Lost

Top: Eastwood City Bazaar, Corduroy Pants: Thrifted, Flats: SM Department Store,
Leopard print bangles: Girl Shoppe, Vintage brown bangles: Seasons Shangrila Mall,
Necklace: Bubbles

Last Saturday I decided to visit my mom's crypt to avoid the rush of people going to the cemetaries today. Visiting her is the hardest thing in the world for me to do, because its hard for me to walk away, even harder for me to hold back the tears. When I stand there to send up my little prayer to her, I always tell myself to try and get over it, it's been 2 years since she past. And I doubt she'd want to watch me crying from up there, but no matter what I do all those tears just stream down and before I know it my fiance's arm is around me, quietly trying to console me.

Losing her is the most painful thing that has ever happened to me, specially now that I'm preparing for my wedding. Doing all this or even waking up without knowing she's physically around is the kind of painful that doesn't go away. Sometimes I feel totally lost without her, she used to be my condfidant and the person who gave me strength when I needed it the most. Although I know I can't be selfish about it, there are still times I wish that when I wake up in the morning, that I hear her moving around in the kitchen. Or when I come home from work that I can talk to her about what happened to me that day. I know I can still do it now through prayer, but there are just those times I wish I could see her again. So this long weekend has been tough on me because of it. I'm sorry for the sad post but i guess i just couldn't help but vent it all out here.

Thanks for reading and I hope you guys have a great week ahead :)

Feature: Marianne from Not Your Ordinary Beauty Queen

Marianne is all about the basics, I love her style and the way she jazzes up every wardrobe and just makes it look nothing less than classy! I happened upon her blog a few months back, and watching her juggle with school, life and her blog made her one of my favorite bloggers from Manila :D. Check out her blog and be part of her everyday adventures! :D

What do you love most about being a blogger?

I love that I get to meet such friendly and loving people in the blogging community, and some I have considered to be my friends which is entirely priceless! It is so refreshing to be able to put yourself out there and know how much you are being appreciated but most importantly how much appreciation you have for them in return.

What is it that you love most about yourself?

I love that I have such a positive outlook in life! Aside from that, on a physical level, I'd say it's the smile that I totally love about myself! I think more than the outfit, the clothes, make up and everything else, a smile is the best accessory anyone can have along with a great sense of confidence.

What are your favorite accessories?

My favorite accessories are my House of Harlowesque necklace and some leather bands which I absolutely adore. And they seem to be showing up in a lot of my outfit posts in the recent months.

Aside from accessories, what else do you do to jazz up a simple outfit that you put together?

Scarves for me are the perfect accessory, they just give an instant pizzazz and I love all my scarves as they were gifted to me by my aunt who is based abroad.

What is the one thing you splurged on to add to your closet and was it worth it?

I recently purchased for myself these ankle boots from Forever21 which cost about 1500++. I don't think it has been the most expensive item that I've purchased ever, but in the most recent months this has been a splurge item. I totally love it and its vintage look is very versatile. And so far it has served it's purpose since I was able to use it in most of my outfit posts. I can't wait to flaunt them again on my blog :), she's a favorite!

What's the best outfit you have, that you can turn to an outfit for school to an outfit for a night out?

Since we use a uniform to school, the only thing I can think of and could be incorporate here are my school shoes (that's right!). So even though we're required to wear THE uniform, I can still express myself with the shoes I wear which I sometimes use especially when I need to do a quick change from school uniform to a chic but casual wear for a night out.

What kind of pieces do you keep in mind when shopping under a budget?

Most of the outfits I own are really plain jane's as I tend to lean towards more classic pieces as they've lasted me through the years! And since I'm a student with a students budget as well, I try to buy pieces that I can remix with my all my other wardrobe and try to purchase trendier items in smaller items: shoes, bags and accessories.  I also try to keep in mind whenever purchasing items that I would need to be able to rework the item I purchased into different looks as well. Unless I get them on the cheap, like a "dress" I purchased at Forever21 for only 350+Php (I wore it at a Bulgari Event - no kidding!), then I can live with it without a remix in mind. But I'll probably try, just to juggle my brain :D

How would you describe your style?

I realize that for now I have a classic style but with a bit of an edge, I guess it's because of the age :D I hope people can relate and see it through my outfit posts too.

