DIY Studded Denim shirt!

Hi everyone! It's the last day of 2012. Have you thought of your new year's resolutions yet? :) I'm doing countdown with my family at home today. Lols Gonna do my resolutions later. Perhaps i will share it tomorrow, in order to make myself more motivated to follow them. Hahahas. It's a pretty quiet day for me today. Went to work in the morning and went to do some personal shopping in the afternoon. THEN i went home wanting to complete some DIY projects i have been wanting to do but was too lazy to accomplish. :X

Anyws, I bought some studs from a flea market few weeks back with no idea what i'm gonna do with them. Then i realised i have a denim shirt which i have forgotten about AND I decided to stud the collars to give the shirt abit more edge. Hey! Studs are pretty in style right now, right? Lols. I bought the studs at 25 for 2bucks which isn't too bad. I'm sure ebay sells them cheaper.

Here's how it went!
First i select the shirt that i want to stud. I recommend not to choose something too sheer as the studs may tear the material if it is too thin.

Here are the studs that i picked up. 25 studs is not alot actually considering you have to stud both sides of the shirt. Thinking about picking up a bag of 100 from ebay. The DIY project is pretty fun!:D Anyws, a spoon is sufficient to press the pointy edges to secure the studs. Make sure that you press all the way in or else the studs will come off easily!!

Here's how the finished product look like! Looks pretty good huh. & you are actually recycling your old clothes! It took me 15 mins to complete the project. Hahahas, it's actually pretty addicting. I really wanna get more studs to stud my jeans:D It's a great way to pass time! :)

DIY studded denim shirt- close up

HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE!

NARS Sin Review

I can't believe 2012 flew by so fast! :O It's rather scary we're growing up so fast, i'll be 22 in just 22 days! ahhhhs!!! Before i round up the year with a post tomorrow, I would like to share a product which i have neglected for the past months and have just rekindled my love for it. It is NARS Sin blush! I love NARS blushes in general. They have good pigmentation and the colour wears very well on the skin. Nars is one of the few blushes which does not oxidises on me throughout the day.

As always, i love their packaging. It's sleek and easy to store. The only downside is the rubberise texture gets dirty soooo easily. The packaging looks old and battered up even though i have not had it for very long :/ Nevertheless, it's a minor issue which i do not mind.

NARS blush in Sin

Sin is a purplish plum colour. It looks very dark on the pan but it applies gorgeously. You have to beware on using a light hand when applying. The colour is very pigmented and you wouldn't want to over apply it. I think it suits all skin tones, especially asian skin like me. It applies like a purplish pink on the cheeks and it has amazing lasting power. 

This is one of my favourite blushes of all time. Any girl who is sick of wearing pinks all the time can try this colour for a change! I do not see myself hitting pan soon since you only need such a small amount.

I'm really excited that NARS has finally launched in Singapore. All NARS blushes retail for 50 SGD in Tangs which i think is slightly overpriced. Having said that, i think the colour is unique enough to make the splurge. I bought this before the brand was launched in SG though. So tempted to get Deep throat next! Shall wait till i'm back from my exchange! :D

Merry xmas! + Taylor Swift wonderstruck perfume review!

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!!! Today i would like to share about a perfume i have been using for 6 months and one that i am really fond of. :) && it's Taylor Swift Wonder Struck perfume!:D I bought it early this year at the Airport Duty free as i couldn't wait for the official release in Singapore. However, it was recently released in Sephora so you can get it now there!

Isn't Taylor Swift gorgeous in the advert? 

Extracted from the Sephora website:

Taylor's personal life experiences inspired this fragrance. Just like her creative approach to songwriting, every element is authentic, embracing all that is special about Taylor. 

Wonderstruck is an awe-inspiring feeling. It could be a connection with someone or a rush you get when you experience something magical. Wonderstruck is also a lyric in the song "Enchanted" on Taylor's album, Speak Now. 

In this fragrance, a charming and sparkling surprise of vibrant fruits kisses a bouquet of soft petals and a touch of sweet indulgence.

