#IamStephanieSol @iamstephaniesol - Tumblr Blog

BTS Jollibee Garlic Pepper Beef TVC

Spot what is wrong with this first photo?

Since this was a 15s TVC, the number of frames was minimal. For the day, I only had to do about 5 frames so it was a quick one. We got called at 7 am, had breakfast and make up and started grinding by 9am by 1pm we were done :)

Meet my new barkada for the day. Jerico (our lead talent in blue), Aaron in checkered and JC in pink :)

Genuine tawa and kulitan moments!

Happy New Lunch!

Here's the link to the TVC: Jollibee Garlic Pepper Beef TVC

Warning: Don't blink 'cause if you do, you might not see me. Haha!

Sparkle,

STEPHANIE

Happy to be a Kapuso!

Jan 5 2014

My New Year indeed started with a bang! On the first Sunday of the year, the universe aligned for me to be launched as one of the newest Kapuso Stars. :)

"Mga bagong aktor at actress na handa nang makipagsabayan sa dramatic stars ng GMA…" That was the description they gave us. (read script below.. RAMPA! ) Nakakapressure at naakakaexcite!

I remember our Acting Coach Yani's jewel advice, "Ipakita nyo na bago kayo, hindi baguhan. May pagkakaiba yun."

Speaking of bago, meet celebrity fashion stylist and my new found friend, Joyz Tan :)

and some of the girls she styled for the launch.

The photo looks like it was taken before we went live on SAS but the truth is this shot was captured after all the running in heels. Our call time was at 8 am and our segment was meant to be live by 12nn. We had two rounds of final run throughs before we proceeded with hair and make up. Some of us hindi pa tapos mag-ayos pero go lang. Yung iba bit-bit yung heels tumatakbo pababa ng stairs to get to the studio. Hahaha. Kagulo. It was actually funny. First hand experience ng hindi laging glamourous ang buhay artista pero dapat laging maganda. Achieve ba?

Joyz made me wear this body hugging Claiza Bihasa piece. Originally this dress sported an utterly low neckline (see that little hole above the silver chain accent, hanggang jan sans yung cut. Todo diba?) but Joyz sewed the middle part to make me look both sexy and classy in it :)

Meet Julia & Edward, they were in charge of styling my hair. It was Julia who fixed those big waves on my doo and Edward assisted her. Kulit nila. Ang saya! Ang motto nila ay, "more photos more fun." nya!

Tatin did my make up. My bad we don't have photos together. Boo. :( Obligatory selfie nalang dahil bawal sad.

Moving on, say Hello to Nicole, Kenneth Paul & Anikka. :) I'll share some trivia about them. These three were my, for the lack of a better term, assessment workshop-mates. During the workshop, I discovered Nicole has a beautiful operatic voice, Kenneth may have the boy-next-door vibe but he can be bad arse too and Anikka is a crazy beautiful triple threat! :) It is always enriching to be among talented, good looking people. :)

Isa pa tong si James Wright. You should hear him sing, you'd fall. Seriously. Good looks + great singing voice = nakakalaglag tooooooot (alam mo na kung ano) :p nyahaha

The launch may have been quick but it was meaningful and unforgettable. My photo below may not depict the most flattering smile but it is a significant one, a hopeful one. My dreams are slowly seeping into my reality. I gotta buckle up and be prepared before opportunities come in like a hailstorm!

As of the moment, I may not shine as bright as the other stars but I will work hard to keep up. Madami pa akong bigas na kailangan kainin. There is so much to learn and a lot more to discover. For me, it is not so much about being the star who shines the brightest but being the star who can enhance her sparkle so she can ignite a fire that makes others feel happy and inspired. I mean, look up the night sky, the stars are not competing against each other, they naturally take turns to shine to create a bright, stellar night.

My time will come; with faith, the right amount of hard work and lots of heart, the rest will follow.

Pero for it to work for me, I have to follow a healthy lifestyle which includes a nutritious diet and consistent exercise.

Kaya see you later, friendster.

I gotta do some cardio to get some heart rate up. Or maybe mamaya nalang, cause my heart is still skipping beats from knowing I am officially a KAPUSO! :) Booom!

Sparkle,

STEPHANIE

#launch #artistcenter #gma network #kapuso #sundayallstars #SAS

My first article to be featured as a Kapuso Star :)

Jan 22, 2014

Stephanie Sol, pinayuhan ni Marian Rivera sa pagsisimula nito sa showbiz by CJ Mendoza, Social Media Specialist

Malamang ay pamilyar na ang magandang mukha ni Stephanie Sol sa mga manonood. Marami-rami na rin siyang nagawang commercial, kabilang sa mga ito ay ang para sa popular brand ng crackers, toothpaste, noodles at fast food.

Ngunit mula sa mundo ng commercial modelling ay tinawid na rin ni Stephanie ang daan patungo sa showbiz at nitong January nga lamang ay isa sa s’ya sa ini-launch na artists ng GMA.

January 5 nang ini-launch si Stephanie, kasama ang iba pang bagong GMA talents, sa Sunday All Stars at kinagabihan daw ay tinawagan siya ng kanyang handler para ibalitang may taping s’ya kinabukasan. Hindi raw siya makapaniwala sa balitang kasali s’ya sa Primetime soap ng GMA na Carmela bilang bestfriend ni Marian Rivera.

“Grabe sobrang saya ko. Primetime agad? Marian Rivera agad?,” masayang kwento ni Stephanie. Sa sobrang tuwa at excitement nga raw ay hindi siya nakatulog ng gabing iyon.

Sa first taping niya ng Carmela, maraming “firsts” daw ang naranasan ni Stephanie. Bukod sa first soap niya ay first time din niyang nakilala ang Primetime Queen.

