Do you love window shopping? I do! I feel happy when I see beautiful things. Satiating my aesthetic appetites aside, I also window shop because it's necessary for me to be updated on what's new in the real world. Being informed on what people are actually buying and wearing is crucial to my roles as fashion/beauty editor, businesswoman, and blogger. Purely online window shopping and research doesn't cut it.

That's why I was excited to visit Robinsons Midtown again. I haven't been there in ages! I used to frequent it during my college days, since UP Manila is just next door. It's a shopper's paradise - the high-end brands are there, not to mention the fact that the department store is actually well-stocked and updated. 

Did I mention a free wifi lounge, with comfy seats and clean tables? Midtown is a must-visit if you're in the area!

The fashion bloggers were also encouraged to invite a reader to the event. I asked Kira to go with me, since she's been reading my blog for years now, plus we're also friends! Haven't seen her since July. Sasha, Lauren, and Lizz were also there so we had time to catch up.

Looks like a floral print no? Those are skulls! She's wearing Aldo sandals.

So, are you guys ready to window shop? Here are some of our best finds at Robinsons Midtown! 

Accessorize

Accessorize is a UK brand selling, what else, accessories! I've never taken a close look at their store before, so I was floored and overwhelmed by all the gorgeous things inside. Caveat: the stuff are expensive. The cheapest pair of earrings I saw were selling at P900. 

Oooooh

Sigh. So pretty.

Charmed

What a lovely melancholic necklace

There are brands that stick with us in our lifetime. Avon is definitely one that is closely intertwined with mine. My first ever makeup (it was a Simply Pretty blush), my first bra (a beige plain one, because my mom thought colored bras were scandalous) - they're from Avon. I'll probably patronize that 123-year old brand until I die! My Lola and my mom are also avid Avon fans.

That's why I like attending Avon events. I like being among the first to know about their products, as well as having first dibs on them. So what's new?

Avon launched three new beauty products last Thursday, July 15, at the Blue Leaf Pavillon. The very gwapo and debonair DJ Eri Neeman hosted the event. 

DJ Eri Neeman

Avon Philippines' President and General Manager Mr. Mike Gudgin welcoming the guests

Three new products were introduced: the Anew 360° White Intensive Correcting Serum, Skin So Soft Radiant Glow Whitening Hand and Body Lotion, and Avon Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick.

Of course, a blog coverage about the Preview Ball isn't complete without our photos! The beauty bloggers Shen, Nikki, and Jheng came in their most stylish outfits. We hung out with the Estee Lauder girls, Rizel (Beautybank), Ina (Bobbi Brown), and Budit (Clinique). Spotted Sasha and Dhon too!

So anyway, here comes gratuitous photos!

Me and Rizel. The lilac lipstick I'm wearing NYX in Power. Who thought it would actually look good? As long as I use it with dark eyes, it doesn't wash me out.

Me, Rizel, Nikki, Jheng, Shen

One of the most memorable collections during the last May's Philippine Fashion Week was Kermit Tesoro and Leeroy New's. Each piece looked like a work of art, worked on with close attention to detail and true craftsmanship. The clothes are too avant-garde to wear in real life. Or are they?

Last Saturday, the Preview Best Dressed Ball saw quite a lot of outfits by Mr. Tesoro and New. Let's compare the clothes as seen on the runway versus the red carpet!

Featured here is a cocoon-like dress worn on top of a long, chiffon skirt

I like Sarah Meier's look - well, from her shoulders up. Okay, even her shoes. The rest of the dress fits her weirdly, with a baggy bust and a shapeless waist. I believe that it will look better if the dress was tightened to fit Sarah's very, very thin figure.

Seen here is a textured pantsuit. It looks like something Shaider's enemies might wear.

Last Saturday, I witnessed the Preview Best Dressed Ball with fellow bloggers and friends from Estee Lauder. It was a blast! That is, if you're into the clubbing scene. Tim Yap's newest posh club, Republiq, hosted the Alexander McQueen-themed event. The place was packed as celebrities, designers, fashionophiles, and other media personalities danced to house music and enjoyed the open bar.

Preview's Best Dressed for 2010

The program was pretty short. StyleBible.ph managing editor Isha Andaya announced the new look of StyleBible.ph, Preview’s online home. Editor-in-chief Pauline Suaco-Juan also came up on stage to talk about the night’s theme and encourage everyone to enjoy the party.

Of course, what is the Preview Best-Dressed Ball without ogling at the best-dressed and not-so-well-dressed?

The Preview Editor-In-Chief, Pauline Suaco-Juan. She wore a white crystal-encrusted dress by Michael Cinco with peeptoes from Alexander McQueen. What a super dress! This is perhaps my favorite out of all the clothes I saw that night.

