TOPAZ HORIZON

It's very simple really. I put curlers in my hair and slap on some makeup (more here)! Usually I look crazy like this:
Haha, yes, that's my son, Vito. Anyway, that's how I usually look like but when I have to go out of the house, I make an effort to run a brush through my hair and pat on some concealer and powder. I end up looking something like this:
Much better, right? That boy is just so cute. Ryan Gosling lang naman ang peg!

I talk about this because someone I used to know, like waaaaay back when I was a kid, sent me a message over at Facebook and said, "You've blossomed into a beautiful young woman. May pinagawa ka ba?" Hahaha! The nerd!

But seriously, meron talaga ako pinagawa. Yes. My teeth. I got braces when I was 26. Simple as that. I had too many teeth apparently, which was the reason my teeth stuck out in front and was sungki-sungki pa. I looked like a horse. So the ortho removed 4 teeth. Yup, count them and weep. I darn near fainted the day she pulled them out. But when the teeth were pushed back in and aligned--just in time for my wedding!--I looked ohhhh so much better. Look how nice my smile is:

So if you want to look better, forget the boob job, nose job, whatever job. Go to an orthodontist first and get your teeth looked at.

I actually need to have my teeth fixed again. My two pregnancies kinda made them move--there's a widening gap between my left incisor and whatever the tooth next to it is called. And my front teeth have started to stick out again, as you can see here:

With Good Housekeeping beauty editor Pia Rojas at the Tod's A/W 2012 presentation

Ugh. Must see an ortho asap! How about you? Have you had something done?

P.S. Speaking of beauty, do check out my newly resurrected blog, Beauty For A Living!

Haven't been able to blog all week because of the biggest scandal to rock Tinseltown since Brad left Jen for Angelina: Kristen Stewart cheated on (the adorable) Robert Pattinson. As some of you know, I make a Hollywood entertainment magazine for a living so can you imagine the furor of the past week?!

What bothers me about this whole issue is the opinion that Rupert Sanders couldn't resist having an affair because the 22-year-old, fair-skinned, dark-haired Kristen looks waaay better than his 33-year-old, fair-skinned, dark-haired wife, Liberty Ross.

I get all sorts of requests in my inbox so here am I granting some of them:

Like One Hyundai Club Life in Style
I actually don't know what One Hyundai Club Life In Style is. I think it's a club for owners of Hyundai cars (which we're not--we own a Mazda). If you're part of this club, then you get exclusive rewards and privileges. Don't own a Hyundai? Well, if you like their Facebook page, you just might win a GC to shop at Zalora. So like, like, like!


Look at Michael Kors's new ad campaign
Michael Kors is the guy on Project Runway. Ya know, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors. Heidi's the model, Nina's the fashion editor, and Michael's the fashion designer.

Michael Kors's advertising campaign has always had a Hollywood theme--red carpet, paparazzi, the lives of the rich and famous. His Fall ad campaign is still all about Tinseltown, this time it features beautiful people in beautiful clothes shot by famed photographer Mario Testino at the backlot of Paramount Studios. The inspiration? The old Hollywood glam that's missing in today's stars!


Buy Latch a Babe
Lactating mama? I am! And if you're like me, you are on a constant search for clothes that look nice while providing instant access to your boob. I don't own a dress from this brand (yet!) but so far, I'm liking what I see. You, too? Then send your inquiries to lynsreyes@gmail.com.


Shop Mothercare's big sale
Or you can just go to Mothercare and make pakyaw the stuff on sale! It's no secret that I love Mothercare and shop there quite a lot. Of course, I mega-shopped right before this sale. I didn't know!!! So now that there's a sale, I'm not going because I already bought a lot (at regular price!). But hey, lucky you! You have two more weeks to get high quality mommy and baby things for a fraction of the price!


Sign up for BabyGap's gift registry
Or you can just use BabyGap's registry and get your family and friends to buy stuff for your bebe! Just sign up and you get treats and cute invitations to give to your baby shower guests.


Eat Chowking's Chao Pao
I love Chowking's fish and tofu dish. Then they discontinued it. So now I go to Chowking for their Naicha tea. It's very strong and very sweet. Love it! Now there's a new reason for me to drop by Chowking for merienda. The chow pao! I haven't yet. Have you tried it? Masarap ba?


Be a Bench Underwear model
The Bench Undies Show is like the most screamed at, shrieked at, most anticipated fashion show in the country. I've only gone to two or three shows in the distant past. Maybe I'll go this year. Maybe... But I have to get a good seat first! I don't want to squint at naked bodies anymore.

Yes, naked bodies. If you think your body is tall, long, lean, sexy (not flabby, chunky, short please!), then forget the stormy weather and be at Edsa Shangri-la Hotel on July 22, Sunday (that's today!). Registration starts at 11am. Good luck!

