Love Chic

Fun and Fearless at 15

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:19:00 +0800

Cosmopolitan Philippines celebrated their 15th anniversary Thursday night with a fabulous sexy-formal bash at the NBC Tent. The venue was filled to the rafters with the most gorgeous faces, the hottest bodies, and the most well-respected names in the fashion and local entertainment industry. It was hard not to feel out-of-place—good thing we also bumped into friends and familiar faces! In a nice coincidence, most of those you’ll see here are people we met before they started out with their now-successful careers, either styling, featuring, interviewing or doing shoots with them. We’re pleasantly surprised that they still remembered us after many years, and that they remain humble amid the successes. Below, snapshots from that starry, starry night.

Fun Fearless Female awardee Laureen Uy

Four-time cover girl Marian Rivera

Mike Tan, Steven Silva, Ryza Cenon

It was great seeing Steven that night. Warm, friendly and malambing as always!

Maxene Magalona, Raymond Gutierrez, Kate Torralba, Saab Magalona

Hottest Hunk awardee Enchong Dee

Giselle Toengi and Tim Walters

Markki Stroem and his band performed smooth jazzy classics.

Joey Mead-King was the bubbly host of the show.

Phoemela Barranda

Enzo Pineda and Louise Delos Reyes

Mr. Fu the dapper funnyman

Megan Young

Christian Bautista

Marc Nelson

Denise Laurel

Bela Padilla

Isabel Oli

Alodia Gosiengfiao and her mom Tita Mariglor. It’s been years since we last saw them, we weren’t even dating yet at the time! Shai knew her from college and would often feature Edjie in the magazines and TV shows she worked with, while Seph met her as a suki customer of her handmade camera pendants before.

Karen Pamintuan of the Lifestyle Network’s “Listed” and Patti Grandidge of etc’s “Etcetera,” two hosts with the most!

Karen was actually Shai’s host when she was producer of a different fashion-lifestyle TV show a couple of years back, while Patti… let’s just say we’ll see her again soon!

Francis Libiran, whose designs we’re currently raving about, and showbiz reporter Gretch Fullido. Trivia: Gretch and Shai were finalists together in a certain reality TV show many years back… Haha!

Divine Lee

Blogger friends! As soon as they started arriving, we weren’t feeling so lost anymore. David Guison, Vern Enciso, Lissa Kahayon, Kookie Buhain

Domz Tiu and the ever-ravishing Marj Sia

Bringing sexy back in equally shiny outfits

We’re actually missing a few other bloggers here (or maybe it was taken from their cameras? We did take a lot of “class pictures” that night, haha!) like Raleene Cabrera, Tracy Ayson, Paul Chuapoco, Gelo Arucan. Hey, guys!

The program proper finally kicked off to a fashionably late start with Zia Quizon performing Adele and Up Dharma Down.

While Zia’s soulful voice filled the room, more veritable fashion forces walked in, as if on cue.

Danica Magpantay

Hideo Muraoka

Bianca Valerio

Kelly Misa and Marco Lobregat

Amanda Griffin

Jessica Yang and John James Uy

Vanessa Matsunaga

…and a host of other gorgeous models that have graced the covers, centerfolds and catwalks of Cosmo through the years.

Cosmo Philippines Editor-in-Chief Myrza Sison thanked all the fun and fearless people who helped pave the way for the magazine’s success. Happy Anniversary, Cosmo! If this party was any indication of what’s to come, you’re looking at many decades more. Check out Cosmo.ph for a list of all Fun Fearless Female and Hottest Hunks awardees.

Event photography by Jeru Czar, post-processed by Love Chic. Tweet @jeruczar to inquire about his services :)

Manning up

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:35:00 +0800

Francis Libiran for Myth men’s button-down, Chemistry dress, Schu brogues. Second outfit for the Myth menswear challenge. Hype this on Lookbook here and vote for our outfits on our joint Chictopia here.

We had a meeting with some wonderful folks yesterday for an upcoming project. They requested that we come in our usual complementary outfits but without being too dressy, so they could take photos for their pitch.

I wore this men’s button-down over a sleeveless Chemistry dress. It was too long, so I left the last three buttons undone, tied the bottom of the shirt into a knot and tucked in the knot upward.

Good thing the sleeves weren’t too long for my arms and could pass off as stylishly oversized, like a loose Korean top. Except of course with crisp details on the cuff, collar and pocket.

This pair of brogues is beginning to be one of my favorites. Just change the socks or wear it without and your outfit’s “vibe” instantly changes.

Francis Libiran for Myth button-down, Chemistry harem pants, Call It Spring boots. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I seldom find harem pants that fit me right because I have weird proportions. When the upper part fits just right, the lower part is too tight. Or vice versa.This pair is one of the prototypes which I had designed for Chemistry.

I got a couple of questions from male readers about what shoes to wear with harem pants. I’m thinking boots or other kinds of chunky statement shoes would be your best bet, as ordinary-looking sneakers might “drown” in the rather loud attitude that harem pants give off. I just don’t know if that makes any sense to anyone else… Haha.

