Review: Steak-Off Grill

My husband and I have been planning to try out Steak-Off Grill since we always pass by their branch in Kalayaan Ave., Quezon City. What actually caught our attention whenever we pass there, is their affordable steak price at P149.00. And if you want to avail their Unlimited Rice promo, you just need to add P20.00. Sulit, right? 

So finally, we decided to dine in one Friday night. It was around 9:30 pm when we got there. Since it was already late, it was just me, my husband and 2 more hungry customers dining in. If i'm not mistaken, their place can accommodate more or less 70 persons including the tables outside. The place looks clean and new (well, they are still on their soft opening). The wooden tables were arranged with just enough space, so whenever they are on peak, the customers would still be comfortable and not siksikan. Orders and payments are made at the cashier.

We ordered 2 T-Bone Steaks, medium grilled. An order already includes rice and gravy but my husband upgraded his to unlimited rice. You may also add pepper corn or mashed potato with gravy as sidings.

Upon payment, they already gave us 2 sets of paper plates, plastic spoons, forks, knives and paper cups. All were disposable. I really don't have issues with disposable utensils until the steaks were served and I started slicing it. Since I was so hungry, I wanted to slice the steak into small pieces already so I can enjoy eating it continuously and will not be bitin. Hehe. The steak was not that thick, but slicing it was a struggle. Seriously! We asked if they have steak knives, they don't. I almost gave up but my husband requested the kuya who grilled our steaks to cut it using the big scissors. There, problem solved! J

The steak was good. It was juicy and flavorful. But the taste of pepper is kinda dominating. It reminded me of the Beef Pepper Rice I like ordering at the Pepper Lunch. And the gravy was a bit salty though.

• PRICE - 4/5 
• QUALITY - 3.8/5
• PLACE - 3.5/5
• STAFF - 3/5

• OVERALL EXPERIENCE - 3.8/5

Will I go back? Yes, hungry. And next time, I'll take photos of their place and steaks to share with you readers J

BDJ Box Global Glam: “Korean Beauty Secrets with The Face Shop” with Marge Apacible

Filipinos have been a fan of everything Korean since koreanovelas started airing in almost all of our TV stations. From their drama series to their music, fashion, cosmetics and now, to their skin care.

Let’s admit. Koreans seem to have a perfect skin. This is why the number of Korean cosmetics and beauty shops here in the Philippines are rapidly growing. The Korean wave is now actually becoming global. Most bellas worldwide want to look Korean or achieve the Korean look. From westernized make-up style or the typical ‘Hollywood look’, to Korean ‘natural look’ style.

What is the Korean style? Koreans simply want the baby-faced, all natural and helpless look. Yes, helpless. It is because they want to look ‘maamo’, probably to attract men. Interesting, huh? But aside from their make-up, Koreans invest more on skin care, especially on anti-ageing. They have as much as 14 steps on skin care. And as per Ms. Marge Apacible, Koreans start using anti-ageing products at the age of 7! I was surprised. They even have Mask Sheets with character designs for kids. No wonder their skins are just perfect. Had I known, I started doing my beauty rituals at the age of 7 as well. LOL.

A short video about The Face Shop’s White Seed basic skin care was presented during the talk. The White Seed line has 4 essentials:

• Real Whitening Toner
• Real Whitening Essence
• Real Whitening Lotion
• Pure Vitamin 10% Ampoule

One tip after applying each product is to gently press the areas of your face using your fingers. This is to let the skin absorb the product.

The highlight of the talk was the day and night look. And these are the steps to achieve those looks:

DAY LOOK:

1. Start with a concealer, preferably in liquid form, and apply on the under eye area. Koreans always start with concealers for easier blending with foundations.
2. Then apply foundation. They used the Oil Control Water Cushion. It is a ‘shine-free moisturizing cushion, controls sebum and leaves no sticky sensation’. It claims to be oil-controlling, sweat-proof, with UV protection, skin-cooling, matte finish and has a long-lasting hydration. I got to try this product at The Face Shop booth. And I loved it! It is a must-have for every bellas.

   

   image grabbed from https://instagram.com/thefaceshopph/

3. Next is to apply eyebrow mascara. The Korean style of brows is shorter and fuller because they believe that it makes them look younger. Instead of lining the brows, just apply the eyebrow mascara making tiny hair strands.
4. With the eye shadow, Koreans love to use red shades to look young and helpless.
5. To apply the blush, make 3 dots of the Lip and Cheek Stain on the cheeks and pat with the foundation cushion to blend for natural look.

