Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Be Yourself; Make Fashion!!

Yu and I had the most fun and efficient shopping spree today!! 
We both realized that we have been so busy w/ kids' school, outside school activities and cooking, minding house chores that we really need a break and go to the city. Just so, we can see what's display behind the windows and to keep up the fashion sense.....(Well, we can't go NYFW freely each season but we certainly still manage to stay on top of the fashion world!!) 


Our day start with the most aromatic Blue Bottle coffee~

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(Left bottom on YU: Chanel 11' striped crochet dress)

When I looked back my outfits, I think I had a crash for blue color these days!!  Not only Yu and I both picked navy as main color for our outfit (another make-us-freaking-out coincidence) but we also purchased Chanel 11' navy short full skirts at NM. ....can't wait to wear it! ^^


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I definitely am not crazy but simply had the most fun with my outfit today! Strangers liked my sheer socks + Miu Miu platform look and also wondering if my dress is ONE piece. ^^

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I can see million ways of wearing this Karen Walker shirt cape/poncho!!
(You know I bought this top in Taipei last year 2010 when traveling back to Taiwan.)


My ODJ.


1. Top:
blue crochet vest (wore as scarf)
RUGBY tiered skirt dress w/ ruffle shoulder
Karen Walker cape shirt (worn as one shouldered top)


2. Bottom:
Dries Van Norton ink-jet print cropped pants


3. Accessory:
Hermes white CDC 
Sheer grey socks
white leather sash as belt


4. Shoes:
Miu Miu platform sandal 2011


We rock SF!!!

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Be yourself, and make fashion!!
xoxo Rachel 

Preetma Singh

Nick Verreos Joins TV Guide Network's "Academy Awards Red Carpet " Sunday Feb 27 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific!!


Oscars Red Carpet Gets A Dose of Nick...

Kids, I finally made it...well, made it to the Academy Awards: Just today, I found out that I have been invited to give my Fashion Expertise on Sunday's Biggest Red Carpet Night of The Year: The Academy Awards!

As you may already know, for the last several seasons, I have been part of TV Guide's "Red Carpet Fashion Wrap" giving my "Nick Two Cents" on what the stars wore the night before at all the major award shows. But now, I will be able to give my LIVE commentary as the stars come down the BIGGEST Catwalk in the world for TV Guide Network's "Academy Awards Red Carpet Show" hosted by Chris Harrison.

I will be joined by Tabatha Coffey of "Tabatha's Salon Takeover" and UBER Supermodel Paulina Porizkova! We will then re-group the following day with our hostess, the GORGEOUS Daisy Fuentes, to discuss "The Best" and "Not So Good" from what we saw on "TV Guide's Academy Awards Fashion Wrap" which will air Monday night!

I am so EXCITED!!!! Now, I have to go decide on a Very Important Male Fashion Dilemma: Bow tie or skinny black tie? It will all start at 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific as we do a LIVE Academy Awards Red Carpet Countdown Show and then the madness will begin with with the LIVE Red Carpet at 6 Eastern/3pm Pacific.

Click on the image below to check out all the great features on the TV Guide Academy Awards Website including all the information for the Red Carpet Pre-Show on the big night:

13th Annual Costume Designer Guild Awards: Red Carpet


Halle Berry Wows, Kristin Davis' Goes To The Ball and Diane Lane Does the Charleston...

One Word: Wow! Halle Berry in Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2011--Costume Designers Guild Awards 2011

Last night were the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It was a star-studded gala as one might expect, especially in the week leading up to this Sunday's Academy Awards. The CDGA honors Outstanding Costume Design in film from the previous year.

There's not one "Best Costume Design in Film of the Year" award but they break it up into categories, which I think is great (especially for us Costume Design-aficionados). Many actors, stylists, costumers, costume designers are invited to this event which has become the Oscars of Costume Design. Costume Design is often an under-appreciated yet essential part of movies and movie-making and now, more and more, in these "Red Carpet and Fashion-Centric" times, they are getting their due--finally!

Host Kristin Davis in...

Oscar de la Renta Spring 2011 black-and-white polka dotted strapless ball gown

The Gala was hosted by actress Kristin Davis, who looked every vision of her "Sex And The City" character Charlotte York in Oscar de la Renta Spring 2011 but the Red Carpet Fashion Star of the night was the GORGEOUS Halle Berry--who was given the first ever "Lacoste Spotlight Award".

