Maria's Travel OOTD: A Trip to Toronto

It was a picture perfect day in Toronto, especially at the distillery district.
The bricks matched what I wore so why not take an ootd picture right? :P

It was 8 degrees Celsius downtown so I wore a coat from forever 21 with a sweater from the thrift 
store. Don't you love the pattern of that sweater tho? I love it! :D

 I also wore my favourite winter leggings from American Apparel and  moccasins from Aldo


Look at those moccasins! It's turning gray from too much work.
Its 9 weeks old so if you want it to last forever, don't over use them!

The winter leggings definitely helped in keeping me warm.

Astrid's Shoe Game: Everyday Casual by Bigfoot

This is how I usually dress when I want to look decent at the least. Most days I wear shorts because it is infernally hot in the Philippines. I usually wear my sturdy Marikina sandals to go with my t-shirt and shorts look. There are a lot of people in school who dress to the nines but I live on campus so I don't see the point in dressing up. I do try to fix my hair though.

You can see from my choice of shoes that I have a common theme going on. I love slip-ons/loafers because they're so convenient. This is the kind of shoes you give to someone who's always running late. Neutral shoe colours also work well with different tops and bottoms.

Shoe review from L-R:

#1 I bought this greyish loafers at Trinoman, Landmark. They were being sold at around 545php and when I tried it on, it was soft and really comfy. It also had a few inches of heels, wearing flats tire my feet faster. Unfortunately they don't have bigger sizes so I'm praying this stretches just a tiny bit (Or maybe it's my toenails getting longer).

#2 I think my orange Keds is the softest and comfiest but it wears out easily. I only had it for four months and it's already showing signs of tear. I use it often but I've also used other shoe brands as much (i had a pair of fake *insert brand here*) and it lasted longer than these Keds!

#4 If the first one was a little tight, this is an inch bigger than my feet but it was too good to let go! Luckily there are socks and cushions one can use.

I hate shopping for shoes in the Philippines because it's so hard to find shoes my size. The shoe sizes here are inconsistent, I fluctuate between 9-11. That's so weird because I used to be consistently at size 9, even in Vancouver. I'm always looking for the next shoe shop that can cater to my needs, it is very frustrating to walk inside a store, find something you like and not have it in your size. . .every single time. Girls my shoe size, where you at? Share your top shoe stores!

New Beginning

The outfit below is associated with the concept of spring and it reminded me of what the Easter Bunny said in the movie The Rise of the Guardian "Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter is about hope.". 


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I am a student with very limited cash so I try and spend less than 50$ on an outfit

1. DIY Denim Jacket  I got the denim jacket at a thrift store for $10.

2. Black Turtleneck It is an essential! Sometimes, scarves just annoy me! Turtlenecks are the best in keeping you warm without having to wear a scarf. I got this at my moms closet :D

3. Pink Skirt I actually bought this skirt a year ago and I haven't had the chance to wear it until today. It was on a sales rack for $5.

Astrid's What's In My Bag #1

This is an old knapsack I found at a thrift shop in the Philippines. It cost around $4-$5 but it lasted two years of abuse. When I mean abuse, it means my little sister using it as a schoolbag filled with all her hardbound books and binder. It's such a steal for a classic look, and I got this even way before the knapsack and satchel trend! So what's in my bag?

From left to right, top-bottom:

1) Coin purse.
2) hand sanitizers care of my good friend Arvin (he loves hoarding this stuff).
3) journal I bought from a lady along Broadway (Vancouver). She has a lot of selections!
4) sharpies for doodling.
5) coloured pencils for doodling 02.
6) stickies for reminders (got them at Chapters for $2)
7) mints
8) "kikay kit" - a purse where one puts all the girly/make-up stuff
9) Looking for Alaska by John Green (borrowed from Arvin)

I think you will soon realize that I will often mention how fun it is to thrift for bags! There are so many out there waiting to be discovered, and I'm usually the one going in for the kill. What's really great about thrifting for bags is that they are almost, always unique!

Nail Review: Spa 101

Had my nails done today out of spontaneity. I usually plan ahead when I go to my trusted university salon, Vina’s, but recently I found myself not wanting to get anything done from them. It might be the ambience or the fact that they are usually full and I don't lik waiting or getting turned down. Sob.

