Lookbook | Cut Out Snowflakes

Happy new year everyone!

Thank you so much for your support. Last year was one great year and hopefully this year will be twice as great.

Highlights of last year for me include:

• Finishing my internship, becoming registered and having a full-time job as a pharmacist
• Thailand
• Cairns & Brisbane
• Experiencing diving
• The many photoshoots, commercial shoots and runway shows including NZ fashion week which was awesome

I’ll be heading over to Fiji (for the third time) for hopefully some sun, sand and tan this weekend, will update soon. Having visited this place 3 times in the past year and a half I still can’t get enough of it. I’ll also be doing a post on all the online stores that I have shopped on the last year and their reviews.

I have recently received a bundle of parcels from a few online stores and have collected a few things here and there from boxing day shopping which I’ll also share later. But for now, below is a look book I’ve pieced together from some of the few new things I got recently.

Michelle

Follow us on Facebook

Kookai cut out V neck top, Tobi.com Cut it out skater skirt, ASOS wedges

Editorial | French Revolver Studio & Review | Gilt Purchases

This is the final photo for the shoot I did for the French Revolver Studio a while back. It’s being used for the Industry – NZ’s Premiere Hair Event. I am really happy with how it turned out and the styling, make up and of course the hair.

On another note, one of my online shopping parcels arrived today and within a week from the states! Love love. I bought a Rebecca Minkoff wallet off Gilt. Gilt is now my new go to place for all sorts. They do a range of women’s/men’s wear as well as homeware such as candles, lights and even furniture.

Their sales are updated daily, there are often luxury brand sales which you must keep an eye out for because the deals are just awesome! There are great sales for work clothes , shoes, gowns for events. And to top that off they include all DUTY and GST (which I interpret as meaning we don’t need to pay any customs tax when it gets here even if it’s over the incy wincy threshold of $150 in NZ for US goods). Their prices are definitely a lot lower than what you would expect in retail here, for example you can get Marc Jacobs sunglasses for about 100-150 NZD and they retail for about 400-500 here. Surely the difference in price can’t be justified by shipping?

It is a members only website – so if you are keen for a membership here’s a personal invite from me to you.

Shipping usually depends on how heavy your goods are I think. I believe it’s very reasonable considering how much you would save on the item. For 1 item it’s usually about $25 NZD, but if you are lucky you can catch their free shipping deals. Goods are shipped within a week which is great (even during this busy season)!

I am waiting for another parcel to come this week, fingers crossed I get it before Christmas.

Follow me on Facebook!

Editorial | Come out to play

I’ve been doing a few shoots this week as I have had half the week off. Have been trying to get more practice to step up my game a bit. I have been so lazy the past year in doing shoots, it often takes a lot of planning and time to gather everyone who wants to be involved. But what I’ve realised is that spontaneous shoots also work out well too.

More shoots to come this week! Shooting one and being in another, how exciting! Busy week here we come!

Michelle

Like us on Facebook 

Photography: Michelle Chan
Makeup/Hair: Hairball Alley
Styling: Rilee Nepia-Owens
Model: Samantha Amelia

Make up | YSL Barbie look

I have recently done a few shoots and shows. Have snapped up a few pictures here and there of the make up close up. I tried to pay close attention to the range of products the make up artists used on set but it’s really the technique that creates the look and finish rather than just the product.

It’s common knowledge that Asian faces are harder to draw on, our features are different and often requires different contouring. As a result of that you often see Asian people with lighter make up as they don’t know or don’t think they can pull off darker looks.

This is not necessarily true and I have had this barbie look for a show that I did and although it’s not everyone’s cup of tea for everyday make up it is definitely a do-able look on Asian skin.

Eyes:

• Using the lighter colour on the lid and darker colour on the crease to define the crease. Asian eye lids are naturally quite shallow so by making it darker it accentuates it a bit more. Make sure you make the outer corners of the eyelid darker this accentuates the eye.
• Add a colour that is slightly lighter in the inner corners of the eyes to open up the eye.
• Highlight the eyebrow by using a lighter colour just on the ridge of the eyebrow. This gives the face a more 3D look as Asians often have slightly flatter bone features.

