Starbucks PH unveils Starbucks Teavana handcrafted beverages and Full Leaf Tea Sachets

I started drinking teas 8 years ago when I had a hard time walking because I was overweight then. (I was 145lbs) My doctor gave me meals to religiously eat for a month and drink hot teas instead of iced cold teas and sodas. I lost around 25 pounds and my skin cleared up too. With proper diet, exercise and green teas, I maintained my ideal weight of 118lbs until today. I have been buying and collected sachets from different brands local and imported.  I began to love the taste of teas since then, I could differentiate a caffeine from a non caffeine, a white from a green tea,  that's how distinctive my palate when it comes to teas.

That's why I was excited when Starbucks PH launches Starbucks Teavana Handcrafted Beverages and Full Leaf Tea Sachets. I could buy anytime, anywhere when I ran out of sachets. For the healthy and beauty buff, Starbucks also carries Youthberry tea sachet with super fruits, acai fruit,  tropical pineapple and mango flavors with high quality white tea, balanced by rosehips and tart green apple. It has antioxidant properties to delay the early signs of aging, how's that for your everyday tea?

Starbucks Coffee PH launches Starbucks Teavana Handcrafted Beverages and Full Leaf Tea Sachets on September 10 at Starbucks ABS CBN branch as a core offering in more than 6,200 Starbucks stores across China / Asia Pacific region, and the Philippines.

The invite says we could dressed up in any of the colors provided, green, peach, yellow or pink. I decided to come in my yellow mustard A skirt. I learned later on that I represented Youthberry, my favorite white tea sachet! I love how Starbucks ABS CBN store turned into a fiesta ambiance with bright fun colors everywhere. Lakas maka good vibes!

This modern tea experience gives customers the opportunity to enjoy a range of unique iced and hot tea beverages with bold, layered flavors, handcrafted the way only Starbucks can, for the first time.

“The launch of Starbucks Teavana brings an entirely new tea occasion specifically developed for our customers in Asia, who increasingly want new and different tastes and experiences,” said John Culver, group president, Starbucks Global Retail. ”With Starbucks Teavana, we see a tremendous opportunity to leverage the company’s expertise in creating best-in-class retail experiences, handcrafting customized beverages, and sourcing the finest ingredients, to create a new, premium tea experience. Just as we’ve done for coffee, this is tea reimagined at Starbucks.”

Fueled by innovation, the new individually handcrafted beverages are the result of an in-depth, creative exploration of flavor, culinary trends and premium ingredients by Starbucks industry-leading beverage innovation team, with the goal of bringing something new and unexpected to customers. These ingredients come to life as skilled baristas craft each beverage by hand and unleash a sophisticated, delicious flavor profile.

Tea is a $125 billion global category and is the second most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. Starbucks is leveraging all of the company’s internal expertise, including knowledge in creating best-in-class retail experiences and handcrafted beverages, to create a new premium tea experience for customers. The launch of Starbucks Teavana is the first time Starbucks has launched a brand on this scale since 2008 with the launch of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew, and represents an important growth opportunity for the business.

Beginning today, Starbucks Philippines is offering three new Starbucks Teavana Handcrafted Beverages:

Iced Shaken Hibiscus Tea with Pomegranate Pearls
This refreshing beverage combines Starbucks® Teavana™ hibiscus tea and bursting pearls of real pomegranate juice for a tart kick of flavor.

Iced Shaken Black Tea with Ruby Grapefruit and Honey
Combines a traditional western black tea experience with a creative twist that is delicious iced with bites of pomelo fruit, grapefruit and honey for a touch of added sweetness.

Matcha & Espresso Fusion
Our fine Matcha powder layered with milk and Starbucks signature Espresso Roast creates a beautiful layered beverage and is an inventive combination of coffee and tea, to be enjoyed hot or iced.

With Starbucks Teavana, Starbucks also draws on its long heritage of commitment to using only the most premium, high-quality ingredients. Leveraging deep relationships with tea growers, Teavana sources the world’s highest-quality teas and botanicals. Starbucks sourcing and blending experts cup (taste) hundreds of teas daily to select only the finest teas for Starbucks Teavana.

