Wish List - Luxurious Edition.

I got myself the Marc Jacobs Holiday Pave Heart Studs in Light Peach (it's more of a rose gold colour...) and absolutely LOVED it! I wear them everyday now and I pretty much haven't taken it off since I got them a little over a month ago!

$48.00

So I have now become absolutely obsessed with Marc Jacobs jewellery...again thanks to Sam. Haha!

Here are a couple things that I selected out:

Drapped Zip Bracelet $88.00

I'm usually not a rock chic styled person so this is not something that I would go for. But I think it's because the chains are really thin,and elegant instead of something that's really chunky, that adds to the refined simplicity and softness of the piece and caught my eye right off the bat.

Holiday Pave Turnlock Studs $48.00

These are almost the same idea as the Pave Hearts that I got. As you all can probably see that I'm really into the gold/peach/rose gold colour theme. I just really like how the warmth in the colour compliments my skin instead of plain silver jewellery. 

Katie Link Bracelet $98.00

I absolutely ADORE this bracelet, and felt that instant connection to it (I know, sounds very cheesy haha...) the moment I saw it! I felt like this was so ELEGANT and feminine and I can totally see myself wearing this with almost every outfit that I'd usually wear or can ever come up with! Plus it's the perfect colour for me!  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥ 

I also have some pieces that I saw many times at Coach before that I'd like to one day own =)

Sterling Rondell Pendant $148.00

I like this for the pure fact that it's simple. Plus I really like the chain. I prefer something that's very fine like the connected beads in this case, as opposed to regular chains made of interconnecting hoops. 

Classic Op Art Toggle Bracelet $128.00

I've been, for the longest time, a true fan of toggle styled bracelets! I really dislike the look of clasps on bracelets; this is about the only time that I like a bit of chunkiness in jewellery! xD I think this embraces the classic charm bracelets look but it doesn't overwhelm with multiple dangling charms and is relatively simple looking.

Holiday Pave Stud Earrings $78.00

I've surprisingly been picking out a lot of "pave" styled items, but in fact I'm not really a big pave person...I loove the colour combo of these. I'm a traditionalist, which means I adore my pearl earrings. I have fairly large ear lobes and I really like the way that larger beads sit on them! 

The only real complaint that I have for Coach pieces is that I think they're wayyyyyy overly priced! I really don't think they're worth what they're marked at, and plus I do think the quality of Coach is slowly going down too...Big disappointment. =(

I'm not a big fan of Michael Kors jewellery because I think they're too bold and chunky for me. But I am for sure a fan of their bags and wallets!

I love the quality of Michael Kors and I think the streamline design is perfect for my tastes! 

Michael Kors Jet Set Continental Wallet $118.00USD

I really like the shape of this wallet. I bought the black version for my mom and absolute was jealous that it looked so good with everything and anything! I really really wanted the red version, but it's on back order until February...I love the vibrant colour of the wallet plus the laid back casual design. The texture of the leather is also very soft and smooth. 

Gia E/W Tote, Ecru $795.00USD

Medium Hamilton Top-Handel Tote, Vanilla $278.00USD

Typical choices of mine LOL. Both are very simple and classic designs. The Gia tote would be a good carry-all bag and the hamilton would be a good everyday bag to carry around. I generally like lighter coloured bags, because I think it's just easier to match them with clothing. I know they get dirty easily too but with proper maintenance, they can go by without being noticed. =D HAHA! Also I didn't chose the regular hamilton because I don't like the open top design. I feel like it looks unflattering, whereas this ne with the folded top makes it look a little bit more structured and proper if you were pairing this for a semi formal or even formal attire. =)

That's generally all for now...boy this post took me a really long time...:S let me know if you have any feedbacks!!

Love,

Helen.

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OOTD AND FOTD! Special occasion edition.

