V app | Meet, Greet, and Interact with your Favorite Kpop Stars!

Attention K-Pop fans! Here's something to feed our (yours and mine) K-pop addiction! :)

V app, a live-streaming video application featuring the hottest K-pop stars, is now available for all iOS and Android users worldwide. Since the beta release in July 31st, V app has become the best gateway to meet the top-notch K-pop stars everywhere. With the recent official iOS and Android launch, V app provides more stabilized service for global users to enjoy fluid communication with their favorite stars. Currently, 55 lineups of K-pop celebrities are signed up on the on-air schedule, including Big Bang, SM Town, Wonder Girls, 2PM, and Kara.

Introducing V app!

Comprised of three categories - ‘Special Live,’ ‘App Live,’ and ‘Spot Live’ – V app offers exclusive videos of concerts and showcases, while revealing celebrities’ hidden personalities and talents through self-produced contents by the stars themselves. Also equipped with a real-time chatting feature, users can have engaging communication with the stars.

Chat with your favorite K-pop stars!

With the ‘Star Following’ feature, users can follow the individual channels established for each celebrity group and receive alerts when their favorite stars start their live-broadcasting. Other additional features such as ‘Upcoming’ and ‘Chemi-beat’, allow users to stay updated for upcoming on-air schedules and have more interactive experiences with the stars. Total of two to six new contents are released daily. After a live-broadcast, users can watch the video again through VOD service.

The upcoming broadcasting schedule will feature Big Bang, the most-beloved K-pop idol group, who currently are preparing for their next live-show. Since September 2nd, Big Bang V LIVE has been aired on every Wednesday at 10 PM (Manila Time), where each member meets with global fans through individual live-show. After the success of the three previous shows with G-Dragon, Taeyang and T.O.P, (which are all available to watch on V app’s VOD service), over 1 million fans are following Big Bang’s V app channel. Two additional shows by Seungri and Daesung are scheduled to air on September 23rd and 30th, respectively.

G-Dragon is love!

Proving its global popularity with a record of 610,000 downloads in 170 markets on the first day of its beta release, K-pop lovers in 210 countries are now interacting with their favorite stars through V app. App downloads in non-Korean countries account for more than 60% of the total download numbers. V app especially enjoys popularity in the Philippines and other regions including the U.S., Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Naver is now focusing on the provision of smoother global services, while expanding the lineup to include non-Korean celebrities in the future.

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ABOUT V
V is a global live-streaming video application launched by Korea’s IT service company NAVER, also the parent company of global messenger LINE. Based on its know-how and technology established through the operation of Starcast, a live-broadcasting service providing various video contents of Korean celebrities, Naver’s V offers lively videos of celebrities, uncovering different aspects that global fans have never seen before.
Download link to V: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naver.vapp (Android) https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1019447011?mt=8 (iOS)
For more about V’s celebrity lineup: http://www.vlive.tv/
V app Intro-Video: http://tvcast.naver.com/v/444557

ABOUT NAVER
NAVER Corporation is Korea’s No.1 Internet company, operating the nation’s top search portal 'NAVER' (both PC and mobile). NAVER has introduced many innovative services over the years, such as ‘Comprehensive Search’, ‘Knowledge iN’ and ‘Real-time Rising Keyword'. In addition, since releasing the ‘NAVER' application, NAVER has launched applications for a wide variety of services. NAVER offers innovative mobile services for the global market, including the mobile messenger LINE through LINE Corporation, NAVER’s subsidiary. NAVER launched the Webtoon service in June 2004 in Korea and has pioneered distribution and consumption of webtoons, also known as internet cartoons.

Hair Story | Innisfree Camellia Bubble Hair Color.

Surprise, surprise! I actually found the time to update this blog. I have been neglecting it for waaaay too long - but not without a reason, of course.

As I have mentioned in my Facebook page, my son's school activities have taken up most of my time. And with all the stuff that he's doing at school, plus his karate training during Saturdays, I don't even have the time to catch up on my Korean dramas (and you know how my day can never be complete without watching an episode or two of these Kdramas!), let alone catch up on my blog backlog. Hopefully, I will be able to get a one or two more blog posts up within this week, with the Eid ul Adha holiday coming up.

But first things first. Let me first share with you what happened last weekend (aside from Alden Richards and Yaya Dub and their most awaited date - yes, I'm a fan). I colored my hair again, and as always, in DIY-fashion.

Innisfree Camellia Bubble Hair Color.

This time around, I used the Camellia Bubble Hair Color from Innisfree, which I purchased for Php 295 from Kkochipida. There are no Innisfree stores here in the Philippines, so I usually shop for their products online. That, or my husband buys them for me. Haha. ;)

Hangul text at the back of the box.

Moving on, there are four shades to choose from in the Innisfree Camellia Bubble Hair Color Line, and the one that I got is #4 Burgundy Red.

