Now that I look back on what I did last year, I dug up my archives and found that I made a post like this. Check last year’s list here. I remember eating really heavy, full meals with every meal I ate that day ’cause I spent it with 3 different groups of single friends. Food = true and real love. HAHA. But it’s true. Personally, I don’t know what’s in store for me this year but I’ve got a few fun things planned! Food very much involved, of course.

On to the music you really ought to listen to this Valentine’s Day. For the loved, loveless, lovely, etc:

1. Make You Feel My Love – Adele
2. I Would Do Anything For You – Foster The People (I will never ever get enough of this song)
3. Shooting Star – Bag Raiders (This too)
4. Endlessly – The Cab
5. So Close – Jon McLaughlin
6. A Love That Will Last – Renee Olstead
7. Sway – Bic Runga
8. One And Only – Adele
9. I Won’t Say I’m In Love – Hercules OST
10. With You – Chris Brown
11. The Chain – Ingrid Michaelson
12. Without You – David Guetta x Usher
13. Collide – Howie Day
14. You Make It Real – James Morrison
15. Heartbreak Warfare – John Mayer
16. One Less Lonely Girl – Justin Bieber
17. The Way You Look Tonight – Maroon 5 (I love you, Adam Levine.)
18. Nothing Lasts Forever – Maroon 5
19. True – Ryan Cabrera
20. Heart – Stars
21. Smile – Uncle Kracker
22. A Whole New World – Aladdin OST
23. I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt / Adele Cover
24. I Will Learn To Love Again – Kaci
25. Stay – Lisa Loeb

From my little heart, I wish you all a happy valentine’s day! Consider it a special day to either overeat or just be extra cheesy.

Nicole x

Here are some of the photos I’ve collected over time, and I’m sharing it just because.

NEED

TO

SHOOT!!!

As normal conversations would usually start, I’d like to answer the question, ‘how am I?’ I haven’t really thought about how I am, considering how my ‘one-day-at-a-time’ new year’s resolution seems to be doing well for me. Now that I actually gave myself time to think about it, I can honestly that I’m doing really well in many aspects of my life. January has been packed with a lot of busy schedules with all things work-related but I always had the opportunity to rest well, chill and recharge with my friends and family. I actually think that I just had the most balanced month in a really long time. I’d like to believe its cause I’ve finally learned how to manage my time perfectly to my advantage, but then I said that before and it then BOOM – my life was a busy mess again. Not that I’m complaining, I like being busy but I do love sleeping a lot.

Before I got into college, one of my goals was to be able to achieve good grades, have a social and still get sleep. So far, it hasn’t exactly been working well but I think this is the closest as I’ve ever really gotten. I realized, after a while (thanks to a very awesome friend), that grades were just numbers and that nothing would ever really compare to all of the experience, friends and good times I got in just one month.

with Ning and COWsek @ the CADs Taba Week

Push lang @ the CADs Sportsfest

@ the TV Patrol News Studio of ABS-CBN during our first trip and studio tour for Com13 class

Dreams are starting to come true, one day at a time

@ Fiamma for Jazz's 24th. Also, the day I forgot to wear and bring lipstick

CADs Sto Nino Hands @ Fiamma

Gotta post this cause I love the settings of Tonio's camera for making my skin color look so nice hihi

@ Shindig 2012: Animalia

@ Ponti the first of the CoSA Umbrella Parties: Rush

And for the namesake of the title of this post, I just have to say: and the love kickstarts again.

Nicole x

Exactly a month ago, I became a CADs production staff member again as I became the makeup artist of one of the CADs portfolio shoots for the production staff exhibit that happened the whole of last week in the SEC-C Foyer. The shoot itself probably wasn’t as long and tiring as it felt but when you have a pounding headache from 8am-1am with leadership seminars and NSTP insertions on top of the actual shoot, it definitely felt more agonizing than ever. But of course, it was all very much worth it. I was blessed (uy, blessed daw) to have put on makeup on a few of my favorite boys from CADs, to be part of a team that are all so very talented and be around friends to get me through the headache.

