Bea Alonzo swears by this ultimate shopping ‘budol’
MANILA, Philippines — Have you ever went on a road trip and with no restroom in sight, parked the car on the side and just heed to nature’s call uncovered?
Thankfully, with actress Bea Alonzo’s latest “budol” (shopping hack), women, in particular, don’t have to worry about looking for a comfort room because with Bea's choice of cover, they can comfortably “jingle all the way.”
During her recent launch as new Lazada Philippines brand ambassador, Bea shared her best online shopping find yet: A multifunctional portable tent that dabbles as an instant room for changing clothes, showering or or unloading when traveling.
The tent, said Bea, folds to conveniently fit inside her bag. She brings it to her travels or out-of-town shoots so that when she needs to change clothes and there are no rooms available, she just tosses the tent in a vacant space, and it pops out in place to cover her.
She also uses the makeshift tent to shield herself from the sun whenever she paints outdoors.
According to her, she discovered the tent in Thailand, when she and actor Alden Richards shot a TV commercial there for a popular hair care brand before the pandemic began. It was common for the Thais to use such a tent during tapings, so she immediately looked it up on Lazada and found that it can be ordered from there.
“Watching Hyun Bin, reading books, going to my mom’s farm in Zambales,” she enumerated the ways on how she unwinds nowadays. “When I go there (Zambales), I feel rejuvenated… Most of my Lazada shopping it’s for the farm and travel.”
From kitchenware to gadgets and clothes, Bea said there is no one thing that she loves to shop most.
“I shop them all,” she enthused.
Her Christmas wish list, however, includes cookware and tableware, which she is eyeing for entertaining and cooking a lot at home come holidays.
“Even when we’re saving during the pandemic, we have to observe the spirit of giving to share our happiness and blessings to others,” Bea said, answering Philstar.com’s query for a shopping advice. “Be a smart shopper by buying your gifts early and online – avoid the rush!”
Bea headlines the mega sale happening from October 10 to 14, with a mission to elevate shopper experience through LazMall, a preferred online shopping destination for authentic brand products.
“We are proud to welcome Bea Alonzo as the newest addition.... LazMall is our home for authentic international and local brands, and beyond being a well-loved style icon, Bea’s dedication to her work and genuine personality resonate perfectly with LazMall’s brand promise of authenticity and quality,” shared Lazada Chief Marketing Officer Neil Trinidad during the sale's virtual event.
Joining Hallyu super star and LazMall’s first-ever regional brand ambassador Hyun Bin, Bea unveiled 10.10 deals and exclusive offers, such as new 10% cashback, 100% Legit or get 2x money back guarantee, free shipping vouchers, 30-day returns, Bonus Discount Vouchers where shoppers can get P50 off for every P500 spend, up to 90% off on the best authentic brands, and special premium offers from Prestige Flagship Stores like Jo Malone, NARS, Lanvin, Narciso Rodriguez, and more.
“I am honored to be part of this family and excited to work with Lazada to bring more excitement to consumers in the Philippines!” said Bea.
More ‘budol’ finds to check out:
Foldable 'parol'
If Bea swears by her makeshift tent, mall giant chain SM's shopping app ShopSM boasts of many finds, including a foldable Christmas "parol" (lantern).
The largest retail chain in the Philippines aims to make online shopping experience even more thrilling with its online shopping platform, ShopSM. With its massive selection of brands carrying your favorites from every department — from men, women, and kids’ fashion, best-selling beauty products and cosmetics, to must-have essentials for your home, plus groceries, you can easily shop in just a few taps.
For this month, get an extra 10% on your order when you checkout from 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily on October 8 to 14. No minimum spend required and you can even get a daily discount of up to P2000 when you use code SUPERMONTH19 from October 8 to 14, and SUPERMONTHALLDAY from October 15 to 17. Likewise, gifts and freebies await shoppers and these include Viu and iflix premium subscriptions and Grab vouchers. With over 1,000 homegrown and international brands to choose from, there are deals up to 70% off on selected items.
