Boudoir Take Two

After almost a month of waiting, we finally got our pictures from Boudoir Le Blanc! Whee! :)

This time, I only got 50 photos out of the possibly hundreds that were taken during our shoot. These 50 photos were all edited and are supposedly the best out of the bunch. Still, I would have preferred to receive ALL of our photos, raw and edited. Some of the chosen photos were not to my liking—not because the pictures weren't good, but because I hated the way that I look! Ang awkward tignan!

I'll probably find better photos in the rest of the pile, but since we don't have the raw pics, we have to make do with the chosen 50. We could get a copy of all edited photos, but that would cost an extra P5,000! So obviously, that's a NO. Haha!

Nevertheless, I still love my pictures! The editing was super flawless. Ibang level talaga ang Digital Belo kasi lumiit ang braso ko! Plus, I looked so sultry, seductive and sexy without being too bastusin. In short, pwede na akong maging Victoria's Secret model. Haha! Feelingerang palaka lang ang peg.

Here are three of my favorite pictures in my album. I haven't shown this to Mox though, so let's just hope he wouldn't read my blog this time. Hehe!

Boudoir # 2: Boudoir Le Blanc

Now on to my next boudoir shoot! This time, it was a group boudoir session with three of my W@Wie friends. We got Boudoir Le Blanc as our photographer because we were awed by the femininity and subtle sexiness of their photos. :) This was supposed to be my only boudoir session but since I felt that a one hour shoot would be too bitin, I decided to book Mad Hatter Studios for additional boudoir pictures. Hehe. Adik lang.

What's unique about Boudoir Le Blanc is that they would give clients customized wardrobe moodboards and location sets. They even have their own venue for the shoots. So you don't have to worry about finding the right clothes and accessories or booking the right hotel room; they will take care of all those little details! :)

Heather (their stylist) gave each of us a questionnaire to help her conceptualize our wardrobes and sets. I actually had a hard time answering that questionnaire because I really didn't know what I wanted. All I know was I wanted something that is sensual and yet would not show too much skin. Ang labo diba? Haha. So after reading through my answers, Heather sent me this moodboard.

 

Ooooh, I love the colors! This would certainly bring out my sexy side, but I would still remain sort of covered up. Sabi nga ni Aiza, parang rocker chick daw ang peg. :)

I then went out to find all the items on my list. What's funny was I already bought some lingerie on my own, even before I got my moodboard. It turned out, none of the items that I bought fit my theme. Masyado kasing excited eh. Haha! Good thing I still had a boudoir shoot with Mad Hatter so the lingerie that I got didn't go to waste.

Here are clothes and accessories that I bought for our Boudoir Le Blanc shoot. I didn't really follow the moodboard to the tee because I interchanged the color of the nightie with the underwear. But Heather said that it was okay because it still fit our theme. Yey!

Black and white polka dot nightie

White boyfriend polo

Red bra and panty

Black peep-toe platform heels

Red nail polish; red and black bangle; red ring; big, silver hoop earrings

Heather also sent us boards for our set design. I just love the minimalist styling of my set. I especially like the day bed with the canopy drapings. Nakakarelax tignan! :)

Here's the picture of my set during the boudoir shoot. Diba ang ganda? :)

I guess it helped that I already did the shoot with Mad Hatter because I didn't feel that nervous during my turn with Boudoir Le Blanc, even though my set was located downstairs where everyone could see what we were doing. I just kept on posing and posing, until Tooney finally said that it was a wrap! Honestly, I still wanted to stay and have more pictures taken. Haha! Nabitin ako talaga eh.

All in all, it was a super fun experience! More so because I spent it with my friends from W@W. :) We've been talking about this for months so it felt surreal that it was finally over.

Really had fun with these guys! :)

I can't wait for the full set of my pictures! :) In the meantime, here is a teaser pic for you. *wink*

Boudoir # 1: Mad Hatter Studios

Now let's get to a more detailed kwento a.k.a. supplier ratings on my boudoir sessions. First on the list is Mad Hatter Studios!