I personally think I finally got the hang of putting makeup on boys after the shoot I did with BrandX and now this. I remember saying, once upon a time, that I didn’t fully appreciate putting makeup on boys only because it was too simple and there was practically no creativity to be practiced. Finally, I realized that the beauty of putting makeup on boys relied so much on the simplicity that the foundation setting had to be flawless since no color or anything else that would make them look extra gwapo. My foundation setting skills were tested not only for the simplicity but also for how different men’s skin are. In my experience, they proved to be more oily, less adherent to makeup, slightly more skin imperfections and they sweat a lot more. I only realized how much tissue I used when I was cleaning up after the shoot and the balled up tissue wouldn’t even fit my hand.

And since I’m already talking about the difference between putting on makeup on boys and girls, I guess I’ll just really have to mention how much more fascinated boys are with makeup given how clueless they are about it. Everytime I bring something out, they would ask what it is, what it was for and surprisingly, if it would hurt. They would also be so curious as to why I have so many brushes and if I ever get to use them all. Well, for their case, the answer is no and so they wonder why I hassle myself with bringing everything else. I think, out of all of the things they say while being subjected to such girly treatment such as makeup, my favorite would have to be: ‘your brushes feel so soft on the face I think I could fall asleep.’ When my clients are at ease and trust me that they could fall asleep, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Noel Narciso

Vyen Villanueva

AG Gatmaytan

Arthur Tan

My Dream Team for this shoot:

Photographer: Tim Arafiles
Creative Director: Tim Arafiles
Post-editing: Tim Arafiles
MUA and Stylist: Nicole Ceballos
Creative Team: John Tan and Yogi Catabijan

Of course, one must always end a successful shoot with a beautiful crew shot.

Back L-R: John Tan, Vyen Villanueva, Arthur Tan, Noel Narciso, AG Gatmaytan, Yogi Catabijan. Front L-R: Leina Bolinas, Tim Arafiles, Me, Steph Ayson.

Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to put on makeup on the girls but they really did a good job doing their own! Such beautiful girls, I’m so jelly!

I posted this before but check out our BTS video a la Esquire, Fragments shot and edited by my CADs dad Yogi Catabijan.

Check out the portfolio shots by the other production teams here.

With all this talent brewing in all just one organization, I stopped wondering why I’m part of it and why I chose to be part of the Executive Board. WHEW! Shit just got real!

Nicole x

I guess the timing is perfect that I’m going to post pictures from the shoot I had last month with my friends from CADs who joined the L’Oreal Brandstorm. The theme of the shoot is very relaxed, zen and stress-free. The week of this shoot was terribly stressful that I questioned myself why I even agreed to do this shoot but then again, when has makeup ever been not destressing for me? I had a really fun time doing the makeup for this shoot since I already knew everyone in the shoot really well and makeup time with Mitchi, my (annoyingly) graduating jazz head and good friend, was spent a lot just talking about life. As much as I enjoyed this shoot, I collapsed on my bed the moment I saw it and was knocked out for a good three hours until I had to catch up on even more homework.

BTS

true friendship - martin and mitchi. please don't graduate, both of you.

some hardcore photography angles you gotta take for that perfect shot

would you believe this is just a test shot?

please don't graduate

Official Shots

Many thanks to Martin Fausto, Ross Tan and Pauline Manaloto for trusting me to do such an important shoot. To Sara Erasmo and Tim Arafiles for the beautiful photos (and not getting annoyed with me asking for them ahihi). Extra thanks to Tim for never editing my face shots anymore cause we’ve shot so many times he knows I don’t edit my photos. And of course, the beautiful models, Mitchi Kawpeng and Mrs. Rose Fausto.

Get these photos more notes by liking it or reblogging it here on my online makeup portfolio!

More photos from more shoots coming soon, when I find the time!

Nicole x

The last time we had our family portraits taken were during my senior year in highschool which was roughly around three years ago so we were due for a much needed update. I’ve always wanted a shoot wherein we would all be in Filipiniana attire because one, we were a Filipino family and two, it looks so classy and clean.

Before

Right after this shoot, I went to another shoot for a friend’s directing class project and damn, all I can say is, ‘ang hirap pala maging artista!’ We shot one long scene from 5pm to 12mn but it was definitely worth the time and tiredness; I wouldn’t have wanted to end the amazing Christmas break I had any differently. The shoot also made me think what I was doing in my advertising class and why-oh-why I gave up my slot in the introduction to basic tv production everyone was dying to take. This is already the third month into the semester and I’m still a confused communications major.

