MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hello! After a good 2 months I've returned back to give you guys a christmassy blogpost! 

Christmas is that time of the year where you spend time with your loved ones: presents galore, the time of month where it's socially acceptable to eat as much as you want, laugh a hella lot and watch christmas movies whilst snuggled up with hot chocolate. 
I'm going to share with you guys what I got for christmas! 

These are my family gifts and friend gifts given, I don't particularly ask for much but yeah these are a few examples of my presents!

Thankyou for reading this post,

Stay beautiful,

Elaine Chu xoxo.

UPDATE: fringe + hair advice for bleach blondes

Hellooo! 

I've been away for SO long, I felt like I had to update you on the fact I got a fringe! 

Basically..

I've had a full fringe over the years and it's been quite on-off, however, I always end up sweeping it to the side because it is HIGH MAINTENANCE. 
Most people who have my type of hair can vouch that it is sooo long maintaining a fringe, and I'm a really lazy person: when i mean 'my type of hair', I mean my hair is not the same texture as other asian people. Oriental people usually have dead straight, but due to my mother's genetics, she has curly hair and my father has dead straight hair = wavy hair. My hair isn't THAT wavy but you can tell theres slight waves in my hair and that it doesn't go straight. Also, my hair has alot more volume in comparison to other asians I know (isnt because I put hair products in such as hairspray) but because i guess of my mothers genetics. How does this relate to the fringe? ('the fringe' lol the one and only) is because my fringe usually goes into a huge wave when it is cut short, so it's hard and I therefore have to straighten my fringe everyyyyday.

Once I got this fringe, i've been told by friends that my fringe always looks different and that's because I haven't found a proper system of how to straighten my fringe? Many girls don't even straighten their fringe which shocks me alot. 

Is there anything annoying about having a fringe?

Despite all the perks of having a fringe, it gets annoying: my hair tends to grow quite fast and I can not catch up with the growth of it.. so far its reached abit past my eye so i need to cut it asaaaap. 
With this, I always have to look on my phone to see if my fringe is looking decent and theres no curly/wavy parts stuck on my forehead thats not supposed to be there..
THERES ALSO +++++++++++ IN SPOTS. This may not account for the lucky blessed people out there, but my hair gets oily quite quickly and forms spots quicker than usual and takes a longer time to clean up. 

But yeah I didn't mean to rant on about my fringe, but I just liked abit of change..

Talking about hair, I'd like to add on some of my hair favourites into this blogpost! 

My hair has been getting quite dry/dehydrated recently and I knew it was the bleach talking! 
So I decided to grab a few hair masks to soothe and restore my hair back.. 

CHARLES WORTHINGTON- Moisture seal mineral hair rescue mask.

This bad boy is a hair mask which gave my hair life i tell you!
You leave it in after 1-2 minutes (so quick as im impatient) and it smells
so(oooo) good. The day after, my hair feels so soft and lovely. 
£7 i think.



Elaine x 

National Citizen Service- NCS.

HELLOOOO! 

It has been a VERY long time.. and I apologise. I've been literally busy busy busy (either camped out in my room with depression watching hours and hours of gossip girl or having writers block)

I wanted to share something amazingly significant which happened in my life this summer, and this is NCS;you've probably heard of this before but basically, it's a summer camp for 16-17's which gives you the chance to meet amazing new people, go outside of your comfort zone with activities and just having a laugh. 

The reason why I decided to do it was because I felt as if my summer wasn't going to be good, and I needed some oomph in my life- basically making new friends. 
On the first day, it was quite weird because you're surrounded by people who live around the same area as you, but you don't know any of them? However, everyone as I realised are connected to one another (mutual friends) so it made me easier to get along and start conversations.

Don't feel awkward!

Everyone is on the same boat as you are, so just relax. I felt anxious on the first day but on the second day, it felt more like I was at home and the people there are so genuine. I never thought i'd be the one telling people secrets I'd never tell my own bestfriends and they'd be the ones to understand ! People are great.

Thing is, you need to have the courage to put yourself out there- people still talk I guess: drama goes round and round and you just need to rise above it alll. 

The reason why I wanted to share this blog post with you is 1) this is one of the main reasons why ive been AWOL from the blog 2) I want you guys to say YES because this is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity. 

You learn new skills, independence, how to cook and how to give back to your community. 
Honestly, the NCS squa are like my family. I love them all to bits.




                     

Elaine x

My recent favourites!

Hi guys! I felt like I haven't posted really anything fashion wise so I thought why not! I hope you enjoy this blog post and comment/+1 this if you want :) Also you can tell me your favourites below! Make sure to follow me by email to notify you every time I make a new post.

