How To | Daisy Accent Manicure

It (was) Monday!  

So, I thought I would do a Monday Manicure tutorial!

This tutorial was inspired by the many daisy mani tutorials that have been popping up all over my YouTube feed.

Since Spring is slowly turning to Summer (who am I kidding, Singapore has no seasons), I decided to do one too as a nod goodbye to wonderful Spring. 

Read on if you'd like to know how to get these pretty daisy nails :)

How To: Hair Inspiration from Bride of the Century-- Na Doo Rim's Hair (Yang Jin Sung)

Hello everyone!
It has been a while since I did an individual post. So today I've got 2 hair tutorials for you!

Recently, I've been watching this Korean drama called Bride of the Century and I've been seriously loving the hair that they do on the main female lead (Na Doo Rim)! Maybe it's because her hair length and style is pretty similar to mine, so I really appreciate that I can get some hairstyle inspiration from her.

One of the things I've been noticing is the way her fringe is pinned up. It's a casual pin back look but there's a lot of thought put into it. I decided to share with you all here if you've not watched the show because the way it's done really helps shape the face!It's a great style for those of you who're in the awkward phase of growing the fringe out. I've also included in a tutorial on how to do the fancy braided fringe look because one can never have too many ways to style the fringe. So if you're in the process of growing out your fringe or you want to change the look of your bob, this post is for you!

The Casual Pin-Back Look

Here's the first look. It's a simple pin back but it's to the side. Notice that not all the fringe is pinned but a few strands of hair is left such that they drape diagonally across the face to shape the face. This is much more flattering than taking the whole bunch of fringe and pinning it (unless your face suits it). It's a super practical and good way of getting annoying fringe out of your eyes and look nice too :)

Photo: Screengrab from Bride of the Century drama

Also, the hair is not flatly pinned to the head. The person made it puffy by twisting the ends so the head doesn't appear flat (Look at picture on the right).

So what's different in these 2 pictures? 

The first picture is a depiction of the way I often see people pin their fringe up. It's not very flattering for people whose forehead is squarish like mine because it emphasizes on the broadness of the head, thus making your face look bigger.

The second picture is a depiction of the way Na Doo Rim's hair was done-- it has a pretty deep side parting, in the 8:2 or 9: 1 ratio. the longer fringe is let down to cover the side of the forehead so it's more flattering on the face. Overall it looks better no? If you're interested in how to replicate the style, keep scrolling ^.^

Steps:
1 &2: Create a side parting in the ratio of 9:1 or 8:2, depending on how wide your forehead is and how much of your fringe you want to leave out. Here, I have done a pretty extreme parting because I was feeling like it.
3: Grab a small section of the fringe to pin up, around 3-4 cm wide a section. Basically just take up the part of the fringe that falls over your eyes.
4: Grab some hair from other parts of your head along the axis of your parting. Just the top layer of hair will do. Pull the fringe slightly towards the back of your head and give it a tiny twist.
5: Hold the twist and push it towards the top of the head slightly to create a tiny puff( because you don't want your head looking flat!).Pin it using bobby pins or use a claw clip like me.
6: And there you go! A simple and easy way to deal with that annoying fringe you're growing out and still look good :)

The Fancy Braid Look

Here's another look that I adore. The fringe has been incorporated into a french braid that starts at the crown and hair is taken in on both sides of the braid.This is like an upgrade from the simple fringe done in look 1.

From what I could tell in the video, only the fringe at the peak of the forehead is taken in the braid. The rest of the hair is left to shape the face like the first look. The first section of the braid takes in hair from both sides. After all the fringe that is wanted to be braided is incorporated in the braid, then the rest of the braid becomes a lace braid where only the hair from the back is incorporated in the braid. The stylist ended the braid slightly after her ear and pins it and covers the pins with the rest of the hair.

