My love for Vintage Packaging

I absolutely adore vintage packaging... it can really show the characteristics of what time it came from. From the design to the material, it tells the story of that certain era. Some may think of it as collection useless rubbish, but to me, it's a way to revisit the past and enjoy a mini history lesson. As a designer, I love looking back at designs and the way it has evolved to the contemporary world we live in today. Packaging is such an important part to brand any product, to me, it's 50% towards selling a product. 

Here is a little preview of some of my packaging. Most have been boxed away and this is what sits in my little cabinet of vintage finds...

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. 

Oversize Retro Hairstyle!

It's the weekend and time to play! The sun is finally shining through, Spring is fast approaching! This sudden change of weather has inspired me to be a little more playful with my look today. With lazy unwashed hair, what's better than tying it all up in an oversize messy bun. My hair is only a little longer than shoulder length, but i managed to make it look like Bridgette Bardot's beehive with a little help of a comb, hair pins, firm hold hairspray and a 'hair doughnut' made from a pair of old stockings. A video of this finished look will soon follow, but for now, I will enjoy my finished for the rest of the day. A vintage silk scarf tied around the bun, secured with pins finished off the look to perfection. 

I feel rather Pin-Up girl style today actually.... glamorous, kooky and a little over the top...

Ready for the Sunshine!

DIY Shades for the sunny weather ahead....in.... BARCELONA!

Ready for my city break next week.... Seriously can't wait!

Heavily embellished shades have been spotted in S/S catwalks everywhere, so i decided to make my own 'Budget' version with by using some vintage/ old sunglasses, earrings, beads, Swaroski crystals and even nail polish... all held together by some super glue. 

This DIY session was actually really fun and trying on the end products made me laugh quite hard. Sometimes we just can't take life so serious!

Testing the Audrey Brow!

Ahhhhh my dear Audrey..... after seeing an animated Audrey in the new Galaxy chocolate adverts, i was inspired to try out her signature eyebrow! Audrey's eyebrows were well known to be full and straight. They framed her pixie face perfectly, bringing out her beautifully deep set eyes. 1950s Audrey had a much thicker, stronger brow... which was  heavily drawn on. In the 1960s, Audrey had a much toned down version of her signature brow. The make up artists for Breakfast at Tiffany's cleverly bought Audrey to a much more modern look by lightening her brows by a few shades and gave them an overall more groomed and sophisticated shape.

This time, I went for 1950s Audrey look. Although my brows might not look too over the top in these photos, in real life, they were so bold and a little comical! If you saw me close up, you would probably laugh since i looked a little like i was starring in a pantomime play. On the plus side, they made look me a bit more youthful right?! No need for surgery my girls... just thicken up your brows for a innocent, young girl look. If you choose to wear these eyebrows... remember to keep the rest of your make up minimal and voila... bold yet innocent, strong yet sweet! 

For the styling, i just put my hair into a high ponytail and added a ribbon for a very girly look. To imitate Audrey's fringe, I side swept the front of my hair for an illusion of a side fringe. White shirt and a sheer red lipstick completes the look.

Pin Me Up Girl

I am fascinated by the glamour of the 1940s pin up girls. Seductive, feminine and ever so alluring. Here is my quick attempt to bring a little glamour back. The signature flick or eyeliner and classic red lip teamed with side parted wavy hair creates the perfect look that is wearable even during the day.

Wearing: Mac eyeshadow in Sparkle Neely, Sparkle. Lipstick: No. 7 Starlet. Eyeliner: Kate. 

Blush by CANCAM. Deep side parting for the hair and simple waves.

My eyebrows aren't usually this arched, but for this look, i had to draw them on with a strong shape and conceal parts to make them fit the era. 

DIY Headpiece. It used to be a sequin cape but i turned it into a rather glamorous turban by stitching it together on top of a head mould and then added on a vintage brooch for

extra detail.