I can already feel the blazing sun on my skin and the sand playing on my feet. The calming voice of the sea serenades me as I close my eyes. That's what summer is all about, and with that warm season around the corner, it's a no brainer for all of us to come-up with our own travel essentials including some of our favorite ways to protect our skin from the sun's harmful rays. While enjoying our time making memories at the beach, we all need a sunblock to get us covered; keeping our skin sun burn-free and healthy. 

  In my case, I am using GT Cosmetics Moisturizing Cream. It is marketed as a whitening/moisturizing cream, but I am using it mainly as a sunblock because of its high SPF content - SPF 60. I used to be quite hesitant to use the product at first, but the moment I used the product, I was shook by how it works. It does work so well not only as a moisturizer, but also as a sunblock cream. It used to have that white and pasty look when applied to the skin, but with their I believe, enhanced version, it no longer has that pasty look nor does it make one's skin feel icky.

     If you're not familiar with the product, GT Cosmetics is a Cebuano brand that crafts and offers local, handmade beauty products such as soaps, creams, and lotions, that have refined coconut oil as a base. I have tried other products from them including their toner, facial soap and lotion, but nothing beats their moisturizing cream when it comes to efficacy. I figured it out while putting on the product on my skin before hitting the beach under the midday sun. The sun's heat was harsh at that time, but surprisingly, I didn't have any tan lines or sun burn, all thanks to GT Cosmetics' moisturizing cream. Ever since then, I've used the product whenever I have to meet Mr. Sun for a long time. Here are more details that you have to know about the product as well more of my thoughts about it:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

A hydrating day cream for a softer, smoother, fairer look. Nourishes skin with anti-aging, moisturizing, and whitening ingredients; brightens and lightens to even out skin tone; protects with SPF 60.

PACKAGING

The foundation is in a petite circular container made of plastic. One can easily bring it everywhere without worrying where to place it. I guess it can easily fit in any go-to makeup bag. Details about the product such as its ingredients and manufacturing information can be seen in the on its box which houses the container.

PRICE

GT Cosmetics moisturizing cream is available for 193php, that's more or less 4USD.

WHERE TO BUY

I got mine from a local drugstore but you can also purchase the product in any beauty outlet nationwide. It is also available online via BeautyMNL.

PROS
- affordable
- has a good smell
- effective sunblock cream

CONS
- not available on some malls and beauty outlet

In all fairness, I am very satisfied with my cream from GT. I am not sure if it works well as a whitening product since I am not checking its effectivity on that matter. I do not have any interest in getting whiter as I am contented with my skin color.
If you are heading on a beach and you are still looking for a sunscreen, you might as well try the moisturizing cream from GT Cosmetics. I hope it will work for you just as how it worked on me.

love lots,
Tin

      The first item on my shopping cart is the Fit Me Concealer by Maybelline. I've been looking for this concealer in local malls and drugstores in our city, but unfortunately, I couldn't find one. There was also one time when I asked for one in one of Maybelline's counter and they told me they're not selling it. like omg.. so I had to find it online. Luckily, BeautyMNL exists for makeup lovers like me who are looking for the same item.

      Now how does the Fit Me Concealer by Maybelline works? I was actually expecting a lot from the product mainly because there has been so much rave about it. Some popular beauty magazines worldwide even include it in the list of their holy grail products. I've tried the product once, and I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't very much crazy about it either. I don't know why but I feel like it doesn't last longer than I expected. On the other hand, it did lighten up my dark under eye circles and what I liked about it the most is its blendability. It blends so easily into the skin and its very lightweight as well. I feel like I don't have anything under my eye while wearing the product, but it does the job. 

Upon learning that Miss Charen will soon grace us with sayonara, I immediately thought of an initiative for us to meet one last time. Miss Charen is one of my co-workers when I used to work in the media, right after I took a break from the academe.

She's one of the most down-to-earth and hands down, one of the most passionate people I ever met. Witnessing her dedication to work, and how she looks at life makes me feel more empowered. Though it saddens me to say goodbye to her, I am more than happy for her and I can only wish her all the best that Japan has to offer. Yes, the madam is going to Japan. hehe >.<

 MOshi-moshi Charen-san! <3

To wish her some luck, a colleague and I bought her a cute neko figurine. The cat decor has a bell on it, so when we gave miss Charen our gift, we told her that if there's something that her heart desires, all she needs to do is to ring the bell and whisper her wish. lelz Don't belittle her lucky charm because it did the charm a few hours after we gave it to her! haha

I wanted to see Miss Charen for the last in a wonderful place so invited her for an afternoon soiree along with our two other previous colleagues, Miss Joy and Miss Camille. I recently heard of an amiable patisserie within Cebu named Marisse Patisserie. I haven't been visited the place prior to our afternoon affair, so I just fervently prayed that the place would not disappoint, and fortunately, it didn't.

