Check it Out! - Nicki Minaj x MAC

Attention lipstick lovers!!

Starting this Friday, November 26th, MAC Cosmetics is releasing a limited addition lipstick Pink 4 Friday by Nicki Minaj! The lipstick is a satin finish, barbie pink colour that complements the release of Nikki's new album Pink Friday. It will only be available for purchase for four Fridays starting this week, so scoop yours up on maccosmetics.com before their gone!

Lanvin for H&M

11 days left until the much anticipated collection by fashion label Lanvin hits H&M stores worldwide!

The collection features fun pieces such as fur vests, a zebra print trench coat, and full tulle petticoat party dresses in a multifaceted colour palette of deep purples, reds, oranges, greys, and pinks. Aside from the garments, shoes, sunglasses and jewelery, I am also pleased that the collaboration will include four lipsticks! The shades fit in with the fabric colour-story, and range from a dark purple-berry, classic red, bright baby pink, to nude. I'm particularly excited to see how the dark purple, almost black plum shade wears, as this dark lip look fits in so well with the fall make-up trends. Since the lipsticks will retail at $9.95 USD each, they also provide an affordable way for everyone to grab a little piece of the collection for themselves!

Trending: Blackberry Manicure

 
The Blackberry Manicure -  A manicure where thumbs are painted a different, usually flashy colour, so that they stand out when messaging on your phone.

 

My version is China Glaze's "For Audrey" & OPI's "Bring on the Bling" from the new Burlesque collection on the thumb. 

 

... and yes I realize I have an iPhone, "Blackberry Manicure" is just an expression!

Downtown Nights

Whenever fall comes around I always find myself reaching for all the black in my closet. There's something about the chill of the air that makes me want to layer black leggings with black over-sized sweaters and black scarfs! I love black, who doesn't right? I especially love playing with textures and fabrics in an all black outfit. For instance, I think black velvet can be so chic and expensive looking when paired with other fabrics. I also love experimenting with sequins and leather and silk - all black. Lately i've found myself wearing lots of little black dresses on nights out on the town. Here is shown a one shoulder version of the LBD I wore with studded black chain purse, black gladiator heels, & big diamond costume jewelery. And of course the look would not be complete without black nails.

 P.S. yes it is pouring rain in this photo. The long Vancouver rainy season has started!

I Capture the Castle

"Dreams are like a drug: the magic doesn't last and then the pain is worse than knives."

Haul: I Got a Fire in My New Shoes!

A couple weekend's ago I went down to Seattle to spend some time with my family who live in Bellevue, Washington. Whenever I venture down South I can't help but do a little shopping, firstly because of the much greater selection of goodies & secondly because of all the great deals! On this particular trip I managed to snag some truly awesome shoe finds.

I picked up these babies at the Nine West store at Seattle Premium Outlet Mall in Tulalip for $30.
These heeled sandals are great for summer because the neutral brown/caramel colour goes with so many things. They would look great with a pair of boyfriend jeans, a floral jumper, or a pair of breezy white linen pants. They have that effortless strolling down Santa Monica boulevard sort of feel.

These BCBG lace-up oxford pumps are going to get me to sexy places when Fall rolls around. They have this awesome reflective quality that makes them appear both brown and black as the light goes off them. 

 

 Simple, clean beige sandals from Nine West for days at the beach.

These are my new street kicks. Creative recreation came out with this funky line of women's sneakers that used various animal prints...I am a huge sucker for fur on shoes. My favorite pair of shoes in highschool was this great pair of leopard print moccasins with pink leather bows on them. They were the cutest thing. Apparently my friend's dog thought so too because she chewed them up. I was devastated... But the fur on these feels like horse hair :) Anyways I will to be sporting these in hip hop class! 

Report casual leather ankle boots are great for fall, and I've even been wearing them around with denim cutoffs. They have a really sexy urban, granola-y, I'm hot and stomping around kinda feel. Pair these with loose striped sundress and denim jacket while walking around downtown.

Hidden Treasure

I had read the rave reviews about Sally Hansen's holographic polish "Hidden Treasure" on nail blogs, but wasn't quite sure the polish would live up to my expectations. The tricky nature of the holographic sparkle quality it has makes it really tough to photograph well, so it was difficult to know how the polish would actually look before I just went out and bought it... Well I bit the bullet and got it, and I have to say it was well worth the $7 it cost! This holographic polish looks so good on top of just about any colour. It gives creme polishes a multidimensional look & glitter polishes even more pizazz!

