New Hair - Ash Blonde Ombre/Balayage

Ah, I didn't think it would get to a point where I would only blog once a month! Seeing as it's a leap year this year (happy leap year everyone!), I thought it'd be cool to have a post published on the 29th of February, a date that only comes once every four years. So how about I do an update post on my hair :)   At the end of January, I decided to get my hair dyed at a salon which I haven't done in years (throwback to this post!) and decided that I needed to treat myself and have my hair done again. A new year and a new look, I was ready for something fresh and different to my usual dyed brown hair. I definitely wanted to go lighter, but I was afraid of how it would turn out and whether a lighter colour would suit me. I've always been curious about how blonde would look on me despite having worn a blonde wig before (check this post). I felt that the best way for my hair to appear lighter overall without compromising too much of my hair was to go for an ombre/balayage where my roots stay healthy and I don't need to worry about regrowth. Now I know this trend has been around for ages but I am certain that it will continue being a trend for many years to come.  

Before and after with foils in my hair

  It took roughly 3 hours to put the foils in, rinse them out, apply toner, shampoo and blow-dry. I also had my roots touched-up as black so that my brown was covered and no regrowth. I loved the way it turned out, it was the first time having such light ends! Here are some photos that I took straight after:  

The smooth transition from black to blonde

I was surprised how healthy my hair was still

Here's how my hair looked about a week after. The toner had faded so it was less ashy however the blonde was still nice from using a purple shampoo and conditioner to neutralise the yellow tones. I had an outing to attend and I got lots of compliments!

Car selfie in daylight 

Lighting at night

A week later I decided that I wanted my ends to go a touch lighter as I found that the blonde was still quite brassy and I wanted to have a more ash/grey my ombre so another 3 hours later, this was how my hair turned out:  

More cool-toned blonde, this was perfect!

I had to go through the bleaching process again so my hair was more brittle and dry this time around but thankfully I had a bottle of Olaplex No. 3 which I got from my intern last year and now I could finally put it to good use!  

  This stuff is amazing! If you hair is weak, this is highly recommended as it actually repairs the bonds in your hair, making it a whole lot smoother, stronger and thicker. Olaplex can also be used during the dyeing process which comes at an additional cost during your service. Seeing as I had this take-home treatment to use, I didn't feel that I needed to have Olaplex mixed with my bleach as my hair was quite healthy. Now my ends feel just like how they were before the bleaching process and I honestly didn't think it was possible. A must-try, definitely worth the investment!   The Priceline Haircare gift with purchase Goodie Bag came in handy with my recent haircare purchases so now I have even more hair care products to use now - no excuses for bad hair days haha.  

My haul is on the left up to the white bottle, the rest on the right are from the goodie bag as well as the scattered vouchers

I'm wanting to put even more grey/silver in my hair but it's just so hard to maintain! Any tips on what I should use? Might have to resort to Manic Panic or other temporary dyes.   Questjen for you:
What are your hair goals?
Do you want it to be more lush? Perhaps a new style or colour?

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Disclaimer: Services were purchased with my own money. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned above. Links are not affiliate links. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.

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.

Royal Medium Brown Hair Extensions from IrresistibleMe

I absolutely love changing up my hair, whether it's with different hair colours, lengths or styles, temporarily or permanently. Of course I can't afford to do this all the time but a change once in a while is always nice :)

My current hairstyle is very simple, a side-swept fringe with mid-length hair slightly layered and bluntly cut. I can't say that I'm completely happy with it but I haven't been bothered enough by it to change it. Thanks to these hair extensions from IrresistibleMe, I can now change the way my hair looks length-wise, volume-wise and of course, style-wise! I could also change it colour-wise if I had picked a different shade of extensions.

I actually prefer how my hair looks with the extensions in compared to without!