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mad Hatter Studios
Peso Power: P2,500 (discounted price from W@W auction)
Contact Details: madhatterstudios@yahoo.com
Rating: 5+++ out of 5

Mad Hatter was actually not my first choice as a boudoir photographer since I was a bit iffy at first at the thought of posing half naked in front of a male photographer. But I already met Archie back when I thought I would get them (as Alt-X Videos) as our videographer, so I thought the ilang feeling would lessen. Plus, who could resist the low, low rate that I got from them courtesy of W@W? :)

I was nervous at first, but Archie didn't make me feel uncomfortable, even though I was only wearing underwear. He gave me some tips on how to showcase my sexy side and even demonstrated the poses that he wanted me to do. Mas malandi pa nga siyang magpose kesa sa akin. Haha! He kept on moving around the room to get the right angles for the shot, which paid off since I love how he made me sexy in every picture. :)

Here are some of the more conservative pics in the bunch. The rest are for Mox's eyes only. Hehe.

 

HMUA: Charis Torres
Peso Power: P1,500 for airbrush makeup
Contact Details:0922-6469055
Rating: 5+++ out of 5

I asked Archie for suggestions of a HMUA who specializes in boudoir makeup and he recommended Charis, who did the makeup in most of their boudoir shoots. Since I wanted someone who has already worked with Mad Hatter, I decided to book her immediately even though I haven't had a trial session with her.

I made the right choice because I love my hair and makeup! I looked so sweet yet so sexy. As in rawr na rawr! I only needed minimal retouches during the four-hour shoot, even on my nose, which is always my shiniest body part. She actually made me want to use airbrush makeup on our wedding!

She also doubled as my PA/Archie's shooting assistant because she would cover me up with her scarf whenever we would pause for a break, or she would hold up Archie's reflector to give some much needed light to the shots. She even pushed my back during one photo to give an illusion of curves. Hehe.

And the best thing about her is that she is super affordable! Imagine, I only had to pay P1,500 for hair and airbrush makeup! Sulit na sulit talaga. I would definitely recommend her! :)

HOLIDAY INN GALLERIA
Peso Power: P5,500 for a King Executive Room (Promo Rate)
Contact Details: 633 7111
Rating: 4 out of 5

I booked Holiday Inn Galleria since they had a promo of 30% off with free Internet access and breakfast for two. I got the King Executive Room since I wanted a separate sitting room where we could put our bags and other stuff while we're doing the shoot. Plus, Mox and I decided to stay overnight for our Valentine's/monthsary celebration so I wanted something more fancier than the normal standard room. Hehe.

The room size is okay—not too big, but not too small either. The room also has a large window on one side, which allows ample lighting, but I would still prefer a corner room with two large windows to maximize the natural light.

I only gave them a 4 though because they didn't allow us to check-in early. We had to start our hair and makeup at 2:00pm, which left us cramming to finish the shoot before dark. It was also raining the whole day, which made it even more important to start the shoot early because we wanted to catch whatever little sunlight was left. Nakakainis pa, kung kelan tapos na ang shoot saka naman umaraw ng todo. Hay.

But despite the gloomy weather during our shoot, I really had a blast doing this! Sa uulitin! Pagiipunan ko pa ang couple's boudoir namin ni Mox. Haha!

Oooh Lala Boudoir!

Just like any ordinary girl, I have a lot of insecurities about my body. I thought my arms and thighs were big and flabby, and I would always wear loose clothes in an effort to cover them up. Never in a million years did I think that I would find the courage to pose in front of the camera wearing nothing else but lingerie. 

But I did exactly that. And not just once, but twice! I finally had my two boudoir shoots with Mad Hatter Studios and Boudoir le Blanc, and the experience was just so incredible! It takes guts to bare your body in front of strangers, especially since Mad Hatter has a male photographer, but surprisingly, I didn't have any qualms about doing it. I was actually walking around the hotel room wearing just my underwear, but I didn't feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, I actually felt sexy and beautiful.

