#SFW 2014

I went to the most recent  Santiago Fashion Week last week. It was my first Fashion Week. Not only was I excited about the fact that I was going to be sitting front row the three days, but also about the carefully picked-out outfits I had for the occasion.

On day one I wanted to do something different (for me). I wore a gold playsuit from Zara that had silver and pastel blue beading through it. It was too low when I tried it on, so I took one of my moms vintage long-sleeve cream silk shirts and made the playsuit into a jumper-ish look. I've been wanting to wear this gold Topshop choker I have had since 2012, (when I purchased it), and thought that this was THE perfect occasion to wear a it. I accompanied it with my gold lip necklace from H&M, to spice the look up a bit, because lets be honest, I suck at keeping it simple. To tie my black nails into the outfit, I wore my black Aldo ankle-strap stilettos that have a gold buckle along the ankle.

I kept my makeup fresh and simple with pinks and cream colours.

  Foto: Glamorama

Foto: Dafiti Mag

Foto: Mistral Ice

Foto: Glamorama


My second look was constructed around my furry, pastel, Ombré Pepe Jeans coat. Since it had baby pink touches, I decided to pair it with a princess-like , strapless H&M dress I purchased a couple of months back. I was trying to keep it "Glamour" inspired, but it was tempting to go over the top with accessories. So instead of wearing a necklace around my neck, I wrapped one around my HUGE sock bun. Since the dress length was that awkward length that makes finding a shoe for it super hard, I decided to make a safe bet and went with my white Converse.

My makeup had to be as popping as my outfit so I decided to go with a silver lip. My makeup artist stuck to pinks and purples for the eyes, and concentrated on making my cat inspired eye liner ON POINT.

Foto: Socialgram

Foto: Dafiti Mag

Foto: Yotecuento

With my last and final look I wanted to keep things "simple". And by simple I mean, Pocahontas-meets-gypsy inspired. I wore a black and cream kimono with and amazing curtain of tassels along the bottom, with a navy blue, bell-sleeved, loose fitting mini dress by Dedal De Oro. I wore my new best friends on my feet: my black ankle booties with the gold detailing on the heel and  buckle with cutouts on the side. I had been wanting to braid my hair with light weight fishtail braids for the longest time, and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to do it. Along with my star details along the side of my cheek, it turned into my favourite look of SWF 2014.  

Foto: Otro Maldito Evento

Foto: Socialgram

Foto: Otro Maldito Evento

3 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

I find that eating healthy in the morning motivates me to stay healthy throughout the day. Not only have I learned, (the hard way), that you are what you eat and that diet is an 80% of staying fit, but also, I have come to enjoy cooking in the morning and having "me time" at breakfast. I find that I'm most creative when no-one else is around, and I have time to dig deep into my thoughts. This process is always well accompanied by a healthy meal.

I try to keep my breakfasts clean. What do I mean by "clean"? Well divided. If I'm going for fruit, I stick with fruit. If I'm going with toast or cereal, I stick to carbs. If I want an omelette, I keep it to just proteins. No mixing. Except with veggies. You can never go wrong with more veggies.

Here are three of the breakfasts I had this week. AKA, my three breakfast ideas:

1. So tropical!
So, this is what I'll have if I didn't do so well with my eating the day before. Pineapple helps clean out your system, and I'm sticking to veggies and fruits to keep my body eating light.

- Cranberry Juice.
- 2 Avocados with lemon, salt and two teaspoons of olive oil. (DONT BE AFRAID OF OLIVE OIL! IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!)
- Half a pineapple.
- 8 thin slices of cucumber.

2. Before-Gym Magic.
I usually work-out in the mornings, so a boost of energy and protein is a must! Coffee is BY FAR my favourite part of my breakfast, unfortunately, once I start I don't stop. So I try to have it only 3 days a week.

- Grounded coffee with skimmed milk and stevia.
- Half a red pepper sautéed with 5 medium size mushrooms and a tablespoon of margarine.
- 2 scrambled eggs.

