Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle

I love my S'well bottles, don't get me wrong. But, one super early morning, while getting coffee at a Salcedo Village coffee shop, I heard one of the baristas wondering out loud how she was going to fit ice into my S'well. She wasn't able to, and my coffee that morning was just shaken in ice before it was transferred into my bottle.

This got me thinking on an alternative bottle for my coffee, and yes, milk tea needs. I may have curbed my consumption of plastic bottles from the beverages I often bought before, but coffee and milk tea come in plastic cups, and putting these in a non-insulated Starbucks tumbler wasn't really going to cut.

This is where I decided to buy a Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle. I was torn between getting the bottle in either Shale Black or Winter Plum, but since it was my first Klean Kanteen product, I eventually went with a neutral color.

I got the 20 oz. size, as a Venti coffee in Starbucks is roughly 20 oz, 24 oz with ice.

It has earned the investment I put in already, as I drink coffee at least thrice a day. My only issue is I might need a second bottle because I sometimes have a coffee drink, and milk tea simultaneously.

Looks like I will be getting a Winter Plum Klean Kanteen after all.

Liberty London and S'well Collaboration

Ever since I got bit by the S'well bug, one of the bottle designs that I set my eyes on was the collaboration with Liberty London featuring a fabric in blue with paisley prints.

borrowed from Pinterest

They called the bottle Marky, and this particular print on the fabric was released for Autumn/Winter 2001. The print was based on ancient calligraphy, and the released an updated look to the fabric. And here I thought they were paisleys... I actually call them polliwogs.

The newer collaboration bottles are sold online in Liberty London's website, I presume that these are available in the store.

The first batch though, the Marky bottle included, was sold in Starbucks.

The bottle was released in 2017, and was also made available locally. I saw this from an announcement made on Starbucks website, and it was priced at PhP 1,995.00 at the time.

I chanced upon a bottle being sold online, and I ordered it.

It arrived today, and it is just as beautiful as its pictures online. This is my favorite S'well bottle.

My next grail bottle is the Kelsey Montague collaboration bottle. I hope I can score one online, too.

S'well Bottles on Sale in Rustan's

The sale in Rustan's is on its last week, and they've slashed prices further. I wasn't really planning on buying more bottles, because I had already purchased three at the onset of the sale, but my boss saw the bottles in my office and inquired about S'well.

Long story short, I was able to influence her to buy a bottle while it was still on sale. She asked me to be the one to go to Rustan's Makati to buy it for her since she couldn't find time.

There's still a sizable number of bottles on sale, but none were as good a deal as the Gray Malin collaboration bottle that I purchased from a week ago, which was at 65% off the retail price.

They had bottles from the Textile Collection of S'well, and I showed her pictures of the Marrakesh and the Mumbai bottle.

I myself couldn't choose between the two, and both are insanely Instagrammable.

I was hoping to buy a Mumbai bottle for myself, while my boss decided to go for the Marrakesh bottle.

Unfortunately, Mumbai has sold out, so I grabbed two of these instead. Below is the bottle intended for me:

The Mumbai bottle which slipped my claws is below:

borrowed from Nordstrom

Each bottle is unique, that's what I realized in Rustan's today. I asked for several Marrakesh bottles because I wanted to be sure I wasn't getting a damaged bottle, and the patterns we're all differently placed. There are slight variations in shade, in the size of the prints, and even the orientation of the pattern. Reading a note on the cylindrical box, the company indicated that the bottles were hand-painted, and that each one is one of a kind and unique.

All I can say is, captured on camera, these bottles are very photogenic.

The sale is only until the 31st, and stocks are now really limited. There are still 25 oz. bottles priced at PhP 1,137.00, and 17 oz. bottles at PhP 1,125.00. Better grab a S'well bottle at these insanely low prices!

New Year, New Goals - Hydration by S'well

I went through a horrible and messy break up in 2017, and the entire 2018 was filled mostly with moving on. Moving on was such a long and tedious process, and now that I'm back, I have also started focusing more on things that will keep me healthy, and keep my idle mind busy.

I rediscovered Lego during the last few months of 2018, and I have been building playsets that I purchased on... yes, SALE! I'll be posting on that pretty soon.

Recently, I resolved that I should be drinking more water. I don't get to drink the minimum number of liters per day, which, disastrously, has resulted to several ailments that plagued me in 2018, one of which was dehydration.

How do I force myself to drink water? I bought a S'well bottle in Rustan's.

