Sparkles and Shine

Today I strolled into Urban Outfitters with Ms. Adri and she was kind enough to snap a couple of pictures of all the sparkly and shiny things of the holiday season. I have to admit, adding a sparkle or shine to my outfit is my favorite way to spice up a holiday outfit. All photos were taken by Adrienne, thanks gurl <3

Melissa: OOTD | June 24th (Or June 18th?)

Blazer | H&M (39.99$CAD)
Asymmetrical Dress | SIRENS (25.00$~CAD)
Heels | Winners (24.99$CAD)

This is my third OOTD, and though it isn't what I wore today, it's an outfit I wore last week for my brother's convocation!

The dress is originally meant for clubbing and yes it looks ultra short in these pictures. It's a dress made from a slippery fabric, so when I walk/sit/dance/move it tends to ride up a bit. Unfortunately for me, it was the first I've worn it [the other two times that they have been worn were by Amy AND Carmen, the two other writers on this blog], and I had no idea it would rise so much. 

I paired the dress with a blazer because I'm actually not a fan of one-shouldered pieces and I like being covered. I rarely wear tank-pieces or tube pieces on their own. The reason I bought this dress was because the portion between the white and black is actually pieces of mesh, which is one of my favorite trends at the moment. 

Lastly, the shoes I wore were strappy heels from Winners. They are about 3 ~ 3.5 inches high and just a pair of shoes I figured would match the dress as well as the season (being all sandal-ly and all.)

Until next time,

<3 Melissa

Melissa: OOTD | June 23rd

Blazer | H&M (39.99$ CAD)

Oversized Scoop Back Fringe Mini in Black | American Apparel (48.00$ CAD)

Disco Pants in Black | American Apparel (92.00$ CAD)

Kainoa boots in Snowy | Aldo (54.98$)

Today was attempt #3 at finding a job, (if you got a job opening, gimme a call =D) and for this job hunt I decided to go in all black with white focus pieces.

I wore an oversized fringe shirt from American Apparel under a loose white blazer, which I rolled up the sleeves for. For the fringe shirt, those who own it know that it's incredibly hard to wear as the neck is huge and it always falls off or leaves the front wide open, unless you are comfortable wearing an ultra-off-the-shoulder shirt. I discovered that it is much easier and nicer to wear it backwards! Instead of putting your head through the larger opening, try wearing it as a halter and putting your head through the smaller opening. It's almost impossible for it to slip off and if you play around with the sleeves, you can get a stylish "exposing of the shoulder"! Try it out and let me know how it goes!

For pants, I wore my favorite Disco Pants from American Apparel. Very pricey piece but it acts as a staple to my wardrobe as it's one of the only black pants I own. It fits me very nicely and looks amazing when you tuck in a loose fitting shirt. I almost always mix up my loose pieces with my tight pieces to add some variety to my outfit.

Lastly, I topped (or bottomed! [PUNNY!]) my outfit with pair of white military-style boots. I zipped up the boots only half way so that it looked a little more sloppy and not perfectly clinging to my leg. I like the loose, 'whatever' look vs the clean look with these boots.


PS: Sorry about the blue-toned pictures, it was ultra cloudy today!

Until next time, 

<3 Melissa

Melissa: OOTD | June 21st

Hey guys! 

My name is Melissa and I am one of the 3 bloggers on E2WBeauty! This is my first post and I've thought long and hard about what my first post should be and I decided to make it a OOTD fashion post!

Fedora | Urban Behaviour (12.99$ CAD)

 Cotton Spandex Jersey Strapless Ruched Bodysuit in Light Blue | American Apparel (34.00$ CAD)

Chiffon Oversized Button-Up in Bone | American Apparel (65.00$)

Floral Skirt + Big Buckle Belt + White Strap Sandal Heels | Some shop in Hong Kong (Very Cheap)

Cross Body Bag | Coach Outlet (78.00$ USD)

     

I'm not usually one to wear skirts and dresses, but it was my sister's university graduation and I figured I'd dress up for the occasion. 