Face:

(I personally do very limited contouring on the face, so here is a very dummy version of what I would do.)

• Using a contouring kit or bronzer, darken areas that you want to hide to bring out other features. What I mean by that is for example if you darken just underneath the cheekbones , you will accentuate your actual cheekbones. You can also do a bit of contouring around the nose to make it appear slightly more narrow.

Lips:

Use lip liner underneath to boost colour and stay. Lip liner is essential when you want to use bright lip colour. It’s so easy to put on bright lipstick with a trace of where you are going to put the colour. Applying lipliner underneath the lipstick will help the lipstick to stay on  a lot better.

Products used for this look:

Eyes:5 Colour Harmony For Eyes (Riveriera), Pure Chromatics (#3), Eyeliner Noir

Lips: Rouge Pur Couture (Rouge Eros) , Lipliner (Wine)

 

Like my page on Facebook

Dolled up

This week has been really busy, I don’t think I’ve had a free week since forever. I probably start with this line for every post I do on here! Sorry!
Had an amazing hair shoot for the French Revolver studio for a hair competition. My hair remained more or less the same except they put in these cool toned silvery grey layer just underneath my top layer of hair so it shines through in the light.
Make up was cool, with heavily lined eyes and brows, contouring and bright orange lips.
Can’t wait to show you guys the final picture that they chose to submit.

I haven’t been buying much lately, I have been drowned in all this extra stuff that I am doing. But I am waiting for a package to come from River Island. I had to make use of the free shipping that they offered during thanksgiving. I was tempted to buy stuff of Nasty Gal with their 25% off everything sale, but I resisted. I am now on a hunt for more work attire, my wardrobe completely lacks clothes that are suitable for work.

I am super stoked that I have been offered a full time job as well. It hasn’t been a joy ride to say the least for newly graduated pharmacists to find work in Auckland. The most annoying thing is that you have to work for 5 years and even after that finding a job is pretty difficult. I just can’t comprehend that. I have been worrying for months about the prospect of trying to look for work and dreading the vast amount of free time I’ll be having and how to fill it in. But all things worked out in the end.

I will be continuing reviews soon I promise, have several things in my bathroom shelf that I am dying to review.

What I am wearing: Forever New dress, Jeffrey Campbell Litas.

Whitesands

Wow how quickly has this week gone by? I am scared trying to comprehend where time even goes and even worse what I do with it.
People buzzing round like bees trying to do all sorts for Christmas, dinners, catch ups , plans and holidays.

On another note, my bikinis have freshly arrived from Australia. I bought them off whitesands.com.au about 2 weeks ago, they are an Australian beach and swimwear designer. I absolutely love their designs and fell in love instantly as soon as I saw them. I would describe their style as feminine, fresh and a little bit retro with the high waisted bottoms and mini bows.
But the shipping was the one and only thing that put me off buying it. It was about $40 alone for shipping just to NZ. So I decided against buying them at that particular point in time until they recently announced on their facebook that their shipping to NZ has been reduced to $20 (which makes a lot more sense). They also frequently do a free shipping world wide deal if you spend over $200.

I was really happy with the purchase minus the fact that one of the bikinis unfortunately is too small and their sizing may not be universal for all the styles as the other XS fits me perfectly. But that’s the risk you run when you buy online but nevertheless I can always give it away to someone who is smaller than me.

Michelle

Keep updated on Facebook

Comfort & Freedom

This week has been a busy one though I am not really complaining about stress free busyness. Life is good, it is good to be busy, try new things and helping others out.
I feel like I haven’t done a lookbook post in a while because of the exams and I haven’t had much of a chance to shop around for things. Though I must admit I have been buying online and I am purely just waiting for them to arrive before I show it off to you guys.

This weekend I have decided to go with dressed up comfort, pairing trackies with a victorian lacy blouse.

Michelle

Like us on Facebook

What I am wearing: Victorian Lace blouse, Zara track pants, Steve Madden Heels, MNG blush clutch. 

