Saturday, June 30, 2007

Rock the Black Blazer

I love love love blazers. My very first staple outerwear was a black blazer. Although I now realise it was a bit too big on me, my love for blazers never died. I now own other blazers, like a washed-out yellow one and a purple velvet one. But the one I really want is THE perfect black blazer, so I'm on a hunt.

Meanwhile, I thought I would share my recent favourite way to wear it. Actually, it was the only outfit I wore during my last Christmas holidays: Skinny/straight leg jeans, a flowy long top with a blazer. It's simple yet looks so cool (love Sienna's outfit here). The blazer adds structure to the not-so-structured flowy top. And if you only wear black, grey and white, then you achieve a rock chick look like Lindsay here.

Blazers are also great for casual outfits, (for some reasons, people seem to be stuck with the idea that blazers are formal,) which is why I love it when Ashley wears it. Here are a few styling ideas from Ashley's outfits: you can try rolling up the sleeves and adding a colourful scarf to make the outfit look more casual (and warm). Blue jeans will of course, get you the more casual look, but black jeans feel cooler and edgier.

OK, I should stop blabbering about how much I love blazers and spend more time looking for my perfect black one, (or ideally many many ones).

Pure Perfection

YUM!!!!
Highly recommended:
Bakerzin's Couple Cheesecake!!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Chloe Shades SS07

Ever since I saw the latest Chloe shades at Nordstrom back in March, I've been in LOVE with them. They are flattering, girly, fun and most of all different from all the other shades on the streets. And it seems that the stars think so too, as many of them have been spotted wearing them.Ex-OC stars, Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson wearing the Myrte. Ooo and I LOVE Mischa's jacket.
Lindsay Lohan and Cameron Diaz also sporting the Myrte.
And I must say, I agree with most of the stars here and prefer the second rounder one better, the design combined with the shape which is just so much more flattering, makes it perfect.The one Rachel has on is different, but definitely not as flattering. The aviator style sloping down thing makes it look more masculine and a bit sad- should shades have personalities that is.
For the longest time I was lusting after these hexagonal ones. Because I thought, well, I already have squarish ones, why not have a hexagon one? And these look great. And I also liked the off-white color too. But alas, after trying them on several times, I had to finally admit that they are not for me. Maybe I've become so accustomed to large frames now that I just can't accept smaller frames anymore...
Then at the store I tried on these ones (the lower rounder ones) in purple and it looked awesome. This shape is flattering and yet still different with its large round metal frame, half silver, half purple. Now THIS is fashion. But alas after MUCH debating, I finally decided that I'd like to wear them for more than one season and with that half silver and half purple rim thing, it was too trendy for me

In the end, I bought a similarly styled paired sans the dual colored rims, from Marc Jacobs in brown (I know, it doesn't quite look brown here, but it is. I considered the purple ones and they're much pinker than this). While the metal frames and round shape style is still the same, this design is much simpler, more feminine and much more classic. The only downside is that this design is not very condusive to sticking it on my head like a hairband cause the nose thing gets in the way. But I'll live ;)

Photo Credits: Chloe, Mischa Style, CoutureCandy and Life & Style.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Eye Lash Perming

Yesterday evening, BG and I went to do something really girly together -we got our eye lashes permed. For those of you who have never heard people getting their lashes, it's basically getting your eye lashes curled permenantly. Well, permenant for maybe a bit more than one month, but really, that's permenant enough since it's likely your lashes will fall off naturally around that time.

The procedure takes around forty-five minutes to an hour. Now I can't describe the whole, exact procedure because my eyes were closed the whole time but from what I understand, the facialist curled and glued the lashes around a small, round piece of plastic thing. The facialist also applied some perming chemicals onto the lashes. After 20 minutes, the facialist applied more chemicals. After another 20 minutes, the facialist used oil to remove the checials and glue and that plastic strip thing. Voila -you've got curled lashes.

OK, so the newly permed lashes look a bit clumped together (because not all the glue could be removed without the facialist scrubbing too hard,) but give it a few days and you'll look like you've got naturally curled lashes. This wasn't my first lash perm, but it was BG's. BG forgot to keep her eyes completely shut during the procedure so the chemicals stung her lashes a bit. So if you're planning to get your lashes permed, remember to keep your eyes shut tight!

Perming our lashes only cost us around HK$80 each, that's around US$10 each. It's totally worth it because curled lashes make one's eyes look so much more awake. Plus, now I don't have to curl my lashes or apply mascara on for my normal days. If anyone is trying to decide whether to get their lashes permed -do it! Anyone else had their lashes permed before?

