What I am wearing: Thrifted knit jumper & shirt, ASOS pintuck trousers, Topshop brogues.
Sorry for the lack of styling posts lately, the biggest exam of my life is drawing near and so I am trying my best to juggle my time around. I have so many review posts to put up, I have bought a few new Chanel products which I will be reviewing later on.
I’ll keep it short and sweet for the next few weeks, will update more later!
Michelle
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We had a taste of Lava Dining’s beautiful degustation menu 2 weeks ago. The general ambience was lovely, the staff were attentive, food amazing what more could you ask for?
The highlight of the menu would definitely have to be the hen’s yolk. This amazing dish takes eggs to another level. To make this soft velvety textured egg yolk that melts on your tongue, it was cooked at 62 degrees celsius for approximately 2 hours. It was served in a delicious shitake mushroom broth with couscous which added another nice texture to the dish.
Another dish worth mentioning is the cured salmon entree which had a delicious mix of flavors with mandarin soaked tapioca to give it a fresh citrusy tang.
Price Factor: $$$
Degustation menu is around $150 per person and an extra $55 if you want matching wine for each course. You definitely pay a good price for the food and service however the only downside is although the hotel is located in the viaduct, the restaurant doesn’t offer many tables that overlook the sea which wouldn’t bother me too much usually but if you are paying a good price for the meal and location, I would want a table overlooking the water.
Overall verdict: 5/5
This is an amazing experience, I always love to taste a degustation menu from time to time. There is so much more to food than just filling your tummy up. The dishes are so intricate and flavours are pieced together so perfectly, it’s rewarding to your taste buds. I would definitely return another time to try their degustation menu again which I am sure they will change up seasonally.
Cured Salmon Entree
Soft Hen’s Yolk
Fruit & Nut dessert
This amazing product is literally wax in a spray can. It is so easy to use, giving the hair texture and pliability at the same time.
I am not a huge fan of wax in a pot because I am lazy and I hate getting my hands sticky and wax in my fingernails. Also you need to make sure you thoroughly rub the product by hand to prevent clumps (which is often difficult especially in the morning when you’re half awake anyway). Since the wax comes out of an aerosol spray, the product comes out consistently and covers a large surface area making it easy to style the hair (so no clumps or mess). The other pro point about this product compared with other wax is that it isn’t sticky.
This product gives the wax in a pot look without the mess.
It has a hold factor of 3 of 5 which is able to hold hair in place yet not give that stiff overuse of product look. I must admit it doesn’t hold as well as wax in a pot but this doesn’t bother me at all.
How I use this to style my hair:
This product is perfect for my hair as it is naturally dead straight it can appear too flat if I just leave it without any product.
I spray it into dry hair , scrunch the hair with my hands to create a bit of texture. To give a more beached out look you can also dry the wax off with a hair dryer, this also gives it a bit of volume.
For people with longer hair, spray the dry wax into the hair and scrunch and wrap sections of hair around fingers to give a tousled look.
It can be used in towel dried hair then blow dried or straight into dry hair to create texture.
Price Factor:
It is around the $35 dollar mark which isn’t exactly cheap for its petite size (150mL). Also as it is an aerosol spray it’s often difficult to control the amount the nozzle dispenses which might create product wastage.
Though in saying this, it is a very economical product as it can be a his and a her product, it will definitely get used and perhaps it’ll be possible to con the other half to buy it.
Final verdict:
I can’t style my hair without this amazing product. It gives the hair a natural looking texture, can be dressed up or down depending the look you are trying to go for. It is simple, easy to use and not messy.
Hidden away in the side streets of New Market amongst all the textile shops, it’s definitely hard to find. Good food and coffee draws people from all over the place. There are queues out the door despite its hidden location which proves this place is a gem and not so hidden after all.
No doubt this cafe offers a wide range of patisseries and sweets, there is just plenty to choose from. Just make sure you are hungry as the chances are you’d like to try everything that’s up for offer.
Little & Friday is located in 2 locations in Auckland – Melrose St New Market and Eversleigh Road in Belmont North Shore.
Michelle
This is the first of my reviews of the 11 KMS products I received from KMS for being in their show at New Zealand Fashion Week 2012.
Though I probably can’t make the best use of this product as my hair is short, I can imagine this product would do wonders to most of you with mid/long and thick locks. This easy to use product is aims to speed up the blow drying process by up to 50% and reduces friction so the hair is easy to manage and untangled.
To use it all you need to do is just towel dry and spray on just before you blow dry.
It’s a great product to have on hand if you use heating tools as it speeds up the process of drying your hair plus has the added bonus of heat protectant and providing the hair with a luminous glowing finish. As it helps to detangle the hair too, it is a wonderful thing to have in summer when you have beach hair.
Although I only have short hair which is already easily manageable, with the help of this product I have noticed that blow drying time has reduced and my hair feels soft and healthy after it.
It comes in a simple spray bottle which is easy to use and ensures you can get every last drop of the product (unlike aerosols).
I can compare this product to one I have used for many years which is the De Lorenzo Extinguish Heat Protection. The De Lorenzo product works well as a heat protector but doesn’t do much in terms of giving the hair the extra glossiness or smoothness. There is also a steep drop in price too (I remember purchasing the De Lorenzo product for about $20 a few years back).
Price Factor: 4/5 – It is about $30-40 depending on where you buy it from. That sounds fairly reasonable for a decent product that you will use day in day out which works. If used daily for long and thick hair, I would be inclined to believe that the 200ml bottle should last around 4-6 months give or take.
