TOPAZ HORIZON

Unlike our mystery tourist, I always travel light.

My weekends now always start on Thursdays, dahlin'!

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My birthday giveaway #1!

Ni-QUA is throwing a fab event called "Bespoke Your Ni-QUA" on November 22-23 at Century City Mall. Bespoke means customized to your specific preferences so if you're a budding designer, here's your chance to have a one-of-a-kind all leather bag!

And because it's my birthday, I'm going to give you a chance to bespoke your Ni-QUA for free!

1. Follow Ni-QUA on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. 
2. Grab one of the Bespoke Ur NiQUA photos from their website. 
3. Post that photo on Instagram and tell Ni-QUA your peg when you design your own Bespoke Ur NiQUA. For example, I'd say, "I want my #BespokeUrNiQUA bag to be red, white and blue!"
4. Use the hashtag #BespokeUrNiQUA!
5. Tag @NiQUAshop and @francesasales. You have to tag me because I'm choosing the winner!

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Thought of my Vince when I watched this video. When I met my husband, he had long hair, wore puka shells around his neck, and was ripped from his neck, arms, back, butt, thighs and legs. I think maybe even his toes had muscles haha. He was a mountain climber. And a wall climber. And all he wore were tie-dyed shirts and pants. And North Face.



Babe, I'd have loved to see you shop in this store. I'm sure you'd have shown me some moves! Mwah!

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I just discovered what is perhaps the best account on Instagram that's all about style, glamour, shopping and travel!

Folks, follow Barbie's Instagram account!

Selfie!

Outfit posts!

Travel pics!

A day in the life of a working woman!

Incredible fashion from top designers and stylists!

It's very new. Just one month old but Barbie is so delighted that she already has 300,000+ followers. I can only dream of 300,000 followers. Fashion IG accounts seem to be very popular and I'd do OOTDs but, with my current job description (mom of three little boys), good luck to any outfit surviving a day without getting barfed/vomited/wiped/smeared on!

How about you? Who's your favorite fashion Instagrammer?

*photos from Barbie's Instagram account

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Meet my gorgeous sister-in-law, Rose. She loves the Topaz Clutch by Ni-QUA. I love it, too. I love the girl carrying it, too! Thanks so much for being my first known customer, Rose! Mwah!

If you bought my clutch collaboration with Ni-QUA, send me a photo! I'd love to see how you styled it! I want to take photos of myself with it, too, but I'm still kinda pudgy in my mid-section haha. Let me lose the post-pregnancy flab first!

Anyway, please click the links to shop for my Topaz Clutch. It's only P1,395!
I want the brown!
I want the pink!

P.S. I have a giveaway, too! Just scroll down to the next post to find out how to win your very own Topaz Clutch!


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Dearest loyal blog readers, you've been telling me over and over again in the last three years to sell bags again. So, because you love me and I love you, meet the Topaz Clutch!

I'm so thrilled to finally show them to you!

The Topaz Clutch was born from a collaboration with local brand Ni-QUA. If you've been reading my blog recently, you'll be familiar with Ni-QUA because I super love their leather products. Genuine leather, quality craftsmanship, friendly prices. I've stopped longing for foreign brands because local ones are really amazing! That's why I just had to ask Ni-QUA to make my dream come true with this collaboration!

Look at the first two bags from my Topaz Collection:

Brown and basic. For the classic woman who doesn't want a big bag to hide her outfit.

Made of soft and smooth, buttery sheep leather. Features a tassel and gold hardware.

Fits all your essentials! (These are mine!)

The pink version is for the woman who loves a little whimsy.

The pink leather tassel adds fun and flair!

Fits an iPad and a lipstick. Two of my other essentials haha!

They're so pretty, I can't stand it! I love them both so much! Please love them, too! Buy a clutch or both from Ni-QUA! Each clutch is only Php 1,395. Pretty inexpensive for something so pretty and perfect!

Click the links to shop:
I want the brown!
I want the pink!

Thanks! Now, Ni-QUA and I are feeling generous and we'll give away two clutches. One brown and one pink! Here's all you need to do:

1. Be a fan of Ni-QUA! Like their Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter. Follow them on Instagram. I'm going to check if you liked Ni-QUA, okay?
2. Grab any photo from this blog post and share it on your social media accounts. Tell us which bag you want and why. 
3. Use these hashtags: #topazclutch and #niquashop. It's so we can see your entry!
4. You don't need to share on all your social media accounts (we don't want you to spam your friends), but it will help me a lot if you can leave a comment below telling me if you shared on FB, Twitter or on IG.  

