TOPAZ HORIZON

Because I announced the new Lotus Biscoff Speculoos flavor of Dairy Queen last weekend, I'm getting free Biscoff for me and free Biscoff for... MY READERS!!!


Here's how to win:

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Avon sent me some samples of their shapewear line called Body Illusions. I got leggings and a slimming tank, both of which I really like. I've been using Avon girdles since 2010 so I can attest to their quality and efficacy. Avon Body Illusions is comfy and lightweight, and yet because it's made of stretch nylon and spandex, your bulges get reined in. They have a Control Skirt, a Waist Cincher, an Underbra Top, Seamless Slimming Tank, Boyleg Shorts, High Waist Boyleg Shorts, High Waist Control Brief, Knee Length Shaper, Crop Leggings, Support Dress, and the amazing Swimsuit Dress. Do try Avon Body Illusions! Just call your Avon lady to order. My Avon lady is my old yaya.

Anyway! Top celebrity stylist Liz Uy has collaborated with Avon Body Illusions because Liz knows that one of the best secrets to looking stylish is a smooth silhouette. Whether you're curvy or skinny, if anything bulges out or looks droopy, no outfit is going to look good.



For more of Liz's style secrets, Avon sent me her book, StyLIZed, which I already have so I'm giving it away!!! I'll send na rin a Body Illusions product kasi ganyan ako ka-generous!

Just so you know, hindi ito sponsored post ng Avon or ni Liz. Hindi kami friends ni Liz, although we used to work together in Summit Media and I told her, "Why are you dating that guy??? Hindi kayo bagay!!!" I was referring to John Lloyd whose charms are so lost on me. Hindi ko talaga gets. Baka kaya hindi kami friends ni Liz dahil dun hahaha!

Anyway!!! How to win? Just leave a comment below with answers to these:

1. Why do you want to win StyLIZed? (If your answer is "So I can join the #TopazReads book club!", you get extra points!
2. What's the problem area in your body? Mine is my tummy. Sigh!
3. What's your size? 
4. How can I contact you? NO EMAIL ADDRESSES! No phone numbers, too. Just leave your Facebook account name or your Twitter/Instagram handle.

Okay. Contest will only be for one hour. YES! Contest ends at 12 midnight. Kasi kailangan ko na ipadala agad yung book at yung mystery Avon Body Illusions product sa winner sa lalong madaling panahon upang may panahon siya magbasa at nang makasali siya nang maayos sa book club discussion on March 16!

Good luck! Mwah!


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I already bought The Day Designer planner for 2015 but I really like the mission of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf when it comes to their 2015 Giving Journal, so I wanted to help them promote it. And it's a really nice planner, too! Let me tell you a bit about its story before I do my review and giveaway.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) 2015 Giving Journal is all about "Overflow and Giving Back." I know the owners of CBTL are Christians so I'm making a wild guess that they're basing their planner's mission on the famous Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

With the Giving Journal to help you plan your year, you can achieve goals and make dreams come true. When that happens and blessings abound, then your cup overflows and it is time to give back and share. It's really quite noble and true. Life takes on so much meaning and joy when you're sharing your life with others. A lot of us will say, "But I have nothing to give." We all have something! Time for our kids, talents for the community, hugs for our friends, smiles for the salespeople or maintenance staff, a sandwich to split with a co-worker, making a cup of coffee for your sleepy spouse. We always are blessed! We just need to see that God provides!

Every year, during the holidays, CBTL releases its Giving Journal, which benefits the Real LIFE Foundation. Since 2008, the company has raised more than P10 million and created awareness for Habitat for Humanity and Real LIFE Foundation. Poor but deserving scholars are given scholarships for high school and college. These scholars are also given LIFE coaching, where mentors help equip these kids with the values and skills they will need to succeed in the real world.

Pretty amazing, right? Create a life of abundance so your life overflows in love and service to others! I'm sure The Giving Journal can help. Let me do my review:

I like that the owner's info sheet is simple and easy to read. And large. Madaling hanapin at basahin.

The whole planner, by the way, has lots of these bold and graphic patterns and designs. All earthy colors. I am not an earthy color person. I like bold colors like pink and orange and red and blue or just bold black and white. So this color scheme doesn't appeal to me.

Then comes the pages of info about the brand. Can't be helped. It is a product of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf so might as well find out about the name behind the planner.

Then the information about The Giving Journal and how to use it for maximum results follows.

A page for your year's goals. I always like it when my plans are in one page in my planner. I am reminded every day of what my year's supposed to be like and I can then plan every decision and event purposefully.

Only thing I don't like about this is three of the boxes are dark brown. Even if you use black ink to write your goals, mahirap basahin.

Two pages on how to create an abundant life. Very good and helpful suggestions. Some are so simple, which is a good reminder to us all that improving our life needs just small and simple steps.

Vacation planner sheets for those getaways we all need.

Coupons! Sobrang sulit the coupons! Daming free! So if you're a CBTL fan (like me!), you'll be super happy with the offers and deals in The Giving Journal.

Okay, planner pages! They're very simple. Every month starts with a calendar. Love the simple layout. Thank goodness they didn't put those earthy colored graphics here. I don't want to be distracted from my schedule by patterns!

