Click the image to view this dishwasher magnet on Amazon!

Follow kuripotqueen on Facebook and Instagram for thrifted clothes and shoes!

Last week, I bought two maong shorts (pictured above) from Res. And while these two are size 26, of which waist size I normally buy to accommodate my relatively wide hips, they both still didn't fit. Bummer! I did gain a few inches after all.

Res (@kuripotqueen) being the understanding seller that she is told me to just return the items to her so she can repost it for those who want them. Click here to see the item listing and hit her up if you want them. Hurry because her clothes sell out fast!

On this note, I want to end this short post with this regram'd photo from Sam Lewis, Marc Nelson's pretty girlfriend. This is and forever will be a mantra in my life.

I'm not new to online shopping in Zalora. I have shopped here so many times before I moved apartments that I was excited having ordered again knowing that it will be shipped to a different address this time. (Our old address was a bit hard to find for couriers, hence taking more time and delivery complications.)

Sunday [07/14]
I placed my order on a Sunday and paid via mobile banking transfer right after and sent my payment details as instructed, knowing full well that it will take them one business day to confirm my payment.

Monday [07/15]
I didn't receive any payment confirmation nor delivery notification.

Tuesday [07/16]
I received an Order Cancellation Alert in my email, which was sent late at night. I wasn't able to see this until around 3AM, Wednesday. This email was sent to me because according to them, they haven't received my payment yet.

Wednesday [07/17]
As soon as I saw an email, I replied saying how could they have missed my payment details after two business days. I also forwarded my original payment details, containing the screenshot of my transfer confirmation. Apart from this, I got a customer feedback survey wherein I answered with all dissatisfaction with their customer service. Then just to be sure, I once again entered my payment details.

Thursday [07/18]
Early in the morning, I got a payment confirmation email from them. Later that day, I got a text saying my order will be delivered within the day. It didn't arrive.

Friday [07/19]
The Zalora box (pictured above) finally arrived in the afternoon.

 

While everyone is on the Ben Nye Banana Powder bandwagon, here I am having just received my first theatrical powder, the Palgantong Theatrical Powder.

I originally ordered the shade Beige Ochre (Read: suits Medium-Dark skinned girls) but Original Beige was the one that arrived in the mail. I have already confirmed from the correspondence with a Joan that there was a mix up and she expressed intents of getting the item replaced, but as shown in the photos below, I have already opened the sealed jar so I just accepted my fate. Haha!

Just today, the My Shopping Box delivery men arrived in our apartment bringing packages I ordered from Amazon all the way to the Makati, Philippines. (If you wanna see the detailed ordering process I went through, click here.) Even when I should have been sleeping 5 hours ago, I still managed to snap a few photos before my camera batteries got depleted. (Of course Penny Blanco! Just when I need you the most, you die on me!)

I just thought of showing you the actual photos before I go to slumber land.

I changed sheets. The brushes didn't stand out as much as it deserved.

real Techniques Core Collection.

real Techniques Stippling Brush; not as wide and dense as Charm's.

Just like everything new, they looked (and smelled) divine!

I didn't have much cash left so I only picked those I can afford at the time. Next time, I'll buy more pink and purple brushes. Oh yeah, if you didn't know, they're color-coded: Orange handles for the base, Purple handles for the eyes, and Pink handles for the finishing touches. I'm no expert in applying makeup and I don't do full makeup looks often, but it does help when you have good tools to help you when you need to be extra polished.

Hoping to post more about this one day and I cannot wait to give them their first bath!

No, this is not another attempt to purchase makeup from Sephora. This post will be updated with the progress report.

CURRENT STATUS: Packages Delivered [12/20/2012]

Last Saturday, a friend begged asked me to buy stuff from Amazon. I obliged with the promise that I can also buy what I want, without having to share the shipping fees. Win-win!

