Being a BB cream newbie, I had to learn how to best apply it to my cream. Sponges are out since too much of the product gets seeped in into the sponge. I tried using a foundation brush for application but I felt that I had to use a lot of the BB cream to get an even finish. At saka tamad akong maglinis ng brushes so dagdag sa ito sa wa-wash ko (Bad, I know. So wag tularan! Hahaha!). So fingers it is! 

I'm liking it so far. I had no breakouts, it doesn't really feel heavy on my face. My skin still tend to get oily by midday. I think it's what they might call a dewy finish but I guess I'm just not used to seeing shine on my face without associating it to oil :P I bought the regular sized tube and I'm still far from using already half of the products since I only need a pea-sized amount for cover my face and neck. Coverage is ok but I guess it's buildable if you want heavier coverage.  The pump container works great and it could control the amount of cream that I squirt out. I guess the only thing I would have liked better is its consistency, I find it a tad too thick for a smoother application. I wasn't using a primer though so I guess I have to road test the primer alternative that I recently bought to see any difference.

I'd still continue using my Etude House BB cream but I will also be trying out Missha's Perfect Cover BB cream. The Missha shade I want to try is lighter and closer to my skin tone. Let's just see how it fares when I have it on hand.

I will also be giving reviews on a couple more products that I've recently tried so I hope you stick around for my next posts :)

There were some glue clumps near my upper lashline and I'm not sure kung ganon ba talaga dapat. It didnt bother me much cos it added a bit of color to my eyes - think eyeliners. You have to be careful though when washing your face. Ako pa naman yung tipong nag-i-scrub ng maigi ng buong mukha so my face would feel "clean". So unless I want my few hundred bucks washing off, I avoided scrubbing near my new lashes and also rubbing my eyes often.

I'm not really sure how long in average do these extensions stay but mine was looking sparse by the third week. But I did have a major bawling session during those weeks and I had mine done in our neighborhood salon (kuripot!). It was first (and last, as of this writing) time to have eyelash extensions so I really couldn't say anything about the quality. I thought it won't be noticeable but some colleagues remarked on my "mapilantik" lashes. It didn't really fell heavy on my lids and I often forget I have them except when I would be poising to rub my eyes.

  
Would I try it again? For now, no. Though I loved the way my eyes looked when I had them, medyo nakakainis na when they started to fall off and manipis na siya. Not flattering to look at, I must say. When my extensions fell of, there was one stubborn strand that remained in the center (yes, center) of my right eyelid. Imagine that! So I had to snip off its long ends to align it with my natural lashes. Some also said that their natural eyelashes also came off with their extensions but that didn't happen to me thankfully.

 I am still frustrated with my eyelashes BUT I am now testing a method on growing out my eyelashes :) I've read this in a beauty forum (wala na akong kadala-dala) and even read about its effectiveness over the net. I'm still monitoring the progress and I can only say there's none (if any minimal progress) but its probably because I don't do it diligently. (Hay! Katamaran talaga!). I did, however, find a mascara that does it job of lengthening my lashes :) You'll read about it in my upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

I don't really make New Year resolutions. More often than not, I end up just making a list and try working out some of the items for the first quarter of the year. When the pile of work comes and my time split with taking care of G and M, resolutions slowly dissolve and then completely forgotten by the end of the year. But this year, I think a little change will do me good. I want to make a list of goals that I want to achieve this year. A lot of things happened last year and I want to take what I've learned in the past to hopefully further myself into being a better person.

So, here goes.

1)  I will minimize my shopping. Problem with reading and browing the net is sometimes, something will catch your fancy and you end up spending hours agonizing whether you should buy it or not. Buti sana kung makapagpigil pa ako nun no at hindi ako mag-impulse buying. I guess this will apply more on me buying items for myself especially clothing. Our living spaces is limited as it is so it will be better to keep clutter at a minimum.

2)  I will spend more money in... savings. Admittedly, there are times that I focus too much on enjoying the present that I forget that we should be thinking more of our future especially our daughter's. So I want to allot more for our savings. Hubby and I had a talk and I wholeheartedly agree that we should start working on making our future plans come true.

3) I will try to be more mellow. I'm who you could call one who has a short fuse. Well, not always. I could be impatient and be annoyed easily. You could tell that when I speak in a snappy tone. Hubby doesn't really like this trait of mine so I would try to be more... pasensiyosa :)

4) I will take better care of myself.  Having a child left me a softer figure. "Softer" meaning fats here and there na pwedeng gawing cushion kaya "soft". Hahaha. Since Georgie is still small, I'm having a bit of a hard time squeezing some exercise routine on my daily activities. So, I want to resort to a healthier diet. Good luck sakin!