Ni-QUA and I will pick one winner of the brown clutch and one winner of the pink clutch. Contest ends on September 15. Contest is open only to those with a Philippine address. Okay, that's it. Good luck!

Meanwhile, if you don't believe in luck, just buy straight from Ni-QUA's online shop and be one of the first with a Topaz Clutch!


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When I need dresses for work events and gowns for special occasions, my first stop is always KARIMADON. My love affair with the 34-year-old Pinoy fashion brand started on my high school graduation and grad ball way back in 1994. When I started working, I also bought my corporate attire from KARIMADON. Even when I was pregnant, it's still KARIMADON for me!

Wore a regal red KARIMADON dress to Elaine and Russell's wedding.

Now, with the launch of KARIMADON Brides, it really is the only fashion retail brand that can provide a woman with stylish options from high school prom to weddings and beyond! Speaking of weddings, my friends at KARIMADON are super excited to announce that they are working with fashion designer Eric Delos Santos for KARIMADON Brides. Eric is known for the dresses he's created for celebrities, beauty queens and other chic personalities, and now, Eric's bridal creations are available to all of us! (Well, all of you since I'm already married!) Just look at these lovely gowns!

I love this pink-hued gown. So Gwen Stefani!

Must have this!

Sooo pretty and romantic, right? KARIMADON also offers special alteration services so that every bride and her entourage will enjoy a perfect fit. Brides may also select their own colors (from available choices) to match their motifs. All collections under the KARIMADON Brides line range from P18,000 to P70,000. So there's a dress that will fit any kind of budget!

I may not be a bride or a bridesmaid but I think I'll go and buy that mauve gown anyway! See you at KARIMADON!

KARIMADON Brides Wedding Gowns are now available in Glorietta 1, Ayala Fairview Terraces, SM Megamall, Robinsons Galleria and Ermita stores. The Collaboration Collection of Eric Delos Santos Wedding Gowns for KARIMADON Brides will be available starting September 2014 in Glorietta 1, Ayala Fairview Terraces, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, Robinsons Galleria and Ermita stores.

Last night, I blogged about listening to sleepy, sad music. What I forgot to share (and it's really worth sharing!) is how I listen to my music.

In style!

But of course. Thanks so much to my absolutely luxe Molami Bight earphones.
You might think that an earphone is an earphone is an earphone. Like, it's all the same. Nope. These earphones not only make listening to music look sophisticated, the sound quality that comes out of its tiny, gold-plated earbuds is also actually sophisticated.

Molami is the baby of industrial designer Maria von Euler. While developing Molami, Maria wanted headphones for women—nope, she didn't mean cute and pink. She wanted a marriage of fashion and beauty, a stylish accessory for us women that also flatters our face and neck, and complements our hairstyles. Yes, headphones that complement our fab hairstyles! A big reason why I never used headphones, for example, is because they're ugly. Seriously. They either look juvenile, clunky, plastic, boring, obvious. Ugly. I have never met a headphone that I liked.

Until I met Molami. Just look at their headphones:

The Pleat. Light, sleek and made to flatter our jaw.

Made of napa leather and gold. Covers ears for complete sound isolation.

The Twine. It's designed to mimic a scarf/headband for a sound-surround experience.

Bandeau design is made of silk, satin and chiffon.

The Bight. For discrete style.

The Bight is the one I own. At first glance, it's all black napa leather and cord with gold. The earphones are designed to attach to the ear at two points. All other earphones just plug into the ear canal. After a while, the ear canal tires of the pressure.
The Bight has the EarClick System. The gold lace part goes into your ear canal while the soft nub (removable and washable) goes into the groove above the ear canal. Two support points! This way, my ears never get tired to listen to my music!

My earphones are made of black napa leather and gold. Other versions are white napa and gold, black stingray and silver, and black napa and black hardware.

Woven black cord and gold hardware. So simple, so classic, so luxe!

My earphones pack into a canvas pouch. Can't keep them in plastic because plastic deteriorates leather and I have to also protect the gold parts from getting scratched when I put it in my tote bag.

The Bight is meant for commuters so it doesn't completely block out the environment. In my case, I work from home but I need to keep an ear out for my little kids and the doorbell and all the house stuff that can't be ignored. And yet the sound that comes out of my tiny Bight speakers is strong, clear and whole. Not tinny or scratchy or hollow.

I especially like the Bight because it makes voices sound so distinct—very important to me when I'm transcribing interviews. In fact, when I posted this on Facebook, it's my writer friends (not my music-lover friends) who got really curious!

Thanks to my son, Vito, for taking these photos of me and my Molamis!

Molami headphones are exclusively available at Rustans. For more information, like Digits Trading on Facebook.

Product photos from Molami website's press page.
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