The Homecoming ♡

Allu! :) I just recently came back from my Christmas vacation, and I'm already missing it :( Haha! Every year, my mom and I fly to LA to spend the holidays with my aunts and cousins since we don't have much family left here in Manila, and it gets lonely when it's just my mom and I celebrating. :) And every year, I make it a point to maximize my shopping potential while I'm there! This is a haul post, not everything was bought at the same time cos if not that woulda been some cray cray spendin! Haha. :p Okay.. Here it goes! 

Denim Jeggings from H&M.

These are REALLY comfy and allow me to move around a lot on days when I've got lots of errands to do. I can move briskly without having to be conscious of my movement which a skirt or shorts would typically make you feel.

Denim Polo from H&M. I unfortunately lost my denim polo (identical to this one) last year in LA :( And when I tried to look for it this year, none of us could find it.. Wonder where it is!! Haha, anyway! I don't really need to explain how versatile and chic a denim polo can be cause I'm sure most of you guys own one already and know its potentials :)

Striped Turquoise and Black Bodycon Skirt from Charlotte Russe.

As most of you have noticed, turquoise is one of my fave colors when it comes to clothing. It's the only vibrant color I wear :) And for girls with big rears, such as myself, HAHAHA, I suggest wearing bodycon skirts! It makes you look REAAAL sexy and emphasizes your behind :)

Pink Leopard Print Shorts from Charlotte Russe.

This will be going on my online shop! :) If you wanna pre order it, you can tweet me @HelloCarliexx :)

Polka Dot Skirt from Cotton On.

The smaller the print, the skinnier you look.. Is that right? Haha. I'm not sure if that's correct, or if it works the other way around! Well, I think it's the smaller print that makes you look skinnier, some kind of optical illusion behind it, I guess :) 

Floral Skirt from Cotton On.

This skirt reminded me so much of the print of a top that my mom and I both have (matching mom&baby wear haha!!) :) I love floral prints that have a vintage feel to it, it feels like the upholstery of an old lady in an old victorian home.. Haha, I'm overthinking the print, aren't I?

Plaid Polo from Cotton On.

This polo is for Joriel, Ciaeli's brother :) He's one of my faaavorite kids in the world, and the reason why I got this isn't totally fashion related, so I'm sorry if I'm off track :p

Striped Navy Blue and White Skirt from Cotton On.

I've said this one too many times... I'M THE ULTIMATE NAUTICAL GIRL. I swear, if you raided my closet, all you'd see are stripes :) This skirt goes well with pretty much any plain colored top you'd throw on. Effortless but still very fashionable :)

Plain White T-Shirt from Cotton On.

I have a white shirt addiction, I have one in every brand, style, texture, and cloth.. I think it's so essential to have a variety of white tops because you can't just have one and expect it to go with all your outfits, right? :p

Printed Cardigan from Cotton On.

One of my pasalubongs for Ciaeli :) I have one in a similar more vibrant kind of green, and she liked it so much so I got her this when I saw it on the rack! :)

Sleeveless Polo from Lacoste.

This is a classic! Ever since I was young, my dad already influenced me to wear Lacoste shirts saying it was classy and simple. I've carried on that notion now that I'm older, and I've been a big fan of Lacoste ever since :)

Hi-Lo Knit Skirt from Xhilaration.

I really wanna try out this uneven length thing! It's sexy and demure at the same time... Very me! HAHA joke :|

Printed Top from Ross.

Sadly, and I really am pouting while typing this, Target doesn't have the Missoni for Target anymore which really did break my heart.. :( So I settled for this top instead, which has a similar Missoni print feel. *le sigh* :(

Kimono Top from Xhilaration.

I have been on the hunt for the perfect kimono top for months now!! I fell in love with this the moment I saw it, and it was pretty affordable too! It came in a variety of prints, but I think this suits me more :)

Peach Top from Charlotte Russe.

This was such a good bargain! I won't tell you guys how much though just in case I decide to sell it on my online shop. Heehee :) I love the pop of color on this top!! I thought it wouldn't suit my skin color, but it actually made me have this glowing tan! But I still the color would better fit a fair skinned girl :)

Color Blocked Top from Goodwill.

Thrifting in LA? Much better than here in MNL!! Got this lovely top for only $4! Saw a girl eyeing it, and we both "brisk walked" towards this top and guess who won ;)

Aztec Sequined Top from Charlotte Russe.

