“Beauty without virtue is like a rose without scent”

{bruno dayan}

"What remains of a woman when she is in the dark? When she has undressed, when she has taken off her dress, when we can no longer see her makeup and her wonderful hair, her beautiful eyes, when she takes off her jewelery, what is left? Only her charming voice and her perfume." - Jean-Paul Guerlian

When we smell, we smell not just with our nose but also with our heart. Smell is a powerful sense as it is tied very strongly to memories. The freshness of rain brings me back to a childhood memory of when i felt truly alive...sitting with my neighbor friend in his backyard patio drenched from the rain, we wrapped ourselves in an itchy blanket as we giggled and laughed till we couldn't distinguish between the raindrops from our tears anymore. Or when you are shopping at the mall you catch a dash of cologne that your past lover used to wear... a hundred billion memories arise in that moment."Smells communicate just as words do...we can choose not only HOW to smell but also how to be remembered, the impressions we make and what mood we leave lingering behind."



♡Perfume Notes♡

-Top Notes: These fade after a few seconds. They evaporate quickly and usually consists of short fresh bursts that are immediately noticeable upon application.
-Middle Notes: defines the essence of the scent & is usually described as the "heart." Last a few hours.
-Base Notes: are rich and long-lasting that give scents their depth. This stays with you the longest and mixed with your own scent(yes everyone has their own natural scent, not talking about B.O =P) to create a unique smell


♡Tips♡
♥ The best way to choose a fragrance is to look for scents that have the same similarities as the ones you loved before. Usually you are attracted to a particular fragrance family. In this site: Fragrances of the World you can choose your favorite scent and it will give you 3 similiar scents in the same fragrance family. So start your search there. You'll only overwhelm yourself if you go into a department store and start sniffing every bottle in there. Like love, the perfect one often comes along when you least expect it.
♥ Check out this perfume blog: Now Smell This
♥ Never choose and buy a scent in a hurry because the one you smell right away will not be the same scent you smell later on in the day. They will change so if you're shopping, your first stop should be the perfume counter. Spray some on, continue your shopping while you let the scent settle.
♥ Don't store your perfumes in your bathroom because the temperature in the bathroom is always changing. Also avoid sunlight. Scents and perfumes are light and temperature sensitive. The best place to store them is in your fridge
♥ Fragrance needs to react with your skin and body chemistry so try to avoid spraying it on as the last thing you do before hurrying out of your house
♥ The best way to make a scent last longer is to layer it with matching body products. Spray on your perfume first when you get out of the shower and then apply the matching body lotion
♥ When applying scent, NEVER rub it into your skin. When you do this, you crush the scent molecules & damage its smell
♥ Best places to apply are where the blood supply is closest to the surface of your skin...your wrists, behind ears, ankles, between breasts, back of the knees...

Where is the best place to apply scent?
"Anywhere you want to be kissed - Coco Chanel"♡

3 little tips on finding your personal style

{igor + andre}

Know Your Body
No one knows your body the way you do so take a good look at yourself. Not in a harsh or judgmental way but in an outside perspective way. Can you take yourself out of your body for a few mins and consider the shape of it? Your silhouette? Do you have a nice full bum, long torso, shorter legs, angled shoulders, rounded shoulders? Full bust, small bust? Slender, voluptuous? There are hundreds of links of the internet that can help you distinguish your body type and what kind of clothes flatter you and how to use illusion to create proportion. Use that as a tool but also keep in mind that its really about how you FEEL in your clothing.

2 examples I can think of at the top of my head that I dont feel good in are turtle necks (or anything with a higher neckline) and skinny jeans. My body's just not made for it despite all the times ive attempted to pull it off. Ive got shorter legs with a full bum.... now can you picture that in a pair of skinny jeans? Sometimes if I have a longer top that comes down to mid bum i can pull it off esp paired with incredible high heels to make my legs look longer but in the end I just dont feel comfortable.

Dig a Lil Deeper
Pull out your albums and start here. Look for pictures of yourself that you like. Ask yourself why you chose these pictures? Is it because of what you're wearing? Or how you're posing, how you're smiling? Do you like it because it reminds you of your youth? Ask yourself questions and see what kind of answers arise. From these answers you can start to build on your style. Do you look good in a certain color, or a certain style? What is your personality like? What part of your personality do you want to express to the world? What are you trying to accomplish?

