My Latest List of “Highly Recommended” Things! (Watson’s Grape Bella, Chicken Soup For The Soul Power Moms, Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio, Aubergine)

The past week has been hectic and exhausting. My 2 year old daughter caught the flu bug and an acute case of gastroenteritis.  There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing your child in pain, and while I am grateful she’s on her way to complete recovery, I’m also wishing and hoping for some “me time” verry soon.

Still, I’m thankful to have come across a few things/places that have brought a smile to my face…that I feel would be worth sharing with you:

1) Grape Bella Exfoliating Body Polish and Revitalizing Shower Gel

Where You Can Find This: Watson’s

I’m such a fan of bath and body products, but I usually don’t veer away from my tried-and-tested brands unless there’s really something worth checking out in new items, and these two really affordable bath products are part of that exception…The body polish has the consistency of the body polish and body wash usually sold in The Body Shop, and the shower gel smells grape…I mean, great! Not a bad combination to try for everyday use, and really refreshing to try.  It leaves a smooth sheen on your skin (try using the body polish on your elbows and knees most especially), with a subtle fruity scent.  Give it a shot!  And the shower gel bottle looks cute on the bathroom shelf too. Haha! (I’m a fan of all things purple, except bruiss. Harhar!)

2. Chicken Soup for The Soul POWER MOMS:  101 Stories Celebrating The Power of Choice for Stay-At-Home and Work-From Home Moms

Where You Can Find This: National Bookstore branches…for more Chicken Soup For The Soul titles, check Bestsellers (by National Bookstore) in Robinson’s Galleria

I can’t even begin to explain the joy and comfort this book brought me.  It’s packed with inspiring stories of encouragement written for and by stay-at-home and work-from-home moms, and since I’m both, I couldn’t help but laugh and appreciate the contents of this book. I wish I could buy every fellow stay-at-home and work-from-home mom-friend of mine a copy.  What I’ve always appreciated about the Chicken Soup For The Soul series is that these are REAL stories, so well-written that you can’t help but want to read them over and over again.  Grab a copy and curl up in your favorite chair, it’s one nice way to spend your “me time.”

3. Hair and Makeup by Edgar Soriano in Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio

Where is the salon located: 17 West Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo, right next to Cafe Juanita

When my husband and daughter and I attended the wedding of my bandmate Adam to his  beloved fiancee Cam, I took the time to have my hair and makeup done by Edgar Soriano, who has been fixing me up for events for the past 8 or 9 years.  He is excellent, and has grown to be a good friend of mine.  I also appreciate the salon where he works.

Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio is not your usual parlor/salon. Owned and operated by Dr. Efren “Boy” Vasquez, this OB-Gyn-turned-restaurateur and entrepreneur (he owns the famous Cafe Juanita with branches in Kapitolyo and Taguig), Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio reflects the cutting-edge style of hairstyling of the bearer of the salon’s name.  Kobe-born and Osaka-trained, Shunji Matsuo has had over 20 years of hairstyling experience, and he partnered with Dr. Boy Vasquez to put up his very first salon here in Manila.

The interiors of this salon are flamboyant.  You’ll find huge crystal chandeliers, mirrors and mirrors draped with silk fabric, a brass cupid, a collection of vintage dolls…It certainly is not your typical neighborhood parlor.  The ambience is teeming with gaudy visuals that evoke a feast for the eyes while still keeping a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere with its pristine white walls.

Edgar Soriano, a senior stylist in Shunji Matsuo, is chatty but works quickly and efficiently.  He used the latest in airbrush technology for my makeup (it was actually my first time to experience this) and it proved to be an interesting experience.  It felt like he was just spritzing and spraying a light mist on my face.  He made use of Temptu, the state-of-the-art brand that has not only airbrush machines but its own makeup line.

What I appreciate about Edgar’s style of applying make-up is that it’s never too much, and he knows how to make my eyes look even wider.  It’s my pet peeve when some makeup artists try to make me look chinita,when I’m really not.  My eyes are wide but “sleepy-looking” so it really takes a good makeup artist to make them up without making me look different from what I actually look like.  I like the feeling of looking polished and subtle.  The way Edgar applies make-up, it highlights and enhances my features in the best way.  I always feel good after getting primped up there.

It’s no surprise why I keep going back for hair and makeup with Edgar Soriano, my friend and makeup artist , all these years.

4. Aubergine Restaurant

Where It’s Located: 32nd and 5th Building
5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street
Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig

Website: www.aubergine.ph

Contact details: For reservations, e-mail the restaurant atdine@aubergine.ph or call [63] 02 856 9888.

According to the Miele Guide, it was one of Asia’s Top 20 Restaurants last year.  Just a few days ago, I discovered why.  My husband and I celebrated our third year wedding anniversary with a sumptuous degustation at Aubergine.

Check out these photos.  It was a fantastic dinner (and of course, I enjoyed it most especially because I was with my husband!)—The restaurant offers an intimate and tasteful ambience, delicious food, and excellent service.

According to the Philippine Star last July 17, Aubergine was also hailed Best French Restaurant.  Here are some of the yummy dishes we tried:

Their potato bread, butter and pesto cheese

Dilis bread with butter and pesto cheese

Amuse bouche inspired by flavors from the sea

Prawn salad with watermelon, pan-seared scallops, honey dill dressing, crabmeat and gravlax

Homemade ostrich ham with sherry flavored chicken essence

Pan-seared foie gras on a pillow of mango glazed with port wine

Lemon sherbet to cleanse the palate

Lamb

Potato-crusted salmon with clam mussels and saffron potatoes

Strawberry and Caramel Delight

Aubergine is a must-try resto if you love duck liver or foie gras, which happens to be their specialty. I wouldn’t mind going back to this restaurant!

5. “Couple Time” with your significant other

Personally, I feel that this is the best stress-buster, especially if you’re like me, a gung-ho hands-on mom.  Just last weekend we treated ourselves to few days in a hotel (we chose Holiday Inn, which is a stone’s throw away from Crowne Plaza, where my husband and I had our wedding 3 years ago)…It was a pre-anniv weekend, and even though we enjoyed it as a family, it also meant a lot that my hubby and I were able to squeeze in some couple time while our little girl was asleep.  We had a little ‘carpet’ picnic on the floor of our hotel room, spread out some newspaper and ate our takeout (Vietnamese food from Pho Hoa) and just talked and laughed in the dim light.

Old couple-friends of ours have always recommended “couple time” as an essential part of a hubby-wife relationship, and I completely agree! It pays to still enjoy each other even if you’re both parenting a little active child.

Here’s a shot of us having our little “dinner picnic.”

I can’t believe it’s been three years since my husband and I tied the knot. So many wonderful things have happened, and so many beautiful memories are continuously being made.  While there is no perfect relationship, the joys of being married to my best friend and eternal crush, as well as being Mama to a smart and beautiful and malambing child come pretty close, and I continue to thank the Lord for His perfect timing and His sufficient grace.

I pray you enjoy my current list of highly recommended things.