Starting the Year Fresh

MAC Cosmetics senior artist Victor Cembellin at Sala Bistro

Kung hei fat choi! For a lot of people, the new year doesn't officially begin till the Chinese New Year—sometimes I feel that way too. The Fash Pack has been missing for a few weeks now, but I'm back to bring you the latest news and events happening in the fashion and beauty front! 

As the spring/summer collections are slowly being delivered to stores this month, can you believe that the international fall/winter 2013 shows have already begun, starting in New York? That's the way fashion rolls! But it can be a good thing because, as we monitor the upcoming trends for the last quarter of the year, we can plan our current purchases better. 

And Tod's wants to make sure their bags and shoes are part of your shopping list! Every season, the luxury Italian label hosts a mini presentation for the press at a suite at The Peninsula Manila. Personally, I always look forward to this exclusive event, where we get a sneak peek at the newest collection before it hits the stores. The bags and shoes are displayed on tables, chairs, and shelves all over the suite, and you get to touch them and try them on—too tempting! Good thing you can't buy right there and then! A couple of executives from Tod's regional office are always on hand to walk us through the collection—this time it was senior PR associate Annie Chan and PR associate Cheryl Yam, who are both based in Hong Kong. Part of the Tod's spring/summer 2013 collection is already available at the Greenbelt 4 store. 

Another recent out-of-town guest was MAC Cosmetics senior artist, Victor Cembellin, who was here for a few days in January. It was his first trip to the country and it was obvious that he made quite an impact on his colleagues here in Manila. Unfortunately, I missed the MAC press event, but based on the feeds on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, my media friends thoroughly enjoyed his presentation of the spring/summer makeup trends! Luckily for me, before his departure for Jakarta, MAC's PR executive Kirsten Brito hosted an intimate merienda (with champagne!) for Victor at Sala Bistro, where I got to meet him. Such a bubbly, positive personality, it was easy to see why Manila peeps have fallen in love with him. At a workshop Victor held for MAC's loyal clientele, the women were queueing up just to have their picture taken with him! 

Meanwhile, Valentine's Day is less than a week away. If you haven't made plans and are looking for something to do or somewhere to go, do check out today's issue of Style Weekend magazine (free with Manila Bulletin every Friday). We've got lots of ideas there!