(Just G top and skirt, CMG heels, SM Accessories necklace) Hype this look on Lookbook here. Thanks RG for taking my photos again.

Gray need not be such a dreary color. One way to make it look more playful is to pair it with girly pastels such as the light coral hue on the skirt that I’m wearing.

Stef, one of my friends in high school, introduced me to this combination a long, long time ago. Both computer geeks in our own right, we would change our layouts in our little blogs (hosted on Pitas, if I remember correctly) as fast as I would change my hair color nowadays. It was one of the most crucial moments of my life, in terms of 1) deciding that this thing that we were doing was roughly what I wanted to pursue in university 2) developing my eye for colors and color combinations.

What worked on our computer screens also worked when it came to fashion.

We had a gray + any-color-you-can-think-of phase. Every week we would change our layout themes just to suit not only our fickle-mindedness, but also to satisfy this inexplicable obsession with pairing everything with gray. In fact, I think I’m slowly picking this obsession up again. If you haven’t noticed, I changed a lot of the colors of my blog to gray recently.

We were so into it that we even convinced our batchmates to add a bit of gray to our batch shirt and banners during our pink (2nd) year.

One of my most favorite blog themes during my geeky high school days had a gray and pastel pink or pale mint color combination. It worked - the contrast between something that we usually associate as masculine and a completely different thing that we usually think of as feminine. Who would’ve thought that gray could actually look girly and that light coral could look mature?

And with that story, I’d like to impart the idea that if you’re not so much into looking at other people’s outfits for color inspiration, you can always look around you and still pick up a few things here and there. 

For example, I love looking at furniture and room pictures on my dashboard during my free time. When I see a room with a color combination that I like, I try to mimic the same feel and effect using similarly-colored items in my closet. 

Be inspired by everything, and you’ll realize the beauty that lies in even the most mundane things in the world.

Sponsored post.

(Bayo top, cardigan, shorts and bag, olive + piper necklace and cross bracelet, Watch Factory vintage watch, Asian Vogue wedges) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Title is from my cardigan’s carrot-like color. :D

While this looks like the new Love Bayo x Sylvia Park collection, it’s not. I just wish. </3 I was in the Love Bayo x SoFA Young Designer Competition, and I knew her collection would win as soon as her first design came out. I was an instant fan - one of her dresses reminded me so much of Alice in Wonderland, which was just absolutely perfect for the “Modern Fairytale” theme of the contest. I wasn’t surprised that she was the designer chosen to have her masterpieces sold in all of Bayo’s stores. There are Bayo stores in almost every mall, so her win was definitely a deal of epic proportions.

I haven’t had time to visit the nearest Bayo store to get my hands on any of her stuff yet, but based on the photos I’ve already seen online from the launch (which I wasn’t able to go to because I was in Indonesia)…

Just take all of my money. Just take all of it, okay? It’s all lovely, classic and dainty with my favorite lace and florals. Very Bayo-esque in every way possible. I’m so happy they gave a budding young designer an opportunity to showcase her work, because I’m all for fresh, underrated talent.

Anyhow, enough spazzing! Here’s my outfit today:

Vintage Casio watches are all the rage right now, and this small golden one would have to be my favorite. Reminds me a bit of C-3PO from Star Wars.

Don’t you just love my nails? Thanks to Beauty and Butter, I got this pale blue-violet shade with some shiny gem accents. Some of my nails are also only half-painted, something I’ve been seeing a lot on Japanese magazines.

My mom thinks they’re odd though, lol. I’ll just nod my head because she took my photos for today. XD

Not a skirt. Whoever invented skorts, I think, was a genius. The illusion of a skirt is there, but they are much more comfy to wear! This particular one also has pockets… which automatically makes everything more convenient.

*pocket fan*

Whoa, this necklace is huge. And wonderful in so many ways. Ever since I got it, I’ve been wearing it non-stop. It’s heavier than most, if not all my existing necklaces, but there’s something so elegant about it that it makes me want to buy some more exaggerated accessories. I’ve never had something like this before, and because of this particular statement necklace, I’m sure you guys will be seeing some more in the near future.

Hope you liked this outfit!

Sponsored post.

(Forever 21 top, Trendphile shorts, CFTG wedges, San-Sue clutch) Hype on Lookbook here.

Whenever I run out of time to think of what to wear, I’d always either pick a bright piece of clothing or a pair of kickass heels to distract everyone else from seeing how I managed to leave the house with not so much effort. Or I just make my eyeliner darker so the attention will all go to how thick my make-up is.

I managed to do all three for this particular look, and it worked! No accessories, no frills. The make-up, the bright color of my top, and my 6-inch wedges made all the difference in the world. 

It took me a long time to get over depending on accessories too much. No, wait. I actually decided not to pile on too much, because there was this one time I ruined one of my clothes because some of my sharp, intricately designed bangles brushed through them and caused the fabric to run. AFRAID! 

Now I’m in the process of trying to master the art of minimalism and just being super casual and realistic about my daily outfits. Well, I’ve a long way to go, especially since I don’t have any plans of retiring my heels in the near future. 

But really, a huge part of trying to pull an effortless-but-not-really look lies in how you do your make-up and hair. For some reason, anything looks good as long as you groom yourself a little. Bouncy hair, a little mascara, blush and lipstick can go a long way. 

Just look at a certain percentage of the comments that I get in my social networking sites! Sometimes I get more compliments on my hair and make-up than my outfit. It’s never a bad thing for me though! :)