Easy Halloween Looks

SmartParenting.com.ph asked me to do an article on Halloween looks that can easily be recreated with basic makeup products that we already have in our kits. I was so excited for the assignment and made face charts. And I tell you, face charting is not as easy as I thought it would be...

Here are the looks I came up with:

Left to right from top row: Queen of Hearts, Fuzzy Bunny, Rock 'N' Roll Chic, Corpse Bride & Cat Woman

For the complete instructions on how to do these looks, check out the full article here.

Happy Halloween!!! :)

New Makeup Finds

I finally was able to visit this particular makeup store early this month after a surprisingly very quick shoot in the area. I've been wanting to drop by for a long time already but was really scared for my wallet. Hahaha! But lo and behold, my self-control prevailed and I ended up with just three items. The Bobbi Brown gel liner is one of my favorite makeup products and was a replenishment to my almost empty (and drying up) current pot. Since the BECCA Professional Brush Soap (which I super love) is currently out-of-stock, I decided to give this brush shampoo a try. The Face to Face Super Matte Antishine has been on my makeup wish list for a long time now so I'm pretty psyched finally get my hands on it! I haven't tried the brush shampoo and mattifying primer yet but I will post a review as soon as I've done so! :)

Have you tried any of these products? Any thoughts?

How To Wear Transparent Bags

I found this tinted transparent doctor's bag in SM and thought it would be a cute bag (and really cheap!) for my 9-year-old daughter. And I got this brilliant idea that I could "borrow" the bag too! We bought it a month or so ago and have only used it once since. I found it quite tricky to wear because everything is so exposed! Do I really want the whole world to see my things (aka trash)? Not really.

I need help on how to make it work. So I searched for some inspiration:

I like the idea of showing a pop of color like the fuchsia mascara tube or a cute item like the tin of Rosebud Salve. A small pouch with an interesting print is perfect to hide stuff you don't want exposed - IDs, cash, credit cards, receipts, feminine products, etc. But most importantly, I think it is best to limit your load to your absolute essentials. If you don't need it or won't use it, don't bring it. Which is a problem for me because I tend to carry a bunch of things with me. I saw a photo of a transparent bag overstuffed with a bunch of things and it wasn't pretty to look at. Not even a bit.

I will take the bag out for a ride again soon. Let's see if I can keep the inside visually appealing and leave the "rest of my room" at home. ;)

Ghoulia Yelps Costume & a DIY Piano Belt

My eldest asked to be Ghoulia Yelps from Monster High for Halloween. We hit the stores to find the pieces of her costume and it was a fun and challenging shopping experience!

Stripe shirt - H&M, my daughter's own
Red pants with stars print - Landmark, had them cut at the hem
Cherry tank top - Landmark, had it cut at the hem and added the red piping from an old cotton shirt
Wig - Divisoria
Headband - Marcela
Glasses - Landmark, removed the lens
Shoes - Payless Shoesource
Mesh gloves - Divisoria
Belt - DIY

The alterations on the pants and cherry tank top were done by Rey, my mom's sewer. We love him! :)

We couldn't find a piano belt so we got a wide plain grey-ish belt and I drew on the piano keys. Belt was also from Landmark.

I'm all "crafted" up! I loved doing small DIY projects for my daughters' costume! Have you seen my youngest's Lalaloopsy costume already? If you haven't, click here. :)

What are your kids wearing this Halloween? :)

My Little Crumbs

Here it is - my baby love in full glory Crumbs Sugar Cookie costume! She was so happy with her dress, boots and pink hair! And I'm glad I was able to make her cute little wish come true! :)

Dress - made by my cousin, The M.O.B. Shop

Boots - DIY

Wig - from Divisoria

Headband - DIY

DIY: Lalaloopsy Boots

It's almost Halloween and I'm sure all mommies are busy preparing for this event. It's always fun to play dress up, especially on your kids!

My youngest is obsessed with Crumbs Sugar Cookie. She loves her. The first mini Crumbs she owned was so worn out that its legs broke off. Good thing we were able to get a replacement before it went out of stock. Now, her second Crumbs looks, well, also worn out but at least her limbs are still intact. As early as last year, she already wanted to be favorite doll for Halloween.

Crumbs Sugar Cookie

I sometimes buy my kids' costume from the US and have it shipped here. Last year was a disaster. I ordered her a girl pirate costume because she loved the Jake and the Neverland Pirate show and had it shipped thru a balikbayan box and it didn't arrive on time. I didn't want to spend for another costume so I let her wear her ate's costume when she was about the same age as her. At least I now have photos of them wearing the same costume! :)

my girls (2005 & 2011)

I was contemplating if I should buy the Crumbs costume pictured above from toysrus.com and have it shipped here thru Johnny Air but I would end up shelling out around Php2,000 (USD48.00) or even more. I asked my cousin, who designs and makes clothes, if she could make the costume instead. I actually already have the costume and I am super happy with it. It looks even better than the peg and it's not expensive at all. I can't wait to post photos!!!

So all I needed were the wig (check!) with the black ribbon (on my to-do list tomorrow) and the boots. There was no way I would find the exact pair of boots off-the-rack so I DIYed it.