"‘Yung first scene ko, kami lang dalawa. Sabi ko, ‘Lord, sana di ko makalimutan line ko.’ Sobrang na-starstruck ako sa kanya,” ayon kay Steph.

Nang mag-cut daw ay kinausap niya si Yan at hindi na niya napigilan pa ang kanyang sarili. “Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Wait lang, nai-starstruck ako sa’yo, kailangan ko lang sabihin para di na ko kinakabahan.’”

Bagama’t supporting role ang papel ni Steph sa Carmela, wala naman daw kakaso-kaso ito sa dalaga, “Ok lang! Hello, kung bestfriend mo si Marian Rivera ayaw mo nun? Ako gusto ko yun!,” masayang sambit niya.

Lalo pa raw siyang na-kampante nang payuhan siya mismo ni Marian, “Sabi sa’kin ni ate Yan-yan, ‘No role is a small role.’ It always leads to somewhere, it’s a springboard to something. If you do your character, makikita ng tao ‘yun eh. The world will give you what you deserve if you just work hard for it.”

Kapag walang taping ng Carmela ay tuloy-tuloy lang daw ang kanyang pagdalo sa workshops bilang paghahanda sa anumang role na ibabato ng Kapuso network sa kanya. Hiling pa ni Steph, “Gusto kong magkaroon ng hosting show. Parang midnight snack ni Mikael Daez!”

Bukod sa isang magandang project ay ipinagdiriwang din ni Stephanie ng kanyang 20th birthday today. Sa magandang blessing na ito, wala siyang ibang nasabi kundi, “2014, I claim you’re my year! Magandang magandang birthday gift!”

Abangan si Stephanie Sol bilang si “Mithi,” ang bestfriend ni Carmela, magsisimula na sa January 27!

Happy birthday Stephanie! Simula pa lang ito ng iyong maningning na career sa Kapuso network.

*REPOSTED the whole article*

#stephanie sol #kapuso #gma network #artistcenter

#IamMeg S2E11 Triple Elimination Episode

This has got to be the most emotional episode ever.

From six down to three! The pressure for all the remaining girls have sky rocketed. At this point, all we have to do is give it our 200% and live it all up to the universe.

Our Meg Story Assignment was to do a mini make over on ourselves. We had to recreate an Etude House Make up look and make it our own in 15 mins.

This was my look? Do you think I did well? I know my falsies are extreme.

Madame Ira recreated the best look of the day which led her to be our project manager. For the first time ever, we will be working as one big group for our Meg Project.

Based on our Meg mantra, we were tasked to complete the verses of a song of which the chorus was written by our mentor Julz. We had test our song writing skills! The challenge was to complete the song and prepare for a glee-like performance for our Meg assembly.

Oh Gosh! Yani's facial expression suggests she understood how I felt! What a challenge. I told myself, if singing was a factor in being the Meg ambassador then how am I supposed to nail this? :/

I was drowned in nervousness but I just had to let it all go and put on my positive shoe. Smile and believe in yourself. Repeat one million times.

The song writing was a daunting task for us. We had to make sure our message was clear. We thought of sharing our success and struggles in the competition, and when we were happy with what we wrote, we presented it to Julz. And when the green light was on, off we were to rehearsals.

This is what we came up with. (Click the link to see our rehearsal video)

I am MEG Song

Chorus:

I am, I am, I am, I am strong

I am, I am, I am, I am beautiful

I have, I have, I have, I have a place in this world, a place in this world

I am Meg

Mistakes are yours to make

No need to doubt yourself

You can’t win it all

But dare to break the walls

I’ll make you see it’s who I’m meant to be

It’s all up to me

I am Meg

*insert tears here*

I felt our song to be very powerful. It validates our imperfections but it sees it as a tool for learning. It tells us we can't have everything, but what we have is enough to create beautiful things. It tells us that we are empowered. We can make a difference. We are bold, beautiful and limitless.

And then goes the deliberations, the hard part, the heart breaking part.

Our judges for the second to the last episode are blogger, actress and vocalist of band Duster Saab Magalona + singer, songwriter and producer Jeffrey Hidalgo, and of course, Meg mentor and ambassador, and lead singer of Save Me Hollywood Julz Savard.

During the Meg Assembly, each girl had to go up on stage, explain which line she wrote and do her speech. My line was…

" YOU CAN'T WIN IT ALL."

Fittingly, I did not win the title as the Meg ambassador, but I do not feel like I am a loser for I have won a much bigger prize- true friends, a supportive family and a life changing experience. (I'll save my good bye message for another post.)

I will be forever thankful to taken this I am Meg journey. The people I have worked with were inspiring. My Meg family made me feel even more special- they have accepted me and my flaws, my weaknesses and my jeje moments.

With some of the people you do not see in front of the camera but has touched my life immensely. Mama Kimm, Candy, Leo & Mikko (where were you?) and of course our director Mr. Mike Carandang. Thank you so much for being role models of passion and purpose. I feel so blessed to be part of #iammegseason2 because of you and the whole meg family.

*tears*

My emotions are taking over my thoughts.

One more episode 'til we all find out who our Meg Ambassador is!

Thank you for supporting me in I am Meg Loves!!!

Shine,

STEPH

#IAmMegTV #iammeg #iammeg.ph #iammegseason2

#IamMeg S2E9 Mock Meg Cover

As an ambassador, a Meg lady must know to carry a conversation.

That being said, our ninth Meg Story assignment is to undergo and interview with reporter-TV host-columnist IC Mendoza.

I was the first one to be interviewed. I felt excited and nervous because I was expecting IC to ask juicy questions. I hope I was still able to answer all his questions with grace under pressure. Nonetheless, I had fun. Besides, talking is my cup of tea. :))

Proud to say I won the Meg Story assignment!!! Winning meant I had the most number of frames for our Mock Cover Meg Project. Yikes! The fifty frames didn't really feel like a reward. It was added pressure because I knew the expectations will be higher for me.