I love that this button-down has all these details that stand out. From afar, it even looks as if I’m wearing a skinny tie. Plus, check out the double collars. If only more menswear pieces had Francis Libiran’s attention to the little details.

We thought “manning up” would be an appropriate title for tonight, not only because of the menswear element in this outfit post, but because of what’s currently going on in our lives. Lately, we’ve been rethinking and reassessing a lot of our major decisions the past few months. There are steps we have been afraid to take, fears we have been hesitant to overcome, hesitations we have been allowing to get the better of us.

Maybe it has something to do with being in your mid-20s? That feeling of not being quite sure what you’re doing with your life, whether or not any of the things you do still make you as happy and fulfilled as they used to, and a nagging uncertainty that causes you to feel inadequate when you happen to compare yourself with people your age who seem to have come so far. This upcoming project is one of those things that we hope would help us get out of this current rut, something to take our minds off the shallow things and empower us to, well, man up. Already, we’re beginning to feel a change. We can’t wait for the better things to start coming.

Love Chic @ Superb bazaar (+ Nivea giveaway)

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:58:00 +0800

We’re so excited to be part of the Superb by SuperSale bazaar this May! This is the flyer we made for our booth. The biggest booth goes to the blogger whose flyer gets the most number of “likes” on SuperSale’s Facebook page, and since we’ll be selling a lot of couple shirts, accessories and pre-loved items, we could definitely use a big booth. We know we can count on you guys for this, so we decided to throw in a little thank-you gift.

We recently got a box of Nivea Sparkling White and Nivea Visage products from our friends at Nivea Philippines. We can’t possibly use them all up for ourselves so we divided the extra items into two sets, which we’ll be raffling off to all our followers who will show their support for Love Chic at the Superb bazaar. Here’s how.

Nivea Set 1:
Essential Care lip balm with jojoba oil and shea butter
Sparkling White whitening and cell renewal night care
Sparkling White UV blocker SPF 30 PA++ (blocks both UVA and UVB)
Sparkling White whitening and clarifying toner
Sparkling White acne oil control whitening cleansing foam (combination/oily skin)
Sparkling White purifying whitening foam
Sparkling White refining whitening scrub

If you want the Nivea Set 1:
Simply go to our flyer here. “Like” it, click “Share” and tag us with this caption:
“I voted for @Love Chic at the Superb by SuperSale Bazaar! Click this photo to vote too!”
From all the “Shares,” we will choose (1) winner via Randomizer.

Nivea Set 2:
Med Protection SPF 15 lip balm with Vitamin E (dry lips)
Visage Q10 plus anti-wrinkle light day care SPF 15
Visage Q10 plus anti-wrinkle cleansing lotion
Visage Deep pore control toner (combination/oily skin)

If you want the Nivea Set 2:
For our Twitter followers, tweet this and tag three (3) friends:
“I voted @sephshai for the @bloggers_united x @supersalebazaar! Vote too @Friend1 @Friend2 @Friend3 http://on.fb.me/JVBJkj“
From all the tweets, we will choose (1) winner of the Nivea Set 2 via Randomizer.

If you want both Nivea Sets 1 and 2:
Simply follow both sets of instructions! :)

Winners will be announced on May 26, Saturday at 10AM.
Thanks, everyone! See you at the Superb by SuperSale bazaar!

My ZALORA Wishlist

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:26:00 +0800

The cool thing about department-store shopping is you have everything you’re looking for in one place. The cool thing about online shopping is you can browse, add to cart, and check out items with a few mouse clicks. Combine both retail experiences and you’ve got an online department store that houses the brands you love: ZALORA.

If the name rings a bell, it’s because they’ve been all over local cyberspace lately. You check your Facebook, view a funny viral on YouTube or admire a blogger’s outfit of the day and a ZALORA ad is on the page, beckoning one and all to check it out. Check it out we did, and we like what we found.

❤ User-friendly interface, with categories neatly lined up in tabs on top, a menu bar at left, and a nifty “Need assistance?” pop-up. Search by category, brand, color, price, size, even occasion. You can finally search for “wedges” and not get photos of fried potatoes.
❤ Helpful rollover options: aside from brand, description, price and available sizes, you get a view of the item from four angles. The customer perks: 30 days return, free shipping nationwide, same day delivery, cash on delivery, help hotline and FAQ.
❤ The variety. From foreign brands to local faves, high-end to budget-friendly, apparel and shoes to gadgets and lifestyle items. And they’re just getting started, so we’re expecting many more brands and items to come in soon.

We also found these. We like to call ‘em… ZALORAROIDS. Haha.

❤ Shai’s pick: I love pastels and wedges and these Chic Yamada shoes is all that. I imagine it can easily be worn with pieces I already have, and without discrimination—dresses, skirts, shorts, pants… Plus, that lime green candy color looks good enough to eat!

❤ Seph’s pick: Boots have got to be my favorite footwear. I love how they instantly make a plain outfit stylish. These 5CM boots would be a cool addition to my growing collection, with its classic design combined with interesting details that make it stand out.

❤ Shai’s pick: I’m a fan of small bags because I’m too lazy to lug my entire world around in a huge tote slung over my shoulders. This XOXO handbag is the right mix of dainty and edgy, which means I can wear it a lot of ways. Perfect for carrying just the essentials.

