One of the things I love most about doing Youtube is that I get to share a part of my past and culture with other people. Kpop is something I've loved since I was a little girl listening to 룰라 (I was as obsessed with 비밀은없어 as I was with Ace of Base's The Sign) while dancing in my living room, so I of course think it's so amazing that new Korean music is sent to me through e-mail, youtube, and twitter messages requesting tutorials for the latest songs.
Lately, I've had a flood of requests for Miss A's "Touch" and when I queued up the video, I immediately saw why...
After doing the "Confessions of a Shoeaholic" tag video, I went back through my old photos trying to think of if I had ever posted an outfit with my beloved hot pink heels. It seems I haven't done a proper outfit post in so long that the neon beauties got left behind! It's a good thing I happened to take them to my trip to LA last year for IMATS along with my dear Kassia who makes photos magical.
The biggest key to wearing such a loud statement shoe is to go neutral for the rest of the look. Grey tube dresses and flowing blouses make for breezy, comfy summer outfits that are refreshed by the bright heel. If you look closely, you can also see some subtle complimentary color blocking going on.
Out of all the clothes I have, some of my most adored fashion items are shoes. I'm the type to always notice details and I really believe that what a person chooses to wear on their feet says a lot about them in general. Does anyone remember that scene in Legally Blonde where Elle spots the missing clue to the trial by commenting on the pool boy's shoes? Genius!
When I saw this shoe tag going around Youtube a couple of months ago, I had a lot of fun being nosy about seeing what others wore on their feet so I thought I'd share some of my favorite shoes with you today too.
Hey everyone! I wanted to share another basics tutorial of one of my favorite simple eye looks: the classic winged eyeliner. When done correctly, this look needs no eyeshadow to enhance it and looks really great on those minimal makeup days.
Chambray Shirtdress is from H&M
Nailpolish is OPI gel polish in Princess Rule!
Here is my final look. For monolidders, skipping the eyeshadow really allows the lashes to stand out which I think is a nice elegant touch. You can especially see on the eye to the right that the half lashes on the ends also blends in nicely and makes the eyes more framed without looking tacky.
With my eyes pointed downward you can see the straight winged line and how far it extends. I've mentioned this in tutorials before, but both my brows and the wing end in the same invisible point at my temples. This gives the look balance and is pleasing to the eyes.
Here's a close up. I kept the rest of my face very minimal with a light touch of BB Cream (application tutorial here), natural blush, and lip balm.
One last thing I wanted to note is that if you have any mistakes, keep a q-tip soaked in eye makeup remover handy to fix any little bobbles you make along the way. With practice, you can create the perfect line that is even on both eyes in just a couple strokes each morning! As you can see, a simple winged line can really carry an entire look so it's handy to keep in any woman's arsenal.
I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and let me know in the comments what basics video you'd like to see next. :)
Valentine's Day (or Single Awareness Day, as some might say) is right around the corner and as I was thinking of what makeup to do this year, I came back to an old color favorite of mine, purple.
In my humble opinion, if you are going to wear a color but still want to look classy the easiest colors to reach for are purple and green. One just happens to be a little more romantic than the other and therefore became the inspiration of today's look!
See what I mean about purple not being too flashy? I think it's actually really flattering for daytime wear, especially if you have brown eyes. :)
You can also see the lips better in this image. Layering the nude lipstick on top of the red lip stick gives a soft milky pink look. These gradient lips are done frequently in Korean videos and dramas and I think it's a fun way to gracefully wear red on your lips without looking over-the-top.
Here you can see the glow of the holographic eyeshadow. It has a really lovely energy to it when you see it in person.
And in the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a heart for you, my dear readers! I love you dearly and I'm thankful for you everyday!
Thank you so much for reading and even if you are alone this February 14th, I want to send lots of warmth and love in your direction. Love isn't always just romance and candy hearts, it's reaching out to others, appreciating your friends and family, and sharing hope and happiness.
I know it's impossible for me to physically touch all of you through my little computer screen, but just know that if I could, I would hug you. I appreciate you and you give me hope on days where I do feel lost and alone.
Now lets all spread that love like a virus! Fighting!
Hello lovelies! It's time for another shopping haul! During my wonderful mid-winter trip to SoCal to visit my sister, I actually got to enjoy myself and spend time connecting with good friends and, of course, do a bit of retail therapy. Last time I visited California was my very first time to the west coast and there was seriously too much to see and too many people to meet so I feel very fortunate to have experienced Cali both ways: LA-busy and SoCal laid back.
Did I mention that I got to avoid the snow and freezing temperatures back at home? ;)
So one of my very favorite items that I purchased in my haul was the Longchamp Le Pliage large tote in Cyclamen which is a cute pink color which also happens to exactly match the shade of my laptop cover!
I have been searching high and low for a quality travel bag that is sturdy yet lightweight that can also stow my laptop in for travel. It fits my 15" Macbook Pro quite exactly so if you have a larger laptop, you may want to test it out to see if it fits. Since I absolutely hate asking for help with overhead bins on airplanes, this fits my requirements exactly!
I know a lot of my classy friends have Longchamps as well (see Jean's in black and navy) and I spotted them on every other woman in Paris but nobody wears them where I live. I'll have to stalk sales times to see if I can get the sturdier Planetes Jean has too!
This bag was a huge lifesaver on my flight back since I *cough* brought back more than I left with. XD
I hope you enjoyed the haul and I have one last question! Do ladies in your area wear Longchamps? What is the most common purse or bag brands you see locally? I'm just curious since every city I visit seems to be different! Let me know in the comments. :)
Since we've now entered the shortest month of the year and the groundhog has already seen his shadow (Darn! More winter!) it seems to be time again to share with you my monthly favorites. Since I was traveling quite a bit last month, I went back to using some of my current default favorites as well as introducing a couple of new ones.
It comes as no surprise that I'm featuring my Skin79 Gold bb cream this month because I have been absolutely loving using this Asian, boosted foundation-alternative. The gold version is more hydrating than the pink and the shade suits my winter skin coloring much better than in the summer when I'm tanner. For reference, I am probably MAC NC25-NC30 right now (Or in layman's terms that means medium-to-light beige with yellow-undertones).
In a nutshell, this BB Cream makes my skin look healthy, brightened, and glowy with a more natural appearance than most foundations. The trick is in layered coverage which I show in this post.
Additionally, I mentioned my Stila Kajal pencil in Topaz which I am quite happy to say adds a natural brightness to the lower waterline on days when you feel tired and could use a visual pick-me-up. Most of us have heard of the trick of using white pencils on the waterline to make the eyes look larger, but I prefer using a softer matte pink or peach since it gives the same overall effect without screaming that you are trying too hard.
The swatch above shows the color and texture. It goes on quite smoothly and doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes like most black pencil liners do. To see application in action, check out my Everyday Monolid Tutorial and you'll see what I mean about the subtle brightening effect.
Can I also just mention that I've worn my glitter nail polish strips for 10 days now? There is minimal amount of tip wear and nail growth but I am so impressed with how these have lasted compared to traditional polish. Plus, you can even apply them on an airplane! All the glitter look and none of the abrasive removal process. Love it! Just for the record, the Incoco strips and Sally Hansen strips are exactly the same.
Hope you guys enjoyed the video and I'll try to put together my Cali haul (oh yes, I did shop) and maybe some vlog footage as well that I'll have up soon. Happy weekend!
