Goody Philippines launches Claudia Barretto as newest Goody Girl

Goody launched their newest Goody Girl Claudia Barretto at Slice, Bonifacio Highstreet on May 9, 2013. Claudia, obviously, is from the Barretto showbiz clan who are all famous to have beautiful faces. I enjoyed working with this very charming girl, and I loved how humble, sweet and simple she is. I also liked how mature she is at 13 :) 

I got really excited when Jenna of Goody Philippines called to say that I was gonna do her makeup for their launch materials. I started googling hair and makeup looks that are perfect for teens today! It was my first time to meet her so I was clueless how she is but since I knew she's beautiful, I knew it wasn't gonna be a hard day for me at the photo shoot. She looked so simple and shy when she arrived and yet she still looked so beautiful with that angelic face and extra thick and long lashes (ugh jealous)! 

Alyanna Martinez styled her for this shoot and as always, she did great! As for the makeup, I didn't need to put a lot since she's 13 and objective was to simply emphasize her pretty features which obviously didn't need too much work. Her brows are naturally shaped, her lashes (again) are super thick and long, her lips are healthy and her skin was glowing, so what else did I need to do? Haha! 

Goody gave us a wide selection of hair accessories for this shoot and I swear it so hard to choose which ones I wanted her to wear cause all were super pretty! Below are photos from our shoot :)

Photography: Roy Macam

Styling: Alyanna Martinez

Makeup: Lei Hosseinzadeh Ang

Hair: Den Den Perez

Assistant Stylists: Chase Chua/ Aris Solidum

In above photo, I just applied a light coral lipstick on her and asked my hair stylist to do a neat side fish tail with Goody Girls ribbon accent that matched her shorts :) 

Below: Used Goody Girls Ouchless to achieve a hairstyle that's perfect for summer!

Below: We did a simple half ponytail and added Goody Girls flower clips as accent :)

Below: Since Claudia plays soccer a lot, Goody and Alyanna wanted a shot of her looking sporty. Den Den and I put her hair up in a ponytail using Goody Ouchless and mixed 3 colors of Goody Girls headbands to make her looking sporty yet feminine.

Below: As for this, Goody wanted her to look girly so I matched her outfit with what I call a "princessy" hair. I love this hairstyle a lot and actually do it on myself a lot too :D We made her wear 2 colors of Goody Slide-Proof headbands to go with her look :)

I was really excited to share these photos with you! Below are more photos from Goody's presscon that me and my niece Xanti hosted :) Again, it was a pleasure to be part of this event and I was happy to see Claudia again! Oh, I did her hair in the presscon by the way :)

Below: Me, Claudia, Xanti

 

The cupcakes in the presscon were really yummy!

Even Claudia was laughing at my niece Xanti! She was very hyper and I'm proud how she performed in her first hosting gig! She surely has future in this. haha

Xanti was the first one who went out to talk, and...she went straight to Claudia's chair! haha

She surely enjoyed hosting. You agree? Haha!

Goody distributed Goody Girls coloring sheets and crayons and gave away Goody loot bags to Claudia's chosen winners :) Xanti wanted to announce the winners, hay bata. 

What I wore to the presscon. Jenna told me to wear yellow and pink... so, I did! Haha I super love themed events!

***Shots from the photo shoot when Claudia's ate Julia visited her! Bottom photo's a "teleserye" pose according to Julia haha! Aren't they both so pretty??? Gaaaa I swear I love their faces, I wish my future daughters would look like them (hoping? haha!).

With Goody Girl herself, Jenna Sy and Claudia's stylist Alyanna Martinez

Benefit Makeup: Posie and Cha Cha Tint

If you read my previous blog, I mentioned that wearing a lot of makeup in this summer heat is terrible! Makeup melts too soon, mascara clumps, eyeliner smudges, lipsticks chap your lips, concealer cakes and eyebrow makeup fades... IT'S ANNOYING. EMBARRASSING!

