Style and Soul: Prestige Brands Philippines

Movie Premieres

8:30 AM

As part of cutting my back logs, let me share with you some of the movie premieres that I was able to attend to for the past few weeks.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)

Moschino fragrance line sponsored a Breaking Dawn premiere last November 19 held at Eastwood City. The wonderful people from Prestige Brands Philippines invited a couple of bloggers to go. I went there with Bestie and Paul plus my boyfriend JR.

We forgot to bring our camera, hence the lack of personal photos in this post but I'm grateful that Prestige invited us because I wouldn't have watched the film if not for free. LOL. I know Twilight has a lot of fans world wide but I'm really just not one of them. I've heard from Paul that the book (version) was a really good read. However, I find the film just too cheesy for my taste.

I appreciate the honeymoon cinematography and the character's beautiful house in Brazil.

Along with the movie, a new fragrance was introduced to us - Moschino Forever. It's a timeless fragrance which represents the classic Moschino fashion - with elegance and irony. This is specially created for the classic man with a strong personality that enables him to be original and unique (source: press kit).

I love the linear and classic glass bottle with its signature Moschino logo on top.

The fragrance has a fresh, strong and sensual, citrus scent with accents of bergamot, kumquat, and star anise. It also has a spicy hint to it brought about by clary sage (herbal plant), tonka beans and black pepper together with a woody base concocted from sandalwood and musk (source: press kit). For you to further imagine what this perfume smells like, I linked its ingredients (above) so you would know what are these plants that I am talking about.

Again, thanks Moschino Forever and Prestige Brands Philippines for inviting us!

Won't Last a Day Without You

Our good friends Niche and Coy from Globe/Globe Tattoo invited us to the premiere night of Won't Last a Day Without You, the latest movie of pop singer Sarah Geronimo and male celebrity Gerald Anderson. Again, this movie is not my cup of tea but just for fun, I said yes and dragged (yet again) my boyfriend JR to accompany me. Too bad, some of my fellow bloggers from the Globe Tattoo LED billboard campaign weren't able to go because it was a last minute (day itself) invitation.

OMG. Megamall was PACKED with Sarah and Gerald's fans. They all went crazy at the sight of the movie's stars and cast. I couldn't take a decent photo and so, instead of waiting outside for the program, my boyfriend and I went inside the movie house and waited for more than an hour before it finally began. The invitation said 7PM but I think it started around 8:30PM na.

The story revolves around DJ Heidi (Sarah G.), who gives love advice to radio listeners. One of her callers, Melissa (Megann Young) sought her guidance concerning her playboy boyfriend Andrew (Gerald A.) and Heidi promptly advised her to break up with him on nationwide radio. Angered and embarrassed by the incident, Andrew attempts to sue Heidi and to make up for it, she tries to patch things up between the couple. Turns out, this love-counselor-student-relationship resulted in them falling in love with each other.

I was surprisingly pleased with the movie. When I went there, I knew what I was getting myself into: another romantic-comedy oozing with cheesy and pa-cute scenes but the director made sure it was limited to a minimum and so it was tolerable. Sarah was incredibly funny and was a natural actress. The two had believable chemistry.

It wasn't perfect (I hated the resolution towards the ending!) but kudos to the script writer for benta DJ dialogues and I'd like to thank the person responsible for casting Joey De Leon, who played Heidi's father in the film. Haha! His character, Pablo, a-once-stellar rock star who happened to be one of Andrew's idols, provided ample comic relief and astig factor to the movie.

Happy to find a youtube video of the premiere night. Take a peek and see how gaga the fans went over these local celebrities. Haha. Di ko bet outfit ni Sarah, fuma-fashion police? Haha.

Thanks to Globe's Niche Dumlao and Coy Caballes for inviting us! We had fun. :)

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Carolina Hererra

Day dress on a night of clubbing

9:00 AM

Just so you know, the following photos are from a month ago. I've been really trying my best to work on my backlogs because our busy schedule and pre-event tasks for Bloggers United Bazaar (Part 2) has kept me incredibly preoccupied, pressing me to take the past few weeks off blogging.

