Oversized and Overwhelmed

 One of the things I love about living in Manila is that even when the weather is "cloudy", it's still almost always weather you can take photos in. Class is out today because there's a storm coming (it isn't here yet though--not that I'm complaining) so this outfit's going to be worn walking around the mall with my sister, most probably. This shirt is from F21, I think? (I can't remember) Whatever. As I've been progressing in my quest for fitness and shiz, most of my shirts are now oversized shirts; that definitely doesn't mean that I'm not going to wear them (because then I'd have to rebuild my wardrobe, which frankly I don't have the cash for) so I decided to rip off the Marks & Spencer mannequins in Glorieta and tie the bottom of this shirt in a knot. I think it looks pretty aright! :)

Wearing:

top, (I think) F21 | forgot!

jeans, Street Code | P250 (reduced from P800)

sneakers, Vans P2,800

Also, I realize that I look ridiculous in these photos. I swear, I was not dancing. But you guys are probably used to me by now. I'm kinda a klutz and refuse to apologize for this anti-fashion type of posing. Normal peeps have to settle for poses ripped off of exercise vids. HAHAHA

String Me Along

 I spent today running around and helping my dad out with medical things: we went to the hospital for his check up and then walked around the mall for a bit for his regular "cardio routine" (which mostly involves us walking to and from Fullybooked). If there's anything that I think I may be an expert on, it's geriatric health care. And one of the things one must ensure when taking care of your very own beloved senior citizen is that you're comfortable. So I wore one of my favorite but (surprisingly) underworn outfits: this dress from Forever21 with a loose, cotton croptop thrown over it. 

Wearing:

dress, Forever21 | P499 

top, tiangge | P100

shoes, gifted

I started wearing this with a croptop instead of a hoodie because the weather in Manila just isn't conducive to anything with long sleeves and this dress is a bit too big for me so...yeah I can't wear it alone without showing the world my lalas (which both I and the world would like for me to keep to myself). My favorite thing about this dress is the criss-cross straps that it has on the back; I think loose crop tops provide good coverage while allowing just enough skin to show.

July 2013 Favorites

Soooo I know I didn't do a favorites post for June and May, mostly because a lot of the products I was using last month were either already old products or stuff I'd just started trying but I'll try to be more consistent with this, from here on in. I like doing these posts mostly because I do use a lot of cosmetics and if I don't write about it then it seems kind of like a huge waste of knowledge I could otherwise be sharing with the collective cosmetic unconscious.

 

I tried a lot of face products last month because I'm always on the hunt for good, non-sticky/non-greasy face products that either will help improve the over-all health of my skin or at least not damage it. First off is the Lancome Pure Focus Moisturizer for Oily Skin. This is hands down the best moisturizer I've ever used. (Shout out to my sis-in-law Ate Audrey who gave it to me!) It really sinks into your skin and leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky without having it feel greasy. It gets the job done and it works really well under make-up because it keeps your pores from clogging without leaving your skin feeling dry or flaky. :)

 Next is the Ever Bilena Advance Perfect Concealer. Okay. This is probably the best value for money product, ever. EB is impressing me more and more, these days: this concealer is perfect. It stays on all day, it doesn't clog your pores, it doesn't cake or make you get those weird lines under your eyes and it gets the job done. Dark circles, blemishes: BAM, concealed like a mofo! I like it way better than other more expensive concealers I've tried like the Cinema Secrets one or the Collection Last Perfection one. :)

 It's been raining like crazy lately but it's also been insanely humid, so I've refrained from using any muskier or heavier fragrances. I've been using Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh because it's light and stays on for a pretty long time (although not "all day" by any means). I could sniff this shiz forever.

 I don't think I've mentioned it on here, ever (mostly because I'm also a little embarrassed by this) but I'm a huge lipstick junkie. Lip things (although I must say, lipsticks in particular) are definitely my favorite make up bits. This month, I've been a lovin' the Pure Gloss lipgloss from Collection. I have the one in the color Lollipop and I love, love, love it. Of all lip products (balms, glosses, glasses, sheens, sticks, liquid lipsticks, tints) lipglosses are probably my least favorite. I don't like how they get all sticky and bothersome--mleh. That being said, this is one of the few glosses that don't do that. It's a really pretty, sheer pink color and it isn't sticky or too much. It sinks into the skin but still gives your lips a noticeable little lift and (obviously) gloss. :) This was P169 at the Metro Department Store.

