Outfit post: street meets glamour

My favourite part about styling is mixing different elements and putting them under the same umbrella. Although it's probably been seen several times already, I love mixing street with glamour. Why can't we be cute/sexy but at the same time throw in leather and studs at the same time? 

When people buy dresses for special occasions such as grad photos or weddings, they don't know what to do with the dress anymore after that big day. I don't believe it's true. Just accessorize it right, and who cares if you're wearing a glamorous dress for a date. Tone it down with a leather jacket, or knee high socks to create a more modest look. It's all about how you put it together and make it your own personal style (:

Credits

Photography: Jason Chang

Model: Emily Yang

Hair & makeup: Katrina Liu

Stylist: Carol Chen

As cold as it was, we got through it together because we love what we do :D

Here are a few behind the scene photos.

Thank you for reading!

Outfit post

It's almost spring time and I can't believe it's snowing here in Vancouver! It only started to melt away today, and apparently it'll be back again next week... Honestly, I haven't been wanting to dress up, and just snuggled up refusing to get out of bed the last week too. 

Today, Mr. Sun decided to show up, so I thought I'd put together a few outfits together for you!

__________

Outfit #1

I love my leather jacket, I'll seriously put it on with anything that allows me to wear it with haha. 

This was just a casual outfit I put together for a simple dinner + movie date. I always love wearing long socks with any skirts above the knee. It kind of gives this more innocent feel, plus is much more Vancouver weather appropriate as well.

Jacket: H&M

White top: Top Shop

Leather skirt: Zara

Heels: Guess

__________

Outfit #2

This outfit is a little bit more dressy, and probably isn't suitable for an every day look, unless you really like to stand out from the crowd, then why not! I'm not stopping you~
I actually put this look together for a photoshoot I'll be styling tomorrow, stay tuned for the official pictures. Hopefully I'll receive them in 2-3 days.

My top is actually a vintage corset I got at a thrift store in downtown Vancouver called Used. I don't usually go thrift shopping, but I just couldn't resist when I saw how beautiful it was and for such a low price too!
The skirt was purchased from Taiwan, I honestly don't even remember what brand it was. There are just so many random brands there I can't even keep track.
Usually with an outfit that's really out there, I like to accessorize lightly, a watch, maybe a bracelet and a light necklace to fill in all the spots, but not too much so it takes the attention away from the outfit.

__________

Outfit #3

Who says you can't be fashionable with a plain white tee. I honestly love wearing them because they're so comfortable yet it's like a blank canvas that you can use to style with anything without having to worry about over-accessorizing. 

Plaid top: TNA

White tee: Club Monaco

Black skinny jeans: Levis

Scarf: Off brand

Excuse my super messy room.. and also my dog who loves to be in most of my shots. She just loves following me everywhere haha.

Thank you for reading, and have a happy sunny weekend!

-Carol <3

Beauty Tip: How to have your fragrance last longer

Right now you're probably reading the title thinking that wearing fragrance sounds so easy, what stupid person could it take to figure it out?!

But I promise that after you read this, you'll definitely have your fragrance lasting longer, and even learn some new tips and tricks.

Lets get started!

1. Choosing your scent:

Do you like something sweet? florally? spicy? sexy? Or are you looking for something for a night time occasion or a casual scent for work? I see fragrance as something very personal, and is a subtle accessory that is simple but could be the perfect touch to match your outfit. In one fragrance, there are countless ingredients of top notes and undertones that makes each one unique. 

We want to be careful when choosing, because every scent smells different on everyone. This is because the fragrance mixes with your personal scent as well as your sweat and blood (as weird as it sounds), which is why it may bring out more of the vanilla undertone in you, but the orchid in another person. So when choosing, don't determine the scent by spraying it on a piece of paper or smelling it directly from the bottle. To get the most accurate smell, spray it on your pulse points (neck and wrist), and let it marinate with your natural body odour. 

The only one fragrance I can think of that smells exactly the same on everyone is Chanel No.5, because there are no natural scents in it, and is made from 100% chemically produced scents.

2. Ways to make your fragrance last longer:

a.  Layering different scented fragrances

Not every line of fragrance is going to be suitable for this, but I find fragrance lines such as Jo Malone, Dyptique or Fresh, that focus on only one or two notes, work really well paired with one other. You wouldn't really want to mix and match a Prada Candy with a Chanel no.5 (both fragrances have several notes and are strongly scented).
When you mix and match your fragrances, you'll create a unique scent that is not only longer lasting, but you'll probably never bump into someday that smells exactly like you!

b.  Layering with body creams or shower gels

Did you ever wonder why many fragrances came with a body cream or a shower gel to go with it? It's not because they just want to make a set to match the fragrance, it's so that you can layer with it to  make the fragrance last longer. For example, after you've showered using that Jo Malone shower gel, you've already got your first layer of fragrance, the most natural and elegant. Next, add your body cream to add that second layer of goodness. It still won't be too strong and overwhelming. So stop at this point if you are attending a more professional event where you don't want that pungent smell to make you stand out. Lastly, when you spray your fragrance, say around your décolleté where the body cream is already on, the liquid from the fragrance has something else to hold onto besides your skin, making it last much longer. If you don't have a matching body cream, use something unscented, or a light scented cream that you feel will make a nice cocktail with your fragrance.