I really recommend it as a good polish to add to any nail polish collection because you can get it at the drugstore and it's fairly affordable. Plus I got like 10 compliments on it today alone when I wore it! :)

Pictured here over Orly's "Snowcone"

Layered over OPI's "All A-bordeaux the Sled!"

A Sunday Wedding Affair

Today was my cousin Chung's wedding, the ceremony was held at Queenie park, in a round open area that poetically symbolizes a never ending cycle & life-long commitment, the perfect setting for an exchange of vows. But mostly the occasion was just a chance to goof-off with my little cousins and share some good food and good times.

Me & Hannah playing around in the park

I am a firm believer in wearing bright fun colours to a wedding, and it pretty much looks like a bunch of crayons puked on my dress :)


*Dress from Forever 21, Cardigan from Aritzia, Shoes are Vintage, Clutch by Marc Jacobs.

 No traditional Chinese wedding is complete without a Hello Kitty Bride & Groom!

Internationally Legal

July 29th was my big 2-1! And I celebrated with a little BBQ party & a night out at Lamplighter pub in Gastown. I decided to go for a "hometown hottie" look on my birthday, including denim bustier & silver hoop earrings, as the lamplighter is on the casual side.

Me and my Snoopy ice cream cake :)

Yummy mini cupcakes from Cupcakes (my favorite is the Mint Chocolate)

Much later on in the night @ Lamplighter

Haul: Retail Therapy

I recently broke up with my relationship of a year & have been feeling pretty down, so what better way to get rid of the blues then with a little red retail therapy?

* OPI nail lacquer in Alpine Snow & Italian Love Affair
* Diamond tennis bracelet & turquoise earrings - Aldo
* Black pumps, red button-down top, & pearls - Forever 21
* Paper blanks diary - Book Warehouse
* Viva Glam lipstick in Gaga - MAC

All the items were bought with full intention to be enjoyed on nights out with my girlfriends. And the diary is to record all the new escapades I'm going to have! :)

How To: Stretch Your Shoes

Have you ever bought a pair of shoes that's just a tad bit too small? If so - this trick is for you!

What You Need:

• 2 Ziplock bags
• Water
• Freezer
• Leather or suede shoes (This trick doesn't work with plastic)

Step-by-Step:

1. Fill two zip-lock bags with 1.5 cups of water each.
2. Insert a bag into the toe of each shoe. Make sure the water is stuffed all the way to the end of the shoe!
3. Put the shoes into the freezer and wait for them to freeze (this takes a couple hours).
4. As the water freezes it will expand and stretch your shoes out to a max of one shoe size!

Afterward you can enjoy perfectly fitting shoes :)

 * Shoes from Forever 21

Refreshing Poolside

So far my summer nail colour of choice has been China Glaze's "Refresh Mint". A light mint green creme from the Spring 2010 Up & Away Collection. I had to hunt this bad boy down all over town because the Sally Beauty Supply where I get my China Glaze polishes was out. Eventually I ended up ordering it online from http://www.head2toebeauty.com/index.html.

Here's me wearing the shade while on vacation in Florida in May.

The shade once again, while enjoying a root beer!

Somewhere

I love Sophia Coppola, Virgin Suicides & Marie Antoinette are two of my favorite movies. I love the way she makes her films like a picture, she captures "the girl", her style and her vibe. She recreated 18th century France with an 80's feel - Genius! Her new movie Somewhere comes out in December, and it stars Stephen Dorff & Elle Fanning (who I love)! Elle played the young Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button & in my opinion she is living up to her sisters shoes completely. Here's a look at the trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEga7Hz9a3U

A Wander in the Park

This past weekend I managed to get out and about for a little sunshine, food and good times with friends. We visited a haunt of ours that we traffic when in need of a quiet Sunday brunch. The Hart House in Burnaby is also a classic spot for a wedding, and indeed a wedding was being set up as we ate.

Sex & the City 2 Inspired Nails

After watching the much anticipated Sex and the City 2, I was dying to explore some graphic colourblock nail designs inspired by Samantha's intricate nail art in the movie. I was particularly intrigued by her red and gold minx half moon shaped nails...

This is the version I came up with using some of my old Sally Hansen Chrome polish in Crystal & Revlon polish in Blackberry. This look also references a Dita Von Teese nail moment.