Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Fun Under The Sun: You're Covered for a Wild, All-out Fun Summer 69


We all know summer is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate this most exciting and fun season of the year is to create memories and chase adventures under the sun! 


What's hot?
Fun under the sun! Making your own sandcastles, bonding with the family, checking out hotties and probably pretending how to swim! Hahaha!

What's not?
Excessive exposure to the sun also means exposing out skin to UV rays that may put harm to the skin which would eventually lead to premature skin aging, skin cancer and other potential complications!






Last week we got invited to You're Covered for a Wild, All-out Fun Summer 69 held at White Moon Bar, Manila Ocean Park where they unveiled their new line of sunblocks along with their exciting Summer 69 Campaign. I find this very timely being the sun loving person that I am!


Some of the lovely people gracing the event are very popular fashion bloggers Miklye Quizon, Dani Barretto, Nicole Anderson and Camille Co.


During the event there were lots of booths like this one from Lulu Dk Tattoos where they had trendy temporary gold and silver tattoos that would look great on most summer outfits and lasts up to 4-7 days. However, mine only lasted for less than 3 days. Maybe I'm a bit rough on handling these? Idk. Removing these was an ease though as you'd only need alcohol or baby oil to take them off.


I dubbed these as our "friendship bracelet" with Alice! Hahaha. We've been friends for exactly a year but I feel like I've known her since forever. Lol. I posted these on my IG just in case you wanna get one for yourself too!


The photobooth for this event was a little bit out of the ordinary from the ones I usually get to have. I thought I was going home with a photo print! This one's a customized mug from CLiP Photobooth, Now that's a hot cup of coffee! Hehehe


Served along our plate of crispy nachos are these free flowing drinks and for those who aren't into alcohol,  Milk Tea from Infinitea. I got Coke Rhum and Wintermelon respectively.

Hosting this sizzling event is the gorgeous heartthrob Sean Kyle from Monster Radio RX 93.1


Remember my previous blog post about how a fake kojic soap that burned my skin? With its banner product original kojic acid soap in the country, Kojiesan is one of the leading skin care brand in the market today that you could trust.

This new line of revolutionary Kojie.san sunblocks is not only paraben-free but also provides one of the highest and definite sun protection factor (SPF) 69 to shield the skin from ultra-violet (UV) rays.

Here's some random sun care facts I've learned for the day:
  • Even people with dark skin like mine needs protection.
    However, the amount needed varies depending on their skin type.
  • 91 percent of UV A rays are harmful and UV C rays aren't blocked by the ozone layer.
  • It is best advised that sunblocks should be reapplied every two hours.
Kojie.san Brand Manager Rachel Soriano explaining this year's Summer 69 Campaign.

To kick off Kojie.san's summer campaign is the Road to Summer 69 Activation at selected gas stations situated along NLEX and SLEX where travelers who are off to their favorite destinations are up for free carwash by non-other than Kojie.san's sexy and hot models. Fun activities like product sampling and giveaways will also be offered to prep them up for their getaways.

Aside from ground activations, they will be giving out a Barkada trip for four to Boracay. To join this contest, participants should post a picture applying Kojiesan Sunblock SPF69 in their most creative way with caption on how they had the wildest summer ever with the hashtag #MyKojieSanSummer69.

And then to cap off Kojie.san's 2015 campaign, partygoers may look forward to the Wild, All-Out Fun Summer 69 Wet Party to be held on May 30. About 3,000 or more partygoers are expected to join in this summer's wildest and most unforgettable party till midnight to be graced by famous local DJs like Ace Ramos, Mars Miranda and many more.

But apart from an all-day and all-night of fun, Kojie.san never sets aside their goal of protecting every individual's skin. With Kojie.san as your summer buddy this year, you're definitely covered for a wild, all-out fun summer!



After the big reveal, they had a game segment where they gave away goodie bags to those who could answer the questions about skin care. They also raffled off stuff to lucky guests. I guess I wasn't up all night to get lucky! Huhu


As the sun goes down the fun just doesn't end there!


A sizzling hot dance number by Paul and Crystal from the Pole and Arial Dance Studio surely made the crowd go wild!

Guests were treated to a delicious dinner buffet

 DJ spinning some catchy beats throughout the night!

Want to stay updated for the latest summer happenings here in the Metro?
Please do follow my social media accounts as I will keep you posted!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

6 Must-Try Gastronomical Wonders at Solaire




Little do anyone know that Solaire isn't all about their extravagant resort and casino. They also have lots of great places to eat there! I chanced upon visiting Solaire when I was invited along with other Zomato foodies for a special Foodie Meetup slash Food Crawl.

The Solaire Food Crawl was like a quick gastronomic hopping where Solaire got to introduce some of the dishes that were available for their anniversary special. A bit of disclaimer though, since we only had 20-30 minutes at each place I could not assure you that I could easily put into words that total restaurant experience that you are looking for.

