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Dear Candy girls,

Has your skin ever felt so dry, your locks so limp, and your body so tired? Well, perhaps it’s time to pamper yourself!

Last Tuesday, Mimi and I had a chance to get pampered at the Manila Hotel Spa for the launch of Beyond Bath Organics—a line of bath and beauty products made of natural, organic materials like sunflower, grapefruit, orange, and more.

We were treated to a relaxing bath and massage experience where we got to try the different Beyond Bath products. Mimi loves the Grapefruit shampoo and body wash for rejuvenating her hair and skin. I really like the Sunflower body butter ’cause it makes my skin feel really smooth. Did you know that Sunflower actually has moisturizing properties? It smells really good too!

Another unique thing about these products is that they’re environment friendly! The packaging is recyclable and reusable, and the ingredients are planted and processed in a natural way, which will be better for you in the long run. Part of the proceeds of the sale of each product will also help support projects of ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan.

Don’t you just love products that pamper your body—and your heart? You don’t even have to spend much to do that. You can buy these products for only P250 to P350 at Watsons outlets and SM Department Stores. (Log on to beyond-bath.com for more info.) Give it a try!

Angel

P.S. Mimi was interviewed about her bath and massage experience. You might just catch her on Channel V!

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A couple of weeks ago, I opened a pretty pink package.

Inside was an equally pretty phone. I’ve been using it for 2 weeks now and here are some things I figure you can use it for (aside from the obvious).

1. You can use it as an accessory. See those three main buttons? They’re Swarovski crystals! Sure, you can put them on your ears but they sure do add a sparkle to whatever you’re wearing.
2. You can use it as a webcam. The first time I connected it to my computer, I got surprised that there was an option to use it as a webcam. For your Skype chika sessions or just an excuse to do a “photobooth” collage for your blog, this phone can do the job for you!
3. You can use it as a compact. When you swivel it open, there’s a mirror on the back of the screen. Handy for those is-there-anything-stuck-between-my-teeth moments when you’re alone and have no one to check for you.
4. You can use it to pray. No, seriously. The first time I used it, I was startled at 6 in the morning by a lady’s voice reciting the Morning Offering. It took me awhile to figure out it was coming from my phone. You can set the prayers to play at a certain time or you can just play them from the menu.
5. You can use it to check your social network accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Multiply?), connect to your messengers (YM, Google Talk, MSN?), and even figure out your way around the city (Google Maps). If only this phone had WiFi, though…

The S Phone from MyPhone retails for P5,990. With that super affordable price, you also become a donor to the Cory Scholarship Foundation! You can check their site to find out where you can buy one.

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Most people obsess over songs—playing the same track over and over again until their ears bleed, or until their friends stage an intervention. I obsess over music videos.

In grade school, it was the Spice Girls’ “Stop.” I watched it so many times I memorized the cheesy dance steps, and I knew exactly who was singing which part. In high school, it was Jennifer Lopez’s “Feelin’ So Good.” I loved it when she found money lying around on the sidewalk, and I kinda wished it would happen to me too. And in college, it was Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly,” where Dave Grohl was absolutely hilarious.

These days, my love affair with music videos is being tested by a pathetic lack of TV time, a slow Internet connection, and all those copyright infringement laws on YouTube. (I’ll let you in on a little secret: In grade school and high school, one of my best talents was being able to describe the video for almost all current pop songs. It was a completely useless talent, but it made me proud.) But when I do stumble upon something I like, I find I can easily go back to my old ways—watching it over and over again, trying to “analyze” how it affects my daily life, and sharing it with everybody.

“Say You Don’t Want It” by UK band One Night Only features frontman George Craig (who reminds me Aaron Johnson during his glory days), his girlfriend Emma Watson (you may have heard of her; she’s in that wizard movie), and a story that pays tribute to Lady and the Tramp. Happy watching!

Big hugs,
Marla
:penguin:

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Work for the past couple of months has been a little hectic but honestly, even if the stress makes me sleep as soon as I get home (which I don’t normally do because I still up ’til 2AM on ordinary days), I still wake up the next day with a smile and ready to face a new battle for a new day. Let me tell you 2 of the reasons why this month is one of my favorites.

1. It’s Candy Cuties season once again! It makes me smile seeing these cute guys in my Photoshop screen whenever I edit their photos. I even laugh at their bloopers during our video shoots with them. It’s actually thrilling to know who the #1 Candy Cutie is going to be this year. You have to go to the Candy Fair in October and check out the Oct ish to know the list.

2. We’ve finally released the list of finalists for the Candymag.com Correspondents hunt. Though the go-see process was bloody (not literally), I was super excited for this new project to launch. We’ll have our own team of “interns” to train them to write, edit, take videos, host, and a whole lot more! How cool is that?

Did something good happen to you this month? Share them with us!

Stressed But Still Fresh,
Roch <3

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The good news is that I’ve been waiting for Forever 21 to come to Manila for a very long time, and now all those cute and affordable tops, skirts, dresses, accessories, and shoes are finally here—in a gorgeous store that’s so big you can literally get lost inside it (or maybe that’s just me, because I have zero sense of direction).

The bad news is that it’s only been open in Megamall for two weeks and I’ve already racked up a bill that probably equals my lunch money for two months! Eeep!

To be fair, I’m loving everything I’ve purchased from this store—no buyer’s remorse so far—and I’d like to think the items I’ve gotten are stuff I’ll be wearing really often. These are my two favorites from my stash:

I have these sandals in navy blue, and they go so well with the dresses and skirts in my closet. I can wear them with cuffed jeans and denim shorts, too! I find my toes fugly, so my general rule for buying sandals is that they have to show my nail polish but hide enough of my feet, which this pair does perfectly. I also like how the low heels are comfy enough to walk in but still give off that click-clacking sound that makes me feel so grown-up. Haha! The gold heart locket is sparkly, like Edward Cullen in the sun, and I’ve been tempted to wear it every day. I love playing with the magnetic clasp, and pretending it holds some sort of secret power!

But the absolute best thing about Forever 21 is that it’s an awesome place for serious girl bonding with some of your best friends in the whole world.

Happy shopping!

Big hugs,
Marla
:penguin:

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