Of bags, beer, and Pinoy pride

 We Filipinos are known for a lot of things. One thing I’m sure of however is that we are known for our ingenuity. No matter where we are, what we’re going through or how much we’re given, the power of our creative imagination screams Pinoy pride.

This is exactly what has occurred in Greenbelt 5 just recently, as former fashion model turned entrepreneur Tina Maristela-Ocampo, entrepreneur husband Ricco, San Miguel Brewery Inc. President Bobby Huang, SMB EVP Keisuke Nishimura with SMB National Sales Manager Debbie Namalata and Pinoy international fashion designer Josie Natori unveiled the installation art inside Ocampo’s Celestina shop on the mall’s ground floor. The piece, which occupies practically the whole shop, is called “The Filipino Heritage: Transcending Time and Boundaries.”

 

Highlighting San Miguel’s tradition of excellence that has lasted up to more than a century, the installation art also puts a spotlight on Celestina’s use of Philippine-intrinsic raw materials, and both brands’ global appeal. Tens of thousands of San Miguel Pale Pilsen in cans were artfully stacked in the shop and served as platform to Ocampo’s internationally-acclaimed and much sought-after bags and fashion accessories under the Celestina brand.

While San Miguel Brewery, Inc. brews the best beers that has become an iconic Pinoy brand, Celestina makes bags and fashion accessories that showcase Filipino skill and creativity by using only local materials sourced out from Baguio, Pampanga, Zamboanga, Bulacan, Palawan and Cebu, crafted by at least a hundred artisans from all over the country and sold here and abroad at high-end boutiques such as Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman.

From beers to bags, skilled workers and inventive minds, to Filipino heritage and Pinoy pride, there’s nothing that can stop us from showing the world what Pinoys are truly made of –only the best of things.  

The Celestina flagship store in Greenbelt 5 will display the installation art until April 9, 2011.

Mad for mangoes

Have a sweet summer with the world’s largest ice cream chain as Dairy Queen gives you their new line of cool treats you can have to help you cool off on a hot day!

Dairy Queen shows off the delectable Mango, the Philippine’s national fruit, with all the yummy desserts and drinks that they have which you can enjoy, no matter what it is that you’re craving for.

If you’re a sucker for cheesecakes but want something cooler, you can literally have one with Dairy Queen’s Mango Cheesecake Blizzard. This is my favorite no doubt, with the generous amount of cheesecake chunks surprising you out of nowhere, and the sweet mango slices blended together with DQ’s signature soft-serve vanilla ice cream –it’s definitely a delight you can risk getting  a brain freeze for! You can also try the Mango Pineapple Blizzard with all the pineapple chucks for an ultimately fruity experience.

 

If you want actual cake, opt to share the cooling sensation that every bite of DQ’s Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake has in store for you. It’s a fusion of DQ’s signature ice cream treat with the blend of creamy vanilla ice cream on top of a lovely fudge filling and chocolate cookie crunch center. At first glance you’ll think it’s such a small cake but once you try slicing through it, you’ll feel the heftiness of each layer ready to satisfy your sweet tooth until the very last bite.

Of course, you can’t miss out on smoothies during a hot summer day! Why not try out DQ’s Mango Premium Fruit Smoothie –a blend of fresh orange, mango and soft serve vanilla ice cream, or the Mango Citrus Cooler that’ll definitely give you all the refreshing flavors of summer with the blend of lemon, mango, and soft serve vanilla ice cream.

With Dairy Queen going mad for mangoes, nothing can stop you from having a sweet and cool summer ahead!

  

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Find true beauty at The Spa

Imagine going through treatments such as facials, peels, dermal fillers, skin-whitening, body contouring, and hair removal done only by highly-trained skin doctors accredited by the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) with the use of only state-of-the-art dermatology machines and medicines in a venue that doesn’t make you feel like you’re in a hospital or a clinic –that imagery simply equates to the experience you’re sure to gain at SKIN Dermatology and Laser Center exclusively at The Spa Wellness at The Fort.

