TOPAZ HORIZON

Vince and I attended the Sony Vaio launch party the other night at the Manila Peninsula Hotel. I was glad to see that the new laptop computers of Sony are quite colorful. My regular readers know I seriously considered getting the pink Sony Vaio CS sometime ago. A lot of you advised against it so I ended up with my HP Mini--which I adore.

I did get reminded of how I wanted a Vaio when I saw the metallic pink Vaio W (below) and the new Vaio CS in pink crocodile leather. Ooooh, I swear I kinda salivated and, with Sony offering us media people a rare offer of 50% discount (!!!), I almost whipped out the credit card (yes, I'm a credit card holder again, despite what I said).

However, when I got home, there was my lovely elegant black HP Mini waiting for me. I'm in love with my HP Mini. But now Vince just told me HP has launched a pink one. Oh dear! It's so pretty!I want it!

Hi everybody! After my recent picture-heavy posts, I'm going to rest and just be text-heavy today.

So been away for a week. I'm still alive. Barely made it on Wednesday--a super migraine as big as Manila hit me at 2 PM and by 8 PM, I could barely see, or even stand up. By 9 PM, and this time I had gotten home, Vince wanted to bring me to the ER; he said I looked ashen. But I figured all I needed was complete silence and darkness and a very thick blanket. Oh, and a mighty strong pain killer. Got knocked out as soon as I hit the pillow. I was fine the next morning. Thank goodness! That was a nightmare since I was at the printing press the entire day doing final editing on the August issue. So, my OK! readers, if you spot some typos in next month's issue, I apologize.

Before and after that nightmare, I've been incredibly busy. So busy I haven't had time to even cook (unlike my darling friend Mariel who I truly do envy now). It's been fast food every single day for the last two weeks. Michael Jackson's death had a lot to do with it as we pulled out stories to make way for his tribute--which we had to constantly update now that the toxicology report's out and his death is being treated as a homicide.

I've also been going to Aesthetic Science for Reshape treatments--I didn't do the Mesotherapy anymore because I got scared when I heard it swells you up. Well, joke's on me--Reshape also causes some swelling and so the tummy I was hoping to get rid of is now bigger than ever (hence no photos!). Everyone thinks I'm bloody pregnant. I've been exercising, too, to help the Reshape along. The doctor did say I needed to watch my diet on top of the exercising and treatment, but though I've been getting referrals for the best diet pills out there, I just can't bring myself to diet when I'm just 110 lbs. Yes, even though I subsist on fast food, I'm still underweight. Sigh. Here's hoping the swelling will go down soon and I'll be rid of this strangely swollen tummy.

Aside from the bad news, it's been a week of happy stuff, too. I had gone to a flurry of events, wrote (yey! I'm writing again!), and received some fabulous things in the mail. I'll post updates soonest. Will bombard you even. Let me just go through this cold cold rainy Friday. Now off to do my Hip-Hop Abs! See ya later!

Aha, you guys really enjoyed the posts on the OK! staff photo shoot! Don't know what I'm talking about? Just scroll down for the fun!

I'm posting a few more photos here so you can have another insider's look at what goes on behind a shoot. Then I can delete these photos to free up my HP Mini's computer memory. I've found a lot of fun pics from many years ago that I think you'll chuckle over. Now, onto the last few scenes from behind the staff shoot:

Those gadgets are not phones. Here, the photographer's assistant checks if the lighting and contrast are correct. Lana doesn't appreciate being the guinea pig. But she sure looks fierce!

Ogie, the hairstylist, touches up my hair while Nikki, the stylist, adds a few more binder clips at the back of my dress to cinch my waist and hips. Sonny, our art director, will Photoshop the creases in the dress later on. If he thinks I need a smaller waist, he'd also trim the photo later. He's always complaining I don't have a waist. Well, at least he never complains about my face!

Sonny coaches Kristine on how to do the best pose. His tip: "If the pose hurts, you got it!" And he'll make sure you hold that pose till your muscles start screaming. It's not at all easy so I don't envy models. Their job may look glamorous but I really don't see myself contorting my body for a living.
Marie adds more color to Nikki's face. At shoots, even after the prettifying and styling sessions, the beauty and style team still have to be on standby. Even if the makeup is already perfect, some imperfections still show up on the photo. In this case, the bright lights turned Nikki pale. So more makeup!