The outfits of the Preview staff are featured later on in the post, but check out the seven best-dressed women honored that night: dermatologist Aivee Aguilar-Teo, Striker Mobile Media’s chief operating officer Ann Jacobe, photographer Garovs Garovillo, philanthropist Kaye Tinga, Giordano Philippines’ product development manager Lloyda Lim, model and designer Marita Fe Ganse, fashion blogger and designer Rosanna Aranaz, and actress Gretchen Barretto, who also graces the cover of this month’s issue. Rounding up the list are fashion blogger Ingrid Holm and shoe designer Ivy Kirzhner, who were both unable to make it that night.

Lloyda Lim wears a hat and dress by Mich Dulce. This is the best outfit for me out of those on the best-dressed list. Lloyda's quirky personality really shines in the way she dresses - minus the tell-tale baby bump! Check out her blog!

It's nice to indulge in trendy clothes, but one should never be without classic pieces that you will keep on wearing for the rest of your life - provided you don't gain too much weight, of course! Aside from black, colors that will never go out of style are red and white. Combine them with classic, flattering cuts and you've got clothes that will serve you well in any occasion and setting for years to come.

Pond's, the skincare brand, collaborated with Plains & Prints to deliver a collection that is inspired by prominent women in the beauty and fashion industry. The muses Rissa Mananquil, Patty Betita, Divine Lee, Bianca Valerio, Mai Kaufmann, Kelly Misa, Apples Aberin and Celine Lopez are known for their beauty and sophisticated style, so these qualities are reflected in the 22 dresses created by Plains & Prints.

In the picture are Pond’s senior brand manager Jacqueline Yuengtian and Plains & Print's creative head and owner, Roxanne Farillas talking about the collaboration. Both brands wanted to celebrate the beauty and style of the muses. The colors, red and white, are taken from Pond's Age Miracle and Flawless White themes. The launch happened at Red Restaurant in Makati Shangri-La hotel.

So, without further ado, here are pics from the fashion show as well as the gorgeous eight muses!

I just came from the Forever 21 official launch/ private sale and oh boy, was it crazy! "Crazy" may sound too much, but it's really the best word to describe it. There was an undercurrent of hysteria as the doors officially opened to the most stylish denizens of Manila for the first time. 

A chosen few were given the chance to get first dibs on everything, so the evening was all about shopping! The place was packed. You can spend an hour in that place and not see everything. The Forever 21 flagship store in Megamall A is like a stand-alone department store: there's underwear, accessories, basic cotton pieces, shoes, and all kinds of dresses to fit every age group and budget. There is also a line for men, so F21 really has got it all for you (not surprising since the company that brought it to the country is SM).

If you stop and think about it, our world is going to hell. We've overreached ourselves as human beings by taking more than we need, more than what our planet can sustain. It's depressing, especially when we feel powerless to stop the environmental degradation even within our own little slices of earth. The poor suffer most because of it, but in one way or another, all of us are affected.

There are so many things we can do to help the environment, but we should all begin with ourselves. It's easier when we start with our hobbies - if you're reading this, you're probably into beauty and fashion. It's a good thing that brands in the industry have made a tentative move to participate in the so-called green fashion philosophy by providing products and services that give back to the planet in some way. 

Some recent examples are Pureology, which donates to a recycling facility in Rizal, and Zara, which sells 100% organic cotton tees. There are also the newly launched Rajo Laurel Tree Bags.

The Tree Bag Project is an initiative of Rags2Riches, Inc., a social business enterprise, in collaboration with Mr. Rajo Laurel, Anthill Fabric Gallery (another social enterprise), the Indigenous Weavers of Bangued, Abra, Wood Crasftmen of Pardo, Cebu and the San Carlos Development Board, Inc., our Tree-Planting partner. It is a project for a cause that empowers four communities and plants a tree for every purchase of the Tree bag.

Mr. Rajo Laurel enthuses, "What makes this project even more significant is that we have fused four communities in creation of the bag. We have the weavers of Abra who created the linen fabric of the bag made from scrap thread. Then we have the women of Payatas who braided the handle made from scrap fabric.

I've never had my hair colored, ever. Whenever I go to salons to get a cut, I always smell the distinctive stink of hair dye. It's the kind of odor that goes straight inside your nasal passage and stays there, painfully. That's a huge deterrent for me! My hair is really thin plus I suffer from hair fall so I've been staying away from any sort of chemical treatment for years now.

And then came L'Oreal INOA. A play on the words "Innovation No Ammonia", L'Oreal's revolutionary hair coloration system promises optimal scalp comfort and the absence of smell. It's because there is zero ammonia in the formula. At the heart of INOA is the ODS (Oil Delivery System) which is supposed to optimize the hair penetration of the coloring active ingredients.

Robbie discussing the system

Demoing. The system has three major components just manually mixed with each other.

I have already introduced Dr. Jart BB Creams last week. This time around, feast your eyes on a photo essay of their public launch last May 29 at The Plaza, Ayala Museum. The dresses featured were designed by Jun Escario. I found the event super entertaining because each BB cream got its own mini dance and fashion show!