D.I.Y Ombre Hair | Before and After

HELLO! I apologize I have been away for so long.. It's just I've been super busy with school work and doing my practicum which basically equals a full time work 5 days a week. Finally it's the long weekend here in Vancouver for Canada day and I am back for a quick update on my hair!

I know ombre hair has been on trend for awhile now, and I've been debating whether I should do it or not for the past few months cus whenever I dye my hair at home it turns out too reddish orangey brown colour and it is just too pricey to get it done at the salon. (me = still a hungry student) And one day I was just in the most adventurous mood and decided to go for it before it disappears in trends and I regret not doing it in the future.

I used Loreal Perfect Blondissima Lightning creme which is the hair bleach supposed to be used by people who want to go blonde from light to dark brown. It was $16.99 at Shoppers Drugmart.

-What I did:

1. I basically applied this on the tip of my hair, made sure it doesn't go up my shoulder length and left it for about 30 minutes first to see how the colour will turn out on my hair. (My hair is naturally dark brown and did have been dyed with a black hair dye from bleached hair about 6 months ago) 

2. It turned slightly lighter but not light enough to be able to tell the ombre effect, so after I washed and blow-dried my hair once, I applied the bleach solution one more time, this time using more product and I did cover the tips with aluminum foil to really let the bleach soak into my hair. I left it for about 20 minutes and washed it off and dried. 

And here are some before and after pictures:

BEFORE

AFTER

TADAAA! I might try to dye it with the actual blonde hair dye to remove the brassiness but pretty happy with how it turned out :)

Thank you for reading! :D

NOTD: Vintage Pastel Angel Nails

Just a quick NOTD post on what I painted on my nails last night! I love the combination of pastel minty green and hot pink and I put some vintage angel nail stickers on them to make it more interesting and girly! :D

Polishes used: OPI in Gargantuan Green Grape and You're a Pisa Work

Thank you for reading! :D

One beautiful day in Granville Island + Outfit of the day!

Today was suuuuch a beautiful and sunny day here in Vancouver! 

Went to grab brunch with my ex-classmate who always does a regular brunch date with me in Gastown and then decided to go down to Granville Island with my boyfriend to enjoy every bits of sunshine :D

I actually made these two bead bracelets at Bead Works in Granville Island today! 

♥Top, Lace bra top and Maxi skirt from Brandy and Melville (here, here and here), Wedge sandal from Aldo (from last year), Bag from Rebecca Minkoff (here), Rings from Aldo, Nails are Essie in Bazooka (here)♥

Take a look at these live Spotted Prawns that we got at the fisherman's wharf! Don't they look so fresh and plump? They are all in my stomach now :D

My boyfriend couldn't wait to get home to eat those delicious looking prawns and decided to walk in front of me on himself! :P 

Hope you guys are having wonderful weekend and thank you for reading! :D

M.A.C. Hey, Sailor! Collection

Hi there! It's been awhile since I blogged.. I've been busy with assignments, and actually this new course that just started this week is only 3 weeks long but then it comes with 4 different assignments and a final exam! oh lord it's going to be the toughest 3 weeks..

Anyways, few days ago I got invited to the preview event on MAC's new collection called "Hey, Sailor!" 

I got to see their new products and also was able to get my hands on some of them. :)! 

This is what the complete collection looks like. I really like the nautical blue and white stripe packaging! 

The close up of the bronzers, body oils, liquid lip balms and a powder brush.

And here are the lipglosses, lipsticks, nail polishes, pigments, blushes, lip liners, eye liners, eye shadows and a mascara.

The stage set up for tap dancing! FUN! 

Before we get in, we were given the order sheet with the full list of all the products which made it easier to remember which products we want.

And, I ended up picking up 5 products from their new collection.

Highlight Powder in Crew 

 

If you swirl your finger all around to get all those colours in the powder, you get this gorgeous light pink colour. Today I wore this for the first time and actually it looks pretty as a blush on my skin (NC25). 

Eye shadow in Crystal Avalanche

I picked up this one because I was in need of nice simple highlighting eye shadow for inner corners and I think this is just perfect for that! 