   

   image grabbed from https://instagram.com/thefaceshopph/

   I just edited out the promo heading since it already ended ;)

6. Curl your lashes in all areas – roots, middle and tip.
7. Apply mascara from tip to base. And remember to keep your mouth closed! LOL. That’s why your mirror must be below the face, not just to prevent your mouth from opening but for easier and better application.
8. If you are applying falsies, always measure it first. The length should be the same as your lashes. Also remember that the glue must turn into light blue before attaching it onto your lashes. Use tweezers for easier application.
9. And for the lips, use nude shades on the outer area and the Ink Lipquid on the inner part. Koreans lip line is soft edged and fading.

   

   image grabbed from https://instagram.com/thefaceshopph/

10. And finally, finish off with powder. 

NIGHT LOOK:

Some steps are same with the day look.

1. Start with a concealer, preferably in liquid form, and apply on the under eye area. Koreans always start with concealers for easier blending with foundations.
2. Then apply foundation. They used the Oil Control Water Cushion. It is a ‘shine-free moisturizing cushion, controls sebum and leaves no sticky sensation’. It claims to be oil-controlling, sweat-proof, with UV protection, skin-cooling, matte finish and has a long-lasting hydration.
3. Next is to apply eyebrow mascara. The Korean style of brows is shorter and fuller, because they believe that it makes them look younger. Instead of lining the brows, just apply the eyebrow mascara making tiny hair strands.
4. And for the lips, use nude shades on the outer area and the Ink Lipquid on the inner part. Koreans lip line is soft edged and fading.
5. Before applying eyeliner, draw a guide using a black eye shadow. This way, you won’t have problems erasing and re-doing mistakes. And most importantly, draw the wing line with an open eye. For the waterline, use red eyeliner.
6. For countouring, apply dark foundation/bb cream (in cream or liquid form to look more natural) to the hollows of the cheek and darker on the inner part.
7. Apply blush over contour. Dot a few cream blush and blend it well.
8. And finally, finish off with powder. 

Ms. Marge Apacible during the Korean Beauty Secrets talk

Like what I’ve said, Koreans simply want the baby-faced, all natural and helpless look. LESS MAKE-UP IS MORE.

For questions and inquiries about The Face Shop products, you may contact them directly through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ThefaceshopPhilippines, Twitter (https://twitter.com/THEFACESHOP_PH) or Instagram (https://instagram.com/thefaceshopph).

I hope you learned a lot, like I did J

Another talk I attended during the BDJ Box Global Glam is the “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful with Covergirl” with Nikita Conwi. My experience, tips and tricks at the link.

XOXO,

Mommy J

BDJ Box Global Glam: “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful with Covergirl” with Nikita Conwi

I honestly enjoyed the “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful with Covergirl” talk with the pretty and bubbly, Ms. Nikita Conwi. It was really fun and very informative. She discussed about everything we need to know about lip make-up. Since our lips are the highlight of our make-up, it is a must to know the right shade to wear. Our lip shade must complement our face and skin. Who wants to be stared because your lips look odd on you rather than stunning anyway?

So I’m sharing with you the tips and tricks I learned from the talk J

Ms. Nikita Conwi during the Easy, Breezy, Beautiful talk

FULL LIPS vs. THIN LIPS

We either have thin or full lips. It’s not a bad thing though. But lucky you if you are a bella with full lips, because you can wear anything. Whether it is creamy, matte, glossy… whatever you feel like wearing! As for the bellas who have thin lips, don’t worry, because you can use light-colored creamy lipsticks plus lip gloss to make your lips look fuller.

CHAPPED LIPS

Now to deal with chapped lips… The best and the natural way to prevent chapped lips is to be hydrated with lots of water. Remember to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Aside from that, Shea Butter is also of big help. Good thing Covergirl lipsticks contain Shea Butter! Also, applying Shea Scrub at night, then leaving a lip balm overnight not just prevent chapped lips, it also smoothen your lips, making it luscious and even more kissable!

PERFECT SHADE

Take note that lipstick shades should be two tones lighter or darker than your skin tone. The darker your skin tone, the darker the lip shade you must use.

If you are a bella who feels ‘prettier in pink’ shades, the tip is to smile J Smile and check your lip shade and gums. The shade of your lipstick must somewhat have the same color or at least near with the color of your gums.

To make your teeth to look instantly whiter, use any lipstick with blue shade. These shades come from the plum family.

KNOW YOUR COLOR and BE COLORLICIOUS:

·         RED

1.       A classic red lipstick should not be too warm and too light

2.       You will know if a red shade is too light when it becomes bluish when you wear it

3.       You will know if it is too warm when it hints an orange tone

·         NUDE

1.       The perfect nude shade for you should not be the same shade as your skin

2.       Smudge a small amount of testers onto your hand and check it against your complexion

3.       The right shade is always one or two tones lighter or darker than your skin

LIPSTICKS FOR YOUR OCCASIONS:

·         SMOOTH NUDES

1.       Ordinary School Days

2.       Conservative Office

3.       Classic Date Night

4.       Casual Day

·         LUSCIOUS PINKS

1.       Lazy Days

2.       School Days

3.       Weekend Hangouts

4.       Family Lunch

·         YUMMY PLUMS

1.       Parties

2.       Night Outs

3.       Power Dressing

4.       Everyday Casual

·         RICH REDS

1.       Power Dressing

2.       Girly Hangouts

3.       Creative Office

4.       Jeans + Shirt Days

TRICKS:

Get that perfect red lipstick by first applying your red lipstick like you normally would, covering your entire lips. Then, dub a darker plum shade towards your pout area.

