DVD Review: The Vow by Magnavision

Do you believe in soul mates?

Let me start this review by saying that I hate chick flicks. One look at the cast, the cover, the title and the plot of "The Vow" and you will say - without a doubt - that it is a chick flick. Well, surprisingly, I liked loved this one.

Inspired by a true story, "The Vow" brings together epic elements from some of my favorite light-hearted movies.

Ala "50 First Dates", Paige (Rachel McAdams) wakes up from a coma not remembering who her husband Leo (Channing Tatum) is. Leo then struggles to help Paige recover her memory, but she refuses to leave the one world that she remembers behind: the world that she lived in 5 years ago - one that Leo wasn't a part of yet.

Ala "What Dreams May Come" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", though, "The Vow" proves that, if two people are meant to be together, they will end up together, no matter what. And although I would normally find this premise sappy/cheesy/unbelievable in other movies, the fact that this movie was actually inspired by a true story... Well, that just gives me hope.

There is only one word that I can use to properly describe "The Vow" and that is "heartbreaking". However, as much as my heart was breaking inside and although my T-shirt was drenched coz of my tears while watching it, I couldn't stop watching.

I found myself caring so much for the characters in the movie. I cried so much for the characters in the movie. And it made me want to see more and want to love more by the end of it.

I will admit that the reason why I suddenly felt the urge to watch this movie despite never having been interested in it before was my sudden desire interest in Channing Tatum. Unfortunately, his acting skills aren't that great in this, but Rachel McAdams totally makes up for it.

There's just something about Rachel McAdams that makes you smile when she smiles, cry when she cries, feel frustrated when she feels frustrated and want to jump Channing when she wants to jump Channing. And because of her, this movie became what it is: amazing. (Think: "The Notebook".)

Now, I'm not saying that you should all go out there and buy this movie. I admit that not everybody will like it as much as I did. But if you love Nicholas Sparks movies, are a closet hopeless romantic like me, or love tear-jerkers, then you should definitely get a copy of this at your nearest Astroplus or Odyssey branch. Massive thanks to Magnavision for mine! :)

There are also various special features on this Magnavision DVD, including commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel, but nothing really worth jumping up and down for. If you're going to get this movie, get it for the movie, not for the special features.

Don't forget to like Magnavision on Facebook and follow them on Twitter! :)

Have you seen "The Vow"? What did you think of it? I'd love to know! :)

The Little Things She Needs: A Little Giveaway

The Little Things She Needs. I've already blogged about them before. I've also blogged about their items in a slew of my outfit posts. I have several items of theirs in my accessories cabinet, after all, from angel wing earrings and Eiffel Tower earrings to cat's eye sunglasses. With their extremely affordable prices, you really cannot go wrong with their accessories.

Anyway, I was finally able to visit their Robinson's Galleria branch when I went there for the FILA event. Here's a lil sneak peek of what it's like in their Robinson's Galleria store:

Like what you see? Good! Coz I'm having a Little Giveaway for The Little Things She Needs and you can win a pair of dainty pink flats (size 37) or a set of stud earrings (including bow earrings, Eiffel Tower earrings, and plain stud earrings). Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Folded and Hung x Timbre Headphones Shoot

What's not to love about Folded and Hung?

You all know that I have loved this brand even before I started blogging and that I love it even more now because one of my good friends, Miko Carreon, is currently one of their brand ambassadors; so, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that we decided to raid their racks for some awesome clothing to showcase our individual musical genre styles for our Timbre Headphones photo shoot. Here's what we came up with:

You can see more photos of my rocker chick look here.

Make sure you visit Jacob Gayanelo's blog or watch his YouTube videos (he sings!). Also, watch out for the latest McDonald's TV commercial coz he's in it (he's the one with the glasses!)

If you think this guy is hot (and you're right: he is!), then enjoy an overload of Toff Tiozon by following him on Instagram: tofftiozon

Raiza Poquiz isn't just pretty, she blogs, too. And she sells accessories. You can meet her at the Tumblr fair on August 4! :) I'll be there, too! Not selling. Just stalking the Tumblr peeps. :p

And, as mentioned earlier, here's baby boy Miko Carreon, doing what he does best: dancing and posing. At the same time. Read more about his life and his style on his blog or on Folded and Hung's website.

And since shoots wouldn't be complete without group shots... Enjoy! :p

Well, don't we all just look sexy? :p

Do you love Folded and Hung as much as I do? Don't forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter! :)

Lookbook.nu Look: Smash It

A lot of people say I'm perpetually angry. Well, I blame all of the men who have stomped on my heart and all of the women who have stabbed me in the back for this perpetual anger. I'd like to think it's part of my "charm", though. :p Is it not?