Usually, my Facebook feed is full of baby photos. I guess Facebook, in all its wisdom, decided that since I'm a mommy, all I'm ever interested in is family stuff.

Not true. I like murder, too. And sexy hot women. So when I saw this photo of the cast of Showtime's Dexter at Comic-Con and then I spotted Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski at far right, I was freaking out! Agent Sarah Walker in Dexter! I am oh so excited for the next season!!!


I like sci-fi and weird stuff, too. So I am a huge fan of Fringe, that show where everyone wears coats and frowns as they figure out the mysteries of the (parallel) universe(s). So this photo of the dowdy Dr. Bishop now looking dapper in a button-down and a chic fedora and the suited up Agent Broyles in a graphic tee is priceless!

Totally think this is adorable: a funny clip of comediennes Jennifer Aniston and Ellen Degeneres.


Then this. Cutest photo bomb ever!

I can read this easily. I used to write in my journal like this. Feeling Da Vinci when I was a silly young girl who thought she was smarter than everyone else. Sadly (and happily, too!), not true!

Love this! I'd rather be a Jedi than a witch anyway. Although I secretly believe I really am a hobbit. I like eating second breakfasts and elevenses.

And finally...
Soooo glad these updates got through because I'm definitely more than a mommy!

What's on your Facebook feed?

When you're a mommy like me, you want to be able to run around comfortably. When you're in the magazine business like me, you want to be able to look good at work. When you're trying to be chic whatever the occasion like me, you want to never sacrifice style for comfort and comfort for style.

So I'd like to have one pair each of these Chelsea ballet flats please! Size 36.
Tory Burch studied an actual ballet slipper when she designed this wardrobe staple. So the soft leather, the lightness, the grosgrain ribbon trim and narrow toe box will definitely inspire you to dance while walking! The name, meanwhile, is taken after New York's art district. So the shoe is for the girl who likes to while away the days visiting museums and galleries, attending exhibits and shows--in comfy shoes, sure, but in luxe comfy shoes!

At P9,650 a pair, it's quite pricey but, hey, as someone who's spent loooong days in heels for years and years, I'm ready to invest in flats as beautiful and comfortable as the Chelsea.

Tory Burch is available at Greenbelt 5.

Over at Topaz Mommy, I'm holding a contest. Yep, I'm giving away copies of Fifty Shades of Grey. Hop on over there to get a chance to win a book!

Anyway, I was reading the contest entries, all of which talked about their favorite romantic hero of fiction. It just occurred to me that, based on the answers and how we all seem to love guys from Rhett Butler (Gone With the Wind), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Maxim DeWinter (Rebecca) to Edward Cullen (Twilight), we girls seem to want men who are much older, very rich, have deadly secrets and, most disturbing of all, cruel. Cruel!

Tell me, did you actually end up with a bad boy?

I used to date bad boys but that got old soon (not soon enough sadly). I finally decided I needed respect. Gosh, not even love, just plain and simple respect. Someone who will treat me with kindness and affection, generosity and trust. That's not too much to ask since I can give that and if I can, a man can. So what is this obsession of ours with bad boys?

I should be able to answer that since I did go out with their kind many many seasons ago. But, to be honest, I really don't know. Do you?

Confession time! I love ice cream. Actually, now lang, after I got preggy with Vito. You see, I craved liver when I was pregnant with him. Pork liver, chicken liver, liver spread, liver steak, pate--I had to have liver every single day! My OBG said that liver's great but since it's rich in Vitamin A (which can cause birth defects), I was forbidden to eat it. To my delight, I found that ice cream had the same creamy smooth texture as liver. I've been eating ice cream regularly since!

Now, since ice cream bars are all the rage these days, I've been trying out different kinds. I love them all! But I found my favorite ice cream bar, the amazing Nestle Crunch!

Nope, I'm not watching the new Spidey movie. I don't think the moviegoers will appreciate me sneaking a 7-week-old infant in the theater. Yep, my baby boy breastfeeds like crazy and so we're semi-permanently attached.

I wanted to watch it not because of the story (seriously, did it really need a retelling?) but because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Here's why:

Patty and I like our men long and lean!

Oh well. Anyway, I just distracted myself with this fantabulous magazine:

To the amazing and super talented staff, you did one hell of a great job with this issue! Your gorgeous editor-in-chief (who, FYI to the mag's readers, was on maternity leave when this issue was produced) is very proud.

Hmm. I'm kinda feeling like I want Emma's hair here. But I'm 35 so maybe I'm too old for that look haha

I hope you guys grab a copy of the July issue of OK! magazine. You'll love it just as much as I did!