Before the overshoot, I underwent a consultation with Julz to find out who my peg is for the project. OMG it's Sarah G! Kamukha ko ba siya? Sana ka bosses din! :))

Helping the Meg ladies out for the shoot are Cenon (photog) Jandra (hair stylist) Kevin (stylist) and of course Julz our mentor.

That's a BTS of me tryna work FIERCE! I was very pressured in this photo shoot. I was not in the zone :( I had 50 frames but the shutter clicked a shot per second. I had to stop and check every 10 frames. I felt I wasn't getting it right :(

Nope! The photo above isn't fierce enough ;(

How about this photo? Could it work? I look sleepy :( Ugh!

Anyway, here's a BTS group shot of the 7 remaining Meg ladies.

Kate-ception! I'm confused if that's Maja Salvador or Kate Alijandrino on the cover!

Fooling around while waiting for our mock cover shoot to begin. Jaz as Maxene Magalona, Yuki as Isabelle Daza and Trish as the sultry Solenn Heusaff. Ansaveeeehhhh?

Who do you think won this challenge? :)

Ohhh, I forgot to mention, we did our interview and mock cover shoot at Richmonde Hotel Eastwood. But we had to go back to the Meg HQ for the grueling deliberations.

Our guest judges for the week are reporter-TV host-columnist IC Mendoza, One Mega Group Creative Director and host of Mega Fashion Crew 3: Reloaded Suki Salvador and our mentor Julz Savard.

Below is my mock cover. Uhhhohhh. I do not know why I look so edited (compared to my photos during the BTS as seen above).

My amateur test-shot like photo, as what Suki mentioned, put me on the bottom 2 this week :(

I felt disappointed because I know I have produced better photos than this one. But to be fair and honest, I would associate this failure to deliver expected result with my lack of following Suki's advice of "conceiving beautifully, planning carefully, and executing perfectly."

A lesson learned. Preparation is always key. Doing photo shoots seem easy cause all you have to do is pose and flirt with the camera. However, it is easier said than done. You gotta be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared. The camera captures not only the substance and the form but also the spirit.

I was too nervous and pressured during the covershoot. I was over thinking the act of being fierce when all I had to do was breathe and think murder. Oh, I meant, breathe and bring out the feisty side of me. Haaaay naku! What an episode!

Anywhoo, I've been babbling.

So, We've got 3/4 of the season covered. I wonder what will be the next challenges.

Catch ya'll later.

Shine,

STEPH

#IAmMegTV #iammeg #iammegseason2 #iammeg.ph

#IamMeg S2E8 DIY IamMeg Shirts

The Meg Story assignment for this episode has got to be one of my favorites! We had to impersonate the Meg lady whose name we'd pick from a fish bowl. The photo below might be low quality but it's a high quality memory! Jaz impersonating me! Hahaha Winner!

The two best impersonators became the project managers- Jaz and Kate and I was with Kate's team. :)

For this week's Meg Project, we had to create a T-shirt line for Meg and shoot a lookbook for it. We also had surprise mentors for the week- the Herrera twin brothers- John & Paul, the winners of Mega Young Designers All Stars. Our team was mentored by John :)

We first had our consultation and brain storming session. Our team thought of creating statement shirts. We decided to choose one empowering word with an animal representation to make the designs quirky and fun.

(John teaching us how to do a quick knot.)

I loved our session with John- he helped us think creatively. We decided to hand paint the design of the shirt to make it even more personalized. It's always cool to use your talent to make something beautiful.

And here's our finished product! Yuki’s chose an ant to go with her statement word PUSH since with wants to inspire girls not to give up, to keep pushing and working hard to reach their goals.

Kate’s asymmetrical shirt has the image of a tiger and the words ROAR. Kate is all about expressing herself- her opinions. She is a believer of making your voice be heard.

A bear with the word DARE is what is on Aen's shirt. Aen is the shy type. Thus, her shirt carries the message of breaking barriers, of daring to go beyond her comfort zone.

Finally, mine is a midriff halter sleveless shirt with an image of a frog and the word JUMP. The message of Carpe Diem comes to mind. It means you gotta seize every day. Take risks. Be courageous. Just jump!

On the other hand, here is Team Jaz (Ira, Jaz, Trisha & Yani) with their sophisticated, tailored shirts :) I'm loving the black and white theme, so chic!

And then there goes the Meg assembly.

Our mentors Paul & John Herrera were also our guest judges for the week…. and joining them is…

Contestant and Runner-up of America’s Next Top Model, Allison Harvard;

Sad to say, our team lost because the judges thought they've seen similar kind of shirts before. :(

Our loss once again brings me to the bottom spot… but you gotta learn from the failures and continue to be strong.

And you gotta keep being positive. :) Smile, you've got this!

My failures only make me stronger. See my muscles for proof.

*insert me flexing my muscles here*

I'm quite a strong woman, don't you think?

'Til our next challenge!

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #IAmMegTV #iammegseason2 #allisonharvard

Magnificence is achieved by taking bold, calculated risks.

MEGnificent Transformation

When we found out that our team will do a make over on the 23 year old, blogger/entrepreneur Erika Rodica, we got excited. We looked her up online and so we can start imagining how we are going to go about her MEGnificent transformation.

(Thanks for trusting us- Nicole, Yani, Trisha and Steph)

Erika may be known to be the sweet type (thus her blog is called She is Dainty") but she is also a bold one. Shes took the risk of trusting us with her make over given the fact that we only met her and we aren't make over experts. Her only concern was encapsulated in the words 'please just dont cut my hair too short."

We didn't have to. All we wanted to do was give her a healthy trim then we would straighten her copper curly locks and top it off with some full bangs.

