TOPAZ HORIZON

Seven years married today, folks! Fifteen years madly in love. I was looking through all my previous wedding anniversary posts and blushed at how I completely adored my husband (I still do!), so I was wondering what to do this year on the blog that wouldn't make me sound like an infatuated teenage girl (to my husband's disappointment because he says he loves it when I gush over him haha).

Well, since it's Fashion Friday, I decided to do an OOTD hehe. Seven years ago, this was what I wore:

It's a Kate Torralba design, back when she was still making clothes. Now she's making music. I didn't want something bridal, since at my age (I was 30), I wanted to look sophisticated and elegant, not virginal and sweet. Vince just wanted me to look sexy. He even wanted me to expose my back.

Kate came up with this super tight mermaid dress. In the course of the making of that gown, I had it loosened twice because I kept insisting I wanted to be able to move around. A week before the wedding, however, I had the flu, and the stress just made me unable to eat! So on the eve of the wedding, the seamstress came over to the house to tighten the gown because by then it had become very loose!

My earrings are borrowed from Kate, too. Makeup by my high school friend, Jigs Mayuga. He gave me his services for free, as his wedding gift. Yey!

At the church entrance with my parents! Well, I guess that even if I hadn't wanted to look like a bride, the veil just gave me away. Vince said his favorite part of the wedding was when I ran down the aisle to him. Ya, I couldn't contain myself. I left my parents and threw myself into Vince's waiting arms. I was that excited!

And this is us. I love our wedding clothes. I loved our simple but stylish wedding. I love that we laughed all day that day. We're still laughing today, fifteen years down the road, seven of which as married people, and with two-going-on-three kids, the love we share just gets better and sweeter and deeper. Happy anniversary, Vince!

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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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It's Sunday! Lemme tell you about my new Sunday beauty ritual. I super duper love it! It's my GLAMGLOW face mask!!! I was so excited when I found out that GLAMGLOW, Hollywood's ultimate favorite facial mask, is finally here in the Philippines!
There are two variants—Supermud Clearing Treatment and Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. I got the Youthmud because I like the word tingle!

I got a small jar to try out because you never know if a product's going to agree with you. GLAMGLOW is an all-natural product, paraben-free, and vegan. Still, dermatologists warn that sometimes it's the products with natural ingredients that cause allergies most so always test a small area of your skin before using it on your face.

Thankfully, my face didn't react adversely. In fact, my face loved GLAMGLOW!


Here's what it looks like. It's a greenish gray slush that's grainy and speckled with leafy bits. That's a concoction of green tea, crushed pumice and other minerals, and French sea clay. You have to stir it to mix all the ingredients. Remember to use a spatula or a coffee stirrer (like the ones you get at cafés) to avoid contamination. Don't use your finger!

All you need is a thin layer! So this tiny jar should last me about three to four uses. That means this jar is a month's worth of masks.

The mask smells fresh and minty and like astringent. The smell is strong but it doesn't assault the nose. The sensation is cold and it also stings a bit. But that's expected of a product that's called Tinglexfoliate, right?

After 10 minutes, the mask dries up. You really can't move your face! Anyway, time to rinse! Don't go beyond the prescribed time. What I do is I wet my hands with a bit of water then I rub the re-moistened mask into my skin in small circular motions to exfoliate. Then I rinse off everything thoroughly.

Okay, I won't show you the after because I had a big pimple on my left cheek when I took these photos haha but please believe me when I say that my skin looked absolutely fine. And by fine, I mean my skin looked polished and super clean! Like all my pores shrunk!

Sorry, no photos! I get queasy when I see macro pics of noses and wrinkles. It grosses me out haha so I'm not going to show you my nose! But trust me when I say my skin looked amazing after using this mask. That's just from two uses (last Sunday and today). If I actually use GLAMGLOW twice a week, I think I'm going to start looking like a Hollywood star haha! Oh, and that big pimple on my left cheek? It calmed down and dried up the very next day!

Summary

I LIKE... 

• My skin is softer, smoother, finer, better. It's so touchable! The first time I used this mask, I kept touching my face that whole day because it was so nice!
• I can use it with my regular skincare products. 
• My skin really did glow! It's crazy! The glow lasted for about three days. You can use GLAMGLOW twice a week, but I'm being very frugal with it because...

I DON'T LIKE...

