Shiok and Greenhills

The first Shiok I tried was in Bonifacio Global City near my previous workplace. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they have recently opened in the San Juan neighborhood at Promenade in Greenhills. So one weekend, in between shopping and some supermarket errands, I was able to try out Shiok.

Great Finds for Organizing My Vanity Dresser

My vanity dresser plays an essential part in my life. My day will not start out right if I don't take time to sit down in front of the dresser and take time out to do makeup and put on my accessories. It doesn't matter if I do full-on makeup or just the basics. What matters is that I know I've set time for myself every day (no matter how little), doing something I find enjoyable. It's only then that I'm ready to take on the day and the demands of the world (in fab clothes too of course!).

My vanity dresser has been in the family since forever. It belonged to my aunt then it was used by my cousins and I when we were growing up together in our common room and now it's with me. The wood is real hard wood, not the low quality kind one gets in the department stores these days. It had its share of being battered through the years and has achieved a certain shabby chic quality, which I find charming. However, the mess of my vanity dresser is not charming at all. Before organizing my vanity, I am ashamed to admit that this was how it looked:

And this was my makeup drawer (more shame!):

It got to a point where I couldn't take the mess anymore and I knew I had to have a permanent solution to the mess. So, I went shopping and came across super great finds that helped me organize. And the end result was this:

Aside from the dividers and useful containers, the most important principle that I followed was that everything must be in its place. I took out everything that didn't or shouldn't belong in the dresser such as toiletries, gadgets, and paper knickknacks. Also, I wanted a certain cohesion to the containers---I wanted clear boxes or containers for my stuff but I found the acrylic/ Lucite containers in Make Room and Howard's Storage World too expensive. On the other hand, I didn't want the usual plastic storage boxes in department stores since they look cheap.

On top of the containers that I already have, it was really cool that I found almost everything in Robinson's Galleria Mall. First off, I went to Saizen, the P85 Japanese store, which I will now declare as my new favorite store. :) I found so many great stuff there, including clear plastic boxes of different sizes for my accessories and makeup.

I bought all dividers for my makeup drawer over at Saizen. This 4-part divider holds primers and foundations, eyeliners and eyebrow stuff, Body Shop shimmer waves and bronzers, and some pots of eyeshadow.

Then another divider holds all my lip colors, which I sorted according to reds, nudes, pinks and glosses. The next time I buy lipstick, I have to throw away an old one or else it won't fit. That's one more perk of organizing, you buy new stuff only when there's space for them. Or else, you make one :)

The other dividers in my drawer contain my mineral makeup, blushes, and other bronzers, and the other divider is for all my other eye colors. The rest of the drawer contains loose powder, sponges, makeup palettes and travel-size makeup.

Then on top of my vanity, I placed my frequently used makeup, or those which I more or less use daily. I found this accessory stand in Japan Home Center (P88), which was exactly what I was looking for.

This clear stand was a Saizen find (P85), which is perfect for holding all my makeup brushes and tools.

And this holder was also from Saizen (P85), to hold my hair brushes and combs:

Now, on to accessories. I looove these clear boxes (P85 each) from Saizen, which holds my large earrings, rings, watches, and bracelets. They look so much like expensive acrylic containers but at a fraction of the price! :)

And another great find were these lovely large clear boxes from Robinson's Department Store, which now holds my bangles and necklaces used in heavy rotation. Originally priced at P299.75 each, I got each of them at half off for P149.88 only! :) Now I hope I'll be able to beat the tendency to forget the stuff that I have since I can see most of them already :)

I also bought these mirrors at Robinson's Department Store. I took one apart from its original frame and used it as the base for the vanity, while the other one remained in its original frame but was also used as a base, making the dresser easier to clean :)

I also made use of my existing stuff. This accessories organizer was a Christmas gift from my friend Aissa and now holds my bangles (wrapped in resealable bags to prevent corrosion) and some of my sunglasses.

This pink plastic container holds my earrings, which I have yet to sort though. :)

Then I had a coffee, sugar, tea container set made of glass lying around the house but didn't use them for that since the containers weren't airtight. I repurposed them for my dresser and now they hold my ponytail bands, small perfumes and rocks and shells collected from travels. Since the containers are not airtight, they're so easy to open :) Another clear plastic box holds clips and hair pins.

I also had this plate (I can no longer remember if got in SM or in Landmark but it was super cheap) and it was only now that I was organizing that I discovered that it's from the Chris Madden for JCPenney home decor collection. I repurposed it to hold my perfume and cologne.