(Erika on half way done with straightening her hair and her on the Etude house high make up chair)

From sweet and dainty to definitely bold- that was the mission. We wanted to achieve a fiercer look that exudes power via her perfectly shaped almond eyes- so we opted to give her a deep brown smokey eye with a well defined eye liner. We also put on some falsies to emphasize her eyes more.

(These were all the Etude House Products use for Erika's make up)

To complete the look, we made her wear a turtleneck bodycon dress and some pointy heels.

(Erika's new look! How do you like her make over?)

#iammeg #erikarodica

#IamMeg S2E7 Radio Interview

As I've mentioned in my previous entry, for this episode, our MEG story assignment was conducted during our #MEGVictoryParty in Republiq! I was teamed up with Yuki and Yani to complete the task of a red carpet interview!

Of course we had to end our #MEGVictoryParty insider report with greeting our beloved Director Mike Carandang!

Although we were given tasks during that day, we girls still know how to have fun. We did what we had to do first so we can party the night away! And party we did!!!

I feel so left out for not doing the dance moves Yuki and Yani are working! :) hahaha

Moving on, the next day we were off to Oakwood Premier in Ortigas to find out what our MEG Project of the week was….

This week's MEG Project is a live interview with Lambert Cruz in the Jam 88.3 studio!!! We had to go about the project in groups of threes, I was teamed up with Jaz and Aen. :)

Our main task was to promote the show IamMeg. Little did we know that DJ Lambert's main task was to distract us from promoting our show. It was a fun, roller coaster experience. It sucks though that I do not have much photos of this episode because I lost my phone and all the photos I took were saved there :(

On to the MEG Assembly, our guest judges were Radio DJ of Jam- Lambert Cruz and One Mega Group Director for Strategic Brand Development Meryll Yan.

Guess who won! OUR TEAM DID! Finally! I got to win one MEG Project and the prize was an apprenticeship at Jam under the wing of the amazing DJ Lambert. YEY! I've always wanted to try doing radio but I am still not very confident with my skills, so an training under Lambert was a prize I was happy to have!

I was more than glad to hear Ms. Yan's comment on our group, she said we "didn't only promote the show but also personified what I an I am Meg girl is." As an ambassador, we do not only have to promote the brand but we had to be the brand. We had to be the "living, breathing, walking and talking representation of the brand."

I sincerely believe that each one of the girls possesses qualities of the I am Meg lady, but we all have different stories to tell. In the show, I have been branded to be the "Jeje Princess" (which is not necessarily a good or bad thing) but it's okay because I know I am that and more.

I am just grateful that I am able to show that side of me in the show. I am able to share my crazy shologs side with people. We all take on different roles and responsibilities in life- we are sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, lovers and friends, students and workers, we are so many things in one. In every role we take, we highlight different strengths and work on different weaknesses, but at the end of the day, when we are ourselves- we will have no regrets. We will be happy and we will succeed.

I am Stephanie Sol, I am part Jeje Princess and I hope my perkiness, energy and bubbly being has inspired, entertained or made you laugh in one way or another for I live to see beautiful smiles. So I hope you can smile with me.

*sprinkles positive vibes pixie dust*

Shine,

STEPH

#MEG victory party

TRENDING NOW: #MEG VICTORY PARTY (10.8.13)

Here are the top 3 reasons why we celebrate:

1) MEG styles a fierce and fresh double cover of I Am Meg TV host Maxene Magalona and actress Shaina Magdayao.

2) MEG launches a bolder look for the ultimate website for bold, young women - iammeg.ph

3) I Am MEG Season 2 trending for three consecutive weeks! Whoowhooo!

But of course, as Meg ladies, it is not all play. We had to work that night- for our Meg story assignment.

Our lovely host Maxene spills the beans that we were tasked to be Red Carpet reporters for MEG!

The Meg ladies on the Red Carpet.

The ever so mandatory OOTN!

With IamMEG host Max & mentor Julz. :)

with Aen, Ira & Nicole :)

twas great to see friends celebrate with us too! Migz, Paola, Nikita, Enzo, Nate & Jon :)

Whooooo! We all danced the night away in Neon techno pop colors.

and oh… there is a fourth reason why we celebrate, it was Direk Mike Carandang's birthday salubong! We all love MIKE! He is not only filiphenomenal, generous and inspiring. He is one of the guys you have to meet in your life.. :)

That night was full of celebrations! It's only been half way through the show's season but i already feel the victory with the new experiences and lessons I learn. :)

The memories and friends I made and will make because of this competition, is reason enough to celebrate!

CHEERS!

Shine,

STEPH

#IamMeg S2E6 Iammeg.ph Online Campaign

This October, MEG comes up with a fierce and fresh double cover of actress Shaina Magdayao and I am Meg host Maxene Magalona.

In her latest cover interview, Max talked about haters and she wanted to talk about it with the MEG ladies too. We were exchanging stories of our own personal hater experience.

This got me thinking, I'm sure this conversation is related to the day's assignment but I couldn't put the two together, but Max did it for us.

Our MEG Story Assignment for the week was to create a 90-second skit on how to deal with haters.

I thought the first way to deal with haters was to kill them all… with my killer smile. Hahaha. Haters gonna hate but I'll be forever corny. #sorrynotsorry :)

(Thank you Mags for my pretty laced halter turtleneck sleeveless top)

I was grouped with Ira, Ellyz, Kate & Yuki and we thought of making a skit with a gossip girl feel. We wanted to portray a skit on how to deal with a hater/ a friend that talks negatively about you.

The team with Jaz, Trisha, Aen, Yani and Nicole won the challenge as they showed us 5 ways to deal with haters. I loved that they had some sining parts :))

Moving on, this week's MEG project was to create a 15-second online campaign for Iammeg.ph via Instagram's Instavideo. :)

"Your style, Your voice, be the Top Choice." that's Iammeg.ph's tagline. My partner Nicole and I thought of portraying or tapping different personalities to shoot in our video. We wanted it to be like a coming together kind of thing.

