August Beauty & Non-beauty Faves!

It's that time of the month again where I show you guys what I have been putting on my face and loving! I do like to switch things up every month, and I have been discovering (and at times rediscovering) quite a few beauty products that I wanted to share.

Because I have been under the Manila heat for quite a time this month, I definitely relied on my Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (wow, that is a pretty long name!) to cover up any facial sins. It actually feels more like a BB cream/tinted moisturizer as it is very light-weight but buildable if you feel like you need more coverage. If you're like me and have quite oily skin during the summer months, I'd definitely recommend you try this one out. I've been pairing that with my MAC Studio Finish concealer and setting with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder (that I featured in a beauty faves post I believe in June).

Other beauty faves have been my EOS lipbalm in the Honeysuckle scent, Stila smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in lionfish (which I think, is the perfect metallic brown colour), MAC lipliner in Kiss Me Quick (from the LE Maleficent collection),  MAC blush in Melba and apply lightly with my EcoTools fluffy powder brush, the little sample I got of MAC's Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara and of course, my personalized MAC eyeshadow quad that's got (T-B) Naked Lunch, Smut, Sumptuous Olive and Humid. I realize I have been a little MAC happy this month, but I have just been loving quite a few of their products lately!

As for lips, I've been loving my nudey/mauvey colours such as Happy Skin's Shut Up & Kiss Me moisturizing lippie in Crushing On You and Rimmel's Kate Moss lipstick in 107. As for days where I want a little more colour, I've been reaching for either MAC's Red Balloon (from the Playland Collection) or True Love's Kiss (from the Maleficent Collection) that I pair with the Kiss Me Quick liner. 

My non-beauty faves:

Goldilocks came out with these Caramel Pusong Mamons recently, and I am in love. If you don't know what mamons are, they're these fluffy, chiffony-type bread treats that aren't too sweet but tasty nonetheless - like a mini cake (but not a cupcake) if you will. I love Goldilocks's regular mamons as it is, so having it with a caramel filling just thrilled me. And I just love how it's heart-shaped. Mhmm... I'll definitely be sneaking some of these babies in my luggage. I'm gutted Ottawa doesn't have a Goldilocks!

French toast has been quite the little indulging treat for me this month, and I've been finding any excuse I can to make these babies. So easy to make, and so, so delicious! I actually think I learned how to make these before I ever learned how to cook eggs! I remember asking my dad to make these when I was little and having them as a midnight snack. Oh, french toast just brings back so many good memories! Is it weird that I've associated food with fond memories? I hope not! I love pairing them with either peanut butter, cookie butter or Nutella, and it's just urgh, food heaven! 

My jam for this month is hands down Celine Dion and NeYo's Incredible. I have loved Celine Dion ever since I was like four years old (I distinctly remember belting out My Heart Will Go On, albeit out of tune, when I was little and just embracing my diva mode), and this song absolutely consolidated that love for her - is there anything she can't sing? This pop collaboration with NeYo has been a regular listen in our car, and I doubt I will ever get sick of it. The lyrics, the beat and the harmony between their voices never fails to make me smile. The music video actually reminds me of Katy Perry's Firework, just you know, a little more tamed down and minus the fireworks shooting out of breasts. Please, please give it a listen if you haven't already. Let's share this love. 

What have been your favourite discoveries (or rediscoveries) this month? Do share!

Happy discovering!

Confessions of a Bookworm - 6 Books, 1 Week

Oh, the problems of a bookworm. I do have a 'slight' addiction to buying books even though I know that I've got like three or four brand new ones at home that I have yet to get through. But I can't help myself. Especially if there are those that are on sale. 

Bookstores give me that high, and I can spend AGES in one bookstore just getting lost among the aisles. Half of the time, I am looking for a few specific titles but even after I've successfully tracked them down and am physically holding them in my arms with such care (psh, yes, I'm that crazy!), I find myself still looking around and waiting for another title to call out to me. I realize how insane that makes me, but hey, surely there's something (or someone, lucky you) in your life that gives you that sense of euphoria. 

Hence, I have found myself with six books in my possession, and I've only got a week left of my summer before I'm thrust back into the uni life of deadlines, pressure and sleepless nights. Technically, I've got eight books, but I'm saving two of them for the journey back to Ottawa.

I do have to say, I'm excited for this upcoming week of getting lost in more worlds. 

For any other bookworms out there, you get me right? I share this problem (well, not really a problem for me but is for others) with someone else right? I'm not alone?

Has anyone found any good reads for before the summer ends?

Happy discovering!

Confessions of a Bookworm - Personal Library OCD

A bit of a random post today, but I thought that with my being a bookworm, I felt that there should be something on here that sort of explains the insanity (and sense of euphoria) I go through when it comes to books.

Here's a look into my personal library here in the Philippines! After acquiring quite a bit and stressing over the disorder I found our house in (as in, random books here and there), I decided to spend one whole afternoon sorting through everything and rearranging the whole shelf. I must say, it was one of the best afternoons I've ever had! Lame, I know but that's the life of an introverted bookworm. I'm sure some of you get me, right?

