The Nicole Files

Quick update! Negene, Ate Stacy and I went to Universal Studios...

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:21:42 +0800

Quick update! Negene, Ate Stacy and I went to Universal Studios yesterday to watch The Voice live! The Voice is my favorite singing competition so this was really a big deal for me.

The day started pretty bad because of the excruciatingly long line. The audience wasn’t allowed to bring phones and cameras so imagine how boring that was like! We were standing in line for around 5 hours and we waited in the holding area for an hour or two. My sister, cousin and I were so close to ripping our hair off because of extreme boredom! The only thing that managed to get us by was our anticipation.

We were already tired the moment we got into the actual studio but we figured it was okay since we were really excited! We were situated in the pit (meaning, we’ll stand during the entire show) and it was the coolest spot because you’ll get to see the judges and contestants close up and you get to touch their hands when they pass by! When I got to touch Adam, Blake, Usher and Josiah, I made the decision to never wash my hands again. Ha!

Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez were there to promote Fast and the Furious 6 and they announced that they are giving the entire audience tickets to the movie premiere happening that night as well! We didn’t claim the tickets cause we were so tired but we immediately regretted it the moment we got home. Boo!

Anyway, watching The Voice was overall a fun experience despite how tiring it can be because you really get to see the effort the producers and the artists put in to the show. Also, you get to witness Adam Levine’s sexiness. Who could pass up on that? ;)

Collective Drugstore Makeup Haul

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:53:20 +0800

If you’ve been following my blog for quite some time now, you should know that I have become quite a makeup junkie. Drugstore makeup are my favorite because they fit my student budget and most of them are of really great quality!

Anyway, since I got here, I’ve been taking quick trips to our local drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) to pick up the products that are on my wishlist. I have built up quite a few, and here they are!

FACE PRODUCTS (L-R): Revlon Nearly Naked foundation in True Beige, Revlon Nearly Naked pressed powder in Medium, Wet N Wild Coverall Coverstick in Light and Wet N Wild blush in Mellow Wine

EYE PRODUCTS (L-R): Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Very Black, NYC IndividualEyes in Smokey Charcoals, NYC Browser Brush-on Kit in Brunette, Maybelline Master Duo Glossy Liquid Liner in Black Lacquer and Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded

LIP PRODUCTS (L-R): L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Stick in Rose Taffeta, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream Kiss and EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Summer Fruit

NAIL PRODUCTS: Sinful Colors nail polish in Hazard and Sinful Colors Shine with Gel Tech in Rendezvous

MISC: Studio 35 Beauty cosmetics sponges with Vitamin E and Maybelline Clean Express Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover

I haven’t had the chance to try them all yet so I can’t make a proper review. But if there’s anything in particular that you would like to know more about from this haul, just let me know! :)

Just Wing It

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:38:00 +0800

I am not a picky eater, I can eat half the world and be happy about it, but know this: I never eat spicy food (except for spicy tuna rolls because those bad boys are the bomb). Buffalo wings are obviously not a part of that exception as most of them tend to make me want to cut my tongue off. That all changed when my cousin, Stacy and her boyfriend, Jose treated Negene and I to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings last week.

The place was relatively huge with televisions everywhere airing every game you could possibly think of. I am not a huge sports fan so I didn’t really care, but for everyone who are, this place is perfect for you!

Moving on to the food, we first ordered The Sampler which consisted of nachos, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and boneless wings served with marinara sauce, southwestern ranch dressing and bleu cheese. We devoured this in seconds except for the nachos cause they weren’t exactly the easiest things to eat. I liked the mozzarella sticks best! They were really crunchy and the cheese inside were hot and melty.

Their table napkin which was obviously where I got my blog post title

After a few minutes, our order of 50-pc boneless wings arrived which came in a variety of different sauces and dry rubs of our choice: parmesan garlic, lemon pepper, sweet bbq, carribean jerk and buffalo.

I personally had the lemon pepper wings and they were just okay. They were pretty crispy but it lacked the lemon-y favor that I am looking forward to. I had some of these to-go though, and when I paired them with some cream cheese at home, they tasted heavenly!

