Unarosa's Top 10 fab and fashionable gift suggestions (plus, party dresses, too!)

We feature fashion boutique Unarosa in OK! magazine all the time. It's not just a Proudly Pinoy brand, the dresses are really actually amazing. The designs are definitely gorgeous, well made, and come in limited stock so you can be sure your pretty party dress won't be on 999 other girls in town!

For their holiday collection, the brand pays homage to film noir femme fatales. Lush textures, dramatic details, sexy silhouettes, rich hues--definitely something you might want to consider for the parties you'll attend!

Here's a peek at the making-of-the-ad-campaign for the Neo Noir Collection:

Unarosa Holiday 2011 from Unarosa on Vimeo.

Now if you're not done with your gift shopping, drop by any of the Unarosa boutiques and grab one or more of their gift suggestions for the stylish people in your life (including yourself!):

Black chain-print scarf, P635

Red handbag with contrast stitching, P1760

Faux croc-skin with gold buckles, P1760

Vintage chain necklace with tribal design pendant, P535

Bib necklace with chains and feathers, P795

Silver-plated earrings, P325

Gold-plated shell earrings, P325

Silver stud ring, P445 

Gold snake wrap ring, P445

Brown tribal-print scarf, P635

Trivia: Celebrities like Miriam Quiambao and Empress Shuck love Unarosa.


Unarosa is located at 5/L Shangri-La Plaza, 4/L The Block, SM North Edsa, 2/L Annex II, SM Fairview, 2/L Bldg. A, SM Megamall, G/F Shoppesville, Greenhills, and L/1 Marquee Mall, Pampanga. For more information on Unarosa, log on to www.una-rosa.com. For more updates, like Unarosa on Facebook, www.facebook.com/unarosafashion or follow Unarosa on Twitter, www.twitter.com/UNAROSA_tweets.

I'm baaaaaack!

Wow. I have been gone from the fashion and beauty blogging world for months!

Will make up for that soon. In fact, I'll give a sneak peek at my makeup kit--something I've never done because I didn't want to give away my tried-and-tested beauty arsenal!

What you see above is my absolute no-fail makeup products. Benefit Benetint, Bobbi Brown bronzer, NARS blush, Body Shop makeup brushes, Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skin Tone Illuminator, Model Co. eyebrow kit, La Mer lip balm, La Mer powder and La Mer concealer.

I have bad skin--years of acne have led to scars and spots. But no one ever notices because of my ever reliable makeup. And I don't even pile them on. So even if the products I use are expensive, because a little goes a long way, they last forever. They end up not costing a lot at all. Try them!

Crazy colorful shades from Emporio Armani

These are totally insane!

Emporio Armani is celebrating 30 years in the fashion industry with this psychedelic capsule eyewear collection. They are love! So much fun to look at and, I confess, to collect! The oversize round ones are for women and the aviato-style ones are for men. Both are absolutely transparent and come in delicious colors!

These frames will feature "30 Emporio Armani" on the lens. Lest we forget how old the fashion house is. Well, 30 never looked so fun and fashionable! I want this! I want them all!

Emporio Armani is at Greenbelt 4.

Loving Stila's eye defining pens

Like the new duchess, I like eye liner. I don't have lush lashes, you see, so I rely on eyeliner to define my eyes.

image source

Unlike Catherine, I don't go overboard! Better to keep the eye liner soft since this defines the eyes without making it look smaller, which tons of eye liner tend to do. But don't get me wrong--I love Catherine! She's my hair and style idol!

Anyway, I use Stila liquid eye liner. I love it! It's so easy to use. I never make a mistake when lining my eyes and it stays put all day, despite the heat and humidity. So I got really excited when Stila announced they have new eye liners for their 2011 Fall Collection.

Here's the new Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, P745. It glides on lids and can be applied thinly or boldly!

I love liquid eye liner because it's easy to apply. A lot of girls won't agree with me, though. Liquid means you have to be very precise, with hands that do not shake at all. But I love my Stila liquid liner because the brush point is so thin, I can draw a skinny line first then just build on it. I can do cat's eye easily!

