Halloween 2011 - MP's Gothic Lolita Inspired Look

Hey everyone, Happy Halloween! Australia doesn't celebrate Halloween so we miss out on the true fun and spirit of it :( It seems like such a great holiday and a great excuse to dress up :D

I really wanted to do a Halloween look last year but unfortunately I was majorly stressed out due to studying for final year 12 exams, and during that time I would have felt too guilty to spend my time applying makeup (sad I know lol). This year however is a tiny bit more chilled and I have less contact uni hours compared to when I went to school and it was 8:45am-3:15pm straight Monday to Friday so I'd hardly have time for myself. Last weekend I decided to put together my Halloween look for you guys and yay this was my first time dressing up for Halloween hehe.

I was heavily inspired by a look created last year by top female YouTube beauty guru who we all should know - Michelle Phan! She is very artistic and creative which are personal attributes that I don't possess! I think I am the worst drawer in the world xD I hate how I'm a bad artist because in my uni course I always have to draw diagrams for anatomy T^T

Anyway moving on... the look from Michelle Phan that inspired me the most was her 'Gothic Lolita Doll' look which she created last year. When I first saw this I thought to myself, 'omg, I HAVE to do this look!' and guess what? I did, but a year later haha. I would have done it last year if I had the time but I'm glad I did it this year instead because I think I've improved on my makeup-applying skills and I now have double eyelid tape for this look to work better with my eye shape. Oh and I wouldn't have been able to think of a different look to do instead :P

 Truly an INSPIRED look, not a replica

I believe that it would make me quite unoriginal if I were to copy Michelle Phan's complete look so I made mine a little different with changes here and there. You can already see the differences like the black curly hair instead of the blonde, lighter lips, higher brows and brown eyes instead of pink eyes. Obviously hers much neater than mine as she is a makeup artist and I am not~

Now that you've had a glance of my makeup, here is my outfit:

I was able to find pieces that I already had at home so for this look I spent nothing!

- Black batwing knit

- Black and white stripey tank top

- Black mini skirt

- Lilac polka dot ribbon

- Heart-patterned tights

- Black bucket hat with strap

- White flower clip

And for my shoes which I didn't get to include in the photo:

Black peep-toe wedges... oops you can see my orange-painted toe nail xD

I haven't worn these babies at yet but wahh they're so comfy and tall!

Can you believe that I got these only for $10?? Bargain

Now for the look with makeup and the outfit:

I look freakishly different to how I look normally, scary!

To be honest I have no idea what I've 'dressed up' as for Halloween this year .__. Am I a goth chic or witch? Definitely not a doll like Michelle Phan. I really don't know... haha. The only thing I know is that it looks nothing like me and it took forever to do!

Hair: Black synthetic hair extensions, reviewed [here]

Lenses: Geo Princess Mimi Chocolate Brown, reviewed [here]

With the makeup process I basically followed all of the steps mentioned by Michelle in her video tutorial here:

And for those who choose not to watch the tutorial, I followed the steps such as using foundation a couple of shades lighter to brighten my face instead of whitening, adding lashes to my crease (which I cheated with double eyelid tape) and darkening the lips in the center with black eyeliner. I was surprised how simple it was to follow these steps to achieve the look!

I hope you don't mind me showing you how thick my lashes were:

Top lashes: 3 layers -  Dolly Wink #2, voluminous lashes and spiky lashes

Bottom lashes: 2 layers of simple, straight style lashes

I had never worn so many layers of band lashes in my life! It took very long to apply, especially on an area that false lashes aren't normally applied (crease instead of lash line)

Something that I did that wasn't in Michelle's tutorial was creating higher brows and arches.

This was my first time covering my natural brows and drawing my own on. 

They weren't easy to cover but I tried my best and didn't photoshop afterwards.

I would have worn a wig if I had one

Good thing I had these really thick hair extensions to attach onto my hair

Just letting you know so you don't question why my natural hair can still be seen :)

Then I used my webcam to take pictures which is less HD and so 'flaws' can be covered more. 

Harder to tell that I covered my brows, right?

Another thing I did differently to the tutorial were my lips - I wanted full, luscious lips!

I'm still debating in my head whether I went for a scary or cute look because... it's sort of both!

How innocent... I'm sure people would make friends with a girl who looked like this x) She may be a little weird but she looks nice hahaha

I also used my iPod to take some selcas and channeled the 'evil vs. good' look once again:

So harmless...

Or am I...?

