My Experience: Going From Long Hair to Short

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Hello people out there

It's Monday again. Here's a new post that will brighten your day (hopefully). :)

Recently, I went for a trim and just thought that I should write about my experience on cutting my hair short. I'm not sure if it's just me, but quite a few people whom I know has also chopped off their hair in favour of a bob like me. I used to have long hair that reached halfway down my back until May 2013... and I cut off more than 25 cm of my hair at one go. Without crying. It was the most liberating feeling ever: my head felt lighter. I could feel bits of my hair being cut off as the hairdresser sawed off my ponytail with her scissors. You guys should try going from really long hair to really short at one go at least once in your life. Not just because it'll be a cool experience, but you'll instantly look different.  There are many benefits of going short, mainly:

1. You use less shampoo and conditioner
2. It's a low maintenance hairstyle. Just need to go for a trim more often to keep the shape.
3. It's great for hot weather
4. Your hair takes less time to dry
5. It frames the face to make it look better
6. It's great for short/petite girls because it'll make you look younger. Long hair will make you look even shorter.
7. and the list goes on...

Anyway, why did I cut my hair short? Well, up till the time when I was 16, I sported a short do for probably 14 years of my life at least. I've done pixie hair, pageboy style, bob etc-- all kinds of short hairstyles that appealed to me. I loved getting a haircut every 2-3 months. However, I got tired of looking almost the same all the time, so I decided to keep my hair long for a change. I was also curious to know how it would be like to cut off more than half of my hair at one go. I wanted to see if I would cry when the time came to cut off my long locks ( I was influenced by all the tears and drama from the models during makeovers for America's Next Top Model then). So I grew my hair long and kept it that way for 5 years.

It was a fun but tiring period. I took really good care of my hair(e.g. condition, treatment)and got attached to it during the time. I experimented on myself (and others) updos and braids and other fancy schmancy hairstyles just by watching hair tutorials on YouTube. (I'm Christine's unofficial hairstylist. Maybe a hairstyle tutorial someday?) All was well and happy until I felt my old itch coming back; I was itching to go to the salon to chop off all my hair. Despite that, it took me almost a year of thinking before I went for short, due to my fear of looking weird with short hair. 

In the end, I decided to get my hair cut at somewhere good to make it a nice memory, as my usual hairdresser went MIA. After all, if you're going to do something drastic to your hair, you should go to the hairdresser you trust. So there I go with my research. looking for salon reviews and whatnot online and found this site called beautyundercover. It was really useful as it had a bunch of reviews written by normal people about their hair salon experience in Singapore. After reading a ton of reviews, I decided to go to I*CON Shunji Matuso by Lily Xu @ Far East Plaza. Spent almost $50 on a haircut for the first time ever and it was one of the best haircut experiences I've had. Usually, I visit the same hair salon at Roxy Square but did try other salons like Jean Yip, Jantzen, Storm, Twister, some random neighbourhood salon over the years. My experience at I*CON was probably the best that I've had besides my times at my usual hair salon. Maybe it was because I picked a master stylist to do my hair, hence the better service and skills since it cost more than a senior stylist. I got what I paid for basically.

 Anyway, I called up and booked an appointment, with no specific stylist in mind. I was assigned Fann, who seems to know the skills of her trade well. At first, she looked at me and asked me "Are you sure you want to cut it off?". I think she was surprised by that, which I thought was amusing. I said "Yep", she was began asking me for the style I wanted. She showed me a couple of pictures in hair magazines and explained how she was going to cut my hair (without any prompting) which I appreciated(I was feeling anxious by then). My usual experience with hairstylists is that they'll ask me what I wanted and just proceed to cut... and sometimes that didn't turn out that great. The shampoo and massage by the guy helped calm me down. I was given a pretty good head massage while I admired the fake lawn and birds decorating the shampoo area. I was then shown back to my seat and Fann immediately took her scissors and commenced the execution of my locks. She held my hair into a ponytail and began sawing away with her scissors and I was like "Omg, I'm really doing this!". I actually held my breath until she was done! I could tell because I literally felt parts of my hair being snipped off. My head suddenly became free from her hold when the whole ponytail was cut ( a truly surreal experience).

