Wednesday, March 18, 2009

essentials

A colleague of mine just loan me her copy of The One Hundred by Nina Garcia. And it is absolutely a breeze to read, definitely a fashion book every girl has to read, in my opinion. It gives you the low down of the essential 100 things a girl MUST have and some fashion 101 facts. Of course, there are items like coats and fur that are not essential for the tropical girl, but these are still items a girl needs for a stylish winter holiday. To quote Nina, you need to alter the items to suit your personal style. After all, dressing up is an expression of one's style. 


"Style is a deeply expression of who you are, and every time you dress, you are asserting a part of yourself." - Nina Garcia

While reading through the 100 items, it all made sense to me. We all have our go-to dresses, jeans, bag, something that is essential to our personal style. Many items from my wardrobe starting appearing in my head and so I decided to make a list. Here's a list of my top 10 things, doing 20, 50 or 100 might be too for a blog post (more likely a book), so 10 seems like a good number to start with. Of course it excludes the basic pieces likes jeans, tanks and tees, these are my 10 go-to items (in alphabetical order).


01 Ballet flats & Birkenstock - The choice of footwear for the devil may care look. I always turn to these 2 to dress down ANYTHING. You can run, jump, dance in them, paired with jeans, skirts, shorts, dresses, ANYTHING. Wear them in a rush when you have no time to match your pieces and still look instantly chic. These are every girl's sole mates!

image: betsy johnson


02 Blazer - I wrote a post on my love and need for blazers once. And still, they are in the list. Throw it on for meetings and convert a tee+jeans combo to something smart. It is the less formal version to the suit but still empowering. 

image: Urban Outfitters

03 Cardigan - This is one thing i carry everywhere I go (besides my wallet, keys, mobile etc). Better still if it is an oversized one like it was stolen for the boyfriend's wardrobe. Slouchy-cool and keeps you warm when you need it. What more do you need. 

04 Converse - For instant street cred. Adds an edge to a feminine outfit. Need I say more?


05 Dress - Throw it on and you're out of the house (with ballet flats or birks or course). Great for late days. Every girl has a go-to dress. 

PS. I want the dress above! It's the perfect throw-on-and-go kinda example.

image: nastygal vintage

06 Men's shirt - There's something very alluring about a woman in men's shirt in my opinion. Wear it with pants, skirts, shorts, over dresses, belted etc etc etc. The options are endless and very sexy. But it has to be from the men's department.


07 Necklaces - The more the merrier. When I say more, I meant it in every way. More necklaces to have and wearing many necklaces at once. I wear a necklace almost everyday. Necklaces are easy pieces to buy, friendly on the wallet and never too many to have. Statement ones are good investment pieces and instantly jazz up an ordinary outfit. Chain necklace and pearls are best for layering, so pile them on! Necklaces is my thing.



08 Pants - Pegged, harem, Jodhpur, cigarette (all my current favs). Pants are the alternative to jeans. Wear it with the right top and still feel like a woman.

image: asos.com

09 Roomy Bags - It's not even an option (unless I'm going for a sit down dinner). My bags are almost ALWAYS big and roomy. I will soon walk with a slope shoulder on one side. But I love my bags this way. 

10 Waistcoat / Vest - This is something I throw on when I don't know what to wear, and/or am too bored with the original pieces of apparels. Over tanks, dresses and tees. Till date I have 4 of this, but I'm still looking for a denim and a black one. The hunt is still on.

So there, my top 10 essentials to keep me dressed up daily. What's yours?

Monday, March 16, 2009

Kooky Eyeko

More kooky cosmetics from the UK with a Manga twist and tonnes of Japanese flavour! Eyeko cosmetics has been around since 2000, has been a hit with celebrities since and definitely a cult favourite. If you live, breath, eat pink, you're gonna love Eyeko!

Ever wondered what contributes to the glowy-dewy look on celebrities during their close ups? It's all in the secret of the Eyeko cream. Swore by Kylie Minogue, Gwen Stefani, Mandy Moore etc. It's the wonder cream to the naturally dewy look. It's a moisturizer, eye cream and highlighter 3 in 1! Infused with natural light reflectors, Vitamin A & E + Vitamin C for a radiant boost and clear complexion. No wonder it's such a hit. Oh and it comes in a tinted version for a sun-kissed J-lo glow! 

 
Eyeko didn't just stop at eye cream, they extended their range to this ultra cute, ultra fat... Fat Balm. Comes in super Kawaii boxes in 3 distinct flavours.

This is the wonder of all wonder, the Eyeko Magic Liquid Eyeliner. Swipe it on any of your eye shadow and voilah! Colored eyeliners from your very own stash! It's gonna save you from buying tonnes of liquid eyeliner!

All of the above, only cost 5Pounds each with FREE SHIPPING worldwide (no minimum). Seriously, what are you waiting for? At times like this, we need to stretch our every dollar! And if not for anything else, the packaging is just too adorable to pass. I'll be waiting by the post box very soon.

Type in this Ambassador code "E463" (no expiry) upon check out and get a mystery gift with purchase! 

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Just another post full of clothes



As usual, it's a post full of lusted over items from topshop. I am so lemming towards all the looks created for this season. Light layers, heavy layers, drapes, volume, pastels, neutrals, print on print, it's a never ending list of looks that I'd love to try. But before experimenting, I'd need the required pieces yeah? That's probably the part i love/hate most. Loving the thought of acquiring new pieces (who doesn't), hating the monetary part of it (I'm on a super tight budget every month). So what's a girl supposed to do? I'm such a sucker for topshop.

images via topshop.com

Friday, March 6, 2009

IT Bag



The new IT Bag is in, it's cute and so quirky. What do you think? If i had the extra moolah, I'd love to splurge on one of these!

From Longchamp, US$160 for the clutch and US$285 onwards for the bags

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Matchy matchy



Whoever said we shouldn't match the colors of our accessories too closely hasn't see her! via The Sartorialist

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Juicy fruity


It was love at first sight. It look like any other polka dotted dress for a distance, but it's actually pears and apples! How adorable!!! Available at Juicy Couture @Ngee Ann City for S$600 (damn the price tag).

I hate window shopping!

Monday, March 2, 2009

DIY: Tinted Carmex


I finally tested out this DIY post and the result is lovely. A sheer dusty coral tint in my tub of carmex! Extremely easy to handle and mess free. But i'll recommend this for ladies with lighter lips tone, it appears very sheer on my dark lips.