Besties book review

Besties by Solenn Heussaff and Georgina Wilson
Published by ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. April 19, 2015
Genres: Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle
Pages: 169
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮ 5/5 stars

Dresslink Review

Hello, lovelies! Last month I was contacted by Dresslink to make a review about their clothing products. The items arrived last week, but I was so busy at work so I couldn't make the reviews on time. For those of you who are not quite familiar with Dresslink, It's a wholesale online store from China, which sells lots of affordable cute Asian style clothing.

Stylemoi Flash Tattoo Giveaway

Hello, lovelies! Today we have a new giveaway from Stylemoi! All you have to do is to sign up to their site here and you can take all of these babies for free!.

This is for members promotion and they are giving away these flash tattoos as a way of saying "thank you for joining", They are giving this beautiful set that includes 4 amazing flash tattoos selling at USD$29.99 to you for free. You only need to cover the international shipping fee of USD$3.99

Travel Diary: Bø Sommarland, Telemark, Norway

My friends and I planned for a summer vacation and we decided that it will be at Bø Sommarland since summer is already here. It's actually my first time to go there so I'm really excited!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Hello, everyone! How are you doing? I hope all of you are doing fine! I was away from the blogosphere for a week now because I am so busy at work and to my surprise I was nominated by Lamia L for The Versatile Blogger Award. She is an interior designer & stylist/decorator based in Tangier, north Morocco. With an extensive knowledge and youthful creativity in residential interior design as well for office projects and commercials. It is an honor to be nominated for the Versatile blogger award and I would like to thank her for nominating me! Check out her lovely blog if you haven't visited it yet. And oh she is the one who make that gold Versatile blogger award badge so credits to her!

Summer Festival Outfit Inspiration: The Boho Chic Vibe

Hello, lovelies. I hope you are having a wonderful day! Summer is obviously here! We love summer not only because of the sun, warm weather, sea or beach but also because of Summer Festival! The summer festival is approaching so fast! And us girls, should already be preparing for our outfits! I love the amazing and inspiring looks, bohemian, contemporary, crochet, cut off jeans, cropped tops, summer frocks and bikini’s in the mix. There are a lot of styles to choose from.

My Summer Essentials

L'Oreal sunscreen | Essie nail polish | Sunnies | Beach bag | Bangles | Beach Hat |

Birkenstock sandals | Maxi dress | Naked eyeshadow palette | Bikini | EOS lip balm | Victoria's Secret perfume

Hi, lovelies! I hope you're all well and having a lovely week! Today I thought I would talk about some of my summer beauty essentials and what products and clothing I like to use in the warmer months.  For me, summer is all about keeping a healthy glow and looking your best!

Dresslink June Wishlist

Happy weekend lovelies! I recently discovered a great shopping site where you can find fashionable and affordable women fashion clothing like cute dresses, tops, pants skirts, bags, shoes and many more! there are so many lovely items to choose from that will surely fit your style! While browsing to their site I've found these lovely items that are such an eye candy and I would love to try them out, so today I will show you my top 6 wishlists from Dresslink!

How I edit my Instagram Photos

A few days ago I posted my Instagram roundups on my blog see it here and I asked you guys if you want me to teach you on how do I edit my Instagram photos and many of you said yes to the tutorial so here it is.

My Instagram updates

 I thought that today I’d share you some of my recent Instagram posts and do a recap of what I did on my last month via Instagram. I captured these photos using my iPhone and edited them on my favorite editing app which is VSCO cam. Comment below if you want me to make a tutorial on how do I edit my Instagram photos on VSCO cam. 

Looking at the photos from left to right:

1. It's a throwback photo 2 years ago ( August 2013 ). We went to Virgelands Parken in Oslo, Norway. It is one of the biggest tourist attraction in Norway where you can see nude sculptures from Infant to Elderly. It's actually quite interesting. That place is a work of art I can say.

2. Recently I just posted "What's in my bag" on my blog. You can check it out here.

3. I decided to make a French tip manicure on my own. You can also find it on my blog here.

4. These are my current favorite makeup essentials that I used on my daily basis. Check my blog post about it here.

5. Street sign in Oslo, Norway. Also a throwback photo last 2 years ago.

6. That's my boyfriend first time to try flow rider at Bø sommerland in Telemark Norway during our summer vacation last year.

