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My favorite K-Beauty online store turns ONE today!!! Let's celebrate with lots of promos and discounts. Shop at http://ph.althea.kr starting July 20 - 31, 2016 and take part of this fabulous celebration!

What's in store as #AltheaTurns1?

>> Limited Edition Birthday Box + DIY Party Kit
For orders placed on 20/7 onwards. While stocks last.


>> Free Goodies for first 1,500 shoppers
Full size beauty products. While stocks last.


>> Birthday Giveaway. Pick 3 Top Sellers for 100% REBATE!
Rebate will be credited into your account.


>> #AltheaTurns1 Instagram Contest
- Got your Althea party kit? Wish us a happy birthday with #altheaturns1 and stand a chance to win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!
- Prizes total worth KRW10,000,000 to be won.
- Contest starts from 20th July - 15th August, 2016.



If you're looking for affordable Korean beauty products, Althea Korea is where you should be at! They carry most Korean makeup and skincare product that are tried and tested by hundreds if not thousands of beauty bloggers in the Philippines and all over the world! I know I have a wonderful experience every time I go shopping at Althea Korea | Philippines.

Remember these?

This!!! 💕 Korean makeup and skincare from @altheakorea! 💕 Too bad my camera failed during my unboxing, but here it is... My haul from #altheaph!!! These came bubble wrapped for safety and got my 100% authentic goodies in excellent condition straight from Land of the Morning Calm. Even the box had no dents, so props to the Korean courier! 👍👍 Watch out for their grand opening launch promotions on February 15 and visit http://ph.althea.kr! 💕 #bastaigatsikat #korean #makeup #skincare #innisfree #skinfood #etudehouse #altheakorea #bbloggers #beautybox #beautybloggersph #pinkbox #kawaii #daebak #instabeauty

A photo posted by ✨💖💜MyMaria💜💖✨ (@bastaigat_sikat) on Feb 9, 2016 at 8:21pm PST

Well, as you can see my latest purchase certain did not disappoint! These goodies may or may not be available here in the Philippines, but hey, where else can you get FREE SHIPPING when you purchase at least Php1,500 straight from the Land of the Morning Calm!!?  I buy most, if not all, of my eyebrow products from them.


So what are you waiting for? Join the celebration and don't forget to greet Althea Korea a very happy birthday!

Ahoy, me Hearties!!! What do we have here?

#FoundItOnGalleon

Do you know what the biggest issue is for smart online shoppers who want to go on retail therapy? It's that most of the best and high quality products are sold overseas... in the US specifically. Plus at times they're cheaper there, too, what with all the discounts and the sales. But when it comes to shipping them, be prepared to pay for fees that cost twice as much as your order! Blimey!

It's a simple process really. Just login to www.galleon.ph, shop til you drop then pay for it (in PESOS!), and wait for your package to get shipped!

Recently I wishlisted some stuff I will be buying for myself (ahem, birthday gifts!). So I usually buy my arts and crafts stuff, diet and fitness gadgets and gizmos, and even some beauty and personal effects from the US simply because they are NOT AVAILABLE here in the Philippines.

1) Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils (132 Colored Pencils)

The only ones you can find here are 12, 24, and 48 pencils and even those are very rare commodities. The big sets are nowhere to be found! Although some 3rd party sellers offer the huge sets, they cost an arm and a leg. I'm better off ordering it direct from the US. The price is fairly reasonable and even if I have some friends or family in the US who I can simply ask as a favor to purchase them for me, I wouldn't want to put someone through all the trouble of carrying this bulk and to cause the excess baggage.

2) Nutri Bullet by Magic Bullet


This is the real, authentic, and original Nutri Bullet. For health issues, I really don't want to risk buying from online sellers who sell grade A or replicas. They might even give you some type of guarantee but I've read too many horrific stories about these cheaper copies blowing up due to quality control issues. Better get authentic products from the US for peace of mind! Sure it might be triple the price compared to the ones being sold by some third party sellers, but hey, this is ORIGINAL!

3) Tampax Pearl Plastic Triple Pack (50 Count)


Of course, because I'm far from being menopausal, the dreaded monthly visit from Aunt Flo just becomes less annoying with tampons. It really bugs me why this isn't mainstream in the Philippines yet. Are we too conventional? I don't know, but I've used this for over a decade and I just can't live without it. This is not just your regular tampons. Sometimes like an elusive rainforest animal, you could spot a tampon or two at some specialty shops but those are with cardboard applicators, and I only use the Pearl Plastic ones! You know, whenever we watch old classic movies or those set in certain time periods during date night, I always ask my husband, "Do they even have sanitary napkins back then?" much to his chagrin.  But I digress.

So back to the topic, sure you can order directly from online sites in the US, but again, you need to deal with ridiculous shipping charges on top of the hassle that Customs impose and/or argue with couriers. Scallywags! Don't even get me started on that. It's really not worth the stress. Retail therapy is supposed to be a fun, enjoyable activity!


Here's why it's better to take the Galleon PH route.

