Bobbi Brown Nail Polish SS07

Last weekend while the makeup lady at MAC was trying on loads of eye shadow colours on my sister, I wondered over to the Bobbi Brown counter and fell in love with the BB salesgirl's makeup. She had a 'light' (as in not as dramatic as most of MAC's salespeople's makeup,) smokey eye. She proceeded to try it on me but they were out of a certain shimmery, creamy eye shadow base so the eye shadow didn't look at all impressive on me, (or maybe it's just that the salesgirl was really pretty herself -that is so unfair!)

Next I noticed her nails and loved the colour. They were a lovely milky, white-ish, pinkish, champagne colour. They were exactly what I was looking for -something milky, but not plain white or pink. But I didn't realise Bobbi Brown made nail polishes at that point so I didn't ask her where she got her nail polish from. Later on, a friend told me Bobbi Brown did actually make nail polish so I decided to head to another Bobbi Brown counter in the hopes that the salesgirl's nail polish was from BB. After looking through the six shades, half of which were already out of stock, I guessed it was Tutu.

Since I have zero skills in painting nails, I got someone to do it for me while getting a facial. The results were... a bit more pink than I anticipated. Now that I've had time to accustome myself to painted nails, I suppose they don't look as pink as they first looked. Actually I think I may be starting to like the colour! (Haha sorry, this is my 28 hours of thoughts after getting my nails done.)

The one really big thing I must complain however is that BB nail polish seems to chip REALLY easily. Admittedly, I've got three layers on because I wanted the colour to completely cover up my nails so maybe the polish on my nails is really thick. But I've been pretty careful about using my fingers in the past day and it's not like I'm doing any nail-polish-chipping activities. (Although did you know msn-ing people is terrible for your nail polish? Too much constant typing!) BG justifies the chipping to me as "Bobbi Brown isn't exactly known for their nail polish". I know but still, I expected more from the brand and the price! Oh well.

Nail-painting is such an irritating and time-consuming activity, who know? No wonder I only ever experiment with nail polish during school holidays! Please let me know what other nail polish brands chip or scratch easily so we can all avoid them!

Image credit: www.bobbibrown.co.uk

WTF is this?

Yet another edition of the game WTF is this?

Is that spooge on the eyebrow?

Suns II

This tattoo is a distant cousin of the last tattoo on this post. It definitely joins the top-10 worst tattoos I've seen so far. I realize both are probably coverups, but when is a huge black, scarred blob better than a scratchy, faded, regrettable tattoo? I think never.


And this one is just generally bad. If it was a wizard at least it would get bonus points for cool idea, but a surly sun-dude is just kind of confusing.

Sorry!

I'm super busy at work now, so this blog will suffer for the next few weeks. Please bear with me.

I haven't known where to post this, so I've been hanging on to it for a while. It seems appropriate for this post. Just sit down, relax, and please be patient.



P.S. feel free to email me bad tattoo pictures and save me some of the legwork!


***** EDIT
I got a few comments saying it's a good tattoo. Please note the label for this post is "good execution, bad idea". I will agree that pretty much any tattoo that is executed well isn't truly going to be an AWFUL tattoo, but you have to agree that getting a chair tattooed on you is a little over the top!!!

Office Fashion: Suits I

Ah work clothes. I must say, I've always somewhat dreaded wearing it before- especially business formal. I always thought that it looked more like a uniform, and since my high school uniform, which resembled a prisoner's outfit, I never want to go back to wearing them again. But alas, the real world beckons. So lets take a look into office fashion and start with suit jackets.
Suits. The first thing that pops to mind is Giorgio Armani. As I always say when I write runway reviews about them, these are the things that makes me want to work hard. Don't they just look so sexy and stylish? (Left: Giorgio Armani, Right: Ralph Lauren)
But of course, in the real world, suits are not that sexy. For my first suit, I followed my best friend's lead, and went for the Theory, Hayward (left)(and no, I did not deliberately choose the same cutting, but I found that it fitted me best). Theory isn't Armani, but its pretty good. And the fit is quite good too. But still, for the first few times I wore it, I still felt very conscious of myself, uncomfortable and old. Like I was a poser, pretending to look professional when I'm not. But this summer, having worn it more often (almost like an uniform- changing the shirt of course- such a good investment!), I'm actually feeling much more comfortable in it (maybe I've aged too!). My friend once said that wearing a suit makes her feel sexy and I was confused- now I get it!
Just witness Calista Flockheart in Brothers and Sisters. Doesn't look like an uniform at all! She just looks very chic and put together.
I think the trick to looking good in suits is the fit. So try until you find the right one. Typically, I find one button suit jackets fit the best- for me anyway(note how this whole post is filled with one button suits). They also look slightly more casual, giving it a younger and chic look. (left: Elie Tahari, right: BCBG). My only problem is that my chest is small, so I have to be careful that I don't find an one button suit that is too loose in the chest- disaster! Some cheaper options, from Express (left) and J Crew (right). Who knew J Crew HAD suits? Turns out they have a pretty good selection, so go check it out.
Besides black, I also got one (very cheap from a local store in HK) with very thin stripes. Not quite as bold as these ones from Max Studio (left) and Express (right), but these are quite nice and sharp too. Next I'm looking to get a suit in grey (not sure dark or soft yet!) and beige/white (for summer)....wow, its like a whole new door of fashion has opened up- but all this will probably be when I actually get a real full time job.

