Blogging this now before I end up blogging about it on October 2012 aka Filipino time. I was pretty excited about this Halloween, for the simple fact that I knew exactly who I wanted to dress up as. And by that I mean, after multiple costume idea changes. Actually, I've always wanted to be a Ballerina. I am so fascinated by tutus and anything even similar to a tutu. When shopping for dresses, I pick the dress with the bottom half looking like an umbrella while everyone else picks out the bodycon dresses. I prefer cutesie over sexy, maybe because I have the body of a cutesie.......10 year old boy. Sadface. Haha. Anyways, so I narrowed it down into my Top 3 costumes which goes as follows:

1) Peacock - Feathers, crazy eye makeup, and crazy feather'ed out corset + tutu.

2) Black Swan - Do I even need to describe how awesome this looks? But yes, TUTU.

3) Angelina Ballerina - Ask your 3 year old daughter/niece/cousin/sister about her, because you would not know who she is otherwise. And again....TUTU.

Notice a pattern yet?

I ruled out the first two costumes because a Peacock would require too much work for it to be as awesome as I would like it to be and I was short on time and same goes for Black Swan and the fact that it would be a popular idea.

So I decided to stick with Angelina Ballerina. This is who she is for those who are giving me the O_O? face right now:

She's adorable! My boyfriend's niece loves her so much and even he knew about this show before I did. So credit goes out to him and his 3 year old niece. Haha. I figured this would be simple enough to create with my own flare, and I definitely would not see another Angelina Ballerina pirouette'ing around in the city. Perfecto!

Materials used:

• Pink spaghetti strap top with detailed trimming from Justice (a kid's store, I know. Haha)
• A pink tutu from Ricky's. Funny, yet frustrating story behind this. I was in such a rush while looking for a freaking pink tutu that I accidentally bought a size 3 in TODDLERS, and of course everything was final sale. Thank God I have Amazon prime so I ordered a pink petticoat tutu, received it the next day and just wore it underneath the other one. In the end, I actually liked the look of both tutus put together. The poofier the better! Nahmsayin'.
• Pink ribbon to make the bow.
• Steve Madden Rose Pink ballerina flats that I already had.
• White stockings from Walgreens.
• Fake pink flower from my room (Even though Angelina Ballerina wears a red rose).
• Tons of bobby pins and hair spray to make the hair mouse ears! I originally  bought mouse ears but thought making ears out of my hair would be cuter. It was the most frustrating thing to do. But I LOVED how it turned out.

Ta-da! Angelina Ballerina. Go show your little girly ones and I guarantee they'll be the few who can appreciate this. Haha.

10.31.11 - Pictures from Cielo club in NYC:

10.28.11 - I had so much fun this Halloween with the looks I "attempted" to create. I was a black kitty/leopard at work and as much as I wanted to go all out with the face makeup, I really didn't want to look too out there. I don't think my patients and coworkers would be able to take me seriously. 

Me: "Hi, I'm giving you your meds now....roarrr."

Patient: "Oh, but you mean.....meeeooowww."

Me: "Oh. True."

10.29.11- This was the night that it snowed in the East Coast, so we had a very white.....Halloween. I was supposed to wear my Angelina Ballerina getup but with the weather, I decided to hold it off for Monday, and did a classic half Sugar Skull look. This was my first time doing this and I had so much fun with it. Supposedly, the Sugar Skull side is my hot side. Ow. 

10.30.11 - So, I didn't go out this night...but while I was in Church (Lord, forgive me) I had an idea to do anime eyes. I was thinking of all the looks I wanted to do with it, and I was pretty excited to head home to create it. I think this is definitely creepier than the Sugar Skull look. But I feel like i turned it into a Anime/Chola/Harajuku kinda thing. Awesome.

I'm already excited for next Halloween! I have a whole year to plan. It's that serious. Hope you all had a good one. I want to see pictures! 

TC&GB<3

 ....are just a few of my favorites for this Fall. This pricey little sucker (at $25 a bottle) is one of the most gorgeous colors I've seen. I didn't want to give in, and truth be told, I'm not much of a nail person. I wash my hands at least 10x a day at my job, so my nail color chips very fast. However, I will make an exception for this color. I'm sure there are a bunch of cheaper dupes, but what can I say....well, actually, I really bought this color on a whim. It was Fashion's Night Out, and I didn't want to leave the Chanel store without purchasing anything. So it was either a $3,000 Chanel purse or.......this. So technically, I saved $2,975. Hey, the glass is half full, okay?

