September heatwave

Shirt dress: H&M

Two finger ring chain: eBay

Zipper metal body chain: Won in a giveaway

I'm in love with this big zipper metal body chain/necklace I won in a giveaway by The Petite Blogger. It was handmade by Jenna, herself! I love how edgy it is and I can wear it so many ways. Thanks, Jenna!

I made a body chain harness once and absolutely loved it, but sadly the chains started to change colour after a couple of months. I didn't expect that to happen (though I should have), so I didn't really keep it in a bag or anything *sad face*

Anywayz, this is going to be a bit of a random post, so I'll throw in some photos to show you what I've been up to the past week.

Got my hands on some Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks

Ran down to London again, but on my own this time as I had some things to sort out for my Aunt. These things accompanied me on my 2 hours plus train journey.

The familiar Underground sign. It was so stuffy due to the "heatwave".

Random flower in my Aunt's garden. I thought it was beautiful!

That's it! Hope everyone's been well!

xx

Uniqso: AQmore nail polishes review

Disclosure: These nail polishes were sponsored by UNIQSO, a Malaysian-based online store that sells nail polishes and circle lenses. However, this review is written based entirely on my own honest opinions.

The nail polishes arrived in a cute little box to protect them during transit. I absolutely adore the design of the bottles, so pretty with little cupids on it! The long handle also meant it was easy to control the brush.

AQmore Sky

2 coats. Goes on smoothly and dries pretty fast. Very opaque. I love the colour! Upon application, it was slightly darker than it looks in the bottle, but I still think it's a very pretty shade of blue.

AQmore Super Star Silver

Top coat. Goes on clear and smooth. However, even though the stars looked very pretty in the bottle, I found it hard to pick them up. The stars would all fall to the bottom so you'd first have to give the bottle a good shake, then swirl the brush around and try to make the stars stick to the brush, then gently lift the brush out of the bottle.

UNIQSO also provided this little piece of polystyrene for a little nail polish test. I painted the AQmore Sky nail polish in the top box and I painted a famous drugstore brand nail polish in the bottom box.

As you can see, the drugstore brand nail polish ate into the polystyrene! Since I'm not a chemist, I cannot explain why this happened.

However, according to UNIQSO, AQmore nail polishes are water-based (50% of it is made up of water) which is much, much better for our nails. Normal nail polishes have acetone, toluene and formaldehyde, which are very harsh dehydrating agents. This is the reason why a lot of girls who regularly paint their nails will find their nails becoming yellowish, dry and brittle in the long run. AQmore is supposed to protect our nails.

[Pic credit: UNIQSO]

The main thing that really interest me was the fact that you do not need nail polish removers in order to remove AQmore nail polishes! I must admit I was a bit sceptical, but it really does work! This part alone is a big bonus because I'm actually more concerned about the constant use of nail polish removers on my nails than the actual painting of them.

After soaking my fingers in warm water (as instructed), I slowly peeled the nail polish off. I tested it and found that starting on either ends of your nails is fine. I peeled it off in one, slow tug and as you can see, my nails were pretty much cleared! There are some bits left on my middle finger, but that's only because the nail polish tore as I was tugging it. After taking the above pictures, I just used my nail to gently scrape of the rest.

[Pic credit: UNIQSO]

I must admit that the staying power isn't that great because it's made to be easily peeled off. I guess that's the price you pay if you want to protect your nails. Also, it probably doesn't really matter for those who prefer to change their nail colours every couple of days. It's great if you want to give your nails some rest from nail polishes, but simply can't resist painting them. AQmore has a huge range of gorgeous colours, so you will definitely find something you like.

 

If you're interested in making a purchase from UNIQSO, they have kindly offered a code to all my readers, so remember to use my code 'JW10' to get a 10% discount.

xx

September Boudoir Privé: The Unboxing

After much anticipation, the September Boudoir Privé box is finally here.

The packaging is as beautiful as ever and it feels as if it's my birthday as I carefully remove each layer of wrapping. I must admit that the packaging of beauty boxes is the part that most impresses me.