Everyday I'm Thriftin'

Cardigan: Greenhills Bazaar, Dress: Thrifted, Flats: SM Department Store
Belt: SM Department Store Bangles: Thrifted/Seasons Shangrila Mall, Earrings: Gift
Necklace: Bubbles

Okay...not everyday...but you get what I mean :D

Been thrifting a lot these days and it's made me happier than shopping in actual stores. I just usually grab basics in stores, and pieces that I know I'm going to use a lot more than usual. I guess I'm just a sucker for finding fashionable stuff at thrift stores, and even more happy that they cost less :D. I run under a tight budget, with the wedding and bills and grocery (we all know the drill) so the price that the clothes come for are a plus with thrifting :D

Happy weekend everyone! :)
The boy and I went to Greenhills once more last weekend, I recall we rushed over because my favorite yogurt might be in stock and I really wanted to buy a tub before anyone else got their hands on it! I girly-ed up and grabbed one of the dresses I thrifted, it was fresh from the wash and I was excited to take it out for a little spin :D

Cheapskate Tuesdays!

Cover: Thrifted, Top: Thrifted, Jeans: Thirfted, Sandals: Parisian by SM Department Store
Necklace: Bubbles (Php 280), Vintage Bangles: Seasons Shangrila Mall (Php 50)
Leopard Print Bangles: Girl Shoppe (Php 95)

The boy and I hopped on over to Greenhills for a date last Saturday. We've been planning to watch a movie for weeks now, but there was just so much to do, with the wedding that we haven't been able to go on an actual date. It was nice to relax with him, finally after weeks of running around doing errands, we were finally able to enjoy each others company again :).

I pulled out three things from my closet, this sheer cover, a bohemian top and jeans (finally I have jeans...remember the time when I was all about jeggings cause they're the only one that fit properly without growing on me in 3 months?) I've been wanting to wear since I got them. Then I realized while walking around Greenhills that, all these pieces were thrifted (oh yeh, *happy dance*)!

P. S.
He wanted me to show you guys his thirfted shirt :D

Shirt: Thrifted (Php145)

Monday Madness

Top: Vintage, Cardigan: Forever21, Leggings: SM Department Store,
Shoes: Charles and Keith, Belt: Eastwood Mall, Necklace: Bubbles, 
Bangles: Seasons Shangrila Mall, Bracelets: Greenhills, Earrings: Gift

Phew! I've been sooooo busy, apart from the engagement shoot and wedding errands. We landed a big project at work! So expect that I'll be buried in work for the next few days. I wasn't even able to browse through my favorite blogs this morning, which is part of my routine when I get to the office before I start work :(. It's still a good thing though, I haven't had a lot to do in a few months now and the busy schedule is actually nice for a change. Anyway, because of my hectic day, the hours went by real quick! Before I knew it I was on my way home thinking of which outfit to post from the outfit archive :P. I guess that's how it goes when you need more time, it always seems like you don't have enough!

I have had this outfit tucked away in my files since last week, I was supposed to post it then, but since I put on my busy bee wings and had to buzz around, I couldn't blog about it until now. This may very well be my favorite styling of this animal print top from mom's closet :D

I'm still on busy mode for the rest of the week, so I may not be blog hopping and commenting my novel-like-comments. I will however still try and stop by as much as I can and yes, I will still be writing a few entries here and there :D I hope you guys have a fabulous week! :D

P.S. How may times did I say "busy" in this post?? Hahah :P

Busy Bride-to-be

The dress and top were thrifted! I'm posting them soon :D

Pirate outfit by my designer AND stylist Maita :) She's a genius I tell you!

Behind the scenes with Cherryblocks our oh so talented photograhers!  Check out their site, the photos will just blow you away!

Three cameras in front of you can be very very very VERY intimidating, but as the day went on we started to get used to it :D

I'm still here! I'm sorry for the sudden disappearance, I sure hope you haven't forgotten about me. I was running around the rest of the week due to an engagement shoot with the boy and a few wedding errands. It's been such a productive week! :D I only have some previews of the photo shoot, pictures taken by my designer/stylist/awesomesauce friend Maita (thanks a bazillion Maits!). She's such a talented designer, I swear she reads minds, she knows what I want even before I want it! She provided a two outfits and a lot of accessories, she even gave me the second dress I wore and a pair of earrings!!! I couldn't thank her enough for putting up with my indecisiveness, and then styling our engagement shoot PLUS giving me stuff, I feel the love :D. I brought some of my own outfits of course, the last outfit for the shoot was a team effort :). Our venue was a run down theater in Manila called the Metropolitan Theater, it's such a gorgeous place and I just fell in love with it after my maid of honor suggested it and I checked it out online! All in all I was just so happy with how everything turned out and literally exhausted at the end of the day, can't wait to see the photos! :D

Top: Eastwood Bazaar, Belt: Eastwood Bazaar, Skirt: Thrifted, Flats: SM Department Store,  
Necklace: Bubbles,  Bangle: Bubbles, Bracelets: SM Department Store

