all.things.spiffy: A Guide to Being Beautiful

Spiffy's Current Fashion Icon: Alexa Chung

2008-02-16T09:59:00.010+08:00

Been seeing more and more of this girl lately, and I really love her style. She's a TV presenter from the UK, an ex-model, and current girlfriend of Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys. I would really like her entire wardrobe (and if it's not too much to ask for, her boyfriend too) please!

Jacket: Luella A/W 2007

At the Elle Style Awards. Dress: Luella S/S 2008

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Product Review: Benefit's High beam

2008-02-02T10:24:00.000+08:00

As most of you might already know, I am a total sucker for anything cute and well packaged. And the first time I laid my eyes on the Benefit counter a few years back, I've been seriously smitten. Seriously smitten.

That's why this review might be totally, completely, and outrageously biased.

Just kidding.

I love Benefit Cosmetics, but I know being objective is important in the beauty junkie world. I wouldn't want to misguide any fellow make-up addicts out there.

So, High beam. What is it, you might ask?

According to Benefitcosmetics.com, it's

"The celebrity make up artist's secret...this satiny pink highlighter creates a young, radiant, fresh complexion on all skin tones. Use it as a spot highliter or blend all over your complexion...the soft-focus sheen is enticing and sexy."

So basically it's a highlighter, and...I'm guessing the soft-focus sheen refers to the out of focus effect on a camera? Anyway, before trying this product, I was pretty dubious on its claim that it'd work "on all skin tones". I've noticed that Benefit loves making one-size-fits-all products (Benetint, Moon beam, some kind-a gorgeous before they came up with the darker shade, and you rebel before they came up with you rebel lite, etcetc), and while I've tried Benetint and it most definitely worked (wonders) for me, I just wondered if it'd work as well for other people with different skin tones.

But, having heard the reviews on this product that made it seem like the elixir of youth, I decided to give it a try.

It comes in a bottle that resembles a nail-polish bottle (refer to picture) like Benetint, Glamazon and Moon beam, and the first thing I noticed was that it was goopy. Very thick and clumpy, not at all like Benetint. Unfazed, I dotted some on my cheekbones and observed.

It was hard noticing a difference at first (maybe because I didn't put on enough?), but there was a subtle gleam on my cheeks that wasn't there before. It made my cheekbones stand out, but I failed to see the soft-focus sheen. Reviews I read claimed that it would give me a dewy (by the way I hate that word. It's like the word "love", people throw it around without knowing what it even means. Heck, I don't know what it means. I looked it up and it said "dew-like". No, really?) glow, but unfortunately, it did not.

It did make my cheekbones shimmery and whiter, but the "soft-focus sheen", it failed to deliver. If you're looking for a highlighter, I'd suggest opting for a cheaper alternative, such as Revlon's Skinlights Instant Skin Brightener. Unlike High beam's one size fits all claim, they come in different shades and with SPF 15. Most importantly they are only $10.99, as opposed to Highbeam's whopping $24.

Having said all this, I still stand by Benefit, because I've tried other great products from it and more importantly, because they know how to make their stuff look irresistible!

Since when did crocs get cute?

2008-01-12T11:35:00.000+08:00

Crocs, a feared word amongst the fashionable. When they first came out a few years back, the only reaction I could muster was, "are they serious??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!????!?!?!?!?!?!"-and yes, all those exclamation and question marks were necessary to convey my terror.

But something

strange happened over the course of the last year or two--

crocs got cute.

Now I know that no matter how "cute" they get, they still won't be able to shake off their past identity as the horrific clunky boats-disguised-as-shoes...

But a few months ago I spotted some cute shoes at a mall and was shocked to find that they were crocs. That's right, crocs are (seemingly) molting out of their ugly old self and transforming to something people other than safari workers/gardeners can wear!

You've got to admit these shoes are uncharacteristically adorable, non?

Crocs-"Alice" In Peacock Blue and Chocolate

They're suede, too! I can't believe it, but I think I have to reluctantly admit that crocs are getting cuter and cuter.

It's a weird world we live in, girls.

Fashion Color Report: Spring 2008!

2008-01-11T22:36:00.000+08:00

Winter's not even over, and I'm ready for Spring. I miss feeling light and swishy! Woe to heavy jackets and groggy boots. I love layers, but now I just want to...

exfoliate.

Thankfully I take comfort in the fact that it's almost, just almost here.

I'm stocking up on spring colors starting now, just to make myself feel like it's closer.

Here is the fashion color report for spring 2008, as per Pantone,

the ultimate authority for color :)

1. golden olive

2. spring crocus

3. rococco red

4. pink mist

5. croissant

6. freesia

7. cantaloupe

8. daiquiri green

9. snorkel blue

10. silver gray

I don't know about you, but the name "rococco red"sounds too deelish to pass up...even if the color is a little..erm..how to say...flashy.

Looks like we're moving out of monochrome and bright yellow/blue (a la spring 2007) into pastels and muted tones. I honestly think "cantaloupe" would be a good shade to go with any skin tone and any other hue, I think I'm going to make it a staple in my wardrobe for spring.

As for "freesia", while I'm all for bright pop-py colors...I hope this one doesn't really take off. It'll do nothing but make me look washed out! Everything else, though, I am a fan of.

Ohhhh...Get on with it, spring! Hustle those buns!

On a completely un(fashion)related note...

