I didn't think that this blog was ever going to be one of those that posts about topics like "here's what I thought of this lipstick" or "unboxing x face product"-- I mean don't get me wrong, I do read my friend's makeup blogs and reviews with a passion, but I just don't think that I'm personally that knowledgeable or authoritative when it comes to reviewing beauty products. I may not have blogged about beauty in the past, but thing is, I'm very much a junkie to all things make-up, skincare, hair products, and everything in between. So yeah... I think I'll give my two cents worth whenever I can, so yay, more Eden-ish beauty posts in the future!:)
To start with, I'll talk about something super popular these days: subscription boxes. I've been voraciously craving/hoping to try out a subscription box for many months now after stalking my friend Toni's posts (she has a monthly subscription to these things), and finally, after a lot of thinking over if this sh*t is really all its hyped up to be, I signed on for the July 2013 BDJ Box.
I'm glad that my box arrived in good shape and had pleasant surprises here and there. July was also particularly chocked full of stuff so yay, plus points in my book. Here's the items I received from this box:
The July 2013 BDJBox was a heavy mix of assorted beauty products + full-sized items from the Dove Intense Repair/Whitening Line. Started with the right box i think.
May it be for a client meeting or work, sometimes I need to scrub up and attempt to look my most decent. This is probably one of those looks.
OH dear. What I would do to be a student again!
My Picks, Top-Bottom Clockwise: Lace Half-Sleeves Tee, White Kraft Pointed Wedge Pumps, Punk Style Rivet Handbag, Double-Buckled Stud Sandals, Checkered Mint Cotton Shorts, Chunky White Knit Jumper, Slimline White Blazer
I think doing some online shopping here and there is part-and-parcel of the whole fashion blogging experience. There's just many great sites online that offer on-trend items that are sometimes a step ahead of their retail counterparts, and the temptation is absolutely inescapable sometimes! As much as I believe in "saving for the rainy season" these days, I can't resist an awesome item every now and then (especially from a site that offers free shipping worldwide!).
I chanced upon the site Persunmall through great recommendations from fellow bloggers and seeing their items worn as well. I'm careful when treading new sites (I am often a repeat customer of a select few) , but the site was immediately likable upon closer inspection. They seem to cater to a wide range of sartorial tastes, and carried a nice balance of trendy items, classic staples, and special occasion dresses. One of their reps came in contact with me and tasked me to make a wishlist with their items, which was far from being daunting. I'm all about stripping down my wardrobe these days to a bare minimum, and they carried the right kind of basics that I'm looking forward to stocking soon.
Persunmall also seems to be leatherexperts -- make sure to check out their great selection of jackets, blazers and other leather items!
Check out Persunmall to see the awesomeness for yourself!
Geometric dress from Charm of Everyday Sundaes (acquired during BU4) | transparent clutch with studs from Tonic at The Maze Hipzone | sandals from Staccato
In my honest opinion, there's something as equally striking with severe minimalism and simple shapes as literally "loud" prints and one-off clothing structures. I'm glad that I've always preferred minimalist items with an "edge" anyway, because these items never really age/go out of style. These days, I think the best way to dress for my age with the edge that I've always liked is to just stick to the basics, and just find little ways to mix and stir it up.
One current favorite is this black-and-white number which I got as an "exchange" with fellow Cebuana blogger Charm from Bloggers United 4. Yeah, it's been that long since I've acquired it, but I've only recently had the guts to wear this since I'm a bit more toner these days [or feeling lang. charot!]. Loving the starkness of the piece, as well as the geometry of it. This was a "no-brainer" dress for a lunch out in the mall with the husband, which I paired with simple yet striking accessories for a bit of a twist.
I also just posted this look because I'm having Bloggers United withdrawals, haha. Sad I missed BU5, but hopefully if everything goes well I should be able to make it back to the 6th installment (sana meron pa hehe).
Have a great week ahead!
Boys, read up!
Buying a
new dress for your girlfriend is quite an art. Your choice will demonstrate how
well you know your partner, so it's important you bear in mind these three key
factors:
·
What
her tastes are
·
What
will flatter her, and
· What she's likely to wear again and
again
It's a
bit of a high-wire act, but if you can pull it off, she's bound to appreciate
the effort you've put in. Here are our tips for finding the right dress to suit
the occasion.
1. Anniversary night out
Try to
find a balance between what she'd feel comfortable and attractive wearing and
what you'd like to see her wear. If you're planning to take her to an exclusive
restaurant, you'll want something form-fitting and elegant. You can't go wrong
with the classic little black dress. An LBD is every woman's wardrobe standby,
as it's both slimming and inherently stylish. A smart black dress is suitable
for every occasion and needs only a dash of red lipstick for the look to be
complete.
2. Holidays
The ideal
holiday dress works for both daytime and evening. When you're getting ready to
jet off for a break, try to find something that can be easily adapted. An
embroidered tunic or kaftan is a great option: it can be slipped over her
swimsuit to cover up after a day relaxing on the beach, then later on it can be
dressed up with studded platforms and some statement jewellery for a night
out.
3. A night out with the girls
Think
about how your girlfriend might like to look on a night out with her closest
friends. If she's curvaceous, look for a wraparound dress that will really show
off her figure. Or if she's slim, a fitted bodycon dress will look great;
alternatively, you could opt for a classic pencil skirt with an elegant silk
blouse for a touch of class.
Shop with
a charge card from American Express and
you'll be able to earn reward points as you spend. Virtually every purchase on
your charge card will earn you points, which can
then be redeemed for rewards such as holidays and unique experiences - perhaps
the perfect occasion to wear that fabulous new dress!
