Lace and Denim (and Ramen and Ice Cream!)

Won't you look at that semi-rhyming title (denim and cream, y/n?)! This has been long quite due, actually. But anyway, here's how my family spent Independence Day around two weeks ago.

June 12, 2014 marked the Philippines' 116th Independence Day. As per usual, it was declared a national holiday. Every Filipino has a different way of celebrating the occasion (if ever they do in the first place). Some-- mostly the youth-- took to social media by tweeting about Philippine history in a different light under the #RP612fic tag. (I have to admit, I enjoyed the stuff there!) Most people, however, took the liberty to leave their homes and spend time in the malls, myself and my family included.

We usually refrain from going to the mall on a holiday, due to the throngs of people that fill them up. However, we have kind of missed going to Bonifacio Global City so we took the chance to go there. We're more of the Makati crowd which is actually not that far from BGC, but yeah. Of course, much to my delight, I drove our car! I think my driving skills are improving. (But if you ask my dad, he might have the opposite idea, oops.)

Our plan really was to go to SM Aura, since we haven't been there since they first opened. Back then, the a-already-operating stores were still so few. So we thought it would be nice to check it out again.

But of course, I couldn't pass up the chance of having a nice place to take outfit photos in, so we decided to stop over at High Street first to take some snaps. (The place reminds me so much of America, particularly the premium outlets haha!)

It felt like a warm summer day, so I snagged that as an opportunity to wear my denim shortalls. Crop-tops and dungarees go together like peanut butter and jelly (what kind of an analogy was that???), and if I were daring enough, I would have gone with that alone. However, I wasn't, so I wore a lace top over haha! The delicate feel of lace just contrasts perfectly with the toughness of denim, don't you think? :)

(Yes-- it's a GIF!)

(click photo to view on Instagram)

Lace top & shortalls: H&M || Crop top (worn underneath): Bershka

Sandals: Birkenstock || Bag: from Korea || Watch: Casio

Bracelet: Yabang Pinoy || Lipstick: Maybelline (Coral Crush shade)

Won't you look at that perfectly-messy bun!! I suddenly felt like doing something fun with my hair, so I decided to roll it into a donut bun. I did it with no sock or anything! Just pure pins and ponytails. *feeling smug*

If you guys noticed, 3 of the items I was wearing (shortalls, sandals, bag) were from my Seoul haul! Hihi. But in the spirit of the Philippine independence, I wore my Yabang Pinoy bracelet. It is made of braided abaca, a material that is abundant in the country, and is known for its resiliency. Honestly, I love how it means something yet looks beautiful at the same time.

Bonifacio High Street

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

These photos have been post-processed. But putting that aside, you can notice how the outfit shots looked sunny yet the landscape ones have turned gloomy. The weather decided to be moody on that day, apparently, so it began acting up a few minutes after I took these photos! The wind blew so hard and the rain poured with as much intensity. It's nice how the security of Boni High treated the Philippine flag with the respect it deserves by sheltering it from the rain.

And so we finally headed to SM Aura. As expected, there were lots of people milling around. Restaurants were full too! I was on a hunt for a potential 'best ramen in town' though, so we endured queuing for this one:

(click photo to view similar post on Instagram)

Universal Noodle Ramen Nagi

SM Aura Premier

The waiting time was around 45 minutes (may not be that much, but for hungry people, it just may be), so I thought, 'this better be worth it'. Indeed, it was! My parents already tried it (yeah, they ate here without me and it broke my heart loljk), and they had so much praise for it, but I had to try it for myself. After all, I'm doing micro-reviews on ramen joints (check out #RamenRavesByErika on Instagram!)

I got the Butao King, their bestseller. But that doesn't end there! You get to control how you want your ramen to be! Cool, right? You can choose the intensity of the flavor, the spice level, firmness of the noodles, the pork part that will go in it, and other stuff! I took a photo (see above) of my choices in case you haven't seen! Of course, the extra order of tamago ("egg" in Japanese) is a constant for me hehe.

Given that we can all come up with different combinations (or permutations? lol), I can't really give a detailed review aside from saying that Ramen Nagi is a MUST-TRY. I'd love to go back again and maybe try their Green King (pesto and cheese) or Red King (spicy) next time! (They say the Black King is really good, too, but I don't eat squid to that's out of the question haha.)

After a fulfilling lunch, it was then time for dessert! We made sure to leave some room in our stomachs because that was actually the main point of us going all the way to Aura. What am I talking about, you ask? Why, Magnum Café of course!

