SPF Hand Cream

*Gasp* I just read the most horrifying article in this issue of Elle (Feb, p190): Gloves Off, where the writer goes to investigate the newest procedure for hand rejuvenation. The doctor basically injected *wince* her hands with the latest plumpers, Radiesse, which is supposed to be more long lasting. The after effect was her hands looked 10 years younger as it lessened the ropey appearance of her veins and filled out the hollow spaces between her tendons. A few hours later however, her hands were swollen and in pain- which apparently is perfectly normal and lasted for about a week. Apart from that she later found out that if they hit the wrong place, injecting these things into your hands will also lead to permanent swelling *shiver*.

After THAT horrifying article, I realized that in my craze to buy sunscreens for my face, I'd forgotten about my hands- which in all respects are exposed to sunlight as much as my face is! Sunscreens from all sources is after all the one most effective way we can protect ourselves from aging. And so I've decided that it is time I got myself some hand cream with SPF! In my googling I realized that there really weren't that many hand creams with SPF. But here are a few that I've found. On the high end, there is Lancome and Clarins.
In the medium range, there are Kiehl's and Boots. I think I may try the Kiehl's one, because it also claims that it is, "Unusually rich but not greasy at all," which sounds intriguing. But then again it only has SPF 10.
And in the drugstores, we have our ever trusty Neutrogena and Dove brand of SPF sunscreen. I wonder how much SPF is sufficient for the hands...most of the ones listed here have SPF 15 (besides Dove with SPF 5 and Kiehl's with SPF 10).

Image Source: Clarins, Kiehls, Sephora, Boots

Category ›

Weekend Casual?

Today I wore a plain black long sleeved dress that had a cotton bodice/sleeves upper body part and velvet skirts, with a textured black belt, black (almost) flat boots and my medium size shoulder black leather bag. I know, it sounds really black, but it is what I would consider a very safe brainless casual everyday outfit. Because really, even though the dress has velvet parts, it IS still very plain and casual and is really suitable for all occasions. But anyways, you get the picture.

So, dressed like that, I walked into the restaurant and met my mom and aunt up for Saturday lunch. And the greeting I got were affronted expressions followed by, "Oh dear, what are you wearing today?" Granted my outfit is boring and black, but I didn't think I looked THAT bad. Turns out that they thought that I was dressed too formal for a weekend! Apparently while it was fine to dress up so on a weekday, on a weekend one always dresses very casually with jeans, t shirt and flats/sneakers!

Generally I take these edicts my mom says with a grain of salt, because most of them contradicts previous edicts and I get thoroughly confused, but this time I couldn't help but wonder if there IS a grain of truth to it. As I glance around the streets, people indeed were all dressed very casually (though I WAS in a casual part of town). And I'm sure that the term weekend casual didn't just come out of thin air. One of my friends recently even bought a pair of "weekend shoes."

Personally I don't dress any differently on a weekend than on a weekday. Mostly because I'm a student and its casual day everyday so I wear the same things everyday regardless of the day of the week (though I DO dress differently depending on where I go, my mood and how much time I have). Over the summer, while I was working and wearing semi formal clothes every weekday, I DID miss my jeans. So I guess "casual weekends" could just be a social by product of this. But that doesn't mean that I want to wear the "casual" outfit every weekend. Weekends are the also the only time I get to experiment with what I wear and have fun with fashion! I really don't think that just because everyone else decides its casual day, I have to follow it as well.

But just out of curiosity, what are everyone's preference for weekend dressing? Do you generally dress down or is it an arbitrary decision subjected to many other factors that don't include the day of the week?

Category ›

Legwarmers

The other day the topic of leg warmers came up.After watching her look for leg warmers all season, she told me the other day that she's finally bought one- except she hasn't worn them out yet because she felt that the reality of legwarmers didn't quite match her expectations. They looked much cooler in the pictures, mannequinns and in her imagination (above: American Apparel).
So how well do these legwarmers, originally designed for ballerinas to warm up with before they practice so they won't injure their muscles (I just found this out today!) translate in reality? Lets explore the ways they are worn. Over at Urban Outfitters, they are shown worn with pumps over skinny jeans and stockings (leggings?).
And at Sock Dreams, they are shown worn with pumps (with short skirt?) and with cute flats (also with short skirts/shorts?). I think that legwarmers look rather cute with short skirts/shorts as shown here, but when it is over skinny jeans, that is just a bit too much. I know it adds interesting detail, but in this case I think it actually cuts the leg up and if you are not super skinny model tall, this will make you look short. The additional detail just weighs you down. I am half half with legwarmer over tights, as with really really simple outfits I think it may work as interesting layering. But at the end of the day, I believe that less is more. Has anyone else tried this look before? Thoughts on making it work?
Oh and here is a random side thought. These stirrup stockings from American Apparel looks really cool. But in reality, HOW does one wear them? And what differentiates them with footless tights or full on stockings? What does it achieve?

