A Bit of Lace at the Lilac Festival

Photos taken by Josephine Ling

Happy Friday everyone! I'm a little late posting this outfit as the Lilac Festival took place on Sunday. The Lilac Festival is probably Calgary's largest street festival/market, and there are plenty of vendors to buy jewelry from. The sole reason I go every year is to find new, local Etsy stores and designers. There are plenty, as the festival stretches for 13 blocks.

Despite being slightly overcast that day, I made sure to bring my round Coach sunnies. I picked them up at the outlet last spring due to the abnormal shape. I had never seen anything so large and circular before! While I'm not fond of statement jewelry, I do love a good pair of statement sunglasses!

Yes, I'm still in love with my overalls (pretty sure this is the third time I mentioned them on the blog). This time I paired it with a lace top to add some femininity to the boyish shorts. 

For Love & Lemons top

American Eagle overalls

Barbie for TownShoes wedges (old) (similar here and loving these)

Botkier lucy purse (similar here, here, and here)

Michael Kors watch (old) (similar here and here)

Coach sunglasses (old) (similar here)

Linked up with - Style Elixir - Penniless Socialite - I Would So Rock This - More Pieces of Me -

How to Wear Your Favourite Summer Trends

Happy Friday! To celebrate, I have some weekend expenditures I'm lusting over (and can't afford to buy)

I've been asked by Jessica from raise.com to participate in the Closet Swap campaign to talk about my favourite summer trends and how I'm transitioning between the seasons.
Unlike previous years, I'm finding myself loving a lot more trendy items this summer. Anything from overalls (okay, I've actually loved these since I was a kid) to fruit prints have made their way into my closet this season. All of these trends are super easy to incorporate into your daily wardrobe, and I've given a couple of tips throughout.

Overalls

I'm absolutely in love with overall shorts this summer. I'm pretty sure this stems from my usual love of rompers, combined with my new found love for denim. Overalls have slowly been making their way into the bloggersphere but this year, they really took off. I was happy to finally find a pair I loved for a price I loved thanks to American Eagle (overalls are surprisingly expensive) having a 40% off sale. Another way to save a few extra bucks when there aren't major sale? Buy a used gift card. Check out raise.com if you want a $30 gift card but only pay $25.

These are perfectly bleached and distressed – not too white and not too run down or too perfect – I'll be wearing these all summer. My favourite way to wear overalls is with a crop top, but I've also been experimenting with lace, button-downs, and blazers. Anything that doesn't scream cowgirl is a-okay in my books.

Fruit

While I'm not ready to pull off pineapple pants, I was all over this fruity Coach umbrella when I first saw it. While a few years old now, it's still adorable, and apparently quite trendy. An easy way to transition into the trend is to pick something more subtle rather than a full blown print. I for one am sticking to fruit shaped accessories, but anything goes this summer!

Crop Tops

Crop tops, oh crop tops. How I love you, how I don't love how I can never wear you. I do, truly love wearing crop tops, however Calgary's weather is so temperamental it can be a little tricky to pull off. I highly recommend layering up with a cardigan or blazer to get you through any random summer storms or cooler winds you might experience. If you live somewhere sunny... well... I'm just jealous.

Sheer

Everyone who knows me knows I love a good sheer top. And yes, some people will stare at you, but lets face it, showing off your bra is really not different then showing off your bathing suit. The one place I wouldn't wear a sheer top (or at least not without a camisole) is the office. Everywhere else I go is fair game. I definitely recommend a lace top like this one from Buffalo for any summer festivals you might be going to.

Linked up with - Her & Nicole - Simply Just Lovely - Perfectly Coutured - Penniless Socialite - More Pieces of Me -

A Thought on Personal Style

All photos taken by Brandon Wong

Happy Monday! It's been a busy weekend for me with multiple outfit changes (okay, mostly multiple shoe changes). Calgary has been quite rainy lately, but guess what? We have flowers! I'm so happy! 

It's actually really funny, as half our trees are completely bare, but the other half are in bloom, so every second tree on the block is green or is flowering, and the next one will be dead-ish looking. I think I like it a lot more this way, since in theory, the blooms will be staggered, rather than everything blooming at once and leaving at the same time.

