The Breakfast Theory

I was a late bloomer. Make-up/ beauty was alien territory. It's ironic because  beauty styling   is   one of my dream jobs, as in hair and make-up, yet I don't wear make-up myself.  I once inquired abut beauty school and man, were they expensive!  But early this year I thought to pursue the dream, or at least familiarize myself with it. So I did the next best thing. I youtubed tutorials and this was by far the best of them. I saw a few videos and realized what the foundation was for.  I always thought it was just like powder, which I don't like ergo never put on my face. So anyway, here's the link to Lisa Eldridge's website:  http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ Watch her videos if you're totally clueless of what you're doing because she explains the brushes she uses and all other details.   SIDENOTE: So after watching her videos, off I  went to buy foundation, and almost got the wrong color because I didn't know my own skintone...

BIRTHMONTH: September Because of its different kinds and colors, agate stones have different metaphysical symbols. In ancient times, agate was highly valued as a talisman or amulet, it was said to quench thirst and protect against fever. In modern times it's believed to give energy, courage, protection, healing, and calm. It also enhances creativity and strengthens the intellect. All agates have excellent protective and healing energy, and stimulate analytical capabilities and precision.  Emotionally, agate gives courage, emotional strength, self-confidence, and dispels fears. It can also lessen feelings of envy by grounding the emotions. It is particularly helpful to people who are having a hard time with forgiveness and letting go of bitterness and resentments in family or romantic relationships. MYTHS & LEGENDS The Sumerians used agate by wearing it with other stones around the neck and wrist to conjure the curses of Goddess Lamashtu threatening the new-born children...

BIRTHMONTH: August Although more popularly known as a protective shield against accidents and misfortunes, Jade is a stone of the heart. It vibrates in harmony with the heart chakra unlike any other stone. It can attract and enhance love of all kinds. It is a stone of fidelity and generosity. It is also considered to be good for the physical heart and for emotional balance and stability. This gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage, yet it also symbolises the female-erotic. In ancient Egypt, jade was admired as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and balance. As in all black stones, black jade protects from attack and negativity. It also helps us to control our greed or need for control by instilling wisdom in the use of personal power. MYTHS & LEGENDS A butterfly carved from jade holds a special romantic significance. Ancient Chinese legend tells of a ...

BIRTHSTONE: March From sky blue to the deep blue of the sea, aquamarines shine over an extraordinarily beautiful range of mainly light blue colors. Its light blue arouses feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship. Good feelings. Feelings which are based on mutuality and which prove their worth in lasting relationships. According to the old traditions this promises a happy marriage and is said to bring the woman who wears it joy and wealth into the bargain. MYTHS & LEGENDS According to the saga it originated in the treasure chest of fabulous mermaids, and has, since ancient times, been regarded as the sailors' lucky stone. ABOUT THE STONE Also from the beryl family, Aquamarine has good hardness and a wonderful shine. That hardness makes it very tough and protects it to a large extent from scratches. Iron is the substance which gives aquamarine its color, which ranges from an almost indiscernible pale blue to a strong sea-blue. The more intense the color of an ...

BIRTHMONTH: January Also the stone of passion and courage, this stimulates your devotion to family, friends, yourself, your purpose and goals. A passionate gemstone that inspires love and attraction, it also enhances your charisma and awakens the “inner fire” of creativity. Also noted for its powerful protective energy. MYTHS & LEGENDS According to legend, Garnet gives its wearer guidance in night travel, wards off depression and promotes long-lasting love. Noah, it is said, used a garnet lantern to help him steer through the dark night in his ark. Garnets are also found in jewelry from early Egyptian, Greek and Roman times. ABOUT THE STONE Known for their deep, warm red color, garnet actually comes in different hues. Although red is the more widely known color, the garnet also exists in various shades of green, a tender to intense yellow, a fiery orange and some fine earth-colored nuances. The only color it cannot offer is blue. Because of th...

BIRTHMONTH: February In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against drunkenness - for the Greek words 'amethystos' mean 'not intoxicated' in translation. Gemstone therapists say that the amethyst has a sobering and cleansing effect. It was also esteemed as a stone of friendship. And since it was thought to put the wearer in a chaste frame of mind and symbolise trust and piety, the amethyst came to occupy a very prominent position in the ornaments of the Catholic clergy over the centuries. It was the stone of bishops and cardinals; we find it in prelates' crosses and in the so-called Papal Ring (Italian, 15th century) in the Jewellery Museum in Pforzheim. LEGENDS AND MYTH In Greek mythology, Dionysus, the god of intoxication, and of wine, was pursuing a maiden named Amethystos, who refused his affections. Amethystos prayed to the gods to remain chaste, a prayer which the goddess Artemis answered, transforming her into a white stone. Humbled by Amethy...

One of the things that I absolutely hate on men are... skinny jeans! I understand it on boys, and by understand I mean tolerate, and by tolerate I mean ignore. But seeing them on grown men? Seriously, what makes them think that it looks good on them? Not too many women can pull it off, why do they think they can? I, personally, seeing a guy wearing skinny jeans, assume that they're gay   (Sorry, LGBT, but it is what it is) . Straight men just don't have the swagger the gays have to pull it off. And straight men, do you realize that the only reason the skinny looks good on posters and magazines is because the models are so damn skinny?  So please, Men, throw them skinnies away! Leave the skinny jeans to your girlfriends.  Can you guess who this sexy star is? Even he can't pull it off.  P.S.: He's straight :) Which reminds me of a joke I heard: When they said get in her pants, they meant sleep with her not put her jeans on!

Embrace your femininity. The combination of classic pearls and sparkly crystals exudes delicate grace. ACCESSORIES: Heart Cradle necklace and Pearls and Crystals charm bracelet. All other images taken from the web.

