#shailagarde

Two weekends ago (when my mom and I did this shoot) happened to be really, marvelously cold. I also happened to have been feeling under the weather, so I bundled up.

But I had a function to go to on Trinoma's cinema floor, and mall interiors on Sundays tend to be filled with human warmth. Lest I make my colds and sore throat worse, I came prepared to go with the temperature's rise and fall. Hence, this little red dress as the main piece.

  So you see, this one was more out of function than fashion, but after we took some shots, I noticed even my accessorizing was subconsciously geared towards February 14th.

Maybe I'm just already looking forward to it. ♥

***

Make way for Rising Stars

Meanwhile, here's why I was in Trinoma. My cousin Jeru has been working on this upcoming talent search on TV5, and its format is more similar to what I do on YouTube than how current talent show franchises do it, so it was too interesting not to write about. 

Talent reality shows are a dime a dozen, and they pretty much contain the same formula. There are three or four judges, contestants with considerable talent and a compelling backstory, a weekly showdown and elimination influenced by audience opinion. Once in a while there are wild cards, guest performers, and backstage drama.

In this day and age of social media, however, a different kind of talent show is brewing.

From phone to fame

RisingStars Philippines is the newest, most unique nationwide talent search of its kind. Just when you thought stardom couldn’t be more accessible, this upcoming reality show on TV5 has further democratized the competition arena by reassuring hopefuls that their dreams are within their fingertips, literally—the audition process involves downloading the RisingStars videoke app for Android (free on Google Play Store), searching for your jam, recording a song with your phone’s camera and submitting it as your audition piece. If you don’t have an Android phone, you could log on to www.risingstars.ph to record and submit your entry via webcam.

For the technologically challenged, on-ground auditions are being held in more than 200 malls, school campuses, and barangays all over the Philippines. The audition booth consists of a computer with a webcam and a microphone to sing your heart out with.

Manila, other auditions 

RisingStars held its Manila auditions in TriNoma on January 14-22. Roving reporter Mico Aytona was there with invited members of the media to introduce this fresh take on talent reality searches. Journalists and bloggers got to try the RisingStars recording booth for themselves and see how easy the initial process is—no complicated requirements, no repetitive hotseat interviews, no long lines!

Online voting period for Manila started on January 23 and closes today, January 27. As with previous regions, entries gathered will go through a series of screenings, and the chosen ones will undergo live callbacks during the semi-finals on January 29, Thursday. Seven semi-finalists will then battle it out onstage on February 1. There are 12 regional semi-finals, and the top two winners from this stage of the competition gets a chance to compete with finalists from other regions on the telecast of RisingStars Philippines.

Photo diary of the Manila auditions below! 

With my cousin, Miko, and Niko, Steph and Krista of RisingStars Philippines. After this Manila leg, auditions will be held next in Muntinlupa, Baguio, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas.

But wait, there’s more: RisingStars Philippines offers an unprecedented degree of audience participation. Unlike usual talent searches where elimination means losing your chance to win, nothing is sure on RisingStars. Anyone at home may challenge, and if successful, take the place of current contestants on the show. This is a competition where star quality is actually the most important thing.

On December 12th (of course), iconic tennis greens filled Makati Shangri-La's Isabela Ballroom, highlighted by a wide backdrop showcasing the story of Rene Lacoste and the L.12.12.

Nicknamed the crocodile for his tenacity on the court, Lacoste created a uniform in 1927 that would allow for better sweat absorption and freedom of movement. He named it L.12.12 — L for Lacoste, 1 for its one-of-a-kind fabric, 2 for its short sleeves, and 12 for the number of the final version of the design he selected for production.

Heralding the birth of contemporary sportswear, the L.12.12 has remained a beloved wardrobe staple for the elegantly athletic. This sport-luxe spirit is reignited in its timepiece collection launched by country distributor Lucerne and global licensee Movado Group, Inc. 

The Holiday timpiece collection was presented by Julian Addison, MGI President for Asia Pacific.

I've never seen the stitched crocodile logo this big. I just had to take a photo of his slideshow and post it. Ha!

Six vibrant jewel-hued colors makes up the collection: grey, red, blue, white, green and black. 

Patterned after the classic poloshirt it is named after, the piqué fabric that serves as the polo shirt’s unique signature is faithfully echoed on the watch by an attractive petit piqué mesh effect on the soft-touch silicone strap. Ready to take a bite out of 3 ‘clock is the legendary green crocodile that adorns each dial. 