A perfectly charmed deep purple bottle holds this enchanting fragrance. The iridescent rainbow finish, never before used in the fragrance industry, gives the bottle a magical glow. The Moravian star, dove, and birdcage charms that adorn the bottle were hand-picked by Taylor to evoke her unique style and whimsical flair. 

Sounds magical? Well, it smells like it!:D If you are a fan of sweet scents or Juicy Couture's Viva la Juicy, i believe you will like this scent as well! The notes are freesia, green tea, apple blossom, raspberry and dewberry. The perfume has a very strong scent of berries. It's like berries overload with a tint of vanilla. :D It's sweet but not too overpowering! 

The staying power is surprisingly long lasting, about 6-8 hours for me. If i'm in the air- conditioned room, it practically lasts the whole day! 

The price ranges from $68 to $109 in Sephora. 

If you're a lover of sweet scents or prefer more berry notes in Viva La Juicy, this is the perfume to try! I think it is not too overpowering to wear it daily. I even find the scent 'cleaner' than VLJ, hahahas a little hard to explain :x

Ps. The Wonderstruck Enchanted is recently launched exclusively in Watson Nuance too! So tempted to get it. Ahhhs, but i have not finished my perfumes:( Maybe next year! :))

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Street Photography in Ipoh!

Ahhh... it's been awhile since i last blogged. I just started my temp job, hence been slacking of with my updates:x Anyws, immediately after exam finals, i headed off to Ipoh with a good friend of mine, together with nEbO's photography interest group, SIM peeps and Triston Yeo (Our mentor) for 3D2N photography trip! Met loads of nice people and eat loads of good food! All i remember from the trip is that we kept eating and walking. LOL LOL wanted to take some lessons from the master before i go for my exchange so that i can learn some skills about street photography.

The people in Ipoh are VERY friendly. They allowed us to take photos of themselves and even looked directly into the camera! :) Truly enjoyed myself and i'm glad that i went for the trip!

Ps. Anyone interested in Photography and are looking out for buddies, please join nEbO's photography interest group!:D Awesome place to make new friends:D

Animals, one of the most popular subject for the trip. LOL

Love the laid back pace of Ipoh. :)

We were very lucky to have such good weather! Heard that Singapore rained through out :x

Kellie's Castle. Ps. it's a real castle

Love this shot! Doesnt it look like the world is ending? LOL

We even visited the famous night market!

Top view of Kellie's Castle. There were no barriers, my legs are practically trembling

Next we went to a coffee making factory. The lighting for that morning was so pretty! PS hurhur, not good enough yet, did not get some many shots as i hoped:(

 

 

Of Course, we have to visit a scenic place! We were at Taipeng lake! Def prettier than Singapore's Chinese Garden. LOL

 

One of the highlights of the trip! We went to a charcoal factory to see how they make charcoal from Mangrove trees. The boss aka speaker was so enthusiastic about his factory. Dint know that they have to put in so much work to make a bag of charcoal. Def wouldnt have visited such an interesting place had i not join this trip. :)

 

End off with a pic of me taking the other photographers taking photos. Yups, that's how professional their equipments are! *sweats* I only brought my DLSR and Tripod. My tripod was so lanpong that it spoilt when i used it during the trip. :( I think i need to invest on a new one!!! $$$ T_T

Current Beauty Favorites + 1 book!

Hey everyone! I just came back from my photography trip from Ipoh with nEbO+SIM students. The trip was awesome! I will be sharing some photographs over the next few days! :) In the meantime, I really want to share some of my current beauty favorites and a book which i have been enjoying:D

From the left: NYX soft matte lip cream, Clio kill brown eyeliner, Maquillage cream eyeshadow, Revlon photoready concealer, OPI Berlin been there done that

NYX Soft matte lip cream in San Paulo
I really dislike the sticky feeling on my lips when it comes to wearing lip products, hence i tend to stay away from lipgloss and lipsticks. Yet, matte lipsticks tend to be very drying on the lips and it will settle into the your lips which is super ugly after a couple of hours. This lip cream has a very unique formula and super pigmented on the lips. It does not feel drying on the lips and the colour wears quite well. This is very pretty raspberry colour and you can easily sheer it out for everyday wear. I really like the formula and texture of the lipstick. Hopefully i can find a peachy colour one!