(click photo to view on Instagram)

Magnum Manila

SM Aura Premier

I've always been a fan of Magnum ever since it hit the country. So when I heard about the Magnum Cafe finally coming to the Philippines, I was so excited! I think the concept of getting to make your own ice cream is totally rad.

For P100, you get to choose the ice cream inside, the coating, the drizzle, and three (3) toppings! You can choose from usual toppings like almonds and marshmallows to the unconventional ones like quezo de bola and chili flakes. They also have suggestions for combinations, in case you're having a hard time choosing what you want. But for myself, I got chocolate ice cream coated in dark chocolate; topped with gold nuggets, freeze-dried strawberries, and honeycomb, and; drizzled with gold chocolate. My very-own Magnum came out to be colorful. It also tasted great! I love how the sourness of the strawberries clashed with the sweetness of the honeycomb (and also the light bitterness of the dark chocolate shell). I also enjoyed the crunchiness of the toppings.

Magnum Cafe also offers wonderful dessert creations, but we'll have to try that some other time. Some other cheat day, perhaps?

Wow, I never talk about just one thing on any of my posts, don't I? Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I'd love to hear from you guys-- whether you've tried these places, want to try, or whatever. :) Also, kindly follow me on GFC, Instagram, and/or Bloglovin! And let me know so I can return the favor, (I'm also planning to make a Facebook page for my blog soon-- once I've reached a hundred followers here or 300 on Instagram, maybe?) Thanks! :)

x Erika Rosales

Seoul Haul

Annyeong haseyo! (Did I get that right? I hope I did!) How've you guys been?? Well, I just went back to school last week. It's overwhelming to be swamped with information and work right on the first day, but that's life for me. Normally, the first few days would still be chill, but that's not in my case (which is why I barely managed to sneak in this post) In line with that, I would like to say that I might be posting less frequently from now on. But I'm definitely not ditching this blog! I'm totally sticking with this one now (not like my previous failed attempts). Wish me luck though haha!

Anyway, I'll be telling you guys about the stuff I got while I was in Seoul! I've definitely looked forward to writing this post because (1) the title rhymes, and (2) I'm just really happy with my purchases. I've separated them in categories for this entry. Aside from pictures, you'll also find where I got them and for how much!

Feel free to read my photodiary (in two parts, part 1 & part 2) to get better ideas on where I got these things exactly!

Note: 1 Korean Won (W) = approximately .0001 US Dollars or .05 Philippine Pesos

*Purposely filled my nails with paint using Photoshop bc terrible manicure*

CLOTHING

Embossed top (H&M Noon Square) - W25,000
(Noon Square is a mall in Myeongdong, across Lotte Young Plaza!)

 Denim shortalls (H&M Noon Square) - W39,000

(Shortalls, dungaree shorts, whatever you call them-- I'm so glad I finally got myself one!!)

Striped sweater dress (WHO.A.U Myeongdong) - W19,900

If you go to WHO.A.U in Myeongdong, do check out the 4th floor! You'll find the "Orange Outlet" there, where all the marked-down items are!

Printed dress (Edae) - W10,000

(In case you've forgotten, Edae is the area of Ewha Women's University)

 

Fluted skirt (Edae) - W5,000

I've had my eyes set for a white skirt/skort ever since! So glad I found this one (especially for a cheap price). Some stores sold this in other colors, and some also sold it at a more expensive price (like W25,000). It really was just a matter of finding the perfect piece at the perfect place!

Trench coat (Edae) - W30,000

This outerwear is definitely all the hype in Korea! It was originally selling at W39,000, but my mom managed to pull the price down! It's made of a light material which makes it still quite appropriate to be worn here in the Philippines. Also, it's material is water-resistant; talk about fashion and function! (You can see me trying it on for fun here)

BAGS

Crossbody bag (Edae) - W10,000

A white bag, finally! I'm a sucker for satchels and other long-strap bags. Bought this at a bag store that sells everything for W10,000! There are a lot of them in the area, so you won't have a problem finding one.

Schoolbag (Edae) - W10,000

Square-shaped backpacks are definitely trending in Korea. I'm now using this in school! It's very spacey, so it can fit all my books. Unfortunately, it doesn't have pockets inside its main compartment. But it's cool nonetheless! Got this too from the same store as the other bag.

SHOES

Birkenstock Rio sandals (Sperry Top-Sider Myeongdong) - W85,000

Birks aren't just popular in Korea, but also all over the world! It seems to have made its comeback in the fashion world. It's so in that it was hard for me to find the perfectly-sized pair! The other stores I went to were more or less out-of-stock.

