Summer Girls

The summer never ends (even if it's raining damn hard while I write this post)!

If there's one thing my Girlfriends and I love doing, it's going to the beach. Always and forever. We'll never have a strong bonding like this if we weren't gone to the Philippines' most famous beaches--Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Palawan, and Pagudpud or spent a day or two in the nearby towns of Batangas, Subic and Potipot Island to get our tans and flaunt our bikini bods. Naks!

In the past, we'd go shopping for straw bags in the same style but different colors to have a little bit of identity as a group. We were also called Ribbon Girls once because we wore the same watches with ribbon straps but of different colors in Boracay. Green for me, pink for Phoebe, purple for Kim, yellow for Cha and more. Eventually, we called ourselves Girlfriends because we all realized that all of us are in a relationship. 

We still have beach trips even after we finish college although some can no longer make it due to work and family. I'm pretty sure you know that three of my friends are now moms and two of them just got married. But we make sure to find time to spend with each other to catch up on things and to make our friendship stronger. 

Just when my friend who's based in Macau went home for a while, we called for a reunion. It's nowhere else but on the beach! Cheenee was not able to attend Maan's wedding and my 24th birthday that's why she promised to spend a weekend with us. We drove our way to Subic, thanks to Paolo, and had a wonderful time together. Sun, sand, sea and a company of good friends! 

Susie, Jovy, Dhana, Phoebe, Cheenee, Cham, Kim, Rachel and I. 

Chammie and Jovy's cousin, Dhana, joined us and made the adventure happier. We wished Maan, Cha and Anne were with us though. It's gonna be the happiest for all of us, surely!

In the nipa while our two boys, Paolo and Mon, were cooking.

From denim shorts to bikinis, I missed this kind of scene:

Ooh la la! <3

Kim was wearing high-waist bikinis because she just gave birth to Nei Nei a couple of months ago. Look how fast she loses weight from pregnancy! Hot! :)

I love your long hair, girl!

Looking at my best friend doesn't seem like she also gave birth to our another little princess, Khara! Phoebe's abs are the abs to die for when you're already a mother!

Woot!

No budget for a new pair of bikinis, I wore my Topshop pinky/hearty ruffled bikinis which I wore to Guimaras last year! :)

I gained weight but kebs!

Making the most out of this trip, we recorded our video while singing and dancing the hottest song of the moment, Call Me Maybe! We have version 1 and version 2 by Mon and Ate Mai respectively. Thanks, guys! 

I think our bikinis reflect our personalities! Can anyone tell? 

Oops, before I forgot! Pleased to introduce the two mighty men who drove and cooked for us. They also took our photos and videos. Hee hee.

Marianne and Kim gone men.

Yaaay I love this photo! 

This is also one of my favorite group pictures. 

I had the chance to take photos with each of my Girlfriends! It might take another long time before we have a repeat of this. 

Phoebe

Kimmie

Cham

Rachel

Susie

Cheenee

Jovy

Of course I never left the island without a photo with my Papao! :)

Uhm, I just realized we're both in pink. 

It was a short day tour but every hour of us together is like our moment together back in college. Nothing's really changed. Sarap sa pakiramdam to be surrounded by happy people! 

Love you, girls!!! :)

This weekend is definitely one for the books! It's amazing how best things happen in a day, regardless of what you've been through in the past. 

Love your friends as you love your life! 

♥,

Marianne

Ready For Summer?

Summer collections start to rise in EDSA billboards and mannequins are now wearing swimsuits in your favorite mall. Bandanas, straw hats and bags, sunscreen and tanning lotions have a bit increase in their retail prices. Can you feel the heat? It's summer! Are you ready?

The perfect season to hit the beach is fast approaching. If you plan to go out of town to beat the scorching heat of the sun, start planning it now. Planning ahead on where to go and what to prepare for a little getaway will help you save money and time! Beach resorts go up thrice in their rates during the peak season as well as bikinis, SPF and other essentials. Rewrite your summer checklist and update yourself on what you and your travel buddies need.