I liked the parmesan garlic variety the best because it was full of flavor and was made especially for those who didn’t like the spicy kind (aka me).

Out of curiosity, I tried the wings with buffalo dry rub and it was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life (well, not really, but you get my point). It was extremely spicy and it didn’t even belong to the bottom part of their hot meter! It was like consuming a big spoon of chili powder.

Here’s Jose and my ate Stacy. Thank you for treating us!

And here’s their daughter, my niece/godchild, Illsa! She happily ate a fruit cup full of oranges while we’re busy eating.

Overall, my first Buffalo Wild Wings was a good one albeit my poor choice of dry rub. I’m definitely coming back to try the other food in their menu (they have quite an extensive list, by the way) and I highly recommend this place for everyone especially the wing junkies out there!

Q&A

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:35:11 +0800

1. Are you planning to stay in Cali for good after graduation? :)

Mmm that’s the initial plan! I still don’t know how it will all work out though.. Wish me luck!

2. Hi! Im really a fan of you and your sis Neg. :) I love your clothes and your styles. Even if you only wear simple t-shirt and shorts, you still look elegant. :) Can you give me some tips n how to dress up and where do you actually buy your clothes? Love them all. :)

Wow, thanks! This is really flattering! :) I actually don’t have a particular way of dressing cause I usually just pick pieces (usually basics) that I like! And I buy clothes from everywhere! Thrift stores, department stores, boutiques (except expensive ones lol), it doesn’t really matter as long as I find something I like :-)

3. Hi ate Nicole! I’ve been on your blog since lunch time and I couldn’t stop reading your posts, it’s not a bad thing though hehe. You’re lovely, I hope to meet you one day! Bye :-)

Aww, thank you so much! I hope to meet you someday too! <3

4. how did you apply for the california id thing and what is it for? are you moving? :) and is that PAL’s first class? :)

I applied for a California ID last summer! It’s basically just an ID :-) I’m not moving yet, I still have to go back to Manila to finish my thesis and OJT. Plus, I’m graduating (hopefully)! And nope, that we were just in the economy section :) We don’t usually upgrade to first class, unless we know someone working in the airline that could upgrade us for free! Hehe

5. hi! you have such a lovely blog <33 and i really like your post about your divisoria shopping. most people would say wearing clothes from divisoria is like kinda being poor but your post kind of turned the world upside down. idk what i’m saying but i hope you get it. haha

Hello! Thank you so much, that means a lot <3 And ya some people are narrow minded talaga for thinking that buying stuff from Divisoria equates to being poor and cheap. It’s actually really fun to shop there! And there are a lot of good finds as long as you’re patient enough to look :)

Mixtape 01: On Top of the World

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:41:00 +0800

On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
And the Birds Sing - Tyrone Wells
You and I - Ingrid Michaelson
You Make My Dreams - Hall and Oates
Patient Love - Passenger
Older Brother - Pepper Rabbit
Awkward - San Cisco
True Romance - Motion City Soundtrack
Valentine - Kina Grannis

Listen to it here: On Top of the World on 8tracks ♫

I’ve been meaning to post a mixtape for a while now but I never got the chance to do so cause I was preoccupied with a lot of things. But now that I have time, here it is! :) It’s basically a bunch of chill and feel good songs that I often listen to (and maybe dance to, lol). Enjoy!

I will always be a fan of LA’s palm trees. I love the fact that...

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:33:00 +0800

I will always be a fan of LA’s palm trees. I love the fact that you can see them everywhere!

First Fridays

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:41:45 +0800

Yesterday, Negene and I decided to participate in Long Beach Bixby Knolls’ First Fridays just to see what the hype was all about. The First Fridays event is described as a way to “ promote and support local artists and musicians by providing them with an outlet to showcase their work. Every first Friday night of the month, participating Bixby Knolls businesses will unite to promote local artists and musicians through extended operating hours”.

