Green News: Dita Von Teese Launches PETA’s ABC Campaign With Sexy New Ad Given the numerous environmental issues we already face, I dont think we should have to deal with abandoned stray animals on our streets. So to encourage people to be environmentally friendly and protect our animal population, celebrity sex icon Dita Von Teese lends her sex appeal to PETA’s new ABC campaign. From the Helping Animals website: What does ABC stand for? Animal birth control, of course! PETA’s new ABC campaign tackles the issue of companion animal overpopulation and urges people to do their part by taking simple steps to help end this crisis. Dita knows her ABCs and just how important animal birth control is. Every year, nearly 4 million dogs and cats are put to death in the U.S. because there are not enough good homes for them. Until we all do our part to put an end to this cycle, euthanasia will remain a tragic necessity. In her ad, Dita urges fans to “bone up” on their ABCs and, if they are considering adding a dog or a cat to the family, to adopt from a local animal shelter and be sure to get their new family member spayed or neutered. Good advice from the sexpert, I must say. I am a HUGE animal lover and seeing abandoned animals on the streets breaks my heart, much less thinking about the animals that have to be put down. A pet is for life. If you’re intending to adopt one, be sure you will take responsibility to care for it, feed it and love it; an animal’s life, is still a life nonetheless. Changing for the New Year OHAI there! How was your Chinese New Year? Mine was pretty good. We had our reunion dinner the eve of Chinese New Year as per tradition. Then the first day consisted of the usual visiting and getting all excited about dressing up. Okay, my priorities seem a little messed up. Haha. It’s as though I get more excited about the dressing up and going out rather than seeing my relatives. Lol. But anyhoo, that’s the besides the point. Because it’s Chinese tradition to adorn ourselves in new clothing each new year, the blog has also undergone some changes! If you havent noticed the change, I really suggest seeing an eye doctor. Fret not. While the changes are on-going, the usual posting will not be disrupted. The pink skin is probably temporary until I find a better outfit for the blog. Shopping for the perfect outfit always takes time. If you have suggestions about what changes you will like to see made on the blog, please do drop me a comment. I would love to hear from you! In the meantime, here’s my outfit from the first day of visiting. Outfit breakdown Orange/red tunic top with layered necklace print – Nichii Rocket Skinny Leg Jeans – Guess Jeans Balmain lookalike booties – New Look Gong Xi Fa Cai! NARS Spring Collection 2010 Happy Lunar New Year everyone! It’s the first day of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. So what better day to talk about the new NARS Spring Collection than on the first day of the Spring Festival! NARS is one of my favourite makeup brands because the pigments are amazing. My collection of NARS items is small. I only possess the NARS Orgasm blush and bronzer on top of the awesome Pandora eyeshadow palette because they dont carry NARS here in Singapore, otherwise I totally would have more. I got the bronzer and blush from the Philippines while Arissa personally hand-carried the Pandora eyeshadow from the States. So when they introduced their new Spring collection 2010 consisting of lipsticks, liners, glosses, shadows and polishes, you can imagine my excitement. A chance to own ALL of these at once! OooOoooo…. From the website, The NARS Spring Collection starts with lips that signal the season, from the deceptively demure Easy Lover Lip Gloss in hot pink, to the nearly nude subtlety of Lipstick in Cruising. For eyes that demand center stage, NARS mixes rosy gold with luscious boysenberry hues and sparkling sienna with moss flecks. A sky blue Glitter Pencil makes the eyes pop. Highlight your mesmerizing new look with Orgasm Illuminator and finish with the next cult nail color, Purple Rain. I love how the colours are cheery, bright and fresh; obviously meant to make you look as pretty as a spring flower. The collection can be viewed at Sephora.com. Hooray for online shopping! What do you think of the new NARS Spring Collection? Comment on DIY/How-to: Applying Fake Nails by Pauline yes, these types of temp fake nails are great for a night out. Comment on Green Tip by Miss Singapore by jojo wait, did the Miss Earth Org assign you those messages before the competition coz i noticed on the official site, everyone had their own message and it’s actually amazing the photo quality looked really the same, it’s as if it was all shot by one photographer. except for miss slovak republic’s which was really different. Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Ivan Oh, and also because I’ve spent so much on my Valentine’s Day gift that I don’t feel like buying real roses. Yes, I’m cheap. =P (Actually, I’m just trying out my new gravatar) Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by alvina sweet! Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Ivan I hope I get this, because it’ll be the perfect excuse for me to meet up with you. We haven’t had lunch/dinner together for too long already! Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Arnold aka Mr.Gadget Awww! Singapore only! I hope Brad wins this… Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Aron Brilliant tutorial and I didn’t expect that it could be that easy to make, although finding someone to make it for would be a challenge, lol. Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Rose I love that red colour! Reminds me of Canada! Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Taqinah VAL! This is so preettyyyy!! But you’re prettier =D Awesome job! Do more DIY please! Comment on DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway by Jiaqi wow, it’s pretty! you made it seems so easy! thanks for the tutorial! DIY: Valentine’s Day Fascinator + Giveaway As Valentine’s Day looms around the corner, it’s the perfect time to dress up and look pretty. Blair Waldorf made it cool to wear fascinators (Yes, those things are called fascinators. How fascinating right?), and since I’ve been dying to get one of my own, I decided that this was the best time to make one! A DIY gift for myself! Haha. This is also a great Valentine gift idea if you’re thinking of making something for your loved one. Things you need 1. Feathers (any colour you like) 2. Small piece of cardboard 3. Red cloth approximately 4.5″ x 19.5″ or 12cm x 50cm 4. Red thread 5. Red hairband 6. Scissors 7. Needles First, we will make the rose. Turn the cloth over and fold the width into half, making it about 2.5″ wide. This is the side that wont be exposed. Sew the edges down with small stitches. You dont have to be neat as we will be hiding this on the inside. Once you are done, turn the cloth inside out. The side that you want to show as the rose petals should be on the outside now. Now we have to make the rose. You start by rolling the first edge of the cloth in for about an inch or so before folding the cloth outwards to make the “petals”. Fold the long end of the cloth outwards to form a triangle. The triangle should be nearest to where the new “petal” will be (see visual). Wrap it around the rest of the “petals” you’ve made and hold securely at the base with the other hand. Fold. Roll. Hold. Repeat. When you’ve reached the end, sew the loose ends securely at the base/stalk of the rose with the needle and thread and admire your beautiful work. It might be a good idea to sew across the petals too. This helps to keep the shape of the rose. Make sure the sewing’s tight because we dont want the rose to come undone! Now comes the easy part. Glue stick the rose and feathers to the hairband at desired position with a glue stick. To provide extra support for the rose on the hairband, we’ll use cardboard. Cut a circle from cardboard big enough to cover the base of the rose, but small enough to be hidden. Cover it with the same red cloth you use for your rose so it camouflages. Finally, attach the cardboard underneath the flower and feathers for stability. VIOLA! Your new Valentine’s Day fascinator. In case, you’re too lazy to try it out yourself, here’s a GIVEAWAY! I honestly wasnt sure if I should give out this DIY item I personally made. I mean, I wanted to, but I really dont think it’s good enough. It’s definitely not store material of course. There’s a reason they call it DIY. But since it’s Valentine’s Day and I’m in the spirit of giving (isnt that Christmas though?), leave your name and working email address in the comments section if you dont mind my brilliant (HAHA!) handiwork. One LUCKY commenter will receive this DIY fascinator in your mailbox! Draw ends 11th of February 2010, 1200hr! So start commenting now. All comments will be screened. Applicable to Singapore addresses only. Makeup Collection: M.A.C Have