(Subtitle: Why I Went “Clubbing” on a Sunday)

Many of you may not know my sister Marielle is getting married in about a month’s time. She and her fiance Michael have taken care of almost all the major details, so I haven’t been doing much as a maid of honor. There was one thing she specifically asked me to do for her: makeup for her prenup pictorial two Sundays ago.

As much as I’d like to take credit for how flawless her skin is in her photos, I didn’t really have to do much work. A little foundation, a little concealer, and a little eyeshadow was all she needed for the daytime set we shot at Eastwood Mall and La Mesa Ecopark.

When it came to the nighttime set, we changed location to Manor Superclub in Eastwood. Michael’s cousin co-owns it, so we were able to shoot the first ever prenup pictorial within its walls. (Usually Metro Magazine and FHM use it for their magazine layouts.)

I had to say, it felt weird being inside Manor in my baggy Levi’s jeans and Converse sneakers. I always dress up to go clubbing (Manor is one of my favorite places to go). And it was strange seeing it empty. But the photos came out great!

For this set I needed to make Marielle’s makeup more dramatic, so out came the black eyeliner and the blended eyeshadows. She’s not used to the relatively heavier stuff for evening, so I had to cajole her into letting me line her lids and pump up the black in her shadow.

Of course, I’m not a photographer, so check out photos of the happy couple from Wella Fan Photography (the pictorial spans several albums).

My little sister’s all grown up! *sob*

Tags: Prenup Pictorial, Makeup, Manor Superclub

Lately, I haven’t had the chance to look and feel glamorous; between running, writing, guesting on ShopTV and teaching exercise classes, I simply have been too lazy and tired to get all dolled up. So when Vince and Kring scheduled a fun shoot, I decided to join in the fun.

Not my best look.

Enter Jaclyn Go. Trained at Maquillage Professionel (Make-Up For Ever), Jac arrived armed with a caseful of makeup and an assistant who quickly went to work on my hair. Jac took a moment to assess what to do about my haggard face, then quickly laid out her brushes.

Jac vs. my sleepy face

I’ve noticed that people trained under Maquillage usually spend a lot of time on eye makeup, and Jac was no different. I really appreciated how the blend of colors she used on my lids made me look vibrant and alive.

Of course, all that attention to my face meant Jac and I were in close quarters. It gave me a chance to notice her long beautiful eyelashes!

When I grow up, I want lashes like hers.

Aside from being a professional makeup artist, Jac runs an eyelash extension salon called i-Lash. I’ve had experience using false eyelashes for a dramatic effect, but they were always obviously false. These eyelash extensions, in contrast, look very natural. (Maybe I’ll get my eyelashes done in time for my sister’s wedding in April…)

By the time Jac was done with me, I was a changed woman. I felt energized, awake, beautiful, and powerful. (Hrhrhr.) The makeup lasted through hours of posing and some costume changes, and I was even able to go to a high school friend’s baby shower looking none the worse for wear. Thanks, Jac!

Face by Jac. Legs by genetics and hard running.

You can contact Jaclyn Go for makeup services at 0917-7947178 / 0922-8265406.

i-Lash Extensions Salon is located at 3rd floor Starbucks Bldg. Retiro (Amoranto) St., Quezon City (beside Asian Twist, across McDonald’s D. Tuazon, near Banawe Area). Call 399-1272 or 964-8968 for more info.

Tags: Makeover, Kikay, Jaclyn Go

Long before I was Tomb Raider, I was raiding my mom’s and my friends’ closets for stuff they no longer wear. After all, they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Usually I end up with shirts, skirts, and shoes (if we’re the same size).

im in ur closets, raiding dem. whut.

Sometimes, like what happened last year when a friend went to Dubai to work, I get to raid closets for free. At other times, like two weeks ago at another friend’s garage sale, there’s a (low) price tag on the items. In any case, here’s the top three lessons I’ve learned about being a closet raider.

1. Be prepared to dig. When there’s a huge amount of stuff your friend needs to get rid of, she usually doesn’t have the time to sort through everything and put them on hangers. It’s pretty much old-school ukay-ukay style, except you know who’s worn those things before.
2. Examine everything closely. Just because they’re you’re friends doesn’t mean they’re giving out stuff in pristine condition — they are, after all, cast-offs. Watch out for small holes and tears, stains, deformed collars and sleeves, dirt, etc. Weigh whether or not you can do something about them before you take the items home.
3. Edit, edit, edit. Don’t go crazy because you’re getting these items for a reduced price or for free. Is there enough space in your closet? Are you really going to use these things? What I do is put everything that interests me into a pile, and then I sort through that later on to separate the things I really like from the takaw-mata stuff I just found shiny and pretty, but won’t have occasion to use in the near future.

Another friend of mine is leaving soon to work in Morocco. My own closet is bursting with clothes, so I hope to be prudent about raiding her closet.

Tags: Used Clothing, Ukay