How I Do My Make Up feat. Dara Beauty Market

Posted on March 18, 2015 by issaplease

Make up and fashion are two things that always go hand in hand and never without the other. As much as I love a bare face, I have to admit that applying make up is something I do religiously before doing a shoot to put my whole look together.

Recently I was able to do an eyeliner tutorial, but for this post I’m going to go into full detail on how I do my whole face for photo shoots using Korean beauty products purchased from Caffe Dara Beauty Market.

Step 1:

Start with a bare face.

To properly remove my make up, I used Nature Republic’s Forest Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Oil [P 250.00]. Used as a face wash, this product removes any trace of make up or dirt on the face, saving me so much time and energy in removing my make up. I hate it when I have to use face wash and then tons of make up remover to remove everything. This product does all of that in one go!

Step 2:

Apply a base.

Innisfree’s Olive Real Essential Rich Oil [upon inquiry] is a base that has an overall effect on your make up by making your skin glow a lot brighter. Some make up tends to dry out your skin but this product helps lessen that problem. If you have naturally oily skin then you might want to skin this step.

Step 3:

Conceal!

There’s no denying it, I need all the concealer I can get with my dark eye bags and uneven skin tone (from years of tennis/ swimming and any sport I could get into). But at the same time, I also need something light enough to enable my skin to breathe while still doing its job. With Face Shop’s Dual Veil Radiance Concealer (P 460.00), the inconsistencies in my skin are cleared out giving the illusion (yes, illusion) of even and smooth skin.

I top it off with Tony Moly’s BCDation with SPF30 PA ++ (P850.00) and any loose powder to lock everything in place and to avoid looking blotchy. Others prefer to use foundation before concealer but I’ve always done my make up like this and I’ve always been satisfied with the end results.

STEP 4:

CONTOUR & BLUSH

I found a really convenient way to do my contouring and blush on at the same time! By using the Holika Holika Love Fantasy blusher (P300++), I can contour my face and add blush on without having to take out so much make up since it comes in one tiny and not to mention cute container.

When it comes to contouring, there are different ways to do it depending on your face and preference. I usually like to work around my cheek bones, below it, my hairline and my jawline. This is to make my face look skinnier and to give it more details especially during shoots.

STEP 5:

BROWS

This set is a lot harder and took a lot of time and practice to get right. I won’t say perfect since I still need a lot of practicing to do but decent enough to frame my face.

For my brows I use Holika Holika’s Wonder Drawing Eyebrow pencil (P150.00), Mamonde’s Natural Cake + Eyebrow kit (P480.00) and TwistUp (P650.00). If you want to see how I do my eyebrows then let me know, I’d gladly do a make up video for you guys! ^_^

STEP 6:

EYE & LIPS

For my eyes, I’m currently obsessing over Tony Moly’s Backstage Gel Liner (P400.00) and Tony Moly’s Delight Circle Lens Mascara (P150.00). I recently did a tutorial on how I do my eyeliner with Faceshop’s All About Simple Liquid Liner (P150.00) but I still use the same technique with my gel liner so I’ll just go ahead and post the link here for your convenience. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIEQyMAS-Pg

As for my lips, I use Berrisom’s Oops My Lip Tint (P650.00) that comes in various colors. What I love about this lipstick is it works as a lip stain, so I don’t need to worry about constantly reapplying my lipstick. Honestly, I’m not a big lipstick fan so the faster I can get away with it, the better.

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And there you have it! A fully made up face, ready for a night out/ party or in this case, an outfit shoot.

For those who are on a tight budget, don’t worry, you don’t need to spend so much in one go to complete your set. I built mine over the span of a few months and I’m really happy that I chose to invest in quality make up. I used to use a lot of cheap stuff on my face which led to a lot of problems in the long run but these Korean brands are perfect for our Filipino skin and most of them are Paraben-free or mineralized which is great for those who have sensitive skin.