Halle Red: Elie Saab Spring 2011 Haute Couture

She wore a Spring 2011 HAUTE COUTURE Gown--fresh off the Paris Runways--from Designer Elie Saab. She looked BREATHTAKING!! Halle + Elie= Can Do NO WRONG! It's so amazing to me that even to a non-televised awards gala such as the fabulous CDGA, the top A-List actresses are still "giving" Haute Couture!!! In the past, these $50,000-$100,000 hand-sewn one-of-a-kind gowns were reserved for Cannes or the Oscars, but no more. Well, when you are Halle Berry, you can borrow the best!

Others present were: Actress Diane Lane, giving a 1920's "Charleston" vibe in this handkerchief hemmed sequined dress and "sensible" strappy heals...

Actress Claire Danes in a metallic gray cocktail dress

Demi Moore in Vivienne Westwood royal blue silk taffeta gown

New Fashionista In Town: TV Presenter (from E! and MTV's "The City") Louise Roe GIVES it to you!! She is wearing Manish Arora and shoes by Versace. Those shoes-by the way-are RIDICULOUSLY good!!!

And naturally, there was a Costume Designer or two: Above is the fabulous Colleen Atwood (wearing a dress by Roland Mouret), Costume Designer for "Alice In Wonderland" (with her daughter), who won the award for "Excellence in Fantasy Film" Costume Guild Award for 2011.

In case you were wondering--the following costume designers were honored with awards last night--Congratulations!

Excellence in contemporary film Black Swan - Amy Westcott
Excellence in period film The King's Speech - Jenny Beavan
Excellence in fantasy film Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood
Outstanding contemporary television series Glee - Lou Eyrich
Outstanding period/fantasy television series Boardwalk Empire - John Dunn & Lisa Padovani
Outstanding made for television movie or mini series Temple Grandin - Cindy Evans
Excellence in commercial costume design Chanel - Bleu de Chanel - Aude Bronson‐Howard

Browhaus Lashes in Bloom

Lashes! 


As a girl who hasn't been blessed with naturally long, flirty lashes I have always been obsessed with them. False lashes, growth serums, old wives tales of Vaseline, I have tried my fair share! So when I was invited to try Browhaus' new Express Lash in Bloom I decided it was time for me to delve in to the world of eyelash extensions.

So on a Friday night I made my way to Floral Street in Covent Garden to get my lashes pumped up to their fullest. I was given a form to fill out with the usual checks and swiftly lead downstairs for my treatment. Lying back in the cosy chair my therapist Ellie explained the procedure in detail and answered all my questions showing great knowledge (and patience as I was curious about every step).

First she applied tape to my lower lashes to prevent them from sticking to my upper lashes. Although this did feel a little strange at first it wasn't all that uncomfortable and I soon got used to it. As I closed my eyes Ellie applied the dark glue to my lashes and began carefully adding in the clusters one by one. The whole procedure was very comfortable, there was absolutely no poking or pulling, and towards the end of the 40mins I let the soft music relax me and actually fell asleep!

As the glue dried Ellie gently fanned my lashes to speed up drying time. I then slowly started to open my eyes. Now, I have to warn you that my eyes are extremely sensitive. I have a million allergies and my eyes get irritated by the most benign of substances on a daily basis. As I opened my eyes the fumes from the glue did make them water (a lot!) and when I looked in the mirror I could see that they looked sore. The redness and irritation lasted for about half an hour, but as the glue used is an extra strong formulation that insures the lashes stay in tact for three to six weeks, this was to be expected. It was not painful at any point, just annoying as my eyes were watering. Seeing the results was definitely worth it though!
The pictures below were taken as soon as I got home. I am not wearing any eye makeup - no eyeliner, and definitely no mascara, so you can see just how amazing these lashes look!

I was given a booklet of instructions and after care tips to take with me and Ellie made me promise not to tug on my lashes as my natural ones would fall out with them (I would never, ever do that anyway lol)! I was also told that I should be very careful in cleaning them - avoiding any products that contain oils, which would start to dissolve the glue. I also had to be careful not to let them get too hot eg. in a hot shower or bath, and not to flatten them eg. by letting shower water beat down on them.

