Review: Crazy Katsu in Maginhawa

Came from Manila yesterday afternoon and at 4pm I was helluva hungry pregnant woman who was quite a warfreak when her husband offered donuts.(Sorry Tatay..I love you! <3)

I initially asked husband if he wanted to eat in Little Quiapo but then I realized I was more in the mood for burgers than palabok and halu-halo plus he mentioned Sbarro so I thought we could go neutral and go for something totally different. My brother mentioned Good burger in Maginhawa after I mentioned that I was in the mood for burgers but then he mentioned that Crazy Katsu's service was faster, and it was air-conditioned, so the helluva-crazy-pregnant-woman genes kicked in..Crazy Katsu it is!

First thing I loved about them was that they don't greet you in Japanese. HAHAHAHA. Truth be told, I hate those fast food/s(Let's not name names, shall we?) where they greet in you Japanese to give that authentic vibe that doesn't work because they serve less than authentic Japanese food adapted to the Pinoy taste. Okay, back to Crazy Katsu. They have these unpretentious menu boards printed on one side. Each main dish comes with a serving of rice. I had Katsudon, hubby had pork ginger and bro had Chicken Katsu. We also ordered Chicken Katsu salad and Fish and Veggie Tempura with rice..

Off with the salad:

credits to karasantiago.wordpress.com

The salad had a nice dressing with vinegar and a few other things I'm not sure of. Anyway, the salad lived up to its name, the serving was generous and so was the chicken on top. The three of us quite had a trouble finishing it(considering the other items we had) and I had to do a bit of cajoling to convince the hubby and the bro(talk about a bully pregnant woman) to finish it up.hehehe

Next, we each ate our own meals.

True to what bro said, the chicken in the salad and in the main dish were the same, except for the difference in the veggie garnish. The chicken was very tender, crunchy and juicy...perfect!  It was quite spicy, though, so watch it out if you dont want something spicy.

from their facebook page

Next, my katsudon. It was quite good, really, since the meat was also very tender, the sauce was just right-just enough to seep in the rice but not get it completely drenched in sauce. It just created a not so good illusion that I had less food because it was served in a bowl and not in a big plate like hubby and bro's dish

still from their page

Next, let's have hubby's pork ginger. Not much to say about it because pregnancy quirks kicked in. The minute I put it in my mouth, I just knew it was a wrong move, somehow it didnt do well with me. Somehow, I imagined it would taste good- being very tender, sweet marinated pork with a strong taste of ginger, but like I said, pregnancy quirks kicked in and it didnt go well with me :(

still from their page. the actual serving was actually more generous. Hubby only ate half of the meat but it was  enough for his rice.

Last is the fish and veggie tempura. I actually ordered this one to serve as a second/ extra viand for us since I was afraid that we might not enjoy the dishes we ordered or that the serving would not be enough or that it'll be nice to have an extra dish- but I was wrong on all three accounts so after I took one bite and ze boys didnt want to eat anymore, we ended up taking out these babies. The breading was consistent with other tempuras I had but it was also much thicker than any other tempura I had so that could either go well with you or not. There were about 3 pieces of fish tempura and the rest were veggies-one eggplant, one squash and two others which looked very suspiciously like okra (I HATE OKRA!) so I didnt dare touch it.

I actually ate a fish and eggplant tempura prior to writing this blog, about 12 hours from the time they were made. Heat 'em up in the microwave and though they were far from crunchy at that point, I was thankful that they werent as soggy as I expected ^^

I forgot to note the exact prices of the foodies we ordered, but I was sure that nothing cost over 150 and the ice tea was 30, so expect 200-250 damage per person per meal. In case you still have room for extra carbs, their extra rice is cheap at 10pesos per cup, another great bonus!

Overall note: The food was great, the setting was unpretentious and they offer great value for money. A side note though: we "felt" like they adapted the dishes to the Filipino taste a tad too much- everything had a hint of sweetness. It was fine with us, but if you hate that hint of sweetness, then watch out.

Tah-tuh!