5)  In relation to #1, I want a simpler beauty regimen. No, I don't have a multi-step skin caring ritual. But reading through beauty blogs had me checking out some make-ups that I want to try (damn beauty blogs and product reviews!). BUT I am more cautious now when buying cosmetics. Just last year, I had to give away most of my make-ups since I really don't use them much. It's either not a match for me (skin tone, I had reactions etc.) or I don't have time to slather on tons of products on my face especially when I'm running late for the office already. So when I tried a product and it works ok for me, I'd stick to it. (I just have to find the perfect peachy nude blush for me!).

6) Be more diligent in blogging. Enough said.

7) Be more in tune with God.

I better stop here or else I might write something down just because I forgot to do it for the past years. I want to list down goals that I want to attain. Realistic naman dapat, di ba? Sometime in the next year, I will be re-visiting this post and check if I had indeed met my goals. So with a little anxiety but a whole lot of resolve, I will aim to achieve my 2013 goals! Wish me luck? :)

   
Venue: AVR, Colegio de Sta. Ana, Taguig
Cost: NA
Rating: 5/5


One of the challenging parts sa pagplan ng party ni Georgie was to find the venue. I have a Word document of our prospective venues (from north to south of manila) that I had compiled from my web searches. Budget, flexibility and proximity were the major points that we had to consider. As early as April, we were scouting na for venues and you know what, some of them are booked na! We considered getting a party package na all-in na kasama na ang venue but  the major turn off was the ridiculous corkage fees sa mga extras that you want to bring in. We have visited some other party places that would fit our requirements but it didn't appeal much to hubby. (Sa totoo lang ha, mas maarte pa minsan tong asawa ko sakin.) The AVR in Taguig was actually our last resort because of its location. We felt na baka masyadong malayuan ang mga bisita sa venue and would not come at all. But hubby argued that guests (mostly friends and relatives) who really want to go would find ways to attend kesehodang sa Timbuktu pa yan. Plus, the director of the school is actually our ninong and Georgie's lolo/ninong meaning we could pretty much do anything with the place - walang corkage, walang makikialam, walang time limit. The room has a stage na, sound system and projector so we could easily play our AVP without having to rent out the equipments. The room was just enough to fit ten buffet tables, the food buffet, food carts - medyo snug but people could easily get around pa rin naman. Our ninong also had additional aircons put in para di mainitin ang guests. What more could we ask for? :)


Cake: Sheryberry Sweets
Cost: P4000 for 2 layer all edible Minnie Mouse cake, P500 for the 5" mini cakes (with acetate box, ribbon and tags), P500 delivery charge
Rating: 5/5

For Georgie's cake, I was very particular na maganda ang pagkakagawa ng design. In reality naman kasi (for me ha), pang-photo ops lang naman ang cake sa party at since di naman ako mahilig sa matatamis, mas nag-base ako sa magandang outcome visually and parang added bonus ko na lang yung taste. Shery was one of the suppliers that most of the members in my forums were raving about. I saw naman the photos of her cake creations and find them really pretty naman. So when I got the quote and saw that pasok naman siya sa budget, I booked her immediately. I had no problems transacting with Shery. We just exchanged messages thru FB, I also sent her my pegs for the cake na actually combination with details from two of her cakes (hahaha, maarte lang no?). There were times na di agad siya nagrereply sa mga messages ko but as the event drew near, she was frequently in touch with me naman. Akala ko nga magkakaproblem ako with the cake (she posted kasi a few months before that she won't be doing cake deliveries anymore) but she offered to deliver the cake na lang sa venue. Yey! And the outcome was very good. Nasunod naman yung mga gusto ko. The taste is ok naman (chocolate lang flavor nung cakes nya) and kita naman na when we cut the cake the day after na di siya dry. Will definitely reco her.


