How much did this day suck? Let me count the ways.

- I am still sick. I've been sick since Sunday afternoon and I haven't really had enough time to rest and recover. It's the last week of the month and there are so much to do: reports to submit, calendars to prepare, and stuff to send out that I don't really have the option to miss work even for a day. This weekend won't give me any reprieve at all as well, as Bloggers United V will be held in SMX this Saturday and I will be busy selling clothes, bags, shoes, and accessories at ridiculously low prices all day long. Hope to see you there!

- The rain ruined my shoes after I went out to buy doughnuts and milk tea that I had to walk drag my right foot reeeeeeally slowly because the straps of my heels got completely detached from the soles! Good thing my officemate Rica was with me. Argh, just remembering earlier's scene makes me hate this day so much.

Casualty

- As mentioned above, I have so much work to do that I had to miss two events I wanted to go to so badly.  I was looking forward to seeing my friends, especially a former officemate I haven't seen for, what, more than a year now? But oh well, a girl with a call of duty's gotta do what a girl with a call of duty's gotta do.

- One of my closest and oldest friends is leaving the country to work abroad, and to be honest I feel like I would feel so lost without her. She has always been one of the strongest voices of reason in our group, and even though I am months older than her, she is much more mature than me. I am really going to miss her, I am really going to miss us - because even though we admit it or not, our group knows that things will never be the same again.

This day really sucked balls and I was feeling pretty somber already that I thought I would eat dinner, read a chapter or two in Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, and go to sleep with a sad heart. 

But this day is another proof that when you least expect it, Life comes and throws a little surprise your way.

On my way home from work, one of my favorite writers Iain S. Thomas tweeted and I replied (yeah I do that, I tweet people I am a fan of even without the assurance of a response):

Aside from the fact that I am here, he's been talking a lot about how he wants to visit Manila and so this tweet is perfectly justifiable. Next thing I know, he tweets this:

So, yes, ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS IS GOING TO VISIT MANILA AND I DON'T CARE WHEN OR HOW BUT IAIN S. THOMAS WILL GO TO MY COUNTRY AND I CAN LISTEN TO HIM READ ONE OF HIS WORKS IN PERSON AND ISN'T THAT AWESOME??

Also, I'm glad I was able to talk to another former officemate just a couple of hours ago. I don't know why, but when I heard her voice on the phone I completely lost it and bawled. Maybe I just missed her so much. I'm thankful for friendships that last even without seeing one another for so long, and I'm counting for the same thing to happen with me and my friend who will go abroad to work.

I was expecting to write a bitter post just to express my disappointment for this day, but I realized that there is always, always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Thank you, Life.

PS: Blog post title is the title of a Fun. song that I really like. I love Nate Ruess so much.

Bloggers United Strikes Five!

Yes folks, you heard that right. The much-awaited fifth installment of the Bloggers United Bazaar is happening next Saturday at SMX and I am slightly panicking as I haven't done any preparations yet giddy with excitement!

Get ready for another round of intense shopping experience as 60+ of Manila’s top fashion bloggers open their closets once again in a big bazaar this June 1, from 10am to 8pm at our best venue yet, the SMX Convention Center (Function Room 3)! Bloggers United gets even BIGGER with our partner bazaar The Great Luxe Sale of Mall of Asia and SMX, happening from May 31 to June 2 at the SMX Hall 1. 

Celebrity bloggers Divine Lee, Victor Basa, Laureen Uy, Camille Co, Nicole Anderson, and Maggie Wilson will all grace the event, plus international blogger Maya Kibbel of Elle Girl Japan!

End summer with a bang at BU5! What to expect:

1) Great finds for less, perfect for revamping your look as another school year starts!

2) Meet and interact with style bloggers and online friends!

3) Contribute to Bloggers United 5’s partner charity Diksyunaryo Atbp. Bring old (or new) books as we will accept donations at the registration booth!

4) Lots of games, music, and other exciting surprises from our BU5 partners!

Don’t forget to charge your cameras, stash some extra cash, and dress your best as we celebrate another day of personal style and expression! Tickets will be sold for P100 available in all SM Cinemas nationwide. You could also buy at the event venue. Use GCASH to purchase your tickets to get 50% discount, plus awesome freebies! See you there!

For more information and updates, follow Bloggers United:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Official Hashtag: #BU5

In Partnership with:

Diskyonaryo ATBP.