Image Source: American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and Sock Dreams

Category ›

Blackwell's 2007 Worst-Dressed List

In the past I've usually blogged about Blackwell's annual Worst Dressed List, (see last year's post here.) But this year while reading the list, I've come to realise that I didn't have a lot of insults in mind for the worse-dressed people. Now don't get me wrong, I don't actually like the style of most people on Blackwell's list. It's just that I've now come to learn to just skip past the pictures of poorly-dressed celebrities (or the celebrities whose style just isn't similar to mine,) and stare at the well-dressed celebrities. Perhaps I have learnt to use my time more efficiently or have grown up?

Anyways, here's the list.

1. Victoria Beckham -While I am no fan of hers, I do admire she has the confidence to wear the clothes that she wears. And while her style is very different from mine, I certainly don't think she's the worst-dressed in 2007.

2. Amy Winehouse -I suppose I do agree with this one. Not only is she poorly dressed, but her hairstyle is just disastrous!

3. Mary Kate Olsen -OK, even though as an MKA fan I am totally biased, I do admit I didn't like some of the outfits MK wore in 2007. But I really don't think one should ignore her better outfits and declare her worst-dressed.

4. Fergie -Huh. I usually just skip looking at her outfits in gossip sites.

5. Kelly Clarkson -Skip again. Plus we obviously care more about her singing than her outfits.

6. Eva Green -Do we even know what she normally wears?

7. Avril Lavigne -OK, so I didn't like some of her outfits. And I really don't like her 2007 pink hairdo. But I chalk it all as part of her marketing and image.

8. Jessica Simpson -I'm definitely not a fan of Jessica Simpson, although hasn't her style improved in 2007? Wait, I actually can't recall any of the outfits she wore in 2007. I obviously don't care much for her style.

9. Lindsay Lohan -I really don't think her style is bad. For Lindsay, 2007 was all about the leggings, so I guess it all depends how much you like leggings yourself.

10. Alison Arngrim -Uh, who? Why bother listing someone who isn't stalked by the paparazzis anyway?

And maybe it's because I'm still in my early-20's but I don't find people named in Blackwell's Fabulous Fashion Independent List really fashion-inspiring either. Btw, they are Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett. Seriously, Beyonce and Katherine Heigl?

What do you think of Blackwell's 2007 lists?

Category ›

Wide Headbands

Over the years I've always had these on and off phases with wide headbands. Personally they are quite flattering for me and I've always loved them. But they never really served much practical purposes i.e. keep fringe off face (not if I want it to be flattering anyway). And so after a while, I just end up just giving up on them (I had a fabulous black textured print one from Claires).
Well this season, my obsession with them is back. It first entered my mind early this season when I went to Burberry and tried on these red patent quilted ones (very similar to the ones above left), which looked SOOO nice on me! Then the other day I saw my friend wearing a similar red patent headband from Miu Miu (with different details), which looked soo fab on her! And of course, I've also been steadily influenced by Blair's preppy and trendy use of headbands all season on Gossip Girl.

