Kirsten Dunst is the new Bulgari Beauty

I know I've been away for a while. Been updating my other blogs Topaz Horizon and Topaz Mommy and I actually have been literally away. My family and I spent three heavenly days at Shangri-la Mactan and I'll be writing about the products I brought with me soon.

Meanwhile, I came back to say that I am totally amazed at the new ad campaign of Bulgari's new perfume, Mon Jasmin Noir, starring the luminous Kirsten Dunst.

OK! Philippines got an exclusive sneak peek at the making of that TV commercial but, because I love you, I'm posting here some shots that we didn't include in our pages.

Hair and makeup

Adding the famous Bulgari jewels

Waiting for her mystery co-star

Kirsten glows in the sun

Donning the fashion house's earrings and eyewear

Here comes her leading man!

Kirsten's hands are lovely!

And so are those rings!

The photos that did make it to our June issue (out May 20!) are breathtakingly beautiful so do grab a copy to get your fill on this beautiful new campaign.

Make sure you also check out the fragrance! Here's Beauty For A Living's interview with Bulgari's Sophie Labbe:

How does the fragrance evoke the spirit of the brand?

The fragrance is fully inspired from the Bulgari Mediterranean Eden. A garden made of Mediterranean Cedrat, tender and crunchy almond notes of nougatine and different varieties of Jasmine (opulent and fresh). It is a very sophisticated Bulgari fragrance built around Jasmine, often called the “Diamond Flower” of perfumery because of its multiple facets and rich scents.

Mon Jasmin Noir explores the most luminous and radiant facet of the Jasmine: a jasmine at the very early hour at dawn.

Compare this fragrance to the other fragrances of Bulgari

All Bulgari fragrances carry the values of elegance and refinement. Bulgari loves to play with color and material combinations. Mon Jasmin Noir innovates with the association of a delicate Jasmine with an unexpected musky nougatine, bringing a caressing sensuality and an intense addiction into the fragrance

The noblest ingredients are crafted and cut like a gem, and for Mon Jasmin Noir, with a dazzling clarity, offering an undeniably modern and sensual feminine signature

Mon Jasmin Noir ingredients capture the lively charm of women: a mischievous personality allied with an intuitive sensuality

Is the brand going to come out with "heavier" fragrances in the future?

I have to confess that this belongs to Bulgari’s secret world ! 

Do you think that the fragrance and the accessories of the brand necessarily "match"?

The Bulgari brand conveys those beautiful Italian luxury values, colorful and daring and Bulgari’s unmistakable style is indeed recognizable on all its creations

The fragrance seems to target a "younger" market. Can you comment on this?

For Mon Jasmin Noir we worked around new delicate facets: the dewy sensation brought by crystalline lily of the valley, the youth and delicacy of the beautiful Angelwing Jasmine… they bring a fresh and lively character to the fragrance, with this irresistible air of innocence that define young woman, while being very sexy at the same time.

What I want from Forever 21 Makati

In case you still didn't know, Forever 21 opened their second store in SM Makati last Thursday. As with the one in Megamall, this store is huge!

I got to the VIP launch early enough but the lines at the registration table were already long. But Jane Kingsu-Cheng came to our rescue, handing out special passes. Whew. I don't like lining up in heels! Thanks, Jane!

Sexy momma Jane is the one in shorts!

Anyway, this is me, looking exhausted already (find out why here). So I had no energy to scour the immense store, line up at the fitting room and cashier, unlike the last time at Megamall. And back then, my friends lined up for me because I was heavily pregnant!

But I did look around enough to spot some treasures! Here's what I'd love to have from Forever 21:

a pale apricot sheer blouse

cute striped mini dress

a creamy gray cardigan

striped satchel. Aldo has one, too.

adorable rose coin purse

cutie sexy underthings!

Forever 21 Makati is at SM Makati's ground floor. You can also get a Forever 21 BDO credit card for some serious fun fashion shopping!

The ultimate in facials: La Mer exclusive facial!

I was lucky enough to be invited to have a La Mer facial at Shangri-la Makati recently. This facial is offered only to their most important clients so I was pretty psyched to get one for free!