In other news, the month of January has been very generous to my life as a makeup artist, I’ve been spending all of my weekends in photoshoots. I’m still waiting for the shots from my portfolio/exhibit shoot with CADs but here’s a video with BTS outtakes of what happened in the shoot made my very own CADs dad Yogi Catabijan. Esquire ang peg, achieve na achieve!

There have been so many good things happening to me this month and I’d love to write all about it but this post is much too long now so I’ll save the rest for another day.

Have a sarap Sunday, everyone!

Nicole x

Luckily, I was tagged by Brand X’s official like page on a few screen captions of the show and I just thought I’d share it with all of you.

I wonder what he was saying at this frame!!

Like BrandX‘s facebook page to see all of their photos and support their brand!

Nicole x

2011 was by no means a walk in the park. I welcomed 2011 with a strong mindset that I won’t let anybody down – my family, my friends, my classmates and most especially my team. The first two months were definitely the hardest. All my time was spent on studying and training and I was good at neither. I was always either too tired from training to study, or too milked from studying to perform well in training. Through all that hardship I realized the importance of being part of a team that believes in you. Many years in competitive figure skating definitely already instilled in me self-discipline and confidence but never teamwork. I always had to push and motivate myself on my own but with a team, the push multiplied by ten, which was exactly what I needed.

After my first year in college, I realized that I only had two free summers left to use for my own relaxation or alternative education. With that, I immediately signed up and enrolled in Cheryl Cabanos Makeup Academy to get my professional certificate course in makeup artistry and the ball hasn’t stopped rolling since then. To say that it was one of the best summers busily spent would be an understatement. The joys, new friends, new appreciation for life and beauty that I acquired after I graduated and started on my own are just so amazing I feel sorry for anyone who wouldn’t feel those at least once in their lives. I’m glad I found this love so early into my life, with so much time to develop and share it with the people around me.

Before I extend this much too long, the most important part of my 2011 was that I realize who the people I want to keep for forever. This year was definitely one of those years that I was need of much support from my friends and they never failed me. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have friends who are ready to take on any emotional breakdown, bitch fit, sabaw session and a lot more craziness that comes along the way. My family.. have been and will forever be my family. I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch.

The Best Of 2011

2011 was pretty awesome, but I’m just so ready to pwn 2012. And I can’t wait for all of you to pwn it with me.

Happy New Year.

Nicole x

Holiday highlights

My first time to be part of the PACisama 2011 Core Team

To the best PACisama to date!

Under The Stars 2011

My one and only Christmas shot c/o Tim Arafiles

CADs TeaHee Christmas Party

My own legit CADs Family - Azawa Bets and Anakipoo Noel

Movie Club <3

My crazy CADs family

Extended CADs Family, that is

Immediate Catabijan girls

Jazzer Swag with del Rosario's

Finally, a complete Clingy picture <3

Azawaaaa

With the best boys a bro like me can ever ask for

With the confused eggplant/Joker/Barney of the night

How were your holidays?

Nicole x

photos by Tonio del Rosario, Tim Arafiles, and Ionne Ocampo

Those are a few of the many videos that’ll blow your mind. The experience of watching them only a meter and a half away from you is just crazy. They’re not just dancers, they’re actresses, they’re artists. I can’t even find the words to describe how they made me feel before, during and after their concert.

If you watched any of their videos, you’ll probably notice their beautiful red lipstick. Even during their rehearsals I already noticed how nice their lipstick was and I was desperate to find out what shade it was so after we had our picture taken with them, I realized that this was as close as I’ll ever be to these amazing girls. It’s just that I was such a fangirl I couldn’t find the voice to ask them right there and then. Thankfully, a very good friend of mine had enough courage to ask and if you must know, ReQuest uses MAC Russian Red. It was quite amusing to look at the surprise on their faces when we asked such a random question. I’m probably the only person who indirectly asked them for the shade of their lipstick.

I know I’ve said over and over again that I won’t buy yet another red lipstick but in the name of ReQuest, I will make that easy exception.

Put your crowns up!

Nicole x