‘Begin Again’ Soundtrack + Fashion (#TT149)

Hello lovelies!

Have you watched the movie “Begin Again” yet? If you haven’t, GO WATCH IT. It’s like a musical 500 Days of Summer and I just love it! Keira Knightley is amazing as usual, but in this movie it’s a little more special because she sings! And it’s her real voice, I was like wow it’s so good! She has that Norah Jones kind of voice but sweeter. I watched the movie like a month ago but only recently started digging out the soundtrack list. This movie is just my favorite kind of movie!

Check out some of my favorite songs off the movie:

My favorite scene!

This song is just brilliant.

Adam Levine also has his own version below.

Both versions are equally good, but I guess I still like Keira’s better as it has a different feel and emotions to it :)

The weather is so gloomy nowadays, it rains almost every single day and I just like to listen to something soothing, lightweight and calm (if that makes sense lol). This movie soundtrack is definitely my current go-to playlist. Have I mentioned that I love Keira’s voice?

I basically fell in love with Keira’s character, Gretta. Cool personality, great talent, and also awesome fashion sense! I wish I could steal her wardrobe because I love every single outfit she wears in the movie.

Love the laidback preppy-ish style! I need a wardrobe transformation!

 

Have a lovely week ahead :)

xo, Jo

Taylor Swift’s “1989”– My Top 5 Songs

Hello lovelies!

As you may have or have not already known that our girl Tay-tay just dropped her latest album last week and I thought I would write a short review since I had pre-ordered it and started listening to it non-stop ever since it was available.

The genre of this album is obviously pop, but thank goodness it’s a good kind of pop where lyrics still matter. Many of the songs kind of sound hipster-ish and indie-influenced, which are very much reflected from the polaroid album theme.

The original album consists of 13 songs, while deluxe album has 3 bonus songs plus 3 bonus audio tracks of Taylor sharing her experience during the song writing process.

If you have listened to ‘Shake It Off’, let me tell you, the other songs sound nothing like it. I don’t mean it in a negative way, but they’re not the catchy type that you can’t get it out of your head for a couple of weeks then get sick of it after a month.

Since YouTube still pretty much restricts the original songs to be posted, I can’t post them here. However, I’ll post some of the lyrics instead.

5. How You Get The Girl

My first impression of this song is it could be a great soundtrack of a movie or TV show. The chorus is catchy enough without being too overwhelming. The lyrics is basically some advice from Taylor to guys out there on how to get the girl y’all! Guys, pay attention. I also like how she has a little twist in it.

And then you say,

I want you for worse or for better,
I would wait forever and ever,
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together.
I would wait forever and ever.
And that's how it works
It's how you get the girl, girl...

Tell her how you must have lost your mind.
And you left her all alone, and never told her why (why).
And that's how it works.
That's how you lost the girl.

4. Out of The Woods

I’ve reviewed this song in my previous post here. Unfortunately, the video is no longer working because Taylor and her label basically removed all of her “1989” songs from YouTube and Spotify. She even removed ALL of her songs from past albums off Spotify (sad face).

3. Style

I’m not a big fan of the verses, but I love the chorus. I also really like of how this song is produced, the music sounds very modern and just plain cool. On a random note, am I the only one who pictures Harry Styles here? Sorry I had to lol.

You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style

You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style.

2. I Wish You Would

Ok, I think I just found a new trend here. Again I love LOVE the chorus but not so much on the verses. This song has a very cool set of guitar chords and I think the verses could have been done better with a more interesting tune. Every time I listen to this song, there’s a tiny little feeling inside of me saying “man I wish the verses were more interesting”. But perhaps it was purposely done to get the feel of the story behind the song. As for the lyrics, girllll I know exactly how this feels!

I wish you would come back
Wish I never hung up the phone like I did
I wish you knew that I'll never forget you as long as I live, I
Wish you were right here, right now, it's all good, I wish you would

I wish we could go back
And remember what we were fighting for
I wish you knew that I miss you too much to be mad anymore
Wish you were right here, right now, it's all good, I wish you would

1. Blank Space

OMG, OMG, first of all let me just say this. I am BEYOND excited when I found out this was a single because this song is my absolute favorite from the beginning. If you listen to the bonus audio from the deluxe album, you can hear how this song was first made acoustically and I wish there was a full track of the acoustic version because I love it. Anyways, this song was on repeat for one full week and I didn’t get bored of it at all. And now the music video is here!!! It’s a pure gem. Just watch.

