the most comfortable bodysuit from essentiel manila on shopee

 

bodysuit, Essentiel Manila on Shopee Philippines (it's sadly gone there now); skirt, from a shop in Dumaguete City I forgot the name of, lol; platform heels, Zalora Philippines; socks, burlington; wallet/wristlet, coach (gifted by an aunt, old); rings, a mix of bagel girl in SM Downtown Premier Cagayan de Oro and Aizilim, old; sunglasses, forever21 (gifted by bff Michi); necklaces, mix of Aizilim and forever21 (old)

Sucky indoor lighting doesn't do this outfit any justice, especially the bodysuit from Essentiel Manila on shopee. If you squint on the photos, it's actually in the shade of nude.

This overexposed photo tells much about its color and somehow captures it so much better:

Ugh. This thing, this square-necked, tanktop type bodysuit is soooo...so comfortable I don't know how I only bought one of this when I could have stocked up on more back then. To date, I only own a couple of bodysuits. One from, yes, Essentiel Manila and another I got from a shop called Tops in Ayala Centrio some two to three years ago pre-pandemic era. I don't know where the latter one has gone to but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in my closet. I'll try to dig that one up some other time as this one from Essential Manila already is working for me for everyday wear or just weekend comfy wear these days.

Unfortunately, Essential Manila doesn't carry bodysuits anymore but they do have some interesting onesies in nude, black, white and gray colors and they look really just as comfortable as most of the clothes they sell in there so yep, one might as well stock up on those. I predict we'll be staying in for quite a loooong time thanks to Miss 'rona still mutating to worse strains to this day.

I got this with a bunch of other things last year or around late ish 2019 because I felt I needed more clothes just for comfortably staying in since it was at that time we were given the orders to work from home. Back then, Essentiel Manila still had their own website and you didn't have to buy from them via shopee like you have to, now.

I bought stuff in two batches and some clothes I got from there still remain unworn to this day. 

I mostly bought clothes to wear at home like tops and shorts sets you can mix and match in linen, ribbed cotton, cotton and cotton-spandex cloth blends and the likes in two batches so to me, those were money well spent. I only went past 1000 Php (around approximately 20 USD) on both times but nowhere above 1500 Php, I'm sure. Their shorts are expandable due to the garterized waistband and most have laces you can ribbon or tie them with. Quite similar to some run shorts and others actually. Some shorts and tops sets only have gaterized waist bands and no laces to ribbon them or tie them up with to a snug fit. 

When buying from Essentiel Manila, however, do be careful and pay attention to the sizing of the products they sell. I have one top still unworn to this day (tried it once but...) because it's too small on me even though it looked like it could stretch on some parts of it. I also have a pair of silk shorts from them that probably would fit me better if I were two sizes smaller from my current one (thank you, Miss 'Rona and the pandemic for making me gain weight...not. I'd like to lose them because I don't really like gaining weight, to be honest, and would rather prefer to be my xs-s self from way back...). The latter actually broke or tore on some parts of it. Lol.

A good number of Essentiel Manila's wares run xs-s. Some, like this bodysuit I currently have on, run xs/s-medium so they're a good fit for those the likes of me that have grown some 1-2 sizes larger from their usual size sometime ago in the past. For those with larger frames, the occasionally do offer some clothes that run up to semi-large or large (oversized) so don't write the shop off if you can't find anything your size. A piece of advice when shopping at Essentiel Manila is to check the product descriptions for how small or big their stuff runs to. This can give you an idea which items are worth adding to your cart to and which aren't. You can save yourself the grief of buying stuff that don't fit you when you take my word for it and do this before checking your items out.

This bodysuit makes me so, soooo happy because it's so comfortable to lounge in at home and if you ever decide to go out, it's just as easy to throw in a decent bottom to complete the going out look and you're good to go! This thing will definitely see more wears from me until it falls apart. Lol. I hope it doesn't fall apart so easy.