❤ Seph’s pick: Unless I’m off to the gym, I’m not a fan of backpacks as they tend to look too sporty and seldom go well with my outfits. I prefer messenger bags, murses and sleek satchels, like this one from 5CM: simple, elegant and goes well with my wardrobe.

❤ We recently bought a condo unit that we’re furnishing little by little. We want to have as much of the furniture and gadgetry as possible to come in white. We also want a decent sound system for our daily music fix. This Logic3 dock would be a cool solution to both!

***

So what’s the inspiration for this? We believe an effective way to get what you want is to create a visual board with pictures of your goals, dreams and aspirations. You feed your subconscious with these images and they eventually make their way to you at the right time. The Secret, we believe, is similar to online shopping: you decide what you want, confirm your order, make the necessary payments and expect it to be delivered. We thought this was a good way to articulate those two ideas. And well, it was just really fun to do. Go ahead, create your own wishlist, too.

Captain Iron Man (Giveaway)

Thu, 10 May 2012 21:37:00 +0800

Rex Clothing shirt, Terranova khaki pants, Skechers boots, SM Accessories aviator shades and bracelets, Fidelity “Captain America’s shield” ring and “Iron man” pendant. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Had my hair bleached again. I’ve always liked to try different things and experiment with my hair. I missed being blonde, all the more after seeing Chris Evans in The Avengers. I wanted to do a blog entry inspired by Captain America. Maybe next time with enough workout, I could be as buff and fit as he is. But for now, his blonde hair and shield are all I can replicate.

My sister Janine who owns the blog and online store Fidelity made these clay accessories by hand. Awesome right? You can have anything you want made to order by contacting her on Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook.

As for this shirt, it’s one of the pieces from the summer collection of Rex Clothing. What I like most about their shirts is that not only do they have that homey, comfortable feel when you wear them, the graphic designs are also stylish enough to be worn with minimal layering or accessorizing.

Want to have your own Rex Clothing shirt? Here’s something even better: You have the chance to own all the pieces of their summer collection by joining their giveaway.

Click here for more details.

Doing a Captain America pose which I found on the internet. Tee hee! :))

-Seph

Hurt blinds, happiness binds

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:28:00 +0800

They say we experience similar things when we’re crying and laughing: eyes filling with tears, shoulders shaking, face muscles scrunched up, irregular breathing.

Our body reacts the same way to either hurt or happiness.

When your heart is filled with anger and hatred, every waking moment is a pain. You go to sleep harboring all these ill feelings, you wake up in the morning and as soon as your brain starts to load, the heaviness in your chest returns with the instant recollection of that person or incident that has caused you this much suffering. You go about your daily routine carrying this burden, unable to see the blessings you’re surrounded with. Ignoring and undermining the things you have that many people can only dream of. You get trapped under this dark cloud and the longer it lingers, the harder it becomes for you to see the bright side.

When your heart is filled with hope and gratefulness, every waking moment is a joy. You go to sleep feeling thankful for every good thing that comes your way despite the troubles and challenges. You wake up in the morning and as soon as your brain starts to load, a lightness fills you up and propels you out of bed raring to start a new day. You go about your daily routine marveling at the blessings you’re surrounded with, grateful that you have been given many reasons to marvel. You get wrapped up in this warm sunny disposition and the longer you bask in its glow, the harder it becomes for you to get affected by unpleasant things.

Hurt blinds you, prevents you from seeing all that is beautiful about life. Makes you take for granted every opportunity you could be making out of each problem, every person who has loved you unconditionally, every good thing they see in you. You’re so angry you can hardly remember how it feels to not feel this way.

Happiness binds you ever more to all the persons, amazing fortuities and experiences that make you feel loved. When faced with stress, you’re aware that things could be so much worse. It is an endless cycle of being grateful and welcoming more blessings in your life that you never run out of reasons to be happy.

The dark cloud or the sunshine. The choice is all but yours.

Note: We’re discontinuing Dear Love Chic and merging our more personal blog with our fashion blog. We write why here.

Love Chic goes to Santacruzan

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:32:00 +0800

“Uy, Flores de Mayo in the province! That’s as legit a Sagala as can be!” was the reaction of one of our good friends to whom we had just mentioned that we were invited to participate in the festivities back in our other home, San Fernando Pampanga. We live in a suburban village 45 minutes away from Trinoma, and everything that’s in Manila can also be found here (except for the extreme pollution, overcrowding, traffic jams and always-humid weather, heh). So it wasn’t nearly as probinsya as one might be inclined to think, but even so, it was indeed legit. Legit, and an amazing experience.

Shai - The first and last time I joined a Sagala before this was when I was six years old. I don’t remember what my role was, or how the event went in general, but I do remember getting dolled up and walking around the village in a beautiful gown and a tiara. I borrowed this ball gown and tiara from my cousin, literally the night before the event. She has participated in a lot of town festivities in our other province, Iloilo so she has a lot of gowns. I really didn’t want to spend on having a designer whip something up, or on gown rentals, for something that I’d only wear for one night. Thanks to my mom’s awesome sewing skills, we didn’t even have to spend for the slight alterations. And while everyone else was having their hair and makeup done and retouched, I did my own. Suffice it to say being kuripot leads to DIY skills and resourcefulness. Haha!

