Bellabox

One of the things which I love is receiving gifts in the mail and if they are a surprise, even better!
I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, which is probably one of the reasons why there is this beauty-products-in-a-box trend that's raging worldwide for beauty junkies everywhere. Basically the concept is that you subscribe and then each month you receive a box full of new samples, travel and/or full-size beauty products to try before you buy. I think of it as a personal beauty concierge that works behind the scene and make recommendations for you.

It is brilliant because as consumers, we naturally get overwhelmed by shelves and shelves of products available to us, and sometimes we don't know which ones to get. Product A's description sounds amazing, while Product B's packaging is beautiful, blablabla. But do we want to splurge and get them all at once? I think not.

So today I received a lovely package from Bellabox in the mail. Bella-what???



Bellabox connects Singaporean women with the latest prestige, boutique and cult beauty products from across the globe. Every month, Bellabox delivers three to five deluxe makeup, hair and skincare samples directly to your door. So instead of spending hours at the mall's beauty department or (if you're an online shopper like me) clicking thru endless product pages online, all you gotta do is sit back and wait for the lovely red Bellabox to arrive every month with surprise goodies in them. It's awesome that Bellabox has done all the legwork and sourced out different exciting products for us to discover.



Let's take a look together at what this box contains! *excitement-ness*



Essential Damage Care Nuance Airy Shampoo and Conditioner



Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment



CandyDoll Liquid Foundation and Powder Foundation.




Enavose Cellogist Youth Guard Cream



Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules



All the samples that came in the box. But that's not all. There is also a sale flyer, a discount voucher and a spree invitation. Every month's box contains a different set of items so as a subscriber, you can sample away to your heart's content.



I could get the hang of this… receiving a present in the mail every month and not knowing what's inside. What about you?

♥ℳ

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I am a Finalist in the SBA2012 Best Beauty Blog and Best Lifestyle Blog. Vote for me daily, will ya? Dankz, wuv u! *xo*

Isabella Bag from Tocco Tenero

The Tocco Tenero Isabella is a mini duffel bag with dual flat handles and a natural/grey-colored laminated suede body trimmed with aqua-coloured pebble grain cowhide. Top zip closure. Interior zip pocket. Includes both a faux fur and bamboo and a gold and enamel lock ornament embossed with Tocco Tenero logo. Long cowhide strap included to provide the additional options of shoulder or body sling. 

This is a versatile and spacious bag, perfect for work and weekends as it can hold a lot of stuff. I happen to think that the turquoise-aqua color against the soft grey laminated suede is a very chic color combo. The faux fur with bamboo ornament is kinda cute, no? This bag inspired me to put together some style boards. Which look is your favorite?

Look 1: Office Annie

Oasis shirt dress, Enzo Angiolini platform pumps, Jane Norman fuschia jewelry, Amrita Singh 18k jewelry, Stella dot jewelry, Sete Di Jaipur scarve,BareMinerals lip gloss

 

Look 2: Date Night

Floral dress, Vince Camuto high heels, Marc by Marc Jacobs twist jewelry, Ted Rossi bracelet, AllSaints antique silver jewelry, Friis Company plastic ring, Matte lipstick, Philosophy lip gloss, Marc jacobs fragrance

 

Look 3: Weekend Art Gallery-Hopping

Jonathan Saunders color block shirt, Carven skirt, ASOS flat sandals, By Malene Birger plastic bangle, Friis Company resin ring, Hair accessory, Gee Beauty creme eyeliner, Butter london nail polish

 

Look 4: Privilege Club Airport Lounge

AllSaints oversized shirt,Biker jacket, 7 For All Mankind denim jeans, AX Paris suede platform shoes, Twist jewelry, Marc by Marc Jacobs heart jewelry,Leather jewelry, Ring, Miss Selfridge beaded bangle, Noel Stewart trilby hat

 