I have actually been meaning to purchase a S'well bottle, but thought that the price was quite steep for a bottle, which a Starbucks tumbler, and Starbucks mugs (You Are Here mugs at that) fulfill rather well. If I had so many of the latter two, why was I still not drinking water?

I realized it was because water kept in a tumbler or a mug for quite a time doesn't keep cold. And when I take a sip, and it isn't cold, I don't bother drinking at all. Add to the fact that I'm tamad to walk all the way to the water dispenser (about 10 meters away), thus spelling disaster in maintaining hydration.

Thank Rustan's further for their end of season sale, I could not resist not buying a S'well bottle. The bottle I purchased was steeply discounted, and I was able to purchase it for PhP 1,170.00. Its original price was PhP 2,850.00. It's a crime not to buy it!

At that price, I also bought a bottle for my mom, and a bottle for my outgoing Finance Manager - a despedida gift.

These are all part of the Love Collection of S'well.

borrowed from shefinds.com

I purchased the 25 oz. bottle size, the largest that they have. The black bottle with  hearts design, I had Rustan's giftwrap for my mother, and the white bottle with stars for my outgoing Finance Manager.

I kept the bottle with Cupid's arrows.

(I will update this blog with a picture of my S'well, when I get enough courage to hold a photoshoot on my office table.) Here's a snapshot of the 25 oz. bottle that I purchased from Rustan's:

And to be honest, since there's limited stock, and the price is really affordable for a S'well bottle, if I keep thinking of the white-starred bottle, I might just go and get a 25 oz. bottle of it for myself!

I got so obsessed with S'well, I started researching on it. Because of the its vacuum seal, and its double insulated wall, it can keep cold drinks cool for up to hours. I've tried this in the office, and my 8-hour workday is just a fraction of the entire day that the water is kept cold inside the bottle. On the 2nd day I was using it, I was easily able to drink about 60 oz. of water in the office.

I also did some online shopping, and discovered a seller who had hoarded S'ip by S'well in the US, probably when it was on clearance in Target, and he is now looking to unload some of his stock. He was selling it for such an affordable price, I also ended up buying a Jelly Bean Green S'ip by S'well bottle - not for me though, but as a gift for someone.

There was a gentleman who messaged me inquiring about my Bencab Swatch watches, and he reminded me of how much fun I had blogging. This is why I started writing again as soon as I got home. Hope you find a pair of the Bencab Swatches!

Update for January 13, 2018

I went to Rustan's Makati today as I had decided to purchase the 25 oz. gold-starred bottle. Guess what surprised me on the S'well table:

They had brought out 17 oz. bottles. My head went into a tizzy. They were only PhP 1,237.50. 

I had no choice to but to pick one out from the three designs. Since I had been viewing videos of S'well online, prominent in the videos was the Ombre Speckle water bottle. I scooped it up, and brought it to my office. 

And here it is, sitting proudly on my desk!

I washed it and am now leaving it uncapped for air-drying, and will fill it up for the drive home. The size is handier for traveling, and I'm sure it'll fit better in the cupholders compared to the 25 oz. bottle.

Retro Chic Gadget - Nokia 3310 (2017)

Ever since the announcement that Nokia was reviving the Nokia 3310, I had been waiting excitedly to be able to get a hold of a unit. I'm a xennial, and my generation was one of the first assimilators of the mobile revolution. My first cellphone was a Nokia 2010, followed by a Nokia 2110. I had a cellphone since 1997, I skipped the pager stage and went straight right into cellular technology - I mean, hey, what's the point of receiving a message if you were going to be unable to call back, right?

Then, text messaging became a thing. In 1998, an additional PhP 150.00 on top of your monthly cellphone bill could already give you unlimited text messaging. There began my love affair with Nokia.

Alright, I admit, I did have a Nokia 3310 back in 2001, but I only had it for a couple of weeks. Back then, everybody had a Nokia 3310, and it was just too pedestrian for my taste. An aunt gifted me with a Nokia 3310, and when I realized that every Tom, Dick and nobody on the street had one, I traded it in for a Nokia 7110. Since then, almost all of my Nokia phones were the high-end ones. I had a Nokia 6510, a Nokia 3650, an 8800 Scirocco, a 9300... Nokia was the cellphone brand of choice, especially since they offered their consumers a wide range of choices. Their product range was from entry-level phones, to high-end corporate gadgets.

