Art Stage: An Experience to Remember

“Are you experienced?” asked Jimi Hendrix.

Indeed I am, Mr. Hendrix. Although his phrase only refers to his music, it applies to feeling the vibe of an artwork. From the texture of paint to the life-likeness of a sculpture, you cannot turn yourself away from an object that’s begging you for completely undivided attention. As an art history major, I can tell you for sure that each object you are seeing (whether it be at an art gallery to a museum) has its own perspective of being seen on stage. Hence, it explains why one of Singapore’s own version of Art Basel is called “Art Stage” (get it?).

Annually, Art Stage opens a 4-day show from Thursday to Sunday every late January. But on the first day, it’s only open to VIP members of Chubb, an insurance company that sponsors the exhibit. Not to forget, they get an exclusive showing of all the artwork before it’s open to public – for free. (FYI, I just had to join my mom just to see this show!) Since it’s the first month of the new year, what’s better than being able to treat yourself to an art show?

Given that it’s running for three days, you can pop in there for two hours as the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center isn’t terribly big compared to other expo sites (e.g. Milan Food Expo). If you feel that brushing past a plethora of people at Art Stage is intimidating, don’t let yourself down. In fact, there is more that meets the eye.

When you first enter Art Stage, you can start out in any direction; however, I highly recommend that you start out at the center as it’s easy to walk around anywhere. While there are galleries from Tel Aviv to Seoul running the show with so many contemporary pieces, here are some hidden gems to look out for:

Shanghai Surprise

2017 might be coming to a close, but let’s not freak out over 2018. As vacation plans are being booked up left and right for NYE, there is never a time when you can run out of ideas of cities to visit!

If there is one city you need to add to your 2018 travel bucket list, it’s Shanghai. This past November, American lingerie behemoth Victoria’s Secret launched their very first fashion show there. Every VS model and Instagram fashion blogger/influencer attended the show. Thanks to its cloud-grazing skyscrapers and KiraKira+-esque lights in the evening, the beauty of China’s internationally appealing coastal city cannot be ignored.

When I visited Shanghai last month, I couldn’t help myself. In fact, I felt like I NEEDED to Instagram every single street corner and space in the restaurants. As much as I hate to spill secrets, I’ll let the cat out of the bag on this one as I cannot wait to tell you my favorite hotspots!

Party Time Excellent: Top Steady

Stoked for the weekend? You bet! I love a good party and I’m always down for sweet tunes, rad convos and most importantly, break out a fun fancy outfit. While party dressing has always gotten down to the formula of a nice dress, cute purse and sleek stilettos, it’s so easy to sit there and run out of ideas. However, you will never get bored when you #LivinLaVariNaDah!

A) The Mesh Top

The Candy Kids choker | Vintage ’90s Jean Paul Gaultier top | Marni Belt* | Tripp NYC skirt | Faux Fur stole | Vintage ’90s Heart Purse | Wendy Brandes ring | Gianvito Rossi boots

You know that you are bound to sweat in a small, enclosed space. You know that there’s going to be HUNDREDS of people cramped in the same room as you are whether it be at Le Bain or your local dive bar. Seriously, no look is going to fly without one. Speaking of mesh shirts, more is always more when you pair it with cutesy camp accessories! If you are bustier like I am, go for a higher-necked scoop silhouette that will reveal, but conceal. See?! Isn’t the perfect outfit waiting for you when you wanna rock a mesh top?

B) Band Tee

Spitfire sunglasses* | Vintage Nirvana shirt | Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier shirt (worn underneath), Custom made Bebe Aguirre Designs pants | Express choker | Wendy Brandes ring | Sugarbaby shoes

Sunglasses are completely optional (NOTE: it’s totally a-OK to wear ’em when you have really red eyes from PG-unfriendly activities), but a band shirt ain’t. Can’t get over the days when you sang along to Backstreet Boys in a hairbrush while wearing a shirt with their faces? Time to pull it out!

If you ever feel so intimidated to talk to new people, let the shirt do the talking for you. Not only can you break the ice beyond a small “Hi, how are you?”, you can end up making a friend for life! Seriously, what better way can you start a riot when you bring up your favorite band?! Buy a ticket, take the ride and get a shirt. Throw it on with some crazy pants, statement shoes, sick necklace and you’re good to go!

What are your favorite party staples? What is your first party outfit? Feel free to dish some tips!

 

*Similar

All photos by Hallie B. Geller

Orange Morange!

New York Fashion Week may be over, but trying out a new look past Fashion Week never gets old. Last week, I was so bored of sporting my traditional blackish brown hair. While rocking my natural hair looks great, it didn’t seem to satisfy well me well since everyone and their mother had to stand out in a concrete zoo. Like a call for a mate, I decided to head out to my local Ricky’s and grab a bottle of orange spray dye along with some Manic Panic Dye Hard gel.

The moment I opened it, I was purely in love. I wanted to channel my inner Gwen Stefani meets Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element, which I did for Lyz Olko’s fashion show and afterparty.

