Joyous Journeys: Mission District, San Francisco

August 7, 2015

Photo credits: A. B.

Way back at the beginning of my summer vacation, I was able to rejoin my childhood friends and freely explore San Francisco. Specifically the Mission District. We stumbled upon Clarion Alley and had ourselves a mini photoshoot along the beautiful and powerful visual messages. Art is not merely pretty. It is a way to visually share our emotions, voice, soul. The artists who contributed to this local public art gallery speak out on local current events that are affecting citizens in that area. Remember to not just admire the art, but engage and spread the message. Be critical. Be aware. Be a spark for change. 

Read on for more peeks at the beautiful and engaging artwork. 

Third Time's the Charm

Darn, I missed my blog's birthday by ONE day. 

OH WELL. 

As of September 14, 2015, Unconventional Bliss is officially 3 years old. That's right. T-H-R-E-E. 3. Tatlo (3 in Tagalog). 

It's surreal how this blog has grown and evolved from my first blog post when I thought this would be a piece of cake, but in fact, I had no idea what I was doing. However, within those three years, I realized this is not to please anyone in particular. This has grown into a very personal project for me, to share with others who may be interested in my own unconventional interests. This has allowed me to learn a little more about myself in terms of my style, my writing voice, and my passions. It also has given me a unique sort of confidence I never would have gained from public speaking classes. I also established incredible connections and gained new friends by being a part of this fashion blogging community. I've had the most growth and change for my blog and myself this past year. As I'm entering a momentous period in my school career, I have a notion that major growth will result. Whether that pertains to my blog, my job, or myself, we all will have to wait and see. Until next year. 

Joyous Journeys: Southern California

July 31-August 2, 2015

San Diego, Anaheim

Photos of me: credits to A. B.

Finally back to blogging, and I'm back with a recap of my mini vacation about a month ago in SoCal (Southern California), specifically in sunny San Diego and Anaheim. I hope you enjoy the beauty in these cities through my photos (and feel free to check out my vlog of this trip as well. The link is at the bottom of this post)!

Youtube

I'm back! With less than two weeks before school starts, I have major catching up to do with blogging. I've been preoccupied with experimenting with video for my Youtube channel (what, Youtube?)

Yes! I realized I never made a formal announcement on my blog, but I finally gained the courage to create fashion videos and share them to the Youtube community! It's been a learning  experience and am glad I just went for it. Sadly, with school coming up, videos will have to come to a pause until my next vacation (or most likely, next summer). But for now, enjoy what I've produced so far over at my channel, Unconventional Bliss (and don't forget to subscribe)!

Here is my latest video, where I shared some outfits in a Summer to Fall Lookbook to help you transition between the seasons. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe over at Unconventional Bliss!

Click to head over to my channel for more videos
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 UNCONVENTIONAL BLISS

Bliss, XO: Denim on Denim

July 28, 2015

Photography: Miguel Bagsit

Denim button up: thrifted || Jeans: BDG (Urban Outfitters) || Sandals: Birkenstock

Who would have ever thought I would break my one fashion rule - NEVER wear denim with denim. Geez Miguel, you broke me with your Denim on Denim concept photoshoot. Lucky for him, I found this great denim button up at the thrift store earlier that week. So when he brought this idea up as our next photoshoot, I instantly envisioned this top with my trusty high-waisted ripped skinny jeans, creating a balance between the looseness of the button up and the fitted shape of the bottoms. Kept it fun and casual with my trusty Birks and go-to braided pigtails. 

Just goes to show, NEVER say never. You never know when you'll go behind your own back to try a fashion rule you promised you'd never in a million years break. I'm always for experimenting and dressing in outfits that may be the worst decision ever, but at least I tried it out. Now that I matched these denim pieces together, I'm definitely open to putting together more denim pieces. (Maybe it was the fact that the top was a button up...I'm a sucker for button ups. Collars just make everything look a smidge classier, don't they?)

Make sure to CLICK TO READ MORE for more outfit details!