Caterer: Verleo
Cost: P300 for adult buffet (Customized menu comprising of Java Rice, Baked Beef Lasagna, Boneless chicken teriyaki, Crusted fish fillet with spinach cream sauce, Buttered vegetables, Buco pandan and Molo soup) and P160 for kiddie buffet (Spaghetti, Chicken lollipop, Hotdog with mallows, Choco cupcake with sprinkles)
Rating: 4.5/5

I initially wanted to get Passion Cooks as our caterer but the quotation they gave me was still a bit steep for someone who wanted to stick to her budget. It was our first time to try Verleo and I've read good feedbacks about them naman. Everyone loved our food. Even those na medyo maarte sa food ay nasarapan. Our estimated number of guests was only about 90 but we decided to book food for 100. We wanted to make sure that there is enough food for everyone and ayun nga, ang daming natira even though our guests are super full na. Kaya we were still able to share the food sa mga kapitbahay and friends who didn't make it to the party. They also provided the table and server for lechon for free :) 

Why not 5/5 ang rating? Kasi naman, yung unang AE na naka-assign sa amin nagresign na pala and no one bothered to get in touch with us to let us know kung sino ang kokontakin. It was only after several texts/email to our AE and still no reply that I decided to call their office. Dun lang nila sinabi na wala na yung AE.  Buti naman at yung nakausap ko e siya na naging AE namin. Ok naman siya kausap and mabilis umaksyon. We had a total change of the menu 2 days before the event. Initially, we had a merienda cena type ng menu but hubby argued that the guests would probably opt for a heavier meals given yung travel pa nila.  

The AVR was also located at the 4th floor (without elevator ha) and lugging all the tables and chairs was challenging but we never heard any complains from the staff. They were smiling and greeting us pa whenever we pass them.  

4.5 lang because the chairs came late. The staff were putting on the seatcovers pa when guests started arriving. And walang alternate ribbons which was supposedly included as per contract. Minute detail but still undelivered.  Will we still get Verleo? Yes. :)


Food Cart:  c/o Partyboosters (Sorbetero and Flavored Fries)
Cost: P4,200 (Sorbetero - 150 servings), P2,500 (Fries - 100 servings), P500 delivery charge
Rating: 4.5/5

I wanted to have a candy buffet for Georgie's party but Myke wasn't into it at all. I even hoarded plastic cups as containers for the candies in anticipation (and still in the hopes that hubby would buy the candy buffet idea) but sadly, di natuloy. What he wanted talaga was dirty ice cream AND he wanted one that tasted like the ice cream sold at Tienesitas. Di naman demanding no?  Anyway, I've read in N@W that Jacque recos her sorbetero so I booked that. I added the fries cos some of my friends usually want something salty when eating ice cream or anything sweet. The sorbetero was actually for 100 servings lang but we added 50 more servings so the guests, kids and adults alike could have second servings pa :)

I got to taste only the ice cream cos I was busy with the party na and it was really good. Very creamy unlike the other dirty ice cream na matigas and totally bland like you're eating colored ice lang. I guess the fries were also good since we ran out of it agad.

I gave a 4.5 rating because the fries came late. The party wasn't in full swing pa naman so it wasn't a biggie. The staff manning the sorbetero were just kids. So when they came, di nila kaya iakyat yung cart sa 4th floor. So it was hubby and some of the grounds maintenance who had to carry the cart upstairs. Ito lang naman ang nireklamo ni hubby kasi pinagpawisan siya sa pagbuhat nung cart, hehehe.


Venue Decor: Partyboosters
Cost: P15,000 (Full styro backdrop, Party is Here entrance standee, 150 ceiling balloons, 10 centerpieces, entrance arch)
Rating:  5/5

The challenge with having a bare venue is how to decorate it so it would be lively especially for a kiddie party. Although expensive, I really pushed for having a full backdrop for our party. I know that having a tarpaulin printed is a whole lot cheaper but I wanted to make my baby's first birthday really special. So I made do with the entrance pillar and simple hanging balloons to compromise. I figured that the backdrop would be enough naman to spruce up the stage plus the venue's ceiling is not really that high so I'm fine with some balloons lang.

Jen.. ay Jacque pala! Hahaha! Jacque is really nice to transact with kahit na may mga last minute na changes and bookings, she was a big help :)  I know there are cheaper alternatives out there but I fully trusted her (iba talaga ata pag N@Wie, hehehe) to deliver and she did :)  The decor was really nice, the room came alive talaga. And yung quality of the balloons is good nga. The kids were playing with the balloons and di siya agad nagbuburst. Yung mga balloon centerpices namin nawala na after the party. Malamang kung meron malapit lang ang bahay e baka pati yung entrance arch e inuwi. Hehehe.

Her staff is super aga sa venue. When we got there ng mga 11am (party is at 3pm pa), the backdrop and styro standees were setup na. The staff was was working on the centerpieces na lang. The guys were also nice to offer help when we were setting up the prizes and the AVP.

Sana sa next big party namin, may discount na pag binook uli namin sila.
   

