Apologies

Hang in there PK girls, we promise to be back on online circulation the moment Xmas break begins. Waaaaaah. Super duper sorry. We have a lot of making up to do. Nyay. @_@

The great reveal IN...!

....the great reveal in...

two days! Hang in there girls! We're just finding the right time. (hehe, sorry, been very busy with school)

p.s. we're closing the contest. It's sad nobody wanted to join but yeah, we're going to hold another like that soon so no worries :)

Let the drinks flow!

Happy anniversary to us, happy anniversary PK girls! We can't believe it has actually been a year! What started out as a mere hobby, turned into something great! We would like to thank you all for the support, we wouldn't be here without you guys. Thank you so much for appreciating what we do and helping us along the way. It wasn't easy, we're such amateurs at this but we're here now, celebrating our first anniversary, so maybe we did something right, right? hihi :P

We're a year older now so we'll try to take things up a notch starting with the site's new layout! We hope you like it! It's more mature, more posh, and I guess more sophisticated but that's really how it is when we get older right? We hope you stick around and "grow" with us! It's a step by step process but we'll try to be there for you all along the way. :)

Here's to more years!
Here's to being a perpetual IT girl!

Happy anniversary to all of us!

p.s. hope you all join the anniversary contest we're having. It'll be fun! We also created some icons for you girls to put in your site. We're adding more stuff to the site soon so just watch out, it'll be an exciting holiday season!

Are you an it girl?

Hello girls! It's just a few days away from our anniversary! Are you as excited as we are? Well, here's something that would get you all very excited! In celebration of our anniversary, we are giving away a 2009 Belle de Jour Power Planner! You getting excited already? You should!

Winning is simple! Just tell us what your favorite PK article is and why and you're good to go! Just comment on this post with your answer (don't forget your name!) We will be announcing the winner of the planner by the end of the week so you better go think of your wittiest answer now! The wording doesn't have to flowery or too extravagant, we're looking for depth! We're looking for someone whose answer exudes the perfect PK girl vibe!

Goodluck!

Update: I think there's something wrong with the comment box. If you can't comment, you may send your answers to ilovepeppermintkiss@yahoo.com :)

Oh vintage oh!

New trends are sprouting left and right that it's so passe if we tell you that checkereds are making waves right now (hoho, it's so obvious that they are!) so instead, we're giving you our fashion forecast:

Gonna go vintage, baby!

Ruffles, gold accessories, black and whites, creams, silks, pearls and drama, drama, drama!

Let's take inspiration from the queen of drama fashion herself, B!

err, maybe not backless. But you get the point.

Don't think Blair's the only one sporting this 'new' trend. It's starting to send ripples in the fashion scene thanks to winter runway shows in Milan and New York.

So be an it girl! BE the trend. Sport the stuff even before everyone else is wearing them! (nyuck, reminds me of my red checkered top I wore one time only to find about ten more girls wearing almost the same one)

**hey girls! Roughly a week before our anniversary! Hooray! Watch out for exciting stuff from us!

The Red Cups are back!

Let us all join STARBUCKS in welcoming the Holiday Season! Two signs of the 'Christmas Season ala Starbucks' are..one, red cups adorn the coffeeshops again and two, long order queues --the starbucks planner collectors need to acquire those stickers (y'know)!

So what's new with Starbucks' Holidays Celebration this year? Their new flavor, Dark Cherry Mocha! If you're curious about Starbucks' new Christmas drink, then here's a short description. Dark Cherry Mocha is a dark chocolate mocha drizzled with cherry syrup, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with dark chocolate powder. Sounds yum, right?

It really is yummy when hot. But when I tried the Frappucino version, I didn't like it as much. It tasted so bitter that I didn't even get a hint of the cherry flavor. But I have to admit, I'm quite addicted with the hot Dark Cherry Mocha but I'd still rather have the Peppermint Mocha (my fave flavor from last year's holiday drinks.)

However, for those of you who love the past Holiday Drinks' flavors, no need to fret. They still have the past two famous Christmas Drinks flavors - Toffee Nut Latte and Praline Mocha.

Anywho, go ahead and try it for yourself ;) Tell us about your experience, ayt? Enjoy!

Kung Fu Panda update

Hello PK girls! For those who didn't get to watch Kung Fu Panda in the cinema, we would just like to inform you that the DVDs and VCDs of the digital film are already out in the market. Hope you enjoy watching ;)

Knowledge power!