Seph - Mine is the same outfit I wore to my maternal grandparents’ 50th Anniversary wedding five years ago. Good thing it still fits! I never really had any reason to wear a barong again until now. I was born and raised in Manila; most people have relatives and ancestral homes in provinces, but the closest thing my family has is a membership in Fontana (Clark) where we rent a villa on weekends and special occasions. Needless to say, I’ve never gotten to take part in any town festivities. Even in Manila though, Sagala wasn’t really my thing ‘cause I could imagine all the hassles and thought it would just be a waste of time. But I wanted to be Shai’s escort and thought I’d give it a try. It was the first time the village decided to organize something like this so I also wanted to show them my support. I didn’t expect that it’ll turn out so great. They seem to have more fun in the provinces indeed, ‘cause of the tight-knit community. It feels like all of the people are relatives.

Goofing around, spoofing Disney princesses (for this shot Ariel waving on the ship deck after being wed to Prince Eric) while waiting for everyone else to get ready for the motorcade.

Photos by Shai’s cousin and Seph’s best friend Jeru (yes, the one that brought us together. He’s also the older brother of Hannah, the owner of this gown. Hurrah for cousin support!) In this shot, Jeru was making us spoof a typical pre-nup pose. We failed from so much laughing.

For the motorcade, we went out of the village and made the rounds in nearby areas. We had to wave and smile all throughout, and it reminded us of a lot of princess-themed chick flicks where the ugly duckling is given a makeover and a coming-out parade and ball. Or maybe we were simply amusing ourselves during the ride. Either way, we gladly obliged!

Coming back from the motorcade, we had to line up according to our roles and walk the procession.

Flores de Mayo, Santacruzan, Sagala… We always thought these were pretty much just synonymous terms referring to the same thing. We also didn’t have a very clear idea as to the significance of each of the different roles being portrayed in the pageant and procession. As far as we knew, it was a procession of “flowers” (i.e. the girls) for Mama Mary. This has been a yearly Filipino tradition for many years now, but only last Sunday did we really get to learn so much about it.

The sash says “Veronica,” the woman who wiped Jesus’ face during the walk to Calvary. Out of a dozen rehearsals, we were only able to make it thrice due to our busy schedules in Manila so we were pleasantly surprised to still have been given a role.

The “Reyna Elena.” Paulina isn’t just a neighbor; she is a friend of Shai’s younger brother Vince, and a cousin of Shai’s best guy friend Emang who also lives in the same village and went to the same high school. For college, Emang went to Mapua with Seph and Jeru. (Did we mention it’s a tight-knit community?) Beautiful, classy, smart and genuinely nice, Pau certainly made a great Queen that night.

The ball followed the procession and mass. Each pair was introduced in a sort of fashion show where you had to do a mix of a catwalk and a pageant walk, posing here and there with your partner.

Next was the Rigodon de Honor, similar to a debutante’s cotillion where partners danced the waltz. And then some ballroom (Bonnie Bailey’s “Ever After,” which brought back college memories), and then a medley of hip-hop and contemporary (which we opted out of for a lack of practice and an abundance of bloopers).

Other than the significance of upholding certain traditions, we rediscovered a lot of things that Sunday. Like how much we would have loved it to have been each other’s prom dates, or debutante and escort, if we had gotten together earlier. Or how we’ve forgotten how nice this neighborhood really is, as when we’re here we usually just sleep, eat, do photoshoots or watch movies and rarely go outside. Above all, how much you can rely on your family. All the parents who organized this, all the relatives who pitched in and lent their vehicles, their clothes, their artistic and culinary skills, all the siblings who drove and took photos and were just on call for everything.

We’re so glad we did this. Our friend was right: this was as legit as everything could go.

Stripeys and cardigans

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:14:00 +0800

Today’s outfits: his for pull-outs and gym, hers for a couple of client calls. Photos by Richard Romero and post-processing by Love Chic.

Memo cardigan, Topman shirt, Bench jeans, Sperry topsiders, Chemistry camera pendant, SM Accessories eyeglasses and bag. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Memo dress, Chemistry men’s blazer, Asian Vogue pumps, SM Accessories bangles. Hype this on Lookbook here.

We are now on Chictopia too :) Go to our ChicBlog here.

Cookies and Cream

Wed, 02 May 2012 22:03:00 +0800

Couple shirts from Me&U. “Cookie Monster” watch, pendant and earrings from True Fidelity. These clay accessories were handmade by Seph’s sister Janine, and you can win them by joining her giveaway here. As for the shirts, we’re thinking of making different sizes and styles available in our online shop. Tweet us @sephshai and let us know what you think!

Photos by Richard Romero, post-processing by Love Chic

Love Chic in Francis Libiran for Myth

Tue, 01 May 2012 23:48:00 +0800

There couldn’t have been a more perfect timing for our collaboration with Myth, a boutique that houses some of today’s highly regarded names in the local design industry. One of their in-house designers, Francis Libiran, is one of the hottest name in the global fashion scene right now, owing largely to the amazing showcase of his works on the Hello Kitty episode of America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion.