Blazers are so timeless and classic. You can dress it up or down. Perfect for all seasons. Fitting for almost all body types. Zara and TopShop in my opinion, carry the cutest blazers. These are my two recent OOTD's with a black and cream colored blazers from Zara. I paired it with flats and the other with chunky platform heels. Perfect for a casual day or night out. My closet is begging for more colors!

[Left: Zara blazer, Target striped basic, Forever21 pants, Sam Edelman flats]

[Right: Top turned into dress from my Aunt, Zara blazer, Jessica Simpson shoes]

These are also my two current favorite shoes at the moment. If you ever saw my shoe collection it consists of mostly nude and black shoes. I can't seem to part from neutrals. But I will venture out into vibrant colors.....when I'm ready. 

I bought these Sam Edelman flats at TJ Maxx for $29, and these Jessica Simpson Foxy heels at Hautelook for $34! Jealous? Haha. I seriously wear my Sam Edelman flats with everything, it dresses up an outfit without having the pain of walking in 5 inch heels. I love my heels, but you need a break once in a while. You can still find ways to make it work though, just like my Sam Edelman man man man <3

Taken in Lourdes, France. This was my favorite outfit during my vacation.

[ Zara blazer + salmon blouse + gold belt, Forever21 high waisted shorts]

And I finally got my fugly hair done after 4 months of neglecting it. This is what it looked like after 4 hours at the salon, and as we all know...this is the last time it will ever look this good and healthy. For some reason my hair can never stay this blonde. It always fades into a hot mess of an orange. Bleck. Maybe I need to stop going to Asian salons -no offense. It's just that, I really don't have the money to burn if the hair color has a life span of only 3 weeks. It somehow transfigures into my 8th grade $3.99 Sun-In color circa 1998. Give me some pink Timberlands and a dark brown lip liner and you can say hello to my alter ego, Bebe Krizel....whattap.

I've tried to use color-treated shampoos and conditioners, but the color still fades. Not really sure if I'm using the wrong brands, but nothing seems to work. I'm so close to dying my hair back to black, but I really love highlights. The blonde in me definitely has more fun. *Twirls hair*

TC&GB<3

I didn't plan on flying out to Europe and fall in love, but I did. I left my heart in Salamanca, Spain. And it's name is.....Kiko Milano. Man, what a sexy name. As I was strolling through the streets of Salamanca with one arm carrying a Springfield shopping bag, and balancing the other arm with a Zara shopping bag, a store caught my eye. It didn't take long before I found myself bringing justice to a wise saying, "just throw it in the bag." I had to keep reminding myself that 2 Euros was not equivalent to 2 USD.  But in my head, it was still cheap enough (and it's European, so why not?). I don't know about you guys, but when I'm super excited about something, I get all flustered and my breathing becomes a problem. It's kind of embarrassing and kind of uh, not safe (I'm asthmatic). I seriously need to start carrying stack on stack on stacks of brown bags with me. As a professional multi-tasker,  I was shopping and googling this makeup brand just to make sure they didn't sell it in the US before I wiped out the entire store. True enough, it was only sold in a few European countries, and how fortunate was I to accidentally find it. It must've been loveeeeee...but it's....wait, it's not over yet. But it definitely must've been love. 

I googled and swatched products simultaneously and snubbed any form of help from the employees very respectfully. I mean, I can only communicate if you ask for my name or time in Spanish, other than that, lo siento, mami. Please refrain from talking to me as I shop and swatch. Shop and swatch. Shop and swatch. That is all I ask of. 

I read such positive reviews on Makeup Alley, and my own first impression with the swatches blew me away. The packaging were so cute and I honestly was like a kid at a candy store. I could only think to describe their packaging as fun, chic, and classy. It's not boring and wah wah European bourgeois, but the venga bus is coming, mademoiselle type of fun. I know. Where do I come up with these things? Must be the blonde dye. 

The colors are beautiful and shockingly pigmented. I bought two of the Chic Chalet palettes, but I wanted ALL of them. The colors were too gorgeous to pass up, but I did just that and only bought what I really liked the most. Such a responsible thing to do. I hate it. The US reviews compared Kiko to Sonia Kashuk, but honestly, I have never tried a Sonia Kashuk product in my life nor was I ever tempted to purchase anything from it whenever I passed through it at Target. So, I can't say that I agree. In my opinion, from the packaging, to the product itself, I was not disappointed at all. It got me Amazon'ing, Ebay'ing, Googling, and European pen pal searching far and wide just so I could purchase some more products because  I regret not purchasing any foundation and/or concealer. I have the ultimate Paula Abdul slash Farrah Abraham crying face right now. Sigh. I am hoping that they are able to ship to the US soon because these babies have found their way to my heart. Dear Kiko, it must've been looooooveeeeee.......

