Sweet Fantasy

I was fortunate enough to have been able to watch the Mariah Carey concert a week or so back and I was immensely happy that I didn't skip it as I was highly entertained and it was, of course, such a privilege to have been able to watch her belt out to her songs live. She truly was an extraordinary and talented performer and her voice range is simply out of this world. I spent the night watching it with my mom, dad and my FOSSIL Dominique and we were all so busy dancing and singing to the songs and of course taking over a thousand photos and videos so we can relive the moment over and over again. Since we were able to score seats in the best location of the arena, I decided I wanted to style it up a bit and veer away from my usual concert wear of graphic top, skinny jeans and heeled boots and instead wear a classic and clean crisp button down shirt with a black tulle maxi skirt. I was channeling Carolina Herrera, subconsciously, I think and that was not at all a bad thing since I think she is grace, elegance and class personified when it comes to personal style. I always have been a fan of how she is able to make the classic white shirt EVERYTHING and how she can simply style it up for different occasions- with my favorite look being for when she styles it with a skirt and beautiful accessories like in this photo here. I do hope I was able to give justice to my style inspiration with this ensemble.

PINK is POWER

Hello everyone! I am back to my favorite color: PINK for this outfit post, which I must say, was absolutely appropriate from The Clozette Ambassador's Afternoon Tea Party held at Commune over at H.V. Dela Costa Street which was exactly across the building I work in and spend most of my weekday afternoons in. It was a Saturday which meant no work so I decided to trade in my business attire for something more appropriate. The dress code called for Weekend Chic and I made sure to be situationally dressed and therefor sported this pale pink outfit. I committed to the color from head to toe, I must say.

Faerie's Wheel

Life is magical. I say that wholeheartedly because despite the many problems we encounter or how "bad" and miserable our day is, at the end of the day, there is always something we find that we can smile about and that is exactly what makes it magical. When we were young, we were told fairy tales and when we got older, the real world had a funny way of catching up with us which made us doubt them but I think that the main reason they continue to exist (or were written in the first place), is because something magical is here and exists that inspired them...And magic can be found in stolen moments. This is exactly what this outfit is all about: enchantment. I had the dreamiest time shooting this outfit which was in every way magical as I was draped in layers and layers of soft chiffon that swayed and moved with me and the wind on the breezy Saturday afternoon that I wore it. Since I was in every way in my own element and revelry, the setting provided to be perfection as I had a Ferris Wheel or as I refer to it, a faerie's wheel, in the background fully complimenting the ensemble.

Back at the Barre

For those of you who do not know, I am complete and total fitness freak. Yes, I mix fashion and fitness as my top interests. It's weird, really but I have always been quite the gym rat. For this year, I decided to go back to Barre3 which I took a 4 month long hiatus from as I needed strength training and recently added TRX and Circuit Training to my list of activities. Since it's a new year, I decided to go back to the barre while maintaining my regular gym routine with my personal trainer, Benedict.

Last week was total FITNESS and SELF IMPROVEMENT WEEK for me. I went on the GM Diet and shed a good 8-10 lbs. and went to exercise EVERDAY. So far, it was MWF of Strength Training and TThSS of Barre3. Seven days straight of exercise! I never felt this good (or light) in my life. For Tuesday's Barre3 class, I decided to document my outfit and this was what I came up with...

Health Nut.
(Sweater: Topman- my brother's | Sports Bra and Jogging Pants: Adidas | Bag: Celine | Shoes: Yosi Samra | Sunglasses: Retro from the US)

I will always EMPHASIZE comfort over style and sass when working out. Fashion, of course, is your last concern when exercising. But then again, nothing, even a sweaty workout class is an excuse to be sloppy. So I invest in a few essentials which help me not fall into "Fashion Victim" category when I work out. Leave the worn out oversized shirts with holes in them at home and wear the appropriate gym attire, if you must!

My essentials include: wide rimmed sunnies especially for sunny days, an oversized cardigan or shirt to layer over your workout gear, easy to move in jogging pants and a sports bra that will allow maximum flexibility and won't constrain or limit movement. For a little bit of pizzazz, I like adding a scarf for effect but remove it when working out.

Normally, I would wear my Niker rubber shoes when hitting the gym but since this was Barre3 (where we do training in sticky socks), I opted for ballet flats. My favorite pair is my snakeskin Yosi Samra ballet flats as they are so comfortable.

I only use a dab of concealer and tinted moisturizer when working out. I also add on a bit of cheek tint (I have the classic pale face dilemma where I look like a ghost without color in my face without this) and lipstain. Also, I like to keep my hair in a tidy ponytail, hair bun or braids to make sure it stays out of my face.

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Photos of Barre3:





I think this resolution board and resolution tree is so inspiring... a great way to start the year!



I just had to snap some shots before the class as I was early.
(The gym is the only place I am always early... talk about priorities!)



Doing some stretches before the class...



The Studio is World Class. Well-lit with a lot of space and mirrors so you can correct and check your posture at all times. It reminds me of a ballet studio, which makes sense since most exercises are very much ballet based.

The Wooden Bar- which is you best friend for the class!

The Essentials: Water Bottle (trust me, you'll need it), weights, the ball (for leg and core work) and the straps.




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About Barre 3:



Where Ballet Barre meets Yoga and Pilates

Develop the length of a dancer
and the strength of an athlete
with our highly effective 60-minute workouts. Each class follows a thoughtful sequence for fast body shaping results and long term postural benefits.

