Beauty and the Beast, Manila

I love Disney musicals - bar one - and Beauty and the Beast is one of the earliest ones I came into contact with. I was, therefore, quite excited to watch it here in Manila. Luckily, the show I got wasn't cancelled by the Papal visit, so I was successful in watching it this weekend. Yay!

This may have been due to the Papal visit, but the performance I went to started significantly late - around 20 minutes. Now this may not be a big deal in some venues, but for a CCP production, I was a bit disappointed. Since Beauty and the Beast is a relatively short production, and I was able to eat beforehand, it's not too bad, but it definitely set my mood down.

Now, for those who do plan to watch - I won't spoil it for you. I definitely enjoyed watching it. It's sufficiently different and equally diverting for those familiar with only the film. The Beast is better characterized in the musical - although I do have issues with how Prince Adam's whiny self translated to hypernasality while singing. The more adult themes are also more obvious. However, I was definitely disappointed at the library set (my favorite moment) and the backdrop for "Be Our Guest," (the crowd pleaser), and other little things at the first and last scenes. I also found the orchestra too small for the musical, which was obvious at the overture. It's definitely much simpler than its Broadway counterpart, which is understandable, but not enough for me to justify its price at price Zones 1 and 2 (on Ticketworld).

On the whole, I wouldn't say that I'd recommend it but it's not bad at all. I felt more joy with the audio recordings (some parts were shorter, and they did cut Maison des Lunes), but I enjoyed watching it nonetheless. If you're looking for some Disney entertainment for the family and for yourself (and you can afford it), then you might want this.

Beauty and the Beast at CCP will be performing until Feb 1, 2015.

Watsons Deep Cleansing Nose Pore Strips

You know how some people like to end the year with the best and worst products they've tried? This is one of them… the worst product I've tried this 2014. Found in the bowels of someone's closet early 2014,  this package of Watson's Nose Pore Strips was probably buried for a reason.

Each package consists of 10 individually wrapped packets.  Once opened, my first glance at the strip disappointed me since product was not as described in the packaging: there are no nifty slit things like the ones in the Biore strips to contour the strip to your nose. You can cut it individually, I suppose, but it doesn't hug the nose-cheeck interface as well, which is a blackhead prone area for me. 

Watson's Deep Cleansing Nose Pore Strips

I've tried it several times on myself and my siblings… but unlike the Biore strips where I was unsure if what the strip took out was actual blackheads or dirt, a lot of the surface area of the strip was plain white. The strip was able to pull out a few blackheads, mostly the superficial ones… but at half the price of Biore, it only had around 25% effectiveness.

Would I buy again? If I did buy it, definitely not. I am hoping that with different Japanese brands entering the system, I can get a hold of superior strips once again.

Tim Horton's Single Serve Specialty Beverage Cups

Someone gave me a box of Tim Horton's Single Serve Specialty Beverage Cups recently (thank you Christmas). A popular Canadian brand, Tim Horton was always something I'd wanted to try, especially their French Vanilla. At first, not having a capsule coffee machine, I despaired of being able to use it. However, I decided to look at the back to see if I could figure out a way to make it work.

Tim Horton's French Vanilla Single Serve Specialty Beverage Cups

Looking at the ingredients list to the right, it didn't seem like it had any actual ground coffee: it was more like their powdered version adapted for a capsule coffee maker. And the nutrition facts showed that while it was high in fat and sodium, it was surprisingly low in calories.

Tim Horton's French Vanilla Nutrition Facts and Ingredients List

So I opened one of the capsules and it really was a powder!

Tim Horton's French Vanilla Capsule

Just add water :)

Tim Horton's French Vanilla

Since I find it too sweet at the ideal serving size, I think each capsule makes around 1.5-2 cups of French Vanilla. At it's somewhat diluted state, it's one of the best tasting instant coffees I've ever tried. While I don't know how much this costs, I think that unless you have only a capsule coffee machine (which would probably present better with froth), the powder tin would probably a more cost effective option.

So while I haven't been able to optimize my use of those capsules, I've been able to finish 8 of them this way with no regrets.

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance!

Etude House: Perfect Fit BB Cream in Natural Beige

One of the few cosmetic purchases I've made this year is the Etude House Pefect Fit BB Cream in Natural Beige (W13). Bought at the 30% off sale, the price went from around P850 to around P600, it was a total steal.

Etude House BB Cream Perfect Fit Box

I was looking for something with a bit of coverage, but not too heavy. BB Creams, somewhere between moisturisers and foundations, hit the spot. Perfect Fit comes in a 60 gram plastic tube with a pump top. I got a lot of bang for my buck here XD.

Etude House BB Cream Perfect Fit Tube

 It claims to be whitening, anti-wrinkle and anti-darkening. After a month of use, I haven't seen any long term effects… but it is very brightening while you're using it: after water, pearl extract and titanium dioxide are highest on the ingredient list.

Etude House BB Cream Perfect Fit Pump Top

 It takes me around 2 pumps to cover the face, not including the neck and around 1.5 pumps if I'm using a primer. I usually use only a thin layer on my face, any more is too much: the cream leaves a pale cast that requires either time to set (30 minutes - 1 hour, thanks to oxidation), or a darker toned setting powder.

Etude House BB Cream Perfect Fit Unblended

The BB cream gives me a matte flawless finish while I'm using it and lasts for around 8 hours. While it doesn't start out as a powder, as time passes, it does become more powdery. It has excellent coverage for a BB cream, even with how little I put, but it won't hide major flaws (you need a foundation for that). In addition, it gives me few zits (none cystic) when I, inevitably, end up sleeping with it on. I'd prefer this go down to zero, but it never really claimed that so I can't really fault it.

Etude House BB Cream Perfect Fit Blended

While this product is very good for me, I wouldn't recommend it for those with dry skin and those with extremely problematic skin. I'd recommend it for those with normal to oily skin and those with slightly problematic skin. If you are a morena, or if you just have a lot of yellow tones in your skin, you might have problems finding a shade for you since it comes in only 3 shades, all with cooler tones. Of course, you should try it out for a few hours to see if it's right for you (especially those with sensitive skin types) - I probably wouldn't have bought it if it didn't settle properly.

I'm satisfied with this product, but wouldn't consider it as one of my HGs; I'll try to find something better in the future, but for now, this will do.