Blogger Spotlight: Toni of Perfumed Red Shoes

On the last installment of this month’s Blogger Spotlight, we save the best for last for you guys. It’s still Women’s Month and before we say hello to summer, we are proud to feature another exceptional Cebuana blogger.

This Cebuana blogger finds blogging as a way of learning and sharing new things. Painting and calligraphy is among the things that she does best. A loving wife and a mommy of two beautiful kids. With no further adieu, let’s meet the blogger behind Perfumed Red Shoes, the talented and dazzling Toni Pino-Oca.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INTO BLOGGING?

Toni: Friends call me Toni, family and relatives call me Tonette. I’m 32, happily married (my husband and I, we’ve been together for 11 years, married for 5) and a mommy to Isabel and Vania. I’m a non-practicing registered nurse and a self-taught calligrapher and water colorist. I love writing down my thoughts and would always have a journal with me. I still have my journals from high school and they hold a special shelf in my study. When Myspace came about, I took the virtual route– pouring my heart out onto the virtual pages of its Notes. I have always loved reading other people’s thoughts– friends and strangers alike. You get to learn things from them and in return, you also want to share your thoughts so others can learn from you. I guess that’s what got me into blogging– the learning, the gaining of new friends and the intellectual give and take..

WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA OF YOUR BLOG’S NAME?

Toni: Oh boy, not this question. Haha! Anyway, I love shoes and I used to love the color red. When I started blogging, I had 5 pairs of red shoes and I loved them dearly to the point of wiping the soles clean after each use and bringing them up to my room for “safe keeping.” And yes, you guessed it right. I have a bottle of perfume that’s meant for my pairs of red shoes only. Hence the name. Crazy, I know. LOL.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BLOGGING?

Toni: Like I said, the intellectual give and take is irresistible..

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR BLOG AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT NICHE?

Toni: My blog has been in existence since 2009 and it has undergone numerous name and domain changes. But before Blogger, I was on Myspace taking a more personal route– sharing my thoughts on less personal topics like a good book, a new road trip destination or why I love Tagala’s Chicken in CDU than the one in Ramos. And there were also the more personal posts like love, dating and eventually, a bad breakup. (Don’t tell me your 20-something-year-old self never wrote about any of these because I will never believe you. haha!) But over time, you realize that you’ve made yourself incredibly vulnerable so you change course, of course. And aside from being a hopeless romantic, my 20-something-year-old self was very much into dressing up and making fashion illustrations so I ditched Myspace, and made myself a style blog in 2008 with my first post (a shopping haul) published in January 2009..

NAME 5 OF YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGERS AND AND WHY

1.) Joy Mendoza of www.teachwithjoy.com for all things parenting related. There is not one post of her that isn’t without a lesson– big or small. Her blog is bookmark worthy.

2.) Shari Macainag of www.themistymom.com for all things beauty. She’s very particular about content (assuming that she really is judging from her well-researched and very detailed beauty posts) and I love her blog’s layout!

3.) Aimee Song of www.songofstyle.com. Very high fashion but still relatable.

4.) Yoshke and Vince of www.thepoortraveler.net. I live vicariously through them.

5.) Julie Sariñana or www.sincerelyjules.com. She’s my spirit animal.

5 TOOLS YOU USE WITH YOUR BLOGGING

• Fujifilm X-T10, Smartphone
• Lightroom
• Dropbox
• Pages
• For internet tools I use Blogger, Google Photos, Gmail and Social media

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR BLOG POSTS?

Toni: I pull inspiration for my blog from just about anything and anyone. I run a fashion and lifestyle blog and while some people think that writing a style post is a no-brainer, it actually isn’t. You have to be relatable so you have to, as much as possible, address everyone’s concerns. The style you’re wearing may look good on one person but it doesn’t for another so you have to give them tips on how to pull it off, what style works for them and what doesn’t. So for me to be able to do this, I do my research, read as much articles as I can, and experiment. Whenever I’m out, I people-watch for inspiration. I read comments, i take suggestions and ask friends what they wan’t to read more of on my blog

BESIDES BLOGGING, WHAT OTHER INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE?

Toni: If I’m not blogging, I’m either baking homemade goods with Vania or I do gardening. But if I’m not doing any of that, I do calligraphy or watercolor painting.

GIVE US 5 OF YOUR BEST BLOG POSTS

Toni: I don’t really keep tabs on my best posts so why don’t you just pay www.perfumedredshoes.com a visit and give me your top 5 picks? 😉 Shameless plugging. Haha!

WHAT IS BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF BEING A BLOGGER?

Toni: Finding time to write, being consistent and staying true to your brand.

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO JUST STARTED BLOGGING

Toni: Always start with the right perspective– be in it because it’s your passion, not because you want perks, freebies and privileges. Work your way to the top, not buy your way to the top. Don’t sell yourself short but don’t be a stuck-up. Find your own style, be authentic

IN THE FUTURE WHERE DO YOU HOPE YOUR BLOG WILL TAKE YOU?

Toni: Before, brand ambassadorships and sponsorships were only for celebrities but in recent years, companies have expanded their reach and has gotten in touch with bloggers who best represent their brands. Perfumed Red Shoes started out as a hobby, it still is actually, but in the past 3 years, I have had several collaborations and brand ambassadorships with international and local brands alike, and these were all definitely unexpected. It is a recognition that my 32-year-old self wouldn’t really even have a concept for it when she started this blog, and I am just thankful beyond words. I know that we still have a long way to go but I am happy where blog is right now. 

LASTLY, SHARE US 10 FUNNY STUFF ABOUT YOU

1. I start and end my day with a cup of coffee. Caffeine withdrawal is real— at least for me.
2. I second-guess people based on their table manners. Mean, i know.
3. I hold a concert in the shower and I like my water scalding hot. I really don’t know what the connection is between the two.
4. I’m particular about skin care but I always skip on sunscreen whenever I’m at the beach. Yes, I contradict myself a lot.
5. At night, I bang my foot on the mattress not to annoy my husband but to fall asleep.
6. Truth be told, I just really like to annoy the hell out of my husband. Period.
7. You may think I’m a stuck-up but my Instagram Stories (@tonipino) will prove otherwise. Yes, shameless plugging.
8. My husband had me at HHWW on our first meeting because he offered to help me cross a big mudhole. I’m sappy like that and you were just quick to judge. Haha!
9. I don’t use the bathroom when it’s wet. I wait until it’s dry and then I take a shower.
10. I have a super power: I can whip up a fancy dinner all by myself and I’m mighty proud of it. Haha!

PS.
I’m a nudist— on my lips.

There you have it folks. Thank you for reading.
Stay tuned for another edition of The Blogger Spotlight.

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Be sure to follow Toni

Blog: Perfumed Red Shoes
Affiliation: Cebu Fashion Bloggers
Facebook: /perfumedredshoes / Twitter: @ToniPino  / Instagram: @ToniPino