An Excellent Lifestyle with Taiwan Excellence

I’m sure most of us here love shopping abroad and also go crazy when foreign brands and products become available here in the country. I think most people have a high regard for imported stuff, but we have to remember that quality is still the key.

That is why the Taiwan government is launching the Taiwan Excellence campaign for the first time here in the Philippines. Taiwan Excellence is a campaign that recognizes high-quality Taiwanese brands, guaranteeing their superior quality and value. To qualify for these awards, the products go through a rigorous screening process to ensure that they are of the highest standard and can proudly represent the unique and innovative culture of Taiwan. This campaign, which will bring in 56 top quality brands to the Philippine market, will give us Filipinos the opportunity to discover a range of Taiwanese products with the seal of quality.

The History of Taiwan Excellence

The Taiwan Excellence campaign started as part of the Ministry of Economic Affair’s (MOEA) 5 year plan in the 1980’s to raise Taiwan’s international competitiveness by supporting its local brands. Under the Image Enhancement Plan, the Taiwan Excellence Award campaign was established in 1992.  The “Taiwan Excellence” was awarded to products based on R&D, design, quality, and marketing efforts. If selected, the brands and products were allowed to use the Taiwan Excellence Seal locally and internationally. 

The Awarding Process

All Taiwan based brands are eligible to be part of the campaign.  Product categories include consumer and business IT, fashion, arts and culture, sports, education, transportation, and others.

Each product is scored based on its R&D, design, quality, and marketing by an international panel of judges. Each product must score evenly in all four categories. After careful evaluation, those selected are allowed to carry the Taiwan Excellence Seal.

From among the selected products, the judges choose those who deserve the Silver and Gold Award recognition.  They will select thirty from the original winners, with only ten to be given the Gold Award, the highest recognition under the campaign, while the remaining finalists will be given the Silver Award. 

I personally haven’t been to Taiwan but would definitely love to do so in the future. I think this is a great way for their country to promote their brands and also help us Filipino consumers who purchase their products. Some of the brands under the campaign include Acer, Asus, BenQ, Draytek, HCG, HTC, KingCom, KW Trio, Kymco, MSI, Silicon Power, Sym, Transcend, and others. I’m pleasantly surprised to find out some of these brands are from Taiwan since I have some of their products in our household!

I think that this awarding process is great so that us Filipinos can make educated purchases and it also helps us discover the best products they have to offer. With this campaign, we can enjoy our shopping experience further since we will be able to choose products that will give us an “Excellent Lifestyle” :)

For more information on this campaign, log on to www.taiwanexcellence.ph or check out their FB page at www.facebook.com/TaiwanExcellence.ph.

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Makeup Workshop with Tina Ngkaion

I was very fortunate to be invited to a makeup workshop conducted by Tina Ngkaion last October 25. It was a small class with a couple of my fellow southern bloggers, which was just perfect since Tina was really able to demonstrate how to apply makeup on everyone.

I was personally really excited to attend this class since I knew I had a lot of things to learn. I went to an all-girls Catholic school where wearing makeup was strictly forbidden. I guess this mentality carried over even when I went to college since the only thing I used back then was my Johnson's face powder, Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Concealer (which I still use until now), and ChapStick lip balm. I only started wearing (minimal) makeup when I began working and it was still pretty basic - face powder, blush and lipstick. I didn't even start filling in my eyebrows until much later on (and now that's a must for me since I have very sparse eyebrows!). I remember I also had an officemate who was very kikay and she was the one who taught me some makeup basics and how to use eyeshadow.

To be honest, I don't even buy the expensive brands of makeup. I'm okay with drugstore ones as long as it works. And I'm a bit clueless when it comes to what products to buy or how to use them. I don't even own primer or foundation or know what shade works for me. I guess it's also since I'm at home most of the time anyways so I hardly even use makeup. But of course, I've always wanted to know how to do makeup properly so I can do it myself if there's a special occasion like a wedding or event I have to attend.

We were asked to bring our own makeup kits but right off the bat, I could tell I didn't have most of the essentials. For the class, Tina taught us how to do a DAY look that could also transition to night. Anyway, I'll be posting the pics of the makeup we used and recommended by Tina so you can get an idea of what you need.