7. A month ago, when I was practicing photography I saw a thick black smoke outside our office's window. I thought it was only a smoke coming from a factory, but I was shocked when I heard the news that it was actually coming from a burning Factory Somewhere in Manila, Philippines. 72 people were found dead. I never thought that I witnessed and captured such a tragic moment like this :(

8. A forest inside a Swimming theme park! this was taken after we swim at Bø Sommerland in Telemark, Norway.

Homemade Sushi Rolls Recipe

I absolutely like Asian food especially Japanese food! whenever I'm out with friends I always prefer to eat at a Japanese restaurant. But as we know eating at a restaurant could be expensive so today I'm going to share you one of my easy recipe which is sushi rolls that you can make all by yourself at home without hurting your wallet. This is one of my favorite food like if I'm going to eat only one food in my entire life it would be Sushi! I really like the taste of it and there are many varieties of fillings that you can choose from depending on your preference and taste. So anyway here it is!

Total Time: 55 min
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min

Yield:30 pieces
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

5 Nori sheets (seaweed wrapper)
5 cups sushi rice or regular short-grain rice
1 cucumber, julienne
1 green mango peeled and julienne
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

6 cups water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

For the main filling (you can choose one of the ingredient below per sushi roll or you can combine all of it, it depends on your preferences.)

DIY: French Tip Manicure

I always prefer to do a french tip manicure whenever there are times that I wanted to paint my nails and kinda lazy to do a nail art but wanted to make my nails look chic and stylish. It's so easy, simple yet very elegant. Isn't it pretty?

Here is the easy step by step tutorial to guide you on how to achieve a French tip manicure.

1. Gather all the tools and materials needed.

Base coat ( I used Caronia kwik dry & cuticle conditioner)
White Nail polish ( I used French white by Dior)
Top Coat or clear nail polish ( I used Bobbie top coat)
Nail cutter
Nail Trimmers
Nail File
Nail buffer
Nail polish remover
Cotton Balls

2. Prepare the Nails.

Wash your hands with soap and water, rinse and dry. Remove old nail polish with nail polish remover and cotton balls if there's any. Trim the nails using a nail cutter into your desired length.

3. Cut and remove flakes.

Cut and remove the corners of your nail and flakes with clippers.

4. Nudge Nail Beds.

Dab cuticle remover along the edges of your nails, Then use a metal flat-ended pusher, to softly ease back cuticles. and clean the insides of the nail.

5. File and Shape your nails.

Use a nail file to smoothen each of your nails and make it into a square shape or into your preferred shape.

6. Apply a base coat.

Applying a base coat is important because it protects the nail from the chemicals found in nail polishes. Paint the nail vertically, start from the cuticle to the tip, with the brush angled forward. Fill in the entire nail using smooth, even strokes. Continue painting the base coat on each nail of both hands.

What's in My Bag?

"A woman's mind is as complex as the contents of her handbag; even when you get to the bottom of it, there is ALWAYS something at the bottom to surprise you" -Billy Connelly

Today I thought that I would do a What's in my bag blog post as I've seen them a lot in YouTube. I always wanted to do a blog post like this ever since and this time I will do it. It's fun to take a peek on someone else's bag (Not in person, I meant through blog post) so why not share what's in mine.

My bag is a Jet Set Tote Bag by Michael Kors. I bought it at Geddon Female in Norway, it was around $400. I love it! it's perfect for traveling because it's big, there's plenty of space inside. I can stuff it with a lot of things like my iPad or even my laptop. I always carry this bag to work and back also for just general use. What I like the most about this bag is it's very versatile, it can carry whatever I need for a day out and about whether I'm heading to the beach or the office but is stylish enough to complement the chicest evening looks. And it's understated with multiple pockets for easy-access to my essentials.

So here is a sneak peek of what's inside my Bag.

Makeup Bag: It's a pouch from H&M. It has 2 compartments, on the 1st compartment I stored all my makeup and other little essentials on the second compartment where it holds all my Toiletries stuff.

My Everyday Makeup Routine

Hi lovelies, I thought I would do a blog post about my makeup routine and the products that I currently used on a daily basis. I actually don't wear a lot of makeup for my everyday makeup because I wanted to go a bit more natural. I'm enjoying it a lot. I feel like my face looks a bit more fresh. And aside from that, I don't want to be late to work because I took a lot of time putting makeup on so I just put minimal products on my face.

These are my favorite current products that I'm using on my daily basis.

What to pack for a beach vacation

Summer is just around the corner and I know what you're thinking. It's swimming time! pack your things and let's go to the beach! but you don't know what to pack in your beach bag? Read this blog post to solve your packing problems.

