If only SKY'S THE LIMIT...

It's that special time of the year when we realize that there are so many things to be grateful for. This is our little way of thanking the ones we love the most. Happy Thanksgiving!!! XOXO!!!


KARISIA


I love making a new Christmas List every year. There are always pluses (another godchild or a new random amiga) and minuses (the toxic people my year of zen has encouraged me to remove from my life) and of course the staples that always seem to add up (office peeps, house staff, pamper posse - from my manicurista to my derma!) But if I had all the money in the world, this is what the most important people in my life would be getting under the Christmas tree wrapped in this year's theme of hot pink paper with black ribbons:


For Mother Darling, who has finally found her calling of Kitchen Goddess (but only on Sundays), her dream Sub-Zero kitchen...

For the Men in My Life, whom I fondly call My Pets, so they'll always remember that they have the bestest hermanita in the whole world, the Rolex Explorer 2010...

For My Sissy, I'd love to give her unlimited supply of frequent flier miles (and va-cay days) so we can fly to each other every so often wherever in the world we may be - We'll  go first class all the way, Sister!!! It's World Series time...And if I could, I would definitely throw in this year's sexiest...

For My Ats, who's been obsessively wanting Jennifer Meyer's Circle Necklace ever since she got hooked on Cougar Town, just because she should have everything she wants...

For My Girls, My LLFs, who have always had my back, a girls only trip to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of where we'll live it up a la Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha...

For My Angels, the loves of my life, who are obsessed with our yearly hotel weekends, a whole week at Shangri-la Bora's pool villa with just their Tata...

and just because they'll need to open something from underneath our tree, the much coveted apple ipad...

Photos from: subzero.com, bespokeordie.com, people.com, lipsticklifestyle.com, ew.com, nydailynews.com, shangri-la.com, apple.com

RORIE


HANDSOME HUBBY: He's into cars now and last time I asked, he wants the 2011 BMW 5-Series Wagon as our new familia car.

DARLING DAUGHTER: Hmmm. A robot that will clean her room 24/7? Kidding aside, she would love a mega shopping spree at Marc by Marc Jacobs, Topshop and Forever 21. Oh, and I would also redecorate her room in a cool blue palette.

MOMMY DEAREST: A fab frock in red from Elie Saab couture for her annual Golden Girls Christmas soiree.

SIBLING REVELRY: My brother collects watches so I'd buy him the Patek Phillipe Men's Grand Complications in platinum. 

As for my sister, she loves jewelry (even more so now because she lived in Myanmar for a few years where tea time for them is bringing over your collection of loose stones so you can trade and compare with friends) and she's currently obsessed with Cartier's yellow gold Panthere ring.

LOVELY LLFs: As for my favorite amigas, I would treat the whole group to a first-class-everything trip to my fave city in the world, PARIS. We'd stay at the best hotels such as Hotel de Crillon, Four Seasons Georges V and Hotel Ritz (in the Coco Chanel suite, of course), go to all the museums, pig out on scrumptious macarons and hot chocolate at Laduree and Angelina and go on a spend-til-the-end retail excursion at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Photos from: leftlanenews.com, fashiontribes.com, housebeautiful.com, style.com, pragnell.co.uk, cartier.com, forbestraveler.com


JENNY


If I had all the money in the world what i'd want to do over and over again is to spend uninterrupted quality time with the the special people in my life... traveling "all expenses paid" to places where i think they'd want to go to the most. :)

* the man in my life: My Jason is passionate about F1 so i'd like to be able to gift him with two things... 1- To get to see the Formula 1 World Championship in Monaco or Monza and 2- To experience Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi preferably during the week of the Abu Dhabi grand prix. :)

* mom: My mom is probably one of the most hardworking people I know and there are two things i'd like to gift her with which I think she'd enjoy... 1- To go on a nice relaxing cruise and 2- To be able to take her on a European tour, spending a mojority of our trip in Germany where her roots are from. Mom has never been there so it would be nice to try to reconnect with any relatives that she may have there. :)

* sisters, brother, nephews & nieces: Something which I think we'd all enjoy is for us to travel all together to the States, visiting certain states where we have relatives. The first and last time my siblings and I were there together was in 1984 so you can just imagine what a riot it'd be if we all made a trip there now with their respective families. Trips to Six Flags in NJ and to FAO Schwarz on 5th Ave will definitely be in the plan. :)

