Author Archives: Barneys Girl

Fish or Peacock?

26 Tuesday Oct 2010

Posted by in Fashion, Random Musings

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I’m lazy this year. So instead of the full get up, I decided to wear a mask.

Initially, I thought that I could finally use the mask I got from Venice. But then my cousin told me I looked like a fish wearing it….. and so I got my friend M to help me get this.

Except now I’m a bit concerned about the peacock feathers. I didn’t quite expect there to be so much of it! What will I wear it with? I DO love the silver sequins and the blue feathers though. I’m tempted to cut the feathers off…. but then the point of Halloween IS to be over the top. Unfortunately, in my hurry to leave work today, I left the mask at the office, so I can’t play around with it tonight. Thoughts?

My Addiction

04 Monday Oct 2010

Posted by in Random Musings

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Technology is the word for me in the last weeks. After the Kindle 3, I got myself the iPhone 4. It’s a vast advancement from my Nokia “smart phone”. I LOVE it and I’m never going back. But there IS one problem. I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that my iPhone is slowly killing me. Namely, Supermarket Mania and Unblock Me.

There is just something so incredibly ADDICTIVE about them that I’ve wasted more time then I care to admit playing with them in the last week! They are just so well made. And there isn’t just one game, but MANY of such games in the App Store i.e. Sally’s Spa.

I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was complete 10 Unblock Me puzzles- after which I got myself a splitting headache all day. I think it is because I spend too much energy focusing on that tiny screen. Please help me stop!!!!!

My only other complaint is that the App Store seems to have trouble recognizing my credit card information. I read that it is apparently a really common error these days because of too much traffic. Anyone else having this trouble?

Kindle 3

02 Saturday Oct 2010

Posted by in Random Musings

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I’ve been waiting super patiently for the perfect Kindle to come out. How hard can it be to integrate  touch screen with paper ink technology? Well apparently quite, since 1.5 years is clearly not long enough to do so. Tired of waiting and running out of shelf space, I finally clicked the button last month and having been playing with it since.

Obviously I can’t comment on the “vast” improvements it has made since the Kindle 2 since I have nothing to compare it with, but the Kindle 3 has definitely met my expectations so far for an E-book reader. First of all, I was super impressed with the paper ink technology. It is so real that I thought the writing was a fake piece of sticker on the screen! I’m also impressed by how quickly and easily it download books. My friends T and T mentioned a book the other day that sounded interesting. I downloaded and read it the very next day. It even downloads newspapers, which is awesome since I hate real newspapers- so dirty and big, I never know how I should hold it! The Kindle allows me to keep up with my reading and the news while I’m on the go. The size is just perfect too- small enough for my handbags but not so small that I need to squint. The cute pink leather case I got with it doesn’t hurt its aesthetics either. I also have this awful habit of reading ahead, and the Kindle is definitely keeping me from doing so on that front.

The point is- I’m a Kindle convert. It is a seriously ebook reader for those really looking to replace paper books and protect their eyes from excess glare. A real value-adding product if I may say so myself. Perfect for travelling too! Love 🙂

Black Magic

24 Friday Sep 2010

Posted by in Fashion

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Update: It arrived!!!!! I love the jacket!!!! Though I’m debating about the dress. The black jersey top half and the off white mesh is not really well done. But the poof IS just the right length.

*****

It has been a long time since I actually found something that I know for sure that I absolutely want. So I thought I’d share.

Isn’t this black magic tweed jacket from Plastic Island absolutely darling? I love how it is ladylike and punk at the same time. They really hit the spot with the metal details. I totally see myself rocking this jacket this fall with skinny jeans and heels or a black dress.

In fact, I’m tempted to get the noir cocktail dress as well to go with it! The poof of the skirt goes perfectly with the length of the jacket. What if I don’t find something similar elsewhere? The only thing keeping me back is the back of the dress. Yes it is very trendy and hot. But frankly, I don’t have a bra to go with that and at the end of the day I’m an old fashion girl at heart. But perhaps I don’t have to take my jacket off at all….  and if I do, I can wear a white racer tank underneath. It does look like a very versatile dress, going from prim and punk to wild and fun with a switch of a fur jacket.

But ooooh I can’t wait to receive my jacket!

Image Source: Shopbop

The Right Shade

20 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Beauty

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Ever since this summer I’ve been trying to look for the right shade of taupe. There’s just something so refreshing but elegant about it.

When I saw Lady Gaga’s fingers on the recent cover of Vanity Fair, I knew that it is the color I want. A quick flick to the contents page revealed that her nails were done by Deborah Lippmann. But alas, the Deborah Lippmann counter at Joyce Beauty in Hong Kong didn’t have a shade that was close!

