Random Thursday {September 06}

It's another Thursday again! Yes! 

We'd like to thank everyone who signed up and showed interest in our women's workshop, The Pink Tarha Mornings. We received an overwhelming response and we wished we could accommodate all of you but we'd like to keep the workshop small for now so we can focus on the subjects. Who knows there might be a second one? Haha. And for those who emailed us good things about the blog, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! We appreciate them and we promise to make the blog better.

So how are you this fine Thursday morning? I'm sure most of you are still asleep. Let me guess, it's the men who are snoozing overtime. Haha. As for yours truly, I'm having breakfast while typing this. How I can feed myself spoonfuls of sinangag (Filipino fried rice) while tapping away in my keyboard is beyond me. But hey, a Pink Tarha lady's got to do what a Pink Tarha lady's got to do. Haha!

Here's a round up of interesting things this week...

Abu Bakr Ar Razi Street, the street going to Military Hospital from Dabat Street, is my neighborhood and from what I'm seeing, it's becoming a little Batha. From having branches of Enjaz, Telemoney, salons, and popular Filipino restaurants and bakeries, this street is the mini "place to be" for Filipino expats. The opening soon Jollibee branch is also here and Skyfreight for cargo and TFC transactions. Wow, I'm glad I live in this area. Although I might have to rethink that once traffic and the huge crowds get in.

I was cleaning my closet when I chanced upon my stash of Bath and Body Works, which I got from the sale a few months back. These are my favorite scents, along with Sweet Pea. There's a new line in B&BW with the theme, "Paris". Have you seen it in the stores yet? But before hoarding again, check your closets and cabinets for B&BW products that you might have bought before. I'm sure you have them in there. Use them first, or better yet give them away as pasalubongs. I'm sure my sisters are already eyeing the babies above.

Have you tried Lush's Emotional Brilliance cosmetics line already? You should! They have it in this cute containers that remind you of art supplies or a medicine bottle/dropper. Haha! There are words in there that speak about and match your personality. They sure pack a lot of colors. See my mini review below.

Beauty reviews

I've had these amazing products for a few weeks already and have used them a couple of times. The Tito Nail Polish came from one of our favorite nail spas in Riyadh, Four Nail Spa and Salon. They come in 99 vibrant colors. Macau, a gorgeous and elegant blue green color with shimmers, caught my attention immediately. The nail polish itself was easy to apply and goes on smooth. It doesn't hurt that it's perfect for the dry weather in Riyadh. It doesn't chip easily and the color stays vibrant for days.

The liquid lip color Believe came from Lush's Emotional Brilliance line and dare I say it? It is indeed brilliant. A little drop goes a long way. It really packs a wallop of that solid raspberry ice cream color. So pigmented! I had the mistake of putting too many in my cheeks (yes, it can be used as blush) and my driver looked stunned when he saw me. Hahaha. So now, I just use a small drop for my lips and cheeks. The color is good and it lasts longer compared to the usual lipstick. I suggest you put a balm on your lips first before swiping it on. Oh, and use a proper lip brush.

You know what's good to eat on a Thursday brunch? Fresh pizzas and bruchetta! Piatto, our venue for the Pink Tarha Mornings, have these! Don't they look so good to eat right now? Oh yes, we are excited for our first workshop and it's great we have a very good venue for it. I mean, how refreshing will it be to learn something new in a courtyard and having a nice brunch after?

Speaking of eating, I'm reminded of these "sporks" our boss got for us via online shopping. He does know how much we love to eat. Haha. And this is more than a spork because if you look closely, it even has a "knife" in there. Genius! Perfect for guerilla eating! Hehe. I wonder if this comes in pink?

Yesterday, the ladies and I were going gaga over Solestruck's SALE. Hello, shoes!!! And I remembered we haven't shown you what we bought from the last Solestruck sale a few months ago. So here it is! Or them. Our friend got those patented purple, okay shocking purple, boots from Ego and Greed. She loved them! I got the fuchsia gladiator sandals from the To Be Announced line. You won't believe how many times I had to wrap the black lace on my legs before I was done putting them. Hahah. But they're nice and definitely a scene stealer. The Michael Kors box contains a pair of black boots and the girl scout box? It's a Jeffrey Campbell pink Moochie. Oh you just have to wait for the ones we ordered yesterday. You'll be shocked. Hahah.

To end this random Thursday entry, I bring you a photo I snapped on the way home. Yes, that is still in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia even if it reminds me of somewhere else. We just know Riyadh as that hot, stifling, strict city that doesn't have much to offer aside from sand when it comes to "nature". But if you just know where to look, you will also get to see glimpses of the other side of Riyadh - simple, bright, hopeful - from time to time.

Have a nice weekend, everyone! ~ Sundrenched

Honeysuckle and Inferi

Remember our series of Collage Week? Yeah, we neither. It's been such a long time since we published a Collage Week entry that we'd like to make bawi today.

Two months ago, the Pink Tarha ladies (still with M as the fourth tarha) decided to hold a photo shoot just because we couldn't find a recent photo where all Pink Tarha ladies were present.  Every complete photo we had was outdated. M canceled at the last minute to attend to more important matters that's why Shoegarfreeruby, Eyecandy and I were the only ones who made it to the photo shoot day. The three of us became super multi-taskers. We took the roles of stylist, make-up artist, set designer, and photographer. OMG, the chaos! Lol. But we did pull it off to produce some unexpected results. We chose three themes: black, pink, and red. We've already featured the red photos as a Valentine's greeting entry. Here are the photos from the pink and black sets.

