Beauty Break: Huge Beauty Review!

Long-awaited review I promised my side-kick on a Sephora trip I did before I left to go back to the UK. Enjoy, and sorry for the long hiatus! University has been kicking our asses to a life not kind to blogging. x

OOTD: Vampy Verma

Hi ladies! I think it's been long due that we actually did our styling off of what we have in our closet. I have always thought it such a hassle because I'm a) without a good camera and b) without a willing photographer. However, I think we can slide imperfections in this first attempt at a Outfit Of The Day post. Today I was inspired by the new Arsenal captain, Tommy V. While I have nothing to gush about his personal off-duty style, or lack there of, I do always associate him with plaid shirts and dark colours. 

Verma's vampiric good looks and chiselled features always overwhelm whatever outfit he seems to be wearing so let's be real now, it doesn't really matter what he puts on because he seems to pull it off. So this outfit was pretty easy to put together especially after I found this fun take on the lumberjack shirt from Zara. The rest just fell into place. Military green trousers as a spin on the amount of cargo shorts the man seems to own. Wedge trainers in place of his trusted kicks, and assorted arm candy as he's often spotted with trinkets around his wrist. The bag adds toughness - representative of his playing style, and the delicate scarf is added to give a bit more flair to an otherwise tough outfit. 

Shirt, Zara, £53

Trousers, James Jeans, £100

Bag, Alexander Wang, £730 (colour unavailable)

Shoes, Topshop, £80

Scarf, Alexander McQueen, £380

Wrap-around bracelet, Hermès, price upon request

Silver bracelet, ChloBo, £325/set of five

Woven bracelet, local Thai market, price unknown

Safe Hands: If We Can't Get It, Then We'll Wear It

Hi ladies! Though Safe Hands has been on hiatus for a while, we know we can quickly get over that sad truth with this beautiful gold-green shade from O.P.I. off of their The Amazing Spider-Man collection that consists of six beautiful shades and a shatter.

I'll let you in a little secret here: I was a huge Spider-Man nerd. And I mean, huge. So when this collection came out, I was definitely more than a little excited. I haven't seen the movie myself; mainly because I still cannot accept anyone else but Tobey Maguire as Spidey. I'm just being obnoxious, I realise. Guilty as charged. 

I went to my local O.P.I. nail bar today to get my regulars and decided it would be the perfect chance to try one of the shades that has been constantly compared to Chanel's Peridot. After a bit of reading on various nail blogs, it's safe for me to say that Just Spotted The Lizard is a flawless dupe of the former. 

I love the idea of the scaly, slimy, yet slick feeling this shade gives off. It's a beautiful combination of gold, olive green, and a tint of blue when reflected and I am absolutely hooked. Painted on, it's a lot more gold than I imagined, but I still love it nonetheless. Feeling a bit bold today, I decided to play the gold-green against Arsenal's yellow monstrosity from the 2006/2007 season - our first away kit playing in the Emirates. A bit of bling looks good against our kit doesn't it? Now if only we can get the real thing.

Just Spotted The Lizard.

2 coats applied over base coat, covered with top coat. Lighting indoor; full blast. 

Lighting darkened.

In the shade. 

Beauty Break: Get ready with me!

Come see how I get ready on a day to day basis, especially when I'm somewhat "on the run" and have only a short while to get ready. By no means that this is the quickest or easiest routine I do, but it is a routine I try and make time for as it takes just a little over 15 minutes including hair (yes, I admit, I do have the perks of having short hair!). The look is also very simple and is my version of make-up-without-looking-like-you're-wearing-make-up. Enjoy, and I do hope you find some use to it!