Well, the rest of the trimming and styling took quite a while and then I got to see the final result! I was really happy with how I looked. My hair turned out exactly as I had hoped for and looked even better than I expected. Best of all, I've proven to myself that going from long to short hair is not so drastic that I would cry from shock. In fact, I've not cried over my hair even after a terrible haircut at a neighbourhood salon (that was the worst haircut ever, according to my mum)

4 months later:

 My hair grew out nicely and still kept the bob shape, which is good, because that means I don't need to go back for a trim so quickly. Things I've realised about bobs:

• A bob is pretty low maintenance if your hair is straight. 

My hair is currently in between wavy and straight because the straightening effect from my rebonding done in Jan is wearing off. Hence, I have to blowdry my hair, or else it will look funky.

•  But it's easy to blowdry and style it. Being lazy, I usually just flip my head upside down and blowdry my hair in a top to bottom motion. That makes my hair decently straight throughout the day.
• I spend less time in the shower as I don't have tangles to work through when I'm shampooing my hair
• It's a versatile hairstyle.
• I look younger (slightly)

I don't pretend that I don't miss having long hair sometimes though. I don't get to practise elaborate or braided updos on myself when I see something that I want to try. Also, I find short hair much harder to curl. And I don't get to feel my ponytail swish around when I walk/ shake my head. :( BUT I like having short hair better because it's just so much more convenient in many ways. Plus I like that kawaii vibe it gives me.

Left: The original length of my hair at around January this year. Right: After my haircut in May.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my experience. I just wanted to share with everyone that getting a hair makeover isn't that terrifying if you do the research. I'm probably going to stick with this length for a year or so at least before I try growing it out. For those of you who are thinking of going short too, I'd advise that you research on the kinds of hairstyles that you'd like to try and take a couple of pictures and show it to the hairstylist to get his/her opinion. Doing so will help brace yourself for what to expect and have a more rewarding experience. Most importantly, one should remember that this is just hair. Even if you don't like how it turned out after a salon visit, it'll grow back eventually. 

Till next time. 

Love, 

El      xoxo

OOTD + Sushi Express!

 After nearly 2 months of self-imposed seafood restriction, I could finally eat my beloved Sushi. 

Yeah, SELF-IMPOSED because of a bad flare-up of my eczema condition. Because of this eczema of mine, seafood to me is like kryptonite to Superman; especially prawns and crabs and lobster and...you get the idea. 

This restriction of mine had me not eating fish, and even fish-related items. No fish-ball, no fish-cake, no fish fill-in-the-blank. It made for the worse mealtimes ever. (And I have yet to open the Pandora Box that is prawns.)

But I digress, so back to Sushi Saturday.

A friend of mine, (let's call her FJ) asked if I wanted to go to "the sushi place in citylink." I was a little apprehensive about going for Sushi all because of the eczema. I've heard from her previously that all sushi, including sashimi are at $1.50 per plate. ALL SUSHI + SASHIMI. If that's not a good deal, I don't know what is. 

(note: we were supposed to study together that afternoon but fat good it did for us by going to have sushi)

Here's the evidence! Sitting right in front of us.

It was a total coincidence that I had to go to the GP that morning because of my right eye. It has been irritating me for the past few days. So when I was there, I asked the doctor in passing about the ezcema flare-up I have. Conclusion: No matter if I eat my fish or not, the ezcema will forever be there. Just waiting for me to trigger it. 

My interpretation? -->  Just eat, worry later

And thus, I said YES to my friend. Sushi, my love, here I come for you!~

Warning: photos of food ahead.

Most credits goes to FJ's phone. Much thanks to the Lomo camera app on her phone.

