By Jillian Hee

The intense summer heat makes my face oilier than ever. Sun exposure, even for several minutes, easily made me look haggard and exhausted. The strong sunlight effortlessly overpowered my ordinary face powder, and thus made my face sparkling with oil. And because of this, I need a powder that can somehow reduce the oil on my face. Maybelline Clear Smooth promised to give a longer-lasting cover up so I decided to give it a try.

The Maybelline Clear Smooth All-in-One case comes in rectangular pink compact. Compared to the Maybelline Clear Extra Smooth foundation, the Maybelline Clear Smooth has a wider mirror and a separate place for the sponge applicator. It is also lightweight and perfectly fits inside a small bag or purse. However, it is much smaller compared to the foundation that comes in round shape.

What I love about this powder foundation is its nice smell and smooth texture. When I spread it on my face, it lightened my skin and covered some of my blemishes and imperfection. It removes oil on my T-zone. And as compared to other powder foundation I’ve tried, it lasted longer than I expected. More so, it has SPF 25 which is much higher compared to other brands. It’s best to wear during mornings since it has a higher UV rays protection. It is recommended for those who have oily skin and for those who wanted a quick fix on ordinary days.  

Another thing that made me purchase this product is its affordable price. It costs only Php 249 for the whole compact and Php 149 for the refill. It is much cheaper as compared to other branded powder foundation. Also, it doesn’t easily get consumed because you don’t need numerous application.

The only setback of this product is its small sponge - it’s too small for my hands. Aside from that, this powder foundation is good. All in all, I was satisfied with this powder foundation. I will definitely purchase it again next time.

By YARobles

The last time I went to Yellow Cab was unpleasant. Their customer service was poor and their pizza was the only thing that saved the day. Since that incident, I have been sceptical about returning to their branch in Imus. However, I am still hoping for a better service from them in the future.


Reply From Yellow Cab

A month after I posted this blog about my experience in Yellow Cab Pizza Imus, we have received a response from one of their customer service representatives apologizing for the incident.


My Reaction

I was happy with what this representative did on behalf of Yellow Cab. I find that their actions were honorable and that their effort to find this blog was outstanding. I felt that they are sincere enough to reach out in order to give their best in providing quality service for their customers.


New Experience

We decided to try again when we ordered online for their latest flavor, the Lana’i BBQ Chicken Pizza from the People Support branch in Makati. Delivery time was quick. The hickory-smoked barbecue sauce perfectly matched its cheese. Our tummies were fully satisfied with the overwhelming chicken barbecue strips, red onions, and pineapple bits. Yellow Cab is great in creating a new pizza that everybody will enjoy. You will surely enjoy it too.

Guest Post by the Ticket Freak:
Metro Manila-based loner who movie crawls every week

This week's Movie: The Avengers (2012)

I've so far fell asleep during 3 high-adventure movies: Transformers 1, Transformers 2, and Wrath of The Titans. There was something about robots and gods fighting and lacking integrity in the process that did not appeal to me. Dozing off to sleep was the next best thing to keeping my eyes open.

I was scared that the same experience would happen to me watching The Avengers (2012). Interestingly, I did not need any food to keep me awake. I did not notice how the air conditioning inside the cinema was weak. I was just enthralled by the  movie. I loved how the director managed to keep my interest during fight scenes. The characters' personalities blend well with their fighting skills. I honestly rooted for them during most of the battle scenes.

I remember watching Thor (2011) and it effectively engaged me as a viewer... anticipating the next scene one after the other. The first installment of Iron Man and the most recent Hulk movie also had that effect on me. It was reasonable that The Avengers was something that I'd love so much as a movie ticket spender.

By Jillian Hee

I am not an avid fan of Pond’s beauty products because they never worked on me. I’ve tried some of their products before and some of them failed my expectations. However, one commercial of Pond’s made me eager to try the Clear Balance Facial Washes. These new facial washes are said to be effective so I can’t wait to try them and, hopefully, experience positive results.

These new Pond’s line of facial washes were made to address the four biggest problems of teenagers: pimples, oily skin, big pores, oily skin and blackheads. All of these variants have different types of mineral which is said to be the biggest absorber of oil.

Pond’s Clear Balance Smooth Pores Facial Wash. I tried this product for about two weeks. Compared to the old Pond’s facial wash, this variant smells so nice. It was also a bit sticky because of the glacial clay. What I loved about this product was its cool effect after washing. It also left my skin clean and refreshed. However, I’m not that sure if it really minimized my pores.

Pond’s Clear Balance Clear Solution Facial Scrub. This product is made with the power of herbal clay to remove 99% of pimple-causing bacteria. I used this product for about three weeks and I am not that satisfied with the results. Although it did not cause any breakouts or pimples, it didn’t entirely remove or heal my pimples.

