Summer is nearly over but I still can't get over the fact that I have a summery nail polish color named after my blog! Thanks so much, Girlstuff Forever! I'm so enjoying all these photos of the #BloggersEliteSummer Collection having a fun summer:
I also enjoyed it when nail art and nail polish enthusiasts posted their fabulous nails over on Instagram:
I'm so in love with the Girlstuff #BloggersEliteSummer Collection but I'm definitely most smitten by my bright and creamy yellow polish, Topaz Horizon! It's soooo ME—bright, bold, can't ignore and yet comforting and friendly.
Here are a few behind-the-scenes photos from the photo shoot of us bloggers (Nikki Tiu of AskMeWhats, Jackie Go of Go Jackie Go!, and Cristina Decena of Strutting on Sunshine).
It's been five weeks since I told you that I have a new nail polish color named after this fabulous blog. Have you gotten yourself a bottle of Girlstuff's Topaz Horizon yet?!? Please tell me you have a bottle of Topaz Horizon and you're wearing that fun and bold yellow hue on your nails!
I've been enjoying the various masterpieces that nail artists have been posting on Instagram using the #BloggersEliteSummer collection, which are four bright colors named after four fab blogs: AskMeWhats, Go Jackie Go, Strutting on Sunshine, and Topaz Horizon. I'd like to see your nails, too!
But I'll talk about those stunning nail art in another post. Right now, I want to share with you the party! It was so fun and cute and colorful and girly!
The media found this smorgasbord of treats!
I'm the yellow, Nikki Tiu is the pink.
My new friend Cristina Decena!
The party started with everyone getting nail art.
Here's mine! Topaz Horizon with an accent nail of confetti.
If you're anything like me, this set of photos will make your heart quicken.
Friends, these are the newest journals I've fallen in love with. Meet the Leuchtturm1917 journals. That's pronounced at LOYKT-term. Leuchtturm1917 is a stationery brand in Germany producing planners and journals for over 90 years and is available in more than 50 countries. This year, it arrived on local shores, thanks to National Book Store.
Leuchtturm1917 planners and journals are really nice. People ask me how they are compared to Moleskine and I actually have to say that I like the Leuchtturm1917 journals better. The paper is better. Thinner and lighter but doesn't bleed through. I guess it would depend on what pen also is used. The Leuchtturm1917 paper is designed for fountain pen use so if you're a fountain-pen lover, you might want to explore this new journal brand. I also like the contents page, page numbers, perforated pages, the bookmark, an inside cover pocket, and stickers for archiving and labeling. I'll do a more thorough review next month!
Yes, I can do a review because I am a proud owner of Leuchtturm1917 journals! National Book Store sent me one as a Christmas gift and I love it!
I now have two: the red that National Book Store gave me and an orange one because orange is my favorite color. Pink is also my favorite color so I want a pink one next. But seriously, I want them all. All!
And I want them all emblazoned with my name!!! For a limited time, you can visit Leuchtturm1917 pop-up corners at the following dates and branches to have your journals specially embossed for free:
May 4 in National Book Store, Greenbelt
May 8 in Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4
May 12 in National Book Store, Power Plant Mall-Rockwell
May 16 in National Book Store, Shangri-la Plaza
May 20 in National Book Store, SM Aura Premier
May 24 in National Book Store, Trinoma
May 28 in Powerbooks, Alabang Town Center
June 1 in Powerbooks, Serendra
Leuchtturm1917 planners and journals are available in selected National Book Store and Powerbooks branches. Shop for Leuchtturm1917 journals online at nationalbookstore.com and earn reward points for online purchases. For reservations, call 8888-NBS (627) for calls within Metro Manila, 1-800-10-8888-NBS for calls outside Metro Manila, or text 0998-8888-NBS and 0917-8747-269. The National Book Store hotlines are open Mondays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Follow National Book Store on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@nbsalert) for updates on the latest events, promos and contests. Share your Leuchtturm1917 finds using the hashtag #NBSfinds. Photos courtesy of National Book Store.
April is always special to me because it's my wedding anniversary month. It used to be special for another reason, too: it's also the anniversary month of OK! magazine, the Hollywood entertainment title I used to helm.
I've actually forgotten that April is OK!'s anniversary month! This year would've been our 10th birthday had we not been killed off in 2012. After just three years, I've already forgotten details of what used to be a HUGE chunk of my life. I only remembered because I was looking for photos of my kids' Babiators on my iPhoto library (another story for another day!) and came across these old photos I took of OK!'s "Letter from the Editor" page.
I posted this on Facebook and felt a sharp pang of nostalgia. I miss my team! They are seriously the best people anyone could ever want in a magazine. Here are a few photos of my old team:
Black and gold theme.
Harry Potter theme yata ito haha
The very last staff photo. Party theme, I guess. Mostly, "Bye-bye, dear OK! readers but let's not be sad" theme.
Gorgeous!
Anyway, as an extra, I'm sharing with you more pics of me. I took these photos years ago because I wanted to see the progression of how I looked like in the 7 years I was editor-in-chief. So these were supposed to be just for my private consumption. But what the heck! Let me share with you!
My very first EIC photo! Look at my giddy smile. Look at my FLAT STOMACH!!!
I liked wearing T-shirts in my late 20s. I don't think I owned a dress at this point in my life.
And this was probably when I started wearing dresses. That'll be in 2007.
Nope. Still in a T-shirt phase! And mommy jeans with NO BELT! Why?!
This is my favorite photo. Vince designed that dress and I had it made. I love that dress.
This was when our shoots started to be styled. Not only are we wearing better clothes, we also have accessories now!
That cleavage had to be added because I was as flat as a board.
I loved this dress so much! When the shoot was over, I reluctantly took it off. I regret not buying it.
This was an orange dress that we turned red. We also whittled my waist because I looked so thick haha!
Aww. I had just given birth here! Look at my new mom smile!
With Vito!!!
My last EIC photo.
Good heavens, what was I thinking in some of those early photos?! Wala pa kasi akong stylist then. After a few years, especially when we got our fashion editors Nichole and Kabbie, our staff shoots were styled. Thank goodness! I mean, really, a t-shirt for an EIC photo? And inulit-ulit pa!
Oh, those were good days. Happy days! But I'm into motherhood now more than I am into magazines so the stressful life of helming a publication is in my past. I like that I'm back in magazines now but as market editor of BABY Magazine. I just have my 20 pages to think of and then I'm back to my little boys. I work from home, best of both worlds, very easy life. Happy days!
Hi, everyone! I'm Frances. I'm the author of Not Invisible. I'm also a lifestyle and parenting writer, a book editor, the co-founder of Lean In Manila, and I have a day job in corporate communications. When I find time away from my busy life as all mentioned and as a wife and mom, I blog here.
Welcome to my blog! It's a 16-year-old honest and safe space for working moms, mothers of boys, and feminists (I just described all of myself). Thanks for dropping by!
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