SheIn

If there’s one brand I wish I could get my hands on, that would be Reformation. It’s an LA-based brand that is not only known for its relaxed styles (that’s so LA cool) and their focus on sustainability. It has earned some celebrities for its devotees like Taylor Swift and Em Rata but it’s not hard to see why. Their frilly maxi dresses, feminine matching sets and retro-inspired pieces are just what every cool girl needs. :D

Sadly for us, this brand is just so out of reach. Lol! So what’s a fashion girl got to do? Of course, to scour similar pieces for the same pretty styles that wouldn’t cost a dent in our pockets. Don’t worry I’ve done it for you (you’re welcome, haha!). Ladies, this is SheIn. Wrap-tie silhouettes, trendy off-shoulder dresses, flattering maxis?  All here in this site. And luckily for you girls, they’re having their summer sale right now so go snag those pieces before they’re gone. But just to give you an idea on what they’re offering or styles I'm talking about, I’ve listed down here my top 5 picks from their maxi dresses collection. 

I would seriously wear to this office and take it to party after ;)

Vertical Striped Knot Front High Low Dress

Because, midriff is just so sexy! 

Black Spaghetti Strap Midriff Floral Dress

Black and white is always chic. You'll be surprised at the back detail of this dress. ;)

Halter Neck Cutout Back Maxi Dress

In case you haven't heard, a wrap-tie silhouette is so flattering. Yessss!!!

Multicolor Wrap Front Maxi Dress

How adorable is that tassel detail of this dress? And of course, off-shoulder. I'm making a prediction that they're here to stay. :P

Navy Off The Shoulder Tie-waist Ruffle Hem Maxi Dress

Captivating Cebu

We were waiting for yet another delayed Cebu Pacific flight back to Manila when I came across this article from the New York Times Style (The Tyranny of Other People's Vacation Photos aka the excessive posting of photos). It couldn't have been published at a better timing and it did bring back the many feelings of doubt I had before posting a carefully VSCO-ed photo in my social media accounts. Do I feel bad for posting photos of a sunny beachside on a weekday, just when it is raining cats and dogs in Manila? Or the fact that I'm letting other people know that I'm having a fahvolous vacation just when another part of the world is hit by an earthquake? But thankfully I have resolved these issues within myself before the trip ended and if you'll allow me to explain further...

It's my first time in southern Cebu (the queen city of the South) and I just couldn't believe why it took me so long to check what this side of the island has to offer. Sure, my scuba diving friends would often go to Moalboal for a dive which is not part of my itinerary and something that I regret but I'll get to it in a bit. We availed this package tour that would take us island hopping around Pescador Island and neighboring reefs and Kawasan Falls in the afternoon.

First of all, Kawasan and its unforgettable blue green waters! Like how in the world is it possible? I'm sorry but my basis of comparison would have to be Mother Falls in Baler and that of Tangadan in La Union and it's safe to say that this waterfalls color is my favorite version of blue green! By now, it is also pretty much established that I have this thing for hiking to waterfalls. Plus factor for this falls are the many things you can do while in there like your wrecking ball moment or fun cliff jumps. I'm amazed at how I've become fearless by this time that I don't hesitate anymore when in the edge. Lol!

Pescador Island. I traveled with my friends from work (corporate and part time job in the gym) so naturally there'll be no scuba diving activity but snorkeling just doesn't cut it anymore once you've felt how it's like to swim with the fishes further below. Like in one of the reefs, we saw this huge turtle surfacing for air before feeding itself a few meters down and it was so fun observing it (not that I haven't seen one while diving before, lol!) but it's stationary and if I could just dive deep down below to see it up close...Sigh... Another thing is the sardine run. Of course, I'll put it in my checklist to go back for scuba diving here someday.