This purse is from Primark. The best thing about it is that you can take the straps apart as there are buttons (i forgot to take another picture..) and you can easily convert it into a clutch for parties, days outs- the bag itself is very light and very affordable.

You have probably heard A LOT of reviews about the Maybeline New York Gel Liner and it is AMAAAZING. I brought this actually around three or four months ago and it's incredibly long lasting. In my opinion, I prefer gel liners over liquid because it's easy to draw new things on your eyes. eg: double wing liner- definitely worth your money-around £4! 

Next up are these chunky heels! These are from Primark and the reason I brought this is because: 1) my heels are nearly close to it's death and 2) prom time! I'm not exactly a heel person in general,meaning I don't wear these out casually to go out for a special occasion. Never the less, these heels are great- I'm so surprised I saw these, especially from Primark. If I'm honest, most of my friends resort to Primark as a place to buy heels because it's cheap. These were £12. They did get unbearably uncomfortable at the end but I'm guessing it's because of dancing. 

Let's go back to the basics of makeup- drugstore style! Starting from the left, is the Simple Care 'Kind to Eyes revitalising eye roll on'. This bad boy had been purchased 2 years ago and what it does is just wake me up because I get incredibly tired and reduces puffiness in the eyes. You apply this on the lower of your eye and sometimes I apply it on the eyelid if I need that extra wake up call. The best thing about Simple Care line is that it's great for sensitive skin (in which i have) and has lasted me a long time.. 

Second of all is the Rimmel London 'Wake me up' concealer. I haven't ever brought a concealer before but I had to purchase one and I heard a lot of raves about this. I think the concealer does do great coverage with dark circles and spots and blends quite great. However, it does take me more of a long time to cover spots which could be seen as a disadvantage. I have been told my dark circles are coming out due to all nighters so yeah. The concealer is £5.49 and can be purchased in your local drugstore.

Stuck in the middle is the Barry M 'Vernis a Ongle' nail polish. This colour is very rich and it's very easy to apply with just one coat. I love this colour because it does suit my personality/fashion sense as I tend to wear dark colours than bright. £2.99.

Last off in this picture is the 'Super colour fabu' lipstick in Blush pink.. This lipstick smells so sweet like smarties. The colour itself is a medium dark lightish-pinky colour and looks a bit purply when worn. This lipstick does hydrate your lips though and I find the product rather enjoyable. 

In addition to the lipstick club is a lipstick by Avon in 'Oxford Wine'. Unfortunately, I don't know the price of this lipstick as my auntie gave it to me as a gift. However, the lipstick is quite a dark rich colour and I wouldn't usually wear this on a casual day out but more of a special occasion or those winter days- it would look perfect on a snowy day and really compliments the skin tone if you're pale. 

Well this is it! I hope you guys did enjoy this post of my recent favourites-Till next time.

Stay beautiful, Elaine. xx

Bleaching hair.. The Pros and Cons

Bleaching hair is something that should be taken into a lot of thought and consideration before actually deciding to do the deed; whether you want something different, want to do something for yourself or you may be having a really bad time (like a breakup) and you want to make a statement. 

Personally, I have bleached my hair a LOT of times, so I know what I'm talking about in this post due to past experiences. I absolutely love my hair..but of course there are advantages and disadvantages to everything..

Lets discuss my opinions on the 'pros and cons' of bleaching hair.

PROS:

• New change.
• Bleaching your hair gives you the opportunity of dying your hair other colors; in effect it will make the hair colour turn brighter. For example: when I first bleached my hair, I decided to dye it magenta (pinky/purple-y) colour. 
• Creates a statement: making you look different from the crowd
• Compliments your face/skin.
• Fun
• Confidence boost.
• Makes you look more mature.. or for the older people-younger.
• Fashion trend: everyone loves ombre.

CONS:

• It is permanent: once you do the deed, it is done my friend.. you're fucked.. but not damned to the point where you can't get rid of the colour;you can always dye it to another colour. 
• Split end mania.
• Requires more attention to hair.. Basically more hair care products at your expense therefore more money.
• Makes your hair more knotty-ish
• Hair becomes more dry.
• Damages hair (ofcourse).
• Literally can't walk down the road and not see someone with bleached hair// Mainstream.

I decided to actually do this post because I'm re-bleaching my hair as it's fading.. I'm only making the blonde higher and fading it to create subtlety and I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys :). I hope you had an idea of what you want to do and if you should bleach your hair thus having these pros and cons in mind.

Stay beautiful, Elaine. xx

October 2013:

One of the first pictures where I had bleached my hair.

February 2013

March 2014. NOTE: my hair grows v. fast.

June 2014.

When you bleach hair, it gradually gets used to your hair and as your hair grows, your bleach goes further down.