Here is a guide on what to pack for a beach vacation:


Inside the Beach bag:

Wet N' Wild Silk Finish Lipstick Review and Swatches

Hi, Lovelies! today I'm going to make nothing but an honest review and swatches of these lovely lipsticks from one of my favorite lipstick line which is Wet n' Wild in the shades Hot Paris Pink and Dark Pink frost.

I got these lippies as a gift from my Boyfriend's sister so I don't know where did she buy it. I featured this product on my earlier posts which is my Drugstore makeup haul for May 2015. see here

Overview

Rating: 4.0/5 stars ★★★★☆

Price Tag: $0.99

Shades Available: 44 shades

Formulation

This lipstick is Enrich with conditioning ingredients of Vitamins A & E and Aloe Vera for moist-looking lips.

Consistency

It's smooth, creamy, feels nice and light on the lips and lasts an amazingly long time! I feel I don't need a gloss or balm prior either. It gives a nice wash of color with a glossy finish and just a hint of shimmer. It's one of the few lipsticks that doesn't dry my lips out  and it doesn't gather in the lines of my lips.

Color Pay-Off

The lipstick is pigmented, but it isn't really opaque. I feel like I have to wear two coats to achieve the look I want. But because they're very cheap, these are good lipsticks if you're experimenting with colors you wouldn't try otherwise.

Staying power

I was super impressed with the comfort and staying power of these. For me, it lasts longer than all those pricey ones anyway. Lots of the colors leave a bit of a stain once they do eventually fade away.

Packaging

It is encased in a silver color tube with an opaque plastic lid. The good thing about this product's packaging is we can really see the color instead of being fooled by the wrong color on the container sometimes.

The only downside to this product's packaging is it's cheap so the tube keeps scrolling down during application.and cuts into the product sometimes or the bullet falls out. It won't allow the bullet to fully retract, When I shake the packaging just a bit, I can hear the bullet on the inside shaking against the outer case. And when I twist the lipstick back in after using, it gets a cracked line where the top of the tube and the lipstick meets and eventually the lipstick will break it seems. I can see the cracked line on both the lipsticks after few times of using them.

Smell

It has no offensive scent.

Last Minute DIY Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Happy Mothers Day to all the great Mothers out there! Today we are celebrating Mothers day all over the world! Do you already have a gift to your Mom, Grandmom or Aunt? If you don't have a gift yet, here's my last minute DIY mothers day gift. It's quick, easy and very budget friendly. I hope you like it! Enjoy!

Gift #1 SPA in a JAR

Supplies:

• Mason Jar
• Cotton Balls
• Manicure and Pedicure Tools
• Nail Polishes
• Washi tapes
• Twine
• Straw (optional)
• Custom Tags

All about my DIY ombre hair

Ombre hair refers to hair color fading from dark to light, or vice versa. Instead of the color starting from the roots, it gradually becomes lighter, or darker, towards the ends. The word "ombre" in French means shadow or shade. -urban dictionary

it was August last year (2014) when I decided to get an ombre hair. Ombre hair was such a trend during that time and until today. I'm kinda experimenting on my hair during that time because I thought that my hair was dull and boring good thing that I heard about this ombre hair style so I decided to do it myself on my own hair.

I was very nervous on putting blonde color on the tips of my hair. It was a very long decision on whether I will do it or not because it's my first time to dye my hair in blonde color and I'm not sure if it will suit me. 

But then I convinced myself to do it because you know -YOLO. :D

I used H&M permanent hair color in total blonde. I did it at my friend's house. Before the hair dye application, I wear an old t-shirt and I covered myself up with an old towel. 

First I mixed the hair color solution according to the package's direction.

Next, I brushed my hair well, I make sure that there are no tangles left in my hair. I divided my hair into two sections then I divided both halves into as many sections as I wanted. At the very least, I divided each half into half again, splitting my hair into quarters.

I started the hair dye application using a hair dye brush and applied the dye from the tips up to the mid section of my hair (somewhere below my jawline). As I worked my way up I just used the remaining products from my brush to achieve the ombre effect. I make sure that I covered the entire tips of my hair and there are no spots missing.
I leave it for 45 mins as indicated in the hair dye's package direction. And covered it with a tin foil. 

After 45 mins, I rinsed it well using a conditioner. I dried it and applied the hair coloring again for the second time because I have a very dark hair color and I'm not contented on how blonde it looks. I just did the same steps as I did on the first step. Then I washed and dry my hair.

And this is the result...