 

Till next time!

xo, Jo

Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner & Remover Review

I went to Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner launch in Sephora Singapore a few weeks back, just because they had appealing promotion. At the end I got my hands on their sunscreen “Dream Screen” as well. I might do a separate review on that.

The promotion was that if we bought 2 They’re Real! products, they would give a free They’re Real Mascara in mini size and a cosmetic pouch. I got the pouch (and really liking it), but not the mascara because it was out of stock when I arrived there as it was limited =( the staff only told me that it was out of stock AFTER I paid the products, in which I got a liner and a remover – because I thought I would get the mascara so I thought I’d just get the remover. Quite disappointed as I really want to try the mascara and I’m not even a mascara person. Heard good reviews about it, so perhaps next time!

Opening up the liner.. Upon opening the cap, you will see this tiny orange plastic protector at the AccuFlex tip. Just take it off and twist the base for the gel to come out. I was really excited to try this liner, as it’s quite a breakthrough for a gel liner.

For the first time, you may need several twists to get the product squeezed out, but after the first use, you only need one twist and it allows you to draw up to 5 thick strokes.

This liner is designed for those who like their eyeliner thick, as it’s quite tricky to work it for thin look. Consistency wise is pretty smooth and very black, but it may get flaky when you do layering. I don’t know whether it’s because my eyelashes are rather long, but when I blink, I can see flakes from the product fallen on my upper cheeks and the roots of my eyelashes clump together.

Natural look vs winged look

They’re Real! remover is described as gel remover, however it’s more like a lotion-based to me. I personally like the packaging because it’s very slim and sleek. I guess it would not last very long if I use it everyday since you need a pretty significant amount of product to saturate the cotton pad to completely remove the They’re Real! eyeliner. It still does the job though.

Verdict:

They’re Real! push-up liner:

+ Handy, no brush needed
+ Good for thick and winged eye look
+ Waterproof
+ Dries quickly

- Flaky
- Can be a little messy
- A little tricky for thin natural look
- Not very smudge-proof

Will I repurchase – probably not, I still prefer the conventional gel liner in a pot with a brush. I just find it easier to control, has better consistency and more smudge-proof. But if you’re curious to try and you’re a thick eyeliner person, I think it’s worth the try. Price wise I think it’s still reasonable, around SGD38.

They’re Real! remover:

+ Does a decent job
+ Light consistency
+ Nice packaging
+ Not drying

- Tube hole is too small
- Require a generous amount of product to completely remove eye makeup

Will I repurchase – maaaaybe. It’s an okay remover, but I still prefer water or oil based type of remover though, since you don’t need a lot of product to completely remove the makeup. I’d feel cleaner as well.

 

Have you tried Benefit They’re Real! products yet?

xo, Jo

SheInside Floral Gradient Shirt

White Long Sleeve Floral Chiffon Blouse

I had been wanting to get this shirt so bad! I saw it being sold in various online shops and I decided to buy it from SheInside this time considering the price and reviews from their members, which makes it my first purchase from the shop!

The material is very sheer and lightweight, but quite structured on the collar, which I like. I love love the design and the fact that the sleeves have button straps to secure when you roll up your sleeves make it even more practical during the hotter days.

I also like the stud button at the collar, which is kind of a surprise to me. One flaw that I find is that there is a tiny misprint on one of the sleeves’ end that is supposed to be clean white. It kind of looks like a pink stain but I know it’s just a misprint from the design. It’s not that obvious so it’s all good.

I reckon that it’s originally a Bershka design from their 2013 Spring collection, but seems like I failed to see it in the store. Thus, I can’t really compare it to the original piece. It looks exactly the same though (see picture below).

Have you bought anything from SheInside before?

xo, Jo

ASOS Haul + First Impressions

Hello lovelies!

Finally a haul post! It’s been waaay long overdue. Hope you enjoy!

This was my first batch of purchase ever from ASOS, after hearing so much about it from a British fashion Youtuber, FashionRocksMySocks. When I lightly browsed the site for the first time, I got hooked and in a blink of an eye I added tons of items on the wishlist!

Now that I look back, I think I was pretty crazy on the impulse buying. I spent over SGD200, which very rarely happens!! Because it was over SGD175, I was entitled for a free express shipping. I felt good at that time but now it’s like meh it’s just about a week difference. My money… Was it all worth it? You’ll see.

