Keigh Jalbuena

TRIO at Work

2012-02-08T19:59:00.003+08:00

Here's a little BTS of the Bliss Fashion Show the TRIO co-styled last Saturday. Like what I said in my previous post, styling this fashion show was crazy and tiring! The photos below may tell you otherwise, but trust me those are deceiving. Haha!

I'll be uploading the runway photos (in another post) once I get them from the official photographers. Please watch out for that! :) In the mean time, you may look at the last photo featuring the models the TRIO co-styled. The trendy clothes and accessories came from our generous sponsors - Funky Plum Vintage, Thread Manila, Emo Jewelry, and Mauve. Thank you also to Ava and Angel for bringing their own accessories and stuff from Anagon, Miss Sartorial and Bubbles! :)

Hi, everyone! We are the TRIO and we are now accepting styling projects / collaborations for either print or runway. Chos haha! But no seriously, feel free to contact me, Ava, or Angel if you'd like to get any of us as stylists. :)

"The TRIO consists of Angeline Rodriguez, Keigh Jalbuena and Ava Te - a group of three fashion and lifestyle bloggers who formed a unique friendship through the world of fashion. Albeit of completely different personalities, they are living proof that true friendship can evolve in and with style."- Angel Rodriguez

Photos from Ava Te

Stylist at Work

2012-02-07T18:26:00.001+08:00

Zara top and leggings | The Ramp belt | What Women Want purse | Rajo! for Parisian shoes

I had my first try in styling a fashion show last Saturday at the Assumption College Night 2012. I have to say it was crazy and tiring, but I certainly got by with a huge help from my TRIO, Ava and Angel! Big thanks to you girls! :) Also, I got by with a little help from what I wore. This pair of leggings allowed me to move around comfortably and to squat a lot to pick up stuff (I know, so unladylike, haha!). As to my shoes, my feet and legs eventually got tired and numb. I changed into my trusty nude flats, but I only wore it for a short time since we were going to strut the runway on-the-spot. Yikes!

If I may share, whenever I have freelance styling work to do, I make sure I wear flats and either wear jeans or leggings. I really can't explain why, but I know I am my best when I'm in those kind of clothing. True enough, I was my best hours before and during the fashion show because I was able to juggle around 7 female models and 5 male models - all, of course, with the help of my TRIO. I can't wait to tell you all about the fashion show we co-styled! Please watch out for it. :)

MANILA BULLETIN FASHION FEATURE 02.03.12

2012-02-06T11:26:00.000+08:00

Did you get to buy a copy of the Manila Bulletin last Friday? If your answer is yes, then that's great! :) But if your answer is no, then you're lucky because you can see it here. So what's to see anyway? Well, the editorial we did last year was finally featured! We were all waiting for this to come out, and when it did, we were all so happy! Here's our editorial, Looming Large!

Photography: Rxandy Capinpin

Styling: Jear De Mc Cuttac

Associate styling: Bianca Lorraine Sing & Keigh Jalbuena

Hair: Katchie Mejias at L’Oreal Professionnel

Make Up: Joyce Platon

Nails: Beauty & Butter

Model: Michelle Panemanglor at Cal Carrie’s

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Thank you again, Jear, for this opportunity! Can't wait for our collaboration!

Please watch out for it this coming summer. :)

BLISS: The Assumption College Night

2012-02-01T18:06:00.005+08:00

BLISS: The Assumption College Night is a one-night event that will feature the best of Assumption. It will definitely bring together the entire Assumption College students, faculty and staff, parents, alumnae and friends. Invited renowned performers from the field of entertainment will also celebrate with us during this event. It is a night to unwind and really have fun! The program includes the showcase of homegrown talents of the Assumptionists, guest performers, bands, games, fashion show and a dance from beats of the hippest DJ in the metro.

I'm inviting everyone to come and party with the Assumptionists this Saturday, February 4, 6 PM onwards at The Tents at Alphaland Southgate! Aside from a surprise guest (who's super cute, btw!) and performances from Urbandub, Someday Dream, and Bloomfields, one of the main highlights of the event is the fashion show! The TRIO (Ava, Angel, and I) will be part of the styling team! :) We will be featuring the latest clothes and accessories from these awesome brands:

Thank you so much, Funky Plum Vintage, Thread Manila, F-STOP Fashion Stop, Mauve, and EMO Jewelry for providing us with gorgeous clothes and accessories!

Please come and support The TRIO at the Assumption College Night. Hope to see you all on Saturday! It'll be fun! :)

EMO Jewelry

2012-01-31T21:38:00.000+08:00

Before I tell you all about EMO Jewelry, let's welcome back my friend and fellow Trio, Angel! To welcome her back, I brought her to Tokyo Bubble Milk Tea for our quintessential milk tea date, then brought her to the EMO Jewelry event. :)

The EMO Jewelry Steel + Style event was held at the quaint Cafe 1771. The venue was perfect for intimate gatherings like this. Everyone was either standing up beside the cocktail tables or sitting comfortably on the couches while drinking a glass of signature wine matched with delicious food and sweet desserts. Everyone was also busy talking amongst themselves, and of course, with Mr. Sidney Ang - the man behind EMO Jewelry. While we were all waiting for the program to start, we had the chance to take a closer look at, and even try, these gorgeous pieces from EMO Jewelry!

Moments later, Mr. Sidney Ang introduced EMO Jewelry to all of us. If you're asking why EMO, well, Mr. Sidney told us that his younger sister always referred to herself as an "emo", that rocker-chick-black nails-and-eye-liner kind of emo. Hence, an idea for the brand name. But of course, it goes beyond that. EMO is actually means EMOTION. Because after all, women give off that emotion of desire, excitement, gratitude, happiness, and satisfaction whenever they see and wear any kind of jewelry.

Mr. Sidney Ang

Mr. Sidney called out 3 volunteers for a little guessing game. The volunteers had to identify which is which - gold, white gold, silver, stainless steel jewelry. They apparently had a difficult time in doing so that in the end, none of them got it right. Turns out, none of the jewelry were gold, white gold, silver, and stainless steel. They were all just fake, random stuff. Haha!

EMO Jewelry is the accessory of choice for the new generation. It will never tarnish like silver and is a naturally whiter metal as compared to white gold. Contrary to popular belief, the kind of stainless steel used in EMO stainless steel jewelry is not the same kind used for spoons and forks. Rather, medical grade stainless steel is used, the kind you find in surgical blades, and in body bone implants, hence it being high hypoallergenic. Stainless steel is also much harder than most metals used for jewelry such as gold, silver and even platinum, which is why stainless steel retains that high polished luster as compared to say silver or white gold that gets dulled the more you wear it.

EMO offers a dazzling array of different styles and designs to suit today's modern women, with pieces ranging from everyday wear to look-at-me attention grabbers. EMO offers a dazzling array of styles that have the look feel of real jewelry, which is a far cry from the cheap and obvious costume jewelry. From anklets to right hand rings, EMO has got it all.

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EMO Jewelry can be found all over the metro (SM Fairview, SM Megamall, SM Pasig Hypermart, SM North EDSA, SM Mall of Asia, Festival Mall, Cash & Carry) and even on the world wide web! Please do check out emo.ph today. EMO Jewelry has collaborated with bloggers to give their readers a very cool treat! As my reader, you'll get a 10% discount each time you purchase jewelry from emo.ph! You can get the 10% discount by doing the following:

Like the EMO Jewelry Facebook Page.
Enter this code KGH123 into the Discount Code box every time you purchase online.

*Note that these two steps are required to be done to get the 10% discount. EMO Jewelry will double check of you've liked their page. Also, the discount doesn't apply when purchasing in EMO Jewelry boutiques. :)

Here's an example of an online purchase using the Discount Code KGH123:

It's as easy 123! So what are you still doing here? Go to emo.ph now and have fun shopping online! Don't forget to type the code KGH123 on the Discount Box! :)

Bye bye, 3D Glasses!

2012-01-30T20:36:00.005+08:00

Did you know that 99.8% of the world's population have never seen a 3D animated film? I learned this from Ms. Katrina Bantug, CEO of 3D Vizion, at the Glasses Free 3D event I attended. If you've seen a 3D animated film, then consider yourself very lucky - you're part of that very small .2% of the world's population who have seen a 3D animated film. I say lucky not only because you've seen a 3D animated film at least once, but also because you get to enjoy and afford this amazing form of entertainment on a regular basis; while others don't.

Image Source

It goes without saying that 3D animated films can only be seen and experienced by the audience through the use of this cool thing we call 3D glasses. But what if I told you that you can enjoy the same 3D animated film...without the 3D glasses? (Admit it, those glasses annoy you and make you dizzy each time you wear them inside the movie house. Am I right? I know this because I experience the same thing, too.) Sounds impossible? Well, believe me. It's possible, thanks to 3D Vizion. For those of you who don't know 3D Vizion, it's the company behind this amazing technology I just discovered — GLASSES-FREE 3D SCREENS. These are like electronic billboards, only 3D and doesn't require the viewer to wear those annoying 3D glasses. 3D Vizion provides brands, companies, and advertisers this revolutionary platform that they can use not just to catch attention, but ultimately, to generate sales. 3D Vizion is a budding company that has come up with a ground-breaking technology that takes the best of high-definition 2D technology and the latest in 3D technology to come up with a platform that is set to change the way companies in the Philippines advertise—glasses-free 3D screens.

To give you a sneak peek and feel of how the glasses-free 3D screen displays an ad, here are 3 photos:

What do you think of the 3 photos you just saw? Attention-grabbing, right? Basically, these images show how you'll see and experience an ad when you pass by a glasses-free 3D screen. The images on the screen are just popping! Don't worry, you won't get dizzy when you see the ads. Unbelievably amazing. :) A step up from the usual 3D screens we see inside movie houses, this new and more sophisticated technology bridges most of the gaps left by previous iterations by providing viewers with improved 3D projection coupled with high-definition 2D images, more spots for viewing and of course, the ability to watch without the use of bothersome red and blue glasses that can cause headaches among other discomforts.

Ms. Katrina Bantug, CEO of 3D Vizion

“Glasses-free 3D screens leave such a lasting imprint that studies have shown that it is 10 times more effective more than regular 2D media. In the US, a study discovered that when used in a mall, the sales of the brand featured in the glasses-free 3D screen went up at least 12% in addition to the store reporting a 34% increase in consumer traffic,” says Katrina Bantug. Because of this, the company has been getting a lot of attention from other organizations who want to get the word out of their offerings; likewise 3D Vizion’s technology is slowly being recognized as the new standard platform for a more cost-efficient yet undeniably effective mass marketing.

For those of you who don't know, I'm an Advertising major. And if there's one thing I learned by heart from my Advertising and Marketing classes, it's effectively reaching target consumers at the right place, right time, and right platform. To me, glasses-free 3D is the best platform to use to effectively reach target consumers nowadays. In the battle for the attention of the consumer who is now media savvy and inundated by so much information, rising above the clutter is an act of survival. 3DVizion is proud to be the company that will aid the industry to keep growing and working towards better ways of engaging with the mass market.

Bloggers watching the sample ads from the glasses-free 3D screens

Judging by the photo above, you and I can tell that everyone was completely awed and blown away by the sample ads that were shown during Glasses-Free 3D event! You can experience the same thing, too, when you go to Ayala Malls where the glasses-free 3D screens are initially, strategically installed. Now if you're part of that 99.8% of the world's population who haven't seen a 3D animated film, you can change that by experiencing the glasses-free 3D screens. And maybe, just maybe, that small .2% can turn to 20, 50, and eventually to 100% of the world's population who have seen a 3D animated film, minus the glasses and only in a different form — an advertisement.

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Founded by Katrina Bantug, Mohan Kulkarni and backed by DEMIKK Holdings, Inc.- represented by Ruben Tiu,3D Vizion is a budding Filipino company whose goal is to revolutionize the country’s advertising landscape and put us at par with other nations using glasses-free 3D screens as its main platform. For more information about the company, its products and services, you may contact Susana Eslava at 695-1111 or 706- 7999 or visit their website at www.3dvscreens.com.

A Free Saturday

2012-01-29T15:58:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was a free day for me and my block mates because we didn't have our Marketing Strategies class! :) Though we were required to go to school and be a Big Sister for the Open House, most of us still didn't go. I'm one of those who didn't, haha! It's not that I didn't want to support my school; it's just that the event's call time was way too early, as in 6 or 7 am if I'm not mistaken. Also, if I went, for sure I won't get a parking slot because of all the people going to AC that day. I didn't wanna stress myself on waking up too early and driving too fast just to secure a parking slot. So yeah, those were my excuses.

Anyway! We were required to watch this film entitled Cine / Sine. The screening sched we chose was yesterday, 1 PM, at MoA. Again, though it was our free day, we still had to do that requirement. Please don't ask me about the film because... well... I just don't what to tell you guys, haha! Sorry. After watching the film, I met up with Kevin and had late lunch with him. We then transferred to Newport Mall to watch a better movie and for Serenitea. We watched The Darkest Hour in 3D and I have to say, I liked the story and the country where it was filmed - hello, Russia! It would've been a great movie, though, if it weren't for the lack of 3D effects, cheesy lines, and the lame ending. Just sayin'. :)

Btw, did you notice my lack of posts last week? My personal issues and blogging problems caught me by surprise. I needed time to resolve them, hence the lack of posts. So here's a look post to make up for being MIA the entire week.

Topshop dress used as top | Thread Manila skirt | necklace - gift from my friend, Coco

From bored and ignored / tired and uninspired to back and better than ever.

Expect more posts from me everyday, haha! Have a great week ahead! :)

What I Don't Like About Having Short Hair

2012-01-24T18:49:00.000+08:00

They say that with short hair comes less problems. It's a different story for me.

As you all may know, I've always had long, straight hair - as in naturally straight hair, and I've always been comfortable with having such. I'm completely fine with growing my hair as long as the length of my spine (haha!), and trimming it every 2 months to get rid of split ends. I mean c'mon, there's just so much one can do with long hair. Braid it, curl it, bun it, updo it, accessorize it, and even go wild with it - the possibilities are endless.

What I'm not completely fine with is cutting it this short, which took me forever to be persuaded to do so. Now the thing is, I've had problems and personal issues with this short hair I decided to sport. One, it was unmanageable. Two, I saw frizzes all the time. And three, I had that flyaway hair effect, which was very annoying to look at. If you can't picture what I'm trying to say here, think of it as one of your really bad hair days. Don't you just hate it? I know I do. Maybe some of you have the luxury of time to either blow dry or iron your hair; but that to me is another chore to do. Or maybe some of you have the money to spend on very expensive hair products and treatments; but that I do not necessarily allot for. I'd rather spend my money on clothes, shoes and bags, haha! But no seriously, if you ask me what's the solution to my problem? It's really simple. Use the best shampoo and conditioner available. I highly recommend Bed Head's Extreme Straight Shampoo and Conditioner.

The Bed Head Tigi Extreme Straight shampoo (left) promises over-the-top smoothness, perfectly clean feel, and frizz-free hair, while the Extreme Straight conditioner (right) promises a flawless finish, long term straightness, and the same frizz-free hair the shampoo promises. The verdict? I instantly noticed how my unmanageable, frizzy, and flyaway short hair became straighter and smoother the first time I tried using both products! I didn't really have to do anything with my hair after washing it, but just let it dry, brush it, then ta-da! There it is - manageable, less frizzy and less flyaway hair. Since I started using both the shampoo and conditioner 3 weeks ago, I've had nothing but all-day-extremely-straight, over-the-top smooth, clean, shiny and frizz-free short hair. It actually hit all the checkmarks on the boxes of promises up there.

As for the smell, I can go on and on talking about how damn good it smells, but then I know I really can't effectively convince you that it is. Oh how I wish you can smell my hair through my photos! My hair smelled sooo good! To me, the scent is a mixture of mainly bubblegum fragrance oil with a hint of vanilla. It's like real bubblegum and candy, you would want to eat it, haha! Everyone, including my mom, my boyfriend, my sisters, and 2 of my closest friends say my hair looks and smells great, but with emphasis on the "smells great" part. They just couldn't stop touching and smelling my hair! :)

Cute bottles, right? I'm beginning to love the color orange!

If you ask me about how long the content of these 200ml bottles will last, I think the shampoo will last me for 1 1/2 months, while the conditioner will last me about 2 months (I've been using it for 3 weeks already.) Also, I have to say both of the products are gentle enough to use everyday. It's really mild and doesn't cause skin allergies and break outs on my back.

