Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts

L'Air du Temps


Before I was even able to wrap my head around the clothes or Olivier Theyskens, I could already recognize the smell of L'Air du Temps. I basically grew up with the perfume. Mum occasionally dabbled among other perfumes (like the famous No. 5) but she always stuck with and came back to the L'Air du Temps. I distinctly remember there were a period of time in the late nineties that she would have to buy multiples of it at a time since it getting unpopular and hard to find (at least in Hong Kong). I'm so glad that all Nina Ricci perfumes now have gotten a kind of a comeback into mainstream popularity. I don't even mind getting the perfume myself since it smells so––well appropriately––timeless, always fresh and never dowdy, nor is it ever too sweet, too strong or musky. I will be giving a bottle of it to my mother shortly, so Happy Birthday Mum! Stay tuned for an end of the year wrap up/recap over the next two days? What type of perfume did your mum wear?

We're Going to Have a Warm Winter Here

Christmas feels so strange without snow at all, especially when I remember just how much snow there was last boxing day (in NYC––remember that?!). I thought I would be able to post since I have all the time in the world now, but my mind went on vacation mode and all the ideas I had went down the drain. My Christmas came and went quietly as it was celebrated as per usual huddled around the fireplace with cups of eggnog and some old family photo albums (so embarrassing) in hand. Yesterday, I went Boxing Day shopping with the family (Boxing Day sale in Canada is as crazy as Black Friday in the U.S.) and did not buying anything except for this Benefit Eye Brow kit thing at Sephora, which wasn't even on sale. I only bought it after loving how natural it looked on 0000. Otherwise I couldn't care less about what was on sale at all––maybe this shows how I managed to wean myself off from cheap thrills and stick to building my wardrobe? Who knows. On the other hand, speaking of proportions I love the way these jeans taper from hips and hit slightly above my ankles. I thought I was way over distressed anything but I adore how 'lived in' they feel. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christkwanzikah! I promise I'll get at least another post in before the year is out :)


Fall 2011 Couture Makeup

Sorry for the lack of beauty posts. I'm one of those ten-minutes-and-I'm-out-the-door kind of girl. A little blush, mascara and good skin goes a long long way! A lot of attention has been given to the couture collections but little to the make up and hair. Here are some backstage photos from CHANEL, CHRISTIAN DIOR and VALENTINO that I loved. It's strange that there are no backstage photos of Givenchy's own couture show. Let me know if you find it?



Chanel: Reminds me of Lara's Vogue Paris October 2010 Cover



Valentino: Nothing particularly unique, but nonetheless striking. This looks more spring than fall though, hmm...




Dior: There were many looks throughout the collection but I thought the sequin ones were the best. Hated the collection; loved the makeup. 
Photos via Style.com

Winter Habits

So more than a week ago,  I ordered my first preppy basics from Lands' End, which included a white oxford blouse, a pair of khakis and a pair of chinos. Normally I have the patience and civility to wait for it, but the curiosity towards seeing the final items are driving me crazy. Never before had I really envisioned about building a wardrobe -- finding things that fit and work together. In the past, I had not really given much thought as to what kind of things to buy. If it looks good, fits, and is within my budget then I would just go ahead and checkout. This is different this time round, that I actually envisioned what would be the cornerstone of my style and the way I present myself.
Meanwhile because I really have nothing to say much, except for doing a lot of school work and reading, I could share my winter skin must-haves. Again, this is probably not so preppy, but its is something that I care about regardless whether it is truly "preppy" or not.



These are the type of things I use almost pretty much on a daily basis. From the left, there is Crabtree and Evelyn's Hand Therapy collection to which I faithfully use everyday (at least the moisturizer). Then there is Pond's Cold Cream to remove mostly eye and lip makeup and then Aveeno, as body lotion. These are not really any cool, new products per se, but it's something I like and stuck by.



Out of the hand creams that I have tried, this is the best one that I have used. I have even used L'Occitane (which smells wonderful) but this is the finest formula yet. My skin, en general, is very dry and my hands in the winter is even drier. If I leave my hands unattended for even a brief few hours in the cold without any sort of cream, the skin puckers up, cracks then eventually bleeds. It's awful and painful and this Gardener's Hand Cream really saved the life of my hands.



Because I have such dry skin in general (that is exacerbated in winter), I really need a makeup remover that does not dry me out at all. Best yet, if it is moisturizing and does not remove the water content of my skin at all. I don't wear as much makeup as I use to, at least now during just normal school days, but I do like to wear the occasional mascara, eyeliner or eye shadow. Anyhow, I first came across this particular brand of eye makeup remover through the interview of Karlie Kloss on Into the Gloss. She was saying how that she and the models really swore by it and it removes everything very easily, I was thinking why not give it a try. It also helps that it is very cheap. Though I like the normal kind of eye makeup/general makeup remover by Pond's rose oil makeup remover (only sold in Asia I think) from Japan is better for use on normal days (i.e. summer), this one is surely better for winter. It is the most moisturizing makeup remover ever. It does not use any water and requires only a tissue or a towel to wipe it off. Therefore you do not need to use any water that could potentially strip you of your natural oils. (I suppose with gentle tugging, wrinkles could be prevented.)



It's really, ok, VERY annoying to apply this with the bare hands and finger tips. However it is incredibly good at keeping my lips soft. I guess with the Asian genes my lips are a bit fuller than norm which makes it prone to be dry quickly and get flaky, this lip balm really does its job. I do not have all that much to say about it, but get it and you will get results. I do suggest to wear it only before at night with a thick layer sur la bouche and wake up with soft pillowy lips.
And then there is my darling Aveeno, which I will live by and die by because it is the best skin lotion that I have used since my early childhood (though you can argue it wasn't all that long ago). This does not require much explanation and I am sorry to say that I forgot to take a photograph of it. I really should get back to my school work now and stop procrastinating. Bisous.