Hope this peek was educational. I'll go back to regular silly programming after this.

Middle of the year and that means it's time to change the staff photos in OK! magazine. Why? Well, my editor's photo still features my long brown hair of last year (see that photo here). So when I go to meetings and events, the PR people and brand managers don't recognize me with my short and very red hair--and that's not a good thing! So a regular photo shoot is necessary.

We started early in the morning. The makeup artists (Marie Calica and Ces Guerrero) and hairstylists (Ogie Rayel and Emar Cabiltes) were tasked to prettify the entire staff. Nichole Reyes, OK!'s former fashion and beauty editor, is now a freelance makeup artist and stylist and we got her to style the shoot. Here are the dresses and the shoes:
Here's our photographer Ocs Alvarez setting up:
This is me before makeup:
And this is me in the middle of Ces's makeover magic:
Omar fixes my flat thin lifeless hair (I do love my hair color and highlights courtesy of color magician Louis Phillip Kee!):
Now that my face and hair are perfect, I'm ready to try on the outfits! But first, let me show you what I wore to the shoot.This is an old jumpsuit I bought at YRYS for a mere PHP 700 (USD 14.50) about four or five years ago. I am so happy it's back in fashion... and that it still fits! It's like wearing pajamas seriously. I wore it with my Nine West gladiator wedges and my Kenneth Cole necklace.

Tip: When you're having your hair and makeup done (wedding, debut, etc), always wear something you can easily take off, like a button-down shirt or dresses you can step out of. Do not wear t-shirts and the like, as taking them off will ruin your hair and makeup!

Now, in the tradition of The Insider's Lara Spencer's Wardrobe Cam, this is me trying on outfits...

First option was this pink dress with pixelated flower print from United Pop. Nope, it isn't working for me.

Second option was this Sinequanone dress with a Missoni-like print. It's nice but as editor-in-chief, I have to look more respectable than sexy so off it went. Besides, it makes me look pregnant!

Third option was this United Pop dress with a neckline beaded heavily with shells and sequins. I love it! It's very me. And, of course, it's orange and my readers know I love orange! Winner!

And if you ever wondered how those models in fashion magazines look like their clothes were tailored for them, here's the secret: Binder clips!
Et voila! Moi!

This photo will be published in OK!'s August issue! Pleeeease grab a copy!

United Pop pink dress (PHP 2,100), United Pop orange dress (PHP 2,400), available at The Ramp Crossings
Sinequanone blue dress (PHP 13,500), available at Rustan's Makati

And here's my team's makeovers! These photos show us picking out what we'll wear to our photo shoot. So fun!The staff of OK! magazine all have very distinct personalities. And I appreciate all our differences because I'm very easily bored so if we were all the same, I guess I'd fire them all out of boredom. Tee hee. Managing Editor Lana Chan is very emo-rock and she goes to work in vintage tees, jeans and heavy boots. Associate Features Editor Joanna Tuazon-Mendoza is very simple so I love that she's pregnant because now she's wearing soft and flowy dresses. Associate Fashion & Beauty Editor Kristine Ching is stylish (of course) and always matches her outfits with a gold-studded Prada bag. Sorry, no before pic since she arrived earlier than I did so she was already ready when I got to the studio. Features Assistant Elaine Natividad is very Gossip Girl--cute, pretty, preppy and sexy. Nichole Reyes used to be OK!'s Fashion & Beauty Editor. She's now busy preparing for her upcoming wedding but she's still with OK! as our beauty columnist. The editors of Cosmopolitan tease me that I have but one qualification for staff: They must be thin. That is not true! While all my staff do look like they do Clinicallix reviews for a living, I think they all become thin because I'm such a demanding boss and I drive them crazy every single day! Oh, I love how pretty they all are! But they're not just lovely to look at. My staff is every editor's dream team. The dedication and hard work and passion they devote to OK! are the reasons why we're one of Summit Media's best performing titles. And that's a fact--and a team!--I'm very proud of.