My new video is now live! Watch me show and tell the clothing and beauty items I picked up in Hawaii. I know a lot of you guys have been asking me to post this for a while, so apologies for taking so long. I'm looking forward to creating a lot more videos this year, so as always let me know if you have any requests. Talk to you soon :-)
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Hawaii Haul Video
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Tokyo Shopping Bits
Gifts from Brandon - Vogue Nippon March 2002, Fashion News May 2000, FRUiTS magazine, Koenji Kidz sticker and buttons.
Stickers from a store in Nakano Broadway.
Socks from Bubbles, Harajuku.
Solid face masks and Hello Kitty face masks from Daiso (these things are so handy).
Yurie Sekiya stickers from WALL, La Foret.
As much as I wanted to do a full-on Tokyo haul for you guys, I really just didn't buy enough this time around! I bought mostly little bits and pieces, a few clothing items, accessories and gifts for friends and family. Above are just a few of the little things I picked up for myself that are still sitting in a corner of my room, not yet stored away. If you follow me on tumblr or twitter or pretty much anywhere I'm sure you know how much I love 90s/00s catalogue & magazine scans, as well as how much inspiration I get from early 2000s fashion, hence the perfectly appropriate nearly-vintage magazines from Brandon (thanks again if you're reading this!). And how gorgeous are those Yurie Sekiya stickers?! I was super sad I missed out on her exhibition, but those stickers are the cutest ever so I had to buy one of each set. They're glittery and slightly 3D too *heart eyes emoji*
All 3 parts of my Tokyo vlog are now live on my YouTube channel! But I just remembered I have a ton of photos as well, so perhaps a Tokyo photo post will be coming up next? And an outfit post for SURE. It's been wayyy too long, cos editing those vlogs has been so fun but super time consuming. As usual I hope you guys are doing great and I'll talk to you soon :-)
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Contrasted
Vintage denim contrast stitching vest and skirt (the latter is customised) from eBay, vintage shirt from Etsy, rings from eBay / borrowed from mum,
boots by Windsor Smith, vintage beret.
boots by Windsor Smith, vintage beret.
Literally the day after I saw this and this photo from Alexander Wang's Spring 2014 collection, I purchased a contrast stitching denim vest and skirt set I had been watching on eBay for about 4 months. I knew this late 90s/early 2000s trend would be making a comeback soon, although I can't say I'm seeing it everywhere yet. Probs should point out though that the skirt is not from the original vest set (whaaat ??!?). The set skirt was a fail - I bought a contrast stitching dress on eBay - had it altered into a skirt - voila! I had a full set that matched (almost) perfectly. It has been a work in progress for like... 6 months, I am not even kidding. Although it's taken me a while to debut it here on my blog. Plus it works great as separates too!
Can you believe this though, not just a photo post but a video too ??! I hope you enjoy my first outfit/look video below:
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Tokyo 2014 Highlights
San Francisco Peaks, Harajuku.
Disneyland, Maihama.
Alice in Fantasy Book Restaurant, Shinjuku.
7/11 and Tokyu Store haul.
Cafe Hammock Tribe, Shimokitazawa.
Mister Donut
Freshness Burger, Koenji.
Urth Cafe, Daikanyama.
High Tea at the Ritz-Carlton, Roppongi Hills.
Nadia, Harajuku / Nasir Mazhar display at GR8, La Foret.
Garter, Koenji.
The Ritz-Carlton, Roppongi Hills.
Trump Room, Shibuya.
Shimokitazawa.
Flying home.
Whenever I return from a trip, I find the first thing my friends and family ask to see photos of is the food. Which makes total sense... In fact I'm pretty sure I do the same. And the food was probably one of the best parts (if not THE best part) of my trip this time around, hence the overload of food pics above! And outfits of course, cos I got a lot of questions about the type of thing I wore in Tokyo (although 3 of the photos are of the same outfit cos they were all taken on the same day Lol). You can check out A LOT more of what I got up to in my recent trip to Tokyo in my vlogs of course, all 3 parts are linked below. Hope you enjoy!↧
Giza Girl
Joyrich x Giza sweatshirt, American Apparel shorts, thrifted bag, vintage silk scarf from Chicago Thrift Shimokitazawa, Giza necklace, Windsor Smith boots, rings vintage/from eBay/borrowed from Mum.
