Holiday State of Mind

Sometimes, a quick escape is all it takes to reset the spirit. Tagaytay always gives me that holiday state of mind…

Even a short drive can feel like a retreat when your heart is ready to embrace rest.

My son successfully finished his recital last Sunday and as a reward, my sister treated us to Tagaytay yesterday.

Getting Ready for the Trip

I decided to use my BYS Golden Hour Palette for today's look. Makeup, for me, is part of the ritual—it sets the tone that today is special.

Here are the swatches:

From top to bottom: Polaroid, Candid, Aperture, In Focus, Portrait, Panoramic

In Focus is slightly wet, like something between a liquid and cream eyeshadow. The color is gorgeous! I love Panoramic, too! Polaroid is a bit chalky and not as pigmented as the shadows in the Queen Bee Palette.

Here are the face shades:

Highlighter: Illumination

Contour: Ambiance

I haven't tried Illumination yet, only Ambiance. I used it on top of my BYS Bronzer. It's a buildable powder, a little chalky though.

This is my eye look yesterday:

I used Polaroid and Aperture and got more shades from the Simply Nude Palette as the colors in this palette were all too light for me.

The Trip Itself

The drive was easy and quite fast. There was no traffic aside from the few minutes of crawling traffic due to a part of the road being repaired. Once we passed that, the ride was smooth sailing.

It was a beautiful sunny day. The kind of day that makes you forget deadlines and remember how it feels to just be.

Even the clouds were beautiful

Cotton candy clouds

Rosario, Pamanang Panlasa

We ate at Rosario. It's a big restaurant with a viewing deck of Taal Volcano. This place used to be Josephine's, if I'm not mistaken.

While my sister was checking in, I was checking out the dessert fridge 😁

They also have a baked goods and pasalubong (coming home gift) section:

I always check out the restrooms of restaurants we visit. I love those Ladies and Gentlemen signs.

There are sinks outside the restroom proper, great for guests who just need to wash their hands before and after a meal. They need to change that rug though! That's a trip hazard waiting to happen.

The restroom was clean and spacious. It smelled nice, too.

Even the smallest details of a place can shape the experience—comfort is part of the holiday mood.

The food arrived quickly that I was suprised. Here's what we ordered:

Fried Tawilis, a local favorite as the tawilis are caught from Taal Lake

Binondo Rice with chorizo

Bulacang Okoy

Lumpiang Ubod

Guyabano juice for me and sis

Mango Shake for my son. My mom and our driver got iced tea.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Sinigang na Salmon Belly sa Miso

Every bite felt like home and heritage—flavors that remind you why food is always part of memory-making.

Let me know if you want a full review of their food in the comments and I'll write it in my food blog.

There were a lot of Koreans yesterday -some were enjoying the view, some were eating.

There were lots of places to take photos - seats like this one, heart shaped ones, and the viewing deck

Before heading home, we stopped by Amira's to buy some pasalubong. Here's what I got:

I forgot to take a photo before slicing the leche flan. I got two of these, one ube halaya, and a box of mango cheese tarts. I'll share the photos in future posts.

And here's what I got from Rosario - ube cheese pandesal and ham and cheese empanada. I also ordered Shrimp Sinigang for takeaway, that we had for dinner last night

The Holiday Feeling Anywhere

Holiday Vibes aren't only about destinations. They can be created daily with little rituals like a cozy throw, a favorite meal, sharing a slice of cake with a loved one.

It was a holiday in my sister's city yesterday that's why she was able to spend the day with us. Holidays aren't just about resting, it's also about honoring yourself with pauses and things that spark joy. For us, it was this impromptu trip out of the city and sharing a meal as a family.

The truth is, holidays aren’t places—they’re pockets of joy we choose to make. Whether I’m in Tagaytay or at home, I choose to live with a holiday state of mind—a heart that knows when to pause, breathe, and savor.

Glow Girl, when was the last time you gave yourself a holiday moment? Share it below—I’d love to celebrate it with you.

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