SM Kids' Fashion Denim

Its finally August! Can't believe time has flown so fast. July stormed its way in our lives with the typhoons, electrical blackouts, and instant no class/work days. July for me was quite a roller coaster ride so indeed I savored the moments when it was "up" like when I attended the SM Kids' Denim Fashion event.

I remember as a kid, it was my mom who picked my clothes. But nowadays, even our lil darlings and youngsters are the ones who choose their own clothes. And SM Kids provide the best venue to be able to access the latest styles and trends today. 

SM Kids' Fashion Denim is all about creating eye-catching style for any occasion. This time around, kids' fashion authority goes one step further in showing young ones how to stay ahead of the pack. Fresh faces and new SM Kids' Fashion Denim ambassadors, Andrea Brillantes and Gimme5 are set to show youngsters how to dress up and stand out. 

Andrea Brillantes and Gimme5 being interviewed by DJ Delamar

TV drama sweetheart Andrea is a regular on the popular show Annaliza, while Joaquin Lucas Reyes, John Immanuel Bernardo, Grae Fernandez, and Brace Henry Arquiza of Gimme5 have hit it big as the hippest boy band in the country. Together, the stars danced, posed, and had tons of fun in the SM Kids’ Fashion Denim collection at the photo shoot. The young stars were all eager to discover the latest from a brand they have known and loved.

“SM Kids’ Fashion is my favorite and I wear it all the time. I’m always excited to find out what they have at the store,” says Andrea. “It’s great that they have new denim selections now. It’s very comfortable and I’ll be able to use it every day.”

During the interview, she shared how much she loved to mix and match the new denim selection in such a way that showcased her style. She said that she really loved the denim dresses.

Gimme5 also shared their excitement about the brand’s big denim collection, “We move a lot during practice and performances and SM Kids’ Fashion Denim is great for that,” the boys shared. “There’s a lot to choose from, not just jeans but shorts and shirts too,” they add.

Stand out with these SM Kids' Fashion brand ambassadors Andrea Brillantes and Gimme5 members -- Joaquin Lucas Reyes, John Immanuel Bernardo, Grae Fernandez, and Brace Henry Arquiza

In tapping some of the country’s hottest young faces, SM Kids’ Fashion Denim hopes to inspire their young followers to create their own brilliant outfit combinations. As Andrea and the Gimme5 boys put it, the secret to staying ahead of the rest is finding out what the latest trends are and making them work for you. Following in the footsteps of the new brand ambassadors, youngsters can explore SM Kids’ Fashion Denim and create get-ups that were made to standout. 

For more news and updates, follow SM Kids fashion:

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Treat Acne with Proactiv that has Benzoyl Peroxide

Dear Diary (otherwise known as you my dear coffeeholic readers who sympathize with me), Acne has come visiting again. Almost every month I share with you on what's happening with my war against acne. Unfortunately for me, its been acting up again. I blame it on barely sleeping nights, lack of water, aaaaand this month I'm kind of guilty of not being faithful in my skin care cleansing routine. Which is bad coz now I'm reaping the effects of not using it.

Skin care products and medications, especially to treat acne are growing steadily in the market. I totally understand coz who wouldn't want clear, beautiful, acne-free skin? It's crazy how there are so many products out there in all forms, shape, and size. The no. 1 question though is -- do these products really treat acne?

For years now, the gold standard of treating mild to moderate acne is the benzoyl peroxide. This is because it is a topical antimicrobial medicine, an oxidizing agent that specifically kills P. acnes, the bacteria that cause acne breakouts. To a lesser extent, it also helps to unblock pores and has an anti-inflammatory effect. BPO is not an antibiotic, and in 50 years of use, there has never been a documented case of BPO bacterial resistance; it is the cornerstone of prescription and over-the-counter acne therapy.

And Proactiv Solution knows that.