But now that it's over, and we are back to normal till February (prep time for BU 3 probably, not sure yet), I'm finally back!

Couple photos. LOL. Bestie & Paul are not a couple, we just pair them up. Who knows! :)

Right: Aisa's partner, Mich!

We waited outside Republiq for quite a while. Pa'no ba naman kasi, they forgot their ID's! LOL.

Meet the newest blogger in town: Paul the PR Guy! He's Bestie's boss by the way, I can't believe it either. At age 27, he already has his own advertising and PR company (with a business partner). He looks preppy cute too! At last, we are having more and more male bloggers. For guys who want style inspiration for laid back and wearable office wear, take it from this boss! He knows how to dress humbly and when to keep it polished, modern and work appropriate.

Looking great together guys! Uuuy. Hihi :) Both just got from work before going to the event.

I love Aisa! :) Pa-fierce lang si atey!

Satchel from F-STOP :)

Dress Thrifted | Satchel and belt F-STOP | Boots SM Dept. Store
Beaded bangle Bazaar | Printed bangle Tomato | Thin bracelets Diva

This cute yellow chiffon dress with purple polka dot prints and shoulder cut-outs was what I wore to the Carolina Hererra VIP Men fragrance launch event held at Republiq in Resorts World a month ago. I know, it looks too cute and sunny for a night of dancing and partying but I didn't really care. Haha.

Of course I would be totally lying if I told you a part of me didn't feel awkward being surrounded by girls in sexy and flashy outfits. I kind of felt out of place at a certain point with this dress. However, blogger friends and the accommodating team of Prestige have made going to the event fun and worthwhile!

I'm going to miss this dress. Glad that it has found a new home during the Bloggers United Bazaar (Part 2)!

Super cute capsule of VIP 212 for women! :)

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Acqua Colonia

Christmas Gift Idea: Scents for the Season

8:30 AM

Acqua Colonia

Acqua Colonia: My New Scent of Style

1:47 PM

It was the last Saturday of October, a usual busy weekend for someone like me, who just went through a couple of meetings and decided to skip Philippine fashion week again. All day's work ended in such a sweet note the moment I entered my room and found a basket with some flowers lying on my bed.

My heart skipped a beat. Being in a relationship for three years, it's been quite a while since I last received flowers from my boyfriend! And by saying that, I feel the need to explain now, haha. You see, flowers and teddy bears are not my thing. Life has taught me to be practical and frugal and the same principles apply to my romantic relationship. We (my boyfriend and I) are big on moments, not gifts. Naks.

Anyway, I rushed in to take a closer look at the flowers and found out that it was a gift sent over by the generous people from Prestige Brands Philippines. If you think I got disappointed because it wasn't from my boyfriend, you are totally wrong, haha. It was a funny scenario and I was caught laughing at myself.

Took some so-so photos so I edited it like this! Got this idea from Paul Jatayna's blog :)

The only reason I thought otherwise was because of the charming packaging. The flowers came with a 170ml bottle of Acqua Colonia perfume. It is a new fragrance line created by 4711 'Traditionhaus', a brand of eau de cologne (simply put, cologne) by Mäurer and Wirtz, a manufacturer of fragrance products based in Germany. If you google 4711, you'll learn that this brand has a long (early as 1990s) history of success and expertise in perfumery. Its new offering, Acqua Colonia (ACQ) perfume, is said to be inspired by the beauty of nature's scent.

Of the five ACQ fragrances, I got the Melissa and Verbena variant which is reminiscent of soothing gardens and healing herbs. It's my current fragrance and I've been using it for a week now.

Here's what I like about ACQ's Melissa and Verbena:

Usually, perfumes are overpowering but this one is so mild that I use to think it's baby cologne which is something that I find great because it's an everyday fragrance that I can use; not just on special occasions.
Its mild scent doesn't hurt or sting my nose no matter how much I apply.
The smell reminds me of leaves, morning dew and meadows with a powdery touch to it.
I applaud the fact that the smell is genderless! With this variant, you can't exactly pinpoint if it's for a male or female because it's mild and minty. It can be for both actually.
I love the bottle which is nostalgic of a vintage alcoholic drink with a modern twist (think Godfather movie), haha.