Even the macarons served after our sumptuous lunch were in the colors of the L.12.12 Holiday timepieces. Adorable.

Hosting were renowned sports personalities Anthony Suntay and Patricia Bermudez-Hizon who provided colorful commentary. 

Patricia and I have met before, when I produced a segment for GMA News' defunct sports show featuring her charity work, getting wayward kids off the streets through sports. 

Speaking of sports... I'm not an athlete by any means, but I'm pretty competitive, especially when I know I have a winning chance. Anthony and Patricia announced that there will be a Wii tennis doubles tournament in honor of Rene Lacoste's tennis prowess, and I was the first to sign up. I don't know enough tennis but I know my Wii Sports!

Guests were signed up into teams that faced one another to move up to the finals. Luckily, I was paired with running blogger Franc Ramon. Our tandem clicked from the get-go, and we were communicating about strategy and pacing as if it were a real match. Pretty soon we were going through the other duos and winning the championship!

Our prizes were awarded by Julian (whom we also played against, and was really good, by the way) and Emerson Yao of LTimestudio. 

In addition to the prizes for the tennis players, Lacoste had a surprise for all media guests: our very own L.12.12 watches! We each got a gift box that contained the color of the watch we were going to get.

My winnings, plus the L.12.12 in the color I wanted. Ateneo blue!

I went with this guy, who may or may not be joining the blog as a legitimate writer on everything sports, pop culture and food. In which case a further and more in-depth introduction may be necessary. 

Anton's L.12.12 in red. That punch of color is all you need to brighten up any good old casual outfit.

I'll be doing outfit posts featuring Lacoste timepieces soon, so watch for it (pun not intended)!

The Lacoste team and friends with their L.12.12 watches.   

Big props to PR maven Rochelle Romero for leading her team in executing an original and spectacular launch concept!

Fitting for the post I'm typing up tonight. A somber ensemble in black and white, with a drop of icy blue. 

The silver and Swarovski necklace from Uno de 50 is the latest in my collection of icy blues, my love for which I think is rooted in my fondness for winter. I zeroed in on it the minute I stepped into the store.

Uno de 50 is a Spanish fine jewelry brand, one of many global retailers that hit Philippine shores this year. These are what I found when I checked out its Fall/Winter collection at the Mega Fashion Hall branch. I'll let the marvelous pieces speak for themselves.

                Exquisite, yes? Each Uno de 50 piece is designed and meticulously crafted by hand, using silver plated metal alloys, thread, leather, resin, stones or Swarovski crystals. Originally, the artisans only made 50 pieces per collection, hence the name. The brand has evolved to producing more than this amount as they expanded worldwide, but each Uno de 50 piece is still handcrafted in limited quantities.

If you would like to see these lovely works of art for yourself, visit Uno de 50 at SM Aura, SM Megamall, Mall of Asia and SM Makati.

I also got to drop by the first anniversary party of Skin Rejuve Elite at Timog Avenue. I discovered this last year while looking for a good skin care center near my office, and I've been going to the Ortigas branch since. It's a far cry from the more popular, highly commercialized clinics—for the same quality, the treatments and products are more affordable and the nurses go the extra mile to take care of you.  

With Ms. Leny Hernandez of Operations and Aya Toreja of Marketing. I wasn't able to meet the owner, Mrs. Prescy Yulo, who I believe was being awarded one of Manila's Best Dressed for 2014 at the time.

Treatment rooms are simple and minimalist, with soothing spa music piped in. Just right for my fuss-free approach to beauty! Everyone who dropped by that day enjoyed a free skin care or slimming treatment of their choice (Diamond Peel, Radiofrequency or Lipocavitation).

Another treat from Skin Rejuve—they're bringing in Neogen dermalogy, a brand that's been making waves in Korea and Thailand.

Crystal Skin Body Serum contains Vitamin B3, glutathione, pearl extract, and plant stem cells to improve skin tone and texture. It seems to be a mix of skin care and cosmetics, a brightening serum with immediate effects upon application. Some reviews call it instant Photoshop, but I have yet to find out for myself. I'll post a review up when I do! 

Outfit details: Dress, Candy Love Clothing. Jacket, Zara. Boots, Topshop. Bag, Vans. Necklace, Uno de 50.

   Hype it on Lookbook here, vote on Chictopia here.

"We are humble and we are hungry." This simple yet profound state is Under Armour's brand personality, and it's what has made it one of the most successful fitness brands in the world. It's what Kevin Plank envisioned almost 20 years ago: a brand made with passion by athletes, for athletes. —by Anton Holmes