Bliss, XO: Calm, Cool, Neutral

July 28, 2015

Photo credits: Miguel Bagsit

 Be calm, be cool, be neutral

When I think of neutrals I think of two kinds: shades of black like blacks, grays, and whites vs. earth tones like khaki, browns, and grays. I've been exploring a lot of the darker palette, so I wanted to try my hand at a more light, warm neutral look. Neutrals are great to have in a wardrobe because they are so easy to mix and match with other pieces. A great outfit will almost always result. It seems safe, but it also allows for experimentation. Read on for more details about this outfit.

Ten Cents of Bliss

 July 25, 2015

Photo credits: Diem Le

Top: Ross || Skirt: Papaya || Shoes: Nine West

After a few weeks of messaging online, I finally met Diem Le of "My Ten Cents"! We both were new to meeting other fashion bloggers, and I thought what better way to get comfortable with each other than by good old talking. We just talked about how we got to this point with our blogs and why fashion is important to us, among other topics. Somehow, many of the things we discussed were scarily exact thoughts we both shared! It's as if I found my fashion twin! After that, the whole mini photoshoot afterwards wasn't as awkward as I had imagined! It was great learning about collaborating with another like-minded individual I have never met before, but share the same interests and goals as I do. Hopefully more collaborative projects will be coming your way! Click to read more to see what came out of the rest of the photoshoot! 

Bliss, XO: Lemons to Lemonade

July 24, 2015

Photo credits: Miguel Bagsit

This photoshoot was about "a pop of color", so I decided to grab the most basic and brightest piece in my limited closet in my apartment at that moment, and get inspired to add pieces to dress that up. A T-shirt is one of fashion's most basic necessities, so the options for outfits were limitless. I ended up dressing it up with lace, and by pairing it with black pants, the neon yellow still was the statement piece of the outfit. Throw on some sandals and my favorite sunglass silhouette, and I've got me a casual/bordering on dressy/I-put-some-effort-in-getting-dressed-today sort of vibe. 

Make sure to click that "Click to Read More" button to see more outfit detail shots and more details on what this photoshoot is about. You know you want to.

Bet on It

June 27, 2015

Photo credits: A.B.

Hey ya'll, it's finally summer vacation for me (yay, summer session is over!), and that means more time to dedicate to the blog! This is obviously not fashion focused, but definitely another feature of my life I enjoy sharing with you all. Immersing myself in nature and spending time with family is always refreshing and wonderful, to take a break from social media and all that jazz. I definitely recommend researching local nature paths and hiking trails and just explore. Take it all in, and just breathe. Live in the moment. It's incredibly meditative, calming, and de-stressing. Here are some snapshots of my summer stroll, but for a more interactive experience, check out a blog I created a few weeks ago on my Youtube channel, @unconventionalbliss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzC89SdXzWk

I'm still wondering what I could do with Youtube, so feel free to comment below or email me what you'd like to see! Make sure to click to view more of the photos ^_^

Bliss, XO: "Flanneling" my Inner Fashionista

July 14, 2015

Photo credits: Miguel Raphael Bagsit

Shirt: American Apparel (thrifted) || Flannel and shorts: thrifted || Sandals: Birkenstock

During a late afternoon, Miguel and I decided to try our hands at a casual look for this particular rooftop photoshoot. I typically dress like this during the summer (sans flannel) because let's face it, a basic T-shirt, some trusty jean shorts, and a good sturdy pair of sandals is the staple outfit for a casual summer day (especially when you just want to be comfortable during your summer classes). So in attempts at making my daily outfit look somewhat more presentable and worthy of a blog post, I dressed it up with some eyeliner, dark lipstick and a funky high ponytail, tied with my trusty velvet blue scrunchie of course. 

Because this photoshoot was casual, I saw this as an opportunity to really explore the space we had and how I could present the outfit as more than a bumming-it-because-i'm-lazy outfit. If you read on, you can see me attempt to "class it up", in hopes to show that a simple shirt and shorts combo can be just the outfit you need for a quick, no-brainer look.