In no particular order, here are some restaurants and cafes that you may want to consider visiting at Solaire.
Caution: This post a bit photo heavy and saliva inducing. Do not read on an empty stomach!



1.) Finestra


Finestra is an Italian restaurant known for their authentic handmade pastas, designer pizzas, artisan olive oils and homemade gelato and sherbet. Finestra in Italian means "windows" which I found quite appropriate as their restaurant's interior boasts of the floor to ceiling windows that gives a wonderful view of the Manila Bay and Solaire pool outside. Very elegant.


There is no doubt that Finestra captures the flavors of Italy as their Executive Chef is Salvatore De Vincentis, who has worked for 20 years and won numerous awards like Best Executive Chef for Italian Cuisine at the WOFEX Worldwide Competition Awards, Best Italian Restaurant for Edsa Shangri-La Manila's Paparazzi at the 2009 Nescafe Gold Spot Awards, and Best Italian Restaurant for Mezzo Mezzo, JW Marriott Hotel, Mumbai at the 2012 Times Food and Nightlife Awards.


Saltimbocca Alla Sorrentina
Here's what I do know though, the tomato sauce goes well with the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.
Plus, the veal slices are very tender and juicy. Something even a plastic butter knife could cut through. One of the chef's signature creations only available for the month of March as an Anniversary Special Offer, I will be honest, I know little of Italian cuisine so I couldn't comment much about this dish. 



2.) Waterside Restobar


I believe the restobar is called as such because of the fascinating bayside ambiance. Don't let the the sophisticated look of this place fool or intimidate you as most of the Latin American and Mediterranean specialties here are not too expensive.


The interior design of the place which is a set of earthy tones and hint of copper tones that compliments each other gives the restaurant a modern rustic feel.



Paella Valenciana (P550)
Paella is a traditional Valencian regional rice dish cooked over hardwood fire, using the finest Spanish Bomba rice from Levante. This one is the Valenciana where the paella is spiced with classic saffron, pimiento, eggs, chicken and prawns. I can't stress this enough but of all the places I've dined, they have the most perfectly cooked and sweet tasting prawns that I really really love.



Surf and Turf  (P2850)
This large platter is good for sharing as it includes large portions of the Hanger Steak, Salmon, Pork Back Ribs and Prawns. What I love about this other than the sweet and perfectly cooked shrimp is the moist chunk of salmon that goes well with their selection of sauces and dips.


From L-R: Co-Stars Mango, Asparagus, Humita and Potato Carbonara (P90)
My favorite of all would be the Mango, it was a refreshing side dish that includes an interesting mix of  green and yellow mango and cilantro with a bit of yogurt. The Humita is a sweet corn baked in husk that I find a little spicy but great for "pantanggal umay".



3.) Oasis Garden Cafe



Oasis Garden Cafe offers a wide selection of tea, coffee, snacks, and artisan finger sandwiches.
I totally adore this place because of how relaxing it is to the eye. The transparent glass roof elegantly lights up the bird's nest inspired interior and the backdrop of foliage, blooms, and cascading water features that seems to lift your problems away.




From L-R:
Blondies with Roasted Mango and Avocado
This one is made out of glazed blondies, avocado panacotta and roasted fresh mangoes. The texture of the soft avocado panacotta goes perfectly well with the glazed blondies. You won't go wrong with this as the flavors seem to be in harmony with each other, It isn't too sweet so your taste buds won't get tired of it. I could eat this forever, believe me.

Butterscotch Macaron Cake
This Butterscotch Macaron Cake is made out of layers of almond caramel filled with caramel and butterscotch parfait, roasted almonds. I'll be honest, I don't like overly sweet cakes. I'm not too crazy about it but I don't hate it either, that's just me. 

Strawberry Chiffon Cake
Composed of red velvet cake, vanilla mascaporne filling and fresh strawberries, this one most of us really love! Just like the Blondies with Roasted Mango and Avocado, it isn't too sweet and the toppings add an interesting flavor to the base of the cake.


From L-R:
Earl Grey Tea and Passion Green Tea (P200)
Along with the cakes I also recommend having a dose of their assorted teas, which ever you're in the mood for. The Eary Grey is a combination of Earl Grey and Vanilla Creme best served with lemon while the Passion Green is a green tea infused with tropical flavors of passion fruit. Both brewed with loose leaves that gives a more flavorful and aromatic tea. The serving is also great for sharing with friends. I can't help but unwind as it's quite calming for stressed-out people like me.



4.) Red Lantern



Red Lantern is a Chinese restaurant known for their signature Cantonese delicacies like Suckling Pig, Peking Duck and Dimsums. Ingredients of their dishes are imported from Hongkong, Singapore and Malaysia for the enjoyment of Manila foodies!


