Mid week outfit–The one too many blazer

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Last year I went through something of a blazer purchase frenzy, and this blue number from Asos.com was the ‘one that was too many’, and the final blazer in my collection before I kicked that pesky addiction! Funnily enough this week I wore it for the very first time. I love that it has a striped lining for folding, and that the length is somewhere between tuxedo and boyfriend.

I wore: Blazer from Asos.com; T-shirt from the T-Bar; Shorts three sizes too big thrifted for $2; Jeffrey Campbell Lita's

 

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Ulzzang inspired makeup tutorial!

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A while ago one of my readers asked me if I would do a Korean Ulzzang makeup tutorial. Well here it is! There is a huge difference between Japanese gyaru style makeup and the Korean Ulzzang look. The main difference is I think the gyaru style is aimed at achieving huge round lashy eyes, while the ulzzang style is about creating a half moon eye shape and elongating the eye while keeping everything quite natural looking. The appeal of Japanese gyaru style is that you use so many products and tricks to camouflage almost any flaw. For example, if you have narrow eyes, you can make them look wider by applying super long lashes; if you want your eyes to look droopy all you have to do is draw eyeliner outside of your natural eye line. As the Ulzzang look requires (and allows for) so much less makeup, the key is to emphasize your naturally beautiful features, particularly your eyes. So most of the steps in the below tutorial will be aimed at doing this – good luck!

First, start with a flawless base. I used Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream as a base, Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA Liquid Foundation, Clinique Concealer, and Chanel ÉCLAT LUMIÈRE for under the eyes. Pay special attention to concealing any blemishes and under eyes shadows. Apply a generous amount of foundation to completely even out your skin tone. It might not be a bad idea to use a shade lighter than your skin, but make sure to follow through with your neck and décolletage so there is no contrast!

Now apply a little blush to give your skin some colour to balance out all that foundation!

One of the most iconic aspects of the Korean Ulzzang look is thick and straight, natural looking eyebrows. Use an eyebrow pen to fill in any gaps and draw slightly outside of your eyebrows if they are very thin. I have also used Cosmagic Visual Up Brow eyebrow mascara to lighten my eyebrows.

Now eyeshadow. I used a four tone palette by Stilla, my favourite!

Use the highlight to brighten up your whole eye area.

Using mid-tone and the brown shadows, define your lids and shade the outer corners of your eyes.

Now to create that puffy tear line look. Apply a thin line of highlight (or white eyeliner) just below your tear line, then just below that, a thin like of mid-tone eyeshadow.

Now for the all important eyeliner. I used Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Black. Draw a thin line as close to the roots of your lashes as you can, then draw out a *really* long wing. Make sure this line is super smooth and close, and also apply eyeliner under the roots of your top lashes.

Now we’ll work on the bottom eyelid to complete the half moon shape.

Using liquid eyeliner, draw a thin line under the tear duct of the inner corner of your eye.

Using a near-black eye shadow or pencil eyeliner, draw out the outer edge of your eye, making sure to meet up with the wing of the liquid eyeliner on top.

If you already have long lashes, just curl them, and apply a thick layer of mascara. If you have almost non-existent lashes, like me, apply a set of natural long lashes, like this pair I purchased for $2.80 from the local discount store. This kind of design should be quite common and easy to find.

Apply a natural pink lippy and you’re done! (Yes, I changed lenses – I thought a natural brown like Princess Mimi Bambi Almond Brown would be more appropriate!)

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Monday Nail stuff–French “Moustache” Manicure

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Ok I don’t now what’s the deal with moustaches, but ever since my Nerd Birds Review, I’ve seen seeing them everywhere! Recently someone at work asked me about the moustache picture on my facebook, and I was honestly at a loss for words to explain…

Anyway recently I saw some moustache themed nail art that really inspired me. So this week’s nail theme is the French Moustache Manicure!

Oh and a shout out to Jennifer from http://njennifer.blogspot.com.au, who’s just recently launched a new moustache themed blog layout!