 6 samples + 1 bonus blotting/bronzing paper from 7 brands for £10

I am going to be very honest and say that the sizes of the samples were a little disappointing. Everything is so tiny even though they were advertised to be deluxe-sized samples. Now, I'm perfectly aware that I signed up for a box of samples and I never once hoped to have a full-sized product in the box, but I did hope for decent-sized ones. I was very happy with the sizes of 2 of the items in the first box*click*, so to see real miniatures this month is a bit of a let down. Since I mentioned this in the GlossyBox post*click*, I'll say it here to be fair...I can get perfume samples from beauty counters (or even magazines), so no, I'd rather not pay for them.

However, again, this box provided a good mix of products for body care, hair care, skin care and make up.

The Les Indispensables leaflet; AGENT PROVOCATEUR L'Agent
MACADAMIA Healing Oil Treatment for hair repair; ZOYA nail polish in Marina
COLBERT MT Nourish eye cream; TROPIC SKINCARE Body Smooth
CARGO COSMETICS Boogie Nights eye pencil; MAI COUTURE blotting/bronzing paper

The products all seem pretty okay. I'm not wow-ed or anything, but I am looking forward to trying most of the things out. 

I couldn't resist and have taken a whiff of some of the products. I'm not too keen about the Tropic Body Smooth because the lemon-y smell is way too strong for me. It reminds me of cough drops/lozenges. The Colbert MD eye cream has no fragrance so it just smells like...cream, which is fine. The Macadamia hair oil has a very pleasant smell and I'm definitely eager to try this one. The L'Agent perfume smells pretty good!

The box also came with this Zoya nail polish display to show off their new Smoke & Mirrors collection (which incidentally, is also the name of Topshop's AW11 make up collection). It's pretty fun to play with, but I'm not too sure about throwing in these forms of advertising into our boxes. It's hardly a sample...

Overall, I think this month's box was just okay. Unfortunately, I have made the decision to unsubscribe. If you read my post on last month's box (also the company's first box), you'll notice that I used words like "pretty satisfied" and "quite like". I was already contemplating whether or not to continue with my subscription, but decided to give it another chance. Since this month's box still didn't make me squeal with delight, I've decided to cancel. Please note it wasn't horrid, just that personally, I expected a bit more. I'll keep an eye out on the next few boxes and if they up their game, who knows, I might subscribe again.

Finally, since I've had both GlossyBox and Boudoir Prive this month, my verdict is...GlossyBox wins!


For those who are unfamiliar with the Boudoir Prive beauty box concept, check out my Introductory post*click*.
For those interested in seeing what was in the first August Boudoir Prive box, go
here*click*.
For those interested in seeing what was in Septemeber's GlossyBox, go here*click*.

Thigh-high socks dilemma

Red military ladder coat: New Look 

Dress with sequined bow: Malaysia

Thigh-high socks: No brand

Rose ring: DIY gift from the boyf

I have a love-hate relationship with thigh-high socks. Despite not being tall and lean, I like wearing thigh-high socks because I think they can be pretty cute. However, it's quite hard to balance out the sexiness to avoid looking skanky. Also, I find it so difficult to find the perfect-fitting pair. If I get them too tight, the fat around my thunder thighs spill over, but if I get a looser pair, the top bands roll down (like in the pictures). Sighhh...

I have tried the taping trick, but my tape's never sticky enough to hold up my socks and it's just so troublesome to tape them.

Does anyone else have this problem?

High street inspiration

[Pic credit: New Look]

When I first saw this dotty lace panel blouse on New Look's website, I immediately saw the similarity it had with the vintage-style dress I bought from Asia Fashion Wholesale which I wore here*click*.
It became the inspiration behind today's outfit.

I think my dress looks pretty cute as a blouse, no? It's a bit longer than my skirt, so you can actually see it peeking out from underneath, but I reckon that's still pretty cute.

Sorry, I haven't been posting regularly, but I promise to put up more posts very soon. I hope everyone's been well.
xx

September GlossyBox

About a week ago, I received an email from the lovely Lily from GlossyBox introducing me to the GlossyBox concept and asking me if I was interested in receiving the September box. I've definitely heard of GlossyBox before this and have read a lot of reviews on beauty blogs. Since I was given the opportunity to try one out for free, I decided to accept the offer.