Products in order of use:

1) Shu Uemura depsea water facial mist (in Mint)
2) STEAMCREAM all-in-one natural moisturiser
3) NARS Pro-prime pore refining primer
4) Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura UV under base BB mousse
5) Shu Uemura face powder matte (in Medium light)
6) Sweet Lei Lani finishing powder (in Sun)
7) MAC powder blush (in Melba)
8) Urban Decay eyeshadow (in Buck) - off of the NAKED palette
9) MAC Prep+Prime eye (in Medium)
10) MAC mineralize eyeshadow (in Making It Easy)
11) Urban Decay eyeshadow (in Virgin) - off of the NAKED palette
12) Benefit They're Real! mascara
13) Apotek Hjärtat lip balm
14) Make Up Store sheer lipstick (in Gate)
15) Urban Decay by Skindinävia All Nighter long-lasting makeup setting spray

Applicators in order of use:

1) Shu Uemura press powder puff
2) MAC 182 "kabuki" brush
3) MAC 129SH brush
4) MAC 266SE brush
5) MAC 275SE brush
6) MAC 227 brush
7) Shu Uemura eyelash curler

Hair products in order of use:

1) Kérastase Resistance Volumactive amplifying perfecting mousse (for fine and vulnerable hair)
2) Label.M soft wax for light to medium control

Beauty Break: Curl Control (Product Review)

Hello all! Kay and I have decided to expand our Beauty Break section and dip our toes into the world of beauty product reviews. The product I'll be reviewing today is Miss Jessie's Quick Curls ($32 for 8 oz.), which is described to be a "weightless styling cream, which enhances hair’s natural bounce and shape without any heaviness" while it "does away with frizz and dryness."

Now, as one of the few Asian girls born without naturally pin-straight hair, I have struggled to find products that will help my curls stay in place and not expand/frizz out into a giant mess in Houston humidity. As my hair is also extremely thick, I find that many products simply do not have the strength to hold my hair in place without turning it into a helmet of gel. (Gel dandruff? Definitely not sexy).

Enter Miss Jessie's - a smooth, non-sticky cream that goes straight on your damp hair that smells absolutely lovely as well (think citrus and ginger, mmm). The smell isn't overpowering but lingers throughout the day. I find that it does weigh my hair down slightly, but it isn't noticeable enough for me to complain. I've allowed my hair to air-dry after applying the product.

Without any products in my hair:

With product (apologies for the lighting/quality of these 2 pictures!!):

As you can see, the top half of my hair hasn't poofed up, while the rest of my hair has a nice tousled, wavy look. Miss Jessie's is definitely becoming a permanent member of my makeup/beauty collection!

Transfer Talk: Robin van Persie

It seems that summer happened and everything else comes to a stand still - especially around here. First and foremost we'd like to apologise for the lack of activity on the Colney Chic. There has been a massive amount of travelling in my part, and a lot of Lia things and shenanigans in hers. (You can ask the details of that to her yourself). Euros came and gone, and so did the Olympics. Now here we are closing in to the end of summer and the start of another football season. 

The months between the seasons are often gruelling, but fear not - transfer rumours will relentlessly keep you company whether you like it or not. As expected, one player will sickeningly dominate the transfer activities during the break. Arsenal seems to be quite good at providing said players (see: Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri) so why should this year be any different? This summer, we witnessed the classic will-he-won't-he saga provided by the Arsenal frontman and (now ex) Captain, Robin van Persie. 

I have an unhealthy relationship with Robin van Persie. And by relationship, I mean obsession. And by obsession, I mean a sickness. He was plastered on my walls, downloaded to my laptops, and on my lips 24/7 for the past 5 years. Maybe it was the amount of time I spent talking about him to the point of nausea that helped me cope through this summer or maybe it was the fact that I just couldn't care less anymore. Ever since he released that bordering on megalomania statement, I knew I wanted him to pack his shit, give back the keys, and out the door. 

In the words of Whitney Houston: it's not right, but it's okay. 

Now I'm not the football fan blessed with the talent to write a witty thought-provoking article with tactics thrown around like it's Jaeger on a Saturday night, but I'll attempt and give my two cents in the best way I know how. I tend to liken a player's stay at a certain club to a relationship. Many football fans do use this allegory, though I like to think I take it further and better. The Cesc case is easy - he was still head over heels with his first love whose relationship he had ended prematurely, being young. The Samir case was a regrettable one night stand, and Henry's is the 'we know we're each other's love life even if we're not together'.

Robin is the one you waited for so long to be good to you. Robin is the one you loyally stood by while he went out to prove himself a man. Robin is the one who showed you off to his friends and made you sure he was yours. Robin is the one who endlessly hinted a proposal. The one whose closet you dare ransack to prove there's a ring only to realise, he's nothing more than the one that could have been. A dream. A postcard promise. A lie. A disappointment. A waste of time. 