This is the place!
SUSHI EXPRESS @ SUNTEC CITY LINK MALL

Clockwise from top left: Conveyor belt at out seats, A HUGE SCALLOP in some brown sauce, broiled Salmon Sushi with terriyaki sauce and abalone (4 slices)~

Me and my long-awaited salmon sashimi! Managed to snag the belly part. YUM.

And of course, who can forget about dessert!
Top row: Caramel milk pudding! They had a blueberry flavoured one as well, unfortunately we were pretty stuffed after one pudding.
Bottom row from left: Red velvet cake, chocolate cake, profiteroles (cream puffs) and mango pudding. 

Let me inject here by saying the cakes were really yummy. The cream cheese frosting was a tad sweet but still manageable (for me at least) and the chocolate cake, gosh, not sure if cake or chocolate square. It's really really rich. Just the way I like it. I wonder who they got the cakes from.

Most ingredients I have seen in miso soup ever.

They had a promotion while we were there: free miso soup for every 10 plates of sushi. So one each for us. Imagine our surprise when we saw salmon chunks in the miso soup! This is definitely not the norm for Japanese restuarants in SG where the most one can get is tofu cubes and seaweed. Pleased with the soup.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

  Between the two of us, we had 43 plates of sushi. Yeah, 2 girls 43 plates and 2 empty wallets. 

I bet our neighbours were shocked at how much we ate. 

, Out of those 43 plates, 9 were salmon sashimi (yeah, we calculated).
I mean, 3 slices on a plate for $1.50? Bring it on man.
Went to Suntec City's Starbucks to "study" after the sushi mini-explosion.

Obligatory photo of Starbucks drink: Iced Shaken Lemon Green Tea.

The lady taking my counter asked for my name and actually bothered to clarify the spelling of my name!
"Does it start with a 'CH' or 'K'?"

Second thing that made my day.
Of course, cheap Sushi beats everything hands down.

And of course, OOTD (outfit of that day):

OOTD selfie in the toilet.
Now I've gone and done it.

Yellow striped crop top: Sister Magherita @ Blueprint Emporium 2013, ~$25
Denim Overalls: Primark London, ~$35
Shoes: Itti & Otto, $109

Behold, the début of my yellow crop top from Blueprint Emporium.
It's tough pairing crop tops, especially really cropped ones, for me because of my need to not show my tummy.
I know, that is the whole point of crop tops but I don't like to show my round tummy :(

Dug out my overalls from the bottom of the denim pile and deemed what I have appropriate for the public's eyes. Not much skin showing save for the sides and my tummy is fully covered. Yay.

Tip: pair this with a long cardigan for a nice juxtaposition with the overalls. A rice-coloured one will balance out the dark blue of the denim and highlight the top. 

Plus, it keeps you warm too! :D

Till next time.

Love,
Christine xoxo

"Oh no! I'm late!" : A What-to-Do guide for Late Days

Hello everybody! Here's a post those suffering from Monday blues and have overslept: a guide to getting ready for late days! Firstly, let me just say that the things I'm about to suggest are things that I do when I am late. These work for me, if it doesn't work for you, try a routine that suits your style. I'm always oversleeping, so I have to get ready quickly to go out, especially for those early morning classes. However, I cannot ditch bathing or any other hygiene routine( like brushing teeth) because that would be too disgusting... although there was a point in time when I used to skip the brushing and use mouthwash when I was hopelessly late. I know that sounds gross but at least I got rid of the bad breath :P Anyway, this is a guide for those people who are running late but wants to look and feel presentable. It's a list of some of the things I do to cut down my preparation time so that I can quickly rush out. Hopefully, this will be useful for you too for days when you are late for school or work.

*****

#1: Dry Shampoo is your best friend.

