Origami Dress

I'm a girl who likes to keep things classy: from the way I dress to the way I present myself through actions and words, respecting myself as well as respecting others. In terms of the way I dress, I would say that I'm more on the conservative side - happy to show some arm and leg but not wanting to let anything 'hang out' or else I'd feel too exposed. 

I was on a hunt for a dress for my second cousin's wedding which was last month and I came across the perfect dress that suited my style - it was classy, elegant with flattering cuts in the right places and a colour that I felt would bring out the warmth of my skin tone. Thankfully Glue Store came to the rescue as I browsed their range of dresses and came across an eye-catching number from Finders Keepers. For those who don't know, Finders Keepers is an Australian fashion label which provides on-trend collections of prints, shapes and textures for casual daywear to sophisticated evening looks. 

My darling mother in the background :)

 

 

 

 

The dress that I chose was the Finders Keepers Billy Jean Origami Detail Dress in Peach* and its origami-like fold on the chest was what drew me to this style and also its high halter-style neckline. I'm usually either wearing strapless, spaghetti-strap or one-shoulder dresses so having this sort of neckline style meant that I didn't need to do any adjusting or be wary of unwanted exposure.

 

(Excuse my terrible hair, curling irons hate me)

 

I'm not one to wear many crop tops or anything that exposes my non-existent/hidden abs but it's certainly a trend nowadays and I can't say that I dislike it - actually I don't mind it really! Thank goodness the small triangular cutout only exposes a small portion of the abdominal area just above my belly button and not any more than that, phew.

Mandatory bathroom selfie

 

I like how the dress has a split at the front, it makes it different from other dresses and it complements the triangular cutout. I paired the dress with some nude heels as I felt that black or any other colour would clash with the dress. Playing it safe is always a good option :)

 

I loved the whole fine dining experience of the wedding reception, in fact I've always liked formal dining experiences but of course as a student, I can rarely and barely afford to dine at high-class restaurants! So I get very excited when I hear about relatives' weddings and their locations/catering choice, hehe.

So on the day I was pleased with my outfit, displeased with my hair (I really need to work on this!) and pleased with my makeup look. Even for glam events I still like to keep it rather natural-looking with neutral shades for my eyeshadow and a pinky-red shade of lipstick. I decided to wear circle lenses and false lashes to enhance my eyes in a subtle way. I realised that in the two photos of myself above, my lenses are barely noticeable which to me is a good thing. I don't opt for the crazy/unnatural-looking lenses as I only intend to slightly lighten and enlarge my eyes (though I've been told that my natural irises resemble dark circle lenses).

The lenses that I wore to the wedding were the GEO Berry Holic Brown CM954* from Pinky Paradise which are more of a hazel brown and I think they're the perfect colour for that subtle lightening of my eyes. They're really comfortable too and I've worn them a few times.

They have a green tinge to them and appear lighter under brighter day lighting, as seen on the left

What I love about coloured lenses is that you can actually see my pupils! The Berry Holic range include 3-tone lenses which blend in extremely well for eyes that are as dark as mine.

They look great under night lighting too

 

From browsing through Finders Keepers' Instagram account, I noticed that Aussie model Jessica Gomes has worn this dress and it looks amazing on her. But seriously, what doesn't look amazing on her??

Who wore it better? Just kidding, obviously her.

Anyway, I'm not sure when will be the next time I attend a formal event and get the chance to dress all fancy but I am surely looking forward to doing this sort of thing all over again! Any excuse to dress up is always desirable, hehe :P

Questjen for you:

Do you have any exciting events coming up?

With Christmas on its way (as if it's already December) and New Year's, I'm sure most of us will be celebrating with friends/family and attending work functions and parties. That's why it's called the festive season :)

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Disclaimer: Products marked with a * were sent for consideration purposes. This is not a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been provided, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. Links are not affiliate links. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and are free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.

"Grey Matter" Makeup Look | Blog Collaboration

This is my first blog collaboration post and the idea came about from my blogger friend Hana where we've both come up with our own makeup looks. I needed some ideas for a name and she helped me name this one 'Grey Matter'. Here's the look that I've created:

Excuse the hair frizz

The inspiration for my look came from one of Hana's shawls. The initial idea was the incorporate similar-coloured shawls into our looks by wearing it but seeing as I own none, I instead decided to create a look to complement the colours and patterns on her shawl, as though I were wearing it.