Essentiel Manila stuff are so easy to play around with, no lies, that a bunch of orders from there is definitely worth your time and money browsing the site and checking out when you feel like getting the items in your shopping cart already. There are only so few items from my purchases in the past from there that I kind of regretted upon getting them. 

Some bodysuits I'm currently looking at to add to this one is this from the style capital in pink. It looks pretty and fun with the buttons and that it comes in a color I try to work around my outfits some 2-3 days a week due to...well...you know...is just...ugh. So, soo good. I think the small or the medium would be a good fit on me. I'm pretty sure it's stretchable anyway. Bodysuits and onesies, rompers and the likes normally are. These are Bershka overruns so they seem pretty cool. These from DNEMNLPH look similar to the one I have on, too, and dare I say they might feel the same and just as cozy and comfy in real life. This one from Trendibl Shop is also quite interesting and it's only sold for 99 Php (less than 2 USD). I think I might have seen it from Essentiel Manila way back but never really paid attention to it so I never got one of these then.

For something probably of better quality than this one and comes in different sizes so you can choose easier which fits you best, here are some pricier bodysuits I'm looking at on Zalora Philippines: this one from ONLY is really cute with lace and looks very, very comfortable. It comes in white, black and nude or beige, I think and is quite romantically styled so if you're bored of regular spandex and cotton blended ones with simple, basic styling or the ribbed ones, then this is the way to go. It is expensive though and way out of my budget at the moment so I can only stalk it for now. lol. Sizes s/m and m/l looks like they would fit me fine (I normally fit small in Zalora Philippines...it depends on how they run, normally, like should they run large or should they run small...if it's the latter, it's usually a smart idea to upsize once or twice). This pink fun number from Pomelo is on sale at only 500+ Php! I would so get this if I had enough in my bank account but alas, I still need to look for a writing or whatever that has to do with that, gig on Monday so...yeah. Later, fun bodysuit from Pomelo in a pretty (but not really my favorite) color. /cries. I hope that when I finally have a budget for zalora purchases either this year or next year, I can still get this thing somehow. Ugh. Oh...so they also have this in black! Fun! This pink one from Mango comes in black and brown colors but 2500+ Php is a price I would spend on something else for now. RIP our wallets just on really good, decent clothes that hopefully last a lifetime, or close. I do dig the top part of it though, how it's structure and seemed designed for really comfortable wear whatever occasion you decide to put this bodysuit on in. Both are available in medium so... but no. I don't have the budget for these yet. Then this sheer black one (also available in m!) from Trendyol looks fun to wear with very cute bralettes (lace lingerie!). It's priced below 1000 Php but still pretty unaffordable for me. I can dream about this one, though. Just. I've been after see-through stuff like this for a while now but never just seem to get lucky to get any. Ugh. When I find something like this on sale like it is now, I have no money to get it, at all. /cries. And when you're on Zalora, of course, you can never go wrong with Zalora Basics, my favorite of their multiple lines now on that shopping site, this one in pink with black buttons look nice and seems like it'd go anything. It's also available in black and beige. 290+ Php for a piece of this? That's a good price! A decent deal from the site already~ This one from H&M with the tiny blue flower print is really cute! And still available in m which is, like my size these days.

Oh and wow, even Terranova is already on Zalora. Today, I learned. They have some things I like where basics go and lately, it's them I like for those or Forever21 or Zalora Basics. H&M has been on Zalora for a while now, of course. Cotton On and Mango, too. 

If you notice, I veer away from the long-sleeved and fancy-looking bodysuits. I like my bodysuits comfortable for staying in and just lounging around the house, working from home and getting up and going out. I prefer them casual and I'm really always into dressing for the usual, yearly weather conditions or the climate. I think my limit, when it comes to bodysuits, is the short sleeved ones. I would only try the long-sleeved ones if they were like Trendyol's sheer one here. 