I find that washing my hair takes the most time in my shower routine, since usually I shampoo and condition and then have to blow dry my hair. I must blow dry my hair since it'll take hours for it to dry by itself and I hate having the feeling of my scalp being smothered by the moisture in my hair. Sadly, blow drying would usually take out a good 5-10 minutes of my time.  So, the easiest and fastest way to solve this problem is using dry shampoo. I find Batiste's dry shampoo works the best for its price, and it keeps the oil on my scalp at bay for a good 5 hours at least. There's also a mini travel size bottle, which you can put in your bag and spray when you feel your hair getting oily. For me, this cuts down my shower time to 3 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes. Long haired girls can just braid their hair on the train etc after using the dry shampoo if you're still worried about the smell. Braiding also makes you look like you spent time getting ready and not hurrying around like some madwoman.

Batiste Dry Shampoo's here to save the day! Currently retails at Watsons for arounf $11+ I think.

#2: Always have a go-to outfit ready.

Just cos you're late doesn't mean you have to dress like crap. I'm sure everyone has done that at least once (I know I did. I felt terrible the whole day when I felt like I was dressed to go to the market when I was supposed to go to school.) What I do is to always have a couple of outfits that I know I can count on wearing without looking like a hot mess. Like have a 'uniform for late days', so wear that outfit whenever you're late. Try to have a few if you're frequently running late like me, so you can switch it up and also have a clean set of outfit ready. I tend to pick a dress as it is easy to wear and match. I just slip it on and pair it with a scarf or jacket and I'm ready!

#3: Skip the Makeup Routine

This is for those who put on makeup for school. Don't waste time doing your makeup at home. At most, do the essential step: eyeliner/ mascara (also because I find it embarrassing to put on eyeliner with everyone on the train staring at me). Have a small pouch to store your makeup essentials like mirror, sunblock, BB cream/foundation and lip product etc and bring it out with you to do the rest on the bus/ train or in a toilet at the meeting place before you meet your friends. If you want to travel light, stick to the bare minimum: a compact powder with SPF and a tinted lip balm.

These are usually inside my makeup pouch: 
Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in 03 Orange, Bourjois Liner Stylo in Brown, Silky Girl Hi-Definition Brow Liner in 02 Dark Brown, Physicians Formula Conceal Rx in Natural Light, Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream SPF 20 PA+ in shade 2 and Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon SPF 15 in shade 04 Peach on the Beach. Of course you can have different things in yours. :)

#4: Wear comfortable shoes that you can run in.

This is pretty obvious right? Don't wear heels or wedges or anything hard to run in if you're running late(flip flops are not good for running. You'll trip over eventually)--unless you're going to take a taxi or drive. Wear comfy flats or sneakers or sandals( those that strap your feet to the shoe), since you probably will be brisk walking/running to catch the bus or just rushing to the place. Usually I'd wear my flats or converse sneakers because they're easy to run in and matches almost every outfit.

My favourite shoes. Left: Dark red sneakers: Converse, around $30+(sale price); Right: Floral Flats: Rubi, $5(sale price)

#5: Have bread buns or muesli bars at home.

This is only applicable if you're like me, who doesn't have someone to prepare breakfast for me and your first lesson of the day is a long 3 hour class during which you'll starve if you don't get any sort of food. I think buns and muesli bars are quick and easy solutions to breakfast, as I can just grab them from the box and dump it in my bag quickly before leaving my house. It's not good to skip breakfast, since you will eventually be focused on the agony in your stomach and not your lessons etc. This is my experience anyway. (On the bright side, I don't doze off when I'm starving thanks to my thoughts on food.:) )

Fashion Week Ramblings

Note: This post has been in the making for the past two weeks :( It's only getting published now because I finally sat myself down to finish it. At 2am in the morning. On a Friday. Cheers.
Update: it's almost 3.30am now. I have a driving lesson early in the morning tomorrow/later. Goodnight. or good morning.


It's almost the end of London Fashion Week. In fact, according to London time, tomorrow's the last day! :(

"All good things must come to an end."


