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.

Make-Up Designory slashes price for their personal makeup classes this August!

At just P3,000, it's practically free! Sign up, sign up! Slots are limited!

I'd have loved up to sign for MUD's class but since it's only offered on Sundays, no can do. Sundays are family days!

You can get free--really free--makeup classes from Bobbi Brown makeup counters. It's just brisk five-minute pep classes. If you go every day, then hey!

But if you want a real class, you can get one but you'll have to buy P5,000 worth of Bobbi Brown products. Still a good deal if you compare it with MUD's. MUD's is 3K but no products. Bobbi Brown's comes with 5K worth of products and you can go to the counter anytime of the day, any day of the week. Plus, it's personalized and customized--just you and the makeup artist.

Will talk more about Bobbi Brown's classes in another post. For now, MUD's offer is a really great deal so enroll soonest!

Furla's tarot bags predict one sure future: Shopping!

And that's shopping in style, too!

The Leitmotiv for Furla Talent Hub (I didn't even know Furla had such a hub!) is a collection inspired by tarot cards. This is for the F/W 2011-2012 season but just look at how colorful these bags are--definitely bags you'll be carrying till the summer!

I love how surreal and fantastical the bags are! I had my fortune told once. I was told that I'll have the thing I want most but I'll work loooong and hard for it. Gee, isn't that true for everything? So I never put much stock in fortune-telling. These Furla bags also predict a sure future for whoever's toting them: ease and style and shopping!

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