Outfit of the Day: Dressy Friday

I have to admit, I love bold colors.

I love finding great and striking hues on lippies, shoes, accessories and of course, on dresses!

So, I thought I'd share with you guys this cute little number:

The belt (P150) and dress (P500) are both from SM Department Store. 

Yes, the ensemble is cute and affordable! You gotta love that, right?

The black pumps are from Zara, which retailed for a whopping P4,800 but I was able to snag it at 75% off  (happy dance!!) during their mega sale early this month.

 That's it for now!

The Face Shop Four-Minute Smokey Eyes Challenge

When it comes to makeup, I've always considered smokey eyes as this huge enigma: It's like EDSA without the 24/7 traffic or Brangelina without Jennifer Aniston; Twitter minus the incessant flow of TMIs or dial-up Internet in 2012. And for the ultimate punch, it's like Fifty Shades of Grey without all the explicit sexual content. It totally perplexes me out.

Anyway, back to makeup.

I was walking around Glorietta last week when I chanced upon Face Shop's Face It 4 Minute Smokey Kit, which promises that people like you and me would be able to create smoked up eyes faster than the commercial breaks during your favorite TV drama.

The kit contains four shadows (L-R: Black; Golden Khaki; Light Pink and Medium Brown), a couple of double-ended brushes, a black eyeliner and a mascara.

So, I thought maybe I'd try the product out and see for myself if I could achieve the smokey eyes goal within four minutes.

Start out with a bare face - prep your skin then proceed with the eyes:

Using the angled brush from the kit, fill in your brows with the medium brown e/s.

If you have dark hair, keep the brows a couple of shades lighter than your natural hair color.
Otherwise, set the brows one or two tones deeper.

You can also opt to use a brow pencil if you want

First: Rim both the upper and lower lids with a black eyeliner, making a slight cat-eye shape at the end. This doesn't need to be perfect since we are going to smudge it out.

Teaser: Smokey Eyes in 4 Minutes?!?

I'm giving this a side-eye, but that's because for me, smokey eye makeup isn't something you  can do in a jiffy.

But who knows, Faceshop's 4 Minute Smoky Kit just might convert me.

Watch this space... ^^

90s Makeup Nostalgia Part 2

As promised, here is my attempt to recreate the 'natural' makeup trend during the early to mid-90s.

Think Donna Martin/Brenda Walsh/Kelly Taylor from the original swanky zip code of prime time teen television, Beverly Hills 90210, or maybe Kate Moss during the much-celebrated grunge wave of the decade, or even the 90s bombshell Claudia Schiffer.

The makeup was all about deep contours, full brows, brown hues and everything matte.

Before I begin, let me remind you, I'm a neophyte so please, be kind.. ^.^

Start with a fresh face: tone and moisturize if you like. 

I used Flawless' facial toner and
Clarins White Plus HP Whitening Moisture Day Emulsion

The base I used was a Korean brand BB cream, which provides light coverage, perfect for the hot weather in Manila.

Skin 79 Hot Pink BB Cream

90s Makeup Nostalgia Part 1

Thinking about the 90s brings back memories of the Kate and Johnny romance, Daria, Sweet Valley High (or was it just me?), Dawson's Creek and dare I say, the velvet choker!

And right at the top of my 'why I love the 90s' list, is the era's polished, earth tones makeup made all the more fabulous by the supermodels of that time.

Cindy and Linda Rocking the 90s Look

The look was all about the strong brows, soft brown eyes, matte face and well-defined pouts framed by thick and beach-y hairstyles.

As the 90s progressed, we saw this natural makeup look begin to change and soon it transformed into its softer version: the brows are less thick, peachy tones tinged the eyes and cheeks and lip gloss started to make a comeback as well.

Cher and Carrie with the mid to late 90s natural makeup trend

So, suffice to say that I am totally all over the 90s right now. That's why I am taking inspiration from this decade to recreate the look I've always wanted to try.

Next up: my version of the 90s natural makeup look!! Stay tuned!

Almost Hitched

I find myself cringing whenever I see videos or hear stories of a man very publicly proposing to his woman. Although some of them are quite touching, I still feel like punching my face at the thought of going through the same thing. Even now, just writing about it is making me hyperventilate.

It goes without saying that I always advice my man, who happens to be a very passionate person, against that sort of stuff. From anniversaries to the seemingly obligatory Valentine's Day celebrations, I would always raise my hand at the idea of a hassle-free romantic dinner. 

The Ring

So, I was over the moon when he proposed to me in a quiet way - in a boat overseeing the Boracay sunset a fortnight before the summer ended. 

It was the sweetest, most romantic thing ever done with sophistication and dignity. It was very private (as it should be) and lovely. 

Well, almost private - if you don't count kuya who was manning the boat.

Why Blog? Why Now?

Over coffee and eggs a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly felt the urge to write again. You see, I was quite an avid fan of this activity when I was a kid, with heavy influences from Elizabeth Wakefield from the Sweet Valley series. Quite embarrassing, but very true.

I took up Journalism in college and actually had a bit of 'professional' experience in that industry:  I cinched a stint at global news firm Reuters working as an interim stringer for its TV News Department and then also wrote some articles for Manila Standard Today.

Really, I was in love with writing. I still remember the tingle running down my spine whenever I get to string together words that, to me, created beautiful narratives.

Here is the link of one of my published articles

So why did I stop, you ask? I really don't know. Maybe I was bored, lazy or just stupid for not working on my craft. But since the interwebs present a diverse and comprehensive field of opportunities for people like me to make up for lost time and hopefully get past all the shouldawouldacouldas (more on this later), here I am, trying to grab hold of my share of the internet.

It's a small pixel, but I can live with that.

Anyway, fast forward to today, after much procrastinating loaded with more procrastination, I am finally getting around to working on that 'urge'.

So, welcome to my space and please allow me to tell you the story of my life while I exaggerate a memory or two.