Like the rest of them he leaves you for the neighbourhood whore - famous for all the wrong things. 

These two looks are created inspired by the philosophy of the two reds Robin van Persie has painted his career in. We attempt to embody the spirit of both Arsenal and MU in the context of the transfer through both outfits. The Arsenal look is unique, fashion-forward, and a little on the quirky side. We chose a draped silk dress with a twisted bust that spits out fabric to the knees, calf-hair pumps, and wooden box clutch with a matryoshka as a charming accent. The Man U look is strong, time-tested, and in your face. A rouched snake-skin print lacy dress showing skin in all the desired places, strappy sandals, and a solid black clutch completes the man-catcher look. 

Dress (Arsenal), Prabal Gurung, £789.25

Shoes (Arsenal), Alexandre Birman, £345

Clutch (Arsenal), Charlotte Olympia, £480

Dress (MU), Roberto Cavalli, £1690

Shoes (MU), Rupert Sanderson, £543

Clutch (MU), Bottega Veneta, £1125

Country Costumes: Poland

It's almost a shame that it's taken us so long to feature one of the host countries of this summer, but shhh, we won't tell if you don't! Aside from automatically qualifying this year as one of the host countries, Poland have only appeared one other time in the Euros, four years ago in 2008, and did not make it out of their group. It'll be interesting to see what they can achieve this time on home soil, in Group A with Russia, the Czech Republic, and Greece as their opponents.

There are really only three Polish footballers (who chose to play for Poland) that I can immediately think of. Of course, as an Arsenal fan, the two Polish names that come to mind are our two Poles in goal, Szczesny and Fabianski. The third? None other than my favourite foul mouthed, corn-hating* crazy, Artur Boruc. Needless to say, I don't have much knowledge of the Polish team, or even Poland in general, apart from the fact that I find their names horribly hard to spell and pronounce.

It seems that every time I've seen Poland play, they're up against Germany and either stone-faced Podolski or Klose are the goalscorers. Not exactly the most flattering memories, I know. Ignoring those memories, I've chosen to use Poland's red and white as my main inspiration in assembling this outfit.

With simple black skinnies, a white clutch, and a draping white tank top, the loudest part of the set are the accessories. The swirling bracelet set with blood red crystals, silver pumps, and red teardrop earrings all serve to add a bit of glamour and sophistication to the look.

*speaking of course in reference to Dirty Tackle's weekly rage list parodies.


Tank top, Elizabeth and James, £125;
Jeans, Liberty, £165;
Pumps, Nine West, £50;
Clutch, Valextra, £842;
Bracelet, 1928 Jewelry, £15;
Earrings, Max&Chloe, £18

Country Costumes: Denmark

The Danish Dynamite may well be the dark horse of Group B this summer. Tossed in the group of death along with Holland, Germany, and Portugal, many have already written Denmark off as the bottom of the four. However, Denmark are a solid, competitive side - not every member of the team is as disappointing as Nicklas Bendtner - and, in my opinion, should not be underestimated.

Having one major title to their name, the European Championship of 1992 where they defeated defending champs Holland in the semifinals, Denmark have fared much better in Europe than they have on the world stage, with only 4 total appearances in the World Cup, having never made it further than the quarterfinals in 1998.

I had the pleasure of visiting Denmark last summer during a roadtrip of sorts that also included stops in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway. Sorry, Finland! It's a gorgeous country with adorable houses and lovely architecture in general, and has wonderful summer weather to boot. I've kept some details of my visit to Denmark, along with the national team, in mind as I put together this look.

Starting with a fun printed skirt, I've paired it with a simple black vest and a minimalistic handbag and wedges to keep from shifting attention away from the skirt. The accessories in the form of the spiked ring and lightning bolt earrings add some excitement into the look, an unsubtle reference to the nickname of the Danish Dynamite.

Vest, Ted Baker, £42;
Skirt, Marni, £203;
Wedges, Miu Miu, £402;
Bag, Phillip Lim, £478;
Ring, Tom Binns, £95;
Earrings, ASOS, £7