Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lookbook.nu Look: Lovebug

As mentioned in my post on the Joe Jonas Press Launch, I originally only knew one song by the Jonas Brothers: "Lovebug". As such, I thought it would be fitting to use it as my title for this outfit. Plus, it's red! (That's mostly coz I was going to a Coke event afterwards, though, which I haven't blogged about yet. -.-)

Excuse the poor quality of some of the photos. I couldn't get the settings right. You know how it is.

black leather jacket from Bangkok
black ripped leggings from Tomato

red top/dress from Copper
black bootie heels from Nine West

black corset belt from Terranova
black boot necklace from EMO Jewelry

As mentioned above, I wore red and black coz I was going to a Coke Zero event. Originally, I was going to wear this pretty dress from Copper with its matching detachable color and plain black tights, but I wanted to give off a rocker chick vibe instead, so opted for this. What do you think? :) Keri?

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Villa del Conte: A Real Passion for Chocolates (GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!)

I hate to admit it, but I first heard about Villa del Conte from an ex-boyfriend. I still remember it vividly: the store was set to open in Resorts World, where the ex was working, and he kept talking about how he would take me there when it opened. He never did.

Well, after a few months had gone by and I no longer felt pain whenever I walked into Resorts World, I took matters into my own hands and rewarded myself with the choco fix that I so rightfully deserved.

And now, even after two weeks of wallowing in chocolate heaven, thanks to Villa del Conte and their generosity, I regret nothing.


Villa del Conte is located on the Ground Floor of Resorts World Manila and is very hard to miss what with their bright orange colors and their quaint Italian look.


Although this is currently their only proper "walk-in store" to date, they also have kiosks available on the 3rd floor of TriNoma, the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 5, and the 3rd floor of Shangri-La Plaza Mall.


The name "Villa del Conte" comes from the idyllic rural locale in Padova, Italy, where their artisanal chocolates are created, the recipes of which have been passed on from generation to generation.



These traditional fine chocolates have been made and handcrafted for 75 years now, so you can be sure that only the best premium ingredients have been placed into each cioccolatini.

I went with my resident food review buddy, Jacob Gayanelo of Project Jacob G, and my resident Resorts World date, Vergil Chua of Right on the Verge.

With Jacob on the left and with Vergil on the right.

Token vanity shot by a mirror!

Villa del Conte even gets their packaging perfectly, so that every time you buy chocolates from them, you actually take home a piece of Italian charm with you:




After taking photos of the store, we then headed over to Cafe Maxims next door to have coffee and get a taste of what Villa del Conte has to offer. And boy, was I a happy camper after that!


To be perfectly honest, one bite in itself of Villa del Conte's chocolates is enough to get a fill of sumptous flavors that only top quality and authentic chocolates can offer - I guarantee it!

We didn't leave a single piece untouched!

Although all of them were extremely delicious for my taste buds, I would especially recommend the Praline Balls in Dark Chocolate with Coffee Cream Filling. Yum yum!

The best part is that Villa del Conte also has services to customize chocolates with exclusive packaging choices that are ideal for corporate giveaways, weddings and various other occasions.


They also have these adorable Ovicini chocolates that I absolutely fell in love with. I wanted to buy an entire jar, but knew I would only end up putting it on display because of the chocolates' pretty colors instead of eating them. :p

I WANT!!!

Do you want to take home some delicious chocolates from Villa del Conte, too? Or do you want to give your significant other some delicious chocolate goodies, perhaps? Then join this Villa del Conte giveaway by following these mechanics:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PFW F/H 2012: MENSWEAR Collection

On Thursday night, I watched the Philippine Fashion Week show for Menswear, where 12 very different designers (Anthony Nocom, Dodjie Batu, Drei Soriano, Edgar Buyan, Frederick Policarpio, Herbert Custodio, Jesson Capuchino, Jinno Inoncillo, Ronan Opiña, Simon Ariel Vasquez, Ulysses King and Zxander Tan) showcased their unique talent in fashion design.

Unfortunately, the line was already incredibly long by the time I got there that I wasn't able to get a great seat in the end. Fail. Plus, I was pretty low on battery. Double fail. So here are only some of my favorites from the Menswear Collection:

ANTHONY NOCOM


DODJIE BATU





DREI SORIANO





EDGAR BUYAN





FREDERICK POLICARPIO



HERBERT CUSTODIO




JESSON CAPUCHINO



Aaaaand that's about as far as my battery took me. My favorite was, naturally, Herbert Custodio's designs coz of the pixelated video game feel of his collection. Haha. Especially loved the bags! :) I wonder if they're for sale... Hmmm...