Bliss, XO: Unapologetic

July 8, 2015

Photo credits: Miguel Bagsit

Be unapologetic and unashamed.

This summer I am excited for future collaborations. Recently, I've been working with a friend and fellow fashion enthusiast, Miguel of miguelraphael.com, who has a segment on his blog called the XO Series. We've collaborated a few times, but we finally nicknamed our collab series while planning our latest photoshoot, and our series name is...Bliss, XO. No doubt, you'll be seeing more of our photoshoots this summer! 

For past Bliss, XO collaborations, check out my past blog posts: 

Comfort Levels

Biggest Fear

New Beginnings

Find out what this photoshoot was about my clicking to read more!

E P I P H A N Y .

That's what I just had as I was browsing through my solo shots of my most recent photo shoot with a dear friend and fellow fashion blogger, Miguel of miguelraphael.com. 

Through our hangouts and discussions, we chat about what our goals and dreams are for our fashion blogs, but recently we've also constantly been going back to our intentions. Why? Why did we start this blog in the first place, and why continue it? What's the point? 

Miguel found a great method of using mind maps to help him figure out how fashion blogging fits into his life and its importance for him. However, I was still struggling on figuring out why I've continued to do this for almost three years now. Until just a few minutes ago, as I was going through images of me, from the last photo shoot I had with Miguel (which will be a blog post very soon)!

I have always had thoughts in the back of my mind, why blog, and why are you still doing this? what are you getting out of this activity that isn't related to your potential future career? And especially recently since I befriended Miguel, have I gone back to my intentions and thought more seriously of the why. And because of the several reasons that I've started with since the inception of Unconventional Bliss and some reasons that I've only realized were important and meaningful to me now: {warning: long post ahead; you've been warned}.

70's Babe

April 15, 2015

Photo credits: Vianca Natividad

Thanks to a mutual friend and pure happenstance, I was able to collaborate with an incredibly talented photographer, Vianca Natividad! She was friendly and great to work with, and as an amateur photographer myself, it was a nice change for someone else to pose me and actually know how to work the camera instead of me directing them. Typically I ask my sister or whoever else is available at the time, how to position my camera, and I have to constantly check if the photos are to my liking.

With Vianca, I just trusted her and let her take the photos, and directing me as she saw fit. And everything was amazing. Once I got these edited photos back (nothing major, just touchups and lighting), I was blown away by the quality of these shots! Vianca definitely has the skill and eye for photography. If you're looking for beautiful shots and a friendly photographer who knows what she is doing, feel free to contact her and check out her work! 

Vianca Natividad

Email: info@byvianca.com

Website: www.byVianca.com

Facebook: Photography and Film By Vianca

Read the rest of the blog post to see more of her beautiful photos.

Golden Hour

June 19, 2015

Photo Credits: E.M.

Photo credits: E.M.

Since the craziness of school finally ended and I had a week of summer vacation before summer classes, I decided to host a small, intimate belated birthday celebration with my childhood friends. I wanted it to have a comforting, warm, friendly vibe to it, from the decor to the food to the activities. I think I actually liked planning everything out and making sure my guests enjoyed every moment. I've learned I hate having attention drawn to me, which is why I never had the fancy cotillion, or debut that Filipinas have when they turn eighteen (that, and the cost was not something I wanted to think about). However, something low-key and intimate like a slumber party with a handful of childhood friends who I consider like sisters is something I much prefer. And I'm so glad everything went well, and even better than I expected. At this "milestone" (although I don't feel much different), I just want to make sure I'm improving myself as a community leader, mentor, older sister, daughter, friend and person everyday, working hard to remain empathetic and sensitive in everything I say and do. (And of course, thank you Mommy and Daddy for helping me put this small celebration together, and to my sister for putting up with me <3).

~And with that, a perfectly smooth segue into the photo shoot!~

Cut Outs

June 14, 2015

Photo credits: M.M.

Yet another hangout with the high school group, a great way for my summer to start off. It was wonderful to catch up and see how far we've come already and what we've accomplished. It's scary to know that our future is in our grasp, but it also excites me to know such hardworking, passionate people who inspire me in all they do to achieve their dreams. And of course, it wouldn't be a Trio Plus hangout without a mini photoshoot.

