This is what I wore yesterday to an event. I didn't want to overthink it so I just put on stuff that I felt naturally went together. Seriously, five inch heels and a good bag can make even the simplest of dresses look, well, dressy. 

Kashieca dress/ Charles & Keith heels/ Pinkbox bangle and ring/ SM belt/ Louis Vuitton bag

As for the look, I found inspiration from Ginnifer Goodwin. I've been keeping this photo for Lord knows how long! I meant to copy the look but somehow always wound up with neutrals or colors. 

I love it! Skin is matte and flawless, eyes are heavy on the top with black eyeshadow, winged out eyeliner, and loads of mascara. Cheeks have a slight peachy blush while lips are nude.

At first glance, it looks like something only a fair-skinned girl can wear, but with some tweaks, I adjusted it for medium Asian skin like mine.

You know, not a lot of people look good in white (me included). White is such a fattening non-color when it comes to clothing. Buuut I don't really care. I still have a soft spot for white dresses so I can never seem to let go of the ones I have. Here's an old one, from around two years back, that I wear every so often.

Eyelet dress and cardigan from Market! Market! / Headband and bangle from Pinkbox

So yeah, had that on yesterday. As for the makeup I just decided to go with something "happy" looking, light eyeshadow, pink cheeks and lips. I haven't been wearing a lot of makeup lately because I simply don't have the time. I'm having fun digging through my makeup collection though, which means I'm re-discovering some old but good products in my stash.

Face: Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW liquid foundation, Lancome Maqui Blanc powder, Artdeco Camouflage Cream Concealer, Clinique Airbrush Concealer (under eyes)

I wanted to talk about how shorts are a staple yada yada but I'm sure that everyone else has exhausted the topic. To summarize: we live in a tropical country. Shorts are part of our national identity.

On a completely different note - one phrase has been running in my head repeatedly this morning. "If you want to lose weight, EAT LESS." It's like a freakin' mantra. But how less is less, and at what point do we need to eat more? I've been on a no carb diet for the past three weeks and it's consuming me. I do cheat once in a while, of course, but I make sure to make it up in the next meal.

Ferretti bag / Forever 21 knit top and blazer / Bench shorts / Pinbox headband and bracelets / ZARA heels

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I have no interior design sense whatsoever. I don't know how to dress up a space and even how to pick furniture. Sure I like a few pieces but I have absolutely no idea where to put them or how to make them work with the furniture we already have. That's why our two-bedroom condo looks a bit...haphazard.

Peacocks top / Landmark skirt/ Ferretti espadrilles/ Pinkbox necklace

But it is home and we have all the stuff we need. It's just not particularly fixed up! Anyway, this is what I wore to watch Prometheus with Marco last Sunday. I always dress down when I'm with him because he's so chill. Too chill, in my opinion, but who's asking!

I know that prints are du jour for the season. The crazier they are, the better! However, I'm really not that into colorful prints; I don't like to look to distracting. I feel more in sync with myself (and my style) when everything matches harmoniously. 

Hence, this outfit and makeup combination. :)

Miss J dress / Ferretti pumps and bag/ Pinkbox headband / Parfois bangle

Yellow and gray was the theme of the day, from my eyes down to my shoes. Someone said somewhere that matching your whole look is a fashion crime but whatever! This is what I feel good in, so this is what I'm wearing.

I feel at my best in shift dresses and soft makeup. I like to try new things, of course, but I always come back to this combination when I want to feel pretty and confident. I guess I can call this my trademark style!

Forever 21 dress/ Aldo bag/ Charles & Keith heels/ Pinkbox earrings and ring/ Snaps the pomeranian

So, my advice to young women is this: keep a shift dress (or ten!) on hand for whenever you want to look all poised and ladylike. SM carries SO MANY nice shifts, but I also like rummaging in Celine and Forever 21. Take this draped shift for example - it's one of my best finds.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, Forever 21 also carries a lot of classy stuff. :P Anyway, here's the makeup I wore with it! I decided to go with soft eyes - meaning no harsh lines or too thick lashes.

When I saw this skirt at Ever New, I just knew I will have it. It's so flattering on the waist, hips, and legs! Lord knows how difficult it is to find pieces like this for my body type. Anyway, I finally got the chance to wear it yesterday to an event in Makati Shangri-La.

SM top/ Ever New skirt/ Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo bag/ Ferretti shoes/ Pinkbox bangles and ring/ Avon necklace

As for the makeup, I wouldn't say that this is one of my favorite looks. I just wanted to try a different blue-green eye combination with an MLBB lip.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't mix and match while shopping. Let me explain. My modus operandi is simple: explore store minutely, buy the prettiest most cost-worthy items!

When I went on a Forever 21 rampage recently (er) I bought a few pieces that I didn't consciously match in my head. That's why I was so happy when, upon getting home, I discovered that this peach knit shirt went perfect with this black sequined skirt! #mababaw

Forever 21 top and skirt / SM necklace / Pinkbox ring / Ferretti pumps

Separately though, I think that this skirt and top can play with many other items in my wardrobe. That was one successful shopping trip, if I do say so myself.

A good pair of heels can make your legs go a loooong way. The heels don't even have to be particularly high! Here are some visual tricks to make your gams look longer: 

• Wear strappy heels, preferably one that has an ankle strap. This slims your feet and ankles.
• Nude-colored shoes blend with your skin, fooling people that there's more flesh exposed, therefore your legs look leaner.

I visited the Ferretti store in Glorietta 1 yesterday and positively ooohd when I saw the new pumps. They're the highest we've come out with yet at 4.5 inches, but of course they're still as lightweight and as comfy as ever. There's a basic black, sky blue, pastel pink, and a true lemon yellow. I bought the yellow as soon as I fitted it!