The ones that I selected were the shade Royal Medium Brown of 20-inch length and a total weight of 200 grams. Here is the direct link to the set I picked. They came in the packaging like so:

Box with plastic zip-lock and sealed package

The plastic zip-lock package has two compartments - one with the hair extensions and the other with a separated piece of the hair extensions set. The purpose of this separated piece is to first to check whether it is the correct match for your hair by looking at the shade and the length. By checking before opening the rest of the hair extensions, this allows for returns to be made as long as the compartment with the rest of the extensions is still sealed.

This is how the sample piece looked like in its packaging:

Protected with a hairnet and banded together

I was honestly surprised to see how closely this matched with my hair, considering that my hair is dyed and not naturally a medium brown. Also seeing as I naturally have black hair, when it's dyed it is quite brassy so I wasn't sure if this shade that I had selected would be the perfect match for me.

Left: With the sample piece in (after smoothing it out)      Right: With all of the extensions in

The 20-inch length with 200 grams of hair was the perfect choice as it blended it well with my blunt-cut hair and gave me plenty of volume. I felt like a superstar with enviable luscious locks! In total there were 10 pieces which I layered onto my hair.

The great thing about 100% natural, human Remy hair extensions is that they've been treated to add extra silkiness and durability, and can be heat-styled, washed, cut and coloured.

I still can't get over the fact that these blended in SO well! And here's a cute bunny to replace my face

It was as though I had my long hair back, but this time with MUCH more volume and well, generally healthier hair as my ends were sealed and not split! Just imagine how dreadful it would be to have hair extensions with split ends!

Questjen of the week:

Do you prefer short hair or long hair?

Growing up I always had shorter hair as I wasn't allowed to have anything longer than shoulder length or mid-length hair (long story short, once I had head lice and from that day on I was never allowed to grow it out) so I always have a preference of longer hair over shorter hair, however I've had long hair for quite some time now, from around 16 or 17 years old. I'm thinking of cutting it to just above my shoulders (it's such a trend nowadays!) but I don't know if it'll suit my square-ish face! I guess I'll have to ask my hairdresser :)

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Disclaimer: Product was sent for consideration purposes. This is not a sponsored post with monetary compensation, nor am I affiliated with the company/ies mentioned in this post. Links provided 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.

University Graduation Day

2014 is proving to be one of the most exciting years of my life. This year I turned 21, got my first car and now I've become a university graduate. On Wednesday the 17th of September, I attended my graduation ceremony and received my parchment in front of fellow graduates, members of the university and guests including my proud parents and beloved boyfriend. I'm very thankful towards those who were able to be there for me on my special day, waiting outside the hall bringing gorgeous flowers and gifts. It was an incredible experience and the memories will stay with me for life.

This doesn't mean the end of my studies though, as I'm currently enrolled in a double/concurrent degree however it does mean the completion of one degree that I had worked hard on for the last 3 years. An accomplishment and achievement which makes it all worth it in the end and you tend to only realise this once you reach that finish line. I know I complain about uni taking up a lot of my time and I still will complain when things get tough because no journey is ever a smooth-sailing journey - it can't be helped. I had my good days and my bad days, good grades and bad grades but with the support from my family, friends, uni lecturers and tutors, I was able to pull through and succeed. If I continue to have this support network and motivation to push on, I will hopefully be completing my second degree and going through this wonderful graduation experience again. I'll find this out in about a year's time!

As a 'beauty, fashion and lifestyle' blogger, I'll be incorporating all of those elements into this blog post, starting with my makeup for the day, outfit of the day and a brief recount of the event :)

FACE

Face of Australia Face Base Primer

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in 200 Soft Beige

Benefit Fake Up Concealer in 02 Medium

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow and Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

Tony Moly Crystal Light in 02 Gold Beam

Australis Make-Up Finishing Spritz

EYES

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

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

NP Set Smoke Signals 12-color eye shadow palette (thanks Mandy)