It's not like I have a deep hatred towards short hair. I guess I just want it easy for me to fix and take care of my short hair. I just want low maintenance - meaning, not blowdrying / ironing my hair everyday; and not spending on expensive hair products and/or time-consuming treatments. So if you're the low maintenance type, then Bed Head Tigi is the way to go. Ultimately, if you want manageable, extremely straight, over-the-top smoothness, clean, frizz-free, and bubblegum-vanilla-smelling hair, then Bed Head Extreme Straight shampoo and conditioner are the right products for your crowning glory. Everything you want and need for your hair, it's all in those two cute, orange bottles. Go get it. :)

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Don't forget to Like Bed Head - Philippines on Facebook and to follow Bed Head - Philippines on Twitter. Bed Head products are exclusively available at the following salons in and around the metro:

Photo from Bed Head - Philippines

Taller and Longer

2012-01-22T20:45:00.001+08:00

Bloggers United bazaar top | People are People shorts | Janylin shoes | bazaar necklace

If I were to answer this popular Miss Universe question "What do you want to change about your physical appearance and why?", I'd say my height and my legs. I desperately want to be taller and want my legs to look longer. Modelesque, to be exact. But of course, that's scientifically / surgically impossible, haha! Thanks to high heels and high waist shorts, though, it's now very possible! :)

I absolutely love how tall I look and how long my legs look in those 3 pictures! See what high heels and high waist shorts can do? It's like magic, haha! I'm very happy that at least in pictures, I can look taller and my legs can look longer! Thank you so much, Nicole, for taking my outfit shots!

Oh btw, this is what I wore to the My House Husband Bloggers Presscon that happened December of last year. :)

Girls Night Out

2012-01-22T19:54:00.001+08:00

Get Laud top | Red Head skirt (gift from Rina and Stacy) | TLTSN accessories | Janylin shoes

You may have noticed I've been working on backlogs. One of which is this outfit post, actually. :)
Thank you, Gie, for taking these photos!

This is what I wore to the Primadonna Girls Night Out that was held November of last year. What is long overdue? Haha! I remember I really had nothing in mind to wear that night. I ended up wearing the first top I saw in my cabinet, which was that zebra-printed top. I then instantly knew what to pair it with - that white skirt which was given to me by my friends, Rina and Stacy. :) I don't know about you, but I think the zebra print went well with the pleats of my skirt. It gives off a pattern of some sort that's going to one side. Anyway! To make my black and white combination less boring, I wore that super cute and one-of-a-kind wedge shoes. I found the style and design to be very unique! Plus, the ribbon made it all the more adorable. It's now one of my favorite shoes. :)

P.S. I just came back from a very experiential and refreshing 3-day retreat in Tagaytay with my block mates. I can't wait to share with all of you what went on in those 3 days! :) What to expect? Well, if you like polaroids, then you should wait and see. I'll share a few polaroid shots from my friend, Coco, and her cool camera. :)

How to Be a Lady 101

2012-01-19T20:02:00.005+08:00

An overdue post yet again! This time, though, I'm not blaming my memory. I just wasn't ready to blog about it after it happened. So what is this "it" I am talking about anyway? Well, I was given the opportunity to be on stage and give a talk - for the first time - on two things I really love to do everyday, which are dressing up and blogging.

That's me on stage! :)

It was actually the Freshmen Batch Council of the Assumption Student Council who invited me to give a talk during their batch week They asked me to prepare and give a talk on how to act and dress like a lady. I really don't know why they thought I was the best person to give a talk on this topic, but I guess I must have done something good or something right to be perceived as such. :) I have to say, it was such an honor and a privilege because I braved this talk with one of the fashion bloggers I really look up to, who's none other than Patricia Prieto. I was relieved to discover that it was her first time to give a talk, too! Whew! Nonetheless, I humbly think we both did a good job since we were able to deliver our talks well. :) Overall, this experience made me nervous like never before, and was very overwhelming. It's definitely one for the books - well my book, at least! :)

Thank you so much to the Freshmen Batch Council and the Assumption Student Council for this opportunity! I'm hoping to do more. :) Thank you also to the freshmen students and the faculty (especially to Prof. Javellana and Ms. Crystal) for listening to what I have to say. See you girls around school! And of course, I hope you all learned a thing or two about being a lady from me, and from Patricia Prieto's talk on Power Dressing as well! :)

Photos from Patricia Prieto.

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If you would like to get me as a speaker for your school/university/org/event, please don't hesitate to email me at jalbuena.keigh@gmail.com. I'd be more than happy. Please give me a week to prepare, though. Thank you! :)

Sort of Monochromatic

2012-01-19T19:14:00.002+08:00

Another overdue outfit post, haha! You can tell how long it has been by the length of my hair, yeah? But anyway, these photos were taken during the back-to-back events - Laura Mercier and Rustan's Beauty Source - I attended. Like what I said in my previous post, I also blame my memory for forgetting I had these pictures in my iPhoto all along. The first 3 photos came from Ava, while the last 2 photos came from Gie. Thanks, girls! :)

H&M top | Penshoppe skirt | TLTSN accessories | Rajo! for Parisian shoes

I remember having a class before going to the 2 events I mentioned and on the day these photos were taken, which explains the simplicity of this outfit. I opted for a gray - black monochromatic combination for the top and skirt, but popped little hints of colors through the gold, purple and green colors found on my TLTSN necklace and bangle. I know I mentioned my outfit's simple, but I have to say I found it a bit edgy also because of my favorite Kylie G wedges. :) And oh, btw, don't you just adore this spot where we (Ava, Angel, Aisa, Gie, Sarah, and Belle) took our outfit photos? The lighting made everyone and the clothes we wore look much, much better! What do you think? :)

Foxy in Black and White

2012-01-19T18:45:00.000+08:00

This is one overdue outfit post, haha! I have to blame my poor memory for this. I only remembered I had the first photo below (from Francesca Arches) when Angel tagged me the second and third photos just yesterday! If you're wondering, these photos were taken during the launch of The Little Things She Needs late last year. :)

Missy by Bayo top and bag | SM skirt | bazaar necklace | Shop Dainty JC-inspired Foxy shoes

TLTSN's launch was a memorable one for me because I made a few new friends. One of them is Francesca Arches, who, btw, looks like a doll! She's a fashion blogger as well, and she's very nice and friendly. I had a great time talking with her all throughout the event! :)

Me taking Francesca's outfit shots :)

As for the title of this post, Francesca and I were both wearing our Jeffrey Campbell - inspired Foxy shoes; hers is white while mine is black. We didn't know that we were wearing the same shoes until Ava and Angel noticed it, haha! It's surprising how Francesca and I already had something in common the first time we met. :)

Our Jeffrey Campbell - inspired Foxy shoes in Black and White!

Cheers to having friends who have the same taste in shoes! Glad to have you as my friend, Francesca! :)

Designers + Inspirations + Colors

2012-01-19T17:48:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I last posted a blog entry about the MEGA Young Designers Competition (YDC) 2012. To give you guys a refresher, MEGA YDC is the longest running fashion competition in the Philippines. It has introduced 18 Fashion Hopefuls, the newest additions to Philippine fashion last November - December 2011. MEGA YDC airs every Saturday at 7pm, with replay on Sunday at 10am, on ETC. Now on its 8th episode, designers, inspirations, and colors will clash and combine for MEGA YDC's fourth challenge.

Clashing and Combining Designers, Inspirations and Colors

Visions of varying hues will inspire viewers as a wonderful presentation of colors and designs will emanate from each designer’s creation. For the fourth challenge, the remaining MEGA Young Designers must come up with pieces inspired by the colors of 2012. To test their ability to work with each other, all ten designers will be grouped to form a color inspired collection. Each group must stick to one primary color for the entire collection.

The upcoming “Color Challenge” will bring out the uniqueness in the design of each designer as they work with the same primary color inspiration of their team. Can the designers work it out harmoniously? Or will it be a disaster of shades?

A special color will be chosen to be the only accent, adding style to the pieces they will create. To gather their much needed inspiration for the collection, the designers will be sent to one of the busiest spots of Quezon City. Still, another challenge awaits these designers. For this challenge, presentation will be an utmost and crucial requirement.

Which designer will show the pieces to appease the tone of judgment of the fashion council?

Keep watching the MEGA Young Designers Competition 2012 every Saturday, 7 pm on ETC, with replays every Sunday at 10 am.

Generation MEGA Season 3: MEGA Young Designers Competition is created for television by the MEGA Publishing Group. For the latest updates, visit www.megastyle.ph. Like MEGA on Facebook or follow MEGA on Twitter.

Ed Westwick, Mario Maurer, and Solenn Heussaff

2012-01-18T11:12:00.000+08:00

PENSHOPPE PRE-SUMMER 2012

FEEL GOOD FASHION WITH A CASUAL EDGE

Fresh from a stellar 25th anniversary year in which leading fashion brand PENSHOPPE showed every other local apparel group how a leveled up campaign should be, the label now continues its brand-repositioning process, with the goal of reinforcing its position as the top of the mind brand for years to come.

So what can we expect from PENSHOPPE this 2012? Traditional casual wear with clean nautical touches. Color blocking. Light fabrics that are easy to wear. “The latest campaign is more relaxed and approachable. Definitely feel good fashion with a casual edge,” shares Brand Director Alex Mendoza. “Trends to look forward to over the year are more vivid use of colors, clean silhouettes, acid wash jeans and our highly popular varsity jackets.”

Consequently, PENSHOPPE kicks off its Pre-Summer 2012 campaign with a modern take on cheerful wardrobe fundamentals such as jeans, shirts, jackets and other signature style as fronted by the brand’s strongest brand presenters: Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick, Asian superstar Mario Maurer and local “it” girl Solenn Heussaff.

CASUAL COOL: The New Kind of HOT

There are many reasons why a smart, sensible guy’s girlfriend would take one long look at Ed Westwick’s latest campaign for PENSHOPPE and run to the store – boyfriend in tow. After his surreal visit to Manila last year much to the amazement of fans and fashion observers alike, it seems apparent that to create a Chuck Bass out of every guy became every girl’s 2012 resolution.

To start off the new year Ed remains as PENSHOPPE’s biggest level up ammunition and for one very good reason: There is no one out there who can pull it off the way Ed can.

Simply put, there is no other Chuck Bass.

Starting the New Year with a SMILE

If Ed Westwick is considered by many as PENSHOPPE’s marketing ammo, then it is fair to say that Asian heartthrob Mario Maurer is the brand’s sales catalyst. Soon after the 23 year old was signed last August sporting the brand’s now famous varsity jacket, the item immediately went out of stock – early on proving that anything the kid touches turns into gold.

And that was just the beginning. Indeed, anything that Mario wears from his PENSHOPPE collection sells fast: jacket, jeans, shirt, shoes, you name it - even a cap. Proving his incredible cult-like following among teenagers as well as young adults, anything he models are likely to fire up fans to line up and buy across PENSHOPPE stores nationwide.

It’s HIP to be “IT”

Solenn Heussaff is not just a pretty face – she is a powerful female influencer. Prior to her entry into local showbiz, it was PENSHOPPE who discovered her years ago when she was just modeling. Since then, Solenn has fronted some of the brand’s most memorable campaigns.

With more than 440,000 plus followers on Twitter to date, the French-Filipina has sure come a long way since first being discovered by PENSHOPPE. She also possesses a sophisticated personal style that makes her the perfect female lead for what is now considered the Philippines’ fashion powerhouse.

For the newest styles and hottest celebrities follow @PENSHOPPE or like them on Facebook.

Special Sunday

2012-01-15T22:26:00.005+08:00

Today was a very special day because Sam just had her First Holy Communion. It was quite nostalgic, actually, because it was held in the CSA Chapel where we (my other sister, Melissa, and I) had our First Holy Communion, too. We're just so proud and so touched that Sam finally received God for the first time through this Holy Communion. It saddens me, though, that our dad's not here to witness this momentous occasion in Sam's life as he is working abroad. It also saddens me that Sam's growing up too fast that I can no longer call her baby and, well, treat her like a baby. Next thing I know, she'll be graduating from grade school! Nonetheless, we'll always be here for her and we'll make sure we won't miss any of her life happenings as she grows. :)

Sam's First Holy Communion attire looks so cute, right? As always, it's custom-made by some tailor CSA got and I have to say, Sam's dress looks way better compared to mine and Melissa's; I think, haha! Anyway, I was inspired to wear a dress, too, when I saw Sam wearing her dress.

Topshop dress | Meet My Feet Flats | Cinderella bangles | Juicy Couture watch

So, for this very special day, I decided to wear a Sunday dress. I think I'm beginning to like this shade of blue. Though it makes me look a bit darker, this shade of blue doesn't strain the eye. I kept my look simple again by pairing my blue dress with white flats and minimal accessories. :)

We headed to Greenbelt 3 after Sam's First Holy Communion. We watched Alvin and The Chipmunks (Super cute and funny movie! Brings out the child in you!) and ate dinner in CPK. We also went to Tokyo Bubble Tea for our milk tea fix, then to our new house to check up on something. Then finally, we went home. That's about it for my special sunday. How was yours? Hope it was special, too!

Shorts or Skirt?

2012-01-14T23:09:00.002+08:00

Forever 21 cardigan | Tomato top | Thread Manila shorts | TLTSN necklace | Bijoux Terner watch

It looks like a skirt from a far, but looks like shorts when up close. Or is it the other way around? I get confused, too. So, is it shorts or skirt? What do you think? :) I asked myself that question when I saw this pretty and colorful piece of clothing from Thread Manila last week. Shorts or skirt, it didn't matter to me. All I knew is that I wanted it. But to get things straight, it's shorts, haha!

This is what I wore to a chill Saturday afternoon. It's something comfortable, perfect for short walks. It's something simple, too, even though the colors of my shorts scream pink and purple. I paired my colorful shorts with a hot pink (one of the colors found on my shorts) top to get that matching effect, and of course, to make my shorts standout. Layered it with a white cardigan, and finished it minimal accessories, a hot pink watch, and nude wedges.

Not my best smile, posture and pose, but I had to make do with these photos for some reason. Excuse my poses, the wind was really blowing hard that time. My hair was all over my face so I had to block my hair with my hand. I have to say, though, the weather was quite cooperative today. My pictures were taken when it was gloomy; then right after taking my pictures, a drizzle suddenly happened and lasted for about 10 minutes. Whew! Made it just in time before the drizzle! :) And oh, in case you wanna know, my photos were taken in Burgos Circle, this little roundabout near my place in BGC. Funny how it's my first time to actually walk and take pictures here when I've been living near it since it opened. I think I'll be taking more pictures here from now on. :)

Stories of the Week

2012-01-14T21:23:00.003+08:00

God I miss blogging; and to think it's only been a week since I last blogged. I know, I'm weird sometimes, haha! Anyway, how's everybody doing? :) If you ask me, I had a pretty rough week because of my midterms. I had tests every day and all the studying, thinking, and writing really made me tired and stressed out. I practically looked like a zombie again with all the sleepless nights I had. But I'm very glad and thankful that midterms is finally over. All I can do now is hope and pray that all my efforts and hard work pay off once I see my test scores next week. :)

So much for that. I have a lot of stories to share with all of you! Please bear with me, haha! Let me begin with the events I missed during my midterms week - the Strip Manila Experience with my cuz Bec, and unFURgivable, which was held in Privé last January 12. I felt really sad for missing these two events because I wanted to support Bec's first brazilian wax experience and I wanted to support Unfurgivable's worthy cause. But, as always, studies will be my number one priority so it's all good. :) The next thing I'm going to share is my Friday the 13th experience. I've proven it - Friday the 13th is one unlucky day. Don't believe me? Well, I had a series of very unfortunate events. First, I woke up late, as in 7 am, for my 8 am exam. Second, I couldn't find my Exam Permit that same morning. Then I remembered, I put it in the pocket of my other skirt, which was washed right when I took it off. Obviously I forgot to remove my Exam Permit, hence it was washed along with the skirt; you can already picture what happened to the permit. Third, I had to bear with road traffic before getting to the Skyway, had to pay the toll fee because my E-pass ran out of credit, and had to deal with Skyway traffic (Yes, there's traffic even on the Skyway). Fourth, when I got to school, the Finance office, where Exam Permits are claimed / reissued, was still closed so I had no choice but to go to our room and take the test with a damaged Exam Permit. Thank God, though, the proctor understood and allowed me to take the test. Fifth and last, I went to the Finance office to get a new Exam Permit. I had to surrender my ID for verification purposes, then went home immediately when I got my new permit. Traffic met me again (Why am I not surprised?) so the drive home was tiring. After an hour, I finally arrived home and ate brunch while watching Showtime. While watching, I noticed something was missing...my ID! I left it in the Finance office! I had no choice but to drive all the way back to school and get my ID. :( And since I didn't want to go all the way back to Paranaque again, I decided to just go home to my second home in BGC. And that's basically it for my Friday the 13th. I'm thankful nothing bad happened when I got home! :)

Okay, enough with the bad vibes. Moving on. I mentioned that I went home to BGC and that nothing bad happened after going home. Well, things turned up eventually. The third story is about a new milk tea place I discovered just last night! So I decided to buy dinner at KFC, but before I even got to KFC, I passed by this new milk tea place (which is just a few steps away from my place), Tokyo Bubble Tea! I seriously wanted to go down from the car and try one of their milk teas, but I was in plain house clothes that I was too embarrassed to face those working professionals in such attire. So I just waited for today to finally give it a try! But first, here's another story. I'm supposed to be in Bulacan, specifically in the Lemon Square Factory, for my best friend Sam's birthday celebration. But I have to be at home by dinner to celebrate my younger sister Sam's Catholic Meal for her First Holy Communion tomorrow, so the trip to Bulacan had to be sacrificed. :( Nonetheless I still had an amazing day. Kevin and I just ate merienda in Johnny Rockets, and then finally, had my milk tea fix in Tokyo Bubble Tea! :)

We made it just in time for The Dancing Waitresses! I will always enjoy watching the Johnny Rocket's Dancing Waitresses.