But then, during the further brainstorm and discussion, we got all confused of how we want it to be. This challenge was very stressful for me (as you can see). It is difficult to tell a story in 15 seconds. It is even more difficult to tell a story if you haven't decided which specific story is it that you want to tell.

On the last minute, we opted to make it into a "must have" video shot straight from instagram with the pause-delete-record-play utilities.

The main message we wanted to say was that living in this generation, an online diary is a must-have for every girl. Self-expression is not a luxury but a duty and our video suggests that one platform you must have is iammeg.ph- an online community for bold, young women :)

MEG assembly time. I was sure that we didn't do too well this week. It was the indecidiveness that made us even more unprepared. So I was really nervous.

Anyway, meet this week's guest judges model, blogger, host and entrepreneur- lahat na Divine Lee and IamMeg.ph content editor Carla Hutchinson.

In the end, I was right we were in the bottom two teams. And I was also right, team Ira & Trisha won! I loved their online campaign- it truly made me unleash my inner blogger. I should thank them for it! Without that video campaign, you wouldn't be reading this now. Umeffort ako. Eeffort pa ako because I know I am a far cry from a legit, worthily blogger.

This episode was a put down for me. It taught me a good lesson though. It reminded me how simple and clear works better than big but complicated ideas. Sometimes we have this big ideas, we want to achieve big things and accomplish bigger tasks but we forget the way to get those big things done is to start doing small things constantly.

Want to achieve that chiseled abs on your belly, you can go crazy in the gym and undergo the most expensive crash diets just to make you lose 10lbs in two weeks… it might work, for a while but in the end it will be hard to maintain and you are setting yourself up to failure- risking your health. (I know my example probably suck, but that was top of mind, forgive me)

I like my name, it reminds me that all truly great things in life takes time and that I have to take one STEPH at a time. In this competition I've been doing two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes, one step forward and two steps back, but it doesn't matter much. I'll just work on improving myself. My greatest competition here isn't these girls, it is myself.

When I feel like I am not good enough, or when I feel that I cannot achieve great things…. I shall remind myself that I can. Maybe not right away, but I can, little by little… one STEPH at a time.

Almost half way into the competition, I gotta stay strong and fight my own demons!

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #iammeg.ph #stephaniesol #iammegtv #iammegseason2

#IamMeg S2E5 Laybare Day Sales Challenge

The I am Meg girls at Discovery Suites, waiting for Max and ready for another fun and challenge filled day!

This week's Meg Story Assignment was a 15 second marketing spiel challenge. The girls had to pick up an item from a big, pink mystery box and then we had to sell the product in relation with being an I am Meg girl.

(Shoes from PRP & Top and Skirt from MAGS. Thank you #magsph)

I got a Teddy bear which I called the "Meggy Bear". I thought all you girls, and guys should go get one because it Makes Everything Good! Hahaha #makeitMEG!

In the end, Ruth and Nicole gave the best marketing spiels, thus they were our fifth batch of Project Managers.

The MEG Project of the week was to set up a marketing event for Lay Bare Waxing salon. We had to invite people to join us celebrate "Lay Bare Day" by trying their eyebrow threading service for free at Lay Bare Greenhills Branch.

I was teamed up with Ruth, Aen, Trisha, Ellyz, and Yuki. While we were in the van, on the road to GH, we brainstormed on what strategies to apply to this challenge. We checked out the press kits that were given to us by Laybare and thought, to make sure people waiting in line don't get bored waiting, we would play some games and give away our free bikini wax vouchers and lay bare creams as prizes.

Then suddenly, Elllyz burst into a tune singing, "When you see hair, it's time to Lay bare." Of course! A jingle is an event marketing strategy must have. So I thought of adding a one more line and some gestures to make the jingle more interesting. And the final output goes like this..

"When you see hair, it's time to Lay bare... bye bye hair, hello Lay Bare."

And Hello Laybare indeed. We arrive in Lay Bare's GH branch and realize we have no space to set up a booth. We didn't even have a sound system! It was tough, but that was the challenge.

(The Girls & I screaming and shouting our Lay Bare Jingle.)

We decided to make hand-written tickets stapled on the Lay Bare fliers to hand out to people to further promote the free eyebrow threading service for our "Lay Bare Day" celebration.

We also made some promotional posters and info cards where we can carry around to spread the word and take photos to post online with #laybareday!

Our strategies are now ready and it was time to translate our ideas into action... and that was the most difficult part. Talking to random strangers and asking them to try and get their brows thread isn't a joke. It was a learning experience to be rejected at an instant. I can only imagine how difficult it is for people who does these things for a living! ANG HIRAP. Grabe. This has been the most taxing challenge so far... and I'm hoping our team nails this!

The verdict.

Our judges: International Model Ms. Vanessa Matsunaga and Brand Manager of Lay Bare salon Ms. Jamie Beramo loved our campaign and thought our jingle was catchy. They thought our marketing strategy and application was brilliant.....

however, this was mainly a sales challenge.In any business, sales is the number one priority. Thus, the numbers always count more. And when all digits were tallied up in total averages, Team Nicole brought home the victory... and our Project Manager Ruth had to go home. :(

(I am Meg Host Maxene Magalona, Int'l Model Vanessa Matsunaga, I am Meg Director Mike Carandang, Lay Bare Mktg Manager Jamie Beramo & I am Meg Ambasssador Julz Savard)

A broader and deeper appreciation for life- (apart from beautiful and intelligent friends) that's what I am gaining more in I am Meg. Having some first hand experience of instant rejection was not easy. Now, when I get approached by people who give me fliers, I go beyond smiling and saying "No, thank you". I take the flier, smile and say thank you, even when I honestly have no intention of buying that condo or getting a new credit card. I figured, the little gesture of accepting the flier makes a difference. It makes them feel like you were open to listening to what they have to say, that even if you are not interested in the product they are selling, you appreciate the work and effort they put to get their message across.

