TOPAZ HORIZON

I know I promised a blog contest last month--it's this blog's 3rd anniversary last May and I was hoping to give away some loot to reward my dear readers.

Thanks to Maybelline, I now have some cute beauty products for you! This contest is so exciting, you'll feel like you won't be able to eat until it's over.

So Maybelline sent me some fabulous makeup that three of my lucky readers will most enjoy.

For the third prize,
one lucky reader will get:
Fruity Jelly Lipgloss worth PHP 129
Moisture Extreme Pink Lipstick worth PHP 299
Watershine Collagen Shimmers Lipstick worth PHP 369


For the second prize,
one lucky reader will get:
EyeStudio Vivid & Smooth Eye Liner worth PHP 359
EyeStudio Eyeshadow Quad worth PHP 449
Unstoppable Curly Lash Extension Mascara worth PHP 349


And for the first prize,
one lucky reader will get:
Clear Smooth Minerals Liquid Foundation worth PHP 499
Clear Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation worth PHP 599
Clear Smooth Minerals Blush worth PHP 499


Here are the guidelines:

1. Write about the contest in your blog.
2. Make sure to link your post to this post.
3. Leave a comment informing me of your post.
4. Wait for 7 days because I'll announce the winner next Friday, June 26!

The winner will be drawn randomly. Of course, I'll be checking if he/she also did a post on his/her blog first! And yes, I will ship to anywhere in the world--shipping's on me!

Good luck and thanks for joining! This is super duper exciting!

My uber chic and smart and fabulous friends Nicole, Kat and Nikki and I convene every month or so for a night of cheese, crackers and bottles of wine. We don't drink as much as we talk; that's why Vince calls it Whine Night.



Nikki just got engaged and we're all very excited for her. Kat just got herself a boyfriend and we're just as thrilled for her. Nicole and I, well, we're both happily married ladies so, seriously, it's not whine night!

Wine Night isn't exclusively for us four, however. Sometimes, we swell to about 10 people--we just draw up a chair for anyone who wants to join the conversation. One time, a palm reader came along and told me there are three children in my future. Another time, this incredibly self-obsessed person joined us and all he talked about was how great he is. It's always entertaining and, funnily enough, despite the bottles that we empty, we never get drunk.

We're planning a shopping trip to Bangkok, just us ladies. It will definitely be loads of fun and I'll have a ton of fantastic photos for you! I'm really hoping the trip pushes through soon!

Thrift shopping is fantabulous! While Vince dislikes it that I thrift-shop for my clothes ("It's not like we don't have any money!"), I really prefer to buy my clothes vintage or second-hand because I am absolutely sure I'll never show up at a party or an event and some other girl is wearing the exact same dress.

I just want to show you girls my latest thrift buys from eBay:

An H&M belted LBD that I wore to my last Juicy TV guesting. This fits me like a glove and it may be black and simple but because it hugs me in all the right places and that belt just cinches my waist, I feel very severe and sexy in it.

A Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. I haven't worn this yet. It looks even better in person than the photo. It's such a classic! And I totally adore that it's in silk jersey so I never need to iron it. Vince likes this dress, too.

A Hugo Boss cotton dress in beige. Nude and neutral colors are very in this year, and I just had to get this dress because, aside from the on-trend hue, it looks formal enough to wear to meetings but feels very comfy. When I wear it, I look like a Gap ad from its current collection by Alexander Wang and Vena Cava... except that I'm wearing Hugo Boss!

Then today--yes today!--I won this cute Diane Von Furstenberg ladybug dress! This adorable A-line dress came down the runway for the Spring/Summer 2007 collections. Yeah, it's old but I just had to have it because ladybugs are special to Vince and me.
Ten years ago, a golden ladybug landed on my wrist. It refused to fly away! So Vince placed his hand over mine to take it away; instead the ladybug just kept crawling from my hand to his and from his to mine and by the end of that afternoon, Vince had asked me out on our very first date. One year later, Vince gave me a necklace with the cutest ladybug pendant and it's been around my neck for over 9 years!
I actually had a similar ladybug dress from Zara. Bought it in 2007 and wore it just once (when my staff and I went to Subic and met some native Aetas). I found out soon after the trip that DVF had come out with the design first and I just didn't want to buy a knockoff--even if it was a Zara knockoff!

While I love finding vintage dresses and bags, there are some things I like buying brand new. Furniture. Jewelry. Shoes. Especially shoes! My goodness, shoes are my downfall so they better be spankin' brand new!