Never Forget Your Story

May 15, 2015

Photo credits: B.L.

Finally had a reason to wear this "'70's/Bohemian/Coachella-esque" dress. This was at the end of the year banquet of one of the Filipino-American organizations I am a part of, and it was a great night of celebrating the org's achievements and all the events they successfully put together, laughter, and spending time with friends and fellow hard working community leaders. 

Open Skies

April 5, 2015

Photo credits: A.B.

Despite a busy schedule, I took time out to go home for Easter and spend time with family. It was definitely needed, because sometimes I get so caught up in the chaos of all the things I do, that I forget how wonderful and comforting it is to be in the comfort of my own home with my family. I am definitely blessed to have them, but I definitely am aware that not all families are the conventional "one father, one mother, and a sibling" - whoever you can call your family, whether it's your grandparents, aunts, siblings, or friends, hold on to them. 

Now, the outfit! I kept it simple and classic. The comfort was there with my overalls, but to "chic it up", I threw on an oversized white blazer, creating a cool, retro, almost high fashion, vibe. 

Fear Not, Madame B

March 28, 2015

Photo credits: M.M.

Spending time with my old high school bunch is a rare thing, but always a fun time full of good food, catching up, and mini photoshoots. This time around some of us met up to support out friend, my "hubby/bae for lyfe", at a play he was performing in, called Madame Butterfly. It was absolutely everything I believe in, and I can honestly say I was angry, empowered, upset, sad, happy, and shocked throughout the whole performance. Brilliant performers and a moving story that has issues relevant today. I definitely recommend looking into the story of Madame Butterfly. 

Onward to the outfit! Thanks to my friend who is currently studying Animation, I was able to get some great outfit shots around the city. Read on to see what I mean.

Spring Fever

March 22, 2015

Photo credits: A.B.

During spring break this year, I was blessed to spend time with family and stroll around during a beautiful spring day. Plus, it was finally time to take these heels out for a spin, after sitting in my closet for a while with no where to go.

Bliss, XO: Comfort Levels

March 13, 2015

Photo shoot Collab Part 2

Miguel and I had just enough time to squeeze in one more outfit to photograph. My shots ended up being real dark, but thanks to the magic of Photoshop, you all can see what my outfit actually looked like (and not hidden by the darkness). There was no particular theme for this second outfit, but more on something that is comfortable (I suppose the opposite of part one of this photo shoot)? Read on for more details on this outfit!

Bliss, XO: Biggest Fear

March 13, 2015

Photo shoot Collab Part 1

With the summer season means more time to blog! I have plenty of fashion posts I've been meaning to share with you all, but this year has been especially busy. Not to worry, they will be published soon, so stay tuned!

Content Creator Spotlight

If you have been following my blog since it's inception, you might be familiar with my segment "IBOTM: Inspirational Blogger of the Moment". However, with the growing trend of various forms of social media and different forms of self-expression, I didn't want that segment to be restricted to just bloggers. That is why it has evolved into something slightly different with a new name, but with the same idea in mind. 

CCS: Content Creator Spotlight features will be focused on showcasing different content creators that I have been inspired or impacted by lately. I wanted this space to share with all my readers of who have been creatively influencing me, because part of the creativity process is sharing your work, and what inspired your work, with each other. 

What is a content creator? 

Content creation is the contribution of information to any media and most especially to digital media for an end-user/audience in specific contexts - Wikipedia (because we all trust Wikipedia, right?)

Subscribe to my blog to stay up to date on future CCS features or my own personal posts! If you have a content creator you would like to feature here, send me an email! 

