Wedding Theme Idea- Blushes and Lace in a Green Garden

Imagine rose-wood blush, tweed rose, lace, delicate white flowers, and a touch of gold on the dresses and table. Creams, White lilies, rich green leaves, chiffon, and a touch of gold on the background. How about an arch made of leaves and lilies as a photo back drop? lilies hanging down, willow leaves, hints of blushes and peaches. I want people to feel the wedding is delicate, fresh, yet fancy. I am quite inspired by an outdoor wedding and obviously I know I have to match my wedding style to our venue- which is obviously a lot more grand than "fresh". I don't want to waste the grand ballroom but is it possible to add a touch of nature to the indoors? It's just an idea.

Our Engagement/Wedding Photos in Venice and Paris

Now that we are engaged, there are so many things to think about! First we decided to take engagement/wedding photos while in Italy/Paris. We will be taking photos in Venice with a Swedish photographer- Juliana Wiklund. I fell in love with her style and she was so approachable and friendly, I really felt like we could build a connection and create amazing photos together. Then in Paris we found a local French photographer called Pierre Torset, he was so responsive to my e-mails and set out a great itinerary for us and just seemed so on top of things. It took us a while to finalize our photographers because we had to contact them, pick dates, the location, look at their style, and see their availability! Then I had to think about my dresses, hairstyle, make up, and accessories! After much debate, I finally decided to buy my clothes in HK and bring them with us and do my own hair/make-up. Juliana will be arriving a day in advance in Venice to help scout out background locations. Ideas we had for this shoot are more laid-back, romantic, soft, and US! I wanted to find those Venetian masks and use them during our sunset/evening shoot with my long gold gown. Then the next morning we could either have a nautical theme or a simple short white dress with veil and fresh flowers. Juliana suggested we could run through the pigeons in the piazza, I think that is such a perfect picture idea! We also wanted to take 'Save the Dates' photos but haven't found the letters "1/1"14" to use yet. We will be skyping with Juliana tomorrow night to discuss more details! I picked out a big statement red dress with a long train, this is for our more 'classy' Paris sunset/evening shoot at Pont des Arts (lover's bridge with padlocks), Louvre and Alexander III bridge and finish with Eiffel Tower when lights are on. The the next morning we start at 7:30 am and I picked a flowy lacey wedding dress for our wedding photos at the Eiffel tower (from Trocadero which will give us a more distant view than ast night), Concorde, Notre-Dame Cathedral (to go with the wedding theme), and cobblestone streets and views with bridges and Seine riverside. We felt that in such a romantic and classic city like Paris, we want a more classic photos with gorgeous statement dresses with big monuments in the background. Of course we don't only like those posed editorial style photos, we still want to look like us, two love birds lose in the big city of love. I contacted many make-up artists and hairstylists, but they are either unavailable or so ridiculously overpriced! I feel like I can do a really decent job myself and who can guarantee they will be able to create the look I want if I won't even have a trial sesson. Why not just practice more myself and know exactly what I want to do So I decided I will do my make-up and hair myself. Last night, I had a trial make-up/hair session and I learned many tricks and got a good sense of what would work for our photo shoot. Things to try: 1. Helena Rubenstein concealor in no.2 2. small corn hair heater 3. eyelid tape 4. blend out bronzer/blush 5. giorgio armani face fabric in 2.. equivalent to luminous silk in 5

We're Getting Married!

Wow! I cannot believe I am actually saying this, we're engaged! It still feels surreal, especially the first two weeks, I felt like I was just living in a dream. Every time I look at the ring on my finger, I just feel so blessed and loved and safe. It all happened on an unexpected Friday the 13th. He told me we were going to prepare dinner for his dad's birthday at home, so I went home expecting everyone to be there. I even went to the florist to buy a bouquet of flowers for his dad but Bosco persuaded me out of it saying he already bought one. However, when I arrived home, there was no one there, just dim lights, music, and baby just out of the shower dressed in a really nice outfit. I was like what's going on! And at that moment I started to get suspiscious. And he said it's just the two of us, in our home built on my commitment to you (something like that). And he sits me down and turns on our video camera and brings out a big bouquet of roses. Then he kneels down on one knee and gives me a really sweet speech which is actually all captured on camera!! For the first 10 minutes I was in so much shock and denial, thinking this can't be it!!! Because every girl spends her whole life fantasizing about this moment and it was finally here! I always expected when he said the words "Will you marry me?" I would be crying and scream YES but at that moment my throat was all tied up in knots and I couldn't react and all I could do was nod. Afterwards I so wanted to scream YES YES I will marry you! hahaha. After actually putting the ring on and hugging him, it finally sank in and my tears finally came out. It was so intimate and sweet and special. Afterwards we went to our special anniversary restaurant Sabatini to celebrate. The entire night I was so giddy and couldn't stop staring at my finger! hahaha. And that was the beginning of our new chapter- Engagement.

I'm back!

It's been so long since I've been back here, but I really want to get back into blogging more often. Just to write down my thoughts, things that I'm doing and loving, kind of like a diary. This is my secret haven, where I can spill all my thoughts freely.