Host: Chayno (booked thru Partyboosters)
Cost: P9,000 (balloon twisting, hosting, magic, game facilitator)
Rating:  5/5

Another important aspect for me was the host of the party. For me, the host could make or break the party. I was eyeing Wizzo at first pero I had to look for someone else to strech our budget. I read good feedbacks on Chayno but was not able to see any video of his performance pa. Good thing a friend of mine booked him also for her son's birthday which was before Georgie's party. I got to see him in action then. Admittedly, di masyadong na-"sold" si hubby sa kanya probably because may games na di masyado pumatok with the audience. So I let Jacque know about it, I asked her to tell Chayno na don't use the Name That Tune game cos the guests wasn't so enthused by it or he could just change the music line up na guests could relate more.

Come our party, Chayno was really good. Before the party started, I just introduced myself (we never communicated directly) and just let him take the reins on the program.  The kids loved the games so much so that one of the kids wanted to replicate the games for her party, hehehe. The adults were having a good time.  Di naging "sabog" yung party, if you know what I mean :) Whatever qualms we had before was forgotten. Two thumbs up!


Lechon: Details for follow (I misplaced the receipt)
Cost: Details for follow (I misplaced the receipt)
Rating: 5/5

The lechon was another of the last minute additions. The week of Georgie's party, hubby wanted to have lechon for the party (o di ba? Di naman talaga masyadong pasaway ang asawa ko no?). We love Elar's lechon but they do not deliver (probably because of the venue location) and their largest sized piggy is not available. Good thing we were able to order from the suki of our ninong. Sorry, I misplaced the receipt but I will update the details once I find it. Anyway, we didn't get any discount from them but they did gave us a larger sized (gigantic lechon ata to, haha) roast pig.  

It was yummy! And we have tons of left over pa! Very sulit.

Party Activities: Face Painter (booked thru Partyboosters)
Cost: P3,000
Rating:  5/5

This was one of the last minute bookings we have with Partyboosters. I didn't make any bookings for this during the early preps because I was conscious of our working budget. I had this as a "nice to have". But hubby was asking if we have some sort of activity for the guests while waiting for the party, I showed him the price list of Partyboosters. Our initial choice was booked already so we went with Jacque's reco.

It was a big hit. Kids and adults alike were lining up for the face painting. The artist was working non-stop so I think masyadong napagod ata siya. Hahaha.


Photographer / Videographer:  Shuttercount
Cost:  P10,500 (Emerald Package)
Rate:  5/5 for photo (Still waiting for video output - edited)

I've been reading good reviews about Shuttercount when I was researching on suppliers. I must admit though that they weren't the first I've contacted to ask for packages. When my first batch of prospective suppliers didn't pan out, I decided to give Shuttercount a try.  They were offering a promo then so I took the opportunity to avail that for Georgie's smash the cake. I thought that through the photo session we would know if Georgie has any camera fright and we'd also get to see Shuttercount's work without shelling out too much dough in case we didn't like them. The cake smash session was great and the photos show that Georgie doesn't shy away from a camera pointing at her. Benj was polite and very easy to deal with.

It was a good thing the none has booked their video services yet on the week of Georgie's party. (Apparently, they only accept 1 videography gig per week.) I wanted only their photo package but decided later that we might as well have the party video'ed. 

They got to the venue early and I basically just let them be. Bahala na sila to mingle and take shots of the whole party and I must say, they pretty much covered it all. From the details to the kids' expressions, we got it all on photo and the raw video. For now, I gave them a 5/5 rating based from the experience and the photo output. I'm waiting for the edited vid pa but I'd probably just make an addendum on this post :)


DIYs:  Me! :)
(Save the Date email, Invitation, Name Tag, Map, TY stickers/cards, Envelopes, Loot Bag Tags, AVP)
Cost: approx less than P1K

Because budget conscious ako at may pagka-OC, I decided to tackle some of the smaller details - mostly the printed ones.  I browsed the net for some ideas while the others, I decided to design on my own.  Materials were mostly board, photo and sticker papers bought from National. 

What was challenging was cutting all those round heads and circles! My friend, C, was kind enough to lend me her circular cutter but after hacking off most of the stickers and wasting some more papers, I gave up and went the manual route with good old plain scissors :P

Here is the AVP that I made for Georgie.