Loving this lace peplum top from eShakti. I was able to customize to my personal measurements, as well as choosing the sleeve type, length, and neckline. I was lazy and just left everything as seen on the site. Normally I don't wear peplum as a casual look, but this particular top isn't as fitted as some others, and the extra room makes it perfect for a casual, everyday look.

Love the detail on these shorts, don't love the trim on the top. But guess what, trim is super easy to remove with a seam ripper or scissors, and a sewing machine.

Does anyone else have a problem with posture? I swear I'm the worst for slouching in an effort to look cool. Not cool looking at all though. Time to work on that!

I absolutely adore these Charles Philip flats. I've known about the designer for awhile, but I always find myself loving his limited edition designs, which tend to sell out fast in my size! When I saw these are on Forward by Elyse Walker, I scooped them up immediately, despite the higher price tag (these cotton loafers were more than last year's silk camo ones!). They're super comfortable though and didn't need any breaking in whatsoever, so between comfort and amazing design, these are definitely worth the price.

While I fell in love with the design, I did waver a bit in buying them as I felt like it was a little too "asian-inspired" for me. I'm half Chinese, and while I'm very proud of my mixed heritage, I tend to be a bit self conscious about it when it comes to some of the prints and silhouettes I wear. I remember last year or the year before, asian-inspired prints were all the rage, along with mandarin collars. I didn't pick anything from these collections up, in fear of people accusing me of "trying to be Asian or more Asian." Maybe it's because I've always been very into different Asian cultures (Japanese anime and manga, Korean dramas, fashion trends in East Asia, etc.), but I've noticed that a lot of people are very condescending towards those who like these types of things, calling them weaboos, or "eggs" (white on the outside, yellow inside). So for me, it's always been about trying to balance the white with the asian, especially as  given my skin tone and eye colour, I look white. And despite my love for those water colour asian prints and kimono coverups, I've never been able to bring myself to buy those items.

With blogging, i've noticed that I've started to step out of my comfort zone and  experiment a lot more with my style. I'm starting to care a lot less about what other people are wearing, and just choosing whatever catches my fancy at the time. Before, I felt like I in a bit of a style rut, wearing dresses and skirts all the time because that's what I usually wore, and people just came to expect it of me. Funny story, I wore jeans to class once and my classmates, all of whom I'd known for two or three years, didn't recognize me.

 I think personal style shouldn't be about trying to dress how you think others want you to dress, or dressing according to how others think you should be acting. Dress in what you like, no matter the stares or awkward comments (more on those later). As long as you're confident, you'll always look great.

Top: Courtesy of eShakti

Bottom: Buffalo Bitton David Jeans

Shoes: Charles Philip Shanghai
Accessories: Urban Outfitters rings (similar here and here), Aldo bracelets, Swarovski necklace

Linking up with - I Would So Rock This - DC Instyle - More Pieces of Me - Style Elixir - Whitney Nic James - Pink Sole -  My Girlish Whims - The Pleated Poppy - Because Shanna Said So - Cute and Little - Transatlantic Blonde - Get Your Pretty On -

Review: Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion

As you read last week, I've been in love with Sulwhasoo's Essential Balancing Line since I first started using them last fall. While a bit pricey (they are a luxury line in Korea), they're definitely worth every last penny in my opinion.

The Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion came as a set with the Essential Balancing Water, a gift from a friend in Korea. If you're in Korea, I highly recommend buying skincare in sets as they are meant to work together, and often come cheaper than buying the two products on their own. Another tip would be to buy them from a duty free shop so that you're aren't charged tax.If you live in Canada, the only retail stores are located in Ontario, but as Korean skincare seems to be getting more and more popular, I'm sure we'll be seeing one here or at least in Vancouver soon. If you're Stateside, I believe the only retailer is Bergdorf Gorman (which also ships internationally for us Canadian).

The Sulwhasoo Balancing Emulsion is a light lotion meant to provide adequate hydration to the skin while absorbing quickly without any residue and a heavy feeling. Like the Balancing Water, this emulsion helps your skin to absorb more moisture from your regular cream. Skin without any moisture cannot absorb the rich texture of a cream, much like the dry earth cannot absorb water.

Like the water, the emulsion has the same light, floral scent. Nothing too herbal about it. You will need to shake this emulsion out of the bottle, making controlling the amount a little tricky. I like to give it one good slap into my palm, which gives me about a centimetre of product. I then quickly rub my palms together and pat the emulsion into my skin, similar to how I apply the water. I then lightly tap my face to make sure all the product has been absorbed.