I suck at reviews.

http://www.kikocosmetics.com/

[All images have been taken with my Canon T3i]

TC&GB<3

OK. So I was lazy. I didn't want to take a billion pictures of stuff I purchased in Europe especially the Kiko Milano Cosmetics that I keep bragging about, so I decided to do a video haul, thinking that it wouldn't be THAT bad.

Here, is obvious proof as to why I BLOG rather than make videos:

I apologize.
I fail.
I'm a blogger -not a VLOGGER.


I decided to post this hot mess of a video because it actually took me a while to record it! Lol. "A" for effort. And I know I haven't blogged about my European trip, but I'm trying to figure out a way to organize my photos (2,000+ photos that is) before I do that. For now just know that it was a blessed experience, and I am going through Europe withdrawals like crazy! I am so in love with SPAIN! VIVA ESPANA!

Here is a preview of what I will definitely be updating you all on and very much more detailed and less of a failure:

TC&GB<3

.....my grandma who'm we called "Mommy Soling", with her stylish bug eyed glasses, her leopard blouse, lips always dressed with lipstick, and with all the gold and gaudy (yet classy) jewelry blinding you from across the room. This is what she loved. I know it because this is where I get it from. She took care of me in the Philippines, and took care of me and my siblings here in NY. The last time I saw her was the night of my Sweet Sixteen, 11 years ago. She left that night on a flight back to the Philippines. I suppose since we were all old enough, it was time for her to go back home. 

She was my last living grandparent. I love all my grandparents equally, even my two grandfathers whom I barely remember. But she was my last one. I wanted to hold on to her for as long as I could. I wanted to see her one last time, because I knew time doesn't slow down. I prayed to God that He give her more years so that she could see the day I got married and have children. Every time we spoke, she asked the same question, "Are you married yet?". I would always laugh and reply, "Not yet, mommy." But every year that passes, I asked the Lord for more years so she could be a part of my future plans. But God had a different plan. He needed her in Heaven sooner than I expected. 

I know I'll see you soon. For now, I am comforted knowing you will walk through those heavenly gates looking as radiant as ever in the presence of God. Rest in eternal paradise, Mommy Soling. Thank you for all your sacrifices, and helping me become the person I am today. Tell my Kuya Tristan how much I miss him, and let him know that we're doing okay. I miss you and I love you both.

[ A tattoo I got in memory of my older brother, Tristan. ]

[ Mommy Soling @ 80. Wasn't she lovely? ]

I remember.......

....I walked in for my second period class. It was my AP Government class with Mr. Thomas. I was a senior in high school. I sat down and waited for the bell to ring. My classmate, Jason, walked in frantic and told everyone, "Yo, a plane just flew into the Twin Towers!". I could remember those exact words. We all ran to the window, and even from Long Island you could see smoke rising from a distance from the city. Our teacher calmed us down and we went on with class. And then, an announcement was made asking all students who had a relative from the Towers report to the main office. Soon after, we were all sent home from school for the rest of the day. It was high school. Of course the magnitude of the attack didn't hit us at first. We didn't know how serious it was or even the validity of it. At that moment, we were just happy to be out for the rest of the day. 

I got home and turned on the television. Every channel was flooded with the news. And the same images that will forever haunt us pierced through my heart. A plane flying into the Tower. And then another one. The Towers were still standing when I got home. I began to cry hysterically. And then the moment I died for a few seconds with the rest of America: The Towers fell.

All I thought about was those people. Those people inside!

That was 10 years ago.

A decade.

Time flew by, but the pain and wounds are still very fresh. I can't imagine ANYONE who can watch these footages over, and over, and over again without their heart breaking into a thousand pieces. All we can do now is pray for the nearly 3,000 innocent people whose lives were taken by an act of evilness and hatred, and for the families left behind in grief. May they be comforted in the arms of God and compassionate loved ones. 

You are all remembered. The innocent souls. The families left behind. And the brave men and women who sacrificed their own lives for strangers like you and I. 

Will it ever get any easier? Never. 09.11.01 will forever be in our hearts.

America, the beautiful. New York, I love you.

[Taken on 09.10.11]

[Taken on 09.10.11]

Spend time with your loved ones and never take them for granted. You tend to hear this a lot in the midst of a tragedy. But I hope that it doesn't take another tragedy or anything disastrous to shake you. Appreciate the loved ones in your life. I have lost my older brother at a very young age, and although the years that passed has been difficult on my family and I, we survived. Through the stories, through the memories, and by being a family. A friend of mine once said, "We live on borrowed time." I couldn't agree more.

Take care & God bless.

-Kristin