[LookBook] Sept'13...Portobello Beach

The idea of lookbooks nowadays isn't just because of the "look" or style of clothing people pay attention to; it is also about the photography. With this concept in mind, I teamed up with friend and photographer-to-be, Matthew Chan to create a lookbook that is not only for me to "show off" my personal style tastes, but also create images that emphasises the look from a photographer's point of view. Of course, with the both of us still at the learning stages in the areas we want to specialise in our careers, we also look at this lookbook concept as a sort of shared learning journal or log-book... 

Thus, I now welcome you to the first monthly instalment of our lookbook! (haha!)

For September, Matthew chose the location, Portobello beach which is at our hometown, Edinburgh. I believe the idea of the first few images was to show a "depth of field" (photography terms, in which I am almost as clueless as he is in sewing). I do want to note that the photos here have been edited by me to show how I see the photos should be on my own blog but the directioning etc was all Matthew's. 

My look in September can be described as grungy (if you must), but lately, my wardrobe has been a bit grey and monochromatic... I can't really justify most of the time why I have picked out the outfits I wear. Sometimes, they have a functional purpose, sometimes it's for comfort and other times it is purely because I wake up with this outfit in my mind. Nevertheless, I wear what I feel, and yes, sometimes they follow trends, sometimes they don't, but what does it matter when it is a lookbook that has no specific constraints other than it being my personal preferences at the time? Perhaps over a period of time, and after several more looks, I will begin to find the identity of my style, but at the moment, the freedom to explore still remains... 

Ankle Boots from H&M
Bag from Chronic Pinkoholic

Scarf belongs to Matthew, from a random shop (that sells incense apparently...!)

Hat, Coat and Knee-high socks from H&M
Dress from Forever 21

Loafers from H&M

Bracelets from New Look

Be sure to check out Matthew's own page of his work at:  https://www.facebook.com/MatthewChanPhotography

And if you like the look, please HYPE it on:

http://www.lookbook.nu/soapytofu

What's in my travel pack?

So I'm not always home. And over the years, especially ever since I started uni and I was staying on-campus, I travelled between campus and home (for work at the weekends) a lot(!) thus, I have been trying to solve the problem of HOW to pack my beauty products whilst travelling, or staying over at friends etc etc. 

I'm pretty happy with how my "pack" is these days. It's all very compact, it fits in my handbag neatly (obviously not the dinky wee bags, but one of decent size) and it isn't heavy to walk around with. So if you go between places a lot, you are staying over at your boyfriend's/friends or you're going on holiday- whatever the reason!- I hope this would be helpful.  

As I have mentioned, it is all very compact. Nothing too oversized. Essentially, I have two make-up bags: one is an Estee Lauder snake-skin, thats probably just a little bit bigger than an A5 sheet of paper and the other is a pencil case-like bag that I got from one of my Glossybox a while ago. 

If you wear contacts like me, you should purchase a travel-size bottle of solution, and it's also re-usable, so you can refill when you've finished.

Make-up wipes are the best for when you want to travel light! The Simple Oil-balancing wipes are my favourite as it cleanses my make-up without leaving that sticky residue other wipes do, instead it leaves my skin feeling matte and fresh.  

Here is what's inside the bags!...Surprised?

In the purple zip-bag I normally pack a toothbrush and hoping that other people will have toothpaste, then I have these Muji stack containers where I store my moisturisers, face primer and face wash -I told you it was compact didn't I? Then I shove all my make-up brushes, brow palette, foundation, powder and a blush in it.

In the pencil-case bag, I put in all my pen-like make-up inside. So concealers, mascaras, gel/kohl/liquid liners, tweezers, Carmex and there's space for my Shu Uemura lash curler! Normally I would put in my favourite lipstick of the week in there too.
If I remember, I try to bring my own face cloth because I somehow feel silly asking for a face-cloth, so I'd rather bring my own.

Unless I knew I was going to somewhere special or if it was to some special occassion, this is generally what I take with me. I hardly wear eye-shadows or false lashes these days as I feel there isn't an actual need especially when I'm always in a rush.

Happy 1st September folks! Can't believe the year has gone by so quickly!

Haul 28/08/12

Just a quick post on what I bought today. I'm down with a bad cold and thought shopping was so much better than staying in the sick-bed all day.

Clothes:

Coral Knit £17.99 H&M

Bodycon dress £14.99 H&M*

Jewellery:

Black chucky gem droplet necklace £8.99 New Look

Charm Necklace £5.99 New Look*

*Buy one get one free on jewellery in New Look =D

And the follow are jewellery pieces I bought at Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair last Sunday...

 

Happy Shopping! haha! 

OOTD: Vintage Maxi Dress

Just a quick post on my outfit of the day:

I was at a vintage fair yesterday and this dress (out of only 3 garments I bought) was my best buy! £5 and the pattern and fit was perfect. I thought there maybe some damage to the hem or armhole etc because I found a few dresses that were damaged, but this was one was still intact like new.
To accessorize, I wrapped a belt (H&M) around my waist to accentuate my body's silhouette and a neck/collar jewellery piece (also from H&M) that I thought would complete the whole outfit. =]