SMX Convention Center

SM Tickets

CO-PRESENTERS

Benefits Style Salon

Crocs

Flipsters

Free Fish

Globe GCASH

Godiva Natural Skin Care

MadhouseMNL

Marie Claire

PAC The Professional Artist Cosmetics

Res | Toe | Run

S&H

SeaVees

Shulong

Sorci Age by Wacoal

Swims

The School of Satchel

Wacoal

MAJOR SPONSORS

Browhaus

Hospitality International, Inc.

I Love KOI Swimwear

Pazzo

Strip: Ministry of Waxing

The Picasso Boutique Services Residences

Zalora Philippines

MINOR SPONSORS

Beauty & Butter Salon

Giordano

Style Locale

ZenZest

Rockport

  

MEDIA SPONSORS

Stylebible.ph

Cosmo.ph

ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc.

Diva Universal

Chalk Magazine

MEG

MegaStyle.PH

Metro Magazine

Spot.PH

Status Magazine

TheMall.PH

WheninManila.com

DONORS

Arajera

May Fashion

Pink Fashion

Now here comes the fun part. Shopping is better when done with friends, amirite? And so I am giving away ten pairs of passes to BU5 so you and your plus one can join in on the fun without having to pay for the admission fee!

Check out this Rafflecopter widget to join:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends on Wednesday night and winners will be announced here on Thursday, so don't forget to leave your name and email address when you join. Good luck!

PS: I will be selling lots of pretty clothes and bags at ridiculously low prices so I hope to see you at my booth! *kisses*

Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013: SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian Shoes and Bags

Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 was kick-started with SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian Shoes and Bags' show last Wednesday night, and our team is honored to handle the PR for the event. I was in charge of the registration for our friends from the blogging community as well as the winners of the contest hosted by our chosen bloggers.

The show was slated for 8:00 PM but we were there as early as 10:00 AM.

Gerick, Marco, me, Far, Rica, and Anne

Our bosses Celine and Jenny

Instead of showcasing the Holiday 2013 collection, SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian Shoes and Bags decided to stay current and feature the Summer 2013 collection instead.  Presenting pieces from Studio S, Philosophy, NY Square, Weekender, Folio, SM Classics, and Coco Cabana, SM Ladies' Fashion sets to provide us women with the chicest options to suit a variety of lifestyles. Here are some photos from the runway showing the looks I loved:

Divine Lee, Ingrid Chua-Go, and Ruffa Gutierrez also worked with the brand by walking down the runway wearing SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian Shoes and Bags.

I love that the collection was styled so well and everything is wearable. You may not be able to see the shoes that clearly in the photos but they all polished the looks nicely. All shoes are from Parisian Shoes and Bags and they came up with two new collections: Mod and Music Fest.

Bring back the vibe of the swinging 60s with two new collections that truly capture the spirit of the hippie subculture, in styles that have been updated to suit our modern times. Here are some of my favorites:

I wish I have loads of money so I can buy every single thing I want here!

In other news, I am so glad I already gained a little weight and filled out all my dresses that used to hang loose on me. Here is what I wore that night:

Good times. Thank you for having us, SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian Shoes and Bags! Click the links to visit their respective Facebook pages.

For more photos, please visit ARC Public Relations' official Facebook page.

Note to self: just wing it.

I know I should be sleeping now because I need to brace myself for a long day tomorrow, but I'm feeling restless.

Philippine Fashion Week starts tomorrow, and we are in charge of SM Ladies' Fashion. Being the Online Relationship Manager, I will be in charge of bloggers. Although I have met more than 90% of those invited and am even friends with around half of them, I'm still terrified because, well, I am one of the most awkward persons I know.

Whatever. I guess I'm just going to have to wing it.

Little black dress and heels? Check. New hair color? Check. Makeup skills? I'll do a smokey eyes-look tomorrow. Check. Accessories? Almost done preparing.

I need to remember to inhale-exhale tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me?

Time to DIY dye: Review of Richenna Bubble Color in Red Wine

I am bored of my hair. There, I said it: I am bored of my hair. I don't know if I should stay with this pixie cut or whether I should grow it out. Everyone tells me I look better with short hair though, so I guess having long hair again, at least for now, is not an option. The challenge lies in updating my hairstyle without being limited by its length, by exploring other ways I can change it up without making any drastic changes like shaving half my head or having a fauxhawk.