Dolly Wink Eyelash Fix

Luminous Change Eyelash eX #12

Sailor Moon Miracle Star Power Prism Liquidliner Black

Australis Eye Pencil in Blackest Black

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

LIPS

Benefit Benetint

Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in 720 Scarlet Ghost

Rimmel Lipstick Lock

NAILS

OPI Euro Minis Centrale Collection - Suzi's Hungary AGAIN and You're Such a Budapest (thanks Melody)

BODY
Lancome Miracle Eau De Parfum (my favourite)

Cetaphil Moisturising Cream (not pictured)

HAIR (none pictured)
Straightened using ghd Scarlet
Various hair products used - see this post
Dyed using x2 L'Oreal Paris Excellence Cream in 8.1 Ash Blonde

I made sure that I wore the longest-lasting products that I had on the day so that everything could stay in place for the whole day, especially for my lips. I always find that many of my lip products aren't very long-lasting (which was why I asked my Twitter followers if anyone could suggest a long-lasting lipstick) and for this reason, I was thinking of purchasing a high-end lip product but decided against it in the end. One day I will spoil myself with a luxe-branded lipstick like Tom Ford - for now I'll stick to what I have and what I can easily afford *crying emoji*

For my lips I lightly applied Benefit's Benetint to give my lips some initial lasting colour and added Max Factor's Colour Elixir Lipstick on top, topping it off with Rimmel's Lipstick Lock which supposedly seals the lip colour. I think this made a very good combination as I didn't need to re-apply any lip products for the entire day! Not bad, hey?

The Max Factor Lipstick reminds of a high-end one with its gold packaging. The formula is great too!

(Also unintentionally promoting the important use of seatbelts with my car selfie~ RIP EunB and RiSe)

I also made sure that my foundation stayed in place as I knew that I was going to be taking lots of pictures and needed to look as flawless as possible. For a lasting finish, a face primer is essential and I used Face of Australia's which has Vitamin E and chamomile, ingredients to help smooth and soothe the skin. The foundation I went with was Rimmel's lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation to give me light to medium coverage and a dewy finish. Trust me, I don't take the wording of products too seriously, especially when they state the number of hours that they claim to last. Anyway, I wanted my face to look alive and awake and since I have dry skin, I wanted to minimise the possibility of flakiness occurring so instead of topping it off with powder which accentuates my dryness, I spritzed some setting spray by Australis to keep it all in place and make me feel refreshed!

Since I opted for bold lips, I went with neutral eyes using the 6 shades on the right of the NP palette, a simple winged eyeliner and my most natural-looking falsies. I filled in my brows very lightly so that my brow game wasn't too strong (haha) and applied waterproof mascara being my favourite, Benefit's They're Real on my top and bottom lashes. I highlighted and contoured the high points of my face and applied a hint of blush to my cheeks.

Products from my recent Sasa haul that I used on the day

• Dolly Wink Eyelash Fix: holy grail eyelash glue, forever repurchasing.
• Sailor Moon Eyeliner: wooooo the packaging is awesome and so is the quality, really.
• Luminous Change Lashes: first time hearing about this brand, quality is just like Dolly Wink's with the clear bands and it's a fraction of its price with an extra pair of lashes - why not!

For my nails I used the front two shades from the OPI Euro Centrale Collection and this set was gifted to me by the lovely Melody on my 21st birthday. Thanks girl, it's definitely come in handy!

Outfit of the Day - Graduation and Academic Attire

Professional photo where they made me pose like this lol

Dress: Forever New

Shoes: New Look

Bracelet: Michael Kors

Earrings: Pandora

Pouch and Bag: Mimco and DKNY

I decided to wear a floral dress to stand out from the black gown and since it's now spring, floral is even more appropriate :) I love that my faculty's hood is a pretty pink because it's my favourite colour, yay. The gown and the hood were hired except for the mortarboard (the hat) which is good so that I can keep it as a souvenir from graduating!

