Blazer and jumpsuit, Max & Co., Curated Editions jewellery, Vintage sequin pouch
I love this place! It's one of those paths I always pass but never stop to take a good look at and I'm so happy I finally got here! This is one of my favourite looks for Max & Co. so far! Love how light and airy this is and yet super easy to move in. Comfot really is key for me. This get up is all about summer vibes to me and I'm stoked about one of the rare occasions I'm happy in a jumpsuit. Also love that this is definitely a day to night kind of thing, you gotta agree that jumpsuit is as versatile as it gets and so is that amazing jacket. I guess like I've always emphasized on the blog, clothes aren't just things I wear for the sake of pretty pictures, I've always wanted it to be more than just functionality but also telling a story, having fun and expressing myself through the way I dress. Sometimes, these pieces do speak for themselves but there is always something different about them when they're on a person. And it is never the same on anyone. Gotta say I'm pretty grateful to have been able to work with some amazing brands this past year that bring out the best in my motto and Max & Co. certainly has done it right for me again.
I have to say I didn't really know what to expect from Jakarta. And as the political drama and conflicts in the city go on, this city was two different worlds. The contrast between Indonesia's elite and the poor was as obscene as it surprised us. One of the richest countries can also be 98% poverty. What? Why? I'll be honest and tell you that it really isn't the most beautiful city, having every corner of the street or drain as an open garbage and sewer didn't make it smell very nice. But it was an adventure. Admist trying to get through some of the worst traffic I have ever experienced in my life (how could something that easily takes 20 minutes by car end up becoming 2 hours at least on a good day) and keeping safe, it was great company with my girlfriends as we sang in the car and did nothing but relax. The highlights of the trip definitely was the food and it's obvious in these pictures, because that makes up more than half of the photos in the post. I wish I brought out my camera more often but it was hard as we had to aviod carrying our valuables in a lot of the places we visited. And sadly, we didn't fulfil everything on our to-do list because of floods, it's crazy to think that the nation's most developed city can also be routinely paralyzed by the floods. But yes, the food was fucking amazing and also nothing I have ever had before. Kind of like an explosion of flavours. Indonesians like their food SPICY. We had great hosts who constantly fed us till each night, us 5 girls laid flat on the floor. And yes, we relaxed and indulged ourseves in cheap massages and hair-dos, super super premiere cinema screenings and some cheap shopping. The rest was just great company and being stuck in really bad traffic and I am thankful for the great laughs (and farts) we will remember. I had a great time and can't wait to be back for another adventure, thank you Beby and family for being so, so amazing and making everything possible for us. It was unforgettable!
I know I haven't really been keeping up with the Tasty Tuesday thing…I try I try and I apologise. But I'm back now so I'm definitely doing this! Anyway, eating healthy is honestly…..not in my forte. And after I was back from my long winter in Portland and Tokyo, my body felt both good and bad. Bad because when I did eat, I ate a lot and I couldn't stop. And good because having to learn how to be on my own also meant prepping dinners for myself. I'll admit, after a long day's work, sometimes the easiest thing is to really just toss a salad. All the ingredients are lying in the fridge and if I have some, I'll just add some protein I got at Wholefoods. Carb-free dinners like these made me feel so much lighter because I am a total carb-freak and I love my rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles and the list goes on and on. I haven't been keeping up to my one carb-free meal a day but it did work for awhile after I got back (now…no! But I am trying). Everyone asks me what I put into my salads and I'll tell you the truth: everything! Protein for me usually come in the form of roast chicken, popcorn chicken when I feel like rewarding myself, steak, salmon and prawns. As for leaves, I love a good mix you get boxed up at supermarkets, or I usually go for rocket or spinach. I love blueberries, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, avocadoes and figs in my salads. For the dressing, I usually either do a lemon, honey, mustard and olive oil dressing, or, a balsamic and olive oil dressing. Argan Oil is delicious too if you have some! That's it. Just toss and enjoy. So simple and so so comforting.
