DECONSTRUT

DIY | BARDOT RUFFLED TOP

June 20, 2017 9 Comments

I really can’t get enough of the off the shoulder trend and I’m going to hit you guys with another off shoulder tutorial. You can see my previous off shoulder top tutorial here! I promise to post something else soon, but these tops are just so easy and fun to do since you don’t really have to worry about sleeve seam alignment. The off shoulder trend also eliminates the chances of tan lines which is great because my skin takes on colour so quickly that tan-lines happen in a blink.

I was inspired by this Victoria Victoria Beckham top which I saw Lydia Elise Millen try on in her Instagram story and immediately fell in love. Looked up the top and deemed that it could easily be an easy DIY by modifying an existing oxford shirt. The result isn’t as perfect as the original but I think it turned out pretty cute and unique! It’s definitely a lot girlier of a piece than I would normally wear but something about spring and summer makes me want to dress up and twirl around in circles.

I paired the shirt with my Rag & Bone Jeans, Aldo sandals and Le Spec Sunglasses. The earrings are a vintage find which scream Dolce & Gabbana vibes, and they paired beautifully with the top. Do you have any other suggestions on how to style the top? I think it would be interesting to see it with a pair of white pants and slides.

TIME | 2-3 hours

COST | $15-$20

DIFFICULTY | moderate sewing ability needed

DIY

DIY | CIRCLE DROP EARRINGS

June 13, 2017 10 Comments

There’s nothing more perfect than a circle.

Minimalistic and symmetric, with no apparent beginning or an end, it has an overall calm and finite feeling. I absolutely love the over-sized delicate statement of these circle drop hoop earrings. I liked them so much that I made them both in silver and gold. They both use a slightly different way of construction to assemble but you can get this DIY done in a jiffy and be walking out the door with all the materials on hand. For materials, I up-cycled old earrings my mom had into these new on trend pieces. Up-cycling old items is a great way to refresh the wardrobe for cheap, and not to mention its better for the environment; a win-win all around! Keep on reading if you would like to recreate these eye catching hoops and as always, tag it with #DECONSTRUT so I can see your creations!

TIME | 5 Minutes

COST | $0

DIFFICULTY | Easy!

DIY

DIY | OFF SHOULDER TOP

June 6, 2017 8 Comments

American Eagle Vintage Hi-Rise Festival Shorts, Le Specs No Smirking Sunglasses

Spring has me wanting to show a little bit more skin and there’s no better way than to hop onto that off-the-shoulder trend. This top is super easy to make, in fact if you have all the materials on hand, you will have a new top to wear out tonight by the time you’re done reading this post!

I love the white because it just pairs beautifully with everything and after a very dreary winter I’m ready to shed the black and grey layers to make way for lighter and brighter items in my closet. I made this one slightly cropped so it sits perfectly with high waisted shorts and jeans. I’ve made sure that the sleeves aren’t restrictive because a lot of off the shoulder tops tend to render your arms useless; but with this one, full mobility is enabled and your top won’t shift around!

TIME | 30 mins

COST | $ (super inexpensive, in fact I already had all my materials from previous projects so it was essentially free)

DIFFICULTY | Super Easy!

Travel

TRAVEL | A QUICK NEW YORK CITY MINUTE

May 30, 2017 10 Comments

May long weekend, I took a family road trip to the famous New York City! The place where people go to find success, rub shoulders with millions of others from around the world. New York City is in one word… BUSY. There’s never a dull moment, so many things are always happening in the city that there is an abundant endless list of events and activities to keep oneself entertained. Granted while we were there we did do more of the touristy sites because it was my brother’s first time in the city, but it was still a lot of fun! If you have never been to New York City then here’s a quick break down for any short trip you have planned for the future! This post has you covered for activities to keep you busy in New Jersey, Manhattan and Brooklyn!

Travel

TRAVEL | TOFINO IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS

May 16, 2017 4 Comments

Going through photos and files on my much loaded down computer, I came across trip photos I have yet to share on this blog. With summer right around the corner, I’m sure many people are busy thinking of what they can do to make their summer memorable. In light of that, I thought I would share how my friends and I did Tofino, British Columbia in less than 24 hours making it a worthwhile short but sweet trip that will have you begging to go back to experience it all again.