By the way, some stores in Korea offer tax refund for tourists! Sperry is one of them. Just keep your eyes peeled for signs. We got W5,000 back when we presented our receipt at the airport! So these Birks come off now as W80,000, technically. Isn't that great?!

New Balance 501 (Lotte Department Store Jamsil) - W89,000

You guys have no idea how I've been dying to have red sneakers!! Rubber shoes are definitely the predominant footwear of choice of Koreans. You'd often see them walking in NBs, Nikes or this other brand with a curly W-like logo (forgot the brand-- Prospect, I think?). This applies to men and women of all ages, no kidding! I've also wanted to own a pair of New Balance shoes ever since the sneaker trend kicked in. So you can just imagine how happy I was to find this pair! Haven't seen anything similar in any other store. (It has hot pink details too, btw!)

MAKEUP

Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Cinema City/CC Concealer (Too Cool for School Myeongdong) - W25,000

Of course I wasn't going to leave Seoul without hoarding makeup!! I first heard of TCFS when they came to the Philippines; I was amazed with their products because they all came off as witty and artsy and all that. But I figured their products would be cheaper in Korea, so I waited until we finally got there.

I've been using BB (Blemish Balm) cream on my face, but I'm running out on my stock soon Therefore, I decided to buy from TCFS! I ended up getting CC (Color Correction) cream instead though. I figured CC cream would suit me better. This is because my face tends to get oily and dewy (although the shiny face is a makeup trend as of the moment) throughout the day. Also, my BB cream doesn't exactly cover up my blemishes, unless I pile on unnatural layers.

So this is why this Dinoplatz CC is perfect! It's a 2-in-1 wonder. Aside from its liquid CC cream, it also comes with a concealer stick! The concealer can double as a contourer, too. And why, it comes in a very cute box too!

Etude House Drawing eyebrow in shade 03

& Drawing Show brush liner (Etude House Itaewon)

My eyebrows (or the slight lack thereof) are terrible, like I said before. I've been using Etude House for my eyebrows (their Easy Brow pencil), but now I decided to try their chisel-tip one. As for the eyeliner, I always like using the brush-type for my upper eyelid.

3 Concept Eyes Powdery Lip & Cheek in Tibet Orange (Style Nanda Lotte Young Plaza Myeongdong) - W16,000

This one's at a tie with my TCFS CC cream as "favorite makeup purchase". Been wanting to own something from 3CE! I've been partial to cream blushes over powder and tint, really. That being said, I knew I had to get their Powdery Lip & Cheek, in orange! Can't wait to use it hihi.

FOOD

Oreo wafers (Lotte Mart Cheongyangni)

Yup, totally got this one. One thing about me is: it's actually my self-imposed life mission to try every variant of Oreo existing!

Market O Real Brownies (Lotte Mart Cheongyangni)

Saw this in pretty much every convenience store, so I was curious. Inside is 1 individually-wrapped brownie bars. I've tried it, and it's just okay.

MISCELLANEOUS

7 pairs of socks (Namdaemun market) - W10,000

Swooning over these!! You guys should've seen me all starry-eyed over all the designs. I made sure to choose those that had unique/pretty "hem" designs because after all, they're the ones that'll be peeking out of my shoes. 7 for 10,000 (W1,500 each, but on a bundle promo) seemed like a good deal to me at that time, but when I went to Edae, they were selling at W1,000 per pair aww!

Snowglobe (Insadong)
I collect mini snowglobes from different places I've been too :) (Sungnyemun is Namdaemun, by the way! *I Googled it hehe*)

BONUS - Freebies!!!!!!111!
So the lovely people from Too Cool for School and Etude House sneaked these goodies in the bags! Honestly, I don't know what at least half of them do lol. But that baby CC cream aaaa!!

So those were the stuff I brought home from Seoul! I definitely had fun shopping, if you can't tell. To be honest, the prices are quite high. It also doesn't help that the amounts are tailed by many 0s. But hey, it's not every time that I get to go there, so (like they say) yolo! I shall abstain from unnecessary spending for a few months (or at least try to, lol).

Thanks for reading this post!! Feel free to leave a comment below; I'm quite busy with school as of the moment, but I'll make sure to respond as soon as I can! xx

x Erika Rosales

PS: I went to Lee's 125th Anniversary Fashion Show at Philippine Fashion Week! That's one post that I'll be putting up soon, so do watch out!