IAMBRIGITTE

It was February of last year when Happy Skin first collaborated with a Pinay celebrity to come up with a limited edition lippie shade. It was then with Ms. Kris Aquino and if you know Kris (doesn't need to be personally, though), you'd know her famous choice of lipcolor is pink. It was called Valentine Kiss , and it's the perfect shade of pink: fierce but feminine, attention-grabbing but still classy. Fast forward to this year, around the same month as of last year, Happy Skin had another collaboration. O di ba, akala ninyo brands lang like MAC ang may collab ha! Mali kayo dyan! Hehehe.  This time, it's with Ms. Liz Uy, a Pinay celebrity stylist and fashion editor.  After months of working closely together, the lovely Liz and our equally lovely ladies behind Happy Skin came up with not one, but three must-have lippie shades.   Bongga! The collection is called StyLIZed and consists of three lippie shades that each woman should hav...

It's still more than a week (8 days to be exact) before my birthday and I am starting to feel that birthday blues sh*t. Not that I am sad that I'm turning a year older again (okay fine, I'm also sad about it in a way) but this time kasi , I'd be on-site on my birthday.  No family and no husband to celebrate it with and I'm like 3.5hrs away from the city.  I do have some friends at work, yes, but it's still different. I know you know what I mean.  Sniff!   If I remember it right, the first time I felt alone during my birthday was when I was in Sydney in 2005.  But that time, I was in the city and I remembered spending my birthday walking along the streets of Sydney.   Pasyal-pasyal and I treated myself to a nice birthday dinner. I even got a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed toy from my husband, who was still my boyfriend then. Good thing that a day after my birthday, I'd be going back to the city. I honestly don't have pl...

When you get an invite to check out a restaurant that serves one of your favourite cuisine, you say "Yes!"  So when I was invited to check out Sushi Central's second branch here in Abu Dhabi (Mina branch), I just couldn't say no. Next to Pinoy cuisine, I love Japanese food.  I haven't been to the restaurant's older branch, but they say this one is bigger. I have actually been to their Mina branch when they opened last December and the place is indeed  roomy. They have art pieces as decors which makes the place even more modern-looking. I told the husband that I want the same seats in our house and he just gave out a smirk. Do you think it's a Yes or a No? ^_^ Want to feast on sushi while watching your favorite tv show? No worries! This small corner is right just for that.

It's almost midnight and here I am thinking about food. Usually, I'd be dreaming about burger and fries from Mcdo, but tonight I'm actually craving for something home-cooked.  I realized it's been weeks, or maybe months, since the last time I cooked. Nakakamiss din pala magluto.  When you cook, you get to eat what you want and make it taste like how you want it.  One ulam I definitely miss cooking is Beef Caldereta.  I know it's not in any way as good as my Lolo's and my Tita's recipes but for me (and hopefully for Mr. X), it's good.  Hayaan 'nyo na akong magbuhat ng sariling bangko. Hehehe!  There are a lot of Beef Caldereta recipes available but let me just share with you how I cook mine.   Ingredients: Garlic Onions Beef, cut into serving portions. I really don't know much about beef cuts but I usually get the part where there's a bit of fat. Potatoes Carrots Bell Pepper Liver Spread Tomato Sauce Let'...

I've been noticing that these past few weeks, lip color launches are happening left and right. I've been getting lipstick samples more often and I think if you'd do a search on my blog right now, I'd have more of lippie features/reviews than anything else! But don't get me wrong, I am not complaining as it actually gives me more opportunity to try out different brands, formulations, finishes and well, shades.   Alam nyo naman, bet ko lang is nude colors. Give me a tube of MAC Peachstock and MAC Please Me and I'm good. But now, I have a number of favourites already...which makes me think that I probably need to post a blog on it soon! Last month, I was given some samples of the Chunky Funky Lips from Wojooh. I call these babies the Crayons for Big Girls, hahaha!  They remind me of the Bobbi Brown Art Sticks , only that they are smaller and cheaper!  Wojooh Chunky Funky Lips (AED 55) Here comes a new makeup essential for ladies on the go....

