HNY, Everyone! :)

Thank you for sticking around and checking out the blog from time to time. It's been quite a loooong haul so far, but its amazing to note that we're (meaning me and this blog) is still standing! 2013 marked quite a tumultuous rollercoaster ride for me-- a lot of dips mixed with some really good points in both my career and personal life, some notable life events; plus Yolanda, the Bohol earthquake, and never-ending post-quake aftershocks in between. YES. 2013 definitely did not wanna exit in a forgettable manner--but well, it's over, and it's time to face 2014 with all-too-excited open arms. Thank God and good riddance!

Before moving on to 2014, let's take a look back at some of looks I posted the past year. I don't know where my schedule would take me, but I'll try my hardest to be more consistent, haha! Based on these 10 looks I've selected, here's a few things that I can sum up my style choices the past year:

Celebrate it. Own it. Seize it. Make it yours.

Don't wait for things to just happen-- let this be the year where we move mountains and truly believe in our capabilities to make great things happen.

Happy 2014, loves! I wish nothing but a prolific, profound and truly joyful year up ahead.

xx,

Eden V

(P.S. I'll be right back from my mandatory holiday break soon! Thanks for visiting!:)

this picture doesn't do the bag justice!

The entire city is very much abuzz (the hundreds upon hundreds of stylish guys to be exact!) with the arrival of Topshop's equally stylish brother Topman here in Cebu! The boys I personally know have been clamoring to have Topman here for awhile now, so this couldn't come as a more pleasant surprise!

Chicnova '85' tee | NastyGal contrast leather biker jacket | Forever21 mesh pencil skirt | Charles and Keith flared gusset bag

Bo's Coffee Founder and CEO Steve Benitez is a man of passion. 

After opening the first Bo's Coffee branch 18 years ago as a small start-up business, and fast forward to now where he has over 58 stores and counting, he's still very much driven by his love for coffee that inspires. After traveling the world and encountering many coffee cultures abroad, Steve Benitez believes that there is no need to look far and wide for an incredible coffee source-- the best is right here, in the Philippines.

Bo's Coffee has been a firm advocate of homegrown coffee for awhile now, strengthening their core identity as a pure homegrown brand while establishing a wider market reach. They have actively engaged farmers from different indigenous communities nationwide in planting and growing 100% Arabica beans, one of the most highly-prized beans in the coffee industry. It is definitely comforting to note that we are supporting the local enterprise with every sip.

During the press gathering, Mr. Benitez mentioned that he has one firm goal in mind, and that is to elevate Philippine coffee to the global market. However, we must all first be proactive "ambassadors" of our own coffee. Very aptly said.

Kudos to Bo's Coffee and Mr. Benitez for such a great endeavor!

Christmas sweets and their signature Artisanal Hot Chocolate! Best friggin' hot chocolate drink ever. I kid you not.

Sweets worth instagramming! Haha

Too pretty for words! These special tumblers are incredible and inspiring especially in person!

Bo's Coffee Founder and CEO Steve Benitez talks about his passion for startup businesses and homegrown coffee.

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Spend a truly meaningful homegrown Christmas by rallying to collect something very special (move over, planners!) and celebrates our colorful culture and national pride-- the Bo's Coffee Origins Fabric Patch Tumbler! Developed with their social and culture enterprise partner Anthill Fabric Gallery, these super limited edition tumblers mix both culture and great talent by showcasing works of weavers from indigenous communities over the country. I don't know what's worth more collecting than that!

These beautiful tumblers feature a variety of fabrics from Sagada, Benguet, Mt. Matutum, Mt. Kitanglad, and Mt. Apo where Bo's Coffee sources its purely Pinoy 100% Arabica beans. Some of the featured fabrics in the tumblers include Paracelis, Bontoc, Kinan-ew, and Abra patterns representing the Cordillera regions of Sagada and Benguet; the Abaca Pinanggabol made of abaca/hemp and woven by the Daraghuyan-Bukidnon tribe from Mt. Kitanglad; and the famous T’nalak created by the dream weavers of South Cotabato, linking it to the origins of Mt. Apo and Mt. Matutum.

I commend Bo's Coffee and Anthill Fabric Gallery for this incredibly sweet and socially-conscious collaboration!