For this collab, we were invited to pick two menswear pieces each from Francis’ latest collection and come up with five looks, styling them however we wanted. Our agenda for today comprised of errands, meetings and more errands, so we opted for a chic yet comfortable look. We did the outfit shots with our friend/neighbor/boss before we went on our way.

Francis Libiran for Myth button-down, Greenhills denim shorts, Coach bag, Schu flatforms. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I got the chance to meet Francis last year when I interviewed and profiled summer’s hottest personalities for Metro Magazine. I was immediately blown away by how humble, soft-spoken and genuinely passionate Francis seemed about the local fashion industry. That, and well, his good looks too.

After hearing the good news about ANTM, I was beyond delighted! I’ve always been a fan of the show (who isn’t?) but this cycle is extra special because London is one of the cities I’ve wanted to see since ever, thanks to Parent Trap, Harry Potter and Love Actually. Anything Brit never fails to catch my fancy. This might be a dorky thing to say, but wearing one of his designs makes me feel “closer” to the show, hahaha!

Francis Libiran for Myth button-down, Bench jeans, Sebago shoes, Greenhills accessories. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I really loved browsing Myth’s shelves containing pieces from Francis’ latest menswear collection. The color palette consisted of dark shades with light accents, which is what I look for in button-downs. Something to downplay my chest and shoulders since I’m quite short-legged but also with details that pop. My frustration when shopping is that usually, the items come in either plain and boring or super loud and flamboyant. The menswear at Myth achieve a balance between classic styles and interesting details, like the piping on both our shirts.

It’s a versatile piece. You can go from geeky to smart casual to party-mode to sleek by just combining it with different pieces. I can’t wait for us to do the rest of the looks!

Photos by Richard Romero, post-processing by Love Chic. Check out Myth on Facebook and Twitter and the boutique at Greenbelt 5.

Last of spring

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:55:00 +0800

The last of eight layouts we shot for Call It Spring last February (i.e. when the temperature still permitted the wearing of socks, closed shoes and long garments). We went for a nature-inspired palette: blue, white, brown and floral.

CPS Chaps top, flea market chiffon skirt, Aldo socks, Call It Spring wedges, SM Accessories belt. It’s the same style of shoes I wore in this layout except in a different color. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Barette and men’s eyeglasses from SM Accessories. Red bangs, black roots and blonde tips. Ayayay. Clearly, the ombré hair needs retouching.

Metal with petal. Connector ring and studded clutch from SM Accessories. With just a rose ring and a beige bag, this look would be too sweet and feminine for my style. I like how all the hardware adds toughness to the whole look.

F&X collared long-sleeved shirt, Bench jeans, Dickies socks, Call It Spring shoes. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Eyeglasses from SM Accessories. I just love wearing these even if my eyesight is thankfully healthy. Just like shoes, wearing eyeglasses seems to make even a small difference to an outfit.

One of my favorites from Call It Spring. I like to fold the cuffs down to show the colored socks. When they’re pulled up, the boots look different without the fluffy white trimming. It’s a versatile pair of sneakers-slash-boots.

Happy Sunday, everyone! If you haven’t joined our Etude House and Mandaue Foam giveaways, now would be a good time to. Click on the links to find out how.

Etude Playhouse Fair + Blog Giveaway

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:31:00 +0800

Outfits from the Topman/Topshop event paired with Call It Spring boots, what we wore to the Etude Playhouse Fair last Sunday at The Block SM North Edsa. We’re giving away our Etude House goodie bags to two of our followers—read on for how to win :)

Upon registration, participants are given colored markers to express their love for Etude House on this wall.

Top view. They really went big with the playhouse/fair concept.

Seph spinning the wheel for a prize

Throw the velcro balls to win the beauty booty of your choice

Janine playing buds-ketball

Photobooth with the cutest backdrop

Sweet treats from Tous Les Jours

Cotton candy!

Real-life ballerina music box

Penguin, seal and panda mascots. Hiiiii

There was also this incredibly cute pink Beetle with the false eyelashes and lipstick which Shai wanted to drive home.

It wasn’t just all fun and games though. There were also educational talks on beauty, fashion, and skin care.

There was a long line to get inside the beauty area, where princes and princesses (what they call Etude House customers) are treated to a free makeover and beauty crash course.

People we spotted: Janeena Chan, and Love Chic reader Clair Ching whom we remember for always taking the time to post comments or tweet us on our blog entries. It’s readers like her who make us want to give back, which is why we hold blog giveaways from time to time. We wouldn’t be here without you guys, so the least we could do is share the love!

What we’re giving away: two (2) Etude House goody bags containing Dress Room Lovely Look shower cologne, Milk Talk Oh Choco body wash and Missing U Hand Cream #2: Honey Bee Story. Open to Love Chic followers. We’ll check!

Just like our Mandaue Foam giveaway, all you have to do post this on Twitter and tag two friends: “I want to win an Etude House goodie bag from @sephshai! http://lovechic.com.ph @friend1 @friend2”

Deadline for tweets is next Friday, May 4 at midnight. We’ll choose two winners using Randomizer and announce them via Twitter on Saturday morning. Stay sweet and playful!

