tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36209042025-10-07T02:59:51.796-04:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-80501884429797205222013-07-22T20:41:00.002-04:002013-07-22T20:42:00.798-04:00

News confirmed just last week at the Becca counter in David Jones Pitts Street: Becca's award-winning Creme Blush and Lip & Cheek Creme are being discontinued. Done. Finito. Au revoir. The Becca rep I spoke to said that they have been phased out and replaced by the Beach Tints. This is a completely incomprehensible move to me, because Becca's cream blushes are one of the best of its

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-57175860726452816262013-06-27T02:05:00.001-04:002013-06-27T07:57:24.311-04:00

How much we choose to spend on skincare is a very personal thing, as generally are the condition of the skin, irritations, environmental and dietary factors, and - let's be honest - subjective willingness to believe that a product is making a noticeable difference. The more overtly luxurious a skincare brand is, the less likely I am to mention it on the blog, lest I contribute to the hype that

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-10130523174976809522013-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:002013-03-14T20:03:56.668-04:00

That part at the end, when the chip breaks and the guy just scoops the whole thing up with his fingers... that kills me. You may have noticed that we at Ars Aromatica are not ones to scoff at obsessive attention to detail. Both perfection and truth to life require it. But perfection I am skeptical of, because it implies a frozen state with room for neither entropy nor growth. What is more

Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17336197265212776400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-36379024310130104352013-02-02T19:34:00.005-05:002013-02-08T22:14:37.928-05:00

The earliest books I read in English were Mr. Men and Little Miss.* It was December 1992, and I had just moved from Shanghai to Sydney to live with my father. My command of English was basic; I had not yet started primary school. Every trip to the supermarket, I would pick up a couple of these plainly illustrated children's books at check-out (a dollar each), then cajole dad to read them aloud

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-66348822118452500252013-01-08T04:03:00.003-05:002013-01-17T03:38:47.306-05:00

Light: Installations by Bruce Munro at Longwood Gardens Their name in German, Kraftwerk, means "power plant", and they are considered one of the most influential groups in modern music. For the last four decades, they have been makers of Alltagsmusik ("everyday music"), dedicated to expressing the "quotidian landscape of a Mass Culture age" (Frieze Magazine). The style which they

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-9781084093285199922012-12-21T10:09:00.001-05:002012-12-21T12:28:24.136-05:00

As the birthplace of the China's modern textiles industry, the originating port of Chinese silks to the outside world, Shanghai has the reputation of being the country's fashion capital (barring Hong Kong, whose return from British rule belongs to recent memory). So it is ironic that for decades in the latter half of the 20th century, Shanghai was reduced to low-cost processing for international

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-80409386347238968562012-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:002012-10-12T06:00:01.429-04:00

As far as inconvenient surprises go, I've never been as flummoxed as, when on a camping trip last winter, I woke up to find that one of the legs of my glasses had broken clean off the frame, presumably when I rolled over the cold-brittle frame in my sleep. Since then, I'd mostly been getting by on the power of scotch-tape, and as may be expected, had to deal with the frame constantly falling

Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17336197265212776400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-25849202541260431322012-09-26T03:32:00.001-04:002012-09-26T03:32:34.550-04:00

Source: ...somewhere on Tumblr

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-34623705136335893192012-08-29T04:18:00.004-04:002012-09-03T00:55:51.350-04:00

In his Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), Thorstein Veblen - one of my favourite economists, the Sir David Attenborough of the species Homo sapiens sapiens (breed: Capitalist), much beloved by the Institutionalists - wryly observed the inverse relationship between the practicality and comfort of footwear and the wearer's level of (implied) participation in conspicuous consumption: "Our dress…in

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-16098456559508664172012-08-10T01:35:00.000-04:002012-08-10T03:05:35.519-04:00

My work day make-up, never very adventurous, has attained a new pinnacle of corporate monotony. I won't bored you with the details; suffice it to say that I have lapsed to a ready-in-5 ethos, and can frequently be seen heading out the door without eyeliner. And what is more: I'm okay with that. And perhaps it is to counterbalance all that unobtrusive naturalism I wear in the office that, when I

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-60482443026530719372012-07-11T04:16:00.001-04:002012-07-11T23:10:41.240-04:00

Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, W Magazine (April 2011) As expounded before in my Ole Lynggaard Sweet Drops post, my taste in jewellery leans toward the clean, minimalist, and versatile; organic shapes with a modern sensibility. All of those notes - with the possible exception of versatility - are hit upon by Shaun Leane's Hook Earrings and the smaller, less dramatic Talon Earrings. I

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-76200135206206350292012-06-06T22:42:00.000-04:002012-06-08T12:14:38.545-04:00

Urban Decay has decided to make its products available in China. With just one press statement, which attempts to reconcile this business decision and its brand image, Urban Decay has managed to both anger its existing customer base (those opposed to animal testing) and insult the Chinese market that it is trying to court. You can read the full statement at Temptalia, but here are some

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-278603234773890392012-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:002012-02-14T21:00:00.831-05:00

As I make ready to return to Shanghai at the end of February - a more semi-permanent move this time, for the purposes of a new job - I have been sifting through the stacks of worldly belongs that have accumulated in my family home in Sydney, trying to decide what I need to take with me. This is obviously not the time to be buying still more stuff that will not fit into my 30kg luggage allowance,

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-31544338793566673342012-02-08T22:28:00.004-05:002012-02-08T23:15:15.199-05:00

Shiseido debuted their Shimmering Rouge Lip Colour with 13 shades last year, following the trend of lipstick/gloss hybrids which also multi-task as lip conditioners (Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, Dior Addict, Guerlain Rouge Automatique, etc.). The shades released in 2011 were mostly warm peachy/pinky nudes, and while they were nothing so demure as the Rouge Coco Shines (can you tell that those are not

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-31105749475685144942012-02-01T22:16:00.006-05:002012-02-02T04:31:16.565-05:00

WHAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD CARRYMy mother gave me the prayer to Saint Theresa.I added a used tube ticket, kleenex,several Polo mints (furry), a tampon, pesetas,a florin. Not wishing to be presumptuous,not trusting you either, a pack of 3.I have a pen. There is space for my guardianangel, she has to fold her wings. Passport.A key. Anguish, at what I said/didn't saywhen once you needed/didn't need me.