I truly love love love this weekly layout, where the week is on one side and the other side is for your To Do list. I've been using this kind of planner for years. It's more flexible than a daily planner (which I'll be trying out for 2015) but more detailed than a monthly layout.

There are two kinds of notes pages—a dotted one alternating with a blank one. Helpful advice and inspiration is found at the bottom of each notes page.

After 52 weeks, you get a congratulatory note. Hey, everyone who survives life needs to be congratulated! Then blank pages follow, which I always find useful for ideas, notes, drawings and photos.

The last few pages are for helpful information.

The inside back cover has a pocket for receipts and other odds and ends. I think all planners should have a pocket!

What I loved:

1. The cover material. 
2. The planner pages. They're simple. Like I said, I want to be focused on my plans so I like that there's no distracting graphics.
3. No extra unnecessary stuff like measurements, time zones, phases of the moon, etc. 

My birthday giveaway #2!

My readers know I just got a cool gig as a Beauty Minister at BDJ Box, a beauty box subscription service. Part of my job is to write about my beauty experiences. Part of the perks of my job is to get monthly boxes of the beauty industry's hottest new products. And this is the current one I got:

Behold! The BDJ Box Elite: Corporate Chic box!

Here's what's inside:

1. Pureology Precious Oil Shamp'oil, P1,195 for 250 ml (box has full size)
2. Davines Oil for Hair, P800 for 12ml (box has full size)
3. K-Palette 1Day Magic Liquid Eyeliner, P695 (box has full size)
4. Canmake Tokyo Candy Wrap Lip, P410 (box has full size)
5. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick, P350 (box has full size)
6. GlamGlow Youth Mud Tinglexfoliate Treatment, P3,750 for 50g (box has 5g sample size worth P375) 
7. Glamglow Super Mud Clearing Treatment, P3,750 for 34g (box has 2.1g sample size worth P231.60)
8. Simply She Cosmetic Pouch, P400

The Corporate Chic box is worth P4,457!!! And I'm giving it away to one lucky corporate chick! All you have to do is:

• Follow me on Instagram (@francesasales) OR on Twitter (@FrancesASales) OR on Facebook (Topaz Horizon). Hindi kailangan lahat! Kahit isa lang. Promise!
• Post a photo of you at work and say, "I'm a corporate chick who wants a BDJ Box Elite Corporate Chic box from BDJ Box and Topaz Horizon!" 
• TIP: If you tag BDJ Box also, better!
• Just one photo. Pleeeeeease don't keep posting selfies of you throughout the day.

That's it! I choose a winner on Monday next week! Good luck!

UPDATE! The winner is @tinkergell_ who won because of this photo:

I'm a corporate chick who wants a BDJ Box Elite Corporate Chic box from BDJ Box and Topaz Horizon! 💅💇💄👠👜📈📉📊🐤 @francesasales @bdjbox

A photo posted by Angel Rose Quines (@tinkergell_) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:19pm PST

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My birthday giveaway #1!

Ni-QUA is throwing a fab event called "Bespoke Your Ni-QUA" on November 22-23 at Century City Mall. Bespoke means customized to your specific preferences so if you're a budding designer, here's your chance to have a one-of-a-kind all leather bag!

And because it's my birthday, I'm going to give you a chance to bespoke your Ni-QUA for free!

1. Follow Ni-QUA on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. 
2. Grab one of the Bespoke Ur NiQUA photos from their website. 
3. Post that photo on Instagram and tell Ni-QUA your peg when you design your own Bespoke Ur NiQUA. For example, I'd say, "I want my #BespokeUrNiQUA bag to be red, white and blue!"
4. Use the hashtag #BespokeUrNiQUA!
5. Tag @NiQUAshop and @francesasales. You have to tag me because I'm choosing the winner!

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Dearest loyal blog readers, you've been telling me over and over again in the last three years to sell bags again. So, because you love me and I love you, meet the Topaz Clutch!

I'm so thrilled to finally show them to you!

The Topaz Clutch was born from a collaboration with local brand Ni-QUA. If you've been reading my blog recently, you'll be familiar with Ni-QUA because I super love their leather products. Genuine leather, quality craftsmanship, friendly prices. I've stopped longing for foreign brands because local ones are really amazing! That's why I just had to ask Ni-QUA to make my dream come true with this collaboration!

Look at the first two bags from my Topaz Collection:

Brown and basic. For the classic woman who doesn't want a big bag to hide her outfit.

Made of soft and smooth, buttery sheep leather. Features a tassel and gold hardware.

Fits all your essentials! (These are mine!)

The pink version is for the woman who loves a little whimsy.

The pink leather tassel adds fun and flair!

Fits an iPad and a lipstick. Two of my other essentials haha!

They're so pretty, I can't stand it! I love them both so much! Please love them, too! Buy a clutch or both from Ni-QUA! Each clutch is only Php 1,395. Pretty inexpensive for something so pretty and perfect!

Click the links to shop:
I want the brown!
I want the pink!