Let me help with this: where to go, what to wear, what to do, etc, etc! I'm not an expert but I hope you'll appreciate. : )

Diniwid Beach, Boracay Island

Where to go?  Boracay. Again? Admit it, Boracay Island is undoubtedly hailed as a top beach destination because of its highly-urbanized feel with the perfect view of nature's beauty. As much as I'd love to explore new places and discover remote islands, I'd still choose to go here for a short weekend vacation.

If you're caught between relaxing and partying, I suggest you to stay at Orinda Beach Resort. Its location is perfect if you want a piece of privacy while sunbathing. Located at Diniwid Beach (near Nami), you can take a distance from the crowd in Stations 1, 2 and 3. When the sun sets, ask the friendly resort staff to bring you to where the nightlife is. Take your time, no curfew. Party all night long! The 24-hour service will ensure you that they can safely bring you back to the resort after drinking and dancing.

Orinda Beach Resort, Diniwid Beach, Boracay, Malay, Aklan, Philippines.

If you want to skip Boracay this time, Bataan is a good choice. Guimaras Island and Bantayan Island are highly recommended too! Puerto Galera, like Boracay, is also a good place to "island party" and other places like Palawan, Bohol, Zambales, Pagudpud and La Union should also be considered.

What to wear? One of the few FAQs of my life is how many bikinis do I own and how do I manage to keep, wear, and mix and match them. Well, honestly, I don't keep track of the quantity of my shoes and swimsuits but I keep the designs, styles and types of those in my mind. Now going back to swimsuits, it's my mood who decides on what I should wear on the beach. My mood depends on the item I bought (if I purchased a bikini set, I tend not to mix and match it anymore, because some brands sell items individually). Topshop, for an instance, sells both a set and an individual swim wear but you can score a SET during their clearance sale.

Hot pink with "polka hearts" bikini set from Topshop.

Reversible, strapless bandeau bikini set also from Topshop.

For some mix-and-match techniques, which works simply the best especially when you're on a budget, looking for brands which allow buyers to purchase only an item is the easiest thing to do. Picture in your mind the colors, designs and prints of the swimsuits you already own. The best place to go is, of course, SM Department Store! Sunkissed and Coco Cabana specifically won't hurt your pocket. Keep your budget for other essentials or save it up for a bigger pocket money.

Lime green bikini bottom paired with a yellow bandeau and yellow/purple tribal bikini haltered top.

This photo above shows the original bikini bottom pair of my yellow/purple tribal bikini haltered top. I paired it with a graphic/zebra-print bikini top which I bought from SM Department Store's Sunkissed. I also paired this bottom with this:

...while the original bottom pair of the paisley top is worn with:

...a plain white haltered bikini top. :)

Now, when it comes to coverups, I have a few words for you: never cover up too much. If you want to cover your belly or cleavage, wear something like this:

Well, his is not actually a coverup. Knitted/crocheted clothes can also be worn as coverups. I tried to keep my belly here but didn't want to sweat that much so I kept the neckline open. The length is also enough to cover my upper thigh. :)

If you opt to show a sexier you without showing off your skin, chiffon bottoms are of help. Take these as an example:

Plain and printed chiffon bottoms from Betty.

Oh, by the way! Did I mention I only got these chiffon bottoms for only P150 each? I riri, riri, riri love SM Department Store! :)

What else to bring? You know what your travel essentials are, it's all up to you. My frequent hop to the beach gave me the idea to have a separate kit for the things I need when traveling, including: SPF body lotion, SPF face lotion, lip balm with sun protection, shampoo and conditioner (I recommend Sunsilk Weather Defense here), extra-moisturizing after bath lotion, and facial mist spray. These are my super top essentials aside from the toiletries and stuff.

