During the hair and makeup downtime, which is before the shoot starts, I usually talk to the makeup artist about what’s in their kit. I love how organized Sari’s makeup setup is. As you can see, she even has a nice stash of cosmetic glitter, which we used to create Nikita’s embellished eyebrows.

Mod revival checks are a big trend now. But back in February when we shot this story, most RTW stores haven’t caught the swinging ’60s fever yet. So I asked Danika Navarro to make a checkered skirtsuit. We were exchanging e-mails on fabric choices and finally decided on this cute yellow one.

Most of you would have a plaid top or maybe even a pleated skirt in tartan. I thought it would be nice to see this fabric in a cocktail silhouette. Teena Tan made a very pretty, draped version for the shoot.

Rain or shine, we had to keep the spirit up for fashion! Here’s me with Nikita, in between layouts.

When we spotted this graffiti wall, I knew it had to be used for a layout. Why is she with an umbrella, you might ask? Because the drizzling won’t stop!

Cenon picked this spot, which is an intersection of three roads. We finally got the shot when the cars stopped passing by.

Alas, we didn’t have the luxury of a proper changing room, so Nikita had to change at the back of the car. No matter, the show goes on!

The shoot took long due to multiple pauses we had to take because of the weather. I think it was already 4:00 p.m. when we had the chance to grab lunch. I have yet to develop a reliable reflex for taking photos of food, but I felt the fifteen pieces of buffalo wings (fifteen!) were begging for a snap.

‘All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go’ appeared in our May issue, featuring photography by Cenon Norial III, styling by Jed Gregorio, makeup by Sari Campos, and model Nikita McElroy.

I love getting pampered and dolled up just as much as the next girl but as of late, I haven’t had much time to do so. I think the last time I really got to relax and get my nails done was when Dyan let me tag along when she tried out a new nail salon I now love—St. Nails! (check this for their Facebook page).

The place was just the right size and the staff was so accommodating, definitely a plus on my book! Since it’s been a while since I had my nails done by an expert (I can paint my own nails but definitely not as neat as the professionals), I wanted to give a new nail trend a try—gel nail polish. The main feature of this new type of nail polish is that it can last up to 3 weeks without chipping, which is perfect for my ever-so-clumsy self!

Here’s some photos of my very first experience:

Before photo

Cleaning my nails

Right before applying the polish. Look at how spotless my nails are!

This cool machine dries the polish in seconds! How awesome is that?

The final product!

My verdict?

All in all I really enjoyed getting pampered at St. Nails aka my new discovery. For the gel polish, it was actually chip-free for weeks which is why I would recommend you to do this for special occasions or for trips so you won’t have to worry about how your nails will look!

‘Till next time!

Half-Pinoy Tobit Raphael plays a computer geek in The Internship, so naturally, we had to find out if he’s just as geeky in real life. The verdict? Totally!

• Geeky obsessions: “The TV show Lost when I was in high school, and Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon series). The spin-off The Legend of Korra was awesome, too. I love that fantasy world and I can’t wait to see what else the creators have in store.”
• Favorite superhero: “Growing up, I loved the X-Men universe. My favorite character was Nightcrawler. He looks so sinister, and teleportation is an all-around awesome power. I love what they did with the character in the 2003 film.”
• Geeky dream role: “Since I mentioned Avatar: The Last Airbender, I would love to play Sokka in one way or another. Getting to do a bunch of action scenes and crack jokes at the same time sounds fun.”
• Comic-Con thoughts: “I have neither been to Comic-Con nor cosplayed, but I do appreciate both. I have friends that love visiting Comic-Con every year. I try to nab some of the free goodies they bring back. I’m certainly open to cosplaying. It’d have to be a really good quality costume, though. It would probably help my acting.”

For more of Tobit, grab a copy of Candy’s June issue and turn to page 74. Photo by Marc Cartwright. 

Hey, Candy Girls!

It’s that time of the year again when we start searching for a group of awesome teens to join the Candy Council of Cool. If you’re a true-blue Candy Girl who loves to write, who has an eye for the latest trends, and who wants to make a difference in the lives of other teens like yourself, then you’d be the perfect candidate.

Here’s how to join:
1. Send us a one-page essay with the theme, “What Being a Candy Girl Means to me.” You can also include your special accomplishments, extracurricular activities, interests, or any other reasons why you think we should pick you!
2. Be sure to include your name, age, address, school, mobile number, e-mail address, and a clear photo (maximum size: 500kb).
3. E-mail your entries to promos@candymag.com with the subject, “Candy Council of Cool.”

Deadline for submission is on July 31, 2013.

Good luck and may the force be with you!

Angel

I’m no hardcore athlete (volleyball classes in high school were the worrrst, and don’t even get me started on that one time I attempted basketball…), and I’m certainly no fitness expert. But lately I’ve been coming to terms with the importance of staying healthy—if the consequences of all my teenaged junk food binges and strict instant ramen diets were to catch up with me, I’d rather they do it later than sooner. So I’ve been making better choices: sleeping earlier, learning to say no to that big bag of barbecue potato chips, eating more vegetables and good grains, cutting down on coffee and alcohol, and finally getting some exercise. And it’s such a cliche but it has made such a huge difference; these days I feel happier, more creative, more alert, more energized, and better equipped to fully reap life’s little rewards.

I know trying to jumpstart a healthy lifestyle when you’ve been a couch potato and/or fast food junkie since you were in pigtails can be a bit daunting, so here are three easy ideas that won’t scare you silly. They’ve worked for me, the laziest, most physically unmotivated girl in the world, which means they’ll probably work for you, too.

1. Find running shoes you love.

I make sure I do treadmill time at least once a week—a quick 30-minute jog already makes me work up a good sweat, and sometimes the Candy Girls and I bond over a run after work. New habits are hard to form, though, and the temptation to just lie in bed all morning or dive into my Smash episodes before crashing into bed remains strong. But every time I see my adorable black and pink shoes (they’re Skechers GOrun2, and seriously light and comfy!), a workout doesn’t seem like such an enormous sacrifice—just an excuse to wear cute kicks.

2. Have a go-to healthy snack.

A midnight cheeseburger and hot fudge sundae will always seem like a good idea…until it isn’t. I always get hungry when I’m writing late at night, so recently I’ve been keeping fruits and healthy sweets in my fridge. This particular snack is my favorite, and super easy to boot: just slice an apple, spread peanut butter, and top with granola (I like Quaker Oats’ Natural Fruit Mix). You can eat this for breakfast, too.

3. Update your workout playlist regularly.
I always make an effort to approach working out not as a chore, but as a happy, Me Time activity. Great music definitely helps; think of your favorite workout songs as your constant exercise buddies. “Midnight City” and “American Blood” are mainstays, and these days I’m obsessed with this heart- and spirit-pumper by Sleigh Bells. I always feel like it’s cheering me on somehow!

How do YOU keep fit? :-)

xx,
Marla