As my graduation was in the morning at 11am, I had to get up early and prepare to be at the hall by 9. If I had more time to prepare without having to rush and be sure to beat the morning traffic, I probably would have curled my hair and add a few finishing touches to my look. I guess I could have woken up even earlier but sleep is even more important to me. I felt so drained by the end of the day and mind you, I did get enough sleep!

My view of the stage from the third row

It was a very exciting process. I thought that we were all going to rehearse the 'walking up on stage' part during the pre-briefing session at 9 but we didn't! So when the time came, we were quietly told of what to do and that was it and in an hour the ceremony came to an end. My uni actually filmed the whole thing and uploaded it on YouTube and you can see me walking up on stage at the 38:00 mark :D Thank goodness I didn't trip over and neither did anyone else despite my high heels, I was super nervous.

I didn't want to make a big deal out of this event so I only notified a few of my close friends who gladly came along and took photos with me. I felt quite spoilt and happy to share this joyous moment with some of the most important people in my life. Thanks to everyone who congratulated me ♥

To celebrate we headed out for a late-ish Yum Cha and I was so full and tired afterwards that I just wanted to crawl into my bed. I couldn't imagine having more to do in the evening, which is likely to happen for my own wedding one day with the ceremony followed by a reception. How do people do it, I have no clue!

Although it was a very happy occasion, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional on the inside. A chapter of my life had came to an end and I could feel myself getting teary in the hall, listening to the speeches about how far we've all come and our achievements, and wishing us the best for our future endeavours. I was also thinking about my parents who were there to witness their not-so-little girl anymore, their youngest child and only daughter all grown up and receiving her Bachelor's Degree. They've always wanted me to study hard and graduate from university (you know how typical Asian parents are) and just thinking about how they were feeling on the day made me want to cry tears of happiness. I always try my best to make my parents proud and I am really glad to say that there is finally something for my parents to be truly proud of.

I love you mum and dad!

You know what's so special about awards/certificates/diplomas/degrees etc? The fact that recipients have been recognised for their hard work and have respectfully earnt it and deserve it. Many things can easily be bought, lost, replaced but with any award or degree, it belongs to you and only you. Your name is written on there and no one can take it away from you, claiming that it belongs to them. No one can take away your wisdom and the skills that you've acquired. It's something that money can't buy.

My questjen to you:

 Have you had a graduation and/or are you yet to have one?

I've had a year 7 (primary to secondary school) and a year 12 (end of high school) graduation prior to this graduation but this is by far the biggest one of them all. Fingers crossed that I'll have another!

Good luck to those who are yet to graduate from their studies and to those who already have, big congratulations ^^

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My Current Hair Products

Hello, it's been way too long since I last did a hair-related post so I thought I'd do one today. I'll be introducing you to all the products that I am currently using on my hair to help maintain its colour, smoothness, cleanliness (of course), texture and strength. I don't have an actual routine where I am constantly using these products or repurchasing them as my hair is quite low-maintenance which allows me to try all sorts of products without having to worry about my hair getting out of control. Also, I don't pay as much attention to my hair as I could, simply because caring/styling for my hair is not a main priority of mine, and I don't particularly enjoy it as much as say, applying skincare products and makeup to my face. However I always make sure that my hair is well-kept and looks presentable. Here's a little hair profile that I've compiled as an introduction:

Natural colour: Black

Current colour: Dark brown

Length: Medium to long

Type: Straight 

Style: V-shape at the back, long layers, side fringe

Last cut: Early June 2014

Last dye used: Revlon 'Light Ash Brown' x2 

Washing intervals: Every second day

Drying method: Only towel-dried

Use of styling products i.e. straighteners, curlers: Occasionally

Current condition: Free from split ends, smooth but slightly frizzy/static, scalp prone to oiliness, flat

Goals: To have fuller, livelier hair, less breakages/fallouts, intensified hair colour and be frizz and static-free

I've dug up some recent photos of me and my hair that I was thinking of sharing as an OOTD thing but hey, they're somewhat relevant for this post so here we go:

Dead-straight hair as a result of using my ghd. It works a little too well!

