Brits are known for their hats. During the royal wedding, hundreds of guests where in hats that would make your jaw drop. I was worried some of them would fall of their heads...

They call some of these elaborate head pieaces "fascinators". Well, it does fascinate me!

Queen Elizabeth II

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice (daughters of the Duchess of York)

The Spencers - cousins from Prince William's mother side

Joss Stone

The Beckhams

Other women connected to the royalty and parliament...

Most of the hats worn were made by Philip Treacy, a famous London milliner. Of course we have our very own famous milliner, Mich Dulce, who can compete with international hat makers. Let's join the hat craze! We really should try to be adventurous and explore wearing hats as well! 

Okay, for the next wedding... promise mag hat ako! Mad Hatter peg ko!

Royal Wedding Fever

Not really into the Royal Wedding thing but looking forward to the clothes... and the hats. Excited about the wedding gown most of all. Everything was so hush-hush about it.

I couldn't watch it live coz I was out that night but I did get to see the encore the next day. And also listened on AM and monitored on Twitter. Hmmm... not interested with the wedding, right?

Her dress reminded me of Grace Kelly's. That was what I noticed at once. I know coz I considered that style too for my wedding.

Lovely right?! Kate, or should I say the Duchess of Cambridge, chose Sara Burton of Alexander McQueen to design her gown. Simple yet elegant.

The sweeping train measures just over six feet. According to the official royal wedding website, the dress is made with "ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen's designs. " 

- (Yahoo News)

Sarah Burton also designed her dress for the reception. Another simple white strapless gown.

It has diamante detailing around the waist. What a waist! She adds a fringed white shrug for a modern look. I guess her foray to being a fashion icon as future queen of England has begun.

And now, for the family photo!

MAC Fashion Flower Collection

Coming out end of April in the US and July internationally, MAC Fashion Flower Collection. I love MAC and I love the lip colors for this collection. I'm a lipstick/lipgloss kinda gal and this is totally heaven for me.

"Bloom brightly with a stylish fusion of the floral and the fashionable in the summer color collection that evoke the cool side of the hottest season. Fashion Flower girls are free to be, each one with cultivated connection to the green house and the fashion house. Unfolding and flourishing these perennial prima donna embrace the growing tend of cheeks and eyes lightly dusted with daisy debossed beauty powder and shadows.

Their confidence steams from petal-light lashes that sprout dramatically with studio fix bold-black lashes dew lips that sparkle sweetly in Budding Beauty Lipgelee and Summer Shower, a softly sheer aqua blue lipstick. Ever him join these rare blossoms and succumb horticulturally to bouquet that’s equal parts of fleur and couture."

Lipsticks from left to right: Ever Hip, Growing Trend, Mile and Summer Shower

Lipgelée from left to right: Budding Beauty, Fashion Flower and Now in Season

Blushes and eyeshadow shades are also yummy. Damn! Looks like my shopping list is getting longer and longer!

Crash Diet

I need to be a little bit sexier by end of next month. I'll be traveling to Canada and US and I NEED to look good. Don't ask me why... but I just need to lose a bit of bulge. I think the universe heard me and sent me this in one of the group discount sites I frequently visit...

I bought ten sessions of RF or Radio Frequency Slimming Treatment from MetroDeal. The treatment is from La Estetica.

RF Treatment claims to reduce fat, eliminate cellulite and tighten skin by breaking down fat cells using the radio waves. It's non-invasive. I've actually tried it once when our derma demonstrated it but I couldn't afford the whole package. Now, thanks to discount vouchers like this, I can get the treatment really cheap.

Nalurky kse akech sa billboard ni Ruffa G.! Achieve!

I'm still waiting for my lotto winnings so I can afford Belo... 

FOREVER21 Sale Again!

Another bout of 3-day sales in various mall will be coming up this weekend. And it includes Forever21! As much as 50% off on selected items.

Plus additional discounts on regular items and other perks if you use SMAC, BDO and FOREVER21 credit cards...