Photo: Screengrab from Bride of the Century drama

Here's my take on it:

Steps:
1: Choose your side parting as you did in the first look.
Do this step if you want a neat line (if not, go to step 4):
2: Segment your hair as shown. Basically take a comb and separate the part of your hair from behind you ears and tie that section so you can get a straight line as seen in the photo. This is the part which you do not want to incorporate into the braid. Use a clip or hair tie to secure.
3: From the fringe area, pin away the fringe that you do not want to incorporate into the braid.
4: Now let's start braiding! Take a small section of the fringe that you want to braid along with some other hair from the rest of the free hair and divide into 3 sections. Do a dutch braid by taking the some hair from the left side of the braid and add it to the leftmost section and then crossing it under the middle section.Do the same for the right side of the braid.
5: Keep repeating step 4 until you have incorporated all the fringe that you want to braid in the braid as shown.
6: From this point, do a lace braid. Only take in hair from the back part of the hair to incorporate into the braid. Do this until you reach the edge of your head.
7: Now, braid the rest of the remaining hair normally for a few more centimeters.
8: Secure with bobby pins behind your ear.
9: Remove the hair tie and clip and arrange your hair properly and ....you're done! Good job getting this far!

Get creative by adding hair accessories!

Holographic Flower Pins: H&M
I got these at $2 on sale a few months ago. There's a black version too but the white is prettier :)

For those of you who feel like you're pro or is too lazy to section your hair, it'll still look as good! Here, I've included a photo of my hair when I did it by feel (Picture 1) and a photo of my hair when I did it with proper sectioning(Picture 2). You can see that in Picture 1 that I took in hair from a wider area of my head.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this hair inspiration + tutorial post! I think this look is great for everyday wear or if you want to feel special. With it being wedding season, I think this hairstyle is great for attending outdoor weddings! This hairstyle goes great with curls/waves but I think it'll also work well with straight hair :) I think one of the important things about these 2 looks is knowing where to stop the parting at and how much fringe to pin up. You'll only know this by trial and error because each person's forehead and face shape differs. If you've liked this post, check out an earlier how to guide on crown braid here. It's a super easy and chic look!

That's the end of today's post! Have you watched Bride of the Century before? I feel sad that the drama is so short compared to other korean drama series. I really enjoyed this drama alot, even with all the cliched korean drama scenes. If you've not watched it, you can watch it on Dailymotion (or google Maplestage or Tiveee.com for Chinese and English subtitled versions respectively).

Till next time!
Love,
El   xoxo

Sunday Style Showdown | MONOCHROME

Hello everyone!
For this week's SSS, we're challenging the all-season style - Monochrome!

If you want a dictionary definition here's one!

Monochrome(adj): being or made in the shades of a single color;
having the images reproduced in tones of gray.(definition from Dictionary.com)

Without further ado, scroll down and have a look!

The MONOCHROME Showdown
El	Christine
I thought it would be nice to do something besides the classic black+white monochrome look. Thus, my monochrome look comprises shades of red. Why red? That's because it's one of my favourite colors and therefore, I have lots of red stuff. Many people say horizontal stripes are fattening but I think if you make certain adjustments, it'll be ok. Like in my outfit, I decided to 'block off' the side of my body with a solid colored vest so that the stripes don't 'expand' the sides of my body. The vest gives me a body shape, and it also adds this boho/hipster vibe; perfect for visiting a place like Haji Lane (where this photo was taken). I wore shorts just because the weather has been so hot lately. I end the outfit with my usual pair of Converse (I love those pair way too much, I know).	I am simple-minded. You tell me Monochrome, I give you black and white. So there. I have to say, I love, love, love the skirt I'm wearing. It is high-waisted, structured and in an A-line shape: perfect for the stumpy, curvy me. And it has a really pretty white lace print on a black background, not to mention it's in white. Very spring indeed. To give the outfit some depth and character, I paired the skirt with a knitted slouchy top. This gives it a chill factor; perfect for going shopping, brunch and a girl's night out! If it's too warm out for a knitted top, change it to one made of chiffon to match a structured bottom. Just remember to keep the top flowy and slouchy for contrast.
My arm candy for this outfit includes my favourite red leather+metal strap which I like for its grunge look. Then there's my orange/red bracelets from H&M that I added to brighten things up a 'lil, because most of the outfit was entrenched in deep red.	I am going to talk more about my amazing white skirt. Did I mention it has pockets? No? Okay, I am mentioning it now -- The wonderful skirt has pockets too! It's a total bonus when skirts (and dresses for that matter) has pockets! Plus, the lace details are noticeable enough from afar (pretty swirly pattern) yet subtle enough for multiple uses. Just know that j'adore la jupe. Also, shoutout to the cutout boots. Ain't it a pretty mint? *winks*
El's Outfit Details Striped Shirt: Lowry's Farm Shorts: Cotton On Red Vest: Thrifted from my aunt Shoes: Converse Red leather strap: Hong Kong Orange bracelets: H&M	Christine's Outfit Details Knitted Top: H&M White Lace Skirt: Nastygal Cutout Boots: Senso via Nastygal Necklace: Shop from Haji Lane Assorted rings: H&M, gifted Watch: Fossil Sunnies: Fossil