Try this next time! I guarantee that the smell will stay awake with you all night!

c.  Spraying on pressure points

People usually spray their fragrance on their neck, behind the ear and on their wrist, and when I was younger, I just did it because it seemed like the right thing to do. Turns out, it's because those are where your veins are the closest to the surface of your skin, making it the warmer parts (which will help heat up the fragrance and accentuate the smell).
What also seems like the right thing to do is to rub your wrist together and onto your neck to even out the fragrance. Wrong! Dab instead of rub to evenly distribute it without rubbing away the scent. 

3. What to avoid:

Don't spray a strong fragrance during formal events or interviews, instead, use a lightly scented body cream, or even just the scent of the shampoo you just used this morning. Overall, don't overwhelm  with something too distracting. Heck, if you're just going clubbing or a girl's night out, spray as much perfume as you can squeeze out of that 30 mL bottle!

Also, avoid spraying on expensive clothing, because fragrances are alcohol after all, which means over time, it may cause discolouration on the fabric.

________________

Well, spring is right around the corner! Right now my favourite fragrance to celebrate the flowers is the Carven Eau De Toilette, the perfect scent to be paired with that long floral dress!

I hope this helps your days smell a big sweeter, please comment if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading!

-Carol

Review: Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Exfoliating Soap

So I understand the weather has been stupidly cold recently, and depressing as it sounds, it's so cold that people are dying in some parts of Asia because they are not used to this freezing weather. Well as Vancouverites, I guess we're somewhat used to it. Even though we are located right by the water, it's so dry here, and I've already heard more than enough complaints and comments coming from people saying how ridiculously dry their skin has been. I'm surprised it hasn't snowed yet haha. 

Seriously though, if you need a skin saver, check out my review for Erno Laszlo's Hydra Therapy Mask, it is absolutely amazing mask that will literally fill up your skin's hydration like a glass of water. 

But anyways, today's review is on Erno Laszlo's Sea Mud Exfoliating Soap. Sound fancy enough? Let me answer some pondering questions!

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. What is it? 

It's an awesome exfoliating bar of soap that will help not only extract blackheads, close large pores and remove the dead skin that is collected on your face, it will also detoxify, tone, and improve circulation. Even though it exfoliates, it is gentle enough to use daily. It's a bar of soap, which means it'll literally last you forever. 

3. What is the main ingredient?

Therapeutic sea mud which contains 26 different healthy minerals for the skin

2. How does it work?

Well, read on to find out (: I look so excited to try it, and trust me, I was.

It comes with a nice case to store the soap in when you're done. It's important for you to keep it stored in a dry and clean area. Especially because when you're done washing your face with it, it's going to be wet, which means it will easily absorb bacteria. So for sanitary reasons, make sure to always rinse your soap clean before storing it away!

Let me show you how to use this magic soap

Step 1

Soak your soap into a tub of warm water. It is quite a soft soap as it is meant for the face and not for the body, so be gentle with it.

Step 2

Directly lather the soap onto your face. It may sound weird or unsanitary, but it's the best way to really get the product into those darn pores. If you're afraid of bacteria getting attached, quickly rinse the soap when you're done, and put it in the box it comes with. 

Step 3

Use your hands to evenly spread out the cleanser and work the product deeper into the problematic areas (acne, pores, blackheads etc). I usually will do this for about a minute, but you can be the judge of that. Just make sure you don't over do it, because it still is considered an exfoliator.

Step 4

Rinse off the product using the soap water collected in your sink. I always like to try and get the most out of my product. 

Step 5

After 3-5 splashes, rinse all the excess product off using clean warm water from the tap. And voila! You're done, and your skin will never have felt cleaner and softer ever. Plus, you were able to achieve this without violently scrubbing it with an exfoliating scrub, or making it extra sensitive from using a chemical peel. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Aftercare 

Since it is a deep exfoliator, it literally will clean the crap out of your skin (excuse my language lol). Which means your skin will feel super smooth, but maybe a little dry. So when you're done washing, don't be a little brat like me and get super excited because my skin now feels stupidly smooth and just jump on my computer to tell my friends. No, literally seconds later, it felt like I had someone pulling my skin... it was so dry and tight I couldn't stand it. I remembering the first time I had to dump a pile of hydrating face mask to calm it down. But the next few times that I knew that was going to happen, I immediately applied my toner, serum and moisturizer and it was all good.

