Printing Photos with Printiki

Despite being someone who is constantly taking photos of my food and my dog (and other random crap), I don't remember the last time I actually printed any of those photos. I think being part of a generation where photos are so easily accessible on your phone and online, I've lost the appreciation for actually having physical photos on display! When Printiki reached out to me and offered to print some of my photos - I jumped at the chance and thought it would be a great opportunity to jazz up my room and have my favourite photos on display!

Reflecting on...2015

I was deliberating on whether or not to do one of "these" posts as I'm really not one for reflecting, or goal setting - so don't expect any new year's resolutions from me! But I don't know, the thought popped into my head so I thought, why da heck not. This post is probably a little late too since everyone's all like "HELLOOOOO 2016", but anyway, let's have a chit chat shall we.

The Humble Abode.

Well, well, well...look at us getting all up close and personal! I think we're at that stage where I can invite you over and give you a tour of my room ;) I have mentioned a few times on the blog that over the last couple of months I've been moving from my room, to my sister's (larger) room, as she recently moved out. It was a pretty tedious process of moving all of her crap out (now I thought I was a hoarder -_-) and cleaning up the place. That main wall was COVERED in blu tack from her "photo wall". Anyway, it's sad but true but the main reason I wanted to move in was because I was running out of space in my old makeup storage and was in desperate need of a new solution! I then became obsessed with wanting a dressing table and having a nice makeup "area" so yeah, I decided to move in! I also got a bed upgrade (since my other room was too small for the spare double we had) and basically had a lot of fun playing interior designer. I was totes going for that "minimal" vibe (though, bet's be real it's gonn' get real cluttered, real quick) and I was keen on lots of white with COPPER accents. Y'all know I love dat copper. Anyway, it's very photo heavy so I'll try to keep the text to a minimum!

18 Things in 18 Years

Whelp, it's my birthday today. I'm officially 18 and I can finally get lewse without society constantly getting in my way! Lol jks, I'm still a homebody with no life. But IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD OUT THERE. This post was heavily inspired by Sheri's...yeah, not gonna lie, I basically copied, hope ya don't mind! ;) (YOU JUST SO INSPIRATIONAL, GURL). But yeah, I rarely do reflective/personal posts on here, mainly because I hate talking about myself, but I thought I'd share a few random morsels I've gathered hither and thither over the years. It's a bit of a hodge podge of advice, things I've learnt, things about me and facts about LIFE. 

Formalities

As you may have seen from my Instagram, this past Saturday was my grade 12 Formal! Exciting times really. I had a really fun night, and even though my feet were killing me, I made sure to have a ball jigging it on the d-floor. It was also quite emotional and overwhelming as this is an event I've been looking forward to for years, and of course another reminder that my schooling life will be over very soon! A few of you guys asked to see some snaps from the day, so here they are!

I got my makeup done at Mecca Cosmetica. I was originally going to do it myself however I realised that the products I wanted to buy would've cost more than getting it done, so I decided to go down the Mecca route as they have literally every product I would've wanted to be used! I had a very specific look in mind (it was actually one of the MSFW looks a Mecca makeup artist created that I spotted in an email from them) and luckily the lovely gal who did my makeup did it exactly how I wanted (shoutout to Courteney, even though she doesn't know about this blog lol)! She took her time and I didn't feel intimidated to ask for certain products at all, I'm so happy with how it came out!

Products used (from what I can recall):

Face:
NARS Pro-Prime Pore-Refining Primer
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder
NARS Contour Blush Duo in Paloma
NARS Laguna Bronzer
NARS Orgasm Blush
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow (as a highlight)

Eyes:
Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow
Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow in Kitten (mixed with Stila Stay All Day liquid eye primer)
Kevyn Aucoin Eye Pencil Primatif in Black
Chantecaille Mascara (not sure which one)
Ardell Short Flare Black Individual lashes and Lash Grip (applied myself)

Lips:
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi 

I'm really happy with the products she picked out - she pretty much read my mind in regards to what I've been wanting to try! Though I did request a couple of things like the lip colour and foundation, and the eye look obviously. Seriously though, I love the way it came out. The wing is defining and accentuating without being too overbearing or dramatic, the glitter is super pretty yet not too garish, and the lip matched my clutch, and although it was quite bold, it didn't clash with the eyes. Also loved how flawless my skin looked yet it wasn't cakey or too matte and felt super light. The whole look lasted really well through the night, I only touched up my lips a couple of times, mostly because I wanted to be fancy and touch up my lipstick. My cheek products hardly faded and my mascara/eyeliner didn't smudge at all! It cost $90 with the full amount redeemable on products. My haulage will be coming up in a post very soon ;)

I did my own hair, and am super happy with how it came out - even though I was a little rushed. I was going for the "faux undercut/side shave look", inspired by Natalie Dormer and Sophie Turner at SDCC this year haha, here are the babes. Since my dress is quite delicate/pretty, I wanted to add a bit of edginess in the hair/makeup/accessories. I had a deep side part and my mum did a tight french braid down the side. I swooped my hair to the other side and used a 1 1/4 inch curling iron/barrel (thanks for the loan Tam!) to put in some loose curls/defined waves. I used the Kerastase Ciment Thermique as a heat protectant and it left my hair feeling super soft! Definitely a fan. I also used the Matrix Design Pulse Hair Lock Extra Strong Hold Hairspray which worked quite well. It did leave hair feeling a wee bit hard feeling if you sprayed too much - but not so bad considering it's Extra Strong! They held really well through the night full of dancing!