In addition to handcrafted beverages, Starbucks is also introducing Starbucks Teavana Full Leaf Tea Sachets. Through a curated selection of packaged full leaf tea sachets, customers now can now enjoy a new tea experience in our stores or in the comfort of their own home through a contemporary at-home experience.

The six (6) new, delicious and vibrant Starbucks Teavana hot teas available beginning this September 14 include:

Black Tea

English Breakfast – A handcrafted blend of Indian Assam, Sri Lankan Ceylon and Chinese black tea. This tastes great with or without milk.

White Tea

Youthberry – Inspired by super fruits, acai fruit is blended with tropical pineapple and mango flavors with high quality white tea, balanced by rosehips and tart green apple.

Green Tea

Emperor’s Clouds and Mist – Exclusively harvested during the month of April and grown on the steep, windy slopes of Huangshan Mountain at 3,500 feet above sea level, this tea has a rich body and a naturally sweet flavor.

Caffeine-Free Herbal Teas

Hibiscus – Bright, juicy papaya and mango combined with citrus lemongrass for a naturally caffeine-free blend. Hibiscus flowers lend the tea a slight tartness and extraordinary deep fuchsia color.

Mint Blend – This tea’s spearmint base is rounded out with cool peppermint notes and undertones of spicy-sweet lemon verbena. The mint leaves come from the highly sought after and prized Pacific Northwest mint known for its high amount of mint oil.

Chamomile – The Chamomile used for this tea is sourced from Croatia. It provides the overarching flavor for this soft, soothing floral blend.

Teavana continues to be a strategic priority for Starbucks. Starbucks acquired Teavana Holdings, Inc. in December 2012, and together provide unparalleled expertise in the super premium tea category, bringing exotic blends, great flavors, wellness and innovation to customers globally.

Starbucks Autumn Leaf Card and Mid-Autumn Festival Card is now available at your favorite Starbucks branch

For the Starbucks card enthusiasts, Starbucks PH launches two cards to add up to your collection. The Autumn Leaf Card / instant keychain comes in every shade of the autumn spectrum - red, yellow, orange, brown and green. You could bring your fashionable card/keychain anywhere you go! These are available starting September 14 at your nearest favorite Starbucks branch.

Welcome another change in season with these delightful leaves in every shade of the autumn spectrum - red, yellow, orange, brown and green.

The card is available for an initial consumable load amount of ₱500 per card.

The purchase is limited to  two (2) activated Autumn Leaf Cards per customer per day.

The other one is the Mid-Autumn Festival Card also known as the Moon Festival, celebrated in the middle of the autumn season.  It is the time of the year when the moon is at its brightest and fullest.

The card is available for an initial consumable load amount of ₱300.

Purchase limit of two (2) activated Mid-Autumn Festival Cards  per customer per day

Althea PH celebrates one year with new Korean beauty products and skincare!

I discovered Korean skincare and beauty products through a friend way back 2012. When I ran out of my MAC Fix Studio, and wanted to try something new. Through a friend's recommendation,  I bought my first Korean face powder foundation Skinfood Red Ginseng at Skin Food SM North. I heard a lot about the benefit of Ginseng and its promise of brightening skin. I bought 2 compacts and finished them within 1 year and a half. When I came back to buy another compact, Skinfood ran out of stock and eventually stopped distributing it after following it up for a year.  My dilemma was how and where to purchase online,  it was never cheap to buy Korean products online then.

Fast forward to 2015, I received an email from Althea Korea asking if I would like to try out their Korean Beauty Products and I said yes right away. I purchased some beauty facial masks, Missha Time Revolution and underarm cleansing pads. The transaction was fast and package was adorable with its pink box. I was happy with my purchases. I blogged it here http://lemongreenteaph.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-top-5-k-beauty-products-to-watch.html

Last July 2016, Althea Korea celebrate their first year anniversary with lots of freebies and a contest that would let you win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!