Pond’s Clear Balance Oil Control Facial Foam. Among these four variants, this one is my favorite. I’ve been using it for over a month and it somehow meets my expectations. What I like most about this facial foam is that it effectively removes oil on my forehead and T-zone, and leaves a revitalizing feeling after washing. However, if you have a combination of oily and dry skin, it is always advisable to use a moisturizer after washing.

I haven’t tried the Pond’s No Blackheads Facial Scrub because I have no blackheads. My sister said it slowly removed her blackheads even just a week of using it.

These new Pond’s Facial Washes are way better than the older variants. Perhaps, it was the clay that made these products somehow satisfying and effective.

I love Nivea Body’s tagline for Double Effect. It says, “Shave Less and Stay Smoother for Longer” but this doesn’t catch my attention. I am not a frequent user of deodorant, so I don’t really appreciate any such thing.

However, my mom bought me this Nivea Double Effect and that was the first time I ever used a deodorant. I love that its color is lavender and it smells fresh. So now I have a reason to use it and when I started using it, it became my best buddy.

Its 48-hour effect lasts for real - no sweat. Also, its smell stays longer than its effect. I shave less often and it makes my underarm really smooth. It easily dries up so I feel more comfortable after applying it and all throughout the day. I am glad as well that it doesn’t darken my underarm.

Now, I realized that their tagline says it all. “Shave Less” - true, “Stay Smoother for Longer” - more than enough. However, this product is not recommended if you need a deodorant for excessive underarm sweating. It also cannot be used to whiten your underarm for it is not purposely for whitening.

By: Trish Zamora
My sister knows me too well: she knows that the only reason why I would accompany her to U.P. to get her diploma is if food was involved. And she promised me Italian food in a quaint little restaurant a ways off the main campus if I go with her in the middle of the day.

With one hand carrying her diploma and the other holding the door open for me, my sister introduced me to a favorite restaurant among U.P. students: Friuli Trattoria.

The Area

When she said "quaint", she meant quaint. The restaurant -- sorry -- trattoria is cozy but inviting. The inside was small, consisting of a counter and three tables that seats four people each. The decor was simple with attractive photos on the wall. Wide windows give a good view of the quiet street.

We sat inside the restaurant because of the air conditioner, but if you want alfresco dining, you can always make use of the tables outside.

Affordable Italian Food

One thing I can say about their menu: they have an expansive pizza list. They have a variety of vegetarian pizza and meat pizza, which is something that you don't ordinarily see in Italian restaurants. However, their pasta menu is ordinary and nothing stood out.

Since we are starving that day, we decided to skip appetizers and just went ahead with the main course. Our tuna carbonara was surprising as we didn't know that it was spicy. Other than that observation, the pasta was ordinary.

The margherita pizza we ordered was better than the pasta. The crust was cooked perfectly and it has a generous amount of toppings. However, nothing about its taste stood out.

'Not as good as before.'

My sister was quite disappointed with the food. She used to frequent Friuli when she was still a student and she said that the food now was 'not as good as before.' 

Since it was my first time there, I wouldn't know what the food tasted like before. I do know, however, that sampling Friuli's fare was pleasant enough, but lacked that oompth factor.

Friuli Trattoria is located at 79A Maginhawa Street, U.P. Village, Quezon City.

Price Range: Php100-300

Fashion is making people creative and experimental, especially in these days. They are able to make a statement and interpretation of themselves through an expression of style. Indeed, fashion has become a worldwide custom since the popular styling or practice keeps trending every now and then.

Fashion styles keep changing and people are the only ones that keep them up. It just goes on as it produces new wave of styles and designs. Everyone can make their own fashion styles. It just depends on how they carry it as an individual.

Clothing, shoes, and accessories, these are the ones that create fashion for people. And when we say trending, we mean by something that is currently popular. And speaking of popular, Vintage is one fashion look that keeps trending. I guess, it's really in demand.

Vintage is the old things originated from previous era, treated as second-hand, and the antique look that usually comes back from season to season. This is a term used by people to clarify a garment, shoes, accessory, or anything that looks old and classic.

Vintage styles have returned with a creative touch. It is true that history repeats itself in the fashion industry. Let's start talking about the vintage dresses. Vintage dresses bring confidence to every woman. It has a sense of pride that comes from the fit and appearance. It is all about the details. Vintage simply stands out from modern dresses. Maybe because of the already “known features”. Some vintage dresses feature vibrant color palettes and geometric prints and designs.

When it comes to shoes, vintage shoes are most likely from the Victorian era. It is because the fashion styles were all flourished during that time period. Vintage shoes from that era were worn with heels and pointed or squared toes. And now, fashion is making them popular once again. They are just stiff and restrictive and should be worn short and tight as possible, just like the old days.

