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Archive for 2011/07

7/31/2011 9

____________ Love Is A Fabric, ____________

By Cindy A.



"Love is a fabric which never fades, no matter how often it is washed in the water of adversity and grief." - Unknown

C

7/29/2011 15

_____ Pretty Pretty Please, Pretty Pretty! _____

By Cindy A.






. Sleeveless Pleat Shirtdress . Oh! Poupée . Crochet Shorts . Chicwish . Elves Sandals . Aukoala . Brown Satchel . Gmarket Korea . 

I received this Elves sandals from Aukoala last week and i was so excited to show you guys because it's such a beauty! To be honest, i have never worn ugg boots or sheepskin shoes before although its been so common nowadays. So this is really amazing because Aukoala not only offers a wide range of ugg boots in various styles and designs, they also come in these lovely sandals which suits me perfectly as i spend most of my time in sunny Singapore. 


This is my very first pair of sandals that is made of sheepskin (on the inside)! The material is good and amazingly comfortable especially around the ankle cos of the sheepskin. It is easy to wear and really light in weight. I read from the site that Merino sheepskin actually promotes circulation in your feet and at the same time helps to absorb moisture and odors. Design wise, it is a pair of sandals that does not make you look sloppy. The combination of metal studs and leather plaids gives a stylish and elegant feel to it. I also love the fact that it is in beige, really easy to match with my clothings which are mostly in white and earth colors.

Here i'm wearing it with a really pretty sleeveless pleat shirtdress from Oh! Poupée and a cute pair of crochet shorts from Chicwish
I think it also generally goes well with denim shorts in white, blue and brown. This new darling of mine is really awesome. :)

C

7/28/2011 8 By Cindy A.


“Don’t be afraid of death. Be afraid of a life you didn’t live. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” - Unknown

C

7/27/2011 5

__________ ! Plentiful Romance ! ___________

By Cindy A.





Nude Pink Blouse . Crochet Shorts . Chicwish . Glasses . Stylenanda . Green Sling Bag . Zipia . Beige Knee High Socks . New Look . 

Its been a month since i moved to blogger and looking at the stats and comments, i must say you guys are just amazing! Its still kinda surreal to be able to blog about what i love most and sharing with so many people out there. :) Thank you guys! 

I just wanna say i do look at your blogs whenever i can even if i don't comment much. It inspires me alot reading blogs from different parts of the world and how the bloggers live their lives to the fullest! Great motivation.

Don't waste life. :)

C

7/26/2011 6

_________ I Wouldn't Ask For More, _________

By Cindy A.


那一刻,你抱着我,睡着了。我是幸福的。

无论我们彼此之间流过多少眼泪,那些都是爱情的一部分与考验,让我们更珍惜曾经快乐的时光和现在的每分每刻。我不想以后, 我不想永远。

那一刻,你抱着我,睡着了。我是感激的。

我望着天花板,这样的简单这样的平静是你带给我的。这样握着你的手,靠在你肩膀,发着呆,我是快乐的。

未来,我不知道它会长什么样。但我知道,幸福,我拥有过。真的就够了。

现在,我只想简简单单的,快快乐乐的和你拥抱属于我们的每一天。

我爱你。

C

7/25/2011 9

_____ nobody's enemy everyone's a lover, _____

By Cindy A.



. Cream Candy Skinny Belt . Oh! Poupée . Shades . Lipstick . Stylenanda . Beatles Sleeveless Tee . Bangkok . 
. Dark Mustard Polka-Dots Scarf . Toffee Lace Socks . Topshop . Green Sling Bag . Zipia . 
. High-Waisted Denim Shorts . Gmarket Korea . Black Wedges . New Look . 

The weather is so hot nowadays! I'm really not a fan of summer...especially when its almost all year round. :(

C

6

_______ Chocolate Cake & Irish Coffee _______

By Cindy A.




. Chocolate cake i made for Rine this time, with frosting . Her irish coffee, yay loves . Alcoholic chocolate snack we like .

Good times :)

. taken with iphone instagram app .

C


7/24/2011 4

___________ ♥ Keeps Me Awake, ___________

By Cindy A.


Work is keeping me busy this week. But it's the right thing to do and next week, its a whole new challenge.

C

7/23/2011 0

_____________ Nothing Less, _____________

By Cindy A.