My recent adventures at the hair salon have been all about getting my hair right. Bleach is a scary thing and up till now, my hair is still suffering the after effects. Everyone's hair is different so it's just down on my luck that mine hasn't been too well lately. Last month I tried out Japan's latest technology for hair called Arimino Privy- supposed to provide nourishment and soften hair texture. It smooths out stubborn frizzy hair strains which was exactly what I needed. And it worked for me for a little while but I guess my hair really is too stubborn so I talked things out with Ivan and a few other hairstylists to really improve my hair condition. Before I do go on, many people who have tried the Arimino Privy have said it's God-sent and it works so I have been a little stressed out over my stubborn hair, I'll admit. Which is why I've avoided the topic for awhile over here. I just haven't been able to do it because it wouldn't feel real to me anymore. Talking to the stylists at Salon Vim, Ivan, Gary and John, made it all better and I just tried out a Brazillian blowout. It's a straightening protein treatment that smooths and improves the hair condition, locking in the protein with the heat you get from the straightening and elimating frizz. This technique has been in the headlines for years for it's formaldehyde content so being quite a health freak, I bombarded Gary with questions and I was relived he knew his stuff. (Ok, it's kinda obvious he has to, like duh!) So yes, we proceeded on with the treatment and my hair is straighter, smoother and easier to manage. It's still early stages but I have a good feeling about this one. Bad hair runs in my family and in addition to all the damage done to my hair from bleach and colouring, Ivan and Gary couldn't promise that the Brazillian Blowout would be a 100% effective and frizz-free for me but they did promise more manageable hair and they have been right about it. I guess having MY hair makes it harder for me to actually blog about it sometimes because it can be really bad sometimes but thank God for the most patient people at Salon Vim. Ivan finished my hair off with a little snip and also gave me Keratin infused products to up keep the hair (more on that in my next beauty post!). Can't thank these guys enough for their patience and belief in my hair, really makes a world of a difference when people ask me why I go through these ups and downs whenever I get hair done.
If you're meaning to head on down to Salon Vim to get your hair done, please do! My stylist, Ivan will get anything you need done. Mention my name of the blog to get a 10% off! My usual go-to at the Salon Vim 313 outlet is currently closed for renovations till the end of the month so do visit the Bugis outlet at 235 Victoria Street. Call 68370073 to book your appointments!
On a side note, the salon is offering a couple of offers for Redken's Cocktail treatment (I've done this several times before and it's awesome and super fun!) and Arimino Privy..! From now till June 1st so go on and pamper yourselves ladies, summer's here!
The polariod sizes are weird but just like the visuals themselves, I love how extremely organic and casual they were taken. We took this, in no more than 15 minutes, just fussing about a little. Not even sure how the next shot would turn out. I guess that's what you get out of film, it's expensive so you just always make sure it's worth the shot and somehow if there's any fault, it's justified because it is film and it is meant to be this way. Just like everything else these images speak of. My friends at Solestruck asked me to shoot a couple of pics in my new pair of TBA boots, the 'Who', so Sherman and I did just that. So much fun and absolutely in love with how these turned out.
To amazing friends, amazing shoes and an amazing instant camera. Xo!
*Ps For those in Singapore, TBA will soon be available in Singapore at PVS located at 8 Grange Road, #02-05 Cathay Cineleisure, Orchard.
Visited this Indonesian coffeeshop on the first day and it somehow just stood out to me when we were looking for places to shoot so I asked if we could come back. I don't know if it's the perfectly rustic wooden Bakso Jawir (Indonesian beef noodles- a street food regularity) stall or that massive banner with a supringly really nice typeface and colour combi, it just all went well together. THIS is a very sexy dress, one I wouldn't wear every other day. Having said that, this definitely isn't the way to dress in Jakarta, apart from the regular stares and whistles, it is not a very safe place so I wore this to shoot before heading out to the salon to get big (in Indonesian tai-tai terms: the bigger the richer) hair done and then headed out for dinner in the city. Nevertheless, I still love this dress, don't you? It's kinda…cheong-sam ish (a traditional chinese kind of dress) and to think I bought it for the Lunar new year earlier this year but I'm looking forward to putting it on again. Thank God no one has associated me with a chinese waitress and hopefully no one ever does.
There are so many ways a dress like this can simply never go wrong. I've spent the past couple of days in Jakarta with friends and have had a blast, just being away from the hustle and bustle in Singapore. This dress has also been worn to death since it's made it's debut and I love how it easily goes from touring scenic spots here in the Indonesian countryside to a night out in the city with the girls, just by changing into some heels and putting on some jewellery. (A dress like this during the day is perfect with a handbag or sling and some flats if you ask me) I think you'll be seeing it a lot more on the blog here….that's for sure. Ok you will, because I did shoot it in an epic place I can't wait to share with you about. For now, time to pack up and get ready for my last day out and about in Jakarta!