The photos above aren't very clear so here are more details of today's I-want-to-go-out-but-let's-still-stay-in outfit:

I'm still on my choker/necklace as bracelets agenda, apparently. I should probably consider getting new accessories to spruce up home clothes types or home to going out clothes types out some more. My accessories are getting kind of old and tried.

Well, if they still work fine then, they're still worth wearing in an out of the house, I suppose. The last ones I ever really bought were the studs I could wear on random days out doing errands from Aizilim in Cogon Market here. They usually have these stainless steel stuff that cost a fraction of those you see in the malls that I prefer for everyday use. Studs, because they're not heavy on the ears and go really well with any basic in my closet which I have A TON of.

*****

I think around 1 p.m. in the afternoon isn't the best time to shoot outfit shots due to the natural lighting from outside. Afternoons are becoming cloudy because it tends to rain sometime around 4-5 o'clock here and sometimes, at night. It's the wet/rainy season so we're getting a lot of afternoon and evening rain week in and out more than usual...like when, vs summer.

I woke up early today, got ready for the day just as early but I didn't really decide to shoot this outfit until later in the afternoon because I was editing a blog post on my LiveJournal. I also decided against shooting outside because I thought it might rain then and there and it's really becoming a pain now lugging my heels, tripod and camera with me, setting up for the shoot only to get rained on so yeah, indoor shoot it is. Also, hi to my messy bannister. Some of the jackets like the zip-up hoodie I take out when on the go and the denim oversized shirt are all hanged up there, too, with my bath towel. lol. I'm not exactly the most organized person here at home.

Note to self: try to shoot around 8-9 in the morning because it's the best time to and it has the best natural lighting indoors, in the same space as the photos here as well.  

*****

It's around 2 years now or so that I've neglected to post my wishlist for Christmas and my dream outfits for occasions like birthdays and beach trips...well, for the latter, we have Miss 'Rona to blame regarding how I'm uninspired now about that one because I haven't been to the beach or the pool in, like, a couple of years or so now so...since we're some weeks deep into November and it's going to be December soon, I might have to do the annual Zalora Philippines Christmas wish list post soon and also, the gift recommendations post to friends and family while I'm at it.

We'll see... 

You'll definitely have to stay tuned to this space of mine for that!

And yes, I still don't really shop stuff in the mall these days. It looks like it's real easy to get COVID 19 from unventilated spaces like those no matter how big a space they have inside and even if some have outside dining areas or so (al fresco). It's near Christmas and this time last year or the year before that, I recall Ayala Centrio buzzing with people come around night time and I was only in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's open air dining area from around 3 or so in the afternoon until an hour and a half or so later then. Thank heavens for the likes of Zalora Philippines, Shopee, Lazada, and even Instagram now (I like shopping or just window shopping some people's vintage or thrift shops there, yes), we, I don't have to go out at all to shop gifts for people near and dear to us, me.

the mexican-philippine connection: dia de los muertos and UNDAS

 

mini dress, zalora philippines (old), probably not so clear in the photos but it's there underneath the cardigan; lace cardigan, vintage; necklaces, a mix of aizilim cdeo and forever21; rings, a mix of aizilim, bagel girl via sm downtown premier cdeo, forever21; heels, primadonna via zalora philippines (old); tights, random department store find (gaisano, I think, the 50 Php ish ones probably meant for one-time wear); devil horn headband (unseen here but in later photos, might be seen more), national bookstore (old); skull tealight/candle holder, daiso cdeo