The Balancing Emulsion contains Mountain Peony which softens the skin texture and Yai Jiu Hua to promote the circulation of blood in the skin. This helps to improve skin clarity. 

I adore this emulsion. After using it, my skin is usually adequately hydrated and feels bouncy and fresh. And this is coming from a girl who lives in a very dry climate and uses prescription retinoids. It's up to you whether or not you feel the need to add a cream afterwards or not. I prefer to, as my skin loses moisture quickly throughout the day, and a cream will help to seal the moisture from the emulsion in, and further prevent moisture moisture loss throughout the day. When I'm in a more humid climate, such as Vancouver, I only use this emulsion.

I've also noticed that since using it, my hyper-pigmentation (which was about two years old when I first started using it) has diminished drastically. Yes, I have a few stubborn marks left, but compared to a year ago, I've seen significant improvement, albeit gradual, with this line. I've also noticed that any pimples I do get leave smaller marks than before.

Pros:

Hydrates the skin

Leaves my skin soft

Improved skin clarity

Leaves my skin "bouncy"

Non-irritating

Cons:

Pricey

May need to be ordered online

Review: Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Water

Sulwhasoo is by far the best skincare I've had the pleasure of using. My friend sent it to my mom as a thank you gift last year, but since my mom doesn't use anything on her face, I stole it. Hehe.

Sulwhasoo is known for their use of Chinese medicine to treat the skin condition. The basic theory is that our skin becomes unbalanced when we lose yin, which supplies moisture. Therefore, Chinese medicine chooses difference herbs that can replenish the yin in our skin, while balancing the yang and ensuring the circulation of energy or blood circulation (qi). Chinese medicine is all about these two properties - balance between yin and yang, and the circulation of energy.

The set came with both the Essential Balancing Water and Essential Balancing Emulsion. The water is a classic Asian Toner - it has a liquid gel texture and is meant to lightly hydrate the skin, prepping it for deeper hydration from serums and the emulsion. Did you know our skin is similar to the earth in that if it's too dry, it won't be able to absorb any moisture, everything will just sit on top. Hence the purpose of hydrating toners.

The Balancing Water has a light floral scent – very refreshing. You can apply it with a cotton pad or pour some into hands and pat it onto your face. I prefer the latter  – it's pricey, and this way I know my skin gets all the goodness, not the cotton.

It contains matrimony vine, which promotes skin health and harmony according to the Sulwhasoo site. It also uses pursaline, known to aid in hydration by preventing water loss.

While you can't use the water on it's own to fully hydrate your face, it does help to re-balance the pH of your skin, deliver nutrients, and pave the way for deeper hydration, making it an important step in your skincare routine.

Pros: 

Increases moisture of the skin

Non-irritating

Lightly hydrates

Cons:

Expensive

Will probably need to order online

Linked up with - My Girlish Whims - Sassy Mom in the City -

It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year guys - festival season! Well, for Calgary at least. This weekend will be the Lilac Festival, and all through June to August, the city will be hosting various cultural and music festivals.I love summer here, because unlike winter, there's actually a lot more to do besides hole up inside and cry at the -40 weather.

I love a good peasant blouse for festivals. Pair it with some high waisted shorts and some sandals and I'm good to go. I chose this particular blouse since it's still a tad cool, and the long sleeves shield me from the wind. But your legs, you might ask? Yea. They don't get cold. I've worn skirts in the winter with bare legs and barely felt anything.

I just bought these shorts from American Eagle as my wardrobe sorely lacks denim shorts. If I could buy another five I would, but needless to say, my summer money is being spent on new purses and shoes. I tend to be picky with my shorts - like my jeans, they need to be high-waisted. I also prefer my denim shorts to be lightly distressed (for some reason, if they're not, they look to "clean" to me, rather than how denim cutoffs ought to be). These ones fit the bill, so I scooped them up right away. One thing to mention about buying shorts at American Eagle is to size down, or to buy a pair that runs quite snug. These are slightly tighter on me than I would prefer, but they'll stretch a lot after the first two or three wears. They were already a lot looser after the first few hours I wore these.