Seeing as there were many colours and patterns going on with the shawl with contrasts of dark and light, I decided to keep my look fairly neutral with a slight pop of colour to my eyes. With the crimson and berry tones in the shawl, I chose a berry-shaded lipstick to pair the look as well as blending in a berry eyeshadow colour.

I'm getting better at filing in my brows - practice makes perfect!

The look reminds me a lot of the ELES Berry Crush look that I did last year except I've used grey/taupe shades and a hint of blue. I swept the same berry-toned blush over my cheeks and contoured with my Benefit HOOLA Bronzer. Below are the products that I used:

FACE

Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation in 030 Sand (Reviewed HERE)

Benefit HOOLA Bronzer (Featured HERE)

ELES Mineral Blush in Mixed Berries (Featured HERE)

EYES

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

Models Prefer Day to Night SHADOWS Palette (Reviewed HERE)

SAVVY Liquid Eyeliner in Navy Blue

The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner in Indigo Blue (Featured HERE)

Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue (Featured HERE) 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark (Featured HERE)

Red Earth Brow Kit (Featured HERE)

DAISO False Lashes

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara (Let me know if you'd like a review!)

LIPS

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 31

TOOLS

Shiseido Eyelash Curler (Featured HERE)

L-R: Sigma Brushes x3, Manicare Brush, EcoTools Brush, Bella Brush, Real Techniques Brush x2, Bella Brush

I used three shades from the Day to Night SHADOWS palette (which looks strikingly similar to Urban Decay's Naked 1 palette but we've already established this long ago). Apologies for all of the noise in the photo, photography and photo editing are still not my strengths. Anyway, I've indicated with arrows which colours I used. I started off with 'Hot Date' (third arrow) as my base taupe colour, then used the crimson shade 'Overachiever' (middle arrow) on the centre of my eyelids to make my eyes pop. For the outer corners of my eyelid, I used 'Co-worker' (first arrow) and blended this into my eyelid's crease. I blended the colours in to create a subtle smokey look.

I really wanted to add a touch of blue to the look so I decided that the best way to do this without blending it in with the rest of my eyeshadow was to use it as a lower lash line colour. I used the shade circled on my 88 Shimmer Palette above and ta-da, I was happy with the colour combinations.

Used a blue liquid eyeliner for my upper lash line and added mascara and falsies - look complete!

I got a bit of an 80s-90s vibe from the shawl as it looked a little retro so I found that my colour combinations matched well with the retro-ness of the accessory. Using blue eyeshadow and eyeliner already brings back memories from the past!

Definitely suitable for daytime wear!

Now in comparison to Hana's look, this is completely different! I think it's awesome how we went about this differently and created looks that aren't like each other's. That is simply the joy of applying makeup and playing around with it - we each have our own interpretations and that shows how individual and unique we really are when it comes to all sorts of things, including being creative. Take a look at how amazing her makeup look is:

So on point and stunning!

Seeing Hana's look after doing mine makes me think 'wow, I should've done that' haha but nonetheless I had fun with what I did and keep it fairly winter-themed and subtle. Hana's the pro here, the makeup artist so big claps for her gorgeous look! I think my next makeup look should be a vibrant one though, what do you reckon?

Anyway, now that you've had a preview of Hana's look, I definitely suggest that you go and check it out and leave some love on her blog as well!

Questjen to you:

How do you like your eye makeup - vibrant or subtle?

Both is great depending on the occasion however I never wear a lot of makeup so subtle is the way to go for me!