Cute! (Hi, Stacy. These are for you, haha!)

Kevin's plate - Chicken Tenders! Super delicious Chicken Tenders and Honey Mustard Sauce. I DIED. And oh, we gave up on the Unlimited Fries because we couldn't finish it, haha! We're so weak. :P

Just a Kids' Sliders and Fries for me because of my mouth ulcer. This was worth the pain, though! Super yummy, I couldn't resist it. :)

Say hello to Tokyo Bubble Tea!

Happy with my milk tea!

Royal Milk Tea. Hands down THE. BEST. MILK. TEA. I. EVER. TASTED. It's creamy and the taste is incredibly sweet, nothing like those other milk teas available / I always drink. The pearls, a mixture of big and small, are mildly sweet and chewy; it doesn't taste like plastic (not that I've eaten plastic or anything, haha!) unlike other pearls do. For a large cup of milk tea that costs 125 Php, it's definitely worth a try and worth it. I will definitely be a regular in Tokyo Bubble Tea! See you there? :)

I capped off my day spending time with Kevin and Sam here at home while waiting for the rest of my family for Sam's Catholic Meal. What a happy day, after a day full of unfortunate events! God is really good. :) That's it for my stories of the week. Told ya I got a lot of stories to share with all of you, haha! Sorry for the length and some unclear parts, though. I really tried to shorten the stories so as not to bore you. But I hope you still got to imagine my cray cray week. Was yours cray cray as well? I'd like to know. Leave a comment, and I'd be more than glad to read it and to reply (Yey for Blogger's newest feature!) to it.

~ ~ ~

Johnny Rockets is located at Burgos Circle, Forbes Town Center, Rizal Drive Cor. West Crescent Park, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tokyo Bubble Tea is located at The Fort Residences Bldg. 30th St. Cor. 2nd Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Fashion Statements for the Changing Weathers

2012-01-12T17:15:00.000+08:00

Fashion Statements for the Changing Weathers of the Philippines

Two challenges are done with only 13 aspiring designers making it through the last cuts. Five designers were already eliminated as the challenges in MEGA’s Young Designers Competition (YDC) 2012 heat up. In a surprising twist, three designers were sent home during the last challenge since they failed to show a fashion forecast fit for 2012.

The weather of the country urges fashionistas to be more practical with their choice of clothes. From the “Proud to Be Me” and the “Fashion Forecast” challenge, the remaining designers will showcase pieces that can be worn for both the dry and wet season of the Philippines. Midway through the competition, who has survived?

Corleen, one of the MEGA YDC contestants, present his climate change-inspired creation to the judges.

Porfi, one of the MEGA YDC contestants, present his climate change-inspired creation to the judges.

As they unveil their versatile outfits, the designers are aware that getting the fashion council’s nod has already become harder. Every detail will be scrutinized and three designers will once again be out of the competition.

Will the top designers continue to succeed? Or will the other designers be given the opportunity to shine?

Keep watching the MEGA Young Designers Competition 2012 every Saturday, 7 pm on ETC, with replays every Sunday at 10 am.

www.Megastyle.ph brings something new and interactive for all YDC fans. Show your support by voting for your favorite YDC designers through the online poll. Plus, if you missed out on the past episodes or want to relive the YDC experience, all past episodes are uploaded on the website! Log on now!

Our Ultimate Sundae Experience

2012-01-08T17:05:00.005+08:00

Like what I mentioned in my previous post, the TRIO x Swensen's Ice Cream Date happened yesterday in SM Mall of Asia where the first Swensen's ice cream parlor in the Philippines is located. The reason this all happened is Angel's and Swensen's Philippines' generosity. They gave Angel the Earthquake Voucher (a set of 12 GCs) to spend on nothing but delicious and filling ice cream, while Angel decided to share her blessings with us! :)

I love Swensen's interiors!

A quote by Earle Swensen

The 12 GCs that gave us a hard time choosing which Swensen's signature sundae to get!

Angel with my chosen readers, Bec and Bea!

Bec with her Nutty Cripy Tower!

Angel with her Nutty Crispy Tower, too!

Bea with her Banana Split!

And as for me... I got the Chocolate Fondue! Brace yourselves for the photos, haha!

Tadaaa! 9 scoops of Ice Cream!

I was shocked when my Chocolate Fondue was served and placed in front of me! Even Angel was shocked because she didn't expect the scoops to be that huge. She told us the scoops in Swensen's Bangkok were really small, so she told me I should just go for the Chocolate Fondue. But then again, expect the unexpected, haha! Don't judge me, okay? I didn't have this all to myself. They all helped me finish this! See the "After" photo below:

Okay, enough about me and my ice cream. I find it embarrassing and unladylike for someone as tiny as me to show you all how much I love sweets and to eat, haha! Oh, look! A signature Swensen's glass! I took pictures of the lines I liked.

If you're wondering why Ava isn't in the first few pictures, well, she arrived a little late in the afternoon. She arrived with Gersh and her 2 readers. (If you're wondering, again, where or who Angel's readers were, well, they couldn't show up at the last minute. Don't ask.) It was actually Sammy Samson's, one of Ava's readers, birthday! Talk about perfect timing! :)

Happy Birthday, Sammy! I hope you enjoyed your Earthquake cake! :)

Of course, an event wouldn't be complete without the quintessential TRIO pic...

...and a sideview / candid pic! Awww, I love this picture and of course, you two! :)

Photo from Bea

With my awesome readers!

All together now! :)

That's it for our Ultimate Sundae Experience! It sure was sweet and satisfying because everyone finished and enjoyed their ice cream. Now I can't wait to try all the other signature sundaes Swensen's has to offer! To know more about Swensen's and to get yourself and your loved ones the Earthquake Voucher, visit Swensen's on Facebook and their sweet, cozy store in SM Mall of Asia.

I send my big thanks to Angel who's in Bangkok right now for this ice cream date. Thank you also to Swensen's Philippines for having all of us! Now, I'm off to study for my midterms. Wish me luck in this cray cray, hell week. :)

The Leopard I Love

2012-01-08T15:26:00.000+08:00

For the record, I wasn't referring to a real Leopard; I was referring to this fierce leopard print maxi skirt I got from Thread Manila. I L-O-V-E- IT. Did you know it's velvet? But my photos don't really show it is. Kevin was the one who took these photos and he had a difficult time taking them because of all the people walking by and the weird day light, which made him experiment with the flash. Apparently, the first photo looks good, compared to the other 2 photos, because Kevin used the flash. What do you think? Well, I think my photos don't do my maxi skirt justice at all, so I shall ask someone else (I still love you, Kevin! Thank you for always taking my photos.) to take better pictures of me wearing this skirt next time. Oh I can already sense that this maxi skirt will be overused, haha!

This is what I wore to school and then to the TRIO x Swensen's Ice Cream Date that happened yesterday in MoA. I wasn't in the mood to be in a short skirt, so I opted for a maxi skirt. And I'm glad I did because it was perfect for yesterday's sunny-turned-breezy weather. I just paired it with a black cardigan, sleeveless top, and minimal accessories to make my maxi skirt standout. The maxi skirt deserves it anyway because I like how it made me look totally laid back. Plus, I love how it made me look taller. Yey for skirts like this!

Speaking of the TRIO x Swensen's Ice Cream Date earlier, I'll blog about that next. Stay tuned! :)

Sweet 16

2012-01-06T22:25:00.006+08:00

bazaar polo | Forever 21 skirt | Cinderella bangles | Call It Spring bag | Parisian shoes

Thank you, Natasha (my cousin), for this simple yet elegant necklace from Accessorize! I super like it! :)

Thank you, Call It Spring - Philippines, for my lovely bag / Christmas gift. It's actually my first time to have a bag like this, and I love it to bits! :)

A little side story before I tell you about my day- so I got this pretty skirt from the on-going sale at Forever 21, SM Makati. Some lady grabbed it when she saw it, but let it go when she saw the size. Apparently it wasn't her size, so she tried asking a sales lady for a skirt in her size. But since it's on sale, it's probably the last piece and last size; I think this was actually the last of its kind on the rack. And I was right! So she had no choice but to put it back on the rack. As for me, I immediately grabbed it! Score! It's meant for me because the size is S, after all! Yey!

Anyhoo, on to my day. No, I didn't turn Sweet 16 (but I wish I did, haha!). Kevin and I turned Sweet 16 (well, 16 months) as a couple yesterday, but we decided to celebrate it today because of our class schedules that don't match well. It's like we're in different timezones, haha! Our celebration this month was our usual, simple lunch-movie date. I don't know why, but we like and enjoy simple dates like this. I guess it's more intimate, at the same time costs us less. Don't get me wrong, though, I also like those fancy / adventurous dates from time to time. But today, we just really kept it simple. For lunch, we had Chicken Tenders, Fries, and Chicken Steak at Tender Bob's. For our movie, we watched My House Husband. Speaking of which, yey, I finally got to watch the MMFF entry I truly support! Did you guys get to watch it already? If you haven't, please go and watch it while the MMFF is on-going. The movie will show you a lot of real-life situations, will teach you a thing or two about relationships, and of course, will make you laugh from start to finish. It's worth watching, I swear!

That's about it for our Sweet 16 celebration and for our day! I hope yours was as sweet as ours! :)

Hi. I like your manly watch. But I like your girly bracelet, too. Haha! Can I borrow it? Thanks!

P.S. Did you know, we took 16 photos today? I didn't know it was exactly 16, until I transferred them to my laptop. What a coincidence! :)

See you in Swensen's!

2012-01-05T21:37:00.033+08:00

Unlike Angel and Ava who received a lot of entries, I only got a few. The turnout's a bit disappointing, but I'm not complaining; at least I don't have to go through a lot of entries and that I won't have hard time deciding who should win. Haha! Anyway, without further ado, the 2 readers I picked to go with the TRIO on a Swensen's date are...

Bea Perez of Lalalaloves and Iya of Pretty Little Petite (It's sad that Iya can no longer go because of her last minute thesis priorities. But I perfectly understand because I know how it is when it comes to thesis; I just went through it. So we both just agreed on picking a new winner.) And the new winner is... Bec San Diego of My Gorgeous Pink Cheeks!

Congratulations, girls! See you both on Saturday, around 12 nn, in Swensen's MoA.

This is going to be fun, and sweet - figuratively and literally! :)

UNFURGIVABLE

2012-01-04T21:42:00.004+08:00

UNFURGIVABLE, a campaign by STRIP: Ministry of Waxing Manila for P.E.T.A, is set to launch on the 12th of January, 9PM, at Prive Luxury Club, The Fort Strip. UNFURGIVABLE will feature a photo exhibit by Miguel Miranda and a fashion show by Wanderlust. The whole event is for a very good cause so I hope you guys support it by coming to the said event. If you're not satisfied with my invite, then watch this little video teaser by Director Nicco Santos to persuade you and to get you excited! :)

PETA X STRIP TEASER: UNFURGIVABLE from Ynigo Santos on Vimeo.

See you on the 12th!

Pretty Pastels

2012-01-04T21:13:00.006+08:00

Based on the runway pictures I've seen over the past few weeks, one of the trends for 2012 are pastel colors. I'm not quite sure when it's going to be a hit, though. So before it does and before you see everyone in pastels, I'd like to try it out myself and experiment until I get it right.

Forever 21 top and belt | Moonshine Garb skirt | Bloggers United Bazaar shoes and necklace

What do you think of the Pink and Blue color combination? I always found it to be pretty and sweet; it's like cotton candy! I guess I'll be keeping up with this trend for a little while. You should, too! It's the perfect trend to get inspiration from if you want that sweet, girly look. :)

So, what happened in my life today? Well, my best friend, Pat, and I went to Alabang Town Center after my 9-12 class. We did a little catching up over our favorite food in Cibo and milk tea in Serenitea. We also met up and bonded with our good ol' friend, Bea Rillo, whom I haven't seen in years! Bea's my schoolmate and student council-mate back in First Year College, until she transferred to another school. I'm happy we got to see each other today, and we're still friends even though we study in different schools.

It was an afternoon well spent with these two girls. I swear, I can spend time with them all day, every day, any damn day; there's just no dull moment! That's pretty much it for my day. I hope you had a great day, too!

New Year, New Me

2012-01-02T20:32:00.004+08:00

Yey! It's my first official blog post for the year 2012! Although, I wanna say sorry, again, for the blogging hiatus; I wasn't able to find the right mood and inspiration to blog over the Christmas break. Allow me to make up for the lost opportunity to greet you all again a Happy New Year! More importantly, allow me to thank each and every one of you, my loved ones, friends, readers, and ethe brands / companies I've blogged for, for a very wonderful and memorable year. My 2011 was filled with surprises, opportunities, and good memories, and it's because of all of you. You made it all happen for me, and for that, I'll forever be grateful. :)

So, what's new? Well, nothing much. Just... oh, say hello to my new hair!

Suprise! It's short! I initially wanted to have my hair trimmed and digi-permed, but when my hairstylist examined my hair (yes, examined talaga ang term because he really looked closely into my roots and all, haha!), he advised me, then insisted, to have it this short because my "crown area" is getting thinner (the crown part of my head could no longer hold the length of my hair, that's why it's getting thinner.) I couldn't argue anymore. After all, he's my hairstylist and it's his job to know what's right for me. So I went with it. This haircut is officially the huge and scary risk to date! I don't know why, but I just love having long hair so much that I could go on years without having it chopped. (Funny how I tend to have separation anxiety every time I have to chop a few inches off. Haha!) Anyhoo, let's veer away from the new hair, shall we? Here's my not-so-new first outfit post for the year.

Secret Paris top | Penshoppe shorts and belt | TLTSN necklace

Not-so-new because everything I wore from head to toe has been worn at least thrice already. And today's the fourth time, I think. Silly me, there's really nothing much to talk about this outfit (I bet you're thinking, "Well, why post it, then?"), so let's just talk about today, instead. I ran errands with Kevin all afternoon. We went to LTO for my mom's car's emission testing; to SM for Kevin's ID picture copies and to BPI for his ATM account. Of course I wanted to be in something comfortable, since I knew I'll be moving and walking a lot. I went for the safest comfy look using my trusty shorts, shirt, and flats. No high heels for me today! Although, tomorrow, I'll be wearing heels again because... school resumes tomorrow - bummer. Ugh. I just hope my body clock goes back to normal tonight. I need to wake up early for my 7:45 am class!

Okay, enough about me. What's new with you? I'd love to know. :)

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE TRIO x SWENSEN'S GIVEAWAY!

What fireworks?

2012-01-02T18:24:00.004+08:00

Before you go through this post, I'd like to apologize for the super fail photos of the fireworks and the ugly background of the photos. (You'll surely get one of the reasons why we're moving to a new home soon.) So much for that. Here's how my family and I ushered in the year 2012!

We celebrated New Year's Eve the typical, Pinoy way- had Media Noche, jumped when the clock struck 12, created all forms of noises using car horns, torotots, and even "barya sa kaldero", and greeted everyone a loud Happy New Year! Speaking of which, I haven't formally greeted you all a happy new year. So again, I know it's kinda late (and lame), but Happy New Year! Although, I have to say, this new year wasn't the best one I had because of the super fail fireworks in our street. Our street had the most boring fireworks "display" of all time; hence, the post title What fireworks? Sorry, but I'm a huge fan of fireworks so I expected a lot. Haha! Nonetheless I'm still thankful because we had something to light up that made us go "oh, oh, oh!" - Katy Perry style; my sister, Melissa, enjoyed lighting up the Fountains, while the rest of us enjoyed lighting up the Lusis (?). More importantly, we got to usher in the new year together and still had a lot of fun doing so.

I hope you all had a blast welcoming the leap year that is 2012! Cheers to another year!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE TRIO x SWENSEN'S GIVEAWAY!

Yabu - Part Deux

2011-12-30T21:23:00.004+08:00

Meet Frances Lim, the winner of my Yabu giveaway!