And finally, this sauce plate which I bought months ago in SM Homeworld holds my watch, jewelry, and red nail polish although the red polish are there more for decorative effect :)

The joy I feel every morning sitting by my vanity dresser to get ready for work or before going out at night will surely be multiplied by seeing all my stuff so organized. I hope I inspired you to do some home organization of your own, even just starting out with something so superfluous as yes, one's vanity dresser. But I figured, if a girl can organize her vanity dresser and what more, keep it organized, then that's a real accomplishment. Here's hoping mine will still look as organized as this weeks and weeks after. Cheers! :)

Lookbook: Thrifted at a Cozy Lunch

One of the things I like to do when I have the time is to go thrifting or vintage hunting or in the local parlance, ukay ukay. Yes, I can do high and low and mix and match and whenever I go thrifting, usually I'd get the high/designer/high street items at very very low prices. Such as this white dress from BCBG Max Azria at Php200 (about US$2). A few months ago I found a similar dress on Ebay Philippines at around Php4,000(nearly US$100), and that's still at a deep discount from its original price. So at Php200---how can that be anything but perfect?

Even at size XS, it has the perfect length and thankfully, with a stretch bodice that can accommodate my, er, unflat torso :) When I saw it in the vintage store, I almost yelped in delight and almost couldn't hide my surprised delight when they told me how much it was. Aside from having the patience to sift through the clothes, one must also take care not to show one's excitement when one finds treasures.

Since it was raining that day, I paired the dress with a printed coat, which was another vintage find which I scored for a measly Php50 (less than US$1).

Thrifted BCBG Max Azria dress
Thrifted printed coat
Vintage style boxy bag bought at Greenhills bazaar
Charles & Keith belt
Forever 21 chandelier earrings
Juicy Couture chain bracelet
Pink pointed flats from bazaar

Taken at Zucchini's

As to where I actually bought my vintage finds, well, a girl has to keep the name of her good thrift stores a secret, along with the name of her Secret Mall, don't you think? :) That's all I can say for now. Just watch out for my project involving vintage finds, hopefully soon enough. Cheers! :)

Zucchini's

One Saturday, I had lunch in Zucchini's, an elegant fine dining restaurant located along a quiet area of Scout Tuason in Quezon City. We scored a deal for Zucchini's Certified Angus Beef rib eye steak over at Deal Grocer, with the voucher costing only P1,875 for a 550 gram rib eye steak.

Reader Request: More Happy Lemon Please!

 

The Happy Lemon branch in Promenade, Greenhills is still very much all the rage. Post-dinner Saturday night, it was packed and the line snaked all the way outside. People here love their Happy Lemon!

Domestic Goddess: Lemon Sugar Scrub

This Sunday afternoon, inspired by Ashley of Turquoise & Teale, I decided to make my own homemade lemon sugar scrub.

Based on this recipe, all I needed were the following:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon zest (grated)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

For each batch of 1 cup of sugar, I used up 1 piece of medium lemon (I got 4 lemons in SM Supermarket for around P60). I also used extra virgin olive oil since that was only what I found in the house---I don't know if that has any effect on the quality of the scrub but I suggest using regular olive oil since that's cheaper :)

Inspiration

"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."
-Ida Scott Taylor
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Serenitea in North Greenhills

I must say that out of all the tea shops that have cropped up recently, Serenitea remains one of my go-to favorites. I guess it's because it was really the first tea shop where I've come to like tea and milk tea drinks. My Serenitea branch is the one along J. Abad Santos in San Juan because it's the one nearest my house. But the space is so cramped and can get super crowded, especially on weekends.

So, it was so nice to learn that Serenitea has a new branch also in the San Juan area---right inside North Greenhills.  While it's not airconditioned, the plus with this branch is that it's much much bigger and with more seats than the one on J. Abad Santos! And don't worry, there are air coolers and misters all over the place.

I had my usual these days---large Hazelnut Tea Latte with Splenda (P110). I really appreciate that they provide Splenda with their drinks, at P5 per sachet.   My friends had classic Hokkaido Milk Tea.

And I like the fact that it's located right next to the tennis court, which gives the whole place a more charming atmosphere, as if you're in a school cafeteria. A cool cup of Serenitea milk tea, a lazy afternoon, and easy company. It was a perfect end to the weekend :)

You can park your cars outside North Greenhills then walk to Serenitea North Greenhills from the gate. Enjoy! :)