Me at the Lyz Olko afterparty | Photo by Nicky Digital

Why orange, you ask? Lately, it’s becoming the go-to shade for everyone: Georgia May Jagger, Teyana Taylor (FYI: I stood by her 2x once at a magazine party in September and she was really really tall!! I kinda regret not saying “Hi”.) and Kylie Jenner. Although it’s been two years since we last saw Rihanna and Miley Cyrus with orange hair, their go-to color feels so oh-so-fresh. Thanks to the warm undertones, orange is easy to pull off for almost anyone – including myself. But, how exactly can we pull it off IRL?

1. The Edie

Glossier Boy Brow | Milk Makeup Eye Pigment in Rager | Pat McGrath Dual Ended Marker |  NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Peanut Brittle | Huda Beauty Lip Contour in Bombshell | Glossier Haloscope | Glossier Stretch Concealer | NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer 

The late Miss Sedgwick may be a bleached blonde, but had she dyed her hair orange, it would’ve been equally fantastic. As my favorite go-to hairstyle, it can make any outfit look classy. Since orange is a VERY strong color, you can never go wrong with adding a bit of spice. Try this with cute cat eye, metallic eyeshadow (more within the silver range) and nude gloss for the classic Factory girl look.

2. The Riri

Y.S. Park Barettes | Glossier Boy Brow | Milk Makeup Eye Vinyl in Bridge | Max Factor Mascara | Maquillage Blush | MAC x Rihanna Riri Woo | Lipstick Queen Shine in Black | Glossier Stretch Concealer | NARS Radient Creamy Concealer

I love myself some Bad Gal Riri. As THE style icon of our generation, Riri ain’t afraid to take the bobby pin out and show it off. Whether it be an accent piece around the face or for a pair of cute baby half buns, she can never do any wrong. The overall look is funky fresh! For the full Riri effect, do it with a darker or frosted red lip, a nice nude eyeshadow (or bare lids) and killer brows. If you wanna do it my way, dab on some eye gloss!

3. The Miley

Glossier Boy Brow | Glossier Stretch Concealer | Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter in Amp | Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner in LSD | Max Factor Mascara | MAC x Miley Cyrus Viva Glam 2 | Wicked Hippie Face Jewels

Oh, Miley! Why can’t I get enough of you?! Since that twerkathon, those two little buns were forever stuck on my head. Although Miss Cyrus isn’t perceived as a style icon in the same eyes as Miss Fenty, she is equally influential. In that sense, she’s inspired me to play around with my growing out pixie. Like, who can forget about that pixie bun? Smiley Miley may rock this with a “my lips, but better” color on the regular, don’t stop trying out a new look without an orange-red lip and blue eyeliner.

Which look do you wanna try out? Can’t wait to see you run this town in orange hair!!!

Forever Frrresh: How Milk Makeup Slays the Game

More than a week ago, Milk Makeup announced their new spring collection and I couldn’t get enough. I felt so tempted to order them online from Sephora, but I couldn’t be bothered to spend a lot of money on shipment. Packed with new shades in its Eye Pigment and Oil Lip Stain ranges, it was about damn time that I go to my local Sephora the day of the Marc Jacobs fashion show, which was incidentally, a couple of blocks along the way.

At Sephora, I picked up two new shades: Rager (a cool icy blue that has a silver-y metallic base) and Feelz (a nice plum-based red violet berry).

Don’t they look amazing!? (Sorry if my photo was too blurry – I just happened to lose my control over the camera when I took these!)

Verdict: 😋😋😋😋1/2

To be fair, it was actually worth the Instagram hype. Since Milk Makeup was literally made for the girl on the go (like myself), the products really STAYED ON. The Eye Pigment never moved around. It also never faded after more than 5 hours of wear! When I had to remove it, I had to make sure that I used a strong micellar water makeup remover to really remove that pigment.

For the Oil Lip Stain, it was surprisingly conditioning. It left my lips feeling soft and juicy – just like vintage Angelina Jolie back in her ’90s heyday. What’s fascinating about the stain was that it left my lips into a nice neon pink finish. Although the color was advertised to be dark, my lips initially matched the tube. Then, the change in color happened due to wear. Over time, the oil gets absorbed into the lips and based on my hunch, it could’ve been the main factor into changing the color. Other than that, it was amazing product that truly lasted.

Application-wise, a little would go a long way. For instance, the Eye Pigment would be really strong if you applied a lot. That led to unintentional creasing and frankly, I had a bit of a difficulty applying it myself since I didn’t know how to control the amount. I needed to practice putting on a certain amount on my eyelids. The perk of this product was that you could go for a sheer wash (by smearing it across the lids) or make it go heavy. If you did the sheer way, it would look really crazy good with the Eye Vinyl (which I tried out myself). The shade and application had that Jawbreaker-esque ’90s throwback feel.

Ditto with the Oil Lip Stain. When I tried to get the product out, I accidentally squeezed the tube too hard and the rollerball popped out, staining my off-white Iro sweater. 🙊 (Sorry, Milk Makeup team!) Thankfully, I was able to put the rollerball back in and get the product out. When it came out, it was just a teeny tiny amount. That tiny amount was good enough to provide me sufficient coverage and hydration. Man, even the stain could last for HOURS!

If I ran out and started all over again, I would definitely stock up.

UPDATE: I contacted Milk Makeup’s customer service about the glitch I had with the Oil Lip Stain and they advised me to return it. I was able to return the product although I lost at least 25% of it from the spillage. If you are planning to buy it, I hope you have better luck with it than I did!