Mini Haul: Liz's BeautyMNL Skincare Haul

Good evening ladies,

Today, my very first BeautyMNL orders came and I am super excited to have received them!

We were fortunate enough to be handpicked to test out the BeautyMNL site and it couldn't have come at a better time since it has been a while since I did any actual shopping. After all, retail therapy is always one of the best solutions for those occasional blues.

I'm actually quite happy about their delivery. I ordered my items during the weekend and since they don't deliver during the holidays, I received my items today. But no complaints since they delivered it first thing in the morning and I got the items in good condition. Dawn had previously ordered from BeautyMNL as well, and she was able to receive her package in less than 24 hours. 

I kind of splurged on skin care products since I've kind of neglected my skin in the past few months and now it's taking revenge on me (hello sebaceous dermatitis!). A lot of them were on sale and I was just fortunate to catch some of them before they were sold out! So here are some of the items I bought.

Facial in One (Keeping it Light!) from By Nature

Since I've recently started liking facial oils, I thought I'd try this one out. Since my skin is at a relatively bad condition, it's the best time to test it's effectiveness, don't you agree?

White Ginger Hydrating Hand Wash from Nippon Esthetic Philippines

A hand wash maybe a little odd of a purchase but in my line of work where hand washing is done as frequent as possible, you'd crave for a great smelling, non-drying one.

Return To Innocence Facial Wash from Bath Junkies

I really thought this would be bigger. Anyway, I still like it since it's mid-way into being full-sized and travel size so it's easy to bring around with me. I hope this is a really good find as well since this brand is proudly Pinoy.

Original Click Stick with SPF 15 from Carmex

I just love Carmex. I have their tub type balm but I find it too unhygienic to take around with me hence this purchase.

Those are my purchases but BeautyMNL was kind enough to include freebies such as the TRESemme shampoo and conditioner samplers and this St. Ives Facial Scrub. It's travel size so it's just a perfect freebie for me.

They still have a ton of stuff on sale and a gamut of brands for you to sample and start to love! And not only that, they also have a monthly #selfieMNL contest which you can join! You can get a chance to win a Printster polaroid of your pretty face and a Php 200.00 BeautyMNL GC! Pretty exciting don't you think? To get the full details visit their #selfieMNL page and start sending your beautiful selfies!

Cheers,

LIZ

Dawn's 27th Birthday Giveaway!

Hello loves!

It's my birth month and I want to celebrate my special day with a giveaway! Yay!

The mechanics of the giveaway are as follows:

- Should be a resident of the Philippines

- Only one winner that will be randomly drawn via Rafflecopter

- Will run until the end of September

And here are the prizes:

It's not that much but hey, you can have them for free by doing some simple steps that will only take you a few minutes to complete. ;)

A Red Shoe Bag

BYS Sequins for Nails in All Fired Up
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion in Natural Beige Sample
BYS Lip Colour in Right a Pout Now
Etude House Precious Mineral Brightening OK! Darkening OK! BB Cream Samples

Dove Oxygen and Nourishment Shampoo and Conditioner Samples
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner Samples
Benefit Bigger than BB Big Easy Liquid Powder Sample
Nature Republic Bath and Nature Body Wash in Peach Sachet
Philosophy Hope in a Jar Refreshing and Refining Moisturizer Sachet
Skin79 White Reviving Skin Radiance Solution Sachet

Creamsilk Hair Transformations Notebook

Vaseline Pure Patroleum Jelly (106g)

Lux Perfumed Soap in White Impress

Pink Exfoliating Bath Gloves

You can send your entries below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That's all!

The more entries you send, the higher the chances of winning. ;)

Good luck, everyone and have a great day!

Cheers,
DAWN

The Venture Pack Foldable Duffle Bag

Hey dears!

A few months ago, I realized that I didn't have a travel bag that I can bring with me for weekend vacations and I didn't want to bring a luggage for short trips.  It was during the time when I went to an overnight trip with family and friends in Batangas and I had to borrow my brother's high school backpack (it's like 10 years old now) just so all my items would fit. After that trip, I told to myself that I will buy a big bag that I can use for travel that's hand-carried.

