Fash and Feathered

The feather craze is officially here! Well, to tell you honestly, I did not think I'll be so into this trend the very first time I saw girls sporting it. But thank heavens I have a good friend named Mika Artienda, who, if I'm not mistaken, is the very first designer and seller of unique feather accessories in the metro. Her store, MARiS, is not a noob in the Philippine fashion scene. From bloggers Tin Iglesias, Patricia Prieto to designer/model/blogger and now actress Laureen Uy, to Julia Montes of the Mara Clara fame to the unkabogable Vice Ganda, MARiS tops the list of this light-weight, bohemian-inspired trend.

On the day we had a shoot for MARiS, Mika and I parted ways with a loot bag filled with... yes, you got it right, feather accessories she designed! Check these out:

Fash and feathered! MARiS bestsellers! ♥

Miss Pastel Necklace 

Black Feathered Single Earring in Gold Chain

Camie Feather Hair Clip -- I named this!

Pepper Potts Feather Hair Clip

I'm one lucky girl! According to New York City's Refinery 29, feathers is the trend we must try! I've Instagram-ed/Tumblr-ed Miss Pastel Necklace here, Rainbow Single Earring here and used my Camie last Saturday night, though I have to post my photo of me wearing it yet! And oh, before I forget, a connector ring's also included (please see first photo above) in the loot bag.

Thanks so much, Mika! I'm so excited to wear and flaunt all of these! People who see me wearing your designs love it! Thanks for making me a MARiS muse! I can say I'm a certified fash and feathered! xx

♥,

MARiS Muses

Sharing you some the official photographs used in the latest collection and advertorials of MARiS. These photos will be displayed at the Yhansy store located at Shangri-La Mall. :)

Photography by: Mika Artienda

Styling by: Marianne Marcial

Makeup by: Tricia Gancia and Bea Manzano

Models: Kaye Quong and Marianne Marcial

Shot on location: UP Diliman 

Clothes and shoes, stylist's own. Not for sale.

Accessories: MARiS Unique Pieces

New items:

Miss Pastel Necklace

 Silly Milly Feathered Headband

Oversize Japanese Hand Fan

Lizzy Back Necklace

More ~

Pinky Swear Single Earring

Semiplume Feather Single Earring 

Emote!

Into the feather trend by now? Visit MARiS!

♥,

Paul & Joe: Manhattan Collection Workshop

I attended Rustan's The Beauty Tour Cosmetic Festival 2011 two Saturdays ago (the same Saturday I had a shoot with MARiS and the same Saturday we went to S&R for the great S&R Sale and David's surprise birthday party at Tides, whew!!!). It was a jam-packed event participated by my favorite cosmetic and skincare brands and discounts up to whopping 40% are everywhere. I wanted to buy each and every item on sale but, you know, priorities!

I registered for Paul & Joe's Manhattan Collection Workshop and I'm glad that Patricia and I were warmly accommodated by its staff. We met P&J's newest brand manager and head makeup artist, Judith Pia. We did not know that there's also a skincare workshop, so we were so lucky to be introduced to: Cleansing Milk, Refreshing Skin Toner, Moisture Cream and Eye Treatment Duo because I had no idea Paul & Joe has a skincare line!

A little trivia for ya: Did you know that Paul and Joe are not the names of the owner or the founder of the said brand? Paul & Joe is owned by a French designer named Sophie Albou. She has a menswear collection and named it after her two sons, hence Paul & Joe. Years later, she started her womenswear line and eventually, Paul & Joe Beaute, the cosmetic line. It's no doubt all its packaging are so chic, sophisticated and very Parisian!

Pia asked me what I exactly wanted to know about makeup. You knew it, I want to achieve the Penelope Cruz eyes but since the windows to my soul are small, she taught us how to create a crease and how to apply eyeshadow properly. I can say that we really focused on applying eye makeups like mascara tricks (oh Pia loved my lashes) and enhancing our eyebrows using the Paul & Joe Manhattan Collection which I really enjoyed! She also told us the importance of makeup prime, choosing the shade which best suits our skin tone and balancing the entire look.

