Autumn/ Winter Trends by Edge*s Vol. 9

I know this is kindda old news, especially when others such as Mitsu have already pretty much listed out their fall/winter predictions awhile ago. However, I find its best to wait until magazines actually start picking up the trends because more or less, they would have sifted thru the numerous options and found ways to start building multiple looks around a few key items and trends.

So here are the key trends according to Edge*s magazine:

Military

Been pretty popular in Spring/Summer and still going strong in Fall/Winter. The classic blazer is also back so I guess it's time for me to get mine out of the closet.

Animal & Nordic Prints

The key prints this year are but of course, Nordic and Animal. I doubt the appeal of animal rpints would ever be lost on the Japanese, however with Nordic, its best to be careful with it as it's easy to end up looking like a bad christmas themed grandma-esque knit instead of a fashion forward print.

Fur

Another trend that will always be popular with the Japanese, and that is fur. This year's version is oversized, to the point of overwhelming most petite frames.

Bags

Bags are big once again, and the most popular ones are adorned with fur, fringe or stud detailings. Of course, one can never go wrong with a classic oversized black bag.

Hats

As Mitsu predicted, hats are gaining popularity with bowlers and fedoras at the forefront of the trend. Other suggestions include newsboy caps and can-can hats in felt.

Scarves (or as they put it, Scarfs)
Animal, ethnic, tie dye and nordic prints are popular patterns and the classic long retangular shape is suggested.

So with these key trends being suggested, I can now proceed to rifle through my wardrobe to see what I have and draw up a shopping list. However a mini trend which I suspect may crop up is what I'm calling the 'furry tail' trend, as I've seen a few staff-chans wearing it and it's appeared in various catalogues and of cause Tsubasa is shown here rocking it:

I find it a pretty cute way to jazz up a simple outfit, as it adds alittle fun and brings up the outfit to a whole other level. So that's on top of my current must-gets list!

What's your current must-get?

Tsubasa X Nishizen Shoji co., Ltd (Kimono Collection)

The mini tiara and high ponytails freshen up the look of the kimonos

I find it interesting how she sometimes pairs the kimonos with ankle boots to give it a modern spin

My personal favourites are the top left and top right

I think these are images from a magazine or a promotional booklet

Her collection for the Graduation ceremony Kimonos (these kindda remind me of the Korean Hanbok to a certain extent)

The 3, 5 & 7 year old ceremony kimonos. Promoting this collection with her hubby of course

I know this is old news, but I still can't get out of my head the beautiful imagery of the elegant kimono collection that Tsubasa is adorned with for her collaboration with Nishizen Shoji, a company that produces such exquisite kimono.

I can't find information about whether its a collection produced by Tsubasa or are they simply using her as a spokesperson for this particular collection, however the sheer beauty of the kimonos leave me breathless and all I can do to prevent myself from attempting to ship over a set for myself is to think bout the practicality of owning a proper kimono and how it'll swipe my bank account clean in an instant.

There are currently 3 different collections that Tsubasa is promoting. The most popular and the one with the largest range is the coming-of-age ceremony kimono (I wish I could have worn such a beautiful outfit for my coming-of-age...), the second is the graduation ceremony kimono and lastly, kimono for kids for their 3, 5 & 7 ages ceremonies (posing with hubby to once again cement their loving family image).

I'm suspecting the last collection is more of a marketing ploy to get fans of Tsubasa, those who are actually mothers, to buy this particular range of kimonos for their kids. But no matter what, you can't deny this is a pretty smart marketing technique and the kimonos do look nice so both parties are in a win-win situation I guess.

Images for the coming-of-age kimonos came from: http://cherrypop.over-blog.com

The other images and more information about the Kimonos can be found at: http://www.ishou.jp/tsubasa/tsubasa_chiburi1.html

Skin & Hair Care Meme

Mitsu of Universal Doll did a recent post about her skin and haircare which I've honestly been wanting to do for awhile now, it's just that I've had too many things on my mind, hence it kept being pushed back. But no more! So here's my breakdown of my skin and hair care products:

Firstly, I have sensitive and combination skin, so I have to be careful and selective about using products, the less artificial stuff, the better. I also breakout alot when I'm PMSing and am stressed out, so I need to keep my skin in check during those times.

These would be cleansing and makeup removal items:

Biore Cleansing oil => It removes even waterproof mascara easily, so not much tugging or pulling of the skin needed. Best part is skin is, left feeling light and refreshed with zero clogged pores.