I didn't have any vacations coming up soon so the bag wasn't a priority yet... but when I went to the Supersale Bazaar last July, I saw a stall selling a lot of duffle bags. There was one whose prints I really liked so I inquired...

It was this, the Sunny Tribal print Duffle Bag from The Venture Pack.

I didn't know about The Venture Pack back then. I talked to the person tending the booth and she told me that the bag was actually foldable... and I was like, WOAH! From a big duffle bag as seen below to a small round and sort of flat object, which you can see on the photo above.

Here's some product description from the Zalora website:

Travel in style with this stylish foldable duffle bag from The Venture Pack. With a wide range of colorful designs to choose from, this bag is the perfect accessory for travelling abroad with your family and friends or for the gym. Surely, our bags will take you to places as you VENTURE through life! 

- Double top handles 

- Adjustable/detachable shoulder strap 

- has 2 side zipper compartment (NEW!) 

- 1 side pocket 

- 1 front pocket 

- 1 zipper pocket inside the bag 

- has a shoe compartment (NEW!) 

- bigger zippers (IMPROVED!) 

- Comes with shoulder straps 

- Water Resistant 

Diameter x Width 

- 30.05cm x 60.05cm

Colour: Sunny Tribal

Care label: Hand Wash Only. Do Not Bleach. Do Not Iron. Do Not Dry Clean.Line Dry.

I was able to buy it for PhP 1,500.00 because it was on sale during the bazaar, but it is available in Zalora for PhP 1,800.00. The one I got is the biggest size if I remember correctly.

I love the handle of the bag and how you can put them together with the velcro strap. Makes it easy to carry by hand.

But it also comes with a shoulder strap!

And you can adjust the length of the strap to your liking. :D

The material is mainly canvas cloth so I think it's easy to wash (by hand of course!).

It has two zippers too (another feature I like when it comes to big bags).

Inside you'll see a small zipper compartment.

There's also one at the front and on both sides!

There's actually quite a lot of places you can put your smaller belongings like socks or toiletries!

 Since my family don't travel often, the big bags at home sit idly in our cabinets or somewhere in our rooms. They consume so much space because they are big and bulky. What I like about this duffle bag from The Venture Pack is that you can fold it and it consumes only a little part of your storage space.

Here's how you can fold it (I think I didn't do this neatly but it still works! Haha!):

Open the side compartment

Fold it to the inside until half of the bag is in

Then you do three big folds...

First Fold

Second Fold

Third Fold
Dont' forget to tuck in the handle!

This is how it looks like after the third fold.

And then close the leaf of the side pocket and zip it.

And there you have it! The big duffle bag is now easier to store. It won't consume so much space and it wouldn't get dusty (except for the exposed part which is where I usually put my slippers or shoes so no biggie).

It may sound a bit pricey but I think the pros outweigh the cons. I'm happy with my purchase. :D

The Venture Pack is available at To The Nines and you can also order online. For more info about their products, check their website, Facebook, or instagram!

What do you think of The Venture Pack's Foldable Duffle Bags? Would you buy something like this?

Cheers,
DAWN

August and Early September (2016) Haul

Hey guys!

It's my birthday month and I started buying my birthday gifts early! HA~! Well, I do have a birthday bonus from my work so I have the extra money to spend. Some of these were from the kindness of my mom's heart too. LOL

Anyway, just sharing my newly acquired stuff for art, fashion, hygiene, and beauty!

Art After War by Patrick Flores - PhP 5,500.00
The Struggle for Philippine Art by Purita Kalaw-Ledesma and Amadis Ma. Guerrero - PhP 3,500.00

I took my comprehensive exam in grad school last month and these books contain majority of the topics included in one of our tests. I didn't have to buy them since these are also available in the UST Library, BUT during the last couple of weeks before the exam, classes were interrupted because of the heavy rains and I can't access the books. Thinking that these can be good reference materials for my thesis and will also be a good addition to my growing art library, I bought them... well, my mom bought them for me since it will be my birthday soon. I actually just borrowed money since I didn't have cash on hand, but she said I don't have to pay her back. Thanks, Mom!

