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.

Jewellery Trends Inspired by SNSD/Girls' Generation

If you follow K-pop like me, you'll be familiar with the certain looks that these stars have - it's a part of their 'image. Sometimes this image stays the same, or changes over time depending on their concepts. For example, looking at one of my favourite girl groups SNSD, also known as Girls' Generation, they started out with a cutesy, dolly, innocent image and as they matured their styles became more classy, sophisticated and elegant as well as the musical styles. Being a fan of theirs from my high school days 'til now, I feel as though I went through that growth and maturity phase like they did and being similar in age, I can certainly relate and see them as my idols/role models. I feel like their style is my style, so every now and then I like to check out their outfits worn at premiere events, fashion shows, photoshoots and even the outfits they wear to the airport. Not only do I take notice of their outfits but also their hair, makeup, jewellery and accessories. They inspire me so much that I've decided to share 3 jewellery trends that I've noticed on the girls and also on those around me.

The following items for each of these trends features some very affordable pieces that you can easily add to your collection - styling on a budget!

Floral

When I think of floral, I get reminded of spring and summer. Yes we do see flowers more in these seasons however for jewellery pieces, floral is great to wear as a pattern or a design all year round. In moderation it's quite pretty and when worn to complement an item/outfit rather than take over and be the centre of attention, it gives a nice finishing touch.

Credit: As watermarked

SNSD's Hyoyeon is wearing a lovely sleeved lace dress with a chunky floral necklace. Sure it counts as a statement piece but when paired with blue dress and a blue bag, it blends in with the overall look. I decided to give this look a go with a less-chunky floral necklace:

Elegant Opal Floral Necklace
$5.42 USD

Here's a closer look at the details of this gorgeous necklace from Born Pretty Store:

I love how the flowers aren't too over-the-top with a simplistic design of alternating big and small flowers. The piece sits really nicely on the decolletage area and I think it looks great with a lovely lace top/dress. I find the double chains to be quite a unique and I reckon it makes the necklace look less fragile and more weighty without it actually being so. Pretty good for something around $5!

Pearls

Beautiful, bright round pearls... there's just something so classy about them, whether it's one pearl on its own or a cluster of them. And I think that a female wearing pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, a pearl ring and a pearl bracelet would look perfectly normal to me! You can never have too many pearls (okay maybe it'll look odd if you layer it on too heavily - moderation is key).

Credit: As watermarked

Ah Jessica, I miss you!

SNSD's Jessica (to me she's still a member) once wore this chunky pearl cluster necklace from Chanel (I don't know the actual name of the necklace) with a white collared shirt and she looked so chic! I absolutely love her simplistic yet elegant style and I find that whatever she wears is in such good taste. No wonder she's becoming a fashion designer - she's a true fashionista after all! I wish her all the best with her career in the fashion industry.

Let's see how well I can pull off this look with a very similar necklace:

Enchanting Pearl Cluster Necklace
$6.13 USD

Mine is no where near as cluster-ful as Jessica's but when I first saw this on Born Pretty Cute, I was immediately reminded of Jessica's stunning necklace and so I had to have it. Not only does it look good with collared shirts but also fancy dresses and such - I can just picture it *_*

Unlike Jessica's, this is a flat-cluster rather than a 3-dimensional cluster which would appear more bulky/heavy. This one drapes nicely around my neck and I like how the gold chains peek through the pearls to give that white and gold look. Also those small rhinestones in between the pearls add a touch of sparkly-ness. Speaking of rhinestones... guess what the next trend is?

Rhinestones

Aka bling-bling! I love sparkly jewellery and accessories and for me it doesn't necessarily have to be derived from particular stones or crystals as I'm also a fan of the more affordable man-made kind. Sure the 'real' stuff is more luxurious and precious but what matters is most to me is its overall look! Rhinestones and diamantes can be just as sparkly for only a fraction of the price. This trend will always stay relevant.

Credit: As watermarked

The stunning Jung Sisters! ♥

Of course when celebrities endorse sparkly jewellery pieces like the ones above, they're going to have a hefty price tag on them. But what if they weren't endorsed by a celebrity... would you be able to tell that the above items are pricey? I didn't think so. Let me give you an example with this sparkly ring I have:

Elegant Simple Rhinestone Studded Ring - $2.99 USD

... $3 for this ring? Say whaaaaat, who would've thought/known?! I can assure you that it doesn't feel like a cheapie $2-3 item - it actually feels and looks like a legitimate ring that's at least in the double if not triple and so forth digits, not single digits like it is. How surprising, right? Here's more proof that it doesn't look flimsy/tacky:

Could fool anyone with this rock on my ring finger!