Anyway, I guess this perpetual anger is partly also because I grew up listening to rock. I remember blasting KoRn on the CD player everyday since I was just 9 and my grandma lecturing me on why I should stop listening to Sugar Ray's album "Floored" because it was the work of the devil.

So, when we had our Timbre shoot, I knew exactly which musical genre to channel right away. Say hello to me in rocker chick garb! .\m/

black headphones from Timbre

black boots from CeCe

black jacket from Folded and Hung

black mullet dress from Folded and Hung

black rosary necklace (gift)

black thick studded cuff bracelet from House of Luxe

black thin studded cuff bracelet from Copper

I'm such a cool kid, I know. :p

The good news is that I'm not perpetually angry as of late coz I've got a crush! :D I don't have any better way to describe it, but to say that I've got a high school kinda crush. Butterflies. Babaw kilig moments. The works. :)

Yes, yes. I know you all know who I'm talking about since I get this stupid grin on my face whenever he's around or whenever his name is mentioned, but whatever. LEAVE ME ALONEEE! :p

Lactum 100% Panatag World - Do You Want to Become a Panatag Mommy?

I can't speak Tagalog properly to save my life.

Fortunately, I have awesome friends like Marvin Ong and Paul Chuapoco who gladly translate things for me when I need them to without any complaints or rolling of their eyes. Love you guys for that! :p

"Panatag" apparently means "tranquil" or "peaceful" - one word that I would never associate with motherhood. At least not the kind of motherhood that I'm used to. So, when Lactum used this word for their mall events, I became very intrigued. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be a panatag mommy!

The Lactum 100% Panatag World event that I attended was at SM Megamall and they offered a lot of tips, techniques and tools that could help mommies like me become 100% panatag in terms of children's nutrition and health.

Step 1: Blow up a kiddie pool.

Step 2: Fill it up with balls.

Step 3: Throw Put child in pool.

Step 4: Enjoy some me-time while they enjoy their pool-time. :p

Lactum 100% Panatag World also offered a lot of tips on healthy eating for kids and showed that they can provide 100% nourishment when kids drink it with 3 balanced meals every day.

There were also stations where you could check out the merch and try out the merch. Made me wish I had Syrena with me.

I also made a new friend who asked me to take her outfit shot for my blog. Meet Betty the Banana. :p

Of course, mommy bloggers have to eat, too. I found this boxed meal set from Intercontinental Manila extremely ingenious!

All the food groups in one box! I wish they had added water to the box instead of Coke, though... Or Lactum! :p

After roaming around and filling my belly, Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo gave us tips on how to encourage our kids to eat their veggies. My favorite tip of hers? "Smother everything with cheese. They will eat it." Well, it's been tried and tested now. Syrena now happily eats her veggies, as long as she gets to dip them in random sauces. :}

However, even if your kids remain picky and end up missing out on important nutrients because of it, Lactum can still help nourish them with the new Lactum 3+ and 6+ with Appetite Support Nutrients. These products happen to be a high source of zinc, iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 and thiamin to ensure that kids get  all of the nutrients that they need on a daily basis. Can you say awesomesauce?

Sadly, Syrena is just 2, so she can't start drinking this new Lactum yet. That means I have 6 months and 12 days to go before I can try becoming a panatag mommy myself. (I can only wish that I look as slim and as pretty as Judy Ann when the time comes!)

Are you a mom of a 6+ year old and want to become a panatag mommy, too? Then let me know in the comments section that you are and I will give you 2 boxes of the New Lactum 6+ - just coz! :)

Conversely, you can go to Waltermart North Edsa today or tomorrow and check out the Lactum 100% Panatag World yourself! :)

Don't forget to like Lactum on Facebook! :)

SM Toon Fest: Pieces for Every Child's Dream Closet

SM Department Store always introduces new and cutting-edge fashion to the Philippines on a regular basis. Well, they have definitely taken things up a notch by injecting the excitement of K-Pop fashion into their latest line of children's wear.

I actually went to the launch with my baby girl, Syrena, and I literally had to pull her away from the t-shirt displays because she wanted to take them all home. Let's just say there were a lot of toddler tears and a lot of spoiled screaming involved. :p

Aptly called SM Toon Fest, this line carries fashionable children's clothes emblazoned with familiar logos and faces of my children's favorite characters, such as the following:

Tinkerbell - my 2nd favorite female Disney character of all time! (FYI, 1st is Megara from "Hercules".)