See you there guys! I'm sure it's gonna be chaos!

Belo Sunblock after 1Week

I promised an update after more than a week of using  the Belo Essentials Body and Face SunExpert. Confeermed, iluveet! None of the thick, sticky feeling! Road tested it with my make up and it's a great moisturizer too. 

I think this is a keeper! Cheap and cheerful way of protecting my skin. I totally agree with Dra. Belo when she said that the best anti-aging cream is sunblock!

Summer Fling

Is it obvious I'm bored???

Summer Fling by Blairbitch featuring platform heels

TopShop floral skirt
$70 - topshop.com

Forever21 platform heels
$27 - forever21.com

Balenciaga handbag
475 GBP - matchesfashion.com

Wide brim hat
69 GBP - toast.co.uk

this? or that?

Okay, so over the Holy Week break i found out I won P500 worth of Paez Shoes shopping money from HEYWHEREYOU.COM. It was great news for me coz I was thinking of buying a new pair for my trip next month.

Now I can't decide which one I should get. Since I have limited baggage space, I have to make sure I get something that matches most of my outfits.

My first choice was a Metalizado Dorado... coz I love the bling!

But then there's also Metalizado Platado

Or these because I love red...

Rayas Fuschia y Celeste

Panama Rojo

Or simple ones...

Azul

Panama Crudo

So hard to decide!

HOLY WEEK BREAK

Taking the time off to be with family and friends in our own Holy Week retreat.

Uma-outfit with my Cambridge Satchel

Outfit to work. Just had to use my Cambridge Satchel today. Rummaged through my closet what I could match it with. Here it is!

cardigan from Zara, tank top from M&S, skirt export overrun from bazaar, 

shoes Melissa+Campana and of course! Cambridge Satchel bag

By the way, this is at 630 in this morning so pardon the sleepy look.

This is it!

I have decided to get the brown 11" Cambridge Satchel. I really wanted the yellow one but being practical that I am... I decided on brown. I'm just waiting for the go-signal to go pick it up.

If in the next few days I realize I've made the wrong decision... I'll just have to get another one...

**********

Note: I called Schu Trinoma branch before around 11am to reserve the bag and asked if it was possible to have it delivered to Glorietta 3,  which is nearer my office. Got a call by 1230pm saying it's ready for pick up. Thanks Schu for the speedy service! Iluveet! Will post outfit with the bag soon!

MAC Sheen Supreme

I was helping out my bff-future-cousin-in-law find the perfect fonda (foundation) to be used on her wedding day. December pa naman but it was also a good opportunity to go try out new products.

Our "homework" yesterday was to check out MAC. While my friend was getting a trial make up... I was going around picking stuff around.

MAC has a new lipstick formulation out, SHEEN SUPREME. There's fourteen (14) lipstick shades:

"Combining the colour impact of a lipstick with the shine sheen of a Lipglass, Sheen Supreme creates the perfect hybrid - with no compromise. Lightweight, non-sticky, click to apply and comfortable to wear. This is a must-have for all those who have craved this kind of fusion."

Personally, I love the shade Good to be Bad. It's a deep berry color.

Applied with a heavy hand, the sheen adds pout on my lips. But with a lighter application, it just looks like a lip stain... reminds me runway shots from Carolina Herrera...

Adding this on my list when I go make up shopping in the US...

Maximize

I bought this dress when I was pregnant. I didn't get to wear it that much before and decided to wear it yesterday.

I got the dress from one of the bazaar events in Rockwell. I also thought it was nice to pair it with my mom's pasalubong from India.

native Indian slippers

Comfy shoes but a bit delicate. I guess good for mall wear only. Speaking of malls, dropped by FOREVER21 yesterday. Ended up buying just a pair of shoes and skirt. My loot will be my next post.