PORE PRIMER
As we get older, our pores definitely get bigger. Mine are very noticeable especially in the T-zone area and the apples of my cheeks. We learned to apply a primer first (either using a concealer brush or your fingers) to minimize the size of your pores.

the Benefit brand is obviously more expensive, but the Maybelline one works fine as well

FACE PRIMER
I don't own a primer, but now I want to buy one after seeing how the makeup goes on so much better on the skin. We used the Make Up For Ever HD Elixir and all we needed was one drop for the whole face!

COLOR CORRECTOR
As usual, this was something I'd only discovered now. A color corrector apparently helps further hide your imperfections. You use the orange shade under your eyes to conceal your eyebags, the green color is for any red areas in the face (like around the nose or pimples), while the yellow shade is for any veins.

Tina had this color corrector palette specially made abroad, but I believe you can get something similar in Suesh or Pure Beauty.

CONCEALER
Put concealer on top of the areas where color corrector was applied.

For under the eyes, apply the color corrector and concealer in an inverted triangle shape and blend outwards. See how my eyes look so refreshed after I blended everything? Dark circles gone! :)

FOUNDATION
According to Tina, if you're going to spend on makeup, make sure you do on foundation since that's the base of your whole face. She recommended Maybelline Fit Me (I'm in shade 110 Porcelain) but so far, this isn't available here locally.

LOOSE POWDER
Put loose powder under the eye area or anywhere you think makeup will fall. You can just brush this off after you apply your eye makeup.

EYEBROWS
Tweeze stray hairs and trim your eyebrows for a more defined look. Then fill them in with an eyebrow pencil. I have very thin eyebrows though, so no trimming needed for me hehe!

EYESHADOW PRIMER
Use a primer on your eyes to make the colors more intense and stay longer.

One trick Tina taught us for the perfect wing tip / cat eye is to put scotch tape on the corner of your eyes. This will give you a guide when applying the eyeshadow and eyeliner. Also apply the eyeliner from the outer eye going in.

She also taught us how to do our eyes, contour and highlight, as well as apply false eyelashes.

After applying the rest of the makeup, here's my finished look! Check out my BEFORE and AFTER. What do you think of my "no makeup" makeup look? I just love how flawless my skin looks! :)

I still have to practice more on the eyes, plus the contouring and highlighting. But for the most part, I'm happy with what I've accomplished. :)

Some more tips I learned:
- Don't put makeup with SPF at night. The sunscreen reflects the light taken in flash photos which will give your face a white glare.
- Don't put moisturizer right before applying makeup. This will make you more oily throughout the day.
- If you're acidic, get foundation 1 to 2 shades lighter since the color will darken on your face after a while.
- You can use baby wipes to remove your makeup and also to clean makeup brushes.

with Tina

everybody looking lovely all made up :)

It was such a fun afternoon and I have to say, this class has made me excited about buying and trying on makeup. I know I still have quite a lot of practicing to do but at least now I know the basics and what products to get.

If you want to see more of Tina's work, check out her Instagram @itstyn. You can also email her at tinangkaion.mua@gmail.com for inquiries on her rates and services. 

Happy Halloween 2014

If you're following me on Instagram (@mrsmommyholic), then you've probably already seen what the kids' costumes were for Halloween.

You also know that I've always dressed Miley and Sabe as a pair - Dora & Boots in 2011, Lilo & Stitch in 2012, and Peter Pan & Tinkerbell in 2013 (wherein hubby and I also joined in as Captain Hook and Mr. Smee!)

Now that we have a new addition to the family with baby Skyler, I was really excited at first thinking what theme we could do this year. I had a couple of ideas (The Incredibles would have been perfect right? ;p) but then Miley and Sabe are already at that age wherein they want to do things their way (and they can get pretty stubborn too!). I finally decided to forego having a theme this year and just let them be who they wanted. :)

Miley had asked her dad to buy her a Merida costume a couple of months ago when he was in the States. We made her choose among all the Disney princesses and I was really surprised when she kept insisting she wanted Merida since I knew for a fact she had only watched the movie Brave once (and she got scared of the bear too!). But she kept saying she wanted it so hubby went ahead and bought it.