For more than a decade, The Spa has been around providing the most relaxing venues and the most luxurious pampering experience for the ultimate urbanite. From massage therapies, various body and facial treatments and fitness programs, The Spa has constantly been the hub for divine relaxation.

With seven boutique branches to date, The Spa continues to offer the latest in premier pampering services and now, even the latest in skin care and more with the Skin Dermatology and Laser Center as The Spa has achieved its aim to combine wellness, beauty and health all in one place with only the coziest of atmospheres for utmost rest and rejuvenation.

Whether you’re in it for simply enhancing your features or for maintaining your natural beauty, you’ll find something that will suit your needs and wants at The Spa’s SKIN

Dermatology and Laser Center.

Enjoy the latest treatments at a budget-friendly cost with the availability of packaged treatments. Each package is based on the optimal number of treatments needed for maximum results, and it comes along with 1 to 2 free sessions of the treatment of your choice. And the best news about this is that there is no expiration date, so you can avail of the treatments anytime and at your own convenience.

As a special opening treat, you will get a free The Spa membership with privileges that include special rates for massages and free access to wet floors when you purchase any SKIN face or body package.

Other than this, brides, debutantes or those attending their class reunions will also have special bundled packages that will include both The Spa and SKIN services to make sure that they get the right pampering they need months before their big day.

For the ultimate urbanite, the multi-tasking supermen and women, or just for the tired and stressed individual, you deserve to have time off to take care of your mind and body. So leave it to the experts to give you just the right treatments in just the right ambience and simply call it a good day at The Spa and SKIN.

Visit SKIN Dermatology and Laser Center at The Spa Wellness at the Fort, Bldg. 8, 908 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. For inquiries call (02) 403-8000, 0917-8092399 or visit www.thespa.com.ph


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Sid Lucero has Great Taste

Sid Lucero is not just an actor. He’s a great actor.

With numerous nominations and awards won for the films and television series that he’s worked on, it’s an undeniable fact that Sid Lucero is one gifted individual who has proven himself worthy of the praise –not only because he’s from a family with theatrical flair, but because he actually manifests that flair with every scene he does on screen.

Sid is not just someone who settles for anything less than what his standard of greatness dictates. From his acting to his preferred cup of coffee –Sid just has great taste. He has great taste in the way he prefers to perform every character he’s tasked to play, and when it comes to coffee, he simply has Great Taste. That’s why it’s no wonder Sid was chosen to be Great Taste Coffee’s newest endorser.

What’s in store?

There’s a first for everything. And for Sid, his first endorsement for Great Taste coffee was an insightful and enjoyable experience for a first-timer. He’s done his first T.V. commercial for Great Taste Coffee Trio just recently and he’s really excited to give a glimpse of his life and his love for plain good coffee on any given day, just like what will be seen in his commercial that’s coming out this first week of April.

 

Sid is not the only one looking forward to all the great things that are coming his way, but every other avid coffee drinker’s got something to be excited about as well because Great Taste Trio’s got their coffee cravings covered. With all the conveniently packaged Great Taste Coffee Trio variants, you’re sure to find yourself in the best of moods with the smell of good coffee whenever you want it, anytime of the day.

The great thing about Great Taste

According to Great Taste Coffee’s Brand Manager Janina Dizon, the brand chose Sid Lucero to be their endorser because of three things: he’s got the right amount of talent, impressive pedigree, and a good sense of simplicity to balance everything out.

Just like Sid, Great Taste Coffee Trio’s got the right combination of coffee, sugar and milk to satisfy the coffee cravings of the hip and on-the-go youth of today.

 So the next time you want to put yourself in a good mood to prep you up in the morning or to relax your senses after a long day at work, don’t just get good-tasting coffee.

Get yourself a cup of Great Taste Coffee Trio. 

Making perfect Sense’

My mother is a sucker for beauty and skin care products. At 43, she’s tried a lot of different kinds of products –from the lower end to the highest end, going against the odds and hoping to look less of what her age should probably look like, as per the norm. 