I ended up buying a Nokia 3310 just this weekend because I felt nostalgic about the phone, it was because I felt nostalgic about the era. Back then, people could still disconnect from their phone. Social media wasn't some opium that you needed to connect to 24/7, and a phone was just a means of receiving calls and text messages. Cellphones weren't gigantic power-guzzling monsters, but small, sleek, and sexy devices meant to keep you reachable for 3 days per charge.

With that, I drove all the way to SM North, braving horrific Saturday traffic, and bought two Nokia 3310s.

I bought two because my sister wanted one. At the store, they were telling me how it had sold out just the day before, and that they held onto these two units for me, because I was one of the first few who had signified intent on purchasing it. Thank goodness they trusted me that much.

I got two, because Bianca wanted to use this as her primary phone while she's in between cellphones. Her iPhone is having battery issues - surprise, surprise!

I've used it the whole day of Saturday and Sunday, and voice clarity on the device was excellent. Texting on it is easy - you see, I never got the hang of texting on a touchscreen phone, and would still curse my phone every now and then whenever I would mistakenly press a different key. I had to charge it yesterday evening, as the factory charge had already run out, but that was after over 100 text messages, an hour of calls, and several Snake games. 

I'm very much happy with the 3310. It does the job. It makes sending messages easy, receiving calls easy, and seems to promise minimal powerbank plugs. Now, if Nokia could only revive the 8800...

Charriol Sunglasses on Sale

I had discovered in SM's department store a treasure trove of sunnies that were on sale.

For several weeks, I went back and forth in order to choose which one I wanted to take home with me. Eventually, I had narrowed down my choices to either a pair of Calvin Klein Jeans sunglasses, or a pair of Charriol Sunglasses.

The choice, although should have been a no-brainer, was quite difficult to make because I so wanted a pair of aviators, and the Calvin Klein Jeans sunnies had a similar shape to aviators albeit a faddish interpretation of these.

In the end, I ended up getting the Charriol sunnies, because they had a classic shape, that would, of course, prove to be timeless.

This pair of sunnies cost less than PhP 3,000.00 - really quite a steal because of the sale!

If you're in the market for a pair of sunglasses and don't want to break the bank, it might be a good idea to visit the department store of SM Makati, SM Manila, or SM Aura. Happy shopping!

Salvatore Ferragamo Sunglasses and Prescription Eyewear

Kim, being ever supportive, wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses for me so I can enjoy touring Korea even if the sun is out.

Initially, we wanted to purchase a pair of Prada sunglasses for me, but our go-to optical shop didn't carry the brand. We looked at Givenchy, but the offering they had, although was wide enough for me, its temple tip didn't quite anchor well onto my ear. We were resolved to purchase a pair of aviators from Ray-ban, but the model that was large enough to fit my face wasn't available, and my flight to Korea is in a couple of days. 

I had all but given up, when he asked me to look at the section where the optical shop displayed their Salvatore Ferragamo, Chloe, and Ermengildo Zegna eyewear. 

I was apprehensive, because I didn't want him to spend too much for my sunglasses. As I was checking on the Salvatore Ferragamo eyewear, I noticed some sunnies and prescription eyeglasses with red tags. On SALE!

Even better, I found a pair that I absolutely adored! It was love at first sight, when I first tried on this pair of sunglasses:

At less than PhP10,000.00 for Ferragamo eyewear, how could I not look into updating my prescriptions as well?

I just love Ideal Vision. The staff are so friendly, and they offer the best deals. My prescription is not readily available, and it took them 24 hours to prepare my eyeglasses, they went beyond and had the eyeglasses delivered to my office!

Bric's Bellagio 21" Carry On Spinner

I have been crazy exhausted from work the past couple of months, and there would be weeks where wouldn't be able to take a day-off. add the fact that my family and I will be leaving for Korea the following week, there really isn't time, what with preparing for the things I need to bring to Seoul, and juggling deadlines and endorsements. What hurts further, I had already purchased USD$1,000.00 for my shopping money in Korea - it got stolen, along with my beautiful Etro wallet!


I still try to find joy in the small things, and over the Holy Week rest period, I enjoyed a little downtime with my newly purchased Bric's Bellagio 21" Spinner. This is the mini-version of the Bric's Bellagio luggage Kim bought me for Christmas.

Its in Tobacco Blue, and and it also evokes the same old-world charm the check-in luggage exudes of. The one I purchased is version 2.0.

I am so excited to stroll in Incheon International Airport with this bag!

The friendly people at Bric's SM Aura, who must know me so well by now, informed me of a sale ongoing, so I was only able to purchase this bag for PhP 24,000.00!