I don't know if you read Frances' answer to the question "I want to eat in Yabu because...", but I picked her as the winner of my recently concluded Yabu giveaway because her answer met my personal criteria - that it's all about Yabu (not about me), it's positive, it's straightforward, and because she acknowledged the different raves of my blogger friends about Yabu.

Frances and I met up yesterday at Yabu in SM Megamall. It's only on the day of our meet up, though, that I found out it's both our second time (reason for my title, Part Deux. HAHA) to try Yabu. I honestly wanted someone who hasn't tried Yabu yet to win, but it's all good. Frances deserved it! :) Frances is such a sweet and bright girl. I had fun getting to know her! :)

So, for our Part Deux in Yabu, Frances ordered the Fish Katsu Set, while I ordered my favorite Chicken Katsu Set! And oh, btw, I tagged Kevin along so someone could take pictures of us, haha! But no seriously, I also really wanted him to try Yabu. He ordered the Katsudon, and now, he couldn't stop thinking about it! He said we'll go back to Yabu soon. Yey! Okay, back to me and Frances. Though it was Frances' second time to eat in Yabu, it was her first time to try the Katsu Ritual! She enjoyed doing the Katsu Ritual, dipping her Katsu in Yabu's signature sauce, and of course, tasting it! Now it goes without saying that we all loved our food and enjoyed our lunch. We all couldn't wait to go back and eat some more katsu! Yabu, you've done it once again. Love at ~~first~~ second ~~sight~~ try.

After our sumptuous lunch, we had our pictures taken in this cute display area just right outside Yabu. Thank you, Kevin, for taking our pictures! We then bid each other good bye and promised to see each other soon. Thank you, Frances, for joining my giveaway and for not hesitating to meet me. I hope you enjoyed our Yabu - Part Deux experience! We shall see each other soon!

Thank you also to Ms. Isay, Mr. Mon, and the Yabu waiters and waitresses who accommodated us that day! I will always love your efficient service and friendliness. We'll see you all soon, too!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE TRIO x SWENSEN'S GIVEAWAY!

Family Fun

2011-12-28T20:03:00.002+08:00

Over the years, my mom's side of the family has been celebrating Christmas day in my tita's house. It was always special because it's also our dear grandmother's birthday every Christmas day. Unfortunately, we lost her last last year (I can't believe I just said last last year.), and we all miss her. Last 2010, we didn't celebrate Christmas together; but last 2011, I'm very glad we did. And it was held in our house. It was actually our last time to spend Christmas in this (our) house because... we're moving to a new home soon. Next Christmas celebration will be in our new home! But before I get all giddy and teary eyed at the same time, let me share with you want went on during our Christmas day!

So my relatives - titas, tito, cousins, nephew and niece - came over to our house on Christmas day to spend our yearly Christmas Day Party. It was, as always, a lot of fun. We had a lot of filling food, 2 of which were cooked by my sister Melissa; old school games like Longest Breath, Newspaper Dance, Stop Dance, and the hilarious Pinoy Henyo; and the good ol' karaoke! The eating, playing, and singing lasted until evening and we all had such a great time.

Honestly speaking, there's really not much to tell about our celebration because it was simple. I'm not complaining though, because the most important thing in celebrations like this is that we're all together as a family and we had so much fun. Family + Fun = The Perfect Christmas Day. I wouldn't want it any other way.

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE TRIO x SWENSEN'S GIVEAWAY!

I know it's kinda late, but Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T19:02:00.002+08:00

I would like to start by apologizing for the blogging hiatus. I wasn't really "inspired" and "in the mood" to blog over the Christmas break, and I really don't know why. Nonetheless allow me to make up for the lost opportunity to greet you all a Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel, tout le mond! I know it's kinda late (and lame), but it's always better late than never, right? Haha! Anyway, here's our Christmas Eve 2011.

The pictures above show what went on during Christmas Eve in our home. We really didn't follow the Christmas tradition (Noche Buena and gift-opening at 12 midnight) this year because we were hosting the family Christmas party the following day, December 25, so we had to sleep early. (I'll blog about that next.) So we ate dinner during our usual dinner time and opened gifts around 10 pm. Most of the gifts underneath our Christmas tree were for our baby Sam, and we had to open them at 10 pm simply because she was super excited. That or she was already sleepy. Haha! Anyway, like I said, Sam got the most gifts. And out of all her gifts, 5 came from the family; my sister and I gave her that toilet thingy, while mom and dad gave her Lego, Stationary Set, Gogos, and a Baby Alive. The next family member who received a lot gifts, too, was my mom. Most of her gifts came from her officemates, companies, and banks. My gift for her was the Aura by Swarovski, which I got from my visit in FReSH Fragrance Bar. My sister Melissa received a pretty dress from my mom and a card from Sam. As for me, I received those hot Forever 21 pumps from mom and a sweet card from Sam. Awww! And oh, isn't the crucifix in the last photo so cool? It came from my mom's friend and it's definitely the most unique gift she's ever received. We all can't wait to put it in the altar of our new home.

So that's basically it for my Christmas 2011. More of our Christmas day and family fun in my next post!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE TRIO x SWENSEN'S GIVEAWAY!

TRIO x Swensen's

2011-12-27T20:04:00.004+08:00

So, who's the Trio? Well, you see them on their blogs, on different blogs - mine included - and in numerous events. TRIO consists of yours truly, Ava Te of Artsy Fartsy Ava, and Angel Rodriguez of Wonder Woman Rises.

We haven't really bonded with each other for quite some time now. Until Angel came up with this very great idea of going out on an ice cream date... and guess what? You have the chance to come with us! Angel was smart and kind enough to create a "TRIO" giveaway wherein each of us can bring TWO READERS/BLOGGERS and experience Swensen's Ice Cream! Isn't it awesome? If you don't know about Swensen's yet, you can familiarize yourself with it through Angel's blog post here.

So, what are you waiting for? If you want to try Swensen's and if want to bond with us, simply join this giveaway! The TRIO x Swensen's Ice Cream Date will happen on January 7, 2012, in the afternoon. Before joining, though, please make sure you'll be able to go to MOA on that date and time. :)

MECHANICS

1. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
2. Tweet this: "Go on a Swensen's Ice Cream date with the Trio @the_lil_miss, @artsyava, & @keighjalbuena! Check the giveaway here: http://bit.ly/rprqDU" (Please make sure your tweets are unprotected so I can read them. Thank you!"
3. Leave a comment with your name, email address, and reason why you want to go on a Trio x Swensen's date with us.

Example:

Keigh Jalbuena

jalbuena dot keigh at gmail dot com

I want to try Swensen's Ice Cream with the Trio because ____________________.

The contestant with the best, positive comment about Swensen's Ice Cream and about us will win! Giveaway ends on and announcement of two (2) winners will be on January 5, 2012.

Contestants from my Yabu giveaway, you are automatically qualified in this giveaway. No need to submit your entries. Thank you!

You're Going to Yabu With Me

2011-12-27T19:24:00.001+08:00

The best, positive comment about Yabu for me is...

"Ever since the Japanese restaurant name "Yabu" spread like wildfire over Twitter and/or the local internet websites, I've always wanted to try it out! All the positive feedback, mostly from bloggers, has left me with anticipation to taste this katsu craze courtesy of Yabu. Apparently, the photos I've seen from these bloggers' pages have left me literally salivating and anticipating to eat there. Plus, their positive feedback about the simplicity of the ambiance further heightened my interests about it. Most importantly, I have a huge passion for eating (if such exists :p) and to taste food from restaurants serving Asian specialties, being Japanese the first, is one of my dreams/goals ever since. I hope I could spend this Yabu moment with you, Ms. Keigh! :)"

Congratulations, Frances Lim! You're going to experience Yabu with me!
Kindly check your email for the details. Thank you!

And thank you to everyone who joined! Don't feel bad if you didn't win; I have another giveaway coming up and you are all contestants already! No need to submit your entries! Please watch out for it. :)

Gift Guide 2011: FReSH Fragrance Bar

2011-12-23T18:15:00.005+08:00

2 days to go and it's Christmas day already? Woah. Anyway, I guess one more gift guide wouldn't hurt, right? I hope this helps if you still don't have a gift for your family, friends, and/or significant other.

So one of the events I missed (because of thesis and my cousin's talent show) is the opening of FReSH Fragrance Bar in Eastwood Mall. I felt really sad missing the event because my blogger friends who attended the opening had tons of fun, as what their posts said. But things started to turn up anyway when ARC Marketing & PR sent me a GC a few weeks back so that I could get myself a perfume from Fresh Fragrance Bar. I actually went to their store yesterday and was surprised to see a really fresh store! The colors blue and yellow were so cool and vibrant! To add to that, there were a lot of beautiful, colorful, and unique bottles that made everything more fresh! Check these bottles out!

What do you think of the bottles? Awesome, right? As for the smell, well, it's quite hard for me to convince you that all of the fragrances I got to try smell distinctly great! Perfume is a subjective product, so the smell is up to your judgment. I suggest you pay FResh Fragrance Bar a visit and try out the different fragrances yourself.

Now you might be wondering what perfume I took home. Well, let's keep it a secret for now because I got it as a gift for my mom, not for myself. I guess all I can say is that the scent is so feminine and sultry, it's perfect for someone like my mom. I highly recommend that you buy a bottle or two! It's the perfect gift this Christmas. After all, FReSH also has gift sets to make gift-giving easier for you.

As an authorized retailer, FReSH has an extensive selection of premium imported scents—from luxury designer brands to retail favorites, as well as the latest from sports, fashion, and entertainment superstars. It is a one stop shop/boutique for perfumes which makes shopping for you favorite scents convenient and pleasant experience. Fresh Fragrance Bar stores also has well trained staff who can assist you in finding the right scent for you.

FReSH Fragrance Bar is located at the 2nd Level of Eastwood Mall in Libis, Quezon City. It is also located in Abreeza Mall in Davao and Marquee Mall, Pampanga. It is set to open stores in the Garden Wing of Alabang Town Center and Podium Mall in Ortigas by the end of the year. It is operated by Scent & Beaute Concepts, Inc. which also owns the luxury fragrance boutique Art of Scent in Newport Mall, Resorts World.

Thank you ARC Marketing & PR for inviting me to the event and for my GC! Thank you to the manager and staff of FReSH Fragrance Bar Eastwood for being so accommodating!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN MY YABU GIVEAWAY!

Rave in Rockwell

2011-12-23T16:16:00.006+08:00

Yummiest Truffle Mac & Cheese! I died!

My high school friends and I had our traditional Christmas dinner last Tuesday in Lu, Rockwell. It's been months since I last saw all of them, and I blame thesis for that. Nonetheless I'm happy I finally got to see and be with them. We bonded, caught up, and had a great time over delicious food and crazy jokes. It was another intimate dinner yet again with my closest friends.

Biggest Red Velvet cupcake yet! Want one? Place your orders now at Frostings!

After our intimate dinner in Lu, we hung out in EJ's place, still in Rockwell, for some drinks. We ended up playing with EJ's cutest puppies and King's Cup (a card game), listening and dancing to rave music, and watching videos in YouTube. Overall, it was a steady, chill night. I wouldn't mind having nights like this all my life. Love you, friends! Merry Christmas!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN MY YABU GIVEAWAY!

Night in Nuvali

2011-12-23T15:57:00.002+08:00

My college friends and I celebrated our annual Christmas dinner after our class last December 15. We drove all the way to Nuvali for this restaurant called Pig Out, but we ended up eating in Conti's because everyone wanted to eat there eventually. We exchanged gifts, ate our favorite food (especially Mango Bravo!), took a lot of pictures, and exchanged messages and stories. Our dinner was a very intimate one and I can tell we all had a really great and memorable night; especially when my friends stuck their heads out of my car's windows while we were driving along SLEX.

Christmas dinners have been our tradition for 4 years, and will continue on even after graduation. Love you, girls! Merry Christmas!

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN MY YABU GIVEAWAY!

Fearless Fashion Forecast

2011-12-22T16:35:00.000+08:00

THE DESIGNERS’ FINAL FASHION FORECAST

The MEGA Young Designers Competition will finally face the fashion council to show their fearless fashion forecast.

The remaining sixteen designers were tasked to create an outfit that will showcase their forecast on global fashion for the coming 2012. They were sent to the historic Rizal Park to gather inspirations and to remind them that they are talented pinoy artists worthy to be in the international fashion scene.

The sixteen designers were formed into three groups that had to race back to SOFA after buying their fabrics. The last team to arrive will receive a punishment as one design tool will be taken away from the team. Robin Gundran’s team got to SOFA later than the other two teams and had to give-up their scissors for the challenge. Five hundred pesos was also deducted from their budget.

The designers also need to know by heart the standard model size. As a final twist, the models for this challenge will not be sent for the fitting and will only wear the final pieces.

Fashion mentor Angela Alarcon went through all the designer’s concepts, fabrics and design, carefully checking if the contestants were aligned with the challenge’s theme.

Watch as the remaining sixteen designers finally showcase their global fashion forecast to the fashion council. Will the visions of the designers be refreshingly new? Or, will the designs fail to set trends at all?

This time around, three designers will not make the final cut! Find out by watching MEGA Young Designers Competition 2012 every Saturday, 7 pm on ETC, with replays every Sunday at 10 am.

Yabu: House of Katsu

2011-12-21T14:04:00.007+08:00

I love food and I love to eat, even though my photos tell me and you otherwise. Japanese is one of my favorite dishes, and so when I got an email invitation from Ms. Isay to eat in a Japanese restaurant called Yabu: House of Katsu a few weeks ago, I immediately said yes!

I tagged my cousin along, since he's into Japanese food as well and we had this idea of trying out different restaurants every week. Yabu's invitation definitely came in at the right time! Thank you, Yabu! When my cousin and I got to Yabu, we were greeted warmly - the Japanese way - and were escorted to our seats right away. How's that for great service? Plus points for Yabu! The first thing my cousin and I noticed upon entering Yabu is their interior design. It's amazing! Did you know, one side of the wall at Yabu is made of wooden masu cups, used for drinking sake? The other side has Japanese comics on it. It's very interesting to look at, actually. My cousin and I couldn't stop looking at them! We were then handed our menu, which was filled with wide array of Katsu choices! I have to admit, though, my cousin and I knew what to order right there and then because we did a little "research" on Yabu's best-sellers and favorites. For the appetizer, we ordered Tofu and Beans, 175 Php per set.

For the main course, I ordered the Chicken and Seafood Katsu Set (475 Php). The set comes with 3 slices of chicken Katsu, 2 slices of fish katsu, 1 slice of squid katsu, unlimited cabbage salad, Japanese rice, Miso soup, and fruits. For this set, I'll highlight three of my favorites; the Chicken Katsu was my ultimate favorite. It was love first sight and first bite as it was so crispy on the outside, yet soft and tender on the inside. My other favorite is the unlimited cabbage salad, which went so well with Yabu's Japanese mayo. The Japanese rice was sweet and sticky that it was very easy to eat it with chopsticks. The Chicken and Seafood Katsu Set is the right choice for those who can't decide between chicken and seafood katsu. It's a perfect combination!

My cousin, on the other hand, ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry Set (290 Php), which comes with unlimited cabbage salad, soup, rice, and fruits. When I asked my cousin what he thought of his food, he said the same thing! The katsu was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The curry tasted just right - not too spicy, not too bland. The Chicken Katsu Curry Set is perfect for those who want to add a little spice to their katsu. This is a great variation of a katsu dish!

To make our meals a match made in heaven, we were given a serving of toasted sesame seeds which we had to grind with our own mini mortar and pestle, and mix with Yabu's signature katsu sauce. It's called The Katsu Ritual (so cool!) and Mr. Mon, Yabu Restaurant Manager, was eager and kind enough to demonstrate the ritual.

If Mr. Mon's busy during your visit, you can always ask for any of the waiters or waitresses to do The Katsu Ritual for you, or look at their cool shirts and do the ritual yourself! Grind. Pour. Mix. Dip. 4 easy steps from The Katsu Ritual to achieve the great taste of Yabu's signature katsu sauce and to complete your Yabu experience.

Yabu indeed lived up to its "katsu craze". They officially have the most delicious and most authentic katsu in town. Oh wait, they're the country’s first and only authentic katsu restaurant, which means there's no other restaurant offering katsu, and can beat Yabu for that matter, yet. If you haven't had a katsu from Yabu, now is the best time to experience one. In Yabu, you get what you pay for. Authentic Japanese Katsu.

So, are you hungry yet? I highly recommend Yabu: House of Katsu for those special lunch or dinner dates with your family and friends; or maybe even for your Christmas dinners!

Yabu: House of Katsu is located at the second level of SM Megamall Atrium.

Thank you to Ava Te, Ms. Isay, Mr. Mon, and everyone behind Yabu Philippines for having me and my cousin, and for our unforgettable Yabu experience!

~ ~ ~

Wait, there's more!