The app aims to make checkout fast and convenient with many payment methods to choose from like Cash on Delivery, Credit and Debit Cards, GrabPay and GCash. Got an SM Advantage Card (SMAC)? You can earn SMAC points even when shopping online. Members can also get exclusive discounts and vouchers.
You can now shop for your favorite groceries and other essentials at in-store prices online with the new app. Experience same-day delivery or choose to pick up from the store nearest you. The app is available on the App Store or Google Play Store.
New stylish collaboration
This autumn, Starbucks is once again collaborating with Stacey Bendet, CEO and Creative Director of top fashion house alice + olivia to offer a stylish designer merchandise collection, available for a limited time at select stores across Asia.
With Stacey’s fun and sophisticated eye for design, the highly anticipated Starbucks X alice + olivia collection showcases two whimsical designs, including the iconic “Stace Face,” and a modern interpretation of the “Stace Face” with a colorful twist. Featuring a vibrant assortment of drinkware and lifestyle accessories, the collection is a celebration of femininity, designed to inspire women to feel empowered by their personal style.
“(Our brands) are united by their aspiration to create unique and delightful experiences,” said Erin Silvoy, vice president, Product and Marketing, Starbucks Asia Pacific. “Since our very first collaboration with alice + olivia, our customers have kept asking for more. Now, we’re excited to launch a new collection with bold, yet chic designs fit for everyday occasions, to encourage our customers to embrace self-expression and give them confidence to live a life in style.”
The limited-edition designer collaboration is now available in the Philippines in all Starbucks stores and Flagship Store on Lazada while supplies last.
Tips for 'Instagrammable' underarms
Women have been in a constant struggle on choosing a deodorant, especially when trying to achieve their outfit in sleeveless. Should it be one that brightens underarms or one that will not stain on clothes?
Here are five fashion tips from Rexona on how you can "Slay In Sleeveless" without worries:
- Embrace a new color: To make all kinds of style statements, try exploring colors you normally would not. A pop of pink or pastel tones can brighten up any outfit, while darker colors can create a host of subdued yet stylish looks. Experiment with different shades and see what works best for you. There is nothing to hold you back as long as you have advanced deo that will protect your clothes from stains.
- Harmonize accessories: To spice up your sleeveless #OOTD, experiment with accessories. Spice up your outfits by incorporating smaller pieces that allow you to add new energy to your wardrobe staples. If you feel overwhelmed by it, accessories are meant to be emotional choices, so pick what feels right and don’t overthink it too much.
- Balance proportions: One good trick to nailing good style is mastering how to balance proportions. You can achieve this by wearing clothes fit to your body shape. When you want to play with oversized garments, balance things out by keeping the rest of your look fitted. For example, try pairing a tight sleeveless crop top with wide-leg jeans or a puff-shoulder top with straight-leg pants.
- Find your personal style: Developing a signature style can take years, but you can start by creating a mood board of inspirational looks. Remember that personal style is an experiment; you never know what unique looks await you until you're in the dressing room. Take time to play with colors and shapes to find what looks great on your body.
- Level up your underarm brightening: Dark underarm insecurities keep women from fully expressing themselves through fashion. These worries can lead to self-doubt and eliminates the confidence to wear more breathable, sleeveless clothes. The new Rexona Advanced Brightening + Anti-Stain range combines the brand's formula of natural brightening technology with anti-stain benefits so users can confidently "slay in sleeveless." It has Vitamins C and E and natural lemon extract for naturally brighter underarms and protection from stains on clothes. This new range comes in three formats: roll-ons, aerosols and serums, available in all leading supermarkets and major e-retailers nationwide.
3rd anniversary offers
Globally renowned Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo is set to open more stores in the country this last quarter of the year, bringing its unique brand of retail shopping experience nationwide.
“With our new store openings, we hope to make our products more accessible to the local communities, and expand the reach of our LifeWear philosophy of helping our customers in their everyday lives by providing clothing that is affordable and high quality.” said Masoyashi Nakamura, Uniqlo Philippines Chief Operating Officer.
