White + Rose

I've finally got the chance to sit down to watch this movie. The Age of Adaline  offers so much costumes to admire -- bringing out the best of the vintage aesthetics. Definitely a film for the vintage fashion lovers. The film follows the life of Adaline Bowman, who is perpetually in her 29-year-old physical form after a scientific anomaly involving lightning -- to be honest, I hated that aspect where they tried to ground the whole fantastical aspect of being forever young with science. I bawled my eyes out when I watched the meeting between mother and daughter in the modern timeline. There was definitely a strange dynamic between Blake Lively and Ellen Burstyn (older Flemming) -- my favourite parts of the film were when mother and daughter were reunited. Now to the costumes. Blake Lively wore many costumes from different eras of the 20th century. Of course, I had my favourites. 1940s Gown and Coat 1950s Cardigan 1960s Headscarf Modern Day Vintage ...

Last Sunday, I attended the Sydney Tea Festival. The Tea Festival is an annual event that allow tea enthusiasts to indulge in a day of tea-tasting with established brands and shops down to the indie online stores, browse through ceramics and homeware or participate in some tea ceremonies and other workshops. I first heard of it last year but I had just missed it and was sorely disappointed. Luckily, I hadn't missed this year's and I made it a date with my friends. I saw a gathering of Lolitas there too, to which my friend asked me why I didn't show up in my gear. I've kind of moved on -- I still have my attachments to certain Lolita aesthetics but I'm not wearing my clothes anymore. I got there about lunchtime, so it was very busy. When I left, it was probably busier because it was a struggle to even get to the counters. I had to restrain myself, so I kept myself to a budget. The prices of the teas were definitely pricier than what most people would pay for. Nev...

Recently, I've ran out of my skincare basics. I've felt the need to venture out and try new items. I wanted to make sure that I had established an informed opinion on these products, so this took a little longer than expected. This is what I bought from the most recent 40% off skincare deal in Priceline: Moreish Liberation Foaming Cleanser:  It's not too harsh and drying for my skin and it has a pleasant citrus/fruit scent, most likely from the lemon extract. I try to be careful around any skincare with citrus -- phototoxicity is a risk and it's an irritant. It's up to people's discretion and in my case, I won't purchase it again because I want a cleanser to be free from any potential irritants. It comes in a bottle with a pump, and also a clamp for the pump mechanism -- very handy. One thing to note is that the only ingredient that they advertise as organic is the argan oil. It can be a little misleading. I might consider their pure argan oil ...

Brushes are vital to good makeup application. Investing in good quality brushes is the best thing you could do to improve your makeup. Two months ago, I bought a couple of budget brushes. I wanted to look for affordable brushes that didn't compromise on quality for the price. I wasn't very happy with the brushes I got from Royal & Langnickel, last September at IMATS . I had purchased an Ecotools and a Real Techniques brush off of iHerb  (my referral code is RBN281, in which you can use this for a discount if you're a new customer; $5 off if under $40, $10 off if $40+). I've only used the Ecotools fan brush thus far and it's been one of the most versatile face brushes I own. I use it for a sheer layer of pressed powder all of the face and powder highlighter over blush and other areas of the face. You may also use it for bronzer and contour. This is the brush I haven't used: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I hope to use it for mineral foundatio...

For a little while, I had been working on a moss stitch blanket as a gift. With all the leftover yarn from my bag of FibraNatura Lima, I decided it was enough to make a small blanket to cover the lap of an adult, or used a baby blanket. The project I used this yarn previously for was a knitted turban headband that you can read about here . All there was left to do was to get started. The moss stitch is very basic and all I had to do was cast on enough stitches for it to be wide enough and go. At first, I was worried about whether I'd have enough yarn to finish it off but as I progressed, it seemed pretty clear that I would be able to finish it with the dimensions I had in mind.  It is designed to be a very quick knit but I took my time.  I debated whether I wanted to line the blanket with fleece or not. It was heavy enough as it was with the wool. In the end, I decided against it.  Moss Stitch Blanket What you need: Bulky Yarn, 12ply (I used F...

For a while, I had been sceptical of eyeshadow palettes, fearing that there isn't much value to be had when there are the few dud shades that you'd never use. Finally, I got my hands on a neutral palette -- pushing aside all the Urban Decay Naked palette releases because they weren't right for me. I've succumbed to the Stila Eyes are the Window palette in Spirit because it fulfilled all the things I looked for: A balance of cool and warm neutral shades Subtle shimmer and some matte shades I'm too much of a fan of colour to stick to a purely neutral palette, so Spirit was the best out of all the palettes offered in this range. I've had this palette for about a month now so I could discuss about them. The Eyes Are the Window range come in attractive metallic packaging, in which Spirit comes in a copper-tone lid (or rose gold, as it is marketed). It's not only aesthetically pleasing but also quite practical. It comes in a compact size, has a la...

Miss Dior Le Parfum is the newest addition to my perfume collection and I'm officially going to be on a low-buy for the rest of the year for all my skincare, cosmetics, makeup and fragrances. I've had my eye on this fragrance for over a year and have debated in my head countless of times until I finally went out and bought it with a friend, who also wanted and loved the fragrance. I have been holding onto my sample of Le Parfum for a while now, using it sparingly and whenever I wanted to be reminded of the scent, as well as taking a spritz from the counter every once in a while. This flanker of Miss Dior is the only one I like so far, aside from the original Miss Dior Cherie. While I do enjoy the original Miss Dior, I'm speaking of Cherie and its evolutions. It was an expensive purchase but like with any perfume, it's an investment. The more quality oils and the more concentrated, the pricier it is. Miss Dior Le Parfum oozes sophistication and sensuality with ...