The boy grabbed some foodies at BonChon :)

I fell in love with this smile <3

<3

For today, we decided to start late and get a few documents for the wedding. I was so happy I made sure to schedule my leave for two days, otherwise I'd zombify and be useless at work the entire day! We made a quick trip to the church where I was baptized, made a few calls for my other requirements and ended the day at Starbucks in Shangrila Mall, but passed by Bon Chon for a bite to eat. I wanted to wear something comfy since I knew we were doing a bit of traveling today so I decided the perfect thing to pull out of my closet was this skirt. I'm in love with her, her name's Aimee, and she'll be over used and abused. I thrifted her even if she is a bit faded, I just couldn't help myself. :)

I hope you all had a great Friday! Happy weekend everyone!

Cheapskate Tuesdays! :D

Presenting, another one of my awkward smiles when someone aside from my fiance takes
my photo. I'm adding this to the awkward smile collection.

Bangles: Seasons Shangrila (Php50, for a whole bag of them), Gold Bracelets: Vintage,
Bracelets: Gift, Ring: Greenhills (Php50)

I did some panic buying last week at the Eastwood Bazaar, I needed some basics to mix and match for our engagement shoot this week and for everyday as well. Aside from the usual thriftshop trip, I decided to go a bit higher on my budget this month, so I rushed over to the bazaar near City Walk and looked around. I found basic tops, in different colors for just 100 pesos each at the bazaar, and a few skirts for the same price. Of course you're going to have to do a little digging for the interesting patterns, like this one I got, but it's well worth it. All in all, splurging (I doubt it could even be called a splurge) on a basic top was good, I'm sure there are so many things I can match them with in my closet :). Nothing with 4 digits on this outfit my friends, nothing! :D

What are your favorite basic peices? :)

P.S.
Isn't that ring just the cutest?? I've been accumulating rings recently...I think it's becoming an addiction.

Omnomnom

The heavenly sight of deserts....Oh so heavenly. Don't you just want shrinkand prance around them in that little plate? Oh never mind, you might get eaten...

Friends chowing down the foot, my fiance's hand quickly getting some rice before it's all
gone!

Happy strolling around Greenbelt, okay fine, we were posing but we made an effort to take
at least one step :D

Top: Eastwood Bazaar, Scarf: Gift, Jeggings: Eastwood Bazaar Sandals: SM Department Store
Bag: Mindanao trip ages ago! Animal print bangles: Girl Shoppe, Shades: Vente Store
Bracelets: Bubbles

A wedding means you have to make sure you have good food, specially if you have guests who are food lovers like mine. So a couple of friends, my wedding planner, my fiance and I made sure that we made the best food choices last Saturday. All I can say is that it was the best food tasting I have ever been in and it will be the last :D I was able to try all the dishes in the menu that we chose and I got to decide all the dishes with the help of awesomesauce friends! The other best part about it is, we got an entire desert bar, with 12, yes TWELVE different deserts!!! We became little Taz Manian Devils after all that sugar, oh the sugar high happiness I tell you, I couldn't believe we even tried ALL of them. The rest of the foods servings were small, but since it was a food tasting, it still seemed like there was so much to try, food comma commenced right after. I'm really really really happy with this caterer :D. Hooray! We finally have one three months before our wedding! Talk about last min preparations!

On to my outfit, I wanted to be comfy, able to carry around my "food-baby" (term taken from Laura) but stylish at the same time. Doesn't it look effortless? :D I finally found my favorite comfy outfit, congratulate me :) it was difficult but I finally got here. Cameele wore her black top that I love, denim shorts, and heels making her legs endless comparted to my stubby ones. But that's okay, I think we both looked fab that day :D

I hope your weekend went great! Have an awesome week everyone :D

Feature: Laura of The Blog of Worldly Delights

Laura is one of my favoritest(estestestest) bloggers, when I first checked out her blog I was an instant fan! I love reading through her 6-month challenge adventures and really admire her will power. Aside from her 6 month challenge, I was amazed at how she can alter her thrift shop finds and totally transform it! You guys have to go check out her site to learn more about her, her awesome style and her fashion challenge! :D But first...

What do you love about yourself and why?
I love that I am very open-minded and flexible. Because of these, I am able to embrace different styles. It also makes me more well-rounded as a person and more approachable!

What is it that you love most about being a blogger and/or blogging and why?
I love the blogging community. There are so many great people out there with amazing opinions, fashion outputs, and just great personalities! Getting to meet and bond with these people are definitely the BIG pluses of blogging.

What are your favorite accessories?
I love rings. Especially huge, gaudy, statement pieces. I'm too lazy to change my earrings or necklaces everyday, but changing rings is so easy, and having one or two alters a look quite drastically!