My sister and I basically walked the portion of Atlantic Avenue where the First Fridays event was going on. It totally killed our legs and feet but it was worth it.

Say hello to my First Fridays buddy!

I took pictures of the establishments I would love to pay a visit soon.

We passed by an art expo where they were selling paintings and all sorts of crafty things. Everything looked amazing!

There was a double decker bus around the neighborhood and Negene and I was planning on getting on it but we were afraid of getting lost! Later that day, we found out that it’s actually for free and it only drove around the whole of Bixby Knolls. What a bummer! I hope I can give it a try next time!

There was a small booth of beekeepers where they were showcasing tiny beehives and selling different flavored honey sticks for a quarter each.

After an hour or so of walking around, mom finally joined us!

The best thing about First Fridays is getting stuff for FREE.

There was a stall giving out free plants. We got a marigold.

Then there was this store giving out chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.

Free chili dogs!

And my favorite, free books!

I didn’t find a book I liked but I went inside the store to check their stuff out. They were selling second hand books and most of them looked like they were brand new! I can’t wait to go back to hoard!

Check out these cute little boys drawing on the floor. I think they were twins, or brothers? I don’t know.. But they looked identical.

Porky’s Pizza were selling slices for a dollar each.

And then there was this store, ‘Reptiles Unlimited’, where they were showcasing the snakes they were selling. It was terrifying cause the head of this snake was directly on my index finger. I genuinely thought I was going to get bitten.

We spent the rest of the night walking some more, checking a couple of stores out and watching street performances. My first First Fridays was lots of fun and I hope I could catch the next one! :)

Please excuse my awkwardness Outfit of the day: Black tank top...

Sat, 04 May 2013 13:52:45 +0800

Please excuse my awkwardness

Outfit of the day: Black tank top {thrifted}, highwaisted shorts {Metro Department Store}, black studded loafers {thrifted}

MAC Lipstick Haul

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:05:00 +0800

Last week, I found out that one of mom’s good neighbors, Carmen, is a professional makeup artist by profession. I also found out that she sells MAC products for cheaper prices and of course, the most obvious thing to do is to take advantage! She’s selling MAC lipsticks at 13 dollars a pop (roughly around 500 in Philippine pesos) and now I’m six tubes of lipsticks happier :-)

I didn’t really get out of my comfort zones as I still picked shades that I could use on a regular basis.

Top: Impassioned - This one’s an amplified creme lippy in a bright pinky coral shade | Bottom: Pink Plaid - It’s a sort of muted mauve-y pink that is perfect for everyday use.

Top: Creme D’Nude - My first ever nude lipstick. Fortunately, it didn’t look so bad on me! It’s the first nude lipstick that didn’t make me look super pale. | Bottom: Girl About Town - The lighting is pretty bad so you can’t see the color properly but it’s a bright fuchsia pink. It’s actually my sister’s choice so you wouldn’t see me wear this often!

Top: Russian Red - This one is a popular MAC shade cause it’s the perfect shade of red. It’s really pretty and I’m so excited to wear it on a night out soon! | Bottom: Coral Bliss - This has been part of my wish list for quite a while now and I’m so happy I finally have it! It’s a gorgeous shade of soft pink coral <3

I’m planning to buy a couple more soon but I haven’t decided on which shades yet. If you know of one that is worth trying, please please let me know (LOL, that sounded so redundant).

Q&A

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:32:33 +0800

1. Sobrang ganda mo ngayon, Nicole, nakakabighani. Haha! I meant, pretty ka naman taaga highschool pa lang tayo, ibang level lang ngayon. Super bagay pa kayo ni Ice foreverrrrrrr talaga. :)

Oh my goodness, I’m super flattered! Thank you so much, my friend <3

2. Hi, I’ll just ask how does charlotte russe do their shipping? Do they ship here in the PH? Thanks :)

I haven’t tried ordering from Charlotte Russe online! I don’t think they do international shipping, but maybe you could try Johnny Air’s services? :)

3. hi! :) i was backreading ur blog then i saw your post about what’s in your bag. i was just wondering where do you put your papers and all? i would want to minimize din kasi the things i bring to school :) thank you so much! and i love your blog! x :)

Hello! I don’t usually bring paper cause most of our readings are on my laptop. But if we do have readings on paper, I put them in a plastic envelope together with my yellow pad (which I rarely bring. Hehe!) Thanks for reading my blog, love!