I really like the perfume overall but if I have to nitpick one tiny detail, haha, I'd have to say that I find it hard to tell whether the fragrance is long-lasting because it's mildness makes it difficult for me to actually "smell" myself. However, during the Accessorize event, towards the end, I got compliments from some bloggers who find the scent interesting. And so, if I have to base it on what other people have said, apparently the scent lasts! Still, just to make sure, I recommend re-applying after about four to five hours.

Also, ACQ has four other nature-inspired fragrances that you may want to try:

Lemon and Ginger - a composition of lemon and ginger that embodies the ease of summer and depicts a picture of the ripe, lemon tree-covered hillsides of Sicily.
Vetyver and Bergamot - a relaxing fragrance that took inspiration from the Asian tropics, rain forests and the earthy perennial grasses.
Royal Riesling - the cheerful scent of a vineyard growing white wine grapes (Check out Ava's review on this)
Lavender and Thyme - a Mediterranean composition of relaxing lavender and thyme, a spicy medicinal herb that is suggestive of the beautiful violet-colored fields of the countryside of Provence in France. (source: press kit)

Each 170ml bottle costs Php 2,500.00 and is available at Rustan's nationwide.

Special thanks to Prestige Brands Philippines' Ms. Marcela Pabellano (Group Brand Manager), Mr. Brian O'Hara (Brand Manager) and Ms. Marla Cabahug (Brand Assistant) for this gift of scent for my style and for making me feel like it's high school all over again as I imagine that I have a random secret admirer who happened to send me flowers, haha!

Websites:
Acqua Colonia: http://www.acqua-colonia.com
4711: http://www.4711.com/

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Accessorize

Brand Collab: Accessorize, Shoe Etiquette & Closet Chic

11:06 PM

Dress SM Dept. Store | Blazer Thrifted

I missed the last day and finale of the recent Philippine Fashion Week because I had a hosting job for Accessorize's All About Bags Event in partnership with Bloggers United. If only I can split myself in two, I would love to attend both events but work has to always come first (of course!).

A few days ago, I've put up an announcement promoting Accessorize's All About Bags Sale and this intimate bloggers acquaintance party is the best kick off for the brand's month-long promo. For the record, this is not an "End of Season" type of sale wherein you'd get all the out-of-trend styles and designs. I know for a fact that this is definitely a treat because you may get as much as 50% off on new arrivals as well! This is Accessorize's way of thanking all of its shoppers who have showed tremendous support for the brand for the past three years.

For the event, I decided to put on something really feminine and dainty, which is appropriate to Accessorize's branding. If you regularly read this blog, you'd probably notice by now that I love wearing "something on something" ensembles like print on print, stripes on stripes, crochet on crochet, lace on lace and so on and so forth.

That Sunday, I was dressed in a floral on floral (on polka, on animal print... haha) outfit which sort of strays away from my usual edgy style. I just hope the mix of prints, in addition of polka dots and zebra print, doesn't turn you off, haha. I wore everything on purpose because I wanted to showcase some gifted items from generous brands.

Big reveal when I take off my blazer, haha

First stop: Closet Chic's zebra print sling bag. I'm not quite sure if you've noticed but I've been wearing Closet Chic in a lot of my outfit posts (here, here, here, here and here) because the brand has been very kind in sponsoring me with a lot of items. I can't thank Honey (the owner) enough for believing in my advertising skillzz, hahaha. Closet Chic doesn't only have affordable clothes (promise, no bullsh*t) ranging from Php 180 - Php 300+, it also has trendy bags like this. Just to prove you I'm not kidding, check out her online store and see for yourself.

Second stop: Shoe Etiquette's floral wedges. These shoes, along with my brown boots, were given by Ate Denise when she went here in Manila in preparation of her son's birthday plus a sudden dinner with blogger friends. Being a seller of shoes myself, doesn't stop me from promoting her online store. I really believe in healthy and friendly competition because everyone is doing their best to make a living here. So no conflict for me, haha! Plus, her shoe designs are different from what I sell and yet all are gorgeous as well! If I'm not heavily saving up, I'd buy a lot from her too!