What is the one thing you splurged on to add to your closet and was it worth it?
I am a total cheapskate. I rarely buy anything full price, and if I do, they have to be less than $50. I've always had this mindset, especially because I am always on a student's budget. But last year, I splurged on a real leather jacket. I'd been wanting a leather jacket for as long as I can remember, but just couldn't find one that fit me just right. This one from Black Rivet looked lovely and was $170 or so.

What is your favorite comfy outfit and why?
When I want to be comfy, I grab one of my superhero tees and pair it with either jeans or leggings. Tees, denim, and leggings are very easy to move in, and I can go from doing one activity to another in moments. However, I make sure to get a more fitted-tee or denim so as not to look sloppy, and wear my leggings with a jersey skirt, for modesty's sake.

Do you have any advise to anyone who wants to start doing a challenge like your 6-month challenge?
 Before going into a challenge, make sure you have set goals. I published mine on this page to make sure I was reminded why I went into the challenge in the first place. Motivation is key to succeeding in any challenge!

Do you have any DIY/sewing tips for beginners?
Be positive. Sewing is a lot of fun and is a great outlet for creativity! I'm not the best seamstress, but with a lot of practice and patience, it gets easier each time! Also, start small. There are a lot of easy crafts that you can practice stitches on. If you hand-sew, you can practice hemming or embroidering. If you want to work with a sewing machine, you can make skirts as your first project!

How would you describe your style?

I'd like to think that I'm sort of kinda like an edgy geek. My specs really dictate most of the geekiness (superhero pins, tees, and paraphernalia, aside), and I love wearing darker colors and elements. When wearing girlier pieces, I tend to even them out with edgier pieces as well, so I don't look too sweet.

Wide legness

Shrug: Landmark Makati - Top: Landmark Makati - Pants: Thirfted
Shoes: Fioni from Payless - Animal print bangles: Girl Shoppe
Vintage bangles: Seasons Shangrila Mall - Bracelets: Greenhills
Connector ring: Bubbles

When I went thrifting last month and the one thing that I really wanted to find was wide legged pants. I was sure I was going to find a pair, I didn't have a specific color in mind but it was definitely on my list. We were moving through the 40 peso racks when something told me to hop on to the 20 peso racks up front. I looked through and found these babies! Really cute pinstripe kind of wide leg-y pants, oh joy! Oh rapture! A friend who was looking through another rack told me I shouldn't get them, but I just could not help myself. So what if I'd spend a big bulk of my morning pulling out every top in my closet trying struggling to style it? So what if I spend sleepless nights thinking of what top, what shoes, what accessories. It needed a home and my closet was comfy :). And the fact that it was just 20 pesos made the decision even easier! I've styled it a few different ways, but this is the first one I'm showing you guys. I'd like to style them with a really nice white t-shirt and a cute scarf for a laid back look. Would you guys know where I can buy a lose white shirt with a good shape? I've tried mens shirts but I just look too bulky on top *sigh* it's so difficult to find the right white tee...help? :)

Rain?

Top: Landmark Makati Dress: SM Department Store Rain boots: Plueys
Earrings: Seasons Shangrila Necklace: Bubbles Bracelets: Bubbles
Bangles: Girl Shoppe

It's October and I realized that the weather is off, the best term (I read) for it (and what everyone is calling it now, at least) is bipolar, we are having bipolar weather. I turn around for one second and it's raining, I look away again and all of a sudden the sun is peeking through the clouds and before I run around in bliss it's gone again, and then..okay I know, you get the point. You can just imagine how bipolar I get when it comes to deciding on foot wear as well! I have two heels I keep at the office and the rest I bring in my really really big bag, which can be annoying specially on a commute. It takes so much effort to be cute when it starts raining, my bangs shrivel into one bang and waves to a direction that really isn't very flattering. For a distraction I picked this outfit, maybe I hope and pray, it will make up for the hair disaster on my head :D

Cheapskate Tuesdays - When DIY becomes your best friend

On my last cheapskate post, thriftshops were my best friends, I decided that I can have two or more, thus, I am considering DIY my best friend too! Lets update our best friend list shall we? I don't always do a lot of DIY, mostly because I'm really really really (tremendously) bad at it. The best example is my all time favorite bow tie creation, from the back all you can see is disheveled cloth weird knots and uneven stitches, but it works, and I love to wear it :). It's making another appearance, on my blog once again, because I have no other bow ties to speak of (I'm getting some more soon...or making some more, and/or similar).