a Love Affair In light of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, Ima write about the M.A.C Love Affair collection because they feature 3 different types of lippies to help you pucker up! Lip Pencil – A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Beet – Vivid Reddish-pink Dervish – Pinky-mauve Redd – Clearly Red Lipstick – Colour plus texture for the lips. Lovelorn – Emotive blue pink (Lustre) Lickable – Bright clean blue pink (Cremesheen) Lady Danger – Vivid bright coral-red (Matte) Snob – A ladylike mauve (Satin) Violetta – Bright violet (Amplified Creme) Dazzleglass Creme – The M?A?C cult favourite Dazzleglass with a creamier, smoother, but no less shiny or dazzling effect. My Favourite Pink – Light Blue Pink With Pearl Creme Allure – Bright Yellow Plum Totally Fab – Bright Yellow Red With Pearl I’m not that much of a lippie girl (more of an eyeshadow person), but I’m totally diggin’ the lipsticks Lovelorn, Lady Danger and the Dazzleglass Creme in Totally Fab and My Favourite Pink! Although this is a slightly dated collection and you cant find these in stores, you can still get them at maccosmetics.com. Maybe they should have launched this a leeeeeettllee later for people like me who do last minute shopping. Haha. My love affair is with eyeshadows. What’s yours? Quick Beauty Tip: Whiten Your Teeth Naturally I’ve been told on more than one occasion, by people of all sorts, how white my teeth are. They ask me if I use any whitening products or if I do anything special treatment. But the truth is, when I was sponsored a teeth whitening service 2 years ago, the dentist told me he couldnt do much for whitening my teeth because they were already so white! I kid you not. Imagine my disappointment then. Haha. But anyhoo, although I dont actively TRY to whiten my teeth (I think if I try any more they’re going to turn transparent), it’s still always good to have whiter teeth. Lol. I’ve read from various sources about how strawberries whiten your teeth naturally, and I am a BIG fan of strawberries. Instead of using chemical bleaching agents why not go natural? The juicy, fleshy part in strawberries contains malic acid which does wonders in removing stains. I never noticed the effect till I was eating strawberries one day and checked my teeth afterwards in the mirror. Hey, waddaya know? My teeth DID look whiter and brighter after just munching on them as an after dinner treat. You can choose to cut 1 strawberry and rub the fleshy part across your teeth as a quick teeth whitening fix before going out. But I personally prefer eating a handful of strawberries as dessert. Eating a handful of these juicy babies once a week will not only keep your teeth looking whiter but also provide a whole host of vitamins in your diet! Try it and tell me if it works for you too! O.P.I Alice in Wonderland Nail Polish Swatch To add to your Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows collection, OPI has nail polishes that honour all things Alice. The new collection invites you to Wonderland with 4 beautiful colours. Off With Her Red! – A brilliant tomato red Absolutely Alice – Sparkly blue that obviously matches Alice signature blue dress Mad as a Hatter – Grey/black with mad loads of multi-coloured glitter Thanks So Muchness! – Metallic berry red with an undertone of pink I can definitely see myself wearing Mad as a hatter for some mad partying, and the two reds for the upcoming Valentine’s/Chinese New Year holiday. Unfortunately, I dont think these are out in our local stores yet. I just got wind that some stores are already carrying these, Sephora being one of it! Yay! Which of the 4 featured colours do you like best? Green Tip by Miss Singapore I’m a calendar girl! Hahaha. Okay. Well, sort of. The recent Miss Earth competition put all the girls competing in a calendar. A green calendar, of course. We were all given a green tip and had to model the tip. It’s pretty fun to look at the calendar and the tips cause it reminds me of all the amazing girls I met and our strong messages for the environment. But that aside, they are helpful green tips that you can use everyday! It’s the small little things we can do for our environment that will make the bigger change. Because not everyone can lay their hands on this limited edition calendar, Ima be nice and feature one tip a month with one hot girl of course. Haha. Who doesnt like to look at calendar girls right? I’m obviously starting off with me: Miss Earth Singapore, Valerie Lim. Picture self