So okay, maybe the tv show with same title is so last season but really, the meaning of those words hasn't faded with time. Knowledge IS power! So to make you all PK girls much more powerful, we have here two sites that would surely tickle your fancy and undoubtedly add a handful of facts into your beautiful heads!

www.rulesofthumb.org - Click here if you want to find interesting articles about about different things in life! Want to forecast weather? Then just stare at the way ants crawl up your walls. When they travel in a straight line, expect rain but when they scatter, then you're up for some fair weather! Did you also know that if you want your cat NOT to jump up your lap, then don't make eye contact with it! Cool, right? --these are just some of the interesting information you can pick up from the site. Click away to know more!

www.damninteresting.com - Visit this site if you want to read interesting articles from the past, present and even predictions of the future! It has origins of things, unsolved mysteries and other fun articles that would surely rouse anyone's curiousness! Want to know the story behind the phrase, "remember, remember, the 22nd of November", then check this site out!

So there you girls! If you're bored and want to do something a little more productive with your time, why not just visit these sites and gain for yourself some very fascinating information? I mean hey, as passe as it may sound, Knowledge IS power!

A taste of Thailand

S and I have been big fans of Jatujak (pronounced as 'chatuchak') eversince we 'discovered' it in 2007. What is it exactly? It's a Thai restaurant in Mall of Asia offering the best of Thai cuisine!

My recent trip to Bangkok has made me remember the days of gorging on glorious food with S. Tasting the real thing reminded me of days we would (almost) skip class just to eat at MOA (hehe, bad!). But you know, the greatest realization I had in Bangkok while eating authentic Thai cuisine was how CLOSE Jatujak's food here in Manila is to the real deal!

We've been eating there for more than a year already and it is about time we rave about them here at PK!

So what exactly do Jatujak offer? Here's the best we've tasted (so far):

We celebrated our friend's birthday there and with a big group of six, we ordered fish (trying to be healthy and all that. hehe) Well, FISH we got! This one is truly a show stopper!

Crispy pla-pla with chili sauce

Sate Pork php 179.00

Chicken in Pandan leaves php 195.00

And of course you cannot say you've tasted Thai food until you've gotten a bite of their famous Pad Thai! Jatujak actually offers a really tasty and very CLOSE version of the original!

Pad Thai php 145.00

Jatujak is very proud of their Iced Coffee. Well, they should be as Thai coffee tastes wonderful! You have to check out their Milk Tea too! That's actually one of things I think Jatujak got exactly right from tasting Milk Teas in Bangkok. Just be warned that it's very unlike the local Nai Cha from Chowking. Thai Milk Tea is different. Wonderfully different.

Thai Iced Coffee php 65.00

So if you want a taste of authentic Thai cuisine without burning a hole in your pocket, then head out to Jatujak! It'll be worth the trip! I'm also very sure your friends, and your entire family would love it!

SM Mall of Asia
2nd Level unit 237 Entertainment Mall,
SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City556-0850

SM Mega Mall
104 Upper Ground Bldg A,
SM Mega Mall637 -1772

SM North Edsa
421 Annex the Block,
SM City North Edsa 442-0354

You brave enough?

If you still have post-halloween spirit, why don't you go for the ultimate in scare-fest and visit Hotel 626? I tell you, it will scare your pants off!

Click if you're ready to test your courage:

http://www.hotel626.com/

some facts and trivia:

1. It's a game created by Frito Lay (what a mad way to promote chips!)

2. You can play it ANYTIME, just set your computer watch to 6:00 pm

3. Best to play it with a friend or having a ym window open :)

Get ready for 2009!

It's not yet the end of 2008 but somehow, something about yearends always make me feel giddy for the next year. Well, well, my giddiness has been escalated to the next level when I remembered that we (S and I) are getting our Belle de Jour 2009 planners this month! Yes girls, the Belle de Jour 2009 planners are ready for release! Yay, yay!

The 2009 edition takes inspiration from the '70s with its groovy get glamorous feel. It also has MORE coupons (60 in fact!) and has bigger spaces for writing your whatnots! :) It still has the usual menstrual and expense trackers, goal/dream page, and all the other great things you love about your BDJs!



The newest addition to the bunch? A Belle de Jour Notebook/notepad that can also store all your coupons so it would be easier to bring these discount cards wherever you go!

It's not yet too late to pre-order your own Belle de Jour 2009 power planners! It'll even make for the perfect Christmas gift for your diva mom or your sassy sister! Visit their site for more information on this :) http://www.belledejourpowerplanner.com/

Or IF you can wait later or until the new year, the power planners will also be available at the following:
- National Bookstore
- Powerbooks
- The Rockwell Urban Bazaar in November

Get enchanted!

