ootd cebu – Girl Gone Cuckoo

Love in the Tropics: FAAD2015 Editorial BTS

{a quick break from my maternity posts — i’ve got 2 more preggy posts left!}

Forever and a Day: The Wedding Show
Zen, of Events Avenue, approached us in 2013 to ask Cuckoo Cloud Concepts to be the creative consultant for the event. The goal was to make a bridal show geared towards promoting different wedding styles. The 2014 Forever and a Day wedding show happened and it was an eye-opener. We had a lot of things to improve on but it paved way for new wedding vendors and artists.

For FAAD2015, I decided to now fully participate in the planning and not just consult on the creative aspect of the event. We started planning for 2015 wedding show early in November 2014 and aimed for something more streamlined and more focused on contemporary style. It was something new to the wedding industry but we wanted future grooms and brides to think outside the box. It’s our 2nd year so we had a bit of traction but we still had and I know, will have a long way to go.

I’ll be doing a post about what happened during the show, but meanwhile here are some snaps of the Tropical editorial we did for FAAD2015 {Also, catch what we did last year}.

photography, Blinkbox Photos | video, Studio Teknikolor | flowers, decor & styling, Cuckoo Cloud Concepts | hair & make-up, Markie Bautista with Kennith Tomongha | bridal gowns, Disegno Dado {white} and Kieren Stefan Tirado {blue} | groom’s suit, Jerrick Macasocol | accessories, Strozzi | cake & desserts, Torta ug Uban Pa | invites, Foreverafternoon | event organizer, Events Avenue | shoot location, Chateau by the Sea | models, Tara Chua & Daryl Borces

since I got married in 2012, I haven’t stopped planning weddings — the decor and style that is. the wedding industry is a whole new world by itself and having been in this field for almost 3 years, i can definitely say i have learned a lot and know that i will still have a lot to learn. one thing is and will always be true, the reason i became a wedding stylist is not just to start and continue creating but mainly to make people happy. there is nothing more rewarding than a thank you after a job well done. ♥

Gizelle Faye Girl Gone Cuckoo Vanille Ice Cream Cebu Fashion Blogger 01 — A quick shot of the crumpled outfit — goes to show how immersed I am when I’m styling shoots or events. A classic yet bright outfit apt for our Tropical-themed editorial.

Gizelle Faye Girl Gone Cuckoo Vanilla Ice Cream Cebu Fashion Blogger -2 — Floral love that my mom made for the shoot — yep, she’s my official florist. We love flowers so much and can talk about it for hours when we’re at home.

chambray button-down shirt, thrifted | orange linen pleated skirt, thrifted | green braided leather belt, thrifted | two-strap sandals, gifted by sister | tortoise sunnies, cotton on

bloggers united six: the crazy and fun day that was

i am trying to get back on track so here i am being a good blogger and posting the Bloggers United 6 event the day after it happened. i want to try kicking procrastination to the curb and plan to do the same for all my posts in the future (although I do have a lot of catching up to do — like how my hair transitioned from long, ombre and side-shaved to short, curly and blonde to being wavy and plum. haha!)

the first time we, the Cebu Fashion Bloggers, got invited to join Bloggers United, it was for the 2nd installment of the event. now, we can’t believe we’re on the 6th! our hugest thank you’s to the founders and organizers of Bloggers United — Aisa Ipac, Ana Gonzales and Melai Entuna for doing such an amazing job. the blogger’s bazaar gets bigger and better every time and i know they’ve done such an humongous feat!

bloggers united six cebu fashion bloggers eden villarba aisa ipac gizelle faye

here’s Eden Villarba (www.chicinthetropics.com) and i with Aisa Ipac (www.aisaipac.com)

Eden and i got stuck to manning our booth all day as the influx of people was crazy so we weren’t able to go around and take photos with other bloggers. here are a few other photos i grabbed from Facebook — Eden and I with our favorite blogger Kookie Buhain and a new friend i met this year, Argie Alcantara.

