Miss Sixty dress over striped tank top, Cole Haan wingtip brogues, SM Accessories hat and necklace, Veloci wristwatch, backpack from my sister. Hype this on Lookbook here and Chictopia here.
Just something for the summer. Been going on drives with my loved ones to nearby places that I haven’t been to in a while. Looking forward to more of these this year :)
Hope you’re all having a wonderful week so far! ♥
Evolution. Interesting how hair styling can easily transform one’s look, eh? But what if you don’t have the time or budget to hit the salon as often as you want? Here’s how to get a hair makeover… and even better, win a Samsung Galaxy SIII.
After going blonde and trying out all sorts of hair colors, we recently settled on darker, less shocking (and damaging) ones. It’s a good thing, too, for easier maintenance. We’ve been quite busy with non-blogging stuff lately that our last trip to the salon was weeks ago, during our visit to Korean hair and nail salon Secret B in Cebu. Because “Before” photos aren’t quite as fun, check out our little video diary above. Below are our resulting “After” looks, as well as shots of the salon.
Binkydoodles floral top, The Catwalk drape shorts, Martina-Martina necklace, Asian Vogue mary jane wedges, Fab Manila bag, Hobby Loft bracelets. Hype on Lookbook here.
Chemistry plaid button-down, Bench distressed denim jeans, Skechers boots, SM Accessories. Hype this on Lookbook here.
Such a trite, overused word that I try to avoid 99% of the time, but unfortunately an apt description for this post.
Photos by Seph; we were trying to do something that looks similar to his blog entry before this. Francis Libiran for Myth mens button-down, Divisoria umbrella-print tank top and denim shorts, YRYS fishnet stockings, Adidas sneakers, Nine West bag, The Belle Soeurs accessories. Hype this on Lookbook here and vote on Chictopia here.
We shot this yesterday at Rockwell, and it was really sunny one minute while the next minute brought rainshowers. So yes, bipolar: the top and shorts for the heat, the button down-turned-blazer and stockings for the cold.
I’ve always had a soft spot for menswear and androgynous pieces, long before “boyfriend polo” and “fashion blogging” officially entered the style lexicon. When I was younger, this preference for masculine apparel was often subject to subtle mockery. But really, what’s not to like? It’s slouchy, comfy and loose, like being in house clothes albeit better-looking.
Haphazard braids (the title of this post on Lookbook and Chictopia) that I did on the way while bored in traffic. Wore it for the rest of the day when Seph said he liked how it turned out. I thought I had colored my hair red evenly after the Funky Streaks experiment, but look at that! Turns out I still have four different colors in my hair. Cool.
Basic Black iced tea (without ice lol) because I have a cough, colds and a croaking voice that sounds like a thirteen-year-old boy going through both puberty and a sore throat, but it’s almost a tradition to drive thru for Basic Black on errands days.
Thanks to sisters Via and Vina Guerrero of The Belle Souers for these!
I seldom bring bags because I’m lazy like that, but on days that I do, it’s usually small ones just for my wallet, keys and phones. This one from Nine West was a gift from my cousins in the US and it’s my favorite for being the perfect size, weight and color.
Lace sneakers from Adidas that I seldom wear because I like them a lot and don’t want to wear them out! When I do my outfits, I usually have a running theme with some of the pieces. I wore these because my hair was in braids and my bag was pink (girly floral lace), but I had rugged shorts and fishnet stockings on (high-cut black sneakers). Don’t worry if you didn’t get that—it didn’t really make that much sense, haha.
In the car just before braiding, taken with Instagram. Hihi. Follow me on there @shailagarde!
June is fast approaching, but we’re not ready for summer to be over just yet! Wearing bright happy colors (mostly on our hair!) for today’s agenda: the Superb by SuperSale Bazaar and Philippine Fashion Week.
Chemistry striped yellow shirt, SM Accessories, Bench jeans, Keds. Hype this on Lookbook here. I have a feeling this Chemistry shirt will become one of the items I go for on lazy days. It’s comfy and simple yet it’s striking enough because of the color and the yellow-on-yellow stripes.
“Blue-haired freak” Special Effects hair color from Funky Streaks. I’ve always wanted to try blue hair, but not just the spray-on ones. Good thing we found out about this cool online shop because not only does it carry a lot of different hair colors you can choose from, but Jane the owner also took the time to explain everything we needed to know before we colored our hair. I love how my blue hair turned out!
