what i wore – Page 2 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

maternity diary: the 1st trimester

since we tried to keep my pregnancy hush-hush during the first few months, i haven’t really been able to talk about my pregnancy save for my family and closest friends and co-workers. this will be the first of my maternity diary posts, as a look back to the wonderful and challenging 9 months and also as a tribute to my awesome photographer and artist friends who kindly volunteered for my maternity sessions.

when we found out
to be honest, when we found out, we were flabbergasted. we got depressed when we lost our 1st baby but we didn’t realize how much it affected us until we found out we were pregnant again. our first reaction was joy. the next was deep, deep fear. i remember coming out of our bathroom, giving Harry the pregnancy test and just lying on our bed, stunned. yes, we were utterly happy that we were gifted with a new baby but we were also gravely afraid of losing it again. we couldn’t go through the same thing. it was too painful. luckily enough, we had the support of our family and closest friends who kept encouraging us and never failed to take care of us.

symptoms, cravings and complications
normally, i have a very big appetite. diet is not in my vocabularly because i love to eat but when i got pregnant, i couldn’t stomach most types of food. my love for pizza and pasta disappeared. i hated cheese and all things creamy. i was a very picky eater that it caused me to lose a bit of weight. i would only eat when i needed to. fortunately, i didn’t experience morning sickness. i was only drowsy, as in always sleepy that there were days that i wouldn’t get off the bed nor get out of the room.

the firsts
i realize now that when we first heard Maddy’s heart beat, she was declaring that she’s really going to stay. her heart rate was loud and fast. when we first tried to see her gender, she kicked and moved her legs too much that it was just impossible to really determine her gender. we already knew we were having a rambunctious baby (and she sure is now.) Maddy’s first kick was a jab and i never knew it could hurt. it was surreal and further reminded us that what was happening was real. it was not a dream. we were really having a baby.

white embroiders slip maxi dress – BFTS | layered necklaces – vintage store finds and forever 21

“maternity session taken at 33 weeks pregnant” | hair & make-up by Markie Bautista | photogaphy by Rainbowfish Photo | set design by Cuckoo Cloud Concepts

CFB x Giordano PH: Bank on Basics Campaign

{A quick note: I didn’t realize this was taken in July til’ now. It is amazing how fast time goes when you’re

You can never go wrong with a white tee. It’s one of the most versatile piece of clothing out there. You can match it with a classic pair of jeans for a minimalist look or like me, a tulle maxi skirt because why not? And

the good kind of blurry days

i am going to use “throwback thursday” as an excuse for my delinquency because really, it’s been a year since this outfit shot was taken. i did still have long, ombre hair but i am still wearing my favorite black booties.

i count my months by how many weddings or engagement sessions i style now. i label my months as the wedding season (may, june, december, january) or as the ghost month (august) and before i know it, the year has ended. it really is different living an artist’s life. the days are a blur but it’s the good kind.

catch-up post: the maze hipzone makeover

oh how time flies — so cliche but so true. i didn’t realize how crazy busy i’ve been until i was preparing this post and it’s almost 2 months overdue. one day we were excited for the Maze Hipzone’s revamping and launching of their SS 2013 line and the next day, we’re experiencing heavy downpour because summer is way over.

nevertheless, the experience that was the Maze Hipzone’s re-launching is worth doing a catch up post because well, the face lift was much awaited. the Maze Hipzone holds great fashion finds and it’s awesome that it’s now getting the attention that it rightly deserves.

right after the event, Toni and i couldn’t resist running directly to Maze to shop. i scored a pair of “so me” floral booties that was the perfect pair to reward me for my self-imposed and necessary shopping ban. i remember not being able to resist buying shoes every month when i had a full-time, cubicle and stress-inducing job yet these booties that were a break from a 4-month hiatus was enough to make me happy.

the barber’s hesitation

i never realized the hassle guys undergo to maintain their hair. i thought my curly hair was already high maintenance until i shaved one side of my head and found out i need to get a trim every 2 weeks to keep it as sharp as it is. one thing i discovered with having a side shave is having to rely on nearby barbers to maintain the shave — yes, barbers! i couldn’t set an appointment with my hairstylist every 2 weeks just to shave my head so i’ve frequented nearby barbers (near our house or home) trusting in their ability to cleanly shave the head with all their years of experience. and you know what they always ask, “are you sure?” which of course has been smirking at their semi-shocked and scared faces — afraid they’d hurt a girly-girl. ha!

linen oversized blazer – thrifted | patterned leggings – props | black and grey snakeskin wedges – pill footwear, the ramp | green braided belt – thrifted | grey oversized sunnies – urban outfitters, gifted by sister

once upon a time: a bride & breakfast editorial

one of the best gifts 2013 has blessed me and Cuckoo Cloud Concepts is a small message, on January, from Janna Simpao of Bride and Breakfast asking if we’d be interested in doing an editorial with them. i just woke up at 6AM to pee when i saw her message sent at 3AM. i literally shook and jumped off my bed!