And lastly, don't forget to bring your cameras and to keep good memories. No matter how near or far your destination is, regardless of what your face and smile looks like, the best trips remain the best when you know how to have fun! 

♥,

Marianne

Peter Pan and Rings

Topshop's got it. I had my first piece of a Peter Pan-collared top and I liked how it appears to be so vintage. It's like a hand-me-down from my elementary teacher but it looked beautifully on Topshop mannequins so I gave it a try.

Again, I used my phone's camera hence the grainy look. Since I don't feel like wearing a necklace over my closed neck top, I tried to wear rings instead. I also attended our regular Tuesday meeting that day so I kept everything minimal. 
 

Sometimes, it's the details that count. The buttons of my top had gold accents and the topmost one leads the way up to the pretty face. Hehe, just kidding! 

Flop. The ring on my middle finger is a flop. Too bad, I would have made it appear a la Laureen Uy pose sans accessories overload. I wish I'm as confident as her when it comes to wearing accessories.

These rings, a snake and an oval black stone, are from my Mom. I really adore her taste when it comes to accessories. She knows best! And by the way, the third one is my 7-year old identification ring from Paolo.

Lastly, a semi-creative shot by Paolo. The peg: untying my hair. I thought of showing my ballerina tattoo in white ink as well. Booboo, you can't see it since we only used a 5-MP camera. Next time, I'll blog about my tattoos! 

♥

A Floral Affair

It's another official statement, I love floral prints. I have already proclaimed my love for animal prints and nautical designs, and now it's my turn to tell the world how much I adore this feminine vibe.

Last Saturday, Toto and I decided to drop by Forever 21 in SM Makati after spending chill hours in Starbucks Greenbelt. The second we entered the shop, a floral dress hanging by a rack caught our attention. Toto knew I would impulsively buy it so he told me to fit it in the dressing room. I said I wanted to buy some clothes for Justin Bieber's concert but I had a mini-dilemma that I'd be coming from a regular meeting before going to the concert venue so I thought of buying a dress! Haha. Obviously I didn't want to bring another outfit at work so I just wore it yesterday with a blazer. 

 Vintage floral bag, P355.00

And just last week, I bought a new bag from an Ukay (thrift shop/vintage shop). Original price is P355.00 but since I'm practicing my haggling skills, I got it for only... P200.00! Not bad! What I liked about the bag is that it doesn't have a zipper or lock. I prefer bringing bags like this on an everyday basis and yes, look at the prints! It reminds me of Cath Kidston!

CATH KIDSTON BAGS.

YES! Cath Kidston is one of my favorite brands from London because of its soft, feminine designs! Aside from bags, CK also has products like shoes, linens, kitchenware, etc. Check out their website linked above. :)

FOREVER 21 SHOES.

Omgaaaah, shoppergasm. Forever 21's shoe collection has floral pairs too! I want NEED to buy the first pair, it's a t-strap! I absolutely love t-strap footwear that I almost have 5 pairs of it in different styles. Plus, the floral design is so chic, so Victorian-inspired! I'm going to check local stores like Tomato and Possibility, I saw few floral pairs in their collections too!

Clockwise from the bottom: Asos Leora Floral Bow T-Bar ballerina, Santi clutch, Rah Rah flat sandals, Topshop MOTO Yellow Floral hotpants, Desire Clothing denim shorts, Topshop Beige Peter Pan-collared floral playsuit, Jil Sander Floral-print Silk Mini Dress, Topshop Chiffon Floral dress

I Polyvored more inspirational fashion pieces with floral accents and designs and these are my top favorites. I'm eying on 3 stuff there: the ballerina flats, Peter Pan-collared dress and the denim shorts. Bigger floral collection awaits my closet and I am so excited!

Glad that I'm able to share my wardrobe's favorites. So far, I have animal prints, nautical and floral. Up next is another fave, of course. Any wild guess? I've already mentioned it in my previous posts. It's up there, ha!

♥,

PS: This is a rewritten entry.