TRAVELS: Crystal Cove Island Boracay

Crystal Cove Island in Boracay Philippines is just one of the few islands that you can visit in this paradise. Located at the Tabon Point, Caticlan, Malay Aklan, this island offers an ALL IN experience/adventure for those who wants to free themselves from the busy lifestyle of the city. An exclusive island that has cave inside, bridges, stone formations etc. Truly it is just an amazing island!

We went here with my friends for an island hopping experience last year. It was a first time for me fo finally got to visit Boracay and we didn't waste our time to explore this hidden parradise within a paradise and this is just one of them! A tour guide officially toured us in this beautiful islad. Pictures will do justice to what I/m trying to describe..So here it is guys!

   
Upon entrance, you will see this welcoming name of the island wherein you can take some pictures with the crystal blue sea as your background.

This is the stairs going to the part of island wherein you can see the top view of the sea..Excited to see what's in there? Check out the next pictures!

    Me and my friends posing :-) Oh we love picture taking sessions. Who would not want to have some  souvenir picture in this beautiful island right?  Crystal Cove Island has too many beautiful spots to take pictures! This is just one, and as you can see the Palm Chair is just a great work of art. And nothing can compare to the natural art God has created which we have on our background..

   Please bear with us if you will see most of our faces :-). This is also one of the cute places inside the island. Cute isnt  it?

  This stone shed is just really beautiful! You can just realx here and see the beautiful view...

 As you explore the island, you will see this cave-like site. In here you can swim in a crystal clear sea of Boracay..

 Camwhoring in action!

Well, a stolen shot of myself but I love it! See the isolated island at the middle? well another island to explore soon!

   Camwhoring again! Me and my friends posing for another group pic. Love love love this island!

   Come and  visit Boracay Philippines! Its more fun in the Philippines!

   Feel free to leave comments below fellow readers! I would love to read them!


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Beauty: What's inside my makeup kit??

First of all, this post is actually inspired by the "What's in my bag" section at the cosmopolitan online. Oh I love reading posts about what's inside the makeup kit of our local celebrities. Just want the update if what product they are into and would love to try it! So just a sneak peak of what I always bring on my kikay kit and why do I chose those products..Pictures after the jump!

So what's inside my kit? Powder, Blushes, Lipsticks, Concealer, Eyebrow kit, Highlighter, Eyeliner and Makeup Brushes...

 Let's take a look at them individually..

Makeup brushes is a must for applying makeups, for blending and to make applying makeup easy as a breeze. In my kit I use inexpensive brushes, mostly are by marionnaud and elf brushes. From the picture above, I use the Marionnaud angle brush to apply my blush, Elf Eyeshadow brush, Marionnaud Powder brush for my powder and Marionnaud brow brush. As for lining my eyes, I use Maybelline Pencil in Black.

As for the lipsticks. I love bringing with me at least 3 lipsticks.. You might be thinking, why do i need to bring more than 1 lipstick on my kikay kit? Maybe because I love mixing lipsticks and secondly, I always have a change of mind of what lipstick is bagay (suits) to me, so better bring them all nalang. :-) So these are the lipsticks I always use and only the Bobbi brown one, is not in the pink shade.

 This is my favorite browset and shadow! Just a quick history guys, I was at the MAC Store when all im planning to buy is a concealer. The Makeup Artist actually noticed my brows and told me I should invest in prettifying my brows. So instead of buying concealer, I bought this. The application of the MUA was really superb that from then on, I think groomed brows really make a difference in anyone's look.

The eyeshadow is carbon. I use the Marionnaud brush to fill in the gaps of my brows with this eyeshadow, and then apply the MAC GirlBoy Brow gel to set my brows.

My Favorite Powder. The sheer finish is good for touch ups. The glow it gives to my skin is just astonishing. Maybe because it is mineralized? :-)

Same with lipsticks. I love bringing blushes on my kit :-)

 My concealer. One and only concealer :-)

 The only eyeshadow I use for my eyelids.. Unlike lipsticks and blushes, Im ok with just one eyeshadow on my kit!This is the MAC Semi Precious Eyeshadow in Faux Gold.

I forgot to include the lipbalm and the highlighter.

For those who are starting to build up their own makeup kit, here's a quick list of the basic essentials that you will need.

1. Powder
2. Lipbalm
3. Lipstick
4. Blush
5. Eyeliner
6. Brow Pencil/Brow kit
7. Eye curler and Mascara

Don't matter what brand either local and imported..It's how you can pull it off!

That's it ladies!
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Beauty: Orange/Peach Battle | Lipsticks

Max Factor Pearl Orange, Covergirl Rapture, Bobbi Brown Soft Coral

Orange and Peach are just two of my favorite colors. Orange lifts up the mood while peaches for me creates that subtle color. So when the these colors became a hit for the lipstick shade, who am I not to love?