For this look I used:

• Nail polish remover
• OPI Base Coat
• OPI Nail Polish in “Alpine Snow”
• Seche Vite top coat (I find this to be the most amazing top coat especially for nail art, as it helps the nail polish to dry super quickly)

If you’re wondering why my nail polish remover is suspiciously unmarked…it’s because it’s from my scientist boyfriend’s lab . Scientists are sexy hehe

Also:

• Tiny tiny brush for the moustache detail
• Dotter tool for the white dot design
• Old eyeliner brush for neatening up the French tips

The steps are very simple:

1. Apply a coat of the case coat
2. Paint a rough white tip on nails
3. Dip eyeliner brush in nail polish remover and clean up white tip
4. When nail polish remover and white tips are dry, paint on moustache
5. Dot on white dots
6. Finish with top coat

The perk is that this nail design also serves as a portable mini disguise for facilitating light criminal activities or avoiding awkward meetings with that talkative acquaintance.

And now I leave you with ‘Moustache Cat”!!

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my giveaway!

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Closet Voyage Favourites Giveaway!

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Wow it’s been such a long time since my big giveaway in July last year, celebrating my blog hitting 200 follows. I’ve been planning to have another one over the months and I’ve collected a bunch of my fav products – so that’s why this is the Closet Voyage Favourites Giveaway~ every product has been pre-approved by me, and I just know you’ll love them!

P.S. don't let the high number of entries listed in the widget put you off - this is the number of raw entries (up to 15 per person) and not the number of individual entrants.

This time there will be FOUR winners!

First Prize:

• Dolly Wink No.10
• Candy Doll Mineral Powder
• Candy Doll Lip Gloss
• Dolly Wink nail polish
• Chameleon 24 Colour palette
• Anna Sui Tote bag

Second Prize:

• Diamond Lash Glamorous Eye
• Almay three tone palette
• Handmade Taiwanese lower lashes
• Estee Lauder lipstick
• EOS lip balm
• 1x NYC nail polish

Third Prize

• Jealousness Top lashes
• Eyelash Extension lower lashes
• Lancome mini lipstick
• 1 x NYC nail polish

Fourth Prize

• Jealousness top lashes
• Eyelash Extension lower lashes
• 1 x NYC nail polish

To enter, you must be following me through GFC. However, you can follow the instructions in the widget below to get up to 14 extra entries by doing things like liking my facebook page, following me on twitter, and tweeting about my giveaway! To start, log in using your facebook account or simply put in your email address!

Friday Review: Dolly Wink No.10 Sweet Cat

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When I heard of the second set of Dolly Wink false lashes ‘Produced by’ gyaru model Tsubasa Masuwaka, I was both excited and at the same time slightly weary. The new range is aimed at the ‘otona kawaii’ look, possibly translated as ‘mature cute’, which coincides with the recent trend in the gyaru style in Japan. I wondered if the new range could live up to the popularity of the first, with more natural and grown-up styles.

I picked up No.10 ‘Sweet Cat’, as it is the more dramatic looking of the range.

Taking a closer look at the design, you can see it completely deviates from the original Dolly Wink range in its focus looking natural. The strands are fine and closely spaced, with a few super long strands at the ends to give that ‘cat eye’ look.

I have to say that I’m really impressed with how natural these lashes look. However clearly the naturalness doesn’t take away from these lashes’ ability to create big dolly eyes. The contrast with the first Dolly Wink range designs is that ‘Sweet Cat’ is more suited to elongating the eye line rather than create the ‘tare-me’, or doopy eye effect.

While No.10 are not nearly as dramatic as designs like No.1 and No.2, I’m totally in love with it! The look is definitely ‘otona kawaii’ and I think this is a pair of lashes you could wear everyday.

In terms of quality and comfort, No.10 lives up to the Dolly Wink standard we’ve all come to appreciate. They are light and flexible, and feel very comfortable on. In fact these are even easier to apply than the previous Dolly Wink range before of the even softer spine, and closely knitted hair strands that give your eyelash glue more surface area to grip.