***

UPDATE 05/05/12: WE HAVE WINNERS!

Congratulations to @bebelycah and @harranicks. Email lovechicmail@gmail.com with your full name, shipping address and contact numbers. Thanks for joining, everyone! We’re already cooking up another beauty booty giveaway so keep posted :)

Gone to the dark side

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:36:00 +0800

…And it’s because of these shades. Ba dum tsss.

Celio top, Bench jeans, Aldo socks, Call It Spring shoes, SM Accessories shades. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Self-mocking aside, we tried to do something edgier for this layout, since all of our other Call It Spring shoots were in our usual fun-fun mode.

These shoes aren’t my usual style, since I’m more of a sneakers and boots kind of guy. But every now and then, we come out of our comfort zones when it comes to fashion to explore other options. You never know how it will turn out until you try, right? These aren’t bad-looking at all.

Kashieca chiffon tiered dress, Call It Spring shoes and accessories, YRYS fishnet stockings. Hype this on Lookbook here.

If the shoes aren’t Seph’s style, in my case it’s the dress. It’s floral, in white, and in tiers of chiffon. Plus the wedges are in floral, too. I opted to edge it up with metals, animal print shades and this.

Enough said. Hahaha.

What about you? Share naman diyan! We’re always the ones posting pictures or telling you random stories and we really appreciate it when we hear back. What look would you consider to be your comfort zone? Which fashion pieces do you usually stay away from?

Shop now at Love Chic!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:40:00 +0800

Finally, exactly one year since we blogged this photo of the “Puzzle” couple necklaces from Me&U Metallurgy (photographed by Tricia Gosingtian), we have decided to consider the requests of Love Chic readers to put up our own online shop and make the items we wear on the blog available for purchase. Aside from the anniversary coincidence, we think it’s kinda awesome that the blog entry got exactly 143 notes as of this posting. We take it as a good sign, yes?

The shop is actually nothing fancy, just a “Shop Love Chic” album within our Facebook page. We start off with a few select pieces, our personal favorites.

“Puzzle” couple necklaces. What we’re wearing in this blog entry.

“Together” couple necklaces. What we’re wearing in this blog entry.

“Duet couple necklaces.” The Cobalt (left) is for guys and the Gold (right) is for the girls. These look very similar to our beautiful couple rings, which we wear every day! See them here.

“Forever Puzzle” couple necklaces. The fancier version of the “Puzzle.”

These are made from surgical steel. It is hypoallergenic, which means people with sensitive or acidic skin won’t need to worry about wearing them. They don’t tarnish or fade, and are extremely scratch-resistant. Just imagine a literal doctor’s surgical tools. Yup. We wouldn’t sell stuff we can’t vouch for, and this one we definitely can. Our necklaces look as new as when we got them!

Click here to start shopping! :)

Shop 'lifts we like: Topman and Yabu

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:56:00 +0800

Facelifts, that is. Last Friday, Topman/Topshop SM Mall of Asia invited the press for a preview of its summer collection and recently refashioned store.

Our fellow bloggers Vern, Lissa, Bjorn, Verniece and Ira. We ogled a lot at the items so we weren’t able to take photos of everyone before they left, except for these two cuties.

Bjorn’s turquoise sneakers matched with nudes and florals is a bold choice for menswear, but he pulls it off and how.

Fresh-faced Vern looks effortlessly cute with the dress and bag. Her penchant for simplicity is perfect for the summer.

In celebration of the season, the store has a couple of ongoing promos. Check them out on Facebook for details.

Meanwhile, some of our favorites from the collection. This season, Topman and Topshop are big on colorful graphic prints, tribal-inspired patterns, sweet pastels and playful styles, each piece exuding their trademark carefree rock-chic vibe.

For lunch, we mall-hopped to SM Megamall to satisfy our craving for katsu.

If you follow us on Twitter or Instagram, you could probably tell from the amount of Yabu photos we post how much we love this place. Good food, good service and good vibes. Our only complaint was the long wait for a table, especially during peak hours. Not anymore!

Originally, this was all of Yabu. If you wanted to get a good seat, you’d have to be there early or late, avoiding lunch and dinner hours.

Sometime in late March, Yabu was temporarily closed for renovations and expanded to the space right beside them. Now, the seating capacity is twice as big!

If you haven’t tried it out, you might be wondering what the hype is all about. First, being “Yabu, House of Katsu,” it goes without saying that this is their specialty. And you know how we Pinoys love our deep-fried comfort food.

Second, the bento meals. For a very reasonable price, the big portions ensure that you get busog. Shai’s pick: 90 g Rosu a.k.a. Pork. The meals come with rice, unlimited cabbage, miso soup, and fresh fruit slices for dessert. You can choose from 90, 120 and 180 grams of meat to suit your level of hunger.

Seph’s pick: 120 g Cream Dory Fish Fillet.

Third, the sauces. Oh, those sauces.

You’re given sesame seeds to grind…

…and then you pour the sweet katsu sauce on it and mix together. Dip your katsu slice and taste the awesomeness.

