Venus Raj and Cream Silk giveaway

I personally met Venus Raj only once but I am captivated by her long, straight, black hair! Being a beauty queen, it is but normal for some hair style changes for guest appearances, photo shoots and other media events. Though not all people would agree with some of her hair style decisions, she only has one product to rely on when it comes to conditioning and bringing back her lustrous, black hair. 

Venus Raj 

Don't fret when you see her sporting a different hairdo to an event. No matter what her hair style is, at the end of the day, Venus Raj prefers to sport a beautiful straight hair. Thanks to Cream Silk conditioner, even if she frequently change from one hair style to another, her hair is recharged every time. 

Giveaway: UrbanEars Bagis

MrsMartinez's Raves and Rants and Technoodling are giving away 3 Urbanears Bagis to lucky readers! Aren't you excited? This is a kick off to my Birthday Blowout giveaway this coming month of May ; )

UrbanEars Bagis in Ceris PhP1, 200

Urbanears is from a Swedish company manufacturing Plattan line of headphones. Bagis is their entry level for earphones. 

Specification:

• microphone and remote compatible
• 3.5mm plug
• fabric cord
• 3 earbuds S, M, L
• snap construction

Easter treat!

Hello! How was your weekend? I woke up last Thursday not having a single plan in my head. I even tweeted that I will most probably be staying home. Without an advance booking in any resort, I am bound to stay home the entire duration of the holy week. STAYCATION that's the word haha 

I was starting to feel bummed because I have zero plan for Holy week. I know, it should be a time for reflection of one's sin but everybody's on vacation mode. I need to get out of the house. I miss the beach, the sun minus my freckles showing up haha Not exactly what I got because instead of a beach, my family and I checked-in to Edsa Shangri- la Manila. 

 my sister and I

We stayed overnight in the Garden Wing which is PhP500 more expensive than the other rooms of the same category. No view, just the street below, the additional payment doesn't give justice to what we got. 

The room has a king sized bed plus a sofa bed. We didn't use the sofa bed instead requested for an extra bed with a thicker cushion and lots and lots of pillows hehe Complimentary broadband internet and wi-fi inside our room weeeeee! 

Our stay at the hotel was not bad because I get to swim for two days! I need to burn those calories from all the food I ate. Pool is open from 6am to 9pm. Pool towels are available upon request.

A total of 4 pax is allowed per room to use its spa facilities like sauna, steam, hot & cold jacuzzi and also the gym.

Yumemiya Japanese Cafe

My visit: April 9, 2011

Yumemiya Japanese Cafe

47 Connecticut St., 

Upper Ground floor, NorthEast Square Bldg.,

Greenhills, San Juan

7224838   7210700

DH and I were supposed to find where Lugang Cafe is located but instead we ended up in this newly opened restaurant called Yumemiya Japanese Cafe. A huge banner caught my eye as we were driving along Connecticut street. DH had to make a U turn because it was a little bit too late when I pointed at the sign. One good thing about restaurants in Ortigas is the basement parking. Street parking is also available. 

The interior and cozy atmosphere reminded me of UCC Cafe. Several families were already dining and others were already done with their meal when we walked in.

Cakes are displayed near the cashier. The narrow entrance leads to a wider dining area at the back. I overheard a staff who was in panic because a diner was locked inside the toilet.  I hope by this time they have already solved the problem with the toilet lock. 

I noticed that their menu was limited. If I remembered it right, they don't serve sushi nor sashimi. 

 kama- age udon with miso meat sauce and egg PhP378

DH settled for noodles called kama-age. Kama- age udon is accompanied by a dipping soy sauce. The noodles are quite good. The meat sauce was tomato- based, topped with egg and sprinkled with green onion or scallion.

Udon is one of the most popular Japanese noodles.  It is made of wheat flour, water and salt.

Plains & Prints

OMG! I got so many rave comments about this dress that it needs a separate post haha This sponsored Plains & Prints dress was worn last week during Pond's The Unbeaten Challenge event. 

channeling fashionista blogger  pose

I was running out of time that's why I wasn't able to take a decent photo of myself before the event. When I got home, I just have to be in front of DH's lens lol 

Body Shaper

All it took was a little ribbing from my friend, Gevi and I bought a body shaper/ body binder from SO- EN. That's not the end of it, after wearing it for over a week, I bought two more as back ups. This time, I seek a different brand to try out, Sogo. The battle of the brands, Sogo and SO-EN begins.

top: Sogo lingerie waistline reducer in beige PhP875.75 

bottom: SO-EN body shaper in cream PhP499.75

Body shaper goes by many names like body pincher, elastic waistband, waistline reducer and body binder.