 
Prizes and loot Bag contents: Toy Kingdom, Quiapo and Divisoria
Cost: approx P15K

It was a good thing that the Toy Kingdom sale was two weeks before the party. Myke and I was happy to find some great Mickey and Minnie items there for the game prizes. For the best in costume, we got a pair of Mickey and Minnie dancing doll :) Other minor prizes we bought in Divisoria, we found these backpacks then just filled them with wallets, writing sets and towels. Then on one of my walking expeditions in Quiapo, I stumbled upon these Minnie head rings! I love them to bits! Very cute but classy, di masyadong childish. The color combination available was a bit limited so I added a few more that wasn't with the theme but still cute. Before the program ended, I spotted some were still left in the box but somehow, nag-disappearing act ang mga rings. Hehehe.

I mentioned na colorful cups with built-in straw that I bought initially for the candy buffet. Sayang naman if I would just store them (I bought 40 pcs. na kasi I was afraid na maubusan ako. Hahaha!) so I thought of using them as consolation prizes na lang. We bought several candies, stuffed them in candy bags then shoot them into the cups. I printed and cut out Thank You stickers for the cups so di naman siya masyadong off. I'm happy with the outcome.

  
Party Clothes/Costume: Tutu skirt (Shane Marga), Top (Landmark), Sandals (Fisher Price)
Cost: Skirt (P450 inc of shipping fee), Top (less than P200), Sandals (P400)
Rate: 5/5

I didn't want Georgie to be in a froufrou dress for her birthday nor did I want naman na too casual ang suot nya (oo na, maarte na akong nanay). Medyo nauso ang tutu dresses at the time pero ayaw ko rin naman na naka-tutu dress si Georgie so I opted to go for a tutu skirt na lang. I had it made in two tones (hot pink and black). The skirt came with a clip pero ayaw ni Georgie na ay nakalagay sa ulo nya so di namin nagamit.  Shane was easy to deal with, I just sent her the peg of the skirt I wanted

The top, I got from Landmark's bazaar lang but I like the shoulder detail kasi. It was comfy for the baby since cotton shirt lang siya but the ruffles made it a bit dressy. The gladiator shoes was bought way before the party pa. Di siya planado cos the sandals were an impulse buy.  Malaki pa for Georgie when I bought it but sakto na ang fit come her birthday :)

To sum it up, I love all my suppliers. Guests who had been at the party had been asking about them and giving me feedback na ang ganda ng party :) Di ako nangarag on the day of the party dahil sa pasaway (dahil walang pasaway, hehehe). Kids and adults alike had fun and it was a truly memorable experience. I'm sure that when Georgie is older and looking at the photos of her first birthday party, masasabi nyang "Ang ganda naman ng party ko." Lol :)

Tip who all moms who are planning their parties, do your research. There are a lot of party suppliers out there and reading reviews of  their actual clients would really help you cut down your list of prospects. I know that sometimes, expensive doesn't equate quality service or cheaper alternatives mean sablay na. There are risks pa rin and kahit smooth sailing kayo prior the event, may mga unforeseen circumstances talagang di maiiwasan. Learn to accept that. 

Also, compromise. Some of us have a shorter leash on the budget so we would have to let go on some details that we want. Haggle with the suppliers. If there are freebies, grab them. Kung may item na pwedeng di na kasama at pwedeng maibawas sa bill, go :) 

Trust your suppliers and let go. This is what I did. First time ko to plan a party on my own, hubby entrusted me to be the one to source the suppliers. So siyempre, I was anxious of the outcome. But I asked myself, "Anong magagawa ko kung may sumablay? Di ko lang ma-e-enjoy ang party ng baby ko kung magpapa-apekto ako." As I've said, some matters are out of our hands na at kung di na mareremedyuhan, then tackle the supplier issues after the party. Ako kasi ayokong nakabusangot ako sa pictures e. Lol. I just thought that if I'm not satisfied with their service, then I could provide them feedback. And it will be their loss if they don't get recommendations from previous clients, di ba? That's just my POV :)

I have shared photos from the party on this public album for you to browse through.

Enjoy party planning! Let me know if you have questions and I'll try my best to help you any way I can.

I guess it worked out cos I received a couple of compliments during the day (and these were from a couple of guys, take note) so I was happy with my wardrobe choice.

   
The theme for our Christmas party was KPop. I know that KPop artists are know for their bold wardrobe choices - bright colors, mixed patterns, statement accessories. But I wasn't at all comfy with going KPop all the way plus, I already decided to wear the jumpsuit that I have in closet. So I decided to build my outfit around that key piece and just take the some KPop details to integrate into it. And the result is a party outfit that uber comfy with and I'd say definitely still my style.

What did you wear for your party? :)