Chemistry floral harem playsuit, SM Accessories, Keds. Hype this on Lookbook here. There’s nothing comfier than sneakers when you have to manage a bazaar booth without any staff or helpers! At the same time, this cute Chemistry playsuit keeps the outfit from being too casual or boring—I love how the floral top is garterized to hug the upper torso, striking a balance with the comfy loose fit of the harem pants.
“Red passion” Manic Panic hair color from Funky Streaks. Like Seph, I’ve always wanted to try pink hair! Until now, bright red is the farthest I’ve gone with hair color. There were a couple of steps we had to take before we could achieve the exact shade we wanted, and even then, the hair color would change a bit after a few shampoos. But it’s worth it! Experimenting and getting different results is part of what makes DIY so fun.
View our Chictopia blog entry here! What do you think of our hair colors? We’re not so worried about them looking a bit too “extreme” because they’re semi-permanent, which means we can always change hair colors as quickly as we can change our minds. We’ll share the whole process in a separate blog entry sometime soon. Also, please keep sending in your questions about fashion, beauty, grooming or relationships! We do get them, we’re just going to be answering them by batch. Happy weekend, everyone!
Guess who just dyed their own hair ombré?
The term is a French word which means “gradiation” or “shade.” Instead of one color throughout, you’ve got a darker shade on top that gradually goes lighter down the tips, usually ending in blonde.
We didn’t find any salons that offered this, so we thought we’d do it ourselves.
We’re glad we did; not only were we able to save money, we were also able to pick up a few self-reminders from the experience.
Lesson 1: Stand on your own two feet. We’re firm believers that nobody is self-made; whatever form of success we currently enjoy, people along the way helped us get to where we are. However, being dependent on others is a different story. If you always need people to do certain things for you, what happens when they leave, turn their back on you, or worse, demand repayment and rub in your face all the good they’ve done when things go sour? Do things yourself. If it works, you’ll have leveled up and won’t have to drown in debts of gratitude. If it doesn’t, you’ll still have learned and have no one to blame.
Lesson 2: Dare to be different. Just because everybody’s doing this or wearing that or getting hooked with this app or going to that hip-happening place doesn’t make it imperative that you should, too. Au contraire. Dare to be a starter, not a follower—and dare to stand by your own choices and preferences.
Lesson 3: Experiment. Take risks. Whenever hesitation or fear strikes, ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen. What have you got to lose? Will it matter in the greater scheme of things? Will it matter three, five, ten years from now? And even if the answers to these are bleak, well, sometimes the best way we can truly learn and grow is through our mistakes and failures.
Lesson 4: Be yourself, always. In this day and age more than ever, this seems to be one of the simplest yet most challenging things to practice. With everyone so inevitably connected and perennially updated, it seems to have become so important to be who we are expected to be: edited, curated, censor-approved versions of ourselves, rather than who we are happy to be: just ourselves! How can we be true to other people if the person we see everyday in the mirror is fake?
On Shai: Forever21 embroidered dress, Parisian at SM Department Store booties, SM Accessories bangle, Fidelity necklace and rings. Hype on Lookbook here.
On Seph: Forever21 blazer, Topman shirt, Bench jeans, Aldo socks, Adidas shoes, SM Accessories necklace and wristband, Timex watch. Hype on Lookbook here.
…All this from three tubs of hair color. Who knew? Haha. Tutorial, anyone? Tell us what you think—use that Reply button on your Tumblr dashboard or leave a Disqus comment :) Hope y’all had a good start for the new year!
Behind the scenes of our shoot with @tgosingtian for a Japanese brand.
Shot in furniture and K-pop novelty gift shop Space Encounters. We can’t wait to show you the photos! Meanwhile, here are some of its sister cafe, Subspace. Always a delight taking pictures there.
Taken with Instagram. First time to blog from our iPhones. So awesome :)
COPPER CURLS:
To answer some questions we often get, yes, Shai’s hair is naturally wavy, and all she does is wash it and use her fingers to comb through the tangles. If she tries to brush, comb or iron it, all the waves get dry and brittle and just plain ugly.
When need be, Shai (well, her hair) prefers the curling iron over straightener every time. On our latest salon appointment at Fix, we went for this copper shade and had her tresses treated to some deep conditioning for an extra boost of shine and softness.
Inoa hair color and Kerastase Chroma Riche conditioning, Bench Fix at M3 Trinoma.
Photography: Richard Romero.
Makeup & Hair: Anton Patdu and Mycke Arcano.