Next are two lipsticks from Avon's new collection (click here to see the TVC--Avon names their collections and lines with really not catchy names--aka Ultra SomethingSomething and Ultimate Something--which doesn't bother me too much but they're just so difficult to remember!). I have them in the shade Crush (left) and Hot Pink (right). Beautiful!!!! I love how they go on (the formulation) and I love how they look on the skin. I had some of their Totally Kissable lipsticks too, but I found that while those felt moisturizing, the pigment just sort of sat on top of the lips and got really drying throughout the day. These don't do that and have a lot better (in my opinion) shades than he last collection. These go for P249 each. :)

 Aaaand, that's it for this month! :) Tell me how you guys like this post (either here on Twitter or message me or whatever--ya'll know where to reach me).

Acid Wash

Today is going to be one hectic son of a gun; I can tell. I just got back from getting vaccinated (it's flu season again!) and after lunch I'll be off to school for my Trig long test (wish me luck). Wahoo. Here we go, double and half identities! I'm going to kick your ass--in these awesome jeans. 

From the minute I laid my eyes on these pants (that were on sale) I knew I had to have them. The color, the fit--everything about these jeans is desirable to me. Acid wash is a tricky thing and when you see something so well-done, you just can't not get it. Especially when it's on sale. I also may have overworn this shirt, but whatevs.

Wearing:

top, tiangge | P100

jeans, Zara | P650

shoes, Shoebox | P899

Time Goes By

Time flies. I looked at the calendar today (because I have a test tomorrow and am again, trying to buy more study time) and realized that it's been 2 years since I was in Harry Potter class (that was August 2011). Hot damn, time flies. In honor of that, I decided to wear my Ravenclaw shirt with one of the only pleated things I own: this floral skirt. I thought that this'd be a playful take on the whole school girl thing but part of me regrets not wearing this with my black skater skirt. 

Wore: Ravenclaw shirt, Perfect White T | P 350

skirt, Just G | P650

shoes, Shoebox | P899

I will be honest: it was a hassle walking around in this outfit today because it was freaking windy and you know what happens to pleated skirts in the wind (insert highschool flashback here). But, whatever. I only had one class today anyway so it wasn't too bad. Although no, I definitely wouldn't wear this again. :)) Anyway. I must get back to a'studying. Night, ya'll!

Leotarded

 It's taking all my will not to start this blog post with "dahurr". Anywho. It's Monday again. August is here, dontcha know it. Before we know it, it'll be holiday/birthday (for me and my friends)/celebrating shiz season again. So I decided to go into mourning for the following illusions that I thrust myself into last January: a) "This will be my year!" and b) "The year's just starting: let's start it right!" by wearing black. I don't wear black very often. In fact, I think there might be less than 5 photos of me wearing black on this blog. And I must say, after wearing this leotard-reminiscent shirt from Cotton-On, I may look into wearing black more often.

 

I have to apologize, as well for the uneven sizing of the photos: I seriously do not know what is up with blogger, but yeah: I didn't want these to go to waste, because well, it's a bitch to shoot yourself (whichever way you take that phrase) so it damn well better be worth it. :) This is one of the most expensive outfits I own, probably--but I figure no one's a cheapskate all the time, right? Right??

 

Wore: Top, Cotton On | P450

Jeans, Nafnaf | P1,200

Shoes, Shoebox | P 899

 Glasses, Giordano | P 2,500

And, yeah! :) Hope you guys had a rockin' Monday!

Run, Run, Runaway Run

Goddamn, if I could run away from anything it would be this week. Tests, tests, tests. My 'rents were nice enough to get me a new pair of running shoes (because my ancient ones broke last week while I was doing jumping jacks) to reward me for being their secretary last week and there is no torture greater than having awesome shoes and not being able to do samurai squats. But ah, well.

These particular shoes are from Mizuno (as were my last pair, rest her soul); Mizuno shoes are amazing: they're comfy, super lightweight and they provide lotsa support. I love the measuring thing that they do where they make you stand on this reflective sheet thing to see what kind of arc your feet have. Anyway. Back to studying for me. Have a good week, ya'll! More tomorrow (hopefully).

