Olay Natural White with Vitamin C

When I got back from Bali two weeks ago, it had occurred to me that my skin tone was now uneven due to the amount of time I spent under the sun. To give you a better imagery to picture in your head, it was like wearing a pale colored shirt with sleeves that only ever extended up to an inch or three below my shoulders. My forearm had been toasted a golden brown, but about a quarter of my bicep was still as pale as any teenaged girl’s would be if they didn’t leave their room for days on end like I did.

Now the problem here didn’t lie in the fact that I was tanner. I honestly prefer sun-kissed skin over one that glows as white and bright as my computer screen, but the tan lines really had to go. If they didn’t make me look like I was wearing one of those annoying shirts with curved sleeves that made your arms look five hundred times wider, maybe they could’ve stayed, but that’s exactly what they did, and so I had to get rid of them.

Previously, I had written about Olay’s Natural White Bar with Papaya Extract. I was pleased with the short-term results I witnessed in the four weeks I had used it, but now, let me tell you about the Natural White Bar with Vitamin C and why it was just what I needed to even out my skin tone.

Bali 2014

My most recent trip to Bali with my family was two things: last minute and extremely refreshing. I'd just arrived back home from the US when my dad told us he was heading to Indonesia for a Harley Owners Group convention (think of it as a 1D fan party but for Harley Davidson riders in Asia lol). Originally, it was just supposed to be him and my mom going, but after some slight passive-aggressive prodding on my behalf (and my sister's keen interest in traveling), two additional tickets were booked. I remember there being about two weeks of silence regarding this trip, and then suddenly, "Hey, pack your bags, we're going to Bali."

LACMA Photo Diary

When we were planning our trip to LA, the first place that was suggested to me was LACMA. Embarrassing as it is, I'd never heard of it prior to its suggestion, mainly because LA used to be just home of the stars, Build-A-Bear, and Disneyland to me. I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the works of art on display if my parents had taken me when I was younger, nor would I have understood any of its meanings or depth. I probably would've just been confused, or drawn to the painting with bright, neon colors.

I'm a firm believer that things really do happen for a reason, and so—without a single doubt in my body—I know that I've been blessed to have spent my first time at the museum with the best of companies.

Olay Natural White with Papaya Extract

Hey guys! I don’t know if anybody has noticed, but since I’ve started blogging, I’ve been branching out—widening my horizons, you could say—as opposed to just posting outfit shots constantly. It was beginning to bore me, the whole ‘I wore this because (insert reason), and what I really love about (brand) is because their clothes are not only (adjective), but also (comfortable, versatile, etc).’  It was beginning to feel a lot like a cardboard cut-out, fill-in-the-blanks sort of thing, and for someone who hated routines as much as I did, it frustrated me that blogging began to feel more like an obligation than a hobby that made me happy.

So to combat the onslaught of me giving up on blogging altogether, I decided to make ninapineda.com a little more me. I’ve started writing about personal experiences, events I’ve attended, the trips I’ve gone on… I posted vlogs (although not as often as I would like to)… And now, as I go through the rest of my adolescence, I present a new category that you will be hopefully reading more posts on in the future: beauty. 

The Grove

The day my mom, aunt, and I spent at The Grove was comprised mainly of me shrieking on elevators and then promptly taking the stairs; walking endlessly for hours, it seemed; window shopping, eating at Umami Burger, and Haagen-Dazs cones for dessert. There's not much to say about the trip, really, as my guardians mostly let me do my own thing—which was go around in circles, taking photos of everyone and everything, while they talked between themselves. I'd have to have numerous pairs of hands to be able to count the amount of times my mom rushed me out of a store because I was taking multiple photos of the same thing (to the best of my stealthy skills).

Venice Beach Photo Diary (and why I'm one step closer to being the happiest I've ever been)

My trip to Venice Beach would definitely have to be one of the highlights of my most recent trip to LA. The last time I was there, the ocean had swallowed one half of my favorite pair of slippers, and my dad—seizing his opportunity to make a dad joke—told me to throw the remaining half into the water. He said it might come back to me one day, the next time I'm at the beach on the other side of the world, and while nine year old me highly doubted that, the slim chance of it actually happening excited me enough to make me oblige. I had to walk all the way back to our hotel barefoot, but I didn't really mind. Back then, it felt like giving back to the earth (when in all honesty, my dad and I probably did more damage than anything else).