Here are more photos:

Dara Beauty Market (@darabeautymarket on Instagram and Caffe Dara on Facebook) sells authentic Korean cosmetics at cheaper prices. Make sure to follow them on their social media accounts to find out what products they have for grabs or you can drop by their store at Caffe Dara located at One Kenji Place, first street La Guardia, Salinas Drive, Lahug.

See you guys there!

xx,

Issa ❤

All I’ve Ever Been Was Candid feat. Jade Caballo Photography

Posted on March 9, 2015 by issaplease

Recently, my friends and I have been trying to figure out what kind of personalities we possess whether we’re controllers, feelers, entertainers, thinkers. Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed the different sides of ourselves accompanied by many, many tests to determine which traits distinctly describe the type of people we are.

Paolo will tell you all that I am a feeler based on the many, many times I’ve cried over a run over cat or from losing at NBA 2k15. My friends will tell you that I’m an entertainer based on how I enjoy being the life of the party and love for pleasing people. While on the other hand, people I work and have worked with will tell you that I’m a complete controller and that if I could do everything on my own, I would.

We took the tests and all my results pointed towards the direction of me being a controller first, entertainer second, thinker third and SURPRISE! SURPRISE! a feeler last. Honestly, none of this really matters but I just thought it would be fun to talk about since I really enjoyed discovering that part of myself over the past two weeks.

But really why am I talking about this?

Waking up in the morning and choosing what to wear takes a lot personality. My controlling side will tell me to fix my hair; have my top altered or maybe even pre- plan an entire months worth of outfits, my thinking side will base my outfit decisions on the occasion or on the weather, my entertainer side will often consider an outfit’s audience impact while my feeler side (or perhaps, the lack of it) will just not give a fck about if I want to put make up or a decent outfit on or not. Having said this makes me believe more and more that no one can ever have just one distinct style.

Writing this blog, I feel like I really want to talk about one thing but I am finding myself talking about another because my thinker side is telling me that this might not be the right outlet for my emotions as of the moment.

So I will leave you all with this, be whoever you want to be whether it is someone who uses their heads too much (or hardly at all), someone who loves the company of others, someone who likes to take the lead or even someone who is compassionate even when others cannot see the need for your kindness.

And for the love of God, dress however you want to dress and don’t let trends dictate you!

Hope you’re loving this set and the silly sides of me that Jade Caballo has captured beautifully. I always love it when they let me be the goofball that I am and especially when they capture it in photos!

And if you haven’t yet, check out our first set of photos by Jing Pascual.

P.s. CONGRATULATIONS, JING! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and many children to take lots of photos of. They are lucky kids!! ❤ I’m so happy for you and your beautiful mermaid wife (whom I wish to meet soon!) Lots of love!

xx,

Issa

Little Miss Sassy Pants

Posted on March 3, 2015 by issaplease

There are certain secrets when it comes to dressing such as:

1. You don’t always need to spend a fortune on nice clothes

2. The persevere shall prevail

3. Satin is always a good choice until it begins to look like pajamas

4. Somewhere, out there, the perfect pair of denim pants is waiting for you. Unless you’re 100% sure that you’ve found them- don’t stop looking.

5. Nobody cares if your dress is white & gold or black & blue but both actually do make a good color combination.

6. Always have more than 1 pair of nipple patches to spare. You will be grateful you have them.

7. There is no harm in lazy dressing.

So I guess this is what a typical working day for me would look like if I had more pants in my life. I love these babies to death but don’t count on me wearing them every single day- Cebu just isn’t the right place for that.

Silk Top: Let’s Stylize| Ripped Jeans: Let’s Stylize| Sandals: Happy Heels

Photos by Val Gabutan

xx,

Issa

Nuts, Bolts, Screws, Locks, Lights

Posted on February 17, 2015 by issaplease

Quick shoot without any regard of my background, whatsoever. But I do appreciate how these small pieces add a little bit of texture to my background.

Thought I’d show everyone what I’m wearing to the office today since it’s simple, cute and fuss free. Perfect for anyone who’s looking for something quick and chic to wear with very little time to spare. That’s how I’ve been dressing lately.