So in the past semester, I was enrolled in 2 lab courses in my school. We had an awesome time in these classes, so after the semester has ended my biochemistry laboratory decided to have a get together to celebrate and to also thank our TA for his awesome guidance in the course! =D

This was a big thing for us, so I decided to take my time and do my hair and makeup today.

Tank: Aritzia

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: Aldo

Blazer: Aritzia

Jacket: Aritzia

Since the place that we went to today was a pub I decided to go semi dressy, but still casual. I was originally going to wear tights instead but I figured that would make it a little too dressy so I went with jeans! =)

As for my makeup, I decided to go for a natural look and putting the focus on creating healthy and glowing skin!

This is what I used:

Primer: The Body Shop Moisturize It Primer + Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Concealer: MAC Select Cover-up NC20

BB Cream: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream 21 & 23

Powder: MAC Studio Fix Powder C2

Setting Spray: MAC Fix+ Lavender

Bronzer: Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer

Blush: MAC Beauty Powder "Shell Pearl"

Highlighter: Bare Minerals Illuminating Mineral Veil

Eye Shadow: Clinique Eyeshadow Duo "Like Mink" + Miss Helen 

Eyeliner: Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Serum and Eyeliner

Mascara: Tarte MultiplEYE Primer and Lash Enhancing Mascara

Eyebrows: Smashbox Eyeliner and Brow Kit

The whole look was super easy and fast to do, and last all day thanks to Fix+. It was a natural enough look for day time but also not too light for night time wear!

The whole night was amazing thanks to all my friends from the lab! I hope y'all liked the outfit and the makeup! Let me know if you'd like a tutorial on the look...

Hope everyone all had a wonderful Friday night!

Love,

Helen.

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Inspirations and Update

No blog post tonight..=( gotta wash allll my makeup brushes since they've been just sitting with bacteria loading on them for the past 2 months...=S I know. Disgusting!

But I just wanted to share a little...actually a HUGE inspiration that I found:

Nic and Sam from Pixiwoo are probably the biggest inspirations that I have on Youtube and the beauty community online!

I find that their style of makeup is so simple and elegant. It's delicate yet still still very high fashion! I really like the way that they're so careful with the application process, and they such a wonderful job of explaining everything!

The video that I'm sharing is a look that Nic did as inspired by Amber Heard's makeup for Chanel promotion. The reason why I loveee this look so much is the use of a pink/coral/orange tint over the eyelid. I have to say, this COMPLETELY changed my mindset on warmer coloured eyeshadow!! I absolute hate to work with them. I think they make you look swollen, and it's just not very flattering. However, the way that the makeup was done, I made her look so fresh faced and the makeup looks very light! It's overall very young and lively looking and I just love the whole colour combination and ESPECIALLY the faded wing of the eyeliner -- I thought that was just BRILLIANT!

I know they used a lot of Chanel products in the video, but the theory behind it still holds very true.

I hope you all will like the look, and be sure to check out their other videos too; I'm sure you'll fall in love with it the same way I did!

Have a good night everyone!

Love,
Helen.

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A little haul from The Body Shop Recently...

Just a little before X'mas, I picked up some of my regular items from The Body Shop.

Most of my body care and skin care items are actually from The Body Shop. They promote natural sources of their products, and I do believe that it makes a difference on the skin!

Fromt left to right: Blueberry Body Butter, Hemp Moisture High Balm, Original Carrot Cream, Elderflower Eye Gel, Cucumber Freshening Water and Facial Massager.

The Blueberry body butter is the only body butter that I'm willing to use. I LOVE the scent, as it's not too sweet (ie. strawberry,) or fruity (ie. Satsuma.) It's great for dry skin, and it soaks into the skin super fast without being overly greasy!

The carrot cream is one of the original products of The Body Shop when it first started. It's an AMAZING facial moisturizer. It's thick, and creamy on the skin but it's not oily or heavy at all! It's soaks into the skin SUPER fast and my skin just eats it up! I go through a jar about ever month to month and a half. It's the perfect consistency for the dry and harsh Canadian winter!