The HONEYSUCKLE

Naturally, we picked a pink theme because we're the PINK tarha! Ingenious, right? Hahaha. Are you familiar with pegs? These are photos from fashion websites or magazines that serve as inspiration in a photo shoot. We researched for styles and looks and came up with the following description for what we should look like in the pink set which we named, "Honeysuckle," in honor of the color of the year and our planned color for the blog (which is now in effect).

Vibrant, fresh, and fun!

When you're wearing light-colored pieces, go for outerwear like cardigans, shawls, and jackets to hide whatever you want to hide. If you're feeling fearless like E here, go bare and bear it!

Eyecandy and Sundrenched: Solid and prints!

Eyecandy and Shoegarfreeruby: Solid states!

On Eyecandy: Pink satin dress COAST (on sale for 199SR from 499SR) | Nude pumps MILANO | Floral necklace ACCESSORIZE | Leopard scarf ALDO
On Sundrenched: Patterned silk handkerchief dress STRADIVARIUS (only SR29!) | Purple pointed shoes NEW LOOK | Shawl PARFOIS | Necklace NEW LOOK
On Shoegarfreeruby: Dress TOPSHOP | Coat H&M | Shoes MINNA PARIKKA | Stockings, belt, necklace NEW LOOK | Headband FOREVER 21 | Earrings SM |

The INFERI

The black ensemble is a peg we named "Inferi" just to bring out the other side of the Pink Tarha.  It's an "all-black, harsh winter." (Echos lang, haha!) During the shoot, it was still cold in Saudi Arabia so "winter" came to mind.

Mga kabowgera! :P

The number one tip for plus-size ladies? Go black! It's a fail-proof way to dress up or down. It's classic, elegant, and timeless. Sometimes it gets boring (especially for us who wear the black abaya everyday!) but what are your accessories for? Pile on the bling!

Black is back!

Layered dresses and sky-high shoes

On Shoegarfreeruby: Black dress MISS SELFRIDGE | Shoes JEFFREY CAMPBELL | Socks H&M | Headband FOREVER 21 | Cameo earrings SOUVENIR SHOP (Dumaguete) | Bracelet MISS SELFRIDGE
On Eyecandy: Black tulle-tiered dress MOONSOON (on sale for SR180 from SR520) | Gold stud gladiator heels NEW LOOK | Gray cheetah blazer RED HERRING | Feather headband UK (gift) | Chunky charm necklace NEW LOOK
On Sundrenched: Black dress NEW LOOK | Black cardigan H&M | Navy lacey wedge NEW LOOK | Necklace PARFOIS | Headband FOREVER 21

Remember ladies, have one beloved LBD in your closet!

As you can see, we come in big sizes (ranging from UK 12-18). Well, project na lang ng project! Haha. Confidence lang yan! Lol. When it comes to body issues and insecurities, we have a lot. (Sino ba ang wala?!) But you will not see us obsessing about these insecurities. Of course, we try our best (operative word: try!) to reduce weight for health reasons but for now, we work on what we have and hopefully, we show you ladies that outer beauty can only do so much. You don't really read us because we're sexy or we fit the mainstream idea of "beauty", right? So there you go. Love your bodies and work it! Go, go, go!

It also helped that we were so hands-on in this little shoot of ours. We know each other's style and because we're friends, wala na kaming hiya sa isa't isa! Haha. Sa sobrang hands-on namin, kami na lahat ang gumawa! :P If you want to stage your own photo shoot with your friends, make the Pink Tarha ladies your consultant. We can help you with your themes, wardrobe, make-up, and well, a little bit of photography. LOL. Jk.

Up next is the collage with our newest member, Sampaguita Pride!

Yes, we did a repeat performance of the chaos that is a Pink Tarha shoot! Lol.

The Truth About Me and Jeffrey Campbell

There’s no denying that shoes come first on my list. It has been a while since I’ve been smitten by shoes. Ok, I get smitten by shoes all the time, LOL but not this in this intensity. Not until Jeffrey Campbell came…and this is where our love story begins.

Jeffrey Campbell is an American Designer based in Los Angeles who mixes vintage and runway concepts producing lovely works of art for the feet that you can wear everyday. His designs set you off above the rest. I had to control myself from buying. Unfortunately, it did not work. Solestruck, an online shop stocks a wide array of styles (see our Marketplace). It is one site I frequent. Their ‘alert-me-when-you-stock-my-size’ is a very helpful feature which I assure would urge you to buy. It’s just exciting that way, LOL. See for yourself here and let me know which one’s your favorite.

I fell in love with the Lita’s and Foxy’s in vintage fabric and glitter. These 5-inch heels with 2-inch platforms are comfortable enough to last me half a day. Believe me, as one who can only last on flat shoes all day, these will give you the height you need without the pain. Ako na ang matangkad!



My Jeffrey Campbell Foxy shoes in Black/Tan Fabric and Multiglitter



Must-have platforms



My Jeffrey Campbell Lita shoes in Brown Distressed Leather and Blue/Red Fabric



Pure Love



Just recently, JC has launched some bag styles as well. That’s another thing to watch out for. Hayst, my credit card is crying, so is my habibi.

My supermini collection of JC is no match to Asami of Japan. Her home is filled with walls and shelves of JC shoes. To date, she has about 206 pairs lang naman.



Photos from Pink Kitten



Sana akin na lang ang lahat ng ito!

Jeffrey Campbell just keeps creating beautiful pairs every time. He has captured my heart in a very special way. Another reason why I just keep falling in love with shoes.

♥ Shoegarfreeruby ♥