Not to mention, I always make sure that my garments are light weight since the summer heat has already started to kick in.

I highly doubt that rompers will ever go out of style but just in case they do, I’m opting for solid, basic colors so I can easily revive them in my wardrobe when they are long gone from the fashion scene.

Also, choosing to mix navy blue and gold wasn’t a shabby choice either. It’s the perfect mixture of youthfulness, sophistication and professionalism- just the right mix of what I need today.

I’m definitely ready for an afternoon full of meetings and client visits. So… fun…

Hope your day is as productive as mine!

xx,

Issa

Dressing Up For The Not So Grown Up

Posted on February 3, 2015 by issaplease

Style My Bump! Just kidding, I’m not pregnant, my belly is just bigger than it usually is and I thought I’d call it out before any of you skinny b*tches did it first. (Channeling my inner Fat Amy) 😉

Peace and love to everyone in the world! tralalalalaaaaa

I have such a hard time dressing up especially when it’s for formal occasions and especially when it comes to work! My days working in Accenture were probably the worst fashion-wise, because I was still having a hard time deciphering whether I wanted to dress like a kid or an adult. Hence, a bunch of weird throwback photos of me in what I liked to believe was “office wear”.

But now, at the refined age of 2_, I’m slowly beginning to learn that you can mix style and youth with business! So here are a few tips of when trying to dress up without looking too grown up:

1: White out. White is always my go to color when I want to add a bit of formality and sophistication to my look. I usually prefer chiffon white tops because it also adds a light touch of daintiness while letting my clients know that I mean business but I’m still a woman so treat me like one!

2. Meet halfway. This is particularly meant for the length of skirts. I love a micro mini as much as the next girl but in business, you want to leave enough for the imagination and let your mouth do the talking for you (especially if you’re trying to close a good deal!). I prefer my skirts either full length or mid length either an inch above my knees or below it.

3. Bling ENOUGH. I for one am not a huge accessory girl which I find very convenient since sometimes when meeting clients, too much accessories can be such an eye sore. Stick to the essentials: a pair of earrings, a nice necklace (chunky is OK) and a watch. Leave your piles of bangles and necklaces for a night out with girls. We need you to look classy.

4. Comb Your Hair. Take my word for it (although I can never remember to comb mine!). Professionals should look kept so pull your look together not just through your clothes but with your overall look.

5. Be subtle with your color pops. It’s important that your look seems put together and well thought of without looking like you tried too hard. With color pops, it’s best to pick something that pops but isn’t too distracting for the eye. Also, please do not let your color pop be your color or underwear! In this look, I chose to wear these lemon colored boat shoes because they look classy but the colors is bright and youthful without being too much of an eye sore.

6. Have An Alternative. I’m a whopping 4’11” and I look absolutely horrible in denim jeans and flats. So unless you’re willing to lug yourself in jeans and heels the whole day then you might want to think of an alternative for that. Mine are black colored leggings (but please remember the leggings rule: it should cover your crotch!) or loose drawstring pants that kind of look like pajama’s. Fine, the second choice probably isn’t so efficient but it’s definitely better than the whole world noticing how short and chunky your legs are!

Take a shopping day off, even if you don’t intend to buy anything. Just try on a bunch of clothes so you get a better idea of what suits you or not. You’ll be so happy that you got to know your body more and it is always useful for future reference plus shopping is so much fun! 🙂

Top & Bottom: Local Department Store find| Shoes: People Footwear

xx,

Issa

Relaks, Puso Lang ‘Yan, Malayo Pa Sa Bituka

Posted on December 30, 2014 by issaplease

Hey everyone! Here’s a quick post before I cap off the year with my annual year ending post. 10 years blogging- YEEEY!

I hardly ever do product reviews but this organizer is just too cute to not feature on my blog!

This year, I’ve finally decided to let go of the slightly overrated Starbucks planner and go for something more interesting and functional, at the same time. I usually use two organizers every year because I like to separate my work life and my personal life (or maybe because I’m a loser like that, who knows) but I will only be featuring this beaut for obvious reasons.