The Elderflower Eye Gel is a very simple water based gel for the eye. It helps to reduce dark circles and puffiness of the eye. I love it because it's very smooth and watery and absorbs fast on the skin! It's a thick gel so that means it's hydrates well too and I love to use this for messaging around the eye every morning and night; this will further reduce any dark circles and swelling by increasing microcirculation around the eye!

The cucumber toner is just a very simple toner to remove excess oil, dirt and makeup and to cleanse the skin further after washing. I feel like it's mild and just something good to balance out the skin before moisturizer is applied.

The facial massager is something that I'm trying out to reduce the swelling that I tend to get in the morning from fluid accumulation at night. (I sleep on very flat pillows because I sleep on my stomach, and that induces a lot of blood flow to the head and makes me very swollen in the morning.)

The Hemp Moisture High Balm is AMAZING!!! I have very bad cuticles from working with m hands all the time. I've tried MANY cuticle oils and none of them has ever worked on me. This balm melts when it's near body temperature and it's a thick oil that targets extremely dry area around the body. I put this on at night and just let it all soak in while I sleep. I sometimes even put this on at work whenever my hands are cracked and bleeding...=S but it works like MAGIC!

So that's it for tonight! Hope every has a good night!

Love,

Helen.

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Everyday Makeup Routine

Since I am now working in the cosmetic industry, I'm required to wear a certain amount of makeup every day at work. As I've been working full time for the past 3 weeks, it's been quite tiring to have to put on makeup every morning at 6:30 and make it to work on time! It's also not the best feeling to have layers of makeup piled on your face and having it sit there for usually 8-12 hours a day!

I've then developed what I call a FULL-PROOF makeup routine that's bound to make me look polished and yet takes NO time at all! Plus, it's also light and airy, so there's less stress on the skin!

The concept behind this makeup routine is that I don't want to make anything dramatic; the whole purpose is to work with my features and emphasize their shape and play around with light and shadow to make them "pop" on my face...=D

This is pretty much what I use all the time:

Foundation:

Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF15

MAC Studio Fix Powder N2 or N3

Eyes:

The Body Shop Lightening Touch Illuminator 03

Clinique ColourSurge Eye Shadow Duo - Like Mink

Miss Helen (this is an eyeshadow duo that Sam brought me back from Paris with my name on it! ♥ ~)

Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Eyeliner - Brown

Majolic Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will usually moisturize first and then put on the tinted moisturizer. I'll use the illuminator under my eyes and then finish off by powdering my whole face with the Studio Fix Powder. The tinted moisturizer gives a light coverage, and will act like a base and grab onto the powder. The powder provides further coverage, but you don't need as much of it to achieve the same result because of the tinted moisturizer. All in all, less powder to suffocate the skin, and the moisture surge is actually a very good hydrator! 

Then I will first use a light colour all over my lid, and then use a darker brown colour and blend it from my lash line up evenly across my eye, until just a little above the crease. This way, you don't really see the colour in the lid space (as I have Asian eyes...) but then you see that shadow created by the colour and so it makes the eyes look deeper and more emphasized on the face. I'll then line AND tight-line my top lash line with the liquid liner and slightly pull it out as a wing. I'll apply mascara and then finish off with some blush. My daily blush colours would be different depending on what I'm wearing that day; the one that I have been carrying around and have been reaching for very frequently is NARS's Deep Throat. Deep Throat is basically a peachy coral colour with some light golden sparkles to give a little radiance. It's SIMILAR to NARS's Orgasm, but more pink (less orangy,) and much subtler in terms of the glitter. 

Here are some pictures of how it all turns out!

It's basically a very natural look that gives definition to the face, and makes me look awake and put together, but will not over do it with too much makeup on the face. The whole thing takes about 15 min in total, and requires barely any effort!

This is what the makeup looks like after 12 hours, and 1 touch up --- pretty good and long lasting! =)

Hope everyone's having an awesome New Year's Eve ♥ !! 

