Little but luxe

These current obsessions not only push the fashion and beauty envelope, they’re small ways to make you or a recipient feel good big-time.

1. The anti-It bag

In this logo-mad age, it’s easy to fall victim to the It bag syndrome, i.e., your easily identifiable tote carrying you instead of the other way around. If you’re a sucker for arm candy like me but don’t want to be instantly pegged, turn to French leather house Lancel. Though they do have an iconic bag, the Elsa, which has been popular for 20 years, they also have a plethora of hip styles in fashion colors and exquisite materials (Andean leather trimmed with shearling, anyone?) to suit every taste. This season it’s all about the Premier Flirt (a rounded bag with swaying tassels), the Califourchon (a drawstring shopper) and the Gousset (a cowhide shoulder bag). Tote one of these and I guarantee a reaction — never have I carried a Lancel bag without someone stopping me to say, “That is so cool!” followed by “Where did you get it?”

2. Beauty that gives back

A lot of cosmetics companies support worthy causes nowadays, and Estee Lauder is one of the most major. Fifteen Lauder brands like Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Origins all sell Pink Ribbon products to raise money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, but my favorite is Lauder’s own High Gloss Ultra Brilliance lip gloss in Pink Ribbon Pink, a luscious raspberry-scented and -tinted shade that flatters all skin tones. Beauty-holics with a conscience can now help fund a breast cancer-awareness campaign that aims to create a world without breast cancer: what could be more important — or more beautiful — than that.

3. Candle power

L’Occitane has the most heavenly smelling products for the body; it was only a matter of time before they created heavenly smelling products for the home. Their Feu d’Orange scented candle fills my bathroom with all the spicy-fruity-woody notes of sun-drenched Mediterranean orange trees, while the Cherry Blossom glass votive simulates a romantic spring day right in my bedroom. It’s not an exaggeration to say I almost look forward to power outages just for the chance to light up.

4. Asian RTW

I was driving around Libis one day when I spotted the sign for an Iora outlet. The word “outlet” immediately jumped out at me, so my sisters and I just had to check it out. Turns out “outlet” is a misnomer because the clothes there are priced the same as in their mall boutiques, but Iora is definitely a fresh addition to our rapidly lengthening roster of fast-fashion and high-street stores.

Three apparel retailers from Singapore’s Chinatown founded Iora in 1998. Now, after a decade of business, they’ve franchised to three other Asian countries and the Philippines has the most number of outlets next to Singapore.

Iora’s fashion is perfect for all those young women who describe their style as “classic with a twist.” Prices are reasonable (P1,500 average for a top and P1,600 to P1,800 for tailored pants and skirts), though their customer service could be improved. Their salespeople are either too aggressive or too laid-back (it took a 15-minute phone call before the cashier finished ringing up my purchase).

In addition to the trendy designs, though, I like Iora because they also sell Smith’s Rosebud Salve, that iconic balm in a tin that makeup artists revere for its versatility.

 5. Gel perfume

For decades, perfume came in just four concentrations: cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum and parfum, for least to most concentrated, respectively. Today fragrance companies are mixing it up, coining brand-new terminology like “extraits” and “concentrées” to make their same old stuff seem new and exciting. But in reality, there’s been little innovation going on; that is, until I came upon L’Occitane’s Fragrant Touch. This gel perfume for the body comes in a cunning little container small enough to stow in an evening clutch. The novelty is that the fragrance is concentrated in a velvety gel you brush on to your pulse points (wrists, neck, chest) just as you would apply a lip gloss. It’s a no-mess, no-fuss way to come up smelling like cherry blossoms, and looks to be the wave of the future.

6. The perfect red lipstick

Lipstick that’s actually good for your lips — that’s the mantra of Joli Rouge, Clarins’ new lippie collection. Joli Rouge combines five active ingredients to provide intense lip-care benefits: mango butter to lock moisture in; Maxi-Lip Complex to encourage collagen formation and thus reduce lip lines, define lip contours and enhance fullness; ceramides and vitamin E to soothe and protect; and licorice extract plus red-fruit notes to impart a sweet flavor and scent.

My favorite shade is 716 or Clarins Red, which is sophisticated yet extremely easy to pull off. If you find true red too intimidating, Joli Rouge has 23 other shades that hit every hue of the color spectrum — for sure you’ll find a similarly suitable, addicting shade.

7. Peel-good skincare

One of the annoyances wrought by aging is enlarged pores, which is aggravated by the skin’s loss of collagen, genetics, poor exfoliation and sun damage. When I get home I’m usually too tired for my three-step skincare regime, so I love the exfoliating cocktail in La Prairie’s Cellular Resurfacing Cream, which is a gentle way to “reinvent” your complexion overnight. Salicylic and mixed fruit acids slough off dead skin, while antioxidants and La Prairie’s exclusive Cellular Complex repair and encourage optimal functioning. I’ve been using it nightly for a month, and my pores appear smaller, my skin is smoother, more even-toned and radiant. To enhance the effects even more, use the Resurfacing Cream in conjunction with La Prairie’s Cellular 3-Minute Peel for the ultimate in baby-soft skin.

8. The right girl in the right dress

In the reality show Project Runway Philippines, as if the search for “the Philippines’ next big fashion designer” wasn’t exciting enough, I find myself looking forward to what host Teresa Herrera will be wearing every week. Herrera has helped take the show to another level by adding that all-important touch of class, aided in no small measure by her Runway über-stylist, our very own YStyle assistant editor Bea Ledesma. Together they’ve turned PRP into a literal runway for the brightest lights in Philippine fashion: who can forget Herrera (who boasts the penultimate size-zero bod) in that navy jumpsuit by Joey Samson, petal-hued strapless dress by Ivar Aseron, or khaki dress with ruched shoulder detail by Mich Dulce?

“We tried to make it a point to use local designers and brands,” says Bea. But of course, we wouldn’t expect anything less. Even judge Rajo Laurel created a one-shoulder goddess dress especially for Herrera.

As PRP wraps up its first season with a much-awaited final show at Philippine Fashion Week, you can bet that not only will it be the hottest ticket for Manila’s fashionistas, it also signifies a quantum leap in the advancement of Filipino fashion.