My friend and I were walking along Maginhawa St, when I spotted Spa 101. I felt like I really needed to get my nails done so we tried it. My friend had a foot spa while I got a manicure and pedicure.

To cut to the chase, ambience aside, there was nothing special about it. Everything was just overpriced. Why?

#1 They use the same nail polish brand as my trusted old salon, and they charge 10x more

#2 Foot spa procedure was the same anywhere you went, just a few meters away you had a spa offering the same service with manicure and pedicure for 190 php while theirs cost P300.

#3 attendants were nice but I felt like the lady who did my nails at my trusted salon was more meticulous. The lady here was really fast and she didn’t ask how I wanted my nails, round, square, short? One has to be assertive in here.

#4 Space is small. Although the general ambience was nice, it was only the lighting really that made everything nicer. If you had your nails done in stark daylight, it would have been like any other small salons.

So what was the good thing about it?

#1 Nice attendants. The ladies were very nice, nothing forced, they were all just sincerely good natured and having someone “light” around you helps you feel less troubled. (I guess that’s one thing about my old salon. The one who did my nails always seemed to have something on her mind) and oh they even returned our takehome pizza!

#2 Color choices. They had lots of colorful choices ranging from neutral tones to funkier greens  and blues. My old salon didn’t have this electric blue color. This brand lasts pretty long too J

#3 Good music choice. 

I do feel like the rates were a little too steep. We spent more than what we ate for dinner which was two pastas and a pizza good for three.  But hey, this is what reviews are for. So now, I guess I’m on the prowl for other nail salons that offer  better services for a reasonable amount. Or maybe I should just go back to my trusted old salon and bring along an eyemask and my ipod. 

Recycling

Remember those studded belts? Well… when I was in high school, I kind of maybe possibly bought too many of those. That was four years ago. They have been accumulating webs until I decided to recycle it and join the ‘studded denim jacket’ hype.
If you also want to recycle, follow these easy steps to add edge to your wardrobe!

STEP 1: My sister and I took out all the studs from the belt. We used tweezers to take them out. 



STEP 2: We then pierced it into the denim jacket. Make sure you pierce them good. 

My fingers are still in pain but it was totally worth it; because I now have a new’ish’ jacket! 
Share YOUR recycling experience below!

-maria

Soap Review: Lush's Porridge Soap

My soap for the month of March is Lush's porridge soap. I didn't know Lush had branches in the Philippines until I stepped in one last December. The woman recommended their best-seller which was for skin lightening. But I saw this one and it smelled nice and sweet, the kind you want to eat. I guess I figured why I wanted to take a bite out of it when I found out the ingredients. It's made of organic orange juice, pinhead oatmeal, rapeseed and coconut oil.

Porridge Soap fresh out of its wrapper!

What I Love:

#1 The Scent. It's a faint, sweet smell, nothing overpowering. The con being, you also want that scent to stay all day, but it doesn't.

#2 Rich Lather. It has a very milky lather, and I love the feeling specially when I'm rinsing and I see all the cream going down the drain. Feels like I'm delicately clean.

#3 Exfoliate. I mainly bought it for its exfoliating quality, some would say it's too harsh on their faces but I don't find the oats rough on my skin at all.

#4 After-feeling. There is something about this soap that makes me feel calmer, and soothed after using it. It always makes me feel better.

This is how it looks after a few weeks of use.

Cons:

#1 Can Melt Fast. Don't leave it wet in the bathroom because the soap is quite soft, you can always ask the ladies to chop the soap into smaller chunks to avoid waste. Also, because the soap melts faster, the more the oats come out. Some people may not like this but for those who want to exfoliate their skin, it's a nice exfoliating bar.

#2 Oats Everywhere! I always have lots of oat flakes  around the bathroom walls after a shower!

Lush sells their soaps for a minimum weight of 100g. This one was around 225php per 100g.
I really love this soap from Lush. Other products I've tried are their Christmas special, the Snowfairy Angel body wash and Sandy Santa Body Scrub both of which I totally loved! I'll have to wait for Christmas to get a new set. So far all the Lush products I've tried are really great, and I hate to say it but I have to stay away from their store if I don't want to end up hoarding soaps.

-Astrid