3. Eat your greens!

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of avocado. We get THE best avocado in Chile almost all year around, so, it is super present in my diet. Cool fact: Avocado and Asparagus are high in glutathione, which is a detoxifying compound that helps break down bad compounds like carcinogens. So their yummy AND really good for you!

- Hibiscus Tea (Starbucks)

- Small batch of Asparagus sautéed with two teaspoons of olive oil and salt.

- 2 Avocado with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and lemon.

Hopefully you get some ideas from my healthy breakfasts, and it inspires you to live a healthier and happier lifestyle!

V

My 5 Tips To Running 10K

Last Sunday I ran 10K for an amazing cause. The event was organized by Everlast and "Corre X Nosotras" was for all women, and supported the cause of uterine cancer. As an Everlast Ambassador, I was extremely proud to be a part of this run, but even more so as a women.

I fell in love with running in 2009. It was the only exercise I could get anytime and anywhere I needed it. The gym required more planning, and any school sports were on a schedule and implied having to play nice with others. Both of those factors didn't always work for me.

These are my 5 tips to running 10K:

1. Hydrate yourself!
The night before a drank 1 Lt of water, and the morning of, as soon as I woke up I had another. What I find this does is avoids you needing to desperately stop for water while running your 10K.

2. You are what you eat.
Having said this: go for proteins and coffee with a treat, (sugar). The last one is what your body will use for immediate energy. I made myself 2 scrambled eggs to feed my body. Since it was 6:30 am, coffee was a must, but also, it gives you that extra boost of energy. My treat was one of those pre-made coffee mixes with TONS of sugar.

3. Stay motivated!
Run for a cause that is close to your heart. I kept on seeing women and men with shirts that said "I'm running for you mom!" or "This is for the women in my family.". This pushed me to run harder.

4. Music is the soundtrack of life!
SO... Get the soundtrack to your 10K. My playlist for running is always changing. I get bored of listening to the same music, so to keep me motivated, I switched things up the morning of the run and changed my playlist to have all new music for my 10K. I'm more likely to run if I have the appropriate music with me.

5. Running Buddies...
I'm lucky to have an amazing family. But I'm also lucky  for having to parents that get me out of bed at least 5 times a week to get exercise. I would not have achieved my 10K if my dad and best friend hadn't said he would to the run with me.

- V

Kate Moss For Topshop

I was invited to check- out and shop the new Kate Moss X Topshop collection. If I had to describe it with a concept, I would go with Boho-Chic. I feel like this is what Kate would wear to Coachella. Hippie prints and detailed necklines, this collection was perfect for the festival season.

I love Topshop. I love their designs, I love their collections and colabs, and I love how you can go in once a week and always find something different. But, considering I’m shopping regularly to find outfits for different types of events, Topshop isn’t always my best friend when it comes to prices. This collection was no exception to their characteristic price point. Having said that, I only allowed myself ONE purchase from the collection. I got a pair of high wasted pants that flared out into bell bottoms. Their thick material will allow me to wear them from spring to fall (maybe not Canadian winters). We, (Santiago,Chile) only received part of the collection. So we only caught a glimpse of what Kate and Topshop created for the world. 

My #OOTD consisted of a crop top I bought in a boutique in Peru, my vintage/thrifted mens shirt, XL sweater from H&M, my Nixon gold watch, Topshop neon orange skirt and ankle booties, and my Yellow Submarine Vans tote from their new “The Beatles” collection. 

V

#OOTD - Tigers & Pastels.

#OOTD:

I recently wore one of my favourite outfits of all time... I was invited by GAP to their award ceremony of their graffiti competition. I wore an XL sweater I had spotted in H&M 2 weeks earlier which I finally purchased after racking my brain for the longest time. It had silver speckles over a black woolly material, big pockets and a thick frame. 

