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

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.

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

Just Checking In

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

Add us on Facebook

Review | Lava Dining Sofitel Auckland

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

Brunching at Little & Friday

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

Review | KMS Hair Play Quick Blow Dry

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.