cebu fashion blogger – Page 23 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

trash the dress

the weekend was not only a chance to spend time with long time friends but also, more importantly to have april mae and gian’s trash-the-dress post nuptial photo shoot.

so after the 3 hours drive to daanbantayan, we put on our make-up despite the very humid weather, wore the dresses we wore at wedding and made like very amateur models in our shoots. LOL. the photos posted here are done by calography. to check out rates and his portfolio, it is a must to click on the link!

my body is still aching from all the fun and sun so i will tell you more about the trip on tomorrow’s post which will definitely include all the photos my friends and i had.

have a great monday everyone!

april’s wedding dress – noelle west

bridal entourage’s dresses – partly designed by me and the wearer

juvenile and loving it

everytime i think of the arcade, i remember high school. the days when we didn’t own cellphones and when my friends and i meet each other at the mall, we’d have to stay put and wait at the agreed spot because if you leave, you will get lost. the meeting place was always timezone, national bookstore or haha, i hate to say this but ‘blue magic…’ LOL. (for those who grew up in cebu city during the late 1990’s — 1997 to 2000, you know what i mean!) those were the days when all we have is P50 in our pockets and all we do in the mall is eat a couple of snacks (mcdonald’s fries or ice cream) and follow our crushes around. no, not follow but stalk! line up at photo booths and have our pictures taken, wait for 2 hours for it to get developed so we stalk our crushes again! oh, take me back to high school where life was simple.

ps. will be going back to daanbantayan this weekend so i will see you guys this monday when we get back…in my last attempt to gather in the rays and soak in salt water. this is for april’s post-nuptial trash-the-dress shoot!

polka top – thrifted (my mom’s)

folded denim shorts – props

navy blue flats with rhinestones – parisian

thin white belt – random

white bag – mongkok ladies’ market, hk

rings: black oval – props, square stone ring – random

gun-metal silver bangles – props | random

slow addiction

as a teen, i could never understand my big sister’s addiction to shoes. it was unfathomable to me how she can spend huge sums of money on shoes when all you need is one pair of sandals, a pair of closed shoes, rubber shoes for playing sports and slippers. there was a point in my life where i would wear slippers everywhere when i was off work. i just needed to be comfortable. oh, i was so damn wrong!

i thought about writing this because last week, while i was working and typing away at my computer, i suddenly thought about shoes and it made me feel better. i come in an hour earlier than everyone else at work (no, i’m not a goody two-shoes girl — my shift calls me to do so..haha!) and i suddenly thought about the vintage rose heels i saw at CMG and i wanted to abandon work and cross the street to ayala mall and just buy a pair. i am saving for our bangkok trip so of course i couldn’t buy it but just the thought of doing so made me smile.

so now, i don’t just need 4 pairs of footwear…i need 2 pairs of each classic color (tan, brown, white, black and grey — one for casual outfits (like cut-out heels or gladiator heels) and a closed-one (maybe a peep-toe one) for when i like to dress-up. i also need several pairs of colored ballet flats (probably with rhinestones or studs or in animal print) and studded, beaded or fringed sandals. i still kept all my havaianas slippers as i still do adore them.

what apparel are you finding yourself addicted to these days?

white embroidered boho top – thrifted (my mom’s)

boyfriend jeans – abercrombie vintage (my mom’s too!)

black platform heels – forever 21

gun-metal silver cuffs – props

sea shell chandelier earrings – random

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

find me at a reflection by tuesdai for an interview by HER:

thanks tuesdai for the feature! check out her blog for lots of inspiration, funny stories and very interesting random thoughts.

borrowing policies

if you have a sister or in my case, sisters then you would know what i mean about borrowing policies. i have 3 closets because i have two sisters — charm, who is older than me by 8 years and aimee, who is younger than me by 2 years. we get to borrow clothes, bags and accessories except jeans and shoes because we each have different sizes — charm is 5’7″ so her jeans are too long for me, her shoe size is 39 which is too big for me as i am a 37 and aimee is a size 0 (yes, she’s a zero..is that even a size?LOL) so her jeans will not fit me at all, her shoe size is a 35 or 36 which is too small for me. our clothes go on rotation. it’s like shopping everyday as we get to visit each other’s closets. but there are rules — rather strict rules with borrowing stuff:

first dibs always goes to the owner — meaning, the clothes you borrow should have already been worn by the owner
always take care of the stuff you borrow — no stains, no scratches, no tears.
the clothes or stuff have to be returned to the original place we found them — or at least, it has to make an appearance in the owner’s room or closet once a week.