I've first heard about Shiseido from my Mom and I remember using their oil blotting sheets when I was in college.  It was in fact my very first Shiseido item. Ang sosyal ko lang noon, di ba? Hahaha!  Anyway, I've always known the brand for their skincare.  Me and my Mom swears by it. I'm still using their Ultimune and I love how it keeps my skin sane despite my stress, lack of sleep and my crazy diet.  And of course, they also have a good makeup line.    I didn't know that Shiseido has perfumes too, until I was gifted with probably one of the most elegant fragrance I have ever sniffed in my life...the Shiseido Zen Secret Bloom.  Shiseido Zen Secret Bloom Eau de Parfum Intense It comes in this Asian-inspired heavy square glass bottle which I honestly didn't like.  And that's because 1) Me and anything made of glass don't go well together and 2) It's so heavy and bulky that it's such a hassle to bring this with you when you go ...

It feels like it was just yesterday when Happy Skin launched their Summer Collection for 2014 .  I was back home when they held the event so I made sure I attended it. Gosh, I wouldn't miss it for the world!  And now, just a few days ago, they launched their Summer Collection for 2015...and it's called Happy Skin Beauty in Bloom.  Too bad I wasn't able to attend it, but the beautiful people behind the brand made sure I won't be missing out.   Happy Skin Beauty in Bloom Summer 2015 Collection Just like what I captioned when I posted a similar photo on my Instagram, "If this won't make your heart skip a beat, I don't know what else will..." The collection is inde ed breathtaking.   Pang-world class!  And well, can I just say I am proud to say that I am the first one here in the UAE to get my hands on this collection?  #yabangngkontimode ^_^ Inggit much?  Hahahaha! Then hayaan ninyo akong inggitin pa kayo.  Read on to see...

With the temperature rising as high as 38C during the day, it really means that Summer is here in the sandpit.  Though it's not yet as humid, it really feels like the heat is piercing thru the skin. I don't really mind getting a tan, uso yan pag summer eh. Pero ang skit sa balat ng init!   I won't just get a tan, I'd be burnt...toasted, even! So yes, I am not a fan of the summer season.   Lalo ng summer dito sa UAE.   We get a temperature as high as 50C (sometimes, higher pa) so just imagine.   But if there's one thing I like about summer, that would be the array of bright colors that make this season so festive. You know the drill, as the temperature rises, colors go brilliantly bright and as the temperature gets lower, colors go darker. And I'd always go for bright colors. It lifts up the mood and makes everything look so happy and light. Rimmel, probably one of the drugstore brands that makes the best lipsticks out there, came up with the K...

A few weeks ago, I was able to get hold of a sample of one of the IZIL products that were launched in the UAE sometime last year.  It was this Green Tea Body Lotion and though I recently became a fan of green tea products, I didn't use it right after getting it. Why? Simply because I prefer whitening lotions.  Yes, I'm into anything whitening. But please, spare me the criticisms and remember, to each his own.   Kaya wag kayong judgmental. Hahaha! One night when I came home from home very tired and stressed, I thought of getting a massage.  But where to get one, I really don't have an idea and besides, it can be expensive ( kuripot mode is on) .  So after resting for a bit, I just decided to take a quick warm shower.  Then I found out that I ran out of body oil (which I prefer using at night) so I rummage through my stuff and saw this.  I took a sniff and wow, I felt like I was teleported to a spa.  I immediately used it and got ho...