As always, I recommend pre-curling your lashes and applying a thick layer of mascara before application. To make the centre strands stand our more, I recommend applying mascara to the falsies after application.

• Very natural looking, but still delivering the big eyes effect 
• So light and flexible, so they are easy to apply and feel comfortable on
• Lashes don’t move along the spine easily, so can potentially last you quite a few applications
• As high quality and well made as expected from a Dolly Wink product.
• Durable, so while it is on the expensive side, a pack of two should last you quite some time.

• As it’s still new, this range isn’t widely available and is generally on the expensive side. I picked mine up for $17 a box from ebay (the original Dolly Wink range is available at www.sasa.com for only $13).
• Fans of the first Dolly Wink range will not necessarily like the new range, as its focus is shifted to a more natural and grown-up flavour.

Midweek outfit–mmm curtain fabric blazer!

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If someone said to me, ‘your jacket looks like it was made from curtains’, I’d be like ‘thanks!’. I loved the embroidered pattern on this jacket so much but I bought the skirt and dress in the same fabric >.<

I wore: Necklace by Mimco; Blazer by Review; Jeans by Ksubi; Boots by Diavolina ($40 on sale yay!); Bag from ebay.

 

You might have noticed that I got a much needed haircut this weekend! My fringe was getting out of control. I don’t have any scheduling as such when it comes to getting hair cuts, and I always end up going to my hairdresser when the situation becomes desperate and I can’t even style it anymore.

I have just one guy who I trust to cut my hair in Canberra, Kelvin from o2 hair on Childer St in Civic. I just don’t know why it’s so hard for any other hair dresser to cut my fringe the way I want! It’s always too thin, too straight or too slanty. All I want is a side swept fringe! It seems most hair dressers don’t understand that a fringe can naturally sweep to the side without having to cut it at an angle. Maybe it’s a more complicated concept than I though. I’ve had a few people at work ask me how I get my fringe to sit to the side. I’m like…it just does!

February “Lust Have It” box

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For a while now I’ve been seeing other bloggers talk about monthly beauty boxes like Glossy Box, and always thought how nice it would be if Australia could get this kind of service. Well since around the end of last year a handful of monthly beauty sample box business have been popping up all over the place. While it seems the consensus is that Australia isn’t getting as great products as our counterparts in North America and Europe, these services have been getting positive reactions from Aussies.

I checked out a few sites and decided to try out ‘Lust Have it’. I would have gone with Glossy Box Au, but unfortunately I’ve read some scathing reviews on their unreliable service and disappointing product varieties.

So having signed up to Lust Have It for $15 per month, I directly forgot about the whole thing until a little package was waiting for me at home one day. The February Lust Have It box contains:

• Lancome Juicy Tubes
• Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler
• Sasy n Savy Rose Lavender Hand n Nail Repair Creme
• Lush Sugar Scrub
• Taut Collagen infusion mask

I have to say I’m impressed so far by this months box. There are both beauty and makeup products, though mostly beauty. The sample sizes are generous and they come with a helpful information card. The package itself arrived on 8 February, so not too shabby considering there have been complaints from customers of other box services that packages were not arriving until near the end of the month.

As I was given the ‘20s’ card, I suppose this means they have tailored products to age brackets. I wonder what other age brackets were getting…

I’ll be quickly reviewing each other products.

Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler

The promise:

“This dual action Lemongrass Detangler is a lightweight non-greasy leave in conditioning/treatment mist that can detangle the most unruly hair, leaves hair manageable, luxuriously soft and silky, with the fresh natural fragrance of Passionflower and Ylang Ylang.”

First of all, I have dead straight hair, so I don’t run into any tangling problems, although my bleached ends have been getting quite dry, so I was keen to see if this leave in conditioner would really make my hair soft and silky. Spritsing on some of this stuff, I did notice that it made my hair softer, but not really in an incredibly noticeable way. So I think this product is probably not aimed at my hair type, as it’s advertised as a detangler and probably doesn’t do much else.