Bale Dutung by Chef Claude Tayag

My visit: April 3, 2011

Bale Dutung

Villa Gloria Subdivision

Angeles, Pampanga

09175359198

It was my first visit in Bale Dutung. Our friend, Ryan, made the reservation for 8 people. 4 more people and Chef Claude Tayag & his wife, Mary Ann, could have made a separate menu for our group. Our group joined around three more groups that day. Bale Dutung's lunch theme was 5 ways lechon- a native pork dish. 

6 of us were in one car and we were chatting non stop all the way to Pampanga. Not long after, we entered a subdivision and asked the guard for direction to Bale Dutung. We quickly located the house of the Tayag's. 

say Hi to our main dish for the day- lechon cooked 5 ways

We couldn't miss the place, alright, because 2 lechon, transported by a tricycle, were looking right at us lol Plus, a sign that says "Bale Dutung" is written on the main gate. 

Palaspas Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. According to Wikipedia Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on  the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem an event mentioned by all four Canonical Gospels (Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11,Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19): the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.

In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers. The difficulty of procuring palms for that day's ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box, yew, willow or other native trees. The Sunday was often designated by the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday or by the general term Branch Sunday. 

priest giving a mass

I was in Mary the Queen Church earlier today to witness the blessing of palms. At exactly 11a.m. the priest came out of the church to give blessing to people with palm frond (palaspas) under the sweltering heat.

Army Navy Burger + Burrito

My visit: April 2, 2011

Army Navy Burger + Burrito

305 Tomas Morato Ave., 

Quezon City

3523333

I have never heard of Army Navy until a friend of ours raved about their burger. DH loves burger and so when we were wondering where to eat on a Saturday afternoon, choosing Army Navy was a no brainer! Entering the restaurant makes you feel like you where inside a barrack- building used to house soldiers. Stainless steel ply table, stool chairs, huge lamps highlighting the menu board and bricks on the wall make up for the whole barrack experience.

Libertea large PhP55; Freedom fries PhP60

Their iced tea reminded me of Wendy's. Large size is not enough for me. I hope they come up with extra large cup! The fries are sliced thinly but crispy. Nothing special. Next time I will try their Onion rings. 

Ketchup and mayo are available at the counter.

King Chef Banawe

My visit: March 26, 2011

King Chef Banawe

989 Banawe St,

Quezon City

4104919

It has been awhile since I posted about my Saturday lunch date with DH. On our way to work, DH was attacked by his hunger pangs. We decided to eat in King Chef. A relative of ours celebrated her birthday sometime last year on the said venue so this is not my first time to eat here. But this is our first time to try their dim sum. 

taosi spareribs PhP75

Appetizing to look at, I would want it to have more meat than fat though. Served hot.

Pond's Unbeaten Whitening Experience winners

My event: April 12, 2011

Pond's Flawless White 

The Unbeaten Whitening Experience

Fiamma

Jupiter St., Makati City

It is not a secret that I was invited to take part of The Unbeaten Whitening Experience challenge. It was a grueling 3 weeks where I have to take note of the beauty progress of my team mate, Cats- a long time friend and non blogger. After our team met 7 deadlines and garnered 400 votes, sad to say, we didn't win. But we are both happy for the other teams who won! Congratulations to the winners, Ginger and Reena!

The Quirky Lawyer & The Queen of Talk

Now, where did the "Queen of Talk" come from? haha I wasn't aware that I talk too much lol 

The Real Thing Diner

My visit: March 25, 2011

The Real Thing Diner

Il Terrazzo,

Quezon City

3524320

Cats, Gevi and I see each other once in every few months. After weeks of trying to set a meeting, we finally agreed to have girl bonding moment over dinner on a Friday night. We decided to try a fairly new restaurant located in Il Terrazzo, Quezon City called The Real Thing. As its name suggests, this restaurant's interior is inspired by Coke! Red and white is the color scheme for the entire place.

spicy Sarsi wings PhP199

This dish unanimously got all three of our votes. Deliciously juicy and saucy! My friends were actually thinking of ordering another one but I reminded them that we still have other dishes to try and taste. I think an order has 6 chicken wings, so all three of us had a fair share lol

Novuhair Topical Scalp Lotion

My event: March 30, 2011

Novuhair Event

Romulo Cafe

32 Scout Tuazon cor Dr. Lazcano Street,

Tomas Morato,

Quezon City

Even though the event isn't until the end of March, I got the e-vite from Stratos, Inc., PR company of Nutramedica, for the relaunching of Novuhair as early as second week of March. And a follow up a few days before the said event. Nice, noh? 

