TBF FASHION INSPIRATION: PREVIEW MAGAZINE, the Philippines' Fashion Bible

I am getting pumped for my next trip to The Philippines (whenever this may be) and yes, there are a lot of things I could get excited about, like the food, the atmosphere, seeing my relatives and just simply being submerged in my culture but being a true fashionista at heart, I am (regrettably) fixated on the current state of our country's (or at least Manila's) fashion. All I can think of is what to wear and what to pack. Naturally, I decide to flip through our nation's bible for style and all things modern, trendy and classic: PREVIEW.  

Anyway, I built myself a hefty collection during my last visit (they sell back issues there which is awesome for us "balikbayans" who can't subscribe) but of course, I wasn't lucky enough to purchase the ones sold after my departure. Luckily, they have a lot of the content posted on their website: http://www.stylebible.ph/ a must-click if you are interested in this aspect of The Philippines. The website's structure is very similar to VOGUE's style.com but different because of what's featured - either way, it's a great source for all things fashion-related. 

By the way, I made the collage above to showcase and pay some respect to PREVIEW's incredible covers in the past few years. 

A special note to those who have this preconceived notion that Filipinos back "home" are tacky, do yourself a favor, place your ignorance in your back pocket for just one minute and grab a copy of PREVIEW to see that we're not all baduy.

Feeling empowered by my Filipina (and some half Filipina) sisters,

Justine

TBF FASHION INSPIRATION: Large-chested Women CAN wear suspenders!

I know. She doesn't exactly have the biggest bazoongas but her shirt is STILL an option for us large-chested women to finally sport some suspenders. I would love to get this shirt in black and white. I would also love to get her face haha. What a pretty girl. 

Just sayin...

Check out the video here

TBF TREND: Proenza Schouler PS1 Bags

Images taken from http://www.proenzaschouler.com/shop/#

It hasn't really hit the shelves of most mainstream stores that I shop at (ex. ZARA) but the style and look are definitely going to take over soon, I'm sure. I wish I could afford one of these Proenza Schouler PS1 bags but I most likely won't be carrying my credit cards and lip gloss in one any time soon with my stay-at-home mom salary. Oh well, it doesn't hurt to dream and stare at pictures of them for hours and hours... or does it?

Sorry, my skin is acting up :(

Judging by the stats I can see on the back end of this blog, I am slowly losing readers by the day. I don't blame you as I haven't been as committed to updating as I used to be. I want to apologize but I also want to explain why. My skin is acting up right now so I am not exactly up for getting my photo taken for my Look of the Day segment. Anyway, enough of that... I will be going to my doctor to get a prescription to take care of this little break out I am having so I promise that as soon as I am back to my normal self, so will the state of this blog.

In the meantime, I thought I would share my skin care line-up that I use everyday. I know I am not exactly the spokesperson for this topic (though I am blaming it on the stress and not my skin care regimen) but I know we all have our routine and beloved products. I've been pretty committed and loyal to 3 of the products above (St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Oily Skin and Eskinol toner) and have recently switched over to skoah's moisturizer with SPF as I found AVEDA's to be too thick, oily and rich - feels like I'm wearing a mask when combined with foundation, powder and brush. It's been more than 24 hours and my skin hasn't broken out in rashes from the skoah products used during my facial so I am assuming I'm not allergic. So far, it has also felt weightless and doesn't quickly sting my eyes like other lotions with SPF. I don't want to speak too soon though so stay on top of my tweets in case my face looks like I've had third degree burns later this week.

Well that's all for now. This is so weird that I am only doing entries that don't involve posting pictures of my face (like I just had a facelift or something). Then again, embracing my creativity and posting about topics other than my Look of the Day or StreetStyle photos, may be somewhat fun. We'll see! 

Not exactly feeling like Ms. Look-at-me-look-at-me,

Justine

TBF LOOK OF THE DAY: Outfits entered into Coquitlam Centre's STYLISTA Contest

 We don't have to color-block all the time. Sometimes, all we need is one pop of color. Today, I chose to keep all my accessories neutral (and retro with the floppy wool hat and velvet platforms) and liven up my outfit with a hot pink skirt from ZARA.

 I always find that orange tends to look too Halloween-ish when paired with black so I chose to wear my orange skirt with a leopard print to at least add a little bit of beige/taupe to the mix. When wearing pencil skirts, I like to match them up with pointy toe heels to elongate the legs and add a bit of sexiness without showing too much. When there is this much flash, I absolutely have to add a patent leather bag and black pumps with silver studs.

 A light and airy outfit for our consecutive sunny weekdays last week. The bright, but not so flashy coral pink and white polka-dot blouse paired with a white skirt and neutral heels are perfect for some alone/reading time or for a visit to a hotel restaurant to enjoy some tea or brunch with girlfriends.

With the sun setting a little later than normal this summer, a formal evening doesn't have to mean wearing black or dark colors anymore. I chose to wear this patterned dress with all of it's fun ice cream/pastel colors and sparkly peep-toe heels to add some subtle, yet feminine drama to the ensemble. With all of the colors and details in the dress and shoes, I chose to pair this up with a plain over-sized white purse.

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So I decided to finally enter Coquitlam Centre's STYLISTAS Contest by posting some of my outfits from last week during our city's sunniest week this summer. If you have a chance, please visit their Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221953977821000) and vote for my outfits :) I would really appreciate it! (

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oh and don't forget to vote for me here if you haven't already! Thanks for your support.