Confessions of a Curious Mind

A new direction

2012-01-09T20:43:00.000+11:00

Direction by nicole from Flickr

Happy 2012 to CCM readers!

Yes, it has been months since the last update. I have been through some challenging times and I needed a bit of time off blogging to recuperate. The good thing is that the dark clouds are gone and I'm living life to the full again.

During my time off I evaluated aspects of my life, including this blog. It has been so much fun blogging and engaging with you through comments and Twitter. However I wanted a change in what I blog about. As mentioned in this post, I am fascinated by how the internet and social networks change the way we shop, and after some consideration I decided to start a new blog to explore the topic. It will be a mix of news, reviews, interview and more. I'll still be writing about my various shopping conquests :-D

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support and friendship (it's lovely meeting some of you in real life!).

Now, hop over to The Etail Queen and say hi!

xoxo

To the Nation's Capital

2011-10-13T10:43:00.001+11:00

The Curious household is off to Canberra today - Mr C's work has an annual conference there, which is really a paid-for holiday for staff and their families. Mr C's dad lives in the area so we'll be spending a bit of time with him as well. It'll be TLG's first visit to his grandpa's house!

On the agenda - a morning at the AIS organised by Mr C's employer, dinners at the Australian War Memorial and Kingsley's Steak and Crabhouse (drool), and trips to the Floriade and Questacon.

Photo: Floriade Canberra 2011 by Galeforcesales

We're doing last minute packing now and will be off in an hour or so.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the week :-)

Thoughts from a Sydney shopping day

2011-10-11T07:20:00.000+11:00

The Bathurst 1000 was on last Sunday. Of no particular relevance to me, except when Mr Curious said to me on Friday "I'll watch the race with TLG at home, why don't you go out, maybe do some shopping?".

I didn't need to be asked twice.

So on Sunday I caught the bus into the city and spent the day within a 100m radius of Pitt St mall. Almost 6 hours of browsing, trying on clothes, and of course buying. I will write about my purchases but that's not the focus on this post. Below are some random observations on shopping from the day.

I arrived at QVB a bit after 10:30am and ALL THE SHOPS WERE CLOSED. I checked my watch to make sure I had the time right. The cafes must love it, they were doing roaring trades. I assume the decision to delay opening hours till 11am is based on the lack of sales during early hours, but I can't but think that with Myer, DJs and Westfields just a block away (or less) they may be shooting themselves in the foot.

Full prices at high street stores are getting ridiculous. I went into Country Road and French Connection and I cannot picture myself paying RRP on any of the items. With the current economic environment they go on sale fairly quickly (I saw a pair of sandals I liked at Country Road the week before, and by this week it was discounted from $70 to $50), but with overseas online retailers like ASOS and Zara (more later) I wonder if a general lowering of price points with fewer sales is a better way to go.

I went through both Myer and DJs looking for bargains. Didn't find anything at Myer (except some boys' underpants for TLG at the children section), the items on sale were not inspiring. I even went to Miss Shop to have a look (I was after some casual tops) and nada. It was more promising at DJs. There were racks and racks of discounted clothings to go through on both Levels 1 and 2, including some from Australian designer labels. Discounts were up to 75% for many designers. I didn't see clothings of similar calibre on sale at Myer. Where is Myer is offloading its unsold Australian designer stock?

I almost bought this Shona Joy top (discounted to $39) but decided against it at the end - I'm a bit uncertain about loose fit tops.

Photo: ebay seller thelifeofafashionista

I also tried on a lovely black Thurley dress (discounted to $149) but I need another black dress like a hole in the head.

I didn't leave DJs empty handed - I bought this fun top/dress from Kirrily Johnston's S/S 2010 collection for $99 (down from $399). No, I did NOT buy the matching leggings.

Here's a photo without the embellishments.

Photo: ebay seller shoresy_7

I like that it can be worn two ways. There is a small button to gather the sides to form a figure hugging dress (as above) or you can undo the button and wear it loose.

I know I'm super late but I went into Zara for the first time. I have been to Zara overseas so I knew what to expect. There were certainly lots of choices. I was tempted by some of the bright coloured jeans but the long line to the change room banished the thought. There is still a reasonable mark up between Australian and overseas prices, but not as much as other international brands such as Esprit. I can live with some mark up (Australia is a small market, far away and $A exchange rates can be volatile) but 100%+ mark up will stop me from buying. For all the hype at its opening, it is just another high street store with some nice stuff and some not-so-nice. I didn't buy anything.

GAP is boring. For a store with good basics I pick UNIQLO anyday.

I guess I'm never going to be a GASP girl - I bought something from Supre. Cute and a bargain at $20.

I also bought another one of the bra I liked from the CK underwear store at 50% off. Nice customer service from the SA which is always a plus. Another loyalty card to add to my collection.

I love online shopping but it IS nice to see, feel and try on clothes to see how they fit.

With DVF available at shopbop with free shipping, will the store at Westfields become an expensive fitting room?

Overall I'm lukewarm about the new-ish Westfields, I like the new labels that opened shop there but there is something about the layout that leaves me cold. ifc mall in Hong Kong is much more to my liking in terms of shopping centre design.

Exception to the point above: I love the food court on Level 5. Great variety, good quality and not a fast food joint in sight. Must explore the restaurants soon.

It feels like The Strand Arcade is slowly dying. It must have taken a big hit from Westfields. I didn't even go up to Level 2, half of shops looked closed.

I went into Burberry on George Street for the first time also. I saw a pair of sunnies in Vogue's October issue that I liked. Unfortunately they didn't suit me. The layout of the store was underwhelming, I didn't feel it at all. I hope LV does a better job with its new flagship store a block away (corner of George and King Sts, opening 3 December).

Shopping is exhausting. My body was ready for a lie-down by 3:30pm. I soldiered on until 4:15pm. As a form of exercise it was a fun one.

Blogging is exhausting too! Even this rambling post took almost 2 hours. Like shopping, it has been fun. I just need more hours in the day!