I bought it for 12 bucks from the Smoochiezz Flea. :)

Clio Kill Brown Eyeliner (25 SGD at Watsons)
Hands down best eyeliner i have tried this year! The colour does not smudge  under my eyes and MOST eyeliners smudge under my eyes. I tend to go for japanese branded eyeliners as i think they do a better job at the smudge proof and waterproof department. When Clio was launched in SG, i was kind of skeptical as i do not have much luck with korean eye products. However, i was looking for a brown liquid liner and Clio just launched their new kill brown eyeliner. I decided to give it a go as my idol- Lee hyori endorsed it. Hurhur... much to my surprise, the liner stays incredibly well on the eyes and it is REALLY waterproof. I can go to the gym, workout and the eyeliner stays without smudging. But it comes of easily when i wash my face with a cleanser. Highly recommended! I really wanna try the marker black one which they are famous for!

Maquillage cream eyeshadow
Nuff said. Awesome cream eyeshadow! It is not drying like the MAC paint pots or the Maybelline Colour tattoos. It does not crease on the eyelid AND it's literally idiot proof! I usually just use the lighter colour on the 1st half of my eyelid and the darker colour on the 2nd half. It's perfect for everyday wear. The only bad thing is the price point. It's 40 bucks at major Shiseido counters which is super expensive in my opinion but well worth the price as i do use it everyday. Been eyeing at the other colours for awhile and I REALLY WANNA GET IT! :(

Full review here: http://kisstheraind.blogspot.sg/2012/10/review-haul-shiseido-haul.html

Revlon Photoready Concealer
I have been using this concealer for months. It lasts very long and not drying at all. I usually just dab it under my eyes and around my nose to conceal my dark circles and redness. Sometimes i wear it on its own without any foundation and it works really well on its own as well. It is a good multi purpose concealer if you're looking for a cheap concealer in the drugstore!:)

OPI Berlin there done that
Love love love this colour! The nudes are really in trend now, if you look at the recent DIOR naill collection for example. This is a taupe nude which looks very flattering on the nails, especially for my fair skin. It does not look muddy at all and I have been wearing it for several weeks now. Usually i don't repeat colours but for this colour, i painted my nails and proceeded to paint my toe nails as well. Well, cause i love the colour that much!:D

Last but not least, my favorite book at the moment! Ps. This is a VERY cheesy chick flick BUT I LIKE IT. :D The book is called Beautiful Disaster written by Jamie Macguire. 

Here's a short synopsis of the story extracted from goodreads.com

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Recent beauty haul!

Hey everyone! Just wanna share some of the beauty stuff i recently bought and have been loving!:) They are actually bought over the past 2 months, usually during times when i'm super stress and in an urgent need of retail therapy. LOL I will be sharing my favorites of the month in couple of days so keep a lookout for that as well!:)

From the Left: Missha Signature BB cream, Dior nudeskin liquid foundation, OPI polishes
Stila convertible lip and cheek colour

Thoughts of the products: (Will be doing in depth review later)

Missha Signature BB Real Complete BB Cream

LOVE this BB Cream! Hands down my favorite of all the BB creams i have tried. This is my 2nd tube! It gives very good coverage, does not break me out and it wears really well throughout the day. IF you tried the Missha Perfect cover BB cream and broke out from that, you may want to try this. :) Same thing happened to me :( 

DIOR Nudeskin Liquid Foundation

I heard this is the new reformulated foundation which supposes give you a coverage close to your second skin. It gives a semi matte finish and the foundation feels quite light on the skin. I got this foundation during the Sephora Friends and Family sale at 20% which is such a good deal, considering how expensive this foundation is. So far so good!:)