Who doesn't love a good sandal? They're essential for summer, especially if you're going to be walking a lot. And without a car (plus some good weather), I walk a lot. I've actually worn through some of my flats and sandals by walking so much during the summer months, as well as when I travel. (I prefer to walk around the city rather than take cabs or the subway. You can see so much more this way, plus try more of the street food!)

Top: Nasty Gal (old) (similar here, here, and here)

Bottom: American Eagle

Shoes: Aldo (old) (similar here and here)

Accessories: ASOS, Coutu Kitsch

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy - Because Shanna Said So - Transatlantic Blonde - My Girlish Whims - Perfectly Coutured - Penniless Socialite - Simply Just Lovely -

An Overall Affair

Hello spring! Finally. Sort of. I'm honestly just ignoring the weather and pretending it's warm and wearing shorts to spite mother nature. Fake it til you make it right? If I believe and act like the weather is nice, it will eventually get there, right? Right? One can hope.

I have officially fallen in love with overalls. Especially white overalls (traditional denim ones scream cowtown to me). To make sure the overalls didn't end up looking country, I paired them with a flowing crop top I picked up from an Urban Outfitters sale, and a bright pair of sandals.

I've been into the overall trend for a few years now, however I've never been able to find a pair I absolutely fell in love with, let alone for a price I was willing to pay for something I considered to be so trendy. When I saw these at American Eagle, I knew I had found the ones. Originally I was looking for a white, denim pair, but I loved how these were bleached to an almost white, while still retaining a hint of warm blue. The slight distressing sold them to me.Absolutely gorgeous. 

I love to add one item of colour to an otherwise monochrome outfit. While monochrome makes a nice statement, that pop of colour really adds a bit of oomph for me.

What do you think of overalls? Leave a comment and let me know!

Top: Kimchi Blue (old) (similar here and here)

Bottom: American Eagle

Shoes: Zara (old) (similar here and here)

Linked up with - Style Elixir - DC Instyle - More Pieces of Me - I Would So Rock This - Her & Nicole - A Good Hue -

Shades of Orchid

Hello mid week! Today was bright and mostly sunny and I couldn't help but wear a brightly hued outfit to celebrate spring.

I fell in love with this ASOS skirt when I first saw it and immediately picked it up. Lucky for me, it was on sale too! The scuba material is super trendy and oh so comfy. I'm obsessed with frilled skirts right now, and the fact that it was in Pantone's colour of the year just made me extra happy to be able to wear this.

I paired some gold rings and bangles to add a bit of warmth to the outfit. The bright pink watch matches my lipstick and adds a nice bit of contrast to all that purple.

I've been looking at a lot of monochromatic looks lately, anywhere between fashion, interior design, and photography, which inspired this all purple outfit. While I prefer monochromatic looks in neutral colours, I couldn't help but style an all purple look with this skirt. I toned down the bright colour with a dark blouse in a deep eggplant colour, and added a bright pop of pink with my Michael Kors watch and lipstick for a bit of contrast.

Top: Lady Dutch (old) (similar here, here, and here)

Bottom: ASOS

Shoes: Fergie (old) (similar here, here, and here)

Accessories: Michael Kors watch, vintage bracelets

Linked up with - Transatlantic Blonde - My Girlish Whims - Because Shanna Said So - The Pleated Poppy - Get Your Pretty On - Perfectly Coutured - Her and Nicole - Simply Just Lovely - Why I Do DeClair - I Would So Rock This -Penniless Socialite - Style Elixir - Penniless Socialite -

Want a V-Line? Try the Face Shop's Sharp Face Modelling Gel Patch

The Face Shop has officially opened in Calgary at Chinook Centre, and needless to say, I was there the minute they opened their doors. Okay, not quite, as I had to work, but I was there right after my day ended! Any one of my friends can tell you I'm obsessed with skincare, possibly more so than fashion (most likely because I've always had troublesome skin). I'm especially in love with Korean skincare since I first tried it while on exchange in Korea nearly two years ago. While I haven't used a lot of products from the Face Shop before (just a BB cream and eye shadow), now that they're so easily accessible, I'll be shopping there a lot more, and posting reviews on some of the things I try.

So, as my lovely family knows, I'm obsessed with slimming my round jaw. No one in my family seems to have a round face, except for me. My sisters, nope, she has defined cheekbones and a defined jaw. My mom, when she was younger, she had the same face shape as my sister. My dad... has no chin... but his jaw is still significantly slimmer than the widest part of his face.

