So high I cannot feel the fire

So my hellbounds came in finally yay! I don't know why I waited so long, I was thinking maybe the black ones will finally be in stock again, but nope. It was an unfortunate testament of online shopping, but oh well, I ended up getting them in tan instead. I'm so glad they're platform heels and not anything else, because my archless feet won't be able to handle heels this high. So yeah, I've been eating out nearly everyday this week and as someone sensitive to smell, I get so bothered when my clothes smell like the restaurant. The second I get home, I'm changing clothes and laying them openly in areas where the smell will dissipate. Sigh this manic behaviour...will I ever change?

hat: trapstar

tank: one teaspoon

jacket: zara

pants & shoes: unif

bag: beyond style xxx (korea)

necklace: alisa michelle

top & shorts: one teaspoon
ring: ebay
bracelet: gift

necklace: alisa michelle

shoes: unif

All I know is

A couple days ago, I woke up feeling like I could solve the logic problems of the world. I had such mental clarity. Too bad I made absolutely no use of it. I don't know if it's because I've been reading Steve Jobs' biography before I sleep? But anyways, it's a pretty good read if you're interested in the man. How I wish I could own the stage and capture the audience like Jobs. I would say... he's a hippiefied hitler. I often find myself wanting to have knowledge of everything intact. It bugs me so much when a book briefly mentions someones name or a theory in passing. I used to sticky note every page that had something I wanted to research later, but I never got back to it. Too lazy now, I just download the epub version and screenshot that. But still..so ocd.

Trying to have a mental database of everything is probably not the best idea because I have the worst memory when it comes to everything but birthdays. Speaking of which, I had dinner with my grandma the other day, asked her if she liked the card I gave her in place of not being able to show up to her birthday dinner due to work. She told me she threw it in the trash that morning and to not waste money on such things..gg. As for today, I ended up watching the identity thief, and the song bad girls by m.i.a. played numerous times in it and due to my adhd, all I could notice was how lackluster the original is compared to the cover by Lydia Paek.

P.s. Wow I just noticed how evident all my bruises on my legs are...hope you're all having a good reading week though. :)

cardigan: max studio

tank: one teaspoon

shorts: forever 21
shoes: new look

Chic with Floral

Hello all you beautiful people out there! I think both Doris and I deserve a cookie cause we've been updating so often. Just kidding. Anyways, so the other day I posted a super feminine makeup look. Today, I felt like wearing something girly...but at the same time I also wanted to add some masculinity to the overall look. So why not mix the two? For the longest time, I always thought that wearing a dress would portray the image of a frail, vulnerable girl. However, add a sweater and a motorcycle jacket on top, and there you have it. The overall look is chic, comfortable, and stylish. Perfect for Valentine's Day! Speaking of Valentine's Day, I am legit craving Lindor's white chocolate right now. Why am I such a sucker for sweets?

motorcycle jacket: h&m
black knit sweater: forever 21
dress: ebay
bag: gifted
shoes: nine west
bracelets: ebay

Valentines Day look: Ombre lips, blush, and a clear complexion

Hello all you beautiful people, Carmen here! As many of you may know, Valentines Day is coming up this thursday. Yes, creative makeup is fun to play with (especially with all those different colours and palettes out there), but I think the ultimate purpose of makeup is to enhance the features that you are already blessed with. Therefore for Valentines Day, instead of "hiding" your natural features by exaggerating your eyeliners, and shadows, why not stick to simplicity? Afterall, more is less. And really, your significant other should love you for who you are, not how you put on your makeup, or how you dress. Anyways, here's a look that is refreshing, and super girly for all you ladies out there.

 top: carmen | bottom: doris

photography, makeup, hair: carmen
photography, hair: doris

So for both of our makeup, the main focus is on clear and dewy skin with highlighting and blush. The ombre lips help make your lips look smaller and more natural with a warm flush. Shadow is kept to a bare minimum, and the eyeliner follows closely to the crease of the eye.

For clear skin and makeup:
There's quite a few youtube videos out there on how to get a clear complexion, but here is my take on it:

1. Wash your face (preferably with cool water and a cleanser that suits your skin type). Not only does this give you a clean canvas to work on, but the cold water helps to tighten up your pores.
2. Use a toner and an oil-free moisturizer (preferably with SPF if you are planning to go outdoors, and no SPF if you are planning to take pictures with flash). A good toner helps to tighten up pores in order to prep your skin for moisturizing. One of my favourite moisturizers is the Kiehl's ultra facial toner, and the ultra facial cream (no SPF). For this shoot, I used the Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV-lotion by Garnier.
3. BB cream: A lighter alternative to foundation is the hyper up BB cream (I used the skin79 Super Beblesh balm triple functions). I personally don't ever use foundation just because I find it too thick. For this look, I mixed a pea sized amount of the Moisture Rescue lotion with a pea sized amount of BB cream. Dab tiny amounts onto the T-zone, C-zone, chin, the area around the nose, and blend away!
4. Concealer: I like going in with concealer after bb cream to brighten up any areas. In this shoot I used the TonyMoly Baby Doll pot concealer in #1 light beige on the area under the eyes, nose, and lips.
5. Blush: I used Tarina Tarantino's Dollskin cheek blush in Feather on the apples of the cheeks, and I brushed the Dior Beauty Confidential in 001 Sun Illusion higher up to the cheekbone area to get more of that rosey flush.
6. Highlighting: This is pretty much the most important step to achieve the illusion of youthful, dewy skin. I used the Temptu Retouch Highlighter in Pink Pearl on the T-zone, C-zone, chin, and the eyebrow bone area.
7. Powder: For this look, I skipped powder simply because I didn't want the look to be too matte. However, you can lightly sweep powder over oily areas just to soak up excess sebum.
8. Done! These are only steps for a really light coverage. If you do need more coverage, then you may want to invest in foundation.

Tips:
1. Try not to keep your makeup on for over 8 hours, and your skin will love you. Spend as much time cleaning and taking your makeup off, as the time used to put your makeup on. If you spent 10-15 minutes to put on makeup, then invest 10-15 minutes to take it off!

2. Water and exercising are important ingredients for clear skin. Drinking water will help your skin retain its elasticy, while sweating will help clear out your pores, so drink up! Also, breakouts are sometimes due to hormone imbalance, so exercising will always help. Oh and as well, eat your veggies, people!

3. Love and respect yourself for who you are =)

All right, I think I'm done blabbering. For all of you who actually read through this, I congratulate you. You deserve a sticker. Happy early Valentines everyone!

Royal Red

I think this is the first time in my life that I've ever painted my nails red. Literally. I always thought the colour was way too feminine, and it's not just a colour that I can pull off. However, one of my cousins got me the "After Party" set by Nails Inc. (posted previously here), and I couldn't resist trying it out again. As mentioned before, it chipped after a short while. This time, I went over with a top coat from the Korean brand Etude House, and it's still holding flawlessly on the fourth day. So yeah, stick a few rhinestones on, and you've got yourself a personalized nail design that's probably charged $45 or more at nail salons. Yay for DIY.

PS: I just realized that these red nails are perfect for the New Years coming up next week in Asia.

Bye for now,
Carmen

Scarf junkie

So lately I've been staring at my closet...and I have come to realize how much stuff I have crammed in there. Stuff as in my keyboard and the stand, snowboard, mountains of clothing, stacks of books, hats, shoe boxes, bags, and other useless things. I probably have a few rodents living in there too. Just joking...maybe. Anyways, I think scarves are the best accessories, which enable us to dress up or down pretty much any outfit. I came across my scarf section and it kind of scared me a little when I raked it all out. I came to realize what a scarf junke I am. I've neglected some of thesse pieces, and just left them there to collect dust.

Well...why not make something artsy out of them? They've once again re-debuted. This time they aren't just to be worn as scarves, but to be made into a carpet. Or mat. Or whatever you want to call it. The scarves below are a combo of Doris' and mine. All you scarf fanatics out there...please do show us your collection too!

Have a blessed week,
Carmen

Introducing Modavanti.com

First of all, thanks to the delightful Adam from Modavanti for letting us know about the site in the first place and sorry for such a delayed post! You know how we are all for sustainable clothing, and that is exactly what this online boutique embodies. Modavanti.com just came out in beta recently and is already putting other fashion boutiques to shame.

Not too many retailers are with the sustainable fashion movement with such gusto and commitment. Apart from regular apparel and accessory searches, you are even able to search for items based on the eight-badge sustainability critera (which includes: made in USA, organic, vegan, recycled/repurposed, energy efficient, handmade, fair trade and eco-conscious). As well, Modavanti donates 2% of every sale to their chairtable partners: Charity Water, Nest, and 19th Amendment, which you can read more about here.

Now I know what you're thinking, sustainable clothing? Sounds like there would be a boring selection right? Wait till you see the 19 brands that have already signed on, some of which include: Heidi Merrick, Allison Parris New York, Agave Denim, and SkinnyJeans. Oh, and there's also a "closet" feature which is exactly as it sounds - you can curate and build your own closet as well as browse through others. :)

Enough talking from me though, it's better if you check it out yourself! Oh, and here's a link to a shoot we did a while back with Eco-style, all the sustainable clothing were provided by Goodwill just to give y'all some ideas.

P.s. These pictures don't do the site any justice, blogger needs to stop resizing my images!











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