directed and shot outside my own house. Haha! Green tip: Save energy by loading your washing machine to its full capacity. Instead of washing a little laundry each time, load your washing machine to its maximum capacity and cut down the number times you have to do laundry. Beauty Tip for Radiant, Glowing Skin Mum always told us to eat our veggies. But what she really meant was for us to eat our fruits. The humble little tomato (yes, it is a fruit!) is actually a powerful skin booster. The skin, our largest organ of our 5 senses, might probably be one of the hardest things to maintain. The constant exposure to various physical elements including the sun can leave the skin looking dull over time. But because tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and the antioxidant Lycopene, they help to fight off free-radicals which damage skin cells and leave your skin looking aged. Eating one tomato a day can help to keep the doctor away, and can help your skin look more radiant. Here are some easy ways you can incorporate tomato in your daily routine: - Juice 2 large tomatoes in the morning and drink up with your favourite toast. - For breakfast, make yourself a cheese and tomato sandwich. - Pack one large tomato in your lunch box. - Cherry tomatoes are a great alternative to regular tomatoes. They are small and easy to eat. Pop them a handful of them in your mouth in the morning before heading out to work or school! If you have a little more time on your hands, the best way to eat your tomatoes is to cook them lightly in oil. You can cook them with pasta or as part of a colourful salad. The cooking fully releases the Lycopene in cell walls giving you the full benefits of tomatoes. Looks like tomato juice is on the menu for breakfast tomorrow! Has anyone of you tried this recipe previously? Did it work for you? Makeup Collection: M.A.C Love Lace Hands up if you love lace! I know I do. Image courtesy of M.A.C Cosmetics With the arrival of a new year, new season, there’s always a good excuse reason to buy makeup. There’s something very seductive about lace. Something alluring, sexy, sensual yet not too over the top about lace. I love how lace embodies femininity yet at the same time shrouds you in some sort of a mystery. I love a good mystery, dont you? This new collection captures precisely just that with subtle yet smokey eyeshadows, pale pink lipsticks and tinted lipglass. The look features primarily the eyes. They are dramatic and bold in cool colours like Suave Intentions and Hypnotizing. The cheeks and lips are kept pale and neutral with just a hint of colour. A little different from the bright and cheery Spring looks you’d expect, but lace never goes out of fashion. You just might want to consider this look for your upcoming Valentine’s hot dinner date! Always good to seem a little mysterious on your first dates. Haha. Spring 2010 Makeup Collection by Urban Decay: Alice in Wonderland I stumbled upon the Urban Decay website late one night and my heart stopped short. ALICE IN WONDERLAND! Let’s not talk about Alice whom everyone obviously knows. But who can forget the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit with his pocket watch, the Cheshire Cat with his amazing wide grin and of course, the Queen of Hearts. Off with her head! Not only does the collection come out in time for Spring 2010, it also marks the launch of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie. The palette comes with 16 eyeshadows, 2 eye liners and it’s famous Urban Decay Primer Potion all in a beautiful box that opens to a pop up of Alice in the mushroom forest. Named in line with Wonderland, the 16 best-selling eyeshadows are given topsy-turvy names like White Rabbit, Jabberwocky and Oraculum. With the best-selling Urban Decay Primer Potion tucked neatly beside these shadows. I’m quite eagerly awaiting the palette to arrive here so I can lay my grabby little hands on them! I might take a leaf out of the movie stills to inspire me to use the psychedelic colours. What do you think of this collection? Would you buy it? Making it Yours Advertorial A laptop is no longer just a laptop. Because we live practically online, the humble laptop is now a vehicle for expression; an expression of our individuality. So why not make your laptop, your own? I did mine like this when I first got my laptop. But instead of just blinging it up with some crystals or paying someone to customise your laptop for you, you can now do it yourself! You can CHOOSE to put whatever