Leaving school. #ClassOf2014.

1:02 AM:
So I've been waiting for this day to come.. Leaving- I mean, who hasn't ever once said to themselves in school: "I can't wait to leave.." yeah, I was one of those people. If I'm honest, I despised school in year 9: nearly every morning it was annoying to wake up and get dressed to go school; don't get me wrong, I had friends and I know that I shouldn't be complaining because others have/had it worse but it was inevitable. Thus, I made new friends anyway: year 9 was a year full of dramas,emotions and confusions- i was growing up and body parts (still am) but it was change-which i wasn't used to.. still not.

When you reach the final year, you begin to appreciate your friends more and create more memories together because one: you're either going to say goodbye to friends who are going to different colleges, or two: you're the one that's saying goodbye to your friends- I'm number two (heh). It honestly, truly pained me saying goodbye to my friends: yes, I live fairly close but come on- what is life without feelings? Not going to lie, I over-thought a lot (adding onto my exams I had) thinking: "I'm going to be replaced." and hearing off others that they're scared I will replace them..Nah, not ever going to happen;Yes we will meet different people and make new friends, but they can't replace memories-never. 

What did leaving feel like? 

Strange: I don't know how to put it into words but there's this sense of relievement that I've left and I'm moving to a college where there's no drama and it's a fresh, clean start. I've always planned to move to another college because it's easier, otherwise i'd never forgive myself- that was a promise. When I took a lot of pictures with my classmates, I observed  those who actually hugged me and said 'I'm going to miss you so much' and those who walked off after a photo..there's a difference, trust me. 

Summary of my secondary school:

Hilarious: I've grown into a woman, I've learnt to make wise decisions and I've learnt a lot off my teachers! In addition, I've made some life-friends who have been there for me when I have broken down and I needed a helping hand; I'm not going to lie, I've publicized 'friends' who I thought had helped me, but they never did.. those are liars. I'm easy going though, I can cut many out of my life before you say the word 'boomting' (metaphorically speaking of course). Despite the fact I hated year 9, I would ironically say it's my favorite year because I hung out with many people and from then, I learnt what kind of group to associate with.

I've seen my friends change and most people's personalities are brilliant, others, are poor. I mean, we all got out of that annoying year 7 and 8 phase which was life changing and my year is a brilliant, hilarious year..especially including the memories of me and alcohol.
Here are some leaver's photos and some old photos throughout the years: 

HELLO!

HEEEEEEY!

Hello! It's finally the summer- meaning I've actually finished/destroyed 18 exams! Goodbye year 11! So what does this mean for you guys? It means more time on this blog (woo). I don't know if you guys had noticed, but I deleted most of my old blog posts simply because there was a lack of detail/ blogger material. 

So what will you guys be expecting from this blog?

This blog is going to be filled with random blog posts such as fashion, outfits, friends, advice etc from the hormonal teenager which is me! I guess I've gotten more confident in blogging because I've left the school and i feel more freedom (I will go into depth with this in my next blog post). 

So that's me done for this post.. I hope you will start reading this blog again as I've been extremely lazy.. I'm sorry. 

Stay beautiful my lovely readers,

Elaine xxx

Dealing with rumors.

Hello! It has really been a while and there is no excuse for me abandoning my blog and my precious readers but a lot has happened during this time. For instance: I'm now in year 11 and the stress and work is piling on and on as I'm talking. Please do respect the fact that I have to put my work first and this blog is a hobby, but I will make sure that I will include more new exciting posts and that this blog can be a break from revision and something fun to do in my own spare time. 

I'm guessing that most of my readers now are pretty young and the same age as myself which is sixteen or around that age. Well, we have all experienced high school where we all change- I for one definitely have as I am not the person I expected to be before going into high school. With school, you always get rumors going around about anyone- you always hear something and sometimes its unfortunate when it's about you. But how do you deal with it?

Simply IGNORE it. Sounds easy right? It actually is. Most of the time it's hard not to give a care because you get defensive when somebody says something that's possibly untrue or maybe you just don't want them to interfere in your business- fair enough. But trust me, as long as you know what's true then you don't need to justify yourself to ANYONE. Even if your best friend doesn't believe you, forget them! I find it more funny when they're talking bad about you and they're wasting their time. 

It is hard:High school does change people-mainly depending on who you actually chill with. For me, I have hung out with different types of groups and it did take me a long time to find who I was actually comfortable with. I mean yeah, I do still feel as if I don't fit in at times so mainly I just talk to people one-by-one instead. 

My advice to all of you guys out there is to just avoid people who spread rumors/apart of it because they don't deserve your time at all. 

Stay beautiful, Elaine Chu xxx