I received my Althea birthday box together with my favorite Korean beauty skincare Laneige water sleeping mask, Nine Point hand and nail cream and Big Marker Witch's Pouch Skinny Brush Big Marker! The shade I got is Big Black.

It comes with a free Innisfree cleansing sachet. I instagrammed it here https://www.instagram.com/p/BIU6byBAWa6/?taken-by=jlougar

These are my Korean skincare loot from Althea PH 1st year anniversary last July.  It consists of the following;

Big Marker Witch's Pouch Skinny Brush Big Marker

I love how thinly it lines,  perfect for my peeper! I will use this as soon as my gel liner runs out.

Laneige water sleeping mask

I heard good reviews from this Korean line Laneige. This is my first time to use Laneige Water Sleeping Mask.

Upon applying at night the mask  gives the skin a lively, well-rested appearance the next morning because of its Sleep-tox purifying effect. Will use this soon and write a review after.

Nine Point hand and nail cream

This came just in time, when I had blisters all over my fingers due to some strong detergent powder I used two months ago. It has natural calming ingredients like Shea Butter to stop the itchiness. I love how it smells, and smooths out the blisters from my fingers. I have been using this since July so far so good I have seen improvement from both hands and will repurchase again from Althea Korea PH online before it runs out.


For all your hard-to-find Korean Beauty and Skincare products please visit Althea website here
https://ph.althea.kr/ and facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/altheaphilippines/

Paulo Avelino #BringsOutTheSwag with Stylex Gel

What's the first thing you would check out for a guy? For me, its the way he carries himself, the way he speaks and his hair. I dont care if what haircut he sported as long as his hairstyle is bagay with his personality.  Between styling gel and wax, almost men I know uses gel. Because of the hold it creates and it is available even at a sari sari store.

Splash Corporation recently launched Stylex Styling Gel together with Stylex Celebrity ambassador Paolo Avelino at Felipe & Sons in El Pueblo, Ortigas Center,last September 9, 2016. The launch was hosted by TV and Radio Personality Ms. Sam Oh.

Paulo Avelino who brought out the swag dressed in his leather jacket and a denim was oh so dapper with his pompadour hairstyle! He told the media that he uses Stylex Styling Gel in strong hold for his crowning glory. It let him style his hair according to what he projects on a daily basis.

Since Styling Gel is cool again! Stylex Styling Gel is now available in normal, strong hold and extreme hold.

During an interview with the event’s host, TV and radio personality Sam Oh, Splash Corporation AVP and Head of Marketing Pam Sulit said, “It’s true: gel is making a big comeback in hairstyling. Gel can help make possible a variety of hairstyles for any length. Paolo is the perfect personality to bring back the swag. He is confident and stylish but accessible and relatable. He’s a heartthrob but also a man’s man.”

Paolo, for his part, told the media in attendance, “Stylex styling gel is cool because it gives me versatility in doing my hairstyle every day. Plus, the hold is so dependable, it lasts the whole day. So whether I’m in a shoot for hours and hours or simply hanging out with my friends for a meal, I know I can always count on Stylex to give me that swag.”

Guests were treated to free hair styling and experienced for themselves how easy Stylex is to use plus the overall cool factor of Stylex’s three variants: extreme hold, strong hold and normal hold. The hair style determines what strength hold is appropriate. The more stylized, the stronger hold needed.

Felipe & Sons’ expert stylists also performed an on the spot makeover with three models featuring three signature looks that can easily be tried at home: the brofessional appropriate for school or work, the pompadour to add style to a special date and punk for partying all night. These are just three of many distinct styles that can work to bring out anyone’s swag.

To share your own Stylex swag,post your photo with the tags, #BringOutTheSwag and #Stylex.

Stylex Styling Gel is a product of Splash Corporation and is available at all major department stores, supermarkets, drugstores and health and beauty outlets nationwide.

Experience #ALVIERAHEROCAMP at SandBox Porac, Pampanga

I have been to SandBox Alviera Porac Pampanga twice, during its media launch and the Activ Archery launch. We had fun trying out their attractions. Although, one day is not enough for everyone to try out everything. With the long queue on each attraction especially at the Roller Coaster Zipline.  That's why Im so thrilled to experience their upcoming Alviera Hero Camp on October 15-16 and be a camper once again.