Find A Signature
When you're building your image you have to really look within, cultivate what really makes you great and then express it to the fullest! You can start off with something as simple as an accessory(pearl necklace), or your favorite color, fabric, or a style(pencil skirt...). Experiment and find out what's right for you because the fun is in the process. Come up with words that describe what you want or like to achieve and keep that in mind while putting ur look together. Just remember to always choose things that play up your best features.

As an exercise, look at your favorite celebrities and notice their defining characteristics and traits... what images stand out. When I say Marilyn Monroe what do you picture? I picture blonde, red lipstick, white dress which can be translated into sex kitten, flirty, playful yet sophisticated. Coco Chanel has a few signature pieces that are combined to achieve her signature look...braided trim, quilted texture, pearl necklace, spectator pumps, hardware & the gardenia(her favorite flower). Karl Lagerfeld has a very distinct look as well. High collars, tight jeans and a white ponytailed hair and black shades....so what will yours be? I would say mine would be "girlie sophistication" but Im still working on pulling together a distinct look.

{ Coco Chanel } { Karl Lagerfeld }

Beautiful Bali

Bali, Indonesia

This must be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Mountains, lush greens, beautiful beaches. The sculptures you see around and the architecture is so detailed and elaborate. They have a very vibrant culture and art is very developed. Bali is definitely one of the largest tourist destinations. When we went there we met so many ppl from all over the world... australia, japan, the states... Unfortunately the bombings that had happened here have affected the tourism. It's quite sad because everyone there makes a living from providing services to tourists.

Breathtaking view at the Monkey Temple... you can just hear the waves crashing now, cant you?
This trip was unforgettable.

Wow, I wish I had all this money in Canadian funds... i would be a billionaire. =P
Their currency is called Rupiah and boy, was it confusing to do conversion. $1 canadian was equal to $9272 Rupiah.

Just having some lunch(i think we were eating mee gorang) by the beach while the others did some water activities.
Second pic was taken outside my room. Can you see all the details?

We took a 20 min boat ride to turtle island to see some turtles. If I knew the living conditions for these animals were so poor I dont think I would have visited this place. One of the larger turtles had a cut on his leg and no one seemed to be very concerned by it. That's the problem with wanting to experience being around animals on trips like this... u never know what their living conditions are like.

We stopped by Balisea Cafe for dinner. I dont think any could have beat this dinner experience. The food was delicious as well. Lobster, shrimp, fish...all fresh! It was a table of 10 and the bill only came up to $100. During dinner they also had a live acoustic band that came by each table to play any song you requested. This would be the perfect place to go to experience with that special someone. I think Bali would be my honeymoon destination. =P

Beach time!!

omg we layed in the sun a lil too long. it was sooo hot! This is Kuta beach. Its one of the most famous ones in Bali and is usually the first one ppl check out. It's more touristy than relaxing and full of energy.

Be prepared to be hassled by a whole bunch of vendors... from ppl selling kites, to fruits(as u see here..mmm mango), clothes and "mama's" that offer massages, manicures and pedicures.

Then you got the surfers too. Here we were taking a pic with our surfing instructors. yes, i went but im not willing to share my experience or pictures... its rather embarrassing lol =P

Here are the "mama's" surrounding my gf, Rosa. They pretty much attacked her.. haha... one doing her left foot, one doing her right, one doing her left hand and one doing the right... then u got one trying to give her a massage and another one doing her hair. it was quite funny to watch.

Bali has monkeys everywhere... be careful not to get to close to them bcos they're not shy at all.


This is where we stayed. When I go back to Bali I would love to stay here again.

Jalan Legian is the heart of nightlife and entertainment in Kuta. You can walk down this street and find plenty of clubs and lounges to check out. Make sure you bring your passport bcos its free cover for tourists. Just dont get too drunk that you end up losing it =P

Sandy's engagement party & dress

Pat & Sandy's engagement party in Vancouver

This is the dress I designed for her. The structured bustier is made of black satin with inside boning.
Skirt portion is made of layered crinoline and lace. The skirt part was fun to make...eventually it came together very nicely.

Her cute dog Lexus. She has the cutest wardrobe ever consisting of plenty of dresses & cute hoodies. There's this really trendy dog store called Barking Babies (the website doesnt do justice). Check it out if you guys are ever in Vancouver. Just be careful where you walk because there are cute lil teacup yorkies wandering around the store.

{ me, sandy, karen & lil lexus }
She had a rooftop patio party. The scenery is breathtaking.
It was a little windy tho but I couldnt tell after getting a little bit of alcohol in te system. hehe