I've Been Thinking Too Much | 10 Things

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One. I stayed up late last night to an ungodly hour (into the AM if you're wondering) and watched Marie Antoinette, directed by Sophia Coppola. Whew, what an extravaganza of a movie! Marie Antoinette's frivolous lifestyle makes me wonder a. how did nobody point out that fact that she was wasting millions earlier, and b. did she not get tired of wearing all those dresses and wigs. I like how the movie was a historical film, yet it was refreshingly modern, what with the snappy, guitar-filled score. Oh, and now I am craving all sorts of desserts; the Ladurée macaroons featured in one scene looked divine. It's a wonder Marie Antoinette didn't get any cavities from her constant snacking on pastries and cakes! 

Two. Having no luck with finding a comfortable pair of ripped-at-the-knees black skinny jeans, I DIY-ed my own. I am absolutely in love with them. The knee rips make wearing long pants in HK's humidity a lot more comfortable, and overall they just look good. I'm not scared to admit that I feel like a total badass in them c:

Three. In honour of National Dance Day, I would just like to say that I am loving my dance class at the moment. After so many years of no dance classes, a couple of months ago I took dancing back up. I've forgotten the thrill of dance class; with each lesson I get to improve my technique, learn new routines, and generally have fun. Plus, the additional exercise does no harm! We recently learnt a routine to The Weeknd's 'Can't Feel My Face' and, despite me not being able to spin quick enough within a beat, I'm enjoying everything. 

Four. When I came back from Singapore, a group of friends and I went bowling. This was when I found out that my bowling game seriously sucks. I haven't been bowling in forever, so I guess I should cut myself some slack. Even so, a little disappointing considering bowling's fun, I used to be able to strike, and my score would be above 50.

Five. This one's a given, but I've been active on Tumblr everyday. It's strange to think that I've reblogged quite a fair amount already, yet that's only a slither in the Tumblr universe and there's more to come. Not to be all self-promo-y or anything, but check out my Tumblr here! It would be awesome to communicate with you guys and answer any questions. 

Six. Last week I got really annoyed with my Essie top coat; the tip wear was ridiculous! I was so done with it, and decided to purchase another bottle of Seche Vite. The ingredients used to make it aren't the best, but it really does work. I'm wearing Sally Hansen's Lacey Lilac right now, and it's held up nicely for a few days already. 

Seven. With the endless hours of freedom, I used that time to make things. My better creations out of the lot are a clay bowl, a chevron wire ring, and a crystal bullet choker. I attempted faux druzy pendants, but haven't quite got the grasp of it yet. When I do, I'm pretty sure there'll be a tutorial up on this blog!

Eight. I have been listening to Twenty One Pilots, nonstop. They came to Hong Kong last week and - sob - I didn't go. I regret not going very much as I have really come to love their music. Blurryface is another one of those golden albums; all of the track are favourites of mine. I haven't listened to Vessel enough to add it onto the list, but I am pretty sure in the future it will be on there. 

Nine. Though I didn't go to the concert, my sister did. She showed me a few videos and pictures she took, and Tyler Joseph was wearing one of the most gorgeous kimonos I have ever seen. I am currently on the lookout for one like it, so if you have any ideas where I can get one that isn't too expensive, please let me know! And yes, Tyler Joseph's outfit game for the concert was on point. He's been sporting black-grey paint on his arms and neck for his Blurryface alter ego, and it actually works on him. If I ever tried to do that, I would probably end up looking like I fell into the drain!

Ten. The cork board over my desk was getting a bit cluttered, so I revamped it. I updated the polaroid pictures, rearranged my rings, and printed out a few new Tumblr images. That being said, I just couldn't take down Sassy Sangster; his expression is basically me on the inside. 

Ahhhhhhh, it was good to get all that off my chest! It's nice to blog about stuff like this; there's no pressure to confine to any structure, and I personally like reading these types of posts. If you're new here, hi, I'm Hazel! All my links are on the sidebar, so go ahead and pop me a message!