The “Relaks, Puso Lang ‘Yan, Malayo sa Bituka” Planner 2015

(Don’t ask me what this translates to in English or Bisaya)

I was very lucky this year to be gifted this organizer by a good friend of ours. It’s witty, colorful, lightweight and entertaining all at the same time.

Seriously, I was going through this thing at the airport and I kept laughing, people thought I was gonna go crazy!

If you’re a hopeless romantic or if you just have a knack for quirky things then you will definitely enjoy this organizer.

Almost every page is filled with interesting lines and illustrations which are bound to keep you busy on days when you’re bored and you’ve got nothing on you but your trusty friend.

One of the things I really love about this organizer is how space efficient it is. I’ve never used an organizer as small as this before and I thought that I would have a hard time with it but so far, I haven’t had any problems at all!

For those who are wondering, each entry is lined so if you’re OC like me then you’ll appreciate this small but useful gesture.

** I hope someone makes left handed organizers next year. **

Find out more about The Relaks, Puso Lang ‘Yan, Malayo Sa Bituka 2015 organizer and how to order your own organizer on their

Facebook page

wittywillsavetheworld@gmail.com

+63 906 465 2191

@titawitty

Price: P 480.00

P 520.00 in leading bookstores

Have a great rest of the year, everybody! :*

xx,

Issa

PHOTO DIARY: I Went To Manila For The Burgers!

Posted on December 27, 2014 by issaplease

Ok, totally kidding about the burger bit! But yes, they were a great part of my recent Manila trip!

I don’t get to travel a lot due to financial and time constraints but since it was my dearest uncle’s birthday, I decided to not let the opportunity pass me and I went to big, bad Manila on my own… for the very first time! #whimp

Here are some of the photos from my trip. I hope you enjoy!

8 Cut Burger. Awesome. Love it. 8/ 10

MIA: Bata. Buti nga. har.

Love you guys!

Just like my boyfriend

The Proposal Garden @ Tagaytay. Don’t get any ideas.

I dreamed of this place.

Family – some

Don’t get the salad.

Mostly what my weekend consisted of: Eating, sleeping and lots of drinking

BEST FREAKIN’ MEXICAN PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!

Reminded me of my sitter 😐

This post is making me soo hungry!

xx,

Issa

So You Wanna Organize Your Own Event?

Posted on December 25, 2014 by issaplease

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I hope you had a great Christmas surrounded by friends and family like I did! 🙂

As we all know, this season is all about parties and events and as I promised in this post, I am going to share a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the past few years of organizing and working in events. Just so you know, event organizing is not my main source of income but of course, I do it every once in a while when I get the chance to.

I was recently asked to help work on the Great Cebu Closet Sale last November 29- 30 at The Marco Polo hotel. During this event, we aimed to sell as many branded pre- loved clothes as we could in order to raise enough money to buy equipment for the Cebu City Medical Center which is currently under construction.

It was a very successful event and even though there was so much work put into it, I enjoyed every single second of it because I was surrounded by amazing people and clothes, at the same time!

I started working on events when I was in my third year in college. Although I had worked on a few smaller events in high school and earlier years in college, I got my big break back while I was a Junior studying nursing. Since then, I’ve been able to work for other prestigious event organizers in the city and organize a few on my own which you can see here: [PORTFOLIO]

I’m not an organizing extraordinaire but I’ve picked up a few lessons which I think would be helpful for anyone when planning small parties or gatherings and eventually, bigger things!

[ 1 ] BRAINSTORM

Pre- planning is always the most important part of anything. During this phase you get the chance to practice your creativity and find out the basics that you will be needing. Mostly this consists of:

THEME of your party:

NUMBER of people/ WHO to invite:

VENUE of event:

THINGS NEEDED:

BUDGET:

[2] CANVAS

I usually find this the most tiring but most useful part in the end. This is when you start canvassing the things you need for the party like the venue which is in line with your budget, the cheapest materials (whether it be tables, chairs, sound systems, balloons, hosts, etc.) and whatever else you have on your list.