The new Max & Co. store in Paragon is all kinds of fun. I visited it a couple of weeks ago and was taken aback by how different it is from the other store I've been going to for my monthly Max & Co. fix. The concept is a lot younger and fresher so it was a joy going through the racks and racks of beautiful clothing. Love the selection and especially the latest collection, if you saw my previous post, this was one of my favourite dresses I picked out, can't wait to go back. If you're around town, be sure to check it out!
Max & Co. is located at The Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859, #02-12.
The reason why I've always avoided blogging much about beauty is because I honestly suck at it, I constantly ask myself how in the world am I being a girl at times- all because I am too 'lazy' or have 'no patience'. Having said that, this is definitely not a beauty post. But it does cover some stuff to do with beauty. They're just small bit and pieces so stick around if you'd like to. Firstly. Lips. Where do I even begin. I have never been one to actually care about them and one of my very first kisses was put to an abrupt, and very awkward halt when my lips got too cracked and started bleeding in front of my then love….MY GOD. How romantic is that? Also, having anything on my lips is rarely in my make-up routine. Even I get lazy to moisturize but after what I experienced after my long winter abroad last year, it definitely got a lot better than cracked, bleeding lips.
So note, it is important to moisturize and I cannot emphasize that enough. As much as it still takes getting used to for me (anything on my lips is just weirdly part of the equation, lipsticks happen but quite rarely), I've actually been using Rosebud Salve for my lips and I was so happy Evon sent some to me. More! It does for more than just the lips if you bother to read up on it, I sometimes even have it on my little cuts and bruises. Kinda like Vaseline but better and nicer and..girlier.
Moving on to nails. I SUCK at painting them. This you HAVE to believe me. My friends get disgusted with me with my poor handiwork, an hour of having my tongue out and meticulously trying to get that perfectly rounded, smooth shiny surface is hard work and in my case, it gets destroyed within the first 5 minutes. So I always end up 2 hours later with a new set I get from an cheap express manicure. Even then, maybe I am not fated for pretty nails because I also get my manicured ones ruined within minutes leaving the store. I've resorted to only buying the kind of nail polish you never can go wrong with, glitter. Just…can never look bad.
Last week, Evon also kindly invited me to experience getting the prettiest nails done at Bellis Nail Spa, the brainchild behind local artistes Jesseca Liu and Ann Kok. I met Jesseca who is as radiant and beautiful as she looks on TV and was just so nice. I got my very first gel nail experience and I absolutely love it, espeically the part where it dries immediately under the UV lamp and I don't have to spend 30 minutes staring into space waiting for my nails to dry after the whole process. And I can do whatever I want after that no matter how rough I am, somehow these little trinkies or embellishments, whatever you wanna call them, don't fall off…. I am bemused and just kinda amazed. I love it that I can still cook without getting my nails destroyed because thats what always happens. I can just go on and on and on.. I guess it really is that awesome. My manicurist designed the above set for me after I randomly sent that a pic of what I was looking at. This is the second time I've ever had such pretty nails prior to my Miu Miu nails experience (that became ruined soon enough).
Sparkly nail polish! Some of the stuff Evon sent me, including the necklace I am wearing in the first photo at the top of the post! The fashion stylist has worked on various editorial publications in our little island and has went on to venture to e-commerce, Prowl, stocking up on some really cool accessories and beauty products. Expect some really statement costume jewellery and fun make-up curated by Evon herself. Currently, the site offers UK Make up brand, Models Own (LOVE this!), Smith's Rosebud Lipbud and Medusa. All purchases at Prowl entitle you to experience princess nails at Bellis Nails too, as Evon is offering a limited 20% off any nail treatment for shoppers. Her stuff is also available at the super adorable BFF Corner at Bellis nails (place to chill with your BFF over cups of coffee) located at #02-479 joo chiat road, Singapore, Singapore 427684 and Wicked Laundry located at 76 Haji Lane, Singapore, Singapore 189269.
Definitely have got to play around with more lipstick now, I actually love it but am usually too lazy to bother. My first gel nail experience, new bottles sparkly nail polish and yummy lip balm has made me week a whole lot more to feel good about, can't thank you enough for your generosity, Evon! Find out more about Prowl on Facebook. Or head on down to the site!