Woohoo, it's a Thursday once again! (happy dance) I can't wait for this day to be over and off to another great weekend I go.  The husband's back from a short  trip to PH and since it was our 257th monthsarry yesterday,  (hahaha, oh yes we still count!) we're going out for a movie date tonight. Have you watched Fast and the Furious 7 already? I heard it's good. I'm excited to see it and of course, eat my favourite movie snack...nachos with loads of jalapeño and cheese!  It's gonna be a pig-out weekend once again!  Also, we'd be going back to Ras Al Khaimah tomorrow for a short weekend getaway with some friends.   Yahooooo! ^_^ And so before I lose myself from thinking too much about this weekend (and food), let me share with you another review. This time it's gonna be about this foundation that has been my favourite for a few months now. Last year, I've blogged about the Sephora 10hr Perfect Wear Foundation and...

Do you love painting your nails?  I guess most of us do. It's probably one of the easiest way to accessorize, perhaps the cheapest too, unless you'd go for a bottle of Chanel or Loubotin.  ^_^ I've tried a lot of nail polish brands and I must say, this is the first time I came across a breathe-in nail polish.  So what exactly is a breathe-in nail polish? It is uniquely formulated to allow water and air to pass through, permitting nails to breathe.   This may not mean so much to some of us, but for our Muslim sisters, it does.   Before praying, Muslims need to do a washing ritual where they must let water run on parts of their body including the hands. Now with the usual nail polish that creates a barrier on the nails which blocks water from passing through, this makes the pre-ritual washing invalid and therefore invalidates the prayer as well.  While some Muslim women will just remove the nail polish and reapply it after their p...

Happy Easter, my loves!  So how did you spend the weekend? Me, I just spent it at home, sleeping and watching movies online the whole day.  I was on the Master Cleanse so I figured it will be a good idea to just stay indoors just in case you know, my tummy goes gaga.  I'm almost done with the cleanse and I'll be writing about it soon. Today, I'd be sharing this makeup look I've worn some weeks ago. This should've been a "Happy Thursday" post but since it was the Holy Thursday last week, I decided to post something else.   HappySkin Eye Love View Eyebrow Duo In2It Eyebrow Powder NARS Eyeshadow Primer MAC eyeshadows in Bamboo (crease as transition color), Aquadisiac and Shimmermoss (lid), Blacked (Outer-V, crease and lower lash line) and Retrospeck (inner lid) MAC Smouldering Eyeliner (lower waterline) Isadora Liquid Eyeliner Ardell Wispies Max Factor Facefinity Primer L'oreal Infallible Liquid Foundation #200 Make...

Since today is Holy Thursday, I decided to put up this post about our travel year ago to probably one of the famous pilgrimage destinations in the Philippines, the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine in Lucban, Quezon. The shrine is a healing center built under the initiative of Fr. Joseph Ayala Faller, a well-known healing priest. A healing mass is conducted at the chapel every Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9:30AM.  We went there on a Wednesday but unfortunately, we arrived there past noon so we weren't able to attend the healing mass. As soon as you enter the vicinity, it would be impossible to miss this amazing view of the hill where the 50-ft status of the Ascending Christ is erected.  I am not a fan of walking, much more climbing, so it was really a big challenge for me.  It was also around 1pm when we started the trekking the Way of the Cross going up the hill so imagine the torturing heat of the sun plus the humid air.  It felt like we were in a sauna.  But ...

I tried to keep up with my busy schedule at work and still update my blog. but as you can see, I haven't been doing a great job.   I may have been posting sometimes but mostly, it would just be EOTDs/FOTDs...and worse, they all look the same. I know i've been boring you to death with my senseless posts for quite a long time now. Also, I have a lot of personal issues that i would need to deal with first. my life has been like a rollercoaster ride for these past few months, and no matter how hard I try to pretend that I am doing okay, people (who really know me) would still know that i am not. it's hard...and I would definitely miss all of you. but I don't have any choice but to say goodbye for now. I would no longer be posting in here since in a state that I am in now, posting about makeup and anything about vanity would be really inappropriate. I am sorry, dear readers. you've been with me for these past years...and you have encouraged me in every way you...