Click to view slideshow.

There’s no place like Heima. Shabby chic furnitures, quirky elegance and coquette vibe made the Heima Made With Love Launch party a collaboration of art, fashion and gorgeous interior design. Much love to Heima for featuring my good friend Arlene Sy’s art exhibit aptly titled Inflated Dreams. To see more of her works just click little miss bonnie (see the right panel) for her blog and visit www.heimastore.com. Her beautiful art pieces are still available in Heima’s Makati showroom.

Heima is definitely my choice if if I start building my very own pad. The whimsical patterns, colorful pieces of furnitures, eclectic designs and damask artworks are totally my style. The best part of attending a soiree made of pure l♥ve and passion is to be surrounded by beautiful artsy people in their stylish garbs. It’s not hard to fall in love in this gorgeous array of art, heim interiors and fashionable people!

♥Trendspotting♥

Jumpsuit from yourfashionpolice.multiply.com and a native clutch from Vigan

A romantic take on lace, very hot trend this season

Sweet grunge. Floral never looked so edgy and sweet at the same time

Rockin' Chic. Plaid, boots and sleek do' never looked this good

Bluer than Blue. No sadness to this one shoulder piece, Celine bag and sexy flats

Mismatched class + all that jazz = Heima's brainchild Rossy. Her style mirrors Heima's gorgeous look and designs

Harajuku Fun!

Alber Elbaz captures romantic and elegant with this red evening wear floor length dress

Alber Elbaz is a genius. I always look forward to his collections and this year’s Ready-t0-Wear was simply astounding. He is a master of beautiful draping and marrying couture with wearable elegance. Lanvin has become a part of my must have designer buys for my future wardrobe. For the meantime I will marvel at this gorgeous collection and i’ve handpicked my favorites to share with my fellow Lanvin lovers. Enjoy!

Purple Dream

Red Alert

Less is More

Ring the Alarm

Muted Elegance

Tribal Call

Behind the scenes of my friend's collection photo shoot

What I love about make up is the limitless opportunities to play with colors in enhancing your face’s  striking features and the transformation from a blank canvass into a work of art. Had the great honor of doing make up for my friend’s online boutique  (visit www.yourfashionpolice.multiply.com) shoot, partly styling and complementing the model’s make up with her latest collection. Our model’s transformations from Shaina Magdayao’s pre John Lloyd days,  Kim Chiu’s early modeling looks, and poses reminiscent of Anne Curtis’ Magic Kingdom time and Angelica Panganiban’s Lolita appeal ,  Micah’s debut is worthy of a Candy spread and a Teen Vogue editorial.  Here’s a summary of my favorite looks and how-to-do make up tips for you to enjoy.

Nautical Red

Bold Red Lips

The trick in doing bold red lips is to apply the lipstick as evenly as possible. If you’re a newbie, best to trace your lips with a lip liner, preferably the same shade which will serve as your guide. Best red shades in the market are Chanel, Shu Uemura and Mac. So if you’re planning to splurge get the brands that I just mentioned and you won’t regret it. Red will never get out of style so it’s a pretty great investment in your beauty kit.

In The Nude

One of my favorite looks during the shoot is creating a clean and flawless nude make up. Very important to have a very good foundation and I highly recommend this since it’s very crucial to match the right shade according to your skin tone. My favorites would include Shu Uemura’s Face architect, Mac Cream foundation and Bobbi Brown. Use neutral colors for the eye shadow in shades of brown, gold, pale pink and various earth tones in matte finish. Make sure to emphasize the brows and also apply contouring depending on the facial features of your model. For Micah’s case I had to contour her cheek to emphasize her cheek bones. To finish it off, dab the nudest lipstick in your beauty arsenal for this ethereal look. If you don’t have one, dab foundation in your lips and apply the eye shadow that you used to create a nude shade.

Boho Chic

For this set up I retained the nude make up and edited the lip color to a more sweet and feminine pink to match the clothes. To save time (and products!) make sure you have versatile eye make up so you can just put on some blush and change your lip color. Highlighted Micah’s cheek bones using round strokes for a more youthful glow and pink lipstick to complement the whole hippie vibe.