Do you ever have those clothing items that once you acquire them it's like... how did I ever go so long without one of these ?? For me this applies to a quality oversized sweatshirt. You're prob thinking, "why not just get an XXL from the men's section at K-Mart?" well thankfully I didn't need to after finding this perfect Joyrich x Giza sweat that I had been eyeing for long time. I like it so much I even ordered it in white as well. You know you really like something when you gotta have it in every colour.
Below is my new outfit vid featuring this look ^_^ Apologies if it feels a little Groundhog Day, I'm still figuring out ideal spaces around my home and neighbourhood for filming (so far my room still has some of the best lighting!) but hopefully I will be trying out some new backdrops soon!
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10 Shopping Tips
My newest video is my ultimate Top 10 Shopping Tips that I live by when it comes to shopping for clothes and accessories both IRL and online.
A summary of my tips are below. Be sure to check out the video for the full details :-)
1 - Before purchasing a clothing item for everyday wear, visualise THREE outfits you would wear that incorporate this new item.
2 - Know your body measurements and clothing measurements.
2B - Carry a tape measure with you.
3 - Buy it knowing that you will wear it soon.
4 - If you have a clothing piece you're hesitant to wear, wear it immediately!
5 - When you're out shopping, wear your best-fitting nude underwear.
6 - If you're considering an expensive designer piece, know if it will be easy to resell.
7 - Check the fabric content before buying an item of clothing.
8 - If you like a 2nd opinion, shop with a knowledgeable and honest friend.
9 - When it comes to online shopping, do as much research on sizing as possible.
10 - If you find something inexpensive that you love, buy another.
If you already use any of these tips, try out any for yourself, or have additional tips of your own I would love to hear about it!
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Turtle
Acne Studios 'Beta' sweatshirt• American Apparel tennis skirt • Vagabond Dioon loafers• Aquvii airplane necklace • thrifted beretvintage Coach backpack • rings from eBay, borrowed from Mum etc.
So basically I'm getting all of my winter and all-black looks out of my system since apparently it's already Spring here (not to say I won't be wearing all-black in warmer months too). I am so not ready, I still have so many winter things I need to get more wear out of !!! I've been taking advantage of every cold day during this transitional period. What do you guys do when you're in a race against the seasons?
Check out my video of this look below. Be sure to subscribe as I'll be hosting a special 1000 subscriber giveaway (and also my first giveaway ever) really soon! Details TBA, but I can say that there will be two winners :-)
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Easy Soft Waves Tutorial
One of my most requested videos - my hair routine / tutorial for soft, curly waves! This is pretty much the only way I style my hair these days because it really is so easy. In fact there's barely any effort in the creating the actual waves as you shall see in the video. And yes, I call them curly waves because sometimes they sit like curls when they're more unified, but look like waves brushed out. It's kind of like a 2-in-1 hairstyle? Anyway hope you guys enjoy and find it helpful! Please be sure to hit the 'Like' button or comment below if you'd like to see more tutorial videos like these. Plus you can stay informed on my 1k subscriber giveaway coming up soon :-)
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Clothing Inspiration
Dress by CUE → Cher's little dark red dress in Clueless 
Vintage denim vest from Chicago thrift store Harajuku → Seto Ayumi's oversized denim vest (or 'sleeveless jacket') 
W.I.A. nails print crop t-shirt → worn by Brooke Candy 
Vintage XOXO cheongsam dress → worn by Alicia Silverstone in Seventeen Magazine 1996 (in blue) 
Customised crop Von Dutch t-shirt → "Meet Me At Bebe, BB" editorial by DIS Magazine
Hamburger print t-shirt by Get A Life → photo seen on my Tumblr feed 
Vintage Levi's jacket → Manitas' oversized acid wash jacket 
American Apparel crop top → Mathilda's stripe crop t-shirt in Leon, The Professional 
Black Friday button-up corduroy skirt → Cher's button-up mini skirt in CluelessFairly recently I posted this on my tumblr and asked you guys to give me feedback on the kind of content you'd like to see here on my blog. I feel like juggling both video editing and photo editing for my YouTube channel and blogspot respectively is pretty damn tricky in terms of time management, but I still enjoy them both so much so I wouldn't want to neglect either one. So by expanding the types of things I post here (as opposed to pretty much only outfit posts which take a lot longer to create) I feel I can keep my blog updated more frequently. yayyyyy.