bloggers united six cebu fashion blogger argie alcantara eden villarba gizelle faye

bloggers united six cebu fashion blogger eden villarba kookie buhain gizelle faye

just a few snapshots as we went around:

and a snapshot of our booth price drop — something we did later in the afternoon. we don’t want to go home with excess baggage! LOL

and of course, the compulsory outfit shot:

black pleated button-up top – badgley mischka (thrifted) | fringe faux leather skirt – forever 21 | dark taupe booties – rubi shoes, cotton on | silver cuff – rubi, cotton on | lavender chandelier earrings – forever 21 | special thanks to miss juliet of hollywood nails for my hair (whoot!)

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.

i support cervical cancer awareness

this post may be late but it is definitely still worth posting because cancer awareness doesn’t end when cancer awareness month ends. it should continue because we are in constant need of education. we humans, especially the Filipinos, are very guilty of delaying finding out the truth of what we’re physically feeling because we are afraid of having to hear bad news. we are afraid of being aware and afraid of what awareness might do to our minds. we are afraid until it is too late.

this experience has opened my eyes to the shocking statistics of cervical cancer in the Philippines and specifically to how it affects women. cervical cancer can develop in 10 to 20 years. that means, it can be contracted when we were young and only develop in our late thirties or forties. for more information about cervical cancer, get in touch with she matters.

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

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).

sunstyle: summer skin and fashion fest

last March 16, Vaseline collaborated with Forever 21 and Zee Lifestyle Magazine for a summer skin and fashion fest held at SM Northwing. the event couldn’t have come at a better time because the sun has begun to be scorching hot and we definitely needed not just lighter and fashionable clothing but a way to moisturize our skin and protect us from the sun despite the heat.

the host, Karla Henry’s fabulous shoes!

one of my favorite looks from Forever 21’s spring/summer collection. i die for maxi skirts.

i’m more bohemian than grunge but i could definitely add that luscious leather vest to my floral staples.

the kid on the right is how i hope my kid would look like. isn’t she adorable?

the tie-dye maxi skirt and floral jeans! super chic!

another great look — the cutouts at the back of this top and those tribal-printed shorts are L.O.V.E. oh, she’s one of my favorite models too. shout out to AR!

totally love the look on the left, even when i’ve gained weight and cannot wear cropped tops anymore. LOL. the tribal-printed jeans on the right are pretty too!

ira jennena and toni pino

of all events that i opted not to wear heels, i was accompanied by two tall bloggers…LOL.

see? i knew i should’ve worn my heels. but these footzyfolds flats are so comfy!

yes! i shaved my head — another risk. i’m that bored! haha. so far, i love it. it gives me more character. it doesn’t make me think that i’m boring when i look at myself in the mirror. i might keep this for a while.

a little sacrifice goes a long way

next on the queue of my posts is Harry and mine’s February Boracay honeymoon – vacation but since we should all be in a somber mood for the Holy Week, i figured i should post them starting Easter. here’s a regular daily outfit post, after one of our Cuckoo meetings. this was taken last January, when we spent the whole afternoon discussing our business plans for the rest of the year.

working freelance was something both April and i decided to do in October when we launched Cuckoo Cloud Concepts and definitely, one of the major advantages is flexibility and being able to manage our own time without being strapped to corporate necessities. nevertheless, freelancing is hard and certainly has a few downs as well. since we’re a start-up company, we have to let go of personal wants to allocate funds for materials, fare to and fro supply stores and our workplace and we have to accommodate long working hours. it’s hard not to be able to expect a certain amount of earning every month for the bills and we’ve had to depend on our super-supportive hubbies to get through.

they say though, and this has been a tried and tested testament, that a little sacrifice goes a long way. we’re lucky enough to have such supportive people in our lives to cushion our sacrifices but we know that when we work hard with what we’re passionate about, we will surely get there. security and stability will come. for now, we just have to work our asses off.