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-48168962091937014152012-01-24T03:23:00.009-05:002012-01-24T22:51:37.771-05:00

Bronzed goddess, Helena Christensen, in Ole Lynggaard Sweet Drops 2012 catalogueWhile I tend to be easily distracted by the newest and shiniest in makeup, and as flighty and compulsive as a spring chick in acquiring updates to my wardrobe, when it comes to jewellery, my habits have always tended thus: find a signature piece that I love, elegant yet understated, flexible enough to hold its own

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-40713609810681239992012-01-18T22:49:00.007-05:002012-02-09T02:07:56.121-05:00

Exquisite design is often quiet and unobtrusive. It is bad (or severely restricted) design that always sticks out like a sore thumb: stairs that are an inconvenient width or height, roads that disorientate and enrage drivers, shoes too uncomfortable or too delicate to do any actual walking in. When physical objects and negative spaces are combined in a way that mimics the organic, responding to

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-53360832384750882962012-01-07T00:00:00.006-05:002012-01-24T03:31:41.651-05:00

If the Christmas-New Year's period has found me somewhat quiet, blogging-wise, it's because I was travelling in Japan for nine days - visiting the Shiseido flagship store in The Ginza, feeding the sacred deer in Nara Park, walking around the Floating Garden Observatory in Osaka, and testing as many hard-to-find Japanese brands (ie. Suqqu, Hakuhodo, ADDICTION by Ayako, THREE Cosmetics, RMK,

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-25911199149060784232011-12-11T05:00:00.019-05:002011-12-11T05:00:05.573-05:00

Sydney, August 2006From one of my very first sessions with Melissa, shot on film and hand-developed. Mid-morning, sleep-deprived, I was wearing typical weekend gear: soft jeans, a t-shirt from AMUNC 2006, a light jacket to ward off the outdoor winter chill. Melissa's assignment from her teachers called for honesty, a set of portraits that could reveal the character of the subject, and so I

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-3745550159295923732011-12-07T05:00:00.000-05:002011-12-07T05:00:02.444-05:00

One of the foundational tenets of beauty and makeup: Just because you're born a certain way, it doesn't mean that you have to put up with it.Have thick, slippery hair that doesn't stay put? Getting it cropped to your chin, I discovered when I was seventeen, simplifies things enormously. I barely need to run fingers, much less a brush, through my hair in the morning before stepping out the

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-58172750298928915902011-12-03T05:00:00.001-05:002012-02-02T03:23:04.507-05:00

THE DOOR IS OPENNo, I don't want to tame you,you'd lose your animal charm.Your wiliness and nervousnessexcite me,they belong to your exotic breed.You can't escape mebecause the door is always open.You can't betray mebecause I don't demand fidelity.Give me your hand,we'll dancethrough the laughing darkness.With sacred bellson our arms and legs,the movement of the danceas supple as ancient Arabic

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-52906496561281900902011-11-25T06:00:00.003-05:002013-03-09T06:49:01.702-05:00

Had I been presented with the brief for Fr&eacuted&eacuteric Malle Lys M&eacutediterran&eacutee&#8212a summery vision of lilies by the sea&#8212the first thing coming to my mind would have been idyllic visions of semi-tropical locales in full bloom, and indeed, no perfume calls summer to mind like Lys M&eacutediterran&eacutee. Only, this "Mediterranean lily" is not true to its name at all, for

Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17336197265212776400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-55035695021509676632011-11-08T23:23:00.003-05:002011-11-08T23:29:37.038-05:00

Enjoying, PVC lace-up with mesh and stud detail ($85 AUD)I saw these smart-looking black brogues on a makeup artist at Mecca Cosmetic (Myer Sydney) yesterday. She had just finished doing my makeup (I was trying out the news NARS duo, Mandchourie, which has just hit the displays but which unfortunately is still not in stock) when I complimented her on her shoes and asked where she had gotten

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-68146228787616054502011-10-30T11:00:00.006-04:002011-10-30T10:58:29.465-04:00

The City, George Grosz (1916/17)The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is an album that ought to come with a warning label: Do Not Play While Operating Heavy Machinery. The very antithesis of Norah Jones and Michael Buble - "easy-listening jazz" - dancing between tumult and rapture, overwhelming tenderness and exquisite anguish, it resists any attempts to cast it into the background. It is music so

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620904.post-14329657390857657212011-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:002011-10-15T08:48:47.667-04:00

I love backstage photos of models' makeup from fashion shows, and frequently use them as sources of inspiration. Some looks are kooky and extreme, others are wearable and natural, easily emulated. While face-charts and beauty breakdowns are primarily released for the benefit of beauty editors, they are also an excellent resource for makeup fanatics and makeup artists, which is why you will

Li Wenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704116527776708335noreply@blogger.com7