The 3 in barre3 symbolizes balance, a core value of our business, practice and life. The classes are designed to transform the body to one of equal balance, strength and flexibility. And, the company they are building is based on the notion that work is a balanced and integrated part of life.

barre3 is a revolutionary class that combines the grace of the ballet barre, the wisdom of yoga and the strength of Pilates. Set to music, this trans-formative 60-minute ballet barre workout improves balance, increases flexibility and enhances strength. Every second in this workout counts for fast body shaping results and long term postural benefits.

Created by fitness expert Sadie Lincoln, barre3 was borne out of her 20 years of teaching numerous exercise platforms. Sadie created this transformative class by combining the best of ballet barre work, yoga and Pilates into a unique sequence designed to balance the body.

For More Information:

Visit Barre3 Branches located in Rockwell, The Fort, Eastwood and Alabang or Click HERE

Visit Barre3's Official Website

Barre3 Philippines Official Website: http://www.barre3.com.ph/

Follow Barre3 Philippines on Twitter: http://twiter.com/barre3ph

or

Follow them on Facebook for updates and information:

Barre3 Philippines Official Facebook Page

Fun Feathered Halloween 2010

IT WAS AN EPIC HALLOWEEN! Celebrated at Attica over at A.Venue and I had a blast!

Loved everyone's costumes! As mentioned in previous post, I am going as Natalie Portman's new movie role portraying The Black Swan (from Swan Lake). I was so psyched and thrilled about the movie when I first saw the trailer last July so I decided to make it my inspiration for my Halloween costume.

The elements of a swan queen ballerina costume:

Lots of Glue Gun, Patience and Effort.
I gave so much effort to make this costume. The corset is DIY and handmade by me which involves a leather corset base with boning to create shape and structure, lots of feathers (I used two kinds: hard feather under and the softer shinier one on top), glue gun/superglue and time. The top itself has over 300 feather pieces which I glued one by one to the corset. I also added hardeners to achieve the structure of wings in the padded area.

The skirt was also harder than ever. It involves 8 layers of tulle which is equivalent to around 12 yards all in all. This much fabric is essential to achieve the shape of a full ballerina skirt rather than a simple tutu.

Aside from the hard work from the top and skirt, accessorizing also is essential for this look. The swan queen always has a tiara so I decided to get one (in a simple swan-like shape). I also added black feathers to each side of my hair above the ear as done by most Swan Lake ballet costume designers. Instead of the clean tight bun most ballerinas sport, I decided I wanted to be more swan queen than ballerina so I opted to do a swan-inspired hairstyle. For this, I wore two wigs. A clamp style curly poinytail wig and a clip on bun wig. My real hair is hidden under the bun wig and people didn't really know the difference. Nobody could tell it wasn't my real hair!

Aside from these, add on feather gloves, feather shoes (I improvised by DIY-ing an old pair of stilettos and adding lace up satin trim (very ballerina inspired) and feathers and white tights. I also did swan like makeup as inspired by the movie poster which was what inspired me to do the costume after I first saw it back in July! This was quite easier to do since it was basically just an extended and more exagerrated smokey eye...

Avian themed Halloween:

With Patricia who came as Miley Cyrus in Can't be Tamed and Nina who was a peacock.

With my boyfriend Teej who was channeling his inner aviator as Maverick from Topgun.

We can't be tamed. I love how Patricia makes a fierce Miley!
(PS: Her costume was designed by me!)

Birds of the same feather...flock together!

I thought of the theme this year and I decided to go all fun and feathery thus the feather rich couture inspired outfits. There's something very elegant and classy about feathers...I knew avian would be such a fierce and fabulous take on halloween and I love how everyone from my group came as birds.I love their support and dedication to the theme I suggested!
I did most of their costumes and helped them out style it. Halloween is a big thing for me, seriously!

Still in sync with our bird theme (spot the eagle patch), my brother and boyfriend came as Topgun fighter pilots Goose and Maverick. Spot the combat boots, aviator shades, name plates and in character poses they have!

Feathered friends, Patricia and Nina.

Nina: Peacock
Patrish: Miley in Can't Be Tamed
Enzo and Teej: Goose and Maverick from Topgun
Lissa: Burlesque Bird
Jed: Fierce Big Bird


Super best Halloween couple was Audrey and Mark who went as Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg in California Girls. I loved it!

Needless to say,we flooded Attica and shed feathers the whole night...it was worth it though..

Lastly, here's a few shots from the night before (our pre-Halloween celebration) over at Fiamma. I went as Lil' Bo Peep with one tiny sheep... But winner costume of the night was Teeej who came as Mugatu. Everyone loved it and he pulled off the costume I made for him quite well! I loved it! He was like a celebrity that night!

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2010 Costumes Review:

Notable costumes: Lego Man, Darth Vader, Chuckie and Freddie, California Girl's Backup dancers, Mario Brothers, Jersey Shores' Snooki and The Situation

The forever there costumes that never fails include:
Slutty + (insert profession here) costumes
Schoolgirl
The Doctors
MAFIA Bosses
Playboy
The Lighted Horns Headband
Angel/ Devil
Lady Gaga
Storybook Characters
Tony Stark Arc Reactor
Vampires
Gasoline Boys, Cops, MMDA and Baristas
Terrorist
Military
Fairies
The Greeks and Romans
Belly Dancers


Major Halloween Hangover. More photos and party shots in the next post! Watch out for that!


PS: Now that we've played dress up and all, let us not forget to honor our loved ones who have crossed over..Say a prayer for the dearly departed or visit the cemetery if you can!

xx