And then there’s the mixture of Japanese mayo and sesame for the cabbage side dish.

This you really have got to taste. We’ve reached a point where the Yabu staff keep coming by our table to make sure our plates never run out of cabbage.

Yup. That was one full-filling day.

Sunny disposition

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:18:00 +0800

Matchy in mismatched outfits, a tribute to the equally kooky weather we’ve been having. There are just days that have you sweating buckets and taking the heat, and days when you’re all wet and washed up.

When you think about it, that’s basically how you could describe life’s not-so-pleasant moments too, eh? Which is why rain or shine, we try our best to keep a sunny disposition and just go with whatever’s thrown our way.

CPS Chaps top and skirt, SM Department Store socks, SM Accessories ring, Call It Spring feather hairclip, and clutch with feather. Hype this on Lookbook here.

This feather hairclip is so pretty, but the way my hair is naturally messy like that, I’m thinking it would probably stand out better on straight hair. Still, I’m a sucker for feather accessories and I just love this.

When it comes to accessories, I like to work with a certain subtle theme. Sort of like an inside joke with myself. In this case, a ring leaf because my bag is green.

Gold shoes are quite hard to pull off for a casual look, simply because gold is associated with glamour. But when it’s a pair of flats in a simple enough design that’s comfy to walk around in, gold makes for fun footwear.

CPS Chaps shirt, Celio polo and shorts, Aldo socks, Call It Spring sneakers. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I haven’t been out of the country much, just Bangkok and Hong Kong. Hawaii is just one of the places I would like to see when I get the chance. It must be great to try out surfing and other water sports there.

When I’m not going crazy for boots or brightly colored shoes, I’m gawking at crisp white sneakers. There’s just something about statement shoes that I get a kick out of. Perhaps because it’s one of those things that can totally change a look—like if I wore flip-flops with this outfit instead. It would look too at-home, wouldn’t it?

Speaking of being at-home, we’ve got a nice giveaway for homebodies out there who would love to sit back, put their feet up and enjoy a nice book or DVD. If you have been missing out on the fun, click here to join!

Home buddies (Giveaway)

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:42:00 +0800

Here’s one giveaway you wouldn’t wanna pass up! An ultra-chic @Mandaue_Foam set of armchair and footrest, plus five Fantasy pillows up for grabs and it’ll only take minutes to join. Read on for details.

This couldn’t have been a more serendipitous circumstance: as you may have read in our previous posts, we recently got ourselves a condo unit which is to be our future home/office. Being genuinely interested in interior and industrial design, we’ve not only been familiar with Mandaue Foam, but have actually been planning to go to their Quezon Avenue showroom for our home furnishing needs. Needless to say, when they invited us, we were beyond excited.

It started out as a foam manufacturing company in Mandaue City, Cebu in 1971 by entrepreneur Rosita Uy. With affordable quality, excellent workmanship and great customer and after-sales services, Mandaue Foam has grown to become one of the biggest and most preferred furniture companies in the country today.

Their approach to finding the perfect mattress and pillows for you is a combination of scientific and emotional: you can actually make like Goldilocks in the Mattress Testing Area and try on the different beds. An assistant could give you a run-through of the different materials under each one and help you decide which suits you best.

Form and function—the vast showroom also presents various suggestions for designing your bed space.

Among all the beds we saw, this is by far our favorite…

Yes. It’s the Sofa-bed Transformer. *REE-RAWT-ROW-RA-ROOT*

Perfect for condo-dwellers who don’t have a lot of rooms for family or friends sleeping over. Especially for us two, because we don’t really like the traditional foldable ones that are obviously sofa-beds.

Other couches that caught our fancy. The best thing is you can have yours customized or made-to-order. Your own design, your own choice of upholstery, fabric and accents.

These stylish pieces are proof that outdoor furniture don’t have to mean stainless steel tables and monoblock chairs.

Guess how much these beautiful lighting fixtures are? Believe it or not, most of them cost less than a summer trip to the beach or a complete head-to-toe outfit. They make for great accent pieces! We are definitely taking those light bulbs home the next time we come here.

Even if you’re not that big on furniture, you’d still enjoy a shopping trip to Mandaue Foam. From pillows and curtains to clocks and mirrors, the showroom carries inexpensive statement pieces to suit your personality. Emphasis on “inexpensive,” because when you’re used to department store prices of similar items, it’s unbelievable how affordable the ones at Mandaue Foam are.

Special thanks to Jonver David, Thysz Estrada and Mandaue Foam Quezon Avenue manager Sir Jojo for the showroom tour :)

On to our giveaway!

• Open to Love Chic followers on Twitter and Facebook residing in the Philippines.
• Follow Mandaue Foam on Twitter and Facebook.
• Leave a Disqus comment below about why you should win the armchair and footrest. Where will you place them in your home? Be honest and creative with your answer! Don’t forget to include your Twitter username in the comment.
• Tweet this and tag two friends: “I joined @sephshai’s blog giveaway: @Mandaue_Foam armchair + footrest! http://lovechic.com.ph @friend1 @friend2”

That’s it! Deadline for entries is midnight on Saturday, May 5. Make sure you follow the mechanics because we’ll be checking! We’ll choose the winner of the armchair and footrest based on their answer, while the five (5) Fantasy pillows will be raffled off via Randomizer among the remaining entries. Winners will be announced the next day at 11AM.
Best of luck!