Image Credit: Elle, BCBG, Express, Nordstrom, Max Studio and Brothers and Sisters

2007 Trend: The Slogan Tees

80's styled, bright-coloured slogan tees are 'in' this year. This unfortunate trend was started by House of Holland, which basically makes loads of this kind of tees. I suppose one of the reasons why it caught people's attention was the cheeky slogans about other designers and models, (such as "Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey" and "Wham Bam Thank You Stam" or somthing like that.) I really didn't mind this trend back when the only people I saw wearing the tees were in magazines and websites. Unfortunately, my local department store has recently started selling them and now I'm actually seeing the tees worn on people and featured in local magazines around me! Bleh, I'm obviously no fan of this look.

And thanks to rising model Agyness Deyn, who is claimed to be 'cool and hip' by various magazines, House of Holland tees are now also considered to be 'cool and hip'. Uh, tacky colours much? (And I mean both Aggy's makeup and the tee, or maybe it's the combination of both.)

If you simply can't resist this trend, consider these very affordable choices by Urban Outfitters (left) and Top Shop (right.) Just because I don't like this trend doesn't mean I'm going to stop you from experimenting. Afterall, fashion's meant to be fun too and I'm sure lots of people out there love this trend!



So ok, I still don't completely get why so many people and supposedly classy magazines like Vogue are crazy for these tees. They're just so... unclassy and flashy. But I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Plus, trends pass by so quickly these days, so why not? What does everyone think about this trend?



Photo credit: http://www.style.com/, http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Revlon Make-Up Eraser Pen

When I first saw the clipping from the magazines for this eye make-up eraser pen, I knew I had to have it. It was like they had read into my mind and knew I was looking for such a product (recall my previous musing on Jane Blog about dabbing a qtip with make-up remover, putting it in my purse and hope it still works later into the night). My friend told me she thought some brands already had such a thing, but still, this is the first time I've heard of it. So holding the $2 off coupon, I rushed out to the nearest Walgreens and picked one up (I was disappointed to find that it was not easily singled out amongst the products, in my mind, it should be placed on a pedestal).What it basically is, is a spongy/felt tip pen that is soaked with eye make-up remover (not unlike my original idea, except they figured out a way that the eye make-up remover doesn't dry out). It doesn't quite magically cleans off eye make-up at a swipe of the pen, but more like it disburses minimal amounts of eye make-up remover and kind of smudges the area. I advised you to wipe the rest off with your fingers or a qtip to get maximum cleaning effect. Even though it is not as magical as I'd hope, so far I am loving it as I've discovered two ways of using it:

1. To very quickly and effectively get rid of make-up screw ups during application. This is especially helpful when you are applying eye liner and you accidentally make a thicker line than you wanted. Then simply swipe off the extra bits and you'll be left with a perfect eye line.


2. To get rid of those smudges that inadvertently creeps up after a few hours of application of eye make-up- even when they say its water proof! To avoid smudges completely, I heard using bases, avoiding water/sweating and keeping your lids oil free helps...but good luck with stopping natural body responses to the environment.

Wow, if only I can patent my random thought processes. I'd make a fortune...

Photo source: Revlon

Text tattoos

I am sure there are WAYYY more bad text/ script tattoos out there, but I didn't try to find any of these. They just dropped in my lap as I was searching for other things. One of these days I am going to specifically look for bad text tattoos and I am sure I will find a million of them.

