I was at the PFW Opening Night last Wednesday to witness the top designers and retailers in the country show off their latest designs. I made it to the Visions and Trends/Design Fusion Collection where Anna Leah Salvador, Aries Lagat, Benjie Pañizales, Don Protasio, Enrico Carado, Happy Andrada, Harley Ruedas, Jaki Peñalosa, Jan Garcia, Martin Bautista, Mitzi Quilendrino-Bustos, Nolie Viñeza, Norman Noriega, Patrick Galang and Raoul Ramirez presented. SM also showed off their latest designs already (or soon to be) available in their department stores.

Click here for more photos by Francis Tuason for thePOC

I love PFW for what it is trying to do - to showcase Filipino talent, especially young designers who are trying to get a leg up on the first rung of the fashion ladder. However, I think that the designs, while beautiful and obviously made with attention to detail, are too safe. To put it bluntly, some of the designs were unoriginal. A lot of the pieces showcased in the Visions and Trends show were cocktail dresses or evening gowns that capitalized on existing trends or took their inspirations too literally to the point of becoming costume-y.

Pureology is well-known for its line of hair color care shampoos and conditioners. Their products has Anti-Fade and ZeroSulfate properties to ensure that colored hair is always in top notch condition. Now, the popular brand has branched off to provide not only products, but hair care and styling services!

Alex Carbonell of Studio Fix by Alex Carbonell and Chrissy Calderon-Uy of Hairworks Salon attended the Pureologist Certification Training held last April 27-29, 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ms. Lynna Choi, the Asia Regional Education Manager of Pureology, facilitated the three-day training and certification.

The beauty writers with Alex Carbonell (photo grabbed from Nikki)

Dr. Jart (the brand name comes from Dr. Jung, the company's head of dermatology + art of skincare), one of the biggest and most popular BB cream brands in Korea has finally arrived in the Philippines! I'm pretty excited because I've gotten my hands on the whole line, so I can review each one for you guys and make recommendations.

I have always believed that Filipinas are some of the most beautiful women in the world. We hate the color of our skin, the curl of our hair, the challenges we have to face right here in the Third World - but I believe that these things make us strong and beautiful. But come, I'm biased. 

Nationalism is a hot commodity right now because of the elections. We have t-shirts from Collezione, Bench, and now, a huge fashion show from Ayala Malls. Filipina, Bravo! is an exhibit  that seeks to pay homage to Filipina icons by interpreting them with contemporary fashion.

Participating designers include the legendary and timeless Patis Tesoro and Criselda Lontok; the unquestionable queen of knits Lulu Tan Gan; the famed femme favorite Patrice Ramos-Diaz; silk heiress Katrina Goulbourn; Bonne Bouche’s Michi Calica, Elena Bautista and Emi Jorge; contemporary and fashion forward designers Tippi Ocampo, Kate Torralba and Hindy Weber-Tantoco; easy fashion for the working woman from Yvette and Choc Religioso and Arlene Sipat; award-winning Mich Dulce for Myth; supermodel-turned-designer Tweety de Leon for Myth; acclaimed bag designer and SoFa founder Amina Aranaz; exquisite accessories designer Ana Rocha; and pearl excellence from Jewelmer. via The Daily Tribune

It's a grand showcase of the hottest colors and cuts this season. There's a lot of whites, nudes, and blacks mixed with shocking pops of color in blue, purple, and red. The designers have a preference for loose-fitting, flowy dresses as well as body-hugging empire cut cocktail numbers and high-waisted body cons. Of course, the traditional baro't saya was featured.

A ton of pictures after the cut! 

I am a fan of clothes with a healthy dose of romance. Nudes, whites, pinks, and beiges are some of my favorite colors to wear this season too! That's why I am floored by Johnson's Body Care and Bayo's collaboration called the Soft Look Collection. The well-designed pieces are done in delicate lace, chiffon, and satin, shamelessly featuring a lot of ruffles and runching. The whole collection's main focus was showing off one of our best assets this summer - beautiful skin.