Tokyo Finds Metallic Pens - PhP 299.75 (from Fully Booked)

I sort of regretted buying this because I still have metallic pens at home. What I like about this is that the end is like a felt-tip kind and not the metallic pointed tip so I can produce thicker lines. All colors work great on black paper and I can still use it on my artworks, which makes these an okay buy.

CRAYONS!

Yes, these are for me to use. Haha! I actually make crayon art! ;)

I'm trying to find other good crayon brands to try. I really like Crayola but I wanted to see if there are professional-grade crayons. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any at National Bookstore, Glorietta, but I'll check out art stores next!

Dorothy Perkins Dress

It was on sale for PhP 1.1k. The print is cute kasi e! Haha!

Messy Bessy Roach Repellant Spray - Around PhP 240.00

The creature I'm scared of (well, at least among the creatures I encounter in the city) the most is the flying ipis! I like this because it doesn't smell as bad as the Baygon brand that my mom uses at home.

Desk and Workspace Cleaner - PhP 70.00

You can use it to wipe your computer/laptop screens too! 

Margins Dishwashing Liquid - PhP 45.00

I use this to clean my makeup brushes. I clean my brushes at least once a week and I use quite a lot of tools since I don't use the same brushes (especially the ones for foundations/bb creams) more than once so having an affordable and effective cleaning product is a must for me.

Luxe Scents Fresh Bamboo Aroma Concentrate - Around PhP 200.00
This smells super awesome!!!

Of course I had to drop by Beauty Bar to check what's on sale...

Natura Siberica Cooling Foot Cream Peeling - PhP 261.25
Natura Siberica Smoothing Heel and Foot Balm - PhP 166.25

These babies are on sale from PhP 475.00 so I bought them to give my feet some TLC!

Palladio Eye Shadow Quad in Copper N Chic - PhP 166.25

Original price was PhP 475.00.

Mineral Fusion Volumizing Beauty Balm For Hair - PhP 382.25

Original Price was PhP 695.00

Mineral Fusion Hair Repair Conditioner - PhP 324.50
Original Price was PhP 590.00

Natura Siberica Tonic Lotion - PhP 218.75

Original Price was PhP 625.00. This is gonna expire by October but since it's affordable now and I'll be using it daily AND it's for oily skin, then I just decided to try it out and see if it's good. :P

AND LOOK!

Cargo is now in the Philippines! I remember my first Cargo product back in 2006. It's a blush that's already phased out called "Gotham." It was a favorite of Liz and I. :)

Just this weekend I made some serious spending too. Check these out:

Kasaysayan: The History of the Filipino People - PhP 3,500.00

(from Fully Booked)

I wasn't able to get it for less than 2k when it was on sale but 3.5k is still a good steal.

We also went to the Manila Sundance Bazaar held in the World Trade Center last weekend.

I bought pretty much the same stuff I did when I went with Liz at the Supersale Bazaar last July.

A sketch pad (PhP 150.00) and a fountain pen with refills (PhP 50.00) from Variety Online (Instagram)

A necklace (PhP 200.00) from Soulmade

Got these clothes for PhP 150.00:

Lastly, we were able to score this Hario v60 Dripper for PhP 150.00 from the bazaar.

Again, I went to Beauty Bar to splurge on a few more stuff...

Canus Lavender Soaps - PhP 127.50 each

Original price was PhP 150.00

ArtDeco Nail Lacquer in Ruby Cream - PhP 130.00

Original price was PhP 325.00

ArtDeco Miami Collection Eyeshadow Stick in American Girl - PhP 178.50

Original price was PhP 595.00

ArtDeco Glam Vintage Lipstick in Glamorous Valentine - PhP 268.50

Original price was PhP 895.00

Phew! That's a lot! Haha! So yeah, a happy early birthday to me. LOL

Cheers,
DAWN