Pre-Wedding Photoshoot at France Taipei Ipoh

My fiance and I had our pre-wedding photoshoot last Friday, 23.8.13. I was excited the whole week and couldn't wait to take the shoot with my fiance. I did my manicure & pedicure at La Zen the day before the shoot. Took 1.5 days off just for this special day. I feel that it's really a milestone in my life and an important day to remember. Even though it's not the actual wedding day, but the closeness during the photoshoot seems like we are already married. Lol... :P I don't mean the physical closeness, but the feeling and how we have enjoyed the shooting together. 

Our appointment was at 10:00am. I was nervous what will my make-up artist do to my hair and eyes. But my doubt was washed away when I was ready for my outdoor shoot. :D My fiance was all smile and his eyes were literally glittering in awe. hahaha.. ok, ok.. i'm a bit exaggerating here but he did look very happy when I stepped out from the makeup room. :D

Mandy was my MUA. Yuki, the famous MUA from France Taipei that many brides had talked about in the bridal forum, was there to help around too when her client had gone for photoshoot. They are both very professional and precise in their work.

Our photographer was Sam. I'll have to see the actual photos before I can comment on his skill. 

Here's a preview of some of the gowns that I've chosen for the photoshoot. I still prefer white gown to the others. The actual photos have to wait for the photographer's photos as these were taken using mobile phone. (updated here)

I've enjoyed the shooting very much especially because my fiance enjoyed it too. We had fun trying out different poses. Some easy and some really difficult. But overall.. it's a once in a lifetime event that I will never forget. :D

Manicure & Pedicure at La Zen

Bought this groupon deal for RM60 for 2 sessions of manicure & pedicure. 2 sessions because I brought my mother along for the manicure & pedicure. It was for my pre-wedding photo shoot. I thought I found a super great deal just on time to prep myself for the photo shoot. But it was just a so-so service. 

The deal said that I'll get 74% off from normal price. Well..maybe it's cheaper than market price for manicure & pedicure at just RM30. Usually, it will cost me RM70 just for a normal nail painting. But this RM70 also include hand scrub, massage, callus removal etc. Which means that La Zen is over charging at RM115 for normal price. 

My nail color was nice..I like the light pink but it was only because the color was painted in 2 thin layers. My mom did the same color on her toes and we noticed that the color was darker and looked thicker on her. Inconsistent nail colour application from two different manicurist I guess... 

My manicurist (i think it's the boss) did the nail art on my fingers. I told her I just need simple design and it's for pre-wedding photo shoot. She drew flowers and put some glitters on my nails. The design looked alright at first but with the added crooked lines, it looked a bit too congested. And the flower petals on my thumb and little finger looked like I touched some liquid paper. (>.<) But then, I couldn't say much as I let her do the design freely. Well..she should at least showed me some designs and let me choose upfront. 

Mom had to change her nail colors and paid an extra RM12.00 because her manicurist didn't test the color on one finger nail first. After applying all her 10 fingers, she thought the color doesn't suit her and have to reapply a new color. Hmm...So in the end, we paid an extra RM27.00..RM15.00 was for my nail art. I wonder if i'll return to this shop again in the future. Well, maybe with groupon deal cuz i'm not going to pay the normal price of RM100 over which I can get at RM70 for the same kind of service.

Fishtail braid

If your hair is blonde or is highlighted with lighter color, then this hairstyle will definitely look pretty on you. This is a simple braid if you wish to have something different than the normal braid. It's called fishtail braid. There are quite a number of tutorials on youtube but I find this tutorial easy to follow too. 

I tried it out but it look somewhat too dark to see anything special.. right? Hmm.. but if you have longer and lighter color hair, give it a go! Put flower as accessory and it will have a 'summer' or 'garden' feel!

Online clothing shopping

I've always wanted to know how online clothing stores work. I usually don't feel confident to buy unless I try on the outfit. Different outfit fits differently even though I'm getting the same size from the same brand. But I really wonder...people do buy from these online shops as they keep mushrooming in FB pages. That means they are making profit, right? If not, why are there so many online clothing stores?