Love,

Helen.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! (and new year's resolution)

First and foremost: 

I wish EVERYBODY a VERY HAPPY New Year!!

Now, this is 2012 we're talking about here. This is suppose to be an EPIC year! If the world indeed does end (which I don't believe it will,) I hope that everyone will live it to the FULLEST!! Enjoy every single moment and I hope that all of your wishes will come true.

Personally, 2011 has been a very bad year for me in many aspects. I went through a lot with my friends, family, school, career and many other things. I hope that 2012 would be a new beginning for me, and that it would be 10000000000000000000000 times more smoother than 2011 ever was!! >.<

In this upcoming year, I have 3 major expectations for myself:

1) I want myself to take more care of this blog. I want to be more consistant in terms of updating and I want to be able to keep up with updating on a regular basis for the WHOLE ENTIRE year. It would be a good opportunity to practise writing, and it's also something to train myself with in maintaining some responsibility!

2) I want to make sure that I go through with at least 2 weeks of vegetarian diet. I wanted to do the vegetarian diet because it sort of helps with cleansing out the system from all the accumulation of proteins and acids and stuff like that. I was planning on doing this the past year with Sam, but because of a sudden change of events, we were unable to go through with it. So this is definitely something that I'm looking towards to doing. 

3) Last but not least, I want to become a more confident person this year! I want to love myself more, and treat myself better and hopefully by the end year, see myself in a new light. I want to find what I value the most in life, and make sure that I never settle for anything less than exactly what I want and need in life! =)

Other than these resolutions for myself, I also hope that my love life and relationship(s) in 2012 would be smooth sailing compared to 2011! ;D (fingers crossed on blond boy...haha!)

BESTEST wishes to EVERYBODY!

Love,
Helen.

p.s. let me know what some of your new year's resolutions are!! ^^

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Splurges Splurges...

At this point, I feel nothing inside but guilt about buying yet ANOTHER Aritzia piece, considering my last purchase was oh....YESTERDAY.

Shame on me. I know.

But this was a piece that I had my eyes on for a REALLY LONG TIME...

as I mentioned yesterday: It was the Talula Sleeveless "CNK" Blouse

(ie. The tank top version of this)

I had SO much trouble looking for the actual picture of the top, it was as if it'd never existed! The receipt actually said: "LACE SLVLS CNK BLOUSE" I figured out every short form except for the CNK part...if anyone knows what it actually stands for...PLEASE let me know!

I first saw this back in August-ish, at that time I wasn't in the best financial situation possible...>.> and hence I decide that I was going to force myself to turn away.

But you know the feeling that you get when you find literally the PERFECT piece for you and no matter how long you stay away from it, or try to convince yourself that you don't need it, it will ALWAYS be sitting at the back of your head poking at you and telling you: YOU MUST HAVE IT? 

Well, this was one of those for me. 

I had never even bothered trying it on when I first saw it back a couple months ago, because I knew if I did I would've NOT been able to control my urge to grab this and just RUN! Even then, I knew it would've been perfect. Today I finally decided that I was going to treat myself and make an impulse purchase that I knew I wasn't going to regret. The moment I slipped this on (without having it rub against any of my makeup and lipstick -- success!!) I knew I was right from the start!! Everything fitted PERFECTLY! Every wrinkle, ruffle, curve of the fabric fell into the right places and just looked like it was tailored for me! =))

I did not need to hesitate at all when I had to take out my credit card and make that swipe!

The original price of this was $48 which I would've bought either way. But since it is still Boxing week, Aritzia was kindly enough to have a $4 discount on this...-.- (considering the rip-off nature of the brand, that discount was actually quite...decent...). I still think this was well worth the money and time spent!

I will DEFINITELY have an outfit of the day with this tank, and I cannot WAIT to see how it turns out under either a blazer or just a casual cardigan~!

I am overfilled with JOY right now! 