(Dress from MAGS #magsph, Shoes from Forever 21)

Ya know, sometimes, a little gesture of appreciation goes a long way. So, I just wanna do a lil' shout out to Ms Mags Cue and my MAGS family for lending me all these pretty clothes :)

That's all for now!

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #laybareday

StyLIZed: Liz Uy for Rags2Riches Fall/Holiday 2013

If you're an early bird in when it comes to making christmas lists and you still haven't filled up the entries on what to give your girlfriends, your titas, your mom or yourself then I've got a suggestion.

Get them one of these bags from Rags2Riches.

Carefully and beautifully crafted by Filipino artisans living in less advantaged communities across the country, these Rags2Riches bags are not only statement bags because of its world-class designs. These bags are statement pieces because of the inspiring story it has to tell.

Do you wanna hear a short story?

This Fall/Holiday 2013, Rags2Riches welcomes the celebrity stylist and fashion editor-at-large, Liz Uy as their season's Style Advocate.

Liz's style advocate story revolves around her belief that "one’s personal style should always make a statement, and that one’s accessories should go way beyond being just a decorative piece, possessing a story and life of its own." Her collection for Rags2Riches ARTEsenal Luxe makes a bold statement that glamour can be good for the world, and that style can have soul and substance.

My favorite from this collection would have to be this green Zelda mini bag. I find the richness of this green refreshing from the usual emerald or military green sling bags that I usually see in stores. :)

I was glad to have been invited by Ms. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, CEO of Rags to Riches (who I was so luck to meet during one of the IamMeg Episodes read by blog post below) to this launch. I was even happier to get the chance to bond with the Meg ladies Julz, Yuki, Trisha and our stylist Pattee, outside our IamMeg taping days :)

I was also stoked to have the chance to meet one of the most stylish person in the country, Liz Uy. Who by the way was very pleasant and humble. :)

If you want to get to know more about these beautiful hand crafted bags, visit www.rags2riches.ph. Like Rags2Riches on Facebook and Follow Rags2Riches on Twitter, on Pinterest and on Instagram: @rags2richesinc.

Shine,

STEPH

PS. Thank you, Yuki for the photos :)

#rags2riches #fashion #bags #styleoverlabel

#IamMeg S2E4 Rags2Riches Fashion Editorial

Our Rags2Riches episode is one of my favorites so far. Beauty with an advocacy is something I feel strongly about and as an aspiring I am Meg Ambassador, it is important for me to stand for something.

For this week's Story Assignment, we were divided into three teams of four members each. I was teamed up with Ellyz, Ira and Ruth. Our task was "to think of an advocacy that needs attention and to create artwork to help feature this particular advocacy.

Our group chose an anti-bullying campaign. Although each of us in the team have different main advocacies, we chose bullying because we felt it is an advocacy we can all relate to- we all got bullied at one point in our lives.

Our group felt that it is important to talk about this because even if bullying is quite accepted as a norm, it still hurts people and it should not be tolerated. Not only does bullying tamper part of our confidence, at times, it also creates greater fear of doing greater things, which is of course never a good thing no matter you twist, turn and flip the coin.

The 2nd group chose women empowerment as their main advocacy. They creatively expressed their ideas via a dream catcher. :)

At the end of the presentation of our MEG Story Assignments, the team of Yani came out victorious with social entrepreneurship as their main advocacy :) Hashtag #veryYuki! They spoke about how "social can be sosyal!" Very witty! :)

You know the drill, the winners of the MEG Story Assignment become our MEG project managers of the week and they get to pick their teammates. And I was more than glad to be working with Jaz and Trisha for this week's challenge.

Our MEG Project was to create a fashion editorial from scratch featuring the stylish bag of Rags2Riches. We had to model, be creative directors and writers for the fashion editorial.

The challenge was to sell the bags in the most stylish manner. Our team opted to portray the MEG lady to be luxurious and experimental with her style so we dared to go print on print for our editorial. Scarf printed ensembles spells luxury so we picked it as our main theme.

We gave our editorial the title: IT'S IN THE BAG, which is an expression that implies "you got it!". I'm guessing Trisha and I got the RR pose "in the bag" on the picture below. We tried to pose two mirroring R's to represent Rags2Riches' logo. :)

We were the first team to do the shoot, so we felt the stress and the pressure. However, we were happy with our shots and we are quite confident that we got this!

And here we go! The dreadful judging and deliberations. Oh gosh, I look really nervous huh. I'm not sure if may nakita akong multo, or may taong umutot sa harap ko. Ganun itsura ko dito diba? Hahaha

The outcome: Team Trisha is safe! Yeah baby! Working with these girls was a delight. I loved our rapport. I felt the spirit of team effort :)

BTS shot with our lovely mentor, Julz :)

with our guest judge, model, blogger - Robbie Becroft.

and of course with the inspiring beautiful, bold and strong young lady and the Rags2Riches President and Co-Founder Reese Fernandez-Ruiz.

I am inspired by Ms. Reese. She may live in small-framed body but with her style and substance she creates a humongous positive influence not only in the world of fashion but also in philanthropy. Her lifestyle of "paying it forward" is worthy of emulation. Everyday, I strive to live a life of a R2R woman. I am her fan and her follower.

Final photo opportunity with Robbie. :)

Can I just say?

I believe everyone ought to have a personal advocacy. It is essential that you stand up and support something bigger than yourself because it is a big factor in creating meaning in your life- in finding your place in this world.