Eye shadow in Barefoot

This is such a pretty gold shade that is not overly glittery or too warm . It has a tiny bit of green undertone to it which makes it unique and it looks nice both as an all over the lid colour and a crease colour.

Lipgloss in Orange Tempera

And my favourite product from the entire collection....Lipstick in Sail La Vie 

It looks much sheer in the picture but it is actually very pigmented bright coral-tinted orange-red colour. When I first saw this it reminded me much of Rio Rio lipstick from Topshop (which I love!) but once you put it on i could definitely see that this one is brighter and more on the orange side. 

M.A.C. Hey, Sailor! Collection is going to be available from May 24th, 2012 in U.S. and Canada and it is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for something bright and fun colours for summer!

Thanks for reading! :D

New obsession: Topshop lipstick in Rio Rio

I've been pretty obsessed with bright lip colours lately. I think it is just so fun to wear bold lip colours and also it is the easiest to way to make you look more polished and less tired when you are just too lazy to put on a heavy eye make up. :P

I've been purchasing quiet a few bright red/pink/orange lipsticks for the past couple months, but today I am going to be sharing my absolute favourite of them: 

Topshop lipstick in Rio Rio

 

One thing I love about Topshop lipsticks is definitely their packaging! Also, they are very easy to apply, do not leave your lips cakey or dry (which I LOVE!), extremely pigmented and lasts all day!

Swatch from the Topshop website

Swatch on my skin

According to Topshop, the colour of this lipstick is described as "Bright Red" but I would add "Orange" to that. It is definitely more on the warm side of the red, which looks nice especially on Asian skin tone. 

Here are some pictures of me wearing the lipstick :)

        

Anyways, thank you for reading!

:D

H&M x Anna Dello Russo

H&M just announced the collaboration with Anna Dello Russo, the Italian fashion icon and the editor-at-large of Vogue Japan, to launch a line of accessories in this fall. 


According to H&M, "The new line, billed as “over-the-top,” will feature jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, bags and a trolley. Dello Russo’s flashy, distinct style of gold jewelry and high, high heels are reflected in the chunky, elaborate gold, turquoise and studded pieces in the line." 


I know H&M had been launching their limited edition clothing/accessories line with some legendary designers like Versace, Marni, Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, but I haven't really bought anything from any of their collection or even had the urge to actually buy something from any of the collections. However, I am actually really excited about this collaboration, since I am a huge fan of gold jewelries and a sucker for anything mint and turquoise! 

Dello Russo’s new line with H&M is slated to be available on Oct. 4 in around 140 stories worldwide and online at hm.com.

NOTD: Hello Kitty Half Moon Nails

Hello Everyone! :D

The other day I got this adorable Hello Kitty nail sticker from Sephora which are shaped to fit on the bottom part of your nails, making it so much easier to create a cute half moon nail design!

 These are the products I used: Essie All In One Base Basecoat ($10.99), Glory nail colour in Non Gae Red (Got it when I was in Korea last winter), a tweezer and the Hello Kitty Nail Sticker ($7.00 at Sephora)

This seriously took less than 10 minutes to finish! I think this nail design is perfect for beginners to try half moon nails because all you have to do it apply your regular nail polish and just put the stickers on top, and if you were to draw the half moon shape with another nail polish it can easily get messy unless you have a special nail art pen or a thin tipped brush. Also, it is so girly and adorable to wear in Spring and Summer time! 

Thank you so much for reading! :D

Hauls, hauls, hauls! - Zara, Rebecca Minkoff, Laura Mercier, Butter London, YSL, Nars, Topshop and more!

 Hello everyone! 

I've been wanting to do a blogpost on what I got for my birthday (which was 3 weeks ago!) but then I was being lazy and also been shopping here and there since my birthday, so why not throw everything in one long blogpost!? :D 

So, these are what I got for my birthday! Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. clutch in black with gold hardware that my boyfriend got me when we were in Seattle on the way back from Coachella which I have been wanting to get for awhile ,and he also got me the Laura Mercier body creme and hand cream in Almond Coconut milk. And, when I met up with Rei and Stacy, they surprised me with the YSL lipstick in #11 Rose Culte that I wanted! 

