Shoe-lution: Clear Shoeboxes!

My shoes used to be in a sad sad environment and I seriously thought twice about sharing this but sharing about it won. I'm waiting for my room to get renovated so while that hasn't happened yet, I've been storing some of my shoes like this...

I covered it with a wool blanket to keep the shoes clean and unexposed. Then I remembered something we shared to you guys a while back. Click here to read the old post. I checked the Clear Shoebox Project's website but it's still not updated. So I decided to try and text the number indicated in the site and luckily, the seller replied! Vincent still sells the boxes although the prices have increased a bit. Regular sized boxes cost Php80 each while large sized boxes cost Php100 each (plus delivery charge of Php50). But since I bought in bulk, he gave me a good discount.

Now I store my shoes in neat boxes like so...

Some great things about his products are that he makes them himself at home, and to quote him "may halong labor of love" and "it's a proudly filipino product". I totally agree with him. Although there are already existing clear shoeboxes in some local department stores and abroad (I checked online), I found that CSBP is still way cheaper!

If you're interested to buy some clear shoeboxes, feel free to contact Vincent at 09178811610. :)

Share my outfit day: Sailor girl

Striped dress - cherryfloat; Denim lace up booties - Parisian; Denim Bag - random from Vietnam

 She drives through highways in a truck-like Honda.

The wind in her hair, and the sun on her back.

She throws all care in the world,

and stands tall in her heels. 

This is her world. And this, her weekend.

She is Miss Sailor Girl.

Saturdays to me should be spent going on lazy drives and impromptu casual dining with your favorite friends. Well, that "Saturday" feeling is translated to this outfit which is both comfortable and fun. I'm not normally matchy-matchy although I have to say most of my outfit posts do say otherwise. I try very hard to add ONE unique item in my outfit--something a bit off but gives that trademark "Ninin" vibe to the entire ensemble. The bag from Vietnam is that one unique piece. On its own, the dress, the shoes, the belt spell trendy but the addition of the fun bag makes this outfit a bit relaxed and unpredictable. That alone makes me LOVE the look so much more!

I debuted this outfit in time for the launch of my friend and I's online shop, cherry float :) The dress is from that brand although it didn't get to be part of the first collection. Show us some lovin' by checking out the site (and hopefully, getting yourself some items!)

click here: Cherry Float Shop

Current LSS: Whip My Hair

...I was born from two stars so the moon's where I land!

I've barely gotten over Jaden Smith's rapping in Justin Bieber's Never Say Never and now here comes another Smith getting me on a bad case of LSS!

Presenting, the newest young star from the Smith family, Willow Smith!

Don't let haters keep me off my grind
Keep my head up I know I'll be fine
Keep fighting until I get there
When I'm down and i feel like giving up

I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH!

I am seriously loving this song right now! It is so viral it's unbelievable! It doesn't hurt that the video is equally fun! The Smith family is amazing! Can you believe Willow is only 10 years old?? Unbelievable! I could totally see Kesha, Rihanna or another mature star singing this. I LOVE IT! She totally redefined tween pop music! ...and oh, the girl can actually sing! *fan mode!

I am currently getting crazy ideas on what to do with this song. A local MTV version perhaps? HAHA.

Congrats Willow! Congrats Will and Jada!

Tofu Sisig, the miss fits style

Last night, I found myself amused by the fact that I've been a vegetarian for three years already. It doesn't even feel that long! Well, before I became vegetarian, I used to be a really good cook but since vegetarianism has limited my options, I started feeling lazy to cook. Well, by some force, I found myself craving a really hearty Tofu meal so I decided to try cooking Tofu Sisig!

The meal was so successful I decided to share it all with you. It doesn't matter if you're vegetarian or not, you HAVE to try this. So incredible!

Here's what you need:
1-2 blocks of Tofu (depending on what's available. I used 2)
1/8 cup Knorr Liquid Seasoning
1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Chopped Red Onions (same amount as your tofu)
Dried/Fresh Chili
Cooking Oil


5-step meal:

1. Deep fry Tofu squares

 2. Dice onions, same amount as your tofu. (chop your tofu too into smaller bits)

 

3. In a pan, add the two ingredients together and fry until the onions caramelize (it's when they turn translucent)

  

4. Add the 1/8 cup liquid seasoning and 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar.

  

5. Add some chopped chilis, amount depending on your preference. I chose dried chilis for this dish because it has a more rustic and deeper spicy flavor which I like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SERVE with brown rice and a dullop of mayonnaise. You could opt NOT to add mayo but I think it adds that sinful dimension to the dish and makes it so much more interesting!

Yum! You have to taste this to believe it! The flavor is just awesome, If I didn't cook this myself, I would think it contained meat! So flavorful!

`Tis the season to be browsing..

