[Inspiration] The Beauty of Slowness

"Everybody at the speed of light tends to become nobody" Marshall McLuhan

Just recently, a blogger friend, Max from Maxmayo shared an article with us, interestingly, after reading the interview via kinfolk online, the idea of slowness starts to dawn on us and we begin to ponder over the fact that have we led our lives in a hurried manner (like most of us today) or have we tried to even attempt to slow down a little? 

The   s   l  o  w    movement promotes slowness as a way of being: intuitive, centered, receptive, careful, quality over quantity as opposed to aggresiveness, stressed, impatient, careless, quantity over quality. We want to design our time perfectly, feel the intensity of every minute. The slow movement is not about replacing speed with slowness. It is concerned with the work-life balance. (according to Ilse Crawford in one of our favourite Interior books entitled Home Is Where The Heart Is?). 

Kinfolk basically interviewed Carl Honore, on how people can work slowly in a fast pace world of today and yet still achieve the quality of life we intend to have. Carl Honore is one of the world's most respected advocates of the slow movement, which focuses on the way we live, work, eat and communicate. Something struck us in the interview. He says communicating more does not always mean communicating better. Guess we are so absorbed in our new technologies that sometimes we think we may be communicating more, but in real fact, we aren't, are we? Do you feel the same?

[Review] The Comforting RMK W Treatment Oil

Have you ever wondered what is missing in your skincare regiment? Have you ever thought of incorporating a facial oil into your daily routine to maximize your skin's potential for a supple, softer and firmer skin? We have recently discovered something that will do just that. By now, you would know that we super love this Japanese brand's coveted base makeup, but skincare? We feel they have really good ones but it is quite underrated. So, we have decided to give them a try and share with you our experience of using them. This is about RMK's W Treatment Oil. (Fruity and plants goodness!)

[Inspiration] Wishing Upon A Sensual Summer

The heat could be unbearable for some of you at some parts of the world now, but for us, hot and humid are something of a common sight and feel, one that we almost grew accustomed to staying in a tropical place like Malaysia. This summer, the breeze brings us to a completely different direction, one that whispers a kind of quiet seduction, one that calls for a stunning day spent by the beach, the waves crushing, while the open sea witnesses the very refreshing side of the personality, one that almost looks very tempting and irresistible. 

What do you wish for this summer? We lust upon a really gorgeous beach body, coupled with the beauty of nature that has to offer, a little luxuriously dainty accessories, enveloping us and a few lovely items on the summer wish list. Our SUMMER EDIT has never been this fun! 

Visuals 1 and 2 (mywhitet.com), visual 3 (bohemian&diesel), visual 4 (willandwild.com) and our LUMI Summer Edit (LUMINNEJ polyvore, here for more details on individual items). Hope your summer is oozing with sexiness as it will come to an end soon! Stay luminous and happy always, lovelies *_^

With summer love, 

Jeann

The New NARS Midvalley Boutique - A Colorful Escape

Pleasantly surprised we were that NARS have recently opened their new boutique at Midvalley KL here, after its opening of the brand's very first one at Pavilion KL last year. What could be more exciting than to celebrate this special opening with a new Christopher Kane x NARS collection at hand. We were excited to be invited to an intimate morning with NARS Malaysia recently to experience not only the new collection personally but as well as being treated to a little tour round the boutique and a simple makeover session. 

It is a quiet little space in the mall, upon entry, one will be delighted to find the usual array of NARS makeup items, filled with all sorts of colours, textures, finishing through its offerings of different iconic products. The space is well decorated and it is good enough a space for one to be indulge in the wonders of makeup and cosmetics, most definitely a makeup geek's haven.

[Inspiration | Musing] Girl Crush Kind of Night

The way she whispers soft lullaby of twisted words, words you know so very well you can never believe, yet you fail to resist, her magic touch is too much to endure, almost to the point you would burst into flame the moment you realized you can never live without her, ever again.

That first taste of love, is intoxicatingly dangerous, hopelessly foolish and most often than not, one or the other will eventually get hurt, the heart shattered and spirit broken, as if like a fresh wound that is wide open and is waiting to be left dry, under the scorching summer heat. 

Her laughter pierces your heart, her cold stare weakens your mind, her silence cuts right into your bone, leaving you paralyzed. Can love be that unreasonable, can love be more absolutely tender and kind? Perhaps those love that do not hurt enough is not real love after all. 

On a rumbling and restless night like this one, my mind drifts back to you, my heart chooses to remember you, even though you have long gone, even though you were the one who said goodbye first. I feel like drowning myself in those memories that I can't seem to shed, even till today. Why do I let you come back to me, like this, my first love? Without a single shred of warning.

You are just too cruel, my love.