This all sounded fine until I tried to wash my face that night. I never realised before just how often I rub my eyes! As I normally use my cleanser all over I had to be very careful to keep it away from my eyes when washing my face. I also had to use an oil free makeup remover on a q-tip and sweep it very lightly across my lash line. Though the lashes are a great time saver in the morning, as I no longer have to apply mascara and can quite comfortably skip the eyeliner, at night my cleansing routine is a little more complicated and time consuming.

In the same way in the shower I try to keep my face as dry as possible. So when I (inevitably) get shampoo in my eyes it's very uncomfortable as I can't rub my eyes or rinse them under the shower. Of course this would be the same with any eyelash extensions. In fact I think the whole process has been quite (excuse the pun) 'eye opening' and I am now learning not to touch my eyes so much, and be more delicate when I do, which can only be a good thing!



This is what the lashes look like a week after application. As I write this review a week and a half later I am still sitting here with every cluster perfectly in tact.. yay! I shall update you all further on their longevity when I have them taken out (or need to have infills, I haven't decided yet).
As you can see with just a flick of eyeliner my eyes look complete. I have definitely started wearing less makeup on a day-to-day basis as the lashes look so beautiful on their own, I feel that my eyes don't need a lot of extra definition.

Browhaus are currently having a promotion where their Express Lash In Bloom is just £30 for first time customers! You can find more information about the treatment and how to book here.

Have you ever had lash extensions? What has been your experience? Are you curious about trying them? xxx

25% OFF Accesories Direct

And while I'm giving away discount codes why stop there? You can get 25% OFF any puchase on  accessoriesdirect.com with the code SPRING. You will also get free P&P with orders over £30!

I already have my eye on this beautiful clutch bag by Kate Benjamin ;).

Exclusive Feelunique Discount Code!

You may have noticed me mentioning feelunique.com in a number of my posts. I think it is a fantastic site that contains so many different products from a huge range of quality brands. Makeup, skincare, fragrance, hair, tan, men's, spa.. whatever your beauty needs you can probably find what you are looking for on this site, and with free shipping throughout Europe I would challenge you to find a better deal!

The challenge will now be even harder as  feelunique.com have kindly offered my readers an exclusive 5% discount across all products on their site. You can either enter the promotional code: FGMAKEUP at checkout or click here to navigate to the site and get the discount added automatically!

Happy shopping my lovelies! xxx

Simple small print - This voucher code cannot be used in conjunction with any other feelunique.com voucher code promotions and excludes ghds.

Urban Decay, Wolverine & A Great Exercise Video

I'm finding it difficult to find time to blog what with Chris being home.  We always try to spend as much time together as possible when he is home like going to the cinema, going out for dinner etc. but I was determined to get a couple of posts done while they are fresh in my mind.  Sometimes I have so many things going round in my head that it's easier to just get it down in writing before I forget!

I'm just going to show you guys some new Urban Decay products that I have been enjoying using recently. 


The first one is the Afterglow Glide On Cheek Tint in Score and here's some info on it from the UD website:

"Finally! Sheer, buildable cheek tints that glide on and feel weightless – (never heavy or greasy like your grandma’s cream blush). Our techy-feeling tint applies effortlessly on top of any foundation or bare skin… no pulling or rubbing needed to make it look right. And you’ll never get that powdery, cakey look that sometimes comes from powder blush. The formula is loaded with good-for-you ingredients like Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Vitamin A, so your skin gets nourished and protected. The color goes on more sheer than it looks in the pan, but since its so buildable, YOU control how much you want to blush".

I'm not usually a fan of cream blush products because they always seem to require lots of blending and rubbing and you end up ruining your foundation in the process!  However, this has to be the lightest formula I have ever felt in a cream blush.  As the name suggest, it is more of a cheek tint as the colour is so subtle but it's great that you can build it up to amp up the intensity.  You can see from the pics above that it looks extremely natural on the cheeks (I just swirled my fingertips in the pan, dabbed them on the back of my hand to blend a little, then applied it lightly to my cheeks).  The best things about this blush product are that it gives a fresher look than powder, it doesn't contain any shimmer or glitter and it doesn't feel sticky, greasy or tacky once applied.  I love the pink/peach shade!  It comes in 7 shades: Score, Bang (bright orange), Crush (bright pink), Fetish (rose pink), Greedy (berry), Indecent (peach) and Quickie (light pink). 

