These shoes were made for walking

A lot of people know me for my high heels. At my old job, I learned to run in three-inch heels because I was always rushing to beat the bundy clock (the security guards were on my side. And oh, I have since progressed to running in four-inch heels). And, on one occasion, when a co-worker caught me in sneakers on my way to the gym, he remarked, "Ang liit mo pala!"

Which is why I don't really wear flats. I always thought that ballet flats would make me look squat because of the width of my feet and my, uh, general self. Haha. But I resolved to buy ballet flats that I could live with, and so I went hunting. The result...

...Flats that I can't just live with, but which I actually love! As you can see, they're by el cheapo Parisian, found in all SM Department Stores. I heart this brand because they have such stylish shoes that don't cost a bundle. This pair, for example, was less than P500! Woohoo! I love the whole snakeskin thang it's got going. Funnily enough, while I was wearing these, I ran into one of the fab former Preview girls, and she was wearing platforms in the exact same pattern. (She got hers on sale at H&M.) And they don't make me look squat at all--in fact, they seem to make my legs look longer. Yay! On the minus side, these pinch my feet a bit because they're a half size smaller than normal--SM ran out of shoes in my exact size. But I snatched them up anyway because they're just so darn cute.

Hooray for cute, cheapie finds! Hooray for being a girl who can blog about such inane things!

I've got a crush on you

Today's look was inspired by...

My girl crush, Emmanuelle Chiriqui, aka Sloan on Entourage. I've always found her so gorgeous, but she was especially so in season 6. And I loooved her clothes that season--classic and chic, never weirdly edgy.

In the season finale, pictured above, she wore a men's gray sweater over a coral tank and distressed boyfriend jeans (not shown), which she wore in a number of other eps. I could never pull off boyfriend jeans, at least not REAL boyfriend (or, in my case, husband) jeans. I'm just so small that I would look like a little boy in his dad's clothes. And I'm convinced that the look works best on skinny frames--something I have never had!

I do, however, have a pair of distressed jeans that weren't even intentionally distressed. They've got a few rips here and there because I played disc in them one time. (Couldn't help myself.) I also have a favorite gray off-shoulder top from Bangkok. First option was to wear it over a white tank, but I dug through my closet and found my almost-forgotten hot pink Topshop tank. Too bad my silver hoop earrings were no longer usable.

It feels weird doing this because I don't really put pics of myself in a post about clothes. (I'm far more interested in interiors than in fashion.) Plus there's the possible comparison with the incomparable Emmanuelle (a five-foot-three goddess, that one). But whatevs. I was just slightly giddy to find Sloan-esque stuff in my closet!

Now if anyone can tell me what shades she wore in that episode, I would owe you big time!

Bul-bowled over

As part of preps for the Big Day, I wanted to get "fully landscaped," as my friend Marie would call it. Well, not fully--I had already become a citizen of Brazil, but wanted to revert to being French. The whole Brazilian thing sometimes leaves the impression that you haven't hit puberty yet... TMI for male readers* (if there are any), I know.

After reading the Beauty Coach's entry about the whole landscaping shtick, I decided to call one of her recommended waxers: Wilma the Bulbulizer. (I am not kidding. She even has a calling card!) I had gone to salons before, and also tried my BFF's home-service waxing lady (who used a homemade wax that looked a lot like a katamaran lab project that Ching and I submitted in high school). My most regular waxing lady was Marifel from Aura Salon (along Katipunan), a woman whose uncanny talent is her being able to tell if a customer is a virgin or not. But I decided on Wilma because, well, she's very reasonably priced. And for the amount of waxing I intended to have done, I needed someone who wouldn't charge me an arm and a leg (and a back, and all the other areas I wanted done).

For just a thousand bucks, this chick from Pampanga would go right to your house and perform a no-nonsense, full-body waxing and threading job (including eyebrows!) in no time. Seriously, that was the fastest session I've ever had! And while she's at it, she'll regale you with funny (or sad, but told in a funny way) stories about her life, her showbiz clients, her job:

Wilma: Ah, ikakasal ka pala.
Me: Opo.
Wilma: 'Yung asawa ko kasi sumakabila na...
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry--
Wilma: ...sumakabilang-bahay.

~*~*~*~

Wilma: Sa Saudi, gusto ng mga lalake na wala talagang buhok ang mga babae. Kung mas wala kang buhok, mas madami kang sex.

~*~*~*~

Me: Wina-wax niyo po ba ang sarili niyo?
Wilma: Dati, nung nagse-sex pa ako.

~*~*~*~

Wilma: 'Yung UFC fighter na 'yon, nagpa-wax sa akin. Ang balbon ng pwet!

~*~*~*~

Wilma: Ang ibang babae, lalo na pag dalaga, ayaw nilang nagbo-boyzilian (a Brazilian for males), nahihiya sila. Ako, wala akong pakialam. Hinahawakan ko talaga ang t*t*.

~*~*~*~

But it wasn't her waxing and threading ability, or even her humor that truly impressed me (although those were certainly praiseworthy); it was her drive and her entrepreneurial spirit that struck me. Don't be fooled: Once you get over the shock from her unapologetically frank and humorously crass language, you'll find that Wilma is a very smart woman--one who has made a name for herself not just in Pampanga, but in the big city. In one day trip to Manila, she can attend to as many as 10 clients. She provides her homemade wax to a high-end waxing salon, and trains newbie waxers. She even offers services for waxing parties (a really good price for a party of 10--great idea for a bridal shower!).

I was only with her for about an hour, but I was pretty impressed with what I could gather from her life story. She was able to find the hair-free balls to leave a bad marriage, and is working very hard to put her kids through school. Her story is so interesting, in fact, that a bunch of students even did a whole term paper about her!

I'll be calling her again for some, uh, maintenance, some tsismis, and a bit of inspiration--such a great, surprising source.

*And now, I leave you with something especially for the male readers, a little something I found online as I was researching different cuts:

From here. That last one is what is more commonly known as a boyzilian.

Want to get bulbolized? Contact Wilma through mobile 0917-8059176. She's usually in Manila on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you're interested in having a waxing party, she's game to do it on a weekend.