Making blazers girly

I found this spread on Harper Bazaar's March 2009 issue when I was going through my old magazines.

For Spring 2010, lose the ultra-chic image and try being easy-going effortless.

Nowadays, all the blazers are being paired up with black skin-tight leggings, distressed denims, harem pants...

Well, how about...

Cinch the waist with a colourful sash rather than a leather belt.

Try a flower brooch or a straw hat.

Wooden wedges instead of stilettos.

Trade those skin-tight bandage skirts or slick leather skirts for flowy skirts.

Store plain white T's and bring out the pastel-coloured lacy or scalloped tops.

Midnight Snack- Chicken Pita

Making midnight snacks has become a ritual for me during my staying-up-late phase.

I go to the kitchen and raid my fridge and make whatever I find.

Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade sort of thing.

Luckily, my mom went grocery shopping earlier today; thus I had a lot of goodies to work with.

1. I cut the pita bread in 1/2 and put it in the toaster.

2. Then Cut cucumber, celery stick, jalapenos peppers and tomatos.

3. Crust chicken breast in parmagan cheese and pan fry until golden brown.

4. Spread dijon mustard and feta cheese.

When you have almost nothing in the fridge, you can substitute.

pita---->bread

fresh vegetables---->bean sprouts or alfafa and pickled ginger (ginger from Japanese restaurant) 

chicken--->bacon bits

mustard---->mayo

I know this sounds gross, but I have tried it. Surprisingly ginger tastes good in a sandwich ;)

  

Recent fashion books

I started looking into fashion books. They give more depth and style than a magazine could. 

The teenVOGUE handbook is filled with great advices not exclusive to fashion enthusiasts.  

Some of the most successful people give life advices in this book. It's like they are sharing their secrets to success.

Secondly, a more casual and quirky book called "Like I Give a Frock" caught my attention. The title hints the personality of the author who is a witty fashion forecaster, Michi girl. 

The main reason I bought book was for its colourful illustrations. The whole book is filled with fashion illustrations with captions offering fashion do's and don'ts.

An Alternative to Lip liner

 

Ellen Paige from a scene in "Whip It."

This just came into my mind when i thought of the title for this post.

Anywho, I was always bothered by "undefined" lips. What I mean is that I do not have a clear lip line. My lips just spread out, causing my lips to be too big and red sometimes. I've always wanted that perfect pout everyone dreams of.

Well, I found my solution when I discovered Dior's new lip maximizer (collagen activ).

 

It feels cool and all tingly when applied. I could feel the difference. It felt as my lips were forming a pout on its own. After two or three weeks of application, I actually got a pout and defined lips. If you don't like the tingly feeling of collagen injection, you could also outline your lips with a brightener or a highlighter.

Good bye to those dry and uncomfy lip liners~

 

 

Candy nail colour

About a week ago, I visited the Anna Sui beauty counter and saw the new spring colours coming right out of the boxes. There were no samples yet, but I knew I had to have it!
The new collection's bottle is a shape of a rose.
I got the grape candy colour. I hate that all the Anna Sui nail colour don't have names.
So I named it, "Sour grapes."
It's dark purple with big super shiny glitters. If it were to be candy, it would taste like Nerds Grape flavour.
I feel like a kid in a candy store.
All the colours in the recent collections are fun, super glittery and shiny. 

Lady Gaga-Telephone

I did not imagine this music video when I first heard the song, "Telephone" by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce.  This is the most entertaining music video that both Lady Gaga and Beyonce have ever filmed. The song is extremely catchy and one can't get enough of it.

I guess the most entertaining part of the video is just watching what Lady Gaga's wearing. What she wears goes beyond fashion, it's more like an art. The cigarette sunglasses and a telephone headress are really cool. It reminded me of the cigarette bra that I saw a  a few months ago at the Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery (555 Nelson St, Vancouver). I did not know that she had coke cans as hair rollers. That's just too good.

I dream of Paris : Mulberry Fall 2010 RTW

The Ready-To-Wear collection was, I could say, even better than the bags themselves.

I mean many designer lines put on a runway show to sell their accessories collection, but I think for Fall 2010, the RTW is going to be a hit! I haven't seen a blog post about Mulberry on the RTW collection yet, but it's worth the attention. I love the electric blues, psychdelic purples, mixed patterns with soft beiges. 
The collection caters to every style.

I could see myself walking in streets of Paris with this collection, despite the fact that Mulberry is English.

The semi-beehive with flawless skin and heavy eye lines reflect Parisian style.

Mulberry Craze

 I haven't really seen Mulberrys since a few years ago.

The trend is totally back! I loved Mulberry's previous fall collection and it hasn't been the same since until Summer 2010 and Fall 2010 RTW...or really until Alexa bag came into the view.

Needless to say, the Fall 2010 RTW was as appealing as the bags themselves.

My favourite is this new Alexa bag!

I also love the pink one and the blue one is just adorable!

Chain Charms

I got this multi-chain necklace from Moule a few days ago.

I still haven't worn them yet because I am trying to figure out what to wear with it.

I got it 40% off from the original price, which is just great!

It's not too heavy and it comes down to the belly button.

They have a great selection of clothes and accessories.

