First Impressions : Yummylly Cakes - Cafe

This cafe has been open for some time and people have been bugging me to do a review on it but I've always tried to put it off. Why? For the simple fact that my 2nd degree cousin & his lovely wife own the place. Willy & Yummy started Yummylly Cakes a few years back and have now opened their 1st cafe branch at Nunez Ext. Crossing, behind ADZU, beside TV Surplus shop (Zamboanga City)... People may think that I'd be biased because of the fact I'm related to Willy, but I've always given 100% honest reviews and this particular one won't be any different... Now that we got that out there, let's get on with the review... My friend D.A. & I stopped by around 3:30pm. There were a couple of other people in the cafe to place in cake orders but we were the only ones there who were actually going to stuff our faces with food. *lol* Their color motif was pleasing to the eyes - a soft pink & a teal blue color. We loved the lighting fixtures, cutesy throw pillows and also their long stretch "sofa" couch. The fondant covered cakes on display also offered a touch of quirkiness to the place that balanced everything out... We all agreed to give Yummylly Cakes a 5/5 for their cafe set up. What's better than FREE WIFI? *winks* (ilovecakes) I liked that they used a chalkboard as their menu board because these gives them the option of spicing things up with colored chalk or other decorative writing styles... Though their current one was a bit out of place with the overall cuteness of the cafe... They have a variety of finger foods available and they even have rice meals! We decided to order a strawberry frappe, a cookie monster "monster frappe" (monster frappes were on a separate menu board), a slice of their yema cake and plain salted fries... *Quick story : My friend D.A. got really pissed off with the one manning the cash register and taking our orders because she gave off this really mean attitude. She talked to us as if she wasn't in the mood (in Chavacano "dol nuay le gana combersa na customers) and seemed impatient to answer my questions regarding the monster frappes. My friend decided to just go sit down at our table before she also goes all b*tchy while I was left to handle the situation... (Bawas pogi points tayo sa ganito eh!) Only 3/5 for this particular customer service. Our orders arrived in batches (something that irks me at times) starting with the yema cake, the frappes then lastly our plate of fries. We digged in and started  comparing notes on our orders... Strawberry Frappe P75/order Taste : 4/5 Presentation : 3/5 D.A. & I liked this frappe a lot. It had the distinct strawberry flavor you'd expect from a strawberry frappe and it had a generous serving of whipped cream on top. We just wished it had more of an "oomph" presentation-wise. Cookie Monster - Monster Frappe P150/order Taste : 2/5 Presentation : 5/5 We gave this frappe a 2/5 for taste because it lacked that cookie or chocolate-y taste we were expecting. Most of the "flavor" from this frappe came from the toppings but the actual "milkshake" portion of the drink did nothing to satisfy our tastebuds. Having said that, we gave this a 5/5 for presentation because come on, just look at this thing! It was overloaded with yummy goodness! It was impressive enough to warrant the P150 price tag. Plain Salt Fries P50/order Taste : 2/5 Presentation : 2/5 This were your standard "from the package" kind of fries that came with a dusting of salt. The serving size was a decent "good for 2 unless your'e fry obsessed". Presentation was MEH! I wish they had a separate container for their fry sauce (mayo+ketchup, I think) because it can get a bit messy if it's squirted directly onto the serving plate... I know they could have done better on their presentation but at P50/order, you definitely get what you pay for.  Yema Cake P55/order Taste : 2/5 Presentation : 3/5 I had high expectations for this... This is supposed to be their best seller, an all time favorite... I got disappointed because of the taste. I was saddened because my friends D.A. & A. also had the same opinion about the taste of this particular slice. The yema filling and frosting had this really weird "plastic-balloon" kind of taste, and it wasn't an after taste at all, it was straight up plastic balloon (the kind I played with as a kid) in my mouth. At first it was subtle, but as we progressed into the cake, it tasted more and more like the plastic balloon that we ended up not finishing this piece. I've had my share of yema cakes so I definitely know what it's supposed to taste like, and believe me when I say that this piece tasted nothing like a yema cake. *sad sigh* I really think it's the frosting was the thing that was off since the cake was light and fluffy by itself. Well that's it for now. We're giving Yummylly Cakes cafe an overall 3/5. There's definitely room for improvement on several factors. So, has anyone tried this place out yet? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Review : Naturactor Cover Face Concealer Foundation

This is an EXTREMELY late post. It's been in my drafts folder since March 2015! I'm that much of a "bad" blogger. *chuckles* I feel like I'm the last beauty blogger on earth to be reviewing this product! Well I've had 9 months to really use this and try it out on myself and on others. The product I'm talking about is the Naturactor Cover Face Concealer Foundation.

This foundation - slash - concealer comes in a white jar with a screw top lid which makes it very travel friendly. Shade swatches online are very unreliable, so I had a difficult time deciding what shade to get. It was between 141 and 151. In the end I got the "darkest" shade which is 151. It's a little too light on my NC30-y skin but it's nothing a bit of powder can't fix.

What : Naturactor Cover Face Concealer Foundation Shade : 151 Amount : 20 grams Made in Japan Purchased from : Prinsesitasarah Cosmetics (IG) Price : P500 

Some bloggers have mentioned that there tends to me a film of oil on the surface of the product when you first open it. That thought scared me because I have oily skin! Thankfully my jar didn't seem to have that weird oily film on top. I swatched it onto the back of my hand first and started to blend it out. It left a really smooth finish so that was promising... It spread like butte on my hand so I was expecting the same for my face BUT I was wrong! You need to really prep your face beforehand because if you don't, expect a lot of tugging!