The patisserie offers a visual feast of grand cakes, tempting cookies, savory prepared foods, and various breads to enjoy. Coupled with its shabby chic interiors, the place is enough to make anybody's dainty dream come to life.

 I couldn't agree more with the phrase above :) hello friends!

 Pappy's Banana Guava Cake

I wanted to try something different so I chose the banana guava cake that Marisse offers. The cake gave us so much emotions which fill our hearts with laughter as we try to answer the question: who is Pappy?

haha A very important question and we had the craziest possible answers. It was only last night when I found out that it was inspired by the owner's father (Pappy) who, according to Marisse official website loves to eat a banana treat with guava filling.

I love how soft the cake is and I like the fact that Marisse has taken some twist with the regular banana cake without turning it into something boring. Adding a guava filling into the cake made it a little bit more interesting. What I'm trying to say is that they didn't pull off a twist on it for the sake of being weird. The cake itself tastes good though the four of us agreed that the guava flavor is barely there. There were times when we throw questions at each other looking for a distinct guava taste. lol

 Chocolate Dacquoise

We used to have culinary and baking classes in high school, but I've never heard of dacquoise within my years of study. It was only when I visited Marisse that I was able to know what it is and how it taste like. And though,I know that it has a French origin (judging from its spelling), I wasn't quite sure on how the word mus be pronounced. Luckily, Miss Charen is to the rescue! haha so dacquoise is pronounced as da-kwaz and by definition, it is a dessert consisting of baked layers of nut-flavored meringue with a cream filling, sometimes with the addition of fruit, served chilled.

Among the four cakes that we've ordered, the dacquoise is the softest and the fluffiest one. It can easily glide in your tongue in similar way a Shakespearean sonnet can enter your heart.

 Red Velvet Cake

 Matcha Sans Rival Cake

Matcha for me is a flavor created by the gods. The moment I saw matcha variations on Marisse's menu, I immediately had my eyes on their matcha sans rival cake. What happens when you combine matcha with sans rival is a match made in heaven. The juxtaposition of matcha's bitterness and sans rival's sweetness created a distinct taste that captured my soul.

At frist I was a bit hesitant to try it having tasted some variations of Sans Rival. Though Sans Rival is a beloved dessert, I find some of its variations too sweet for my liking. Surprisingly, what Marisse' has has the right amount of sugar. The added nuts on the cake made the dessert's texture more interesting in every bite.

Strawberry Matcha Cake

Pecado Mortal

"Sin on a plate"
Lemon Blueberry Cake

Miss Joy's choice of hot coffee and  cinnamon bread <3

We were wondering what animal is in their latte art, whether it's a dog or from Miss Joy's perspective, a pig. hahaha

We opted for a regular caffe americano and tea to match our delightful desserts.

From their picturesque interiors to their impressive collection of hearth-baked foods, there's nothing that I did not love about Marisse Patisserie. You may check their menu ahead online should you wish to save time upon your visit. Their service, including their bathrooms, which I am quite particular about also didn't make us feel brokenhearted. I am ecstatic that my co-workers and I had the wonderful time together before bidding farewell to Miss Charen.

Just as I did, you can also spend your precious time at Marisse Patisserie. The dainty place is located at 32 Sanson Road at the Rockwell, Cebu City. You may ring them a bell at 0917 708 3853 | (032) 406 3099, should you have any questions or visit their official Facebook account. The patisserie operates during Friday & Saturday - 8am-11pm | Tues-Thurs and Sunday 8am-10pm. It is closed on Mondays.

love lots,

Tin

PROS

-comes in different shades

- affordable

- easy to apply and blend

- the contour powder doesn't have a shimmer

CONS

- doesn't last that long

      Considering its price, the product is pretty decent. I couldn't say that it is the best out there, but it's good to know that something as affordable as what Ever Bilena is producing actually works well. It is definitely a good alternative if you are on a tight budget. I am very satisfied with my purchase and I'll surely get another shade soon. Though it doesn't last that long, I don't mind that much since I seldom re-apply either of my blush-on or my contour powder. The contour powder that comes along with it is also great for a nose contour and as an eye shadow.

       If you have tried the product already or if you have any questions, feel free to share them on the comment section below. I hope this post is of great help if you are eyeing on Ever Bilena's Advance Blush Duo in Baked Fig. Thanks a lot for reading and have a wonderful weekend vibes!

love lots,

Tin