I have been thinking about writing a series of posts on shopping, especially on online shopping and the influence of social networks. This post may just get me started. Part of the series is a survey for you to complete - are you keen?

An open letter to a fashion thief

2011-10-09T07:41:00.000+11:00

Dear Sportscraft

I was reading the latest issue of InStyle magazine when I came across this in the Summer Steals feature.

"Hey, it features a bag I own!" was my initial reaction. Until I looked closer and realised that it was not. You see, I bought this Michael Kors bag earlier this year.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realise that the two bags look eeriely similar. The shape, the colour, the way that the shoulder strap can be worn two ways. Yes, the clasp of the Sportscraft bag is different and it does not have the tag and key, but putting them next to each other, no one would deny that the bags are almost identical.

I know the adage "Nothing is new in fashion", and that even major trends like the bold stripes from Prada's S/S 2011 collection ...

Photo: Team Peter Stigter

have been seen before.

Photo: Vintage dress on Etsy

Everyone understands how the fashion food chain works and for those of us who cannot afford designer gear day-in-day-out, it's a godsend. However there IS a line between "inspired by" and "blatant copy". That line is difficult to describe but it's dead easy to tell if someone crossed it. Witchery/Balenciaga anyone?

You may not care at all. Michael Kors is unlikely to take any action against you, and many people will be happy to cough up the cash for the bag, whether they know of the original design or not.

But you (must) know that you are a thief. You stole someone else's work, claim it as your own and profit from it. That's poor form.

I'll spend my money on high street brands that come up with their interpretation of the latest trends (or better still, with their own unique designs).

Yours sincerely

Ms Curious

Healthy Life Part 10: H2O

2011-10-07T07:28:00.000+11:00

Read any article about healthy living and drinking water is likely to be high on the list.

I'm pretty good with my beverage choices. I only have an occasional glass of wine or champagne (I'm also partial to nice sake), and juices and soft drinks are once-a-week treats. My only daily "vice" is a skim cappuccino or two.

I drink a good amount of water, but the amount I drink varies based on where I am. I drink like a fish when I'm in the office, at least 1.5L even if I'm not exercising. However, when I'm at home I don't drink nearly as much.

So what caused the difference? I use a disposible water bottle at work and plastic tumblers at home. So I think the bottle is the trick.

I know that the bottle that comes with the water are not meant to be re-used. After some research online I purchased several 750ml Camelbak Better Bottles.

Hand modelling from yours truly to give you a sense of the size of the bottle.

The bottle is made with BPA free plastic, and the bottle is spill proof even if the sprout is out because of the "Bite-N-Sip" valve. You have to bite slightly at the valve to release the water. The biting was a bit strange at first but it was easy to get used to, and now it's second nature.

I'm happy to report that the bottle increased my water intake at home. I still don't drink as much as I do at work (I think the air conditioning makes me thirsty) but having a water bottle around at all times makes it much easier to take a sip here and there. In fact I just had a sip before typing this sentence.

I take the bottle out when I go outdoors so I'm not tempted by sugary drinks, and that works too.

If you'd like to drink more water I highly recommend getting a bottle to carry around (I bought the bottles from Wiggle).

Home made butter chicken

2011-10-03T17:28:00.000+11:00

I haven't written a cooking post for what seems like forever. I have been cooking non-blog worthy food, partly because I was avoiding high-fat food, but mostly because I was lazy.

The lovely Ling tweeted about butter chicken a little while ago. I'm a big fan of the dish so I asked her for the recipe and kindly she sent it to me. I made it last night so finally there's something to share with CCM readers.

Ingredients
2 onions
cooking oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ginger (I used ginger powder)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 small piece cinnamon
2 pods of cardamom
4 tbsp cashew nuts
3-4 tbsp (60-80g) of butter
3 large chicken thigh fillets - cut into ~1cm wide strips
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder
300ml passata

Finely chop 1 big onion and pan fry with 2 tbsp oil until golden brown, then put in the fridge to cool.

Blend the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cashew nuts and onion into a smooth paste.

I mixed everything else first while the onion was cooling.

Before

After

After adding the onion and more blending it started to look like a paste.

Put the butter in a large saucepan in low heat (so the butter can melt gradually).

Chop the other onion lengthwise. Add to the saucepan and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and fry it for a few minutes each side.

Add the above paste and fry for a while. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, passata and boil until chicken is well cooked.

I let it simmer for 10 minutes in low heat after the chicken is cooked.

The final step is to garnish with freshly cut coriander and 1 tsp butter before turning off the heat, but I didn't follow it.

I served the butter chicken with roti and steamed green beans.

As you can see in the photo above, the sauce is thicker than butter chicken from Indian restaurants and takeaway. Maybe I'll add some water to the mix next time. It is also less sweet and a bit more spicy which I like :-D Even with 1 tsp of chilli powder only it was too spicy for TLG, I'll have to cook some without chilli for him next time.

What do you think? Are you going to give it a try?

My Saturday

2011-10-02T08:29:00.000+11:00

Yesterday morning started with a glorious sleep-in (of sorts). Mr C went for an early morning bike ride. When TLG woke up I was half asleep in bed and ABC2 kept him company until Mr C returned. I stayed in bed for another nap and didn't get up until 9:30! Bliss.

The day's main event was a trip to Opera House with my friends S and E to see ex-High Court judge Michael Kirby as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. One of the few joys in my law school days was reading Justice Kirby's compassionate and well written judgments, and it was a pleasure to see him in person. As expected he was articulate and wise, and he knew how to entertain the audience.

He spoke on 3 topics:

The importance of public education - the need for more funding (or re-balancing of funding between public and private schools) and for it to maintain a secular institution
Animal welfare - he stopped eating red meat and poultry after reading a book in 2009 about the cruelty of animal slaughter
Gay rights and same-sex marriage - he read out a letter sent to him by the Australian Family Association opposing same-sex marriage (and homosexual relationships in general) and he torn their arguments apart to the delight of the crowd. He talked about his love for this partner of 42 years, and that to deny his right to have a relationship with such a wonderful man is "evil" in his opinion.