I went to the venue a bit early because I was eager to hear all about the product, Novuhair Topical Scalp Lotion, and how it works wonder to people who have thinning hair. I was happy to see familiar faces when I went up the private room of the restaurant. It was an intimate gathering. We were served food and drinks as my fellow bloggers and I settled into the comfy seating area. 

Cocozen Novuhair Topical Scalp Lotion 200ml PhP2950

What is Novuhair?

•  A topical scalp lotion combining highly potent standardized herbal extracts with essential oils and co-factor nutrients, specifically chosen for their hair growing properties.
• It penetrates to rejuvenate the hair follicles, provides optimum nutrition to help combat hair loss and/or thinning hair, improves blood circulation to the scalp and thus contributes to the stimulation of hair growth.

Cafe Breton in Cliffhouse Tagaytay

My visit: March 20, 2011

Cafe Breton

Cliffhouse

Aguinaldo Highway,

Tagaytay City

We went up to Tagaytay for an overnight trip with friends and before heading home, we ate in Cafe Breton. It is one the restaurants located in Cliffhouse. I am glad that I took some photos because as I am reviewing my blog posts, Cafe Breton was not on my list... waaaaaah! 

 Adam & Eve PhP130.25

I seldom change my order but on that particular day, I opted for Adam & Eve instead of La Pinay- mango, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Adam & Eve consists of stewed apples with vanilla ice cream & cinnamon on top. I love it! 

Last Saturday, I went back to Cafe Breton Tomas Morato, Quezon City with my family and ordered Original Sin- apple, caramel ice cream, caramel syrup, walnuts and whipped cream... very sinful to my waistline lol Sorry, no picture because I thought I ordered the exact same crepe. Both crepe's main ingredient is apple. 

California Crunch Cassava Chips

Commercial muna! I have too many backlogs... ack! 

A couple of weeks ago, I found a paper bag containing 4 bags of chips at my doorstep. Inside the package was California Crunch Cassava Chips in two flavors- Barbecue and Sour Cream & Onions. 

As soon as I walked in my bedroom, DH saw me holding a bag full of chips. I knew he wanted to try it.  After taking a few snapshots,  I handed him a bag of California Crunch Cassava Chips barbecue. He tore it open and after eating a few chips, he handed it back to me because he found the chips rather too sweet for his taste. I like it though. DH and I are always like that- we don't have the same preference. I guess opposites attract? lol I like that initially the barbecue chip tastes sweet and soon after, the spicy taste would kick in. Oh, it's crunchier than some of the chips I am used to. 

mom trying out California Crunch Sour Cream & Onions PhP44.50

My mom loves chips! In fact, everywhere we go, she has this little brown paper bag where she lugs all her knickknacks along with a bag of chips, candies or Ovalteenies. I gave her the remaining 3 bags of chips because I know she will be happy to learn that she will be eating a healthier snack. 

Klean Kanteen 27oz Classic w/LOOP cap

My friend, CML, is selling and distributing Klean Kanteen hydration bottles for some time now. I am eyeing on buying one for myself but only got my hands on it just a few weeks ago because stocks were mostly sold out or shall I say displayed in Rustan's hehe If you have been reading my blog, you should know that I have thrown most, if not all, plastic water bottles/containers around the house. So, it's either glass or stainless steel for me.

Klean Kanteen is a US brand manufactured in China. It is made of 18/8 food grade stainless steel- 18% chromium and 8% nickel. The higher the numbers mean the more corrosion resistant the material. 18/8 stainless steel is a part of the grade family 300 series which are non magnetic- source. 

Klean Kanteen 27 oz stainless steel 18/8 in Black Eclipse PhP1820

Why choose Klean Kanteen?