Rodeo Drive

God, I'm such a tourist. I don't think my trip to LA would've been complete without an indulgent, slightly gratuitous visit to Rodeo Drive. I could practically hear Material Girl by Madonna blasting in the back of my head, playing over certain scenes from the one and only episode of #RichKids of Beverly Hills that I saw. (I shut it about half-way through, and my cousin asked me if I felt my brain cells dying while watching. My answer was a resounding yes.) We were all too tired to actually walk under the sun, especially after a few hours at the beach, so a drive-through and a bit of sightseeing was all we did. It was still pretty good, though. I kind of just enjoyed watching the swarm of tourists crossing the street whenever the stoplight for cars flashed red best.

Urth

Prior to our trip to LA being booked, I'd heard a lot about Urth, an organic coffee company that first opened in West Hollywood back in 1994. Obviously, it's not a new cafe considering it's been up for four years before I was even born, but I think it was around early last year that I first heard of it. To my knowledge, it's become a sort of go-to spot for my peers in the City of Angels, and upon stepping into the cottage-like brick building, I could see why.

Santa Monica Photo Diary

If I went out now, at 3:00 AM, I would go to the pier. I would sit at the edge of the boardwalk and dangle my legs just right above the water and watch the sky turn from a deep, dark, royal blue, to a gradient that went from soft pink hues to a lighter shade of blue. Skies are different out here in LA, but they're just the way I liked them. 

Ventura

Just before we headed to the One Direction concert on the 13th of September in Pasadena, the lovely Pascua family took us to Umami Burger. Isabella and I then went for a stroll with her brothers and checked out the nearby Urban Outfitters, where we then proceeded to spend at least half an hour running about trying things on. It was a good day, if I say so myself. Tiring, but good, and I say that without a single doubt. More photos under the cut!

Home again

If you're following me on any of my social media accounts, then I'm sure you already know about my whereabouts. As of this moment, I'm in Los Angeles, soaking up the sun and most likely taking photos of everything in sight. (It's just as hot here as it is in the Philippines.)

Rosy-hued Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial

Hello! Today's post is a make-up tutorial, the first of many more to come, I hope, as I've been slowly dipping my feet into the beauty industry. In collaboration with Belle & Cat, Patricia and I actually filmed a vlog tutorial for this look, but after some sort of a technical error, I lost all the video files. We will be filming a new one soon, but for now, this post should do! It's a girly take on the smokey-eye look with a pop of color thanks to the brightly-tinted lipstick. The tutorial and the products we used will all be under the cut.

Comfort & Style

Here is a quick outfit post featuring what I wore to the Life Documented Manila August workshop (read my post on it here). I had anticipated the typical Manila heat when I was getting dressed that morning, hence my opting to go for a look that was casual and comfortable without having to sacrifice my own personal style. I've had the Tuck and Tale top I'm wearing in my closet for a while now, but it wasn't until my most recent trip to River Island that I found just the right bottoms to go with it: Something that was high-waisted enough to cover my navel and match its cropped style, without making me look stubby. Read more under the cut!

Eye see you

If you're following me on Vine, Twitter, and/or Instagram, then you probably know about the day I spent at Belle & Cat filming two different make-up tutorial vlogs for you guys, and getting my nails done. I've previously written about the salon here, after the Anti-Monday bazaar giveaway was held there. If you'd like more information on the services they offer, you can check out their website by clicking here. I will be focusing on their nail art services for this blog post, however, which you can read more about under the cut!

Life Documented Manila

Last Saturday, I attended Life Documented Manila's Project Life workshop. I had previously heard about this scrapbooking method on Pinterest, but I never actually considered trying it because I wasn't sure if there were any materials available for it locally. Most of the scrapbookers I saw were from the US, so you know, I figured it just wasn't for me. It didn't occur to me, though, that there was a community for it in the Philippines until Ate Abbey posted a photo of her book on Instagram, so you can only imagine my excitement. I mean, I've been scrapbooking for as long as I remember; my aunt used to work for All About Scrapbooking and would send me packages filled with art materials that I would share with my childhood best friend, Noelle. It always thrilled me to receive them in the mail even though I was never too good at it; I destroyed photos more than I prettyfied them, and my layouts were anything but pleasant to look at. It never mattered to me, though (which present me is envious of). Scrapbooking, or the arts in general, was more of a release than a means of showing off my creativity to gain my peers' respect. LOL. But eventually, like most things, I grew out of it. My works were subpar at most, and with me hitting puberty hard, it wasn't doing too well for my artistic ego. I figured I would be better off pursuing other things, which—back then—was a different form of art: theatre. But that's another story.