But first, New York Fashion Week.

3 weeks ago, NYFW commenced.
I think what makes this NYFW S/S2014 special is that it saw the début of the plus-size high-end line Cabiria by plus-size designer, Eden Miller. Not to mention, she was invited by the Fashion Law Institute to showcase her designs, the first ever invitation for a plus-size line. Seeing as how these Fashion Weeks are dedicated to showcasing SPCs on SP, it came as a surprise when I first caught wind of  NYFW showing their first ever  plus-size line.(Note: SPCs stand for Skinny People Clothes) I can't help but think: could fashion finally be moving towards embracing plus-size ladies? Regardless, this is a moment worth celebrating indeed. You can see photos of her designs or watch the video (she's the third to showcase) here! Look for Fashion Law Institute.
.

Little teaser

Taken from jezebel.com. Don't they all look stunning!

As for the rest of the NYFW shows, I am sad to say that I had no time to catch any of the shows that were streamed online on the NYFW site.

I blame it on school. And my hectic schedule. Also, my need to sleep.


Back to London Fashion Week.

Similarly, life happened and that left me with no spare time to watch any of the LFW shows. At this point, can I just say how grateful I am to Tumblr. Because of this wonderful site, I am somewhat kept in the Fashion Week loop one look at at time.

So far, I've been loving what little photos I have seen. Especially the shoes. God, what I'd kill to get my hands on a pair of those lovely pastel heels from the Burberry Prorsum show. Speaking of which, I really like the lace skirts but don't really dig the matching granny panties with it.

Taken from nowfashion.com
Look! It's Cara!

Taken from www.inoubliablemodelarmy.com

The details are incredible but I really don't get the pairing. Fashion, I guess. Or pragmatically, it's to cover up the privates.

Well, this is (nearing) the end of my rambling. I would love to see more plus-size lines debuting officially at NYFW and LFW. I understand that there's FFFW - Full-Figured Fashion Week - but it feels like we are being ostracized all the same. On one hand, why the need to purposely separate us from the mainstream crowd? Are we not deserving of a more permanent spot(s)? On the other hand, the inauguration of FFFW acknowledges the need of fashion for curvy people and that WE exist. It's a conflicting thing, really. Nonetheless, better to have it than not.

P.S. Shall El and I summarize what the trends are for S/S2014 and how to make them work for curvy girls? :)

Till next time.

Love,

Christine xoxo

Military Inspired OOTD and Dinner at Saveur

Hey guys, here's a quick OOTD. It's a military-inspired outfit!  As it was Friday, I had a long lecture inside a cold lecture theatre, so a jacket is a must-have. Thus, I decided to wear the camouflage jacket as it was lying around in my mother's cupboard.I matched it with a plain black dress to keep things simple as I didn't want anything to clash with the camouflage pattern. I chose a black stretchy belt with gold arrows to add on the toughness of a military look. I wore my dark red converse shoes to add that rugged flair to complete my outfit. Black combat boots or any other kind of black boots would be nice too... except I don't own any. Besides, I'm comfortable in my converse.

Outfit: Camouflage print Jacket: Op ; Black dress: Forever 21, around $21; Belt: Cotton On, $2(sale); Dark red sneakers: Converse, around $30+(sale price).