His new book called A Private Life has just been published (he cheekily plugged his book many times during the talk). I'm keen to get my hands on a copy - maybe I'll do my FIL a favour and ask him to buy that for me for Christmas. Here's an excerpt of the book - oh if only I can write like that! And here's an interview with the ABC earlier this week.

On the way to the Concert Hall I saw some Gruffalo merchanises at the SOH gift shop. My sister gave The Gruffalo to TLG when we were in Hong Kong and he loved the book. So after the talk I went and bought him this cute apron.

I also liked the domino set - I think I'll get it for him next time.

We had lunch at Opera Bar. I had a delicious artichoke risotto and we talked (and talked), mostly about pregnancy and motherhood as E has a 4 month old boy and S is due for her first baby later this month. It was nice to have a good long chat with friends.

It was almost 4pm when we parted company. I headed to David Jones with the aim of buying a pair of sandals. I had no luck in that department, but a wander down to women's fashion led to the following purchases.

toi et moi cotton purple beaded throw

I have not heard of toi et moi before, it looks like a fun brand. This will be perfect with a black singlet and skinny jeans.

Diesel T-shirt

Brings out my inner rock-chick!

Antipodium Natural Urge dress

This photo isn't doing the dress any justice. Here's a maxi version that is sold out on ASOS.

Pretty, isn't it? And it was only $89 (down from $199). The sleeveless top in the same collection is on sale at ASOS for £65 so I definitely nabbed a bargain!

With a shopping bag full of goodies it was time to go home and spend some quality time with Mr C and TLG. TLG loved the apron and wanted to help me prepare dinner. I entrusted him with the important tasks of removing the husk from the corn cobs and spreading oil on the steaks, which he completed with aplomb. It was a lovely way to bond. And the dinner was yummy too.

Wishing you all an enjoyable end to the (for NSW and ACT readers, long) weekend!

Healthy Life Part 9 - Load me up with nutrients

2011-09-29T07:45:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I purchased a few health supplements online. This is one of them.

Not the most enticing looking beverage I know but it's good for you.

It is a "super green" type powder from Nutra Organics.

The main ingredients are barley and spirulina but it also contains alfalfa, psyllium husk, chlorella and kelp. All green!

I have to be honest, I didn't scrutinise the product's health claims, but sometimes I don't eat as much green vegetables as I should, and I thought this is an easy way to top-up.

This is what the powder looks like.

The "serving instructions" on the tub said you can eat the powder by itself so I gave that a try. I recommend against that method, unless you like having a gruggy yet powdery mixture in your mouth *shudder*.

I take it by mixing a heaped teaspoon with a glass of ice water, just like the first photo. It tastes ... green. Actually it is not too strong a taste. While I will not say it's delicious, it is quite refreshing, and I feel like I'm putting something healthy into my body.

One major change I noticed after taking it regularly is that my bowel movements became much more regular. I guess that's from the fibre. I can't attribute any other benefits but I feel good about drinking it. You can buy the powder at 30% off RRP here.

My friend Elizabeth started Schmoosli with her friends a while ago with the aim of making healthy and tasty wheat-free muesli. She kindly sent me a pack of "Heidi Gets High" to try.

The muesli contains oats, barley, rice flakes, rice bran shreds, dried fruits (including goji berries), nuts, seeds and cinnamon.

It tasted as good as it looked! There was a good mix of flavours and texture. And a 50g portion serves up 5.4g of protein and 5.3g of dietary fibre.

I like to mix up my breakfast so this is a very welcome addition :-D

I have also been taking some Cod Liver Oil on my PT Nat's recommendation (see her blog post) but silly me forget to take them half the time. I must remember during dinner every night!

Do you swear by any health supplement or super foods?

P.S. I haven't forgotten about goal setting. I went through my wardrobe last night and found 2 items of clothings that I'll use for my short term measurement/body shape goals. I will write about them soon.

P.P.S. Thanks to Jade linking about my tweet in her blog post - here's a good article from Dr Karl about the science of eating and how to change your poor eating habits.

Miu Miu double act

2011-09-25T08:35:00.000+10:00

I visited Miu Miu a few times, both in Sydney and in Hong Kong, when I was searching for a wallet. Although I didn't buy a Miu Miu wallet, I liked what I saw in the store, and I was keen to get something from them.

One of my best friends E lives in Hong Kong and she told me about her favourite store Twist, which sells a variety of designer goods. She likes it because she finds it less intimidating then designer boutiques, and many items are on sale. After the poor service I received from the Miu Miu boutique in Hong Kong I was not in a rush to go back.

I went with my brother B to Twist one day when TLG was playing with his cousins (my brother grew up in a family of women and is well trained on shopping). To me the store was like a Kit/Mecca/Sephora for designer wares.

Photo: Twist

First I had a look at keyholders. B gave me a Burberry keyholder a few years ago. I didn't know about fabric protector back then and the keyholder became grubby with use. Also, the hooks were not that good and the keys fell out a few times :-/

I have been admiring my sister's Miu Miu Matelassé tote (she also has the Stage clutch, yes she has a very enviable handbag collection!).

With that in mind I chose the Matelassé calf skin keyholder.

Love the print on the lining of the box.

(click the photos for larger images)

As a keyholder is fairly small, it's nice to have a print (like the Burberry) or textured leather in this case to give it a bit of oomph.

The light lilac colour is so pretty, and it's complementary to the soft pink of the Chloé without being matchy-matchy.

I like the hooks better than the ones in the Burberry as there is no clasp to fasten, so the chance of keys falling out is much lower.

I cannot emphasise how soft the leather is. Sometimes it catches me by surprise when I hold it!

Finally I have something to satisfy my lemming. Is a Matelassé handbag in my future?

After choosing the keyholder I wandered to the handbag section. My last few handbags have been on the formal end of the scale and I'm hoping to get something more casual. Something I can pair up with jeans, but still suitable for the office. I considered the bow bag but it was a tad too big for my needs, and the zip and fold-over "flap" did not suit my clusmy self.