Missing Pieces

1. Because she’s always there in her room which means that she’s always available whenever I need her..hehehhe..
2. She has everything I need…hair dryer..mosquito repellants..tissue..instant noodles..hair serum...eating bowl...spoons…DVDs…everything! Heheheh…I guess I’m quite some snag for Intan actually..;p
3. She’s the only one who always asks seriously about my assignments and reminds me to study not sleep…she always says.."Come on Diana..you can do it!!”…so sweet…
4. She has this kiddy voice that I usually make fun of hehehehhe…
5. Being a lazybumsleepinghead…Intan is there as my alarm…thank you for waking me up all these times Intan…
6. She’s sooooo updated with Hollywood gossips and fashion trends which for sure I’m also interested in huehehhehe…we can chat all night long just talking about these so-not-important things…
7. We share the same style for clothes…we even have some stuffs (shirt, jeans, etc.) which are exactly the same…
8. She’s a really nice girl to chat with…a mixture of stupidity smartness and serious conversations…
9. She’s really cute when she’s in her photographer-wannabe mode…
10. We have 3 must-see shops in any shopping centers…Zara, Mango and Topshop hihihihihi….
Haaa…this list can go on and on…and Intan will be overflattered with it heheheh…so rather than just reading this post, COME BACK HERE YA LIL KID…need your instant noodles for my hungry stomach hehehehhe…


1. Well, honestly speaking…because she’s so annoying!! Hehehehhe…seriously, I miss her for that heheheheh…
2. I like to see her shop coz she has this peculiar standards that takes her a loooooong time in deciding whether to buy or not…usually it ends up in her not buying any…hahahahah…
3. We really like to spend our time watching E! Channel and other similar junk-hollywood news…haaa…really miss those times when she stays over at my house and watch TV till morning just yawning and watching and yawning and watching…I guess that’s how we relax our mind hehehehhe…..
4. Because she’s very straight-forward when speaking up her thoughts..I like her honesty…it doesn’t get me puzzled in guessing what’s on her mind…
5. Because we love Lindsay Lohan both her movies and songs hehehehhe….
6. Because she’s very different that we both often have opposing views in seeing things…interesting…
7. Because she’s just adorable in her own way…
8. Because she always sends me sweet messages even when I'm here in KL...:'(
9. Because I am indirectly her personal driver…daym you DINAAAAAAA muahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahah…miss ya sooooooo!!!!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

SS07 Trend: Printed Shorts

I've never been much of a shorts fan growing up, but I'm currently LOVING my white shiny short shorts from Express. While it is easy to wear and looks awesome though, sometimes I do feel the urge to spice it up a bit. And therein comes the printed shorts!
My two favourite printed shorts look from Luella and Biba. These printed shorts adds just the perfect touch to the otherwise very standard tops.
Some more prints from Alice + Olivia (left), DVF (top right) and Forever 21 (bottom right). And the trick to making them not look like those printed beach surf shorts? Make sure they are of a structured cut and that you wear it with something of a simple style in a solid color that compliments the print of the short. Yes I know, its a very challenging thing to wear.
Something slightly more easier would be plaid prints, as on the Max Sports(left) and Luella (right)(well, its kind of plaid) runway. It makes an outfit instantly preppy and cute. Pair with slim sneakers for a more down to earth look.
Here are some selections from Abercrombie (top left), American Eagle (bottom left) and Juicy Couture (right). I daresay, you've probably seens a LOT of these about in the stores lately. One of my friends was also considering getting the ones from A&F, but alas it was $50 back then and didn't seem really worth it. Now its a very thin line between wearing these shorts and wearing your boyfriend's shrunken plaid boxers. Remember to wear something very clean cut and solid on top. You can even style it up with a pair of heels.For something a little more subtle (which I prefer more), try more subtly printed plaids, like this one from Abercrombie (left). But I am especially loving this one from Forever 21 (right) with its plaid cuffs.
Then there are the more or less classic striped shorts. The stripes from the D Squared (left) and Derek Lam (right) runway are more boldly and sharply contrasted than we are used to. Again match it with something simple and solid (like a white top). And for some extra oomph, throw on something of the same color as the colored stripes of your shorts. i.e. red striped shorts with the red bag (left).
To achieve the same casual look there are these striped shorts from Mulberry (left). And a bit less sharp, striped shorts from Abercrombie (right). Have fun with printed shorts!