It’s always a good thing to keep a directory of all the resources you’ve collected because trust me, it will come in handy one day!

[3] VERIFY & HAVE A BACK UP PLAN

Sometimes things go down the drain and sh*t happens so I find it best to double check, verify & secure everything I need and have proof of whatever transactions I’ve done just in case I might need it. This includes receipts, text messages, emails and etc. which might come in handy in cases of need. Then, there are times when you just can’t control certain circumstances and you are pushed to think of something else… and fast! I find this the hardest to compensate for but you’ve gotta do it anyways so for instances of parties, I find it best to have a back up plan at someone’s house or elsewhere just in case reservations don’t push through.

This is when your directory becomes useful.

[4] MAKE SURE TO HAVE FUN

I feel like I always involve this element whenever I give talks or when I’m trying to give tips on this blog. I just really think that you shouldn’t do anything unless you enjoy it [despite the stressful situations] so this means, planning and executing everything properly so that you don’t end up suffering in the end.

I hope these tips are useful and if you guys need any help, ideas or contacts, feel free to leave a message or contact me through my social media accounts!

Merry Christmas again! ❤

xx,

Issa

Hobo? Boho?

Posted on November 2, 2014 by issaplease

I’ve always been a huge fan of layering which is unfortunate because I live in such a humid city. Sometimes, I go against the weather and go full boho despite the weather because… I’ve just got to let that girl out, you know?

Because I knew I was going to spend the entire day at the mall, I decided to stick to light materials- as hot as this outfit looks, it’s actually really breezy and lightweight!

A lot of people are going to tell you that you need to dress a certain way or look at you differently when you step out of the norms- but if you feel good in what you’re wearing, that’s really the only thing that should matter.

I get teased a lot for being too “fashown” by people who I honestly could care less about. The more I’ve been getting into blogging, the more people think they are entitled to their own opinion about me… as if I knew them or they knew me.

I guess people will always want to have an opinion (even if it’s wrong and stupid) but it’s up to us to choose which ones are logical enough to be given our time of the day.

So chin up, young ones! Don’t let anyone or anything phase you.

Hat: Cotton On| Crop top: Forever 21| Skirt: Let’s Stylize

xx,

Issa

Simply Issa

Posted on October 11, 2014 by issaplease

Happy Saturday!

A month or so ago, I was invited by a friend of mine, Ryan Orcullo of Ryan Orcullo photography to do a fun shoot with him and another photographer friend of ours, both whom I had met during one of my Google events.

We wanted to try a shoot we haven’t done before and since I’ve done street fashion countless of times, high fashion was the way to go!

This shoot was done downtown, Cebu where most of our historical landmarks are located. We had to shoot fairly early in the morning to avoid the 12 o clock sun and since this was done downtown, I got a lot of weird and curious glances which was a pretty funny and equally great experience!

Here are my favorite shots from the set:

At the Magellan’s Shrine

Shoots like this take a lot of diversity in posing and I’ll admit, so far, I’ve only mastered the “hair-in-my-hair/ aray-ang-sakit-ng-ulo-ko” poses which you’ve probably gotten a handful of already. lol

Posing with a long dress was also a bit tricky because I really had to work with my body and try to create as many silhouettes as possible so I did a lot of bending and twisting of my body to add a bit of a form.

And since you can’t see my legs, I had to play with my arms a lot which… totally explains why I had to overuse my “signature” pose. HAHAHA

I find it very important to find your comfort zone when shooting because then your poses become much more fluid and your smiles also come out so much more naturally. And when you feel like you’re getting a bit rusty, feel free to let loose and be a bit goofy so you get your momentum back.

I’m a fairly awkward person so I do this A LOT!

What do you think about this set? 🙂

Special thanks to:

Ryan Urcullo (photography)

Hans Perez (photography)

Julie Ann Sollano (make up)

Have a happy weekend, everyone!

xx,

Issa

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