The Floral Effect

The floral trend is one of my favorite fashion staples for the spring season. The vibrant colors and patterns is enough to put a smile on my face, and make me embrace Mr. Sunshine with open arms.

And the good news is that this fashion trend is a very  simple way of transforming any boring outfit and bring a dose of color into your spring wardrobe. In fact, i actually think this trend can be carried out all year round, when done properly and in proportion. Here are some street style floral outfit inspirations for those that are ready to kick start spring with some fun and color!

Photo source: weheartit

How To Dress To Impress For Spring

With temperatures soaring well into the 20 degrees Celsius perimeter this week, it was clear as crystal that Spring has officially arrived in Hong Kong, and i was more than happy by that. Long gone are the days of wearing layers upon layers of clothes, along with the must have winter gears of scarves, boots, gloves, and etc.  It’s certainly been a grueling cold winter and i am so ready to embrace spring but the only question is, how to dress to impress for the warmer days to come?

Here are a few tips on how to transform your outfit from those winter days with the bulky looking style to the refreshing and breezy style to welcome spring time in color, and i mean a lot of color. And you will be surprised by how easy this can be done so please read on and be as adventurous as you can be, and try out these spring looks.

1. Add a pop of color with your blazer

2. Be trendy and put on those floral pants

3. Add fun to a patterned top and pair it with a flashy colored skirt

4. Bring skinny jeans back to life by wearing them in colors

5.  For the less daring, inject a dose of color to accessories, such as a bag

6.  Dress up in a bright colored dress for that girlie effect

7. Make your neon heels stand out by mixing it with jeans in a dark color

Photo source: weheart it

February Love 2014

Beautiful and colorful flowers blossoming as we welcome the Chinese New Year. Putting on my very first Dior perfume, Forever and Ever Dior, as gifted from a special friend during my visit to Denmark during Christmas. Invitation by a friend to try out this new Spanish restaurant, Zafran, where her bf was recruited as the executive chef there recently. All the tapas dishes were divine and displayed like a piece of art. The mushroom and ham croquetas was amongst one of my favorites.

BFF being ever as sweet and got me my fave macarons from Paul Lafayet for Valentines Day. Savoring my macarons whilst wearing my feminine Tocca perfume and flashing my fluffy heart fur shaped key ring to feel extra lovely. Admiring my cute Russian doll, a gift from a friend during her business trip to Harbin, and deciding where this beauty should stand in my room. Enjoying my pink guava and cranberry gelato with a friend in town visiting, as we slowly walked the Victoria harbor and admired the night view of Hong Kong.

Celebrating BFF’s birthday with a dinner surprise at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, as I patiently waited for the birthday girl at the lobby. Having a much needed “me time” and ending a Friday night with some froyo at Yomama and purchased the Glamour 75th anniversary issue for March, on the way home. Reuniting with my darling after our Euro trip, which calls for cocktail time at Lilys and Bloom. I absolutely loved my Chester’s Cup cocktail, and it contains one of my recent favorite ingredients, elderflower!

I am blessed for each and everyday that was filled with love, fun, laughters, and sharing special moments with people I love and care for. You are my February Love 2014.

Design & Decor: Mirror Walls

While it would be ideal and a dream come true to have a luxurious mansion with spacious bed rooms, a walk in closet to store all my precious bags and heels,  along with a kitchen big enough to hold a party, we know that is not the reality for the most of us.  In fact, I am no stranger when it comes to living in small and confined area, or more well known as my “home”.

With the average Hong Kong apartments being known for their limited living space, much like a shoe box, it is often a challenge to beautify a home. Although i do believe that with a bit of creativity and deciding on what furnishes to use   and not to use, can greatly enhance even the smallest living space. One important piece of furnishing to make this difference can be achieved through the usage of a mirror.

A mirror is one of the easiest way to create a sense of spaciousness to a small room. It can act like a space enhancer where the mirror reflects and increases the light in a room, making it appear brighter and bigger. This is also best achieved when you position a tall mirror opposite a window, which lets nature sunlight emit into a room.

The best part is that a mirror can be used in more than just one type of room. Get your creativity running and try putting a mirror in the living room, dressing room, bed room, or even a bath room. You will be surprised by what a difference it will make in terms of spaciousness and not to mention, what a pretty decor it will be.

Here are a few tall mirror decor ideas that i find really inspiring and oh so pretty. What are your thoughts on design and decor in a small living space? Please do share any tips if you have any, I would love to hear from you!