(By the way this is not a hint or anything, this girl isn't getting engaged anytime soon :P)

I still can't get over the price and how something for affordable looks very much like a actual diamond/engagement ring. Anyway enough about that, moving onto its style. Yes I know that it can be a little too bling-bling for an average girl who is not anywhere near the engagement phase yet (like me) but a way to avoid any questions is to simply wear it on the middle or index finger. That way it'll look like a dressy/cocktail ring and no one will misunderstand. I find this halo, cushion cut style very classic and vintage-like. I adore this style on earrings as well, similar to the ones endorsed by the Jung sisters above.

Now I haven't thought about what type of engagement ring I'd want but for those who do know or specifically, ladies who've got an engagement ring (lucky ducks), having a 'cheaper' one to wear everyday can be a safer option for you. We all know how costly these rings can be and the thought of losing one is almost unbearable, so why not wear an imitation of the real thing to keep the real thing stored away safely? No one will even know and if it gets lost, it's better than losing the actual ring, hey! So ladies, if you've got a halo engagement ring similar or the same as this one, you could consider getting it for yourself to wear instead, especially if you're feeling paranoid about it going missing, because I know I would.

I can honestly say that I am a fan of all of these jewellery styles worn on the SNSD girls, hence I see them as my fashion/style icons. I don't think I've ever seen them wear something absolutely ridiculous which I'm quite happy about :D

You can purchase any of the items above from Born Pretty Store which offers free shipping worldwide and 10% off your order using the code 'JLQK31' at the checkout

A questjen for you:

Which of the 3 jewellery trends is your favourite?

Or do you have any to add to this list?

I love anything that's sparkly so my favourite is the rhinestone/diamante trend!

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Disclaimer: Products were provided for consideration. This is not a sponsored post with 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. For full disclaimer, see http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html.

Gold Accessories from Born Pretty Store

There are many ways to 'pretty ourselves up' - by wearing makeup, dressing nicely, painting our nails, styling our hair and accessorising with jewellery. The one that I have followed ever since I was a little girl was wearing jewellery because this made me feel more girly and pretty (as well as wearing dresses and skirts). In fact, I had my ears pierced when I was only 2 years old so it was as though I grew up to be interested in jewellery - thanks mum, there's no way that I would've agreed to getting my ears pierced at the time! Growing up I wore plastic rings, mood rings, jelly bracelets, tattoo chokers and bracelets (oh the 90s!), friendship beaded bracelets and more... this is like a trip down memory lane, all of a sudden I feel nostalgic. I couldn't wear these at school but whenever we had a casual day, I went all out with the bling-bling!

I loved gold and silver jewellery but I wasn't allowed to wear these as a child, only the fake stuff except for my earrings for my sensitive skin/ears. Once I was a naughty girl and took my mum's 18 ct-gold diamond ring from her drawer and wore it on (it didn't fit but this didn't matter to me) and spun around in the backyard with it, because I felt like a princess lol. You can imagine what happened next... it flew off my finger and it was never to be found again. Mum wasn't too pleased when I told her, though I was forgiven, surprisingly! Now that I'm an adult, I can choose we wear real gold or 'fake' gold, and the same goes for rose gold, white gold or silver. I don't restrict myself on what to wear, I like a bit of everything and it depends on my outfit and style. Dainty pieces, statement pieces, I'm good with anything as long as they look nice.

Here are my latest gold pieces to add to my collection:

Clover Design Open Bangle

$2.49 USD, normally $4.62

 

This is an extremely affordable bracelet and judging by the quality, it does seem as though you get more than what you pay for. The design is simple yet elegant and the detail on the clover with the rhinestones is gorgeous. I have a tiny wrist and have lots of trouble buying bracelets and bangles because of it. Whenever I come across any adjustable bracelets or bangles like these, I feel like Cinderella with her perfectly-fitted glass slippers. Makes a great gift for someone too!

Back to the rhinestones again, they appear to be glued on with great care and precision, and don't seem to be prone to falling off. I've worn this bangle at night and it glistens under the lights so prettily. I doubt that many would guess that this retails for just a few dollars!

 Leaf design necklace

$7.43 USD

I don't have a lot of statement pieces, especially necklaces so I was keen to pick this one. It's bold but not too over-the-top and can go with many different outfits. I personally am a big fan of this design with the two long leaves connected together. They can be folded to save space for storage, which is handy.

See?

Once again I find the quality of this to be very sturdy, non-tacky and it's a good price. It's got that classiness to it which I adore and I can see myself wearing this for a number of occasions.

Looks great with this top, which has bits of gold in it

These pieces can be purchased from Born Pretty Store which offers free shipping worldwide with no minimum spend and on top of that I have a 10% off code for all of my amazing readers - JLQK31 to use at the checkout. The code can also be viewed on my blog's sidebar in case you need it again :)

 My questjen to you:

 

Are you a fan of gold-coloured accessories?

 

I like silver, white gold and rose gold more than yellow gold but I do like wearing yellow gold from time to time!

 

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Disclaimer: Products were provided for consideration with no obligation to share or review. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with the company mentioned in this post. Clicking on the links do not benefit me in any way, shape or form. 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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