Roarin' Monday

Okay, so--the title of this post couldn't be any cheesier, but there aren't a lot of things that I can think about re: tiger print which don't involve roaring. This was yet another thrift purchase. This whole outfit was got for under P500. Although I'm not sure if the shoes count, since those were gifted. These shoes have been a staple in my wardrobe lately because they offer so much support (I have pretty arched feet): I definitely need more flats like this. 

Wearing: 

tiger shirt-P100, bazaar

jeans, Street Connection-P250 (reduced from P800), Metro Gaisano

shoes, gifted

 I've also been addicted to these jeans that I found in the sale last week. They fit like a glove and I love how the skinniness around the ankles seems to elongate my very short self.

Oldies But Goodies

Today, I decided to (after 4 years) pull this shirt out of my closet again. I can't remember why I stopped wearing this: I think it might have been because of laziness to shave my pits (I got a little carried away with no shave November a few years ago) or because something bad happened to me in this shirt (I'm also superstitious, along with being disgusting--apparently). But it was sitting there, in all its turquoise glory and I just thought wow: this is the perfect shirt for today. My life involves a lot of walking and a lot of conforming to the rules of institution so I figured this top would be a win-win. It's jabar-proof, it's stylish, it's just-sexy-enough and it fits within the limits of the dresscode. Hellzyeah.

Wore:

Top: can't remember

Jeans, Zara

shoes, gifted

 I've been wearing flats/sneakers all week because I've had to walk so much. Even if I initially hated what they've done to Manila's transport system, I do appreciate the extra cardio. 

And. That's it, really. Uhhh. There's only so much you can say about an outfit. :)) No frills: this shirt was just really, really great for Manila weather and I think it looks pretty good on me. I hope you guys had a good day! And for those of you whose lives were affected by the traffic re-route, I hope you guys are adjusting well.

Gloom Bloom

I love this skirt. I got this at an ukay-ukay for 50 bucks two summers ago. I love this skirt. Okay. Now that that's done with, I will start this post off the way I do most of my posts (I just realized): talking about the weather. Damn. This is the weirdest rainy season ever. It's hot, it's cold, it's a Katy Perry song. It's raining but it's sunny but it's humid but it's breezy. Cripes. So the important thing about dressing up nowadays is to have an outfit you can disassemble. Thought employed in today's clothing choices.

Wearing:

Purple cotton top, tiangge | P100

skirt, thrifted | P50

GAP cardigan, thrifted | P250

shoes, gifted

Sweater Weather

I really, really loved the weather today. It was gloomy, but not raining very hard. I got to wear my favorite stockings and my favorite sweater (that I steal from my mom, harhar). 

 Also, I decided to wear these vans that I got in Vietnam because they're pretty thick-soled and that's always good when it's raining. Admittedly, I did look a bit crazy today--but what's new. :D

Playsuit: online-thrifted from Lula Bop's | P350

Stockings: SM Dep't. Store | P 300

Sneakers: Vans | P 2,600 (1,300,000 VND)

Sweater: Zara | priceless, aka stolen from my mother's closet

 I'm really hoping that the weather decides to stay this way for longer. I know I promised I would stop wondering about the weather and whether or not it'll be to my liking, but sometimes I just cannot help it. I will elaborate on this in my next Coffee & Flowers post. 

 The only thing that I disliked about today's outfit was that this playsuit has gotten really baggy for me since I've gotten back into doing yoga and circuit training--that's one downside to getting into fitness, I guess. The sleeves kept threatening to fall off the whole day; I suppose soon I'll start wearing full-on sweaters over this. Oh, and also it's a bitch to go to the bathroom if you're in a hurry and wearing a playsuit. Apologies to the girls in line at the Miguel first floor bathroom earlier today!

And now, apologies to you for having to look at this odd mid-macarena photo of me. HAHAHA I set my camera on timer when I film and just walk around doing silly things--so, yeah. :)

Hope ya'llz had a good day!

Me To Know, You To Make Up

The neglect with which I've been treating this blog is horrible. I feel like I may as well not have it, but I don't feel like that's an option so I'm going to start treating this with more TLC instead. :) 

Today, I decided to take the first outfit post in ages--partly because I found my tripod and also because I had time today. I will try to upload at least twice a week--it's been a real challenge balancing this bit and The Torture Sessions but if there's a will, there's a way!