C.C.S. - Paperphlox

Content Creator Spotlight

Why Them?
I randomly came upon their Instagram account and was instantly drawn by their minimalist, chic style. Which of course, made me go through their Instagram feed for several more minutes than intended. I noticed they were from the Bay and even had a Youtube channel, which was even more exciting, so of course I checked it out. Wow. Chantel and Elisa seem to put together basic pieces for their outfit lookbooks  but have elevated the minimalist look to compete with the chic and the fashionable. Or maybe their style is what I've been into lately - minimalistic, basic pieces, neutral color palette, effortlessly chic. Nonetheless, they are quite the fashionable and creative duo, and their friendship is great to witness on screen. Oh, and their thrift finds? ABSOLUTELY ADORE AND ENVY. 

Click the button to read on. 

Check 'em out in my interview below and get to know the duo known as PaperPhlox. 

If You Can Believe It, You Can Thrift It

March 5, 2015

PC: G.T.

I whipped this outfit up to go along with my Writing Across Media class. I had a group presentation on a subgroup of Technoculture, and we were the Fashion group. I actually wanted to avoid that group and sign up for Photography or Film, because I wanted to explore a topic I haven't explored as much (not saying I'm a fashion expert or anything). But I just switched over because we needed a minimum amount of group members. Funny how that worked, because I loved our end presentation. It was experimental, meaningful, and creative. 

Thanks to group discussions, I was inspired to present the topic of Sustainable Fashion (thrifting, free boxes) and the Slow Fashion Movement. And to make a point, one of the aspects of my portion of the presentation was to dress up. And not just to look fashionable but to dress up and ensure that everything I was wearing, from top to bottom, was all thrifted or purchased second-hand. And yes, my turtleneck, lace kimono, Mango black jeans, and Jeffrey Campbell shoes were all bought at a thrift store or purchased pre-owned (except I forgot to take off my watch, which to clarify, is not thrifted/pre-owned. But I'm sure you can just as well thrift a beautiful watch for a fraction of the price). 

Just goes to show you can still dress up and feel like a million bucks, while being sustainable and not breaking the bank.

Check out the rest of this post for outfit details. 

Bliss, XO: New Beginnings

February 20, 2015

PC: M. B.

I've been on a personal creative inner struggle as of late (but when am I not, is the real question), and recently a friend and fellow fashion blogger has inspired and motivated me to take my fashion blog seriously once again. Through our fun fashion shoot and conversations, he reminded me why I first bravely blogged in the first place and why fashion is so important to me (more on this on my friend's fashion blog! The mini "interview"/Q&A will be on his blog which will premiere soon).

I hope to provide better content to my readers, as well as challenge myself creatively. I've had thousands of ideas and creative projects I've pondered over. With this reignited drive to better my blog, I'm excited as to what will come my way this year. And I hope you enjoy following my personal creative/style journey, as well as get inspired to do something, anything, for yourself.

Here's to new beginnings and exciting things to come. 

Read on to see what resulted in my first collaboration photo shoot with a dear friend (check out Miguel's blog over at http://miguelraphael.com). ^_^

Wiped Out

February 19, 2015

Top: Old Navy || Cardigan: Ross || Pants: Uniqlo || Shoes: Dr. Martens

PC: J. U.

Sadly, my laptop got all wonky two weekends ago, and completely died on me during my final exams week (perfect timing, amiright? caused me such unnecessary grief). So unfortunately (but maybe a blessing in disguise?) all my photos were wiped out. Luckily I had a backup of my recent photo shoots, but my other photos (I'm a hoarder sentimentalist) were all wiped out by my sickly laptop.

So long story short, here is what is left of this particular photo shoot (thank goodness I decided to post this to Instagram). 

This photo resulted from a fun hangout/photography session with one of my friends/coworkers who also is passionate about learning and improving his photography skills. We found some time in between work to explore campus and find the beauty in spots most people overlook or would never take the time to explore. Sadly, those photos were wiped out, along with all my other photos. But here is one that managed to survive. 

Don't fret - more to come, now that I'm finally on spring break! Hope all you are enjoying your vacations as well! ^_^

Baesic Vday

February 14, 2015

"True nobility is when you can feel superior to your former self" - Kingsman

Inspired by this strange warm weather to bring out the ol' knee highs. And the rest of the outfit was all about comfort, layers (for possible change of temperature throughout the day), and cuteness for this "Galentines" sorta day. Check out the rest of the post for more outfit details!