It helped that both my boudoir photographers were all so professional and encouraging. They kept on telling me how pretty and sexy I was, and how good my poses were. Di ko lang alam kung totoo sinasabi nila or binobola lang ako pero kinilig pa rin naman ako. Haha!

I know most of you are still unsure of doing a boudoir shoot, but I highly encourage you to at least try it. It is very liberating to show off your sensual side, even if it's in front of complete strangers. Don't worry about showcasing your flabs; the photographers know the right angles that would highlight your assets and hide your flaws. Instead, just relax and feel the moment. :)

You don't just shed your clothes in a boudoir shoot, you also shed away any insecurities that you have about yourself. The great pictures are a nice bonus, but the real prize is the self-confidence that you would gain. :)

Boudoir Anyone?

Wedding photographers offer several services for couples who want to immortalize their wedding journey in thousands of photos. These shoots include prenups, post-nups and even trash-the-dress sessions. But now, a new genre of photography is slowly making waves in the wedding industry and is especially popular among brides: the boudoir session.

What exactly is a boudoir session? The term boudoir is derived from the French verb bouder, which means “to be sulky”. Literally, a boudoir is a women’s private bedroom or dressing room.  Now a boudoir shoot involves taking sensual or sexually suggestive photos of brides (or sometimes even couples) wearing lingerie or even nothing at all! This may seem scandalous for some, but more and more brides are warming up to the idea, which is why many photographers now offer this kind of service.

A boudoir shot

I have to admit, I used to frown on the thought of doing a boudoir session. No, I’m not being a conservative manang; I'm just not comfortable of bearing my skin in front of strangers. I have so many flabby body parts! Plus, I don't have any nice lingerie to wear. Batang Soen kasi ako eh.

But when Tine, a fellow bride, asked me and another friend if we wanted to do a group boudoir session with her, I just couldn’t resist. Sorry naman, mahilig ako sa pictures eh. Haha. Seriously, I guess deep down, I just wanted to experience it before I get married. Just so I can show my future kids that I was once a sexy, young woman. In short, may asim pa ang mudra nila. Hahaha!

So why the sudden interest in doing a boudoir session? Here are my reasons:

1. It can be a wedding gift for Mox. Most brides would do boudoir shoots so they can give the pictures to their grooms as a wedding present. Mox is not really a fan of the whole scrapbook thing, but maybe a photo album filled with pictures of me wearing lingerie would change his mind. Haha.
2. More pictures, more fun. I'd love to have more pictures durintig the whole wedding preps thing, and a boudoir photo shoot would be another remembrance of these stressful yet happy times.
3. It will give me the confidence that I badly need. This is actually the main reason why I decided to have one. I am not in love with the body that I have. In fact, there are times that I downright hate it. During my bouts with low self-esteem, I would wear frumpy clothes because I thought it would cover up my flaws. But I am amazed how women, sometimes even those who have a bigger frame than I do, can pose sexily without any inhibitions. I want that kind of confidence. I also want to feel sexy, and I want the whole world to know that I'm sexy! (Well, maybe not the whole world. Siguro si Mox na lang. Haha.)

And so I agreed to do the group boudoir shoot with my friends. And not only that, I even bid for a boudoir session with Mad Hatter Studios, which I won. Oh diba, aayaw ako kunwari tapos biglang dalawa pa lang boudoir shoots gagawin ko. Haha!

This was actually a surprise for Mox, but I couldn't help but tell him about my plan. At first, he was so against the idea. I guess he didn't want me to be posing around in lingerie, especially since Mad Hatter has a male photographer. He kept on telling me that I didn't have to do this for him. In reality, I'm actually doing this for myself. The gift to him is just an added bonus.

So now, I'm already searching for pegs and thinking of possible outfits to wear to my boudoir shoots. I'm feeling nervous yet excited about this! :)