This is the reason why I barely wear makeup now, I just conceal my under eyes, fill in my brows, put mascara, lipstick (I moisturize my lips whole night and morning so my lips won't chap), blush and highlighter.

I've always known Benefit's famous tints but never bought since I feared that it will be sticky or greasy. Yeah unfair me, I didn't even try and thought of these! Thank God I was able to try Cha Cha Tint at #alyannasfitnessparty where everyone gets to try and test how Benefit tints last even after an intense workout. 

Since's i'm tan, Cha Cha works for me and blends better with my skin. I tried it, and fell in love with it because it lasted the whole night despite our heavy activity in the fitness party! To add to this, I loved how it added glow on my cheeks that I didn't need to highlight anymore. I got my own bottle and now this is what I use everyday! I love how it stays the whole day despite the heat and sweat, there's no need to retouch at all. 

In another fitness party, I won Posie Tint! SO HAPPY!!! 

I know Posie Tint is better with fair skin but tan women can also wear it! It gives a lighter, more natural blush effect since shade is pink and it doesn't shout "I'M WEARING BLUSH!". I like wearing Cha Cha Tint when I want to get a sun kissed skin effect while Posie Tint is perfect for "no makeup look". Below is a swatch of both tints for your reference.

I would say both shades are my favorite! It's just a matter of knowing what kind of look I want to achieve to know which shade i'll wear. Otherwise, I love how natural both look when worn and best of all, they're perfect for me because I don't need to retouch my blush all day!

How to apply it? A tiny piece of paper that comes with the box would teach you how. And knowing the Benefit makeup artists, they would love to teach you too. Key is, you spread it right away when the tint touches your skin because it dries fast causing delay on blending to leave a map mark on your cheeks (which I'm sure you wouldn't want).

There are 2 ways to apply tints on cheeks:

1. Put a small amount of tint on your finger then blend on apples of cheeks in circular motion. I prefer using my index and middle fingers.

2. Using the cap brush, apply 3 tiny dots on your cheeks and use fingers to blend well. Again, blend right away to avoid unwanted tint marks.

Benefit tints can also be used on your lips! Apply 3 dots on upper and lower lips then apply :) You get natural healthy looking lips!

My everyday makeup and OOTD

I used to just post makeup photos only but lately, i've also been posting my "ootd" shots :) 

I'm just being a girl! I enjoy dressing up, and matching my hair and makeup with my outfits. But in this summer heat, wearing makeup is a total challenge. Because of this, I play with lipstick shades everyday and I make sure to match my lip color with my outfit! haha 

My daily makeup recipe:

Concealer: Kat Von D in medium 26

Powder: Mac Sheer Loose Powder in NC30

Eyebrows: Mac Espresso or Inglot matte 357 + Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel or Brunette

Mascara: Mac Haute and Naughty 

Then blush and lips depend on my outfit! If i'm wearing pink lipstick, I use blush in pink shade, same if I go orange, coral, or brown. 

Sharing some of my April OOTD photos with you :)

Top: Mango

Skirt: H&M

Bag: Celine luggage

Shoes: Aldo

Necklace: Gold Couture

Lipstick: Mac in Pink Pigeon

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Top: Mango

Skirt: Topshop

Bag: Gucci

Shoes: Vans

Necklace: Palawan pearls

Lipstick: Mac in Force of Love

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Top: Forever21

Skirt: Mango

Bag: YSL Cabas

Shoes: The Ramp

Lipstick: Mac in Runway Red

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Top: Bangkok

Skirt: H&M

Bag: Gucci hobo

Shoes: Tory Burch

Lipstick: Mac in Ruby Woo

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 Top: Mango

Shorts: Una Rosa

Lipstick: Mac in Fire Sign

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Dress: The Ramp

Bag: Givenchy Nightingale

Shoes: The Ramp

Necklace: @extremefinds_accessories (instagram)

Bracelet: Aldo

Lipstick: Chanel in Imagination

 --

Dress: Gift

Bag: Givenchy Nightingale

Shoes: Tory Burch

Lipstick: Mac in Creme de la Femme

 --

Top: Forever21

Skirt: Topshop

Bag: Michael Korse

Shoes: Schu

Lipstick: Mac in Hot Chocolate

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Top: Bangkok

Skirt: Forever21

Shoes: Michael Antonio

Lipstick: Mac in Honey Love

I think i'll start blogging per outfit soon! Hopefully I find enough time to do so :)

How I lost weight from 170lbs to 128lbs & how I try to maintain it

On left was me sometime 2004-2005, meaning, I would be 8-9 years younger than how I look now (on right). I know a lot will agree that I looked way older when I was younger. 

So this is my weight story...

I never liked rice growing up, you can rarely feed me rice. But at one point in my life, I was influenced by a friend to eat my favorite Pinoy delicacy isaw with rice swimming in vinegar, gross I know, but i'm sure a lot of you can relate. This was one of the few ways i'll eat rice but this became a habit, and before I knew it... I have already gained A LOT of extra weight. Worse, I wasn't eating healthy so my skin was also affected that it looked horrible with a lot of pimples. I was fat and it was very uncomfortable, I can't wear anything in trend because my tummy was big and so were my breasts (i'm sure you know that breasts are mostly fats, right?).

I tried so many diets but would never stick to any, I did a lot of activities I was interested in but my interests had limits so I would go a weight cycle which is also known as "yoyo diet", I will get thin then I will get fat, then thin, then chubby, then fat. I got tired. 

It was only when I reached 19 that I felt really uncomfortable to care to lose weight. I went on a crash diet and didn't eat for a month. YES, did not eat anything and only had clear soup... for one whole month. I was lazy to exercise so I knew that I can only lose weight through starvation. Well yeah I lost a lot of weight but I had to start eating, I started eating only vegetables then tried being lacto ovo. I even reached 110lbs but I think I looked too skinny and unhealthy (see below) so I had to introduce chicken and fish back to my diet since I was already feeling kinda weak.

When I started working, I had to start eating red meat so I have enough energy to work but I had to do this slowly because my tummy gets upset when I do and I can get constipated for days. I was able to keep my weight playing around 120-125lbs even if I eat meat and pretty much anything I wanted to, I just make sure that if I eat anything sinful today, I would behave the next few days or so. And then the same problem happens... I was gaining weight again, I think it was because I was getting older and my metabolism slowed down, well after all my crazy crash dieting i'm sure my system has been affected. Thank God I never tried to take anything oral though, it was just really my crazy diets. When I reached 24yo, I weighed 130lbs and I was able to maintain that until I was 26 (2010-2012). This is a lot better than my original 170lbs, RIGHT?... so I was still okay with that weight also considering I stand 5'6.

October 2012 when I got married, obviously there's honeymoon in every wedding so me and my husband went on a month vacation in the States and travelled West to East coast. I know, "US = GREAT FOOD in big servings" (at least compared to Manila). I didn't wanna spoil my vacation so I would eat in all the restaurants our families and friends told us to try. There was Halal Guys in New York on 53rd and 6th street where we kept going back to, you see me below with my bowl of Chicken & Gyro rice (I SWEAR, that is really yummy, just for $6). 

There was Shake Shack near our apartment in NY too!

Pink's in Los Angeles...

And a lot more restaurants. I mean, I don't blame them for selling really good food because at the end of the day, it was my fault I didn't have enough self control. I thought i'd just enjoy my vacation and lose all the weight when I go back to Manila. True enough, when I came back in January 2013, I was 152lbs, I got upset and conscious because I could see that my face was already so round and my clothes won't fit anymore, especially my jeans! Ugh, I was so scared to reach 170lbs again... I ran for an hour that same day I arrived. I never liked working out as I mentioned, nor running... But that day, I had something to focus on, I was so motivated to run and get rid of all those unwanted fats. I stopped eating carbs and started eating just veggies and fish. It wasn't such an easy thing to do but thank God, I now weigh 128lbs.

Now my challenge is to hopefully lose some more and maintain it because I don't want my body going on yoyo effect again, it's not healthy. I've learned to love running and I do it almost every night since I got back from our vacation, I also try to do other activities like Zumba and Bikram Yoga just so there's variations in my exercise and I won't easily lose interest. I think maintaining weight is a lot harder than losing them, I envy those who were born skinny, it's always so much effort for people born with big bones to lose weight and be fit. Motivation, focus and dedication, that's all we need.

 I decided to write about this because I want to inspire other people, especially women, and I think this would also serve as my motivation to my weight loss project.

In love with Casino Femme pensprays!

There was a time we were all addicted to hand sanitizers dangling on our bags. Now is the time for a change, a change to be more classy and feminine!

Sharing with you this ad I produced for Casino Femme featuring Sam Pinto.

A commercial directed by my husband Richard Ang.

Sam was very pleasant to work with. Shooting this ad was a piece of cake because of her charm and beauty. And migod, she is so sexy! We didn't need to retouch anything in the video! Au naturale!

I really love Casino Femme, all their variants smell great and my hands don't dry because of its Dual Moisturizer ingredients. It also makes my hands smell good for a long time! Plus, I love how the penspray was designed to be handy yet classy and girly! I love its glittery design too! :) Take note, the pensprays are refillable and reusable! They are perfect for our tiny little purses even the littlest ones we bring with us to gimmicks and parties. Perfect, right? We should never sacrifice our hygiene!

In fact, this is the only alcohol that got me hooked because the scent is really fascinating and the moisturizing ingredients make my hands feel softer.

It truly is the perfect blend of strong but gentle!

Casino Femme is available at your local supermarkets and drugstores :)

TELL ME HOW YOU LIKE CASINO FEMME, I MIGHT GIVE AWAY FREEBIES! :)

Director: Richard Ang

Producer: Lei Hosseinzadeh Ang

Production Design: Mickey Hirai

Makeup: Lala Flores

Stylist: Alyanna Martinez

Cinematographer: Jun Aves

Assistant Director: Manman Angsico

3 minute glowing skin: A substitute to makeup highlighter

Face has its natural depth and contours, but we can't avoid that sometimes our face look flat especially on photos. This is when the role of highlighter comes in, it adds more definition to areas we apply it on and it gives us an instant youthful glow. Contouring is basically adding shadows on face to soften certain features while highlighting is for defining the others to make them stand out. Highlighting also takes away eyes from the fake shadows we create from makeup contouring.

Makeup highlighter is slowly being discovered by more women, the thing is, not all know where and what shade to get so I came up with a convenient substitute! You want a highlight that's pearly and a few shades lighter than your skin tone. You may try to use this sub first before getting a highlighter or you never know, you might not even need to get at all, anymore when you learn my trick! 

www.virginiaolsen.com

EASY & QUICK SMOKEY EYES x VIRGINIA OLSEN

Learning how to do smokey eyes isn't easy. My friends would always ask how to choose which colors to go with what colors and how to blend them properly. 

I wanna make our lives easier so I made a tutorial using Virginia Olsen Minerals eyeshadow in 2 shades only! This is a quick and easy way of doing smokey eyes and would definitely go with any look.

Virginia Olsen eyeshadow is pigmented making the colors pop out and last the whole night! In fact, I wore this makeup from morning til night and it didn't even smudge or crease. P150/pot is definitely worth it!

VIRGINIA OLSEN MINERALS EYESHADOW USED:

Crescent Moon

Blackstar Blue

EYELINER:

Mac Fluidline in Black track

MASCARA:

Mac Haute & Naughty Too Black

CHEEKS:

 Mac Cosmetics - Super Continental

LIPS:

Tom Ford - Flamingo