31 January 2014

Chez Karine Opens its 2nd Branch at the Mega Fashion Hall



Literally meaning "At Karen's Place", Chez Karine is one of the newest bakeries in the metro that offers delectable pastries, cakes, and more. Just this week, they opened their second branch at SM Megamall's Mega Fashion Hall (the first branch being located at Serendra in Taguig). Owned by Ms. Karen Yang-Chiang, daughter of businessman George Yang, this patisserie remains very personal and humble. Chef Karen made Chez Karine her life's passion and thus we are assured of the superb quality and freshness of the products that they serve.

Fellow bloggers Lara and Jinkee, Ms. Aya, and Ms. Cassie :)

During their first day at the Mega Fashion Hall, I was able to witness the opening of this artsy patisserie. I was able to try some of the items in their menu, too. ;) Upon entering their shop, you will notice how relaxed the place is. The seats and tables are very neat and minimalist, yet the walls are filled with super cute whimsical characters and lovely colors for your eyes to feast on. It's just a nice place to relax after a day at the mall or even a place to catch up with your friends and fill yourself with desserts and coffee.


Chez Karine takes pride in their fresh and yummy macarons and pudding. Eventually, they added more items in their menu such as cakes, cookies, and pastries. These goodies are especially made and perfected by Chef Karen using her expertise in baking. Didn't you know that she took up classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France? The photo above is their window display at their Mega Fashion Hall branch. I literally felt like a giddy kid upon seeing all those cakes and macarons. They just look so cute from afar! And I assure you that they while they look cute, they also taste heavenly.

Cakes overload!
Cute macarons :) They even have Macaron Ice Cream!
Puddings of all sorts
Panna Cotta and Jelly

Here are the some of the products from their menu that I was able to try. Seriously, I had a hard time choosing what to eat cause I wanted to eat everything lol! Everything looks yummy! But I finally settled with the Cotton Soft Cheesecake, Hokkaido Cupcake, Strawberry Panna Cotta and Muscovado Pudding.


The Cotton Soft Cheesecake is a Japanese style souffle cheescake. It looks like 'mamon' to me, but I was surprised upon tasting it. It literally melts in your mouth. As can be inferred from its name, this cheesecake is amazingly soft. You'll never get tired eating this cause it's very light and yummy. It's not sweet and it's not too sour tasting unlike other cheesecakes.


The Hokkaido Cupcake is again a Japanese-inspired cake. It has sugar crystals on top and fresh vanilla cream in the middle. You can even see the crushed vanilla beans in the cream. I was expecting it to be a little dense since it is a cupcake, but I love how this one's very light. The cake is very soft and the cream works perfectly with it.   


Let me just say that the bottles of the pudding and panna cotta looks adorable! I was able to try the Muscovado Pudding first. It is actually a soft set custard pudding with dark caramel at the bottom. For me, it tastes like leche flan but this one has a more distinct texture. It is very creamy and not that sweet and it feels light on your tongue. It literally melts in your mouth! The Strawberry Panna Cotta, on the other hand, is an classic cream based Italian dessert. It tasted creamy with a bit of tangy due to the strawberry. Both elements of sweetness and sourness surprisingly balances each other out!


I am a huge coffee drinker and this Muscovado Latte just won me over. This is definitely my kind of coffee! It is very rich and creamy and not too sweet. It is something I could drink every single day while I study. I have noticed that the prices of Chez Karine's coffee are very affordable as compared to other coffee shops. They make their own coffee and blends, too! Hence, they are guaranteed fresh and original. I have to try yet their Orange Mocha. :)

With fellow blogger, Lara

People from the North of the metro (like me!) don't have to go to the south anymore to enjoy Chez Karine. This dainty patisserie is now open at the Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall! :)

For more details about Chez Karine, visit and follow their sites:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/chezkarinebakery
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com./chezkarine
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/chezkarine
Website - http://www.chezkarine.com

Thank you Chez Karine for having me! :)

XO, Mish



28 January 2014

Ysabel's Daughter Opens at the Mega Fashion Hall



Today, January 28th, SM Mega Mall is opening its “high end” wing called Fashion Hall.  As it opens at 9:00am, new stores and kiosks shall be opening too!  One just like Ysabel’s Daughter.  This is the first locally produced bath and body line that is all 100% natural.  This means all the raw materials of each product is from nature, it is chemical-free, has no toxic materials, and no preservatives. 


In the last decade, a vast majority of Filipinos are becoming more and more convinced that they should become eco-friendly, natural consumers, both for the own sake, their family’s well-being and for the environment’s health. 