design you want on your brand new laptop. When you buy the Dell Studio 15 Laptop, you can customise the exterior of this powerful Hi-def, 15.6¨ LED widescreen gadget. Personalise your device with a choice of colours and 10+ Artist Designs. You can has swirly designs from Mike Ming. Or more psychedelic designs from the (Product) Red line which I personally like. But instead of relying on someone else’s designs, why not you put your individuality out there and show everyone what you’ve got? I CAN HAS CREATIVITY! *insert lightbulb* To start expressing yourself creatively, register at http://www.makeityours.asia/sg and you could land yourself A BRAND NEW LAPTOP with your INDIVIDUAL design and $2500 CASH! These people have already done so. Think you can do better? Travel Files: Miss Earth 09 Goes to Ilocos Norte Part 3 The final and last installment of the travel files to Ilocos Norte! Phew. After which there’s Subic, Occidental Mindoro, Bacolod and umm… I think I’ll just skip straight to some of the highlight events like the National Costume competition and Swimsuit competition. Hurhur. The day after we did our tree-planting activity and was welcomed by the Govenor, we set out early in the morning to Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation for a trek. Kapurpuraoan rock means “white rock” and it clearly demonstrated the power of wind, water and rain on rock and coral. The massive rock juts out into the sea and from afar looks as if someone has wiped off the top frosting and exposed the cake that lies beneath. Up close it was a dazzling white rock that sparkled in the sun. But, dont take my words for it. See for yourself. We’re almost there. We had to trek for a bit. But finally we see the white rock in the distance. Can there be a more amazing view? WE’RE FINALLY THERE! After trekking through rocky roads, by-passing some ponds or whatchamacallit, we finally make it to the white rock. And it REALLY is white even in the distance. We climb on top the actual white rock and of course, the trigger-happiness starts all over again. Close up view of the rock formation. Moving out closer to the edge, we ran the risk of falling into the ocean if we werent careful! Also, the breeze was so strong, our hats were almost stolen by the wind. Everything was flying! See everyone desperately clinging onto their hats. Lol. Cam-whoring pictures with the awesome background. Ok. This obviously isnt me. It’s Miss Switzerland who eventually took the title of Miss Congeniality. Group picture! Pose girls pose! Wave! Wave! By noon, we were on the way to Bangui Wind Farm. Because the Bangui area is so windy, plans to construct various tourist attractions were shelved. But, instead of letting the natural energy go to waste, why not make use to Mother Nature’s gift and build wind mills to harness her energy? This is the FIRST power plant in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. There are 20 units of wind turbines rated at 1.68MW each and they are a magnificent sight to behold. Each structure is beautiful on its own. But combined with the rest of the awe-inspiring structures and set against the blue backdrop, it is a picturesque scene. Again, who would pass up the opportunity to take pictures? Pardon the mad hair. Mother Nature decided to be my hair stylist for the day. But that wasnt the last of our stops for the day. We then had to travel to Pagudpud, Blue Lagoon, Maira-ra Beach touted to have white sands and waters so blue. We had lunch at Hannah’s Beach Resort and then did a beach cleaning on the Blue Lagoon Beach. We had a warm welcome reception when we arrived at Hannah’s. Beautiful bouquets and welcome ribbons for us. Important message for everyone from Hannah’s. Lunch was in a function room. They had set out tables for us very much like a press conference and we sat facing the audience. Imagine people watching you as you ate. Haha. Very common regardless of where we went in the Philippines. Lunch is served. Lunch was followed by a tour of the premises. Hannah’s overlooks the beautiful Blue Lagoon Beach. And we got to see their cosy rooms too. But our crucial mission there was to do beach cleaning. Armed with gloves and trash bags, we made our way down to the Blue Lagoon Beach to pick up whatever rubbish that was there. And we take some time in between to make our fans happy by taking pictures with them. Haha. Ilocos Norte was amazing and truly unforgettable. We visited so many astounding and breath-taking places that it makes me sad to read that the Copenhagen Summit was sort of a failure. According to Newsweek, studies made at the environmental summit show that commitments by the various countries will fall short of of its goal to cut carbon emissions sharply enough to hold off a 2-degree-Celsius rise in global temperatures. The United Nations Environment Program found that the world had locked in less than half of the greenhouse gas reductions needed to provide a 50-50 chance of preventing the temperature increase by 2050. 