What lil girl doesn't love Barbie?

On that note, what lil/not-so-lil girl doesn't love Betty Boop?

IMO, Sesame Street should be a part of every child's childhood.

Even the boys have their share of awesome SM Toon Fest clothing!

The best part is that Syrena won't complain about wearing these Mickey Mouse clothes coz she's currently going through a huge Disney Junior phase. :p

As you can see, SM Toon Fest has pieces for every child's dream closet. Where were these clothes when I was a kid? :( Lol.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to take my munchkin on a shopping spree in SM. She has started picking out and putting on her own clothes now, so it will be incredibly interesting to see what styles she comes up with.

Hmmm. I smell a baby fashion blog brewing. Wonder Baby Rises, perhaps? :p

By the way, to showcase this new collection, SM Toon Fest is currently holding a search for its K-Pop Rising Star. Kids aged 2 to 14 can join and get the chance to win Php100,000! For more details, visit the Rising Stars website and like SM Kids Fashion on Facebook.

Glutamax Lightening Face Cream: An Introduction

Guess what? I was recently given a slew of different Glutamax products to review! Woot! XD

However, since I am a firm believer of honest reviews, I won't review them just yet. Instead, I am going to introduce you to a new product every week until I am ready to talk about how effective they are and whether they are actually worth your time and money or not.

Glutamax Lightening Face Cream

The benefits:

• Has Glutathione SPF 15 to gently lighten uneven skin tone and discolorations on the face, like freckles, pigmentations and age spots.
• Nourishes the skin to improve its texture and restore its youthful glow.
• Protects the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

With regular use, the Glutamax lightening face cream guarantees visibly smoother, lighter and blemish-free skin.

Let's see if it will be able to get rid of my facial blemishes. Have any of you tried this product yet? If so, was it effective for you? Do share! :)

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I watched "The Dark Knight Rises" days ago, so you might be wondering why I decided to write this review so late. Well, to be honest, I was a bit let down by the movie. In fact, I was so let down by it, I thought about changing my blog name to "Perks of Being a Wonder Woman". But that's far too much of a hassle, so I'll just stick to what I've got.

I know a lot of you loved "The Dark Knight Rises". But, being the comic book geek that I am, I just didn't "ooh" or "aah" whenever something happened. I didn't even get shocked by the "twist".

via IMDB

Before heading into the movie house, my overly confident self was 110% sure that 1) Marion Cotillard was going to turn out to be Talia Al'Ghul and 2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt was gonna bust out of his cop suit and turn into Robin. FYI, I used to be in love with Chris O'Donnell and first discovered the distraction known as *ahem* that thing there:

via Wikipedia

Anyway, I spent 90% of the movie going "He's going to turn into Robin anytime now. Anytime now. Anytiiiiime." Well, I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen yet, but I'll give the entire thing 3.5 popcorns out of 5. The ending, however, I'd give 500 popcorns out of 5.

Yes, the ending was epic.

Other things that I liked?

via The Improper

Surprisingly, I loved Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I thought I would hate her coz I don't really like her in any of her movies except the first "Princess Diaries", but she did this role justice. She's no Michelle Pfeiffer, but she was way better than Halle Berry.

via Movie Fanatic

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT. No explanation needed there, really. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the new GQ!!! RAWR.

via World of Superheroes

The Alfred scenes. I teared in every single one of them. Sigh.

Other things I didn't like include Tom Hardy's voice when he plays Bane (he sounds like Darth Vader talking through a McDonald's drive-through box); the fact that I only get to see Tom Hardy's good-looking face for about 5 seconds in the entire movie; the fact that I spent 90% of the movie waiting for Robin to appear; the lack of chemistry between the "love teams" in the movie; the fact that, out of all of the "Inception" actors in the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio was the one missing; and the psycho who shot all of those people in the cinema during one of the screenings in Colorado.

Overall, I'm not really sure if I'd watch this movie again. If I did, I'd prolly fast-forward to the end if I could.

Judging by my Twitter timeline, most people loved the movie. Is this merely because you guys are all Bat-fans (thank, JB, for the term! :p) or was I just expecting too much coz of "The Dark Knight"? To be perfectly honest, I'd prefer to re-watch "The Amazing Spider-Man" over this. Or "Magic Mike". Definitely "Magic Mike". :p

Anyway, since I mentioned both Batman and Spider-Man in this post, watch this: