The Caravan of Beautiful People (Stop over: QC)

jo fernandez-austria

wife to Chester, mom to Yoshi and Bootsie, lawyer by profession, blogger, writer, fashionista through and through (and not pretend!!)

i am blessed to have beautiful friends with very generous hearts.  as i previously blogged, i invited friends to share their beauty regimen/essentials, and i am overwhelmed with how responsive they have been.  at excited pa!  thanks jo for being the first one to join my Caravan. *hugs*

The Pie Project

Beauty … or the whole lack of it

This is for Pie’s new project for her blog. When she first asked me to blog about my beauty essentials, I was like: what beauty essentials? Ha ha. I told her, I’m so not the right person to write about beauty, you won’t believe how low maintenance I am when it comes to stuff like that. I’m the girl whose beauty regimen can be summed up in three words: wash and go. Ha ha.

I only ever learned to wear make-up in MWC bcoz it was required as part of the corporate look (they made us go thru a workshop with Abbygale Arenas and everything). Now I wear just a bit in my eyes on a daily basis so I don’t look too pale (unless I’m too lazy to do even just the eyes haha). If you ask me what make-up I use now, well, I alternate between the MAC and Clinique blush from Lani and Rosa (respectively), and I put on the black VS eyeshadow from Ate, the Dior lipstick whose official color is digital brown from my favorite aunt-in-law, plus some Guerlain mascara again from Lani (yes, she is My Most Chic Secretary Ever).

I can do my face in under five minutes. I’m so unconcerned about this that I used to do my make-up every morning in SM in front of Regina who would be sitting across my desk and telling me some adventure of his or the other from the night before. (He would sometimes dare to comment, like my lipstick is not even or something, and I’d glare at him and say, one, you’re a boy, and two, it’s my face!)

I do spend an inordinate amount of time taking hot baths in the tub, where I often scrub so compulsively you’d think I was trying to get rid of germs from the very core of my being. Ha ha. But I’m not particular about the stuff I use – Dove for my face (only bcoz my beloved derma Dr. Kim begged me to stop using Safeguard ha ha), and whatever body wash is available from my supply from Ate or my in-laws – VS, M&S, Bath and Body Works. Same brands for my lotion (since they come from the same persons ha ha). For perfume, I alternate among all those I have – Versace Red Jeans, Pleasures, Burberrys, Clinique Happy, Gucci Envy, VS & Bath and Body Works cologne. My next bottles in line are D&G Sicily, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Arden Beauty ,and Harajuku Lovers. I also share in the boys’ giant Nenuco on weekends. 

So wash, lotion, perfume, make-up if required or I’m otherwise in the mood – and that’s it, I’m good to go. Ches actually needs more time than me getting ready when we go out. Which is why I think I’m gonna stick to my short hair for some time – it’s so conducive to my whole wash and go philosophy.

If you noticed, I don’t spend on any beauty stuff and just rely on the generosity of my Ate, in-laws, and friends. About the only thing I buy is Pantene shampoo and conditioner, but that’s hardly a beauty product, right? I also go see Dr. Kim every three months or so, but not so much out of genuine concern for my skin as for the joy of being with his gay and fabulous self. Ha ha.

And so I tell Pie I’m so not the girl to write about beauty. But then she nags and says I can write about stuff like how I choose my clothes and shoes to wear at work everyday, and I read her blog and she writes about her bling bling and stuff. So I tell her, ok, now we’re talking. Ha ha.

Pretend Fashionista

I’ll come right out and admit it: I’m a big fashion whore. I love dressing up. I’m the type who finds joy in preparing an outfit, whether for any old day in the office or some special event, or an entire wardrobe for a trip. I’m happy to be in that stage where I already know what look I like and what works for me, and where I’m earning enough to sustain my vices (or most of them at least) without having to sacrifice my kids’ education fund.

I have my favorite brands, but I buy more for the look and feel rather than the label. I patronize certain brands not bcoz they’re expensive or snooty, but bcoz they have the style I like and quality that I’ve already tested. I wouldn’t think twice about grabbing something unbranded from a tiangge if I fall in love with it. My view is, it’s not who you’re wearing, it’s still who’s wearing it. I knew someone in my old office, for instance, whose daily outfit consisted of Pucci or Missoni dresses, Ferragamo pumps, Hermes bags, and diamonds the size of China. And yet none of these high-end brands significantly increased her hotness factor as far as I could tell. We all knew she was loaded, yes, but rich doesn’t necessarily translate to pretty, right?

One quirk I feel compelled to disclose is, I’m anti-fad. Hence, I don’t have gladiator sandals, cage shoes, the latest It bag, or any of those other trends that everyone else is going crazy over. It’s just my personality, I guess, to go against the grain like that – which also explains why I prefer indie movies to blockbusters and alternative to pop music, and stick with my vote for Gordon-Bayani even if I know they’ll never win in 60 million years, and refrain from blogging about Willie and Janjan and all those other burning issues that everybody and his dog have already publicly psychoanalyzed to no end. Whatever new thing the fashionable populace is already into – I’m so not there.

With that out of the way, I now try to answer Pie’s guide question. What I choose to wear depends on what I know will happen the next day. So if I have a board meeting or meeting with business partners or consultants, or some other oh so serious office event like that, then I have to put on my lawyer look. This consists of my good old reliable suits from Theme, or some trench coat dress types made by Toni who was referred to me by Monette in SM and who used to work with The Black Shop (he’s really good). But if there’s nothing special scheduled for the day and I can just stay in my room working away on my laptop, then I can wear my usuals – dresses, or tops with skirts or pants.

I love dresses bcoz they’re complete in themselves – you don’t have to pair them up with anything. And they’re so feminine, too. (So even if I’m being all Mean Girl in the office, I can still harbor the illusion that I’m all soft and demure bcoz I’m in my usual girly-girl dress. Ha ha.) I’ve blogged about my insane obsession with Mango dresses, but my other favorites include this blue one from Zara that’s corporate and funky both, the pink Julien MacDonald from Debenhams that I’d like to believe was meant for me (as payback for the cream version That Got Away from me two years ago), this silk one with a great cut from Iora, my jersey dresses from Dorothy Perkins, and several lovely pieces from Plaints and Prints (yes, proudly Pinoy). 

For tops, I’m partial to florals and flowing fabrics like silk, satin, and georgette, but I also have a lot of cotton. I have them in all colors and I NEED TO STOP buying any more blacks, whites, and dark blues coz I have way too much of these already. Most of my tops are from Kamiseta, Bayo, Plains and Prints, Mango, Topshop, and Forever 21 (even in my advanced old age of 35). Kamiseta has been My Absolute Favorite since high school. Rosa thinks their clothes are overpriced bcoz of all the overhead they spend on the spacious and expensively decorated stores, the exquisite paper bags, and I have to add the supermodel types and Hollywood actresses that they always use as models, plus the lovely cans they give away if you buy at a certain price level. I know Rosa is so right, but I also know that I’m not gonna stop hoarding stuff from Kamiseta anytime soon. I JUST CAN’T. It’s just one of those things.

The pants and skirts always follow what the tops dictate. I have my share of funky skirts and pants whose fit I really love, but I’m not insane over them the way I am with my dresses and tops.

A blog about clothes would not be complete if I don’t talk about My Love Affair With Jeans. Part of my claim to fame is that I’m one of probably only a handful – if there are any others at all – who took their LAE interview at the UP College of Law in jeans. (80% of that interview consisted of the panel dissing my informal wear. Duh. See if I care.) And one reason why I love my office so much is that we are allowed to wear jeans on Fridays. (I wore jeans all the time, too, in QT, MWC, and SM, but that was in blatant defiance of HR rules. Ha ha.) Also, one reason why I don’t wanna get pregnant again – or at least not just yet – is that I can’t bear to give up my skinny jeans. (Yes, I can be The Shallowest of The Shallow.) Jeans are so comfy and allow you to move any way you like. They are so forgiving and magically hide away all your bulges. Dresses and tops are great for sheer aesthetics, but jeans – jeans are True Love.

Shirts are the perfect pair for jeans, of course. My favorites are a ballerina, Little Mermaid, and several Hello Kittys from Ate, my Eraserheads shirts from Team Manila (I’m a fangirl forever), uber soft ones with flattering fits from Mango and Zara, and my oh so snooty three from Marc Jacobs.

And now for the shoes. I’m also always blogging about my stupid shoes. The way I choose which pair to wear is – I took a pix of all of them all lined up so I can just look at that and see what goes with a particular outfit. (Of course, I have to take new pix all the time since I’m always adding more and more to the line-up. Groan.) My shoes are all different styles – classic feminine types, as well as edgier, chunkier kinds. I love Enzo Angiolini, Nine West, Schu, Alberto, VNC, CMG. My Favorite Pair of All Time is a chocolate wedge from Zara. I’ve actually limited my usage of it to prolong its life span.

When it comes to bags, I’m guided by what Babette told me about Rachel Mc Adams, who was quoted in an interview as saying that she’d rather spend on travel than bags. Most of mine are just from Nine West, Guess, Lulu, Segue, Mango, Schu, plus Liz Claiborne and Our Tribe hand-me-downs from Mom (she had this thing for Our Tribe when she was still working). Ate also gave me a lot of dainty shoulder bags no bigger than purses from Liz Claiborne, Etienne Aigner, Nine West, Gap. What I really prefer are my Hello Kitty bags. Same thing with my watches. And even my jewelries. I’ll go to work bedecked in my Kittys every single day if I could just get away with it. 

My one decent watch is a lovely Guess thing with a flower face and pearl bracelet from Ate. My jewelries consist of what Mom supplied me with as I was growing up and those I’ve been buying on my own since QT. I always preferred dangling earrings. My favorite is this exquisite pair with multi-colored stones and diamonds in the shape of flowers. One of my friends in MWC was Ate Marlene who bought chunky jewelries fit for a queen as often as every week. (Gasp.) I kicked the habit when we had the house renovation and lived basically a hand-to-mouth existence. I used to not think twice about spending my entire month’s salary on a pair of pearl earrings. So perverse, I know.

Last year I was into belts. This year it’s bracelets. It’s only April but I’ve already amassed about 60 million bangles from Promod, Accessorize, XoXo. My favorite is still this dark wooden beauty that I coveted from Randy’s delicate wrist years ago. Somehow it clashes and looks imperfect with all my other accessories, but I wear it anyway. Perfection is highly overrated, if you ask me.

 One last thing. Pie said the blog should come with pix of me. So here’s me as taken by the eminent Wig Tysmans for the SM annual reports.

And here’s the real me (giggling and pigging out).

thank you sooo much jo! like what i emailed you --- salamat at kinarir mo itong contribution mo sa blog ko. super puper duper appreciated! you made my day so much happier. *hugs*