Everything about the treatment is luxe--from the spacious hotel suite transformed to a spa to the best fluffy bedroom slippers ever!

Obviously, all the products used for the facial is La Mer. From cleansing and treatment to masks and moisturizing, I was slathered and smoothed with La Mer! So rich! The massage was so relaxing, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I looked great! Ahhhh, La Mer!

To avail of this luxurious treatment, just purchase P20,000 worth of La Mer products. The next facial is this September!

A peek at the Seventy Eight Percent satchel

I was at chocolate schu bar a couple of weeks ago and I saw the Seventy Eight Percent satchels. The pink and brown one really caught my eye!

The cute one on the left please!

It's pink. The photo makes it look coral. Sorry!

Love the fine stitching and the flower/sunburst detail!

The leather and the craftsmanship are amazing!

Go to chocolate schu bar or check out their Facebook page for more info on the Seventy Eight Percent satchels. Manila Fashion Observer also has a very detailed post.

Katy Perry for Melissa Shoes

Who better to represent the plastic fantastic Melissa than the doll-like Katy Perry herself? I am super loving the magazine Melissa came out with featuring the pop star in truly stunning and colorful fashion editorials.

Amazonas P4,599

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Temptation

Juta P1,999

Mesh Pump

VW Wedge P5,999

There are also fabulous fashion editorials of the Amazonista in the Melissa mag, set in the jungle, with wonderfully creepy creatures made of Melissa shoes standing guard over the leggy women. I'll try to get photos of those because they're just so bizarre and beautiful!

For a complete list of shops that carry Melissa, click here. Or you can shop online! Just click here.


photos courtesy of Melissa Philippines.

shu uemura's Imagine event was a night of art, beauty and fab color!

Japanese beauty brand shu uemura recently collaborated with some of Manila's acclaimed artists to interpret shu uemura's passion for beauty. The artists were Lotho Lotho, Jujin Samonte, Jo-Anne Bitagcol and Camille Co.

I honestly didn't get to see these creations of theirs because the place was quite dark. I was also preoccupied with shu's fab collections (the false lashes! the cleansing oil! the gorgeous makeup!) and saying hi to the guests, some of which are friends that I haven't seen since getting pregnant in '09!

Yup, it felt like all of Manila's hip and hot were there. Here are just a few of the beautiful people at the beautiful exhibit of Shu Uemura's Imagine event!

shu uemura's John Pagaduan and Nina Solano

Tessa Valdes and Alyanna Martinez

Tim Yap and Tessa

Miriam Quiambao

Nina and Tessa with Bianca Gonzales and L'Oreal Phils managing director Luc-Olivier Marquet

JR Isaac and me (nope, I'm not preggy!)

Summit Media girls. I'm there somewhere!

I have a funny story about that night. It was my first time at Robot, where the event was held. Now, I do not have a night life. Even when I was teen, even when I was in college, even when I was working, even when I got married, and most especially now that I have a baby. So I do not know what the hip and cool bars of the city are. Robot is apparently the coolest place in Makati now.

But I didn't know that. So when I saw Robot plastered all over with shu uemura's logo and products, I exclaimed to makeup artist John Pagaduan, "OMG! Is this your new office?" And he looked at me in shock before he laughed and laughed and laughed. Poor me!

Hollywood loves TOMS. Love TOMS, too!

Hi! I'm back! This blog is soooo hard to update because there's just so much happening in the fashion and beauty world that I can't keep up!

But I am back just to invite you to the TOMS One Day Without Shoes event tomorrow at Trinoma Open Gardens at 6pm. Each TOMS pair you buy means a child in a developing country gets a pair, too. How cool is that!

In case you still aren't convinced that TOMS is cool, let the most stylish young stars of Hollywood be my Exhibit B:

Anna Kendrick

Anne Hathaway

Kristen Stewart

Mila Kunis

Scarlett Johansson

TOMS shoes are available at Nothing But Water, Swim, Trilogy Boutique and selected Show Salon outlets. You can also like their Facebook page. If you want to see kiddie TOMS (after all, they do give shoes to kids), click here for the TINY TOMS collection I adore.


*click celebrities' names for image sources and for more celeb fans of TOMS.