Luckily there is a bag in the collection that fits my bill.

First of all, I really really like the shiny grey colour. It's versatile without being boring. It has a slight "marbled" effect that I think works very well with this bag.

Here's a close up of the gold hardware.

Most of my handbags have flaps, so it's a nice change to have a bag which gives me super easy access to my belongings.

The strap is long enough for me to wear the bag cross-body. Handy when I need to lug TLG around!

The best thing about buying the bags from Twist? You can join their loyalty program when you spend more than $HK10,000 in one transaction and you get 10% off all purchases! The keyholder and the bag totalled just over that mark so I saved around $HK1,000 :-)

I think I should go on a handbag shopping ban for a while after my HK haul. I wonder how long I'll last?

Music On My Mind - The Beatles

2011-09-23T07:27:00.000+10:00

I've been wanting to get into the Beatles for a while now. I listened to Abbey Road when I was on the plane from HK to Sydney (Come Together is an easy winner; I need sometime to digest the rest of that album!) but I needed a catalyst to really get into it.

I found it via Leigh Sales' tweet about The Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Beatles songs. Lying in bed with a sick tummy, I read about (almost all of) the 100 songs even though I didn't know most of them. Finding out how the songs are created, their influences (drugs featured prominently ...), the growth of the band from pop stars to music pioneers, and their inevitable break-up - it was completely captivating.

The logical next step of course is to listen to the music. I chose Rubber Soul purely because of the name. By golly am I blown away - first by how many of the songs I already know, and by how fresh they sound now, almost 50 years on.

Then I chose The Revolver, something that is already on my iTunes. I remembered listening to it a long time ago and not really getting it. I wonder what was wrong with me back then! Rock, folk, psychedelic and everything in between can be found in the album. And it's all good.

My favourite track so far is "Here, There and Everywhere" - I am a romantic at heart :-)

I'm sure there are many other discoveries to be made. Oh to be a teenager again and hole myself up in my room for days immersed in music!

More NYFW S/S 2012 goodness

2011-09-19T07:26:00.000+10:00

Going through the MBMJ S/S 2012 runway was so much fun I decided to look more. It's always inspiring to see beautiful designs. Here are some more of my picks. Enjoy!

Tory Burch

Naeem Khan

Marchesa

L'Wren Scott

Proenza Schouler

Caroline Herrera

For all-out glamour I can't go past the floral gown by Naeem Khan - what an amazing print and I love the silhoutte.

If I can pick 3 outfits for my wardrobe, I'll go for:

the black and white Caroline Herrera dress with that amazing red belt - effortless chic
the blue Tory Burch coat. The print gives the classic-cut coat a new lease of life
I can't even follow my own rules - I can't pick between the pale blue Proenza Schouler dress, the yellow and brown Caroline Herrera dress or the white L'Wren Scott dress. They're all so lovely!

What are your picks from the NYFW S/S 2012 collections?

Photo credits: Vogue.com.au, New York Magazine

Marc by Marc Jacobs S/S 2012 runway

2011-09-17T20:08:00.000+10:00

I've been a fan of Marc by Marc Jacobs bags for a while now (see here and here and here). After seeing mallhaciel's tweets about watching MBMJ's S/S 2012 show I was keen to have a look too.

Well, colour me impressed. I'm always attracted to clean lines, and I'm loving the colour combinations in this collection.

Here are my picks:

A nice twist to colour blocking. Navy is a key colour in this collection. Not a typical summer hue but it works with the contrasting bright colours.

I love this ensemble, simple, elegant and fresh (how cute are the shoes? more on that later).

A perfect look for summer.

Peplum one-piece - I like! And the navy + orange combo really works here.

Not 100% sure about the silhouette, but I like the relaxed look and black + soft orange is pretty.

The orange trim makes the basic trench a lot more interesting.

The shoes in this collection really grabbed my attention. Seeing the front-on shots I was expecting them to be flats or kitten heels. To my (slight) disappointment they are much higher, but they still get a tick from me. I wonder how long it'll take for the "inspired by" versions to appear at Wittner and co?

Of course I can't write a post about MBMJ withough mentioning the bags.

In the "maybe" column, I present the cube bag.

It's a fun concept but I'm not sure if I want to carry a bag this size around my wrist ...

There are a lot of totes in this collection. Regular CCM readers may notice that I'm more of a shoulder bag gal, but I do like this one.

It may be the perfect bag for someone who needs to bring lots of work documents home at night ...

And this is great for travelling or a trip to the gym.

Back to bags that are more "me". This is very cute.

I'm not usually a fan of patent leather bags but this may just change my mind.

I really like the simple makeup on the models (by Shiseido). Let the clothes do the talking.

Saving the best till last. This is my favourite look from the collection.

I want the whole lot in my wardrobe, NOW.

Have you been following NYFW? What are some of your favourites?

Photo credits: Vogue.com.au

Healthy Life Part 8 - Refocus

2011-09-13T22:10:00.002+10:00

It has been more than a month since my last Healthy Life post. It is a good reflection of how healthy (or not) I've been living. During my HK trip I managed to exercise once at the hotel gym, I walked a lot and lifted a certain 15kg weight around a fair bit. But I ate out almost every meal and didn't skim on dessert, and when I returned to Australia I continued to make poor eating choices. The low point was eating salt and vinegar chips in bed on Saturday night. I don't even like chips that much!

Photo: Breakfast in Bed by Long Jacket on Flickr

I made some good progress with weight loss/fitness when I started training with Nat and following her eating plans but I haven't been as vigilant lately. If I continue down this path nothing will happen.

Exercise-wise I'm going reasonably well, but I need to continue my quest to increase the frequency of workout. Now that the weather is warming up it will be easier to wake up earlier and exercise outdoors. I may also try Gillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.

Because of the poor weather in Sydney last Friday I moved one of my PT sessions to tomorrow. Three intense workouts a week should kick my body into gear. I find it usually takes 2 weeks of regular exercise for it to become part of the routine.