Did I nail it or did I nail it? Hahaha. Forgive me, but I think I deserve to indulge in my little proud moment... :)

I used my daughter's old rain boots. Good thing they still fit her. Here's a step-by-step guide on how I painted the boots, in case you guys want to know. :)

1. Clean the boots thoroughly. Remove dirt so you have a smooth surface to work on. Prepare your little crafting space - set out your materials and lay sheets of newspaper to protect your floor. Here's a list of what I used:

• old rain boots
• newspaper
• peg
• Color & Co Acrylic Paint (set of 12), Php185.00, National Bookstore (purchased a year ago)
• KS Art Supplies fluorescent pink acrylic paint, P62.25, National Bookstore
• assortment of paint brushes
• stirrer
• small plastic containers to put and mix paint in - reused from takeouts
• water
• old rag*
• spay-on sealant*

* not in photo

2. I painted the cap-toe in white. I had to wait for it to dry and did a second coat to completely cover the design of the boots.

3. For the majority of the body of the boots, I mixed fluorescent pink with white paint.

4. The fluorescent pink paint was very watery and had a see-thru effect when I applied it directly to the boots. I, then, applied white over it to act as a primer. I, then, realized that applying white paint first would've been best to cover up the design and also to make the colors pop. The white paint came from the 12-pc. set acrylic paint and I really liked that one because it had a very thick consistency. It took me four coats to completely cover the light pink area of the boots since I mixed the colors and had a lighter consistency and also because I didn't apply primer.

5. I painted the top part of the boots with bright yellow paint and let the boots dry.

6. The next day, I started painting the lines to define the design. I also made marks for the shoelace holes which I just estimated. Then I went ahead and made the marks into small circles.

7. After letting the small dots dry, I started painting on the shoelaces and the ribbons.

8. Lastly, I sprayed on a fixative. I used Grumbacher Final Fixative which is actually for pastel, charcoal and pencil but I used it anyway. It's what I have available and I didn't want to spend for another can. Then I just let it dry overnight.

That's it! Here's how my Lalaloopsy project turned out:

DIY Crumbs Sugar Cookie's Boots

I can't wait for the Halloween party this weekend! :)

Fashion Picks

My brother went to Hong Kong early last week and asked if I wanted anything... Of course!!! I went online, saved some photos and made my list. :)

H&M

clockwise from top left: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6

COTTON ON (only if they're on sale)

clockwise from top left: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 

IKEA

clockwise from top left: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6

He actually arrived late last night but he also left early for work this morning. Should I sneak in his room and rummage through his luggage? Hehehe. I hope he was able to get most of the stuff on my list. :)

DIY Spike Friendship Bracelet

DIY Inspo - 1 * 2 * 3

Hello, ladies (and gents?)! It's crafting time! :)

I've been seeing a ton of vamped up friendship bracelets and have been obsessing over the spiked ones. It's a really pretty easy bracelet to make except that friendship bracelet takes a loooooooooooong time to finish.

I brought some of my threads and my daughter's The Friendship Bracelet book to a taping and worked on it while waiting on the set. I probably spent two hours making the thing that day.

A day or two after, I continued making the bracelet and it took me forever to finish it. Not to mention the couple of times I had to untie a bunch of knots because I decided to forego the guide. Big mistake.

The third day was the "spiking" day. Yay! :) Notice that I put a lock hardware instead of the usual tying knots. It's so much easier to put the bracelet on and off with it.

Before any studding began, I had to figure out where I should place the spikes and lined them up near their permanent spots.

Then I used a fork to create a hole for the spike's screw.

Viola! I finally have my own spike friendship bracelet! :)

And here's my little arm party! Can't wait to make some more!

Oh, Phillip!

3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Satchel *NEW*

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

The Pashli is still my dream bag. Now they come with detachable straps which is really great. I originally wanted it in taupe but these are just so crazy gorgeous. You will be mine. It's going to happen. *a little help here, universe?*

See you soon, love! :)

Photo from @31philliplim

Keane

My husband and I watched the Keane concert last Tuesday, October 2, 2012, at the Mall of Asia Arena. It was our first time watching at the Arena and I have to say the venue is really nice. Kinda makes the long travel worth it. Well, except for the darn traffic. I also liked that there's ample parking space.

I'm so ashamed to admit that I knew only three songs, old songs to be more specific - Everybody's Changing, Somewhere Only We Know and Is It Any Wonder. I listen to Everybody's Changing and Somewhere Only We Know like almost everyday. Super favorite! I'd probably be crazy upset if they didn't sing them in the concert.

Anyway, I actually got a new camera last week (yipee!) and was really excited to use it that night so I dutifully took a video of my fave songs. :) Warning: the sound quality isn't that nice (quite disappointing really) and you might hear me singing (or rather, screaming) my heart out so apologies for that. But both songs are really just beautiful so I hope you enjoy them! :)

To my dear sister (who wanted to watch but was not able to do so), this is for you. Hahaha! Mwah!

And huge, huge thanks to our benefactor! Love yah! :)

Everybody's Changing

Somewhere Only We Know