November 2nd

Today is the second anniversary of my car accident. Ironically, today would also have been my third anniversary with my ex if we were still together. Today is also All Soul's Day (or The Day of the Dead) which is celebrated by Roman Catholics by visiting the graves of their dead loved ones. Two of my aunts are celebrating their birthdays today. What a day of "celebrations".

Extensions Update

Remember when I was ragging about Britney's extensions a few posts ago? Well, my BGF EV who does extensions for a living sent me these photos. These are how extensions should look like, not the mess Britney has on her head. For all you Britney fans, sorry for the bashing. It'll stop soon. I promise!

Client 1:

Client 2 (Before & After):

Now, don't you agree that the work on their hair looks so much better than Britney's mess? If you want extensions, let me know and I'll hook you up with EV's contact info.

Yet Again...WTH?!?

Now I know it's Halloween and all, but WTH?!? Um...shouldn't it be a crime for us to be subjected to that? She's supposed to be a Pussycat Doll or something but I only see UGLY when I see this photo. Oh wait, I see FAT too. Kinda harsh, I know, but seriously...put some clothes on.

Halloween and Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum must REALLY love Halloween. She's thrown a Halloween bash for the past 8 years and every year she goes all out with her costumes. They might not be the most original, but she certainly puts an effort. Lucky for her, she probably knows a lot of makeup artists who are willing to help her get her look together.

2007. Heidi is a cat (or a mouse, I'm not sure). Not the most original but the makeup is great and she can certainly walk the "catwalk" (get it? Hahaha). She wasn't the only celebrity to dress as a cat this Halloween but she's certainly the better looking cat.

2006. To hide her pregnant belly, she dressed up as the forbidden fruit to Seal's Eve. Pretty neat idea and it's great of Seal to dress up as Eve for his wife. So sweet.

2005. Bride of Dracula (complete with wings).

Four exams down, 2 to go...

Ok, so I'm finally done with my Phys exam that I can blog again. After I finished my exam last night, I felt as if a huge chip was taken off my shoulders. I can finally breathe now...well, until the next exam anyway. For now, I'm just glad it's over but I am dreading my grade. I think for the first time in my life I'm actually dreading to see my grade. This is a new and foreign feeling...the anticipation of a bad grade. I can't stand it.

I was so stressed about this exam because I didn't have time to study. First, I had my birthday plans. I spent Saturday with my friends (thank you all for your presents!) and I spent Sunday with my family. A whole weekend for studying...gone. Next, I received the bail amount for my speeding ticket. $993?!!?! What the @#~%$!%$!!! I was so stressed out about that ticket that I couldn't concentrate on my readings. What the @#~%$#!!!!! At this point, I'll be happy with a C (yikes, did I really just say that?). I'm just going to have to fight that stupid ticket. Here's hoping I win...


PS. Sorry for rambling on....got a lot on my mind...

It's My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me! Yay!

Olive Garden

I am amazed that this is my first entry about food. Everyone who knows me probably knows how much I love food. I'm not sure if I love food more that I love to shop. I think I like both equally.

Anyway, I was talking to my cousin IPDL about a month ago. She just moved to Indiana from the Philippines to pursue her PhD at Purdue University. We were talking about a visit to Indiana and I asked her if she's been to any good restaurants there. She paused for a second and replied, "There's Olive Garden." I was baffled. She's been around the world, eaten so many great meals and she replies with Olive Garden? When she noticed my confusion, she told me that Olive Garden is the best restaurant they have because she's in the middle of nowhere. To my surprise, I responded, "Olive Garden?!? My palette is more refined than that." What a snooty bitch I am. We laughed about it then because she understood why I said that (I was NOT trying to be bitchy). I guess I'm just spoiled with the plethora of restaurant choices we have here in Los Angeles.

PS. I have nothing against Olive Garden but if you can have great Italian food at Il Cielo or I Cugini (or my favorite hole-in-the-wall, Alejo's), I don't think Olive Garden is even an option. On a side note, I'm really not a fan of chain restaurants except maybe The Cheesecake Factory.

Strike A Pose: Beauty Shot

A beauty shot looks easy but it's actually one of the hardest shots to pull off, especially for an amateur model. The basics of a beauty shot is that the focus is the face. The shot only consists of everything from the collarbone and up. Since this is a close-up shot of the face, a model must have great skin. Retouching can cost a client lot of money and most clients won't even bother with models who have less than perfect skin.

The tricky part to this shot is how to evoke emotion with your eyes. Depending on the mood of the shot, the model must be able to show intensity or softness with just her eyes. Tyra Banks always tells the ANTM contestants that they need to learn to smile with their eyes. Second cycle ANTM winner Yoanna House is shown here with her beauty shot.