The costume wasn't cheap (about $30 I think) so I figured she might as well wear it trick or treating. But she needed a couple more things to really look like the character. Merida is best known for her wild hair, so I bought a red wig at Divisoria for P200. I also found a bow and arrow at Toys R Us for only P99! It was actually from the Juan dela Cruz toy line (remember that telenovela starring Coco Martin? lol!) but it really matched her outfit. :)

Meanwhile, hubby and I watched the Rurouni Kenshin movie trilogy and really enjoyed it! Hubby loved it so much he started watching the old Samurai X cartoons again. Sabe ended up watching with his dad and liking it as well! Good thing I was able to find a kimono in SM on sale for just P100. And we were able to buy a kiddie samurai sword in Korea which was perfect for his costume. I wanted him to have a long ponytail just like Kenshin but it was a challenge getting him to wear the hairpiece I bought. He kept saying "I don't like! I'm NOT a girl!" lol! I was able to take a couple of pics though without him noticing I clipped it already. Can you see his ponytail in the pic below? ;p And of course, I drew an X on his cheek with my eyebrow pencil to complete the look. :)

Can you tell feel na feel niya ang costume? My gosh, emote to the max! Hahaha! I didn't even tell him how to pose, this is all him! ;p

For Skyler, I really love owls so I was so happy when hubby was able to buy this costume in the States as well. It is absolutely adorable and super gigil! I thought he was going to be fussy with the costume, but I was so surprised when he was so behaved and didn't even try to remove the hoodie part in his head. And so many people took pics of him when we went trick or treating since he was just too cute! :)

Anyway, here are more pics of them in their costumes. :)

Miley as Merida

Sabe as Samurai X

Skyler as baby owl

Oh, and I sorta had a mini costume too. When Miley said she was going to be Merida, I figured I'll be her momma bear, the queen! Bought this bear hat at Metro Department Store for about P130. ;p

The kids were so excited, they could barely stand still! I couldn't even get a decent pic of the 3 of them haaay!

their best group shot!

so in character!

Finally going around trick or treating!

Hi baby Tiyanak! Miley and Sabe are terrified of this thing haha! ;p

some houses gave dirty ice cream! yum!

eating their loot

all their candy!

So it was a successful Halloween again this year! I admit, I kinda wish we did have a theme but hey, there's always next year. I actually have some ideas already so at least I have a whole year to prepare haha! ;p

Spooktacular Halloween at Robinsons BF

We usually just go trick or treating in our village for Halloween and skip the events in malls or other establishments. But I happened to find out that there was going to be a free Halloween activity in Pergola Mall last October 29, so I thought I'll just register the kids just in case.

We almost ended up not going though, since Miley was tinatamad and Sabe woke up in a very bad mood from his afternoon nap. But I managed to get them dressed and figured we'll just check it out for fun. There was no pressure since it was a free event anyway and if they really didn't want to participate, then I'll just go grocery shopping hehe.

There were already a lot of people when we arrived. This was the first time Miley and Sabe attended something like this so they were a bit apprehensive at first (I decided not to bring Skyler na lang since I didn't know how long the event would last).

I was honestly after the trick or treating, but a big part of the activity was the costume contest. It said in the flyer that they were picking 3 winners for the scariest costume. So there were a lot of headless people, bloody corpses, and monsters everywhere! Miley and Sabe were freaked out at the start and were begging me to go home! We had to bring them first to the toy store to calm them down haha. :)

For their costumes, I just dressed them in existing outfits we had at home. I didn't want them to wear their real costumes since that was reserved for October 31. Sabe has so many superhero costumes so he just went as Thor. Miley had this dress for quite some time now, I just added wings and a floral headband to make her look like a flower fairy. But you should have seen some of the costumes there, career talaga!

Thor and Flower Fairy

The event started with a Scooby-Doo puppet show, which the kids found really entertaining (but was super corny for me haha!).

There was also a Ghostbusters puppet show (but in Tagalog) after. I wasn't even paying attention anymore and thought the kids weren't even listening. Turns out they really enjoyed it!

watching the puppet show

After that, it was time for the costume contest. They were calling the kids in groups of 10 up the stage. Good thing I registered early so our number was 28 and 29. At least we didn't have to wait so long since we were in the 3rd batch (I believe there were about 100 kids). I was afraid Miley and Sabe would have stage fright so I asked my mom to accompany them.