4. PRAISE TO YOUR BLOG AMEN

Praise to people like you, amen :p

5. what photo editor do you use to adjust curves on your phone?

Afterlight and VSCOCAM are my current favorites :-)

Outfit of the day: Cream knitted sweater {thrifted}, Highwaisted...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:25:40 +0800

Outfit of the day: Cream knitted sweater {thrifted}, Highwaisted shorts {Metro Department Store}, Brown crossbody bag {thrifted}, Maroon sneakers {Vans}

Popping Tags

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:22:52 +0800

We went to a local Salvation Army today to do some thrifting. Everything was 40% off so our timing couldn’t be any more perfect! What I love about this particular thrift store is that they sell literally everything, from clothes to furniture to even cars! Plus, the proceeds go to charity which makes it even more amazing.

They have a pretty swell vinyl record collection.

And their selection of books made my jaw drop. You could really find a couple of good titles if you have the patience to look.

Anyway, I was able to pick up heaps of stuff but I’m only going to show you my favorites.

Here are a couple of knitted sweaters for two dollars apiece. I was able to score two more but I couldn’t find them at the moment.

Flannel shirts <3 Surprisingly, I found two of these at the men’s section.

A girl can never have too many pairs of high-waisted shorts. I think these were 4 dollars a piece.

A brown crossbody bag that I got for 5 dollars

A pair of studded loafers! I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced pair for so long; I knew I had to have it the moment I saw it! It was fate, really.

And my favorite purchases - books! :)

Mom will bring us to Goodwill next week, and we’re probably going to a couple of garage sales as well. I hope I score good finds then!

First of Summer

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:34:40 +0800

Hi everyone! I’m currently blogging from a place 7307 miles away from Manila, in the best county in the world called Los Angeles. My sister and I arrived here a couple of days ago, and this is where my summer vacation kicked off!

Based from the point of view of this photo, you may notice that I’m sitting in a middle seat. Negene and I weren’t actually sitting beside each other cause there weren’t any good seats left! Fortunately, she was placed right in front of me.

PAL always serves the most unappealing food! This is what I had for supper. Fish fillet and rice, penne pasta, a piece of bread and a fruit cup. My breakfast was a little better though; I had ham and sausages!

This was my view when the plane was about to land.

Side note: we were seated towards the tail of the plane so it was a really bumpy ride! It was super scary!

Finally reunited with my mom and my baby sister, Nadine! I missed them so much! :)

We got off of LAX at around 9/10 pm. There weren’t many restaurants open so we opted to grab a bite at In-N-Out instead.

I also got my California ID that night! We applied for this last year but it came in the mail weeks after we left for the Philippines.

The next day was rest day as Negene and I were suffering from intense jet lag. The day after that though, this little cutie had her first birthday party + baptism!

Everyone meet Illsa Rose! She’s my cousin’s daughter, making her my niece. She’s also my godchild cause I was one of the ninangs in her baptism.

My gramma nicknamed her “GG” because she’s her first Great Grand child, lol! Everyone calls her GG now.

GG’s pastel colored party loot bags that day

Alice in Wonderland themed cake! So cute!

She even had this party floater on! My cousins and I went inside it when everyone else was gone, LOL

GG about to “blow” her cake

And here are her parents! My cousin, Ate Stacy, and her boyfriend, Jose.

The best part of this party is having to see my cousins again! This one is Steven.

And this one is Camille.

The rest of the week was spent on bumming around the house, babysitting GG, eating my face off and going to random places with the family.

My favorite thing is going to drugstores because I could get the makeup I want that aren’t available back home!

Take a look at this random car I saw outside of Target (I think). Lucky person went to Coachella!