As for eating, it's all in the mind. I know when I am at my weakest - after dinner. When I succumbed to temptation I knew that (1) I didn't need to eat - even if I felt a hunger pang I could sleep through it, because I have done it before, (2) it went against my goal. But I did it anyway.

I think one of my problems is that I have one of those airy-fairy "I want to lose weight" goals that is not measureable and not motivational. I need to set some SMART goals. Nat is going to measure me at PT tomorrow so I will have some figures to work with. Instead of setting a weight loss goal I want to set some measurement goals and some fitness goals. I will report back in a week. Hold me to that promise if I don't deliver!

Another problem with my bad eating choices has to do with sleep - or the lack of. I sleep too little for my body to function properly, and when I'm tired I'm more likely to crave for junk food, probably for the sugar high. I regularly stayed up beyond midnight, and during the week I need to wake up before 7am. It is not enough. The simple answer is of course "go to bed earlier" but it's easier said than done. I want to work on this, because I know it is an impediment to a healthy lifestyle.

It may take time, but with determination I'll get here. Watch this space!

Hong Kong beauty products haul

2011-09-12T08:18:00.000+10:00

With advice from 5 lovely beauty bloggers, I armed myself with a lengthy shopping list to Hong Kong. I came back with the following.

Bobbi Brown corrector, creamy concealer kit and concealer blending brush
Dior Addict lipstick in Dior Kiss
Lancôme Teint Miracle
MAC Prep+Prime Lip
Gosh Cosmetics Velvet Touch eyeliners (x4, 3 in photo) and Soft 'n Shine lip balms (x2)

I also bought this after I read about it in a HK magazine.

Inside there are 3 eyeshadows, 2 brushes, an eyeliner and a mascara.

The back of the packaging gives a step-by-step instructions to achieve a perfect smoky eye.

It was a complete impulse buy and I'm not sure if I should keep it...

I forgot to take photos of 2 Asian-based products - SKIN79 Super+ BB Cream and L'Oréal Paris White Perfect Micro-Vibration 3-in-1 Eye Brightener.

I haven't used most of the products because I wanted to take blog photos first!

I've tried the Lancôme foundation, BB cream, and Gosh eyeliner and lip balm so far and I'm pretty happy with them. In this post I'm going to do a quick review of one of the Gosh lip balms, #32 Angel (the other colour I bought is #40 Irony, a bright orange).

The Gosh Soft 'n Shine lip balm comes in a narrow tube.

There's a swatch. It is a soft pink with shimmer.

I took 2 photos of my lips wearing the lip balm, one with flash and one without (with some sunlight streaming in), as you can see the colour looks quite different. The colour IRL is somewhere between the two. I obviously need to work on how to take these photos!

It's easy to apply, pretty moisturising with reasonable wear considering it is a lip balm. I think this is a good dupe of Clinique's Chubby Sticks. It is not that much cheaper (Chubby Stick is $US17 and Gosh lip balm is $US13) but there are more colours available. Gosh Cosmetics is available at Watson's in Hong Kong (think Priceline) and I paid $HK98 (~$A12).

I don't know if I'll write posts about all the products, I'm not that good at being a beauty blogger! Which product(s) would you like to hear about?

Lemming: Prada A/W 2011 white dress

2011-09-09T09:09:00.004+10:00

Perfection.

Of course it's completely out of my price range. This ASOS dress is a very poor substitute but the skirt is nice.

What is your latest lemming?

One Chloé calls for another

2011-09-07T07:24:00.004+10:00

As I was ummming and ahhhing over this wallet at the Chloé store (it was a big decision!), something shiny caught my eye.

Isn't it pretty? It's like a puzzle waiting to be played with.

Then I looked at the rest of the bag and I liked it too! After some more ummming and ahhhhing it was added to the "shopping cart". And this Elsie shoulder bag is mine :-D

(click any photos in this post to see larger images)

The calf leather is a dream. It is unbelievably soft. And I just adore the turnlock, so beautiful, with an art deco vibe (which I love). Regular CCM readers know that I'm in a structured bag phase so this is right up my alley.

Even the lining of the bag is leather. How luxurious is that?

I had some reservations over the gold chain. I'm not much of a bling girl (diamond is excepted of course :-P) but this chain is not OTT, and I like that it is adjustable - double up to carry the bag on the arm or extend the chain to use as a shoulder bag.

I wonder if I'll look as chic as Sienna Miller?

So here are my Chloé double act side-by-side.

Pretty nice, n'est-ce pas?

My sister and I received lovely customer service from the sales assistant at Chloé, which made the purchasing decision that much easier to make :-)
Now, a poll on the next Hong Kong trip post. Would you like me to blog about:

(a) food
(b) make-up
(c) clothes, or
(d) more bags?

Yes I have a new wallet!

2011-09-05T07:17:00.002+10:00

On top of my Hong Kong shopping list was a new wallet (you may have read about my research). Before I left Hong Kong I went to the Ferragamo counter at DJs and store in MLC to have a look at their wallets and I fell in love with a wallet with the signature Ferragamo bow. I saw picture of that wallet in many colours online but the stores in Sydney only has it in black.

Before my trip I e-mailed one of the Ferragamo stores in HK and enquired about that wallet. The salesperson told me they have the wallet in light gold (not my style) and "Bordeaux". When I asked her what "Bordeaux" looked like she kindly sent me a photo.

I thought it was a nice neutral colour so I was 95% certain that I'd purchase it. I paid Ferragamo a visit soon after I arrived in HK. To my disappointment the photo was not an accurate representation of the colour - it was much closer to burgundy which pushed the wallet into granny territory :-(

I had lunch with my sister one day, and we decided to search for a wallet together afterwards.

I was attached to the Saffiano leather so we went to Prada to have another look. I considered this wallet. On the plus side it had lots of credit card slots, but it was a tad long.

We also went to Miu Miu to look at the two wallets that I blogged about earlier. I was seriously considering the smaller version but I wasn't 100% sure about the patent leather, plus the sales staff were rude so I didn't want to make a purchase there.