Supplier's Rating: Tanghalang Pasigueño

Out of all the excitement after our wedding and as I browse the list of past posts that I've published, it is only now that I realize that I havent made a supplier's rating of our beloved wedding venue! Kaloka, this post is 11 months too late :P But as they say, better late than never so here goes:

Peso Power: 15,000 4 hour use of the hallway, airconditioned, weekend 2012 rate

The Kwento:

As a fruit of hours and hours of googling, I came upon this venue and I was really in awe. Ang ganda ganda nia!!! Hubby and I first went there together in June 2011 and parang ayoko na umalis at that time..I wanted to daydream the whole day. The facade was really something beautiful and at that time, I could just imagine our guests being in awe as well as they enter the venue. When we entered, I was more captivated because the chandeliers were really beautiful and knowing how expensive drapes are, it was a big bonus for us that we didnt need drapes because the chandeliers were already outstanding. We werent decided the first time kasi nga ang layo but to cut the story short, dito kami natuloy and the rest,as they say, is history

The Pros:

1. Very Cheap!

We came across venues that were cheaper than Tanghalan but none of them were airconditioned. It was a must for us to get an airconditioned venue since our church was already an open air one and given that our wedding was on a hot and humid summer day, we really made it a point to get an airconditioned venue. Also, some venues either asked extra depending on the number of pax, caterer's fee, electrical fee and so on, but the only increase in price that we experienced with them was that iba ang rate kapag weekend.

notice all the wires? Our videographer had a lot of electrical equipment but they didnt charge us extra...

2. They follow a one-event per day per venue and they're not rigid with time

Most venues charge extra if you exceed the blocked time pero with Tangahalan, they dont have extra charges even if you exceed the blocked sched for as long as you dont go over midnight.. I was also very thankful that they dont accept 2 events per venue kasi kung hindi, ngarag talaga ang caterers..Our reception was set to start at 5pm pero our caterer was able to start set-up at 10am

3. The venue "delivered"
I was anxious that the venue might be too crowded on the day itself pero awa ng Diyos kinaya naman ang 250 guests namin, though a bit cramped na sa bandang likod. I was also thankful that they provided the tiffany chairs without much hassle, isang sabi lang namin nag-agree agad sila. I was also skeptical about the airconditioning kasi when we had an occular in December 2011, bukas na ung aircon at wala pang tao pero ung temp, you'd think the venue was already full. On our wedding day, I had a chance to pass by the rear part(andun kasi ung room na ginamit namin for the retouch) and the temp there was okay, hindi mainit kahit medyo sulok na sya

Ang "mahiwagang pagtakbo" namin ni Hubby papasok sa venue

This table was at the farther end pero ok pa rin naman :)

The Cons:

1. Parking
Ang laki ng parking sa harap ng venue but the Pasig City buses are there permanently. I say permanently kasi sa 4 na beses na pagpunta namin dun ni Hubby-the first was in June 2011 to do an occular, July 2011 for the initial deposit, December 2011 for the food tasting and March 2012 for the final payment, the buses were always there. Medyo nakakahinayang lang kasi anlaki sana ng parking space-good for about 20 cars but since the buses were there, I had no idea where our guests parked that night. I think a few cars were able to park inside but the rest just "tuck" themselves in the nooks of the city hall complex

The facade obscured by the buses. I cant remember exactly, but I think there were four of them that day.

2. Minor concerns with the Staff
There's one lady who consistently assisted us everytime we went back but she was a bit lutang. Yung tipong  tatanungin nia ung katabi nia kung asan na ung ganitong file, kung ano na nga ba ang gagawin, and so on. She was kind nonetheless and she was very prompt in assisting us but it would have been better if she had a doze of confidence in what she did.

Another concern that we had , which wasnt entirely fault on their end was the guards on duty that day. 3 beses nagpicture sila Kuya sa photobooth namin. I know that the supplier could have refused him politely kasi at the end of the day- hindi naman namin sila bisita. Also, we had a limited number of printouts kasi mura lang naman sya and nabawasan pa lalo because of Kuya's shots. I hope the admin could prevent such incidents in the future para naman hindi tainted ang memories of those who book the venue.

not 1, not 2 but 3!!!!!!!!ansakit sa bangs!!!!!