For those who aren't too familiar with GlossyBox, basically, you pay £10 (plus p+p) each month and you get a box of sample-sized goodies delivered right to your doorstep. At the moment, GlossyBox seems to be the most expensive amongst all the UK beauty boxes as other companies only charge a flat rate of £10. Whether or not the few pounds is worth it is pretty subjective.

I was extremely excited when the box arrived and simply couldn't wait to unveil it together with you.

I'm already subscribed to another company with the same beauty box concept, but this is only my 2nd beauty box, so the thrill was definitely still there as I unwrapped the box. The packaging is lovely with obvious effort put into making these boxes look like presents and it does add to that element of surprise as I peel off each layer to reveal the goodies.

First impressions: I must say I was very impressed with the very generous sizes of the products! Okay, maybe not the perfume as perfume samples can so easily be taken from beauty counters, so no, I'd probably not pay for them. Still, I'm sure the other products more than made up for it.

A card listing and explaining what each product does; NUXE Huile Prodigieuse
MARY GREENWELL Plum; HD BROWS Eye&Brow Palette
STRIVECTIN SD Eye Concentrate; L'ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL Mythic Oil

Here's a closer look at the HD Brows palette in Foxy. It's gorgeous, but did you notice that I'm missing the brushes (I've seen people get 2)? I've rummaged through the entire GlossyBox, but they were no where to be found. I am a little gutted, though I suppose I can always use my own brushes.
Also, I'm glad the colours didn't break during shipping because it arrived like that without any bubble wrap or box around it for extra protection. Some people weren't so lucky, judging by some of the complaints on GlossyBox's Facebook page.
UPDATE: I emailed Lily and she has kindly offered to send a replacement.

Overall, I'm actually very happy with my first GlossyBox. I must admit that I did not subscribe to them before this because I read some negative reviews on (amongst other issues) how they included really cheap products into their previus boxes and also how they were going to hike up the price this month, so it really didn't seem worth it. I can now say that even if I did pay for this box, I would still have been very satisfied with its contents.

One thing to note, GlossyBox does not send out the same products to everyone. I think they choose products based on customers' profiles. As mine was gifted, I had no say, but was pleasantly surprised. Evidently, there are already some pretty dissatisfied customers this month, but equally, there are many who've said they love it! Like most beauty boxes, it's really either a hit or miss and there is no guarantee whether one likes their box or not, really.

Personally, I'm actually really keen to try out most of the products, except for the StriVectin SD Eye Concentrate. I know people say you're never too young to use anti-wrinkle products, but this one really doesn't appeal to me. I will let you guys know how I get on with the rest. I know I said that for the other beauty box, but I'll definitely do this one now that I've so much time ;)

Did you like the September GlossyBox?

Strong gusts of wind

The UK is receiving the tail end of Hurricane Katia and we have been experiencing extremely high winds. We had severe weather warnings yesterday, but they have cancelled it today because it seems to have died down a tiny bit.

Wind still seeps through the window borders and under the door making "Ooohh...ooohh" sounds and it does creep me out a little. I checked on the window in our bedroom and noticed that one of the hinges was broken/loose and I simply couldn't shut the window. I decided to wait until the boyf came home to have a look at it. However, when I checked on it a couple of minutes later, it was miraculously fixed! I'm trying not to think too much about it until the boyf and I investigate it later.

Everything I wore in this outfit has no brand name. I either got them off eBay, random online blogshops or from random shops in Malaysia. I do love this lace back blouse which is very similar to the Topshop one I wore here*click*, except this one's not Topshop and is black.

In other exciting news, I won a beauty giveaway! Yayyy! Sue at Tokki and Oliver organized a giveaway when her blog hit 50 followers and I was so happy when she announced that I had won!

When the parcel arrived, I couldn't wait to tear into the box. I loved how Sue took the time to pretty up the box. I thought it was incredibly sweet of her to decorate it. Even my boyfriend thought the butterflies were cute!