I've been noticing a trend with the woven fedora's in the summer. I think it adds a nice touch, giving a bit of sweetness to the outfit so I decided to purchase one when I found the perfect one. This one is a little flimsy and doesn't hold it's shape as well as some other ones that I've encountered, but it fits comfortably on my head. (Other stores that I've checked out include Aldo, H&M [the men's section has quite a few!], Bluenotes, Forever 21)

In case it got chilly, I wore a sheer button-up to keep myself warm, but at the same time the outfit is not covered up by a thick/opaque cardigan or jacket and it's flowy-ness is perfect for the summer time. The belt keeps some shape to my body, making sure I don't look frumpy. (You can find a cheaper version of the button-up at H&M)

For those wondering about the pricing on the Coach bag, it was on sale at Woodbury Outlets! I'd never have the heart to dish out that much money for a full price one. ;__;

Look forward to more OOTDs as summertime inspires me to try new trends and dress up for any occasion!

- Melissa <3

Macadamia Hair Mask

I recently purchased the Macadamia Hair Mask after hearing much buzz around the internet community about this product. My hair has been through a long history of abuse: perm, bleach, coloring, sometimes all at once. I blow dry daily and flat iron daily; hence, I figured I could use a deep conditioning mask for my hair. I bought this at flatironexperts.com for $27.99.  If you enter the discount code "thanks" at checkout, you receive 10% off your entire order!! I received it 5 days after placing the order because they are located in Vancouver => Canadian customers don't pay extra duty, but they do have to pay the 5% GST sales tax.

Moisturizing properties: 7/10
I used it in the shower after washing my hair. I left it on for about 7 minutes as indicated by the instructions. The consistency of this product is a very thick paste, so I knew it was very moisturizing. A dime size bit of product is enough to cover the ends of my hair. My hair felt very soft afterwards.

Smell: 9/10
This stuff smells amazing! It has a floral fresh scent that does last even after you rinse it off. I cannot stop smelling my hair afterwards loll

Shine: 0/10
This is where the product really let me down because I expected it to render my hair shiny and healthy looking...and it did absolutely to make it shine. My hair looked very dead and flat despite being very soft to touch.

Overall, I will not repurchase this product because it is overpriced and doesn't give me shiny hair. After I finish this huge tub, I will go back to my $7.99 Head&Shoulder conditioner, which in my opinion does a much better job at moisturizing without weighting my hair down and giving me that shine that I'm looking for.

[Pictures to come tomorrow ^^ ]

Amy's Zipia wishlist | I need a job

Blouse - feminine ribbon BL - US $24
Skirt - feminine lace mini SK - US $33
Shoes - 908 - US $33
Bag - Vintage Style Bag - US $59

I plan on getting these items on my next Zipia spree.
I'm looking forward to reviewing these for you guys  ^_^

Neo Dali Brown Circle Lens Review

A couple weeks ago, I purchased the regular Neo Dali Brown from Charlene's Shop; the lenses cost me 30CAD, including shipping and currency conversion. The lenses arrived about 3 weeks after I ordered them. I purchased these because I have been looking for some natural looking lenses for every day wear that didn't offer huge enlargement since my eyes are already relatively big and I didn't want to wear excessive makeup with the lenses. On top of that, I heard that the comfort level on these lenses is superb.

My thoughts?

Comfort: 7/10

I was disappointed with the comfort level since the person who recommended them to me told me that she couldn't even feel it in her eyes. After 2 hours, my eyes feel dry already. The dryness goes away after a while, but these are medium in terms of comfort for me. 

Color: 1/10

This lens is the most natural lens I've ever owned. It's basically the same color as my eyes. It's not black, so it's quite natural, but it won't lighten your eyes. My friends don't even notice that I'm wearing them.

Design: 10/10

The lens is basically a dark ring around your natural eye color. Unlike one-toned lenses, these lenses have a blend of dark grey and brown, so the ring itself is very very veryyy natural. They also don't have a harsh smooth edge design, which mimics your natural eye ring's consistency.

Overall, these lenses have the perfect design for daily wear. They do add definition to your eyes without the harsh look that other circle lenses have. One thing that was good about this lens is that even after an extensive night of clubbing (7 hours +), after I took them off, my eyes weren't red at all. This is a sign that the lens is high quality. I do wish the comfort level was higher, but we do have to take into consideration that these are circle lenses.

Here's how it looks in the case:

Both eyes without the lenses:

One lens in:

Both lenses in:

Both lenses in with flash:

Sorry for the crappy quality of the pictures, I'll try to use a better camera for future postings =)

***03/05/2011 UPDATE:
I wore these recently on a night out for 6 hours and during the day for 3 hours, for these short amount of time, the lenses irritated my eyes soooo much! Even after taking them off my eyes itched for 2 days. I will not repurchase these lenses ever again! Neo Dali Brown is supposed to be the most comfortable lenses ever, either I got some fake lenses or this brand is simply not for me!