 Two of my favorite items Pia used on me during the workshop: eye pencil and eyebrow powder.

Paul & Joe Manhattan Collection

Loving the display!

 Collection Sparkles "Manhattan". Lipsticks, l-r: SoHo, Uptown Girl and Lower East Side.
Face and Eye Color (yes, 2-in-1 and shades can be used alone or can be blended together!), l-r: 42nd Street, Empire State and Brooklyn Bridge.

All made up! Trying to look fierce with my smoky eyes. It's the best eye makeup I ever had!

Patricia and I with Paul & Joe Philippines brand manager and makeup artist, Judith Pia.

Patricia wearing MARiS Pepper Pots Feather Hair Clip!

I love Paul & Joe, it's my newest favorite!

Pretending to be a brand ambassador for P&J Philippines. Haha! #WishfulThinking

Left my wedges in the car and opted to wear flats instead.

Leopard-printed dress from tiangge | Woven dark brown belt from Landmark Department Store | Bejeweled flat sandals from my Mom :)

SHORTY.

By the bulletin!

What are you waiting for? You still have two days to attend the Rustan's Beauty Source Cosmetic Festival 2011. Check this out to see the remaining lineup of events.

♥,

BTS -- MARiS: Birds Of The Same Feather...

I honestly don't know how to start this post because there are just soooo many beautiful photos! From behind the scenes to final shots that made it to MARiS collection... I. Just. Don't. Know. What. To. Choose!!!

Okay, so I had my another styling stint, this time for MARiS. To those who haven't heard of MARiS, which is impossible coz it's really rocking the feather trend, it is an online store which houses unique pieces. Feathers, leathers and everything one-of-a-kind, MARiS is definitely the first to introduce the beauty of feathers as a hippie accessory.

This collaboration with Mika Artienda, MARiS owner/designer, is a dream shoot. I've been thinking (and dreaming) of a bohemian-inspired shoot that's why I got super excited when she emailed me the pegs. Mika and I have a lot of things in common, I was not surprised that she thought of the same thing AT ALL! :)

We originally had three models but unfortunately, two did not make it because of some personal/emergency reasons. Our forever model, Kaye Quong, was the only one who arrived so Mika asked me if I could model for her. I said yes, so from the theme "Birds of the same feather...", I'm also considering "Hitting two birds with one stone..."!

Stylist in action!

Imagine us changing outfits outdoors without anyone noticing us. :)

Part of the job: Fix everything, even the tiniest details!

I just had to post this. I look flawless here hehe :p

I did not bring a large number of accessories because we wanted to focus on the MARiS items alone. I love how we kept most of the things minimal and exaggerated the beauty of the feathers. We also made a video for BTS, how to take care of your feather accessories and something which works as an ad for the said brand. 

Now meet the people behind the camera:

Mika Artienda, photographer and MARiS owner and designer.

Tricia Gancia, makeup artist.

Bea Manzano, makeup artist.

The boyfriend who woke up early to drive for us ♥

I love this! I'm such a sucker for candid shots!

Mika and Bea

Moonleaf's Wintermelon Milk Tea!

Mika introduced us Moonleaf! I've been hearing about this tea shop for quite some time and finally, Mika ordered for us! It tops my tea shop list now! We have been constantly craving for this and it seems like we go to its Maginhawa branch thrice a week and so far my favorites are Wintermelon Milk Tea and Lychee Yakult.

We did two sets for MARiS. First, a video introducing MARiS Muses wearing white dresses and selected feather accessories and second, a photoshoot featuring MARiS' new items: Lizzy Back Necklace, Miss Pastel Necklace and Oversize Japanese Hand Fan and its bestsellers.

Ladies in action.

Modeling the Pinky Swear Single Earring.

MARiS bestsellers!

I love these shots by Patricia!

MARiS Muses.

Excited to see the official photos used for MARiS and MARiS at Yhansy? Stay tuned! xx

♥,