I was definitely quite surprised at the amount of fantasy genre books I'd acquired over the years - five of the shelves here are all dedicated to them! Here's a rough break down - 5 fantasy shelves, 2 for chic-lits and one shelf for my mom's Chicken Soup for the something books and any other miscellaneous titles I didn't want ruined (the top left that I can barely reach). 

Within the shelves themselves is actually another organisational system that I am too ashamed to share with anyone, but let's just say every book has it's place. Therefore, I am the only one who touches this bookshelf or else the system I have (insanely) followed will crumble and die. I'm obsessive like that. Sue me.

Teehee, this part of my bookshelf (Yes, I've dubbed it as mine as after all, it holds most of my literary treasures) just thrills me every time I look at it - this I will say, holds my all time favourite books, all of which are actually YA fantasy series. Some of these aren't complete, which pains me, due to various reasons: I've got the ebook version, I've lost track of where I put one of them or the series hasn't finished yet and I am (im)patiently waiting for the next installment. And it's a constant struggle moving things around every time I have something new that I think deserves a spot in this shelf. I know, I know, I sound insane. At least I'm aware of it. 

Nevertheless, if you haven't checked out any of these picks out yet, I definitely recommend that you do!

This section right next to my favourite fantasy books holds all my favourite chic-lits. Of course, there's a system here, that I will share - left side holds all the teeny type stories (you know, high school drama-esque stuff) and on the right we've got ones where the characters are in their mid-20s or so (Hah, that sounds mental but heck, that's me). 

After sorting through the fantasy genre books I'd acquired, I suddenly realized just how many of them were on vampires. I mean, DAMN! I definitely went through the whole vampire phase. Yes, I did read the whole Twilight series (the last book which I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I placed) after I was gifted the first book for Christmas when I was 14, and I don't care what anyone else thinks, I'm not ashamed that I did get hooked for a short while. Getting back to the point, 2/3 of this part of the shelf is all vampire-themed (the left side up until the book Prom Nights From Hell by various authors). Does that make me an expert on the modern day vampire?

Please, someone out there, tell me I'm not alone in this?

Oh God, I sound absolutely mental. I swear, I'm not. Well, only when it comes to books.

Do you recognise any of these titles, or are there any you can recommend me?
Happy discovering!

Sunday Brunch at Mesa / Philippines

My mom and I decided to have a good ol' Sunday brunch after mass last week, and she took me to Mesa's branch over at SM North Edsa. Shopping, brunch and quality time con mi mama? Of course I was all in! Mesa is a local restaurant serving modern Filipino dishes, and according to my mom, the food is to die for! I totally agree.

Fell in love with the decor the minute we walked in! I adore all the nature-type pieces they've got around the place, giving it that authentic, native-Filipino with a modern twist vibe.

Mhmm, so many choices! Such a daunting looking menu, and this is only one side of it! You'll definitely get your fill of tasty Filipino cuisine with a twist here at Mesa!

Haha, no it's not the angle that I took the photo in - that's actually how the glasses here are. Pretty cool!

We ordered the boneless crispy hito with green mango salad - although it was somewhat tasty paired with the green mango, we were let down as it wasn't as 'crispy' as it looks. It's as if it was cooked long before it was served as it was a tad bit on the soft and bordering-on-bland side.

And my absolute favourite dish of the day - Laing served 2 ways *squee* One of my all time to-die for Filipino dishes. I could eat this everyday, and not get tired of it. I swear.

Close-up of the original version - which was my personal fave. Paired with the grilled liempo, it was the perfect combination. Absolute heaven!

And of course, the crispy Laing version. In my opinion this was less spicy than the original one, but perhaps that's just me. But very, very good nonetheless. If you get the chance to try it out, what do you think?

I did forget to take a photo of the rice we ordered, not that there was anything really that aesthetically special about it because it is just rice, right? Nothing you're missing out on in that aspect really. 

For dessert, we tried out the Crispy Leche Flan, and I quite like it. It's definitely not the conventional leche flan I know and love, but it is something nice to try out. The flan itself isn't too sweet which is nice, though I do kind of wish the gooey caramel did have more of that nice caramel taste to it. All in all, not bad. 

Do check out the rest of their mouthwatering menu here!

Fair warning though, because it has become very popular, the line to get in can get quite long, so I would highly suggest coming early for lunch, or during the non-peak hours. Then again, if you do find yourself having to wait, the food is definitely worth it! And of course, you can always order ahead while you're still in line, so it's not that bad.

I believe that Mesa has about 12 branches nationwide, and so if you're ever in the vicinity of one, I do recommend you check it out to get your fill of Filipino cuisine! Love, love, love this place and it has definitely become one of my all time favourite restaurants. The ambience, food and servers are such a killer package deal, you won't regret a penny (or *ahem* peso) spent. I'm so looking forward to coming back here over the Christmas holidays...

Happy discovering!

Drool, drool, drool....