But if you prefer gentler and mistake-proof application but just as impressive results, the Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liners, 895, are fabulous for the job. They're much more fun with lots of shimmery colors to choose from: triggerfish, lionfish, moray, bluefin, stingray, silver dollar, blue ribbon, peacock, purple tang. Personally, I like moray, which is green. Green brings out the brown of my eyes!

Stila is available at Rustan's Essenses.

Check out my gorgeous new hair! My many kinds of hair! (Thanks, Tokyo P.O.S.H.!)

Having very thin, fine and flat hair, I have never really grown my hair long. Well, maybe once or twice it's grown as far down as my bra strap but by then it looked like a sad skinny sheet. Because of that, I usually keep my hair's length to as short as a bob to as long as just past my shoulders.

A few weeks ago, The Picky Dresser told me, "I think you'll look so much better with long hair." I told her my dilemma. She laughed, "Do hair extensions! Go to Tokyo P.O.S.H.!" And so I Tweeted about it and the owner of the hair boutique, Denise Aquino, just happened to see my Tweet and we arranged to meet.

But first! This is what my hair looks like. This is my hair when it's unstyled--it's messy, wavy and very fine and soft. Like baby hair. I usually pull it up in a bun or pony. For events I have to work in hair thickener, blow dry then put in curlers for about 10-15 minutes, then blast on hairspray for hold. But because of the humidity, my hair still falls flat within an hour or so.

So when I walked into the Tokyo P.O.S.H. salon, I really was open to anything and yet I was also a bit leery. Hair extensions are so... Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears and J.Lo and... Oh, hair extensions are so Hollywood! And as the editor-in-chief of OK! magazine, I really ought to give this a try.

Then I saw this:

I got a bit creeped out. It looks like someone's scalp! But the hair is so soft and silky that I had to ask, "Is this human hair?" Denise Aquino, the super stylish owner of Tokyo P.O.S.H., giggled, "No! It's high quality fiber from Japan!" Then Denise showed off her own gorgeous mane of hair, "This is hair extensions! Semi-permanent so I have them on, wash them with shampoo, style. But for you, let's try clip-on extensions. It's for girls who can't commit!"

Here's what it looks like underneath. Clips! You tie back half of your hair and clip the extensions under your lifted hair. Release your real hair and voila!

Instant long hair that's already curled and styled! Definitely saves you a lot of time in front of the mirror! The great thing about the Tokyo P.O.S.H. (that's Put On Styled Hair) is their extensions aren't woven, braided or sewn into your hair. So if you feel like wavy today, straight tomorrow, shoulder-length for lunch, then cascading mane for dinner, you can! Just snap on, twist in or tie up! Easy! So perfect for lazy me!

Anyway, the next extension I tried was a twisty. I'll confirm the names later on but for now I do remember this is a twisty. It's like a foot-long wire of short waves. Most of us, when we put our hair in a bun, don't have huge masses of  tresses to make an impressive bun. Well, the twisty solves that--you twist it around your little bun and... presto!

The next thing I tried on was the wrappy. It's basically a sheet of hair that you wrap around your ponytail. Yes, so that instead of your scraggly pony, you have a fountain of lustrous thick locks. See below? That's my real ponytail. It's pathetic.

But with the wrappy, my pony can look this amazing!

There's sleek and straight.

There's sexy and wavy.

I liked the sleek one. Just look at that tail!!! It's amazing! In fact, this was the extension I loved best and took home (thanks, Denise!). I walked around Power Plant and, I swear to you, people treated me better! So that's what having long, thick hair feels like! And when I got home, my husband was just bowled over. It was a ponytail! I think it's the sexiest ponytail ever!

Anyway, I did get to try out one last look--the super long waves-tumbling-down-your-back extensions. I kinda felt weird with such long hair and so much of it, too.

But after staring and staring at myself in the mirror and then later at these photos, I think this is the next style I'm getting. Just look at how much younger I look!

This is me with the utterly fab Denise. She got the idea of hair extensions from her days as a fashion student at Tokyo's premier fashion school Bunka Fashion College. She said that in Japan, fashion isn't just clothes and accessories--the Japanese really literally plan their look from hair and makeup down to their nail polish and shoes. And hair is just a fashion accessory, too. They don't get limited by what they were born with; they just collect hair in all sorts of lengths, textures and colors!