Extensions

What in holy hell is that on Britney's head? Are those supposed to be extensions? Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! She needs to fire her haistrylist ASAP and get in touch with my friend EV. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought we aren't supposed to see the extension tracks. When Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson had extensions, I don't think they ever looked like anything on Brit's head.

I think Britney just needs to be on the TLC show "What Not to Wear?" because she certainly doesn't have a clue. We all know she needs a new management team but she should also consider hiring a new stylist, makeup artist, hairstylist.

Strike A Pose - Editorial

Editorial shots are like art pieces. They are usually a little more gritty, a little more provocative. These shots are designed to send a message and to get a photographer's point across. Sometimes, a photographer can also use an editorial shot to show his creativity given specific boundaries (such as a theme or an event).

On ANTM, Jay and Tyra would sometimes comment on how a shot could be a great editorial shot. The challenge in an editorial shot is for the model to come alive in a photo with a lot of things going on in the background. The set can be overwhelming to a new model. So many elements need to be overcome so that they don't get lost in the shot. They need to find a way to "pop" out.

One of my favorite editorial fashion photographers is David Lachapelle. Back when Britney a new sensation, he photographed her spread for Rolling Stones magazine that created waves of fury for mothers everywhere. His shots are always provocative but he is also known for the use of vivid colors in his photography. His photo above is called "Fashion Disaster".

Strike A Pose - High Fashion

If you watch America's Next Top Model, you've probably already heard Tyra emphasize the difference between posing for a high fashion shot as opposed to posing for a men's magazine. This usually poses (pardon the pun) as a challenge to some of the girls because most of them don't understand that the beauty in a fashion shot is that it's awkward and different.

Most successful fashion shots deemphasize the body that's why the poses are mostly deconstructed and awkward. When people see these shots, they always wonder why this shot is picked and why are the models posing this way. I think by deemphasizing the body, the clothing (or whatever fashion accessory) takes center stage. The eye gravitates toward the product rather than the model. Another reason is probably to differentiate from all shots. The editorial shot is usually more gritty (think David LaChapelle), the catalog shot is commercial, and the men's magazine shot is overtly sexy.

Birthday Bash 2007 Update

My birthday is almost here...which means PARTY TIME! As usual, the venue has changed from my last post about this event. This time, dinner will be at Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica and the after party will be next door at Holly's West. To everyone who is coming, please respond to the evite. I've already made reservations at Wilshire but I still need to know who's coming so I can adjust the reservations if needed. See you all there!

How Can I Tell You

I found it! Well, I found the original and it's none other than one of my favorite artists of all time...Cat Stevens! I actually like the new version more (by Julie Wheeler of Cat Power) but the original is a classic.

Always Thinking of You

I love this commercial. I know I posted about the marketing ploys of diamond companies but this particular commercial just tugs at my heartstrings. Or maybe I'm just hormonal. The song sounds like it's by Feist but I'm not sure if it is.

Desert Hills Premium Outlets "Shopping Spree"

JJ and I took a trip to Palm Springs last Saturday for a mini shopping spree at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets. She had never been there before so when she asked me about a month ago if I wanted to join her, I figured why not. Last Friday, I had another dental appointment that last almost three hours and left me in so much pain (and also left a huge dent on my pocketbook but that's another story) that I figured this shopping spree is just what I needed to relieve some stress.

I haven't been to Cabazon in a long time and my how it's changed. They have a lot of new stores that got me excited, namely the True Religion store. Much to my dismay, the styles they carried we too old (mostly from 2006). I was also excited about the Theory store but nothing really caught my eye. Well, there was one dress that looked really cute but it was still too expensive for an outlet store. BCBG had a bunch of cute stuff. I was really excited about Miss Sixty and found a cute blazer which JJ didn't like so I ended up not buying it. Overall, I was satisfied with the trip because I finally got my silver shoes!

For my loot, see below.

Christian Lacroix Couture Show

Like I said in my previos post, this is probably the only show this season that upstaged John Galliano. I'm talking about the clothes, by the way. I don't think anyone can upstage John Galliano's theatrics.

Drama on the Runway: Galliano Style

As far as runway shows are concerned, Paris Fashion Week takes the cake for the most dramatic shows. As usual, Mr. John Galliano pulls out all the stops for an over the top show. Not only are his creations dramatic, the hair and makeup are usually taken to another level of drama as well. He's probably one of the biggest characters in the fashion industry - his shows are always animated, quirky, and unexpected. That's probably the reason why my bgf, EV, loves him so much!

Earlier this month he showcased three collections for Spring 2008 - 2 for Dior (Ready to Wear and Couture) and 1 for his own label, John Galliano (Ready to Wear).

Dior (Ready to Wear): This was probably his tamest show this season. Even the colors were tame - mostly black. The makeup was a bit dramatic but that's it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still love his designs. I'm just saying that this show was not up to Galliano standards.

