Christmas!

To be completely honest with everyone, I enjoy Christmas, but sometimes it MAKES ME COMPLETELY INSANE. The Christmas songs just drive me round the looney bin. If I hear Jingle Bell Rock ONE more time, I might just go mad.

I know I said doing an outfit post was useless because I'd be sweating away in hot and humid Malaysia. But when I saw the grapevine in all it's splendour in my grandma's garden, I immediately changed my mind and started putting an outfit together. But that's not to say I wasn't perspiring profusely during the shoot. >:(

I saw the shoes at Bershka, one of the stores I frequent alot nowadays. To be quite honest it looked terrible on the shelf and an idea struck me: how funny would it be to try on those hideous shoes? Oh the irony, I ended up falling in love once I put them on. I knew the gold and black would be perfect for Christmas. Red and green come in the form of flowers in this outfit, plus an old ribbon my grandma gave me that matches the green on my skirt to a T. When it comes to colour and pattern, less is more, so little dashes of colour and glitter against the black stand out more and give the outfit an edgy look.

I love the A-line cut and pleats of the skirt, they hide my terrible pear shaped figure so well. :D My relatives were all "what pear shaped figure?!" and I was like: there we go. Skirt works like magic. ;D

I didn't take any full body shots with the shoes because the grass was muddy and the shoes are suede. Mud and suede? Cringe.

black blouse with spike tips | floral skirt from Forever21 | drawstring bag from The Editor's Market | Russian red lipstick by M.A.C
black and gold heels from Bershka | Watch by Roberge, Geneve. Auriga Quartz | Bracelet by Mouawad

UNICORN LOVE, 

-R

All Things Green and Red

CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE! 

Hopefully everyone has plans on how to make the fullest of this year's xmas! :D 

I for one am going to spend it somewhere where the weather is horribly un-christmassy, so it seems pretty pointless for me to do a Christmas fashion post since I'd just be wearing a singlet, shorts, and hopefully an icepack on my forehead. So to make up for that I'm going to make a wishlist of green and red things to make myself (and hopefully everyone reading this) feel slightly better.

Although something is telling me it's not going to work out very well, seeing as the word here is wish-list and not have-list. 

Green and Red Christmas Wishlist!

1. Christmas Nails

this is probably the only thing I have on my wishlist. I went out with Denise to get them done just this morning. Nails are my weakness, more than anything else. My favourite are the reindeer, because they sort of look like Unicorns, but christmassy. Don't look at me like that. 

2. Red Balenciaga Classic Town Coquelicot  

Like, I can't even. I want so bad. ): 

3. Green Tea Confectionery

So I was blogsurfing and I went to Jean's  blog. WORST MISTAKE OF THIS MONTH I TELL YOU. *SHAKES FIST*.  Because I saw the pictures, and since then I've had this intense craving for green tea-related confectioneries that JUST WON'T GO AWAY. Dear waistline, you'll have to abandon all hope of coming into existence this holiday. 

4. Red Highlights 

I used to have them, and now they've faded to a light blonde. I want them back! Here's a picture from back then :D 

There are a bajillion more things I could put on this list, but unfortunately they aren't green or red, so the list ends here. I've so much planned for the holiday and been so busy lately I didn't realise till I sat down and looked at my calendar today that I've almost been home for a month. O: O: O: O: O: O: 

It just started to rain so I'm going to curl up in my bed. Plus it's already 2AM in the morning. Goodnight everyone! 

UNICORN LOVE, 

- R

Anything Could Happen

Hello everybody! Hopefully everyone is well and having an amazing time. I've been going out so much and been so busy recently I completely forgot about snapping photos for my usual outfit posts. So instead of the usual, I'm here with another song for everyone to enjoy!

It's anything could happen by Ellie Goulding and to say I am obsessed with this song is an understatement. I've been hearing it multiple times in different shopping centres and because I live under the rock called Korean Pop, I didn't recognise it. I don't know about you guys, but anything with a good beat and dramatic music draws me in like a bee to honey. The beat in this one is constant and boy is it addictive.