Shade reference at the side panel.

Inside the box, you'll find the following: a pack of Coloring Solution (1), a bottle of Liquid Solution (2), two sachets of Hair Treatment (3), a cape, a pair of gloves, and an instruction booklet.

Unboxing.

The instructions are written in Hangul, and comes with illustrations for the benefit of those who can't read Korean (me included).

You're in luck if you can read Hangul.

Otherwise, you can just deduce from these illustrations. ;)

So here's what I did:

1. Wear the cape and latex gloves.
2. Pour the Coloring Solution inside the pump bottle.
3. Tilt the bottle from side to side so that it mixes with the Liquid Solution inside the bottle. Do not shake the bottle, as it may become too foamy to pump out.
4. Pump out the foamy mixture and apply it on your hair.
5. Leave it on for about 20-40 minutes. 
6. Rinse thoroughly.
7. Apply the Hair Treatment next.
8. Leave it on your hair for at least five to ten minutes.
9. Rinse.

Here's how the bubble foam looks like. It has a mild, floral scent, which I reckon comes from the camellia oil.

Grimace? :)

Like most Innisfree products, this Bubble Hair Color also has the 4-Free System. Meaning, it is free from ammonia, tar, silicone, and mineral oil. Plus points for being chemical-free!

Finally, here's how my experiment turned out.

Before.

After.

From the 'after' photo, it may seem like my roots were not colored properly. In actual, however, it did a pretty good job of coloring my hair. Totally digging the soft, pinkish red shade! :)

My only gripe? The color bleeds like crazy!

I dyed my hair last Sunday, and the color still bleeds even after two days of washing! I've tried several brands of bubble hair coloring before, but this is the first time that I've experienced excessive bleeding. I couldn't even wear light-colored tops, out of fear of staining my clothes. Here's hoping that there will be no more bleeding when I wash my hair tomorrow. Fingers crossed. ;)

Sneak Peek | Covergirl x Star Wars Collection.

 If you're a Star Wars nerd, or a makeup junkie, or both (like I am), then you've probably heard about (or have seen photos of) the latest collaboration between Star Wars and American cosmetics brand Covergirl. This collaboration was officially announced a few weeks back, but it wasn't until last Friday, September 4 - that's Force Friday for us Star Wars geeks - when the collection went on pre-sale at selected online retailers.

Covergirl x Star Wars.

Available for a limited time only, the collection includes six new lipstick colors, three shades of nail polish, and ten tubes of mascara featuring quotes from the Star Wars films - including the first six films and upcoming film, The Force Awakens.

Star Wars Limited Edition Colorlicious Lipstick.

I am in love with the lipsticks. All of them. Seriously, I want them all! :)

From L-R: Dark Purple, Gold, Red, Lilac, Silver, and Nude.

And here are three shades of nail polish from the collection. Apparently, there are now six shades of the Star Wars Outlast Nail Polish listed in the Covergirl website. The other three shades are Nuclear (yellow), Mutant (blue), and Fury (red orange). 

From L-R: Speed of Light, Nemesis, Red Revenge. 

Finally, we have the mascaras, which are classified into two - the Light Side and the Dark Side.

The Light Side mascaras.

The Light Side Mascaras are waterproof, while the Dark Side Mascaras are not. Guess I'll be choosing something from the Light Side, since I prefer waterproof mascaras (and eyeliners, for that matter). 

The Dark Side mascaras.

I have not bought any new makeup lately, mostly because I realized that I still have too much unused makeup in my stash, but seeing this collection makes me wanna... hoard them all. Haha!

How about you, will you be getting anything (or everything) from the Covergirl x Star Wars Collection?

Spotlight | Skinny Mint TeaTox.

And just like that, we're down to the last day of August! It's September tomorrow, and the next thing we know, it's almost Christmas! Now before this day officially ends, allow me to share with you my Skinny Mint TeaTox experience.

If you're following me on Instagram, then you've probably chanced upon my Skinny Mint photos and how this product has made me into a tea convert. (Insert expressions of shock here, haha!) It's no secret that I'm a coffeeholic, consuming no less than 2 cups of coffee a day. My mornings are never complete without my favorite cup of Joe, and I just have to have a cup of coffee beside me whenever I write or work on a blog post.

But after doing the Skinny Mint TeaTox program, I now look at tea in a different light. Would you believe that I now drink tea more often than coffee? Yep, and I owe it all to my Skinny Mint teatoxing. Their teas taste really good - so good that now I consider myself a 'tea person' as well. :)

The Skinny Mint 28 Day TeaTox Program.