Oh I’m in love with this city <3

After Tuesday, even the calendar goes W T F. Outfit of the day:...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:18:55 +0800

After Tuesday, even the calendar goes W T F.

Outfit of the day: Graphic muscle tee {Tigerlily}, Black skinny jeans {Charlotte Russe}, Black velvet loafers {Cotton On}, Black crossbody bag {Mossimo}

Q&A

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:03:20 +0800

1. hi ate nicole :) i really love your blog :) can i ask what condo do you live?

Giving out which condo I live in in public is not my favorite thing to do! But I’ll give you this, it’s located in the beautiful city of Taguig :-)

2. Hey Nicole! I love how you take pictures. What camera do you often use?

Aww, thank you! This means a lot to me! I only use an entry level camera: Nikon D3100

3. So in a few weeks, I’ll be going to grad ball and I need your advice! Remembered you posted something about underarm bleaching before. Do you remember how much and where was it? Plus is it recommended? Oh and do you know of a nice place not too expensive where I can get my hair and make-up done as well? :) Thank you so much! I’m a loyal follower of your blog!

I am so sorry for answering this late! I hope you had fun at your graduation ball! I bet you looked stunning :) Anyway, for your future reference, I had the bleaching done at a spa called Sweet Nails. And for your hair, I recommend having them done at Blowout Bar in Makati :) I can’t really recommend salons that do makeup because I do mine on my own.

4. what app is the heart shape border? :)

I used Afterlight for that :)

5. Hi ate Nicole! I’m really curious, How did you father died? If you don’t mid me asking thought, thanks anyway! Really loooooooooooooove your blog! You’re the best! <3

It’s okay, I don’t mind! My dad died because of cardiac arrest. Mm thank you for being so kind! People like you always make my day :)

Outfit of the day: Black cotton top {Forever 21}, Maroon skater...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:08:34 +0800

Outfit of the day: Black cotton top {Forever 21}, Maroon skater skirt {Bubbles}, Plain black flats {Vera Wang Lavender}

Into The Wild Part 2

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:03:00 +0800

As stated in my previous post, I went to Zoobic Safari with Ice for my ADPHOTO finals project! My shots that day were fortunately heaps better than the ones I took in Manila Zoo so yay! Anyway, I’m in a hurry and I really don’t have the time to narrate everything so I’ll let the pictures do the talking :)

We were greeted by this lovely tiger upon entering!

The two birds on the right look like they were kissing. Cute!

From what I remember, the last time I saw a camel was January of 2001 in Hong Kong’s 7 Wonder of the World!

My favorite part of the trip, feeding the lions and tigers! It was scary and exciting at the same time.

But the tigers were so chill that they didn’t even notice the chicken laid in front of them! Lol.

After a long day at the zoo, Ice and I ate dinner by the Subic Bay! It was such a beautiful sight, these picture doesn’t do it any justice.

P.S. Quick update! I’ll be heading to the States tomorrow for vacation. I’m so excited!!! Ahhhh <3 I’ll finally be with my mom and baby sister again!

Into The Wild Part 1

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:09:00 +0800

Ice and I took a quick trip to Manila Zoo yesterday to shoot for my ADPHOTO finals. To be honest, I didn’t particularly like my shots mainly because 1) my lens was going bonkers that day 2) I seem to have forgotten all the stuff I learned in my photography classes and 3) well, the photos were really bad! Now I know one thing’s for sure, I am not cut out to be a wildlife photographer. Haha! There are some shots that I did manage to like and am comfortable with sharing though. Here they are!

Look at how adorable this elephant is!

Lazy Hippo

My next destination is Zoobic. I hope to capture better shots then! :)

We had our last ever block pictorial the other day. It was a...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:35:00 +0800

We had our last ever block pictorial the other day. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that this may be one of the few moments we’ll spend together. But I was really glad to see most of them. I love my block so much! My college life would not be amazing if it wasn’t for them. :)

In A Nutshell: March 2013

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:03:06 +0800