We looked at LV, Celine, Fendi, Burberry (plus others, I cannot remember them all) with no luck. We took a break and enjoyed afternoon tea at Cova (I posted a photo of the tiramisu we had in the last post. The dry ice effect was so dramatic and it was yummo!).

My sister then took me to the cake shop at Mandarin Oriental because she wanted to buy one for our big family gathering. As we were leaving the building she asked "What about Chloé?" as there was a Chloé boutique on ground floor. For some reason I didn't think of Chloé at all when I was doing my research but I was open to the suggestion.

I think you can see where the story is going. Yep, I found "the one" at the store!

Starting with the box ...

inside the dust bag ...

is my brand new wallet!

(click photo to see a larger image)

I love that it is something different. It's pretty and feminine but with an edge.

According to the receipt it is part of the Paraty collection. I couldn't see the relationship until I came across this on the Chloé website.

Back to the wallet. There is a coin compartment with press button at the front.

Next comes a zipper compartment.

Finally there are 8 credit card slots and the notes compartment.

For completeness here's the back of the wallet.

The leather is buttery soft - it is lambskin but it doesn't feel as fragile as the Chanel Camellia wallet I saw during my research.

I did the wallet transfer last night. Right now I have 8 of the most important cards in the cards slots, and the rest in the zipper compartment. I'm not sure whether that is the best way to go, I'll give it a go and see if I like it.

One interesting thing about the wallet is that the notes compartment is on the opposite side compared to my old wallet. When I accessed the notes compartment with my old wallet, the weight of the wallet is in my palm. However with the new wallet the weight will be away from my palm. It's a bit difficult to explain. If you look at the second last photo where you can see the credit card slots, you can see the rest of the wallet is to the right of the slots. I am a leftie and I accessed the notes compartment of my old wallet by holding the wallet with my left hand and getting the notes out with my right hand. If I do the same thing with the new wallet the bulk of the wallet will be hanging in the air.

I told my brother about this after I bought the wallet and he told me he went through the same thing when he changed wallets a few years ago, and it took him a long time to get used to it. I wonder how I'll go with it?

I am so happy with the wallet, not just because it is beautiful, but because I discovered it with my sister and we can treasure that memory together (only women can understand shopping as a treasurable moment, no?). She ended up buying the wallet for me so it is extra special! Thanks sis <3

Actually I left the store with something besides the wallet, but that's the subject of another post ...

Photo credits: Ferragamo wallet from photo taken by Ferragamo Times Square Hong Kong, Prada wallet from Prada.com, Chloé Paraty bag from chloe.com

Hong Kong 2011 snaps

2011-09-02T07:35:00.000+10:00

TLG and I are back in Australia safe and sound. I had a fantastic time with my family in Hong Kong and I think TLG did as well!

There are lots to blog about but I'm too tired to do it any justice at this point. Here are some photos from my iPhone to share :-D

TLG playing "mummy" and ordering me around!

Egg with fois gras and caviar

Tiramisu at Cova

TLG playing with a giant rubber duck (how cool is his shirt BTW?)

Wonton noodles, one of my favourite Hong Kong meals

Shopping at one of the many SaSa cosmetics stores

A giant golden Hello Kitty at a boutique (this is for you @mallhaciel!)

This is from a professional photo shoot. The photographer is excellent and I can't wait to see all the high resolution photos!

I'll work on my posts this weekend - watch this space!

Off to see the bright lights

2011-08-24T22:19:00.002+10:00

Hong Kong lights, by vendmr

So I'm off to Hong Kong tomorrow for a whirlwind family reunion. It'll be the first time my parents and siblings are in the same country since my wedding back in 2006!

There'll be lots of eating, a bit of shopping, and I predict buckets of tears when I say farewell to my brother who is moving to Japan (and it's his birthday today, happy birthday B!).

Mr Curious won't be coming as he can't take time off work. I'm going to miss him, but I suspect TLG will miss him even more! Mr C is recording some videos for TLG to watch in HK as I type <3

I won't be blogging during the trip, but I'm getting a local SIM so my iPhone will be in action and I plan to tweet on and post photos on instagram (under mscuriousccm).

Don't miss me too much! I'll be back before you know it ;-D

P.S. I went to the Red Cross and donated blood today. Their blood supply running low so please donate if you're eligible!

Melbourne 2011 Take 2 - Tidbits

2011-08-22T07:36:00.002+10:00

As I mentioned in the first post on this trip, Mr Curious and I went to Abbotsford Convent.

Operated by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, it was a convent for poor or vulnerable girls and women for over a hundred years. At its peak in 1912, over a thousand women and girls stayed at the convent or attended the day school. The site is now open to the public and housed studios, galleries and eateries.

TLG would have loved the grounds.

We didn't try out the cafe as we were still full from lunch at Curzao. Instead, we wandered around and enjoyed the tranquil settings.

Mr C took a photo of me soaking up the winter sun.

One of the best discovery of this trip was the work of Nicola Cerini. She has a showroom in the Convent and Mr Curious and I spent a long time admiring her designs. Her partner John patiently answered our 1001 questions.

Cerini designed an array of beautiful fabrics.

I fell in love with this pleated silk print.

I really want to use the fabric for our sofa cushions (I have one behind my back and one on top of my lap as I type) but I'm not sure if the silk is too delicate. John kindly cut a sample for us to keep and I'm going to do some research.

Mr Curious was attracted to Nicola's floor rugs. The Impatiens rug was on display at the studio. Pretty, isn't it?

Mr Curious' favourite is the Alhambra:

If we ever move to a house with floorboards we will definitely consider getting one of her rugs.

I couldn't leave without getting something, so I bought a set of oven mitt and pot holder in this gorgeous Blossom print.

This trip was about Mr Curious and I spending time together so shopping was not high on the agenda. I did pick up a few knick-knacks.

From top then clockwise:

A pen holder from Typo for my hair brushes in the bathroom (now that it's all tidy)

The Daily Mood, a flipchart with 47 emotions in cute cartoons, and amusing facts about each one on the other side, e.g.