• It's not cheap! A regular jar costs Php 3,750! 

MY TAKEAWAY: While I think it's pricey, it's also effective. Extremely so. I'm buying myself a big jar! Facials at the derma or at a beauty spa usually costs about Php 1,500 to Php 3,500. This is Php 3,750 for a lot of uses and you can do it at home, too. So it comes out as totally worth it.

WHO'S IT FOR: Just about everybody! This mask is for both men and women. The scent isn't feminine or masculine. The mask targets all sorts of blemishes—enlarged pores, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and ingrown hair for the guys (or girls!) who shave/wax/thread their mustaches and beards.

You can buy GLAMGLOW at the Beauty Section in SM Makati, SM Mega Mall, SM Aura Premier; at Fresh Fragrance Bar in Eastwood, Alabang Town Center, Century Mall and Glorietta 5; and Art of Scent in Shangri-La Plaza Mall and Resorts World Manila. More info at GLAMGLOWMud.com.

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So Gwynnie and Chris are consciously uncoupled. While people think Gwyneth invented that term, there are many formerly married people who are still wonderful to each other.

Miranda and Orlando? They are the most consciously uncoupled exes ever.

Oh wait. There's also Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who are so involved in each other's lives, I think it's weird for whoever they're currently in a relationship with. Hilary Duff remains the Disney good girl so much so that even when she and Mike Comrie divorced, it was so nice and friendly, they're still dating, er, going out together as friends.

Let's see. Who else?

Oh, there's Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, who divorced because they said they were more best friends than hubby-and-wife, which supports my belief that you should never describe your spouse as your best friend—even if he is—as that immediately desexualizes your relationship. After all, everyone in Hollywood described Brad and Jen as best friends, hence Angelina's dismissal of that marriage: "It was clear he was with his best friend, someone he loves and respects."

On that note, Brad and Jen are still friends. Brad told W magazine that, "We still check in with each other. She was a big part of my life, and me hers. I don't see how there cannot be [that friendship]. That's life, man. That's life."

That's consciously uncoupled, man. That's consciously uncoupled.

While I don't subscribe to the GOOP bullshit that since we live longer lives now, marriage is no longer the relationship ideal, I do think it's admirable when two people who shared their lives can go on their separate ways and remain friends. That says a whole lot of good about them.

Sigh. Miranda and Orlando, please get back together!

UPDATE: Gwyneth and Chris are on a "break-up-moon" or a honeymoon after people split up. Again, they didn't invent it. Brad and Jen were famously (or infamously) making out in Anguilla the week they announced their split!


*photo from News.com.au

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I am on shoe-shopping mode. I haven't bought shoes in a while, mostly because there was no reason to buy new shoes last year since I hardly went out last year.

Woah. Did I just say there was no reason to buy new shoes? There is always a reason to buy new shoes! Who is this woman who says there's no reason to buy new shoes?!

Well, the old me must've stirred from her style slumber because I feel the itch to scratch the credit card on shoe shopping, and the first shoes that caught my eye are schu's new styles. Here are my favorites:

For daytime events...

For nighttime events...

For errands...

For meetings...

For when I want to feel pretty...
There are so many more colors and styles so perfect for the summer! You can check out all of Chocolate schubar's Spring-Summer 2014 line and the TYCA line at their Facebook page. But be warned: That's what I did and now I'm a mess, just thinking about shoes! All the styles are available at all schu shops so I guess I'll bump into you at schu if you shop for shoes, too!

*all photos grabbed from schu's Facebook page

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Shailene Woodley, star of Divergent and the upcoming The Fault in Our Stars (and Hollywood's newest It Girl), has a point.

Quote from a TIME article on Shailene.

I always told Vince, "We women are our own worst enemy," since we seem to be the first in line to pull down, put in her place, insult, shame a sister. I have been a victim of this for as long as I can remember. That's why most of my friends as I was growing up were boys. Of course, being surrounded by boys who really were just friends made the girls even nastier towards me. I have always tried to be supportive of other women. The only times I remember being nasty towards another woman is when Angelina Jolie got together with Brad Pitt, and when Kris Aquino was being annoying. But I have long since realized the error of my ways. Live and let live!

This Women's Month and forever after, let's please be kinder and more encouraging and more supportive of each other. We have to stop the hate. Peace, love and light to all!