Clothing:

ASOS Sleeveless Smock Dress - Spice, UK 6

I’ve always wanted to own more dresses, but since I’m more of a top-bottom kind of person, I’m rather picky on my dress options. When I browsed on ASOS dresses, smock dresses are everywhere, they’re sort of replacing the skater dress popularity.

ASOS Smock Dress With Short Sleeves – Navy, UK 6

I’ve decided to go with the simple ones first. So I picked these two plain casual smock dresses, which were pretty affordable. I wanted to choose grey color for the sleeveless one as shown on the model but somehow it was not in the options, hmm.. They turned out to be really comfy, the material is good and the length is just above my knees. Casual modest dresses on the go!

ASOS Skater Dress in Vintage Floral with Tie Back, UK 6

Then I picked another dress that is more dressy and I had been wanting a floral dress for a really long time. Plus, it was on huge sale! I think it still is right now, you can click the link above.

The length is perfect for me. It’s just slightly shorter than the smock dresses. The material is a little coarse but it’s pretty thick for chiffon. There’s also another layer of fabric from the waist line till below. Also, I LOVE the details at the back. It’s perfect for those who don’t wanna show too much skin. At the front it looks really modest but there’s a surprise at the back ;) I wore this for my birthday dinner and will be wearing it again for my brother’s graduation!

Accessories:

ASOS Ears Boyfriend Watch

Finally I own a gold boyfriend watch! Even better, it’s got ears! Haha. The strap is kind of light, which kind of gives the impression of a “cheap watch”, but the overall look is still great to me! I think it’s pretty well-made for SGD54.80. I needed to remove about 3cm of the strap because it was too long. I wore it for a random photoshoot last month.

ASOS Rope Chain Hand Harness

This chain hand harness is also too long and I have yet to adjust the length. Wish they had sizes for this!

ASOS Mixed Finger Tip Ring Pack

I love stack rings! Simple yet so cute. Probably will get more of these from various places :x

ASOS Grecian Leaf Hairband

Isn’t this pretty? Well, perhaps less pretty on my head, but I think it looks great on dark hair! There’s a stretchy band to wear at the back so it’s not loose at all.

Beauty:

Korres Exfoliating Body Scrubs 150ml
Korres Rice Proteins & Linden Shampoo for Fine Hair 250ml

I’ve always wanted to try Korres! So I was really excited when I saw several Korres products being sold in ASOS for a cheaper price compared to Singapore retail price! I’ve tried the scrub and it was GOOD! I use it on my back since somehow I get a little back acne these days. I can feel that the bumps got smaller and eventually got rid off after using this! I have yet to try the shampoo. Will update it as soon as I try it! :)

Summary:

I’m satisfied of ALL of my purchases and I think I’m a big ASOS fan now. I will definitely repurchase their clothes (only at reduced price though!) and Korres or other beauty products that are cheaper online, but I’m not sure whether I will repurchase the accessories, except for watches.

It’s because I don’t know whether they’re really worth it? I feel that I can get rings, bracelets, or headband else where that offer better deals, e.g. Forever 21 and H&M. Also, they normally don’t have sales on the accessories, they focus more on the clothing department. It’s just for this case, I didn’t have time to go physical shopping so I chose whatever most convenient haha.

Have you ever shopped in ASOS before? Do share your experience! :)

xo, Jo

Freeman Sexy Review + First Impressions

I was UBER excited when I saw this at my local drug store, because it was out of stock for a long time, and surprisingly, it seems like only this particular branch sells them.

At first I only saw the travel size ones, but when I was paying at the cashier, I saw the actual size products. I still got the sachets though, since this is my first time trying this brand after hearing so many good reviews about it.

The pictures below shall explain my experience using the Cucumber Peel-Off Mask!

Disclaimer: Yes, this is how I normally look like after my evening shower. Wet messy hair (not even bothered to blow dry it), towel on my neck, pyjamas in action, and my pinkish complexion (will go away after 15mins or so). So EXCUSE ME :) In fact as I’m writing this, I’m pulling off this look haha!

The time when I applied this, my skin was really dry for some reason, so it was more patchy and flaky. The consistency of the product was really thick, in fact it’s like a glue! A little tricky in application but it was all good. The fragrance was not that heavy, it was actually like fresh cucumber, but more to “formulated” cucumber, if you get what I mean.

How long the mask takes to dry out depends on how thick the application is. Mine took around 10-15 mins. Then you could start peeling it off, which is my favorite part.

It’s really like a thin soft paper. Reminds me of Vietnamese rice paper! Lol.