River Island Mega Fashion Hall

Ever since Jam and I found out that there would be a River Island branch opening at the Mega Fashion Hall, we've been waiting patiently (or at least trying to be) on the edge of our seats, biting our nails, and getting our wallets ready for the inevitable splurging that would ensue. Every single time we went to Mega, we'd gaze longingly like insane shopaholics at the massive 'coming soon' sign printed over one of their look-book photos, asking each other, "Just when will it open?" We wanted to be there on the first day like rabid dogs being fed their first meal, but alas, we missed it. Luckily, however, a trip to the store was planned for me at the last minute, and so my adventure begins. Lots of love to River Island for inviting me, being so accommodating, and for letting me play around the store styling things and myself! See the outfit I came up with under the cut. :P

On Becoming a 1D Fan & Officer + AUTOGRAPHED Make-Up by One Direction Giveaway

I was recently tapped by Markwins International to promote their latest beauty product, Make-up by One Direction. Being a fan of the boy band myself, I know for a fact that a large sum of my readers are too, and so I'm excited to be one of the selected bloggers to be holding this giveaway. The giveaway is under the cut!

Create

Every time my best friend is over, my room becomes nothing short of a mess. It's always as if a storm had passed and everything within its four walls had been smack dab in the middle of it. Notebooks would be littered on my bed (or the floor, depending on our chosen surface of the day), and all around it would be all sorts art materials scattered and strewn messily about. Jam and I share this need to create, to be creative at all times, and for some reason, when we're together, that need grows stronger. Separately, we get lazy, but together? We come up with the wildest ideas.

Celebrating 27 years of Bench with Young Star

I was recently featured in the local newspaper, Young Star, for their collaboration with the Bench Blog. It was quite a surreal experience altogether, considering I never pictured myself in such scenarios, let alone being tapped by one of the biggest local brands to style their classic white tee. Lots of love to Marga & ate Maine for reaching out and making this happen. You guys are the best-est.

You can read the feature under the cut! Happy Sunday x

Anti-Monday

After just two weeks of planning, the Anti-Monday Bazaar finally came into fruition on the 17th of August, 2014. What started out as another one of my brainchildren* eventually evolved into a legitimate, however spontaneous passion project with the help of two of my best friends, Renee and Jam, allowing me to tick off one of the top priorities on my very own bucket list.

Spontaneity

Another spontaneous day spent walking around the streets of Makati, chatting over tea and iced coffee in our new favorite spot, and Instagramming with the blogger BFF, and the BFF-BFF. You know: the usual. It seems as though the less we plan our outings, the more it's guaranteed to happen, but I'm not complaining. As long as I get to spend time with these two, it's all good. Check out my Vine and Instagram for more videos and photos from this day!

This week's highlights on Instagram (and why I had to make a new one)

This past week was just insane. From waking up to an invitation to attend Bombay Bicycle Club at the very last minute (thanks ate Mary!), seeing my Wander-buddies again and dancing like idiots, to being gifted tickets to Disclosure by a lovely sponsor (at the very last minute too!), meeting new people, and of course—making a complete fool out of myself in public. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend just two days consecutively.

Think About It

A casual outfit for a warm lazy day attending album launches with your best friends–that's basically what I had in mind when I got dressed that afternoon of the 19th.

Scout's Honor

"I'm a Scout because I know what I want, what's good for me, and what makes me happy even at a young age, and I'm not afraid to go for it."

Scout Magazine has finally been launched! Follow @scoutmagph and sign up at scoutmag.ph to find out more.

Lots of love to Ellie for making this happen!

Credits:
Hair by Eric Llave & Dan Mendez for Bench Fix
Make-up by Ria Aquino for MAC Cosmetics
Photography by Patrick Segovia
Art Direction by Ellie Centeno

Journaling 101

In which I give you guys a few tips on journaling. Hardly a '101' guide, but it stuck.

Shop at Shana

I was recently invited to the opening of Shana's third branch in the Philippines, which can be found in Glorietta 5 (their other two branches can be found in Robinsons Magnolia & Shangri-La Plaza East Wing). I had brought along my 'twin' with me, who had just about splurged her money on all the affordable, good quality clothes (and I'm not even joking when I say the brand's clothes are affordable and of good quality! The owner of Shana manufactures for ZARA). Jam and I spent at least an hour going around the shop, snacking on the free food, and trying on almost every single item that tickled our fancy. In the end, we wound up changing into new outfits--or as we jokingly put it: 'we got Shana-fied.' 