Grrr

Evil smirk

So I think I've now concluded that I am some two-faced b***h who is evil and good, lol? This is definitely not how I am in real life, I swear :D More like the first, more like the first for sure!

While I was adding watermarks, I discovered that I can add Halloween effects to my pictures! Here's what I did to two of my photos, showing before and after editing.

Instant revamping (pun intended)

I'm glowing, like Edward Cullen. "Your skin is pale white and ice cold"

If I could add a *sparkle* effect, I would.

Feeling like an awkward turtle right now because I'm done with talking about my Halloween look....... ta-da?! Well to conclude, it was loads of fun to put together. It took me a whole afternoon to complete and take photos, not including the time I put in to edit them! I REALLY hope that I can do a Halloween look again next year. I'm thinking of maybe another scary look since I find them way more fun than just dressing up as like, a cartoon character or celebrity. Actually, celebrities can be fun too, it depends who. Isn't Halloween about looking spooky? That's just my guess *shrugs* I like to look fierce for fun xD

I think I'll mention my nails that I had in these pictures. I'm wearing a new nail polish which I purchased from Priceline which now has a Hello Kitty collection! Too cute

SO pink and pretty. And the prices for Hello Kitty cosmetics isn't much - drugstore prices

Hello Kitty Nail Polish in Violet Salome

I hope they have more glitter nail polishes like this! It's gorgeous

Did you liked my Halloween look? Let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it :) I know it's not very special with the costume being regular clothes but I quite liked the simplicity of it and being able to put together an outfit for Halloween.

Questjen of the week:

What are/did/have/would you dress/ing/ed up as for Halloween?

So curious to know! I wonder if your ideas can inspire me for my next Halloween look/s :D

If you have done look/s on your blog, feel free to link them to me so I can check them out!

Sadly I will not be blogging for a week or two due to final exams :( Apologies in advance for my absence, I will be back as soon as I am finished which will be around the 15th of November.

And this means that my first year of uni is complete (not including exams)! On my last day on Friday I wore a skirt for the first time since I started university x] I think I was just more comfortable wearing pants/shorts and in school I had always worn a dress so it was nice to have a change. However, many of my friends have been wearing skirts and dresses to uni lately and this made me want to do so too =)

Paired the brown skirt with a brown belt and a lace tee

Taken in parents' room, not mine

Looking forward to being back to blogging after the 14th of November - the start of my 3-month long summer holiday!!!!

Take care guys ^_^

PS: Thank you for the feedback and comments from my previous post, you are all incredibly awesome ♥

'Bling Up' my nails!

Hello wonderful readers, it's about time I revealed my latest obsession - nail deco/art/polish :D Recently I have been hauling new nail polishes and stickers (all to be shown in another blog post) that I have used to practice nail art... which I'm not so good at. A girl like me sadly lacks in the artistic skills department and feels that she will never improve :(

So, what is my resolution for nail decorating? To leave it to the experts. And by that I don't mean to go to a nail salon and get my nails done. I've never had my nails professionally done in a salon before, I just don't think it's necessary when I can purchase false nails with pretty designs and patterns on them. I know it can't compare to acrylics etc. but I'm really not fussed.

Let me introduce you to an online company that does 3D nail art and Japanese nail art - 'Bling Up'. I received a set of decorated nail tips to review and my gosh, they are stunningly gorgeous. Take a look for yourself:

This photo was not edited in anyway (only added watermark) and you can see the light reflecting off of my thumb!

I was really excited about receiving my first set of bling nails and since I've become more interested in Japanese styles, these are perfect for me. Just in case you didn't know, the bling trend is popular in many Asian countries, especially in Japan (bling nails, phone cases, cameras etc). These nails are just so pretty to look at, I love anything that sparkles! The pink ahh, my favourite colour =)

Not only was I extremely impressed with the nails but also the package itself when I received it in the mail :) I didn't expect it to be in a box - silly me thought it would arrive in a padded bag so I was surprised when I found the boxed package in my letterbox haha. It was sealed at every edge and corner with sticky tape and the only way I could open it was with a pair of scissors.

1. I neatly opened the box to find everything neatly placed inside!

2. Two separate packets, bubble wrapping around the box of nails

3. Each nail order comes with nail products such as glue, file, repair package and tape

4. Page of instructions of how to correctly measure your nails using the sizing kit

5. Opened box of nails, neatly aligned with a clear plastic protective cover

Pink French Nail Tips with Dots, 3D Bow Ribbons and Large Rhinestones - $43.99

US customers are eligible for FREE shipping with this product

I chose this design from their selection and they were made to perfectly fit my nails. I really appreciate their time and effort to design each one individually, it seems as though it would take quite a while and would require much patience.