       

Grab your gear and bring out the hero inside you in the Alviera Hero Camp, a heroes-to-be camping weekend in the great outdoors of Alviera in Porac, Pampanga on October 15-16, 2016. Campers can look forward to a weekend enjoying SandBox adventure park attractions along with the excitement of a hero training crash course, superhero movies under the night sky, stargazing with astronomers and so much more.

Alviera features some of the most beautiful natural vistas in the province. Participants can avail of two types of packages to best enjoy the fresh air and views of rolling hills.

Day Adventurer and Weekend Camper packages let visitors ride four SandBox attractions during their stay. These include the Rollercoaster Zipline, the 10-meter high Giant Swing, Aerial Walk and Adventure Tower for free fall, wall climbing and rappelling.

With capes, costumes and secret heroic identities all welcome at the Alviera Hero Camp, participants will log their role-playing adventures in a comic booklet to complete the whole hero course.
Training starts with Hero Basics 101, where expert adventurers and outdoor guides give heroes a rundown on some nature survival skills.

Then what’s a hero training camp without some combat training? In KAPOW!, martial arts masters will teach and demonstrate basic self-defense moves that heroes can practice on the spot. Meantime, the Costume Crafting Corner is for getting creative with hero costumes. Spruce up the mask, design your hero logo, or stitch up the cape.

For an action-filled test of their evil-fighting skills, participants will face the Monster Obstacle Course of Aqtiv Archery. In this archery challenge maze, archers must target monsters and finish the course under time pressure.

Weekend Campers will also get to enjoy the evening’s Parade of Heroes, where they dress up in full costume and go trick or treating in participating booths and camp tents.

Superzoom Stargazing in partnership with the Mind Museum will give heroes food for thought. They will learn to identify constellations, try naked-eye stargazing with laser pointers, telescopic viewing of heavenly bodies, learn night orienteering and how to use instruments like planispheres and astrolabes.

Then heroes can cap off the perfect training day by relaxing and watching superhero movies under the night sky. With SandBox soon to begin evening operations on weekends, campers can also take their four free rides on the selected attractions at night.

Participants to the Alviera Hero Camp are encouraged to take their hero shots in camp and post them on social media tagged with #ALVIERAHEROCAMP. The fun continues after camp when Alviera picks the best photos to win cool prizes.

“Aside from providing an ideal venue for outdoor activities with Alviera’s scenic views and terrain, we wanted people to gain something positive in dressing up and changing into costume,” said Jomi De Guzman, Alviera Project Development Manager. “This Halloween, we’d like to inspire families, especially the kids to live purposely the way heroes do. So the Alviera Hero Camp concept grew from there, a camping weekend that is fun and thrilling where kids and kids-at-heart can discover the heroes in themselves.”

Perhaps the most familiar with real-life heroes would be the scholars of HERO Foundation, which supports children and dependent siblings of fallen military personnel. Alviera Hero Camp will have these scholars on hand as special guests to enjoy all of the camp’s features. A portion of sales for Alviera Hero Camp will also be donated to HERO Foundation.

Alviera Hero Camp packages are available on Travel Factor’s website for P2,100 for Day Adventurers and P2,950 for Weekend Campers. 

For more information, visit travelfactor.org/alvieraherocamp for more details.

In partnership with Leonio Land, Alviera is an Ayala Land sustainable estate located in Porac Pampanga, accessible via NLEX-ScTex. Envisioned to become a regional growth center of Central Luzon, it features a diverse mix of quality residential, industrial and commercial developments to support local economic growth.

1.      What is the Alviera Hero Camp?

Alviera is a sustainable mixed-use estate located in Porac, Pampanga. It is envisioned to become the business, commercial and lifestyle growth center of Central Luzon. Since the estate opened with the launch of the SandBox adventure park, Alviera has become the premier adventure destination of the north.

Today, we are announcing the Alviera Hero Camp to be held on October 15 to 16, 2016 (Saturday to Sunday). The camp is unique for being a training camp to mold heroes.

