Kiko Mizuhara stars in short film for Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Eyewear Collection

Kiko Mizuhara stars in the short film for Marc Jacobs SS 2017 Eyewear Collection. The individual videos are uploaded on Marc Jacob's official Instagram (@marcjacobs) but you can see the compiled video below (by imsuperjen)

Kiko wanders at an empty store and tries on a sunglasses

And the scenes below ensue

Here are the sunglasses that Kiko wore in the video (not 100% sure about the colouring due to the lighting on the video)

Metal Twist Sunglasses $350

Oversized Twist Sunglasses $220

Metal Twist Sunglasses $200

You can shop the collection in the link below:

Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Eyewear

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Review: What is Quorn and is it safe to eat?

This packaging of the mince variant I've bought looks different (and it was just 200g) but I forgot to take a photo

I'm not sure how long they have been available here in the Philippines, but I just noticed them a few days before Holy Week this year. Since a lot of Filipinos minimizes (if not totally abstaining) consuming red meat during Holy Week, the supermarket near where I live prominently displayed alternatives to red meat around that time, thus I first noticed Quorn™- a meat-free protein product

This is too much information but I've suffered from chronic constipation ever since I was a kid. My diet is more balanced as a child/teen but now I predominantly eat meats and carbs so I've been trying to incorporate more fiber and vegetables in my life. 

Quorn™ is cheap. I can't remember the exact price but it was less than 100php (less than $2) for 200g of the mince variety. It has a 5g of fiber per serving and a decent amount of protein (14g) so I decided to give it a try.

While Quorn™ is meatless, it is not a vegan product because it contains egg.

The ingredients are: Mycoprotein™, Free Range Egg White Powder, Natural Caramelized Sugar, Gluten-Free Roasted Barley Malt Extract, Calcium Acetate (stabilizer), Calcium Chloride (firming agent)

There is also an allergy information on the package, warning people that there are rare cases of allergic reactions to Mycoprotein™. They also claim that the protein and fiber content in the product may cause intolerance to some people.

Their main ingredient is Mycoprotein™, which was derived from a mould/fungus called "Fusarium Venenatum". On the package it says the product is produced by fermentation.

Is Quorn safe to eat? I believe it's not any more dangerous than the usual (processed) foods that most people eat on a daily basis. Plus Mycoprotein allergy is rarer compared to say, peanuts or soya. If in doubt, don't eat too much all at once. Cook it way before the meal time, consume a small amount then store it in the fridge in the meantime. They say allergic reactions should start at around 45 minutes after consuming it, so if a few hours has passed and nothing still, you're most likely not allergic to it.

According to the instructions on the package, it says you need to simmer it in medium heat for 7 minutes in your chosen sauce.

I wanted to use it for stir fry, but you have to cook it direct from the freezer and the mince chunks got stuck together into big lumps so I really can't skip simmering it. After cooking it in garlic and (a lot) of seasoning/condiments, Quorn™ itself is still somewhat bland. 

Quorn

Will I buy it again? I don't know. It's cheap, so I might consider buying the other variants in the future just for the sake of trying it out but I think I'll stick with tofu for now. Even though tofu doesn't have much fiber content and it has less protein content than Quorn™, it's still cheaper and absorbs flavor better. Tofu also has less ingredients (note: depending on the brand, I've also seen some tofu packages with a lot of seemingly unnecessary ingredients), and the actual manufacturing process of tofu is clearer. Any leftovers with Quorn™ also has to be consumed within 24 hours (obviously as long as it was stored covered inside the fridge) which is a bummer. I often cook food in advanced (when I have ample time) and like storing them in the fridge so I can just heat them up. Knowing that I can't consume them after a day lessens the prospects of me buying it again.

For more information, check out their local website and Facebook page below:

http://www.quorn.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/QuornPH/?_rdc=1&_rdr

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Kiko Mizuhara at the Met Gala 2017

Kiko Mizuhara recently attended her first Met Gala, which was a huge surprise because she dropped no hints about it at all. Just a few hours before it started, she posted a photo on Instagram about getting ready to attend and taking over V magazine's IG story covering the Met Gala.

From @i_am_kiko and @vmagazine IG story

From @nicolaformichetti IG story, who also styled Kiko for this event

A short background on the Met Gala. It's an annual charity event for Met Museum's Costume Institute, where they get most of their funding. Around 600 people attend this event (although the number is less this year), where tickets start at $20000 for attending and reportedly may go as high up as a $250000 for a table inside. Celebrities go in for free but they are very picky about selecting the attendees. Anna Wintour, Vouge editor-in-chief and chair of this event has the final say on the guest list. Inside the ball, there is entertainment and dinner for the guests, as well as them getting the first look at the exhibition. 