New theme

I spent the entire night last night revamping my theme. I'm real pleased with it. What do you guys think? :) x

Virgo

Had a shoot with someone I consider my blogger BFF, Renee, earlier this week, and of course, my ever present best friend Jam. While waiting for Renee to arrive, Jam and I got carried away with my liquid eyeliner and wound up drawing faux tattoos on our bodies, thus resulting to this entire get-up featured in this post. It's not my usual style, but it was fun to step out of my comfort zone, play dress up and be this sort of character who was a little bit more out there than I am--even if it's just for a little bit. More photos are featured under the cut. Enjoy!

Shooting stars

Mother of late posts. At this point, I don't even know if I have the right to call myself a blogger. I've been so caught up with life outside the Internet (sort of) that I haven't had the time nor motivation to sit down and update this site. There isn't much to write about, anyway. I gave a talk recently for I Know Write MNL, but I did rather terribly, and don't think I'll ever be doing that again. :P I've mostly just been writing (not blog posts, obviously), Vining, and stalking Tumblr. If you want to keep in touch, shoot me a message or tweet me. Deuces.

Wanderland 2014 Photo Diary

Oh Wanderland 2014. I waited an entire year for you. You were made up of the most beautiful people, and the most beautiful memories. Good music, good vibes. An entire day spent frolicking in an open field (maybe burning a little under the sun), dancing to our favorite songs, meeting new people (from all over the world!), and just... being in some kind of an artsy/musical wonderland, for a lack of a better way to put it.

Let's Go Surfing

This is a photo diary of sorts, taken on a particularly hot and sunny day by my best friend, Chesca. I say this all the time, but it's been a while. I hope everyone's having a wonderful summer; mine's been an incredible ride of ups and downs thus far. I've been spending a lot of time with my favorite people in the world and making lots of memories, listening to music in my bedroom with my best friends at two am and dancing (or at least trying to) until dawn. Exchanging stories about everything--boys, friends, and family--and strengthening my friendships with three certain girls I consider my sisters. Between us there is a trust that I know won't be easy to break.

Homme

Chesca shot Brock yesterday for Astroplus' #BoysOfSummer event. He was a pain in the ass to shoot, no thanks to his constant laughter, and him thinking it'd be a great idea to crack jokes at the worst of times. But the photos turned out pretty well, if I say so myself. You be the judge. We'll see you all on the eleventh at SM North Edsa Skydome.

But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be

Haven't had much to write about as of late, but I thought I'd maybe share this photo of what my mornings were typically like this past week. Both my best friends had just gone home, and it's only been about sixteen hours, but I'm already going through a very bad case of separation anxiety. How has your summer been? Let me know in the comments below, and while you're at it, let me know what you'd like to see more of on my blog! X

An Encounter

Here's a quick snippet GIF from my video of meeting The 1975 the third and final time with my friends, Vida, Ate Jeline, and Kammy. This entire week has been made up of super sleuth skills, waiting for hours and hours on end, and mostly pure luck and happenstance. It was such a wonderful experience over all, and I couldn't have shared it with better company. I know a lot of people out there have much to say about my experience, but here's my two cents: there is nothing quite like meeting one of the few groups of people that keep you going. I'm going through an awful post-concert depression as I type this, but I'm definitely very much contented with all that has occurred these last few days. Have a wonderful week ahead of you, guys!

Summer loving

Although it isn't technically summer for me yet, it is for my best friend. I thought it'd be a good idea to go for a swim under the sweltering heat, but it didn't turn out that way. We fiddled around with my GoPro, and took underwater photos, but it stopped working after, so you can check that off as another one of my bad ideas. Anyway, that's about it, and I hope everyone has a happy summer ahead! x

You're in love with something bigger than love

Here's a new format to the photos on my blog: GIFs. I don't even know, man. They're a lot of fun to make, so I thought--why the hell not? A lot of dead eyes and hair playing in here, mostly because I'm in love with how Color My Hair Manila did just what their name says: they colored my hair. I will be blogging about the experience real soon, but for now, have these gifs of me being annoying on photo booth and throwing my hair around because I can. If you have any enquiries about my hair or having your hair colored (and just how much it'd cost), you can ask them here. Love and light, y'all.

Your name is a wave washing over me

Lately, all I've been doing is sleeping during the afternoons, studying the legacy of Greece, making sure my plants don't die, and discovering new music. Do you know what that means? A new playlist. Here are fifteen songs I can't get out of my head. Download it here. Track listing is under the cut.