My very first purchase for an orange lipstick shade is the Max Faxtor Pearl Orange..Orange Lips really looks good on fair skinned ladies but it didn't stopped though I am not that fair.  I love how this looks good on me. Oh I love oranges..

Next is the Covergirl Rapture. I got influenced by beauty blogger who used this on his tutorial to copy Jennifer Lopez' makeup in "Im into you" Music Video. The peachiness of this shade is just gorgeous! The finish is more of a lustre and it has a tendency to sit into the lines of the lips. So better moisturise the lips first and put this lipstick!

Lastly, Bobbi Brown Soft Coral.. Love the shade! Milky coral and it is just gorgeous on the lips!

Here's the actual swatch.. Left to right: Max Factor Pearl Orange, Covergirl Rapture, Bobbi Brown Soft Coral



Based on the pics above. Pearl Orange on the left is a true orange. At the middle is the Rapture which is light and the Soft coral on the right which a bit redder..

Till next time ladies! Get one of this lipsticks!

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TRAVELS: Tam-Awan Village | Baguio City

Tam-Awan Village (Garden in the Sky) in Pansao Proper, Baguio City is one of the tourist destination that mimics the Ifugao and Kalinga houses with the combination of Cordilleran craftmanship. The village on its own displays the creativity and artistry of the Baguio locals and entails the way of living of the Baguio descendants. Thus, visiting this place will make you experience living in these seven Ifugao huts(and 2 Kalinga Houses.

Once you enter the village,  you will be welcome with Art Exhibits. What makes them stand out, is the paintings are actually engraved and there are hidden images in every art. See the pictures below and see it for yourself!

 The slogan that you can see at the entrance.Entrance fee is: Php50

Photo Credit: Artist at Tam-Awan Village



You think this is just a regular art paint? Well, you're wrong! When you touch the actual painting you feel that it is actually engraved! How astonishing! And see the hidden image :-)

 Photo Credit to the Artist

One of the paintings at the Art Gallery. See the hidden image? That piece of art actually shows the Ifugao Rice Terraces.



Manny Pacquiao, (Pambansang Kamao), is a Famous Filipino Boxer and is renowned in the boxing industry around the world. The art at my back is actually engraved! See how intricate this is!

Artist in action! You can have yourself a painting/self portrait done by an artist! Love it!



 Cafe at Tam-Awan Village

One of the Kalinga House. Luccong House. This house is actually for rent! A visitor can rent this for a night and they could sleep in here. Cool right! Personal experience on living inside this Luccong House.

Kalinga House was said to be more spacious than the Ifugao Houses. 

Ifugao Houses..

 The stairs going to the Garden in the Sky!

 Green green green!!!This the path going to the top (Garden in the Sky)

 Pine tree!!

 Top View from the Tam-Awan Village.

 This is at the top of the Tam-Awan Village. Some visitors would not attempt to reach this place but we did it!And only to find out that this is what they are referring to as "Garden in the Sky". We expected too much but the experience is worth it.

Come and visit Baguio City! Its more fun in the Philippines!

HOW TO GET TO BAGUIO?

There are several bus terminals in Metro Manila, but ours was Victory Liners in Cubao, Pasay, Monumento Bus Terminals.Paid around Php500 pesos and up for bus fare.  It will take you about 6- 7 hours of travel from Manila to Baguio depending on the weather and bus stops. You may also take with you you're private car. Don't know exactly the travel hours .If you are a commuter, taxi in Baguio is convenient and you can just ask them to take you to your destination as if they were your tour guide.

Lots of hotels are available in Baguio for accomodation. If you and you're friends are in a budget, you can also inquire about the transient houses. As for us, we stayed at Eurotel Baguio and another hotel near the Burnham Park( Can't remember the hotel name).

Be sure to bring jackets with you when you are in Baguio, wear comfortable shoes and camera too!

 Copyright: © 2012, Owned by Vanessa, Pictures belongs to the author of this Blog, Travels, Food and Beauty by Vanessa

Love Vanessa

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BEAUTY: MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation Review

According to the MAC Website: MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation is a one-step application of foundation and powder. Gives skin a smooth, flawless, all-matte, full-coverage finish. Long-wearing: lasts for up to eight hours. A real all-in-one. The choice of pros, and a long time favourite of M∙A∙C fans.

My Studio Fix Plus Foundation Plus is now almost 8 months now that's why it has come to this appearance  lol.  But I will just make a review about this foundation. Bought this last december as a christmas gift to myself. Cost me about Php1800 which pricey for a powder. I just rode the hype since this was a keeper in most of the local celebrities' purses.