That’s why Proactiv Solution has Micro-crystals (micro-crystal medicine) benzoyl peroxide!
The exclusive form of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) found in the Proactiv 3-Step System’s Renewing Cleanser (Step 1) and Repairing Treatment (Step 3). A crystalline BPO that is finely milled in order to achieve the pore penetration required to control the acne cycle. The Proactiv micro-crystal BPO features exceptionally small and uniform particles—designed specifically to penetrate pores faster and to be gentler on the skin.

OTHER WAYS TO TREAT ACNE

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS SOAP
While it may seem counter-intuitive, harsh scrubbing does not unclog your pores any better than gentle cleansing, and may actually worsen your acne. Cleansing and scrubbing only reduce surface oils and dead skin cells. Many people use harsh products, laden with alcohol and foamy surfactants (detergents) somehow wash the acne off their skin. However, these actions often produce irritation and worsen acne. That happened to me once and it felt like my face burned. Never again! Now, it is possible to gently unplug pores with fine polyethylene beads that gently relieve impacted pores without irritation.

Proactiv Solution does not contain any surfactants that can harsh the skin. This is a relief to know.

Proactiv® Renewing Cleanser is formulated without the harsh detergents, known as surfactants, found in many other cleansers. Surfactants, which are responsible for a sudsy foam and lather, strip skin of its essential oils. As a result, the skin’s barrier becomes damaged and vulnerable to irritation and infection.

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS SALICYLIC ACID
Salicylic acid in a cleanser breaks through the plug but does not kill the P. acnes bacteria, the bacteria that cause acne breakouts.

Acne is caused by a variety of factors that take place below the surface of the skin. That’s why it’s best to gently wash with a medicated cleanser with proven ingredients, like benzoyl peroxide, or sulfur, that can penetrate the skin to help unclog pores, kill bacteria and/or reduce inflammation.

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS. ORAL DRUGS
When acne is severe, dermatologists sometimes prescribe oral drugs like isotretinoin or hormonal pills.

There are studies that support that these methods are extremely effective for severe cases, but because of the nature of these drugs there are side effects that make it questionable if the benefits truly outweigh the cost. For example, there were reports in 2010 linking suicidal tendencies and psychotic behaviors among acne patients on isotretinoin. Hormonal pills, which are mainly indicated as a contraceptive sometimes causes water retention, weight gain, mood swings, and in the long run, even breast cancer.

Proactiv Solution does not have these side effects!

With all these information about the advantages of using Proactiv, then of course my advise to you who seeks relief from acne is to try it yourself. Proactiv is SAFE and EFFECTIVE in preventing acne because of Benzoyl Peroxide. It's gentle on your skin unlike harsh soaps. It is more effective than Salicylic Acid coz it kills the root cause. And much much safer than oral drugs. Go ahead and free yourself from acne problems with the help of Proactiv. 

For more information, do visit the Proactiv Website.

Comfort Food at Cafe Naci

One of the major joys of life is eating. Ok maybe it's just me and not everybody. But hey, I enjoy good food. And when I do, I'm really vocal about it. Well me and my tummy did had a moment of bliss when I was given a chance to eat at Cafe Naci! I've never been there before so I jumped at the chance to try it out. And let me just say that I loved it!

Cafe Naci is located at the 2nd floor, Fox Square Building, 53 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City. Now I used to be a QC girl but never got to explore that area. Suffice to say that its quite near the Promenade. Walking distance (10-15 min). So if you don't see it right away, they got plenty of signage outside so keep your eyes open.

Anyway, like I said earlier, I'm a big fan of comfort food. And so I was quite eager to taste the fare. Thanks to OpenRice Eats A Date, we were able to try out this menu. 

Here are the photos of some of the dishes that were served:

Ok so this isn't food but their Iced Tea is yummy! It's genuine iced tea.. mixed just the way I like it! And that weird Pisa Tower looking glass is the best! haha. When I first saw the glass I thought that my eyes went blurry.. but its really shaped in a slanted way. awesome.. :)

Comfort Naci's Crispy Fried Chicken settles down warmly in your tummy! 