All my love,

Helen. 

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Boxing Day Treats!

I was kind of glad that I had to work boxing day, that meant I didn't have to be crushed to death by the sea of people that I was drowning in even today... :S So this was my only day off in boxing week and my mom decided that we needed to head down to do some post X'mas shopping!


My first stop was of course at Aritzia. This item is something that I have wanted for a really long time:

This is the T. Babaton Pearce Coat and I got it in black. It was regularly $350CAD, but it was on sale for $325. It is Italian virgin wool and cashmere, and it’s lined with deer skin. It looks SUPER slimming and sophisticated. I love the fact that it does have a hood, which I think is VERY important if you walk in the winter like I do. =) Even though it is wool and cashmere, it’s not too too heavy on the body, and it is very soft to the touch! The only complaint that I have is that it is by dry clean only…so it’s a little bit more work in terms of the coat’s maintenance.

I also got the Talula Ryanne sweater:

This sweater is also made from cashmere, and it’s SUPER SOFT! It hugs the curves very well, and it is a long fit that covers my butt and thighs. :p I think it’s a great piece to have to create both a comfy yet sexy and flirty look with in the winter! I bought this in the Heather Cheval colour, it’s an off white colour that I think would go with many many different colours of accessories and leggings and jeans and etc.

I really wanted the Lambswool Cardigan, which is almost the classic logo of TNA, but unfortunately they only had this in the zipper version and I really wanted the button version so I decided to not settle for any less. xD

After Aritzia, I went to American Eagle for some jeans. I love jeans from AE. I think they are very fairly priced, the quality is great and they’re very durable and lasts for a long time. I wear nothing but jeans on a regular basis, because I think you can both dress up and down with them!

I love the skinnies from AE! I have wide thighs and hips and they are very stretchy and comfortable and flatter my shape very well:

This is the Worn Dark Skinny. I was first very skeptical about these because I hate it when jeans are washed out right in the centre of the thighs, I feel like they only accentuate the bulkiness of my legs and are very unflattering. However, the moment that I put these on, they not only look incredible, but they were the most comfortable pair of jeans that I had put on in a really long time!! They have a great fit too, even though they claim to be low rise, they actually covered the butt very well and just overall did a good job in shaping my legs!

I also got these, they are the Authentic Light Skinnies. I already owned a pair of these however I made a stupid mistake by buying a pair of jeans without having them fit a little snug at the time of purchase. The most important thing to remember when shopping for jeans (and especially AE jeans) is that they WILL STRETCH OUT when you wash them! Make sure that when you buy them, they are a little tight on you, so that they won’t become too saggy or too large after!! I really liked the colour and feel that these jeans gave, so I decided that I would grab another pair, and this time I made sure that they were a little bit on the tighter side. I have a thing for lighter coloured jeans. They remind me of the 70’s and that wasted artist style: which I think is very expressive and romantic! ^^ These would be GREAT for the summer with sandals or flip flops.

Both pairs of jeans were 40% off which brought them to about 30 bucks a pair. I had them both in size 6 shorts, which I think is the perfect fit for skinnies. (Really don’t like how you have the extra length around the ankles especially with skinnies that are suppose to hug tight around the foot)

That was pretty much everything that I purchased today, however there are still a couple more pieces that I’d like to maybe take a look at tomorrow:

This is the TNA Pomona Raglan T-shirt, it’s a soft cotton V-neck that’s honestly one of the easiest pieces to pull out of your closest if you’re in a rush. I already have this in the colour shown in the picture, but I discovered today that the navy version of this was on sale!! Being me, I can’t live without knowing that this came in a navy colour and not own it…haha…so I’ll be stopping by artzia again tomorrow to see if I can’t find any left!

This isn’t exactly what I want, but rather the tank top version! I love the floral patterning on the fabric, and the fact that it’s actually a very structured piece!! It’s not slouchy on the body so it would give a good shape to the body. I think it would be a perfect basic to have under a blazer or just on its own in the summer!