2008-01-01T09:08:00.000+08:00

www.xkcd.com

HELLO, new year!

let's make it good, because 2007

is so yesterday.

This Winter's Must-Haves: Vaseline

2007-12-17T18:05:00.000+08:00

I've always had one sitting alone on the top shelf of my bathroom cabinet alone and forlorn-I just never ever used it. I thought it was sticky, greasy, smelled weird...and prone to having dust/unidentified objects stuck to it. So I just left it there to mould and ferment in its little plastic tub.

Until I read online that applying it onto your eyelashes each night before bedtime makes them grow LONGER.

Now, being a short-lashed girl (who am I kidding, I barely have any), I jumped at this opportunity to lengthen my lashes (ANYTHING, I'd do ANYTHING!) so that I'd actually have something to put my mascara on. Of course, before I took to dumping a gob of petroleum jelly (seriously, petroleum jelly? Sounds a tad sketch) on my lashes, I decided to take precautions and read up on vaseline.

And guess what I found.

A whole PLETHORA of things you can do with Vaseline!

Apparently people use it to remove their make up, tame their flyaways, subdue their brittle cuticles, get rid of ashy elbows, and MORE.

So it's a perfect companion for the winter months, when the dryness rolls in and the ashiness along with it!

Get a tub this winter people, it'll save you from a LOT of angst.

ps: if you were wondering about my lashes, they did not grow, not an inch, zilch. The vaseline DID sting my eyes though, so I advise against it.

I guess long lashes + I were just not meant to be.

Here are more spiffy vaseline related reads:

Capri-Length Leggings? So Last Year.

2007-12-08T08:10:00.000+08:00

Remember two summers ago when those black capri-length leggings first reared its ugly head? Remember when every single picture of Lindsay Lohan or Nicole Richie also served as a "how to wear leggings with everything" manual? They were frowned upon by all initially, but then they slowly crept their way up to popularity....until everyone started wearing them, everywhere.

Now, they're ready to retire.

Don't get me wrong, though, capri-length leggings are still comfortable to wear when you just throw on a t-shirt and flipflops and you don't know what else to put on, but they are no longer considered something of fashionistic value. In fact, the way I see it, these type of leggings are the new sweatpants. They look good with large t-shirts or sweatshirts and flipflops (or rather, when your outfit screams "this is my comfy gear"), but don't look good when you're trying to amp it up for a stylish day out.

For those of you looking for something to wear underneath long shirts or mini dresses for modesty's sake, try opaque (and please, make sure they are opaque) tights.

If you've really developed an attachment to leggings...don't fret, ankle-length leggings (everybody look to your right) are still all the rage, and really, look good inside boots and underneath knitted sweaters (or any kind of sweater, actually).

But let's say farewell to those capri-lengths. Euch.

"bye bye, capri-lengths!! "

This Winter's Must-Haves: A Moleskine Notebook

2007-12-03T16:22:00.000+08:00

With the chilly weather rolling around the corner for all of us who live in the northern hemisphere, it's time to once again put on our winter frumpiness. It's always sad trading in our tanks and shorts for layers and layers, but winter does not always have to be dull and solely characterized by your red and runny nose. Here are some must-haves for winter this season--because a girl's gotta have fun all year round.

2. A Moleskine Notebook: I know, I know, it's not exactly wintery...but there's just something about the black sleek covers and the leather bound exteriors that go so well with suede boots and pea jackets.

All-that's-spiffy is all about making you look good, right? And the Moleskine Notebook CERTAINLY does. Nothing says "chic" and "sophisticated" as loud as a Moleskine notebook, even if it's just for carrying around and looking artsy fartsy.

Marketed as the "legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse and Celine" (okay, it's not really the legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse, or Celine...but who really cares?), carrying and owning one would give you that art-student/budding-fashion-designer/soulful-thinker/aspiring-broke-poet/undiscovered-writer that's all the rage this season (and any season, for that matter). They come in many variations: notebooks, city notebooks (lost in Union Square, anyone? If you have to be clueless and touristy, at least be stylish while at it), diaries, sketchbooks, etcetc.

What I love so much about them is that they're hardcover, not tackily spiral-bounded, but yet still lie open when you lie them flat. Ahh, c'est parfait!

Also, you can do some pretty amazing things with these notebooks.

Check out these Moleskine artworks:

for more ridiculously spiffy artwork by Moleskiners, go to moleskinerie

This Winter's Must-Haves: Opaque Tights

2007-12-02T22:28:00.000+08:00

1. Opaque tights: Opaque tights are amazing. They're the PERFECT companion for almost every winter outfit, and so versatile too. Wear them under a dress to look sophisticated, with a shirtdress/tunic to look adorable, or under an oversized sweater for that boho-chic look. They go supremely well with flats, boots, booties, and heels. What is there not to love about opaque tights?

They are great for keeping your legs warm and toasty in the winter, awesome for hiding blemishes like leg stubble (admit it, no girl shaves in the winter months), and magic for making your legs look thinner (if you go with a dark color, that is).

If you're feeling

extra daring, try them in bright colors like blue or green.

They're great for spicing up a boring ensemble. It's out with the leggings and in with the tights. Be wary of fishnet variations or wearing them with shorts- the former I always find rather "hoochie" (in the words of Tyra Banks) and the latter is just hard to pull off. But otherwise, opaque tights are just so totally tight (sorry, I couldn't resist).