♥ℳ

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I am a Finalist in the SBA2012 Best Beauty Blog and Best Lifestyle Blog. Vote for me daily, will ya? Dankz, wuv u! *xo*

Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama Preview

I personally get ultra excited when fashion and art collides. And I'm spasming all over as soon as my radar picked up on the collaboration of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama. Louis Vuitton has officially announced their latest major collaborator is Japanese avant garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who's known for putting brightly colored dots on everything from pumpkin sculptures to tree trunks to herself. Conveniently timed to coincide with Kusama's major retrospective at the Whitney Museum in New York, their collection will be unveiled on July 10. According to WWD, it'll include a huge range of dot-covered items like silk pajamas, dresses, trench coats, jewelry, bags, and shoes, all in vibrant primary colors. EXCITING-NESS or what!!?! *more spasms*

I first came across Yayoi Kusama's work at Art Stage Singapore 2011 where I spotted (Heh!) a couple of her paintings - one was a spotted gourd, the other a spotted pumpkin. Since then, I kept running into this amazing woman's work everywhere, even while I was overseas earlier this year at LACMA. Her signature polka dots are everywhere! One of the really interesting background stories about Kusama which resonated with me personally, is how she experienced hallucinations and severe obsessive thoughts since childhood, often of a suicidal nature. This psychological distress led her to record her hallucinations into her sketchbook, in the form of repetitive polka dots. “Obsessions, phallus obsessions, obsessions of fear are the main themes of my art. Accumulation is how stars and earth don’t exist alone,” she explained in one of her media interviews.



Yayoi Kusama said about her 1954 painting titled Flower (D.S.P.S):

One day I was looking at the red flower patterns of the tablecloth on a table, and when I looked up I saw the same pattern covering the ceiling, the windows and the walls, and finally all over the room, my body and the universe. I felt as if I had begun to self-obliterate, to revolve in the infinity of endless time and the absoluteness of space, and be reduced to nothingness. As I realized it was actually happening and not just in my imagination, I was frightened. I knew I had to run away lest I should be deprived of my life by the spell of the red flowers. I ran desperately up the stairs. The steps below me began to fall apart and I fell down the stairs straining my ankle.


Another quote of hers:

… a polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots become movement... Polka dots are a way to infinity.



Kusama is often quoted as saying: "If it were not for art, I would have killed myself a long time ago."

I know first-hand how obsessive an artist can be and how easy it is to give in to the dark side and become manic depressive (ahem, coming from a true blue OCD and emo-nemo Pisces here). I honestly think that Yayoi Kusama is an extremely incredible woman who has persisted in her art form fearlessly. Kudos to facing her inner demons courageously via multimedia art expressions. Don't let me hear you say chit like, "Polka dots? So easy and simple, anyone could've come up with that!" and dismiss this artist. Uhm, yah, why don't you try to come up with different iterations of polka dots for forty years? I've said it before and I will say it again, this is why art totally rawks. It's genuinely and authentically a personal thing, and there is always a story behind every piece. I am humbled (and in awe) by Yayoi Kusama's tenacity towards the pursuit of her dream as an artist over the last forty years and she is showing no sign of slowing down or stopping.

Yayoi Kusama's designs of complex polka dot designs will bring a fun summer element to this limited edition “Infinitely Kusama” Louis Vuitton collection. Here's a sneak preview.









What do you think of the collection? Yay or nay? I like the big black bag with the yellow polka dot trims. The heels are kinda hawt too.

Ughhhhhh. I reeeeeeeally wanna go back to NYC this July for the Yayoi Kusama retrospective show. Can I? Should I?

Do you know what Yayoi Kusama:

• got her big break after moving to New York?
• is over eighty years old today but still sticks to her trademark style of polka dots?
• lives in a mental institution and commutes daily to her art studio?

♥ℳ

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I am a Finalist in the SBA2012 Best Beauty Blog and Best Lifestyle Blog. Vote for me daily, will ya? Dankz, wuv u! *xo*