Biore Foaming Facial Wash (light) => A light foaming facial wash that removes impurities without drying the skin out, its also safe for my sensitive skin.

My nightly skincare ritual consists of:

Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion => A gentle lotion/toner that doesn't sting even if it gets into my eyes or if I apply it onto a just popped zit

Hada Labo Hydrating Milk => This moisturizer is bit too rich for me, so after using this bottle up, I'll probably switch back to my slightly pricier, but lighter Skin Food Herb Salad Moisturizer. But it does moisturize alot despite using only a small penny's worth on my face and neck.

Skin Food Avocado Firming Eye Cream => Helps my puffy eyes and zaps all the moisture back in after I rub my eyes. Without it, my eyes would feel tired and dry and probably have deeper lines as I have a habit of rubbing my eyes too much.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil => I use this as a natural spot combatant, just a few drops over a zit and alittle patience and most would disappear within a few days. The smell is really soothing too.

The Body Shop Black Velvet Apricot Lipbalm => My current lipbalm. It's moisturizing without being too rich and the best pa[rt is that it doesn't affect lip[ colours when I apply it before putting lipstick and gloss. My only gripe is that there's no SPF but the yummy smell and smooth texture still wins me over.

Hada Labo Hydrating Masks => This is a weekly treat or before an event. Its deeply moisturizing and my face appears more even and radiant the next day.

Now for my hair, I have naturally thick yet slightly wavy hair, so it doesn't exactly behave how I want it to, not to mention I am constantly in combat with flyaway hair and an oily scalp which is pretty ironic since either cure would cause the other to worsen over time. So I've learnt to deal with them with a cocktail of products:

L'oreal Nutrigloss (Light) => Shampoo that strips away most oil and impurities, one wash of this rids me of all of my hairspray. It's also the reason for my shiny hair, so no need for shine spray!

Asience Nature Smooth Conditioner => Conditions hair without leaving a layer of oil on my scalp plus it helps to detangle hair ends. This is a must especially if I styled my hair as the hairspray, curling and teasing zap all moisture out of my hair leaving it brittle and dry.

Just before bed:

L'oreal Total Repair Night Essence => I apply this every alternate day, to deal with my flyaway hair, but because it conditions quite deeply, I only use a tiny amount.

Bone/Horn Comb => This is made from the horn/bone of a water buffalo, so it's supposed to have alot of natural ions in it to deal with frizz and misbehaving hair. I find my hair is smoother, softer, silkier and more behaved after using this to comb thru my hair.

For styling:

Liese Styling Water for Tongs/Straighterner => I use this to mist my hair before using my curling tongs, it helps to prevent the tongs from frying my hair

Lucidol Hair Spray Super Hard => This is my favourite hair spray of all time, I tried plenty of hair brands before settling on this one. It keeps my curls in check all day, which is an amazing feat considering my country's weather is humid all year round. I use only this and nothing else and my hair still looks good at the end of the day, just a little drooping.

As you can see, my selection of skin and hair care products all can be found within the drugstore aisles, so it goes to show that fancy names don't always mean fancy products. For me, as long as the products work, I am usually quite content.

Anyway, alittle tip, sub brands of major brands like Happy Bath from Kose, tend to benefit as they get all the same information as the expensive brand, but needn't pay for the reasearch bill, so you're getting nearly the same level's worth of quality be it of the major brand or its subsidiary.

Personal Outfit 33 (Backdated)

Outfit consisted of:

Cardigan: Lip Service

Inner long shirt: Uniqlo

Stockings: This Fashion

Engineer Boots: Bought in Macau

Pink Backpack: Longchamp

I just realised that I had totally forgot to include my outfit of the day in my previous post, so here it is! Pretty simple yet functional as it was a lazy day for me....

Also, do remember to vote for me okays? The link is in the previous post, thanks!

New Nails & Please Vote for Me!

Did a soakoff and an express manicure, just used my OPI Absolutely Alice nail polish and added alittle star nail art for some pizzazz!

I finally had my extensions removed after they had grown out like mad! So now it's back to my old plain nails, and because of that, it's finally so much easier to do numerous small tasks that we often take for granted such as using zips, buttoning up clothes, using our fingers to gauge coin sizes and such....