The final verdict:

I know some people who are apprehensive in dealing with government employees and in getting their services kasi minsan inefficient talaga at hindi maganda. Despite the minor concerns we had with them, we still recommend Tanghalang Pasigueno. They were very straight forward with the rates, accommodating and the place is well maintained. Kung hindi lang to malayo samin I would prefer to hold all our future events here since the rates are very reasonable. Thanks Tanghalan!

The things that I love and hate about pregnancy

Don't get me wrong, being blessed with a child has been the best gift that God has given us. However, I do admit that there are times when it has been hard and so I'd like to share some of the best and worst encounters I've had as a pregnant woman

The things I love

1. I love it each time our little angel moves.

- Our baby has been moving constantly at particular intervals within the day and it has been happening for the past few weeks but I still feel overwhelmed every time he moves. Sorry for the comparison but it's like having a really playful fish inside my belly. I specifically love it when he responds to specific sounds such as pop music, barking dogs or my husband's voice. He even responds when I rub my big round belly, he'd kick extra hard just to lemme know that he felt it ^_^. There are also cute moments when he's respond to the sound of barking dogs from the tv :D

Since he's "like a fish", I've put a rudimentary fish figure as part of my personal touch on his frog suit :)

2. I love shopping for baby stuff!

-My sister literally shouted when she put one of the mittens on the palm of her hand- "Oh my God! My hands once fitted in these!" and I couldnt blame her. It is a humbling experience holding and touching baby stuff to know that we were once that small as our parents took care of us. I also can't help but gush everytime I see cute prints, socks and everything baby stuff related on the Internet- technology makes it so much more fun!

A world of blue! Statement bibs, cloth diapers(that I have modified) and onesies with cutie designs and matching bibs :)

3. I love it that I have an excuse to eat.

I have never been slim and the most I can say was that I once had average weight and so I was always so sensitive every time somebody noticed that I ate too much. Nowadays, people just find it funny or cute every time they see me munching on something and it's a nice change from all the judgment and scolding I used to get ^_^.

4. I love courtesy lanes

There were times in the past when I'd pass off as pregnant in train stations and everywhere else...when I wasn't pregnant yet. It hurt to some extent but quite understandable- as I said, I was never slim for my height. Now, however, I'm lovin it that I am really qualified to be in courtesy lanes especially in government agencies.

5. I love it that our parents are really excited about this baby!

Our angel is the first born grandchild on both sides - hence I have long accepted(sigh) that this baby will be spoiled  very very spoiled. The first time that my father in law found out I was pregnant, he immediately asked me if the baby was a boy or a girl. My Dad, on the other hand, joked(quite convincingly) that he would steal our baby. (",)

The things I hate about pregnancy

1. I hate that so many things have changed in my body.
The body changes..where do I even begin?? My neck and underarms are as dark as the night, my nose is like a big ripe tomato, and my feet seem  have grown to double their size since I became pregnant. From a size 8, I now wear size 9 everything and my brassiere size has been 2 sizes 1 cup bigger and to think that I have always been busty..even for my body type.

2. I hate the aches, icks and pains that I feel from time to time
I'm constantly doing research on the Internet just to check that everythin' I'm feeling is normal, and sadly(or gladly), they're all normal, and actually within the lower limit of the world of body pain :(
-Until now, I still gag after eating breakfast, especially if I've had too much to drink
-This is the worst since I get leg cramps at night, which they say is due to lack of fluids. So each night, I'd have to choose if I'd rather have leg cramps or gag for half an hour or so
-I get heartburn if I'm full and I get stomach ache if I go hungry for more than 30 minutes...Finding the perfect balance on how much to eat has been a real problem, especially since pregnancy has been accompanied by weird, unpredictable and sometimes hard to appease food cravings

3. I cant do things that were once normal and not a big deal
-I've had regular salon treatments for my frizzy curly hair but I cant have my hair done just to be sure since the chemicals might affect my baby.
-I often get headaches from lack thereof or too much sleep and nowadays I just have to bear with it naturally
-I dunno how I look "down there" since I havent seen the lower part of my body since I was 16 weeks pregnant...I'm literally shaving blindly :p

I've grown more affection and love for the people who contributed to having this baby come into being- My mother, my mother in law, grandparents and once in a while, I'd smile at a pregnant stranger with the unspoken words "I really do know how you feel".... Pregnancy is about giving life but it's also tough..so do bear that in mind next time you see a pregnant lady, eh?