Dior (Couture): Dior's couture show was definitely in Galliano fashion - quirky, quirky, quirky. But what couture show isn't? Isn't that the point of couture shows? To go over the top? Well, I think if that's the point, I'm sorry to say that Galliano might have been upstaged by Christian Lacroix. Needless to say, they both put on a great show.

John Galliano (Ready to Wear): The most animated show of them all! This collection is fun, flirty, and light - perfect for spring. This collection shows off Galliano's design prowess - the clothes are not upstaged by the show he's putting on.

Crispin & Basilio

I'm back after a weekend hiatus. I took a short study break but I'm back. And what better way than to start with an entry about a fellow Filipino.

I was flipping through my November issue of Lucky magazine and I noticed a few pieces by crispin & basilio. I thought, "the designer MUST be Filipino" since Crispin and Basilio are two very famous fictional characters in Philippine literature. So, in my downtime, I looked it up and lo and behold, the designer is Filipino.

Donny Barrios studied fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He used to design menswear prior to the launch of crispin & basilio. His collection of fun and flirty women's wear is pretty small but its enough to garner this newbie some attention. The up and coming designer has already been recognized in the fashion industry as a rising talent. Congratulations Mr. Barrios and may you bestow us with more of your designs in the years to come!

L.A.M.B. Love Lucca Medium Bowler

I've mentioned a few times that I'm not a bag/purse girl. I tire of bags easily, hence I can't justify spending too much money on an accessory that I'll only use for a short period of time. A lot of bag fanatics can justify their spending because they get a lot of use out the bag and they take great care of their bags. There are also services that offer bag rentals, specifically of designer "it" bags that a lot of young fashionistas covet but can't necessarily afford to purchase. These don't work for me either. I just don't like the idea of renting something that somebody else has already used.

Anyway, as much as I don't see the point in purchasing expensive bags, sometimes I see a bag that sort of "speaks" to me. In this case, it's the L.A.M.B. Love Lucca Medium Bowler. When L.A.M.B.'s spring handbag collection came out, a version of this bag was in the market - the Love Capri. I searched everywhere and they were sold out. I also liked the Love Capri Satchel, but like the bowler, it was sold out everywhere. When the Fall collection hit the shelves, this baby caught my eye again. This time available it's in only 2 colors, Anthracite (shown here) and Silver. I actually saw the Satchel in Silver at Intermix when I went with JJ last month. I immediately fell in love with it until I saw the Bowler version in Anthracite. The gray color is so trendy for this Fall season but since it's a neutral, it should be able to transcend the season. If you work in a corporate environment like me, this bag is still sophisticated enough to bring to work but it's definitely not boring or stuffy. The orange juxtaposed with the gray gives the bag a little bit of flavor. I'm not a big fan of the inside of the bag since it's lined with the signature L.A.M.B. stripe, but then again I'm the only one that can see the inside!

I can see this bag as something I can use for a while. It's also friendlier on the pocketbook at only $700. This is definitely my bag of the moment until I change my mind again. Oh, and did I mention it comes with a matching wallet? I'm not the matchy-matchy type of person but I might get the wallet and think about the purse some more.

Thigh High Boots

Thigh high boots are making a come back! The last I've seen these boots were in the early 90s, in the movie Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts, playing the role of a hooker, sported these babies during the first quarter of the film. Her boots were vinyl, certainly cheap and tacky, but she was, after all, playing a hooker.

These days, thigh high boots are available in luxe and luscious materials such as suede, lambskin and even wool. But I have to emphasize that these boots are only for the bold. These are pretty tough to pull of without looking cheesy or tacky. A great example would be Serena van der Woodsen from last week's episode of Gossip Girl. She wore a pair of flat-soled suede thigh high boots with her school uniform. The boots certainly add a certain flavor to her uniform and instantly boosts her sex appeal. She definitely rocked these boots, but then again, she's 5'10.

I've actually been secretly pining for these boots but I know it's an impractical buy because 1.) it's a trend that I'm sure will pass soon, and 2.) I'm too short to pull them off (or at least that's how I feel). So, for an alternative, I'm gonna go with thigh high socks. These socks are definitely just as hard to pull off. Not for the faint, but definitely for the adventurous. The only problem I have with thigh high socks is that they slide down, a lot! It's a little embarrassing and inconvenient to keep pulling these babies up. I guess Hollywood tape would answer that dilemma, though I have yet to try it.

Here's Carrie Bradshaw looking cute in her thigh highs and patent oxford booties. Now, that look I think I can pull off. First off, she's not that tall. I might be a little taller than her (not by a lot). I think the key to her look is the monochromatic tone of the whole outfit. That way, the socks don't scream for attention.