Okay, I didn't say they're not makeup-related;

December 2

• I placed an order using the Gcash Amex debit card.
• A few minutes later, I received a text saying I successfully paid Php 42.12. (This must be for the $1 card verification charge equivalent to $1. I read that this was refundable but as of this date, no refund yet.)

December 3

• I received a text saying I successfully paid Php 2519.19, a lot less than my purchase total.
• I found out that one item out of the five ordered was shipped separately. I think it was because it came from a seller that's nowhere near the other four.

December 4

• I received another text saying I successfully paid Php 42.12. 
• I received another text saying I successfully paid Php 84.24. 
• At this point, I already started to wonder what these charge were for. Apparently, Globe Gcash Amex doesn't have ONLINE billing statements for the ONLINE purchases it was solely created for. How ironic. 
• I called.the Globe Gcash hotline at 2882 to verify if the information as to which merchant I paid is obtainable for its customers-- I WAS TOLD IT WAS, BUT ONLY IF YOU CALL 2882. Then, I had to be on hold for a good 10 minutes before my questions were answered. Both Php 42.12 and 84.24 were for Amazon and Paypal verification, respectively. Amazon charged twice, one was for the initial use of the card, the other one was for the Amazon Prime trial (opting in the free trial allowed me to get the products shipped in just two days for free to Burbank, California where the My Shopping Box, US cargo forwarder associated with Globe GCash Amex, is located.) 
• Later that night, I received a text saying I successfully paid Php 1216.84. This was the payment for the 5th item that was separated on shipment #2.

December 5

• By 11:23 PM, Manila time, both packages have been delivered to My Shopping Box.

December 6

• At 8 AM, Manila time, My Shopping Box still hasn't updated the package tracking site. Maybe my packages still hasn't been keyed in? 
• As of writing, no refunds has been issued for all the verification done.
• I called the MSB hotline and was told that it will take 2-3 days of inspections and weight checks before the package is uploaded in my MSB profile. Good thing, I opted to use the Amazon Prime 2-day shipping.

December 8

• At around 5 PM, I received the shipping invoice from MSB and woaaah, this sucks.
  
  
• Freakin' USD 83.86 for things that are super light but bulky in nature. Almost twice the price of the items I ordered.  
• I checked with Johnny Air and apparently, they have the same computation, which is to use the volumetric size of the package for the nature of the items being shipped, instead of the weight. So whether MSB or Johnny air, the shipping cost would be the same as they also use the same rates.  

December 9

• Tonix, are we really gonna push through with having them shipped via Air travel? Should I try to shamelessly beg for a discount first? 
• Tonix responded with a 'go'.

December 17

• LOL haven't updated for more than a week. Been really busy. As of today, the status is still "ORDER DEPARTED US"
• The packages are expected to arrive this week according to their customer service representative.
  
  
• Tonix share: Php 6088.4432 (breakdown to be posted later; converted based from 42.12 exchange rate)

December 18

• I woke up with this text message.
  
  

December 19

• I woke up around 5PM. The first thing that came out from my mouth was "FRAAAK!" Haha I remembered that the packaged was supposed to be delivered. 
• I called MSB hotline, got transferred from one line to another until I got a representative who gave me the exact progress. "The package is already on the way to you."
• But after I hung up the phone, a few minutes later, I was called by said customer service representative and told me that the delivery will have to be rescheduled the next day. The delivery vehicle broke down and will not be able to reach me. 
• I was promised that my package will be prioritize on Thursday. Sad, but I can live with it.

December 20

• I called MSB at 10AM to follow up. In verbatim, in a very jolly voice I was told, "Miss Jennever? Ako po yung nakausap niyo kahapon! On the way na po dyan yung packages niyo. Hintayin niyo na lang po." 
• Now, I haven't even told her my tracking numbers nor my name. It's not everyday that I receive that kind of personal customer service so I was really thankful. I wasn't able to understand her name because it was kind of inaudible, but whoever you are, I shall be calling back and give you a commendation.
• An hour after, here they are! The lightest boxes I've ever carried. Such as waste of volumetric weight space, if you ask me. 