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I was at a lunch hosted by P&G Beauty at Manila Polo Club. They were celebrating Women's Month (yes, March is Women's Month!). It was a small party for magazine editors, newspaper journalists, editors of lifestyle websites, and then there was little old blogger me.

I haven't been attending events the whole of 2013 (save for a few blog advertiser events because, well, I had to attend those!). It was my first year to be a stay-at-home mom and a full-time blogger. I tried working as a freelance writer and newspaper columnist, too, but, boy, I realized I can't juggle too many things after all. Something's bound to suffer, and I've since accepted that I am happier and more effective if I just slooooow down and just relish my awesome life! It won't be this slow forever (I doubt I'll be a housewife all my life) so I will enjoy this phase while it lasts.

(But it was still kinda nice to see old friends again!)
Big perk of being pregnant? Everyone wants to give up their chair for you, so that's how I ended up sitting between P&G's Country Communications Leader Clint Navales and super host Issa Litton.

The lunch was P&G's way of picking the brains of the media, especially the women of media who create media for women. P&G said they did a nationwide survey of Filipinas from all socio-economic backgrounds and found these surprising beliefs:

• Women believe that men should still get the higher paying job. In fact, between a man and a woman with the same intelligence and credentials, women think the job should still go to the man. WHY? Because men are the breadwinners so they should get more opportunities and more money.
• Women also think that, for the same job, it's okay for men to earn more than women, and to get promoted faster. WHY? Same reason as above.
• Women use beauty products not to attract and keep men, but to hide their age. WHY? Because young girls want to appear older while mature women want to stay looking, I dunno, 25 maybe! Just reinforces the issue that women are ashamed of their age!
• Men are hired and promoted for their potential, women for their experience. WHY? Women need to prove they can do the job. Men just need to show up.

There were actually more but I'm reeling. I am in total shock. It's the 21st century and the Philippines is a modern country but apparently our beliefs are still medieval.

I am living in a bubble.

Dear readers, I don't think we women should subjugate men. Neither do I think women are the superior sex. I just believe that we should be given the same opportunities, the same rights, the same accolades, the same encouragement and support, the same appreciation. I'm lucky to be married to a feminist who encouraged me to pursue my ambitions and then respected my choice to be a full-time mom when I decided on that. He never put me down or put me in my place or told me I can't do things because I'm a woman. I hope all men can be like my Vince and all women can have a dad or husband or mentor or friend like Vince!

Don't let anything hold you back, ladies!


Let's celebrate Women's Month by destroying the boundaries and beliefs that hold us back!

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Apparently, I've been using my Shiseido Ibuki all wrong. Remember my Ibuki review and I said, "Just a little product goes a long way. I've been using my Ibuki for 4 months and I'm just halfway through my bottles." Well, they're not supposed to last that long! The bottles have a pump and each pump dispenses the correct amount of product to massage into skin. If I use too little, it's not as effective. And I've only been using half a pump all this time!

All this I learned when Shiseido invited me to their beauty blogger event at Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences. It was my very first beauty blogger event, by the way! And I think I only got invited because I did the Ibuki review haha. I'm not a beauty blogger, you see, and I think you can see that from my picture above. I mean, I didn't even put on makeup or brush my hair haha.

I've been to beauty events, of course, but in my former life as a print editor. Beauty blogging events are more nerdy and take a much longer time. Why? Beauty bloggers ask so many questions! I understand this because when I read product reviews on beauty blogs, they're very detailed and comprehensive. Plus, since every blogger has to have great photos for their blog, they really go up close and shoot away, and even ask the presenter/model to do things slowly or again and again so they can get the perfect shots. Interesting!

Here are some of the bloggers at the Shiseido event:

My dear friend, Nicole Romero of Beauty & Sparkle.

From left: me, Rowena Wendy Lei of Animetric's World, Liz Lanuzo of Project Vanity, Nicole, Tara Cabullo of Chronicles of Vanity, Kikay Trekkie, and Shiseido's Momoko Isibashi.

Shiseido's Momoko Isibashi is here in Manila for a few months to help launch Shiseido's store in SM Fashion Hall. She also gave us a few beauty tips (with the help of Donnarence Masilungan of My Lucid Intervals):
There's a proper way to remove makeup. There's even a proper way to fold the tissue so that it's efficient and clean. Anyway, always use makeup remover before cleansing. Start with pressing the tissue moistened with makeup remover on eyes and then gently wiping off. Gently wipe off the makeup on the rest of your face.