Denise figured that we fashionable Pinays can benefit from this trick. I certainly did! I can't wait for the Kate Middleton waves coming this November. I'm definitely getting myself that. I also want blunt bangs, a twisty and that looooong wavy mass of gorgeousness above. Tokyo P.O.S.H., you just changed my life!

Tokyo P.O.S.H. has a salon at Power Plant Mall, right beside Kabisera. There's also Extensions by Tokyo P.O.S.H. at the third floor of SM North EDSA's main mall. For more info, here's their Facebook page. Girls, go get hair extensions now!

How I care for my leather bags. Thanks, Apple Brand!

I sell these fabulous bags. They're bespoke leather satchels. The whole story is here--yes, go and read it because it's quite romantic! And if you want to get yourself your own bag, click here!

Anyway, this post is for all of you who love their leather bags but are now lamenting the rainy weather. What is up with this weather?! I love the rain, the gloom, the gray. But even this more than a week-long storminess has gotten to me... and my bags and shoes! So how do I protect my precious leather loves? With the Apple Brand Purse Priming Set!

First thing I do is wipe my bags with a dry soft cloth, like an old sock. I use a slightly damp cloth for areas like the bottom part and the handles. I wait to dry. Then I lovingly apply leather conditioner all over the bag. Just enough to keep the leather supple but not so much that the leather gets wet.

Then I buff away with the dry soft cloth. When the leather is nice and shiny, I spray it with protectant. This seals in the conditioner and seals out moisture!

My bags are now safe from the humidity and rain! Also from the sweat and oils of my hands, my lotions and perfume. Now, don't they look nice and pretty?

I got my leather care set from Purse Prime. An 8oz bottle of Apple Leather Conditioner costs P1,399. It's not wax so your leather can breathe. It can clean, condition and protect your skins--cow, pig, snake, ostrich, faux!  I like that even when I use it on my untanned satchel (that's the pinkish one above), it doesn't stain or darken the leather. Plus, it makes the leather sooooft and smooth.

The can of Apple Garde Rain & Stain Repellent is P1,199. This one you can spray on anything--not just leather but suede, nubuck, satin, fabric as well. It's wax-free, too, so your leather stuff can breathe. And it also doesn't stain light-colored skins. So perfect!

So now you know how I keep my bags safe and pretty. I highly recommend Purse Prime's products! The people behind it are super nice, too!

Furla's handbags are the ultimate in contemporary yet classic style

Okay, okay, so I've been obsessing about the Tod's D Bag but Furla's been tempting me lately with their F/W collection. Specifically, the handbags.

As with all the fashion houses, the trend now is retro, mid-century, and lady-like. So if you had thrown away your mommy's handbags, you may find yourself regretting them as hobo is out and handbags are in. Furla's bags show off classic lines and yet, because of the sleek design and sumptuous materials, they are just oozing modern style.

The bags come in pony skin, Mongolian sheepskin, ostrick leather and deerskin. I'm not a fan of ostrich (although I do enjoy the meat!), but when the skin peeks out just like so, it's lovely, like classic polka-dots.

 The best thing I like about this bag? That F.

Discreet and simple yet bold. Like me!

In the Philippines, Furla is available at Greenbelt 5, Rustan's Makati and Shangri-la Plaza Mall.

Forever 21's awesome August sale!

My friend, the fabulous Jane Kingsu-Cheng of Forever 21 (and wife, mommy, writer and blogger!) sent me exciting news:

There’s just so much to look forward to at the Forever 21 3 Day Sale at SM Makati from August 19 to 21!

• Aug 19 10AM-12nn:

10% off on regular priced items when you use your SM Advantage Card/BDO Rewards/SM Prestige Card

20% off on regular priced items when you use both your F21 Mastercard and SM Advantage Card/BDO Rewards/SM Prestige Card, with min purchase of P5K net of discounts

 

• Aug 19-21: 10% off on regular priced items when you use your F21 Mastercard, with min purchase of P5K net of discounts

 

• Aug 19-21: 5% rebate when you use any BDO credit card, with min purchase of P5K net of discounts

 

• Forever 21 Mastercard holders can get in as early as 8:30am. Just present 1 valid I.D. to enter. One entry per card. 