A closer, better lighted look at tonight's outfit

I never dressed up as anything or anyone the 31st of October, back a few days ago or so but I had to, come November 2, Philippines' time. Here, it's still what we call UNDAS (November 1-All Saints' Day and November 2-All Souls' Day). Googling it earlier tonight, I'm surprised to find all of October 31 to November 2 in Mexico is actually Dia de Muertos or Dia de los Muertos which is basically almost what UNDAS here is. To westerners, it's the Halloween weekend so most of the time, I just refer to it as the Halloween weekend since such holidays continue 'til the 2nd of November anyway. It's the short 2-3 days we actually remember the dead here and yes, abroad, including in Mexico. I've always read from others how similar some Philippine holidays are to Mexico and customs and traditions and the likes but I never figured out 'til now how close it is until I googled dia de los muertos and UNDAS tonight. Just one thing about this though, I wish I'm better at makeup for costuming because I really dig the makeup for this Mexican occasion I often see when I google pictures of them like this one here from pinterest:

Hopefully I can one day learn this and get the hang of it because with the pandemic, I feel like all my creative energies have really dried up that even this halloween weekend shoot came out quite dry and uninspired (to me, anyway, I don't really know much how it is with the rest of you) even when I feel like I've put enough effort to it.

I was in Jasaan with the family overnight from Sunday 'til morning of Monday this week so I never got to work on a Halloween shoot until tonight. What I did there is your typical way Filipinas like me sort of celebrate the occasion growing up: watched Tumbok (a Filipino horror film) on TV5; Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho's Halloween special on GMA; and then waited for Yang Yoseob's set on MCountdown until 12 midnight aired also on TV5. I would have done this Halloweeny shoot in Jasaan but I didn't have a lot of my creepy ish, cool stuff with me and it was more a time to spend with family---three to four generations of it from my grandparents to my parents to my younger brother and cousin---so yeah, quite a busy overnight trip one with chores and stuff at my grandparents' before I got to lie on the couch and chill to these things on tv I mentioned I watched 'til 12-ish midnight. For some reason, I don't sleep well there so I only ever got 2-3 hours of sleep until 7:30 Monday morning.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm aiming for, for this Halloween shoot in terms of costume. LOL. Just your regular gothic, devil girl, I guess. I've been watching some horror films here and some fantasy new and old ones too but nothing has inspired me to dress up as anyone...yet...really. We'll see next Halloween, 2022 Halloween. Hopefully something good in mind comes up where this goes. Again, I just really feel uninspired lately. It's definitely the pandemic effect. It is still going on 'til now despite how there're more people out now in malls and such. (Philippines NEEDS more public spaces because malls aren't really good ones to be in when we have a pandemic still going on. Ugh. I just count myself lucky I'm in the Mindanao island so we have beaches and the likes when we need to be out and not in the super crowded malls. Heh.) Either way, watch me dress up as a unicorn maybe in 2022 as I'm soooo...this close to getting a unicorn headband or something like it, actually. 

Going back to the subject of Mexico, I've been having the urge to check on some telenovelas as of late. I'm not entirely sure why. I guess it has to do with TV5 re-airing Thalia's Maria La Del Barrio dubbed in Filipino/Tagalog. We did get a lot of her telenovela here in our local tv networks back in the day so I saw Thalia's shows a lot growing up. A lot of Philippine tv dramas/shows are actually telenovela-ish if that ever says anything about how similar our country is and its practices, including tv contents, to Mexico. I'm currently thinking about getting into Reina de Corazones. Or...is there any other you can suggest I get into? I'm not too into these things because I normally dislike how convoluted the story gets plus long *ss episodes of a telenovela but, yeah, I guess I now have better, newfound patience for telenovelas if I'm currently craving to watch them/get into them after a long while now. I'll see about which telenovela I can preoccupy myself with one of these days. Heh.

it says, 'sweet wild child'

tank dress, something borrowed via zalora. bangles/bracelets, from everywhere particularly Siquijor Island and Dumaguete City souvenir shops. ankle boots, primadonna via zalora (old, probably sold out already). rings, from everything particularly Bagel Girl in SM Downtown Premier. bag, from an aunt. beaded choker, aeropostale. long leaf necklace, f21. earrings, shesells.cdo on instagram. 

