some things to smile about
GREAT FINDS THAT WILL HAVE YOU GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR, SAYS MAIDA PINEDA
PERSONALIZE YOUR POSTCARD
Try this neat idea from Australian travellers Will Bruce and Dave Allen. Upload your favorite travel photo and send real postcards to anyone, anywhere through www.OnePennyPost.com. No need for postage stamps. Just type your message and it gets sent like a regular postcard. So even grandma – who refuses to email – will enjoy hearing of your travel tales.
BEER, BATHS AND BEYOND
The Sense of Touch Spa is the first in Hong Kong to offer surprisingly skin-pampering sake and beer treatments. A Japanese monk, so the story goes, visited a brewery back when sake was made by hand, and noticed the sake makers had wrinkled faces but hands that were as soft as those of young children. As a result, the geisha took sake baths to open pores, slough away dead skin cells, and soften skin. Cleopatra turned to beer, rich in vitamin B, for shiny hair, strong nails, and healthy skin. You can also try a wine bath, as it has the age-defying anti-oxidants found in grapes. For details, click your browser to www.senseoftouch.com.hk
TASTE THE MOON
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival this month with the Fairmont Hotel Singapore’s sumptuous mooncakes: mini snow-skin strawberry and dark chocolate mooncake, healthier baked mooncake with mixed nuts and the delicate baked mooncake with roasted pine nuts in white lotus paste. Tel: +65 6338 8785; email: promotions. singapore@ fairmont.com
shop alert
ADORA
Step into the plush interiors of this new 2,500-square-meter department store and experience high-street shopping mecca. Designed by Anton Mendoza, it has all the trappings of luxury retail heaven: chic Barbara Barry chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains in the fitting rooms, and wall-to-wall mirrors in the wash rooms. Its name – Adora – is derived from the French phrase “j’adore”, which means “I love”, and boasts a chichi selection of covet-worthy picks from international brands like Marni, Lanvin, Jil Sander, Missoni, Chloe, Givenchy and Etro as well as chic, little-known labels flown in from China, Bangkok and Cebu. And like any true department store, it has sections for fragrance, home accessories and travel. Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City; tel: +63 2 687 4809; www.adora.ph
tried & tested
my favorite…
TEXT BY BECCA RODRIGUEZ
Clinique Happy
Mia M. Jaranilla Partner, Gallerie Joaquin
Just a dab of Clinique Happy changes my mood! I got my husband the men’s version, so now we’re both happy!
MAC Blot Powder
Suzette Tenefrancia, management consultant
For my face, it has to be MAC Blot Powder. It keeps the oil at bay, and therefore keeps the makeup on my face longer. In fact, since I started using it, I very rarely have to touch up during the day! Just a little goes a very long way.
Oil of Olay moisturizer
Belle Baldoza, public relations officer
I really love Total Effects by Oil of Olay. This is the perfect all-day moisturizer because it is not sticky or greasy. Apart from keeping my skin hydrated, an additional benefit is that it reduces the fine lines on my face and gives me a finer, fairer complexion.
Shu Uemura foundation
Isabel Lopez, fashion designer
I’ve been using Shu Uemura Perfect Velvet Dual Foundation. I really love the great coverage it provides and the way it glides on super light and smooth. For best results, I apply it using a foundation brush.
INFLIGHT ESSENTIALS
READ
Love Walked In Written by Filipina author Marisa de los Santos, the book features Cornelia, a café manager who lives her life in movie moments. When her real-life leading man sweeps her off her feet, he comes with a 10-year old daughter. Sarah Jessica Parker called it “exquisite and stylish.”
LISTEN
Shinji Ilabas Mo Na Ang Helicopter Pedicab returns with another serving of dance punk in their new full-length CD. Expect a cocktail of rap, pop, and a more traditional rock sound thrown in for good measure. Standout tracks are “FX”, “Simulan Mo Na” and “Put the Pieces Together”.
PLUG IN
Skullcandy Ti Stereo Headphones Get epic sound via this hot headset with hi-response, monster bass and leather headwrap. PHP4,500, at Power Mac Center at Greenbelt 3, Power Plant Mall.
meet karen pamintuan & kenny waymack
VERLAINE RAMOS CHILLS OUT WHILE CHATTING WITH THE COOL HOSTS OF THE TV SHOW CHILL SPOT
AS HOSTS OF lifestyle-reality show Chill Spot (8pm, Sundays, on ETC SBN-21), Karen Pamintuan and Kenny Waymack are the lucky ones. Their job? To discover cool new restaurants, shops, and hotspots as well as meet celebrities. They’ve been to Batangas, Boracay and Hong Kong, where they were also asked by the Hong Kong Tourist Association to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Prepping for the show’s second season, they fill us in on their travel adventures.
What’s your craziest travel story to date?
Karen: Making it through Hong Kong in only five days with non-stop taping, having to catch the best light for filming, and walking in different temperatures. The wind was intense!
Kenny: I woke up late in Hong Kong and everyone had left! I asked the concierge for a map to find my way to the next site for the shoot. I ended up taking a cab, a ferry and using the pay phones. It was crazy and awesome!
Name your top five travel must-haves.
Karen: Cellphone (with roaming activated), a kikay kit, a “Mary Poppins” handbag that fits all I need, comfortable shoes, plus a jacket or shawl.
Kenny: A backpack full of goodies (food plus clothes), iPod, phone, a neck pillow, and of course, money!
Dos and don’ts when traveling?
Karen: Do have fun and explore the local shops and markets while in another country. Do take pictures of yourself at these new locations. Don’t go to a place without some knowledge of the culture, and never be rude. Avoid that by self-education and paying attention.
Kenny: Do try new food, meet new people, get a map, and learn a bit of the language, if possible. Smile, wave, and enjoy! Don’t leave your things unattended, don’t travel alone, and don’t be irresponsible or disrespectful.
What’s your ultimate “chill spot”?
Karen: Hawaii! I used to spend almost every summer and Christmas there with the family until recently, and I miss it!
Kenny: Hong Kong, definitely, given that I have a good budget to enjoy the things the city has to offer.
Where would you retire and why?
Karen: Manila. But I’d still want a ranch for myself outside Manila (she’s an equestrienne), maybe in Tagaytay or Silang. I like urban living, where malls are just a short drive away, as well as having my horse nearby.
Kenny: Tagaytay. I love the cold weather in the evenings, and it’s not all that far from Manila.
TEXT BY BECCA RODRIGUEZ
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