The last feature is just amazing. I mean, a balikbayan box too expensive or too big for just one or two items? Galleon PH got you covered! You can still shop at your favorite US online stores and ship individual items to the address of Galleon PH in the US and they'll be the ones to ship it here to the Philippines with all-in shipping charges and customs and duties via Air or Sea! (Still confused? Read HERE.)


Yo Ho Ho! It's like finding a buried treasure! It's the gem of all online shopping sites, as far as Philippine buyers are concerned. Best of all, you don't have to leave your home. The Galleon PH website is very responsive. You can be on your computer, your phone, or your tablet. Don't worry about having no dollar$ nor doubloons, you can pay with ₱esos with dozens of payment methods... so from Aparri to Jolo, you can shop til you drop!


Oh, and did I mention they have a commendable customer service? Aye! Their chat support is super helpful! Shiver me timbers!


Avast ye! So next time you want to go on retail therapy, come on-board, matey! Join me and let's embark on a swashbucklin' shopping journey across the Seven Seas at http://www.galleon.ph!

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen!

#pHCareNaturals #NaturalCare

Just in time! This package couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. I've got these empties right now and something tells me I'm gonna love these latest variations of pH Care intimate wash. I've always picked Cool Wind and have been using it for years now.


However, I just couldn't wait to try the latest and all-new pH Care Naturals line! Check these out!



We all know how papaya is effective and pretty popular when it comes to whitening, and so here's pH Care Naturals Papaya to address that.




And in addition to that, we now have the pH Care Naturals Guava that's got great cleansing and anti-bacterial properties.




Now, you can be assured of natural care “down there”, para fresh and clean na, odor-free pa!



The NEW! pH Care Naturals Intimate Wash is available for P49.50 (50mL) and P104 (150mL) at leading supermarkets, drugstores, and beauty stores. For more information, check them out at http://facebook.com/pHCare.



So what are you waiting for? Check it out because not only do they smell so good, they also work wonders so you can keep feeling naturally fresh and clean! Go natural! Get the pH Care Naturals Papaya or Guava intimate wash!

I'm still on a self-imposed makeup ban but this is an exception! What is? Well, I saw this really nice vanity case by Suesh at http://beautymnl.com while window shopping, or should I say, monitor shopping.


With too much makeup on my table, I've honestly run out of places to stash them. Which I think very well justifies my need to get this... ASAP!!! Also it's very hard to find vanity kits and makeup cases locally, so my best option is to buy online. I know these things are limited in quantity and very much in demand, so I went ahead to order it before it got sold out. Note: That was 5 days ago (if you count the weekend).

Ordering is easy as 1, 2, 3!

You simply add the item in your cart and when you're ready to checkout, you can input your shipping details. They deliver NATIONWIDE. They also have this box that let's you put in an authorized recipient's name and phone number just in case you're not there to receive the package. Awesome added security!


Then you choose your payment method with whatever's convenient for you and there are 4 options. You know what? I've been doing online shopping for a decade now and I seem to have developed a radar to detect legit and scam sites. A lot of my friends come to me before they buy something online and they ask, "Hey, is this site for real?" Even since I got scammed some years ago, I'm always wary of sites that only allow online payment transfers (you know, LBC Pera Padala, Western Union, GCash, Smart Money and the likes). That's a big red flag there. If an online store, in this case BeautyMNL, offers CASH ON DELIVERY or BANK DEPOSIT payment methods, it's a green light for me. Moreover, I prefer paying via credit card or Paypal, so that's a plus for me, too!


Then you get a payment confirmation in your email once your transaction goes through. And you can also track your order under your account at BeautyMNL.


And because I'm geographically challenged, I was expecting my order to arrive sometime around October 1st because of the long weekend, but lo and behold, it's here!!! It arrived today, the 28th of September!


Well, that was fast and I am totally impressed! Great job, BeautyMNL! I think LBC also did a great job packing up my order, so *clap*clap*!


Wrapped like a boss and after inspection, item has no damage! First time buyer here and they definitely made a good first impression. BeautyMNL isn't just an online shop that sells a curated assortment of makeup and skincare products from the most basic beauty staples to the elusive Moroccan Argan oil and Korean snail cream. BeautyMNL has an online magazine called Bloom, that "provides fun and insightful articles tailor-fit to the Filipina’s lifestyle, whether it’s finding a good sunscreen for Philippine weather or the best shade of red lipstick to match your skin tone." With the help of known celebrity gurus, BeautyMNL brings you tips, easy how-tos, and great beauty trends you can actually rock in the tropics.

So yeah, back to my order. It's a Pink Quilted Vanity Case by Suesh. I didn't expect it to be this big actually, even though the website clearly specified the dimensions. I suck at Math... so there! Nevertheless, they actually do have full descriptions of the listed products on the website. Well, I'm very happy with this purchase and here are some photos I took to preserve this unboxing moment.




It's so nice!!! It's perfect for travelling and perhaps I can start doing freelance makeup artist gigs (when I have the time) now that I have this additional vanity case to stash all my beauty weapons. All in all, I'm definitely going back to shop some more at BeautyMNL (soon after my beauty ban is lifted!) and I highly recommend you guys check them out at http://beautymnl.com!