To make your lipstick last longer, you only need two things: tissue and powder. Place the tissue on top of your lips and dab a little amount of loose powder. That easy! J

I was kinda bitin with Ms. Nikita’s talk because I still want to learn more and even ask questions about lip shades and applying lipsticks. But since the only allotted time per talk is 45 minutes, she had to wrap things up quick. At the end of the talk, she gave away Covergirl lipsticks, pouches and lollipops to bellas who were able to answer her questions. How envious I am! L If only I was seated at the front, I will immediately run to the stage even if she hasn’t finished her question yet. LOL. So for bellas who will be attending BDJ talks in the future, secure your seats at the front if you want to win freebies and other exciting items *wink*.

And as for the bellas who have questions and inquiries about Covergirl lipsticks and their other products, you may contact them directly through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/COVERGIRLPH) or Instagram (https://instagram.com/covergirlph/).

I hope you learned a lot, like I did J

Another talk I attended during the BDJ Box Global Glam is the “Korean Beauty Secrets with The Face Shop” with Marge Apacible. My experience, tips and tricks here.

You may also want to read my BDJ Box Beauty Social: GlobalGlam Experience. 

XOXO,

Mommy J

BDJ Box Beauty Social: Global Glam Experience

Thank God for Belle De Jour and for their passion in helping out and inspiring bellas like me to become more confident and feel beautiful!

With the recent BDJ Box Beauty Social: Global Glam held on September 13, 2015 at Glorietta 2, bellas had the chance to attend beauty talks, get free items, free makeovers and up to 40% discounts from their beauty sponsors. The entrance is free for all but pre-registered bellas took home loot bags and some of them won exciting prizes.

Official Event Ad

Official Event Partners

My Passport

Beauty Talks

I was fortunate to be able to attend two of the seven beauty talks: “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful with Covergirl” and “Korean Beauty Secrets with The Face Shop”. Click the link to view the tips, tricks and my experience from the talks.  

To give you an idea on how glamorous the event was, here's their floor layout with more than 15 booths and a spacious venue for their beauty talks. 

Event Floor Layout

Also, a checklist of their booths and the perks bellas can avail.

CANON – Strike a glam pose and get a FREE photo souvenir

2^ND AVE – Get freebies as you enjoy mini activities at this booth

GRABTAXI – Book a FREE RIDE home at the GrabTaxi booth

FS COSMETICS – Get 30% off on all FS Cosmetics regular items

BIODERMA – Get 20 – 30% off on ALL Bioderma items

COVERGIRL – Get FREE makeover and discounts on Covergirl cosmetics

K-PALETTE & CURE – Get 10% off on Cure Aqua Gel

REVLON – FREE makeovers + discounts on Revlon items

GLOBE – Get your Globe Sim Card and other items at this booth

GSK – Learn about the risks of cervical cancer PLUS get freebies from GSK

BROWHAUS & STRIP – Get 10% off on selected items for BDJ card holders and 5% off for non card holders

MORISSON LOTIONS – Enjoy sampling and discounts from Morisson lotions

STATUS SALON – Get a FREE makeover

THE FACE SHOP – Get a FREE Korean eyebrow grooming + sales on their products

V10 – FREE skin analysis, great discounts and the chance to win a 1 year supply of V10 products

MAX FACTOR – Get 40% off on Max Factor items for this day

I wasn’t able to try everything though L  I arrived at the event at around 3pm. And since it was already late, some of the freebies/promos were already given away. So I promised myself that next time, I will make sure to be there early to enjoy all booths.

My favorite experience was the FREE makeover at THE FACE SHOP. After the long wait (because there’s always a long queue at their booth), I finally had my makeover at around 6:30 pm. The ate who attended to me was really nice and accommodating. Even if she’ve been standing there to assist and give free makeovers to bellas nonstop from 10am, still she did mine happily. Too bad I wasn’t able to get her name to commend her properly. Anyway, since I haven’t groomed my brows for a month now, she asked me if I wanted to get Korean groomed. That means making my brows shorter. But I preferred not, so she just put on some light eyebrow make-up. She also used some concealer to cover my eyebags and applied Oil Control Water Cushion all over my face. After which, she applied blush and lip tint using the Lip & Cheek Stain. My lips looked naturally ‘just bitten’. And did I mention the tint tastes sweet? I really like it! Over all, I loved my makeover. I looked fresh and felt prettier *wink*. That made me want to buy the Oil Control Water Cushion and Lip & Cheek Stain J

I also bought Covergirl truBLEND Pressed Powder. I have already tried this product before (thank you BDJ Box December 2014) and good thing it was offered at 30% off during the event. It’s perfect for my skin type because I have an oily face. My skin looked smooth whenever I use it and even lasts for 4 to 6 hrs.

