Category Archives: Jewellery

ADDICTED TO FRENCH JEWELLERY

13 May 2013 7 comments

You may remember, a couple of weeks back, I blogged about some pretty French jewellery from Gag et Lou and 5 Octobre. Now I’m finally doing a proper write up of the rest of the French jewellery I own..! Pretty pictures galore :D

It’s all thin and delicate and whimsical stuff… and totally pretty IMHO :) It makes me really wish I was back in Paris again, poking around in all the funky little boutiques and discovering little gems!

These below are 5 Octobre swarovski earrings. They’re a bit more fun then regular stud earrings, but not as in-your-face eye catching as dangling earrings are. They sit flush against the bottom of my earlobe and are nice and simple, but with enough sparkle to look nice.

5 October swarovski crystal earrings

Worn with Tiffany & Co initial pendants (C & H), and Elly initial necklace (B)

I normally don’t wear ‘big’ jewellery, but this Gag et Lou necklace is an exception. The disc is so intricate and whimsical I couldn’t resist! It looks lovely worn on its own, without being layered with other necklaces (which will only distract IMHO). It never fails to draw compliments from random people, and is one of my most-worn daily necklaces.

Gag et Lou spring necklace

I’m a big fan of ribbons, so the Millésime bow chain bracelet really appealed to me. It has an adjustable chain so it will fit a tiny wrist to a large one! They do a whole series of cute designs, but I like this bow one best. It’s very delicate and looks pretty layered or worn alone. I actually never ever take this off because I find it such a nice basic piece, so I wear it 24/7.

From left: Tiffany & Co diamonds by the yard bracelet, Millésime bow chain bracelet, Gag et Lou star bracelet, jade bangle

I was completely suckered in when I tried on the 5 Octobre 3-stone ring. IT FIT ME!!!!! It’s an adjustable wrap ring, so I just push it til the ends cross over each other, and it will fit me just fine. And unlike other brands, the ends are rounded so they don’t catch or scratch.

The ring is soooo light and so comfortable to wear, I forget that I have it on. It’s very petite but I think it looks lovely on. The gems are a grey/blue which doesn’t exactly match my wardrobe, but it was such a pretty colour I got it anyway.

5 October 3-stone ring

Fits even my ring finger cos it’s adjustable!

So that’s all the rest of the French jewellery I have so far.. though I’m eyeing others but don’t want to spend money on them right now. I’m very happy with these for now :)

I have a bunch of other jewellery and shoe related photos that I may blog at a later stage… I kinda miss doing fashion blog posts sometimes!! So I’m happy I got this one out :)

Hunter after his nap today. He amuses me so!

Singing, I mean, belting out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

FRENCH JEWELLERY: GAG ET LOU AND 5OCTOBRE

29 March 2013 9 comments

I’ve recently developed a real penchant for French jewellery. I’ve realised that they are exactly the type of jewellery I like – very thin, very small, and very delicate.

It’s a shame these French brands are not easily found in Singapore.. and I always get a bit nervous purchasing jewellery online as I like to see it on me first. So I haven’t yet bought anything online.. though I may soon :P

What I did get in shops here are from French brands Gag et Lou and 5octobre. Their stuff is all, surprise surprise, very delicate and oh so pretty!!! I’m fortunate that my kids don’t grab at my jewellery, so I don’t have to worry about that. Well.. at least Hunter doesn’t. Carter doesn’t yet, but who knows if he will in a few months time!

So anyway, this is a ultra-thin gold bangle from 5octobre. I was drawn to how unusual it is, not like a regular simple bangle. Love the smooth solid stones (it’s some semi-precious gemstone that I’ve forgotten the name of. Or rather, I wasn’t paying attention to the lady when she was telling me.. was too entranced looking at the bracelet!), and the fine gold band. It is also made in more of a petite sizing, so it fits my wrist well.

5octobre fine gold bangle

Love how delicate it is

And if you’re a sucker for delicate chains like I am, you’ll be besotted with Gag et Lou. ALL their stuff is drapey and thin, and come with a myriad of charms and thread colours, so you’ll spend ages choosing just one, like I did!

I ended up with a silver chain and black thread combination, with a star charm. I picked it because it was pretty basic and I could wear it with my other jewellery unobtrusively. Plus, I adore stars :)

Check out their packaging!!

The bracelet clasp attaches to the lid of the wee box

There are 2 lengths built into the bracelet, so suitable for both thin and normal wrists.

Love the look of it on my wrist

Of course, I’ve spent the past few weeks obsessively surfing French jewellery sites for pretty little treasures. And…. I’ve found SO MANY! Eek!!

La Luna black diamond “Star” necklace. Love the black diamonds and the shorter chain length. But at €380 this is out of my price range…

Gag et Lou star on chain necklace. Waaay more reasonably priced at € 45. Guess not having diamonds on it helps!

