Gatsby...1920s Girl

After falling in love with the Great Gatsby, I was inspired to try out the glamorous 1920s look. Like the movie, i wanted to keep the look modern and wearable, so i took the key aspects of 1920s ravishing make up and upgraded it to a more relevant 2013 look. If you see Carey Muligan's make up on the set of Gatsby, she has a much softer and romantic take on the classic 20s style. I wish i was much better at styling hair, but this was the best i could do. I create a fake bob effect by tucking in my long hair under itself and pinning it in place. My bob wig with the full fringe would take the look closer to original 20's fashion, but i wanted to make this look wearable and not too fancy dress. Next time i will try to create the finger wave effect for a more genuine 20s look.

The make up was relatively simple:

1. Smokey eyes. The 1920s version was very heavy and used dark black pigments to create the smokey effect. I wanted a much toned down version, so i used a dark brown KATE eyeshadow palette darkened with a charcoal grey MAC powder shadow. To add on the glamour, pearl shimmer was used on the centre of my lids to create a 3d effect. No false lashes or eyeliner were used.

2. BLUSH cheeks. The cheeks were always over the top in the 1920s, so i applied ample amounts on the apples of my cheeks. I opted for a slightly peachier pink to compliment my skin tone... which has tanned quite a lot in the past month for some weird reason considering the lack of sunshine in UK. 

3. LIPS...Exaggerate the cupid's bow. The shape of my lips were altered just slightly to fit into the 20s era. My peaks of my top lip were exaggerated and my bottom lips were made slightly smaller by using concealer. This is a much more wearable and day friendly version of the icon lips. The 20s usually used dark browns and reds, but like the new Gatsby, a dark rose colour was used instead to make the overall look fresher and younger. 

4. BROWS. I noticed that the girls in the movie had much thicker brows than the typical 20s droopy and drawn on brow. So to bring the 20s to 2013, i just extended the ends of my brows with a brow crayon to add to the effect.

Accessories like jewellery and hand held fans creates the extravagant 20s look. Lots of sequins, peals and gold. My dress was bought years ago for a new year's party, who knew it would go perfect with my next Gatsby or 20s themed party.

Vintage Dior Brooch...circa 1970... but the design is very Art Deco to me and perfect for the look!

Hand painted fan from 1920s. I love the story and history behind handheld fans. They were used as semophores for lovers...this deserves a post of it's own...  

KATE shadow palette and Blusher palette. Loreal lipstick in Burn, topped with a little Mac gloss in dark plum. I tried my new YSL base under my Laura Mercier foundation for a matt finish. 

The Great Gatsby

I have anticipated for this movie for over two years now. Ever since i found out that Leonardo Dicaprio was going to bring one of my favourite literature characters to life, i knew this would be one cinema experience that i would never miss. And.....the wait was well worth it! The Great Gatsby by Lurmann Baz is is GENIUS! Once again he has produced magic with Dicaprio. After their rendition of Romeo and Juliet, classic literature has reinvented itself. The two can amazingly make any old fashioned literature connect with the youth. This Great Gatsby was effortless, chic and very contemporary. A fast paced storyline with glamour, champagne, romance and betrayal... the movie wasn't all about the splendour of the roaring 1920s, but it was also very poetic and evoked great emotion.

The movie was groundbreaking in the sense that it dared to collide contemporary with such a classic tale. 1920s flappers dancing to Jay_Z and R n B music? Worked wonders! The clothes were absolutely breath taking and totally on trend for 2013. Designed by DIOR, the decadent lifestyle of the 1920s were captured to perfection. 

The two things that made the film so special for me were:

1. The art direction. Each second of the film could be captured as a beautiful still picture. Like an editorial shoot from Vouge or Bazzar.  The amount of detail that went behind this film made it truly breath taking. The explosion of colours captivated me. Every prop was so gorgeous to me. The 1920s Art Deco backdrop was absolutely magnificent! 

2. For me the actors were all well casted. At first I was unsure about Carey Muligan playing Daisy Buchanan. As shallow as i may sound, i always pictured her to be like an angel, and to me, there were many actresses prettier than Muligan. Muligan proved me so wrong. She was captivating, endearing and i understood why the great Mr. Gatsby would fall for her. She played the perfect 'angel villain'. She was the lady in WHITE and BLACK. All the other characters were good too. I particularly liked Toby Mguire (spiderman) as he too was endearing.

Of course, the one whole stole the show was Leonardo Dicaprio. Although this might be a little biased since i have been a fan of from the Titanic days, I could imagine no one else as Gatsby apart from him. He is one talented actor and his performance bought a tear to my eye. His bittersweet relationship with Daisy bought out so many different emotions. 

Without spoiling the storyline too much i will leave this post as it is... but trust me, this contemporary take on the classic literature will definitely not disappoint. 

Blue and White

I am currently a lover of Blue and White at the moment. I have an extensive collection of blue and white chinaware at home. Th simple colours make any design an instant classic. Fashion Spring/ Summer  2013 has taken an interest in this classic Wedgewood print. From Erdem, to Carven...designers and high street have reinvented such a traditional print. 

Rubber Duck Dog

The rubber duck has taken over HONG KONG! Both children and adults have gone crazy over this giant friend.