Lastly, it turns out that this is my 100th post. Wow. I normally don't really go into too much detail over blog statistics, but in my eyes, 100 posts is a milestone. Thanks for all your support, it really means a lot to me!

I'll see you soon! x

Get Back On Track

This post was inspired by Sprinkle of Glitter's 'Motivational Monday' posts. Admittedly, recently I've been feeling down. I've been struck with writer's block, I'm scared to film videos, and truthfully I've been wasting a lot of time. As a pick-me-up, I took to Pinterest to find quotes and posters to remind myself not to stress out so much. Here are a few of my favourite ones.

*disclaimer* all photos are from Pinterest; I don't own any of them

I think this can be applied to any scary situation in life, when we think we're not ready to do anything in fear of messing up and making mistakes. That fear will most likely stick to us, even if we don't feel it, so its best to just go out and get what we want.

This one spoke out to be in particular. I think that at the back of my brain, I'm worrying about the coming school year. I am someone who unnecessarily stresses out about these things: exams, tests, homework. These wise words from Hagrid really help me stop and release the bad vibes. Maybe it's magic doing its work...

This quote reminded me of one of ||Superwoman||'s latest videos '5 Things You Do That Make You Unhappy'. One of the points was comparing yourself to others. I'm someone who does this, and it really isn't the best thing to think about. Lilly said something along the lines of "Don't compare other people's highlights to your blooper reel". It helped me put things into perspective and not get so worried over comparing myself to others. 

Hopefully I'll be back soon with more posts and videos!

I'll see you soon x

My Eyes Crave New Material: A Book Wish List

Now that summer's here, I definitely have more free time. I do wish to spend that time wisely, and read more to fulfil my New Year's resolution. It's crazy how books can affect us; as I've seen on Tumblr, yes, I do agree that reading is essentially 'staring at dead wood for a couple of hours while we hallucinate'. So many books are being published these days, and I really feel that I'm missing out. Below is a list of books I'm looking forward to reading!

images are not mine, found around the web

1. 'Finding Audrey' by Sophie Kinsella 

I have always been an avid reader of the 'Shopaholic' series, as Sophie Kinsella portrays Becky Bloomwood as a funny, charming, and relatable character. 'Finding Audrey' is a book primarily aimed at the YA audience, and I'm interested to see how the theme of anxiety is interpreted. 

2. 'China Rich Girlfriend' by Kevin Kwan

A sequel to the upbeat and hilarious 'Crazy Rich Asians', this may be the book I am most excited to read. Asian literature is one of my favourite book genres, because though I live in Hong Kong, the situations depicted in these books are so different to what I experience in my life. 'China Rich Girlfriend' picks up where its previous book left off, continuing the story from Rachel's point of view. All the characters are extremely entertaining, and I can't wait to see how everyone reacts to the wedding.

3. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
I simply can't pick one out of the three books in the series; I must finish the entire trilogy. A friend introduced The Mortal Instruments series to me, and I was hooked. Most of my free time between the exam period was filled with Starbucks-and-reading breaks. I've finished the first five books from TMI, and was recommended to read TIF before starting 'City of Heavenly Fire'. The world of the Shadowhunters completely sucked me in, allowing me to de-stress from exams and how much I procrastinated from studying.

4. 'Anna and the French Kiss' by Stephanie Perkins
You know me, a regular sucker for chick-flicks and all things predictable! I hope this book will be a fun, light-hearted story with a fairytale ending to wrap everything up.

5. 'The Wrath and the Dawn' by Renée Ahdieh
One of the bestsellers found on Book Depository, this book is based on 'A Thousand and One Arabian Nights'. I have always found that tale compelling: a ruler marries and kills women as vengeance for his wife leaving him; he marries one that manages to prevent him from killing her by telling him stories for a thousand and one nights. Many authors have adapted the story, tweaking details to make it their own. I am eager to see Renée Ahdieh's take on the well-known story.