OPI polishes in Skyfall, Berlin There Done That

Awesome colours from their new James Bond and Fall collection. I really like Berlin There Done That. Very pretty taupe nude. Been looking for a light taupe for long while and OPI finally came out with the colour! Been wearing it loads and i just painted my toe nails with that polish. :)

Stila Convertible Lip and Cheek Colour in Lillium
Whee~ My newest blush acquisition! This is a very pretty browny pink which applies really nicely on the cheeks. I have been wanting this for soooo long. i finally caved in and bought it to celebrate the ending of my exams last week! (LOL Excuses) It was decently on the cheeks, maybe SG weather is super hot so it melts off faster:( Anyws, still an awesome colour and PS. Alexa Chung's fave cheek product. Hehes.

Ps. Trying out the new photo filter software. Hmmms, fail? LOL

NOTD + I'm still loving COUNTRY!

Hi everyone! Sorry, i have not been blogging for awhile. I was in the midst of my final exams for school (Woes of an undergraduate T_T) I still can't believe how fast this semester went by! Of course, i'm excited for the holidays! && i won't be back in SMU till next August! I have so much to prepare for the exchange! OMG, i havent even applied for my VISA yet! Shall take a breather for a couple of days before i start chionging for my exchange application!:D

Anyws, here's a nails of the day!:D It's Essie Too Too Hot. This is one of my favorites red nail polishes. The application is super easy and it's opaque with 2 coats!:D Essie is one of my favorite nail polish brands and they make really good pastel colours too! Too Too Hot is a very bright tomato red. This will add a pop of colour to your nails and it last approx 5 days without chipping on my nails. Ps. With top coat of course!

Essie Too Too Hot (Natural lighting)

 Essie Too Too Hot (Flash)

In the meantime, hope everyone is doing well with your exams! I mentioned in my previous blog post that i've really been loving country music. Hahas especially during the exam period! Here's a playlist i always listen to when i'm studying! Hope you like it too! :)

I Wish I Was Back In The Summer With You from PerfectShadeOfDarkBlue on 8tracks Radio.

Country songs FTW

Recently, I've really been into country music. Loving Miranda Lambert's Over You. Such a sad song...
Heard she wrote it with her husband and she recently won the CMA 2012 song of the year! :)

But you went away,

How dare you?

I miss you

They said I'll be okay

But I'm not going to get over you...

NOTD + Updates

Hey guys, I have not been blogging for awhile. It's been hell in school and we're finally at week 13! Whee~ 2  weeks till the holidays and 3 more months till my exchange! :)

Did my nails yesterday. I love pink but i really hate pink on my nails. Don't know what came over me yesterday as i picked up my Essie Off the Shoulder and OPI Crown Me Already. Turns out i really like the colours on my nails!

Essie Off the Shoulder is a bright pink creme while OPI Crown Me Already is a highly glittery polish. This is definitely my favorite glitter polish as it is very opaque. 2 coats is enough to give you a very glittery nail. Off the Shoulder is opaque with 2 coats and it looks very nice on the nails. Not too loud but still gives you some attitude. :)

 Essie Off the Shoulder and OPI Crown Me Already

Argh the colour combi is so pretty, i cant take it! Try it too?:)

Anyws, i went for a friend's 21st birthday party at The Studio Bar. The ambience is very nice for a small party/gathering. The food is quite good as well. :) Cant wait for the holidays! Going Ipoh and Gopeng for a photography workshop with my idol. Excited! :D

Review: Freshkon Sparklers blooming pink

Whee~ I finally caved and decided to buy Freshkon's coloured contacts. I did not really have a very good experience with coloured contacts as my eyes are really sensitive and dry. :( The previous time i tried the Freshkon Alluring eyes contacts, it made my eyes super dry and i couldnt even wear for more than 3 hours. Plus it did not do much to my eyes so i decided to keep away from coloured contacts for awhile.