Hi girls! So how's your sembreak so far? Hope you're having a blast! But if you think it's not yet enough, then why not up it a notch by going on a final sembreak hurrah?

Where to this time? Where else but the happiest place in the country! ENCHANTED KINGDOM!

Enchanted Kingdom is having its EKstreme Sembreak Blowout promo for all students from any public or private school! Why is it so great? I'll tell you why!
1. Day passes only cost 275.00php on weekdays and 335.00php on weekends!
2. You get one free pepsi
3. You get discounts at the Triassic Tag, Xtreme Paintball, Exodus the ATV Ride and Kart Trak!

Cool, ey? So what do you need? Simple! Just present your school i.d. and you're good to go! So hurry now girls! It's not too late for one final hurrah before school starts again! :)

Promo period is from October 16 to November 16, 2008 only

French fashion 101

I've always had a fascination with everything French. I love their language, their food and of course, their country. *sighs and bats dreamy eyes* When I think of France, my mind sends me into dream mode where all I can see are the beautiful architecture, people in bicycles, dainty cafes, and gorgeous women--not forgetting the quintessential violin as background. Ahhhh... Paris! You are simply irresistible! Well, with everything Korean flooding Manila shores, my love for France somehow melted away in the background but now, I'm taking back my first love, because in my heart, a belle de jour I'll always be :)

*lol* I am such a dramaqueen. Well, before I completely get sidetracked, let me just tell you what this post is all about. As the title suggests: *cue drumroll* FRENCH FASHION! Yes, girls! Time for you to learn all about the essentials of French Fashion. The French as we all know are one of the classiest and most fashionable women in the World. Paris would not have been the Fashion capital of the world if not for them. So get your pens and papers ready and start jotting down the mode la femme:

1. Sexy cardigan

2. Cigarette pants

3. Ballet flats

4. Thick hairbands

5. French coats

6. Pencil skirt

7. Pearls

8. Opaque Tights

9. Red lipstick

10. Dark sunglasses

To give you an idea of what French fashion is supposed to look like, here's Audrey as example:

Some basic guidelines:
1. Choose toned down colors (earth tones)
2. Keep everything simple (not a lot of frills, ruffles, or anything overstyled)
3. Be very, very poised
4. Choose classic pieces that will not go out of style
5. The ultimate French style is looking "thrown together" but chic. Think: sexy and carefree NOT uptight nor too tailored.

So that's French Fashion 101 for you girls! Remember: JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE! The French are fashionable not because of their clothes but more of because of their attitude. Keep your head up, strut your stuff and know that you are absolutely gorgeous! :)

acetone?

NJ and I have been planning our Saigon trip since forever just because of the really sulit nail art she got there in her previous trip. Yes, it feels divine to get your nails beautifully done. Yes, newly painted nails do look gorgeous. But, what do we do once the polish starts chipping off?

Splurging for the nail spa - polish, nail art and all - is a privelege. It is a type of hygeine that should be properly done or else...(improper cutting of cuticles could cause ingrown) but you must know that even the acetone we use should be the proper kind. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use just any acetone. Even if it is cheaper to use the generic ones you see in groceries or drugstores, try opting for the branded ones. We are not suggesting these because we're brand conscious (coz we're not) but because the level of acid in these are milder. Remember, too much acid causes your nails to dry faster and get weak.

So, what do we suggest?

Sally Hansen Polish Remover
This brand actually has a wide variety of nail polish removers. Whether you have dry and brittle nails, thin nails, or sensitive nails; they surely have a polish remover for your nail condition. Their specialized polish removers contain several nutrients and vitamins that would help care for and cure your nails. My personal favorite is the salon formula for artificial & sensitive nails. However, my only concern with this brand is that it takes a lot of nail wiping before the polish is completely removed. A positive observation, though, is that it smells better than plain acetone and it doesn't dry the nails as much as plain acetone.

The Face Shop Fragrant Nail Enamel Remover

Honestly, I've been buying nail polish from Faceshop for some time now. But never have I glanced at their polish remover until last weekend. I got hooked and bought one because of what the bottle said. It said: "Specially blended with the sweet scent of strawberries..". Hmm..strawberries huh? Let's see if this product delivers. I tried it and I was pleasantly surprised that it really did smell like strawberries! I couldn't stop from sniffing the yummy scent. Also, even if it contains little acetone it is an effective remover - it didn't dry my nails and the polish was removed with just one wipe. I must say, I now have a new favorite nail polish remover. ;)

The next time your nail polish starts chipping off, I hope you remember our reminders and opt for the more ecofriendly and nail-friendly nail polish removers!

irREESEsistible!