I noticed some unlikable things though. Aside from the The Face Shop, the Status Salon also made a long line. Bellas come out of their booth with glamorous hairs. Of course I also want my makeover! So I fell in line and waited patiently. The flyer/passport says that bellas can get a FREE hair makeover at the Status Salon. So I was surprised to see that they actually charge P 50.00 for every makeover. They also had a 6 pm cutoff so I ended up not having my makeover since the last talk I attended was until 6:15 pm L

But all in all, I enjoyed the event! Congratulations to Belle de Jour for the successful and glamorous BDJ Box Beauty Social: Global Glam! I’m looking forward to more events and promos soon J

what's inside my loot bag ©

You want to be a bella like me? Visit and sign up at https://ilovebdj.com/ and enjoy different perks, freebies, glamorous and exclusive events, and more!

XOXO,

Mommy J

Feel the Power of Beauty with Olay

One of the perks of being a bella is FREE special gift packs! How cool is that huh? Recently, I have received an Olay beauty set which includes a 200ml Olay Deep Moisture Body Wash and an 8g Olay Total Effects Day Cream. I was really happy because the gift set was in full sizes and it was packed in a cute pouch which I can reuse for my beauty stuff :) 

Thank you so much BDJ and Olay for these exciting gifts! <3

Being so excited, I immediately used it on the same night I received it! I've been using it for a week now. And what can I say?

OLAY DEEP MOISTURE BODY WASH

What I Like:

• Scent: Sweet! I love that it makes me feel so calmed after a long and tiring day. I honestly can't stop smelling my skin after shower!
• Texture: Its texture is just the same with other body washes in the market but I have to say, the rich lather makes me enjoy scrubbing it all over my body. I always end up spending a longer time in the shower than the usual hehe. The good thing about this product is that, a little amount goes a long way. So I guess a whole bottle of 200ml would last for more than a month. Well, it depends on how many times you take a shower in a day since Olay body wash is so addicting!
• After Effects: Wow! Just wow! You'll instantly feel moisturized and nourished with just one wash! Before trying this product, I always use a whitening soap. And maybe because of the strong ingredients plus our present climate, my skin tends to get dry and a bit rough. Though I have body lotions to moisturize my skin, I have to admit that I am so lazy in applying them! LOL. It's also because of the sticky feeling when applying lotions, which I hate. But with Olay body wash, there's actually NO NEED FOR LOTIONS as it leaves my skin soft, smooth and moisturized. I swear! :) The product promises 24 hrs of moisturization for your body. True enough. 
• Price: A 200ml costs around Php 105.00. And based on its effects, I have to say that it's definitely worth it.

What I Least Like:

• Well, due to its rich texture when lathered, I find it hard to rinse it. And you must use it with a shower puff/loofah to be able to enjoy its rich lather. Without a puff/loofah, you'll end up using more amount of body wash.

Total Rating: 4.8/5

Will I use/buy Olay Deep Moisture Body Wash again? DEFINITELY! :)

For more info on this product, you may check their website or click here.

OLAY TOTAL EFFECTS DAY CREAM

What I Like: 

• Scent: It smells a bit like a powder, which I love. Some face products smell like medicine or treatment creams, but this one is pleasant-smelling.
• Texture: It is light and non-sticky. Which is a good thing for bellas who have an oily skin like mine. A pea-sized amount is already enough for my entire face, and is quickly absorbed by the skin. 
• After Effects: I've been using Olay Total Effects Day Cream for a week now. I haven't noticed much difference yet, but my skin felt smooth and moisturized. I use it as a base before applying my make-up since it already has SPF 15. And even though it's a day cream, I also like using it at night. (I will update this blog as soon as I've finished my tube)
• Price: An 8g costs around Php 159.00. Yes, it's a bit expensive for a small tube. But I think it would last for 2 to 3 weeks. 

What I Least Like:

• The price is quite not budget friendly. 

Total Rating: 4/5

Will I use/buy Olay Total Effects Day Cream again? Yes :)

For more info on this product, you may check their website or click here.

Have you tried Olay Deep Moisture Body Wash and Olay Total Effects Day Cream? Feel free to share your experience or ask questions about these products :)

XOXO,

Mommy J