BARRIO FIESTA SM NORTH= TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

My mom had an unused voucher for Barrio Fiesta and since the sissies and I went xmas clothes shopping in Trinoma, Mom gave it to us so we don't need to shell out for dinner... The whole experience was terrible!!!! Where do I even begin???? Lemme see...

To be fair, there were a few good points:

1. The chicken was well done. 

Hubby kept commenting that the chicken in Savory was much better(he's such a savory fan) but for me, they weren't comparable since the taste was different. I liked that it was cooked well but not dry and the skin was so crispy.. We're suckers for crispy chicken and though Mom can cook chicken ala-Max's, this was still good.

2. The lumpia wasn't drowning in sauce and the ubod was cooked thoroughly.

Some lumpiang ubod (fresh spring roll) in other restos or most especially in fast food chains are drowning in sauce as if to make the sauce comprise half of the taste test. This, however, just had the right amount of sauce and some might not like it that way (since they're looking for the crunchy feel), but I did enjoy that the ubod was thoroughly cooked.

3. The seafood toppings rice este Paella rice had a lot of sea food.

Some establishments put 2 kinds of seafood and call it seafood ____(seafood chowder, seafood rice, seafood kare-kare-kare), but this was really seafood galore. There was a crab, two big shrimps, squid and a good number of mussels.

3. They were prompt with the bill

Not much explaining left ^_^

As for the bad points, ugh...

1. It took them forever to bring out our order. OUR ORDER SPECIFICALLY.

Why ours specifically? Because the food at the table next to ours came 15 minutes earlier. It would have been okay if I knew that they came before us or that our food was much longer to prepare but for some reason, we had to follow up twice before our order was out. Mind you, we only had Paella rice(more on this later) and Chicken while they had Patatim, Kare-kare, and pancit bihon. Was it the fact that we had a voucher??

2. The Paella rice wasn't Paella rice, it was "not mixed-well-Java rice with seafood toppings."

This was a major major fail on many levels. First, for crying out loud, don't call something as Paella rice if it was something else! For starters, Paella rice should have the nice reddish color because of the tomato sauce and not the plainly yellow color from margarine. Second, the seafood should actually be sauteed with the rice or at least give the impression that they had the same base ingredients and not merely placed on top after being blanched and salted. Third, have the decency to mix the rice well if it's going to be called _____ rice because it's not plain rice. This last thing really, really pissed me off. As we chowed the rice, the bottom layer had chunks as big as a macaroon of white, unmixed, slightly hard rice. I do understand that the rice might not be evenly mixed and that the rice might be harder than plain rice(since it has to be cool for them to mix it well) but seriously, have the decency to at least crush or break out the bigger chunks. It was supposed to be Paella rice in the first place and the least you can do was to mix the rice well.

3. Have the decency to tell us early if our order was out of stock.

We ordered halo-halo and I thought they didn't serve it immediately because it was dessert. So when we were about to finish with the main meal, I asked a waiter to serve it. She nodded but after ten minutes, the halo-halo never came. Surprise, surprise, we had to follow up a second time and this time, the 2nd waiter came back after 5 minutes to tell us that it wasn't available. Wow. I was okay with the fact that it wasn't  available but what really ticked me off was that the waiter who was asked to follow up our halo-halo never came back to tell us it was out. This is dessert and if we didn't wait a total of an extra 15 freakin' minutes to know it was unavailable, we could have left earlier.

The final verdict: I dunno if it was just a series of unfortunate events but I'm guessing this had something to do with our voucher. If it did, then don't freakin participate in discounted deals! The main point of offering vouchers is to attract people towards your establishment or encourage them to try out less popular products and this experience made me think of the opposite! I only had two prior Barrio Fiesta experiences before this because both were terrible and after this, I am never, ever coming back if I can help it.

If it didn't have anything to do with our discounted voucher, then make sure your service and products are consistent.

I indulge in food and I would have been willing to pay the full amount for them to make our food okay. Sana siningil na lang kami ng original price kung ganyan rin lang na hindi aayusin. It was so disappointing since eating out is supposed to be a pleasurable experience but the bad points of this visit outweighed the good ones.