Last week, my curiosity grown out of me and I clicked on a tag on my friend's FB page. I liked the online fashion store instantly. The clothes they sell are really nice, well, from the pictures shown, yes! Plus the models are all with pretty face and slim figures. I scanned through the dresses on sales and fell in love with many of them. Since they charged RM7.00 for 500g of clothes and  RM3.00 is applicable to every 500g additional weight, I chose a few which total up to ~1kg. I bought 3 dresses and a pair of leggings for just ~RM140. I was quite happy with my purchase because usually, with this money, I may only get one dress plus maybe a blouse. However, I was still in doubt.. Do they really look the same as the photos shown in their websites or FB pages in reality? 

After a week of waiting, my purchase finally arrived. I was super excited to go home and open my parcel. But to my disappointment, one of the dresses couldn't fit me. The top is just the right size, but the hip area is just too small for me. Even the leggings are not what I expected. It says cotton in their webpage but in reality, it's some sort of elastic material. And it's just too tight and stuffy..feel too hot wearing that leggings. Well, at least half of my purchase are still wearable but quality wise.., don't really look like what I saw from the photos. 

So, lesson learned. I guess I'll never buy any clothings online again. At least for the time being.. =.=" 

Braided Updo Hairstyle

Saw this hairstyle on YouTube and love it so much! :DDD 

It look quite doable and not very complicated. So I had a try on my own but it's not as easy as it looks. My fingers couldn't hold my hair properly and the hair tangled up. I had to redo it a few times before I get the feel of it. My hands were quite tired by then. But finally, I got it!! 

It still look a bit messy but at least it got the shape and style. If my hair colour is slightly lighter, it will look better. Now, it's too dark to see the texture and the braid. Maybe I can try this in the upcoming wedding dinner! ;D

DIY Hair Coloring

Mom asked me to help her color her hair last week and so I did. It wasn't difficult. Just need to make sure that all the grey hair are covered with the dye. Tools that I need 

• a plastic container to mix the dye
• a brush for applying the dye to the hair
• a rat tail comb to section the hair
• a pair of gloves to protect my hands

As for myself, I usually do it at the salon. My hair is too long to handle and i'm just plain lazy to do it myself. Better ask a professional to do it and get a free hair treatment too. ;p 

So here how I looked like coloring my mom's hair. ;) Look like a pro, man! lol!

How to wear a long skirt

While searching for styles to wear with my long white skirt that I bought last year specially for the choir, I came across some fashion that I like. May not be suitable for my height, but really look nice. If you are tall enough, this style suits you well. :D I forgot where I found these but have kept them in a folder as fashion reference.

Things I lack to brighten up my outfit are accessories. I don't really buy them, like belts, ear-rings, necklaces...etc Only if I really need them to match with a particular outfit. So after looking at these outfits, I bought 3 belts in just a day! Yellow, green and light brown. :D The light brown belt has been very useful because it matches most colors.

Hair colour

I've planned to colour my hair today since weeks ago as today is a public holiday. At first, I decided to go back to Image de Coiffure in Ipoh Garden South. I did my hair color there previously. But it costed me a bomb..RM230 if i remember correctly. They said they used the latest hair colouring technology from Loreal and it's better for my hair as it's ammonia free. I really wonder how the chemical works without some sort of bleaching effect. Anyway, i called them to ask for the current price and i was told that for hair colour, they charge from RM190 onwards, depending on your hair length and thickness. The price is not inclusive of haircut though. I sounded a bit hesitant, and the man who answered my call quickly told me that a 50% discount will be given for charges of RM180 & above. Although the price seems attractive, i was not very satisfied with the way the man talked to me on the phone. He sounded a bit arrogant and unfriendly to me..

