TOPAZ HORIZON

This is my friend Nikki.

We met in 2007, when I hired her to be the Fashion & Beauty Editor of the magazine I edit.

This is the staff on a team building trip to Zambales.

Nikki, Lana and Joanna get silly in Zoobic. This is the only photo of Nikki "wearing" something not chica!

Nikki with Lana and me at the Cosmo Bachelor Bash in 2008.

We did the rounds of TV shows taking about celebrity style.

Here she is at the staff shoot in 2009.

She worked as a stylist (in heels no less!) for our staff shoot.

She's also a beauty columnist.

Nikki with Nicole and me at The Spa to do reviews.

Here we are again at a Lancome event. (I was pregnant!)

Or we do dinners and lunches at each other's homes.

Uber chic couple Nikki and Bern

Nikki's cloud gown.

Her entourage photo looks like a fashion editorial!

As you may have guessed from all the photos above, Nikki's a woman of many talents. One of those talents is her unerring knack to put together a completely stylish look. Everywhere Nikki goes--whether it's to a gala, a TV show, a lunch meeting or a dinner at home, she looks absolutely amazing. Not a hair out of place and always flawless. And she makes it look so effortless, too!

So we've been entreating, begging, nagging and pushing her to put up her own style blog. She's been giving us shopping, style and beauty advice for years and her tips are always unbelievably easy! I think my outfits drastically improved when we became friends to be honest. So wouldn't it be nice if she did the same for you?

Well, she finally agreed. Meet The Picky Dresser. In her words, she's "living life one outfit at a time!"
Do give Nikki a warm welcome to the blogging world!

Update, Sept 12, 2012: Nikki shut down her blog =(

Been gone a while, I know. Ever since we started on our little sideline, I've hardly had time to breathe! But today I was able to sneak in some eBay window shopping and oooh I fell in love with this clever bag:



It's the Kate Spade All Typed Up Clyde carry all. I love the bold red, the whimsical design. It's so retro-pop cool! I love it! So perfect for a writer. So perfect for me!

The price, however, is not so perfect. It's $695 or P29,850. Its retail price was $495 so I don't understand why the eBay seller jacked up the price. It's also in the US of A which means I'll have to pay extra for shipping. And someone already made an offer (I didn't know you can do that on eBay!) so by the time I save enough to buy it, it'd be long gone.

Sadness! Won't anyone out there buy it for me??? Here's the eBay listing. I really really really want it!!!

Or I can just go to a thrift shop, buy an old typewriter, take out the keys and glue it to my satchel! I think that, on the handmade leather satchel, it will look completely steam punk, though. What you think?

I love this!

Took me back to 2001. I was 24 years old, living in a one-bedroom unit along Shaw Blvd. Vince and I watched Moulin Rouge! at Megamall, the last full show. We walked out of the mall at half past midnight, the streets were deserted and a big bright full moon was high up in the sky, making the streets and buildings glow. We walked hand-in-hand down ADB Ave, then Vince twirled me about on San Miguel Ave, while we sang, "How wonderful life is now you're in the world!"

Life is wonderful indeed.

I'm a Harry Potter fan. Been reading those books for as long as I've been loving Vince. I read the first Harry Potter book the year I met Vince, in 1999.

I lined up early to get the next books first. I always read the books straight (six to eight hours each upon release) in one sitting, resulting to massive migraines. I dragged Vince all over London, chasing night buses and figuring out British coins and looking for Platform 9 3/4. I cried for two days when Dumbledore died. I watched all the movies. While waiting for the next book or the next movie, I read magazines and websites and enjoyed behind-the-scenes photos. I felt like an era ended when I finished the last book. And now, again, it's time to say good-bye.



For the magic, thanks, Harry Potter. Good-bye!

Good morning, folks! I know Mondays usually don't make anyone smile but I'm just happy to be well again. I've been sick the entire week last week and it was an especially bad time to be sick because the bags finally arrived from Batangas and I had to collect payment, then package the bags and send them out, and it was the deadest deadline week of the magazine I edit.

I was able to drag myself to the office on Thursday in a jacket and a scarf wrapped around my head and neck and make sure the August issue was put to bed on time, but as for confirming payments and sending out the bags? No such luck.

Thank goodness my customers have a sense of humor!

I was so stressed out because in the world of online business, once the customer pays, the item must be on her doorstep in 3 days max. Unless it's overseas, of course. Since all the bags were fully paid and I wasn't shipping them out at all, I was plagued by thoughts of my first customers thinking I ran off with their money!

I was able to send out a few bags, though. Here are the first reviews:

Thanks, Trixie, for the Transformers 3 tickets!

I'm sure Joy meant "bag". Damn auto-correct!

Hooray! And today I am finally feeling better! Vince and I packed 10 bags last night (we slept at 2am!) and will finish the rest this week. We're also starting on the prototype of the 14" and the second batch of orders. You haven't ordered yet??? Why, click here to do so now!

I am soooo excited! This is going to be a very good week. I feel so happy about life! May you have the same excitement and joy, dear reader!