 After a long day in school, I went to Far East Plaza for dinner with my family. We went to this French restaurant, Saveur, for the first time. The place's concept is affordable french cuisine. We ordered the duck confit, since everyone around us was ordering it, and also the beef main course dish, fish main course dish and the beef tenderloin. If anyone hasn't been there before, I would recommend the beef main course dish. This may sound like a lot of food, but we were celebrating my mum's birthday. The beef  dish is AMAZING. (It might just be what I'll think of the next time when I'm craving for some beef.) It's beef short rib braised in red wine, served on a heavenly bed of Potato Au Gratin (a star on its own. I can eat a whole bowl of it) and the vegetable side is yummy too. The beef is braised until it is so soft and tender. The sauce is that came with it matched the beef very well. My only gripe is that the serving is too small, because I just can't get enough of it. The duck confit was served with a really smooth and delicious mash potatoes, slices of sweet orange and some mushrooms. It was ok, albeit a bit too salty for me. The fish was too soft for me, and the skin was more chewy than crispy despite the menu saying that it is "pan-seared". It came with sauteed potato cubes, which were so so. The beef tenderloin was cooked medium well just like we asked for, so I'm happy about that as most other restaurants that boasts of serving "affordable western food" always overcook the beef. However, the beef dish beats the beef tenderloin in both price and taste! Overall, out of the main courses, I think the beef main dish is the best and is value for money. Also, the potatoes are the best, be it mashed potatoes or the gratin.
Some pictures of the food (Drool Alert!):

 The beef main course dish. Best thing to eat!

 The popular duck confit. Nice but too salty.

The pan-seared sea bass. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, unless they really want to try the fish.On the bright side, mine didn't have any bones. :D

We also ordered dessert, deciding to try the pistachio panna cotta and chocolate & hazelnuts.
The pistachio panna cotta is a lovely and light dessert that is not too sweet. It's topped with ground pistachios which goes enhances the flavor and texture. I think it's a great dessert to end off a meal with. I liked this better than the chocolate and hazelnuts.

 Pistachio Panna Cotta

The chocolate and hazelnut dessert was lovely but too sweet for my liking, which says a lot about its sweetness as I love sweet things. Therefore, I feel the dessert is little heavy because of the sweetness, despite it being a chocolate mousse. It's served with raspberry bits, rice puffs, hazelnuts and praline I think. This is a good dessert to order for sharing between friends.

Chocolate and Hazelnuts

After dinner, we went to walk around. One interesting place we went to was DFS galleria opposite Far East Plaza. They were having this paper exhibition which decorated the whole building. there was also a display of couture inspired by paper designed by La Salle students, which I think is worth checking out. Other than that, there were paper made decorations like  trees and cranes which you could see as you walk around. It's worth a walk inside, even if you can't afford to buy luxury goods like me.

If anyone is interested in finding more information on Saveur, you can just google for the shop's website. Go and try the food there if you've been thinking about it, although I would advise that you go early before the dinner crowd on weekend nights because the shop is quite small for a popular restaurant. I saw a long queue outside it at around 6.15pm (thankfully there wasn't a queue when I went in at around 5.45pm). I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, even though it's more about food than fashion.

Till next time.

Love,

El xoxo

Back to School: Change Your Look Without Changing Your Wardrobe

Hey y’all! So, this post might be a bit late for those of you who have started school, but I believe that one can always do with more outfit ideas right? As you might have guessed from the title, we’re exploring back to school outfits for today's post. For Christine and I, it has already been 4 weeks since school has started. As usual, we’ve been experimenting with different outfits for school, just so we can bring new life to the same old clothes. We prepared this post with the aim of finding ways to wear the same piece of clothing differently (so no one knows you’re wearing the same thing all the time). In a way, it’s helpful for all those people who stay in their school dormitories/halls, since our ideas might help reduce the amount of laundry to clear each week. We'll show you how we have 3 different ways to wear the same piece of clothing each.

If you’re tired of wearing the same outfit again and again, keep reading to find out!

*****

Instead of wearing your usual jeans and t-shirt combo for class, how about changing the t-shirt for a cropped top? Pair that up with a bright coloured belt and you get a smart casual look that is both cute and fun. Accessorize with a statement necklace to add a bit of edginess to your outfit. Put on your favourite pair of shoes and you're ready for class!

On Christine: Skull Cropped Shirt (UK):Camden Market ~15 pounds; Black Jeans: H&M, $20(sale), Neon belt: H&M, $3.90 ; Shoes: Itti & Otto; $109.

Necklace: H&M, $17.90; Ring: Lovisa, $15.