Always use a spatula when taking out product from a jar. This is to prevent bacteria from getting into your creams. I never use a spatula!

For firm and healthy skin, massage your face. This is a model's secret. They love having their faces massaged. It not only keeps their skin firm, it also helps drain the face of fluid so puffiness goes away. I wanted to show you the massage via a video but I'm not so gorgeous today so I'll just do the video when I'm pretty again haha.

Donnarence said she loved how her face felt warm after the massage. I tried it, too, and my face also felt firmer. Momoko says you can massage your face every day!

And here's Donnarence fully made up again after the facial! It's just a very light makeup that anyone can do.

If you want to know more about Shiseido skincare and makeup, get a skin consultation and free makeover, get certified beauty training and more, check out Shiseido's beauty fair this weekend at SM Megamall Atrium. Have fun!
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This was all over Facebook today but I'm blogging it so I can always have it to remind me that Vince and I also were strangers when he and I met, then talked on a hotel rooftop in the chilly Baguio night, and finally melted into a kiss that sealed our fate 15 years ago.

I didn't even really know his name. When my Papa asked me if I met anyone at the writing workshop, I said, "Well, there was this guy. His name is Vince Salas, Santos, or something. Basta Vince."

"Is he someone special?"

I stopped for a while, thinking of the kiss. "Yes. Yes, he is. Possibly. Not sure yet. But we finish each other's sentences. That's something, right?"

And Papa said real quietly before he said good night, "Well, you better ask him his name again. You just might end up with it."

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I like the red, black and white color motif.

Hehe. Yun lang p0h!

P.S. Samsung vs iPhone? Sino ang may mas magandang picture pala?

*Oscars photo from WSJ, local version from Philippine Star

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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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Vince and I have been attending a lot of weddings lately. We love dressing up, especially for weddings, because it's not just a reflection of our style but a show of respect for the wedded couple and the occasion. But it's really hard to look perfect  in a a suit and a dress when you're chasing after two little boys. I just tell myself that we're going for the British look lately—stylish but disheveled.

Then I saw these at Vanity Fair's Oscar after-party.
Reese Witherspoon in a black-and-gray paillette embroidered silk dress from the new Fall/Winter 2014 BOSS runway collection. I love her hair! But if I'm to wear this (and not to a wedding hehe), I need to not eat for a month.

Adrien Brody in a perfect Hugo tux. Sigh! He reminds me of Vince! I really like skinny guys with prominent noses!

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While the OK! magazine staff have all gone our separate ways and are all the better for it, when something big happens in Hollywood (like a hook-up, a marriage, a divorce, a birth, a death), we all still discuss it like we're still making a living out of it! The current discussion was, of course, on the recently concluded Oscars red carpet fashion, and started, of course, by our former red carpet columnist, Jay Santiago, with this video.



I am oh so glad that my fashion idol, Hal Rubenstein of InStyle, finally said what I've been thinking all along: that the red carpet is oh so boring!

"The myth is that the Oscars is the biggest fashion show in the world. Not true. When we go to a fashion show, what we're looking for is innovation, fresh ideas, new concepts. The red carpet is about familiar garments, the glamour that we were brought up on in the movies. Do something odd, do something different, do something tilted, and the viewers get shocked."

I couldn't say that when I was still a Hollywood celebrity magazine editor haha. I mean, what kind of editor would say, "Oh hey, guys, it's red carpet season again and guess what? It's all so boring!"

Since the rise of the stylist, there is no personality on the red carpet anymore. Save for fashion-forward stars like Tilda Swinton, Kate Bosworth, Sarah Jessica Parker and my favorite Cate Blanchett, there's just glamour on the red carpet. Just glamour. Style is gone. Gone are the swans of Bjork, the men's shirts of Sharon Stone, the safety pins of Elizabeth Hurley, the threads of Rose McGowan, the homemade designs of Demi Moore.

Ok, these are not all from the Oscars red carpet but just wanted to point out that style can be crazy!

Everyone looks gorgeous and glamorous and divine. Well, that's what movie stars are supposed to look like! I'll just watch the Grammys then. You can always count on musicians to be authentic (Rihanna! JLo! Lady Gaga!) and to give us all a spectacular show!

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