* BFFs/LLFs: One thing I know that some of the LLFs have been wanting and planning to do is to go a trip to Vegas when we turn 35. If it were in my hands and I had the power to work everything out, i'd make sure each one of us had the time and resources to go on that trip... just relax and enjoy ourselves! :)

Photos from: planetf1.com, eastbounddown.com, deshow.net, destination360.com, forbes.com, freetriphotline.com

KIT


For my hubby - my hubby loves the ocean and his fondest memories are fishing with his dad...i would get him his own boat. Since I don't know a thing about sea-faring vessels, and he never wants to go anywhere without me and the boys, it would most likely be a sailboat and we'll make it a family affair!

For my boys - We always travel with our boys. They love going on trips with us. I would take them on an African Safari so they can see all their favorite animals up close in their natural habitat.

For my mom - my mom has been in remission from cervical cancer for about a year now. She was a real trooper and she deserves to be pampered more than ever. I would take her and my sister on a European vacation complete with a unlimited shopping!

For my sissy - I would give her a custom-built industrial kitchen that would rival any professional chef's so she can continue to whip up her great food from home!

For my LLFs - We've been friends since we were GIRLS- and sometimes I look at us and wonder where all that time went. I really want us to go to a place where we can be young and stupid again, but with legal IDs and without a care in the world. And where else would that be but VEGAS, baby!!! I have it all planned out already...

Photos from: nautica.it, africansafaripictures.com, voneurope.com, webscape.com, bellagio.com

From Onstage to Offstage

This year marks my tenth year as a performing artist... throughout the past ten years the stage has literally been my artistic playground. I love absolutely everything that has to do with performing onstage--- from learning my music, going through my blocking, memorizing my lines, working out costume plots to putting my own make-up. Those who know me really well will be the first to tell you that i'm not the "girliest" of girls, but if there's one "girly" thing i've grown to love because of the line of work i'm in it's make-up. :)

There have been some productions i've been part of where all we needed to do was show up during our call time and not worry bout having to "fix our own faces"... when there are make-up sponsors who send their products and make-up artists to join us backstage and help prep us for our shows. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case as not all productions have make-up sponsors or if they do, sometimes the cast is just too big that there's not enough time for everyone to queue and get the chance to be primped by the make-up artists before a show. So, I guess you can say that because of need and sheer survival in my field I had no choice but to instantly fall in love make-up and learn how to put it on my face... properly! :)

Here are some basic "onstage" make-up tips i've picked up through the years which i'm pretty sure will be of use to anyone "offstage" as well. If you want to get more beginner to pro tips, check out the book BOBBI BROWN Make-Up Manual. Enjoy! :)

SKIN CARE: Our face is a canvas and needs some prep work before we do the actual "painting" on it. Trust me, when you wear make up almost everyday and do a lot of retouching when you have two to three shows on the same day, you'll be thankful that you made that extra step before going straight to work on your face.

1) Hydrate: An all-time important first step. Wash your face. If you can, add this trusty item to your make-up kit, MAC's FIX PLUS which serves as an excellent hydrator.

2) Primer: This is something I highly recommend. It's not your typical moisturizer, it serves as the base for your face. It's one make-up product that's worth spending on. Those that i've tried that work well with me are SMASHBOX's PHOTOFINISH (has clear and tinted variants with spf that you can use without having to apply powder or foundation over) and MAC's STROBE CREAM (has a nice time released iridescent glow).

3) Lip Conditioner: This will serve as the primer/base for your lips, making your lips more supple. Your everyday CHAPSTICK or LIP BALM can do the trick. I you can, check out MAC's LIP CONDITIONER WITH SPF 15 (it already comes in different shades so you don't need to apply lipstick over).

BASE: What we all want to achieve, be it on or off stage, is soft and radiant looking skin. The best way to go is to use a foundation that'll give us medium to full coverage and also cover skin imperfections while remaining invisible onstage, on screen and in real life.