5octobre turquoise and gold bracelet. Love the half-and-half look! I’ve never seen a bracelet quite like this one. But is it worth €79?

5octobre slim swarovski crystal bracelet. LOVE this one because of the black base. Too big for my wrist but I’m hoping a jeweler here can alter it?

Millésime ribbon bracelet. LOVE how this caters for small wrists and is so adjustable! And that petite ribbon… squee

Gag et Lou beaded rings on gold chain. I like how those rings are loose on the bracelet, and in rainbow colours.

Perle de Lune blue topaz and labradorite gold bracelet. Total and utter FAINT.

La Luna diamond “Star” Ring. How I love that it’s on a thin chain band!! But it’s €335.. gulp…

Delphine Pariente fixed star gold ring. Cheaper at €50 and so petite and cute!

5octobre swarovski crystal earrings. I like how understated they are, as they sit snugly on the ear.

Perle de Lune sakura earrings with pink garnet. Love the drop of these earrings and how they’re a bit Japanese.

CARTER’S TIFFANY & CO PUSH PRESENT, ELLY INITIAL NECKLACE

8 December 2012 15 comments

Just the sight of that bag is enough to make me go weak at the knees…. ;)

Hunter’s push present was a no brainer, because I’d been wanting it for ages (perfect colour, and “H” for Hunter!) and Chris had also spent ages scouring various Hermes boutiques to locate one.

But for Carter, I couldn’t think of anything that I reaaalllyyyy wanted for his push present. So I told Chris I didn’t want anything, yet. Well, the only item that I did want was the Cartier love bangle (it also tickled me that the brand name was just one-letter off from Carter!), but at around $7k, it’s pure insanity and I wouldn’t spend that much on jewellery for myself… mainly because all I think about these days is “hmm what would that money otherwise buy for my kids?”. It also cost $4k (*faint*) to fly our family to Australia this Christmas to visit Chris’ family… so I gave up all hope of having a blockbuster push present for Carter.

In the end, I found the perfect piece, just by chance. It’s small, it’s simple, it’s classic. And it’s something I can wear 24/7 for the rest of my life :)

It’s the Tiffany & Co gold necklace, with solid gold H” disc charm and “C” disc charm!

In my favourite colour to boot :)

Tiffany & Co gold necklace, with solid gold H” disc charm and “C” disc charm

I was particularly drawn towards the solid gold version, because of the lovely weight of the discs. They’ll also patina beautifully with time, and will last.

And obviously “C” for Carter, and “H” for Hunter”!

I figure the “C” can also stand for Chris.. was tempted to get a “B” for my name too, but the discs aren’t cheap and I didn’t dare to spend more money, so I left it at 2 discs.

They feel beautiful on my neck and I love fingering the smoothness and warmth of the gold. I also like how they can be worn as charms on a bracelet, if I prefer.

A very meaningful push present… thanks Chris :P

The discs, after a month of daily wear

The back side

The whole range

Here it is on me!

So I found something whimsical and cutesy from Elly, for the “b” part! It’s a custom-made locket that you can choose in various shapes, colours and design, and with the initial of your choice.

Here’s a selection of ready-made lockets below… HOW CUTE ARE THEY??

Like little candy drops

I got a square shape because I thought it looked funky, and in pink. And I was debating between a sweet turquoise or pink… and in the end I chose pink, but I still like the turquoise one :P

“b” pendant from Elly!

My only issue is that the 2 chains are the same length.. so I either need to get the Elly chain in a longer version, or take the “b” off and put it on the gold chain.

The 3 initials of my family :)

MY SHOPPING IN AUSTRALIA

30 May 2012 21 comments

I actually didn’t do much shopping in Australia during our trip. I know, unbelievable!! It was mainly because the cost of the flight itself blew a HUGE hole in our budget (flights to/from Australia are prohibitively high), so I wasn’t really in the mood to shop up a storm.

Mostly, we bought baby stuff. Nothing exciting, but necessities that Hunter and/or #2 needs. I was on a mission to find zip-up onesie pajamas because they’re rare in Singapore, and quite expensive. Most onesie pajamas are all button-up, which are technically fine, but quite a hassle when you have a wriggling baby or impatient toddler. I LOVE the zip-up ones because they are so much easier to get on/off! So we got a whole bunch of them in Australia :)

Apart from baby stuff, not that much fashion shopping. In fact, I didn’t even go nuts at Alannah Hill, like I fully expected I would! All I got was a belt there, which was $69 down to $29 – bargain.