Getting onto the actual topic of this post - one of the feedback suggestions I received was sharing the inspiration behind my style and clothing. So I have created a sort of 'inspiration breakdown' by selecting a few pieces from my wardrobe that have some kind of memorable inspiration behind them and basically explaining why I hunted them down slash bought them e.g. because it contributed to a character look I was going for (and lbh* 93% of my style is dressing like fictional people).
How do you guys find your inspiration for your style and/or clothing choices?
And if you have any further post requests or suggestions I'd love to hear those too :-)
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Q&A Video | Outfits, Halloween, Unpopular Opinions
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LA Haul 2015
So for my recent visit to Los Angeles this year I had a pretty intense To-Buy list that I had been compiling in the months leading up. I managed to pick up nearly everything I had planned, including a few extras I'm very excited about such as my amazing Nasir Mazhar sweatshirt *heart eyes emoji*.
Be sure to check out my video of this haul too!
And I am looking forward to getting back into regular posting here on my blog again. Talk to you soon :-)
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Los Angeles & Hawaii 2015
Some of my favourite photos from my visit to Los Angeles and Hawaii in December and January. This is the first holiday I've had in a while where I felt that I've been able to completely, 100% unwind and not let my worries get to me. Plus we did a ton of cool activities like parasailing, swimming with dolphins and an island helicopter flight. Be sure to check out all the best moments in my LA and Hawaii vlogs above.
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REVIEW | Chanel Large Quilted Calfskin Wallet
Although reviews aren't typically the style of posts I have here, I figured it may be helpful to others because there are no reviews of this exact item out there that I could find. Also I'm totally in love with my new wallet as it was such an ordeal finding one that fits my exact requirements oh man so I was excited to share it with you guys!
My previous wallet was technically a travel wallet because I'm a big fan of the space they provide. But the interior coin zip was broken, the length of it couldn't fit in several of my bags, it was getting dirty and it was just time for something new since I'd been using it for at least 5 years and gone through 2 of them.
So my requirements for a new wallet were as follows:
- Large, but shorter than my current wallet
- Opens up 180 degrees, like a book
- Zip-around
- Leather
- Ideally black or black & white
- Contains ample card storage
- Decent sized zip coin compartment
- Place to store notes and paper items flat
I had spotted a girl with this Chanel large zip-around wallet at work one day (about 6 months ago) and noticed how it fit my requirements !! So I followed up by checking it out in a Chanel store and knew it was pretty much perfect. 6 months later, after many, many hours of research online and irl, I could not find anything else that fit all my points above. So I went ahead with the Chanel! Here is a summary of my review:
Pros
- Very spacious for coins, cards (16 slots), notes and documents
- Well-designed interior layout
- Classic exterior design means use for many years
- Great resell value
- Durable
- Large but still fits into most handbags, even a standard "small" crossbody bag
Cons
- Leather does not feel soft to the touch - however, the advantage of this is that it won't be as sensitive to dirt, unlike some soft leathers that have pores
- Coin zip tab sometimes gets caught in the wrong direction and can obstruct the main zip around the wallet
- Card slots need breaking-in as they are quite snug and stiff
And there you have it! If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below and I'll be happy to answer them. Talk to you soon :-)
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REVIEW | My Favourite Pale Foundations
My pale pals out there will know that when trying to find a truly great pale foundation the struggle is real. If you can think of a pale foundation, I can pretty much guarantee you I've already tried it, tested/swatched it in a store, or read about it (in the latter case, the ingredients sucked so I stopped there). This post breaks down everything you need to know about some of my favourite (and less favourite) pale foundations that I currently own.☆ NOTE: I will not be reviewing these foundations based on ingredients, only by colour/shade and performance. If you wish to find out details about ingredients of each foundation, please click the links to their Beautypedia reviews below! ☆
Tarte / Revlon (Oily) / Revlon (Dry) / Clinique / Kat Von D / Make Up For Ever / Illamasqua (no Beautypedia review)
WET SWATCHES
Photographed under natural, indirect light. Low angle to show contrast in colours.