UnfuckwithablE
the funniest part is the capital E at the end. And also the font, which is exactly what I would have chosen when I was 14 and still thought I was goth.


I think the word "SOUTHPAW" is flying out of the guy's skin, but why he would get this tattooed on him I don't know. It's a venue/club in NYC... does it mean anything else? The fact that it has flaps of skin tattooed around it is what puts it into this blog.


I have no idea what this means (the photo is named "iwillnotbedenied.jpg" so I assume that's what it is), but if they're going to have letters coming up out of the smoke, shouldn't they look like smoke and not block characters?


Goth meets Graffiti meets Detroit. I really don't know why I find this so funny.


sdkfhsdkfhsdkjfhsdkjfhsdkjfhsdkh!!!!! WHY?????


The best part about this (besides the worst bubble lettering ever) is that it is in quotes. He's not REALLY a bad boy.

Vanessa Bruno FW07 Presentation

Ever since I've noticed the rack of Vanessa Bruno clothes at Lane Crawford (which is like the Barneys of Hong Kong,) I've loved Vanessa Bruno the brand. VB clothes are Parisian chic, cool and classily casual. Plus VB stuff is relatively affordable. It's now a norm for me to get at least one VB item each season. So imagine how excited when Lane Crawford held a little VB FW07 presentation (tonight) and Vanessa Bruno herself was actually going to be there!

The event was a typical one: half an hour of cocktail and a mini runway show. It was a small event so there weren't actually any seats, so thankfully the event was short and started on time.

The presentation is pretty much like it is on the VB website. Even the music is the same!

The first outfit that came out was a lovely trapeze coat that I've liked from the Paris runway back in Feb and have been looking out for. It swayed so nicely along with the model's walk!

This was definitely my favourite dress from the presentation. SO gorgeous! It's so perfect for mild winters (with temperature around 14 degrees Celcius, as in Hong Kong.) The dress is youthful but looks so graceful and pretty. Sigh...

Remember Elyse Sewell from America's Next Top Model many seasons ago? She's been in Hong Kong since then.

And there's Vanessa Bruno in the middle! Spot the light blonde lady in a black skirt and plum-coloured top. She fits in with the models so well.

This collage really shows the style VB's clothes... feminine, light, carefree and pretty. Everyone was invited (err, encouraged) to shop the FW collection afterwards, but I was too tired today to appreciate the clothes I was trying on and decided that I can try on the clothes another day. Also, I'm just not in the mood to shop for FW clothes yet. My sister on the other hand, got a really pretty casual dress. Hmm, I'll definitely have to go back in September for my FW shopping spree!

Some more bad portraits

When I first saw this tattoo, I thought the artist was going for a watercolor french impressionist painting style, but then I saw the terrible lettering under the tattoos and realized it's probably the work of a really bad artist.


This was pointed out to me by one of my readers. Thanks, Steph!


This is the worst Betty Page I have seen. The triangle boobs are a little disturbing, but no big deal. The mushface is terrible but I'd like to think that when the tattoo heals it will look better. What is inexcusable, however, is the arms and hands. Especially the right arm. She looks like a T-Rex on one side. Plus she has major camel toe in the armpit area.


And finally... this isn't so much incompetent as ridiculous. The moon baby is kinda cute, but the sun has the biggest nose in the universe and shark teeth. At least the script is done really well.

The worst tattoo I have ever seen

Words cannot describe how terrible this is. What were they thinking?!

07/24/07 never forget

Yesterday was a very special day for me. My right sleeve is finished, after two years of working on it! My tattoo artist is Myles Karr, his website is gloriousdeep.com and he is amazing. We figured out that it has been about 50 hours of work overall. I love that it is so busy and crowded, it's like the awesome old fantasy/ biker tattoos I've been posting, but rad.

Anyway, here are some crappy cellphone pictures that I took this morning, and then some old pictures of the half sleeve. I'll try and get some better ones soon.

Here's one with my whole sleeve so you can get the general idea of how awesome the whole thing is together.


Close up of the protector demon


This is my favorite part of the tattoo-- where all the sections come together. The blue and yellow guy is flayed human skin turned into a cape.


Shiny closeup of the birds. The one you can see has intestines in it's mouth. The other one has a heart in it's mouth.


and old pictures of the top half of the sleeve (some with the dragon, some unfinished & without):
one
two
three
four

I really need to take pictures of the whole arm piece by piece so the whole thing is documented correctly, but I need a friend with an awesome camera to help out with that, so it might be a while!