We do not live in this world to be with ourselves. We are social beings. We are given a daily challenge of making this world a better place.You don't necessarily have to start big. If you choose environmental protection as your advocacy- turn the lights off when not in use, use a cup when you brush your teeth to save water, dare to pick up trash and dispose of it properly. If you choose education, don't just stay in school but excel. Learn to love reading, not only magazines but books and the news as well. If you choose women empowerment, opt to remain silent if you intend to speak negatively of a girlfriend.

What makes an advocacy work isn't just creating the biggest or the grandest project that promotes it. What makes an advocacy work is embracing it as a part of your lifestyle. An advocacy is not only something you speak about, it is something you live by.

Just my two cents!

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #rags2riches #fashion #bags #advocacy #styleandsubstance

#IamMeg S2E3 Systema Ad Campaign

On our third week the turn of events has been a roller coaster of surprises. I'll begin with three.

One, it begins with Judy leaving the competition because she had to choose her work as top priority. I felt quite disappointed about this because I liked Judy and I wanted to get to know her more. What she represents could have been a really strong story to tell in the competition. However, I am happy the Meg team was playing it fair because I too had to choose. Our third taping day was also in conflict with my work- I was supposed to shoot a commercial. In my head was a new TVC + sure money versus the chance to be the Meg Ambassador. I obviously chose the latter. I'm all in for I am MEG!

Two, Camille sets out an explosive news that she too has to leave the competition because she has to fly out of the country due to family-related reasons. Kaya pala she brought her polaroid and took photos with each girl. I was heart broken when she had to say goodbye. I'll definitely miss her. :|

Three, as two girls leave, one girl gets a come back! The amazingly pretty Ruth is back! I feel the universe conspires her to still be in the running. Ruth began as a wild card and now she gets a second chance. Oh she's so lucky and I am so happy she's back! Pero mejo nakaka-threaten rin kasi she's really model material. She's a doll. :)

Anyway, moving on from the first three pasabog! Our MEG story assignment for the week was to do an OOTD shoot with clothes to be picked up from a box of ukay-ukay! I was teamed with Jaz (my co-stylist), Ruth&Aen (our models) and Kate&Trisha (our photographers).

Our team picked a royal grunge theme for our shoot. We opted for velvety clothes and chain accessories. We chose the stock room of the MEG HQ as our location as we saw the wire walls and pile of magazine would be a great background.

We didn't win the mini-challenge, thus the other team gets to be the project manager. Yup! This week, we work in pairs!

This week's MEG Project is an ad campaign for Systema Tooth and Gum Care! Each team picks a character role for the photo shoot- Yani and I got the Olympian Athlete concept.

Our campaign had to showcase to girls who are actually reflections of themselves. One is the aspiring and the other is the aspired.

We thought of a comic relief for our shoot. Yani, the aspiring one, would have some chocolate on her teeth to represent bad teeth. We want the story to convey the message: no matter how bad your situation is, or no matter how far you think you are from your dreams, with the right attitude, hard work and the proper tools you will achieve your dreams. You just have to keep trying and never give up. :)

Do we look like champions na? (Please do not judge me. Okay, you just did.) At this point, alam ko nang may mali. I don't know what exactly, but something is wrong.

Then off we go to the set! OMG! Surprise surprise! We didn't know there was a set! We didn't know we had to pose in a bathroom set up, 'til we were called to be next! Oh well, we just had to bring in the fun and the energy. Our goal was to enjoy the shoot and hopefully the camera captures the energy. :)

After the shoot we did a consultation with our guest photographer, the talented Bjorn! We had check out our photos and pick our best shot plus write our own tag-line. We came up with...

"A champion's winning smile is the Systema smile."

Or something that sounds like that.

Judging and deliberations time! This weeks guest judges are Mr. Sean Armenta and Mr. Norman Mier. A US-based Filipino photographer and Systema Tooth and Gum Care brand manager, respectively.

The I am Meg Ladies try to be goofy to shake off our nervousness!

One more time! Wacky!

Time to present and defend our work!

The jugdes' comments on our work: NOT GOOD. Our chocolate concept was a failure because it was deemed to be distracting. Also, and more importantly, our styling was a disaster. There was too much color going on!

Our failure with styling dragged Yani and I down to the bottom two teams!

And finally, down to the bottom team for the week: Jaz and Yuki! Then, BOOOOOOM! Major explosive news comes out after Jaz and Yuki were telling us why they had to stay in the competition. Tammy offers to save the two by doing a voluntary exit! :( She's one of the youngest in the competition, and being in her senior HS year, she cannot afford to lose focus. Also, since our taping days are in conflict with some of her college entrance exam schedules, she had to weigh her options. She chose her education.

Oh gosh! This was such an emotional episode. We will miss you Tammy. Best of luck on your exams! *hug*

Let's take a breather now, shall we?

Can't wait to know more drama? Catch more of the I am MEG ladies on ETC every Saturday 7PM with replays on Sunday 10am :)

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #stystema #iammegseason2 #iammegtv

Connect the Dots

The pleasure comes from neither the question nor the answer, but the reasoning.

(Bob Cropped Top | H&M Skater Skirt and Emerald Sneaker Heels)

In life, akin to the puzzle- Connect the Dots, the fun part isn’t much where you begin or where you end. The fun part is the in journey of looking for the next number, the next step, making sure you draw a straight line. The best part isn’t necessarily finally guessing the final image correctly. Rather, it is when you find the meaning behind the image drawn.

I feel like I'm playing Connect the Dots in my life now, but instead of following the numbers strictly within the sequence, I jump from one dot to another... trying to cheat my way to figuring out what the final picture would be like. But I realize, this doesn't work that way. It is essential for me to follow the number sequence, because if I don't then the final output of my work will have no meaning. There is a reason, a purpose, of why the dots are placed where they are, and I have to respect that.