If you've been wanting to try ruffles and chiffon but feel it's too girly, try pairing them with sneakers and denim. ACCESSORIES: Blue Heart necklace Stacked bracelets: Simplicity bracelet                                    Chainmaille Band bracelet                                    Duality bracelet *All other images taken from the web.*

BIRTHMONTH: June Another synonym for moonstone is 'selenite', from the Greek 'selene' ('moon'). The moonstone is characterized by an enchanting play of light. This gemstone is surrounded by a good deal of mystique and magic. In many cultures it is regarded as a holy, magical gemstone. M oonstones in India are regarded as 'dream stones' believed to bring the wearer beautiful dreams. In Arabic cultures, it symbolizes fertility associating it as a “lover’s stone”. The moonstone also symbolizes our being in its entirety. Its soft shimmer strengthens our emotional and subconscious aspects. It is also said that wearing a moonstone strengthens our intuition and our capacity to understand. MYTHS & LEGENDS According to Hindu mythology, moonstone is made of solidified moonbeams. Legends say that moonstone brings good luck. Many believed that you could see the future if you held a moonstone in your mouth during a full moon. ABOUT THE STONE Another...

I did it. I succumbed to the dark side. I thought I was strong, but the bug was stronger and I caught it. I know as an accessories designer you'd think I'm all into fashion, and look books and runway looks and trends. But no. I like the clothes but definitely ignorant of who, what and where it's made. I think the fashion blogs with the cutesy fashion girl poses are ridiculous. The name dropping/brand consciousness even more. But then in wanting to find ways to advertise my pieces, I stumbled upon Polyvore. I highly discourage the use of this site as it. is. highly. addictive. It was like opening Pandora's box! It started innocently enough. I put together clothes, then paired them with my pieces. And then browsing through the other products, I saw other accessories I didn't have but looked good on my set so I used them. And then before I knew it, I was making sets that don't even have my accessories on them! And if that weren't enough, I now actually ...

Sometimes when you start a project you get so excited that you just dive into it only to find out that your bead hole doesn’t fit the pin. This is especially true with pearls, fresh water pearls to be exact. And if you force it in, the layers peel away, that’s how delicate pearls are. So, here’s a little technique I learned to do when working with pearls, which I’m sharing with you. All you need are round nose pliers, flush cutter, a spool of .06 (or 22) gauge wire and basic wire wrapping skills. Step 1 : With your .06 wire, insert the bead straight from the spool to minimize wire waste. I leave about less than an inch of wire above then grasp the wire with your round nose pliers and then bend it to create a loop and wrap the tail wire once or twice around the stem, just enough to secure, you’ll be wrapping wire around this later. Cut as close to the stem as possible. Step 2 : Push the bead at the base of the finished loop. Position the tip of the pliers at the base of th...

I've been trying to experiment on other ways to do a headband, and I had an idea of having one without sewing the whole thing on either ribbon or garter. The main concern was, will it be sturdy enough? Ofcourse there is this constant fear of the nylon thread snapping and seed beads flying everywhere! *One very helpful and wise tip from the experts that I faithfully follow is: "Don't be lazy with the stitches. Pass through everything again." When I did the first column, I thought it was too limp and was worried of the structure. Attaching it to the second column was a nightmare in itself! They were staring to crinkle and I was ready to give up, but I had already invested too much time on this to quit. It was only after I finished it that it held the form I wanted. So, thank God for perseverance!  And as with any piece one puts alot of heart and work into, I was very proud of my headband. It may not look fancy but I had alot of trial and error ...

I started naming my pieces just recently and coming up with names didn't come easy for me. So, what I did was name them after people or any word that it reminds me of. But once in a while I name them after friends whom I either made the piece for or who was my inspiration when I was making it. So this is the story behind one of those names. The Ida Ring is quite special to me because it is my first ( and so far only) original ring design ( as far as I'm concerned). I was then trying my hand at wireworks, and I had all these cute murano round beads that I wanted to use. So I scoured the net for tutorials and was lucky to find some and went to work. Since they were prototypes, I gave them to my girl friends and asked them to give me feedbacks. One friend did. She said she liked her ring but she's not comfortable with it because she prefers something dual banded. So I looked again on the net and found one but the project needed half-round wires and wires ar...

The most frustrating thing when crafting is when you get stuck on a project because you just don't know how to make your design work. This happens to me more often than I would like to admit. So what I do when I get "designer's" block is work on something else to get my mind off the project for awhile.  When I was working with the Ida Ring, I was on a stump and after the second spool of wire was gone I just felt so drained I just couldn't work with it anymore. So I picked up some crystals and got the other wasted wires and just started making. I wasn't thinking of any particular design, I just wanted to see a finished product. Well, before I was done with that, I thought of a way to solve my earlier problem. So I set it aside in my pile of junk and got back to the ring and was able to finish it.  Now almost a year after, I was cleaning my work table and came across that unfinished 'piece', because I didn't even know what it was I was ...

Isn't it frustrating when you want something but don't know what they're called? With all the different styles of jewelry today it's easy to confuse their names. Well, to add to your stock knowledge and save you from ordering the wrong kind of earring, here's a list of the different types. Tell me if I missed any.  And while it's not a rule, it's kind of like hairstyles. As women age, the hair gets shorter and it's the same with earring style. Studs The most common earrings we see. This is like the training wheels of earrings, we all start out with studs. Hoops These usually have a circular shape, although some are of different shapes. Dangle or dangling earrings Usually kept in place by a small hook. The look varies but they are the type that ‘dangles'. They are basically longer even though the length varies and they hang from the earlobe. Drop earrings Easily confused with the dangle earrings. A drop earring, unlike the dangle, does not ...