I'm not sure when, but it was probably when I started shopping online and thrifting (both at thrift stores and overrun stores) that I began to find it unbearable to shop at the mall for clothes. It just seems completely unreasonable to go into a store and buy something for a five times the price of something you could find elsewhere--and everyone'll be wearing that, too. Ick. 

To prove my point, I've decided to outline the prices of everything I post about from now on. Also, please ignore the only strip of colored hair from I attempted to dye my hair Targaryen-blonde. I'll do something about that soon. :))

This entire outfit was bought for under P500. So. Yes. Let's get on with it.

Jack Daniels crop-top: P150 | UM tiangge

a-line skirt: P150 | UM tiangge

gator-skin sneakers: P199.50 | SM Department Store

Wishlist: Berry Me March

March Wishlist by wina-puangco featuring wet n wild blush

In an effort to maximize and perfect and "do this with all my heart", I've decided to put up weekly wishlists which will be labelled according to theme, followed by what month they're made in. :D This week, I've uber been into berry shades: berry pinks, purples and oranges. I've also been absolutely coveting the entire Betty side of Mac's Betty & Veronica collection. Those pinks are just beautiful, I cannot even--

I've also been absolutely coveting Mac's super soft stippling brush and a couple of more affordable things like the Berry blush from Wet N' Wild and Avon's mineral foundation. Plus my beanie collection's been sort of blah lately and I've been wanting to get a couple more colorful hats for everyday wear. Most of the beanies I have are gray and it's just such a gloomy color! I'm thinking pink/tangerine? Or white?

Sweater Lovin'

Sweater Lovin' by wina-puangco featuring long sleeve tops

I wasn't able to mention this in my Feb Favorites post but watching The Carrie Diaries (which I will do a proper review on soon, swear) and Bunheads has really put me in the mood for some sweater lovin'. While I already loved sweaters to begin with, I usually go for more neutral sweaters and watching TCD and Bunheads has put me in the mood for something a little more playful. I do think I'll do some shopping this week or next week. There's just something so adorable and flattering about a sweater that a) fits well despite being a tad over-sized, b) has an interesting pattern on it and c) gives any outfit that always-appreciated pop of color. :) Hope you guys enjoyed this set!

Playing It Plum

I am currently in a colored pants phase. I bought a couple of pairs of colored pants and these purples ones are definitely my favorites. Below is what I wore this morning--ate Ria and I kicked off the day with breakfast here at home with ate Lyra and her kids, Sam and Rafa. We had the heartiest breakfast ever--pancakes, fluffy eggs and bacon. Muy delicioso. :)

Today and yesterday were super hectic--I've been out to so many places around here and I just think they each deserve their own posts, so I'm waiting until I get back to Manila to write about them. I'm so excited!!! This top is one of my favorite finds, ever--I really have a thing for the bruised color palette (blues, greens, purples, greys) and I was just thrilled that this went perfectly both with these funky jeans and my plummy yummy Maybelline lipstick.

Plus, this outfit was incredibly conducive for walking around all day! Flats are definitely the way to go around here, I'd say. ;)

Wore: top | California Apparel, jeans | South Denim, shoes | Centropelle

Rompin' Red

Today was very busy and very fun--so much so that a "Ho Chi Minh, Day 2" post will have to wait until I get back home. As I mentioned, I did a lot of shopping the first day I was here and because my sister has an awesome a) red couch and b) washing machine, we were able to do a little photo-taking before we left for lunch yesterday. I'm wearing a couple of the things I found here--both low and high--and I'm super excited to share them with you! I suppose this'll have to pass for a preview to what's coming up for the WinaWonders Store as well because I also bought a lot of stocks for the store. :D

Wore: top | thrifted, jeans | Calvin Klein, shoes | Ecco

Greyscale

Finally, my homesick tripod made its way home (after spending the past few weeks at my parents' office) and so I was able to take these outfit shots yesterday. One thing I really don't want to do is for the personal style part of this blog to go under--after all, that is how all this started--and it felt great to finally put this up. I was supposed to head to Vietnam last week, but because of a terrible debacle with the Department of Foreign Affairs, my flight got rescheduled; I was super sad because I was really looking forward to seeing my sister.