Dress: ASOS (available here)
Shoes: Tony Bianco (not that you can see them but here's a pic)
Ear Cuff: H&M
Bracelet: Topshop
Rings: Lovisa
Clutch: Etsy (I think, it's my sister's) and insert made by me (out of a Mecca Maxima bag haha)!
Nails: Maybelline Bleached Neons in Sun Flare

I really love my dress actually, I like how it's simple but still a little glitzy/glam with the embellishment. I really like how flowy the skirt is and the sheer panel underneath the cropped top. It looks a bit more pink in the photos online, but I still liked the colour in real life, though it was a bit more beige! The sequins were silver however I was adamant on gold jewellery, so I decided to "mix metals" and I think it turned out really well.

I really loved the clear clutch too. I was set on peachy-pink (of course) so I decided to make the insert out of what I had lying around the house. I really love the pop of colour! I think if I had gone nude, it would have been a bit too drab for my liking.

The gorgeous gals.

Something we do at our school's formals are entrances! Everyone arrives at the "pre-formal" in a vehicle/mode of transportation and walk in on a red carpet - ooh la la! It's always really fun to see what everyone comes in - usually fancy or classic cars, limos, etc but it's always cool to come in something different! We decided to hire out a trackless train and it was so fun haha! We decorated it with fairy lights, and even drove it down to the dinner venue which was only 5 minutes away - but we were choo choo-ing on the roads!

The night was definitely one to remember, such a fun time with all my closest friends, and of course it was amazing to get dressed up for the night. It makes me sad to know that soon it will be all over and weird to think that I won't see my friends everyday at school. Enough sappy times, I hope you guys enjoyed this post!

What was your formal/prom experience like?

20 Facts About Me

I was tagged by Cherie quite a while ago to share 20 facts about myself over on Instagram, but I thought I would share them over here. I'd rather share facts about myself to you guys (who I've never met before), than people I know in real life...is that weird? I just feel way more open with you guys! There's no judgment here, right? :)

1. I am Chinese, but was born here in Australia, but my parents were born in South Africa. Got some serious multi-cultural shiz going down here.
2. I can speak some Chinese, having learnt Mandarin for the past seven-ish years of schooling. Definitely not fluent though!! I'm actually Cantonese Chinese though, so technically still can't speak the language of ma people.

3. I've lived in the same house my whole life.

4. I used to have a pet Jack Russell Terrier named Toffy.

5. Everyone in my family's name starts with a T, except my dad.

6. I have two much older sisters.

7. I wear glasses sometimes, not full time since my vision isn't so bad yet - it's getting there though. I should really just stop being in denial and start wearing them full time.

8. I obsess over old, British men. That sounds wrong and so seedy, only some old British men though. Examples include Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch and Dan Smith (though he isn't too much older, at least that's what I tell myself).

9. Speaking of obsessions, watching TV shows is pretty much all I do. That's probably an exaggeration but I watch a lot of TV shows.

10. Yeah, if you couldn't tell already, I'm a huge geek. My tumblr can attest to that. I'm pretty nerdy too but not that nerdy - ja feel? It's cool though, my friends are geeks and nerds too :P

11. I have a pretty good memory - especially when it comes to names and last names. I'm pretty sure I still remember the last names of everyone who was in my grade in primary school. 

12. I've only ever been to one concert in my life (if we exclude The Wiggles) which was Katy Perry. Incidentally I'm also going to her concert this year! Apparently I love me some Katy, which I do.

13. I've never even attempted to do a smokey black eyeshadow look on myself - even in the comfort of my own home.

14. I don't like being touched - like hugs I'm cool with, or casual resting of arms, but skin-on-skin weirds me out quite a bit.

15. I lose things, mainly when travelling and am flustered. I once lost a camera on a plane (a small point and shoot) filled with snaps of my South African holiday. It was somewhat okay though because both my sisters were doing most of the photo taking with their huge ass DSLRs and lenses, but yeah, moral of the story, don't trust me with your valuables for prolonged periods of time.

16. I like to collect nick nacks and trinkets, or "dust collectors" as my dad calls them, what can I say, I like cute and pretty things. Yeah, my room is very cluttered.

17. I hate taking selfies, mainly because I look crappy in them. Like that is not what I looked like in the mirror!?

18. I'm quite an introverted and shy person with people I don't know, or only know a little, but with my friends I can get CRAY. Like wow.

19. I hate swimming (and, you know, the general outdoors). I like leisurely floating, but make me do laps and I will drown. Okay, exaggeration, but I suck basically.

20. I hate talking about myself. Like when on first days of school, your new teacher asks what your hobby is - basically my most dreaded nightmare. Or saying your best qualities, or being insightful about yourself, yeah I can't do it. 

In accordance with fact number 20, I thought this was going to be quite hard which is why I was reluctant to do it, but surprisingly it wasn't so bad! I ended up coming up with them quite quickly actually. I thought you guys might like to learn more about me (the weird bits too), as I love reading these sorts of posts!