For me it's the kind of song that I would just sit down and listen to over and over again and just be.The other day I went to meet my friend at one of the few hidey-hole cafes in Singapore. This song was playing on my ipod and while I waited, and I just watched the world. You know, not doing or thinking anything, just listening to the melody of the song alone, not the lyrics, and just enjoy the feeling of time passing. It's one of my favourite feelings in the world.

Haha maybe I'm just odd. Anyway, have a listen.

UNICORN LOVE, 

- R

Home

First year of uni has come to an end and I am also finally back home! :D While on the flight back there were no crying babies, a certain someone sitting beside me had completely no concept of personal space whatsoever.

"Hi lady, I'd really appreciate it if you took your elbow out of my face so I can eat my meal in peace. Also, please put on some socks or take your feet off the seat so your cold and slightly clammy toes don't keep brushing against my leg. I don't like your toe particles very much thank you." 

 It's great to see my family again. I didn't know how much I missed my family till I saw them waiting for me at the arrival gates. :')  Also can't wait to meet my friends again and see how they're doing. On another hand, Singapore weather is positively dreadful. It's so humid breathing is actually tiring and I'm perspiring so much I constantly smell like a gym. Up to your imagination entirely as to how I look like while typing this post. 

My latest score on the spring-summer sales is this pair of navy shorts from Forever New. I know, I know, I have one that looks almost exactly like it in black from ZARA, but how could I resist? I love the cut of the shorts, the fabric and the navy colour that's much softer than black. It hides my ridiculous pear shaped figure and it's versatile. Plus there are so many colours that can be matched with navy, but not black. Who cares if I already have a dupe in my closet? (Irrational shopaholic speaking here) 

I'm sorry it's back to my less pro photos, we'll just have to make do with my iphone camera and self timer :/ 

I paired it off with a sleeveless brown blouse and I snagged from a pushcart store; the pattern on the blouse isn't white and black, but white and navy! I've worn this blouse with black bottoms previously because the lace detailing on the collar is black, but I feel that navy suits it so much better. The cream/gold ribbon belt acts as a transition colour for the blue and brown to blend well.  Also, say hi to another member of my bag family, a square suede satchel that's a beautiful emerald green. It provides the needed contrast to prevent everything from looking too matchy-matchy.

Navy shorts from forever new similar here | Cream skinny belt similar here and here | Green suede satchel from Dip Drops

 Watch by Robergé, Geneve. Auriga Quartz | Bracelets from etsy

Add a few accessories and we're good to go with the hot Singapore weather :D

Hope everyone is going to have an amazing summer. 

UNICORN LOVE,

- R

Reusables

EXAMS ARE OVERRRRRRRR WHEEEEE WHOOOOOOO OMGGGGGGG PLAYTIME SLEEP SLEEEP EAT EAT PLAY PLAY SHOPPINGGGGGGGGGGGG BEACH BEACH WHEEEEEEEEE HOLYBAJIGGAS EXAMS ARE OVERRR~

I'M BAAAAACK! :P

I apologise for my lack of blogging decorum. Just had to get it out.

Remember how I told everyone I was broke because I spent so much on ASOS? Well, I didn't lie. And to celebrate my lack of money and re-emergence from the study cave, this post is all about the old favourites you thought were out of fashion and wanted to throw out.

Which brings me to rule #1: NEVER CHUCK OUT ANY PAST HG ITEMS. Because after a year or so, the trend is forgotten and you can bring your ex-HG item back into fashion. For example,I snagged this skirt at a sale LAST YEAR at the peak of the electric blue trend. I recently pulled it back out and wore this through the whole tribal/aztec obsession and the baroque print craze. People would ask me where I got that tribal/baroque print skirt from and I'd smile sheepishly at them and tell them I forgot because I didn't want to get caught for being such a cheapo.

Okay you can stop giving me weird looks now.