Lastly, the vintage accessories. Accessories are my favorite wearable vintage fashion, especially creative rings. Vintage accessories are commonly presented with touch of silver and gold. As for vintage rings, most of them are made with huge head. The head is usually presented as round or square and the styles depend on the time era where it came from. Some setting styles of vintage rings are granite, pearl, flower, and color pattern crystals. And these unique styles are also applied with vintage necklaces and bracelets.

In a nutshell, I just want to share how to get a vintage fashion look. So if you feel like changing your fashion look, you might want to try vintage. In addition, you can still get a vintage fashion even if it's a combination of two periods: old and modern.

Starring Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Rosamund Pike and Edgar Ramirez

I’ve been longing to watch Wrath of the Titans right after I saw its trailer. Its story looks exciting and the scenes look intense. With its title “Wrath” of Titans,” I was expecting to witness overflowing wrath and extreme battle scenes between Perseus (Worthington) and the villains.

In this sequel, Perseus (demigod son of Zeus) works as a fisherman in a quiet village with his 10-year old son Helius. The movie evolves on the struggle for supremacy between gods and the Titans. Humanity’s lack of devotion to the gods weakened the gods’ hold on their immortality and their control over the imprisoned Titans. As a solution, Zeus’s son Ares (Ramirez) teamed up with Hades (Fiennes) and Kronos (father of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon) to steal Zeus power and take over the earth. This caused Perseus to make an action to save his father and the people. Together with Andromeda (Pike), Agenor (Kebbell) and Hephaestus (Nighy), Perseus takes on the adventure of defeating all the monstrous creatures to prevent the power of darkness from ruling over the humanity.

I didn’t enjoy this film as compared to the first film. Although the scenes and actions were nice, there’s something about this story that didn’t appeal to me. It was not interesting and it lacked surprises. Even though the fighting scenes and the monsters were intense, the story itself is shallow. Also, I think that there was no strong character build up and some of the actors performances were lacking.

The only things that are good about it are the fantastic special effects and the mythical creatures were more solid and well-made. However, the last battle scene of Perseus looks boring. It lacked action because Perseus easily defeated the monster.

The film is okay but I expected more out of it. I think Clash of the Titans is much better than this one. It’s not recommendable to watch.

Rating: 2.5/5

By YARobles

I never drink any coffee other than Nescafe before. For me, it is the only delicious and refreshing coffee that keeps me alert at work. However, someone gave me a sachet of San Mig Coffee one night that I was lethargic from lack of sleep. At first, I refused to drink it; but since I had no choice at that time, I drank it.

After that first encounter with San Mig Coffee, I did not try drinking it again because my loyalty was still with Nescafe. When I craved for coffee again, I drank Nescafe, but was completely surprised that I disliked its taste. It was like smoking a cigarette - I hated that it smelled like one too. I really wanted to drink coffee that time so I, again, drank San Mig Coffee.

The perfectly balanced taste of its ingredients - the coffee, sugar, and cream - and the aroma hypnotized my taste buds. I loved its excellent sweetness and creaminess. It tasted really good that I cannot forget its flavor unconsciously.

After I tasted it again, it is now my favorite. It supersedes Nescafe, my old buddy. However, coffee is still bad for me. For those who have acidic stomachs, no coffee is ever recommended as it is as bad for the stomach as drinking fresh juice. Though I had a great experience drinking San Mig Coffee, I still refrain from drinking it.

Music is life. So make sure you get a good one.

Based on my experience with the two iPods I have bought so far—one is the third generation iPod nano and the other is the fourth generation iPod Touch—I can say that Apple doesn't exactly offer the best partners for its iPod products. The former gadget's earphones was broken after a year of usage, while the other was just in four months. Sad, but maybe that's just the way they are. At least this writer who has the reputation for being a barbaric owner can guarantee the products' durability.

Because of this, I have found myself buying numerous affordable yet above average-quality earphones from time to time and so far, the best among them is the AERIAL 7's Bullet in-ear earbuds, a pair with ground-breaking bass at an incredibly affordable price of only 660 pesos. It comes with different stylish color combinations: The Circuit with colors white, black, and red, Dark Rasta with black, red, green, and yellow, Tantrum with pink, grey, and white, Storm with purple, blue, black, and yellow, Azzurro, and Shade with colors grey and black.

Plugging it up in your ears would allow you to listen to the stereo quality of your favorite music for AERIAL 7's Bullet boasts of its excellent sound reproduction and in-ear buds to make sure that no external sounds can be heard. Its package also comes with four optional size ear gels for a sure fit to your ears, and its cable is both soft and pliable giving you comfort whenever you use it.

If you want to listen to music with style and great sound quality at a budget price today, AERIAL 7's Bullet in-ear earbuds is the perfect companion for you portable music.