Cuckoo Cloud Concepts was just a start-up wedding styling team that April and i started in October 2012 — something we did with a leap by leaving our cubicles and taking on the endeavor full time. we didn’t have any assurance of clientele nor whether Cebu would bite the idea of engagement session stylists or wedding stylists. we presented ourselves not as florist but a team who adds additional styling to weddings that would capture the couple’s personality further. so it was an amazing surprise to have been caught by the Philippines’ no. 1 wedding blog much more being invited to do an editorial.

we got to work immediately and worked on the project for two months. here are the behind-the-scene shots and for the editorial, you can check them out here.

love conquers all: why i do what i do

such a cheesy title, isn’t it? well, it’s true no matter how much we deny it. love is really one of the reasons why i choose to do what i do — style for engagement shoots and weddings. we don’t just get to do what we love which is expressing our love for art and crafts, we also get to meet new amazing people. people who are in love.

styling for Christian and Sheila was truly an honor, especially after hearing their love story and what they went through. they’ve been together for 7 years and have gone through so many trials that rival that of a teleserye and yet they’re still going strong and still look like high school sweethearts. here are some of the behind-the-scene shots, of course with the mandatory outfit shots (*wink*). As for the actual photos of this lovely engagement session by the ocean, check them out here.

the lipstick effect

the lipstick effect is the theory that in time of economic crisis, women are more likely to buy beauty products to make them more attractive to mates. raise your hand if you’re guilty!

for me though, it’s not so much as being more attractive to mates because i already have the guy i want but it’s really more about feeling better about myself. so yeah, guilty as charged, my red and pink lipsticks have been slightly overused these days. oh the life of a start-up freelancer.

(i wanna hashtag “everythingwillpayoff” but remembered this is blogger. LOL).

ladies who lunch

i started blogging in 2009 and was widely influenced by international bloggers Karla de Rass, the young Alice Xue and Rumi Neely. however, as all other bloggers, i started obscure and wrapped in my own bubble until i met other fellow bloggers from my own town. it has been a notorious notion that the relationship with people you meet over the internet seldom last but as with my love for proving notions wrong, i am proud to say the people i’ve met over the internet, specifically in the blogosphere, have become one of my closest friends.

i met with a couple of my blogger friends, Toni Pino and Eden Villarba last month for a quick brunch at iTea and it’s funny realizing that we all met as single ladies who just love fashion to becoming closer friends and now all happily attached and in serious relationships. Toni just even had a super cuddly baby girl, Vania whom i can’t get enough of. we’re thinking of doing a shoot, all four of us who’re happily attached (including Mildred) and maybe call it Ladies Who Lunch, what do you think?

i wanted to take Vania home to cuddle! so so so adorable!

styling for footzyfolds spring/summer 2013

i once again had the pleasure of styling for Footzyfolds Philippines’ spring / summer 2013 campaign. with the sleeker styles this season, the look we wanted to achieve was fresher in breezier yet still classic outfits. of course, we couldn’t veer away from the nautical trend as this season offered chic foldable boat shoes too. here are the outtakes — official photos to be posted soon.

details: models from Model’s Association of Cebu | HMUA by Ramil Solis | wardrobe styling by Gizelle Faye | photography by Dan Ong | outfits by Dino Lloren, William Manahan, Philip Rodriguez and stylist’s own

MAC model AR Duenas, make-up artist extraordinaire Ramil Solis and former Ms. World Philippines Karla Bautista – Siao

in Footzyfolds classic styles for Spring / Summer with the girls wearing William Manahan’s very chic SS 2013 cocktail dresses

MAC model Kim Covert with MAC’s very own Chicoy

even if was wearing heels, i don’t think i can ever fare with these beauties..haha!

sneaking in an outfit shot:

chambray button-up – thrifted | denim cut-offs – thrifted | peacock summer sandals – people are people | geometric stone earrings – lovechic.ph | neon pink belt – props

contemplating on staying forever ~ boracay day three

day three of our beach bumming and beer drinking honeymoon vacation in Boracay. we woke up early enough to have breakfast at the resort then immediately proceeded to spend the whole day by the beach. i wish all days can be spent near the water, with the water splashing and i’m just lounging with a book and good music. if only. seriously, on our way home, Harry and i were contemplating staying here for a while and were imagining ourselves getting just about any job we can find in the island and live a simpler life together. *sigh*

the major peril when traveling with just the two of us is that we don’t get to take photos together. we didn’t bring a tripod and only brought an SLR with a 50mm lens, not a digital camera so it was even more difficult to take photos of ourselves. it took us 3 days to attempt to take photos on a timer and we ended up with a series of blurry photos and my iTouch getting dumped in the sand. thank you to the korean guy who took pity on us and volunteered to take our photo. LOL.

the beach x rum-spiked shakes ~ boracay day two

day two was spent entirely at the beach, as it should be. we woke up late and missed our free breakfast from Microtel so we had brunch by the sea instead. of course, we started the day with beer matched with a fatty double cheese ham sandwich — the perils and at the same time joy of a vacation = pigging out.

while harry took a swim, i spent the rest of the morning until past noon, sitting on the lounge chairs, reading a book and still tuned in to my iPod. that was the perfect morning for me. by 2 in the afternoon, we had massages, compliments of the resort, beside the pool which we wished would last longer. by 4, we walked past the boundary of Diniwid and the beach stations to visit a Estacio Uno to have a quick ocular and meeting with management for a client whose wedding Cuckoo Cloud Concepts will be styling this December. yes! i had to insert a bit of work but it was still fun because the manager was really accommodating and told good stories of his life in the hospitality industry.

the sunset was still something we looked forward to and we finished the afternoon with a touristy bottle of shake spiked with rum, paired with a chori burger and a longer walk from station 1 to 2 for some heavy dinner.