The brand is set to reopen its SM City Iloilo store on October 29. The store is stationed at the Upper Ground floor of the mall’s North Wing and will feature a sales are that has been expanded from 736 sqm to 959 sqm to provide a better shopping experience to the Ilonggos. This will be followed by another store opening in Metro Manila, in SM City Grand Central, which will open on November 26, the same day as the mall’s opening. With 830 sqm sales area, It will be its first store in Caloocan City and the whole CAMANAVA area which will be directly accessible via LRT1 (Monumento station). Also opening soon is a new 860 sqm store in Robinsons Dumaguete on December 17.
The three new stores will showcase the complete line-up of LifeWear including essentials and collaboration collections for women, men, kids, and babies. During their opening weeks, locals can enjoy special offerings and promotions just in time for their holiday shopping. For more updates, visit the brand's Philippines website and download the app via Google Play Store or Apple Store.
Art exhibit for a cause
A staggering 33 framed mixed media works, with several of them triptychs, comprise the second solo exhibition of visual artist Kristine Lim at the famed Manila Hotel. Using her specialized technique of combining a special textured ground with layers of transparent metallic bronze and gold colored glazes over the graphite pentimenti, or under drawings, which she deliberately allows to be seen as a trace of the journey the artist makes in the making of any work, and occasionally adding special details like straight gold lines, reminiscent of her graphic design practice and small, shaped mirrors and textured and brightly colored red resinous epoxy to attach them which both illuminate and serve as surfaces of reflection; Lim creates a cohesive and compelling exhibition using the Philippine eagle as the central motif with complementing verses from the Bible scribbled lightly at the edge of each work.
A Filipino Christian with an evangelical inclination, she considers herself as an “Artist with a mission," as her faith and her patriotism serve as foundation for the art that she makes, while remaining true to her own personal life experiences. By using these as her jumping points, she creates multiple avenues of connection with her audiences who share these with her.
The majestic Philippine Eagle serves as the central image in most of the works. A powerful animal endemic to the Philippines, it is a symbol of the nation; and a reminder of both how blessed we are with natural resources, and how we need rightful stewardship in keeping the balance, as it is critically endangered due to the loss of habitat from the encroachment of Filipinos and the deliberate destruction of our forests in the name of unsustainable progress. As a symbol, it is emblematic of both the potential of Filipinos as a people, and the complicated societal imbalances we face because of our colonial baggage in all aspects of culture, politics, and economy. In its solitary appearance in all the works, the artist seems to also imply the need to be in our own space, to reflect, and to have an honest appraisal and reckoning with ourselves.
With "SOAR," Lim proposes a potential way to salvation, based on the guiding principles of her Christian faith. Reflecting on how the eagle is often used in the Bible as a metaphor to compare the impossible heights God raises his people in an effort to keep them away from harm and to raise them in exultation, Lim proposes a total surrender such as she has experienced, when she has undergone personal tribulations, one after another in quick succession, and emerged from it unscathed as she lifted all these up in faith.
To see the solitary eagle soaring in the vast immensity of sky which Lim often leaves bare in her works, we are reminded that it is not by the eagle’s efforts that it glides across the sky, but by the invisible updrafts of air that support it and lift it up. In the mysteries of life, we know by heart that what we cannot see is as important as what we can, and oftentimes, even more so.
"SOAR" is both a testament to God’s love and saving grace, as well as the capacity of the Filipino spirit to transcend limitations, especially in the lowest periods. It provides hope that even in the direst situations, the love of God, and the love for our fellow man, will enable us to transcend our condition, and be free to be our realest and fullest selves.
“SOAR” is presented by Art Lounge Manila. The exhibition is located at the lobby lounge of The Manila Hotel. The show will run from October 1 to 30, 2021. Proceeds of the Closing Auction will go to Malasakit Para Sa Bayan Foundation Inc. This exhibition is in partnership with Manila Hotel, Globaltronics, Bamco Philippines and DigiScript.
