Penshoppe Women Summer 2011 Lookbook

 

 Penshoppe reveals their Lookbook for Summer 2011.

Modeled by Bea Soriano, the collection features a distinctly nautical theme with bold stripes in red, white and blue. The classic lines and colors are perfect for mixing and matching. You can be laid back in the day with pairing a stiped tee with pair of capris and then change it up to a perfect night party outfit with sexy shorts and heels.

 

 

The collection also has some florals and khakis on it for a more subdued, feminine look. It brings to mind a summer spent on countryside adventures and romantic picnics.

I wish they also featured their flats in the Lookbook, since the shoes are a big hit from what I hear. They have them in a variety of designs and colors. My favorite is the floral peep-toe flats.

All in all, a collection that can take you fashionably everywhere this summer.

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Images taken from Female Network + Penshoppe

For more information about Penshoppe:

Penshoppe Official Website
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Bayo Summer 2011 Lookbook

I have this dress :)

With the proliferation of foreign brands in the Philippine market, we sometimes forget that we have our own great local clothing brands.

Maybe it's because I'm attracted to classic styles nowadays, but I'm definitely loving Bayo's summer collection. It's just pretty and feminine and perfect for a Pinay. The clothes are really affordable too when compared to other popular brands who have similar styles.

The colors are very summer-y, with this season's 'it' color - tangerine. I've seen this color being used everywhere - from Sandara Park's Etude campaign to the current color blocking trend. I bought one of their layered tops in orange and I loved wearing it. The fabric was very light and drapey and paired with denim shorts and gold gladiator sandals, it made for a perfect summer outfit.

I hope that Bayo still improves in the future and be more competitive. I admit that I haven't shopped at their store in years, but I'll be visiting their store more often if their current collection is anything to go by.

Check out the rest of the looks from their Summer 2011 Collection.

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All images taken from the official Bayo Facebook page.

For more information on Bayo:
Bayo Official Website
Twitter
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Product Love: Human ♥ Nature Lip Balm in Watermelon

Human ♥ Nature Lip Balm in (L-R) Watermelon, Peppermint, Mandarin, and Choco-Vanilla

There's nothing more refreshing than watermelon during summer.

Besides indulging in an occasional watermelon shake, I love using my watermelon lip balm from Human ♥ Nature. The refreshing watermelon smell aside, what I love about this product is that it slides smoothly and really prevents my lips from chapping for hours. I've used a lot of lip balms, even some of the most popular ones, but this is the best one for me so far.

Human ♥ Nature lip balms contain bee propolis and beeswax that protects and keeps our lips moisturized. They also contain calendula extracts which come from marigolds that provide sun protection. The company that produces this wonderful product also espouses that their products don't use harmful chemicals and are proudly made in the Philippines. That makes me love it even more!

Another great thing about this product is the price. It's only Php 59.75! It's so affordable that I am tempted to buy all the flavors! I bought mine at a booth in the Legaspi Sunday Market but I saw them selling at mall kiosks too. They also have an online store where you can purchase it. While you're there, you can also browse through their whole range of products - make up, lotions, and shampoos... 100% without harmful chemicals and 100% Philippine made!

I'm so impressed with their lip balm and their company philosophy that I'll be sure to check out what else they have to offer when I get the chance. I'm especially curious about their hand creams and shampoos as one of my friends has been raving about the banana-scented hand and foot salve. I'll try to get to it and post a review soon. :)

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Human ♥ Nature online store

Pages from my childhood

Credit: Meet Me At Mikes

I don't know what little children are reading these days, but when I was just a little kid, I loved this one book. It was "Debbie's Visit To The Countryside."

Credit: Sandra M. Brooke at Amazon.com

The story wasn't groundbreaking. Actually, the title was pretty much self-explanatory. The thing about this particular book that I loved were the illustrations.

Credit: The Thrifters' Compendium

The illustrations were done by Belgian artist Marcel Marlier. With further research, I was surprised to learn that Debbie is named Martine originally in the Belgian version and she had lots of adventures (about 50 of them!) besides her countryside tour.