So what does Hofman's Rubber Duck mean to you? Has it bought back nostalgic memories of childhood toys? Is it purely a money making piece of art?  Has it reminded you of the morals behind the story of the 'Ugly Duckling'? Or does it bring out the ironic contradiction of such innocence against the back drop of the busy concrete jungle? To me, it's escapism. The Rubber Duck let's you momentarily escape the busy city and enter a world of play and nonsense. After all, life doesn't always have to be so serious. 

Seeing photos of this rubber duck reminded me of my dear Ponyo and her mini rubber duck friends. After a trip to Tai Yeun street last year i bought back a bag of these mini ducks to my dog and she instantly fell in love with them!  I am sure you have seen the photo's of the giant Rubber duck everywhere, so let's not bore you with the same image...and so, this is my version of the Rubber Duck.  Hehehe

Cuddles with her little ducklings. Ponyo absolutely loves every one of her little friends, hugging one after another and makes sure that all 30 of them are taken back to her bed at the end of the day. CUTE! 

Flowers make me happy! DIY head piece

When i take a break from working, i love relaxing myself with a little DIY project. I am desperate for the sun to come out and stay. The weather in UK just can't seem to make up it's mind. To push myself a little closer to summer, i decided to add flowers to pretty much anything i wear! This floral headpiece might look totally over the top but i can imagine toning it down with a simple summer dress. I've seen big floral head pieces every magazine, some costing from $300-$1000+! This little DIY project took less than half hour at most and cost around 20 HK dollars! This was therapeutic indeed! 

All you need is:

thread and needle

2x 20cm fabric or lace

a 20cm strip of cotton or medium weight fabric to sandwich between the lace for support

plastic flowers (i recycled some old plastic flowers and found the two pink flowers at a local dollar shop)

   

Then just sew on the flowers whatever way you want. Remember to put all the prettiest pieces towards

the front. 

DIY Mother's Day Present

This post might be a little behind, but I would like to take this opportunity to say the biggest thank you to my wonderful Mummy! One million thanks is not enough for everything you have done for me. The love, kindness and patience you have given to me makes me who I am today. You have sacrificed so much to provide such a loving home for my brother and myself.  Sometimes i think to myself that you didn't have to do so much for us... you truly gave 1000%  to care for us when you could have stopped at 100,80,or even 60%.You are truly selfless in the way you treat everyone around you and this is something i am still learning. 

I know this is nothing much, but I hope you like this little hand made cross stitch purse. I think the pattern and colours suit your personality well. Although the cross stitch is rather messy and not perfect in any way... i know you won't judge. You have always taught me to search beyond the obvious and look for whats's inside. Well, in this case, it's been lined with some gorgeous vintage fabric! Hahaha...

Hand made cross stitch purse. I bought the metal frame from

Sham Shui Po and the rest was from a haberdashery shop in

Kwun Tong. Although I am not completely satisfied with the 

finished product, I know that practise makes perfect.

Mother aged 20! Do we look alike? I love all the stories you

tell me about your pastimes... to me, every one of them sounds

magical. Sometimes I feel that i was there with you! I know we

would have been best friends even before you were mine! 

Best friends then, now and forever...

Artisan Soap

I'm not usually a massive fan of soaps and fragrances etc.  I am relatively low key when it comes to bath products, a natural soap from boots would do fine for me. I am definitely no 'Jo Malone' girl. With fragrances, well... i am currently using the same ones as i did since i was in high school! I only wear perfume on special occasions or when i actually remember to. Don't get me wrong, i don't like to smell like sweat or anything, but anything that is too strong or sweet will give me a headache for hours. I am definitely a 'natural' girl when it comes to soaps and fragrances, but i found my heart skipping a heartbeat when i saw this lovely little shop in York. It may be a small family run business which started off in a kitchen, but their attention to detail and creativity makes them truly a one off! Even royalty has visited their shop!

I absolutely love cakes in general and to find out that they have made bath products to look like the most delicious treat, you can imagine how excited i got. Not only do they look fantastic, the most important thing is that they all smell wonderful... NATURAL...SIMPLE... and not artificial. Everything is hand made with love and you can truly tell the amount of effort and hours they have put into their family business. 

LOST IN LACE: PROJECT AT BOWES

Bowes Museum have been so lovely and generous, letting me  roam around freely in their 'Glass Cube', where one of UK's largest collection of lace is stored. The 'Blackbourne Collection' has lace dating back to 17th Century... some are nearly 400 years old! It is amazing how these beautiful pieces have been cared for and restored. To me, the craft of lace is such fine art and unfortunately it  is fast disappearing. Have you ever thought of how much patience, skill and hardship that goes into every inch of the lace? Hopefully  i can revive and sustain this beautiful hand craft in my own way. Stay tuned for my project...this is just a teaser hehe

Red Hot Florals

The weather in UK is still falling behind. The trees are still bare, flowers are still sleeping, nature seems to be a little lazy this year. It's already May but the temperature reminds me of winter in Hong Kong. To bring myself a little closer to Summer I decided to bring florals to my clothes. Modelling is my 6ft tall friend Ailsa, the sailor girl with the never ending legs! It also happens to be her Birthday today. Happy Birthday my dear friend of 13 years! You are beautiful inside and out and certainly one of the most wonderfully weird people i know! Please don't ever change yourself for anyone!