So point is, things will always somehow come back into fashion in one way or another. You can then use this to your advantage: people can't buy the same thing as you and copy you because buying a similar piece would involve time travel. And who can actually time travel? (except unicorns because they are awesome)

I paired this with a simple black top to counter the complicated patterns on the skirt, and a pair of brown wedges to match the browns and golds on the pattern. Also brought out my horse LaPalette bag that has been in my HG collection since I got it. I love the design because it's so clever and different and I LOVE horses. Plus the sizing is perfect for all my stuff and the colour matches almost everything. I saw it in Korea while on holiday and despite my overweight luggage, I bought it and lugged it home. To complete the look, I added a simple necklace so everything doesn't look too bottom heavy.

Links in the outfit description!

Black top with mesh sleeves from ZARA similar here | LaPalette Horse Craft Square Bag | Bimba&Lola square bracelets similar here

DIVA Gold Bunting Collar | Brown lace up sandal wedges from NOVO | Watch from Emporio Armani Gentlemen's Line 

photos credits to Sharon :)

Holidays are here and its about a week before I fly back home and there is so much packing to do. like, HOW THE HELL DID I ACCUMULATE ALL THIS SHIT?

On another note, here's a letter I penned to my bed: 

Dear Bed,  

I'm sorry I cheated you out of our quality time to spend it with exams. I was going through a masochistic phase where I'd almost kill myself trying to remember things and then sit in a hall for a straight three hours trying to remember everything. I'm sorry it reduced our quality time from 8 to only 4 hours per day. I'm over it now. I promise not to have any more affairs because I understand you're the only one for me. I love you. Please take me back.  

with all my love,
Rachel

HAPPY SUMMER HOLIDAYS AND MUCH UNICORN LOVE, 

- R

Playing for keeps

LONG POST ALERT!
I went out with friends for brunch today, a last outing before I retreat into study mode. I haven't seen these people for a while, so it was nice to catch up and update each other on plans and life in general. To be quite honest I don't talk with them very much because living in college takes up pretty much my entire life right now. But they're the ones that I first made friends with and lived with when I came to Melbourne, and to me that's created a connection that's always going to tie me to these people. The Singlish and Chinese slip out and it feels pretty nice. I think this one is for keeps. :)

I had the big breakfast and that's P.shan's lamb burger. This stuff tastes like heaven. Everything is done to perfection. The scrambled eggs are supple but not overcooked, the bacon is tender and the mushrooms are amazing. everything was not too salty or sweet. The place we went to was LE MIEL et la lune on Elgin St, only 10 minutes walk away from where I stay.

Being the most vain, image concious person you'll come across in your average group of people, of course I took this opportunity to dress up nicely for the last time in about 2 weeks. I ditched my more summery look for a fiercer one, putting together more blacks and golds and less white. I always like only one or two items to the the centre of attention in any outfit, so in this one it's my oversized leopard tee and burgundy owl bag. 

I keep featuring my neon Bimba&Lola clutch and this Owl bag because I have no other bags right now, they're nicely packed away in my closet in Singapore and I'm regretting not bringing them over! You'll see the rest of my bag family in about a month :D 

Realizing that I'm almost completely decked out in ASOS has made me come to terms with the fact that I'm burning a VERY large hole in my pocket. 

Let me warn you potential buyers of this oversized leopard tee - ITS HUGE. I'm not the skinniest person on Earth and I'm literally swimming in a size 10. I'm normally a size 8-10 for tops on ASOS, so I would recommend dropping a size when ordering this. However, it flows pretty nicely on top of this skater skirt because of the tight waistline and stiffer material. It was slightly chilly so I put on these sheer cross tights; I think the pattern is simple enough so as not to overcomplicate the outfit. Finished off with a pair of black heeled boots! I put on some more delicate and feminine arm candy to counter the fierceness of the other pieces.

Links below to the stuff in this outift! 