Since I spent my bonus on one gadget (will share about this on another post!) and I have to save the rest of my dough for Christmas gifts, all that’s left for me to do is… drool over the bountiful supply of wonderfulness in the internet.

Balenciaga

Ideally, I’d go buy all..but in the real world, I’ll probably settle for..3..okay 2.. okay, fine fine, 1. Hahaha.

Hermes

This one I really can’t buy on my own yet. So to get one, a lot of PR (to the ‘rents) will have to occur.

Towering nude heels

I’m actually looking for a (nude with a pink undertone) Mary Jane platform pair of heels but I haven’t seen any in stores yet. I did read in the sites of other bloggers that they have their shoes custom-made for them but I have no idea where they go for that.

Yellow shoes

I think the ‘red shoes paired with a neutral palette look’ is worn-out already. Why not try wearing the sunshiny color instead? Not only will it brighten your outfit, it will also help you ward off the gloominess of the rainy season.

How about you girls? What have you been ogling for the holidays?

photo collages: polyvore.com-ed

Share my Outfit Day: Denim and leather

photos taken by Jas

Took the androgynous route with my leather clogs by pairing it with a denim boyfriend blazer, lace top, and genteel bag. I got into a boyfriend blazer addiction last year and I totally forgot about the blazers when 2010 came. That's why I've also already forgotten how warm it could get when wearing it. Luckily, it rained (thus the damp floor) while we were inspecting my grandma's new place.

Topshop denim blazer

Topshop lace top

random leggings

Cubao X feather necklace

Chanel bag

Aerosoles tan clogs

Virgin hair no more: Digiperm at Beauty Brick Hair Art Studio

Finally stopped being indolent and resolutely decided to write the long overdue post about my digital perm experience. Don't get me wrong, I was über excited to get my hair digipermed and share my experience to you but I don't have photos because my designated photog (my sister..haha!) was too busy having her nails done at a nearby spa. Hence, me getting discouraged (and lazy) to do a decent post. So, again, sorry for the lack of photos. If you wanna know more about digital perm first, then go and check our other post here. Okay, enough with the disclaimer..let me start sharing with you my wonderful digiperm experience.

Online American articles say that it’s a bad idea to 1.go to a salon on a Saturday morning and take the first appointment of the day, 2.be late for that appointment and 3.be unsure of what you want done to your hair. I was all of the above one Saturday in June. I was expected at 10.30 AM (although I had no idea what type of curls I wanted, how high the curls should start, and what type of bangs I wanted) but I arrived at the salon at 11.30 AM. Yes, it was a major YIKES moment for me because I was an hour late (if you know me, I’m rarely late for appointments)! However, I’m so happy how all the SALON DON’Ts didn’t apply to my experience with Beauty Brick Hair Art Studio.

photo source: beautybrick.tumblr.com
122 Doña Consolacion Bldg., Jupiter St., Makati

 When I got to the reception, I asked them if they could still accommodate me and it was such a relief when they cheerily said, “Yes po Ma’am! Shampoo na po tayo.” And so, my attempt to have my hair baptized into the chemically treated mane world began. After having my hair shampooed, they asked me if I brought a picture with me. Since I didn't, they gave me several Korean/Japanese magazines full of images of ladies with digipermed hair. While I was looking at the pictures, Mr. Shin (the owner and sole stylist) approached me and checked the condition of my hair and asked if I've ever had it chemically treated. After our short discussion which transpired through his assistant-slash-translator, he proceeded to trim my hair. He then spoke in Japanese to his staff and they instantly knew what to do. I literally went back and forth the shampooing station from hereon. A solution was applied to my hair and was told to wait for 20 minutes, after which they rinsed off. Another solution was applied and then Mr Shin started prepping my hair and attaching it onto a machine which seemed like a hybrid of a robot and an octopus.

photo source: (sorry I forgot!)
Digiperm machine!

 Mr. Shin suggested medium sized rollers for me, instead of large ones, because (a.) my hair is thin and (b.) it was my first time to have my hair treated therefore chemicals might not easily settle into my strands. The assistants told us to call them if you feel uneasy or a little warm. I felt the heat on my scalp and it was a good thing that I felt a bit scared (Hey, be lenient. It was my first time! Hehe) and informed one of the staff. She checked and added more tissue for padding. She told me that it is important to tell them if you feel even the slightest discomfort to avoid having your scalp burned. 20 minutes later, they removed the machine and applied neutralizer on my hair. Mr. Shin then checked the curls, applied treatment to my scalp, blow-dried my hair and taught me how to style it.

Whew! After almost 3 hours of transferring from a salon seat to a shampoo station, I finally had curly hair. Promised Mr. Shin's assistant to come back after 6 months (okay, I'll come back after 9. alright?) and seriously got dubious if I should give a tip to the stylist (er..coz he owns the salon too) or not. I ended giving him a hefty tip because I LOVED HOW IT TURNED OUT.

As I've said, I love how it turned out but I still wonder if I should take Mr. Shin's advice and have my hair colored so that the curls would be more prominent. I'm having second thoughts because of the" more chemicals applied = bigger possibility to have damaged hair".. Also, I fancy some bangs to go with the curls.

Anyway, I managed to take pictures before and after I had my hair digitally permed. Just scroll down to see my hair transformation..

From straight to digiperm curly!
Plus: How my then 2 month-old digipermed hair looked like after a bath

Wanna have your hair digipermed at Beauty Brick too? Give 'em a call already! 473-5108. I tell you, you won't be sorry especially because Mr Shin and his staff are professional and exceptionally nice!

Share my Outfit Day: Green means Money

Green Jumpsuit: Chill; Brown Bag: Oleg Cassini; Brown Strappies: Parisian

Wore this to the Freeway Ramon Valera Collection launch. I barely have any green colored clothing in my closet just because I didn’t think green looks good on my skin tone. But when I saw this jumpsuit in the mall, I couldn’t resist getting it! I absolutely love the navy green color plus the studs give the right amount of pizazz to it.

Since the color itself was already a bit “edgy”, I tried to mute it down by choosing pieces which are more classy and sophisticated hence the pearls, brown shoes and purse. I just love the contrast of edgy and classy with this look :)

Freeway Ramon Valera Launch

Freeway invited Soan and me to the official launch of its Ramon Valera Collection at the Row, Glorietta 5. At first we thought it was just another "event" only to find ourselves getting excited after seeing the invite and reading that Madame Imelda Marcos will be there.

S and I used to regard Marcos as our "lolo" only because his opulence and brilliance made him great in our eyes. So seeing that Madame Imelda, aka Lola Imelda was going to the launch made us want to go there more!

Well, for some unfortunate reason, S found herself stuck at work and had to miss the show while I on the other hand was stuck with a broken digital camera. Wow right? I felt so uninspired the entire time since taking pictures via camera phone just doesn't compare to the quality of a digicam. It didn't help that there was too much digital noise in the venue which doubled the "blurriness" of my already pixelated shots.

So to be blunt about it... I don't have photos of the event. Hehehe :P I tried, really, I did! But the photos were just too grainy and overly exposed that I gave up after a while.

See, I tried!

To give you an idea of what transpired during the event, here's a fast run down: The event was hosted by Tessa Prieto-Valdes and was graced by Madame Imelda Marcos herself. Other guests included Peching Zulueta Gomez, Aureo Alonzo, Nick Legazpi Jr. and another socialite I failed to note. There was a brief AVP of the life of Ramon Valera followed by an interview of the guests, then finally the fashion show. Since Madame Imelda was not part of the panel, she and Tessa had a tete-a-tete after the fashion show where the former first lady entertained the audience with her witty and honest statements.

Overall, the event stuck to the whole Valera-theme: classy and opulent. I never felt so glamorous while attending an event by a retail brand. Kudos to Freeway for pulling it off!

Apart from the main event at The Row, there was also an exhibit of wedding gowns and cocktail dresses created by Ramon Valera at the ground floor. So while others were mulling around the First Lady, I was downstairs taking pictures of my favorite Valera gowns:

I can see how they say Valera changed the way people view the traditional Baro't Saya! This is so beautiful!

Wow. So '50s yet so modern! Valera really was a revolutionary fashion designer!

Can you believe Valera did the beadwork on this himself? The man didn't even have patterns, or any assistants! Yup! You read that right! One of the interesting facts about him is that he didn't make patterns nor had any one else do his garments because he believed to be able to create a masterpiece, one should be able to do everything by himself.

Really, he defines the fashion of the '50s and '60s. This one is one of my most favorite!

The pink adds such a nice touch!

I LOVE THIS! The details say it all! Adorable ribbons! Who would have thought cute and quirky was also in at that time??

I am really loving Freeway's collection. It's not just because the pieces are interesting but also because they reintroduced the brilliance of Ramon Valera to this generation. I am truly amazed at the Artist! He is such an inspiration, much more because he made the Terno fashionable! --Plus who wouldn't love a guy who believes in "beauty before comfort"?? Haha :) Valera is so cool!

Freeway Presents: Ramon Valera Collection

The coming holidays couldn't be much more opulent than this! Freeway puts us all in the holiday mood as they present their Holiday Collection featuring National Artist for Fashion, Ramon Valera!

Ramon Valera may not be a name that would automatically ring a bell for most of the girls our age because his star shined way before we were born. But Valera is definitely one name you would want to be familiar with. It was in the glorious '50s- '60s that the man took the world by storm by introducing the "Terno" to the world. Valera is immortalized by introducing the one-piece terno with opulent beading and ostentatious designs. He is the man behind a good number of Ternos the then first lady Imelda Marcos wore. What makes Valera more amazing is the fact that he is the only National Artist for Fashion to this day.

Interpreting Valera's designs and taking inspiration from his clothes is tricky. One risks falling short of the expectations of people who revere the original so just the fact that Freeway took on this challenge deserves applause!

Well, how did Freeway fare? Check out for yourself:

The pieces from this collection just looks so classy and elegant. I particularly like how they look so feminine and sophisticated. Not too  much graphics, not too much color, just simple but remarkable! Truly, it's all in the details!

There are so many interesting pieces from this Collection-- I am eye-ing a whole lot! Good job freeway! RTW has never looked so classy! I think this is one of the more "successful" collabs-slash-interpretation in the history of retail!

To view all the pieces from the collection, visit www.freeway.net.ph

Sweet Iloilo at Dulgie's

One of my must-go-to places whenever I'm in Iloilo is this quaint little cafe in Valeria St. called Dulgie's. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself breathing fresh Iloilo Air while standing in front of my favorite place in town (where else?) Dulgie's!

The displays look extremely cute! And it doesn't hurt that the price of their sweets are so cheap! As usual, I went into "hoarding" mode and in a couple of minutes, I had in tow a good number of sweets to take home! Here's my stash:

Blueberry Cheesecake

Japanese Cake

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Dulce de Leche Brownie

Finally, my favorite of all, the red velvet cupcake:

A piece of heaven on the palm of my hand!

Amazing color! So red and alluring!

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is! So luscious and so fresh, I could go all the way to Iloilo just for this! It's also a plus that it costs only 45php! Incredible!

If you're ever in Iloilo, do visit Dulgie's! It will make your trip so much more memorable!

Dulgie's Desserts and Cafe
La Salette Building, Valeria St.,
Iloilo City (beside SM Delgado)

Share my outfit day: Pink and tutufied!

Top: Soen, Tutu: Gingersnaps, Shoes: Mario D'boro, Bag: Oleg Cassini, Belt: Maphisto

Had to report to work in the morning so I still had to find something that would be work-appropriate in ways. Managed to pull it off by wearing this long pale pink blouse and bringing out my “mature-looking” oleg bag. For some reason, the two pieces of clothing made my look more work-friendly! lol! After work, I changed into the tutu and went off traipsing elsewhere! Of course I got stares with the tutu but really, who cares?? I enjoyed wearing the tutu and I loved moving around in it co’z it made me feel girly and young.

Normally, I pair my tutu with biker jackets, spaghetti tops, studded shoes/boots and other pieces from the “extreme” side of the pole. This is the first time I wore a tutu with something less eye-catching i.e. the boring top but I find that the combination is so fresh and muted that it makes the whole outfit look totally wearable.
After lunch, I headed to CCP to catch Banaag at Sikat, the rock musicale. Not to critique the play but to sum up my experience: I was asleep at most parts (and I’m not kidding!) I’m actually pretty glad I wore something fun co’z people behind were staring at me co’z they could see how my head would fall at numerous times during the play. Gaaaaah, how embarrassing!

She's pretty reckless

We all know her as Jenny from Gossip Girl but did you know that Taylor Momsen has a very "dark" side to her? That to me was revealed when a good friend introduced me to The Pretty Reckless, the band Taylor fronts for. In my friend's words, "check out how Taylor turned from Cindy Lou to a raccoon"

Cindy Lou Who

Raccoon

Who would have thought right?

Not to sound too critical but their name suits them a lot. Taylor is the pretty and the rest...uhm, reckless. I mean, what's with the choice of band mates? Maybe they're hardcore musicians but it kinda looks off having a teenager with a bunch of grown up men. But then... Taylor is reckless herself so maybe the three men are actually the pretty part of the band.

I was reading up on Taylor and did you know that the girl is obsessed with setting things on fire? She would burn stuff all the time. Once, they found this pit in the studio and she and the boys stuffed keyboards, guitars, etc then put TNT and set them all on fire! Whoa right? But that's not the worst. Her bandmate relays, one time Taylor had her dog castrated and brought his testicles to the studio and set fire to them! Balls on Fire. Unbelievable!

I never saw Taylor like that. A poser maybe but someone so insanely wicked? No way. But the funny thing about all these is that if you actually listen to the band, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD. They're so good, I want to throw all the negative stuff out and just praise her for her brilliance!

Taylor's voice is amazing and her songs are extremely catchy, I find myself humming them!



I applaud Taylor for being true to herself and not getting brainwashed to be all popstar-y. But my wish is for Taylor is for her to not be so insane and confused as she comes off right now. She has amazing talent and I feel like all the nasty things she's doing and too much angst in her character is putting her down. I would love for her to make it big and be the ultimate rockstar she dreams of without losing herself in the process.

photo credit: google images