o Rapunzel

miu miu SS10

Alexander Wang SS10

One of the hardest things for me to get used to since being back home is the weather over here, especially the humidity. It's only the beginning of March and the relative humidity on an average day can get as high as 95%. It's so humid and damp that AC is dripping and walls are perspiring (yea, I'm not kidding) and my back is sweating from a mere 10 min walk even under the shades. The worst part though, is my hair. No matter how much anti-frizz serum I use or straightening/ conditioning balm I slather onto my hair, it still manages to frizz out the split ends like Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter's wig by the end of the day. So it's almost impossible for me to let my hair down just as it is anymore. To avoid looking like some wacky version of Grace Coddington, I tend to tie my hair up more often these days, usually in a bun or straight up pony tail and sometimes with a headscarf or hairband when I feel like it. But lately I've been testing out the side braid - a popular hair trend this spring as seen on the runways of Miu Miu and Alexander Wang, and I'm kinda digging it. Braids usually seem pretty girly and Rapunzel like, but the side braids seen this season are little bit messier, a little bit more casual, and cool enough to go with most outfits. I'm still perfecting my braiding skills while letting my hair grow out, but looks like it's a hair trend I'll be sporting quite often this spring.

*wearing vintage blazer from Amarcord Vintage, vintage blouse from Horizons Vintage, belt and shorts by Staerk, vintage pumps from Cobblestones, vintage purse from my mother, and cuff by Giles and Brother

images via style.com

2010 (with an exclamation point)

Happy New Year! We have officially stepped into the next decade! Before I start from the zero in 2010, I celebrated the last night of 2009 with my loved ones - had a sinfully scrumptious dinner at home with my lovely family, exchanged x'mas presents (finally!), clinked champagne glasses countless number of times, and then danced the night away in the accompaniment of my friends. My Boxing Day might have come later this year, but considering all the wonderful gifts I received, it was worth the wait.

Here I'm wearing a gold mesh and crystal bib necklace by Colette Malouf from my sister which I absolutely loveeeeeeee (thanks sis! you know me best really). I am a little embarrassed that I hadn't known about this accessory designer prior to this, but now that I do there goes another window shopping website for me. I love the organic aesthetic of her pieces, kinda like an edgy elegance style. The "styles" section of her website provides some useful how-to tips with illustrations for wearing different hair accessories, so definitely worth checking out.

I was pretty satisfied with my own gift-giving this year as well: I got my dad some Happy Socks, my stylish mom a pair of AE gloves and Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato fake eyelashes, my brother a coffee cup-shaped car inverter, my sister a make up pouch and lipstick also from the Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato limited edition, and for my brother-in-law I gave him a Paul Smith pocketsquare. I think all of us stepped into the new year feeling merry, typsy, and full of love. And to put a sweet end to the crazy year of 2009, we enjoyed some Marni pour Laduree macaroons (beautifully packaged in this gold box) that my friend bought for me in Tokyo.

snatched my brother's party mask for a Mask of Zorro look
*wearing a jumpsuit by Amarcord, vintage velour jacket by Amarcord Vintage, belt by Patrizia Pepe, necklace by Style Hurricane, and butterfly mask bought in Vietnam

Here's to a new year of happiness, good health, love, and style!
(and to my superb parents who are in the background here)

Collete Malouf images via colletemalouf.com

wonder lip gloss

The level of technology applied to cosmetics nowadays truly marvels me. Every time I walk into Sephora, there's a new ingredient that claims to make your skin 10 years younger, or a new mascara that actually helps your eyelashes grow (which is also kinda freaky). One could only imagine the amount of money spent on R&D on cosmetics these days. But how about applying some of that technology onto the make up packaging as well? Artists and fashion designers (Christopher Kane, Tsumori Chisato, and even Alex Wang have all been on board already) are the hot collaborations with make-up brands now, coming out with pretty designs and covetable packaging (which I admittedly am a sucker for), but not nearly enough attention has been paid towards the ergonomics of product design. We could all use a little extra convenience in our beauty routine, no? After all, I'm thankful for my pump-able eye cream to rescue my hungover puffiness when my nails are too long to dab inside a jar of cream, and that retractable concealer stick (anything that saves me the trouble of using a brush!). But nothing beats this new lipgloss by Madina that I've just got. May I present you the Wonder Woman of lip gloss.




So my mom actually gave me this lip gloss, which she received from a friend as a gift. But being the traditional lipstick kinda lady that she is, lip gloss rarely makes it to her make up pouch. Hence benefiting me, because one can never have too many lip gloss. Madina is an Italian cosmetics company. I haven't seen much of it here in the U.S., but it's pretty big in Asia, especially in Japan. This particular lip gloss actually came in a pretty drawstring gauze pouch, which upon unveiling I see a mirror on one side of the rectangular tube. Smart, but the mirror n' lip stick thing has been done. But then when you twist it open, ta-da!! You see the wonder...




It lights up! There are 2 miniature lights inside the cap of the gloss stick that automatically turns on when you twist open the tube. And this, may I say, is pure genius. How that lighting thing exactly works I cannot tell you. But I already know this will be my next best friend for parties and clubbing and fancy dim-lighting dinners. This really is the most clever applicator I've seen. With it I can have perfectly glossed lips anytime anywhere, even at pitch-black dance parties.
Goodbye messy out-of-lined lip color, and hello wonder lip gloss!

starry eyes

According to WWD, Shu Uemura just announced its latest collaboration with Japanese kawaii queen Tsumori Chisato, for a limited edition collection inspired by Le Petit Prince. The line-up includes several make-up compacts, lipstick, pouches, and crystal-studded fake eyelashes, all in glittery, starry designs and Chisato's favorite cat prints. Choooooooooo kawaii (super, duper cute)!!! This is by far the prettiest make-up designs I've seen (even cuter than m.a.c.'s Disney character lip gloss few years back), and must get my hands on them when they hit U.S. counters in September.
Make up is so much more than a beautifying agent these days; it's become an accessory, and a mood booster, giving girls a nice glow both inside and out.

Tsumori Chisato's "Cosmic Fantasy" Fall 09/10 Collection

Images: via WWD, atnext.com. To see more images of the kawaii products, click here.

what lipstick shade are you?

Some women wear only one signature lip color to define who they are; others switch their lipstick like they change their underwear. Ever thought about choosing a lipstick according to your zodiac sign? Poppy King, founder of the glamorous lip makeup line Lipstick Queen, analyzes the attributes of each star sign and matches them with a complimentary lipstick shade*.
Born under the Aries sign, I'm excited to find out that coral is my suggested color. I have been wanting to experiment outside of my comfort shades of pink and berry, but never found the courage (or reason) to purchase a bold new lipstick color. Plus bright lips are making a big come back this spring, so thanks to Poppy, I have an excuse to shop for a coral shade lipstick in hopes of achieving that gorgeous Betty Draper look circa 1960's.





Some great choices for coral shades are: Lipstick Queen's Sheer Lipstick in Saint Coral (above left); Vincent Logo Wetpearl Lipstick in Crystal Coral (above right); Dior Addict Lipcolor in Regal Coral; NARS Lipstick in Spiced Coral


*Wanna know which lipstick shade you are? Click here to find out.