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Throwback: A Snapshot of May

I can't believe I've abandoned my blog for close to two months, this is so not me! Every year when May and June comes around, it ends up being jam-packed with so much happening at once, it is absolutely insane. I thought I'd share some photos of things from the last 31+ days and be a little creative with it by describing each one with the letter 'M' for May. There may be a bit of a crossover with things from April but as long as I can come with an 'M' word for it, I'll include it :)

1. Modelling

I got to be part of a wedding photoshoot as a bride and this has been the most exciting and biggest photoshoot I've done to date! My favourite one so far too. I do TFP shots which I've spoken about here and the theme for this shoot was autumn/vintage bride. Although I don't plan on getting married any time soon or having a autumn or vintage-style wedding myself, it was interesting to see how the makeup and hair was going to turn out on all the models (myself, groom, flower girl, page boy, celebrant) as well as the outfits and props used. Here are some of my favourite photos from the shoot:

(I'm not engaged yet guys hehe)

MUA/Hair: Celeste Wong

Photographer: Captura Photography (Hannah Grant)

2. Meet-ups

Despite all of the busy-ness, it's always great to make time to catch up with good friends over brunch/lunch, dinner and/or dessert.

Brunch at Nano cafe (it was so good) and burgers at Schnit House

Tried out the newly opened Malaysian restaurant, Papparich

Dessert and earl grey tea at Spats

3. MAC

I purchased my first ever MAC product and based on my last lippie love post, it should be obvious that I am indeed obsessed with purchasing new lipstick so of course adding a new lipstick to my collection was a no-brainer. I'm absolutely loving the shade 'Craving' from the Amplified Creamsheen range as a slightly bold but suitable for everyday wear look as I've been wearing both to work and for outings. I love my berry shades, especially for the colder weather and I find it to be the most flattering for my skin tone.

I wore the lipstick to a 21st birthday party

4. Mother's Day

I gave my mum some nice things for Mother's Day and I'm glad she liked them all. I got her a cute card, a nice box of chocolates, a sample of her favourite perfume (she's planning on getting the full size through duty-free when she goes overseas later in the year), a MAC lipstick (after she heard how great mine was) and an Urban Rituelle Caramella Sweet Petites gift set*.

Of course I peeled off the sticker before giving this to my mum hehe

This is the MAC Amplified shade called 'Fast Play' which is a very neutral colour. My mum loves it!

5. Multivitamins

I ended up catching a cold during May which wasn't pleasant at all when I had many uni assessments to complete. Thankfully I was able to overcome this cold within a week after taking these particular multivitamins which I highly recommend to anyone who is currently fighting a cold.

These were half price as well which was a bonus!

6. My birthday

I am a May baby :D Now I can relate to Taylor Swift's song. Not only am I feeling twenty-two but I am twenty-two. Here's a selfie that I took before my night out:

Wearing my new coat from Forever New (birthday gift from the bf) and the GEO Nudy Golden Blue circle lenses

7. Minions

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-na-na hehe. I was able to find these limited edition banana-flavoured tictacs and to be honest I'm not a huge fan of banana-flavoured confectionery but I couldn't go past getting these because they're so cute :P Does anyone know when the Minions movie is going to be released? I'll definitely give it a watch!

8. Mimco

Being a Mimcollective member means that you get $30 to use when your birthday rolls around so I decided to use this on a new pair of rose gold studs which I adore so much. The quality of Mimco jewellery is exceptional and I haven't had any bad reactions to any of their studs. I thought about getting another pouch but I thought it'd be more practical to get more jewellery pieces rather than more pouches or bags. So thanks Mimco!

9. Melbourne

From the 22nd of May (my birthday) to the 24th of May, I went on a short trip over the weekend to Melbourne accompanied by my boyfriend and we stayed in the gorgeous 5-star hotel the Grand Hyatt overlooking the city and although it was pricey, it was definitely worth it and if we wanted to make the most of this trip then we decided to go all-out!

Amazing view of the city from the hotel room

Loved visiting H&M

Managed to make a stop at the Cat Cafe! I made a friend =^.^=

Simply stunning

10. Melody

Last but certainly not least, my long-time friend blogger friend Melody sent me a lovely birthday surprise! I love how she included some edible goodies as well as some useful beauty products. Thanks so much girlie!

So that pretty much sums up my month of May where I also squeezed in full-time uni, study and part-time work (I currently have two jobs) which explains my absence from the blogosphere. Once my exams are over I intend to have at least a few posts to share in July before the new semester starts.

Questjen for you:

Has anything exciting happened to you lately?