Also another piece of advice for those super dry users, is to use an oil based makeup remover under first. But don't rinse it yet, and use the mud soap directly on it. The oil will kind of act as a lubricant, and will actually help loosen up the debris and dirt trapped in your pores even better. Doing this will also help so that your skin doesn't feel just as dry and tight when you're done rinsing your face.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion

So what do I think about this product? I absolutely love it!! I would give it a 9/10 rating. Not that there was anything wrong with it. Of course it would just be awesome if we could see the extraction Did I see any immediate results though? Yes, I had a pimple on my forehead and by my cheek that was stuck under the skin. It was painful, and I was just waiting for it to surface... but after a painful week, it just stayed under. Right after I used the soap, it literally yanked it right out of my face! Seriously no joke, it was so painful but it felt so darn good. And the next day it scabbed and healed almost immediately. Ok I swear I don't just love every single beauty product, I actually do try it 2-3 times and actually see a result before I review it. I guess I could do a bad review as well...but then I would feel kind of bad for the brand. But I should let you guys know what products to avoid as well right?

See how nice my skin looks now after using the soap for about a week! My makeup definitely feels like it goes on much more smoother, and no more flaky forehead. Yes this picture was taken from my HTC One, so quality is not as great. But It's taken with #nofilter and no photoshop, haha yes... I hash- tagged no filter, make fun of me all you want.

But please let me know if you have any questions/comments, I would be more than happy to answer them. Have a good valentine's weekend everyone!! And thank you for reading <3<3


CarolYuu

Outfit post + Dinner at Cin Cin

Happy Family Day everyone!

I hope you all had a nice day off whether it was by yourself, with your family or with your loved ones. I celebrated with my boyfriend at a really nice restaurant on Robson in downtown Vancouver called Cin Cin. There was always good comments and good feedback on the place, but I never got the opportunity to go there until today. The service and food was definitely as good as what I had heard about previously. It's a place I would definitely go back to and recommend for you guys as well. Here are a few pictures of what we had for appetizers as well as our two entrees. Enjoy~

_________________________________________________________________________________

Outfit post:

Alright so asides from all the good food, of course I had to dress up for it as well. Honestly, I had forgotten that we were going to such a fancy restaurant, and just totally dressed casually until later in the evening when we were heading to Cin Cin that I realized I was probably a little underdressed. But not to worry, the place is surprisingly quite casual despite the fancy name. 

Here is what I wore:

Leather Jacket: H&M

Off shoulder oversized tee: Zara

Leather/cotton pants: Alice + Olivia

_________________________________________________________________________________

For makeup, there's honestly nothing that I love more than a bold liner and red lips. It suits any occasion, such a simple look but so feminine, and accentuates the best features on your face, the eyes and lips. 

Do you also notice my skin looks super flawless and airbrushed too? (Didn't use any photoshop by the way). I'm using Shu Uemura's new lightbulb foundation, which my review will be up soon! 

So stay tuned~

Here is what I had on my face:

Brows: Anastasia brow wiz and brow gel both in Brunette

Face: Shu Uemura lightbulb foundation + Illamasqua foundation powder

Eyes: Nars black eyeliner + Cle De Peau volumizing mascara

Lips: Stila liquid lipstick in beso

Cheeks: Nars laguna bronzer + Nars blush in orgasm

I hope you enjoyed this simple night out look! Comment if you have questions~

Have a good rest of the week! Thank you for reading

CarolYuu

Beauty Education: Parabens

Starting from parabens in hair products, the brazillian blowout, to cosmetics and skincare you apply onto your face. I've always wondered if having parabens in those products is really as bad as what we always hear about them.

Well I'm not writing this entry to say that parabens are a wonderful thing, and that we should support having it in our skincare, I'm just the type of person that is a little bit more open minded about these things, maybe especially when it's about cosmetics. Maybe consumers should step back and do a little bit of research on the link between cancer and parabens before they limit themselves from many great products, let alone freak out when they hear that this moisturizer they're holding has parabens in it. Because the truth is, there are parabens that are naturally produced in some fruits and vegetables, but nobody seems to know that, and you don't really see that information floating around in magazines and on the news...

I'm here to clear up some questions that you might have regarding both the benefits as well as the negatives that parabens could potentially have on our health.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Commonly asked questions


1. What exactly are parabens?

It is a preservative that has replaced formaldehyde (a carcinogen), that is easily accessible and low in cost. Not only does it preserve your products for a longer period of time, it helps skincare seal in their moisture and keeps it fresh. This is why they are not only found in moisturizers but also products such as toothpaste, self tanners, lubricants and makeup. The cosmetic items I just listed are generally kept in your washroom, which means it is in an environment where the temperature is constantly changing from a high to low and high again. Having parabens in the products will prevent them from moulding and going bad.

