January 2014 ~ Dianne's Little Adventures

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Friday, January 31, 2014

Layering Like A Pro

A few days back, I received an e-mail from Janelle of Sasha Bowman Personal Shopping & Image Consulting. She’s a fashion stylist based in Pennsylvania. Boy was I ecstatic to read her e-mail! She asked me to try out her latest easy and foolproof layering technique. Although it really was an easy way to layer clothes, I became hesitant as layering clothes simply isn’t my thing. This then became my personal challenge: to go out of my comfort zone (in fashion), and LAYER UP!

Wearing layers may seem troubling for women since it might make them look bigger. Add the fact that the Philippines is a tropical country, and layering is not something people are accustomed to. It’s just “too hot” to layer clothes! But a big thanks to Janelle, I was able to pull off layering that is appropriate with the Philippine’s climate, and it only takes FOUR steps!

STEP 1: “L” Layer –> Choose a long tank or top. It should fall below the hip.

I chose this peach Forever 21 blouse with lace detail. It’s long enough to fall below my hip. Plus, the material’s light enough for layering.

STEP 2: “C” Layer –> Choose a cropped cardigan or jacket.

I had a hard time with the “C” layer because I don’t usually layer blouses with jumpers. I always wear a tank top underneath my sweaters, so this ensemble is quite new to me. I chose this beige Forever 21 cropped jumper, so I can pair it with the peach blouse and my printed blazer.

STEP 3: “O” Layer –> Choose an overlapping accessory or an oversized piece of clothing.

For the “O” layer, I originally wanted to wear a couple of long necklaces. But I’m not that kind of girl, so I ditched the idea. I chose a lavender lightweight scarf because they’re versatile: I can wear it around my neck if it’s too cold, or wrap it around my bag if it gets warm.

STEP 4: “S” Layer –> Choose a structured piece to finish the look.

For my “structured” piece, I chose this houndstooth printed blazer from Pixie Dust. The material is not too heavy, and I just love the print! It went well with my cropped jumper pretty well. The different textures didn’t clash at all.

Eyewear from Cool Cats MNL | Flats from POSH Pocket Shoes

Very easy, huh? What I love about layering is that you can take off any layer if it becomes too warm, and just put back the layer if it becomes too cold. Layering can drastically change an outfit, so it’s worth trying.

Have you tried layering lately? The weather’s quite forgiving to layering! Let me know your thoughts, ayt?

Love,

Technorati Tags: fashion,2014,sasha bowman,layering,la mere layering technique,forever 21,pixie dust,cool cats mnl,posh pocket shoes,sm Store

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

How To: Repair a Broken Compact

I don’t like wasting money; who does, right? So as much as possible, I always want to get the most of my money’s worth. I love DIY-ing, and whenever possible, I DIY. There are so many great DIY tips online, especially on Pinterest. I am very inspired to DIY that I created a board for all the DIY tips I see online.

Earlier this month, my makeup haul from the US arrived. To my dismay, I found my Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder broken. I wanted to use it as a loose powder instead, but it was too messy. Fortunately enough, I found an easy way to repair the broken compact! It takes only three things and five steps! Sounds easy, huh? Because it is!

STEP ONE: Gather the materials. All you need are the broken compact, some tissue (I used oil-control tissue), and alcohol.

STEP TWO: Arrange the pieces of broken powder into a single layer. This should be easy if the powder is broken into big parts.

STEP THREE: Pour alcohol all over broken powder. Consistency may become similar to a powder foundation when wet. Alcohol is volatile, so it would evaporate.

STEP FOUR: Using tissue, smooth out the powder’s surface. You can also apply a little pressure to put bring together the broken powder pieces. Pour more alcohol if necessary.

It should look like this after smoothening out with tissue. The powder would have a glue stick-like consistency. It will smell like alcohol though. But don’t worry; the alcohol will evaporate.

STEP FIVE: Leave the powder to air dry overnight.

TADA!!! The powder compact is restored!! There’s no hint of alcohol anymore, and you can use it now with your favorite brush!

Didn’t I say this DIY is easy? How about you? What’s your latest DIY?

Love,

Technorati Tags: DIY,Beauty.com,Rimmel,Beauty,How To

Monday, January 27, 2014

Accidents Do Happen

Sunday, my family + AJ went to my mom’s college friend’s birthday party. We woke up to a very chilly morning (around 20 degrees here in Taytay, accdg to my phone), and I wanted to wear something warm.

