I Want To Be A Part of Sample Room’s Bloggers Circle (2014 Edition)

 

Just typing that title makes me feel like I’m in a reality show for bloggers. But in the blogosphere, things are done a bit unorthodox, and it’s what makes being on the plane a whole lot of fun and the whole blogging experience is rather innovative. 

I’ve been a Roomie since 2012 and have been looking out for new samples to try in Sample Room since started my blog and have been rewarded with the initial 100 points when the platform first launched. Being a Roomie means keeping an eye out for new samples, making sure there are enough points in the account to purchase new samples (especially the full-sized ones), paying the shipping fee and practicing extreme patience while waiting for the order to arrive. Of course, once I’ve had my fill and decided on a yes or no for the products, I write down my review and get rewarded my points back. There are also fun contests being held across social media sites and occasional goodie bags. 

Now let’s tackle why I want to be a part of Sample Room’s Bloggers Circle for this year. Most of those in the beauty blogging world would agree that being a Roomie is pretty convenient and addictive. It gives its members the chance to try out new products for free. I feel that being a Partner Blogger would be quite the privilege, and being a blogger from the south, I can introduce the concept of trying before buying to interested women especially among small town bloggers like myself. 

I keep coming back to Sample Room to find new products that can help me with my skin problems like discoloration, acne, sun care and protection and just about anything else that’s creating waves in the beauty world. The site also introduces useful tools for beauty enthusiasts of various degrees and it’s just about time that more women get to discover for themselves the clever system of Sample Room. 

Sample Room opens doors for women who want to discover what’s out there that deserve the slice of their budget. Women owe it to themselves to decide first if the products that they encounter are worth it, saving time and money in the process.

So do I deserve to be a part of the Bloggers Circle for this year? If it were a reality show, will I make the cut? Only the beautiful people at the SR team get to decide. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Unboxing: Skin Food Exclusive by Saladbox March 2014

Saladbox's March 2014 offering is a Skin Food box

This box was sent to my old shipping address and I had to pick it up from my auntie's house thinking that it was the stationery (I have a weakness for stationery but I'll discuss more of that later.) It's supposed to be my third box, my December slot was moved to March, and even though I have not received my Clou manicure set as promised way back when I was supposed to receive it in the first box, Saladbox's social media representative told me that it will be sent separately. (I'll update this post once I have received it.)

So what's inside the Skin Food box?

March 2014 is all about Beauty Recipes and the Skin Food partnership hints about the selection

Sitting at the bottom of the box is Skin Food's Black Sugar Perfect First Serum. Don't be fooled, the brown paper bag is meant to contain the sampler and the cotton pads on the left, so yep, it's empty and just cushioned the items on top. How does it apply to me, I really am clueless about how to use it. The instructions on the label are all in Korean and the back of the curation card is hardly helpful. Ask everybody's best friend-Google, apparently many beauty bloggers have already written about the Black Sugar Serum and most of them are raving about it. Perhaps this will help me with my problematic forehead?

The Watery Berry gift set is a travel sized pair of toner and emulsion. I still have my regular freshener and moisturizer, this could do for some backup or when traveling. They have a mild fragrance and seem to be gentle. 

I believe the highlight of the whole box is the Black Pomegranate Premium Kit.  Two counts so far for a toner and emulsion-there's also a cream and voluming serum. I have no idea how to use this and the instructions at the back of the box are again in Korean, so I will once again turn to Google.

 

Just a few personal rants and what I think of the whole box in general:

• The contents of the box are repetitious, it would have been helpful if there were a mixture of tools or cosmetics and not just skin care

• Speaking of skin care, I have no idea if these products are for oily, combination, dry or aging skin, the labels are all in Korean, if they curated the contents of this box according to my profile, it should be for oily but I have no way of knowing

• It's supposed to be the March box, I received it on the second week of April  

The idea of teaming up with an award-winning and innovative brand like Skin Food was a good move for me, but not enough to make me into a Saladbox convert. Of the three-month subscription period that I signed up and paid for, I'd have to say only the first and third boxes neutralized my expectations for a bit. The second box which I received for December was just a box of sachets of Paula's Choice skin care that wasn't even worth the subscription fee. That's all that was for December- the season of joy and giving. I didn't feel the Christmas spirit then, it was just meh. I've decided not to post an unboxing too, but I still have the photos.