Luckily for me, she sent home a couple of shirts and this one was my favorite--originally it was a round-neck and those usually don't look good on me; on my teensy, tear-drop frame|I end up looking like one of those gym bags with strings that you pull so that it shuts like a mouth. So anyway, to remedy that I cut the collar off and turned it into a boat-neck top, I think it looks pretty cute. :D

Wore: shirt, a gift | jeans, Freego | shoes, Centropelle 

 Also, my old black Freego pants finally gave out (after 5 years of loyal service) a couple of weeks ago when I fell down the stairs at our printing place--tsk, tsk. Now, when I say I'm a creature of habit, I mean I'm a creature of habit: I thought I ought to get myself a new pair maybe in a different style but I found myself heading over to the Freego section of the Metro Department Store in Town Center and buying exactly the same type, size and color pants. They're wonderful, thank you very much.

TGIF, everyone and thanks for stopping by! ;) More posts to come!

Stitch It Up

I'm not sure how to feel about the lighting in our garden, nowadays. Since we've had the roof re-vamped it's been extremely sunny and all my photos make me look like I'm standing in front of a floodlight. Yay or nay? 

Anywho. I know I swore not to cut my hair, but I couldn't resist. I was looking through photos of Tegan Quin and fuck, that woman has wonderful hair. Anyway. Yeah. So I got my hair cut into an assymetrical bob. It's shorter in the back and longer in the front and I quite like it. No hair cutting until Christmas (hopefully), promise. I keep thinking that I want to grow my hair hippie-long but 1. I'm not sure if I can afford the hair productage that would entail and 2. I really like getting my hair cut. Sigh. It's a wonder I kept my hair long for so long (harhar) before having it cut last year.

Anyway, just running errands today. Wearing this striped top that's still on sale over at the WinaWonders Store. I'm going to be putting up a new collection in time for Halloween; my apologies for being on hiatus but there's been so much going on, what with the launching of MoarBooks, and working on Paperweight (getting legal docs fixed and stuff) and keeping this blog up and getting through my reading and studying for class. I solemnly swear I will get to that soon.

Wearing: striped top, WinaWonders Store | jeans, Freego | shoes, Centropelle

P.S. If any of you beautiful people want a copy of The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, check out the MoarBooks x WinaWonders TFIOS giveaway!

Dreaming in Color

Last night, I had the weirdest of dreams--I can't remember what it was about, exactly but I do know that it was extremely colorful. Methinks I've been reading too much Body World. Today is the first time in a while that I had to go out and didn't have to be at my destination by 9:30 in the morning, which gave me time to do this outfit post. :)

I'm wearing this blue top that I got from a factory outlet of Old Navy a couple of months ago. It's uber presko and today was crazy sunny (sunny like I haven't seen since sixth grade, when I got dismissed at 3:30 in the afternoon) so I was glad to keep things fresh and breezy. I am absolutely in love with the color of this shirt--vibrant without being gaudy.

Wearing: top, Old Navy | jeans, Freego | shoes, a gift

Throwing It Back

Back in the nineties, when I was a kid growing up and watching shows like Boy Meets World and CLARISSA I was very, very into the short-sweater fad. I used to own all types of just-short-enough-not-to-show-mah-flabs sweaters: my favorites were the printed ones (sunflowers, little hearts). Sadly, a teensy sweater for an 8-year-old will definitely no longer fit 21-year-old me. :)) But yeah. Anyway, I found this teensy sweater on one of me and Trizha's thirfting excursions  last July and haven't found weather in which it would be apt to wear it in (tiny sweaters are jabar no-no) so I decided to wear it today. :) 

My day went pretty well actually. I spent a good deal of it talking about funny things with Ron and Trizha (pedophile!) and then later on in the day, eating a ridiculous amount of candy bars at Ron's place while he read out one of the funniest bits of fiction I'd ever heard (somewhat appropriately, it was from The Infinite Jest). Plus, my second class (chemistry) got cancelled. This kind of sucked because that's the class I like, but on a happier note, I was able to catch up on some reading. :D

Wearing: sweater, thrifted | jeans, Freego | shoes, a gift