Forever 21 blazer / Topshop blouse / Ever New skirt / Aldo Revera bag / Pinkbox bangles and headband / Aldo ring

I love it! It's my third pair of pumps from Ferretti (again, yay employee discount).

My healthy obsession with blue is far, far from over. It's the color of my summer because it feels so cool and calm, a sharp contrast to the burning heat outside! Blue puts me in a good mood, is all. I have no idea why some of the connotations of blue are sadness and melancholia.

Anyways, I just wanted to share more blue outfits that I've worn recently, plus the new blue Aldo bag that I got last Friday!

Nine West bag / Forever 21 blazer / Bench dress / Ferretti pumps / Pinkbox leather bracelet

I immediately grabbed this candy-striped Bench dress when I saw it on the racks. I normally don't like bold stripes (horizontal ones at that!) but I like the color combination and the dress looked so flattering on me.

I've been a lot more diligent about documenting what I wore lately. It's a great way to keep track, for myself more than anything. I also like to fantasize that my outfits are interesting, but not so interesting as to be utterly unwearable. :P

Anyway, yesterday I went to the Ferretti office for a meeting and this is what I wore! It was super mega hot, and I knew I would be out the whole afternoon and early evening. I just dressed casually with my fave Ferretti espadrilles and the Bench shirtdress I've been rambling on about.

I accessorized with some silver pieces then topped the look with a semi-forgotten pair of earrings from Naccara. Shame that I don't wear them more often!

I've worn this dress and this eyeshadow look before, but I think it's the added little details that make them new. I don't have a bottomless closet, you know, so a girl has to reinvent her things every so often!

Topshop coverup / Forever 21 dress / Pinkbox bangle / SM necklace / t0nic heels

I wore this outfit to the Charriol event last week at Skye. It was a rather wet afternoon so I threw on this coverup and stable glittery heels. Yeah, I don't want to fall on my face, what with all those slippery pavements I have to navigate. My mantra: look good, but be practical.

Anywhoo, here are the details for the makeup! I created this grape eyeshadow look with the help of an Ever Bilena Mousse Eyeshadow. It's pretty awesome. I've never done purple as crazy as this before.

Face: Lancome Teint Miracle, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, Clinique Airbrush Concealer (for eye bags), Bobbi Brown mineral foundation to set

I used to think that Bench was "jologs". I know, so uncharitable! But during the few times I've visited it in the past years I only saw tacky printed shirts and more jeans. All that has changed though! Bench now has a lot of cool finds at really good prices.

Bench top / Landmark skirt / Tonic shoes / Pinkbox accessories / Nine West bag

This newfound love of mine started when I was in Powerplant Mall a couple of months ago. This was before Bench contacted me for anything ha. I saw their Bench Edited store and got really curious - what's a Bench Edited? Exploring the place revealed it to be a well-curated version of Bench.

Their best pieces were displayed in a really classy space, and I loved it so much I went home with a shirt dress (that everyone asked about! I'll show it to you one of these days) and a pair of khaki capri pants.

When I was younger, I used to buy clothes because I had to, I just had to. There was this feeling that the more I had the more fashionable I am. Predictably, I ended up getting stuck with crappy clothes that I only used a few times before feeling ridiculous in them. You know what I'm saying? I wasted a lot of money because I gave most of my old clothes away.

So now I try not to buy clothes and shoes unless I feel I can't live without them, unless I can't see myself wearing them for at least a year. I'm still a bargain hunter at heart, but if a really nice (although pricey = more than P1,000) piece comes along that I just can't let go of, well, I won't.

This blue Bayo dress is one of those purchases. Like my other new blue dress, it was a love at first sight thing for me. Never mind that I don't have the arms and shoulders to pull it off - I like it, I feel nice in it so to hell with the self-conscious bitch inside. :P

I wore this electric blue maxi with a white crochet necklace and bangle from Pinkbox. My official summer tote is this hot pink woven one from Ferretti so I pair it with everything!

I love little white dresses, but they don't love me back. You see white is such an unforgiving color on less proportioned body types like mine. It can highlight bulges that no one even knows existed and make the body look much wider than it actually is. That's why I *try* to avoid white outfits, just to be safe!

Well, knowing all that, I still buy white dresses just because. They are so fresh to look at. There's something about wearing white that speaks elegance, clazz, and how good you are in kung fuing your way out of a ketchup stain. Fine, wine stain.

Hi guys! I just want to share a look that I'm particularly proud of, mainly because I haven't done anything like it before. It was inspired by the dress I wore and since I was going to a party I thought I'd be more adventurous. I had so much fun with this look!  

Celine dress / Parfois heels / Pinkbox necklace and bangle / Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo bag

So! I concocted a blue, green, and brown eye, matched by MLBB lips so as not to overdo things. I lined my lower lids heavily with brown eyeshadow and connected it to the extended eye shape. I listed the details and the eyeshadow diagram below. :D

Face: Lancome Teint Miracle, Cinema Secrets Concealer, Clinique powder foundation to set

I've been thinking of the ocean lately. I want to go on a vacation, but I don't know where! Boracay is easy but I don't like the main beach there. Plus I prefer somewhere we can drive to. Any suggestions? Where are your favorite beaches?

Folded & Hung shirt | Greenhills skirt | Ferretti pumps | Pinkbox bangle | Parfois necklace

Anyhoo, I just want to share an ocean-inspired outfit I wore the other day. I assisted a magazine writer (and friend) as she pulled out items from our stores. No joke, that job is HARD.