1) Foundation: This is one product that each person has to choose on their own depending on their skin type and skin tone. Most of us in theatre go for liquid foundations rather than using creams, cakes or powders right away. The liquid foundation seems to give the best coverage without showing lines or creases and looking blotchy. When applying this reach and blend from jaw line to the neck. Some popular ones in our circle are MAKE UP FOREVER's HD FOUNDATION and MAC's STUDIO FIX FLUID FOUNDATION WITH SPF 15 (spread using MAC's stipling brush which you can also use with your powder and blush). 

2) Concealer: I'm not too sure if there's such a thing but i'm still on my quest to find "the ultimate concealer". I have both deep and dark under eye circles cause of both my genetics and bad sleeping habits so this is one make-up product that I cannot live without!  When picking a liquid concealer (cream ones tend to crease faster, unless you find a soft/smooth kind) go for a lighter shade. Enhancing and highlighting certain areas more is also what a good concealer can do--- when applied under the eyes, T-zone and edges of lips, your nose and lips become more prominent. A lot of theatre people use concealers from CINEMA SECRETS and VOV. Another popular choice is MAC's SELECT COVER UP CONCEALER (spread using eyeshadow brush: look up, start at outer under corner of eye then blend/work inward)

3) Powder: When picking powder go for the one that gives you the most natural look--- smooth and not a powdery finish.There are a lot of mineralized powders out there that can do wonders for the skin as well. MAC's MINERALIZED SKIN FINISH NATURAL POWDER is a good buy.

* For basic face and highlighting use a light shade with a blush brush. 

Highlighting Tricks: 

highlight these areas: under eye, T-zone and edges of lip

* For shading and contouring use a medium shade with a contouring brush.

Shading Tricks: 

cheek bones (area: top ear tip to corner of mouth; start at temples going only half way of cheek),

round face (area: edge of hairline working downward)

round jaw (area: lower area of jaw)

nose line (dust  medium shade of powder on sides on the nose bridge working downward)

COLORS: This is where the fun begins! You can achieve all sorts of looks depending on what colors or palettes you have. Onstage, it's not much the "brand" of color you use but the "look or intensity of shades" you need for your character's look. Offstage, it's pretty much the same way--- do youant to go for a lighter shade for day use or a lighter shade for more depth in the evening. 

1) Loose Powder: Apply this around and under the eye area. It will serve as a base that can be brushed off after applying your eye color/s.

2) Colors: You can work with your regular color palette eyeshadows or with pigments, whichever you are more comfortable using. Generally, we work outward going inward, that is, deposit your palette/pigment color of choice on the outer side of the eye close to the tip of the lash line, blending and working your way inward and upward, usually dark, light to lightest shade.

* Eyeshadow Brush: synthetic...picks up and holds color for easy deposit onto lid. 

* Blending Brush: soft, round, fluffy... use circular motion for application.

LIPS & LASHES: 

Lips-- Your lips can make a statement all on their own depending on what you decide to do with them--- natural looking with lip gloss, soft kissable lips using nice pinkish shade or the 3D sexy lips look... that got your attention huh?! 

step 1: apply a base/mid tone all over your lips, 

step 2: apply a light tone on the mid part of your lips for that nice pout and 

step 3: apply a dark tone on the outer lip line working in. 

Lashes-- How do you get nice lashes???... using your trusty eyelash curler (SHU UEMURA is a winner!) squeeze counting 1-2-3-4 consecutively, hold for counts 1-2 then release. Repeat as needed then apply mascara from the innermost area of the lid going to the outer lid area near the edge.

BROWS & LINERS: 

Brows-- Next to having a flawless base one must have well groomed flawless brows. This is something I take time working on cause perfect brows make a whole lot of difference both on and off stage. Start in the inner area just in line with your eyes and follow the natural curve of your brow until you hit the point where it's time for your arc to taper down. Some popular brow products we use in theatre are MAKE UP FOREVER's WATERPROOF EYEBROW CORRECTOR and MAC's BROW SET and BROW FINISHER. 

Liners-- A good eyeliner can spell a whole lot of difference when it comes to adding intensity to one's eyes. The best one's i've tried are the ultra smooth gel formula  liners cause they give you the same precision of a liquid liner with longer lasting, silkier and softer finish. The best one's i've tried and used so far are BOBBI BROWN's LONG WEARING GEL EYE LINER and MAC's FLUIDLINE. --JJV


* Photos from: amazon.com, sephora.com, maccosmetics.com, rachaelsoap.com