In a nut shell, this product is great to have in the bathroom cupboard, don’t worry it will definitely get used.
As a disclaimer, I didn’t buy any of the 11 KMS products that I am/will be reviewing. I was given them as part of payment for a job I did for KMS. I have no affiliation with KMS nor am I getting any perks from them for doing this. My reviews are purely from my personal experience from the use of these products as a consumer for the benefits of current and potential consumers.
Here’s a shoot that I just did this weekend at the Auckland Domain. It was a bit of a mad rush trying to sort out a last minute location due to the terrible weather yesterday but it worked out for the best in the end.I really wanted to do a spring shoot with blossoms and rose petals on the ground but I don’t think it remotely feels or looks like spring yet so this idea will have to be deferred.
Will be doing more editorial shoots later on in November. Will keep you all posted.
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Photography: Michelle Chan
Make up artist: Harriet Clarke
Stylist: Rachel Wu
Model: Leila Morad
The highlights of my week was definitely the NZ fashion weekend where I got to walk in the KMS seminar. It was pretty much my first official time doing a runway job so it was pretty exciting.
I have also got a new hair cut which has started to grow on me. This bowl cut or rounded bob is probably the most edgy bob or hair cut for that matter I have had. I had no idea what I was going to be in for all that I knew was that it would be a page boy cut and would be easy to grow out afterwards.
Had an 8am start with colouring it was pretty quick as my hair just had to be filled and a few foils were put in. Leading hairdresser Clive Alright did the cut and styled the hair. The cut itself took about 2 hours as it is rather technical with the lines, shape and all.
The show was fabulous, a great crowd, awesome entrance on to the runway on the scooter with Clive.
Scored myself a large bundle of products which I will review later on down the track, this will keep me super busy!
More pictures to come!
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Photos from http://nzfashionfiles.com.
KMS products to be reviewed
The ciment thermique is designed to be a leave in conditioner with added heat protection and repair properties for fine damaged hair whether it may be from colouring or dryness. Hair becomes brittle and breaks off easily when the intercellular cement layer is damaged. The vita-ciment component helps to replenish the loss of cement and the top seal component functions to create an outer layer of fiber to protect it from various elements.
I have owned and used this product as a heat protector for about 2 months now and it does wonders.
First of all what drew me to this product was the finish it left behind as well as the wonderful citrusy aroma. My first experienced with this product was at the salon that looked after my hair for the most recent hair competition I was part of. Preparing for these competitions exposes your hair to constant heating tools and chemicals so it is absolutely vital to maintain a good hair care regimen even afterwards to keep the hair vibrant, glossy and moisturised.
This wonder product is to be applied after your hair has been towel dried. Only a small amount is required and it is to be rubbed into the ends then work your way up to the roots. Although it is classified as a leave in conditioner, it is light and doesn’t leave a oily appearance after being dried off using a blow dryer.
Having my last in-salon treatment over 2 months ago and using this product continuously over 2 months I have noticed that my hair is still glossy and my ends (which are blonde) remain strong and not split.
Price factor:
The Kerastase range though renowned for its quality and effectiveness is also known for its reasonably hefty price tags. I bought this product at the salon and it was $41 NZD which I personally thought it wasn’t too bad. I have looked at prices on strawberrynet and it is about the same if not even more expensive. I believe Shampoo & Things retails it for about $45. In my opinion the better your hair care regimen, the less likely you’ll have split ends and want to go to the hairdresser for a trim so in turn you may save a few dollars there. And on the plus side only a small dollop needs to be used, since you really want to work this product into the ends of the hair to prevent breakage. I have used it for 2 months and still have well over half left so this bottle could last me around 6 to 8 months.
In a nutshell
If you have brittle hair and want to spend around the 40-50 dollar mark on a product that works, I’d definitely recommend a leave in treatment such as the Ciment Thermique. It leaves the hair in such a glossy and healthy state that it feels like you have just had a blow dry from the salon. I’d also recommend this to those who may not go to the salon as frequently for cuts (such as people with long hair) this will maintain the ends of your hair to prevent split ends.
First day of spring, surely doesn’t feel like the first day of spring. Crazy gusts of chilly wind luckily there wasn’t any rain. Can’t wait for summer.
I have been meaning to do a post on this skirt for a while, I got it off ASOS about 2 months ago but just haven’t had enough time to do a post on it. I looked everywhere for a skirt just like this or ones with odd and bolder hem lines than your usual fish tail skirt. Loving the slits in skirts this season.
Also to brighten things up a bit this week, I got told I am walking a show for NZ fashion weekend which will be a new experience for me as I haven’t walked in such a big event before. I can’t let you know which show this is for yet but perhaps if you happen to be there on Saturday I’ll see you there. I didn’t think at my petite height I could be selected for a show but this just proves that nothing is impossible.
I am also selling a whole bunch of new things on my Facebook – sunglasses, bikinis, jewellery etc.. so check it out. Facebook fans will get 10% off so get on liking!
Michelle
What I am wearing: River Island Starry Shirt, Kingan Jones neckerchief, ASOS high low hem maxi skirt, Jeffrey Campbell Litas.
What I am wearing: Sportsgirl knit, Mooloola Bitsui Skirt, Topshop Sandals, Bally Bag, Karen Walker #2.
Check out my other photos from Muriwai here on my photography blog – Michelle Alisa Photography
Fishing For Fashion 