Majolica Majorca on my eyes

I have a friend that works for Majolica Majorca. She trains the SAs that demos the make up. She has these two recommendations for me:

Lash Expander Frame Plus and Perfect Automatic Liquid Liner

I just finished my Revlon Mascara so I got this one to try it out. The SA said to apply the mascara I should use the flat side first to separate my lashes and then the curved side to further apply the mascara. In fairnezz it was effective! I didn't get to take a picture of my eyes last night but I felt like batting eyes coz it looked like I had long lashes!

I also got the liquid liner, an alternative to MAC's Penultimate Liner (which I consider is the best one). I'm not so good applying liquid liner but I did manage to make my eyes look decent. 

There were other items I wanted to get like their eyeshadows and pencil liners but I held myself back coz I knew if I didn't I'd end up buying everything again! Especially when you can customized the eyeshadows: get two colors and put in one case, similar to Bobbi Brown's style.

Since Majolica Majorca is made by Shiseido, quality is assured. But price points are more affordable. My friend also said they're coming out with more stuff this month. Something to look forward too!

Road Test: Belo Sunblock

I'm such a sun-lover. I love the beach and I don't mind being dark. After all, I've proven that some men find my morena skin hot! Haha!

But age is catching up and it has been proven that sun damage is one of the causes of skin aging. Aside from the anti-aging cream i put on my face I am now in search for the best sunblock that will keep UV rays away and also moisturizes my skin without the heavy sticky feeling. One that will allow me to still wear make up after application.

So, here I am. I bought the Belo Essentials SunExpert: Face Cover and Body Shield

I'm still on my second day of road testing this. The consistency of the Face Cover is ok. It didn't give me the sticky feeling. It's very light on the face and I do feel moisturized. My pores doesn't feel clogged. Of course the Body Shield is a bit heavier but still no oily, sticky feeling. I kinda like it. I did put it on my arms only coz I drive and the sun burns my upper body more.

I hope this is the product I'm looking for. Price is also okay... about P449 for the body lotion and P299 for the face.

I'll give update after a week of use.

Steripod for the paranoid me!

Because I'm scared of germs. And because I imagine creepy crawlies like cockroaches roam the bathroom at night, I need Steripod to keep my paranoia at bay.

According to the website, Steripod is a patented toothbrush hygiene system that clips on any standard or electric toothbrush helping to provide protection for up to three months!

We all know that the bathroom could actually be the dirtiest part of our house. Little things like flushing the toilet already contaminates the air. Water carrying icky bacteria already sprays in the air when we flush that's why it's best to keep the lid down while flushing. And most toilets are also near sinks... which is where we keep our toothbrushes, which we put in our mouths... get the picture?!

I've bought one for me, my husband and my son. And also I got one for the toothbrush I keep here in the office. Don't you think it's an awesome invention?!

Available at Watson's P314 for a pair.

Me & Hubby for Annick Goutal Wedding Photo Contest

I'm joining the Annick Goutal Wedding Photo Contest by Rustan's. It's been almost four years since we got married and so far it's been wonderful. Even made better now that we have our little monster we totally adore.

I chose these pics for the contest coz it shows how we don't take life THAT seriously... That laughter is key to a good and lasting relationship... And that years from now when we look at these pictures we can say that the best decision we ever made in our lives was to marry each other.

The real party begins! - Tini & Conci

To join the contest, you have to send a photo that fall in the category of "evening". 

"It can be a photo of you and your hubby inside the church, outside the church, before, during or after the reception, as long as it was taken in the evening. Don't forget to include a witty or charming caption that encapsulates the spirit of that glorious, and ok, maybe a tad stressful, moment in your lives."

Either send an email of your photo with caption to MFO at manilafashionobserver@gmail.com or visit her site and post a link of your photo in the comments section. The winner will get a set of Annick Goutal items woth $150.

Contest will run from April 1 to 15. Winners will be announced on the 16th. For Philippine residents only.

Ladies and gents, come and share your photos now! And I bet you'll have fun going thru your wedding photos again.