6. 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton 
I think what attracted me to this book was that it seemed similar to 'The Night Circus' (one of my favourite books ever) in terms of themes and the mood. I have literally no idea what this story is about, and yes, I could read the blurb, but I always feel that some blurbs just spoil too much. All I know is that it's set in an earlier time period, and historical fiction is another favourite genre of mine.

To be honest, I could still extend this list; these past few months I have been checking up on Amazon and Book Depository for recommended books. I suppose I should start this list first before jumping onto another; that would defeat the entire purpose of comprising this list!

What have you been reading lately, and what would you recommend?



I'll see you next time! x

Singapore Haul

Hello all!

It's been a while since I've done a haul and I did do a little shopping in Singapore, so check out what I picked up! Singapore is a shopper's paradise; you can go from designer labels up Orchard Road to street stalls in Chinatown. Brands you can find in Singapore that aren't in HK include Aeropostale, Sephora, and Bath and Body Works (!). Enjoy!

See you next time! x

DIY: Tumblr Inspired Clear iPhone 6 Case

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Ever since I got my iPhone 6 a few months ago, I've found out that I really like the look of clear cases on it, because the phone's own colour can still be seen. Not surprisingly, phone cases are overwhelmingly expensive and the ones I really like are out of reach. I took matters into my own hands and created several cases, all inspired by my many hours on Tumblr (as mentioned dozens of times). Continue on reading for a quick and easy tutorial!

You will need:

• PVA glue (a.k.a Mod Podge, Elmer's glue, 白胶浆)
• a small paintbrush
• images for your design
• a clear case 
• scissors
• something to hold your glue

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Let's begin!

1. Find your images and cut them out. I found a dripping yin yang symbol on Google, scaled and sized it on Word, then printed them out.

2. Once your images are cut out, place them on top of your case to map out where you will stick them. 

3. Using your paintbrush, apply glue to the top of the image. Stick it onto the underside of your case (where it touches your phone). The glue will dry clear, and your design will be seen through the case.

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4. Continue glueing until your design is complete. Leave everything to dry overnight, and you are done!

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You can find clear cases online for relatively cheap (I got mine for under $10 each!), so buy a stack and go to town with it. There are endless designs you could do and naturally, I couldn't just create one!

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I created the 8-bit speech bubble case in honour of one of my favourite Avenger, and to express my frustration that he is dead (Marvel, kindly revive Quicksilver in the upcoming Civil War please!). I used mixed media for the other case (not really), using a combination of printed images and flash tattoos. One of the great things about this DIY is that you can create a design that compliments your phone colour, or clashes to create a statement. Of course, this isn't only limited to iPhone 6's. 

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This has got to be one of my favourite DIYs that I've ever done. Phone cases are one of my all-time favourites, so check out my other one here that I did a while back (the format may be different as I wrote it while the blog was still named Love From Icy. Updated links are on the sidebar.) 

Hope you enjoyed this post! I'll see you next time! x

Singapore's Gardens by the Bay - The Flower Dome

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Hey there!

If you've seen my latest post, you'll know that I visited Singapore last week (cheeky plugin - check out the vlog here!). We went to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore's plant and flora park. In that park are two domes: the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Everything was absolutely beautiful, and I managed to take a few pictures of its displays. Enjoy!

for the Potterheads out there!

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From the Cloud Forest

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I'll see you next time! x

Adventures in Singapore

Hey there!

Today I have for you my promised Singapore vlog. Check out what I was up to in Singapore!

How's summer going along for you? I know I haven't been keeping up with the blog lately; my schedule has totally fallen apart! With summer, I get more time to film, write, and do other things, so it will be temporarily suspended. I'll definitely still be posting, just probably not on Sundays. Look out for more frequent(ish) vlogs coming your way! To make sure you don't miss any posts, follow me on Bloglovin here, where the post will appear on your dash when it is published. Alternatively, pop in your email on the 'follow by email' feature on the sidebar to receive email updates when I post.

I'll talk to you in my next post! x