Do pay them a visit, there's a new line of Bric's luggage, the Capri hard case, which looks very pretty, too, without the hefty pricetag of the Bellagio line.

Bric's SM Aura
1st level, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, 1634
02.8033998

Nike from The Playground

Back to more outlet shopping tips!

I was looking for a good pair of walking shoes that can sustain me walking around Seoul for our Korea vacation in May, and I was ready to already purchase either a pair of MBTs or Skechers shoes. Both have great soles that are soft, and yet provide good support, which is very important for somebody with a slipped disc.

Kim, on the other hand, was looking for a pair of shoes to use for playing basketball. He is currently using an Adidas Derrick Rose which I bought back in 2012 and only used twice (I just paraded in the court for the two instances that my officemates let me play during a sports tournament). However, since the Derrick Rose is cut quite low, it lacks support for his ankles while playing.

He brought me to The Playground, located near Imelda Avenue, along Marcos Highway in Marikina, as he saw that they had huge discounts for athletic footwear.

While he was meandering about looking at the Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour options, I ended up trying on shoes, only to realize that Nike has models that have similar support to MBT and Skechers.

I ended up getting a pair of Nike Kaishi in burgundy. And the best part, it was priced at PhP 3,595.00, and I only paid PhP 1,700.00 for it. Now isn't that a steal?

borrowed from Tokopedia

I would have preferred the pair in blue, but they didn't have my size anymore. Here are some pictures of the Kaishi in my mom's Bric's Sintesis carry-on.

I started listing down what else I needed for our Korea vacation. I am luggage-ready (separate post on this) and walking shoes-ready. What else am I missing?

Hush Puppies in Q Plaza

Why have I not written about this before?

I had just come home from dinner in Arariyo in Q Plaza in Cainta, Rizal. One of my many addictions is shoes, and in Q Plaza, I'm able to indulge in shoes!

Since I'm a size 12, it is very difficult for me to purchase shoes locally. I often have to look for shoes from select stores and brands only - and the brands that carry my size are always priced higher than buying a pair from the department store.

I'm thankful that Payless is available in the Philippines already. Shoes in Payless are, however, not destined to last as the materials are synthetic. I have two pairs of boat shoes from Payless, and they're starting to peel already.

Now, Sebago and Sperry boat shoes - they're made to last. They're made from genuine leather, and I have a 6 year old pair of blue Sebagos that are still in great condition.

My office shoes that have stood the test of time? Rockport. Made from genuine leather also.

Another brand I use that is made, more often than not, from genuine leather, is Hush Puppies.

I've gone on and on about the brands of shoes that carry size 12s, and if you've been observant whenever you're window shopping, all these brands go from anywhere between PhP 4,000.00 to PhP 9,000.00 a pair!

Having big feet can be a strain on the wallet (my Bric's wallet, but that merits a separate post).

I discovered a shop, sort of like an outlet store of the distributor of Sebago and Hush Puppies in the Philippines, that sells old stock of broken-sized models of both brands. And, at least the shoes for men, are priced at PhP 800.00 to PhP 2,500.00. Hush Puppies would retail from PhP 4,500.00 upwards.

I've actually purchased several shoes from that store located at the mezzanine of Q Plaza, right next to Puyat Sports.

I'll update this blog post with pictures of the shoes that I've purchased from them, but to start things off, here are some of the items bought from there today:

This brown shoe is only PhP 800.00. Since the pants I use for the office is navy, I have been looking for a dark brown pair of shoes that I can mix and match with the pants. 

I am constantly looking for a good pair of driving shoes, because I find that other shoe styles don't have the right grip for the car pedals. If I'm not wearing driving shoes, I end up driving barefoot. So far, I have a pair of Superga driving shoes in grey suede that have been abused, because I often use them. I can't seem to find my brown Ralph Lauren driving shoes, some asshole must have stolen them (I actually know who). That's why, when I see a pair of driving shoes that fit, I tend to buy them.

This is a good pair to add to my driving shoes circulation. Its a nice green color, that I think I can pull of with jeans and khakis. And since its only PhP 1,000.00, I bought it too.

I'll try to take pictures of the actual shoes when I'm wearing them, but here's a pair that I bought from that store also:

 image borrowed from lyst.com

I bought these monk shoes also for the office. The color is a combination of blue blending into the brown. They're quite soft, and the tightness is adjustable.