Oslob, Cebu. After a day at Moalboal, off we moved to Oslob for another highlight of our trip. The Butandings (whale shark)!!! Responsible travel dictates that one should not support this activity because of the effect in migration patterns of the creatures but I couldn't help it. The least I could do was to abide by the rules during briefing. I had info that it is much better to encounter the whale sharks in Donsol though. But it was really awesome swimming with them. A tad scary also to get near them (haha!) and I was hit one time at the leg and it hurt. Lol! They're now my most favorite underwater creature, I swear. =))

Sumilon Blue Water Island Resort. Sumilon is a coral island off the coast of Oslob, Cebu. We took a day trip from our superb resort to check out its sandbar and do some photoshoots. :P

Seafari Resort. Well, not that our resort is anything short of fantastic! It is located down the cliff and has the best infinity pool view! :)

Alright, let’s get into some tips. If you’re like me who’s just exhausted all swimwear from one too many beach trips this year (check out my Quezon, Fortune Island, Maldives and Burias Islands) then a girl has to reinvent her bikinis. Sure, you can do mix and match but some of the items worn here include:

1. A black sports bra. Luckily I got a black bikini to match the top. (Kawasan Falls photo)

2. You can layer an off-shoulder top to style your two-piece. (Pescador Island)

3. Use a bodysuit. I used another in my Maldives trip. :) (Jacuzzi photo)

After sharing all that wonderful experience in Cebu, I think it’d be a great disservice to my friends/ followers if I wouldn’t post or let them know about the experience. And mind you, there are still a lot of attractions (falls and white beaches) that we missed on this trip. I will be forever guilty of this generation’s over-sharing attitude but I believe I filed my vacation properly, I worked hard for the money I spent and all of us deserve to relax and unwind. And if you’re not happy about it, I don’t have qualms being unfriended or muted from appearing in your wall. :P

Sammydress Anniversary

Happy 5th anniversary Sammydress!!! My supplier is having their anniversary sale so you should check out guys their website to enjoy the amazing discounts they're offering. In the meantime, here's the second batch of photos from the collection they sent me.

This dress is just begging to be taken to the beach, no? No problem, rainy season may be upon us but we can always catch a sunny weekend to go to nearby beaches. That's the beauty of the Philippines. Wait, for my recent beach post though. ;)

I just so love the fit of this bodycon dress! It may have lots of color in it which is more fun since I can pair it with my pointy pumps of different colors. Hehe. :)

Do you always need a reason to get a new LBD? Nope. 

And lastly, aaah a printed dress that can be easily dressed up casually. :)

As always, all styling and opinion are my own. This post is made in cooperation with Sammydress. :)

Long Live the Skinny

While a lot of fashion sites have predicted the death of this denim silhouette, a quick look at the global trendsetters such as Olivia Palermo, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid prove otherwise. Indeed, there are trends that elevate their status from fad to a classis closet staple because of their versatility and skinny jeans is one of them. If we just observe the varieties of skinny we have now from different rises (high or low), color, prints, destroyed and yes even the activewear such as leggings and jeggings, there's only one thing we can deduce - skinny jeans are here to stay.

If you've observed, I'm rarely a jean-type of person but I do own a few pairs (and also because of this) and I will share how I simply styled two of my pairs below - both from H&M. I guess their staying power stems from the fact that they're very easy to style. Trivia: In the first photo below, I got this pair from the Swedish's retailers kids' section. Hihi. It's one of the reasons why I love this store. I can find pieces at a kid's price (haha!) and even more if it's on sale. It's really BONGGA! Haha!

Top: Mango; Pants: H&M; Shoes: Zara

This second look below is inspired from my style icon - Olivia Palermo. I like how she classically sticks to this silhouette and does not experiment on the other emerging trends such as the cropped flares. Anyway, if there's another trend that I wish is here to stay, I hope it's the off-shoulder trend. :P

Hat/ Pants: H&M; Top/ Shoes: Zalora

I've always wanted to do another DIY with one of my skinnies like what I did here but I still can't find time as of the moment. Will update soon. :)

Rainy Day Footwear

Three months ago I wrote this post about how your white sneakers aren't appropriate anymore in the coming months and I felt that it is my duty to give you, my dear readers (lol!), an advise on what to replace them. You're welcome. Haha! With the first tropical depression landing about a month after that and now down to third tropical storm Carina, I was pretty sure that I didn't feel much the impact of the wet season on my footwear selection until early this week when the rain was non-stop since Monday due to the southwest monsoon. Just when I have a themed outfit for a week, lol.

Of course, brilliant me never considered the weather forecast haha so I was left to make a quick decision on Monday morning. As usual, the very first consideration would be the footwear and everything should work around it. Thankfully, I just did a room cleaning and I was reminded of this shoe staple - the ankle boots!