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6

___________ It's All Cut & Paste, ___________

By Cindy A.


I'm going to have a nice lunch with my dear friend tomorrow. I made a cake and we will be enjoying it with her Irish coffee and some lovely ice-cream at her place. Talk about relaxing and cozy weekend. Can't wait. :)

C

7/21/2011 16

______ I Wanted More Until I Found You, _____

By Cindy A.




. Cream Frilly Asymmetric Top . Oh! Poupée . Shades . Lipstick . Spike Bracelet . Stylenanda . Cardigan . Gmarket Korea . 
. Denim Shorts . Vintage & Self-DIY Studs . Suspender Tights . Topshop . Cross Ring . Forever21 . Silver Bracelet . Zipia . 

As you can tell i have alot of studs on me recently, haha. Well i had to make use of the rest of the studs i bought awhile ago so i'm playing around with studded denim now. Don't get sick of it :) 

Got to answer some recent questions; 

Did i permed my hair...etc? Although i have answered this loads of times but yeah :) I did, back in Taiwan beginning this year but it wasn't so successful and definitely not anywhere near the pictures. All the wavy hairstyles you see on me were the results of curling irons or hot rollers. I have very straight hair naturally. The perm i did only gave me a little curl and volume that's all. I still have to curl my hair from day to day to achieve the curls and waves. For some days, i use extensions from pinkage, a korean brand ( you can google it ) to create a longer length. If not, its all my natural hair... for example, those pictures above. :)

How do i keep my tights/stockings in good shape? Hmmm i have no idea, cos i'm also one those who tear up my tights easily :/ Its pretty hard to avoid. Well all i can say is probably just be more gentle when you wear it, and try not to scratch it with your long nails, of course the quality of the tights also make a difference. Oh and if you can, handwash it. Alternatively is to use a washing bag in washing machine to maintain its quality.

C

7/20/2011 4

__________ Simple Lunch By Him, __________

By Cindy A.


Simple lunch by Mister T. Just some warm baked beans, egg sunny side up, boiled long beans with soy sauce and fried pork chop with herbs and pepper. Healthy and delicious :) Thanks Dear.

C

7/19/2011 9

________ - We Used To Be Unknown - ________

By Cindy A.



. Sailor Scarf . Joyce Shop Taiwan . Shirt . Ripped Denim . Gmarket Korea . Belt . Tie-Ups . Lipstick . Stylenanda . Watch . Casio .

I never thought that i would be used to wearing lipsticks, never. But this color, blown me away. As much as i like to wear it often now, i also get as many weird stares from the public too. Especially here in my neighborhood, most of them are at least in their 60s.

Sometimes i wonder, i'm probably just a clown or weirdo in most people's eyes. Laugh or cry? Whatever.

C

9

_____________ ! Panaroma ! ______________

By Cindy A.


Boyfriend took this pic during our fort canning outing. Using his iphone panaroma application. Haha as you can see some parts are not stitched that well. But i still like it alot :) I will be alot busier soon, hope i'll be able to still update everyday when the time comes!

C

7

_________ Nothing Beats The Egg ! _________

By Cindy A.


Do you love egg?

You know,

It is so so... surreal and happy at the same time to see you guys really try out my recipes, for real! Glad to actually see the food pics that you guys posted on your blogs and i don't know why but feel really touched when you tell me you like them as much as i do :) 

Thank you for such appreciation! :D Thanks!

Whats life without food, man?

C

7/18/2011 5

_________ ! Our Sizzling Sundae ! __________

By Cindy A.






" Love doesn't make the world go round, it makes the ride worthwhile." 
- F.P. Jones

We had a blast last Sunday just chilling, talking, laughing, eating and more eating! We also celebrated TY's birthday and spent the day like no other. :) Its really nice to have these darlings, we can talk about anything even the most random and trivia things in life. Aside from our fair share of worries, stress and unhappiness from life, i feel very grateful to have these friends we can share our troubles with and also giving each other genuine support when needed. Last week was just greatttttttttttttttttt!

It's all worthwhile.

C

6

___________ Rewind & Forward, ___________

By Cindy A.


Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

- Soren Kierkegaard

C

3

________ Eleven Years And Countin' ________

By Cindy A.