Yesstyle snood scarf, coat from China, Supre knit, Levi's jeans, Kate Spade NY bag, S5 case from eBay, Michael Kors watch, Oroton umbrella

Shampoo and conditioner

• Alchemy Ylang Ylang Colour Care Shampoo for Colour Treated Hair*
• Davroe Colour Senses Conditioner*

I had been using the Davroe Colour Senses shampoo but I ran out of that faster than the conditioner (isn't it usually the other way around for people?) because I brought it with me to my overseas trip last December and didn't bother bringing conditioner. Conditioning my hair isn't a crucial step for me so I was fine without it while I was away from home. I find that the scent of the Alchemy shampoo is a little overpowering however I still like to use it because it cleans my hair well and is recommend for colour treated hair like mine. I prefer the scent of he Davroe conditioner so I guess by using this conditioner after washing my hair with Alchemy, it sort of masks that overpowering scent. Although they're not from the same brand, I feel that they work well together because of their ingredients (paraben and sulfate free) and their uses to help enhance coloured hair and vibrance.

Treatments/serums/hair masks

• Essential Nuance Airy Ultra Honey Hair Mask
• Davroe Ends Repair Leave-in Treatment*
• Dove Nourishing Oil Care Nutri-Oil Serum*

The Essential hair mask is my latest hair product purchase which I bought off Sasa a couple of weeks ago. It's a Japanese product that has been highly raved about online and these positive reviews have made me want to try it out so badly. Verdict? I love it! The product making my hair silky-smooth seems like an understatement because it feels even smoother than silk (if that's even possible). It works better than any ordinary hair conditioner in my opinion, and it smells wonderful. The scent straight from the jar may be a bit overpowering but once a golf ball-sized amount is used and rinsed out of your hair, it leaves a light, pleasant scent. People with dry/damaged hair can really benefit from this hair mask as it restores it and makes it feel healthy again. I don't know how it does it! This is definitely a product that I want to purchase over and over again.

Two years later and I'm still using the Dove Nourishing Oil serum which I reviewed *here* (sorry all of the pictures are gone) and also pairing it with the Davroe Ends Repair Leave-in Treatment specifically for my ends to hopefully reduce or prevent split ends. So far so good - a month and a half since my last haircut and there are still no split ends.

Spritz/sprays

• Davroe Colour Senses Daily Protect Spray*
• MUK Hot Muk Thermal Protector*
• John Frieda Frizz-Ease 100% Shine Glossing Mist
• Les Stafford Poker Straight Dry Shampoo for Oily Roots

The Davroe Colour Protect spray is used to help protect and extend the life of coloured hair while adding shine and colour-fade protection. Although it's a 'daily' spray, I haven't been using it daily but I do use it at least a few times a week to give my hair some protection and refreshing scent. I like how it can be used on damp or dry hair. Another spray that I use a few times a week is the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Glossing mist to help smooth flyaways and reduce frizz which is one of my hair problems. It's very lightweight, so lightweight that it doesn't even feel like it does anything for my hair but still manages to make my hair stay together without having to use hair sprays that make my hair all hard. I absolutely love the scent of this product - it's a worthy purchase.

Between washes I occasionally use this Les Stafford dry shampoo for my oily roots. I received this in a Priceline goodie bag and I'm not much of a dry shampoo user however I do prefer this over the Batiste one that I used to have because it seems to work better and I prefer this scent.

Whenever I use a straightener or curling iron I use this MUK Thermal Protector spray beforehand. I like the apple-like scent and it seems to be able to control my frizz and static hair quite well.

---

I'm content with my current hair routine and products but I am always willing to try new ones in case I discover something that will change my life forever! Okay, that's pretty dramatic but you know what I mean, right? There are some things out there that make you ask yourself, 'where has this been all my life?!'