To be honest, I had a difficult time working with this product at first. It didn't get along with any of my foundations when it acted as a concealer and when I did use it as a standalone concealer-foundation, I found it difficult to blend properly but as time passed I came up with a series of steps to get flawless skin with this product.
The secret really is in the preparation of your skin. I start off with a very gentle skin exfoliating facial wash, then I follow up with my moisturizer, toner, facial mist, then my primer (I use the Quick FX No Shine Mattifier!) before I finally apply this product all over my face. The best tool to do this is... MY FINGERS! Yes, you read that right... I use my fingers instead of my holy grail Sigma F80 flat kabuki brush! This is because I've noticed my fingers do a much better job of blending everything in. I follow up with a touch of powder with my Sigma brush... And VOILA!~ A flawless face...

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Christmas 2015 Wish List!

My Christmas 2015 wish list is pretty straight forward. Most of the things on this list fall into the "need" category. It's free to dream, so I'm dreaming that I wake up to these on Christmas day! *chuckles*  Let's get started!

First on my short list is the Longchamp Le Pliage Neo in Navy. I'd really like to have this in size small. I have 3 other Longchamp bags and they have served me well but this one with the sling will definitely be easier for me to go on "hands-free" mode! Please someone give this to me! HAHAHAHA! :D Syala Collections dresses. I'm in a size 4XL. The owner, Miss Day, is really easy to talk to and the quality of their dresses is superb! Another cool thing is that all these designs can have sleeves added to them which is really important for me since I'm self conscious about my arms.
Letter "J" and a stand mixer charm from Pandora. I have a growing collection of charms and trinkets from Pandora. They are of excellent quality and I love building my bracelets to accommodate charms that really personify my character. Lastly, I'd like several wooden stirring spoons, rubber spatulas and colorful mixing bowls. As a baker, you can never have too much of any of these items... Help me expand my kitchen stuff! *lol*
That's it for this year's list. What are your picks for your personal list? Tell me in the comments below! :)

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HMUA Work : Shereen's Yearbook Pictorial Look

I haven't been really accepting clients for hair & makeup services the past few months due to my busy schedule and my shifting to baking but this is a special case. This lovely lady is a close friend's  lil sis" so I made an exemption. She had her yearbook pictorial yesterday and I felt the same amount of excitement for it as if I were graduating all over again!
Here's the list of products I used on her.
Face: Evian Mineral Spray Quick FX No Shine Mattifier Quick FX CC Cream Naturactor Cover Face Foundation #151 IN2IT 2 Way Foundation OCF #02 Warm Beige Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder Contour & Blush from palettes purchased from Red District
Brows: Nichido Mineral Precise Eye Pencil in Walnut Nichido Tinted Brow Gel in Brunette
Eyes: Several different eyeshadows from different palettes... Maybelline Hypercurl Mascara in Black IN2IT Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Very Black Generic pair of falsies 
Lips: Nichido Lip Liner in Rosette (topped off with a nude shade from a generic lip palette)

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December 1st : City Mall Tetutan (Zamboanga) Grand Christmas Tree Lighting

 I promised myself I'd be a better blogger (yes for the nth time!) this month. I'm starting December 2015 with my first ever "event". I was invited to City Mall Tetuan' s Grand Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony by Mr. Edzel Nohay, Marketing Assistant & Team Leader of City Mall Tetuan. I received the official invitation a few days ago and the press package earlier during the event. 
I was really about to miss the event due to some personal reasons but everything worked out in the end... *smiles*

While reading the content of the announcement page included in the press package, I learned that today the City Mall Christmas tree was unveiled simultaneously with other locations nationwide. Isn't that a cool concept? They definitely kicked off their December with an awesome event that the entire family could enjoy!

Check out Santa chilling before the program started... I bet he knows hordes of kids will be all over him in a few minutes expecting sweets and hugs and greeting of Christmas!

Miss Maria Morena of YES FM was their enthusiastic host for todays event. She was bubbly and energetic and was exactly the type of host to rile up the public to join in the fun. What I liked the most about her hosting style is that she got the audience involved and even spoke in Chavacano, the local dialect which I feel is awesome because it helps promote something that is genuinely a representation of what it is to be part of Zamboanga City.
   Welcoming remarks were given by Mr. Denmar Madriaga, Marketing Assistant of Double Dragon Properties Corp. The corporation owns 66% of City Mall while SM Investments Corp owns the other 34%... He warmly welcomed all the special guests, media personnel, City Mall personnel and the other mall goers to the event.

There were also performances by local artists & students like this one from Zamboanga City High School Main's marching band... I was able to take a short clip for your enjoyment.

Another group that performed was a vocal choir called RJ's Choir. These kids are really talented and blessed with amazing voices that blended together so well. I won't lie, I definitely got goosebumps! I was also able to take a short clip of their performance...

The last video I got was of the actual Christmas Tree lighting... 

These little kids dressed up as Santa received special surprises.

Here's a photo of me alongside other special guests to the event...
Some other cool things happening at City Mall is their active participation in an activity called Hoverboard Nation, a perfect past time for the entire family located at the mall's back entrance. The shoppers get 15 inutes free usage of City Mall owned hoverboards for a minimum receipt of P300 from ANY City Mall store! Check out the photos below. 

There was food ready for the guests after the event but I only nibbled a few bites off the food because I was reserving my tummy for something else I've been wanting to try out... RICE PA MORE is a newly opened food kiosk located alongside other food kiosks at City Mall's hypermarket... It's owned by "Kuya" Al & Sam, the awesome people who made all my debut dreams come true (a couple of years ago!)... To those from Zamboanga City, go check them out. I tried their best seller, SHAWARMA RICE  which combines two of my favorites, RICE & SHAWARMA!!! I was in heaven and at P55/order, so was my wallet.

I also got this bottle of wine as part of my press package. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but my parents will definitely enjoy this treat.
So there goes my December 1st. I definitely had a blast. How did your December 1st go? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

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