Credit: The Thrifters' Compendium

Unfortunately, this book is all but lost to me now. I tried asking my relatives if they've seen it because it could be that I've passed it down to my younger cousins. My cousin remembered seeing it before when he was younger, but he doesn't have any idea where it is right now. :(

I just know that whenever I pass a used bookstore from now on, I'll be checking among the stacks of discarded childhood tomes, hoping to get a glimpse of little Debbie again.

You should have seen those cherry blossoms with your own eyes...

Japan, April 6, 2008

I'm in the mood to lose my way...

My friend Karen, who is my fellow anime and all-around-Japan fan, and I were planning to go to Japan this year. Due to some circumstances - financial, denied work leave - the plan was scratched. If the trip had pushed through, this would have been my third trip to the country.

Some people asked me why I keep returning to a place when I've already checked it on my travel bucket list. I answer: because I simply can't forget how beautiful those sakura blossoming trees were that April.

I guess some people won't get it unless they've seen it with their own eyes.

Must Watch! Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Ah~ First Love.

Isn't there anything sweeter?

First Love (Crazy Little Thing Called Love) is a Thai movie set in high school where an ugly duckling named Nam falls in love with campus heartthrob Shone. With the help of her loyal friends, Nam tries her best to become a beautiful swan hoping to capture his heart and have her happy ending.

It may sound a little cliche and overdone, but the charm of this movie is the chemistry of the whole cast. The two leads played by Pimchanok Luewisetpaibon and Mario Maurer are absolutely lovable and you'll find yourself getting all tingly about their every interaction. Nam's character is also relatable to us girls who experienced that awkward teenage stage with bad hair and braces. And who didn't have a crush on the cutest guy in school? Mario Maurer's character is simply a dreamboat (yes, I said it) that if we were in the same school, I'll probably be trying to get his attention too. Heck, even now! After watching the movie, I challenge you not to develop a little crush on this Thai cutie.

One of the things I also liked in this movie was the supporting cast. The friendship between Nam and her friends was wonderful to watch and reminded me of my own set of high school girl friends. Yes, we also helped each other out with stalking our crushes. We had our internal spats but got each other's backs when one of us was being bullied. Though it makes us cringe to remember some of the things we've done, we could only laugh now and shake our heads as we see the girls do the same mistakes.

I think this is one of the best Asian romantic comedies out there. I definitely recommend this to all the romantics out there, both to the young and the young at heart. <3

At least I could wear ballet shoes...

When every girl on our block was getting piano, singing, and ballet lessons when they were young, I was the one who was getting my hands dirty with paint and learning how to use Wordpad.

I've always complained about this, thinking that this was the cause of my absolute lack of musical talent.

Oh well... even if I didn't learn how to dance ballet, at least I could wear these cute ballet shoes.

Quick story about it... I first saw a similar pair at Topshop which costs about Php 1,300 (I think). Too expensive for me, but I really liked it. I shopped around for a little bit when I came upon a canvas version over at Shoebox for Php 699, but it wasn't exactly the design I was looking for so I skipped it. Then I was on my way home when I passed through Landmark and saw this pair by Julia selling for only Php 499! The way it was going, I would've probably found an even cheaper version but I didn't want to take my chances.

Really happy with my purchase. I don't have beige/nude colored shoes before so I'm eager to try it out with everything in my closet. And best of all, it's so comfy that I think I'm going to abuse them all the time.

Product Love: Lace Tape

I've been using a lot of Lace Tape lately.

It's just perfect for adding that little bit of daintiness to projects. I've used it on the accordion envelope of my fabric covered notepad and also some pretty bookmarks.

Actually, I'm just plain resisting sticking them to everything.

It sounds better in French

I was in Glorietta about two weeks ago, browsing on one of the stores, when I heard a song playing in the background. I was instantly charmed by it but had no idea what the song was or who was the artist behind it. It was French, that much I knew. Being curious, I didn't hesitate to go to one of the salesladies and asking about their in-house music. After checking, she told me that it was an artist by the name of Joyce Jonathan. Kind of unusual and, most of all, unfamiliar name to me. I immediately typed it in on my mobile phone's notepad so I could check on it later.