New VO5 range*

• VO5 Smoothly Does It Frizz Free Creme
• VO5 Give Me Texture Shampoo
• VO5 Give Me Texture Conditioner
• VO5 Give me Texture Tousled Style Spray

 

I have used VO5 products in the past and now I've been introduced to their new range with mostly pink packaging (which is so me) and promises to 'give me texture'. Did these products manage to do that? Yes, they certainly did! I have thin hair strands but my hair as a whole is not thick nor thin (also, I don't thin-out my hair) however I had always been lacking texture and volume as my straight hair tends to just sit flat on my head and doesn't do much for me. The spray in particular really helps to add definition to my hair and the bottle states that it is particularly great for layered hair, which is what my currently hair style is. I'm a big fan of the packaging and also the fact that they already have heat defence so that you can style your hair right after washing and not have to worry about heat protection sprays/creams. This is particularly convenient if you are short for time or if you need those extra minutes to get ready :)

I've noticed that VO5 have had some of the best-smelling scents for hair products and with this range, they've introduced a 'fabulous new fragrance'. It's pleasant but I wish they had stuck with their previous one/s because personally I find this new scent to be too musky for my liking . You or others may like it though, and after all it did get the nod!

So I guess this VO5 range does include products that have made me wonder where they have been all my life, especially the frizz free creme and tousled style spray. I can use ordinary shampoos and conditioners like the VO5 ones or my current Davroe and Alchemy ones but when it comes to treatments/sprays/serums etc, ones that work specifically for my hair type and style are the ones that I benefit from the most. Plus I love it when I find products that do what I need them to do because it makes things a whole lot easier.

Questjen for you:

Which hair product is your holy grail?

For me, it's tough picking one but I'll have to say my ghd! Even if my hair is super messy and getting oily, straightening my hair gives me so much confidence :) Below is a pic that I took when my limited edition set was brand new. But it all still works and looks as good as new!

The 'Alfa Romeo' of hair stylers. Completely agree.

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

f(x) 'Red Light' MV Inspired Look - Krystal

Hey, I love it when my favourite K-pop groups make a comeback, especially girl groups because I always look forward to seeing their concept for their 'teaser' photos and music video, and to possibly get some inspiration from those. Think of these concepts as 'cosplay' with all the different hair colours and costumes but not based on any particular character and are created by their stylists. f(x) recently came back with their 'Red Light' title track and album and their style is not overly cute nor sexy (the two concepts that many girl groups aim for these days) but instead consists of dark makeup and camo-style outfits. From seeing f(x)'s teaser photos and music video, I was immediately inspired to create one of their looks on myself and share on my blog for fun. Here's how it went:  

  I decided to base my look on f(Krystal) because out of all the members, hers looked the most dramatic and when it comes to inspired looks like these, the more dramatic the better! And she dyed her hair platinum blonde and then I remembered I had a blonde wig (which I rarely use) and was perfect for this :D   Here are more shots of Krystal from the MV:

She wore a headpiece and a crown   The thing that really captured my attention from the look was the one black, smokey eye and the other almost completely bare with a coloured contact lens on. This was pretty consistent with all of the members however I felt that Krystal stood out the most with her super dangle-y headpiece and ice-like crown/headband (where would I get one of those?!)   As I say for all of my inspired looks, my intention is not to create a replica or tutorial on how to get this look - this is just my own interpretation where I have used items that I already had, to look as close as possible to the items worn by Krystal.   A tick for the blonde wig, a tick for an army-green jacket but with the headpiece... that was where I had some issues. Considering that I never wear headpieces or anything on my head (if you see me with a headband a la cat ears, it means I'm wearing them for a special occasion), I wasn't thinking about buying one and thought I could just wrap some gold chains around my head... but that didn't work.    I had a browse online and found this one and thought it was perfect but now it's sold out!!! And it's called 'Crystal' like Krystal too, omg. I settled for the cheapest one I could find in the store ($4, online it's still full price) to wear and draped gold chains over it. Unfortunately I only had two gold chains and I didn't have crosses but I had butterflies:

Accessories sorted!