Since it's the season of gift-giving, I'm hosting a giveaway! One (1) lucky reader will get to experience Yabu with me this Christmas! Yes, you read that right, we'll eat in Yabu together - my treat!

MECHANICS:

Like Yabu: House of Katsu on Facebook
Follow Yabu: House of Katsu on Twitter
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
Tweet this: "I want to experience @yabuPH with @keighjalbuena! Check out the giveaway here http://bit.ly/uYryVA" (Please make sure your tweets are unprotected so I can read your tweets.)
Leave a comment on this post with your name, email, and reason why you want to eat in Yabu.

Example:

Keigh Jalbuena

jalbuena dot keigh at gmail dot com

I want to eat in Yabu because ____________________.

The contestant with the best, positive comment about Yabu will win! Giveaway ends on and announcement of one (1) winner will be on December 27, 2011.

My House Husband: Ikaw Na!

2011-12-20T17:10:00.003+08:00

But before we get to that...

Someone's been living under a rock for the past 3 weeks, and that someone happens to be me! I believe most of you know that I, together with my thesis partner, was very busy finishing our thesis. Our routine was go to school - attend class - eat - attend class, again - go to my condo - sleep for a little while - do thesis - eat - do thesis, again - sleep for a little while, again - school. It's been a vicious and unhealthy cycle that we were literally looking like zombies; going to and walking around school, and attending class with blood shot eyes and distressed minds due to weeks of lack of sleep.

Of course it's obvious that I had to put a hiatus on blogging and attending events. I'm not complaining though because academics is my top priority over those two and and and, we passed our thesis with minor revisions! I was speechless and overwhelmed at the time it was announced to us but now that I'm over it, I'm very pleased and grateful with the fact that we (my thesis partner and I) did it, we passed, and it's over and done with.

Now it goes without saying that I missed blogging and of course a whole lot of events, which includes the Gluta-C Pampering Session, Afternoon with Snoe Beauty, and the series of My House Husband Presscon. Speaking of which, now that thesis is done and it's my Christmas break already, I finally got to attend my first and last bloggers presscon of My House Husband last Saturday, December 17.

The presscon began with a delicious and filling buffet courtesy of Guilly's Tomas Morato.

Gie and Belle

Nicole and Jonessa

And then, the presscon formally began with the hosts Melai and Shalala welcoming everyone and introducing the stars of My House Husband.

I felt so lucky and overwhelmed because I got to see not one, not two, but five cast members of My House Husband. This includes Rocco Nacino, Ellen Adarna, and, of course, the lead stars Eugene Domingo, Ryan Agoncillo, and Judy Ann Santos.

Out of all the questions asked during the presscon, I was struck by 3. The first one was asked by Jonessa, addressed to Judy Ann and Ryan. Jonessa: What makes you trust Direk Joey? Ryan: We've worked with him numerous times already. He is a master of middle-class, he has integrity. After all, he's done 65 films and bagged reputable awards. Judy Ann: Ay, wala nang tanong tanong pagdating kay direk Joey. He's a professional and his stories are always real and relatable. We're so honored to be working with him all these years.

The second question was about their favorite scenes in the movie. Ryan answered, "Rod's encounter with the soccer moms" because it's one of his crazy dreams to encounter such. Judy Ann answered, "all my scenes with Eugene" because they were all fun and memorable.

The third and last question was asked by a showbiz reporter. He asked, "what is the difference between a presscon with bloggers and showbiz / cinema reporters?" Judy Ann answered, "Grabe, mas nakakakaba ang mga bloggers. Iba sila magtanong eh. Nakaka-tense sila kasi seryoso sila at alam mong gusto nila ng diretsong sagot sa mga tanong!" Eugene Domingo added, "Oh diba, nakakaloka? Kita niyo na ang difference ng blogger at showbiz / movie reporter?" I felt appreciated and touched after hearing the answers. It's a rare opportunity to be praised by Judy Ann and Eugene Domingo, and I'm very happy and thankful.

There were a lot of questions asked, and we were listening intently to the answers of the cast members, laughing out loud and enjoying ourselves all afternoon. Now, imagine this. If we were laughing our hearts out during the presscon, what more when we get to watch the movie? I cannot wait to see them on the big screen!

This Christmas, the tandem Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo, returns to the big screen for the Metro Manila Film Festival in My House Husband: Ikaw Na!, directed by Jose Javier "Joey" Reyes. Judy Ann Santos plays Mia, a mother, wife and Business Executive, while Ryan Agocillo plays Rod, a bank manager turned house husband. Joining in on the fun is Eugene Domingo who plays Aida, a mistress who happens to be Rod and Mia's neighbor. The three characters go through a relatable, funny story of family, with its responsibilities and third parties.

To get you guys even more excited, please watch the full trailer of My House Husband: Ikaw Na!

OctoArts Films' My House Husband: Ikaw Na opens on Christmas Day.

For more information and updates, Like My House Husband on Facebook, Follow My House Husband on Twitter, and visit the My House Husband official website.

Thank you, Bloggers United for organizing this presscon. Thank you, OctoArts Films and My House Husband Stars and Production Team for having us. Here's an advance congratulations for the sure box office hit and huge success of My House Husband: Ikaw Na!

Spread the Word: For Typhoon Sendong Victims

2011-12-20T14:28:00.000+08:00

Photos used without permission from Yahoo News Philippines

Photo By STRINGER/PHILIPPINES/REUTERS

I am well aware of what has happened and what's been happening in Cagayan De Oro (CDO) and Iligan. I humbly say I did my part in helping out when I donated through Globe and Red Cross. A dear reader of mine, Christine, who happens to be from CDO, texted and tweeted me yesterday asking if I could help her and the rest of CDO in anyway I can. Christine struck me. I know what I initially did was very little compared to what the rest of the nation is doing, so I've decided to Spread the Word about how we can all help. To my readers, the Filipino nation is going through agony, distraught, misery, and mourning as our kababayans in CDO and Iligan experience the tragedy brought about by Typhoon Sendong. We all know what has happened to them lately, but have we done anything beyond for them yet? Let's spread the word. Donations in cash or in kind may be sent through any of the following ways:

Philippine Red Cross

Helping is now a text away. For SMS donations*, text RED<space>AMOUNT and send it to 2899 for Globe and 4143 for Smart. Example: RED 1000

*Valid donation amounts for Globe are P5, 25, 50, 100 300, 500, and 1000; for Smart are P10, 25, 50 and 100. Your donation will be charged to your prepaid load or postpaid bill.

In-Kind Donation- Local: Please send in-kind local donations to Philippine Red Cross - National Headquarters in Manila. We could also arrange for donation pick-up

Through Cebuana Lhuillier: We can now accept donations in any of the 1,500 Cebuana Lhuillier pawnshops nationwide. For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. +63.2.527.0575 or +63.2.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.

Bank accounts for Donations

Banco De Oro
Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482

Bank of the Philippine Islands
Peso: 4991-0036-52
Dollar: 004994-0103-15

Metrobank
Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2

Philippine National Bank
Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042

Unionbank of the Philippines
Peso: 1015 4000 0201
Dollar: 1315 4000 0090

All Check/Cash for the account of Philippine Red Cross (Swift Codes):

Banco De Oro - BNORPHMM
Bank of the Philippine Islands - BOPIPHMM
Metrobank - MBTCPHMM
Philippine National Bank - PNBMPHMM
Unionbank of the Philippines - UNPHPHMM

For Online Donations:

Please fill up the form at www.redcross.org.ph/donate
Payment method: Credit Card, Online Banking, Megalink
Accepts: GreenPeso, PayPal, Bancnet, and GCash

Iligan City Government
Account Name: City Treasurer’s Office Iligan City
Trust Fund # 0820-016201-030
Bank Name: DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines), Iligan City

SAGIP KAPAMILYA

1. BDO Peso Account

Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 39301-14199
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

2. BDO Dollar Account

Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 39300-81622
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

3. PNB Peso Account

Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 419-539-5000-13
Swift Code: PNBMPHMM

4. BPI Peso Account

Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 3051-1127-75
Branch: West Triangle, Quezon City
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

5. BPI Dollar Account

Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 3054-0270-35
Branch: West Triangle, Quezon City
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

In Kind - SAGIP KAPAMILYA
ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.
Mother Ignacia cor. Eugenio Lopez St.
Diliman, Quezon City
*You may send rice, canned gods, noodles, biscuits, coffee, sugar, clothes, blankets, mats, medicines

GMA KAPUSO FOUNDATION

Sa mga nais tumulong, maaari kayong magsadya sa tanggapan ng GMA Kapuso Foundation, 2nd floor, Kapuso Center, GMA 7, EDSA Diliman, Quezon City o kaya ay tumawag sa telepono bilang 9284299 at 9289351.

1) METROBANK

Peso Savings

Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number: 3-098-51034-7

Dollar Savings

Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:2-098-00244-2
Code: MBTC PH MM

2) UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK (UCPB)

Peso Savings

Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:115-184777-2 or 160-111277-7

Dollar Savings

Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number: 01-115-301177-9 or 01-160-300427-6

Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Civil Relations Service AFP at Camp Aguinaldo is accepting donations. It will fly donations/relief goods via C130. Contact details: Situation Awareness Center (SAC), CRS AFP, Camp Aguinaldo, QC Landline: 912-6615 CP Nr. (0917)2471252 Focal Person: Lt. Col. Rolando Rodil, Operations Officer

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
The DSWD is in need of volunteers at DSWD Cagayan de Oro (Masterson Road, Upper Carmen) to repack and deliver relief goods. Call 09066150095 or Tweet them @DSWDserve

Bloggers

Bloggers United will have a pop-up shop in Moonleaf UP this Friday - Saturday. Proceeds will go to Typhoon Sendong Victims.
Ms. Divine Lee is accepting donations such as clean drinking water, blankets, mats, tetanus shots, and the like. You may drop your donations in Luca, Eastwood.

Aboitiz / Negros Navigation

Emergency/Relief goods and equipment bound for Cagayan de Oro/Iligan- we have ships ready to transport them asap. For bulk items, bring directly to Abotiz/Negros Navigation, Pier 2, Manila. Call +63 2 211 5484 for more information.

LBC Foundation
As of Dec 20, all LBC Branches in the US & Canada will start serving as drop-off centers for donations to victims of Sendong. LBC branches in KSA, UAE, Singapore, HK, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, UK, Spain, and Italy are also accepting donations for Typhoon Sendong victims.

I know there are a lot more other ways we could extend a helping hand to our kababayans in CDO and Iligan. If you've helped / have been helping, that's really great, thank you. God bless you. God will reward you. If not, there's still time and there's so much more you can do. Some of these ways really won't take much time and effort anyway. Let's all help each other. Spread the word.

Gift Guide 2011: Rustan's Beauty Source

2011-12-19T16:26:00.002+08:00

After the Laura Mercier event, we hopped on over to the store opposite Laura Mercier for a little tour of Rustan's Beauty Source's exquisite fragrances section. In my years of always having lunch, going around, and shopping in Glorietta, I can't believe I've neither seen nor visited this side of Rustan's! It's so pretty and of course, smells so good! If you're like me who never paid this side of Rustan's a visit, then I suggest you read through this post because you'll get to discover a lot of new fragrances for sure!

First stop: Dyptique Paris Candles.

From the Dyptique website: United by a passion for creativity and design, three artisans became friends and partners. They open a shop at 34 boulevard Saint-Germain to showcase their avant-garde fabric designs and decorative items from their travels. The trio offers colored candles to match their fabrics, adding perfumed wax. Customers fall in love with the inimitable fragrances. Word travels. Cachet grows.

In 1963, they introduce the first diptyque scented candle. In 1968, the first line of diptyque fragrances is launched. Today, the three Parisian artists are world-renown purveyors of fragrance and scented candles.

You may smell the Dyptique candles yourself when you go to Rustan's. It's a unique kind of smelling experience as you will have to use the corks you see in the picture to smell the candles! You have choices from Rose, Jasmine, to Chamomile. It's surely intoxicating even before lighting it!

Second stop: Hierbas De Ibiza Perfumes

For those of us who don't know how to pronounce the name of the brand, it's pronounced as yer-bas de ebeeza; with the literal translation: Herbs from Ibiza. It is a Spanish, family-run luxury fragrances and cosmetics company. The family’s tradition in Perfumery goes back to 1965, and the Eau de Cologne Hierbas de Ibiza was launched in Ibiza in 1997.

I personally like the Agua De Colonia Fresca. It smells light, which is perfect for day time use.

Third stop: Gendarme

I have to say this set up gives me that yatch feel. From the look of it, you can see that this area is for men. So, for the ladies, here's a gift idea for your man. Gendarme is a carefree and casual scent that is sensual yet still professionally down-to-business.

Gendarme is one of my favorite men scents because it's just so manly, minus the very strong scent other men's perfumes give off. I actually gave my bottle of Gendarme to Kevin (my boyfriend) and he couldn't stop spraying it on him everyday.

Fourth stop: Acca Kappa

Acca Kappa was established in 1869 near Venice, Italy. Inspired by marvelous blossoms, fragrant woods, and the delicate perfumes and of plants and berries found in Mediterranean valleys and Venetian Gardens, Acca Kappa has created a unique collection for men and women.

For the gentlemen out there, if you're reading this, here's a perfume to give your lady. I own a bottle of Muschio Bianco Acqua Di Colonia, thanks to Rustan's, and I'm super obsessed with it. The White Moss scent is made up of essential oils of Lavender and Juniper. It smells sweet and sultry, I bet your lady will get obsessed with it, too!

Photo from Ana Gonzales

Fifth and final stop: Annick Goutal

When you see glittering butterflies, golden pouches and curvey flacons, that's an Annick Goutal display and bottle you're seeing, and perfume you're about to smell. Annick Goutal fragrances are crafted from the highest-quality raw materials and rare, natural essences. It creates sophisticated scents that evoke emotion and memory.

For me, this is my favorite brand of perfume in terms of packaging. I mean, look at those bottles! They're just so classy, elegant, and exquisite. Annick Goutal is perfect for your grand mother, mother, and aunt as they deserve such perfume. I suggest the Rose Splendide Collection.

It comes in big bottles, too! Haha, kidding!

That's all for our mini-tour. I hope you picked-up a thing or two from it.

To know more about the different fragrances and to smell them yourself, head on over to Rustan's Beauty Source, 2nd Floor of Glorietta 4 (near Mercury Drug and in front of Laura Mercier). You'll surely enjoy looking at and smelling the different bottles and fragrances. Enjoy!

Give the gift of fragrance this Christmas. Check out Rustan's Beauty Source today.

Gift Guide 2011: Laura Mercier

2011-12-19T15:07:00.009+08:00

Christmas is 6 days away, but I still read tweets and hear from people that they don't know what to get their loved ones this gift-giving season. Well, if you'll allow me to be of help, I'm here to the rescue! I'll be posting series of blog posts about gifts you could possibly give to your loved ones. I hope you'd find it very interesting and helpful. First up if the gift of beauty!

Top: New Souffle Sampler Set (Limited Edition) Featuring Crème Brûlée, Almond Coconut Milk, Crème de Pistache and Fresh Fig (2, 450 Php)

I had the chance to attend a blogger event courtesy of Laura Mercier - an exclusive preview of Laura Mercier's latest collection and a make up tutorial with make up artist Qua - held last November 23 at East Cafe in Rustan's Makati. Qua basically showed us how to achieve a natural, flawless look - Laura Mercier style.

Our model that day was none other than our pretty and hot momma, Sarah Tirona!

First to apply is the Foundation Primer. It basically preps up the skin and makes it smooth and supple.

Second to apply is the Foundation. It provides light coverage, evens out your skin tone, and adds moisture. Remember that light coverage is the way to go for a natural, flawless look.
Tip from Qua: Don't rub the foundation sponge on your face too hard as this will erase the foundation you put easily; you'll end up adding more layers of foundation, which may look and feel heavy. Just dab!

Third to apply is the Concealer. Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage and Concealer instantly and effectively hides blemishes and dark circles under the eyes. After which, the fourth step is to apply the Setting Powder. It will give off that sheer look and will help keep make up last for hours.

Qua then applied a brown - medium black eye shadow on Sarah. It's from Laura Mercier's Luxe Eye Portfolio (4, 350 Php). It is perfect for home or travel as it is beautifully packaged in a faux snakeskin organizer. It includes a collection of twelve new, exclusive and top selling Eye Colour shades (Rich Sienna, Morning Dew, Black Coffee, Rosewood, Pink Crystal, Sable, Royal Gold, African Violet, Mica, Golden Cream, Fig, & Sparkling Night) plus three mini professional Brushes (Ponytail, Crease, Smudge) that allow you to mix and match shades to customize your look.

Photo from Bec San Diego

To finish the look, Qua applied a lip gloss from Laura Mercier's Mini Lip Glace Set (1, 900 Php, 5 pcs per set). It is a high-shine, perfectly pigmented lip gloss with rich, long-lasting colour and brilliant shine that creates the appearance of fuller lips. Any skin tone is virtually enhanced by creating a subtle contrast in texture.