Giving in to the fad! I absolutely love sweaters and sequins and it was so interesting how those two integrated with an aztec print worked so well! :)

High Waisted Maroon Shorts from Lacoste.

All I can say is... PURE PERFECTION. I bought another piece of this in a smaller size and it's going on my online shop!! As said previously, if you wanna pre order it, tweet me @HelloCarliexx !! :)

Plain Black Jumpsuit (gift) :)

Turquoise button down skirt from Xhilaration.

I love the flow of the skirt! Not popping out, which will make you look fat, and not too body hugging, which will show all your budges. Just right :)

Loose Black Cardigan with Lace Detail from Ross. 

Aztec Print Poncho from Ross.

Black and Gold Lace Dress from Ross.

Brown, Black, and Grey Flats from H&M.

Must haves for every college student!! :)

Zebra Print Dress from Cotton On.

Cheetah Print Jumpsuit from Cotton On.

Will be for sale on my online store. Or you can tweet me @HelloCarliexx for pre orders :)

Zebra Print Top from Cotton On.

Lace Top with Black Piping from Forever 21.

MY BEST BUY. :)

Hope you guys liked this entry! This is just part 1! Hope you all stay tuned for part 2 :) Tweet me @HelloCarliexx for more info and whatnot! :)

A Gift To Last ☃

Clean and crisp! Something I'm trying out now. I've had the boyish style and edgy style going on for the last few years, now I'm trying to channel my feminine side! :)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE SKIRTS. I don't really like going out in pants, except that in school, we have a dress code and sometimes I don't wanna risk getting an offense just cause I prefer skirts. :( But during weekends, free days, and rebellious days, you'll always find me sporting a skirt :)

Trousers are my way of incorporating my boyish side with my feminine side, I could wear a lace or chiffon top with it and some wedges or brogues and still look feminine but structured. :) As for palazzo pants, I have enormous thighs (haha, that's a bit too dramatic but that's how I see it!), and these pants will not only cover them up perfectly, but also it'll make me look taller :)

I know the fur vest isn't a blazer, but I just mixed it in :) haha. Anyway, I love structured pieces like blazers. I always feel extra chic in them! Whenever I feel lazy, I'll put on a dress and throw a blazer over and voila! It makes your outfit look really polished, especially if you pair it with a statement watch :)

Givenchy has been one of my favorite brands this year. They've totally revamped the brand and made it mainstream again :) The nightingale bag is just perfection as well as the pepe clutches! :)

Despite living in a tropical country, I have quite a collection of scarves. Whenever I wear a plain tank and decide to not accesorize, I usually end up throwing on a scarf to get that Hollywood fashionista vibe. Haha :) 

MY CURRENT OBSESSION. I love bib necklaces!! I usually don't wear printed clothes, so in order to make my outfit more interesting, I wear one of these babies! The pop of color, shape, and texture brings out the beauty in any outfit :)

This is something I picked up from my mom. My mom collects watches, and she believes that this is the best and most useful accessory ever created -- and I agree with her. I realized that when I look at girls who look so polished, it's usually cause they're toting a really nice watch (usually, men's watches for me).

The YSL designs have been so beautiful lately! I noticed it early this year and have been eyeing their bags and clutches for some time now :) It's very classy working girl :) 

Wedges and platforms are some of the styles I've been into lately :) It's so comfortable yet stylish to be walking around in these heels which is my main consideration since I'm a student at a university :) I can't wear anything too flashy or too high since people will talk about me like I'm some nut, so I opt for more subtle styles, colors and heights :)

I went gaga over Prada when they came out with their nylon collection! However, I couldn't find any pictures on polyvore, so instead I put the leather goods instead :) Prada has always kept their styles classy and crisp but still very updated. I used to not be a fan since I felt that the designs were too "old", but now I'm learning to appreciate a good structured silhouette :)

For my phone, which I have a relationship with.. Haha! I never leave home without it and it never goes "undressed". I have a huge collection of iPhone cases that I change depending on my mood :) These are the cutest cases I've seen in a while and I can't wait to get my hands on them :)

Feel free to ask questions or to comment on this post! Tweet me at @HelloCarliexx :) Happy holidays!