Loco for my Co-Co

February 1, 2015

PC: A.S. and R.H.

Decided to dress up, but still wanted to be extremely comfy and casual on the last day of my counselor training. Ended up being eligible for an impromptu #ootd photoshoot with a few of the other extremely fashionable counselors. Read the rest of the blog to see the results.

Sweater Heaven

January 30, 2015

The annual 99 cent sweater sale to me is probably equivalent to Christmas Day for a young child. 

Just a handful of what I scored that night. 

BrandBacker: InstaNatural's Dead Sea Mud Mask

Check out my latest product review on the InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask!

BrandBacker: InstaNatural's Argan Oil Hair Mask, 100% Organic Argan Oil, and Skin Clearing Serum

I've been able to test out InstaNatural's latest group of natural products. Check out the rest of the blog post to find out what they are and what I thought about them~

Thrown Together

January 24, 2015

Photographer: AJL

Sweater: Forever 21 || Black dress: Forever 21 || Boots: Dr. Martens || Necklace: gift

It feels so satisfying and thrilling to be able to get dolled up after being sick and gross for a week and a half. Looking and feeling like a zombie for so long made dressing up so much more fun. And I'm back to fashion posts! I got all dolled up for a friend's sweet sixteen. Read the rest of this post for more outfit details (Thanks Kuya, a.k.a. 'Lil AJ' for finally decent, fashion-blog-worthy photos)!

Fifth Annual Secret Santa

January 10, 2015

Photo credits: M.M.

Flannel: thrifted || Boyfriend jeans: Hollister || Shoes: Dr. Martens || Necklace: Nordstrom Rack || Watch: Fossil

My last Secret Santa exchange for the Christmas 2014 season finally occurred last weekend with my old high school bunch. We travelled to SF, explored the city, hung out together, then explored the city some more. 

Joyous Journeys: Disneyland

December 28-29, 2014

"The happiest place-", yeah you get it. It's rare when I go to Disneyland and can still remember most of the experience. I don't know if this, my interest and analytical views of films, or my sociology class on pop culture, ruined the "magic". Either way, Disneyland is still fun with the right people, and can provide different experiences at different moments in life. I actually let go and rode rides when I typically just sit back and watch or experience exhibits and shows. Read on to satisfy your Disney-cravings. 

Joyous Journeys: Las Vegas

December 26-28, 2014

Sweater: Mom's || Coat: Forever 21 || Jeans: Levi's || Shoes: Dr. Martens

Photo credits: A.B.

The day after Christmas, it was time for my family to head out on our five-day road trip traveling across California to Las Vegas, then Disneyland, and lastly Hollywood. The rest of the photos (as you click to read on) don't make sense unless you were actually there. So I guess, enjoy them as individual photographs, or if you so choose, as an eclectic whole collection. Enjoy~

Joyous Journeys: Soda Springs

December 25, 2014

Photo credits: A.B.

"I'm, dreaming of a White Christmas"...

I celebrated my first Christmas in the snow with my family visiting from the Philippines. It was a fun journey, but short-lived because they couldn't handle the cold for much longer. We still had a fun experience together, and having family together on this holiday was incredible for me. Read on for more photos of my snowy ventures!

Joyous Journeys: SF with the Pamilya

December 23, 2014

Photo credits: A.B.

Check out my SF adventures with family during my winter vacation! These travel posts will be more photography-centric rather than focused on my outfits. After taking a photography class last quarter, I feel this need to share my non-outfit photos. I feel it helps me improve if I know my work will be shared to the public. Enjoy ^_^

Kicking off Winter Break 2014

My new "manatea" tea infuser from my housemate secret santa gift exchange ^_^

This winter break was quite chaotic, full of traveling and sightseeing to tour my family visiting from the Philippines. But my "first" unofficial week of winter break (most of my final exams were take-home tests, so I was able to go home a week early) was just chilling at home and hanging with friends before I went off on my road trip.