Ankle boots though considered a "winter staple" may not come off as appropriate in our country. But I'm pretty sure that fashion girls have it when they travel to wintry countries so why not choose it as a replacement for your white sneakers this wet season? The key to get more mileage out of them is to choose ones with neutral colors. Black will always be a favorite. And if you really wanna make it rain-appropriate, choose styles in low heels.

In this post, I've already highlighted the types of boots that every woman should own from a style authority. Pointy ankle boots is one of them and seriously I never found walking in the rain in them so comfortable. :P I also love how this weather allows me to bring out more of my winter toppers like moto jacket. Take note ladies, this is also another topper that's always in style. :)

Jacket/ Skirt: Topshop; Bag/ Umbrella: Mango; Bag: Balenciaga

You can also choose one in brown since according to style experts it's gonna huge this fall so expect more of this hue soon. Yikes. It's my least favorite color. 

Cape: Mango; Dress/ Bag: Dorothy Perkins; Boots: Zara

Ha. On a rain-related caption for this. How about an LPA. Low Pressure Area? Nope. Leopard/ Pitch Black/ Ankle Boots. Hahaha!!! 

Vest/ Shoes: Mango; Dress/ Skirt: H&M

So there goes another, themed outfit for the week courtesy of the monsoon rains. Haha. But I'm off to sand, sea and sun next week so my supposedly planned outfit will have to wait. Yay! :)

3rd Wave Of Coffee

"Life's too short for bad coffee..."

Yardstick Coffee

I can't believe that I totally missed this roastery and their neighboring restaurant Your Local while I was still working at the building on the next block some two years ago! But then again, if I hadn't gotten myself into this Breakfast Project in Makati, I wouldn't know since I'm pretty sure I passed by this street couple of times before and thought they're just ordinary corporate buildings. Both of them don't carry any signs or something.

Stepping inside, I felt like I was in some kind of furniture shop or warehouse. It's pretty spacious and I love the natural lighting that floods from the windows. Very IG-friendly. :P Yardstick and The Curator below are part of the Third Wave of Coffee movement and to make things simple - it's simply coffee as culinary. Another characteristic of this movement is transparency so you can actually see your coffee prepared from the coffee machine right infront your very eyes or an actual experience of brewing your own as I've read in many blogs.

I love coffee and I usually like it paired with something. So as I was pretty hungry from the heavy traffic that rainy morning, I ordered their Barista's Breakfast with their Black Magic coffee (basically an Americano with chocolate syrup at the bottom). I loved my breakfast combo! :)

Top/ Hat: H&M; Pants: Unbranded; Shoes: Mango

Barista's Breakfast/ Black Magic Coffee

The Curator

For someone like me who's so helpless when it comes to maps, locating The Curator in that 7AM call time morning with friends is actually considered a mini feat. Haha. I was about to reach the end of Palanca street when thankfully I noticed their sign on a white board at the bottom of their door. It's almost as if they really wanna go undiscovered. :-/

Stepping inside makes you feel like you've entered someone's basement, a scientist maybe (?!?!) since the first thing that will catch your attention is that rack with what looks like chemicals in it. They even have their sweeteners served in test tubes mind you. On to your right though, you'll see the cocktail bar setup which just made me sad that I didn't get the chance to bring someone here before. :-/ They're included in the top list of obscure Makati bars for secret dates. Oh well...that's Curator for you - coffee shop by day and cocktail bar at night.

Dress: J Crew; Cardigan/ Shoes: Mango; Sunnies: Ray Ban

I like how their menu isn't so overwhelming with not so many options so I went for their "We Love Legaspi for Breakfast." And since I'm a coffee novice, I just simply had to rely for the barista's reco. What I read about their excellence in customer service is really true. The barista did explain to me a lot about this Dark Matter Theory Cappuccino (a crowd favorite) with a strong cacao taste. It was truly enjoyable but for someone like me who from time to time suffers from acid indigestion, I found it too strong and shamefully had to request for additional sweeteners.

We Love Legaspi Breakfast

I like how their ambiance is a bit of contrast to that of Yardstick. A dim breakfast setting for a change.