aimee is a bit harder to borrow clothes from because she’s always possessive and hardly wears her clothes because she wears a uniform to work. i sometimes ban her from our thrifting trips and disregard any thoughtfulness we have when we see clothes she might like when my mom and i are out thrifting because she has too many stuff she hasn’t worn yet. so now i am patiently waiting for her to wear the striped dress she bought a month ago, this studded, leopard print off shoulder top, a military jacket (that i might secretly wear to work when she’s asleep…LOL) and this pale blue plaid chiffon dress. last week, i insisted on wearing her grey apron-like top to work and she allowed me to (which is a miracle!) but here’s the catch, i cannot take photos of it…haha!

ps. my mom’s the easiest to borrow clothes from and she has lots of boho tops that i wear all the time. her closet is my favorite. *wink*

how about you, do you have ‘borrowing policies’ with your sister/s? how about with your mom or roommate?

striped top – random

black and white floral skirt with cutouts – lil’ sister’s (yey!)

black blazer – thrifted

braided belt – props

silver cuffs – thrifted at carbon

ready to get hitched!

my friend, april mae got hitched last june 5, 2010! this was on the night before her wedding where we had a sleepover at the crown regency hotel — to celebrate her last night as a single lady and to help out with last minute preparations (us, being her bridesmaids). it was our 2nd wedding in the group and this being the first Catholic wedding. lemme’ just say, being one of the bridesmaids was really exhausting but very much awarding and worth-it. when our friend walked down the isle, we were all welding up with tears. if i can get a hold of the wedding photos from the wedding photographer, calography, then i’ll post some up here.

ps. do you like me in straight hair? *wink* it’s a wig that one of my gay friends wore to the wedding. this was as special request by april that she wear a dress and be one of the bridemaids. that’s ‘bufal’ — the girl on my right on the last photo.

black and white dress with feather prints – props

black platform heels – forever 21

silver bangles – thrifted at carbon

summer of one-oh! ocean series: farewell summer!

it was hot, scorching hot. it was filled with laughter. it was cramped with road trips and trips to the beach. it was filled with shopping sprees. but it was quick, so damn quick that i haven’t gotten enough of it.

goodbye summer!

i’ll see you in 2011…

on charm (my big sister):

blue embroidered kaftan – from bangkok

aviator sunnies – from hongkong

on me:

blue floral tube dress – a gift from goring

floral scarf as bandana – thrifted in sindangan

brown sunnies – thrifted in carbon

bangles – props | random | gifted

on aimee (my lil’ sister):

floral dress – thrifted

yellow sunnies – thrifted in carbon

summer of one-oh! ocean series: dry and salty

the beach was too beautiful to pass up. it was sunday and the workers were not there destroying the sea wall with their loud drills. it was peaceful. the water was blue and the sand as white and fine as ever (yeah yeah, not as fine as boracay’s sugary sand but still beautiful). but before hitting the waters, my mom, dad, his friends and i decided to ride up to the main town of bantayan to buy some of the island’s famous dried fish. i don’t know in other countries, but here in the Philippines, we can live off on dried fish and rice, matched with tomatoes and maybe, onions. bantayan had a separate market for dried fishes alone and they even had dried squid. we also bought a bottle of ‘ginamos’ which is salted, fermented fish and guess what, some caviar for only P60 a pack. woah! couldn’t wait to try it when we get back home.

upon getting back, we had lunch at a small ‘carenderia’ — a very small eatery by local people, bringing along the crabs and rock lobsters my dad bought early in the morning. eating at a ‘carenderia’ is the best and cheapest way to get good local food when you’re in places like this. no etiquette to observe and no utensils needed either. we dug our hands into the crabs and lobsters, paired with native noodles (pancit) and some tomatoes and onions. yum! the best lunch ever!

ps. those are aimee’s yellow polka dotted toenails. insane! LOL.

floral maxi dress – thrifted

black and white bikini – props

tan leather bag – thrifted at baguio

blue and brown flip-flops – havaianas

blue polka scarf as bandana – thrifted at sindangan

bangles – props | gifted | random

summer of one-oh! ocean series: island love

some people are allergic to the beach — some by conscious choice, while others really break out and have rashes. if i were either, i would rather die. i love and live by the beach. this is our farewell to summer.

