An Addiction to Remember...

From top to bottom: Blueberry cheesecake, Banoffee pie, Lasagna roll-ups, Chicken & mushroom pie with potato salad on the side

Note: Pics were taken using my Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Banapple has been my favorite dining place from the first time I set foot in this dainty,homey restaurant in Ayala triangle. The interiors are simple yet classy. The service is excellent,and food quality is superb. I love their cheesecakes,their pies are mouth watering,and their pasta selection is simply irresistible. Prices are reasonable,and I'm giving this place 2 thumbs up!

For Makati residents, Banapple - Ayala Triangle is open daily from 8am to 10pm,while Taguig/BGC peepz can satiate their Banapple cravings thru their Market!Market! branch, and is open daily from 10am to 9pm.

From L-R: The Face Shop Face It base coat, Seche Vite dry fast top coat

Happy New Year! 2012 has been a so-so year for me *sniff* but Im setting that asise because Im looking forward to making my 2013 a whole lot better! :) Today I'll try to shed some light on some questions that Ive been getting for the past few weeks. This is something that I myself has not realized until last year when I started getting hooked with nail polish. When I finally came into my senses that these additional manicure steps are NOT to be skipped,I even asked myself why I took them for granted. Hopefully you'll be as enlightened as I am. :)

BASE COAT

Okay,I honestly didnt know anything about this when I got exposed to nail polish during my younger years. To me,nail polish is nail costume that normally comes off after 2-3days. But when I started reading horrific tales of yellowish nails,I started the quest of finding answers on how to avoid that. That is how I discovered the importance of a base coat. Not only does it make the life span of your mani/nail art longer,it also prevents stains from forming on your nails,be it the dreaded yellowish tinge,or the nasty colorants that some heavily tinted NPs would leave behind (eg, red,blue,black NPs). Now,are all base coats the same? I would say No. Some are just plain old base coats,while some are formulated with nail hardeners or vitamins. What should you get? It really depends,but as long as it does the job,then you're good.

Ive been a loyal user of The Face Shop's Face It nail base coat 03. It also helps in keeping my nails strong aside from the previously mentioned benefits of a base coat. I so love this stuff that Im on my 3rd bottle already. My only grip with this product is that halfway thru the bottle it gets gloopey,but nothing that cant be fixed with a few drops of nail polish thinner/solvent. This is priced at Php 180. There is another base coat that TFS offers (from the Lovely Me Ex line) which is cheaper than this base coat,but I havent tried that yet,hence I cant make any comparisons in terms of quality.

TOP COAT

Just like an artist,we would want to make our artwork last as long as possible,right? This is the concept behind a top coat. It locks and seals your nail color. It prevents premature chipping and gives that extra "oomph" to NPs with glossy finishes. Just like base coats,top coats were never created equally; you have to choose the one that would best suit your needs and lifestyle. Want that extra shine? Go for a high gloss one such as Sally Hansen's (Php 300+) or The Face Shop's (Php 95,from the Lovely Me Ex line); Cant wait for your manicure to dry since you have errands to do afterwards? Go for a fast drying top coat such as Caronia's or if you have some extra cash to burn,get Seche Vite dry fast top coat (Php 400 - 450,available thru online resellers only). I've been using Seche Vite for a few months now,and Im definitely impressed with the way it performs. It's like the Speedy Gonzales among all top coats,IMHO.

So there we go. I hope this has been very helpful and for additional questions,just send them in.

Happy Monday and Happy Martin Luther King's day to our US counterparts! :)

Seppie ♥♥♥

Hi! This would be a quick post. Just wanna share with you one of my fave products of all time.

For the record,I have combination skin -- oily on the t-zone,and very dry on the cheek and chin areas.

SkinFood originated in Korea and is the manufacturer of the toner and emulsion that Im currently using. These two are from their Gold Caviar line,and Ive been using these for quite some time now. The toner has gold particles suspended in it,while the emulsion is non sticky,and both gets absorbed by the skin right away. The result? Soft,moisturized and pinkish skin the day after. I would suggest getting them online rather than walking into a physical store that they have in malls due to the huge price difference.

There you go. Hope this helps

Just wanna share a picture of moi that I personally took on Christmas Day. No makeup here,though. I think I'm losing my makeup mojo ..

NOOOOOOO!!!!

Hello everyone! Today's NOTD features a polish from a korean brand that we all love which is The Face Shop. It's bright fuschia pink with strong blue undertones to it. Ive been scouting for this color for a long time and finally,I got it from their SM Taytay branch (it's the only bottle left,so I scooped it up from the shelf,and the rest is history,lol) for Php 180. After application I personally think that the quality of this nail lacquer is way better than their Lovely Me Ex line (white cap line). It wasn't streaky,and drying time was significantly faster. I highly recommend this shade,and I'll look forward to the other shades from this line.

Base coat: The Face Shop Face It nail base coat

Top coat: Seche Vite dry fast top coat

Time to count our blessings and to thank our Creator for all the wonderful things that happened in 2012. To all of my readers, MERRY CHRISTMAS. :-)

L-R: Seche Vite, TFS top coat, TFS base coat, SkinFood nail polish in RE101, Korean taupe nail polish.

I have to admit,because of my hectic daily schedule,as much as I would want to do my own nails,I just don't have the time to do it. :-( And yes,I'm also lazy. LOL. But anyway,one thing that I always do whenever I go to a salon is  that I always bring my own set of nail items. I started collecting NPs early this year,so I don't have any choice but to use each one of them. Hehe! But aside from the actual nail color,I also take with me items that play important roles in achieving a perfect mani and pedi experience. And those are:

Base coat - I never,EVER put on nail polish without a base coat. A base coat acts as a protective barrier on your nail bed,and makes your polish last longer by making the polish adhere to it. It also prevents staining so yes,base coats are good investments. I highly recommend The Face Shop's Face It base coat. Very reasonably priced at P180.

Red nail polish for my toes - It's been my signature nail color for my toes. Makes my feet look smoother and fairer. Hehe!

Top coats - now this one's a bit complicated. I'm the type who would use 2 types of top coats in a manicure. Why? The first top coat (TFS) prevents the polish from shrinking after I've applied the second top coat,which is Seche Vite. SV is known to dry polish in no time,but one major flaw that it has is that it makes your nail polish shrink when you apply it on wet polish.

TFS top coat - Lovely Me Ex brand is priced at Php 95, Face It brand at Php 180; Seche Vite retails for Php 420++,and is available thru online resellers here in the Philippines.