Thanks, Sue! I'm trying out the products one by one and loving them all!
xx

Style Yourself

I recently purchased this little gem of a book and am so glad I spent my gift card monies on it. I devoured it in a matter of minutes. It has everything I want in a fashion book!

Style Yourself is a very light-read, perfect for flipping through to gather some quick fashion inspiration or to learn a thing or two. It has lots of pretty pictures and it features 95 international fashion bloggers with a foreword from Jane Aldrige of Sea of Shoes. It's a great fashion book which provides tips for shopping, tells us what the wardrobe must-haves are and offers personal style advice from the bloggers themselves.

Here you see 3 different bloggers styling the same cape in Cape Remix. Same cape, but rather different looks. The look's perfect for Autumn.

Here, some bloggers show us how they wore stripes. I've tried to steer clear of horizontal stripes because I've always heard they make you look wider than you really are, but apparently, stripes can be figure-flattering. Who knew?

The book's also great for getting to know a bit more about some of the bloggers behind the blogs we read. It's really interesting because you get to see where some of the bloggers draw their fashion inspiration from. Like many others, Shini of Park & Cube shared with us her inspiration for her outfit (ice cream, apparently!) and where she wore her outfit to.

This book has so much useful information, I find it very educational. I never seem to know the right names for certain patterns or materials and this book has certainly taught me a lot.

Having this book inspires me to try to be a bit more descriptive from now on in my outfit posts. A blouse will not be just called "a blouse", but I'll try to give it its proper name.

It has also got really cute illustrations. Look at these shoes. Amazing likeness!

I really like this book mainly because it's not fashion on the runway, but fashion worn by real people. There are plenty of photos of style coordinates in here from bloggers wearing vintage to bright neons. So it's a fantastic lookbook and a very good fashion dictionary, but I'm not sure it really teaches me to "Style Myself", but rather it provides the inspiration. Still, a great book, nonetheless.

Artie Sana Hadanomy Collagen mask review

Disclosure: These masks were sponsored by Artie Style for review purposes.

Artie Style is a US-based online store that sells Asian cosmetics, health and food products. You'll find plenty of popular brands on their website like Koji, Tsubaki, Majolica Majorca, My Beauty Diary, My Scheming etc. They do ship worldwide and shipping within the US is free if you spend over $50.

The masks I'm going to review are from Sana, a very famous Japanese cosmetic brand. I've heard great stuff about Sana's Hadanomy range and have always wanted to give it a try. The item took just slightly over a week to arrive which is fine considering I'm in the UK.

Like most products from Japan, everything was written in Japanese, but this box came with a little sticker listing its ingredients in English.

Each box cost $12.99 and there's 4 pieces of mask in each. So that's about $3.25 per piece, which is a little pricy, to be honest. I finished using the masks in 2 weeks.

Since these are collagen masks, they are meant to make your skin plump and firm *mochi mochi*

After cleansing and applying my HadaLabo lotion, I would take one and put it on my face. Artie Style recommended leaving it on for 10-15minutes, though the instructions on the packaging said to leave it for 3-10 minutes. I usually left it on for 10 minutes and not more.

After removing the mask, I would gently pat my face to allow my skin to absorb the remaining essence. It's a little bit sticky and takes a good couple of minutes for it be fully absorbed.

The masks are scented and I felt it was a bit too strong for my liking, though some people may like this rosy smell. It left a subtle scent even after a couple of hours.

In order to achieve the best firming results, you're meant to tug the sides of the mask and pull it upwards. Since the mask is soaked in essence, it's very easy to adhere it to the top half of the mask. I'm not sure why they didn't just make those slits where you can put it behind your ear like some other firming masks.

I can't say for sure whether it made my skin firmer, but it did feel very moisturised. I always woke up the next day and my skin would feel amazing! I've pretty dry skin and this has certainly been very helpful. I reckon I would need more than 4 sheets to tell for sure whether the collagen worked. I might give the other items in the range a try when I do my next haul.

Here are the rest of the products in the range. Everything looks so pretty in pink!

[Pic credit: Artie Style]

If you're interested in this product, be sure to check out Artie Style.