***

UPDATE 05/05/12: WE HAVE WINNERS!

It wasn’t easy choosing from 57 wonderful entries, but @danzendear wins the armchair with footrest for an answer that was well-designed, straightforward and practical—qualities that Mandaue Foam products are also known for.

***

Next, we drew five (5) winners of Mandaue Foam fantasy pillows via electronic raffle: @chubxyden, @tetrice, @Seven12Seven7, @hollowedevil and @crystahal.

Congratulations to the winners! Please send your full name, address and contact info to lovechicmail@gmail.com :) To those who haven’t won yet, keep posted because we hold giveaways from time to time. Thanks to Mandaue Foam for providing the prizes and thanks to everyone who joined!

Day in the life: Quickie nails

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:51:00 +0800

Just of those days when our planners are all filled in save for a couple of breaks. Feeling-paparazzi shot by Janine. Haha.

We decided to make use of our short free time to go to Nail It! salon in Katipunan to get our paws pampered. We’ve been hearing about how fast and pleasant the service is at Nail It! for a while now and we thought we’d check it out for ourselves.

The interiors are a clean purple and white, which coincidentally is one of our favorite color schemes. Seph’s bedroom is actually purple and white!

I opted for a mani-pedi with paraffin.

The warm paraffin and cotton gloves felt as comfy as a baby’s mittens that I actually fell asleep, after which my girls thought it would be funny to put floral shades on me and take a picture. (Okay, it is funny lol)

I want these “mittens” at home! Along with the paraffin, it does feel nice and soft on the hands.

Meanwhile, we didn’t really take a break from work. Mobile devices are both boon and bane, we find.

Shai: I was asked to choose from a variety of nail art and nail colors. But being a girl who’s constantly running errands and doing my own housework, fancy nails wouldn’t be practical. I chose this nude color called “Silk Stocking” by Orly. It’s a pastel barely-there shade that makes nails look simple and clean.

We were done in about half an hour, just in time for our next appointment. As refreshing as taking a power nap! Thanks, Nail It! We will definitely be back.

Check out Nail It! branches, website, Facebook and Twitter.

Stranger Danger

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:23:00 +0800

From our first shoot together up to today, we’ve come to realize that the less we care how our photos will look, the more we like how they turn out—whether or not the amount of “likes” or comments on the post says the same thing. Most of the time, we don’t really plan what to wear or how to accessorize or what contrived and complicated poses to do. Even the title and the writeup just come later on, literally minutes before we sit down together and post.

CPS Chaps sheer floral top, The Ramp at Crossings skirt, SM Department Store socks, Call It Spring color block wedges and shades. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Beauty notes: Maybelline Pure Liquid mineral foundation, The Face Shop Face It designing dual shading pact, Topshop lipstick. Don’t you just love how the sunglasses match the top perfectly?

Wedges again! I added yellow orange to the black and white colorblocking to amp up its ’60s-era feel.

Celio button-down, CPS Chaps jeans, SM Department Store socks, SM Accessories shades, Call It Spring shoes. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Hello, Shai peering at my shades!

I don’t usually wear dressy shoes like these because they’re generally not that comfortable to walk around in (plus it can be difficult to pull them off without looking too corporate). But if you want to look polished and put-together, especially for a swanky party or a serious meeting, you’ll make a good impression with this pair. Something every guy should have. My late dad used to say, shoes are like car tires. If they’re dirty, that says a lot about the owner.

So why the title? Because we humbly and sincerely believe that the best way to blog is to be yourself.

Long before it was considered an actual career option, blogging in its purest sense was all about putting your heart and soul out there in an honest yet considerate, opinionated yet eloquent, consummate yet ethical way. And to play with the phrase’s actual meaning, we believe that it’s your self you should be seeing when you look in the mirror that is your website—not a stranger in a costume striking a pose. Otherwise, therein lies the danger of losing touch with what’s real and what’s important.

One of the many reasons we’re glad we have each other.

Beach in the city

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:37:36 +0800

Landlocked lovers making do with the nearest body of water around. Shot at the pool area of the condo we bought together.

CPS Chaps floral-print maxi dress, Call It Spring wedges and headband, SM Accessories bangle. Hype this on Lookbook here.

This pair of Call It Spring wedges look amazing, notwithstanding my un-pedicured footsies. The color is right between my two favorite shades of red, corral and watermelon. I can’t think of any season I wouldn’t wear this, but the wooden element makes it perfect for the summer.

Celio button-down and shorts, Call It Spring shoes, SM Accessories belt. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I’ve always loved shoes in red shades because it doesn’t require a lot of effort to stand out when you’re wearing them. These are one of my favorite. They’re breezy, comfy and perfect for strolling around. The only limitation is I don’t think I’ll be able to wear them when it’s rainy, but for sunny days, they’re the best.

Hope you’re having a wonderful summer, wherever you may be at right now!