Dining | Shaky Isles

We visited this cute NY loft style cafe in the weekend. They served up the most delicious ice coffee so we had to go there again for breakfast the following morning. It’s situated very close to britomart and is often packed full of people so it’s hard to miss. I love the cafe’s decor and wall art. Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule so their 30 minute cooked breakfast queue meant that we could only resort to ready made muffins and brownies but they were yummy too. It seems like inner city coffee taste a whole lot different (in a good way) to suburban coffee but I am not quite sure how I came to this conclusion. I once was quite content with Sierra and Columbus coffees but I have now found many inner city outlets that serve coffee beyond this world.

Rise & Shine

I am counting down the days until my last exam (ever hopefully). Crazy to think 5 whole years of learning and working condensed into a mere 3 hours. The most important exam of my life thus far. Once this is over and done with I can have my life back again. I am mentally keeping track of the millions of things I need to do once I have time starting with portfolio shoots, planning travel plans for next year, op shopping, shopping, running, pilates, reviews, and the list just doesn’t stop. I think it’s time for a notebook.

On the bright side, I bought myself a pair of Chloe sunglasses online recently which I am a bit iffy about , not sure whether I like them enough to wear them or just meh sell. It’s hard to tell at this stage. I was really after a pair of Illesteva glasses but then these cropped up online and plus they only have a really limited Illesteva range at Suprette so not sure to risk or not buying them online as well. Any thoughts on which sites ship to NZ?

❤ Michelle

Keep up to date by adding us on Facebook

What I wore: Natalija Kucija Shirt, Topshop Jeans, Thrifted Blazer, Soul Princess Boots, MAC Russian Red lipstick 

Review | Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme

A month or so ago, I purchased this cream as I was running out of my hydramax+ active nutrition cream. I was told by the beautician on the Chanel counter that the nutrition cream was soon to be discontinued so I thought I would try a new cream. The nutrition cream was excellent as a night cream as it was nourishing and soothing on the skin. And being such a thick cream I was a bit skeptical about break outs etc, but they never occurred so I was a little bit nervous switching to a new product.

Unfortunately I haven’t written review about the nutrition cream here as it is now a discontinued product and has been replaced by Hydramax + Active nourishing cream for dry skin.

There’s probably no need to review something that is no longer available on the market anyway as you probably won’t be able to buy it no matter how much I rave on about it.

I have used the hydra beauty creme for a few weeks now and it is proving itself to be a good night cream. I must say the consistency isn’t as thick as the nutrition (this was the first thing I noticed) but nutrition is definitely for dry skin.

Ingredients:

• Camellia Alba PFA – this helps the cell to hold more water in it therefore to retain moisture.
• Blue Ginger PFA- anti-oxidant component and works synergistically with the camellia alba PFA to protect the skin from damage.
• Shea butter and canola oil derivatives – to retain and replenish moisture to the skin.

So you will notice that these ingredients overlap with what’s found in the Hydra Beauty Serum. This cream is designed for normal to dry skin. If you have very dry skin, I would suggest the hydramax + active nourishing cream. For oily skin or if you would rather something with a lighter texture for day time the Hydra beauty cream gel is perfect.

Also like the rest of their range, the hydra beauty creme is exquisitely scented.

Price Factor:

I purchased the cream for $129 at Smith and Caugheys which is pretty standard for Chanel skincare, unfortunately there are not a lot of products under $100. You may find their toners and cleansers are under $100. But in my opinion, I don’t mind splurging out on skin care every 6 months because it is a necessity.

Overall verdict:

This cream is great as a night or day cream as it isn’t too thick in texture and your skin absorbs it from the surface right away after application so there’s no apparent appearance of oiliness. It smells delightful and soothes the skin right away.

If you ask me, I think Chanel does the best skin care for my skin and I would recommend their products to anyone. I normally bounce from brand to brand as I can always pick out things that I don’t like about a product after using it for a while. But I have been using Chanel products daily for the past year at least and I have nothing to complain about it. It is seriously wonderful, I know people get put off by the branding and the cost but it is really a great skincare range.

Tip: the best way to try skincare is to go to your local Chanel counter and ask about their regular facial events. They have an event every few months. This way you can try out all their range before deciding whether to purchase them or not. Facials booking fee is normally redeemable on products (I think it is about a $70 booking fee). The other way is to go get samples from the counter and try them at home to see if you like it or not.

Michelle

Add us on Facebook