Friday Favorite Five

1. Two-tone gold bracelet, 20 PHP. Yes, you read that right, twenty pesos, bente, veinte, 20 bucks! Got this in an ukay in Baguio last year. I saw it among a pile of accessories and noticed that the lobster claw is of high quality. There are markings ("Italy 750") on the lock and thought that it might be real gold. I figured that if it turns out to be fancy, I wouldn't mind too much because it only cost me 20 PHP. After we returned, I forgot about it in the flurry of preparation for the coming supertyphoon (Yolanda). A few weeks later, I saw it and had it appraised. The jeweler pegged it at 5300 pesos!!! Winner! Winner! Winner!

White and yellow gold bracelet

 2. Ralph Lauren shades, from Ralph Lauren, style RA5130, price ??? This one has tortoise-like outer rim and stem and pearlescent blue inner frame. It's the exact shade of blue that I like. The golden hardware is shiny and appears to be resistant to scratches. Also, the frame is flattering to my siopao face. That alone is a huge plus! Hehehehe!!!

 

Ralph Lauren shades

3. Pottery Barn heart-shaped bowl and saucer set, from Pottery Barn, price ??? This is so pretty, right? No further credentials needed. Hahahaha! Seriously, red, heart shaped, stamped with "love" -- hello, Happy Valentines!

Pottery Barn heart-shaped bowl and saucer

4. The Little Prince planner, ~100 PHP. Got this from National Bookstore. It's not dated, which is both a pro and a con. You won't be under any pressure to immediately use it, but when you do, it's a b*tch to enter the dates. I had to buy a date stamper. Aside from the monthly planner, it has lots of pages for other things like lists, to-dos, all with charming illustrations. Nanghinayang akong hindi ako bumili ng marami. It's relatively affordable, but the quality is tops (hardbound). Perfect stocking stuffer. Sayang...

The Little Prince planner

5. Princess Etoinette baked blusher, from Etude House, purchased from HIP Style, ~650 PHP + shipping. Aaminin ko -- I only bought this because of the very cute container. So I was pleasantly surprised when I used the blusher and it turned out to be very pigmented and has staying power. It's a winter 2012 limited edition, and I searched high and low at different Etude House branches (MOA, Megamall, SM Baguio, SM Cebu, etc.), to no avail. I have already given up on my search when I saw a notification that my college classmate "liked" a Facebook page, HIP Style. I inquired and preordered. Ang tagal bago dumating -- I think I received it ~2-3 weeks after the estimated date of arrival; there was a delay sa Customs. I didn't mind the delay too much, as I've already given up on my search, diba? There are a number of freebie samples, which I really appreciate. A few months later, we were in Cebu --I checked the local Etude branch and saw that they were already selling it, but way, way pricier than HIP Style's. It was >1.6K, if memory serves.

Princess Etoinette baked blush

Phew!!! Akala ko hindi ko magagawa ang Friday Favorite Five! So busy, busy, busy!!! Sharkteeth isn't feeling well, plus I think I'm going down with a cold. Hays. Take care everyone. Health is wealth. Don't laugh! It's not a cliché. Seriously!

NOTE: In my bid to post regularly, I'm going, or at least try, to post every Friday five of my favorite things. They might be current or past possessions, though others might not be necessarily mine -- could be a wish for my fairy godmother (where are you, by the way?), could be something I saw and found interesting, but it will always be driven by beauty and functionality, hopefully both, but that's a tall order.