GAP Gray Turtle Neck PHP 1,600

(I used the Ayala EGC cards, P1,000 and P500 I got from GesierMaclang during the Alveo event, soo convenient this Ayala Electronic Gift Cards… YAY!)

It’s hard to go wrong with GAP.  So basic.  Luvv it!

Last week, Estee Lauder launched its limited collection of solid perfume compact during the Estee Lauder Holiday Spectacular event held at The Gallerie, Rustan’s Makati.  Filipino designer Inno Sotto owns The Gallerie, a level dedicated to fashion, particularly his own personal collection.  The venue was laced with everything that is beautiful including a red carpet in the midst of the displays.

Estee Lauder first introduced its solid fragrance compact in 1963 with the release of the Youth-Dew Boutique Oval.  This year’s collection shows that their fragrance trinkets only get better one collection after the other.  Designs weaved vary from special holiday-themed items such as candy cane and striped lollipops to animal figures such as penguin, spider, dove –all fabricated in distinctiveness and glamour.  Some of the compacts were even designed by famous jewelry designer, Jay Strongwater.

The collection is touring different countries and will return to its home in New York once the circuit is completed. The roving exhibition is not only a showcase of the intricate solid perfume ornaments, but some are issued as auction items to benefit the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.

The fragrances are speckled from the familiar Estee Lauder brands –my favorite of which, Pleasures.  Some of the elaborate compacts are available for as low as PHP7,000, that can stand as a perfect holiday gift. 

Celebrity spotting at the event includes Priscilla Meirelles, Cory Quirino, and Diether Ocampo.

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When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s California Pizza Kitchen.  And there’s definitely love at CPK.  Invites to the Make Your Own Pizza event were sent out and eager participants were not shunned away by the rain and Wednesday’s heavy traffic on the evening of September 10, Wednesday.

Kitchen adventures always intrigue me as a lot of things happen in the kitchen (after all, isn’t that supposed to be the most exciting part of any quarters… or do I hear bedroom echoing somewhere)?  The culinary excitement started when we were asked to choose from a variety of titles:  Bollywood, Where’s the Way, etc.  The choice was Bollywood –vivacious barely clad bodies and energetic music suddenly entered the mind.   We were then handed a CPK box with a cap inside.

The enclosed area was so packed that tables had to be arranged outside the reserved venue to accommodate more participants.  The history of California Pizza Kitchen flickered on the LCD screen.  Lawyers who became restaurateurs founded CPK.  The brilliant JR Hernandez hosted the event, while Chef Archie Rodriguez, President of Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc. opened the culinary session by demonstrating how their premium pizzas are made.

Top-quality ingredients such as handpicked Roma tomatoes, imported Italian sausage, special dough and other premium goods were readily available to help recreate any of the more than 30 pizza offerings of California Pizza Kitchen.

Recreating the California-style pizza was a cinch with the freshest ingredient and the knowledgeable team of CPK Philippine franchise behind the counter.

Make Your Own Pizza participants then arranged these high-quality ingredients on top of special dough before baking them in a hearth oven. “Our hearth oven baking process creates a pizza crust characteristic of fine bread. It also retains the color, texture and taste of our toppings, lending our pizzas a distinct and complex flavor,” explained Rodriguez.

The guests had the chance to savor their different creations, which were served fresh from the oven.  From the curry based Tandoori Chicken, spicy Thai Chicken to the smoky sweet Jamaican Jerk Chicken, the international pizzas of California Pizza Kitchen offer a taste of the world.

“Our pizzas draw inspiration from the diverse culinary heritage of the Golden State, which is called home by many migrant cultures,” said Rodriguez. “This is why California is also a melting pot of flavorful cuisines—a culinary heritage mirrored in the pizzas of California Pizza Kitchen.”

CPK menu include: Pizzas, Salads and Appetizers, Soups, Pastas, Focaccia Sandwiches, Desserts, Smoothies, Beverages, Blended Beverages.  I remember having one of my lunch meetings at CPK Shangri-la  2 months ago and not one dish disappoint.

“Our range of pizzas encourage Filipinos to be adventurous so that they enter California Pizza Kitchen, thinking: ‘Maybe I’ll try a new pizza today’. Because whether it’s Goat Cheese with Roasted Peppers or Tuna Melt, we want our pizzas to be as exciting as they are satisfying to the palate,” said Rodriguez.

The Philippine franchise is owned by Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc. and currently operates 6 branches located in: Glorietta 3, Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Trinoma Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, Powerplant Mall.  In California Pizza Kitchen, abandon normalcy and embark on a gastronomic adventure –order a pizza you’ve never tried before, and enjoy the thrill of traveling the world through its premium slices.

For inquiries on reservation or delivery, call California Pizza Kitchen at 867-2115 to 16 (Glorietta 3), 850-5771 (Cortes de las Palmas, Alabang Town Center), 687-7841 to 42 (Shangri-La Plaza Mall), 725-7377 (Greenhills Promenade), 901-3881 to 82 (Trinoma) and 895-3447 (Power Plant Mall, Rockwell).

Global website: http://www.cpk.com/menu/ Philippine website: http://globalresto.com

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