2. Why is it a bad thing?

Parabens mimic estrogen produced in women's bodies, which is a cause to breast cancer at high amounts. Though after looking into many articles online, there were no direct links between parabens and cancer, only that parabens are more easily identified among cancer cells.

3. Are there any incentives/alternatives to parabens?

Yes there are: grapefruit seed extract, rosemary, lavender oil and more. These are just the familiar names that we hear more often.

4. What fruits or vegetables naturally produce parabens, and why?

The best example to of a fruit that naturally produces parabens is an apple. If you take an apple and cut it in half, it turns brown. Why do you think it doesn't turn brown before you slice open the fruit? It's actually because there is a layer of paraben outside of the apple that preserves and prevents the inside from going bad and turning brown. The list goes on such as blueberries, strawberries, barley, current, vanilla, carrots and onions. Not only do they act as preservatives, they act as antibacterial agents as well.

5. Why do some brands that claim to be paraben free still have parabens listed in the ingredients?

Firstly, I'd like to tell you that the company are generally not trying to lie to you and get you to purchase by using the phrase "paraben free" as a selling point. Because as I mentioned above, there are many fruits and vegetables that naturally produce paraben. In your skincare, they are not going to mention the fruit clearly as "strawberry," and will list out their chemical names. Which is why you generally won't recognize a lot of the ingredient name unless you ask your best friend Google.
Two brands that I know of that does this is Amore Pacific and Fresh.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Being able to listen to some other opinions on parabens, I realized that as long as you're somebody who is living a healthy lifestyle, eating clean and exercising regularly, something as little as parabens in your skincare that can't even go past the epidermis of the skin, shouldn't really affect you at all.

Even by the end of this article, if you still refuse to purchase products that contain parabens, at least now you will have a valid argument of why you want paraben free products.
I hope this information is helpful to everyone, and I'd love to know what your thoughts are on parabens as well!

Please comment below to let me know, and thank you for reading!!


- Carol

Review: Nars Pore Refining Primer

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! 恭喜發財! Happy year of the horse (:

To those that celebrate, I hope you had a great dinner with your family and loved ones! Chinese New Year actually used to be kind of lonely here in Canada for me, because most of my relatives were in Taiwan. But now, most of them have immigrated here, so there is more to look forward to during CNY!

I thought I'd start off the new year reviewing my current go-to primer. The Nars (oil-free) Pore Refining Primer. Who wouldn't want a hydrating primer that will keep your makeup on all day? For somebody with such dehydrated skin like me, we usually don't like oil-free, but trust me, this controls oil, but definitely still feels like it's providing me with enough hydration!

I don't usually wear foundation, only concealer, bb cream and some powder to set. But this primer literally keeps the makeup on my face all day, and I only need to touch up or reapply when I've blown my nose or physically wiped off my makeup. If I don't touch my face, I never have to worry about touching any shine or oil that has broken through.

During application, you can immediately feel the relaxing and cooling feel of the light/oil-free primer. The gentle smell of lavender adds the perfect touch to your morning makeup routine.

Now for those that like to get a little more technical, here are the main ingredients in the primer.

1. Glycerin

This is used in many skincare products to attract moisture onto your skin, which helps to get rid of any dry areas and flaking skin. It was definitely a huge problem I had, and I had to go through many skincare regimes and foundation routines to find the most suitable one for myself. My makeup usually looked horrible because the dryness on my skin would accentuate the foundation around my forehead, and it just looked so bad. So for me, this helped my foundation/concealer stay on and fill in my lines without looking like it is just floating on top of my face!

2. Lentill Seed Extract

Lentill seed extract is an antioxidant that has anti aging benefits. If we are going to be having a base to help our foundation apply better, why not have something that will help prevent aging and help firm and lift the skin as well. An all in one product is always a plus!

3. Lavender 

Asides from camomile, lavender is another type of flower that helps to calm down any inflammation, redness or irritation. Keeping down redness will help even out the skin tone so that the colour of your foundation shows up better. Especially if you are in a department store trying to look for a foundation colour, if you have a lot of redness around your face, the shade matched could be inaccurate.

4. Silicone (Dimethicone) 

Most face primers are silicone based, because it helps to smooth out the skin, blurring out pores and fine lines. It does this by filling out the lines so that foundation can be applied smoothly. You never want your foundation to sit in the fine lines and accentuate them.

_________________________________________________________________________________

So seeing all the wonderful benefits of this primer, I even recommend it to people who don't wear foundation. Wear this primer as a base to help protect your skin, calm and control oil throughout the day.


This primer retails for $38 CAD, and can be purchased in Vancouver at any Sephora (or their online website: click), Holt Renfrew, The Bay and Murale.

Here is a picture of my simple makeup at CNY Dinner using the Nars primer as the base~

Have a good day everyone! And again, Happy Chinese New Year!!