I was able to share this news with my officemates, and a manager of mine chanced upon a similar outlet sale of this particular distributor in Market! Market! and bought this pair for me, for under PhP 1,000.00, too:

image borrowed from tatacliq.com

This is a very comfortable pair of driving shoes. The advantage of Hush Puppies from Superga is the sole has better support, and can be used for long walks. Superga is very flat, and provides minimal support, which makes it difficult for someone with a slipped disc, like me, to use on long walks.

What I also like about this shoe - the color. Its a similar color to a Fino keychain I have, which matches the color of one of my cars.

My mom has also purchased several pairs from that outlet store already.

If ever you're in that area, or if you're ready to sojourn Marcos Highway traffic to be able to get a pair of Hush Puppies for a steal, then here the details that you need:

Q Plaza
F. Felix Avenue (Formerly Imelda Avenue), Barangay San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal

Q Plaza is located across Sta. Lucia East Mall, and parking is free.

The store is on the mezzanine of Q Plaza, you'll have to go up a flight of stairs from the atrium of the building.

Happy shopping!

Bric's X-Bag Crossbody

One of my regrets this year was that I was unable to purchase a Bric's bag from NAIA Terminal 3 when we had a flight to Hong Kong July of this year. Mom took the opportunity to buy a bag while it was at 30% off, and I didn't.

I was quite delighted when the Bric's at the airport sent my mom a text message informing her that some bags had gone on sale again.

The bag I really wanted at the time was the X-Bag Crossbody, which I was hoping to get in a somewhat unisex color of either black, blue, or brown. When I called the sales person at the store, black was available.

borrowed from lyst.com

Just today, accompanied by my sister, we went to the airport in order to purchase the crossbody bag I had the store set aside for me. Grace, the store supervisor I was coordinating with, was on her break, so we had a quick lunch at the airport to kill time.

Looking around the people rushing to and fro to get to their destination, I was observing what type of luggage and bags they carried around with them. The bag you bring with you when you're flying out has to have enough space, and must be convenient to run around in, toss from side to side - and this was the reason why I wanted to get a Bric's X-Bag Crossbody. It is made of nylon so it can withstand rain, water, moisture, sweat. It has bovine leather accents which are hardy and tough and can last for years. Plus, it will perfectly match my check-in luggage.

After lunch, we went back to the shop and I was able to finally purchase the bag at a discounted price of PhP 2,920.00, from its original price of a little over PhP 5,000.00. The Bric's store in the airport is a different distributor from the one located in SM Aura and Shangri-la, and I find that their prices here are, indeed, better than outside. Haven't figured out, though, as to where I was going to attribute the price difference.

I inquired on the availability of the Bellagio Business Case hand-carry trolley that I wanted to purchase to match my Bellagio Tobacco check-in luggage. They said it was supposed to be available before December ends, and the price is way lower compared to the store in SM Aura. Naturally, I asked them to set aside the luggage for me already, and I will hie off to them as soon as they message me.

I'm sharing pictures of the bags on display and the bag I purchased.

Took a snapshot of this crossbody bag as it was on sale at PhP 3,650.00. I didn't purchase it though as the straps are thinner, thus making it hard for the bag to be considered unisex. My mom might be interested in it, though.

This is the bag I purchased. After my purchase, they only have 4 bags left. This would make a really nice gift this Christmas season. Do consider it.

And here's a snapshot of the bag as soon as I brought it home.

I really like Bric's over the other travel bag brands. It isn't as widely known locally, so using their luggage and travel bags gives me a unique sense of style. Observing the people in the airport, their go-to brands are either Samsonite, Delsey, Rimowa, and Tumi. With a Bric's, I feel comfortable that I wouldn't run into someone with the same bag. Quality is also not compromised with this brand. I have had a Bric's trolley that has been with me for years, and it still looks as beautiful as when I first used it.

Bric's X-Bag Capri 25" Spinner

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow!

I was looking around online and saw a Bric's X-Bag being sold for such a good price. According to the seller it had been used once. The color is pretty unique, though, from the available designs in the shop. The tuscan leather used in the current X-Bag lines is brown, the color of the leather used in this particular model is somewhat beige.

I did research on it, and I was able to find an X-Bag model that looked similar to it:

pictures borrowed from Polyvore

This is the X-Bag Capri series. Other models in its line up are the following:

Quite an interesting color-combination, if you ask me. 

We're supposed to go to New Manila tomorrow to inspect it, and hopefully purchase it. Will give you more details soon as I get home tomorrow. 