This was the cover of OK! Philippines when the TomKat phenomenon took the world by storm 7 years ago. Ah, 2005. That was the year Brad and Jen split, then Brad and Angelina hooked up, and then Tom and Katie got engaged within a few weeks of meeting, and then both leading ladies of the year's biggest romances got knocked up. Truly an epic year for entertainment magazines!

Fast forward to 2012. This is the year Brangelina finally got engaged and the year TomKat split. Another epic year. Katie was the one who filed the divorce papers, allegedly taking Tom by surprise since he was still singing her praises while promoting Rock of Ages. She's asking for custody of their daughter, Suri, and everyone is leaning forward in their seats, waiting for the ugly divorce and custody war. And this is Tom Cruise, only one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. It's a brave soul who goes up against him and everyone's eagerly waiting to watch how Katie will get what she wants.

But the divorce makes me sad. So many people--the entire world it seemed!--wanted Tom and Katie to fail. We all doomed their relationship from the very start. So each year they celebrated together was a triumph I quietly enjoyed. Then this.

It makes me sad. Tom and Katie fought so hard for their love, they were the epitome of you-and-me-against-the-world, that evil, cynical world. They fought back hard but in the end, the world won.

This was a complete surprise. Well, he did ask permission first if he could buy it for me (that's married money for you!) and I was so surprised that he wanted to buy me a new camera that I just said, "Sure, buy it for me!" I mean, really, why ever would I refuse? Haha!

It's a Panasonic GF3. I love it! It's so small! You all know we use and love the Olympus cameras but my one whiny complaint about it is it won't fit into my purse. So Vince got me a small camera. Hooray! Here's Vince talking more about the camera and why he got it for me. Thanks, love!

We buy practically all our gadgets from Amazon or from some other online site, have it delivered to Johnny Air NYC, which then ships it to us here in Manila. Why do we do that? Because even with the shipping and taxes, it's still cheaper to buy abroad. Want to do the same? Let Vince tell you how!

Today was a fun day. Vince's push present finally arrived! And I'm so excited I didn't get the Olympus to take a sharp and proper photo, just BB'd and Tweeted it to the dear followers and now sharing with you here.

It's a set of stackable rings in matte gold with all our birthstones: amethyst, yellow topaz, peridot and emerald. I'm so in love with my push present!!!

What's a push present? Click here to find out!

Vito inspects newborn Iñigo

Gray is a color associated with dullness, rainy days and gloom. So when designing a living space, gray is the last hue anyone ever thinks of. Well, that's the color I'm seriously considering for our living areas. Why? Because of this:

Not 6-months-pregnant-photo-of-me. The sofa!

Hehe, sorry there's no full photo! It's a sofa I bought for Vince. It was my gift to him for Christmas, Valentine's Day, his birthday and our wedding anniversary. He's been wanting a new sofa for 5 years so last Christmas I figured I oughta give him what he really really wants. We love it! Super. Lesson here: Get what you want, what you really really want!

The gray sofa looks great in the house. We softened it with embroidered and fluffy silk throw pillows. But since I've been looking at bedroom inspirations, I started looking for gray living rooms, too. And they are, my friends, quite beautiful.

Blues and grays are so soothing.

Black, white and gray. And words. Perfect for writers!

A bit austere so the pops of yellow are welcome.

The gray is softened by the big pillows and filmy curtains.

Love the books!

Gray, white and gold. Elegant and chic!

Framed black-and-white photos. Of course!

Very bold! Love the textures and prints!

A bit country class but I love the dark gray walls.

I love the pale yellow curtains!

So comfy and quiet and gorgeous!

I love how the gray is so calming and elegant. I also noticed how the rooms had yellow accents in common. But any accent color will work against the gray anyway--the brighter the better, like pink! Ohhhh, I am so into home-modification mode right now!

P.S. Speaking of gray, who wants to read Fifty Shades of Gray? Watch this space because I'm giving away the book! Soon!

*Living room images from Naura Home Design, His House; Her Help, Rusty Hinges Blog, Homedit, Inspiration for Home, Design Darling, Kunz Design and Furniture and Interior Design 

This did NOT make my day.

Someone get me a year's worth of spa treatments please dammit!

UPDATE: Been getting questions about the website that said I'm that old. Unfortunately, I had closed the tab before I could copy the link so I forgot! But this other website, RealAge.com, is highly recommended by Oprah. You'll get a similar result there.

I said I was going to shop with my Unarosa gift certificate over the Pacquiao fight weekend but he lost and people were Tweeting, "Stay home! Pinoys are angry!" While I don't believe Pinoys got violent, stay home I did.

But this weekend, we ventured out and I shopped. To my surprise, I'm a size 4 again. And when I got home and stepped on the scale, it confirmed that I am back to my pre-preggy weight. It's only been 5 weeks since I gave birth, folks! I am so back!

Happiness! And that's why breastfeeding rocks.

Have a great week!