The nails are stuck using a double-sided foam tape, on top of a spongy cushion for the box. This is quite a clever way of storing the nails as it very neat and easy to use (detach and stick back onto the tape). Inside the box there were replacement rhinestones, so convenient!

I ended up using the double-sided nail tape to put these nails on because I didn't want to have them glued as I would probably ruin them if I wanted to have them removed. And I don't want to ruin these nails... ever *_* Also, long nails like these aren't ideal for daily wear, though some may choose to wear them daily. With double-sided tape, the tips are stuck to my nails very tightly and comfortably without having to worry about them falling off. They stick amazingly well yet they can be removed quite easily with applied pressure and force. There is minimal sticky residue on your real nails after removing the tips :)

I'm impressed about how identical the designs are for both hands. Amazing nail artist ♥

The main reason for my choice of this design was because there were dots on a pink base which TOTALLY reminded me of Dolly Wink ^_^ I had always been interested in doing my own Dolly Wink/Tsubasa Masuwaka inspired nails but as I said before, I'm really not great with nail art - I don't have a lot of patience, I can't draw and I don't have a very steady hand =/ But now I don't have to worry anymore because I've got these awesome nail tips! No way would I be able to design something as pretty as this.

See the similarities with my French nail tips and my Dolly Wink eyeliner? Oh and the bows! Hehe

 If you don't like the flat edges or sharp corners, you can use the nail file to fix them to your liking

My thoughts on Bling Up:

They were very professional by responding promptly and addressing my name in each email. As they are a company based in the US, their emails were very formal with well-written, precise English. I received notifications about the nails being made and sent out which was great because it allowed me to be updated on my order. I think it took a little over a week to reach me which I had no problems with.

The service:

Each nail set is made to order so that they are created to perfectly fit the customer's nails. This is much better than purchasing a set of pre-made nails where only selected nail tips would fit. I guess it's the most sensible thing to do anyway because it would be such a waste to design various sizes of nail tips and send them all to the customer to fit themselves. I like how Bling Up allows people to fill in their nail measurements before adding a product to the cart. If they had this at the checkout then customers might forget to fill it out and yeah... it would cause unnecessary trouble for Bling Up. And if you didn't correctly measure your nails the first time, they send you a measuring kit with your first purchase. And if you did measure correctly, the kit is good for double checking. Most of all I like the nail package that comes with the nail tips. Great to have a new bottle of nail glue!

Bling Up = Just for nails?

Nope, not only Bling Up design for fingernails but also toenails! But other than nails they sell accessories, jewellery and DIY deco kits for cases for electronic devices. Here's what they have on their front page at the moment:

Halloween is in about a week's time so you might not be able to get an order in fast enough to receive your nails before Halloween (maybe if you live in the States). But even if you don't order, their designs could perhaps inspire you for your Halloween nail art :)

They also sell these cute furry pom pom ball accessories n_n

Pros and cons about Bling Up - Nails

+ Many designs to choose from

+ Custom-fit

+ First order comes with measuring kit

+ Neat packaging overall

+ Box storage gives protection

+ Free nail package with order

+ US customers are eligible for free shipping

+ Excellent customer service

+ Reasonable prices but - may be seen as pricey

- Flat edges and sharp corners = not ideal for me

It is evident that the positives outweigh the negatives and I must say that this is an unbiased review with no influence of receiving the package free of charge. I am unsure whether registered mail is an option but I assume that it would be. My package was not sent by registered mail which some may see as a flaw due to the products being of slightly high value and perhaps registered mail be compulsory for all orders. Honestly I am not fussed - registered mail is actually more troublesome for me!

Overall thoughts:

I was very satisfied and impressed with Bling Up's customer service and their attention to detail. It made me see that they put in a whole lot of effort and really care about their customers. I know the nail art bling is seriously impressive but I was actually more impressed with the way they dealt with me via email. I felt that they were friendly and professional at the same time, which to me is the perfect way to deal with customers. I highly recommend them and they are a company/store that can be trusted.

That's it to my review, I hope you found it interesting and/or helpful. Do let me know if you plan to purchase from Bling Up, I'd love to see which design you choose and how they'll look on your nails =]

One last picture of mine:

It's not common for people to wear nails like these in Western countries so I reckon one would either love them or hate them, since they're so 'out there'

My questjen of the week for you is:

Would you wear 'blinged' nails?