I wonder how everyone's been - sadly these days I haven't had much of a chance to read through my Twitter and Facebook feeds so I wonder if I've missed out on any exciting news!

Keep me posted and I shall do the same :)

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Disclaimer: Product/s marked with a * have been provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post.

Everyday Barely-there Makeup Look

Um hey, how is it already the end of February?! The year is already going by too quickly and it honestly doesn't feel as though I wrote my last post a month ago, whaaat. Anyway I really appreciated the feedback on my first 'first impressions' post and from that it's given me inspiration for this post. If you haven't checked it out already, you can do so here.

The makeup looks that I've shared on this blog consist of bold eyeshadows, eyeliner and also circle lenses so for once I thought I'd do the total opposite by eliminating the following, just for kicks:

NO eyeshadow

NO eyeliner

NO mascara

NO lipstick

NO lipgloss

Makeup without any of the above, some may wonder how that is even possible. Well it is by having a 'barely-there' makeup look that subtly enhances your features without adding any colour or shimmer.

I don't know what face I'm making here

Using only these products:

Bare Minerals Prime Time Foundation Primer in Original

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in 200 Soft Beige

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder*

Tony Moly Crystal Light Highlighter in 02 Gold Beam

The Face Shop Lovely me:ex Design My Eyebrow in #04 Brown

Benefit Benetint Rose-tinted Lip & Cheek Stain*

Rimmel Silky Loose Face Powder in Transparent

This is a look that takes minimal time to prep with only a handful of products and you're good to go. It's especially handy for those who don't have long to get ready in the morning and still want to look fresh and done-up.

A smooth, even complexion is what I need to give me that boost of confidence and I tend to use either BB cream or foundation but when I used foundation I must use a primer. These days I cannot leave the house without filling in my brows because my brow game's got to be strong no matter what hehe. I top everything off with translucent powder afterwards.

Adding a pop of colour on the eyes and/or lips can be amazing yet it requires much effort with blending and perfecting and sometimes it takes way longer than expected. Getting your winged eyeliner on point is a tedious task too. Personally I believe that adding depth and dimension to the face with bronzer/contour, highlighter and blusher are the key aspects to making one's appearance stand out above the rest and there doesn't need to be a lot of it to make a difference. And when it's done with precision it's absolutely mind-blowing - think of those contouring before and after pics floating around the internet! My natural everyday look consists of slight contouring of my nose and cheekbones and highlighting on the high points of my face. You can barely tell it's there, hey?

A time-saving trick is to use a 2-in-1 cheek tint and lip stain and the one I've been loving is Benefit's Benetint which gives me nice rosy cheeks and lips. I just love how the pigmentation is buildable and easily blendable so you can use as much or as little as you want while giving you that flawless finish :) Did I mention that a lip/cheek stain is long-lasting too?

A touch of pink to my lips and cheeks. Once again it's subtle!

And lastly, the eyes! For this look I've kept my eyes completely free from makeup which I know is unlike most people who do use makeup because it's usually the main focus when applying/wearing makeup. I've purposely left my eyes as they are because 1, I recently had lash extensions done so eye makeup-free is the way I've been going, 2, eye makeup products such as eyeshadows, eyeliner and mascara seem to draw the most attention, hence not really meeting the 'barely-there' criteria and 3, it saves time and also the time taken to remove the eye makeup afterwards - no need for rubbing and tugging on the delicate eye area!

Keen to share my lash extensions story with you all very soon~

If I had to pick a signature look for myself, this barely-there one would surely be mine! It makes me feel comfortable and confident and to me that's the perfect combination. As much as I appreciate gorgeous eyeshadow colour combinations and stunning lipstick shades, I'll always fall back on keeping things basic to reflect my simplistic lifestyle and shy personality. I feel most like myself with the bare necessities that don't make me look over-the-top.

Questjen for you:

Do you have a signature makeup look?

This doesn't have to be a full-face thing, it might just be that you always wing your eyeliner, wear red lipstick or have a peach blush on. It could also extend to how you have your nails or your hair - I'd love to know what looks you guys are rockin' on a daily basis!

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Disclaimer: Products marked with * have been provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post with any monetary compensation, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and are free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.