Cafe Naci - Chef Ed's Pork Shank

Cafe Naci - Braised Beef Ossobuco

Comfort Naci - Peruvian Chicken

Cafe Naci - Beef Calderata Lasagna

Cafe Naci - Mango Pannacotta

Cafe Naci - Mango Pannacotta

I really enjoyed all the food! I found myself really liking the Beef Calderata Lasagna. It was very tasty and very filling. :) Yes comfort food indeed. But of course despite tasting all of that, I have to say I found myself particularly enjoying and loving these four meals from their menu.. I super love love and would definitely recommend the following to all of you! Check out my faves:

Cafe Naci's Kani Mango Crunch

1. Kani Mango Crunch (Php 250 ~ Salad)

I love salad and this winning piece blew me away! I loved how the whole taste and texture of this salad was put together. The sweetness of the mango, the delightful crunch of the noodles, and the slight wasabi hint in the sauce made quite an impact on me and whetted my appetite. I'm normally not a fan of spicy food -- meaning the wasabi but this time, the wasabi was mixed in just right and gave a pleasant overall "asian" effect to the salad that made it enjoyable to eat. If you wanna try out Cafe Naci's salads -- you should really try this out!

Cafe Naci Smoked Salmon and Potato Pancakes

2. Smoked Salmon and Potato Pancakes (Php 350 ~ All Day Breakfast)

Ahhhh BREAKFAST. It's one of my favorite meals of the day. Given the chance, I'm all for going all out on a breakfast meal. I have this pet peeve thing about breakfast foods.. that in the morning, the breakfast that I eat should be "breakfast food" only. Like the usual Pinoy breakfast fare (hello tapsi~ish food!) and EGG. So when this was offered to us, I was intrigued.. I took one spoonful of the potato pancake with some smoked salmon to top it off.. AND WAS HOOKED. I love love love it. While eating it, I kept making comments.. "Grabe ang sarap.. ang sarap... masarap sya promise.." and when you hear me saying those comments while eating.. then you better believe that the food I'm eating is definitely delicious! (So alam na.. if I eat and keep quiet.. more likely or not, I'm just eating for eating's sake and well.. not that happy with the food that I'm eating. haha may ganun). I'm a fan of salmon, and getting a taste of that smoked salmon was a treat in itself. I REALLY loved the potato pancakes! It was nice and crispy on the outside but "fluffy flaky" in the inside. Yep, it was definitely my kind of dish. If you are a fan of breakfast food, you gotta try that one out!

Cafe Naci Bacon Liempo

3. Bacon Liempo (Php 250 ~ All Day Breakfast)

One word. BACON. Yummy, crispy, crunchy,and not that greasy bacon! Need I say more? BAAAAACOOOOOON. You gotta love it!

Cafe Naci Pistachio Mini Cake

4. Pistachio Mini Cake (Php 150 ~ Dessert)

Ok, I want you to take a good look at that cake. It's small. Yes. But still, take a look. See all that PISTACHIO. Can you see it? It's literally and liberally studded with Pistachio Nuts that I absolutely love! That's the winner part of the dessert, how generous they were in putting all those pistachio nutty delights. If you love Sansrival and Pistachios.. this is it! The only thing is, if you wanna take home some of this loveliness, you gotta make sure you are on your way home in an hour or two or the cake might kinda be melted. 

So Coffeeholics, overall, the other food that I ate were awesome and I really enjoyed eating it. But these four were my favorites! So if you are in Greenhills area, do try out some of the wonderful and comforting fare from Cafe Naci. :)

Cafe Naci is now open daily: Sunday to Thursday at 7 A.M. to 12 Midnight while on Friday - Saturdays at 7 A.M. to 1 A.M. For reservations & functions, you may call 726-7266 / 0917-8077886. 

CAFE NACI 

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