Photographed under natural, indirect light. Low angle to show contrast in colours.
Left to right: Tarte, Revlon (Oily), Revlon (Dry), Clinique, Make Up For Ever, Kat Von D, Illamasqua.
About My Skin
TONE: Fair skin, although I'm still undecided on whether I have more pink or yellow undertones. I've done the veins test and on one arm my veins are green, and on the other they are blue. Looking at my face, I can straight up say it looks like pink undertones, but my neck is slightly more yellow. This means I can go either way with foundations, but blending will be very important.
TYPE: Dry, breakout-prone skin (hormonal zone only)
Finding the "Perfect Match"
Where should you swatch your foundation on your body to figure out the right shade? Many professional makeup artists say swatch it on the neck, and I would agree with this. However, I've also tested on my jaw/lower cheek area and this has worked well too. Ultimately you'll need good blending skills for whatever foundation you use to make it appear as natural as possible. Next point - this is probs gonna be a total no-brainer to some people, but I think the following is really easy to forget when we are bombarded with so many foundation colour options. Fair skin isn't just pale pink, it has other undertones in it too like blue and green and purple (e.g. from our veins of course). Reminds me of in art class my teacher once pointed out how an oil painting of a face featured flecks of blue paint amongst the colours that made up it's realistic-looking skin tone. Depending on our environment, the lighting, our physical state, etc. the skin on our face and neck will appear differently. So my advice is not to fret too much about finding a perfect match, but finding the tone that is most flattering to your face. The aim is not to just mask all imperfections on your face with just one shade picked out of a whole bunch from your face and neck, but pick one that improves how your skin looks - in other words, you want it to look vibrant, healthy and glowing (unless you are going for a different look which is totally cool as well!). Not only that, you want the coverage, finish and overall performance of the foundation to work for your unique skin. So let's get started!
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF 15Shade: I don't freaking know because they don't print it on the bottle. I assume it's the lightest.
One of my more recent foundation purchases, I bought this based on colour and shade. Despite it looking the darkest in comparison to the other foundations I'm reviewing, it does not at all look this way blended on the skin - I can't stress this enough! It has a very natural skin-like colour, and is also quite neutral in terms of pink or yellow tones, but if I had to pick one it leans towards pink. The colour of this foundation looks slightly desaturated when you swatch it on your fingers, especially when I'm used to swatching pale foundations that are really just pale yellow or pale pink (see my earlier remarks from Finding the Perfect Match). The texture is like a thick chocolate mousse, which is quite obvious just from the photo above. The way I like to apply this product is by smoothing it between my 4 fingers of both hands and patting/pressing it onto my face, then using a brush for the eye area. This product is described by Tarte as having a satin-matte finish and I would agree very much with the satin part if you're applying to a freshly moisturised face. It settle and dries down to a more matte finish. This foundation is definitely full-coverage, but for me requires a tiny bit of building in bad areas plus a little concealer, where as on some days I can stick with foundation alone. It's comfortable to wear throughout the day and never feels drying. Currently my go-to foundation.
Coverage - 4/5
Texture - mousse
Colour - neutral~pink
Finish - starts of satin~dewy, can settle to satin~matte
Revlon ColorStay Foundation (Combination/Oily)Shade: Ivory
Revlon ColorStay has been a favourite foundation for a few years now*, but it certainly does not mean I am completely happy with it. The coverage is excellent, and it applies extremely easily while covering hyper-pigmentation and blemishes. Highly pigmented so it can be built with no concealer required. The colour of the Oily Ivory tone is very slightly pinker and darker than the Dry, so for me if I do not blend it well beyond my jawline, it looks quite dark and pink against my neck. The finish looks super dewy and wet on a moisturised face and for me so I always have to set it with powder. My one major issue with this foundation is that it creases easily when you show facial expressions, e.g. it makes fine lines on your forehead if you raise your eyebrows. It has commonly been reviewed to settle into fine lines so this is no surprise, but it really is a shame. This is the foundation I always wear in my photos and videos as it looks great on camera, but with that comes the fact that it can feel quite heavy on the face, so I tend to wear it only for special occasions.