Having too much fun.. I showed this to my bf and he was completely grossed out haha.

I feel like a snake! Bye bye impurities! I tried my best not to tear the peeled off mask and I did it! It looks like a panty LOL.

My skin felt refreshed, rejuvenated and plump! It was so soft to touch and I LOVED it!

Few tips to take note when applying peel-off mask:
- Tie your hair
- Avoid application on eyebrows and sideburns
- Make sure you do the 2 things above because I obviously didn’t and had a hard time removing it from my hair and brows!

As for the Apricot Creamy Scrub, I’m as satisfied. It’s SO soft and creamy, very gentle on the skin (even sensitive skin like mine), plus, it smells so yummy!

I definitely recommend these 2 products! They’re made of natural ingredients, great for skin and so affordable! I can’t wait to try other Freeman masks and scrubs!

Have you tried Freeman products before?

xo, Jo

My first shopping experience with OASAP!

I’m going to tell you something quite shocking.. Are you ready?

Not only was this my first shopping experience with OASAP, but it was also my very first time doing fashion online shopping!

The previous post on my Essie purchase was actually after this purchase, it’s just it was quicker to post so I posted that first. All that I’ve purchased online last time was only music CDs and it was using my dad’s credit card. But since I’m a *cough* grown up *cough* now, I use my own and it feels great! :D

My first experience was not what I expected, although it turned out fine at the end. Here’s the story:

I’ve seen many bloggers doing OASAP giveaway and it drew me to check out their site and I’m glad that I did, because I liked a lot of things they have there!

But since this was my first time, I wanted to judge the quality myself and thus I purchased only 2 items.

The first one is this pair of galaxy leggings. I really like the colors, I think it’s really cool! I didn’t expect the material would be this light though, but in fact I quite like it since it’s suitable to wear in a hot weather like in Singapore. What I didn’t quite like though was the stitches. They gave me the impressions that it can be ripped easily with my fat bum, though it’s a one size. 

Galaxy Print Leggings

I’ve worn once and now I think they’re pretty strong despite its look. The exact same pair is no longer available in the website, but there are many similar ones available, take a look here.

Now comes the second item..

I’ve been wanting to have a small brown bag and when I saw this, I immediately FELL IN LOVE. This was not the brown I first wanted, but I just knew I needed to get it nonetheless. So I did.

Vintage Flower Embossed Shoulder Bag #1

I was pretty excited when I held it on my hands, I really like the details on the bag. Oh, but wait, do you notice something odd with it? Like, the SHAPE? It is slightly taller towards the right side and I was like, whaaaaat?

Not to mention that the stitches are messy and the sides of the bag are VERY wrinkled. I thought it was just because the bag got pressed too long in the package for many days during shipping so I stuffed in papers and plastics to make it fuller, in hope that it would turn to its original shape. It did get slightly better, the pics above are the results. So yes, initially it was worse.

But still, I was still bothered by the shape. It’s really not pretty and I was really disappointed. I was thinking whether to return it or not, but if I needed to pay for the return shipping, I wouldn’t do it. But anyways, I decided to contact the staff via live chat and to my surprise, she was surprised that I did not receive the package in a box (it was my first time, I had no idea it has to come in a box lol). The second pic of this post was the original package that I first received. She asked me to email with the pics but I got busy and only sent the email like 2 weeks later.

Then they replied with a satisfactory answer – they have despatched a new bag via express shipping just before I emailed them. I guess my live chat messages were convincing enough to make them do so haha.

So this is what I got. It came with a box as shown in the first pic of this post.

Vintage Flower Embossed Shoulder Bag #2

Yay the bag looks balanced! LOL. I still can comment on the stitches (yes, I’m particular and perfectionist like that), but it’s much better than the previous one.

I honestly had not bought a fashion-y bag that looks really structured (if you know what I mean) before, so I guess little imperfections like messy stitches and wrinkled material are normal? Do let me know with your experiences since I’m not so much of a bag/shoes person.

However, I still don’t think it’s worth the money. I don’t know.. it was USD35 and I guess with that amount of money I can get a better one else where. What do you think?

So I’m not sure whether I’ll be shopping with OASAP again. Their service is great though and I do have several items on the wishlist from their site. I just think ASOS has better quality, I just received my ASOS package recently and I’m fully satisfied (haul soon!). So yeah, we’ll see!

Have you shopped with OASAP before? How was your experience like?

xo, Jo