The Jet Set ✈

Sundays are shopping days for me :) It's the only day in the week wherein I have my mom to myself the whole day, which means more kaching! Haha. We haven't been able to spend much time the last few because I've been busy with school work and moving in the condo. So, when I finally cleared my weekend, I made sure to sneak in some shopping. Here's what I got this weekend! 

(Pink Sleeveless Skater Dress, SM Department Store)

In my previous post, I was wearing the teal version of this dress. I got so many compliments, so I decided to pick it up in another color :)

(Heart Detailed Dress, SM Department Store)

This was a lucky find! I usually find some of my cutest clothes in the kids department of SM at cheaper prices. And if you're wondering how is it that I fit into children's clothes, I'll have you know that they carry size 18, which fits me perfectly. Haha.

Close up of the print. It's actually red and dark blue, not black. :)

The skirt part of the dress. :)

(White Knit Sweater with Elbow Patch, Forever 21)

I'm just trying out the whole elbow patch style that Zara and Forever 21 have been sporting. It has this very industrial revolution feel -- like a young boy in the coal mine with the whole newspaper boy hat, brown trousers and suspenders. Haha! I over think things. :)

Back portion of the top :)

(Dark Blue Knit Sweater with Elbow Patches, Forever 21)

Hope you enjoyed today's posts! :) If you have any questions, you can tweet me at @HelloCarliexx :) Hope to hear from you soon!

Sleeping Beauty ♕

Blazer: Mom's closet

Dress: SM Department Store

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Jellybean

Necklace: Tiffany & Co.

I wore this to an evening at the ballet. Ciaeli and I watched Sleeping Beauty at CCP -- which is quite odd since usually this time of the year, it's the Nutcracker that most ballet companies show. Nevertheless, the show was beautiful.

This, by far, is one of my favorite outfits ever. The silhouette of the dress, the unconventional flowy blazer which is like a deconstruction of the common square-ish blazers, the studded belt which brought a sort of edginess to the over-all feminine outfit, and the mix of white, brown and gold into one perfect pair of shoes. Hope you like it :)

And The Pretty Problem

The title of my entry today is from one of my new favorite TV series' called "2 Broke Girls"! It stars Kat Dennings as Max, who comes from a poor working-class family, and Caroline played by Beth Behrs, who was born rich but is now down on her luck, working together at a Brooklyn restaurant. Each episode ends with a running tally of the money they earned out of the $250,000 they need to open a cupcake business. 

(Source: Screen Junkies)

Coincidentally, the title also is very apt for the trouble I went through earlier tonight while I was trying to pick out shoes from my forever favorite department store, SM. Haha. They had just recently released the fashion week collection and I rushed over before they ran out of stock (which is usually quick). I was leaning towards the Rajo Laurel collection, but decided not to purchase them because it wasn't really my style, however, it was NOT a disappointment at all! Rajo's work, like always, was spectacular :) Here are a couple of the stuff I purchased earlier :) Pardon the poor quality of the photos, I only had my phone with me and I'm really lazy to reshoot the products right now. :)

The perfect caption for this photo would really have to be "The Pretty Problem"! I really can't tell which one's prettier, so I picked out the dominantly grey one first then I'll probably come back for the other pair tomorrow. :)

The side view of the platforms. They look like their color palettes were just reversed, but actually the dominantly yellow one is yellow and silver not grey -- which I found to be a tad bit tacky, making it my 2nd choice :(

And the comparison... 

The lighting doesn't give justice to it's real color which is a pretty turquoise! My favorite :)

Better! Now you can clearly see the color :) The details are a pinkish orangish tone, I'm not sure if salmon or coral (my friend Cha would know cause she's obsessed with that color) haha :)

This beautiful floral dress caught my eye because of the vintage vibe you get from the print. But, the back part is what really got me!

Beautiful, right? :) I'm a sucker for unconventional back detailing!

I remember finding one like this in Topshop a couple of years back, but of course, I'm not one to spend anything more than 1000 for a dress. Luckily SM always comes up with cheaper, and in my opinion, better alternatives :)

Hope you guys enjoyed this entry! :) By the way, I'm trying to start up a make up portfolio or whatever you call it with me as the Make Up Artist :) Haha. If you'd like to be a model, or if you know someone who could potentially be a model, just tweet me @CarlieTops :) XO!