Coverage - 5/5
Texture - thick liquid
Colour - pinker undertones
Finish - dewy over moisturiser
*I am aware that Revlon and possibly some other brands in this post, mentioned in my blog and/or YouTube videos are tested on animals. Some of these products I started using when I was new to makeup (and didn't do my research) and have continued to use until today completely unaware of how they are made. I'm not okay with animal testing and I have been working towards removing all products tested on animals from my makeup collection.
Revlon ColorStay Foundation (Normal/Dry)Shade: Ivory
I honestly have never noticed a difference in performance between the Oily and the Dry versions of this foundation when applied on the skin, so this will be very similar to the above review. The only differences I have to note are texture and shade. This foundation is noticeably more liquid when swatched next to the Oily version. Oily holds it's shape when pumped, where as the Dry spreads into a puddle. As a person with dry, breakout-prone skin I find they are both effective for me, it just comes down to the colour difference. The colour of this foundation leans toward slightly more yellow undertones in comparison to the other version above. Not only that, I find it to appear less densely pigmented as the Oily version so therefore a tiny bit lighter in overall colour. I think with my pinker face and yellower neck as I mentioned earlier, this is most likely a better in-between colour for me. I highly recommend swatching both Ivory versions in a store against your neck and allowing them to dry completely.
Coverage - 5/5
Texture - liquid
Colour - slightly more yellow
Finish - dewy over moisturiser
Clinique Supermoisture Makeup Shade: 02 Linen
This foundation was a purchase purely for coverage and texture, not so much for paleness. I wanted to review it for those who have a similar skin type or tone as me and are looking for a light-coverage, hydrating foundation. A very moist, creamy texture, it provides very light coverage and warms my skin tone. So yes, it definitely leans towards golden yellow tones. And yup, you will notice it looks a little more yellow than you might be used to. It feels extremely hydrating on the skin and has a highly dewy finish. One little problem though is that although it’s in the lightest shade, it still requires a good amount of blending out for my slightly pinker undertones.
Coverage - 2/5
Texture - creamy
Colour - very warm/yellow tones
Finish - dewy
Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +Shade: 15 Alabaster
One of my earliest pale foundation purchases, we are now moving into the very light shade zone. Occasionally I still use this foundation as it's easy to apply and covers well, although it does require concealer. The colour has pink undertones, which shows how the bottle is quite misleading as it looks a lot more yellow than the actual product itself. The one thing that I think is misleading is that they call it "Mat", because if you apply this to a moisturised face it is not matte. If you want a truly almost magical matte finish, try Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation. That stuff is like watching a science project happen on your face, it dries almost instantly like powder. Anyway... Mat Velvet+ for me is probably more like a satin-matte finish to dewy depending on the state of my skin, provides medium coverage (buildable to full) and is overall a decent product. One of the main reasons I use this less is that I find the liquid texture combined with the packaging pretty messy.
Coverage - 3~4/5
Texture - liquid
Colour - light with pink undertones
Finish - varies depending on skin
Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation *Shade: Light 42
Since Kat Von D is known for having a flawless full face of makeup all the time (as well as alabaster skin of course) I figured this foundation would be great. And it did seem so for a while, although now I’ve tried so many others it’s far from my favourite (in fact I don’t even use it anymore). It has a very thick, almost sticky texture and is quite tricky to remove at the end of the day. It definitely ticks the box for being long-wearing as it claims, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing for everyone. The shade is very light with pink undertones, clearly the 2nd lightest of all the foundations reviewed in this post, and provides full coverage. Just swatching a small amount of this foundation really shows how thick and highly-pigmented the product is. Why don’t I use this foundation anymore? Mainly because of the extremely thick texture. Nowadays I prefer something that is a little quicker and easier to apply that feels more comfortable on the face. I recommend this foundation for those who are adamant about finding that truly pale shade while achieving high coverage.
Coverage - 5/5
Texture - thick and creamy
Colour - very light with pink undertones
Finish - satin~matte
*Mine is a purchase from early 2013 when it was called "Lock-It Longwear Foundation" as you can see in the photo. It's since been renamed to "Lock-It Tattoo Foundation".