This Urban Decay UrbanGlow Cream Highlight in Sin kind of reminds me of the Mac Cream Colour Base in Hush but the UD one has a MUCH better formulation! The consistency turns to liquid as soon as your fingers touch the pan which I have never seen before.  Some cream highlighters can be kind of sticky and hard to blend but this product makes it so easy!  I use the same techinque to apply this as I use for the cheek tint in that I pick up some product on my fingertips, blend it in the back of my hand, then tap into my cheekbones.  Here's what the UD website says:

"Our silky cream highlighter gives you the power to guide their eyes to all the right places. Packed with pearl powders, the weightless formula adds luminescence wherever you need it: Craft contours where there were none. Create sculpted cheek and brow bones. Look like you got a full night's sleep with a touch of Urbanglow in the inner corners of your eyes. Hide that hangover with a dewy, youthful glow. The non-greasy formula dries down instantly, and can be worn right on top of makeup".

This ensures that you always get a flawless, even application with no streaks or patchy bits.  This highlighter gives a lovely glow to the cheekbones without being too shimmery.  Sometimes Urban Decay products can be glittery (which I hate) but this one is just perfection.  I love the shimmering champagne colour of the UD sin products and this shade is neutral enough to work on any skin tone.  I like to wear it on my cheekbones, browbones, inner corners of eyes and on my cupid's bow.  It comes in 4 shades: Sin, Brown Sugar (warm taupey brown), Moonshine (iridescent shimmer) and Wicked (radiant pinky shimmer).   Plus I love the skull on the lid of the compact! Simple things....


I love the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners so I was excited to see that they had released an eyeshadow counterpart...Glide On 24/7 Shadow Pencils.  There are 12 shades in all:

Barracuda (black with silver sparkle)
Clash (bright turquoise with silver sparkle)
Clinic (emerald green with silver sparkle)
Delinquent (dark purple with bright purple sparkle)
Lit (golden bronze)
Mercury (gunmetal)
Midnight Cowboy (beige with silver sparkle)
Morphine (light purple with pale blue shift)
Narc (mossy green)
Rehab (taupe)
Sin (champagne)
Wasteland (dark brown) 

Now eyeshadow pencils can be hit or miss and my favourite was, and still is, the Jemma Kidd Iridescent Eye Silk Crayon in Tigers Eye but these liners come at a close second.  They do have a better colour selection than the Jemma Kidd pencils but they share the same chunky appearance.  Some people don't like that but I personally do because you can use them as an eyeshadow OR as a chunky eyeliner that can be smudged for an undone look.  Here's what the UD website says about them:

"They’re crease-proof, they’re waterproof… it’s the next generation of 24/7 Pencils! Our Shadow Pencils deliver incredible color payout, but feel lightweight. The new fat shape allows you to cover large areas more quickly. Use the thin tip as eyeliner, or the side of the tip as a generous swipe of eyeshadow. Luscious drop-dead shades make you feel every inch the creative type, as you blend shimmer, cream and sparkle finishes".

I love the Barracuda, Midnight Cowboy, Mercury and Rehab shades...they are all gorgeous, smooth and really blendable.  You will see in the pic above that I used Midnight Cowboy all over the lid, then blended Rehab in the outer corners and used Barracuda as a liner on the top lid.  The best thing about these is that they don't move once on and they don't crease either.  Midnight Cowboy powder eyeshadow always means glitter fallout for me but this pencil version means I can enjoy the shade without the irritating glitter all over my cheeks!


For those of you who like regular Wolverine updates...well he still hasn't given up on his attempts to escape his cage!  As you can see from the pic above, he's ALWAYS up to something!  He recently had an escape where he got out of his cage, ate all of the hamster choc drops that we keep under the table, then got back into his cage and tried to pretend everything was normal but the massive ball of molten chocolate in his bed said different!  No doubt there will be more escape attempts/successes so I'm interested to see what he gets up to next!  I love his face in the pic above like he's saying "can I come out today please mummy?".ha ha.

And lastly, please ignore the stupid name of this exercise video...but it's a GREAT workout for your bum and thighs.  I have been doing these exercises for the past 3 weeks and boy do they work!  This guy was on The Real World in the US apparently? Despite that, he is really thorough in his workout videos in explaining how to do everything and he really knows what he's talking about.  I'm seeing really good results from doing these exercises. 


Do you have any good recommendations for workout videos on YouTube or good nutrition blogs?
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