Renovating!

FLOR area rug, Crate and Barrel Lounge II, Vito Selma Geo Table & coffee table, Herman Miller Bolster Club Chair, CB2 Silverado dining table, CB2 Rouka dining chair, Blox 50" bench


Here are some before and afters I did yesterday for the living room...

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Adding a window to make the facade more symmetrical and to let more light in

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Coffee tables from Vito Selma , lounger from Crate & Barrel, chairs from Herman Miller.
Hard wood flooring in white pickled finish. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Kitchen and dining are currently divided by a wall. Opening it up and adding a breakfast nook/counter! 


2nd FLOOR PLAN


Not shown: 
1st Floor
(Guest room 2, Office 2 & Toilet/Bath 2)

Deck & garden/exterior 


Wanted something very airy, bright and open for our home so we opted for a semi-open plan. Added a breakfast nook that peeked through the kitchen a bit so diners could still interact with whoever occupied the living area. We kept in mind that family would come over most of the time and while we can't have more than 6 in the dining area, we could create a layout that allowed conversation even when people were situated in different parts of the communal areas. 

I created an all-white canvas through walls and flooring since the house isn't too big and white really opens up any space. Black walls by the entrance and the exterior/sidings (not shown) create the perfect contrast. We're not big fans of color so an achromatic scheme through the architectural elements and furniture was a natural choice. Plants and lighting provide the perfect warmth and cozy touch to an otherwise stark space. 

Hope you liked this sneak peek!  

Bouley [via iPhone]


The perfect bodycon dress from Mia Arcenas!
Worn with shoes from Ann Demeulemeester and purse from Chanel

This was my outfit for dinner at Bouley - I highly recommend this place if you like unconventional French food! Not a lot of photos from our 3-course meal but they gave us 3 rounds of dessert... YUM.


Fragrant fresh apples as you enter



We dined inside the super cozy and romatic red room



Dulce de Leche



This was an amazing chocolate cake



Couldn't even eat one since we were too full from dinner

BAD Wedding Makeup


~WARNING: negative post containing photos of just my face~

My makeup was the only thing I cared about during wedding planning- aside from my dress of course. I have worked as a makeup artist for shoots back in college but I never called myself a professional. I made sure that my work was always clean and flawless in photos. IT NEVER MELTED. I have worked with dozens of makeup artists for different shoots, mostly in Manila and some in Cebu, and my makeup never melted even under the heat of the painful Cebu sun. I posed under the sun for hours for a photo on a yacht and got sunburned the next day! But my makeup was amazing even in iPhone photos. 

Now this deserves a post, not only because of the level of unprofessionalism, but because I still can't believe in the lack of skill of this makeup artist I chose...For the day I planned and spent my own money on. The day I chose to document on video and photo. The day I walked down the aisle with a frown on my face.


This was how the makeup looked up close on that first photo. It had already started to melt. I HAD NO IDEA, because I was busy the entire time and I just discovered this when my photographer handed me RAW photos last month. 


The makeup artist is behind me, "retouching" my makeup and fixing my hair. She did not attempt to fix my makeup at this point. I snapped this iPhone photo and put aside my phone, but I should've zoomed in...

I could've complained at this point but I was in a rush to take more photos and I forgot to zoom in and take a look at my face up close! I trusted her with my face (who wouldn't with the amount of money she charged + her flawless Instagram page?! ). Wrong move. LOOK AT THAT DETACHED EYELASH TOO. 


I was in the bridal car on our way to the church when I asked our assistant for a mirror and discovered the cakey mess that was on my face.


To make the long story short, I was frowning the entire time in our church videos- even during my walk down the aisle. Nobody knew what was going on except Darie and my coordinator, Tisha. They were both calling this makeup artist left and right (including Tisha's husband) because I needed my face fixed. No ANSWER. I couldn't accept that my guests had better makeup than me. And I COULD'VE DONE MY MAKEUP. I know my face, I have a makeup kit in my bag somewhere, but we had no time (late for church by minutes) and I left my bag at the hotel.

*EDIT: I slept a good 5.5 hours before my wedding and everyone knows this. I sleep at most 6 hours a day because that's just how I function. I was up by 6 AM because our agreement was to start makeup by 7. This didn't happen, it started at around 9 for me and I was left to wait and eat a platter of fruit while time was being wasted. This is to debunk her claims that I ruined my own makeup because of sleeplessness... Ha! 

She was also supposed to do my mom's makeup as part of the package but SHE DISAPPEARED. A makeup artist named Suzaine did her face and totally redid my makeup before our reception. Suzaine literally saved my face. 

Why is it a big deal? Every girl dreams of having the perfect day. I never did, my whole fam is anti-wedding (practical reasons and introverted reasons LOL) but I planned for this thing for months and envisioned a decent look/outfit. We did a successful makeup test days before. She also came in an hour an a half late and doubled the amount of foundation and primer on my wedding day. I knew it couldn't be a perfect event, and as much of a control freak that I am, I accepted that. BUT THIS MAKEUP ARTIST DISAPPEARED. She didn't take our calls, and finally she calls me around 7:30 PM (my reception started at 8 PM) saying that she was "stuck in traffic" and that what happened was "out of her control". Seriously?! She never arrived after that phone call, by the way. Never heard from her after that. 

The other reason why I was enraged was because I found out that she quadruple booked me! I talked to 3 other friends who claimed that she also said yes to them during my wedding date but never showed up. Her assistants did their makeup. She fooled me and she fooled my friends.

I have no problems against double-booking. Just make sure you do a good job, say goodbye properly and be honest with your clients! Don't butcher the bride's face, take no accountability and disappear. 

I'm tired of typing, I'm tired of this negativity. This post is here to help out other people planning on hiring her. This post was made to help other brides so they may be cautious of who they're hiring. DO NOT TRUST INSTAGRAM PORTFOLIOS. That is a highlight reel. Talk to those she's worked with and you will discover some more horror stories like mine.  

No thanks to my original makeup artist, E.D. 

And thank you to Suzaine for saving my face just in time for our reception:


MAC Studio Face & Body was used for my face later on which lasted the whole night even when I was sweating and dancing! Water-based makeup is the way to go.


The party was  A BLAST and I can't wait for our photos!!!