recent purchases

Some things I got when I went shopping today. I wanted to go see H&M because they finally opened a store in Metrotown (the biggest mall in the Vancouver area) but I didn’t end up buying anything from them! There was one chiffon dress (on my list!) that was close to coming home with me before I realized that it’d always stay in my closet because it didn’t suit any occasion that I could think of wearing it for. I’m really proud of my restraint actually, it was a really pretty dress but it was just unnecessary. 

Otherwise I am completely in love with everything bought today! Especially the tribal print sweater, I love how it looks like a sweater with character.

I got my knits and my leather, next is the boots and the bag….

random doodle of Emma Watson I made in class while we were *studying diligently* 

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removing pillings

These are a thick pair of leggings I got impulsively in New York when it turned out to be a lot colder there than I expected back in March. I bought them in Chinatown NY (we were there for food, Kathy’s Dumpling House – best wontons ever -  and I got these ‘cause we’d be staying late and it’d get even colder) and quality wise their fine except they pill really easily. A few weeks ago at daiso I bought a small electric pill remover ($2), you can get pill removers/fabric combs/fabric savers at most supermarkets, fabric stores and home supply stores.

This is what my $2 daiso one looks like 

and I love it. Its amazing. A total life clothing saver. Just look

ALL GONE!

Its all trapped in here now.

I’m so glad I bought this, I just found out that pilling was removable last month and had been looking at different pilling removers/fabric savers online. I was going to get the fabric stone but I bought this basically because it was $2 and I thought it’d be worth a try, it works so much better than I’d expected! Its saving me so many of my sweaters that I’d though I’d never wear again because they had pilled so badly.

I’ve used this a few times now and I make sure to give it breaks after a few seconds, the thing about cheap electronics like this is that you have to worry about the motor dying out. You can also use a (new) shaving razor (preferably 1 blade, the less blades the less likely you’ll accidentally cut the fabric)  to get rid of pilling and fabric fuzz. It takes forever though and I’ve cut holes my clothes accidentally with it. . 

The one I used was from the dollar store, 3 blades, sharp enough to cut holes in the fabric, not sharp enough to get rid of the pillings/fuzz in less than a dozen swipes.  It works, its just not efficient.

The Pilling remover from Daiso has not cut any of my clothes so far in my experience, I’ve even used it over stitching and designs (like the shiny zebra design on the leggings pictures above) and its been fine. It removes pillings like a dream but its not that great with removing the fuzz from knit sweaters (scarves, etc.). Still I love it, $2 really well spent. 

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thrifting

After seeing annie's (whatanniewears.com) post about thrift store shopping and seeing that she got an incredible looking blazer from a thrift store I have been itching to go to one. I didn't get to do any vintage shopping while I was in New York! There just wasn't any time.  Today I discovered that thrift stores in Vancouver aren't too bad…in fact I really like vintage/thrift shopping now!
 

The last time I went to a thrift store was back in elementary school where the teachers took us there as a "field trip" to find costumes for our "Music Through the Ages" musical. These two necklaces were the only things I bought that day, I think my total was around $6? We were too busy being a ruckus for the teachers but a friend of mine did get some cool stuff. 

Today, less than $8 bought me a hoodie  that would have cost me over $85  last year at Aritzia. I really wanted this sweater last year and I got it today for about 90%off! Other than some pilling it seems to be in great condition. I haven’t found any stains yet.

  What I’ve Learned About Thrift Stores

1. It isn’t that hard to find things. Everything is organized into categories, then into size and it looked like the shirts were organized by color too. Basically there are a few sections that would suit you so you don’t have to search the whole store but its a good idea to poke around the other areas too. Clothes could have shrunk or stretched or a designer might have had a different idea of what “size small” or “size large” was.  Basically its just the same as Winners or Marshalls, only the things have been worn and they’re cheaper. (btw – The changing rooms similar too!)
2. Not everything is old. Today I bought an Aritzia Parklife 2010 Vancouver Olympics Whistler Hoodie (shown in photos). They do have a lot of stuff that looks like its been there since the 60s but there’s recently made items too. You might even find something with the tags still on it, you never know!
3. Yes they do have expensive brands. Just about everything is branded, a lot of them in the Old Navy - American Eagle price range but there’s also True Religion, Topshop and Diesel, you just have to hunt for it. 
4. Yes most of the clothes have a worn feel to it. The fibres in the fabric aren't as in tact as new ones are and some of the clothes have stains/pilling. Most of the clothes I saw though were in good condition.