A photo of my 43-year old mom and 21-year old me  just last year at my graduation. 

Luckily, my mom really is an exception to this norm because with our age gap of 21 years, she’s been mistaken to be my older sister more than enough times for me to realize that I am being challenged to look as young or even younger as she does when I get to her age. That is why like my mother, I’ve been trying different kinds of beauty and skin care products in order to prepare myself to still look like I’m 22 when the time comes that I’m already 32.

When I was just starting out on this quest for eternal youth, some of the products I’ve tried before have helped clear out my skin during the phase of teenage breakouts. But now that I’m getting older and I’ve started using make-up more frequently, the products I’ve gotten used to just won’t do anymore because my skin needs something better in order to keep it healthy, strong, and youthful.

Recently, I was introduced to a new line of skin care products from Usana Health Sciences, Sense’. It was such a treat to be able to try this new line of what they like to call “beautiful science skin care products” because I could also make my mom try it with me so as to see if it would be able to make us experience the healthy kind of beauty that it all promises to give in as little as two weeks.

Beauty is an experience

My mother and I have been doing Sense’s 3-step beauty regimen for almost 3 weeks now and I can honestly say that Sense delivered as promised.

Twice every day I would wash my face with the Gentle Daily Cleanser. Then I would grab a cotton pad and further cleanse my face with the Hydrating Toner. After these, in the morning I’d use the Daytime Protective Emulsion to moisturize my face and protect my skin from the effects of sun damage. At night I would use the Night Renewal Crème as an overnight intensive moisturizer.

Since my first week of usage, I’ve been waking up with supple and smooth skin –even after a hectic Saturday night out with just about 3 hours of sleep. Since I’ve been using Sense’, I haven’t experienced oiliness or any major blemishes on my face and I feel like whenever I use the Perfecting Essence, my skin is tightened and moisturized at the same time.

My mom also got positive results even just on the first week of doing the Sense’ beauty regimen. She has super sensitive skin, and she likes the fact that the Gentle Daily Cleanser didn’t make her skin feel dry after, and the Hydrating Toner made her skin feel supple and squeaky clean. She also found the Day and Night creams to be non-greasy, and light on the skin, taking away that awful feeling of heat on the face after putting really heavy moisturizers beneath your make-up foundation.

According to her, she likes the idea that Sense’ simply doesn’t target the surface of the skin but the skin cells, with the goal of properly nourishing and hydrating us from the inside, revitalizing our skin to give us the chance to stay as young on the skin as much as we can be young at heart.

Beauty inside & out

Beauty is something that we all possess – manifested in our own unique ways. But in spite of our differences, when it comes to the idea of beauty, I think we’ll all agree that we have one common denominator: Good health and a good heart translate to true beauty, inside & out. 

Our skin is the largest organ of our body. We have the responsibility to take care of it the best way we know how. And now that you know Sense’s around, there is no reason for you not to give your skin just the tender love and care that it deserves.

Just like doing good deeds towards others, do the same for your skin. Be good to it, and it’ll make you look good. Now doesn’t that just make Sense?

For more information on other Sense’ skin and beauty products check out www.beautifulscience.com

Green-minded with a purpose

The color ‘green’ takes on a more relevant meaning when talks about the environment arise because ‘green’ is not simply a color anymore, it’s already a lifestyle.

Going ‘green’ is about using more eco-friendly products and being more conscious about our food choices. It’s about living a more sustainable lifestyle that calls out to the conscious consumers to be mindful with the things that they buy, use and put to waste.

At ECHOstore, this lifestyle is lived out, promoted and more –because it’s not simply a retail store for products that help nurture and sustain our environment, it’s a profit venture with social causes.

For the Environment

The “ECHO” in ECHOstore stands for Environment and Community Hope Organization. The very words that the store stands for actually explains the whole concept of the store because first and foremost, it offers environment-friendly products that use only organic materials and ingredients.