"Birds of Paradise" Printed Dress by Simon, metal ankle cuffs bought online, Gay Giano metallic ankle-strap pumps, stud ring from Oxygen and metal cuff from Forever 21, shaping slip dress from MeMoi
Photos and Art Direction by Yuno Lloyd Bastareche
Thank you so much to my incredibly talented and good-looking (chos pero tinuod! hehe)friend Yuno Lloyd Bastareche of BLANC Magazine for these really decadent, fanciful, and somewhat eerie shots of me. Haylavet. Wore this outfit to the Starmobile Launch in Maya (more of that later), and we thought this amazing hedge wall perfectly complimented this dress, thus, me sheepishly busting posing moves while cars moved by. Hahaha. Thank you Yuno and Yves Camingue as well.
I decided to wear this AMAZING confection from Cebu-based brand Simon to this event, which brings to mind parts Mary Katrantzou, parts Givenchy's "birds of paradise", and just incredibly unique and eye-catching on the whole. Lord knows it'll take me a few lifetimes to raise enough money for those designer confections, but Simon houses spot-on trendy alternatives that definitely give a bang for your buck. Best part is, everything is tailor-made for a great fit.
Thank you once again for dropping by! x
mid-pose. my boyfriend just CAN NOT get patient enough to take a good photo T_T
Mango blazer, thrifted cut-out dress, Five by Five spiked necklace, Figliarina boots, Oxygen ring
Photos by Thaad Sabolboro
I decided to dive deep into the colored hair trend by going blue. Yes, enough with the Katy Perry references already! Hahaha... Seriously, I got dreadfully tired with blonde hair and wanted to shake it up again. Going red was a horrendous decision maintenance-wise, and there's no way in hell I'd go back to that, so I went blue instead. I'm glad I reunited with my old hairstylist, the incomparable Chady Pantaleon, in getting this done. I owe Chady some of my favorite looks, such as my side-shave back in 2010. He's really quite the genius. As crazy and haphazard as it went, I like how it turned out. Kinda feels like my old self again.
Wore this black-on-black outfit on our 2nd anniversary lunch at Carlito's Way in Persimmon (this restaurant is a must-visit by the way!). No photos to share of that, because he despises me taking shots of everything we do (blame the Instagram age!). I wore my ultrafavorite Mango blazer again, which I've worn numerous times already. It doesn't get any more perfect than this blazer.
Anyway I'll be posting numerous backlogs in the coming days, so don't be surprised if I'll still be blonde in those shots. Thanks for stopping by! xx
Christopher Kane-inspired nuclear print tankdress from SheInside, metal-plate ankle strap sandals from VNC, Forever 21 gold collar, Dorothy Perkins clutch, perspex shades from OASAP
Today marks an incredibly important life event. Happy to say that me and my significant other Thaad reached the two-year milestone. We've had our fair share of ups and downs and spent more than a year apart, but here we are, still standing, with our love and respect for each other still unwavering. Times are tough but I'm still a happy girl. For now I've got all that I need, I think. Until maybe the awesome sales kick in and my favorite shoe brands drop down the prices of their stocks. Ha.
Moving forward, just sharing this quick post of the lunch meeting I had with my friend Rabsin and Precious of Selrahco, the PR brand behind such big names as Robinsons Specialty Stores, Cebu Pacific, Sun Cellular, and many others. Lunch at TGI Fridays (also their client) went incredibly well, and we had a few drinks while discussing brand promotions and the like. I finally got to wear this Christopher Kane-inspired tankdress from SheInside... I've been an ardent admirer of Kane and his digital print (and wildly unaffordable for me) designs, so I nearly jumped through the roof when SheInside said that they'll send this in for free. Happy joy joy.
Be back with more soon! xx
handpainted galaxy-print shorts from Punk X Pretty, Banana Republic button-button down, Forever 21 headband
Photos courtesy of Thaad Sabolboro
Still loving galaxy prints as of late-- long after Christopher Kane and Peter Pilotto for Kipling's starry outings, everyone is still adoring this print. I'm still dreaming of being able to afford all the pieces I can sweep up!
That said, I'd like to quickly thank the very talented Valerie of PunkXPretty for sending me this handpainted (you heard me) pair of galaxy-print shorts. I thought the digital print version was crazy in itself, but Valerie amazingly replicated it down pat. Girl's got mad skills, right?
Check out PunkXPretty today and see how Val spins and gives new life to thrifted and vintage items. See extensive shorts collection below:
Boyfriend's getting used to taking my shots now, teehee. I definitely don't mind transitioning into his Nikon D7000 from my old Canon 400D for my outfit shots. Thank you, boy :)
Time to catch some z's, thank you for visiting xx
DIY neon yellow earrings and blue ombre shorts.
First photo from Yuno Lloyd Bastareche, and the rest from Thaad
Here's to hoping that these lazy, hazy days of summers spent in calm blue waters and fine shores stretch on forever. Summer is in full swing, and while we hope to be full time vacationistas for this part of the year, most of us are left not being able to do much about it. It's been nearly a month since we left for our Boracay vacation and I'm definitely feeling the blues. Stuck at home, or at work and not being able to just jet to another great summerscape (budget and time constraints, what not), I'm here at home just reminiscing over great Boracay memories through these pictures, and silently envious of friends proud to be out and about and posting their gorgeous pictures online. Truly, I envy you guys.
The only consolation for me is that, in the very least, I don't get to spend the summer alone just like I did last year. I'm still a grateful girl. Still kind of the best summer by far.
Thank you guys for your incredible comments! Ily xx