Something tells me that I should close the chapter on Saladbox for now and just wait for the Clou manicure set to arrive. The brand should amp up their game if they want to play in the field longer. Besides, there are other impressive local brands that they can team up with. All it takes is doing homework.

Looking back, I'll try out the Black Sugar Serum and see how it turns out.

I hope you are having a good weekend. It's time for some pampering and revitalizing. Tell me what your plans are ayt? Enjoy!

It Won't Be Long Now, P Wants To Give Up On Me

 

It's been ten years, Pentax Optio has been the witness of our family affairs and my constant blogging companion. But during one of my photo sessions for beauty products that I was featuring, the screen was flickering on and off. 

Admittedly it's gone through a lot, it has its own stories to share. It fell, was comatosed, resurrected and now is living its twilight years. Even if I've acquired a smartphone with a camera, I sometimes still prefer to use the P because of the color quality and macro shot focus. I know sooner or later that it will be stubborn and say "hey, other gadgets get to retire at the age of 5 or 6, why do I have to push beyond 10 years?"

To be honest, I have to maximize the P. But in the meantime, I'll use the Xperia (that's what I've been doing lately). I'll be lucky to find a replacement pretty soon but I'm saving.

What's In My Walkman Playlist?

I don't know up to how many songs my Xperia can hold. But if you take a look at my playlist, I've got a mixture of 90's- early 2000s and even last year's songs. I was tuning in to RX 93.1 Dream Radio when I was in grade school. Can you believe that one Christmas my parents gifted me with a Sony Walkman cassette tape player? It must have looked something like this:

Then I do remember saving up my school allowance for tapes I could buy like Five, Britney Spears, The Moffatts, (I have to admit that my taste in music still had to be refined, those were the boy band stages and one hit wonders were aplenty). My love affair for Matchbox 20 also started around the same time I listened to No Doubt and my father had his very own collection of Billy Joel and Carlos Santana from the late 80s to the early 90s.

Talk about selfish, I had my very own Sony component in my room and even listed to music with earbuds on the Walkman when my Mom thought I was already asleep at night. 

Those were the good old days. 

Now, music has been so portable that tapes can be condensed into mp3 songs and can be played on just a touch of the screen. (No more rewinding tapes!) 

So what's within reach of my fingertip via touch screen?

• Justin Timberlake
• The Cab
• Ne-Yo
• Katy Perry
• Cee Lo Green
• David Bowie
• Stevie Wonder
• Side A
• Matchbox 20
• R Kelly
• Bruno Mars
• Keri Hilson
• No Doubt
• Janet Jackson
• Michael Jackson
• The Cranberries
• The Corrs
• Lisa Loeb
• Madonna
• Mariah Carey
• MYMP
• Toni Braxton
• Anita Baker
• Pharell Williams 

Do you have any recommendations? I'm still a student of music as long as my storage can hold it.

Meet My New Friends This Summer, A Couple Of Them I've Met From Book Shops

It’s been a while since I posted something bookworm-related But it does not mean that I’ve stopped reading nor have the books stopped arriving and taking up space in my shelves. But I admit that spending on books have taken a back seat for now. It’s because I’ve been so mindful of all my expenses as of the moment and I’ve given priority to my needs and not just my wants. 

But in my perspective, books can be both a want and need. If one can enjoy acquiring and reading books, it could be a personal want, and the need of adventure, imagination and the experience of learning could be fulfilled. In totality, collecting more books to read can be justified (wink).

Enough of me banging on. 