S and I are big fans of Reese's peanut butter cups. We just love, love the peanut buttery goodness of Reese's that when we found out that Krispy Kreme came out with their IrREESEsistible line, we almost jumped in our seats from joy!

The line comes in three irREESEsistible variants:

Reese’s Peanut Butter & Kreme, an irresistible Reese’s peanut butter mixed with creamy vanilla icing on a Krispy Kreme doughnut

Reese’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate a perfect combination of Reese’s peanut butter, vanilla and rich chocolate on a Krispy Kreme doughnut

Reese’s Pieces & Kreme, a chocolate iced Krispy Kreme doughnut topped with crunchy Hershey’s Reese’s peanut butter candies drizzled with creamy caramel

Oh my! Are you drooling yet? Well, that's not the only reason you should head out to your favorite Krispy Kreme outlet! Here's one more:

So go on girls, walk--no run to your favorite Krispy Kreme outlet now! :)

Each doughnut is priced at 38php

Bring out your umbrellas!

...because a double storm is coming! Award-winning awesome twosome (and hot couple) Rihanna and Chris Brown is hitting the Philippine shores on the 16th of November!

The concert would be at the Fort, Global City, Taguig. You can get a 50% discount when you purchase your ticket from October 15-31.

Early Bird Prices for Ticket Buyers
Php 309
Php 1,545
Php 3,090
Php 8,240 (Not available online. All Php 8,240 tickets must be purchased at the Ticketworld outlets.)

Regular Prices for November 01-16 2008 Ticket Buyers
Php 618
Php 3,090
Php 5,150
Php 10,300 (Not available online. All Php 10,300 tickets must be purchased at the Ticketworld outlets.)

So better mark your calendars and start saving (or buying) now girls! This is going to be one of the hottest concerts of the year! So I guess we'll be seeing you there then? :)

For inquiries and reservations, you can call Ticketworld at 891-9999.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

The sequel is finally out! Hurry, grab your popcorn and soda, get to the movie theaters and catch this with your girl friends! Tell us about your movie date, ayt?


(Still) Starring:
(teehee)
Blake Lively (yes, for those who still don't know, she plays Serena Van Der Woodsen in The Gossip Girl Series)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty star)
Alexis Bledel (cast of the former series, Gilmore Girls) and
Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia lead)



P.S. Watch out for our review of this heartwarming flick ;)

Hair ala koreana

If there's one thing I am very picky about, it would be my choice of hairdresser. Years of experience has taught me never to trust just anyone with my hair. Because of that, I've become this kind of girl that would go only go to ONE hairdresser for all my hair needs. I cannot go wrong with it especially now that I'm grown up.

Well, in a sudden pang of decisiveness, I went ahead and entrusted my beautiful locks in a Korean's hands. Yes, you read that right. A Korean's hands!
This is my great Tony and Jackey experience :)

I went into the Tony and Jackey store with much apprehension and excitement. Everything looked foreign to me. I didn't know who to approach and what to do. I was also deliberating whether I really should go ahead with it or now. I was scared! Good thing that the man behind the counter was really nice and gave me a price list immediately. Apparently, the store was on a promo then! Wow! Well, it was because of that that I finally decided to just go with it! Ohmy! hahaha! :P

So I had my hair shampooed by this Pinay with fabulous locks. She was not minding me and was chatting with another girl but it didn't bother me. The way she shampooed and massaged my scalp was so relaxing! I totally love the scent of the shampoo as well. It's unlike anything I have ever tried before. Hmmm.. must be Korean made.

After my shampoo, I was seated in front of the mirror. It was then that I started to get scared. I motioned for my friend to hand me the "hair catalog" but another girl was browsing then. Shoot, I haven't decided on what kind of haircut to get yet! Oh no! Well, I didn't get to think too long as a Korean hair stylist suddenly approached me. Then the guy from the door came too. He asked me what I wanted and then translated it to the Korean. So what did I get? Haha, "same style, just shorter please" Haha. Told you I haven't decided yet!

So the Hair stylist got to work! He had this unusual technique that looks scary because he pulls your hair and then sort of "bluntly" cuts it. It was weird because you'd feel like he was doing "boxed" layers of your hair. Nyay!