Media Preview of Melissa FW2015 Starwalker Collection

It was a lunch affair and upon arriving at the Celadon Royal Thai Cuisine at Pavilion KL, we  were warmly greeted by the PR team and friends of Melissa Malaysia though were a tad late. This was our very first media invitation by Melissa. We were super intrigued to find out what this collection is all about. Are you familiar with this Brazilian shoe brand? Perhaps if you are into those jelly sandals of the 80s, Melissa shoes is no stranger to you. Now, this innovative type of shoes have made a come back, in a huge way, trendy as ever. Just look at Melissa's latest Fall/Winter2015 Star Walker Collection! They even created a range inspired by the infamous Star Wars series by George Lucas, called the Melissa Love System.

From a galaxy far far away, the sparkling glitters, shining stars and other mysteriously beautiful stardusts found their way into the hearts of the creators of this Melissa FW2015 Starwalker collection. The intergalactic influence is prominent, metallic effect is explored, mixing with different elements, colours and textures, making this collection super easy to find a pair that may get you interested. During the luncheon, we were also introduced to some other collections with an array of designer collaborations like Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Jason Wu, J. Maskrey and renowned Brazilian designer, Alexandre Herchovitch. We even spotted the Cinderella Collection on display there. Our MOST favourite pair for the day, was this gorgeous blush pink Lady Dragon Wedding Collection heel by J. Maskrey for Melissa Starwalker. We super love the bling and its simple design. If you are young parents, the mini series versions of little Melissa shoes for kids will have your heart all melt away, they are so cute *_^ Of course, we were pleasantly surprised when we were presented our very first pair of beautiful soft silver Melissa Violatta + Karl Lagerfeld (here in other colors) with studded pearls accents.

[Sneak Peek] Lunasol 2015 Autumn Makeup - A Sweet Chocolat Affair

The tingling happy sensation in your stomach upon opening that chocolat box, tied up in perfect ribbon, the melting sensation in your mouth upon taking that very first bite of chocolat and the irresistible warmness enveloping your whole body upon knowing that this would be one of the best you would ever put on, on your delicate skin, is something truly magical. This coming Autumn, Lunasol brings us this exact sensation of purifying makeup that is captivating yet alluring in the most hypnotic way. We are falling in love already, visually. 

Open A Whole New World With Jaeger-LeCoultre

What is time to one? Do you see time as a pendulum of moving objects repeating itself in a constant manner and therefore create the flow of passing time, the opposing matters in life like day and night, in nature, or do you see time as a value that holds dearly which you decide upon to cease the day or are you one who lets it flow pass you, without you even noticing it, day in and day out, year in and year out? Do you see time as a way of life to create more meaning in itself and therefore leave a legacy behind or do you phantom something that is even beyond our own human comprehension, believing that time and space are a parallel universe that exist beyond human understanding, one that can travel and traverse different dimensions and therefore having alternate reality? 

Whatever you may see time as, we all, each one of us, has equal opportunity to either cease it or waste it, and it is entirely up to us, really. It is almost certain that, once time passes us by, it will never come back to us again, ever. The second, before, the moment before that second before, each and every moment, is equally mesmerizing and memorable, if you make it to be, or it can be torturous or tormented, if you allow it to be. The possibilities are endless. 

Living is an art, according to Jaeger-LeCoultre and we truly believe so. To appreciate the beauty in life, a certain openness towards experiencing whatever that comes our way has to be present. In May, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched a new communication campaign called Open A Whole New World (here for more) in which the brand reveals its true essence through visuals inspired by individuals in sync with its values. This campaign sees the feature of three individuals brought together by a certain art of living and united by a passion for beauty, very much reflects the core and philosophy of this luxury watch brand. The message of the campaign: Every Jaeger-LeCoultre watch is the prelude to the understanding that the product is no longer the end result, but instead the beginning of an inspirational story, waiting to be unfold and in itself outlines the contours of a hidden world, a world that is driven by passion in one's craft and the appreciation of beauty. The three personalities who personify such quality in line with the brand are Carmen Chaplin (Actor and Director), Eduardo Novillo Astrada (Polo Champion) and Dr Craig Venter (decoder of the human DNA). A film is born out of such collaboration.

Check out the film above. We absolutely love the way it is done and the emotion it evokes and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we have. So, what time is it now from where you are and how do you view your day today? Is today the greatest moment of your life? If not, life can be short, so make it count from now onwards and just go all out in chasing that dream(s) that you have always been thinking about, lovelies, no matter what it may be and we wish you all the best *_^

With love, 

Jeann

M.A.C Bold Blues Hit The Dance Floor At 16th Annual IIFA 2015 & First Ever M.A.C Makeup Studio in New York City

Nothing says cool and bold more strongly than the cobalt blues and black eyeliners that were apparent on all the Indian dancers at the recent IIFA 2015 (International Indian Film Awards) Dance show, and it most definitely brought out the bling, gold, glitz and glamour of the Bollywood dance vibe right into KL that night, making all the dancers looking steamy hot and exotic. For stage performances, nothing beats a great intense look, one that would turn heads and capture the audiences' attention. We shall share with you today some of the backstage M.A.C must-have makeup products that were used to create such looks, specially designed for the show that night.