Anyway, sorry for the break from awful tattoos, I will get right on to posting some terrible ones for you shortly.

xo
Alice

WTF is this

This is a lucky horseshoe, a banner, and _______
swiss cheese? a sponge? I have no idea. What do you think?


I think this tattoo is of an spray paint can but I have no idea what else is going on.

Smooth Legs

Previously for fear of pain and mess, I've always been satisfied with shaving. Upon seeing the very cool Veet ad for their hair removal cream (with the zig zag thing), I'd also given it a try. Alas, I was sorely disappointed when it only worked half way (ads are SO deceiving).

So I went back to shaving. And I was thrilled when they came out with a combination of two of my favourite razors- Venus and Intuition- clean smooth shave with a built in gel thing for those lazy souls out there like me. Naturally I dashed out to get one of these, Venus Breeze and was SHOCKED at the price tag ($10.99)- especially of the cartridges (23.21). But I persevered, convincing myself that each filler probably lasts longer-wrong! Because of the combination of design, the gel bar is very thin, and though it doesn't wash away as quick as the soap, it lasts for about 2 weeks at most. Ouch! Even if the catridge pack does contain 8 thats still quite pricey. (Note: If you still insist on trying it and you already own a Venus, my advice to you is just buy the refill right off the bat, because the attachment is the same. Although it may not fit onto the case anymore, it'll save you a few bucks!)

That, in addition with the recent summer heat and the short shorts trend, I decided shaving, with all its constant need of attention and unflattering stubbles after a day or so, is simply not good enough anymore. And so, I finally decided to brave the pain and go for waxing. Turns out, when it comes to beauty, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. While it was messy and slightly painful at first, I soon got over it. Especially with these Veet wax strips, which makes it even easier (just remember to wipe off the excess with their special wipes or oil). The result were exactly as they had advertised it to be- clean and it lasts for ages! My only complain is that I don't always get everything, but I've found that skill and speed comes with practice.
So I've really tried many different methods of hair removal. Next on my list would be an epilator (above: Braun). But it is kind of pricey and I heard that the pain may be worse (I mean, they are literally pulling hair out one by one instead of all in one quick rip). Has anyone tried it? And how do you all out there keep your legs smooth?

Photo Source: veet and amazon

Oh, The Horror!

Horror tattoos, in one form or another...

First, the amazing back pieces:





And second, the bad guys.

The shine on this one makes it hard to see, but to me it looks like a big blob of cow manure with teeth and horns attached to it.


Look at the shading in the hat. It's sooo scratched and uneven. And the skin is supposed to look messed up, but not like there are a million triangles glued to his face.

Thoughts From the Weekend

OK, excuse this very random post. I had lots of little random thoughts over the weekend so I thought I would just group them altogether. First off, I went shopping yesterday and found out that shops are now having their 'Final Sales' (usually 50% off,) so people, this is the time to exert a lot of effort into picking out potential bargains! But remember to never to buy something that isn't up to your usual standards just because 'it's so cheap now'.

Secondly, thanks for everyone's comments on my Tiffany's earrings dilema post last Friday. I ended up buying the first one because it really is the one I originally wanted and is the only affordable choice anyways. I haven't worn them yet but I can't wait -they'll be so perfect for my next night out!

Thirdly, as I'm sure you all know by now, JANE magazine will be folding this month and has just issued its final issue ever. For those of you who've been with us for awhile, you'll know that BG and I guest-blog for JANE. So I just wanted to say bye to JANE here.

Lastly (and possibly most importantly,) what did everyone think of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? 21st July has been one day that I've been really looking foward to in the last two years. After making the rare effort to wake up on Saturday and buy the book, I absolutely refused to leave my house until I finished the book. (Thankfully I finished before dinner because I had to eat out.) I love love love the book! Everything came to a full circle and the writing was fantastic as usual. There was the best of the Potter world -friendship, growing up, witty dialogues, magic, fighting, love and the quest for answers. Even though the ending was a happy one, I felt so sad at the end because that was really the end of the whole adventure. Gosh, I'm going to miss Harry, Hermione, Ron and the whole magical world so much. *Sniff* I really must go reread it again...

Photo credit: www.amazon.co.uk, www.tiffany.com