Bitten Gets Beaten Up

We obviously know that it’s very difficult in saying “This is my design! Don’t copy my design!”...go ahead and shriek at those copycats...they’ll just smile and say..”It’s life dude..we all need a living”...baah...it happened to me several times yet I’m not even a real nor professional artist...

Anyway..the Bitten newly fashion line got some pros and contras going on...some say, “How can Bitten’s stuff be so cheap? Are they underpaying their workers?”...Well, this was an interesting issue going on...but come on, get real...don’t just ask those questions to Sarah Jessica Parker...ask them to all brands!! Premium-price stuffs or so-called popular brands do deserve such questions anyway..we never know..and it is so unfair for the has-been SJP to receive all these offensive questions...maybe she’s truly doing a good deed after all...

BUT...maybe...how their stuffs are so cheap (which if I’m not mistaken everything’s below $20)..is that in the end they actually don’t have a proper designer..I mean...they don’t really design and do all those trial-and-error sketch and mock-ups which are without doubt incredibly costly nor require SJP in pumping up those brains to think and design..they just...PLAGIARIZE! muahahah...

Well, again, the boundaries of whose design this is or who came up with that style at first is quite vague..just like cars, reverse engineering is in fact allowed...quite sad in my opinion...but wouldn’t it be a bit awkward for SJP to actually do so? I mean...if I was her, I would really prioritize my pride ahead then think twice about running such business..I know what she’s trying to do...she wants to give opportunities to people who can’t afford high-end brands to still look fashionable and trendy yet in a much affordable way...but...hah..i dunno...it’s a bit confusing...I just don’t like to see the view of many brands having the same design...(for your information, Vincci and Nose often fakes Nine West stuffs huehehhe I’ve been noticing that for a long time here in KL)...

Below is Bitten’s foldover bag for just $9.98 (right)...replicating Anna Corinna’s mini city tote which is $360 (left)... I know people can tell which one’s more “original” and leather-made...but just look at it..why can’t SJP just design her own stuffs....



Quote of The Day

" A literature review shouldn't be too long or too short...just enough to cover up the important parts...like a mini skirt..."

- Sharjeel's dissertation supervisor -
...

New Wishlist

Hehehehe....these are some new stuffs I like from Topshop...I think I'm gonna save some money to get one of those sunglasses and also probably a pair of flats...yippiiieeee....

Monday, June 25, 2007

The Natural Look

I've always been into the natural look, you know, that made-up-natural-look that has been the trend in recent years (-or at least as long as I've paid attention to fashion and beauty anyways.) And I've always been excellent at applying this look, mainly because I always under-apply the makeup and think that I've applied too much, and also because it's actually quite hard to over-apply natural-coloured products. Just yesterday, my colleagues asked whether I actually had makeup on. So either I looked really worn out, or I am indeed an expert at the natural makeup look. I'll assume I'm the latter, naturally.

First I apply the oil free tinted moisturiser by Laura Mercier. It's excellent at making one's skin tone look even and it's seriously easy to apply -just use a tiny bit and use your fingers to spread a very thin layer on your face.

Then I apply blush. I usually use MAC's Pinch'O'Peach, which is a pale, orangey, mocha colour. But last Sunday, I just bought a blush named Well Dressed, which is pale pink. It really gives me the natural, prettily-blushed look.

Then I curl my lashes with my underused Shu Uemura eyelash curler. (But I'm way too lazy to apply mascara, or rather, to remove the mascara at the end of the night. Plus mascara makes my whole look feel made-up.)

Lastly, if I'm in a very good mood and have time left before leaving, I apply a teeny tiny bit of this brownish brown eye pencil (MAC's Bountiful Brown) on the outer eyelines (upper and lower eyelines).

All this takes me around 5 mintues. What is your daily makeup?