Mini waterfall with a rainbow at a lookout enroute to Tofino

DIY

DIY | BODY CHAIN

May 9, 2017 10 Comments

Jewelry shouldn’t be limited to that of your neck, arms and ear lobes. There is plenty of room to play with chains all over the body and with this tutorial you can make a body chain to wear this summer! I love the look of a body chain layered with a bikini as it adds a little extra sparkle to the body. I wore this one while I was on vacation in Hawaii and loved how it looked with a more minimal bikini. I am also looking forward to pairing this body chain with festival outfits as I think it would also look pretty good with lacey bralettes and camis. I’ve also done a separate tutorial on a simple body chain that takes no less than 5 minutes to whip together for those who aren’t keen on this more complicated design. Happy DIY-ing!

How would you style it?

TIME | 20 mins

COST | $10

Review

REVIEW | ALIEXPRESS BIKINI HAUL

May 2, 2017 2 Comments

We’ve all been seeing super cute bikinis with summer approaching and I couldn’t resist browsing around online. Some popular destinations are Zaful and Cupshe but I had a hunch that I had seen some of those designs for cheaper, and that would be on Aliexpress! Always down to save a couple of extra bucks, I decided to place a few orders for my tropical vacation coming up. I’ve always wondered if ordering from Aliexpress would be safe and legit and through this test I would recommend ordering from Aliexpress. Only somethings though… there are some things I wouldn’t order; this post will cover the bikinis I have ordered. Here is everything you have ever wanted to know about ordering from Aliexpress!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

WHAT I ORDERED

Reversible pineapple bikini set
Pink scoop neck and leaf print bottoms bikini
Minimal khaki bikini set
High neck halter taupe bikini set
Criss-cross black one piece
Floral neoprene cheeky bikini set (Triangl Dupe)

Travel

TRAVEL | CAMERA & TECH GEAR

April 25, 2017 No Comments

Everyone wants to capture picturesque moments on vacation and I’m not any different. I want to be able to capture candid moments, grand scenes and textural details that can take me back to any memories of a trip, to evoke the feelings I had in that moment and to share it with others back home. As I’m packing for my trip to Hawaii, I thought I would share with you guys how I pack and take care of my camera equipment.

Shooting equipment wise, I like to take photos primarily with a DSLR. I find it gives you the most versatility with different lens options and a more professional outcome. For more action packed items I like to use my GoPro as it’s more compact and can take on water and impact better than a heavy DSLR camera. For video purposes, I will usually shoot with my phone primarily, but I will also use my GoPro and DSLR to supplement footage, it really depends on what I have on hand in the moment. As it has been said before, the best camera is the one you have on you. All three yield different footage quality but it’s good to have similar settings across the board to get smoother transitions.

If you want to know what I have in my camera bag, keep on reading!

DIY

DIY | CUTOFF JEANS UNEVEN HEMS

April 18, 2017 6 Comments

The cutoff style doesn’t have to be exclusive to just shorts as this uneven hemline has been quite popular on a lot of streetstyle bloggers. Granted as cool as they were, I wasn’t inclined to pay premium retail prices so I got myself a cheap pair of jeans and proceeded to cut them up as I pleased. I’m pretty happy with the result, though I do wish that the jeans were more tapered at the ankle but that’s just due to my jeans not being ultra skinny like I usually get them. But better yet for those of you looking to recreate this, thrift a pair of denim jeans from your local thrift store to save even more and to have IDEAL worn in denim cut offs.

I styled my cutoff uneven hem jeans with a baggy sweater, scarf (because it’s still cold where I live), fishnet socks and black pumps. This is a more going out look but you can definitely dress these jeans down with sneakers or denim shorts for the summer!

TIME | 10 mins

COST | $10

Nails

NAILS | DIORAMA

April 11, 2017 1 Comment

This is a nail art design inspired by Dior’s iconic Diorama bag. Its simplistic linear geo pattern is mesmerizing and after seeing it on Janice Joostemaa’s nails, I knew I had to recreate it myself! Feminine yet with a bit of edge thanks to those metallic lines, I think this will be a mani I’ll be rocking a lot this spring in different colour combos. Can you imagine this with a rosegold base and white lines? Mmmm gorgeous!

Read on if you’d like to know how I created this iconic pattern on my nails!

Polishes used are Essie’s Gel Coutour Top Coat and Fairy Tailor, and Butter London’s Bobby Dazzler.