2050 may seem like a long time away, but it is only 40 years into the future considering we’re already in 2010. 40 years later and many of us will be in our golden years. Years that we might want to enjoy with our families or possibly spend retirement in some exotic country where the beaches are blue and the sky in bluer. But, irresponsibility on our part not only causes the temperature rise in our environment, it in fact, costs us OUR home and OUR future. OUR chance at enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer. The fact of the matter is this: despite already saying we’re TRYING, we’re barely making enough reductions to reach a 50-50 chance of preventing the temperature rise. Maybe we’re just not trying hard enough, or in Mother Nature’s books, we’re not even trying at all. But the picture is not bleak. There is still time to stall the global temperature rise and we need to do it NOW. The experts will tell you if the world delays action by even a few years, emission cuts will have to be considerably LARGER so global temperatures stay within the 2-degree range to prevent melting ice. Why make things difficult if you can take small steps now? DIY/How-to: Applying Fake Nails I’ve never had to bother with fake nails. Being absolutely clumsy it was either I cut them short, grew them out or get gel/acrylic extensions. But if you’re always busy working with your hands, what happens when you need a temporary permanent situation? Fake nails to the rescue! I only used them a couple of days before the actual Coronation while other girls sported extensions the whole time. Turns out they’re actually pretty easy to use! What you need - a fake nail kit (you can easily purchase them from a local drugstore) The nail kit usually comes with an emery board, cuticle stick and nail glue. Otherwise, you will need to purchase them separately. How to 1. Remove any trace of nail polish on your natural nails using cotton balls and nail polish remover. Wash your hands and dry thoroughly. 2. Apply hand-cream and allow it to soak into your skin. 3. Before applying the artificial nails, select the most appropriate sized one by matching the artificial nail to your natural one. The artificial nails should cover your natural nail and not be smaller than your actual nail. 4. Push your cuticle back to expose as much of your natural nail as possible. 5. File your nail surface using the emery board until it is smooth. This allows the glue to spread evenly and provides a better adhesive when you apply the artificial nail. 6. Spread an even layer of glue to your thumb and apply the fake nail starting from the edge nearest the cuticle. Apply gentle pressure and hold the fake nail down for 5 to 10 seconds before releasing. 7. Repeat Step 6 for the rest of the fingers. 8. Once you are done, viola, stretch your hands out and enjoy your handiwork! You can also choose to file any rough edges down or even shape the nails to any shape or length you want. Travel Files: Miss Earth 09 Goes to Ilocos Norte Part 2 Warning: Image heavy post! OKAY. Finally gonna continue from the first post about Philippines. Mad load of photos I photoshopped today! So after lunch at Fort Ilocandia Resort, we went to the brand new convention center to do tree-planting! Armed with our sunhats, we walk to our nearby destination where our trees wait for us. Haha. Remember, if it’s nearby, dont pollute the environment by travelling in a vehicle, WALK! Following our guides. Waiting to go to our trees. We hide under some umbrella shade. It is MAD glaring and hot judging by our shades, umbrella AND hat. Haha. Miss Northen Ireland goes first. My turn to plant! Plant tree until glasses all crooked. A much better picture. YAY! We did it! Save the Earth! Taking a breather after HOT work by the cool and relaxing pool in the new convention center. It wasnt too long after that, we zipped off in our bus to visit some beautiful sites in Ilocos Norte. Paoay Church was our first destination. The church is built of coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks. It’s architecture is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental. What’s really fascinating about the church is the bricks of the church were said to have been made by mixing sand and lime with sugarcane juice! These were boiled with mango leaves, leather and rice straw. Talk about being environmentally friendly. Haha. Interior of the church The main religion in Philippines is Roman Catholic. When we came out, guess what greeted us? A HUGE SWARM OF PEOPLE! No, more like MASSIVE SWARM. They were already gathering when we were preparing to enter the church. But when we came out, it was just….. PHWOAR! We had to fight thru the massive swarm of people screaming, pushing and trying to shake our hands to eventually get to the cafe where we were supposed to have a rest. Of course, in the local province, you could never do without tasting local fare. We thus had a snack at Herenia Cafe and got to sample their famous Pinakbet Pizza and Empanada (like a big curry puff). Here’s the pizza with your usual pinakbet veggies. It was SOOO GOOOD! Om nom nom. And we had this fried corn thing that is apparently dried first before it’s fried. Crispy, crunchy and salty, it would make a perfect snack for any time of day. I stuff myself silly while Kayleigh looks on in disgust. Haha! Even when we’re eating, THEY NEVER STOP HOUNDING US! Look at the camera pointing inside. By this time, it was already evening. We had to go back on the bus and return to our hotel to shower, get dressed and go for a welcome dinner hosted by the Govenor. It was a welcome dinner with cultural presentation. So although we were told the dress code was cocktail dress, everyone really dressed up to the nines. When the event started, it began with a cultural presentation alongside some yummylicious Chinese cuisine. The final item was the traditional bamboo dance. And we got to try our hand at doing it! It may look really simple but it’s actually quite hard. I, however, managed to get the choreographed sets right! Yay!!! The end of the dinner marked the end of a very busy and packed first day. However, day 2 in Ilocos Norte was even more exciting and we visited even more beautiful places. Face of the Day (FOTD): Staged Christmas Although it never snows here in Singapore, I like to pretend it does. Haha. So when I was lucky to get a new palette from Stage (their Floral Frenzy palette), I drew inspiration from a white Christmas to create this look: a soft blue and white to mimic the winter snow. It’s an simple but soft look that you probably could wear out to parties. Face M.A.C Studio Fix M.A.C Pinch-o-peach blush Eyes White & Blue in Stage’s Floral Frenzy palette ZA 10 carat eyeshadow in 104 Kate Gel Eyeliner Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara Eyelashes Maxi Lens in Blue Lips Artistry Lip Gloss in Signature I really liked how the blue turned out on the eyes. The colour was pigmented and gave a nice shimmery effect that dazzled on the eyes. The white was used on the lower lids and as a highlighter for the brow bone. While the shimmer of the white gave the illusion of soft snow on the bottom eyelids, it didnt do much to bring out the brow bone. With Spring coming round, I’ll be looking forward to using the rest of the other colours in the palette though. A great excuse to be playing with colours! Is there a specific look you like for Christmas? Show me a picture of it! How do you guys like to wear your blue eyeshadow? Face of the Day (FOTD): 12 Days of Christmas Although 25th of December has passed, there ARE 12 days of Christmas. If you’ve run out of looks for the never ending parties, here’s a simple one I did which drew inspiration from a white Christmas: soft blues and white to mimic the snow! I was also lucky to get a new palette from Stage (their Floral Frenzy palette) and wanted to try it out too. Face M.A.C Studio Fix M.A.C Pinch-o-peach blush Eyes White & Blue in Stage’s Floral Frenzy palette ZA 10 carat eyeshadow in 104 Kate Gel Eyeliner Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara Eyelashes Maxi Lens in Blue Lips Artistry Lip Gloss in Signature I really liked how the blue turned out on the eyes. The colour was pigmented and gave a nice shimmery effect that dazzled on the eyes. The white was used on the lower lids and as a highlighter for the brow bone. While the shimmer of the white gave the illusion of soft snow on the bottom eyelids, it didnt do much to bring out the brow bone. With Spring coming round, I’ll