Well..after that, i called Philippe Sum and checked their price. It was quite affordable, at RM139 which include haircut as well. So i went and did my hair there. I coloured my hair dark brown with a bit of red. Look nice now but i hope it will last me for another 6 mths or so. Fingers crossed..

Oops...photo a bit blur and my hair colour is not showing..hmm..maybe under the sun will be better.

My choir attire - All white

My choir requires us to wear a white long skirt with white blouse and white shoes for the Christmas performance. I had a headache looking for white long skirt in Ipoh. I searched everywhere and most of the places only sell short white skirt. I was thinking, if i couldn't get a long skirt, i'll get a long white dress. But the requirements are strict. No sleeveless and skirt must be below knee level. Even shoes are restricted to covered shoes if you are planning to buy a pair. Difficult task for us...

Finally i found a long white skirt in a boutique at Ipoh Parade, called K2. It's like a Bohemian long skirt. Cost me RM49.90. Man..i hope i'll wear it more often other than the performance cuz i don't usually wear long skirt. Otherwise, it will be a waste of money. Anyway, I came home and tried it with some of my white blouses. None of them seem to match the skirt and i even looked shorter with the long skirt.. sigh..

In the evening, i went to check out Rozette boutique in Ipoh Garden south. I like to shop at this boutique as the clothes selling here suit me well. The owner recommended a blouse with lace which compliment well with my skirt though we both think that white with white is not very pretty. It's just TOO WHITE. Anyway, dress code has to be followed.. so I bought the blouse nevertheless. Purple belt and shawl will be provided. So i guess the attire will do alright? I hope... but what kind of white shoes should I wear?

Another headache..and more money to be spent....

Hairdo

My first experience to set my hair before a dinner.. recommended by my colleague, June, we went to Jazmon hair salon. Coco tagged along too..haha..i was the one who dragged her there actually. But she didn't resist my persuasion. :p We had fun.. watching June doing touch-up for her hair. She was there earlier than both of us but our hair were done faster. :p And here are my hair after wash and blow-dry.

I just want to look natural, so my hairstylist did a few big curls only. I was quite satisfied with the service cuz the price is quite reasonable..RM16.00 only. :) I also bought a nice pair of black heels to compliment with my black dress. Searched at Vincci but couldn't find one which I feel comfortable with. Didn't expect to get this nice pair of shoes from Orioli (kinta city) at RM47.90 only. Got 20% discount, hehe....

wedding Gowns

wedding gowns that I like....

i have yet to see such beautiful designs in my little hometown..

Rose gold wedding bands (part2)

hehe...these are some of the rose gold wedding bands that I found on the web. Nice huh? :D

Rose Gold as Wedding bands (part 1)

I'm fascinated with this new type of gold in the jewellery industry. The rose colour is romantic and very suitable to both my fiancé and my skin tone. We have chosen a combination of rose gold and white gold for our wedding bands. We do not have much knowledge on this type of gold. So, i decided to press some buttons and google it. And i found this :-

Rose Gold Jewelry is usually a mixture of pure yellow gold with a high percentage of copper. The colour of rose gold jewelry may intensify with age due to a slight tarnishing of the copper. With 18 karat rose gold jewelry the ratio of gold is 75% to 9% silver and 16% copper to produce a rose gold and 75% gold, 4.5% silver and 20.5% copper to produce a rich red gold.

We did not do much survey and I hope we made the right decision at Lorenzo Jewellery. The designs are beautiful. Mine was crafted with a row of diamonds (0.24ct). Slightly off our budget..but his was cheaper than our budget. So..the total price is still alright. However, we passed by Diamond & Platinum and saw their range of wedding bands, and I was slightly disappointed that we did not do our homework properly. The price is also more competitive. Lorenzo displayed a rather too high price and gave us 60% + 20% discount which we were really happy to have. But after paying, we think they marked up the price too much.

Anyhow, we have bought our wedding bands and shall be happy about it. After looking at the bands and trying on a few more times, I fall in love with them again. :)