Tip from Qua: Apply lip gloss only on the front part of your lip. Shiny lips all over will just make your lips, well, over- glossed and you wouldn't want to look that way.

And that's how you achieve a natural, flawless look - Laura Mercier style!

~ ~ ~

To know more about Laura Mercier, to view their entire Holiday 2011 collection, and to try Laura Mercier products yourself, head on over to the Laura Mercier concept store in Glorietta 4, Level 2, (near Mercury Drug and in front of Rustan's Makati).

Another photo from Bec San Diego.

Thank you Rustan's Makati, Laura Mercier Philippines, and Sarah Tirona for inviting us and for having all of us! Thank you for our beauty loot bags, too!

Give the gift of beauty this Christmas. Check out Laura Mercier today.

Anne Curtis for Primadonna

2011-12-19T13:02:00.007+08:00

When I entered Rizal Ballroom C of the Makati Shangri-La Hotel last November 24, 2011, I was neither greeted by familiar faces nor by Anne Curtis, but by drop dead gorgeous shoes from the latest collection of Primadonna!

The amazing shoe displays that everyone couldn't seem to resist looking at, taking pictures of, and even fitting a few pairs were at the entrance - right side of the ballroom. Here are few pictures of the shoes!

Aside from those shoes, what caught everyone's attention were the life-size shoes found on the left side of the ballroom! Little did everyone know that this display was for the What's your shoe personality? quiz and that your shoe personality (Lady Rebel, Classy and Sassy, Wanderlust Chic, and Lady Dapper) has an equivalent shoe which you can have a souveneir photo of.

Here's me and my "blogger cousin" Bec San Diego with the pink stilettos!

I seriously wanted to take the pink stilettos and the leopard print boots home and display it in my room! But of course that's impossible. Haha! Anyway! On with the show! So the program started with the host Ms. Divine Lee welcoming everyone to the Primadonna Girls Night Out and going around the room looking for people to interview. Here's Ms. Divine with a blogger. I truly appreciate how Ms. Divine mentioned and thanked the bloggers for helping Primadonna with the event that night. I'll tell you more about that later. In the meantime, here's a photo of Ms. Divine and the blogger she interviewed.

An AVP for Primadonna's latest collection played and then, a fashion show! The fashion show was styled by none other than 12 of your favorite fashion bloggers - Kookie Buhain, Sarah Tirona, Tin Inglesias, Ava Te, Vern Enciso, Cheyser Pedregosa, Lissa Kahayon, Joanna Ladrido, Nina Estacio, Aisa Ipac, Bestie Konisis, and Lloyda Tan. This was how the bloggers helped Primadonna that night. They were grouped into 4 (3 per group) to interpret and style the 4 shoe personalities I mentioned above.

Photo from Ava Te

Lady Rebel by Kookie Buhain, Sarah Tirona, and Tin Iglesias

Classy and Sassy by Ava Te, Vern Enciso, and Cheyser Pedregosa

Wanderlust Chic by Lissa Kahayon, Joanna Ladrido, and Nina Estacio

Lady Dapper by Aisa Ipac, Bestie Konisis, and Lloyda Tan

Each of the shoe personalities were well executed by the groups of fashion bloggers / stylists. What do you think? I hope you were able to discover the different shoe personalities and liked the styling!

Now for the much-awaited part of the night, the grand reveal of Primadonna's newest endorser, the one and only Anne Curtis! God she's very beautiful, my pictures don't do her justice!

Ms. Divine interviewed Anne and one of the questions she asked Anne was what made her decide to become Primadonna's endorser. Anne said she loved shoes so much that endorsing them would be a dream come true. Also, she believes in the up-to-date style and high quality of Primadonna's line of shoes. Ultimately, Anne's personality matches that of Primadonna's Classy and Sassy, which makes Anne a really effective and genuinely true endorser of the brand.

Of course, I didn't let this night pass without having my picture taken with my girl crush and thinspiration, Anne Curtis! Thank you, momma Jen for our picture!

I ended the night with my blogger friends in the Primadonna Holding Room. As always, it was a lot of fun, filled with stories to tell. Congratulations, girls! Job well done!

Thank you Pax for sending me an invite and Primadonna for having me!

To see more of Primadonna's latest collection and Anne Curtis' campaign photos, visit Primadonna's website, or Like Primadonna on Facebook, or visit their Fab stores nationwide.

18 Fashion Hopefuls

2011-12-16T16:03:00.000+08:00

PHILIPPINE FASHION’S NEWEST BLOOD OF ASPIRING TOP DESIGNERS

Profiling the 18 fashion hopefuls the industry should lookout for

As the challenges in MEGA’s Young Designers Competition 2012 begin, let’s take a look on each of the designers will battle for their mark in the industry.

Nikita Agatha boasts of being able to do anything from scratch. She picked up her flair for fashion from her grandmother and mom who loved dressing her up when she was little. She considers Sari Yap, editor in chief of MEGA Magazine, as the judge to please, urging Nikita to carefully think of her designs. She cites Alexander McQueen as her idol for his out of this world construction of outfits that women can wear.

Dino Bancoro recently started as a fashion designer sharing that the pieces he presented during the audition were his first ever creations. Through YDC, he hopes to learn more on pattern making and sewing since he has yet to formally study fashion design. He admits that he still needs polishing but is proud to say that he has the vision and creativity that would amaze people.

Hazel Cargado is a registered nurse. However, after graduating and passing the board, Hazel felt lost. Eventually, she decided to go back to what she really wanted. After finding a fashion design school in Manila, she quickly grabbed the opportunity to learn. Through YDC, she hopes to find her personal directions in design.

Mara Chua has a motto that anything and everything can be inspiring. He believes that to be successful, talent is not enough. He sharpened his technical skills in pattern making and learned sewing through a seamstress who made his clothes. He cites Rei Kawakubo and Bjork as inspirations that allowed him to expand his horizons and stretch his aesthetic.

Kirby Cruz wants to represent his feelings through his designs. His goal is to have an identity that makes his pieces unique. As a fresh fashion graduate, he feels the need for the right exposure and he believes YDC is the best venue for him. He loves the design of Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen since Kirby is fascinated where these designers find their concepts and ideas.

Ched Dalogaog is a fashion instructor at one of the top fashion schools in Manila. He tells a story with his creations, incorporating pop culture and considering the modern women who will wear them. He believes his edge is his understanding of color, textures and fabrics that other designers take for granted. By joining YDC, he hopes to establish a brand that he can introduce to MEGA, hoping to also be acknowledged in the industry.

Corleen Duero specializes in constructing basics but still adding a touch of style. Hailing all the way from Surigao, Corleen is proud to represent the south and hopes to be a designer who can bridge fashion and design from Manila to Mindanao. He admires Issey Miyake, always remembering the quote of the designer, “These clothes are no wrappings, you can understand them the way you want, you can wear them the way you want.”

Oz Go’s designs dwell on futuristic and experimental looks. At a young age, he discovered his affinity for fashion when he became obsessed with drawing her mother’s wedding gown. He took a course in fashion design and eventually mounted a show during Philippine Fashion Week. Being the younger brother of singer Rachelle Ann Go, he is proud to mention that they still share the same room and creates outfits for her to wear.

Robin Gundran is the youngest member of this year’s competition. At 18 years old, he showed his creations and wowed the judges during the go-see. He received negative remarks from a lot of people who did not believe in his passion. However, he turned this into his motivation. He knows that with perseverance, he can show his detractors that he can get past them, and achieve fame and success.

Ann Lorio is an industrial engineer from Cavite who wanted to shift to fashion design. Despite her parents’ initial doubts on her dream, she travelled to Manila and worked to buy a sewing machine. After seeing her passion, her parents eventually showed support to her. With her background in engineering, Ann attacks a design starting with the structure. As a YDC contestant, she wants to learn and make her mark as a designer.

Cristian Mallabo believes that God has a purpose why he’s alive and in the competition. His mother attempted to abort him but he survived. For as long as he can remember, he’s had a passion for clothes. He was motivated when friends and family started to ask him to create party clothes for them. He wants to be known as a designer who can brave through any challenge and hopes to win in order to give back to his aunt and sisters.

Porfi Medina thinks of fashion more as a form of activism and advocacy. When he was in elementary, Porfi’s grandmother opened a dress shop. At that tender age, he would observe the fabrics and sewing, starting his dream to become a fashion designer. He views his craft as a form of expression, translating social issues and its relevance into ensembles. He wishes to convey a message on pressing issues in society with every design he makes.

Renan Pacson simply wants to make his family proud. He initially took up Hotel and Restaurant Management but eventually found his calling in fashion. He studied Clothing Technology and was lucky to have the support of his parents. Luckily, he was accepted not based on his audition pieces, but based on how he packaged himself. His biggest challenge is to find his signature aesthetic and intends to find this in YDC.

Ismael Palma tried his luck during the auditions for the first season of Gen M: YDC but did not make the cut. At that time, he still did not know how to sew so he took his failure as an opportunity to improve. He decided to learn more about sewing and developing his designs. He was accepted this year and shares that whatever the judges say, he will keep in mind and apply.

Erica Panlilio hopes to dress up Katy Perry because of her fun playful personality. She started looking up and imbibing the stylish attitude of her grandmother when she was young. During the go-see, she had a major setback because the judges thought that she had a styling problem. Still, she was chosen to be one of the finalists and she believes that through YDC, she can grow and become a top designer.

Ram Silva designs for a cause. He intends to help the dying weaving community in Panay and Iloilo. During the go-see, judges were surprised with his mix of native materials to create a modern look. He keeps in mind the advice of Sari Yap, EIC of MEGA magazine, that what other designers learn outside in six months to a year, they can experience and learn in YDC in two months.

Mary Ty is inspired by YDC alumna Furne One, hoping to be as successful as him. Mary has never joined a fashion competition because of her fear of rejection. She tried her luck by joining Philippine Fashion Week but did not succeed. Edwin Ao, another YDC alumna, urged her to join the upcoming YDC. Her quirky comments amused the judges and are sure to liven the intense challenges for the YDC hopefuls.

Geoffrey Zordilla has always wanted to study fashion design. Initially, he had to struggle with his parents’ disbelief. Still, he pursued his dreams and is currently a fashion design student. He is enthusiastic to experience YDC’s challenges and to learn how to mingle with fellow designers. Nature inspires him, feeling relaxed and comfortable in its serene environment.

Support and vote for your favorite designers through the online poll and the auction of their creations at www.Megastyle.ph. Keep watching the MEGA Young Designers Competition 2012 every Saturday, 7 pm on ETC, with replays every Sunday at 10 am.

A Decade of Fashion and Innovation

2011-12-10T15:30:00.001+08:00

MEGA Magazine’s mission of bringing the best in Philippine fashion springs anew with the comeback of the biggest running fashion competition in the country: Generation MEGA Season 3: MEGA Young Designer’s Competition 2012.

“The MEGA YDC was conceived because MEGA wanted to contribute something to the industry. The best way to do that was to discover young designers and infuse new blood to the industry. That’s what we wanted to do then and that’s what we wanted to do now,” shares MEGA’s editor-in-chief Sari Yap. “What sets YDC apart is that we take the career of a designer end to end to heart. When we pick a designer, we make sure we follow through to make his/her career a good one”, adds Yap.

This year’s fashion council includes MEGA’s editor-in-chief Sari Yap, top designer Avel Bacudio and fashion model Raya Mananquil. MEGA’s fashion editor Angela Alarcon meanwhile serves as the resident mentor.

In its first episode, a colorful array of aspiring designers from all over the country took a chance and braved the spotlight. Some designers impressed while others had a bitter taste of reality. It was a tough challenge to get the approval of the fashion council but in the end, 18 finalists were chosen.

Before announcing the first challenge of the season, Ms. Amina Aranaz Alunan, creative director and co-founder of the School of Fashion and the Arts (SOFA), welcomed all the designers as SOFA will serve as the designers’ fashion headquarters.

The true characters of the designers will be revealed. The designers were tasked to create outfits that symbolize “Proud to Be Me”. But, an additional challenge lies ahead. They must be able to channel their past, look for an object or childhood memory, and use it as an inspiration for their design.

Going with the memorable November 2011 cover shoot of MEGA, the challengers were sent off to busy Tutuban to purchase their materials. It was a shock to the designers as they all knew that December is bad time to go to Divisoria. Still, some designers immediately knew what they wanted, some found the fabrics they needed, but some were at a lost. Afterwards, they were all sent back to SOFA to create their pieces.

Through the interviews and interactions with fellow designers, the characters of each contestant were exposed.

18 fashion hopefuls. 8 runway finalists. 1 ultimate winner. Who will be the last designer standing? This time around, the runway can be anywhere. Keep watching the MEGA Young Designers Competition 2012 every Saturday, 7 pm on ETC, with replays every Sunday at 10 am.

The Chosen Top 10

2011-12-08T22:20:00.000+08:00

I don't know why or how but I must have done something right because opportunities kept coming my way the past 2 months. One of those is this big shoot. And when I say big, I mean BIG- 10 Filipino fashion designers, 50+ masterpieces (clothes, dresses, accessories, and shoes) to choose from, 10+ layouts, 5 models, and 10+ people in the team. The shoot was all about the 10 Best Collections last Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2012 and I had yet another privilege to be in this shoot, to meet fashion designers, to handle their pieces (with care, of course), and to work again with a few members of the team I worked with during the photo shoot with Claire and Danica.

Thank you to Sir Rxandy and Jear for sending me the final photos! The photos sure did give me the chills- the good kind, of course- when I received them. Each layout was very well thought-of, incredibly and dramatically styled, beautiful, and full of inspiration.

Congratulations to the entire team!

Photography: Rxandy Capinpin

Styling: Jear De Mc Cuttac & Argie Salango

Assistant styling: Bianca Lorraine Sing & Keigh Jalbuena

Hair: Jacky Ladiero Pante & Katchie Mejias at L’Oreal Professionnel

Makeup: Katchie Mejias and Rochelle Lacuna

Nails: Beauty & Butter

Models: Eriko Malabanan of Yeoh Models, Eri, and Sam of CalCarrie’s

SPECIAL Thanks to (in alphabetical order):

Designers:

Albert Andrada

Bo Parcon

Enrico Carado

Ezra Santos

Jot Losa

Louis Claparols

Noel Crisostomo

Norman Noriega

Regine Dulay

Veejay Floresca

Accessories:

Arnel Papa

Joyce Makitalo

Parfois

Terranova

Shoes:

DAS

Soule

Gaupo

We have yet another behind-the-scenes video by The Mutual. Please watch and enjoy this!

Manila Bulletin Top Ten looks from Philippine Fashion Week from The Mutual on Vimeo.

Big big thanks to Jear De McCuttac for getting me as one of your assistant stylists once again. It's always a pleasure working with a brilliant and hard-working stylist like you. 'til our next photo shoot!

BLOGGERS UNITED 2

2011-11-25T18:39:00.004+08:00

If you weren't able to attend the first-ever Bloggers United bazaar last May, there's no need to be sad any longer because... Bloggers United is happening again, one week away from today!

Manila’s finest fashion bloggers will leave their laptops at home once again to attend BLOGGERS UNITED BAZAAR (Part 2) on December 3, 2011 at Treston International College, Taguig, this coming holiday season.

It is the second installment of the first-ever Bloggers United: An Interactive Shopping Affair, which was held last May. Due to insistent demand from readers and bloggers alike, Bloggers United team in partnership with the country’s largest online shopping website, Multiply Philippines have gathered Manila’s fashion bloggers to sell their pre-loved but very stylish closet pieces!

This event is the perfect opportunity for both bloggers and their adoring readers to mingle and personally interact with each other. Fun contests and exciting giveaways from sponsors and entertaining performances from bloggers (Walkie Talkies, Reese & Vica) themselves will definitely keep this event from being a dull one.

Some of the notable bloggers attending the event include Divine Lee, Laureen Uy, Kookie Buhain, Lissa Kahayon, David Guison, Karl Leuterio, Patricia Prieto and Preview Magazine’s own Daryl and Andre Chang.

But because Bloggers United wishes to go beyond the geographic limitations of the archipelago and extend its reach beyond Metro Manila and so for this event, they are flying in some of Cebu’s very own fashion bloggers which include Kryz Uy, Eden Villarba, designer Yves Camingue, Gillian Uang and Mildred Zapanta and a few more.

Part of the proceeds from this event will go to the GMA Kapuso Foundation for its school building project, a small but significant step to improve the Filipino youth’s access to education.

The organizers behind BLOGGERS UNITED BAZAAR (PART 2) are Ana Gonzales, Melai Entuna and Aisa Ipac, a team of blogger friends encouraging camaraderie and sense of “community” among Manila’s (and eventually, the country’s) fashion blogging community through events and productions like this.