 

 

Pretty in Pink

 

 

Pretty Pink

 

 

 

Black Widow

Dug some old styling works I did way back in 2006, fresh from college and trying to find my way in the real world. All I know back then was I wanted to do anything that deals with fashion. After doing some styling jobs for FHM I met make up artist Myca Velarde, (whom I styled for the men’s mag) we would hook up and collaborate with young designers, novice photographers and neophyte models so we can beef up our portfolio. I would go through my closet and scoped out ukay finds so I can come up with concepts for our shoots. It was undeniably one of my happiest and fulfilled moments. You’re young, fearless and driven by so much passion that the creative process seemed mundane. I would commute all the way from Laguna lugging a bag full of clothes, accessories and dreams that one day I would be part of the local fashion industry.

When reality sets in and wakes you with responsibilities, bills and corporate allure, you forget the real reason why something makes you feel passionate and fulfilled. I am done denying what I really love.. and looking at this pictures gives me a sense of fulfillment that what you truly love will bring you to where you really are destined to be.

My Graffiti make up interpretation

I remember discovering the world of make up at the tender age of 9. I would go through my mom’s dresser and experiment with her lipsticks, blushes, foundations and creams that I absolutely have no idea of at that time but stirred my interest way too much  so i dabbed, puffed and blushed my way to the different palette of colors that waked my artistic inclinations. Growing up, I was always fond of colors and even tried my hands on painting using different  mediums like watercolor, color pencils, and  oil pastels. I just remember excelling in coloring more than drawing and find myself the go-to-girl when it comes to make up during plays, school dances, night outs and parties. I finally took formal classes in 2008 in Basement Academy  and voila, one of my favorite creations during our graduation class. I also included some of my favorite looks that I did for a friend. I look forward to sharing my other passion and maybe one day become an alternative career..

This make up was inspired by a lot of Shu Uemura pegs

Fashion Police Shoot

One of my dearest friends, Mini Campos has her own line that sells through multiply (http://yourfashionpolice.multiply.com/) and we offered to style and shoot her collection last year. A creative bunch, my other friend Chester photographed and doubled as a co stylist and hair person as well. Here’s some of our favorite looks.

earth tones

Stranded in Style

Bold eyes for the blues

Ilokana Beauty in a T'Boli costume

There is something nostalgic about Vigan that brings you back to a colonial era with its cobblestone streets, unique architecture and construction with colonial European facade and designs. I love the fact that our visit two weeks ago coincided with their annual Solidarity week and I was overwhelmed by a beautiful group of girls waiting for their turn to perform in the plaza wearing ethnic costumes of the T’Boli tribe. These tribal costumes inspired a lot of runway collections in the past for designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Thakoon, Paul Smith and Christopher Kane just to name a few. I was astounded and reminded how rich and beautiful our ethnicity and culture is that I couldn’t help but snap pictures of these girls in their gorgeous ethnic ensembles.

Ilokanas in their T'Boli costumes

The full T'Boli ensemble

Vintage, Art, Antiques, Food and Fashion at its Best

Click to view slideshow.

I first heard of Cubao X for their custom made shoes and antique shops way back in college. And as for my appetite with anything to do with fashion, I scoured my way through Cubao and found an enchanting haven of art galleries, shoes, vintage items, novelty shops and a quaint authentic Italian restaurant named Bellin’s. I paid a visit last week and Cubao Expo is still an interesting stop to appreciate local art, indie music, vintage items and unique fashion pieces. A go-to-place if you’re looking for custom made shoes, pop art, antiques, vintage lovers, art gallery junkie and a fashion seeker like me.

Vintage Madness at Brave New World

In this lane is an obscure store named Brave New World that houses Vintage items from the 60's & 70's

It's like raiding your dad's closet

I have a penchant for vintage items and stepping inside this secluded store is like entering your mom and dad’s walk in closet. Brave New World is like stepping into some sort of time warp! Vintage Fred Perry’s, Rayban’s, hippie accessories, bowling shirts, bags and tons of iconic fashion in those good ole’ hippie days. While some items can be a bit pricey, Brave New World offers a payment plan where you can place your downpayment and pay it in full once you get your cash. Pretty worth it once you spot the item you’re looking for. One of the best parts in this store is the guy manning it since he looked like he just stepped out from some 70′s local sitcom.

An Awesome, awesome find indeed.