A pair of fortune-cookie themed trainer chopsticks for my FIL

A pack of race car stickers for TLG

I also bought a grey scarf for the bargain price of $20 (nothing as fancy as the Missoni scarves of course) :-D

These two buildings are across the road from either other. I love Melbourne's diverse architecture.

Ah, it was such a lovely trip. The next one can't be too far away, can't it?

Sunday Lemming: Missoni scarves

2011-08-21T08:02:00.005+10:00

A timely shopbop e-mail led me to the Missoni scarf collection. I can't picture myself wearing Missoni clothings (a bit too full on for me) but the scarves are divine. The distinctive Missoni prints are perfect to bring a winter outfit into life. And less than $US200 for an Italian made scarf that can be worn for life is a good fashion investment in my book.

My picks from the collection are:

Zigzag scarf ($US138) - a classic Missoni design that goes with everything.

Multi-print scarf ($US198) - love the contrast patterns, and it's 100% wool!

Knit fringe scarf ($US154) - another pure wool scarf <3

Chenille scarves ($US138) - I love these prints!

When I started writing this post the last scarf was my favourite but now I'm not sure. They're all beautiful!

Which one takes your fancy?

Question Time: What beauty products to buy in Hong Kong?

2011-08-17T10:20:00.001+10:00

Photo: Shop till you drop by indigo_girl on Flickr

My Hong Kong trip is just over a week away - it's time to put a shopping list together. I have ideas on what I'd like but I don't know which brand to go for. This is where you can help! Have a read of my list below and I want to know your recommendations :-D

Liquid foundation - I'm using Shu Uemura's Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation at the moment (in 554). I like it and the colour is a good match but I want to try something with a longer wear and medium to high coverage. I have combination skin so I don't want a very rich formula. Recommendations I've received so far include MAC Pro Longwear and Estee Lauder Double Wear.

Concealer - I bought Laura Mercier's Under Eye Perfector and Secret Concealer last year. They certainly helped but I'm always looking for an HG concealer. Should I try the famous YSL Touche Éclat or Bobbi Brown's popular corrector and concealer?

Eye pencil - Eyeliner is my #1 make up item - I can skip foundation but I always apply eyeliner before I leave the house. Try as I may I cannot master a liquid eyeliner so I'm in the market for more eye pencils. I prefer pencils over kohl eyeliners because it is easier to sharpen the tip. My requirements are pretty basic - easy to use with mininal smudging.

Lipsticks - Summer is coming and I want to wear bright fun shades. On top of the list is coral, but I'm always on the lookout for pretty pink and reds. Tara from Keeping up with me raved about Dior Addict so I'll give that a try. I'm also going to try MAC's Prep and Prime lip liner on Tara's recommendation.

Face primer - I finished my Shu UV under base mousse a while ago and I'm using FOA's base face primer right now. Cclarebear recommends NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer or Make Up Forever HD Microperfecting Primer. What do you use?

Eyeshadow quads: I like eyeshadow quads because the colours are always complimentary and it's easy to take one and put in the gym makeup bag. One of Emily Quak's recent tweets reminded me of Chanel's Les 4 Ombres and they sure look pretty. Now which one(s) should I get?

I also want to pick up a few more Chubby Sticks and I'm sure I'll discover other goodies once I'm there.

The floor is now open - I look forward to all your suggestions :-D

Melbourne 2011 Take 2 - The Food

2011-08-15T07:26:00.003+10:00

I love food in Melbourne. So much variety, and a different vibe from Sydney - intimate but chilled-out at the same time.

I was reading the onboard magazine on the flight to Melbourne and there was an article about street food in Melbourne. One of the eateries mentioned was Cruzao Arepa Bar in Brunwick. I've never had Venezuelan food before so I persuaded Mr Curious to go there for lunch.

The restaurant was casual with fun artworks on the wall. The middle and the bottom paintings were my favourites.

Cruzao's signature dish is the arepa, a pita-like pocket made with corn, grilled and stuffed with ingredients of your choice. Mr Curious ordered the pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, plantain and feta, left) and I had the llanera (pork leg, tomato and haloumi, both $9.50).

The arepa was soft and moist with a distinct corn flavour (similar to corn chips). The pork leg was in pull-apart territory, and the tomato slices and haloumi worked really well together. I can imagine this being served in street stores as a snack or lunch on the run. Mr Curious highly enjoyed his arepa also.

We also ordered the lequeños (cheese bread sticks with hogao, $11)

They were so good. Straight out of the oven (or frying pan? I'm not sure) it was doughy, cheesy and surprisingly light. The hagao was similar to a salsa but it was more like a paste. There was a small jar of chilli on the table to add a kick to the dish.

We were still a bit peckish after we finished the above so we ordered the empanaditas (filled corn pastries with guasacaca, with beef or cheese fillings, $11)

Don't they look golden and delicious? Well yes they were :-D

Mr Curious had a Brazilian beer and I had a virgin mojito to wash down the food.

I am so glad I found this little gem. I wish there is a similar joint in Sydney!

We went to The Press Club that night. No photo because it was a romantic dinner. My favourite was the eel kroketes (croquettes) that was part of the salmon main (photo here). On the flip side, I was a bit disappointed with the bread. I have a high expectation of bread from a Greek restraurant and it was only alright.

The restaurant ticks all the boxes - slick decor, efficient service and high quality food, but on a whole the dishes were a bit too rich for my liking. Mr Curious was a big fan though.

We were planning to go to Madame Sousou for breakfast (thanks for the recommendation Ling) the next morning but we slept in (bliss!) and with a full schedule ahead, we opted to stay in the CBD. Running in Lulu recommended Il Solito Posto for dinner but it was closed on Sunday, so we went there for breakfast instead.

I was still a bit full from the night before so I ordered the burcher muesli ($12)

I liked the grated apple on top - I'm going to try that next time I made bircher muesli at home. The dish was so fresh and a great way to start the day. There was a nut of some sort in the muesli which I wasn't a big fan of but it was easy to pick them out.