These two boxes only contain FIVE items. Placed the 1L water bottle for size reference.

Both boxes came sealed so you know your packages haven't been snooped in.

Lesson 1: Don't EVER order stuff that are bulky as they will be measured in volumetric weight. And if luck doesn't go in your favor like us, the volume will be 9 freakin' times the actual weight of the package. In this case, you will be invoiced using the higher chargeable weight. My Shopping Box and Johnny Air have the same rules, even the same rates.

Lesson 2: Even if they are sent to the cargo forwarder on the same time and date, using the same Amazon sales order number, if the items are arrived in two separate boxes, they will be tagged by MSB as two separate packages, no excuses. It's so they can be tracked separately. In our case, the 5th item came from Kentucky, which is roughly 2795 kilometers away from Nevada, so Amazon really had to separate this shipment. If you want to avoid this from happening, you can send them to relative/friend first so they can reorganize stuff.

Order Details
(Edit as of April 16, 2014: I converted the dollar values so it would be easier to understand. Please only consider those in red font.)

Shipment #1

Php 2519.19  deducted by Globe for Amazon box #1
Php 42.12 deducted by Globe for Amazon card verification; equivalent to $1
Php 2270.69 MSB shipping to Philippines charge of box #1

Shipment #2

Php 1216.84  deducted by Globe for Amazon box #2
Php 42.12 deducted by Globe for Amazon Prime verification; equivalent to $1
Php 1261.45 MSB shipping to Philippines charge of box #2

--------------

Edit: So I guess the figures above were indeed confusing. The total amount I paid for was Php 3820.27. And I got the $2 back after 1 month. It was the charge for the Amazon card verification and the Amazon Prime membership verfication.

Edit: The total amount I crossed off on the first edit was the amount I paid to Amazon for all our purchases, not my share. Thanks to the commenters for pointing this out to be sorted

To read the GCash Amex FAQs, click here.

So like I suspected, I got lazy at blogging again once I reactivated my Facebook profile. But this girl's gotta move on. I've also been missing a lot so here I am, back in the wonderful world of Facebook.

Last Thursday marked the day we got our 13th month pay. As soon as I got out of bed, I immediately walked to FullyBooked Bonifacio High Street (without taking a bath or combing my hair first, of course!) in the hopes of finding the book that I have been checking out on their online bookstore. I didn't want to spend an additional hundred bucks for delivery so off I went to the bookstore.

Because I cannot find this book, which is supposed to be a bestseller self-help book, and I already finished a tub of sour frozen yogurt, I had to surrender to my growling stomach. I went back to the ground floor then I thought, "If it's a bestseller, maybe it's in their bestseller section? Will browse really quick."

I did not find it.

What I did found was the Top 1 in the Comics section. In that instant, I had to buy it!

It's the wedding edition of Archie and it took 70 years in the making! IT IS IN HARDBOUND! I've never had a comic book in hardbound before. *tears*

So who did Archie finally got to marry?

The Bad News

If you haven't heard of the collaboration of Globe Gcash and American Express Virtual Card these past few days, then you must have been on an internet-less zone. #GcashAmex

After the launch several weeks/months (?) ago, I tried to subscribe to Gcash Amex but when I called 2882 to get *KYC'd, but I was only told "someone will be calling you to KYC". I never got the call. Then, I moved on.

*KYC - Know Your Customer, is a process which requires a one-time validation of your identity as required by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. - [source]

So when the blogosphere was hit with blog posts (mostly due to sponsored contests from bloggers and Globe / yay prizes!) about the Globe Gcash Amex, it was impossible not to become interested again. I told you, I am sheep! Haha.

I immediately went to Sephora to buy makeup, even debated with myself if I should purchase with a 3-Step skin care regimen from Clinique. It was in my shopping basket, and then I chickened out. It is my first time purchasing using the Gcash Amex after all so I didn't want to buy everything I want in one go.