Other than that, I also bought some wonderful Godiva chocolate (mmmmmmm~they were DELICIOUS)! I got these for the boy I like for Christmas, but he doesn't know that I like him, and hopefully he never finds or reads this post...O.O HAHA! 




Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Love,

Helen

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The MAGIC of Floral Tea~!

 

I was amazed this morning to wake up to soft hydrated lips that neither stung nor peeled!

I had about 2-3 pots of tea yesterday (ok…2-3 coffee pots…>.>) but it REALLY helped improve my dehydrated body…FAST!

My mom also had some of my tea. She has very severe cases of dryness of her eyes from allergies and stuff…but she told me today, that her eyes didn’t itch and she for once didn’t need to use her medication to help sooth out the irritations!!

The tea also really helped with the quality of sleep I got last night! It’s midterm season, and I’m lucky if I can get more than 6 hours of sleep a day. Sleeping at 3, and missing the most important part of the night at midnight doesn’t help the situation either. However, I found out later, that rose is a very good plant to relax and calm your nerves if you’re very stressed and irritated! I had a very restful night of sleep, and when I woke up this morning, I didn’t feel any of the soreness that I usually felt if I was under a lot of pressure and have very bad sleeping or eating habits!

 

The tea really did spectacular things for me! I feel more energized, and just overall a lot more balanced today, not to mention my skin was GLOWING today from all the hydration of the water and the herbs!

This is even more reason for you to try this recipe out!! =))

XXOO,
Helen

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It’s been a while…How to hydrate yourself in the driest season of the year?

 

It seems to always be in the fall going into winter that I get tiny blister on my lips. They not only hurt, but they make my lips extremely dry and rough! No amount of water or lip balm is enough to hydrate it and cure it. So today I’ve decided to turn to my roots and try something traditional: Herbal Tea?

Traditional Chinese medicine has a lot of amazing results. Everything is about Yin and Yang, and so each ingredient is either “warm” or “cool”

Basic Idea: The dryness that’s experienced here is related to an increase in the “heat” element of the body. In order to counterbalance that, you must give yourself “cool” elements. This is how you would restore the balance of the system and everything would go back to normal.
This tea is going to boost your body’s overall homeostasis, hydrate, and will improve your skin conditions too!!

Today I’ve chosen:

Chrysanthemum
Classical example of a “cool” herb. It’s widely used in desserts, and drinks, and it’s a very popular ingredient for floral tea!
This is typically used in the summer and has a very calming effect on the body. It’s also exceptionally good for your eyes!

Rose Buds
Very aromatic, and is great for visual effects! Rose is a delicate ingredient that really helps to improve skin conditions making them softer and more supple!

Golgi Berries
Dried Golgi berries are another classical ingredient, it’s primary function is actually to boost the function of your kidneys!
Kidneys are the PRIMARY sources of waste excretion, and basically Golgi berry will help regulate the toxicity of your system, and clear any kind of build up out! It’s also great for maintaining weight and can really help improve circulation around the body! It’s a very good ingredient to help hydrate the body with.

 

What I did:
All you need to do, is just to put all the ingredients together (rinse Golgi berries under water since they can accumulate dust) and just soak them in boiling water to create a very aromatic cup of tea!

 

The chrysanthemum is a ingredient that will induce urination, which helps remove waste in the body and will really BOOST and speed up your body’s metabolic process!

This is what I’d like to call BEAUTY FROM WITHIN!

I think doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is, this will be a cup of perfumy goodness that you should definitely try!
All the ingredients are extremely affordable and easy to find, and it’s going to take NO TIME at all to wip up!

I encourage you all to try it, and let me know how it worked for you!!

XXOO,
Helen

P.s. if you’re not accustomed to herbal ingredients, the taste might throw you off a little bit, but all you have to do is to put some honey into it (NOT TOO MUCH!) and it should be good to go!

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