Year 2000. It has really been so long but somehow still feels like yesterday. 

We came from different places... and then were brought together as one. 

I hated school, but i missed Monk's Hill, 4/5.

Cos i got to know these people, who gave me the best school days of my life. 

They continued to stay in my life and now, what more can you ask for?

Thanks, LOVE you guys :)

C

7/16/2011 12

_________ Her Colorful Symmetry, _________

By Cindy A.




. Denim Shorts . Sheer Sleeveless Tee . Forever21 . Mustard Cardigan . Gmarket Korea . White Satchel . Taiwan . 
. Suspender Tights . Risque . Bracelets . Asos . Vintage Watch . Casio .

Start each day with a grateful heart.
Focus on the positive aspects of every person you encounter.
End each day with a grateful heart.
~ Lucy MacDonald

C

11

____________ ! White Studded ! ____________

By Cindy A.


Yes i did it again! 

I just had to do something to my leftover studs, right? It feels good to accomplish some things in life even they are as small as this. 

Yeah, its not always about the end result, because eventually you only remember the process.

C

6

__________ ! Mini Chocolate Cake ! _________

By Cindy A.



You know i can be really impulsive when a sudden thought or inspiration hits me and then i would wanna do it or get hold of it as quickly as possible? It can be a very small thing such as a sudden crave to bake a cake. And whats interesting was that i just realized i have never used my rice cooker to bake before ( it comes with baking function ) What a waste i thought. It was in the middle of the night before i slept and i told myself i needed to do that straightaway the next day! Haha. So i did. With no expectation or anything, Yayy. I loved it! It was pretty easy, not much hassle to speak. The texture was somewhere between a sponge cake and a pudding cake. Moist, fluffy and soft. I tried it when it was still warm. I mean you can't go too wrong with chocolate! Well, it did feel good to finally not wasting something so useful, my Toshiba rice cooker! :)

EDITED* didn't thought of typing out the recipe for it isn't common for people to bake their cake in a rice cooker? Because not all rice cooker bakes, so you gotta make sure yours can! The last few steps of the recipe can only apply to a Toshiba rice cooker.

Here it is.

Recipe  ~  Rice Cooker Mini Chocolate Cake
- Ingredients for Cake -
Butter 65 gm
Castor Sugar 60 gm
Eggs 1
Sifted Self Raising Flour 75 gm
Chocolate Chips 15 gm
Vanilla Essence 1/3 tsp
- Ingredients for Cocoa Mixture -
Cocoa Powder 15 gm
Sugar 35 gm
Water 55 ml
- Direction -
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and beat for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add vanilla essence. Fold in flour and cocoa mixture alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Add chocolate chips and mix well. Pour mixture evenly into greased rice cooker pot.
Close the lid and cook on Congee setting until cooker beeps, repeat (cook on Congee setting until cooker beeps). Then select Rapid cook and cook until cooker beeps. Do not open the lid while baking.

When cake is cool, remove the inner rice bowl and place a serving plate over the top of the bowl, before flipping the cake out.

Decorate cake before serving.

As you can see, i was just experimenting so i didn't do the chocolate frosting on the cake.

Of course a nice frosting makes the cake looks more appealing and delicious. :)

Serves 4.

I tried the cake again the next day and i thought it was even better when its cooled. And my sister in law liked it too, heehee ♥


C

7

______________ .Cameras. _______________

By Cindy A.


Alot people asked,

I use Nikon D5000 for most of my outfit/food pictures. (Default Lens)

Sometimes Leica D Lux 4 when i go town/outdoor. 

Then there is the Iphone camera that i snap random moments of my life. :)

I have also included this info on my sidebar.

EDITED*

Oh yeah and many of you asked about my photography set-up and editing software etc.

So i'll just explain this here so anyone can just refer to this post. :)

I don't have any secret or tricks to my photography. Basically i just take pics against a clean white wall in my room with a very limited amount of space. I just make sure that the windows are open so that the natural sunlight can fully shine into the room, of course a good weather outside is a bonus. Lighting makes a huge difference, and i would prefer natural light to flash light. I set my camera to the best settings, right aperture and shutter speed, not too dark or too over-exposed so it can capture the true sharpness, color and texture of your outfits. Of course you can also play around cos some like the over-exposed effect or the flash light look, they are awesome too. I use a remote and a tripod when taking my outfit pictures. 