Disclaimer: Again, I repeat that this was in SM North Branch..It might not be the same in all branches.

The things they didnt tell you about pregnancy

They say that every pregnancy is different and so what I'm about to say might not be relevant to mothers out there. However, just the same, as this is the most important thing in my life, I'd like to share what I went through and am going through in my first three months of pregnancy.

1. Those two lines on your home pregnancy test doesnt equate to Happy ever after.

Three days after my missed period(my cycle is about 36 days), I bought a home pregnancy test and it was positive! I couldnt contain myself and woke up my husband at 3am, took a photo and posted it on Facebook, and had a hundred likes in less than 2 days. Only the next morning did I realize my mistake in posting it too early. A few google searches was enough to build paranoia because of the countless things that could go wrong.

A. I could have a chemical pregnancy
- A chemical pregnancy is a situation wherein an egg was fertilized but because it wasnt strong enough, the embryo is expelled by the body even before you hit eight weeks or two months.Hence, you would have tested positive but after a few days, you'll experience an early miscarriage without much ado because it'll be just like your normal period.

B. You could have a blighted ovum
A blighted ovum is a chemical pregnancy but much worse and in my opinion, more painful emotionally... because you lose the baby early on but you're body wasn't able to detect the miscarriage and so you continue to have pregnancy related symptoms..only to find out on your first ultrasound that your sac is empty.

C. Your baby doesnt have a heartbeat
This is similar to the first two in the sense that the embryo wasnt viable enough to make it through nine months of pregnancy and in this case, your baby's heart didnt form as it was supposed to and hence, it didnt have a heartbeat.

D. Your pregnancy could be ectopic.

The least graphic yet most accurate one I can find

An ectopic pregnancy means that you're baby didnt successfully attach to the lining of ur uterus..which means that it is somewhere else..more often than not, on ur fallopian tube or worse inside your ovaries or sumwer smaller. According to wikepedia, some very isolated cases of ectopic pregnancy do end up in successful deliveries but more than 90% of the time, expulsion from  the body is the only solution or else.. the embryo would continue to grow and cause that particular part to explode.

2. Your food preference and appetite will drive you crazy
We've all read and heard about women who crave for bizarre items while they were pregnant. So far, I havent craved for something crazy(well at least not in my opinion) but I have grouped my cravings and aversions into four

1. Food that I've always loved which I love more!
choco..love love love(though I try to control it cause of the caffeine)
juices..

2. Food that I've never liked which I hate even more
-bagoong
-spices with strong odors- cinnamon, curry..the likes

3. Food that I didnt prefer before but I prefer now
-fish
-citrus fruits- kiatkiat, kalamansi...ooooh.love!
-pansit bihon

4. Food that I liked before but hate now
-squid, hipon. dory
-particular processed food such as ham, squid balls, particular hotdogs

3. It's caffeine you should be avoiding and not just coffee.
Before pregnancy, it didnt sink in just how many products contain caffeine and you'd be surprised, especially if you start paying attention to food labels. I always thought that only dark colored beverages have caffeine but boy, was I surprised or more like reminded that it aint about the color!
General Tip: They do declare caffeine straightforward and not as chemical sounding thingie so you'd know right away
1. Softdrinks
- Like I said, I thought that only dark colored beverages have caffeine but nuh-ah. Of course, it's best that you avoid soft drinks all together but if you cant(just like me), here are a few tips:
-Sprite and 7-up are your best bets
-Even Diet Pepsi, Coke Light and Coke Zero have caffeine
-Some Citrus flavored soft drinks have caffeine

2. Iced Tea and Chocolate
-People do know already that these have caffeine from the main ingredients cocoa and tea leaves so the best tip I can give is that the purer it is( hot tea and dark unsweetened choco), the more caffeine it has

3. Energy Drinks
-Who'd have thought? not all though, but your favorite energy drink might have caffeine so always check the label- especially the products that have sprout in the market that promise to keep you going. As another blogger puts it-where do you think all that energy is coming from?