Wuxi Braised Ribs (P273)
  Could you imagine the texture of this very tender pork ribs braised for 3 hours? Heavenly! I absolutely love this especially for its melts-in-your-mouth fatty bits! Cooked with their secret special red rice yeast sauce and garnished with ginger to add a little kick to the dish, I'd say this sweet and savory braised ribs is so far one of the best ones I've tried in a Chinese restaurant! It's available this March only for Solaire's anniversary special offer. Better try it out now!



5.) Yakumi



Yakumi is a Japanese restaurant that takes pride of its traditionally prepared dishes created by the finest world's top Japanese chefs using only the freshest fish and crustaceans and other world-class ingredients. Most of the fish they use except for Tuna, Lapu Lapu, flown in Tsukiji Market Tokyo. Whether it is Sushi, Sashimi or Robatayaki I'm sure that they would give you that incredible Japanese dining experience.


Here's a fun bit, did you know Yakumi only uses freshly grated wasabi? Not just the cheap powdered ones that tastes "subdued", these ones have that bold taste and no weird aftertaste. Freshly grated wasabi from the Wasabia Japonica root is known to be expensive and quite hard to find here so these are flown from Japan three times a week. They even have the traditional Japanese tool for grating wasabi where they have a piece of real sharkskin stretched over a block of wood. Really interesting.


One of their many refreshments, a glass of chilled house tea.


Ehou Maki
One of the special anniversary offer is this Ehou Maki. What makes this one different from a regular sushi roll? Since seven is considered a lucky number, it must be made of seven ingredients to represent the seven deities. For this one I think they used cucumber, raddish, tamago, tobiko, kani, unagi and rabi for their ingredients. You can use any ingredients you want as long as it is seven.


Traditionally it is eaten whole and uncut they don't want to cut the connection of the fortune as "it might cut off your luck." Here's the mini version on the left. I don't think anyone could handle the one on the right. I couldn't eat it whole so I don't think I'm gonna be lucky this year. Kidding.



6.) Strip Steakhouse Restaurant



Strip Steakhouse has the finest selection of imported beef cuts including American Kobe that are fresh and seared to perfection. What I found amazing about this restaurant is how big their wine wall is. Imagine 3,000 wine bottles to choose from!


The full view of the open kitchen is really interesting as you could witness how they prepare your dishes at the chef's table. Here we even got to see how they do the food presentation of their Pastrami-Spiced Black Angus Beef Short Ribs.

Here's the mixture of spices used to marinate the steak. The spices used not too overwhelming as explained in the video below.


Check out this video to see how French-Canadian chef Eric Turgeon whips up this special anniversary dish!


Pastrami-Spiced Black Angus Beef Short Ribs
The Angus beef so soft that the carrots there are actually harder than the short ribs instead. Since it is marinated for a long period, you could actually taste the flavor of the spices in the meat! Served along with mashed potato and cherry tomatoes to balance the flavor of the Angus beef. It's not too salty so it's something different to what most Filipinos are used to.


All in all, I believe Solaire is an interesting place where you could simply spoil yourself or rather bring a girl or guy you're trying to impress for a romantic date. However, not ideal for an everyday brunch as some of the restaurants like Finestra might be a little pricey for someone's budget.

Do you have any other particular dish that you'd love to try at Solaire? Let me know!

Are you a foodie? Let's follow each other at Zomato!
Do check out my other social media accounts as well below!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Pureform Pure & Pampered Event Highlights

Don't worry as I'll let you in on our pampering experience last Saturday!

Met some new and old friends during the event. What a small world

Any product purchase worth P250 entitles you to a raffle entry and access to all of these!


Some of the Pureform products for sale inside the fair

Here's a quick recap on what went down!

MAKE-UP BOOTH

Denise got her makeup done with MaryKay cosmetics


NAIL ART STATION

These girls were treated to a fresh coat of nail polish for their digits


HAIR CARE STATION

This lucky lady right here got her straight hair transformed into gorgeous curls


SKIN CONSULTATION

I highly doubt that she'd need any skin consultation at all! Flawless!


PHOTOBOOTH

What better way to immortalize your makeover than to have it taken by Shutter and Reel!


FUN GAMES & AMAZING PRIZES

Pureform had this thing called Tropical Treats where they generously raffled off travel trips to different parts of the country. Here's a photo of the lucky winner who got to take home the 1st prize which was a trip for two to La Carmela de Boracay! Perfect for summer!

Other than that they had fun games where winners got to bring home a lootbag filled with goodies!


MEET AND GREET

Event attendees got to meet these very beautiful tv personalities, Pauleen Luna and Sofia Andres



ENTERTAINING PERFORMANCES





Feeling down that you missed that opportunity to personally see those abs.. *ehem* I mean pampering experience?

Don't fret! I'll try my best to keep you guys updated on other upcoming events and happenings!
Don't forget to follow me on my social media accounts below!

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