Thanks! Now, Ni-QUA and I are feeling generous and we'll give away two clutches. One brown and one pink! Here's all you need to do:

1. Be a fan of Ni-QUA! Like their Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter. Follow them on Instagram. I'm going to check if you liked Ni-QUA, okay?
2. Grab any photo from this blog post and share it on your social media accounts. Tell us which bag you want and why. 
3. Use these hashtags: #topazclutch and #niquashop. It's so we can see your entry!
4. You don't need to share on all your social media accounts (we don't want you to spam your friends), but it will help me a lot if you can leave a comment below telling me if you shared on FB, Twitter or on IG.  

Ni-QUA and I will pick one winner of the brown clutch and one winner of the pink clutch. Contest ends on September 15. Contest is open only to those with a Philippine address. Okay, that's it. Good luck!

Meanwhile, if you don't believe in luck, just buy straight from Ni-QUA's online shop and be one of the first with a Topaz Clutch!


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Remember when I tried out the eyewear online shopping site, Four Eyes, last week? Well, my glasses are finally here!

I picked the Cat Whisperer frames because I looked really good in them! Or they looked really good on me.

After trying out the three frames I picked, I asked for the glasses to be picked up on June 13. They were picked up by courier service Xend on June 17. Again, there's a wait. I finally got my glasses on June 24. So from the time I ordered on June 2 to the time I got my glasses on June 24, it's 22 days. Three weeks. That could've been shorter since I really kept the trial frames for 5 days before I scheduled a pick up.

To be fair to Four Eyes, they never said they'll deliver or pick up the next day. So the process does take time, but if you're in no hurry, I think Four Eyes is much better than going to the optical shop. A big reason why I dislike optical shops intensely is the fact that they hide price tags. So you go around the shop, you pick your frames, you try them on. The sales person says, "Bagay! Bagay lahat!!!" Which really doesn't help. Finally, you pick your frame and then realize it's out of your budget range and then the salesperson looks at you with a sigh, and then you feel small and sad and poor, and then you just hurry out or pick something else that you don't like. Haha, I'm so melodramatic! But I think you know what I mean!

With Four Eyes, I had the convenience of picking out frames at my leisure (it took me an entire afternoon doing the virtual try-out, then a whole five days trying them on at home), and all of that in the privacy of my own home. Then my new gorgeous glasses just cost P3,495! I mean, look at them. They look so chic, not cheap!

THE GOOD CAUSE
Here's another reason why you should totally buy your glasses and sunnies from Four Eyes: The eyewear shopping site has partnered with the charity organization, World Vision Philippines. For every pair you buy from Four Eyes, they will donate another pair to someone in need of prescription glasses.

Buy yourself glasses for just P1,495 and another person benefits from your shopping!

Top right photo shows host, teacher and blogger Patty Laurel-Filart helping distribute the glasses.

New glasses for all! What a happy day!

The World Vision and Four Eyes team with the happy Caviteños!

THE GIVEAWAY!
Four Eyes would love to extend their services to one lucky Topaz Horizon reader!

Krispy Kreme asked me (pretty please with candy sprinkles on it) if I'd like to treat my readers to something sweet. Of course I said yes! So if you're in the mood to treat yourself (or your family, friends, co-workers, etc) to a sweet treat with an even sweeter message on top, why don't you give them #JoyInABox from Topaz Horizon and Krispy Kreme?


Yes, my dear readers! I'm giving away 10 boxes of #MessageDoughnuts from my family's favorite doughnut shop, Krispy Kreme! But you get to pick the message you want on it. Here are a few samples:

So without further ado, let's get on with the giveaway!

The prize:
A whole box of doughnuts with the message you want to tell anyone. It can be a "Happy Dad's Day!" to your father, an "I love you!" to your boyfriend, an "I miss you!" to your friends, "Congrats!" to a new mom or a friend with a new job, or encouraging words to your staff at work. Kinda something like this:

The details:

1. 10 readers will win a box each of #MessageDoughnuts from Krispy Kreme. 
2. Contest is open to anyone near a Krispy Kreme shop! So this is a nationwide contest! (Philippines only!)
3. My contest runs from today till June 12, 12pm.
4. I'll pick the winners on June 12 and announce on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Winners must reply to my announcement by June 13, Friday 12 noon!!! If I get no feedback, I pick new winners!
5. Winners will then send me their name, the message they want on their #JoyInABox, and which Krispy Kreme store they'll claim the box from. Bring a valid ID to claim your box of #MessageDoughnuts!

How to win:

1. Like Krispy Kreme's Facebook page, and follow them on Instagram and Twitter. 
2. Like Topaz Horizon's Facebook page, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Ya, you kinda have to because that's where I'm going to announce the winners! 
3. On Instagram: Post a happy selfie and say this: "I want to get #joyinabox from @KrispyKremePH and @FrancesASales!"
4. On Twitter: Post a happy selfie and say this: "I want to get #joyinabox from @hotlightgirl and @FrancesASales!"
5. On Facebook: Say this: "I want to get #joyinabox from Krispy Kreme and Topaz Horizon!" Make sure Krispy Kreme and Topaz Horizon are tagged!

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