4. Your sense of smell is heightened and it doesnt spare your own body.
I always thought that when they say pregnant women have a greater sense of smell, they meant only the terrible fishy-garbage-let's-get-out-of-here smells, but no-oh, it's EVERYTHING. I pout when I smell my sister's perfume or my brother's deodorant cause they're too strong for me. I vomit every time I go to the bathroom and do the number 2.At times, I feel like a stray dog looking for food because I  can smell the food of the people 2 tables away.

Am I cute or whhhhhut?

5. People will want to touch your belly more than you think

Prior to my own pregnancy, I've always had a fascination with preggy womens' bellies but I did ask courteously before touching theirs. Nowadays, it's my turn to have my belly touched. Dont get me wrong, I dont mind one bit, I just didnt think that many people would touch it. I guess part of the reason is because I've always had a belly and now that I'm pregnant, my 13 week tummy looks more like 20 ^_^. So to those who do mind, it wont hurt to let them know :)

My belly at 3 months..more like 5 :P

In the end, you just have to think that things will turn for the better and know that'll be all worth it when u see ur angel.

till the next thought bubble!

Restaurant Review: Big Bad Wolf

There's still a TON of wedding related stuff that I can talk about..but now that a baby's on the way, I thought that

1. I am more interested to write about my journey to motherhood but I have to collect my thoughts first and
2. I have covered most of the important details about our big day and maybe the minor stuff can wait a bit.

So for, I'll shift to food blogging: all new experiences that hubby and I have had

At the top of the list is: Big Bad Wolf in BGC. It's at the back of Fairways Tower, we had the opportunity to eat there because I won free credits from Groupon/Beeconomic(yey!) worth 250. I used it for the big bad wolf voucher which allowed us to buy 500 worth of food. So what food did we buy

Now, truth be told, I had to do a lot of research about this. Hubby and I are not that well-off and so food tripping such as this one must be carefully planned. We once ate in an American restaurant chain that was so popular but we didnt feel full at the end of the meal so the last thing I wanted was for that to happen again. So I checked the net and based on what I found, here's what we had:

Potato Skins- 175?(I'll check the receipt later)

This appetizer was really good- Just enough to tease your appetite but still filling you up a bit. I read a review that complained a lot about the skins bein' too thick but ours were just right and the dip was really good with the skins- too bad they didnt serve the dip in that cute little jarsie thing I saw in reviews and blogs.

Next, we had our main course. Mine was Grainated Pork Tenderloin while hubby had the Santol Smoked Pork Belly. Let's talk about mine first: It was awesome!!!!! I am not a big fan of gourmet food because sometimes, the combination of flavors is so intricate that somehow, things get lost. However, this was one very good exception!!! The dish was made of strips of pork tenderloin cooked with mozzarella, shitake mushrooms and spinach. The cheese was quite understandable but the combination of mushrooms and spinach was what caught me by surprise and it was awesome!! Admittedly though, I thought it had a tad too much spinach and I felt like a little kid as hubby tried tried to finish off the rest of the spinach on the side of my plate. (sheepish grin)

At first, I was disappointed that it didnt come with rice but surprisingly, I felt very full after eating it(sans rice)

Now, lez talk about hubby's meal: Santol Smoked Pork Belly. Truth be told, I was disappointed with this one. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious but I had very high expectations on this dish given that 1: it was one of the more popular dishes and 2) it was kinda their best seller (or both). Like I said, it did taste good but it was very reminiscent of Christmas ham (the pork belly, only crunchier) plus ham sauce (the santol sauce). All the same, hubby finished it in a flash ^_^

  

Hubby only had water though I did mention that their coffee was good(according to reviews) while I had pink lemonade. It wasn't so pink(i was expecting it to be flamingo colored) and it wasn't so sweet nor too sour either- In short, the taste wasn't overpowering, which I liked. 

We also had mochi which was okay but for 90, I wouldnt recommend it since it's just the same mochi you'll get in stores

Verdict: We would definitely come back and we definitely recommend Big Bad Wolf considering the value for money, location, ambiance and service.

Points for Improvement: Better line up of desserts

Til Next time!