I would like to introduce you to my new friends for the month of April. 

I have a weakness when it comes to Latin American writers (insert Japanese, Chinese and a particular French author). To be honest, I've stalked G.G. Marquez enough and made it a point to hunt down all of the Random House editions (simply because I've started with the Random House covers) but have also come across titles like The Shadow of the Wind, Angel's Game, Midnight Palace and Prisoner of Heaven leading me to the Wikipedia page of Carlos Ruiz Zafon. 

I found two titles in Book Love's shop and got them for bargain prices and something tells me that I really would not be disappointed.

The Prisoner of Heaven and The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Note from Book Love

 Another new friend of mine has been on my bedside shelf for a while now. The Elenium by David Eddings is trilogy and made its way from Australia to the Philippines. It took a while to get here (mailed last year and arrived five months after). I pretty much enjoy the world of enchantment of knights belonging to a holy order, politics surrounding a kingdom and the sarcasm in the dialogue. Book reviews and author introductions to follow, yeah?

The Elenium Trilogy by David Eddings

It won't be long before my book shelf above my bed will collapse and I will find myself knocked out with all these copies landing right on my face, the spines bruising half of me. Bloody horrible scene is it? I think it's fantastic!

Do You Love Flash Sales? Baobella Boutique Is Worth Checking Out!

If you're on the lookout for beauty products and would want to save money, a flash sale may be a good idea. But not a lot of online shops offer flash sales and have varied brands. Let me be the one to tell you that's changed. Baobella Boutique is an exclusive beauty flash sale shop featuring amazing discounts of well-loved brands and products. I've seen Clarins, Elizabeth Arden, Rimmel and Ciate. It's like getting your beauty fix for almost 80% off.

If that hasn't caught your interest, Baobella Boutique is giving you a free Maybelline lipstick worth £7.89 on orders over £1, just enter the code FreeMlipstick,  runs until April 30. 



Here are some personal picks from Baobella Boutique. What would you choose from the shop? Head on to the shop and tell me.

 

 

  

On Fragrances: Let’s Love Woman by United Colors of Benetton

A new month means that it’s the time for another feature on a new fragrance! I daresay that it’s a new fragrance at least for me. I hope your pranks yesterday were pretty effective.  I did pull a prank yesterday, being April Fool's Day but that was it. I think I'm losing my touch.  >___<

Valentine’s Day came and went and Let’s Love Woman by United Colors of Benetton was one of the featured samples in Sample Room but to my disappointment, I didn’t have enough points to secure a 30ml bottle. I guess it was my lucky day when I became one of the 25 recipients of the Sample Room #Inspire bag.

“The feminine equivalent of earlier launched masculine fragrance Let's Move is named Let's Love. It is designed for the young, modern and romantic woman who still dreams of love affairs. The dominant note is the note of passion flower, floral - fruity composition optimistically opens with bamboo sap, pineapple and lily of the valley. Middle notes are ruled by passion flower, with star jasmine and raspberry. Musk, cedar wood and cashmere wood form the perfume’s background.”

In a small silver box, the print on it already gives perfume collectors a hint of what to expect. It’s simple and sends the message across- Let’s Love. If love were to be embodied in a fragrance, what would its scent be? How would one capture the moment and the actions of love?

 

There will be thrilling moments, and then there will be those seconds when you feel just content and happy-not wanting to be anywhere else except there. There will be that light, airy feeling and with eyes closed, it will be sweet and fluttery and you will be one with the cool wind. It’s like taking the plunge and trusting yourself, pretty much like how the sweet and floral scent is. It can be a little overpowering, but after all, it’s the pull that no one can ignore. 

It’s a suitable scent for spring and summer, especially when one is to spend the day outdoors under shady trees and blue skies. The more prominent notes can last up to eight hours, it blends as the hours pass by. The trail is delicate, and the hint of fruity and floral scents makes this tiny bottle just the right companion for the breezy, summery days ahead.