Ave., Makati City / (632) 8444924 or 8444927

Rustan's Supermarket, Ayala Center, Makati City

Merchants Center Bldg., Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila / (632) 5246851 or 5321512

http://www.kashmirmanila.com/

Beauty Find: EOS Lip Balm

I've been wanting to try this lip balm for a long time now and I wanted the Sweet Mint flavor.

It's a bit weird to apply on the lips as I'm used to the common flat-top balms. I also tried applying it in the car while driving (a stick-shift, mind you...) and it was a bit tricky because of the screw-off cap and the fact that the thing is curvy almost all over. Other than my issues with the design, I like it. It is really cute, anyway! It keeps my lips moisturized for a long time and I like that it's an organic product! I just hope I don't accidentally drop this while the cap is off. *uh-oh*

I would love to try the other flavors, I wonder which one I should get next? They actually also have some limited-edition flavors.

L-R: Sweet Mint, Medicated Tangerine, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Summer Fruit & Lemon Drop SPF 15

Evolution of Smooth (EOS) Lip Balms are available from local online sellers on Multiply.

Sexy Mother Pucker

This is the cutest lipgloss name ever!!! It's actually my friend's (who's also a makeup artist and she loves it!) and I just had to take a photo. :)

Beauty Find: Velcro Hair Pads

This has the very simple idea of keeping hair off the face when putting on makeup but with a kick of awesomeness! Just brilliant. And you've probably have seen them or own them but I've been wanting them for so long and I just can't find them anywhere!

No more bulky clips that I keep losing all the time!!! Aaaaah, simple joys!!! :)

Berry Buttery Lips

I've never really gotten the habit of wearing lipstick. I normally use a lipstain but I do wear lipstick occasionally like when I remember to (hahaha) or when I feel like it or when I really must do so (attending formal events). I just never retouch which is quite odd being that I am a makeup artist.

Having an array of lipstick shades and finishes is one of the perks in my line of career and I have my favorites in a personal palette. I don't buy lipsticks for myself. They're always for my kit. But once in a while, I get an urge to buy for myself and this is what I got:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

Shade: Berry Smoothie / 050

Since summer has arrived, I wanted a lipstick that I could wear everyday and I want something natural and light and Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butter is like lipgloss but packed with color. I swatched all the shades on the shelf and loved the Berry Smoothie the most. I was lucky to get the last tube on the shelf. I guess, it's a pretty popular shade.

* please forgive my thick lips...

You see, it's very sheer which is perfect for summer and perfect to wear anywhere - even to the beach! I find regular lipsticks too overpowering and unforgiving during summer. Summer makeup should be natural and radiant! And I cringe at the idea of piling on foundation and powder (like a full face) on a crazy hot day - sweat running down your face and erasing your makeup is just... gaaaaaah!

I am so in love with my new lippie and I am so looking forward to wearing this everyday!!! This might just be the start of a love affair with lipsticks for me. I hope I don't fall head over heels and hoard. *Uh-oh....*

By the way, I used my iPhone for the photos (and the Snapseed app to edit the photos - just cropping, adding a frame and blurring the unimportant parts of the photo, no altering of colors whatsoever). Are they good enough or should I stick with a real camera? Oh, I just hate busting out that enormous gadget...

Magical Box

Our box arrived todaaaaaaay!!! I swear, this is just the best feeling ever! Hahaha. Yes, I can be shallow like that.

I didn't buy much but I love all my purchases! I honestly feel that money was spent wisely with this loot, when I usually have one or two items I would later on realize as plain nonsense. My kids are happy too, as they have some new toys. And we (my sister, Mom & I) hoarded some Bath & Body Works products which are always just lovely.

Can't wait for our next box! Woot!