A personal account on airbrush make-up + Supplier's Rating: Colorplay by Malou Hibaler

Peso Power: 10,000 (2011 Bridal Fair Rate)
Airbrush Make up + Hair styling for the Bride
Traditional Hair and Make up for 3 heads
Grooming for the Groom 
Rating: 4/5 

Kwento: As early as 2010, I've been reading articles on airbrush make-up and I thought that I wanted it for myself on my wedding day. However, the quotations I've been seeing were skyhigh- I had a highschool classmate who got married and the rate she got was 15k- considering that she got married in 2011. I had to use extra special googling powers- that involved a lot of patience, clicking, reading and note taking. Finally, I came upon Ms. Malou's multiply site and I liked her for a few reasons:
1. She gives free trial make-up on bridal fairs
2. I had an idea about her rates from her site
3. She posted pictures of "real brides"- brides with skin problems, brides whose wait is not as ideal as it should be. This was a deciding factor for me- I am not so pretty myself and I was hoping she can help me become radiant on my wedding day.

Prior to that, I added her on facebook and based on common friends, she found out that I was related to one of her former colleagues. Nice! It doesnt hurt to have this connection other than our business link. So come August, I sought her out at a bridal fair in Megamall and I had a trial make-up session. It was quite lucky that it was also mine and then boyfriend's 6th anniversary- So I looked great for our big celebration. The deal was closed, I paid the dp and we were all set.

Pros: Ms. Malou and Ms. Menchie came in on time with everything on hand.I was also amazed with the products she used- they were all top of the line. They were also very prompt in making sure that I looked polished all the time. The minute the bridal car arrived in church, Ms. Malou went inside the car to do retouches and make sure that I looked good for my bridal walk. Before the picture taking, both Ms. Malou and Ms. Menchie immediately went to the church's platform and did retouches simultaneously. My cousins, noticed of course and made jokes about it- Taray ni Ypeh(ipe), dala-dalawa ang taga ayos!" 
It was even funny because prior to the reception, they did my second look and I was like a kid sitting on a porcupine- I couldnt sit still cause I wanted to go out. The post-ceremony photoshoot took longer than expected so I was apprehensive that guests were hungry and impatient so I wanted to start with the program as soon as possible. Ms. Malou and Menchie were patient enough and told me not to hurry too much lest my look would be terrible.

a snapshot of products that they use

Cons: Of course, the rate is much higher than your neighborhood parlorista, even for the traditional hair and make-up. This might be a big deal breaker for you especially if you plan to allocate your budget to other things that you deem more important.Also, my mother, maid of honor, bridesmaid and mother in-law were the three heads who had traditional make-up. They looked good but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The final verdict on Colorplay:The airbrush make-up was really worth it, especially if you compare it to the rate of other artists. However, the traditional make-up was average. Nonetheless, I say get their bride and groom + 3 heads package- if you compute it, it'll just be the same as getting their bride and groom package only + rate of 3 heads from your neighborhood salon sans the hassle of having more people in your bridal suite.

a picture of our family...my mom and 2 sisters who had their h&m done by ms malou and ms menchie

The final say on getting airbrush make-up
People always say that crap about " You're only gonna get married once" and I never followed this with everything else- except for the hair and make-up. I have very oily skin and I sweat a lot and I'm not exaggerating. I have one too many pictures as a bridesmaid that I threw away because the photos were not worth keeping-it was evident that the powder was uneven or my eyebags were still visible- you get the picture. I believe that I would be radiant in my wedding gown even if it was just very simple but I didnt want crappy pictures of our wedding day especially if it's due to the fact that I scrimped out on a good make-up artist. No regrets- my make-up artist lived up to her promise that airbrush makeup would be worth it. She only did minor retouches after the initial application, and I looked polished until the end of the reception. I was so happy that I was able to get my dream- good pictures whether taken by our official photog or our guests' point and shoot and/or cellphone camera, to think that our wedding day must have been the summer solstice- freakin' 35 degrees! To future brides, especially to those with skin concerns, believe me and please get airbrush packages, at least for yourself.

Happy viewing(Hope I'll be able to convince you!)

 model ng pili ^_^

moolah..more moolah! haha.. a picture with my in-laws(2 hours after my last retouch)

photo taken by our official photog

just to show that even with minimal lighting + unnerving heat, i still looked good when we had our photobooth moment!

Photo taken by a friend's point and shoot camera(final moments at the reception)

Tah-Tuh!