Dress from Forever 21 | Belt from Bershka | Satchel from Parisian | Wayfarers from Forever 21 | Flats from Zara

I got this dress pre-holiday season just because of the floral print. Plus, it fits me pretty well! Major kebs kung longsleeves siya at di ko alam kung sa’n ko pa siya pwede suotin after ng chilly weather. LOL. I first wore this pretty dress in Hong Kong last October, and boy was I glad I did. We ended up staying at the airport for almost 12 friggin’ hours, so this dress helped kept me warm.

I wore this again (yesterday) last Sunday ‘coz of the chilly morning. I have to abuse this dress since I don’t think I’ll be able to wear it again come March until November this year. Hihi.

Anyway, the reason behind my blog title is because we were in a car accident on our way home. Good thing it wasn’t that bad, plus everyone was safe. Just a few heated conversations and a trip to the local traffic station/police precinct, and we ended up going home with an arrangement with the lady to cover all expenses in repairing our old car.

I posted some pictures of the incident on my Facebook account, and my sorority sister commented we shouldn’t have paid Php210 for the “official photographs” of the accident scene since the “receipt” wasn’t an official government receipt. There was no TIN, nor the police’s name. All monetary shiznicks should be between the two parties involved, and not the police.

Actually, the police even commented he won’t be giving us a “ticket for the accident.” Any car accident is issued allegedly a ticket, meaning the parties would have to surrender their driver’s licenses, plus claim them at the LTO after paying around Php2000. WTF. ‘Twas my first time to hear such a thing. Plus, the other party (the other vehicle was a Montero) didn’t actually have her vehicle’s OR/CR! So, dapat siya yung may babayaran and hindi kami. Oh well, I don’t really have an idea how the system works. All’s good na; the insurance company will be paying the damages rendered on our old car.

‘Twas an action-packed Sunday, indeed.

So, how did you spend your Sunday? Don’t forget to hype this look on Lookbook.nu!

Love,

Saturday, January 25, 2014

What’s in my bag?

Happy weekend, loves! How are you spending your weekend? I started my week by seeing a movie with my boyfriend and my sister. I’ve been persuading my boyfriend for over a week now to see Bride for Rent. Yup, that movie with Kim Chiu and Xian Lim in it. I heard it has grossed Php100M in just four days!

It’s a really great feel-good movie. I love Kim Chiu’s quirkiness in the movie: demure na jologs. I like her better in such roles, much like her role in Bakit Di Ka Crush ng Crush Mo. I find her really funny and super effective. Plus, I love the outfits she wore in the movie and in her previous telenova. Lakas maka-demure. In the auditions scenes in the movie, she wore this mejo grunge attire: muscle tee, denim cut-offs, Doc Marten’s boots, and a brown knapsack, where she stores her paninda for her raket.

When I use a bag, I want it to contain all my belongings, too. (Nice transition, huh? LOL) To be honest, I don’t really buy bags on a regular basis. The last time I bought a bag for myself was last year during my trip in Hong Kong, where I bought a Santa Roberta tote, which was on sale, so I was able to afford it. I always borrow bags from my mom and my sister, Bianca. But this Christmas, my sister gave me a Charles and Keith bag! Yeah, I’m not a bag person, but I’m thankful she did.

This bag reminds me of a Kate Spade tote I saw a few weeks back. A Kate Spade dupe, my bag is. Hihi.

I have a thing for tote bags because they’re able to pack a lot of things inside. So, here are the contents of my trusty bag.

Basically, my bag contains my iPad and my phone, my bag organizer, and my kikay kit!

First row | Powerbank, Etude House Mascara, The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Tint, The Face Shop Eyeliner, Revlon ColorStay Matte Balm, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, Baby Bench cologne, Pepper spray, The Body Shop lip balm, Maybelline Face Powder

Second row | iPad Air, Samsung S3, Santa Roberta Coin Pouch, Marks & Spencer Hand and Nail Cream, Watson’s tissue, Pens (black & pink), Card Wallet

Third row | Bag organizer, Wet wipes, Makeup Kit

I super love my bag organizer, which is a gift from my boyfriend’s sister. I tend to dump everything inside my bag, so this bag organizer helps me organize my things inside my bag and save space. Definitely heaven-sent!