I wore this over a skin tight dress I bought in my travels through New Zealand last year. I had never worn it because of its loud print and I couldn’t quite figure out how to pull it off. The tiger and its pastel yellows tied in perfectly with my leopard print vans and my simple statement necklace. 

Fortunately, my makeup was done by Mac Cosmetics makeup artists that day, and had been crafted to perfection. Since my outfit was simple yet to the point, I decided to knot my hair in a low side bun.  My pastel pink lipstick and vintage inspired eyeliner with the cherry on top completed my look.

V  

New lipstick #VivaGlam by Rihanna for Mac Cosmetics

I was recently invited to check out Rihanna's new colab with Mac Cosmetics.


Let me start off by saying that Mac Cosmetics has been my go-to make up brand for about 5 years. I first was introduced to it when I started acting in 2006. They used it for the TV Series I filmed back then. My 10 year old self fell in love with the colours my makeup artist had on her eye shadow palette. Pinks, purples, greens, yellows, blues... I could put the whole rainbow on my eyelid.

Since I travelled back and forth from Canada almost once a year, I got to purchase my products at half the price they sold them at in Chile (huge bonus). So, naturally, I started using Mac on a regular basis, discovering their different products and trying out anything crazy they came out with.

So, when I was invited to check out Rihanna's new colab with Mac I literarily screamed.  Not only would I be trying out the products, but I would have a photoshoot showing off the make-up look picked out by Mac's make-up artists.

I was trying to describe the colour. I came to this conclusion: If bloody red, copper and gold had a baby, #VivaGlam by Rihanna would be it. I. LOVE. THIS COLOUR. It looks great on my tanned skin and on my pale "I-didn't-get-enough-sleep" skin.

Another huge turn on for me was its packaging. Its red velvet. Like, perfection.

But my absolute favourite part about it is, all proceeds go to people with AIDS. ALL. 

It's in stores now, so please go check it out!

V 

Lollapalooza Chile 2014

I spent my weekend listening to amazing live music and laughing with friends while trotting around a massive park filled with people from all over the globe. Saturated with flower crowns and face paint, the vibe of Lollapalooza, Chile 2014 was dominated by warmth and love. I think when people go to music festivals, they leave their fear and hesitation at home.

Day one of Lollapalooza was a rush. From amazing lyrics by Ellie Goulding to strength-inducing melodies by Imagine Dragons, the range of artists couldn't have been more pleasing. I wore white, head to toe . A croché crop top I purchased in a boutique in Lima, Perú. A white maxi skirt I bought thrifting and my always-appropriate white converse. It was my version of a festival look, even though girls decided that this years trend would be to wrap gardens around their heads, and mask their faces with neon paint, I was more about big bright feather earrings.

Day one could not have had a better ending than Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their "band dynamic" on stage was fun and contagious. They played all the great hits and kept everyone moving for almost two hours. By the end of the night our adrenaline was at its maximum peak and we got home feeling full of inspiration and pleasure.

Day two had a much slower pace. We got there earlier so we could enjoy the festival "ambiance". After 3 hours of sleep the night before, we had our red bull and sunglasses in full force. Since I was more in a calm state that morning, I had decided to go for more of a grunge look with my statement Zara Men flannel shirt, my knee high socks, bicker boots and ripped white T. The night before we suffered with the drastic climate change Chile has from day to night, so I had my Leather jacket in my Betsey Johnson backpack.

We watched Lorde go crazy on stage with her usual dance moves, singing and dancing to her signature lyrics. Afterwards, we watched a bit of Kid Kudi and closed the day with an amazing party DJed by Awell. I have never jumped so much in my life. The light show that accompanied his music was impressive, and definitely added the final touch to his show. 

  

All I can say is: Thank you Lollapalooza, once again you have surpassed my expectations. Not only have you filled me with the most incredible vibes, cleaned my essence and and charged me with positive energy, you have also inspired me to keep working on my music. I found myself waking up on Monday, happy and excited about getting into the studio and having people hear my music and my soul. 

Thank you,

V