Photo source: Pinterest

Current lust: Wedged trainers

I know the wedge trainer trend has been around for quite a few years but i can’t help but keep wondering about this bizarre cross over. Heels and trainers cross over is differently something in the fashion world, which you either like or hate. I have been thinking about this foot wear trend for quite a while and i still can’t decide if i want to give it a try.

I definitely think it’s great footwear for those casual outings on the weekends, such as meeting up some friends over lunch or doing your local grocery shopping in the hood. And best yet, you get comfort while looking stylish too.

Do you like or hate the wedged trainer look?

Photo source: Pinterest

My birthday celebration (part 2)

It was a beautiful and sunny day and as i dashed out on the street and hailed a cab to my next destination, i already couldn’t wait to meet my dear friend, Karen. Karen had planned a birthday brunch for me at my fave brunch spot, “Wagyu Lounge”, a place that never fails to play the best music along with delish food whenever i go.

It was a relaxing birthday weekend where we were chit chatting over brunch, and enjoying each other’s company. I ordered the Wagyu Lounge big breakfast, which had my fave scrambled eggs, bacons, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans, and buttered toast. It was simply divine! After a very filling brunch, we decided for a get away from the busy city and took the ferry to Lamma island for the afternoon. Upon arriving to Lamma island, along with other tourists that flooded the island with us that day, we were greeted by the lovely scenery of calm water waves, light brown sand, and a lot of  friendly locals that lived in the area.

As we roamed the small pavements of Lamma island, we discovered a few local bars and pubs, and some touristy shops selling local souvenirs. A slow walk to the beach was a great way to end our excursion on the island as we saw the sun setting in, and we made our way back to the ferry. Around 15 minutes into our walk, we passed by this British themed bar and decided to have a pint of beer to end our day. Of course, i had my good old Danish Carlsberg beer.

After arriving back into the busy city of Hong Kong, we decided to have dinner at “Numero 15”, a Spanish restaurant that Karen had tried before and highly recommended their signature Sangria. It was a cosy night filled with fun, laughter, delicious tapas and sangria, and of course, lovely company. One of my fave tapas was the scallop carpaccio with shallot and pine nuts. It was so yummy and with such exotic flavors and different textures. My second fave was the scrambled eggs and potato with foie gras. I never used to like foie gras before but ever since Karen introduced it to me a few years ago, i’ve started to develop a love for this dish.

The night ended with a round of Sangria on the house as the friendly waiter found out it was my birthday. And what birthday would it be without a birthday dessert? The waiter recommended the Banana toffee baileys frappe with Greek yogurt foam for dessert. It was nice but it failed to give me the “WOW” factor. Nonetheless, it was a lovely way to end the evening and it was one of my best birthday weekends ever.

  

The week after my birthday was followed by a few lovely birthday dinner with some of my other  friends. One of those great night was over fresh Japanese sushi and sashmi. The sushi chefs made sushi at the sushi bar in front of us and made small casual talks regarding how some of the dishes were made. It was a chilled yet enjoyable night, just what i needed on a Tuesday night.

Another good old friend of mine also invited me to this fine dining place called “The Parlour”, where we were seated outside the patio with a lovely view of Tsim Sha Tsui, nearby the Victoria harbour. For starters, we had their complimentary bread, followed by lobster soup, iberico ham with figs, and strawberry & Basil cocktail. The cocktail was very exotic and had an interesting twist to its taste. I definitely will recommend this place for their cocktails.

I’ve not seen this friend for almost over year so we chatted the night away and to my surprise,  she presented me with a birthday gift. I was asked to open it then and there and so i did. As I slowly opened this big white box with the Franc Franc logo, my excitement was gradually building up.  I’ve always loved Franc Franc, a Japanese shop that sells the most stylish and cute home decor products, and i couldn’t wait to see what was in the box. As I lifted the lid of the box, a cute tea set with polka dot design on it appeared. It was such a cute gift and being the tea lover that i am, i knew my friend had thought this gift through and it was so sweet of her.

I also received another really sweet birthday gift from my two BFFS this year, where they got my a leopard print scarf from Marc by Marc Jacobs. Leopard print is one of my fave prints and so i am not surprised at all that they chose this print for me. I’ve been using it a lot at work as the air conditioner is always blasting up and whenever i use this scarf, a small smile just naturally shines through my face. I have to say, i am truly blessed for each and every birthday celebration with lovely food, gifts, and great company that i had this year. I could not have asked for more and i know i am a very lucky lady.