This is a one-day-only event that you shouldn’t really miss! It will be in a bigger venue with twice more the number of participating bloggers to meet! This is the perfect shopping day this Christmas because the most affordable and most fashionable clothes, accessories and footwear will be up for grabs. See you!

Bloggers United is in partnership with:

Multiply Philippines

GMA Kapuso Foundation

Treston International College

Event is co-presented by:

Official media partners

In cooperation with:

Xend Business Solutions

Special thanks to:

Online Shop Donors:

F-STOP (Fashion Stop)

Anagon Collection

Archive Clothing
Extreme Finds

Sparkle Shop

Flattering Tops

Posh Pocket Shoes

Location Details:

Treston International College

University Parkway District, 32nd Street corner C-5 Road

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila Phillipines

How to get to Treston:
1. Via commute - read Commuting to Treston by Anagon
2. Via car / cab - tweet me or send me a Facebook message so I can send you the directions. Or we can convoy on the day itself. Haha!

SEE YOU ALL ON DECEMBER 3, 2011!

10th MEGA Young Designer's Competition

2011-11-23T14:54:00.000+08:00

Aspiring Designers Compete Once Again for the 10th Edition MEGA Young Designer’s Competition

The longest running fashion competition in the Philippines is back once again to introduce the newest additions to Philippine fashion. MEGA Young Designers Competition (YDC) was created by Sari Yap, founder of the MEGA Publishing Group and EIC of MEGA magazine, to highlight the immense talents of aspiring Filipino designers. She envisioned a gathering of creative minds that can bring Philippine fashion to the runways of the world.

The competition opened doors for countless designers to find their niche and establish their names in the industry. As the new season of YDC officially begins on November 26, 2011, MEGA looks back and highlights past designers who have been part of the competition.

Russel Villafuerte, winner of the 9th edition of YDC, shared, “It’s such a great privilege to be part of that elite group of top designers in the country who joined YDC.” Something for viewers to look forward to, Russel revealed his experience. “You get to see a lot of things in the challenges like making gowns and couture in just 8 hours!”

For the first female designer winner of YDC, Vanessa Ang was happy to mention that YDC opened a lot of doors in her career. “I got to meet a lot of people and got invited to all these fashion events that introduced me to different people and provided me with more knowledge on the industry.”

Dubai based Furne One - who was part of the first YDC competition - has already made an international mark with his designs. International celebrities Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj are some of the artists who have already worn his outfits in various occasions.

Other notable fashion figures who joined the competition are some of the Philippine’s most revered designers like Rajo Laurel, Raoul Ramirez, Mich Dulce, Ivarluski Aseron, Chris Diaz, OJ Hofer, Patrice Ramos-Diaz and the internationally acclaimed Veejay Floresca to name a few.

The question is, “Who is the next?”

It is through fashion that designers tell their story of inspirations and creations. The highly anticipated YDC constantly looks for designers who have fresh and innovative concepts to prove that they deserve their needed break in the industry. Watch once again as the passion, aesthetic and skills of 18 new breed designers unfold in the 3rd season of MEGA’s Young Designers Competition.

Catch Generation MEGA Season 3: MEGA Young Designers Competition every Saturday starting November 26, 2011 at 7pm, with replays on Sundays at 10am, only on ETC.

Generation MEGA Season 3: MEGA Young Designers Competition is created for television by the MEGA Publishing Group. For the latest updates, visit www.megastyle.ph. Like MEGA on Facebook or follow MEGA on Twitter.

It's The Little Things

2011-11-22T21:58:00.002+08:00

They say it's the little things that count every single day. And I couldn't agree more, which is why I'd like to introduce this not so little brand but will surely count, The Little Things She Needs (TLTSN), an Indonesian brand that offers affordable, comfortable and trendy fashion finds without compromising quality.

My blog friends and I went to Eastwood City Walk for the grand opening of The Little Things She Needs' first store in the Philippines. We first gathered outside the store for food and drinks, for an introduction of the brand, for messages from some of the people behind TLTSN (who, btw, flew from Indonesia to Manila!), for a quick styling contest, and for the reveal of the brand ambassador!

TLTSN owner, Freddie Beh. Did you know that when he wasn't able to buy his mom a gift after visiting tons of stores, he eventually came up with TLTSN?

The girls who were styled.

When it comes to accessorizing or should I say, "excessorizing", who else could be the perfect match for TLTSN? Top fashion blogger Laureen Uy is TLTSN's brand ambassador!

We then headed back to the store for the ribbon cutting. And then, it's shopping time! Here's a mini tour of the first The Little Things She Needs store here in the Philippines!

The Little Things She Needs has every little thing a fashionista needs and more. TLTSN is mainly a shoe brand...

...but since they want to cater to most if not all the wants of every fashionista out there, they also offer cool, hip, and affordable fashion jewelries and accessories for 200 Php and up. TLTSN also offers bags, sunglasses, scarves and shawls, hair accessories, belts, leggings, wallets and clutches and watches only for 500 Php and up.

TLTSN makes sure every girl is updated with the latest fashion, and when they say up to date, they do mean up to date. TLTSN comes up with different themes every season to keep us girls looking fresh and hip. They follow the latest shoe trends and every bling zing!

The Little Things She Needs is definitely the next “it store” for us “it girls” as it provides value, innovation, variety, not to mention affordability. It is the one- stop-shop for all our girly needs! So what are you waiting for? Make every little thing count! Head on over to The Little Things She Needs located on the ground floor of Eastwood City Walk 2, right beside Starbucks, and in front of Coffee Bean to get your daily dose of shoes, bags, and accessories!

Thank you Ava for inviting me, The Little Things She Needs and VNC (Sister company of TLTSN) for having all of us! Thank you also to Ana, Ava, and Pax for some of the photos!

Helping Kids One TOMS at a Time

2011-11-22T18:51:00.001+08:00

Did you know children in many developing countries walk for miles just to go to school, to get clean water, and even to get medical help- barefoot? Did you know millions of children are at risk of injury, infection and soil-transmitted diseases that most can't afford to prevent and treat?

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, Blake created TOMS Shoes. If you're new to TOMS, hi, they make shoes, and with every pair purchased, they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. If you already know about TOMS, you rock.

I came to know these facts, and more, when I attended TOMS' A pair of shoes per child event last Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at 2nd's in Bonifacio High Street. This intimate event made me and my blogger friends aware of how TOMS Philippines is making a difference in every Filipino children's lives through its One for One Movement.

The question is, why give shoes? Hmmm, why not? Because after all, TOMS sells shoes, right?
Well, according to TOMS' research, while food, water, medicine etc. are all important, shoes is a fundamental resource for protecting children from rough terrain, infection, and soil-based diseases. TOMS learned that shoes have value beyond critical for physical health. Many schools in developing countries require shoes for attendance. And some soil-based diseases not only cause physical symptoms, but also create cognitive impairment, crippling a child's long-term potential.

Shoes given by TOMS are made to order and evolve all the time. They make only the sizes the children need to ensure that no shoes go to waste. Also, they learn to adapt their shoes to best fit the children's lives. This includes everything from thicker soles to deal with rocky terrain, to more weather resistant materials, and black shoes that are required for school uniforms.

This is an actual pair of a TOMS black shoes given to kids who are in need of shoes.

As of September 2010, TOMS has given away 1, 000, 000 pairs of new shoes to children all over the world: in the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, South Africa, Mongolia, Cambodia, and of course, the Philippines, to name a few.

After all this discussion about TOMS' Giving side and the children they serve, let me share with you the shoes that fuel the One For One Movement. Here's a sampling of the TOMS 2012 Spring Collection.

I absolutely adore TOMS 2012 Spring Collection! I seriously want to buy all of these, I swear! However, these incredible pairs will be available on March 2012. I know that's very far from today but I hope you will buy a pair or two once these shoes come out next year. For now, please go to TOMS.com or to your local store to see the existing pairs and more of the TOMS 2012 Spring Collection.

To date, TOMS has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children through giving partners around the world. Why don't you become a giving partner, too? Go buy a TOMS today.

Thank you GeiserMaclang for inviting me and TOMS Philippines for having me and my blogger friends! It was such an honor to be part of this innovative movement. One for One.

My Kylie G

2011-11-21T18:04:00.000+08:00

What I wore:

The Little Things She Needs (TLTSN) accessories | Drezee dress | Rajo! for Parisian shoes

- - -

I finally had the chance to take my Rajo! for Parisian Kylie G wedges out for a spin! I wore it to my cousin Ameena's grand 13th birthday party last Saturday, which I'll be blogging about next. Back to the shoes. It certainly got mixed reactions and second looks. A few of my family and friends asked me, "Doesn't it feel weird wearing it?" or "How can you walk in those?". I had to explain, "Oh no naman, it doesn't feel weird. It's like wearing normal heels, but needs a little getting used to. You’ll hardly notice the weirdness after a while of usage." over and over. Haha! But like every shoe lover's opinion about it, I love it! It's one of the most stylish and comfortable shoes I ever had and wore. Did I mention sexy, too? Ahhh, it's worth every peso. Now I'm actually thinking of buying another one. That is if the design I want is still available. Anyway if you haven't got your hands on a limited edition Rajo! for Parisian shoes, what are you waiting for? Choose your shoes here and buy now. Before it's too late.

Ameena Turns 13

2011-11-21T11:07:00.000+08:00

Like I said in one of my old posts, my cousin Ameena celebrated her 13th birthday last November 19 at the Richmonde Hotel. It was a well-attended birthday party by family and close friends. The party had a very princess-y theme, since my cousin always wanted to be a princess since she was little. There were very delicious food for kids (aka "Ameena food" or food that only Ameena eats) and food for adults, exciting games, wonderful performances, and of course, sweet messages from Ameena's family and friends.

After Ameena's grand 13th birthday celebration, we (my cousins and sister) had the quintessential sleepover. Normally, in our sleepovers, we would just talk until we all fall asleep. But this time was different. We watched Ameena open her giftsssss. I meant to put a lot of s's since she really received a lot of gifts that she actually finished unwrapping all of them at 1 in the morning. It was fun and exciting to watch Ameena unwrap her gifts, though, because every gift was very cute and surprising. The perks of being a kid. Haha! Oh how I miss receiving and opening birthday gifts!

Kudos to Ameena's mom, my tita, for organizing this grand party - via phone, all the way from the US! It's amazing how everything worked so well that night! Thank you for having us, Athab family!

Do you want an iPad?

2011-11-15T20:26:00.002+08:00

I know you badly want one. And TIGI, the leading company of fashionable and funky hair care, is giving you the chance to win your very own iPad!

To kick off the TIGI experience, TIGI Philippines is awarding one lucky fan with their very own iPad plus oodles of cool TIGI products! The rules? As easy as pie -- just follow the simple mechanics below to qualify!

Mechanics

Like TIGI - Bed Head, Catwalk, S Factor Fanpage on Facebook
Post this on your own wall publicly: "Follow @TIGI - Bed Head, Catwalk, S Factor on Facebook and get a chance to win an iPad plus rockin' TIGI goodies." Share the love and tag two of your friends in your post. Example:

3. Follow TIGI-Bedhead on Twitter and tweet this: “Say hello to fab hair! Follow @BedheadPH and get a chance to win an iPad plus rockin' TIGI goodies http://ow.ly/6RQEP.”

That's it! Very easy, right?

What are you still doing here? Go do the mechanics now!

Giveaway ends on [~~November 27]~~ DECEMBER 15, 2011.

Terms and Conditions

Giveaway will run from October 27-~~[November 27]~~ DECEMBER 15, 2011.
This is open to Philippine residents only.
The winner will be picked by TIGI and notified via email.
The winner MUST be able to travel to Manila to claim his/her prize.

Real Beauty at 40

2011-11-15T19:55:00.002+08:00

I spent my lunch break today in Felix, Greenbelt 5 to celebrate with Dermclinic as they turn 40 years of being a highly trusted brand in the field of dermatological and cosmeceutical center in the country. On Dermclinic's 40th year, they signed Ms. Universe Fourth Runner-Up Ms. Venus Raj as its newest endorser - the new face of Dermclinic!

The celebration was a very intimate, sit down lunch that was attended by people from the media and of course, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle bloggers. The celebration began with an invocation and welcome remarks by Dr. Vinson B. Pineda, followed by an AVP of Dermclinic's road to 40 years, the grand launch of Dermclinic's newest campaign and of Dermclinic's new endorser, and finally, the Q&A portion.

Through the Q&A portion, I was able to draw a lot of new information about Dermclinic and its founder, Dr. Vinson B. Pineda. Dr. Pineda is actually the Father of Philippine Dermatology who started practicing professional dermatology in 1969. He was able to set up his own private clinic a year later, which was the very first Dermclinic branch, just in front of UST and then opened three additional branches in Quezon City, Caloocan, and Makati.

Dr. Pineda set the trend for practicing ethical and professional dermatology by ensuring that all practitioners under the Dermclinic umbrella have undergone the required training and have earned the necessary credentials and certifications to practice. Dr. Pineda believes that accreditation and training is very important in the industry, as there is proliferation of unaccredited yet acclaimed personalities who are practicing dermatology and plastic surgery that did not undergo the respective 3 years of training for each field.

Currently, Dr. Pineda is the president of the Philippine Academy of Clinical and Cosmetic Dermatology for the past 6 years and is also a member of the Philippine Medical Association. He has been in service for over 40 years, is also a practicing Christian and credits God in the success of all his endeavors.

"We are thankful to the Lord and our customers and patrons for our success all throughout these 40 years," said Dr. Vinson B. Pineda. "Dermclinic was founded in the hopes of bringing professional dermatological services to all Filipinos and bringing them quality products that will help them protect and maintain the health of their skin. After all, a healthy skin is beautiful skin," he added.

Aside from Dr. Pineda, I was also able to know more about Venus Raj and to appreciate her Filipina beauty. (I swear, I was just staring at her the whole time. I admire her beautym which is pinay na pinay. I also admire her great use and pronunciation of deep tagalog words and speaking in both Tagalog and English - fluently! I admire her girly - becky humor, too! Haha!) Well, we all know Venus Raj represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe Pageant in 2010 wherein she won Fourth Runner-Up. But did you know she was also awarded "Woman of the Year" in the recently concluded 10th Gawad Amerika Awards Night last November 5. The Gawad Amerika Awards Night honors individuals who excel in their respective careers and make a difference in their lives and communities.

For her part, Venus Raj said, "I am honored to be chosen as an ambassadress of Dermclinic, the true skin and hair clinic. Being exposed to so many beautiful women in the 2010 Ms. Universe pageant, I've seen how those candidates with the healthiest skin exuded a different glow. I've realized that the secret to beautiful skin - in whatever color, is indeed healthy skin, which is what Dermclinic is about."

~ ~ ~

Indeed, Dr. Pineda's success is evidently seen through Dermclinic's 40 years of existence. For 40 years, Dermclinic has become the pioneer and the leading dermatological center in the country. Starting out as a regular skin care center in 1971, today, Dermclinic has already opened more than 20 branches - mostly in major malls nationwide - giving easy access to consumers. Through the years Dermclinic has been dedicated in providing customer satisfaction through excellent services and high quality products. You can never go wrong in trusting the pioneer. Dermclinic- the true skin and hair clinic.

Dermclinic offers specialized products in their NuDerm Supreme product line, and services such as Stem Cell Therapy, Nu Light, Intense Pulse Light, NuShape, Intense Diamond Peel, and more. All these are currently available in their 21 branches nationwide, which can be found in most major shopping malls.

Here are some of the branches:

MAKATI CITY

3/F MGF Champaca Bldg., 156 Amorsolo Street cor. Pasay Road, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 818-6274 / +632 817-5426

Park Square 2

Ground Floor, Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 893-0684 / +632 893-0685

NORTH BRANCHES

SM Megamall

5th Level, Building A

EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 633-3360 / +632 633-3361

Greenhills

Ground Floor, Mercedez I Condominium

39 Annapolis Street Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 721-3536 / +632 721-3548

SOUTH BRANCHES

Alabang Town Center

Basement Level

Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 807-2169 / +632 772-1170

SM Bicutan

Lower Ground Floor, Building B

Doña Soledad Avenue cor West Service Road, Bicutan, Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone Numbers: +632 777-9345 / +632 777-9346

For more information, visit the Dermclinic website or call +632 877-3223.

Thank you very much to Ms. Jeri Lim for inviting me and Dermclinic for having me in your event!
P.S. I'll be updating this post with more information and pictures very soon. Please stay tuned.