The theme this year, which a lot of attendees seemed to ignore was "Avant-Garde". The exhibition to be opened at Met Museum's Costume Institute this year (titled "The Art of the In-Between") is dedicated to Rei Kawakubo and the brand Comme des Garçons. While I appreciate the vision and artistry behind Rei Kawakubo's designs, it is intimidating for most people (like me) that's why I'm not surprised that most of the attendees for the Met Gala opted not to follow the theme. I personally think it was a bit of a killjoy for the celebrity attendees to skip the theme, especially since they have the means to at least try.

Kiko looks great as usual, but as you can see her look is on the safe side. She is wearing a vintage (from 2007, I don't know if that's already vintage in fashion years? haha) Martin Margiela Artisanal Ring Top. It looks cool, but not exactly avant-garde.

I think she purposely chose to wear something she personally likes rather than go with the theme. She really likes show girl type of bras/tops (I don't know what to call it lol, but she frequently posts those sparkly and flashy show girl bras/tops on her IG stories). Her shoulders are also too narrow and her upper body is smaller in comparison to her lower body, so the coat draped over her shoulders added bulk and balanced everything out.

I'll leave you all with a video of Kiko posted by Vogue on their Instagram (btw the song on the video below is BOSS'D UP by Aubrn (feat. Gorilla Zoe)

@i_am_kiko sported a vintage @maisonmargiela look for the #metgala.  Director @gvsgvs Digital Art Installation @silasveta Music @maiahmanser @craterbabes

A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on May 2, 2017 at 7:37pm PDT

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POBox PH Updated Review 2016 and 2017

My previous review was back in 2014 so I'm updating it with my recent box with them.

POBox.ph

Even though The Bureau of Customs has increased the de minimis for imported goods to 10000 php, there is still a lot of demand for forwarders. If you are planning on buying from different online stores, forwarders consolidate all your parcels for you and deliver them straight to your doorstep instead of waiting on the items individually and going back and forth the post office to pick up your package (and paying 100php for the storage fee), 

The forwarder I use the most is POBox PH. Almost all of my transactions with them went smoothly (except during the time there was a truck ban in Metro Manila that resulted in cargo ships getting stranded in the port, which isn't POBox's fault). Since the first time I used their services last 2013, they have revamped their website and they are now offering air shipping which I haven't tried yet (at $6.50 per lb, with a 3 lbs minimum package weight and a clearing fee consisting of the 10% of declared value of the items; please note certain items like electronics also has additional charges). 

If you don't have a credit card or if you want to shop on online shops that don't allow using credit cards with a billing address outside the U.S., you can also request POBox to shop on your behalf (they charge a 5% service charge for your total purchase price). You have to fill up a request form first, then they'll give you a quote and wait for your payment before they purchase the items. I asked for a price quote before and it took them more than 1 working day to respond so it might not be best to request for sale items because the sale might be over before they even process this.

Anyway, I shopped on some websites for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 and had some last minute Amazon purchases on late November. I requested them to bill me for the box sometime December because I wanted to have my box shipped before they go on a break (not entirely sure, but I think they go on a break on Christmas-New Year).

They billed me on the second week of January but they told me that they loaded my box on the cargo ship last December. According to the tracking number they gave, here is the timeline of the shipment

December 24 - loaded items into the cargo ship
December 29 - received/loaded at the port Long Beach - CA

January 2 - ship sailed from port

January 31 - unloaded to warehouse here in the Cainta Rizal - PH
February 1 - loaded to truck
February 2 - out for delivery / delivered at my home

On average it takes about 5-6 weeks after it has been loaded to the truck before it gets delivered. It's not that long to be honest, as even air shipped items takes an average of two weeks (might even take 3 if the parcel gets held at the post office). You'll save a lot on shipping by just having to wait a little bit more for your items.

They have insurance available, but the insurance only covers lost boxes (individual items that are lost are not covered by the insurance).

One more reason why I keep using their service is their response rate. Every time I have a question, I just send them an email and they respond promptly and satisfactorily. I hope this level of service will remain consistent.

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Kiko Mizuhara on I Feel It Coming Music Video - The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk

Kiko Mizuhara on The Weeknd I Feel It Coming ft. Daft Punk

Kiko Mizuhara is on the new music video for I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk! The music video is directed by Warren Fu.

I Feel It Coming is a song by The Weeknd from his third studio album Starboy (2016). The song also features Daft Punk. This single was released on November 2016 and as of February 25 2017, it has sold a total of 352,373 copies and has spent 14 weeks on the charts.

The song gained even more popularity, gaining a boost of 154% in sales after it has been performed on the 59th Grammy Awards last February.

You can watch the music video below:

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