This is a story about Cristina Cruz or Coty, who started her own line of bath and body products that are preservative-free, toxic-chemicals-free and cruelty-free.  She was first inspired by her husband Ricky, who decided to start his own backyard bee colony given all the wonderful natural benefits of raw and unfiltered honey.  The bees in their care generated honey so premium, it inspired her to create a line of bath and body products using this wonderful ingredient.  Also, in her desire to give only the best to her family just like how her mother did, she challenged herself to come up with an entire line of bath and body products the uses the finest, natural raw materials gathered from around the world mixed into gentle creams, soothing lotions, and luscious scrubs, giving generous portions on essential ingredients. This is what started “Ysabel’s Daughter”.

Ysabel is an actual person.  Coty’s mother is an epitome of all our mothers who raised families in endless, selfless and enduring love.  “This is the same care that we would like to share with our patrons,” declares Coty.

Ysabel’s Daughter is proud to present a line of body care products made from high quality 100% natural raw materials.  “What sets our products apart is that we use a much higher concentration of natural active ingredients, like the purest of imported essential oils.  Our products are carefully crafted with a high proportion of these quality ingredients to let your natural beauty shine from within,” Coty further reveals.

Photo from Ysabel's Daughter's Facebook page

Aside from honey, here is just a sneak peak of some of the top-notch raw materials that Coty has added in her bath and body line: Jojoba Oil, Carnitine, Fine Green Luffa Shreds, Moringa, Green Tea, Walnut Scrubs, Essential Oils, L-Arginine, Olives, Lemons, Oranges, Walnut, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, CoQ10, Algae Extract and many more.

Best of all, Ysabel’s Daughter uses no preservatives or toxic chemicals which are sadly prevalent in many commercially available beauty products.

Coty further shares, “We are proud to be a Filipino-run company that can compete with what is out there in the international market.  But despite our international standards, the foundation of a Filipino family is an essential component in how we run things, as well as how we would like our customers to feel when they use what we offer – with the warmth and relaxation of home.”

Finally, Ysabel’s Daughter doesn’t only aim to make Filipinos feel beautiful, it also wants to give back to the community.  The fairly newly formed company has been supporting and contributing to causes of various foundations around the country.  “We believe in setting aside a portion of our income to benefit children in need of education and placing them in schools that provide the proper schooling that they deserve,” Coty shares.

Ysabel’s Daughter is available online on www.ysabelsdaughter.com and at the Ysabel’s Daughter kiosk at the upper ground level, Mega Fashion Mall of SM Megamall.  

XO, Mish


13 January 2014

Lipaddict: ISkin New York’s Breakthrough Lip Plumping and Anti-aging Solution



Everybody wants to have lusciously full lips—ones that make guys want to move closer and seal the deal with a kiss. However, not everyone can take the stinging sensation brought about by over-the-counter lip plumpers. When fillers or going under the knife is too expensive to be an option, the best thing to do is to get yourself a bottle of ISkin New York’s latest breakthrough—Lipaddict Voluptuous Lip Plumper. 


Lipaddict Voluptuous Lip Plumper is one of the many treats the country’s preferred clinic for face, body and medical aesthetic services, Flawless’, is dishing out for its 12th anniversary. This premium lip plumper-slash-shimmer uses marine collagen and hyaluronic acid to deliver its promise of naturally sexy pouty lips without any sort of pain or unnecessary sting. 

Think you’ve seen similar products before? Think again. Unlike any other product in the market today, Lipaddict Voluptuous Lip Plumper contains peptides. These are short chains of amino acids that penetrate the top layer of the skin and trigger the formation of new collagen—delivering optimal cellular nutrition and support. Simply put, regular use of Lipaddict Voluptuous Lip Plumper results not only to fuller and moist puckers, it also makes your lips more youthful and suppler, with visibly less lines and cracks.

And as if that’s not enough, this all-in-one creamy volumizer also provides long lasting hydrating action and a minty cool effect. It is safe for use even for pregnant women and comes in 12 shades. Choose the one that fits your personality best or buy the entire set so you can switch between shades depending on your mood.

Get those sexy, seductive lips that you’ve always wanted. Head over to a Flawless clinic near you and ask them about ISkin New York’s Lipaddict Voluptuous Lip Plumper today.


In the Philippines, ISkin New York is exclusively distributed by Flawless. For more information, please visit www.flawless.com.ph or call 584-6807. You may also like Facebook.com/FlawlessFaceandBody and follow Twitter.com/myflawless and Instagram.com/myflawless.

XO, Mish