Socks, SM Dept Store

Third stop: Accessorize necklace and bracelets. Of course, as the host of the event, I get to have these accessories for myself. I love my job, hahaha! Even though I'm more on the tough aesthetic, I still adore the brand's girly accessory line. They have pieces that I genuinely want for myself. Plus, having some trinkets of my own from the brand, I know their items don't just look pretty. They last long too and doesn't get worn out so easily. Aren't these cute?

Fourth stop: Something invisible from Prestige Brands Phils... my perfume! A few weeks ago, I got a bottle of Acqua Colonia fragrance which I will tell you more about, in my following posts. It was my first time to use it in this event and I got a lot of inquiries and compliments from fellow bloggers about this scent! It's more on the powdery side and so it's perfect for my all-floral blooming outfit.

So there, even though it's obvious that some of my items are sponsored, everything that I'm saying isn't contrived. When I say I like the items, I really do. It's not just a blab of praises just to get more items in the future. It's a personal opinion. And because it's personal, I deserve to be honest to myself at the very least.

Will tell you more about the All About Bags Event when I get copies of the photos from the official photographer. The downside of being an events host is having... oh well, zero photos, haha! I'm so used to taking my blog photos kasi, haha!

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Daphne Osena

Jimmy Choo Fragrance Launch

8:47 AM

Whenever I encounter the brand Jimmy Choo, there are only two things that I associate with it: celebrities and luxury footwear. The company has always been known for its iconic pumps, sandals and boots donned by many Hollywood celebrities like Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lea Michelle, Leighton Meester, Angelina Jolie and whole lot more. Tamara Mellon, former Vogue editor and company president, has personally attended to the feet on the world's richest, most glamorous and most powerful women including Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama (source).

As one of the extravagant labels in fashion, Jimmy Choo has built an extremely loyal and mostly star-studded clientele. But other than shoes, this British fashion house also carries ready-to-wear clothes, accessories and to-die-for selection of totes and clutches that exude classic elegance.

And now, this fashion empire has yet added another product under its label as it ventures in an all-new fragrance line of its own - Jimmy Choo Parfums.

In the Philippines, the fragrance was launched last October 11 at Rustan's Makati in partnership with Prestige Brands Philippines. An intimate crowd of socialites, celebrities, press people (mostly from society magazines) and a few bloggers attended the event over some cocktails and drinks. Ms. Tessa Prieto-Valdez graced the event as the host of the program.

Preview's Agoo Bengzon & Ms. Tessa Prieto-Valdez

PMAP President/Model Phoemela Barranda & former beauty queen Miriam Quiambao

Last 3 photos by Paul

The Jimmy Choo perfume is described as "feminine yet empowering, with a lot of sensuality to it." It comes in two particular scents: Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum, placed in a simple but exquisite Venetian glass bottle that comes in a fancy pink, and black snakeskin-printed box.

The event gave the guests first dibs on what the scents smell like. I personally find the former, Eau de Toilette, more suitable for younger ladies because it has that light, fresh and powdery scent perfect for day time. Meanwhile, I imagine the latter (Eau de Parfum), which has a heavier scent, befitting a more mature, working woman stereotype.

During the event, Tessa interviewed the crowd and asked which scent they would prefer. Well, if you ask me, I'd definitely go for Eau de Toilette. I'm that kind of girl, if not fruity, I'm more into powder-smelling or sweet fragrances. But taking into account Daphne Osena's comment, she did have a point when she said that based on her experience, she appreciates Eau de Parfum because for her, heavier scents last longer and it eases her need to reapply.

Despite the differences of both scents from the Jimmy Choo Parfums collection, along with individual preferences of ladies from various ages and careers, the product aims to embody the same qualities of a strong and modern woman of today - sexy, independent and definitely sophisticated. (c) Style and Soul

Now that I'm done telling you about the event and the product, here are our "blogger" photos!