Minus 10 Inches

I finally got around to having my hair cut to a much shorter length when I visited HK recently. For drastic haircuts, I prefer to go to one of the Japanese hairdressers in Hair Do.

Last shot of my waist length hair while waiting for Ito-san

The inspiration: Drew Barrymore's hair in Going the Distance. Other inspirations include Alexa Chung's shoulder length bedhead with fringe and Anne Hathaway's short, wavy hair last year.

Glee's Jayma Mays's hairstyle was also in my reference archive, but I didn't show this to Ito-san. Somehow, my hair turned out to be closer to hers than Drew Barrymore's, which was what I showed him.

Posing outside Sogo in Causeway Bay right after the haircut, which reduced the length of my hair by 10 inches. I didn't regret it one bit!

For the new year, I decided to change the parting of my hair to give my new look a newer look, so this is how I wear my hair now.

Hair Do has 5 branches in Causeway Bay. The one in Sogo is the easiest to locate but also the busiest. During peak hours, which is anytime after 5pm during weekdays and all of weekends, the wait can be as long as an hour or more. Ito-san is currently in the Causeway Bay Plaza II branch.

Haircut under a junior stylist costs around HKD 320 with 10% discount for first timers, while for senior stylists, the charge is HKD 390.

New Year, Some New Products

During my recent HK trip, Queen J surprised me with not one, not two, but all three Chanel nail polish shades featured in last year's FNO (Fashion's Night Out), instantly doubling my [Chanel] nail polish collection! I had to wait a few months to get my hands on these, all the while wondering what surprise was awaiting me in HK, I'm not complaining though.

Some friends have been complimenting my nail polish despite them being on my squarish, childlike nails, and I tell them it's just really good nail polish. I stopped getting a mani/pedi after getting minor cuts a few times, investing instead in good nail polish and top and base coats.

From l-r:

lilac sky (210) - an icy pinkish lavender shade

kaleidoscope (479) - heavy metallic unidentifiable shade of gold/silver

particuliere (505) - gray with brown base tone, my favorite shade which I used repeatedly last year

red dream (215) - burgundy with specks of gold dust

new colors: khaki vert, khaki brun and khaki rose (I have yet to try on the last 2).

Lilac sky and Khaki vert

In addition to the nail polish, Queen J also got me Chanel's holiday quad eye shadow called Tentation Cuivree which features 2 shades of brown, one light and one dark, light pink, and pearl. At first, I found the shadow a bit too glittery and felt some glitter falling into my eyes, but once it set, my eyelids were left with just a hint of sparkle, perfect even for the office. It's my first time to use Chanel eye shadow as I have always found M.A.C. colors to be nice and long lasting. Chanel colors are less strong than M.A.C. upon application but lasted the whole day too.

Finally, after a year of using YSL powder foundation, I find myself going back to Chanel, which was what I was using before I switched to YSL. I found that the YSL one tended to cake giving an appearance of an additional layer of powder rather than blending in with my skin which is what the Chanel compact does. The new Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat Comfort Radiance Compact Makeup which has SPF 10 comes with a nice velvety pouch, a thick sponge for more coverage and a brush for a more luminous application.

Mix Tape

This 1990s mix tape was a long time coming (a year late to be exact). I'm glad I got it just in time for Christmas 2010. JGR, I know (because you told me) that it took you sometime (a month) to streamline the songs that will go into this very limited compilation. So for this, a BIG thanks! *grin*

Forever Young

Happy, happy birthday Queen J,

the ultimate drama queen who'll stay forever young,

my favorite subject to photograph,

and the best sister in the world.

Cheers!

(First 3 pictures taken with my new M. Zuiko 14-42mm lens, the last picture taken with my old pancake lens.)