travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, influencer, brand influencer, influencer instagram, fashion blogger

Endless Summer Photo Meet

Hi friends,

A few weeks ago, my best friend and I hosted our second photo meet up at the Venice Canals in Venice Beach. Here’s a preview of some of my favorite shots by our huge photography community in Los Angeles. A Photomeet is a meet up event normally hosted by someone of a few people who gathers photographers, models, creators, influencers to create content, collaborate and magic together. It’s a great way to network, meet new friends, make different connections and get to know your city a little bit.

For this meet, we wanted to host it at the Venice Canals as there’s something about the canals that are beautiful and majestic.

All outfits are made by yours truly! What did you think about these photos? Would you ever want to come to one of your meet ups?

Leave a comment below for your thoughts!

XO,

Joy

July 31, 2019

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Golden Magenta Roccoco Style

Hope everyone had an amazing Halloween this year! For this year’s Halloween I decided to take a fashion editorial shoot using the Roccoco Fashion as an inspiration. I created this headpiece with fall colored flowers and painted the sticks gold. For my outfit, I decided to use a vibrant magenta charmeuse to complete the look and made a blousony dress. I wanted this photoshoot to focus more on the dramatic hair and make up done by my dear friend, Celina

Photography: Eduardo Salazar

I enjoyed doing this photoshoot so much and the process on making this happen. For my fellow creators and my viewers, do you prefer this high fashion content or more of everyday lifestyle?

Xo,

Joy

November 1, 2018

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How To Have A Relaxing Vegas Trip In A Budget

I’ve spent the past two weeks in Sin City and I’ve spent them there very differently. Two weeks ago, I went there for my boyfriend’s birthday and we did the whole day club + night clubs + restaurants. For Labor Day weekend, my whole family and I went there for my grandma’s 80th birthday & boy, was it a different experience! And I ain’t even mad about it!

I’m not sure if it has anything to do with age (I’m currently in my late twenties) but I actually enjoyed my relaxing weekend and after analyzing, comparing and contrasting the my last two weekends, I would have to say that I prefer the latter one…

Here’s how I enjoyed my Vegas Weekend without spending too much as I did the weekend before:

See a concert or a show & buy them ahead of time.

We went to see Air Supply, my grandparents’ favorite band. The tickets were about $39.99 each and we actually got pretty good seats. Buying tickets at least a few months beforehand is always a great tip to get them in a good price. I surprisingly enjoyed the show and knew a few of their songs.

2. Go swimming in your hotel’s pool.

It’s part of the resort fee that you already paid for; so take advantage of it. We stayed in Bally’s but since it’s part of the Caesar’s Entertainment Hotels, we can hop around and we decided to go to Paris Las Vegas swimming pool. I absolutely loved the view and it wasn’t too crowded like the day clubs!

3. Purchase a 24 hour buffet wristband through Caesars Las Vegas Buffets.

How it works is instead of paying $25 – $40 each buffet per person, you pay $50 – $70 once and you can pretty much “buffet hop” and eat literally as much as you can (we were there on a holiday weekend, so we had to pay more). My top two favorite buffets are: Le Village Buffet & Carnival World Buffet I’ve never been to Paris but the buffet dining is in a French village with traditional meals from France. I also love Rio’s iconic buffet as it has hundred of global items plus the impressive array of seafood, my fave!

4. Seriously, relax!

After going swimming and hopping around at buffets, I took a hot shower and put on Alya Skin. This pink clay mask is my new obsession. It left my skin feeling like it was made out of roses and it cleared my pores & took out all the nasties from my skin.

5. Go hotel hopping & appreciate art.

Not sure if you’ve ever done this but Las Vegas Hotels are pretty much like museums! I wish I had more time to actually see more but I didn’t have much time as I was too busy eating!

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018

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Top Things To Do In Bolinas, CA

Hi babes!

As y’all know i went to the bay area a few weeks ago and I got to visit the beautiful Bolinas, CA. Bolinas is a small community in Marin County, California. It sits about 36 feet above sea level. Driving there was definitely insane – it’s like going to a whole new world.

One of the things you must do is to go – camping!

My boyfriend and i recently bought a tent and at first we were so adamant about investing in one but now we’re actually super happy that we did and we get to make use of it on our travels!

Lately we’ve been using Hipcamp to camp to the most gorgeous and not so well known places. In our adventure here, we stayed at the Garden By The Sea, which 1 1/2 hour from San Francisco and about an hour to Point Reyes. Here you can pitch your tent and be surrounded by this beautiful garden filled with different flowers.

Secondly, you gotta visit the Las Baulines Nursery where it’s filled with beautiful plants and flowers —and next to it is their local fresh home grown market.

Thirdly, go explore Point Reyes —here you will find their infamous light house, different beaches, lots of fields and deers! We saw a herd of deers as we were adventuring around.