Illamasqua Skin Base FoundationShade: 02
I feel like I shouldn’t even be reviewing this foundation because it was almost a mistake purchasing it all together, but let me give you the backstory. I tried it out in-store under department store lights and at the time all I cared about was PALENESS. At the time all I thought was - I am pale person. Me need pale foundation. Must be like white colour !!! So when I saw that this foundation was just one step up from the white shade, I was like YES! This should finally not look like all the too yellow or too dark foundations I’ve failed with. In the store it looked good (I'm pretty sure I only swatched it on my hand like a dingus) so I purchased it. I used this foundation for weeks until one day, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in bright natural light in a mirror across the room, and I honestly looked sickly. You might be thinking, “you probably needed some bronzer!” well a good foundation shouldn’t require a bunch of other products. So I stopped using it and now I keep it as a lightening supplement (which I still never use lol). But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good pale foundation, I probably just should have chosen a shade darker perhaps? I’ve never gone back to see. I wanted to review this exact shade as a warning to you pale folk thinking your skin is as white as printer paper when it actually isn’t. In terms of performance, this would classify as medium coverage to me with a liquid texture, not particularly buildable. The stiff packaging makes this product difficult to apply onto your hands or brush, so you end up using a shaking/tapping motion. The shade is extremely pale and extremely pink. It's like a very pale peach colour.
Coverage - 3/5
Texture - liquid
Colour - lightest of all
Finish - varies, but for me it requires powder
So in all this, is there a standout winner? No, but there are definitely losers, and these are pretty obvious in my review (lol). But as for the handful of successes, it all comes down to what I'm using them for. If you're pale and on the hunt for a foundation, here are my final summarising tips:- You might be pale, but remember your skin is not literally as white as printer paper
- Your skin is more colours than just pink or beige
- Do not be deceived by photos/videos of swatches - always try it yourself
- Although ingredients are not touched on in this review, always be aware of them before buying
- Foundation isn't just about making your face all the one even shade, but also improving it!
Hope you guys enjoyed this post and found it helpful! And although I did mention I've tried most pale foundations, feel free to still comment your own recommendations or any other tips/tricks of your own when it comes to finding a great foundation. Talk to you soon! x
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Gifts from Tokyo
It's always great when your family/friends come home from a trip after a long time, but even better when they bring gifts!! Thanks to my sister for bringing me back these awesome gifts from Tokyo. Follow her on instagram @helloxhalle ↧
My Current Makeup Look (Soft Winged Eye)
This is a look I've been wearing very often lately, and it's my go-to look for photos or video. It's easy to recreate, especially the soft winged eye which doesn't require the skill and precision of eyeliner, as I only use black eyeshadow. You can tweak this look in many ways, such as the lip colour, blush tone, and the darkness of the eyeshadow wing. I make mine a lot darker for evening events
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Brand Shop SALE!
♡ Spring cleaning is happening over on my official brand store » shop.themilkclub.com ♡
Most items reduced to make space for new products (literally making space as I am moving house soon and need to clear the last stock). There’s not much left so order quick! All orders come with a free sticker. Tote bags come with a free postcard too! and thank you as always for the continued support :-)
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Hello Kitty Diner Sydney
Last week I checked out the new Hello Kitty Diner located in The District at Chatswood Interchange, Sydney. Our order included the sweet potato fries, a pancake shake and a cinnamon waffle with apple pie ice cream and caramel sauce. For a quick review on the food, it is very average and not something we'd return for. The shake is basically a maple syrup flavoured thickshake, the waffle was
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Recreating the Look | Mathilda Lando
If any of you guys followed me on Polyvore a couple of years ago (back when I was still an active user) you might remember that I always posted outfit sets inspired by fictional characters. As I say time and time again, a lot of my style inspiration comes from characters from film and TV. So with this in mind, I thought I would bring back these outfit sets here on my blog as a more regular
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Coordinated in Fila
This is definitely going to be my favourite look for spring/summer! You might have already spotted this outfit in my recent vlog where I wore it for the first time, and the coordination of the Fila dress and shoes wasn't even intentional. The shoes I've had for over a year though, and they've been around for ages, I just came across them on eBay one day (I think while searching for a different
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