We have uniformed heroes making headlines these days, and costumed heroes are now all over movies and TV. The Alviera Hero Camp is for heroes-to be, those in search of a weekend of purposeful adventure and learning. Participants here will experience the thrills of hero role-playing throughout their time at camp, and learn a thing or two about what makes a hero.

2.      What are the activities of the Alviera Hero Camp?

We invite participants as young as four to five years old to join this zero-to-hero adventure experience.

 We have a Hero Training Crash Course for kids and kids-at-heart that involve four main activities. Hero Basics 101 takes participants through a short outdoor survival course led by expert adventurers and outdoor guides. After deciding on a hero name, participants can complete the new identity at the Costume Crafting Corner. Here they can create their hero mask or jazz up their own hero costumes.

KAPOW! Hero Combat Training will teach heroes some evil-fighting skills. Martial arts masters will demonstrate and teach defense moves to practice on the spot. Then there’s the Monster Obstacle Course with Aqtiv Archery, where they battle monsters through an outdoor archery maze.

At night, we have a Parade of Heroes where kids wear their hero costumes and can go trick-or-treat across the booths and tents at the campsite.

For those looking for galaxies to save far, far away, the Mind Museum will lead stargazing activities in the starlit skies of Alviera.  It’s quite exciting since their experts will lead naked-eye stargazing with laser pointers, and telescopic viewing of planets, and even the moon. Within each one-hour activity, participants will learn about planispheres and astrolabes, orienteering using the stars and learn to identify different constellations.

We have widescreen superhero movies playing after dark, which visitors will enjoy at the campsite.

Aside from all this excitement, the SandBox attractions will be open for visitors to rev up their hero training. That means the Giant Swing, Aerial Walk, Adventure Tower free fall, rappel, wall climbing, plus Avatar One rollercoaster zipline are open for players. There’s also outdoor archery, the children’s playground and mini-golf course to try.

By the last quarter of the year, SandBox will begin evening operations every weekend so we’re excited to have visitors see these attractions.

3.      Why hold a “Hero Camp” in October?

As an urban development that blends with nature, Alviera is always looking for outdoor activities meant for people to converge, commune and enjoy nature together. Our signature events, sports and fun festivals always return to that goal. The main October event is Halloween, which gives people a chance to dress up in costumes for fun. The costumes are probably the best part of the occasion.

Given that Alviera is surrounded by beautiful and natural terrain that can be enjoyed day and night with our camping facilities, we wanted people to gain something positive in dressing up and changing into costume. Instead of scaring each other as with Halloween, why not inspire others to do better, the way heroes do? So the Alviera Hero Camp concept grew from there, a camping weekend that is fun and thrilling where kids and kids-at-heart discover the superhero in themselves.



4.      Can Alviera Hero Camp participants come in costume?

We would certainly welcome everyone coming in their superhero costumes! We encourage them to post their best superhero shots in Alviera tagged with #ALVIERAHEROCAMP on social media. They get a chance to win Alviera prizes.

But please note that elaborate costumes will not be allowed when trying out SandBox attractions. These might restrict your movement or worse, and safety is our top priority. As a precaution, it might be best to leave your secret identity in your vehicles or in your tents.

5.      Are there beneficiaries for this activity?
Alviera is a major supporter of HERO Foundation, which provides educational assistance to children and dependent siblings of Filipino soldiers killed in action or permanently incapacitated in the line of duty.
A portion of sales to the event will go to the scholarship fund of HERO Foundation. We are also bringing some of these young scholars to come and enjoy Alviera Hero Camp.

6.      What are the packages for Alviera Hero Camp?

Participants can avail of the Day Adventurer and Weekend Camper packages.
Day Adventurer package will include:

§  Use of four free Sandbox attractions:  Rollercoaster Zipline, Aerial Walk, Giant Swing, and Adventure Tower

Hero Training Crash Course
o   Hero Basics 101
o   Costume Crafting Corner
o   KAPOW! Hero Combat Training
o   Monster Obstacle Course with Aqtiv Archery

Weekend Camper package will include all day activities plus night activities:

§  Use of Sandbox attractions at night
§  Parade of Heroes
§  Superzoom Stargazing with the Mind Museum
§  Wham Bam Movies

Day Adventurer package will cost P2,150 while Weekend Camper will be at P2,950. Tickets are available at the Travel Factor website at travelfactor.org/alvieraherocamp.