Laura Mercier Body Souffle Body Creme and Hand Creme in Coconut Almond Milk - The scent of this body creme and hand cream is pretty strong but it is that kind of scent that once you put it on your body or hands you feel like you just want to eat yourself up! Also, they moisturize your skin so well without making your skin feel sticky or greasy, which I hate. Both absorb very quickly once you put it on your skin. You can buy these at Holt Renfrew. The hand cream is $18.00 but I am not sure about the body creme since I got it as a gift.  

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in #11 Rose Culte -  THIS IS SUCH A PRETTY COLOUR! I've been wanting to try one of the YSL rouge volupte lipsticks and I am absolutely in love with it now. It is a bright fuchsia pink but it is actually a bit darker than the picture above in the real life. The colour looks pretty scary to wear if you look at it first but then it is actually a pretty wearable colour. The formulation is very moisturizing, glide on your lips very smoothly and extremely pigmented, and also it smells so yummy! Can't say enough good things about this product. I am actually planning to try their other shades in more lighter pink or nude colours.


Moving onto the other stuff that I got over the last two weeks! I went shopping with Rei and my boyfriend Ben last week and also shopped a bit on my own.

These are what i got from Zara. I got this cream blouse ($59.99) in jaguar (or lion) head print and I like the gold stud details on the collar tips and as cuff buttons. I think this will look cute with high waisted black pants with hot pink lips! Speaking of hot pink, I got this hot neon pink scarf ($24.99) and it is just sooo soft and looks lovely in spring and actually Rei got this too when she was with me. TWINSIES! :D

Nail Polishes (from left to right): Butter London in Trout Pout ($13), Butter London in Lillibet's Jubilee($13), Topshop in War Paint($13), Revlon in 560 Zealous($4.99 on sale at Shoppers Drugmart) and Essie Smooth Trick Cuticle Oil ($10.99)

Butter London in Trout Pout - This is a very pretty light peachy salmon colour which is great for spring and summer. I have only worn it once since I got this but I found it a bit tricky to apply it because the formula is very opaque yet a bit thick which can streak a little bit.  

Butter London in Lillibet's Jubilee -  This nail polish is actually a limited edition release that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne. Apparently the Queen Elizabeth's childhood nickname used to be Lillibet and that's where the name of this nail polish came from! I don't think my picture is not doing the colour of this polish justice. It is a silvery, lavender metallic foil colour that is very unique! 

Topshop Nail Polish in War Paint - This is actually my FIRST topshop nail polish that I purchased and I am SO SO SO SO glad that I did. First of all, this is such a pretty coraly hot pink colour which looks great on any skin tone, and secondly, the formulation is to die for! So easy to apply and very opaque. The only down side is the price. Why is Topshop so expensive in Canada!! :( 

Revlon Nail Polish in 560 Zealous - This was kind of an impulse purchase when I went to Shoppers Drugmart to get something else..(Can't remember) because all the Revlon nail polishes were on sale for $4.99!! This colour is yellowish lime green colour with gold and silver shimmers. Something that I don't have in my collection. I didn't expect much from this polish since yellow polishes don't look good on my skin but actually it did't look bad! Maybe because of the shimmers? I don't know :S but I indeed really like this colour!

Moving onto the makeup stuff! I got the Topshop Blush in High Five, Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Kalahari, MAC Lipstick in Watch me Simmer and Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado with two deluxe samples of the serums that I am excited to try!

    

Swatches of Topshop Blush in High Five (Left) and MAC lipstick in Watch Me Simmer (Right) LOVE BOTH! 

   

AND..last but not least, I got these two bangles, one in gold and the other in peachy coral colour from J.Crew. And this is the second item that Rei and I both got! ANOTHER TWINSIES! :D


PHEW. It was one heck of a long blogpost! haha
Thank you so much for reading! :D