When it was their turn, I was so proud since they both said their names and who they were dressed as! Sabe was so funny when the host asked where Thor's hammer was. He held up his hand and said it was invisible haha! :)

waiting for their turn

waving to Mommy

I really wanted to wait until the end for the trick or treat, but we had to leave since we had to go to my brother-in-law's birthday dinner. We didn't even find out who won the costume contest! But good thing the kids were able to get their loot bags which consisted of some candy and a small toy. It wasn't much, but the kids were so happy already (babaw ng kaligayahan hehe)!

I was so happy we ended up going since it was a new experience for the kids. And it got them even more excited for our Halloween trick or treat! :)

Seoul, Korea: Gyeongbokgung Palace & Changing of the Guards

There are five grand palaces in Seoul built during the Joseon Dynasty, but we just chose to visit just one, which was Gyeongbokgung Palace. To be honest, I personally think they all kinda look the same anyway so why not just go to the biggest and regarded as the most beautiful, right? ;p

We took the train to Gyeongbokgung station and the first thing we saw when we exited the subway was the National Palace Museum of Korea. Too bad it was closed though, we would have loved to take a look inside (admission is free btw).

National Palace Museum of Korea

Right in front of the museum was the palace and we just had to walk a bit to finally reach the entrance.

We also made sure to arrive before 10am which was perfect since we were able to catch the Changing of the Guards ceremony, which happens outside the palace (I believe this takes place every hour until 3pm).

There were a lot of people, so make sure to position yourself in the front to be able to have a good view. But there's lots of space anyway, since the grounds are so huge. This is definitely a must-see since it's a great opportunity to experience a traditional ceremony which is reenacted exactly as in the olden times.

We went there on a Monday since it said online that the palace was closed on Tuesdays. There is an entrance fee of 3,000 won but it was apparently a holiday when we went (Autumn Harvest Festival) so entrance was FREE! But the downside was that there were no free guided tours that day. 

Heungnyemun or second inner gate. This was also the main entrance to the palace grounds.

Ready to do some serious walking... ;p

Gyeongbokgung was the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It was the first of the five palaces to be built and you can see the former offices of the state government, living quarters of past kings and queens, and historic artifacts inside.

The first building we saw was Geunjeongjeon which was the main hall of the palace. I believe this building was used for the king's affairs of state, including meetings and receptions with foreign guests.

Geunjeongjeon

this was the inside of the hall

After that, we just kinda wandered off wherever. I was just looking for nice spots (and there were a lot!) and making kulit hubby to take my pics haha!

Everything kinda looks the same for me though haha! But I loved taking pics of all the intricate details especially the rooftops. So pretty and colorful!

Saw a lot of people taking pics by this giant poster of Jewel in the Palace, which I guess was shot here.

 a map of the palace grounds

The whole palace grounds is really huge and sprawling, but I guess we didn't realize just how big it was until we reached this part. You couldn't even see any houses, just land and trees (and mountains in the background). And it was quite a long walk to get to the other compounds. I can imagine back in the olden days when you wanted to visit someone or even give an urgent message. You really need horses to get to one place to the next!

I definitely want to come back in spring or fall so see all the pretty flowers`and autumn colors :)

more day-off pics lol! ;p

fermented pastes and sauces in clay pots in one part of the palace

Hyangwonjeong, a two story hexagonal pavilion built on a small island in the middle of a lake

Gyeonghoeru, an open two story pavilion on a surrounding man-made pond, used for banquets and entertainment of foreign guests

We probably spent a little over 2 hours exploring the palace. We were already exhausted from all the walking (I guess because the weather was also a bit hot) and I think there were a lot we still didn't get to see. Hubby was the one who wanted to check out more places, but I was already happy with all our pictures and was already dying from hunger haha! ;p

We exited through the Gwanghwamun Gate which is the main gate of Gyeongbokgung. We left at about 12 noon so we were able to catch the hourly Changing of the Guards ceremony again, although it was now concentrated in this front area. 

Right across the Gwanghwamun Gate is Gwanghwamun Square, where you can see the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi-Sun-Shin. There is another exit from the train (Gwanghwamun Station, Subway Line 5) which I believe lets you walk out right here in the square itself. So maybe if you like, you can choose to exit here instead of where we did, so you can take pics with the statues before entering the palace. 

In our case, I was already soooo hungry that we decided to just skip going here and head straight to Insadong for lunch.

I'll be posting about Insadong and Bukchon Hanok Village next so stay tuned! :)