I really do wish Celine would leave me alone. Heck, I wish Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim and all of them would leave me alone, too! Hehehe... there isn't one internet moment where I'm not drooling over their new releases and thinking to myself, "I'll save up so I can get that next year for sure". Then "next year" rolls over, and again, I'll be like, "next year for sure"! Seeing from the dire lack of designer shit in this blog, I'm sure you can tell that that hasn't really materialized yet. Well... we'll always have next year! Lol. Seriously though, I'm still liking parody tees. They're just a tad bit more of a convo piece than your plain tees, right? 

I have to be perfectly honest with you. Aside from regular worries like paying for monthly bills, getting back into shape, and other usual suspects, I constantly think about ways of battling and reversing visible signs of skin aging. I always wake up with a slight fear of seeing new wrinkling and sagging when I check my face out in the mirror. Heaven forbid! Can't blame me though--I just turned 27, and I'm teetering between the fine line of "yeah, I still look like I'm in my twenties" to "oh Lord, I'm almost 30:((" . Being constantly under blinding sunlight, pollution, and other urban elements certainly doesn't help!

I was certainly more than glad and relieved to have received an invite from Elizabeth Arden and Rustans Cebu to spend a day with them to discuss their highly buzzed-about skincare line, the Elizabeth Arden Prevage. Firstly though, how awesome is Elizabeth Arden? Despite the surge of trendier brands, Arden stays ahead of the curve with their best-selling mix of classic staples (like the Red Door and the Eight-Hour Cream, to name a few) and exciting new formulations to keep up with the needs of their modern clientele. Being in business for over a century is certainly proof of the brand's amazing reputation!

Elizabeth Arden products in lovely jewel tones! Their packaging is too pretty to be ignored

Full-sized display of the Elizabeth Arden Prevage line

The lovely ladies of Rustans Marketing Corporation: Division Manager for Fragrances Ms Audrey Canta, Elizabeth Arden Brand Manager Gemma de Costa, and Marketing Communications Head Aireen Mayol

Gizelle, Yves and yours truly with the ladies of Rustans/Elizabeth Arden

with my two favorite event companions! :)

Sample sizes of Elizabeth Arden's best-selling lines, and a full-sized jar of Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules as our take home loot:)

Boasting of several powerful products under its belt, Prevage is Elizabeth Arden's revolutionary new anti-aging line that specifically targets many skin problems and free radicals contributing to premature aging. The flagship product in this line is the Prevage Anti-Aging + Intensive Daily Repair Serum, one of the very few items on the market containing Idebenone, found to be the most powerful anti-oxidant available. Compared to other popular other anti-oxidants like Vit. E, kinetin, Vit.C, CoQ10 and alpha-lipoic acid, Idebenone was found to be the most effective ingredient with an Environmental Protection factor of 95 over 100. It rapidly improves skin elasticity and luminosity in as little as four weeks. And the women have spoken-- studies have shown that 94% of those that have used the Anti-Aging Daily Serum saw dramatic results over a short span of time. 

It is a tad bit pricey, (SRP of the serum is as $159.00 for a full-size bottle) but I'm sure it'll be worth saving up your money for. The ladies of Elizabeth Arden were awesome enough to let us take home sample sizes of their best-selling Visible Whitening and Visible Difference ranges, the Prevage line, and a full-sized jar of their famous gold capsules. We were definitely happy campers!

Happy Sunday, loves!

Elizabeth Arden Prevage and other Elizabeth Arden products are exclusively sold in Rustans branches nationwide.

A lot of ladies know that the brand Laura Mercier sets the bar high when it comes to all things beauty-related and enhancing women features naturally. Though it may be on the tier of what could be considered "pricey" , or "high-end" I think the brand has long proven that the customers get their money's worth. Some friends sing high praises have been singing praises about the brands wonders.

I had the opportunity to check out Laura Mercier during their "Flawless Hits Cebu" mini-event in Rustan's Cebu to celebrate one of their banner products: the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer.

As an advocate of foundation myself, I've always wondered if a primer is an absolute necessity and if it actually makes a lot of difference. Laura Mercier, herself a makeup artist, had these things to say about the importance of foundation primers: