TOPAZ HORIZON

Many moms (well, many women for that matter) can't fathom how I absolutely love clutches. "How do you fit anything in that small bag?!" Well, I actually just need four things: my asthma medicine, my wallet, my phone and my house keys. That makes me almost like a man, I guess! I do have a long wallet so I can't stuff it in the back pocket of my jeans so I still need a purse, and in my case, a clutch is my favorite.

I have a new addition to my growing clutch collection: the Red Paper Bag clutch from Ni-QUA. It's so fabulous!

Here are the reasons I love my Red Paper Bag clutch:
Ni-QUA is a homegrown brand so I'm loving that my new clutch is Proudly Pinoy.

It's pure leather. It's soft and buttery. The heady aroma makes me happy.

The simple design is based on the brown paper bag so it's so roomy! I can fit a TON of stuff in it—my camera, the kids' toys, diapers, my small vanity kit. One time, I even brought a manuscript! Of course, I couldn't seal the bag anymore but that's ok. I just carried the bag like a paper bag!

I'll be sporting a few more Ni-QUA things soon but for now, I'm super loving my Paper Bag clutch!

Show this Pinoy brand some love!
Like their Facebook page.
Follow them on Twitter (@niquashop) and Instagram (@NIQUAshop).
Shop at their website!

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Okay, I know it all seems to be fashion and beauty on this blog lately. And books, too. Well, I'm a stay-at-home mommy who's getting a wee bit too pregnant to roll her round self all over the city so I have nothing exciting to talk about except for my fabulous fashion and beauty finds!

Anyway, I'm super duper excited to finally get my Epilady!!!

I bought them from CashCashPinoy last week. My friend, Nicole of Beauty & Sparkle, knows I've been looking for epilators but I balked at the prices in PCX (heller, 7K!). So when I saw that CashCashPinoy had a bunch of these on sale, I snapped them up for only P3,898!

Grammar edit! Correct: "is". The subject is "payment"!

An epilator is a device that removes hair. I used to own one in the early 2000s but it conked out on me around the time I got married (one must be hairless on one's honeymoon and my honeymoon lasted almost three years so the poor device died on me!) so I've been looking for Epilady since.

I bought my first one from Watsons but they never restocked. So I've just been going to Strip for my hair-removal needs. But Strip is soooo expensive. So I can't be hairless all the time. Then hooray for online shopping!

See all those tiny tweezers? They make for super fast and painless hair removal. Well, painless for me because I only use this for my body but not for my nether areas. I hear from fellow epilator owners that that kind of pain removal is intensely painful!!! So for that sensitive area, I still prefer going to the waxing salon.


I also got a facial epilator for the imaginary hairs on my face. Yup. I must really get rid of that magnifying mirror. So now I have shopper's regret because there's really no hair on my face. I used it on my (imaginary) unibrow but I darn near pulled out all of my eyebrows.  

But I'm happy! Super happy! Now I don't have to spend a ton just to be smooth and hair-free! So freaky with waxing salons because they charge you by the body part. You know, like lower leg, whole leg, underarms, chest, tummy, forearm, whole arm. And since it's so pricey, I always just say, "Just the lower legs please."
But now with my Epilady epilators, I can do my whole body in the privacy of my own home for soooo cheap. Hooray!!!

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My dear friend Kat Dy is getting married in exactly 3 weeks. Vince and I are ninong and ninang!!! We're just a few years older than Kat and Pat so we were really surprised haha, but the couple explained that they got people who are happily married. Besides, if they got old people, by the time they might need guidance in their marriage, the oldies would be dead!

So the motif colors are gold, blush pink, navy and cream. I don't have dresses yet (there are two ceremonies). I'm putting off shopping because my pregnant shape is changing. I'm always heavily bloated during my first trimester, then weirdly enough, when I hit the 4th month, my body becomes nice and shapely. The bloat goes, the boobs come, the fat transfers to where curves should go. So weird.

While I may not be getting a dress yet, I'm definitely buying my gowns from Karimadon. I've always shopped at Karimadon for special occasions, beginning with my high school graduation 19 years ago. Thank goodness for online shopping, I've checked out Karimadon's online shop and narrowed down my choices to these lovelies:
Say hello to Felicity. This is my top pick! It's so goddess! Of course, I don't look anything like Marian Rivera but this is just so gorgeous! It comes in many colors but of course I'll get royal blue for the wedding. Only P2,499!

My second choice is Rose. I love the soft drape, the simple embellished belt, the exposed shoulder. Available in red and black, too, for only P2,999.

If I'm not too big by next week and if I can squeeze into this corset gown, maybe I'll get Juliet. But this one I actually want to check in the store first. Kat wants gold or cream. I have to see the color in person to see if it's just what the bride wants. This is also available in teal for P4,999.

I love this! This is Alexia. I need to see this in the store, too, because this is actually violet (the other colors are black and red). If it's a blue violet, I think I'll get this. It's just P3,299! Plus, the V-neckline will make it easy to breastfeed Iñigo.

Thanks, Marian, for modeling these lovely gowns. You are quite fetching yourself!

Go check out Karimadon's online shop to see more fab dresses. Just please don't buy all the ones I like! I'm shopping next week!