Friday, June 22, 2007

Gwen Stefani Sweet Escape Concert 2007

After 6 months of waiting (yes, I bought the tickets as soon as it came out- and yet I still had less than ideal seats....) I FINALLY went to see the Gwen Stefani Sweet Escape concert a few weeks ago in Chicago. I was SOOOO looking forward to it, because after seeing the Cold Play and Maroon 5 concert- which were good but not really as exhilarating as I'd imagined, I decided that I most wanted to see Gwen Stefani because I love her and her music. Plus then at least I'd know and like most of her songs and from all her music videos, she seemed like a good performer. That turned out to be an understatement because Gwen is a BRILLIANT performer and the whole concert was just AWESOME.
First of all, the location was great. Even though we had to drive about 1.5 hours away from the city to get there and it was literally in the middle of nowhere (and I am not a fan of the middle of nowhere), going to a concert at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre was an experience in itself. I've probably just not been to my share of concerts, but the experience of being in a open stadium listening to a concert with 20,000 other excited people expanding far behind on the green lawn on such a beautiful spring night was just overwhelmingly brilliant.
Shopping wise, I must say, they had a pretty good selection. Tank tops, many really cute printed tees, posters, badges, beanies, scarves, dolls, toys and such. But what I was REALLY looking for, was a black cap that says "The Sweet Escape 2007" on in swirly handwriting with a small squigle of Gwen's signature on the corner in silver or black (this is purely from a figment of my imagination, but I think that it SHOULD exist!). I'm confident that I'd at least wear it once or twice. Whereas if I got a tshirt, it would end up rotting in my wardrobe (like my Corrs tank top) and me never wanting to ruin it by wearing it. So in the end, I got a booklet (above) on the show, and in the end I think that was a good investment.
We had seats at towards the center on the second pavilion (I don't understand why I couldn't buy tickets in the first pavilion when I started booking tickets the day it was out....) and had an ok view of the stage. The opening act of the opening act was Lady Sovereign, which I've kind of heard of. But not exactly my type of music.
Half an hour later, the actual opening act comes out- AKON! Personally I don't really know much of Akon's songs besides Lonely, but it was a brilliant opening act. He really got the crowd going and he has inspired me to listen to his music some more.
Another half an hour to an hour later (I never understand why they make you wait), Gwen FINALLY comes out in a golden cage that pops onto stage, singing the Sweet Escape and we all go wild. And the BEST thing I love about her is that she sang music from her last cd (which I liked better) too. She danced, she sang, there were matching themes according to her songs. (sidenote: don't you just love how the stage setting improves as you get along towards the "main" course?).Like when she sang Yummy, she changed into this apron outfit (right) along with her dancers and the background screen showed multicolored candies dancing around. And I think there were even a treadmill and two mini trampolines on the stage to help with some of the excellently chereographed and executed dance moves. Definitely a great performer.
Costume wise, there were some that really only Gwen can carry off. Like this kimino wrap thing...what IS it? From afar, it looked like a short pink bubble dress, but from the book......I have no idea. And the whole showing the midriff thing, I hope that remains in the 90s. But this whole thing made me realise the place for overdramatized clothes. Like this simple blue/white striped shirt for example. From afar it looked like a simple shirt with a slight twinkle, but on a closer look, it is actually made of sparkly blue/white sequins. The sequins really made her stand out from afar.
My favourite outfits in the whole show were these two. I love the preppy yet edgy look she has here. I am totally going to look into those prints next fall. Her long trench coats were just SOOOO pretty. I think towards the end at the encore, there was this other similar coat that was just as amazing. I bet these are all available from LAMB as part of her smart marketing technique. And her SHOES. Even from afar I could tell they were sexy gorgeous shoes
At one point, she even ran off stage and into the audience. Luckily we were on the right side of the pavilion, because she ran to our side and stopped just 3 meters away from us and started to sing, Cool (love that song)!!!! We were all kicking ourselves for not buying tickets a few rows backer! And WOW she has amazing abs for a mother (or anyone!). Its hard to remember that she looks pretty with all the make-up and costume thing Gwen wears all the time on her MV's.

So in case you haven't gotten the message yet, it was an AMAZING SHOW. I loved it sooooo much, that just writing about it now makes me excited all over again :D Even my friend who doesn't even like Gwen Stefani thought it was an awesome show. Sigh.... it was the one concert that left me happy and smiling for at least a weekend after. The PERFECT end to my school year :)

ps. Sorry, my scanner broke and I had to use my camera....

One Of My Random Outfits...

Just wanted to post an outfit I wore for a Friday night out a few weeks ago:

Simple black dress from Uniqlo, which I only discovered recently (yes I'm slow,) and visited because I wanted to check out the Phillip Lim for Uniqlo collection but didn't see any when I was there (-so disappointed!) Instead I picked this dress up. The best thing about it is that it's made of cotton, so it's machine-washable!

A belt from Kate Moss Top Shop. I love the studs and that it's wraps around the waist two times. What I'm not too big on is the suade because it's such an easy-to-get-dirty material. Yes it's over-priced but I was in desperate need for a belt and it's hard for me to find a belt I actually like.