Rimowa Salsa Sports Trunk 32" Multiwheel

Mommy, Bianca, and I went to Rockwell yesterday. We were just going to go window-shopping, since there wasn't anything better to do on a stormy Sunday. 

We ended up going into the Rimowa store in Rockwell where I had a stark realization - that I might have purchased the wrong luggage!

I really wanted a Rimowa, but the PhP 60,000.00 price range quoted to me when I visited Rimowa in Greenbelt turned me off. Apparently, I asked about the wrong product. That price tag is for the aluminum Rimowas. I wanted a polycarbonate Rimowa which was about half the cost of that. 

I couldn't dwell too much on it, especially since my Bric's Bellagio was a gift from Kim, and we got a really good bargain for it. 

So I considered buying a Rimowa carry-on in blue to match my navy blue Bellagio. Mommy and Bianca wouldn't hear of it. The designs of the two luggage were on polar ends of the spectrum. 

On the one hand, I adore the vintage steamer trunk look of the Bellagio, which gives it a charming old world vibe, and on the other, the minimalist industrial of Rimowa is also quite timeless. 

I decided I would still match my Bric's Bellagio with the 2nd generation hand carry business case:

borrowed from bricstore.com

But that I would buy another set of luggage. I was looking at the Rimowa Salsa Sports Trunk 32" Multiwheel, and I love its shape. I so want one. 

borrowed from the bestthings.com

Another thing I realized last Sunday - Bric's prices are more expensive than Rimowa. 

They're both beautiful in their own right, and if you're having difficulties deciding between two things, then why not get them both?

Bric's Bellagio Ultra-Light Spinner

After our Hong Kong trip, we figured it was time to update our luggage. You might think that luggage is not important, that you can basically get one of those run of the mill suitcases in the department store, and nobody would care. Well, you're wrong.

Your choice in luggage says a lot about you. It was a lesson we learned in a rather odd way.

During our Hong Kong trip, we brought an XL Samsonite soft-case luggage, an XL Echolac polycarbonate luggage, a Bric's carry-on, and a locally manufactured carry on. While going around Hong Kong, we brought along the carry-on with no name. The locals in the MTR were looking at us from head to toe after they realized that our carry-on was insignificant. These locals, by the way, were bringing around Rimowa carry-ons in the MTR! They weren't even going to the airport, they were going to work! I wanted to tell them, "Don't look at us like that, you guys are commuters! We don't even ride the MRT in the Philippines." Alas, it remained in my thought balloon.

Mommy and I vowed this incident was never ever going to happen again, and so our quest for the perfect luggage started.

Naturally, our first option was Rimowa. After all, the commuting snobs of Hong Kong all seemed to approve of the brand. I noticed also that in the international airport in Manila, there were a lot of Filipinos pushing around their Rimowa luggage.

After further research, and several visits to the Rimowa store in Greenbelt, apparently, there are fake Rimowas. Can you imagine spending PhP 60,000.00 on luggage, and people thinking that you're Rimowa probably cost only PhP 12,000.00. A word of caution, best to buy only from the store.

In hindsight, I realized that some of the Filipinos in the airport lugging Rimowa might have been using fake ones.

We almost resorted to, sigh, buying either a polycarbonate Delsey or Samsonite, much to Bianca's delight because Delsey had a pink series.

Good thing I stumbled into Bric's store in SM Aura - during a weekend sale to boot.

Now, we're no strangers to Bric's. In fact, one of our purchases from Duty Free in Manila was a Bric's tote for Mommy. Throw in Jessica Alba and Amal Clooney being spotted rolling Bric's luggage out from the airport, and we were sold.

Mommy was the first to  purchase the luggage. She bought an XL Bric's Bellagio in olive.

borrowed from bricstore.com

I didn't immediately buy one because I was having difficulty choosing between getting a polycarbonate Bellagio or an XL Bric's Life Camo. The Life series is a combination of leather coated in PVC, so it gives a soft case feel to the luggage, but with the water resistance of a polycarbonate shell. 

borrowed from lyst.com

Kim on the other hand offered to buy the luggage for me as a birthday/Christmas/anniversary gift.

This evening, we went to the Bric's store in SM Aura so Kim can see the options. He preferred the Bellagio because of the polycarbonate shell, and even the staff at Bric's recommended that I get that model instead. 

Since Mommy and I cannot travel with the same colored bag, I ended up getting the XL Bric's Bellagio in navy.

borrowed from neimanmarcus.com

Blue Bellagio it is!

Our next trip is to Seoul-Pohang-Busan in March 2017. I'm excited!