When we got back from our Tagaytay trip a couple of weeks ago, we were surprised to find a big box from Taste Central sitting in our hallway.

I was thrilled because I had signed up at their shopping website just last month. Taste Central is a partner of Deal Grocer and you all know I love Deal Grocer! In the first quarter of 2013, I've already bought a steak lunch for 4 at LuLu, a magnificent lunch at Bistro Filipino, and ginger-and-pumpkin cakes from Epicurus. Currently in my DG folder are yet unredeemed coupons for a wine and cheese date at L'Incontro, a comprehensive dental check up (I think I need braces again), and a stay at Taal Vista Hotel. Yes, I love Deal Grocer!

So when Taste Central—which offers a more exclusive shopping experience—was launched, I just had to sign up. Here's what I wanted:

Butterfly Dreams fitted sheet set (at 50% off, only P2,750!) because I love love love our Butterfly Dreams sheets and I must have more!

Bungalow 300 set of 2 throw pillows (only P952) comes in many luscious bright colors like yellow, orange, red, aqua. But the pink called my name!

Mav Clare nightstand (only P9,980). This is already sold out. Besides, even if I wanted two, there's just no space in our bedroom. Still, it's gorgeous!

PhoeNix Home Argentinian cowhide rug (only P28,000). I've started wanting a cowhide rug just recently. I love the shape of it and the feel of it under bare feet.
Rachael Ray 10-piece cookware set (only P11,175). My old set needs replacing and this black-and-orange set fits the bill!

Pyrex bakeware set (only P3,500) because I want to bake and bake and bake now!

Loveramics stackable bowl set (only P1,880). I actually have a lot of bowls but they're all shallow. I need deep bowls.

So anyway, when I saw the big box from Taste Central, I couldn't help but hope one of the items on my wish list was inside! Their gift isn't a welcome gift, by the way. Just in case you're thinking of signing up now haha and thinking you'll automatically get a big box of goodies, too. They sent me a box because of my blog! Hooray! I love blogging! Here's what was inside:


Good taste indeed. I love the selections for the home! Their food picks are amazing, too. Funnily enough, I wasn't so interested in the fashion and beauty departments. But maybe that's because I already have too many beauty products and my interest in fashion has waned to monochromatic clothes and flats!

Go check out Taste Central now and be part of the world where anything less than extraordinary is never an option. Chos!


*product photos grabbed from Taste Central

Well, they're not actually designer bags haha but I think I like them better! Meet Charro y Churro cotton tote bags:




They're so silly! And just P500 each! I found them on AVA, an online shop for Pinoy stylistas. Plenty of fab finds there. I'm seriously considering buying these bags as Christmas gifts for my girlfriends. My friends will find these bags really funny, even funnier than I find them because, well, unlike me, they actually own Birkins and Chanels and Balenciagas!

New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 happened just a few weeks ago and I saw that floral print is going to be a hot trend. Well, of course. Spring and summer fashion always has florals and brights! Here are a couple of designs I adored on the runway:

Since my Belle de Jour talk on earning money online, I've been getting a lot of questions about how I make money with my online activities. To answer your questions, I'm writing this post.

(That's a bad photo, I know, but it's the only one which proves that I really did give a serious talk--on money no less!)

I earn money through three ways: (1) I have an eBay shop, (2) I'm a member of a paid blogging network, and (3) I have ads placed in my two blogs.

(1) Selling on eBay is very easy. While a ton of girls use Multiply as their online shop platform, I find it easier and safer to sell on eBay. First, because there's a feedback system so I have a better idea of who my buyers are and, second, the tools are already there so uploading photos and item descriptions, answering questions, sending invoices, etc. are a piece of cake.


I highly suggest that if you have a lot of unnecessary stuff at home like clothes that don't fit anymore or if you like making lovely items like gift cards or cloth bags, then sell, sell, sell! You'll be amazed at how much money you can earn from your junk/hobby!

(2) Another way to make money online is to join paid-blogging networks that give you assignments from advertisers. Each post you write for them is a paid post--you are literally writing for money. Some networks ask you to specifically promote or review their product/service. Others just give you a phrase that links to their clients' website.

This latter is my favorite and this is what the network I  belong to is all about. I like it because the advertising is not so obvious and the assignment challenges me to think creatively. For example, how am I going to insert "Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney" in my blog post? As you can see, it's not always easy!

Because of my paid blogging work, I've been able to buy the coolest film nerd shirts, necklaces, shoes to sell on my eBay shop, and--for my PS3 addict husband--this super rare Sackboy doll that is only available in the UK!


(3) I also have ads placed on my blogs but I'm not earning much from them. They're from Google Adsense and Nuffnang. I've heard of people earning USD 100 a day (!!!) with just the ad revenues on their blogs. How do they do that???

I'm very aware that my online money making experience is not that impressive. I'm a newbie--just started in November last year because, as my credit card was stolen, I was desperate to make money. And my friend Jennie of Marriage and Beyond has been so encouraging and helpful because she earns super duper lots from her blogs.


So it's funny that Belle de Jour actually asked me to tell the BDJ girls how to make money since they ended up teaching me instead! If you have any advice at all, please help--how do you earn from your blogs? Because, as much as I love my magazine, I'd really like to start working from home one day!