What i do in post is i will adjust the color in photoshop to tweak the mood that best fits the outfits, well this is all personal preference. I have been using photoshop for a long while so i really dont have a formula that create a edited look or something. I just play around and each time it gets different result. The basic things that i can say are levels, color balances, brightness & contrast and the layering modes...etc. Its hard for me to go into details for every outfit pictures. How do i merge my 2-3 outfit pics into 1? Just simply masking and erasing in photoshop. Since the backdrop is a clean wall so it very easy. Haha all my editings are simply just old school manual work. I believe there are easier ways that i don't know.

If you guys are interested, you can look up photoshop tutorials on the internet (they are everywhere!) and play around you might just get some effects you like. I heard there are some good softwares out there with ready made photo effects? That would save a lot of time and effort in post i guess. But i'm really not sure about this one. Let me know if you find one! I want :D

Most importantly is to have a good camera, simple clean backdrop, good natural lighting and the right camera settings. I use auto white balance and iso depends on the sunlight? Yep as long as the picture is sharp and not over or under exposed its all good. Nothing beats a good camera, its the foundation. No matter how much editing you do if the picture quality is bad, it is bad.

Hope this helps :)

C

7/15/2011 19

___________ The Make-Up Post, ___________

By Cindy A.

Some of you asked how do i do my makeup? Well here it is! I wouldn't call this a tutorial or any kind of professional guide cos i'm definitely not a make-up guru. What i'm doing is just plain sharing my personal make-up routine. I don't know if you can tell i was pretty uncomfortable with a camera taking pics of me dolling up...so i tried not to look at the camera...and as you can see my hair in the process was kinda a mess. 

I'm going to show a full make-up routine that i do when i go to the town shopping with my friends or on a date with my boyfriend. For most casual times, i would actually skip some of the steps and go simple and easy on myself.


Some basic products that i normally use, although i have a habit of changing between brands particularly on loose powder, foundation and eye shadows.


After applying my skincare, lip balm and sunblock, i used this bb cream as a base/foundation. Sometimes i use my everyday mineral powder foundation for a change.


Just a slightly bigger than red bean size of the bb cream for a natural coverage.


Dab the bb cream onto forehead, cheeks and chin areas.


Using fingertips, i applied the cream to the whole face evenly. 


This is the concealer powder from everyday minerals. 


As you can see i have freckles on my cheeks and they were there ever since i was a little girl. I don't hate them so i won't deliberately hide them. I use concealer mainly for my dark circles and acne scars.


I would use a brush to conceal my dark circles and a cotton bud on small tiny scars and marks. I don't advice heavy concealing because it would just make your face looks cakey especially on the undereye areas. Over-doing it will just make your flaws even more obvious.


Everyday minerals finishing powder. Sometimes i would do this the very last step after blusher.


Yep i used the same brush ( i used a tissue to remove the left-over concealer powder from the brush before this step )


Bronzer from Paul & Joe!


This is to contour my face on the sides to create a slimmer looking face.


Eyebrow powder from Everyday minerals.



Fasio eyeshadow that i never get bored of using. The colors are just must haves!


Close-up on the eye, applied white color on the inner corner of the eye lids, follow by champagne in the middle then lastly applied the brown color shadow towards the end of the lids. And i used a cotton bud to draw the brown color shadow on my lower eyelids too.


Light pink blush from Everyday Minerals. Okay this step should be after my eyeliner.


Normally i would apply my eyeliner first and while waiting for it to dry i blush my cheeks. Then i go back to the eyes for the mascara which is the last step.


K- palette eyeliner i have been using for the past 3-4 years? Since it first came out in Singapore.
Love it!


I drew a line across the upper lid on the lash line , try to draw it as close to your lashes. You can smudge the line with a cotton bud to create a softer look.


I'm also a fan of this mascara from Majolica Majolica. This one gives volume. Sometimes i would use a bit of mascara on my lower eyelashes.


And i'm done! I didn't put on any lipstick this time, just lip balm! :) I don't use false eyelashes on regular basis, i only put them on for special occasions...or particular times when i wanna try on a new look or something.

I hope this is some helpful information for you guys. And this is pretty much the way i do it :) 

C