Lush Sugar Scrub

The promise:

“Our Sugar Scrub is hard, but a bit of a sweetie. Its’ no nonsense stance stimulates activity and tackles cellulite with fennel and ginger. Skin calming lavender has a balancing effect.”

So the first thing I notice before I even open the box is this fresh floral-herby smell coming from my room where the box was waiting for me. This stuff smells friggen amazing!

Though this product was a bit hard to get at as it’s packaged in a tight ball (and you have to be careful not to get it too wet as the sugar will disintegrate), it feels fantastic on the skin and is a perfect combination of creaminess and exfoliation. I don’t know about its effect on cellulite, but my skin felt so smooth afterwards! This is a product I’ll definitely buy!

Sasy n Savy Rose Lavender Hand n Nail Repair Creme

The promise:

“Skin nourishing evening primrose and macadamia oil soften and smooth. Shea butter soothes and heals dry skin. Vitamin C & E defends hard-working hands from damage”

I have a huge problem with dry hands during the day and most moisturisers actually make the problem worse, make my hands oily, or just don’t work for long enough so I have to keep putting on more. I put this stuff on once in the morning, and it really did seem to ‘defend’ my hands through out the day. I’m quite happy with it!

Lancome Juicy Tubes

Now I already own some Juicy Tubes, and I’m already a fan, but luckily I don’t have this shade. The ones I picked up were just sheer shades and I use them as glosses over lipstick. So what really surprised me is how vibrant and colour saturated this gloss is. I’m totally in love with my new Juicy Tube!

Taut Collagen infusion mask

The promise:

“LAC Taut Gold Standard Collagen Infusion Mask is a facial mask that slips luxuriously onto your face to infuse concentrated premium collagen-enriched essence to tone, hydrate and brighten your complexion in just 7-10 minutes!'”

This mask probably came at a very relevant time, as I have just recently gotten into using sheet masks. What I found really nice about this is how thick the mask is. It held quite a bit of product, so I ended up rubbing this stuff all over myself! I did notice immediately that it did somewhat ‘brighten’ my complexion, but other than that there was no other immediate change. As the pack says though, this mask is ideally used 3-4 times a week, so it’s probably meant to be beneficial over time. I’m still a huge skin care sceptic though and I’ve come to believe, after trying many different topical products, that your diet, more than anything else would determine the health of your skin.

Monday Nail Stuff: Orange starburst nails

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Having happily acquired the gold glittery goodness of China Glaze “Cowardly Lyin'” from the Wizard of Oz collection, I’ve been trying to find a way to NOT wear this colour like an Osaka aunty.

Think Tang before you mix it completely; golden summer sunsets; fictional supernova graphics…

I created this look by progressively layering China Glaze “Cowardly Lyin’” over OPI Hot& Spicy. Super easy look to create!

Style Crush: Ena Matsumoto

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Right now I’m totally style crushing on Ena Matsumoto, Happy Nuts model and producer of her own fashion line, Emoda. I’m not a Happy Nuts fan, but I think Ena’s style has a whole other level of sophistication that’s completely unique to her.

To me her style is sexy, quirky, edgy and ‘large’. By ‘large’ I mean that she really pulls of the big accessories – the big carry all bags; the big statement earrings; oversized shirts in all shades and matters. The thing I love most, though, is how she makes it all look completely effortless. You get the feelings that she just threw on the first thing she saw and yet it always looks polished and pulled together.

I also think her Emoda brand really reflects her aesthetic. It’s all about painted on jeans, loud printed tights and slouchy knits and shirts. Looking at Ena’s outfit posts on her blog makes me feel like rethinking my whole wardrobe => http://ameblo.jp/ena-matsumoto/  and tumblr=> http://enamatsumoto.tumblr.com

But as much as I’d love to emulate her style I think I’ll have to lose about 5 or 10kg first!