Forever 21 stores are located at the Second Level of SM Megamall A and at the Ground Floor of SM Makati in the Central Business District. You can also follow Forever 21 on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/forever21ph) andtwitter (http://www.twitter.com/forever21ph) Check out their sneak preview album of the items for the 3-day sale :)

 

Want a Forever 21 Mastercard, visit http://www.bdo.com.ph and apply now.

Have a happy shopping weekend!

Why I'm beautiful

I've been a magazine editor for 6 years and one of the fabulous perks of the job is getting free products and treatments from beauty brands, spas and clinics. But when people ask me if it gets to my head, all the perks and how people treat me with adoration, I just laugh and say, "If you only knew!"

Here are just some of the stuff I've been told:

1. "You don't need breast enhancement. You need liposuction. Two lipos actually--upper and lower abdomens."
2. "Ang nipis ng buhok mo, teh. Kalbo ka na nga halos! Try mo yung treatment namin!"
3. "Your dark eye circles are so bad. May wrinkles pa! This cream will fix that."
4. "Wow. I can count your lashes. They're so few and sparse. Try this mascara!"
5. "You seriously need our slimming treatments. Mommies really get so fat!"
6. "Kelan ka huling nagpa-foot spa? Kasi parang pang-kabayo na yung heels mo. Try our paraffin treatment."
7. "Manage your acne? Actually, you need Botox."
8. "You look good in that dress but better if you use Spank." (I think she meant Spanx)
9. "You gained so much weight na! Hirap to lose the pregnancy pounds, no? Want to try our new gym classes?"
10. "Yes, the treatment can even your skin tone but I suggest this other treatment kasi uka-uka na ang mukha mo."

Now tell me, seriously, with all that thrown at your face on a regular basis, do you think I can possibly think I'm perfect?!

My family is my beauty secret!

It's a good thing I don't have low self-esteem. Imagine having to hear those awful things regularly! It's no wonder a lot of girls are spending obscene amounts of money and time "perfecting" themselves! Now, I have no issues with using products and getting treatments. I have no problem with cosmetic surgery either. But I do believe that these should be done for fun and out of self-love, not self-loathing.

I think I'm a pretty girl. Above average, sure, but nothing special, looks-wise. But I'm aware that a lot of people think I'm beautiful despite the big tummy, thin hair, dark eye circles, sparse lashes, flab, zits, and acne scars. I believe the beauty that people see in me is the happiness, confidence and peace I radiate. I may not be physically perfect but my life is pretty darn close to perfect. I work hard on my relationships, my career and my mind, and the work paid off. My life is beyond beautiful. And no beauty product or procedure did that!

Sock bun--the easy way to big sexy waves!

I love this big waves secret! It's so easy!



I'm going to try it out tonight. If you've tried this out, send me photos and other tips so I can post it on my blog!

See you next week!

My dearest readers, I'm taking a break because it's my darling boy's first birthday weekend celebration. We have costumes and cakes and cookies to pick up, a kiddie fashion boutique event to attend, families to see, then the birthday bash to throw. It's so busy busy busy and we're so happy happy happy!

Yes, it's been a year! Thank you all for loving me, my son and even my husband. Your warm wishes, your gentle advice, the lovely presents and your friendship have made this incredible year even more fantastic. God bless you and have a great weekend, everyone!

Burberry Prorsum's F/W 2011 bag collection is so luxe!

I can't stand the cold so I never really get interested when the fashion world rolls out the fall/winter collection. But when I saw the bags that accompanied Burberry Prorsum's clothes, I fell in love. The bags are so rich!

The bowling bags in alligator skin are just oozing with style and OTT-ness. Observe!

And you don't need cold weather to tote these beauties around. They're all perfection!

In the Philippines, Burberry is available at Greenbelt 5, Rustan's Makati and Shangri-la Plaza Mall.