The easiest solution: hair color!

The last time I had my hair colored was in September of last year, and I've grown it out since then. I wanted so badly to color my jet-black hair but I don't want to cough out more than a thousand bucks for it, so I figured I should try the DIY route.

There's only one problem: I've never done it before.

Still, there's a first time for everything. Last Thursday, as I was in Watsons, the many different brands of hair dyes caught my eye and, well, you know the rest. I got a box of Richenna Bubble Color in Red Wine for only P309 (on sale from the original price of P349.50). The packaging is so kawaii I had no qualms getting it! From what I understand, it is a Korean brand. The box says it doesn't have ammonia, that's a good thing! For that price, you get everything here:

Bubble color, developer, pump bottle, plastic cape, one pair of gloves, a sachet of conditioner, and an instruction booklet
Not bad, right?

I started with this hair color:

I have really dark hair so I didn't have high expectations. My only wish is for my hair to turn just a wee bit lighter.

I read the instruction booklet about three times. Good thing it's written in English!

I wore the cape and gloves and got to work. First, you have to pour both the dye and the developer in the pump bottle, then invert it around five times after making sure the cap is secure. Do not shake vigorously because the mixture might not turn into foam!

The mixture will turn a little warm and come out as foam when you pump it out.

Apply on dry hair but be careful because you don't want it dripping on your skin and clothes!

The booklet says wait for 30 minutes, but I took my chances and waited for an hour before I rinsed it out heh.

I was a little scared before I rinsed it out because I was worried that the formula is not really right for me and I would end up with big clumps of my hair on the bathroom floor, but thankfully that didn't happen. I was still terrified a bit though because the water turned dark red and then dark purple when I stepped under the shower-head ha ha.

Here are the after photos!

Did you like it? I do! As I said earlier, I wasn't really expecting that much because of the price. I am pleased to say I got what I paid for, and a wee bit more. Here's my quick pros and cons list about Richenna Bubble Color.

What I liked:
- Accessible. Available at the many Watsons branches nationwide!
- Variety. There are a lot of other colors available. I think I'd like to try Pink Brown next.
- Affordable. At P349.50 a pop, it wouldn't be that difficult to try a new hair color every couple of months *wink*
- Easy to use. Everything you would need to color your hair is included in the box. No need to buy other stuff separately!

What I didn't like:
- The smell. But then again, it smells exactly like what they use in salons so I'm not sure if it should belong in this list.
- Although the conditioner helped, it wasn't enough to make my hair as smooth as before I dyed it. Still, there's nothing that a deep hair conditioning mask couldn't overcome ;)
- I wasn't able to apply to all areas equally, so I might need someone else's help next time. I liked that it gave my dye job more "character" though, if there is ever such a thing. LOL.

So there you have it, folks. My first ever DIY dye job. It involves some serious work in the forms of arm exercise and lots of waiting, but I think I did okay. I'm excited for my next hair experiment!

Bored and Crafty fan

I have a special spot in my heart for handmade pieces, mainly because they have an inherent charm that cannot be replicated by mass-produced and factory-made products.

I also have a bit of an artsy side in me and I have already tried my hands on a number of craft projects, but I can never match the skills and talent of Meream. We've never met in person but we've been online friends for years now, and it all started when I left a comment on her blog expressing my admiration for her craft. She sews, paints, draws, carves, and makes miniature houses (I love her dollhouse so much, she made my alternate universe-self a tenant in the Alcott Study!) among other things! Seriously, you have to visit her Facebook page to see some of the stuff she has made.

I can never sew to save my life so I'm always amazed that she is able to make her own clothes. I've bugged her to make me a skirt or a dress but she hasn't budged (yet!) but I'm glad that she has finally opened her own shop so I can have some of her darling works of art.

Last month I got a pouch from her and she gave me a lovely banner as a present. I already have more than enough pouches in my life but I couldn't resist this one, mostly because the fabric reminded me of one of my favorite books I've read recently, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

And now, I am proud to say that I am the first owner of a Thimblecap Kindle case!

She even threw in a bow bracelet for free. See the other designs here, too cute to resist! Aww Meream, you spoil me endlessly. ❤

It is very well-made and has foam so I am assured that my Kindle Max is protected. I bring him everywhere in my bag so I am thrilled he has a new home. Looking forward to all the new places and dimensions we will go to together.