It doesn't matter if it's for a day/night or to wear everyday, I just want to know whether you would wear something like these out in public loud and proud. Everyone's taste is different, some may find these to be very tacky and whatnot but I still want to hear your thoughts.

As for me... I haven't had the chance to wear them out yet but for a night function I can see myself wearing these. The bling would look super pretty under shining lights, I can just imagine!

Be on the lookout for my next blog post which will be about my Halloween look!!

Guest Post: Luxury Bazaar

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a great week. The weekend is just about to start! Anyway, I just wanted to share with you a guys a guest post provided to me by a company called 'Luxury Bazaar' which specialises in high end accessories such as jewellery as well as fine arts and antiques. Guest posts are welcome here and it's a great way for my readers to discover other bloggers and companies as well as giving them a chance to have a voice on my blog. And isn't it slightly refreshing to hear about another person's perspective? If anyone is interested in being a guest blogger on QuestJen, you are more than welcome to let me know and we could figure something out! Please note that not everyone is guaranteed to be a guest blogger on here, there are some set guidelines etc.

There will be a new blog post written by yours truly (me) on the weekend so keep a look out for that :D

And now I introduce you to an article written by the founder/owner of Luxury Bazaar - Roman Sharf

 Five Pieces of Antique Jewelry that Will Stun Everybody

Everyone knows that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but what about other forms of jewelry? As these 5 jaw-dropping antique pieces demonstrate, fashionistas have a whole lot more friends to make in the jewelry world than just diamonds!

Victorian Bird Earrings

The majesty, pomp and glory of the bygone Victorian age is fully on display with these exquisite yellow gold/turqouise bird earrings. They are so delicate and pretty, while also sporting a certain confidently playful aesthetic that you rarely see any more. You can tell they were made a long time ago because of all the detailed work on the birds, which stands in stark contrast to the smooth and sharp lines of modern pieces. This is the sort of earring set that would make a splash at any event, whether it be a night on the dance floor or an evening dinner with fine wine.

Classic Platinum Citrine Cocktail Ring

This ring has lots of bling! The stone is so huge that it’s hard to believe it's genuine citrine. Besides the huge raised stone, there are also 12 diamonds perched around the ring. It is rated at a 7.5 American ring size. While the details of its prior owner remain a mystery, one thing is for sure: they were super rich! One could easily see this ring fitting in perfectly at a dressy cocktail party in the 1950s or early '60s (think Mad Men).

Platinum Diamond Burmese Ruby Round Cocktail Ring

Check out this fun antique ring from a prominent estate sale. Talk about stunning jewelry! It’s made from platinum and sparkles with small diamonds ornamenting the centerpiece stone, which is a beautiful Burmese ruby. The pink stone is a perfect color for any stylish lady, and would fit particularly well with a sizzling red dress or black dinner gown. This oversized ring really makes a statement and really puts most modern mall designs to shame.

 

Georgian Gold & Enamel Hair Ring

More than any of the 3 aforementioned pieces, this incredible antique ring has a spellbinding story behind it. Designed during Western Europe's neoclassical period circa 1790-1810, this ring has real hair woven in a pattern under its glass covering. Talk about a conversation piece! The 15k rose gold, French blue enamel, and oversized design of this piece will never fail to draw intrigued glances from fellow party-goers, but it's the presence of real hair from the 18th-19th century that makes this ring so incomparably unique.

Georgian Antique Garnet Maltese Cruciform

This fabulous garnet piece came from England and was made some time between 1790 and 1810, which is when these types of pendants were most popular among refined ladies. It’s crazy to think of all that has happened in the world since this piece of jewelry was made! The design takes clear inspiration from British religious iconography, but it also offers a certain natural beauty insofar as its design and layout are undeniably easy on the eyes. The shades of red in the garnet never fail to attract attention as they shimmer all around the larger flower in the center.

Antique jewelry (also called "estate jewelry" because it is often passed down from generation to generation) exists in a whole different category of luxury goods. Each piece has its own vivid history and intriguing story to tell, directly connecting the wearer to the lives, amibitions, and trials of its previous owners. Some of it is stunning with beautiful gems and designs, while some of it holds sweet or sorrowful memories. What is most important, of course, is the future it will experience with you wearing it!

Thanks for that Roman, I absolutely adore those Victorian bird earrings, the turquoise stones are gorgeous! I love accessorising with jewellery pieces and I can never go wrong with a cocktail ring Huge stones and bling is my thing haha. 

Perhaps some of you guys could share with me your current favourite jewellery pieces and accessories - I'd love to know :)