Once again, thank you to all my friends and families out there, you guys made my birthday a memorable one, as always. I love you guys!!!

All photos accredited to me

a change of season, a change of color

It was another lazy Thursday morning and after snoozing my alarm clock twice, i quickly got dressed and left home to go to work. I could feel the brisk cool air against my face as i walked down the street and that’s when it hit me. The  autumn season was slowly approaching, where the remaining time for those hot summer days will be cherished whilst it lasts.

Though the hot and sunny days will be missed, the idea of wearing my loose sweaters, warm cardigans, black leather jacket, and my stylish light brown suede boots, i’m already convinced that i’m ready to embrace the cold weather in style. It’s also a time where we say bye bye to vibrant summery colors and inject earthy tones such as brown, beige, and black into our wardrobes. But one color that i am particular fond of is the mustard yellow. And guess what? I’m already on the look out for a mustard colored sweater.

What is your favorite color for autumn/winter?

Photo  source: weheartit

The fedora effect

The fedora hat is the best style way for those lazy days where you don’t want to do your hair but still look stylish.

The best thing about this style is that it works for both short hair and long hair. I’ve always had problems with hats where I look weird in them all the time. I am still on the hunt for my fedora hat, which must fit me perfectly!

Are you a fedora kinda fashionista or not?

Photo source: weheartit

Change…

We go through changes constantly throughout our lives, at an never ending cycle. Change can be ones worse enemy as we are more at ease with what we are familiar with. Or it can be the best thing to happen to you. It is through change and challenges, that an individual grows as a person and overcomes their fear.

Today could just be the day where I experienced the biggest change in my entire life, in terms of my career. Words cannot even describe how I feel. My manager had resigned, with this Friday being her last day. I got promoted this morning, and not only am I responsible for my department, but I have to manage and train a new staff that we hired a month ago! This new staff will be needing my guidance and she will report to me directly. I am filled with mixed emotions right now – feeling excited, scared, nervous, and doubting myself, all at the same time. The departure of my manager was immensely felt today in the office, as we went through our 3.5 hours of hand over talk and the pressure was surely on, with the given information overload. Yet, a recent friend of mine, reminded me of something very important in life and he told me ” just don’t forget that everything is difficult in the beginning”. I hold these words very close to my heart and mind during this desperate time in need. It will be a big change and challenge ahead but I know it is for the better. This is a great opportunity of a life time and I shall embrace it:)

I have not much else to say and just really wanted to share some inspirational photos with you all. I guess this is the perfect moment to express the saying that “photos speak a thousand words”.

Photo source: weheartit

June Love 2013

Enjoyed a relaxing Saturday night out while Ms. C was in town visiting, where the taste of fresh and delicious sashimi and sushi was slowly savored and plum wine was infused to sweeten our taste buds. Fathers day was played low key where we had steak down our local restaurant. Following the last few years, I would always get dad a cake and this year was no exception. I got him a strawberry mousse cake, where the taste of the sweetness and sourness was just right. Pampering time where BFFs and I went to the “feel good factor” to get our manicure and pedicure done. The barbie pink feet of mine was just perfect to greet the summery days, while my funky two color toned nails in bright yellow and orange, expressed the fun side of me.

Girls night out with my BFFs, Ms.S and Ms. C, at our good old fave shisha bar, Sahara, where I sipped on my strawberry martini and moved my body along to the rhythm of the music. Received a postcard from a dear friend who was in San Fran and traveling around in the states. This reminded me of how little people do snail mails nowadays and that I always cherish each and every mail I get in the post. The taste of my sweet and chilly strawberry margarita at Harlan’s with an old friend from London visiting, whilst overlooking the night view of Hong Kong from the 19th floor, was beyond breath taking.

Spent the night at Ms. S’s flat where I was greeted by her beautiful white roses in the living room as I headed off to work. Beauty in such a simple form is all you need at times to brighten your morning. Got a Topshop goodie bag with a leaflet, magazine, and hot red lipgloss to promote their grand opening in Hong Kong. New metallic heels and printed harem pants purchased for no reason because spontaneous shopping once in a while makes it that much more unexpected and fun.

I am blessed for each and every day that was filled with love fun, laughters, and sharing special moments with people i love and care for. You are my June Love 2013.