Gold shoes to add a bit of nighttime glam to the outfit. And I wore a bright emerald green-coloured wrap on top. I figure when I get sick of wearing this outfit at night, I can just wear it with gladiator sandals instead as a daytime outfit. Genius (not)!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

MAC Brow Clear Finisher

One of my many lazy traits is that I don't like plucking my eye brows too much. Many girls I know pluck them into these perfect and narrow arches, and while that looks great on some people, it just looks so superficial on others. Some of my brow hair is a bit long and they droop down so they make it look like I've got hair under the brows and mess up the arches. One way to deal with this (not from solid knowledge) is that you can cut long eye brow hair shorter. I can' t even figure out how to pluck my eye brows to get that arch, so I definitely don't want to start cutting my brow hair. (And I'm still way too cheap to get a professional plucker to do my brows.)


The second way is use a product to make the brow hair stay in position. This way can be done in a variety of products. You've probably seen those eye brow shapers that look like mascaras, such as from Bobbi Brown. I've thought about trying those mascara-looking brow shapers out but I figured since I wouldn't be using it often, I wanted a product that I wouldn't have to replace after six months usage. Thankfully, when I visited MAC to look at eye shadows, the saleslady recommended me MAC's Brow Finisher (picture above,) which is basically a wax stick. It applies on clear so you can't really tell you've applied makeup on there. Most importantly, I just really like how simple it is to just stroke the finisher at the outer ends of the brow to keep the brow in position. So even if you're only so-and-so eyebrows, fixing their shape really helps define them. It is now a must-have in my makeup bag. Loves it!

Photo credit: http://www.maccosmetics.com

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Pakwheels Oh Pakwheels

If I can be spending hours and hours in front of my laptop just browsing the internet..well Sharjeel is even waaaay better at that...but instead of looking at fashion and gossip pages... its on CARS and motorsports or whatever you call it...and his most loved website; PAKWHEELS.com...if only their government banned that website, i wud probably be laughing at Sharjeel crying over it muahahahhahaha...
About 2 days ago he told me about this t-shirt design competition thingy...and with his reverse psychology (lovely) eyes he implicitly asked me to help him on this...so here it was, a collaboration between a fashionista and a motorfreak...lol....it was a quick work...just like 2-4 hours hehehhe...don't know how's it gonna be...anyways I hope they like it...

SS07: Neon Bright Colors on the Street

A few weeks ago I took note of the neon bright colors on the runway. But in reality, how many of us are going to go out dressed like one of those bright orange and yellow road cones?

Taking the trend a step down for the streets, we have subtle bits of neon to brighten up solid dark shades, like here at Gucci (left) and Lanvin (right).
To be more economical, instead of finding outfits with built in neons, accessorize the solid colors you already own with neons! Take here on the Cacharel (left) and DVF(right) runway- I LOVE how the bright belts adds extra personality to each outfit. The yellow belt makes the outfit instantly younger. And the fuschia belt gives the stark black dress a softer, more feminine and flirty touch.
So copy this look with this cheap skinny fuschia belt from UO and this not-quite-so-cheap yellow Elegantly Waisted cummerbund belt from Shop Bop.
Even easier, forget the belts and just grab neon bright bags/shoes and pair it with neutral colored outfits, like here on the Marni (left) and Paul Smith Woman (right) runway.
For neon accessories, don't pick anything too fancy. The color IS the style. Go for something simple and classic, like these yellow ballet flats and even just flip flops from UO.
Or this simple yellow tote from UO. For something slightly trickier but definitely refreshing, try sprucing up your summer wardrobe with neon colored tights instead of the usual black ones, which frankly, becomes quick boring after all this time.
Something more subtle (and definitely more economical) that I'd probably go for are neon colored jewelry, like these necklace and bangles from Forever 21. They are the simplest and the most economical way to embrace this trend.
Then there are the neon colored skinny headbands and colored shades. I'm actually considering getting a pair of colored shades cause they look so cool. Incidentally I tried on a similar pair as the ones shown above at UO the other day and the fit is amazing. My only concern is that you'd have to make sure that the outfit you're wearing works with this particular colored shade- and hence my shades are either black or white. On the other hand.... it IS only $14.

The thing to be careful about with all this neon bright trend is that its a thin line between looking trendy and looking cheap. So try to be more subtle, pick one neon accessory and pair it with a classy looking outfit!

Photo Credits: www.elle.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.forever21.com