So I went to Cher2 looking for something similar. But unfortunately, when it comes to color description, I’m at loss for words. I wanted something…. greyish. And so I  came home with the Playa del Platinum. After 2 days though, I had to wash it off. It was simply too gray. But it must be something with the lighting at the store, because I picked up the same shade the second time I went! Luckily I did some homework the second time around and finally found the right shade of taupe. Jazz is exactly what I wanted! In case anyone else is looking for the “right” shade, you might want to try this one.

Image Source: Vanity Fair and Essie

Rejected

18 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by in Random Musings, Relationships

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I’ve been busy with a new beginning in the last few weeks. Now that I finally have a moment to catch up on my me time, I wanted to share with everyone something new that I learnt last night from my Canadian friend- a professional flirt/partygoer.

Apparently, in the States/Canada when a guy whom you’re not interested in asks for your number and you don’t know how to say no, there is a rejection hotline number you can give them to let them know. When they call the number, they will receive an automated message saying that they have not reached the intended person and that they’ve been rejected.

I was amazed by the genius of the idea! Turns out, this has been around since the early 2000’s and has grown into a whole Humor Hotline business since. Obviously I’ve been living under a rock. My only question is, how does one go about memorizing all these numbers to give out? You’d think that you’d know what your own number is without having to look it up!

To budding entrepreneurs in Asia, we can really use one of these in Hong Kong.

With Love…From London

04 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by in Fashion, Travel

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Forget about scenic postcards. Next time you’re in London, get me one of these as a souvineer- LuLu Guiness clutches!

This postcard clutch  is infinitely more useful and chic. It even says London on it! You can’t get more touristy than that. There are many compartments too! Though my cousin has it, and she tells me that she can’t fit much in because it is so thin- just her  iPhone and a few essentials.

I’m usually not a fan of blatant displays of souvenirs (i.e. though shalt not wear your I heart NYC t shirt out in public). But, I think this Union Jack clutch  is subtle enough. The sequins glams it up, don’t you agree?

Not quite as nice as the two clutches above, but this cab clutch is still quite fun. Imagine the cheesy jokes! “Let me grab my cab”

We’re veering a bit away from souvenirs but isn’t this lip clutch so cool? It doesn’t say London as the others do, but it screams London punk fashion.

While we’re on the topic of clutches, I really wouldn’t mind this one either. It would do so well  on a night out. And check out that lining!

So yes, the next time you drop by London, pick up one of these. There’s a flagship store somewhere, but FYI they also have a good size collection at the basement of Harrods- right next to the tax counter!

Image Source: Lulu Guinness

The Wow Factor

02 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by in Hong Kong, Random Musings

≈ 4 Comments

The reason why I’ve been MIA for the past week is because I’ve been busy rearranging text, translating and refining my people cutting skills on Photoshop. I’m proud to say that I finally figured out an easy way  to cut out hair without it looking too unnatural thanks to this blog post!

I’m pretty much happy with my final product, except that the brochure may be lacking a bit of the “wow factor.” We are still trying to figure out what that may be. And is it just me, or do the fact boxes look more aqua than light blue to you? Because on my Photoshop screen, it is definitely light blue. It is just when I upload it onto the web that it seems to look different. Could it be because I used the CMYK color scheme instead of RGB? I’m told that if I want it printed out, I should use CMYK….

But yes, other than that, any thoughts on the “wow factor”?

Sweet Spots in Sydney

24 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by in Australia, Travel

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This time around, I got to explore the sweet spots of Sydney.

The first stop was Cupcakes on Pitt. Since the cupcake craze hit, you can see this store all over the city. I went to the original store on Pitt Street, and frankly, I would’ve missed it if my friend wasn’t showing me the way. Though I don’t doubt its popularity as the two girls in front of us ordered over $200AUD worth of cake.

I ended up with the following flavors: vanilla, lemon, meringue, butterscotch, cookies and cream and sticky date. I didn’t eat all of them myself, but I did especially enjoyed the novelty of the lemon meringue flavor. Though the cake itself was nothing special. In fact it was a bit dry. Oh how I miss Crumbs!

Wandering around the Rocks and curious about the huge line outside, I stopped by the Le Renaissance Patisserie on Argyle Street to have a look as well.

Turns out it is a little shop of yummy French delicacies.

I left with 2 different chocolate creations, a mille feuille, a creme brulee, a lemon tart and a fruit tart. I definitely wouldn’t mind frequenting one of these if I have one nearby. I can try one choice each day of the week! In the end, I only managed to try the mille feuille, which wasn’t too bad. Maybe a bit too sweet.

But then, it is a hard to beat dessert for me. Ever since I fell in love with the mille feuille at the Cafe de la Paix in Paris last month, nothing quite compares.