Now, the problem isn't my actual bone structure.It's the fact that I just store a lot of excess fat on my face – right in between my cheekbones and my jaw. Lovely, right?

While looking for the cure to my fat face, I stumbled upon the Diamond V-Fit Mask by the Korean brand Mask House. I debated for about a month on whether or not to buy it (it has a few good reviews by well known youtube gurus Bubzbeauty and SimplyCuterRachel). My main issue was that you need to use the masks every other day for a month to see long term results. While I have no problem with this, I didn't want to spend $90 on something that may or may not work for me, nor did I want to buy a trial pack, find out it works, and then have to wait a month for more to ship to me.

While talking to one of the sales reps, she directed me to the Sharp Face Modelling Gel Patch – a mask for your chin that's supposed to help slim it down and melt off that fat. The mask uses caffeine, which is known to reduce water retention when used in a cream. The ingredient is also known to help slim you down when taken internally in coffee or tea. Supposedly it retains it's ability to breakdown fat cells in a cream as well, making it a popular choice for anti-cellulite creams.

The patch itself is made of a white gel material, with hard little bumps distributed around it. It sticks naturally to your skin, and has two ear pieces to hold everything in place for the 15-20 minutes you have it on.

I wore the mask for 40 minutes as it's not uncomfortable and I forgot to take it off. The gel feels cool at first, but warmed up slightly after applying it. Again, it was nothing uncomfortable and I didn't experience any irritation with it. I also measured my face before and after application, to see if there was any visible difference.

Scary photo!

Turns out, there was! I lost a centimetre from my face, assuming I measured correctly. Mind you, I couldn't see this difference just by looking in the mirror, so you will need to drag out the measuring tape if you want to know.

You can also do "face yoga" if you wish to amplify the results. The Face Shop instructs you to use your middle two fingers to stretch your jaw from the chin to the ear. You can also push your jaw towards your ears. I paired the gel patch with my regular lymphatic facial massage, and just focused more on the jaw than I normally would.

Pros: 

Reduces one centimetre of bloat from your face immediately (when paired with massage)

Non-irritating

Comfortable to wear

Cons:

 Need to use a massage with it in order to get decent results

Time consuming

Need to use this consistently for long term results

Expensive

The mask is $6 Canadian, so I think if you want a quick fix for a photo shoot or event, it's well worth picking up. The one's by Mask House are $5.90 Canadian if you want to order a single mask. I think I will try these ones next, as they also come with a compression band to increase result, but the Face Shop patch was an effective, cheap way to introduce me to the face slimming mask craze.

A Spring Walk

All photos taken by Brandon Wong

Happy Monday! Sorry about the time off – I just started my new internship and while things haven't exactly been hectic there, I'm still working at my part-time job. All I do now-a-days is work and sleep! But hey, I suppose I'll have more money to buy clothes?

It was a really odd day when we went out to take these photos – the morning was nice and warm, and then it started to get colder and colder until some rain finally started to fall. By evening, the rain had turned to snow! 

My friend took these photos of me while we were out walking his dog and I couldn't stop hunching up trying to keep warm. So all through the photoshoot I made silly faces at him and jumped around. Probably not my smartest move as I then had to stay out in the cold longer than I needed to.

I'm still in love with these shoes. Despite the embellishments, I can actually wear these smoking slippers with almost anything. Talk about versatile! They're perfect for dressing up a pair or jeans on a walk with the dog. (Did you notice these were the jeans on my SHOPBOP Friends and Family Event Wishlist?)

I definitely prefer to wear a comfortable flat over heels if I'm going to be going on a lengthy walk. I've done the whole let's walk a dog or go on a tour in four inch heels and it's not usually fun. If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of walking and standing, I'll choose a pair of flats or wedges any day.

Bonus Pug!

Top: Nasty Gal
Jacket: Danier (similar here and here)
Bottoms: J Brand
Shoes: BCBGENERATION
Accessories: Coutu Kitsch necklace, ASOS necklace, Juicy Couture bracelet (similar here), vintage bracelets

Linking up with - DC Instyle - More Pieces of Me - Style Elixer - Simply Just Lovely - Perfectly Coutured -