on may 29 and 30, my family and i headed north west to the island of bantayan. while my sisters and i have been there 3 or 4 times on different occassions, it was my mom and dad’s first time there. both of them having recently reached 60, they have resolved to travel as much as they can. that was one of the big pushes for our hongkong trip last november 2009 and for our upcoming bangkok trip this august 2010.

we stayed at marlin’s resort. ironically, just a day before our trip, it was on the news that sea walls in Region 7 beaches are to be destroyed as they are badly affecting the environment. they change the course of waves. in my perspective, they ought to be destroyed too. long stretches of beach looks much better and natural for me. the destruction was taking place right when we arrived so the first day was a chillout day. aimee and i came from our night shifts (aimee being a nurse) so we were pretty tired. my big sister just simply doesn’t function well during the day…so she says she was tired too…buhu. we just stayed in, most of the afternoon, munching on chips deluxe (yum!), cheetos and popcorn, watching tv and laughing with mom and dad. swimming was only later in the afternoon when the workers left for day. for dinner, we had pizza at balikbayan restaurant — just 2 blocks away from our resort. definitely a must-try when you’re in bantayan!

more of day two on the next post!

on me:

floral bikini – props (yes, props is a store in SM)

white embroidered dress – thrifted

brown wooden bangles – raw materials from manalili

purple wooden bangle – props

faux gold bangles – a gift from india

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

on aimee:

white tank top – metro kids’ section

striped jumper – thrifted

yellow sunnies – thrifted at carbon

200 followers give-away WINNER! + what i miss most

congratulations to catherine of hellocatherine! for winning my 200 followers give-away!

to all those who joined, thank you so much for your support! it’s been a ball having you guys as my readers. i hope that you will all still continue to enjoy reading my blog — if not for the outfits, maybe for my stories and thoughts.

on another note, i just had my check-up with my orthopedic yesterday and it turns out that i might have a herniated disc — which means my spinal disc has become less elastic and has been pushed outside of the vertebrae so the nerves and spinal cord gets pinched. it’s mostly caused by bad posture and the wrong sleeping position, which i am totally guilty off. at work or here at home, i unconsciously slouch too much in front of the PC and only notice when my face is very much near the keyboard. when i sleep, i lie on my stomach which causes an abnormal shape to the spinal column. i am also very much guilty of reading on my bed while lying on my stomach, which gives immense pressure to my back and shoulders. my treatment for now is to swim a few laps at least once a week. i cannot do extreme workouts anymore because i injured my right knee playing flag football almost 3 years ago.

yes, i was a football player. i played flag football for 4 years before i got injured (ACL). i played defensive line and i was pretty good at it! my heart got broken so bad when i found out i couldn’t play anymore. in my november 6th post, i even thought i only had a torn meniscus as this was the initial finding of the doctor. after i got an MRI, i soon found out that i had it worst and had my ligament torn. i had surgery a year after and couldn’t work for a month. had to go to rehab and endured wearing braces for almost 2 months.

(yes, no. 81 was me — the girl with the chocolate colored skin and green socks to match my uniform)

i miss the rush of sports. i miss the hunger for the win. i miss the camaraderie. i missed having another life besides work. i missed loving fashion but still being able to act like tomboy and play hardcore — while i match my headbands to my opponents color to psyche them up..LOL. but you know what? ironically, right when i thought i lost the love of my life which was football, i met harry a month after my injury and we have been inseparable ever since. i guess God does give you everything — just perhaps not at that the same time. *wink*

local love: making the most out of it

filipinos are known for our hospitality and our take-life-as-it-comes attitude. we do with what we have and have always adapted to the changes in our lives. that is why, amidst poverty, we still have these big smiles on our faces. after all, life is too short, might as well live it right?

introducing the no. 1 mode of transportation here in the philippines — the jeepney. the jeepney used to be old jeeps that the americans left in our country after world war II. to easily travel through the war-ridden roads, the filipinos stripped down these jeeps to accommodate more passengers, added tin roofs and decorations in vibrant colors. when i was a student, i rode the jeep everyday and to wherever i need to go. with student allowance, it was much better to use our money on food and fun rather than spend them on taxi fares. as a kid, i was always so amazed at how the driver can drive the jeep, take the fare from the passengers and give them change, all while watching the road. i used to love riding jeepneys on peaceful afternoons — where everyone is at work or in school. the roads were open and the wind was on my face. jeepney bonding was great too — just laughing it off with classmates while in traffic. i have to admit though that i am not a big fan of some jeepney drivers who speed up and just pop out of nowhere nor riding jeepneys during peak hours like 7:00 – 8:00 AM or 5:00 – 7:00 PM as these times can be a nightmare. despite these setbacks, i am still proud that once upon a time, filipinos were given lemons and made lemonade — or in this case, we were given used american jeepneys and made a great mode of transportation.