Forever 21 Summer Outfits Wishlist 2015

Summer is just around the corner, I can already feel the summer breeze. the sun got brighter and warmer every day so I decided to make an outfit wishlist from my favorite brand which is Forever 21. My picks are consists of crop tops, shorts, skater skirts, Floral prints, off shoulders and denim, these are the type of clothes that I'm comfortable to wear during summer days because it's too hot here in the Philippines :D

 So here are my top 10 picks Summer Outfits:

1. Floral Off-the-Shoulder Crop Top Get it here

This is a combination of 3 of my favorite outfits; Floral, crop top and off the shoulder! I love the design of this top, the super cropped design looks comfortable and it's perfect for an effortlessly flirty look. Plus its vibrant floral print adds a fresh feminine pop to whatever it's worn with.This outfit is perfect when going to the beach, music festivals, and warm weekends in the park. I would like to style it with a high-waisted shorts and a pair of flat sandals.

2. Floral Lace Crop Top Get it here

I really like lace and white tops during summer because it's Breezy, elegant, and easy to wear. White tops are very easy to wear, you can pair it with almost everything so this is a must have on every women's closet. I like to style it with a denim high-waisted shorts and a pair of white flat shoes.

An open letter to my boyfriend on our 5th year anniversary as a couple

I was 19 years old and he was 21 when we met each other. We were deeply in-love that time that we didn't thought of anybody else but our love. Many people disagreed to our love-story. Many people are in contrast with our relationship. We started our love wrong because we are both in a relationship during that time but as time goes by it made us realized that there is no right or wrong when it comes to love. As time goes by we have learn to make our love right.

i hope my boyfriend read this post but i don't think so because he never visit my blog coz he's so busy playing with his PS games :p

My message to my boyfriend

Dear Arvin,

Happy 5th year anniversary to us baby!!! i still can't believe that we have gone this far, i mean who would have thought that our relationship will last like this because there are times when we hear people saying we won’t last a month. But look where we are now. 

Though it’s already been five years, we continuously learn from each other. There is still "magic" between us. And most of all, I really appreciate it to see both of us growing.

I just want to thank you for sharing with me your life this past five years. I am looking forward for the next five or more years to come. And I hope on the next coming years or so I am going to walk down the aisle with you.I love you forever baby ❤️

Love,

Jamie

Drugstore Makeup Haul May 2015

Hi sweeties! Today I would like to share you my this month's drugstore makeup haul which I'm going to feature for a makeup review and swatches on my upcoming blog. I didn't bought these products but my boyfriend's sister gave it to me so I thought of sharing it to you guys. 

As we know, drugstore makeup are much cheaper than the branded ones but drugstore makeup are almost the same quality as branded ones.

An unusual Birthday | My 24th birthday

Today I'm a year older and wiser (I hope). Gosh the days goes by so fast! I can't believe that I'm already 24 and soon I will be 30. But after all, age is just a number! 

And since it's my special day today I planned to make a get ready with me blog about my 24th birthday. I wanted to show you my make up and my outfit of the day but some things don't go according to plan. It always happened to me. And instead, it became a tragic day -somehow. So instead of doing nothing or sobbing I will just tell you what my day was.

I woke up early in the morning to prepare for work, and also to have enough time to take a selfie and take photos for my "ootd" but I was too confident that I still have enough time. I thought that it was too early so I took my time putting my makeup on, ironing my hair and eating breakfast but then I realized that it was already 8:30 in the morning and that means that I am late to work because 8:30 is the starting time of my work. So I hurried up, brushed my teeth, packed the things that I need to my work and leave the house, As I walked I realized that there's something missing.. and it's my wallet! wew! I'd run as fast as I can to our house and get my freaking wallet! I hoped that it's not my birthday today, that my birthday is 2 weeks from now so that I will be much prepared. It feels like an ordinary day. And yesterday, Our boss told us that today was the hottest temperature ever recorded here in the Philippines, It's 39 degree freaking Celsius! I was melting while waiting for the taxi because I don't have a car yet so I have to commute to the office. What a day!!!

When I get inside the office, no one ever remembered that it's my birthday today.. And later of the day I'm going to present the products of our company.. I don't feel special today. I felt so sad because I'm not used being treated like this. I remembered what happened to my birthday last year, my friends in Norway surprised me! they gave me cakes and they cooked food for my party. I'm so thankful that day :)

Photo of me during my 23rd Birthday

And aside from that because I have work today so I need to move my birthday to 1st of May because it's a non-working holiday here in the Philippines.

But thanks to Facebook for reminding my friends that it's my birthday today! because of that a lot of people greeted me a happy birthday to my Facebook wall same as every year and thanks you guys for flooding my wall LOL. I also received some emails from the sites that I subscribed to greeted me a happy birthday thanks to y'all!

update as of May 1, 2015 17:06

And look! even google extended their birthday greetings to me :)

At the end of this post I hope I can manage to take a descent Selfie to share to you guys!