Me thinks you've seen this dress in a post before so yes, it's, well, quite old. Last year's acquisition. I just got to finally take a better picture of this thing and posted it here. One reason why I bought this one was the print: sweet wild child. Kind of like me? Kind of. I'm more boring than wild with sporadic trips to islands here and there. Cebu's Bantayan Island may have been bust last month but I only have it tabled. I definitely am going one day soon. Off tangent. Nothing new much with this one though, just a mix of everything old and kind of new as the Bagel Girl ring is a new-ish acquisition of last week's.

I think I've about given up with three layer necklaces. The built in kind. I actually got a couple. One of which came with this choker from Aeropostale, from an aunt in the US. The other was a Forever21 acquisition from here in SM Downtown Premier as well. Both are hopeless because they keep tangling up so I hardly use them now. Ugh. Don't you just HATE it when accessories end up tangled all over like that? I do. I'd rather just get separates now.

And then I messed this outfit up with the animal print vest I've had since forever...

vest, vintage/thrifted...i forgot where.

Lately, I've been obsessed with the show, The Great Escape. Hmn...I thoroughly enjoyed the Dr. Jo Mateo Psychiatric Hospital leg. Yes. It reminds me of The Genius season 1 and it's actually because they have the same producer/writer. Haha. Figures.

Back to clothes: I'm not entirely sure what's happening. I have been thinking the corona virus is messing with my packages. I am still expecting some items from Japan, fandom stuff and they haven't yet made it to me since last, last month. There are about two of these. And another is the zalora ones I ordered the other week. It's supposed to take less than a week but it's one week now? Huh? What's going on with the local post? I wonder. I REALLY hope it makes it here soon. The post men haven't sent me messages on these either. *Insert sad face here*.

Again, with the lip gloss. I'm of the opinion the lip gloss trend died when I left high school but I still use it when I can. All because I have a few tubes of it or so in my make-up bag. Otherwise, it's really just in the runways that it continues to live on...I think? I only ever wear it when I have it. 

february 26, wednesday post's details

clutch, ninewest. necklace as bracelet and another bracelet, gifted by grandmum and aunt. large and thick or bulky-chained necklace, forever21. phone, samsung j2 prime. ring/s, bagel girl via sm downtown premier.

Late catch-up post. I was supposed to post this last Friday or yesterday but I got too lazy. Saturday was a particularly lazy day and night for me. I wasn't even able to write anything good in terms of fanfiction I have in the works and mostly just did so a bit then slept. Anyway, these are stuff I have on repeat recently.

wayfarers from Bench Ph. Ninewest clutch. Samsung J2 Prime. Human Heart Nature's Natural Sanitizer in Cool Burst. 

Also a few others I can't live without right now. Hand sanitizers are a fast sell right now everywhere because of the COVID 19 outbreak. It's the same here in the Philippines. We may only have very few COVID 19 cases yet with 1 death (this one isn't even a Filipino or Philippines' national) but still, people are clearing shelves of everything sanitizing alcohol, sanitizer and other anti-bacterial, anti-viral substances that can be used on the hands and other body parts and even varying surfaces at home and out. Luckily, I was able to snatch this small, 50 mL bottle of the Natural Sanitizer in Cool Burst. Word at the branch I got this from is that their sanitizers are also all sold out and they were lucky to get this one in a decent number around sometime last week. Week after next, I'm looking to stock up on the 200 mL kind in both Cool Burst and Pomelo Burst. If you'd like to order anything of the sort, whether in 200 mL or 50 mL bottles, you can put your orders through here. For Metro Manila and NCR orders, they do deliver at a minimum of 500 Php worth of purchases. You can also email me at the contact details on this blog or send a text message to the number given occasionally on this instagram account. I cannot accept calls from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to work but I can receive and respond to text messages well. Meet ups around Cagayan de Oro City are available, of course!

