ANTM Cycle 9- Spoiler!

For once I actually managed to watch the ANTM finale without knowing who actually won. It was that much more exciting and fun to watch. So yes, I am now going to talk about the finale and who won etc etc. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Overall, I thought the quality of girls this season was better than the last and that they were in general more likeable. There was really nothing much to complain about, it was a decent round of ANTM. Not terribly compelling but not horrible either. I DO love the fact that they went to China though. China looked really pretty, exotic and fun through their lense. I've only personally been to Shanghai once a few years back (well..maybe 5) and didn't quite get the vibe that they portrayed...maybe its time I go back again!
I thought the final runway for Qi Gang in this exotic palace next to the Forbidden City (is that what they said?) was very awesome with the dancers on stilts etc. It was all very oriental and grand. Though maybe the whole entourage thing following Tyra down the runway to her throne was a bit too much..... Qi Gang's dresses were also really gorgeous in an oriental couture sort of way. I especially loved the grey dress Chantal wore on her second run!
Judging from over all performance, I do think that Saleisha was the right choice between the two finalists. I mean, both girls were there for the right reasons, both were very loveable and both took very good pictures and all, but Saleisha clearly rocked the runway. Even minus the tripping the stilts guy with her dress incident, Chantal's walk wasn't that inspiring. Random thought: doesn't Saleisha look like a model even before her makeover? Though I think her new hairstyle is very cute. It took her a while to grow into it, but she eventually did. I wish I can carry that off without looking like a mushroom head.....Oh and you got to admire her make up application. In some scenes in the show, she totally had huge eye bags. But she covers it up so well. What did Tyra say? Brown eye liner on bottom lid?
Saleisha's continuously good photos. I loved the jumping one at the Great Wall, she really went out of the box there. The only one I didn't like was probably her Garden of Eve one, which had really dead eyes.
Besides her catwalk, I think I was secretly vouching for Chantal, just because she's soo cute and I like her personality just a teensy bit more. She also did a better job in the Covergirl commercial.
I loved the dragon dance photo shoot. The colors were just so exuberant and she just looked so edgy here.
Then there was Jenah who came out third. It really was too bad about her misunderstood personality. She indeed takes very very gorgeous pictures- I especially love how she looks in this rock climbing one. I thought her come around speech in the judging room about why she's misunderstood was also very eloquent and well done. Too bad her competition was just too strong.
Now here is a girl that I cannot believe lasted for so long. I thought she did a good job at the Go See's and was very professional and really wanted this. But to be honest, I just didn't like her look. I don't mean to be mean or anything, but I just didn't think any of her pictures made her look very good (edgy wise or pretty wise) no matter how much make up, super photography, angles and photoshop applied. She looks kind of....scary manly.
And then there was Heather. Ah Heather. There was no question that she was amazingly pretty and effortlessly took beautiful pictures (if only we all had this gift). And it is indeed very brave and incredible that she was able to overcome her Asperger Syndrome in this competition. But I thought in the end, she really just couldn't handle the stress of being in the competition. Especially when she had so much trouble with the Go Sees and getting along with the girls. The modeling world and the fashion industry really don't cut anyone any slack.

Other random thoughts. I can't believe that Ebony just gave up like that and she really DID have an attitude problem no matter how much she said she was misunderstood...Hmm what else is there to say about the show this season... there really isn't much. As I said, it was a "not bad" season. None of the photoshoots were terribly exciting, but then maybe I am just getting jaded after having seen 9 seasons of this show and the countless photoshoots.

Maybe it is time to make a graceful exit Tyra. 10 seems like a nice complete number.

Image Source: CW

Hoot Suite

Dave Tedder

Underarm Sweat Sheets

Silk clothes are all the rage these days. Silk is great in that it makes your clothing, whether its from a high-street store or a designer shop, look expensive and sleek. Another great thing about silk is that it really lets bold colours (another trend this year) really shine out. But one really annoying thing about silk clothes is that you can't just throw it into the washing machine, or even handwash it for that matter. And dry-cleaning is so bothersome and costing that I prefer wearing the silk item many times before bringing it to dry-clean.

I really hate getting sweaty, which always happens when we go out in the summer or go to crowded clubs. So I was really happy recently when I saw an ad in a magazine about these underarm sweat sheets and my mum found it for me in a Japanese drugstore (Sogo.) According to the box, there are four types of underarm sweat sheets, depending on what type of clothing you want to stick it onto. I got the type for clothes that are short-sleeved or made of light material (the orange box.)

This is how they look like. Basically, you fold and stick one piece onto each underarm area of the top/ dress. It's like using bandage. The white cloth supposedly has anti-smell properties so it prevents armput BO from adhering to your silk top. And after a night out, I peeled the sticky sheet off my silk dress and it didn't ruin the silk at all. Great huh? It totally made me feel like I could be less conscious about not ruining my silk dress last night. So if you feel the same way about silk clothes, go see if they sell these in the Japanese drugstores near you!