Last but not the least, stop by at Sir & Star. We actually found this place last minute – right before they were closing. Everything closes around this area by 7 pm just FYI so when we found that this hotel/restaurant was open, we were delighted. I love the whole atmosphere filled with really branches and lit candles. The food was tasty and delicious. We were running late and were so happy that they stayed open just for us. <3

If you’re planning to go to the Bay Area anytime soon, hope this blog post helps! I’m about to write another one of things to do in San Francisco – stay tuned for that one! 😉

XO,

Joy

July 18, 2018July 18, 2018

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Read this if you’re sad that you’re single on Valentine’s Day

Today is the day that most people flaunt their relationships in social media about how happy and meant to be they are. But for some people, it can be a day that reminds them of how super single they are and how lonely it is to have no one to hold hands with, to not have any dinner plans with nor have anyone bring you flowers in the office. I have nothing against Valentine’s Day. In fact, I love “LOVE DAY” It has become one of my favorite holidays and it’s not because I’m in a relationship or anything like that —but simply because it’s a day when we can celebrate love in general.

I’m not even going to sit here and pretend that I wasn’t one of those people who once didn’t like celebrating this day. I’ve obviously been broken hearted more than I ever wanted to feel the heart wrenching pain—–I’ve felt lonely and been very annoyed by those couples who just flaunt their love in front of the world. But when i look back and ask myself “why am i so upset and caught up?” —then did I only realize that I had my own demons to silence and my past to let go of. If you just got out of a relationship or trying to get over someone, I was there in your position a year ago and I’m here to tell you that time does heal all wounds. You just have to go with it —feel the pain, recognize it and live. One day you’ll wake up and realize that it’s gone because you kept on going.

Also, whether you sulk here all night and day, people all over the world will still fall in love anyways. So you can’t be upset at people for falling in love, love is love. Sometimes we tend to forget that there’s different kinds of love. It’s not just romantic love —there’s self love, love for your friends, family, for God, for your pets! Every time I look back in my life, when I’m at my lowest —these love that these people had for me were the ones that sustained me and helped me to keep going and to move forward on the other side. It’s at these lowest moments of my life, when I was at my worst —did they not give up on me. They believed in me, corrected me, fought with me to get me to get me back on the right track. So today —on love day, I will not forget everyone that helped me become who I am now and be better. This is one of the best days to celebrate our love with everyone we love. So if you’re out here sad that you’re single, call your grandparents and tell them how much you miss them and love them, or your parents and how much you appreciate them, or hang out with the rest of your single friends and go dancing or simply stay home and cuddle with your pets.

Plus, tomorrow all the chocolates will be on sale!!! So instead of sulking because you currently don’t have the love of your life in front of you right now, appreciate the other loves of your life that you currently have. And I promise you that one day he/she will come in your life and it will change everything. All your questions, fears and confusion will be silenced. But for now, just enjoy your single life. I’ve always thought about it this way —if I ever get married someday, i will have the rest of my life to spend with that one person; therefore, before I get there I would like to do as much as I can before I consider someone else’s opinions/needs along with mine.

My hope for you is that may you see today in a different light —there’s too much in this world that hasn’t happened to you yet. Don’t let your past or that one guy/girl who broke your heart steal your joy. Go out there and have fun! Celebrate the fact that you’re still alive and you still have a chance to meet the love of your life someday (or today or tomorrow), make new friends, land your dream job or travel somewhere you’ve never been before.

I made this dress for my Valentine’s shoot that I collaborated with one of my close friends, Eddie. Isn’t he so talented?! I love that he always makes my photos look so whimsical and magical. I was so inspired by Rita Ora’s and Liam Payne’s For You Music Video and fell in love with her dress at first sight that I wanted to recreate it. We also tried to do some levitation shots as they were levitating towards the end of the music video. Can I just say that it is not as easy as what they make it seem!? This is probably one of the hardest shoots I’ve ever done but also one of my favorites! 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day Loves!

XOXO,

Joy

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018

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Togetherness, Family & Love

Merry Christmas! The Holiday season can bring some really mixed feelings for so many of us. Some holidays are filled with new beginnings and some tears or prayers unanswered or battles that need to be fought or loneliness or happiness. Fortunately, I am blessed to have a close knit family who is built with traditions, togetherness, strength, communication, hope and love. Earlier this year, I was planning to spend the holidays in Bali with one of my best friends —- now I can actually say that I’m glad that it didnt work out as nothing can ever replace being home with my family. Every year my family and I visit my relatives in the Bay Area and each year, we never fail to take Christmas very seriously, laugh, play and steal each other’s presents as we play “white elephant” and exchange gifts.

If you know me – you know for sure that I like to travel everywhere and have the need to explore; however, as I look back at my trips, my favorite ones are the ones that I get to spend some time and make new memories with the ones I love the most — my family and best friends. I take these special days to focus on the important things in life — and it’s not the presents that I receive or material things — it’s togetherness, family and love. It’s the light within us that shines brightly when we’re going through difficulties. Every tear, wait, confusion, “no”, breakdowns, setbacks and fear was worth every moment of every laughter, peace and contentment knowing that everything works our the way it’s suppose to. If you are where I was last year, I hope you can take comfort in knowing that every setback makes this moment now so much better whether you celebrate Christmas or not. I may not have all the answers now or not have everything together but I am content with knowing that if we just let go and let God or the universe (whatever you believe in) do all the work, everything will fall into place. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; and the heart of Christmas which is love.