Anyway, yes. Let's keep ourselves clean and clear of viruses and some harmful bacteria this year! We ought to be wary of COVID 19 since it's literally spreading everywhere now and the numbers just keep adding up. That all said, I'm proud of our DOH and other local authorities rounding up some foreign visitors who have come in from highly infected areas (like Daegu in South Korea) and labeling them PUMs (persons under monitoring). Some 26 were in Cebu City and another 11 were in Boracay. This is a day before the travel ban put into place. This was a very quick response, yay! 

2020 wanderland festival dreaming

dress, zalora basics. heels, primadonna via zalora. clutch, ninewest. chunky chain necklace, forever21. necklace as bracelet and layered bracelet, gifted by grandmum and aunt. rings, new acquisition from bagel girl at SM Downtown Premier 

This is what I imagine myself wearing to the 2020 Wanderland Music Festival in the vast collection of cities up north, NCR. I think they're holding the said event somewhere in Quezon City. Originally, I thought March 7 was the final showdown between one of my favorite local indie bands, Sansette, and the Sundown. It turns out that the competition has ended and the privilege of joining the Wanderland Festival lineup was given to the Sundown. Well, end of story, I missed to support Sansette last February 1. Oh well... Sansette is having their music video launch for Sunburn on the 28th, though! I wish I could be there but yes, if you're in Cebu City and you're going then I hope y'all have fun in there and enjoy the good music they play! Their music is sooooo fun and at the same time chill I just adopted their entry to Wanderbattle here as my personal theme song: 

It's title is Sinking and it's so chill in terms of beats and music mixing and arrangement, you won't know it actually talks about depression, sadness and/or melancholy that comes when the summer ends. Needless to say, I have this on repeat at the moment. I've put it on repeat when I do stuff at work at least. LOL. It's...addicting somehow and lyrically, it just speaks to me perfectly. Definitely a track I would keep on loop when summer ends and autumn, winter settles in, yes. I'm the quintessential summer child who just cannot live without summer, beach, the pool, sand and sea, coconuts and more. Basically...an islander for life.

Anyway, more about this dress? It's almost gone! It's now only available in medium gray. It's SUCH A MAGNIFICENT basic though. As expected of one of my favorite Zalora brands, Zalora Basics. Since it's still quite a tad bit cold tonight, I can imagine this dress shrunk in by an oversized sweater which I seem to amass in multitudes as well as of late. The french striped Forever21 purchase also from Zalora from the end of last year is the latest addition. I know I have a few of the same kind, from Uniqlo and others, thrifted randomly lying around somewhere though. Watch me wear this one as a comfy lounge piece from now on, yes. It'll be a constant thing as it's just sooo wearable despite it being bodycon and super fitted to the form. It's still adequately breathable worn in. 

Life moves on. I might really have to go down to the dentist sometime this week and next week for a quick fix on a fragmented tooth at the back of the mouth. It's causing me discomfort at the moment as it's quite inflamed? And it hurts when touched from the cheeks alone. Wanderbattle Cebu City leg is done for, since February 1, and out the window anyway. I'll just keep tabs on Sansette and my other favorite, Sepia Times, as well as Mandaue Nights, until further notice. Mandaue Nights is actually the only one of three I haven't seen live. I've seen both Sepia Times and Sansette last December 2019 at Chingkeetea. It was my first time to see Sansette and I liked them from the get-go hence why, a while ago, I was raring to go and support them at the Wanderbattle Cebu City finals thinking this was in March 7 still and not the past February 1. 

In other news, I'm still forever waiting my Zalora package to come in the mail among a few others. This...wait... I hope it'll end soon.

Speaking of music festivals...how about you? Would you attend Wanderland Festival this year? They had good lineups way back but this isn't really my thing as it's in NCR and NCR for me can be super stressful especially with traffic and all. I've been eyeing the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival for the longest time now, admittedly. It used to be in Puerto Galera which is paradise, by the way. Now it's relocated to Quezon City in NCR. Hmn...