Weekend market

I recently attended Greenfields District weekend market with my best friend, where I finally got to use my camera again after weeks of its memory card being messed up. There were lots of art-making happening out in the field, live music, and cute little booths with quirky items for sale as pictured under the cut. I haven't gone to bazaars in so long that I kind of went crazy. Jam's mom got me potted plants for my room, and I got myself new clothes that were really cheap, but of good quality. The Greenfields District weekend market happens every Saturday, if I'm not mistaken, so if you're looking to attend, you can click here for more info. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I can't thank Jam and her mom enough for the experience (and the plants!). I look forward to attending more of it in the future.

Forever meant nothing when we had nothing

A little teaser for Indiestructible's Summer collection. The shop's been closed for a while due to my lack of spare time, but now I'm focusing all my efforts into restarting it (studies aside, of course) because it's a dream I just can't give up on. I've got a lot of stuff up my sleeve as well, and I can't wait to tell you guys all about it. But for now, enjoy the low quality iPhone photos my best friend and I took of each other.

February Mix

It's been a while since I last posted a playlist. You guys have been requesting this a lot, so here's a quick one for those of you who are still awake, featuring a few of my most recent favorite songs--most of which I found on Ari's blog. My all-time favorite has got to be the Icona Pop x Fall Out Boy remix, but it sorta ties up with the Lana Del Rey x Kanye West remix, so I guess I have two all-time favorites. Download the February Mix here.

Dog-sitting

Jam, Luigi (whose album is now available at Astroplus!), and I went for a walk with three of my dogs--Markus, Mitchell, and Diana--a while back. We took a lot of blurry photos on our phones and these were the results. Enjoy!

Pure Heroine

I'm not exactly the biggest Lorde fan there is out there, but considering the print on my top says "I'm the hero of this story," I thought naming this blog post after her debut album would be appropriate. It's been a while since I last wrote a long blog post that tackled a topic of which I had trouble and/or experience with, so in case you've missed it--I'm back.

My mama told me there'd be days like this

Just a quick outfit post shot by my good friend, Cleo, who is photographed under the cut. We also filmed a lookbook vlog for this outfit, where I style the embellished top in two different ways. For those who are wondering, I got the top from Topshop during their 70% Off sale, which I think is still ongoing right now. At the end of this post is a song I've fallen in love with quite recently, which is where I got the title for this blog post. Have a good week, everyone :) x

I got blo'd

Before anything else, I'd like to thank the people from Blo Blow Dry Bar Asia and the beautiful Nikita Conwi for inviting me to get blo'd at their newest branch at Megamall's Mega Fashion Hall last January 28 before they officially opened their doors to everyone. It was quite interesting to find myself in a bar with such a different concept behind it. According to them, 'Blo is North America’s Original Blow Dry Bar. Scissors are verboten. Dye, ditto. No cuts, no color: Just WASH BLOW GO.' And wash, blow, go it was.

Only Love

I had the pleasure of shooting my childhood friend turned model/Big Brother housemate/actor, Keith Thompson, and blogger Michelle Yazvac. I'm not very good at shooting at night what with the lack of proper lighting and all, but I'm very pleased with how most of the photos turned out. We shot in various places in Bonifacio Global City, in alleyways and sidewalks, parking lots and murals. This is a photo diary, a sort of post where I'm the one behind the camera as opposed to being in front of it, and the first of many more to come, I hope. Enjoy. :)

The irony of choking on a lifesaver

I honestly never thought I'd use an All Time Low song as a blog post title, but here we are. It's the 21st century, folks. The times are a-changing.

#OOTD Lookbook Vlog

Just a quick OOTD vlog because I'm a little tired of the usual format of my outfit posts. The song I used is Younger (Kygo Remix) by Seinabo Sey. Enjoy!

Paint splattered teardrops on my skirt

Yes, I did make a pun with an Ed Sheeran song lyric.

My creative process

I wrote all about my creative process here. Check it out!

Twenty fourteen

The very first day of 2014 was spent hair-flipping, sweating under the sun, and Jam awkwardly complaining about how she doesn't know how to pose. We'll work on that. I'm very excited about the new year for a lot of things, such as new people I'm bound to meet, places I will go, and the adventures I will have. This is the first of many more photo-heavy blog posts to come this new year, and hopefully a new and improved Sartorially Challenged will be under way. I don't think I have any particular things on my new year's resolution list because I get too lazy to do them once I write them down, so perhaps I'll keep all that in my head. I don't want to publicize my failure. Hahahaha. Anyway, here's a really quick outfit post because I haven't done a legitimate one in a while. There's a vlog at the end of the post as well. Happy New Year!