On the right is Annie in the blazer that she bought from a thrift store. Amazing right?


Best thing is… Designer jean hunting!

Your not supposed to take pictures in the store, I snapped these before the manager came to give me a chat (embarrassing but worth it to get some photos) but I’m practically advertizing them so I think they’ll forgive me. Today I spotted William Rast and Diesel, the Diesel jeans looked pretty new and they had a gorgeous wash but they weren’t my size. The William Rast jeans were a bit faded and also too big for me. If you want them they might still be there... This was the Victoria drive Value Village location in Vancouver.

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my favourite youtube gurus

lisa eldridge

She's a very successful professional makeup artist that works for magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Glamour and brands like Chloe, Alberta Ferretti, Prada, Donna Karan and Moschino. I love her personality, she super friendly and down-to-earth, i definitely can understand why people love working with her! All her videos are filmed in superb lighting and look studio quality. she's done a wide range of looks, from modern "rocker" and smokey eye makeup to classic looks and tutorials on makeup removal and blemish concealing. I really like her approach to makeup, she doesn't make it seem overly "girly" or shallow or "fake", her makeup looks, her personality and her presentation are clear and fresh and plus she's british! who doesn't love british accents? she's my favourite guru at the moment. check out her website lisaeldridge.com

fav vids: Pink Glitter Lip, First Date Look , 60's peachy lips, Cheryl Cole - Elle magazine cover look

beauty qq

Queenie, who is Beauty QQ, is amazing, i love her! she is a great role model and one of the best people on the internet. in those guru gossip forums where they bash most gurus, she and manwomanfilm (below) are one of the few that they rave about and they are picky viewers! all of her videos have great music and she writes wonderful, inspirational quotes about life and taking care of yourself and being grateful, her videos are beautiful and not just about makeup. If your chinese she does some of her videos speaking Cantonese or mandarin and i think all of her videos have chinese subtitles and English subtitles. i like how she makes makeup fit in with life and reminds people of the other things in life. I watch her videos not only for beauty tips but for what she puts into them and how she inspires me.

My fav vids: Chic and Sexy Night Out Makeup, Natural And Glamorous Smoky Eye Makeup Tutorial

manwomanfilm

I think she's one of the most creative gurus, especially considering the quality of her videos. she's japanese i believe and she's not a professional makeup artist although she certain should be one. she is very skilled and has some astonishingly original artistic looks. some of her videos seem like michellephan ones (she has a geisha look, a mask look and a zebra look) but i'm pretty sure her videos came out first. She recently posted some striking valentines day looks (i really like them!) and she has some great hair tutorials. I always looked at those asian magazine's hair tutorial photos (like in ViVi or Ray or Beauty, etc.) but i still couldn't grasp how they did it, she makes it looks super easy and look really nice. she usually doesn't talk in her videos, if you don't like watching videos where the person sort of rambles on and on you'll love her like me because her videos are straight to the point and well edited.   she has her own distinct style both in terms of makeup and video editing. everything is high quality!

fav vid: Easy makeup look for Graduation & Prom ,

Pyonghwaa

her videos have a more home-made feel to it but are still good quality. her looks are gorgeous and she has some great tips. she's 18 and she's sooo pretty! She has a ton of great, cute everyday looks and she's has some more dramatic makeup tutorials.

other cool channels/gurus

gossmakeupartist
beauty321
hollyannaeree
ekimura
makeupgeektv
juicytuesday
Shantea mac
jungsaemmool
AllThatGlitters21
stillGLAMORUS

on another note
i've reached 100 followers this week! thanks guys! most of you started following me while this was mainly my personal blog with a few reviews and such here and there, recently i've been making a lot more product review posts because i've gotten busier and my product reviews were getting long overdue. i hope you still find them helpful! i've made a lot changes to this blog this month, to everyone that's known me for a while, thank you all for sticking through with me and to all my new followers a big hello! and i hope to get to know you guys better ^^

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