And look! It fits inside the pouch I got last month! I really, really love the vintage feel of this fabric, complete with maps and hot air balloons, as well as the word CIRCUS written on some of them. Read The Night Circus, too, and you will understand.

Meream makes phone cases and iPad cases, too! Visit her shop to see more.

Thank you so much for sharing your crafts with us, Meream! I am excited to see more. Still waiting for the day you'll sell made-to-order dresses and skirts, though. ;)

“And there are never really endings, happy or otherwise.

Things keep going on, they overlap and blur,

your story is part of your sister’s story is part of many other stories,

and there is no telling where any of them may lead.”

— The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

Win: SM Ladies' Fashion PFW passes

After liking everything our friends from the press and I saw at the SM Ladies' Fashion PFW preview last month, I got even more excited to see the rest of what SM Ladies' Fashion has rolled up in their metaphorical sleeves!

SM Ladies’ Fashion is opening Philippine Fashion Week with a bang! Florals, geometric patterns, Asian-inspired cuts, and more are only a few of the trends fans can expect to see at this year’s clothing extravaganza. With well-loved brands SM Classics, Folio, Weekender, Studio S, Philosophy, and Coco Cabana taking center stage, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to.

And because I want to let as much people as I can in on the fun, I am holding a quick giveaway with the help of SM Ladies' Fashion and ARC Public Relations! One winner can get two passes to the show at SMX  Hall 3 on May 22, 8 PM, and a special SM Ladies' Fashion gift bag!

Check out the Rafflecopter widget below to join:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest ends on Sunday night, and the winner will be announced in this post on Monday! He or she can then claim his/ her prize at the venue before the show starts so make sure to check your email because I will email the details to you. ;)

I am so excited for this. Good luck, everyone!

EDITED 20 May 2013

Congratulations Shayne Marie Albano, you won my giveaway! Please wait for my email so I can tell you how to claim your prize. See you at the show!

Thanks to everyone for joining! Stay tuned as I have more giveaways coming up

*(*´∀｀*)☆

SM Kids' Fashion: Back-to-School Bazaar

Back when I was still studying, one of the things I always looked forward to was back-to-school shopping. My mom would set aside a special week for us to get almost everything that we would need for the coming school year: school supplies, shoes and uniforms, and other things like lunch boxes or water jugs. Of course, we made sure we never forgot to update our wardrobe as well.

Now I have some great news for all parents out there: SM Kids' Fashion will be holding a Back-to-School Bazaar at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 1 from tomorrow until May 19! I encourage you to go, especially those who haven't prepared anything yet for the school year ahead.

SM Kids’ Fashion Back-to-School Bazaar has everything kids need to start the school year right. Here’s a one-stop shopping trip that brings in big savings on fun and functional everyday apparel, underwear, supplies, bags, socks, and other essentials. With all these under one roof, there’s no better place to stock-up on all those classroom necessities. 

Get everything at great value with up to 50% off on selected items from SM Kids’ Fashion. Save more with 0% interest on installment payments with selected credit cards on every Php 3,000 minimum purchase from May 16 to 19, 2013 and buy now, pay later with BDO credit cards from April 16 to July 15, 2013. Visitors can also cut Php 100 off every purchase with MasterCard’s instant rebate program from April 15 to June 30, 2013.

With clothes, undies, socks, school bags, school supplies, and even snacks for recess in one sprawling hall, it is literally a one-stop shop!

Jen and Sofi

Ava's babies, Asher and Athan

Sarah and me

Ruth and me

The best thing about going to the bazaar? The extravagantly inexpensive price tags! I liked all of these -

Barbie leggings in various designs

That pair of pink and white Barbie polka dot trousers stole my heart

- but ultimately I realized they are much too "young" for me and anyway I need to start dressing more seriously now. So, I got these instead:

Beige polka dot sweater and denim jacket
Both from ELLE
Total damage in the wallet: P1,060 only for both!

A little bit more serious but still a lot of fun, yes? I really like the top and jacket I got! Can it start raining soon just so I would have a reason to wear them outside?

So there! Mommies and daddies, don't forget to visit SM Kids' Fashion's Back-to-School Bazaar at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 1 from tomorrow until Sunday for great yet affordable finds for your kids!

Enjoy shopping! ;)