I love, love, love the Soft Look Collection. It is so me! Anyway, I took photos of the complete line for your viewing pleasure. Tell me what you think! Check out last year's Johnson's Body Care launch too, and compare.

The gorgeous, skinny, and elegant Sarah Meier was host for the night. I love her blue eyeshadow and nude lips. Her makeup was immaculate.

Class and simplicity 

Last Friday, Paul & Joe celebrated its third birthday and launched their 2010 Spring Collection with a small, intimate gathering. The theme was Wild Flowers, based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Cute birthday cake! So Paul & Joe, don't you think? The brand is known for its cute and classy packaging.

The host looked absolutely fresh and stunning

2010 Spring Creation Makeup. If you like elegant, wearable and long-lasting colors, this is a collection that you should check out. The eyeshadows come in three finishes: satin, silk, and suede. There are 27 colors to match the season. You can create your own palette by picking any three colors that suits your fancy, which makes it rather convenient since it maximizes the products' cost-per-wear (you know you'll be using everything all the time!). The price is rather steep though - for the whole palette, you need to shell out P2,980. Each eyeshadow is P820 while the palette itself is P520.

Kate Torralba is best known for her bright and quirky designs that cater to those with young, adventurous hearts. For this summer she has created a daring but still wearable collection called Tightly Knit. I say daring because the collection has her trademark bright colors while also showing a lot of flesh and wearable because I can see Pinays, however conservative, wearing the pieces on the beach. I know I would!

Fit and lean. KT was inspired to do the collection when she did one of the pieces that's part of the grand prize in the Nestle Fitnesse Challenge contest last year. “I was inspired by a project with Nestle Fitnesse earlier this year, wherein a coat dress I made was given as a prize to one of the winners of the weight-loss challenge. It made me think about getting fit for the summer and showing off a great body,” she shares with Style Bible.

Close-up of the pretty knit fabric

I love the embellishments on the straps and neckline. Kate used large, colorful stones. Perfect for the beach!

This is my favorite outfit in the collection. It proves that you don't have to wear skimpy bikinis to look sexy.

My grandmother was an Avon Lady for many years. Because of the brand, she helped my Lolo put my mother and her siblings through college during the 70's.

She got interested in makeup because of Avon, and she actually made a career out of it. My earliest memories were of her bringing me and my cousins to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, where she did the makeup of theater and concert artists in her heyday. We got to watch plays, of course! She has pictures with Lea Salonga and Pops Fernandez. 

She was a kind and cool Lola to have. She bought us clothes, made us up. I think it was from her that my mother and I got our love for all things related to fashion and beauty. My mother is actually an Avon Lady too, although she doesn't sell. She just likes the 20% discount, lol.

That being said, I grew up with Avon. The first makeup I ever got to play with was from Avon. My pre-teen bras were from Avon. It's a brand that my family's life is closely intertwined with, so I was glad when I got to attend one of their yearly launches.

Avon launched three categories: lingerie, jewelry, and accessories. The newest collections are inspired by themes: Kaleidoscope Summer (bright and bold), Tutti Frutti (flirty colors), One Love (hippie movement), Spring Fantasy (dainty and subdued), Ode To Leaves (the shades of a lush garden), Pool Party (blue and cool), Bouquet of Memories (nostalgic and timeless), Black Rose (the sophistication of the color black), and Men's Club (for the boys).

Guests were asked to shop in three rooms: the jewelry room featuring Avon's latest trinkets, accessories room holding the bags, belts, wallets, and shoes, and the lingerie room containing the brand's summer-worthy wear

Ruffa Gutierrez was the shining host of the night! Bianca Gonzales joined her as Avon's newest endorser

It was a bright Saturday that promised a lot of fun activities and a party that no one will forget. I was up early, puttering about the cabana, watching Shakespeare In Love. I was suffering from internet withdrawal! I totally regretted that I didn't bring my Mac. Still, with a view like this, it's hard to feel anxious.

It was a hot day. An extremely hot day, as in, when you go out you can literally feel the sun burning through your skin. And it was what, only 9am? Insane! However I had the chutzpah to stand in direct sunlight like this because I sprayed the Nivea sunblock on before I left the cabana. Take that, sun! Hah!