Right now, I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I'd like to believe this is where I ought to be. I should worry less and not be discouraged because somehow, I know the dots will connect. I know I will get the puzzle right. All I need to do is play the game and never give up.

Shine,

STEPH

#styleoverlabel #babble #ootd

#IamMeg S2E2 Etude House Live Talk Show

We enter the I am Meg HQ and we were greeted by Max and 30 pieces of colorful construction paper on the floor. The ladies and I had a guessing game on what this week’s assignment would be- and our prediction was correct.

The Meg Story Assignment was a guessing game – well, a memory game, which begins with a guessing game anyway. We had to match issues of Meg Covers, whoever matches the covers gets the chance to answer a question about Meg ladies. Answer the question correctly, you become project manager, but if you give the wrong answer another Meg lady is given the chance to steal.

I became the first Project Manager for the week via a steal and I was joined by Camille & Yani.

MEG Project of the Week: a 90-second live fantasy talk show that will be judged with the following criteria- creativity, product information and execution.

To know more about the brand, we had the chance to go on a mini-trip to the newest Etude house in Greenbelt 4. After learning more about the brand and its enchanting products, we got back to the HQ to pick which brand identity we had to feature in our talk show.

Instead of the regular pick-a-paper-in-a-fishbowl technique, we had to play darts! My team hit target Sweet Star. Oh how interesting! We had to talk about Etude’s Color Me Brows while keeping in mind “frienemies” as our theme.

This is gonna be interesting! Time to brainstorm with my teammates Ira, Yuki, Angee and Ellyz! Our team thought of the story of two best friends who both dream to be crowned princess of the Kingdom of Etude. In the process of trying to attain their dream, they get in to a verbal argument of who better deserves the title. In the end, they realize that they don't need a kingdom to rule to be a princess because there is always a princess inside every girl and that is enough to make her feel beautiful and strong.

Planning session over. Time for my princess make over. I sit on the Etude's make up chair ready to be transformed into Sweet Star.

Voila! How do you like my look? I know my outfit is quite a failure when it comes to looking Korean because this is a Japanese Summer Kimono paired with Yuki's Snow White's skirt. It's part of the challenge-guessing what you have to bring to taping when our requirement was vaguely put as "bring princess fantasy outfits- preferably costumes and gowns".

Nonetheless, we had to make do with what we have and came up with this. Time to goof around and take some Sweet Star group shot. I'm not sure if you see it but there is a silver star on my face near my eyes. :) I am Sweet Stah and this is my crew!

It's time! Welcome to the Etude House Fantasy Studio. Each team was given 5 minutes to rehearse in this magically pink and pretty studio set up before we go live with the judges. I wish I had the chance to eat those cupcakes.

Done with the quick rehearsal. Decided to take Julz's advice of doing my fake Korean accent to add some comic relief to our talk show.

It's showtime! This week’s judges are: Actress & MEGA YDC All-Stars host G Toengi and the President of Etude House Philippines Ms Andrea Amado.

We were happy about our talk show except Ms. G commented, "If you can't do an accent right, do not do it." Oppps, a major boo boo. Although, i really enjoyed what I did, I understand Ms. G's sentiment. Need to improve my speaking-in-another-accent skills. :)

In the end, Team Camille (Sweet Heart as their brand identity with Dear Darling Lip and cheek tint as their product and love as their topic), with Judy as their host and Trisha as their actress was safe and Team Yani (Sweet Dream as their brand identity with the Precious Mineral BB Cream as their product and family as their topic) won this week's challenge. The winner wins a full page feature in Meg magazine and P50,000 worth of products from Etude House! How awesome is that?

It was a well-deserved win for the Team Yani. You can never go wrong with Jaz as the host, Yani as Ariel and Kate as Princess Jasmine. But I think, what nailed the talk show was their script. It was written flawlessly in a very witty manner! Congratulations team Sweet Dream!

As for me, and my failed korean accent, I pray that my team mates forgive me for the booboo. Thank you Ms. G for the criticism. I appreciated it!

My first time being project manager was a wreck. We were in the bottom team but I'm not letting that get into me. I learned my lesson and I shall continue to fight the battle. Next time I become project manager, I will win it! I must win it! :)

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg #etude #etudehouse

#unleashingmyinnerblogger

8.20.13

Inspired by the recently aired episode of #IamMeg, I decided to follow Trisha and Ira’s advice of unleashing my inner blogger… Vying to become the next Meg Ambassador, it is essential for me to be able to find an outlet where I can express myself for an IamMeg lady is an opinionated one.

(Trisha and Ira, my angels who inspired me to blog again.)

Fear is what kept me jailed from the blogosphere. I was very wary of what people think of my blog. I do not want them to think I am shallow or narcissistic or just plain not-good-enough-to-be-a-blogger. I was insecure. I still am most times. However, things have changed. I am still insecure but like what Ira said in their online campaign, “SO WHAT?”

(That's me saying "wa pakels" in different ways...hahaha)

My fears have changed. So what if people judge me- such act is a fact of life. I shouldn’t be scared of people’s negative opinion of me. I should even see it as a blessing- points for improvement. What I should fear more is the death of my courage and enthusiasm. So if you want to see more of the fighter in me with a mix of my perky personality – watch I am Meg Season 2 every Saturday 7PM on ETC!

(with I am Meg mentor, the beautiful, bold and strong, Julz Savard. Swabe yung plug sa show noh?)

Seriously though, indulge me. If you have criticisms or comments, let me know. I want to be aware. You want to know a secret? I am fearful of not being aware for awareness is the spark that ignites greatness. If you know what you do right, what you do wrong and why you are doing what you are doing, then you’ve got the key to unlocking a great life. So will you help me find and keep that key? Please do, because I do not want to live a life where my greatness is locked inside.

Shine,

STEPH

#iammeg

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