When i saw Freshkon's Sparklers new shade in blooming pink, i immediately wanna get it and try. (Partly cause it's pink. hurhur) 

First of all, it's really pretty and it does not look freaky at all. Initially, i was a little skeptical as i've seen people wearing coloured contacts and some looked really freaky in those weird shades. 0_0 

This pic does make me look a little freaky 0_0

Do keep in mind these contacts are monthly. I think it looks natural on because of the brown rim. You don't particularly need to put on any makeup with this. Blooming pink really makes your eyes look  bigger. I do like this colour and don't mind purchasing it again. :)

Review + Haul: Shiseido Haul!

Made my way to Shiseido's head quarters for the Shiseido's Sale 2012 yesterday! Picked up some loots there:D Everyone were heading for the foundations and serums but i wasn't too keen on getting another powder foundation so I skipped out on that. The stuff were crazily discounted, about 50% off? Glad that i saw some stuff that i liked. Picked up a new bronzer and cream eyeshadow:)

Shiseido Oil Free Bronzer && Maquillage Dual Glow Eyes OR274

The Shiseido Oil free bronzer is a very nice bronzer that does not turn out orange/red which some bronzers might do. The powder is very finely milled and it comes with 3 shades. I got the lightest shade of course! for 18 bucks which is a steal. Been looking for a new bronzer for awhile. It's fairly light so i don't have to worry about over applying it. It works pretty nicely as a contour shade as well. :) The only downside is that the packaging a little bulky. Wouldn't be a nice thing to travel with but the brush it comes with is quite nice. I don't usually use the brush that comes with the compact though. :/

Overall, it's quite a nice product! Esp for fair skin people. The darkest shade is very dark so i guess that there will be a shade for every skin tone:)

Next will be the Maquillage Dual Glow Eyes OR274. Isn't the packaging gorgeous?!:D

The top actually twists open and there is an applicator inside it! So cute! I wasn't expecting that. LOL

Maquillage Dual Glow Eyes OR274

This is a dual toned cream eyeshadow which is very easy to blend. It does not crease and the colours wear very well without a primer. For any girls who like a no hassle and natural look, this product is perfect for you! :) I think it blends better than the Maybelline eye studio cream shadows and the colours are pigmented as well. As you can see from the swatches, the champagne colour is not that pigmented which is a downside but the glitter particles do not transfer to my cheeks. & it does give a very pretty sheen to the eyes. The darker colour is a very pretty rosy bronze colour which is super pretty and pigmented. I love the way these colours wear on my lids. Highly recommended if you see a duo that you like! I bought it at 15 SGD which is insanely discounted. Glad i picked it up!

This product comes in 5 other shades. :) Gosh, should have picked up the other colours as well :O

Night out at Shuffle + Home alone!

Just wanted to share my recent look when I went to Shuffle Bistro Bar to meet up with a friend.

I even put on fake lashes! Really like this pair from Red Cherry Lashes. It's no heavy at all, hence it does not weigh down my lashes. It looked really natural and give just enough volume to the eye lashes. Do try out Red   Cherry Lashes if you are looking for a cheap alternative to Ardell. :)

I got mine at Smoochiezz.com

I even tried to create some natural curls by testing out a new hair product i recently got from Watsons. It's Marc Anthony Beach waves spray. The waves do stay on for the whole night and the product does not weigh my hair down. Quite like the product. :) Will do another review some other time. After i try it out more!:)

Anyws, the make-up i used were:
Laura Mercier Radiance Primer
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser
Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation (To set the make up)
Eyes: Naked palette (Buck, hustle, sin)
Clio liquid eyeliner in brown
Cheeks: Illamasqua Naked Rose
Lips: Revlon Soft nude

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*Another update:*
My parents are currently on Holiday, hence my bro and i are home alone for 2 weeks! Hate it when they weren't here. We'll get sick of outside food in a week. So, I decided to cook Aglio Olio for the both of us. I think it's quite a good attempt for the first try :P Only that it was a little bland. :/

If anyone has any ideas on how to add more flavour to the pasta, please teach me! :O

I will try cooking something else next week! Need to learn to cook before i go off for my exchange next year! hehs