Thanks to my wonderful friend Sharon who owns a DSLR and has has kindly agreed to take my outfit photos, this post will be filled with  AWESOME BIG GOOD QUALITY WONDERFUL HD photos instead of the sad ones I pilfer off my instagram. (follow her on instagram @theredninja ) 

ASOS sheer cross all over tights | River Island coated lace skater skirt | ASOS twin leopards t-shirt

ASOS burgundy owl bowler bag | NOVO black heeled boots and similar here | Forever 21 pyramid hinge bracelet

Watch by Roberge, Geneve. Auriga Quartz | Bracelet by Mouawad, Heidi Klum Collection

Alright that's it for about the next 2 weeks. See everyone after the exams end! 

UNICORN LOVE, 

- R

Polkadotted

As of recently, the temperature has dropped quite a bit so I decided to invest in a jacket. I've been looking around for one for ages but I never could find one. Some of the really pretty ones also came with an  even prettier price tag. ): Just the other day, Priceline was having a 20% off all cosmetics and skincare.
Well, don't look at me like that. I HAD to go. Jean and I practically live at Priceline during sale time. 
Jean, Heather and I went off to the city and stopped by JayJays because Heather wanted to buy shorts. As she was paying I spotted (haha see what I did there?) this on the $10 sale rack and on an impulse decided I really liked it and I bought it.

I ended up really really liking it! Most varsity jackets are white and another colour, but this one is cream coloured and that is what I love most about it! The cream isn't such a harsh contrast against the black and makes it more feminine. The material is lightweight with a slightly satin finish which adds class to the piece. I reckon it's a pretty versatile as well because cream and black go with almost any colour and the polkadots are good for spicing up a simple outfit.

Paired it with a plain white shirt, a pair of tan-coloured shorts and a casual leather belt. I tried to keep the rest out the clothes fairly simple since polkadots are fairly distracting patterns. I do know neons are such last season, but I think this neon orange clutch/sling bag from Bimba&Lola is a classic statement item that can add a pop of colour to any dull/monochrome outfit.

JayJays polkadot varsity Jacket | Plain white shirt | Tan skorts, cant find online but this is good 
 Bimba & Lola pigskin clutch in neon orange| Gold Bunting Collar from Diva | Watch from Emporio Armani Gentlemen's Line

Swotvac period for university has begun and I'm going out one last time to meet my previous hostel friends before retreating into my study cave where I will stay until the 9th of next month. While I'm slightly miffed that all my exams are crammed into the first week, I'm also glad that I get to spend more time with Jean and Heather because they finish really early too (roadtrips, girly nights and shopping sprees in planning!). And that also means going back home and being needlessly pampered by my parents whom I haven't seen in about 4 months. Another blogpost in a day or two before I go into study mode! :) 

Hopefully all your exam periods and studies are going well too! 

UNICORN LOVE,

- R

Oxblood

As you can see from the color scheme of my blog, the fashion industry isn't the only one having an obsession over oxblood.

Well, obviously it's not real oxblood we're obsessing over (that's something I save for biology lab dissections). If you're slightly queasy with the idea of wearing animal blood, burgundy, dark or wine red are good alternatives for the name. Hopefully I'm not the only one who doesn't understand this name. I'm sure when we hear blood, we generally think: red, so I'm thinking it's the animal that makes the whole concept special.

So my point is: why specifically oxen? Why not some other cooler creature that has mythological properties eg: phoenix / eagles / kittens /  puppies / pandas / otters / piglets / tarsiers. Why would they, of all animals, choose an animal that does hard labour, chews cud and we rear and eat for food?

so we'd choose this:                              over this?
       

I'm quite sure unicornblood dragonblood eagleblood phoenixblood are nicer, more alluring names for this color.

But nevermind the name, I've always had a love for deep red colors because I think they lend sophistication to almost any piece of clothing or accessory, making a statement without being too loud. I have sweaters, necklaces, shorts and nail polish in this color. My most recent addition to my burgundy - colored family is a lovely bowler bag from ASOS. When I first saw it I was just conjuring up all sorts of outfits and colors that I could match with it.