Mr Curious had the Italian scrambled eggs with prosciutto, roma tomato, basil and parmesan ($14) plus a side of bacon.

I was too full to sample his dish. He gave it the two thumbs up.

For lunch we went to our old favourite Ezard. They have a 3-course express lunch with a glass of wine for $55pp which was very good value.

I love the bread with their homemade olive oil and 3 dips (photo here). I can't decide if I like the sweet then spicy rock sugar/chilli combo more or the delicious bonito salt with seaweed.

The highlight of the meal was the pork belly with caramel sauce - rich but yet so refined.

I had the caramelised apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla mousse and apple cider sorbet for dessert.

It was nice but not as "wow" as Ezard's other desserts.

Mr Curious forced down the honeycrunch icecream, toasted gingerbread and sugar swirl :-D

It was the first time I went to Ezard for lunch. With sunlight streaming in from the windows and less people it was a more relaxed experience which I enjoyed.

We were let down by the service though. We ordred the oyster shooters but they were never delivered (by the time we received our first course it was a bit pointless to ask for the appetiser) and the bill we received initially was incorrect (they didn't include the desserts). I didn't leave a tip. I didn't give them a reason and I wonder if I should've written something on the bill.

I will still go back to Ezard for its food, I'm hoping the below-par service was a once-off.

Overall it was another wonderful culinary journey. I can't wait to be back again. MoVida is on my hit list and I want to go to Madame Sousou next time!

Early start to summer dressing

2011-08-13T08:22:00.008+10:00

Last week's weather was such a tease - sunny and a maximum of 24-25. It's back to winter this week but that preview was enough to make me all excited for summer and new additions to my wardrobe.

A tweet by Glamour UK on 50 dresses under £50 led me to the Dorothy Perkins site and there are some lovely summer dresses on sale at the moment. I've never bought from them before but I'm tempted. Here are my picks.

Green block dress (on sale, £21) - I love the colour blocking trend!

Ginger block dress (on sale, £17)

Multi print oriental dress (on sale, £25) - what a fun print!

Multi check zip back dress (on sale, £17) - I picture this with a lightweight denim jacket

Navy stripe zip front dress (on sale, £10)

Red abstract print dress (£32) - I love the print but Mr Curious thinks it's hideous. What's your verdict?

Black/white cat print dress (£28) - what a fun print (click to enlarge)

What are your picks?

Update 13/8: I tried to place an order last night (for dresses #1, #2, and #6) but the DP site didn't accept my credit card (it's a 28 Degree Mastercard which I use for online purchases with no problems in the past). I went back to the site today and a lot of the prices have changed - some up and some down.

I ended up buying only dress #2 from the list above (now down to £12!) but chose another 3 items.

Purple floral sequin dress (on sale, £17)

Blue stripe tie waist dress (on sale, £15)

Lime cornelli scallop hem top (on sale, £20)

The 4 items came to a total of £64. Postage to Australia is £10.50 but for some reason I received a £10 discount so postage was practically free! The website still didn't accept my credit card so I used Paypal (which is linked to the same credit card) instead.

As an aside, The Dorothy Perkins website is a delight to use. I like the review system. One of the drawbacks of online shopping is that you can touch and feel the product, and it's really useful to hear other shopping's comments. I ordered one the dresses in a smaller size because the feedback was that the dress runs large. Negative comments of a particular item may affect sales but the whole system provides shoppers with more information and gives them confidence in making a purchase so it's a big plus to me.

A small bugbear - the search box on the top right of the page needs to be bigger!

I also wish DP (and other online shops like ASOS) allow user to filter by fabric. I don't like wearing polyester, especially during summer, so I exclude all dresses made with polyester. At the moment I have to find out one dress at a time. It'll be good if I can just exclude polyester in a search.

I hope they arrive before I go to Hong Kong later this month so I can put them into good use before summer in Sydney!

Melbourne 2011 Take 2 - The Art

2011-08-08T08:19:00.000+10:00

Mr Curious and I were very lucky to travel to Melbourne for a romantic (i.e. kid-free) getaway to celebrate our 8-year dating anniversary.

It is very hard to go to places like art galleries with TLG, so we took the opportunity to visit a few exhibitions during our visit.

Thanks to Mrs. McAwesome's recommendation we went to Abbotsford Convent and visited the c3 contemporary art space, which featured an interesting mix of artwork. Here are some of my picks.

Jill Herman

John Harris

Aaron Carter

Nik Papas

The idea of presenting photos as postage stamps is such a good one I may just create something like that myself.

We also went to the Vienna Art and Design exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. The NGV is becoming one of my favourite places to visit in Melbourne. Both their permanent and special exhibitions are of excellent quality. I think I can spend days in there!

The Vienna exhibition was really enjoyable. It was an all-emcompassing program, from traditional art forms like painting and sculpture, to architecture, interior designs, decorative art and fashion.

I was fascinated by the rise and fall of the Secession movement. In their works I felt the passion of the artists gathering to create something completely different. With a group of people of such talent and strong individual visions, I guess it was inevitable for internal divisions to bring down the group. To me, the period is like a shooting star - short-lived but burnt brightly while it lasted.

The exhibition did an excellent job of telling the story of an ebullient period of art history. I enjoyed immersing in the world created by these talented artists.

Now, some of my favourite works:

Gustav Klimt - The Beethoven Frieze (1902) - there was a reproduction at the exhibition

Otto Wagner - Lobby of the Postal Savings Bank, Vienna (1906)

Armchair designed by Wagner for the Bank (1904-5)

Josef Horrmann, Postcard No 74 (1907)

Koloman Moser, Then Enchanted Princesses cabinet (1900)

Koloman Moser, plate 27 from Flächen Schmuck series (1901)

Koloman Moser (designer), Wiener Werkstätte (manufacturer) - Flower basket Model no. S 781 (1906)

Art at its best enriches one's soul. I was certainly inspired and rejuvenated by their brilliance :-D