From health and wellness, body, beauty and nutritional products such as Body Basic and Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm’s lip balms, hand and body lotions, shower gels, shampoo and conditioner, home cleaning materials from Messy Bessy, to home décor, bags and fashion accessories made from recycled materials such as bangles, earrings, and rings, you’ll always find something interesting and useful at ECHOstore –presented to you with a flair.

Other than these, healthy and organic food and beverage choices are also served at the store’s ECHOcafe with dishes like Malunggay Pesto, Tofu Burger, and Arrabiatta-Sun Dried Tomato Pasta. The store also has ECHOdeli where you can choose from a variety of ingredients and other foodstuffs you can take with you to cook and eat at home such as hot chocolate tablea, malunggay dips and camote chips.

For the Community

As far as ECHOstore’s efforts go on nurturing and sustaining the environment and all the wonderful products we get to use and reuse, the same amount of effort or even greater goes with the support they give to the communities behind every product sold at the store. 

First priority is the marginalized and indigenous communities who make all the various products at the store. By supporting small entrepreneurs from these communities blessed with a creative streak, the products of these communities are refined to become fit for the specialty market level that ECHOstore strives to be.

The store supports and mentors communities and groups such as the women of Payatas, young adults from the Virlanie Foundation, village beneficiaries of Gawad Kalinga, and the like. It also advocates Filipino design quality, as the store collaborates with different artists and designers in creating better product designs that will only showcase the best of Filipino ingenuity.

The ECHOdesign Lab was created for these volunteers who like to get involved in the livelihood product development process by sharing their skills and talents in product design, visual identity, branding and packaging –giving the communities not only market access, but valuable tips on marketing their products as well.

Organized Hope

ECHOstore is a place where the words ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘profitable’ can all be used in one sentence, where no justifications are needed for one or the other.

ECHOstore gives hope to the seemingly hopeless case of our country’s marginalized communities and our environment’s dilemmas, and organizes this hope and turns it into something worth making a living out of, and living for.

ECHOstore is already doing a lot of good for the environment, the communities it supports, and the consumers they lure in to making better lifestyle choices through their products. From how I see it, if more people get to advocate the same values, things can only get better for Mother Earth and for us Earthlings.

For more information on their products, seminars and volunteer programs, check out their website http://echostore.ph. 


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Melo’s take on your steak

I am no steak connoisseur, but recently I learned more about the kind of steak I could eat and come back for over and over again –Wagyu beef tenderloin, medium rare, preferably with no sauce.

We all consider steak as an elegant meal, prepared and eaten mostly during special occasions only. At Melo’s, you’re given the chance to make your meal special, even when there’s no special occasion being celebrated!

Wagyu beef tenderloin and rib eye steak

Change the way you dine and experience your very own Tailored Steak at Melo’s as they allow you to order the kind of steak you want, just the way you like it. If you want steak that’ll give you immense flavor and that melts-in-your-mouth sensation in every bite, go for some high-quality Wagyu Beef. But if you like the more classic juiciness and familiar texture of steak, then a generous cut of Certified Angus Beef will be best for you.

Speaking of cuts, you’ve got to know the kind you want to be able to fully maximize your Tailored Steak experience. Personally, I prefer easier-to-eat type of lean meat so I’d opt for a tenderloin steak because it’s just oh-so tender and flavorful. A rib eye cut keeps as much flavor, but is a bit more distinct in texture and in the juiciness factor. A striploin is more on the brawny side but flavor is of course, never compromised. Get a T-Bone or a Porterhouse if you want to have a play with texture and quality with a combination of a striploin and tenderloin joined together. Whichever cut you feel like trying, in the end it doesn’t really matter because as long as it feels like every bite is a party in your mouth, then it’s all good!

So for your next birthday, anniversary, graduation dinner or for just about any celebration that’s coming up, celebrate it with your very own Tailored Steak at Melo’s and leave your meal to the steak expert, until you become one yourself!

Melo’s is located in Makati, Alabang, Taguig and Quezon City. Check http://melosteaks.com for reservation details and full menu.

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