Hoot 'Em Up

Tim Orth

The Thing about Louboutins

Out of all the super designer footwear brands out there like Manolos and Jimmy Choos, my favourite is Christian Louboutins. I really want to be able to say that I love them all, but I've been to the stores and tried them on and to be honest, I've never really seen anything at the Jimmy Choo store that I really wanted to try on. As for Manolos, physically the designs don't look too special either. I heard it was the angle of the arch that is crazy comfortable, but I don't quite need that at this point in my life yet when there are so many decently comfortable black pumps out there still i.e. Fiona by Cole Haan. So yes, Manolos and Jimmy Choos are like wine- an acquired taste developed over time. For me, the charm for Louboutins are just more obvious. Their designs are just more elegant and me. For their classic pumps, I like how the pointy toes are just so and is not severely pointy like the Manolo ones nor too blunt or god forbed- squared!

Their non-classic designs also just seem more youthful and fun.

They also do a very nice slightly pointy yet well rounded toe. And isn't the whole silohuette just so gorgeous? And of course, there is also the signature red sole, which is just sooo cute! Although it makes me wonder, what happens when one walks on it for a while and the red sole is no longer red? Isn't it so sad to ruin something so pretty? I mean I know I shouldn't care too much, but personally I get upset when there is so much as a scratch on my new shoe (hence I am also the type who wants to "save" things for special days, but I am gradually learning the error of my ways in tha respect). How does everyone else deal? Or do Louboutin girls just don't care?

Image Source: Net a Porter

I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses V: Coloured Tights

One positive thing about spending the holidays back in Hong Kong is the temperature -it's cool enough to wear a cute jacket but warm enough to wear skirts and dresses without freezing ones legs. In the past, tights used to mean that it was so cold I had to wear them with my school skirt. But this year, for the first time, I'm actually considering wearing black tights as part of a casual outfit. (OK, so everyone does this, but it's new to me.) I'm imagining outfits with short cotton dresses or very long tees with black leggings -kind of Olsen-esque.

Another tights-related style I'm thinking about are coloured tights. Now I've never been an adventurous dresser, so I'm certainly not thinking of wearing colourful tights with crazy coloured shorts and tees, (80's style.) I'm thinking more of the girly, simple way like the images (above and below). I think the key to this look is really to keep the outfit simple. Basically, keep everything else but the tights black or neutral-coloured.


To be honest, wearing colourful tights seem like a lot of effort to me. I mean, do you know how many colours and degrees of sheerness of tights there are out there? What is the difference between '50 den' and '80 den' tights? What does 'den' mean anyways? Just the thought of buying a pair of coloured tights is enough to keep me away. But the argument of you're-only-young-once, and you can't exactly wear coloured tights when you pass a certain age is making me consider having some fun with this trend.


Are you wearing coloured tights this season? If so, how are you wearing them?


Image credit: www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk, www.fcukmail.com, www.topshop.com

Tiffany Rings

I have a thing for rings. Besides my silver hoop earrings, I think that my next best jewelry investment is my 1837 Tiffany ring. I've had it for around 3 years now and I wear it everyday. It is one of those pretty accessories that matches anything and is perfect for all occasions. It is simple, clean cut and not too overtly Tiffany's (unless you look at it this closely). I love it so much, I even paid $10 to get it cleaned at Tiffany's once. Unfortunately for me even after the cleaning it didn't look like new. I guess all that banging and clanging from daily wear has finally taken its toll.


So just as a fun exercise, I thought I'd look at more rings from Tiffany. They DO make great presents after all *hint hint*. For a more elegant and delicate design, I am loving these two (left: open heart, right: closed heart). Though as girly a girl as I am, even I find the heart a little bit too girly for daily use (hmm maybe unless it meant something....). The closed heart is more versatile since it really looks more like a oddly shaped bean than a heart.
Even simpler, there is the Cushion (left) and the Torque (right). There is no question the versatility here. The Cushion is a little TOO simple for me (if I'm going to spend that kind of money, I'd like something with a bit more design and effort). I love the twisted design of the Torque, though I do wonder about how comfortable it is with all the odd angles.
I think out of all of them, these two strike the best balance between versatility and design (left: Somerset, right: Knots). It is simple yet unique. Though personally, I think the Somerset is a bit too bulky for my fingers. I much prefer the Knot, with its feminine yet simple design.

So yes, these are my just some of thoughts on Tiffany's silver rings. And the best thing about these choices in my opinion is that they are not the typical Tiffany designs. We have enough of those floating around as it is.

Image Source: Tiffany