Now I really want a shiny bold colored headband to accesorize with this season. I have black hair so red (like Blair's above) would look great. I definitely want a patent one like the pink one above (right) from Miu Miu, except in red. Though come to think of it, one of my friend has this beautiful purple shiny satin wide headband from Barneys (similar to the brown one above left: Jennifer Ouellette) that she's been wearing for a while that looks gorgeous with her dark hair.... so many choices!
I guess at the end of the day the most important thing with bold wide headbands is that it matches with the rest of your outfit. Note how all her headband goes so well with the rest of her outfits. I especially love the white headband with the rest of her outfit (right) where there are white accents!
The turban styled headbands are also a good twist to the usual headbands. I am in LOVE with these turban headbands from Jennifer Ouellette (left) and Rachel Pally (right). In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I think the Rachel Pally headband at $38 (not on sale) is a bargain and I'd totally get it if they had it in red. Except they have it only in dark blue, dove (white) and black and I'll have to think about that. I just love the side twist thing!
Some easy colored wide headbands to go with your wardrobe from Claires (above). The trick to not making them look like its cheap I think is texture (if its shiny and plastic) and a clean cut (if its fabric print).
For something fancier I am loving these two from Miu Miu (left) and By Malene Birger (right). Normally I'd discard them at a glance thinking they are tacky and toy-like. But having been inspired by Blair, I think with the right elegant simple outfit, these would be the perfect accessory. And just imagine how gorgeous that blue would look contrasting against dark hair!

So far I got a kind of shiny wide bronze headband similar to the satin brown one from Jennifer Oullette (third one down), except the quality isn't as good since its only $10 as opposed to $50... but the effect is close. Now if only I can get my hands on a purple satin one and a patent red one...and I definitely don't mind a jeweled one (though I guess its not necessary)...... then my headband collection would be complete :)

Image Source: CW TV, Barneys, Net a Porter, Bloomingdales, Shopbop and Claires

Category ›

The Balenciaga Blazers Lookalikes

Hey people, happy new year! We have finally updated the About Us section, so check it out when you have time. Anyways, BG and I love blazers so I simply cannot resist talking about the Balenciaga blazers.

The Balenciaga blazers were the IT items of the FW season. Vogue.co.uk even reported that a woman who was not on the wait-list refused to leave until she was sold one (-crazy much?) It costed 1295 pounds btw. Obviously, the high street stores very quickly started producing lookalikes too. Here a few that I found: (Most of them are from last year so they might not be in stores anymore.)

Zara came out with a super lookalike blazer. So alike infact, that it had to be pulled out of stores after selling it for a short while. It's supposedly the one Blair is wearing in this picture.

This stripe blazer by Top Shop is a pretty good copy too, isn't it? Very cool schoolgirl looking.

More recently, Top Shop came out with this moleskin jacket. This one looks just a bit more classic and less like its part of a schoolgirl outfit, so much more suitable for those aged over say, 22.

Urban Outfitters has always had blazers in their FW Lux collections so it's hard to say whether these are particularly Balenciaga-inspired. Adopting the details from the Balenciaga blazers might sound more correct. Plus UO tends to sell younger and more casual clothes than Zara, so the lookalike factor might be lower, making it less of a trendy item and more long-lasting.

The solid colours of these blazers comehow remind me of the pink Balenciaga one. But it could just be my imagination.

Then there are the blazers where the outer edges are lined with a thick, solid line. Also by Urban Outfitters. Blazers always manage to make a casual outfit look way cooler and structured, don't they?

Has anyone been wearing this trend this season?

Image Credits: www.vogue.co.uk, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.topshop.com, www.instyle.com

Category ›

Happy New Year!

This year, HG and I spent new years with friends in possibly one of the crowdiest places in Hong Kong- Lan Kwai Fong (above)- where we wowed along with the crowd at the little bits of fireworks we saw between buildings and counted along to what we thought was 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (We are still not sure... someone really should put a ball up somewhere so we'd know when to count!). Over all we had a lot of fun and took lots of pictures in our unintentionally matching outfits. I was in my Express red dress with a black cover up and HG was in her FCUK purple dress with a white furry cover up- we could not have planned it better ourselves!
Reflecting on the last year, we'd like to thank our readers, friends and family for their continued support of I am Fashion. It has been a hectic and exciting year both personally and fashionably (what with the ever changing shapes, siloheuttes and lengths!) and knowing that there are people out there who shares our passion means the world to us. Many have also expressed interest in the background of our blog and us- so sweet of you all!

Hence, in honor of the new year, we are going to revamp our Behind the Fashion Scenes page (FINALLY). In addition to a few other things, the About the Site section is going to be updated to include more information on I am Fashion and to answer any questions YOU have about our site and us! So don't be shy and post your questions in the commentary below and we promise to try to answer everything the best we can. And if you ARE shy, shoot us the questions at iamfashion@gmail.com with the heading "Behind the Fashion Scene" asap. We can't wait to hear your questions!

Happy 2008 Everyone!

Category ›