But after a while, things started to look better. I finally saw how his technique was working for my hair. After a few more snips and fixing my straight bangs, it was done! Oh wooooow! Fabulous!

Sorry girls, can't show you YET. We haven't done the great reveal so maybe next time. Hehe! ;) Just take my word for it, okay? But to give you an idea of the styles they do, here's a sneak peak:

The cool thing about them is how "soft" your cut will look. I mean, just stare at the girl at the right, the layers on her face are soft and not very "pointy" like that of Japanese girls. They give you soft bangs, soft layers, even soft flyaways! haha! They just give you that "sexy" hair! :)

I totally love their perms too! While I was there, a girl was getting her hair permed and it looked fabulous! It was not kinky at all! I think that's the overall appeal of Korean hair care. It's like everything's so delicate that it would not ruin your hair. I mean, just take the Koreans as perfect examples. They change their hair everytime but it shows no sign of damage. The girl washing my hair said it was because Korean hair products are just light so it won't damage your crowning glory.

As for the price, well... I can't exactly say it's cheap because it's not. A haircut will set you back 500php while a perm will burn 3,000-5,000php in your pockets. But don't fret! There's hope! Tony and Jackey has a promo right now!
Woman's haircut - 300php
Rebond- 1500php
Perm- 3000php

So, what are you waiting for? Try it out! I won't be saying this is my GREAT Korean experience if I wasn't satisfied right? right! :)

For more information, go to their site at: www.toandj.com

Got nano?

Apple never fails to come up with new suprises for its ipod fans! Now, the nano gets vamped up again and what great modifications they have introduced!

Omigosh. Is it just me or are the colors of the new nano simply divine? Appropriately dubbed as nano-chromatic, this new generation of ipod nanos mixes the best of its old and new tech and design. For one, its style is reminiscent of the 2nd generation nanos which basically looked like a smaller version of the ipod classic. The new additions?

Genius Feature
This finds the songs in your library that go great together and creates its own playlist. Genius!

Shake technology
Reminiscent of the Ericsson technology, the nanos now has the shake feature that lets you change songs with a simple "shaking" of the gadget itself. It's pretty much a simpler version of the shuffle option. Very, very cool! :)

Screen power
The new nano screen is ultra flexible! It lets you view album art, photos and videos in landscape or portrait orientations. What this does is it gives you a bigger screen to work with especially when viewing your videos in landscape mode. The nano really does have the biggest small screen on earth!

Now isn't the new nano simply amazing? I don't know about you guys but I think the improvements on this one is really great especially for a mere 16gb ipod. So what are you waiting for girls? Time to head to your nearest Apple store and score yourself a chromatic!

For more information, check this out: http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

lapTOP. topSHOP.

Laptops are becoming more and more a student's staple. Almost everyone has one! Well, getting that 12 inch Mac book is not the end of your purchase! You have to make sure you have a great laptop bag to put your new baby in! I mean, hey, you wouldn't want to put a 60-thousand worth of gadget in a horrible and unpadded case right?

So to help you in looking for that ultra cool laptop bag that would soon be housing your baby, we have here a couple of sites that sell the cutest laptop bags and sleeves!

Bags in the City
The laptop bags here are ultra young and hip! They look like mailman bags but with funkier colors! What I love about these is the fact that there is an additional/optional strap so you can carry your bag both ways: either as an across the body bag or a simple handbag! Each bag also come with a free laptop sleeve so on days when you don't want to bring your laptop bag, you can just use your sleeve instead! Each bags costs php1850 :)

http://bagsinthecity.multiply.com/

Sacs n packs handbags
Sacs n packs offer the "traditional" laptop bag styles but with funkier colors! They look chic and formal but with a splash of color for an "unboring" look. Their style is perfect for college girls who are in limbo from being a teen to becoming a woman. So here goes your compromise!

quilted bag- php1250 ; striped bag- php2250

http://sacsnpackshandbags.multiply.com/

Noyp
This one's my personal favorite. Their designs are unique and very funky. It's like one of those shops that only the "it" crowd knows of as the bags are exclusively distributed through posh and "cool" stores in the country. I also love the fluidity of the designs which makes it look very elegant and chic. My money's definitely on these.

laptop bag w/ sleeve- php2500 ; sleeve- php850

http://getnoyp.multiply.com/

Go on girls! Time to give your cute laptops their own cute homes :)

p.s. Don't forget to add the delivery fee to the amounts indicated. Shipping rates apply per region :)