And I hope I can do better next year for my 25th birthday. I will definitely plan ahead of time for my next birthday next year and will surely make a get ready with me blog I promise that to you okay.

To be continued tommorow...

Freebies! 30 Birthday Party decoration printables ♥

Because it's my birthday tomorrow (April 30) I have some giveaways from me to you! :) It's a Birthday party decoration printables. If you're like me who are tight on a budget and thinking that buying decorations for birthday is kinda "fancy" then this will be the answer.

Photo Booth Props

download it here: Summer Photo Booth Free Printable Props

download it here: Free Printable photo boot props

download it here: Free Moustache and lips photo booth props

download it here

Download it here: Free Photo Booth Printables

download it here

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Bake with me: Chocolate cupcake recipe with Mocha frosting

Hi sweeties! I'm such a fan of sweets specially chocolates! So today I would like to share to you my Easy Homemade Chocolate cupcake with Mocha frosting recipe. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcake recipe:

Yield: 8 - 10 servings

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp             Butter

1 cup               Boiling Water

1 1/2 cup         All purpose flour

1 1/3 cup         Brown sugar

1 1/2 cup         Antonio Pueo ground chocolate or any chocolate powder

1 tsp                Baking soda

1/4 tsp             Fine salt

2 pcs               Fresh eggs

1/3 cup           All purpose cream

1/2 tsp            Vinegar

1 tsp               Vanilla extract

My everyday beauty essentials

"we learned from the best.. never leave home without your lipstick" -Maggie and Annie

On our daily basis we used several beauty products before we go to school or work. It's our daily routine for us girls to get beautified everyday. We don't wear makeup to look pretty, we wear it because we enjoy the process of putting it on. The 'the natural look' makes us cringe and bright colours are more fun. We don't do it for boys, we do it for ourselves. Makeup isn't just materials but our passion.

These are the products I love and use on my daily basis that help me feel confident and fresh everyday and these are my everyday beauty essentials that i can't live without or i can't go outside the house without applying these products on.

1. Maybelline New York BB cream
2. Maybelline New York pressed powder
3. H&M eyebrow pwncil
4. H&M Eye shadow jumbo pencil
5. Maxfactor Mascara
6. Executive Optical Contact lenses
7. H&M Blusher
8. H&M Bronzing powder
9. Maxfactor Lip tint
10. Revlon Matte lipstick
11. Victoria's Secret Aqua kiss perfume

The Script Live in Manila 2015

Omg! I'm so excited to write this blog because it's about "The Script Live in Manila 2015" concert yesterday! Wohooo! I still have the "Post concert hangover", even though 24 hours has already passed. I was so happy I got to watch The Script concert last night because it's my first time to see them live! And they are my favorite band of all time. This was truly one of the best moments in my life that i will never forget and I would like to share this wonderful moment to you.

The Script Live in Manila Tickets

Mall of Asia Arena -venue for The Script Live in Manila 2015

It was around 8:00 pm when we get in to the arena, it was so huge and a lot of people are there i think it was at least 20,000 people This was the 3rd time that the script visited Philippines to perform a concert for their "No Sound Without Silence tour. Their first concert in the Philippines was held at the Araneta coliseum, second was still at araneta and now at Mall of Asia arena.

The MOA crowd

The first band to perform is a local Filipino band during my High School days named "silent sanctuary" they played OPM music and they are really unique and talented.

Then after 3 sets of their songs finally the one we've been waiting for has finally arrived it's The Script!

The venue looks good and all set for the concert

Their opening number was really "the bomb" they have this green flag waving and the crowd went wild when Danny O'Donoghue, The Script's lead vocalist/frontman appeared from the mass of crowd and followed by Mark Sheehan, guitarist and Glen Powers, drummer. The first song they played was "Paint the town Green" from their latest Album No Sound Without Silence. It was really awesome and I had goosebumps during that time! The crowd was very energetic and alive.

The Script's Grand Entrance

Paint the Town green video -The Script live in Manila 2015

The second song they performed was "Hail, Rain or Sunshine". 

Hail Rain or Sunshine video -The script live in Manila 2015

Then third song they performed was "Break even". I'm so happy that they played one of my favorite song! It was a pleasure for me to hear it Live. 

Snap shot during the song "Break Even"

Break Even Video -The Script live in Manila 2015

The fourth song they performed was "The end before the worst".

The end before the worst video -The script live in manila 2015