Life has been finally settling down in HK, I'm getting used to my job, our place is set up so nicely, I'm more familiar with all the places in HK, I've got my daily rhythm back. And now that all that stuff is out of the way, I can focus more on all the other things, like seeing friends and enjoying life around me. When I first moved here, Bosco was so sweet to always bring me with him to see his friends. But of course, it's never the same as your own friends. Now that I'm less busy with acquainting myself with everything around me, I really want to focus more on building my friendships here in HK. I know that sometimes when you're in a relationship you get so caught up with each other that you don't really feel you need to see other people. I think we are definitely still so caught up with each other that we really don't care about seeing other people. But in the long term I think it is nice to keep other friendships strong and to maintain a balance. I know obviously this idea is not new to us, so don't worry baby, I'm not asking for more space. I want to thank my baby for always trying to include me in all his gatherings, I really appreciate that you try to make me a part of every part of your life. Also, for always encouraging me to see my friends as well and never stopping me from going out. You're the best!

Which makes me want to mention, thank you baby for doing so much to make my transition to HK so smooth. These past 9 months that I have been here have been so amazing. You have created this most wonderful home for us filled with things I know you got because you know it will make my time here better. I want you to know I really appreciate every single little thing you have done for us, from moving out with me, driving me around all the time, buying all our kitchen utensils like the knives and pots and water machine, letting me decorate our home, giving me so much space in the house, tolerating my messiness, seeing me more than any of your friends, always bringing me to new places to eat like Robuchon, Nadaman, the 'bo jai fan', always trying to keep our relationship spontaneous like our Taiwan trip. Also, thank you to your parents for their ongoing support, without them, none of this would have been possible. I love you so much baby. I cannot wait to fall asleep in your arms tonight :)

Inspired DIY Beauty

After using Eminence, an organic spa line from Hungary, I was really inspired to recreate my own natural and creative version of skincare products. Organic products, as you all know, use natural vitamins, proteins, minerals etc. of plants and fruits to treat specific skincare problems, thus they are free of man-made chemicals. The best part about DIY beauty is that you can get together with your girlfriends and have a beauty party and make as much as you’d like right before using it, so it’s as fresh as possible. Also it can be tailor-made to your needs/resources and is completely organic/natural and preservative-free. My favorite things to make are masks and scrubs as they can be easily washed off your body afterwards.

The most recent one I’ve been wanting to make is a face scrub. This is inspired by the Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant by Eminence, a daily use rice- based exfoliant containing strawberry, rhubarb, rice, chickpea flour, thermal mud, oats, and a signature BioComplex.

My DIY version consists of organic rice, oats, and wheatgerm- all of which are easily found at home. Using organic ingredients is especially important because non-organic foods may contain harmful pesticides and pollutants that cause unwanted damage to your skin. Rice is the base of this scrub; it is gentle and can soften the skin. Using rice water to cleanse the skin is actually an ancient Asian secret to keep the skin soft and glowy. With this scrub, you can achieve the added benefits of rice water while exfoliating and rinsing your face. Oat is a popular skincare ingredient nowadays used by many companies like Aveeno, Aveda, and St. Ives. It can moisturize dry skin, ease irritation, tighten pores, whiten the skin, and absorb/remove oil and impurities from the skin. Also, it is hypoallergenic so you can use this no matter how sensitive your skin is. Wheat germ and its oil contain large amounts of anti-oxidant vitamin E (counteract damage of the suns harmful rays- yay!!) and minerals like zinc which help clear acne scars. These ingredients all sound so amazing eh? I'm really excited about this too!

To make, measure 1 tablespoon of each and grind them in a blender until they have the consistency of flour. I am not making too much each time because all of these ingredients are super sensitive to moisture, and in HK, there is plenty of moisture in the air! To store, put it in a saltshaker/spice jar that has a cap to seal off moisture. This way you can just sprinkle some onto your palms conveniently. I would recommend using this 2-3 times a week. While using, you can first form a paste with honey (I love the single stick packaging- super convenient and hygienic) or facial serums, or you can just use it on a wet face (I would recommend spraying with slightly acidic water with a pH of 5.5 to balance your skins natural pH). Remember to exfoliate gentley and enjoy!

And that’s it! A simple, fresh, chemical-free, inexpensive facial scrub that can naturally remove excess oils/impurities, smooth and tighten pores, and lock moisture into your skin :)

Skincare: Natural vs. Chemical

With the vast number of brands and products out there plastered with marketing and sales, it’s hard to tell what is truly good for you. I have always liked the idea of organic foods and beauty, organic being free of pollutants and pesticides and harsh preservatives. As great as it sounds, organic skincare does have its downfalls. Being made of plant extracts with a short shelf-life, these products tend to be milder in effect. Nevertheless, the idea of applying ‘clean’ skin care in a world full of pollutants is very attractive to me. So in the recent months I have taken an organic approach to my skincare, using products from lines like Origins (not all organic but at least paraben-free *parabens have been linked to cancer*) and Eminence (organic spa line from Hungary). I have been testing out these lines for 3 months now and love the smell of their natural components, like blueberry soy and stone crop and coconut. And the results you may ask? Well these organic products have done very well in maintaining my usually nice skin condition, especially the Eight Greens Serum (hormone-balancing) from Eminence which has given me pimple free skin for almost 2 months now!!! But consistencies of certain products are thicker and rub off with excessive rubbing (like the coconut day cream with mineral spf 32). But I have not seen significant reductions in the fine lines around my eyes. In conclusion, I really love these natural products and will continue to use them as long as my skin is in good condition. But I will probably resort back to more non-natural or ‘chemical’ products when targeting serious issues like wrinkles or large pores. Because in the end, when I’m 40, I’m pretty sure I would rather have ‘perfect’ skin than ‘virgin but imperfect skin’.

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best"--Marilyn Monroe