• toxin free materials
• curvy corners and rounder threads
• functional large mouth openings
• 100% stainless environment
• flavor free
• stainless steel cap option
• hand crafted quality
• made to last a lifetime
• stainless forever
• no liner like baked on epoxy in aluminum bottles

Koi Pond

It's already Thursday and I still have so much to posts. I am not feeling good today so I will keep this entry short and sweet lol

As part of our garden landscape, we have this waterfall that drops into a pond where numerous koi live. Precious, my Pomeranian, loves to look at the koi when I am feeding them. 

still shot of koi in our pond

Koi- a common carp of a large ornamental variety, originally bred in Japan.

Take a look at the koi on the leftmost of the photo with its mouth open- very eager, huh? lol

Pevonia Botanica contest

Last month, I met Jenny of Pevonia Botanicals Philippines when I went to The Spa to try The Express Facial and The Purifying Back Treatment. Pevonia is the product used by leading spas including Suriya Spa, Toccare Spa, Amorita Resort and of course, The Spa.

Dr. Sylvie Henessy, Pevonia's creator together with renowned elite biologists created a complete line of products and treatments for face and body containing the the finest natural marine and botanical ingredients. Launched in 1991, it delivers outstanding results to every skin type. 

I was given samples of Pevonia's Sun Line- just 1 of the 18 lines that answers directly to what the skin needs. This product was given to me in the most timely manner because summer time is right here, right now ; p

As I have said in the previous post, sunscreen is my best defense from the harmful rays of the sun. So, when I was given a choice on what sample to receive, between sunscreen and a body scrub, naturally, I went for  sunscreen. 

Pevonia Hydrating Sunscreen SPF30  PhP3680

The scent reminded me of Coppertone, this sunscreen safeguards the skin from burning and aging rays- UVA & UVB as well as infra-red rays. And yes, one of the active ingredients is Titanium Dioxide.

It is non- greasy and gives a silky smooth feel when applied on face and body. I use this primarily on my face though.

Razon's of Guagua

My visit: March 18, 2011

Razon's Of Guagua

One Kennedy Place Inc.

Club Filipino Ave.,

cor Ortigas, Greenhills,

San Juan 7268727

OMG After eating numerous times in this restaurant, I can't believe that I have not written a single post about Razon's. I checked and double checked under my label and found nothing. When CML and I went looking for a merienda place, I suggested to dine here. It was a simple dining place with a few parking slots. I suggest that you park in Greenhills Shopping Center and just walk across it when the parking is full. 

Razon's halo-halo PhP90

A trip to Razon's is never complete without ordering its famous, halo- halo! If you are used to eating 10-12 ingredients in a halo- halo then this is not the right place to go to. Razon's has only 3 main ingredients- saba, macapuno and leche flan. It's not what we locals are used to but it tastes really good and sweet haha The shaved ice and milk make up for it's version of halo- halo which I find very creamy- a plus factor! And yeah, I can finish one tall order lol

Breaking News... MrsMartinez in Business Mirror!

Alright and I thought getting people to LIKE my blog posts in Pond's microsite would get me nowhere instead I got an odd request from an old batch mate of mine, Mike. He asked if I can write an article to be posted in Business Mirror's supplemental magazine called Health & Fitness. This was after I asked him to PLEASE like my Pond's post haha After exchanging a few words, if I am getting compensated- NO, I wasn't paid to contribute (poor me!) He gave me his assurance that he is willing to print my blog URL and Pond's microsite in exchange for a 2 page article! Oh, the things I would do to promote it haha

While I didn't promised Mike anything because he just gave me a vague description of what the topic is all about- summer and skin. He reminded me not to mention any product along the way haha It kills me to keep secrets to my readers. And of course the deadline- was it Sunday or Monday night? hehe I wasn't really sure! Oh, by the way, I will put in blue the names of the brands I love!

As usual, I crammed and submitted a few hours before the deadline but only a page and a half... whew! As usual, I didn't know how I managed to write an article but I did with my eyes half close lol I didn't attach any pictures, not even a description of myself. I just wrote "By MrsMartinez", included the links of my blog and of course, the microsite... most important! lol Okay, I didn't expect that my article would passed and get printed, talk about no confidence at all haha

Health & Fitness March 31, 2011 page 11

Here's my article:

Taking skin care to heart this summer!

By MrsMartinez

Summer means baring more skin under the sun. While some of you like the idea of getting a tan, I, on the other hand, hide behind my powerful sunscreen. And if that’s not enough, I could always count on my huge sunglasses. I am fair skinned to start with so my protection from the sun is nil, nada.