7.      What must participants bring to the event?

Suit up in comfortable outdoor attire like sneakers, pants and t-shirts. Flipflops and sandals are not advisable inn SandBox attractions. Bring extra clothes and costume, in case you break into a sweat.

Weekend Campers will be supplied with their own tents, but must bring their own beddings.

8.      Will there be comfort amenities at the camp?

Yes, we have ample showers and toilet facilities for participants’ exclusive use at the camp. Sanitation, environmental care and of course, safety and security are all primary in Alviera.

9.      Will the SandBox be open all night for the Alviera Hero Camp?

SandBox will have evening operations for the event so new hours will be 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Regular night operations will be launched in the latter part of the year.

10.  Can we cook or bring food to the event?

There will be some great food concessionaires on-site. Cooking is prohibited for safety reasons. Just bring an extra water bottle for refills and enjoy the tasty food and beverage selection of the Alviera Hero Camp!

Universal Harvester launches 1st ToFarm Songwriting Competition

After the successful launch of TOFarm Film Festival, now comes TOFarm Songwriting competition which aims to recognize talent of farmers from agricultural sector. With its theme "Planting the Seeds of Change",  Universal Harvester Inc. ventures into another medium to give more hype and meaning to their push for agricultural revolution.

The TOFarm Songwriting Festival was launched on September 10, 2016 at the Mactan Function Room of the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel. The event was graced by Dr. Milagros How, Executive Vice President of Universal Harvester lnc., Project Director Rommel Cunanan, Ms. Luchie Roque, and major music stakeholders and members of media.

“ToFarm was first crafted as a program to help award those in the agricultural sector whose hands and feet, hearts and minds have been dedicated to provide bountiful feast for the whole nation. But then we thought it would be more meaningful if the much needed call to recognition for this industry is extended to the public,” said Dr. Milagros How, Executive Vice President of Universal Harvester lnc.,

Filipinos are born with an innate talent in music. Our music are written from the heart in both lyrics and tune as we portray lives and everyday experiences through songs.

The First TOFARM Songwriting Competition is open to all Filipino amateur and professional songwriters. Different song genres are encouraged and suggested, but not limited to: Folk/Acoustic, Rock, Jazz, R&B, Country, Pop, Inspirational, Fusion.

The following requirements must be submitted on or before NOVEMBER 18, 2016: 

1)  A Duly accomplished Application Form; Copy of a valid ID with specimen signature of the applicant (including co-applicants, if collaboration) indicated thereon; 

2)  Song Entry in mp3 format labelled with the title and the contestant’s name or pseudonym directly on the CD; Lyric sheet (in English/or in any Filipino language Pilipino line-by-line translation, if applicable) 

3)  Two (2) hard copies and one (1) copy in pdf file in the Song Entry CD.

Criteria in choosing the song entries are quality of composition, lyrics and its originality.

Nine (9) Finalists will be chosen by the TOFARM Listening Committee. Results shall be announced on DECEMBER 5, 2016 through print media and website announcements. Each of the nine (9) finalists will receive a certificate and P40,000.

From the finalists, a grand prize winner, 1st runner up, second runner up and the People’s Choice will be chosen during a special live concert happening on February, 2017.

Aside from the trophies, the grand winner will receive P300,000 cash; the first runner up, P200,000 cash and the second runner up P100,000. The People’s Choice award will also receive P75,000.

Entries may be sent via courier or postal mail to: TOFARM SONGWRiTlNG COMPETiTiON, TOFARM Secretariat 10th Floor, Harvester Corporate Center, 158 P. Tuazon St. corner 7th Street, Cubao, 1109 Philippines or via email tofarmmusic@gmail.com