Locations:

Park Royal Mall South

2nd Level

Kitsilano

1994 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5
(604) 732-4066

Glamourized outdoors :Dsquared Summer 2010

I didn't think much of Dsquared until I saw the Fall 2009 RTW when the models were sent out on the runway with starbucks cups as accessories, which was brilliant! 

Both Dean and Dan Caten, the creative minds behind the label are from Canada.
These guys know how to have fun on the runway! 

In their more recent show, Summer 2010 RTW, the runway had a camping site set up with hot guys sitting around the camp fire setting.

The collection is amazing. I love the laminated denim, laminated dress, laminated bagpacks with high gloss, acid-colored ankle boots.

The trucker hats with thick framed glasses and insect-inspired jewelry really made camping chic.

I also love the band-aids on models. The glamourous dresses with trucker hats don't usually go together, but Dean and Dan Caten know how to work it!

Here are some of my favourite looks.

Affordable nail art

I got into Japanese Nail art after I picked up a Japanese fashion magazine, "PopTeen."

The magazine is filled with cute japanese girls (probably from Harajuku) showing off their "wicked style" as Gwen Stefani sings in her song, "Harajuku Girls." Gwen was right about them Harajuku girls. 

What I noticed was their nail art. All the girls had such wicked nails! 

Their nail art ranged from 2D to 3D with amazing colors and decorations.

 

I was amazed by what they can do with their nails!

It's more than a manicure, so I decided to call several salons in the Vancouver area who does Japanese nail art. The hair salon I go to also is a nail salon specializing in Japanese nail art. I think many asian hair salons provide Japanese nail art services, but are extremely pricey.

 

I, then, decided to buy some artificial nail chips to do it myself.

I, of course, headed to Asian mega dollar store, Daiso in Aberdeen Mall, Richmond.

There, I also got some stickers, nail chains, 3D nail art pen all for $2 each.

For some nail stickers, I randomly found them when I was buying books from the UBC bookstore on campus.

I came across more nail stickers when I was distributing posters from my job at a boutique at Yaletown.

It took me sometime to do each nail, but it was worth it!

I saved so much by doing it myself. Of course, the results are not salon quality. 

 

You can also head to these locations for additional supplies....

1. Michael's

2. Shifeon (cosmetic shop on Robson St.)- they have the most amazing collection of 3D nail stickers

1156 Robson Street

Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6E 1B2
ph: (604) 688-3291

For professional services...

1.Kaen Beauty Desgin Studio

846 Thurlow St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Tel:604.696.6080

2. Sweet Nail Salon

2128 Sexsmith Road, Richmond

Tel: (604) 276-2996

Recessionista: Hunt for Accessories Bargain!

Well, as a full-time university student with an unpaid internship, I have no income.

Despite my situations, I still have cravings for pretty things, especially when there are great deals around the city!

I check out some of my favourite stores frequently for new arrivals or new mark-downs.

Check these Vancouver retail stores for great deals on accessories

1. Banana Republic

They carry stylish and good quality jewelry for less.
This hairband goes with dresses, suits and casual outfits.

2. Aldo Accessories

Some may disagree with my choice, but Aldo Accessories sometimes carry trendy jewelry. I can't promise their quality though, but at least you can keep up with the trend without breaking the buck!

3. wishlist

2811 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC, V6K 2G6

West Broadway & Macdonald St. (located two stores down from PLENTY-> in front of #17 bus stop)

Their collection is both trendy and classy. Their price range is $30 ~ $200.

I got this chain and crystal earrings! A Great Find!

4. loulou luv

3071 West Broadway
Vancouver BC
V6K 2G9

Tel 604 677 0682

Down the same street as the wishlist

They have a collection of jewelry similar to the wishlist (some by local and some by internationally-acclaimed jewelry designers).

The store is much bigger and has more selections in the lower price range.

5. BCBG MaxAzria

If you want to splurge, you can go to BCBG to find some runway inspired jewelry for much less.

I got these black leather gloves for $30! Good thing I was patient because I remember it was $116 in November and I was drooling all over it.

6. Urban Outfitters

I like their little charm necklaces, which always costs around $28~ $38. Sadly, they don't have a lot of jewelry right now at the Vancouver downtown store. They got rid of the whole jewelry section and only have a few out.

The Hunt continues...

P.S. I cannot guarantee that all the stuff I found are still available at the stores. Just keep that in mind.

Star Inspiration

I get my inspiration from reading other fashion blogs, fashion magazines, newspapers, and sometimes from television. I go to a lot of street-style blogs and get my inspiration from there. If I'm lost, I turn to a few selected celebrities for an idea.

1. Kirsten Dunst

My favourite! I love her laid-back yet classy style. She never dissappoints!

2. Emma Watson

Her style looks very chic, but not over the top. Effortless!

3. Alexa Chung

I love everything about her except her hair. She has a pretty face and a great style, but somebody should do something about her hair! It always looks too rolled-out-of-bed or too casual, and not in a good way.

4. Diane Kruger

She always looks like a Goddess.

5. Keira Knightley

Very English, very chic and elegant.

6. Kate Bosworth

Very soft and lady-like!

7. Dakota Fanning

She is way younger than I am, but gotta love her style! She is the only celebrity on the radar who dresses age appropriately. I mean Miley looks old enough to be Dakota's aunt!

I love her casual and very chic style. She looks very fresh and young, and yet not juvenile.

8. Ashley & Mary-Kate Olson

Need I say more?

Who are your favourite stars?