[Inspiration | Musing] The Faint Colours In The Dark

Love almost feels like taking a sip of your favourite coffee, the first sip tastes sweet, for some, after a few sips, it leaves you with that bitter sweet taste that is hard to shake off, no matter how much you desperately try to. Some have it lucky, love feels like the breath of fresh air, the cure that makes your seemingly black and white life instantly turn a little more colorful, a tad more interesting and exciting, perhaps?

Saturday brings with us the thoughts of a splash of colour, amongst the lack of it. Would life taste different with or without colour? Would you be bold enough to slide to the extreme end of things? Like chooses only to wear whites, or blacks, or you can never get by a day without colours for it will make you feel dull without any? Do you paint with colours in your mind, or do you see things in black and white, nothing in between, no grey areas? 

How would you choose to see beauty in life, and love for that matter? Is love your kaleidoscope of colorful play toy that you see through everything or is it that quiet subdued solitude world of black and white you retreat into for deeper reflections and contemplations? We are most definitely balancing between both ends, not satisfied with living a life without the lures and wonders of colours, yet equally comfortable in hiding away underneath the blanket of colourless vacuum that is ever so attractive and alluring. 

Whatever your choices are, would you still love me like you do? See you again, sugar *_^

With love, 

Jeann

All visuals via LUMI's pinterest here.

[Sneak Peek] Autumn/Winter2015 Makeup Is Looking Super Cool With M.A.C

It is always exciting to check out what's trending in the makeup world, and what better way to do it with M.A.C Cosmetics! We were invited to the recent M.A.C Autumn/Winter 2015 preview by friends at M.A.C Malaysia and it was most definitely an interesting coming season. Seen here is James Molloy, Director of Makeup Artistry. 

We can't wait to share more with you in our future blog post, but till then, here are some visuals for a sneak peek and some really exciting new products coming our way, soon in September. See you all again soon and have a luminous and happy weekend ahead, lovelies *_^

With love, 

Jeann

[Review] Shu Uemura Skin:FIT Cosmetic Water Foundation

We were first introduced to Shu Uemura's latest foundation, Skin:FIT Cosmetic Water at the media launch here previously. We have been test driving the foundation since. You must be curious why we say test driving? We shall discuss this shortly. 

It was introduced that Shu Uemura Skin:FIT Cosmetic Water Foundation (here for more) is a summer foundation that is thin, fit and lasting, specially designed for Asian skin, like ours. That got us really excited, as one may be well aware, it is always quite a challenge to have foundation that stay fresh and long-lasting in humid weather like where we come from, sunny and rainy Malaysia. Our needs: not only thin, feels refreshing, but oil-free, has to last (tested to last up to 12 hours), look natural, boasting a light fit and breathable coverage with UV sun protection. A tough call indeed, haha *_^ 

To make sure that the product captures the two opposing properties all in one (oil-free bi-phase formula) - sheer yet long-lasting, Shu Uemura needs to find the perfect powders that can absorb both oil and water, and at the same time, can be dispersed in water. With high-tech innovative approach, this quest leads to the discovering of the new Triple Powder Complex, a unique blend of three specially selected powders that can quickly absorb sweat and sebum for longer-lasting makeup while intelligently concealing dullness and tired skin for a soft-focused makeup finish. Water that harnesses Mint and Pomegranate Extracts goes further in offering a refreshing sensation and skin benefits. 

So what are the three powders? They are Perlite, Airlicium and Soft-focus Powder. Perlite quickly absorbs and releases water, Airlicium immediately absorbs oil and Soft-focus Powder gently covers pores. Sounds like a power combo. Airlicium is a super fluffy powder whose cells contain several micro-halls, once Airlicium catches the oil, it absorbs it at once. It also has higher absorption of oil compared to the conventional anti-shine powder, so Airlicium plays the main role in keeping skin light and protecting it from sebum. Other ingredients include cosmetic water for refreshing sensation and skincare benefits. Mint extract gives a cool sensation feeling and has skin conditioning properties while pomegranate provides the anti-aging benefits to the skin. It is good to note that the sun protection filter is usually oil dispersed and water dispersion is difficult, but this time Shu Uemura has looked into secret technology with water dispersing organic UV filter to offer sun protection with SPF30 PA+++. That is something quite remarkable, we feel.