It just arrived yesterday, so I took it out today! :D I decided to play with the colors and get my outfit to match the bag instead of the bag matching my outfit. It was a pretty warm day out, so I just pulled out a simple chiffon top and matched it with a pair of black skirt - looking shorts and a skinny belt to accentuate my nonexistent waistline. The gold triangle necklace and bracelets match the metal bits of the bag. The burgundy of the bag is the only color in this monochrome outfit so it's the centre of attention, the statment piece that gives everything a pop of color. pop! (Haha. I like that word.)

HOW CUTE IS THE OWLLLLLLL *dies*

white chiffon top from Forever21, similar here & here | Black skorts from Zara, similar here | Black skinny belt 

ASOS owl tassel bowler bag | Coral spot bangle from Diva | Gold Bunting collar from Diva | Watch from Emporio Armarni Gentlemen's line

ps: I always add links to where you can buy these items / dupes of the items in the outfit description so click away! :)

UNICORN LOVE, 
-R

Lilac

Well, Internet is down here, so I'm blogging from my phone at the moment.

(I don't like this. It confuses me.)

But anyway, I headed down to Priceline the other day and on impulse (because it was on sale), I picked up a beautiful lavender/lilac nail polish. I didn't think it would sit well with me because I absolutely CANNOT wear pastel purple-toned clothes. I've got a slightly pink undertone for an Asian and pastel colors in general just make my skin look ashy. (BOO, PASTEL - COLRED SPRING TREND, BOOOooOoooOOO. Can't buy anything >:| )

But this pastel shade sits surprisingly well with my hands! Also a bigbigbig plus point because it's from Rimmel because
1. Rimmel makes wonderful nail polishes that dry really quickly
2. They stay on for about a week before they start chipping (great for lazy people like me who can never be bothered with topcoat)
3. the coverage is beautiful. I got this colout with only 2 coats and it doesn't get all streaky :D
4. It's a drugstore product, which means it comes with a drugstore price! Pocket friendly! :3

Mine is the colour 170 in Lively Lilac. I think it's a great color for spring; it reminds me of flowers :D Hope everyone finds a new nail color to obsess over too, mine makes me very happy!

UNICORN LOVE,
-R

Denim

When you wake to see the sun streaming through the window, you know spring is well and fully here. Sometimes I feel like the wonderful weather Melbourne has been giving me makes up for the amount of work I'm having this week. The exam timetable has just been released; that's the uni reminding me that I've got to start revision soon. ):

Putting together a new outfit and wearing it has always made me slightly happier when I'm off to do some work. For those who don't know me, I'm not going to lie - I will probably be the most vain, image obsessed person you will ever meet. Which is why I am highly suspicious that this phenomenon has something to do with the mindset that I'll still be looking nice while I'm furiously doing work, even if on the inside I'm a deranged version of Medusa.

So, I decked myself out in some denim - a vest from H&M I bought while holidaying in Spain a year ago. Back then, they didn't have H&M in Singapore or in Melbourne, you see. I think denim feels very casual, laid back and carefree (unless they are jeans) and hence, perfect for this sunny, lazy weather. To counter the roughness of the denim I paired it with a chiffon blouse and a flowy A-line skirt.

I saw the skirt online and I fell in love immediately.
ME: I.... MUSH...... HAVES...... IT.....
I love horses. But not as much as I love unicorns.

Denim Vest from H&M | White Chiffon top with breastpockets | ASOS Skater Skirt in Horse Print

Watch Emporio Armarni  Gentlemen's Collection | Spike Geometric Bracelets from Diva and ASOS

Unicorn love, 

-R

new beginnings

So well, I suddenly had this urge to revamp my whole blog because I felt like it was time for a new beginning. I kept all my old posts on file, but they aren't up here because I thought the photos were slightly stale. Heh.

So well, here's to a brand new start of an old blog! :) 

Posts will be coming soon! :D