I did get a little something from Mimco though, the Fortune Hip Bag in scarlet. I lovely, soft bright red bag! I liked the size, the metal hardware on the front, and the strap that can be extended to go cross-body. I don’t have modelling pics with it on me, but if you scroll to my previous posts, you’ll see it popping up :)

It’s a lovely, casual bag that’s so soft, and I really like the leather (it smells delish!). It was also on 50% off, which did it for me ;)

Mimco Fortune Hip Bag in scarlet

My all-time favourite jewellery store in Australia is Kerry Rocks. Her designs are exactly my style – delicate and thin with little gems here and there. I always feel a frisson of excitement whenever I step into the boutique, because my eyeballs just go mental from all the pretty eye candy :P

I had to exercise a lot of self-restraint when my girl friend and I were there ;) After ages, I finally decided on just one necklace – turquoise beaded necklace with a gold hummingbird charm. It’s simple, a pretty pop of colour, and matches heaps of my clothing. I like it :) You’ll also see pics of me wearing this in all my recent blog posts.

Kerry Rocks turquoise necklace

And here’s an adorable little thing I got for Hunter and #2.. it’s from Peter Alexander, also one of my fave Aussie brands. HOW CUTE IS THIS?!?!?

Peter Alexander onesie

And the rest of the stuff below I just threw into this post.. because I had the photos floating around and felt like it :) After all, I haven’t done a fashion/shopping post in a while, right?! So here are a few quick ones..

These are my Marc Jacobs silver sandals. I ADORE Marc Jacobs shoes because they always seem to fit me so well, in designs that really appeal to me, and are super comfy. For example, I wore these sandals ALL day, and almost every day, during our Australia trip… and never got sore feet or blisters. And they were brand new! WIN. The silver is super-shiny so it makes them stand out, but the colour is neutral enough to wear with anything. My favourite casual-wear sandals :)

Marc Jacobs silver sandals

So comfy :)

And these are another pair I’ve got, my Marc Jacobs teal slingbacks. They have a 2″ chunky heel and are also really comfy. But, really, I got them because I LOVE THE COLOUR. These were purchased a few years ago, but have held up really well and I still love ‘em to bits :)

They pair perfectly with my Loewe nappa leather tote, which is super ultra slouchy and smells so gooooooood.

Loewe nappa leather tote with Marc Jacobs slingbacks

Lanvin ballet flats are one of the most comfortable flats out there IMHO. There aren’t many that come close. They have a beautifully rounded toe, very soft and supple leather, and an elasticized edge that ‘grip onto my feet well so they shoes don’t flip off at the hell when I walk. Most other elasticized shoes will bite me at the heel and cause blisters, but not Lanvin. Plus, they come in a huge variety of colours, though these metallic-navy blue ones are my favourite because they’re versatile and look awesome with jeans :)

Lanvin metallic-navy ballet flats

My current favourite iPhone case! It’s a leather one from Unique and comes in a gorgeous colour combination of pink/seafoam/purple. Ain’t it pretty??? It also is very sturdy which I need because Hunter has a habit of throwing my phone onto the ground *sigh*…

Uniq iPhone leather case

This last one here is actually Chris’ goodie, not mine. I bought it for him because he’s an avid reader. The Amazon Kindle is seriously AWESOME. Lightweight, easy to read, and simply one of the greatest inventions. I got the official leather case to go with it, and it comes with a pull-out light as well, for bedtime reading. If you like to read, get the Kindle. You won’t regret it!

Kindle > regular paper books

GOOD ‘OL LOCAL FOOD @ BUKIT TIMAH MARKETS

6 December 2011 6 comments

I’m a HUGE fan of local food in Singapore. I think it ranks up there as my favourite cuisine.. alongside Japanese and French. I only ‘discovered’ the delights of Singaporean local food when I was around 18 yrs old, and it was actually in Australia that I first tasted Singaporean food (unbelievable, right?)

Since then, I’ve obviously had Singaporean food IN Singapore, and I freakin’ ADORE the stuff. Honestly, I could eat it every single day (actually, I think I do) and not get bored. The range is huge, and virtually everything is fantastic.

I like to go to the one at Bukit Timah Markets, which is above the markets and has really friendly folk. Check out the dinner we had the other night!

BBQ chicken wings.. so glossy and plump, yummeh..

How could we NOT order satay?? Grilled to perfection.

Fried chae tow kway (however you spell it?), Chris' favourite food. They do it beautifully crisp here, and you get a really decent portion for just $2

My personal favourite - sambal stingray!! It's better than fish imho, because it's less fishy smelling, more tender meat, and no random bones in the meat. Divine.

And look what my friend made me! It’s the ‘Tie the knot’ gold necklace from Sparklethots. She made it with an extra-thin gold chain which I prefer since I like super-delicate jewellery. The bow is so beautifully crafted and smooth, and sits flat against me. It’s a quiet and subtle piece but oh-so-feminine and delicate. Beautiful. Makes freakin’ fabulous Christmas present for a girl friend or sister, too :)