Here's Marbbie! FYI, we didn't coordinate our outfits. Ipanema gave me black strappy flipflops while they gave her the white version and somehow we just thought of wearing clothes to match them. It was so funny!

After breakfast we rode the coaster to the Upper Beach Club (around five minutes away from Club Punta Fuego). This is the view of the pool beside the Lower Beach Club.

Check out how unbelievably clear the waters are! I was two floors up from the ground when I took this photo.

This is what the word "azure" means

Had to turn away to get to work! These are the campers in a fashion workshop held by runway and events director Robby Carmona and designer Sassa Jimenez.

Here's a photo essay of everything that transpired on Day 2! (extremely photo heavy)

The other weekend, the mega skincare brand held Camp Nivea for rising teenage stars and press people. It was three days full of activities that improved the leadership skills, camaraderie, music skills, fashion sense, runway talent, and camera projection of the beautiful teens.

The location was, how do I say it mildly, paradise! Club Punta Fuego is located in an exclusive property located on the tip of the Batangas peninsula. The clubhouse of the huge and exclusive summering compound is carved out from a ridge overlooking the clear blue sea.

Camp Nivea was the most fun I've had in a long, long time. I went to the event not knowing a single soul but I came home with new acquaintances that I hope to meet again (shout-out to the Candy mag girls, Mars and Cre, Star columnist Jori, and Sense & Style writer slash Heart Evangelista look-alike Marbie).

Marbie, Jori, Mars, Cre

Here's a photo essay of everything that transpired on Day 1! (photo heavy)

Last Tuesday Asus launched its latest netbook incarnation - the Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection (1008P). It's pink, it's small, it's stylish! After that one can't really say a lot. It's got the usual specs that an average netbook has except that the latest Eee PC packs a lot of spunk in terms of design. It promises six hours of battery life, too. (Read after the cut to see the complete specs)

Karim Rashid, a world-renowned industrial designer was tapped to create the newest look of the Eee PC. The design is the realization of his vision of computing—one that is more sensual, more human, more hip. The hot pink laptop is targeted towards the younger, more mobile market. If you're not the sort who wants to get caught in tacky hot pink, never fear! There's a coffee brown version for guys and older women.

Dreamy light show and ambiance courtesy of Icon in Hotel Intercontinental

The most interesting thing during the launch was the fashion show parading R.A.F. Plains & Prints's Summer 2010 Collection. I loved most of the oufits featured! The Karim Rashid Eee PC is such a great accessory to the clothes, don't you think? 

Me and my trusty Ipanemas at the beach

Summer is in full, heatstroke-inducing swing! If you're going to the beach, it's time to stock up on essentials like sunblock, swimsuits, and of course - flipflops. I am soo feeling this sentence because I went to the beach last weekend with no proper flipflops. Good thing Ipanema gave us all a pair! But that's another story for another day.

Speaking of Ipanema, you can also find the brand in a newly-opened footwear store called Bambu. They also have other brands like Ipanema Giselle Bundchen, Rider, Grendha, and OndadeMar. The new place has this classy samba vibe, well-lit interiors, and tons of fashionable (albeit expensive) footwear for kids, women, and men. They also have some resort wear and woven bags and hats available. Perfect for the beach!

What follows is a barrage of pictures of the launch.

At the tender age of 22 I am already becoming paranoid about lines forming around my face, especially near my eyes. I wish I was kidding, but the wrinkles near the corners of my eyes are progressively becoming deeper. And deeper. 

Of course, Clinique has a hi-tech solution to that problem! The brand didn't become a trusted leader in skincare if they didn't always innovate and have a feel for the evolving needs of women. In a press launch last February 18, Clinique introduced their newest anti-aging line - Youth Surge.

Clinique introduces its latest patent-pending de-aging treatment line – Youth Surge.  NEW Youth Surge Night Age Decelerating Night Moisturizer and Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturizer incorporate groundbreaking Sirtuin technology to help slow down the visible signs of aging while simultaneously promoting cellular repair.