It was only yesterday that I remembered about it and even forgot if I was able to store the name. Dreading the thought of going back to the store just to ask for the name again, I checked my phone and was relieved to see that I was able to take note of it.

After fully listening to Joyce Jonathan's "Je Ne Sais Pas", I knew that I found another artist that I was really going to like. Besides her sweet voice, she also plays the guitar AND writes her own lyrics. I've always been a sucker for singer songwriters and with lovely lyrics like "How could I tell you, I don't wanna lie to you, you attract me, and this is where lies the true heart of the problem.." - how could I possibly not turn into a fan?

So check her out and if, like me, you don't speak the very romantic French language, here's a translation of the song "Je Ne Sais Pas" courtesy of purplelunacy in Lyrics Translate:

I don't know

There are some words which embarrass me, hundreds of words, thousands of same old things that are never the same

How could I tell you, I don't wanna lie to you, you attract me, and this is where lies the true heart of the problem

Your pride, your whims, your kisses, your pleasures, your desires, torments, I really don't see where this is getting us

So we pull ourselves together, it's not the end of our world
And we wrongly question ourselves again one last time

I don't know how to tell you, I'm afraid to screw up everything, to ruin everything
A lot of ideas to clarify from way back
But I've always been leaving my feelings behind

I sometimes think that I'm wrong staying so passive, but you look at me, I devour you
And it's sometimes too hard to distinguish love
My friend, my lover, my love and even more

So we pull ourselves together, it's not the end of our world
And we wrongly question ourselves again one last time

I don't know how to tell you, I'm afraid to screw up everything, to ruin everything
A lot of ideas to clarify from way back
But I've always been leaving my feelings behind
(x 2)

I want just you with flaws and your manufacturing problems
I want just you, I don't want a fake, no forgery
I don't want to return you to get another
I don't want to sell you up for one or two mistakes
I want your words, I want your skin, it's never too much
I don't want you anymore, I changed my mind. I've seen another one a bit better-looking*
I don't want, don't want anymore, never wanted
And who are you, I don't know you, you must've been dreaming, it wasn't me
My confusions, you know them, let's give up

How to tell you, I'm afraid to screw up everything, to ruin everything
A lot of ideas to clarify from way back
But I've always been leaving my feelings behind

I don't know how to tell you, I'm afraid to screw up everything, to ruin everything
A lot of ideas to clarify from way back
But I've always been leaving my feelings behind
(x 2)

http://lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.co

http://lyricstranslate.com

Fabric covered notepad

I'm fairly new to blogging and, consequently, to crafting. There are so many craft blogs out there with pretty projects that I couldn't help but be inspired to do one myself.

This one is a rough attempt of a sort of book with a notepad and an accordion pocket inside. It's made from materials that are already in my house - a salvaged carton packaging of my colored pens, one of the ribbons I've collected from gift packages, pretty fabric scraps from a 3 for Php 100 ukay find, lace tape, various paper lying around the house, and my ever trusty padding glue. I swear, ever since I discovered padding glue, I've been looking around for things to use it on.

I used spray adhesive to bind the fabric to the board. It was my first time using it and I made some mistakes - hence the "wet" spots on the cover.

I was a little unsatisfied with the finished product, but it was an experimental project anyway so I guess I'll just try to do better next time. This one, however, ended up with my cousin - who is the recipient of many of my craft projects (LOL). She came to me the next day after I gave it to her and said that her classmates really liked it when she showed it to them.

Well, I can't help but be a little pleased about that, can I?

Childhood Gems

I was at the snack section of the supermarket when I saw a pack of these - Iced Gem Biscuits. I remember eating them when I was young, often packed into my baon to school or for mid-afternoon meriendas. They just look so cute, like tiny cakes with a heap of pastel frosting on top.

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland... Drink with the Mad Hatter's tea.