These are the products (minus tools such as brushes) that I used to achieve the inspired look:

FACE:

ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30*

Tony Moly Crystal Light Gold Beam

Rimmel Stay Matte Dual Action Concealer 

Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel

EYES:

GEO Angel Blue Lenses

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

ELES Signature Shadow Quad in Minimalist*

ELES Mineral Matte Shadow in Sand*

Australis Eye Pencil in Blackest Black

Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in 071 Pure White

Maybelline HyperSharp Liner

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner (still trialling for review purposes)*

Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara

Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue

Taiwan Bottom Lashes in 011

LIPS:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 625 Iced Amethyst

Couleur Caramel Rouge a Levres Lipstick in 119*

I used the lightest shade of BB Cream that I had to correspond with Krystal's pale complexion and used concealer for extra coverage. I highlighted my nose bridge, brow bone, cheek bones and cupid's bow. For my brows, I kept them a natural brown like Krystal's and used my light brown brow gel to fill and lighten them up a bit. I couldn't see any blush on Krystal's cheeks so I didn't apply any.

Krystal's contact lens is a blue-green colour with no limbal ring (the black around a circle lens to give a dolly look) however I didn't have any other lenses that were blue so I used my GEO Angel Blue ones. This gave my eye a more doe-eyed look compared to Krystal's.

Left eye (no lens):

I applied eyeshadow primer all over my lid and applied black matte eyeshadow right up to the groove of my eye socket. I also applied the eyeshadow to my bottom lash line. I then used the brown matte eyeshadow and placed it right above the black eyeshadow and directly under the black used on the bottom lash line. I blended these together to create a smokey look and minimise any harsh lines. I winged my eyeliner, curled my lashes and applied a few coats of mascara. I used bottom lashes (half) that had a similar thick-thin style.

Right eye (lens):

Again, eyeshadow primer went on first and then a sand-coloured matte eyeshadow all over my eyelid and bottom lash line. Using my liquid eyeliner, I drew a thin line on top of the lashes and applied white eyeliner on my waterline. I finished it off with curling my lashes and applying mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

It all sounds pretty straight forward but it took me a few tries to get the smokey eye right and the way I wanted it to be. Perhaps it's because I hadn't done one in such a long time. Anyway I'm glad I only needed to do it on one eye or else it would've taken me even longer!

And finally to the lips:

It's so weird seeing the blonde against the bottom half of my face... doesn't even look like me o_o

I made my top lip look thinner than usual and my bottom lip slightly thicker (not like it needed to be any more thick haha). Krystal's got a dark ombre lip going on with purple matte lip products. I've only got one purple matte lipstick and it happens to be my darkest one, so I used it for the centre of my lips. The outer lipstick is a lighter purple and has a creamy consistency, hence the glossiness. I could have went for fully-matte lips but I didn't want to risk drying out my lips, plus I prefer smooth, glossy lips!

So there we go, the finished look where I had a few hiccups along the way with the accessorising and makeup application but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out :)

In the end I even added a small 'freckle' near the side of my nose, Krystal-style!

Oh and here's the full MV if you're keen to see the rest of the girls' looks and/or listen to their latest track:

Questjen for you:

Whose look did you like the best in the Red Light MV?

If you don't know their names, you can identify them by their hair colours/styles

I could say good things about each look and although I was most inspired by Krystal's, I was fangirling the most over Sulli! I wanted to recreate her look too but I didn't have brown lenses or the right accessories~

She's the youngest member of f(x) and she's all grown up looking more and more stunning

I hope to do more of these inspired looks in the near future and if there are any requests, feel free to shoot them my way!

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Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. Products marked with a * had been provided for consideration.