Another important thing I carry in my bag is my makeup kit. I make sure that I have the basics: powder, eyeliner, mascara, lipsticks, lip tint, and cologne. I prefer baby cologne over perfume because they’re light and pleasant.

I don’t have a wallet, just a coin purse. I do own a wallet, though, which is a gift from my boyfriend a few years back. I find it too bulky, so I just carry a coin purse and my card wallet (which stores all my cards) with me all the time.

I always bring my powerbank (11200 mAh) with me since I use my phone a lot. I washified it using Hello Kitty washi tapes from Paper Blush.

Why this post all of a sudden? I came across this promo from Suy Bags, a local brand. I hope this qualifies as an entry!

Visit Suy Bags on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

How about you? What’s in your bag?

Love,

Technorati Tags: bag,promo,Suy Bags,Charles & keith,Maybelline,NYX,Etude House,The Body Shop,The Face Shop,Revlon,Bench,Marks & Spencer,Kate Spade,dupe

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Things to do in Davao: Eden Nature Park

And I’m back! LOL. I intended to write a single post about my Davao 2012 adventure, but it was too photo saturated, plus ang dami kong sinasabi. LOL. You can check out part 1 here!

So, let’s now go to DAY 2 of our adventure in Davao! Day 2 was AJ’s 21st birthday. We were supposed to visit Pearl Farm Resort that day, pero bawal daw “bumyahe” according sa pamahiin. So, we did our Day 3 itinerary into Day 2. It’s pretty loaded, mind you. We wanted to visit all the must-see places in Davao: Eden Nature Park, Davao Crocodile Park, and the Philippine Eagle Center. Then, dinner at Jack’s Ride for AJ’s birthday.

Remember what I told you about hooking up (not that hook up!!!) with your friends who live in the area you’re visiting? One of the perks of having friends is having a chance to discover the area without commuting. Haha! Magpaka-user na para maka-avail ng *free* tour. LOL

So, for our first stop for the day, we headed to Eden Nature Park. There’s a guided tour in the morning, so be sure to arrive before the tour starts (I think it’s around 9AM). The park is located in Toril, Davao. From Catalunan Pequeno (where we stayed), it was a good hour or so drive. From downtown, it may take you two hours, so leave your hotel early.

*Dahil gusto ko talagang isingit* Since we’ll be touring around Davao, I opted to wear a comfortable ensemble consisting of a long-sleeved shirt from Mango, white tank top from Forever 21, denim cutoffs, and TOMS shoes.

I forgot how much we paid for the entrance and the guided tour, but you can check their latest pricelist here. Eden Nature Park is a must-see when you visit Davao. It’s a 95% man-made mountain resort. It just proves that we, humans, have the ability to re-create nature and to rebuild our environment.

Our group shared the tour guide and cab alongside another couple (not in picture,duh). The tour guide was really funny! Ang daming alam ni ate! She taught us different poses together with the scenic views. Nonetheless, she was quite helpful and very knowledgeable.

The guided tour has three major stopovers. You can also ask (ata) if you want to stop someplace else, but they have designated stopovers throughout the tour. First stop is The Amphitheater. It’s a wonderful garden full of flowers of all colors. There’s also the Rainbow Tunnel and St. Francis of Assissi’s statue.

Next is Tinubdan. It’s a replica village of the various indigenous people of Mindanao. It has statues of different members of different tribes in Mindanao. It also featured a replica of the Datu’s House.

Last stopover is Lola’s Garden. The view here is absolutely breathtaking! It’s situated quite high in the resort, so you can actually have a glimpse of the sea nearby. Sarap ng fresh air!

There’s also a Butterfly Garden, which isn’t part of the tour, but you can still visit it anyway.

There’s also a Mini Aviary near the reception area.

Eden Nature Park has other activities you can enjoy, like riding the zip line and going fishing. We didn’t have much time anymore, so we opted out from these activities. There’s also a restaurant in the resort where you can eat after the tour (the tour comes with snacks, if I remember correctly). Other bloggers and visitors of Eden also mentioned about horseback riding, mountain trailing, and swimming, as other activities you can do at the park.

I attached Eden’s contact details below. Do visit Eden Nature Park whenever you visit Davao, as it truly is an experience to try.

Love,