Did some shopping alone after that and I actually found it pretty relaxing to wander the malls alone on my own time, with no need to make mindless small talk or worry if someone is tired out from all the walking and such. Hmm... perhaps I should start doing this more often....

Anyway, like Steph, I recently joined a little contest so please vote for me at this link --> http://facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Singapore/Shoponblog/109920099039997#!/photo.php?pid=255450&id=109920099039997&ref=fbx_album

You vote by "liking" me, however you need to be a fan of the page first. So help out a fellow Gal out and show some love okay? Thanks!

Oh yea, the page can only be accessed if you have Facebook accounts sorry!

Steph's New URL!

Hi all, if you read Steph's last post, she was facing some serious legality issues hence had to change her URL.

So here's her new URL => http://xcosmic-lovex.blogspot.com

So remember to update your bookmarks and her link on your blogrolls okays?

I'll be updating soon on some recent events so check back soon!

Makeup Review: Melliesh Lashes 01 Doll

Melliesh No.1 (Doll lashes)

Upper lash: Melliesh No.1 Doll

Lower lash: Melliesh No. 6 Rich (review coming soon!)

Eyebrow: Kate eyebrow Mascara (Golden brown)

Eyeshadow: Kate Diamond cut eyeshadow (BR-1) & Majolica Majorca (GD 822)

Eyeliner: Kate Gel eyeliner (BK-1) & 24Hr One day tattoo Liquid eyeliner

Lash Adhesive: Dollywink

Contacts: Max pure Brown

Another angle

Remember a few posts back where I promised to do a review of the Melliesh lashes that the kind Steph got for me during her Japan trip? Well I finally got round to trying them on, so here's my opinion of them (I'll be comparing them to their competitors, Dollywink and MAC no.7, since they are vying for the same market and customers and both Dollywink and Melliesh are created by models).

Some background info on Melliesh lashes:

- Created by ex-Popteen, current Popsister model, Yui Kanno

- Designed to tap into the teens to twenties girls market

- Mellish is a combination of the words "Melon", "Liar" and "Wish"

- According to Yui, they were created as she never could get her hands on makeup and lashes to create her ideal look.

First one on the testing table would be the upper lashes, which in this case is the Eyelash no. 01 (Doll). As you can clearly see, they've been modelled after the popular MAC no.7s, albeit the fact that they are bit longer and extend out at the ends to lengthen your eyes.

First, the packaging, unlike Dollywink which is sealed with a dab of glue at the top of the package, Melliesh is sealed by 2 rows of tape that go a complete circle round the package. It was pretty frustrating to open the package especially if a pair of scissors is out of your reach. Once opened, what greets you are 2 pairs of lashes, sitting on a cheap, thin, white tray with no cover. It looked pretty disappointing actually, made me think of those flimsy, China-made fakes when I saw the tray. Lash glue wasn't included with the lashes (I guess the good thing with working with a lash brand is that you get to tap their resources, a la Dollywink X Koji).

Now to the lashes, they are bit fragile, like their MAC no.7 counterpart. I had to actually use a pair of tweezers intended for deco-ing to pull them off the tray, and even then, I damaged the end of one so now it hangs bit lower then intended, so not reccomended for rough people I guess.

The lash was bit too wide for me, so I guess this is good news for people with wider eyes. The lashes were pretty easy to put on but because they are pretty flimsy and the plastic spine is quite thin, people with epicanthus eyes won't favour them.

I do have to warn you though to be careful when pulling the dried lash adhesive off them. They are pretty thin and fragile so it'll be best to use a pair of tweezers instead of your fingers to gently peel it off. However, compared to MAC no.7, they are a tad bit tougher as I ended up pulling a whole tuft of "hair" from my MAC no.7 the very first time I tried pulling off the dried adhesive.

Summary:


Length: 7/10 (decent length compared to natural lashes)
Volume: 6/10 (Decent volume but still quite natural)
Reusability: Reusable, but needs gentle handling
Application: Generally quite easy, but not recomended for virgin falsies wearers
Instructions in application: Included in the back of the package
Photo of model: Unfortunately, no picture of Yui Kanno wearing the lashes so you don't have much of an idea how the lashes would look like on an actual eye.
Publicity: Some advertisements by models and Yui herself in some magazines especially Popteen and Popsister. However, in the recent issue of Popsister, Yui did not wear any of the lashes produced in her makeup article.

Price: 1350(JPY)/ bout 21.40 (SGD)