ps. i might take a little blogging break because i think i have dislocated my right shoulder blade. it has been hurting for a month and the pain has now reached my arm so i have a hard time moving the mouse. for the past few weeks, i’ve only wanted to just lie down and watch tv instead of blog and i think that would be unfair to my readers if i don’t say why i’ve been slacking off. i will make sure to read your comments though. let’s just hope that after my check-up with the orthopedic tomorrow, all’s well with my shoulder and arm. i’ll miss you guys!

pink cotton shirt – props

floral skirt – thrifted

tan flats with a bow – parisian

canvas bag with tan leather detail – plains and prints

owl necklace – thrifted at carbon

wooden bangles – props | faux gold bangles – thrifted at carbon

tan headband – sm dept store

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

safari summer

before i begin my post, i want to thank everyone who commented on my last post and introduced their own pets, expressed their love for pets or wish to have pets. i have to tell you guys that cooper is a great love but he is not mine but rather my big sister’s…my own puppy might feel bad — his name is snickers and you can see him in this post. he’s not too silent…he barks to get my attention and when i do go near him, he wiggles and just jumps around me. such a baby! he barks at strangers too — just a trait that dachshunds have. his hair on his back even stands up with anger when he sees strangers in the house. but he is still sweet too and would always want to be near me. when i don’t give him attention (like when i’m in front of the computer and he’s sitting beside me), he’d bite my shirt and tug on it. he adores harry too and would get sooo excited when harry comes over.

anyway, i just came from two parties today — a last attempt for companies to catch up with summer. i went to a beach party of my old company at vistamar and then had cocktails and games with my new company at formo. for the day, i had on gladiator flats and for the night, i just added on over-sized clip-on earrings and changed from gladiator flats to cutout heels. (too bad i don’t have photos of the party at formo yet). here are some with old friends from my previous company:

a shout out to jhamie (the one in the yellow floral dress). she follows my blog and one of the few people who knows about this blog.hehe.

white sheer top – mom’s closet

khaki shorts – big sister’s closet

brown gladiators – leaveland

white bag – lil’ sister’s

gold bangles – gifts | thrifted at carbon | bangkok

ring – random

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

my other love

oh no, i’m not cheating on harry. meet “cooper” our beloved golden retriever. this is actually my big sister’s dog but he has grown to be the love of the family. i met cooper when he was 4 months old. he’s very playful and friendly (as all retrievers are). but because of his size, we hardly walk him outside, afraid that he’d drag us to the road. it’s sad because he’s all cooped up in the small space at the back of our apartment. he can maybe take a few turns or we can run and play a bit but the back is all concrete. it’s really difficult for us when we find a new place because we would always have to consider him and where we’d put him. (you see, my family moves every 4 years — we don’t do it on purpose but we just feel like it. but then, that’s another story.)

i have always imagined cooper running free in a green lawn…jumping at birds or maybe chickens. not on an all concrete space. in our old house 3 years ago, whenever he’d get the chance to escape out of our gate, he’d run after the chickens and we’d have to clamor to catch him. my mom found him one time holding a small chick between his paws, rushed to him, afraid he might have killed the chick only to find out that he was only playing with it and the chick was all wet with his saliva.

cooper is like our youngest baby brother. i found him really sick once and had to carry him to the vet. my sister took off from work and so did my mom and dad to be with him at the vet. cooper ate a poisonous frog and we were lucky to have found him earlier. i know though that bigger dogs have lesser human years to live compared to smaller ones. cooper was diagnosed with a heart worm last year and was predicted to have only a year to live. he’s old now but still somehow active. i love cooper as he was my silent best friend back when i got all depressed after graduating college.

i love this dog because he understands without saying anything.
do you have a pet that you love so dearly?

striped polo – thrifted

denim shorts – props

sneakers – chuck taylor’s

pink suede belt – random

pink sunnies – thrifted at manalili

gun-metal wire cuffs – props

dog-tag necklace – custom-made