Also, I wanted to take advantage of the promotional codes for samples and freebies for every $25 purchase. Meaning, I'll get to use another promo code if I bought them separately. To this hour, I still don't know if that is bad or smart. Hah!

When I was already placing my order, this thing happened.

The credit card americanExpress could not be authorized for payment: We are unable to authorize your credit card. Please enter a different credit card or another valid method of payment. For additional information, please contact your financial institution.

For assistance, please contact Sephora Client Services at 1-877-SEPHORA (1-877-737-4672)

Please review your order information.
If everything is correct, click the Place Order button.

Text posted above so you can read it better.  :)

*someone needs to point out the typo error

Have you seen the latest Apartment 23 episode? No? For those who haven't, the title above is a quote from June when she realized that she is a victim to advertising, to what the media imposes as cool, sexy and hot. Often, we call this the bandwagon.


Well guess who just joined another one? Haha me! I just subscribed to a BDJ Box.

I've been seeing blog posts about this since October but I really didn't get hyped by it. You see back then I looked at the website and saw that the contents for the October box weren't displayed so I thought "hmm this might not be worth it since I can't compute how much savings I'll get."

Until Saab Magalona posted about it on her blog. Ack! I'm a sheep!


Check out the starred subscriptions for more value for your money! (Haha but really, I'm just hoping the free BDJ Planner will make up for this impulsive purchase.)

Quick Trivia: Len and I based our entire college thesis on a Belle de Jour planner!

In my opinion, a white pair of bikinis are the hardest to wear, swimwear-wise. (Not that I actually swim haha) I don't know if it's the simplicity that you don't have anywhere to hide the imperfections, or really just the fact that white cloth turns translucent when wet, something I learned from Cougar Town. 

10 NYX Lip Smacking Fun Colors

This should be titled...
How To Make Jenn Feel Stupid in 3 Ways
After weeks of lurking, I finally decided to buy a camera lens. At first, I wanted to order from resellers here in Manila but 1) Kimstore was out of stock, and 2) DBGadgets promised me a 3-5 days waiting time, did not came through and then promised me again 7-10 days waiting time, only to disappoint me. Whenever I'd follow up, I get excuses and not a hint of being apologetic. Still, the promises kept flowing.

@DBGadgets, follow through your promises. If you can't, at least be upfront about it.

And that's when furious me decided that Amazon would be my best bet. They offer the same price as Kimstore and DBGadgets, but the real deal-breaker for me before was the shipping fee. But even if the shipping fee was more than I would normally go for, I went all out and bought it.

The first credit card (CC) I entered was not mine (yes first, because there is a second). I thought it would be as easy as Order-Checkout-Enter CC details-Shipment-Yey!, But no, I had to learn so many things the hard way.

Hell broke loose after I received this email from address-verification@amazon.com asking me to confirm my billing statement and my account got temporarily on hold.

Click to enlarge

It hasn't arrived yet but I'm already giddy about it. God forbid if this delivery gets here late.


Update: It arrived 3 hours ago. 2 days earlier than expected, with no additional charges, contrary to those I've been reading about in blogs and forums regarding DHL deliveries.

Seen similar ad campaigns? They're everywhere!

Multiply has been around for some time. I remember Friendster users leaving for the Multiply bandwagon. Why shouldn't they? It has more functionality and you will still be able to customize it the way you want to.

Then came the online shops; It was what made Multiply a stronger social networking tool. I remember fondly the first dress I bought online buy. (It's not with me anymore because my boyfriend was not able to pack it up when we left the hotel in Pampanga during the Hot Air Balloon Festival. T_T) I was buying too much stuff online that I had to stop myself from browsing anymore. Even I gave in and sourced clothes and bags from Thailand, c/o my mother, and sold them to my own online shop. (Woah woah woah, the page is still up. The cursor ~*sparkles*~)