If you're wondering about Christine's hairstyle, here's a closeup.  



It's a French braid done from the back of her right ear towards her left ear until no more hair can be added in. Just finish the braid and pin it up with some bobby pins to get this cute hairstyle. This took me about 3 minutes to do it on Christine and it's easy enough to do it by yourself. Changing the usual way you wear your hair can give you a refreshing new look!

For a change, wear the shirt with a skirt instead of pants.

Button down skirt(Japan): G.A.P, ~$25; Chambray shirt: River Island, $49.90 (sale).

 Match the loose cropped top with a nice fitted skirt for that contrast of loose+fitted look. Toss on a chambray shirt to protect yourself from the cold.

 Add a pair of red flats to give a pop of colour to brighten up the outfit. If you love wearing rings, wear a gold cocktail ring that ties in with the denim look.

 Ring: Dorothy Perkins, $6 (sale); Red flats: Rad Russel, $59.90 (sale). 

For Christine's last look, she's decided to wear the shirt over a basic black dress.

Black cotton dress: Cotton On, ~$15(sale); Colourful braided belt: Cache Cache, $5 (sale)

This method is also useful if you want to have a new way to wear your dresses. Just put a top over the dress and voila! you get a "new" skirt. The best way to do this is to match a plain dress with a fun graphic/patterned top or switch it around by matching a plain top if the dress is patterned. You can do what Christine has done here, matching the graphic cropped shirt with a simple black dress and tying it all in with a colourful braided belt to add some shape and colour

Bow ring: $4 from a box in Toy Outpost.

Accessorise with a sweet bow ring to add some girly charm to your outfit like Christine!

For those of you who are looking for ways to style the same dress, here're some ideas!



 

 Dress: Uniqlo, $16.90; Jacket: H&M(HK),~$38; Belt: from China; Bag and sandals(Thailand), ~$8 each.

Basics are the easiest things to style, as they are so versatile. You can go from casual to chic just by adding different stuff. Here, I'm wearing a navy cotton maxi dress, which I love as it is so comfortable to wear and fits me just right without showing my tummy. The good thing about plain maxi dresses is that they don't show my big thighs and make me look taller. To get a casual and chic look, I added a thick brown leather belt to hug in my waist to give me some shape. I chose a smart looking denim jacket to protect me from the cold during lectures and finished the look off with my favourite pair of sandals. It's hassle free and comfortable at the same time. For those of you who hate wearing sandals, you can substitute with other alternatives like sneakers for a more cool vibe or a pair of platforms/wedges to get some extra height.

For a softer look, pair with a lace top like so:

  White lace top: Forever 21; Yellow bangle:Diva

The lace top will add a touch of softness and femininity to the brooding blue dress. The butterfly lace sleeves will cover up the arm and also add an air of mystery since it's see through. I added a neon yellow bangle just to give the outfit a contrast so it won't be just boring white and blue. Besides looking good, it is also easy to move around in too.

It's so easy to move in that I couldn't help adding this photo in. Take a deep breath of fresh air when you're stressed with work!

The next outfit will show how to upgrade a casual cotton dress to something with a bit of glam.

 Gold necklace: Dorothy Perkins, $13

I used the same leather belt with the dress to give the dress a more 'fitted' look. A big gold statement necklace is added to give the outfit some glam. I love this necklace as it instantly makes the whole outfit look more sophisticated. The V-shape pattern is also flattering, as it enhances my face. This kind of necklaces is good to match with other basics like a plain shirt or tank top to give them an extra boost in style. Another option is to ditch the necklace and change the belt to something with a bit of bling. The navy colour will bring out the brightness of the bling belt even more so you can dazzle everyone. Wear a pair of heels or flats and go out and have fun!

Well that ends our Back to School outfits post and we hope you have been inspired by some of our ideas. We hope you have a great semester in school!

Till next time.

Love,

El and Christine xoxo