Wishing you a happy, merry, joyful Christmas from my imperfect family to yours! <3

December 26, 2017

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HII HARLEY

It should be really obvious that I love dressing up… probably one of the reasons why October is my second favorite month and Halloween is my second favorite Holiday after December and Christmas.

As soon as October hits, I normally like to dress up and blog about different Halloween costumes. A lot of times people ask me why i like shooting, dressing up or making costumes.. Frankly, it makes me feel alive. I love that fantasy of it all and the creativity that’s put into it. I love that in that moment, I can be whoever I want, be in character and forget about everything around me for a quick second. I’ve also wanted to be an actress growing up, I’ve always loved expressing myself and my emotions and impersonating others —but since I decided to pursue design instead, I guess when
i found my love for modeling and blogging – it made me realize it’s sorta like acting when you’re in character —- but in a sense shooting has also become like an escape and a hobby for me. I also love that I get to work with talented photographers and collaborate on creating something with them.

If you have no clue who I dressed up as, you have to go see Suicide Squad. It came out in the movies last year and the moment I saw Harley Quinn, I told myself that I want to dress up as her one of these days! I absolutely love that she’s crazy, exciting, colorful and a rebel. Therefore; i made a Harley Quinn inspired a two piece inspired outfit and played around with my hair and make up based on the movie. What do you guys think about this look? Do you know who you’re dressing up as for Halloween yet?

XOXO,

Joy

October 27, 2017June 6, 2018

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Dia De Los Muertos

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live.”- Norman Cousins

Are you afraid of death? I know it’s a touching subject and not everyone wants to talk about it.

Some people are. Some people arent. I’m surprisingly not as I’ve accepted it’s going to happen either way but I’m more afraid on how it’s going to happen. Is it going to hurt? Am I going to be surrounded by the people I love and care the most? Although. I dont really think about it much, I think about the life I have now and how much I want to live it before I run out of time.

Some of you may know that I grew up in the Philippines and I came here when I was 12 years old. We didn’t celebrate Halloween —maybe that’s one of the reasons why I love it sooo much because I was deprived of all the dressing up and free candies… and yes, I still trick or treat… (judge all you want) However, we have what we call “All Saints Day” which was normally celebrated on the eve of November 1st. My whole family and I would go to the cemetery and visit our loved ones who has passed and spend the night over there with candles and just relive the moments we had with our loved ones. I was still a child back then and didnt really know much why we do this —all i know is I get to go to the cemetery and play with my cousins and there’s pretty lit candles all around. Now that I’m an adult, I appreciate this practice more.

Now that I live here in Southern California, I learned about “The Day of the Dead” and there’s so much more about the pretty painted faces. I’ve learned that it comes from early cultures’ beliefs about death that later mixed with Christianity. It is based on the idea that the spirits return at that time of year. Customs around Halloween seem to stem from the idea that the spirits were malevolent (children were disguised so that they wouldn’t be harmed), whereas in Day of the Dead festivities, the spirits are joyfully welcomed as family members that one hasn’t seen in a year. So for this shoot, I made a black tight fitted dress with scallop edge hem as I thought it would go with the theme and I wanted it to be a bit more fashion forward. What do you guys think about this dress?

How do you celebrate Halloween? What do you think about these different practices around the world?

XOXO,

Joy

October 20, 2017

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Shine Bright

Sometimes you meet people who want to make art and then you meet people who have to do it because if they dont, they go crazy.

Which one are you? I would like to say that I belong on the latter half. Most of the time when I meet people who ask me what do I do on my free time,

I normally say “creating, shooting, modeling, sewing, designing” and they go “wait, isn’t that your job? what do you do on your free time?”

And literally that’s what I do on my free time. I go to different places with my friends and blog about our adventures and make outfits for them.

I’ve been working as a fashion designer for five years. My job isn’t as glamorous as what people see on TV. Since I’ve worked for companies that

sell to the mass market, a lot of times are designs have to be toned down and sellable; therefore, I needed a creative outlet. Everyday I sit in front of my

computer thinking about all the different outfits I can create, multiple places I can visit that I’ve never been in before. As few weeks ago, StreetMeetLA

announced that they will be hosting their fairy lights meet. Instantly, I was inspired to make a see through outfit made out of plastic with patches on them

on top of Secretly A Mermaid’s newest two piece set because I just imagined how creative it will look with the fairy lights. I was so happy on how it turned out.

On my next few blog posts, I am going to start sharing how I make my outfits step by step —> comment below if you like that idea. I cant wait to make another

outfit and be creative again.

XOXO,

Joy

August 16, 2017

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Winter Is Here

Happy Game of Thrones Season Premiere Night! If you didn’t already know, GOT is one of my favorite shows in the whole entire world that I decided to make an outfit inspired from one of my favorite characters, Daenerys Targaryen. If you have not seen Game of Thrones, you definitely should start watching and if you’re fanatic like me, how did you guys like the season premiere? And what did you think about this outfit?

XOXO,

Joy

July 17, 2017July 17, 2017

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