Bought a vintage "flower power" dress from the 70's

Blast from the Past

Notice that the guy manning the store is wearing a vintage Fred Perry shirt

I liked this dress too

impressive merchandising

a gorgeous pair

A shady matter

Timeless and quirky sneakers from various brands

I fell in love with this pair of high top Fred Perry sneakers form the 70's

]]> http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/the-x-experience/feed/ 8 theclosetraider shops Vintage closet Flower Power Flower Power Vintage shirts great finds closet raiding Renaissance shoes vintage shades Sneaker Seeker vintage Fred Perry high top sneakers http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/sydney-series/ http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/sydney-series/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:11:35 +0000 theclosetraider http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/?p=385 ]]>

Sydney, Australia 2009

Harbor Haute

One of my favorite trips in my career in L’Oreal was our incentive getaway in Sydney, Australia last year. The land down under  exudes a very casual , laid back and no frills kind of vibe so I opted for a plaid patterned maxi dress shaped by cinched belt topped off by a straw fedora hot to match the Aussie lifestyle. Perfect outfit for a lunch cruise around the city with the Sydney Opera House in sight.

Crusin' Sydney Style

Night Out

The best part is having a friend who takes amazing pictures..I wore a graphic kimono dress, gray suede boots and my customized dog tag to comfortably explore Sydney in style.

goofing around with colleagues 90210 style

We found some random furniture on the side of some restaurants near the opera house and decided to copy the Beverly Hills 90210 stills.

Post Posing

]]> http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/sydney-series/feed/ 2 theclosetraider IMG_2208 IMG_0218 Kimono dress and gray suede boots Our 90210 posse Sydney Post http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/the-devil-of-september/ http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/the-devil-of-september/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:56:46 +0000 theclosetraider http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/?p=369 ]]>

The Real Devil in Prada

Any fashion lover should watch this documentary.  The biggest, thickest and heaviest issue of Vogue, The September Issue chronicles the life and work of Anna Wintour as they closed Vogue’s biggest September issue with Sienna Miller on the cover. Love her or hate her, there is no denying that the real devil is a genius in what she does and perhaps the most influential woman in fashion.

Some of the highlights include the perennial ambivalent relationship between Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington and Anna Wintour, fashion’s new IT boy Thakoon, Anna’s reaction to Yves Sain Laurent’s head designer Stefano Pilati’s f/w collection (it’s a classic Anna Wintour icy stare) and Sienna Miller’s rejected “too much teeth” cover and the biggest irony of having a daughter who has no interest in fashion and Wintour’s self-confessed weakness. It’s hilarious, witty and downright fashionable.

Watching it is may be the most fashionable way of welcoming September!

The most sought after issue of Vogue

Cover girl Sienna Miller photographed by Mario Testino

Halle Berry covers the latest issue of Vogue

New York, New York

I ♥ New York.  My first visit was during the Holidays in December 2007 and the city was packed- with tourists! It seems that all the New Yorkers packed their bags and went somewhere sunny so I didn’t really get to see NYC native fashion on the streets. I’m planning to visit again July 2012 (summer) so I can visit the other places that I wasn’t able to go to like MoMa, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Central Park and try out the smorgasbord of different dishes, chic restaurants, watch the Broadway play WICKED and of course shop! And I really have to scope the born and bred New York street style fashion. Summer will be a great opportunity to strut my stuff and take notes and snapshots of the city that never sleeps.

New York Minute

I wore a chic Chanel like double breasted tweed jacket by Ilaya Couture from the Archaeology section in Power Plant mall. This jacket got a lot of double takes on the street and I even overheard one girl saying “I love her jacket!” Now, who says a tropical country can’t make a stylish winter garment? If you’re planning to go somewhere cold for the Holidays, Ilaya offers a variety of jackets in brocade and tweed fabrics that are chic and affordable. This jacket is an instant classic and will be a great heirloom in my closet for my future daughters to enjoy.

Staying warm and chic in my Ilaya tweed jacket in the Flatiron District. Behind me is the famous Flatiron building

Staying stylish for my first Subway ride

FASHION at the MET

I absolutely fell in love with the Metropolitan Museum. My only regret is that I didn’t get to have a Blair Waldorf  picture at the Met steps since I wasn’t into the whole Gossip Girl hype yet. But the most amazing thing about this experience was I got to see a fashion exhibit that showcased the beautiful creations of  Christian Dior, John Galliano, Isse Miyake and other talented designers.

A dream come true for any fashion enthusiast

Beautiful pieces by iconic designers

Feeling giddy at the end of the exhibit

The exhibit was sponsored by Manolo Blahnik himself!

]]> http://theclosetraider.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/empire-state-of-mind/feed/ 7 theclosetraider Street Style NYC Street style Flatiron District Subway Style Blog Mode Haute Couture @ the Met Manolo blahnik exhibit