What's teatox, you might ask. Simply put, it is tea + detox. It’s an effective and natural way to cleanse your body by drinking tea. Teatoxing helps you to boost your metabolism, flush out toxins, reduce bloating and burn fat. It's not a diet or a meal replacement, so yeah, you eat as you normally would and you need not deprive yourself of anything. Of course, it would be best if you eat clean and healthy, but I know the feeling of not being able to say no to pizza. Or doughnuts. Haha! :)

Now when you do the Skinny Mint TeaTox program, you get to drink two different blends of tea. There's the Morning Boost which you take before or during breakfast, while the other is the Night Cleanse, which you take every other night after dinner or before you hit the sack.

I love how these tea bags are not made of paper.
The bags don't stick to each other, and they don't rip apart.

The Morning Boost contains approximately 62 mg of caffeine, which is good since I don't think I can function properly without caffeine in my system.

Morning Boost to start your day. 

What the Morning Boost is made of.

Plus, it's made with all-natural ingredients, which are formulated to complement each other, with guaranteed effects. I know that for a fact because it was quite easy for me to fend off food cravings while I was teatoxing. :)

And what you get. :)

The Night Cleanse, on the other hand, helps to flush out toxins overnight. It has a laxative effect, which is the perfect way to wash away your guilt after indulging in heavy meals (goodbye, pizza, pasta, and potatoes, haha!).

Night Cleanse before bedtime.

The ingredients.

The promise.

I love how this tea made me sleep better at night, and how it made me feel less bloated. I also love the combination of ginger root and orange leaves in this blend - very soothing to the throat, and very aromatic, too!

It's been almost three weeks since my teatox program ended, and I'm quite happy with the results. 

I lost 3 kilograms with the program, which to me is pretty good considering that I did very little exercise during that period. Also, I got sick during the second week of my teatoxing - fever, cough, and colds and I blame the erratic Philippine weather for it - so I wasn't able to drink tea for about a week. (Thus extending my supposedly 28-day program.)

Say hello to my 17-year-old Elmo mug. 

The Night Cleanse is love. :)

I'm actually looking forward to doing another round with these Skinny Mint teas. There should be a 4-6 week break between each teatox, so I guess my system would be ready towards the end of September. Gotta shed a few more pounds before the holidays, you know! :)

Now if you would like to try the Skinny Mint TeaTox Program, simply visit the Skinny Mint website to order. You can pay via Paypal or with your Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card. The best part? It won't take an eternity to receive your order, and they ship worldwide for FREE!

Skinny Mint
US: 347-602-4551
Singapore: +65 6750 4478
United Kingdom: 020 7048 3339
Australia: (03) 9008 4282
hello@skinnymint.com

Basic Tips for Choosing a Home in Australia.

I have recently noticed that a lot of my friends abroad have been migrating to Australia, particularly the Melbourne area. When I ask them why they chose Australia out of all the other countries to migrate to, their answers could pretty much be summed up in one sentence: Australia is a really great and beautiful country. Looking back to my previous trip to Australia, I have to say that I completely agree with them. Australia is a truly peaceful, clean, and tremendously beautiful country. I will freely admit that if I had the opportunity to do so, I would love to live there together with my small family.

In fact, I have found myself contemplating the possibility of migrating to Australia with my family! It has even come to a point where I have been looking up potential communities in Australia to move to – after all, you never know!

City Circle Tram in Melbourne, Australia.

In any case, if you happen to be looking to purchase a home in Australia (or you are just curious about Australian home buying), I want to share with you some general but highly useful home buying tips that I have gleaned from my friends, my own experiences, and the handy dandy thing called the internet. Take note that these same tips can be applied to pretty much regardless of what country you want to buy a house in.

Be informed.
The very first thing that you have to do is make sure that you are well informed of all the things involved in home buying. Unfortunately, buying a house is not at all like buying supplies from the department store – there are no returns, exchanges, or refunds. In short, buying a home is a really huge step and a really big investment, so you have to be prepared. If you can, you should definitely attend home buying seminars or at the very least, get advice from people who have actually bought houses themselves.

Photo credit: News.com.au

Set a budget.
Budgeting is key here. You have to understand your financial capabilities and realize your financial shortcomings. You have to think about how you will actually buy the house and where you will get the money from: Do you have savings stashed away? Will you take out a bank loan? Is there some sort of sale or package you can utilize to your advantage? You have to think about these things carefully.

Be realistic and be flexible.
This is probably the most important tip of all. When buying a house, you will of course have a “dream house” in mind. However, unless you have millions to spare, you will have to face the fact that your “dream house” may have to wait for a couple of years and you may have to settle for a more budget-friendly home for now. You also have to think about whether you want to buy a house and lot like one of Lend Lease's house and land packages in Melbourne or if you want to buy a pre-built or even a pre-owned home. Just keep in mind that whatever you do, you have to make sure that you get a home that will make you happy but will not cause you to be buried in an avalanche of debt later on.