be looking forward to using the rest of the other colours in the palette though. A great excuse to be playing with colours! Eye of the Day: Black with a Touch of Gold HAPPY NEW YEAR!! New year, new start. If the new year was an indication of how the rest of 2010 will be like, I spent most of it at home, eating and nua-ing in bed watching Zombieland. Haha. New Year’s Eve was slightly different. My New Year’s Eve was spent doing some cardio. Dancing is always good to burn up the extra calories from the festive eating. And then making monkey faces to say good bye to 2009. Of course, going out on special occasions always means a great excuse to dress up. I made me a special pair of bling eyelashes and I got to wear them out! Eye of the day M.A.C Paint Pot in Rubenesque M.A.C Mineralise eyeshadow Gilt by Association Kate Gel Eyeliner NARS eyeshadow in Pandora They matched well with the theme that night: Black with a Touch of Gold. Thank goodness for all the inspiration from monoxious.com. Spending all that time with them, gave me loads of ideas how to dress up that night. DIY: The REAL Bling Eyelashes 2 DIY posts in a row! I’ve been realllllyy hardworking these past weeks especially with the long holidays and half-days off work. Yay! A couple of months back I did a tutorial on how to DIY a pair of bling lashes using glitter nail polish. That was the lazy girl easy way out. But here’s the REAL deal when it comes to blinging up your lashes. These take a little less than an hour to do and in the final countdown your New Year’s Eve party, maybe you could do one up to add a little pizazz to your look later tonight! Do you like them? If you do try this project out yourself at home, let me know how it goes for you! Ive got mine all ready for my countdowns tonight and will probably post a picture of me wearing them bling in the next FOTD. So do check back for that look. Have a Happy New Year! DIY: Christmassy Bling Keychain In the impromptu Christmas gathering we had on Christmas eve, we all had to bring a gift for the gift exchange. We were told “whatever that was within your budget”. Ookkkkaaaay. I had trouble at first deciding what to get because I wasnt sure if we were supposed to get something for everybody or just one gift to swap. Then there was the problem of time. If I were to get something for everyone, I’d want to get different things for each person; personalised gifts that they each needed or wanted. Unfortunately, I didnt have the luxury of time so I had to get just one item that would be appropriate for everyone there. WHAT TO GET?! What was the ONE THING that everyone there would like or had in common? Umm.. Aside from wanting to be rich, it struck me that everyone there was going to be a blogger, so I decided to make something. A “BLOGGER” keychain Not just any keychain, but a bling crystalised keychain. Because I like bling and had some extra bling at home am good at this DIY stuff. HAHA. You can make it for someone as a Christmas present too! Here’s what you need: - a computer/font book - your choice of backing for the keychain: plastic, wood - crystals - Epoxy glue The how-to: You can choose whatever font or text you prefer putting your name or the recipient’s name. Of course, I chose BLOGGER because I was making it for a blogger! Once you’ve decided what font and text you want for your keychain, trace or copy the whole thing onto a piece of paper/tracing paper. I just happened to have this piece of plastic at home. Seriously. Haha. But it wasnt nicely cut so my mum had to help me saw the darn thing to the right size and then drill a hole at the top for the chain. As you can see, a lot of sweat and effort went into making this keychain! Haha. Once all that is ready, just trace the text onto your backing. Because my backing was clear, it was easy to simply use a marker and copy the outline. If you’re using other materials, tracing paper might work better for you. Choose your favourite blings and get comfy. Here comes the fun part. Armed with your glue and tweezers, make sure the area you’re going to cover with crystals has sufficient glue. Then carefully place each crystal where you want them and wait till the glue dries. Dont stop. Almost there! Done with the words. Now to add some extra sparkle. When all that is done and you are happy with the final result of your keychain, wrap it up, put on a pretty bow and you’re good to go! What do you think? Do you like it? I sure am hoping the person who got it likes it! Hahaha. Merry Christmas!