First the casing, an elegant black cover which is the trademark color of MAC. Inside is a mirror perfect for touch-ups and a white sponge separately placed just beneath.

    Here is a simple swatch of my studio fix which is in NC30 (perfect for pinays with yellow undertone).

 See? I almost hit the pan!

 

 The color/shade of the powder is just right. The content of the powder is quite reasonable since Ive been using this for the past 8 months and still can't finish this off. However, after a long time of thinking of buying again my HG powder which is the MAC Mineralized SkinFinish, Studio Fix Powder is just sittin now on my cabinet.. Maybe for my skin, this powder makes me look too made up and so sometimes there were zits appearing on my face from time to time. Not sure though if this pwder is the cause but from other reviews, I believe some also got zits from this powder.

                  Here's the actual swatch. The powder is finely milled and it has a matte finish.

Verdict:

Pros:

• long lasting
• will cover-up redness on your face
• no need to put liquid foundation. You can use this alone and you can achieve the same result

Cons:

•  kinda heavy on the face
• matte finish is not appealing to me, I want some glow!
• I get zits from time to time which I think is because of this powder (I stopped then all zits disappeared)
• Pricey
• The packaging tends to look luma and the label tends to be erased 

 As for me, I will not buy again MAC Fix Powde mainly because this caused me zits and Im inlove with my other powder. Also its pricey.

That's all! Till the next review!

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TRAVELS: REPUBL1C Wakepark | Wakeboarding

REPUBL1C WAKEPARK - The Newest and Most Innovative Wakepark in the World! We went to Nuvali, Sta.Rosa, Laguna to try the REPUBL1C Wakepark for the first time since a friend of mine keep on insisting us to try it ourselves. We went there one saturday morning and the view of the park is breathtaking. The area for wakeboarding is very large! No need to go to Calatagan or Camarines Sur to try wakeboarding first-hand! For a 55 minute drive from the Metro going to Laguna, a barkada/family who is into adventure whether he/she is a beginner or Professional Wakeboarder, can try this newest wakepark.


It is advisable to go this wakepark during weekdays since it is crowded during weekends. Fortunately during our visit, the place was not so crowded and we even did not need to stand in a long line for our turn in the beginners area.  REPUBL1C Wakepark is still under construction during our visit with so
many renovations on the side but still this did not stop us from enjoying wakeboarding!

This is the beginner's area where people like me (first-timer/non-wakeboarder) are very much welcome to try wakeboarding. The pulley at the top has cable that will pull the wakeboarder in a straight path from a slow pace to a fast pace. The water is about 3-6 feet. A trainor will give you some key points beforehand. What I remember is that there were 2 trainors (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), and I just want to give kudos to the afternoon trainor (not sure though if this is his fix shift) since he really is a good trainor compared to the other one who is kinda snobbish and unapproacheable.

It is a requirement to wear lifevest and helmet all the time when you're about to wakeboard. You can bring your own or rent them on the admission area.

The Professional Wakeboarder's Area

This is not really for professionals only but for those who can assess themselves that they can already try wakeboarding in a more level-up stage compared to the beginner's area. Since in here the start will not be in a slow pace compared to the beginner's area, some wakeboarders will have a tendency to not stand on their wakeboards even on the first pace. The water is about 6 feet to 10 feet. There is no trainor in here so you will have to work on your own. Some of my friends will compare this to lago de oro in Batangas and according to them this is much bigger.

 Professional Wakeboarder in action! See the ramp?!

That's him, (the one in brown cap) the Trainor I'm referring to who  is much proficient than the other trainor on the beginner's area.  And that's my BF (the one sitting) on his first attempt to wakeboarding..

Weeee!! That's actually me! Not bad right? But believe me the first time was really hard coz I can't even stood up on the board!

So after a lot of energy released on wakeboarding, REPUBL1C has variety of snacks/lunch available. Just a reminder guys, bringing food/water inside the REPUBL1C is not allowed. With that, visitors can only leave their food on their cars..The food in REPUBL1C is kinda pricey but this one is heavy on the stomach and tasteful too! So my verdict? A+! But some rice meals are not good though :-(


The rates may vary based on the duration. 

1 HOUR PASS = Php 250
2 HOUR PASS = Php 475
4 HOUR PASS = Php 595
8 HOUR PASS = Php 995 (8:30 am - 5:30 am)
etc

You can visit their site: http://republ1cwakepark.com/ for more info..
After a long day in the wakepark, you can now enjoy strolling around NUVALI. My related post is on this link: Nuvali..

Come and visit REPUBL1C Wakepark! Its more fun in the Philippines!!
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