Bottled Sky

People should try not to make any important decisions when they’ve just woken up. That includes deciding what to wear to work, as shown by this tweet from last year:

This wardrobe workout is turning out to have more benefits that I initially thought. Not only am I making better use of the wardrobe I already have, but I have also stopped showing up to work with day-glo underwear shining through light-colored clothes. Woot!

Here’s what I wore for week two of my little experiment:

Military Monday. I think that cardigan is so cute it deserves a salute.

• Blue military-inspired cardigan – Bysi
• Gray henley camisole – Uniqlo
• Black skinny jeans – Freego
• Black round-toe slingbacks – Charles & Keith
• Black bow hairband – Montip

Continue reading Wardrobe Workout: Week 2 »

I was walking to the train station with my colleague Jacq after work last week when she shared that she had only five pairs of shoes. FIVE. PAIRS. OF. SHOES. The shoe fiend in me was stunned. After picking up my jaw from the pavement and confirming several times that I had not misheard her — “Five, Jacq? Really? Really?!” — I jumped right into convincing her to expand her footwear collection. She has since bought a new pair of heels and is now thinking of buying more. I am that good.

As I walked the same route with Christina, another work buddy, a few days later, I told her about Jacq’s impressive resistance to shoe lust. She reacted with comically familiar shock and disbelief — “Five? Really? Really?!”

It led us to ponder, if we had to give up all but five pairs of our beloved shoes, which would we pick? (Specialized footwear for athletic or artistic activities don’t count. I also have to note that Singapore is a tropical country so we don’t need to worry about dressing for winter.) It was a tough call, but I managed to narrow down my choices to these final five:

Black perforated suede ankle-wrap sandals, Rubi. Laid-back without being sloppy, these are the most comfortable sandals I have ever owned.

Continue reading Final Five: Shoes »

Dresses are for lazy people. I should know — I have a closet full of them. With dresses I don’t have to think too hard about putting together an outfit. I just roll out of bed (after hitting snooze approximately 23 times), throw on a dress, and I’m ready for the office.

During a recent closet cleanup I realized that because of my love affair with the snooze button, a lot of my clothes are going to waste. Right then and there I decided to give my wardrobe a much needed workout. That means planning at least five outfits during the weekend, so I can keep my usual morning routine without ending up in the same dresses week in and week out.

It’s been going quite well so far. Just for kicks, here are the outfits I wore last week — not a single snooze-button dress in sight. (Also, holy awkward poses, Batman!)

Vintage Monday. These clothes basically came from other people’s closets.

• Ruffled floral-print top – made from a vintage dress that I had altered into a top and a skirt
• Purple skirt – hand-me-down from my mom who wore it in the early 90s
• Rust leather belt – vintage Esprit from my mom’s attic
• Cosmic latte (yes, it’s an official color!) peep-toe slingbacks – Vincci
• Purple chiffon flower hair clip – Montip

Continue reading Wardrobe Workout: Week 1 »

I’m crazy about breakfast food. I could live on it alone — heck, I practically do, considering that the extent of my cooking skills involves boiling eggs and pouring cereal into a bowl — so any restaurant that serves breakfast all day is all right in my book.

One such restaurant is the newly opened Wild Honey at Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road. I met up there with a few friends on the morning of New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of 2009 with the Yummiest Brunch in the History of Brunches™.

Fine, it wasn’t the yummiest, but it was still pretty darn good. I have the pictures to prove it:

Every bite I took of this bagel made my eyes roll back into my head in sheer bliss. I tried my best not to make too many obscene noises out of consideration for all the other people trying to eat their own breakfast in peace.

Continue reading Brunch with Bimbos »

The Mojave Desert in the summer? My lips are drier than that, and I had long since given up on finding an inexpensive lip balm that worked for me. Chapstick was the worst of the lot. Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer did better but not by much.

But two months ago I came across Martinsville Lip Balms while browsing through Etsy. When I saw all the rave reviews on the seller’s feedback page, I decided to give the lip balms a try. I ordered a dozen to get a bulk discount and to save on postage. I figured, if I didn’t like them, I could resell them on eBay.

It’s safe to say that I will definitely not be reselling them. (I gave away a few to friends to share the lip balm love, though.) They are seriously the only lip balms I have ever liked. They just glide on, and one application keeps my lips chap-free for hours. I personally think the texture is perfect, but some people might find them too soft. It’s really a matter of preference.

They come in dozens of flavors, ranging from the classic (e.g. Apple, Strawberry) to the offbeat (e.g. Buttered Popcorn, Mojito). In this case, flavor refers to scent only — these lip balms are unsweetened, so you won’t be constantly licking your lips.

I’ve tried two of the flavors so far. I loved Berry Voodoo, but Morning Coffee smelled a smidge too sweet for me. That was to be expected, though, because I take my coffee with little to no sugar.

Well, at least I used to before I had to give up caffeine, but that’s another story