Stylish Saturdays: Corduroy Appreciation Day

2011-11-12T15:31:00.000+08:00

Excuse the background of my pictures. I know they're not very nice to look at. I promise to have better backgrounds once my family and I move to our new home... soon! Anyway. Here's what I wore today, which happens to be Corduroy Appreciation Day in some foreign cities, to school. Speaking of school, I have (yet again) a Saturday class that starts as early as 7:45 and ends at 10:30 in the morning! What is super early for a Saturday? Sigh. But my sched enables me to take photos in day light and to blog about it right after anyway, so I guess it's all good.

I used a portion of the 1, 000 Php GC I got from love diva for this House of Harlow- inspired necklace.

For Corduroy Appreciation Day, I wore this corduroy skirt from The Vintage Chick, c/o Multiply.

That's all for what I wore today. Happy Corduroy Appreciation Day!

I decided on not going to the 2 events scheduled today because I need to do backlogs, to study for Accounting, and to catch up on lost sleep. Leaving you with this cute photo of our newest baby, Lucky!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S. My dad's friend just gave this puppy to him. We still can't determine his breed so if you happen to know, please feel free to tell me. We'll appreciate it. Thank you!

There's a new DIVA in TOWN

2011-11-12T14:16:00.001+08:00

No, it's not the female version of a hustla kind of diva you're thinking of.
It's the newest accessories brand found in Alabang Town Center, love diva!

Since its inception in 2003, “love diva has established itself as a brand synonymous with highly fashionable, yet affordable jewellery and accessories. It represents all of the images, emotions, beliefs and expectations that our customers associate with the name love diva. The love diva brand does not just encompass our products but also our level of customer service, our people and our locations. Our brand, therefore, is our promise to deliver excellent customer service and provide customers with an enjoyable and fun shopping experience”, says Brent Blundy, Chairman of love diva.

I had the privilege to attend the Diva Bloggers Camp last November 7, 2011, at the first love diva store in the Philippines - in Alabang Town Center. Bloggers and their 2 chosen readers aka little sisters were the attendees of the event; I was lucky to be handpicked by blog sister Melai to join her in the event. (Thank you, Melai!)

I actually arrived Town when the program started. Yes, I was late; I had to assist in a shoot hours before the event. A little side story- Melai noticed I just arrived so she welcomed me and called my name. I went inside the love diva store and had a very awkward moment. I had to go upfront and introduce myself to everyone, looking tired and all. Haha! Everyone was just staring, probably thinking "Who's this late girl? What's she doing here?" Haha! Anyway. Moving on. I think I arrived at the right time because these sinful cookies and cupcakes were distributed right when I sat down on my chair! I guess I just got lucky! *wink*

Short talks, which were the main part of the event, happened while the cookies and cupcakes were distributed.

First up was top fashion blogger Kookie Buhain! She mainly talked about blogging, how she started with blogging, where she gets inspirations from, how / when / where to take photos, and what to write / blog about. Aside from that, Kookie also talked about remaining humble with all your achievements and recognitions. I have to say, I truly learned a lot from Kookie and she will always be one of the bloggers I look up to!

Next up was The Style and Soul, Melai Entuna! She talked about blogging as a way of earning extra money. Melai shared with us how she was able to do so; other than blog advertisements from Nuffnang or Google Adsense, Melai earned (and still earns) extra money through her own online shop and then used (and still uses) her blog to promote it. Easy, right? So why not open an online shop and a blog today?

Lastly, bloggers / stylists Tracy Ayson and Tin Inglesias talked about their work as stylists, their personal style, and even having / handling haters. I was able to relate to their Styling topic the most since I took up Fashion Styling in Fashion Institute of the Philippines last summer and assisted in 3 shoots. I agree with them on the shoot being really fun and the whole thing being glamorous but, all the clothes, accessories, and shoes for the shoot, which are pull outs, really need to be taken good care of. Or else! Haha!

You can see everyone really paying attention and listening to the bloggers / speakers.

The fun part of the Diva Bloggers Camp was the styling game! I know you're so used to seeing bloggers style or dress up mannequins, but love diva came up with a different kind of game- bloggers as the mannequins to be styled! The readers aka little sisters were the stylists while the bloggers aka big sisters were the mannequins! It was so cool and so fun!

My little sister was Bianca Sing and she came up with this look for me:

Here are my fellow "mannequins"!

Now the most exciting part of the Diva Bloggers Camp was... SHOPPING! love diva was generous enough to give 1, 000 Php worth of accessories to each and every blogger who attended the camp!

We actually had a crazy and hard time looking for, picking, and deciding on which accessories to get. Don't believe me? Go and see it for yourself in this mini accessories tour!

It's not what you think. Haha! These are actually hair ties! Cute, right?

Told ya! And that's not even the whole store! There's a whole lot more!

The Diva Bloggers Camp ended with awarding of certificates and sumptuous feast in Cyma!

TRIO, this time with Angel's baby, Syrena!

love diva is the world’s leading destination for fashion accessories. love diva is more than just a jewellery retailer, it is a brand that provides its customers with on-trend fashion accessories at an affordable price. love diva draws its inspiration from thee latest catwalk and fashion shows in London, Paris, NY and Tokyo and add its own love diva style to create pieces that are unique to love diva.

This November, the first love diva store in the Philippines opens at the Upper Ground Floor, Expansion Building, Alabang Town Center. As an ambassador of the Pink Heart Promise, love diva Philippines will hold a free ear piercing event in-store in partnership with leading health service provider, Healthway.

What are you waiting for? Visit the new DIVA in TOWN!
love diva is located on the Upper Ground Floor, Expansion Buliding, of Alabang Town Center. (It's beside Celine and right across Accessorize.) Don't forget to Like love diva on Facebook and to Follow love diva on Twitter.

Thank you, love diva for this very one-of-a-kind event and for having all of us!
Thank you, Ana and Ava for the pictures!

Unscripted

2011-11-11T22:03:00.000+08:00

When two professional interviewers come together in one radio booth, the listener is guaranteed entertaining and insightful conversations.

It’s not common for radio shows to feature legends such as Madame Imelda Marcos, rockstar Raimund Marasigan, educator Gand Badoy, iconic hip-hop group Mastaplann, and PBA legend Jeff Cariaso, among many others, to guest. But “The Dollhouse”, a radio show hosted by Sarah Meier and Victoria Herrera, has.

Sarah Meier: Model, MTV VJ, TV host, scriptwriter, radio DJ, and newspaper columnist.

Victoria Herrera: Model, TV host, editor, radio DJ, journalist.

Now, both of them are adding something else to their already jam-packed resume: author of Unscripted.

Unscripted is a book of the compilations of the conversations Sarah and Vicky had with the Real OGs - people who were deemed influential and innovative in their respective fields. Why? Well, let’s just say that the conversations were too valuable not to be immortalized. Reading about the different lessons and trials that each OG encountered in their rise to success is both inspiring and thought-provoking. Indeed, the unscripted conversations are the ones straight from the heart.

For more information about the book and to get a sneak peek of the excerpts (the one of Lourd de Veyra is already out!) please visit Unscripted Conversations

The Dollhouse Sites:

Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook |

Email: playwiththedolls@gmail.com

Sarah Meier | Victoria Herrera

Working with a Ford Supermodel of the World

2011-11-11T17:53:00.000+08:00

The second model I had the privilege to work with was no other than Ford Supermodel of the World 2011 Danica Magpantay!

Everyone knows Danica has done the Philippine modeling and fashion industry very proud when she won the most prestigious modeling competition and most coveted title, Ford Supermodel of the World last January 27, 2011, in New York. But I guess only a few people know it was her, or should I say our, school's pride, too. She studied in Colegio San Agustin- Makati (the same school I went to for my basic education), but to tell you honestly, I never met Danica in any of the hallways in our school. I wish I did. Danica told me and Ava that she was never really the socially inclined one; she was typical and average. She also told us she admires our batch (Hello, batch 2008!) because of our Back to Back win in the Annual Cheering Competition. Oh how I still wish I met her back in high school. Danica's beauty is different, but in a good way, of course. Her humility resonates at a certain energy frequency. Her personality and work aesthetics are beyond amazing. All of these were evident during the shoot.

We all got the chance to get to know Danica on a more personal level- how and when she started to like modeling, her current and future career, balancing school and work, and so much more. She would always generously share with us her thoughts on each of our questions every after outfit change. I think the shoot was 40% picture-taking and 60% behind-the-scenes. Danica was really interested to chat with us that it took her longer to do outfit changes than to pose for the camera. Haha! But anyway, the shoot went really well despite what I just mentioned and it being a bit hard for me. Yes, I just admitted it was a bit hard. It was such a huge challenge for me because I was never good at the print-on-print trend. (I just think I don't have the eye and skills for mixing and matching, which almost always makes me lean towards my comfort zone: one part of my outfit has print, while the rest has plain, solid colors or nudes.) But with the Aisa's forte on print-on-print and Ava on color blocking, the styling became effortless. The photos below say so.

One interesting about Danica during her photo shoot was her effortless ability to change her smiling / laughing / questioning face into a fierce face with a fierce pose in a split-second click of a camera! I swear, she's so good at it! I don't know how she does it! Now that's what I call "unique gift".

Say hello to the bongga stylist, Jear!

That's Ava in action!

I really appreciate Danica for starting mini-conversations with us in between her outfit changes. It was one of the things we needed during a long day of work. I also admire her for her humility because it never seemed like her being a Ford Supermodel of the World got to her head. She remains grounded and beautiful...

....even in candid conversations and shots like this.

Of course, the shoot wouldn't be complete without a little behind-the-scenes video by The Mutual. Please watch and enjoy this!

MB Fashion Editorial BTS (Danica) from The Mutual on Vimeo.

Thank you once again to Jear De McCuttac and Aisa Ipac for this big, once in a lifetime opportunity! I will always look back on this day and the 2 photo shoots with a smile and with an overwhelming feeling. Your trust in me and my styling really means a lot, and that I will never forget. Thank you also to the Fashion Section of Manila Bulletin and to the wonderful people in the team I got to work with, which includes the photographers, hair and make up artists, Jear and Aisa as the head stylists, and my fellow assistant stylists Ava Te and Bianca Sing. We all did a very good job! I can't wait to work with all of you again!

MANILA BULLETIN FASHION FEATURE 11.11.11

2011-11-11T12:23:00.005+08:00

Check out Manila Bulletin's 11.11.11 issue! Our second fashion editorial with Ford Supermodel of the World Danica Magpantay is already out! (First fashion editorial was with ANTM contender Claire Unabia - James.)

Photo from Aisa Ipac

MB Fashion Editorial BTS (Danica) from The Mutual on Vimeo.

Photography: Ryan Christienne Sulit

Styling: Aisa Ipac and Jear De Mc Cuttac

Styling Assistants: Bianca Sing, Keigh Jalbuena , and Ava Nicole Marie Te

Make-up: Joyce Platon

Hair: Dave Grona

Model: Danica Magpantay of CalCarrie's International Models Philippines

Location: Philippine School of Interior Design JAK en POY exhibit

Advanced Class 2011
BTS video by The Mutual (Kim and Ilsa)

I'll also blog about the entire BTS of Danica's shoot soon.

Thank you very much, Jear and Aisa, for another opportunity to work with you! Congratulations to all of us!

Now Blending: Jamba Juice

2011-11-10T23:19:00.000+08:00

Does this logo look familiar to you?

Why it's none other than the logo of Jamba Juice! And it's finally here in the Philippines- the first branch to open in Southeast Asia!

Jamba Juice Now Blending with the Country’s Dynamic Lifestyle

The long wait is over! The name famed for refreshingly delicious drinks and better-for-you snacks—one which has become synonymous with dynamic living in California —is now in the Philippines to complement the refreshment needs of the country’s growing active market.

Known for being a category-defining leader in blended beverages and delectable snack bites, Jamba Juice shares its flavorful products for the first time in Southeast Asia as it opens its first outlet in Bonifacio High Street Central.

Event hosts Mitzi Borromeo and Drew Arellano

I like Jamba Juice's graphics! So colorful and perky!

Today, November 10, 2011, was the official launch and grand reveal of Jamba Juice Philippines, which was held in the soon-to-open Bonifacio High Street Central (across R.O.X.), where the first Jamba Juice branch in Southeast Asia is situated. “We chose Bonifacio High Street Central as it is known for being the go-to destination for a rising number of urbanites who live dynamic lifestyles—the same market Jamba Juice has successfully captured in California,” shares Sharon Fuentebella, Managing Director of Jamba Juice Philippines.

The program kicked-off with lively sounds, lights, and AVPs! Jamba Juice then paid tribute to Guimaras (where the best-tasting mangoes are in the Philippines) led by the Max's Group of Companies. The tribute was given in the form of Yellow tags with the statement "Jamba Juice and I support promoting Philippine mangoes to the rest of the world by planting a Guimaras mango tree at the Guimaras mango park."

After which, an invigorating hip hop dance number followed and hyped up the crowd of more than 1, 000!

And then, it was the grand reveal of the Jamba Juice store!

Better-for-everyone

From smoothies to juices, from yogurt to oatmeal, Jamba Juice is bringing the same products and technology to the country so that Filipinos can have the Jamba Juice experience and find out firsthand why it has been a runaway favorite among American celebrities and urbanites alike since its inception in 1990.

“High quality is a major recipe of Jamba Juice that is why all its products are made only with whole fruits,” says Mark Gamboa, Marketing Manager of Jamba Juice Philippines.

Gamboa adds that the brand offers more than just uniquely blended beverages. “Jamba Juice represents the ideals of a lifestyle anchored on active living, exceptional quality, and a heritage that highlights better-for-you options for people on-the-go.”

A well-loved heritage

Jamba Juice, a business that celebrates a healthy lifestyle, now boasts over 744 stores worldwide, and its entry into the Philippine market is made possible by The Max's Group of Companies.

As one of the biggest food brands that has been operating inside and outside the country for more than 60 years, The Max's Group of Companies is known for introducing the much-loved Max’s Restaurant and Max’s Corner Bakery, and for bringing a world-renowned doughnut brand to the Philippines.

Fuentebella discloses that Jamba Juice’s pioneer store will be followed by 40 company-owned locations in the next 10 years. And because The Max’s Group of Companies’ growing food portfolio has provided them with a new perspective on the eating habits of the Filipino, they are optimistic about Jamba Juice growing into a well-loved brand in the country.

“Jamba Juice is armed with the same values that the Max’s Group of Companies introduced to Filipinos. As a groundbreaking milestone for the company and for the Philippine market, we are excited to see how the brand will continue to cater to this dynamic and growing market,” says Fuentebella.

~ ~ ~

Get JAMBAfied! Visit the public opening of Jamba Juice tomorrow, 11.11.11, at the Bonifacio High Street Central (It's the new establishment across R.O.X.). Come by in the morning, during lunch time, for after-dinner drinks, or even after your Yoga, Plana Forma, or night run! Try their best-sellers Strawberries Wild and Banana Berry!

If ever you become unsatisfied with your drink, don't worry because they'd be more than happy and willing to replace it. Although, I highly doubt that you will become unsatisfied because based on my experience a while ago, I can't stop sipping from my cup of Strawberry Wild smoothie! It was the bomb!

So remember, Jamba Juice 11.11.11. Bonifacio High Street Central. See you there!

And oh, don't forget to Like Jamba Juice Philippines on Facebook!

Gabriel * Martel: Tocca Di Lusso

2011-11-10T22:15:00.000+08:00

If there's one event I got most excited about, it was this one. Why? Because one of the designers of Gabriel * Martel, Ms. Celine Gabriel - Lim, has been one of my idols ever since I first stepped foot in her Personal Imaging class at Modern Academy; ever since I found out that she's an Assumptionist and that she belongs to the Public Relations, Beauty and Fashion industries. Such an inspiration!

Angel and I really went to Privé really early, I think around 7:30 pm, to avoid another parking stealing incident. Haha! The event was not until 9 PM, though, so Angel and I decided to have dinner in Pasto. Megann eventually joined us and then, we all headed to Privé. When we got to Privé, the luxury club's management didn't allow us to bring our cameras inside. Miraculously, a photographer friend of mine, Arthur... I mean, Luther Abcede, was one of the official photographers of the event!

With Megann and Angel

The bloggers' table!

Finally met Ms. Kira of Kira's World!

Ms. Kira's the reason why I found out about Modern Academy, where I met Ms. Celine! Speaking of Ms. Celine, we finally have a photo! I didn't have the chance to take a photo with her (well, we have a class photo) in our Personal Imaging class.

I know, I know, this post should be all about the Gabriel * Martel Tocca Di Lusso collection but unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the mini fashion show. (I'm still trying to get them from Luther. I'll blog about it once I get the pictures.) But don't worry because you can always visit the Gabriel * Martel website to know more about the brand, the designers, and of course, to see the Tocca Di Lusso collection. You can watch this teaser video, too! Enjoy!

Congratulations, Ms. Celine Gabriel- Lim and Ms. Andrea Martel!

Thank you Ms. Celine and Gerrick Ortiz for inviting me! Thank you Luther Abecede for the photos!