Who won this time round? Which of our Monochrome interpretation did you like most?

Tell us your thoughts via these channels and don't forget to use #SSS!

1. Comment in the box below!

2. Tweet us your response @ChapalangGirls

3. Find us on Facebook @The Chapalang Way

Or show us how you rock Monochrome on Instagram and tag us or use #SSS! (Christine's and El's)

We would love to hear from you! :)

Till next time
Love,
El and Christine xoxo

Sunday Style Showdown | COLORBLOCK

Did you enjoy our first SSS? :) Since no one commented, we decided on a tie. HAHA. We sure hope you did enjoy it though. This week, we have in store for you:

The COLORBLOCK Showdown
El	Christine
Well, I wanted to do a colorblock look without using the usual bright colors that I usually see in social media and magazines. I thought it would be fun to try a pastel element for colorblocking since it's spring and all. Plus the top has this beautiful lace detailing at the chest area, which adds on to the spring vibe. For shoes, I'm wearing my favourite Converse. I actually had another pair of shoes that would have gone so well with this but they broke! For a fancier look, choose white shoes.	First off, a disclaimer: I SWEAR I DID NOT NOTICE THAT I WAS WEARING H&M HEAD TO TOE AT POINT OF SHOOT. Back to the topic, colour block. For me, the term colour-blocking always invoke an image of someone wearing two different bright colours and that's what I tried to do here. After all, what's colour blocking without a little colour? This shockingly pink tee I wore is plenty bold by itself and is bound to attract attention wherever you go. Hence, if you're like me and don't want too much attention, tone it down a notch by pairing it with a darker coloured bottom.
For my accessories, I decided to brighten things up a little. I chose orange/yellow accessories because they're complementary to purple. It's interesting to have bright colors to contrast with the pastel. I wore the turquoise stone bracelet to make the orange standout more (remember your colorwheel!) I decided to do a fringe braid hairband because I wanted to have my fringe back. Braids are the perfect way to wear your hair for spring!	As the neon pink shirt is the focal point of the outfit, I kept my accessories simple. I chose silver accessories to colour-coordinate with the silver buckles on my skirt while I chose white as the 3rd colour of the outfit as it is the fail-safe colour to match with everything (as is black). Remember: if your outfit is attention-grabbing and you don't know what accessories to wear, just keep it simple! :)
El's Outfit Details Top: H&M Skirt: New Look Shoes: Converse Bracelets(Orange/Yellow ones): H&M Bracelet(Turquoise Stones): Bangkok	Christine's Outfit Details Top: H&M Skirt: H&M Shoes: H&M Necklace: Shop in a mall White Studded Strap: Flea Market Sunnies: Nastygal

How did you find our take on colour-blocking? Which of our interpretation did you like most?

Tell us your thoughts via these channels and don't forget to use #SSS!

1. Comment in the box below!

2. Tweet us your response @ChapalangGirls

3. Find us on Facebook @The Chapalang Way

Show us how you colour-block on Instagram and tag us or use #SSS! (Christine's and El's)

p.s. The colour wheel (a really simple illustration) is the most handy tool when colour-blocking. Just remember that Opposites Attract and The Rule of Triangular Complementary!

Till next time
Love,
El and Christine xoxo