For my cheapskate entry today, I'm posting the outfit that I wore at the Trendsetter's Bazaar last Saturday :D

Blazer:Thrifted, Shorts:Eastwood City Bazaar, Tights:SM Department Store,
Shoes:VNC, Bracelets:Bubbles, Bangles:Girl Shoppe, Earrings: Seasons, Shangrila Mall
Bag:Mindanao trip years ago!

For the booties, I found a cheaper alternative (because there is ALWAYS a cheaper alternative):

1. The Lafiel Lockhart Online store:

Has a bit of a girly spin too because of the pretty laces (Php 1160)

2. Another one from the Lafiel Lockhart Online store:

For a sexier look :D (Php1420)

3. Parisian Shoes from SM Department Store:
I went to check out some booties at Megamall and were able to find quite a few that would really go well with the outfit as well, as low as Php1000-1300 a pair :). Style Bible featured their Spring/Summer Collection, but I noticed a few new designs up on display :D.

On another note, this outfit was featured by Female Network in their 35 Casual Chicas at Fahion Palooza: A Trendsetter's Bazaar post! YAY!!! :D Thank you so much Female Network for adding this outfit to your collection :). Just goes to show that, even if you are a total cheapskate you can still save up and walk around in style :)

Trendsetter's Bazaar - Temptation at it's best.

I was really excited to see what was in store at this bazaar, the only bazaar I frequent is the one near our office that opens almost every week at Eastwood. SO it was nice to be able to get a glimpse at what I could get my hands on at the Trendsetter's Bazaar. Before I start off with this post though, I'd like to thank Ms. Pax of Drowning Equilibriums for inviting some of her readers to this event, it was kind of cool to find my name on the guest list :D, so thank you thank you thank you again! :D

 

I spent the first part of my trip to Rockwell at Starbucks near the bazaar, with my two good friends and colleagues Cameele and Earl :D. Earl was our designated male companion for the bazaar (I still think he was down right crazy for coming with us though). Of course we kept on asking if he was alright, having to run around with girls who squealed over shoes, bags, and the latest fashion trends, but he was such a sport and very persistent on us buying something so he could be useful and carry some of our purchases.

I went around and took shots of some of my favorite items, BUT I did not buy a thing. Yes my friends, not a thing, I know I'm such a bad cheapskate. It's just that I'm saving up for one of my most prized accessory (my very first tattoo, dedicated to my mom) so I'm still very picky about what I buy. It wasn't that I didn't want to leave with anything at all, it just took a lot of will power not to buy anything and I was truly triumphant!

Here are some of my favoritestestest stores that I stumbled upon:

 

Of course the very first stall I walked toward is Estrellas Manila, I couldn't keep my eyes off all her accessories, they're all so gorgeous! I was so happy to find that she has an online store! This means shopping for me, specially now that it's already 2 months before Christmas! :D

 Since I've been all about accessories lately, I couldn't help but notice another store called M Shoppe that had super gorgeous earrings. There was also some zebra print bags that I had my eye on, the one on the second picture in particular because it looked so professional :D really good for spicing up your wardrobe at work!

I got my eye on those plain loafers :P

This bag from Sole Sister Lifestyle is the best everyday bag you can find. I wasn't able to take a photo of the pockets inside but I was super impressed when I found that there was a slot for flats!!! And I'm always bringing flats to the office specially when I'm commuting to work. They come in such cute colors too!

I almost pulled out my wallet at the sight of Rome, there is one shoe that has been haunting me from the start and I was so excited to see it live! Hahahah yeah I know it's silly that I didn't get it but I was all about self control that day! :D Can you guys guess which one I was planning to get??? :D

I seriously almost cried at the site of these gorgeous leopard print pumps...I even fit them, not to mention, I was wearing black tights and they just....I can't even....I just have to hop on to the next store because, these were my utmost temptation of the day.

One of my favorite skirts from Sesa! I really love the pattern on it super lush! And these colors are just gorgeous don't you think?? :)

I was so happy that we made one last round, just to find the gorgeous bags of Abby Jocson. These babies will speak for themselves, they're simple but super chic, I can't wait to get my hands on one! What initially caught my eye was the zebra print bag, which is really really gorgeous, but then I saw the yellow one with pockets up front and a camel colored version...OH MY! Really great for everyday, or even for work! I love that they're not overly decorated, and all have nice basic colors :D

All in all, even if I didn't buy anything, I was really happy to see what was at this bazaar. I was even happier to be able to check out online stores and find more online stores as well! We ended the day at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf with a few (free) drinks (thanks Bianca!! :D) and chatting with friends, which is always the best way to end a great day :)

Borrowed this shot from Cameele

EDIT: I am never leaving empty handed ever again!!!!!